Kangaroo populations are "out of control" in western Queensland and in numbers not seen before, local graziers say.
The State Government said it was aware high densities of the animals were doing damage to pastures and crops and it was working with farmers to assist.
Just what is their benchmark, or basis, of their assumed "explosion" of numbers of native animals? Kangaroo joeys have a low rate of survival, and are known to breed more when there is food. It's biologically impossible for numbers to be "out of control". Kangaroo numbers are meant to be in accordance to natural environmental factors and seasons. Before being "out of control" there must be some numerical normality, and an increase that's above what is in the normal range!
Kangaroo population has exploded in Western Queensland
"It's incredible to see. Sometimes you could see 8,000 or 9,000, 10,000 roos in front of you, all rolling together. It is an eye-opener."
Surely tourists and city-dwellers would relish the beautiful sight of so many kangaroos, and the celebration of our unique and wonderful animals!
Farmers are scapegoating our native iconic animals for the pressures of the drought, and debt. They are accusing the kangaroos of "cleaning" out the paddocks of grass, and they are even being going so far as blaming them for causing the drought! Surely, that's a long bow to draw.
Kangaroo "harvesters", or free range shooters, are ready to pounce, and a "professional macropod harvester" says it's time to promote the industry. With bullying banks and corporate "terrorism" of threats to take over the properties, and high debts, it's no wonder that each kangaroo is seen as a threat, a consumer, when each blade of scarce gras must be eaten by livestock to gain as much as possible in the markets, to keep their businesses afloat and in survival mode.
Comments
I appreciated this video
I appreciated this video being made available online. Joel's lecture looking at the effect of departmental burning of the bush and it's effect on culture, fauna and flora was valuable and edifying. Thank you.
History of penalty rates should be known
The history of penalty rates was that they were compromised for employers in lieu of full salary rises. The employers bargained employees down to higher rates when work was onerous or on shift or on normal holidays etc instead of simply increasing the wages with CPI, for instance.
Then the employer associations took advantage of the fact that the history of penalty rates had not been taught to workers or upcoming workers, to pretend that these were additional to wages and that workers should not 'ask for more than their wages'.
Workers should ask for a full wage rise if they give up any penalty rates. Or they should refuse to work on holidays etc - all of them. Of course, unless the unions all stand together and people risk jail, that's not going to happen, since our right to bargain has been removed by the same creeps who want to remove penalty rates.
The biggest problem for small businesses is that the cost of land, rent, power and utilities, is now so much that it is putting people out of business. Since big business/banks etc like high land, rent, power and utility costs because they own these assets, they are only prepared to let employer associations haggle over wages.
It's a really bad system we have in Australia. If we stopped high immigration and taxed second land speculation, the cost of living and doing business would drop and we would not have to work so hard.
Costly infrastructure locks Australia into debt
Bob Salmon ("High Immigration", Canberratimes.com.au, December 26) is right when he says we are incessantly told we must have more infrastructure to meet growth: a tramway in Canberra, a second airport in Sydney, more tunnels and freeways in Melbourne, tunnels to the airport in Brisbane, and more schools and hospitals etc.
The cost of city-building is tremendously expensive and our economy has become historically locked into relying on continual population growth to keep our GDP afloat. The government will likely need to raise $30 billion in new taxes or via expenditure cuts should it wish to meet its objective of returning to surplus by 2018/19.
A year after Tony Abbott pledged to be an "infrastructure prime minister", he risks becoming the first Australian PM to preside over a recession since the early 1990s.
Infrastructure deficit is over $700 billion and is a threat to our prosperity.
Immigration rates have increased five fold since the Howard era, and each person, whether arriving or born here, costs hundreds of thousands of dollars in infrastructure! With such embedded costs, our mediocre economic performance is not surprising, so we should be moving away from GDP growth to a more realistic, holistic and multidimensional metric appropriate to a post-growth era.
Employers step up efforts to get rid of penalty rates
Australian industry is mounting a concerted campaign to wind back and abolish weekend and public holiday penalty rates, particularly in the hospitality sector.
Many other business groups are also targeting penalty rate reductions. The Accommodation Association wants the loading for working public holidays cut from double time and a half to time and a half.
SMH: Employers step up efforts to get rid of penalty rates
These penalty loadings are not tips, bonuses, or icing on the cake! Around 4.5 million workers across the country depended on penalty rates to "actually put food on the table, take the family out to get a meal and go for a holiday once a year.
The large employers' claims are typically self-serving, favouring big business and larger profits, and the end result will be greater poverty, stress, and increased social isolation for those working weekend and shift work. We would see a further decline in the notion that government should be about the common good in favour of wealth creation for corporations.
It's neoliberalism, of favouring those creating wealth over the common good of society. How many other industries, especially those that serve the entry levels for young people, will follow suit if this is allowed? Students are being loaded with increasing debts, and this means working as well as studying. The loss of penalty rates will be another downward pressure on our standards of education. A large struggling and competitive population is an ideal for high ranking elites!
Tourism is predicted to surge more than 10 per cent a year, according to the business consultancy firm Deloitte which has nominated tourism as one of Australia’s super-growth sectors. However the hospitality industry says that to reach this potential, there is need for simpler visa rules for both employees and tourists including the introduction of a premium pathway for luxury travellers.
So, with more migrants here on "simpler" visa rules, the hospitality industries will be flooded by job applicants, and this oversupply - at a time of record youth unemployment- will be a wind-fall for the industry. It's a downward push on wages and conditions, thanks to globalization and the power of growth industries to set their own demands.
The federal government department responsible for tourism, Austrade, said that regional tourism is suffering and urgently requires workers in hotels, pubs and restaurants. It says that as early as next year, there will be a shortage of some 56,000 workers in the hospitality industry. It has thus backed industry calls for increased flexibility of the 457 work visas and working holiday visas. This "flexibility" also clearly means an attack on local workers in favour of temporary migrants!
History of dispossession repeats itself in Melbourne
A location that should be best known as the landing place of Melbourne's first European settlers today is the site of a homeless camp and a memorial for rough sleeper Morgan Wayne "Mouse" Perry who was killed there exactly a year ago. The first white settlers from Tasmania arrived at the site in 1835, but is now infamous for the cruel death of a vulnerable homeless man!
The numbers of rough sleepers at the place he was killed have increased during the past year and Salvation Army Major Brendan Nottle said there have been repeat outbreaks of violence. Many suffer from mental illness, poverty and drug users are increasing, especially "ice".
Such history repeats itself.
Land was sold, bush was cleared for the creation of roads and buildings, and wetlands were drained. The Wurundjeri dispossession of land took place not just through displacement but through the destruction of their landscape. 1838 forty-one allotments of twenty-five acres each were sold in the areas that would become Collingwood and Fitzroy. Aboriginal people were pushed further and further out, and freedom of movement across the land became increasingly difficult. Aborigines were forced into the territories of adjacent mobs, and this caused violence.
Many of the dispossessed were eventually drawn to the settlement, of what is Melbourne now, where food and alcohol was available. The same cycle of addiction and dependence is happening today.
Now, the dispossessed are being victimized and denied land ownership, and forced into the fringes of our society, and economy. It's a cruel irony, of colonization, growth, overpopulation, corporate power, polarised wealth, and then the casting aside of those who are not welcome, or participants, in our consumerist and predatory economy. That's what's "bad" about Melbourne - greed!
The Age: Homeless camp reminder of what's bad about Melbourne
Oil price and global demand
I've read that there is a conspiracy to starve ISIS of funds by bringing oil prices down thereby lowering the price of oil they get from the black market.
I have my doubts, as I do about this article. A conspiracy does not seem likely, and as you pointed out Michael, would be difficult to do in a market. Market manipulations are usually obvious (such as the housing market, which is blatant). There isn't any credible indicators (such as abberant buying/selling) which has been put forward to support such ideas.
Take a look here.
http://www.vox.com/2014/12/16/7401705/oil-prices-falling
No need to read the article if you don't have time, just glance down to the graph of oil prices since 1987. The price today is still above average for the time period at at levels of about 10 years ago. The prices are not "unusual". Take house prices for example, if they were to fall, it would only be back to standard levels, not to some "bottom". Oil prices have been high, and are dropping to lower levels, partly due to increased supply, partly due to slowing demand and partly due to geo-political factors which have changed..
Note that China's GDP is slowing (and I would say if anything is rigged, China's official economic statistics are) and world economic recovery is slow, or non-existent. The world isn't recovering from the GFC, and this probably affects the oil price more so than any possible conspiracy. There are other reasons as well, which the article goes into.
Oil prices may rise, but I think this economic slowdown will be long lived, barring some drastic political upheaval as we slowly enter a new age of stagnancy.
VCAT owners corporation list 'conflicts of interest' - proof
Talking about VCAT being biased, have you heard what's going on with the owners corporation list?
Believe it or not, the below points are fact.
1. Managers take the interest of the owners money, and pay it to the Victorian Property Fund. From this fund more than a million is paid to VCAT yearly. Owners know nothing of this. (Documented: SCA Annual Report AGM 2014 page 18. VCAT Annual Report 2013/14 page 53).
2. The owners corporation law also allows managers to transfer money from the owners pool to their own private bank account. This means if a manager steals money from the pool, the Police will not act, as by the law it’s perfectly legal (Documented: OC Act, Section 27)
This of course means the managers and give it to VCAT - and it's all legit.
How much do developers pay VCAT???, and who funds the other lists?
Read about the ridiculous VCAT in this article, printed in the the Melbourne Age and the Sydney Morning Herald of 6 Feb 2013:
VCAT and its proud members are a 'lawyer joke'.
Imaginary conspiracy theory?
"Bottom line: Falling oil prices and the plunging ruble are not some kind of free market accident brought on by oversupply and weak demand. That’s baloney. They’re part of a broader geopolitical strategy to strangle the Russian economy, topple Putin, and establish US hegemony across the Asian landmass. It’s all part of Washington’s plan to maintain its top-spot as the world’s only superpower even though its economy is in irreversible decline."
The above assertion looks like baloney to me. Russia exports about 5 million bpd of oil equivalent. Saudi exports about 9 million, which is about 10% less than a year ago. The US produces about 11 million bpd more oil than they did in 2006. The production of gas in the US has also risen massively since 2006.
The above article even makes a stupid, emotive assertion about "Saudi's decision to flood the market" when they have done nothing of the kind.
Traders make the oil price move in response to market conditions. The WTI and NYMEX crude futures contract prices are driven by this trading in the commodity. If Russia stopped exporting 5 million bpd the price might immediately rise back to $100 per barrel or more.
The world consumes around 90 million bpd of oil. OPEC produces about 30 million bpd.
The talk of conspiracy theories is arguably dubious. I think that this market is too complex to "manipulate".
If Russia shut in 5 million bpd of exports that would be "manipulation". If Saudi Arabia did the same that would be "manipulation". There are dozens of countries that can do this, and their reluctance to do so is influence by these reasons:
•Supply and demand
•Fear of losing market share
The US has a substantial industry of strategically important domestic oil production that relies on a price of well over current price levels to remain profitable.
When all these facts are considered the existence of a coherent and executable conspiracy to influence the price of oil could be viewed as hair-brained imaginary.
The falling trend in oil prices was already in place when the November 26 statement that Saudi Arabia would not reduce production was made. Many players in this market could shut in production in an attempt to reduce supply and support prices. If it is not supply and demand that is driving current price levels; what exactly is it?
More on our Media censorship of MH17 downing
Here's the original whistleblower interview on RT with English subtitles:
(Added by candobetter.net editor.)
(1) US media censor eyewitness report that Ukraine shot MH17 down
(2) New Straits Times (Malaysia) reports it
(3) "mh17" not found at Straits Times (Singapore) news
http://www.straitstimes.com/
(4) Guardian report: Ukrainian warplane took off with air-to-air
missiles, returned without them
(5) Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports it (6) BBC Reports it
(7) Huffington Post UK reports it (whilst saying report is fake) but
Huffington Post US has NOTHING
(8) Zero Hedge blog (in US) reports it - but nothing in MSM
(9) Kyiv Post reports it, linking to Deutsche Welle
(10) RT.com says witness passed Lie Detector test
(1) US media censor eyewitness report that Ukraine shot MH17 down - by
Peter Myers, December 25, 2014. Yes, I'm at work even on Xmas Day.
You can verify the US Media censorship of this report by doing Google
searches as indicated below.
Please do it immediately.
You can search Google News in two ways: by starting out with a WEB
search then clicking the NEWS button.
Or by searching a particular edition of Google News - you can choose
which country - at
https://news.google.com/
Let's do the second first. When I choose the Australian edition, and
enter "mh17" as the search term, I get various hits from Australian and
overseas news outlets.
When I choose the U.S. Edition, I get hits from news agencies OUTSIDE
the US, but not from US agencies
Now let's search Google News the other way, by starting with a WEB search.
In Google (WEB), search for
mh17 without quotes
"mh17" in double quotes. Note the difference in the number of hits. You
want FEWER hits - that means you're closing in on the needle in the
haystack. So use double quotes around words and phrases.
Now go back to your search and click NEWS instead of WEB
And click PAST 24 HOURS (that's why you need to do this a.s.a.p.)
Search for "mh17". Note the hits from media in many countries but not
the US "mainstream media". If I'm wrong, LET ME KNOW.
Now narrow down the results, buy adding an extra term to your search string:
"mh17" "Dnipropetrovsk" - Dnipropetrovsk being the name of the air base
from which the Ukrainian plane took off. It should occur in all relevant
reports.
Check the hits once again.
If you want to narrow down the search still further, add the name of the
alleged pilot:
"mh17" "Dnipropetrovsk" "Voloshin"
Write down the number of hits, the time you did the Search, and the
search string etc.
I got 231 hits for "mh17" "Dnipropetrovsk" at 12.20pm Thur Dec 25 (=
8.20pm Dec 24 in Chicago = 2.20am Dec 25 in London).
The hits are from news agencies of many countries all around the wiorld
- but none from the US (that I can find).
Prove me wrong - let me know the US media have reported it.
(2) New Straits Times (Malaysia) reports it, but "mh17" not found at
Straits Times (Singapore)
http://www.nst.com.my/node/
New Straits Times (Malaysia)
Russia says Ukrainian pilot behind MH17 crash
24 DECEMBER 2014 @ 10:40 PM
MOSCOW: Russian investigators today said they had new proof from a
witness that a Ukrainian pilot fired a missile on the day of the
Malaysia Airlines crash which killed 298 people.
The witness, who was not named, worked at an airfield in the Ukrainian
city of Dnipropetrovsk where he claimed to have seen a warplane take off
on July 17 with air-to-air missiles and return without them.
An Investigative Committee statement said the testimony of the man “is
important proof that Ukrainian military was implicated in the crash of
the Boeing-777.”
The MH17 flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over
territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists, who
have been fighting Kiev forces since April.
Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of supplying the rebels with a
surface-to-air missile launcher, but Russia has issued several opposing
theories, one of which involves a Ukrainian military jet allegedly seen
next to the Boeing.
The statement by investigators comes the same day that Kiev and the
separatists are to hold a new round of ceasefire talks, and shortly
after Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda published an interview with
the “secret witness” who said he worked at the airport on the day the
Boeing 777 was downed.
The man, who was filmed by the paper with his back to the camera and
even the back of his head blurred, said he saw a Sukhoi-25 jet take off
armed with air-to-air rockets and return to the base without them.
“(The plane’s operator) could have launched them into the Boeing out of
fear or revenge,” the witness said, identifying the pilot of the jet as
Voloshin. “Maybe he mistook it for another plane.”
Komsomolskaya Pravda claimed the witness showed up at its office by
himself and that his identity checks out, but did not identify him
because his family is still in Ukraine.
Investigative Committee said that the man - who is now officially a
witness - may be enrolled in a witness protection program.
There was no evidence previously that Russian investigators had launched
an official probe into the crash, in which citizens from 11 countries
died, but no Russians.
Dutch authorities have been charged with establishing exactly what
brought down the plane and are reconstructing part of the aircraft as
part of their probe. Preliminary findings indicate only that the plane
broke apart due to damage that came from outside. --AFP
(3) "mh17" not found at Straits Times (Singapore) news
http://www.straitstimes.com/
(4) Guardian report: Ukrainian warplane took off with air-to-air
missiles, returned without them
MH17: Russia claims to have airfield witness who blames Ukrainian pilot
Russian investigators announce anonymous testimony of Ukrainian warplane
taking off with air-to-air missiles and returning without them on 17 July
Agence France Press
Thursday 25 December 2014 13.24 AEST
Russian investigators announced on Wednesday that they had new proof
from a witness that a Ukrainian pilot fired a missile on the day of the
Malaysia Airlines crash which killed 298 people.
The witness, who was not named, worked at an airfield in the Ukrainian
city of Dnipropetrovsk where he claimed to have seen a warplane take off
on 17 July with air-to-air missiles and return without them.
An investigative committee statement said the testimony of the man “is
important proof that Ukrainian military was implicated in the crash of
the Boeing 777.”
The MH17 flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over
territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists, who
have been fighting Kiev forces since April.
Ukraine and the west accuse Russia of supplying the rebels with a
surface-to-air missile launcher but Russia has issued several opposing
theories, one of which involves a Ukrainian military jet allegedly seen
next to the Boeing.
The statement by investigators came on a day Kiev and the separatists
were due to hold a new round of ceasefire talks.
They concluded the “difficult” marathon talks on later on Wednesday
without agreeing the date of a new round aimed at ending the pro-Russian
uprising devastating the ex-Soviet state’s industrial east.
The five-hour preliminary discussion in the Belarussian capital Minsk
had been tentatively due to be followed by a second meeting on Friday at
which a final accord was to be signed.
But separatist representatives stressed that they could not yet promise
whether the negotiations would resume as planned.
“We had a difficult preliminary meeting,” Donetsk separatist region
mediator Denis Pushilin told a pro-separatist news site. “The date and
time of the next meeting is still up in the air. It is under discussion.”
Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda published an interview with the
MH17 “secret witness” who said he worked at the airport on the day the
Boeing 777 was downed.
The man, who was filmed by the paper with his back to the camera and
even the back of his head blurred, said he saw a Sukhoi-25 jet take off
armed with air-to-air rockets and return to the base without them.
“[The plane’s operator] could have launched them into the Boeing out of
fear or revenge,” the witness said, identifying the pilot of the jet as
Voloshin. “Maybe he mistook it for another plane.”
Komsomolskaya Pravda claimed the witness showed up at its office by
himself and that his identity checked out, but did not identify him
because his family was still in Ukraine.
The investigative committee said that the man – who is now officially a
witness – may be enrolled in a witness protection program.
There was no evidence previously that Russian investigators had launched
an official inquiry into the crash, which killed citizens from 11
countries, but no Russians.
Dutch authorities have been charged with establishing exactly what
brought down the plane and are reconstructing part of the aircraft as
part of their inquiry. Preliminary findings indicate only that the plane
broke apart due to damage that came from outside.
(5) Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports it
MH17: Russian investigators claim proof from witness that Ukrainian
pilot involved in downing of flight
Thu 25 Dec 2014, 5:44am
Russian investigators say they have new proof from a witness that a
Ukrainian pilot fired a missile on the day of the Malaysia Airlines
crash which killed 298 people, including 38 Australians.
The witness, who was not named, worked at an airfield in the Ukrainian
city of Dnipropetrovsk where he claimed to have seen a warplane take off
on July 17 with air-to-air missiles and return without them.
An Investigative Committee statement said the testimony of the man "is
important proof that Ukrainian military was implicated in the crash of
the Boeing-777".
Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over territory
in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists, who have been
fighting Kiev forces since April.
Ukraine and the West accused Russia of supplying the rebels with a
surface-to-air missile launcher, but Russia has issued several opposing
theories, one of which involves a Ukrainian military jet allegedly seen
next to the passenger jet.
The witness was filmed by Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda with his
back to the camera and even the back of his head blurred.
He said he saw a Sukhoi-25 jet take off armed with air-to-air rockets
and return to the base without them.
"[The plane's operator] could have launched them into the Boeing out of
fear or revenge," the witness said, identifying the pilot of the jet as
having the surname Voloshin.
"Maybe he mistook it for another plane."
Komsomolskaya Pravda claimed the witness showed up at its office and
that his identity checked out but did not identify him because his
family was still in Ukraine.
The Investigative Committee said the man could be enrolled in a witness
protection program.
