Health, education big losers in Budget

Posted to Melbourne Leader (9/5/2011) on 13/5/2011 at 12:39 PM (Not published)
Commenting on “Health, education big losers in Budget, says Pike”
http://melbourne-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/health-education-big-losers-in-budget-says-pike/

I really wonder all those successful early pioneers, scholars and business people asked for money from the Government for school reconstruction, improved community health centre or alike.

People of today lack the concept of self-sufficiency, creativity, sense of pride and dignity. People in power should be caned for wasting public money, making false promises, dishonesty, irresponsibility and lack of integrity.

Are people spending too much time in whinging and forgetting about doing constructive and productive work, like teaching the students the basic literacy and numeracy skills in order to build a good education foundation; keeping an eye on the children so that they become more responsible in what are doing rather than waiting for the police to put them away; looking after their own health so that a narrow mirror will be good enough to reflect their image; communicating with the business people on how to grow their businesses instead of causing more misery to their lives and livelihood?

Should cars been banned from Swanston St?

Posted to Melbourne Weekly (28/4/2011) on 30/4/2011 at 1:03 AM
Commenting on “Should cars been banned from Swanston St?”
http://melbourne-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/outrage-over-swanston-car-ban/

Robert Doyle is full of hot air, promises and a member of NATO - No Action Talk Only.

God only knows why he wants to close off Swanston Street from cars, taxis and delivery vehicles. Swanston Street is NOT an alternate road but the main thoroughfare that joins the two end boundaries of the City. Only very idiotic person can strategise in this most ridiculous way. Congestion, if managed properly, leads to vibrancy of a City. Stopping traffic to move through Swanston Street is no different from doing likewise to Glenferrie Road in Hawthorne, or Lygon Street in Carlton.

The City blackspot is not Swanston Street, but the intersection of Swanston and Flinders Streets. Pedestrianisation of Swanston Street will not make the CBD safer.

That's the price to pay for NOT casting your votes with your eyes open. That's the price to pay for voting someone who can do back-flip better than a Chinese gymnast. What's the price? $25.60 million.

Also
http://sinfongchanleader.blogspot.com/2009/11/swanston-street-shuttle-bus-ban-plan.html
http://sinfongchanleader.blogspot.com/2009/12/melbournes-15-million-party-to-bring-in.html

Push for Dockland school

Posted to Melbourne Leader (28/3/2011) on 31/3/2011 at 3:08 AM

Commenting on “HAVE YOUR SAY: Push for Docklands school”

http://melbourne-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/push-for-docklands-school/

Where were the crystal ball "future" tellers cum town planners when they decided to turn Dockland into high density residential precinct? Were schools drawn on the plan? With so many children around, will there be enough open space, childcare facilities - this can't be as simple as ABC?

Can the roads and other infrastructure cope with 600% increase over the next 3 decades? With population increase, demand of water will be phenomenal, not only for drinking but also for toilet waste. The next complaint will be congestion, air pollution, noise pollution, stress related illnesses - did anyone say hospital?

With more and more high rise buildings, how many fire brigades are on the drawing board, or should there be an Elvis on standby? Dockland, another modern eye-sore!

Yarra traders fume over smoking bans

Posted to Melbourne Leader (21/3/2011) on 25/3/2011 at 12:16 AM

Commenting on “HAVE YOUR SAY: Yarra traders fume over smoking bans”

http://melbourne-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/yarra-traders-fume-over-smoking-bans/

I strong disagree with Peri's view that "If I am not enjoying the atmosphere I simply move seats. It's called tolerance." No, Peri, it is called apathy.

Unfortunately, most people in the society take the attitude that “it’s not my problem”, “has nothing to do with me”, “let someone worry about it” and “who cares?” We read about whingers, and hear their moaning and complaints, and yet they don’t take their grievances to the authority, customer relation departments, consumer affairs, etc. During election time, they close their eyes and their hearts and simply voted some good for nothing representatives in the council, state parliament or federal parliament. If everyone continues to live for his own self-interest, our social fabric will decline to a state of no return! We MUST intervene!

