An independent Scotland would not be in the best interests of the international community, Australia’s prime minister has warned.

Volunteers at a food bank in the Dutch town of Maassluis diligently pack ripe tomatoes and chicory into little bags for those who need it. They only open once a week, and when they arrived this week, it was to find a donation of 32 boxes of fresh produce.

An apathetic and uninformed citizenry, electing clueless second-rate politicians to govern us, is sending Australia to the dogs, writes uni student John Ray, who says we must reform our faux democracy.

Joe Hockey is doing an “inspirational” job as Treasurer and has long been standing up for low-income earners, Education Minister Christopher Pyne says.

Mr Hockey is reportedly facing internal criticism over his suggestions poor people do not have cars and some colleagues are questioning his ability to sell the budget.

The Abbott government’s chief business adviser, Maurice Newman, has warned that Australia is ill prepared for global cooling owing to widespread “warming propaganda” in his latest critique of mainstream climate science. 

So, the prime dimster Tony Abbott has pledged that Australia "should do what we can to protect people from potential genocide" ….

No doubt every Palestinian will be encouraged by this bold proclamation!!

Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey says the Government is prepared to consider wider exemptions to the Medicare co-payment, after he met with crossbench powerbroker Clive Palmer in Brisbane last night.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott says that the government must do “whatever we reasonably can to ensure that the Australian community is safe from people who have been radicalised ….”

from antony loewenstein …..

So far it appears that the death of Robin Williams was a suicide... He had been suffering from depression and dealt with it with addiction... It is always hard to know what goes on in the head of people... 

I know depression, Artistic people tend to feel it most. Depression is a hard master. It sucks life's motivation out of you... I've dealt with mine for over a long time with what I call positive anger... When one is angry, one cannot be depressed... And anger does not have to be reactive but being "positive" it maintains the fire in the belly. Positive anger can be used for strong creative purposes. 

The Federal Government was told its $7 Medicare co-payment would disproportionately hit the old and chronically ill, previously secret documents reveal.

The documents, obtained by The West Australian under Freedom of Information laws, show many of the nation's poorest will have to carry more of the cost of the $3.5 billion plan, even with a cap on payments.