Andrew shoots his bolt

Andrew Bolt produces a WTF moment over at The Telegraph:

“Meanwhile, the Greens confirm they are indeed the new haven of the fashionable anti-Semite”
Apparently carrying on in a similar vein, the televised Bolt Report is now receiving some flak.
It doesn't take a crystal ball to foretell more court time for Teh Bolta if he keeps on like this.

John Xavier Berlin jailed for fraud - history of child sex-offences revealed in court

THERE is no way John Xavier Berlin could have been a police officer, after being convicted of child-sex offences and spending two years in a Queensland jail.

That was the conclusion drawn by magistrate David Heilpern when he sentenced Berlin to 12 months behind bars at Grafton local court yesterday.

“Mr Berlin, you have never been a police officer,” he said.

“That is the source of all these problems.” Source: The Daily Examiner, 24/8/11

Today's Examiner gives Berlin much more attention than he'd ever like. Berlin is front-page material, gets more coverage on page 5 and is also the subject of an opinion piece written by the paper's chief-of-staff. Topping things off is a front page photograph of Berlin.

Read The Daily Examiner's report here.

Sick and tired of the NSW Government continuing to drag its feet when it comes to the northern section of the Pacific Highway?

If the answer is yes then Federal Labor MP for Page Janelle Saffin has an online Pacific Highway Community Petition which anyone can sign at http://www.janellesaffin.com.au/ :

TO THE Premier of New South Wales, The Honourable Barry O’Farrell MP; the Deputy Premier of New South Wales, The Honourable Andrew Stoner MP; and the NSW Minister for Roads, The Honourable Duncan Gay MP.

This Petition of residents of the Federal electorates of Page and Richmond draws to the attention of the O’Farrell-Stoner Government its pre-election commitments to making the Pacific Highway safer for all motorists.

The Petitioners therefore request that the NSW Government allocates significant funding in its first Budget on September 6, 2011, to ensure that the highway can be fully duplicated by the 2016 deadline, as agreed.

It is important not to let the issue of the Pacific Highway upgrade slip on to any Macquarie Street backburner, as this exchange in Federal Parliament last Tuesday demonstrates:

ROB OAKESHOTT (Member for Lyne) – My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. As the minister responsible on behalf of the Commonwealth and following ongoing negotiations with the state of New South Wales, can you confirm that election promises from both levels of government and both political persuasions will be upheld—that is, the joint promise of completion of dual carriageway of the Pacific Highway by 2016, just five years away?

ANTHONY ALBANESE – I thank the member for Lyne for his question and for his commitment to representing constituents on the Pacific Highway up the NSW coast. He would be aware that we have committed some $4.1 billion to the Pacific Highway, more than any government has ever committed to any road in Australia's history over such a period of time.

The fact is that work is proceeding apace.  The Ballina bypass will be open early.  It will be open by Christmas, six months ahead of schedule and on budget.  Work has also commenced on the longest bridge ever constructed in Australia, which is a part of the Kempsey bypass.  The builders for the Devils Pulpit upgrade have been selected and work will commence by the end of the year.

The building contract for Tintenbar to Ewingsdale in the electorate of Page was also awarded in the last fortnight. Work is forging ahead on the Bulahdelah bypass, the Banora Point upgrade and the Sapphire to Woolgoolga duplication.

All up, today there are more than a thousand Australians at work upgrading the Pacific Highway.  Our last budget saw an additional billion dollars injected into the Pacific Highway so we could meet that objective.  I was there with the member for Lyne and the member for Page [Janelle Saffin] with the Deputy Premier of NSW [Andrew Stoner], following our commitment announcement in May, and I was encouraged by the very direct commitment that the Deputy Premier gave on behalf of the NSW government to meet our shared objective on the full duplication of the highway.

Just last month he said the date “remained plausible as long as both governments commit to it”.

There is no doubt this is a big challenge.  All of the planning work had not been completed, which is why we needed to put that extra funding into the budget.  I look forward to the NSW government on 6 September stumping up its share of the money in the $750 million that it has committed.

