Friday 24 May 2013

Moggy Musings [Archived material from Boy the Wonder Cat]

 
A federal election musing: The cat pack met last night to discuss our two-legged servants and Minnie the Mooch from Maclean told us that she had heard that someone at Tweed Heads had given Matthew Fraser a new nickname; LNP Fraser the living conditions eraser. I snorted milk through my nose!
 
 
A reading the DEX musing: On the second last day of April The Daily Examiner cheekily ran a rumour; Word on the street is it's never too late for a career change. One Valley man who either grew tired with politics or politics grew tired of him, will be starting a new life in, er, tyres. More on this in coming weeks. One local wag emailed North Coast Voices and asked; Will he specialise in retreads?!?
 
A Lawrence Reservoir musing: Following on the heels of bacterial contamination in the small Maclean Lookout reservoir and bacterial contamination in Minnie Waters’ town water supply; on April 16 Clarence Valley moggies had all heard a strong rumour doing the rounds that council management forgot to tell the contractor sandblasting paint off the Lawrence water reservoir that this paint was in fact lead-based. Consequently no special measures were taken and paint flakes and dust spread onto at least one neighbouring property leaving council with a hefty clean-up bill. The figure being bandied around is $100,000 and counting. That would buy a lot of cat food! 
 
A moggies are boiling musing: I've been told that moggies all over the Lower Clarence are yowling at the top of their voices in sympathy, because The Daily Examiner put a billboard outside news agencies saying that Grafton Gets Its Voice. But when their humans opened the newspaper they were left speechless because the story was all about a couple who used to live in Maclean - a good 50km away from that presumptuous little upriver city.
 
A reading Teh Netz over her shoulder musing: I was amazed to see that if you search for tweets about Tony Abbott on Twitter - the only person saying nice things about Tony is Tony himself. This tweet from @spacekidette was my fav. Anyway, if God didn’t want Tony Abbott as a priest, why would I want him as my Prime Minister?” Elderly Lady Caller on Talkback Radio 
 
A Terrible Tones musing: What 60 Minutes revealed about the new and improved Tony Abbott: * He’s a crap surfer * He admits to using “product” in his hair and Margie let slip that he combs over the bald spot. * He is still telling pork pies - insisting that his extreme views about women were from “thirty-five years ago”. * He’s also still riding herd on Margie when she’s in front of the camera.
 
A when map makers go wrong musing: Even cats can count - we always know when the clock shows that it's dinner time! So why is it that the staff at one particular North Coast council created not one, but six proposed plans of the same section of an existing main road and recorded a different total road area on most of these plans. 
 
A court musing: Now which magistrate said this about THAT protest? Never in the history of man has one small protest generated so much paperwork. 
 
A naming ceremony musing: My little canine friend Veronica Lake tells me she overheard her human laughing about the fact that NSW Nationals Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis has yet another nickname - The Missing MP. 
 
A royal rage musing: Which member of Clarence Valley Council's management team is fast gaining a reputation for shouting down the phone first rather than giving any sort of answer to polite enquiries from local media? 
 
A commercialism gone mad musing: On the third day of 2013 The Northern Star reported sighting Easter hot cross buns for sale. Is this a record and will chocolate eggs follow next week? 
 
A pedestrian rages musing: Almost as a logical consequence of Clarence Valley Council management removing part of the Yamba Road Cycleway, there appears to have been an upswing in local pavement rage. I'm hearing that one older man refused to move for a cyclist using the same section of the so-called ‘shared’ footpath running alongside Yamba Road near the marina. Loud words ensued and a threat to go down to the police station to sort the matter out. Allegedly a push was also involved. 
 
An Obeid-esque musing: Wags following the latest ICAC inquiry have renamed Mt. Penny near Bylong as the money mountain grows to $30 million. It's now being called Mt. Pennies.
 
A list keeps growing musing: Which council general manager on the NSW North Coast is now rumoured to have specifically mentioned or implied the D word - defamation - to one local journalist, two regional editors and one pensioner? Rocky the Mutt tells me his hoomin would not be surprised to find that the next person to hear from the GM will still going to primary school. 
 
A bad show musing: Which council general manager on the NSW North Coast is rumoured to have threatened a local journalist with a defamation action if he reported in-depth on the carriage of a planning matter currently before council? 
 
Boy

Yamba Farmers’ Market First Birthday Celebration


May 29, 2013   7:00 am – 12:00 pm
Whiting Beach Car Park,  Yamba 

 
Yamba Farmers’ Market will be celebrating its first birthday with free birthday cake, a bumper lucky gate prize and a huge range of local produce. Free range eggs, local pork and beef, Northern Rivers rice, real strawberry ice cream, baked goods, award winning jams and relishes, large glossy tomatoes, local coffee, flowers and sun hardened seedlings.

March against Monsanto - May 25 in Bellingen NSW

Media Release
Carol Vernon
Greens candidate for Cowper
May 21, 2013

Carol Vernon will be supporting the rally against Monsanto in Maam Gaduying Park , outside the Bellingen Council Chambers on Saturday, May 25, starting at 9.00 am.

