When the first fleet arrived in 1788 they had an entire continent at their disposal, but when home construction started the style simply copied the mode that existed in the grimy, overcrowded city of London. Streets of " terrace housing " can be seen in the inner city suburbs of Sydney even today.
More than a century later the style had changed. The ever growing suburbs of the city consisted of free standing houses on quarter acre blocks. That was the era of the " suburbs " and distance between home and work was solved when we entered the age of the motor car, and parking that car became a problem in city streets.
Today is the era of high rise apartment living because we need to cram more people into this city. The choice for many families is either a free standing home in the far outskirts of the city, or adoption of the " vertical village " in an apartment high in the sky. The town planning people are suggesting a return of terrace style housing to fill the gap between these two extremes. Terrace housing seems destined to receive fast planning approval to help reduce housing costs.
A lot of this thinking revolves around how the car evolves. We are convinced that the " driverless car " will soon become a reality and the notion of personal car ownership will end. It is a fact that the average privately owned car stands idle for most of the time, overnight and while we are at work - and we are being convinced that hiring a driverless car for leisure and work travel will be much more an economic option.
We humans are very predictable creatures. The cars we drive are usually bought to depict our taste and style more than being just a means of transport. Perhaps the notion of summonsing an anonymous moving box for travel, synonymous with what all the rest of the herd are using, will have little appeal to our personal vanity.
We would be unwise to write off car ownership on a cost basis. As is evident with the present car fleet, new innovations find their way into all areas of the price range very quickly and self driving cars are likely to follow that trend. The car we drive today gives us bragging rights and a superiority complex. That is unlikely to be discarded lightly.
The problem with terrace housing of the past was it made no provision for the car when the motoring age dawned. Those living in terraces who bought a car were forced to park in the street, resulting in the inner city problems we have today. We would be very unwise to duplicate that problem on the notion that privately owned cars will soon be a thing of the past.
At least the laws pertaining to high rise insist on a degree of onsite parking under the building. How the age of the driverless car evolves is yet to be determined.
Saturday, 7 April 2018
Friday, 6 April 2018
Finally - A Murder Charge !
January 12, 1970 was a perfect Australian summer day and yet nobody noticed when a three year old girl was abducted from Fair Meadow beach in the city of Wollongong. The Grimmer family were living in the nearby migrant facility and Carol Grimmer had taken her three sons and three year old daughter - Cheryl - to the beach for the afternoon. The children's father served in the Australian army.
Late in the afternoon the four children approached a bubbler and one of the boys held Cheryl up to get a drink. The boys walked back to their mother and Cheryl dawdled behind. When they returned to look for her, she had simply vanished.
That started one of the biggest land searches in Australian history. The police and emergency services, supplemented by the public spent days searching the beaches and sand dunes, and nearby the heavily wooded Puckey's estate. Several beachgoers remembered seeing a man carrying a crying child away from the beach, but thought it was a father removing his child who wished for further beach time.
Forty-eight years later the police have a man in custody, extradited from Victoria and he will face court later this week charged with Cheryl Grimmer's murder. Incredibly, this man confessed to the murder when he was interviewed on April 29, 1970, but the police did not pursue the matter because of inconsistencies in the evidence.
The confession stated that he hid Cheryl in a drain for about thirty minutes and then took her to Bulli Pass. She screamed when he removed the cloth over her mouth and he accidentally strangled her when he attempted to keep her silent. He hid the body and returned for it later.
This confession stated that he finally buried Cheryl's body in a paddock off Balgownie road in Fairy Meadow. At that time this was farm land and is now a heavily populated suburb. He could not be sure of the location but remembered it had a post and wire fence, a steel gate and a cattle ramp. He also remembered a track crossing a small creek.
The police could not locate these landmarks and the property owner denied that they existed at that time, but years later his son confirmed their existence. Nearly fifty years since the crime, it seems that the man who allegedly abducted Cheryl will finally face court.
This will be a difficult trial. There is now no vacant land in Balgownie road and the burial site is probably under someone's home. Its location is now unlikely. The police who took that confession will appear as witnesses but it seems unlikely that any tangible evidence now exists.
