Moral quandaries often pit concerns about principles against concerns about practical consequences. Should we ban assault rifles and large sodas, restricting people’s liberties for the sake of physical health and safety? Should we allow drone killings or torture, if violating one person’s rights could save a thousand lives?

A great week for huffin'-'n'-puffin', what? First, Alexander Downer takes an airbrush to history. And then, more gobsmackery by our top soldier, on what he ''always knew'' was a raw deal for the people of Afghanistan's Oruzgan province.

Richard Heinberg talks about the new book "Energy: Overdevelopment and the Delusion of Endless Growth," a haunting look at our current energy path.

This morning of Easter, when all the punters are at church punting on the existence of a resurrected god, The Sunday Telegraph has a pious article on how we should let the son be... Yes it's not about the resurrection of the son of god but that of Robbie Waterhouse, Tom, the son of Gai...

The Pollies and the personalities take a serve from Gai for trying to stop her son blurring the lines between gambling and commenting on games shown on TV... I ask you what's a little flutter? 

Mike Carlton gets it wrong again...

People might see this cartoon as going too far... But it's not... My apologies to the girls and the dog, though. But they gave us an irresistible line... a line impossible to ignore in the original meaning of the word...

Meanwhile if you want a bit of fun:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYvMeT2GC14

Queen signs; heavenly quartet plays aloft ….

High Court unanimously strips away people’s right to face factual charges

One January day just over six years ago, the then prime minister of Australia, John Howard, and his foreign minister, Alexander Downer, changed out of their summer-holiday clothes and put on suits to meet their counterparts from the small neighbouring state of Timor-Leste, Mari Alkatiri and Jose Ramos Horta.

from Independent Australia ….

from Crikey ….

Accidental crusader: how a regional reporter prompted a royal commission

from Crikey ….

Here's the real story of Australian debt

A former welfare minister has delivered a dramatic appeal to landlords to take direct action against the “bedroom tax” by knocking down walls or bricking up windows in protest against housing benefit cuts.