Bellingen flooding pictures

NSW North Coast flooding at Bellingen over the last two days. Photographs from The Bellingen Shire Courier Sun, ABC News and Pip Wilson posting at Flickr



Meanwhile Lord Howe Island which trades with the NSW North Coast is bracing itself for winds, strong seas and some flash flooding as Category 1 Tropical Cyclone Innis downgrades to an intense low.

Who is Zussino? What is he

Who is Zussino? What is he
That all the world offends him?
[with apologies to W. Shakespeare]

It seems that the NSW North Coast has for years had a phantom letter writer and Internet troll on the premises as it were.

What is interesting about this individual is that he presents himself as many different people; including a knight of the realm, doctor, former police or military officer and even whimsically changes gender in print to add a little more variety.

The number of names he uses is mounting so fast that they have to be counted on both hands, his known blogger pen names are also growing and email addresses are multiplying like rabbits.

It is not only local newspapers but also the national media who sometimes get caught out by these false persona.
It was amusing to find that in the past the Australian Press Council actually considered a complaint about one of these alternative identities.

Now as Net Mum it rather looks like he is at it again and this time it is North Coast Voices in his sights:

Watching this Aussie High Brow Attempt at Comment for the past 4 moinths leaves one feeling that we really would not like to be part of tis fanciful sewing circle, aka The Ultimate Bitchiness Society. Despite some decent intellects obvious among the snall madding crowd they NEVER hesitate to put the Slipper Into One of their Own if someone believes its time they were simply taken down a peg ot two. No other reason. Whush in goes the boot to remind the person copping the Doc Marten in the RibCage that these are "The Latte Drinkers with the Degrees from very small Obscure Universities" and if they do not take a shine to you, or you are ill or Heaven To Betsy, in the news and or before the Court, look out for some very strange preaching from Those who would not know the name of the first Commoner in the Bible, It is Aaron. This is an Odd collection of rather Odd People intent on sniping about others simply because they can. I would give it a Big Miss in the future. A great project however for Mentors and Teachers to show Joe Average how NOT to act and HOW NOT to actually be supportive of one another in time of need. I would rate it 1.5 out of 10 while actually questioning the motives of those most expressive. It reminds me of a Luncheon for Mystery Shoppers. NetMum

Posted at 01/22/2009-07:13:51 AM by NetMum, Reviewer , View profile [ Reputation score: 1 / 9 ]

Hilarious, misleading and oddly pathetic at the same time!

Monsanto propaganda rules! Or does it?

Monsanto propaganda rules - or does it?

Here is Monsanto's spin laced with alternative images:

Monsanto's research program centers on increasing yields for three key crops used for food, feed, fiber and fuel - corn, soybeans and cotton. The company's research pipeline uses more precise breeding techniques to develop higher-yielding germplasm. Other technologies result in plant traits that provide better protection against pests and better weed control. Monsanto's objective under this new commitment is to double yield for these three crops by 2030 in countries where farmers have access to current and anticipated new seed choices offered by the company.
{Genetically Modified Crops Implicated in Honey Bee Collapse Disorder}

This would mean, for example, that corn production in the prominent agricultural markets of Argentina, Brazil and the United States would reach a weighted average of 220 bushels per acre by 2030, compared to 109.1 bushels per acre in 2000. Soybean production in those countries would rise from a weighted average of 39.5 bushels per acre in 2000 to 79 bushels per acre in 2030. Cotton would increase from 1.4 bales (672 pounds) per acre to 2.8 bales (1,344 pounds) per acre.
{GM crops have failed and Canola yeild stoush}

Monsanto will establish a five-year, $10 million grant for rice and wheat research to be administered by a panel of world experts on food production in developing countries. Rice and wheat are key crops for food security, but are not a primary focus for the company. The chairperson of this panel will be named in the near future. A panel of independent judges will select one project per year to receive a $2 million grant. Further details on this program will be developed and announced in the coming months. {GM trial results spark debate}

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

An ending too 'orrible to bear.........

This was sent to me earlier in the week.

I haven't been able to sleep with the light off since.

First Dog on the Moon cartoon from Crikey

Does Conroy's inclusion of Webshield in the Internet filtering trial give a hint of things to come?

The Federal Labor Minister for Censorship Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Stephen Conroy has said that Webshield Internet Services (Webshield Internet Shield, Wigzell & Wigzell) will be part of the internet filtering trial.

Strange choice, but perhaps the senator thinks this relatively small South Australian ISP reflects his own narrow world view.

Webshield obviously finds favour with at least one Christian website which advertises and links to this internet provider.

It already has a niche in the voluntary content-filtering market, although an editorial by one of its principals does almost recognise the socio-political reality of the censorship 'climate' even if he comes to a self-interested conclusion.

The fact is the world is not ready for content filtering. We are still in the middle of an information revolution; the prevailing sentiment driven by the media, advertising and industry is one of euphoria and excitement not protection and caution. This principle applies to all new technologies, namely, that protection lags behind progress. It was true of the car where laws for seatbelts took over 50 years, and it's true of the Internet today where use of filtering is seen as a sign of weakness. Until the anything, anywhere, anytime gospel of technology can be moderated by a culture of caution, the ideological bias of society will be opposed to content filtering regardless of how effective it happens to be. It falls to the Government to provide the balance and it is heading in the right direction. History warns that attitudes are more effectively changed through disasters than education. As we stride boldly into this brave new world of technological progress, we need to heed H. G Wells "we are in a race between education and disaster".

Webshield long list of blocking categories:

Alcohol
Sites promoting the use of alcohol, drink recipes, bartender guides, home brewing methodology, drinking games, advertisements and use of alcohol for consumption purposes including pubs, bars, breweries and alcohol manufacturers.

