Monday 20 April 2009
Best online quotes seen recently
Richard Farmer writing in Crikey on 17th April 2007.
It's when MSM sites like this herd the dross of the internet into advertising, by tickling the bigoted little underbellies of their audience with pig-ignorant bullshit being masqueraded around as "fact" and Caped Crusader for the Cretinous.
Possum Comititatus writing about the Herald Sun and journalist Andrew Bolt in Pollytics on 17th April 2007.
WE'VE already seen pictures of his eye ... now we have the first image of the hand of God.
Wishful thinking on the part of an unknown News.com journalist when looking at a NASA photograph on 16th April 2009.
Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).
Legend at the bottom of the page on the XKCD.COM web site.
A WEEK ago Susan Boyle was an unemployed 47-year-old single cat owner who had never been kissed.
David Murray writing in the Herald Sun hits all the stereotypes when reporting the bravura performance of a televised talent show contestant on 18th April 2009.
Sunday 19 April 2009
When Rupert loved Google
It appears that Rupert's love is a fickle thing - it only lasts as long as the economic good times.
Crime rates: who's up and who's down on the Northern Rivers
Surfing the Net this week I was greeted with a call for more police to tackle crime from Tweed Nationals MP Geoff Provest in the Far North Coaster.
At the same time The Daily Examiner had police boasting about a fall in the local crime rate and Police Minister Tony Kelly announcing a state-wide reduction in crime.
So how are we actually doing?
Well, it seems the North Coast can still preen its feathers when it comes to how we compare with the rest of NSW.
Overall we've either half the state crime rate (or are holding steady on low percentages) for robbery with any sort of weapon, stealing from a person or fraud.
Although there were low numbers of reported sexual assaults; unfortunately in the Kyogle and Richmond Valley areas sexual assaults were above the state average in 2008, with rates for all reported forms of sexual assault in the Richmond Valley at least doubling.
There were five murders last year on the North Coast (although that's one up from 2007) and our biggest incident numbers were for malicious property damage, but even that was roughly the same as last year.
And when you look at individual council areas it was obvious that malicious damage had fallen in Ballina and Coffs Harbour and assaults had fallen in the Clarence Valley and Ballina.
Break and enters did not grow last year either across the North Coast, though that doesn't lessen the shock for those who found that they'd been burgled.
As for Richmond-Tweed; its physical assault numbers were down on the previous year's figures also, but its break and enter dwelling rates were at least double the state average.
Combined with the 2008 sexual assault rate, this isn't a good look for the area.
So perhaps Geoff Provest has a case for calling on NSW Police to consider beefing up its presence there or at least reviewing local practice.
The fact remains of course that the North Coast overall crime rate hasn't really grown between 2007 and 2008.
The full gen for the whole of NSW is here.
Saturday 18 April 2009
Meet the MP for Page Janelle Saffin
Federal MP for Page Janelle Saffin will be at Ballina Markets on Sunday 19 April (10am) and at Casino Markets (11am) on Sunday 26 April 2009.
Go along and say hello. Bend her ear about your area.
If you don't tell her what you think she'll never know.
Ms. Saffin will also be hosting a forum on proposed changes to how meat quality is assessed and labelled at the Lismore Workers Club on Friday 8 May (2pm-4pm).
Phone her Lismore office on 6621 9909 to register an interest.
Lismore Lantern Parade, Satuday 20 June 2009
Lantern making workshops are being held this month starting on Saturday 18 April and going to 30 May.
Friday 17 April 2009
Clarence Valley whodunnit
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".
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.
Thursday 16 April 2009
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
Wednesday 15 April 2009
April 2009: Fiji calling.............
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.
"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."