Miscellaneous comments from 1 June 2012

Fri, 2012-06-01 19:52 by admin

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Comments made on previous "Miscellaneous comments" page from 5 May 2012 can be found .

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Bandicoot

Sun, 2012-06-03 11:22

The UN warns that if action is not taken to protect the Great Barrier Reef its World Heritage status could be threatened. The UN's environment organisation, UNESCO, released a report yesterday that said further development of the reef could threaten its World Heritage status. THE Queensland Premier, Campbell Newman, will not stop development in and around the Great Barrier Reef. Mr Newman said: ''We are not going to see the economic future of Queensland shut down.'' Obviously, the "economic future" of Queensland is not built on principles of sustainability. A growth-based free market economy has no respect for environmental natural treasures, or World Heritage listings. Modern humans have been on the planet for 200,000 years, but present politicians, governments and economists are ensuring that they won't be around for the next 200,000 years, at the rate of economic and population growth of this generation! Halting port and infrastructure development connected to the coal and liquified natural gas industry " is not an option". His contribution to Australia's economy will be at great expense, and the inevitable destruction should be included on his tombstone as his "patriotic" contribution to Australia. He will be party to humans wrecking their own nests. A destructive "free range" economy has no respect for Nature, of the natural jewels inherited by our for fathers and the indigenous peoples of Australia. "We are in the coal business. If you want decent hospitals, schools and police on the beat we all need to understand that." he says. It's past the era of growth, and now time for refinement and improvements. Dead turtles, diseased fish and sediment loads that trigger the cessation of dredging surely are matters of concern from coal mining. Development in Gladstone Harbour is to enable liquefaction of CSG and the transfer of LNG to large vessels, whose access to the LNG plants requires a large dredging program that will continue until 2015, with maintenance dredging thereafter. An economy based on perpetual economic growth means that "red tape", how environmental protection is threatening "developments", will ultimately consume and destroy even iconic world heritage marine treasures such as the Great Barrier Reef. At what cost?

Sheila Newman

Sun, 2012-06-03 14:21

That's Campbell Newman you're talking about, of course, not Sheila Newman. I seem to be the only good Newman around in land-use planning in this country. If there are any other Newmans who are counter-growth lobbyists, we should have a reunion and form a solidarity. Sheila Newman, population sociologist

admin

Sun, 2012-06-03 13:27

This was from Valerie Yule:

Petition to spellcheckers, press and public – a trial of help to readers and spellers

Sign the Petition if u agree with it! Tell your friends. It's at

Look up my web pages Spelling and how it could be changed. .

We hav been doing this for many words - like oeconomy to economy, and daemon to demon - but spellcheckers ar stopping progress. Why not gardian, garantee, and probabl, for exampl ?

And for fun - download as a pdf the Book of Spells & Misspells - .

And 2011, Yule, Valerie 'Recent developments which affect spelling. On the possibility of removing the unnecessary difficulties in English spelling, while leaving the basic appearance of English print intact.' English Today, 107, vol 27, No 3. Sept 2011, pp 62-67 .

Val Yule

Dr Valerie Yule, M.A., Ph.D, Dip.Ed., M.B.Ps.S. Academic positions at Melbourne, Monash and Aberdeen Universities in departments of Psychology and Education; Teacher at all levels, from preschool to adult and migrant literacy and PhD supervision; Clinical child psychologist at the Royal Children’s Hospitals, Melbourne and Aberdeen; Schools psychologist chiefly but not only in disadvantaged schools, Present research on imagination and literacy.

PostGrowthEra (not verified)

Sun, 2012-06-03 15:41

It's time to end the Ponzi-economic growth scheme. Our planet is under stress from declines, destruction, species losses and overpopulation. In the 19th century, John Stuart Mill wrote ‘Of the Stationary State’ of a post-growth economy. Thomas Malthus was writing on the relationship between exponential population growth and food supply in the 17th and 18th century. The present "food security" issues are all revealing the truth of Malthus' predictions. Post growth thinking was even around as far back as Aristotle’s time.

On 18 March 1968, RFK directly challenged growth and the use of GDP as a barometer of success for nations in his University of Kansas speech.

“Too much and for too long, we seemed to have surrendered personal excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our Gross National Product, now, is over $800 billion dollars a year, but that Gross National Product – if we judge the United States of America by that – that Gross National Product counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for the people who break them. It counts the destruction of the redwood and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and counts nuclear warheads and armored cars for the police to fight the riots in our cities. It counts Whitman’s rifle and Speck’s knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.

“Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country, it measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it can tell us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans.”