There was no evidence previously that Russian investigators had launched
an official probe into the crash, in which citizens from 11 countries
died, but no Russians.
Dutch authorities have been charged with establishing what brought down
the plane and are reconstructing part of the aircraft as part of their
probe.
Preliminary findings indicate only that the plane broke apart due to
damage that came from outside.
http://www.dw.de/russia-
Russia reveals 'witness' blaming Ukraine pilot for MH17 crash
Russian investigators claim they have new proof from a witness, which
shows that a Ukrainian pilot fired a missile on the day of the Malaysia
Airlines MH17 crash. 298 people died in July's disaster. MH17
The "secret witness" worked at an airfield in the Ukrainian city of
Dnipropetrovsk, where he claims to have seen a Sukhoi-25 jet warplane
take off on July 17 with air-to-air missiles and return without them.
"[The pilot] could have launched them into the Boeing out of fear or
revenge," the witness said. "Maybe he mistook it for another plane."
The Russian Investigative Committee statement said the testimony of the
man "is important proof that Ukrainian military was implicated in the
crash of the Boeing-777."
The MH17 flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over
territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists, who
have been fighting Kyiv forces since Russia annexed Crimea in March.
Ukraine and the West continue to accuse Russia of supplying the rebels
with a surface-to-air missile launcher, but Russia has issued several
counter-theories, one of which involves a Ukrainian military jet
allegedly seen next to the Boeing.
(6) BBC Reports it
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
24 December 2014 Last updated at 14:35
MH17: Russia reveals 'witness' who blames Ukraine pilot
Russian investigators say a Ukrainian serviceman has provided evidence
that a Malaysia Airlines plane that crashed in July may have been shot
down by a Ukrainian air force pilot.
A "secret witness" told a Russian newspaper this week that an Su-25
fighter pilot had fired his air-to-air missiles at the wrong aircraft.
Ukraine has rejected the claim as fake.
Flight MH17 from Amsterdam was downed over eastern Ukraine on 17 July
with the loss of all 298 people on board.
Suspicion immediately focused on a Russian-made Buk missile launcher
seen in territory controlled by pro-Russian rebels at the time.
The head of the Dutch-led criminal inquiry, Fred Westerbeke, told Dutch
broadcaster NOS on Saturday there were "very many indications" that the
plane had been brought down by a missile filed from a Buk rocket
launcher. Wreckage arrives at Gilze-Rijen airbase (9 Dec) Wreckage from
the plane has been taken to Gilze-Rijen airbase in the Netherlands to be
analysed
However, all options were being kept open and the possibility of the
plane being shot down from the air was being considered, he said.
Russia's authorities have already suggested that a Ukrainian fighter jet
brought the plane down, however when state TV broadcast a picture of the
moment it said an air-to-air missile had been fired, it was widely
dismissed as a fake.
The latest Russian evidence came to light after a man contacted
Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, saying he had been at Aviatorske airport
near the Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk when flight MH17 was shot down.
In an interview in Russian with his back to the camera, the man, whose
head was blurred and his voice digitally altered, said that an Su-25
plane that had taken off armed with air-to-air missiles before MH17 had
been shot down had returned without its weaponry.
He named the pilot as Capt Voloshyn and said the man was very scared. He
quoted the pilot as saying "the aircraft was in the wrong place at the
wrong time".
His comments were widely reported on Tuesday on Russian state TV and
Russia's Investigations Committee announced immediately that it would
look into the interview. satellite image Russian TV broadcast a photo
last month claiming to show MH17 under attack - it was widely discredited
A committee spokesman, Vladimir Markin, told reporters on Wednesday that
investigators had met the man and he had passed a polygraph test.
"The witness's evidence is not the only [evidence] but [it is] very
important evidence that the Ukrainian armed forces were involved in the
Boeing crash," Interfax news agency quoted Mr Markin as saying. The man
could now be given witness protection as he may be in danger, he added.
Ukraine's SBU security service refused to comment on the statement
because it said the information was false, Interfax Ukraine reported.
The Dutch Safety Board, leading an international inquiry into the cause
of the disaster, has so far only issued a preliminary report stating
that the aircraft was penetrated by "high-energy objects".
A spokeswoman told BBC News that the inquiry had received a lot of
information and Russia was part of the investigation team. "We'll look
at [the evidence] very seriously and if it's relevant we'll use it in
this investigation."
Wreckage from the crashed Boeing 777 plane has been transported to the
Netherlands for reconstruction as part of the inquiry.
The safety board aims to complete its work by mid-2015.
(7) Huffington Post UK reports it (whilst saying report is fake) but
Huffington Post US has NOTHING
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.
Russia has claimed a "secret witness" can prove Malaysia Airlines flight
MH17 was shot down by a Ukrainian jet.
Investigators insist a Ukrainian serviceman saw a Su-25 combat jet take
off from an airbase in the east of the country and return with no
missiles on the day the passenger jet was shot down.
The pilot emerged from his fighter jet looking very frightened,
according to the eyewitness.
Pro-Kremlin RT reports the claims had been backed up by lie detector
tests carried out by Russia’s Investigative Committee.
MH17 was blown out of the sky on 17 July. The widely accepted version of
events is that a rocket from a
Russian-made Buk missile launcher operated by pro-Russian rebels was
responsible.
The dubious assertion is the latest attempt to divert blame away from
Moscow.
(8) Zero Hedge blog (in US) reports it - but nothing in MSM
Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 01:37:16 +0900 Subject: Russia Says It Has
Evidence From Ukraine Military Defector Kiev Was Responsible For MH-17
Crash | Zero Hedge From: chris lancenet <[email protected]>
Russia Says It Has Evidence From Ukraine Military Defector Kiev Was
Responsible For MH-17 Crash
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/24/2014 11:38 -0500
Back in July it was all everyone could talk about:who shot down
Malaysian Airlines flight MH-17 flying over east Ukraine? A
hurriedly-prepared official report (by Western authorities) quickly put
the blame on Russia, ignoring any suggestion the downing may have been
the result of a Ukraine fighter jet, and said the catastrophe was the
result of a Russian-made missile shot by Russian separatists. Then the
story promptly disappeared. Russia, however, continued digging, and
overnight, Russia’s Investigative Committee says it has uncovered
evidence Ukraine was involved in the crash citing a military defector
from the Ukraine.
The RIC said, as summarized by Bloomberg, that it interrogated a Ukraine
military defector who has evidence the Boeing jet shot down in July may
have been targeted by Ukrainian military SU-25 plane, according to
website statement. The witness claims to have spoken to SU-25’s pilot,
according to whom the SU-25 in question was carrying R-60 air-to-air
missiles. The SU-25 returned to base after flight without its missiles.
The pilot summarized that "MH-17 was in wrong place at wrong time."
Tell that to the families of over two hundred innocent casualties of war.
The Committee statement adds that Russia may provide witness state
protection and that Russian investigators ready to share data with
international crash investigators.
Some further details in AFP's coverage of the topic: "The witness, who
was not named, worked at an airfield in the Ukrainian city of
Dnipropetrovsk where he claimed to have seen a warplane take off on July
17 with air-to-air missiles and return without them. An Investigative
Committee statement said the testimony of the man "is important proof
that Ukrainian military was implicated in the crash of the Boeing-777".
The statement by investigators came the same day that Kiev and the
separatists were to hold a new round of ceasefire talks, and shortly
after Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda published an interview with
the "secret witness" who said he worked at the airport on the day the
Boeing 777 was downed.
The man, who was filmed by the newspaper with his back to the camera and
even the back of his head blurred, said he saw a Sukhoi-25 jet take off
armed with air-to-air rockets and return to the base without them.
"[The plane's operator] could have launched them into the Boeing out of
fear or revenge," the witness said, identifying the pilot of the jet as
having the surname Voloshin. "Maybe he mistook it for another plane."
Komsomolskaya Pravda claimed the witness showed up at its office by
himself and that his identity checks out, but did not identify him
because his family is still in Ukraine.
The investigative committee said the man — who was now officially a
witness — could be enrolled in a witness protection program.
Here is the full statement from the Investigative Committee, google
translated:
Investigators last night they were able to meet with the Ukrainian
military defector, who confirms that voluntarily left the military unit
and moved into the territory of the Russian Federation.
He told investigators about the last days of service in one of the units
of the Air Force of Ukraine. From the way he behaved, what facts the
voice, the investigators did not have doubts in sincerity and awareness
of the witness of the events that took place in the military unit.
From the testimony of the witness now, that in order to ensure its
safety aliased, civil aircraft "Boeing 777" Flight MH-17 could be
brought down by July 17 of this year, combat aircraft SU-25 Ukrainian
Air Force, piloted by Captain Ukrainian Air Force pilot Voloshin. In
this case, sortie was carried from the airport, stationed near the city
of Dnipropetrovsk. it is at this airfield served as a witness. According
to his testimony, he personally saw the plane before takeoff Voloshin
was fused rockets "air-to-air" type R-60, which in normal conditions the
implementation of sorties Su-25 do not fit. As the witness said, in a
similar outfit aircraft simply was not necessary, as the representatives
of the people's militia armed with no aviation.
The witness immediately noticed that on his return to the airfield
aircraft missiles in the equipment of the aircraft has no, and then he
distinctly heard the words of the pilot Voloshin, said one of his
colleagues: "He - the plane - was not at the time and in the wrong place."
Those facts and information, which are located and which are clearly not
being confused, the witness said, convince investigators that his
testimony true, by the way, and confirmed research on polygraph. For the
investigation of these readings are very important, and most
importantly, that they coincide with the data that were available for
investigators from other sources and confirm the fact of being in the
air Ukrainian Su-25 during the crash "Boeing." In particular, from the
testimony of several witnesses - Ukrainian citizens living in the area
of impact "Boeing 777", it follows that shortly before the crash they
saw in the sky in the vicinity of the passenger liner military aircraft.
Thus, the testimony of a witness are not the only one, but a very
important proof that a collapse of the "Boeing" Ukrainian armed forces
are involved.
As a witness may be in danger, the investigation decides whether to
grant him state protection for the witness protection program.
Investigation Committee will be to continue to collect and analyze all
the data about the crash. In this case, if the representatives of the
international commission investigating the crash that actually
interested in establishing the truth and turn to us, we are ready to
provide all available materials.
The full interview that took place on Komsomolskaya Pravda with the
alleged defector, along with supporting materials, can be found here.
Sadly in the end this is just more verbal allegations and more "he said,
she said" accusations, in what will almost surely remain an unresolved
crash in which over 200 innocent people were the now deceased pawns in a
lethal realpolitik game in which the cost of a human life is nothing.
(9) Kyiv Post reports it, linking to Deutsche Welle
The Kyiv Post reports it:
http://www.kyivpost.com/
linking to Deutsche Welle:
http://www.dw.de/russia-
There are other articles about it in the Kyiv Post too - the Ukrainian
denial etc, asd you would expect.
(10) RT.com says witness passed Lie Detector test
http://rt.com/news/217295-
Witness account of Ukraine MH17 takedown confirmed by lie detector -
investigators
Published time: December 24, 2014 09:21 Edited time: December 24, 2014 16:08
Russia's Investigative Committee has confirmed the claims by a
Ukrainian, who said he witnessed the deployment of a Ukrainian warplane
armed with air-to-air missiles on the day the Malaysian Airlines flight
MH17 was shot down.
The interview was conducted on Tuesday, spokesman for the committee
Vladimir Markin told the media on Wednesday.
This followed a report in a Russian newspaper, in which the Ukrainian
citizen, who preferred to remain anonymous, voiced his allegations.
The investigators used a polygraph during the interview, which showed no
evidence of the witness lying, he added.
"The facts were reported by the witness clearly and with no
inconsistencies. The investigators lean towards considering them
truthful. A polygraph examination confirmed them too," the official said.
"According to his account, he personally saw the plane piloted by
[Ukrainian military pilot] Voloshin armed with R-60 air-to-air
missiles," Markin said. "He added there was no need for such weapons
during regular air missions of the Ukrainian Air Forces because the
rebel forces had no military aircraft."
Markin said that the Investigative Committee will continue gathering and
analyzing evidence perpetrating to the downing of MH17 and will share
the information with the Netherlands-led international probe into the
incident, "if they really interested in establishing the truth and send
an inquiry."
The witness is likely to be taken into protective custody in Russia
because his life may be threatened, Markin said.
The Ukrainian Security Service confirmed on Wednesday that a Captain
Voloshin does serve as a military pilot in the country's armed services.
But it said he didn't fly any missions on the day the Malaysian Airlines
flight was shot down.
The Russian Investigative Committee invited the Dutch or Malaysian
experts to check Voloshin using a polygraph, and Ukraine's Security
Service to provide the military log to the official investigation,
Markin said.
"The fact that Ukraine's Security Service has acknowledged Voloshin's
existence is already an accomplishment," he said.
Markin suggested the air traffic controllers operating in the area on
the day of the catastrophe should also be questioned, adding that they
should be "found" first.
"It is clear that all this is very difficult, and probably impossible.
It is much easier to call the information and evidence provided by
Russia's Investigative Committee 'fake'," he said.
The Russian Defense Ministry made public radar data indicating that a
Ukrainian military jet capable of taking down the airliner with an
air-to-air missile was in the vicinity of MH17 at the time of the incident.
Infant mortality, sponges and contraception in 18th C France
Hi Ecoengine,
The French Revolution began right at the end of the 18th Century, in 1789. Shortly prior to this the French were in a terrible situation of massive debts, in part due to financing wars, in part due to a huge investment bubble that bust (French India company, like the British East India company). The trade wars hotted up and Britain flooded french markets with cheap imported and manufactured goods after getting the French gov to make a disasterous agreement, abandoning protection for French workers. At the same time the RC church (which was just about the only one in town) exacted taxes on everyone and probably influenced a state of ignorance about birth control etc.
The Revolution in 1789 changed all that. In the same year the State resumed the church, which became part of a secular public service. So a lot changed. Over the next few decades the ordinary French self-actualised and engaged like mad in a manner that probably woke them up for the first time in a long time.
The article, which I translated due to its value, bases its argument on on quite good statistics that show that effective birth control was used by the French from soon after the Revolution until the State began to interfere in the late 19th century. If you disagree, then you need to argue against the statistical argument, based on Hutterite standard. The author has little info about the birth control but there is a lot of info elsewhere. The report takes into account infant mortality.
In the 19th century, there were worker movements purveying contraception throughout the land and the state brought in laws to stop this. In 1998 or 99 I even met and interviewed in Paris the daughter of a woman who was imprisoned for distributing contraceptive info, and her father died in prison for the same 'crime'. I also have a film of her mother's 90th birthday, illustrated with a variety of viable contraceptives, which I am currently (slowly) subtitling. A reference is, Ronsin, F., La Greve aux ventres.
With regard to infanticide, this is present in all societies, and particularly in poor urban societies where women were cut off from information about contraception and there are few alternatives, such as extended families, that could support a destitute woman.
Sponges were not to be laughed at, apparently. We are taught to disrespect our ancestors and to respect dubious authorities, thus we lose an enormous amount of knowledge and power.
"During the 17th century, the French used the method of wetting a sponge with brandy to weaken the
sperm (Keown, 1977). In the early 20th century, British birth control crusader Marie Stopes prescribed sponge
s moistened with olive oil for 2,000 of her indigent patients ?she recorded no unintended pregnancies in the follow
-up visits (London, 1998). A contraceptive sponge was introduced to the American market in 1983 and quickly became one of the most popular over-the-counter barrier methods. The Today® Sponge was designed to block, more than absorb, semen. It also contained a spermicide that could immobilize sperm. The manufacturer, Whitehall Robins
, voluntarily ceased production in 1995. One of the reasons the company cited was that meeting increasingly stringent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines for its manufacture would be too costly (Leary, 1999).
On April 22, 2005, the FDA approved the return of the Today Sponge to the U.S. market (Allendale Pharmaceuticals, 2005).
Contraceptive Foams, Creams, Jellies, Film, and Suppositories
As far back as 1850 B.C.E., in ancient Egypt, recipes for barrier methods of birth control were buried with
the dead to prevent unintended pregnancy in the afterlife (Himes, 1963; Riddle, 1992). The “spermicides” they advised included honey, sodium carbonate, and crocodile dung (Suitters, 1967).
By 1550 B.C.E., Egyptian women used cotton-lint tampons soaked in the fermented juice of acacia plants to prevent pregnancy (Himes, 1963)."
The above is an excerpt from a Planned Parenthood report which is documented. I've linked to it before and I shall link to it again. http://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/2613/9611/6275/History_of_BC_Methods.pdf
Contraceptives have been available in many different forms in different societies. Often they were local contraceptives. The information was handed down mostly by women to women. That information was lost when rural societies were broken up by industrialisation and people who migrated to the towns in search of work lost connection with that information and there was probably a loss of birth control because of this. Hence the contraceptive movements among French workers. When the government interfered it became very difficult for women to access any information - I mean you could go to prison for trying to get info or for giving it out.
This also happened in Australia, in NSW and Victoria, and was not rectified until the arrival of the pill and attempts by family planning clinics to reeducate women. In 1904 after the Royal Commission into the Decline in the Birth Rate in New South Wales (RCDBR) laws were brought in to (a) outlaw contraception and abortifacients (b) popularise pre-natal attendance and (c) encourage hospital births. This effectively broke women's networks and began the professionalisation and alienation of much that was once common knowledge maintained among women. I wrote a short history (about 17000 words as I recall) called Malthusianism, Neo-malthusianism and Women’s Rights in Australia, from 1770 to the 1990s in the late 1990s, which is how I know about this. There were copies around on the internet but can't locate any viable ones at the moment.
Australian aborigines also used contraceptive plants. And if you do searches for 'local contraceptives' for various 'third world countries', you will find that they used to have contraceptives and that these have been checked for effectiveness.
There is a lot to be found out if you go looking for answers rather than dismissing things out of hand because they run counter to what you have received as opinions.
We totally underestimate our ancestors and thus lose our history and so much information and power.
High infant mortality in 17th Century Europe
"the birth rate in France approached 40 births per 1000 people in the middle of the 17th century. This was a normal rate for a European country where marriages were late and life-long celibacy relatively widespread..."
Surely in the 17th century, there was little known about contraception, and "family planning" was more to to with high rates of infant mortality!
There is evidence that during the 17th century, the French used the method
of wetting a sponge with brandy to weaken the sperm.
British birth control crusader Marie Stopes prescribed sponge s moistened with olive oil for 2,000 of her indigent patients she recorded no unintended pregnancies in the follow up visits. Infant mortality would have been high.
Many legitimate and illegitimate infants were abandoned outside churches or foundling homes. Possibly one half of infants abandoned in France in the 18th century were abandoned by intact families.
Wet-nursing was a particularly entrenched cultural phenomenon in France, where the wealthy sent their infants to the countryside to be suckled for several years by peasant women. A high death rate was common among these babies, probably due to neglect.
There was higher infant mortality if a child was sent off to a wetnurse, because the wetnurse would typically malnourish the child, or feed it an oatmeal water, or watered down milk instead of her undiluted breast milk. In 17th century France, between 20 and 50 percent of all infants died within the first year after birth. This would have had a very high impact on population growth!
Immigration dept forums planned for January. Submissions invited
The Department of Immigration discussion paper (also linked to above) advises, in the section "Phase 2: Refinement":
"We have planned consultative forums for state and territory capital cities in January 2015. We will be emailing invitations in early January 2015."
The paper continues:
"We encourage stakeholders to provide us with a written submission and to complete a complementary survey. We will request that all submissions are provided by 5pm AEDST Friday 30 January 2015 and that all surveys are completed prior to 5pm AEDST Friday 27 February 2015."
...
In "Phase 3: Implementation" it states:
"At this phase we will share understanding and raise awareness of the new visa framework. It is likely that a new visa framework will be implemented from 1 July 2016."
For all the serious flaws and limitations of Australian parliamentary democracy, it still provides avenues such as this for public input and government accountability. We should use them.
