THE Conservation Council has likened the State of the Environment Report, released yesterday, to a Get out of Jail Free card for the Government on climate change. The Report recognises the need for significant action but fails to make recommendations that will substantially reduce Canberra’s emissions, instead simply recommending that the overly timid Weathering the Change climate strategy be implemented.
Real action from our political leaders is needed now on climate change. Stationary energy, such as electricity, is responsible for over 70% of the ACT’s greenhouse gas emissions. Mandated targets could reduce wasted energy and lower these emissions", said
Genevieve Wauchope, Council Climate Campaigner. "Our record in greatly reducing our water consumption demonstrates that Canberrans will respond positively to Government expectations, legislative requirements and mandated targets. Climate change is a crisis just as the drought has been, and we need strong leadership to achieve the reductions required."
The Conservation Council recently convened a roundtable of experts to identify solutions to Canberra’s growing emissions. We strongly urge the Government to implement the recommendations from that roundtable – Achieving Better Energy Efficiency in the
ACT.
"These cover such things as mandatory best practice energy efficiency for all buildings, phasing out electric hot water systems, and assistance for low income earners," said Ms Wauchope.
"Better energy efficiency in dwellings lowers the ongoing costs of maintaining a live-able, comfortable home by reducing the need for excess energy consumption. This is increasingly important as the cost of electricity and fuel increase. A new energy rating tool must be implemented and audited to save Canberrans money and emissions. Matching the requirements of new home owners, the commercial building industry must be required to meet a mandatory energy efficiency requirement of 5 star Australian Building Greenhouse Rating (ABGR). The ACT Government can lead the way by requiring the offices it tenants meet the 5 star ABGR" said Ms Wauchope.
Become a Conservation Council ecoACTivist! Visit www.consact.org.au for more details
If you watched the news last night, you would have seen the lead story – a new GetUp TV ad has hit the headlines as Kevin Rudd arrives at the Beijing Olympics, urging him to speak out on Tibet.
The ad, made with the Australia Tibet Council, is going to air either side of the Opening Ceremony.
We sent the PM a copy of the ad, and he has pledged to raise human rights issues in Beijing. We know this sort of diplomacy works – only last week the PM condemned the media censorship around the Olympics – and the Chinese Government eased the restrictions.
But there is one hurdle left to clear – the Seven Network, in response to the media interest our ad has generated is now denying the fact that we’ve booked the ad space. Unfortunately for them we have on our desks a confirmed booking sheet suggesting otherwise!
Whether or not Channel 7 decide to uphold the values of free speech, you can watch the ad for yourself here.
It’s vital that after the Olympics the world does not ‘switch off’ on Tibet – that’s why we’re planning more ads for the closing ceremony and beyond. Stay tuned for opportunities to help get the message out soon.
Thanks,
The GetUp team
PS – Let us know what you think about the Tibet issue and free speech on our blog
__________________________
GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you’d like to contribute to help fund , donate now!
The Australian Handball Federation [AHF] congratulates the members and officials of the Junior Women’s Team for their admirable participation in the XVI Junior Women’s World Championship. Considering that this was the first time that Australia had participated in the Junior Women’s World Championship, they ought to be proud of what they have achieved.
Although Australia did not reach the level of success it set out to do, it certainly earned the admiration of the handball world for the way the players did not give up fighting up to the end. AHF is also pleased that at the close of the Australia’s last match in the tournament on 2nd August 2008, the Team was ranked second in Team Fair Play.
Australia’s participation also showcased some fantastic handball performances by a number of individual players. One of these players is Sally Potocki, Player No. 8, Left Back position. During the tournament, Sally impressed the spectators and officials with her skilful and energetic performance. Sally finished second top goal scorer with 61 goals, 4 goals behind Denmark’s Camilla Dalby, with 65 goals for the tournament. To highlight the level of Sally’s achievements, it is interesting to note that none of Sally’s goals were scored from 7 metre penalties, compared to Camilla, who scored 11 goals from 7 metre penalties and played one more match than Sally. Also, Sally finished 11th for goals and assists and equal second for Steals in defence during Australia’s participation in the tournament.
