Shorter Morrison Government on Climate Change: Get used to it!

https://youtu.be/6BmbvTvFQ3g

It's no wonder Facebook Inc earnings are falling

"Adverse outcomes such as suicide and depression appear to have risen sharply over the same period that the use of smartphones and social media has expanded. Alter (2018) and Newport (2019), along with other academics and prominent Silicon Valley executives in the “time well-spent” movement, argue that digital media devices and social media apps are harmful and addictive. At the broader social level, concern has focused particularly on a range of negative political externalities. Social media may create ideological “echo chambers” among like-minded friend groups, thereby increasing political polarization (Sunstein 2001, 2017; Settle 2018). Furthermore, social media are the primary channel through which misinformation spreads online (Allcott and Gentzkow 2017), and there is concern that coordinated disinformation campaigns can affect elections in the US and abroad."  [Hunt Allcott, Luca Braghieri, Sarah Eichmeyer, and Matthew Gentzkow (November 2019) "The Welfare Effects of Social Media"]

BoingBoing, 10 February 2020:

Facebook is designed to make you anxious, depressed and dissatisfied, three states of mind that make you more vulnerable to advertising and other forms of behavioral manipulation. Small wonder, then, that people who quit using Facebook reporthigher levels of life satisfaction and lower levels of depression andanxiety. Bloomberg's article about the study is a few months old but one that should be revisited regularly between now and November.

People who deactivated Facebook as part of the experiment were happier afterward, reporting higher levels of life satisfaction and lowerlevels of depression and anxiety. The change was modest but significant — equal to about 25 to 40 percent of the beneficial effect typically reported for psychotherapy.

Why are people willing to pay so much money for something that reduces their happiness? One possibility is that social media acts like an addictive drug — in fact, the people Allcott et al. paid to deactivate Facebook ended up using it less after the experiment was over. But another possibility is that people use services like Facebook because they’re compelled by motivations other than the pursuit of happiness.

Response to the 12th Annual Closing The Gap Report: "We die silently under these statistics"

The Monthly, 12 February 2020:

Northern Territory Labor senator Malarndirri McCarthy gave a devastating interview this morning, ahead of today’s annual Closing the Gap address, drawing a direct connection between the ongoing failure to meet targets to reduce Indigenous disadvantage and the policies of the Coalition government. 

Starting with the Abbott government’s decision to cut the Aboriginal affairs budget by half a billion dollars, McCarthy then cited the disastrous Aboriginal work-for-the-dole scheme (the Community Development Program), the cashless welfare card that “entrenches First Nations people in poverty in this country”, and the out-of-hand rejection by the Turnbull and Morrison governments of the First Nations voice to parliament requested in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. “All of these things are connected to Closing the Gap and improving the lives for First Nations people,” said McCarthy, who went on to slam as an “absolute disgrace” the abandonment of any referendum on constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians after a backlash [$] in the Coalition party room yesterday. 

The key findings of the 12th annual Closing the Gap report, tabled in parliament today, received blanket coverage this morning: only two out of seven targets have been met, on early education and Year 12 attainment, while the other five targets on child mortality, school attendance, literacy and numeracy, employment and life expectancy are all off track. The government has responded by seeking to adopt new targets expected in April, drawn up after a year’s consultation by the Coalition of Peaks representative body chaired by Pat Turner, from the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, under a new national agreement to be signed by COAG. Both PM Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese gave set-piece addresses, and the debate continued into Question Time, with no real progress. Fine words every Closing the Gap day achieve nothing – as Crikey’s Bernard Keane writes [$], the sentiments are often the same, from PM to PM, from year to year. 

In a debate this afternoon, shadow Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney gave a moving speech citing former social justice commissioner Mick Dodson, who said Australians suffered from an “industrial deafness” to the statistics of Indigenous disadvantage, accepting them as almost inevitable. “We die silently under these statistics,” Burney said, flagging that Labor looked forward to supporting new and ambitious Closing the Gap targets. Failure was not inevitable, she said, adding that “once again we offer bipartisanship from this side of the house”. In reply, Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt also stressed the need for bipartisanship, saying: “All of us have failed in the Closing the Gap journey over the last 10 years. The intent has been good … but the model has been broken.” Then he veered into unconvincing management speak: a different paradigm, turning the dial, joint and shared decision making, better ownership at local level, and the engagement of mainstream Australia. 