Art
Non-commercial web sites that promote, exhibit, and/or display works of art, artists, art galleries, museums, art instruction, graphics tutorials, and art schools.

Banner
Ads Banner ads served from third party servers.

Books & Lit / Writings
Sites that discuss and promote books, literature, authors' sites, publishers' promotional sites, online books, books on tape, literary reviews, fan-fiction or other short fiction works, written screenplays/scripts (movies, TV, or drama).

Chat
Sites offering chatrooms and chat services as well as chat sites accessed via a web browser, chat logs, IRC client downloads, IRC channel listings or channel information.

Child Pornography
Sites that promote, discuss and portray children in sexual acts and activity.

Comics
Sites that distribute, display, discuss and promote comics, web comics, comic books, cartoons, flash/online animations and comic publishers. These include on-line cartoons and official web sites of comic strips.

Community Organizations
Sites of non-profit, charity, and community involvement organizations such as the YMCA, March of Dimes, Big Brothers/Sisters, Boy/Girl Scouts, etc.

Criminal Skills
Sites that promote crime or illegal activity such as credit card number generation, illegal surveillance and murder.

Cults
Sites promoting cult subject matter, use of mind control, paranoia, fear, and any other type of psychological control or manipulation.

Drugs
Sites that promote the sale/use of illegal drugs and narcotics, paraphernalia for express use with illegal narcotics, questionably legal "supplements" with a narcotic effect or sites that glorify the effect of illegal narcotics. Sites that offer techniques and products for testing clean for drugs as well as information on other forms of narcotics.

Education
Web sites of schools, learning centers, universities, teaching institutions, workshops, technical institutes and trade schools. Sites that contain information on teaching aids such as lesson planning guides, teacher supplies, career development education and .edu sites.

Educational Games
Sites that offer games related to education such as reading, spelling, math, developmental games and games with educational value.

Employment
Sites geared toward job seekers, such as online job bulletin boards, classified ad sites, resume-listing services, head hunting firms, resume building, cover-letter writing, etc.

Entertainment
All general entertainment sites not already classified in a specific category such as restaurants/clubs, clipart and animated .gifs, amusement parks, cell-phone ringtones, etc.

Explicit Art
Art web sites that display art works containing graphic nudity, nude photography, sex acts and/or disturbing images.

Fashion
Sites promoting and discussion of models, modeling, modeling portfolios, modeling agencies, modeling contests, fashion and apparel in a non-commercial manner. May contain some R-rated material, or bikini pictures.

Financial
Sites related to the financial trade, such as stock trading, financial news, online banking services, and trading exchanges.

Fitness
Sites promoting and discussing exercise, yoga, gyms, health clubs, nutrition, nutrition supplements, fitness equipment, diet information and weight loss.

Free Hosts
Sites hosted by consumer oriented free hosts or ISPs, including members.aol.com and Geocities.

Gambling
Sites which encourage gambling such as betting sites, bookmaker odds, lottery, bingo, horse/dog track, online sport betting, online casinos, etc.

Games
Sites related to computer or other games, such as game download sites, online games, video, board games and electronic games. Sites that advertise and host online games as well as sweepstakes & giveaways. Sites that offer cheat codes.

General Business
Web sites for businesses and commercial organizations where business is defined as an organization that provides goods and/or services for profit.

Government
Sites of governmental agencies at the national, state, local or international level. All .gov sites.

Hacking
Sites discussing and/or promoting unlawful or questionable tools or information revealing the ability to gain access to software or hardware/communications equipment and/or passwords. Sites that discuss password generation, compiled binaries, hacking tools, software piracy (game cracking).

Hate & Discrimination
Sites that contain material related to the discrimination of any group of people based on race, religion, gender, nationality, etc. Sites which concentrate on violence or the destruction of human life, including a single person or an entire race/religion/gender/etc. Sites focused on the superiority of one race/religion/gender/etc., while degrading others with use of propaganda or violent action.

Health/Medical
Sites of medical practices, hospitals, health insurance providers, nursing homes, and care centers. Sites that promote and provide information on prescription medicines and over the counter treatments. Sites offering information and references on health, medicine, preventative health care and other health-related topics.

Holistic
Sites offering information on alternative medicines and natural healing, homeopathic medicine, acupuncture and acupressure, chakra alignment, Feng Shui.

Humor
Sites whose primary purpose is for comedy, jokes, sound files, or other material intended to be funny.

Information Technology
Sites containing reviews, discussions, distribution, and promotion of computer programs, software, systems and hardware. Sites that contain discussion, reviews, news, and advocacy on computers, technological devices, and general technology. Sites that offer information, resources, hosting and guides for creating computer software and web sites.

Instant Messaging
Sites that offer and enable Instant Messaging, central servers for IM applications, Client-based applications for IM (prevents the use of IM clients).

Internet Radio
Sites that offer streaming radio internet programming (does not include downloadable music).

Internet Service Providers
Sites and guides to services that offer access to the Internet.

Legal
Sites pertaining to legal services, personal legal reference, on-line legal aid, law firms, legal reference, law libraries, legal services (notaries, etc.)

Lifestyle
Sites that contain material relative to an individual's personal life choices. This includes sexual preference, cultural identity, or organization/club affiliations.

Local Community
Sites of community governmental agencies and sites that promote and announce community events and community involvement such as City web sites and Chamber of Commerce.

Malicious Code/Spyware/Viruses
Sites that promote, demonstrate and/or use or offer code that intentionally cause harm by modifying or destroying computer systems. Sites that offer software to monitor user behavior without users knowledge and consent.

