When is it politically correct to use alcohol as an excuse?

I agree with the gist of this article.

One thing that really concerns me though is that a woman is considered not to be able to give consent if she is drunk because she is not competent, wouldn't the same logic excuse the male who is also drunk because he too is not competent? I am not proposing this is the case, I am just noticing a double standard in how we apply the principles of personal responsibility!

Looking forward to some stimulating responses!

in reference to: Kiely Williams New Video Spectacular (view on Google Sidewiki)

What is this about?

To me it just sounds like populist crap. I bet they will try harder to keep high profile cases in than others, regardless of what the evidence of non responsiveness to rehabilitation efforts.

Not sounding good for the next twelve months.

in reference to: Criminals who resist rehabilitation to be kept behind bars (view on Google Sidewiki)

The heartlessness appalls me

While I don't have a solution to the refugee problem, I am constantly stunned at the self righteous anger of most people who oppose Australia's policy on refugees. People seem to act as if they were born in Australia through some act of personal good work.

If you are Australian it is purely a stroke of luck. You have done nothing that makes you more deserving of the safety and security of Australia than a refugee from Sri Lanka or Afghanistan.

I wish people would have the honesty to say, I don't care about your circumstances. If you come here you are reducing my personal wealth and so I don't want you here.

All these arguments about queue jumpers, people smugglers and economic migrants are just excuses to fool ourselves.

People are fleeing from genuine fear for their safety and security. They could sit in a refugee camp and wait, but in most cases, they would never get to the front of the queue. The number of people wealthy countries are willing to take is far less than the number of people 'in the queue'. It is not really a queue, unless it is moving.

Let's admit that it is only by 'the grace of God' that we are not refugees, and try to come up with a solution to the problem from that angle.

in reference to: Refugee boats intercepted in Indian Ocean (view on Google Sidewiki)

Interesting strategy

I am a bit confused about what the point of the billboard might have been for the church, perhaps just to be noticed, but I am amazed by the people that would be offended. It as if God is not strong enough without their support?

I can't imagine what the God in their minds must be like who has no sense of humour, gets offended at the smallest of 'insults' and needs to be constantly protected. Certainly not the type of God that I imagine, and hardly the type to be worshipped.

in reference to: Church billboard not offensive, rules watchdog (view on Google Sidewiki)

How long will Christians continue to ignore the injustices that are life in Israel?

Every day there seems to be a new example of systemic racism in Israel. With South Africa, there was a worldwide boycott. Israel, gets more and more funding from the US, no matter how often they infringe basic human rights.

in reference to: Arab family denied right to rent home - The National Newspaper (view on Google Sidewiki)

Has Julian Porteous been taken out of context?

I hope so. Otherwise, I think his priorities are badly mistaken.

Of all the negative influences on young people in society, I think that yoga, tai chi and Harry Potter fall a long way down the list. I guess he has grabbed a headline, but has he done anything to bring anyone closer to the kingdom of God? I don't think so.

I would have thought that materialism, poor self-mage, greed and many other aspects of society have a far greater influence for "evil" amongst young people than yoga.

in reference to: Do Twilight, Harry Potter open door to the Devil? (view on Google Sidewiki)

Tired of living Euthenasia law

This concept really bothers me. I would equate it to my opposition to the death penalty. The problem is that it is irreversible. There have been plenty of people, regardless of age, who have felt "tired of living" at one point in their lives but have later rediscovered their reason to live.

I would hope that any decision to do this would only be after significant psychological counselling, but my concern is that those who are doing the counselling may lessen the value of a life just because of the person's age.

I think this is a huge extension from "the right to die" when there is a medical condition and this really does bother me.

in reference to: Holland debates 'tired of living' euthanasia law (view on Google Sidewiki)

Sharia Law in Australia

I think one obvious flaw in the argument that Sharia Law should be allowed in Australia, is that it would only be fair in Australia if both parties were willing to be judged under Sharia law. If they both agreed, then there would be nothing stopping it being used anyway. As soon as one of the parties disagreed with the judgement they would have to be entitled to reject sharia law and be bound by the law of Australia. There is no way the legal system would agree to enforce religious laws against someone who was unwilling to be bound by them.

in reference to: Muslim leader wants elements of sharia in Australia (view on Google Sidewiki)

The Economics of population

I wonder why the media and other commentators don't bring up the big pluses for immigration. One, they are needed to create extra demand for the capitalist system. Two, the only way we will be able pay pensions for the baby boomers is through the increased tax base that comes with increased immigration.

