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Black Saturday

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Last Friday afternoon, John Brumby made what seemed like a ridiculous statement, that Saturday could be "the worst day ever in the history of the state." A combination of very high temperatures, extreme winds and bushland dried out by years of drought certainly had potential for something very nasty, but did anyone really think it would happen? There's been a lot of speculation that the reason for the staggering number of fatalities (it's currently 130 but is expected to go considerably higher) is due to the fact that people have forgotten Ash Wednesday. Not that it occurred, or that it was bad, but just how ferocious a fire can be. I was at the beach - Airey's Inlet, where folks are rightly spooked by fire (it was almost entirely destroyed in 1983). We knew it would be hot and that fire danger was extreme, but we had the fire plan in order (kinda) and spent most of the day marvelling at the ludicrous heat. With the radio on 774 listening for any mention of f...
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It could be good...it really could

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Have you read the Phillip Pullman 'His Dark Materials' Trilogy ? If so, isn't it unreal? If not - WHAT ARE YOU THINKING - get ye to a library/book-selling emporium immediately! I'm actually serious. It may be pitched as young adult fiction (even though there are many who think this is not the case), but (at the risk of being howled down) it is honestly one of the most beautifully created fantasy worlds since the Lord of the Rings - and I don't even LIKE fantasy. This mildly hysterical outburst has been brought to you by the fact that the books have been turned into films and the first official trailer for the first film "The Golden Compass" has JUST been released. Quietly - I'm excited. Really very excited. Some may even say pumped. Now I try to keep these things a little under wraps. The last film I got this excited about was Happy Feet and that let me down in any number of ways, but this one has real promise. Starring an unknown young actor ...
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The Pope and lack of context

Waleed Aly writes a thoughtful piece in today's Age about the (over)reaction to Pope Benedict's comments on Islam . As the more extreme elements in the Muslim world go about demonstrating that they are not violent by reacting violently, Aly points out that Benedict's comments were delivered as part of an academic theological paper at a German University and that his quoting of the 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II has been taken almost entirely out of context. Regardless of whether or not you believe it was appropriate for a man of such religious prominence to be drawing attention to the (presumably now) irrelevant musings of a medieval christian leader, it is difficult to argue that the response has been warranted. As Aly points out more lucidly that I am able, Benedict used the quote almost as a footnote to elaborate his point that "missionary violence is contrary to rationality" and therefore could not have "come from God". Taken in conte...
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