Top Priority for Immediate Broadcast
NSW SEVERE WEATHER WARNING
Flash Flooding.
For people inthe Northern Rivers
Issued at 11:25 am on Thursday 4 September 2008
Synoptic Situation: 9:00 am EST Thursday
A trough over southeastern Queensland is expected to deepen and form a low in the vicinity of Cape Byron early Friday.
It should then move southwards to be located east of Port Macquarie by late afternoon.
Rainfall over the area is expected during today and should increase further overnight on the Northern Rivers district.
Heavy rain and flash flooding look most likely on the northern half of the North Coast overnight, extending to the southern parts during Friday morning.
Rain should ease from the north during the day, and mostly clear by Friday night.
Winds are expected to become strong and gusty, but at this stage are not expected to exceed mean speeds of 65km/hr.
Emergency services advise do not enter flood water.
Stay well clear of creeks, storm drains and causeways.
The next warning is due to be issued by 5pm Thursday.
This warning is also available through TV and Radio broadcasts; the Bureau's website at www.bom.gov.au or call 1300 659 218. The Bureau and State Emergency Service would appreciate this warning being broadcast regularly.
Thursday, 4 September 2008
Ian Tiley goes to bat for the Clarence Valley
Ian Tiley, Mayor of Clarence Valley Council, has gone to bat for the people of the valley.
ABC News reports:
There is concern about a North Coast Area Health Service attempt to sell land next to Maclean Hospital.
A sign advertising the sale of three lots appeared on the land recently.
Clarence Valley Mayor Ian Tiley says he will raise the issue today with Health Minister Reba Meagher's chief of staff.
Councillor Tiley says he will point out that selling the land could prevent any future expansion of the Maclean Hospital.
"There was no consultation with anyone beforehand, either the community or the council," he said.
"It's a high access area, we've got very high population growth in the locality and an ageing population and it's inherent this land be retained for hospital or allied purposes."
Cr Tiley says it is a waste of valuable property that would be better used by the growing hospital.
"We've got a parking conundrum at the hospital at the present time. There's cars parked all over the place on roads, on narrow roads," he said.
"There's also a strong feeling we need a renal dialysis unit down here, it's just wrong to put land on the market, public land, without consultation."
This is no mere grandstanding in a bid for re-election in this month's local government elections.
Under Ian Tiley, Clarence Valley Council has managed to pull together a valley divided by forced council amalgamations, progress the aims of this community in protecting the Clarence River system, retain a commitment to a fair rating policy and attract the goodwill of federal and state governments.
ABC News reports:
There is concern about a North Coast Area Health Service attempt to sell land next to Maclean Hospital.
A sign advertising the sale of three lots appeared on the land recently.
Clarence Valley Mayor Ian Tiley says he will raise the issue today with Health Minister Reba Meagher's chief of staff.
Councillor Tiley says he will point out that selling the land could prevent any future expansion of the Maclean Hospital.
"There was no consultation with anyone beforehand, either the community or the council," he said.
"It's a high access area, we've got very high population growth in the locality and an ageing population and it's inherent this land be retained for hospital or allied purposes."
Cr Tiley says it is a waste of valuable property that would be better used by the growing hospital.
"We've got a parking conundrum at the hospital at the present time. There's cars parked all over the place on roads, on narrow roads," he said.
"There's also a strong feeling we need a renal dialysis unit down here, it's just wrong to put land on the market, public land, without consultation."
This is no mere grandstanding in a bid for re-election in this month's local government elections.
Under Ian Tiley, Clarence Valley Council has managed to pull together a valley divided by forced council amalgamations, progress the aims of this community in protecting the Clarence River system, retain a commitment to a fair rating policy and attract the goodwill of federal and state governments.
According to The Daily Examiner:
In a pleasant change for the area, Clarence Valley's funding places it in the top tier of NSW local government for federal grants. The $9,414,520 council will receive this year is the ninth biggest NSW local government grant.
On top of this, council will get another $1.3m for roads. In comparison, Richmond Valley and Kyogle councils will receive more than $4.3m in grant funding each.
In a pleasant change for the area, Clarence Valley's funding places it in the top tier of NSW local government for federal grants. The $9,414,520 council will receive this year is the ninth biggest NSW local government grant.
On top of this, council will get another $1.3m for roads. In comparison, Richmond Valley and Kyogle councils will receive more than $4.3m in grant funding each.
Guantanamo Bay 2008
The U.S. detention camps at Guantanamo Bay have been operating now since 2002.There are still over 250 people being held in these camps without formal arrest or charge.
The Rudd Government may ignore the moral and human rights implications of supporting the government which operates these camps and our courts may remain silent because the issue has not been before them.
However, the British High Court of Justice (Queens Bench Division) spoke out in a limited fashion in an open judgment on 21 August 2008, about certain circumstances making an arguable case that rendition, unlawful detention, cruel and degrading treatment had occurred to a former British resident currently held at Guantanamo.
Along with attempts to deny the ability to conduct a fully informed defence.