Hopefully, resolving this crime after such a long period of time may restore hope to others who have suffered the loss of children in strange circumstances. The mystery of the whereabouts of William Tyrrell, - the boy in the Spider-Man suit - awaits resolution !
Late in the afternoon the four children approached a bubbler and one of the boys held Cheryl up to get a drink. The boys walked back to their mother and Cheryl dawdled behind. When they returned to look for her, she had simply vanished.
That started one of the biggest land searches in Australian history. The police and emergency services, supplemented by the public spent days searching the beaches and sand dunes, and nearby the heavily wooded Puckey's estate. Several beachgoers remembered seeing a man carrying a crying child away from the beach, but thought it was a father removing his child who wished for further beach time.
Forty-eight years later the police have a man in custody, extradited from Victoria and he will face court later this week charged with Cheryl Grimmer's murder. Incredibly, this man confessed to the murder when he was interviewed on April 29, 1970, but the police did not pursue the matter because of inconsistencies in the evidence.
The confession stated that he hid Cheryl in a drain for about thirty minutes and then took her to Bulli Pass. She screamed when he removed the cloth over her mouth and he accidentally strangled her when he attempted to keep her silent. He hid the body and returned for it later.
This confession stated that he finally buried Cheryl's body in a paddock off Balgownie road in Fairy Meadow. At that time this was farm land and is now a heavily populated suburb. He could not be sure of the location but remembered it had a post and wire fence, a steel gate and a cattle ramp. He also remembered a track crossing a small creek.
The police could not locate these landmarks and the property owner denied that they existed at that time, but years later his son confirmed their existence. Nearly fifty years since the crime, it seems that the man who allegedly abducted Cheryl will finally face court.
This will be a difficult trial. There is now no vacant land in Balgownie road and the burial site is probably under someone's home. Its location is now unlikely. The police who took that confession will appear as witnesses but it seems unlikely that any tangible evidence now exists.
Hopefully, resolving this crime after such a long period of time may restore hope to others who have suffered the loss of children in strange circumstances. The mystery of the whereabouts of William Tyrrell, - the boy in the Spider-Man suit - awaits resolution !
Thursday, 5 April 2018
Again a " People's Bank " !
Sometimes the Greens have some wacky ideas but at a time when we are having a Royal Commission to delve into the outright thuggery that is so pervasive in the Australian banking system they have raised an issue that deserves serious consideration. They suggest using the Reserve Bank of Australia to give some much needed competition to the " big four " banks that dominate the money trade in Australia.
Back in 1947 Ben Chifley's Labor government staked its hold on government on a plan to nationalize the array of private banks that served this nation - and lost. The voters just didn't like the idea of a single bank stifling competition and rejected it as a form of creeping socialism.
We remember the era that followed as a time when banking in Australia was stable and very ethical. The government owned the Commonwealth bank and it was the trend setter. It was the biggest bank and every post office in every state served as a branch of its savings bank, giving the widest universal access to ordinary people.
Those were the days when Commonwealth bank people visited schools and handed out complimentary money boxes to students, and lectured them on the merits of saving money. Contrast that today, when the banks refuse to even count the change that children manage to save. We now live in a very different world.
Those ethical banking days came to an end in 1996 when we were told that the government had no business running banks. The mighty Commonwealth bank was to be privatised, creating a rush to buy shares that rapidly rose in value. The bank that set the standards for the entire banking industry was now tasked with making profits for its new owners. It was like a cop throwing away his sheriffs badge and joining the outlaw gang. Banking condensed - until the Commonwealth became one of the " big four bandit banks " !
That outcome is what we are investigating with this Royal Commission. The banks are being forced to cringe as they admit the deceit and malpractice they have inflicted on their customers. They have sold worthless insurance policies and given financial advice that has lost many people their retirement money. They have gouged fees and issued fines that amount to extortion in relation to what such services cost the banks, and all of this has escaped the notice of the various banking oversight bureaus.
Restoring the Reserve bank of Australia as the government owned " people's bank " has a lot of merit. The fees that this people's bank chooses to implement sets a level that the other banks either follow - or find that they lose customers. The other banks would no longer set interest rates to suit themselves. That " people's bank " could set the tone for first home mortgages to get home ownership moving again.
