australia's topics - tribe.net

What do Aussie's think of Americans...LIVING in Australia?

Samantha — Fri, 11 May 2007 08:10:42 GMT

I'm an American living in Melbourne. There isn't a day that goes by at my job that I don't get shit from somoene
about being American. I am constantly bombarded with back handed comments fobbed off as jokes.
And being the type of person who is always up for a good laugh, even at the expense of myself, I think
I have been a good sport about it.

Tonight one of the employee's told me that generally speaking Australians have a real disdain for American's
more so than any other culture. Is that true?? She went on to assure me that another one of the employee's
would never give me the kind of grief that he does if I wasn't American. Being a minority here (at work),
I'm begining to feel awkward and a bit pissed off.

Having moved here with the intention of staying I am now begining to feel very confused about my ability
to thrive here under the "oppression" of my nationality. I wouldn't trade being American for anything,
I'm proud of where I grew up. I'm feeling like I need to apologize for being American here to prove to
people that I'm "ok".

Anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks

posted in australia - 49 replies

Did I get ripped off ?

Bloke72 — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:13:44 GMT

So I have Tribe mates overseas who I want to telephone.. So I purchased a "Boost Phone Home" card which is supposed to give me calls to the States for half a cent a minute.. I am thinking this is cheap so I check their web site and find there is a surcharge... this is described as " #A 9.9c per min surcharge applies to your calling card. No Refunds. Full terms and conditions available in this PDF file" http://www.boost.com.au/page/terms#calling so if I am reading that right it is 10.9 cents a minute or $1.09 every ten minutes...

Has anyone used one of these cards ?

Any advice on calling the USA cheap ?

posted in australia - 10 replies

Surviving 2012 - Australia

Happy Joe — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:58:48 GMT

As the "Axis tilt" is a proven periodic event, and we are overdue this cycle, the only question is how soon will this occur, and what we should be doing. In Australia, my view is that "escape capsules" should be developed that would at least save up to 6 people with basic food and survival gear. Public internet forums must explore what this would entail and how to implement this for the average family that wants to survive. Similarly, survival is not just individuals surviving the disaster, but how to form a functional survival group after, as a community that is self supporting will have a greater chance of success than ramshackle groups of survivors with guns trying to seize power and food from each other. Finally, even if 21 DEC 2012 is not the actual date - it is coming, and preparing for it by providing a capsule that can save your family or be improved and passed on to the next generation if not needed is a smart thing to do and should be discussed.
Cheers Happy Joe, Australia

posted in australia - 7 replies

the great australian wannabe novel...

harry — Fri, 02 May 2008 19:00:52 GMT

i have been fiddling with my story on blogspot/blogger during working hours (the dog shift) and would like to share the results with whom ever is interested. it is a work in progress. enjoy...

http://harrykruger.blogspot.com

cheers

posted in australia - 1 reply

Moving to Australia

Angie — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:25:35 GMT

Hey Everyone. I'm leaving The States thank the heavens and planning to move to Australia. I have a few questions for you guys and would like some input. I'll give you a quick synopsis. No I am not proud to be an American quite frankly I'm sick of it!!!!!

I met an Australian a few years ago and we fell in love and decided to marry. Awwwwww isn't that sweet? hehehe Well it was no hard decision deciding to live there versus here although I do have a house and a job here. I grew up in New York City and mostly we didn't refer to ourselves as Americans so much as New Yorkers. I grew up around so many different cultures and my own family was multi cultural but than...dum dum dum I moved to the greater deep south of The USA. God what culture shock! My assessment has been that the southern baptists rule supreme here and there isn't much room for anyone else as far as they are concerned. There is a famous saying here "yankee go home" hehehehe and believe me I think many of us New Yorkers would if not for the weather and the cheap housing. I say it light heartedly as two of my best friends are big ole rednecks but for the most part people here are scarey quite frankly. For example my divorce attorney has gun magazines and the ten commandments hanging in his law office and told me I shouldn't let the courts know that I'm a Buddhist because it might be considered a cult however the courts wouldn't care that my ex-husband gives the kids guns and lets them go shooting. Oh boy something is wrong with this picture!!!! Not just that but I've been held at gun point twice, I've had every place I lived in broken into not just in New York but here as well. Infact Atlanta has a worse murder rate than New York and most of it is gun related. The school my children were zoned to go to had a shooting and its just ridiculous I'm tired of it and the mentality here. Knock Knock let me in pleaseeee. hehehehe

Anyway my question is first I was looking at the housing costs there but they seem very expensive. What say you? Also the line of work I do here is completely different there. The system there for land titles is far different than here. It is a much better system there as you don't have search land titles for 50 years and its not nearly as complex as they make it here but the downfall for me is that thats all I have done for 14 years. So do you think it would hard for me to get my foot in the door in another sector of real estate as an American or do you think it makes no difference? I know it sounds petty but I have a New York accent and my experience here in the south is that they don't really like it and one firm I worked for didn't even want me to answer phones because of it. Will it make a sh** of difference you think?

In closing I imagine I'll run into good and obnoxious people everywhere in the world but hell I would much rather someone take a piss at my expense than have to worry about having a gun to my head or not being able to buy beer on sunday or see a thousand American flags hanging on the drive to work or having to pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america....rut row I'm a poor patriot and as I've been told many times by fellow Americans "if you don't like get the hell out."

posted in australia - 11 replies

New Aussie tribe

Smelkstar's Universe — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:31:45 GMT

Being the greeny I am, wanted to create a place to share and inspire others with what we are getting upto in our own lives sustainability wise.

I love using my brain to live a simpler cheaper life, and want to know other people's ideas so I can make it even easier. I want to connect with other people and inspire change. Whatever you believe there is no avoiding the challenges of water, food, oil, transport, global warming, population, global consumption. Instead of being overwhelmed, its an opportunity to get creative and use our brains! Hope to see you there!!!

http://tribes.tribe.net/aussiesustainablecommunity

posted in australia - 4 replies

DO not fly Quantas ...

☼Sunshine☼ — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:26:23 GMT

I am in Australia at the moment, flew Quantas from LA and also within Aussie...... This airline is an absolute nightmare, it's reps... are full of it, give nothing but miss information, are nit witts and then some... be warned if you choose to go with them anyway... once in Australia you will be given the run around if you change your flight (I did, not really a change but not using one leg of my trip, they were going to make me drive 2 hours to the nearest ticket office, I requested to speak to a supervisor, who was just as incompetent, I told her why can't I just take care of this at the airport, since she insisted that my ticket needed to be reissued.... getting to the airport early to take care of that ... sure enough......... not necessary........ so please be advised.) Peace and Blessings.

posted in australia - 13 replies

As ANZAC Day approaches....

Les — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:37:48 GMT

On top of the great achievement of locating HMAS Sydney II and providing some closure to the relatives of those lost, here is a great story of a survivor of HMAS Perth II.
http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=441581

Enjoy.
Les

posted in australia - 0 replies

ciao bellas!

Eurynome — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:59:56 GMT

off to the uk, eire, france and beantown masssssachusetts in 3 weeeeeks!

see ya round like a rissole!

xoxoxo

posted in australia - 0 replies

SUR*F~ "Acronyms welcome"....

Jahvan — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:09:59 GMT

When someone "surfs" - in the liquid "physical" real-ality here on earth, they are actually showering themselves with pure creation~ & Embodying the the essence of life itself. The conscious choice to coincide their life with natural TIDE, is a prime example of our attuning to our birthright of Free~Will. And by placement- we reap great personal reward.
Wavesliding is all about how big/deep/shacked/ full-on, or tuned in you ALLOW YOURSELF to be! .......GoIT! -is a common phrase said up and down the coastlines and shores everywhere. Across the reefs worldwide it is a word of Encouragement form one conscious comrad to another- A sometimes not so gentle reminder to keep pushing yourself to the fullest potential... When it's big...it is Instantly Sobering. To immerse yourself in the raw power- the ALIVENESS~ of the swells pushing their way, literally, thousands of miles, and to actually ride a energy-rope made up of millions of molecules, is way beyond verbal explanation. What I CAN say, is that: it is very much akin to the energies to be found surrounding us ALL each and every day(and night) here on land!! No different than a shimmering school of fish, I Strive to see, and ride the energy as it passes through thin air~
There is, indeed another ocean. One in which we are inhabitants! All around us at all times, there exists a consistent flow of substance not at all unlike that of water, the {H2O} being just a thicker version... One particle at a time, ALL in an INSTANT!
Let us ALL~ JUMP INTO LIFE!
SWIM, DANCE & PLAY!
WOooHOoooooo Dive into the liquid bliss that is NOW~

S*U*R*F~ "Acronyms welcome"....

posted in australia - 0 replies

Wreck of German raider Kormoran found

Bloke72 — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 03:18:06 GMT

Wreck of German raider Kormoran found
Sunday Mar 16 12:16 AEDT
The wreck of the German merchant raider Kormoran, believed responsible for the war-time sinking of HMAS Sydney in November 1941, has been found off the Western Australian coast.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, along with Australian Defence Force heads, announced the discovery at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on Sunday.

He said the search body called Finding Sydney made the discovery on Saturday, about 150km west of Shark Bay.

"We are one step closer as a nation to hopefully finding Sydney," Mr Rudd said.

