It is always important to stick to the facts when debates are raging. While we are busy talking about school reforms and teachers don't seem to have been consulted, let's just look at salary comparisons. On one site I was on teachers in Washington were quoted as earning 54 000 AUD. New York teachers were quoted as earning 63 082 AUD. Jerry Moore's school talk seems to have a good breakdown of figures. A British teacher who has taught for five years appears to be able to earn 66 248 AUD. Teach UK has the salary breakdowns. A graduate teacher in Victoria will now earn 51 184 AUD and a teacher in South Australia can earn a maximum of 68 424AUD no matter how long they have taught. The next step would be to look at the conditions..the work expectations, the meeting expectations, the training expectations, the nature of the students. Any reform needs serious and careful thought because education cuts don't heal. I used to see that on the back of cars and thought it was a powerful slogan. Healthcare cuts don't heal either...but that's another story.
"The pilot has done a great job in landing the plane safely," Senior Constable Matthew Jenkins said.
We take our flying medical teams a bit for granted and it sounds like the plane is overdue for maintenance if the front wheel snapped off and further put the two medical staff in danger after the doctor actually managed to land his plane which had engine trouble. There have been too many light plane accidents and we need to look at the reasons. The doctor's ability to keep a cool head and manage is obvious...but for the front wheel to snap on top of that must have been far too much to take. The local community sounds absolutely wonderful given the speed with which they rallied along with the local emergency services. These are people who are on the ball.
The researchers found that a girl born in the African country of Lesotho was, on average, likely to live to 42, but this is less than half the expected lifespan of a girl in Japan (86). In Sweden, the risk of a woman dying during pregnancy and childbirth is one in 17,400, but in Afghanistan the odds are one in eight.
A boy in Calton in Scotland will live 28 years less than if he grew up in a neighbouring suburb and 8 years less than a child who grows up in India. So "civilisation" is creating some real disadvantage and developing nations need to take heed. I want to see a world map. I think we need to deal with this as a planet and visual literacy has a powerful impact. I want this on an interactive map and then we can think of ways and means of creating change to benefit the disadvantaged. One in eight women dying in childbirth is something we can change. As a planet we have the capacity to help each other because we are connected and we have the reouces and infrastructure to shift things around the world quickly. Let's get onto it.
The gaffe came after Tony Abbott publicly declared Mr Costello was the Liberal Party's "best political asset".
Peter Costello has a misplaced sense of self importance and we are quite clear about the fact he has had his time in the sun, that he was part of the group we needed to change and that we have no wish to go back to those dark, oppressive times where we couldn't even recognise ourselves. It is why this education push at he moment is getting us a bit tetchy. We voted for change. We wanted and needed change. We have enjoyed returning to ourselves as a people who can think and be involved. All of a sudden we are being told again what we need and what is good for us and it is being pushed at us as hard as the Howard Government pushed through all the stuff which stifled, gagged and suffocated us as a nation. We are angry. Very angry. We wanted change...so seeing Peter Costello believe he is far more important than he actually is and to have him stringing his party along as though he were someone far more important than they, is not sitting well out here. Not even with Labour voters. His nonsense seems to be nothing but manipulation and we don't think he should be treating his party friends like that. We are actually amazed the way he is treating his party members because Brendan Nelson was voted in and his own party is undermining him. So, with Kevin Rudd currently doing a John Howard we are actually appalled at the state of the nation and our political parties because we have worked out WE HAVE NO ONE TO CHOOSE. As it stands Brendan Nelson is dealing with this with a lot of dignity because he is surrounded by people who are not on anyone's side but their own. How he manages is making us admire his capacity to have patience and tolerance....this again, from Labour voters. He is a good match for Kevin Rudd because Malcolm Turnbull blew himself out in a great puff of wind and has lot the plot, Mr. Costello is full of himself and there doesn't appear to be anyone else. Brendan Nelson is there and he is doing his job. He has a brain and he has the capacity to read situations ...and is wonderfully diplomatic because he keeps trying to shine a good light on a party which is a shambles. Don't have a go at him from trying to soften the blow of the peculiar people he is working with.
He has told the program he has had great success from sacking a school's entire teaching staff and starting from scratch.
