Wednesday 2 June 2010

When local government acts dumb.....


Found at The Leader (Vic) website this month:

"CASEY Council will rethink its ban on flying kites and model aircraft in public parks, reserves and sportsgrounds after public outcry.
Council officers have been asked to prepare a report on amending the local law to lift the ban in a sufficient number of open space parks around the city.
As revealed by Leader today, under the new local law it is an offence to “fly, or permit to be flown, any aircraft, without a permit”.
Those caught flying without a permit face a $234 fine.
Casey community safety manager Caroline Bell said the local law defined “aircraft” as “any device that uses airflow to move through the air, and includes any powered or self-propelled model aeroplane”.
The council confirmed to Leader that the ban included kites."

Tuesday 1 June 2010

When do we finally admit that Israel is a rogue state?

Isn't it time the world called a spade a spade and admitted that Israel is a rogue state.

Media reports of events in a roughly chronological descending order:

Saffin goes to bat for Aunty's rural reporters


Onya, Janelle!

"FOLLOWING Senator Barnaby Joyce claiming that rural reporter positions in Mackay and Lismore are under threat, Member for Page Janelle Saffin has written a letter to ABC managing director Mark Scott, seeking clarification.
"As one of the Members of Parliament who actively lobbied, and did so without prompting, for ABC funding and did again following ... a meeting with ABC NSW director Mike McCluskey, I am very concerned at the suggestion that there could be cuts to ABC services in my electorate," she stated.
"Senator Barnaby Joyce claims that the rural reporter positions in Mackay and Lismore are under threat. While I usually take Barnaby's blurtings with a grain of salt, I note that the ABC has not ruled out these mooted cuts."
Ms Saffin said she based her concern on the high dependence the residents of Page had on the ABC rural report and other news that the rural reporter produced.
"The Australian Electoral Commission classes Page as a rural seat and our rural reporter is someone farmers and others involved in primary production rely on," she wrote. "The morning rural report is a great ABC service, and something that has kept so many rural people loyal to their local ABC.
"I would also point out that this region is quite distinct from other parts of the state because of its climate, and diversity of farming practices, from the traditional to the cutting edge of organic farming and many innovative practices. The local rural program also draws on the wealth of environmental and agricultural research from the local Southern Cross University and the Agricultural Research Station." {The Daily Examiner on 28th May 2010}

You're fired!


Found in The Daily Examiner letters to the editor on the 28th May 2010:

Fired by text message

'YOU'RE fired'- a 16-year-old received this text message on their mobile phone.

They had worked part-time for about 18 months and everything was going well, but this person decided maybe a change was due, so decided to look elsewhere.

If anything turned up they would give two weeks' notice, etc., and part on good terms.

However, the company this teenager approached about getting a job phoned the said employer and asked for a reference, which is fine, but that was when the text was sent.

Don't you think a chat would have been more appropriate to find out exactly what was going on before giving someone their marching orders?

I certainly do, and I think for this employer to act like this sets a very bad example in bad manners.

I, for one, will not be setting foot in this store again.

SUZANNE MARSHALL, Junction Hill