Message Boards
Sites that offer message boards, bulletin boards, and forums. Sites which offer visitors the ability to discuss topics with one another via Internet message board software. Sites that provide downloads and customization of web message board software.

Militant/Extremist/Terrorist
Sites that contain information regarding militias, antigovernment/ anti-establishment groups, terrorism, bombmaking/ usage, anarchy, etc.

Military - Official
Official web sites of government backed military organizations. All .mil top-level domains

Military - Appreciation
Sites that pertain to individual appreciation, remembrance or dedication to military units and organizations such as veterans, troop support, honoring military divisions, etc.

Movies & Television
Sites that discuss and promote film and television. This includes official sites of movies and television programs as well as those of film and television celebrities. Also included are personal fan sites of the aforementioned.

Music Appreciation
Sites that discuss and promote music, musicians, and the methods in which they are distributed. These sites include official web sites of musicians as well as fan sites that promote musical subjects and artists, playlists, lyrics, legal/licensed and mp3 distribution.

News
Web sites that distribute news, current events, and headlines.

Obscene/Tasteless
Sites that contain explicit graphical or text depictions of such things as mutilation, murder, bodily functions, horror, death, rude behavior, executions, violence, and obscenities etc.

Online Classes
Sites that provide access to classes conducted via the Internet.

Online Greeting Cards
Sites that offer e-greeting cards or e-postcards.

Outdoor Recreation
Sites pertaining to outdoor activities and non-competitive athletic activities, such as hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, rock climbing.

Paranormal
Sites dealing with subjects of the paranormal. This includes topics such as mysticism, UFOs, astrology, numerology, the occult, tarot, crypto-zoology and conspiracy theories.

Peer-to-Peer/File Sharing
Sites that offer peer-to-peer file sharing software and transfers.

Personals/Dating
Sites related to personal ads, dating sites, dating services, dating tips, relationships, introductions, "how-to find a mate" sites, introductions for purposes of finding friends or other relationships, etc.

Political Opinion
Opinions dealing with political concerns such as party platforms, political reform, candidate advocacy, PACs, lobbying organizations, campaign sites, "the president sucks" sites, recall sites, etc.

Pornography
Sites that portray sexual acts, activity, nudity, toys, stories/writings, bestiality, fetishes, videos, etc.

Real Estate
Sites pertaining to the buying, selling, renting, and leasing of properties (Commercial and Residential).

Recreation
Sites that pertain to hobbies, collecting, clubs and social organizations. Sites pertaining to horticulture, gardening and yard maintenance. Sites pertaining to decorating and crafting.

Reference
Reference collections including encyclopedias, atlases, historical data, biographies, how-to, language tools and references such as dictionaries, thesaurus and translators, information resources on scientific subjects.

Religion/Religious Establishment
Sites that pertain to mainstream religious institutions such as churches, temples, mosques, church sites, service times, location, church event calendars, etc.

Religious Opinion
Sites that pertain to discussion and/or advocacy of religious organizations, religious opinion and opinions formed from a religious viewpoint.

R-rated
Services pertaining to anything that involves 18 and over material such as lingerie and swimsuits, revealing pictures. Sites that are adult in nature without being explicitly pornographic.

Self-Defense
Web sites that offer information and advocacy of self-defense tools of a non-lethal nature. Includes techniques and products such as those designed to immobilize or harm a subject but not "intended" to cause death (i.e. martial arts, stun guns, mace, etc.)

Self-Help
Sites that include information such as therapies, counseling services, motivation, conferences, articles, self-awareness, spirituality, rape crisis centers, emotional and/or mental wellness, etc.

Search Engines
Major portal sites that either search the Internet or have a directory-based database of sites. Includes all sub-URLs under the main site.

Shopping
Sites that contain consumer oriented online shopping, online malls, classifieds, and online trading/auction services.

Social Opinion
Opinions dealing with social issues such as divorce, business ethics, abortion etc.

Sports
Sites for professional, collegiate, and other competitive sports such as baseball, basketball, hockey, football & soccer teams. Sites that offer information on sports magazines and sporting events such as the winter & summer Olympics, etc.

Streaming Media
Sites that offer "Internet TV" programming, streaming video and other streaming media.

Tickets
Sites that offer ticket sales for entertainment: concerts, sporting events, races, expos, etc.

Theater
Sites that promote and discuss live dramatic productions.

Travel
Sites that offer travel tickets and reservations, travel clubs, travelogues, visitor information bureaus, travel promotions, etc. Sites relating to traveling, such as travel agencies, cruise lines, airfare, etc.

Unsavory/ Dubious
Sites of a questionable legal or ethical nature. Sites which promote or distribute products, information, or devices whose use may be deemed unethical or, in some cases, illegal.

Vehicles
Sites that discuss, promote, and offer information on cars, trucks, motorcycles, watercraft, aircraft and other forms of transportation.

Web-based E-mail
Sites that offer free online web based e-mail services.

Web-based Proxies & Anonymizers
Sites that offer free anonymous proxy services

Web-based Newsgroups
Sites that offer archives of Usenet postings.

Web-based Storage
Sites that offer storage for personal files on remote servers for backup or exchange purposes.

Web Logs
Web sites from personal or non-commercial sources which feature commentary and articles written in a log or journal format (Blogs).

Weapons
Sites that provide information and promote the collecting, maintenance, advocacy and sales of legal firearms, knives, swords and related items.

Weather/Traffic
Web sites that offer weather forecasts, weather updates and traffic conditions/reports.

11th annual Clarence Valley cane toad round-up begins 22 February 2009

The annual Clarence Valley cane toad round-up is on again this week.

