I can't believe they're putting the same person who wore a nazi uniform to a costume party in charge of 11 lives.
I think a dose of national service could do all of the "party crowd" that are born into a life of not having to do anything a great deal of good. Well maybe not all. You wouldn't want to be holding a gun and have Paris Hilton show up
I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment, because it will never come again. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Are you saying I am not allowed to have an opinion ... I will foist up all the opinions I want because that is what this chat site is all about. If you don't like it may I suggest you ask a moderator if I am allowed to post.
You are entitled to your opinion as much as we are. But you keep pushing a 'flat earth' opinion.
We have provided you with the following facts or substantiated opinions:
* the CoW has lost in Iraq and staying the course will only increase the bloodshed which many experts are saying. The reason for invading Iraq was purely oil, money and strategy in the middle east. But you keep arguing we must stay the course and that it is a noble cause.
* the justice system is flawed thus we cannot be sure 100% that we are putting the right person to death, but you still argue in favour of the death penalty.
* AWA's have not been a success for all Australians, only the mining industry but that's only because they are in a boom, when the boom ends these people are going to wish they never heard of an AWA. Not to mention the countless numbers of people who have already been screwed by them, ie. the priceline employee. Do you still support them?
If we say the sky is blue, you say it is green. That to me is not the words of a balanced person. Your Howard bias is so obvious, I've asked this before but do you really believe what you say or are you just defending 'your team'?
It would be interesting to get an opinion of someone who is not partial to any particular political party or left or right-wing ideology.
You are entitled to your opinion as much as we are. But you keep pushing a 'flat earth' opinion.
We have provided you with the following facts or substantiated opinions:
* the CoW has lost in Iraq
* the justice system is flawed thus we cannot be sure 100% that we are putting the right person to death, but you still argue in favour of the death penalty.
* AWA's have not been a success for all Australians
If we say the sky is blue, you say it is green
1st point Iraq is not lost at all. Define lost. Your defeatism is astonishing. The fact that Iraqis had a protest rally the other day is a good thing as that would have been impossible under Saddam's regime. Go and ask a Kurd if he thinks the quality of his life has improved. Give it a chance. I respect the fact you dont like any form of armed conflict, but it's probably best if me and you dont debate this because all we are going to do is have a glorious clash of ideology on this matter, but no real debating.
2nd point.(AWA's)
Some will lose. It's not the horror story everyone is making it out to be. It's only an opinion, but a large chunk of the population agree with me. This topic is really tired and being pumped up by unions with a large war chest. Where do you think the unions got their cash? Go ask any small business if they are happier now.
3rd point. (the sky) The average colour of the sky is ultramarine blue and cyano thalo blue pigments. This colour mix is equal to cobalt blue with all its tints.
In Closing
The main problem with all of this is that your persuasion is that all you write is fact. People leaning to the right side of center have a very different opinion as to what is fact, and I don't know why you are so surprised when we disagree. I listen to Dennis miller's chat show on the net and they have a flood of people who all tend to think very much the same as I do.You will find radio chat shows that lean to the right have excellent ratings everywhere.Pick up the Australian newspaper and I'm sure they will write an article that in some way conflicts with your way of thinking. I dont agree with everything Howard has to say especially child care and that he is a monarchist. I dont back them like a footy team I just think they are the best people at the moment to lead us.
“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” ~ Winston Churchill
I respect the fact you dont like any form of armed conflict, but it's probably best if me and you dont debate this because all we are going to do is have a glorious clash of ideology on this matter, but no real debating.
Agreed.
Quoted from The_Pragmatic_One
2nd point.(AWA's)
Some will lose. Go ask any small business if they are happier now.
Why was such a drastic change necessary during an economic boom?
Quoted Text
Of course business is going to cry foul (over Labor's plan to scrap AWA's),I have managed a small shop,ie small business and the owners are making record profit.And I am not on a AWA,to all business that says this and that you are full of crap.If you cant make good profits now you never will in our current mining boom,And as for fairness in the work Place well about time,bring it in as it is desperately needed in this country.If only my take home wages was taxed at -30% I wish.Business has had more tax breaks then the average joe blow,making record profits and still have the cheek to cut workers conditions of employment.The rich get richer, the poor get poorer under our current government,and its happening now.
Posted by: Teresa Adnams of groote eylandt 7
Quoted from The_Pragmatic_One
I dont agree with everything Howard has to say especially child care and that he is a monarchist. I dont back them like a footy team I just think they are the best people at the moment to lead us.