No doubt the outcome of this Royal Commission will be to try and regulate bank practices but we have seen the failure of the oversight institutions to keep abreast of rapid banking changes. The sure way to guarantee ethical standards is to create a competitor against which the private banks will be judged. That was exactly what the old Commonwealth bank managed to do during the decades that it dominated the Australian banking industry !
Back in 1947 Ben Chifley's Labor government staked its hold on government on a plan to nationalize the array of private banks that served this nation - and lost. The voters just didn't like the idea of a single bank stifling competition and rejected it as a form of creeping socialism.
We remember the era that followed as a time when banking in Australia was stable and very ethical. The government owned the Commonwealth bank and it was the trend setter. It was the biggest bank and every post office in every state served as a branch of its savings bank, giving the widest universal access to ordinary people.
Those were the days when Commonwealth bank people visited schools and handed out complimentary money boxes to students, and lectured them on the merits of saving money. Contrast that today, when the banks refuse to even count the change that children manage to save. We now live in a very different world.
Those ethical banking days came to an end in 1996 when we were told that the government had no business running banks. The mighty Commonwealth bank was to be privatised, creating a rush to buy shares that rapidly rose in value. The bank that set the standards for the entire banking industry was now tasked with making profits for its new owners. It was like a cop throwing away his sheriffs badge and joining the outlaw gang. Banking condensed - until the Commonwealth became one of the " big four bandit banks " !
That outcome is what we are investigating with this Royal Commission. The banks are being forced to cringe as they admit the deceit and malpractice they have inflicted on their customers. They have sold worthless insurance policies and given financial advice that has lost many people their retirement money. They have gouged fees and issued fines that amount to extortion in relation to what such services cost the banks, and all of this has escaped the notice of the various banking oversight bureaus.
Restoring the Reserve bank of Australia as the government owned " people's bank " has a lot of merit. The fees that this people's bank chooses to implement sets a level that the other banks either follow - or find that they lose customers. The other banks would no longer set interest rates to suit themselves. That " people's bank " could set the tone for first home mortgages to get home ownership moving again.
No doubt the outcome of this Royal Commission will be to try and regulate bank practices but we have seen the failure of the oversight institutions to keep abreast of rapid banking changes. The sure way to guarantee ethical standards is to create a competitor against which the private banks will be judged. That was exactly what the old Commonwealth bank managed to do during the decades that it dominated the Australian banking industry !
Wednesday, 4 April 2018
An " Organic " Opportunity !
Remember the news headlines when several Australian deaths last summer were blamed on pathogens getting into the melon crop ? We were warned to discard any melon fruit in the fridge, bought before a given date and a lot of people suffered a milder stomach reaction before the warning alerted the nation.
There has been a reaction from the Department of Agriculture. They are proposing that seed for Australia's brassicaceous crop - and that includes broccoli, cauliflowers, kale, rocket, cabbage, turnips, bok choy, Brussel sprouts and radishes - be subjected to compulsory fungicide treatment on entering this country. Seeds for all these vegetables is almost entirely imported.
That has caused panic in the Australian organic industry. The Australian Certified Organic Organization is quick to point out that fumigated seeds would prevent these vegetables being described as " organic ". Fumigating the seeds would negate the standard that the end product was free of pesticide and that was the reason that it attracted a higher price in the market. Many shoppers were happy to pay more to gain the benefit of this safety standard.
Agriculture is surely the oldest industry known to humankind, and over the centuries there was a common knowledge source that farmers applied to their trade. They preserved seed from each years crop to allow replanting in the coming new season.
If pathogens can enter this country on unfumigated seed there is obviously need - and opportunity - for a local seed growing and distribution network to take care of that problem, or the organic industry needs to reapply its standards.
Most people who buy organic vegetables probably couldn't care less if the actual seed had been fumigated. What they want is vegetables grown in soil that has not been treated with all sorts of artificial fertilizer and sprayed with poisons to retard weed growth. Perhaps we need a descriptive differentiation to describe this difference. " Totally organic " to describe that grown from unfumigated seed - and just " Organic " for produce grown in organic conditions after germination.