So put on some sturdy shoes and long pants, grab your gloves and torch and turn up:

Picture: Tweed Daily News

WHERE: Yamba Golf and Country Club, River Street, Yamba
WHEN: Sunday, 22 February 2009
RAIN: Call NPWS on 0427 484 336 or 0428 965 525
Free BBQ on the night
All welcome Children must be accompanied by an adult

Jeff Thomas, from the Department of Environment and Climate Change, will present a toad seminar, to explain where the pest is in the region and what is being done to get rid of the toads.
The talk will be held on Level 3, 49 Victoria Street, Grafton from noon to 1pm on Wednesday 18 February.

Report a NSW North Coast cane toad sighting and general toad information at Clarence Valley Conservation in Action

A Healthier Future For All Australians Interim Report transcript: a revolution has been recommended but will Rudd and Roxon listen?

The A Healthier Future For All Australians interim report was released today.

At first reading it is somewhat like the curate's egg - good in parts - and although this report is heavy on broadly worded aims and a fair degree of wishful thinking it does have one startlingly good recommendation that the Commonwealth should assume responsibility for primary health care (outside of the public hospital system).

What the report recommends regarding oral health:

11.1 We propose that Australia should have a scheme 'Denticare Australia' for universal access to preventive and restorative dental care, and dentures, regardless of people's ability to pay.

11.2 We propose that 'Denticare Australia' be based on a mixed approach of public and private cover. The additional costs would be funded by an increase in the Medicare Levy of 0.75 per cent of taxable income, with people opting either to become a member of a dental health plan (with a private insurer), or to use public dental services.

11.3 We support an equitable approach to financing a universal dental scheme. Under the proposed approach, the funding of dental services will be linked to ability to pay through an increase in the Medicare Levy.

We estimate that under this approach:

• Many people will pay no more than they currently pay for dental care – the increase in Medicare Levy of 0.75 per cent of taxable income will be smaller than existing out-of-pocket costs for dental services for many people.

• People on low incomes will pay considerably less and have much better access to dental health services.

11.4 We support the introduction of a one-year internship scheme prior to full registration, so that clinical preparation of oral health practitioners (dentists, dental therapists and dental hygienists) operates under a similar model to medical practitioners.

11.5 We propose the national expansion of the pre-school and school dental programs.

11.6 We propose that additional funding be made available for improved oral health promotion, with interventions to be decided based upon relative cost-effectiveness assessment.

Full copy of A Healthier Future For All Australians interim report is here.
Reform directions section is here.

See: Attention: Rudd, Rees, Roxon, Saffin, Elliot. This mouth has been almost a decade on the public dental treatment waiting list

Janelle Saffin MP on North Coast industrial relations

Federal Labor's Janelle Saffin, Member for Page, speaking in the House of Representatives last week:

Re-establishing fairness to Australian workplaces was one of the hallmarks of the Rudd Labor government, so when I hear of workers in my electorate of Page being treated more like cattle than people it makes my blood boil. One of my first jobs after leaving school in Ipswich was as an abattoir hand. It was hard, physical and sometimes dangerous work. On staggered days last year—28 November, 1 December and 2 December—up to 23 employees turned up to a south Grafton abattoir for work to be told by embarrassed foremen that they were out of a job due to 'a WorkCover thing'. They were handed a week's pay, shown the gate and thrown out on Armidale Road to uncertain futures. Appallingly, they did not receive their rightful entitlements: termination pay, redundancy, annual leave and long service—nothing. Coming up to Christmas, with mortgages to service, bills to pay and presents to buy, this was a very cruel, bloody-minded and gutless way to treat employees, some of whom had been veterans of the slaughter floor.

All of these workers tell me they were employed by Tempus Holdings Pty Ltd, a labour hire company that provided labour to abattoir owner Stuart Ramsey's company Ramsey Food Processing Pty Ltd. The sacked workers were informed in writing that Tempus Holdings would on 28 November 2008 cease to be a labour hire company supplying labour for Ramsey Food Processing Pty Ltd. The local Daily Examiner newspaper, which has been championing the plight of the affected workers and their right to entitlements, has repeatedly asked Stuart Ramsay, Tempus Holdings director Michael Considine and their solicitors about the complex corporate structure attached to the abattoir. The Daily Examiner's inquiries have been met by silence and stonewalling. I have twice written to Mr Ramsey, on 12 December and 12 January, on behalf of my constituents seeking clarification on exactly who is responsible for paying the sacked workers their outstanding entitlements, but I have had no response to date............

I have arranged for any sacked abattoir employee to get free legal advice on unfair dismissal or unlawful termination from the Lismore based Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre. I have raised this with my colleague the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations the Hon. Julia Gillard. I raised the allegations of these men with the Commonwealth Workplace Ombudsman and am heartened to say that they have given a high priority to their investigation..........

I know that the Workplace Ombudsman recently served a notice to produce documents on the director at the registered office of Tempus Holdings and that significant resources are being directed at the investigation. I am encouraging more affected workers to come forward and provide evidence so that they can recover what is rightfully theirs and perhaps discourage rogue employers out there from running roughshod over other workforces in regional Australia. I do not care what tricky, albeit legal, company arrangements may have been put in place, the person morally and ethically responsible for paying these workers their entitlements is the person who owns the abattoir—Stuart Ramsey.

The full text of Ms. Saffin's speech here.

Is local government to blame for bushfire vulnerability in villages and small towns?

