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.
Thecommunity consultation report preceding the Defence White Paper 2009 had this summary of the Australian-United States Alliance: The Panel found that there is general public acceptance that the US Alliance is critical to Australia's security and that the assistance of the US would be necessary to defend Australia against a direct attack by a major power. There is also an increasing appreciation of the high- end capability benefits that Australia derives from this relationship. A number of people commented that, although Australian governments have made relatively limited ADF contributions to Coalition operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Australia would be expected to make a much larger contribution to any high intensity conflict in the Asia Pacific region and continue to take the principal role in our immediate region. Various individuals and groups opposed certain aspects of the Alliance, particularly:Australia's support for the US-led invasion of Iraq; Australia's association, through our Joint Facilities at Pine Gap, with the US Missile Defence program; the increasing financial burden of maintaining interoperability with high end US capabilities; and that ADF acquisition of high end capabilities was seen to be indicative of Australia's intent to continue to support high intensity, US led, conflicts. Some also hold the view that Australia's support of certain US policies such as the war in Iraq and missile defence has diminished Australia's international reputation and, in the views of some people, made it a target of terrorism. These observations should be contrasted with the views expressed by a large majority of Australians of the continuing value of the Australian / US relationship. 2
As a society we continue to have a bob each way on the subject of Teh United States of Big Bullies and Rapacious Spivs.
Key findings in the community consultation phase are here and final version of the white paperDefending Australia in the Asia-Pacific Century: Force 2030 is here The final version holds few surprises and continues to see the United States as our saviour in times of trouble while broadly committing to the usual uncritical support of US foreign policy.
Like the Americans our defence force types are looking to create a cyber warfare capability, but my personal favourite is this wee bawbee which ticks off on many Howard-era dog whistles: 1.10 We have also seen the more evident emergence over the past decade of new areas of risk, such as cyber warfare, space warfare and the remote possibility that weapons of mass destruction (WMD) might be borne directly to Australia by long-range ballistic missiles launched short of a nuclear war - more of a risk during the Cold War - or by terrorist groups that might seek access to such destructive weapons.
And the irony of this statement does not go unnoticed given that the Rudd Government has this week deferred the proposed national emission trading scheme: 4.63 The main effort against such developments will of course need to be undertaken through coordinated international climate change mitigation and economic assistance strategies,and concerted international action to assure energy supply and distribution, which will need to be at the forefront of Australia's policy responses.
The WOW Film Festival will be screening at Grafton on Friday May 8 and in Yamba Friday and Saturday May 8-9. This stimulating and challenging selection of films is an eclectic mix of drama and comedy.........
The World of Women (WOW) Film Festival is a short film festival that promotes and awards the talents of women directors, producers, writers, editors and cinematographers in the Australian film industry and in Oceania. It is a unique festival that offers emerging and established filmmakers the opportunity to screen short works giving a thematic perspective of 'seeing the world through the eyes of women'. Clarence Valley audiences will see films featuring well known actors (such as Alex Dimitrades, David Gulpilil, Catherine McClements, Diane Craig and Gary Macdonald) and be surprised by new talent who will enthrall the audience with compelling performances. [Clarence Valley Council]
Lyn describes Bedas "somewhere between experimental art, documentary and voyeurism" that should resonate with anyone who has ever shared a bed with a dog.
Contact Yamba Cinema PH: (02) 6646.9656 or 6646.3430 for bookings. For details of Grafton session PH: (02) 6641.1603 TAFE NSW, Grafton Campus, Clarence St, Grafton.
This question was asked by Sylvia Hale MLC of the NSW Minister for Planning Kristina Keneally on 26 March 2009 (session 54-1) and printed in Questions & Answers Paper No. 92.
West Yamba LEP
Given the Mid North Coast Regional Strategy has identified West Yamba as a low lying area, are there major development constraints in the face of climate change impacts, specifically flooding and inundation, in West Yamba?
Will consideration be given to the latest climate science and sea level rise predictions when assessing the draft West Yamba LEP Amendment based on new data contained in the Government's Draft Sea Level Rise Policy Statement and coming out of the Copenhagen conference?
Clarence Valley Council has determined that residential development can be safely achieved by filling the West Yamba floodplain to half a metre above their projections of the 2090 maximum flood level, basing its calculations for safe floor levels on the 2007 International Panel on Climate Change predictions of less than 59cm. However, new predictions by scientists meeting in Copenhagen in 2009 estimate sea level will rise to double the level of the 2007 predictions. Should the Department and councils such as Clarence Valley Council therefore be revising their estimates of sea level rise and therefore the West Yamba LEP?
