"Possessing opinions is like possessing fish, assuming one has a fish pond. One has to go fishing and needs some luck - then one has one's own fish, one's own opinions. I am speaking of live opinions, of live fish. Others are satisfied if they own a cabinet of fossils - and in their heads, "convictions". - Friedrich Nietzsche
An academic who expects zero interest rates within two years and a 40 per cent drop in house prices has promised to walk from Canberra to the top of Australia's highest mountain if he's wrong.
University of Western Sydney associate professor of economics and finance STEVE KEEN made the bet with Macquarie Group interest rate strategist RORY ROBERTSON.
Police chase stolen car 250km from Wagga to Canberra
20 Jan 2009 12:21 PM
CANBERRA, Jan 20 AAP - Police have arrested a 26-year-old man in Canberra following a 250km high-speed car chase that started in south-western NSW.
NSW police started pursuing the stolen car in Wagga Wagga on Tuesday morning and ACT Policing took up the chase when the driver crossed the border into the territory.
BRISBANE, Dec 31 AAP - Queensland police have caught a man with an alleged blood alcohol reading more than six times the legal limit.
A 28-year-old man from Peak Crossing was stopped overnight for a random breath test in the nearby town of Boonah, south-west of Brisbane, and allegedly blew .303 per cent.
SYDNEY, Dec 20 AAP - The drivers of a Porsche and two motorcycles have had their vehicles confiscated after reaching speeds of more than 220km/h in an alleged road race.
Police say the three men were racing along a 100km/h zone of the Pacific Highway on the far north NSW coast on Saturday about 10.40am (AEST).
MELBOURNE, Dec 15 AAP - Two young men accused of drag racing before a crash that killed a 15-year-old boy will stand trial.
Mitchell Cairnduff, of Wheelers Hill, died when a turbo-charged Mitsubishi Lancer driven by Jarrod Rooke hit a taxi at 120km/h, the Melbourne Magistrates Court heard.
MELBOURNE, Jan 6 AAP - A 78-year-old hoon caught speeding at 170km/h on a narrow country road on New Year's Day told police he was a skilled race driver.
Victorian Premier John Brumby, however, was not impressed with John Belfield's claims, labelling Australia's oldest hoon driver an "idiot", while police said he was toying with death.i
Heralding the arrival of a new publication from The Weird House, the first edition of House Harris, a news publication that should provide a window into current affairs in Australia with articles from the Australian Associated Press who should be credited and duly paid their royalties.
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Feature Story
Economists divided on recession in Australia
All House Harris News Articles are individually selected by The Editor
Main Feature Story
Stimulus packages will help retailers tread water
By Colin Brinsden, Economics Correspondent
11 Mar 2009 12:01 AM
CANBERRA, March 11 AAP - The federal government's stimulus measures will enable retailers to tread water in what is an increasingly ugly economic backdrop, a leading independent forecaster says.
Centrelink will start doling out payments to families from Wednesday as part of the government's $42 billion nation-building package, while taxpayers earning less than $100,000 will start receiving their cash handouts next month.
Access Economics says the government's initial stimulus package, which gave out money to pensioners and low-income families just before Christmas, did help to lift retail spending in December, which was by far the largest month of growth in 2008.
"The economic backdrop continues to get uglier, so these measures are likely to only result in real (inflation-adjusted) retail spending treading water in the first half of 2009," Access director David Rumbens said.
"Indeed, Access Economics sees little growth in real retail spending being realised until the second half of 2010."
Regularly Updated News As It Arrives From The Editor
House Harris News
NSW: Three people fall from balconies around Wollongong.
Two people have fallen eight metres from a balcony in Wollongong after a railing gave way .. just nine hours after a teenage fell from a balcony onto concrete .. half an hour north of the city. More...
US: US drops 'enemy combatant' status
WASHINGTON, March 13 AFP - President Barack Obama's administration on Friday dropped the "enemy combatant" designation for inmates at Guantanamo Bay prison and vowed to draw on international law for its detention policy. More...
Fed: All Vic bushfires now contained: emergency services
MELBOURNE, March 14 AAP - All of Victoria's bushfires have now been contained. More...
NSW: Two people fall from balcony in Wollongong.