As the main stream media and blogosphere begin to discuss the causes of Victorian bushfire fatalities, a voice of reason is heard in the remarks of Russell Rees, chief officer of Victoria's Country Fire Authority:

AUSTRALIANS living in the bush and in semi-rural suburbs must change the way they live or else risk dying in bushfires....................
firefighters could no longer guarantee saving the lives of those who chose to surround themselves with vegetation despite the obvious fire risks.................

"We've got to choose," .....'If we choose to live in this way, then who do we blame? My fear is that people will say the fire service failed (last Saturday) and I will go to my grave saying we fought our guts out.
"Fundamentally, our community is choosing to live in a way I can't, and our people can't, guarantee their survival. Why do we choose a system of civilisation that puts itself at so much risk?"

Mr. Rees quite rightly mentions personal lifestyle preferences.

However, we also need to remember that local government hungry for residential and business rate revenues and developers avid for less expensive land to sell on at a profit are also pushing the same dangerous (albeit attractive) lifestyle.

This same scenario can be seen playing out in the Northern Rivers coastal town of Yamba right now.

Not only is Clarence Valley Council seriously considering development of flood prone land at West Yamba, this same land sits directly above scrub and forest cover which extends further south into Yuraygir National Park.

When strong southerly winds are driving bushfires, the blaze can (and has) come raging up past Wooloweyah and begin knocking on West Yamba's door.

Which makes one narrow bridge over the Clarence estuary a very chancy exit for around 6,000 people.

Photograph from The Australian

Greed no longer rules in the corridors of power?

I've watched with growing amazement as governments all around the world have thrown money at financial institutions and industry with almost reckless abandon as everyone tries to stop the economic haemorrhaging.
I thanked my lucky stars that (with the exception of the ABC childcare debacle) money wasn't going directly to corporation bailouts here in Australia.

When the Yanks began to put together their latest stimulus package I thought that some sanity might be returning, for President Obama was making a lot of noise about stopping these big corporations spending some of that enormous pile of taxpayer funding on their own salary packages and bonuses.

At first it seemed that my optimism was premature and greed was still stalking the corridors of power and board rooms across America because it appeared that the move to cap these often multi-million dollar payouts is in trouble.
"Congressional efforts to impose stringent restrictions on executive compensation appeared to be evaporating yesterday as House and Senate negotiators worked to fine-tune the compromise stimulus bill."
Another day brought other news however and the U.S. Congress has gone even further than the conditions suggested by Obama as it applies the cap retrospectively.
"The bill, which President Obama is expected to sign into law next week, limits bonuses for executives at all financial institutions receiving government funds to no more than a third of their annual compensation. The bonuses must be paid in company stock that can be redeemed only when the government investment has been repaid. With the measure, lawmakers seek to address public outrage over extravagant Wall Street paydays even as taxpayers bail out the industry."

Perhaps Sol Trujillo may decide to stay with Telstra after all - he now milks a more productive cow Downunder.

Across the Pacific: links comparing two economic stimulus packages

For all those political tragics out there this weekend.

From Open Congress last week the Obama Administration's $789.5 billion economic stimulus package in its final form:

H.R. 1 – American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009:

Text of the Conference Report-Division A

Text of the Conference Report-Division B

Joint Explanatory Statement – Division A

Joint Explanatory Statement – Division B

From Com Law the Rudd Government $42 billion economic stimulus package passed by the Australian Parliament last week:

Appropriation (Nation Building and Jobs) Bill (No. 1) 2008-2009

Appropriation (Nation Building and Jobs) Bill (No. 2) 2008-2009

Household Stimulus Package Bill 2009

Tax Bonus for Working Australians Bill 2009

Tax Bonus for Working Australians (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2009

Commonwealth Inscribed Stock Amendment Bill 2009

As the stimulus package amendments which the Rudd Government was forced to concede do not yet appear to have made it into publication, here is the Senate Hansard transcript for 12 February 2009.

Are hot days melting the Internetz?

Almost marching side by side with rising summer temperatures across Australia since late January - early February has been the strange behaviour of my Internet connection.

Now either (i) the heat is so severe that the Internetz are melting, (ii) I've suddenly developed the most wayward Internet connection, or (iii) some of the 6 ISPs identified as taking part in Conroy's ISP-level filtering trial (or a number of the other 10 small ISPs rumoured to be involved) are currently gearing up.

I telephoned Senator Conroy's Canberra office on Thursday 15 January and was told that the ISP applications of expression of interest were still being assessed and that the entire matter was behind a Chinese wall as it involved a commercial tender process and therefore was commercial-in-confidence.
I was further informed that the ISP-level filtering trial would not start for a couple of weeks at least.
This would of course take the staggered startup for the live trial right into the high volume of Net traffic as business entered its first full trading month for 2009.

Last Monday 9 February when I telephoned again I found the Senator's office was in a whimsical I don't THINK it's begun yet mood.

However, on Wednesday 11 February Senator Conroy finally announced that the trial was all go with six ISPs involved: Primus, Tech 2U, Webshield, OMNIconnect, Netforce and Highway 1.
Though he was careful not to give a start date for the trial. Here are Senator Conroy's weasel words in the media release.

So who do I believe here - the first staffer's very polite Sergeant Shultz defence, Conroy's sidestepping, or my suddenly erratic Internet connection?

Examples of the high number of Windows/Internet Explorer messages I have been seeing so far this past week:

The Requested Page Could Not Be Found

Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage

Proxy Error

The proxy server received an invalid response from an upstream server.
The proxy server could not handle the request *******************************.

Reason: Error reading from remote server

The webpage cannot be found

HTTP 404

Most likely causes:

There might be a typing error in the address.

If you clicked on a link, it may be out of date.