Another player who made the tournament’s Top Goalscorer list was Vanja Smiljanic, Player No. 15, Back position. Vanja finished the tournament in equal 25th position with 40 goals and at one stage occupied equal 9th position earlier in the tournament.
Taylee Lewis, Goalkeeper, also shone during the tournament. Taylee finished the tournament on 18th position for saved penalty shots as well as saving goals at crucial moments during the matches played.
AHF recognises that the performance of the three ‘star’ players was made possible by the team work of all the players and the hard work of the officials. AHF also wishes to express its appreciation to JAT airlines for their contribution to the team’s airfares and helping with their pre tournament camp in Belgrade, Serbia.
See also here
For further information, please contact the AHF Media & Public Relations Officer, Violi Calvert by email: [email protected]. or by phone: + 61 408 22 77 94.
Creating a vacuum offers you the opportunity to welcome something new into your life. We have to keep in mind that the important procedure of de-cluttering is the key number 1 in Feng Shui. The process of emptying cupboards of non-used items, discarding stagnant items in the ever shrinking garage space and clearing out our old fashioned clothes, allows us to look at life differently.
Since I migrated to Australia 10 years ago, the Universe encouraged me to move house 16 times! The various locations and sites have helped me to learn so much about Feng Shui. I have hardly any item that belonged to the time when we arrived in our new country. With the various moves, clothes, bedding and furniture have changed as we were evolving in life… the pictures that we display around the house have been replaced by new ones. My Feng Shui passion has evolved tremendously and become amazingly powerful.
Update for Harmony
It is essential to update displayed photographs with the most recent ones – having pictures of young children in their teenager bedroom could bring challenges in your family life as they could sometimes act like ‘babies’ or… you could still consider them as younger than they truly are, if you wish, you can keep the frames that you already have and simply insert your latest printouts.
Dispose for Health
Go through your pharmacy and discard all the out-of-date medication. Dispose of the never-to-be-used samples of soap and creams. Keep your side of the vanity as bare as possible and colour-coordinate your soap, shampoo and towels.
Empty for Love – IF YOU ARE SINGLE
In your master bedroom, make sure that you have two similar bedside tables. To welcome a potential partner in your life, empty the second bedside table, ensure they are located symmetrically on each side of the bed and the bed itself has equal space on each side allowing equal opportunities for both partners.
In your wardrobe, empty one shelf and keep a few empty coat hangers in your hanging space.
In your bathroom or en-suite: keep one vanity draw empty and display your personal items on one side of the basin only, freeing some space for someone special.
Going back to basics, we realise that we do not need much to live and be happy. It is better to own and tastefully display one or two beautiful pieces of art (sculptures or paintings) with a unique lighting that will make you feel special every day.
For the 7th year, Roseline Deleu is hosting the Annual Australian FENG SHUI Conference on Sunday 12 Oct 08 – Visit www.fengshuisteps.com for full details
Subject: MEDIA RELEASE – Eco -friendly nursery + landscape business
finalists in 2008 Telstra Business Awards
MEDIA
RELEASE
for
immediate release
ACT
waterwise company ready to reign in competitors in 2008 Telstra Business
Awards
Local business Provincial
Plants and Landscapes in Pialligo are finalists in the ACT Telstra Small
Business Awards in two categories ?? best Small Business and the exciting new
category for 2008, Social Responsibility, with the winner to be announced in the
Great Hall of Parliament House on 9th September. Provincial is
the only nursery and landscaping business to be named a
finalist.
Since 2001 Provincial has
established a well deserved reputation for providing expert advice and an
unequalled product and service range that can take your landscape or
revegetation project from concept to completion, all under the one roof ?? all
with a minimal carbon footprint.
eco
concept gives Provincial the edge
??Creating or remodelling
landscapes and gardens which are easy care and water wise and also socially and
ecologically responsible through the use of chemical free plants, best practice
techniques and sustainable and recycled materials and product selections is the
way of the future?? explains Lisa Roberts, Director and Environmental designer.