It took just on five weeks for this pathetic reply to come back on 29 April 2009 and to be printed in a Questions & Answers Paper on 5 May 2009.
Answer—
The Mid North Coast Regional Strategy identifies West Yamba as a site that requires issues to be resolved prior to rezoning. The Strategy requires that the issue of flooding needs to be resolved to determine the future development potential of the site.
–3.The draft Local Environmental Plan (LEP) will be reviewed against the Government's draft Sea Level Rise policy and the floodplain studies undertaken by Council.
Not good enough Minister Keneally, just not good enough.
The weird and wonderful things thatTwitter throws up and over:
Georgia candidate for governor in favour of secession, creationism, pro-life policies. Oh, and s#x with mules.http://is.gd/w73i 2009 CIA OSC translation of secret Israeli database shows full extent of illegal settlements http://tinyurl.com/wlisrael www.toiletmap.gov.au really was an idea that had to cross its legs until the advent of pervasive mobile IP. Chinese censorship keywords, policies leaked http://tinyurl.com/wlchina We are expecting God to release a statement.....http://tinyurl.com/cajulr
Latest Treasurer's Note from Wayne Swan http://cli.gs/stimulusplan - Have you signed up to stimulus plan updates yet? #KevinPM Team Man who slept with gun shoots self http://is.gd/wCej
Let me now go to the question of targets. On the question of targets the Australian Government remains committed to reducing carbon pollution by five per cent against 2000 levels by 2020, regardless of action taken internationally. Secondly, we also retain our commitment to reduce emissions by up to 15 per cent of 2000 levels by 2020 in the context of a global agreement that falls short of the 450 parts per million outcome but satisfies criteria already specified in the White Paper. Thirdly, we now commit to reduce carbon pollution by 25 per cent by 2000 levels by 2020 if the world agrees to an ambitious global deal to stabilise levels of CO2 equivalent in the atmosphere by at least 450 parts per million by 2050. This of course, 450 parts per million outcome, is an outcome consistent with Australia having the prospect of saving the Barrier Reef. Furthermore, if this happened, that is if we did achieve that significant and ambitious and comprehensive global outcome around 450 parts per million, the Government has further committed to realising five per cent of that 25 per cent – up to five per cent of that 25 per cent – by the Government purchasing international credits including investment in the protection of international forests.
Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
The Wilkins Ice Shelf, on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula, experienced multiple disintegration events in 2008. By the beginning of 2009, a narrow ice bridge was all that remained to connect the ice shelf to ice fragments fringing nearby Charcot Island. That bridge gave way in early April 2009. Days after the ice bridge rupture, on April 12, 2009, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA's Terra satellite took this image of the southern base of the ice bridge, where it connected with the remnant ice shelf. Although the ice bridge has played a role in stabilizing the ice fragments in the region, its rupture doesn't guarantee the ice will immediately move away. [NASA Image of the Day]
Hexy of Hexpletive guestposting over at Hoyden about Town about Andrew Bolt's nasty views in Andrew Bolt, Wajin-looking Koori, Aboriginality, and comments full of lies: Oh, that's just magic. If Andrew Bolt can point to one single "full-blood Aborigine" with whom he has discussed this matter and who expressed that sentiment, I'll eat my hat. No, even more extreme… I'll f*ck Andrew Bolt........... The only people who have ever expressed disbelief of my Aboriginality based on my skin tone have been over-privileged white f*ckwits who feel entitled to decide who does and does not get to claim membership of a demographic they themselves have no connection at all to. [letter substitutions to avoid those *#@ filters] Hexy you are a joy to read.
It seems that Barack Obama has discovered the delights of former Australian prime minister John Howard's approach to core and non-core promises.
The latest to surface is in relation to the Freedom of Choice Act. It appears that once you're president then any pretence that you really believe in a woman's right to chose, in relation to pregnancy termination, flies out the window.
Here is FactCheck on the subject: Is Obama shying away from the Freedom of Choice Act? When CNN correspondent Ed Henry asked the president about his current thinking on FOCA at last night's White House press conference, Obama used very different language than he did during the campaign. In 2008, as we noted in our Ask FactCheck item on FOCA, Obama told a Planned Parenthood audience: "The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. Now that's the first thing I'd do." Last night, Obama specifically altered that statement. "Now, the Freedom of Choice Act is not my highest legislative priority," he said. "I believe that women should have the right to choose, but I think that the most important thing we can do to tamp down some of the anger surrounding this issue is to focus on those areas that we can agree on," such as reducing unwanted pregnancies.
In Australia our urban population is mainly spread along a hundred kilometre wide coastal fringe, predominately on the eastern and southern sides of the continent.