Should you post a submission or are planning to participate in the "Refinement" phase, please advise us and send us accounts of the proceedings so that we can publish them here. Ideally we would publish video or audio recordings of the procedure.
stop immigration
Immigration is only good when it is controlled very carefully. It's no secret that there is a housing shortage in Sydney and Melbourne. Where is the first place new immigrants go to? Come on, have a guess. Sydney and Melbourne is where most of them go. How is it good to bring in another 190,000 immigrants in next year? Remember we have a high unemployment rate. Why can't we train our unemployed people? Wont this give them a chance to fill the jobs that are required? Get them off the dole as well. Is it the case that these 190,000 new immigrants have to go on the pension eventually, stressing our welfare in the future? Yes, I am thinking long term, not band aid. The roads are already grid locked. Let's not be stupid and make it more grid locked. Cant we balance births deaths and immigration to equilibrium ? The scales are tipping too many people in one city.
Australia has no capacity to take any more migrants on. Massive infrastructure is needed in regional towns to make them major cities only then immigration could be good. Don't bring any more migrants to Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane it's not hard to understand. Its also no secret that jobs are going off shore due to the high cost of doing business here in Australia. Stop the madness now as I did not vote for massive immigration its against my will nobody asked me is it ok, the government just did it without permission of the Australian people. House prices must come down so businesses can become competitive. It is obvious that high real estate equals high wages and high rental on commercial properties. Why bother setting up a business in Australia when its so much cheaper overseas. Wake up Australia . Asset inflation equals disaster every other country has failed when the property prices were sky high.
Is everybody in government in denial?
Australia a top destination for wealthy, corrupt criminals
Experts say Australia is one of the top destinations for corrupt officials fleeing China, and with the Canadian changes there are fears the country could become a haven for white-collar criminals.
Competition between countries trying to attract investment from wealthy Chinese individuals has heated, with the announcement that Australia is easing its investor visa programme. Instead, the government in Canberra has introduced fast-track visa approvals under its Significant Investor Visa (SIV) scheme.
The visa scheme is offering residency to those who invest over A$15 million (€10.41M) for one year.
The Australian has revealed that the former chief of the giant Chinese utility State Grid was hiding out in Australia with millions of dollars he stole from the company. Chinese investigators have identified at least six other former officials and state company executives accused of bribery and embezzlement involving about $1 billion.
The Australian: Fears corrupt Chines set to rush significant investor visa scheme
Pressure is now building in the country to improve the scrutiny of foreign investors who want to buy residency in Australia and use it as an opportunity to escape liability. Canada has tightened it investment scheme, yet Australia still has the welcome mat out for the wealthy!
China's state media CCTV had accused the Bank of China of money laundering in Australia. The report, now removed from all Web sites, had mentioned Australia as one of the possible destinations for "grey money" from China.
A typical scenario involves officials sending their spouses and children overseas, often using them as a conduit to shift assets offshore. With barely any assets to their name, the so-called "naked official" – as is the popular term for them in China – is then able to join their family overseas at the first whiff of trouble. . The Washington-based Global Financial Integrity group, which analyses illicit financial flows, estimates that $US3 trillion flowed out of China illegally between 2005 and 2011.
SMH:Australia set to seize assets of corrupt Chinese officials
Our liberal immigration Department, and policies, does not "discriminate" who comes here, and with huge number able to escape any control or filters, Australia is now a magnet for corrupt arrivals. Australia is becoming a refuge outpost for corruption, and if they have mega$$ they are welcome, but "illegal" if they are impoverished boat-people and be interred in detention centres.
Religions, high fertility and immigration
Global migration and high fertility levels are tools of expansion, of religion and ideas.
The Catholic Church has developed an elaborate theology of immigration since World War II, and along with this an abundance of moral-political prescriptions to promote immigration. The Church has virtually made immigration a sacred right, proclaiming it as a 'sacrament of unity,' a process of moving the world toward greater brotherhood.
Migration, the Church preaches, witnesses to God's goodness, promotes the unity of the human family, and offers Christians a ministry of love and service to the stranger among us.
The lofty ideals of the dignity of human beings entitles them to seek work in other lands and to be joined by their families there. Their counter-cultural position on this matter and insists that the right to immigrate is more fundamental than that of nations to control their borders. We are one big "family" of humans, with no borders or sovereignties!
Migration is central to the Catholic Church's history of recovery and growth following its losses from the Reformation and the catholic-ization by Spain and it's colonization of the "new world", mass genocide and cultural destruction. France and Portugal of much of the Western Hemisphere in the 16th and 17th centuries was essentially a work of colonization and migration. There was little consideration for the rights of the traditional owners of the land, and they were considered no more than fauna to be dominated and eradicated as obstructions to expansion!
The Pope called for action following the deaths of thousands of migrants who have drowned while trying to cross the Mediterranean. "We cannot allow the Mediterranean to become a vast cemetery," he said. What about actually addressing the causes of the problems and conflicts that cause this mass migration, and the deaths?
Overpopulation, such as in Ireland, was always solved by migrations!
Similarly we have the expansion of Islam. If immigration stopped tomorrow, Muslims’ higher fertility and young age structure would still ensure a rise in their share of the total, which would be most apparent in maternity wards and primary schools in UK, Europe and here in Australia.
The elevated threat of an "ageing population" has advantaged immigration, and high populated countries by being able to to migrate to the West.
Moroccan women in the Netherlands, for instance, have a fertility rate of 2.9 children, while Moroccan women in Morocco have 2.4 children each. Bangladeshis in Britain have 3.0 children, while those in Bangladesh have 2.4. It's known that immigrants have more babies. Catholic immigrants of the 19th century did the same and they were thus religious pioneers who, though beleaguered and isolated in the host nations, were creating bridgeheads for the spread of the faith in the New World.
It seems likely there has been a real increase in the Muslim population of Britain, due to a mixture of immigration and higher birth rates and if fertility among Muslim women continues to be higher than other demographic groups, then extending current trends into the future will give Britain a Muslim majority by 2050.
Over the next decades, there will be an overall mingling of cultures and civilisations that may lead, as far as France is concerned, to the emergence of a predominantly African population and to rapid Islamization.
Migration and high fertility levels are part of religious expansion tools, especially for migrants.
However, nationhood is paramount in the Bible. The Book of Exodus identifies nationhood as the best form of political organization. Nationhood, in turn, requires self-government, centralized institutions, and control over territory. It is common among white Christians today to believe that any sort of pride of race is inherently wrong or evil. On the other hand, a unified global humanity is an age-old dream - one that the Bible completely rejects. Scriptures demonstrate that the concept of nationhood—of a distinct group identity based on common language, culture, land, and blood ties—was not a modern European innovation, as some scholars proclaim it to be, but rather an integral part of the Jewish tradition from its very beginnings. God confused language as an additional tool at the time of Babel for maintaining national distinction.
Babel was a punishment for sin of trying to build a megalomaniac tower, to reach the heavens, but it was also an act of mercy from God in order to restrain the evil that typically arises in cosmopolitan societies who have lost sight of their tribal identity. Raceless or tribeless societies become decadent due to anonymity and loss of patriarchal authority, which is inevitable in such regimes.
Ethno-nationalism holds that nations are defined and rooted in common heredity, and that the foundations of a nation are based on common ancestry, language, culture, religion, and social customs - not globalization and open borders!
Pope XXI's contraceptive book Thesaurus pauperum on-line
Pope John XXI's contraceptive book Thesaurus pauperum is part of a history that needs to be much better known in order to overturn the 'modern' cant about demographic transition and development etc. Apparently Pope John XXI still remains the only Pope who was medically trained.
Thought people might be interested in more about this:
Most copies of his book are in Latin, medieval Sicilian, or in medieval English script as picture files.
There is an e-copy for the price of 38 Euros here: http://www.abocashop.com/showproduct.aspx?MCR=2&CTG=20&ID=VOLTHESA&IDPR=56 - probably in latin, but it isn't clear from the site.
There is, however, an online copy at the NSW state library which members may access here: John XXI, Pope, d. 1277, Thesaurus pauperum. English.
There is an interesting Helsinki site with an article bibliographing medieval English texts on medicine here: http://www.helsinki.fi/varieng/series/volumes/14/taavitsainen_pahta/
If anyone can get hold of a digital English, French or Italian translation, I would be keen to see it.
Popes and family planning through the ages
Thank you for this comment. I ran out of strength to research that particular policy under Pope Francis when I published him here, and hoped someone would comment.
The Church is something other than a religion. It is a financial institution like a bank, with many branches. Unfortunately, Pope Francis is probably useful and possibly sincere window dressing to keep the customers believing in the brand. RC papal dogma did not always preach against contraception, and I think that the anti-contraception line suits capitalism and that is why it has become entrenched, as you suggest.
Are you aware of Pope John XX1's contributions to contraception? Or that the widespread dogma that people could not affect their family sizes until recently has little foundation in fact?
"Surprisingly, one of the most comprehensive recipe book s for pre-and post-coital contraception was written by a man who became pope. Peter of Spain, who offered advice on birth control and how to provoke menstruation in his immensely popular Thesaurus Pauperam (Treasure of the Poor), was elected Pope John XXI in 1276 (Riddle, 1992). Many of Peter’s recipes have been found surprisingly effective by contemporary research, and it is believed that women in antiquity had more control over their reproduction than previously believed (Riddle, 1994)." For more on this source see http://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/2613/9611/6275/History_of_BC_Methods.pdf
Still, Francis's encyclical is useful in our battle against the propaganda bullhorn of global capitalism and we would be silly not to use it. Note that in my cartoon in the above republication of Francis's Evangelii gaudium I made a number of inferences about what his attitude should be about global migration. I made these in the knowledge that the Catholic Church in Australia is really one of the major culprits in assisting with immigrationist ideology and actually led the importation of kidnapped migrant children as slaves until late last century - but it is probably still going on in different forms. They are incorrigible. Margaret Humphrey's book and the film of it are incredible sources on this. (In 1987 British social worker Margaret Humphreys carried out an investigation leading to the exposure of the child migration scheme and the establishment of the Child Migrants Trust, with the aim of reuniting parents and children. Full details of the scheme only emerged as late as 1998 during a parliamentary inquiry in Britain, which found that many migrant children were subjected to systematic abuse in religious schools in Australia, New Zealand and other countries.[16]
In 1994 Humphreys published a book concerning her research entitled Empty Cradles. In 2010, this book detailing Humphreys' work, political obstacles, and threats on her life along with the crimes and abuse done to thousands of children by government and religious officials was depicted in the film Oranges and Sunshine.)
If people owned land and did not have to compete without wealth for wages in the carnivorous global economy, there would be no profit in having many children as the only way to increase one's single wage in economies that allow child labor, which tends to be the desperate motivation of people who have been dispossessed and is encouraged by ruling elites and media moguls (like Murdoch). Also, dispossession of local communities seems to be the most effective way of separating women from independence and contraceptive and abortifacient knowledge transmitted by female elders. Instead of relying on local knowledge, deracinated women tend to respond to centralised forces like church media and capitalist mass media.
Pope's failure to reverse ban on family plannning
The Pope condemns economies that exclude people, and ethics, but stays silent on human overpopulation and fails to reverse the ban on family planning. Humans are only a part of Creation, of the Biblical account, on the 6th day, and as such should be taken in proportion to the rest of Creation, and good stewardship!
Bigger families are about using children as economic units, and about a lifestyle choice trapped in working for, and providing, for larger numbers of offspring. The Earth's finite resources mean that overpopulation is trampling our planet's ecosystems, causing wars and conflicts, and depriving people of better lifestyles that could be achieved by smaller populations, through family planning.
"Today’s economic mechanisms promote inordinate consumption, yet it is evident that unbridled consumerism combined with inequality proves doubly damaging to the social fabric." Surely this unbridled consumption is caused by overpopulation, and is part of the consumerism and capitalism being condemned?
Genesis 1:28
Then God blessed them (Adam and Eve) and said, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground."
The command to "multiply" was quite relevant in the beginnings of human history, but surely logic would say that our "reign" over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky has failed, and now we are exterminating and destroying God's handiwork - our wonderful planet Earth! The whole consumerism is not just about economic theory, but of mass numbers of consumers over-consuming finite resources!
A Papal quote on global capitalism
".........In this context, some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting."
I have not been able to find the whole document from which this quote is extracted but it is called "Joy of the Gospel" and came out late November 2104. The following article from "The New Yorker" gives many more quotes and a run-down on how it was received in the U.S. http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/pope-franciss-challenge-to-gl...
More on the theory of wealth and injustice
I became curious about this Picketty fellow whom Alistair Heath, was so down on, that he must be a good guy. As a matter of fact, I had ABC RN on this morning and who should I hear but the Gallic tones of Thomas Picketty talking of wealth distribution/concentration. The main feature of the segment though was Tyler Cowan a US economist who was saying that capitalism has not failed as it has brought the 3rd world up by its bootstraps. He was all about growth as though it could go on forever and never once mentioned finite resources. He also had some argument that war or at least international tension had helped capitalism get a hold. (and do its good work) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Cowen has written papers in political philosophy and ethics: for example, he co-wrote a paper with the philosopher Derek Parfit, arguing against the social discount rate.[8] A recent paper has argued that the epistemic problem fails to refute consequentialist forms of argument.[9] Cowen has been described as a "libertarian bargainer", someone of moderate libertarian[clarification needed] ideals who can influence practical policy making.[10] In a 2007 article entitled "The Paradox of Libertarianism," Cowen argued that libertarians "should embrace a world with growing wealth, growing positive liberty, and yes, growing government. We don’t have to favor the growth in government per se, but we do need to recognize that sometimes it is a package deal". His argument was subsequently criticized by Bryan Caplan,[11] Justin Raimondo,[12] Christopher Westley,[13] and Doug MacKenzie.[14] Cowen endorsed bailouts in a March 2, 2009 column in the New York Times.[15] He was a supporter of the Iraq War.[16]
In 2012, David Brooks called Cowen one of the most influential bloggers on the right, writing that he is among those who "start from broadly libertarian premises but do not apply them in a doctrinaire way."[17]
In an August 2014 blog post, Cowen wrote, "Just to summarize, I generally favor much more immigration but not open borders, I am a liberal on most but not all social issues, and I am market-oriented on economic issues. On most current foreign policy issues I am genuinely agnostic as to what exactly we should do but skeptical that we are doing the right thing at the moment. I don’t like voting for either party or for third parties."[18]
Boycott Halal scheme set to escalate
The Boycott Halal campaign is led by New South Wales farmer Kirralie Smith and supported by extremist groups including the "Islam-critical' Q-Society, Restore Australia, the Australian Defence League and the Patriots' Defence League. Halal products are those deemed permissible for Muslims to eat or use under religious law. Animals in Australia (with exception of pigs) are now mostly slaughtered by Muslim males in ccordance
with Islamic sharia law.
Worldwide the halal industry is worth $US 2 trillion and is growing 20% a year.
Boycott Halal movement set to escalate
Groups are claiming that certification pushes up prices and the money goes towards funding "terrorism". The campaign urged customers to stop drinking Paul's Iced Coffee because it is certified as halal, which it said was in turn "supporting Muslim terrorists and cruelty against animals".
Abattoirs in Queensland are having to fork out up to $27,000 per month for Halal certification, money which is allegedly being used to fund Islamic schools and mosques. In many Australian abattoirs only Muslim males can now find employment as slaughterers. Non-Muslims and women are considered haram - unclean.
Scientists have long debated halal and kosher slaughter and recent evidence suggests that the draining of blood from an animal from its neck causes unnecessary suffering and prolongs the death process, as a European Union study reported in 2008.
The global market for halal-certified products and services is estimated to be worth more than USD2.3 trillion, expanding by 20% per year. Companies who believe non-Muslims do not care, pass on the extra cost to consumers. It's a "religious tax" we are being forced to pay!
The impact of 62,000 people
This article shows the dramatic impact of the Australian population in the region of a town of now 62,000 people. It illustrates how the combination of our way of life, our systems our endless growth and use of energy and resources (which actually must come to an end one day) dramatically and permanently alter the landscape. The impact of the 62,000 over-stayers, rather then being in one place is spread over wherever they are on the Australian continent. Although presumably not planned for, they still need hospitals accommodation, schools, doctors etc.
Who else would know better than Aboriginal peoples?
It's quite revealing that Europeans have captured Aboriginal practices and land management in their own terms, and misconstrued their culture and history conveniently to suit themselves! We are going the inverse route to managing our landscapes, and fires. Who else would know better than Aboriginal Elders on how to manage the land, with 40 million years of experience and keeping the country in pristine condition for so long?
It's assumed that fire must be used to reduce fires! It's a self-fulfilling prophecy if fires actually reduce Nature's fire-proofing mechanisms of fungi, bacteria, native grasses and forests.
The introduction of livestock to Australia's fragile landscape is responsible for a lot of the ecological damage and for introduced plant species for their grazing. If native grasses are less flammable, and fires drive out an kill native species, then we are sterilizing our unique land, and destroying its functions.
Joel Wright's speech was enlightening and revealing, and one can only despair with the Aboriginal people of the capitalistic drive that comes at a great cost to our nation's natural heritage, and the destructive fires that further destroy and eliminate our country's wealth of it's unique ecosystems, and the extinction of flora and fauna.
Corruption within our Immigration Department
"The reason for the raw increase is it is partially a function of the fact more people than ever are coming to Australia year on year, so it stands to reason that if the very small percentage of non-compliance stays the same, there will be more overstayers in terms of raw numbers."
http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/more-than-62000...
There's broadscale corruption in Immigration, and the sheer numbers arriving and applying to access the benefits of being in Australia are out of control. Immigration is big business, with huge fees being charged.
- The government has issued new licences in the past six months to migration agents previously identified by the Immigration Department as having bribed employers to obtain fake work references for visa applicants.
- The department failed to investigate evidence of entrenched migration fraud involving 457 skilled workers' visas and some of Australia's biggest infrastructure and mining projects.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/corrupt-official-r...
Religion vs religion: Free Market Economics vs the Pope
Farmers in this country might find this ironic or something.
The Vatican has generally supported capitalism and the aggregation of private property through its vast worldly investments in land-banks and other assets. It is also a proponent of mass immigration, the fuel of the dastardly capitalist machine.
Popes, however, have tended to come out with some Jesus-like homilies about equality and feeding the hungry cheaply or for free, from time to time. That is, after all, their brand. (Jesus may have been a real revolutionary, but the Church is not.)
It is still good to hear Pope Francis come out with some down-to-earth comments, although I don't hear of him closing down the Vatican yet or calling for the outlawing of private property in favour of every child inheriting from their parents.
All the same, he has called the "absolute autonomy of markets" a "new tyranny".
This has given rise to a religious poem to unregulated capitalism by Allister Heath, Daily Telegraph columnist. In this ode to greed, Mr Heath blames all ills on any continued regulation. The environment or civil rights do not come into this catechism of capitalism and private property.
"So it is with great sadness that I must take exception to the Pope's views on economics and business. His hostility to capitalism is tragically misplaced. He has repeatedly savaged free markets and aligned himself with the views of Thomas Piketty, the far-left intellectual who obsesses about inequality and advocates crippling taxes on income and wealth."
Thus Mr Heath takes up his economic cudgel and stands his ground against a gentleman who many millions believe has a direct line to god. Interesting.
He concludes,
"But unthinkingly to fight capitalism – the greatest alleviator of poverty and liberator of people ever discovered – makes no sense. The sooner the world's great religions learn to love the wealth-creating properties of the market economy, the sooner they will be able to harness them to make the world a better place."Read more and laugh hysterically at http://www.theage.com.au/comment/devil-in-the-detail-of-popes-attack-on-capitalism-20141226-12bm17.html
ISIS and existentionalism
I heard a while back that Turkey was buying, but maybe that is just a rumour.
Well, firstly, I think that oil prices are down because the US has flooded the market with its dodgy fracking products - at huge real cost to itself - in the hope of being able to beggar everyone else and retain some kind of sick supremacy. The question to ask usually is, "Who benefits?" and I would say that the West does by weakening the traditional oil producers. I don't get the impression that the West wants to stop ISIS because the presence of ISIS is giving it excuses to bomb Syrian infrastructure, reinvade Iraq and try to have a go at Iran. It is giving the West an excuse to remain in the region. I also believe that ISIS probably is a US creation, like Al-Qaida.
I think that false flagging is definitely going on re ISIS-related terrorism in Australia and elsewhere, but I also think that people have become independently aligned with ISIS. People who lack engagement with our mainstream society (and that is a lot of people ) might derive existential meaning from romanticising ISIS, especially if they feel alienated through their religious affiliations. A bit like people in Germany who supported the Nazis because they seemed like big brave and loyal-to-country-boys, if you ignored the nasty stuff they were doing, or just compartmentalised it. There were also people outside Germany who liked the Nazis.
