Posts filed under 'Politics'
Who says Howard and Rudd don’t get along? Google’s 2007 Australian Federal Election site allows you to view Australian election content in Google Maps.
The most useful information comes when you zoom in to see what the politicians are up to, and as you can see from these screen shotlets.
Unfortunately I can’t seem to get a link to the google maps that work with the electoral overlay, so here’s how to see them for yourself. Head to the Google Maps with Australian Election content page and:
Parliament
Enter “Parliament” in the “My postcode or address:” box in the left column, and switch to satellite mode (button at top right of map). Zoom in to the second highest zoom level.
Beach
Enter “Queen Elizabeth Drive Bondi Beach” in the “My postcode or address:” box in the left column, and switch to satellite mode (button at top right of map). Zoom in to the second highest zoom level.
In the small box to the bottom right of the map, double click just below the “b” of “Elizabeth” - if you don’t see Johny and Kev, try scrolling a little further down and right.
More
I’ve been reliably informed that there are another 6 “easter eggs” hidden around Seaworld on the Gold Coast, Tanunda in Adelaide, a well known Melbourne sporting venue, near Barrack St Jetty in Perth, near Mandorah in Darwin and near the Botanic Gardens in Hobart.
Can you find them? Add a comment!
November 9th, 2007
In another step towards total government control of its people, the UK is planning to enforce Part 3, Section 49 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, which will authorise authorities to obtain encryption keys or any encrypted data in unencrypted form in relation to any anti-terrorism investigations.
While this privacy freak understands the nation’s requirement to be able to obtain data that can assist with the aversion of, or investigation into any terrorist activity, I worry about the consequences. ARS Technica’s article on this subject explains that one possible use of this law could be to obtain encryption keys for banking records where funds for terrorist activities are involved. The issue here is that the authorities would then have the keys to decrypt any information, not just that pertaining to the funds in question.
I can imagine that a lot of businesses and individuals will be concerned at the implications these new laws introduce and, given that the laws will only apply to data that resides in the UK, might consider moving their data offshore. This would obviously have an impact on the economy with businesses moving their hosting and data infrastructure to countries that offer more protection and anonymity.
Alternatively, I see a huge surge in the use of encryption technologies that provide a mechanism for plausible deniability. TrueCrypt, for example, allows you to create hidden and unidentifiable partitions of encrypted data, and even supports partitions that provide access to different data sets depending on the password provided. This allows you to store your personal data in an embedded partition, and should anyone coerce you to provide the password, you provide the “safe” password, which gives them access to the outer partition, keeping your personal data hidden.
October 3rd, 2007
Burma is ruled by one of the most brutal military dictatorships in the world. For decades the Burmese regime has fought off pressure–imprisoning elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and democracy activists, wiping out thousands of villages, imposing forced labour, creating refugees.
But last Tuesday Buddhist monks and nuns, revered in Burma, began marching and chanting prayers. The protests spread as hundreds of thousands of ordinary people and public figures joined in, finding the hope they’d lost. Now they’re facing crackdown – so please, show your solidarity to this movement towards reconciliation and democracy and sign the emergency petition supporting the Burmese people — it’ll be delivered to United Nations Security Council members and international media all week.
In the past, Burma’s military rulers have massacred the demonstrators and crushed democracy. The world must stand with the Burmese people at this time, to show the military rulers that the world will not tolerate repression and violence.
Right now, global leaders are gathering in New York for the annual United Nations summit. In speeches, press interviews but also in real actions, we need them to show Burma’s military junta that the global community is willing to act in solidarity with the protesters.
Show your solidarity to this movement for peace and democracy and sign the emergency petition supporting the Burmese people. It’ll be delivered to UN Security Council members and the UN press corps all week.
September 27th, 2007
I just saw one of those “authorised by the Australian Government, Canberra” type Work Places adverts. The opening line went something along the lines of:
The biggest myth is that employees are alone and unprotected, but that’s just not true. They are not alone!
Read between the lines. Tell me why I laughed!
[Updated quote on July 16th at 11:52]
July 15th, 2007
With the raging success of performance-based pay for teachers in America, Australia’s Federal Education Minister, Julie Bishop, today announced that a trial for the same will start in 2009.
The proof of the success of this method of paying teachers is evidenced by the fact that teachers in America have been said to give students some answers to exam questions in order to improve their performance and ensure job security and a good salary.
When will governments learn that the best way to improve the standard of education is to pay teachers a fair wage and encourage them to stay in the profession rather than make their lives even harder through red tape and administrative tasks? Or perhaps the Australian government is actively trying to destroy the public education system in order to enhance the value of private schools and justify the exorbitant government grants
they receive.
Update
Just saw a related article in The Age which points to the Center for Teaching Quality web site, which hosts the 50 page PDF document describing the “Performance-Pay for teachers” plan. I haven’t read it in whole, but it’s interesting to note they look to Singapore as a reference of a successful implementation. They openly admit that
Singapore’s public education system equitably funds its schools, and well-prepared teachers have the resources and technology needed to help their students reach world-class standards.
Doesn’t it then stand to reason that this scheme will fail (as it did in 1920’s, 50’s and 80’s) again unless our education system mirrors that in Singapore even slightly?
June 12th, 2007
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