Signwriting 101 - near enough is obviously good enough

Defamation litigation against Internet search engines continues and yet another blog thinks it's teflon-coated

In 2004 there was a shooting incident in a Melbourne suburb which was reported in The Herald-Sun at the time in an unexceptional manner.

Very little was heard of the incident after that until sometime between 2007 and 2009 a blogger appears to have created a post based on a second published news report.

This post was apparently capable of being read as a series of imputations that would lead the reader to believe that the named victim was associated in some way with unlawful activity. That original post is no longer displayed by Internet search engines.

The matter is are currently before the Court in what seems to be two separate defamation cases.

Which should have made OzSoapbox rather wary. Instead in July this year this second (and apparently unrelated) website owned by a Taiwan-based blogger has blithely proceeded to justify the Court's 2010 decision that parts of the original post were capable of giving rise to defamatory imputations and that litigation could proceed.

Indeed, OzSoapbox went even further with this particular comment after its 3 July 2010 post concerning the defamation litigation:

ozsoapbox
July 9th, 2010 at 4:02 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
_______________________________________________________
Buddy, Id be very careful with this article and what you are
implying, the person in question will be very interested in this,
that is for certain.
____________________________________________

That sounds a bit threatening.

I'd have thought [redacted by North Coast Voices] 'd have his hands full trying to get rich
suing search engines to send out hitmen after me.

If geographic distance didn't save Yahoo! and Google from being served, one wonders if OzSoapbox will also find itself involved in litigation.

Coalition frenzy peaks on Twitter with QLDYoungLNP

As decision time draws nearer for the three still un-aligned Independents, the Coalition frenzy at the thought of a Gillard federal minority government has reached new heights on Twitter.

QLDYoungLNP (Matthew Quinlan) appeared on the horizon on 1 September 2010 and the venom spewed forth in an almost inexhaustible stream until last night this particular tweeter was apparently advised to cool it by his political colleagues; For now, I have been instructed to make my tweets private, may change in future, stay tuned REAL conservatives, others.. no. #ausvotes 24 minutes ago via web

However, he is still getting well-deserved grief from the Twitterverse concerning his 'reconditioned' account:

Click on snapshot to enlarge

OhCrap's Archive has captured details of this strange twist on how-to-win-friends-and-influence-people and, there are 176 tweet highlights collected on Jame's Blog and downloadable in PDF form:

Do we trust the evil ALP who gave us $180000000000 debt or Coalition who has given us surplus and paid back the debt?

#ausvotes #auswaits 11:29 PM Sep 1st via web

I wonder what remains in the Left's bag of anti-democratic tricks.. surely their disdain for democracy is not at an end #ausvotes #auswaits 2:45 PM Sep 2nd via web

ALP & Greens discourage Gen Y from rocking the socialist boat, they're encouraged to be slothful leeches. #auswaits #ausvotes 3:00 PM Sep 2nd via web

Under the ALP & Greens, all the drive to succeed is sucked out of a person, replaced by success-hating and welfare dependence #ausvotes Thu Sep 02 2010 15:10:05 (AUS Eastern Standard Time) via web

Do we want prosperity under the Coalition or risk the ALP & Greens = poor, unaccomplished drunks and losers who hate success? #ausvotes Thu Sep 02 2010 15:13:15 (AUS Eastern Standard Time) via web

Under Coalition, OZ is a place that fosters excellence, not soft cowards and drunks on welfare like under the ALP. #ausvotes #auswaits Thu Sep 02 2010 15:19:56 (AUS Eastern Standard Time) via web

You should consider @QLDYoungLibs a no spin zone so if you're a sacred cow of the liberal left who is easily offended, leave now #ausvotes Thu Sep 02 2010 16:01:39 (AUS Eastern Standard Time) via web

@externallylaws from what I've seen there has been a fair bit of premeditated provocation by those of you on the left. Thu Sep 02 2010 17:14:54 (AUS Eastern Standard Time) via web in reply to externallylaws

