Mrs Hardly Normal Buys Up Big On Gold Goast Riviera
Labrador on the Gold Coast Riviera... playground for retailers' wives and pelicans
It's Australia's most strangely named suburb, but watch out, Labrador is soon to become the playground for Australia's rich and famous. The wife of retailer Hardly Normal, Mrs Hardly Normal, has sold her shares in her husband's company and purchased a few million dollars worth of properties on the Gold Coast Riviera. One of the properties is a house in Labrador, and locals are excited.
"Sure we've had a lot of public art being vandalised over the past few weeks," said Councillor Mohawk.
"But everyone agrees that Labrador is the place to be."
It is expected that Mrs Bummings will not be able to resist moving in next door, as she and Mrs Normal are very competitive.
Local agents hint that this is Mrs Normal's Marine Parade, Labrador, purchase and after extensive renovations it's ready for the family to move in when the arse falls out of the market... $2.6million well spent, hmm potential!
Mr Normal was supportive of his wife's purchases, and had some suggestions for her.
"The entire suburb of Main Beach should be bulldozed and re-developed into the biggest Hardly Normal store Australia has ever seen," he said.
Spokesman for the "Save Main Beach From Hardly Normal" action group, Mr Teddy Avignue said, "Philistines!"
In related news, don't go camping - there's a cyclone - come home and go shopping. And don't go swimming in the canals or the broadwater - the sharks will eat you - so it's probably a better idea to go shopping - at Specific Affair - and make sure you buy plenty of electrical goods on long credit terms!
Kevin Makes A Surprise Visit To Chechnya
Kevin...07
AAPt smart-chat, reports: - Australian Prime Minister, Kevin, today made a surprise visit to Chechnya. "It was totally unexpected" said a Chechen rebel who didn't want to be identified for security reasons. "You could say it was a surprise, I suppose, if you wanted to frame it in that fashion" he said, in response to some limited news questions which were designed to frame it in such a fashion.
In a shock revelation today, limted news journalists (who were present during Kevin's surprise visit) said: "What a surprise! We had no idea that this was on the cards! It took us all totally by surprise! That's why it's such a surprise visit! Next he's off to Venezuela (off the record, of course Michael Brissenden, mate!)!"
"Seriously, we just thought it was one of those Christmas party things, so we all happily agreed to be blindfolded and earmuffed for 48 hours until we arrived at the surprise destination. Imagine our surprise and subsequent embarrassment when we realised we'd been had. Gosh, we're well upset with this mean and tricky Kevin fellow, we're not used to such tricks as this." One journalist was reduced to tears, for no apparent reason.
"I wouldn't be surprised by any surprise stunt this Kevin may attempt, in fact surprises are totally to be expected with this Kevin" said Piers Ackerman, Janet Albrechtson, Andrew Bolt, Michael Duffy, Alan Jones, Gerard Henderson, Keith Windsurfer, Chris Mitchell, Mr Fagan, the little boy who lived down the lane, Frankanda Devine, Mighty Matt, Real Anon, Jackie Kelly's husband (in an opinion piece), Steve Price, David Flint and Hillary Bray.
With such unsurprising conformity of condemnation of his "surprise" tactics, surely this Kevin will stop not being John Howard immediately. Does he not understand who owns him? Hint: it isn't Dr Haneef, the Unions, the Labor Party Voters, the Liberal Party Voters, the rest of Australia…. (Oh come on, if you need any more hints you obviously work on the sports pages at the local limited news paper).
Prime Minister Kevin has spoken exclusively to the Australian Press Gallery, and has ruled out a surprise visit to Australia.
Luckily, we can report that he'll be here the day after tomorrow.
No surprise there.
Clem’s Farewell Silence The Bells
The flags at City Hall may have been at half-mast and the clock's bells silent, but construction on the adjacent Inner Northern Busway continued, and city workers didn’t miss a beat.
Premier Anna Bligh said, “Clem served the city for fourteen years as Lord Mayor …Those big dreams of his shaped our city forever.”
“Wherever you look around this state, you’ll see the indelible mark of Clem Jones.”
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd referred to the inscription on the tomb of the great British architect, Sir Christopher Wren at St Paul’s cathedral in London:
"Reader, if you seek his memorial, look about you".
(King Charles II commissioned Wren to rebuild London’s
churches following the great fire. Funnily enough, the rebuilding was financed
by a special tax levied upon coal arriving in the port of London!)
“Brisbane is his monument…the ALP is his monument,
and ordinary people, young and old are his monument,” said Mr Rudd.
“Clem Jones didn’t just say things, he did things,
and he did them with flare and passion.”
Recounting a particularly memorable Crackerjack Carnival,
Mr Rudd said, “I can still see him on that rainy day, in that marquee
at Carina... Clem in his black tie… 85 –86 years old, with a shovel
and digging a drainage trench…He said to me, “Kevvie, if we allow
the ladies shoes to get wet, they won’t come next year!”
“Clem cared about other people, the community and his country much more than he cared about himself.”
“Despite his great wealth, he always saw fit to dispense
his wealth to others,” he said.
Mr Rudd spoke fondly of a photo taken at one of Jones’
famous Christmas parties – “Me in the middle, Jim Killen on one
side and Clem Jones on the other.”
