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May 08 Pages in PDF
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TOP STORIES |
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Taking it to the streets
Local councils and their residents, as well as, hardworking and embattled traders along approximately 150 inner city clearways, have been shafted by the Brumby Government. Consequently, these traders and residents have no choice but to engage in peaceful civil protest campaigns to raise wider public awareness about their plight and the probable destruction of many iconic, inner city retail shopping strips, while they take their fight to the Courts. Shifting the deckchairs on the Titanic Why are residents and traders taking to the streets? Because they will have to bear the personal and financial cost of delivering what the Government itself describes as “short-term congestion relief” for road and public transport users. ›more
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In tents thawt with Mick Pacholli Rudd’s meddling government I am sure that if the Labor government keeps to this current style of intervention people will soon start to question the Party’s future as government in this country.
Australia was truly sick of Howard’s dictatorial style of government and
well they should have been. But the Ruddy alternative could prove to be
sufferingly politically correct and interfering in the minutia of daily
life - in its self righteous belief that it knows what is best for its
constituents.
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The getting of wisdom Fabrizio Marsani finds that time is a great revealer of truth.
I’ve not long returned to Melbourne to find myself in the grip of yet another mid life crisis- my third or fourth from memory. I had elected to contact two ex-school colleagues whom I hadn’t seen or spoken to for close on 25 years. It took an epiphany of sorts to muster the courage to convey to them that I’ve belatedly come to the conclusion that I should have fostered their friendship while we were at school together, as well as, confess my juvenile follies. ›more
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Docklands: Melbourne’s blossoming heartland
Set against the dramatic backdrop of our city’s spectacular skyline and Victoria Harbour, Melbourne Docklands is fast becoming one of the world’s most significant waterfront urban precincts. It’s an inspiring place where promenades dotted with heritage listed wharves come together with well-designed public open spaces; buzzing bars and restaurants; and modern, environmentally designed office buildings, hotels and apartments by some of Australia’s leading architects- Ashton Raggatt McDougall, Denton Corker Marshall, John Wardle, HPA, Fender Katsalidis, Hassell and Wood Marsh. ›more
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My Great Ideas
Kevin Rudd’s 2020 summit was a huge success. It invited us all to be creative and make a contribution. Even the coalition’s environment spokesman, Greg Hunt has a plan for a solar Australia. There’s something that would never have happened under Howard. Here are four of my great ideas. The first one, I believe is an urgent must. ›more
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Emerging artists break through the
barriers The exhibition ‘Resonance’ represents a collaboration of artists from country Victoria, Melbourne and bayside who have found a way to break through the restrictive barriers that face artists wanting to exhibit their work.
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Lady Melbourne is a girl
about town who spends her days shopping, trawling eBay for vintage
delicacies and sipping coffee at one of the many coffee shops you can
find in Melbourne’s laneways. Reading, cocktails, work and shopping of
course, all happen in her beloved Melbourne.
This Season’s Key Trends
As the leaves begin to
transform on our streets and boulevards, so do the trends in boutiques
across our beautiful city.
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Attitude is everything Annette Sym, Australia’s most successful self-published low-fat cookbook author and leading weight loss and healthy lifestyle expert, inspires Australians to transform their lives by making healthy lifestyle choices.
Attitude is everything
especially when it comes to being a winner in life. When it comes to
weight loss too many times you can feel anything but a winner so if you
are feeling fed up and are ready to create the new healthier and slimmer
you then let’s get started. Re-education is the first step to scrambling
old thoughts; attitudes and habits that have held you back in the past.
If you want to lose weight and have had little success in the past then
you need to look for new ideas, new ways, and a new attitude that will
help create the person you want to be.
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It's in the diary The best of what’s on in Melbourne this month Melbourne Italian Festival, 22 May to 8 June
The fourth Melbourne Italian Festival is a jam-packed two-week program for Italians and Italophiles alike. But if you’re thinking outdoor stalls, dried-up pizza and waiters’ races, think again says the festival’s director, Franca Smarrelli.
This is not another “ethnic” festival. I don’t believe in the ethnic
basket, and calling it that is sacrilegious. How do you say this is
mainstream and this is ethnic? Take Italian and Greek culture- they’re
part of the beginning of civilization. The Roman Empire, the
Renaissance… their influences are part of who we are today. Once you
start saying something is ethnic- you start to get side-lined. But the
content we offer can fit into the mainstream anywhere in the world.
