Downsides of Down under
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tsk tsk tsk... now mr. noisy is trying to reverse some of his positions while still trying to appear "factual".
His latest postings are ambigious, you can't really tell if he's really trying to post a downside of down under or trying to retcon his previous posts. Is this an attempt to save his face by showing that he still intends to keep up a presence in here while trying to extract himself from the trouble he is getting himself into? Only time will tell.
In any case, it's not as if we really bother with him. And it will remain as it is that sensible people will know to disregard him entirely when it comes to regarding Australia.
So in the light of this, there's really only one thing to do with his threads:
+1 -
+1
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Tuesday April 10, 2007,Freycinet Peninsula runs out of water--http://au.news.yahoo.com/070410/21/131v9.html
2.
Brisbane become the first state captial in Aussie to impost Level 5 water restrictions
precious commodity ---12 m3 water.
Thirsty thieves empty football club's water tank,By Chris Griffith,April 11, 2007
Rain fall reduce in major cities in past few decades
locations of major coites -
Wah.... you're still at it, huh?
Tambah satu sebelum benang ini ditutup dan kamu dihalau keluar.
-
Looks like old habits die hard, apparently he found his nerve again after running away to hide in some hole.
But I wonder, does he seriously think that he's out of the woods just because he didn't touch this thread for so long? All the evidence required to convict him is still contained in this thread.
I'll see if this joker keeps it up, if he does I think it's time to notify the relevant authorities that a certain person needs a little interview about his actions in here. -
recently every eye has been covered by $$,pay increase.
Why not we do a Primary 5 math to relax.
City B experience drought for decade.
The drop in water storge in past 3 years are as follows:
2004--25 % points(note ,not 25 %,eg drop from 65% to 40 %.It is 25% point)
2005--10% point.drop from 40 % to 30 %
2006--10% point.drop from 30 % to 20 %
Current storage is 20%.What is the most probable storage level
one year later?
Answer:
1.10%
2.5%.(average of reduction in past 3 years is 15%.)
3.0%
4.None of the above.
wait.dunt click the ancwer.Think for 120 seconds.
answer
Do u feel a chilling spine now?? -
Brrr... I'm freezing.Originally posted by lionnoisy:Do u feel a chilling spine now??
Must be the really cold entertainment you've been providing. -
Yawn, I'm waiting for the ST article about lionnoisy's court case when he finally gets into trouble with the law, should be as interesting as the racist bloggers case.
I can picture lionnoisy (that time we will know his true name and face) saying he's remorseful for his actions and actually loves Australia and thinks it's a great country and stuff like that in his mitigation plea.
That'll be funny. -
it's the limp and damp "jokes"Originally posted by fudgester:Brrr... I'm freezing.
Must be the really cold entertainment you've been providing. -
2.If i am brought to court,Mods here are also responsible.Originally posted by SingaporeTyrannosaur:Yawn, I'm waiting for the ST article about lionnoisy's court case when he finally gets into trouble with the law, should be as interesting as the racist bloggers case.
I can picture lionnoisy (that time we will know his true name and face) saying he's remorseful for his actions and actually loves Australia and thinks it's a great country and stuff like that in his mitigation plea.
That'll be funny.
They fail to stop me nor warn me.
3.I am just a red dot potato and cant spoil the precious and hard
relationship of Aussie and sg people.
Dunt put the big hat on my small head.
4.e mail ur fren in Aussie now.Water shortage is a real problem.
But,i am speechless if u huys tell me that the second or highest water
restrictions level are not serious.
5.What is wrong by repeating Aussie news here?
Any problems of your heads?
6.Some claimed they know Aussie better than me
Many here said no water problem .But how come Melburnians can watering their plants only two days in a week?
Melbourne gets great water escapeMELBURNIANS may have evaded the city's harshest level of water bans after the State Government yesterday delayed the onset of stage 4 restrictions.
Do we have to wait Aussie get four hours water supply in
In a move that saved suburban football leagues from a disastrous 2007 season without any watering of ovals, Premier Steve Bracks announced a new intermediate level in the tiered water restriction system...
every four days then we can say Aussie have a serious prblems?
It happened in HK few decades ago.
7.Dunt watering Brisbane ,Canberra,Melbourne and Perth
water problems
I am not saying Aussie definitely will run out of water within 2 years .
But Brisbane ,Canberra,Melbourne and Perth will run out of water
if the drop in water storage follow the period from Dec 2005 to Dec 2006.
Study Water storage levels with a cool headDo more home works folks.
8.More problems caome with lower water storage level--Water woes worsen, but La Nina's tears may save dams in distress,Lorna Edwards,April 16, 2007
--http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/water-woes-worsen-but-la-ninas-tears-may-save-dams-in-distress/2007/04/15/1176575681283.htmlMELBOURNE'S water storages are plunging towards a historic low, dropping to 31.1 per cent of capacity yesterday after another dry week.
in mid Feb2007,Yan Yean reservoir was 5,331 m3 storage out 30,000m3 full capacity, and 17.8% level.
......
However, in the long term water quality could be affected by an increase of sediments if dam levels continued to drop.
South Australian water expert Dennis Steffensen said reduced water levels led to stratification, which affected water quality.