As the Prime Minister was addressing the mourners, a young girl walking through King George Square recognized his voice and asked her mother “Is that Kevin Rudd?”
Mr Rudd went on to say that Dr Jones (Clem Jones was awarded
honorary doctorates from the University of Queensland) was a “great humanist
practitioner in the tradition of St Francis.”
At this point, organizers began packing up the chairs in King George Square, as no-one had turned up to sit outside in the midday heat.
Said Chairs
“Clem was part of the heart and soul of the ALP…
I salute the life of this man, Clem Jones,” he said.
Chairman of the Trustees of the Clem Jones Foundation, Mr
David Muir said, “A great American philanthropist once said, 'men are
only great as they are kind'.”
“Being around Clem was like being around a rock star…So
many people have been touched by Clem’s kindness and generosity.”
Mr Muir referred to Jones’ adventurous spirit, and remarked upon his construction of a beer can raft which he sailed from Darwin to Singapore.
He also highlighted Jones' involvement in the republican
movement, and made mention of a speech Jones gave at the Constitutional Convention
in 1988, in which he said, “This was an issue too important to compromise”.
Specifically addressing the Prime Minister, Mr Muir said,
“Clem wanted to meet with you after the election to talk to you about
the referendum.”
Mr Muir also paid tribute to Dr Jones’ carer, Mrs Dell
Townsend.
Clem Jones’ personal physician Dr Maurice Heiner, presented
some more personal anecdotes and reminiscences of the man himself.
Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said Clem Jones was a “Larger
than life larrikin, who was the father of modern Brisbane.”
Cr Newman said he, “came to value the wisdom of his
experience, and that Clem Jones was, “The greatest Lord Mayor this city
has ever seen.”
“The Clem Jones foundation ensured Dr Jones’ wife
was an ongoing inspiration to me personally, and my wife…I thank him
for his support.”
Cr Newman affirmed that the North South Bypass tunnel would
be named in his honour.
“We can make sure his name lives on forever,” he
said.
Former BCC Alderman and Chairman of Foodbank, Ian Bruscaso
AM pointed out that, “No-one’s ever been able to say no to Clem.”
Former Deputy Premier Terry Mackenroth said that Clem Jones
had told him,
“I would never ask anyone to do anything I wouldn’t
do myself."
He said that his association with Clem Jones had taught him
the valuable lesson that “You have to make decisions, and you have to
get on and do it.”
Following a screening of a poignant series of images celebrating
Jones' life (set against a soundtrack of ‘Love You Brisbane’), Clem
Jones left City Hall for the last time, and slow clapping echoed around King
George Square. The establishment and party faithful filed out of City Hall
into the roped off area at the front of King George Square, and joined the
busy lunchtime streets.
Six white doves (courtesy of www.celebrationdoves.com
- whose vehicle was parked at the front of City Hall the entire duration of
the service) were released and circled above the Carlton Crest Hotel and construction
on the Inner Northern Busway about 10 times, before heading north.
And as the funeral cortege passed along Adelaide Street it created a bit of
a stir, but folks were more interested in the acrobats in the Queen Street
Mall. After all, fame is ephemeral, and thirty years on, who remembers, and
who cares?
From all that was said today, although he was not a religious man, Clem Jones will be enjoying a beer and surveying all he achieved in Brisbane from on high.
An Afternoon On The Inside
"When the fear of jail disappears, repression puts heart into the people." Mahatma Gandhi
Come on son, let's get the hell outta here! The BCC from the front and from behind, where the gunshots ring around the countryside as the officers do their shooting practice.
"This is cool" said a chirpy young mum, as we wandered from the "prisoner reception area" past the holding cells and their sleek, stainless steel toilets, austere furniture and thick bars.
"Where's the solitary confinement?" asked another.
I wondered if they knew that the refurbished Sir David Longlands Correctional Centre (now the Brisbane Correctional Centre - or BCC) once had the highest prisoner mortality rate for unnatural deaths (30 in 16 years) of any Australian maximum-security prison.
In 'Online Opinion' on 22 December 2004, Bernie Matthews wrote that the Sir David Longlands Correctional Centre (SDLCC) was "the new-age gladiator's school of survival...a place where young prisoners have learned that murder and heroin addiction are accepted norms of prison life, because the people who run the system have become immune from outside scrutiny after governments legislated against media access to the tax-payer funded institutions." - see http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=2849
Is it any wonder the Queensland Government decided to give the SDLCC a new name, as well as a $110 millon refurbishment? And opening the doors to the general public was a curious PR strategy, given that the media aren't legally permitted access! Nevertheless, it was a good opportunity for the Department of Corrective Services to engage in some soft core recruitment.
The almost finished refurbishment was open to the public over the weekend. We visited mid Sunday afternoon [16/12/07], and were surprised by the number of people who had turned an opportunity for an insight into the ghoulishness of prison life into an outing - especially the families. Many of the visitors appeared to be department officers and former correctional officers, others displayed intense fascination with the whole crime and punishment process by asking plenty of questions, while a few were stunned into a grim silence - apart from a young baby, who cried and screamed the whole time. Who could blame him?