This is not just a battle of ideologies, rather right versus wrong. Howard and co. are mean and nasty people that care much less about your and my welfare than any opposition party ever could. Their corruption is stupendous.
Cultbuster on hand for reunion Andrew Darby in Launceston, Ben Cubby and Les Kennedy May 4, 2007
THE mother of three missing children had a cult expert on hand as she flew to Tasmania last night to reclaim them from their father - who has admitted his ties to the fringe religious sect The Family.
Philippa Yelland - the mother of Bokkie, 10, Matilda, 9, and Barney, 7, who have been missing since their father, Murray Robertson, failed to return them from a custody visit - was accompanied by the Reverend David Milliken, a Uniting Church minister instrumental in exposing the sect, known as the Children of God before police broke it up a decade ago.
In an interview with the Herald after he had voluntarily handed his children to federal police late yesterday, Mr Robertson volunteered he had close ties to The Family. "They are wonderful Christian people, and I am very close to them," he said.
Mr Robertson said Mr Milliken had made critical statements about him, "saying how dangerous I am. It's ridiculous, really."
He defended The Family and said he and his children had regularly been in touch with members of the group. "DOCS broke into all their homes and took about 70 or 80 of their kids into custody, and Milliken was instrumental in breaking them with help from DOCS."
Last night Ms Yelland did not talk to waiting reporters at Launceston's airport. Mr Milliken, when asked if he was the "cultbuster", said: "Yes, that's me." He was carrying a camera and said he was with Channel Seven. It is understood he is working with Today Tonight. They would not say where the children were.
The disappearance of the children became public on Tuesday when the Family Court made the unusual decision to allow the media to publish their names and images, as well as to identify their father, in an effort to locate them.
Mr Robertson, 59, who lives in the Blue Mountains, had their children on a regular custody visit that began on Friday, March 16. Their mother, who lives in Brisbane, expected them to be returned the following Monday, but they were not at school when she went to collect them.
Mr Robertson told the Herald he realised their six-week odyssey around Tasmania was over when he read reports of their disappearance on the internet earlier this week. He called Channel Nine news, which in turn contacted federal police.
A self-described eccentric, Mr Robertson said he had taken his children to Tasmania to give them a "normal" life.
"The children and I together decided that we should go away from their mother," Mr Robertson said. Since then they had been driving around Tasmania, camping and staying with different families, he said. The children had been happy.
"They are children who are very fond of the wild, of camping and swimming and tree climbing. And unfortunately their mother provides none of that. We studied marine life down near Hobart. There was horse riding, chooks, apples, you know."
He said he was glad the court had allowed publication of their identities. "It set me free to talk to you. Prior to yesterday they would never have found us, not that we were in hiding. But for six weeks the Tasmanian police had our descriptions."
He said he had asked the children what they wanted to do. "The children begged me and said, 'Can't we just be where nobody knows where we are forever?'
"But they decided they had to return to their mother. They knew from the beginning that a day like this might come."
He said parting from the children was awful for him and for them.
"It was very hard for me because I see children who have been abandoned by a system which is [so] obsessed with law and legality that the child is on the periphery."
No charges have been laid against Mr Robertson. "The order instructed me to hand the children on to the federal police, which I indicated my willingness to comply with."
Simon Bouda, the Channel Nine reporter who had been dealing with Mr Robertson, said the children appeared to be happy with their father.
They were hugging him, Bouda said. "I said, 'I think it's time' and he agreed. He told the children, and the little boy burst into tears. Then I phoned the police."
Later "he told them it was time to go, he had a tear in his eye and so did I", Bouda said.
'We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto!' comes to mind. I for one would not live in a tornado or hurricane zone. If I had to live in a tornado alley I would built a huge bombshelter/basement. This is just so sad.
Killer tornado flattens Kansas Monday May 7 06:20 AEST
Rescue crews used dogs and flashlights to comb piles of debris that once were homes and businesses in Greensburg, Kansas, on Sunday, in a meticulous search for survivors of a killer tornado.
At least eight people died when the twister hit the farming community on Friday night and another was killed in nearby Stafford County. At least 50 people were injured, some critically, authorities said.