When stratification occurs, the warmer surface layer does not mix with cooler levels, resulting in the release of the trace elements iron and manganese.
"The nutrients will fuel more algal growth while iron and manganese can cause problems. particularly in washing machines, causing marks on washing and that sort of thing," said Mr Steffensen, the chief executive of the Co-operative Research Centre for Water Quality and Treatment.
The city's Yan Yean reservoir had to be bypassed in February after a blue-green algal bloom.(read my note below)
Low water levels also reduce the pressure in dams, resulting in the intrusion of groundwater.
"The impact depends entirely on the quality of the groundwater but in some cases the groundwater may be more saline, for example, so you get an increase in salinity," he said.
If reservoir levels continue to decline, our water may become cloudier.
But water authorities are hoping the state's dire water shortages will be relieved through the coming winter months.
The Bureau of Meteorology has cautiously predicted the drought-inducing El Nino effect might be replaced by the wetter La Nina. "There's a 50-50 chance of exceeding average rainfall," said senior forecaster Terry Ryan.
Will blue-green algal bloom or other problems
occur to other reservoirs if water level drop lower
to around 20% of full capacity??
9.Planning for the year from hell,by Michael Vincent,Friday, 16 March 2007
''the toughest reduction in more than a century.''may not be enough to some
Yesterday the Murray Darling Basin Commission cut South Australia's water allocation down to 1,480 gigalitres, the toughest reduction in more than a century.....
forums here.200 years then it is serious?
10Brisbane goes to level 5,by Louise Willis,Friday, 9 March 2007
It is sad to see all your oudoor plants dying from no watering...The state's south-east will move to level five water restrictions next month, making Brisbane the first capital city in Australia to be placed under the strict water saving regime, which includes a ban on all outdoor water use....
Is it a serious problem when a state capital adopting toughest water restriction??
Toowoomba in south-east Queensland, and Goulburn in southern New South Wales are already there.( level five water restrictions)
"We would have been totally out of water if we hadn't have been on Level 5," says Goulburn Mayor Paul Stephenson.
"There's no water outside the house at all, so you can't do anything outside the house."...
banned--watering cans will be restricted by level 5 water restrictions due to come into effect in south east Queensland on April 10 -
Well, how often do you used water outside your house if you are staying in HDB.
Other then watering of potted plants...
Are you allowed to hosed yr car ?? drive way if you have one ??
Then am i correct to say that sg are already in level 5 restriction all along ?? -
I am wrong in Aussie water shortage by under estimated the problems.
I have read one town need water to be transported daily
!!If you cant take care a small town of 20,000,how can you
provide enough water to 2 million in a city?
Drought problems has existed for
a decade.
This is not a good sign at all.
1.Australian PM John Howard has warned that irrigation of much of the nation's farmland will be banned unless there is heavy rainfall in the next month...
--http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6570589.stm
The basin, which covers an area the size of France and Spain combined, accounts for 41% of Australian agriculture and usually provides about 85% of the nation's irrigation supply.
2.How important of Murray-Darling Basin?- It is Australia's most important agricultural region, accounting for about 34 per cent of the nation's gross value in agricultural production, worth up to $7 billion.
---http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21583507-601,00.html
- It contains 75 per cent of Australia's irrigated crops and pastures.
- Value of irrigated production from basin estimated at $3-$4 billion at the farm gate, and four times that after processing.
- Key industries are dairy, cotton, rice and horticulture, in particular viticulture.
- Provides 96 per cent of Australia's cotton.
- In the 1996 census, basin had a population of 1.9 million.
Source: Murray Darling Basin Commission - estimates only; AAP
3.South Australian Murray Irrigators chairman Ian Zadow today said many farmers, especially citrus and avocado growers, could defy the action and draw water from the river to finish crops..
Mr Zadow said the ripple effect would cause problems for feeder industries such as distributors, suppliers and the public with fruit and vegetable prices certain to rise..
Many more will suffer for reductions in export--logistics,shipping,insurances..
4.THOUSANDS of livestock are being killed every day across Victoria as farmers struggle to feed them in the crippling drought.--http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21515623-2862,00.html?from=public_rss
5.I haven't washed my car in over 2 years - it's not suffering.
6.Look at how the life in small town near running out of water...A contingency plan is already in place to transport water into the town by the truckload - a task that would require 40 trucks a day, at a cost of A$1m a week.
The worrying question for Goulburn - and indeed, communities all over the world: Is this the new normal? The farm's income stream has dropped by 50%, and the family has had to sell-off a third of its land to make ends meet.
Last year, sheep commanded a price of A$40-50 a head. Now it has plummeted to A$10-15 a head. ..
''Obviously with the showering, we have to time the shower.''
Joanne Godbar stands with a stopwatch
7.Rent instead of buy.Or Sell and lease back
My sincere and serious advice to Sporean settled in Aussie:
Dunt buy house until the water crisis is really over.
If the water storage level can maintain 70 % for
5 years,i think it is ok.
Earn interest from your captial and pay rent.
Aussie intetet rate is high.
Sell your house now and rent it back from buyer
for few years if u dunt want to move.