@_Laverne this Twitter account is the official conduit for QLD Young LNP. Thu Sep 02 2010 17:23:51 (AUS Eastern Standard Time) via web in reply to _Laverne

ALP stands for one thing: spending money we don't have to win votes from the bottomfeeders of society. #ausvotes #auswaits Thu Sep 02 2010 20:25:34 (AUS Eastern Standard Time) via mobile web

Reminder 140 characters could cost you a smack in the mouth if you're not careful, plenty of deserving personal attacks from Left #ausvotes about 21 hours ago via web

I consider myself to be open minded on a lot of things however I will NOT tolerate a Communist OZ Gov't #ausvotes #auswaits about 21 hours ago via web

@ByronStafford unfortunately I am gifted with a little thing called personal responsibility, you lefties oughta try it some time #ausvotes about 22 hours ago via web in reply to ByronStafford

@MStrudwicke once again the debaucherous left displays their total lack of class! #ausvotes about 22 hours ago via web in reply to MStrudwicke

Do we want Gov led by those who want to strip OZ of its identity and heritage by turning it into Africa & the Middle East? NO NO #ausvotes Fri Sep 03 2010 20:33:57 (AUS Eastern Standard Time) via web

If you don't support the coalition, you are by extension supporting

communism. #ausvotes #auswaits Fri Sep 03 2010 14:41:59 (AUS Eastern Standard Time) via mobile web

@TheFacelessSpin thanks for the support, battling the tide of intellectually inferior lefties is bloody tough work on a Saturday! about 4 hours ago via web in reply to TheFacelessSpin

What's in the news in Armidale? Part 1: UNE

Having resided in Earle Page College during my under graduate days a few years back (Editor's comment: Nah! It was many moons ago!) I was somewhat upset when I picked up Wednesday's edition of The Armidale Express and saw its front page report (pictured above).

The University of New England is undertaking a $4.6 million program to have its seven residential colleges comply with fire code standards.

But, here's the rub. While the project covers all seven colleges, it's being done in two stages and for EPC only its ground and first floors will be upgraded in the project's first stage.That means the second (i.e. top floors) in EPC will be closed for accommodation purposes in 2011 so EPC will have to cut its student intake by 100 in 2011.

Credit: pic The Armidale Examiner

If you have a spare coin in your pocket - remember the Pakistan flood victims [photographs]

The Place

Images of Kot Addu district in 2009 and in 2010.
Flooding now affects an estimated 160,000 square kilometres in Pakistan since a heavy monsoon rain fell in July.

Donations can be made at:
Doctors Without Borders (Australia)
Oxfam (Australia)
Red Cross (Australia)
UN Emergency Response

The People

Amira, 2, a flood victim suffering from skin and stomach problems, cries at a hospital in Sukkur, in Pakistan's Sindh province September 1, 2010.


More flood photographs on Flickr here, here and here.

Photographs displayed here are from Google Images and Google Earth

How much the Northern Rivers has grown since then....

The NSW State Library and The Mitchell Libray (celebrating 100 years since its doors first opened) now have excellent online facilities and digital collections.

1920s and 1930s in the Northern Rivers District

Top River Street, Ballina
Middle Lismore from Girard's Hill

Middle Tweed River from Razorback
Bottom Maclean in the Clarence Valley

Walcha news

When touring around the countryside it's interesting to see what's in the local news.

Here's a sample of Walcha news:

Bruce Rutherford in this week's Apsley Advocate comments on the recent wet weather in the Walcha district and then puts things into a broader global perspective. Well done, Bruce!

Meanwhile, Coogee over at the Walcha News has a par about expiry dates.

Bailed Up! Now into our 14th day of political uncertainty

Bailed Up by Tom Roberts

It is now fourteen days since Australia went to a general election meant to decide its next federal government and still three of the five newly elected/re-elected members of parliament holding the balance of power in the House of Representatives have not made a decision concerning exactly which minority government they will support - Labor or the Liberal/Nationals Coalition.