Obviously, the impact on the environment needs to be considered, but for those who think this is important, a far more effective action would be to reduce the use of high energy appliances.

in reference to: Australia's population debate (view on Google Sidewiki)

Luxury at the gates of Hell

Great article. Very thought provoking. My first reaction was one of disgust. But really, the fact that they are right there, indulging in luxury is no worse than us living our affluent lifestyles in Sydney, or wherever else. For that matter, it isn't just when an earthquake struck that Haitians suddenly started suffering. The majority were living in dire poverty already, yet how many of us cared less.

We need to do far more to change the world so that poverty and injustice do become history.

in reference to: Passengers in the lap of luxury at the gateway to hell (view on Google Sidewiki)

A bad experience with Asurion

http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/ap7wj/oh_hey_reddit_its_you_while_youre_here_whats_the/c0ipjyh

in reference to: Asurion – Your Technology Protection Company (view on Google Sidewiki)

Background story on Peter Spencer

This is a great article giving the background to the Peter Spencer issue. It really annoys me how the redneck media (led by 2GB) jump on an issue without any detailed analysis and call for a simple solution that involves criticising the government. It seems like in reality, Peter Spencer is largely responsible for the position he is in. I wonder if all the lemmings who are supporting Peter Spencer would agree to a doubling of their taxes to fund this and every other populist cause that the media use to drum up emotion to feed their advertising revenues?

in reference to: Michael Duffy (view on Google Sidewiki)

This is the future of society

I guess my title is a little dramatic, but questions surrounding this issue lie at the heart of whether society can move past a scarcity culture and start to truly reach for our potential, both as individuals and as a whole.

The team that won the challenge was able to come up with a way to create a non-zero sum result. A win-win. As long as we are scared that we will miss out if the other person wins, we are holding ourselves back. But once we let go of that fear, then the opportunities are boundless.

Great experiment.

in reference to: Red balloons and red herrings as scientific tracking turns to Twitter (view on Google Sidewiki)

Inter-country Adoption

I agree with Dianne Dempsey that inter-country adoption is a commoditisation of children.

Those who disagree, should ask themselves why they are not willing to give the money they would spend on that child to the community the child comes from. The impact on that child and many others in their community would be far greater than removing them from their community and adopting the child.

There is no doubt that this is about the needs of the adopting parents, not the child, or the community they are coming from.

in reference to: Pity third world orphans, but they're not a commodity (view on Google Sidewiki)

My experience with the Virgin Blunder

I saw the offer of the Gold membership and it was immediately obvious that it was an error. I was happy about the error and it didn't occur to me to contact them to let them know about it. When the reversal came through, I certainly wasn't surprised, but was a little disappointed. I am amazed at the indignation of some commenters. It is not as if they suffered a loss as a result of the error.

in reference to: Virgin Blue's Velocity Gold Status email mistake (view on Google Sidewiki)

Opposing Violence against women

I agree with many of the sentiments in the article, but already you are seeing in the comments that it is not just moslem men who have a problem with violence against women.

We should reject violence against all people and should not be afraid to confront it whether it comes from moslems or any other part of society. It is certainly a lie to suggest that it is simply a clash of civilisations. Statistically, there would be many men who practice violence against women amongst the police and armed forces personnel wearing the white ribbon on Wednesday.

While it is a nice gesture, we need to consistently reject violence in all its forms.

in reference to: Paul Sheehan (view on Google Sidewiki)

More on Prostate Cancer

This SMH article adds to the confusion about Prostate Cancer.  It makes sense to me, but perhaps it is just my aversion to being diagnosed with Prostate Cancer.  Certainly, having read this article, and also, when I heard Professor Coates statement years ago, I am not inclined to be screened for Prostate Cancer unless I have symptoms.  But, I do wonder if I am making the right choice.

A confronting story!

Husband sacrifices sex to stay alive prostate cancer

This really is a confronting thought.  Thinking rationally, there should be no question of not making the choice this man has, but for me, it is hard to imagine it not being an agonisingly difficult decision to make.  No matter how much I acknowledge that there is far more to life than sex, and that there would clearly be plenty of things in life to enjoy without sex, it still seems excrutiatingly difficult  to even contemplate!

I remember reading an article about this a few months ago.  The article focussed on the injustice to the zabaleen, having their pigs slaughtered, and the belief of many that this was just an excuse to make life difficult for them.  It seems they have reaped the consequences of their injustice.

Australia's xenophobia exposed

Another boat on the way | smh.com.au  How ironic that all this fuss is made about asylum seekers, when by far the biggest source of illegal immigrants comes from tourists (usually white) who overstay their visa.

How many Australians are now longing for the tough stance of the Howard government.  It hasn't made the news, but despite the tens of millions spent on the Pacific solution and the enormous suffering of the asylum seekers, 87% of them were acknowledged as true refugees and settled in Australia.  Maybe they really are refugees.