McDonald's Australia - a fast food nightmare

No wonder that McDonald’s new fast food outlet in Yamba doesn’t appear to be doing a roaring business during peak tourist season on the Clarence Coast:

MCDONALD'S new Favourites Combo meal contains enough calories for a whole day, horrifying nutritionists.

It contains 1623 calories and 68.5g of fat.

It's McDonald's new Favourites Combo - being promoted as a lunch meal for one, which contains almost the entire daily recommended calorie and fat intake.

Tania Ferraretto, a dietician for 17 years, said she would never recommend anyone eat the calorific meal.

She said a person's required calorie intake was variable depending on age, gender and activity level but that the average adult needed about 2000 calories per day.

"This McDonald's meal is a huge proportion of that," Ms Ferraretto said. The meal is also dangerously high in saturated fat - containing a whopping 24.4g.

"That's more saturated fat in one meal than you need in one day," Ms Ferraretto said.

"Saturated fat increases the risk of heart disease and high cholesterol.

"I think it's completely irresponsible and ridiculous to promote a meal like this, especially in the current climate with obesity being such a problem."

The promotion hit South Australian stores on January 25 and will only be available until March 2.

In the middle of the promotional period, the Cancer Council released results from a national survey which revealed one in four high school students were overweight or obese and 51 per cent had tried a new food or drink in the past month that they had seen advertised.

McDonald's Hindley St store manager Yihong Hu said the Favourites Combo promotion was proving to be popular…….

[www.news.com.au, 20 February 2011]

Long memories may plague Williamson in March 2011

On Facebook this month at No to McDonalds in YAMBA:

Dave Fleming Dont forget our spineless Mayor Ritchie Williamson's involvement in the Yamba Maccas when you vote in the state election next month.

Limits on scratchie lottery tickets

Hey, Senator Nick Xenophon, did you watch Adam Hill's Gordon Street Tonight on ABC TV?

A member of the audience admitted to spending $250 on scratchie lottery tickets in one session at one outlet.

What's stopping that person going to other suburbs and doing repeat efforts?

There's not much difference between doing your dough on the pokies and blowing it on things like scratchies.

NSW State Election 2011 results a forgone conclusion on the NSW North Coast?

Antony Green has issued updated election result predictions for the NSW general election on Saturday, 26 March 2011 showing the Coalition will gain an additional 27 seats off a 62% 2PP swing and, margins given for NSW North Coast electorates indicate that Nationals candidates just have to have their names on the ballot paper to win.

Tweed New margin NAT 17.3%

Ballina New margin NAT 28.8%

Lismore New margin NAT 24.3%

Clarence New margin NAT 25.9%

Coffs Harbour New margin NAT 31.9%

For all those global warming doubters out there....

Date Processed: Mon Feb 21 06:00:31 2011
This data image is generated on a daily basis using SST data from a variety of polar-orbiting and geostationary environmental satellites from NOAA and its partners, including GOES, POES, Meteosat, and Metop-A. The data is processed daily and has a spatial resolution of about 11 km/pixel. The colorscale uses blues to show cold waters, red and orange to show hot waters, and yellow and white to show temperate waters. Major currents can be seen as snaking areas of warm or cool waters surrounded by areas of greatly different temperatures

Global Surface Temperature Anomalies

HEALTH WARNING: This post contains material which may seriously damage the emotional equilibrium of persons with average or above average intelligence

2011 Montana Legislature

HOUSE BILL NO. 549

INTRODUCED BY J. READ*

A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT STATING MONTANA'S POSITION ON GLOBAL WARMING; AND PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE."

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:

NEW SECTION. Section 1. Public policy concerning global warming. (1) The legislature finds that to ensure economic development in Montana and the appropriate management of Montana's natural resources it is necessary to adopt a public policy regarding global warming.

(2) The legislature finds:

(a) global warming is beneficial to the welfare and business climate of Montana;

(b) reasonable amounts of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere have no verifiable impacts on the environment; and

(c) global warming is a natural occurrence and human activity has not accelerated it.

