An declaration of war on the Internetz and a Scientology call for censorship of the Australian media

If I were superstitious I would say that it was no accident that 9 September 2009 saw a moon which was around 83.8 per cent illuminated, because all that moonlight reflecting off monitors onto unprotected heads probably led to the fact that the Internet Storm Centre recorded a DDos attack which made http://www.pm.gov.au unavailable for a few minutes.

From somewhere strange on the Internetz 09.09.09.

Formal Declaration of War

To the Citizens and Netizens of the Internet:

On the morning of September the 9th, the Government of Australia, pursuing its course of internet censorship, have shown to us that they have no response nor intend to provide one concerning their plan. The long-known and the long-expected has thus taken place. The forces endeavoring to belittle and undermine the freedom of the internet are now moving towards their final goals. Never before has there been a greater challenge to freedom of information, liberty and civilization. Delay invites great danger. Rapid and united effort by all of the peoples of the world who are determined to remain free will ensure a world victory of the forces of justice and of righteousness over the covert powers of censorship and of oppression. Australia is not alone in this regard: countless governments from across the world can also be exposed as fascists and dictators in this regard. Therefore a state of war between Anonymous and the Australian Government, and between Anonymous and all other governments which find themselves so inclined to impose censorship upon the internet, will be recognized.

Our declaration of war is as follows:

Declaring that a state of war exists between the Government of Australia and aforementioned governments and Anonymous and making provision to prosecute the same.
Whereas, the Government of Australia and aforementioned governments have formally declared war against the freedom of information and speech which embodies the internet; and
Whereas, the Australian government is guilty of planning to force censorship of the internet and make it mandatory to their online users; and
Whereas, such acts continue to pose extreme threat to the security and freedom of the internet and its users; and
Such acts render it both necessary and appropriate that Anonymous exercises its rights and acts in defense of themselves and the supporters of net neutrality.
Therefore, be it Resolved by the united conglomerate that is Anonymous, that the state of war between Anonymous and the Government of Australia and aforementioned governments which has thus been thrust upon the Anonymous is hereby formally declared; and the conglomerate that is Anonymous is authorized and directed to employ the entire power and force of our collective to carry on war against the Government of Australia and other aforementioned governments; and to bring the conflict to a successful termination, all of the resources of the collective are hereby pledged by the united conglomerate of Anonymous. -

Anonymous

From somewhere ever stranger (with a hat tip to Slashdot).

A February 2009 Church of Scientology submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission complaining about Anonymous, the blogosphere, the media, as well as suggesting remedies including censorship of mainstream media 1931 Church of Scientology Australia:

Recommendation 1:
The implementation of Criminal and Civil Restrictions on Religious Vilification.
Recommendation 2:
Restriction on Anonymity on acts of Religious Vilification:
2.1 Websites created with primary purpose of inciting religious vilification shall be removed or their access to the Australian public restricted.
2.2 Creators of websites whose primary purpose is the incitement of religious vilification shall be prevented from concealing their identity.
Recommendation 3:
Restriction on Religious Misinformation and Misrepresentation known or reasonably known to be untruthful in the Media
Recommendation 4:
Include a form of Bill or Charter of Rights into the Australian Constitution, which prevents the Commonwealth from making any law, which 'directly, indirectly or incidentally' prohibits the free exercise of religion to the extent of such prohibition.

New South Wales has gone fishin'

Sometimes I come across an online mention which highlights a great Aussie lifestyle.
This 2000-01 DPI doc rated a blip on the radar.
Survey of Recreational Fishing in New South Wales which stated; "Almost 24% of the NSW male population went fishing while about 10% of females fished. The participation rate in NSW country regions was twice as high as the rate observed in the main metropolitan area".
Here are a graph showing the NSW North Coast is up there in the fishing for pleasure & food stakes, with a total of 124,000 anglers:

When is John Howard going to realise he's dead and lie down?

I'm getting sick and tired of the way former Australian prime minister John Howard keeps popping up in the media giving his totally useless views on current Australian politics and world affairs.

He lost the last federal election for the Coalition - if they don't shut him up he will lose the next as well.
This media tart's irritation factor is 100+.

Maudie's Ex
Yamba

Guest Speak is a North Coast Voices segment allowing serious or satirical comment from NSW Northern Rivers residents. Email ncvguestpeak at live dot com dot au to submit comment for consideration.