Good way to get rid of more expensive units and bring in cheaper ones. The schools were redesigned to be smaller schools and they were more successful. I could well imagine that. Haven't teachers been asking for smaller classes and haven't we shut down the small schools? There is a lot more to this than meets the eye and I suspect cost cutting is actually the bottom line. It is being pushed far too hard with no real reason. Our teachers are head hunted overseas. Britain is employing a lot of Australian teachers because they make classrooms work...so the articles have been saying. If you sack whole staffs then you then create a pool of experienced staff you can rehire as casuals. Nifty. Lots cheaper. Our young teachers are going to places like Korea and Africa and some would rather work in volunteer programmes than here. If you can be sacked just like that, it's hardly a bright and shiny future and no incentive for older teachers to stay either. No, I think we need to look deeper. This is being pushed too hard all of a sudden.
CHILDREN are suing schools for hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages for injuries caused while playing games such as tiggy.
This has gone too far.Litigation lunacy strikes again. Perhaps we should put the children in a pen at break times and maybe toss them a sausage now and then? We'd have to make sure they were tied up so they couldn't move. Schools will soon just be places to house ornaments. If this continues we shall have to close schools and put the children back in parental care for home schooling. I'd hate to see statues in the school yard at break times. Maybe we should just create virtual schools? Can you fall off the web?
THE Victoria Park redevelopment and the Adelaide parklands dominated discussion at a Lord Mayoral debate yesterday.
And the day after. And the day after that. This debate has been raging long and hard for nearly a year now. The grand stand plan ground to a grand halt and there was more angry debate. Emotions have run high and the feelings have been aired frankly and at times, quite rudely. Lord Mayor Harbison has just had to take it all on and wade his way through it all. To his credit , he has kept managing it , he has kept moving it forward. Today he was on radio and we have a Victoria Park grand plan to rival all Victoria grand plans. He sounds remarkably happy and calm. Remarkable because he must have taken quite a hammering this past year. So now the horses will be moved and the park will be developed in four quadrants. I'd like to see pictures. It sounds really good and it sounds so much better for those who had purchased the pricey units on East Terrace.Harbison was the one to propose the new grandstand and I think in his head he was thinking about getting Adealide a bit more up there and out there in terms of fancy facilities. He wasn't aware of the furore it would cause...but he has listened, learned and worked through every bit of it. I drive along that part of East Terrace where the grand stand is. It totally blocks views and would be something which would destroy the serenity of that end of town. Given there is a private hospital along there, the new ...brand new, redevelopment plan appears to be much better thought out and will provide us with useable spaces and an opportunity for the Clipsal to be a genuine part of our city instead of the temporary guest it has been.
BY Christmas Eve in 2012, no rain has fallen in Sydney for more than 200 days and, despite its new desalination plant, the emerald city has run out of drinking water.
Matthew Warren who wrote this article has hit the nail on the head and it's a really well thought out, interesting piece. To show a tele-feature like this is rather ill conceived. We are trying to forget parched, dried up, burning and bushfire fear. We need healing time and to have this shoved in front of us as daily fare is unforgivable. It is as manipulative as it is thoughtless. It is an attempt to create fear and worry and use the very things which have been worrying us to death as a basis for "'entertainment". Matthew Warren thinks this all out though in his well considered piece and I am glad I read it because I was seeing red. I just think it is so mean and cruel to put this kind of stuff in front of people when summer has been traumatising us and we have just got to the stage where we have got ourselves together. Spooking people like that, messing with their heads, using the things which have pushed them hard and troubled them to amuse them on a Sunday night is absolutely incomprehensible and I wish I lived in Bhutan where national happiness is on the government's agenda.Read this piece by Matthew Warren ....it is far less emotive than mine. I am just beside myself with the stupid and mindless way we are being treated by mass media....and we have to stop it.
But the thrust of the Greens' push remains for a Senate committee to report by the end of September what volume of water could be provided from across the basin to replenish the lower lakes and Coorong at the Murray's mouth.
