Sunday 20 March 2011

How small we are......



NASA video taken of the Sun on February 24, 2011:
large prominence erupting from the surface. The dramatic explosion was captured in ultraviolet light in the above time lapse video covering 90 minutes, where a new frame was taken every 24 seconds. The scale of the prominence is huge -- the entire Earth would easily fit under the flowing curtain of hot gas.

Mental Health: tell us something we don't know already


Stone the crows! The Australian Government had to fund a study to find this?
“A latest study shows that a job that provides low control, high demands, complexity and the perception of unfair pay may lead to worse mental health than being unemployed. The study appeared in the journal Occupational Environmental Medicine.”
Well that’s earth shattering old news for working sods across Oz. Now add living in overcrowded dwellings or poorly maintained and high rent housing, being denied adequate public health care or a decent education and we’re getting close to the basic causes of most of life’s enduring ills in the Lucky Country.
It goes without saying that being female, elderly or a child living in poverty frequently compounds those situations.

50 million 12 year-old girls live in poverty world-wide right now.
See a great little video on The Girl Effect
http://www.girleffect.org/video

Saturday 19 March 2011

Moggy Musings [Archived material from Boy the Wonder Cat]


A that's a fact musing: Hey Boy, I was at a mate's place the other day and I saw a notice, which I memorised and am repeating for you below, posted very low on their fridge door. Later, I saw the notice that's on their front door on the way out. I didn't see it when I arrived because I went in via the back door, just as I always do at home. Do you have a similar signs at your place? Rex

Dear Dogs and Cats:

The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate of food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however.

Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible.

I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine/feline attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough.

Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:

TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:

(1) They live here. You don't.

(2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture.

(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.

(4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.

Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:

(1) eat less,

(2) don't ask for money all the time,

(3) are easier to train,

(4) normally come when called,

(5) never ask to drive the car,

(6) don't smoke or drink,

(7) don't want to wear your clothes,

(8) don't have to buy the latest fashions,

(9) don't need a gazillion dollars for university and

(10) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children .....

A How to Train Your Human musing: One little kitten has it down pat right from the start...Typical. The only wet food Chloë will eat is raw prawns and fresh snapper. Keep up the good work, Chloë!

A journalist with great taste and a big heart musing: @latikambourke tweets about the love of her life shown here in cute Chloe kitteh glory.

A cat in the doghouse musing: I tried to tell everyone that Basement Cat took over the keyboard when I added my voice to the end of this post. But my muvva didn't believe me and I now heartily apologize to any hens or dogs I may have offended or frightened.

Boy

Anonymous graffitti begins to appear in Clarence electorate


Nationals Steve Cansdell looks all set to romp home in this month's NSW state election, but it seems not everyone sees this as a positive if the graffiti on the wall of Macelan's "middle pub" is anything to go by.

The night sky as art courtesy of NASA and Australian photographers


South-east Queensland

Victoria

Andrew Bolt feels the love......


Tweeters serve The Bolta up a slice of lurve as he becomes well-deserved collateral damage of the recent Pacific earthquake-tsunami:

SalimPickens RT @SydWalker: Why doesn't Andrew Bolt join the 50 heroes who remain at #Fukushima? He could make tea.. #auspol #murdoch #crikey
NYT: 50 workers bravely stay at troubled Japan reactors - World ...

DrewWiddowson RT @geeksrulz: BREAKING: Andrew Bolt to report from inside Fukushima Plant Nr2 to prove how safe it is. Putting his arse on the line for humanity #auspol

SydWalker Be happy! ... Murdoch hack Andrew Bolt puts the world straight re nuclear safety #journchat #auspol #newscorp
More people die of fear of nuclear power than of the power itself ...

ArcingUp More people die reading #AndrewBolt articles than from #nuclear accidents. #japan #LOLBolt

SydWalker @mrumens Will Bolt's arrogant, obviously deceptive reporting on this expose him as a charaltan to dweebs who hang on his every word? #auspol

wildriverstweet: Pro-nuclear proponents have gone intro a media spin frenzy, reaching its zennith with rabid musings of Andrew Bolt #fukushima

rtennantwood: RT @ABCEnvironment: Who would you have on your side? Andrew Bolt or the CSIRO + 1000 other scientists? (watch) http://bit.ly/e4YUj3

bekfast: @Andy_Bull I'm yet to see Andrew Bolt display anything but poor judgment.

termx: So Andrew Bolt agrees with biologist Barry Brook @BraveNewClimate on safety of nuclear power but not on climate change?

firstdogonmoon Hey Andrew Bolt, tell me this isn't Climate Change!!! RT @TheDailyBunny: Baby bunny naps in palm of hand: http://arseh.at/4zq

james00000001: RT @marie__ryan: Anyone else hear expert say on ABC that 6000 children got thyroid cancer as result of Chernobyl-yet Andrew Bolt claims only 50 died #tosser

Parsify: @security4all_jp I agree with your main point. Watch out for Andrew Bolt, though, he's a well known troublemaker.