A vaguely disturbing carnival atmosphere prevailed amidst the blinding glare, muggy heat and bleak surrounds. Friendly S.E.S. volunteers, some in santa hats, guided folks through the carpark. An MC gent in a mexican hat greeted the throng as they made their way into the prison compound, loudly spruiking the merchandise and setting down the rules. Sausages sizzled, trained dogs were appreciated, cramped prison vehicles were viewed, icecreams were purchased and sample bags, hats and t-shirts were on offer (for sale of course).
Despite the interesting talks, and tidbits of information given by prison officers (prisoners get $9 a week for toiletries and personal hygiene products, no the officers don't eat the same food as the prisoners, and yes, the prisoners can work if they want to - doing things such as food preparation or laundry to earn an extra $6), wandering throughout the buildings was an eerie experience. The visitors were enthralled and detached, at the same time. I'm sure most of us were thinking, "This will never happen to me." Of course there's a library (no books in it yet) and designated rooms for cultural and education activities, but the harsh flourescent lights, razer wire, bars and survellience cameras create such a suffocating atmosphere, I just wanted to get out of there.
The information signs were also a little contradictory and confusing. The sign outside the computer room stated that prisoners would not have internet access, yet there appeared to be internet outlets on the floor (this may not be a problem because there were no computers!). Another made it clear that any work being done by prisoners did not compete with outside businesses, which may have been an attempt to counter a 'Courier-Mail' article 'Jailhouse rocks tank producers' of 10 December which reported that: "Southeast Queensland water tank builders may be forced to sack workers because they cannot compete with those being constructed by prisoners". Which brings up that ugly question of journalism as spin. The corporate brochure from "Jails Queensland" describes the Woodford water tank venture as: "This venture allows Woodford to directly align the training of prisoners with an industry sector that is suffering from chronic staff shortages..." lies or just spin?
The full length drug screening capsules created a considerable amount of interest, as did the opportunity to have your picture taken (in prison browns) in a cell. The communal dining area was a good place for a brief rest, after checking out the industrial sized maytags and kitchen that would make Neil Perry blush. I found the graffiti in some of the visitor cubicles rather illuminating, but was surprised to see only one chin up bar in the entire complex - perhaps I watch too much TV.
Sir David Longlands was Queensland's first ombudsman, and a distinguished public servant. The SDLCC was opened in 1989, and closed for refurbishment in November 2005. (The information brochure about the BCC states that most of the 342 prisoners were transferred to Woodford and Maryborough correctional centres, but a report in the 'Gold Coast Bulletin' of 29 May 2006, which can be viewed on John Paul Langbroek's website suggests that some of them ended up in the Southport watch house - see: http://jplangbroek.com/articles.php?id=55) The SDLCC will officially re-open in January 2008 as the Brisbane Correctional Centre (BCC). It can now accommodate 540 prisoners; an increase of 216 beds.
The BCC information brochure states that other projects include the 'correctional precinct' at Gatton, along with multi-million dollar upgrades to the Townsville Correctional Centre and the Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre. And spookily:
"Queensland is experiencing an unprecedented growth in prisoner numbers and the BCC refurbishment and expansion is part of a massive infrastructure program addressing this issue.
Since July 1993, there has been a 142.9 per cent increase in prisoner numbers and a further 90 per cent growth over the next 10 years is expected. This growth is not unique to Queensland, it is a global trend."
The 'Courier-Mail' (and all of Rupert-The-Yank's media) want you to think that this is because of some non-existent "crime wave" but it's not. It's because your governments keep locking up people who are just like you.
By the way, we got lost and accidentally pulled off the Centenary Highway into "Arthur Gorrie". This is not the new jail, this is the fully functioning current jail. The carpark was full with visitor's cars, young mothers with strollers, and very middle class people visiting their loved ones in state incarceration. This was the real thing - no PR, no icecreams, no smiling, helpful correctional officers and no sausage sizzles.
Keep your nose clean! You're next!
Just round the corner from the BCC, you'll find "Prepared Foods Australia", and further on, a big pile of pipes - water?
'this song is for all the political prisoners, both here and around the
world, for the people incarcerated for fraud, stealing, and larceny, and all
other crimes involving property, for it's nothing but the state protecting
the rich from the poor, ever since we lost our common ground, that’s
what the law's been for..
i see no criminals, i see before me political prisoners.
this song is for all my friends, for all those inside for drug offences, does
the state really care about your own misguided will? - no. they're protecting
the profits of the pharmaceutical and tobacco corporations. and you must suffer,
for the oligopoly of the few...
this song is for all the political prisoners, for anyone who wants to live,
live like they know they should, the indigenous, minorities, the mentally
ill,the passionate few, as we're fighting for justice, they may take away
our freedom to walk, but they can't take away our freedom to dream.'
Lyrics by Chris Dubrow, from the 1995 "Insurge" EP 'Political Prisoners'
"Locked In" is the only prisoner show we know of
in Queensland. It plays from 6pm in Brisbane on 4ZzZ, 102.1FM Monday nights.
Listen just once if you think you know everything you need to know about crime
and punishment. There was music in one of the "display cells",
but it was piped. We will try to find out whether prisoners will have access
to general broadcasts, such as "Locked In".