A free-market growth economy has no parameters for the natural environment, ecological soundness, the wealth and well-being of individuals, of intrinsic values, of non-human species with no commercial value, or future generations. It's about profits, cash-flows, one global planet or market territory and devalues anything that makes our lives worthwhile.

Geoffrey Taylor

Sun, 2012-06-03 16:26

Thanks for that.

This further enhances the admiration I have long had for both Robert Francis Kennedy (RFK) and his . They were both truly selfless, courageous and intelligent individuals. Both had the moral fortitude that drove them to turn on even those that less honourable politicians in their shoes would have felt indebted to, namely the gangsters that had helped get John F Kennedy elected in 1960. There had to have been ballot rigging on Nixon's side as well as JFK's in the 1960 presidential ballot, Otherwise, why didn't Nixon take his complaints further? On JFK's side it was organised on his behalf by his father, whilst he kept arm's length from it. Without that, he would have lost instead of winning narrowly.

Robert Kennedy and his brother could have chosen to feel indebted to those gangsters. Instead Robert, as Attorney General, launched the most effective campaign of prosecutions against criminals in the history of the US. It was as if JFK and RFK particularly felt the necessity to demonstrate that they would not be beholden to the corrupt influence of anybody.

However, I have one small concern about Robert Kennedy. In one sense of which I am aware, he did not provide a good example to the world. He had , which hardly sets a good example to a world with a population increasing as rapidly as it was in the 1960's. Still, I think given what he, Robert and Edward achieved (and what JFK junior might have achieved had he not been killed in that air crash of 1999), a few more Kennedys in the world today would easily do far more good than any harm caused by their increased ecological footprint.

Bandicoot

Mon, 2012-06-04 13:37

Tuesday, 5th of June is World Environment Day and the Save Mount St Leonard Community Campaign has agreed to take the message into the city by joining The Wilderness Society's Action in Melbourne's CBD. The idea is to have enough people to link hands all the way around a city block - the equivalent of 10 Blocks are logged every day in Victoria. The Save Mount St Leonard contingent have decided towear something green. You may also wish to carry or wear a eucalyptus leaf and bring a banner or poster. We shall all meet at 1:00pm at the corner of Elizabeth and Bourke Streets. For those travelling in from Lilydale, trains leave at 11:09 (arriving Flinders Street at 12:06) and 11:39 (arriving 12:37). RESIDENTS and environmentalists blockaded the Baillieu government's logging of Mt St Leonard in the Yarra Valley this morning. VicForests sent bulldozers in to Mt St Leonard last week, one of the most controversial logging locations of recent years. Logging on the side of Mt St Leonard can be viewed from Kinglake and has residents who survived the 2009 fires fuming. “Premier Baillieu will have to personally come out here and remove us from this site,” local business operator Toby Eccles said. “These forests in Toolangi were untouched by the terrible fire in 2009, and they are now a sanctuary for endangered wildlife. It is abominable that the Baillieu government is now choosing to destroy them.” The forests of Toolangi, including Mt St Leonard, were completely surrounded by the 2009 Black Saturday fires, but were spared the blaze. These forests remain an island in a sea of burned forests and provide a safeguard for Victoria’s wildlife. Fifty per cent of the habitat of Victoria’s faunal emblem, the Leadbeater’s Possum, was burned in the fire and it is now estimated only a few hundred possums remain in the wild. Residents are angry that the logging is reopening scars that are only beginning to heal from the 2009 fires. “The logging of Mt St Leonard is not just scarring the landscape, it is psychologically scarring the community,” said Deanne Bail, local resident and tourism operator. Local tourism operators condemn the logging as it is undermining the future of the region. “The future of this community is dependent on these forests being protected, not destroyed by logging,” local touist operator Chris Veenhuizen said. “The logging is making visitors to the areas, including guests of local accommodation, feel uneasy and uncomfortable about exploring the forests and going bushwalking along the National Trail. The logging is ruining the goodwill of our businesses.” Local residents are calling on Premier Baillieu to pull VicForests’ out of native forests and to move the logging and woodchipping into plantations.

