Pies with a difference

Tired of traditional meat pies? Then try one of Pot Belly's offerings.

Yes, this is an advertorial. If the local rag can fill its pages with promos for its business mates at the expense of other businesses than there's no reason why I cannot give a helping hand to a Yamba business that opened in late 2008.

Pot Belly's tasty offerings include:

Steak Balmoral - steak, mushrooms, scotch whisky, wholegrain mustard and cream.

White Chocolate Cheesecake Pie - Belgium white chocolate, mascarpone cheese, cream, vanilla bean, a touch of lemon and a burst of raspberry.

Apple & Raspberry Crumble Pie - Apple and raspberry fruit pie made with traditional flavours of vanilla bean, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Add cream and a buttery crumble to make it extra special.

Chocolate Cointreau Mousse Pie - Belgium milk chocolate and cointreau mousse topped with fresh strawberries.

Pie eaters in Maclean can look forward to sampling a Pot Belly next week when PB opens a new outlet in River Street in Australia's Scottish town. And, in keeping with the spirit of Easter and the Maclean Highland Gathering, PB has added a traditional Scottish recipe to its menu.

More info about PB pies can be read here.

Footnote: Clarrie is in no way related to the owners of PB. In fact, he wouldn't know them from Adam.

Sky as art on the NSW North Coast

From the keen eye of North Coast resident Pip Wilson over at his Flickr photostream.

A word from your local MP....

From one anonymous and bitter Federal MP:
"Let's face it, as far as the public are concerned, they won't be happy until politicians are paid nothing, walk to Canberra and sleep in a tent,"
Just a little bit worried that voters feel that a large pay rise at the end of June would be excessive, when so many blue collar workers are losing their jobs?

Underwhelmed by the thought of digital televsion

The Federal Communications Minister may have overdosed on happy pills when praising the national introduction of digital television by 2013 starting with rural Australia in 2010, but I am less than impressed.
In fact I almost gagged when I read People need to know what equipment is digital-ready and that upgrading can be as simple as adding a set-top-box to an existing television set," said Senator Conroy, who announced a labelling scheme in-store to assist consumers with their purchases.
The television I watch is so old it doesn't even have a video jack, which of course means it's so ancient that it cannot be adapted for a set-top box.
Renting on a pension with no extra income of any kind, there's no way that I'll be able to save enough for a new digital TV in the next three years (and I'm not alone in that).
Hells bells, I don't even have a lousy dollar left the night before the fortnightly payment goes into my bank.
When you're old and poor there's not much room to manoeuvre, so how am I supposed to invest in new technology?
Answer that Senator Conroy.

Turned Off
Grafton

Urge to filter gets Conroy into trouble

PERTH-headquartered ISP iiNet said it has sought legal advice on Communications Minister Senator Stephen Conroy's public commentary on its legal defence in a high-profile copyright case before the NSW Federal Court.
IiNet managing director Michael Malone said that the comments were a form of retribution against the ISP for pulling out of the Department of Broadband Communications and Digital Economy’s controversial internet filtering trial.
“We have sought legal advice on this. It's unheard of for a crown minister to try to influence the outcome of an active case,” Mr Malone said.
IiNet’s concerns orbit comments that Senator Conroy is reported to have made at a high-profile communications forum in Sydney.
Several media outlets reported that Mr Conroy ridiculed arguments in iiNet’s legal defence that it was not aware of what was being downloaded on its network as “stunning”.

NSW Aboriginal Land Council North Coast representative on her way to the UN

Proud Yaegal woman Patricia Laurie, a North Coast representative on the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, is soon on her way to the United Nations in New York as part of a delegation to the eighth session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

The permanent forum is an advisory body to the U.N. Economic and Social Council and this session commences on 18 May 2009.

Patricia and other members of the Australian delegation will be facing a full agenda and I'm sure that the Northern Rivers wish them well in their endeavours.

April 2009 NSW North Coast flood pictures

Heavy rain on the NSW North Coast in the last few days resulted in everything from minor nuisance flooding in the Lismore area to major innundation in the Coffs Harbour and Belligen region.

Local residents are reminded that this type of weather often sees snakes trying to find dry ground in or around buildings.

Photographs are from The Sydney Morning Herald, ABC News and The Northern Star.