The Forum - Latest General Discussions Threads

Patronising popes and saints

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 10:12:46 +1000

One of the criticisms of the Howard government was that it blurred the lines between church and state. I wonder how its critics will react to the appa...

Not one single word out of any of you

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 21:24:59 +1000

Isn't it funny how all the labor voters have pulled their heads in as we go through what can only be described as the most outrageous sets of labor go...

A Fawking good bang, Guys!

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 18:31:12 +1000

Cracker Night. Guy Fawkes Night Halloween I�m sure there�s other names too. I live in Darwin, and as far as I�m aware it�s the last place in Australia...

Genius ,insanity and Jacko

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:51:13 +1000

They say there is a hare's breath between genius and and insanity.If Michael Jackson had a normal loving family life,there probably would have not bee...

Should relatives of criminals be allowed to keep the proceeds of crime?

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:50:20 +1000

Madoff just got 150 years jail for the biggest ponzi sceme ever..his wife aided and abetted yet looks like keeping her wealth...but if you pay cash..f...

Ten Thousand Boat People!

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:35:39 +1000

That is how any are said to be coming to our shores. What can we do? what should we do? Is it good for us? If they all come will half a million come? ...

Pot bellette?

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:08:46 +1000

I�m a 50+yr old aussie male, an ex� and a parent, and somewhat overweight of course, like most of my ilk. However, I have been a keen observer of the...

Government dental health service budget blowout to $6billion

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:31:16 +1000

Evidence is clear that tooth decay is the result of food left on teeth that plaque bacteria can change to acid demineralisation, which exceeds saliva ...

'Brilliant, fearless and without judgement': Take a closer look.

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 13:25:16 +1000

A totally fearless man is one who does not experience remorse. Lack of remorse, like lack of judgement signals lack of a conscience. A person born wit...

War as a 9 to 5 job

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:15:53 +1000

I am reading "WIRED FOR WAR". It is a book about combat robots. The subtitle is "THE ROBOTICS REVOLUTION AND CONFLICT IN THE 21ST CENTU...

The Forgotten Australians

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:07:04 +1000

Some time back there was a lot of discussion about the 'forgotten australians' here on OLO. There is article in todays SMH about them and the governm...

Channel Viewing Loyalty

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:21:05 +1000

I smile to myself when I hear the Television Channels rabbiting on about retaining viewer loyalty!....what a joke especially at what viewers of Channe...

Dingo Farce

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:42:51 +1000

An ABC News report today stated that Jennifer Parkhurst of the National Dingo Preservation and Recovery Program (Programme) has been banned from photo...

1 in 10 �racial supremacists� in Australia

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:12:17 +1000

An 11-year study by a collaboration of Australian universities has found 85 per cent of Australians acknowledge racial prejudice occurs in the nation ...

Obama Abdicates Responsibility

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:52:05 +1000

See, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWlDnv5oYdg&feature=player_embedded The US Govt now gives reponsibility to a private group of banks to regulate a...

Intersexuality and The Third Gender

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:26:38 +1000

I made this post in another forum, but thought it might be appropriate here. This is my first thread on here so I would appreciate constructive critic...

Massive Price Rip-off

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:16:31 +1000

The expose last night by Today Tonight on Channel 7 regarding the much cheaper prices paid for "Aussie Made" grocery items by New Zealand co...

Government 2.0: Policy and Practice

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:36:39 +1000

Greetings from "Government 2.0: Policy and Practice" at Parliament House in Canberra: http://www.katelundy.com.au/2009/05/29/public-sphere-2...

The real reason for the NRL group sex 'scandal'

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:46:25 +1000

was to get women into unassailable positions of power within NRL clubs. So far we have had Cronulla and Manly announce women as CEOs and there has bee...

Turnbull Rudd Swan lets talk

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:14:20 +1000

I have waited for some one to start this thread. If another one is waiting in the wings we need not see this one. But this week,well the last and this...

2012: The Year the Internet Ends

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:31:15 +1000

See; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2XPiqhN_Ns I stumbled upon this quite by accident.Apparently the current major internet service providers{ISP]wan...

Should Criminal Charges Be Laid Over Mr Ward's Death in Custody?

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:41:05 +1000

From last week's 'Four Corners' on ABCTV: << On a hot Saturday night, just over a year ago, Laverton police arrested Mr Ward for driving under ...

ERROL FLYNN AND TRUE HISTORY: On the 100th Anniversary Flynn's Birth

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 23:49:45 +1000

Errol Flynn, an Australian-born film actor, was popular for his romantic roles in Hollywood films and also for his flamboyant lifestyle. Flynn was bor...

Tag-team Politics?

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:07:51 +1000

Reading a lot of negative opinions on pollies and the parties here, and sharing them, I wonder.... Perhaps a way to avoid useless time-servers and par...

Global Warming basics

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 10:06:04 +1000

The basic argument in the climate change debate boils down to whether you believe that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. Carbon dioxide in our atmo...

Mandatory Service 2010

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:40:21 +1000

Mandatory service a subject that has come up a number of times over the years pushed by governments and countries alike and yes since the last world w...

Jovian Jolt

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:23:29 +1000

Tasers: We have given the police the power of Zeus, to cast lightning bolts, and just like the Greek God, they are capricious and arbitrary. All the ...

NSW.Compulsory Acquisition Land Passed

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:08:00 +1000

Last night the NSW Govt passed a bill with the complicity of Barry O'Farrell to allow Govt to compulsory acquire land that is not necessary for the de...