NSW Minister for Roads Duncan Gay has “staked his reputation on securing a major funding boost for the Pacific Highway in this year's state budget”.  He said:

“My first target and task is to fulfil that commitment in this year’s budget … unless we can keep with them—the federal government—we are falling out of the game.”

This is a vital upgrade.  That is why we have contributed $4.1 billion, which stands in stark contrast to the $1.3 billion committed over 12 long years by the former government.  We have committed more than triple the money in half the time because we are absolutely committed to delivering on this project.

I look forward to working with the NSW government to meet our shared objective.

NB. Thanks to the North Coast Voices reader who sent me the Oakeshott-Albanese remarks.

Are the wheels falling off Tony's little red fear truck?

Federal Opposition Tony Abbott is a becoming a classic example of how to cast aside political momentum.
After managing to dominate the Australian news cycle for months on end, he then decides to take a short holiday overseas.
Just in time to be out of camera and microphone range when America's credit rating is downgraded, European sovereign debt becomes an even bigger global issue than before and international stock markets panic.
Big mistake.
Not only did the Australian media largely forget to play his favourite fear cards to the max; journalists also forgot to be hypercritical of the Labor Government's economic record and is some cases actually talked up the nation's balance sheet.
Then Tones arrives back in the country without anything novel to say and the news cycle all but ignores him for days.
Even usually gullible butchers began to reject his stunts.
Help seemed to be at hand when the Convoy of No Confidence drove onto the scene, but alas, this wasn't to be the Opposition Leader's life line.
Shaping up as it did to be an expensive embarrassment ACT taxpayers have to fork out for.
Not only did truck, ute, car and trailer numbers arriving in Canberra fall far short of the mooted mob supposedly calling for Gillard's blood and Tony's sainthood - some of the state convoys were nothing more than a handful of vehicles driven by people with a mistaken idea of the Australian constitution, no common complaints or coherent political agenda.
Indeed the first 'wave' of trucks due to hit Canberra early on Monday 22nd August failed to materialise due to lack of interest, the grand trek route map (above) proudly drawn by those faceless convoy organisers was shown to be just so much political mythology and the Canberra rally figures fell far, far short of the previous week's hyped 10,000 angry voters.
The turnout must have left Abbott and the rest of the 11am rally speakers, Barnaby Joyce, Warren Truss and Bazza Haase sorely disappointed - as well as totally confusing the climate change denialists contrarians, conspiracy theorists and one egotistic demagogue scheduled to share the podium.
After all, they thought they were the vanguard of a grassroots movement.
Even Tones practiced spin couldn't disguise the non-event:
"Now, ladies and gentlemen, there are hundreds of you here, there are thousands of you who would like to be here and there are millions of you who are sick of being ripped off by a bad government."
Haven't laughed so hard in years.

Britain 'terrorized by an underclass'. One of Her Majesty's subjects shows yet another ugly side of the United Kingdom

Britain is a riot - 3 Translation(s) | dotSUB

Pat Condell  in full flight, advocating the withdrawal of human rights from convicted rioters.
Is this man a distant relative of Alan Jones and Andrew Bolt?

Google Profile causing sh#t to happen?

Google Profile tells us to “Decide what the world sees when it searches for you. Create a public profile to display the information that you care about and make it easy for visitors to get to know you.”

Sounds fair, doesn’t it?
But what happens when you have the same name as someone else or someone hijacks your online identity?

Well this happens……

Snapshot taken of a page one Google Search on 18th August 2011

Snapshot of a 6th April 2011 cease and desist request on Chilling Effects

For all those contrarians out there: a word on rising sea levels in Australian waters

From the Australian Climate Commission’s May 2011 report THE CRITICAL DECADE Climate science, risks and responses:

Global average values of sea-level rise mask large regional differences.

