Comments

Albert Camus (not verified)

Sun, 2017-11-19 12:32

Lionel Nation did quite a good piece on this in August, still relevant. Basically he is telling people, in his entertaining and occasionally quite rivetting way, not to trust anything they hear from the 'authorities' on Korea. I hope I can embed it here. You will have to authorise full html.

Nicola Bellomo (not verified)

Sun, 2017-11-19 01:35

I attempted to post the following comment to Pyongyang’s UN envoy rules out negotiations on nuclear weapons amid S. Korea-US drills (17/11/17) | RT. My apologies, if it repeats some of what was posted by James Sinnamon above. I have made two attempts to post this comment so far and on each occasion, unlike wih an earlier attempt with another story, the comment was deleted!, As RT, with all its shortcomings, is still a vital weapon against the lying global corporate media, I trust that the deletion of my comment was a bug with the administative software, or an honest mistake and not deliberate. I will contact RT about this.

I think the full history of the Korean War and the conflict since than should feature more prominently on RT. The terrible war between 1950 and 1953, in which 25-30% of North Koreans died, has never officially ended, because the United States refused to negotiate a peace treaty.

After the surrender of Japan in September 1945, five months after the death of the President who led America in its war against the Japanese and Nazi Germany - Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) - the United States Army began savagely repressing Koreans who had resisted the Japanese occupiers. They installed an extreme right wing government largely made up of Koreans who had collaborated with the Japanese against their fellow Koreans. The Korean resistance fought back. Whilst it is not clear whether the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK aka 'North' Korea) or 'South' Korea launched the first attack in 1950, the outbreak of conventional war, was a continuation of that civil war.

Every year the 'military exercises' which the United States' occupiers conduct with their South Korean puppets, are in fact, rehearsals for their planned future attempt to do what they failed to do in 1953 - conquer North Korea and destroy the DPRK. The commanders of the armed forces of the DPRK can never know if the United States won't fabricate a pretext that would allow then to turn their annual 'military exercises' into an all out invasion.

Sheila Newman

Sat, 2017-11-18 23:47

Thanks for reading it John and I'm glad you appreciated it. I feel the same way about 4Corners most of the time. Media Watch is worse than a joke; it seems hopelessly contrived and dishonest; a kind of tragi-comedy in its desperate search for tiny transgressions whilst steadfastly ignoring herds of elephants overrunning the 4th estate. Q&A is a source of constant wonder in its ability to find gullible audiences, although I must admit I enjoy some of the drama and often find the apparently sincere politicians hilarious. In the last one I watched Kevin Rudd performed like a circus elephant. I almost began to like him for his brash failure to ever stay down when knocked out. He is to blame, of course, along with recent successive prime ministers, for the continuous grotesque inflation of Australia's population ponzi which is making our wildlife miserable and threatens to destroy the rest of us. Oh, and I used to, decades ago, enjoy reading the Letters in the Age, but I think it was in the 1980s that they began to cut them down from nice long interesting ones to 300 words and now probably less. And when I realised that the Age and the Australian were the owners of massive property dot coms I began to see through them. Then they just got worse and worse with syndicated nonsense and always propping up wars. Really, I feel as if the Nazis have taken over and run the military industrial media complex. Sadly.

John Bentley (not verified)

Fri, 2017-11-17 09:20

An extremely interesting and informative discussion that exposes the mainstream media for what they really are - mouthpieces for the oligarchs and their puppet governments. It's time for those of us who want the truth to seek out the truth and if that be from RT, The Conversation, Candobetter, The Point, BuzzFeed or wherever. This year I've personally given away watching 4Corners, Media Watch and Q&A and considering stopping my deliveries of The Age and even the local papers the Riv Herald and Ky Free Press which have become mouth pieces for the National Party which of course is a bastion of neo-conservatism.

Sheila Newman

Wed, 2017-11-15 09:38

The family that subdivided their large lot, given the rate of population growth and the probable increase of the next generation, would have done better to build a parking lot tower, maybe with some bathroom and cooking facilities, so that future generations could pay to sleep in their cars. There is such a lack of entrepreneurship in our society!

quark

Tue, 2017-11-14 19:26

A woman rang in to Red Symoms' breakfast radio program today to say she and her husband had found the solution to the housing affordability problem for her family. It went like this -We have quite a large block and the house is old -1949- . We have 3 adult offspring needing houses. We demolished the house and built 3 x 2 storey townhouses on the block. We live in one of the town house with number 3 son. This is temporary until we get a townhouse for ourselves somewhere else.- The question that was not asked was "What happens with the grandchildren?" This solution is a once- only as it takes advantage of the larger blocks of past which ordinary people do not have now It only temporarily solves the housing affordability crisis for one family and they are still worse off than they were. A block of land cannot be divided up ad infinitum. It won't even be able to be divided a second time! The next generation will be let's say 6 plus the original 3 adult offspring and their partners. There could be equal generosity on the other sides of each family but they would most likely need to cater for more than one lot of childRen and grandchildren. The pressure on land forcing people to look for solutions which may not be to their advantage is the immense population growth of Australian cities like Melbourne.

John Bentley (not verified)

Mon, 2017-11-13 09:55

My humble apologies James, I should have mentioned the pay wall. In an endeavour to get a better perspective of the economic world and why it is/isn't working has fascinated me for some time and having the non-neoliberal world explained to you is, to me, essential. I pay $US 10 per month ($A 13/14) and find it is well worth it for 3 or 4 podcasts, articles, etc per week. "The Pain in Spain" gives some background into the current disunity that exists as the Catalonians and Spaniards air the differences. The piece covers a range of topics from the maximum number of people who can maintain effective personal bonds to the Euro and the Euro Group to the current crises in Europe. As I commented, on the article, the Australian mainstream media don't cover this sort of news or if they do it's superficially and/or biased.

admin

Mon, 2017-11-13 01:10

Thank you, John for the support in your comment and the link. Unfortunately, the article that you linked to is behind a paywall. The paywall doesn't even allow a visitor to make a one-off payment! To read Steve Keen's article, one has to first agree to make a monthly contribution. Whilst it is possible to pay as little as $1.00 per month, most people would have to pay bank administrarive charges on top of that, and I expect that patreon.com would hit you with more charges if you ceased making that contribution every month.

i have yet to find a paywalled site that allows a visitor to make a one-of payment.

John Bentley (not verified)

Sun, 2017-11-12 09:48

Thanks James for an excellent piece. The real criminals in most wars are those who instigate and perpetuate them. I'm not well read enough to know how many have or were brought to justice, but at a hazard, I'd say not many and definitely too few. However, what worries more than the past is the present and the future where greed, overpopulation, resource shortages and political and economic mismanagement are reeking havoc. The mayhem is not just confined to the "Usual Suspects", but is also closer to home. Austerity measures have produced chaos and have deeply divided Europe. Steve Keen the expatriate Australian economist made comment on this recently: https://www.patreon.com/posts/pain-in-spain-15089126 if anybody wants to know more.

Olaf (not verified)

Sun, 2017-11-12 08:55

A massive 443,798 overseas students — a population the size of Canberra — were in the country as of June 30, and they all have the right to work up to 20 hours a week. In Victoria, there were 112,234, and the top source nation was China with 33,783 students, followed by India (14,616), Malaysia (7691), Vietnam (6647), Sri Lanka (3748), Pakistan (3411) and Nepal (3332), according to Department of Immigration and Border Protection figures. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/expert-sounds-alarm-over-forei...

Geoffrey Taylor

Wed, 2017-11-08 01:41

Georg Braupe was the supposedly 'left' Social Democrat Minister in the State government of Saxony who managed to dissuade the assembled grass-root committee delegates assembled in Chemnitz, from taking effective action against the invasion of Saxony by the Federal German Army. I can only assume that Braupe proclaimed himself to be left-wing in order to maintain his credibility as Social Democrat workers, who had previously stayed loyal to the Social Democrat leaders against the Communists in the crises of 1918, 1919 and 1920 and, prior to that, during the First World War that was supported by the Social Democrat Parliamentary deputies, became radicalised as they lost their jobs or saw their real wages drop during the economic crisis of 1923.

admin

Wed, 2017-11-08 00:56

This was posted beneath the republished copy of this article on Syrian Free Press:

Thank you for republishing the article from /node/5322 (as also linked to above). If the author is right, these agreements will make it possible for Iran and Russian to defend themselves much more effectively from further acts of aggression like in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Ukraine - and worse.

We have also linked back to this page. If all genuinely alternative web sites, such as ours, were to link to each other, there would be little that the dark forces, who control Google, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc., could do to prevent most people from learning the truth and seeing through the lying Corporate media narratives.

Just possibly, this will help bring about real regime-change in the United States, Canada, Britain, Ukraine, Spain, Italy, France, Japan, Australia, Ireland, Greece, Germany, Sweden, etc., and peace will break out all over the world.

On another matter: Whilst it may not seem to be obviously relevant to the current wars against Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, Ukraine, etc. you may find of interest, on the centenary of the Russian Revolution, "Buried history: How the spread of the Russian Revolution to Germany could have stopped Hitler" at /node/5323 .

Magda F (not verified)

Tue, 2017-11-07 19:15

The man who stopped the general strike that could have saved the world was Georg Graupe and Pierre Broué mentions that he was the Minister for Labor in Saxony. What as Graupe's motive? Who influenced him? Do we know? What became of him during the war? (Ref: Pierre Broué, The German Revolution, p.808-809.

