Under attack by Commie Nazis

With the news that the world's number two hunter of Commie Nazis is soon to be visiting Australia, I thought it was time to have a look at one of our homegrown McBain fans, New South Wales, Member of the Legislative Council (upper house of state parliament) and Liberal Party whip The Hon. Dr. Peter Phelps. Phelps was elected to the Upper House in May 2011 and didn't take long to start warning us of the dangers of Commie Nazis (and more recently here and here) as well as hunting Commie Nazis Phelps is also letting people know of the dangers posed by dragons:

I think government could well fund in the future a $10 million draconian research institute, whereby peer-approved papers could be produced which would demonstrate that dragons are responsible for global warming. That could then lead to a United Nations independent committee on dragon activities, where no doubt levies would be expected—

I note the dragon denialist sitting in the corner. I think we can say goodbye to every vote from every dungeons and dragons player. Dragon denialism is a blight on this Parliament. Dr John Kaye should listen to the scientific evidence. I refer him specifically to the Dungeons and Dragons Adventurer's handbook, third edition, which states unequivocally that dragons do exist, in a wide range of colours. Perhaps dragons should be investigated even more deeply with regard to their role in climate change, because it has the same sort of scientific relevance as carbon dioxide.

And while there is controversy over the role of dragons in climate change, we can rest assured:

"there are no dragons involved in the industrial relations situation of NSW".

Which leads me to wonder just what award dragons are covered by? Dragons may be in trouble but other fire breathers can breathe easy:

If you want to be a pot smoking Mullumbimby hippie, fine—

And if you were interested in just what qualifies Phelps as the Commie Nazi Dragon Dunter he is, well here some highlights of his biography:

Publications - Americans are from Pluto, I.P.A Review, 2006; Of Bridges and Blue-eyed Babies, Quadrant, 2000; Anxious Nation - Review, International History Review, 2000; Amnesty Infomercial, I.P.A. Review, 1999; Keen as Mustard - Review, International History Review, 1999.

Qualifications, Occupations and Interests - Bachelor of Arts (Hons), Sydney University, 1990. Doctor of Philosophy, Sydney University, 1997.
Advisor, Hon. Bronwyn Bishop MP, October 2010-January 2011. Advisor, Sen. Michael Ronaldson, February 2009-October 2010. Chief of staff, Hon. Gary Nairn MP, January 2006-November 2007. Chief of staff, Sen. the Hon. Eric Abetz, January 2001-January 2006. Chief of staff, Sen. the Hon. Chris Ellison, May 2000-January 2001. Advisor, Sen. the Hon. Chris Ellison, August 1999-May 2000. Assistant Advisor, Hon. John Moore MP, October 1998-August 1999. Assistant Advisor, Hon. Ian McLachlan, February 1998-October 1998.

Introducing The Mad Katters Tea Party.

I couldn't resist it, North Queensland independent MP Bob Katter has today announced the formation of a new political party, and after what obviously must have been a long and arduous process has decided to call it "Katter's Australian Party" (coz naming a political party after yourself worked really well for "Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party") and has decided to follow a populist agenda:

MAKING A STAND: Katter's key policies

Stop the stranglehold of Coles and Woolworths on groceries

Cut individual chains' market share to 22.5 per cent each instead of current 80 per cent total share.

This would ensure greater competition and push down prices.

Supermarket fairness tribunal to prevent misuse of market share.

No privatisation

Prevent any further sell-offs of assets but also implement strategies to reverse some past and current assets.

No carbon tax

Stop the measure and focus on renewable energies such as ethanol.

Stop free trade

Protect Australian industries and jobs to revitalise industries such as agriculture and manufacturing.

New laws to make Parliament approve treaties, not just the Government.

All Government spending should be on Australian goods where practicable. eg cars

Rural Australia does need better representation, unfortunately this isn't it.

NSW Shooters and Fishers Party, a few squirrels short in the top paddock.

Recently heard in parliament from Robert Brown, MLC for the Shooters and Fishers Party:

For The Greens to rabbit on about the protection of native species but not allow conservation hunters into national parks to kill foxes and, more particularly, cats that climb old-growth trees and eat all the birds and squirrels is plain hypocrisy.

He's wanting to protect squirrels from predation by cats?