For example, around Australia (Figure 8) recent sea level rise (from the early 1990s to 2008) has been below the global average along the east coast, near the global average along the much of the southern coast, but at least double the global average along much of the northern coastline.

Such regional differences are important in assessing the risks posed by sea-level rise at particular locations…….

The observed sea-level rise of about 20 cm from 1880 to 2000 should already have led to an increase in the incidence of extreme sea-level events. Such increases have indeed been observed at places with very long records, such as Fremantle and Fort Denison, where a 3-fold increase in inundation events has occurred (Church et al. 2006).  

Download report here.

First Dog nails the facts

Click on cartoon to enlarge
More of First Dog on the Moon here and here 

A carbon pricing he said, she said. Part Two

An exchange in the Clarence Valley Review letters column on 10 and 17 August 2011:

In response

Ed,

I thought your readers may be interested in a letter I sent to Federal Member for Page, Janelle Saffin in response to her recent circular letter sent to her electorate.

Dear Ms Saffin

I thank you for your letter of 29 July 2011. I note in particular your advice that the tax on the emission of carbon dioxide gas is to be paid by “our biggest polluters – not ordinary Australians”. Please correct me if I am wrong. I understand that the tax is to be related to the consumption of electricity produced from burning inputs which emit carbon dioxide in the process of generating electricity. The amount of the tax will be based upon the calculated carbon dioxide emissions.

You indicate that only the biggest polluters will be  paying. Much has been said in the press that it is the “500 biggest polluters” who will be paying.

Would you please identify who these 500 biggest polluters are? I would like to know the names of the corporations involved.

One of the difficulties I have is understanding what is a “polluter” and whether that is something that is different from someone who uses electricity.

Can you assist in clarifying the definition of a “polluter”.

It has also been part of the promotion of this tax that it will be replaced with an emissions trading scheme in three or four years time. The emissions trading scheme has not been explained.

However, other questions do arise. Does your government totally rule out the prospect that this tax will be extended beyond the current group of 500 to include other entities? Is that something your government will rule out categorically, absolutely and forever or is it something that your government wishes to keep open in terms of its options?

Once a carbon trading scheme is introduced to whom will that be applied and how will that impact

upon business entities beyond the 500 “biggest polluters”?

Has any modelling been done on how a carbon emission scheme will work and the impact it will have upon:

1. The 500 “biggest polluters”? ;

2. The 1,000 “biggest polluters”? ;

3. Small business generally;

4. Households?

If that modelling has been done, what are the results of that modelling?

We are being asked to endorse your government’s policy on the introduction of a carbon tax on the 500 biggest polluters, but at this stage you have not told us:

Who are these corporations?

What plans you have to extend the imposition of the tax, and in what time frame?

The implications of the proposed carbon trading scheme intended to replace the tax?

In your letter, you emphasize the evil of the biggest polluters by stating “No longer will the nation’s biggest polluters be able to pollute without consequence”.

Logically, if it is a good idea to tax the 500 largest polluters, it must also be a good idea to tax the next 500 and the next 500 after that. If the eradication of some pollution is a good idea, then the eradication of all pollution must be a good idea.

However, it seems that on the basis of the Federal Government policy, only the eradication of some of the carbon dioxide emission is a good idea and the positioning of the government policy has not been explained. Why 500 and not the original 1,000? Is there an implicit recognition that the imposition of the tax will have negative impacts for the Australian economy and Australia households which your government is seeking to mitigate by reducing the number of businesses subject to the tax? You have not explained this aspect of your policy.

I look forward to your early reply.

Peter James

Grafton

Carbon price answers

ED,

Peter James of Grafton [CVR, Letters, 8 August 2011] complains that there are a number of unanswered questions regarding the Gillard Government’s  intention to place a price on carbon and certain other greenhouse gases.

I read his missive with amazement, because answers to every single question he asked is readily available on federal government websites such as treasury.gov.au, cleanenenergyfuture.gov.au and climatechange.gov.au.