Our preferred housing is often in areas which were developed for the first time in the last 10 to 50 years, often on recently cleared land.
This means that there are many houses which are built close to remnant bushland, open space, rural land or national park and therefore close to native species of plant, animal, reptile, insect et cetera. In such areas it would be hard to find a house without a resident spider or two.
So when did it become a sign of uncleanliness to house the odd spider?
The answer is easy - when you have pest inspection services to sell.
Archicentre which conducts pre-purchase inspections on behalf of potential homebuyers found many homeowners who had little understanding of the need to keep their homes clean and well-maintained had no one but themselves to blame.
The figures show: TRACES of rats or mice in 46 per cent of homes. SPIDERS in 58 per cent of homes. COCKROACHES in 15 per cent of homes. POSSUMS in 13 per cent of homes and SILVERFISH in 5 per cent of homes. TERMITES were found in 12 per cent of homes.
Living in a town built on reclaimed marsh and sand as I do, Daddy Long Legs and Tarantulas under the eaves (along with frogs and lizards at ground level) are the first line of defence against all those mosquitos, sandflies, midges and other flying biters that can make life a misery.
The Senate Select Committee on Climate Changehearings in April-May 2009 threw up these lines in the battle between believers and sceptics, in a brief sampling of the transcripts published so far:
Senator BOSWELL—Has that sea level started to rise? Is there a rise in sea level? Dr Raupach—Yes, it is starting to rise. It is going up at over three millimetres per year at the moment. The point is that these areas have economic implications. I am also not an economist but I cannot imagine that any of those three or other climate change impacts that we are talking about would be free of economic implications. It is not the economy versus the climate.
Prof. Steffen—If you want to know what is happening to the climate system, do not look at the atmosphere,look at the ocean. You will really see what is happening there. There is no cooling since 1998 in the ocean. In fact recent corrected measurements done by John Church and colleagues show that the ocean has warmed 50 per cent more than we had thought, once we got our sensors improved and their interpretation. The ocean records are absolutely clear. The earth's climate system is warming. It continues to warm. There has been no cooling trends over the past 10 years.
Senator CAMERON—The Science of Climate Change from the CSIRO—
Prof. Franks—I notice it is a very thin document.
Senator CAMERON—What will this appearance do for your careers?
Prof. Carter—A very important point of your question is that the same week that those 2,000 people, not 2,000 scientist, were meeting in Copenhagen, 700 people, mostly scientists, were meeting at another climate conference in New York that came to diametrically the opposite conclusion to the Copenhagen conference.
Prof. Karoly—My guess is that you will not get very much of a range of perspectives, but you may. First of all, Bob Carter and Stewart Franks are in fact in a minority of both scientist and climate scientists in Australia. In fact, neither of them is a climate scientist who publishes actively in the climate science literature.
Senator BOSWELL—That is not what they said. They said they did publish.
Prof. Karoly—Not in climate science literature. They publish in small journals.
CHAIR—Do not be overwhelmed, Senator Cameron. We are all senators. Senator CAMERON—I am nearly professored-out today, I must say.
Prof. Karoly—If Professor Plimer is correct he will win the Nobel Prize for proving that climate change is not happening due to increasing greenhouse gases. I think the chances of that are much lower than the chances of anyone else on this panel winning the Nobel Prize.
Senator CAMERON—Is that the Australian you are reading, is it?
Senator BOSWELL—Yes.
Senator CAMERON—Oh, no.
Senator BOSWELL—That is the paper that actually got you elected, so I would not complain too much!
Senator IAN MACDONALD—Good call, Bozzie!
Senator BOSWELL—I do not know whether we achieve a great deal when one group of scientists puts the boot into another group of scientists. I do not know who is right and I do not know who is wrong and I do not believe we will ever find out. What I do understand—
Prof. Steffen—The point about science is that it is not just one group of scientists putting the boot into another group of scientists. Science is not like politics or religion. It is not what you believe and you debate that; it is an observation and evidence-based activity in which we constantly challenging each other. Members of the panel challenge each other.
CHAIR—Thank you very much, gentlemen. Whoever wants to respond to this can do so.
There was a fairly significant article in the Australian last week talking about ice in the Antarctic.
Senator IAN MACDONALD—As there was again this morning.
CHAIR—You might be able to enlighten us about that.