(Er, say again. It was the Google search engine I was trying to access)

403 Forbidden (WTF. It was an international news site)

403 Forbidden (For heaven's sake it was a picture of a beach, minus people!)

Server Error

The server encountered a temporary error and could not complete your request.
Please try again in 30 seconds.
Please see Google's Terms of Service posted at http://www.google.com/terms_of_service.html
(Oh dear, and all I was trying to do was read Still LIfe with Cat)

The web site you are accessing has experienced an unexpected error.
Please contact the website administrator.

Navigation to the webpage was canceled

Information Alert
Status : 504 Gateway Time-Out
Description : Unable to connect to origin web server. The web site you are attempting to access is currently unreachable. This may be due to a network outage, or the web site might be experiencing technical difficulties.

You are not permitted to browse this view (The Attorney-General's department has a hissy fit?)

And no, before anyone suggests it, my PCs don't appear to be infected with anything according to the checks I've run.

Sunday's LOL catting about

Clarencegirl has been out LOL catting again and sent me these.

Pollies taking advantage - quelle surprise!

Now I can understand the Federal Parliament taking one day away from ordinary business to offer condolences and show support for the Victorian bushfire victims.
I can almost understand Question Time being abandoned by both houses two days in a row.
But not for the entire week.
No real Question Time scrutiny of the Nation Building and Jobs Plan before it passed through Parliament and now I read that the Rudd Government is using the bushfires as an excuse for not handing down its "report card on the government's efforts to close the gap between black and white living standards this week as promised".
Kev, voters can feel the rough end of the pineapple when it's shoved towards them.
They recognise political skyving when they see it.
After all, most of them lived in Australia throughout the Howard years.

Valentine's Day cynic

Unless that's chocolate in your pocket don't bother..........

A word on climate change from a Crikey reader

In Crikey on 3 February:

Bruce Hore writes: I am no climate change scientist, but I do know:

• In Adelaide, we are having a week of temperatures over 40 degrees, peaking at 45.7 (hottest in 70 years). It's really f-cking hot!
• 20+ people a day are dying here due to heat related conditions. Why? Because it is really f-cking hot!
• We will have another 5-7 days over 35 degrees. It ain't 45, but it is still f-cking hot!
• Last year, we had 15 days in a row over 35 degrees (a record for an Oz metro centre). It was really f-cking hot then too.
• It is so f-cking hot that technology used by railways, tramlines and power companies all over the world, is failing here on a daily basis over a several week period.
• Adelaide had 100mm (15%+) less rainfall last year than on average.
• Adelaide had 1mm last month, 33+ mm less than usual. Its 2009 and, like financial redemption, there is no rain here either.
• The Murray and lower lakes are pretty much empty down this way (the Coorong is a mess), which I suspect doesn't get any coverage east of Bordertown. Old timers call it the worst it has ever been.

I am no climate change scientist, but I can tell you it is much hotter than it used to be with much less water around and the environment is suffering. We really need to change the way we use/treat the environment.

Bluescreen gives us the good oil on Conroy's internet censorship plans

From Alex Kidman and Bluescreen in a rollicking "It's a joke Joyce" mood yesterday:

"Bluescreen's Canberra correspondent got talking to some colleagues, who talked to somebody in the janitorial department, who then approached the department-of-leaking-stuff-to-the-opposition for the official word as to which filtering technology had been pre-approved to win the trials, in accordance with standard Government operating procedure.

Except that this time, there genuinely isn't just a single one.

Filtering technologies being assessed, so our janitorial spy tells us, include everything from the aforementioned whitelisting and image scanning all the way up to the mandatory introduction of Google Nothing. It's alleged that certain rural members of the Labour party were of the impression that Internet filtering involved Barramundi and lots of cheesecloth, but that couldn't be confirmed in writing, as apparently the individuals involved can't write yet, and had eaten their crayons again.

Bluescreen did stop to ponder over the chosen ISPs and consider contacting them, until he remembered that they'd probably be under a gag order anyway. In the case of Webshield, Bluescreen's email might not get through on the grounds that the company filters everything anyway, and one of Bluescreen's close relatives once fell foul of an Internet filter that viewed his blog as highly pornographic**.

There's always the one moderately large ISP in the list, Primus, and as Bluescreen was about to go ferreting around, the company pre-empted this by releasing a statement. Apparently the filtering technology will "be offered on an opt-in basis and customer participation will be totally voluntary. The ability for the customer to opt-in to the trial provides them ultimate freedom over their internet experience.***".

Bluescreen can't write comedy like that, but it wishes it could. If customers can opt out, will Primus gather any useful filtering information at all? What's the point in opting out if it's going to be a mandatory filter? Moreover, didn't the previous government offer exactly the same kind of Net filtering under an opt-in arrangement, only to have three families actually take them up on the offer. And didn't at least one of the teenagers affected just crack the filtering within five minutes anyway?

** Once again, utterly true. Apparently naked stick figures are hardcore filth. Who knew?
*** A genuine quote."

.....and Nick Broughall at Gizmodo says we're f##ked!

"Riiight... This whole ISP-level filter thing is becoming an even bigger joke than we'd previously thought. Not only did the government only select half a dozen tiny ISPs to trial the effectiveness of their filter technology (ignoring the fact that the country's second and third largest ISPs were prepared to play along to give some meaningful data), but the largest of the selected ISPs is going to trial the filter as an opt-in option for customers......

One can only hope that the farcical nature of this trial process is because the government is slowly pulling away from the whole idea. Because if this is the best the government can do, we all need to be really, really scared for the future of our freedoms online..."

Pic from Gizmodo on Friday 13th.