"This is an important part in solving a 65-year-old puzzle."

Australia's greatest maritime mystery claimed the lives of the Sydney's 645 crew.

Sailing from Sumatra back to Fremantle in November 1941, the warship encountered what purported to be the Dutch freighter Straat Malakka off the West Australian coast.

But the freighter was really the disguised German mercantile raider Kormoran.

After an ensuing fight, the Sydney went down with all hands and represents the greatest ever loss of life in an Australian warship.

It was also the largest vessel of any country to be lost with no survivors during the Second World War.

The 317 survivors from the 397 crew aboard Kormoran were picked up over ensuing days, giving the only eyewitness accounts of what occurred.

Source http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=392419

posted in australia - 1 reply

The 2008 Archibald Prize Finalists (cross posted)

Bloke72 — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 07:56:53 GMT

An enjoyable viewing of finalists with a commentary

http://www.theage.com.au/multimedia/2008/entertainment/archibald-prize-2008/index.html

posted in australia - 1 reply

Self condemnation

Jin — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 02:52:05 GMT

Do Aussies have a penchant for self-castigation?

Adelaide recently had the city described as a backwater by Victorian Premier John Brumby, now SA's Treasurer has now dubbed them a bunch of whingers. Foley said "What I lament quite often is here in Adelaide we're a bunch of bloody whingers, a bunch of bloody whingers. We love to have a crook old whinge about everything."

What say ye?

posted in australia - 2 replies

Austalia to Apologize!

timbo — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 08:32:03 GMT

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h2Esw7ttubEjcCabNviVmCeevJ5QD8UG1E3O0

posted in australia - 17 replies

Surfers to ...

☼Sunshine☼ — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:49:17 GMT

Hey ... I am planning a trip in Queensland.... Want to go to Frasier Island, Port Douglas, Cairns ... any suggestions????????? I'd really appreciate any ............. Peace and Blessings

posted in australia - 5 replies

Best State in Oz

shazlaw — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 02:30:10 GMT

Adelaide: Regretted labelling itself the "city of churches" since the 60's. Commonly referred to as "never heard of it".

Brisbane: Population including Cane Toads: 5.2 million. Population minus Cane Toads: Nowhere near Melbourne and Sydney's. Interstate migrants have been introduced to correct this problem.

Canberra: The love child of a dummy spit between Melbourne and Sydney. The solution: Put the capital somewhere between the two cities. Everyone’s a winner. Except if you have to move to Canberra.

Darwin: Hot, humid and crappy with the slight chance of crocodile. Only capital city in the world where businessmen wear shorts and long socks to meetings about resources, company mergers and acquisitions.

Hobart: Where a yacht race ends once a year. Thought by many to be that "New Zealand" place. Sometimes considered to be a separate country infested with inbreds.

Melbourne: Typical concrete jungle with everything that signifies it - that is, traffic jam, air pollution and all things that only latte-sippers can put up with. The sheilas are bitchy and the blokes are always drunk. The city's favourite sport is "football" and all its dwellers hate Sydney.

Perth: A city that far away from the East coast cannot still be in Australia, can it?

Sydney: Typical concrete jungle with everything that signifies it - that is, traffic jam, air pollution and all things that only latte-sippers can put up with. The sheilas are bitchy and the blokes are always drunk. The city's favourite sport is rugby and all its dwellers hate Melbourne.

posted in australia - 27 replies

goodbye sadelaide ... hallo melbs!

Eurynome — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:35:25 GMT

yay!

after 6 months back in the city of churches and barrels, i've decided i cannot handle it any longer and am following my heart to melbourne.

that is all.

except i'm just wondering how many tribers are melbournians .. or even melburnians ...? maybe i'll check out that tribe now ... i think i'm actually a member already ;)

again, yay melbourne!

; Þ

posted in australia - 21 replies

Adelaide ...

Eurynome — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:13:57 GMT

... is there anyone here from Adelaide?

I Have An Urgent Question for YOU!

posted in australia - 5 replies

tsunami theory disputed

Jahvan — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 03:37:22 GMT

Mega-tsunami theory disputed
From:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23152580-26103,00.html

February 03, 2008

SUPPOSED evidence Australia has been subject to prehistoric tsunamis up to 20m in height over the past 10,000 years could just be the result of Aboriginal occupation, a major conference is set to hear tomorrow.

Archaeologists from the Australian National University say the theory about the mega-tsunamis, which has influenced the development of emergency service plans in Western Australia, is not supported by evidence.

In 2003 Australian geological researchers suggested prehistoric tsunamis over the past 10,000 years were much larger than those recorded since European settlement, including findings of surges up to 20m in height affecting a 2500km stretch of the WA coast.

“Our field work would suggest that the shell and coral deposits found high on headlands in WA or further inland are evidence of Aboriginal occupation of the area, and not deposits of mega-tsunamis or other major inundations,” ANU researcher Dr Tony Barham said.

He and colleagues Dr Sue O'Connor and Dr Stewart Fallon have also found that archaeological deposits in the area have not been disturbed by major inundation for 1000 years, undermining the theory that giant waves had flooded the area once every 400 to 500 years.

The findings will be presented to the Archaeological Science Conference at ANU, which starts tomorrow and concludes Wednesday.

“These earlier theories about mega-tsunamis and their frequency have been quite influential in WA for the development of emergency service plans – but our research would suggest that they are not supported by the archaeological evidence,” Dr Barham said.

“This is a great example of why solid archaeological research should be taken into account in the planning processes for future emergencies.

“Archaeology is a vital discipline for understanding the environmental and climate-change risks we face in Australia, as it shows how the continents' earlier inhabitants dealt with sudden and long-term changes to their environment.”

The conference will also hear how early agriculture was sustained in drying landscapes.

posted in australia - 0 replies

Going in April

☼Sunshine☼ — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:09:48 GMT

Hey, my dad lives in Surfer's Paradise, I only went there once.............. and now many years later............ it's his 70th bday, so I am going ... and have time to travel.............. So...... Frasier Island, Byron Bay, Port Douglas .............. any other recommendations........... Also am looking to connect to Burning Man community there ................... I'd also appreciate any great places you'd recommend to stay ............. I am in to the chill /art vibe ............. bohemian at heart............... Peace and Blessings............... Sunshine

posted in australia - 1 reply

Australia day is fast approaching

Jed — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:06:13 GMT

Would you like to have some fun throwing some ideas and opinions around?

If so, have a go at answering some of these questions or even pose some of your own.

So what does Australia day mean to you as an "Aussie"?

What will green technology & government policy do to drag racing and the summer nats etc. ?

What's your sense of Australian identity?

Are we heading towards being leaders in beer drinking or sporting excellence or is it just a case of 20% achieve and 80% celebrate the achievments?

What is it exactly that we are celebrating on Australia day?

Do aboriginals fit into that sense of identity?
If so do they play a large or small role?

If our war veterans were young and fit again what would they be doing about those whaling Jap's in our Australian waters?

What's your favourite Australianism?

Where do you see us heading as a nation in the wider world?

Do you believe Rudd's gonna make us a better nation as a whole?

What's your favourite uniquely Aussie past time?

What's the number one beer in all of australia?

posted in australia - 16 replies

OK I'm leaving...

Jin — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 11:06:48 GMT

Terri Irwin has invited Britney Spears down under.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=368936

LOL we've had Paris Hilton pushing Bondi Blonde Beer, can't really be any worst...

posted in australia - 0 replies

Kev and those sideburns...

Jin — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 04:56:07 GMT

So what are your thoughts...more or less sexy ;)

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2008/01/16/kevinrudd_sideburns_wideweb__470x256,0.jpg

posted in australia - 9 replies

Good old Warnie :)

Jin — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 04:52:46 GMT

That guy's got a new job as a poker pro and guess what...
he's been caught SMS :)

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23066974-29277,00.html

posted in australia - 2 replies

divine intervention

natalie — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 10:15:50 GMT

is it possible to ask the angels to send your true soul mate to you and then get what you want? To meet someone you don't know at all, and for them to give you a feeling of love that you have never felt before? Is it possible, I often wonder. Is there anyone out who knows of this?

posted in australia - 4 replies

Giant santa-roo sighting

zhuk — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 01:15:18 GMT

from the unutterably strange underbelly of the city :p

Was walking down Redfern st yesterday (Sat) and came upon 2 guys in giant kangaroo suits, at least 2 - 2.5 m tall and wearing FLUFFY SANTA HATS.

Had to be on *pogo-stilts* (hmm are there such things? lol) cos every few steps they started hopping, quite competently I might add :) Neither were pissed (yeah just try drunk-stilt walking!) so they weren't xmas-party rejects in recovery mode....

I'm so pissed off I didn't get a photo on my fone. Well I was really too gobsmacked to think of it until later hehe

Another life's lil mystery i guess!

posted in australia - 6 replies

Pete's Ridge 07 Rainchecked

Gabsta — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 02:38:37 GMT

:( Bugger!

http://www.peatsridgefestival.com.au/

posted in australia - 0 replies

Never heard this...

Bloke72 — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 10:38:38 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BLZDQ7fNN0&feature=related

posted in australia - 1 reply

Play Tattslotto With Me Better Odds

ascsingles — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 09:06:27 GMT

Hi All

Play tattslotto with me

http://www.tattslotto.love-au.com/

Add me as a friend.