Some people are very particular in their selection of organic produce, but the vast majority buy it and pay a higher price simply because they think if may he " healthier " than produce not sold under that description. Most likely, a lot of produce claimed to be organic may not attain the standards that apply to that description, or just partially meet those standards. Much as the description of " free range " eggs can cover a wide description of the way the hen that lays them can be housed.
Those melon poisonings delivered a warning. Pathogens can travel on seeds and our vast agricultural industry needs to adapt to this new fumigation regime. The obvious answer is for the creation of a seed collation and distribution network within this country to remove the need for seed to be imported - and that is an obvious opportunity for an entrepreneur.
There has been a reaction from the Department of Agriculture. They are proposing that seed for Australia's brassicaceous crop - and that includes broccoli, cauliflowers, kale, rocket, cabbage, turnips, bok choy, Brussel sprouts and radishes - be subjected to compulsory fungicide treatment on entering this country. Seeds for all these vegetables is almost entirely imported.
That has caused panic in the Australian organic industry. The Australian Certified Organic Organization is quick to point out that fumigated seeds would prevent these vegetables being described as " organic ". Fumigating the seeds would negate the standard that the end product was free of pesticide and that was the reason that it attracted a higher price in the market. Many shoppers were happy to pay more to gain the benefit of this safety standard.
Agriculture is surely the oldest industry known to humankind, and over the centuries there was a common knowledge source that farmers applied to their trade. They preserved seed from each years crop to allow replanting in the coming new season.
If pathogens can enter this country on unfumigated seed there is obviously need - and opportunity - for a local seed growing and distribution network to take care of that problem, or the organic industry needs to reapply its standards.
Most people who buy organic vegetables probably couldn't care less if the actual seed had been fumigated. What they want is vegetables grown in soil that has not been treated with all sorts of artificial fertilizer and sprayed with poisons to retard weed growth. Perhaps we need a descriptive differentiation to describe this difference. " Totally organic " to describe that grown from unfumigated seed - and just " Organic " for produce grown in organic conditions after germination.
Some people are very particular in their selection of organic produce, but the vast majority buy it and pay a higher price simply because they think if may he " healthier " than produce not sold under that description. Most likely, a lot of produce claimed to be organic may not attain the standards that apply to that description, or just partially meet those standards. Much as the description of " free range " eggs can cover a wide description of the way the hen that lays them can be housed.
Those melon poisonings delivered a warning. Pathogens can travel on seeds and our vast agricultural industry needs to adapt to this new fumigation regime. The obvious answer is for the creation of a seed collation and distribution network within this country to remove the need for seed to be imported - and that is an obvious opportunity for an entrepreneur.
Tuesday, 3 April 2018
On The Public Record !
For those thinking of a holiday trip to Disneyland or perhaps Yosemite in the United States it is comforting to know that Australians enjoy visa free access to that country, but access does come with limitations. Freedom from visas only applies to stays that do not exceed ninety days and America is a very big country. Those intending a leisurely tour of many of the states or to complete a short study course could find it necessary to apply for an extended visa.
That is where the things you may have written in the past may come back to haunt you ! The US Immigration department has a new requirement that applies to those seeking to immigrate to the United States and all applicants for " non-immigrant visas ", which includes visitors intending to stay for more than ninety days.
You will be required to divulge your social media user name for the past five years and immigration may check your social attitudes on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. What you place on these social media facilities goes on the public record and immigration will obviously be very interested in comments that tend to support Islamic State or reveal anti social tendencies. What you have written in a light hearted manner may result in visa rejection.
Of course, this will be condemned by supporters of free speech as an infringement on that right, but freedom of speech does come with qualifications. If we vilify another person with claims that are untrue they can sue for damages and we are fast reaching the stage where using the internet for bullying will constitute a law infringement. The age of the computer ushered in a new world of communications and we are now finding the extent that this can be misused. The fact that deliberately placed fake news can change public attitudes and even swing national elections is cause for restrictions to apply.
We should also remember that granting a visa to allow a visit to another country is a privilege, not a right. Immigration may decline - without any explanation. A person whose social media contributions contain a diatribe of hate against those who do not have a white skin could be very suspect in a mixed society like America. Certainly US immigration would be wise to ask questions on intended places of visit and whether speeches were intended before granting an entry visa.
