This week was a time for new beginnings. In the US, Barack Obama accepted the Democratic Party nomination, while Republican John McCain the little-known Sarah Palin as his running mate. In Australia, the Liberal leadership speculation entered an even more confusing stage, while the Labor Party outlined a number of new policies.
The legacy of Geraldine Ferraro was supposed to be that no one would ever go on a blind date with history again. But that crazy maverick John McCain has done it, and conservatives and evangelicals are rallying around him in admiration of his cynical choice of Sarah Palin, an evangelical Protestant and anti-abortion crusader.
The Obama campaign had prepared lines of attack directed at the two men thought to be the most likely Republican vice-presidential picks — former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota — but had not considered Ms. Palin a likely enough choice to do the same for her.
For weeks, Senator McCain had wanted to name independent Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut as his running mate. But the outrage from Christian conservatives over the possibility that the Republican ticket would be filled out with a supporter of abortion rights became too intense to be ignored.
If Kevin Rudd can get the punters to stay awake while he makes the states and the Jurassic education unions line up where successive Howard government ministers failed, then that’s terrific. After all, there’s no copyright on decent policies in Parliament, where one man’s plagiarist is another’s visionary.
When asked about whether Dr. Haneef would pursue compensation, his Brisbane-based lawyer, Peter Russo, said the issue had not been fully discussed yet. “I think… we should wait until the Clarke Inquiry concludes before we go down that path,” Mr. Russo said.
New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma appears to have outmanoeuvered his political rival by opting for a partial auction of power assets - meaning a firesale will occur despite the Opposition Leader’s blocking tactics. But Mr. O’Farrell said yesterday he had no regrets about making his controversial stand.
Wayne Swan today called the news that Wizard Home Loans had cut its variable rate from 9.54 to 9.29 per cent a “wonderful weekend surprise” and said other banks would soon have no choice but to follow. Mr Swan said banks had passed on previous official rate rises “in a nano-second” and should pass on any cuts just as quickly.
Cast and crew of both Stargate series, along with millions of fans worldwide, were shocked to learn of the passing of veteran actor Don S. Davis earlier this summer. The man who brought to life the ‘Stargate SG-1′ character of “General George Hammond” clearly had an effect on the people who met him.
The e-mails I receive indicate that reading a movie is perceived as some kind of esoteric exercise. Actually, it’s something anyone can do, including you, and you don’t need to be an expert, because the audience, and the film itself, are your most helpful collaborators.