According to Food Standard 3.2.3, Div 2, Para 3(d), "The design and construction of food premises must to the extent that is practicable – exclude dirt, dust, fumes, smoke and other contaminants." That paragraph alone is more than sufficient to support the banning of smoking at outdoor café.

Should Yarra Council ban outdoor smoking?”

Posted to Waverley Leader (16/3/2011) on 19/3/2011 at 1:46 AM

Commenting on “HAVE YOUR SAY: Should Yarra Council ban outdoor smoking?”

http://melbourne-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/melbourne-council-considers-outdoor-smoking-ban/

City of Monash should be praised for banning smoking in many public areas, but unfortunately the Monash Councillors were gutless to ban smoking in outdoor dining cafés / restaurants recently. It was said that "Monash-specific ban would be hard on traders and thinks that the cost is too great to implement it."

There will always be people who enjoy lighting up a cigarette inside or outside eating places, but there are a lot more who don’t. By promoting Yarra as a complete smoke-free zone for café, it can attract non-smokers coming to help improve the food business in the City.

It will be fantastic if Yarra is the first City to implement such policy in banning all outdoor dining.

Outdoor heaters charge mooted for Yarra businesses

Posted to Melbourne Leader (22/11/2010) 22/11/2010 at 10:24pm

Commenting on “Outdoor heaters charge mooted for Yarra businesses”

http://melbourne-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/outdoor-heaters-charge-mooted-for-yarra-businesses/

I have written two News items in the Waverley Leader and Melbourne Leader in regards to outdoor heaters. I’m glad finally someone has woken up to the fact that “external heaters are wasteful of valuable energy” and that “Customers should wear the proper clothing, and don’t be an idiot to eat in the cold”. I did “call upon all authorities to ban the use of external heating devices”.

Ban external heaters outside cafes 25/11/09 @ 02:35am

http://waverley-leader.whereilive.com.au/your-news/story/ban-external-heaters-outside-cafes/

City Alfresco Style Dining 10/5/09 @9:53pm

http://melbourne-leader.whereilive.com.au/your-news/story/city-alfreco-style-dining/

Dragon axed from Moomba

Posted to Melbourne Leader (22/2/2010) on 27/2/2010 at 2:11am

Commenting on “Dragon axed from Moomba”

http://melbourne-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/dragon-axed-from-moomban/

Isn't there a Chinese Councillor in the City of Melbourne? He is amazingly quiet about this matter!

$25m promenade plan for Swanston St

Posted to Melbourne Leader (27/1/2010) on 2/2/2010 at 12:20am
Commenting on "$25m promenade plan for Swanston St"
http://melbourne-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/25m-promenade-plan-for-swanston-st/

I've lost count of the number of times Swanston Street has facelifts and each time new promises to make it a better Swanston Street.

I'm not a fan of John So, but at least he was a de facto publicity machine to sell Melbourne, and probably attracted external injection of money to the City.

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle does not keep his words made during the last election. Can you trust him for all his future promises, and of course include this $25 million project? Can he guarantee that there won't be cost blowout, just like projects executed by other fast-talking, bullshiting politics salesmen?

By the way, the International Education industry will experience a slump as from now on, mainly due to the change in government policies and partly the bad publicity on racism. This has a disastrous impact on the City usage by the international students, upon which the prosperity of the city depends so much on.

Crowd and congestion is a sign of busyness, and should not be viewed as a weakness. Would Robert Doyle, or yourself go to a restaurant with customers, or dead quiet like a graveyard? Unlike Bourke Street, Swanston Street is a major thoroughfare. Hands-off please!

Property flat out

Posted to Melbourne Leader (25/1/2010) on 31/1/2010 at 9:48am

Commenting on “Property flat out”

http://melbourne-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/property-flat-out/

Raw statistics data don't tell lies, but the manipulators of statistics are the culprits. For example, a property situated in MyStreet, MySuburb worth $500,000 was sold, demolished and a new building built on the original site at a construction cost say $500,000, plus other costs of $200,000 (furnishing) would bring total cost of the new property to $1.2 million

If the new property was sold for $1.5 million, the property price database would record the property at MyStreet at MySuburb was sold for $500,000 and now $1.5 million. Without the facts and figures, one will jump to a conclusion that the latest sale price is 3 times the previous, but in fact the seller made only $300,000 out of $1.2 million investment.

