Cancer treatment a scandal on the NSW North Coast

Over the years I have almost become inured to the fact that when one looks at epidemiology data it sometimes appears that there is a causal relationship between where you live and mortality rates.

This week The Far North Coaster brought this possibility home:

Many people in the Far North Coast are missing out on life-saving radiotherapy treatment, so the Cancer Council NSW is asking the public to share their radiotherapy experiences in a one-month call-in to the Cancer Council's Helpline.

In NSW, less than 40 per cent of cancer patients received radiotherapy in 2008, which falls significantly below the internationally accepted benchmark of 52 per cent, the council said.

The Cancer Council estimates that approximately 5000 cancer patients each year do not receive the treatment they require.

It said NSW lacks the capital equipment and radiotherapy workforce needed to meet current or future needs, placing strain on the existing system.

This means some cancer patients are not able to start radiotherapy treatment within the clinically recommended standard of 21 days.

"In many areas, geographical distance creates additional problems for people living in areas without radiotherapy treatment centres," Dr Andrew Penman, CEO at Cancer Council NSW, said.

"The burden of travel, accommodation away from home and out-of-pocket expenses can cause a great deal of stress during an already difficult time."

In some parts of the State, there are only private radiotherapy centres.

Patients without private health insurance either face personal costs of thousands of dollars, or have to travel further from home for treatment that typically ranges from three to six weeks.

Currently there are no radiotherapy services available on the Far North Coast and residents have to travel to Brisbane or Coffs Harbour for radiotherapy treatment in a public hospital.

Consequently, many patients are choosing not to undergo treatment due to transport difficulties.

During the Radiotherapy Call-in, experienced health professionals trained in oncology who staff the Cancer Council NSW's Helpline will answer calls throughout March as part of an initiative to better understand the radiotherapy experiences of cancer patients and their families.

Cancer Council's Radiotherapy Call-in launches on 3 March 2009 and is open weekdays throughout the month, from 9am – 5pm. Callers can contact the Call-in by ringing Cancer Council's Helpline on 13 11 20.

WHAT: Radiotherapy Call-in to Cancer Council's Helpline
WHO: Cancer specialists and health professionals
WHEN: Tuesday 3 March 2009 – Tuesday 31 March 2009, 9am-5pm
WHERE: Across New South Wales. Cancer Council's Radiotherapy Call-in can be accessed from anywhere across the state for the cost of a local call on
13 11 20.

An den iz sed - cats out number p@rn on the Internet?

Salon and Sarah Hepola via a link from Larvatus Prodeo:

For what it's worth, I didn't mean to be a cat person. I grew up with a healthy, sneering disdain for the painfully middlebrow antics of "America's Funniest Home Videos," for the "Hang in there!" posters of kittens clinging precociously to a tree limb. But there was this orange tabby, and blah blah blah, and suddenly my clothes are covered in stubborn fur. Thing is, to be a cat person is something of a private affair. We don't meet at the park and throw sticks. We don't parade our animals down the block or stand around, chatting awkwardly while our pets sniff each others' rear ends. Whatever your cat does -- the way he curls up like a croissant and snores, the way he pads frantically about the bed at 4:30 a.m., paw to your face -- is largely between you and the torn furniture. Which is another reason I think cat culture erupted online, the same reason people get pets in the first place: It's nice to know you're not alone. Other people's cats do this stuff, too.........

In fact, I would submit that cats and kittens might outnumber porn at this point.

"You're probably right about that," says Scott Lamb, a senior editor at the trend-spotting site Buzzfeed. "That might be for the very prosaic reason that producing anything involving kittens is just so much easier than producing porn." After all, we're a nation of shutterbug narcissists, and cats are the closet thing at hand. "Panda ownership is not so common," he says, "but perhaps if it were, panda videos would be even more popular."

Hear that Senator Conroy? We're all probably more interested in kittehs than ti - well you get the picture.

WTF - you can defame a religion now?

