Exraterrestrial life on the horizon? Don't pick up the phone to ET!

 

A little light-hearted entertainment from the BBC:

 

The BBC's star science presenter Brian Cox thought he might have a scoop on his hands when he trained his telescope at a newly discovered planet in search of alien life.

But the professor said his hopes for an exclusive were brought back down to earth after he was told by the BBC that impromptu extraterrestrial contact would break health and safety guidelines.

Cox, the former pop star turned particle physicist, wanted to use the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire to listen in to the planet, Threapleton Holmes B, on his BBC2 series Stargazing Live.

"We decided that we'd point the Jodrell Bank telescope at the planet that had been discovered by these two viewers and listen because no one had ever pointed a radio telescope at it and you never know," said Cox.

"The BBC actually said, 'But you can't do that because we need to go through the regulations and health and safety and everything in case we discover a signal from an alien civilisation'.

"You mean we would discover the first hint that there is other intelligent life in the universe beyond Earth, live on air, and you're worried about the health and safety of it?

"It was incredible. They did have guidelines. Compliance."…..

* Martian cartoon found at Google Images

"I can testify from my own experience that the church covers up, silences victims, hinders police investigations, alerts offenders, destroys evidence and moves priests to protect the good name of the church"

 
CALL

A similar letter to the article below was sent directly to NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell.

The Newcastle Herald 8 November 2012:

I have investigated so many sexual assaults in my 35 years of policing I’ve lost count.
Having spent most of those years at the coal face I have seen the worst society can dredge up, particularly the evil of paedophilia within the Catholic Church.
I am not in an executive position or relying on statistics or reports being shielded from reality, I speak from first-hand experience with victims and their abusers.
It is not an easy story to hear and the reason so many cover their ears and turn away. I’ve visited victims in mental hospitals and listened to families tell of suicides. I have looked into their faces, seen their tears of pain, anguish and despair, listened to the hurt of betrayal and felt their isolation from not being believed.
We all hear the words ‘‘paedophile’’ or ‘‘child molester’’ but what do they really mean? The term ‘‘child abuse’’ sweeps over the acts sanitising images of this appalling crime. It’s our inbuilt defence to protect us from those horrific images.
Listening to their stories, typing their statements, I relived their pain. I haven’t blocked those images and they still haunt me. I visited them in psychiatric wards and saw the damage to their families. A solicitor from the DPP broke down reading one of my statements. The abuse was so abhorrent she asked to be relieved of the case. Is it any wonder people don’t want to hear and turn away?
Victims are coming forward in ever-increasing numbers but they need our support. They need your support, Mr Premier. Police are making arrests but still the abuse goes on. It is not enough to say, ‘‘I welcome the police decision to arrest another person [priest] accused of paedophilia’’, when on average it takes 21 years to report these crimes and the priest continues to prey on more little children.
Often the church knows but does nothing other than protect the paedophile and its own reputation. It certainly doesn’t report abuse as revealed by the current Victorian inquiry.
I can testify from my own experience that the church covers up, silences victims, hinders police investigations, alerts offenders, destroys evidence and moves priests to protect the good name of the church. None of that stops at the Victorian border.
Convicted priest Vincent Ryan was sent to Victoria when the church learned of his abuse, returning the following year after things cooled down to pick up where he left off.
Many police are frustrated by this sinister behaviour, which will continue until someone stops it. You have the power to do that, Mr Premier. The whole system needs to be exposed; the clergy covering up these crimes must to be brought to justice and the network protecting paedophile priests dismantled. There should be no place for evil or its guardians to hide. Then and only then will the arrests begin to slow, signalling fewer children are being raped.
It is no longer enough to just arrest the wrongdoer 21 years after the crime.
Removing the support that harbours these criminals is like cutting the head from the beast. It tears down the veil of secrecy behind which these vile animals operate with the self-assurance of immunity.
A priest once gave evidence that the church’s handling of child sex allegations was under control.
That priest was named by victims as having allegedly helped to cover up the rape of children.
His name continues to appear in other matters. Clearly everything is not under control. Alarm bells are ringing.
I have many family and friends who are Catholic. My children attend Catholic schools so I am not anti-Catholic. I voted for you, Mr O’Farrell, at the last election so my call for a royal commission is not politically motivated. My reason is from the suffering I have witnessed and a desire to make it stop.
There are more than just the victims and their families who want to see a royal commission. I have spoken to teachers who no longer want to be intimidated and silenced. I have sat with a priest and nun who were so distraught they felt forced to leave the church when they couldn’t remain silent. I have taken reports of ostracism and reprisals against victims’ families for giving evidence against priests at trial. If this doesn’t warrant a royal commission something is very wrong.
Apologising is not enough. Compensating victims for treatment is not enough. Mr O’Farrell, please don’t block your ears. Many priests don’t want a royal commission nor does the hierarchy of the church, but God knows we need one.