FakeCaro Real Caro looking for excuses. Her tweets will send twitter into meltdown. She is AFL's version of Andrew Bolt

Djourno: Andrew Bolt says the nuclear emergency in Japan isn't as bad as we're all thought to believe....what a moron

kazonis: RT MichaelByrnes: If Andrew Bolt confuses 800 with 8000 on #insiders, and gets a blogger's family history wrong, how can he be trusted on nuclear energy risk?

karamoon: @security4all You're going to loose friends very fast if you link to clowns like "journalist" Andrew Bolt.



Friday 18 March 2011

To Tor or not to Tor? That is a question for all Netizens after Lamo entered the equation


What is Tor? Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security known as traffic analysis….. Journalists use Tor to communicate more safely with whistleblowers and dissidents. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) use Tor to allow their workers to connect to their home website while they're in a foreign country, without notifying everybody nearby that they're working with that organization.

Sounds good doesn’t it? So who is likely to allow their computer network to be used as a vehicle to protect the electronic communications of whistleblowers and dissidents?

http://www.setecastronomy.org/ This is a Tor Exit Node It is distinctly likely that you are reading this because you had some issue with the traffic coming from this IP address. This machine is part of the Tor Anonymity Network, which is dedicated to providing privacy to people who need it most:- ordinary computer users - i.e. people like you......Email address: adrian@setecastronomy.org

Who Is Domain Tools for IP 74.82.57.190

Domain ID:D156926562-LROR

Domain Name:SETECASTRONOMY.ORG

Created On:21-Aug-2009 14:30:14 UTC

Last Updated On:18-Nov-2010 21:14:19 UTC

Expiration Date:21-Aug-2011 14:30:14 UTC

Sponsoring Registrar:Gandi SAS (R42-LROR)

Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED

Registrant ID:0-1658357-GANDI

Registrant Name:Adrian Lamo

Registrant Organization:Reality Planning LLC

Registrant Street1:108 WEST 13TH STREET.......

Registrant City:Wilmington

Registrant State/Province:Delaware

Registrant Postal Code:19801-1145

Registrant Country:US

Registrant Phone:+1.2023707750.......

Registrant Email:adrian@2600.com

Admin ID:AL4741-GANDI

Admin Name:Adrian Lamo

Admin Organization:SETEC ASTRONOMY, a RPL company

Admin Street1:PO Box 339.......

Admin City:Carmichael.....

Admin Postal Code:95609-0339

Admin Country:US

Admin Phone:+1.8889201981.....

Admin FAX:+1.7172831658.......

Adrian Lamo? Really? Isn’t he the onetime hacker who informed on 'whistleblower' Bradley Manning (U.S. serviceman who sent copies of U.S. diplomatic cables to Wikileaks) and, isn’t Manning now confined to military prison and allegedly subject to torture?

Oh, Tor – not exactly the best testament. But then what can one expect from an anonymity network apparently originally sponsored by the US Naval Research Laboratory and probably intended by intelligence agencies to act as a sometime honey trap at their convenience?

Adrian Lamo in his own words:

Coastal Law and Climate Change Workshop, 10am Saturday 19 March in Coffs Harbour


This workshop will explain the main environmental and planning laws that affect coastal communities, with a focus on recent changes to the Coastal Protection Act relating to sea level rise and erosion works.

This workshop is for anyone interested in learning more about how the various environmental and planning laws interact, how they apply to coastal communities, and how governments and coastal communities are responding to the challenges of climate change. This is an interactive workshop with discussion of current development proposals and planning processes in the Coffs Harbour area.

All participants will receive a free copy of the new EDO publication, Caring for the Coast: A guide to environmental law for coastal communities in NSW . This booklet can be downloaded to read before the workshop from http://www.edo.org.au/edonsw/site/publications.php#coast. This publication has been funded by the Australian Government though its Caring for Our Country initiative.

When: Saturday 19 March 2011 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Where: Room 4, Coffs Harbour Neighbourhood Centre, 22 Earl St

Lunch and light refreshments will be provided. Attendance is free, but prior registration is essential. Please RSVP to mailto:shakola@bigpond.com. Enquiries can be made to Ashley Love on 02 6651 9620 or Mark Byrne on 02 6621 1113.

The Clarence Valley north-south divide shows another side


It’s not only the matter of land rating in the hinterland and land rates on the coast that divide the Clarence Valley along an Antipodean version of the Mason-Dixon Line.
The Daily Examiner on 15th March 2011:
“WHEN it comes to putting the right things in
recycling bins, people in lower Clarence communities are doing a far better job than their Grafton counterparts, according to Jamie Kenneally, manager of the Grafton Recycling Centre.”
Score Card - Grafton 0 Lower Clarence 1