These principles and being on target to become carbon neutral in 2009 have
culminated in Provincial becoming a finalist in the newly created Social
Responsibility category.
??We??re thrilled to be
finalists in this year??s Telstra Awards. It??s acknowledgment of the important
role we play in shaping Canberra??s landscape for future
generations. It will help us to share our expertise of how you can do the
right thing by the environment and have a stylish, easy care and water wise
garden that saves you time, money and resources?? says Co – Director and
Ecologist David Charlton.
saving
Canberrans from the scourge of brown lawns
With an extensive range
of contemporary landscaping and revegetation projects under their belt, the team
are spreading the sustainability message far and wide. Think of the Kingston
Foreshore Eco Pond, the Gungahlin Drive Extension revegetation and wetlands, the
John Curtin Medical School at the ANU, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve; the first
ever native grass verge plantings in a new subdivision at West Macgregor and the
easy care, water wise urban plantings at Section 88 City Walk Civic ?? and that??s
Provincial??s professional handiwork.
The team at Provincial
are dedicated to helping Canberrans substitute their drought ravaged lawns and
gardens for environmentally sustainable, chemical free, drought and frost hardy
yet beautiful plants in innovative and creative designs. Professional
horticulturalists, designers, ecologists and landscapers enthusiastically share
their knowledge with customers to help them create better environments in
Canberra.
This all adds up to a
socially and ecologically responsible and thriving business contributing to
Canberra??s
economy and environment.
Civic Square, London Circuit (in front of the ACT Legislative Assembly)
The ACT Branch of the Women??s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) invite the general public to a ceremony for peace to commemorate Hiroshima Day, tomorrow, 6 August 2008, at Civic Square, London Circuit. The event will take place around the Statue of Ethos in front of the Legislative Assembly building, and around the fountains, 5.30-6.30pm.
On 6th and 9th August 1945, about 200,000 Japanese civilians perished and many thousands more injured when the first atomic bombs was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The WILPF-ACT event will remember the victims and is aimed at reminding us of the horror and tragic costs of war, and of the need to press for world peace.
There will be singing and playing of peace music, featuring the well-known Chorus of Women, a poetry reading, and the laying of flowers and floating candles on the water. All welcome. Inquiries: Anni Didcott, WILPF-ACT Hiroshima Day Remembrance Convenor, ph 6282 4943.
These paintings are from my contact in the USA (Carol Hiltner). Carol has been venturing into Altai (Central Asia) since the mid 80’s.
The aim of the paintings are to raise awareness about the powerful spirituality of the region and also the plight of up to 80,000 indegenous people whose ancestral way of life are threatened by Russian land reforms. The region has a tremendous legacy that keeps alive the ancient ways of the old world.
Its a place of pilgrimage, spirituality and haunting beauty that isseeking our help! I for one am committed to raising awareness and funds in order to help the local folks survey and register their homelands. Time is of essence, as 2010 is the deadline, as stipulated by the Russian reforms. I will tell more soon and for the time being, I urge you folks to reflect upon the images!
Hello all. and welcome again to your Weekly Wot’s Wot in Folkus & around the traps…
ed….
I’m more than happy that Todd Carney may take his particular style of "emissions trading" to France.
If Monty Python’s Holy Grail is any indication he’ll be a "natural" for installation on some castle tower wall.
INDEX
1. This Week in Folkus
2. Next Week in Folkus
3. Parish Notices
4. The Comics
5. Sport
1.