What if the sale price was $1.2 million? Not only the seller did not breakeven, but also made a loss on selling commission, and loss opportunity of say putting money on something that gives a better return.

City flash mob worth 25k

Posted to Melbourne Leader (11/1/2010) on 12/1/2010 at 5:20pm

Commenting on “City 'flash mob' worth 25k?”

http://melbourne-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/comments/all-gone-in-a-flash/

Obviously if kravan49's daughter-in-law got paid for the routine, she better loved every minute of it.

The bloody Council keeps wasting public money for idiotic publicity:

1. Logo $240,000 plus probably million to change stationery anderelated expenses

2. New Year celebration $1.5 m

3. Flash mob $25,000 for 4 minutes

Robert Doyle and his team of alike, start doing something to make Melbourne a drunk-free, beggar-free and homeless-free city. You are a selfish and pathetic lot!

Melbourne’s $1.5 million party to bring in New Year

Posted to Melbourne Leader on 17/12/2009 at 12:18 AM

Commenting on “Melbourne’s $1.5 million party to bring in New Year”

http://melbourne-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/melbournes-15m-party-to-bring-in-new-year/

Heartless, inhumane, spendthrift, selfish and stupid are the words I can think of to describe Robert Doyle and his fellow Councillors who will spend $643,000 on the New Year's Eve "street party", out of which $224,000 spent for fireworks alone - more aptly up in smoke!

Only senseless idiots would spend a total of $1.5 million, another $500,000 more than last year’s budget on the New Year’s celebration which probably benefits the fireworks factories in China, imported explosive experts, and underpaid overseas students to clean up the mess. This is no difference from the Rudd’s Government mismanaging the money of the people.

I'm absolutely disgusted that the Councillors do not spare some thought for the homeless and unemployed, who could share the money to buy some decent food or clothing to welcome the New Year.

Robert Doyle and fellow Councillors, do you understand homeless and unemployment rates are not numbers but real human’s suffering? Before you spend that money, check up the words “hunger”, “human dignity”, “self-esteem”, “cardboard boxes” from a dictionary.

(Robert Doyle is the Mayor of City of Melbourne)

Carlton protester dices with death in hunger strike

Posted to Melbourne Leader on 17/12/2009 at 12:49 AM

Commenting on “Carlton protester dices with death in hunger strike”
http://melbourne-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/carlton-protester-dices-with-death-in-hunger-strike/

Paul Connor does not get a sympathy vote from me. His inaction of doing something constructive, sitting for more than a month outside the Parliament House, makes him just as useless as the rest.

If Paul is really passionate about the climate change issues, he should start demonstrating and giving talks to the public especially the younger generation how he can help to bring about a clean and healthy Earth - he will use a bike or walk instead of a car, install renewable energy generator, drink from glass bottle instead of plastic one, (photo of Connor in the paper shows that he was holding a plastic bottle of water) grow his vegetables instead of buying from green grocers, turn off his heaters and wear more clothing, etc.

Words are cheap - are Paul's ideals implementable ideas? Almost all the people in the world fail to realise that the experts and governments concentrating on slowing down climate warming will not avoid any future global destruction. Paul, should the climate change gets worse, are there any escape routes for the victims? Why don't you start "preaching" / campaigning for funding in global cooling research?

Einstein was not accepted by his peers when he talked about the Theory of Relativity. Climate cooling is not that farfetched. Is it?

Swanston Street shuttle bus ban plan

Posted to Melbourne Leader on 22/11/2009 at 4:34 PM

Commenting on “Swanston Street shuttle bus ban plan”

http://melbourne-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/swanston-st-bus-stop/

When those smart people spend a day on a wheel chair or hopped around in crutches, drag a luggage from Swanton Street to a nearby hotel, then they will realise how stupid the proposal is.

Like any business, queues and congestion at event ticket sales windows, and restaurants - queues and congestion are a good sign. They tend to draw in more customers and make the business grow! For goodness sake, don’t muck around with Swanston Street now and in the future plan, unless all non-hospitality businesses and shops are moved away from Swanston Street.

All the money spent on Swanston Street should be channelled to assist the homeless!