Australia

[minna]

That song is a little out of date. How about adding a few more stanzas to include the various recent immigrants. Namely the Greeks, Italians, Vietnamese, Chinese...etc.

I actually prefer this to our anthem, I think it is easier to remember. I can never remember the second stanza of Advance Australian Fair!

[Michaelangelica]

That song is a little out of date. How about adding a few more stanzas to include the various recent immigrants. Namely the Greeks, Italians, Vietnamese, Chinese...etc.

I actually prefer this to our anthem, I think it is easier to remember. I can never remember the second stanza of Advance Australian Fair!

Yes I agree.

Perhaps we need some iconic Chinese Greeks Italian etc?

"He grew the best veggies". . . "He made the best falafel "- doesn't rate with Ned Kelly

(BTW Heaps of Chinese have been here since the 1840 Gold Rushes)

 

I hate our anthem too. Like most anthems it is jingoistic. I loath that; but read the words of some. The French comes vaguely to this old mind as being reasonably gruesome I am not sure of USA's

 

I voted for "Waltzing Matilda"- totally unrelated to anything but stealing sheep. I think the election was rigged

 

WE ARE AUSTRALIAN by Judith Durham is a much catchier tune and tugs at the heartstrings and hopes and aspirations more. Although it is totally unrealistic and rubbish. A nice thing to aspire to; like the Ancient Greek "Golden Mean". Have you ever met a 'middle of the road', calm, reasonable, quiet,contemplative Greek?

Though if you are Olympic Gold Medallist you may have a different view of the National Anthem?

[Turtle]

Here we have some good news, with a wicked twist of irony. :cheer:

First the Headline:

Almost half of Australia untouched by humans: study

 

Skip to conclusion:

"If you drive through and see these vast areas of bushland, it looks in pretty good shape, but there are subtle changes happening, and we need to get people back out there managing it," he said.

Almost half of Australia untouched by humans: study | Environment | Reuters

 

:phones:

[minna]

(BTW Heaps of Chinese have been here since the 1840 Gold Rushes)

 

I voted for "Waltzing Matilda"- totally unrelated to anything but stealing sheep. I think the election was rigged[/Qpute].

 

I guess if it represent nobody then it represents everybody. But I bet there are people who doesn't know the meaning of billabong, swagman, jumbuck and other wonderful Australian lexicon in the song.

Actually what does 'Waltzing Matilda' mean? How coan anyone come Waltzing Matilda with me?

 

Have you ever met a 'middle of the road', calm, reasonable, quiet,contemplative Greek?

 

I believe it is YOUR role to be 'middle of the road', calm, reasonable, quiet and contemplative when you meet a Greek. :cheer:

 

Though if you are Olympic Gold Medallist you may have a different view of the National Anthem?

 

If I had won an Olympic Gold Medal I wouldn't give a damn what our anthem was! Anyway they only play the music...not the actual song. So I'd be ok if it didn't sound like bad 80's pop music (i.e. Kylie):phones:

[freeztar]

Here we have some good news, with a wicked twist of irony. :phones:

First the Headline:

 

Skip to conclusion: Almost half of Australia untouched by humans: study | Environment | Reuters

 

This wiki article has some good info on Australian aborigenes and their impact on the environment. The prescribed bush fires seem very controversial there. It's against my knowledge because here in Georgia, fire ecology is necessary to maintain native plant communities (and consequently cetain wildlife communities).

 

Indigenous Australians - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Michaelangelica]

Here we have some good news, with a wicked twist of irony. :cheer:

First the Headline:

 

Skip to conclusion: Almost half of Australia untouched by humans: study | Environment | Reuters

 

:phones:

Interesting article

Although

Traill said Australia's government should be recruiting up to 5,000 extra Aboriginal rangers to act as guardians of untouched areas, with only 10 percent of the country currently protected as parklands and reserve.

As if that will ever happen! We barely pay the aborigines that work in the NT Gulf now. We can't even provide, nurses or workers for the mines. Governments are continually crying poor, selling off public assets and putting up politician's wages (at least in NSW). Nation Parks are under-resourced.

 

One incredible untouched area which led to the birth of the "Green Political Party" in Australia is Tasmania. The West Coast gets about 40 foot of rain a year and has huge impenetrable, ancient forests. Which all the capitalists want to log or dam. The East Coast has a Mediterranean climate.. Nice little green island about the size of Britain (?).With only 500,000 people living there.