The United Nations is a body I have a lot of time for and I'm sorta proud that we Aussies did a lot to get it off the ground and running, and until John Howard came along we continued to fully support its existence and authority.
But.........

This presumably non-binding resolution 62/154 Combating defamation of religions is just a tad too much.
I will happily accept that I would be breaking the law if I defamed a person or incited religious hatred or violence against a person or group; that I cannot do, say or write stuff that racially vilifies or discriminates.
But I'll be b*ggered if I will agree that any religion, philosophy or idea should be treated as a legal person with human rights and that I should mind my Ps and Qs when strongly criticizing the political activities of religious institutions.
If the UN had its way even Good News Week would have to bite its collective tongue on the basis that religious ideology can be defamed in the context of humour.
Half the local pubic bar would have to button lips too because a little blasphemy might get a bloke into trouble - no more Jaysus f**king Christ!

The resolution started life as; "A draft resolution on Combating defamation of religions (document A/C.3/62/L.35) would have the Assembly express deep concern about the negative stereotyping of religions and manifestations of intolerance and discrimination in matters of religion or belief, still in evidence in some regions of the world. The Assembly would further note, with deep concern, the intensification of the campaign to defame religions and the ethnic and religious profiling of Muslim minorities in the aftermath of the tragic events of 11 September 2001. It would also emphasize that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, which should be exercised with responsibility and may therefore be subject to limitations according to law and necessary for respect of the rights or reputations of others; protection of national security or of public order, public health or morals; and respect for religions and beliefs."
The UN member countries vote went 95 in favour to 52 against, with 30 abstentions.
Thankfully Australia did not vote for this resolution, but under the Rudd Government is happily shaping up to support it in another form of wording while the UN considers how to implement this daft resolution.

Transcript: UN resolution 62/154 Combating defamation of religions
Still on the subject: The Becket Fund For Religious Liberty.

Update:
The 2009 UN World Conference Against Racism (Durban II) will be held April 20-25.
The draft document to be considered by this conference still includes clauses concerning the defamation of religions and goes even further by including the concept that holy books, scriptures and symbols can also be defamed.

The floods up north are not all bad news

Now that's a big

Isa Barra or two!!

Thanks to the unknown

Mt. Isa ambo for the

pics from Lake

Moondarra.

One of the reasons why Crikey blogs can now be considered mainstream media

I have to say that I don't regularly read Crikey's blogs and therefore have no real idea what went on in the Pure Poison comments section which apparently made News Limited rather irate.

However, even a small blog like North Coast Voices has had a very slight brush with Tim Blair's ever faithful winged monkeys (moron, bonehead, swampy and run for the hills girly man were my personal favourites in reply to Water Dragon's original NCV post mentioning Blair and Bolt), so I wonder if perhaps the News Ltd bloggers didn't get a dose of the general nastiness they have so obviously tolerated/encouraged in their own readership.

It's a sad day indeed when a new blog so quickly falls victim to its mainstream media host's capitulation to Murdoch's bullies:

Things we shouldn't have said about Andrew Bolt

While Crikey (as part of the mainstream media) could be considered obliged to ensure that comments associated with blog posts are neither defamatory nor incite racial/religious hatred or violence of any sort, there was no need for it to give such prominence to its own grovel to a media group which itself often offends in its own slipshod comments moderation.

For the most part I have found the blogosphere to be relatively polite, fair and honest in what it posts online.

Pauline Hanson: I'm baaack!

Pauline Hansen has announced that she is standing for the Queensland Parliament in the 21st March 2009 election.

The flamboyant redhead has updated http://www.paulinehansen.com.au/ and is now seeking donations and selling t-shirts.
Her bio is a bit of a hoot because it currently stops before her last attempt at federal election in 2007.

