Tasmania & South Australia elections: state of play on the night Saturday 20 March 2010 [Links]

Summary of online predictions on the morning of Saturday 20 March 2010; Tasmania will have a hung parliament and South Australia is too close to call.

Online information on the night:

Electoral Commission SA State Election 2010 here, with live election results after 6pm on 20 March.

Tasmanian Electoral Commission 2010 House of Assembly Elections here, first preference results available after 6.30pm on 20 March.

ABC Elections website including:

Live coverage for South Australia here, with information on electorates, candidates, polling booths and results.

Live coverage for Tasmania here, with information on electorates, candidates, polling booths and results.

Adelaide Now online live reports here, with analysis, video.

Country Voice (SA) blog going live on the night here, with special emphasis on country South Australia.

The Advocate (Tasmania) online, up to date reports from 5pm onwards here.

The Mercury (Tasmania) online, live blogging after 5pm here and readers can join in.

Antony Green's Election Blog on the night and on Twitter @ABCElections

Crikey's Election Central blog promises to cover both South Australia and Tasmania on the night.

The Tally Room blog open thread on the night here about both state elections.

Maclean's 106th Highland Games, Saturday 27 March 2010

Then







MACLEAN - The wee Scottish Town in Australia is a rural township nestled along the banks and hills of the beautiful Clarence River, on the North Coast of New South Wales. The town hosts the popular Maclean Highland Gathering held annually over the Easter weekend, celebrated this year on, Saturday, March 27th 2010.

This year the town will explode with colour, sight and sound to mark the 106th Highland Games. The games are contested on the Maclean Showground, known as one of the most spectacular venues in the world to hold such a Highland event. This picturesque ground overlooks the river and mountains beyond, creating a picture that reflects the beautiful lochs of Scotland.

The games consist of Pipe Bands, Solo Piping and Drumming, Highland Dancing and the popular Highland Sports, which includes, caber tossing, log wrestling and tossing the hammer.
Seeking some Highland activities this Easter weekend, then look no further, as Maclean can offer you a wee piece of Scottish traditions right here in Australia.

Details at www.macleanhighlandgathering.com.au

Now

Time to switch off the power for Earth Hour! Saturday 27 March 2010

Show your support for the planet and switch off the power for one hour beginning at

8.30pm on Saturday 27 March 2010.

http://www.earthhour.org.au

At 8.30pm on Saturday, March 27 nearly 100 iconic landmarks in 1,000 cities and towns around the world will switch off their lights for Earth Hour 2010, joining hundreds of millions of people showing their commitment to the environment.

Melbourne's Luna Park, Rialto Tower, Arts Centre and Crown Casino; Brisbane's Story Bridge; Adelaide's Town Hall and Rundle Mall Lantern; The National Library and Australian War Memorial in Canberra and the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Tower, Harbour Bridge and Luna Park will join this growing list.

The ANZAC alliance turns LOL

Darryl Mason at his best over at The Orstrahyun:

We cannot wait for New Zealand to become a threat to Australia's national security. They vigorously deny pursuing a nuclear weapons program, but information leaked to The Orstrahyun, by various defence industry lobbyists who are worried that a winding down of the War On Terror will result in a reduction in profitable war industry contracts, say that while New Zealand currently does not have nuclear weapons and is not actively trying to pursue a nuclear weapons program, the intent to do so at some future point in time is a possibility, and the dream of New Zealand becoming a dominant nuclear power in the Pacific is more than likely being discussed, if not in an official capacity, then at least between a few people at a pub on a Friday night.

Enough is enough.

Tony 10?

Oz Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said to be considering a "Tony 10" election campaign this year. Can't wait for the grading to begin. Let's start it off at an optimisitc 1 outta 10 before decending into minus territory.

FSANZ and the Food Labelling Law & Policy Review: intending to keep consumers ignorant for international biotech companies' benefit?

Hat tip to MADGE for pointing out the fact that the Food Labelling Law & Policy Review March 2010 Issues Consultation Paper seems to suggest that it would be acceptable for the general public and individual consumers/shoppers to be deliberately kept in the dark concerning certain food ingredients and/or preparation processes:

3.16 Certain technological developments in food production – genetic modification (GM), irradiation and nano-technology – have raised consumer concerns relating to these technologies that have led to calls for disclosure on food labelling. However, caution needs to be exercised in order that the development and application of these and other innovative technologies are not unduly inhibited.

If you have any concerns about this attitude now is the time to raise your voice.

Review of Food Labelling Law and Policy website with online submission page. Submissions closing date is 14 May 2010.
A public consultation is scheduled for Sydney on 29 March and one can register here.

The 'political' acts you see when you have a thumb on the tweet

DanielleCronin: Couple making out in public gallery during #QT - strange what gets some people going.

Only on St. Patrick's Day 2010!

This mornin' the world woke up to find that bubbles go both up and down in a schooner of Guinness!
I'll have another, Pádraig - just to test the theory!

Pic from a very green Google today

Blogosphere's veracity is on the nose with Australian internet users?

It hurts to have to admit it, but if the team at Essential Media Communications are correct then Australian internet users are generally more likely to trust the word of shock jock Alan Jones on air than believe what bloggers opine online.

Click on image to enlarge

ABC TV and radio news and current affairs were the most trusted media (25% and 20% respectively have a lot of trust).

Commercial TV news and current affairs programs have the highest consumption, but only 9% say they have a lot of trust in them.

And although consumption of newspapers and internet news sites is very similar, newspapers are considered more trustworthy (62% compared to 49% have a lot/some trust in them).

[Essential Report weekly online survey 10-14 March 2010]

Here is the best argument against global warming: ....... Oh, right. There isn't one.

From the pen of Dr. Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute writing in the San Francisco Chronicle on 11 March 2010:

Here is the second best argument used by deniers against global warming, (but edited for children) from a message received by a colleague of mine:
"Mr. xxx, this is John Q. Public out here. Perhaps you don't understand there's no such thing as man-made global warming. I don't care if you call it f!@%$#%@ing climate change, I don't f!@%$#%@ing care what you call it. The same thing you communists tried in the 1970s. I've got a f!@%$#%@ing 75 articles from Newsweek Magazine stating we were making the earth freeze to death and we would have to melt the f!@%$#%@ing ice caps to save the earth. You, sir, and your colleagues, are progressive communists attempting to destroy America...Your f!@%$#%@ing agenda-driven, money-f!@%$#%@ing grabbing paws and understand there's no such thing as global warming, you f!@%$#%@ing idiot and your f!@%$#%@ing colleagues."
Nice, eh? Unfortunately, lots of climate scientists get emails and other messages like this. Note the careful reasoning? The persuasive and logical nature of the debate? The reference to the best scientific evidence from 1970 Newsweek magazines? Very compelling arguments, yes?
Scientists are used to debating facts with each other, with the best evidence and theory winning. Well, this is a bar fight, where the facts are irrelevant, and apparently, the rules and tools of science are too. But who wins bar fights? As the Simpsons cartoon so brilliantly showed, bullies. Not always the guy who is right.