I hope this is not too much of a throw away remark on a serious subject, but I have been interrupted and might take it up again later. What do you think?
Impact of 62,000 people as rural town
I've turned the below into a full article at "Quantifying 62,000 visa overstayers in terms of population impact and our history"
Hmm. 62,000 people makes for a town the size of Gladstone, in Queensland, 2014. Interesting to ponder the ramifications in a typical example of population growth in Australia. Gladstone has several primary schools, three high schools, (Gladstone State High, Toolooa State High and Chanel College), one university campus, Central Queensland University, and CQIT (TAFE) Gladstone Campus. Employment is provided by the following industries (mostly mining)
Boyne Smelters Limited
Cement Australia
NRG Gladstone Operating Services
Queensland Alumina Limited
Rio Tinto Alcan – Yarwun
There are plans to development LNG facilities, among other industrial projects.
It is right on the barrier reef and it is advertising for skilled migrants.
Originally inhabited by the Baiali (or Byellee), Goereng and Goreng Goreng Aboriginal tribes.
Established as a colony in 1847 with 87 soldiers and convicts, but ordered to close down after two months. 1872 non-convict settlers began arriving. In 1893 a meatworks was established. In 1963, the aluminium industry started up there and the port facilities were expanded.
A cultural heritage assessment published in 2000 indicates that the Boyne Valley was home to aboriginal people for thousands of years prior to European discovery.
The first recorded meeting of the two cultures was on Curtis Island in 1802. After showering Matthew Flinders and his party with rocks and stones on their arrival, the “Indians” observed them for a fortnight before making contact. Two seamen became lost and spent a night tortured by mosquitoes in the mangrove swamps. They were rescued, fed, examined in a “personal manner” and guided safely back to their ship. Living on a diet of seafood, kangaroo and bird life they were described as, “stout, muscular men who went entirely naked, understood bartering better than most and were curious but not over excitable”.
The first white settlers in the Boyne Valley referred to a large permanent aboriginal camp on Raggote Creek. Their lands extended along the river between the Boyne and Many Peaks Ranges, downstream to within a few miles of the coast and upstream to The Bluff. Beyond this point a related tribe of several hundred individuals had camps around the numerous waterholes paralleling the river. One hole was called Euboba. The name remains as Ubobo, the adaptation used in 1899 by W.A.F. McDonald to name his 4000-acre selection.
Little is recorded of the life of these people but in less than thirty years their populations were decimated. McDonald (1988) reports, “The Toolooa, which still numbered about 700 in 1854, had dwindled to forty-three in 1882. The Byelee in the same period were reduced from 300 to thirty-two.” Source: http://boynevalley.org.au/history/
Goldmining in 1853. Rail in 1910. Soldier settler blocks in 1920s. All these activities would indicate that the forests were Dairy industry, which went bust from drought in the 1970s. Like most Queensland towns beautiful giant forests were probably chopped down for fuel and wood export and to build those cute little houses you see in Queensland that are too expensive to replicate now, due to lack of wood. In the 1970s a huge drought, possibly related to removal of the trees, ended the dairy industry.
In 1985, after a succession of dams and weirs, each bigger than the last, the land was inundated by the Awoonga Dam to meet Gladstone’s growing water demands.
What a species are we!
62,000 Visa overstayers in Australia
People from China, Malaysia and the United States were the highest number of visa overstayers in Australia in 2013, with the Chinese topping the list at 7690.
According to an Immigration Department report, Migration Trends 2012-2013, visitors (44,800) and students (10,720) were the largest cohort of visa holders to overstay their visit. The highest number of visa overstayers in 2013 by nationality came from China (7690), Malaysia (6420), the US (5220) and the UK (3780).
The department says an estimated 62,100 people were unaccounted for in Australia during 2014, which is roughly 1.2 per cent of the 5.5 million people who enter the country each year on temporary visas.
Overstayers: More than 62,000 people are living illegally in Australia, according to an Immigration Department report.
Overstayers: More than 62,000 people are living illegally in Australia, according to an Immigration Department report.
Read more here: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/more-than-62000-people-living-illegally-in-australia-20141226-12dxod.html
The drawing of the line
Do the media and politicians seriously think that Europe can take in the populations of sub-Saharan Africa and beyond? When will the line be drawn? Most developed countries are already unsustainable in terms of resource use and the environment.
The demographic issues facing Europe are in my opinion the greatest problem that Europe has faced since WWII, yet the inability of people to see that there is a problem is why reactionaries are the ones dealing with these issues, albeit in a ham fisted way. The issue of Putin is nothing compared to the unprecedented demographic changes occurring. From what Putin has said, I think he realises this too which places him first and foremost to lead Europe.
That people can acknowledge that the UK will be minority British, but not understand the significance of this or consider it something of an issue is frightening because it means that the solution to this problem will be forced by other means.
This is the niche that the far right parties are filling, and they will eventually win because the problems forcing them into power are simply to significant to be swept away with platitudes. The question is whether the likes of Cameron or Hollande will realise this, or continue to hold outdated 20th century ideology and resist change.
Reply to comment | (We) can do better
Do you have any video of that? I'd care to find out some additional information.
Birth control as ‘treason?’ : Turkish President
There is said to be a "direct relationship between rapid rates of population growth and declining economic conditions in developing countries". Last century, no nation made much progress in transitioning from developing to developed until they brought their population growth under control.
Not only in developing countries, but Australia's economy is suffering severe shortfalls, and heavy cutbacks to spending. While the size of our economy has grown, for 23 years, personal wealth for most is declining. If each generation increases in size, and this has been considerable in Australia, income generated from our economy must be shared between more and more people. If more people are unemployed, and on welfare, there is less incoming revenues.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently claimed that birth control was "treason"! He says that a declining birth rate may undermine economic growth. But in fact it is the other way around.
Kelvin Thomson's Blogspot
"We need this to take Turkey above the level of modern civilizations," said Erdogan, who has four children. Level of "modern civilizations" sounds more of an aim for power, and dominance, not human welfare and overcoming poverty!
At present, Turkey sucks in foreign goods and relies on foreign cash to finance even lackluster economic expansion.
Fertility rates have dropped to just over 2% and women are having children later. Women are denied the right to a Caesarean birth. He also pushed what appeared to be a socially conservative agenda; telling a conference that dealt with women's rights that women could not be equal to men. He appears to be pushing a nationalism deeply intertwined with an Islamic religious identity — arguing for the return of the language of the Ottoman empire or pushing a theory that Muslim explorers discovered America.
The Turkish President no doubt more obscure reasons for encouraging population growth! There are religious roots of the government led by Erdogan, who has been described by critics as an “Islamist”. He has long been accused of seeking to diminish the country’s secular principles and limiting the civil liberties of women.
Islam is now the worlds second largest religion after Christianity. At the current rate of growth it is estimated that Islam’s population by the year 2025 will be 1.9 billion (about 24 percent of the total European population). It's success is from high Muslim birth rate and immigration, not from converts (non-Muslims becoming Muslims). Despite being a "secular" government, individuals belonging to the small remnants of Turkey's Christian population groups were nominally Turkish citizens.
Erdogan is a devout Muslim, and his comments on women's rights have often been interpreted as a sign of the conservative, traditional gender roles he and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) espouse.
In recent years, a slew of government initiatives has pushed Islam deeper into Turkey’s nominally-secular education system. This condemnation of birth control is about confining women into a traditional role of wife and mother, and boosting the spread of Islam.
Erdogan's claim that birth control has served to "dry up" Turkey's population is at odds with official statistics, which show the country's population, which now tops 76 million, to have grown rapidly in recent decades.
Services decline inverse to increasing social service demands
The largest survey of Australia's community services sector reveals that 80% of frontline agencies are unable to meet current levels of demand with the resources they have. The biggest gaps in meeting demand are in the areas of greatest community need. The increasing demand for service and funding will be met by savage cut-backs, not more welfare!
It's a kick in the teeth for our most vulnerable people, at Christmas while most of the public are distracted by Christmas, and the commercial blitz! The irony is that ACOSS has no policy on population, or immigration, except on asylum seekers and refugees. They believe that the majority of people who have entered Australia by boat seeking have been found to need protection from persecution, and therefore that the vulnerability of asylum seekers must be a primary consideration in any government response to people movement. The masses, the skilled migrants and their families, are ignored. ACOSS develops and promotes socially and economically responsible public policy and action by government, community and business. How "socially and economically" responsible is it to keep increasing the size of Australia's population at a time of increasing economic shortfalls?
When are these social institutions and not-for-profit welfare organisations going to call for a population plan for Australia, and a responsible size in proportion to our economic and environmental landscape?
Soldiers killed each other for 4 more years after Joyeux Noël?
One hundred years ago today, the mutual killing, between the French and their British allies on the one side and the Germans on the other, stopped for one day as ordinary soldiers on both sides celebrated Christmas. This is rightly held up as a triumph over the darker side of humanity.
However, what is rarely acknowledged or discussed, is how the ruling elites on both sides, who had caused the war, were able to compel the soldiers, who embraced each other on 25 December 1914, to resume shooting at each other next day and to continue doing so for nearly four more terrible and bloody years.
In the coming years, the fighting was to become more terrible and bloody as the generals on both sides compelled the soldiers to leave the comparative safety of the trenches and launch bloody mass attacks through mud and barbed wire against machine guns and rifle fire. This occurred repeatedly at Verdun, the Somme, Passchendaele, Vimy Ridge, etc. until the truce was signed on 11 November 1918. By then ten million combatants and eight million civilians had died. That death toll dwarfed any previous conflict in human history. [1] [2]
Footnotes
[1] This is in absolute numbers. In relative numbers, many of the wars of genocide against the natives of North and South America, Australia, Africa and Asia were bloodier.
[2] Only the ensuing slaughter of the Second World War in which at least 60 million died makes it possible for some to overlook the carnage of the First World War.
Scott Morrison in charge of welfare- attack of Mr Scrooge
There's a lot of incoherent policies and contradictions coming from Federal politicians. Now new Social Services minister Scott Morrison has the task of drastically trimming our welfare budget.
The forecast increase on welfare spending of just 2.4 per cent in 2015-16 will barely match inflation before allowing for population growth, and a rising number of beneficiaries.
The Australian Council of Social Service yesterday noted that operating funding for the department had been cut by $250 million at a time when frontline agencies were struggling to meet growing demand. This comes at a time when so many Australian families are facing crushing cost of living pressures.
As the Immigration Minister, Morrison helped revive the old lie that boat people are "illegal" - powerful rhetoric introduced by the Howard government at the time of the Tampa episode in August 2001. Boat people were used to divert media and public attention from our increasing rate of net overseas immigration, and create a smoke-screen for the real masses of people arriving each day! The Department became the "Department of Immigration and Border Protection" - protection from the threat of boat people! Asylum seekers became "illegals", but we still were signatories of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.
There is a diminishing pool of new jobs, and housing services for the vulnerable will be slashed. As a former Immigration Minister, surely Morrison is aware of the inconsistency of our high skilled immigration, the large numbers filling our job queues, and our unemployment crisis? ABS reports that unemployment among skilled migrants is up to 30% higher than the rest of the population! Large multinational companies, shouldn't have to advertise local jobs to Australian workers. They claim that they can’t find "skilled" workers locally. But how do they know if they don't even bother looking? And whatever happened to training workers and putting on apprentices? Why have such high rates of skilled migration then?
$21 million ripped from homelessness support, cuts to mental health programs and carers, early intervention for families where the child is at risk, as well as services to help families with their finances will just be the beginning of a sustained attack on struggling Australian families and the support they need every day. The Department of Social Services published a range of welfare support groups that their funding had been abolished. Organisations losing funding include Blind Citizens Australia, the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations and homeless bodies such as National Shelter and the Community Housing Federation. Our most vulnerable people are under attack!
These cutbacks are not about welfare, but trimming our economy while population keeps being "projected".
Our failing, and false, economic model based on population growth, when everything else is declining and failing to keep up, is surely adding to our economic woes. We need a good dose of reality, and fresh thinking in Parliament House. Maybe the air is stuffy, or they don't get outside enough into the real world. It's about gambling with our livelihoods, and assuming that the great budget "surplus" is just around the corner, when we might continue going down the slide from the "Lucky Country" of wealth and privileges, to a third world economy based on cheap and plentiful labour, and internally-compounding economy of housing growth.
Overfishing and uncontrolled oceans depleting fish stocks
The Bob Barker, the Sea Shepherd ship captained by Peter Hammarstedt and best known for its campaign against the Japanese whaling fleet, has been shadowing the Nigerian-flagged Thunder through a field of pack-ice for more than three days.
The high seas cover about 50% of Earth’s surface and host a major share of the world’s biodiversity, but remain largely ungoverned. Outside of fishing, global shipping and cargoes are expected to triple by 2060. The risks of deliberate or accidental discharge of oil and other substance, noise and ship strikes will rise.
Many marine ecologists think that the biggest single threat to marine ecosystems today is overfishing. Our appetite for fish is exceeding the oceans' ecological limits with devastating impacts. According to the United Nations, over 70 percent of the world's fisheries are either 'fully exploited', 'over exploited' or significantly depleted'.
In 2010 Greenpeace added the toothfish to its seafood red list to highlight the vulnerability of slow-growing Antarctic toothfish and the overfishing of the Patagonian species.
Researchers with the University of Tasmania’s Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, said Sea Shepherd’s ships controlling illegal fishing could instead make themselves “extremely useful” if they exercised "restraint". On the contrary, "restraint" will mean the illegal activities will continue!
Sea Shepherd intercepted Thunder, a Nigerian-flagged ship, by their ship Bob Barker last week. It had taken place in international waters, where Patagonian toothfish poaching was considered an unregulated but not an illegal activity.
Sea Shepherd says Interpol, CCAMLR (Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources), the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Fishing Management Authority have all been informed of the vessel’s activities. Why aren't they actually where the illegal poaching is occurring? It's pointless having high-powered institutions with impressive names, but they are impotent unless they are actually doing something.
The Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies believes that passive monitoring of unauthorised vessels operating in those zones would be a far more effective use of Sea Shepherd’s resources? on the contrary, watching, and observing, will not achieve anything.
Whales in the Antarctic would never have been saved by "restraint" or casual observation of Japan's whaling crimes! Where are the law enforcers of our oceans?
ISIS
Sheila,
What do you think of the commentary which states that oil prices are being driven low to starve ISIS of funds. ISIS fund themselves through an oil black market. (Who is buying?)
US, oil prices and Cuba - an opinion
Here's what I think may be happening:
America is trying a desperate ploy of tearing up its own landscape, society, democracy and economy to extract embedded petroleum resources that it would previously have left there because of these costs which are economic and run counter to EROEI. It is doing this in a last ditch attempt to starve out the remaining traditional oil and gas producers, notably the Arab states like Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which then submit to it. I suspect that t is now trying to enter South American oil via Havanna, using Fidel’s brother, who seems to be a weak link. It will attempt thus to break the BRICS countries alliance and undermine Russian oil economics that way. Countries not wishing to submit to US-NATO could slow growth by reducing and sharing work, production, consumption and population growth (which is what the US did briefly at the time of the first oil shock and which the EEC/EU did long-term) until America implodes. America will resist this. The worst other countries could do is to imitate America, rip up their democracies and their landscapes, and beggar their taxpayers to feed the banks, which are a negative hole, dug by gutting resources and public assets all over the world.
There is a theory that democracy gained currency post WW2 because of its need to combat the attraction of communism, socialism and dirigism. When the USSR collapsed, it became easier to do away with real democracy and global capitalism has been niggling away at dirigist-style national economies in Europe and the civil rights of Roman law. The EU seems to be increasingly influenced by US style policy pushes and I note that Sarkosi in France began the erosion of a basic premise of Napoleonic law in permitting spouses to inherit part of the family inheritance before children. Note that compulsory equal inheritance preferencing children and then related family makes this unnecessary.
Cuba, United States, oil prices and Venezuala
Oil prices have dropped, but there are some undermining reasons for the movement. The U.S. embargo denied Cuba some of the world's best deep-water drilling technology and expertise. There are 4.6 billion barrels of undiscovered oil in Cuba but not enormous amount because not all of that oil could possibly be produced.
A factor that helped push Cuba to seek closer ties with the United States could impede major oil exploration there: low oil prices. A historic deal with the United States to renew diplomatic relations might have been Venezuelan oil.
The Saudis have contributed to falling prices by maintaining production levels, despite the drop in demand, in order to undercut oil producing countries such as Iran that are not friendly to Riyadh. Russia and Venezuela are two nations that would have been able to sustain the inexistent Cuban economy. Venezuela has been Cuba's closest ally and a fierce critic of Washington. It is obvious that Venezuela won't be able to keep on subsidizing the Castro regime with 100,000 daily oil barrels.
With the Venezuelan economy on the ropes there is a possibility of an economic collapse and a change in government that might not be as friendly with Cuba. Lower oil prices would undermine Venezuela's economy, along with end of the US's embargo on Cuba.
Washington calculates that the fall of oil prices will destabilize Venezuela and create better conditions for orchestrating a right-wing campaign to depose the Maduro government of Venezuela.
Response to claim that Russia is at war with Ukraine
I attempted to post the following to johnquiggin.com but the user interface, presumably designed to prevent forum spam, has, so far, stopped me.
Professor John Quiggin wrote:
Russia is facing a lot of difficulties because of the drastic fall in the price of oil ... along with sanctions imposed following the war with Ukraine.
The claim that Russia is directly participating in thewar in East Ukraine is contrary to all the evidence of which I am aware. The war started after the regime in Kiev, which seized power in a coup in February 2014, launched a war against 'terrorists' in the Russian-speaking regions of East Ukraine. The local self-defence forces, knowing the territory and enjoying local support have, so far, been able to beat the Ukrainian Army and their assorted mercenary allies without help from the Russian Army.
In fact, allegations of Russian intervention in Ukraine were put to President Putin and refuted by on Thursday 18 December during his marathon end-of-year press conference. The press conference lasted 3 hours and 26 minutes. Could you imagine Tony Abbott or Barack Obama facing journalists from all over the world for that length of time? they would be torn to shreds. Note that not one question was put to him by any Australian journalist in spite of the Australian media's verbose enthusiasm for Abbott's promise to "Shirt front" President Putin during the G20 summit.
The transcript was republished in full by Thierry Meyssan of Voltaire Net and I have republished it in full on my own web-site.
Contrary to what we are told my our newsmedia, Vladimir Putin is democratically elected and is immensely popular with the Russian people. (I think his approval rating is around 80%.)
Forum discussion on the 'conspiracy theory' smear
The following was posted as two separate posts to an Online Opinion Forum debate An era of deception, corruption and pure evil?. The first was not meant to be taken seriously, but I fear that it may have been. Both were posted on the afternoon of 18 December 2014.
United States Government account of 9/11 explained in a five minute video
I can see that, unlike Aidan, Pericles, Agronomist, JF Aus and 579, Arjay has not taken the effort to inform himself from the 9/11 Commission Report 1 or its video version. 2
When he does, Arjay will no doubt cease wasting our time casting such dark aspersions against those visionary leaders who have done so much to protect the world, particularly Iraq, Libya, South Sudan, Syria and Ukraine, from terror.
CIA devised label "conspiracy theorist" to prevent public discourse about JFK's murder
Back in 1964, the CIA devised the tactic of labelling anyone, who disputed the Warren Commission's finding that the lone gunman Lee Harvey Oswald murdered President John F. Kennedy, a "conspiracy theorist" in order to prevent a broad public discourse about the murder from occurring.
Fortunately, that smear did not stop Miami District Attorney Jim Garrison from attempting to prosecute one person who participated in the conspiracy to murder JFK. Oliver Stone's movie "JFK" of 1991 was based on the book "On the Trail of the Assassins", Jim Garrison's account of his efforts to seek justice.
Unfortunately, in spite of Jim Garrison's efforts, two other figures with statures similar to that of JFK, Bobby Kennedy (RFK) and Martin Luther King (MLK), were also murdered before the end of the decade. In the case of MLK, a jury trial found in 1999 that the local police and the army had conspired to murder MLK (See US. Government Guilty of Martin Luther King's Murder).
Other articles about the "conspiracy theory" smear include "Cracking The "Conspiracy Theories'" Psycholinguistic Code: The Witch Hunt against Independent Research and Analysis" (12/5/14) and "The 'Conspiracy Theory' Label: Powerful Tool of Media Disinformation and Political Discourse" (1/4/14).