But wait there's more, when challenged on it he then continued:

Yes, grey squirrels. There are feral squirrels everywhere. We will add them to the game and feral animal bill list.

Feral squirrels everywhere? Not in this country there's not, and given that the proposed Game and Feral Animal Control Amendment Bill would allow the setting up of private game parks, does this mean he wants to add them to the list of animals these parks can release?

Coal Industry Promises to Con Communities

Let's face it, the coal industry rarely gets past the first syllable in their consultation process so let's call it for what it is. Following the recently released survey which pretty much said the community thinks coal mining sucks the industry is now promising to go out and consult more.

From the ABC

Coal industry promises to consult with mining communities
Posted Tue May 24, 2011 6:40am AEST


The Minerals Council says the mining industry wants to engage more with the community over concerns about dust and air quality. (ABC Local : Jill Emberson )

The New South Wales Minerals Council says a scathing community survey was a 'wake-up call' and it has begun talks with Upper Hunter residents in a bid to improve its relationship with locals.

The Mineral Council's Upper Hunter Mining Dialogue hosted an information meeting at Singleton overnight in order to better develop solutions to the community's concerns.

The independent survey rates the region's coal industry poorly, citing dust, air quality and the need for mine site rehabilitation as community concerns.

The Council's Deputy CEO, Sue-Ern Tan says the industry wants to address the issues.

"I think they were concerns that we knew we in the community but it was really getting them in black and white I guess was a bit of the wake-up call for us," she said.

"I think what it showed though was there was an interest in the community to keep talking and try to all work together to find a path forward for the broader Hunter community.

"That's not going to be easy but I think the best way to do it is by continuing that conversation."

Ms Tan says the Minerals Council is committed to significantly boosting its consultation with Upper Hunter mining communities.

She says the scathing survey also highlighted concern over pressure on community services and infrastructure.

Ms Tan says the whole industry wants to engage more with the community.

"Each individual company does it about their individual projects and does it actually quite well, but this is a broader problem," she said.

"This is the cumulative impacts of the whole industry in the Upper Hunter and while people might say, talk is cheap, it's not.

"You've got to start talking.

"There was a feeling of, where do we go to now?

"How do we try and find a way forward to ensure the Hunter has a strong and viable future?"

Here's the thing, we've heard it all before, we've heard the assurances, we've heard the corporate spin and we just don't believe you any more and no ammount of additional community con is going to change that.

Want to gain a little more respect? Well here's a couple of suggestions to start, audit your operations against the claims made in your EIS, don't leave overburden heaps bare for 10 years, do proper rehab job and not just throw out fucking Rhodes Grass seed everywhere, if you've put an area aside for an "offset" don't go and mine the thing five years later, oh and stop playing us for fools.

Cabin Fever.

The world gets increasingly smaller when you’re sick, empty tissue boxes stack up like an impenetrable cliff, mucus impregnated tissues build up against them like blizzard blown snow.

The tissues wait, menacing, threatening, to collapse and wash me away in a slime filled snotalanche.

And so begins day six of my self imposed exile, boredom and tedium has well set in, drizzling rain stopping even the minor pleasure of walking into the sunlight, blinking tentatively like a new born bunny on it’s first venture from the burrow, warming in the rays of the sun ready to scurry back inside to the comfort and safety of a full tissue box.

I could clean the house, but then what would I do tomorrow when I get really bored?

And I’m out of tissues, so it’s the rough touch of toilet paper to soak the snot, and when my head gets really bad it’s under the hot shower for a steam and desnotification, echoing the words of Lady MacBeth, “Out damned snot”.

So the day drags on, 10:16 and apart from some washing up nothing done, nothing accomplished, the 8th deadly sin of wasting time has been committed.

Tomorrow, I hope I’ll be somewhat better tomorrow, I know I’ve been saying that for days but if I’m no longer a belching spluttering oil well of phlegm I might be able to do something, like buy some fresh food or even pick up some steel for a project (I made the mistake of doing the design for it on Monday so now there’s nothing left to do but build it with materials I don’t have).

I hate being sick.



.

Dedicted to Tony Abbott and the mining industry

No explanation needed really, a classic of Australian poetry.

SAID HANRAHAN by John O'Brien

"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
In accents most forlorn,
Outside the church, ere Mass began,
One frosty Sunday morn.