While nobody is doubting that Wyatt is genuine about his portfolio, it will amount to little if his government colleagues are not behind him. It will be a tragedy if it turns out the first Indigenous minister for Indigenous Australians was appointed for cynical political purposes, and was nobbled from the start....

Read the full article here.

Closing The Gap Report 2020, exerpt:

Progress against the Closing the Gap targets has been mixed over the past decade. 

As four targets expire, we can see improvements in key areas, but also areas of concern that require more progress. 

• The target to halve the gap in child mortality rates by 2018 has seen progress in maternal and child health, although improvements in mortality rates have not been strong enough to meet the target. 

• The target to halve the gap for Indigenous children in reading, writing and numeracy within a decade (by 2018) has driven improvements in these foundational skills, but more progress is required. 

• There has not been improvement in school attendance rates to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous school attendance within five years (by 2018). 

• The national Indigenous employment rate has remained stable against the target to halve the gap in employment outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a decade (by 2018). 

Two of the continuing targets are on track. 

• The target to have 95 per cent of Indigenous four year-olds enrolled in early childhood education by 2025. 

• The target to halve the gap for Indigenous Australians aged 20–24 in Year 12 attainment or equivalent by 2020. 

However, the target to close the gap in life expectancy by 2031 is not on track. 

Jurisdictions agreed to measure progress towards the targets using a trajectory, or pathway, to the target end point. The trajectories indicate the level of change required to meet the target and illustrate whether the current trends are on track.

BACKGROUND

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics; The final estimated resident Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of Australia as at 30 June 2016 was 798,400 people, or 3.3% of the total Australian population.

It has been estimated that the pre-1788 resident Aboriginal population could have been as high as over one million people, or 100% of the total Australian population.

Political Artifice 101: physical presentation as a thing

Australian Prime Minister and Liberal MP for Cook Scott John Morrison is always crafting his image.

The jutting lower jaw pics, ubiquitous flag lapel pin, the city bloke attempt at mimicking the look of moleskins & cotton shirts when in rural areas, the occasional flirtation with different spectacles frames, his dizzying array of Trumpian baseball caps and those attempts to alter his hair style - buzz cut, casual tousle or added length.

However, the fact remains that it is only manufactured image easily seen through.

At every turn there is a enduring metaphor for the degree to which such image creation fails - in Morrison's case it's the top of his skull.

And the irritating smirk he can barely contain. 

* All photograhs found at Google Images

Diversity of opinions on NSW North Coast towards the short-term holiday letting sector

Mirage News, 11 February 2020: 

Residents’ views differ widely across the NSW North Coast on the impacts of short-term holiday letting (STHL), according to the results of a Southern Cross University survey.  

Most residents (71%) and approved accommodation providers (64%) favour rental caps for permanently non-hosted investment properties; while just 34% of Airbnb hosts residing in the region support day limits for such properties. There were more than 1,600 responses to the survey. 

The finding is part of research aimed at giving locals a say in decision-making about how to manage short-term holiday letting in the NSW North Coast region. The survey focussed on the area between Tweed and Kyogle in the north to Tea Gardens/Hawks Nest in the south. Residents in 12 council areas were surveyed: Ballina, Bellingen, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Kempsey, Kyogle, Lismore, MidCoast, Nambucca, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Richmond and Tweed. The research follows a similar study by the same Southern Cross University researchers in the Byron Shire in 2018. The project was undertaken in partnership with Destination North Coast. 

Drs Tania von der Heidt, Sabine Muschter, Deborah Che and Rodney Caldicott from the School of Business and Tourism at Southern Cross University spent several months surveying 1,632 residents in the NSW North Coast region, including 320 Airbnb hosts, 169 approved accommodation providers and 1143 other residents. 

Dr Muschter said one significant finding was slightly more than two-thirds of approved accommodation providers and other residents believed caps are needed when the property is without a host – temporarily or permanently. 

“In other words, most residents favour a model involving mandatory on-site management for any short-term holiday letting,” said Dr Muschter. 

