Marine activists Sea Shepherd have struck it rich, winning an $11.8 million gift that will help it build a new faster ship for its Southern Ocean whaling battles. The fast, purpose built patrol ship will be used for a future campaign in the Antarctic against the Japanese whaling fleet, Sea Shepherd spokesperson said. The gift came in an annual disbursement by the Dutch Postcode Lottery, which awards around 50 per cent of its proceeds to charities. Dutch ship builder Damen has drawn up a blueprint for the new vessel, which is to be built in Vietnam and take around 17 months to complete. The chief executive of Sea Shepherd Global, Alex Cornelissen, said the organisation had been looking for years for a vessel that could become the Southern Ocean patrol flagship. But budget restrictions had until now made that impossible. While its long range ship, Bob Barker, has had no trouble keeping up with the pirate fisher, Thunder, over the past five weeks in the Southern Ocean, the whaling fleet has been able to out-run the activists. Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Senator Colbeck said in a recent statement, that the Australian Government did not support, and was in no way associated with, the activities of Sea Shepherd. Obviously, our government has wasted $$millions of taxpayers' funds in shallow and ineffective "diplomatic" campaigns, all fruitless and empty rhetoric! http://www.theage.com.au/environment/sea-shepherd-to-build-faster-ship-f...

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection has reviewed skilled migration and in December, it quietly released its recommendations to relax entry requirements for short-term foreign workers. Its proposals include extending the six-month short term mobility visa to 12 months. Australian government wants to let foreigners work for a year with no visa As if there wasn't enough stress on the unemployed already, and enough visa categories, our Department of "Border Protection" is opening the gate to foreign workers even wider! Overseas workers would not have to apply for a 457 working visa, which imposes stricter entry requirements including English language tests. Employers are also required to demonstrate they have looked for local workers before giving jobs to employees from overseas, under a 457 visa. Now there's no English or skill level needed and employers do NOT have to employ available locals either! In a denial and insult to the public, especially the unemployed, and the government is justifying this open-slather jobs for foreigner as being "good" for us! It will secure business growth and ensure MORE jobs for Australians in the future?? The government's argument is that removing such regulations help ease the compliance burden on employers, which (so the argument goes) ultimately leads to a more productive workplace and more job opportunities. It could do harm by jeopardizing Australia's working conditions and wages, and it's probably intentional-to destroy all the work done by the Trade Union movement over the years through global competition. This was probably also the intention of the so-called "Labor" government. And the undermining scheme is evident already: Federal Labor fears the government's workplace review is so broad it could create a class of US-style working poor. Penalty rates, the minimum wage and unfair dismissal laws are among the issues being reviewed by the Productivity Commission, which has called for fresh ideas on Australia's industrial relations system. Review could lead to working poor: Labor Mr Abbott agrees that businesses need more "balance" in hiring their workforce, which a euphemism for being able to hire anyone they want without visa/residency restrictions, and at what rates they want!

The Big Bad Debt, as calculated for the Qld. Govt's political agenda by independent auditor Peter Costello (ROTFLMAO), includes GOC operational debt. This is a standard business item on most any business balance sheet, public or private, and deserves no panic or rush toward it's elimination. Again the 4th Estate has been found with its hand deep in its own pants.

Thanks Bob for an excellent article. You make many extremely valid points, and I totally agree with you. I too have seen first hand the devastating effects of 'controlled' fires which were simply too hot, and inappropriate for the areas they were set in. I am glad that more and more people are questioning the validity of controlled burning. Nature does do its job very well, if we leave it alone!

The person who posted this comment has previously had a comment banned from candobetter. Were also banning this post. We are doing so because that person has used his influence to disrupt candobetter and other forums. If readers have any questions, please contact the editor. (26/1/15)

Candobetter.net Editor: Introduction to this comment.
Dear Anonymous,

We think that if the Australian Government announced that it was going to cease its misadventures in the Middle East, overnight such demonstrations and also threats of terrorism would begin to diminish. Overnight the stream of refugees and economic immigrants would cease. It is our governments which are generating these streams. When we talk about the violence in some of these diasporas we are looking at a mirror of the violence we generate in their own countries.

Thank you for making this comment. We don't censor comments but, since this comment touches on our foreign policy, Middle Eastern political position, and free press position, we will comment on this comment. Perhaps we will make an article out of this response as well. We are a bit flat to the boards at the moment, so this may be the only response. Sorry if it is a bit patchy, but it is important.

Much of what you report gives cause for anxiety, particularly the numerical demographics. However we believe there are more obvious but rarely spoken answers to these problems than come to mind in your comment.

Our first position must be to criticise the Australian government for its foreign policy which has been causing, in conjunction with NATO, increasing dispossession, conflict and the rise of militant sectarian identification in countries where most of our Middle Eastern immigrants come from.

We should also be aware that people who acted on behalf of the West in their countries, often of necessity betraying their own people, thence become likely refugees and immigrants, with a prior connection to the Western governments and corporations which may carry obligations to them. Since the West is increasingly supporting extremely religious rebels to act as leaders in 'revolutions', what kind of refugees and immigrants might we expect in future? The West was happy to accept and even to give new identities to high profile Nazis after the war because they thought they would be good agents against communism. We trust our governments at our peril. We must look beyond their express sentiments to their actual activities. Power corrupts so we cannot afford to take it on face value. Our 'free press' reports these face values because it has vested interests in maintaining their fictions.

We need to understand the history of those countries, which was were tribal and functional with relatively well drawn local territories before the end of the 19th century, when Britain, America, France and other European forces began to raid their mineral wealth on an industrial scale and dispossess and disturb their populations, by bribing or replacing their tribal leaders.

We should be criticising our government because it is supporting devastating military and economic interference in the countries where Muslim refugees and economic immigrants are coming from. The populations, having adapted with difficulty somewhat after the oil-shock of the early 1970s, through OPEC, have, through the assassination and bribing of their leaders again, been impoverished, fragmented, divided, conquered and brutalised. It is no wonder that many are becoming, with reason, completely adverse to the West. It is our government and its friends in NATO and the US which is the cause of any terrorist diaspora, flowing both ways.

As long as we continue to push into Islamic territory we will get this reaction. It seems likely that if we withdraw, local support for extreme religion will die down. At the moment it is probably one of few organising forces within the chaos. Local Mullahs are the only form of civil government which can organise practically in many cases and people rely on local militia, like Hezbollah, for survival.

In Iran, which was once dominated by extreme religious law, things have calmed as the state has grown stronger. However, the West is menacing Iran. What do you think will happen if Iran is drawn into war or invaded by 'rebels' supported by the West? As the state breaks down, religious leaders rise up, like religious defaults to now absent not particularly religious tribes and clans.

The more the West interferes, the worse things get for women in the Middle East. One could point to Saudi Arabia as an exception - because it is a 'friend' of the West and, with Qatar, the most extremely perverted with regard to civil rights. But being a friend of the West has had the same disorganising effect: As well as brutalising their women and their poor, the Saudis are devastated by early deaths from diabetes. There has been a loss of variations in tribes and local traditions which more kindly regulated relations between the sexes and traditional diets which did not contain fast foods and regulated consumption of sugar.

There is a need to acquire geographical knowledge to distinguish the difference between Islamic countries in the Middle East. If we don't do this we unfairly damn the moderates - Tunisia, Algeria, Iran, ... and risk losing the one remaining secular Islamic country - Syria. Libya was also a secular country, now brought down to chaos and sectarian wars by US, Australian, NATO interference of the worst, illegal, assassinating kind. In once relatively peaceful Egypt, Yemen, similar sectarianism developed with Western support. Western (including Saudi) interests continue to ravage Bahrain.

-There is a need to look at the pressure we are placing on the Middle East with our illegal interventions. At the moment we are supporting the US bombing Syria and arming anti-Syrian Government forces, in direct opposition to the will of the people. The history of international trouble in Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan is the same.