nimby

Thu, 2012-06-07 11:34

Dear Minister Tony Burke I am concerned that VicForests sent bulldozers in to Mt St Leonard last week, one of the most controversial logging locations of recent years. Local business operator Toby Eccles said. “These forests in Toolangi were untouched by the terrible fire in 2009, and they are now a sanctuary for endangered wildlife. It is abominable that the Baillieu government is now choosing to destroy them.." These forests remain an island in a sea of burned forests and provide a safeguard for Victoria’s wildlife. Fifty per cent of the habitat of Victoria’s faunal emblem, the Leadbeater’s Possum, was burned in the fire and it is now estimated only a few hundred possums remain in the wild. Why is this allowed to go ahead, and logging exempted from any policies to protect endangered species - when it's what is actually threatening them? VicForests’ should pull out of native forests and to move the logging and woodchipping into plantations. Why isn't Premier Baillieu accountable to public pressure and legislation to protect even Victoria's fauna emblem, the Leadbeater's Possum? Just how valuable short-term benefits - jobs and profits from woodchips - have become? The will deprive our environment, local communities, and future generations of the beauty of this area of old growth forests and the native species that we thought were once already extinct. If our Leadbeater's Possums are gone, forever, just how is this logging "sustainable" -as VicForests spin claims? According to a study by the ANU the forests of the central highlands have the world's highest known total biomass carbon density of 1,867 tonnes carbon per ha. Since the Black Saturday fires only 1% of remnant old-growth forest remains in Victoria. Tall eucalypt old growth forest is less fire prone than young regenerating stands. A combination of declining rainfall and extensive areas of regrowth in the central highlands of Victoria means that there is a risk of fundamental landscape change in this region whereby an increased fire frequency will favour faster maturing eucalypts and acacias to the detriment of Eucalyptus regnans and other mesic forest species (Lindenmayer et al., 2011). His research cannot be ignored or dismissed. His recent paper describes how the value of remaining unburned forests after the 2009 fires has increased substantially for biodiversity and ecosystem services. Large areas of unburnt forests need to be retained. Jobs and economic benefits in a free market economy cannot always justify environmental destruction. VicForests (ie State government) is to trying to say - "how dare environmentalists object and take us to court..." So they more aggressively are determined to get rid of the little critters, Leadbeater's Possums, once and for all to teach the public a lesson. No more old-growth forests, no endangered species, no State emblem, so problem solved! Please do something to stop VicForests log Mt St Leonards, and ask Premier Baillieu to respect the local community, and Victorians, our natural treasures of wildlife and iconic old growth forests.

admin

Tue, 2012-06-05 20:54

Also on , .

From of 21 May:

Infowars’ Paul Joseph Watson is joined by Syrian Girl, an outspoken activist against NATO’s campaign to use Al-Qaeda terrorists as a means of destabilizing the Assad regime. In this interview, Syrian Girl reveals the true intentions behind NATO’s agenda in Syria as well as discussing other topics such as the charge that she is a pro-Assad mouthpiece, women in the truth movement, the Arab Spring and more.

See also: linked to from of 10 May and .

admin

Wed, 2012-06-06 00:30

This was to an Online Opinion forum in response to an article of 5 June by John Pilger, .

It seems as if Rupert Murdoch's earlier crimes against democracy have been largely overlooked. They include his turning on the Labor Government of Gough Whitlam in 1974. Until then, many, including myself, considered the Murdoch press, particularly newspaper, to be a source of truth and enlightenment.

Suddenly in 1974 -- and I don't recall whether it was before or after the mid-term federal elections -- the Murdoch Press began carrying headline stories which blew up every minor indiscretion of members of the Labor government -- The Jim Cairns/Juni Morosi affair, Rex Connor's ill-advised attempt to raise money through Khemlani for the laudable goal of buying back Australian mineral wealth, etc.

The end result was the CIA engineered dismissal of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam on 11 November 1975, and his defeat in the subsequent election campaign, largely rigged by Murdoch Press disinformation. Since then, a series of Governments, led by people more beholden to vested foreign interests than to Australia, have been elected and entrenched in office with help of the Murdoch press. These include Fraser, Hawke, Keating and Howard.

admin

Wed, 2012-06-06 02:13

When I read earlier post on Online Opinion, reprinted below, I responded with this post.

Having just read Arjay's at the start of the discussion, it seems possible that Rupert may have found his conscience again after all these years.

So, the overlooking of Rupert Murdoch's earlier crimes against democracy in Australia, the US, the UK and elsewhere, and, instead, focusing on relatively trivial and more recent actions by employees of the Murdoch Press by the Leveson Inquiry may have been no accident.

In truth, as Canadian journalist Barrie Zwicker pointed out in "Towers of Deception" of 2007, more harm has been done in recent years to democracy and world peace by phony socialist groups and phony alternative news media than by pro-war corporate newsmedia (wherever the truth about the Murdoch media may lie).

The reason they do more harm is that they are trusted more by knowledgeable people. When lies used to justify war, such as the Official 9/11 conspiracy theory are peddled on their pages, informed and humane people are more likely to believe them.

An example is the ostensibly socialist UK group, Workers' Liberty which supported NATO's illegal war against Libya last year, in which more than 50,000 Libyans died and which is now supporting NATO's attempt to destabilise Syria with terrorist mass killers. See for yourself at and .