(3) (a) For the purposes of this section, "global warming" relates to an increase in the average temperature of the earth's surface.

(b) It does not include a one-time, catastrophic release of carbon dioxide.

NEW SECTION. Section 2. Codification instruction. [Section 1] is intended to be codified as an integral part of Title 75, chapter 2, and the provisions of Title 75, chapter 2, apply to [section 1].

NEW SECTION. Section 3. Effective date. [This act] is effective on passage and approval.

- END –

* Joseph L. Read is a Tea Party-backed GOP politician and, the principal sponsor of this bill as a member of the Republican controlled Montana House of Representatives.

Joe is living proof of both his election campaign observation; “ten words we should fear most – I’m from the Government and I’m here to help” and of the fact that one doesn't need to be able to count to get elected.

Apparently Joe didn't consult any scientists before authoring his bill. He states in an interview with the Wonk Room; Climate policy….is essentially an attempt to steer money and control into the federal government, which has been dictating the direction of climate science research for decades….“The purpose of this whole issue of carbon credits and pushing the agenda of global warming….is about directing levies and fees for carbon credits so the federal government gets an income source.”

One has to suspect that Teh Man from Montana is a distant relative of Australian Liberal Party Leader Tony Abbott who pursues his own opposition to a carbon price because it is “great big new tax on everything” and is a closet climate change denier par excellence.

With Liberal Party anti-muslim sentiment off the reservation, the hate emails are again doing the rounds

Abbott, Bernardi, Morrison, Bolt, Jones et al should be very careful about blowing those anti-Islam dog whistles, as it takes very little for Cronulla-style hate to bubble to the top once more.

Scott Morrison's belated attempt last Monday to cloak his stance with faux legitimacy by playing the gender balance card in an effort to limit the number of visas granted to asylum seekers arriving by boat does little to dampen the xenophobic flames conservative politicans were quick to fan again.

Various versions of the 'story' below has been around for more than a year on Facebook pages, in online chat rooms, the odd letter to the editor in obscure newspapers and unsurprisingly have recently resurfaced as a nasty tweet or email this year.
The Nik mentioned appears to only exist in cyberspace.

Nik Ziogopoulos states what is fact and what we all believe.
Nik would be in his 70's at least.

A GREAT PERSPECTIVE FROM A ‘NEW’ AUSTRALIAN -
Nik Ziogopoulos
I emigrated to Australia over 60 years ago – On the ship there were Poms,Italians (Spags), Germans (Huns), Yugoslavs (Yuges), Poles, Ducchys, Ukes (Ukrainians) and Greeks. (Note – All European people!!) all looking forward to starting a new life in Australia . I arrived with 30 quid in my pocket and that’s all I had to my name Did I put my hand out?? Of course not – I got a job and paid my way just like everyone else who came to this country back then.

Now, it’s my taxes that subsidize these people who think they have Gods given right (read Allah) to come here and criticise those of us who have worked for the country we now call home.

If I didn’t like what I saw when I got here I would have gone home – they have the same option.
If they don’t want to become an Australian,
they can GO BACK TO WHERE THEY CAME FROM
– WE DON’T NEED THEM HERE!!!

When will this stop?
They want 2 of their own public holidays, because Christians have
Christmas, Easter & Good Friday,
They force our children to eat Halal Meat Pies and Sausage Rolls from the school canteens, so the Muslim kids can feel more Aussie. We were not consulted about this change - they went ahead and just did it.
Our foods are slowly all becoming Halal foods, our cheeses, chocolates & even good old sanitarium foods

Our Government is ALLOWING this to happen.. It has to stop now, while we still have some power to be able to stop it.

Regarding Our National Anthem -

I am sorry, but after hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in Arabic - enough is enough. Nowhere or at no other time in our nation's history, did they sing it in Italian, Japanese, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German, Portuguese, Ukrainian, Greek, or any other language because of immigration.
It was written in English, and should be sung word for word the way it was written.