Make sure the lease back clause in the sale and purchase contract.
Make sure you incorporate the break clause to terminate
the tenancy agreement in case the drought is so bad...
and u want move to other city or back to SG
8.Dunt listen to me or others
Do more home works now with your family with cold head.
U are making a damn serious decision--to be or not
to be. -
Originally posted by lionnoisy:
1. I sure as heck ain't gonna listen to you. Thanks for the tip.
8.[b]Dunt listen to me or others
Do more home works now with your family with cold head.
U are making a damn serious decision--to be or not
to be.[/b]
2. Yup, my head is a little cold at the moment- the cold entertainment you've been providing is freezing me to death.
3. I got plenty of homework to do, all right - exams on Saturday.
4. Quoting Shakespeare doesn't do anything to improve your wrecked credibility.
-
LOL, it is apparent you do not even know the local law.Originally posted by lionnoisy:2.If i am brought to court,Mods here are also responsible.
They fail to stop me nor warn me.
The Mods responsible for not stopping you or failing to warn you? That's a good one.
Please, they have no legal liability to your personal actions in here, they are only under responsibility if they took steps to aid you in your quest, or denied information that the authorities are seeking.
At the end of the day, the fallout will all be on your head, the mods as usual, will get on with their lives.
And who says you are not warned in here? I think you have plenty of warnings by now.
I'm afraid you will be very surprised then to know that in the eyes of the law you are no "red dot potato".Originally posted by lionnoisy:3.I am just a red dot potato and cant spoil the precious and hard
relationship of Aussie and sg people.
Dunt put the big hat on my small head.
All the two racist bloggers made were a few simple comments, and that was enough to get them nailed.
As I said, you are walking on a very thin line here, and if you haven't noticed, you are probably already been investigated. -
Yawn... lionnoisy's thread is getting boring
Let's talk about something more worthwhile before this little thread is locked... like
LIONNOISY'S POSSIBLE FATE IN THE NEAR FUTURE!
Two bloggers charged under Sedition Act over racist remarks
SINGAPORE : Two bloggers have been charged with sedition for posting racist comments online.
This is the first time bloggers are being charged in Singapore and it is sending shockwaves through the local blogging community.
Lawyers say the last time the sedition act was invoked in Singapore was at least 10 years ago.
Twenty-five-year-old Nicholas Lim Yew and 27-year-old Benjamin Koh Song Huat are being accused of posting racist comments on an online forum and on their blog site.
They are both being charged with committing a seditious act, by promoting feelings of ill-will and hostility between races in Singapore.
They were not represented by defence lawyers and were granted bail of S$10,000 each.
This charge came as a shock to many in the blogging community.
Said Singaporean blogger Benjamin Lee (Mr Miyagi):" A lot of them will be looking at their blogs and wondering if they made any legally seditious remarks. I think because of the way this will be played up, it's negative publicity for the Singapore blogging community."
"Currently if you surf the net you will come across a lot of bloggers making such comments. You will probably see a drop in such cases henceforth. At the moment I am not aware of any cases except of a case in Iran where bloggers are charged. But Iran has a different legal system from Singapore," said Leonard Loo, managing partner of Leonard Loo & Co Advocates & Solicitors.
Channel NewsAsia understands that the Media Development Authority had asked host servers to remove a racist blog from the web.
Police are now investigating this matter.
While many racist blogs by Singaporeans can be found online, the blogging community is also quick to criticize any racist comments.
Channel NewsAsia has received many emails from viewers informing us about a few racist sites.
Viewers said they were "appalled as well as disappointed that a Singaporean could condemn" other fellow Singaporeans of a different race.
Lawyers warn that anybody who forwards seditious remarks to others via email can also be charged with abetment.
The case is expected to be heard in court again on September 21.
A person is deemed to have committed an offence under the Sedition Act if he performs any act which has a seditious tendency, or conspires with any person to do so.
It is also an offence to utter any seditious words or to print, publish, sell, distribute, reproduce or import any seditious publication.
First time offenders can be fined up to S$5,000, or jailed up to three years, or both.
For subsequent offences, they can be jailed up to five years and have their seditious publications forfeited and destroyed. - CNA /ct/ls -
oh no! will lionnoisy be convicted?
SINGAPORE: Blogger who posted cartoons of Christ online being investigated
The 21-year-old published controversial depictions of Jesus Christ on his blog, admitted this to be an 'unwise' move
Straits Times
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
By Zakir Hussain
A 21-year-old accounts assistant is being investigated for allegedly flouting the Sedition Act by publishing pictures on his blog that were thought to depict Jesus Christ in an offensive manner.
The blogger, who used the online moniker Char, had found the cartoons on the Internet and began posting them in January.
He told The Straits Times last week that he was called in by the police for questioning in March, after they received a complaint.
Yesterday, the police confirmed they are investigating the matter but declined to give details as "investigations are still ongoing."
News of the investigation was announced online by Char himself last week when he sent an e-mail to a mailing list of more than 300 young Singaporeans. He told them of his experience and how it came about. He removed the cartoons from his blog after he was questioned.
When contacted by The Straits Times, Char asked that he not be identified for he fears he may lose his job, which he wants to keep before entering a local university in August.