Thirty people were rescued from Greensburg's crumbled hospital and authorities believed it was likely that more survivors, and possibly more victims, would be discovered. "There is the potential of others still being buried in the rubble, people being trapped in basements," Kansas Emergency Management spokeswoman Sharon Watson said. "The focus is on covering a large area as fast as possible."
Some 90 per cent of the businesses and homes in Greensburg, a town of about 1,800 people, were damaged or destroyed when the mile-wide tornado and winds of 165 mph roared through.
Watson said assessment teams were to start trying to gauge the cost of the damage during the day.
President George W Bush declared the community a major disaster area and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery in Kiowa County, which includes Greensburg.
"Our hearts are heavy for the loss of life in Greensburg, Kansas," Bush said after attending church in Washington. "I'm confident this community will be rebuilt."
Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius also declared a state of disaster emergency for Kiowa County.
In southwestern Kansas, where at least three more tornadoes touched down on Saturday night, residents still struggled to comprehend the losses.
"They're still going through a little bit of shell shock," said Red Cross worker Ralph Rojas, who helped operate a shelter where about 50 Greensburg residents spent the night.
"There are still people looking for family and friends," Rojas said. "There is a major portion of the community just gone."
Greensburg's hospital and schools were among the buildings destroyed. The water tower next to the town's main tourist attraction - the world's largest hand-dug well - was knocked down. The town nursing home was nearly levelled.
About 30 survivors were found in the remains of the hospital, according to Watson.
"There was a warning in time for people to take cover so that helped," she said.
In addition to the tornado that touched down Friday night, at least three more hit the region Saturday night, to the National Weather Service said. Damage teams on Sunday were assessing the impact of those storms as well.
The storms left power out throughout Kiowa and surrounding counties along with a near shutdown in telephone communications. Outside the county, farm sheds, house windows and shingles were reported blown out and major damage was reported to a field mill.
An oil pumping station was also blown over and oil tanks blown up to one-half mile (0.85 km) away.
The peak US tornado season runs from March through early July; the twisters kill an average of 70 people in the United States each year. The worst cluster came April 3-4 in 1974 when 307 people died as 148 tornadoes touched down in 13 states.
Pedophile seized British toddler, say Portuguese police Fiona Govan in Praia da Luz and Andrew Alderson in London May 7, 2007
Police searching for a British toddler abducted while on holiday in Portugal fear she has been snatched by a pedophile.
Officers said they had a prime suspect but were refusing to release any details, for fear of endangering Madeleine McCann's life.
They believe the girl, whose fourth birthday falls this week, is alive and may be being held no more than five kilometres from where she was abducted. They fear they are now in a race to find her before she is murdered.
Madeleine vanished between 9pm and 10pm on Thursday night from her room at a holiday complex in Praia da Luz, a fishing village on the Algarve, as she slept between her twin brother and sister, aged two.
Their parents, Gerry, a consultant cardiologist, and Kate, a part-time GP, both 39, were eating with friends at a tapas bar a minute's walk away.
More than 150 people were involved on Saturday in the hunt for Madeleine, as tensions grew between the family, from Rothley in Leicestershire, and Portuguese police over the way the investigation has been handled.
Speaking from Glasgow, Philomena McCann, Madeleine's aunt, accused police of being uncommunicative and said: "My brother is at his wits' end. They have just played [the abduction] down from the minute he approached them."
Senior officers have indicated privately that they suspect the motive for the abduction is sexual. Portugal's Judicial Police held a news conference on Saturday at which they denied being slow to react.
Guilhermino Encarnacao, the director of the Judicial Police in the Faro region, said "many elements" pointed to an abduction but he refused to give even the sex of the suspect. He also declined to indicate whether his men were looking for a named individual, or someone fitting a description.
Mr Encarnacao said police believed Madeleine was still alive and that airports in Portugal and Spain had been alerted. Police had received more than 30 calls with possible new lines of inquiry. All were being followed up.
Policeman dies in apparent suicide fall May 7, 2007 - 5:54AM
An off-duty NSW policeman has died in a fall from a unit block after earlier threatening to kill himself, just days after the state's police force moved to introduce new mental health safeguards for officers.
NSW Police Force Commissioner Ken Moroney extended his condolences to the 27-year-old officer's family, friends and colleagues yesterday.
The officer died after falling from a third storey window in a block of units in Sydney at about 2.45am (AEST) yesterday.
Police said there were reports of a domestic dispute inside the unit.
The man's partner has been interviewed by police, who say the death is not being treated as suspicious.