This Week In Folkus –
BEST quality live music entertainment to the core …
The Folkus Room, (operates out of The Serbian Cultural Centre & Club) 5 Heard St. MAWSON ACT .. eastern side of Southlands Centre and just off Athllon Drive.. CHECK OUT OUR NEW MAPS PAGE…. just go to http://www.thefolkus.org.au and follow the links
Friday 1 August … from 9.00pm the Incredible guitar talent of Michael Fix & From 8.00pm Freyja’s Rain . . .
what more can I say… check out their web sites and again be assured that you’re getting the very best of live music entertainment at The Folkus Room
back to the top
2. …….
Next Week In Folkus … Please note that there will be nothing at The Folkus Room on Friday night 8 August because we decided that we would not be wise to try to compete with The Olympic Games Opening Ceremony….. call us wimps if you like
back to the top
3.
Parish Notices……..
3a. If after experiencing Michael Fix on Friday you feel the need for more guitars then on Saturday 2nd August, 4pm until late get along to Fireside Fives Poachers Pantry 431 Nanima Road, Hall ACT…. Warm yourself by the fire with a glass of Fireside Red and a Smokehouse platter while you listen to the rhythmic sounds of cool guitars $15 per person – Bookings Essential Phone: 6230 2487 Dean Thomas Sydney-based Dean Thomas mixes elements of blues, country and jazz in his individual and creative music style. “A singer-songwriter with polished guitar picking skills, Thomas sings like Eric Clapton doing JJ Cale.” – Rhythms Magazine. Ian ‘Dr Zot’ Stehlik Fresh from presenting his ‘Zone of Tone’ guitar events at interstate festivals, Ian will be playing a range of “town and country” guitar music, from finger-style roots and ragtime to swing, on a variety of vintage acoustic instruments from the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s Trev Dunham A legend on Australia’s music festival circuit, Trev’s special ‘sneaky guitar’ instrumental style and passionate vocals have stopped many an audience in their tracks. This is a great opportunity to see Trev in an intimate setting rather than on a big festival stage. Steve Russell Well known for his work with the Steve Russell Band and Delta Glide, we’re thrilled to have Canberra’s ‘main man’ of delta blues here live, unplugged and solo. With a voice that’s as bluesy as his guitar playing, Steve will slide into a set of bottleneck-driven, resonating blues, country and soul music. Dr Zot’s Hot Club A unique combination of our performers will join together for a special Fireside Fives guitar concert to top off the night. Our Hot Club combo will explore roots, blues, jazz and reggae tunes. Be prepared for some cool grooves and hot solos!
3b. The Folkus Room is offering annual subscriptions. Click HERE for details… WE NEED YOU! and YOU NEED SPECIAL DEALS ON ENTERTAINMENT WITH FUEL PRICES &/c GOING THROUGH THE ROOF! Go to our web site and check out the fabulous array of performances we have in store for you over the next twelve months. The special subscription offer is just too good to miss out on. Remember also that the benefits will simply keep coming back to you with our increased ability to attract more top line performers for your favourite Canberra live music performance space.
3c. for more info about Canberra’s LIVE music scene! …. http://culturazi.com/
3d. The notice with depth, C21…. No "Settlers" Oz Music & Dance night in August… The monthly Settlers Night at The Polish White Eagle Club, run by Bush Traditions Inc and Ray Mulligan will not be held in August as The Polish Club is renovating the floor of their auditorium. The next Settlers Night will be held on Friday 5 September…. and of course we’re all looking forward with glee to the Annual Bush Traditions Gathering at the Old Goulburn Brewery over the long weekend in October… this will be our third attempt and will be a cracker weekend.
back to the top
4.
A clergyman was walking down the street when he came upon a group of about a dozen boys, all of them between 10 and 12 years of age. The group surrounded a dog. Concerned lest the boys were hurting the dog, he went over and asked "What are you doing with that dog?" One of the boys replied, "This dog is just an old neighbourhood stray. We all want him, but only one of us can take him home. So we’ve decided that whichever one of us can tell the biggest lie will get to keep the dog." Of course, the reverend was taken aback. "You boys shouldn’t be having a contest telling lies!" he exclaimed. He then launched into a ten minute sermon against lying, beginning, "Don’t you boys know it’s a sin to lie," and ending with, "Why, when I was your age, I never told a lie." There was dead silence for about a minute. Just as the reverend was beginning to think he’d gotten through to them, the smallest boy gave a deep sigh and said, "All right, give him the dog."