The news broadcasts even gave the translation -- not even close.

I am not sorry if this offends anyone, this is MY COUNTRY -
IF IT IS YOUR COUNTRY SPEAK UP ---- please pass this along

I am not against immigration -- just come through like everyone else. Get a sponsor; have a place to lay your head; have a job; pay your taxes, live by the rules AND LEARN THE LANGUAGE as all other immigrants have in the past -- and LONG LIVE Australia !

PART OF THE PROBLEM
Think about this:
If you don't want to forward this for fear of offending someone-
YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM !!!!
Will we still be the Country of Choice and still be Australia if we continue
to make the changes forced on us by the people from other countries
who have come to live in Australia because it is their Country of Choice??

Think about it!

IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT.

It is Time for Australia to Speak up!
If you agree -- pass this along; if you don't agree -- delete it!
That's your choice.

(in this Australia where 'freedom of speech' is a fundamental right of every Australian)
THIS IS FROM A BLOODY GREEK BASTARD WHO MIGRATED TO AUSTRALIA
IN THE LATE 1940s

Clarence Valley Council gets a serve over rates

With Clarence Valley Shire Council seemingly under the thumb of the Grafton business district, most councillors bracing for yet another stoush with the valley community over its rates structure and Mayor Richie Williamson apparently desperate to defer trouble until after the March 2011 NSW general election campaign at which he is standing as an independent, one Yamba resident demonstrates that none of these elected representatives are going to have an easy ride by deferring the coming storm to a committee which will not report to council until 2012:

Get priorities right

CVC's recent decision to place on public exhibition Grafton's estimated $6.6m waterfront precinct plan at a time when the GM Mr McPherson attempted to increase rates above the pegged rate increase on the basis of councils diminished capacity to fund capital works, suggest a council out of touch with mainstream community needs.

It can hardly be said Grafton is doing it tough, $19.2m hospital, $5m Super clinic, $2m south CBD, $8m library, $2m Fisher Park, $78k Hawthorne Park, $50k Pioneer Park, $32k McKittrick Park, $50k rowing club etc.

Many of these facilities have to be matched with council funds as well as requiring extensive maintenance costs. Yet the stupor to this folly is that Grafton's rates are being reduced while the rates of the rest of the shire are being increased to make up the shortfall.

While council keeps records of the amount of rates each community pays, it does not keep records of the amount of services each community receives and therein lies a problem.

It is not suggested each community receives services amounting to the amount of income it provides. What is suggested is that as a democracy, we the people of this shire are entitled to transparent factual information that assists us in determining how we are governed.

That information should include where and how our monies are spent and not compromised by inadequate council records.

There is no excuse for council not disclosing that information. Upon amalgamation, council was provided with the financial records of each of the former councils including Grafton showing it to be living way beyond its means. Had these records been maintained, councillors as well as rate payers would know the present financial status of each of those former council areas.

It can hardly be argued those records would be too expensive to maintain when council can publish a $6.6m plan for a Grafton waterfront precinct.

Ray Hunt

Yamba

A little light relief as an antidote to all this #*#@+** Oz weather!

BOM tells South-East Queensland & Byron to the Tweed to batten down now

Australian Bureau of Meteorology 4.49pm 21 February 2011

Tropfest 2011 Winner monkeying around

Tropfest 2011. Make up your own mind........



Damon Gameau, has won the 19th annual Movie Extra Tropfest - the world’s largest short film festival in front of crowds of 150,000 nationwide and a live broadcast on Movie Extra to hundreds of thousands more film fans.

“Animal Beatbox” was voted in by some of the film industry’s most respected, including well-known feature film director Bruce Beresford, living legend Olivia Newtown-John, Aussie favourite Jack Thompson, Twilight heartthrob Xavier Samuel, director Stephan Elliott, producer Liz Watts, last year’s Tropfest winner Abe Forsythe and Tropfest Founder and Director John Polson.

