It is sometimes said that there is nothing worse than an American abroad and those readers who have travelLed through summer Europe may concur.

President Obama apparently agrees although what gets him itchy is not the over-sized bus tour tourists taking photos of the “Notre Dame” cathedral in Paris but Americans spending too much time in places like Yemen, Afghanistan, or Pakistan.

It was in Yemen that Anwar Al-Awlaki and Samir Khan were killed in a drone strike by the US government. Two weeks later Al-Awlaki’s 16-year-old son was killed in another drone strike.

All had links to Al-Qaeda so there can be some credible arguments justifying the American action but there is a catch. All three were American citizens. Wait, what? The US government is now carrying out ex-judicis executions of its citizens abroad? Pretty much, yes.

 In a career spanning three decades, Mick Foley has gained legendary status in professional wrestling for his kindness, wit, and uncanny ability to take a tremendous beating.

To those of you who don't know, Mick Foley is God... apparently.

Sacreligious as it sounds, it's how many professional wrestling fans have classified him. In a career spanning three decades, Foley (also known as Dude Love, Cactus Jack and Mankind) has become a living legend in the industry, for his kindness, wit, and uncanny ability to take a tremendous beating.

Among the highlights, he plunged five meters off a towering cage onto an announcer's table, was thrown into ropes made of barbed wire that were connected to pyrotechnics, and was bodyslammed on top of countless nails, thumbtacks, and if he was lucky, solid concrete.

As a journalist, the last few days of revelations, first from the Essendon Football Club, and more recently from all sporting codes, have been a treasure trove, positively brimming with tales of alleged secret doping, mysterious waiver forms, match fixing and systemic drug use.

As a sports journalist, it shattered the naïve illusion I had that Australian sport was immune from most of those things.

As an Essendon supporter, well, I can’t even begin to tell you the heartbreak and anger it has provoked.

Of course, these are just allegations and I pray that the investigations will clear the vast majority of sports, clubs and athletes of any wrongdoing.

In case you didn’t know, the National Rifle Association publishes a list that details its enemies. It’s quite a long list.

The NRA, being the preeminent lobby and campaign group that appears to be against anything within a whiff of “anti-gun” (whatever that is), claims these groups and individuals:

“Lent their name in support of specific campaigns to pass anti-gun legislation… All have officially endorsed anti-gun positions.”

It’s an NRA gallery of rogues. As a friend asked me on the weekend, “How do I get on this list?” The roll call includes:

Emirates says an Instagram account called 'EmiratesPromotions' offering free economy flights to Dubai is fake.

Toyota has been crowned the most popular global car maker for 2012, but its record sales last year, may say something more about the global economy.

Despite all the gloom and doom, sales of motor vehicles surged around the world, and in many cases, at record levels.

Toyota sold 9.75 million cars, an increase of 22.6 per cent.

Buyers returned to the Corolla maker after the company recovered to full production following the Japanese tsunami.

President Obama was dead right. As he told the interviewer from 60 Minutes, the iconic TV news program, on Sunday night: “I was literally inaugurated four days ago and you’re talking about elections four years from now?”

Well, Mr President, you started it by pitching a joint-interview where you would sit alongside out-going Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

In fact, it would have seemed impolite not to ask THE question to the Madam Secretary.

So, Hillary… how about a run for the big job in 2016?

Australians with a vested interest in stronger governmental transparency and free speech could have another voting option in the upcoming federal election.

Australians with a vested interest in stronger governmental transparency and free speech could have another voting option in the upcoming federal election.

The Pirate Party of Australia announced its successful registration as a federal political party by the Australian Electoral Commission Monday.

While still refining its policies, the party is expected to follow a platform that supports free speech, privacy and copyright reform.

Breakfast time at a Pennsylvania hotel on Sunday morning and it seemed like the guy in the camouflage jacket and pants was only just warming up for the day.

“The problem is that the government doesn’t fear the people,” he began saying to another hotel guest in line to use the waffle maker. “The people should not fear the government. The government should fear the people. And this government is the most radical government we’ve ever had…”

Across the car park another hotel was hosting a gun show. There, fear was again a strong theme. A mile or so down the road, toward a small town that has a growing population of artists, musicians, and gay couples rather than camouflage-wearing gun enthusiasts, a huge roadside billboard splashed a photo of President Obama with the message: “Vote for Obama? Embarrassed yet?”

A few hours after this Pennsylvania breakfast conversation, President Obama was sworn in for his second term in a quiet ceremony in front of his family. It is fair to say that not everyone in America is a fan of the President. When the official website of the Republican Party pitches an opportunity to “help stop the radical Obama agenda” you can bet that political divisions across the US will continue to be just as deep as the past four years.

Tomorrow we'll get the official jobs report from the Bureau of Statistics which is closely watched by the Reserve Bank board.

That's because it's a key factor used to judge the health of the Australian economy when making a decision on interest rates.



The current unemployment rate stands at 5.2 per cent, but an AAP survey earlier this week, revealed a median forecast to increase 0.2 percentage points to 5.4 per cent.