Archive for March 2008
Propaganda – Chinese style
Facts exposing Dalai clique’s masterminding of Lhasa violence
BEIJING, March 30 (Xinhua) — Xinhua was authorized (instructed) to release a signed article on Sunday to reveal how the Dalai clique plotted and incited the Lhasa violence on March 14, which killed at least 18 civilians and one police officer.
The story, by Yi Duo, says that it was untrue of the Dalai Lama and his backers to claim that the riot was a “spontaneous peaceful protest” that the Dalai Lama had nothing to do with.
Special report: Dalai clique’s separatist activities condemned – the full Monty on China’s attitude
Are Tibetan riot reports reliable? — The website “www.anti-CNN.com” reflects public condemnation of some Western media’s “distorted” reports of the riots in Lhasa, capital of China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said on Thursday. Check them out for yourself!
To get you started, you might like to read this Viewpoint: Unraveling the arguments on China and Tibet. You can also read how the west is punishing China by playing The Tibet Card .
Then, the Dalai Lama said at a press conference on Saturday said:
“To a lay person, soldiers dressed like monks may look like monks. But we watched the images carefully and realized that they were not monks. Also, in a photograph showing a Tibetan with a sword, the sword is Chinese. They all look like Chinese people dressed like Tibetans,” the Dalai Lama said, apparently responding to Beijing’s allegation that monks and ordinary Tibetans “incited by the Dalai clique” were behind the violence in Lhasa.
It’s all very intriguing. At least one side is lying … probably both!
Earth Hour goes global
… But it won’t affect the Carlton v St Kilda game
Earth Hour countdown
Australia will tonight lead the world as one of the first nations to observe Earth Hour, the greenhouse awareness initiative born just a year ago in Sydney.
Pub offers free beer for Earth Hour NEWS.com.au
Earth Hour shows Australia’s climate leadership: Garrett Scopical
AFP – BBC News – TV3 News – The Associated Press
all 420 news articles
There are some things that can never supplant Aussie Rules football.
Sunday games didn’t … Anzac Day couldn’t … so what chance did this greenhouse awareness initiative ever have?
It was never really a smart move to hold such an event on ‘Saturday Night’ – the one night that people go out. Could you image going to the pictures and they turned the projector off as well as the lights. I wonder what would happen?
Oh yeah! … I was young once.
Weekend Watchdogging – 28 Mar 08
On my main website, there is a page titled World News-Just In fed from independent news sources providing the news you don’t get in our newspapers.
When you visit, make sure to Ctl+F5 to force an instant update of the very latest news.
Has Mugabe lost power? — Zimbabwe’s opposition party claimed an overwhelming victory against President Robert Mugabe in Saturday’s presidential election. The government’s electoral commission has yet to release the counts formally, but the MDC said that declarations posted at polling stations across Zimbabwe last night, and gathered from its agents observing the counts, showed Tsvangirai ahead of Mugabe in every province where results were available. Now … wouldn’t that be something!
However President Robert Mugabe’s government warned its opponents that premature victory claims would amount to an attempted coup. “It is called a coup d’etat and we all know how coups are handled,” government spokesman George Charamba told the state-owned Sunday Mail. … Mugabe has spoken!
UN year of the Nutritious Root — Well, this news item piqued my imagination so I checked it out only to find an international conference opening today aims to tap the future food potential of the potato – which already produces more food on less land than maize, wheat or rice – as part of the United Nations International Year of the nutritious root.
Human Rights abuse in Iraq – The U.S. military says it is taking steps to alleviate conditions at the Iraqi-run city jail in Fallujah after recent visitors found a filthy, overcrowded facility where prisoners had to provide their own food or starve. The episode was revealed by a whistleblower on the Wikileaks website and originally published by Scoop NZ.
Australia may be safe from bird flu — Ducks, rice and people – and not chickens – have emerged as the most significant factors in the spread of avian influenza in Thailand and Viet Nam, according to a study carried out by a group of experts from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and associated research centres. Australia doesn’t have the combination of rice paddies and wild ducks prevalent in the asian countries suffering from bird flu.