To Carbonate or Not?

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:24:11 +1000

To Carbonate or Not? The Emissions Trading Scheme is creating deviseness in the community. We have the government on one hand, supported by a select...

reforestation versus logging

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:52:38 +1000

While we are chopping down trees on forests we should try our best to redevelop reforestartion in desert areas. This should be a world wide process an...

Persian Panjandrum's Peril

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:11:28 +1000

Iran: Will we see a secular freedom movement appearing there, a counter-revolution? Or will they achieve that most ephemeral of balances, between the...

What next for Peter Costello?

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:56:02 +1000

Peter Costello entered Parliament in 1990. To-day, June 15th 2009 he announced his retirement from Politics much to the obvious joy of both his Party ...

Big Business or Conspiracy

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:31:20 +1000

It is reported today that Big Business is pushing for company tax to be halved and GST increased by an "unspecified" amount! This sort of r...

Fields of Green

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 10:41:36 +1000

Insiders today: Milne from the Greens, insisting Ruddy Kev can wave a magic wand and save the nation and the world, totally ignoring the realities of...

Jump at it?

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:37:46 +1000

Should we be farming roos? Reasons: The meat is healthier than most normal stock meat. The animals impact the environment far less. They breed faster ...

Breaking Corporate Power of Govts

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:42:03 +1000

Ron Paul has just achieved 51% support for his Bill HR 1207 to audit the US Federal Reserve.These private group of 12 banks own the US currency and lo...

Foreign Students, How Many?

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 16:59:12 +1000

In the news about the attacks on Indian Students, afew figures emerged that are interesting and give rise to a number of questions. It is said that t...

Who's driving this bus?

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 08:54:07 +1000

Should we reform the financial system? Lets face it, very few people understand the complexities and language of it all, the laws and practices.The m...

The Storm that raged

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:34:37 +1000

Storm Financial is reported in the Sydney Morning Herald today as representing wholesale fraud against investors,the public, and lots of small mums an...

Rudd and Aussie Slang

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:15:26 +1000

Is he fairdinkum? Does it matter? Not in my view do we want our leaders to sound like English gentlemen? Every leader talks in public to win friends a...

Dead, Dying, or even desirable?

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 16:22:13 +1000

Manners? The "old" way, politeness, courtesy, manners in general, seem to be falling out of favour. I was raised the old way, and did the ...

There is no left

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 09:05:56 +1000

We live a capitalist world where money not people appears to hold the higher ground. We measure success and failure in terms of dollars, this is the c...

Sensible Selectivity

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 08:22:40 +1000

I've often wondered if we should have some sort of criteria for those who stand for election? A minimum standard of intellectual ability would seem a ...

Mr Obrien-where was your god!

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 07:48:32 +1000

It would appear to me that if Chris Obrien had a god, or believed in god, he/she was asleep at the wheel, considering the fact that this man was a tru...

How to restore democracy in Queensland

Sun, 7 Jun 2009 20:56:17 +1000

With the shameful capitulation today of 60% of delegates at the Queensland Labor Party conference, who voted for a "motion acknowledging that the...

Let�s start by eliminating pets

Sun, 7 Jun 2009 16:31:54 +1000

Ours is a quiet cul de sac apart from the only two dogs in the street, one on either side. One of these midnight yappers also killed two blue-tongued ...

Woods Recommendations

Sat, 6 Jun 2009 17:35:35 +1000

http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/Special_Projects/ll_splprojects.nsf/vwFiles/Report_Executive_Summary_Recommendations.pdf/$file/Report_Executive_...

New Australia Party

Thu, 4 Jun 2009 21:15:04 +1000

Is anyone here interested in joining the NewAustralia party? This is a new environmental party formed by ex-green and ex-democrat members who don't b...

The way ahead, or why we should all waste water.

Thu, 4 Jun 2009 20:03:22 +1000

�The way ahead, or why we should all waste water�. This is the title of the final chapter in the book; Overloading Australia, by Mark O��onnor and Wi...

Slop in a Bucket

Thu, 4 Jun 2009 18:27:59 +1000

I watched with interest the reports that our military aren't happy with the grub. Of course, the BlakFellas, will tell you that the tucker has been n...

OBAMINATION?

Thu, 4 Jun 2009 00:29:31 +1000

Alan Keyes is an African American who is totally hostile toward Obama. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqkMfToY9Pk Alan Keys "How can bankrupt...

Welcome matters

Wed, 3 Jun 2009 12:31:05 +1000

Why do we need immigration AT ALL? OK, discounting refugees, a humanitarian obligation, why exactly do we need to grow our population? More unemploy...

If we ingnore this will it go away?

Wed, 3 Jun 2009 10:43:08 +1000

The End of the line (TEL) Doco �The basic problem, is the huge over-capacity of the modern fishing industry. � There are too many boats chasing too fe...

Do as I do!

Wed, 3 Jun 2009 09:51:07 +1000

Could only find old posts on this subject, and no recognisable posters, so I thought I'd re-enter it. Discipline, or the lack there-of. I'm a believ...

new federalism

Wed, 3 Jun 2009 00:48:48 +1000

The Constitution of Australia was enacted to enable a Federation of States. The States agreed to a Federation governed by men's legislatures. A Co...

Indian Students and Press Frenzy

Tue, 2 Jun 2009 14:51:55 +1000

Media practitioners, Australian and global, have again proved themselves to be unreliable stirrers. Attacks on Indian students are to be deplored, as...

Obama's false promise.