Those interested in knowing the truth about Libya and Syria should compare the lies linked to above with sites like and

I don't think that the Murdoch phone tapping is all that cut and dry. It was common knowledge that much of press media was involved in phone tapping,so why was Murdoch attacked so?

Fox News was the only mainstream media to host Judge Napolitano and "Freedom Watch". Fox was the only media outlet that put on ads by asking for a proper investigation into 911.

Just recently the Napolitano show "Freedom Watch" was ended.I think Murdoch was trying to break from the insanity of this New World Order and he was being made an example of what happens to those who break ranks.

The elites are fighting amongst themselves as their plans for Global dominance are in disarray.

nimby

Sat, 2012-06-09 09:36

Australia may have the lowest density of population with regard to the size of our land, but it's dangerously deceptive to base food security on this. A large proportion of Australia is desert or bushy scrub, but with infertile ancient soils, very hot and irregular water supplies. We only have a little over 6% arable land, and these areas are desirable real estate locations. If food security hasn't been a priority over the last 200 years, it's because we had a small population and thus cheap food. Global and Australian populations are growth, and we should be wary of foreign investment or "land grabs". Queensland Senator Barnaby Joyce has raised questions about whether Dr Emerson is favouring a Chinese bid to take over the Ord River irrigation scheme in the West Australian Kimberley region because his former boss Bob Hawke is reportedly representing Chinese firm Shanghai Zhongfu. Foreign powerful nations, all roaming the planet to secure their own food and energy supplies, will prey on corrupt nations or those with loose borders and those with flexible "free trade" open policies like in Australia. Is it "white guilt" that is making some of our politicians feel that we have an obligation to "help" other countries ensure their food security - even to our own detriment? The Nationals Senator, Barnaby Joyce, who has pushed for tougher restrictions on foreign ownership of land - a move seen as breaking ranks with the Liberals - said it was a worry for urban as well as regional Australians. Regional Development Minister Simon Crean said Australia was open to foreign investors and could be a "big contributor to the world's food security". However, we could contribute to world food supplies without actually selling the land! On the contrary, it's hardly a retrograde step to focus on food security, and it is not simply a political issue. It's vital to our future, and owning our land - the driest continent on the planet- is essential. Selling off land to foreign investors is like selling the family farm to cover cash-flow shortages but losing the main capital asset - the land! Rather than the 1950s being a step "back", we were actually prosperous then. After decades of suffering through the Great Depression and World War II, the 1950s were vibrant years for Australians. Employment was high, housing and food were cheap, and people were encouraged to spend their money freely. We had a strong identity as a growing nation. Senator Barnaby Joyce is right. Securing our land for the future, and ensuring it stays in Australian hands so we have control of our food chains, is not "xenophobia" but simple, and plain, common-sense. A better future for Australian agriculture would be to sell produce to a growing world population, not sell off our farms, factories, water and ports to foreign interests.

Anonymous (not verified)

Sat, 2012-06-09 18:24

According to Wikipedia, Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable Fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange." "Xenophobia can manifest itself in many ways involving the relations and perceptions of an ingroup towards an outgroup, including a fear of losing identity, suspicion of its activities, aggression, and desire to eliminate its presence to secure a presumed purity". It's actually a rational fear when it comes to Australia losing control of our territories, our food security, and our sovereignty. Our government has a rubbery, loose and permeable concept of Australia as a nation. With more than one in four of it's about 856 million people undernourished, Sub-Saharan Africa remains one of the most food insecure region in the world today, this is according to a report launched on 15th of May 2012 by the United Nations Development fund UNDP. "The greatest threat to food security is climate change," the Asian Development Bank said in a 45-page report, ‘Food Security and Poverty in Asia and the Pacific: Key Challenges and Policy Issues’, released late last month. The report’s findings ring especially true in Sri Lanka, where experts are increasingly expressing concerns about the twin crises of food security and global warming. With more than one in four of it's about 856 million people undernourished, Sub-Saharan Africa remains one of the most food insecure region in the world today, this is according to a report launched on 15th of May 2012 by the United Nations Development fund UNDP. Around 1800, demographer Thomas Robert Malthus warned that food supplies wouldn’t be able to keep pace with growing numbers of people. And he predicted that at a certain threshold—which he set at ONE billion—there would be massive disease outbreaks, famine, and a crash in human numbers. Jonathan Foley, the director of the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment. “Humans aren’t exempt from Malthus’s observations. We just postponed it again and again and again through innovation.” Foley says the industrial revolution, the green revolution and other new technologies boosted agricultural productivity far beyond what Malthus predicted. “But at the end of the day, Malthus’s ghost is still lurking above us,” he adds. Wilderness Society northern Australia campaigner Gavan McFadzean said northern Australia could not hold the large-scale agriculture that would transform it into a "food bowl" for China. "Australia now feeds 60 million people, so whatever way you cut it that insignificant increase in farmland still leaves a hell of a lot of China's more than 1 billion people with little in their food bowl," he said. Australia has ancient, poor quality and infertile soils. Do the Chinese think they can simply add water? What will they use for fertilizers? However, while we have farmers warning us not to be complacent about Australia's food security, and the real threats to our food bowls, any foreign land grab must be questioned, and feared. There's no point to even massive economic growth and a big GDP if it means we must rely on imported food, and our sovereignty and identity as a nation is weakened. The economy is suppose to provide food, shelter and all the goods and services as our servant, not master over us and justify losing valuable land for overseas buyers, to our detriment. Dr Mary White, scientist, in her address to the Australians for an Ecologically Sustainable Population (now SPA) on 3/3/95, stated: * Whole civilizations (in the Mediterranean region and the Aztecs for instance) disappeared when their soils became saline. * A great deal of Australia's soil had blown or washed away. * We are running out of the means to grow food. Soil is a finite resource. * It is possible that in 50 years, the Murray Basin, Australia's main breadbasket, will be a salt desert. We are already too numerous for our country to support indefinitely. Only 6% of the Australian continent is arable. Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world. In this sense we are only a small country. There's a suspicious undercurrent for the reasons for these foreign land grabs, and the free-trade with Australia has become actually about consuming Australia!

