"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
Long-term jobless lessons of '90s recession
All House Harris News Articles are individually selected by The Editor
Main Feature Story
US economy leads the way downhill with Aust close behind
By Garry Shilson-Josling, AAP Economist
30 Apr 2009 4:47 PM
SYDNEY, April 30 AAP - Now is a good time to remind yourself that the past two years, when economic growth in Australia outpaced growth in the United States, were out of the ordinary.
In the past decade Australia has shown tantalising signs of shrugging off its historical tendency to mimic the ups and downs in the US economy.
In 2001, when the US was trapped in the wreckage of the tech stock crash and posted gross domestic product (GDP) growth of just 0.2 per cent, Australia's racked up an above-trend 4.1 per cent expansion.
It was much the same in 2007 as the collapsed housing market slowed the US to a crawl while the commodities boom pushed Australia along.
But these periods of divergence are outliers, exceptions to the rule despite the emergence of Japan, Korea and China as more significant export destinations.
Those three economies, like Australia's other trading partners, are still part of an international economy with the US at its centre.
Regularly Updated News As It Arrives From The Editor
House Harris News
SA: Plastic bags to disappear from close of business Sunday
ADELAIDE, May 3 AAP - Checkout-style plastic bags will disappear from South Australian shops from the close of business on Sunday, with the state the first in the nation to ban them. More...
Qld: Teens in boot of car in fatal crash
BRISBANE, May 3 AAP - Two boys were travelling in the boot of an overloaded sedan when it ploughed into an oncoming car, killing two teenagers and critically injuring three others. More...
NSW: Three dozen still under swine flu cloud in NSW
SYDNEY, May 3 AAP - Thirty-six people in NSW remain under assessment as possibly having swine flu, health authorities say. More...
US: US confirms 160 cases of swine flu in 21 states
WASHINGTON, May 2 AFP - The United States has confirmed 160 cases of the A(H1N1) influenza virus in 21 states, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Saturday. More...
EUR: WHO sends 2.4 million Tamiflu courses to poorer nations
GENEVA, May 2 AP - The World Health Organisation says it's sent 2.4 million treatments of anti-flu drug Tamiflu to 72 developing countries preparing themselves against a possible swine flu pandemic. More...
CAM: World still on alert as Mexico sees flu 'stabilisation'
MEXICO CITY, May 2 AFP - Mexico says its H1N1 flu outbreak appears to be "in a stabilisation phase", with the death toll unchanged at 16, but health officials around the world are still on alert. More...
NSW: Police uncover cache of military weapons, police uniforms
SYDNEY, May 1 AAP - An arsenal of military weapons, bulletproof vests and police uniforms have been uncovered in a raid on a Sydney unit linked to outlaw bikie gangs, police say. More...
Fed: Govt must not fail pensioners after cash splash: Nelson
CANBERRA, May 1 AAP - It will be an "obscenity" if the Rudd government fails to deliver a minimum $30-a-week increase to single aged pensioners in the May 12 budget, Brendan Nelson says. More...
EUR: Germany confirms first case of flu transmission
BERLIN, May 1 AP - Germany's Health Ministry has confirmed the first case of swine flu transmission within the country. More...
Fed: Australia's spying ability relates to submarine capability
SYDNEY, May 1 AAP - Australia's ability to spy on its Asian neighbours relates directly to its submarine capability, former defence minister Kim Beazley says. More...
Vic: Romanian arrested, charged over ATM skim scam
MELBOURNE, May 1 AAP - A Romanian man has been arrested at a Melbourne hotel by police investigating ATM card skimming. More...
NSW: 77 NSW swine flu suspects isolated, given Tamiflu
SYDNEY, May 1 AAP - Anti-viral drugs have been given to 77 people awaiting test results for swine flu in NSW, and all have been asked to stay indoors. More...
Fed: Young people could turn to crime and prostitution
CANBERRA, May 1 AAP - Under the federal government's "earn or learn" compact, young people could turn to crime and prostitution to make ends meet, one of the nation's largest welfare organisations warns. More...
Qld: Police searching for swine flu flight passengers
BRISBANE, April 30 AAP - Police have been called in to help search for two passengers who shared a flight with New Zealand schoolchildren carrying the deadly swine flu virus, as 21 Queenslanders await the results of tests. More...
NSW: I care about infrastructure, not polls: Rees
SYDNEY, April 30 AAP - NSW Premier Nathan Rees insists his attention is squarely on fixing NSW infrastructure, not repairing his standing in opinion polls. More...
WA: Possible swine flu case in WA
A West Australian adult's being treated for possible swine flu .. after it was revealed they travelled on the same flight as three New Zealanders who contracted the potentially fatal virus. More...
NSW: 85 suspect cases in NSW, many more concerned calls
Health authorities say they have been inundated with people concerned about swine flu .. with 85 suspected cases of the illness currently in New South Wales being tested. More...