The evocation of Western Free Speech must seem ironic to those still trapped in the wars and central economic dictates that Australia is supporting in the Middle East. Our 'free' press only represents the pro-war, pro-interference, pro-pillaging of the East by the West. It never represents the other side, although sometimes it misrepresents it as if nations and tribes there were entirely motivated by religious mania. Apart from some saccharine pretense at supporting multiculturalism as a way of preventing interpersonal conflict in the receiving countries, our press promotes the idea that the Middle East is populated by religious nutcases, justifying turning the region into a kind of internationally patrolled asylum. It also subtly promotes foreigners to join 'rebel' militias to carry out terrorist acts and war in Muslim countries as if this were something just and romantic. By preserving ignorance about the histories of these countries, it perpetuates the failure to teach geography and history to our school children. Our press promotes sectarianism as a solution to conflict in the Middle East, there where people existed together without much reference to religious differences.

We think that if the Australian Government announced that it was going to cease its misadventures in the Middle East, overnight such demonstrations and also threats of terrorism would begin to diminish. Overnight the stream of refugees and economic immigrants would cease. It is our governments which are generating these streams. When we talk about the violence in some of these diasporas we are looking at a mirror of the violence we generate in their own countries.

And we should also take into account the numerous discrepancies in the recent terrorist attack in Australia, which was strongly suspect of being a false flag and in the Charlie Hebdo attack, which contains hugely suspect elements suggestive of false flag. Both these acts of terrorism occurred in a context where the leaders of countries they happened in or their citizens, needed a reason to continue war in the East Europe and Middle East. In France President Hollande was going to drop sanctions against Russia and in Australia there may be a growing trend against supporting wars.

Unfortunately the motives not to cease warmongering lie in our economic growth paradigm and politics. We are participating in illegal wars because we have used up our supply of petroleum and we know that fracking and coal will only satisfy the growth machine for a very short time. The machine demands war. To be peaceful we have to let go of the growth paradigm, work less, produce less, share jobs, allow our populations to reduce and develop a truly conserver economy.

If our Press, which has long been a hostage of big money, were to become free, it would help us to reorganise by representing a realistically diverse, localised opinion here.

Original Comment of "Hundreds gather at a pro-Islam rally in Sydney.

Among the 800-strong crowd in the Sydney Muslim enclave of Lakemba, placards were held up with the slogan: "Je Suis Muslim" or "I am Muslim", evoking the same sentiment that became a touchstone for many in the wake of attacks in Paris. Their insecurities about their prophet and religion are rising to boiling point.

Western ideal of "freedom of speech" is a threat, for people who would rather live in silence and heavy control, despite choosing to live here!

Some say that "Freedom is the smokescreen with which Western politicians and media conceal the underlying issues. In reality free speech is one of the many political tools that are used to maintain dominance over the Muslims." Is it paranoia of exposure, a threat, in face of the contradiction of this ancient value system, way of life, in stark contrast to 21 century freedoms?

Hamzah Qureshi, a spokesman for the controversial group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which helped organise the event, questioned the prime minister's comments about "evil things done in the name of Islam" and the suggestion the event could incite violence.

Hundreds gather at Pro Islam rally in Lamemba

Islam is not simply a religion, nor is it a cult. In its fullest form, it is a complete, total, 100% system of life.

As well as the religious component, also has legal, political, economic, social, and military components. The religious component is a beard, or the flag, for all of the other components. It's a Trojan Horse, to hide their agendas. It's easy to hide behind a benign face, a "religion", when it's much more complex and malign.

When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious privileges, some of the other components tend to creep in as well.

As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they will be for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is the case in:

United States -- Muslim 0..6%
Australia -- Muslim 1.5%
Canada -- Muslim 1.9%
China -- Muslim 1.8%
Italy -- Muslim 1.5%
Norway -- Muslim 1.8%

At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs. This is happening in:

Denmark -- Muslim 2%
Germany -- Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom -- Muslim 2.7%
Spain -- Muslim 4%
Thailand -- Muslim 4.6%

From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population. For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims.

They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves -- along with threats for failure to comply. This is occurring in:

France -- Muslim 8%
Philippines -- Muslims 5%
Sweden -- Muslim 5%

Switzerland -- Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands -- Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad & Tobago -- Muslim 5.8%

At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law.
The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the entire world.

After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in:

Ethiopia -- Muslim 32.8%

At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:

Bosnia -- Muslim 40%
Chad -- Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon -- Muslim 59.7%

100% will usher in the peace of 'Dar-es-Salaam' -- the Islamic House of Peace.. Here there's supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the Madrasses are the only schools, and the Koran is the only word, such as in:

Afghanistan -- Muslim 100%
Saudi Arabia -- Muslim 100%
Somalia -- Muslim 100%
Yemen -- Muslim 100%

Unfortunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and satisfy their blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons. With well under 100% Muslim populations, such as France, the minority Muslim populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law.

Muslims will exceed 50% of the world's population by the end of this century. High fertility levels, and immigration, serve this purpose.

Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond's book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat

The Sydney rally ended "peacefully" according to the police, despite 14 people removed for breaking the peace!

The economic conditions in Greece cannot be remedied by any party unless it is able to effectively withdraw Greece from the EU. Greece is broke and despite austerity measures, continues to slide further into debt. The Coalition parties in Australia claim that we are on the same road, but this is completely untrue. A sovereign nation that issues its own currency can NEVER go broke. Greece does not issue its own currency. Australia does. Bill Mitchell's MMT blog deals with this idea in detail. Greece should default on it's debt, leave the EU and return to using the drachma.

1. Contrary to myth, a vast number of Australian plant species are sensitive to frequent burning. I estimate this to be at a minimum one third of the Victorian flora. How and why did these species evolve and persists in the context of the ubiquitous fire-stick myth? 2. The non-random anecdote that comprises almost all observations of Aboriginal people's traditional practices in the SE Australia bush were made in those landscapes that we have cleared and occupied - i.e. Australia Felix or the fertile lowlands. These are very different environments to what remains of the native vegetation and as such, SE Aust anecdote relating to Aboriginal land use and burning practices is largely irrelevant to the prescribed burning debate.

The Labor government of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating set out to cut wages and restore profits as part of a neo-liberal restructuring program. By the time Labor left office in 1996 the government had virtually abolished tariffs and had ceded its control over interest rates to an “independent” Reserve Bank and to free markets. Ironically, Labor did more than the Liberal governments of either John Howard or Malcolm Fraser to increase inequality, decimate union strength and erode Labor’s own support-base in the working class. It was the Labor government who opened the doors to high immigration, under Hawke and Rudd! Hardly a "free" economy but forced-fed by increasing consumerism and capitalism! In real­ity, both par­ties sup­ported a neo-lib­eral agenda–the Lib­er­als merely went fur­ther in fol­low­ing that “logic” to its inevitable path. Mr Rudd argued that "neo-liberalism and the free-market fundamentalism it has produced has been revealed as little more than personal greed dressed up as an economic philosophy". It's about free-range economy, at whatever cost! The Keating government privatised the Commonwealth Bank and Qantas, and also retirement incomes with the introduction of compulsory superannuation in 1992. They deregulated the exchange rate and banking sector, and introduced enterprise bargaining. The union movement was hobbled and membership dropped away dramatically. Under neoliberal policy prescriptions, governments should leave the market unregulated and let the strong eat the weak. But the exponents of neoliberalism always expected that capital — most importantly big capital — would be the biggest winner under such a setting! The benefits are meant to "trickle down" to the public- but instead it gets wasted on the way down!

In late December, British energy giant BG Group sent the first ever shipment of liquefied natural gas from Australia's east coast, using gas from the state's booming coal seam gas industry. It will mean a dramatic increase how much households pay for gas used for hot water, cooking, or heating.