I don't think anyone believes the purchasing of properties will put much water into the Murray. Certainly not sufficient to bring the flow down this way. The situation in Goolwa needs to be remedied now and they are talking about flooding the area with sea water but protecting the fresh water lakes with barriers. They want water. They need water. Now.... so just get on with it and do it and listen to people. There has been far too much talk and no action and the situation has become an ecological disaster because no one thought to listen to people when they were talking about the way people were using and damming the Murray. The drought has complicated it but people are responsible for this. It's our main river. Our lifeblood. We are the ones who have messed this up because we haven't looked at water use and exploitation along the Murray. Then we have been too slow at getting our technology and better land practices into place. Here is a real chance to haul together, get the experts onboard AND LISTEN TO THEM. There needs to be an inmmediate fix for Goolwa and then the rest of it needs to be resolved ...and maybe without politicians because they just blow moe and more hot air about it. They have been for far too long. We need proper thought and planning not position bargaining. We could impress ourselves if we actually accessed our expertise and used a facilitiative approach.
Warrant Officer Scott Bradshaw has crossed 1,400 kilometres of three states since he left Holsworthy Barracks in western Sydney.
What a fiancé! It's unbelievable this man ran from Sydney to Adelaide to raise money for breast caner because his fiancée had had breast cancer. This is a very special man and he is obviously very fit but to do a run from Sydney to Adelaide in a month is just amazing...and our weather has been horrible. Lots of warm spas and TLC I should think.
"It is the general practitioner who decides what is best for the student and the course of action, not the school."
I am certain there is more to this than has been reported but it all sounds very odd. The girl is 14. It means she is the legal responsibility of her parents.Maybe I am wrong. I'm surprised a nurse would take the girl to a doctor without parental consent. Schools tend to ring on any medical matter, however minor. They tend to be extremely cautious. The doctor then has made a decision and then that appears to be without consulting the parents. Yes, it all has to be kept private so who leaked it to the press? Student welfare is core business and teachers and doctors have a duty of care which is a legal responsibility. As it stands it all seems very peculiar.Were she 16, I'd understand because 16 year olds have more rights. I think this whole thing needs to be clarified or it will worry people unnecessarily.
A report by Australian Computer Society (ACS) released last week showed the shortage could grow by 29 percent by 2010 to over 14,500 full-time positions. This could increase to over 25,000 by 2020.
I thought we were supposed to have all these tech savvy kids? I thought we were supposed to have all these young ones who were whizz bang on a computer? Could do anything and fix anything? The truth maybe out. They are front end users at best and narrow in their use of software and sites. There are adults who are very good on a computer. Know a lot. You only have to be on the Net to know there are a lot of older people who have some impressive skills. I thought SA was supposed to be the IT hub? What happened to that idea?So what is the truth? Where are all these IT people ? Are they working overseas? Are they lacking opportunities in skills development? We need a bit more information and a clearer picture.
Industrial Relations Minister Paul Caica said today daylight saving would start on Sunday, October 5 and run to Sunday, April 5, 2009, a week later than usual.
Thank heavens for that. For a start we'll get longer daylight at the end of the day. I am so over winter and then we'll be in line with the Eastern states and for some reason that makes it easier for us. You get sick of trying to work out who is on what time. In this day and age it's an unnecessary complication. I prefer daylight saving and to have it for longer makes me happy!!!
is really is helpful and I have added the RSS feed for the ScribeFire blog to my Bloglines feed and I did it from my ScribeFire window. It has some pretty handy features for publishing and sharing. It lists your blog posts so you can navigate easily to them. On this blog it seems to have decorated my blog with tram tracks...or am I being railroaded? It hasn't done that on my other blog...so it tries to be helpful . The blog gives you updates and they appear to have canvassed user opinions and ideas and that is a great way to go about getting people involved and helping them to move your ideas forward. It's facilitative!! You can use it to gain advertising revenue, but I don't use Paypal or give anyone my tax ID. Safety first , isn't it? Adsense doesn't make you do that. Maybe it's only for America. I haven't had a chance to look in detail. I find it very convenient for blogging and it is so much more this century.
Oh, how odd...I only get tram tracks if I blog about an article. If I don't I am not encased in blue stripes!!! I checked. PayPal and Tax ID are not compulsory fields or requirements.
Editing is soooooo easy....and I have just worked out how to add the tram tracks!!! How clever am I and thanks for the tip!!
The Senate today voted for a lightning inquiry which has just one month to find a solution to the woes of Australia's biggest river system.