Dr Allison—My specialty is in ice. I have been working in glaciology for about 40 years, in both ice sheets and sea ice. I am not sure how familiar the panel is with ice in Antarctica, but a lot of misinterpretations get into the press about what is going on and why it is going on. I have a cartoon here, which I might try to talk to. I have a few copies that I will hand out. A lot of the reports that you see in the press confuse ice on the land, ice that originates from snowfall—what we call 'meteoric ice'—which is in ice sheets, glaciers and ice shelves, with what is called sea ice, which forms largely by direct freezing of the ocean in the polar regions. I have not seen the Australian, but there has been a recent report on an increase in the extent of Antarctic sea ice. I will put that aside for a moment.
Dr Allison—In my opinion, the newspaper article that you are talking about was selective. It concentrated on a rise in ice in East Antarctica. There is a very much greater loss of ice from West Antarctica. There is clear evidence now that overall the Antarctic ice sheet is losing ice at a rate of somewhere between 0.2 and 0.3 millimetres of sea level per year. The East Antarctic is very close to imbalance. There may be a slight increase, but it is more than offset by the loss of ice from West Antarctica by discharge and from the Antarctic Peninsula.
Mr Gunn—I think there is absolutely no doubt that the scientific consensus is that this is a global problem that needs to be fixed up globally. I do think it is inappropriate, sitting in a public servant's chair, to comment more broadly on policy within Australia, but— Senator CASH—That is why I asked that political issues be put aside. Mr Gunn—It is a very simple question. This is a global problem and needs to be addressed globally.
When I stand before the mirror each morning making myself tidy for the coming day, I do notice the head of grey hair and eyebrows threatening to follow suit as well as other signs which show that the svelte young thing with a honey blonde bob left the building many years ago. However, when I quit the bathroom I quickly forget my appearance. So when waiting at a bustop last week a pert young thing in her thirties stood back to let me enter the bus first, saying "Elders first", I was shocked. Did she really mean me?
The Bunker Cartoon Galleryholds a collection of approximately 16,000 cartoons. Council took over responsibility for the care of the gallery's permanent collection from the Rotary Club of Coffs Harbour City in September 2006, and recognises the Cartoon Collection as a very valuable community cultural asset.
Regular themed exhibitions are drawn from the Bunker's collection of cartoons and caricatures and hung in the foyer or the main gallery space for a number of weeks, often coinciding or linking in with travelling exhibitions.
Location: The Bunker Cartoon Gallery is located on John Champion Way, City Hill, Corner of Hogbin Drive and Albany Street, Coffs Harbour.
Cost: $2 adults; $1 children.
Opening Times: The Gallery is opened Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm.
Contact: The Bunker Cartoon Gallery can be contacted on (02) 6651 7343.
Rudders & the Council of Australian Governments are re-enacting the political stupidity of the Howard era and charging down the valley towards the guns of global warming armed only with the forlorn hope that government can again defer doing anything meaningful about greenhouse gas emissions. Yesterday's COAG communique tells teh plebs exactly what is expected of us - use less energy, pay more for what energy we do use, invest in renewable energy products for our homes and handover the credit for any energy savings to whatever big polluter needs to hide the fact that it's refusing to clean up its act. By the time Rudders has bent over backwards to please every big industry player and political donor, there will be almost no large business paying for carbon credits or obliged to invest in renewable energy. So many are exempt under Rudders latest massage of the renewable energy target scheme that it fair sticks in the craw. COAG is obviously hellbent on taking part in a 21st century version of the Charge of the Light Brigade, when stupidity amongst the officer class resulted in annihilation.
"How outrageous to so bully a prosecutor for simply arguing the law must be upheld against demonstrators who destroy the property of others."
Mr Bolt only published a portion of the exchange between Ms Popovic and the prosecutor, and it is arguable that his observation about the bullying of the prosecutor was supported by what he published. But when the whole exchange is revealed, the context shows beyond doubt in my opinion, that there is no basis for the observation made by Mr Bolt. He has distorted what in fact occurred, with the result that he was able to make a critical comment. If the whole transcript had been published, it would have been clear to the reasonable reader that there was no basis whatsoever for the comment.
By distorting the facts, Mr Bolt has conveyed to the reader a false impression. As a result of the false impression, Mr Bolt was able to make a critical comment concerning Ms Popovic which arguably was supported by the distorted facts. But the true position was that the exchange between Ms Popovic and the prosecutor did not justify or even arguably support the critical comment made.