 

Lots more parks are being made including marine national parks. Which are very important considering overfishing and the fact that over 80% of Oz marine life is found no where else on earth.

 

Minna lol and "girt by sea" means??

[Michaelangelica]

An environmental competition

 

I wonder if they have included char in their models?

ABC Catchment Detox

ABC Catchment Detox

 

In my first little play with the game it seems like a simplistic, mushroom-propaganda model of little use understanding real problems.

[Michaelangelica]

Last year i posted a news article (which I now cannot find) about Guerrilla Gardening

 

It seems it is a movement spreading across the planet.

Guerilla gardeners beautifying Australian cities

 

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

 

Broadcast: 03/09/2008

Reporter: Mark Willacy

 

Transcript

An underground movement that aims to transform ordinary public space from grey to green are covertly operating in Australia’s urban areas. But local councils argue they are violating city laws.

The 7.30 Report - ABC

 

see also

Guerrilla gardener movement takes root in L.A. area

Guerrilla gardener movement takes root in L.A. area - Los Angeles Times

[Michaelangelica]

There is NO Venture Capital in Australia.

If you have some, and want to make some money, watch this show

New Inventors - ABC TV

............................

ON science etc an interesting article:_

The breakthrough was this: Oppose something that everyone in the scientific world accepts. Don't oppose it in scientific journals or at conferences where the idea will be tested and fail (and in fact may have already been tested and failed), but oppose it loudly in the media.

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2343514.htm

[Michaelangelica]

"How to Win Friends and Influence People"

A famous US book title?

 

DEFENCE AND DISCRIMINATION

Reporter: Lorena Allam

American security laws based on where a person was born mean some Australians can't work in defence industries in Australia.

It's against our laws - but it's like it or lump it.

Background Briefing - 24 August 2008 - Defence and discrimination

----------------------------------------------

== AUDIO EXTRA: IN REALITY WITH CATCHMENT DETOX ==

Listen to ABC Local Radio’s special series about the real life issues modelled in Catchment Detox. Bush Telegraph presenter Michael Mackenzie travels around Australia to take a look at what's happening in some of our catchments

http://abcmail.net.au/t/245225/682925/4944/0/

 

 

Play Catchment Detox - http://abcmail.net.au/t/245225/682925/4945/0/

[Michaelangelica]

About five percent of the Australian population -- between 750,000 and one million people -- live overseas, with the most popular destinations being the United Kingdom, the United States, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong, Salt said

Study reveals Australia suffering from 'man drought' - Yahoo! Philippines News

[minna]

"How to Win Friends and Influence People"

A famous US book title?

 

Saw that book in the 'self-help' section of Borders in Melbourne. Rather shady title...I mean 'win friends'?

 

A possible solution to Australia's 'man drought'?

 

FuturePundit: On China's Shortage Of Females

[Michaelangelica]

I am very worried by the stae of the Murray Darling System

"System" because it is a lot more than a river valley.

 

I suppose you saw the recent Catalyst show on this? Very scary programme.

Catalyst - Fire, Flood and Acid Mud - The Murray-Darling in Crisis

 

The eighth largest river system in the world. Almost gone.

The biggest in Australia

Over 30,000 lakes and swamps essential for wildlife, especially birds- turning toxic

(A question for the mathematicians:

"Including all its lakes and swamps would the MD rank higher, in area covered, than eighth in the world?)?

A petition

About the Murray River ... ing-basin/

http://rivermurray.com/html/petition/on ... ition.html

A prayer

Index of /news/stories/2008 ... 325640.htm

 

Some drop-kick demurred about signing the petition "These people want to make money from the river"

I hope he starves. All the better for the gene pool.

[Flying Binghi]

Heres an article refering to the claimed over-use of the M-D catchment water

 

Written by Stewart Franks, a hydroclimatologist and an associate professor at the University of Newcastle School of Engineering. He is president-elect of the International Commission on the Coupled Land - Atmosphere System.

 

 

Emissions not making rivers run dry

 

IS the ongoing drought in the Murray-Darling Basin affected by climate change? The simple answer is that there is no evidence that CO2 has had any significant role. Like it or not, that is the science.