Matthew Mitchell

Sun, 2017-11-05 08:24

Everyone is now so removed from nature and insulated from anything unpredictable that are not only afraid of nature, but also physically and psychologically weak. Once 97% percent of people were involved in farming (or hunter gathering) both of which brought one in contact with, or at least close range to, animals large and small.. Cities like London were swarming with animals, as they were driven to markets etc. It is our modern 'sanitised' cities that allow nothing but the most tame nature. I think it should be a human right to be able to husband animals, as people have done for millenia. In my area Frankston City Council brought in a by-law to ban people having goats - why? There was no goat problem - no hordes of goats swarming streets - it is just a bias against nature and towards a sanitised and note well - CONTROLLED - community. Similarly as Quark points out - Kangeroos - up near Myrtleford I read a letter in the local paper where a woman called a local MP 'an idiot' for suggesting that they would just have to live with Kangeroos. Really who is the real idiot - Myrtleford is surrounded by forest and mountains - this letter writing lady is advocating mass slaughter of Kangeroos - at much expense, and unlikely to be completely successful - not to mention the terrible detriment to the environment. Once she did this she would probably complain that the grass - once eaten by Kangeroos - is now to rampant and the solution is chemical spraying!! Really why don't we just destroy all nature - oh yeah - that's right we are - we have been for the past 200 years or so!

dono (not verified)

Fri, 2017-11-03 18:29

When I saw the heading I thought the author may be writing with tongue firmly in cheek, however it appears not. Europeans arrived in Australia and felt homesick so they bought their pets and a vast amount of flora and fauna that should not (sorry but its true) be here. Check out the Camel, Carp, rabbit, fox, cat, all hard footed animals ...and perhaps far to many humans.

quark

Fri, 2017-11-03 11:52

What could motivate Lucy Turnbull to this vandalism of what is possibly the most beautiful city in the world? Is she like Kevin Rudd who "came out" in favour of "Big Australia" but actually doesn't really see Australia as home? He doesn't live in Australia any more. Is that how Lucy sees her future, one where she doesn't have to stay in the mess she has helped make of Sydney.

Olaf (not verified)

Thu, 2017-11-02 23:33

This is a mind-bogglingly lucid comment. 'Too-manyism' sums it up and tears through the sophisticated ideology we are daily subjected to.

Sheila Newman

Thu, 2017-11-02 22:02

I read a couple of books about Soros as well as articles and it seemed to me that he was probably motivated by a desire to have even more money, the power that goes with it, and a psychopathic enjoyment of inflicting chaos. Currency speculation on a scale most of us cannot imagine is a way of making billions. By causing chaos, through wars that destroy economies and make people flee, or by provoking other forms of political agitation, Soros brings currency values down. While the currency value is low, he buys lots of it. Then he waits until the country recovers a bit and sells it at a higher value. He is able to sow chaos by sponsoring political agitation via donations from his various foundations and media investments. He is behind identity politics ideology and open borders. He encourages massive refugee movements and pays people to justify those movements without drawing attention to the wars that drive them. I have noticed that a lot of very wealthy people, especially men, are big gamblers and I think that manipulating world currencies is a form of gambling and that Soros is a gambler. When people gamble, they get a rush. As they cast their dice or launch their political agitators, or fund mercenaries, they imagine achieving a lot of different things - could be sex, fame, happiness, violence, humililation, godhead, immortality - and they have to keep restimulating their imaginations and emotions with the gambling/speculating trigger. People who are addicted to drugs or alcohol, for instance, experience a state of excitement at the prospect of satisfying their thirst or desire for the drug - even before they have taken it. I imagine that that is what Soros may feel when he sets out to manipulate currency prices. He engages in complex manipulation and probably builds up to some kind of climax. Perhaps he is very depressed between 'hits'. Gamblers and other addicts have to keep upping the ante in order to restimulate. I assume that Soros is sociopathic or psychopathic because his way of making money destroys so many lives - an indication of a lack of empathy. One might also expect people who are close to him to be negatively affected by his habits.

Dennis K

Wed, 2017-11-01 22:17

What drives Soros to do this? He has all the money he could ever personally need? Is it power? Is the ability to change the demographics of a continent, and do away with 1000's of years of cultural history the ultimate expression of power over others?

Sheila Newman

Sun, 2017-10-29 19:26

Serum concentrations of vitamin B12 and folate in British male omnivores, vegetarians and vegans: results from a cross-sectional analysis of the EPIC-Oxford cohort study Gilsing, A M ; Crowe, F ; Lloyd-Wright, Z ; Sanders, T A ; Appleby, P ; Allen, N ; Key, T European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Sep 2010, Vol.64(9), pp.933-9 [Peer-reviewed journal] Download here: http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.slv.vic.gov.au/ps/i.do?ty=as&v=2.1&u=slv&it=DIourl&s=RELEVANCE&p=ITOF&qt=TI~%22Serum%20concentrations%20of%20vitamin%22~~SP~933~~IU~9~~SN~0954-3007~~VO~64&lm=DA~120100000&sw=w&authCount=1

jean wilson (not verified)

Sun, 2017-10-29 08:20

"as long as there is more cash in the economy". no - as long as there is more cash in the developers' pockets.

Sheila Newman

Sat, 2017-10-28 23:40

The person I went with, on seeing the dystopian city, said, "That looks just like Melbourne!" and he was sincere. The whole thing seemed just like a logical end to Jeff Kennett and Steve Bracks and John Brumby and John Howard and Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull's policies on growth. I appreciated the introductory titles right at the beginning, which observed how all 'progressive' societies rely on slavery, on 'replicas' in the film. Brilliant film with fantastic images and use of art to convey mood and political organisation and infrastructure.

quark

Sat, 2017-10-28 13:48

I saw Bladerunner 2049 yesterday and I did not feel I was in a totally alien environment. The setting had many parallels with life in 2107 but moved up a notch (or 2).

Greg W. (not verified)

Thu, 2017-10-26 23:40

It seems we really are getting fake news. Not only are children dying because of it, they are being actively used to justify the killing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1652&v=Vj_klXJoGZM Our leaders are using our money to furnish this killing and propaganda, and blatantly lying to us about all of it. Who needs Bladerunner or Terminator when the real thing is so close at hand? Certainly so if you live in Syria.

Henny Penny (not verified)

Mon, 2017-10-23 16:51

Dear PPCC Inc. Members and friends A reminder of our upcoming AGM next Monday 30th October, with two excellent guest speakers, details below. All are welcome at the meeting, so please feel free to send this invitation on to any interested persons. We look forward to seeing you next Monday.

Daisy Uriad (not verified)

Mon, 2017-10-23 14:55

Furious neighbours say their concerns were “ignored” and described the decision-making process as “outrageous” after the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal approved 59 townhouses at 321 Wantirna Rd to replace a house and tennis court. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/outer-east/huge-wantirna-townhouse-complex-approved-after-developer-skips-council-goes-to-vcat/news-story/5d8e63a9caba49b11b76e66807ab2f60 My comment on this: Surely it is time for crowds of people to go into the courts and remove the judges, replacing them with their own. These judges - or 'members' are not serving the people. They are clearly serving big business and a state government philosophy that says it doesn't matter who loses out as long as there is more cash in the economy. Most would not agree.

Sheila Newman

Sun, 2017-10-22 12:58

I think that Australians demonstrated a preference for small families and a satisfaction with a smaller population some time ago and that this was a response to perception of density in various indicators. Maybe the rise in unemployment after the 1973 oil shock and loss of protection for local manufacturing, was one of the earliest indications of being 'too many' in terms of economic prospects for Australia. (Refer to Virginia Abernethy's 'Fertility opportunity' theory.) The French spontaneously reduced their fertility after the oil shock, but their government behaved in agreement with the population by stopping worker immigration and new housing construction. (See The Growth Lobby in Australia and its Absence in France (2002), "Housing Issues and Immigration: 1974 to the Close of the 20th Century," p. 380.) Australia had an opposite policy of borrowing to keep housing construction going and importing immigrants to stimulate demand. (See same reference, multiple chapters.) The Australian wealthy power elite have acted like an upper caste, marrying, buying and selling within their own, which includes the major media owners and casino owners. They have developed a conscious program to increase the population, which I first noticed was promoted in the Murdoch media in the early 1990s. (Australia has a very long history of this population boosting by elites and institutions with property interests, see The Growth Lobby in Australia and its Absence in France (2002), Chapter Six. ) Jeff Kennett embraced this program in Victoria, which took the lead in population inflation. (See "Kennett population policy, numbers and flow-ons: Regional migration and industrial law under Kennett"). Subsequent labor and lib governments continued the program. The Labor Party in the late 80s became a very wealthy land-holder and bank share holder (involved Kevin Rudd and Wayne Swann working for Wayne Goss) and I perceive huge corruption between state government land production departments and Labor-connected property development, always at a rising cost to the public. (/taxonomy/term/898) The Libs have probably engaged in the same thing, but the Labor Party problem was exposed by Steven Mayne; no-one has done it to the Libs, who seem to have been less successful. I also think it likely that the Greens have also invested in growth, probably property, probably infrastructure, but I don't have the goods on this - just the indication is that they are apologists for artificially stimulated population growth and for infrastructure solutions. For instance, although being pro-bicycle may seem 'eco-friendly' it actually results in the encroachment of bitumen bike tracks through parkland and all over the countryside. (There is a huge long one next to an abandoned railway track in Moorooduc, taking the place of a delightful overgrown track past farms, where people rode horses and walked their dogs. I have noticed that horseriding is now banned there!) These bitumen tracks are nearly as wide as roads and an obvious precursor to them, and housing densification will follow. There is also a huge consumer industry associated with bike riding. The fertility of Australian born probably remains 'dampened', possibly increasingly, due to increasing housing unaffordability and continued precarity of employment and growing competition from cheap imported labour in the absence of our traditional industrial protection, post Kennett's lead in dismantling state awards and Howard's lead in using corporation powers of the constitution. (None of these were resisted by the ALP either.) Game of Mates explores the corruption of the union movement via their interest in superannuation. Indicators of lower fertility expectations are later age of marriage and fewer marriages. Incumbent Australians - of whatever origin - tend not to consume as much 'stuff', including the big stuff, like new houses, as immigrants, because they either already have it and don't need new stuff, or because they live precariously and are therefore very constrained in their consumption, or permaculturally, which also means less consumption. You will notice that the mainstream media is full of programs attempting to enthuse Australians into buying houses and new furniture and cooking ranges, however only the wealthy can keep this up. Immigrants are being imported precisely because they are necessarily big consumers, especially of housing, mortgages, furniture. (Think of the multiplication of businesses like real-estate agencies, banks, Bunnings, Ikea etc.) Immigrants arrive with the perception of acquiring more territory and leaving whatever kinship constraints persisted in their countries of origin, so it would not be surprising if they were more fertile than the Australian-born or raised population. Immigrants may also provide opportunities for marriage to Australians who would not ordinarily be able to afford this. Some examples rise to mind, such as the importing of educated brides with the capacity to earn or from wealthy families. Australians who find themselves socially displaced by unemployment and lack of stable housing and family might find it easier to fit in with new immigrant communities, or find employment within those communities than within a disrupted and impoverished Australian-born network.