Tue, 2 Jun 2009 13:53:33 +1000

The new USA president rode into town on promises of change. But where are the changes Troops are still in and will remain in an illegal war zone. Pris...

Our Individual Right

Tue, 2 Jun 2009 11:05:31 +1000

The monster rears it`s ugly head once again,...the subject of an ageing population and the right for the elderly or the permanently incapacitated to h...

Why is tooth decay is still our most common disease

Mon, 1 Jun 2009 13:50:21 +1000

Tooth decay is still our most common disease because fluoride only increases resistance to acid demineralisation of teeth from food left on teeth, but...

Car manufacturers got themselves to blame?.

Mon, 1 Jun 2009 08:38:30 +1000

I notice that GM is in trouble in the States. Fiat is gonna clean up there. Ford, here, is floundering. Could they have buffered the damage themselves...

Muslim Children in State Schools

Sat, 30 May 2009 21:43:20 +1000

Salaam Muslim children have been attending state schools for tha last 60 years. They have been suffering from Paki-bashing and bullying. Majority of ...

Gestalt.We Need a NMF.

Fri, 29 May 2009 21:23:01 +1000

Gestalt theory proposes that the whole,is different from the sum of the parts.Perhaps this is why so many economists and environmentals get it so wron...

Taxing times

Fri, 29 May 2009 16:41:54 +1000

As I recall, P. Hanson had an idea for a flat tax of some sort on financial trading, as a replacement for income and a host of other taxes, and was pi...

Share ownership schemes

Fri, 29 May 2009 09:04:37 +1000

The federal government announced changes to share ownership schemes in the budget, but appears to be backing down on them as a result of union pressur...

The Man

Fri, 29 May 2009 05:51:01 +1000

If the thread gets a run, it could be hard for G Y to say yes, lets keep it non racist please. My idea was born this morning reading the Sydney mornin...

Racist Judges Legislating from the Bench

Thu, 28 May 2009 15:10:35 +1000

"I would hope that a wise white man with the richness of his experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a black female w...

A New Punctuation Mark

Wed, 27 May 2009 22:00:33 +1000

A new punctuation mark needs to be created that could serve certain purposes. A good example would be getting out of useless forum topics that have be...

Are Aussies - narrow minded, prejudiced and intolerant?

Tue, 26 May 2009 19:53:39 +1000

I got the idea for this thread whilst contributing to another thread - as well as glancing over some of the subject matters of recent threads. Subjec...

Should 'lifestyle' be a dirty word?

Tue, 26 May 2009 18:13:17 +1000

Good grief, What is it about Australians we seemed to have taken the lifestyle thing to extremes. "Lifestyle" is used to sell everything fro...

Monetary Porn

Mon, 25 May 2009 20:12:21 +1000

This has got to be seen to believed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsTEn-fcjU0 Elizabeth Coleman is the Inspector general of the US Federal Reserve....

RETIRING AT 67

Mon, 25 May 2009 12:53:12 +1000

As a 76 year old who has been retired officially at 65 but with no superannuation, I kept working in my business as a Consultant for about 5 more year...

Who is responsible for committing fraud in remote indigenous communities?

Sun, 24 May 2009 22:21:41 +1000

I am required to write an article regarding this Title. I have some areas I really wish to canvas with those who are interested in responding. However...

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Sun, 24 May 2009 22:20:16 +1000

If there is some fallback from discourse and fair comment on a forum it may come to be believed that the show has become somewhat compromised. Onlineo...

Jews ban people from their clubs for being Australian

Sun, 24 May 2009 21:06:13 +1000

It seems our Jewish �friends� have decided to ban all Australians from their clubs for reasons best known to themselves. http://www.ajn.com.au/news/...

Guantanamo future?

Sun, 24 May 2009 13:24:50 +1000

What should America do with Guantanamo Bay? Its part of another country and its subject of heated debate right now. Is there any merit in Republican c...

Discrimination? The American solution

Sat, 23 May 2009 22:00:51 +1000

Lilly Ledbetter was a supervisor at Goodyear Tire and Rubber�s plant in Gadsden, Alabama, from 1979 until her retirement in 1998. Men in her plant do...

Blue collar opinions don't count?

Sat, 23 May 2009 10:08:09 +1000

Hey there everyone, Just a question. I don't work in an "office". Didn't go to uni. Does this mean that certain topics such as politics, in...

Community Benefits from Discriminatory Immigration policy

Thu, 21 May 2009 20:30:32 +1000

For many years the Australian community has been tolerating the intolerant and, for reasons of our own well being, it is well past the time we put the...

Was the Holocaust a pan-European project?

Thu, 21 May 2009 14:39:28 +1000

Yes according to this article in Germany's der Spiegel magazine which describes the activities of Hitler's non-German helpers. http://www.spiegel.de/...

Where is Democracy?

Thu, 21 May 2009 10:07:39 +1000

To all contibutors: Please note that I am the original "Cuphandle" but have had to change my nickname to "Crackup" due to change o...

Fatality Free Friday

Thu, 21 May 2009 08:03:58 +1000

Tomorrow is Fatality Free Friday � an initiative to raise awareness about Australia�s roadtoll and greatly reduce it. http://www.fatalityfreefriday....

'How many sickos might fit on the head of a pin'

Wed, 20 May 2009 19:58:40 +1000

I was reading the pages of Antony Loewenstein today and found his incoming letters list. I shared them with my Lady Wife. Neither of us could believe ...

Queensland teachers.

