Saturday 26 July 2014
Liberal Party nutters at state and federal level out themselves
Politicians are known by the company they keep and members of the Federal Abbott and Victorian Napthine governments are exposing their awful weirdness for all Australia to see.
Brisbane Times online 25 July 2014:
Brisbane Times online 25 July 2014:
Women who take the pill choose partners who share a similar genetic profile causing them to lose interest in sex and become more likely to be the victim of violent assault and murder.
It is just one of the unconventional theories of Dr Angela Lanfranchi, an American pro-life campaigner who also pushes the debunked link between abortion and breast cancer.
Dr Lanfranchi is set to speak at next month's "World Congress of Families" event in Melbourne where she will share the stage with federal Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews, and a number of Victorian Liberals, including state Attorney-General Robert Clark and anti-abortion campaigner and Victorian upper house MP Bernie Finn....
"In other words, in their relationships they had fewer sexual encounters, wanted sex less and were more likely to engage in infidelity or adultery. Less sex, bad sex and infidelity is a recipe for a bad relationship and conflict that could easily lead to even deadly violence," she wrote.
"Conversely, other studies have shown that men find women who do not take the pill more attractive."
Dr Lanfranchi has also published a "fact sheet" on the four ways the "pill kills", claiming it leads to blood clots, lethal infections, cancer and violent death.....
Friday 25 July 2014
Egyptian court's narrow, religion-based worldview meant Australian journalist Peter Greste was never going to get justice at its hands
The Daily Star Lebanon 22 July 2014:
Agence France Presse
CAIRO: An Egyptian court that jailed three Al-Jazeera journalists for alleged ties with Islamists said on Tuesday that "the devil guided" the group to spread false news defaming the country.
Australian journalist Peter Greste, Egyptian-Canadian Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed were convicted in June of aiding the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood and spreading false news that portrayed Egypt as being in a state of "civil war."
Greste and Fahmy received seven-year terms, while Mohamed was jailed for 10 years, in a case that sparked international outrage.
Eleven defendants tried in absentia, including one Dutch and two British journalists, were given 10-year sentences.
"The defendants took advantage of the noble profession of journalism... and turned it from a profession aimed at looking for the truth to a profession aimed at falsifying the truth," the court said in a statement explaining its verdict.
"The devil guided them to use journalism and direct it toward activities against this nation," it said.
Since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, the authorities have been incensed by the Qatari network's coverage of their deadly crackdown on his supporters.
They consider Al-Jazeera to be the voice of Qatar, and accuse Doha of backing Morsi's Brotherhood, as the emirate openly denounces the repression of the movement's supporters which has killed more than 1,400 people.
Sixteen of a total of 20 defendants in the trial were Egyptians accused of belonging to the Brotherhood, which the authorities designated a "terrorist organisation" in December.
Foreign defendants were alleged to have collaborated with and assisted their Egyptian co-defendants by providing media material, as well as editing and broadcasting it. [my red bolding]
Daily News Egypt 16 July 2014:
Twenty-one days after the verdict, the Egyptian judiciary issued a response to what their statement called “numerous complaints and inquiries from nongovernmental organisations and human rights activists all around the world”.
“The facts of this case is that the Public Prosecution Office has charged [the defendants] with the crimes that they committed during the duration between 3 October 2013 until 29 December 2013,” read the statement.
The charges listed revolve around the journalists joining and aiding an unnamed “illegal group, the purpose of which is to call for interrupting the provisions of the constitution and the laws, preventing the state’s institutions and public authorities from exercising its works, and infringing upon the personal freedom of citizens”. From the trial, it is clear that the “illegal group” in question is the Muslim Brotherhood, which they are accused of aiding with “material and financial assistance”, and spreading false news to support the Muslim Brotherhood’s position.
Mohamad Elmasry, Visiting Scholar at the University of Denver’s Center for Middle East Studies, an Assistant Professor of Communications at the University of North Alabama, and formerly a professor of journalism and mass communication at the American University in Cairo, said the statement is proof that the government does not respect press freedom.
“There is international consensus among human rights groups and political scientists that Egypt’s trial of Al Jazeera journalists was farcical and politically motivated. As has been extensively documented, the trial presented absolutely no evidence that the journalists presented ‘false’ news or linking them to a terror organisation,” said Elmasry.
“The statement released 14 July by the Egyptian State Information Service is evidence that the Egyptian authorities remain oblivious to basic principles of human rights, freedom, and the rule of law.”