Irrefutable Proof That When It Comes To Global Warming, There Is Nothing To Worry About
hightrekker on December 13, 2007 - 1:18pm | Permalink | Subthread | Comments top
Heading May Have a Point:
The Sheep Albedo Feedback
Filed under: Climate Science — raypierre @ 9:51 AM
The already-reeling "consensus" supposedly linking climate change
to CO2 is about to receive its final coup-de-grace from a remarkable new result
announced in a press conference today by Dr. Ewe Noh-Watt of the New Zealand
Institute of Veterinary Climatology [1]. Noh-Watt and his co-workers, describing
work funded by a generous grant from the Veterinary Climate Science Coalition,
declared "We have seen the future of climate — and it is Sheep."
Prof. Jean-Belliere Poisson d'Avril, star student of Claude Allegro Molto-Troppo
(discoverer of the Tropposphere) reacted with the words, "Parbleu! C'est
la meilleure chose depuis les baguettes tranchées!"
The hypothesis begins with the simple observation that most sheep are white, and therefore have a higher albedo than the land on which they typically graze (see figure below). This effect is confirmed by the recent Sheep Radiation Budget Experiment. The next step in the chain of logic is to note that the sheep population of New Zealand has plummeted in recent years. The resulting decrease in albedo leads to an increase in absorbed Solar radiation, thus warming the planet. The Sheep Albedo hypothesis draws some inspiration from the earlier work of Squeak and Diddlesworth [2] on the effect of the ptarmigan population on the energy balance of the Laurentide ice sheet. Noh-Watt hastens to emphasize that the two hypotheses are quite distinct, since the species of ptarmigan involved in the Squeak-Diddlesworth effect is now extinct.
The proof of the pudding is in the data, shown in the Figure below. Here, the Sheep Albedo Index is defined as the New Zealand Sheep population in each year, subtracted from the 2007 population. The index is defined that way because fewer sheep means lower albedo, and thus a positive radiative forcing. It can be seen that the recent warming can be explained entirely by the decline in the New Zealand sheep population, without any need to bring in any mysterious so-called "radiative forcing" from carbon dioxide, which doesn't affect the sunlight (hardly) anyway — unlike Sheep Albedo. Some researchers have expressed surprise at the large effect from the relatively small radiative forcing attributable to New Zealand Sheep, or indeed to New Zealand as a whole. "This only shows the fallacy of the concept of Radiative Forcing, which is after all only a theory, not a fact," says Noh-Watt. "Evidently there are amplifying feedbacks at work which give the Sheep Albedo Index a disproportionate influence over climate."
"A real breakthrough was using the statistical technique pioneered by Frusen-Glädje and Haagendassen in their study of the solar-climate connection." said Noh-Watt "Just as in their case, to get a good match to the observed climate, we had to optimize our smoothing algorithm by smoothing some parts of the sheep record more than others, and then rescaling the results." The optimized smoothing was applied to the years 1975-1991. Noted skeptic Rasmus Benestad has criticized this technique as meaningless curve-bashing (see footnote [3] below), but according to Noh-Watt, " All these guys are interested in is getting rich by riding their bicycles to work and selling carbon credits to the EU."
Not everybody agrees with the Sheep Albedo Hypothesis. Leading the flock of skeptics is the New Zealand Sheep Farmers Guild. Their spokesman, Steve Ramsturf (no relation) was quoted as saying "Baaah, Humbug. No matter what goes wrong with the world, they're always trying to blame the poor New Zealand Sheep Farmer. First it was the methane belch tax. Now this Albedo thing. "
The recognition of the role of sheep albedo opens up some fascinating new possibilities for climate change mechanisms. There is in fact an important destabilizing feedback in the system: as climate gets warmer, there is less demand for wool sweaters and wooly underwear. Hence the sheep population tends to drop, leading to even more warming. In an extreme form, this can lead to a "runaway sheep-albedo feedback," which is believed to have led to the present torrid climate of Venus. Most researchers do not think this could happen on Earth, though. In fact, Oprah and Averell Chanteur, authors of the popular "Unstoppable" series (soon to be a major motion picture) say that the warming will usher in a new era of peace and prosperity, with less enslavement of domestic wool-bearing animals. The hypothesis is laid out in their forthcoming book, "Unstoppable Sheep, every five or six days," which expands on earlier popular titles in the series, such as "Unstoppable daylight, every 42 hours," "Unstoppable Summer, every 17 months, " and the ever-popular autobiographical work "Unstoppable nonsense, every two or three years."
However, Dirk Blitzen, noted researcher from Hogwartz Institute of Technology, has proposed an additional wrinkle on the sheep-albedo idea, which he calls the "sheep-Iris effect" (see Dasher et al. [4] for details). According to Blitzen, a reanalysis of Landsat images shows that as the climate gets warmer, sheep tend to huddle together less. Since wool has a lower emissivity than bare ground, the lack of huddling allows more infrared emission to escape from the ground, cooling the planet and stabilizing its climate. "Frankly, I don't see how the climate can change much at all," stated Blitzen in recent testimony before the House of Lords, "To be honest, at this point I have a little trouble figuring out how there can even be summer and winter. In the end, I think it will turn out to be a problem with the data." Ozark Junior College satellite expert Jhon Chrystal agrees; his new analysis of MSU satellite data in fact casts doubt on the "consensus" that summer and winter have different temperatures.