Wed, 20 May 2009 11:50:44 +1000

Over educated, over paid, over opinionated, under employed & under achieving & unisterested, is probably the best way to describe a very large percent...

The 'Statue of Liberty'

Tue, 19 May 2009 10:56:40 +1000

I have always been against a Bill of Rights for Australia, and I am no fan of Geoffrey Roberston; but, I like to read what the 'enemy' is thinking. S...

Regrets - I've got a few ...

Mon, 18 May 2009 20:26:42 +1000

We've all made mistakes. We've all done things that we wish we hadn't done. We've all missed opportunities and blown more of them than we care to a...

the cost of injury at work

Mon, 18 May 2009 13:44:56 +1000

The official figures clearly illustrates just how the corporations have been able to play one Australian state off against another. The figures show j...

Abraham Lincoln predicted theis economic collapse

Mon, 18 May 2009 13:35:47 +1000

I believe that corporations are actually the victims of the crooks who control and manage their affairs, not for the good health and long life of the ...

Kangaroo exports - blessing or curse for the Australian environment.

Sun, 17 May 2009 22:04:12 +1000

Animal rights activists are now trying to undermine Australia's exports of Kangaroo meat, by actively lobbying foreign governments to reduce their imp...

Six new cameras doesn�t amount to a hill of beans

Sun, 17 May 2009 21:30:51 +1000

�New fixed speed cameras will be switched at six accident blackspots by July as the [Queensland] Government tries to slow the soaring road death toll....

A Better Monetary System.

Sun, 17 May 2009 13:59:32 +1000

If you were to counterfeit $22 million [equal to our pop],it dilutes the wealth of all Australians by $1.00 per person.Our banking system is also able...

I have a motorcycle license. Does that mean I'm a criminal?

Sat, 16 May 2009 23:59:36 +1000

Mal Fraser rode motorcycles. The previous Defence Minister did so too. I can't afford one now and have to drive a Holden shitbox with a clapped-out Is...

Sexy, lubricious, meretricious, Government

Sat, 16 May 2009 23:34:42 +1000

I made a mistake the last time I offered a thread. I swallow my civic pride and now accept that my choice of title might have scared everyone off. I...

Our Pension Increase

Sat, 16 May 2009 13:42:59 +1000

Well, we have finally after 18 months of stagnation, been informed of our Long Awaited Pension Increase. For those of you who may be in the "Bett...

The time has come for proportional allocation of university places.

Fri, 15 May 2009 23:08:29 +1000

Julia Gillard may well believe the public/private debate is over but that�s not the case for many of those I come in contact with. The dramatic inequi...

Jailed for noisy sex?

Thu, 14 May 2009 23:07:46 +1000

This article from Reasononline sounds hard to believe from the land that brought us Magna Carta http://reason.com/news/show/133423.html. But apparent...

Sport and sex scandals

Thu, 14 May 2009 05:34:06 +1000

Yes we are all shakeing our heads how could they do that? Well another side exists to this story, why do we not have headlines about bands or stars wh...

stars and stripes

Tue, 12 May 2009 16:51:53 +1000

Until corporate owners and officers are held liable for all the harms they cause, we will remain disadvantaged by the law as it stands. For example a...

How do you deal with

Tue, 12 May 2009 08:04:16 +1000

Go to Google news and type "Pakistan" in the search box. You will get a stories such as these: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/05/10/Pakis...

New pay-by-unit rule

Mon, 11 May 2009 12:58:32 +1000

This comment was prompted by the ABC Radio National program 'In The Public Interest' which discussed the shrinkage of products while the price remaine...

Childhood Onset Leukemia

Sun, 10 May 2009 15:26:03 +1000

These last several weeks I've had to take on the task of my member of parliament. Some fellow acting as the representative of a sub-contractor inform...

So what is your Big Picture (BP)

Sat, 9 May 2009 16:37:44 +1000

Recently there has been a lot of talk about 'the Big Picture (BP). This can mean anything. Often to fob off thinking or discussing uncomfortable issue...

Is Marriage Necessary?

Sat, 9 May 2009 15:41:58 +1000

I've got a wedding anniversary coming up in a few weeks time. And I thought that I'd introduce the topic of marriage as a discussion on OLO. I'd be in...

Is Obama fit to be Commander-in-Chief?

Sat, 9 May 2009 14:04:50 +1000

Obama recently ordered the release of 4000 insurgents from US military prisons in Iraq. Since then violence has predictably escalated as these former ...

Remember your Abortionist with a Donation this Mother�s Day

Sat, 9 May 2009 10:55:36 +1000

Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in the USA. This year, as in past years, the organisation is asking its supporters to remember the...

can you live without the web?

Sat, 9 May 2009 00:53:11 +1000

3 weeks and 3 days, thats how long I have had to, and it was hard. My server is government sponsored satellite, for areas that are remote or poorly se...

Wage and Price Control

Fri, 8 May 2009 09:15:55 +1000

With all the pandemonium over the coming Federal Budget and the continuing problems emerging both directly and indirectly as a result the Global Finan...

The Peak

Thu, 7 May 2009 12:18:59 +1000

The Peak It occurred to me the other day when looking at the biography and reviews of musicians, authors, anyone creative, that it seems there a few ...

WHY Are tobaco taxes going up?

Thu, 7 May 2009 07:56:29 +1000

it is a certainty that smokers will be paying for your recent bonus,because smokers are the ultimate tax vehicle just as we never had the debate abou...

Mick Kelty...or Ned Kelly?

