News footage of Egyptians queuing patiently for hours to exercise their first free vote in decades is a sobering sight. Even more sobering is the whining of those Australians who currently complain about having to vote at all. Our political culture has never been more cynical; it is fraying at the edges, mired in ignorance and negativity.

Protestor In A Chicken Suit .....

Mr Abbott lied to us; he said the world would end!

Physicists the world over are tremendously excited at this week's discovery of the long-sought Higgs boson, an interesting subatomic particle. It might hold the secrets of the universe, we're told, which is why the vulgar media have taken to calling it the God particle.

Mitt Romney is betraying his calling.

He brings to the presidential race a record of accomplishment to which few White House contenders can lay claim: W. Mitt Romney knows how to make money.

Some may argue that a money-making ability alone is no qualification to be president. I agree that having a high net worth is insufficient reason to be declared presidential timber.

Australia's system of organic certification will come under intense scrutiny when two neighbouring farmers do battle in the Western Australian Supreme Court in a test case on genetically modified crop contamination.

The father of a young Olympic archery hopeful sat directly behind one of his daughter's rivals as she attempted to qualify and made a grunting noise after every shot, a Sydney court has heard.

from Crikey …..

US increases harassment of WikiLeaks, Assange associates