Well, looks like I can still water ski

Garden 25 december 2009

Update view of garden - we harvested 8 lettuces today to take to xmas dinner,

Coriander is getting old - will harvest seeds for next year

Two sorts of chilli

Zinnias are close to flowering

Nasturtiums are coming along

Cosmos are looking great

Some of the flowers

Garden 16 december 2009

Here is a slide show of the garden - photos taken 16 december 2009

compare to photos taken xmas day

Sick of litter ?? Do what I do

Internet censorship in Australia

The government wants to introduce an internet filter scheme - this is crazy as internet speeds will plunge as content is verified. Australian speeds and costs of the internet are already substandard and the filter will just exacerbate the situation.

The filter will be promoted as saving children from paedophiles - it won't! But if it is thought that a filter will work, then other known paedophile environments should also be banned, catholic priests and brothers could be de-frocked.  In fact, the success of police in rooting out child molesters has been because of their sophisticated data mining activities, desperate people resort to desperate measures to indulge the deviance, if they are not traceable ... well, who knows what they might do!

Further, once one excuse for a filter is let through, then who is to say that other "worthwhile" reasons to prevent access to information will not be invoked.  Political parties and their ideas might be banned like the countries whose policies we abhor.

Beware of politicians who want to restrict peoples' information - it is primarily for their benefit - not ours!

Public Private Partnerships

Kenneth Davidson has written again about this important topic - http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/flawed-figures-condemn-our-descendants-to-needless-debt-20091213-kqbh.html

I wrote this for publication on The Age site

The enforced usage of the infrastructure, eg, the taking of water from the desal plant, whether needed or not, and the artificial restrictions on traffic flows to force vehicles on to citilink, show that even the basic model is flawed.

But hey, ministers prefer to go overseas to talk to the putative suppliers of infrastructure than stay in Victoria and issue a few bonds!

How can something be cheaper when profits have to be made over and above the cost of capital??? 

It is axiomatic that businesses have to make profits - profit is selling price minus cost price - so how can a government say that a private enterprise will be cheaper than public enterprise when public enterprise can sell at cost and not incur the wrath of the public.

Melbourne's new trains not to go west

I asked whether the excellent Xtrapolis trains that the Vic government is spruiking so loudly and proudly would be used on my local train line, here is the response :

Dear Mr Partington

Thank you for your email received in this office on 30 November 2009.

You have requested information as to when the governments’ newly acquired fleet of X’Trapolis trains will be utilised on the Sydenham line.
Your feedback is important and we welcome the opportunity to respond.

Train Purchasing
Under the terms of our franchise agreement with the State Government we are required to manage the day-to-day operations of the metropolitan rail network. The decision to purchase new trains, and what trains they may be, falls under the jurisdiction of the State Government.


An unprecedented increase in patronage of metropolitan train services (including 46% in the past four years) means that there are more trips on the network now, than at any other point in its history.


We recognise that new trains need to enter service in order for the increased number of customers to be catered for. As a result, the State Government has announced the purchase of 38 new trains, the first of which is scheduled to enter service in late 2009.


The new trains which have been purchased are X’trapolis trains, which currently operate on the Alamein, Belgrave, Epping, Glen Waverley, Hurstbridge and Lilydale lines. Due to current stabling requirements, the new trains will also operate on these lines exclusively.

If you have any further concerns in relation to the new trains on order, you may wish to more appropriately direct your comments to the Department of Transport: www.transport.vic.gov.au
\
We appreciate you taking the time to contact us.

Yours sincerely

Michael Krause

Case Resolution Manager
 
So the west loses out on the pick on the train fleet - we are saddled with the atrociously designed siemens trains as the new trains on our lines.
 
It is fascinating to see that "stabling" requirements preclude the trains coming out west - sounds like a crock to me!!