Two spins, one story

In looking for some links to a completely different story, I came across two different headlines for exactly the same piece of news:

NSW students 'above average in all areas' (which goes on to say "over 90 per cent at, or over, the national minimum benchmarks")

Story quotes the State Education Minister:"It's just such a tribute to our teachers, to our principals and of course to our kids themselves. They've done brilliantly."

vs


10pc of students fail to meet minimum literacy standards

and quotes the Federal Education Minister:"While it was very pleasing that 90 per cent of students met minimum standards, governments have to focus on making sure every Australian child succeeds at school."

End of mandatory detention

A few days ago the Rudd government in Australia decided to end mandatory detention for asylum seekers while their applications for asylum are processed. This can be a very long process, often taking years.

This is great news; it ends a period of appalling treatment of people who in many cases have already suffered a great deal.

Science and other news

From the last week or so:

Possible evidence of life from 4.25bya trapped in zircon crystals from Western Australia

Not just oil: Gallium, iridium, indium, hafnium to run out within a decade

Genetic component to political participation

Viagra-like effect from watermelon

Half of gun deaths are suicides, and suicides are much more likely to occur when a gun is present than not.

Another interesting development along the way to quantum computers.

Three items relating to benefits of drinking coffee:
Caffeine after exercise helps muscles refuel
...helps prevent MS
...and lowers risk of liver cancer

Weekend news

A couple of items from the local news over the weekend:

Obama has the confidence of people in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia and is strongly preferred as president over McCain

"In Australia, 80 per cent of participants said they had confidence in Senator Obama, against 40 per cent for Senator McCain. Similar results were reported from Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Japan and Tanzania."


The secretive religious group at the heart of US politics

"The Family organises Washington politicians into intimate "prayer cells", influences foreign policy, inspired the creation of the president's annual prayer breakfast in 1953 and sponsored George Bush's faith-based 2001 policy of transferring social welfare responsibilities to religious groups."

Read about them, and be scared. Or angry. Or both. But know they they're there, and they may well be behind a lot of what you really hate about what goes on in US politics. They're the elitists we should be fighting against.

Assisted suicide

This news is getting on a bit now, but I still wanted to mark it here.

Study finds no evidence to justify concern about the potential for abuse in physician-assisted suicide.

The concerns people raise don't turn out to be a problem in places where physician-assisted death is legal.