Wed, 6 May 2009 20:21:43 +1000

Supercop? Career Crim-buster? Or asinine apparatchick, a yes-man? Or perhaps a classic example of The Peter Principle,.."..risen to the level of ...

Proposition H1N1

Tue, 5 May 2009 21:30:33 +1000

We have all followed the case: the world is said to be afflicted by climate change. That climate change is said to be the result of excess greenhouse ...

Vic. Budget pre-empts Royal Commssion

Tue, 5 May 2009 17:54:09 +1000

The Vic. Govt. have decided to allocate a budget for fire services. Why so they have a Royal Commission and decide their priorities anyway. Could th...

I feel, so you must change

Tue, 5 May 2009 11:43:17 +1000

It's occurred to me recently that there's been a change in attitude about who owns responsibility for feelings by the people of the modern world. It u...

Should We Train Leaders Based on Their Religious Belief?

Mon, 4 May 2009 21:13:21 +1000

Should Australian governments provide leadership training programmes to young people with eligibility dependent on their religious beliefs? If not, wh...

banning plastic carry bags-have we realy thought it through!

Mon, 4 May 2009 18:15:28 +1000

We are about to ban the use of plastic carry bags in retail stores but is this going to be 'faulse ecconomy'. Now apart from the hygiene issues, how ...

Where are all the ( Power) visionaries?

Sat, 2 May 2009 16:58:21 +1000

Many of the responses on this and most discussion sites are mired in �more of the same�(MOTS) mentality. I am reminded of the colonial mind set when s...

Why do you want this job? (assuming being overqualified)

Sat, 2 May 2009 16:41:17 +1000

Hi all, I am a new member to this forum and I was hoping for some advice on a situation for certain someone I know. Situation: University Lecturer ba...

so why does the truth often stop a thread

Sat, 2 May 2009 15:21:54 +1000

Why is it that when an argument is shown to be unreasonable that the thread ends. Why don't the people who put up the argument actually continue with...

Free speech under attack

Fri, 1 May 2009 18:23:09 +1000

Frederick Toben, Australia's notorious Holocaust denier is not exactly my favourite person. But should he be censored? See: http://jta.org/news/artic...

Audit the Fed. 25% Congress Support.

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 23:20:27 +1000

Dr Ron Paul,the Congressman for Texas is achieving some remarkable results.Just a month ago less than 10% of Congress supported a bill to audit the US...

a local conundrum a moral test

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:12:06 +1000

eAnt has a conundrum. Next door he has one of those neighbours. She is now trying to sell up Yeees! The people who are looking to buy are chatty and a...

The Australian fringe

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:43:29 +1000

Here on OLO we regularly discuss the big players: the major political parties, the large religions, big business and relations between major internati...

Be honest..

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:05:00 +1000

Just out of curiosity, who believes that the whole environmental approach will succeed? I mean that we, as an entire world, will stop polluting in tim...

Swine flu. How serious is this going to be?

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:42:18 +1000

Here's the latest on the Swine flu. The situation is evolving rapidly, so if you want to post more links, go for it. http://www.theaustralian.news.co...

Server error

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:35:26 +1000

Having been absent for some time, I can see a clear change in the capacity to put a post up (within the post limit range). I'm sure this is already k...

Work and OLO

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:42:35 +1000

There have been some recent stories about various organisations taking steps to stop employees accessing social-networking sites such as Facebook. The...

Shakespeare, the subversive

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:01:01 +1000

Henry V was a heroic figure who led the greatest land campaign England had conducted up to that time. I see Shakespeare's play as subversive to the gl...

'Intellectual prostitutes'?

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 21:44:13 +1000

John Swinton was the former Chief of staff of the New York Times in 1953 and was revered by his peers as being one of the best."The Dean of his P...

Julia Gillard and spin

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 20:19:44 +1000

It seems that Julia will keep the spin going for as long as the people are gullible to believe. DEPUTY Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she has buri...

How would you define 'Trolling?'

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:52:16 +1000

I've scrawled a few websites and they define 'trolling,' as: 1) "The act of purposefully antagonizing other people on the internet..." 2) ...

Graham's challenge 3

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:10:09 +1000

I am growing both more intrigued and frustrated with OLO. It's almost impossible to get a reasoned discussion up here that dares to question the new o...

Australian, a nation of irresponsible parents?

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:19:33 +1000

I always think we Australian's are a socially progressive nation. If we find problems we discuss and fix them. So it was a bit of a shock to see this:...

Hey Good Lookin'

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:51:06 +1000

We all see those magazine stands in petrol stations, convenience stores and the like (racks of racks). The magazines with names like 'Ralph', 'Zoo' ev...

stimulus v's cuts

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 23:48:44 +1000

In the 5 years to June 30 2008 Fed government taxation rose from $9853 per capita to $13,451pc, at a rate about twice that of official inflation. Sour...

Is James Hardie Australia's Worst Corporate Citizen?

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:22:10 +1000

I'd like to nominate James Hardie for the title of Australia's Worst Corporate Citizen. In the name of profit for its shareholders, this company persi...

Does Obama know better than Adams, Jefferson and Churchill or were they Islamophobes?

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:35:52 +1000

Islamic hatred of America �...was founded on the Laws of their Prophet; that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have ackno...

Taking the Australian age pension before age 65 .. Possible ??

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:12:39 +1000

Hi.. Im living outside of Australia, and am having a devil of a problem getting info on this matter from Centrelink.. Have you, or someone you know,...

Cold fusion a reality?

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:10:18 +1000

Segment on American 60 minutes renews hope in cold fusion technology. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHE7H_YUq9I This would certainly be a lot better...

