Author Archives: andrew

Democracy giving way to Demonocracy

Posted on June 3, 2016 by andrew

By Andrew L. Urban. Democracy? Demonocracy is what we are heading for, here in Australia, as the July 2, 2016 Federal Election campaign begins its final 4-week marathon. Both three sides of politics – the Liberal/National coalition, Labour and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotidian | Leave a comment

Merkel’s mistake – feeling not thinking

Posted on March 18, 2016 by andrew

By Andrew L. Urban. There’s an old saying: Life is a comedy for those who think, a tragedy for those who feel. If you think about it, the mass migration crisis drowning Europe (and many refugees), could have been managed … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy And Refugees | Leave a comment

Not Guilty Exoneration Project launched in Sydney

Posted on February 26, 2016 by andrew

By Andrew L. Urban. Not Guilty: The Sydney Exoneration Project is a new psychology and law research program at The University of Sydney that reviews cases of possible wrongful convictions, founded by Dr Celine Van Golde in the Faculty of … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy and Justice | Leave a comment

Is the BBC capturing carbon?

Posted on February 9, 2016 by andrew

By Andrew L. Urban. I couldn’t let it pass without comment how the BBC’s Environment Reporter, Mark Kinver, seems confused between ‘carbon’ and ‘carbon dioxide’. On February 4, 2016, he reports that “Newly grown rainforests can absorb 11 times as … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy and global warming policies | Leave a comment

Germany’s good deed gets punished

Posted on February 9, 2016 by andrew

As this extract from the January 21, 2016, report by Der Spiegel staff proves, no good deed goes unpunished, and Germany’s naïve and self-destructive ‘good deed’ to welcome any and all comers is a sorry example of how. The numbers … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy And Refugees | Leave a comment

Why scientists disagree about global warming

Posted on February 6, 2016 by andrew

Why scientists disagree about global warming – by Craig Idso, Robert M. Carter (1942-2016), S. Fred Singer – November 23, 2015 Extracts from the book’s concluding chapter: The most important fact about climate science, often overlooked, is that scientists disagree about … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy and global warming policies | Leave a comment

Where I’m from this is handled by men

Posted on February 1, 2016 by andrew

By Andrew L. Urban. The personnel manager for a company in the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg remembers how a male employee … asked to meet with a male colleague instead of her. “I have nothing against you,” he said, … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy And Refugees | Leave a comment

Australian Republic a cause not a reality

Posted on January 31, 2016 by andrew

By Andrew L. Urban. It is not the idea that our system is broke but the emotive plea “our Head of State should be Australian” that drives the movement for an Australian republic. It needs no explanation and brooks no … Continue reading →

Posted in By The Way | Leave a comment

COP21 – the point of no return

Posted on December 30, 2015 by andrew

By Andrew L. Urban. December 11, 2115 – Centenary of COP21 Climate Conference, Paris: They’re all dead, all those thousands who gathered in Paris for that fateful two weeks, in which the world’s self-appointed climate warriors signed the death warrants … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy and global warming policies | Leave a comment

What’s to respect?

Posted on December 29, 2015 by andrew

By Andrew L. Urban. In these tumultuous times of intense, fanatical religious fervour on the part of extremist Muslims, we in Australia have been publicly debating if and how to show respect to their faith (holus bolus) in public speech … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy And Terrorism | Leave a comment