Footnotes
1. ↑ Download
http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf from the United States government 9/11 Commission.
2. ↑ See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE3pMPObcGU embedded in article above or at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgrunnLcG9Q.
Re-development banks for the agricultural industry
What an excellent and provoking article by Mr David Pascoe. Perhaps a little emotional, but it hit the nail right on, in my opinion.
I am a licensed valuer in Western Australia and, at the start of my long career, in the mid-60s was a rural officer/valuer with the Commonwealth Development Bank (CDB) in Perth.
The CBD was the rural lender of last resort across Australia at that time, with the farming and pastoralist applicants then applying for development loans at 6% after first giving evidence that they had been declined by their own banks or other financial institutions and lenders for that purpose.
While carrying out my duties of inspecting the farms to determine the security value for the CBD, I interviewed and assessed the applicant farmers to establish the farm income budget and prospects as to whether the proposed loan could be serviced from present and projected income arising from the proposed development, such as increased stocking levels, further clearing and development of undeveloped land owned by the applicant, acquisition of further property to increase viability, etc.
During this time I witnessed much hardship and suffering by these somewhat pioneering families. In many cases I had to recommend that the CBD decline the applications because the development loans could not be serviced within the required format of the bank. These declined applications were usually due to poor management practices or too fanciful proposals and lack of servicing ability.
However, if these farms were re-visited today, some 45 years later, a good number of those approved and declined farmers and/or their children, would still be farming those properties today. Noticably, genuine farmers and pastoralists are in for the long haul over one to three generations in many cases.
It is well established that farmers and pastoralists depend on rainfall for their livelihood. Good and bad seasons come and go. Droughts happen across Australia, more so in the marginal areas, particularly in Queensland and NSW.
The point being made here is if the farmer or pastoralist can stick out the hard times of a drought, it usually follows that, in a normal season or seasons that follow, normality returns and farm debt can be retired amongst other things.
Mr David Pascoe suggests:
“The last thing these people need is another loan: they need a Redevelopment Bank to refinance their own loans: issuing a loan to pay off a loan is nothing more than financial suicide.”
This comment makes considerable and commercial sense to this writer.
A moratorium to defer repayment of present debt levels should be applied to genuine cases where those present debt levels cannot be serviced due to the adverse seasons experienced in the past.
An independent redevelopment bank, either at state or federal levels, could be established specifically for this purpose.
The Federal and State Governments should give serious consideration to this proposal.
The threat is us
I'm sure the many Israelis who have had friends and family killed and maimed from suicide bombers on buses will have a different take on #illridewithyou.
It's not Islam which worries me. It actually is all the Australians, or British, or whatever Western peoples is relevant at the time, who worry me.
The reason is this. We control our countries, so any changes, introducesd risks are done through policy. What concerns be, is how the media, "community leaders" and other talking heads automatically go into "apologist mode" every time. Whether its the killing of Lee Rigby, children holding signs calling for death, or one of the many incidents which seem somewhat routine, we get the same script, the same people making the same tepid comments.
"Oh, hes juse a lone wolf." "He is a 'self styled' cleric, not a real one" (he was a real one in Iran). "He's alone" (he had 14,000 facebook likes). "He's mentally unstable" (there is no diagnosis which confirms this.) The media immediately share "concern" about the image of Islam, and academics come out to calm us like we are sheep. This is the problem, the apologists are prioritising about some potential hurt feelings over victims and real threats.
How many times can people see the same pattern, and no longer keep a straight face when some TV talking head says "nothing to see here, move along...".
But the problem is us, not Islam. It is we who place feel good "PC morality" over freedom, safety and secularism. It is we who control who comes and who doesn'T. The calls for Sharia law in Britian and Europe. The riots. The thwarted terror plots. The alienation and discontent and disaffected youths. The demographic threats. All our fault. We are more interested in turning in those fellow nationals who dont hold the right idelogical attitude, dont express the right sentiments and dont subscribe to the same faith based beliefs.
When Lee Rigby was killed, there was more focus put into catching those who criticised Islam. An older lady was arrested for a tweet, while a cleric who had influence on the killer was given TV air time. This is what is the problem, the insistence to maintain this silly dogma, even of it means bad things happen to innocent people.
I can live with Islam, I just avoid migrating to their nations. But ideologoues who are willing to let real problems continue to protect their belief system HERE are a problem. It is they who undermine us, not muslims.
This relates I believe to the development and population issues. These too are enabled by thinking which undermines the right of a people to shape their population themselves, and prioritise their own hard needs over idealised policy and theories. The message is the same. There is a "good" we are working towards, and your real life losses and impingements give you no right to interfere with our ideology.
We must end our denial about the threat of Islam
The Iranian Clerics have rejected this gunman, and his "cleric" status. He's not part of an organized terror group, overseas or in Australia. As he walked into the Lindt coffee shop with his shotgun on Monday he wore a headband bearing the war cry: “We are ready to sacrifice for you, O Muhammad.” He ordered some to hold up against the window a black Shahada flag announcing: “There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”
The media has avoided using the words "muslim" and "Islam" to alleviate any reprimands and threats against multiculturallsm.
Twelve hours after the Lindt Cafe hostage crisis in Sydney began to unfold, Australians have flooded social media with “sentiments of solidarity and support” of Muslims in the community. Twitter user Sir Tessa began what has become a worldwide phenomenon, offering to sit next to members of the Islamic faith on transport if they were frightened to be seen in public wearing religious clothing. If women wear extreme "religious" and cultural clothing, they are making themselves a visible target, and representing a front line of identification with fundamentalism! If they shed their burqas and tents, and blended into the public, then they would not be visible! A pity Muslims don’t do the same to the communities they persecute.
We rarely get damaged individuals killing people in chocolate shops in the name of Buddha, or Christianity, or Judaism. Islam is not just a religion, or a unified movement, and is open to interpretation, and confusion, which seems to attract fundamentalism and extremism.
The hashtag was soon picked up by his followers, gaining support from fellow Australians who offered lifts to work, promises of protection, and friendship to anyone feeling threatened.
Not all criminals are terrorists, but all terrorists are criminals.
At the same time as the Sydney siege, at least 140 people, most of them children, have been killed when Taliban gunmen stormed a school in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. The attack as retaliation for a major military offensive in the region, saying militants had been ordered to shoot older students.
Australia is foolish to think that we are isolated and hermetically sealed from the rest of the world. Australia followed UN into the invasion of Iraq, the UN-led intervention of 1990-91 to liberate Kuwait; the war of "regime change" of 2003; and 'the third war". They describe this one as "the war against the Islamic State". Each campaign has produced endings which later turn into periods in which the intensity of violence has lessened, only to escalate again as the long war continues. The West has propagated and opened a hornet's nest of Islamic fundamentalism, and the West must close it - not go into denial.
Islam claims to be a religion of "peace", but in practice it's based on power, revenge, and violence. We don't hear Australian muslims condemning the Taliban, or ISIS, or showing solidarity with other persecuted victims.
We should stop the denial of the threat of Islam in Australia, and it's increase due to Australia's high rates of immigration and the cherished multiculturalism we are supposed to enjoy!
Thankfully other people see this
Anonymous says "Islam is a religion, but it's also a political, social and legal system, contrary to democratic ideals."
Glad I'm not the only one who sees this. The West doesn't understand Islam, because Westerners seem only to be able to interpret 'religion' through a strictly idealised, Christianised model. Because Christianity doesn't concern itself (though the Church does) with legal and moral codes and political struggle, we just apply that model to all religions, and get it wrong, wrong, wrong. Political Correctness is basically the same model.
Islam (like Judaism) isn't just about spirituality, but it is offers a more complete legal and political framework. There are even economic implications.
So "religious freedom" may mean we are free to believe and worship whatever deity, but this is only innocuous if religion is ONLY that. If we promote religious freedom and tolerance to Muslims, then reject the parts of their religion that we think aren't valid (such as the moral, political and economic aspects), then we're just putting forward cheap words and leaving people disenfranchised. We are saying "we accept your religion, but only within the definition of what WE consider religion".
People want to implicitly decide what morals and religious aspects are acceptable, while being able to denounce those who explicitly say the exact same thing.
Qld & NSW Farmers
I agree Anonymous the neo-liberal wrecking ball strikes again. I live in country Victoria and the obstacles put in front of farmers especially the family variety is unbelievable. All tiers of government of all persuasions, big business, the mainstream media, all have this moronic idea - you either get bigger or you get out. They'll never learn as we have witnessed from the spectacular failures of the Managed Investment Schemes Timbercorp and Great Southern. Nobody, but nobody runs farms better that the family farmer!!!
Farmers have enough problems running an operation that faces all the problems of the elements, plant and animal diseases, fluctuating markets, living in remote locations without having to front up to the neo-liberal goons who control governments, big business including the banks and the spineless mainstream media.
In an effort to raise awareness of the plight of these cockies, I have contacted my local federal member Sharman Stone (Lib) in an attempt to get some action in that sphere. I believe both of the major parties need jolting into reality, we have seen a sneak preview of this in Victoria recently when the Nationals lost the safe seat of Shepparton to an independent Suzanne Sheed a la Cathy McGowan at federal level. I've emailed The Age newspaper (Fairfax) making them aware of David's article. Fortunately, I don't bank with any of the big 4, they left Tongala in the lurch 15 years ago and we now have a community bank. I ask all readers to do at least the above, raise the awareness of your local politicians, harass the media and bank anywhere but the big 4.
The border control system failed to filter him out!
This former Iranian refugee confirms why we have detention centres for border security. We know this gunman claimed his “asylum seeker” status, but it’s also a confirmation that we imported this self-styled muslim “cleric” and that our system failed to filter him out!
It is reported that freedom of expression is very bad in Iran and since 2004. Actually most of the people who left the country have left because of that reason. There are many countries, including Islamic ones, in which "freedom of expression" is denied! That’s not a valid reason for seeking refuge in Australia, unless they are from a minority persecuted group- which this person wasn't from!
Our "religious freedom" in Australia is also a Trojan Horse for ideologies that transcend simple worship. Islam is a religion, but it's also a political, social and legal system, contrary to democratic ideals. There are many social practices that confront human rights, and it's exclusive, totalistic and inflexible- a magnet for extremists and fundamentalists.
Economic reasons are why many people leave Iran, but that shouldn’t justify asylum in Australia. We also are facing economic hardships and heavy cut-backs. There are a lot of “bleeding hearts” entrenched in idealism and compassion for the world’s poor, and persecuted, but most of today’s problem originate in the darkness of Islamic terror, Western power grabs, overpopulation, and the resultant political oppression.
There are also questions about why this criminal was not in prison, but on bail!
Settlement in Australia is not the solution, but a bailing-out, in many cases. Alliance with the United States, grabs for finite natural resources, and high rates of national wreckage, are bringing global problems to Australia.
Another false flag
Another false flag to advance the WW III plans of freemasonry.
Editorial comment: Whilst it is possible that some members of the Freemasonry may be complicit in the crimes of the western elites including the false flag terror of which the Martin Place siege is only the most recent of many (including USS Liberty, 911 and Ottowa) I am not aware of any evidence that the Freemasons, as a group, are conspiring to start World War 3.
Evils of land clearing and the globalization of farms
This "drought" might be the new normal for Australia, and could shift Australian farmers off their land and into the hands of multinational corporations, and foreign owners. Maybe it's a covert scheme to remove family farmers, for generations the backbone of our economy and food supply, out of the equation. Land can then be internationalized, and globalized, and run for big profits.
Studies at the University of Queensland have shown that land clearing over the past 200 years may have been as significant a factor in this country’s droughts and changing climate as increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Modelling results showed a strong correlation between climate and loss of vegetation from pre-European settlement levels, with an average summer temperature increase in eastern Australia of 0.4–2.0°C, and a 4–12 per cent decrease in summer rainfall.
Previously identified as the single greatest threat to biodiversity, at its height, millions of animals were killed each year and huge stores of carbon were released into the atmosphere due to land clearing.
Huge bulldozers using chains to drag down swathes of native bushland were a common sight in western Queensland for many years - but thanks to pressure from the community the State Government has acted to phase out broadscale land clearing by December 2006. However, the Queensland Government has been accused of opening up large-scale land clearing for the first time in more than 15 years! One of the biggest examples of that discovered is in the Gilbert catchment at Strathmore where an application for 30,000 hectares of clearing, that's about 134 Brisbane CBDs of clearing, has been granted. Last year the Queensland Government amended the state's native vegetation legislation to help facilitate what it calls high value agriculture.
The Gilbert River catchment in Queensland, between Cairns and the Gulf of Carpentaria, is being slated as one of the new agricultural frontiers in the push to make North Australia a new food bowl. (see http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2014/s3978759.htm)
Backing Joyce on the drought package, Tony Abbott claims unviable farms will not receive assistance. So it will be interesting to see what the definition of unviable is. This is neo-liberalism that allows industries to "evolve" by survival of the "fittest", at the cost of human lives and welfare. Australia now operates as a global market, with global competition. Our farmers export two thirds of what they grow and with the other third they meet nearly all of Australia's agricultural needs (we are however a net importer of processed fruit and vegetables). The ideal of a family farm is over! There is no reason that we should be the "food bowl of Asia". Every country should be aiming to be self sufficient and able to support its own population.
This is horrific
This is horrific. I did not realise the situation was so bad. We should deluge federal government representatives with complaints. As for the banks , I don't know what one can do. This article really needs to do the rounds.
About the author of Our sacred native soil
Wow! Some poem. Thank you, Anonymous, for posting it here.
Here is some info from about the author, Ian Mudie:
Writing career
Encouraged by P. R. Stephensen, who published one of his poems in his magazine The Publicist in 1937,[1] he became associated with the Jindyworobak Movement in 1939 and in 1941 moved to Sydney and became involved in Australia First. He was a friend of Miles Franklin and Colin Thiele,[1] and attracted favourable criticism from Xavier Herbert.
He took an active part in various national writers' bodies in Australia.
He was a strong critic of white Australians' treatment of Indigenous people. The Australian literary historian, Brian Clunes Ross has written,
"Ian Mudie in The Australian Dream (1943), revealed the delusory quality of the nationalist perception of Australia through its refusal to take into account the destruction of the natural environment and of Aboriginal culture… the Jindyworobaks… [were] often misrepresented by critics who claimed that the movement aimed to base Australian culture on Aboriginal culture. The Jindyworobaks were interested in Aborigines, and if white Australians are now able to recognise the grim impact of their civilisation on the Aboriginal inhabitants of the country, the Jindyworobaks are partly responsible…the Jindyworobaks… wanted to achieve a harmonious relationship between culture and the environment, and realised that Aboriginal culture embodied it. This was an example from which they could learn, not by imitation, but by coming to understand and accept the conditions which the environment imposes on them." (Australian Literature and Australian Culture)
After the Second World War Mudie conducted research into the paddlesteamers of the Murray-Darling river system and in 1961 published the book Riverboats. He also wrote the story of "The Wreck of The Admella" off the south-east coast of South Australia and "The Heroic Journey of John McDouall Stuart".
Works
Verse
Corroboree to the Sun (1940)
This Is Australia (1941)
The Australian Dream (1943)
Their Seven Stars Unseen (1943)
Poems 1934–1944 (1945)
The Blue Crane (1959)
The North-bound Rider (1963)
Look, the Kingfisher (1970)
Selected Poems 1934–1974 (1976)
Editor
Poets at War: An anthology of Verse by Australian Servicemen (1944)
The Jindyworobak Anthology (1946)
Non-fiction
Riverboats (1961)
Wreck of the Admella (1966)
The Heroic Journey of John McDouall Stuart (1968)
Vic Gov: Environment to be separate from Agriculture
Labor’s announced yesterday that it would abolish DEPI and merge agriculture with more than 10 other portfolios, including roads and transport.
Environment will be moved to an Environment, Land, Water and Planning Department.
Agriculture would be merged into a “super department” called the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources.
Environmentalists, especially people concerned about wildlife, would prefer that Environment be kept separate from agriculture, which they feel is often almost antithetical to wild spaces and harsh towards indigenous fauna.
Alan Jones on dispossession of Oz farmers - worth hearing
This is about the banks, the government and politicians, the media, facilitating foreign takeover of Australian farms. In some cases this dispossession has happened despite no mortgage payments being missed. Australian farmers living like ragged refugees, sleeping rough, begging, ashamed, in their own land. This is the same thing that candobetter is talking about - democracy, property rights, slavery ... in our own land.
First time I've ever listened to Alan Jones. Shows we should not let branding stop us from communicating. I mean, we should listen to many sources in case we find we all have more in common than we thought.
http://www.2gb.com/audioplayer/80496#rX5oL4RRbpWuXaG7.99
Download audio
Alan talks to Queensland vet, Dr David Pascoe, and to Treasurer Joe Hockey, about the plight of an 87 year old farmer driven off the land by the ANZ bank
Disturbing trend.
Its interesting to note that there is a disturbing trend, in relation to the majority of media reporting, on this incident. Considering the stakes, extremely reckless behaviour, on behalf of the media. When so many media outlets are offering up one side of a story, it speaks volumes. For those of us with questioning minds, it's what's not being said, and by who, that tells us something is terribly wrong. This is probably a good demonstration, of just how far our new media laws extend. In the end our politicians will sit on this for as long as possible, knowing full well that the nature of people, will have them forgetting about it.
Australia must remain a Pariah in climate change negotiations
Trying to mitigate anthropogenic climate change and reduce emissions against a background of huge increases in global population means that efforts to produce alternative sources of energy must continually outstrip population growth! At least if we could stabilize our population, there's a chance that the challenge can be measured, and a program of greenhouse gas emissions can be scheduled and planned within a framework, but while population numbers are exploding - even while the conference at Lima was taking place- means that the problem is getting bigger and with no terms of reference!
These climate change summits mount to almost nothing but a theatre because there is no mention of population growth. How can nations "reduce emissions" while the use of fossil fuel energy remains the main source to a growing number of people (consumers and emitters)?
Tony Abbott remains aloof about committing to climate change because our GHG emissions are largely exported, through coal and gas mining, and through meat exports. At the same time, our Ponzi model of "economic growth" requires a constant import of people, to add to the scheme of artificially inflating our GDP - while we continue to get poorer each generation. Additionally, land clearing continues to release carbon into the atmosphere, and Australia must remain a Pariah and denier in these negotiations.
Nazis in the CIA available as Vid on demand from SBS til 28 Dec
Aired on 14 December 2014 on SBS ONE Expires on 28 December 2014, 6:30pm.
Video on demand here.
"Florian Hartung and Dirk Pohlmann have reconstructed a previously unknown dimension of the collaboration between Nazis and the CIA in the Cold War. Drawing upon recently released documents, the film exposes for the first time a perfidious, worldwide net that reaches deep into the power structures of the Federal Republic of Germany. Lending their authority to the fact-finders’ mission are high-ranking statesmen, journalists and historians. (From Germany) (Documentary) (class tba)"
This is a pretty remarkable documentary. I wonder if there is a transcription available. For me it shows that the Nazis were not defeated in WW2; many of their chief actors were blackmailed to work for the CIA, using funds that the United States recovered from Nazi treasure stashes. The essence of the association was and remains for a fascist force to demolish any democratic communist or socialist movements,oppositions or goverments, using violence, assassination, torture and by supporting wars. It seems that the elites in the US truly believe that they are superior beings who owe nothing to most of the people in the world.
With these values dominating the power elite in the United States, one can understand how the black population there remains so oppressed. Slavery has never really been overthrown. The slaves were 'freed' into poverty. They were a class that totally lacked land, which is the basis of all wealth. When they formed labor movements, their leaders were assassinated. Millions of immigrants have been brought into the US to keep the black population from making any gains.
Well said!
Well said!
On SBS at 5:30PM Sunday night: Nazis in the CIA
The description from Your TV:
Florian Hartung and Dirk Pohlmann have reconstructed a previously unknown dimension of the collaboration between Nazis and the CIA in the Cold War. Drawing upon recently released documents, the film exposes for the first time a perfidious, worldwide net that reaches deep into the power structures of the Federal Republic of Germany. Lending their authority to the fact-finders' mission are high-ranking statesmen, journalists and historians.