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox is a Hunter police officer with more than 35 years’ experience in the force.

RESPONSE

Courier Mail  9 November 2012:

A SPECIAL commission of inquiry will probe allegations made by a senior police investigator into child sex abuse at the hands of Catholic clergy in the NSW Hunter region.

The commission, announced by Premier Barry O'Farrell on Friday, will be headed by senior counsel Margaret Cunneen to look into claims made by Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox, alleging cover-ups by police and the Catholic Church in the Hunter.

Mr Fox had publicly challenged Mr O'Farrell to launch a royal commission, writing an open letter to the premier and criticising the state government's continued failure to launch a judicial inquiry on national television.

Mr O'Farrell said while he had "full confidence" in police commissioner Andrew Scipione and the police force, the matters raised were serious.

"They go to the question about whether there has been interface, either within the police force, or by the Catholic Church, in relation to specific allegations of pedophile activity in the Hunter," he told reporters in Sydney on Friday.

 

CODA

 

In a somewhat weak response the nominally Catholic NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell is forming a special commission of inquiry with very limited terms of reference confining investigation to the Hunter district and the specific allegations made by Peter Fox.

Apparently he agrees with Cardinal George Pell that a state-wide royal commission into sexual abuse within the Catholic Church is not warranted despite the overwhelming evidence now in the public domain.

Peter Fox's response to the formation of a special commission.

 

One cannot help speculate that if O’Farrell was not worried about the Catholic vote, he would have established a full Royal Commission.

UPDATE:

Prime Minister Gillard announces Royal Commission

On the subject of political combovers

 

Never trust a bloke with a comb-over – adelcrow

 

ABC News 5 January 2010:

 

Tony Abbott is at a stage in this happy process when he is faced with the dilemma of what to do with that increasingly isolated forelock, once the thick, centrepiece of an admirably intact hairline.

If you look at the opposition leader on different days, or even different hours, he variously combs those remaining strands forwards, sideways, brushes it back or tousles it about. All in an attempt to achieve a look of maximum coverage while seeming unfussy.

 

	PjN @Pamela_November	30 Oct 2012
	@Thefinnigans Notice Abbott has changed his hairstyle? Previously short at the front...now swept across....hiding the >bald spot?

 

 

	Musca vetustissima @Mvetustissima	30 Oct 2012
	@Pamela_November @Thefinnigans Abbott has always used the comb-over style to cover his lack of policies.

 

Responses to Tony Abbott's qualified support of the proposed Royal Commission into child sexual abuse in Australia

 

 

Mr Abbott today backed a Royal Commission into child sexual abuse as long as it was not limited to a single institution.
However, Mr Abbott made clear that support for an inquiry would only be given if it did not focus on just one organisation. He effectively said he would not back a royal commission which looked only at the Catholic Church.

 

* Image found at Twitter and quote is from The Telegraph online 12 November 2012

"I suspect it may be dawning on a few white men as I write this that giving women the vote was a seriously bad idea."

 

Jane Caro at Crikey 9 November 2012:

 

Barack Obama won 55% of the female vote, meaning it was women who decided this year's presidential election. Politicians who refuse to take women's concerns and freedoms seriously are now on notice.