Anonymous (not verified)

Tue, 2012-06-12 10:44

THE call by UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay for an investigation into the legality of the US drone strikes is long overdue (''UN official urges Pakistan to query legality of drones'', The Saturday Age, 9/6). The drone strikes expose the evil, bloodthirsty side of President Barack Obama, who promised an end to the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, a just solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict and the building up of a peaceful world.

The Nobel peace prize was awarded to President Obama not for what he had done, but for his promises for peace. He betrayed his supporters in the United States and all around the world who longed for peace after years of bloodshed and misery. He has proven himself to be unworthy of this noble prize.

Bill Mathew, Parkville

Read more: of 12 June 2012.

When US President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, it was in recognition “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples”.

Contrary to his campaign promises, Obama has left most of the foundations of Bush's counterterrorism approach intact. While the language of the "war on terror" has been dropped, the mindset of the Bush approach – that America is forever at war, constantly on the offensive to kill "bad guys". President Obama has become personally involved in an elaborate internal process by which his administration decides who will be the next victim of America's drone strikes. The Oval Office normalized extrajudicial killing – as well as the dramatic escalation in drone strikes, which have now killed at least 2,400 people in Pakistan alone, since 2004 – represents a betrayal of President Obama's promise to make counterterrorism policies consistent with the US constitution.

Obama has opted for this quieter, less messy kind of war – the remote-controlled wars of the drone in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia and even Libya last year. Obama acquiesced to an ever-expanding war zone by Predator drone, a remotely controlled, unmanned plane that hovers, undetected, two miles or so above the ground and then strikes with like an assassin in a darkened room.

Yet even as most Obama Administration officials are insistent that they can neither confirm nor deny the existence of a drone program, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, former head of the CIA, has acknowledged its existence on numerous occasions.

The notion that the United States government should wage ongoing war in multiple countries while keeping it secret from its own citizens is noxious.

Bandicoot

Tue, 2012-06-12 11:39

After 32 years, it's now official! The whole long and painful saga for the Chamberlains can be put to rest. It sold a lot of papers, got a lot of tongues wagging, caused a lot of political debate and consumed the time and expense of a lot of legal experts. Lindy Chamberlain spent 3 years in prison, and their marriage broke under the strain. It slurred the reputation of our native dogs as dangerous, a threatening animal and vicious. However, the reality is that the "dingo" could have easily been a wild dog or a dingo hybrid, known to be more aggressive than pure dingoes. Predatory animals, like the laws of Nature, have no special rules, or values or consideration for humans. A small baby would have simply been a meal, an "animal" to prey on. How many indigenous babies and small children would have been consumed by dingoes if this was part of their history? There's no folklore known of to support this type of aggression by pure dingoes.

