Go to NBN CO for interactive mapping showing national broadband coverage by anticipated type in each state and region.
Friday, 12 August 2011
Thursday, 11 August 2011
Just how safe is the food we buy?
Number of food recalls coordinated by FSANZ,
shown by recall classification,
shown by recall classification,
between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2010.
Number of recalls by food class
from 1 January 2000 – 31 December 2010
Click on graphs to enlarge
from 1 January 2000 – 31 December 2010
Click on graphs to enlarge
In April 2011 a Byron Bay business was fined $1,320 for the Sale of unsuitable food - Leptin Green Coffee 800 sold on internet - contained chemical agent, bis-Desmethylsibutramine, foreign to the nature of the food. This tea (along with leptin jelly and chocolate products) originated in China according to the NSW Food Authority and, six months earlier in October 2010 it was subject to recall in Australia.
This is not the first food recall of the year as I discovered when I went to the Food Standards Australia and New Zealand website where I found this sad window on the food we eat:
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
It would appear that food recalls in 2011 may possibly outstrip the 2010 total by the end of this year.
And you wonder why American society is going down the gurgler?
By-passing the electorate appears to be the norm in the good ol’ US of A which has gone a long way towards corporatizing ‘democracy’:
“At a workshop {held by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)} I attended, one Texas legislator, who moderated the forum, went as far as to say that that we are a big football team. The legislators are the football players and the corporate lobbyists and special interest group presenters are “our” coaches. {The Progressive 6th August 2011}
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
A new national aged care policy is barrelling down the track towards Australia's baby boomers
The Gillard Government is assuring Australia’s baby boomers that the concerns bolded in red below will not occur:
Under this market price option, accommodation costs to high care recipients and taxpayers (the accommodation subsidy for supported residents) are likely to be higher, but consumer choice and industry sustainability would be enhanced. Care recipients, however, would continue to be charged differently according to the level of assessed care need (high or low care) not the standard of accommodation they have chosen. There is also a concern that, as providers could charge what the market would bear, care recipients could be exploited and those with a lower capacity to pay would miss out. This is a greater concern in the short term, particularly in areas where there is limited competition. [Productivity Commission,June 2011,Caring for Older Australians,Vol Two]
If you live in rural and regional areas perhaps it is time to carefully read the report and make up your own mind on what aged care policy should be before federal politicians make up theirs.
Cupcake Day for the RSPCA on Monday 15 August 2011
This year the RSPCA has joined forces with Everyday Hero so that you can create your very own Cupcake Day 2011 online fundraising page to raise vital funds for the RSPCA and all creatures great and small! From here you can create your own RSPCA Cupcake Day online fundraising page to raise funds from the sale of your tasty treats.
Your online fundraising page is simple to setup and in just a matter of minutes you'll be able to email your friends, family and colleagues to ask for their support.
Cupcake Day for the RSPCA is the biggest bakeoff in the Southern Hemisphere and involves Cupcake Cooks around Australia baking cupcakes and hosting a Cupcake Party to raise vital funds for the RSPCA. Last year Cupcake Cooks around Australia joined forces to bake thousands of scrumptious cupcakes to help support the services of the RSPCA.ital funds for the RSPCA. Last year Cupcake Cooks around Australia joinedands f scrumptious cupcakes to help support the services of the RSPCA.
Your online fundraising page is simple to setup and in just a matter of minutes you'll be able to email your friends, family and colleagues to ask for their support.
Cupcake Day for the RSPCA is the biggest bakeoff in the Southern Hemisphere and involves Cupcake Cooks around Australia baking cupcakes and hosting a Cupcake Party to raise vital funds for the RSPCA. Last year Cupcake Cooks around Australia joined forces to bake thousands of scrumptious cupcakes to help support the services of the RSPCA.ital funds for the RSPCA. Last year Cupcake Cooks around Australia joinedands f scrumptious cupcakes to help support the services of the RSPCA.
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
Need to acquire some antiques in a hurry?
Not a problem. Simply contact this business in Newrybar in northern NSW. The business is very conveniently located just a short distance to the west of the Pacific Highway about 20km north of Ballina.