But the sheep story may not be as simple as it seems. Hendreck Svampmark of the Danish Institute for Solar-Sheep Interactions notes that at the same time the number of sheep has been going down, the number of cows (which have a lower albedo than sheep) has been going up. "We believe that what is really behind it all are Galactic Cowsmic Rays, which are transmuting sheep DNA into cow DNA." Svampmark hypothesizes a currently undetected particle flux, which he calls "Cowsmic," because there is no observed trend in any of the better-known components of the Galactic Cosmic Ray flux. "We are trying to get money to put sheep in dark-matter accelerators to test our hypothesis, but there's a hold-up with PETA. It's all a big conspiracy to protect the consensus, I say."
Footnotes:
[1] Noh-Watt, Ewe "Sheep-Albedo Feedback: A paradigm shift for climate change science." To be submitted to Readers' Digest, "Humor in Uniform" section.
[2] Squeak, P.P. & Diddlesworth, I.R. 1987. The influence of ptarmigan population dynamics on the thermal regime of the Laurentide Ice Sheet : the surface boundary condition. In eds Edwin D. Waddington & Joseph S. Walder, The Physical Basis of Ice Sheet Modelling (Proceedings of a symposium held during the XIX Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics at Vancouver, August 1987), p.381-384.
[3] Benestad, a well-known spoilsport, points out that without the "optimized" smoothing out of the sheep-albedo-dip in the 1970's, the correlation breaks down; it breaks down further if one looks at the pre-1966 record. His unprocessed version of the data is shown below:
[4] Dasher ON., Dantzer ON, Prantzer ON, Vixen ON, Comet ON, Cupid ON Donner . , and Blitzen, D.R , (2007) "Why does Rudolf's nose glow so bright? Infrared effects of mammalian herd behavior." Bull. Tromsø Inst. Reindeer Husbandry
From "Hightrekker's" post at:
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/3350#more
Moreton Bay's Dugongs Under Threat
According to the Australian Marine Conservation Society, an average of 15 dugongs per year die from human impacts in the Moreton Bay Marine Park.
In a letter to sent to supporters yesterday [13/12/07], Campaigns Director Craig Bohm said:
"Moreton Bay's dugongs are under threat from climate change, a regional population explosion, and increasing fishing pressure as more and more people use the bay...I cannot stress enough how quickly we need to act...Less than 800 dugongs remain in Moreton Bay Marine Park, though once their herds measured several kilometres wide. If we don't change things now, we will lose our precious dugongs forever."
Mr Bohm said the Moreton Bay Zoning Plan needs to extend the current green zones to cover 30% of each habitat type found in the bay (such as seagrass meadows, corals and rocky reefs).
For further information see: http://www.amcs.org.au/
Price Shock At Brisbane Supermarket
Brisbane's media pack telling the former Queensland Leader how many media advisers he has, following the opening of Kelvin's Urbane Village last November.
Prices at a Brisbane supermarket were actually reasonable yesterday [13/12/07] as customers paid 40% less than the usual retail price for all products at the Super Ignominy in Kelvin's Urbane Village.
The Super Ignominy is the anchor tenant within the $150 million Kelvin's Urbane Village, which was developed by the Indigo Girls in association with the University of the Dominant Paradigm and the state government. It forms part of the moral relativism precinct.
"Unfortunately the reasonable prices will not be part of our ongoing marketing strategy," said Spokesperson for the Super Ignominy, Mr Ripped Off.
In related news, Brisbane's new ambassador, Sir Swear-a-lot, has ordered that a nuclear power plant be built on top of Mt Coot-tha. It has also been revealed that the North Bank development will be expanded to pave the entire Brisbane River, so we won't need the Hale Street Bridge at all!
Oh yeah, make sure you spend up big and send your kids to private schools - otherwise they'll get a shitty OP.
Shoes for Peace…Second-Hand Shoe Giveaway
Friends of the Earth Brisbane will be displaying and giving
away hundreds of Peace Shoes this weekend.
The shoes were collected from around Australia as part of an installation
commemorating the tragedy of the war in Iraq and all wars. 655 pairs of shoes
were collected to represent the estimated 655,000 civilian deaths in Iraq
– three pairs of military boots were also displayed to represent the
military deaths. This project was inspired by similar Peace Actions coordinated
by Code Pink in the US . Our Australian shoes have travelled from Brisbane
to Rockhampton and Shoalwater Bay , where Australia engages in military training
with the US Army, Navy and Air Force.
This collection contains shoes from many walks of life: Army boots worn in
training at Shoalwater Bay, Qld by an Australian serviceman confirmed to have
been contaminated with Depleted Uranium in the first “Gulf War”,
shoes donated by the family of dedicated peace and anti-nuclear activist Larissa
Page-Dhu, and some special children’s first pairs of shoes donated from
families concerned about a peaceful future for their children. Friends of
the Earth will be keeping a small selection of the shoes mentioned above and
others as a permanent shoe collection, which will continue to travel around
as a symbol of our commitment to peace and social justice.