Not only was it the first time that CSG has been converted into LNG, the exportable form of gas. More importantly for consumers, it was the first time gas has been exported from the east coast of Australia

Globalization of Australia's natural resource should bring greater revenues, income and prosperity, but this will not happen. The public will share the high international prices set by international mining companies!

Origin Energy and Santos this year also hope to start pumping cargo loads full of the stuff, to be sold to buyers across China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and other Asian nations.

We are effectively allowing multinational gas exporters to displace our manufacturing sector. The gas industry employs fewer than 25,000 people across Australia. That’s less than one third of 1 per cent of the Australian workforce. Coal mining companies are typically multinational; for example, Glencore-Xstrata (the two companies merged in May 2013) is listed on the London and Hong Kong Stock markets. Further, many of the companies have regional subsidiaries.

From 2015 gas reserves on the east coast would be opened to export with no regulation in place to ensure reliable and affordable gas remains available for domestic industry. A handful of multinational oil and gas companies will control the vast majority of gas reserves with ” unrestricted rights” to export it, and that industry and households would be ” forced to pay higher costs". With no limitations on exports of Australian gas, local manufacturers cannot secure long term contracts for gas, and what gas is available is increasing in price by up to 200 per cent.

A report by the Grattan Institute's Tony Wood last year estimated the average Melbourne household gas bill would jump $300 a year because of the changes over the next few years, while the average Sydney bill would rise by more than $100. How are jobs and households meant to absorb these cost burdens at a time of increasing economic hardships, budget constraints, unemployment and now unaffordable power? Surely cooking, manufacturing and heating are part of our pay of life as a developed nation?

Local gas prices set to soar as exports to Asia get under way

There's a conspiracy theory that Australia is to be dismantled, piece by piece, as a global mining resource and deconstructed as a nation. It will just be a warehouse of housing and consumers as a captive business resource.

Government accused in failing to act against illegal Southern Ocean toothfish trade. Instead of assisting Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and New Zealand, our ocean patrolling vessel, Ocean Shield, is on absence without leave in dock!

The Ship was promised to be in action for two 40 day patrols in the Southern Oceans, but they are AWOL!

New Zealand Defence Force on Tuesday said it had surprised a third unlicensed fishing boat, far south-east of Tasmania, hauling up the high-priced fish known as "white gold", or the flesh of the giant Patagonian and Antarctic Toothfish.

Sea Shepherd's boat, the Bob Barker, has been chasing the illegal vessel, Thunder, from Antarctic waters to Africa, while the Australian vessel is out of service, in dock at Christmas Island.

In contrast to Australia's efforts, NZ Foreign Minister Murray McCully said so far three ships had been intercepted by the offshore patrol ship, HMNZS Wellington. Sea Shepherd skipper Peter Hammarstedt called on New Zealand to arrest the ships.

Government accused in failing to act against illegal Southern Ocean toothfish trade (13/1/2014)

In 2007, most illegal toothfish vessels expanded their use of gillnet fishing methods, which are outlawed under CCAMLR regulations. Gillnets pose many threats. They are more effective than longlines, the level of incidental bycatch from gillnets is greater and lost or abandoned gillnets have the potential to continue to incur marine life mortality through ‘ghost fishing’. Controlling interests are linked to a handful of Spanish-based fishing outfits, the most notorious of which is Vidal Armadores.

A new "Great Wall of China" is being built in the feeding grounds of migratory birds from Australia that will eventually see an urban sprawl along 1800 kilometres of the Yellow Sea, placing additional pressure on tidal flats now visited by shorebirds on their annual migrations between Australasia and Arctic Russia. This final blow is added to a range of constraints of pollution and weed invasion, to the damming of rivers and construction of off-shore wind farms. Some two-thirds of the tidal flat ecosystems have been destroyed, with a further two per cent disappearing annually. Some of the bird species at risk are the threatened curley, bar-tailed godwit and the great knot. Some of the birds weigh only "as much as couple of box of matches" and can double their weight in a couple of weeks at the vital feeding stops before continuing their journey. The future is "grim", say researchers. Humans are killing the oceans, causing hypoxic dead zones and jellyfish blooms. They are all symptoms of an ecosystem in a decline that had to be halted immediately. The Age: Australia's migratory shorebirds at risk from Asia's urban sprawl Since 2001, according to the study, more than 40,000 hectares of coastal wetlands have been destroyed for ports, industrial parks and similar facilities Separately, Chinese and American researchers who recently studied coastal development linked a dramatic decline in global biodiversity and ecosystems to wetland shrinkage in eastern China. Their findings, appearing in the November issue of Science magazine, warned that wetland losses are putting the country's ecological security and sustainable development goals at risk.

The problem is not confined to the West, and Europe. The cultural and political divide of Islam are also felt deeply in Africa. As media coverage focused on the Paris terror attacks last week, more than 2000 Nigerians were reported to have been killed by Islamist militants. Girls become suicide bombers. Northeastern Nigeria is drowning in blood and few seem to care. Reports came through of an estimated 2,000 casualties after an attack by Boko Haram militants on the town of Baga in the north-eastern state of Borno. It may be the 21st century, but African lives are still deemed less newsworthy – and, by implication, less valuable – than western lives? Or probably we in Australia compare ourselves more with France, a western developed and secular country. Last week, Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, expressed his condolences for the victims of France but stayed silent on the Boko Haram attacks on Baga. District head Baba Abba Hassan said most victims are children, women and elderly people who could not run fast enough when insurgents drove into Baga, firing rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles on town residents. The motivation is unclear, but it appears aimed at intimidating Nigerians into not voting in the coming presidential election. The country is roughly split between Muslims and Christians. Ironically, Boko Haram's anti-democracy attacks could swing the election in favor of incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian. Overpopulation is a huge problem for the peoples of Africa. Countries like Ethiopia and Nigeria are about to triple in population within the next fifty years. If Africa remains on this course catastrophic consequences such as mass starvation and global war will occur. Up to the early 1980s, Nigeria’s economy enjoyed the presence of both agricultural produce and the production of other consumers’ goods, however for almost three decades after; petroleum has been the country’s main source of revenue. The post-independent Nigeria (1960) is one faced with a lot of leadership induced poverty,corruption, religious charlatanism, war and restiveness, unstable political system, dictatorial governance, lack of adequate basic amenities. The globalization of terror has been blamed on the West, and the US for their power and resource grabs, but it doesn't explain Islamic terror on other parts of the world. It's like a disease, an auto-immune system response that attacks our communities internally in the deadly quest for power and domination of anti-democratic ideologies.

That was my thought after seeing the video, but it was a hit. I don't think it means it was blanks. If you have the stomach for it, you can see other execution videos where there are "clean" shots and match this video. It's not always watermelons. While not a ballistics experts myself, there seems to be enough information to suggest that the lack of blood, or violent ejection, could be due to use of smaller calibre weapons. Full metal jacket ammunution can pass quite cleanly. There are other videos which show similar deaths. This doesnt prove, or disprove a false flag, and I won't make any claim that it is or isn't, yet. But I personally will wait for more evidence before I model my view of the events and their meaning on it being a flase flag. I dont think this event is that improbable.

"When Edward Snowden leaked classified NSA documents that implicated the United States and its allies in many scandals, the concept of "freedom of expression" was completely rejected by these governments. Many journalists in the U.S., and even some in Canada, sided with their governments and were not sympathetic to his plight. The freedom of expression that everyone nowadays rushes to defend is not as simple to understand or to practice. The same thing can be said about religion. Why do we have to choose between one or the other, or accept a self-serving version of both?" From Rabble.ca January 9, 2015. The false debate between freedom of expression and religious extremism by Monia Mazigh.

I have issues with everyone! I do have issues with regards to freedom of the press and political freedom in Russia. I'm not saying that Putin is unique here, or that he is as the West makes out, an "evil man", but if Russia is going to be a bigger player, which they will be, I would prefer a Russia with a strong commitment to freedom of opinion.