Is Turnbull concerned about Australia's productivity or his own support base?

This is Leader of the Opposition Malcolm Turnbull at the end of this week's media cycle in The Australian:

MALCOLM Turnbull is open to reintroducing individual workplace contracts, insisting that Kevin Rudd's "inflexible" industrial relations laws have reduced national productivity.....

"By reducing flexibility in the workplace they have put, we would say, real constraints on productivity growth," Mr Turnbull said. "We believe that flexibility in the workplace is of enormous importance."

Real constraints on productivity growth looks rather impressive at first glance.

Except.........................................................

Click on images to enlarge

Now I recall that the Work Choices regime was introduced about March 2006 and continued through beyond the November 2007 federal election until July this year. Although certain arrangements made under its provisons will not expire until 2010-14.

Looking at the graphs it seems that a) Australia had enjoyed a steady historical rise in productivity prior to the introduction of the Howard Government's Work Choices (heavily reliant on the idea of individual employment contracts) and b) experienced no high productivity surge after Work Choices began and productivity actually levelled off in 2006-07, with the last growth peak occurring back in 2003-04 and the highest average increase in multifactor productivity recorded between 1993-99.

Once more Malcolm Turnbull appears to have put his mouth in motion before he considered known facts as he courts the Liberal Party heartland.

Indeed he offers no proof that the Rudd Government's industrial relations policy is having a marked negative effect or is likely to have such a negative effect on national productivity.

First graph from Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian System of National Accounts, 2006-07

Second graph from the Commonwealth Treasury, Economic Roundup Winter 2007

Gulmarrad land clearing in the lower Clarence Valley

From The Daily Examiner letters to the editor on 9 September 2009

Gulmarrad land clearing

I found The Daily Examiner's report of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water's failure to prosecute those responsible for alleged illegal land clearing at Gulmarrad very disturbing.

Land clearing is a major contributor to global warming and the decline of virtually all native animal species in Australia and must be stopped.

However, while ever we continue to ignore the dollar value of the eco-services our forests provide, there are those who will continue to break the law for their own financial gain.

Ineffective government regulators who either let these breaches go unpunished or impose little more than a slap on the wrist are therefore complicit in the loss of biodiversity that, if not reversed, will threaten our own existence.

JOHN EDWARDS

South Grafton

Aussie business confidence up with employment prospects growing stronger - will the NSW Northern Rivers benefit?

Manpower Inc has joined Dun & Bradstreet in reporting some positive news for Oz on the business and employment front.
In fact both place this country in a pretty enviable position, with employers expecting profits to increase (Dun & Bradstreet) and the intent to hire employees still being weak but relatively strong when compared to the rest of the world (Manpower).
As zero growth was a common economic prediction at the beginning of 2009, it's good to see so many crystal ball gazers are so wrong.
Australian business confidence is now at a six-year high and job ads in the newspapers and online have started to increase.
Given that Kevin Rudd's popularity in the polls is still going strong, I guess the country credits Federal Labor and its economic policy with much of this good news.
The big question for us in the Northern Rivers is: will all this translate into more jobs in the region?
I suspect that national confidence levels aren't always mirrored locally and business is more likely to be asking if the present predilection for 'staycations' will result in more domestic tourism business in the hinterland and on the coast at Christmas 2009 and in the first quarter of 2010.

Manpower Inc press release
Dun & Bradstreet National Business Expectations Study article
Latest 8th September Newspoll graphic
NSW North Coast tourism industry facts & figures

American multinational tries to lock the gate to is website? Happy little Vegemites around the globe must be laughing

