Lismore Lantern Parade, Satuday 20 June 2009

It is only a couple of months until that wonderful spectacle the Lismore Lantern Parade.

To remind everyone of how special it is to enter the parade or watch from the sidelines, here are some photographs by Tapperboy of the 2008 parade found at Flickr.

Hopefully Tapperboy will be snapping away this year as well.

Lantern making workshops are being held this month starting on Saturday 18 April and going to 30 May.

You can get details or book a place by phoning 6622 6333 or 6621 2464.

Clarence Valley whodunnit

Snapshot from Media Watch

Courtesy of Clarrie Rivers

Ever since ABC TV Media Watch featured The Daily Examiner editor Peter Chapman's ill-fated foray into gender politics, some Clarence Valley residents have been wondering who sent off that copy of Chapman's "Comment" article.

One person caused a smile by suggesting that it would be impossible to tell whodunnit due to the number of those already annoyed with Chapman and that "the perp could've come from a cast of thousands".

While on the subject of The Daily Examiner, this was sent to me yesterday as an example of advertising thinly disguised as news. Something which appears to be cropping up too frequently under Chapman's editorship.

Click to enlarge image

So you want to look through my medical records?

Seems that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Health Minister Nicola Roxon and Human Services Minister Joe Ludwig think it's a beaut idea to have faceless Medicare bureaucrats trawling through the local doctor's patient records just in case he or she is trying to defraud the Commonwealth.
Matching everything (from that brush with the kid's head lice, those uncomfortable haemorrhoids, that dose of the clap, problem with alcohol or recent unplanned pregnancy) to a Medicare billing form with your name on it within 2 years of the date on the audit notice.

But that's not all!
The local hospital, medical specialists and corporate practices can also be asked to hand over your medical records on demand, as well as aboriginal health workers; audiologists; clinical psychologists; diabetes educators; dieticians; exercise physiologists; mental health nurses; occupational therapists; psychologists; socialworkers; and speech pathologists.
Wait there's more!
Not only does Medicare get to look at all those medical records - it gets to take away and keep the originals.
Which means that your confidential records are in yet another government data base.
The doctor's solicitor can also obtain a copy of removed records, so there's yet another person keeking at your maladies.

As to which practitioners will be audited - well it's all a bit of a lottery really because at the moment the government is sorta promising (with fingers crossed behind a few backs) that there will only be 2,500 of these snooping expeditions each year.
Retaining any form of patient confidentiality? Well it's easy to recall those times when Centrelink staff or police officers have been caught out snooping on relllies or selling information from government data bases.

Joe Ludwig expects to have this hunt 'n' hound firmly in place by July this year.
If you want to have a say in all this go to this page on the Department of Health and Aging website for details of the draft legislation which turned up very quietly last Thursday.
You have under 24th April to make a submission.

Copenhagen versus Heartland 2009

The Climate Change International Scientific Congress was held at the University of Copenhagen in March 2009 and, according to its media release it was attended by more than 2,500 delegates from around 80 countries and received approximately 1,600 scientific contributions from researchers.
A synthesis report will be published in June 2009.

Also in March The Heartland Institute held its International Conference on Climate Change and About 800 scientists, economists, legislators, policy activists, and media representatives attended the event which had 80 presenters. The Institute promises videos and power point presentations as they become available.

Now who would have the weaker hand here, I wonder?
Hmm...., think the climate change denialist's offer of dinky little power point presentations gives some indication.

Greg Clancy battles on to save Shark Creek fig trees

Greg Clancy, a longtime resident of the Northern Rivers, is to be commended for his staunch support of the local environment and efforts to preserve remnant habit.

Greg has a special interest in birds and sometimes can be seen out and about making notes on bird behaviour and numbers.

Erin Brady writing in The Daily Examiner last Tuesday:

TWO giant trees and a flock of vulnerable birds could stand in the way of the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) plans to widen the Pacific Highway at Shark Creek.

For close to 125 years two small-leaved fig trees have stood beside the Clarence River, providing food and shelter to a list of vulnerable bird species, but the tree's days could soon be numbered....

Ecological consultant Dr Greg Clancy has made a submission to the RTA to save the trees, claiming they were one of the few remnants left of the forests of the Clarence Floodplain.....

In his submission Dr Clancy also said the presence of four birds, listed as vulnerable by the Department of Environment and Conservation, had been ignored in the RTA's review of environmental factors......

Dr Clancy said the Wompoo fruit-dove, the superb fruit-dove, the rose-crowned fruit-dove and the barred cuckoo-shrike were all present in the local area and could reasonably be expected to feed on the small-leaved fig trees.

Photograph: KCMO

April 2009: Fiji calling.............

Found at Discombobulated Bubu

Click image to enlarge

Silence is an eerie thing when in replaces the voice of a free press.
The silence from Fiji is chilling.

Below is an updated blog list and hopefully Fiji bloggers will be able to continue getting information out.

Raw Fiji News
Fiji Free Speech
Discombobulated Bubu
Luvei Viti – Children of Fiji
Intelligensiya
Fiji Today
Fiji Girl's Weblog
Soli Vakasama
Fiji Democracy Now
Tears for Fiji
Coup Four and a Half
Talking Fiji

Meanwhile Australia and New Zealand have threatened tough new trade and travel restrictions against the Fiji dictatorship and the Australian Foreign Minister has foreshadowed Fiji's expulsion from the the Pacific Islands Forum.

It has also been reported that the small Fiji social network site Sotia Central went off-line after some of its members reportedly expressed concerns about the current situation on the island nation.
Site members appear to be largely drawn from the Fiji military and police and their families.

This comment was found at Matavuvale:

Isa sa qai ca tale..... anyway, came across this little notice while browsing FJ Times ...

"Fiji social networking

The new Fiji Interim Government has issued regulations requiring publishers to first submit all content to Government officials for clearance before publishing it. Because you, not we, generate this content, we are unable to comply. Accordingly, sotiacentral.com has been taken down until further notice."

I guess thats why!

A Twitter real time search shows tweets slowly beginning to build, but it appears that Fiji telecommunications may currently be subject to interference from the dictatorship.