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Ken James' social diary May days
Melbourne in May is
possibly my favourite time of the year. It’s a time when wintry pursuits
such as open log fires and good red wine are to be enjoyed, when footy
fever becomes firmly entrenched, and when the golden hue of the trees
add to the beauty of our wonderful city. Invitations and surprises also
made for a memorable month. Melbourne’s best kept secret Monday the 3rd began with an invitation to what we all believed was to be a 40th birthday party. The function held in a private ballroom at the RACV club was to celebrate Coles’ marketing wiz Darren Schade’s 40th. His partner Suzanna Louie had informed us it was a black tie “Black and White Ball”. › more
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Entertainment with Gary Turner Purest embodiment of sixties rock ‘n’ roll Normie Rowe was the most popular Australian pop icon of the sixties. Normie become classic teen-idol material and had topped the charts week after week.
I caught up with Normie Rowe for breakfast in a South Yarra restaurant this week with his PR guru, Bill Duff who promoted Normie’s first single It Ain’t Necessarily So all those years ago when he was boss at Festival Records. Bill spent 19 years at Festival Records and 13 years at WEA/Warner. Forty three years on and Bill Duff is promoting Normie Rowe’s latest album. › more
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Dance with me, make me sway Television dance shows are growing in popularity all over the world and it seems everyone is tapping their toes and getting up on the dance floor. Popular Australian programmes such as ‘Dancing With The Stars’ and ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ are the local version of British and American programmes that have helped bring dancing back in style.
While for some, getting up to do the bridal waltz on their wedding day is their only foray onto the dance floor, for an ever growing portion of the population dancing is becoming central to their lifestyle. What is behind this phenomenon? Perhaps the appeal is nostalgia and the romance of dressing up and moving to music with someone else. Perhaps it is pure escapism. Maybe it is the fact that dancing is a great way to exercise that is fun, can be performed with or without a partner, at any time, any where, with no equipment and provides a unique form of self expression while having a really good workout. ›more
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Live Theatre with Blair Edgar
long-time opera director and
founding life member of the Green Room Awards Association
Kynan Johns, “our boy” at La Scala Well, “our boy” is the way some people would like to express it, but Kynan is not “our boy” anywhere. He is his own man. Kynan Johns grew up in Adelaide. He is a musical genius. I worked with him at the Melba Conservatorium when his genius was just beginning to flower. He has the mental capacity to learn a whole orchestral score in a day and to colour it with all the stories it contains. Rules he ignores, and makes up his own, based on performance. › more
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Planet Clare Check out your stars for the month of March 2008 › more
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Film Reviews with Marcus Sinclair
This edition Marcus reviews the following films: IRON MAN (M) UNTRACEABLE (MA) MUMMIES: SECRETS OF THE PHARAOHS (G) THEN SHE FOUND ME (M)
DECEPTION (M)
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Living Green Cycling for a hot body and a cool planet by the Cycling Promotion Fund
Did you know that an average 34% of household greenhouse gas emissions are generated by transport, whilst lighting accounts for 5%? Reducing some of your car trips with cycling can make a real difference in reducing your environmental footprint. Replacing a 5km car trip cuts 1.5kg of greenhouse gas emissions.
Cycling is also a great way
to save money, get fit and have fun. As little as 30 minutes a day can
improve your bones and muscles, reduce the risk of illnesses like heart
disease, diabetes and colon cancer and increase your overall energy
levels. You can achieve this by cycling a 5km trip to the shop and back
or by riding with your kids to school. They will enjoy it and you can
avoid the car parking hassles and traffic around the school.
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Lighten Up Proper lighting can make or break a room. It can highlight what you like, disguise what you don’t and add warmth, gaiety, tranquility, sensuality, and even whimsy to the home.
This change-over does not have to mean less light quality and unsightly fixtures all around the place; these days there are many exciting lighting options that marry conservation principles and good looks. The trick is to avoid the trap of going for the easiest, quickest solution and to take your time. Consider what you want to do in your space, and what you want the lighting to do. If you’re not sure, check out friends’ houses, attend house inspections of well-renovated or high-end places that are up for sale, get advice from light shops, and if you’re still feeling lost, ask an architect or an interior designer. This initial investment will be worth the effort in the end.