I suspect it may be dawning on a few white men as I write this that giving women the vote was a seriously bad idea.

Suddenly the constituency that used to rule the world — because they ruled America — are getting a sense of just what it feels like to be a minority group. And I don't think they like it much.

According to numbers that are being crunched as I write, Barack Obama outpolled Mitt Romney in every group except older white men. Based on these admittedly preliminary figures, the President won 55% of the female vote, 93% of the African American vote and 71% of the Latino vote. He also outpolled Romney in every age group up to 45 and won the votes of most Americans who live in cities.

But if these early figures are correct, it is women who have really decided this election. That's because they are 53% of the population, while blacks are 13%, Latinos 10% and Asians 3%. Even younger people only add up to 46% of the American population.

In other words, women voters in the US have become the kingmakers and let's hope one day soon, the queenmakers.

"A dog ate my policies and here is a note from my mum" - men don't get Tones either

 

1. “So the Abbotts fight over the telly on a Sunday night, she for footy, he for Downton Abbey. First, with their combined income surely they have at least two televisions in their home; second, there is no football on Sunday night at 8.30. Spin, spin.” {Kevin O'Rourke of Goonellabah in The Sydney Morning Herald on 8^th October 2012}

2. “Tony Abbott knows his leadership is terminal so he calls in the missus to spruik his "feminine side". What next? "A dog ate my policies and here is a note from my mum"? {Bob Torrens of  East Ballina in The Sydney Morning Herald on the same day}

3. "Tony Abbott’s approval rating has dropped over the last month. 33% (down 4%) approve of the job Tony Abbott is doing as Opposition Leader and 58% (up 4%) disapprove – a change in net rating from -17 to -25 over the last 4 weeks. This is Tony Abbott’s lowest rating since he became Opposition Leader.

65% (down 9%) of Coalition voters approve and 29% (up 7%) disapprove.
By gender – men 36% approve/56% disapprove, women 29% approve/59% disapprove. In net terms this represents a decline with men from -16 to -20 and with women from -19 to -30." {Essential Report 12th November 2012}

In which Clarence Valley Council Management politely suggests that Democracy and Elected Members of Council pee off

 

There is a hidden battle to save local government democracy underway in the Clarence Valley as I write. With a number of councillors supporting democracy and council management supporting rule by bureaucracy. 

 

Excerpts from the Minutes of Clarence Valley Council Ordinary Monthly Meeting of 16 October 2012:

 

COUNCIL RESOLUTION – 14.009/12

 

(Crs Simmons/Williamson)

That

A report be put before the November 2012 meeting to enable a review of all of the

authorities, other than those empowered by statute, delegated by Council to the General Manager.
 

Voting recorded as follows:

For: Councillors Williamson, Baker, Challacombe, Howe, Hughes, Kingsley,

McKenna, Simmons and Toms

Against: Nil…..

 

OFFICER’S COMMENTS

 

The decision not to report this application to Council rested with the Manager Development Services. In making that decision he considered that the objections were either unsubstantiated (loss of property value, not slab on ground brick and tile and loss of views) or could be conditioned satisfactorily (privacy).

Perspective is required in making such decisions.

Councillors would be aware that the proposals under the Green paper issued by the State Government in July 2012 is that Councillors’ involvement in decision making on DA’s encourages Councils to reduce their involvement in the DA decision making process and the Minister publically stated his preferred view is that the political arm of Council should not be involved in DA decisions.

Council submitted a contrary view to this in its submission to the Minister at the August meeting.

[my red bolding]

 

Excerpt from the Business Paper of the Civil & Corporate Committee Meeting scheduled for 13 November 2012:

 

The rolling blacklist is dead and our online privacy is once more protected - or is it?

 

The Age 9 November 2012:

 

Conroy has backed down but there's no shortage of people still pushing to invade our privacy and censor the internet.

It's almost five years since communications minister Stephen Conroy embarked on his crash-or-crash-through campaign to introduce mandatory ISP-level internet filtering for all Australians……

From the very beginning of the debate, outspoken filtering opponents such as Electronic Frontiers Australia and Mark Newton data retention to keep records of everyone's internet usage for two years. There's already a push to expand the scope of this plan.