What a difference having a genuine national fiscal policy makes
Now before we all give into any international media-inspired hysteria and cry the sky is falling, here is Australia’s sovereign credit rating according to Standard and Poor’s (S&P) as of 5 August 2011:
Commonwealth of Australia
Sovereign local currency ratings (LT/Outlook/ST)
AAA/Stable/A-1+
AAA/Stable/A-1+
Sovereign foreign currency ratings (LT/Outlook/ST)
AAA/Stable/A-1+
AAA/Stable/A-1+
Transfer and convertibility assessment
AAA
AAA
The Commonwealth of Australia has retained an excellent Triple A credit rating from Standard and Poor's (as well as from Moody’s and Fitch) for the last eight years - for which successive federal governments of different political persuasions can take credit.
In 2011 its public debt as a percentage of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is running in the vicinity of 23 per cent, the current account deficit is around 2.5 per cent of GDP and total combined public, corporate and private individual foreign debt only resulted in a 3.9 per cent net income deficit as a percentage of GDP in the March 2011 Quarter - according to the figures I can find.
Just as importantly, one of the nation's major Asian trading partners China continues to see Australia as "stable" and gives a domestic currency credit rating of AAA and a foreign currency credit rating of AA+ at a time when Dangong Global Credit Rating has downgraded
America's rating to "negative" and the official Xinhua news agency is stating; China, the largest creditor of the world's sole superpower, has every right now to demand the United States to address its structural debt problems and ensure the safety of China's dollar assets.
Now compare that brief fiscal thumbnail with the recent credit rating history for the USA, courtesy of a Democrat Government incapable of dominating the Congress and a Republican Party which has lost its way.
We have affirmed our 'AAA/A-1+' sovereign credit ratings on the United States of America.
The economy of the U.S. is flexible and highly diversified, the country's effective monetary policies have supported output growth while containing inflationary pressures, and a consistent global preference for the U.S. dollar over all other currencies gives the country unique external liquidity.
Because the U.S. has, relative to its 'AAA' peers, what we consider to be very large budget deficits and rising government indebtedness and the path to addressing these is not clear to us, we have revised our outlook on the long-term rating to negative from stable.
We believe there is a material risk that U.S. policymakers might not reach an agreement on how to address medium- and long-term budgetary challenges by 2013; if an agreement is not reached and meaningful implementation is not begun by then, this would in our view render the U.S. fiscal profile meaningfully weaker than that of peer 'AAA' sovereigns.
We have lowered our long-term sovereign credit rating on the United States of America to 'AA+' from 'AAA' and affirmed the 'A-1+' short-term rating.
We have also removed both the short- and long-term ratings from CreditWatch negative.
The downgrade reflects our opinion that the fiscal consolidation plan that Congress and the Administration recently agreed to falls short of what, in our view, would be necessary to stabilize the government's medium-term debt dynamics.
More broadly, the downgrade reflects our view that the effectiveness, stability, and predictability of American policy making and political institutions have weakened at a time of ongoing fiscal and economic challenges to a degree more than we envisioned when we assigned a negative outlook to the rating on April 18, 2011.
Since then, we have changed our view of the difficulties in bridging the gulf between the political parties over fiscal policy, which makes us pessimistic about the capacity of Congress and the Administration to be able to leverage their agreement this week into a broader fiscal consolidation plan that stabilizes the government's debt dynamics any time soon.
The outlook on the long-term rating is negative. We could lower the long-term rating to 'AA' within the next two years if we see that less reduction in spending than agreed to, higher interest rates, or new fiscal pressures during the period result in a higher general government debt trajectory than we currently assume in our base case….
We have taken the ratings off CreditWatch because the Aug. 2 passage of the Budget Control Act Amendment of 2011 has removed any perceived immediate threat of payment default posed by delays to raising the government's debt ceiling. In addition, we believe that the act provides sufficient clarity to allow us to evaluate the likely course of U.S. fiscal policy for the next few years.....
United States of America
Sovereign local currency ratings (LT/Outlook/ST)
AA+/Negative/A-1+
AA+/Negative/A-1+
Sovereign foreign currency ratings (LT/Outlook/ST)
AA+/Negative/A-1+
AA+/Negative/A-1+
Transfer and convertibility assessment
AAA
According to The Australian on 5 August 2011; Australian 3-year government bond prices posted their biggest one-day rise since 1991 as investors rushed en masse to the safety of risk-free assets.