Regards Michael

posted in australia - 0 replies

G'day

Bloke72 — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 04:06:13 GMT

G'day

There is a bit of an Aussie theme going in the Trivia Tribe.. for example we have had a thread on "Sydney Trivia" http://tribes.tribe.net/triviarocks/thread/29790184-6760-4134-acbc-f0cf27dd6bae

We also play a game posting photos and you have to guess "Who Where & When"

I posted one of Francis De Groot at http://tribes.tribe.net/triviarocks/photos/d7e32528-1ad9-4123-8436-f1d0cdd2d889 and it took em a while to get it.... and there is quite a few Aussies in the Tribe !

I just posted one at http://tribes.tribe.net/triviarocks/photos/6a484f6f-e7dd-4b22-a797-bed797a51829 surely you guys know who it is ?

My first question was "What is the Capital of Australia" and the first crack at it was "Queensland" LOL

(oh... and I am posting this across a few Aussie tribes to see if you know who it is......
I thought De Groot was easy !)

posted in australia - 8 replies

The Tasmanian Rainforest

KnowledgeisPower23 — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 04:53:59 GMT

"I heard about the tree protest in the Tasmanian rainforest, a friend was on his way, a ticket manifested via an angel with abundance and a vast heart so I followed the synchro flow... In Tasmania you have people turning the most beautiful land into a temporary desert for profit, ignoring public opinion, changing laws to suit themselves and a line drawn in the sand. The Aussie government do intend to replace the old growth but you simply cannot substitute 160 foot monster trees with saplings. Before the saplings regrow yuo have what resembles a desert, clearfells, worse still if the loggers have quite literally burned all of what was left." From my first article on the subject, Come to Tasmania.

If you would like to read my motivations for moving to Tasmania in full they are here - http://people.tribe.net/knowledgeispower23/blog/977be00b-e48e-407d-b6a4-9362a359e435

If you would like to read my plans concerning the solstice they are here -
http://people.tribe.net/knowledgeispower23/blog/4fe4349b-440b-4ae7-9c96-f5af4ea8cbbc

If you would like to read the poems that have been inspired by moving to Tasmania they are here -
http://people.tribe.net/knowledgeispower23

The Huon Environment Centre is actively involved in helping to protect, preserve and promote the Tasmanian Rainforest. If you would like to assist they would vastly appreciate donations of any amount.

Cheques can be made payable to 'Huon Valley Environment Centre'

Write to...
3/17 Wilmot Road
Huonville. Tasmania. Australia. 7109
Care of KP, Know Peace

Phone: 03 6264 1286
Fax: 03 6264 1243
Email: centre@huon.org (these e-mails go to the centre, not to me.)

For more information on the protest investigate www.huon.org
Huon Valley Environment Centre are a grassroots, volunteer run, not-for-profit charity based in the Huon Valley, Southern Tasmania.

posted in australia - 0 replies

New PM

Bloke72 — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 11:50:34 GMT

Well Johnny just conceded defeat and made his speech...

Exit stage right J Howard. Enter stage left K Rudd

posted in australia - 14 replies

I like it...

Smelkstar's Universe — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:20:59 GMT

Great article on the future of politics in Australia

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/the-partys-over-and-liberals-will-soon-be-history/2007/11/28/1196036982629.html?page=2

posted in australia - 3 replies

the best ad ever!

Gabsta — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 06:11:53 GMT

too funny......

http://www.drambuieresearch.com/

posted in australia - 3 replies

Camp in Tuva

Alexander — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 19:30:48 GMT

Dear Friends

Thank you for your interest to our music.

Last summer we held a throat singing camp in Tuva.

We had 14 students from around the world - 8 of them were from the US, 2 from Australia
2 from Denmark, 1 from France, 1 from England.
After arriving in Tuva, the students spent 1 week in Kyzyl, the capital city.
They were able to see many tourist attractions, see a Tuvan shaman,
and attend the Naadym - National Harvest Celebration.

The students then went on to spend 1 week in the deep taiga, with members of the Tuvan throat singing group Chirgilchin,
learning various styles of throat singing, traditional Tuvan instruments, as well as the Tuvan language.

This summer, we are trying to get 2 groups to go to Tuva again, in either June or July.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Please check our photos made by Russell Roesner - our student.
www.flickr.com/photos/ber...2427847575/

Thank you
Alexander

www.purenaturemusic.com

posted in australia - 0 replies

OPEN FOR INSPECTION sorry ELECTION

zhuk — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 12:03:12 GMT

http://www.domain.com.au/Public/PropertyDetails.aspx?adid=2006832414

"Property ID: 2006832414

111 KIRRIBILLI AVE Kirribilli House: OPEN FOR INSPECTION sorry OPEN FOR ELECTION

Impressive waterfront views! Poised on the top of a hill and the envy of many onlookers, this two storey house is a residence of power. Far superior to any old Lodge in Canberra, this house fits a family of five and provides the ultimate abode in which to be relaxed and comfortable.

* Breathtaking views of Sydney's beautiful harbour
* Perfect place to view Sydney's fireworks - especially during events like the APEC long weekend
* Ideal for extra-curricular fundraising activities
* Includes a $200 000 set of executive chairs (not from IKEA!)
* Plans for $500 000+ renovation of the dining room to re-enact the predicted last supper
* Uses 28 times more water than the average Sydney household – one of few properties that can be credited for creating its own mini-drought
* Current occupant considering a move even if a new lease is signed
* A million dollar garden ($1 118 000 million over 6 years) with no worms (well not the kind that gets turned of mid-debate during 60 minutes)
* Recently received a $386 500 security upgrade that unfortunately doesn’t stop fireball wielding psychos
* Price negotiable just like your Work Choices employment contract… NOT
* Neighbours you know and trust – ‘you can't help but love Maxine’

The Lodge: Live centre stage in Canberra!

You can’t go past this bargain in the nation’s capital. It’s not often an opportunity like this comes along. While it doesn’t have the sweeping harbour views of Kirribilli House, you’ll also be at home in this residence of power.

* Owner selling off assets in an effort to go out with a bang
* Tried twice before to evict the current tenant and its looking like it’s third time lucky
* Long-term occupancy available (depending on your accountant's or treasurer's plans)
* Needs a good clean and the lawn mowed: tenant barely there
* Recently refurbished reception areas
* Trying to save $7500 of tax payer funds for every flight between Canberra and Sydney and another $7500 for a VIP jet to return empty
* Dial-up internet access only – ‘broadband is just a fad’ – two hours to download a YouTube clip is not a big ask, is it?
* Neighbours you know and trust – ‘as if’
Act now, it’s only a matter of time before interest rates go up again… and again… and maybe even again. Particularly given there is a greater chance of Australia signing the Kyoto protocol or saying ‘sorry’ than housing ever being affordable in this lifetime.

Written, spoken and authorised by The People of Australia for the People of Australia. Please note this advertisement was not funded by 70% of labour’s union officials and did not cost taxpayers anything. Your money is only being used to pay for empty private jets, $500 million dollars in advertising to secure your vote in the last week of the election and the usual election sweeteners recently announced."

LOL

posted in australia - 2 replies

Watch this before you vote tomorrow! Hilarious!

Smelkstar's Universe — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 04:09:09 GMT

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=fjKBf1N2Wls

posted in australia - 2 replies

Election Scorecards

Smelkstar's Universe — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 22:27:24 GMT

Here's some info for ya....

Public transport
http://www.ptua.org.au/campaigns/fed2007

Environment

The Big Switch
http://www.thebigswitch.org.au/index.cfm?page=ourPoliticians.parties

ACF
http://www.acfonline.org.au/articles/news.asp?news_id=1439

This is interesting...
http://www.howshouldivote.com.au/

posted in australia - 3 replies

Dying with Dignity in Victoria

Jin — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 23:58:16 GMT

Where do your candidates stand on the DWDV Legislative Charter?
Do you care?
http://www.dwdv.org.au/politics/StateList.asp?SearchTerm=Victoria

posted in australia - 0 replies

Not my beloved Imran!!!

shazlaw — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 02:12:52 GMT

Damn... I had such a crush on him when he faced the Aussies playing cricket.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/4A864573-FD6B-489D-A4DB-D3776AF0577B.htm

posted in australia - 2 replies

Tuva Camp 2008

Alexander — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 21:22:55 GMT

Dear Friends

Thank you for your interest to our music.

Last summer we held a throat singing camp in Tuva.

We had 14 students from around the world - 8 of them were from the US, 2 from Australia
2 from Denmark, 1 from France, 1 from England.
After arriving in Tuva, the students spent 1 week in Kyzyl, the capital city.
They were able to see many tourist attractions, see a Tuvan shaman,
and attend the Naadym - National Harvest Celebration.

The students then went on to spend 1 week in the deep taiga, with members of the Tuvan throat singing group Chirgilchin,
learning various styles of throat singing, traditional Tuvan instruments, as well as the Tuvan language.

This summer, we are trying to get 2 groups to go to Tuva again, in either June or July.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Please check our photos made by Russell Roesner - our student.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bertdanger/sets/72157602427847575/

Thank you
Alexander

www.purenaturemusic.com
www.chirgilchin.com

posted in australia - 0 replies

How to rip your jocks off...