We hope that the public will take these shoes – and wear them, give them
to friends, or just display them somewhere as a personal statement or symbol
of hope for ecological and social justice and peace on Earth.
Date: Saturday December 15, 2007
Time: 8am-2pm
Place: Friends of the Earth Brisbane –
294 Montague Road West End
(near corner Vulture Street and Montague Road )
For more info visit: www.brisbane.foe.org.au
or www.peaceconvergence.com
or call 0411 118 737
Coffee Banned As Violence Grips Gold Coast
Coffee ... banned
Following a week of civil unrest on the Gold Coast, coffee has been temporarily banned.
The violence began with last weekend's announcement that there may not be one of those dreadful generic coffee shops at the soon to be developed 'People's Parkland'.
Ongoing Violence...One of these Gold Coast resident's head exploded on being told there would be no coffee shop in the "People's Parkland"
Wild scenes were observed on the coast last night as locals rioted on the highway with their lattes and super-size cappucinos. Some carried placards with slogans such as 'Don't Be A Meanie, Give Us Our Beanies', while others chanted:
"What do we want?"
"A coffee shop!"
"When do we want it?"
"NOW!"
"The situation was untenable," said local representative Councillor Com Modify.
"But I can understand their anger. The park is no good as it is as a laidback place for a picnic, to fish, or kick a football about..people want more opportunities to pay for things," she said.
As the situation stabilizes, residents have been advised to have a cup of tea and a good lie down.
"Coffee sales are expected to resume when the situation calms down," said state government representative, Mr D. Caff.
"And we plan to hold one of those bogus community consultations
to find out whether or not the people actually give a bean about whether or
not there will be a coffee shop in the parklands." he quipped.
Will The A.L.P. Win The Neocon Prize?
"Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where
a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from ?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong ?"
(written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, from the 1966
Beatles' album 'Revolver')
It was a bit disappointing to read 'New Matilda' today [11/12/07] and see the front page advertisement for Dr Carl Ungerer's 'Australian Foreign Policy In The Age Of Terror':
http://www.newmatilda.com/home/default.asp
You see, Dr Ungerer discussed the acceptable uses of torture at the June 2006 A.L.P. conference at Brisbane's Convention Centre. Some people think it is alright to torture other people. Weird.
But all hope is not lost. Here's an extract from Jeff Brunne's (Just Rights Queensland) speech to the Human Rights Day Speakout last Friday [7/12/07]:
"As an example of how poorly we are doing in this area, I would like to focus for a moment on Australia's record on torture. In putting together this information, I would like to acknowledge the research of Philip Lynch, Director of the Human Rights Law Resource Centre.
In early November, during the last days of the Howard government, Australia was scheduled to appear before the United Nations Committee against Torture to discuss compliance with the Convention against Torture. Nations are required to do this every five years. Less than a week before the review, the government withdrew, saying it had entered "caretaker mode". This was an obvious attempt to avoid human rights scrutiny in the context of an election.
The government had good reason to be nervous. The right to protection from torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is a fundamental human right, which, in the absence of a national charter of rights, is not enshrined in Australian law.
Unlike comparable countries like Britain, New Zealand and Canada, Australia has no national human rights instrument such as a Bill of Rights against which laws, policies and practices that impair freedom or human dignity are measured or counterbalanced. Just Rights Queensland has long advocated a human rights act, and the Peoples Charter Group is a coalition of groups that has recently been formed to draft a human rights charter for Queensland.
Back to the UN Committee against Torture. Let's look at what it would have discovered and come up with our own recommendations. These recommendations are a call for action to Kevin Rudd if his government is to turn the page on the human rights record of its predecessor.
The prohibition against torture creates an obligation to investigate and remedy allegations of torture. International scrutiny of how Australia rolled over and accepted the detention and treatment of Australian citizens David Hicks, Mamdouh Habib and Jack Thomas, together with the Howard government's refusal to properly investigate their allegations of torture, would probably not have been a welcome election issue."
Mr Brunne had the following recommendations for our new Prime Minister:
Don't abandon Australian citizens to torture and detention without trial.
As a matter of urgency address the discrimination faced by aboriginals and how they are treated in custody.
Take action to ensure prisons are not treated as a place to pack away and forget people with a mental illness.
Abolish the Anti Terror Legislation and ensure people are not imprisoned without due cause.
Free all bona fide refugees and end mandatory detention.
Bring all our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan now.
http://www.justrightsqld.org/JRQ/index.html
Last week 'New Matilda's' editor left for a better "work/life" balance and has been replaced by the former associate editor. Now they are advertising Dr Ungerer's book. There you go!
Disclosure: At 'SpringHillVoice' we object to torture and
believe that it is never justified, under any circumstances whatsoever. End
of argument! Civilised people do not torture people (or execute them).
Ships Ahoy! Queens Set Sail For Bali
"Ah, gits weary
An' sick of tryin'
Ah'm tired of livin'
An' skeered of dyin',
But ol' man river,
He jes'keeps rollin' along!"
