Manningham Councillor Jennifer Yang wins preselection for state seat of Mount Waverley

Posted to Waverley Leader (26/5/2014) on 26/5/2014 at 5:13 PM
Commenting on "Manningham Councillor Jennifer Yang wins preselection for state seat of Mount Waverley"
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/east/manningham-councillor-jennifer-yang-wins-preselection-for-state-seat-of-mount-waverley/story-fngnvlxu-1226931658685

Am I cynical or just being naïve? During election time, ordinary candidates can turn into super heroes, looking after the interest of people in more than one city. Those MP's who stand for re-election can suddenly promise things that could not be done during their time in office be accomplished the next time round. Out of the blue, party leaders are able to find millions or billions of dollars to lure voters to put them in government. Come to think of it, is this a form of bribery that ICAC may be called upon to investigate?

Unfortunately, I have not come across a candidate that either has vision or specific enough to tell the voters what his / her real skill sets are and how these can be utilised and benefit the people in the council, state or Australia.

Once elected, many are promoted to their incompetence. They are just apprentices or rookies, learning on the job. Owing to such, many make mistakes and incorrect decisions that affect the lives and livelihood of ordinary people like me and millions of Australians. Many also lack people skill, which is in fact more than just hugging and kissing babies.

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.

Monash drops bid for smoke ban

Posted to Waverley Leader (1/3/11) on 3/3/2011 at 11:48 AM
Commenting on "Monash drops bid for smoke ban"
http://waverley-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/monash-drops-bid-for-smoke-ban/

It is load of nonsense for Cr Stephen Dimopoulos to say a 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 City of Monash as a complete smoke-free zone for café, we can attract non-smokers coming to help improve the food business in the City.

Unfortunately I disagree with Cr Geoff Lake trying to wash his hands clean by saying that "al fresco dining was something for the state government to tackle." City of Monash can introduce by-laws to overcome this problem. What’s wrong being the first City to implement such policy?

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/

Treading warily on path plan

Posted to Waverley Leader (5/7/2010) on 19/8/2010 at 2:08am
Comment on "Treading warily on path plan"
http://waverley-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/treading-warily-on-path-plan/

The Workplace Safety Act 2004 stipulates that all stakeholders - shopkeepers, employees, Council, diners have a duty of care to the safety of the public. To avoid potential accidents, it is only wise to keep footpath to be used as it has been designed for. It only takes one casualty, for example, a pedestrian walking out of the footpath being knocked down by a car in the process of parking at the marked bay, to cost the shopkeepers / ratepayers heaps for insurance compensation.

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." All cafes and restaurants that offer Alfresco dining experience essentially fail the test of the Food Standards Code. Diners breathe in exhaust fumes from motor vehicles, dirt and dust blown in from the street.

Ban the external heaters outside the cafes

Posted to Your News, Waverley Leader on 25/11/2009 at 2:35 AM

Ban the external heaters outside the cafes

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

The outdoor heaters mounted on the "ceiling" or on a stand are wasteful of valuable energy. A lot of the heat is loss to heating up space not to the benefit of the customers and the pockets of the business owners. At times, heaters are not turned off even when there were no customers. Let's be serious about protecting our environment and slowly down climate change, ban the use of outdoor heaters. Customers should wear the proper clothing, and don't be an idiot to eat in the cold!

Ban external heaters outside cafes

Posted to Your News, Waverley Leader on 25/11/2009 at 2:35 AM
Ban external heaters outside cafes
http://waverley-leader.whereilive.com.au/your-news/story/ban-external-heaters-outside-cafes/

The outdoor heaters mounted on the “ceiling” or on a stand are wasteful of valuable energy. A lot of the heat is loss to heating up space not to the benefit of the customers and the pockets of the busines owners. At times, heaters are not turned off even when there were no customers. Let’s be serious about protecting our environment and slowly down climate change, ban the use of outdoor heaters. Customers should wear the proper clothing, and don’t be an idiot to eat in the cold!

City Alfresco Style Dining

Posted to Your News, Waverley Leader on 10/5/2009
City Alfresco Style Dining
http://waverley-leader.whereilive.com.au/your-news/story/city-alfreco-style-dining/

Many cafes extend their trading floor space to the side walk. The furniture occupies area, thus narrowing the walk way. On very busy sunny days, this hinders free flow of pedestrian traffic, and may post a safety problem.

While the side-walk Alfresco-style dining may give the city a touch of European atmosphere, the negatives may outweigh the positive. Most diners are considerate, but some leave unsightly mess of used bags, bottles, containers and cigarette butts.

Side-walk diners, like many people, are concerned about the air quality they breathe, and yet they are quite contented to sit next to busy roads where unhealthy exhaust fumes are continuously emitting from motor vehicles. If the diners are smokers, they will suck in double dose of carcinogens – the tar and the exhaust particles.

Diners who choose to dine outside on very cold days should wear appropriate attire instead of using external gas heaters installed by the business owners. Most of the heat is wasted in warming up the open air, and only small proportion benefits the diners. Such inconsideration reflects on the naivety and hypocrisy of the diners on climate change and global warming argument.

I would like to call upon all authorities to ban the use of external heating devices, unless for emergency purposes, in the name of energy conservation, climate change minimisation and being a good global citizen.