In Living Memory exhibition, 5 February - 1 March 2009 Ballina [ATSI community note this post may contain images of people who are no longer living]

The In Living Memory photographic exhibition is now on at the Northern Rivers Community Gallery, 44 Cherry Street, Ballina.

In Living Memory features images from a series of 1000 black and white photographs from the official records of the former NSW Aborigines Welfare Board. Most of the photographs were taken to document the work of the Board and to promote its policies. The exhibition also includes images taken during the exhibition consultation process by renowned Indigenous photographer Mervyn Bishop.

In Living Memory addresses the photographs as living records with compelling histories and powerful connections to the present. The exhibition is helping to create a new purpose and place for the photographs within contemporary Indigenous life.

Some of the images on display are from the NSW North Coast area.

The exhibition will be open between 10am to 4pm, Wednesday through to Sunday each week.
The Gallery can be contacted on (02) 6681 6167 to make group bookings to see the exhibition

Photograph was found at The Far North Coaster online magazine.

More grief for 'Truffles' Turnbull

Last Sunday morning during the ABC Insiders program Chris Uhlmann referred to 'Truffles' Turnbull as having "strapped himself to the tracks in front of the gravy train", because of his somewhat silly threat to block the Rudd Government second stimulus package in Parliament when it was obvious to everyone that he couldn't possiblely mount the numbers on this one (indeed it passed through the House Of Reps and is on its way to a Senate vote in the next few days).

But Mal has other PR worries as well this week:
"Federal Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull says he is not the only politician to receive campaign funds from a controversial American billionaire.
Mr Turnbull received $76,000 from Fortress Investment Group director Peter Briger, to help fund the campaign for the Sydney seat of Wentworth, The Sun-Herald has reported.
Mr Turnbull previously held shares in the company associated with predatory lending practices in the United States, but offloaded them in 2007.
When asked if he would re-pay the money, Mr Turnbull told Network Ten: "You could well ask that same question of President (Barack) Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton because Peter Briger was a prominent supporter and donor to both their campaigns."
According to The Sun-Herald, Fortress is referred to as a "vulture company" because it preys on vulnerable businesses and debtors and picks over financial carcasses....."

This is not the first time Peter Briger has donated to the Libs - in 2007 he gave $51, 000 to the Liberal Party in NSW, but nothing to the other major parties.
And, guess what, Mal me old china?
Yep, you appear to be the only Aussie pollie to directly get money from this Yankee billionnaire and former Goldman Sachs shareholder (along with yourself).

In February 2007 The Street.com said of Briger and other Fortress directors/shareholders (and presumably Malcolm Turnbull):
"When it comes to hedge fund company Fortress Investments(FIG Quote - Cramer on FIG - Stock Picks), one thing's for sure: Chief executive Wesley Edens and the other principals didn't get where they are today by leaving money on the table.
Fortress went public two weeks ago and doubled in price on the first day. But what investors may not realize is that the five principals pretty much stripped the company clean just before the IPO.
I don't mean they cleaned up the balance sheet. I mean they cleaned out the vault. Page five of the prospectus shows they withdrew $446.9 million from the company in "cash distributions" last year.
Plus another $409 million in January.
They collected a further $888 million on Jan. 17 by selling a small stake to Japanese bank Nomura(NMR Quote - Cramer on NMR - Stock Picks).
Oh yes, and they pocketed a further $22.8 million in the final weeks before this month's IPO.
A table buried on page 94 of the prospectus shows the remarkable facts. Between January 2005 and this month's IPO, the five principals of Fortress -- Edens, Peter Briger, Robert Kauffman, Randal Nardone and Michael Novogratz -- cashed out $1.04 billion. "That does not include the Nomura transaction," adds company spokeswoman Lilly Donohue.
Total withdrawn in the two years before they took it public: $1.9 billion. Most of that was in the final few months.
This isn't just every penny that the company earned over that period -- it's a lot more. By the time the owners opened the doors to the investing public this month, the company wasn't just out of cash -- it had negative book value. Liabilities actually exceeded assets by $507 million........"