From the soundtrack to 'Showboat' [1927] written by Jerome
Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, and most famously performed by Paul Robeson
in James Whale's 1936 film.
The Kookaburra Queen....Climate Change Convert
Icons of the Brisbane River - the Kookaburra Queens - will embark on the journey of a lifetime this week, as they set sail for the Bali climate change conference.
Following extensive renovations by boatbuilders and shipwrights, the Queens are now powered by cutting edge solar panels and can reach speeds of up to 20 knots.
In Bali, the Queens will showcase Brisbane, and Queensland's commitment to advancing renewable energy.
"With a crew of 2007's most disgraced Brisbane businessmen, sportsmen and politicians, it is expected the journey will be colourful - if not downright dangerous, said Captain Kanaka.
The iconic Queens will return to Brisbane following the conference, and will continue their role in ferrying tourists along the river to look at other city icons - so you'd better be quick!
"Despite the fact that the results of the Community Attitudes Survey indicate many Brisbane residents hold well founded fears for the future, they should continue to vote for me," the City Hall leader said.
In related news, Kaiser Stuhl has returned to the Sunshine State, and Inala Dick will be running for Milton!
Lattes vs. Public Amenity: Bligh Lifts Skirt On Park
Bligh ... skirt lifted on Gold Coast development
Captain Bligh has today released plans to develop yet another public space - the Southport Broadwater Parklands - into what will be known as "The Peoples Parkland".
"The park is already a place for locals and holidaymakers (i.e. people) to go and relax, but we want to give $32 million to our developer mates," said the Captain.
"But don't worry, there will be all kinds of ugly architecture, inappropriate structures floating in the water, and plenty of coffee shops."
Who needs the bathing pavilion, war memorial, amateur fishing club headquarters, aquatic centre and tourist park, when you can sip an overly priced latte?
The opposition person at the smaller government level Mr Con Servativeheartland agreed.
"Anyone with half a brain could tell there was something going on when we decided to charge for parking in the Broadwater carpark," he said.
The local corporate media shills will continously reassure locals with quotes from political representatives such as "passive recreation facility" so they feel confident the park's amenity won't be destroyed - even though it will.
Friendly signs such as these will be removed once the transformation into "The Peoples Parkland" is completed.
What's that wind turbine doing on the "Community Renewal: Making Places safe healthy sustainable" logo now that we've sold off our windfarms?
Win A Warhol
He's from New York And He Knows How To Make A Buck!
Brisbane residents have been given an opportunity to win a Warhol, in celebration of the recent exhibition taking place at the G.o.N.A.D.
You too could be the proud owner of a voyeuristic and exploitative New York artist and filmaker, if you obey the instructions of the limited news and fork out the dough to attend over the summer holidays.
Head of G.o.N.A.D., Mr Cyn Ich said, "It's a real coup for G.o.N.A.D. to be having an exhibition of this calibre. We also think it's entirely appropriate to be holding it in Brisbane, given Warhol was a complete sellout too."
Readers of the limited news will not be reminded of past QAG exhibitions such as that of Dali a decade or so ago, or the more interesting artworks on display. Neither will they be told about the excellent Sidney Nolan exhibition currently taking place at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Instead they will be bombarded with advertising which suggests Brisbane has really come of age to have secured this trite little exhibition.
"Sure $20 is a bit steep, and it probably should be free, but alternatively, you could pop down to the supermarket and look at a shelf of Campbells Soup," said Mr Ich.
http://www.toytokyo.com/shopping/index.php/page/product/product_id/1561
Integrated Learning Centre Planned For Brisbane Grammar School
Brisbane Grammar School have lodged a Development Application with Brisbane City Council to develop an Integrated Learning Centre - designed by Wilson Architects - on their Gregory Terrace site.
The Development Application (prepared by Buckley Vann Town Planning Consultants) states that the Integrated Learning Centre (basically new speak for a fancy building with classrooms and computer access) will be four storeys - with two storeys above ground, a lower ground storey and a basement level incorporating 12 car parking spaces.
Construction of the Integrated Learning Centre will involve the demolition of the former Headmasters residence, which was constructed in 1962. Some of the trees and plants fronting College Road will also be removed as part of the development.
Because the proposed building is on a state heritage listed site, the application has been referred to the EPA. According to the application:
"Queensland Transport is also a concurrence agency for the application as the site is adjoining rail corridor land and the proposal is for a material change of use assessable against the planning scheme for a purpose mentioned in both schedule 13C and 13D of the Integrated Planning Regulation 1998."
No Mass Fluoride Medication Without A Referendum
Dear Queensland Members of Parliament
Cc Media outlets and Queensland Constituents
Today Premier Bligh announced that she was going to instigate fluoride mass
medication of 80% of Queensland’s population of 4 million people within
2 yrs and up to 95% in 5 yrs.
Fluoride chemicals are added to public water supplies to ostensibly treat
tooth decay. Fluroidation is mass medication despite the Health Department
denials. Fluoride chemicals are added to water to treat people, these chemical
compounds do not make water safer to drink to prevent water-borne diseases.
Fluoridation is mass medication by any definition.
The Premier seems to have forgotten the 2003 Queensland Government Position
Statement on Water Fluoridation which was obtained from the Qld Health website.
