What's in the News

When is a zebra not a zebra?

A Chinese park has reportedly painted stripes on a horse and is charging people to have pictures taken with the 'zebra'.

Shenyang botanical park is charging 30p each for pictures with the animal which, as well as painted black stripes, has fluffy white hair.

When asked if the zebra is real, the feeder answered: "It's from Africa. What do you call it, if it's not a zebra?"

"We saw right away that the zebra is fake, but we are here for fun, so it doesn't really matter," said a mother who had just paid for her child's picture.

According to the City Evening News, the park says it doesn't know if the horse is a zebra or not: "It's not that important. It is for fun," said a spokesman.

And that just about sums up this wonderful, terrible, and sometimes downright strange country.

Kiwi judge calls Blair a criminal
By IRENE CHAPPLE - Sunday Star Times | Sunday, 13 May 2007

A New Zealand Supreme Court judge has launched a blistering attack on outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair, effectively calling him a war criminal for his role in the Iraq conflict.

Justice Ted Thomas, who retired last year but still presides over ongoing cases, told the Sunday Star-Times yesterday that Blair "deceived Cabinet, parliament and the British people" over the war.

And in a hard-hitting essay published in British journal The Spokesman this month, Thomas writes: "As extreme as it sounds, it is difficult to resist the conclusion that, should he be prosecuted at a time when the plea of sovereign immunity is not available, Mr Blair would be found guilty of a war crime."

Thomas said Blair would be guilty of the customary international law crime of aggression as the war was launched without legal basis. "A regime change is not the basis for conducting an invasion of another sovereign state." He said Blair misrepresented - and must have known he was misrepresenting - his attorney-general's advice on the legality of the war.
...
Thomas's savage essay accuses Blair of treating the foreign affairs portfolio as his "personal fiefdom". Blair, says Thomas, became "almost like a parrot" to the neo-conservatism of US president George W Bush's administration during his tenure.

He says the war is "also an indictment on the political system" which failed to hold him to account over the manipulation of intelligence. The lack of political checks meant Blair "was not constrained from committing political, immoral and illegal misdemeanours".

...
The essay, written as a judicial investigation, said it was "incongruous" Blair had not resigned or been forced to resign over the war, which "was based on a delusion, and which has had such calamitous and humanly tragic consequences. In short, he has not been held accountable in parliament for the manipulation of the intelligence or the deception he practised in pursuit of the war".
...
But speaking yesterday to the Star-Times, Thomas said it was "beyond feasibility" Blair would ever stand trial for a war crime. "It will never happen, but (Blair) may have to be circumspect as to which countries he visits."

They went into that war saying "I know it's illegal, but trust us, it's necessary for the whole world's survival."  Their citizens backed them.  So now what?  I can't believe they can't effectively impeach Bush.

Cheney is worse

Cheney is worse

Yet, tragically, will never hang for treason.

...or assault with a deadly weapon (shooting that fellow in his.....)

Bullied teen awarded income for life
By LEONIE LAMONT - SMH | Monday, 14 May 2007

SYDNEY: A bullied teenager will receive substantial damages and an income for life after an Australian Supreme Court judge found NSW educational authorities failed in their duty of care to deal with playground assaults and bullying.

Benjamin Cox's mother, Angela, sued the State of NSW on behalf of the Hunter Valley teenager.

He will receive at least $220,000 for pain and suffering.

She said the bullying, which started in infants school, had resulted in her son having little education and being unable to work.

Outside court his barrister, Dennis Wheelahan, QC, said the judgement had implications for the education system.

"The implications are that pupils in our school systems who are the subject of this type of conduct [if liability is established] can expect to recover substantial damages as is the case for Benjamin Cox."

In her judgement, delivered today, Justice Carolyn Simpson commented that Mr Cox's "adolescence has been all but destroyed; his adulthood will not be any better. He will never know the satisfaction of employment. He will suffer anxiety and depression, almost certainly, for the rest of his life".

During the case, the judge heard that, while at Woodberry Public School in 1995, Mr Cox was "throttled" by an older boy, and received compensation from the Victims Compensation Tribunal over the attack. By the time he went to high school, his mother said he thought school a "scary proposition".

"He didn't like crowds, he didn't like teachers, didn't like the work," she said.

The court heard Mr Cox, who is now 18, was a virtual recluse. He had only completed schooling up until the end of year 7, and an attempt at home schooling had failed.

His mother said he rarely went out, had no friends, and was on a pension.

"He just locks himself in his room playing PlayStation games," she said.

This part:

Mr Cox's "adolescence has been all but destroyed; his adulthood will not be any better. He will never know the satisfaction of employment. He will suffer anxiety and depression, almost certainly, for the rest of his life".

Never?  Almost certainly?  They're saying that $220,000 worth of therapy and capital can't fix this guy to the point of being in control of his life?

This kid needs to get out in the world. Does his mother really think that playing the playstation all day is really the best option out there?

He needs and deserves help, not apathy.

Kiwi judge calls Blair a criminal
By IRENE CHAPPLE - Sunday Star Times | Sunday, 13 May 2007

What I figured was criminal was calling teh US 'oldest ally'.  Excuse me - what about the Maori wars in 1860, Boer War, the Boxer Rebellion, Sudan in 1885, WWI WWII (there way before the US ever thought about it), Malayan Emergency in the 1950's, , Indonesia in 1964,

This part:

Mr Cox's "adolescence has been all but destroyed; his adulthood will not be any better. He will never know the satisfaction of employment. He will suffer anxiety and depression, almost certainly, for the rest of his life".

Never?  Almost certainly?  They're saying that $220,000 worth of therapy and capital can't fix this guy to the point of being in control of his life?

And who bullied him into taking the case?

I think it's appalling that someone can get that amount of damages...all you Ozzies can use this precedent now and demand compensation for various 'things' that happened to you in the past, that forced you to leave Oz and come to China...

Quote from: Vegemite on May 13, 2007, 05:05:00 PM

Kiwi judge calls Blair a criminal
By IRENE CHAPPLE - Sunday Star Times | Sunday, 13 May 2007

What I figured was criminal was calling teh US 'oldest ally'. 

Wo bu ming bai...who called the US their oldest ally? Ah, was it Blair?

Rare koala twins new ambassadors

May 15, 2007 - 10:23AM

They may be Australia's cutest icons, but these twins are 100 per cent made in China.
 
Koala joeys Little Michelle and Little Amanda have captured international attention after finally emerging from their mother's pouch to greet their adoring fans this week at China's Xiangjiang Safari Park in Guangzhou.

Experts say the marsupials are the first twins to be born in captivity since the early 1960s, when twin koalas were born at Sydney's Taronga Zoo.
 
The chances of both twins surviving in the wild are virtually nil, but the six-month-old babies are now believed to have an 85 to  90 per cent chance of reaching maturity.
 
To ensure their survival, the babies are under round-the-clock supervision by safari park staff who monitor the 10 cameras located inside the enclosure.

The joeys' mum, Murrumbidgee, was a gift to China from Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on the Gold Coast.

Two other females and three males were also relocated to this new home, much to the delight of the Safari Park staff and visitors.

All three females have since become mothers, with the twins the latest addition to the extended family.

That's ok. A lot of their pandas were born in oz.