Your argument that many Muslims are technically not immigrants is correct. They have a piece of paper issued by a bureaucracy which makes them French, you see. That is how our 20th century model works. Those ink splotches mean everything. The geographic location your mother was at when you are born means everything, right? Its almost magical thinking, that a human being can be fundamentally different to what they would otherwise be, based on the latitude and longitude they were born, and the issuer of their passports. It makes the difference between someone you are supposed to kill and die for, and someone you should keep in a detention centre if they try to come here.

That seems strange to me. And is becoming a less and less tenable model. Hence the prediction of change. The old concept of the nation state is slowly dying. The future will adapt to this. In the meantime, everyone is desperate to keep the old concept alive. Things are happening which were not supposed to happen.

All the hand wringing, the apologising and expaling (explaining? - ed) of Islam, the "community leaders" on TV, the call for calm, fear of backlash, these appear to me to be ideologically motivated. It is not Muslims they are trying to protect. It is their own belief system. Its not about "free speech", they don't care for free speech, its about legitimising their power. I don't quite buy that so many people are so, so concerned about Muslims. I think its a more personal reason, are more personal motivation.

I suspect this change of power is also partly behind the increasing antagonism between "the West" and Putin. Russia is best placed to deal with the new politics, though I have issues with Putin.

What issues? Almost every word I have so far read in the mainstream media about Vladimir Putin, Russia, Ukraine, and Crimea is a lie. - ed

Killing "over-abundant" and "plague" levels of kangaroos could actually increase their numbers, by destroying their natural social structures. It means that killing the alpha males and those in charge of the mobs could give more opportunities for breeding, by younger males. Thus, population control goes out of the window! Even by government sources, there are no "explosions" of kangaroo numbers. In fact their numbers are generally in decline. But, by killing selected species, local mobs could actually increase, rather than allowing natural order, and Nature, to control numbers according to the seasons. If Queensland is in a drought, they are unlikely to over-breed anyway! Over-population of humans, and trying to extract more out of the fragile land on fringe areas, subject to floods and droughts, is more likely the problem. Kangaroos are then stigmatized as the cause, and as vile and hated "pests" to scape-goat!

A TULLAMARINE woman says she is baffled that Hume residents are forking out higher household rate percentages than those in more prestigious suburbs. Lucia Natale said the value of her home had dropped by more than $50,000 since the last valuation, but her rates had fallen by just $70. Hume’s rate in the dollar figure is higher than Stonnington, which included white collar suburbs such as Toorak, Windsor and Prahran, and the Macedon Ranges, which has many million dollar homes in towns such as Mt Macedon. Hume Council defends household rate increase -due to "growth" Hume’s needs as a *growth municipality* were greater than those “of a more settled nature” and that new works and facilities had to be met together with maintaining existing assets. So, residents must pay the costs of population growth, even though it's not in their interests, or decided democratically. Stonnington is not a "growth" council, unlike Hume. It's population growth that always stretches budgets and blows out their spending. Dis-economies of scale mean increasing costs and inefficiencies. Services must be expanded continually to cope with more properties and more services but councils have no political power to change legislation forced onto us.

Hi James, I didn't write an endorsement for either party, and I'm not a cheerleader of the neo-liberal technocracy. The politics and situation in Greece is something I'm familiar with, and to some extent, having family there, personally interested in. I can tell you, having spent some time there, that Greece is pretty much in a depression, though no one would dare use that word, lest they reveal the true nature of the situation. But I don't agree that somehow the political players today, are the heirs of the 1930s. It is in error, I believe, to assume that the radical left element are as those 70 years ago. While many would like to think they are the bearers of the torch of Marxism, Fascism, Socialism, Nazism, what have you, what exists today is radically different. We are talking two generations removed here, with very, very outdated ideals. These ideals were old even then. They simply cannot deal with the 21st century. Compare what the left and right tell you (personally) today, and try to reconcile it with the ideas their grandparents had. You'll see they are different. Reading Marx, and hearing someone from a Socialist party tell you what Marxism is, you'll leave puzzled at how different it is. Same with Neo Nazis. The Nazis of the 30s would have probably sent half of todays swastica toting neo nazis to prison, Saying that Syriza would have fought foreign invasion is very speculative. Besides, who is invading Greece today? What are the threats? Implementation is everything. If you can't create a workable implementation, then your politics isnt worth much, no matter how nice your ideals sound. I have my doubts about Syrizas implementation, and I think that failed implementation would result in further problems. Iceland told the bankers to get stuffed, and they left it at that which is why it worked.

While I welcome the end of the neo-liberal regime, I'm very skeptical about their replacements. So much so, that I would think it better NOT to elect Syriza, and that the current neo-liberals would be better. The election of Syriza will pose two problems. Firstly, they are radical left, which is a risk for the Greek nation of people. They may result in worse conditions and disenfranchisement of political alternatives. Secondly, their failure will result in the second biggest party, Golden Dawn getting support, and potentially taking power afterwards, and I don't think they are ready either. That, or Greeks will resort to the centrist parties. Greece needs a new political alternative, which can both deal with the economic and immigrant crisis. The problem need a deeper solution

Extreme hot weather in Perth sent the Internet into meltdown on Monday night.

Thousands of iiNet customers across Australia found themselves off-line for about six and a half hours after the company shut down some of its systems at its Perth data centre at about 4.30pm AEDST because of record breaking-temperatures.

Temperatures in the city are tipped to soar past 44 C, with outlying metropolitan suburbs warned to expect even more intense heat over the weekend. The elderly, those with young children and babies and tourists who might not be used to the heat have been particularly warned of the potential effects of the heat. Air conditioners could be working overtime during the night, with temperatures only dipping to 24 degrees.

The power surge will be tremendous, and with high population growth and more people living in "hot boxes" (high rise towers), air conditioning is dependent on.

With our economy based on propping up our GDP through population and housing growth, it's inevitable that with climate change, our landscape will become more and more hostile to human, and animal, inhabitation. Living in towers means more reliance on power, and higher per capita greenhouse gas emissions.

There's no way our Abbott government can attend international climate change conferences, and pretend that we can join agreements to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions! How can non-renewable energy sources keep pace with our temperature increases, and outstrip usage due to heavy population growth? The only way is to cut back on science research, go into denial mode, and isolate ourselves from the rest of the world on climate change.

I appreciated this video being made available online. Joel's lecture looking at the effect of departmental burning of the bush and it's effect on culture, fauna and flora was valuable and edifying. Thank you.

Bob Salmon ("High Immigration", Canberratimes.com.au, December 26) is right when he says we are incessantly told we must have more infrastructure to meet growth: a tramway in Canberra, a second airport in Sydney, more tunnels and freeways in Melbourne, tunnels to the airport in Brisbane, and more schools and hospitals etc. The cost of city-building is tremendously expensive and our economy has become historically locked into relying on continual population growth to keep our GDP afloat. The government will likely need to raise $30 billion in new taxes or via expenditure cuts should it wish to meet its objective of returning to surplus by 2018/19. A year after Tony Abbott pledged to be an "infrastructure prime minister", he risks becoming the first Australian PM to preside over a recession since the early 1990s. Infrastructure deficit is over $700 billion and is a threat to our prosperity. Immigration rates have increased five fold since the Howard era, and each person, whether arriving or born here, costs hundreds of thousands of dollars in infrastructure! With such embedded costs, our mediocre economic performance is not surprising, so we should be moving away from GDP growth to a more realistic, holistic and multidimensional metric appropriate to a post-growth era.