The situation entered into farce early on when one successful WA Nationals candidate also attempted to deal himself in as an independent, even though he was firmly in the Coalition camp during the election campaign according to the party's website.

Now we are approaching a political climate in which supposedly considered judgement is beginning to give way to highway robbery as the three remaining unaligned seasoned independent MPs hold the nation and the two main parliamentary parties to ransom.

The fact that the Australian Electoral Commission will not be declaring the national poll within the next few days is no excuse for these prima donnas milking the situation for all it is worth.

By 4.30pm on 3 September 2010, 91.22% of the primary vote had been counted and the two party preferred count was 86.72% complete with only one seat considered technically doubtful according to a finely-honed computer program.

One wonders why any of us bothered to vote at all. Enough is enough. Align by Monday morning Messrs Katter, Oakeshott and Windsor (or announce that you will not be supporting a minority government) if you want to retain any semblance of credibility.

Ride The Talk on Climate Change & Energy Effficiency at Coffs Harbour 6.30pm Tuesday 7 September 2010

RIDE THE TALK

Energy efficiency - not just a free lunch, a lunch you get paid to eat!

Come along to an entertaining, informative, engaging and interactive presentation in YOUR community on ways you (and your friends & family) can save energy and avoid wasting your hard earned money while helping to save the planet. You'll be amazed with how much you can save!

John Knox has decided that, rather than simply complain about the lack of action on Climate Change, he needs to do something positive about it.

This is your one off chance to see this talk by John, who is on a solo nationwide speaking tour by bicycle.

He has the passion;

He has the knowledge;

He has the bike!

Let him share his vision with you at this one off event.

Would you like to know how you can save money (and help save the planet) by making simple changes at home?

Learn how to stretch your dollar in the following areas:

 Heating/Cooling

 Lighting

 Appliances

 Cooking

 Insulation

 Phantom loads

 Solar power & hot water

 Transport

John will be talking for 2 hrs on Tues 7 September at 6:30pm at

Coffs Harbour Education Campus O Block Theatre, Hogbin Drv, Coffs Harbour

Come along (and bring some friends to share the savings!)

To register and to advise of any support needs/requirements,

please contact Cameron Bragg by Monday 6 September

on 0413 674 640 or cdbragg@gmail.com

www.ridethetalk.com.au

Grafton Artsfest 25-30 September 2010

Clarence Valley Review :

Artsfest spring program offers an array of six day textile workshops tutored by Australia's leading artists; the four workshops all run concurrently allowing the student to gain maximum knowledge from the chosen tutor.

Dates for the spring festival are Saturday September 25 to Thursday September 30; hours are 9am until 4pm with the final day concluding at approximately 3pm.

Concerts and exhibitions add to the ambience of the festival, the evening events being presented include Exhibition of the Tutors 'art work, Students' Exhibition, Pub Night where Allan Caswell will provide the entertainment and Grafton Arts Jazz Orchestra Concert presented by John Morrison, Jacki Cooper Ken Stubbs, John Hoffman, Jack Thorncraft and Steve Russell.

A fest of culture enjoyment for the general public and Artsfest participants, for further information pick up a brochure from one of the many outlets in the valley or contact our office details are below.

Claire Brach is the chosen artist for this week; Claire will travel to Grafton for the first time as a tutor of her passion in creativity using textiles....

Email: info@artsfestgrafton.com

Web: www.artsfestgrafton.com

Who kicked the NSW North Coast Nats anthill in 2010?