On SBS biased reporting of MH17, Ukraine, Syria
Dear Sheila,
I’m so glad that you’ve put this work into a complaint against SBS. Sadly their news misreporting of MH17 and Ukrainian politics has passed me by – my mass media observations being more or less limited to ABC current affairs. I did however watch the ABC news on Thursday evening to see if there was anything about Poroshenko’s visit, having woken up to the shock of him being in Melbourne with Abbott that morning. And what I saw was atrocious!
While the ABC can’t be responsible for what visiting and resident war-criminals have to say, they do act as the main conduit for their propaganda, and in this case backed it up with some video afterwards showing what they described as ‘the President’s army’, and some photos of burning MH17 wreckage. Because this followed on the almost tearful performance from Petro P, describing the victims of the crash and how ‘the terrorists’ must be brought to justice, the photo of the troops and tanks supported the totally mendacious narrative, and the painting of the Novorussian defence forces as engaged in an illegitimate fight to seize territory.
I was conscious of the possibility of Poroshenko being interviewed by Lateline – but didn’t watch it last night. I did however hear a news bulletin with some of his poisonous pronouncements this morning, which must have been from an interview somewhere. But I heard that the man had given a presentation at the Lowy! - it may have been from there.
Meanwhile we have been told repeatedly that the pieces of MH17 have arrived in Holland, and that the relatives of victims will be able to see them. The crucial question of whether the cockpit section is actually there, and will be visible, has of course not been revealed. Upsettingly it is also a question that is not being asked in the alternative media, which despite the clear evidence still seems reluctant to call out the criminals who committed this double atrocity. (The other one being the innocents of East Ukraine who have died as a result of the Ukie’s attacks, and the Russians who have suffered as a result of sanctions)
Personally I have reached the point of resigned desperation; I tried several times to write letters to papers, but faced with such total ignorance of the dreadful reality, and such difficulty for people in believing that WE are the terrorists and criminals, I am rather paralysed. And a bit like Russia’s leaders I am giving up on ‘The West’...
Complaint sent to SBS about MH17 biased reporting
Letter of complaint to SBS sent today
Dangerously biased reporting on MH17 helps fan war and human suffering
Dear Sir/Madam,
I have a serious complaint to make about the way you attributed guilt in the MH17 tragedy that took place in Ukraine this year in your news service of 11 December 2014. You have reported as if the official investigation were over and official reports had been released, but this is not so. Your report was based on politically motivated rumours and little, if any, substance. SBS's misreporting is particularly serious given the extreme tensions in this region of the world, which are based on historical competition and colonialism for trade and exploitation of oil. There has also been an utterly rotten failure to report what actually happened in Odessa, Ukraine on 3 May.
Our own Primeminister has behaved in a regrettably gung-ho manner in the matter of MH17 and Petroshenko, a man of gangster-like reputation, seems to preside over a state where a neo-nazi party supplies most of the security services. The world needs critical reporting on these matters and politics. At the moment we are all at the mercy of a propaganda war. Please help to combat this instead of contributing to it. I cut and paste below an article about your biased reporting, with references to evidenced reporting,noting that the ABC has recently apologised for a similar bias and acknowledged a lack of evidence.
Sincerely,
Sheila Newman
http://candobetter.net/node/1882
Rubber hits the road
Local council are where the rubber hits the road of high rates of housing and population growth, and where the overloaded services costs blow out. Local councils do not have the ability to make laws, or change laws, and are superficially meant to collect the garbage, cut public trees, ensure street lighting and approve of building plans.
Federal governments are responsible for "growth" agendas, but Councils are at the forefront of having to cope with it - without redress to change law and policies.
Angry Mayors: how population growth frustrates local councils
The level of frustration with inadequate finance for required infrastructure upgrades is high, and population growth is the reason behind rate hikes. Local government finance reform is overdue.
If Councils can't cope with the growth, they are criticized, but rate payers are forced to pay the costs not at the decision-making level, but at a level that has no say regarding our demographics.
Budget deficit gets worse!
More cuts, new spending and a deeper deficit will be spelt out in the federal government's budget update next week. Mr Hockey said in a Sky News interview today that a return to budget surplus would be pushed out beyond 2018 given economic conditions.
"There have been good signs this year that the economy is strengthening. We want to keep that momentum going," he said.
Treasurer Joe Hockey will release the mid-year economic and fiscal outlook on Monday, which economists say could reveal a deficit for 2014/15 upwards of $35 billion.
Nominal GDP growth in 2014/15 will fall short of the 3% forecast in May, potentially being lowered to 1.0%. The drop in the terms of trade has proven to be sharper than expected and real GDP growth may be closer to 2.25% than the 2.50% previously expected.
Former demographer with UN Population Division, Dr Joseph Chamie, said that Ponzi demography is essentially a pyramid scheme that attempts to make more money for some by adding on more and more people through population growth. “Economic growth requires population growth” is the basic message that Ponzi demography wants the public to swallow. No mention is made of the additional profits they reap and the extra costs the public bears.
Is population growth a Ponzi Scheme?
Australia has had 22 years of continuous population growth, but today we are not wealthier and more prosperous than before, but suffering from multiple razor attacks to public services, the dismantling of Medicare by stealth, deregulation towards neo-liberalism, lower tax benefits and welfare. Surely the elusive bonus "surplus" is just around the corner, and maybe a reality by 2018? Until then, governments and economist continue with the same failing economic model based on perpetual economic and population growth!
Standard economics doesn't even discuss how energy is tied into growth, which it sees as the outcome of interactions between capital and labor. It is evident that increasing production and consumption is rightly called economic growth only up to the economic limit. Beyond that point it becomes uneconomic growth because it increases costs by more than benefits, making us poorer, not richer.
The sooner nations reject Ponzi demography and make the needed gradual transition from ever-increasing population growth to population stabilization, the better the prospects for all of humanity and other life on this planet.
Africa's giraffes are disappearing
Africa’s giraffes are silently disappearing and few countries have policies in place to help slow their quiet extinction. According to estimates from the Giraffe Conservation Research group, there are now only 80,000 giraffes in Africa, compared to 140,000 in 1999.
Fifteen years ago about 140,000 giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) roamed the plains and forests of Africa. Today that number has plummeted by more than 40 percent, according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF).
As human numbers go up, West African giraffe numbers go down. Human population increase has had a severe impact on the West African giraffe. As the population increased, humans began living closer to the giraffes and cutting down trees, resulting in habitat loss.
As with so many other species, the causes of this decline include habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, overhunting and poaching.
Human beings are currently causing the greatest mass extinction of species since the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. If recent trends continue one half of all species of life on earth will be extinct in less than 100 years, as a result of habitat destruction, pollution, invasive species, and climate change.
Petition: Save giraffes from extinction
Our planet is dying. The Living Planet report, produced by WWF (once called the World Wildlife Fund) in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London, has found that the number of vertebrates – mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish – on earth has fallen by more than half since 1970. The number of insects worldwide had fallen by 45 per cent since the Seventies, while human populations had almost doubled. The report concludes that today’s average global rate of consumption would need 1.5 planet Earths to sustain it. That leaves little room for our iconic mega fauna, famous in stories, zoos and picture book, and if even these keystone species fall off our overpopulated and razed planet, then there's little hope for the small, seemingly normal and insignificant species that have a rightful place on the Earth's web of Life!
Rewilding
Great article.
I would like to share this link of an article I read just before by George Monbiot, on a similar subject.
"Civilisation is Boring"
http://www.monbiot.com/2014/12/09/civilisation-is-boring/
He is a proponent of "rewilding". Brining the wild meso and mega fauna back, and being in closer contact with nature, not just the polariod beauty, but the risks, the adventure to reconnect with something deep within us, which lies dormant in civilised society.
The screen can never be a substitute for real life. We're forgetting how to live.
Videos on land-speculation and Victoria's new protest laws
The Guardian is running a couple of good videos. One is about property speculation and disruption of communities, creation of slums. However the Guardian says NOTHING about population growth and how the speculating countries rely on forcing population growth up, mostly through high immigration. The Guardian has also recently fueled world hostilities by publishing rumours about the MH17 tragedy being caused by Russia, when there is no proof of this. This is incredibly dangerous for world peace. So, the Guardian is not a force for good, just a wolf in sheep's clothing like most other mainstream news sources.
The second video gives us a good run-down on new protest laws in Victoria, Australia.
Population growth dilutes generational wealth
Australia finished World War II with seven and a half million people and the memory of near-invasion by Japanese forces. The 2 per cent population growth goal adopted then had widespread community support. . Immigration has been a significant contributor to Australia's population growth. Since September 2005, net overseas migration has overtaken natural increase as the main component of population growth. After the end of World War II, Australia embarked upon a fantastic baby boom in tandem with a “populate or perish” approach to its immigration program. By 2011 Australia’s population had passed 22 million and today the population clock has just ticked past over 23 million, underscoring a very rapid pace of growth. Population growth has helped produce a strong economy, but now it's being used to prop up an ailing GDP.
The Grattan Institute should be reporting on increasing poverty, not older people "capturing" our wealth! The emphasis should be that population growth is diluting the wealth that we had, when land and housing was cheap, jobs were readily available, and we were the "Lucky Country" of opportunities. The Grattan Institute is being divisive, and politically-correct by avoiding the downward slide of heavy population growth, and diseconomies of scale. Profiling one sector of our society, older people, as an economic burden would be scandalous if it were some ethnic, religious or migrant group, but older Australians are fair targets!
It's assumed that migrants bring skills, and are young, but migrants age too.
Professor Hugo says Greek and Italian migration in the 20th century is a good example. "Hundreds of thousands of Greek and Italian migrants came to Australia to seek a better life and to fill skills shortages over a number of decades in the 20th century. Today, we have a large ageing migrant population in those communities," he says.
Population growth means that each generation's wealth is diluted when it's passed onto to an increasingly large pool of people - and as each generation gets bigger, our economy becomes more and more burdened and overloaded with less surplus to share.
OUR SACRED NATIVE SOIL
TERRA AUSTRALIS
This is Australia, this is each one's earth
that is Australian, this soil is sacred
now and forever for each one for whom
the vision of this land resurgent ever stirs
in every landscape, for each one that sees
in every town and township, every house
and paddock, every street and track
each patch of untouched bush, each wasted acre
that the greed of sheep or wheat or axe
has furrowed and scarred and swept
and ploughed to barrenness, for each that sees
as his own body and as mighty all this land.
This is Australia, each tree and bush, each hill,
each mountain, each vast plain where dust-storms
ride the ancient beds of ancient seas,
each headland set to face the surf,
each creek, long dry, that thunders when the rains
break their all-feeding benediction on the earth,
each rock that carving bears or tribal myth explains,
each billabong the heron's grey reflection shows,
each jungle-patch along the north-east shores,
each valley and each gully where the euro runs,
each foot of earth, each stick, each grain of dust,
makes, and is ever part of, each Australian.
This is Australia, this is the land
whose sons and daughters are forever blind
and deaf to all its mystery; this is the land
barren of lovers; this is the land defiled
by those whose flesh is quarried from its earth;
this is the land whose sons and daughters turn
their faces from it, holding always
vain dreams in their small minds of their own greatness
greater than it; this is the land whose children
fear it, being so small and petty-mean
that never in their hearts is courage great enough
for them to love its beauty and immensity.
This is Australia. This is the land
now raising new the spirit of its earth;
this is the land that now a few do love
fiercely and fearlessly; this is the land
that now has found a few to call
its vision from the cupboard of neglect
and set it up for every man to see.
This is the land preparing for those
who shall acknowledge their full fellowship
with every fistful of its soil, those who shall hold
that soil as their own flesh, those who shall be
consecrated in their loyalty. Ian Mudie 1940 [Jindyworobak]
Greenpeace - publicity stunt in Peru gone wrong
In their zealotry, Greenpeace have make a terrible error of judgement in their effort to bring the world's attention to climate change, in Peru! The written the words "TIME FOR CHANGE The future is renewable Greenpeace" near the iconic and sacred Nazca lines. Activism to bring the world's attention to the important issue of climate change should not be at the expense of a nation's history, sovereignty and respect!
Peru will seek criminal charges against Greenpeace activists who it says damaged the world-renowned Nazca lines by leaving footprints in the adjacent desert during a publicity stunt.
On their facebook page, Greenpeace International states, “We can assure you that absolutely NO damage was done. The message was written in cloth letters that laid on the ground without touching the Nazca lines. It was assessed by an experienced archaeologist, ensuring not even a trace was left behind.” However important it is to get the message out to the world on climate change, it should not be at the cost of national sensitivities and basic common sense.
Technology
We forget that technology and medicine are probably the largest contributors to increasing standards of living, as well as political and economic reforms.
Where would we be without penicillin, anaesthesia, antibiotics, the microchip, solar power, the telephone? Democracy and freedom of speech? Separation of Church and State? Where would we be without good implementations of these systems and ideas?
If you think about it, technology has greatly increased the productive output of each power (and in theory, should continue to do so). A worker today can't afford a home that one in the 1960's could have brought, but the worker today, if they are on the factory floor, is much more efficient, due to better machinery and practices.
Yet we waste this production on worthless consumption, and creating "bulls$%t" jobs in administration and services because we can't adapt to change. Thats the shame, that each individual can do so much more, but ends up with less and less, because our system is geared towards destruction and waste, disposability.
In the "Post Growth" world, we could see many opportunities. The opportunity to bring workmanship and pride back into manufacture, instead of cheap, nasty dispoability. The opportunity to spend less time chasing non-value adding consumption and pursue other activities. We build units purely to flip them. Who cares if they don't last. What a waste of resources.
Grattan Institute pits younger generation against older!
According to their new report, Wealth of Generations, older Australians are capturing a growing share of Australia’s wealth, while the wealth of younger Australians has stagnated, a new Grattan Institute report finds.
The housing boom plus rapid increases in government payments on pensions and services for older people risks creating a generation of young Australians with a lower standard of living than that of their parents at a similar age. The "housing boom" is because of high population growth, back to back on the demographic Ponzi scheme of constant population growth!
Worst affected were 25 to 34-year olds who had less wealth than people of the same age eight years before – even though they saved more than did people of that age in the past. In 2010, governments spent $9400 more per household over 65 than they did six years before. Much of the increased spending was funded by budget deficits. Future taxpayers will have to repay the debt. So, this generation is "borrowing" money that belongs to future generations, before they even exist?
In the past, each generation took out more from the budget over its lifetime than it put in . This “generational bargain” was sustainable when incomes rose quickly – the norm for 70 years. The more of us there are, the more our wealth must be diluted, and spread out!
The generational bargain is at risk because government transfers from younger to older cohorts are now so large that future budgets may not be able to afford them. There's an insinuation that the misfortune of this generation, and that of future generations, is somehow the fault of the "ageing population" of baby-boomers who had it good!
Download the report
The housing price boom was a result of increasingly available credit, falling interest rates, and construction of new dwellings not keeping up with population growth in large cities. Older people who bought humble houses are now "wealthy" due to inflation, not for "capturing" or "stealing" our nation's wealth.
As the population ages and the number of people in these age groups swells, the relative cost of those aged 60 and over will rise. Obviously, there can't be a baby boom, or immigration boom, without a resultant "boom" of older people down the track.
An ageing population and falling terms of trade will drag on growth. Some also predict much slower growth in productivity. Rather, we should be more concerned by the huge number of young people being outcast by our economy, due to lack of jobs! How can they afford to retire in the future, without savings and superannuation?
Some economists warn that the potential for reduced economic growth over the next few decades means there may be less scope for dramatic technology-driven improvements in living standards similar to those in the past. Lower growth substantially reduces the improvement in living standards from one generation to the next. It also makes capital gains more important. Rather, our massive and booming population growth has been based on advertising our housing and living standards to the overseas market, meaning that it's eroded.
The Productivity Commission estimates that state and commonwealth government health spending will increase from 6.5% of GDP in 2011-12 to almost 11% in 2059-60. On the contrary, people today are living longer, and healthier lives and more are self-funding their retirements than before. Older people contribute a huge army of volunteers, and family supports, helping working aged people in child and care of the sick and elderly.
The generational bargain has served Australia well. Yet it will be undermined if some generations are asked to do more than their fair share, as if older generations are over-consuming and vilified as being an economic drain? It makes the older generations, who've worked hard and built our nation, are "taking more than their share" of the nation's wealth, and are something that our economy won't be able to afford in the future?
According to ABS population growth projections, Australia’s total dependency ratio – defined as the ratio of the non-working population, both children (<20 years old) and the elderly (over 65 years old), to the working age population – is worst under the ABS’ “high growth” (Panel A) scenario, thereby placing a question mark over Bloxo’s claim (HSBC Australia’s chief economist, Paul Bloxham) that high immigration is required to mitigate the impacts of population ageing.
Macrobusiness: Bloxo calls for bigger population Ponzi
The cost of "progress"!
For example, the Australian economy set to record 22 years of consecutive growth yet we are being told that our lifestyles cannot be maintained, and next generations will not have the benefits for this, or past generations. It's a downward slide, and increasing scarcity, not a progress!
Budget surpluses are shrinking, and more people must be serviced with less!
By no means all economists are agreed that GDP is an effective tool for measuring our well being. The problem with GDP as a measure of human welfare is that GDP only measures financial transactions on goods and services. This leads to the rather odd situation that bushfires mean a rise in GDP yet people volunteering to care for disadvantaged people does not count. Many disasters can stimulate the GDP, and spending, but are not desirable.
The high population densities do not mean that more people mean prosperity, but that prosperity spurs people to have more children. India and Egypt have recently acknowledged that their huge populations impede economic and social progress, but a recognition of an issue is not enough.
The ability to save lives and create better medical treatment has been increased lifespan and the growth of the population. Illnesses that had claimed thousands of lives till now were cured because of the invention of vaccines. Better obstetrics has also reduce child birth deaths, and infant mortality.
Another problem is the loss of the concept of nation-hood. Some have argued that national identities are declining, due to increasing globalisation, the growth of supra-national organisations such as EU, the increasing multicultural nature of our societies. World War I destroyed many of Europe's old monarchies, and weakened France and Britain. Many African and Asian colonies became independent in the 1960s. The new underdeveloped countries could become developed, but their economic situation generally grew worse as their structures were destroyed along with their traditional ways of life, mateship patterns, ancestral ties, and identities.
Too many people means to many uncontrolled mess and chaos. The world cannot live in peace with overpopulation.
Dr Paul Ehrlich says: " Too many people – and especially too many politicians and business executives – are under the delusion that such a disastrous end to the modern human enterprise can be avoided by technological fixes that will allow the population and the economy to grow forever. But if we fail to bring population growth and over-consumption under control — the number of people on Earth is expected to grow from 6.5 billion today to 9 billion by the second half of the 21st century.."
What's the objective of GDP growth?
Lowe claims that Australians had gotten too accustomed to a world beating economy and .... that a factor boosting the economic outlook is population growth! Population growth is being used to prop up our GDP, and it's an admission that the cost of this model of "growth" is more poverty and lower standards of living! It's sacrificing individual wellbeing for the so-called common good of a bigger GDP!
We need a re-definement of what we want for economic growth, and what has to "grow"! Unless we have a human-friendly, and wholesome long term gains, than GDP growth is detrimental - except for capital owners and investors!
There needs to be a multi-dimensional definition of what we expect from our economy. It should include environmental protection, iconic natural ecosystems, personal wellbeing,
full employment, and standards of living. There are some severe conflicts of interests within the RBA. It's about short-term monetary gain over long term sustainability, and even survival. Overpopulating Vanuatu would bring a boom for land owners and businesses, if they have the resources to keep stocking up to meet demands, but at the cost of mass starvation, crime, stress, environmental vandalism, conflicts and eventually annihilation? They would not be the first civilization to die off from greed, mismanagement of finite resources, and overpopulation!
Congress Declares War Against Russia Bipartisan Ridicule Follows
From
Congress has pretty much just declared war on Russia ... and is receiving condemnation and ridicule from conservatives and liberals alike.
Conservative former long-time congressman Ron Paul writes
Today the US House passed what I consider to be one of the worst pieces of legislation ever.
***
In fact, the bill was 16 pages of war propaganda that should have made even neocons blush, if they were capable of such a thing.
These are the kinds of resolutions I have always watched closely in Congress, as what are billed as “harmless” statements of opinion often lead to sanctions and war. I remember in 1998 arguing strongly against the Iraq Liberation Act because, as I said at the time, I knew it would lead to war. I did not oppose the Act because I was an admirer of Saddam Hussein – just as now I am not an admirer of Putin or any foreign political leader – but rather because I knew then that another war against Iraq would not solve the problems and would probably make things worse. We all know what happened next.