Ahmadinejad - Geneva - Israel

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:24:26 +1000

Okay I might need some slapping but can someone please tell me why Ahmadinejad is so terribly out of step when he puts forward the proposition that Is...

ALARMING TRENDS in the US

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:08:10 +1000

The Dept of Homeland Security in the US has released and assessment report entitled "Rightwing Extremism": Current and Political Climate Fue...

Tax Havens

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:59:20 +1000

On an ABC News Radio report a couple of days ago, it was stated that the two biggest tax havens in the world were Delaware, US and London, UK. However...

Making a profit

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:27:55 +1000

Today I went to the local service station to swap my 9Kg BBQ gas bottle, and left in a state of mild shock after handing over $35. It doesn't seem lik...

Dream Machines

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 07:49:09 +1000

Far more slowly than the starting speed of a moped, private transport is gradually coming to terms that we need to become independent of fossil fuels....

'May they rot in hell'

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 23:28:27 +1000

If I got it right, that is what I heard Kevin07 say about people smugglers. Now either our Kev is confused here, or he is playing politics. Fact is t...

There may be a 'mutiny' on the bounty

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:12:42 +1000

It would appear that our resident boss, Anna Bligh, has gained a few tricks from her former boss, back flip beaty. During the recent QLD state electi...

fairtrade users/advocates

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:18:24 +1000

Hi guys! i am doing an advertising proposal for my final uni year assignment and was wondering if anyone would be interested in helping? i can email i...

Regional Defence

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:38:49 +1000

This part of the planet is starting to head towards real defence issues with Australia and The States disagreeing on where the future lays with combat...

where did you find your BF/hubby?

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:55:20 +1000

just wonderred where did you find your BF/GF/wife/hubby? your input will be very much appreciated :) have a sweet night. rouge...

Is Swan ignoring democracy for an election advantage?

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:33:36 +1000

Wayne Swan is re-introducing the alcopops legislation into parliament - that legislation was shot down by the barest of margins, with Steve Fielding's...

What would a truly Christian Australia be like?

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:04:18 +1000

A regular criticism heard on OLO is that our country is suffering because we're drifting away from Christianity, and that we'd be better off if we all...

Housewife sings opera, knocks their socks off

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:08:05 +1000

http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY Susan Boyle, an ordinary British woman brings the house down on "Britains got Talent". I us...

'Our children's inheritance'

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:04:13 +1000

I've seen this sticker on a number of caravans etc. as baby bloomers become 'grey nomads'. No matter which way I look at this I find this silly, self...

Human rights: the last refuge of the scoundrel!

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:33:40 +1000

Two factors motivated this piece : i) I�m sitting here listening to Susan Ryan ramble on about Human Rights , and ii) OLO has looking a bit tame late...

Guantanamo II. This time it's Obama.

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 09:36:40 +1000

Obama was vehemently opposed to the operation of Guantanamo Bay. Myself and like-minded others were pleased to see his stance as well as his moves to ...

Perception - Negative impacts more than positive.

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 09:24:29 +1000

The article below struck a chord with me after following the "Power of Hatred" forum. "How Conflicts Escalate: Overreacting to Perceiv...

More statistics

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 06:36:02 +1000

Here's an interesting statistic for you: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25321352-3102,00.html "out of 52,128 random breath tes...

Quit smoking Alternatives

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:42:17 +1000

I have recently had a close friend diagnosed with a smoking related illness and as a pack a day girl I am petrified of giving up. I have tried so many...

Daniel Hannan rips into Gordon Brown

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 13:04:08 +1000

Go to youtube and see Daniel Hannan video "The Devalued PM...".[The direct link is not working]This is well worth viewing. Don't you wish we...

How statistically savvy are you?

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 12:16:01 +1000

Lies, damned lies and statistics! How well do you understand risk? Consider a disease called X cancer, XC for short. XC does not really exist. I jus...

Best uses for $43B

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 10:45:46 +1000

I'm fascinated by how little of the discussion about the proposed National Broadband Network has been about other things the money could have been spe...

Global; warming alternative theories

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:05:06 +1000

http://www.globalwarminghoax.com/comment.php?comment.news.109.3 Sea ice at Antarctica is up over 43% since 1980 and we hear nothing in the news, yet A...

Are Numbers Against the Chance Emergence of Life?

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:05:13 +1000

The imagery of a room full of monkeys pounding away at typewriters has been successfully used to argue for the chance emergence of life in analogous m...

Blind fury or emotional blackmail

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:43:13 +1000

An article in last Sunday's Sydney Sun-Herald (see: http://www.smh.com.au/national/blind-fury-vote-veto-by-vision-impaired-20090404-9sgz.html ) report...

Racial Profiling?.

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:09:22 +1000

Why do you have to fill out your racial ancestry every time you fill out a form?. Wouldn't it be great if it didn't matter?....

Where's my Easter movie?.

Thu, 9 Apr 2009 13:07:33 +1000

A capitalised word in the title is classed as profanity?. Anyway... We celebrate it but we can't watch a movie about it?. The Passion of The Christ...

Bibles banned in church

Thu, 9 Apr 2009 12:13:22 +1000

Do you agree that someone elses beliefs are more important than your own? http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25311152-5001021,00.htm...

Land Tax as a Tax on property

Thu, 9 Apr 2009 08:37:08 +1000

There is a growing opposition in New South Wales to Land Tax. Firstly it falls on about 300,000 people at the present time and raises about two billio...

taking up the challenge-hearing angels

Wed, 8 Apr 2009 18:41:35 +1000

People here might of heard of the recent Leonard Cohen tour and the reception it received, and the comments of many who heard him. Despite the cliche...