Police found the officer's body after being called to the unit block in inner-city Surry Hills after the incident.
The off-duty policeman was threatening to commit suicide with a knife before the fall, reports suggest.
A suicidal NSW highway patrol officer was prevented from taking his life at a Sydney police station last week. The 39-year-old married man was experiencing family problems.
That incident came just ten days after the suspected suicide of ACT police chief Audrey Fagan.
KKK 'on recruiting mission in Queensland' Monday May 7 05:00 AEST By ninemsn staff
Ku Klux Klan affiliates have launched a recruitment drive in Queensland, according to reports which claim three cities have been bombarded by leaflets promoting the group.
The Australian reports that Toowoomba was the first to be targeted, with pamphlets that asked people to become a klansman or klanswoman in March.
Cairns was hit a short time later by the same US-based group, who call themselves the White Legion Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.
Pamphlets began turning up in Rockhampton last month, promoting a different white-supremacist KKK offshoot, called Storm Front.
The flyers in Rockhampton reportedly called for "real" Australians to join white supremacist movements and fight against other ethnic groups.
"It is outrageous that in this time and age the KKK and Storm Front are still active in our tolerant and peaceful country," said Manny Waks, executive officer of the B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation Commission.
"No Australian should be affiliated in any way, shape or form with these vile, racist groups. We must ensure that the impressionable youth does not get influenced by these racists to join its minuscule ranks."
Queensland Attorney-General Kerry Shine, a Toowoomba MP, referred the pamphlets to the state's anti-discrimination watchdog.
"Toowoomba is a very tolerant city," Shine told The Australian.
"I believe any form of racial vilification is abhorrent."
Queensland police are investigating the groups in question.
Learner rider clocked at 144 km/h May 07, 2007 06:54am Article from: AAP VICTORIA police have clocked a learner motorcyclist riding at more than 140km/h in suburban Melbourne.
The 30-year-old Reservoir man was caught speeding at 144 km/h in a 60 zone on St Georges Road, Preston, about 3.15am (AEST) today, police said.
The motorcycle was seized under Victoria's anti-hoon laws.
The man will be charged on summons with speeding and dangerous driving.
He would appear in court on a date to be fixed, a police spokesman said.
KKK 'on recruiting mission in Queensland' ... Ku Klux Klan affiliates have launched a recruitment drive in Queensland, according to reports which claim three cities have been bombarded by leaflets promoting the group.
Interesting how Al-Hilaly's every move is closely monitored and those with links to terrorist organisations and hatemongers are banned from entering Australia yet the KKK is allowed to promote their organisation!
Denyer sorry for black sex gag Tuesday May 8 20:00 AEST By Hal Crawford
Seven Network star Grant Denyer has apologised for commenting on radio that he felt like "he'd had sex with a black man".
The comment, made on Nova's Merrick and Rosso program this morning in reference to Denyer's exhaustion after the Logies, drew nervous laughter from the radio hosts but outraged gay activists and politicians.
In response to a question about his condition after the Logies, Denyer, who hosts Seven's It Takes Two show, said he had slept for only two hours after the awards night.
"So it was a big old day … let me say I'm feeling like I had sex with a black man right now," he said.
Denyer made another reference to his sexual analogy at the end of the segment, saying, "I'll be the host who looks like he's been riding a horse for a week".
Making his apology on Seven's Today Tonight, Denyer said he had not meant to offend.
"Anyone who knows me knows I wouldn't go out to offend," he said. "It was a wobbly joke, made way too early in the morning."
Opposition multicultural spokesman Laurie Ferguson said the comments were deplorable and could be referred to the Australian broadcasting watchdog ACMA.
"The station should have cut him off immediately," he said. "Basically this guy should go back to reading the weather."
Anti-homophobia activist Simon Biber said the comments reflected a popular myth about the size of black men's penises, and were both sexist and racist.
"It's homophobic but the racial slur is more serious, appealing as it does to a stereotype," he said. "It's harmful, but unfortunately it's not uncommon."
US climber praised for saving partner Thursday May 10 06:17 AEST
AP - An American student who clambered down ice-covered rocks in the dark to raise the alarm after he and two climbing partners plummeted 500 metres down a glacier in New Zealand was credited Wednesday with saving his friend's life.
The third climber was killed in Monday's fall, which occurred in Mount Aspiring National Park on New Zealand's South Island, said Wanaka police Constable Mike Johnston.