Firstly, it insists the journalists’ crimes began on 3 October, but it fails to mention that the Muslim Brotherhood was not officially made an “illegal group” until 25 December—four days before the journalists’ arrest. It also fails to mention that Greste arrived in the country only two weeks before his arrest, rendering it impossible for him to commit crimes in Egypt before that.
The statement said the role of the prosecutor is “to ascertain whether a case is to be referred to the competent court or not, it has to carry out its duties with the objective of discovering and revealing all the evidence in a crime regardless of whether they are in favour or against the accused.”
But many found the evidence presented confusing and irrelevant.
“Previous court dates have bizarrely included the prosecution showing footage of Sky News Arabia tourism reports, BBC podcasts, songs by Gotye, photo-shopped images of Mohammed Fahmy, Peter Greste’s family photos, and some of Greste’s award-winning work from East Africa,” said Al Jazeera in a statement after a 16 June hearing.
Other evidence included a recorded phone call that was all but inaudible, and Muslim Brotherhood-related literature found in the Marriott suites the journalists had been using as a base of operations.
While the International Cooperation Department’s statement widely cites articles 94 and 96 from the 2014 constitution, which guarantee the independence of the judiciary and the right to a fair trial, it does not mention articles 70 and 71 which guarantee the freedom of the press and protection against censorship.
The statement reiterates that the journalists were treated exceptionally well in custody. “Relatives of A Jazeera journalists and their lawyers were allowed to visit them numerous times notwithstanding that Law 396/56 regarding prisons do not allow except two visits per month, one regular and the other special,” said the statement, but the journalists themselves have described poor treatment in prison….
The statement by the judiciary widely cites European cases as precedent for the guilty verdict in the Al Jazeera trial, including cases from Austria, Ireland and Switzerland in which the need for security and the ability to fight terrorism trumped press freedom, but neglects the fact that there was no evidence presented that linked the journalists to terrorists.
“In conclusion,” the statement ends, “it is apparent that the convicted three journalists of Al Jazeera English enjoyed all the guarantees embodied within the ambit of the right to fair trial. And their rights and freedoms were never violated or infringed upon at any time. Therefore, it is clear that all the aforementioned complaints were ill-founded.”
Australian expert in community engagement tells Metgasco CEO "he's dreaming"
Gasfield Free Northern Rivers Media Release, 22 July 2014 :
Senior Australian expert in community engagement tells Metgasco CEO “he’s dreaming”
A senior expert in community engagement, Dr Wendy Sarkissian PhD, has analysed Metgsco’s community engagement policy and come to the conclusion that it is severely flawed and insufficient for Metgasco gaining a social licence to operate in the Northern Rivers.
“As a senior expert experienced in community engagement, I find Metgaso’s Community Relations Policy severely lacking in the fundamentals for successful community engagement. It is laughable that Metgasco’s ‘Community Consultative’ policy was removed from its website a few days after I advised that it was written in Latin,” said community engagement expert, Dr Wendy Sarkissian
“The field of community engagement is well developed, so it is appalling to think that as an ASX listed company, Metgasco is trying to pass off its policy as world’s best practice. While it may be comparable to other gas company’s engagement policies, it is a damning indictment of industry practices if Metgasco thinks providing one-way information and ignoring community concerns amounts to world’s best practice,”
“Marketing and providing information by itself does not amount to community consultation. Community consultation is a two way street that actually involves a dialogue with the community. This involves listening to the community and responding to concerns, clearly something Metgasco has failed to do,”
“Metgasco’s narrow approach to only notify stakeholders living within 2 km of the proposed Rosella drill site ignores the wider impacts invasive gas drilling has on communities and the environment. This unsophisticated and misguided engagement process attempts to ‘contain’ the discussion which means those outside the 2 km are not deemed worthy of consideration. This is a damning indictment of Metgasco’s attitude to the broader community and environment,”
“Metgasco’s CEO Peter Henderson has said previously that it needs a ‘social licence’ to operate and that it would not go where it has no community support. The thousands of people who attended the Bentley Blockade, as well as previous blockades at Glenugie and Doubtful Creek, clearly demonstrate that Metgasco has no social licence. The fact that Metgasco’s licence to drill at Bentley was suspended by the government on the grounds of ‘inadequate community consultation’ attests to this fact,”
“I’d be delighted to speak to the Metgasco board and explain what authentic community engagement looks like. As an expert in this field, I can only reiterate that Metgasco’s dreaming if it thinks it can force itself into the Northern Rivers without genuinely engaging with the community,” concluded Dr Sarkissian.