One of the attractions of the Internet is our ability to contribute with anonymity. We hide behind our user name and for some people that allows them to employ attitudes they would not even consider sharing with colleagues and friends. The immigration people are a very canny lot. Untruths or failure to divulge the correct user name may soon be a certain cause of visa rejection !
That is where the things you may have written in the past may come back to haunt you ! The US Immigration department has a new requirement that applies to those seeking to immigrate to the United States and all applicants for " non-immigrant visas ", which includes visitors intending to stay for more than ninety days.
You will be required to divulge your social media user name for the past five years and immigration may check your social attitudes on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. What you place on these social media facilities goes on the public record and immigration will obviously be very interested in comments that tend to support Islamic State or reveal anti social tendencies. What you have written in a light hearted manner may result in visa rejection.
Of course, this will be condemned by supporters of free speech as an infringement on that right, but freedom of speech does come with qualifications. If we vilify another person with claims that are untrue they can sue for damages and we are fast reaching the stage where using the internet for bullying will constitute a law infringement. The age of the computer ushered in a new world of communications and we are now finding the extent that this can be misused. The fact that deliberately placed fake news can change public attitudes and even swing national elections is cause for restrictions to apply.
We should also remember that granting a visa to allow a visit to another country is a privilege, not a right. Immigration may decline - without any explanation. A person whose social media contributions contain a diatribe of hate against those who do not have a white skin could be very suspect in a mixed society like America. Certainly US immigration would be wise to ask questions on intended places of visit and whether speeches were intended before granting an entry visa.
One of the attractions of the Internet is our ability to contribute with anonymity. We hide behind our user name and for some people that allows them to employ attitudes they would not even consider sharing with colleagues and friends. The immigration people are a very canny lot. Untruths or failure to divulge the correct user name may soon be a certain cause of visa rejection !
Monday, 2 April 2018
A Doubt About " Hell " !
Easter and its story about the resurrection is an integral part of the Christian religion. Like most religions, Christianity takes the " carrot and stick " approach to how we lead our lives and what we expect when death finally claims us.
There is the reward of entering Heaven if we obey the laws of the church, but there is also the threat of eternal Hell if we are found wanting on the day of judgement. That is the threat that has kept souls strictly on the straight and narrow for thousands of years.
This Easter an atheistic and anticlerical left wing Italian literary giant claims that in an interview with the Pope that the church leader said that " a Hell doesn't exist " ! This was widely reported by left wing media and resulted in a front page article in the respected Italian newspaper La Republica.
Bad souls are "not punished ", journalist Eugenio Scalfari (93) reported the Pope as saying. " A hell doesn't exist ". Scalfari has since backtracked, admitting that he did not use either a recording or a notebook during the interview. He also moved away from the terminology of " interview " by replacing that with " meeting " and claiming that it was more of a " chat " ! Remarking on his age, he observed that he was more used to being interviewed than interviewing.
The Vatican has since felt obliged to clear up this misunderstanding and the matter has been characterized as simply a " misquotation ". In western society, a steady stream of former worshippers have been leaving the church and any suggestion that hell is a myth casts a doubt on" Satan " ! The " Devil " and " Hell " seem synonymous !
This " Hell " question leaves many things unanswered. It seems that God once had a bit of a mutiny in Heaven and Lucifer, one of his angels misbehaved and was cast out. He is now referred to as Lucifer or Satan and he hangs out in Hell. He is now officially " the opposition " and he roams the earth and tempts souls.
The book of revelations tells us that eventually there will be confrontation between Heaven and Hell and Satan will defeated, but strangely hell will remain - under new management. On the day of judgement how we have conducted our earthly life will determine whether we head for the Pearly Gates - or the fiery pit.
That is a question that will not be decided until life on this planet comes to an end !
There is the reward of entering Heaven if we obey the laws of the church, but there is also the threat of eternal Hell if we are found wanting on the day of judgement. That is the threat that has kept souls strictly on the straight and narrow for thousands of years.