That is why I can hardly believe they are getting away with it again, and this time with even higher stakes: provoking a war with Russia that could result in total destruction!
If anyone thinks I am exaggerating about how bad this resolution really is, let me just offer a few examples from the legislation itself:
The resolution (paragraph 3) accuses Russia of an invasion of Ukraine and condemns Russia’s violation of Ukrainian sovereignty. The statement is offered without any proof of such a thing. Surely with our sophisticated satellites that can read a license plate from space we should have video and pictures of this Russian invasion. None have been offered. As to Russia’s violation of Ukrainian sovereignty, why isn’t it a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty for the US to participate in the overthrow of that country’s elected government as it did in February? We have all heard the tapes of State Department officials plotting with the US Ambassador in Ukraine to overthrow the government. We heard US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland bragging that the US spent $5 billion on regime change in Ukraine. Why is that OK?
The resolution (paragraph 11) accuses the people in east Ukraine of holding “fraudulent and illegal elections” in November. Why is it that every time elections do not produce the results desired by the US government they are called “illegal” and “fraudulent”? Aren’t the people of eastern Ukraine allowed self-determination? Isn’t that a basic human right?
The resolution (paragraph 13) demands a withdrawal of Russia forces from Ukraine even though the US government has provided no evidence the Russian army was ever in Ukraine. This paragraph also urges the government in Kiev to resume military operations against the eastern regions seeking independence.
The resolution (paragraph 14) states with certainty that the Malaysia Airlines flight 17 that crashed in Ukraine was brought down by a missile “fired by Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine.” This is simply incorrect, as the final report on the investigation of this tragedy will not even be released until next year and the preliminary report did not state that a missile brought down the plane. Neither did the preliminary report – conducted with the participation of all countries involved – assign blame to any side.
Paragraph 16 of the resolution condemns Russia for selling arms to the Assad government in Syria. It does not mention, of course, that those weapons are going to fight ISIS – which we claim is the enemy -- while the US weapons supplied to the rebels in Syria have actually found their way into the hands of ISIS!
Paragraph 17 of the resolution condemns Russia for what the US claims are economic sanctions (“coercive economic measures”) against Ukraine. This even though the US has repeatedly hit Russia with economic sanctions and is considering even more!
The resolution (paragraph 22) states that Russia invaded the Republic of Georgia in 2008. This is simply untrue. Even the European Union – no friend of Russia – concluded in its investigation of the events in 2008 that it was Georgia that “started an unjustified war” against Russia not the other way around! How does Congress get away with such blatant falsehoods? Do Members not even bother to read these resolutions before voting?
In paragraph 34 the resolution begins to even become comical, condemning the Russians for what it claims are attacks on computer networks of the United States and “illicitly acquiring information” about the US government. In the aftermath of the Snowden revelations about the level of US spying on the rest of the world, how can the US claim the moral authority to condemn such actions in others?
Chillingly, the resolution singles out Russian state-funded media outlets for attack, claiming that they “distort public opinion.” The US government, of course, spends billions of dollars worldwide to finance and sponsor media outlets including Voice of America and RFE/RL, as well as to subsidize “independent” media in countless counties overseas. How long before alternative information sources like RT are banned in the United States? This legislation brings us closer to that unhappy day when the government decides the kind of programming we can and cannot consume – and calls such a violation “freedom.”
The resolution gives the green light (paragraph 45) to Ukrainian President Poroshenko to re-start his military assault on the independence-seeking eastern provinces, urging the “disarming of separatist and paramilitary forces in eastern Ukraine.” Such a move will mean many more thousands of dead civilians.
To that end, the resolution directly involves the US government in the conflict by calling on the US president to “provide the government of Ukraine with lethal and non-lethal defense articles, services, and training required to effectively defend its territory and sovereignty.” This means US weapons in the hands of US-trained military forces engaged in a hot war on the border with Russia. Does that sound at all like a good idea?
There are too many more ridiculous and horrific statements in this legislation to completely discuss. Probably the single most troubling part of this resolution, however, is the statement that “military intervention” by the Russian Federation in Ukraine “poses a threat to international peace and security.” Such terminology is not an accident: this phrase is the poison pill planted in this legislation from which future, more aggressive resolutions will follow. After all, if we accept that Russia is posing a “threat” to international peace how can such a thing be ignored? These are the slippery slopes that lead to war.
Liberal former long-time congressman Dennis Kucinich agrees:
H. Res. 758 ... is tantamount to a ‘Declaration of Cold War’ against Russia, reciting a host of grievances, old and new, against Russia which represent complaints that Russia could well make against the U.S., given our nation’s most recent military actions: Violating territorial integrity, violations of international law, violations of nuclear arms agreements.
Congress’ solution? Restart the Cold War!
The resolution demands Russia to be isolated and for “the President, in consultation with Congress, to conduct a review of the force posture, readiness and responsibilities of United States Armed Forces and the forces of other members of NATO to determine if the contributions and actions of each are sufficient to meet the obligations of collective self-defense [my emphasis] under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, and to specify the measures needed to remedy any deficiencies…” In other words, ‘let’s get ready for war with Russia.’
This is exactly the type of sabre rattling which led to the initiation and escalation of the Cold War. It is time we demanded that the U.S. employ diplomacy, not more military expenditures, in the quest for international order.
It is time the U.S. stepped out of this expensive dialectic of conflict and seek to rebuild diplomatic relations with Russia and set aside the risky adventurism in the name of NATO.
The libertarian website Antiwar points out:
The bill includes a bizarre litany of complaints, starting with President Obama’s announced “reset” of Russian relations in 2009 and then accusing Russia of doing things in response, including things that happened in 2008 or before like the Russo-Georgian War.
It also complains that the Ukrainian military isn’t as big as Russia’s military, which seems like the obvious result of Russia being a way, way bigger country.
The most bizarre aspect of the bill, however, comes near the end, when they complain about Russia’s state-sponsored media broadcasting in languages other than Russian across Europe and the rest of the world to gain influence.
Which Russian state-sponsored media does, but the bill then explicitly turns around and calls for the US state-sponsored media to expand dramatically across Europe, and particularly in Russian language, insisting this is vital for “multi-lateral cooperation.”
The bill also demands Russia “seek a mutually beneficial relationship with the United States” in clause 21, after half of the 20 previous clauses call on President Obama or others to take explicitly hostile action toward the Russian economy or military.
Nonpartisan, veteran investigative reporter John Pilger sums it up:
Resolution 758 ... in a nutshell, says: “Let’s get ready for war with Russia.”
Bottom line?
Both conservative and liberal financial experts say that the U.S. is desperately trying to start World War 3 ... even though the American public doesn't want it.
Melbourne planning destroys democracy & the environment
Thank you Vivienne, for this very necessary comment, which you really should have posted as an article.
Prof Stuart White professing to be able to make our cities as 'sustainable' as they need to be - sounds like he has no concern for democracy, self-determination, or even that bastardisation of democracy, 'choice'.
This is all hung, of course, on the myth that populations have to grow and the third world is pushing at our door. We are being driven down the same road as Ethiopia and the Congo, by the same 19th and 20th century mentalities. /node/4147
And, as for the theoretical capacity to make cities 'sustainable'; this continually runs into the hurdle of politics, which means that it just never works out that way.
But if you live a privileged life, like the planners who become rich by pushing other people around, you aren't likely to be exposed to the reality that most people have to put up.
The planners are not just sociopathic in their values and opportunism, they are ecopathic in their blythe destruction of our natural environment, cruel in their taking of what sustains other creatures, base in their reduction of the natural world to insects and microbes that can survive in cities, along with a few rats and seagulls.
A big irony is that Melbourne was actually planned for large open natural spaces and real 'livability' (not the false 'livability' manufactured by a cabal of economists and neo-cons that rule us). We have largely destroyed this really great planning heritage. One of the most loathsome actions against it was carried out by the Steve Bracks government, when it gave 20ha of Royal Park to Australand for the construction of a new private suburb, occasioning the removal of thousands of trees and the abrogation of a large part of Melbourne's public land. This commercial act of vandalism by a Labour government was carried out on one of our largest, oldest and most far-sighted planned parks, which was set aside by Governor Charles La Trobe in 1845.
The planners of today run roughshod over the original planning of Melbourne, as though they were deaf, dumb and blind.
Large cities are nowhere
Get a list of cities by population. Sort by population from largest to smallest.
People (a few) think that population brings relevancy. Wrong! Demonstrably so! This list may have familiar names, but how have these cities changed the world? Some will be unfamiliar completely. Seattle was a city in the 90s that had relevance. It is under 700,000 people today, presumably less back then.
In fact, there is probably no more guaranteed way (aside from nuking it) to make a city go from something to nothing, than blindly artificially increasing its population.
The future belongs to those cities which maintain their identity, to those which strive to remain somewhere.
Catalyst is stuck firmly in the 20th century, or 19th, or 18th. Cities are the result of requiring masses of labour to live in close proximity to the means of production. Does that sound like what we need for the future? What industries today require masses of labour close by? What function does a city serve today? Automation and IT are making mega cities obsolete.
Catalyst: future cities
Catalyst: Future cities
Thursday 4th December ABC
The media abounds with visions of gloomy, automated megacities or totally sustainable ecological utopias but how do these futuristic visions relate to the development of Australian cities over the next eighty years?
With soaring populations, how will we keep our cities liveable? And what will the city of tomorrow look like? Catalyst reporter, Anja Taylor explores some innovative ideas to enhance our future cities.
There was never any discussion, or options, than the assumption that our population would continue to "soar", and what other options we had for our cities! Planning experts were consulted about how we can have "sustainable" cities, and more of them in Australia!
Shallow programming never allowed any questioning of this dire future, of existence rather than liveable cities. There was no mention of food security, democratic input, housing affordability, and climate change was only given lip-service - of "green" buildings. Unfortunately, Catalyst did not seek an alternative opinion from the Sustainable Population Party.
Professor Stuart White, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Futures, said that we could make our cities as "sustainable" as they need to be. The word "sustainable" has become an oxymoron, with little meaning! What is missing is often the institutional arrangements, the political will. So everywhere we look in the work we do, we find that these are the barriers that need to be overcome.
Professor Rob Adams said: "Not only I'm confident that we can actually double the population, it'll be good for the cities".
Australia's population is projected to reach up to 70 million by the end of this century. The extra space we'll need to live like this is mind-boggling. There was never any questioning of this ABS data, and how such large growth was to be "projected"!
Rob Adams's challenge today is even tougher - to accommodate double Melbourne's population in the next few decades without losing liveability. He believes it's entirely possible. Of course, this response in predictable considering that he is a growth-ist and is currently the Director City Design at the City of Melbourne and the Vice Chair of the Urbanization Council of the World Economic Forum. He's had over 40 years experience as an Architect and Urban Designer and 30 years at the City of Melbourne. His vested interests in housing and city growth will fuel his profession, and the hip pockets of architects and planners, for decades to come.
Dr Julian Bolleter is an Assistant Professor at the Australian Urban Design Research Centre (AUDRC) at the University of Western Australia. His role at the AUDRC includes teaching a master’s program in urban design and conducting urban design research and design projects. He said that decentralising the population means that each new city could be a small city. This means massive infrastructure investments, more land clearing and the massive costs of city-building. Julian believes linked mega regions like these are the only way we can hope to accommodate a potential population of 70 million without destroying our environment.
Despite all the challenges increasing populations bring, our city planners remain optimistic we can adapt well to our future. City Planners are not responsible for food security, lifestyle choices, jobs or natural resources.
It's an understatement that our lives will be "different" with the massive population growth being "projected" to keep up our GDP! We need to redefine what our economy is aiming for, rather than just "growth" of housing and people!
An overloaded ship can't be efficient, weather storms and maintain balance. We need a policy for a sustainable population size, one that can be enduring and thus ensure our lifestyles remain enjoyable and liveable. These academics have their heads in the sand, or have been blinded by the vested interests of property developers and mortgage lenders.
There's a difference between living in harmony with Nature, and Her constraints, than mere existence and suffering.
Recently, more attention has been paid to natural environments, as well as to how humans affect those environments. Encounters with nearby nature help alleviate mental fatigue by relaxing and restoring the mind.
The rapid pace of urbanisation is an important marker of the societal transition at large that has occurred over the past 30 years. Urban living can be threatening if you haven’t enough space of your own, if you experience insufficient security or live under unstable economic conditions. Stress increases with the anticipation of adverse situations and the fear of not having the adequate resources to respond to them.
The only voice of any reason from continual growth was from Dr Julian Bolleter who said that by about mid-century, really we can't just continue to grow our capital cities. Otherwise we'll end up with mega cities, which is a Sydney of 12 million, a Melbourne of 15 million. When that happens, our liveability will begin to drop away. Congestion, pollution, affordability issues will mean that the quality of life those cities offer declines.
It's anthropocentric to think that humans can overwhelm our landscape, and keep destroying flora, fauna habitats and ecosystems.
RBA are clueless
Glenn Stevens and the RBA in general are near useless. Rather than taking decisive action, they've resorted to talking our economy up and and talking the dollar down. Jawboning instead of action.
Reading their decisions, it seems their philosophy is "wait and see". Australia is heading towards recession, and they, sit. Our housing bubble is out of control and they, sit. The keep interest rates low, which fuels the bubble, but no one is taking any macro-economic measures to control it. No one in Australia in a position of power wants to actually take decisive action!
Mr Stevens is taking the LNP approach to leadership, refuse to do anything... He will remain oblivious to the next crisis like he was with the last one.
China's growth to slow and stagnate
I predict that China will continue to grow, albeit at a smaller and smaller rate, eventually stagnating.
We must be clear. China is not taking over the world, they are inheriting a world in which the dominant superpower is commiting suicide.
This has implications for Australia. Our political class refuses to recognise that the USA is in decline, and much more importantly WHY. We are repeating the USA's mistake, and hitching our wagon to China, with the belief that it China's ascent is their making, and not the result of Western suicide and globalist agendas. This means that with the refusal to acknowledge the cause of Americas decline, we overestimate China (by underestimating how much the USA has compromised itself). Americas decline is based on many factors, growth, open borders, rule by billionaires, democracy by oligarchs and vested interests, greed and consumption, plutocracy and significant wealth disparities. These are values our political class value and our media admonishes us for being skeptical of.
America no longer a super power
The International Monetary Fund released a report last month that showed that China has surpassed the US as the world’s biggest economy. The IMF estimated the Chinese gross domestic product this year will be $US17.6 trillion, compared to the US’ $US17.4 trillion.
Deutsche Bank also pointed out that on a PPP basis, the US’ share of world output has dropped below 20 per cent, which historically has been the tipping point of whether a country or empire has been considered a global superpower.
China is the fastest growing large economy in the world. By contrast, the United States is stagnating, and increasingly finds itself facing the internal pressures of domestic and social problems, which take up time and money.
China assuming its natural position as Asia’s economic leader and following its newfound superpower status to a logical and even constructive conclusion. China is on pace to become the second country in history, after the US, to have a single-year $US10 trillion GDP, something that comes with opportunities and expectations that no responsible leadership can ignore.
America's problem is overpopulation, thanks to huge third world immigration! Obama is not facing up to the facts. They suffer from thousands of cases of female genital mutilation, multiple honor killings, beheadings, be-handings, religious violence toward women, arranged marriages and self-segregation by our Islamic immigrants. America will import 100,000,000 (million) legal immigrants from at least 140 failed countries. In other words, their people flee those countries due to overpopulation, religious conflicts, poverty and starvation.Official figures predict that the invasion past their southern borders will increase next year to an additional 130,000. Housing and feeding this Third World flood will cost U.S. taxpayers $2 billion, up from $868 million this year. China, on the other hand, has little immigration and population control, and can accumulate wealth. Nov. 20 statement, Obama announced an executive order stating that new immigration policies must be implemented. The order allows illegal immigrants to apply for citizenship without fear of deportation if they have lived in the United States for over five years, have children who are American citizens, pass a criminal background check and are willing to pay taxes.
Frosty Wooldridge says that America's overpopulation predicament is the most ignored, avoided and suppressed issue of our time. But it will prove the most destructive to our country.
The one-child policy was introduced in 1979 by Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping to curb China’s rapidly growing population. At the time it was approximately 970 million. In late 2013, as part of a package of social, economic and legal reforms, the Chinese government amended the one-child policy to allow couples to have a second child if either parent instead of both is an only child. China’s one-child policy is estimated to have prevented up to 400 million births since it was instituted 35 years ago. By reducing the number of dependents per household and freeing more women to enter the workforce, population control efforts have helped lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and contributed to China's spectacular economic growth.
Australia Day Native Australian Award
AUSTRALIA FIRST PARTY
-: Whatever will benefit Australia - that we are for;
whatever will harm Australia - that we are against. William Lane :-
PRESS RELEASE
Nominations for the Native Australian Award
THE ORDER OF THE TOAD
are invited from Australian Citizens,
to be formally declared on
AUSTRALIA DAY
26th January 2015
GENERAL CRITERIA.
This award is derived from the vernacular heritage of Australia’s pioneering peoples, who applied the term to those who betrayed fairdinkum values, or undertook what were considered un-Australian activities. The graphic symbol of the award, Bufo Marinus, [Cane Toad] should exemplify the character of any nominee - a terminal despoiler, necessitating complete removal from any influence in our Australian civilisation.
Nominations are restricted to individuals who could be classed either as Native Australian, or as an assimilable post war immigrant.
Persons nominated should have excelled in the prevailing Traitor Class:- Globalists and internationalists working against the European derived identity of the Australian Nation, and the Great Cause of Australian Independence; bourgeois liberals; media sycophants; quisling politicians; money changers who advance economics as the prime determinant in society; Australia-hating multicultists undermining our Aussie culture and heritage; Aborigine Race destroyers, proponents of over population through mass immigration, advocates for fake refugees, exploiters pillaging the environment and adding to the destruction of the eco-systems of our Native Land.
Please forward the name and address of the person to be nominated, with full particulars, including references to support the nomination, by 20th January 2015, to the address below. Include your own name and address.
AUSTRALIA FIRST PARTY
Identity - Freedom - Independence
P O Box 223 Croydon 3136. National Contact Line: 02 8587 0014 www.australiafirstparty.net
email: ausfirst [ AT ] hotmail.com
AUSTRALIA FIRST PARTY- RECLAIMING AUSTRALIA FOR AUSTRALIANS
Real cost of Australia's immigration program
[Candobetter.net Editor: This comment, originally entitled, "Comment submitted", has been retitled to be more indicative of content]
The cost of the migration program which has been in place more or less for the last 10-15 years, that is, the significant increase in migration since approximately the year 2000 has a cost to Australia which is consistently underestimated and understated. Most Australians not only feel the migration rate is too high, but are concerned due to the negative developments and trends that this has created, which appear to continue unabated.
In that time, demand for housing has consistently outstripped supply, pushing prices up. It seems inconceivable that increasing demand for houses has not had an upwards pressure on home prices as some would state. This contradicts basic economic theory. As a result, discretionary expenditure in households has decreased.
In addition to this, population pressures are very clearly evident in terms of infrastructure, transport, schools and the health system. With a declining economy, Australia is in a poorer position to make up for the infrastructure shortfall, and it appears that conditions within Australia's major cities will fall further behind.
Australia should adopt a very low migration rate, perhaps a zero net migration rate in order to allow infrastructure to catch up with demand. Unfortunately, bringing in more tax payers has had the opposite intended effect, in that the benefit from migration is delayed, whereas the cost is immediate, and Australia cannot absorb any further cost.
With declining housing affordability, stagnating wages, increasing government and private debt, it seems clearly evident that using population growth to achieve prosperity is demonstrably failing, despite the theoretical benefits, which seem to remain theoretical. Australian GDP per capita seems to be stagnating, with our GDP growth therefore coming from an increase in population rather than increase in productive ability. This is not economically sustainable.
The massive increase in immigration since the late 90's seem to be poorly justified, is perceived (likely correctly) to be to inflate labour supply and the housing market, and is exceptionally high as compared to other first world countries.