Real Work for No Money — Kevin Rudd has just killed ‘Workchoices’ and a new threat to workers emerges in Germany. “Finishing your degree and then finding proper work seems more and more difficult,” a university graduate said. “If you haven’t done quite a number of (unpaid) internships, you’re not going to find a job.” Watch for the concept to appear in Australia … and complain like hell!
It was a revelation to find that Germany has no minimum wage. Recent legislation to allow industry sectors to apply for minimum wages fell flat. Leading politicians from the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) as well as German business leaders have said the lack of interest is an expression of overall support for their anti-minimum-wage position. There goes the extreme right of politics again!
In Australia, we have a couple of concepts that exploit the worker as well. For years, school leavers wanting an apprenticeship have been bonded to a traineeship agent paid a fee by the government and the employer to provide young people to the industrial workforce for a six month period. They are then replaced by another trainee and are no closer to their apprenticeship.
Another dubious concept is the government funded employment agency that insists that the applicant register with the government as long term unemployed before they will attempt to place you. This is so that the agency receives their funding from the government. And … don’t get me started again on the explotation of foreign workers!
Things are worse in New Zealand with the minimum rate being lifted from $9 to $12/hr next week. “Over 9 years in the 1990s National (led governments) increased the minimum wage by only 14 per cent, less than a dollar, and the wage gap with Australia increased by 50%.” the CTU secretary said, “Over 9 years under Labour led governments, the minimum wage has increased by 71 per cent, or 5 dollars an hour, and the wage gap with Australia has increased by only 1.4%”. Sound familiar?
The Bush administration is finalizing details of a plan to rescue homeowners at risk of foreclosure by assisting borrowers who owe their banks more than their homes are worth because of plummeting prices. Therein lies the reason for massive rental increases. You have a rental property and suddenly find the mortgage repayments are not being met by the rental received. What are you going to do? What appears to be greed may well be a survival tactic.
Under the US plan, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) would encourage lenders to forgive a portion of those loans and issue new, smaller mortgages in exchange for the financial backing of the federal government. Have Australian house prices dropped so far that the mortgage is more than the home value?
How many of these news items did you find in our media?
April Fool’s day comes early
Man sentenced over wombat rape claim
A New Zealand man has been sentenced to community service after telling police he had been raped by a wombat and the experience had caused him to start speaking “Australian”.
Arthur Cradock, a 48-year-old orchard worker from Motueka on South Island, rang police on February 11 to say he was being raped by the slow-moving Australian marsupial at his home, The Nelson Mail reported.
He rang back soon afterwards to say he was withdrawing his complaint against the wombat, a court was told.
“Apart from speaking Australian now, I’m pretty all right you know,” he told police in the second call.
Cradock pleaded guilty to using a phone for a fictitious purpose and was sentenced to 75 hours community work.
Prosecutors said alcohol played a large part in Cradock’s life, although his defence lawyer said he was not drunk on the afternoon of the phone calls.
National water plan – good or bad?
ABC Online – Victorian Premier John Brumby has visited Mildura to sell his decision to agree to a national takeover of the Murray-Darling basin.
but …. Farmers to lose 30% of water: irrigators says The Age
Rann says Murray deal will send another 100 billion litres into SA Advertiser Adelaide
Melbourne Herald Sun – Sky News Australia – LIVENEWS.com.au – The Australian
all 407 news articles
Who knows what the outcome will be?
Sophie condemns COAG water agreement
“Today’s announcement means that the Rudd Labor Government will give financial support of $1 billion to Stage 2 of the Brumby Government’s Food Bowl Modernisation Project – something they explicitly said they would not do. The outcome of today’s talks means that the Rudd Labor Government is complicit in the actions of the Brumby Labor Government’s sinister plot to pipe water from the Goulburn system to Melbourne.”, Mrs Mirabella said.