Meanwhile anti-piracy lomade it clear that the real concern about the planned filter was its broad scope and veil of secrecy which left it open to abuse by those with an agenda.

It didn't take long for calls to expand the proposed filter. Family First Senator, Steve Fielding, called for the filter to cover legal hardcore pornography and fetish material, while Senator Nick Xenophon wanted it to encompass online gambling. The Australian Christian Lobby was also pushing to expand the scope of the filter to cover a wide range of sins…….

"Blocking the INTERPOL 'worst of' list meets community expectations and fulfils the government’s commitment to preventing Australian internet users from accessing child abuse material online," Conroy says.

"Given this successful outcome, the Government has no need to proceed with mandatory filtering legislation."

Only a politician could label such a backdown a "successful outcome", considering it's exactly what he should have done five years ago. Senator Conroy has been gradually backtracking on filtering for some time but only now does it seem safe to declare the plan officially dead. But that doesn't mean that free speech and privacy advocates can rest easy. Right now Australia is debating the proposal for blanket data retention to keep records of everyone's internet usage for two years. There's already a push to expand the scope of this plan.
Meanwhile anti-piracy lobbyists are threatening to bomb the internet back into the stone age with draconian plans which keep emerging under the guise of various proposals such as the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), Protect IP Act (PIPA) and the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA)….

In November 2012 Australian citizens still struggle to get a definitive response from the Federal Attorney-General as to how law enforcement and intelligence agencies will ensure that they are not inappropriately gathering personal information on individuals when they wish to access to the following data without having to automatically apply for a warrant before each request to Internet Service Providers.

Definition of Telecommunications Data

From the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security

 Inquiry into potential reforms of National Security Legislation

And you thought Aussie politics was poisonous right down to its rightwing grass roots!

Post-Presidential Election Republicanism in the US of A:

“You come upon a neighbor — whom you know to be a Democrat — drowning in a lake. You're the only person in the vicinity. Do you help him?
Whew!Now that one is really, really tough. I honestly do not have an answer for thatone. You could always be a smartass about it I suppose. Scream: "Hey Joe,you sure you're a Democrat? Just say the word, 'Obama sucks,' simple as that.Just mouth the words 'Obama sucks' and I'm in the water."

At LibertarianRepublican.net on 7th November 2012:

“Now, that said. Firstly, I was wrong. I let my optimism get the best of me. I even lashed out at Thomas L. Knapp a time or two, saying he was nuts for his predictions. Tom was right. I was fantastically wrong. We were crushed last night at all levels, most especially in the Senate races. There is virtually no good news from last night's results for the libertarian wing of the GOP. I apologize Tom. I hope you can see fit to accept my apology.

Secondly, today starts a new course for my life. I've soured on electoral politics given what happened last night. I believe now the best course of action is outright revolt. What do I mean by that?

Well, to each his own. Some may choose to push secession in their state legislatures. Others may choose to leave the U.S. for good (Costa Rica, Switzerland, Italy, Argentina, Hong Kong, Israel). Still others may want to personally separate themselves from the United States here in North America while still living under communist rule' the Glenn Beck, grab your guns, food storage, build bunkers, survivalist route. I heartily endorse all these efforts.

Express your hatred, shame, and outright disgust with anyone you know who voted Democrat

However, for me, I'm choosing another rather unique path; a personal boycott, if you will. Starting early this morning, I am going to un-friend every single individual on Facebook who voted for Obama, or I even suspect may have Democrat leanings. I will do the same in person. All family and friends, even close family and friends, who I know to be Democrats are hereby dead to me. I vow never to speak to them again for the rest of my life, or have any communications with them. They are in short, the enemies of liberty. They deserve nothing less than hatred and utter contempt.

I strongly urge all other libertarians to do the same. Are you married to someone who voted for Obama, have a girlfriend who voted 'O'. Divorce them. Break up with them without haste. Vow not to attend family functions, Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas for example, if there will be any family members in attendance who are Democrats.