Jesse Kattmeyer suffered a broken collarbone and concussion in the fall, but tended to his badly battered partner Machael Gavillot before trekking to a mountainside hut in the remote region to call for help via radio, Johnston said.
Rescue experts said Gavillot had Kattmeyer to thank for his survival.
"The only reason he's really alive is because his mate managed to get down to that hut and raise the alarm," Johnston said.
Police named the two survivors, but declined to give their hometowns in the United States. They were airlifted to Dunedin Hospital. The dead man was identified as Austin Hanchey of Fairview, Tennessee. All three climbers were aged 20.
Gavillot underwent surgery Wednesday and was recovering in Dunedin Hospital's intensive care unit with restricted visiting, a hospital spokeswoman told local news agency, New Zealand Press Association.
Kattmeyer was listed in a stable but serious condition awaiting surgery.
The trio, who were studying at Lincoln University in the southern city of Christchurch, were roped together when one slipped, and all three fell, Johnston said.
Gavillot suffered a broken pelvis, and leg and head injuries. Kattmeyer made a difficult nighttime descent through crevasses, ice and rock to get help, Johnston said. Searchers found the pair on Tuesday.
Wanaka search and rescue expert Gary Dickson said he was surprised anyone survived the "huge fall."
"People who survive that have definitely used up one of their nine lives," he told National Radio.
Dickson praised Kattmeyer for crossing "some pretty full-on glaciated country" in his injured state.
"There is the accident, but there is also the heroism, getting out of the sticky situation. He's done awfully well to deal with that," he said.
Hanchey's mother, Faith, told The Associated Press her son loved the outdoors and wanted to educate others about the importance of the environment.
The environmental engineering student at the University of Idaho decided to study in New Zealand in part for its outdoor opportunities. She recently visited him there for 12 days.
"He loved it, he absolutely loved it," she said of New Zealand.
"He was in a place that he enjoyed and he was doing what he enjoyed, and that thought kind of has to carry you through."
Anti-homophobia activist Simon Biber said the comments reflected a popular myth about the size of black men's penises, and were both sexist and racist.
"It's homophobic but the racial slur is more serious, appealing as it does to a stereotype," he said. "It's harmful, but unfortunately it's not uncommon."
Reminds me of the joke told by david brent in the office
I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment, because it will never come again. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Petrol blamed for SA playground scare Friday May 11 16:39 AEST
Petrol ignited on a playground slippery dip by three teenage girls triggered a contamination scare, involving 75 people, including 61 children, SA police say.
The 75 were decontaminated at Adelaide hospitals after using the playground and coming into contact with the petrol, which was initially thought to be a toxic herbicide.
The petrol was poured on a slide at the St Kilda adventure park, about 35km north of Adelaide, on Wednesday night, police said.
On Thursday, 61 primary school students and 14 adults were treated after coming into contact with the substance.
A tin found nearby was identified as a pesticide which can be toxic if absorbed through the skin, but police said tests on the tin on Friday revealed its contents to be petrol.
"It turns out to be hydrocarbons, in other words, petrol," SA Police Superintendent Ferdi Pit said.
"Although the can was labelled (the pesticide) Nemacur, and I'm sure it at some stage contained Nemacur, it was petrol."
Supt Pit said police were searching for three Aboriginal girls seen setting fire to the slippery dip about 9pm (CST) on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Salisbury mayor Tony Zappia said the park had a reputation as a meeting ground for youths.
He said security cameras would be installed at the adventure playground in four to six weeks, the result of an earlier council decision.
"We will be stepping up not only council's security monitoring of the area, but the police will be stepping up their surveillance," Mr Zappia said.
Bold new path on domestic violence Adele Horin May 12, 2007
NOT all men who have been violent towards their wives are dangerous, and they should not necessarily be denied the chance to have a good relationship with their children, according to a groundbreaking study commissioned by the federal Attorney-General's Department.
It urges the Family Court to take a more "nuanced" view of family violence in decisions about where children live and how much time they spend with parents, usually fathers, accused of violence.
The study, by a team of researchers at the Australian Institute of Family Studies, says that "while family violence is never acceptable, not all acts of violence and abuse are the same".
It says researchers in the past have rarely conceded "the possibility that at least some of the violence may be situational, one-off, reciprocated, or even at times initiated by women".
The findings have outraged domestic violence researchers who have battled for decades to establish that all forms of male violence are unacceptable and are a major factor in marriage breakdown.