Describing himself as a free thinker, he said he had posted a cartoon that depicted Jesus as a zombie biting a boy's head in January.
The following month, he received an online message asking him to remove the image. It came amid the global furore over the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad by several newspapers.
Char did not reply to the message but chose to irk the person instead. He searched the Internet for more pictures depicting Jesus and published three of them on his blog.
Looking back, he felt he made an "unwise" move. "I never thought anyone would complain to the police because the pictures were not insidious," he said.
In its statement yesterday, the police also advised the public "that it is a serious offence for any person to distribute or reproduce any seditious publication which may cause feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore." Offenders can be jailed up to three years or fined a maximum of $5,000 or both.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has also said that the Government will act against anyone who makes remarks that threaten Singapore's racial and religious harmony, whether done online or offline. Race, language and religion remain sensitive issues here, and a younger generation must grow up learning the "eternal truths" about Singapore, he had said last year when three young Singaporeans were charged under the Sedition Act.
The three youths were subsequently convicted for making inflammatory racist remarks about Muslims and Malays online.
The first offender was jailed a month while the second was jailed a day and fined $5,000. The third, a 17-year-old, was put on probation for two years and ordered to do 180 hours of community work for Malay welfare organisations.
Char said he was aware of these earlier cases, 'but they were more for racism than for something like what I did'.
He got one of the three later cartoons from a website with images of vehicle licence plates while the other two were from a site with spoofed images of movie posters and TV screenshots, he said.
Char said his desktop computer and laptop were taken as evidence after he was questioned. Three days later, he was asked to report to the Police Cantonment Complex where he was arrested and released on police bail, which was extended to four weeks to let him travel to the US.
When he reported to the police on his return in April, he was told his bail had lapsed and that he might be called for further investigation.
He subsequently contacted the police in May and last week, and was told that his case was still under investigation. "I just wonder how long it's going to take," he said. -
lionnoisy trying to undermine international relations?
Joint Media Release
Monday, 28 July 2003 – Singapore
Joint Announcement by the Australian Minister for Trade, Mark Vaile, and the Singapore Minister for Trade and Industry, George Yeo
Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement In Operation
The entry into force of the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) today will further strengthen trade and investment links between both countries, Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile and Singapore Minister for Trade and Industry, George Yeo said.
The agreement became operational following an exchange of third person notes in Singapore today, 28 July. The exchange was witnessed by Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Singapore Foreign Minister Professor Jayakumar, who were attending the Singapore-Australia Joint Ministerial Committee meeting.
“SAFTA marks a new and important chapter in our economic relationship and provides a solid legal framework for the further strengthening of our trade and investment links. It will promote greater integration of our economies and create opportunities for cooperation between our business sectors” Mr Vaile and Mr Yeo said.
“Australia and Singapore are both strong supporters of global trade liberalization and both are pursuing closer economic links with countries within and outside the Asia-Pacific region. We are also strong and active supporters of the multilateral trading system. The ambitious outcomes from SAFTA will complement our efforts in the World Trade Organization, especially the success of the Doha Development Agenda” the Ministers said.
“SAFTA is Australia’s first FTA since the conclusion of the Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Agreement 20 years ago,” Mr Vaile said.
“In addition to tariff elimination, SAFTA guarantees increased market access for many Australian exporters of services, particularly education, environmental, telecommunications, and professional services. It also provides a more open and predictable business environment across a range of areas, including competition policy, government procurement, intellectual property, e-commerce, customs procedures and business travel,” he said.
“SAFTA is an affirmation of the strategic relationship between Singapore and Australia which is based on mutual trust and a commitment to work more closely together in the future. It is a forward-looking agreement that will enhance business opportunities in both countries, stimulate greater two-way investment and create jobs. Beyond tariff savings, SAFTA will strengthen the roles that Australia and Singapore can play in the region,” Mr Yeo said. -
A single person reporting lionnoisy is enough liao... if he hasn't already been reported!
On person was investigated for making insensitive remarks afer one person made a report on it:orginally posted by Anne-naa's Style:
My cousin made a report about it and the police tracked him down and all and they are doing investigations now. The commander actually sent her a report about the things that they are investigating....
This hat can easily fit on lionnoisy's head! he's not considered a small red dot!
will this be him?!!! -
does lionnoisy think he can escape just becos he post online? he's wrong!
There is a need for Singapore bloggers to be aware of legal issues arising from their online diaries, particularly in the light of the[b] recent cases involving seditious remarks made online by bloggers that resulted in [color=red]jail terms and fines;[/b][/color] and earlier in the year, a dispute arose over allegedly defamatory speeches made by a blogger about A*STARÂ’s Chairman, Philip Yeo, which was resolved amicably, but not without an apology. The threats of legal repercussions in the form of civil lawsuits and criminal charges serve as reminders of the potential legal problems that can arise from blogging, and indeed from any [color=red]online activity[/color], such as chat rooms, that involves the expression of opinions and views. Most bloggers treat their blogs as merely an online version of their personal diaries or journals. However, they often forget that the private-public distinction between keeping a written diary and one that is open to public viewing, can give rise to civil and criminal liability. This paper will consider some of the potential legal issues that may arise. Its aim is to create awareness and care, as well as to highlight sensitivities, but not to the extent that it may impact, to any significant extent, the greater freedom of expression that so many of us take for granted when navigating cyberspace.
even A*STAR must be careful! does lionnoisy know what he's doing? -
1.It is sure bad news for eco frens(SORRY.SOME HAVE BEEN DISCONNECTED.