The Nature Notes cartoon came from The Times online
Grafton Jacaranda Festival, 24 October to 2 November 2008
Time to mark your calendar for Grafton's Jacaranda Festival which has been held each year since 1935.Markets, street float parade, pipe bands, dancing, fireworks, dragon boat racing, competitons, kids fun, exhibition gardens and an evening ball - just some of the things to enjoy.
Details here.
Details here.
Photos from Hub Pages
A little Ginger Meggs grafitti
Opened up the local rag to what's become the most important page since Chapman turned it into an ersatz Tele and there lurked the background grafitti within Ginger Meggs:
Why experiment on animals when there's so many politicians around?
Ah Ginge, when all else fails you remind me that everything has its funny side.
Wednesday, 3 September 2008
So you think you can run a council.....(5)
ABC TV Media Watch alerted us all to an amusing scenario last night.
It seems that National Party stalwart, Neil Marks, may have to face the possibility of an obviously unplanned loss of income if he is elected as a Lismore City councillor and mayor.
Neil Marks presents the breakfast show on Radio 2LM which is owned by Richmond River Broadcasters.
On this show he informed all and sundry of his registration as a candidate in the forthcoming local government elections and granted himself a bit of free air time to broadly outline his ticket.
Neil Marks: National Party is nothing to do with this. The people I am involved with in the, in the ticket have nothing to do with the National Party whatsoever. We are people who are just concerned, who want to see what we call sensible growth for the area... It will be pretty exciting I think and you know, I'll give it my best shot. — 2LM Breakfast, 13th August, 2008
Mr. Marks then came a cropper.
...should Mr Marks be elected to Council his future tenure at the station will be reviewed by 2LM management.— Email statement from Bill Caralis (Chairman, Richard River Broadcasters) to Media Watch, 1st September, 2008
Statement from Richmond River Broadcasters here.
One may remember that Neil Marks stood for National Party preselection in the seat of Page prior to last year's federal election campaign.
Here is Mr. Marks with his Nationals hat barely disguised when interviewing Joe Hockey during that campaign.
Uncle Joe liked it so much he posted it on his own website.
It seems that National Party stalwart, Neil Marks, may have to face the possibility of an obviously unplanned loss of income if he is elected as a Lismore City councillor and mayor.
Neil Marks presents the breakfast show on Radio 2LM which is owned by Richmond River Broadcasters.
On this show he informed all and sundry of his registration as a candidate in the forthcoming local government elections and granted himself a bit of free air time to broadly outline his ticket.
Neil Marks: National Party is nothing to do with this. The people I am involved with in the, in the ticket have nothing to do with the National Party whatsoever. We are people who are just concerned, who want to see what we call sensible growth for the area... It will be pretty exciting I think and you know, I'll give it my best shot. — 2LM Breakfast, 13th August, 2008
Mr. Marks then came a cropper.
...should Mr Marks be elected to Council his future tenure at the station will be reviewed by 2LM management.— Email statement from Bill Caralis (Chairman, Richard River Broadcasters) to Media Watch, 1st September, 2008
Statement from Richmond River Broadcasters here.
One may remember that Neil Marks stood for National Party preselection in the seat of Page prior to last year's federal election campaign.
Here is Mr. Marks with his Nationals hat barely disguised when interviewing Joe Hockey during that campaign.
Uncle Joe liked it so much he posted it on his own website.
U.S. intelligence wants our cute cat pictures!
A thought from My Heart's in Accra which started this ramble:
Web 1.0 was invented to allow physicists to share research papers.
Web 2.0 was created to allow people to share pictures of cute cats.
Web 2.0 was created to allow people to share pictures of cute cats.
The Cute Cat Theory with notes on political activism and censorship found here.
Meanwhile according to CNet the U.S. intelligence community is not happy with the direction the Internet is taking.
Invented by American computer scientists during the 1970s, the Internet has been embraced around the globe. During the network's first three decades, most Internet traffic flowed through the United States. In many cases, data sent between two locations within a given country also passed through the United States.
Engineers who help run the Internet said that it would have been impossible for the United States to maintain its hegemony over the long run because of the very nature of the Internet; it has no central point of control.
And now, the balance of power is shifting. Data is increasingly flowing around the United States, which may have intelligence--and conceivably military--consequences.
American intelligence officials have warned about this shift. "Because of the nature of global telecommunications, we are playing with a tremendous home-field advantage, and we need to exploit that edge," Michael V. Hayden, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2006. "We also need to protect that edge, and we need to protect those who provide it to us."
Indeed, Internet industry executives and government officials have acknowledged that Internet traffic passing through the switching equipment of companies based in the United States has proved a distinct advantage for American intelligence agencies. In December 2005, The New York Times reported that the National Security Agency had established a program with the cooperation of American telecommunications firms that included the interception of foreign Internet communications.
It seems that the mighty American security agencies would be bereft if they couldn't keep peeking at all those cute animal pictures (which are such an obvious front for urban terrorists and Taliban supporters) as they are being published on the Net.
Which begs the question of how subversive does the CIA or Homeland Security find the pic below?
Apologies to the dog's owner for making fun of such a sweet pic found at MSNBC News .
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