A location that should be best known as the landing place of Melbourne's first European settlers today is the site of a homeless camp and a memorial for rough sleeper Morgan Wayne "Mouse" Perry who was killed there exactly a year ago. The first white settlers from Tasmania arrived at the site in 1835, but is now infamous for the cruel death of a vulnerable homeless man! The numbers of rough sleepers at the place he was killed have increased during the past year and Salvation Army Major Brendan Nottle said there have been repeat outbreaks of violence. Many suffer from mental illness, poverty and drug users are increasing, especially "ice". Such history repeats itself. Land was sold, bush was cleared for the creation of roads and buildings, and wetlands were drained. The Wurundjeri dispossession of land took place not just through displacement but through the destruction of their landscape. 1838 forty-one allotments of twenty-five acres each were sold in the areas that would become Collingwood and Fitzroy. Aboriginal people were pushed further and further out, and freedom of movement across the land became increasingly difficult. Aborigines were forced into the territories of adjacent mobs, and this caused violence. Many of the dispossessed were eventually drawn to the settlement, of what is Melbourne now, where food and alcohol was available. The same cycle of addiction and dependence is happening today. Now, the dispossessed are being victimized and denied land ownership, and forced into the fringes of our society, and economy. It's a cruel irony, of colonization, growth, overpopulation, corporate power, polarised wealth, and then the casting aside of those who are not welcome, or participants, in our consumerist and predatory economy. That's what's "bad" about Melbourne - greed! The Age: Homeless camp reminder of what's bad about Melbourne

Talking about VCAT being biased, have you heard what's going on with the owners corporation list?

Believe it or not, the below points are fact.

1. Managers take the interest of the owners money, and pay it to the Victorian Property Fund. From this fund more than a million is paid to VCAT yearly. Owners know nothing of this. (Documented: SCA Annual Report AGM 2014 page 18. VCAT Annual Report 2013/14 page 53).

2. The owners corporation law also allows managers to transfer money from the owners pool to their own private bank account. This means if a manager steals money from the pool, the Police will not act, as by the law it’s perfectly legal (Documented: OC Act, Section 27)

This of course means the managers and give it to VCAT - and it's all legit.

How much do developers pay VCAT???, and who funds the other lists?

Read about the ridiculous VCAT in this article, printed in the the Melbourne Age and the Sydney Morning Herald of 6 Feb 2013:

'Rip off' body corporate managers stay registered

VCAT and its proud members are a 'lawyer joke'.

Here's the original whistleblower interview on RT with English subtitles:

(Added by candobetter.net editor.)

(1) US media censor eyewitness report that Ukraine shot MH17 down
(2) New Straits Times (Malaysia) reports it
(3) "mh17" not found at Straits Times (Singapore) news
http://www.straitstimes.com/
(4) Guardian report: Ukrainian warplane took off with air-to-air
missiles, returned without them
(5) Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports it (6) BBC Reports it
(7) Huffington Post UK reports it (whilst saying report is fake) but
Huffington Post US has NOTHING
(8) Zero Hedge blog (in US) reports it - but nothing in  MSM
(9)  Kyiv Post reports it, linking to Deutsche Welle
(10) RT.com says witness passed Lie Detector test

(1) US media censor eyewitness report that Ukraine shot MH17 down - by
Peter Myers, December 25, 2014. Yes, I'm at work even on Xmas Day.

You can verify the US Media censorship of this report by doing Google
searches as indicated below.
Please do it immediately.

You can search Google News in two ways: by starting out with a WEB
search then clicking the NEWS button.
Or by searching a particular edition of Google News - you can choose
which country - at
  https://news.google.com/

Let's do the second first. When I choose the Australian edition, and
enter "mh17" as the search term, I get various hits from Australian and
overseas news outlets.
When I choose the U.S. Edition, I get hits from news agencies OUTSIDE
the US, but not from US agencies

Now let's search Google News the other way, by starting with a WEB search.

In Google (WEB), search for
mh17 without quotes
"mh17" in double quotes. Note the difference in the number of hits. You
want FEWER hits - that means you're closing in on the needle in the
haystack. So use double quotes around words and phrases.

Now go back to your search and click NEWS instead of WEB
And click PAST 24 HOURS (that's why you need to do this a.s.a.p.)
Search for "mh17". Note the hits from media in many countries but not
the US "mainstream media". If I'm wrong, LET ME KNOW.

Now narrow down the results, buy adding an extra term to your search string:
"mh17" "Dnipropetrovsk" - Dnipropetrovsk being the name of the air base
from which the Ukrainian plane took off. It should occur in all relevant
reports.

Check the hits once again.

If you want to narrow down the search still further, add the name of the
alleged pilot:
"mh17" "Dnipropetrovsk" "Voloshin"

Write down the number of hits, the time you did the Search, and the
search string etc.

I got 231 hits for "mh17" "Dnipropetrovsk" at 12.20pm Thur Dec 25 (=
8.20pm Dec 24 in Chicago =  2.20am Dec 25 in London).

The hits are from news agencies of many countries all around the wiorld
- but none from the US (that I can find).

Prove me wrong - let me know the US media have reported it.

(2) New Straits Times (Malaysia) reports it, but "mh17" not found at
Straits Times (Singapore)

http://www.nst.com.my/node/65732

New Straits Times (Malaysia)

Russia says Ukrainian pilot behind MH17 crash

24 DECEMBER 2014 @ 10:40 PM

MOSCOW: Russian investigators today said they had new proof from a
witness that a Ukrainian pilot fired a missile on the day of the
Malaysia Airlines crash which killed 298 people.

The witness, who was not named, worked at an airfield in the Ukrainian
city of Dnipropetrovsk where he claimed to have seen a warplane take off
on July 17 with air-to-air missiles and return without them.

An Investigative Committee statement said the testimony of the man “is
important proof that Ukrainian military was implicated in the crash of
the Boeing-777.”

The MH17 flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over
territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists, who
have been fighting Kiev forces since April.

Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of supplying the rebels with a
surface-to-air missile launcher, but Russia has issued several opposing
theories, one of which involves a Ukrainian military jet allegedly seen
next to the Boeing.

The statement by investigators comes the same day that Kiev and the
separatists are to hold a new round of ceasefire talks, and shortly
after Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda published an interview with
the “secret witness” who said he worked at the airport on the day the
Boeing 777 was downed.

The man, who was filmed by the paper with his back to the camera and
even the back of his head blurred, said he saw a Sukhoi-25 jet take off
armed with air-to-air rockets and return to the base without them.

“(The plane’s operator) could have launched them into the Boeing out of
fear or revenge,” the witness said, identifying the pilot of the jet as
Voloshin. “Maybe he mistook it for another plane.”

Komsomolskaya Pravda claimed the witness showed up at its office by
himself and that his identity checks out, but did not identify him
because his family is still in Ukraine.

Investigative Committee said that the man - who is now officially a
witness - may be enrolled in a witness protection program.

There was no evidence previously that Russian investigators had launched
an official probe into the crash, in which citizens from 11 countries
died, but no Russians.

Dutch authorities have been charged with establishing exactly what
brought down the plane and are reconstructing part of the aircraft as
part of their probe. Preliminary findings indicate only that the plane
broke apart due to damage that came from outside. --AFP

(3) "mh17" not found at Straits Times (Singapore) news
http://www.straitstimes.com/

(4) Guardian report: Ukrainian warplane took off with air-to-air
missiles, returned without them

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/25/mh17-russia-claims-to-have-airfield-witness-who-blames-ukrainian-pilot

MH17: Russia claims to have airfield witness who blames Ukrainian pilot

Russian investigators announce anonymous testimony of Ukrainian warplane
taking off with air-to-air missiles and returning without them on 17 July

Agence France Press

Thursday 25 December 2014 13.24 AEST

Russian investigators announced on Wednesday that they had new proof
from a witness that a Ukrainian pilot fired a missile on the day of the
Malaysia Airlines crash which killed 298 people.

The witness, who was not named, worked at an airfield in the Ukrainian
city of Dnipropetrovsk where he claimed to have seen a warplane take off
on 17 July with air-to-air missiles and return without them.

An investigative committee statement said the testimony of the man “is
important proof that Ukrainian military was implicated in the crash of
the Boeing 777.”

The MH17 flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over
territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists, who
have been fighting Kiev forces since April.