Emissions not making rivers run dry | The Australian

[Michaelangelica]

This is an ancient Australian Dreamtime story.

I hope you like it, it has been slightly adapted for a modern audience.

 

 

 

 

A koala was sitting on a gum tree....... smoking a joint

 

 

when a little lizard walked past, looked up and said,

'Hey Koala! What are you doing?'

 

 

The koala said, 'Smoking a joint, come up and have some.'

 

So the little lizard climbed up and sat next to the koala

where they enjoyed a few joints.

 

After a while the little lizard said that his mouth was 'dry'

and that he was going to get a drink from the river.

The little lizard was so stoned that he leaned too far

over and fell into the river.

 

A crocodile saw this and swam over to the little lizard and

helped him to the side. Then he asked the little lizard,

'What's the matter with you?'

 

The little lizard explained to the crocodile that he

was sitting smoking a joint with the koala in the tree,

got too stoned and then fell into the river while taking a drink.

 

The crocodile said that he had to check this out and walked

into the rain forest, found the tree where the koala was

sitting finishing a joint. The crocodile looked up and said,

'Hey you!'

 

 

So the koala looked down at him and said,

 

 

'Shiiiiiiiiiiit dude.....

How much water did you drink?!!'

 

SOURCE Welcome To Bearblain

Images 4

 

To make up for my poor taste and for not posting this in Watercolour where it belongs I will mention that a lot of the Aboriginal stories have been made into cartoons. I watched one last night at 3am on our main public broadcaster the ABC.

It was about an area of land called "Badger's Keep'? The aboriginal name was much nicer and euphonious and appropriate. I have forgot it. It really is a crime not to use the ancient name when we don't have badgers or anything that vaguely looking like an British badger in Australia even in zoos.

http://www.dreams-online.com.au/aboriginaldreamtime.htm

It is interesting how some of the stories have biblical or echos of other culture's creation myths.

http://www.dreamtime.net.au/dreaming/index.htm

 

We also have three public broadcasters in Australia I discovered yesterday, ABC and SBS I knew but not the Aboriginal TV Service

http://www.archive.dcita.gov.au/2007/12/data_magazine/issue_9/indigenous_stations_shine_at_community_broadcasting_awards?SQ_DESIGN_NAME=printer_friendly

In a few years time we will all be digitally downloading thousand of TV stations and programmes from anywhere on the planet. (Those of us with the money for the technology)

Will this bring us closer together or fragment us even more?

[Flying Binghi]

LOL, theres some good storys like that. From watching the laid back koalas around my farm its easy to see how those storys come about - I think their more beer drinkers though

 

 

Will this bring us closer together or fragment us even more?

 

Good and bad eh. IMHO, we need a bit of 'fragmentation' to keep vitality in society :doh:

[Michaelangelica]

Heres an article refering to the claimed over-use of the M-D catchment water

 

Written by Stewart Franks, a hydroclimatologist and an associate professor at the University of Newcastle School of Engineering. He is president-elect of the International Commission on the Coupled Land - Atmosphere System.

 

 

Emissions not making rivers run dry

 

IS the ongoing drought in the Murray-Darling Basin affected by climate change? The simple answer is that there is no evidence that CO2 has had any significant role. Like it or not, that is the science.

Emissions not making rivers run dry | The Australian

 

I am not sure how anyone can make that claim one way or the other

Global Warming = Climate Change. So the lack of rain for the last ten years in the basin could be due to climate change or it might be just a regular of freak event. Certainly the resource has been woefully managed and overly exploited. The trouble with Global Warming is we are not going to know the fine detail until it is too late

Tim Flannery is on Denton (Enough Rope on ABC Monday.

 

Also this might interest to you- or someone you know in the area

Those who would like to learn more about Climate and Global Warming might like to attend the seminar organised by Engineers Australia in Gosford in October

Here are the details

Myth-Busting Climate Change and it's Consequences

Hosted By the Central Coast Branch Engineers Australia

Guest Speaker: Prof. Garry Willgoose

Date: Tuesday 28th October 2008

Venue: Central Coast Leagues Club, Gosford

Time: 6.30pm for 7.00pm Start

Cost: $40 Members/Partner & $50 Guests

RSVP: By Tuesday 21st

October to Katrina Baker on Ph (02) 4926 4440

or

[email protected] Fax 02 4929 7121