According to The Australian on 5 August 2011; Australian 3-year government bond prices posted their biggest one-day rise since 1991 as investors rushed en masse to the safety of risk-free assets.
In addition, The graph below shows historical exchange rates between the Australian Dollar (AUD) and the US Dollar (USD) between 7/7/2011 and 8/5/2011 as the international financial markets began to panic:
At 12pm (AEST) 6 August 2011 the Australian dollar was trading at 104.91 US cents....down from $US1.0665 late yesterday and off a 30-year high of $US1.1080 last week. By 8 August the dollar was at 1.0343 US.
On 5 August 2011 NASDAQ placed this recently high currency rate into perspective with this statement; the latest ascent comes about three months after the Australian dollar last hit a 30-year high. The initial push higher that started in June of 2010 came as a continuing mining boom and a series of interest rate hikes from Australia's central bank that began in October 2009 lifted the currency more than 30% against the U.S. dollar in a year.
According to the Herald-Sun the Australian stock market fell by 4 per cent on 5 August and at close of business yesterday the ASX All Ords and S&P/ASX200 graphs were not catastophic:
Placing that fall within an historical context is this ASX All Ordinaries (XAO) Index chart 1988 - 2011 graph:
Even the International Monetary Fund doesn't consider the Australian economy an overtly risky proposition. So the next time either the Opposition Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey, unidentified Liberal/National sources or elements in the Murdoch press attempt to slyly suggest that Australia's economy is inevitably on the way to the poor house without drastic regime change - yawn loudly and turn aside.
The only thing Australia has to fear at this point in time is the contagion of fear itself and perhaps being overly irritated by the silly political point scoring of conservative politicians and big business lobbyists alike.
Chip Le Grand creates a climate change sob story
The Australian published a s-s-s-so-sob story:
IT is not easy watching one of your reporters get done over by Media Watch. Particularly when you have worked with the bloke for the best part of 20 years and not once had reason to question his journalistic integrity. But there was something about last Monday night's mauling of Stuart Rintoul more troubling still.
Rintoul has done some great work over the past month examining the vexed issues of sea rise projections and the response of coastal councils to the risk of future inundation.
He exposed ludicrous planning laws stifling development at Port Albert, a fishing village on Victoria's Bass Coast. Those laws are currently being torn up by the Baillieu government.
He brought to national attention research by NSW researcher Phil Watson showing that sea levels around Australia over the past 100 years haven't risen as quickly as scientists would have expected them to as a result of global warming.
For the first story he received the gratitude of a frustrated coastal community. For the second story he was pilloried, first in obscure, left-leaning blogs and finally on national television, for misrepresenting scientific research for "partisan political" purposes….[my emphasis]
Take a well-deserved bow Deltoid (then and now) – as well as every other blog (including NCV here) who commented on Rintoul’s ‘opinion’ piece before Media Watch administered the coup de grâce on 1 August 2011.
Anonymous zaps Syrian Ministry of Defence on 8th August 2011
Leaving a brief message of support for the Syrian people and placing these links at the bottom of the Ministry home page:
Monday, 8 August 2011
Twas the night before e-Census and all though the town.....
There were hundreds of fur kids* refusing to be left out.
Click on images to enbiggin
* Fur Kids - beloved companion animals (more usually dogs and cats) that are considered part of the family unit.
Please note that no census form was killed or injured in creating this post.
News Limited needs to get its own house in order before it starts throwing sh*t at Fairfax
In its rush to publish Mark Day's piece criticising Fairfax The Oz overlooked its own imperfections. Not a good look!
NSW North Coast gets a big tick from Lonely Planet
Nowhere on the East Coast conjures up the beach-cum-nature-cum-good times quite like Byron Bay. Its unique mix of leisure and energy is infectious and those who visit seldom go home complaining – if they go home at all.
But if Byron is the heartbeat, the surrounding hinterland (with its green hills and national parks) and north coast (stretching north to Tweed Heads and south almost to Port Macquarie) are the blood that keeps it pumping. Byron might bring them here, but it’s the breathtaking vistas, endless white sands and blue-hued breaks that tempt travellers further afield to little coastal towns like Yamba and Crescent Head. And when the sand between your toes starts getting up your nose, national parks are scattered amid the rich deltas of mighty rivers; and villages like Bangalow and Bellingen, with sublime food and organic produce, tempt both alternative-lifestylers and city slickers. This really is the good life.