Do you work for someone who voted for Obama? Quit your job. Co-workers who voted for Obama. Simply don't talk to them in the workplace, unless your boss instructs you too for work-related only purposes. Have clients who voted Democrat? Call them up this morning and tell them to take their business elsewhere.

Have a neighbor who votes for Obama? You could take a crap on their lawn. Then again, probably not a good idea since it would be technically illegal to do this. But you could have your dog take care of business. Not your fault if he just happens to choose that particular spot.

And start your boycott of your Democrat friends and family today. Like this morning. First thing you can do, very easy, is to un-friend all Democrats from your Facebook account”

Read this wingnut rant at length right here.

Rememberance Day 11 November 2012

Lest We Forget

 

 

 

Photograph of part of the Commemorative Courtyard at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra

from First House On The Right



Cardinal George Pell on child sexual abuse in Australia

 

This is the cleric from whom Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is known to take advice.

 

Pell's perspective encapsulated:
 

Child sexual abuse? An historical anomaly. Never a systemic failing within the church.

There is insufficient evidence to justify a NSW royal commission into these assaults.

Anyway, we’ve been unfairly vilified.

It’s all the fault of universal original sin and anti-Catholic prejudice.

In which Standard & Poors, ABN Amro and Local Government Financial Services Pty Ltd are found liable for Australian local government financial losses

 

Excerpts from Justice Jayne Jagot's reasons for judgment in the matter of Bathurst Regional Council v Local Government Financial Services Pty Ltd (No 5) [2012] FCA 1200 (5 November 2012):

 

12.5.3.7 IMPACT OF THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS

1. For the reasons already given I do not accept that the GFC was the real, essential or effective cause of the loss or damage incurred by the councils…..

16. CONCLUSIONS

1. For the reasons given in the preceding sections I am satisfied that:

(a) the councils' claims for rescission of the agreements by which they purchased the Rembrandt 2006-3 CPDO notes from LGFS and restitution (both under statute and otherwise) should not be accepted;

(b) leaving aside some aspects of their claims immaterial to their overall entitlement to damages, the councils are each entitled to succeed in their various claims for damages against LGFS, S&P and ABN Amro;

(c) the claims of LGFS, S&P and ABN Amro against the councils for contributory negligence and being largely responsible for their own loss, with the consequence that the damages payable to each council must be reduced, should not be accepted;

(d) the councils have each proved that they suffered loss and damage as required to sustain their claims against LGFS, S&P and ABN Amro, the damage being the amount each paid for the Rembrandt 2006-3 CPDO notes less the amount they received on the cash-out of those notes. No deduction for coupon payments received by the councils should be made;

(e) this is also the proper measure of damages payable to Cooma and Corowa in respect of their breach of contract claims against LGFS;

(f) other than in respect of their claims for equitable compensation from LGFS for breach of fiduciary duty, the councils' damages claims against LGFS, S&P and ABN Amro attract the various proportionate liability provisions and liability for the councils' damages should be apportioned as between LGFS, S&P and ABN Amro as to 33⅓% each;

(g) the councils' claims for equitable compensation from LGFS for breach of fiduciary duty should also be sustained. While this compensation is not apportionable the measure of compensation is the same as the councils' damages claims;

(h) there is an outstanding issue as to the interest which the councils should receive, ABN Amro having argued that pre-judgment and perhaps post-judgment interest should not exceed the interest which would have been payable had the Rembrandt 2006-3 notes not cashed out and the other parties not having addressed that argument;

(i) LGFS is entitled to succeed in its various claims against ABN Amro and S&P including:

(i) proportionate liability of S&P and ABN Amro in terms of the councils' claims against LGFS (see above);

(ii) liability of S&P and ABN Amro to LGFS for damages in respect of the Rembrandt 2006-3 CPDO notes that LGFS purchased and did not sell to councils but sold instead to its parent company, LGSS, after S&P downgraded the rating of those notes from AAA to BBB+; and

(iii) liability of S&P and ABN Amro to make equitable contribution to LGFS in respect of LGFS's settlement of the StateCover claims against LGFS, S&P and ABN Amro relating to StateCover's purchase of the Rembrandt 2006-2 CPDO notes.