Attention: Rudd, Rees, Roxon, Saffin, Elliot. This mouth has been almost a decade on the Australian public dental treatment waiting list

This is the mouth of a NSW North Coast pensioner who has been on the public dental treatment waiting list for the better part of a decade.

A third world image of poverty in the Lucky Country.

When is the Federal Government going to finally fulfill its constitutional obligations and take full responsibility for public dental health services across Australia?

On threatened frogs, rare snails, small hills, public land and developers

In the Tweed Valley:

* A bunfight over the identity of a frog’s mating calls and the extinction of a rare snail population provide an insight into a long running legal dispute involving Tweed Shire Council and the shire’s biggest landowners, Gales Holdings.
The frog-and-snail imbroglio centres on just one parcel of Gales’s extensive holdings between Kingscliff and Chinderah which have been the subject of rezoning battles ever since the company acquired them seven years ago.
Conflicting claims about the frog’s identity and the fate of the snails typifies the complexities involved in a string of court cases initiated by the company in a so far failed bid to rezone the bulk of their land for a district shopping centre.

* Tweed Shire Council’s general manager, Mike Rayner, braved a crowd of more than 300 people protesting against the proposed closure and sale of part of Bay Street on Saturday to deny that any secret deals were involved.
Rally organisers invited Mr Rayner to stand on the back of a tray-top truck parked in the Chris Cunningham Park to speak to a bigger-than-expected turnout of people upset over the sale and possible loss of up to 4,000 square metres of parkland and dozens of trees.

In the Clarence Valley:

* AN impending rescission motion against the sale of the Maclean car park may be made all the more interesting with Clarence Valley Council set to decide on the expansion of the area to include more parking spaces.
Council's civil and corporate committee will tomorrow consider recommended approval of the reconfiguration of the car park and Centenary Drive, following a public consultation period.
Despite all the interest that has been aroused with the car park and possible sale to build a new supermarket complex, only four submissions were received in relation to the concept.
If accepted, the car park will increase in size by another 84 car parks, with three car and caravan vacancies to be included.
It will also signal the loss of about 240m² of green space, another gripe from those opposing the sale of the land to private developers.

In Byron Shire:

* Suellen Watson started an avalanche. When she heard that the north face of Mt Chincogan was up for sale she decided to write to The Echo and encourage the community to join together to buy this iconic piece of North Coast history.
‘I just thought there had to be something the community could do,’ says Suellen. ‘If you keep talking about it and communicating, something’s got to happen. If we can save some local history, particularly aboriginal history, then it must benefit the community.’
Now it seems the idea is beginning to take hold with missives from the vendor and Rainforest Rescue (see letters pages) encouraging locals to take the opportunity to return the mountain to the community and enable access to its walking tracks and dizzying heights.
Mt Chincogan looms large in Mullumbimby history. The town’s name is thought to derive from the language of the Bundjalung people with ‘muli’ said to mean ‘hill’. The full name has been interpreted as meaning ‘small round hill’ – a reference to the mountain beneath which the town is situated. Even the road to Mullum was carefully designed to frame Mt Chincogan on entry and exit.

How to recognise a North Coast property developer:

1. Wears jeans, a business suit or an akubra hat, depending on how he wants to present his 'image' to the community and local councillors.

2. Is observed on occasion to suddenly develop an intense interest in the future career prospects of council town planners.

3. Only believes in democratic methods if he feels the vote is going his way and throws tantrums in the local media if he doesn't get what he's after.

4. Sometimes promises potential objectors to his plans a 'sweetener', such as an all-expenses paid holiday on the quiet.

5. Brags about successfully altering development consents eg., by exchanging the promise of a couple of park benches, picnic table and a concrete path for the return of a few million dollars worth of waterfront land.

6. Secretly considers local government an impediment and often makes large political donation to state government.

7. Has a history of cultivating candidates at local government elections or encouraging a business partner/close friend to stand for election.

Steve shrilling.....and Nick pontificating

Sometimes a glimpse of Family First's Senator Steve Fielding breaks a fella out in hives and sometimes it just brings on a burst of laughter.
His shrill impotence in the Senate last Wednesday was a joy to behold; "I am deadset serious about this. This is just a joke. I may not be the best negotiator. I am just a kid from Reservoir, but, sure as all heck, I know when someone is stuffing around.....We need a stimulus package. It is just a shame that the government think that they need no other ideas except their own. It is very sad. It is a very sad day."
Yer - you tell 'em Little Stevie. Twist and shout, drum your heels into the carpet while the adults look the other way.
Fair dinkum, it's a joke.

At the same time Independent Senator Nick Xenophon tried and failed not to sound pompous as he threw his political weight around; "Do I support the package? My biggest concern about the package has been not simply what we are spending but also what we are buying. I do know that targeted infrastructure spending will serve generations to come, which is important because, if future generations are going to pay off this debt, the deal we do now must benefit them too. When faced with complex global crises and equally complex economic responses as we deal with this response package, it is important to be clear about what we know, what we do not know and what we cannot know. I believe this is an important point to make even if I risk sounding a little like Donald Rumsfeld."
And then later smug when interviewed on the 7.30 Report.

What is amusing in all this is that the Senate Inquiry into the Nation Building and Jobs Plan (on which both these men sat as participating members) recommended in its final report that the Senate pass those 6 bills immediately.
As the Committee hearing evidence was evenly balanced between Labor and Coalition senators whose votes along party lines cancelled each other out, then some of the remaining 6 minor party/independent senators must have voted to recommend that the Senate pass the second stimulus package post haste.
I wonder if somebody was overcompensating here?
Of course the plaintive mewing gave him away - it was bound to be Fielding.
However, Xenophon is by far the more cynical pollie of the two.
He honestly thinks that no-one will dare utter so much as a peep when he repeats the supposed rational for his blatant money grab ie., that throwing water buyback money at irrigators in the Lower Murray Darling (for water that doesn't yet exist) and similar measures will make the skies open and the rain fall.
He is happy to blackmail the country and can't hide the frisson as he contemplates the power he has greedily grabbed with both hands.
Yup, the man sounds and acts a lot like Rumsfeld.