Those of us who live here know how lucky we are. Still, it is pleasing to see our own views reflected back in word pictures such as these:
Filling your days and nights in exciting Byron Bay….Enjoying the artful village charms of Bellingen…. Losing yourself on the untrodden beaches near Wooli….Exploring hinterland villages, including the Channon….Finding treasures in markets like the one at Nimbin….Taking in the fauna and flora of ancient Gondwana rainforests in the far north hinterland….Surfing with dolphins at Pippi’s beach in Yamba….Dining in one of a huddle of fabulous restaurants in tiny Bangalow….Eating fresh shucked oysters on the beach in Crescent Head….Getting your fill of the beautiful Clarence River in a beer garden in Ulmarra.
Twitter in 2011 - so how much is genuine?
Leaving aside those Twitter accounts obviously set up to satirize pollies of all hues, the rich and
“The office of a former Nebraska Senator working for the American Petroleum Institute appears to have set up more than a dozen fake Twitter accounts to promote the KeystoneXL tar sands pipeline.”
While over at FederalBizOpps the U.S. Government is advertising for someone to develop suitable software, then teach it how to detect upcoming issues on Twitter or other social media and show it how to employ semi or fully automated "counter messaging" techniques.
While over at FederalBizOpps the U.S. Government is advertising for someone to develop suitable software, then teach it how to detect upcoming issues on Twitter or other social media and show it how to employ semi or fully automated "counter messaging" techniques.
Sunday, 7 August 2011
DOE V RUMSFELD 2011: a sweet smell of karma is in the air
According to a Government Accountability Project media release on 3 August 2011:
Yesterday, a federal court in Washington, DC upheld the validity of a constitutional rights claim against former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld for his role in the torturing and illegal imprisonment of a U.S. citizen who was working as a translator in Iraq.
At LongIslandPress on 4 August:
At LongIslandPress on 4 August:
Excerpts from a U.S District Court (District of Columbia) Order and Opinion dated 2 August 2011 in the matter of John Doe v Donald Rumsfeld et al:
In this challenge to the conditions of and procedures used in detaining an American citizen at a United States military compound in Iraq, Plaintiff John Doe sues former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, other high-ranking United States government officials, and several unidentified United States officials and agents. He alleges multiple constitutional violations in his seizure and detention…..
Doe also sues Defendants Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security, Robert S. Mueller III, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Alan Bersin, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner, and John Morton, Assistant Secretary of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in their official capacities, to secure the return of the property seized upon his detention and for alleged violations of his right to travel.
Finally, Doe brings claims against unidentified officers or agents of the United States, alleging:
(1) false arrest,
(2) unlawful detention and conditions of confinement,
(3) torturous and unlawful interrogation,
(4) denial of the right to counsel and the right to confront adverse witnesses,
(5) denial of the right to present witnesses and to have exculpatory evidence disclosed,
(6) denial of access to courts and to petition,
(7) blacklisting, and
(8) conspiracy……
(8) conspiracy……
The Court finds, however, that Doe had a constitutional right to be free from conduct and conditions of confinement that shock the conscience, that such right was clearly established at the time of Rumsfeld's conduct, and that Doe has pleaded factual allegations sufficient to support a claim that Rumsfeld's conduct violated this clearly-established right. Accordingly, Rumsfeld’s qualified immunity defense to Doe’s substantive due process claim fails…..
The Court thus finds, under the circumstances alleged, that a reasonable federal official would have understood conscience-shocking physical and psychological mistreatment—including temperature, sleep, food, and light manipulation—of a United States citizen detainee to violate the detainee’s constitutional right to substantive due process. Accordingly, Rumsfeld is not entitled to qualified immunity from Doe’s substantive due process claim…..
..the Court DENIES Rumsfeld’s motion to dismiss Doe’s substantive due process claim. The Court GRANTS Defendant Rumsfeld’s motion to dismiss Doe’s procedural due process and access to courts claims.
The Court further GRANTS the government’s motion to dismiss Doe’s return of seized property claim; the Court permits Doe leave to amend his complaint if he can plead, in good faith, factual allegations supporting a reasonable inference that the government’s refusal to return his property was a “final agency action.”