Farmers Federation happy with Murray sign-on
Richard Anderson from the Victorian Farmers Federation says it looks like water security for irrigators will be protected. “From what I’ve heard so far it’s all positive in terms of wins for the Victorian irrigators and obviously the VFF of which I’m the water chairman,” he said.
Irrigators angry over Murray Darling basin plan
About 30 protesters confronted the Premier, saying the deal will not get them the water they desperately need for next season. Sunraysia irrigator Christine Argiro, says irrigators need 100 per cent of their water allocations to get a crop.
Water need urgent: lower Murray locals
The plan could take until 2011 to implement, but has been generally praised by people along the Lower Lakes of the Murray in South Australia.
There’s mixed support for it at the moment … although the water experts agree that is a good move!
Professor Snow Barlow is Professor of Horticultrue and Viticulture in the Faculty of Land and Food Resources, University of Melbourne.“This is a very constructive outcome to an important national debate that allows all the water resources of the Murray Darling basin to be managed conjunctively. The inclusion of groundwater in the agreement is a significant step forward. While the devil will be in the detail of the agreement with regard to the nature of the national body established to mange the basin and its relationships with existing bodies and the principles of water management to be incorporated within the agreement. While there is much to be done in making this historic agreement operational I am sure it will bring a smile to Peter Cullen’s face , from whatever vantage he is watching from !”
Paul Perkins AM is adjunct professor at the ANU’s Fenner Centre for Environment and Society and chair of CRC CARE. He is a leading commentator on water policy and sustainability strategies. His research activities include integrated catchment management and water sharing systems.
“Today’s COAG National Water Plan announcement and explanatory releases by Minister Penny Wong are a welcome step forward and an indication of the new Australian government’s determination to deal with the States.
The signing on of Victoria was inevitable but not surprisingly, extracted an earmarked $1 billion support for their ‘Foodbowl modernisation program’ which is planned to free up a billion litres for environmental flows and another billion for Goulburn Valley irrigators from infrastructure investment to deliver use efficiencies: the reallocation of water savings to Melbourne will presumably also now be possible given agreed State powers of allocations. The trade-off is a Victorian commitment to a multi-year cap within an overall MDBC cap to be approved by the Commonwealth Minister on advice from the new National Water Authority.
The agreement re storage of allocations upstream are also an important precedent as earlier rhetoric on water trading had not prescribed access, upstream storage and ‘wheeling’ arrangements adequately; this ‘Adelaide clause’ will receive a lot of attention in coming months.
We’ll have to wait for the detail in the new IGA (Intergovernmental agreement) to be completed by the next COAG meeting in July.”
Professor Wayne Meyer is Professor of Natural Resource Science at the University of Adelaide. He is an internationally recognised irrigation scientist with experience in crop water requirements and salinity management in irrigated regions.
“It is certainly a good thing that Victoria has signed on because a national approach is really critical. The next step will be whether or not there will actually be a significant effect and it won’t be achieved through marginal policies like buying a bit of water here and there, I think that would be quite debilitating. It really will require some pretty hard nosed decisions about where it is suitable for irrigation to continue to be practised. Just doing little bits here and there will not achieve what is needed.”
Professor Gary Jones is a leading Australian water expert and Chief Executive Officer of the eWater CRC.
“Now the agreement is in place, it’s time to start spending the money and stop talking about it! The environment needs this investment desperately. In parts of the Murray Darling Basin the environment is in crisis. We welcome the Victorian government’s decision to sign the deal and would urge all governments to take action quickly before it is too late.
The Victorian Government’s decision to sign the rescue package will now enable the elements of the rescue package to proceed. $5.9 billion will be invested in irrigation supply infrastructure such as lining channels and piping water and improving farm irrigation technology. Fifty percent of the water saved through these initiatives should flow to the environment. An additional $3 billion has been allocated under the plan to buy back water for the environment from willing irrigators. “
Local veterans recognised
Sophie Mirabella, the Federal Member for Indi, has announced that the service of local veterans in wars, conflict and peace operations since the Second World War can be recognised with Certificates of Appreciation.
