Quickies for 18 Feb 2011

Catherine Deveny has produced a wonderful little counter on how much the Churches are costing Australia.

The UK based Open Charities project started up recently, it would be great to see this in every country.

The Victorian State Government is making sure that Religious groups are able to discriminate against employing people that don't share their beliefs, as they are supported by the Australian Tax payer, then this is quite wrong.

Just to show the Victorian Government isn't alone in helping religion discriminate against non-believers , while being provided with public funds, UK Education Minister Michael Gove is planning to let faith schools discriminate against those that follow their particular beliefs.

The UK government has announced that the cost of the Papal Visit to the taxpayer was £6.9m. But the British Humanist Association membership had climbed so dramatically during the visit, the BHA  have asked him to come back next year.


Google has released the Public Data Explorer a way to examine publicly available data sets.


The High Court challenge to the Australian Government Chaplains programme is underway, and getting lots of news time in Australia. The Churches are throwing lots of money into fighting it.


A brilliant idea is Open Corporates now we can all see what UK companies aren't paying tax.

Could benefit cuts lead to a spate of suicides?


While I'm very much against the Australian Chaplains program, I do recognise there are some decent kind people who sincerely want to do what is best for the children in their care, and Cecily who is a chaplain gives her view.


"Being surprised at the fact that the universe is fine tuned for life is akin to a puddle being surprised at how well it fits its hole" -- Douglas Adams

A relaunch

       

                                In the last few years I have been becoming more politically aware, it could be that I have noticed how much of the freedoms we take for granted have been slowly chipped away by our elected governments. These days it seems there are two excuses the government uses, either Terrorism or Pedophilia.

              Government works for us, it's citizens, but in the UK at least we have seen our MPs treat the public with contempt over the ongoing expenses scandal. First it was a case of not releasing the MPs receipts, then just releasing the redacted versions, luckily someone was so disgusted at what the saw they copied them and released them to the papers. Then the discovery that 232 of these MPs where "flipping" their second homes to maximise their allowances.

So why this to start with?   I just finished reading Heather Brooks The Silent State , and I'm really annoyed and things just have to change.

                 Now..this is just the start...

Secrecy, once accepted, becomes an addiction. - Edward Teller