Northern Territory News 25th January 2012
Thursday 26 January 2012
Wednesday 25 January 2012
January 2012 is luverly weather for ducks on the NSW North Coast - rain, river heights & roads info
Mann River at Cangai from The Daily Examiner
Issued at 6.15am on Wednesday, 25th January 2012
Issued at 6.15am on Wednesday, 25th January 2012
North Coast LGAs Regional Road information
Regularly updated
Flood Warnings are current the Bellinger Nambucca and Orara Rivers
At this stage there is a greater than 70% chance of Minor to Moderate flooding as well as local flash flooding along the following river valleys from Monday onwards:
1.Tweed River
2.Richmond & Wilson Rivers
3.Clarence River
4.Macleay River
5.Hastings River
This Flood Watch means that people living or working along rivers and streams must monitor the latest weather forecasts and warnings and be ready to move to higher ground should flooding develop. Flood Warnings will be issued if Minor Flood Level is expected to be exceeded at key sites along the main rivers for which the Bureau of Meteorology provides a flood warning service. Across NSW, about 75% of Flood Watches are followed by flooding.
Latest Image Received at: 00:12 UTC/GMT Wed 25 Jan 2012
| WST | CST | CDT | EST | EDT |
| 08:12am | 09:42am | 10:42am | 10:12am | 11:12am |
| Wednesday | Wednesday | Wednesday | Wednesday | Wednesday |
Issued at 10:55 am EDT on Wednesday 25 January 2012.
"Heavy rain and possible thunderstorms which may lead to flash flooding are forecast for the Northern Rivers forecast district, as well as eastern parts of the Northern Tablelands and northern parts of the Mid North Coast forecast districts.
In the six hours to 11am today the heaviest falls occurred in the Tweed Valley area, with 116 mm of rain recorded at Kingscliff, 105 mm at Murwillumba, and 101 mm at Chillingham. Slightly lower falls were recorded further south.
A Flood Watch is current for the Tweed, Richmond, Wilsons, Nambucca, Macleay and Hastings river valleys.
Flood warnings are current for the Bellinger, Orara, Tweed, Richmond, Wilsons, Nambucca and Clarence Rivers.
For latest flood warning information, refer to www.bom.gov.au/nsw/warnings/"
Australian Journalism 101: Never let the facts get in the way of a good rant
A published letter to The Daily Examiner editor by Holly Shiach on 23 January alerted me to the many errors packed into so few lines by one notorious repeat offender employed by the APN regional media group.
See how many factual errors you can spot in the opinion piece below after reading a little about Greenpeace.
Whale of a PR machine by Graham Orams on Page 8 of The Daily Examiner, 16 Jan 2012:
WHALE activists aren't doing themselves any favours with some of their antics.
Greenpeace activists are losing a lot of support among the mainstream public because of their eco-terrorism approach to this matter.
For a start, despite its ostensible outrage, Greenpeace would have been rubbing its hands together when three of its crew members were detained on board a whaling ship recently.
In fact, I wouldn't mind betting that was the plan all along.
After all, a big PR firm like Greenpeace needs to constantly find new and exciting ways to get media attention.
That's not to say whales are not worth saving; it's just funny how activist organisations like Greenpeace never seem interested in saving endangered spiders, for instance.
That type of endeavour would unlikely stir the public's emotion enough for them to donate money (cynical, aren't I?).
And having to send an Australian rescue team to bring the "captured" activists back to Western Australia hasn't gone down well with many in the community, who are less than impressed at the cost to taxpayers.
Now we hear anti-whaling activists are throwing acid at Japanese whaling boats to get their message across.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Greenpeace claim to care about the environment?
I'm no marine biologist but isn't it bad for our oceans to have acid poured into it?
No matter what I say, though, there are many people who believe the means justifies the end.
But all too often that attitude amounts to hypocrisy.
How long will Nationals Chris Gulaptis hold his seat if the O'Farrell Government allows toxic mining in the upper reaches of the Clarence River Catchment?
The Nymboida River system is part of the larger Clarence River catchment. It is predominately from the Nymboida River that Coffs Harbour and Clarence Valley local government areas draw their drinking water.
Based on his public statements so far, it seems that Nationals MP for Clarence Chris Gulaptis is refusing to back a ban on mining in the headwaters of the major northern rivers in New South Wales.
However, the call for action from local communities continues.
Coffs-Clarence conservationists are calling for a ban on mining and exploration in the headwaters of the region's major rivers.
One company exploring for antimony on the Dorrigo Plateau, Anchor Mining, has already been fined over the impact of its activity on the Orara and Nymboida river catchments.
It is in relation to activity at the old Wild Cattle Creek mine near Bielsdown.
Coffs Harbour councillor and mining opponent Mark Graham says exploration exposed ore bodies containing toxic minerals like antimony, lead and mercury.
"There's been major damage to rainforest and contamination of the catchment," he said.
"Mining must be prohibited in sensitive catchment areas, particularly drinking water supply areas.
"We've already seen poor practice, we've seen the law being breached and fines being issued.
"The only way to protect the catchment is to prohibit mining and further exploration activities."
Cr Graham says the New South Wales Government will be lobbied to place a ban mining and exploration in the region's river catchments.
"There is huge community support for banning mining in the Orara and Nymboida catchments because of the drinking water supply," he said.
"That community support will translate into political will and pressure will be brought to bear upon the State Government to set no-go zones such as the Dorrigo Plateau."
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