The majority of the short-term holiday lettings are listed on online rental platforms, notably Airbnb. Across the 12 council areas Airbnb listings increased 371% over the past three years – from 4,072 at the end of 2016 to 6,456 at the end of 2019. The rate of growth in the 12 council areas has outpaced that of the Byron Shire, which grew by 195% in the same time period, albeit from a higher base. In December 2016 the number of Airbnb properties in Byron (1,172) was already more than three times as high as that of the next biggest tourist destination in the North Coast – Tweed – which had just 289 Airbnb listings at end of 2016. 

Dr von der Heidt said the data suggests the other surveyed council areas are following the Airbnb trend that started in Byron Shire. 

She said the study demonstrated a diverse range of perceptions of the sector with many championing the positive impact to tourism, the local economy and employment, while around half of the respondents highlighted social impacts such as traffic, parking and neighbourhood lifestyle and called for more regulation. 

“While Airbnb hosts did not wish for their operations to be regulated, most approved accommodation providers and other residents want more regulation on short-term holiday letting including adequate reporting avenues to lodge complaints of misconduct, appropriate enforcement of non-compliance, and the introduction of compulsory public liability insurance for guests and third parties,” Dr von der Heidt said. 

According to the latest data from Destination North Coast, the NSW North Coast’s multiple tourist hubs are valued at approximately $12.5 million per day. Even though tourism generates 9.4 per cent of regional jobs and supports 7,000 business, the North Coast faces many tourism pressures, including the burgeoning peer-to-peer accommodation platforms.....

In November 2018, with a view to shaping the implementation anticipated state planning legislation, Clarence Valley Council resolved to submit to the NSW Government "an expression of interest in allowing short term rentals for 180 days a year in R2 low density residential coastal areas (Yamba, Iluka, Angourie, Wooloweyah, Brooms Head, Sandon, Wooli, Diggers Camp and Minnie Water) but allowing short-term rentals for 365 days a year in all other residential areas where tourism pressures are not as pronounced and was allowed with a development application previously."

By February 2019 The Daily Examiner was reporting that there were 330 active Airbnb lisitings in the Lower Clarence, with the vast majority being in Yamba.

Novel Coronna Virus Epidemic - update and mapping

According to the World Health Organisation Coronna Viruses (C0V) are: 

a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). 

A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. 

Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans. 

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. 

Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. 

Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness...

The current Novel Coronna Virus (COVID-19) was first reported on 31 December 2019.

Worldwide there have been between 64,518 confirmed cases* of novel coronavirus and 1,383 reported deaths. The fatality rate is currently 2.3%.

Although highly infectious it appears that relatively quick responses from public health authorities around the world is limiting its spread.

Only 586 cases of COVID-19 to date have been diagnosed outside the country of virus origin. Two deaths have been recorded.

There have been no deaths from this viral infection in Australia.

Australian Government Dept. of Health:

As at 06:00 hrs on 14 February 2020, we have confirmed 15 cases of novel coronavirus in Australia: 

5 in Queensland 
4 in New South Wales 
4 in Victoria 
2 in South Australia 

6 of the earlier cases have recovered. 

The others are in a stable condition.

All of these cases came into contact with the virus outside of Australia.

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicinemodelling suggests that the 2019-nCoV outbreak could peak in mid to late February if current trends continue.

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine mapping at https://vac-lshtm.shinyapps.io/ncov_tracker/:

20 January 2020

14 February 2020

NOTE 

* According to the World Health Organisation China is now reporting clinically diagnosed cases in addition to laboratory-confirmed cases, which has increased the number of recorded COVID-19 infections in that country by 13,332 people as of 13 February 2020.

Psst! Don't mention Donald Trump's constant use of makeup - he doesn't like it

On Friday 7 February 2020 photographer Brendan Smialowski captured a photo of U.S. President Donald Trump walking across the South Lawn of the White House after returning from Charlotte, North Carolina, with his face makeup clearly visible.

William Moon, who posts photos on the Twitter account @photowhitehouse, created and posted a headshot that same day which clearly reveals the president's makeup line.

In addition he posted this photo.

Apparently these images stung Trump and he tweeted an accusation that his image had been photoshopped - calling it "More Fake News" at 6:13AM on 9 February 2020.