James Sinnamon

Sun, 2017-10-22 02:31

The following has been adapted from my comment posted in response to Why Kim may draw first blood? (20/10/17) | The Duran by Syed Ali Jaffrey. Whilst rightly critical of United States' President Donald Trump, I believe that the article unfairly places, on the young 35-year-old North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, more than his fair share of the blame for the current crisis .

However critical we may be of recent actions by Kim Jong Un, compared to what he and the people of the DPRK have had to endure from the Americans and their South Korean puppets since 1945, they are trivial misdemeanours.

The War by the United States against the people of Korea from 1950 until 1953 was one of the major crimes against humanity of the 20th century. The United States Air Force destroyed every building in North Korea higher than one storey. Also, as attested to by Dr Strangelove (aka United States Air Force General Curtis LeMay): "Over a period of three years or so we killed off – what – twenty percent of the population. [1] ... We burned down every town in North Korea and South Korea, too". Another war crime was the bombing of a North Korean dam which caused major flooding and deaths by drowning.

All this happened because the people of the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea (DPRK - aka North Korea) after 1945 refused to submit to a government in the South which was made up largely of quislings who had previously worked for the Japanese. This government, labeled the "Republic of Korea" (ROK) had been imposed on Koreans in the south by the United States' occupation forces.

The Korean War, which began in June of 1950, was as an extension of the ROK's repression of supporters of the DPRK and their resistance. Had the United States and its allies not massively increased the scale of their military intervention, the DPRK would easily have won that war without any further outside help.

In 1953, the United States refused to sign a peace treaty with the DPRK and every year the DPRK faces the threat that the annual 'military exercises' by the United States and the ROK could easily turn into an outright invasion, especially given the United States' record in Vietnam, Indonesia, the former Yugoslav republics, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Ukraine, Syria, ...

Ending these provocative military exercises and negotiating a peace treaty with the DPRK could quickly remove any threat posed North Korea's nuclear-armed missiles.

Footnote[s]

1. Another estimate of the death toll in North Korea is 30%. KNOW THE FACTS: North Korea lost close to 30% of its population as a result of US bombings in the 1950 (27/10/2010) | Global Research by Professor michel Chossudovsky.

Barry (not verified)

Sat, 2017-10-21 21:46

With the increased level of immigration to Australia and the densification of Australia's cities , the conditions would seem to be present then for even further acceleration of population growth. The ingredients are there -increasing "fertility opportunities" and increasing landlessness. Or would you see decreasing economic prospects for people in Australia dampening their fertility?

Menkit (not verified)

Sat, 2017-10-21 17:48

Unfortunately speciesism is not a new term nor a new thing. It has been with us since the year dot. Some people are, fortunately, waking up - their compassion has been born. If you just stop and think 'What would it be like to be in the body of that creature right now?' That's all it takes and you're there looking through their eyes. But because we are accustomed to eating a particular species or it's byproducts (especially in the case of cows or other farm animals) we are in huge denial of the many ways in which they suffer and because they don't speak English, we assume they have no feelings. WRONG! Thank you for writing from your heart Quark. We all need to speak up on behalf of all the other species because otherwise how will people ever wake up? People have watched me go to great lengths to save a small insect and it has touched them deeply. We have a long way to go with 7 + billion ignorant, selfish humans on the planet but every step helps on the journey of 10,000 miles.

John Bentley (not verified)

Sat, 2017-10-21 09:50

Good stuff Daisy! Like the housing and construction industry, the transport industry is just another Ponzi Scheme where roads, bridges and tunnels are built not because we need them, but because Transurban, Macquarie or whoever need another get rich quick scheme to maintain their ever growing profits. And, of course, the mainstream media are compliant with this and have formed a cosy little alliance with these companies who hire "professional advisers" to substantiate their work!!

Mike111111 (not verified)

Fri, 2017-10-20 17:02

The Germans exterminated Jews not primarily because they didn't like Jews or thought they were inferior (the classic left wing, hijacked definition of racism). They did it because there was a perception that there were too many of them and that they were taking all the money out of an economy where most were poor. Like too many Magpies threatening to attack as you walk past their nests or too many immigrants "taking our jobs" or too many cars on the road (because of too many immigrants) or no seats on the train (because of too many immigrants). And of course, if some of those immigrants are of a particular race (like Chinese or Indians), and their numbers have rapidly increased in recent times, it is only to be expected that they become the target of the frustration of people who feel disenfranchised. The Hutu government in Rwanda supported genocide of the Tutsi. Rwanda is around 400 sq km of overpopulated, relatively infertile land. There have been reports of people starving and actually killing their neighbours to gain access to small plots of cultivatable land. Surely this is the ultimate example of the too-manyism endgame? It's not about who you are; it's just about the perception (or reality of the fact that) there are too many of you?

Jenny (not verified)

Fri, 2017-10-20 12:54

Great article Quark. I love magpies, and have shared my veranda with a pair and generations of their offspring for years......until this year when the male, who I called 'Knock Knees' due to his odd stance, has disappeared. Maybe displaced by a younger male, or maybe squashed by a car. Watching and interacting with my magpie friends was a delight and I am missing Knock Knees and our daily eye contact badly. But, I suspect the Magpie tendency to interact with us humans contributes to why so many of us seem to hate them. Wattle birds: I like them too, but as they are not at all interested in forming a relationship with humans I have less to say about them, as do most other people it seems. Their rather loud call, mostly at daybreak, is amusing to me, sounding like "I'm here, I'm here, I'm here". They don't tend to swoop us, and don’t beg for food from us, so perhaps we are not seen as such a threat to them - other than removing their habitat of course to build our fence to fence houses. Swans in the Botanical Gardens: Yes, there are stories about the RBG swans getting in the way of a lovely day out for us humans, for example: http://www.onourwayhome.net/when-swans-attack .....so maybe they just had to go! . Our human-centricity is getting embarrassing isn't it?

quark

Fri, 2017-10-20 12:45

It is interesting how people prefer miniaturisied versions of animals and less plentiful animals. They will crane their necks to see a rare rock wallaby in the desert yet fully approve a kangaroo cull closer to their urban or regional cities and towns. Small birds are OK but not big grown-up looking ones that might be able to take care of themselves. Are the small animals accessories to the bush setting and the tiny birds living decorative mobiles in the native garden?

Daisy Uriad (not verified)

Fri, 2017-10-20 12:09

I nearly choked on my toast at that drawing of the swarm of humans emerging from Flinders Street Station! This morning, I woke up before 5 a.m. to hear an interview with a "professor" or some such from the Grattan Institute talking with presenter Rod Quinn re tollroads. A few irritating bits from the professor - female - were that it's not as bad 'here' - meaning Sydney or Melbourne - as it is in parts of South America or other overcrowded cities - (although she did not use the term 'overcrowded'.) Rod Quinn reminded her twice that the private interests /share holders of the tollroads rely on traffic volumes for income. They want the roads crowded. Both times he said this Mme. Professor deflected it with a sort of airy "hmm" or "yeah"! She was full of bull shit and devoid of solutions. She declared a couple of times that Australia is very "car dependent" as though this was profound or a personal failing on the part of motorists. (It's the same as what you describe here in 'speciesism': People in Melbourne and Sydney are demonised as 'car dependent', 'selfish' (because they don't want to lose their backyards) and 'racist' because they don't want to be invaded by masses of people who already have homes overseas. It's all just an excuse to be able to push us around and find new populations of more tractable consumers. Oh and the 'solution' to traffic was a "congestion tax". Don't tell me that overpopulation pays for itself; you and I pay for it! ..as they quietly turn our cities into Hell.

John Bentley (not verified)

Fri, 2017-10-20 10:01

I hear you quark, loud and clear! We are becoming a nation of sadistic native animal haters. You've hit on 2 of the whipping sticks of Australian society: the maggie and the roo. I love magpies, not the Collingwood variety, they are extremely intelligent birds and may become companions for years. I had a pair nest in a flowering gum in my backyard for some 12-13 years until a storm blew the nest out of the tree. After they left I was plagued with Indian mynas which saw many other smaller native birds also disappear. Last spring a pair of crows, another vilified bird, set up camp next door in a giant river red gum and thankfully most of the mynas have gone. However, I am most bemused by the relationship between humans and kangaroos. May be it's me or is it something I just don't get. The pathological hatred of these beautiful animals by most humans. Committing hari-kari by jumping onto the road thus penalising the motorist who, knowing that roos frequent the area, are travelling at breakneck speed to their destination - running late as usual. The kangaroos are feeding at the road's edge because rain has run off the bitumen onto the verge producing tender green shoots that the roos love. They are traumatised by vehicles arriving on the scene like a bat out hell. Immediately taking flight, they jump usually in the direction they are facing which tends to be towards the road. Calls for kangaroo culls are common as you say especially from motorists including those who live in the bush, who have grown up with roos as part of the environment. The old adage of driving: is that you drive to the prevailing conditions. However, many motorists prefer the adage that if the speed limit is 100kph then that is the speed that drive at or more. Instead of giving themselves plenty of time to make their appointment, they give themselves the minimum and, thus, speed to their destination. Another matter is that of why kangaroo numbers have exploded and they do because the top predator is not around to keep their numbers in check. Dingoes, the most maligned of Australia's native animals, has been hunted until they themselves have become an endangered species. This is in itself a tragedy and a snapshot of the society we have become.

Sheila Newman

Fri, 2017-10-20 09:36

What is really really bad here is that the population growth and overdevelopment that our very bad governments have inflicted on us is here sanitised into ''meet[ing] the needs of Victorians during a period of unprecedented population growth" - as though we wanted this growth, as though we needed it, as though it were unquestionable, as though it were inevitable. That is the greatest evil in this report and it is a widespread way of presenting the terrible problem of corruption in Victorian state politics.