Oh hooray, at last. Action. The time for talk and discussion is past. We need conversations and ideas which will move this whole thing forward because we have been prevaricating for too long. The Howard Govt hummed and hahed...we have been going on and on and on...meanwhile the Murray has been devastated and we have done little. It is our river. It's the lifeblood of our nation and we all need to take responsibility for it. We have been paying a River Murray levy for how long? Indirect tax which we have given in return for a dried up Goolwa and the heritage Coorong under real threat. It is inexcusable. We need to act and we will do anything to help....but we are totally past being treated like fools and played for suckers.
The artists were told by organisers their pieces were inappropriate for an exhibition which was likely to be viewed by children.
Oh dear. We do sound a bit silly here in Adelaide. The human body has long been the subject of works of art for centuries. People grew up with bodies surrounding them in paintings, sculptures, drawings, art classes. People still do. Bodies are bodies. We all have them. Children know they are there. It is true we are currently in the process of defining what is art and what is pornography and it's good to have that debate because media images have muddied the waters and we do need to have a clear idea of what we mean. Come down south and grab a few vine leaves.
A survey has revealed that the average Australian has limited knowledge of abuse and the circumstances in which it occurs, a finding the Melbourne researchers say could explain why so few court cases result in a conviction.
I think this is true. We all care about it and want to do something about it. Part of the problem is that families cannot deal with it. We haven't found a way of getting those sorts of conversations going in families so that they can bring it out into the open. It is happening so much and appears to have been happening for so long that we have ingrained ways of "dealing" with it. I think families have a conspiracy of silence. I think people would find it hard to confront the abuser. I think also the child becomes confused with the silence and mixed messages. Then out here, in society, there is a lot of sympathy but we aren't being very practical. It is a "thing". We don't like it and we are horrified and that may not actually be the best way of dealing with child abuse. Maybe we just need to harden up for a while and get a better plan together for the home front and then stop making it such a thing out here so kids can just be freed from this and have a chance to normalise. It shouldn't have escaped notice that most people cannot talk about it until they are much older. That just lets it carry on.Australia is actually very good at dealing with tough stuff in a very practical, can do way. We need a plan....and a campaign.
my posts appear. I can work split screen. I can drag and drop and put Shaun pictures everywhere
Bye bye Beijing and for those who look for a defining moment...I think they have missed the point. Beijing was about all the athletes and what they bring to us and the world. It was about hundreds of athletes who had assembled to bring us their best...so there were lots of moments which were awesome, brilliant and just unbelievably inspiring thanks to all the excellent athletes who had come to Beijing to give it their all. There was some real inspiration to be drawn from these games. They were well organised, huggie feelie, friendly, warm. People were open in their compassion and praise. They were quick to congratulate or commiserate. They were very human and lovely . The visuals were stunning. The birdsnest and water cube were unique. Thank you. I have loved these Olympics.
Yoohoo, Yahoo! I want to win the teacup. You don't even have the teacup as a prize. Seriously. I am dead set serious. Do you know how much tea I drink? I am famous for it. I could just see myself with that lovely cup sipping my tea as I blog. It's a cheerful, happy Yahoo cup. I want one!!Can't you at least put it as a prize so I can try and win it?!
Mitcham caps return with diving gold 2008 Beijing Olympic Games : "The former trampolinist quit the sport in 2006 but returned midway through 2007 with a fire in his belly to become Australia's third Olympic diving gold medallist."
Gold medal win yet to sink in: Hooker 2008 Beijing Olympic Games : "Sleepless Steve Hooker says becoming the first Australian male to win an Olympic track and field gold medal in 40 years still hasn't sunk in."
Ah, non. Non. C'est trop. Je vais en pleurer. Si je suis mouillé c'est que mes rêves se trouvent gâchés. Trop c'est trop. Ah non, ça c'est diabolique.