Starting with a proper definition of the carbon pricing mechanism, how ‘pollution’ is calculated, how long the levy will be in place, projected price rises over the life of the levy and what reportable greenhouse gas levels a corporation has to emit to finds itself included in the list of polluters to which the levy will apply - right through to Australian Treasury economic modelling, the full text of relevant draft legislation which will go before Parliament in 2011-12 and a broad outline of the foreshadowed emissions trading scheme.

All of this information is freely available at the click of  a mouse when people use either their own PCs or Internet access computers at certain council community centres and local libraries.

In all likelihood accessing appropriate government websites will take less time than Mr. James took to write his letter. Of course one has to want to hear the answers in the first place.

Judith M. Melville

Yamba

Come live the dream and share the magic at the North Coast National 20-22 October 2011

“LIVE THE DREAM, SHARE THE MAGIC”

THE NORTH COAST NATIONAL
ANNOUNCES BUMPER LINE-UP FOR 2011

The North Coast National (October 20 – 22) has announced special events and entertainment for 2011, delivering up a program that will keep visitors and locals alike enthralled and entertained from the minute they walk through the Lismore Showgrounds gates.

Whatever your interest, the Show will be offering it up –the spectacle of the V8 Ute Trackskills drivers, the inaugural North Coast Ute Muster, wandering street entertainers, live music acts and performance installations, the taste sensations of the Northern Rivers Regional Food Celebration, one of the biggest dairy shows in Australia and the thrills of the rodeo in the main arena.

“Our motto this year is Live The Dream, Share the Magic and our aim is for everyone in the family to leave the Show with a wide smile on their face having experienced our best ever line up of events and activities,” said North Coast National President John Gibson.

The National is a true celebration of our unique region - embracing our farming community, promoting our produce, rejoicing in our artists and performers, championing local business.

Proudly in its 126^th year, it’s a place where the traditions of the bush meet the exuberance of our lively towns, where old friendships are renewed and a new understanding of our shared future is forged.

The North Coast National is proud to announce that the Dairy Spectacular, one of the nation’s richest dairy shows, will be held at this year’s Show. The Dairy Spectacular will lead into the Show on October 18 and 19 and will present cattle from as far afield as Gympie and South Australia,

“Securing the Dairy Spectacular is a major coup for Lismore and we now own the rights not just for 2011 but into the future,” John said. 

In another first, the Northern Star Careers Festival, in collaboration with Netpac, will bring quality Employment, Training and Career opportunities to the visitors of the North Coast National in 2011.  The Festival will feature a series of seminars on career paths and information from service providers, attracting school visits to the North Coast National over three days and other young people from the region. 

The hugely successful Northern Rivers Regional Food Celebration, introduced in 2010, will return to present daily tasting menus, regional chefs, cooking demonstrations and food displays.  Also returning are the Wood Show and the Sustainable Living Expo.

“These events, representing the emerging new industries of our regional economy, underpin our aim to attract visitors from further afield, bring new patrons from our local communities to the Show and add value to the experience for all who attend, “ John said.

“But we also take our heritage seriously and are proud to present traditional favourites – our ever-expanding agricultural show with dozens of competitions for beef cattle, sheep, goats, alpacas, guinea pigs, horses, poultry, food produce, pets and more; the annual ring spectacular with fireworks display, the fun of Sideshow Alley and a point score full rodeo.”

There will be art shows, baking competitions, craft exhibits, Quilt Display, Music Under The Tent, a High Schools Battle of the Bands competition, Ashton’s circus, nightly fireworks, a fire and ice show in the main area, a Grand Parade, Showgirl competition and, for kids, The Great Lego Building Challenge and more.

“There is no other region quite like the Northern Rivers for its extraordinary produce, creative talents, industry and entertainment....and there is no better value day out than the North Coast National,” John said.

Media Release 1 August 2011
Enquiries:
Tracey Mair
TM Publicity
For the North Coast National
Ph: 02 6680 7106 or 0419 221 493
http://www.lismoreshow.org.au/