Sheila Newman

Tue, 2012-06-12 12:47

I would like to say publicly that I am very glad for Lindy Chamberlain and hope that she somehow can live well and flourish despite what she has had to go through. I feel that she suffered by a society where the institutions are dominated by people with low intelligence and poor imagination. I don't see the finding as a slur on dingoes. (However I have not read the details). We live in a world where all populations (human and other) are increasingly disorganised and therefore unpredictable to each other. Our relations with other populations are haphazard, often exploitative, frequently cruel. Getting food when your environment is in flux must encourage new adaptations, opportunistic feeding. In a stable ecology animals, including people, follow predictable pathways and know the locals of all species. Our species is very out of whack in Australia. There are so many examples of this - from the attacks on migratory kangaroos in the ACT after running cattle in national parks then blaming roos for loss of native plants etc.; the unaccountable facial cancers in Tasmanian Devils; the rabbit plagues; the hendra virus response to destroying bat habitat... The evolution of the epidemiology of humans over many centuries shows how blind we are to our impact. , about which I have spoken before, shows how disturbance of habitat and local populations even causes immunological havoc at a cellular level. Hans Brunner, an Australian ecologist, was the expert that validated the dingo hair correctly as 'dog hair' at the Appeal some years ago. He is very committed to helping Australian wildlife, but he expressed to me much sympathy for the Chamberlains and what they went through. As far as I know the Chamberlains were not anti-wildlife. I feel that Mrs Chamberlain went through a nightmare for which she had no responsibility at all. The dingo, or half-breed, also had no responsibility in any 'moral' sense. The way the whole thing has dragged out is a testimony to the deep disorder of our society. Which has since got worse. And will deepen. The decision to attribute Azaria's death to a dingo sounds to me a good one. (But, as I said, I have not seen the details.)

Hans Brunner (not verified)

Wed, 2012-06-13 10:53

Why did it take so long to finally admit that a dingo took the baby Azaria? This result was obvious to me right from the start. Mrs. Chamberlain would have had to be twice as clever as Houdini to accomplish what she was accused of. I thought that it was over and done with after I identified Dog (Dingo) hairs found on the jump suit and singlet. But no, the 'power to be' did not like to admit that Dingoes can be a danger to children as this could have badly affected tourism. A lot of the scientific evidence given was scandalous and perverted and left the door wide open for a conviction. We can't blame the judges when they were fed with lies. But now I am elated that the truth has finally been accepted. Hans Brunner (Verified - but I can't seem to alter this field - Ed. Candobetter.net ) Ed. I think Hans means "powers that be" not 'power to be'.

Bandicoot

Wed, 2012-06-13 11:23

I wrote before that the accusations against dingoes "slurred the reputation of our native dogs as dangerous, a threatening animal and vicious". The case should have been closed very quickly, with the obvious conclusion that a wild dingo or hybrid took the baby. However, governments didn't want responsibility for any legal action against them for failing in their duty of care to tourists. Dingoes are not "bad" or vicious animals, by nature, but they are wild animals. As such, children need to be supervised around them, and cross-breeding avoided. There should have been warning signs, but where there? The coroner reasonably says that various wildlife and park management authorities around Australia are responsible for balancing the needs of visitors and wildlife. Jennifer Parkhurst says; "this is a fair statement, and we can take note of similarities in the circumstances of both the Clinton Gage case and that of Azaria Chamberlain, suggesting the management of dingoes by parks authorities may have been a factor in both cases". However, Clinton Gage was harassing the hungry animals, and obviously hungry animals saw a new-born baby as simply an easy meal! Lindy Chamberlain saw a dingo leave the tent, and saw dog paw marks on the blanket inside. She gave the evidence to the police, who washed it! The lack of management, and warnings, meant the NT government had to deflect responsibility away from them, the the alternative theories of what happened are far more media-sensational than the basic, simple truth! Dingoes are not dangerous, threatening or vicious, but excessive and cruel Fraser Island dingo management policies are justifying it by evidence from this case. Why let facts spoil a good story?

Tigerquoll

Wed, 2012-06-13 21:08

"Authorities in Yellowstone National Park have linked a grizzly sow they captured last week to two fatal maulings this summer and killed the bear Sunday, the park announced Monday.

The grizzly's two cubs, which were captured Sept. 29, were placed in a wildlife facility in West Yellowstone, Mont.

Park officials said that adult bears do not adapt well to captivity, whereas cubs may.

Genetic testing indicated that the female bear was responsible for the death of hiker Brian Matayoshi of Torrance on July 6 and that the 250-pound sow was present at the scene of a fatal attack on hiker John Wallace in August.

In the July incident park officials determined that the sow had been defending her cubs when she attacked Matayoshi and his wife on the Wapiti lake Trail. In that case, even if authorities had immediately found the bear they would not have killed it, since it had no history of interaction with humans.

And, even though the grizzly was one of nine bears in the area where Wallace's body was found, Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk said the sow was euthanized to "eliminate the risk of future interaction with Yellowstone visitors and staff."