The Book of Pilgrimage, II, 22
You are the future,
the red sky before sunrise
over the fields of time.
You are the cock’s crow when night is done,
You are the dew and the bells of matins,
maiden, stranger, mother, death.
You create yourself in ever-changing shapes
that rise from the stuff of our days —
unsung, unmourned, undescribed,
like a forest we never knew.
You are the deep innerness of all things,
the last word that can never be spoken.
To each of us you reveal yourself differently:
to the ship as coastline, to the shore as a ship……… Rainer Maria Rilke
back to the top
Stay Well & Truly Silly Gentle Folk
Bill Arnett
The Folkus Room
Canberra’s Acoustic Preference
61-2-62627265
0407 434 469
"No Strangers Come Here – Just Friends We Have Not Yet Met"
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The Australian Handball Federation [AHF] is pleased to announce that Darryl McCormack will be one of the commentators of the handball games at the 2008 Olympics to be aired by SBS, in partnership with TV Channel 7. The commentary team will be calling the matches at the International Broadcasting Centre in Beijing.
Darryl, who is a formidable Right Back player, has been in the Australian Men’s Team for sixteen years.He has represented Australia in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and in the World Championships held in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007.He also has been based in Sweden playing in First Division League for the H65 club in Hoor. Having an extensive handball experience, Darryl certainly is very qualified to provide commentary on the games.
This will not be the first time that Darryl will be involved in commentating handball games.He also did the commentary on handball games at the 2004 Olympics held in Athens, Greece. In 2004, Channel 7 in partnership with SBS, was looking for an expert handball commentator to cover some of the handball matches. The list of known handball commentators in Australia is not long, so the two networks went looking for Darryl. The TV networks had a bit of a tough time tracking Darryl down, but through contacts listed on the AHF website, they were able to obtain Darryl’s mobile number in Sweden.
Darryl received his roster of games last week and at this stage, subject to unpredictable changes, will be commentating on 15 of the 16 days of handball competitions. He will be calling games involving a good mixture of nationalities from both men’s and women’s competitions, as well as good coverage of the quarter, semi-final and final games.
The following is Darryl’s response to the question:Who are your picks for the Gold Medals in Beijing?
On the women’s side it is hard to see anyone beating Russia. They have totally dominated women’s handball since winning the World Championships on home soil in 2005, and then backed this up again at the end of last year at the 2007 World Championships in France. The size, strength, speed and skills of the Russians as a whole, and the fact that the majority of the national team play in the Russian league means that it is practically impossible to find a weakness in the team.
The absence of the Danes in Beijing, after winning the Gold at the last 3 Olympics shows a real fall from the throne of the Danish national women’s team. The only team to shake the Russian women in international competition over the past 3 years has been Norway, who played the game of their lives to defeat Russian in the final at the 2007 European Championships. It was great to see Norway come away with the win so that Russia does not totally dominate women’s handball.
On the men’s side, the competition is wide open. There’s Croatia, defending Olympic Champions, Germany, current World Champions, France, who have been favourites to win a number of international competitions in the past few years. And then there are the Danish men, surprise winners at the European Championships earlier this year, with a very solid performance throughout the tournament and played an impressive final, beating the Croatian team. We see more and more that the most successful teams are the ones that manage to keep their key players fresh by resting them throughout the tournament and by using their bench wisely. If this point becomes a determining factor, then the Danish and German men would be the best to fare.There is an absence of huge stars in their teams, rather the consistent and all-round strengths of all players in these teams means their coaches are much less reliant on having to continually use a few key players to perform and produce in all games throughout the tournament. Living in Sweden, my hope would be for the Danes to get the title, but on sheer individual brilliance it’s hard to go past the likes of Balic, Karabatic, Abalu, Dzomba in the teams of France and Croatia.