Myrtle Beech (not verified)

Fri, 2017-10-20 09:31

The commercial press constantly reinforces evil by praising it, until people confuse destruction with something positive. http://www.primemovermag.com.au/news/article/vicroads-ceo-resigns "VicRoads Chief Executive, John Merritt, has announced his resignation and will depart the Victorian road authority at the end of the year. Merritt has led the authority through a program of organisational change as well as the launch of the biggest capital works program the organisation has ever undertaken since his appointment to the role in early 2014. “When I arrived the task was to transform the business and ready it to meet the needs of Victorians during a period of unprecedented population growth. We now have the biggest capital works program in our history – more than double what it was in 2014 – and we’re working hard to deliver these critical projects,” said Merritt. “VicRoads is also more responsive and accountable now. Reform is a long journey but we’re heading in the right direction. While we don’t get it right every time, we’re committed to the job and we do play a critical role in the community. “So it feels like the right time to move on. It’s been a wonderful experience to lead this organisation and I’m grateful for the fantastic support I have received,” he said. Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Luke Donnellan, also commended Merritt’s contribution. “John Merritt has been a terrific leader of VicRoads and I’d like to thank him for his service,” he said. “Our government is investing more in roads and transport infrastructure than ever before, and he’s been up for the challenge of delivering it. He’s also been tireless in modernising the agency and making sure it delivers the daily services needed by road users across the state.” Merritt has been in the role since April 2014, and will officially exit his role 20 December 2017."

admin

Wed, 2017-10-18 10:01

Nick Shepley replied ('4 days ago'):

Hi James thanks for this, I would really like to talk with you further about the Greek Civil War. I really appreciate your expertise here. My policy is that I have no (or as little as possible) ego to defend and if someone else has a different or more informed view than me to welcome that person into the conversation here. After all, the goal is always to serve the listeners as best as possible. If you'd like to chat about Greece perhaps I can create something for listeners?

James Sinnamon

Tue, 2017-10-17 23:55

Update, 18 October 2017 : This morning I found my comment was no longer on that page linked to below. I posted another comment to ask the web-site administrator if he/she really intended to delete my post. - James

The following was posted as a comment in response to Trump: no collusion with Russia; Russiagate investigations should end (17/10/17) by Alexander Mercouris | The Duran :

United States President Donald Trump said, "So there has been absolutely no collusion. It’s been stated that they have no collusion. They ought to get to the end of it because I think the American public is sick of it."

In Australia, thanks to the ABC's [1] 4 Corners, we know better. As shown on Hillary Clinton: The Interview - Four Corners (16/10/17) "4 Corners" presenter Sarah Ferguson and her guest Hillary Clinton, the disinformation fed to American voters by RT and Sputnik sufficiently confused enough American voters to cause Donald Trump to win as Russian President Vladimir Putin had planned:

SARAH FERGUSON: Hello and welcome to 4 corners.

This evening we bring you the first Australian interview with Hillary Clinton since her shock defeat by Donald Trump in last year's Presidential Election....and the release of her book "What Happened?"

...

[Hiliary Clinton]'s been grappling with it ever since, watching as the man who openly derided her as "crooked Hillary" has come under scrutiny from multiple investigations into HOW THE RUSSIAN SECRET SERVICE ATTEMPTED TO INFLUENCE THE ELECTION and whether they acted in collusion with the Trump campaign.

SF: ... Do you feel guilty for losing [the Presidential election]?

HC: ... I knew it would be hard, I knew it would be close, but I did not know that I would be running against ah not only Trump ah but the FBI Director and VLADIMIR PUTIN, ...

SF: WHAT ROLE DID RUSSIA PLAY IN THE ELECTION?

HC: I think ah Russia affected ah the ah perceptions and views of millions of voters we now know.

I think that ah their intention coming from the very top with Putin ah was to hurt me and to help Trump.

How, how much of that was a personal vendetta by Vladimir Putin against you?

HC: Look I, I I mean our intelligence community and other observers of Russia and Putin have said he held a grudge against me because as Secretary of State I stood up against ah some of ah his actions, his authoritarianism, ah but it's much bigger than that.

I mean he wants to destabilise democracy, he wants to ah undermine America, he wants to go after the Atlantic alliance and we consider Australia kind of a, an extension of that.

....

MORE SERIOUSLY: nowhere in this does Hillary Clinton provide a single cited example of disinformation from any of the Russian newsmedia [2] for which she blames for her defeat, nor does Sarah Ferguson mention the savage bias AGAINST Donald Trump of all of the American Corporate Newsmedia (with the one exception of Fox News). You can view the whole 45 minute Four Corners episode at the link provided above.

FOOTNOTE[S]

[1] Australian Broadcasting Corporation

[2] In fact, during the 2016 election, RT America, bizarrely TOOK SIDES AGAINST DONALD TRUMP by ridiculing him whilst failing to prominently critique Hillary Clinton's appalling record (see "Has western media bias spread to RT America in anti-Trump shows, despite Hillary's anti-Putin spin?" at /node/5057 (this article) adapted from comment at http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article45898.htm#IDComment1034203737).

Myrtle Beech (not verified)

Tue, 2017-10-17 10:47

The construction industry is fueling fascism, overturning planning laws and democracy, just to make a profit. https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/jobs-migration-house-prices-create-recipe-east-coast-construction/ Migration Helps Fuel East Coast Construction Activity Interstate migration to Queensland and Victoria is increasing with house price differentials and jobs growth the key drivers of Australia’s east coast construction and development activity. Interstate migration however, according to Turner & Townsend, was outpaced by net overseas migration as a driver of population growth in each state leading to an increased demand for the construction of housing, schools, hospitals, shopping centres, transport and infrastructure. Significant population growth caused BIS Oxford Economics to revise its earlier prediction of an oversupply in Melbourne — indicating that the census figures showing a population growth of 109,000 more people than expected meant the city would now likely experience an undersupply. The ABS March 2017 quarter figures revealed a decade high of 86,595 net overseas migrants, pushing the total for the year to 231,890 which accounted for 59.6 per cent of Australia’s population growth. Interstate migration and natural growth saw Victoria rise in overall population by 138,559 in the year to March 2017. Compared to Sydney’s 120,685, Victoria is Australia’s fastest growing state.

admin

Sat, 2017-10-14 02:09

The following was posted in response to Churchill and Greece (15/7/2015) on YouTube.

Nick Shepley's claim that the ELAS partisans started the fight with the British Army in 1944 is untrue.

It is also untrue that the ELAS partisans were outfought after they began to defend themselves against the British and their Greek allies who had formerly worked for the Nazi German occupiers.The ELAS fighters fought the British so effectively that at one point the British considered getting reinforcements from Italy and from Belgium where the were fighting against the German Ardennes offensive. The ELAS partisans only lost because they trusted their Communist Pary (KKE) leaders. The KKE, in turn, blindly followed Stalin's orders to retreat in accord with Stalin's infamous agreement with Churchill at the Moscow conference of 1944, to give Churchill '90%' interest in Greece (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percentages_agreement).

As I wrote at /GreekCivilWar and http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/rearvision/greek-tragedy/2921864 on 17 July 2011 :

The Greek Communist Party led the resistance to the German occupation and had overwhelming support of the Greek people. In 1944, the British tricked the Communist partisans into disarming whilst they secretly re-armed those who had collaborated with the Germans against fellow citizens. ... (See above for the rest of this quote.)

John Bentley (not verified)

Thu, 2017-10-12 09:22

I agree with you Myrtle! I laughed when I read it in this morning's in Age, AGL, Origin, Energy Australia...... they're in the business of making money, they've screwed us before and they'll screw us again if we let them! To put it bluntly this the face of overpopulation - the rationing of water, gas, electricity; food will be next!!

Myrtle Beech (not verified)

Wed, 2017-10-11 20:17

On the news tonight they are talking about giving people heavy discounts on their power bills this summer if they reduce consumption. This is supposed to be in the public interest to "avoid blackouts" We are running into a brick wall of unsustainability. Looks as though the rich get to have air conditioning and the poor try to weather it! If things are really that bad they should RATION it - for everyone . I bet those power companies will get the same or more from the public. It's disgusting! Not to mention the importation of ever more "customers"

admin

Tue, 2017-10-10 23:39

The following comment was posted in response to an article "Carla Del Ponte – Blames the 'Rebels' for Chemical weapons attack yet wants to falsely convict Assad of War Crimes" (9/7/2017) | The Rabbit Hole by Sarah Abed:

Thank you, Sarah. As you have pointed out: “Dr. Bashar Al Assad … won his latest election in 2014 with 88.7% of the votes in what international observers who were present during the elections deemed as a fair and free election”.

The findings that the election was “fair and free” were vouched for by 5 observers at a press conference at the United Nations on 19 June1 2014. Any reporter who disputed that claim was free to put that to the observers, but not one of them did

.

The full 53 minute video of the press conference is [embedded in the above article].

Who amongst Bashar al-Assad’s enemies can claim anything like that much popular support, even with the all the misreporting in their favour by their newsmedia?

Sheila Newman

Sat, 2017-10-07 21:04

Here is one of several articles on alternatives to Facebook.
"What are the best alternatives to Facebook?" (17/5/17) | 1&1

What are the best alternatives to Facebook?

Are you on the hunt for a good Facebook alternative? While it may seem like a daunting task, you can rest assured you’re not alone. Whether it’s because of hidden AGBs, data protection issues, or platform rules and regulations – the reasons for finding an alternative to Facebook are common and more and more users are looking to avoid the Californian social media giant. The market for similar networks is massive, and there’s a large selection of platforms ready to accept Facebook’s digital refugees. In our guide, we’ve already introduced some of the biggest and most important social media platforms around.