Jin — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 10:59:23 GMT

while holding a 1.5m saltwater croc. I'd like to see that.

Jimmy Howard told last night how he lassoed the 1.5m saltwater crocodile before taking off his red jocks and putting them over its eyes to calm it down.

"I just ripped my jocks off, soaked them in the water and wrapped them around its face," the ballsy Territorian said.

"It was a bit cranky and that was the only thing I could use to cover its eyes.

Read more..http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2007/11/15/2604_ntnews.html

posted in australia - 0 replies

Now THATs a record....

Gabsta — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 01:12:33 GMT

...especially for Bloke....(pic posted too :))

http://www.smh.com.au/news/unusual-tales/aussie-carries-20-beers-breaks-world-record/2007/11/16/1194766908128.html

An Australian has beaten the Germans at their own boozy game, smashing the world record for carrying stein glasses full of beer.

Bavarian-born restaurant manager Reinhard Wurtz, who recently became an Australian citizen, broke the record for carrying one-litre steins of beer, when he carried 20 for 40 metres last night.

With each beer-filled stein weighing at least 2.5 kilograms, Mr Wurtz carried 50 kilograms of beer and glass in the record-breaking effort.

The previous record of 16 steins was held by German barmaid Anita Schwartz.

posted in australia - 1 reply

All destructive forces...

shazlaw — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 18:21:29 GMT

Does that include Bush??

http://www.cdp.org.au/fed/aboutus.asp

The Christian Democratic Party is committed to:

*security for our borders, streets, transport and houses;
*improved quality of family life;
* the protection of children from abuse;
*the promotion of Christian values and ethics;
*the promotion of a just, honest and accountable government;
* support for Christian schools;
* opposition to pornography, gambling and illegal drugs;
*legislation to guard life from all destructive forces.

posted in australia - 6 replies

Election

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 10:50:57 GMT

They just announced an election people! Not one post on it?!!!

Is everyone as ambivolent as me?

posted in australia - 38 replies

I love this guy..

Smelkstar's Universe — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 10:35:04 GMT

http://nsfarming.com/index.html

I hope his message spreads...

sure he is controversial in some ways, but he is doing amazing things to help save this country...

posted in australia - 0 replies

NCEF! Media sabotaged! Hijacked by lone wingnut! Accused of fraud and embezzlement!

White Rabbit — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 04:05:15 GMT

NCEF! Media in Humboldt County, Ca. is accused of fraud and donation embezzlement. Caution! Do not support this lone wingnut's scam! Other legitamate groups exist in the area. Caution! Do not be fooled by NCEF! Media and his fraudulent outreach. Shunka Wakan exists completely seperate from any active affinity group. Read about how he perpetuated a lawsuit under the guise of EF! against a legitamate environmental nonprofit:

Dog Days
From: http://northcoastjournal.com/100407/cover1004.html
October 4, 2007
Money On Trees

Big cash nearly fell into Shunka Wakan's lap. Other Earth First!ers are kinda happy it didn't.

by Heidi Walters

As the jury trial for the civil suit Kathryn Miller v. the Trees Foundation puttered to a start last week inside Courtroom 3 at the Humboldt County Courthouse, Shunka Wakan — a key witness for the plaintiff — spent mornings sitting on the hard wooden benches in the long hallway outside the courtroom. During breaks, Miller's attorney Linda Mitlyng, would come out of the courtroom to join him. But otherwise, as other people and their legal affairs swirled around him in a warm, odiferous bath of humanity, Shunka sat alone. Or, sometimes, he stood alone, straight-spined, his small, stocky body swallowed by the huge, stiff blue suit out of which his newly shorn, razor-scraped bald head poked vulnerably — as if, at any moment, the suit could gulp once more and he'd disappear completely. Always, he clutched a paper folder with a wolf's face on its cover.

The North Coast Earth First! Media guru had shaved off his woolly rust-tinged brown hair and beard the night before jury selection started, after discussing it with attorney Mitlyng. Now, it took an uncertain moment to recognize him. Then, of course: Shunka's light blue eyes in the pink-pale face, Shunka's closed-lip smile, Shunka's trademark husky murmur, "Mm-hmm, for sure," in response to a comment.

In Courtroom 3, the amiable but no-nonsense Judge Christopher Wilson's domain, the fate of a $185,000 donation dangled. Would the plaintiff, donor Kathryn Miller, prevail in her claim that the defendant, the Trees Foundation, was not in fact the intended recipient of her generous gift? That Shunka Wakan's NCEF! Media Center and the treesitters were? Or would the Trees Foundation convince the jury that, in fact, the money was intended all along for Trees, with no instructions attached for funneling it elsewhere?

Richard Idell, left, who is defending the Trees Foundation against a lawsuit filed by Kathryn Miller, confers with Doug Wallace, community support coordinator for Trees. Photo by David Lawlor.

In her opening arguments, Miller's attorney, Mitlyng, said the case came down to "fraud and broken promises." "She believed [Trees] would hold [the money] in trust, for the benefit of North Coast Earth First!" said Mitlyng. The defense's attorney, Richard Idell, countered in his opening argument that the donation was an unconditional gift and Miller never wrote letters of instruction — as Miller claims she did. "Ms. Miller ... didn't do anything. She took the check [from her mother's estate] and flipped it over and wrote on the back, 'Payable to the Trees Foundation,'" said Idell.

Miller's claim sought the return of her $185,000, plus interest.

Out in the hallway, Shunka waited to tell his side of the story. Maybe he thought about the magical donation that never materialized, and now probably never would. Maybe he thought about the other times he'd been in this courthouse — dozens of times, along with other activists, often before Judge Wilson, answering to charges of trespassing and other forms of civil disobedience in the woods. Likely, he wondered when they were finally going to call him in to testify — it was taking forever in there. He'd even sent out an e-mail prematurely to the several hundred subscribers to his NCEF! online group erroneously announcing he would be first up to testify.

By the end of Friday's court session, Miller was still on the stand. Perhaps Monday it would be Shunka's turn. Whenever it was, he would be testifying on Miller's behalf; but he wasn't a party to the lawsuit. And in the end, after hearing all of the evidence, the jury would be determining who was telling the truth about intentions and letters of instructions. Shunka was just there to provide context and evidence in a contract dispute.

But to a number of forest activists, including a half dozen or so who appeared in the audience last Friday to watch the trial unfold, that context matters more to them than the legal questions. They say this lawsuit has placed a strain on the environmental community that could do as much damage as an ill-felled redwood that takes down other giants in its descent. They disapprove of the lawsuit, and they blame Shunka for it. And, they say, it's just another example of how Shunka has commandeered the North Coast Earth First! identity and used it for purposes that nobody else in the amorphous but consensus-driven local Earth First! movement has agreed to.

"For a lot of us, when we read about the lawsuit, this is kind of like Shunka on trial," said long-time forest activist Deane Rimerman last Friday, calling from Olympia, Wash. "And, to what extent is he worthy of that money?"

Kathryn Miller wanted her money to go toward saving trees, she said on the witness stand last Thursday. The slender 59-year-old was dressed in a pink print skirt and white sweater, with her gray-streaked dark hair pulled back into a neat, thin braid tinted slightly green. (Little did the jury know that Miller had spent the night in jail, in blue jail duds, and then had been "dressed out," in court lingo, in her street clothes before being escorted into the court by the bailiff. Miller had been arrested the week before, on Sept. 17, when she arrived in civil court for the pre-trial readiness hearing; according to the misdemeanor criminal charges filed against her, Miller allegedly had made annoying phonecalls to Barbara Ristow of the Trees Foundation all hours of the day and night.)

On the stand, Miller described how she became an activist. She remembered how, when she was a child in Orinda, her mother decided to stop spraying the beautiful oak trees on their property after reading Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. "And then, when my son was 9, we were watching the news on TV about the Chernobyl nuclear power plant meltdown. And my son said to me, 'I wish I'd never been born. I don't think I'll get to live a full life.'"

She protested the building of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. She started a peace action group in the late 1980s in San Jose. She did nonviolent protests at the Nevada Test Site. And in 1990, she came up with some of her fellow protestors to help set up the camp for Redwood Summer, and to take part in demonstrations. She's been on and off involved in Earth First! actions in Humboldt ever since, she said, including huffing in supplies for treesitters and huffing out their garbage. She'd also, at one point, bought a condo in Arcata.

In 2004, Miller sold her condo and bought an acre of farmland, already planted with coffee, in Guatemala. She put in fruit trees to shade the coffee. That same year, her mother, who lived in Sonoma, died. "The last time I saw her was in 2003," said Miller. "She told me when she died, she was going to leave me some money. I told her I'd use it to further my work for the forest. And she was pleased, because she loved the treesitters and the forest."

Shortly after learning of her mother's death, Kathryn Miller sought out Shunka Wakan in front of the food co-op in Arcata, where he "tabled" to raise funds for the North Coast Earth First! Media office — selling T-shirts, and stickers, offering pamphlets, accepting donations. She'd known Shunka for about five years, she said.

"I said to him, I was going to inherit some money: What was the best way to get that to the North Coast Earth First!?"