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A matter of life and death with Graeme Smith, OAM, managing director of the Lost Dogs Home
A winter appeal Climate change or no climate change – it’s a safe bet that winter will come around at the same time of the year for quite a while yet. And there is also no doubt that it will be, for us and other animal shelters, the most challenging season of the year. A combination of adverse circumstances is responsible for this. Come winter, many people who have acquired pets for Christmas and have looked after them only in the summer months encounter problems they have never even thought about. For openers, winter is an untidy, messy season and animals coming into the house tend to drag a lot of its debris in with them. Also, the sun rises much later, and it’s no fun to get out of bed early and drag, in cold, drizzly semi-darkness, a reluctant dog to a nearby park whilst holding a leash in one hand and an umbrella in the other. Neither is it much fun at the other end when evenings are shorter, cooler and darker. › more
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Could the internet revolution be on its death bed? The internet has created a cyber-interconnected world that seeps into all aspects of our lives- from business and education to the personal. As a result, most people assume that this barely 10-year- old technology is not only here to stay, but that there is more to come. Or not. According to recent discussions about its future, the internet could actually be on its way out. The many techno fortune tellers foresee the demise of this global behemoth in the following ways: 1. Crack the Domain Name Service (DNS) DNS is fundamentally the way we access a site (i.e. when you type google.com that it actually goes to the Google website). Essentially some people have been successful in spoofing this as you may have seen with some of the fake bank scam sites, but if someone cracks this system they would essentially control the Net. ›more
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Are there any more surprises to come? Peter Hegarty, author of The Artful Stock Picker wraps up the finance issues of the day. The subprime fallout It may be all over by mid-year and we may not have to worry any further. But if not, and our share market has not recovered by then, nearly everybody’s superannuation fund is going to report a negative return for the year. A down year now and then is not essentially a bad thing and is probably inevitable. Nevertheless, it is going to give a lot of people a shock. What will be their reaction? Lethargy is a powerful force and most people will grumble for a few moments then forget all about it and pour another beer. In my humble opinion, they will turn out to have made the right decision. Others will insist on doing something about it. ›more
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At the races with Ted RyanSpring early markets Champion galloper Weekend Hussler, who missed the Doncaster, heads the charts for the Caulfield Cup, the Cox Plate, but is down in betting in the Melbourne Cup. The son of Hussonet, he has certainly put that sire on the map with his exploits, he has won six Group One’s, equaling the mighty Kingston Town’s feats. Most of us have been singing the praises of the bay for sometime now, and he lived up to these expectations with a sensational win in the George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill, defeating one of the best 1600 metre horses in the land, Racing To Win.
Trainer Ross McDonald and his connections decided that Weekend Hussler had done enough with six great wins in Group Ones, and now he will step up in distance later in the spring. He will be spelled for around six weeks, before getting ready for the tough assignments. › more
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with Mick Pacholli
Sectional Finals A survey was conducted by Bob Middleton, the new Match Committee chairman, soon after he was installed in the position, to try and discover what was wanted by the majority of bowlers. The survey covered such contentious issues as reducing pennant to 21 ends, doing away with the food break, etc, and the only issue that warranted attention under the weight of supplied opinion was the desire to play finals at the end of sectional play.
Bob discovered that with five games to go, seven sections were already finalised; with three games to go there were 11 sections that knew the winner; with two to go there were 24 sections finalised; and with one to go there were an incredible 32 sections that knew who had won the section. |
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Ducking for cover By Fabrizio Marsani
Occasionally, when one of the hens (who has never experienced being a mother hen) gets a little too close to our mother duck and her ducklings, she finds herself on the receiving end of the mother duck’s swift and protective strike. › more
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win win win with metro news Every month the metro news has a variety of competitions and giveaways for our readers. For more information on all the various prizes in our October edition click here. › more
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Artist and Public Art
Co-ordinator Natalie Evans returned to Melbourne from rural Victoria and
completed a Visual Arts Diploma. When enquiring about the hire of
gallery space she found costs were prohibitive for
herself and other
emerging artists. The solution was a combination of artists, students,
friends and friends of friends sharing the costs to make it financially
feasible. The numerous roles involved in presenting the shows have also
been shared among the group.
with
Carmela Ferraro
Round about now is a good
time to start re-evaluating your home lighting. Not only because the
change of weather and longer evenings with the lights on will focus your
mind to it more than other times in the year, but the standard
incandescent light bulb is set to be phased out by 2009 anyway. They
will be replaced by energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs),
which provide light that uses up to 80% less energy.
We’ve got some new additions to the backyard farm. And aren’t they cute? But I don’t know if the established residents- the chickens- appreciate their new neighbours. They’re probably thinking, “more beaks to feed, which means less food for us”!