World Population Control?

Wed, 8 Apr 2009 17:48:40 +1000

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/14931 I received this story today and I began to wonder? With world population growing, will this be the...

Useful and interesting forum topics

Tue, 7 Apr 2009 21:58:48 +1000

I threatened to start this thread on the "Abortion is a blessing and abortionists are saints thread" http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/threa...

Can you afford IMF cyber money?

Tue, 7 Apr 2009 21:33:08 +1000

Well the dear old IMF are going to produce a new currency called "cyber money".They they are going to create money in their computers,loan i...

Twitter potentially breaches OLO pseudonym protection

Mon, 6 Apr 2009 17:35:53 +1000

OLO users who may be considering signing-up on Twitter under their OLO userID should be aware that in the sign-up process they are asked for a 'real n...

Crazy Little Thing called Love

Mon, 6 Apr 2009 05:04:48 +1000

A poster in an existing thread posed the question of whether "perhaps we could debate if all those so called warm, fuzzy feelings called "lo...

What would it take to change your mind?

Sun, 5 Apr 2009 11:45:20 +1000

Many recent threads and responses to articles have started of well, then sadly degenerated. I suspect this is due to the fact that on the one hand OLO...

Abortion is a Blessing and Abortionists are Saints

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 19:33:54 +1000

�And when a woman becomes pregnant within a loving, supportive, respectful relationship; has every option open to her; decides she does not wish to be...

Where's my stimulus package?

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 13:22:26 +1000

Kevin promised me $900 and now I hear that it is being ruled upon. Is not a promise a promise? For those small businesses that have strggled in the la...

Rise of sea levels is 'the greatest lie ever told'

Wed, 1 Apr 2009 11:49:00 +1000

The uncompromising verdict of Dr M�rner is that all this talk about the sea rising is nothing but a colossal scare story. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/...

The Articulate incompetent John Cleese

Wed, 1 Apr 2009 09:29:47 +1000

In his first contribution for the spectator John Cleese describes a certain catagory of people as articulate incompetents: "This is a person who ...

Where are we heading?

Wed, 1 Apr 2009 08:58:48 +1000

Yesterday I bumped into a young couple shopping in the supermarket. He was ponting out to his wife/partner the increase in price and decrease in conte...

We're on Twitter now

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:43:55 +1000

On Line Opinion is now on Twitter. Another option for following the articles that we post. Our profile is http://twitter.com/onlineopinion. 16 followe...

Senate Submissions on the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:05:18 +1000

The Australian Senate Economics Committee has published the 40 submissions received so far for the Inquiry into the proposed Carbon Pollution Reductio...

Federal government and China

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 05:33:06 +1000

Do we need to be concerned? is the news we read daily any different than other governments? It has always been true that sponsored travel when highlig...

Polygamy

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 09:38:36 +1000

I may as well start by saying that I have no problem with polygamy, polygyny and polyandry provided only that I am not expected to cope with more than...

The failure of the 4th estate

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 09:16:00 +1000

Throughout the country people are protesting about the introduction of Climate Polution Reduction Scheme. The overwhelming theme of these protests is ...

Burn In

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:13:09 +1000

I just read with sympathy reports on the ABC regarding vets suffering for want of a better term, P.ost T.raumatic S.tress. And with contempt that it ...

Looks like the Pope was right about condoms afterall

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:11:13 +1000

Harvard academic agrees with the Pope that higher condom availability increases the prevalence of HIV. http://townhall.com/columnists/FrankPastore/2...

The Tale of a Tale

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:40:28 +1000

Here is how the Guardian website treated a recent news item. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/mar/10/two-arrested-army-protest-luton Here is how th...

30% rebate on new equipment purchases

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:57:48 +1000

There is scratchy info about a Scheme whereby businesses will be eligible for a 30% rebate on new equipment purchased prior to june 30 2009. Can anyo...

Forum defaults - page display

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:28:17 +1000

Does anyone look at OLO threads page by page? My first action when I open a thread is to display all the pages at once. If that's what most people do,...

Let's do a Deal?

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:56:04 +1000

Last weekend Little Kevin met in secret with the #5 in the Chinese autocracy, the Minister for Propaganda. Coincidentally a few days later the Competi...

Raw Deal?

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:33:32 +1000

In 1939 Henry Morgenthau Jnr., FDR's Sec of Treasury said, "we have tried spending money...and it did not work. After 8 years...we have just as m...

Smart democracy

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 09:31:05 +1000

I'd like to propose that a better system of democracy than the one we have now would comprise both a men and a women's legislature, which would be pre...

A 'cowardly attack'?

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 23:50:22 +1000

This article in the Age newspaper http://www.theage.com.au/world/deadly-reapers-stalk-their-quarry-over-afghan-skies-20090323-97es.html prompts me ...

Should we do this here ?

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 08:57:28 +1000

The US Government is moving to tighten financial regulations by asking Congress for the power to seize and, if necessary, close big non-bank instituti...

Einfeld how ?

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 04:49:56 +1000

Even this morning the story will not go away. Dredging the last drop of interest out of him todays press tells of him being under police investigation...

Obama,

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:55:20 +1000

Obama," We cannot continue to rely on our military to achieve our objectives,We've gotta have a civilian national security force that is just as ...

Should a city of high rainfall be running out of water?