In the spring of 2005, Shunka Wakan was floating above the treetops. "I was so excited," the 32-year-old said in an interview a few weeks ago, sitting inside his tiny but colorful North Coast Earth First! Media office in Arcata, walls covered in art and topo maps — including one of Buckeye Mountain, where in 2000-2001, during the "Mattole Free State" action, Shunka and others hiked 14 miles through waist-high snowdrifts to save trees.

Kathryn Miller, he recalled, had come up to him excitedly as he walked along the sidewalk outside the Arcata Co-op and said, "I just donated $185,000 to North Coast Earth First!'"

She'd talked to him the year before about making the donation — she'd said she was anticipating an inheritance from her mother's estate, and she wanted to make a big donation to his group. He'd told her to make it through the Trees Foundation, which handled the NCEF! Media office's finances through an arrangement that had been established years ago. (The Trees Foundation is an umbrella organization formed in 1991 to assist smaller environmental groups. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, it can accept large, tax-deductible donations on behalf of affiliates, and provide professional resources. And it can lead large campaigns, like the one to save the Headwaters Forest back in the '90s.)

Well, now she'd finally done it.

Miller and Shunka agreed to meet at Fiesta Café in Sunny Brae, so she could tell him how she wanted the money spent: She wanted, straight away, for someone to organize a mediated workshop for the local Earth First! activists on ageism and sexism, issues she thought were fracturing the movement. And, she wanted the bulk of the donation to help support the forest activists who blockade logging roads and hunker up in ancient redwoods to fend off loggers' saws.

Not long after, Shunka was on his way to have lunch with some folks from the Trees Foundation, where they'd talk about Miller's wishes.

"Our media outreach was going to get a big boost," Shunka said. "The donation would keep the EF! office going for many years. So I walked into the Wildflower Café feeling elated, thinking we got all this money."

Barbara Ristow and Doug Wallace of the Trees Foundation were there. "I was super excited," Shunka said, "and I said, 'This is great, this big donation. Isn't it wonderful?' We ordered food, and still I'm all excited, talking about the money, but I notice they're looking nervously at each other. [Finally], they said, 'Well, we're just shocked that you think this money was for you.' And I was like, 'I just met with the donor, and that's what she said.' And they're like, 'Well, let's go ahead and plan the workshop and deal with that later.' I remember that, because it put me at ease."

After that, Shunka said he gave Trees a list of people he thought might benefit from the mediator-run workshop. "Some were people I knew had beefs with me, but I was willing to bring 'em into the circle and talk about it."

According to some vague accounts, the workshop was a disaster. One person who was there claims that Shunka, at one point, pounded his fists on the floor, blustered, then got up and stormed out, yelling as he walked away. Shunka says that's overblown.

"The letter from Kathryn Miller to Barbara Bristow said she wanted the mediation to be a safe place, safe to be emotional," he said. "And I think people are saying 'I freaked out.' The freak-out reports are exaggerated. It's just part of this ongoing character assassination. People say I was 'red-faced.' But my face is naturally red."

In late 2005, while Shunka was in Seattle, a friend called him from Arcata to say a woman had come by asking for the office key. She had a list of equipment she wanted to take away. The friend didn't give her the key.

When Shunka got back from Seattle, he discovered his reimbursement funds from Trees had been "frozen." He also learned about a letter someone in the NCEF! movement had circulated for signatures and then sent to Mark Knipper, who handled the Trees Foundation transactions for the NCEF! Media office. It said, in essence, "We don't want Shunka running EF!"

"I called the Trees Foundation," Shunka recalled. "I was sick, it was the middle of the winter, I'm trying to table, it's raining, it's cold. And Barbara Ristow told me, 'You just need to have a meeting [with the other Earth First!ers] and come to a group consensus on what the Trees Foundation funding should be used for."

The meeting never happened — nobody could agree to meet, said Mark Knipper, also in an interview last week. Knipper is a social worker and a long-time activist who had been the contact person between Trees and NCEF! Media. "So it ate itself," Knipper said. "And although I'm former Navy, a mariner, I said I'm not going down with this ship. So I divorced myself from it ... and signed it all back to Trees."

The NCEF! Media office was dropped from the Trees Foundation altogether.

Shunka and the NCEF! Media office never did see any of the big donation. Miller didn't even know that, he said, until she phoned him up in the summer of 2006, more than a year after she made the donation, to ask about a guy named "Jungle," who had been reported as missing on the NCEF! hotline. Miller was spending much of her time in Guatemala now, where she was raising fruit trees; after she'd made her big donation, Hurricane Stan had struck — she spent the ensuing year mopping up the mess.

First, Shunka told her Jungle was still missing. Then he told her about the money.

"I said, 'Yeah, they told me it wasn't for us,'" said Shunka. "And she said, 'I meant for all of it to go to you guys.' She sounded real upset. And I was like, 'I knew it! I knew it!'"

Shunka tried to sue Trees in small claims court, but it went nowhere.

Miller filed a claim against the Trees Foundation on Oct. 5, 2006, in Humboldt County Superior Court, seeking the return of the $185,000 plus interest so she could distribute the money herself.

And if she wins? "She may just spread it out more," said Shunka. "She's got tree planting ideas. Maybe she could buy a grove. She'd maybe not give it all to Earth First! this time. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that Trees blew for us."

On an uncomfortably hot afternoon last week, four forest activists who'd agreed to an interview for this story — Jeff, Shaggy, Sparrow and Farmer — sat on the ground at the Arcata Marsh next to a log bench on which a teeming crew of red ants worked a splintered notch. Someone had come along here in 1999 and carved a grouping of faces — bearded, grimacing, possibly mourning faces — onto the log and signed it Daniel. The carving had been drenched in red paint, and burnished by years of sitters.

"It kind of reminds me of the memorial for Gypsy," said one of them. "With the red paint."

Gypsy was the forest name of David Nathan Chain, who in September 1998, during an Earth First! action at Grizzly Creek, was crushed to death by a tree felled by an enraged logger. Farmer, actually, was there — he was just 16, but had a year of activism already under his belt. And Shunka was there — it was Shunka's first forest action.

Farmer, Shag, Sparrow and Jeff first made it clear that they spoke for themselves alone, although they participate in various forest defense affinity groups: Farmer works for the Mattole Wildlands Defense Group now, watchdogging the California Department of Forestry for new timber harvest plans, and keeping an eye on a Pacific Lumber Co. watershed analysis. Shag, who saw his first redwood about five years ago, helps keep the Fern Gully treesit village in Freshwater functioning. Jeff, who grew up in the high desert, and fell in love with the woods, works with the Nanning Creek treesit just outside of Scotia, as well as other groups. Sparrow, who was drawn to forest action because the cultural landscape was "like a folktale" he couldn't resist, is with the Fern Gully affinity group. These groups are all part of the Humboldt Forest Defense Association, a collective with a website but no formal structure.

The HFDA sprang into being six years ago — about the time the entity called North Coast Earth First! had essentially dissolved. It would take a book to describe that drawn-out dissolution — a book of lost causes, won causes, waning media interest, Judi Bari's death, Gypsy's death, ego-spurred squabbles, interpersonal catastrophes, a war overseas, hurricanes. And while the HFDA activists might still cherish the Earth First! name — the movement — in their hearts, it's now been further complicated by what you might call the Shunka effect.

"I still feel in many ways solidarity with the greater Earth First! movement abroad," said Farmer. "But in this county, in this climate, if you say you're with the North Coast Earth First!, many people associate you with North Coast Earth First! Media."

Shunka revived the North Coast Earth First! office around 2002. And he did what previous office managers had done — tabled, put out news releases, wrote articles for other publications. But it wasn't like the old days, in the '90s, when hundreds of people were getting arrested in forest actions and the jail support phone and legal resources were in constant use.

Shunka first worked in an office in Eureka, then later moved to Arcata. He called his outfit the NCEF! Media Center. For a time, he and other "affinity groups" tried to work together. But he alienated some people. He took over the North Coast Earth First! website. He controlled the North Coast Earth First! email list of 300 or more subscribers to the news alerts. He sent out press releases on his own.

"I felt the North Coast Earth First! Media Center was a unilateral effort on Shunka's part," said Farmer. Whereas, in the old days, "spokespeople were decided on by the group. And if you wrote an article it was passed by everyone. I feel Shunka appointed himself spokesperson at some point."

Many also claim they've been subject to a lashing anger from Shunka.

"I won't work with him because I pledge nonviolence in my actions," said Shag. "I don't believe he pledges the same thing. He has exhibited violent behavior towards me and towards other activists in my presence."

"He's a bear," said Jeff, making claw-fists with his hands.

But the sad thing is, all of this infighting probably has done nothing to help the actual trees. And the mediation workshop Kathryn Miller wanted didn't fix matters. Now, there was her lawsuit.

"When I heard about this lawsuit, I thought, the Trees Foundation does not deserve to be attacked in that way," said Farmer. "There's much bigger issues that need to be dealt with — with Maxxam and old-growth logging. ...If you look at Fern Gully and Nanning Creek (the Bonanza timber harvest plan), there's hundreds of old growth acres still standing whose fate is unclear."

Shag put it more bluntly: "If [Miller] knew Shunka and wanted to get the money to North Coast Earth First! Media, she should've given it to Shunka. But if she was trying to get it to treesits and forest defense, then the money went to the right place.

"My problem is this whole representation thing. There's people in the trees — how do you know who to get the money to, to help them?"