According to the evidence, Mr Bolt received a faxed copy of a report of what had occurred at the hearing on 30 November, and attached to it was a version typed by the police of the discussion between Ms Popovic and the prosecutor which had been recorded. The exhibit now before the court is faded and difficult to read. However, Mr Bolt read the report and the transcript and highlighted parts of the latter document. According to Mr Bolt, he took the view that there had been an error in the transcript where it read - "MAGISTRATE: I am warning you, now, I don't wish to enter an argument with you." Without seeking clarification and without asking to hear the recording, Mr Bolt formed the view that there should have been a full stop after the word "now". He said he was correcting an error and described it as an "ungrammatical error". He went on to say that he thought the punctuation mark was missing. It was then put to him that it was an example of "selective quoting changing the meaning of what was said, do you agree?" and he replied, "Certainly not". He was also asked the question, "And do you agree now that you changed the meaning of what was said?" to which he replied, "Absolutely not". He was then asked this question - "So without reference back to Mr Mohammad or anyone in the prosecution section and certainly no reference to the magistrate who said it or to the official court reporting people you entered a full stop after the word `Now'?" Mr Bolt replied - "Yes, I think I was right to do. I would have liked to have had the whole sense because I think it would have been even more damning to include it. I did not." His denials cannot stand in light of the full transcript of the exchange. No reasonable jury could have accepted his oral evidence.
In my opinion no jury could, in light of the distortion of the facts, come to the conclusion that the making of the publication was reasonable in the circumstances. The facts were not in dispute. It is noted that two of the three imputations relied upon by Ms Popovic were based upon the comment made by Mr Bolt concerning bullying a prosecutor for simply arguing the law. Mr Bolt's conduct in the circumstances was at worst dishonest and misleading and at best, grossly careless. It reflects upon him as a journalist.[My highlighting]
In early 2009 President Obama ordered a review of U.S. cyber security.
When the U.S. begins to openly discuss a cyber warfare command it is seen as a legitimate weapon in the arsenal, albeit allegedly for defence. Cyber assault is also seen by governments around the world as a legitimate vehicle for espionage.
However, when the U.S. canvasses what non-government agency or individual might use cyber attack to achieve a political aim, then it's all about the left wing and hacktivism according to a U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security report.
Not only is it about the left-wing; it's about particular types of so-called left extremists - anarchists, environmentalists and animal rightists.
And among these three groups, singled out for particular mention are anti-logging protestors and anti-GM activists because loggers and farmers use IT technology now.
I'm sure many who oppose old forest logging or the introduction of GM crops to Australia will be amused to find that the U.S. Government considers them extremists and a threat if they happen to own a computer.
However, what is really amusing is the thought that no-one at Homeland Security appears to believe that the right-wing is computer literate enough to mount increasing numbers of cyber attacks over the next decade.
Just as the times of Barack Obama defy the easy descriptions and old labels, so too does the man himself. Indeed, if the first 100 days of President Obama's term have proved anything, it is that he is a hard man to classify. He has confounded, at one time or another, people at just about every spot across the political spectrum. He likes big and activist government, but he isn't a classic liberal. He is more of a social engineer than a guardian of the old welfare state. He's phenomenally popular among Democrats, but has found the most support for some of his foreign-policy moves among Republicans. He's pulling combat troops out of Iraq, but more slowly than he once promised -- and at the same time has laid plans to add more troops in Afghanistan than the Bush administration envisioned. Asked whether there is yet a discernible Obama doctrine in foreign affairs, a longtime national security operative pauses and responds: "If there is a doctrine, it would have to be engagement." Which is more a tactic than a doctrine. He sometimes sounds like a protectionist, but so far has acted mostly like a free-trader. He talks a lot about fiscal discipline, yet is overseeing the nation's first trillion-dollar deficits. He's made history as America's first African-American president, yet probably talks less about race than did the last Democratic president, Bill Clinton.
After 100 days in office, we find President Obama is sticking to the facts – mostly.
Nevertheless, we find that the president has occasionally made claims that put him and his policies in a better light than the facts warrant. He has claimed that private economists agreed with the forecast in his budget, when they were really more pessimistic. He's used Bush-like budget-speak trying to sound frugal while raising spending to previously unimagined levels. And he has exaggerated the problems his proposals aim to cure by misstating facts about school drop-out rates and oil imports.
At the same time, there's been no shortage of dubious claims made about the president by his political opponents. Republicans have falsely claimed that Obama planned to spend billions on a levitating train and that his stimulus bill would require doctors to follow government orders on what medical treatments can and can't be prescribed, among other nonsense.
And those whoppers are mild compared with some of the positively deranged claims flying about the Internet. No, the national service bill Obama signed won't prevent anybody from going to church, for example. And no, he's not trying to send Social Security checks to illegal immigrants.
President Barack Obama reaches the 100 days milestone "more popular than his policies," says MarketWatch reporter Robert Schroeder. And it's a mixed milestone, with some major accomplishments, but a lot of uncertainty about the next 100 days and beyond. "He can point to several things such as the stimulus, children's health insurance, the plans to withdraw from Iraq," says Schroeder. "But there are still lots of people out there in the country, including many who voted for him, who are still unemployed, anxious."