SYDNEY, March 14 AAP - Two people have fallen up to eight metres after a balcony rail gave way in Wollongong. More...
AFR: Ship captain says million-dollar ransom paid to pirates
MOMBASA, Kenya, March 13 AFP - The captain of an Egyptian ship released last week after two months in the hands of Somali pirates said on Friday that a ransom of $US1 million ($A1.53 million) was paid. More...
NSW: Big weekend of events for Sydney
SYDNEY, March 14 AAP - All spit and polish in their white dress uniforms, thousands of navy personnel will march through Sydney on Saturday in the city's largest show of troops since the end of World War II. More...
US: Wall Street stays upbeat after three-day rally
US stocks traded mostly higher at the opening on Friday as the market appeared to keep momentum from a strong three-day rally. More...
ASIA: US missile strike kills seven in Pakistan: officials
Security officials say a suspected US missile strike has struck a Taliban den in northwest Pakistan .. killing at least seven militants, including suspected Al-Qaeda operatives. More...
US: Debris threat forces ISS crew into capsule: NASA
NASA says the crew of the International Space Station has entered its Soyuz capsule .. to protect against a possible impact to the ISS from a debris cloud .. which could force evacuation. More...
ASIA: UN body informed of NKorea satellite launch
MONTREAL, March 12 AFP - North Korea has informed the UN's International Civil Aviation Organisation that it intends to launch a satellite between April 4 to 8, a UN spokesman says. More...
US: Madoff talks in court about his crimes
NEW YORK, March 12 AP - Bernard Madoff has pleaded guilty to charges that he carried out an epic fraud that robbed investors around the world of billions of dollars, admitting he began operating a giant pyramid scheme in the early 1990s in response to a recession. More...
EUR: Principal broadcast quick warning of school gunman
WINNENDEN, Germany, March 12 AP - The composed principal of a German high school was able to warn teachers with a prearranged code over the public address system when a gunman burst into the school, likely preventing the teenager from killing any more than the 12 students and teachers slain there, media reports said Thursday. More...
UK: For sale: nagging wife, very high maintenance
LONDON, March 12 AFP - A British man fed up with his wife's complaints advertised her for sale - and got a number of offers. More...
EUR: German gunman warned of shooting rampage on Internet
BERLIN, March 12 AFP - A German teenager who killed 15 people in a shooting spree announced his intentions on an internet chatroom, a state interior minister says. More...
MID: Chaos at Iraq court as shoe-thrower jailed
BAGHDAD, March 12 AFP - "This is an American court, you sons of dogs," screamed the brother of Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi who was jailed for three years on Thursday for hurling his shoes at George W Bush in a parting gesture to the deeply unpopular former US president. More...
NSW: Biggest meeting of warships on harbour since Bicentenary
SYDNEY, March 12 AAP - Sydneysiders will on Friday be treated to the largest show of naval force since the Bicentenary celebrations, when 17 ships anchor east of the Opera House as part of a fleet review. More...
Fed: Bill reflects mandate to get rid of Work Choices: Gillard
CANBERRA, March 12 AAP - Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard has rejected claims by the opposition and some business groups that the government has exceeded its election policy in its Fair Work bill. More...
SAMSON, Alabama, March 11 AFP - The unemployed Alabama man who killed his mother and nine others on a vicious shooting rampage made a list of people who had done him wrong and stocked up on survivalist gear, officials said on Wednesday. More...
Fed: Bill reflects mandate to get rid of Work Choices: Gillard
CANBERRA, March 12 AAP - Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard has rejected claims by the opposition and some business groups that the government has exceeded its election policy in its Fair Work bill. More...
NT: Climate change to hit Kakadu and Top End tourism hard
DARWIN, March 12 AAP - Climate change will threaten Kakadu's key attractions with "devastating" implications for tourism in the world-heritage listed national park, new research warns. More...
Vic: Two left critical after five-vehicle crash
MELBOURNE, March 12 AAP - Four people have been injured, two critically, after a bus and four cars were involved in a crash at a Melbourne shopping centre. More...