Shunka knows that a lot of fellow activists aren't happy with his role in the donation dispute. He also knows how some people talk about him and say he's hard to get along with. "I'm just standing up for the truth," he said. "And people don't like it. To me, it feels like a small clique of people who don't like me. I feel a lot of love and support in this community."

He certainly doesn't come off right away as someone who's angry, or who lashes out, or who locks the office and doesn't let people in. Why, recently, he helped a young woman hook up with the treesitters so she could learn the ropes. (Shaggy said that's proof Shunka doesn't have direct connections with the people doing direct action; but you can't deny it's a connection.)

It's probably a bad idea to ask Darryl Cherney, one of the founders of the local Earth First! movement, what he thinks of Shunka Wakan, whose real name is Jason Wilson. (Shunka tells a story of how he was named by a Lakota medicine man on the banks of the Cheyenne River in South Dakota in 1995. "Shunka Wakan," meaning "great dog," is only part of it. There's a secret part after that — altogether, his name means "the humble man called horse.")

"Shunka's a wingnut," Cherney said over the phone last Friday, sounding cheerfully vitriolic. "I have a 10-verse song about Shunka."

Here are the last few verses:

Who's at the co-op spanging a donation
Shunka, Shunka
Who's got a lawsuit 'gainst the Trees Foundation
Shunka, Shunka
Shunka, Shunka
Who's gonna keep on fighting the fight
Shunka, Shunka
With four of his friends at swimmers delight
Shunka, Shunka
Shunka, Shunka (Shunka voice: It's the last of the revolution)

There's no other word for it but "mean." But Cherney and Shunka have history — not all of it sour. Cherney said Shunka laughed when he heard the song, at least the first time.

"I met Shunka in 1998," Cherney said. "And I know he knew Julia ["Butterfly" Hill, whom Shunka had come west to find]. That was a good thing, helping Julia. That was good Shunka."

Cherney had even pushed for Shunka to go to Houston to talk with Charles Hurwitz, whose Maxxam Corp. bought out the old Pacific Lumber company back in 1985 and quickly became the forest activists' number one villain. Shunka went.

But now? "The current status of Shunka and me," Cherney said, "is that Shunka has sent me five or eight or nine e-mails threatening to sue me. Shunka is a joke."

Cherney can talk for hours about the problems he's had with Shunka over the years. His main point, though, is what has Shunka done for the trees lately?

"My question is, where's your topo maps?" he asked. "Where's your wilderness preservation proposal? Where's your lobbyist team in Sacramento?"

It has to be that, on some level, even the people in the movement who don't like Shunka understand somewhat where he's coming from. So he's emotional. Passionate. Perhaps he's caught up so completely in the cause he can't let go. Or, who knows — maybe he's a phony, like he accused Knipper of being back in 2005.

But being a forest activist comes with perils beyond the obvious physical ones.

"I'm really trying to have compassion for Shunka, even though he's kind of attacked us," said Susy Barsotti by phone from Laytonville a couple of weeks ago. Barsotti is president of the Trees Foundation board, and she says the lawsuit has held Trees hostage, unable to function fully. "I've been mystified and dismayed that he's participated like this in the suit. But Shunka witnessed Gypsy's death. And I think he may have post-traumatic stress syndrome. I don't think he's recovered from it. And that can affect your behavior."

A number of people mentioned this, actually, about Shunka. And he often refers to Gypsy's death himself. In an article titled "What Luna has taught me," posted on the website of Julia "Butterfly" Hill's organization, Circle of Life, Shunka writes: "I decided to commit to doing ground support after witnessing the death of David Nathan "Gypsy" Chain on September 17, 1998 ... I remember looking across the valley as we hiked up that day, seeing the rolling hills of forests and clear-cuts, and thinking out loud, "That's why we're here!" Seeing Gypsy's life taken from him, and then seeing the corruption and lies of the Humboldt County Sheriffs ... really opened my eyes to the situation our old-growth forests face."

Later, he did ground support for Hill in her second year in Luna. And in the same article on her website, something else Shunka writes indicates how ready he was to devote himself to a cause: "Being on the support team was the top priority in my life, and I was happy knowing that everything else revolved around when I'd be needed for the next supply run. I never felt lost because I knew what I was doing. That was a feeling I had not felt in years, between feeling dissatisfaction with life in college, and then more dissatisfaction with life as a minimum-wage worker after college. Before joining Julia's ground support team I was unhappy, even to the point of tears, wondering if my entire life was going to be a minimum-wage nightmare ...."

Pure devotion, without benefit of a little hypocrisy, could drive anyone batty. Deane Rimerman, the activist from Olympia who said it is Shunka who is on trial, said it's not uncommon for intense, stressful movements like Earth First! to produce an army of walking wounded. And he's been around, in forest actions up and down the coast, for long enough to know; he was the one, in fact, who "got the maps and led the first hikers up to the hill" to the Gypsy Mountain campaign and Luna treesit.

"In the forest activist movement, there's very little that's rewarding," Rimerman said. "There's a lot of post traumatic stress syndrome. All of us get it. Once you've been through the court process, and the jail process, and seen 1,000-year-old trees get cut down that you really cared about and thought you could save — it's devastating."

That alone, setting aside the troubles with Shunka, could explain the many rifts that have occurred within the local EF! ranks over the years. Josh Brown, who moved to Humboldt in 1995 right before the peak of the Headwaters campaign, said one of the unique qualities of Earth First! is that it "is primarily a youth movement."

"A lot of people that come through are young, are passionate — and it's a wonderful thing," he said. They get thrown into leadership positions quickly — and then they get burned out. Many move quickly on to other things. Brown stayed in longer than most. "When I left [in 2001], I was 30 years old. And I'd been a full-time activist since I was 18."

Paradoxically, said Brown, the youthful draw and the departure of seasoned activists leaves the movement with "no elders to kind of sit around and coach the [new kids]."

The movement also draws strong personalities, he said. Tenacious ones, too, like Shunka's.

"Shunka, I think he really does have a big heart," said Brown. "And I think he does care for the forest."

Last Friday, following the morning session of Miller v. Trees, a group of the Humboldt Forest Defense Association activists stood on the courthouse steps talking. The door opened, and Shunka walked out and down the steps toward the group. They didn't greet him. After a time, he tried to talk to one of them, Jeff. Jeff walked away. Shunka followed him, then stopped and talked to another guy. Then he stood alone again.

From: http://northcoastjournal.com/101107/news1011.html

Trees Foundation Wins

October 11th, 2007

The jury in the civil case Kathryn Miller v. the Trees Foundation decided in favor of Trees, after deliberating all day Tuesday. (See "Money on Trees," Oct. 4).

Miller is the long-time forest activist who inherited a bundle from her mother and then signed $185,000 over to the Trees Foundation. In her lawsuit, she claimed she had intended the money to be passed through Trees to one of its affiliates, North Coast Earth First! Media, run by Shunka Wakan. She claimed she had made her intentions clear, verbally and in writing, and that Trees had agreed to the conditions, then broken its promise and kept the money. Trees denied making such promises, and said it had never seen any letters or heard of instructions to give the money to NCEF! Media. (Also, somewhat relatedly, in criminal court on Tuesday Miller pleaded no contest to charges that she had made annoying phonecalls to Barbara Ristow of the Trees Foundation.)

So, that's that. Now, there are only the pieces to pick up.

For Shunka Wakan — featured in last week's Journal as a central figure in a messy nest of infighting that has fractured the current ranks of local Earth First!ians — it could be a long, lonely patching together of lost friends and broken alliances. Not only did he and Miller lose their attempt to retrieve her donation, but now he's been banned from the North Coast Co-op.

Yes, that happened last week. It was Thursday, around 4:15 in the evening, and two activists with the Humboldt Forest Defense Association were tabling — hawking brochures and such — outside the Co-op. It's an activity Shunka himself has spent many a day doing in that very same spot, raising cash to pay for his NCEF!Media outreach work and other causes. And, well, these two fellows, Jeff and Farmer, were on Shunka's shit list, now. They'd spoken gently, but unfavorably, about Shunka's doings in the North Coast Earth First! arena — said he lashed out at people, said he commandeered NCEF! resources, and so forth. Here's a snippet of Jeff's account of what happened, which he sent to the NCJ in an e-mail on Friday:

"Shunka was removed from the Arcata Co-op yesterday after a scuffle with myself and another activist around 5 p.m. Well, he wasn't exactly removed, but APD was called. He was asked to leave after threatening to flip over the HFD donation table while stating he was 'like Jesus in the marketplace ...'"

Sue Coulter, manager of the Arcata Co-op, recounted on Friday how an employee walking by heard the argument and went inside to get her. "So I went out to talk to [Shunka], because it's not the first time we've had problems," she said. "Most of the time, he's fine. Most of the time, I stick up for him." One time, she said, she even called the police to protect Shunka after someone had threatened him. "But he gets into arguments. I tried to talk to him. I told him to leave. ... He was causing a scene, right by the door, and I can't have it. He refused to leave. ... I said, fine. I went into the store. He followed me into the store, and he was still yelling at me, 'Oh, now you're going to call the police on me.'" Coulter called the police, but Shunka left before they arrived.