(j) the claims of S&P and ABN Amro against LGFS for contributory negligence and being largely responsible for its own loss in respect of the Rembrandt 2006-3 CPDO notes that LGFS purchased and did not sell to councils, with the consequence that the damages payable to LGFS on that account must be reduced, should not be accepted;

(k) LGFS has proved that it suffered loss and damage as required to sustain its claims against S&P and ABN Amro in respect of the Rembrandt 2006-3 CPDO notes it did not sell to councils, the damage being the amount LGFS paid for the Rembrandt 2006-3 CPDO notes less the amount LGFS received on the sale to its parent company. Again, no deduction for coupon payments received by LGFS should be made;

(l) LGFS's damages claims against S&P and ABN Amro attract the various proportionate liability provisions and liability for LGFS's damages should be apportioned as between S&P and ABN Amro as to 50% each;

(m) the issue of interest referred to above applies equally to LGFS;

(n) LGFS's claims against S&P and ABN Amro for damages or equitable contribution against S&P and ABN Amro in respect of LGFS's settlement of the StateCover proceedings should be accepted, with LGFS, S&P and ABN Amro each to contribute 33⅓% to the overall settlement sum including LGFS's costs of the proceedings;

(o) the cross-claims of S&P and ABN Amro against each other should be rejected;

(p) LGFS's claims against AHAC for indemnity under the contract of insurance should be accepted and AHAC's cross-claim against LGFS for reimbursement of defence costs already paid should be rejected; and

(q) costs, along with the outstanding issue of interest, may be argued.

 

3723.   Directions will be made for the parties to confer about a timetable for the making of any further submissions on interest and costs, as well as the making of final orders in accordance with these reasons for judgment.
 

On 24 May 2012 the Australian Securities and Investment Commission revoked Local Government Financial Services Pty Ltd's Australian Financial Services license.

 

It has been reported that Standard & Poors intends to appeal the 5 November Federal Court judgment.

Energy White Paper 2012: Supporting vulnerable customers?

 

Not worth the paper it is printed on:

 

Supporting vulnerable customers

The government recognises that rising energy costs and the unwinding of cross-subsidies have uneven distributional impacts on households, and that lower-income households face proportionally greater impacts than high-income households (see Chapter 3: Future energy trends and challenges). Therefore, retail price deregulation and greater consumer empowerment must be accompanied by appropriate protections for vulnerable customers, such as effective hardship policies, strong marketing rules, select standard terms and conditions for energy contracts, and close monitoring of market outcomes.

Ensuring that consumers, particularly those who are most vulnerable, are able to manage energy costs effectively is also increasingly important. The continued provision of adequate assistance to vulnerable consumers through a sound general safety net, well-targeted jurisdictional concession regimes and appropriate community service obligations remains critical.

Such assistance should be transparent and not undermine competitive pricing structures, which reflect, as efficiently as possible, the underlying costs of supply. It is more efficient for assistance to be provided through properly targeted social policy settings, rather than energy policy settings, to ensure that energy market signals are preserved.

 

Full Commonwealth Energy White Paper 2012 here.

'Yambaman' did an Alexander Downer on Saturday 3 November 2012?

 

According to a regular North Coast Voices reader; Yamba's Rene Rivkin did an Alexander Downer on Saturday.

 

He sent in this snippet from The Daily Examiner on 7 November 2012 with emphasis added:

 

Stroke rounds always produce a plethora of disasters...a fine airswing from Cliffy Wood on the 2nd, Ian Brockwell 4 putting from 60 cm on the 12th, Paul Reid failing to get his tee shot passed the ladies on the 13th ..'Crownies', Chris Durrington hitting Rob Connolly's ball on the 15th but feature of the day was non playing Dave Schwarz who turned up in the late afternoon in fishnet stockings....the mind boggles.