But regardless of whether you’re using Twitter, Instagram, or Google+: Awareness and consideration about privacy and data protection are also important factors in choosing to use any of the other social media giants. One common complaint targeted specifically at Facebook is that that Facebook Newsfeed algorithms decide exactly what you do and don’t see. Another problem is personalized advertising, which is of course only possible through accessing and interpreting personal user data. As you can see: the list of criticisms for the social network market leader is long. So it’s good news that there are a few other alternatives to Facebook on the market. Some of these Facebook alternatives offer less advertising, others offer improved data protection, and some even offer extended functions and features that aren’t currently available for Facebook customers.

Contents [ hide ]

Diaspora
Ello
EyeEm
Path

The best alternatives to Facebook: an overview

 

Diaspora

 

The platform Diaspora is a social world online that puts your data back in your own hands, according to its own slogan. Its range of functions is similar to those of Facebook. Users can publish status updates, share posts and images, and comment on other people’s posts. And just like on Facebook, you can control who gets to see your own posts as well. Diaspora uses hashtags to order posts, meaning that you can use these to find like-minded people who share your interests. Linking Diaspora to your Facebook profile is also possible, and the software has its own chat function. Diaspora is also an open source project.

One of the main features that Diaspora prides itself on is its decentralization. This is to do with its technical background: the platform consists of many different networks, known as pods. User data isn’t collected and stored centrally by the provider, instead the infrastructure is distributed by users themselves, with data carried by these so-called pods. If you have good technical know-how, you can actually operate your own pod, which essentially functions as a server. This means that you can be certain that your private data remains private and in your own hands. Less technically gifted users can use ‘open pods’ in the network instead.

With a little over 60,000 new users joining in the past 6 months, Diaspora is certainly only a very small drop in the ocean compared to Facebook. But its decentralized system and the control over your own data that comes with it makes Diaspora a definite option for users concerned about data protection. Lastly, Diaspora is completely ad-free.

…

Simone (not verified)

Thu, 2017-10-05 11:52

Yesterday I saw a young woman in the supermarket with perhaps 10 tins of baby formula in her shopping trolley. She ended up just behind me in the same line at the checkout. A staff member pulled her up and told her she could only have 2 tins. The young woman argued back but the staff member was firm and told her that other people need the product. I understand there was a baby formula scare -well more than a scare fews years ago in China and some babies died as a local product was contaminated. Australian brands are very trusted so people go out in teams possibly as part of a larger syndicate and buy up in the major supermarkets - The product is apparently sold at much higher prices in China. This has led to shortages locally. The woman working on the checkout told me it is worse in the mornings - that they enter the store in groups and get us much of this product as they can. Is it a source of income for the teams of buyers or is it motivated by a form of patriotism - where local needs come second?

admin

Tue, 2017-10-03 14:57

The Syrian Girl's FakeBook FaceBook video, deleted by the FaceBook thought police, has been re-posted on Russia Insider's FaceBook account. I attempted to embed the video below, but our Drupal content-management system was not able to render the video. To Watch Syrian Girl speak, see "YouTube Bans SYRIANGIRL's Video About Her Facebook Ban - for 'Hate Speech'" (3/10/17) | by Charles Bausman.

<div align="center"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/RussiaInsider/videos/1975420856061481/&show_text=0&width=560" width="560" height="315" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>

Margaret (not verified)

Tue, 2017-10-03 12:46

Last night's Q and A was about artificial intelligence and robotics. One of the panel excitedly told the audience that there was the prospect of a 3 day week becoming the norm with improved technology. Now that really interests me and heralds a greatly improved quality of life. However I can remember this being predicted by similar specialists and discussed in the media about 30 years ago and for the same reason! It never came to pass. What happened instead in Australia was that people in full time paid employment started working longer hours for the same pay. It also became the norm for 2 people in the same household to need to work to keep ahead of mortgage repayments and other costs of living. This person on the panel appeared full of optimism but there seems to be something stopping the potential Utopia of a universal 3 day week and I would be surprised if it does not stop it happening again. I do , however think it is possible.

Sheila Newman

Mon, 2017-10-02 10:42

Venue: Seawinds Community Hub at 11a Allambi Avenue, Rosebud West, Victoria, Australia, 7.30pm

Mackenzie Kwak is a parasitologist with a research focus on the systematics, ecology and biogeography of ectoparasites, chiefly ticks (Ixodidae) and fleas. He'll be talking about ticks.

More about Mackenzie Kwak's work here: http://wildmelbourne.org/articles/2016/2/10/melbournes-parasites-biodiversity-unseen and here: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mackenzie_Kwak

Southern Peninsula Indigenous Flora & Fauna Assoc. (SPIFFA)

SPIFFA Meetings are held in Rosebud on the first Monday of the month. Speakers begin their presentation (around an hour) at 7:30pm, followed by refreshments of the cake variety, before meeting business gets underway. The talks are usually of a high scientific standard as well as entertaining.

Terria Duo Forte (not verified)

Sat, 2017-09-30 20:46

Things are becoming worse, all the talk about energy shortage but nothing said about the huge increase in consumers which will continue. Here in the outer Melbourne growth corridor everything is expanding. getting larger, paddocks being scraped for more building, a push for a huge quarry three time the size of a previous quarry, residents protesting but the applicant says it is necessary to provide more resources for housing construction. Truckloads of sand racing down the freeway for more concrete and cement, huge concrete supports all along the rail system for constructing the overhead track to speed up the train and transport for more and more travellers as the infinite supply of population continues. Hundreds of hectares of productive market garden being ploughed in and bulldozed for residential construction, and ambitious developers buying up farmland and green wedge out beyond the UGB confident that eventually the state government will relent under population pressure and allow rezoning for metropolitan expansion and sad disappearance of the environmental landscape with its trees, birds, endangered species etc. Not to mention clogged roads and freeways, hospital queues, medical waiting lists and whatever else. The government plan to develop regional cities is scary.

James Sinnamon

Thu, 2017-09-28 22:16

This was posted to a discussion following Kurdistan: President Barzani claims victory in independence referendum" (26/9/2017) | Veterans Today. The comment was in response to a post which mentioned that Jim Dean, the Senior Managing Editor of Veterans Today, had monitored an election in Syria. (It was not clear which election Jim Dean observed. If he did observe the Presidential election of 3 June 2014, he was not one of the five observers present at the above press conference.)

The BIG LIE that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was a corrupt murderous dictator was demolished at the United Nations headquarters in New York on 20 July at a United Nations press conference of five international observers who had observed the Syrian Presidential elections of 3 June 2014.

For 53 minutes they testified that the elections in which Bashar al-Assad won were conducted fairly (see Syria's press conference the United Nations doesn't want you to see (this article including the 53 minute embedded video above)). At that, election 88.7% of the votes of the 73.42% of eligible Syrian voters, who were able to vote in the midst of the war, were for Bashar al-Assad.

What other world leader, particularly amongst Syria's enemies, can claim anything close to the popular mandate of President Bashar al-Assad?

No-one from the corporate media attempted to put to the observers any one of their 'reports' that the Syrian government had murdered tens of thousands of defenceless Syrian civilians, tortured political prisoners, used chemical weapons, bombed hospitals and schools, .... Their failure to do so was surely criminal negligience, that is, unless they knew these claims to be untrue and would be easily demolished before the whole world by those observers.

ZPG (not verified)

Tue, 2017-09-19 19:37

SAUDI SOLAR TYCOON Saudi Prince M. A. L. Jameel can teach all Australians a lesson (Saudi solar tycoon wins $300m handouts boost, p1,19/9). He is wise enough, and frugal enough, to recycle the profits he and his country are making from exporting non-renewable petroleum into a high profit Moree solar farm. While us brain-dead aussies, drive around and around in circles in fully imported cars, burning fully imported petrol and diesel. Giving the Saudi ruling family even more cash to buy up even more of our family silver. Just where did all the profits from iron ore and coal go again? David Z Hughes

Greg (not verified)

Mon, 2017-09-18 16:57

"...and yet Zakky Mullah, a convicted criminal, was given a platform on Q and A to push his twisted agenda." I'm totally supportive of the broad thrust of this letter but why does the author commit the same prejudicial and essentially incorrect dismissal of another that he deplores having perpetrated upon himself? It needlessly demonstrates that the author is willing to make bold assertions about things that he clearly has no cogent grasp of. I'm sold on the principles of being posited in the letter, but would baulk at having this person represent them for me.

John Bentley (not verified)

Sat, 2017-09-16 09:57

Although done on a world scale and some 14 months old from Ipsos Global https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/global-study-shows-many-around-wo... throws up some interesting information. To the very basic question "Immigrants make you country a more interesting place to live?" 48% of Australians answered yes. The second question "Immigration has placed too much pressure on public services in your country?" had 51% of Australians agreeing with only some 20% disagreeing. None of this, of course is news to Candobetter commentators and readers, but the article did field comments from both Bob Carr and Dick Smith. Nick O'Malley and Matt Wade have done a far better job of tackling the immigration issue in Australia than did the ABC. Although I disagree with the comment attributed to David Elliott of Ipsos Global that "Australia bucks the trend in this regard". Given the frame in which the question was asked, the poll is consistent with what we already know. Probably the most disappointing aspect of the piece was the failure to understand how high immigration rates affect the economy which of course is disastrous. However, hopefully this is start to a longer conversation Australians need to have in the future.

Emmanuel Goldstein (not verified)

Sat, 2017-09-16 02:41

Trolling is what radical leftists would call an organic form of 'social justice.' IF they weren't the main target of getting ribbed for their behaviour of course, and had a sense of humour. It's the silent majority pushing back against the nefarious intent of the vocal minority, and it seems to increase with the frequency of injustice and banality of evil directed against others.

Olaf (not verified)

Wed, 2017-09-13 20:55

Not a bad idea, John. Pity you did not start a campaign on this a few weeks earlier. Certainly would have added even more spice to the disagreements on both sides. We really have so few outlets. Wish we could think of a more visible (to everyone) way of protesting. I've always wanted someone to organise picket lines against mass immigration outside all major airports in Australia on the same day and make it drag on for weeks.

John Bentley (not verified)

Wed, 2017-09-13 18:54

Maybe those us so incensed by sheer ignorance and bastardry of the mainstream media, politicians, property developers and their ilk could write: "No more rampant immigration for Australia" across our postal vote for Same Sex Marriage!