Finally, the Court DENIES the government’s motion for a more definite statement of Doe’s right to travel claim.
Free EDO seminar on gas exploration and production, 6-8pm 11 August 2011 at Casino RSM Club
FREE EDO Northern Rivers Seminar: Gas exploration and production
Various environmental and legal concerns have been raised about gas exploration and production by affected communities. EDO Northern Rivers is holding a public seminar to provide information about what is happening in the region; discuss the potential environmental impacts; explain the approval processes involved; and inform the community about their legal rights. Speakers will be from the EDO , Metgasco and the National Toxics Network.
Where : Casino RSM Club, 162 Canterbury St
When : 6-8 pm Thursday 11 August 2011
No need to book .
For more information, please contact Mark Byrne, EDO Northern Rivers Education Officer, (02) 6621 1113 or email.
Saturday, 6 August 2011
Beer prices SLASHED in Yamba
How do they do it?
A Yamba hotel advertised that it was having a cheap grog night last night, Friday night, between 8.30pm and 10.00pm. Beer was going to be extra cheap because drinkers wouldn't have to pay GST on their beverages. However, that's only part of the story because drinkers at the hotel last night also didn't have to pay the carbon tax, the mining tax or the luxury tax.
North Coast Voices contacted the hotel yesterday and sought details about the "special offer". The hotel said that a schooner of beer which usually goes for about $4.50 would be discounted by 40%, resulting in a price of $2.50 ... (we won't discuss their mathematical skills here, that might be a subject for another day).
Hmmmm, wonder which authority will investigate operations at the hotel? Do we start with federal government authorities, state government authorities on local government authorities?
Pub art in Maclean NSW
This mural is on a wall in the beer garden.
Further along Maclean's main street is the second of the town's three pubs. The Argyll Hotel circa 1894 features an Art Space in its dining area.
Teh Bolta beginning to bomb?
Sunday 31 July 2011
Ranking below 50
The Bolt Report Ten
Total 119,000
Sydney 24,000 Melbourne 35,000 Brisbane 40,000
Sydney 24,000 Melbourne 35,000 Brisbane 40,000
Adelaide 4,000 Perth 15,000
The Bolt Report Encore Ten
Total 119,000
Sydney 20,000 Melbourne 15,000 Brisbane 45,000
Total 119,000
Sydney 20,000 Melbourne 15,000 Brisbane 45,000
Adelaide 17,000 Perth 22,000
Friday, 5 August 2011
Federal Minister for Home Affairs and Justice & Janelle Saffin MP announce additional Safer Communities funding for NSW Far North Coast
In July-August 2011, the Federal Minister for Home Affairs and Justice Brendan O’Connor & Member for Page Janelle Saffin jointly announced Safer Communities funding totalling $296,000 for projects in the Richmond Tweed and Kyogle local government areas.
The announcement follows grants under the same program in 2010 which saw NSW North Coast benefit.This new funding for NSW Far North Coast communities breaks down at follows…….
Richmond Valley Council is to receive:
$28,000 to go toward the development of a Youth Engagement Strategy to connect with young people in the community; and
$48,000 to fund a dedicated Graffiti Clean-Up Program.
Kyogle Council will get $70,000 for its Kyogle Memorial Project which will undertake:
the renovation of the Kyogle Youth Centre,
improved safety at the Memorial Park in Kyogle, and
the preparation of a shire-wide Crime Prevention Plan.
Lismore City Council had been awarded $100,000 for the Goonellabah Plan which will complement and expand upon the Changing the Tune - Goonellabah Youth Plaza initiative, which received $150,000 (spread over three years) from the Gillard Government last year.
Clarence Valley Council will be provided with an extra $50,000 towards its Youth Activities in Yamba (YAY) Project and will use these funds for a range of projects, including a dance, rap, music and video production program and an exhibition of art work produced by local young people.
Other activities such as mentoring camps will be run as part of this project to provide these young people with opportunities to develop life skills they can use in their community, and help them avoid crime and anti-social behaviour.
A mini bus will also be purchased to provide group transport for local young people to attend these and existing programs.
Best tweet of the week
@GreenJ Jonathan Green
things could be worse. #trollday 1914 ... RT @AustralianArmy: On this day in 1914, Great Britain declared war on Germany.
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