This blog is open to any who wish to comment on Australian society, the state of the environment or political shenanigans at Federal, State and Local Government level.
The 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours list contained the names of a few Northern Rivers folk who well deserved their recognition.
An Order of Australia Medal (OAM) to Jim Agnew of Yamba, who has been taking on government and bureaucracy for years in an endeavour to obtain decent health care for his town.
It seems that politics and pets make strange bedfellows. Regular readers will be aware that clarencegirl receives Obama for America campaign emails from time to time. They would also be aware that Boy the Wonder Cat blogs in the North Coast Voices sidebar and lists his own email address there. Image my shock on finding (when doing a periodic check of the cat's emails) that Boy was now on Senator Barack Obama's mailing list and was receiving multiple requests for political donations along the lines of this received on 8 June: Boy -- Hillary Clinton announced her support for our campaign today. Senator Clinton made history over the past 16 months -- not just because she has broken barriers, but because she has inspired millions of Americans with her strength, her courage, and her commitment to causes like universal health care that make a difference in the lives of hardworking Americans. Our party and our country are stronger because of the work she has done throughout her life, and I'm a better candidate for having had the privilege of competing with her. Senator Clinton will be invaluable to our efforts to win in November, and I look forward to campaigning alongside her to bring this country the change it so desperately needs. Hillary and her supporters are joining us at an urgent moment. It's going to require a new level of commitment from every single one of us to build a national campaign in the general election. And we're going win this election the right way -- by growing our grassroots network of ordinary people giving only what they can afford. Will you help by making your first donation today? If you give right now, a previous donor has agreed to match your gift, doubling its impact. Help us reach our goal of 20,000 new donors by making a matching donation today: https://donate.barackobama.com/match It's time for all of us to come together to take on John McCain in the general election. John McCain offers another four years of George Bush's policies, which our country simply cannot afford. To win, we must continue building an unprecedented organization in all 50 states. And that will only happen if we all work together, side-by-side. Thank you for joining this movement and supporting a new kind of politics. Together we can do more than just win an election. Together we can change this country, and we can change the world. And we are honored to have Hillary Clinton at our side as we do it. Barack Paid for by Obama for America This email was sent to:catlives9@hotmail.com
Boy has now been unsubscribed from this mailing list, but I'm beginning to wonder about the good senator from Illinios......
John Winston Howard, former Prime Minister of Australia, has just been awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia. Not the Order of the Garter or Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports with which he hoped to emulate his dead idol, Robert Gordon Menzies, but better than nothing ('Mrs Bucket' apparently sees the AC as a stepping stone to greater honours).
Of course not everyone was or is impressed. Saturday's online mention of his AC honour only came up on Google News once and yesterday he might never have rated a mention if he had not shared billing with Australian supermodel Elle or "The Don" centenary wasn't coming up.
War crimes is still the phrase which more readily trips from the lip when Bush, Blair and Howard are mentioned. At last count Google Search came up with 128,000 mentions of war crimes and Howard. War crimes outrank honours anytime.
Update: By this morning Google News mention of Howard's honour had risen to four (after the original Saturday item was shifted or renamed). Perhaps his taxpayer-funded assistant did a quick ring around to wake the media to the momentous event they were otherwise ignoring.
The Far North Coaster online magazine reports: The BankWest Key Worker Housing Affordability Report released this week based on ‘key workers’ salaries found Byron Bay the most expensive place to live in regional NSW, with Kiama second, Ballina third and Tweed fourth.--- The report used a median house price in Byron Shire of $501,500. The median house price in Ballina Shire was $435,000, while in Tweed Shire it was $433,500. The report based its figures on average salaries for teachers, nurses, police officers, ambulance officers and fire-fighters. Average salaries used in the study were: nurses $48,661; teachers $54,835; police officers $65,913; fire-fighters $55,783; and ambulance officers $61,893. An area was classified as unaffordable if median house prices are more than five times a key worker’s annual earnings.
It seems we are all in the middle of a very low key National E-security Awareness Week in which the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Stephen Conroy 'launched' a new a new email security alert service for homes and small business.
Went to the Federal Government'sStay Smart Online website to look up details and found this site's homepage was last updated on 10 April 2008. Not a good sign. Clicked on the sidebar for the new email security alert service and then tried to register for this feature. Opps! not possible it seems. Trying to register simply takes you off site to another page showing current alerts and advisories. However the sidebar there does allow for registration. For a site under the aegis of the Minister, this has to be a rather clumsy way of registering.
But what is really interesting is the following found on the pages updated 6 June 2008:
Related Frequently Asked Questions
I use Bigpond web based email and can't subscribe to the SSO Alert ServiceIf you have a Bigpond email account and use Bigpond web-based email to read your email you may have encountered problems with completing the SSO Alert registration process. You can tell if you use a web based email program if you use a web b... I am using a Hotmail email account and can't subscribe to the serviceIf you wish to use a Hotmail or Live (Live Mail) email address to register and subscribe to the Stay Smart Online (SSO) Alert Service, it has been discovered that Hotmail.com and Live.com are currently blocking all emails sent by the Stay Sma...
Oh, and don't bother clicking here for Stay Smart Online "Newsletters" because there aren't any yet. As for the e-security self-assessment tool, that's just a dinky questionnaire which eventually directs to advice frequently not updated since January.