Wendy Sarkissian 0402 966 284
Thursday 24 July 2014
Pottsville-Black Rocks koala habitat faces new fire risk?
Letter to the editor in The Northern Star on 23 July 2014:
Koalas threatened
Our Pottsville wetlands koalas may have lost a unique opportunity to survive the relentless stressors that have put them on the brink of extinction.
At the recent council meeting councillors voted in favour of supporting the construction and operation of a men's shed on the Black Rocks sports field, which is surrounded by primary koala habitat, at the junction of three koala/wildlife corridors, is a recognised koala breeding hub, and is one of three koala hotspots on the coast.
I commend the invaluable service that men's sheds provide to the community, but believe that it is not appropriate to have a mini-workshop in the middle of such an environmentally sensitive area.
One of the activities proposed is metalwork. This requires the use and storage of such flammable materials as oxy acetylene and LP gas.
The Black Rocks sports field and infrastructure has an established history of vandalism, break and enter, and fire-lighting. As the sports field is situated 300m inside bushland in an isolated location, the men's shed would be an easy target for vandals, with a high risk of fire, explosion and subsequent harm to people, the bushland and the koalas.
I believe that a men's shed belongs within a community hub similar to Tweed Heads, where a men's shed is currently under construction in close proximity to the PCYC, a childcare centre and a bridge club, with a shared security regime in place to protect all facilities.
Let's hope that commonsense prevails and the Pottsville men's shed pursue a more suitable site in the best interests of their members and the koalas (I have identified four possible alternative locations).
Such a decision could pave the way for revegetation of the Black Rocks sports field with koala habitat trees, as recommended by four renowned ecologists.
David Norris
Pottsville
"We now also know that long-suffering NSW taxpayers were going to be footing the bill to keep this industry alive, with no plans for Metgasco to be charged"
The Northern Star 23 July 2014:
Government documents have revealed up to 800 police officers were to be sent to Bentley from May 19 to "ensure public safety" and enable Metgasco to move its drill rig on to the site.
And Metgasco wouldn't have been charged for the police operation, scheduled to continue until June 7....
Senior government officials warned the safety risk to the public and police during the installation of the drill rig would be "high to extreme".
The situation was described as an "unprecedented public order challenge" requiring a "significant deployment of police officers".
The information was released under the Government Information (Public Access) Act….
A NSW Police Force briefing also identified "many risks", including a "catastrophic" risk of litigation.
Greens MP David Shoebridge said the documents showed the NSW Police force was to be "used as an exceptionally powerful and expensive private security operation for a resources company".
"Any accountable democratic government would take that as a sign the industry should not go ahead," he said.
"We now also know that long-suffering NSW taxpayers were going to be footing the bill to keep this industry alive, with no plans for Metgasco to be charged."
Wednesday 23 July 2014
Abbott & Co take keeping asylum seekers in the dark to a new low
Not content with keeping Australian voters in the dark over the fate of one hundred and fifty men, women and children being detained at sea, these asylum seekers are literally not seeing much daylight.
The Sydney Morning Herald 22 July 2014:
Family members among 157 asylum seekers being held on the high seas are being held in separate rooms on a customs vessel but are allowed out for meals, according to documents lodged with the High Court on Tuesday.
While it was previously stated that 153 asylum seekers were on board a boat that was intercepted off Christmas Island more than three weeks ago, the documents say the actual number is 157.
A document filed by the Abbott government reveals that the national security committee of cabinet decided on July 1, two days after the boat was intercepted, that those on board "should be taken to a place other than Australia".
Their document says the asylum seekers are permitted "approximately three hours' outside during the day in natural light for meals", but says it would be unsafe to give them unrestricted movement.
The national security committee of cabinet includes Prime Minister Tony Abbott, deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Treasurer Joe Hockey, Attorney-General George Brandis, Defence Minister David Johnston and Immigration Minister Scott Morrison.
The document maintains they were acting within the scope of the Maritime Powers Act in detaining the asylum seekers on the customs vessel and had no obligation to afford them procedural fairness.
Forty-nine of these detained persons (all allegedly from a Sri Lankan Tamil refugee camp in Pondicherry, India) have taken the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection to the High Court of Australia in JARK and Ors v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection and Anor [2014] HCATrans 150 (18 July 2014).
The matter so far:
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