The NSW North Coast Nats have been in a quiet frenzy since a minority government became the new political reality.
The idea of Rob Oakeshott (who resigned from the National Party in 2002) in the quartet holding balance of power has them swarming out of the nest like so many irritated and agitated green ants.
To anyone who'll listen they are suggesting that if Oakeshott supports a Labor federal government he would be betraying a predominately National's electorate.
Eh? Come again fellas? A National Party electorate?
The region covered by the Lyne electorate is fiercely independent and hasn't supported the Nats at federal level since a September 2008 by-election.
At state level the Port Macquarie electorate hasn't been Nats since 2002 (when first Oakeshott and then Besseling were incumbent NSW state independents) and again at state level the Oxley electorate may have been held by the present NSW Nats leader Andrew Stoner since 1999 but he will be challenged by yet another independent in March 2011.
More than a few locals down that way are talking up the possibility of an indie trifecta by next year.

Walcha to Bingara via Manilla and Barraba

The travelling party was given a tip for a top place to dine in Walcha on Wednesday night - the Apsley Arms Hotel. After studying the menu at great length it looked odds-on that the restaurant in the hotel would be serving us up with one of its specialities, the mixed grill.

The description on the menu for the grill had us watering at the mouth - T-bone steak, lamb loin chop, butcher's beef sausage, bacon, eggs, onion and chips. Priced at $24 a head, we thought we were on a good thing. But, out of the blue came a recommendation from another diner in the restaurant, "Get your laughing gear around the Wednesday night house special - T-bone with salad n chips or veges. You blokes will have trouble finishing it off, the T-bones are gi-normous!"

We could read that bloke like an open book - he was frank and upfront and knew his stuff.

So, having ordered T-bones, the party settled in for refreshers that came in the form of nicely chilled Boags in schooner glasses.

Almost before you could say "Jack Robinson", the T-bones arrived at our table. And, without a word of a lie, the steaks were half the length of my outstretched arm. Mine was medium rare and melted in my mouth. We took the recommendation of staff member Wayne and had a glass of house red ($5) to accompany the meal. And what great value that red wine was! it came from a bottle of Penfolds that sells for over $25 when it's on special.

The evening was rounded off with a lively forum in the hotel's public bar where topics covered included Racism in Oz in 2010 to local rugby, the ups and downs of local businesses and the bloke/sheila on the land .

Speaking about The Land, when I went along to the local newsagency on Thursday morning to purchase a copy of the local paper, the Walcha News, which is published just once a week - on Thursdays - the owner of the newsagency told me the business had the highest sales for The Land of any outlet anywhere in NSW. To prove the point, I was shown the details for last week's sales - 321 copies were sold last week!

After a solid breakfast, had at Cafe Graze (again!), the touring party departed Walcha and headed off to Bingara.

Along the way, the party inspected Bendemeer, Manilla and Barraba. Sadly, solid evidence of towns in serious decline was observed in all three locations, but it has to be said that Manilla has all the appearances of being a cot case - emergency resuscitation could be called for, but the vital signs of life are perilously low that if a second opinion is called for, then it could well be that a decision might need to be taken to euthanise the patient.

Barraba and Bingara are impressive small country towns. They have a real sparkle about them. Local residents who we had short yarns with seem pretty happy with their lot in these places.

A site in Manilla created a bit of curiosity for the party. What's the background to the naming of the bridge shown below? Doesn't it seem odd that the name is still being used? Wouldn't you think the local civic fathers and mothers would be a bit more politically correct and move to have its name changed?

Bolt's lack of research exposed yet again

If the rest of the Australian mainstream media and blogosphere made as many factual errors as journalist Andrew Bolt there would barely be a handful of people left in this country who were using the Internet to read news and current affairs.

Crikey's Pure Poison outed Bolt for his latest blunder in The Herald-Sun on 31 August 2010 set out here:

Something a little more likely and potentially a lot more devastating for the global warming alarmists to fret over:

An asteroid more than a mile wide is heading for earth, posing the greatest threat yet by an object approaching the planet, scientists have warned.

The asteroid – called 2002 NT7 – was spotted only three weeks ago, but could strike on 1 February 2019, the US space agency Nasa said…

Gerrit Verschuur, an astrophysicist and radio astronomer at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, said the impact would create a fireball so intense it would kill anyone who could see it, after which material thrown into the air would shower half the world with flaming debris. "It would be as if the sky itself had caught fire," he said.