Pl read para 5 below)
EIGHT wetlands face being drained to free up water along the Murray-Darling as John Howard warns that Australia may have to import more food to cope with the historic drying of the basin.--http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/drain-wetlands-to-save-towns/2007/04/20/1176697093015.htmlA report released yesterday by the Prime Minister warns the drastic action on wetlands could be needed, while it says the river system faces further environmental problems such as rising salinity, the death of native fish species and the return of algal blooms as a result of the drought...
Threatened:
Eight wetland sites in NSW and South Australia have been identified for a reduction in the water quarantined for them, but the Government would not name them yesterday. ....
Aussie seems pump out the last drop of water from bottom
of well!!
which wet land going to be drained?
2.It is not just the farmers in aussie wil suffer.The mining industries too.
[quote]Activists in northern NSW called for the closure of the Lake Cowal goldmine near West Wyalong. It is licensed by the NSW Government to draw 17 million litres of water a day from the Lachlan River, part of the basin....
3.For millions the water will stop midyear.Phillip Coorey, Chief Political orrespondent
April 20, 2007JOHN HOWARD has urged everyone to pray for rain after warning that the millions of people along the Murray-Darling Basin will have only enough water for basic domestic use from the middle of the year.
towns and cites around MDB
The Murray-Darling Basin is the country's food bowl, and irrigators and winemakers warn that food and wine prices will soar, while economists fear heavy local job losses.....
4.Once gone they will not quickly return....Inevitably, the big dry will touch all Australians as the slowdown reverberates across the continent and into all those corners of the economy directly and indirectly reliant on Australia's most important agricultural region.
In rewriting the economic map of the Murray-Darling Basin, the drought may irrevocably change the social map as well. After years of drought, turning off the tap could result in large numbers of farmers selling up or simply walking off the land. Indeed, the exodus has already begun.
The Herald has reported how a dairy farmer, Phil O'Neill, from the Barham district north of Echuca, has watched the area lose half its dairy farmers in just 12 months, with more to follow. Those who stay may need many years to re-establish herds or regrow fruit trees or replant vines. The effect on towns and rural communities may be irreparable, as stores die and services disappear without the population to support them.
Once gone they will not quickly return. The apocalyptic threat to communities from Queensland through NSW and Victoria to South Australia makes the prospect of higher prices for imported produce in city supermarkets seem perhaps the least of our concerns.....
5.Murray-Darling Basin
Dry Inflow Contingency Planning,Overview Report to First Ministers
April 2007pdf file
Oh some wet lands HAVE BEEN DISCONNECTED!!:page 4As agreed by First Ministers,
6.supply of water to small towns
a number of measures have been progressively implemented over recent months.
This includes the commencement of additional pumping into Mount Lofty storages from the River Murray to ensure water supply for Adelaide,
the disconnection of certain wetlands, lowering the target end of season reserve in Lake Victoria and implementing reduced minimum flow targets.
Further wetlands will be disconnected in 2007-08. A group of wetlands in South Australia and NSW has been identified as offering relatively high yields in evaporative savings, with manageable costs and impacts...
9. Further measures to be progressively implemented in coming months include:
• further wetlands will be disconnected;
Town-by-town contingency planning is now largely complete. State resources will be available to put these plans into place should the need arise. Indeed, many towns have put in place water restrictions, sought alternative water sources (e.g. bores) or are carting water for domestic use.(page 3)
Q and A
12. Which towns are in trouble and why?
The towns that are most drought affected and which are experiencing severe water restrictions are those that have relatively small catchments in lower rainfall areas, such as Goulburn in NSW and Bendigo in Victoria. Some country towns and communities in South Australia downstream of Lock 1 and around the Lower Lakes are also experiencing water supply difficulties.
Other towns depending on the River Murray for water supplies are not currently experiencing these difficulties. However, if there were a repeat of the conditions in 2006 during 2007, towns relying on the River Murray would experience similar restrictions to Bendigo and Goulburn.
13. How will they get water?
Contingency measures to source alternative supplies are generally available for towns supplied from channels. Mostly, this would involve drilling bores to access suitable groundwater reserves.
For Adelaide, several contingency measures are being progressively implemented, including pumping extra water to the Adelaide Hills reservoirs, disconnecting suitable wetlands along the length of the Murray to save water for later, lowering Adelaide pump station offtakes and fast-tracking the completion of new water filtration plants.
The South Australian Government has also announced that if necessary, it will construct a temporary weir near Wellington to establish a pool level in the lower reach of the river to enable water to be pumped for urban supplies.
Water to be carted to drought-hit towns,March 10, 2007A Victorian water authority will begin carting water to two towns north-east of Melbourne this weekend as the effects of the drought begin to hit hard.
Sure ,this is not a good sign.