Shunka, waiting in the courthouse for the jury verdict Tuesday, said Coulter did indeed ask him to leave and he did, indeed, refuse to. As for the HFD tablers, he said he merely asked them why they had Trees Foundation literature on their table. "I said, 'Why do you want to represent these people?'" And then, he said, "Jeff accused me of embezzling — he said this in public. He said, 'You've embezzled thousands of dollars from the Earth First! movement through the years.' And I complained to one of the employees who was walking by. Because that's serious, accusing someone of embezzling."

But Shunka said the whole thing's yet another attack on him. "I don't consider I was yelling. We were talking. I'm an emotional person, I concede to that. I speak from my heart. I don't scream at people. I would love to — but I don't."

In his email, Jeff with HFD predicted Shunka would leave town within weeks, if not sooner. But at the courthouse, even before the verdict, Shunka said he wasn't going anywhere.

"I'm just going to continue to run the Earth First! office and continue to call Humboldt County home," he said. He's also going to write a letter to the Co-op, complaining about how he gets scapegoated and booted out of there even when other people, he says, are the culprits. And, as for the Miller v. Trees case, he said, he and Miller may now take their complaint to another venue.

-- Heidi Walters

posted in australia - 0 replies

New Democracy

Smelkstar's Universe — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:01:16 GMT

Heard about this when listening to that great melbourne radio station Triple R...

http://www.newdemocracy.com.au/default.asp

sounds tres interesting.. working with a few Universities to try and develop a new political system for this country. The old party system aint so hot.. there is no discussion.. no working towards solutions.. just antagonism...

thought it might be of interest...

posted in australia - 2 replies

Master

Anne — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 05:15:09 GMT

I so wish I could find a Man Who can not only be 'a Nan' but be able to 'Master' me.... sometimes, I don't think it's about dominance, it's just getting to know a slave, and appreciating her worth... for at least Our time frames. So, My subject matter is: When does a Master truely become a Master'

posted in australia - 1 reply

yes another timewaster

zhuk — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 13:27:23 GMT

Brain turned to mush by the election dreariness already & still 4 damn weeks to go? try this url :)

http://www.netdisaster.com/

I prefer www.pm.gov.au....dog shit works a treat lol

posted in australia - 1 reply

Men at Work at the Soccer..

Bloke72 — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:34:07 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54TCQrK0b5k&mode=related&search=

posted in australia - 3 replies

idea for ASIO

zhuk — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 00:53:26 GMT

Maybe the only way to keep us all in line in these dark days of manufactured fear...hmmm. Hey ASIO's gotta look into cicada spyplanes :P

*Dragonfly spy*

US agencies are staying tight-lipped about robobug research, writes Rick Weiss.

VANESSA ALARCON saw them at an antiwar rally in Lafayette Square in Washington last month.

"I heard someone say: 'Oh my god, look at those'," the university student recalled. "I look up and I'm like, 'What the hell is that?' They looked kind of like dragonflies or little helicopters. But those are not insects."

Bernard Crane saw them, too. "I'd never seen anything like it in my life," the Washington lawyer said. "I thought: 'Is that mechanical, or is that alive?' "

That is just one of the questions hovering over a handful of similar sightings at political events in Washington and New York.

Some suspect the insect-like drones are high-tech surveillance tools, perhaps for the Department of Homeland Security.

(rest of article&pic>>) http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/11/1191696075903.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

posted in australia - 0 replies

Manic times site

zhuk — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 01:34:25 GMT

Anyone still not braindead yet from this never-ending non-election campaign?

from Charles Firth of the Chaser...this is lolz :P

http://www.manictimes.com.au/liberal_scare_tactics

posted in australia - 0 replies

National Budget Surplus of How Many Billion?????

Gabsta — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 02:48:13 GMT

***This is a bit distressing, just a warning.....

The NSW Government is launching an external inquiry into a complaint that a pregnant woman miscarried in a toilet while waiting for medical help at Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital.

Despite complaining of acute pain, the 32-year-old woman, identified as Jana, was not seen by a doctor or given painkillers at the hospital overnight, Macquarie Radio reported today.

The woman's husband, identified as Mark, complained to emergency staff about the pain his wife was experiencing, but was repeatedly told to sit back down and wait, the report said.

The man's cousin, identified as Peter, told Macquarie Radio the treatment they received was disgraceful.

"When we weren't looking she walked off into the toilet and had a miscarriage," he said.

"People have come running [from] everywhere.

"I can't go into the finer details, it's just so gruesome, mate.

"It's just something I wouldn't say on air.

"She's holding the little foetus in her hand, basically, and was wheeled out of the toilet in front of this packed waiting room.

"Not only that, but once they found her a bed they left her lying with the foetus between her legs for one hour."

Mark later told Macquarie Radio his wife had already had one miscarriage this year.

He said Jana went to the hospital about 6.30pm yesterday because she was experiencing similar symptoms to those when she had the earlier miscarriage.

Mark said that, after Jana had been waiting for more than an hour at the hospital, he was told by a triage nurse there was nothing they could do, and they should just wait in the queue.

"In the course of our waiting, she's ended up on the floor in a squatting position .. with her hands wrapped around her legs ... directly in view of the administration section of the emergency ward.

"She's grimacing in pain and nothing's being done."

Jana then went to the toilet and stayed there for a while, he said.

"Next minute, I just hear a scream and a smash, and I jumped up, and I raced into the toilet, and ... I just couldn't believe the scene in front of me.

"It is my wife ... sitting on the toilet, screaming ... an image in my mind I'll never be able to get out, the look on her face, screaming, tears, hysterical, pants around the ankles ... holding a live, live mind you, live foetus in her hands ... with blood everywhere."

A full external inquiry will be launched into the incident, NSW Health Minister Reba Meagher said.

She said it was "completely unacceptable by any measure'' and expressed her sympathy to the woman and her family.

"There is no question that the circumstances of this case are unacceptable,'' she told Macquarie Radio.

"That is why I want an external inquiry, I think there are issues here, we need to get to the bottom of them.''

Ms Meagher said senior staff were meeting the woman to discuss what occurred.

The minister said she would also be happy to talk with the woman and her family.

Premier Morris Iemma also said the case was "very distressing" and pledged a full inquiry.

posted in australia - 19 replies

Kiwi Chef settling in Perth, any tribe members from the better side of OZ

Mason — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 03:45:50 GMT

Just rucking you all up. Have been living on and off in OZ for over 9 years and love the sun, sand, and moolah that it brings to this humble head chef. Moving there for the first time to settle down with my dutch better half. Would love to get any helpful hints on getting a car, who to go through to find a cosy villa long term and recruitment agencies. Will be hunting down an old school combi to do up and to cherish for all time and also will be on the look out for a guys and gals that are into spearfishing, hunting wit compound bows and anyone that loves dinner parties, tramping, chewing the fat, and loving the outdoors as much as us. We are off to europe for 6 or more weeks to catch up with Grytsjes whanau(family) and then back to NZ to slave our arses off to get set up in Perth. Would love anyone to get back with a hey you if you are out there. Mason and Grytsje.

posted in australia - 4 replies

Mentoring - any accredited learning out there?

Maz — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 23:54:32 GMT

Does anyone know of accredited (TAFE etc) learning for mentors?
The group needs a certificate II or III however I cannot find anything up to date and in Western Australia.
HELP!!
Thanks folks.
Kindest
Maz

posted in australia - 2 replies

travel adaptor

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 13:21:09 GMT

I am australian moved to usa I am looking for a european ? 3 pin to australian plug travel adaptors X 2 for my transformers has 3 round pins two at the top and one on the bottom if anyone can surgest where I can try would really appricate not ebay I done ebay to I gone mad.

posted in australia - 1 reply

Alternative Melbourne CUP?

meeegs — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 06:44:02 GMT

since Equine flu is the flavour of the month... i reckon we should have the melbourne cup with Hobby Horses....

posted in australia - 2 replies

Grog and Porn

shazlaw — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 18:32:50 GMT

There are so many things wrong with this.....
Maybe we should just take the kids away from their parents like we used to. Put them with 'the good white folks' and they can have as much grog, porn and sex as they want.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/070213/2/12emp.html

Politicians may be called back from their winter break after the federal government announced plans for unprecedented action to stamp out child abuse in indigenous communities.

Alcohol and pornography will be banned in indigenous communities in the Northern Territory as part of a plan of federal intervention aimed at stamping out widespread child abuse.

In the wake of a damning report on abuse of indigenous youngsters in the region, Prime Minister John Howard announced his intention to override territory laws to deal with the crisis.

If necessary, he will recall parliament - which on Thursday night retired for a six-week winter break - to push through laws, including reforms to ensure welfare money is spent on essentials like food, instead of drugs and alcohol.

Mr Howard also announced an increase in police numbers, compulsory health checks for Aboriginal children and changes to the permit system which restricts non-Aboriginal access to indigenous land.

He said the government was intervening because of the NT government's failure to act on evidence of systemic child abuse, the sex trade and juvenile prostitution in Aboriginal communities.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Clare Martin confirmed that she'd had no prior warning of the commonwealth's plan.

Despite the lack of consultation, she indicated her government would continue to work in partnership with the commonwealth.

posted in australia - 6 replies

Onya Johnny !! More to be proud of.......