From his first day in office, President Obama has spoken about transparency in government. He has added the word accountability to many of the initiatives of his administration. There is indeed a better sense of openness in government that we can all applaud. The Center is happy to have faster responses to our Freedom of Information Requests. However, even as we mark the President's first 100 days in office, the Center for Public Integrity is only too well aware of the many ways that government still misses opportunities for even greater transparency and accountability in the public interest. Our mission and our work remain the same, to make institutional power more transparent and accountable through our original investigative journalism.
The best example of what this means is our recent investigative work: digging into the Climate Lobby funneling money to the Congress and the so-called "Clean Coal" campaign; uncovering the home appraisal bubble pushed by lenders; and revealing the steep drop in Pentagon fraud and corruption cases while the number of federal contracts to private industry soared.
As the economy has worsened in the first three months of this year and credit markets remain sclerotic, complaints are growing from Wall Street to Washington that Obama is doing too much, spreading himself too thin. Almost in the same breath, though, there has been criticism that he has ducked hard decisions, such as postponing a commission on the social security system in the face of Democrat opposition, or not pushing ahead with a ban on assault weapons after another spate of mass shootings. The New York Times wrote this week: "His early willingness to deal or fold has left commentators, and some loyal Democrats, wondering: where's the fight?" "The thing we still don't know about him is what he is willing to fight for," Leonard Burman, an economist at the Urban Institute, and a Treasury department official in the Clinton administration, was quoted as saying. "It's hard to think of a place where he's taken a really hard position."
If I held any remnant hope that a change in government meant Australia's foreign policy was no longer dictated by Washington, that fell away yesterday when Kevin Rudd announced that he would be sending more Aussie soldiers to the US & NATO alliance war in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. When Rudd fronted the cameras to tell us he was sending more troops into harm's way he mentioned the US President by name at least 5 times. And don't think it wasn't noticed that this announcement was timed to take advantage of whatever nationalistic sentiments were still in the air after ANZAC Day.
Because I can't help wondering just how many are phantoms created by incorrectly spelt names being originally entered into government digital databases.
I once had a digital shadow because one letter was left off my name during an AEC update of the rolls and this caused me no end of problems at the polling booth until it was sorted.
It seems I'm not alone in this as it is mentioned from time to time in the blogosphere.
Google Trends cannot give a definitive answer, but it most usefully supplied this short profile of who visits News.com.au websites in 2009.
It is likely that those who read Murdoch's online newspapers mostly hail from Australia and America, favour the Herald-Sun, are sports fans and look up telephone numbers on the Internet.
Smack bang in the middle of aByron Shire Echoarticle on 21st April 2009 about an upcoming event involving school children came this little line.
I'm still wondering what it's all about. What one earth is mention of an American site like this doing on a free online newspaper? Will the Byron Shire Echo be the first NSW North Coast newspaper to make it onto Conroy's URL blacklist? {smiling evilly}
Update: The Byron Shire Echo's woes continue. I'm told that visitors to its website on 6 May 2009 found that they had been diverted to yet another p#rn site and a video involving a group grope.
There have been a number of mentions of a recent episode of the animated comedySouth Park which depicted the Australian Prime Minister as John Howard instead of Kevin Rudd.
I honestly don't think the issue rates much attention, because it only reflects the real level of the world's knowledge of Australia and this lack of depth has been well-known for years.
Kevin Rudd and Labor coming to power in 2007 may have created a wave of interest across the nation but in general the world shrugged, yawned and rolled over.
Here are Google Trends for the terms Kevin Rudd and Prime Minister Rudd (January 2007 to date) showing the spatial distribution of Internet searches using that search engine.
It is evident that only in Australia is there enough interest in Kevin Rudd to drive high volume search traffic.
If anyone thought otherwise then they have been reading too much into national mainstream media reports since Kevin 07 and his team contested the last federal election.
ABC News gave us the good oil on that Iced Vo-Vo war between Arnott's Biscuits and Krispy Creme. It's a case of duelling lawyers at dawn. But before anyone starts to beat the patriotic drum and talk about Aussie icons - both these companies are U.S. clones. Arnott's is owned by the multinational Campbell Soup Company and Krispy Creme is an international franchise. The Iced Vo-Vo is now about as Australian as the doughnut and quality was substituted after 1997. So go for each other's throats fellas, because in all this a dinkum Aussie has the neutrality of the Swiss (and those of us who remember when a local biscuit really was a cut above the Yanks best will look on with amusment as you fling money at law firms during this global recession).
