The far-off sound you can hear is millions of black moggies
cheering the fact that they are off the hook until 2013
cheering the fact that they are off the hook until 2013
Friday 13 July 2012
Thursday 12 July 2012
Grafton punters want to know where they collect their "winnings"
A sub-editor at The Daily Examiner provided a bit more than a ripple of laughter at the table of knowledge at the local watering hole today. The feature event at the Grafton races yesterday, the Ramornie Handicap, was taken out by the favourite Howmuchdoyouloveme, so why did the Examiner print the photo, with its accompanying caption, below?
For the record, Prost ran second, so perhaps the Examiner can point punters who backed it in the direction of a benevolent bookmaker who'll pay out on it.The reason Nats Chris Gulaptis MP was not at Grafton Gaol when prison transfer vans arrived - he expected manufactured confrontation!
The Clarence Valley at its best in defence of community....
Now Official: NSW O'Farrell Government has sent Grafton into permanent decline
Like many country areas around New South Wales, Grafton City and environs has seen past glories turn into a falling population, less young people of working age living in town, higher unemployment rates than both state and national averages, a slowly shrinking viable central business district and rolling job losses as large companies withdraw to bigger regional or metropolitan centres.
Despite these woes, it had remained the transport hub for the Clarence Valley, the centre for most locally delivered state and federal government services and, one of two main administrative centres for the local government area.
That changed less than two hours ago when the O'Farrell-Stoner-Gulaptis juggernaut finally sent in prison vans (protected by members of the police riot squad) to remove inmates from Grafton Gaol - turning it into a 60 bed remand centre for individuals awaiting court appearances.
Grafton has now lost 107 permanent jobs which will depress the local economy further and have a flow-on effect across the Valley.
The very craven Nationals Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis reportedly turned up outside the gaol after those vans had entered the prison.
'A Clarence Valley Protest' Asks: Is Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott building a case to dam NSW coastal rivers?
From A Clarence Valley Protest 5 July 2012:
The Coalition will invest in new and upgraded dams
The Coalition will invest in Australia's future water security. Australia has been let down by a failure to plan for Australia's long-term water needs.
State Labor governments have made poor investment decisions, deciding to pour billions of dollars into desalination plants which have contributed to the 60 per cent rise in water prices since Labor came to power in 2007.
As a result, the long-term planning to secure Australia's water future has not been done. Crucial infrastructure in water assets takes decades to plan for.
The Coalition will invest in the water supply options that Labor has ignored during its time in government.
Dams can provide reliable water supplies for cities, underpin the economic development of the agriculture, manufacturing and mining sectors, provide a low-emission source of electricity and mitigate the effects of flood.
Australia has not built a large dam for over 20 years. If we don't start planning for new investments now, then our water storage capacity will fall considerably over the next 20 years. That's why the Coalition's Dams Taskforce is looking at potential investments in Dam capacity across the country.
Compared to 20 years ago, the amount of water we can store per person has fallen considerably. In 1990 Australia could store in its dams over 4.5 ML per person. Due to a lack of investment in dams, we can now only store 3.5 ML per person. By 2050, if no more dams are built, it will fall below 2.5 ML per person.
[COALITION SPEAKER'S NOTES Current as at 1 July 2012]
GlaxoSmithKine pleads guilty to criminal charges of fraudulent promotion of its drugs - pays US Government US$3 billion settlement
On July 2, UK-based GlaxoSmithKine (GSK) agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges of fraudulent promotion of its drugs and pay the US Government a settlement of US$3 billion. If accepted, this will be the largest fine imposed on a drug company, surpassing the $2·3 billion paid by Pfizer for inappropriate marketing in 2009. The amount adds to GSK's $750 million settlement in 2010 over manufacturing quality.
What is particularly egregious about GSK's fraud is the calculated deceit and potential human cost of its aggressive and misleading marketing. For instance, while evidence was emerging that showed an increased suicide risk in adolescents prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for depression, GSK was actively encouraging off-label prescription of paroxetine to individuals younger than 18 years. This was not an isolated incident; off-label use was also encouraged for bupropion. For rosiglitazone, safety data were withheld from the US Food and Drug Administration and altered, potentially delaying restrictions on the drug's use and putting people to whom it was prescribed at increased risk of cardiovascular complications. The company is also accused of cheating Medicare. Such behaviour is not only illegal, it is immoral.
As Machiavelli observed, “he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived”. Sadly, in the case of GSK, this has involved doctors who were all too ready to be beguiled by illegal kickbacks and lavish hospitality…
Wednesday 11 July 2012
Robertson at the Grafton Gaol picket line 10-11 July 2012
The Daily Examiner’s Debrah Novak films Opposition Leader John Roberstson
at the Grafton Gaol picket line 10-11 July 2012
"The mass sackings announced at Grafton Gaol today is a huge broken promise from the O'Farrell Stoner Government......During the Clarence by-election, Mr O'Farrell, Mr Stoner and Clarence MP Chris Gulaptis promised there would be no cuts or closure of Grafton Gaol. Now, we are seeing massive job losses that will quite simply devastate the local community." [NSW Opposition Leader John Robertson,29 June 2012]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