Sheila Newman

Wed, 2017-09-13 09:07

The survey of 1005 adults was carried out this month and reported 83 per cent of respondents ­believed major parties should have a population policy and 82 per cent agreed population growth was an issue on which politicians needed to act. Most respondents believed insufficient infrastructure, crowded cities, housing affordability and rising unemployment were the main consequences of Australia’s growing population. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/population-control-in-political-hands-galaxy-poll-finds/news-story/884e160d1429d9b7b01156166eac13ab

Sheila Newman

Wed, 2017-09-13 00:21

Quark, you are right. In effect, Paul Barry's attack on Dick Smith was warning people off talking down population. That's why the attack was so out of proportion. The ABC has become the mouthpiece for the 'game of mates' and there is nothing so important to the 'mates' as keeping the population ponzi going. Usually Media Watch's Paul Barry seems to chatter along self-righteously about tiny and puerile subjects and you wonder why he or the ABC bother, but the other night, Mr Barry bared his teeth and turned into a bit of a pit-bull, savaging Dick Smith's reputation. It was obvious that no-one was going to put Mr Barry on a leash that night; Smith had trespassed on ABC Mates property - population size - and so they released the dogs. The ABC (and the rest of the MSM) never stop talking about population, but they are always talking it up. But the rest of us absolutely must approve or shut up. As you said, "The ABC has had its say. The topic of population is off limits. It is perfectly fine to discuss gay marriage, but not population, unless to join in the ridicule."

Daisy Uriad (not verified)

Tue, 2017-09-12 23:38

From Macrobusiness discussion about Media Watch and ABC Bias on population, https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2017/09/abcs-media-watch-counters-dick-... two more examples of ABC bias contributed below: Schillers wrote: September 12, 2017 at 9:51 am Further recent evidence of the ABC’s biased approach to immigration… (1) Q&A’s “special” on Bill Shorten, broadcast 21.8.2017. Seventy minutes of hand picked questions from a hand picked studio audience and the moderator, Tony Jones. Number of questions even vaguely connected to immigration policy? ZERO. http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/txt/s4708040.htm (2) ABC Radio National’s Sunday Extra hosted by Tom Switzer, broadcast 9.7.2017. “Why Don’t We Have a Population Policy?” Whilst on topic the only interview guest was “demographer” Dr. Liz Allen. All questions and answers were framed from the “bigger is better” side of the debate, with little coverage of the negatives of rapid population growth via mass immigration. No other people were interviewed. http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/sundayextra/2017-07-09/8624258

Len Warfe (not verified)

Tue, 2017-09-12 20:30

Paul Barry’s flippant assessment of Dick Smith’s serious concerns about Australia’s future is yet another cover example of the increasingly backroom management style of the ABC, imposing a pro immigration, pro growth agenda on its programs. It is clear that equal space for countervailing arguments just are not being given on the ABC. Even C9 and C7 are doing better than the ABC at giving at least some airtime to Mr. Smith, and arguments around slowing population growth. Although a worthy issue, the ABC seems to be focused on the marriage equality debate to the exclusion of other issues more relevant to the future standard of living and environment for all Australians. It is outrageous that Mr. Smith has had to spend $1 million on advertising on commercial TV to get his (perfectly reasonable) point across. Indeed, if he hadn’t made that investment the issue probably wouldn’t have got any media attention at all. The publicly funded ABC, which is supposed to treat all issues impartially, is smugly ignoring critical issues for Australia’s future and insulting the intellect of Mr. Smith

quark

Tue, 2017-09-12 13:31

Trolling is an effective means of censoring and closing down discussion. The method is a sort of ganging up on the author of a comment or article that may not fit into a particular mindset or ideology by those whose aim so to silence the author. It is intimidation. The method used by trolls, in my opinion, has a far better chance of working now than it would have a few decades ago when young people were more trained in the art of argument and analysis and more alert to invalid criticisms. The method used is to characterise a discussion or argument rather than to analyse it. In characterising it , the author is named as being ridiculous , or racist or in some other way unacceptable. It is easy to ruin someone's reputation if the characterisation is not countered. If it is left just to hang there in cyberspace it is absorbed by lazy or time-poor minds eager to be accepted in a particular group. It works just like schoolyard bullying to make the author an outcast and to bestow approval on anyone who repeats the accusations. This is of great importance when a vital issue like human population is raised and a powerful influence like e.g. ABC Media Watch last night embarks on a campaign of vicious ridicule, not of the arguments but of the person in this case Dick Smith. The effect of this could well be that people will be afraid to discus the issue with one another for fear of being condemned by a friend or associate. "The ABC has had its say. The topic of population is off limits. It is perfectly fine to discuss gay marriage, but not population, unless to join in the ridicule " This serves to create a helpless population that cannot speak up or act in its own interests. Trolling can be done by individuals on the Internet or by a media instruments like the ABC or The Guardian. Young people desperately need education and training so they are critical and armed against this manipulation.

Sheila Newman

Mon, 2017-09-11 18:54

I want to congratulate candobetter.net's new writer, Barbarella, on her title, "Progress to Dystopia," because it encapsulates one of the biggest problems in western society. Most people in Australia and the rest of the Anglosphere are educated to believe in a sort of chronological continuous improvement, which they know as 'progress'. In reality, as Barbarella said to me, "There is no such thing as 'forwards' and 'backwards', except perhaps as regards mathematical knowledge. This 'progress' is used to excuse all kinds of costs imposed by change. (We also hear, 'Change is good'). But much change is caused by catering to overpopulation and overdevelopment, and both these ills are engineered by powerful people. Unfortunately the beneficiaries of engineered population growth pay professional journalists and crowds of trolls to defend these costs and their excesses on the internet, so that when they go to sites that push growth and the progress notion, critics will get all kinds of flack. The trolls are designed to frighten questioners away. People should not be misled to believe that the nasty attacks on people who question population growth are sincere, but they do need to be countered.

Anyway, Barbarella's idea led me to write the article here: Growth lobby trolls and journos, population theories and growth religion

John Bentley (not verified)

Sat, 2017-09-09 09:36

My apologies to Skyhooks, but those of us who raised in the 60s and 70s are far more liberated than today's generation. However, I think the biggest difference is/was that while we may have been easy going and outward looking, we also had a sense moral responsibility. Compare that with today's society of introspective wowserism and "are my undies showing" facade. I pose this question to young people who ask me what is the difference between the ages: What is the difference between going to see Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs at the Prospect Hill Hotel (once a month) for the price of a couple of pots and going to to see a band at some entertainment centre (once in a blue moon) for anywhere between $200 & $500? Humans are social creatures and we like to have that sense of value, the sense of belonging, of being together. I don't see that in much of today's society, many of us have become individuals where the individual reigns supreme. Greed overrides moral responsibility rendering social values redundant. Part of the reason for this could lay in the fact that the mainstream media only produce one side of a story, only some of the facts, pander to associated interests, corrupt governments, &c. Furthermore, we live in the age of neoliberalism, an age where the almighty dollars holds sway and austerity (read gross stupidity) renders us miserable.

admin

Wed, 2017-09-06 03:10

On 3 September 2017, Mike Adams of Natural News published the article North Korea claims breakthrough: Hydrogen bomb warheads and EMP weapons ... it's time for Trump to deal with Kim Jong-Un. The article concludes:

Over the last several years, I've repeatedly warned that North Korea posed a grave threat to the civilized world. It's now clear that North Korea must be dealt with in an aggressive way, even if it means causing collateral damage. South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the United States are all now potential targets of Kim Jong-Un's nuclear strikes. Given that Kim has openly stated his intention to launch nuclear strikes on key U.S. cities, there's no justification for any delay in acting out of national self-defense to stop this threat.

My video explains why President Trump must deal with this threat immediately, without delay:
...

In the video referred to above, Mike Pence repeats the completely unsubstantiated claim, denied by Iran, that Iran possesses nuclear weapons whilst disregarding the fact that Irael, which is supposedly threatened by Iran's supposed nuclear weapons, illegally possesses a large arsenal of nuclear weapons. (I attempted to post the following to that site, but was unable to deal with its authentication.)

I think it appalling that Natural News is now actually calling for military aggression by the United States against North Korea.

The Government of 'North' Korea was founded by Koreans who had resisted the Japanese invaders prior to and during the Second World War, whilst the government of 'South' Korea was composed of Koreans who had collaborated with the Japanese invaders. Between 1945 and 1950, the American occupiers and their South Korean accomplices brutally repressed Koreans opposed to their rule. killing tens of thousands. North Korea lost 20% of its population as a result of America's invasion between 1950 and 1953. As Doctor Strangelove (aka General Curtis Le May) once boasted, not one building more than one storey high was left standing at the end of that war as a result of the ferocious aerial bombardment of North Korea by American B52 bombers.

Every year, North Korea faces the prospect of a repeat of that experience, or worse, when the American occupiers and their South Korean accomplices conduct their annual practise invasion (sorry, 'military exercise'). Why shouldn't a country which has been through all the experiences that North Korea has, possess whatever is necessary to deter America from yet more military aggression?

Mike Adam's claim that Iran has nuclear weapons disregards the fact that Iran's civilian nuclear power plant has been inspected on numerous occasions and no evidence of the production of nuclear weapons has been found. He also disregards the fact that Israel supposedly threatened by Iran;s supposed nuclear weapons has a large illegal cache o nuclear weapons.

I would be most interested to so how Ron Paul, whom Mike Adams claims to sympathise with, responds to the above article and video.

admin

Tue, 2017-09-05 09:37

I posted the following to Regime Change in Syria: Your Media Lies to You (25/8/17) | Syria News on 4 Sep 2017:

For all of her towering strength, I think it is unfortunate that the Syrian First Lady, as she, herself, has said on at least one occasion, takes no interest in politics. (With the possible exception of Maram Susli (aka "the Syrian Girl") (aka Mimi Al-Laham?)) her English is more immaculate than that of Bashar, or of any other spokesperson for Syria of which I am aware.

Were Asma'a Al-Assad also to have been a spokeswoman for Syria, a lot more people would have seen through the corporate media lies much sooner.