Shaikh-Zayed_bin_Sultan_Al_Nahyan — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 21:24:51 GMT

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/un_natives_cda

posted in australia - 5 replies

Fake Motorcade

shazlaw — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 18:12:28 GMT

I love these guys.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/09/06/apec.fake.motorcade.ap/index.html

posted in australia - 12 replies

Kev or Johnny?

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 03:58:48 GMT

This is a video advocating enroling to vote in the coming election, I thought it was cute. Although you may not find the concept of getting into bed with either of them cute!

Make sure you enrol before the election. Remember you can't winge about it if you don't vote about it!

http://www.ozin30seconds.org/video/dantarakis/make-your-vote-count

posted in australia - 4 replies

Enlightened answers

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 07:20:59 GMT

link nicked from Rogue Mammals tribe:

http://humour.200ok.com.au/aussie_tourism.html

posted in australia - 3 replies

Latest "Words of Wisdom" from Pauline Hanson - will she just go away please..

Bloke72 — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:56:08 GMT

Hanson cites Bible urination as reason to stop immigration
Thursday Aug 16 10:00 AEST
By Hal Crawford
ninemsn

A resurgent Pauline Hanson has called for an end to Muslim immigration to Australia in a fiery television appearance peppered with references to female genital mutilation, terrorism and urinating on Bibles.

Ms Hanson, the 53-year-old former One Nation leader, appeared on Nine's TODAY to promote her new Pauline's United Australia Party.

"I'm very discriminated against in my own country," she told hosts Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson.

"Where Christmas carols aren't sung in our schools or Christmas carols played in our shopping centres … it's about time Australians stood up."

She called for a "moratorium" on Muslim immigration to Australia, often clashing with Stefanovic in a verbal joust which ended with the latter accusing Ms Hanson of "playing the race card".

"Karl, I think you should get out from behind your desk and speak to ordinary Australians," Ms Hanson said in response.

"Maybe if we look actually at the female genital mutilation that happens to young girls in this country. I think it's absolutely atrocious, it's digusting, if people want to live like that they can go back to Muslim countries … this is Australia."

Ms Hanson confirmed that terrorism and security were key reasons behind her proposed ban on Muslim immigration.

She also referred to a 2006 incident where two boys were expelled from an Islamic school in Melbourne for urinating on a Bible, and Sheik al-Hilali's infamous comparison of women in Western clothes to "uncovered meat".

"I'm very concerned about [Australia changing]. I'm sick of people coming out here and saying our girls are like the meat market, or you have the Bible that's urinated on. Am I supposed to just forget about it?"

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=286783

posted in australia - 15 replies

Farewell Gabbubble

Bloke72 — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 08:29:14 GMT

Gabb*ubble* has unsubscribed to Tribe. I do not know why….

Gabb - if you read this I want you to know I appreciated your posts, personal messages and reading your blog. (AND your very cool pictures!)

You will be missed..

Hope that you are well and that we will hear from you again................

Good Luck

Love Bloke

posted in australia - 8 replies

Don't eat the kitties!

shazlaw — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 20:49:59 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6974687.stm

Marinated moggies...eek

posted in australia - 2 replies

What??

shazlaw — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 14:40:10 GMT

http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/10/1242207&threshold=-1

Today Mr Howard will hail the ISP filtering measure as a world first by any Government...
>"I don't think that's something I'd be proud to admit."

Or, alternatively - $162 Million to Stop Aussies Looking at Porn.

Considered part of the campaigning for this year's Federal election in Australia, the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, announced [abc.net.au] a $162 million USD plan to protect Australian Internet users against various Internet nasties, including porn, during a web video address to a number of Australian churches.

What??? Is Australia becoming like the US, where everything is pitched to the Christian right-wing posse and their gatherings?

posted in australia - 33 replies

Aussie blinded by Internet love

shazlaw — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 20:40:39 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6943616.stm

posted in australia - 2 replies

Missing link that helps Global Climate

Jahvan — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 00:29:32 GMT

SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) -- Australian scientists have discovered a giant underwater current that is one of the last missing links of a system that connects the world's oceans and missing links.

The newly discovered current sweeps past the island of Tasmania towards the Southern Atlantic.

New research shows that a current sweeping past Australia's southern island of Tasmania toward the South Atlantic is a previously undetected part of the world climate system's engine-room, said scientist Ken Ridgway.

The Southern Ocean, which swirls around Antarctica, has been identified in recent years as the main lung of global climate, absorbing a third of all carbon dioxide taken in by the world's oceans.

"We knew that they (deep ocean pathway currents) could move from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean through Indonesia. Now we can see that they move south of Tasmania as well, another important link," Ridgway, of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, told Reuters.

In each ocean, water flows around anticlockwise pathways, or gyres, the size of ocean basins.

The newly discovered Tasman Outflow, which sweeps past Tasmania at an average depth of 800-1,000 meters (2,600 to 3,300 feet), is classed as a "supergyre" that links the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic southern hemisphere ocean basins, the government-backed CSIRO said in a statement on Wednesday.

The CSIRO team analyzed thousands of temperature and salinity data samples collected between 1950 and 2002 by research ships, robotic ocean monitors and satellites between 60 degrees south, just north of the Antarctic Circle, and the Equator.

"They identified linkages between these gyres to form a global-scale 'supergyre' that transfers water to all three ocean basins," the CSIRO said.

Ridgway and co-author Jeff Dunn said identification of the supergyre improves the ability of researchers to more accurately explain how the ocean governs global climate.

"Recognizing the scales and patterns of these subsurface water masses means they can be incorporated into the powerful models used by scientists to project how climate may change," Ridgway said in a statement.

The best known of the global ocean currents is the North Atlantic loop of the Great Ocean Conveyer, which brings warm water from the Equator to waters off northern Europe, ensuring relatively mild weather there. Scientists say if the conveyor collapsed, northern Europe would be plunged into an ice age.

Earlier this year, another CSIRO scientist said global warming was already having an impact on the vast Southern Ocean, posing a threat to myriad ocean currents that distribute heat around the world.

Melting ice-sheets and glaciers in Antarctica are releasing fresh water, interfering with the formation of dense "bottom water", which sinks 4-5 kilometers to the ocean floor and helps drive the world's ocean circulation system.

A slowdown in the system known as "overturning circulation" would affect the way the ocean, which absorbs 85 percent of atmospheric heat, carries heat around the globe, Steve Rintoul, a senior scientist at the CSIRO Division of Marine and Atmospheric Research, said in March.
reply to this post

posted in australia - 1 reply

john howard supporters

georgi — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 10:38:07 GMT

who are these jhn howard supporters they must be out there otherwise he wouldn't be in parliment but i haven't spoken to any of these john howard supporters.
so the question is who are these john howard supporters and what should be done about them?

posted in australia - 50 replies

lunar eclipse!

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 10:58:02 GMT

coooooooool! Now showing!

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=290630

posted in australia - 0 replies

In Prep for the Rugby :D

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 02:20:47 GMT

http://www.bakeryoftheyear.co.nz/net/best-bakery/gingerbread-video.aspx

too funny

posted in australia - 4 replies

australia's topics - tribe.net

What do Aussie's think of Americans...LIVING in Australia?

Did I get ripped off ?

Surviving 2012 - Australia

the great australian wannabe novel...

Moving to Australia

New Aussie tribe

DO not fly Quantas ...

As ANZAC Day approaches....

ciao bellas!

S*U*R*F~ "Acronyms welcome"....

Wreck of German raider Kormoran found

The 2008 Archibald Prize Finalists (cross posted)

Self condemnation

Austalia to Apologize!

Surfers to ...

Best State in Oz

goodbye sadelaide ... hallo melbs!

Adelaide ...

tsunami theory disputed

Going in April

Australia day is fast approaching

OK I'm leaving...

Kev and those sideburns...

Good old Warnie :)

divine intervention

Giant santa-roo sighting

Pete's Ridge 07 Rainchecked

Never heard this...

Play Tattslotto With Me Better Odds

G'day

The Tasmanian Rainforest

New PM

I like it...

the best ad ever!

Camp in Tuva

OPEN FOR INSPECTION sorry ELECTION

Watch this before you vote tomorrow! Hilarious!

Election Scorecards

Dying with Dignity in Victoria

Not my beloved Imran!!!

Tuva Camp 2008

How to rip your jocks off...

Now THATs a record....

All destructive forces...

Election

I love this guy..

NCEF! Media sabotaged! Hijacked by lone wingnut! Accused of fraud and embezzlement!

New Democracy

Master

yes another timewaster

Men at Work at the Soccer..

idea for ASIO

Manic times site

National Budget Surplus of How Many Billion?????

Kiwi Chef settling in Perth, any tribe members from the better side of OZ

Mentoring - any accredited learning out there?

travel adaptor

Alternative Melbourne CUP?

Grog and Porn

Onya Johnny !! More to be proud of.......

Fake Motorcade

Kev or Johnny?

Enlightened answers

Latest "Words of Wisdom" from Pauline Hanson - will she just go away please..

Farewell Gabb*ubble*

Don't eat the kitties!

What??

Aussie blinded by Internet love

Missing link that helps Global Climate

john howard supporters

lunar eclipse!

In Prep for the Rugby :D

SUR*F~ "Acronyms welcome"....

Farewell Gabbubble