* Possum over at Pollytics hopes that Xenophon will come to his senses later today Friday 13th;
"In 15 hours we’ll know whether Australia passes a package that minimises the economic and human costs from the GFC induced slowdown, or whether these blokes [Xenaphon, Turnbull and Joyce] become the 3 Stooges of the Recession.
Parochial Stooge, Political Stooge and from watching the Senate committee on this package, a bloke not too far removed from a bag of hammers.
I’m flabbergasted - let’s hope Xenophon comes to his senses tomorrow or he will carry a very heavy burden.
The real irony here is it’s the bloke in the middle that’s probably the one completely sh*tting himself, because if this package fails to get through the Senate, the fallout against Turnbull by the public will be enormous. Every piece of bad news will become his fault in the mind of a huge chunk of the public - Labor will make sure of it. That better economic manager series we looked at earlier might become a nostalgic golden age for the Coalition."

UPDATE 1.10pm:

The Federal Government's $42 billion economic stimulus package will pass the Senate after a deal was struck today between Labor and the independent Senator Nick Xenophon.
Senator Xenophon said he would vote for the package after winning $900 million in extra funds for the ailing Murray-Darling basin and other water projects.
It involves bringing forward an extra $500 million over the next three years for water buybacks, $200 million in grants to assist local communities save water and to better manage water and $200 million in stormwater harvesting projects.

Friday the 13th

A sop to superstition from Photobucket

Paid good money for a gig and been denied entry?

If your answer is "YES", then this should be of interest.


inthemix.com.au reports that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) are said to be investigating claims made by disgruntled punters following the Laneway Festival in Melbourne earlier this month. The Age report that the ACCC are following up on accusations made against the event’s organisers after several hundred ticket purchasers were left stranded outside one of the festival’s stages, unable to gain entry to see artists they’d paid up to $100 to see.

At 7.30pm access to the Little Lonsdale Stage was closed for “safety reasons”, meaning many festival goers did not get the chance to see headline acts Girl Talk and Architecture In Helsinki. Following the event, organisers laid blame on a small number of punters who were causing trouble, as well as on an eleventh hour issue which forced them to greatly reduce capacity to the area. Complaints lodged with the ACCC contend that it was not noted on tickets that there would be limited access available.

In the days following the event groups began appearing on Facebook, with many irate punters demanding a refund on their ticket purchase. One group in particular, named ‘Cheated by St Jerome’s Laneway Festival 2009 – I want a refund’, has almost 800 members and included direct links through to the ACCC website for disgruntled fans to lodge complaints.

Laneway’s directors, Jerome Borazio and Danny Rogers, were understandably upset by the unfortunate incident at their Melbourne event, and are said to have promised a ‘personal phone call’ to any punter who complains to them direct. “Danny and I have read every single complaint,” Mr Borazio told The Age. “We care about what has been said and we’re looking at the reality of what we can do to restore faith in the festival. We’re devastated.”

Send your emails to :info@lanewayfestival.com.au

Image above from http://www.lanewayfestival.com.au/main#l=news/15

Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin. The theory of evolution rocks!

Today; two hundred years ago Charles Robert Darwin, the English naturalist, was born and human society became all the richer for this fact.

Do companies really have the corporate will to green their IT?

In Computer World this week:

Should CIOs get ready to add "energy czar" to their list of job roles?

McKinsey & Co., a management think tank, seems to believe as much. In a study presented last year at the Uptime Institute's Green Enterprise Computing Symposium, McKinsey called on companies to move accountability for facilities operations to the CIO and to appoint an internal energy czar to better focus on the true cost of data center ownership, which includes both equipment and facilities expenses------

With no takers willing to publicly sign on to McKinsey's challenge, Computerworld sought out companies -- including Google and Yahoo -- that are leading the charge to take control of data center energy costs. The conclusion: Corporate America is indeed thinking seriously about data center energy costs, but many companies aren't yet ready to commit to changes as sweeping as what McKinsey proposes.

Why does McKinsey advocate such a radical shift in responsibilities? Forrest points out several reasons behind the recommendation. First, data centers are usually the biggest users of energy in a corporation. Second, IT would be charged with developing and implementing the technology -- such as dashboards -- required to measure and monitor energy efficiency anyway.

And third, it's important that companies designate someone who can be held accountable for total data center costs and energy efficiency, he notes. Even in companies that have set up a "green champion," if that person isn't given the power and authority to deliver results, "it makes the job very limited," says Forrest. The company may trumpet a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 8 percent a year, for example, "but there's no means of tying that to any real executive action."

Microsoft offers free toll to calculate business carbon footprint.

Will they tar 'n' feather Danny in Corryong?

Corryong February 2009 from Flickr

Catch the Fire Ministries' Danny Nailah went into the religious twilight zone last Tuesday when he tried to say that this month's Victorian bushfires were God's punishment for abortion law reform.

Bet the poor sod's a bit worried now.

Next Saturday he's due in Corryong (which is in a northern part of the bushfire belt) for a holy spirit revival meeting.

He'll be lucky if he's not cursed all the way out of town!

Copy of Corryong revival leaflet - complete with catchy flame graphics.