Simone (not verified)

Mon, 2017-09-04 23:54

Silly me, I forgot to turn Q and A off tonight and some of its head- hammering propaganda seeped through to my consciousness. Particularly odious was the female journalist who told the studio and home audiences what they MUST think. I must be mad wasting electricity that I have to pay for on this program.

Anonymous (not verified)

Mon, 2017-09-04 11:17

I think the soulless buildings we are creating now are a reflection of a soulless people. Utilitarian to the hilt. Or perhaps there is a deliberate attempt to destroy the human heart and human emotions by taking away anything that might inspire love or affection? We are long way from the beautiful gothic architecture that small communities managed tp build in the 12 century - with all our technology we can only build monstrosities it seems. Who can imagine future generations travelling the globe to be inspired by our modern temples to Ikea, Bunnings etc? https://youtu.be/bHw4MMEnmpc

Permaculture & ... (not verified)

Sun, 2017-09-03 22:26

Still think the Australian government is relatively respectable? 'A new frontier': The little-known alternative to the 457 foreign worker visa September 2, 2017 - 05:17pmFirst published 1 day ago By Eryk Bagshaw and Fergus Hunter A little-known visa category has become a "new frontier for unscrupulous employers" looking to exploit cheap foreign labour at the expense of Australian workers. The 400 visa, designed to parachute international specialists into short-term roles, has emerged as a "sleeper" category with looser restrictions than the 457 foreign worker visa, which was recently abolished by the Turnbull government in a high-profile "Australians first" crackdown. Read more here: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/federal/a-new-frontier-the-littleknown-alternative-to-the-457-foreign-worker-visa-20170901-gy8p0j.html

Sheila Newman

Sun, 2017-09-03 22:12

Thanks for this, James. Maupin says that the main reason for the war is to stop Yemen nationalising its oil. I think that is true. And he explains it well. This is, I think, what happened to Australia when the Whitlam government attempted to nationalise our energy resources at the time of the first oil shock in 1973. Countries in the Middle East did nationalise, but since then they have been dismantled through externally caused wars.

quark

Sat, 2017-09-02 09:45

As the ordinary houses around us in the suburbs and their gardens bite the dust and are ferociously mined for human use underground, high in the sky and fence to fence , the likelihood that you in your modest house will have to "downsize" increases. Firstly your neighbourhood will change radically and very quickly. You will be overshadowed and dwarfed by the scale of neighbouring properties. You will be overwhelmed with the noise and disturbance of construction and infrastructure upgrades necessary for higher density living. You will be forced to pay ever increasing council rates which (combined with ever increasing utility bills) will eventually force the sale of your property. It may not happen to YOU personally. You may be able to hang in there, but inevitably, your property will go.This, to me the de -democratising of home ownership and housing security in cities such as Melbourne. The wealthy will be OK but what was for quite a few decades considered the "average" will disappear.

Permaculture & ... (not verified)

Fri, 2017-09-01 15:37

"Houston calls itself “the city with no limits” to convey the promise of boundless opportunity. But it also is the largest U.S. city to have no zoning laws, part of a hands-off approach to urban planning that may have contributed to catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Harvey and left thousands of residents in harm’s way. Growth that is virtually unchecked, including in flood-prone areas, has diminished the land’s already-limited natural ability to absorb water, according to environmentalists and experts in land use and natural disasters. And the city’s drainage system — a network of reservoirs, bayous and, as a last resort, roads that hold and drain water — was not designed to handle the massive storms that are increasingly common" Read More here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/classic-apps/how-wild-west-growth-may-have-contributed-to-devastating-flood-in-houston/2017/08/29/290e4e56-8c13-11e7-91d5-ab4e4bb76a3a_story.html?utm_term=.8b22983544c3&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1

Arrietty (not verified)

Thu, 2017-08-31 11:40

Thank you for republishing Syrian Girl Partisan's latest video. Her analysis of the war in Syria and the west's covert foreign policy is so valuable. If we had Syrian Girl instead of the newsreaders on the ABC and SBS and CBN etc much of the world now at war might be at peace. She thinks, educates, performs the most valuable public service. I have seen her only one time on Australian television in an SBS show about the war in Syria or something, possibly on Insight, a few years ago. The interviewer aired at length the usual bent views that the mainstream presents and Syrian Girl's remarks were not given their due importance. But that is no excuse for the rest of us to ignore her. She is one of the great voices of our time.

John Bentley (not verified)

Mon, 2017-08-28 09:23

Just another couple of reasons why I find downsizing unattractive: clean and green vegies, getting out in the garden, getting out in the sun (and the wind and rain), having a decent sized shed to work in (out of the wind and rain), being part of the amenity and ambience of the town I live in (no ugly high rise here) and last but not least pride in the work I have done to restore the house I'm own and cherish.

Matt (not verified)

Sat, 2017-08-26 09:31

Hi Sheila, Sorry you experienced this on that site. I have encountered some vitriol and intolerance on that site also (not by the people you mention), but fortunately that has been occasionally offset by some very sympathetic and supportive statements from others - a shame that didn't happen in your case. It has stuck me that are some very strident, aggressive outspoken people commenting there that seemed to have cowed out those prepared to have a broader and more tolerant conversation which is a shame, as it could be a good forum for discussion. I am glad that candobetter is so supportive of discussion a wide range of ideas. Even if some of them are ones you or others don't agree with - the comments fortunately have always been extremely civil to authors. For that I thank you and all candobetter readers! It is a really rare thing to see forums where people are not attacked in a rabid manner these days - even The Age and the The Guardian have a somewhat feral audience (not all of course, but enough to make the comments unpleasant to read).

Sheila Newman

Thu, 2017-08-24 23:46

Mortality declined enormously with French Revolution, along with births, although marriages increased and celibacy decreased.

Although I wrote a long answer to Ecoengine some time ago, I neglected to say how mortality declined after the French Revolution. This was the subject of considerable study and statistical definition and testing. There is a comprehensive review of those demographic studies by Paul Spagnoli, which I cite here:

"In short, the INED reconstitution of the French population involved a number of assumptions, estimations, manipulations, corrections, and adjustments, but the end result is internally consistent and logical. It shows that after a long period, when mortality rates fluctuated with no clear trend, a decisive improvement set in after 1789. The crude death rate, which had fluctuated in the mid-thirties from the 1750s through the 1780s, dropped abruptly below thirty per thousand in the late 1790s and dropped a second time, to the mid-twenties, once the wars ended in 1815 . Between the 1780s and the 1820s, female life expectancy at birth rose steadily from 28.1 years to 39.3 years. Although the wars make it impossible to calculate male life expectancy at birth from the 1790s through the 1810s, the male gain between the 1780s and the 1820s was similar to the female: from 27.5 years to 38.3 years. Although the decline in mortality was greatest for infants and children younger than 15 years of age, there was also a significant decline for adults up to age 65. The proportion surviving to age 15 increased from less than half to almost two-thirds for both males and females in the same period, and the proportion surviving to age 40 rose from barely more than a third to more than half. More than four million boys and girls born in France between 1790 and 1829 survived their first 15 years of life but would have died if the mortality rates of 1750 to 1789 had continued to prevail. Similarly, almost two million girls born in France in the later period survived to age 40 but would have died if the 1750-1789 mortality pattern had persisted after 1789.(35) These, then, are the striking facts that need to be explained by anyone seeking to fit French demographic data into the larger context of French history." (Extract from,Spagnoli, Paul G. "The unique decline of mortality in revolutionary France."

Journal of Family History, vol. 22, no. 4, 1997, p. 425+. General OneFile, ezproxy.slv.vic.gov.au/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=slv&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA20151713&it=r&asid=343345c411a8925ed1ae7863291e2678. Accessed 24 Aug. 2017.)

Arrietty (not verified)

Thu, 2017-08-24 22:15

I am amazed at the arrogance of the people who have taken over power here. But at least people can see it on candobetter.net. Wonder what questions the Minister Luke Donnellan will allow to be raised? What a dishonest invitation he has issued.

quark

Thu, 2017-08-24 10:05

Correspondence to me from a resident of Narre Warren North

The Minister for Roads,Luke Donnellan,and the State Member for Narren Warren North,Victoria, has invited me and other local residents to a morning tea on 22 September.He has asked for questions and suggestions so I have handed his office the following question for a response:

"Melbourne is not The most liveable city in the world because governments are not accepting responsibility for the impact of an unsustainable population growth rate.Victoria's underemployment rate is at a record high of 9.5%; a key measure of economic health. Growth needs to be moderated to better reflect the capacity of the state's economy".

My correspondent received a prompt phone call from the Minister's Office to say that he was NOT allowed to raise this question at the morning tea.

anon (not verified)

Wed, 2017-08-23 19:50

http://www.globalresearch.ca/us-forces-to-occupy-syria-for-decades-to-come/5604774 BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:00 P.M.) – According to Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spokesman Talal Silo, the strategic interests of the United States in Syria dictate that its forces will continue to occupy the northern regions of the country, in collusion with Kurdish separatist wishes, for many decades to come. According to the SDF representative, Washington will continue to develop its strategic policies in SDF-occupied northern Syria via various military and economic cooperation initiatives with Kurdish-dominated political structures that have been established under the Democratic Union Party (PYD) long after ISIS in gone. In the past, Silo has openly admitted that the SDF is a tool of American foreign policy in Syria and that the alliance group is forbidden by its US handlers from cooperating with either the Damascus government or Russia. The announcement by Silo comes around the same time British Army representative for Operation Inherent Resolve Major General Rupert Jones said that the US-led coalition (supposedly against ISIS) would not allow “Syrian regime forces” to move north of the Euphrates River (into SDF-occupied regions). In doing so, Jones essential confirmed suspicions long-expressed by pro-Damascus analysts that Western powers (led by US) pursue a second unspoken policy in Syria aimed at preventing government forces from restoring sovereignty in the country’s northern regions.

quark

Wed, 2017-08-23 15:07

and the one with $300,000 is the one who can put a deposit on a house, competing with Australians of similar means who are also in the market for a house.