US economy leads the way downhill with Aust close behind
SYDNEY, April 30 AAP - Now is a good time to remind yourself that the past two years, when economic growth in Australia outpaced growth in the United States, were out of the ordinary. More...
MID: 46 killed as bombs rip through Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 29 AFP - A wave of near-simultaneous bombs ripped through crowded Baghdad markets and a packed minibus on Wednesday, killing 46 people including women and children out shopping, officials said. More...
US: NKorea isolates itself further with nuclear test threat: US
WASHINGTON, April 29 AFP - The United States warned North Korea that it is deepening its international isolation with its threats on Wednesday to carry out a second nuclear test. More...
MID: Egypt orders immediate slaughter of all pigs
CAIRO, April 29 AFP - Egypt on Wednesday ordered the immediate cull of all pigs in the country as a precaution against swine flu, Health Minister Hatem al-Gabali said, in the first such move in the world. More...
EUR: How the flu virus works
PARIS, April 29 AFP - The influenza virus is a tiny, redoubtable foe that survives by stealth and sheer numbers. More...
FED: Australian researchers move closer to universal flu vaccine
Australian scientists are a step closer to creating a universal flu vaccine .. which could offer protection against seasonal flu as well as unforeseen outbreaks like the swine flu. More...
WELLINGTON, April 30 NZPA - Allowing Tamiflu to be sold direct to people who present at a New Zealand pharmacy with flu symptoms undermines efforts to contain the illness, pharmacists say. More...
PAC: ESA satellite images show ice shelf breaking away
BERLIN, (AP) - New satellite images from the European Space Agency show massive amounts of ice are breaking away from an ice shelf on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula, researchers said Wednesday. More...
UK: Guitar legends turn to graffiti to help Brazilian kids
LONDON, April 29 AFP - Guitar legends Jimmy Page and Brian May are joining forces with leading street artists to lend support to Brazil's poorest children. More...
Fed: Asylum seekers on Christmas Island receive payments
Figures have been released on how much it's costing to keep asylum seekers in detention on Christmas Island. More...
FED: Rudd's Afghanistan strategy strategically incoherent: White
A leading defence analyst says the federal government's decision to boost troop numbers in Afghanistan is strategically incoherent and doomed to failure. More...
US: Obama thanks Rudd for troop boost in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, April 29 AFP - US President Barack Obama called Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to thank him for boosting his country's troop commitment in Afghanistan, the White House said on Wednesday. More...
ASIA: NKorea threatens to conduct nuclear test
SEOUL, April 29 AFP - North Korea threatened on Wednesday to conduct a second nuclear test and to test-launch a ballistic missile unless the United Nations apologises for condemning its recent rocket launch. More...
NSW: Man who killed girlfriend on trial over 'impairment'
SYDNEY, April 29 AAP - A man who killed his estranged partner says he saw "strobing" images of family members in his mind while he did it, a Sydney court has heard. More...
Latest snapshot of the swine flu crisis
A snapshot of the current swine flu situation. More...
US: More US swine flu cases, hospitalisations: officials
WASHINGTON, April 28 AFP - Health officials confirmed 20 new cases of human swine flu in the United States on Tuesday, including an unspecified number of hospitalisations, as experts warned of a looming pandemic. More...
FED: Scientists step closer to diabetes vaccine
SYDNEY, April 29 AAP - Australian scientists are a major step closer to developing a vaccine which could stop people at risk of Type 1 diabetes from developing the debilitating condition. More...
Fed: 22 Aussie on flight with Kiwis who have swine flu: Roxon
It has taken health authorities three days to start searching for 22 Australians who were on the same flight as three New Zealand students who have swine flu. More...
WA: Three people cleared, seven more tested in WA for flu virus
PERTH, April 28 AAP - Seven people in Western Australia are now awaiting the results of tests for suspected swine flu while another three have been cleared of carrying the virus. More...
CAM: Swine flu crisis deepens
MEXICO CITY, April 28 AFP - The swine flu crisis deepened on Tuesday, with at least 16 countries far beyond worst-hit Mexico, including in Europe and Asia, reporting confirmed or suspected infections. More...
Fed: Flu fears could drive petrol prices lower
CANBERRA, April 28 AAP - Motorists could see a five cent drop in petrol prices during the next fortnight as the global oil price falls on fears of a swine flu pandemic. More...
NSW: Cable fault to blame for power outage
A faulty cable has caused a major blackout in Sydney city .. sparking the evacuation of hundreds of workers and causing traffic chaos. More...
NSW: Police officer caught drink driving
SYDNEY, April 28 AAP - A Sydney police officer has been caught drink driving. More...
NSW: Driver nabbed doing 163km/h in a 60km/h zone
SYDNEY, April 28 AAP - A driver has been clocked speeding almost three times above the limit on the Hume Highway in NSW's Southern Highlands, police say. More...
Fed: Three flu sufferers isolated in Tasmania
The number of people in Tasmania who've been tested for the deadly swine flu has risen from two to three. More...
Seeking writer to do opinion