Goulburn Valley Water (GVW) said it would start carting water to Euroa and Violet Town.
GVW chief executive officer Laurie Gleeson said that the carting of water to those communities was necessary because of the ongoing severe drought conditions and declining storage levels... -
Will Lionnoisy be in trouble?
History
Sedition in its modern meaning first appeared in the Elizabethan Era (c. 1590) as the "notion of inciting by words or writings disaffection towards the state or constituted authority" [1,89]. Ibid, p90: "Sedition complements treason and martial law: while treason controls primarily the privileged, ecclesiastical opponents, priests, and Jesuits, as well as certain commoners; and martial law frightens commoners, sedition frightens intellectuals."
Australia
Australia's sedition laws were amended in anti-terrorism legislation passed on 06 December 2005, updating definitions and increasing penalties.
In late 2006, the Howard Government proposed plans to amend Australia's Crimes Act 1914, introducing laws that mean artists and writers may be jailed for up to seven years if their work was considered "seditious" or inspired sedition either deliberately or accidentally.[1]
Opponents of these laws have suggested that they could be used against legitimate dissent.
Over the past year, Australian attorney-general Philip Ruddock has rejected calls by two reports—from a Senate committee and the Australian Law Reform Commission—to limit the sedition provisions in the Anti-Terrorism Act 2005 by requiring proof of intention to cause disaffection or violence. He has also brushed aside recommendations to curtail new clauses outlawing “urging conduct” that “assists” an “organisation or country engaged in armed hostilities” against the Australian military. The new laws, inserted into the legislation last December, allow for the criminalization of basic expressions of political opposition, including supporting resistance to Australian military interventions, such as those in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Asia-Pacific region. [2]
Canada
During World War II former Mayor of Montréal Camillien Houde campaigned against conscription. On August 2, 1940, Houde publicly urged the men of Quebec to ignore the National Registration Act. Three days later, he was placed under arrest by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on charges of sedition. After being found guilty, he was confined in internment camps in Petawawa, Ontario and Gagetown, New Brunswick until 1944. Upon his release on August 18, 1944, he was greeted by a cheering crowd of 50,000 Montrealers and won back his job as Montreal mayor in 1944's civic election.
New Zealand
In New Zealand's first sedition trial in decades, Tim Selwyn was convicted of sedition (section 83 of the Crimes Act 1961) on 8 June 2006. He is planning to appeal. The Law Commission is calling for a repeal of the sedition laws.[1]
In September 2006, the New Zealand Police laid a sedition charge against a Rotorua youth, Christopher Russell, 17, who was also charged with threatening to kill.[2] The Police withdrew the sedition charge when Russell agreed to plead guilty on the other charge.[3]
In March 2007, Mark Paul Deason, 32, manager of a tavern near Otago University, was charged with seditious intent,[4] although he was later granted police diversion when he pleaded guilty to publishing a document which encourages public disorder.[5] Deason ran a promotion for his Tavern that offered 1 litre of beer for 1 litre petrol. At the end of the promotion, the prize would have been a couch soaked in the petrol. It is presumed the intent was for the couch to be burned - a popular university student prank. Police have also applied for Deason's liquor license to be revoked.
United States
Although potentially unconstitutional under the first amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech, there have been a number of attempts in the United States to regulate speech that has been deemed seditious. in 1798, President John Adams signed into law the Alien and Sedition Acts, the fourth of which, the Sedition Act or "An Act for the Punishment of Certain Crimes against the United States" set out punishments for publishing of up to two years' imprisonment for "opposing or resisting any law of the United States" or writing or publishing "false, scandalous, and malicious writing" about the President or Congress (but specifically not the Vice-President). The act was allowed to expire in 1801 after the election of Thomas Jefferson. Its constitutionality was never judged in court, though cites in later case law (including New York Times v. Sullivan) strongly suggest it would have been deemed unconstitutional.
The 1917 Espionage Act may also be considered a sedition law of sorts, as section 3 made it a crime, punishable by 20 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to $10,000, to wilfully spread false news of the US military with an intent to disrupt their operations, to foment mutiny in the ranks, or obstruct recruiting. The act was amended in 1918 with the Sedition Act, which expanded the purview of the Espionage Act to any statements made criticizing the government. The act was upheld in 1919 in Schenk v. United States, but was repealed largely in 1921, leaving mostly laws forbidding espionage and allowing military censorship of sensitive material.
In 1940, the Alien Registration Act or Smith Act was passed, which made it a crime to advocate or teach the desirability of overthrowing the United States Government, or to be a member of any organization which does the same. It was often used against Communist organizations. The act was invoked in three major trials, one of the Socialist Worker's Party in Minneapolis in 1941, resulting in 23 convictions, and again in 1944 in what became known as "The Great Sedition Trial", of pro-Nazi figures which ended in a mistrial. A series of trials of 140 leaders of the Communist Party USA was also predicated upon the Smith Act beginning in 1949, and lasting until 1957. Although the Supreme Court upheld the convictions of 11 CPUSA leaders in 1951, the court reversed itself in 1957 in Yates v. New York by ruling that teaching an ideal, no matter how inimical that onlookers may view it to the United States, does not equal advocating or planning its implementation.