Pauline is a bit peeved at all the publicity about her last failed bid:

"Once again the question of electoral funding has reared it ugly head, WHY? My running in this election has nothing to do with electoral funding as many would have you believe.I am fed up with the lies, innuendoes, misreporting and blatant attempts to discredit my name and reasons for standing in the election.Independent and political party candidates for the purpose of election funding is eligible to claim reimbursement of election campaign expenses for votes polled if the candidate reached the qualifying threshold (more than 4%) of formal first preference votes in the electorate contested.A Queensland electorate has approx 32,000 voters. Every formal first preference vote receives approx $1.50 per vote from the electoral commission if the candidate reaches over 4%.Any campaign expenses exceeding the electoral funding are not reimbursed. Receipts must be produced for funding reimbursement."

What is missing from her website is any updated policy or promises.

Did she ever really have any?

Beaudesert beware!

Pauline Hanson's TV meltdown video.

"It's been more than a decade since Ms Hanson last won an electoral contest.
That win, in 1996, made her the federal Member for Oxley and marked the start of her political rise that ultimately saw her One Nation Party hold 11 seats in Queensland parliament at its peak.
But since then she's only tasted defeat: in 1998 in the federal seat of Blair, in 2003 as she sought a NSW Upper House seat, and in 2001, 2004 and 2007 vying for a Queensland Senate seat."

The other Mr Billabong falls on tough times

Brisbane's Courier Mail reports:


Former chief executive of Billabong, Matthew Perrin, who made hundreds of millions of dollars from the Aussie surfwear group, is broke.

Perrin today filed a debtor’s petition with the Insolvency Trustee Service of Australia and placed all his corporate entities under external administration.

Mr Graham Starkey of PA Lucas & Co has been appointed as Mr Perrin’s trustee in bankruptcy.

Once a Gold Coast lawyer, Perrin rode the crest of the Billabong wave, selling his shares and making several hundred of millions as a result.

His slide into bankruptcy was caused by his investments in a property and supermarket group located in Xian and Hunan provinces in China.

International Women's Day events in the Clarence Valley, 6-13 March 2009

There is a range of activities during the week before and after 8th March, the official International Women’s Day. Clarence Valley Council and the NSW Office for Women’s Policy are supporting the following events.

Friday 6 March
Breakfast organized by Clarence Valley Women Inc with guest speaker, UrsulaWilkinson.
Grafton Community & Function Centre, 59 Duke Street, Grafton.
7.30 am – 9 am $15 per person or $8 for pensioners/students
RSVP by Tuesday 3 March to Vicki on 0409 035 433 or cvw16@bigpond.com

Saturday 7 March
Breakfast organized by Lower Clarence Women’s Group.
Sassafras Restaurant, 16 Coldstream Street, Yamba.
Guest speaker Pauline Plant - Clarence Valley Citizen of the Year.
Contact: susan.howland@clarence.nsw.gov.au
8 am – 9.30 am - $15 per person or $8 for pensioners/students
Purchase tickets by Friday 6 March at Sassafras on 6646 1011

Sunday 8 March
Iluka women are gathering at the Picnic Area at Iluka Beach with guests Pat Jenkins – ‘Magic of Carbon in our Soils’ & Rivka Forest - ‘The Art of Healing’
10 am -12 noon. Bring your own drinks, folding chair, sun protection. Morning munchies provided.
Contact: Kerrie Howland 0432 665 305 for information.

Sunday 8 March
Lower Clarence Aboriginal Women’s Group invite women to join them for morning tea at the CWA rooms, River Street, Maclean. Contact: Susan on 0427 975 131 or susan.howland@clarence.nsw.gov.au

Friday 13 March
Yamba Evening View Club - Morning tea, two guest speakers, a fashion parade by Clovelly’s of Maclean & Yamba, a light lunch, raffle, lucky door prizes and entertainment.
Treelands Drive Community Centre, Treelands Drive, Yamba
9.30 am – 2 pm. $10 p/person payable at the door
RSVP Anne Dinham on 66462644 or better still email to dinhams@aapt.net.au by Tuesday, 10th March