The issue of what constitutes violence is critical to the family law system. In making decisions about children, the courts are required to put safety first. But under the new family law, enacted last July, they are also required to put new emphasis on shared care arrangements.
The new study is based on 300 cases filed in the Family Court or the Federal Magistrates Court in 2003 involving disputes over post-separation parenting.
It found over half the cases involved allegations of domestic violence or child abuse. Most of the alleged behaviour was at the severe end of the spectrum.
US mother arrested for mutilating son Saturday May 12 07:35 AEST
AP - A mother who claimed her infant son had his genitals severed in an attack by the family dachshund in March was arrested by Houston police on Friday while waiting for a custody hearing in the case.
Katherine Nadal had been sitting in a courtroom with her mother before the hearing to review the custody status of three-month-old Holden Gothia, but shortly after she stepped outside, she was taken away in handcuffs.
Itze Soliz-Matthews, Nadal's lawyer, had no comment about her client's arrest.
Houston police spokesman John Cannon said Nadal was charged with injury to a child, a felony. Since the injuries to Holden, Nadal has been forbidden to have any contact with her son and that order likely would be made permanent, officials said.
"Given what we know today, we will probably work toward terminating her parental rights and reuniting the child with his father or another relative," said Harris County Child Protective Services (CPS) spokeswoman Estella Olguin.
Authorities said Holden, who was five weeks old at the time, was found on a bed in his mother's suburban Houston apartment on March 13, covered in blood. His genitals were severed and there was a deep cut in his upper leg. The severed body parts were never found.
Nadal claimed the family dog attacked her son while she took a nap. But doctors have said the infant's injuries are inconsistent with dog bites.
At a court hearing last month, a Child Protective Services caseworker testified there was no evidence of blood on the dog or near where the alleged attack took place.
The dog has since been released from the custody of the Houston Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care and been adopted.
Harris County CPS said the 25-year-old mother had a history of prescription drug abuse and tested positive for cocaine and methadone the day after Holden was mutilated.
Holden remained in the custody of CPS until late last month when he was released into the care of his father's older sister. The father, Camden Gothia, and Nadal were not married.
"It's hard to realise what has happened to (Holden) and that he's got a big serious future with operations in front of him. He looks real healthy. He's getting bigger," said Daniel Sanders, the lawyer for Camden Gothia. He added that Holden's next operation is scheduled for June.
Holden will live with his aunt until permanent custody is decided.
This was the first time Nadal had appeared at any of the custody hearings in her son's case. She had been at an inpatient treatment program outside of Houston and police were unable to question her.
Olguin said CPS officials are still reviewing Camden Gothia's request for full custody of his son. Camden Gothia is attending therapy, and a DNA test still needs to be done to legally prove he is the infant's father.
Japan starts unwanted babies drop box Friday May 11 11:38 AEST AP - A Japanese hospital opened the country's only anonymous drop box for unwanted infants despite government admonitions against abandoning babies.
The baby drop-off, called "Crane's Cradle," was opened by the Catholic-run Jikei Hospital in the southern city of Kumamoto as a way to discourage abortions and the abandonment of infants in unsafe public places. The hospital described it as a parent's last resort.
A small hatch on the side of the hospital allows people to drop off babies into an incubator 24 hours a day. An alarm would notify hospital staff of any new arrival. The infants will initially be cared for by the hospital and then put up for adoption.
"We started the service but hope it won't be used," head nurse Yukiko Tajiri said. "I hope it is seen as a symbol that we are always here for parents to share their difficulty."
But government officials warned the service might only encourage more abandonments.
"In principle, parents should not abandon their babies anonymously," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said it was "fundamental for parents to raise their children with their own hands."
Similar baby drops exist in Germany and South Africa. Some US states, such as Alabama and Minnesota, also have programs that protect the identities of women who give up their babies.
An drop box had been in operation years ago near Tokyo, a local news report said. It received only 10 babies in six years, the Mainichi newspapers said.
It was closed in 1992 after a dead child was found inside, the report said.
The latest drop box comes after a series of high-profile cases in which newborn babies were left behind in parks and supermarkets triggering a public outcry.
With no law against abortions and no clear religious taboos in predominantly Buddhist Japan, the procedure is readily available and widespread.
Nearly 290,000 cases of abortion were reported in 2005, according to the Health Ministry.
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