I have to admit that I haven't tried the new Vegemite with added cream cheese. My traditional tummy churns at the mere thought of this almost blasphemous concoction.
However recent Core Economics and Boing Boing posts aroused my curiosity as to why U.S. multinational Kraft Foods doesn't want anyone to link to its official Vegemite website.
Kraft's site states:
Terms of Use, Disclaimer and Copyright Notice
This website (http://www.vegemite.com.au) (the "Site") is owned and operated by Kraft Foods Limited (ACN 004 125 071). Access to and use of this Site is subject to the following terms and conditions and all applicable laws. If you do not agree to these terms and conditions, you must not access or otherwise use this Site.
In this Notice, "KRAFT Australia", "we" and "us" means Kraft Foods Limited.
The Site is designed to be useful, informative and fun. We welcome any comments and inquiries in relation to the site.
Er...... I had to access the site to read this notice.
So who's going to knock me off the Internet instantanément?
Does Kraft have a 24/7 cyber bully out there with its finger on a get-outta-here button?
Is its 'competition' to name the new pseudo Vegemite throwing up some abuse from happy little traditionalists or have there been more than a few critics out in the blogosphere over the years causing this attempt to restrict access?
Is Kraft going to send a cease and desist notice to the Wikipedia for multiple linkings, The Vegemite Wife ex-pat for posting images of that spread jar, Australian Flavour for linking to its jingle audio or Rupert Murdoch's News Ltd Weekly Times for linking to the website in para 2 of its 28th August 2009 article?
Want to ask Kraft what this guff is all about - email australia@kraftasia.com. G'arn!

The hills of Coorabell

Coorabell by Rodney Black

Return to Coorabell by Marc Rambeau

Only in America would an argument be mounted that receiving money from the government is bad for your health

A good-on-ya to Peter Martin for unearthing this little bewdy: The Short-Term Mortality Consequences of Income Receipt.
This is an argument for the basic proposition that people on low incomes are likely to die shortly after they receive welfare payments, one-off stimulus payments or tax rebate cheques, because being 'flush' with money they consume more or become more active.
Yeah, and starving people often died immediately after being fed by liberating troops in the Second World War too.
I particularly liked the last para which tends to stick in the craw; "Finally, we noted in the introduction that some health researchers have suggested that a way to reduce inequality in health outcomes across socioeconomic groups is to simply increase income transfers to low income groups. The results in this paper indicate that the benefits of such a policy regime shift are far from certain. There is little evidence to date that cash transfers increase health. In contrast, the results in this paper show that, in the short run, there is a pronounced negative consequence to cash infusions for a wide variety of groups."

This truly earth-shattering research comes from a couple of economists working out of Notre Dame and Maryland universities in America. Figures.

"Moggy Musings" [Archived material from Boy the Wonder Cat]

A grassy knoll musing: My little canine friend, Veronica Lake, says that humans she meets are starting to wonder about the number of Google searches coming out of Canberra which have the term "therese rein" plus "company", "ethics", "asic" or "problems".
Ronnie is wondering if Malcolm Turnbull's dogs are trying to dig up another mole for their master because his last one ran away. :-D

A bookish musing: Ashby cattle dogs Rolly, Trudy and Rose are about to join Clarence Valley local Steve Otton's old mate Tiny as the subject of a children's book due out in 2011, called RT and Rose: Three Dogs and a Beach Adventure.

Tiny: a little dog on a big adventure is in online bookstores now.

Humans aren't the top of the evolutionary tree musing:

Now as a bona fide Aussie moggy I think that cats are top of the tree, but I do realise that almost every species has the potential to equal humans when in comes to affection, loyalty and mateship.

Mickey the chocolate-coloured Kelpie pup from Nymboida who stayed for five days besides his injured companion dog Buddy. Bringing him wild-caught food and helping to chew through the fallen branch which had impaled him and, then when the older dog was freed leading this sick mate home to a worried owner and the splendid care of South Grafton Veterinary Clinic - well that is a dog who is the equal of humankind! Story here.

I was lost and now I'm found musing: Just like Lassie the adventurous collie dog, a scruffy pet named Muffy will finally return home after a nine-year, 2000km (1250 mile) odyssey down the east coast of Australia. The terrier-cross .... was last seen by her owners on the Gold Coast in Queensland in 2000 ago when she took off from a friend's house one day and never came back. This week the little white dog is reunited with her family.

An all creatures great & small musing:

Monday 27 August 2009 is Cupcake Day for the RSPCA.

It's time to bake up a storm and raise money to help Australian animals who are experiencing hard times or abuse.

Go to this RSPCA link for details. Patty cake, patty cake....I know you all can!

And they're off! 2009 Grafton to Inverell Cycling Classic underway tomorrow, 12 September 2009

The 49th edition of the Grafton to Inverell Cycle Classic will be held tomorrow, 12 September 2009 starting from Market Square, Pound Street, Grafton at 8am through to 8.30am.

