I wrote a couple of days ago about Imanutjob’s demand that the US apologise to Muslims everywhere as a condition of better relationships with the Islamic world and with Iran in particular.

To apologise is to acknowledge that something is your fault. Untruthful apologies – apologies for things that are not your fault – may be convenient, they may even make you feel better. But they bring no long term benefit either to the person who apologises, or to the person to whom the apology is given.

An apology from the US would be taken as acknowledgement of responsibility, not just by the US, but by the West as a whole, for the sorry state of many Islamic societies. The response would not be ‘Gee, thanks. That’s OK, apology accepted.’ It would be continued and renewed blame of the West, accompanied by further demands for withdrawal, compensation, etc.

Instead, the responsible thing to do is quietly and patiently and repeatedly point out, as Charles Krauthammer does in this article, the many ways the US and its allies have helped Muslim communities around the world, often at considerable cost and no obvious benefit to themselves.

Given that dogs are unclean, definitely not halal (permitted), I can see why this would be an unpoular menu option. Dog meat plus chemicals. Yum.

While not exactly ‘hitting out at the US Congress,‘ as his words were described, Simon Crean, Australian Federal Minister for Trade, is right to express concern about increased trade barriers in the proposed porkulus package.

I thought one of things President Obama wanted to do was open a new era in US co-operation and friendship with the world. Setting up trade barriers is not going to do it. The impact on Australia may be substantial, but we’ll cope. The impact on developing countries will lead to increased poverty, and growing resentment of the way the US uses its economic power.

Way to make friends, BO.

I don’t blame them.

This kind of thing is amusing when you read about it happening half way round the world, but I don’t think I’d like crowds of naked hikers strolling around my neighbourhood.

Good for him.

He’ll be pulled into line, of course, but he’s right.

No alternative to military tribunals is in place, so their shutdown could see cases like this being transferred to civil courts which are not equipped to deal with them, or delayed indefinitely.

Politically motivated delays won’t serve the cause of justice for the suspects, for families of the Cole or other terror victims, or for the American public.

About 20% of all cancers are caused by virus infections. For example, most cervical cancers are caused by the sexually transmitted HPV (Human Papilloma Virus). Gardasil, commonly but inaccurately called a cervical cancer vaccine, prevents infection with common forms of HPV.

Scientists in South Australia are hoping to develop ‘A viable platform technology that will form the basis of a vaccine that would not only prevent, but could cure a range of chronic viruses even after they’ve become established in the body.’

This would help to prevent not only HPV and cervical cancer, but other cancers such as liver cancer, which can be caused by hepatitis infection.

Let’s hope it works.

Andrew Bolt points out that while Climate Change Minister Penny Wong was claiming that the recent heatwave in southern Australia was proof of global warming, most of Australia actually had below average temperatures for this time of year.

I know a couple of months of cooler than average temperatures don’t prove the world is getting cooler. Nor do a couple of days of hotter than average temperatures prove the world is getting warmer.

See earlier entries for more on perky Penny’s panicky plans.