The 2003 Qld Position Statement states in part…
… “ it is a principle of ethical public health that mass, involuntary
medication must never proceed without the express consent of the community”
also
…. “In Queensland, referendum guarantees the consent of the community
under the Fluoridation of Public Water Supplies Act (1963). Queensland Government
recognizes that there is not a unanimity of opinion on the health and environmental
impacts of fluoridation, but in view of the prevailing balance of argument,
encourages public debate aimed at enhancing oral health”
Premier Bligh, forced mass medication is against the Nuremberg Code and against
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. When did Queensland become Nazi
Germany and you become Dictator Bligh?
Those who can afford rainwater tanks or Reverse Osmosis Filters will be able
to avoid fluoride but the working poor and those on welfare be trapped. Premier,
is this act of treachery what you want to be remembered by?
Do the decent thing Premier, at the very least let us decide or not whether
we want this medication in our water supply. Give Queenslanders the chance
to choose!
It is our democratic right to have a Referendum as stated by the Queensland
Goverment's own documentation.
PS. It is Calcium Fluoride that occurs in water naturally in small amounts,
is that what you plan on adding, or is it Hydroflurosilicic Acid or Sodium
Silicofluoride, 2 industrial grade compounds that are waste products of the
fertiliser industry. As these compounds do not even occur in nature, please
don’t try to pretend that these compounds are “natural”
Authorised by M Haines
Spokesperson for Queenslanders Against Water Fluoridation Inc
mailto: info@qawf.org/0418777112
Thanks For Keeping Australia Beautiful
This rubbish collected from this beach
This morning [3/12/07] I collected two full bags of rubbish from the 300 metre strip of shoreline heading north from the end of the Ian Dipple lagoon, Labrador.
The rubbish included a soiled nappy, approximately 50 cigarette butts, lolly wrappers, a plastic plate and cup, several orange segments, chip packets and empty cans.
Yuck.
No More Nudie N'ices
I wondered why my favourite iceblocks had disappeared from the supermarket, so I emailed the folks at Nudie and received the following response from the "Nudie Webman":
"Alas, the nudie n'ices are no more. They were made by Nestle under licence - but they have had a change of policy and do not make other brands apart from their own - so no more n'ices!"
Bummer.
Shit Doesn't Just Happen
Captured 29/12/07 on the Gold Coast Highway at Southport. Other excellent stickers spotted recently include: "Is your News Limited?" and "9/11 Was An Inside Job".
No Photo Taking Allowed In Brisbane Square Library
A photo taken at Brisbane Square Library today [19/12/07]
It is after all a public place, and according to the trolley bearer who rolled my way after I took this snap, any taking of photos requires the permission of the "Team Leader".
It's hard not to feel sorry for the hard working staff at the Brisbane Square Library - when they're not being fascist enablers of course!
And I find it amusing that at the Brisbane Square Library, you can play mindless video games, or sit in the "Rupert Room" and immerse yourself in the corporate media propaganda, but taking photos of publicly funded library exhibitions hits the "alert and alarmed" button with the "stepford" staff.
Anyway, this photo is of one of many cabinets that form part of an exhibition exploring Brisbane's radio history, currently on show at the Brisbane Square Library.
Santa Says "Have A Happy And Inflated Christmas"
The RACQ, the EPA and Santa (who I suspect was being played by Al Gore) appeared in Reddacliff Square today [19/12/07] to say some things about the "Climate Smart" initiative.
No, it's not a drug implement, it's a Tyre Pressure Gauge! The EPA were handing them out. So if you want to do something about climate change, go and check your tyres, and don't use public transport - as you would have seen in the clown media today, it's downright dangerous.
Circuit Bending
As mentioned on 4ZzZ's 'Lunch Wrap' program today [11/12/07]:
http://www.anti-theory.com/soundart/circuitbend/
Wings Over Labrador
This daredevil motorised hang-glider snapped 9/12/07
How Capitalism Should Work
http://www.trolleytracker.com.au/
Christmas Lunch?
A frisky scrub turkey about to jump upon a roof in the leafy northern suburbs of Brisbane
Washed Up
Quite a valuable looking palm tree on the beach at Kangaroo Point [4/12/07]
Christmas In The Suburbs
Stafford Heights Lights!
Texta Messaging On The Pontoon!
"Green Heart CitySmart" Will Not Stop Climate Change
If you want to do something about climate change, don't pass the Green HeartCitySmart information flyer to your neighbour, stick in in here.
Then ask your local councillor to please spend the $100 million on public transport, not green wash propaganda.
According to 'Origin' energy's website, you can get a solar
hot water system fully installed for about $2,000. So you could also spend
that $100,000,000 to buy 50,000 solar hot water systems fully-installed on
Brisbane rooftops. That would save those households a combined total of about
$15,000,000 every year in electricity bills and cut greenhouse emissions by
about 150,000 tonnes every year! So your $100,000,000 would save 50,000 lucky
homes $150,000,000 over ten years AND reduce emissions by 1.5 million tonnes.
Why wouldn't everyone embrace such practical investment? Unless of course
you were in the business of selling coal-fired electricity…. oh, I see.