Politics is a dirty word

Here's a proposal that could save many lives and billions of dollars. An American professor, Konstantin Balakiryan has proposed using hydrogen to extinguish bushfires. He says the use could save many lives as well as property and the environment. He proposes using hydrogen capsules producing directional explosions. The concept is not new, 18th century English scientist Henry Cavendish discovered the properties of hydrogen. He wrote about ; "Hydrogen in a mixture with hot air reacts to an explosion with the formation of water “ This can have tremendous effect in the fire zone; initially, a powerful explosion destroys the flame, then water is formed, resulting from the reaction of hydrogen with oxygen contained in hot air, covering the charred area while completely extinguishing the fire. A relativerly simple concept - let's hope the politicians allow it to be fully tested and implemented if it is successful.

There has to be a better way to fund the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to ensure that it delivers an effective service across the country. A fixed allocation should be set in the Federal Budget every year for public broadcasting. The ABC, SBS and any regional services that wish to participate could then lodge competitive tenders to provide particular services. The tenders would have to include detailed costings to assess their value for money.

The meeting between Us President Donald Trump and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un appears to have achieved a positive result - Working towards the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula . But will the US really not send warships armed with nuclear weapons into Korean waters and park them in South Korea. Will the Generals in the Pentagon allow Trump to stop the war games with South Korea? If they don’t, Kim Jong Il will have valid reasons to hang onto his nukes.

China has developed a stealth drone – an unmanned supersonic fighter aircraft known as Dark Sword,The plane, built byShenyang Aircraft Corporation, has a low observable (stealthy) configuration and is capable of sustained speeds up to twice the speed of sound with remarkable agility. Dark Sword has been n concept form since early this decade. The aircraft seems well suited for making supersonic dashes across the Taiwan Strait during a conflict as opposed to flying medium or long-endurance surveillance missions. It's also possible that the design could also be used on China's catapult and barrier equipped aircraft carriers. Whether based on land or at sea, Dark Sword is able to operate ahead of manned fighters collecting data and essential target information.

Channel Seven has plumbed the depths of reality television shows with its Barnaby Bonking Bonanza scheduled for Sunday night. It’s hard to believe that anyone will watch it it(but no doubt they will with the brain-dead tuning in.). P,T. Barnham’s comment that ‘No-one ever lost a dollar underestimating the taste of the American public is just as accurate for Australia. For the network it will probably be $150,000 well spent on a sitting politician who deserves to be reviled rather than rewarded.