Put the kettle on will ya, Darl and bring in a few of those bickies from the CWA.....
But was Clarence Valley Council completely honest with the Minister?
Nowhere in the West Yamba Amendment and accompanying documents does Council point out that most of the land directly below Sullivan's Lane in West Yamba is now privately owned land and has been since the late 1990s.
Clarence Valley Council is always at pains to refer to this land as "Other land, owned by Birrigan Gargle Local Aboriginal Land Council and land subject to a Land Claim, south of Sullivan's Road is not included in the Draft LEP" and words to that effect in other parts of the documents.
However, these documents also show that Council expects to funnel natural drainage/storm water/flood waters, displaced by West Yamba development landfill, onto this privately-owned environmentally sensitive land "south of Sullivan's Road" via a designated unfilled floodway/drainage corridor with a relatively narrow end point. Thereby potentially increasing the amount of such water flowing across this land and possibly causing more damage than might naturally occur.
Section of the Draft West Yamba LEP Map showing the floodway/drainage corridor
The Clarence Valley Council map shown here clearly shows the floodway/drainage corridor (used to mitigate required landfill in the proposed large-scale development) is intended to deposit water onto Lot 201 DP729134, a 229.6ha lot owned outright by Birrigan Gargle Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Indeed if Council's own documents are to be believed, the development of West Yamba could not go ahead unless Yaegl land is used as a dumping ground for drainage and flooding problems associated with this proposed development.
The last time I noticed, Australian law still allowed a property owner to sue state and/or local government for that kind of arbitrary action.
Which may explain why Clarence Valley Council appears to be attempting to massage the facts in order to obscure ownership details in documents before the Minister.
Sometimes being that cute can backfire - especially when the ghost of Rylands v Fletcher still roams court corridors in Australia.
According to Computer World there is another ISP signing on for the Rudd-Conroy mandatory national ISP-level Internet filtering scheme 'live' trial:
Optus joins seven other ISPs in participating in the filtering - Primus Telecommunications, Highway 1, Nelson Bay Online, Netforce, OMNIconnect, TECH 2U and Webshield.
Well that makes eight ISPs that I'll be buying goods and services from when Hades freezes over.
The NSW Dept of Primary Industires is running a three day workshop spread over 6 weeks to assist landholders prepare and adapt their property for climate risk, in Casino starting 5 May and in Grafton starting 12 May 2009.
This course is registered under the Commonwealth Government's FarmReady program. Eligible primary producers can be reimbursed for the cost of this course. See the FarmReady website for more details.
Encourage appropriate responses to climate change such as high flow pumping and appropriate on farm water storage.
Provide training in strategies to improve rainfall utilisation which do not significantly impact catchment flows.
Provide training tailored to landscapes and soils that will allow landowners to improve the resilience of their properties to climatic impacts.
Promote measures that contribute to carbon sequestration and soil health.
Integrate training with the Community Support Officers and available incentive funding to promote the maximal conversion of plans into on ground works.
Shades of the 1960s and children of the revolution........
It was reported this week that a woman was arrested for selling cannabis cookies and chocs (as well as funny cigarettes) when police did a foot patrol of the Nimbin Museum on the NSW North Coast late last year.
This week the Lismore magistrate was obviously in a realistic mood. He sentenced, then suspend this and put in place a short good behaviour bond for the hapless chef.
I hadn't realised that anyone still made hash cookies. Well, live and learn.
What were those naughty little Nimbinites thinking?
The Annual Bangalow Billy Cart Derby will be held on Sunday 17th May 2009 when the main street of Bangalow becomes a race track , for kids of all ages to have fun on Bangalow's big day.
A new attraction this year will be the Schools Billy Cart Challenge Race. This is probably the first ' schools challenge race ' ever to be held in Australia. It will be run as a separate race entry where all the schools entries compete against other schools.
All Primary Schools are invited to enter, and as an added incentive $1,500.00 in prize money will be given to the P.& C. Association of the winning and runner-up schools. The cart drivers ( boys or girls ) will be primary school students 12 years and under. Just imagine brightly painted Billy Carts with ' catchy ' names then add scores of kids cheering for their school, competing in traditional rivalries, such as Byron v Mullumbimby. We are very keen to introduce these races as we feel that teaching children road safety can't start early enough. The NSW Police Dept., N.R.M.A., Youth Services, Local Community Groups, Shire Councils all support this event.
The day will commence with the ...' Blessing of the Carts ' followed by the Junior heats. There is a category to suit everyone, for boys and girls from age 5 through to ' opens '. There is Traditional, Homegrown, Novelty and Professional categories for the Carts. Race classifications are for age-groups 5-7 ; 8-11 ; 12-15 and open age. Also included are; Tag- team, Mothers and Celebrity races.