David Mac (not verified)

Sun, 2017-08-20 21:27

In an area not far from Sukna, where the SAA has already cut off some IS forces, the US has just struck at the SAA, and ISIS forces moved in following the attack: https://southfront.org/us-led-coalition-warplanes-bomb-syrian-army-in-kadir-vilalge-in-central-syria-isis-attack-follows-reports/ As it says, the US state dept has just said the US will leave Syria as soon as IS is defeated, so the focus now is clearly on preventing IS from ever being defeated by interfering with SAA and Russian operations

Sheila Newman

Wed, 2017-08-16 10:52

In contrast to the little Matt Guy rooster, Daniel Andrews seems more homely, but he is currently the more direct agent of our destruction. Matthew is his understudy. When I think of the growing suffering Andrews is inflicting on people in Victoria (bar a minority who seem to think that making money out of development will justify anything), the wildlife and generations to come, whose inheritance has been presold. Andrews is actively creating homelessness, extinction, and the conditions for famine, thirst and the displacement of whole populations. He might as well have declared war on the citizens of Victoria, and Matthew Guy and his mobster dining companions are helping Andrew by aiding and abetting sprawl three stories high. The Greens shamefully just help suppress and confuse resistance. I used to look at Africa, India and China and wonder what had happened, not imagining the same could happen to Australia. Now I realise that people like Guy and Andrews, Turnbull and Howard, Rudd and the rest, gamed the system and herded the populations for the profit of their mates.

Liberace (not verified)

Wed, 2017-08-16 10:36

What a magnificent rooster, albeit totally indifferent to the conditions of the hens. It makes you think of all the parking lots as well as the high rises and toll roads that the population boosters and politicians have invested in in advance. Mathew Guy always makes me think of a little rooster, so full of himself that he will deny himself nothing.

John Bentley (not verified)

Wed, 2017-08-16 09:55

I think you may have hit the nail on the head there Margit! Our politicians - Liberal Labour, Green or National - are indeed a lily-livered lot! No brain, no heart, no soul and definitely no intestinal fortitude!! I remember when Ron Casey used to introduce boxers into the ring - "Introducing Ginger Rogers, a butcher by trade". Today when introducing politicians we should announce "Introducing Tim Smith, a population booster by trade"!!

Liberace (not verified)

Tue, 2017-08-15 20:34

At least the Libs admit it will be awful and is due to high immigration, both things that Labor pretends aren't so. However, the reports we have had do far indicate that the Libs also pretend they can do nothing but manage it. Our politicians are such liars and criminals. Why do we put up with them? I can't stand them.

quark

Tue, 2017-08-15 18:21

A new suburb to the north west of Melbourne to be named Mt. Atkinson has been in the news and much discussed in the media today. I wonder why. It will house no more than one fifth of a year's population growth,

quark

Tue, 2017-08-15 08:50

Looks as though the Liberal Party Population Task Force is expecting tame audiences passively ready to receive the news about their dismal future in a city and suburbs which will eventually be unrecognisable. It is happening so rapidly that I get a shock at the demolitions if I have not driven down a particular road for 1 week. Regionalising the growth will mean possibly they can step on the accelerator of population growth as it will be happening simultaneously in regional cities and Melbourne. After all we are used to it in Melbourne so surely they will continue it?

Sheila Newman

Mon, 2017-08-14 20:27

Interesting report, Giacomo. Ms Peulich herself acquainted me with the time and venue for that forum, without mentioning anything about RSVPing. Coincidentally, I raised the subject of how state governments tout for economic immigrants and set the numbers for the Feds. The response was that I was 'bullshitting her'! Good on you for raising the topic again and trying to educate the forum. Shameful that you were slapped down. I am putting up an article about the role of state governments in advertising for immigration. Here it is: "Why does overcrowded Victoria still advertise for more economic immigrants?"

Giacomo (not verified)

Mon, 2017-08-14 20:04

I attended this forum tonight. I had been told that it was an open forum, but it turned out that you had to have an RSVP. I don't think all the forums are like that. Certainly the Rosebud Forum was not. The Frankston forum was run by the Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism, Inga Peulich. I asked the following question from the audience: "I thought that this was a forum to discuss population growth, rather than how to 'manage' population growth. As far as I am aware, all the opinion polls show that the overwhelming majority of Victorians and Australians oppose population growth. Given that the Victorian Andrews Labor Government is in favour of high population growth, who should Victorians opposed to high population growth vote for at the next state election?" The response from Ms Peulich was that this is not a matter for the state government. It is a matter for the Federal government. I then responded that all the state governments, including the Victorian Government, were encouraging people to immigrate to Australia and that this was evident from the Victorian Government liveinvictoria website ( https://www.liveinvictoria.vic.gov.au/). At that point I was cut off and told that this was not the designated topic for discussion (or words to that effect).

John Bentley (not verified)

Sun, 2017-08-13 10:30

Thanks Michael for your frank expose of the deceit of government and big business in Australia. While I admire your effort at exposing the folly of population boosting, getting the message across to the community can be extremely difficult as most take what is on the news (mainstream media) as gospel. However, there are some glimmers of reality starting to hit home. Recently the State COALition has been running around the country drumming up business with their Population Taskforce with articles in local papers by MPs and others pumping a big Australia. After one such piece in the Riverine Herald a couple of weeks back a subsequent edition had an article that locals in the town of Echuca were worried about available accommodation for workers when works commence on the installation of a second river crossing in the town. Ah! The irony!!

Sheila Newman

Tue, 2017-08-08 20:27

Community Planting Royal Park Protection Group Invites you to the next plantings in the Bayles Street Grasslands - Royal Park When: Saturday August 19 th 10am to 12 noon   There will be a planting in part of the Circle grasslands in Royal Park. This is a further step in increasing the diversity in this special grassland area. It will complete the planting we had in June.   The plants we have this time are: Wahlenbergia luteola Yellow-backed Bluebell Rytidosperma duttonianum Brown Back Wallaby Grass Rytidosperma caespitosum  Common Wallaby Grass Entry is from Gatehouse Street opposite Bayles Street. Car parking is in Gatehouse Street and surrounds but is restricted so watch the signs.  Parking time limits vary from 1 to 4 hours. Equipment and morning tea provided. BYO gardening gloves.  All welcome. Do invite your friends. More information: Call Anne(RPPG) 0412279156 or Chris (Royal Park Officer) 0437925553.

Sheila Newman

Tue, 2017-08-08 00:02

Hi Matthew, Just read the article you linked to and noted that Ipsos research director Laura Demasi,Ms Demasi remarked: "Interesting to see both groups – incorrectly – believe that foreign investment is the driver behind the boom." There are a number of drivers. Population growth is the worst: it is used to guarantee demand to prospective investors. Negative gearing was mentioned as an additional driver in the Comments section, but, without rapid population growth, negative gearing would carry few rewards. See this article: Are the Greens on the right track with respect to negative gearing? - Article by Sally Pepper.

Sheila Newman

Mon, 2017-08-07 23:51

Yes, John, Game of Mates is terrific. Every Australian who hopes to help get us out of the mire needs to read it ASAP. It starts with the property industry and population engineering and goes through a number of other systemic rorts. I found their chapter on superannuation excellent and easy to understand. I liked Chapter 10 on the myths the Mates spin to cover their behaviour. Chapter 11 gives a rundown on 'other games': Taxes; Pharmacies, medicines and health; Agriculture (although this one I found a bit light-on ecologically); Taxis; Supermarkets; and University Education. University Education was wonderfully done, I think. Much better than much longer treatises on the subject. The only thing I did not agree with were their passing remark that Cromwell was a true reformer, but I guess that's a tad esoteric on my part. We did run an article on Game of Mates on candobetter.net here: Book & Vids: "Game of Mates" - How Australia's rich game our corrupt system. The article links to their videos too. But feel free to keep mentioning this useful book in comments.

John Bentley (not verified)

Mon, 2017-08-07 10:03

Thanks Sheila for a very informative piece. The local member for Murray Plains and leader of the Nats Peter "Whinger" Walsh has been running a series of articles in the local papers softening-up the electorate for an increase in population for rural and regional Victoria. After several of these pieces I penned a reply to which he hasn't replied. As you say, these pollies are either ignorant or the foot sloggers for the property industry. Anybody thinking that I may be cynical should read the "Game Of Mates" subtitled "How Favours Bleed The Nation" by Cameron K Murray and Paul Frijters. The book lays bare how our fellow Australians are sucking the lifeblood out of us as we go about a daily lives, most oblivious to the fact that this happening and if they are, don't have the will, the know-how or the resources to do anything about it. But fight back anyway, it may give you some relief/pleasure.

VivKay (not verified)

Sun, 2017-08-06 18:38

Many schools in the Banyule area have been closed over the years, in record numbers. The recent closures have released land for housing, for property developers. All the schools in the area are overflowing and full to the rafters. Catholic Education is doing well! While church numbers might be dwindling, not so for Catholic schools, They are benefiting from "planning", synonymous to delivering population growth! In reality, the plan is no plan, but haphazardly trying to manage damage control, and schools are suffering. This means lower quality education, crowded classrooms, crowded curriculums, and negative impacts on learning outcomes - and teachers. The benefits to the Catholic Church are clear- more students and revenues from private education delivery. While the horrors of child abuse runs deep in this culture, now the schools are run by professional teachers, not necessarily Catholic. No wonder they are part of "planning" now!

Matthew Mitchell

Sun, 2017-08-06 09:52

The idea that churches should sell their land for profit is abhorrent given that they were often entirely gifted to them by the Governors of early colonies. Australian historian, Michael Cannon in his book "Old Melbourne Town" (1991) explains how the churches and church schools were aided to land and wealth by the Government, by the allocation of community resources to them: "Spacious sites would be granted free of charge to established religions, and the salaries of clergy would be subsidised" pg 268 and: "communities which raised 300 pounds in donations towards building a church would be subsidised 1 pound for 1 pound up to a maximum of 1000 pounds" pg 268 Elsewhere Cannon describes how free land was also gifted for church schools. Now this I do not object to if the land is retained for community purposes, but to sell the land for profit, and to develop land that is currently open space, I certainly object to.

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