ASIA: Better drugs encouraging AIDS complacency: Nobel doctor
NEW DELHI, March 12 AFP - People are forgetting to practise safe sex because they no longer fear dying from HIV/AIDS, says the doctor who won the Nobel prize for helping to discover the virus. More...
SCI: Battery breakthrough promises phone, car revolution
PARIS, March 11 AFP - Think of an electric car that can accelerate swiftly to cruising speed, laptop computers that can recharge in a couple of minutes rather than hours and a generation of super-miniature mobile phones. More...
CAN: Filmmaker plans to shoot with tiny camera in eye
BRUSSELS, March 11 AP - A one-eyed documentary filmmaker is preparing to work with a video camera concealed inside a prosthetic eye, hoping to secretly record people for a project commenting on the global spread of surveillance cameras. More...
US stocks extend gains after big rally
US stocks are marginally higher today after an explosive rally yesterday on expectations that the battered financial sector was beginning to show some signs of recovery. More...
EUR: Carbon tax only way to keep planet cool: Hansen
SAMSON, Alabama, March 11 AFP - A US gunman mowed down at least 10 people, including his grandparents and other relatives, leaving a trail of bloodshed in southern Alabama before killing himself, officials say. More...
EUR: German school gunman shot dead by police: police sources
Police have say they've shot dead a teenage gunman who killed at least 11 people at a school in southern Germany. More...
Fed:Oppn to vote against "sneaky attack" on self-funded retirees
CANBERRA, March 11 AAP - The federal opposition will vote against a government bid to tighten the income test for the seniors health card, branding it a dishonest sneak attack on self-funded retirees. More...
Fed: No promises on extending home buyers grant: Tanner
CANBERRA, March 11 AAP - The federal government won't make a budget promise to extend the life of increases to first home owners' grants, even though there is evidence it has been a success. More...
Vic: Media shut out of bushfires hearings
The media will be shut out of preliminary community consultations into the bushfire disaster .. which are due to begin next week. More...
FED: Biden warns Australia is an al-Qaeda target
CANBERRA, March 11 AAP - US Vice-President Joe Biden has warned Australia is a target for al-Qaeda terrorists. More...
Australian stocks buoyed by Wall St, BHP and financials
SYDNEY, March 11 AAP - The Australian share market closed higher for a third consecutive day after gains from the mining and financial sectors, and follows a strong rally on Wall Street. More...
FED: HIV could adapt to be non-life threatening, scientist says
ADELAIDE, March 11 AAP - HIV could adapt so that it is no longer a life-threatening virus, a leading scientist says. More...
NSW: Martin apologises for remonstrating opposition staff
SYDNEY, March 11 AAP - Labor MP Gerard Martin has apologised to NSW Parliament after he "remonstrated" with opposition staffers during Tuesday's question time. More...
FED: Two Senate committees to look into emissions trading
CANBERRA, March 11 AAP - Two separate Senate committees will hold investigations into emissions trading. More...
US stocks skyrocket on Citigroup outlook
US stocks have leapt at the market open today after troubled banking giant Citigroup offered an upbeat profit outlook .. raising investor confidence. More...
Fed: Stimulus packages will help retailers tread water: Access
CANBERRA, March 11 AAP - The federal government's stimulus measures will enable retailers to tread water in what is an increasingly ugly economic backdrop, a leading independent forecaster says. More...
NSW: Teenager charged with lighting a bushfire on Central Coast
SYDNEY, March 10 AAP - A teenager has been charged with lighting a bushfire which threatened homes on the NSW Central Coast. More...
Obama to reverse Bush limits on stem cell research
US President BARACK OBAMA will wipe out another contentious aspect of his predecessor GEORGE W BUSH'S legacy .. by removing curbs on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. More...
EUR: Belligerent chimp proves animals make plans
STOCKHOLM, March 9 AP - A canny chimpanzee who calmly collected a stash of rocks and then hurled them at zoo visitors in fits of rage has confirmed that apes can plan ahead just like humans, a Swedish study says. More...
NSW: Bligh suffers swing, LNP have narrow lead, Newspoll
The latest Newspoll says Queensland Premier ANNA BLIGH has suffered a massive swing against her since calling the state election .. with the Liberal Nationals now narrowly in the lead. More...
Seeking writer to do opinion