The heat would set fire to forests and cities, after which dust would fill the atmosphere, obscuring the sun for a month. That in turn would kill plants and animals, so that only creatures that lived underground would have a strong chance of survival.

Same apocalyptic scenario as the global warmists' own, but missing that vital ingredient for a new mass faith - a narrative of human sin and the punishment to come.

(Thanks to reader Warwick.)

Now a sensible person would have looked at that link to Newshoggers and double checked with NASA and its Near Earth Object Program, but not Mr. Bolt - that would have spoiled his dig at climate change science.

For those who are interested in seeing how few objects pose a real risk there is NASA's Sentry Risk Table . As I write there is only one risk impact on a scale of 0 to 10 that is presently indicated as meriting "careful monitoring" and, it is not Bolt's asteroid of doom (discovered in 2002) and it is not due until sometime between 2048 and 2057.

In fact the asteroid Bolt mentions seems to have been removed from the Sentry Risk Table sometime between mid-2002 and 2004 because the risk was so low as to be negligible over the next one hundred years.

Sweetest headlines of them all this week

Fred Nile caught in web porn scandal

The Sydney Morning Herald September 2, 2010 - 6:29AM

Nile’s porn excuse doesn’t hold water

Crikey Thursday, 2 September 2010

200,000 connections to porn sites on the Netz?

Wasn't me and researcher didn't inhale?

Tut, tut Reverend Nile!

Update:

In Teh Oz on 4th September - News site 'adult' in audit of MP usage

Chr*st on a bike!

Just when it felt safe to get back in the water, along comes this from the abacus of Antony Green over at Australia Votes 2010:

Senate Results - South Australia

Elected Candidates

	Candidate	Party
1	Alex GALLACHER	Australian Labor Party
2	Mary Jo FISHER	Liberal Party
3	Anne McEWEN	Australian Labor Party
4	Sean EDWARDS	Liberal Party
5	Penny WRIGHT	Australian Greens
6	Bob DAY	Family First Party

Detailed Results

• Percentage vote counted: 82.57%
• Quota: 125724 votes

On Twitter:

AntonyGreenABC
#ausvotes Bob Day of Family First pulls ahead of Liberals in race for SA Senate seat. May be only temporarly http://bit.ly/bLdMVT

Uralla, Walcha and their hinterlands

First stop today was Uralla. The town centre's streetscape is highlighted by the New England Highway that runs north-south through the town's business district.

A panoramic view of Uralla can be had from a lookout on Mt Mutton which is to the west of the township.

If one spends any length of time in this small township then one simply has to check out the grave of C19th bushranger Fred Ward alias "Captain Thunderbolt".


A very interesting conversation was had with a local wool merchant who provided us with a detailed account of how the wool buying firm purchases (mainly) local fleeces and exports them to China.


Morning tea was had at Uralla's Galloping Gourmet. The cake we had featured apples, dates and coconut- it was absolutely scrumptious. If you're ever in Uralla you simply must taste the GG's cakes.


We then journeyed to the east of Uralla and visited the Gostwyck area where the focus is a quaint little village that is now privately owned. Although we were not able to visit the village or the nearby Deeargee woolshed we did manage a stopover at the Gostwyck chapel.


Then, it was off to Walcha, via Kentucky. This very productive sheep and cattle country appears to be set for a very healthy spring and summer. Dams are full and streams are flowing. Actually, we were somewhat surprised to find one causeway was still covered with water and that necessitated a committee decision about whether we should navigate the waters or opt for an alternative form of action.

After much deliberation the consensus of the touring party was that we couldn't wimp it - no such obstacle was going to prevent us reaching our planned destination, Walcha.

