nat parks

"Nothing dollarable is safe, however guarded” wrote the great American conservationist and protected area crusader, John Muir in 1909. He was right then, and he’s still right today: maybe more than ever. 

Current proposals for development in Kosciuszko National Park are a case in point, and they employ what is becoming a trademark method of attacking NSW national parks. It’s about imposing the culture of money on the carefully developed culture of nature conservation for the public good: a culture for which the great Kosciuszko National Park was once a world leader.

mercenaries

The French had their famous Foreign Legion… But these soldiers of fortune were not true mercenaries. 

Mercenaries are primarily concerned with making money at the expense of ethics — including professional soldiers hired to serve in a foreign army.

The Egyptians, the Romans employed mercenaries… Often the work of the mercenaries is “opaque” not so much on the results, but on who pays them and for what purpose. 

freedom...

Nationals MP George Christensen will move from politician to publisher, launching a “pro-freedom” news website as he prepares to retire from federal Parliament.

The website, modelled on American outlet The Drudge Report, has so far been filled with links to fringe blogs and stories that are critical of COVID mask mandates and vaccinations.

One story claims a spate of US mass shootings were a “ruse” that were “co-ordinated by some evil force”.

uni-

It is now unambiguously clear that certain influential centres of government advice and government policy hold the university-as-institution in contempt. 

beef

This past year, I’ve heard the movie “Soylent Green” referenced countless times. It especially hits home when it comes to environmental concerns, and how some pundits, including Bill Gates, advocate that rich countries, such as the United States and Western Europe, should switch to eating 100 percent synthetic beef.

premiums

Barnaby Joyce has warned the Nationals will oppose more ambitious climate targets until the cost for regional communities is revealed.

The Deputy PM is demanding to see more detail about the economic impacts of signing up Australia to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 before backing the target.

That’s despite a major international climate report card warning the planet is poised to be 1.5 degree warmer, compared with pre-industrial levels, by early next decade.

mmmmffff

Health Minister Brad Hazzard sent a very clear – and concerning – message to millions of voters locked down across the state on Tuesday. The NSW government is too busy to be held to account.

20 years

dangerous

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has refused to publicly release documents detailing the COVID-19 advice chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant provided about locking down Greater Sydney.

ill winds

There once was a planet called Earth,

Then, 4.5 billion years after birth,

It evolved a new species,

From DNA pieces,

That polluted for all they were worth.

This continued 'til everyone felt,

The impact of arctic-ice melt,

A global nightmare,

(Or full of hot-air?)

For many, disaster was spelt.

The science said 350 per mil,

Was the most CO2 we could spill,

If it grows any more,

We'll see famine and war,

Our chances? Effectively nil.

The military victory for the Taliban was confirmed by the deputy governor of Samangan Province, home to the city of Aibak. Speaking to AFP, Afghanistan official Sefatullah Samangani declared that “the Taliban have captured the city of Aibak and have complete control over it.”

The Taliban formally took control of the city on Monday, after a “senator surrendered” and asked Afghanistan to withdraw its forces from the area to avoid further conflict.

being woman

From the time we are born, we are "educated". This involves a daily routine of do's and don'ts in which we learn acceptable behaviour and moral conduct. In most civilisations, religious beliefs have had a great role in making sure we follow the codes — including the secular tenets. We are free to think we are told, but we have little freedom outside the tight square. Even these days tree climbing for kids is a no-no because of insurance premiums.

dissent

Shut up and submit” is now the favorite Covid cure of some of America’s leading progressives. Paul Krugman, a Nobel Prize winner and New York Times columnist, revealed on Tuesday that since freedom is a mirage, people have no good reason not to comply with endless government commands. Unfortunately, punitive panaceas are increasingly popular among both politicians and pundits.

boris

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has been at odds with the weather recently, reportedly didn't enjoy his trip to Scotland's Applecross peninsula in August last year, when most foreign travel destinations remained closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

PM Boris Johnson nearly drowned during his short holiday in the Applecross peninsula, when his was lost at sea on a paddleboard, according to The Times.