North Coast Voices turns two in blog years

North Coast Voices celebrates its second birthday today.

Everyone here would like to say a big thankyou to all who have visited this blog and stayed to read and sometimes comment.

A special thanks also to those locals who decided to participate by using Guest Speak to add their views to the post mix.

22 ways to leave your leader.......

The political career of Australian Liberal Party Leader of the Federal Coalition Opposition, Malcolm Truffles Turnbull, is still under threat from his own colleagues and now Peter Costello has thrown another by-election into the ring.

In an effort to give them all a little {ahem} spine and free up political space for things that really matter, here's 22 Ways To Leave Your Leader for those that remain........

Use a louder voice, Joyce,
Hop on the home bus, Truss,
Break a few rules, Jules,
Keep giving him the flick, Nick
Lose another preselection seat, Pete,
Be brave enough to punt, Hunt,
Take to the poodle p*ss, Chris,
Pass that ETS bill back, Mac,
Threaten to leave, Steve,
Tell TehBull to take a hike, Mike,
Give Hockey a rave, Dave
Support giving Mal the sack, Jack,
Leave him not a fig leaf skerrick, Eric,
Dob for a nice new job, Robb,
Make a beaut plan, Keenan,
Swear to another on a bible, Nigel,
Try to out-jockey, Mr. Hockey,
Leave the rich git on his own, Stone,
Poll the lot by phone, Tone,
Ring the final bell, Hel,
A new leader forge, George,
Backbenchers all, just take back his key
And set yourselves free.

Snap! The very real rewards of business failure

Two perspectives on Greed Unlimited.

From the Brisbane Times last Monday:

The basic wage of Babcock & Brown Infrastructure's boss has risen by more than $300,000, despite the company's shares losing 90 per cent of their value, a market analyst says.
Jeff Kendrew was appointed chief executive officer of Babcock & Brown Infrastructure in June 2007.
On November 12 last year he was also named executive director.
News Limited says Mr Kendrew's basic wage has risen from $365,000 to $700,000, while shares have fallen from $2 in 2007 to less than one cent.

From Stephen Mayne's email newsletter The Mayne Report on the same day:

Will someone shove a cake of Sunlight down the throat of John bluddy Winston bluddy Howard.....

For a man who stated that he was going to refrain from political commentary after he retired was tossed from office, former Aussie prime miniature JW Howard is forever popping up in the media with yet another observation on world affairs or national politics.
This time he combines both (along with some gratuitous brown-nosing) by calling for an increase in troop numbers in Afghanistan.
Yer, right.
Let's send more young men into a region where no invading First World power has 'won' a war in living memory.
Where temporary victory is inevitably followed by successful insurgency, until the 'foreigners' finally take their military bat and ball and go home. Just ask Russia.
And where Australia is supposedly fighting for democracy by supporting a corrupt Afghan government which only holds power because it could rig a national election on a grand scale right under the West's nose.
So will someone do the world a favour and stuff that arrogant little man's gob with Sunlight soap or lock him away in a backroom at Wollstonecraft where his stupidity will only be heard by four beige walls.

Of course if it comes to L'l Johnnie's own hip pocket nerve, he is not as quick to front the microphone.
The media attention was suddenly unwelcome when asked if he is to have a well-paid role in a restructured NRL.
Last Wednesday ABC News Radio reported that he would not comment because he was travelling.
Tha's right! The same 'travelling' he was doing when he opened his mouth about Afghanistan.

Image of the wee richardhead from Pop Culture Caricatures and Cartoons

First Dog On The Moon takes the mickey out of Monsanto with Canolabees

First Dog On The Moon cartoon from Crikey
5 October 2009
Click on image to enlarge

* This post is part of North Coast Voices' effort to keep Monsanto's blog monitor (affectionately known as Mr. Monsanto) in long-term employment.

Link to Austalian Indigenous Languages Database

Wilhelm Schmidt map 1912

AUSTLANG provides information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. The core of AUSTLANG is a database which assembles information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages from a number of sources.

The database contains the following information about each Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language:

• alternative/variant names and spellings
• history of the number of speakers
• geographical distribution
• classifications from various sources
• resources
• documentation
• programs
• researchers

Browser requirements here.

Rees Government wants to sell-off NSW rail transport options?

Anyone living in rural and regional New South Wales on a limited budget knows how important the last vestiges of public transport are when it comes to accessing health care and maintaining family contact, let alone being able to shop with wider choice of goods or competitive prices.

The Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association of NSW has been pointing out the advantages of regional rail for years.

So it is with some dismay that I realised that the Rees Government is seeking to pave the way to sell-off an estimated 3,000 klms of existing and closed rail corridors - corridors which should remain in the future public transport planning mix if only on the grounds of social equity and climate change mitigation.

This legislative move has been described by others as a fire sale for developers and this would not be an inaccurate description.

There is one NSW North Coast Federal MP, Labor's Janelle Saffin, who is doing something about one closed rail corridor in the Page electorate according to The Far North Coaster on 3 October 2009.

If you don't want a For Sale billboard on the Casino to Murwillumbah line you can sign a petition asking that this line be quarantined and kept in public ownership until the completion of the Integrated Regional Transport Plan for the Northern Rivers and south-east Queensland:

The petition can be signed at Ms Saffin's electorate office – 63 Molesworth Street, Lismore – during normal business hours or when her mobile office visits the Lismore Car Boot Market this Sunday.

She has also arranged for Minister Campbell's office to accept separate emailed letters of protest.

These can be sent to david@campbell.minister.nsw.gov.au and should be copied to Ms Saffin's policy adviser peter.ellem@aph.gov.au