Fortress Investment Group key executives as of 6 February 2009.

Those wonderful Firies and other emergency service workers

It's times like this that bring home how wonderful Australian emergency services really are.
With many people in northern NSW having family spread around the country in areas affected by bushfire or flooding, we all have to rely on those big-hearted volunteers to look after these far away loved ones in times of danger and distress.

But it's not only the Firies and State Emergency Services workers we need to thank for their efforts either.
It is also the South Australian, Victorian, Queensland and New South Wales police, power company workers, local council staff, community groups, the Red Cross network and ABC Radio emergency service broadcasting, as well as countless neighbours and strangers who weigh in to help in times of trouble.
So here's a big thank-you to all these brave people as they continue to battle the worst that nature can throw at them.

The pic I've included is from ABC Melbourne.

Andy
Northern Rivers

Guest Speak is a North Coast Voices segment allowing serious or satirical comment from NSW Northern Rivers residents. Email ncvguestpeak at live dot com dot au to submit comment for consideration.

While we wait for Conroy's ISP-level filtering trial.....

Netspace surveyed its customer and nearly 10,000 responded.

Whales have been in the ocean longer than humans have walked the earth

Humpback whale breaching photograph from National Geographic

It is thought that the ancestors of today's whales first became fully aquatic about 45 million years ago.

That is at least 40 million years earlier than our most readily recognizable ancestors and so far ahead of the creation of Japanese society that the Government of Japan should be ashamed of its pretence that the state-sponsored annual whale kills are anything but commercial slaughter.

A Sunday chuckle

• Sometimes a passing quote hits the giggle spot because its accidence is so right.
  This one is from the syndicated "Ginger Meggs" comic strip.
  
  A penny saved...........is a government oversight!

• Overheard at the pub: The way Malcolm Turnbull's been acting this week it looks like he's suffering from Rudd Rage.

"Moggy Musings" [Archived material from Boy the Wonder Cat]

A Happy Christmas musing:

Boy the Wonder Cat, Veroncia Lake his canine friend, Roo's bathroom cat and Clarrie's faithful hound, wish every pet and owner on the NSW North Coast a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Please remember to arrange proper care for your animals if you are holidaying between now and March 2009.

A get well soon musing:

This is a big hello to Dana, the 9 year-old Kelpie cross who was badly savaged by a grey pit bull at Red Rock in November 2008.

After emergency surgery and vet care that ran to over $3,000, Dana is still far from well as I put paw to keyboard.

A mixed mutt musing:

The Daily Examiner told everyone that (according to veterinary records) Labradors are the most common doggie pet in New South Wales, followed by Staffies, Jack Russells and Maltese Terriers.

My little canine friend Veronica Lake thinks that in the Northern Rivers things might be a little different, because she reckons that Yamba is the Home of the Little White Dog as there are so many small, white crossbreed dogs there.

I ask - where are the media releases about cats!?

A huge thankyou musing:

It was great to hear that 70-odd locals, tourists, National Park rangers and other government employees labored so hard at Anthony's Beach in north-west Tasmania to save a maternal pod of of pilot whales and managed to return 11 mums and bubs back to deep water and the open ocean.

Hope someone is giving you all free beer for that mammoth effort!

A keep an eye open musing:

This time of year fledgling birds are sometimes blown out of the nest before they are ready to fly. If something is moving in the flower bed or vegie patch, have a quick look to see if it is a grounded baby.

W.I.R.E.S (Northern Rivers) will take these babies so give them a call on: (02) 6628.1898

A US presidential musing:

Dogs of the world are rejoicing because a card-carrying Democrat puppy will enter the White House with the inauguration of Barack Obama on 20 January 2008.

But I'm a bit miffed. If Obama is truly going to be a president for all as he said in his acceptance speech, felines of the world join with me and demand that he give equal house space to a kitteh!

Here's my pick of a Cute kitten candidate for prime Washington residence