Although unused since at least 1961, the Smith Act remains US law.
Laura Berg, a nurse at a U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs hospital in New Mexico was investigated in September 2005 for sedition after writing a letter [6][7]to the editor of a local newspaper, criticizing the government. Ms. Berg is now being represented by the ACLU. -
Even Estonia deals with people like lionnoisy... what about Singapore?
2.14.2. Estonian court convicted an Internet criminal for the first time
In August the City Court of Tallinn convicted for the first time in Estonia a person who had instigated people against the Republic of Estonia via Internet. In October 1999 the convict composed a WWW page on which he instigated people to fight against the state constitution under the name 'Estonian anarchist - communist movement'.
He was charged for political hate, national feud and violence sedition and convicted in a criminal offence.
2.15. Privacy, consumer and data protection, security
2.15.1. Alterations of the Surveillance Act in the proceedings of the Parliament
In the beginning of September the Government introduced the draft for altering the Surveillance Act to the Parliament (Jälitustegevuse seaduse muutmise eelnõu), it would permit the surveillance agencies to collect information about phone calls. The area is more precisely regulated with the Telecommunications Act stipulating obligation to provide surveillance agencies with information. In case of the enforcement of the draft one has to provide surveillance agencies with information concerning personal data of sender and receiver of the message and their locations.
2.15.2. Tender for ID cards
At the end of May the Government of the Republic sanctioned the plan for the introduction of the ID cards and proclaimed on June 15 the tender for purchasing cards.
In the beginning of September companies interested in participating in the public tender for manufacturing the ID cards were announced. These were Bundesdruckerei GmbH (Germany), ID Süsteemide AS (Estonia), Setec OY (Finland), Maurer Electronics GmbH (Germany), TRÜB AG (Switzerland) and Gemplus (France).
The Ministry of Internal Affairs chose the offers made by Bundesdruckerei GmbH, TRÃœB AG and Setec for further negotiations and started negotiating at the end of September.
2.15.3. Alteration of the Identity Documents Act
The alteration draft of the Identity Documents Act (isikut tõendavate dokumentide seaduse muutmise eelnõu) postponing the identity document requirement (was supposed to be effective starting 2002) by more than 4 years, is in proceedings in the Parliament.
The draft for alteration of the Identity Documents Act initiated by the Government replaces the date of entry into force of the valid Act (January 1, 2002) with a new one, July 1, 2006.
According to the Government issuing of ID card to every person by January 1, 2002 is technically impossible and therefore postponing of the enforcement of the Act is strictly necess
Is lionnoisy getting deeper and deeper into trouble like this tank near Estonia stuck in mud? -
Provision against racist comments
Subsection 3 of the Act describes the types of publication that have seditious tendency and these includes publication that "promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes". Singapore takes social cohesion and racial harmony in the country seriously because of its history of racial riots in the 1960s. More recent events of racial violence in neighbouring Indonesia in the late 1990s and early 2000s also serve as reminders of potential inter-racial conflicts in the region.
Cases in 2005
In September 2005, the Sedition Act was first used on individuals when two men were charged for making seditious and inflammatory racist comments on the Internet. The two men are Nicholas Lim Yew, 25, and Benjamin Koh Song Huat, 27. They made their remarks on Internet forums in response to a letter printed in The Straits Times.
On July 14, The Straits Times published a letter from a Muslim woman asking if cab companies allowed uncaged pets to be transported in taxis, after she saw a dog standing on a taxi seat next to its owner. She said that "dogs may drool on the seats or dirty them with their paws". Her concerns had a religious basis as according to Ustaz Ali Haji Mohamed, chairman of Khadijah mosque, who pointed out that: "There are various Islamic schools of thought which differ in views. But most Muslims in Singapore are from the Syafie school of thought. This means they are not allowed to touch dogs which are wet, which would include a dog's saliva. This is a religious requirement.".
Two days later, on an online forum for Singaporean dog lovers www.doggiesite.com, Lim posted anti-Muslim remarks that allegedly "had a seditious tendency to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different classes of the population in Singapore", according the charges. He pleaded guilty and served one day in jail and a fine of $5,000. [1]
The other man, Koh, is accused of making similar racist remarks filled with vulgarities and insulting to Malays and their religion. He also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one month imprisonment.
In passing the sentences to Koh and Lim on October 7, 2005, Senior District Judge Richard Magnus said the two had crossed the red line by wantonly breaching the basic ground rules. He said passing a deterrent sentence was necessary so that such offending acts are tackled early and contained, adding that callous and reckless remarks on racial or religious subjects had the potential to cause social disorder, regardless of which medium or forum they are expressed.
On September 16, a third person, a 17 year old youth, was also charged with the Sedition Act for making racist remarks on his blog site. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 24 months supervised probation that includes counselling sessions and community service in the Malay community. [1]
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong later commented that such remarks will not be tolerated, even if posted on the Internet. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng said that the Sedition Act was under review to see if it should be strengthened or renewed.
Event in 2006
In June 2006, it was reported that a 21-year-old blogger was under police investigation for posting mocking caricutures of Jesus Christ on the Internet. [2] He was later let off with a stern warning from the police. [3]
See also -
oh no! will lionnoisy be convicted?