Mrs Mirabella has called on local residents who may be eligible for a Certificate of Appreciation to contact her office.
Certificates of Appreciation are available to those who served overseas in wars, conflicts and peace operations during the Second World War, the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (Japan), Korean War, Malayan Emergency, Indonesian Confrontation, Vietnam War, Gulf War and Peace Operations. They are also available to civilians and those who served in the defence forces or on the home front during the Second World War.
“We are all very proud of the fine history of service displayed by local veterans in the north-east,” Mrs Mirabella said.
“These certificates provide a small but important recognition of the valiant efforts of the many Australian veterans who served our nation.”
“Australia has always kept faith with the sacrifices of those who have served their nation in war and conflict. Indeed, there are memorials right across the North-East that clearly acknowledge our citizens’ contribution and what they have lost in war,” Mrs Mirabella said.
“For my part, I believe that one of our most important obligations as Australians is to make sure the deeds of our servicemen and women in wartime are remembered and commemorated by generations of Australians.”
“I urge anyone who thinks they may be available for a Certificate of Appreciation to contact my office on 1300 131 791 for an application form,” Mrs Mirabella concluded.
Mirabella condemns COAG water agreement
Sophie Mirabella, the Federal Member for Indi, has condemned the outcome of the talks on the Murray Darling Basin at today’s Council of Australian Governments (CoAG) meeting held in Adelaide.
“Today’s announcement means that the Rudd Labor Government will give financial support of $1 billion to Stage 2 of the Brumby Government’s Food Bowl Modernisation Project – something they explicitly said they would not do,” Mrs Mirabella said.
“The outcome of today’s talks means that the Rudd Labor Government is complicit in the actions of the Brumby Labor Government’s sinister plot to pipe water from the Goulburn system to Melbourne.”
“This is about patching up poor planning for urban water supplies and displays the utter disregard for the urban water supply of rural towns and the long-term sustainability of agriculture in north-east Victoria,” Mrs Mirabella said.
“Why not invest in the upgrade of irrigation infrastructure without the agricultural and social blackmail of diverting our water to Melbourne as the necessary precondition?”
“Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this is the betrayal of our region from Environment Minister Peter Garrett. When he was asked about this matter in Parliament last month he said:
“The member sought a guarantee that no funds from the National Water Initiative would be diverted to a pipeline taking water from the Murray-Darling Basin to Melbourne. The Sugarloaf pipeline is fully funded by the Victorian government and, as such, the Commonwealth will not be contributing funds for the project.”
“Mr Brumby claimed that this will go down in history as an historic day. I am sure I am not the only one who disagrees with his lofty rhetoric. Mr Brumby and Mr Rudd have collaborated to sell our interests down the river,” Mrs Mirabella said.
“To put it simply, there is just not enough water in the Murray Darling Basin to meet our current needs – let alone factoring in Melbourne’s needs as well. This is a sneaky political fix to claw Mr Brumby out of the ridiculous political position in which he found himself.”
“Now Rudd Labor has joined Brumby Labor in the plot to rob our region’s water. They stand condemned,” Mrs Mirabella concluded.
A Western Fable: Waist-Deep in the Big Muddy (Again)
My neighbor’s cattle operation had a huge number of prized Black Angus steers and Holstein dairy-cows. I wanted them and the lush range they fed on. I tried making some sort of deal with the owner, but he was one ornery sumbitch.
He knew his Double I-Ranch was prime real estate, with supercattle herds, so he made sure to hire the strongest guardsand gave them the latest weapons so nobody would consider making a move on him. He was taunting me, telling me he wouldn’t deal, that I could go to hell. He needed a good lesson in humility.
Over the years, the guy had been getting old and his security system had slipped into
disrepair. He ran his ranch as a kind of corrupt one-man show so I knew he’d be a pushover if I moved on his property and just took it, got rid of him and set up my own manager of the place who would run it “independently” but take his cues from me, if you get my drift. I’m the most powerful land baron in the area now, so why not? Nobody could really stop me.