[Source: 'Yellowstone grizzly bear involved in attacks euthanized', 20111003, Greenspace, Los Angeles Times, http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/10/grizzly-attack-yellowstone-national-park-.html]

This is hardly fair on the Grizzly. Tourist and wild animals do not mix. Wild animals in their native habitat have habitat rights that morally take precedent over human leisure. Humans have a choice where they roam - wildlife no longer does. Ban uncontrolled tourism where dingos have native habitat!

Tigerquoll
Suggan Buggan
Snowy River Region
Victoria
Australia

Anonymous (not verified)

Tue, 2012-06-12 12:14

See this Age article of today and think that this could change how planning is done on the whole coast, as this sets a precedent. If you are involved with the coast or the peninsula do contact your local councillor and urge them to vote against it. The residents say there is an excellent place to put it back from the water front. Why should a pool be on the waterfront anyway? It can be anywhere.

Norm (not verified)

Sat, 2012-06-16 23:55

The National Capital Authority (NCA) in Canberra is looking for land for diplomatic residences; problem is they are considering land on Red Hill in Canberra, with the area including heritage woodland which has majestic trees and is the home of much wildlife, including kangaroos etc. FYI.

Jill Quirk (not verified)

Sun, 2012-06-17 22:35

Sustainable Population Australia (Victorian and Tasmanian branch) Annual General Meeting On- Saturday July 7th at 2.00p.m. At -Balwyn Library Meeting Room 336, Whitehorse Road Balwyn There will be an election of office bearers for 2011-12- at the meeting. Financial members are invited to nominate for any of the following positions- president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, or committee member (5 positions) Following formal business our guest speaker, Dr. Geoff Mosley will reflect on his 60 years of involvement with conservation, the lessons learned, and the way ahead. Dr Mosely has been an outspoken advocate for population stabilisation in the Australian Conservation Foundation for years, when others were silent. Venue details: 336 Whitehorse Rd Balwyn VIC 3103, Australia Tram number:109 Melway ref. 46E8 Contact: Jill Quirk- 0409742927 or

nimby

Wed, 2012-06-20 10:22

Australia's most precious ocean environments will be protected by the world's largest network of marine reserves created by the Gillard Government. Environment Minister Tony Burke released the Government's final network of marine reserves which - once proclaimed under national environmental law - will increase the number of marine reserves from 27 to 60, expanding the national network to cover more than a third of Commonwealth waters. "For generations Australians have understood the need to preserve precious areas on land as national parks. Our oceans contain unique marine life which needs protection too," he said. "We have an incredible opportunity to turn the tide on protection of the oceans and Australia can lead the world in marine protection. "The maps I have released today are most comprehensive network of marine protected areas in the world and represent the largest addition to the conservation estate in Australia's history. "This new network of marine reserves will help ensure that Australia's diverse marine environment, and the life it supports, remain healthy, productive and resilient for future generations." The new marine reserves take the overall size of the Commonwealth marine reserves network to 3.1 million square kilometres, by far the largest representative network of marine protected areas in the world. Following the huge number of submissions received, protection has been increased for a number of iconic reefs in the Coral Sea Marine Reserve that are important for marine turtles and large ocean predators. Together the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the Coral Sea Commonwealth marine reserve will become the largest adjoining marine protected area in the world, covering 1.3 million square kilometres. The government announced last week a network of marine reserves that curb fishing in the Coral Sea, beyond the reef, they face further painful changes or possible closure. Compensation had been originally forecast at just $10 million but it had blown out to $250 million. The reserves range from a special purpose zone - that allows shipping and fishing - through to special purpose with mining excluded, a multiple use zone, a habitat protection zone and at the upper end of protection is the marine national park zone - or sanctuaries - where mining, commercial and recreational fishing would all be banned. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society founder Capt Paul Watson has offered to collaborate with the Australian Government to deliver resources and expertise to protect the almost one million sq?km marine reserve from illegal foreign fishing vessels.

nimby

Thu, 2012-06-21 12:14

State Fisheries Minister John McVeigh yesterday acted on an LNP election promise to introduce legislation to remove cruelty exemptions for traditional owners and bring Queensland’s animal welfare legislation in line with other states. A report showed Torres Strait locals hacking the legs off a sea turtle, which took seven minutes to die. Mr McVeigh said "Amendments will be made to the Animal Care and Protection Act 2001 to protect dugong and turtles from unnecessary and unreasonable pain and suffering." Cairns animal activist Colin Riddell has lobbied the State Government to make it illegal for indigenous Australians to commit acts of cruelty against turtles and dugongs. Native Title shouldn't override our national animal cruelty laws protecting dugongs and turtles, and it shouldn't override the policies protecting endangered species. It's basically reverse racism that people of indigenous background are able to inflict horrendous suffering on native animals that would attract fines and prosecutions for the rest of the population. The suffering is the same whether the perpetrator has black or white skin, and transcends culture. There is good from Native Title laws, but they shouldn't be tainted by allowing gut-wrenching and horrendous cruelty to sweet and gentle marine animals. Indigenous peoples, on the contrary, should be the custodians of these animals and the ecosystems, not the attackers. Eating meat is not mandatory anyway, for any humans. Animal welfare laws and the EPBC Act should extinguish Native Title in this case.