Surprise judge ‘Shakespeare in Love’ actor Joseph Fiennes weighed in live from Majorca Spain before casting his vote online.

The winning film is a branch into animation by Underbelly and Balibo actor Gameau, with a catchy lyrical and poetic narrative. The film was shot in his mother’s spare room for just $85 and on a liquid detox diet with his girlfriend by his side – somehow they are still together. “I’m quite new to stop animation, but I find it a quick and versatile way to express any idea that may be lurking in my head,” he says.

And this is a biotech company FSANZ takes at its word......

On of the most disturbing facts about methodology employed by Food Standards Australia New Zealand when it 'investigates' new food products or genetically modified food/food additives, is that it takes the so-called research offered in support of produce/product safety at face value when it is presented by biotech multinationals such as Monsanto & Company.

It is almost as though FSANZ is completely blind to a corporate history of environmental damage, deceit and avoidance of responsibility that is the trademark of this multinational.

Apparently choosing to believe that biotech industries miraculously operate differently once they establish themselves in Australia.

This is posted on the Environment Agency U.K. concerning what The Guardian U.K. called in 2007 one of the most contaminated places in Britain:

Between 1965-70 Brofiscin quarry was used as a disposal site for industrial and chemical waste.
The wastes included toxic substances such as solvents, heavy metals, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs.......

We have completed our extensive enquiries to identify those we consider should be held responsible under the contaminated land laws and be held liable for the cost of remediating Brofiscin Quarry. We are at an advanced stage in our consultations with BP, Veolia and Monsanto to provide them with the opportunity to help remediate the land on a voluntary basis. We expect to make further progress on this matter in the next few months. If this approach is unsuccessful, we have the power to carry out the work needed ourselves and recover our costs. The three companies have been identified under the legislation as inheriting the liabilities of companies who were associated with depositing wastes at the quarry.

This is not the only site used by Monsanto which has problems with PCB or other toxic contamination - the company doesn't mind polluting its home country, wrecking the health of its own workers, generally running roughshod over the interest of countries in which it operates and, if the Ecologist is to be believed is not above bullying witnesses to its bad corporate behaviour.

* This post is part of North Coast Voices' effort to keep Monsanto's blog monitor (affectionately known as Mr. Monsanto) in long-term employment.

The cheque really was in the mail

A Yamba resident fought the law and won on Tuesday when he managed to get his fine for driving his unregistered ute overturned.
Documents tendered to the court proved Mr Y (name changed) had paid his green slip, pink slip and posted a cheque to the RTA with his rego papers on May 31, 2010.
After posting the letter thinking he had renewed his registration, Mr Y flew from Ballina to Bathurst on June 1, to visit his sick mother, and returned on June 8.
When he got home, although he had not received his registration papers from the RTA, Mr Y presumed it had been paid and began moving green waste to the tip in his ute.
Police conducting random breath tests on Yamba Road stopped Mr Y at noon on June 11.
When he passed the breath test, police noticed the vehicle’s registration had expired on June 2.
When police questioned Mr Y about the expired registration he replied: “I posted it to the RTA.”
It turns out the mail was stuck in transit for more than a week at Maclean Post Office, not reaching the RTA until Mr Yintervened.
After checking with his bank, which confirmed his cheque hadn’t been presented, Mr Y phoned Maclean Post Office staff, who said they had his letter.
But they hadn’t put it with the shared mail for the council chambers.
After a 45-minute phone call to the RTA customer service hotline pleading to be transferred to the Maclean RTA, Mr Y finally spoke with a Maclean staff member, agreeing to pick up the letter in their lunch hour and process the payment.
Mr Y hand-delivered it to Yamba police station at 5.45pm that day, thinking the matter was over
That was until he found a $506 infringement notice on his doorstep a couple of days later, which he challenged in court.
The Magistrate found Mr Y had done everything he could to pay the registration and dismissed the infringement notice under Section 10 of the Crimes Act.

Source: The Daily Examiner, 19/2/11