With increasing unemployment, the 'skills shortage' argument seems less and less plausible. Training of local talent would be far preferred and in the long run economically beneficial as retraining local talent doesn't require investment in infrastructure for an additional person. The population growth rates that Australia has, are higher than almost all other first world countries, and is comparable to countries which suffer from low standards of living and poor public services.
Lastly, rapid demographic and culture change has caused social issues when implemented in Western European nations, which has culminated in the rise of far right parties and increasing division. Sensible and restrained migration programs, sensitive to the needs of current citizens are required to avoid these potentialities.
Only rescued animals in pet shops in Victoria
Victoria has elected a new Labor Government, and with it a policy that will end the sale of dogs and cats from pet shops UNLESS they are from a legitimate rescue group!
This amazing precedent will protect unwitting animal lovers from supporting puppy factories, and help thousands of loveable cats and dogs find their furever homes.
It's a great step forwards, after a lot of campaigning and common sense lobbying to stop the rort of puppy farms and the battery raising puppies for pet shop, and their over-supply leading to death-row!
Premier Dan Andrew's new cabinet will include nine women with and Western Victoria upper house MP Jaala Pulford and Brunswick MP Jane Garret among the promotions. Ms Pulford has been rewarded for her work with puppy farms as deputy leader of the Upper House.
It's a victory of common sense, and some compassion to end dogs been enslaved for profits.
Review of immigration for 2014-2015
Step 1: Click: Discussion Papers:Department of Immigration and Border Protection
Step 2: Under 'The 2015-16 Migration Programme', click on 'Setting the Migration Programme for 2015-16' to download the paper.
Step 3: Scroll to page 12 of the paper where you will find the survey monkey link.
Step 4: Complete the 5 minute survey.
IT MUST BE COMPLETED TODAY!
https//:www.surveymonkey.com/s/RYWVBKG
Our suggestion to DIBP was 'zero net migration'. This means that permanent immigration would be equivalent to permanent emigration (estimated to be around 70,000 per annum, and easily enough to cater for our humanitarian/refugee intake of around 14,000).
You may wish to make the same zero net migration suggestion.
My comment:
Already we have high unemployment, and a peak of youth unemployment. We should be investing more in raising the skill and education levels of our own population, not draining skills from overseas! Our population should be stabilized, and immigration slashed to the levels of 1980s and 1990s, of no more than 90,000 per year. We don't need, and the majority of people, don't want a "big Australia". We should aim to be self-sufficient, economical, and productive, not just rely on population growth to boost our GDP!
Immigration has increased five-fold since the Howard Government came to office, but our economy is struggling.
We have unaffordable housing, environmental degradation, massive infrastructure deficits, and we are always struggling to maintain services and infrastructure in our cities. There are various estimates of Australia's infrastructure funding deficit with Infrastructure Partnerships Australia and Citibank putting it at $700 billion.
Read the 2006 Productivity Commission report on further immigration to Australia - it only benefits the migrants and the capitalists!
We should spend more on higher education, and innovation, towards job creation and industries. Just adding migrants is stagnant, and an outdated economic model. If our Federal budget surplus is struggling to maintain the present population and the spending needed, why increase the size of our "family"? Each person, whether arriving or born here, costs hundreds of thousands of dollars in infrastructure! Population growth is the only reason it looks like the economy is growing!
One of Australia's many political ironies is that the national effort to Stop The Boats has disguised an immigration boom. The 2015-16 immigration program should be substantially trimmed down, and considered with a good dose of common sense. Bigger is not necessarily better.
A brutal end to Victoria's native dingoes
The Coalition government's anti wildlife deregulation condemns native dingoes to be no more than vermin, pests, to be cruelly eradicated and hounded out of Victoria. They are lumped together with the vilest form of "pests", no more than cane toads, to be trapped, hunted, tortured and destroyed with a bounty on their head! There is a confusion between "wild dogs", native dingoes, hybrids, common feral domestic dogs and feral predators! They can now be shot, poisoned, hunted for recreation with bows and arrows, and left trapped without being visited for 72 hours to relieve their pain! Instead of a protected zone, cattle are to be reintroduced to Victoria's high country.
This removal of any protection, in Victoria, for dingoes under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act means that their future in Victoria is likely to be short, and cruel.
Demand that the terrible Gadhimai slaughter festival must never
Email the Nepalese Government and demand that the terrible Gadhimai slaughter festival must never happen again.
For months Compassion campaigners have been working tirelessly to stop the inhumane slaughter at this festival. Together with like-minded organisations and individuals around the world, we turned what was a local issue into a global issue. Unfortunately, on the 28th and 29th of November the world watched on as the Nepalese Government allowed many thousands of animals to be brutally slaughtered at the Gadhimai Festival. Our investigators were there to document the event.
Some positive news is that initial reports suggest the scale of the slaughter was vastly reduced, compared with the last festival. Accurate numbers are not yet available but we believe that the number of animals slaughtered this year was at least 75% lower – thanks to the campaigning efforts of our supporters and hundreds of thousands of people around the world. We also believe that the Government did not provide any official funding to this year’s festival, unlike previous years.
This really is the beginning of the end for this dreadful festival and others like it in Nepal, but the Nepalese Government still isn’t doing enough to fast-track an end to this suffering. Please, call on them to ensure this is the last time it ever happens.
Tell the Nepalese Government: Never again.
Russia in recession
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-02/russia-sees-first-recession-sin...
The sanctions are hurting Russia. Economic sanctions have in the past led to war. An oil embargo on Japan helped precipitate the attack on Pearl Harbour, which as we know, escalated the conflict in the Pacific and led to use of nuclear weapons.
Will Russia take this lying down? Have our leaders, so used to acting with such hubris, now incapable of understanding that are ramifications, sometimes severe to abuse of power? Do they think that Russians will accept their dictates and roll over like their own citizens do?
We may be stumbling on our way to WWIII.
smoke and mirrors
I couldn't agree more with this sentiment. Considering the actions of the western world, towards Putin, I have a lot of respect for the way he has tried to minimise this conflict. As for Tony Abbott's part in this deception, I'm embarrassed to call myself Australian. I'm still at a loss as to how one sided this argument has become, in light of a complete lack of evidence. One only has to look at the facts, to understand, all is not what it seems. It amazes me how many wade into this argument, using spoon fed westernised media presentation, as a platform for their viewpoint. Why is it when one questions reporting such as this, they are seen as cynical trouble makers? Are people that trusting of our governments or media, based on the recent history, to think they are beyond reproach. When all media succumbs to the wishes of our leaders, who then will provide the necessary oversight we need, in such matters. Because clearly they're not responsible enough to do it themselves. I mean seriously, where do we get off placing sanctions against a country, without proof.? This is not the democratic Australia I remember.
Vocal pro immigrants are wierd, and offensive
I cringe everytime I hear the phrase "immigrant community", or starry eyed people going on about immigrants like they are manna from heaven who saved them from banality. The WORST racists and supremacists I have come accross personally are those who push multiculturalism, and celebrate "diversity". It is a creepy, subversive racism, made worse by a lack of introspection and denial.
Maybe it's just me, but I know I'm not the only one.
It's partly because I myself am, considering when it suits the persons argument, from an "immigrant background", with grandparents coming in the 50s, and dad in the 70s from Europe, that I have this view. (I was born here, but for some, that means little).
The "xenophobia" argument implies that me and my parents and siblings and some family friends are sensitive as to be offended. As if somehow, I'm an outsider and my needs and future are different to the rest of Australia. As if somehow what I need will always be at odds with the rest of the nation. As if somehow, I am obligated to take the nation away from those who let my progenitors have a home here and give it to people I don't know and have nothing in common with, because they too are "outsiders".
Hardline Australia?
The Guardian article says that:".. in 21st-century Australia, the vast bulk of the country’s migration programme is barely discussed. Periodically, there are debates about whether the driest inhabited continent on earth can support a “Big Australia” of 35 million, or discussions of guest worker programmes for Pacific Islanders. But essentially Australia talks only of asylum seekers and refugees".
Most of the discussion is limited to asylum seekers, but they and humanitarian intake represent a very small proportion of our immigration numbers. What "debates" do we have on immigration? There's none, or if there are, they are filed away and ignored!
The article simply ignores where the bulk of our immigration comes from, so-called "skilled" migrants, to fill the jobs we apparently don't have the skills for, despite record rates of unemployment, increasing costs of TAFE and universities. It makes Australia hard hearted and callous, yet the boat people have been used as pawns by the growthists to hide the real source of our heavy, world-leading population growth - those who arrive in their hundreds each day at our airports!
Worshippers slaughter 1000s of buffaloes in ritual sacrifice
This cruel and senseless carnage is featured in a photo essay on RT: Nepal worshippers slaughter thousands of buffaloes in ritual sacrifice (29 Nov 14).
Native Australians suffered no worse than the native English
The following was posted as a comment in response to The Troubling History of Thanksgiving (28 Nov 2014) by Gary G. Kohlson on Consortium News:
In fact, what native Americans and native Australians suffered at the hands of European settlers is little different to what the native British commoners suffered at the hands of British elites since 1066 and what native Irish commoners suffered at the hands of British and French Huguenot settlers since the time of Elizabeth I.
In Britain, the theft of common land and dispossession of its inhabitants was termed 'enclosure'. Descendents of the dispossessed were sent to Australia in 1788 as convicts.
This is described in the book Demography, territory, law 2: Land-tenure and the origins of capitalism in Britain, New Theory by Sheila Newman, Countershock Press, 2014.. More about the series here: Demography Territory Law Series by Sheila Newman. I have almost finished reading it and will review it shortly.
Our leaders are addicted to gambling with our money
In fact, there are a number of ideological rationales, marketed as economic theories, all of which ignore thermodynamic laws. I think that the reality is indeed that we are ruled by gamblers - addicts, who think that growth will bail them out until the next lucky strike. The media gives authority to these kinds of personalities and a number of our media owners are little more than big time gamblers, obsessed with acquiring more money and more power and displaying it ostentatiously.
Just like poker machine addicts, our 'leaders' keep telling us that a win is just around the corner, but we must tolerate more 'growth', and that we have to go without now so that we can 'maintain' our standard of living later. If we believe them we are like dependent wives and children with a stockholm syndrome.
They are, as anonymous said, addicts. Self-deluded, self-centered, creatures chemically addicted to adrenalin rushes from surviving risk and punting everything on the next bet.
We need to stop talking about the men and women who market growth in population and infrastructure whilst using our taxes, our land, our parliaments, without asking our permission, as if they were sane and responsible. They are obviously not. They are out of control.
They need to admit that they have a problem and turn over government to democracy rather than growth.
Rise of domestic violence in Victoria is not surprising!
Victoria's Opposition has promised a royal commission into family violence, a move welcomed by the mother an 11-year-old boy whose death at the hands of his father on a cricket oval shocked the country.
Domestic Violence Victoria and other groups have welcomed a recent commitment from the federal government to spend $100 million over four years to reduce violence against women and children.
Victoria's Community Services Minister Mary Wooldridge said the government is already making changes, including a trial program co-ordinating justice and family violence services for high-risk women.
It's not hard to conclude the reasons for domestic violence in Victoria, or the disturbing crime rate. It's all about squeezing people together, under heavy stress from the uncertainties of employment, housing, bills, and the stress of facing traffic congestion/public transport overloads. Families become overstressed from all the pressures, and fragmented by housing affordability, and the dystopia being created in Victoria.
More people are being discarded from the real estate housing scheme, and left homeless. No wonder people are resorting to drugs, to find relief! Services and charities are unable to cope with the demands being placed on them, and the cutbacks. A sinking, overloaded boat is not conducive to peace, harmony and optimism and people are more like rats doing their best from being drowned!
The theory is to divert cost
I was just discussing this with a work colleague. The theory is, immigrants will pay for us, and their children will pay off the debt we rack up today.
Its flawed, because it supposes they will be better placed to pay it off, which doesn't happen with stagnating wages and rising costs. Also, it is a very condescending and exploitative way to treat migrants. Perhaps why we do much to pretend we care about their culture, to hide the fact we view these people as just a resource, just like many nations did during the imperialist period.
Do governments think they can "grow" out of budget constraints?
The Prime Minister on Monday conceded he had been forced to break his word over cuts to the ABC and SBS because economic circumstances had changed, admitting it was indeed a contradiction to his pre-election pledge and budgetary promises.
A senior Government source told the ABC the figures will be worse, with revenue affected by an iron ore price likely to be written down to around $60 a tonne, roughly 40 per cent lower than in the budget. The significant reduction in commodity prices has had an impact on our capacity to bring the budget back to surplus on the timetable that had been previously envisaged.
There was a $5 billion hole in the budget for higher education, and there would be more "savings" in the Coalition budget for next May!
Joe Hockey remains optimistic and believes consumer confidence will return, and the mid year economic outlook will improve!
On Australian Defence Force pay, he announced that several allowances, including Christmas leave, would not be cut.
The Prime Minister's office briefing that the budget "barnacle" of a $7 GP fee would be dumped only to be publicly contradicted by Treasurer Joe Hockey.
Victorian Treasurer Michael O’Brien blamed the Abbott Government’s first budget for blowing them “off the front page’’ as the Napthine Government braced for their electoral loss. They should blame secrecy, megalomaniac plans without public support, their cosy deals with property developers and big corporations - and hefty population growth wearing thin their budget resources!
If our budget surpluses can't maintain our expected standards of living and the services that previous governments were able to provide, then why the addiction to "growth"! Why do net overseas immigration rates quietly, by stealth, keep increasing? If a family can't provide for their children, then why have more babies? Do they think they can "grow" out of their deficits?
Carnage in Nepal under the guise of "tradition"
The gory Gadhimai Mela festival is held in the remote border village of Bariyapur to honour Gadhimai, the goddess of power. In a primitive quest for elusive "power", Hindu devotees in Nepal begin slaughtering thousands of animals in a ritual sacrifice of 300,000 animals in a "festival" of carnage, violence and bloodlust!
Devotees with swords are expected to kill thousands of animals in the two days of worship, including buffaloes, goats and rats. It outrages animal activist, and condemns Nepal to savagery, ignorance and enslavement to poverty of thought and practice.
Nepal's mass animal sacrifice for Hindu festival sparks outcry
Animal rights activists accused the temple holding the festival of "cashing in on people's beliefs", and have called for it to be abolished. As for many evils and ills, money is at the root of this "power" worship!
"They are extorting money ... in the name of entry fees, parking, and so on," said Manoj Gautam, president of Animal Welfare Network Nepal, who is in Bariyapur to protest against the ritual.
The festival kicked off at midnight amid tight security, with the ceremonial killing of a goat, rat, chicken, pig and a pigeon. Worshippers on the first day were expected to sacrifice only buffaloes, thousands of which have been corralled into holding pens in a large field, before moving onto other animals.
According to legend, the first sacrifices in Bariyapur were conducted several centuries ago when Gadhimai appeared to a prisoner in a dream and asked him to establish a temple to her. When he awoke, his shackles had fallen open and he was able to leave the prison and build the temple, where he sacrificed animals to give thanks.
It is based on a 260-year-old ritual that a feudal lord dreamt up while imprisoned, but it's high time for it to end.
In keeping this great tradition, and cultural experience, the sacrificed animals have continued to grow in numbers to their thousands, and the spilt blood spreads like a sea of deprivation of compassion, ethics and slavery to human "tradition".
Update, 30 Nov 14: Comments are now closed on this page. Please add further comments here.
Victoria must move away from the basics
Victoria's new premier Daniel Andrews has vowed to get to work straight away but his maiden speech failed to mention one of the most contentious issues of the election - the East West Link. One of the most significant promises of his campaign was a pledge to rip-up the contracts for $6.8 billion first stage of the East West Link.
Investment in property is huge in Australia, and it's a major industry. It relies on pumping up our population with "skilled" migrants, despite an over-supply of workers, and unemployed, in Australia! There's no vision, or future plans for Australia. Politics is a about trying to keep up with demands for infrastructure and services, paid for by taxpayers while the elite gouge on huge profits and opportunities from huge property sales.
There needs to be some vision beyond our politics being bogged down by the basics of easing overloaded infrastructure, public services, traffic congestion and education. We should be moving onto high levels, of policies that protect our environment, and innovation to create jobs and increase productivity.
Victoria needs to move ahead, with a plan for the future, not be dragged down by the basics, and the misguided "growth" that's assumed to a euphemism for "progress". The real estate industry have hijacked our State, and are planning our lives to fit their own vested interests.
Is the breaking of the promise to tear up the contract for the EWL Andrew's first broken promise?
Stimulate This! Thoughts On Intergenerational Fairness
I think my reply got lost, and I can't remember what I typed.
I don't disagree with you, at all, that the growth lobby use this tactic.
Rather than attempt to re-submit what I thought I wrote, I'll link to this article which fortuitously appeared, as it makes the same point I tried to make.
In short, the issue isn't specifically boomers, but a political and financial system which is reliant on debt. Debt is essentially raising current consumption at the cost of reduced future consumption. Who gets the current consumption? Those alive and established economically today. Who suffers from the cost of reduced consumption? Those of the next generation. If we all didn't age, didn't have children, didn't die, this would be fair, but the "turnover" so to speak, of human beings in our society means that those who pay, aren't those who benefited. A temporal transfer of wealth from the future to today. This is why subdividing, units etc are popular. They guys about to retire get the cash, those just about to vote lose the space. The investor gets to play with the money, but its those in the future, who have to deal with the cost. If people who were yet to be born, could somehow vote, politics would be very, very different.
I would also like to point out, by no means has this stopped, if anything, it has accelerated. My generation will probably impoverish future generations even more so than the previous one, with continued stimulus, bail outs, low interest rates and printing of money, asset price inflation and other subsidies and perks.
We vote for politicians which keep up this facade, because WE can vote, but future generations can't. Those of the future don't have political or economic representation, not in our system.
Lastly, many people may be concerned, but they don't want real solutions. They prefer 'solutions' which don't fix the problem. For example, many people may be concerned that their children can't afford a home, but they want political solution which won't result in a fall in their house price. Hence why extra financial assistance, allowing people to use super to buy a house, loose lending practices, smaller and smaller houses are popular political "solutions". They allow those concerned that delusion that this can fix it, without actually making housing any cheaper.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-11-26/stimulate-thoughts-intergenerat...
So to get out of the current economic funk we must yank up government expenditures and finance the whole thing with debt created by our central banks. If the economy fails to respond, we should stimulate more... and more… until finally things get back to normal. We can then deal with the consequences once growth is normalized, irrespective of the debt levels at that stage.
But since there are no free lunches in economics (that we all must agree on), somebody has to pay for this. And it should be obvious by now who that will be: our children and grandchildren (and at this rate, probably their children and grandchildren too).
Catalyst ABC on population next Thursday
Next Thursday Catalyst on ABC TV will tackle Australia's soaring population problem and show some 'innovative solutions'. It seems likely that not even one of these 'solutions' will have anything to do with reducing population growth, let alone reaching a stable population. Techno-fixes to the rescue - rather than democracy and ceasing population boosting is probable since "Their" ABC supports the growth lobby and big business.
To be ready to point out the expected omission of population growth reduction be ready to send your feedback to:-
To be ready to point out the expected omission of population growth reduction be ready to send your feedback to:-
http://www.abc.net.au/contact/contactabc.htm
Record heat wave in Perth - and climate change denial
Extreme hot weather in Perth sent the Internet into meltdown on Monday night.
Thousands of iiNet customers across Australia found themselves off-line for about six and a half hours after the company shut down some of its systems at its Perth data centre at about 4.30pm AEDST because of record breaking-temperatures.
Temperatures in the city are tipped to soar past 44 C, with outlying metropolitan suburbs warned to expect even more intense heat over the weekend. The elderly, those with young children and babies and tourists who might not be used to the heat have been particularly warned of the potential effects of the heat. Air conditioners could be working overtime during the night, with temperatures only dipping to 24 degrees.
The power surge will be tremendous, and with high population growth and more people living in "hot boxes" (high rise towers), air conditioning is dependent on.
With our economy based on propping up our GDP through population and housing growth, it's inevitable that with climate change, our landscape will become more and more hostile to human, and animal, inhabitation. Living in towers means more reliance on power, and higher per capita greenhouse gas emissions.
There's no way our Abbott government can attend international climate change conferences, and pretend that we can join agreements to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions! How can non-renewable energy sources keep pace with our temperature increases, and outstrip usage due to heavy population growth? The only way is to cut back on science research, go into denial mode, and isolate ourselves from the rest of the world on climate change.