Ukraine and the west accuse Russia of supplying the rebels with a
surface-to-air missile launcher but Russia has issued several opposing
theories, one of which involves a Ukrainian military jet allegedly seen
next to the Boeing.

The statement by investigators came on a day Kiev and the separatists
were due to hold a new round of ceasefire talks.

They concluded the “difficult” marathon talks on later on Wednesday
without agreeing the date of a new round aimed at ending the pro-Russian
uprising devastating the ex-Soviet state’s industrial east.

The five-hour preliminary discussion in the Belarussian capital Minsk
had been tentatively due to be followed by a second meeting on Friday at
which a final accord was to be signed.

But separatist representatives stressed that they could not yet promise
whether the negotiations would resume as planned.

“We had a difficult preliminary meeting,” Donetsk separatist region
mediator Denis Pushilin told a pro-separatist news site. “The date and
time of the next meeting is still up in the air. It is under discussion.”

Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda published an interview with the
MH17 “secret witness” who said he worked at the airport on the day the
Boeing 777 was downed.

The man, who was filmed by the paper with his back to the camera and
even the back of his head blurred, said he saw a Sukhoi-25 jet take off
armed with air-to-air rockets and return to the base without them.

“[The plane’s operator] could have launched them into the Boeing out of
fear or revenge,” the witness said, identifying the pilot of the jet as
Voloshin. “Maybe he mistook it for another plane.”

Komsomolskaya Pravda claimed the witness showed up at its office by
himself and that his identity checked out, but did not identify him
because his family was still in Ukraine.

The investigative committee said that the man – who is now officially a
witness – may be enrolled in a witness protection program.

There was no evidence previously that Russian investigators had launched
an official inquiry into the crash, which killed citizens from 11
countries, but no Russians.

Dutch authorities have been charged with establishing exactly what
brought down the plane and are reconstructing part of the aircraft as
part of their inquiry. Preliminary findings indicate only that the plane
broke apart due to damage that came from outside.

(5) Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports it

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-24/russia-claims-new-proof-ukraine-involved-in-downing-of-mh17/5988140

MH17: Russian investigators claim proof from witness that Ukrainian
pilot involved in downing of flight

Thu 25 Dec 2014, 5:44am

Russian investigators say they have new proof from a witness that a
Ukrainian pilot fired a missile on the day of the Malaysia Airlines
crash which killed 298 people, including 38 Australians.

The witness, who was not named, worked at an airfield in the Ukrainian
city of Dnipropetrovsk where he claimed to have seen a warplane take off
on July 17 with air-to-air missiles and return without them.

An Investigative Committee statement said the testimony of the man "is
important proof that Ukrainian military was implicated in the crash of
the Boeing-777".

Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over territory
in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists, who have been
fighting Kiev forces since April.

Ukraine and the West accused Russia of supplying the rebels with a
surface-to-air missile launcher, but Russia has issued several opposing
theories, one of which involves a Ukrainian military jet allegedly seen
next to the passenger jet.

The witness was filmed by Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda with his
back to the camera and even the back of his head blurred.

He said he saw a Sukhoi-25 jet take off armed with air-to-air rockets
and return to the base without them.

"[The plane's operator] could have launched them into the Boeing out of
fear or revenge," the witness said, identifying the pilot of the jet as
having the surname Voloshin.

"Maybe he mistook it for another plane."

Komsomolskaya Pravda claimed the witness showed up at its office and
that his identity checked out but did not identify him because his
family was still in Ukraine.

The Investigative Committee said the man could be enrolled in a witness
protection program.

There was no evidence previously that Russian investigators had launched
an official probe into the crash, in which citizens from 11 countries
died, but no Russians.

Dutch authorities have been charged with establishing what brought down
the plane and are reconstructing part of the aircraft as part of their
probe.

Preliminary findings indicate only that the plane broke apart due to
damage that came from outside.

http://www.dw.de/russia-reveals-witness-blaming-ukraine-pilot-for-mh17-crash/a-18150656

Russia reveals 'witness' blaming Ukraine pilot for MH17 crash

Russian investigators claim they have new proof from a witness, which
shows that a Ukrainian pilot fired a missile on the day of the Malaysia
Airlines MH17 crash. 298 people died in July's disaster. MH17

The "secret witness" worked at an airfield in the Ukrainian city of
Dnipropetrovsk, where he claims to have seen a Sukhoi-25 jet warplane
take off on July 17 with air-to-air missiles and return without them.

"[The pilot] could have launched them into the Boeing out of fear or
revenge," the witness said. "Maybe he mistook it for another plane."

The Russian Investigative Committee statement said the testimony of the
man "is important proof that Ukrainian military was implicated in the
crash of the Boeing-777."

The MH17 flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over
territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists, who
have been fighting Kyiv forces since Russia annexed Crimea in March.

Ukraine and the West continue to accuse Russia of supplying the rebels
with a surface-to-air missile launcher, but Russia has issued several
counter-theories, one of which involves a Ukrainian military jet
allegedly seen next to the Boeing.

(6) BBC Reports it

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-30597555

24 December 2014 Last updated at 14:35

MH17: Russia reveals 'witness' who blames Ukraine pilot

Russian investigators say a Ukrainian serviceman has provided evidence
that a Malaysia Airlines plane that crashed in July may have been shot
down by a Ukrainian air force pilot.

A "secret witness" told a Russian newspaper this week that an Su-25
fighter pilot had fired his air-to-air missiles at the wrong aircraft.

Ukraine has rejected the claim as fake.

Flight MH17 from Amsterdam was downed over eastern Ukraine on 17 July
with the loss of all 298 people on board.

Suspicion immediately focused on a Russian-made Buk missile launcher
seen in territory controlled by pro-Russian rebels at the time.

The head of the Dutch-led criminal inquiry, Fred Westerbeke, told Dutch
broadcaster NOS on Saturday there were "very many indications" that the
plane had been brought down by a missile filed from a Buk rocket
launcher. Wreckage arrives at Gilze-Rijen airbase (9 Dec) Wreckage from
the plane has been taken to Gilze-Rijen airbase in the Netherlands to be
analysed

However, all options were being kept open and the possibility of the
plane being shot down from the air was being considered, he said.

Russia's authorities have already suggested that a Ukrainian fighter jet
brought the plane down, however when state TV broadcast a picture of the
moment it said an air-to-air missile had been fired, it was widely
dismissed as a fake.

The latest Russian evidence came to light after a man contacted
Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, saying he had been at Aviatorske airport
near the Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk when flight MH17 was shot down.

In an interview in Russian with his back to the camera, the man, whose
head was blurred and his voice digitally altered, said that an Su-25
plane that had taken off armed with air-to-air missiles before MH17 had
been shot down had returned without its weaponry.

He named the pilot as Capt Voloshyn and said the man was very scared. He
quoted the pilot as saying "the aircraft was in the wrong place at the
wrong time".

His comments were widely reported on Tuesday on Russian state TV and
Russia's Investigations Committee announced immediately that it would
look into the interview. satellite image Russian TV broadcast a photo
last month claiming to show MH17 under attack - it was widely discredited

A committee spokesman, Vladimir Markin, told reporters on Wednesday that
investigators had met the man and he had passed a polygraph test.

"The witness's evidence is not the only [evidence] but [it is] very
important evidence that the Ukrainian armed forces were involved in the
Boeing crash," Interfax news agency quoted Mr Markin as saying. The man
could now be given witness protection as he may be in danger, he added.

Ukraine's SBU security service refused to comment on the statement
because it said the information was false, Interfax Ukraine reported.

The Dutch Safety Board, leading an international inquiry into the cause
of the disaster, has so far only issued a preliminary report stating
that the aircraft was penetrated by "high-energy objects".

A spokeswoman told BBC News that the inquiry had received a lot of
information and Russia was part of the investigation team. "We'll look
at [the evidence] very seriously and if it's relevant we'll use it in
this investigation."