The congregation stood about,
Coat-collars to the ears,
And talked of stock, and crops, and drought,
As it had done for years.

"It's looking crook," said Daniel Croke;
"Bedad, it's cruke, me lad,
For never since the banks went broke
Has seasons been so bad."

"It's dry, all right," said young O'Neil,
With which astute remark
He squatted down upon his heel
And chewed a piece of bark.

And so around the chorus ran
"It's keepin' dry, no doubt."
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out."

"The crops are done; ye'll have your work
To save one bag of grain;
From here way out to Back-o'-Bourke
They're singin' out for rain.

"They're singin' out for rain," he said,
"And all the tanks are dry."
The congregation scratched its head,
And gazed around the sky.

"There won't be grass, in any case,
Enough to feed an ass;
There's not a blade on Casey's place
As I came down to Mass."

"If rain don't come this month," said Dan,
And cleared his throat to speak -
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"If rain don't come this week."

A heavy silence seemed to steal
On all at this remark;
And each man squatted on his heel,
And chewed a piece of bark.

"We want an inch of rain, we do,"
O'Neil observed at last;
But Croke "maintained" we wanted two
To put the danger past.

"If we don't get three inches, man,
Or four to break this drought,
We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out."

In God's good time down came the rain;
And all the afternoon
On iron roof and window-pane
It drummed a homely tune.

And through the night it pattered still,
And lightsome, gladsome elves
On dripping spout and window-sill
Kept talking to themselves.

It pelted, pelted all day long,
A-singing at its work,
Till every heart took up the song
Way out to Back-o'-Bourke.

And every creek a banker ran,
And dams filled overtop;
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"If this rain doesn't stop."

And stop it did, in God's good time;
And spring came in to fold
A mantle o'er the hills sublime
Of green and pink and gold.

And days went by on dancing feet,
With harvest-hopes immense,
And laughing eyes beheld the wheat
Nid-nodding o'er the fence.

And, oh, the smiles on every face,
As happy lad and lass
Through grass knee-deep on Casey's place
Went riding down to Mass.

While round the church in clothes genteel
Discoursed the men of mark,
And each man squatted on his heel,
And chewed his piece of bark.

"There'll be bush-fires for sure, me man,
There will, without a doubt;
We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out."

Easter carnage? What Easter carnage?

Every holiday period and long weekend we hear the screaching of our political masters and police force amplified through a largely unquestioning and subservient media about holiday road "carnage". Police patrols are increased, double demerit points are enforced and despite having had years worth of notice all police leave is routinely cancelled and motorists spend far more time looking at their speedos rather than where they are going.

So what is this carnage? How much more likely are you to die during one of these periods of carnage?

I did a little searching and did a little number crunching from this report found at Infrastructure Australia looking at the monthly road death tolls from 1993 to 2008. I haven't gotten into the full statistical analysis as it'd take me too long and secondly I haven't done much with stats for almost 20 years.

The monthly averages are:
January 140.125
February 130.6875
March 152.0625
April 141.5625
May 148.0625
June 140.5
July 141.1875
August 148.5625
September 141.5625
October 153.0625
November 140.0625
December 157.0625

Once you start looking at the daily averages thing even out a lot more, with December (5/day), October (4.9), March (4.9), August (4.8), May (4.8) having the higher daily averages. January (4.5/day), July (4.5), Februry (4.6), and November (4.6) are the safest months to travel on Australian roads. April in which Easter occurs has 4.7 deaths/day.

Now the road toll has come down quite a bit since then (1953 deaths in 1993 to 1464 in 2008) but from the figures we can see that our "deadliest" month, December, is only around ten percent more dangerous than our safest, January and July.

Taking the 2008 figure of 1464 road deaths we come to an average of just over 4 deaths a day, given that we're four days into to Easter holiday period simple maths will tell us to expect about 16 deaths, and that's close enough to what we've got.

Now none of this is meant to make light of the tragedy that deaths and injuries undoubtedly are but I'm just adding some perspective to the hype. People die at all times during the year on our roads and at roughly the same rate, high profile campaigns for a few weeks a year will do little to reduce the overall numbers, better roads, better training and more appropriate enforcement (when was the last time you heard of someone being booked for tailgating?) are the things which will make a difference.

Given the recent change of government in New South Wales and their attitude to speed cameras I will look on with interest for the next few months.