The 21-year-old published controversial depictions of Jesus Christ on his blog, admitted this to be an 'unwise' move
Straits Times
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
By Zakir Hussain
A 21-year-old accounts assistant is being investigated for allegedly flouting the Sedition Act by publishing pictures on his blog that were thought to depict Jesus Christ in an offensive manner.
The blogger, who used the online moniker Char, had found the cartoons on the Internet and began posting them in January.
He told The Straits Times last week that he was called in by the police for questioning in March, after they received a complaint.
Yesterday, the police confirmed they are investigating the matter but declined to give details as "investigations are still ongoing."
News of the investigation was announced online by Char himself last week when he sent an e-mail to a mailing list of more than 300 young Singaporeans. He told them of his experience and how it came about. He removed the cartoons from his blog after he was questioned.
When contacted by The Straits Times, Char asked that he not be identified for he fears he may lose his job, which he wants to keep before entering a local university in August.
Describing himself as a free thinker, he said he had posted a cartoon that depicted Jesus as a zombie biting a boy's head in January.
The following month, he received an online message asking him to remove the image. It came amid the global furore over the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad by several newspapers.
Char did not reply to the message but chose to irk the person instead. He searched the Internet for more pictures depicting Jesus and published three of them on his blog.
Looking back, he felt he made an "unwise" move. "I never thought anyone would complain to the police because the pictures were not insidious," he said.
In its statement yesterday, the police also advised the public "that it is a serious offence for any person to distribute or reproduce any seditious publication which may cause feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore." Offenders can be jailed up to three years or fined a maximum of $5,000 or both.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has also said that the Government will act against anyone who makes remarks that threaten Singapore's racial and religious harmony, whether done online or offline. Race, language and religion remain sensitive issues here, and a younger generation must grow up learning the "eternal truths" about Singapore, he had said last year when three young Singaporeans were charged under the Sedition Act.
The three youths were subsequently convicted for making inflammatory racist remarks about Muslims and Malays online.
The first offender was jailed a month while the second was jailed a day and fined $5,000. The third, a 17-year-old, was put on probation for two years and ordered to do 180 hours of community work for Malay welfare organisations.
Char said he was aware of these earlier cases, 'but they were more for racism than for something like what I did'.
He got one of the three later cartoons from a website with images of vehicle licence plates while the other two were from a site with spoofed images of movie posters and TV screenshots, he said.
Char said his desktop computer and laptop were taken as evidence after he was questioned. Three days later, he was asked to report to the Police Cantonment Complex where he was arrested and released on police bail, which was extended to four weeks to let him travel to the US.
When he reported to the police on his return in April, he was told his bail had lapsed and that he might be called for further investigation.
He subsequently contacted the police in May and last week, and was told that his case was still under investigation. "I just wonder how long it's going to take," he said. -
LIONNOISY'S POSSIBLE FATE IN THE NEAR FUTURE?
Two bloggers charged under Sedition Act over racist remarksSINGAPORE : Two bloggers have been charged with sedition for posting racist comments online.
This is the first time bloggers are being charged in Singapore and it is sending shockwaves through the local blogging community.
Lawyers say the last time the sedition act was invoked in Singapore was at least 10 years ago.
Twenty-five-year-old Nicholas Lim Yew and 27-year-old Benjamin Koh Song Huat are being accused of posting racist comments on an online forum and on their blog site.
They are both being charged with committing a seditious act, by promoting feelings of ill-will and hostility between races in Singapore.
They were not represented by defence lawyers and were granted bail of S$10,000 each.
This charge came as a shock to many in the blogging community.
Said Singaporean blogger Benjamin Lee (Mr Miyagi):" A lot of them will be looking at their blogs and wondering if they made any legally seditious remarks. I think because of the way this will be played up, it's negative publicity for the Singapore blogging community."
"Currently if you surf the net you will come across a lot of bloggers making such comments. You will probably see a drop in such cases henceforth. At the moment I am not aware of any cases except of a case in Iran where bloggers are charged. But Iran has a different legal system from Singapore," said Leonard Loo, managing partner of Leonard Loo & Co Advocates & Solicitors.
Channel NewsAsia understands that the Media Development Authority had asked host servers to remove a racist blog from the web.
Police are now investigating this matter.
While many racist blogs by Singaporeans can be found online, the blogging community is also quick to criticize any racist comments.
Channel NewsAsia has received many emails from viewers informing us about a few racist sites.
Viewers said they were "appalled as well as disappointed that a Singaporean could condemn" other fellow Singaporeans of a different race.
Lawyers warn that anybody who forwards seditious remarks to others via email can also be charged with abetment.
The case is expected to be heard in court again on September 21.
A person is deemed to have committed an offence under the Sedition Act if he performs any act which has a seditious tendency, or conspires with any person to do so.
It is also an offence to utter any seditious words or to print, publish, sell, distribute, reproduce or import any seditious publication.
First time offenders can be fined up to S$5,000, or jailed up to three years, or both.
For subsequent offences, they can be jailed up to five years and have their seditious publications forfeited and destroyed. - CNA /ct/ls