Tigerquoll

Thu, 2012-06-21 21:54

Here is the ABC 730 Documentary - make up your own minds.
These are Ivan Milats of the Torres Strait!
When it comes to animal cruelty, Indigenous Rights are terra nulius.
These people are sadistic barbarians engaing in commercial trade of precious and endangerd wildlife for personal profit.
They are not pursuing traditional ways.
They are criminals.

Tigerquoll
Suggan Buggan
Snowy River Region
Victoria
Australia

nimby

Sat, 2012-06-23 16:52

Premier Ted Baillieu and Treasurer Kim Wells late yesterday issued a press release announcing that some departments are set to lose almost 15 per cent of their staff in roads, education, police and health. Due to unaffordable housing, the Victorian government lost revenue from stamp duty and land taxes. This is despite strong population growth. The Department of Human Services will be the heaviest hit, and will lose 500 staff. The Department of Justice will lose 480 staff, and DSE 400 public servants. The government initially announced 3600 cuts in December last year, adding a further 600 in the May budget in a desperate scramble to deliver on a pledge to keep the budget in "surplus". This will compromise justice, human service and the environment. 4200 jobs are going because the government can't afford the costs of administration. Why did "Planning" minister Matthew Guy recklessly declare 6 new suburbs if they can't afford the infrastructure and all the services needed? This is poor household management and compromising the welfare of Victorians at a time of economic and jobs stresses, as will as the carbon tax that will add to the already outrageous costs of living. The "growth is good" paradigm is cracking at the seams. The "steady state" economic model is the only sustainable one for the future - both economicallly and ecologically.

Sheila Newman

Sat, 2012-06-23 16:55

While the Australian equivalent Get Up refuses to touch population issues, Avaaz is running a petition for the extension of birth-control. You can vote for their petition at Just like GetUp, Avaaz has its own problems regarding really representing its 'membership' but I guess we take what can. There is a saying, "If it's free on the net, you're the commodity." Avaaz and GetUp are data-mining organisations that get from the people who fill out their names and their opinions, location etc., a lot of information that is highly salable to political parties and commercial operations. Just in case you didn't realise. Candobetter's readers may notice that we don't actually ask them any questions. We are not data-mining. Sheila Newman, population sociologist

Geoffrey Taylor

Sat, 2012-06-23 21:23

Whilst I agree with the petition, my advice is to not sign and steer clear of Avaaz. Any organisation, which supports war against Syria by the same forces, which illegally waged war against Iraq in 1991 and 2003 and Libya last year, is criminal and should be shunned as the asks in . The death toll from those two wars is well over 1 million and may well exceed 2 million. Compared to that, even the crimes which Avaaz has invented or deceitfully attributed to the Assad Government, pale in to insignificance compared to that death toll. The following are excerpts from an e-mail I received from Avaaz on 18 February:

With each passing day, Bashar al-Assad’s campaign to crush the Syrian freedom movement reaches new levels of horror -- bombing crowded neighborhoods filled with innocent civilians, cutting off electricity and phones so families can’t call for help, and blocking medical aid from getting to the critically wounded. But, finally a flicker of hope is emerging that could stop the terror.

In the wake of the UN Security Council failure last week, Syria's neighbours in the the Arab League are taking the lead. They have called other key powers to an emergency meeting next week in Tunisia, and Avaaz will be sitting at the table with the Syrian democracy movement to deliver a clear mandate for strong action.

Let's seize this opportunity to end the bloodbath ...

... as the North Atlantic Terrorist Organization "end[ed] the bloodbath" in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya?

... and avoid another watered down compromise that renews Assad's license to murder his people. Only by escalating the level of global public outrage through a million-person petition can we force the negotiators to take the urgent action necessary to end this humanitarian catastrophe. Click below to sign the petition -- it will be delivered directly to the delegates in the meeting:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/arab_league_save_syria_1/?vl

The student organizers and mothers who month after month have led peaceful marches for freedom are now facing down the full military might of Assad’s army. They are calling for the world’s help to ensure that the Syrian Spring does not die a gruesome death on the streets of Homs, Hama and Idlib.

...

Compare the deceit in the letter above with in Global Research. - Ed

Comments on this page have been closed. Please add further comments .- Ed, 26 June