Wreckage from the crashed Boeing 777 plane has been transported to the
Netherlands for reconstruction as part of the inquiry.

The safety board aims to complete its work by mid-2015.

(7) Huffington Post UK reports it (whilst saying report is fake) but
Huffington Post US has NOTHING

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/12/24/mh17-ukraine-russias-secret-witness_n_6378164.html

Russia has claimed a "secret witness" can prove Malaysia Airlines flight
MH17 was shot down by a Ukrainian jet.

Investigators insist a Ukrainian serviceman saw a Su-25 combat jet take
off from an airbase in the east of the country and return with no
missiles on the day the passenger jet was shot down.

The pilot emerged from his fighter jet looking very frightened,
according to the eyewitness.

Pro-Kremlin RT reports the claims had been backed up by lie detector
tests carried out by Russia’s Investigative Committee.

MH17 was blown out of the sky on 17 July. The widely accepted version of
events is that a rocket from a

Russian-made Buk missile launcher operated by pro-Russian rebels was
responsible.

The dubious assertion is the latest attempt to divert blame away from
Moscow.

(8) Zero Hedge blog (in US) reports it - but nothing in  MSM

Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 01:37:16 +0900 Subject: Russia Says It Has
Evidence From Ukraine Military Defector Kiev Was Responsible For MH-17
Crash | Zero Hedge From: chris lancenet <[email protected]>

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-12-24/russia-says-it-has-evidence-ukraine-military-defector-kiev-was-responsible-mh-17-cra

Russia Says It Has Evidence From Ukraine Military Defector Kiev Was
Responsible For MH-17 Crash

  Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/24/2014 11:38 -0500

Back in July it was all everyone could talk about:who shot down
Malaysian Airlines flight MH-17 flying over east Ukraine? A
hurriedly-prepared official report (by Western authorities) quickly put
the blame on Russia, ignoring any suggestion the downing may have been
the result of a Ukraine fighter jet, and said the catastrophe was the
result of a Russian-made missile shot by Russian separatists. Then the
story promptly disappeared. Russia, however, continued digging, and
overnight, Russia’s Investigative Committee says it has uncovered
evidence Ukraine was involved in the crash citing a military defector
from the Ukraine.

The RIC said, as summarized by Bloomberg, that it interrogated a Ukraine
military defector who has evidence the Boeing jet shot down in July may
have been targeted by Ukrainian military SU-25 plane, according to
website statement. The witness claims to have spoken to SU-25’s pilot,
according to whom the SU-25 in question was carrying R-60 air-to-air
missiles.  The SU-25 returned to base after flight without its missiles.
  The pilot summarized that "MH-17 was in wrong place at wrong time."
Tell that to the families of over two hundred innocent casualties of war.

The Committee statement adds that Russia may provide witness state
protection and that  Russian investigators ready to share data with
international crash investigators.

Some further details in AFP's coverage of the topic: "The witness, who
was not named, worked at an airfield in the Ukrainian city of
Dnipropetrovsk where he claimed to have seen a warplane take off on July
17 with air-to-air missiles and return without them. An Investigative
Committee statement said the testimony of the man "is important proof
that Ukrainian military was implicated in the crash of the Boeing-777".

The statement by investigators came the same day that Kiev and the
separatists were to hold a new round of ceasefire talks, and shortly
after Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda published an interview with
the "secret witness" who said he worked at the airport on the day the
Boeing 777 was downed.

The man, who was filmed by the newspaper with his back to the camera and
even the back of his head blurred, said he saw a Sukhoi-25 jet take off
armed with air-to-air rockets and return to the base without them.

"[The plane's operator] could have launched them into the Boeing out of
fear or revenge," the witness said, identifying the pilot of the jet as
having the surname Voloshin. "Maybe he mistook it for another plane."

Komsomolskaya Pravda claimed the witness showed up at its office by
himself and that his identity checks out, but did not identify him
because his family is still in Ukraine.

The investigative committee said the man — who was now officially a
witness — could be enrolled in a witness protection program.

Here is the full statement from the Investigative Committee, google
translated:

Investigators last night they were able to meet with the Ukrainian
military defector, who confirms that voluntarily left the military unit
and moved into the territory of the Russian Federation.

He told investigators about the last days of service in one of the units
of the Air Force of Ukraine. From the way he behaved, what facts the
voice, the investigators did not have doubts in sincerity and awareness
of the witness of the events that took place in the military unit.

From the testimony of the witness now, that in order to ensure its
safety aliased, civil aircraft "Boeing 777" Flight MH-17 could be
brought down by July 17 of this year, combat aircraft SU-25 Ukrainian
Air Force, piloted by Captain Ukrainian Air Force pilot Voloshin. In
this case, sortie was carried from the airport, stationed near the city
of Dnipropetrovsk. it is at this airfield served as a witness. According
to his testimony, he personally saw the plane before takeoff Voloshin
was fused rockets "air-to-air" type R-60, which in normal conditions the
implementation of sorties Su-25 do not fit. As the witness said, in a
similar outfit aircraft simply was not necessary, as the representatives
of the people's militia armed with no aviation.

The witness immediately noticed that on his return to the airfield
aircraft missiles in the equipment of the aircraft has no, and then he
distinctly heard the words of the pilot Voloshin, said one of his
colleagues: "He - the plane - was not at the time and in the wrong place."

Those facts and information, which are located and which are clearly not
being confused, the witness said, convince investigators that his
testimony true, by the way, and confirmed research on polygraph. For the
investigation of these readings are very important, and most
importantly, that they coincide with the data that were available for
investigators from other sources and confirm the fact of being in the
air Ukrainian Su-25 during the crash "Boeing." In particular, from the
testimony of several witnesses - Ukrainian citizens living in the area
of impact "Boeing 777", it follows that shortly before the crash they
saw in the sky in the vicinity of the passenger liner military aircraft.

Thus, the testimony of a witness are not the only one, but a very
important proof that a collapse of the "Boeing" Ukrainian armed forces
are involved.

As a witness may be in danger, the investigation decides whether to
grant him state protection for the witness protection program.

Investigation Committee will be to continue to collect and analyze all
the data about the crash. In this case, if the representatives of the
international commission investigating the crash that actually
interested in establishing the truth and turn to us, we are ready to
provide all available materials.

The full interview that took place on Komsomolskaya Pravda with the
alleged defector, along with supporting materials, can be found here.
Sadly in the end this is just more verbal allegations and more "he said,
she said" accusations, in what will almost surely remain an unresolved
crash in which over 200 innocent people were the now deceased pawns in a
lethal realpolitik game in which the cost of a human life is nothing.

(9)  Kyiv Post reports it, linking to Deutsche Welle

The Kyiv Post reports it:
http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine-abroad/deutsche-welle-russia-reveals-witness-blaming-ukraine-pilot-for-mh17-crash-376054.html

linking to Deutsche Welle:
http://www.dw.de/russia-reveals-witness-blaming-ukraine-pilot-for-mh17-crash/a-18150656

There are other articles about it in the Kyiv Post too - the Ukrainian
denial etc, asd you would expect.

(10) RT.com says witness passed Lie Detector test

http://rt.com/news/217295-mh17-ukraine-military-plane/

Witness account of Ukraine MH17 takedown confirmed by lie detector -
investigators

Published time: December 24, 2014 09:21 Edited time: December 24, 2014 16:08

Russia's Investigative Committee has confirmed the claims by a
Ukrainian, who said he witnessed the deployment of a Ukrainian warplane
armed with air-to-air missiles on the day the Malaysian Airlines flight
MH17 was shot down.

The interview was conducted on Tuesday, spokesman for the committee
Vladimir Markin told the media on Wednesday.

This followed a report in a Russian newspaper, in which the Ukrainian
citizen, who preferred to remain anonymous, voiced his allegations.

The investigators used a polygraph during the interview, which showed no
evidence of the witness lying, he added.

"The facts were reported by the witness clearly and with no
inconsistencies. The investigators lean towards considering them
truthful. A polygraph examination confirmed them too," the official said.