We arrived for a rather late lunch at Cafe Graze, which proudly boasts that it enjoys 2010 SMH Good Food Guide status. Lunch was a very generous helping of Sweet Potato and Pear Soup, accompanied by thick crusty toast - just the tucker for us as we prepared for a coolish afternoon.


An afternoon walk around the township enabled us to chat with a number of locals. One couple of mature-aged citizens gave us a very detailed description of major flooding the Walcha township experienced when it was inundated by a raging Apsley River in the early 1960s. These days the town is protected by flood walls on both sides of the river.

Another local, a long-term teacher at the local central school, gave us a detailed account of buildings in the town's centre.

Australian Labor Party redeems itself in historic agreement with The Greens in Federal Parliament [Transcript]

The Australian Labor Party entered into an historic agreement with The Greens on 1 September 2010.

This agreement comes into effect when federal government is formed after the results of the 21 August 2010 general election are declared.

It resets the national agenda in relation to climate change, constitutional recognition of Australia's first peoples, situating local government within the constitution, parliamentary reform and political donations among other matters.

As the goodwill this agreement represents does not appear entirely dependent on Labor forming a minority government, it also potentially creates a formidable force the Coalition and Tony Abbott may have to deal with as a political reality for the next three years at least.

Full transcript here.

It's a slow news week so let's hunt bogans

It is obviously a slow news week at The Daily Examiner in Grafton on the NSW North Coast.
On Page 4 last Monday it ran a story about the dreaded bogan, inserted what looks like a staged photograph and happily added to the stereotyping with a list:

SOMEWHERE, sometime during our lives we have all encountered someone we would say is a "bogan".
Those flannelette shirt-wearing, double-plugger rubber thong-sporting, stubbies shorts/tracky dacks-clad types with their mullet hairdos and trucker caps.
The stereotype of the bogan has been largely shaped by the media's perception of a certain class of Aussies, typically working class or unemployed.....

Bogan check list

You're a bogan if...

You wear the brand "UNIT" all over you

You wear white-framed sunnies

You wear big studs on your belt and your pants around your ankles

You wear ugg boots, short shorts and a big floppy jumper

You wear rip-off Holden racing team shirts

You wear your boxers higher than your pants

You let fireworks off in your backyard just for something to do

You wear more bling than a famous person

You've ever rolled a smoke

You've ever gone fishing with more beer than bait

You only go to the pub in happy hour cause you're too stingy to pay full price

You go to the pub and fill up on bar snacks so you don't have to cook dinner

You've ever driven a Datsun

You've ever taped your sunnies back together

You've ever had a fire in a 44 gallon drum

You go to garage sales

You've ever drunk VB in a can

You have ever driven all the way to Grafton from the Lower Clarence just for Maccas

You've ever worn a bandana under your flat rimmed hat

You own one of the many cars that line up in Prince Street, Grafton of a night to show off your Commodore or Falcon

You go to the speedway and take frozen leftovers for dinner in an esky

You wear a flanny undone with jeans and no shoes

You put your cigarette behind your ear.

Does Katter still hanker after our water?

These days Queensland Independent MP for Kennedy Bob Katter only seems to speak of water incidentally and in the last few days not at all. However his own website extols large-scale water diversion and still carries a Vision 2000 pdf file which states:

"In early 1995 a major breakthrough in the political fight to get Bradfield moving when Hon. Ernie Bridge OAM, a long-serving minister in the W.A. Parliament and current Shadow Minister for the Northwest, met with the Federal Member for Kennedy, Hon. Bob Katter MP, himself also a highly experienced senior Minister in the Queensland government, in Canberra to discuss the formation of a National Water Development Committee.

The purpose of the politically bipartisan committee that resulted from this meeting is to co-ordinate a National Water Distribution Scheme that will include the Bradfield Scheme, the Kimberley-Perth Pipeline, the Daly Scheme in the N.T., and the Clarence River Diversion in northern N.S.W."

So has Bob given up on the idea of stealing Clarence Valley fresh water for his irrigator and mining mates or will he be using his 'balance of power' in the new minority government to renew that push to turn some coastal rivers inland?

