Wednesday 6 August 2008
I can't eat a web site, Mr. Rudd
"Grocery Choice" it's going to call it and this site will give us all a snapshot of the monthly cost of an average basket of groceries across 61 regions.
Fat lot of good that will do us on the Northern Rivers.
Where I live there is only one, that's right one, retail grocery store and it can charge what it likes and serve up whatever dubious quality of goods it likes.
The idea of encouraging competition and instituting unit pricing is a real laugh - since the beginning of the year this Coles store has offered at premium prices rotten potatoes, peanuts in the shell infested with insects, packaged tomatoes with splitting skins and mould, spoiled apples and cheese well beyond its shelf life.
"Grocery Choice"? Silly, silly, silly.
I can't see how Labor's Chris Bowen kept a straight face when he fronted the cameras over this one.
North Coast Pensioner
Visual feast from the NSW North Coast region
My favourite website disclaimer
Disclaimer found at an Alaskan version of The Flat Earth Society, "Deprogramming the masses since 1547".
"The Flat Earth Society is not in any way responsible for the failure of the French to repel the Germans at the Maginot Line during WWII. Nor is the Flat Earth Society responsible for the recent yeti sightings outside the Vatican, or for the unfortunate enslavement of the Nabisco Inc. factory employees by a rogue hamster insurrectionist group. Furthermore, we are not responsible for the loss of one or more of the following, which may possibly occur as the result of exposing one's self to the dogmatic and dangerously subversive statements made within: life, limb, vision, Francois Mitterand, hearing, taste, smell, touch, thumb, Aunt Mildred, citizenship, spleen, bedrock, cloves, I Love Lucy reruns, toaster, pine derby racer, toy duck, antelope, horseradish, prosthetic ankle, double-cheeseburger, tin foil, limestone, watermelon-scented air freshner, sanity, paprika, German to Pig Latin dictionary, dish towel, pet Chihuahua, pogo stick, Golf Digest subscription, floor tile, upper torso or halibut.
Copyright © 1998 Flat Earth Society Inc. All rights reserved."
Tuesday 5 August 2008
US 08: when fat counts at the ballot box?
Image from Cleveland.com
The Oklahoma Poll found that Republican John McCain has broad support in the state to lead Obama by 32%age points, 56% to 24%. Seventy-one percent of those questioned say they are firm in their decisions.
The poll, sponsored by the Tulsa World and television station KOTV, is a statewide survey of 750 likely voters that was conducted July 19-23. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 3.58%age points.
2008 scenario for Aussie cartoonist heaven
Monday 4 August 2008
National Missing Persons Week 3-9 August 2008
In 2008, the focus is on young people as a significant group at-risk of going missing. Out of the estimated 35,000 people who are reported missing each year, approximately 20,000 are under the age of 18.
Ph: 1800 000 634 (toll free)
How convenient for Senator Conroy; media is buying the Internet sky is falling story
An unnamed Victorian Police source said it was so in that state and never mind that there was no evidence (nor could there be) supplied to support this claim, or that named sources did not think to mention this startling fact
If this dodgy claim had any veracity it should be reflected in similar crime statistics from other states.
Those NSW figures for the first quarter 2008 clearly indicate that there is not an increasing horde of juveniles turning to crime.
Over the last five years the recorded rate of juvenile involvement in crime fell in six major categories, rose in two and remained stable in the other nine.
Offence Trend Average annual percentage change
DV related assault Up 5.1%
Break and enter non-dwelling Down -5.0%
Motor vehicle theft Down -7.1%
Steal from motor vehicle Down -4.2%
Steal from retail store Down -4.1%
Steal from dwelling Down -5.1%
Steal from person Down -10.8%
Malicious damage to property Up 5.7%
Ever since the Federal Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Stephen Conroy, announced that he was proceeding with his national ISP filtering scheme, despite the obvious technical drawbacks and censorship overtones [Full report PDF], I have been waiting for the first media story ploughing the ground ahead of the ultra-conservative senator's next move.
I suspect that The Age article will be the first of many. Most pushing the spurious claim that Conroy's censorship is all about 'protecting' the children.
Sunday 3 August 2008
Liberty and Democracy: a rose by any other name is still a marginal political party
Last Friday the Australian Electoral Commission advertised the Liberty and Democracy Party's application for a name change to the Liberal Democratic Party, with the abbreviation Liberal Democrats (DLP). Objections to the change close on 1 September 2008.
This appears to be the party's second attempt to effect this name change.
Somehow the proposed new name doesn't quite match the party's eccentric website blurb.
The Government is comprised of politicians and public servants with no special insight or wisdom. Despite that, it constantly tells us what is best for us and how we should run our lives.
It tells us we should eat healthy foods, not smoke, wear a helmet when we ride a bicycle and not use marijuana. It tells us how to discipline our children, whether we can renovate our houses and who we are permitted to marry. It prevents us from owning a gun to protect our families in our own home and stops us from obtaining help to end our own lives even when we are in terminal pain. It forces us to vote even when we don't want to.
It ties up enterprising businesses in regulations and red tape that prevent them from investing, expanding and employing more people.
The LDP believes people should make their own choices and accept responsibility for the consequences. It believes governments have neither the expertise nor the right to tell people how to run their lives and should stick to things like protecting Australia from attack and safeguarding property rights. The LDP believes in legalising assisted suicide, the right of self defence and voluntary voting. It considers property owners (including hoteliers and restaurateurs), not the government, should decide whether smoking is allowed on their property and whether to remove trees on their land.
It believes the government has no business regulating victimless crimes such as adult consensual prostitution, adult pornography or risky behaviour that harms nobody else. It believes speed limits should be determined by what most motorists regard as safe, not what public servants deem to be acceptable.
Even when the choices that individuals make are unwise and could harm them, so long as nobody else is involuntarily adversely affected the LDP says, "It's your choice, not the government's."
Wonder what the response from the Liberals and Democrats will be this time around to an obvious attempt to bounce off two well-known political brands?
Alan's nostalgic music collection - be still my beating heart!
So says the online spiel for music to grow wrinkles by.
Think I'll pass, Alan.