Paralipomena (1)

Helping the poor may be virtuous, but when the poverty industry starts losing “clients” because the market is performing good works, watch out.
Compartamos Banco knows what it’s like to have a tarnished halo. The Mexican bank specializes in microfinancing for low-income entrepreneurs in a country that never used to have a financial industry serving the [...]

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India likes to boast of its flourishing democracy and the civil liberties enjoyed by its people. So why does the country regularly tolerate repressions of free speech?
The latest example comes courtesy of the Andhra Jyothi, a widely circulated Telegu-language daily in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Local police arrested its editor and two free-lancers [...]

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FACEBOOK, the popular social networking site, is becoming more than just a cyber meeting place as it turns into a powerful vehicle for social change.
Squeezing out MySpace as the site of the moment and with 75million users (more than the population of most countries), it appears to be the most popular meeting place in the [...]

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THE facts about your security are being torn to shreds by activist liars. And they think that you’re too stupid to know the difference.
Let’s lay out the worst current examples of media make-believe and election-year truth-trashing:
Whopper No. 1: America is less safe today than it was on Sept. 10, 2001. Oh, really? Where’s [...]

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A constitutionally dubious campaign-finance law, passed last June by the New York City Council and signed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has some residents up in arms. It may still be true that if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere, as Frank Sinatra put it. But how you make it [...]

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A Florida teen whose arm was ripped from his body by an 11-foot alligator is blaming the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for not properly controlling the alligator population.
“It’s a problem that needs to be dealt with,” victim Kasey Edwards said. “The alligators — the population needs to be brought down.”
Edwards said he [...]

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During a press conference June 18, New York Democrat Congressman Maurice Hinchey spouted a repackaged conspiracy theory, instead of addressing the issue of the economic crisis caused by the rising price of a barrel of crude oil.
Mr. Hinchey said, “President Bush and Republicans keep talking about the need to open up more federal land for [...]

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FOR decades it has been the prized possession of many a Territory back yard or balcony - but the days of the beer fridge could be numbered.
The NT Government is recommending Territorians “retire” their beer fridges in a bid to tackle climate change.
In a list of “practical actions for NT households”, printed in the [...]

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A SMALL Territory community is still reeling with shock after four UFOs descended on their Outback homes.
Families spent hours in fear as what appeared to be three spaceships hovered in the distance with another just metres above their houses.
The drama at Marlinja, population 112 and 730km south of Darwin, began at 8pm on Sunday.
Resident [...]

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A GOLD Coast teenager who wore a T-shirt by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth that reads ‘Jesus is a c**t’ has been charged with offensive behaviour.
Above the offensive slogan a nun is depicted masturbating.
A 16-year-old was arrested on Monday for wearing the shirt and was charged with offensive behaviour under the Summary Offences [...]

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