This Easter an atheistic and anticlerical left wing Italian literary giant claims that in an interview with the Pope that the church leader said that " a Hell doesn't exist " ! This was widely reported by left wing media and resulted in a front page article in the respected Italian newspaper La Republica.
Bad souls are "not punished ", journalist Eugenio Scalfari (93) reported the Pope as saying. " A hell doesn't exist ". Scalfari has since backtracked, admitting that he did not use either a recording or a notebook during the interview. He also moved away from the terminology of " interview " by replacing that with " meeting " and claiming that it was more of a " chat " ! Remarking on his age, he observed that he was more used to being interviewed than interviewing.
The Vatican has since felt obliged to clear up this misunderstanding and the matter has been characterized as simply a " misquotation ". In western society, a steady stream of former worshippers have been leaving the church and any suggestion that hell is a myth casts a doubt on" Satan " ! The " Devil " and " Hell " seem synonymous !
This " Hell " question leaves many things unanswered. It seems that God once had a bit of a mutiny in Heaven and Lucifer, one of his angels misbehaved and was cast out. He is now referred to as Lucifer or Satan and he hangs out in Hell. He is now officially " the opposition " and he roams the earth and tempts souls.
The book of revelations tells us that eventually there will be confrontation between Heaven and Hell and Satan will defeated, but strangely hell will remain - under new management. On the day of judgement how we have conducted our earthly life will determine whether we head for the Pearly Gates - or the fiery pit.
That is a question that will not be decided until life on this planet comes to an end !
Sunday, 1 April 2018
Falling Space Junk !
Citizens of planet Earth can expect a rare sight in the sky sometime over this weekend. China's first space station - Tiangong One - is in a decaying orbit and is expected to make a spectacular re-entry as gravity returns it to Earth.
This is indeed a major piece of space junk. It is as big as a bus and it weighs several tonnes. If the re-entry is at night we can expect a " shooting star " experience as it arcs across the sky in a blaze of burning light, but re-entry in daylight will still be highly visible, and both will be preceded by a sonic boom.
Much will be burned away by the intense heat but what reaches the surface of Earth will pose a danger. The citizens of this planet face the prospect of death should they have the misfortune to be struck by this falling object, but the chance of that happening is remote.
A greater portion of the surface of this planet is water and a lot of the land mass is lightly inhabited. The chance of this piece of space junk hitting a living person is about the same as winning Lotto with the same numbers over three successive draws.
We may remember the unease when America's Skylab posed a re-entry threat back in 1979. The light show was seen by many people but the point of impact was luckily in a remote area of Western Australia - and it is possibly legend that the only casualty was a rabbit.
The best the boffins can give us is that Tiangong One will fall to Earth within the time frame of midnight this Saturday to early morning on Monday. Just where that may be is anyones guess, but its trajectory has it passing over Australia many times and so a light show in our sky is a possibility.
So - enjoy the light show and disregard the danger. We can all expect to still be alive to return to work when this Easter break ends.
This is indeed a major piece of space junk. It is as big as a bus and it weighs several tonnes. If the re-entry is at night we can expect a " shooting star " experience as it arcs across the sky in a blaze of burning light, but re-entry in daylight will still be highly visible, and both will be preceded by a sonic boom.
Much will be burned away by the intense heat but what reaches the surface of Earth will pose a danger. The citizens of this planet face the prospect of death should they have the misfortune to be struck by this falling object, but the chance of that happening is remote.
A greater portion of the surface of this planet is water and a lot of the land mass is lightly inhabited. The chance of this piece of space junk hitting a living person is about the same as winning Lotto with the same numbers over three successive draws.
We may remember the unease when America's Skylab posed a re-entry threat back in 1979. The light show was seen by many people but the point of impact was luckily in a remote area of Western Australia - and it is possibly legend that the only casualty was a rabbit.
The best the boffins can give us is that Tiangong One will fall to Earth within the time frame of midnight this Saturday to early morning on Monday. Just where that may be is anyones guess, but its trajectory has it passing over Australia many times and so a light show in our sky is a possibility.
So - enjoy the light show and disregard the danger. We can all expect to still be alive to return to work when this Easter break ends.
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