At 12-30 p.m. there is the Grand Parade which includes Community, Sporting, and other groups. Also participating over the years have been Pipe Bands, Vintage Cars and Motor Bikes, Fire Brigades and Samba Bands, schools, kindergartens, pony clubs, scouts and a few local heroes. Everyone is invited to participate in this Award Winning, " not for profit " Community Event where all the proceeds are distributed to local charities and fundraisers. Start building your cart now to promote your business or group, we want to see lots of new entries and innovations, but make sure it has safe brakes and steering. This event is really well covered by T.V. Radio and Press so you will be able to see your cart flying down the main street of Bangalow and everyone having a great time.
..........I'm not afraid of refugees in general or boat people in particular. I don't hate the idea of these desperate people or wish to deny them safe harbour in Australia. I take as much notice of Turnbull's little rants as I did of Howard's and I think Rudd's people smugglers are the scum of the earth line is simple-minded demonising which doesn't do a thing to address the problem of commercial smuggling. So will both sides of the divide in Canberra just get over it. Maybe then certain small minds in the mainstream media will quit their hysterics and we'll be able to avoid another boring earbashing.
Figures released by the NSW Election Funding Authority show that Pat Comben, a former minister in the Queensland Government, had what it took to win one of the nine spots on Clarence Valley Council at the 2008 elections.
To secure a spot at the CVC decision makers' table, Comben spent $6855.50.
Daylight was second, followed by other biggish spenders Karen Toms ($3057.25) and Craig Howe ($2481.98).
Joining Comben, Toms and Howe at the decision makers' table are Richie Williamson ($1263.03), Ian Dinham ($969.96), Jim Simmons ($937.50), Sue Hughes ($374.40), Margaret McKenna ($70) and Ian Tiley (Nil).
Yes, Ian Tiley didn't spend a cent! Well, that's what his declaration to the EFA states.
Tiley wasn't the only candidate who didn't put his hand in his pocket. EFA documents show there were others.
Still, to this day, a number of candidates are yet to reveal how much the exercise cost them.
Here's what the candidates said they spent:
ELIZABETH BLOOMER Nil JEREMY CHALLACOMBE $ 1,053.00 GRACE CLAGUE No details provided PATRICK COMBEN $ 6,855.50 IAN DINHAM $ 969.96 TERRENCE FLANAGAN No details provided MARK KINGSLEY Nil CRAIG HOWE $ 2,481.98 SUSAN HUGHES $ 374.40 DENISE HYDE $ 1,533.60 KURT KRISTOFFERSEN No details provided MAURICE MAHER $ 1,748.60 MARGARET MCKENNA $ 70.00 BRENDAN MORANT No details provided DENNIS PEARCE $ 968.00 DONALD PHILBROOK No details provided JANET PURCELL $ 467.45 JAMES SIMMONS $ 937.50 IAN TILEY Nil KAREN TOMS $ 3,057.25 RICHARD WILLIAMSON $ 1,263.03
Go here to see copies of candidates' declarations to the EFA.
World War II veteran Keith sits on the beach in the TV ad and reflects on the death of his mate Jack. I think of my late grandfather, but Keith's stubby and the empty chair beside him don't remind me of Bill's war deeds.
I'm proud of Bill, who fought in the Middle East and Crete. He arrived back in Australia with a wounded knee and arm, but played and umpired 500 games of football. He should never have been at war -- he signed up at 16 -- but he's one of the many we remember every Anzac Day...........
As well as physical wounds, my grandfather received deep psychological damage. Post-traumatic stress disorder was unknown in the '40s, and there were no counselling services. So he did what many of his mates did: numbed the pain with grog.
Bill drank solidly for 52 years and his liver, kidneys and spleen were shot when he died. But the alcohol didn't just affect his body: he was a violent alcoholic who created a warzone. He physically and psychologically abused his wife and kids, and the effects continue: his four children have had psychological problems; two of his sons have been alcoholics (with four marriages between them) and one of their daughters suicided.......
Keith's trembling voice as he talks about his mate reminds me of my grandfather's on the rare occasions he allowed the terrified boy inside himself to remember the war. I want to raise a glass to Keith, Bill and all the men and women like them. But respect for those who have lived through domestic warzones means I won't.
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.
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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 WOW Film Festival will be screening at Grafton on Friday May 8 and in Yamba Friday and Saturday May 8-9. This stimulating and challenging selection of films is an eclectic mix of drama and comedy.........