All in all, not a good look Senator Conroy. Think he might miss out on reaching a lot of Mum and Dad computer users.
North Coast Voices no longer allows the Facebook Button sited at the end of each blog post to activate when it is clicked on by a reader.
This button has been deactivated because it has become clear that Facebook Inc. is not now and has never been a corporation genuinely committed to principles of digital privacy and security of Internet users' personal information and other associated data.
Unfortunately, because Blogger installs this button as part of a set, Gmail, Blog This!, Twitter, Pin Interest and Google + have also been deactivated and, we apologise to readers who may use these features.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 19
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
[Adopted and proclaimed by United Nations General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948]
Hi! My name is Boy. I'm a male bi-coloured tabby cat. Ever since I discovered that Malcolm Turnbull's dogs were allowed to blog, I have been pestering Clarencegirl to allow me a small space on North Coast Voices.
A false flag musing: I have noticed one particular voice on Facebook which is Pollyanna-positive on the subject of the Port of Yamba becoming a designated cruise ship destination. What this gentleman doesn’t disclose is that, as a principal of Middle Star Pty Ltd, he could be thought to have a potential pecuniary interest due to the fact that this corporation (which has had an office in Grafton since 2012) provides consultancy services and tourismbusiness development services.
A religion & local government musing: On 11 October 2017 Clarence Valley Council has the Church of Jesus Christ Development Fund Inc in Sutherland Local Court No. 6 for a small claims hearing. It would appear that there may be a little issue in rendering unto Caesar. On 19 September 2017 an ordained minister of a religion (which was named by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in relation to 40 instances of historical child sexual abuse on the NSW North Coast) read the Opening Prayer at Council’s ordinary monthly meeting. Earlier in the year an ordained minister (from a church network alleged to have supported an overseas orphanage closed because of child abuse claims in 2013) read the Opening Prayer and an ordained minister (belonging to yet another church network accused of ignoring child sexual abuse in the US and racism in South Africa) read the Opening Prayer at yet another ordinary monthly meeting. Nice one councillors - you are covering yourselves with glory!
An investigative musing: Newcastle Herald, 12 August 2017: The state’s corruption watchdog has been asked to investigate the finances of the Awabakal Aboriginal Local Land Council, less than 12 months after the troubled organisation was placed into administration by the state government. The Newcastle Herald understands accounting firm PKF Lawler made the decision to refer the land council to the Independent Commission Against Corruption after discovering a number of irregularities during an audit of its financial statements.The results of the audit were recently presented to a meeting of Awabakal members. Administrator Terry Lawler did not respond when contacted by the Herald and a PKF Lawler spokesperson said it was unable to comment on the matter. Given the intricate web of company relationships that existed with at least one former board member it is not outside the realms of possibility that, if ICAC accepts this referral, then United Land Councils Limited (registered New Zealand) and United First Peoples Syndications Pty Ltd(registered Australia) might be interviewed. North Coast Voices readers will remember that on 15 August 2015 representatives of these two companied gave evidence before NSW Legislative Council General Purpose Standing Committee No. 6 INQUIRY INTO CROWN LAND. This evidence included advocating for a Yamba mega port.
A Nationals musing: Word around the traps is that NSW Nats MP for Clarence Chris Gulaptis has been talking up the notion of cruise ships visiting the Clarence River estuary. Fair dinkum! That man can be guaranteed to run with any bad idea put to him. I'm sure one or more cruise ships moored in the main navigation channel on a regular basis for one, two or three days is something other regular river users will really welcome. *pause for appreciation of irony* The draft of the smallest of the smaller cruise vessels is 3 metres and it would only stay safely afloat in that channel. Even the Yamba-Iluka ferry has been known to get momentarily stuck in silt/sand from time to time in Yamba Bay and even a very small cruise ship wouldn't be able to safely enter and exit Iluka Bay. You can bet your bottom dollar operators of cruise lines would soon be calling for dredging at the approach to the river mouth - and you know how well that goes down with the local residents.
A local councils musing: Which Northern Rivers council is on a low-key NSW Office of Local Government watch list courtesy of feet dragging by a past general manager?
A serial pest musing: I'm sure the Clarence Valley was thrilled to find that a well-known fantasist is active once again in the wee small hours of the morning treading a well-worn path of accusations involving police, local business owners and others.
An investigative musing: Which NSW North Coast council is batting to have the longest running code of conduct complaint investigation on record?
A which bank? musing: Despite a net profit last year of $9,227 million the Commonwealth Bank still insists on paying below Centrelink deeming rates interest on money held in Pensioner Security Accounts. One local wag says he’s waiting for the first bill from the bank charging him for the privilege of keeping his pension dollars at that bank.
A Daily Examiner musing: Just when you thought this newspaper could sink no lower under News Corp management, it continues to give column space to Andrew Bolt.
A thought to ponder musing: In case of bushfire or flood - do you have an emergency evacuation plan for the family pet?
An adoption musing: Every week on the NSW North Coast a number of cats and dogs find themselves without a home. If you want to do your bit and give one bundle of joy a new family, contact Happy Paws on 0419 404 766 or your local council pound.
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The 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours list contained the names of a few Northern Rivers folk who well deserved their recognition.
