By MICHAEL BARBARO

An influential Jewish organization on Friday announced its opposition to a proposed Islamic center and mosque two blocks north of ground zero in Lower Manhattan, intensifying a fierce national debate about the limits of religious freedom and the meaning of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Julia Gillard has revealed that her next Labor cabinet will include a Minister for Procrastination, with the job of ensuring that nothing controversial or unpopular actually happens over the life of the new government.

In a stinging repudiation of the frantic policy activism of her predecessor, the Prime Minister wants it known there will be no more of Kevin Rudd's great moral challenges of our time. ''People are tired of being told they should worry about the so-called big issues of climate change, or immigration, or the global financial crisis,'' Ms Gillard told an election rally of photogenic kindergarten children at Innisfail, in northern Queensland, yesterday.

Australia approved new sanctions against Iran in a bid to halt its nuclear program.

The new sanctions, announced Thursday by Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, follow similar restrictions issued by the United States, the European Union and Canada.

For the first time the sanctions include restricting business dealings with Iran's oil and gas sector.

"In adopting this package, Australia stands at the forefront of international community efforts to have Iran meet its international obligations in relation to its nuclear program, one of the most serious security challenges facing the international community," Smith said in a statement.

The United States is currently the world biggest weapons supplier - holding 30 per cent of the market - but the Obama administration has begun modifying export control regulations in hopes of enlarging the U.S. market share, according to U.S. officials.

President Barack Obama already has taken the first steps by tucking new language into the Iran sanctions bill signed in early July. His aides are now compiling the "munitions list," which regulates the sale of military items.

Many of the freedoms we enjoy here in the U.S. are quickly eroding as the nation transforms from the land of the free into the land of the enslaved, but what I'm about to share with you takes the assault on our freedoms to a whole new level. You may not be aware of this, but many Western states, including Utah, Washington and Colorado, have long outlawed individuals from collecting rainwater on their own properties because, according to officials, that rain belongs to someone else.

Crinkle to twinkle ... Digitally different takes of the PM from the Daily Telegraph and Australian Women's Weekly.

Since the Daily Telegraph did a job on Julia, I took the liberty to do one on Tony... Of course I did not do as good a job as the wiz kids at the Terrorgraph, not that I could not, but time is the essence... You may note I used the eyes from his political "dad", John Howard...

A U.S. audit has found that the Pentagon cannot account for over 95 percent of $9.1 billion in Iraq reconstruction money, spotlighting Iraqi complaints that there is little to show for the massive funds pumped into their cash-strapped, war-ravaged nation.

The $8.7 billion in question was Iraqi money managed by the Pentagon, not part of the $53 billion that Congress has allocated for rebuilding. It's cash that Iraq, which relies on volatile oil revenues to fuel its spending, can ill afford to lose.

Last night's episode of Q&A devoted a fair chunk of air time to the most extensive debate on climate change policy we've been treated to so far in this election. It was edifying to watch people getting agitated, raising their voices, arguing with each other.

from Crikey .....

Dog's Democracy: only 15,000 years to go

First Dog on the Moon writes:

FEDERAL ELECTION 2010

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton expressed concern on Thursday about what she called the Vietnamese government's intolerance of dissent.

"Vietnam, ... is on the path to becoming a great nation ..." Mrs. Clinton said in her opening statement at a news conference, as Mr. Khiem stood stone-faced next to her.

Mr. Khiem replied that human rights were rooted in unique cultural and historical circumstances. He cited what he claimed was an observation by President Obama that countries be allowed to choose their own path and that human rights not be imposed from outside.

The New South Wales Government is quietly compiling a mathematical map of almost every adult's face, sharing information that allows law enforcement to track people by CCTV.

Seven of the 91 European banks that underwent stress tests have failed the healthchecks, the Committee of European Banking Supervisors (CEBS) has said.

They include five Spanish banks - Diada, Espiga, Banca Civica, Unnim and Cajasur. The other two were Germany's Hypo Real Estate and Greece's ATEbank.

The tests assessed banks' ability to survive future economic shocks.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-10732597

How stupid do our political leaders think we are?

Judging from the election campaign so far, pretty stupid. It's not the Hey Hey It's Saturday-style stunts that are the problem. You always get some of those in a campaign. Watching how politicians react in slightly whacky circumstances can be fun and sometimes quite revealing. Kevin Rudd went on Rove Live, Paul Keating posed for that picture in Rolling Stone wearing shades and John Hewson once wore six silly hats in a single day of campaigning - my personal favourite being the one shaped like a hot dog.