But I couldn’t just march my assembled gunslingers and cowhands in there and openly take it. I’d have to attack under cover of “the law”: helping the poor downtrodden residents who live there, that sort of thing. So I went to the County Council and told them all sorts of scary stories about huge caches of weapons, including some really dangerous experimental ones, that were stockpiled on his ranch. I said he was planning on using all that ordnance against us and his other neighbors and his own people.
Copyright 2008 by Bernard Weiner
Bernard Weiner, a poet and playwright, has written numerous parables, political fantasies and satires of the CheneyBush Administration. A Ph.D. in government & international relations, he has taught at various universities, worked as a writer/editor with the San Francisco Chronicle, and currently co-edits The Crisis Papers (www.crisispapers.org). For comment: crisispapers@comcast.net
Charity ‘Pollie Peddle’ coming to Indi
Sophie Mirabella, the Federal Member for Indi, has urged residents of the north-east to show their support for the 2008 Pollie Pedal as it comes through the region next week.
Pollie Pedal 2008 will raise money for prostate cancer research at Westmead Hospital. About 15,000 Australian men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. Pollie Pedal aims to boost funds to leading researchers studying the causes and treatments of this disease. This year, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs, the Hon. Tony Abbott, will lead the charge of Pollie Pedallers, along with a number of other state and federal politicians from both sides of the political fence.
“The north-east is well known as a centre for cycling, so it is appropriate that the Pollie Pedal will once again come through our region to support a good cause,” Mrs Mirabella said.
“I am hosting three community events – in Benalla, Wangaratta and Rutherglen – to show our region’s support for this event. All events are open to the public and I urge residents of the north-east to come out in force and make a donation to support this worthy cause.”
I have enclosed the route of this year’s Pollie Pedal. The details of the public receptions for the Pollie Pedal riders in Indi are as follows:
Tuesday 1 April 2008
6.00pm – Reception in Benalla, Café Raffety, 55 Nunn Street Benalla.
Wednesday 2 April 2008
9.30am – Public Reception and Morning Tea in Wangaratta, APEX Park.
5.00pm – Public Reception and drinks function, Rutherglen Wine Experience, Main Street, Rutherglen.
Watchdogging the news -25 Mar 08
Farming workforce at ‘crisis levels’
The push is on again to get Islander workers in to work our farms because they cannot get locals to work. Has anyone ever asked why locals don’t want to work. One employer said it is because the locals can get the dole too easily. The real reason is the pay is a pittance alongside a real job – so why not take the dole.
Pokies set for time, cash limits
Voluntary time and cash limits on pokies should be every bit as effective at reducing problem gambling as the Push to lift drinking age to 21 will stop binge drinking. Duh!
Monsanto Pays Percy Schmeiser
Remember the Canadian farmer sued by Monsanto in 1994 for having volunteer Monsanto GM canola plants on his farm? Today he was successful in charging that if Monsanto owned the plants, they should be liable for the damage that their property causes others. What comes around, goes around
Petrol companies may skip trading scheme
The Federal Government has not ruled out excluding petrol companies from its emissions trading scheme, Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs Minister Chris Bowen has said … They reckon it is to protect consumers against rising petrol prices. I guess they will have to exempt electricity generation and coal production for the same reason. What’s left to trade after that.
Protecting Australians from Terrorism
Petro Georgiou has announced that he will introduce a bill in Parliament to establish the position of independent reviewer of Australian terrorism laws, whose reviews will be tabled in Parliament. You can read his arguments for doing so in his article linked above. Among the points he makes are: “A democracy’s response to the threat of terrorism cannot simply comprise the enactment of more stringent laws and the expansion of police and intelligence agencies,” and, “The challenge of protecting security without undermining people’s fundamental rights requires constant vigilance. But the machinery of vigilance in Australia is deficient.” I will be interested in your responses to his call for the appointment an independent reviewer.
