I can’t say I’m going to go quit my job (not even for six months), but it does remind me of why I do the extra-curricular stuff I do, and why I’m always on the lookout to learn new things and try and make a difference.
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Category: Politics and activism
I’m a troublemaker sometimes
If you’re worried about climate change, and the glacial (!) rate government is addressing it… and you’re in Melbourne, try this: on Sunday morning the Bayside Climate Change Group are getting together people for a human sign on Sandringham beach at 10am, to say “HALT CLIMATE CHANGE NOW!” (I’m assuming the team co-ordinating don’t all ... [More]
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Election day
The great thing about election day is you can exercise your right to democracy, and have a sausage too. Daniel’s election day sausage tally: 2. PS. Sunday night. Result probably what most people expected. Interesting to see that the ALP misinformation worked — some people were asking Greens helpers if they were preferencing Libs. (They ... [More]
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Who to put last?
What I’m pondering for this Saturday’s state election is who am I going to put last? It’s not like a Federal byelection, when every man and his dog decides to run. No, in my district there isn’t a huge assortment of weird and wacky parties, nor are there any independents. All you’ve got are ALP ... [More]
The streets were closed to traffic, the barricades went up. Yes, the Bentleigh festival was on again. But 15km away from the sausage sizzles, roaming families, showbags and Humphrey B Bear, some streets in central Melbourne were blocked-off for the third day, for the G20 meeting. Hearing about the violence in Collins Street on Saturday, ... [More]
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Rosa
Rosa Lee Long, Queensland’s only sitting One Nation MP, was returned in her seat of Tablelands in the Queensland state election on Saturday. I only mention this because she’s actually a distant (non-blood) relative of mine. On the Chinese side of my family there are a mass of Lee Long family members, and I understand ... [More]
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Predetermined outcomes
The Howard government is doing it again. It’s just like the republic debate all over again. Back then it was not Do you want a republic, it was Do you want a republic with a Prez replacing Her Maj and the GG, appointed by a two-thirds majority of parliament. This time the energy inquiry being ... [More]
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Bloody car
My bloody car is still playing up, despite a service the other week that included an astronomically expensive ultrasound on the fuel injection! Given that that was prompted by reporting the same fault it’s still suffering, what are my statutory rights here? Anyway it’s been at the service place since last night (so they can ... [More]
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The truth behind cattlemen?
According to a sticker left on the glass partition of a now dis-used office at work, “Mountain cattlemen care for the high country.” The other week I was chatting to a friend about the issue of the Victorian Government banning livestock grazing from the Alpine National Park. Apparently the image of the mountain cattlemen — ... [More]
Goodnight and Good Luck — A dramatised version of the campaign against Joe McCarthy by 50’s CBS programme See It Now, but with so many modern parallels in today’s climate of terrorism, fundamentalism, secrecy and censorship. Beautifully shot, and compelling. My eyes didn’t waver from the screen for the full 90 minutes. On a couple ... [More]
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Two worlds, one country
I look down my street, and wonder how this exists elsewhere in my country: (From The Age: ‘Chicken coop’ village fights to shed despair) Successive governments have let things get this bad. Please Mr Costello, don’t give me a tax cut, use the money to fix this and other problems of poverty in our society.
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Trains in an instant
From MX, Melbourne’s free afternoon commuter newspaper, 19/10/2005 page 1: Trains in an instant Inga Gilchrist Trains would run every 10 minutes during peak hour on all lines under a radical plan to boost Melbourne’s public transport. The Public Transport Users Association today called for a massive lift in train frequency to ease overcrowding in ... [More]