Mrs Vernon said, "As a member of Bellingen Seedsavers I am totally committed to preserving heritage seeds. Many people in our local area demonstrate a huge commitment to sustainable food production.

" Genetically manipulated organisms (GMOs), their products, and the chemicals used to manage them pose significant risks to natural and agricultural ecosystems and human health.

" The precautionary principle must be applied to the use of GMOs and the techniques for producing them.

" Scientific evidence must be the basis for assessing and licensing GMOs. GMO assessments must be broad, independent and scientifically robust.

" Living organisms such as plants, animals and micro-organisms are not inventions. Patents on life are unethical and against the public interest.

"Farmers and consumers have a right to grow and consume non-GMO foods.

" Everyone has a right to know if foods contain any ingredients made using GM techniques, through the comprehensive labelling of those products." 


Facebook: Carol Vernon Greens for Cowper

Has the Daily Examiner discovered Tony Abbott's beauty secret?



“Don’t fancy Botox? Try Physicians Formula Aging Expression Line Freeze, $29.99, a serum designed to immediately tighten, lift and smooth.” {The Daily Examiner 22nd May 2013}



Thursday 23 May 2013

Lismore then; Lismore now

In 2010 Lismore City Council installed water bubblers in the Lismore CBD to provide free filtered water. It was (and still is) a terrific example of how local government can play its part in reducing the demand for purchased water and help get rid of plastic bottles.

Then: 2010

 Lismore City Council water education officer Kevin Trustum drinks from one of the new water bubblers on Woodlark Street in the Lismore CBD, while mayor Jenny Dowell lines up refillable water bottles on offer for residents.
Pic source:  The Northern Star

 Now: 2013



It's more than time other local councils did likewise. However, let's hope other councils don't use the same signwriter. (Hint: check out the bottom line)



A politician to whom bald-faced political lying is as natural as breathing in and breathing out


This was Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott on 21 May 2013 during a doorstop interview:

Last week in the Parliament, I announced what I think is a breakthrough initiative for the families and the workers of our country. We will get rid of the carbon tax but we will keep the tax cuts and the pension and benefit increases associated with it. So instead of being just compensation, they will be real tax cuts and real pension rises. That means that when you’re doing your weekly, your fortnightly or your monthly budgets on the kitchen tables, the family kitchen tables right around Australia, you will be significantly better off under the Coalition, because no-one will lose any money, but everyone will lose the carbon tax. You won’t lose any money, but you will lose a carbon tax and that’s good for families. It’s good for households and it’s good for workers….

So there it is again. Under an Abbott government we, the ordinary voters, won’t lose any money. This is a bald-faced political lie.

Because Abbott has previously stated to the Australian Parliament and elsewhere that he will remove the following:

Super contribution tax payment of up to $500 annually for low income earners. The payment amount is 15% of concessional contributions (including employer contributions) made by or for individuals with an adjusted taxable income that does not exceed $37,000.
[http://www.ato.gov.au/content/00245688.htm]

Income Support Bonus worth $210 a year to eligible single people and $350 to couples and paid to those receiving Abstudy Living Allowance, Austudy, Exceptional Circumstances Payment, Newstart Allowance, Parenting Payment, Sickness Allowance, Special Benefit, Transitional Farm Family Payment and Youth Allowance. [http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/centrelink/income-support-bonus]

Increase family payments (Family Tax Benefit Schedule A) for eligible families when they have a new baby. Worth $2,000 for the first child and $1,000 for any subsequent child. [http://www.humanservices.gov.au/corporate/publications-and-resources/budget/1314/measures/families/48-15254]

Schoolkids Bonus. An annual payment of $410 for each dependent primary school child and $820 for each dependent high school child of a parent or carer who gets Family Tax Benefit Part A. [http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/schoolkids-bonus]

The increase in compulsory employer contributions to workers superannuation until after 2016-17. [http://www.futuretax.gov.au/content/Content.aspx?doc=FactSheets/super_guarantee_rate_to_12_percent.htm]

It would appear that the majority of Australian households and workers will lose money if a Coalition Government is elected and, Mr Abbott said more spending cuts would be announced before the September 14 election.

Ross Leigh of Brisbane cynically suggests that the new Coalition campaign slogan should be; Over the next five years, we promise to take $15,000 off every Australian! Sorry, we promise to save $75 billion. He may be right.

Wednesday 22 May 2013

Hit and run driver tweets to brag about her actions


This young woman has since deleted her Twitter account and appears to have taken her Facebook page offline.



However, as ever, if it was up on the Internet it is almost inevitably retrievable and, this tale is still there for all to see on Topsy.





The Telegraph UK 20 May 2013:
A spokesperson for the police force posted on Twitter: "we have identified parties believed involved and are progressing".
The rider involved, Toby Hockley, 29, was taking part in the organised Boudicca Sportive ride in Norfolk on Sunday and claims that he was knocked down by a car coming in the opposite direction, five miles from the finish of the 100-mile event.
He suffered a "bruised shin and a sore elbow" and says that he considers it to have been a "miraculous escape".