Snowsill turns tragedy into triumph : "'Lessons learned through life are there not necessarily for good or bad reasons, you just have to take them as they are and move on,' she reflected."When Emma Snowsill has finished being the star triathlete she is, she needs to start hiring herself out as a motivational speaker. She is so amazing and the quotes from her in this article are the clear, potted wisdom we all need "to get over it". She is right. A lot of people are doing it hard. A lot of people have tragedy in their lives, but this lady knows how to put it all together and really come out on top. This is her life and she is making the absolute most of it and encouraging others to get in there and go for broke when it comes to living. Were it not for her win we might never have heard form her. She is so inspiring and that's the good thing about these games. We are actually getting a chance to hear from more athletes and what they think and how they do it. The Australians do not lack guts. Our athletes have to really put themselves out there and they have a good way of dealing with things. Our cyclists have been hit hard and yet we still have competitors in there doing such a fantastic job and not even trying to make excuses and then when an athlete wobbles and hits the wall, somehow we manage to get them back up on their feet and fighting for victory again. The stories of courage are very moving.
I have really enjoyed the rowing this Olympics. The rowers seem to be good looking, easy going and very relaxed people. Makes a change from the jiggling and fidgeting at the beginning of track events. I know they must have to jiggle and fidget for a reason but it's not a good look. The rowers are relaxed, confident , calm and smile very easily. Our teams have been doing really well and are a tribute to the guts and determination they have shown to improve to this gold winning level. Our team of four might have won too if the Brits hadn't just flown across the water in the race to the finish! That was a pretty exciting end how the Brits just took off like that but I was really concerned for the blond one who looked like he just couldn't breathe at the end and looked like he was really distressed. They had put so much on the line to get there. I am glad our teams did well and that they shared their happiness with us.
Yes, it was written on his face and it must have disappointed him because he probably wasn't expecting the Tunisian to come out at 1100 metres and powerhouse past him and the Canadian. The Canadian is a fantastic young swimmer for the 1500 and the good thing is we can now fill the pool with guys who can swim the 1500. It used to be hard to get people to do that. But like a few races in the Olympics, Oussama just came out from that spot and raced to the finish with his gold winning strategy and that seems to be a popular tactic. Grant was probably thinking about the Canadian, like we were and he was matching him well. A silver is a great win. He swam beautifully but these Olympics have been full of surprises and that is a feature which should not let these athletes think badly about themselves. Grant's swim was just amazing and his medal win more than deserved.
I wasn't going to go and see this, but I don't regret accepting the opportunity to see it when it came up. I knew once we had the cobalt blue opening it was going to be the heavy metal, headbanger approach and sure enough the paramilitary Batman and the total immersion in boys toys and explosions and hard headed, thoughtless violence was there. Tough people with their arms full of ironmongery and their mouths full of threats.So then I wondered why you would actually make a film showcasing the brutal, unrelentingly hostile and cruel side of human nature. Why would it be worthy of an art form? The chaos versus social conciousness was explored well in the film. If it's a comic book character then what would they be dealing with in our world...maybe all that ironmongery and amoral treatment of others? There was certainly plenty to think about and certainly an opportunity to ponder why we have not grown as a human race since we got hold of weapons.The film more that shows what a veneer our so called civilisation is. But the thing which had me totally spell bound was Heath Ledger. I have never seen the villain out perform the main character. Health Ledger's capacity to be the Joker is extraordinary right down to the dyskenesia. He was totally and utterly brilliant and eclipsed everyone and the whole film. Batman couldn't be anything without a lot of computer assistance. The thing I really did like about Batman though, was the effect of getting him to be so much like a bat in his movements. That was really well done and was a good addition to any Batman film ...one which has been missing. Not a film for kids, I don't think, and I am not sure a lot of people would be able to stomach it because it runs you right to the wire with its daring and challenges. I just cannot believe how complex Heath Ledger made the role of the Joker and he probably found it quite disturbing to play the part...but he was in a league of his own and we got to see just how incredibly talented he was before life conspired to take another gift from us.
Eat rats, 'solve global food crisis' : "Mr Prakash's plan promotes consumption of rat meat in homes, street stalls, restaurants and even international five-star hotels."
Grant Hackett given all clear ahead of 1500m heat at Beijing Olympics : "THE Australian swim team doctor has given Grant Hackett the all clear after fears about his health going into tonight's 1500m heats at the Beijing Olympics."
Phelps wins butterfly, relay gold medals to swim into history at Beijing Olympics : "MICHAEL Phelps has now won more gold medals than any other Olympic athlete in history"