 

Yambaman is also getting noticed locally for remarks such as these:
 

·         yambaman from Yamba

                So sad fcwscott that you appear paranoid about BULK BILLING - yet
                another not prepared to pay his/her way, no wonder Swan can't get the
                budget into surplus! If you can't afford to pay for medical treatment when
                you need it why should you expect others to pay your way?

·     yambaman from Yamba  

MOST of the protesters are unemployed, greenies or uni students, they'll protest against anything! Bottom line is it's the same people who have now got all of us paying through the nose for "renewable" energy, when we have more coal and uranium than we know what to do with (so we export it cheap!).

EDITOR'S NOTE: Comment modified to comply with NS guidlines: http://www.northernstar.com.au/contact/#StoryCommentsNotShowing

Part of the journey to an authentic musical voice

http://youtu.be/KV_0Mf9YcyA

http://youtu.be/yiq5QK_SBqs

http://youtu.be/yUkIpGFcsKg

http://youtu.be/MNBTT20aDlQ

Clarence Sustainable Floodplain Farming Workshop 14 November 2012

Moggy Musings [Archived material from Boy the Wonder Cat]

 

A tall tails tales or true? musing: Cansdellgate is the gift which keeps on giving. Now the list of people, who allegedly knew of Steve Cansdell’s admitted falsification of a statutory declaration before he confessed to his National Party leader and then Grafton police in September 2011, has grown. NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell has been joined on this list by a long serving Liberal senator, an evangelical pastor, a mayor and, possibly a senior member of NSW Police. Even the Independent Commission Against Corruption may have had a degree of fore knowledge if the rumours of just how quickly it jettisoned the complaint are true. To a simple moggy like myself it almost looks as though by the time the MP's resignation was announced the 'legal' problem had been quietly made to go away.

A move along, nothing to see here musing: There's a strong rumour doing the rounds that Clarence Valley Council assets manager George Kriflik and Clr. Sue Hughes are hoping their names don't surface when locals discuss council power plays. Too late, old press coverage gave the game away long ago.

 

A very odd musing: Which North Coast council was an unsecured creditor of a company apparently solely owned by one of its own councillors at the time he was elected last September?

 

A You go, gurl! musing: A Labor MP has thrown her support behind calls for a ban on the export of live animals after the slaughter of thousands of Australian sheep in Pakistan. Almost half a shipment of 21,000 Australia sheep were brutally killed in the country before a court order was obtained by the owners halting the cull. The Agriculture Department is investigating claims some were buried alive. Janelle Saffin, the Member for the New South Wales electorate of Page, says she will push for a ban when the Labor partyroom meets the week after next. She believes she has the support of many of her colleagues. "It continues to be the issue that all members of Parliament get a lot of emails about and a lot of contact saying 'please do something about this'," she told Saturday AM. "Look the way I'll say it is, it's a debate that won't go away."

 

A Well Done! musing: Let's hear it for Slim, Trip, Hear Ned, Breeze, Boots, Willy, Molly, Rex, Rexxie, Joe, Bill, Pete, Sting, Carly, Paddy and Jill for their outstanding efforts on behalf of the canine kind at the dog trials held at the Maclean NSW on 15-16 September 2012.

 

A losing her prawn head musing: Yamba's Chamber of Commerce president wants to see Ballina's iconic Big Prawn relocated to the town at the mouth of the Clarence River. Oh dear, wrap the idea in newspaper and put it in the bin.
 

A smell of burning musing: In the last campaign days of the NSW North Coast 2012 local government elections things are heating up. As a Ballina candidate and mayoral hopeful canvasses the possibility that the theft and torching of his vehicle was politically motivated and, it comes to light that elsewhere a first-time candidate is issuing what seem suspiciously like thinly veiled threats in an effort to keep the media silent concerning his activities.

 

A how much moola? musing: Rex the German Shepherd wants to know how much a local government by-election in the Clarence Valley might cost if one of the 9 councillors elected next Saturday [8.9.12] threw a wobbly and resigned in the next year or so. I couldn't tell him. Can anyone?

 

Boy