Billed as the toughest one day race in Australia, the category one event will have a record 272 cyclists in three grades contesting the nine hour long 228km course.

There prize pool contains a total $27,000 in cash plus prizes and random draws.

The race can be listened to online at www.2nz.com.au

According to Cycling News:

Some of the elite men's teams already committed for the 228km event include Fly V Australia, Dixon Homes, Praties, Team Budget Forklifts, HYPE, Mace-McDonagh Blake and Shortis Cycle & Tri.
Cameron Jennings, Peter Herzig and Peter Ladd (all Team Budget Fork lifts) and Tour de Geelong winner Darren Rolfetheir and Bernard Sulzberger, Ben King, Jonathon Cantwell (Fly V) are among those registered. The race also sometimes draws talented off-road racers. World 24-hour solo mountain bike champion Jason English will try his luck on the road this year after cross country star Chris Jongewaard finished second last year.Whilst the focus may be on the pointy end of the race in the elite division, organisers were thrilled to receive 142 entries in the master categories. The Under 23s will also have strong representation with riders from as far away as New Zealand, Launceston, Hobart, Fremantle and Rockhampton.
As for women's competition, the numbers are also up in the second running of the Celtic Country Classic de Femme with 36 women from across the country competing in this year's 95km event.

For more information http://www.graftontoinverellcycleclassic.com.au/

Who won't be the 2009 Australian employer of the year? (Part Two)

Well this is a bit of a surprise! The employer referred to a Federal Parliament privileges committee by the Senate for allegedly threatening a witness to an inquiry according to A possible contempt in relation to a witness to the Committee's inquiry into Access to Justice: Report to the Senate:
1.25 The committee recommends that a possible contempt by the Aboriginal Legal Service Western Australia in relation to a witness who submitted evidence to the inquiry into Access to Justice be referred to the Standing Committee of Privileges.

The short submission from a Yawuru/Bard woman which started all the fuss.
Another version of the matter mentioned in the first submission.

Will someone buy that senator a ticket - pleeeze!

I couldn't believe my ears. Reading between the lines it looks like Steve Fielding wants to go Afghanistan - just think of the headlines he could generate and the multiple spellings he could try out for the name of the country and monikers of leading war lords.
"The chamber would not know this, but I have been speaking to Minister Faulkner and the previous minister for defence about some sort of delegation going to Afghanistan. I am deadset serious about this because this is a good opportunity." is the exact quote according to Hansard on 7/8/09.
Can someone buy this unrepresentative, attention seeking, political simpleton a one-way ticket before the next election?
Maybe we can get his citizenship revoked while he's gone.

Upriver Bill
Northern Rivers

Guest Speak is a North Coast Voices segme allowing serious or satirical comment from NSW Northern Rivers residents.
Email ncvguestpeak at live dot com dot au to submit comment for consideration.

Anti-Obama hysterics in Red, White & Blue Land

Google Trends actually has recordable data using the terms; obama is evil, obama is a socialist, obama wants to kill, obama wants to increase tax.
These terms began to get traction in late 2008 after Barack Obama's inauguration.
Google Trends also has enough data for President Obama's death and possible assassin to get a mention.
Can the U.S. anti-Obama hysteria get anymore frantic?

Small investors' rights are better protected in countries such as Botswana, Romania, Ghana and Georgia than they are in Australia.

A World Bank study has ranked Australian laws and regulations on investor protection at 57th in the world. So low is Australia's ranking, it lags behind Botswana, Romania, Ghana and Georgia.

The top three nations are New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong.

The Sydney Morning Herald points out the Australian legal system is weak at holding directors liable for related-party transactions.

The report gave high marks to Australia's disclosure regime and shareholders' ability to sue a company, but it found laws on director liability were unusually weak. Overall, the Doing Business 2010 report ranked Australia the ninth-best place to conduct business of 183 economies, based on an assessment of 11 aspects of running a business here.

The report comes after several collapses have thrown the spotlight on related-party transactions. The failed finance company Octaviar (formerly MFS Limited) faces a potential litigation claim from IMF Australia, which has alleged MFS failed to disclose related-party transactions associated with its Premium Income Fund.

Administrators of the collapsed Allco Finance Group have also queried several related-party dealings, including a $50 million loan made to an investment vehicle owned by Allco directors and senior management.