"According to his account, he personally saw the plane piloted by
[Ukrainian military pilot] Voloshin armed with R-60 air-to-air
missiles," Markin said. "He added there was no need for such weapons
during regular air missions of the Ukrainian Air Forces because the
rebel forces had no military aircraft."

Markin said that the Investigative Committee will continue gathering and
analyzing evidence perpetrating to the downing of MH17 and will share
the information with the Netherlands-led international probe into the
incident, "if they really interested in establishing the truth and send
an inquiry."

The witness is likely to be taken into protective custody in Russia
because his life may be threatened, Markin said.

The Ukrainian Security Service confirmed on Wednesday that a Captain
Voloshin does serve as a military pilot in the country's armed services.
But it said he didn't fly any missions on the day the Malaysian Airlines
flight was shot down.

The Russian Investigative Committee invited the Dutch or Malaysian
experts to check Voloshin using a polygraph, and Ukraine's Security
Service to provide the military log to the official investigation,
Markin said.

"The fact that Ukraine's Security Service has acknowledged Voloshin's
existence is already an accomplishment," he said.

Markin suggested the air traffic controllers operating in the area on
the day of the catastrophe should also be questioned, adding that they
should be "found" first.

"It is clear that all this is very difficult, and probably impossible.
It is much easier to call the information and evidence provided by
Russia's Investigative Committee 'fake'," he said.

The Russian Defense Ministry made public radar data indicating that a
Ukrainian military jet capable of taking down the airliner with an
air-to-air missile was in the vicinity of MH17 at the time of the incident.

"the birth rate in France approached 40 births per 1000 people in the middle of the 17th century. This was a normal rate for a European country where marriages were late and life-long celibacy relatively widespread..."
Surely in the 17th century, there was little known about contraception, and "family planning" was more to to with high rates of infant mortality!
There is evidence that during the 17th century, the French used the method
of wetting a sponge with brandy to weaken the sperm.
British birth control crusader Marie Stopes prescribed sponge s moistened with olive oil for 2,000 of her indigent patients she recorded no unintended pregnancies in the follow up visits. Infant mortality would have been high.
Many legitimate and illegitimate infants were abandoned outside churches or foundling homes. Possibly one half of infants abandoned in France in the 18th century were abandoned by intact families.
Wet-nursing was a particularly entrenched cultural phenomenon in France, where the wealthy sent their infants to the countryside to be suckled for several years by peasant women. A high death rate was common among these babies, probably due to neglect.
There was higher infant mortality if a child was sent off to a wetnurse, because the wetnurse would typically malnourish the child, or feed it an oatmeal water, or watered down milk instead of her undiluted breast milk. In 17th century France, between 20 and 50 percent of all infants died within the first year after birth. This would have had a very high impact on population growth!

Immigration is only good when it is controlled very carefully. It's no secret that there is a housing shortage in Sydney and Melbourne. Where is the first place new immigrants go to? Come on, have a guess. Sydney and Melbourne is where most of them go. How is it good to bring in another 190,000 immigrants in next year? Remember we have a high unemployment rate. Why can't we train our unemployed people? Wont this give them a chance to fill the jobs that are required? Get them off the dole as well. Is it the case that these 190,000 new immigrants have to go on the pension eventually, stressing our welfare in the future? Yes, I am thinking long term, not band aid. The roads are already grid locked. Let's not be stupid and make it more grid locked. Cant we balance births deaths and immigration to equilibrium ? The scales are tipping too many people in one city. Australia has no capacity to take any more migrants on. Massive infrastructure is needed in regional towns to make them major cities only then immigration could be good. Don't bring any more migrants to Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane it's not hard to understand. Its also no secret that jobs are going off shore due to the high cost of doing business here in Australia. Stop the madness now as I did not vote for massive immigration its against my will nobody asked me is it ok, the government just did it without permission of the Australian people. House prices must come down so businesses can become competitive. It is obvious that high real estate equals high wages and high rental on commercial properties. Why bother setting up a business in Australia when its so much cheaper overseas. Wake up Australia . Asset inflation equals disaster every other country has failed when the property prices were sky high. Is everybody in government in denial?

Global migration and high fertility levels are tools of expansion, of religion and ideas. The Catholic Church has developed an elaborate theology of immigration since World War II, and along with this an abundance of moral-political prescriptions to promote immigration. The Church has virtually made immigration a sacred right, proclaiming it as a 'sacrament of unity,' a process of moving the world toward greater brotherhood. Migration, the Church preaches, witnesses to God's goodness, promotes the unity of the human family, and offers Christians a ministry of love and service to the stranger among us. The lofty ideals of the dignity of human beings entitles them to seek work in other lands and to be joined by their families there. Their counter-cultural position on this matter and insists that the right to immigrate is more fundamental than that of nations to control their borders. We are one big "family" of humans, with no borders or sovereignties! Migration is central to the Catholic Church's history of recovery and growth following its losses from the Reformation and the catholic-ization by Spain and it's colonization of the "new world", mass genocide and cultural destruction. France and Portugal of much of the Western Hemisphere in the 16th and 17th centuries was essentially a work of colonization and migration. There was little consideration for the rights of the traditional owners of the land, and they were considered no more than fauna to be dominated and eradicated as obstructions to expansion! The Pope called for action following the deaths of thousands of migrants who have drowned while trying to cross the Mediterranean. "We cannot allow the Mediterranean to become a vast cemetery," he said. What about actually addressing the causes of the problems and conflicts that cause this mass migration, and the deaths? Overpopulation, such as in Ireland, was always solved by migrations! Similarly we have the expansion of Islam. If immigration stopped tomorrow, Muslims’ higher fertility and young age structure would still ensure a rise in their share of the total, which would be most apparent in maternity wards and primary schools in UK, Europe and here in Australia. The elevated threat of an "ageing population" has advantaged immigration, and high populated countries by being able to to migrate to the West. Moroccan women in the Netherlands, for instance, have a fertility rate of 2.9 children, while Moroccan women in Morocco have 2.4 children each. Bangladeshis in Britain have 3.0 children, while those in Bangladesh have 2.4. It's known that immigrants have more babies. Catholic immigrants of the 19th century did the same and they were thus religious pioneers who, though beleaguered and isolated in the host nations, were creating bridgeheads for the spread of the faith in the New World. It seems likely there has been a real increase in the Muslim population of Britain, due to a mixture of immigration and higher birth rates and if fertility among Muslim women continues to be higher than other demographic groups, then extending current trends into the future will give Britain a Muslim majority by 2050. Over the next decades, there will be an overall mingling of cultures and civilisations that may lead, as far as France is concerned, to the emergence of a predominantly African population and to rapid Islamization. Migration and high fertility levels are part of religious expansion tools, especially for migrants. However, nationhood is paramount in the Bible. The Book of Exodus identifies nationhood as the best form of political organization. Nationhood, in turn, requires self-government, centralized institutions, and control over territory. It is common among white Christians today to believe that any sort of pride of race is inherently wrong or evil. On the other hand, a unified global humanity is an age-old dream - one that the Bible completely rejects. Scriptures demonstrate that the concept of nationhood—of a distinct group identity based on common language, culture, land, and blood ties—was not a modern European innovation, as some scholars proclaim it to be, but rather an integral part of the Jewish tradition from its very beginnings. God confused language as an additional tool at the time of Babel for maintaining national distinction. Babel was a punishment for sin of trying to build a megalomaniac tower, to reach the heavens, but it was also an act of mercy from God in order to restrain the evil that typically arises in cosmopolitan societies who have lost sight of their tribal identity. Raceless or tribeless societies become decadent due to anonymity and loss of patriarchal authority, which is inevitable in such regimes. Ethno-nationalism holds that nations are defined and rooted in common heredity, and that the foundations of a nation are based on common ancestry, language, culture, religion, and social customs - not globalization and open borders!