Does the NSW North Coast have to see off yet another greedy b*gger?

The Gruen Transfer should have this youngster on its panel

Source: The Daily Examiner, 11/09/10

A view of Armidale

Day 2 - Armidale and surrounds

Woke to find the glorious final day of winter ordered the night before had been promptly delivered.

Breakfast was at Caffiends on Marsh - thanks to a recommendation from a local - and it was A1-plus.

Just happened to notice a sign on the premise's front window stated it was in the SMH's "Good Food Guide" for 2007, '08 and '09. If it's not accorded the same (or higher) status in the 2010 edition there's something drastically wrong with the way The Guide decides upon the how it it accords a status to an eatery. Take it from me, Caffiends on Marsh is a real gem.

Oh! And something worthy of a mention ... a bloke at a nearby table at Caffiends requested tomato sauce for his bacon and eggs. Gee, he was very neatly sat on his ar*e by a waiter who brushed the request aside and remarked, "We don't have that on our premises."

Our early morning excursion commenced with inspections of some of Armidale's stately residences.

"Esrom" at 164 Mann Street brought back memories for some members of the touring party along with a few of their associates.

"Esrom" was built as a gentlemen's residence for Mr G F Morse (reverse 'morse' and what do you get?) in the 1890s. As pic 3 above shows, "Esrom" was built using Armidale blue bricks. In a later life the building provided a residence for male students attending UNE - it was one of the town houses associated with Earle Page College (see pic 2 above).

Next stop was "Booloominbah", built between 1883 and 1888, as a 45-room mansion for Frederick Robert White. Its features include decorative brickwork and architectural features that include prominent chimneys and high gabled roof ends. White's son-in-law, T R Forster, purchased the mansion in 1937 and presented it to the University of Sydney for the establishment of a University College. Today,"Bool" is UNE's administrative centre (pic 1).

After inspecting the university's academic faculties and residential colleges the touring party proceeded on its tour around Armidale's business, commercial, residential, industrial, religious, sport and cultural areas.

A highlight of the afternoon's activities was a close inspection of the notorious "Victorian Gothic" building that sits high on Armidale's south hill (pic 4). The building, which has been variously known as "Psycho House", "Wuthering Heights" and "House of Lords" has been restored and now seems to serve as a normal family residence, unlike its usage in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Let me assure readers that if that building's walls had ears they could tell hundreds, perhaps thousands, of stories that wouldn't be fit for publication in a family-friendly post such as NCV.

Credit: Armidale Visitor Information Centre's "Armidale Self Guided Heritage Drive" brochure

Australian electors disenfranchised by AEC failure to handle ballot papers correctly

Given the general malaise which afflicted the national psyche over the last two months, it comes as no surprise that at least 2,977 early votes cast for the Division of Boothby (South Australia) and 452 early votes cast for the Division of Flynn (Queensland) will not be counted in the 21 August 2010 Australian Federal Election, because the handling of these ballots breached the Commonwealth Electoral Act and the Australian Electoral Commission has instigated urgent examinations into the circumstances which led to the exclusion of these votes. The examinations will establish the facts surrounding the incidents and report findings to the Electoral Commissioner.

ABC News reporting on the Boothby count:

The ALP demanded an investigation into how the voting papers were handled by an official.
Its candidate Annabel Digance achieved a swing toward Labor in the marginal seat.
The party has not ruled out going to the Court of Disputed Returns.
ALP South Australian secretary Michael Brown says the party will decide whether to pursue the matter once the AEC investigation is finished.
"We do not have any confidence now that the 3,000 votes counted were actually the 3,000 votes that were cast," he said.
"The AEC has agreed with us that those votes cannot be included so it's now the case that we do not know at this stage and may never know who actually was elected."
Mr Southcott has claimed victory with a current lead of 1,394 votes.

A Concerned Voter's Prayer