The AHF is optimistic that the broadcast of so many handball games at the Olympics will not only benefit current handball players and fans but also encourage more youth to take up/follow the sport.In addition, AHF is hopeful that it will also draw some interest from prospective sponsors.
[For schedule of the games, please refer to the Australian Handball Federation website:
RFID Training and Certification now available in Australia
DALLAS, Texas – OTA Training LLC, the global leader in hands-on, vendor-neutral RFID training and certification has announced the opening of an office in Canberra, Australia. Conveniently located between Sydney and Melbourne, the office will serve as a base of operations for the entire Pacific Rim region. The new office is easily accessible to the growing number of technology companies and manufacturers implementing RFID technologies for smart card, asset tracking and other applications. As Australia’s capital, Canberra is an ideal location to support the many RIFD initiatives that are being undertaken by the various Australian governmental bodies.
Eugene Costabile has been appointed Director of Business Development for the Australasia Region and will be responsible for all regional operations. “RFID is a rapid growth technology but the demand for skilled RFID professionals threatens the ability of the RFID industry to continue to cultivate this technology locally,” said Costabile. “Our local presence in Australia will now allow OTA to support and drive RFID adoption throughout the region.”
The opening of this office underscores OTA’s commitment to the Asia Pacific region and to the Australian market in particular where RFID adoption is growing at an amazing rate. Almost daily news reports can be seen about RFID applications being deployed in Australia. The country is leading the world in applications like animal tracking.
“We’re excited to be a part of the bourgeoning RFID market in Australia,” said OTA CEO and Founder, Robert Sabella. “In many ways the opportunity mirrors that of the US where we’ve had great success teaching students how to achieve desired results in RFID implementations. But each country is unique in their needs, industries served and experience levels, and Australia is no different. This is a challenge that we’re really looking forward to.”
OTA’s highly acclaimed 4-day, “A Systems Approach to RFID plus RFID+ Certification” program will be presented in Canberra on September 30, 2008. Proven to increase the return on RFID investment, this dynamic approach is comprehensive, hands-on and vendor-neutral – the result represents a new paradigm in RFID training in Australia.
For more information on OTA Training and their Australian RFID training programs, visit www.otatraining.com, or contact Eugene Costabile via e-mail at [email protected], or call 61 2 6243 3691 (in the US (972-386-9655).
Dad’s are wonderful and can make a huge difference in a young child’s life. At Thanks Dad Photo Competition we like to celebrate the wonderful things men do with their children – and hope to encourage more men to spend more quality time with their children. We don’t just want to thank the Dad’s but also the really important grandfathers, uncles, step dads, foster dads and older brothers who mean so much to so many children
Cash prizes are awarded in 11 Photographic Categories for Adults as well as school aged children and – new categories this year that include those asking school aged children to write a short story (max 250 words) about that day or moment of the photo. These can be sent in together on a sheet or displayed in “scrapbook style”. There is also Scrapbooking section this year with the single pages to be judged on the basis of how well they express the Thanks Dad theme of "thanking all men for positive times with our children".
Entries close 25th August 2008 and there will be a People’s Choice Exhibition later in the year displaying all the entries.
Thank your dad by sending in your favourite photos – they can be emailed to [email protected] and you can go to the website to enjoy photos from previous years.
Entry forms available from www.thanksdadphotos.org or call 02 6622 3143 to get an entry form sent out to you.
Are you looking for something to do with the kids this Sunday why not head to the Tuggeranong Indoor Community Market, browse through the wonderful arts, crafts and antiques, enjoy a cuppa from the Jetty Cafe plus there is Face Painting for the kids – remember our market is indoors away from the winter chills so come on down
Sunday July 27
10am – 2pm
Tuggeranong Community Centre (the building next to McDonalds)
Last day for Enrolment for The Brain Gym at the Canberra College is Wednesday 23rd July. Classes start the week beginning 28th July at Weston and Woden.
