Newswire

By Diet Simon

Local power utilities in Germany have formed an anti-nuclear power alliance saying that planned longer running times for nukes are endangering their plans to invest billions in climate-friendly green energies.

“This is the best news in a long time!” comments Volker Thomsen, Treasurer of the World Wind Energy Association and active in a number of other renewables roles.

“Nothing can be more convincing than 150 local utility companies (in reality 150 cities big and small) protesting nuclear.”

Water restrictions have been eased, and there seem to be no critics of this decision. But should this really be the case? Or am I out of touch? The ABC calls it "An early christmas present for Melbourne." In Melbourne water capacity is only at 37.4%. When the catchments are less than half full, is it appropriate that more people should be able to water their gardens? Is this really neccassary? Is it a waste? Our roses will look beautiful again.

Nearly half a million Australians -- mostly young, Indigenous or migrant Australians -- won't vote at this year's election unless our political leaders pass electoral reforms in the Senate tonight.

In 2006 the Howard Government passed the misleadingly named 'Electoral Integrity Act'. Now Australians only have until 8pm the day election writs are issued to enrol to vote or change their enrolment details, rather than 7 days. 423,975 people enrolled to vote during that 7 day period in 2004 - but under the current law many of those people will miss out.

In a joint statement released on Monday by the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology the stark facts on global warming were outlined: that Australia's climate has already changed with more extremely hot days, fewer cold ones, wetter in the north and drier in the south-east and south-west. The statement outlined in five sections a snapshot of temperature, rainfall, oceans, atmosphere, and what this means for Australia in coming decades.

Dear friends,

Amazing -- in just over 3 days, more than 300,000 of us have signed this petition to keep endangered elephants protected! Help sustain that momentum by forwarding this link to everyone you know right now:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/protect_the_elephants/?vl

Original email below

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Today's rag tells us that several firemen are facing court relating to indecent assaults on a colleague 20 years ago which was part of an 'initiation rite', so it it seems, that was common in N.S.W. fire stations.

How did employees of N.S.W. fire brigades in several locations get away with these crimes against new recruits? How did the cover-up happen?

Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson’s announcement on 23 February of plans to dump nuclear waste at Muckaty Station in the Northern Territory in spite of opposition from a range of traditional owners triggered immediate protests, including one by FoE’s ACE collective on Friday 26th. A further action took the form of an open-air film night outside his electorate office, with films projected on a makeshift screen on the side wall, while the ‘audience’ made themselves comfortable on the footpath opposite...

The following statement was issued by Friends of the Earth Australia:

MNN. Mar. 6, 2010. Evil is man-made immorality and a main influence on Western society. Capitalism and self-promotion are the main values. It is created by psychopaths, based on slavery and "warfare." Warfare is mass murder of those who refuse to fit in. The European Crusades murdered millions.

"I believe old-growth will always be part of Tasmania's (forestry) mix" -- that's what Tasmania's Premier announced last week. With a tight election just a week away, both major parties are in a race to the bottom, announcing worse environmental policies by the day.