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 10:29:13 +1000

ENVIRONMENTALISTS fear a policy to find a new water source for Cairns will be accepted before the Federal Government approves a draft environmental pl...

is this a good idea or grab for cash?

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:10:24 +1000

The car industry wants people to be paid to crush their cars and use the money to buy new, more efficient vehicles.(ABC news on line)...

Conspiracy theory

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:22:01 +1000

I'm new here, but one thing that has struck me here and on other fora is the continual appearance of people expounding conspiracy theories of one kind...

Do we REALLY want to declare war on Criminals?

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:29:25 +1000

The knee jerk reaction(s) seen already in relation to the events at Sydney's Domestic Terminal, in terms of taking out gang(s) say we do... But do we...

A New Financial System Must Rise From the Ashes.

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 18:10:23 +1000

See Paul Grignon's movie "Money as Debt" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFb26u9g8 Our creation of money is both inequitible and unsustainab...

McDonalds in schools

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 19:55:29 +1000

McDonalds have recently struck a deal with the Federal government to be allowed to provide a free on line maths tutor package to classes 7-12 througho...

WELFARE-why does it no longer FAIR-WELL

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:11:36 +1000

Welfare, introduced as an old aged or invalid pension around the turn of the 19th century was introduced to provide support for seniors with those eli...

Decentralisation, does anyone remember?

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 11:58:29 +1000

I was reminded of decentralisation after Fractelle mentioned it recently on another thread. I have good memories of that time when our NSW government...

Double Standard: sexual experiences and gender.

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 19:19:50 +1000

I got the idea for this thread from some of the comments made by posters on the previous thread of mrs pierno. I thought it best not to de-rail hers -...

'Free to air' target audience.

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:38:00 +1000

I used to house share with a woman of Torres Straight and Islander descent. Her nieces and nephews used to come over when their parents were up to som...

The Queensland State Election - A race to the bottom

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:27:40 +1000

If it was not for the pathetic TV advertising and those poor (mostly elderly) people who sit on footpaths on deck chairs next to cheesy pictures of th...

Victims of Prostitution: the wives

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:20:34 +1000

I have only just discovered you site. I read an article by Jehane Sharah posted on 12 November, 2008. Her article was termed: The forgotten victims of...

Salt-water Crocodiles

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:49:02 +1000

You may have noticed a small girl from the rural suburbs of Darwin was recently taken by a "Saltie", as we call them up here. This is just t...

OLO Index Page Display Problems

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 07:56:40 +1000

Recent days on OLO have seen some apparent glitches with the site. Something seems to have changed in the way that index page display preferences work...

Followup on Qantas inflight upset on the way to Perth

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:19:05 +1000

In another thread, the off topic comment was made: "The OLO article finished up by saying the only thing that saved the Qantas jet in the end wa...

Hypothetical Question?

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:47:33 +1000

With the Federal Government`s "Alcopops" Tax Bill currently facing rejection and defeat by the Parliament, the following questions should be...

What is the real nature of the 'powers that be?'

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:43:47 +1000

During political discussions I find that inevitably, people accuse those in power of belonging to some cabal devoted to a certain kind of ideology. W...

The Hand of a Priest : Impact of sexual abuse by the priesthood.

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:23:39 +1000

I found it very difficult watching the ABC's programme on 'Compass' last night entitled 'The Hand of God.' It examined the impact of sexual abuse and ...

Qld Election - Are you apprehensive?

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:39:01 +1000

With the Queensland State Election only a week away, you could be forgiven for being a trifle uneasy! We have two main combatants, Bligh and Springbo...

Time to rethink immigration

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 17:38:03 +1000

Nearly a quarter of a million immigrants are coming to Australia from mainly the Third World this year: a city bigger than the population of Hobart ev...

How do you define socialism?

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 17:17:01 +1000

I understand socialism as government owning the means of production and presiding over a command economy. That means government controls the economy. ...

ACMA bans anti-abortion links

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:09:05 +1000

In January I started this discussion about a pro-abortion site that has been blacklisted by the ACMA: http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?di...

The practical/moral implication of our chocky bar

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:14:50 +1000

Pericles and others Your perspectives please: Should we life like� car journeys and accidents are inevitable and simply redesign the car (a flawed imp...

69,000 cheques sent over seas?

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:42:09 +1000

Jenny Macklen today defended sending stimulus payments to non Australian residents. Good grief woman how did this happen. It makes a joke e mail circu...

gender common to all forms of discrimination

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:07:25 +1000

Disadvantage from discrimination based on race, religion, colour, age and disability persist in modern society despite ongoing efforts at eradication....

Over servicing cover up or patient privacy?

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:15:06 +1000

AMA Drs threaten not to comply The Federal Government wants to increase the number of audits it conducts on doctors and health professionals to ensure...

Making democracy more inclusive.

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 10:05:28 +1000

Democracy as it is practiced in western countries consists of periodically voting in elections and then leaving the winners to just get on with it wit...

Abortion aid

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:06:18 +1000

The Government overturned a ban on abortion aid funding. Two questions about this. Will my hard-earned dollars now go to pay for abortions? And ...

Printing Money

Mon, 9 Mar 2009 22:27:27 +1000

With all talk of a deficit economy I have to wonder why we can't just print money to pay for some of the government's infrastructure projects. Now b...

The Truth, According To Me.

Mon, 9 Mar 2009 21:06:56 +1000

Going by the recent happenings in the Capitalist world perhaps we can't really be trusted with our hands in the cookie jar. The 'rulers' gave us 'wor...