Like them or loathe them, virtual  worlds such as Second Life have become part of our real lives in the 21st century and with them come the problems of real life, including legal complications.

The brilliant technology of the ancient Romans will soon come to life through equally clever 21st century technology.

Visitors to the South West will be familiar with big expanses of dead and dying trees and shrubs.

Most of us probably put this down to lack of rain or perhaps bushfire but it is actually a soil-borne pathogen, Phytophthora cinnamomi (Phytophthora dieback) which affects 40 per cent of the native plant species in the South West of Western Australia.

The current "debate" about whether the climate is changing seems to be a uniquely Australian phenomenon.

"There IS no debate about the fundamentals in Europe," said Professor Stephan Lewandowsky. "They are just getting on with reducing their carbon emissions. Debate is completely unnecessary in light of the overwhelming scientific evidence."