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sweetlifetownsville · 5 years

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From 'No Water Crisis' To Permanent Water Restrictions? Mayor Mullet Swims Upstream

The TCC has just announced revised but renewed water restrictions, without the decency of an explanation. Are they permanent? And if so, why, and will water rates be suitably reduced? Or are they just letting out water infrastructure settle down after the flood (ha!)?Another masterstroke from the council officially found to operate a culture of secrecy. Also The Pie recently indulged himself with a small rant about police representatives so often turning the narrative to the trauma suffered by officers when they attended confronting events, and in some cases pushing the real victims into the background. Well, it would seem Bulletin iditor Jenna Cairney has taken a leaf out that playbook, giving her own staff hero status for simply doing their jobs. Now its got really embarrassing. Also this week, a tiny overlooked flaw in the new stadium makes a mockery of the papers completely silly look into its future And why didnt we think of it: the Popes obvious insight into the sinning of Cardinal Pell. (Bentley is on a break this week.) So first As Nana Used To Say, Self Praise Is No Recommendation. By tradition, print and online journalists have always sought the powerful but respected recognition of their work through by-lines, never unnecessarily inserting themselves into any scenario they are writing about, and generally they and their work used only to come in the public spotlight around Walkley time. Times have changed, and journalists are now players rather than observers, as perceived glamour and power infest newsroom and the minds of those undignified and egotistical enough not to know better. Jenna Cairneys cliched gurgling about the Bulletin staffs reporting of the floods(indeed admirable if after the fact) has taken wing on a monsoon of congratulatory self-praise, which is bound to end in a crash landing. The Bulletins people certainly did their work under difficult circumstances, meriting an in-house herogram. But the self-congratulation, carrying the hidden agenda of regaining public trust, is reaching a nauseating stage. But it was this excerpt from a two page AD for themselves that raised the hackles of some.

Jenna Cairneys particular take on the role of digital media is simply nonsense amply demonstrated by an angry reader below, reinforced by the utter tripe about the the nature of the Astonishers FIFO staff (bye bye, Clare Armstrong, leaving so soon, after what, 12-15 months?). And one of those looking askance at that empty breast beating was a person very prominent in the fight for Townsville water security who sent this email into The Nest. She chooses to remain anonymous at this stage, obviously mindful of the albeit waning power of the paperand the propensity of News Corpse to bully people. She writes: Oh Jenna.It goes without saying that the community is sad at the now widely publicised loss of your possessions and property damage during the flood. Its also sad that Bulletin journos (who were doing their job covering the event), came home to a stressful reality.Many people who were on duty and others who were simply volunteering that night, met with similar devastating scenes. So why the need to raise your staffs salaried contribution above others in that two page essay? (Feb. 28th excerpt above). The difference is, that in your role as a Newscorp editor, you can take out a free double page ad that more than hints that Bulletin staff were behaving altruistically. Its your job and theirs Jenna, to cover local events and to report the stories. Its what newspapers do. As for breaking news, sorry, the reality is that the official sources and conventional media combined, did not provide as much timely information as they could have, either in the lead-up or now beyond the inundation. The lag time is well known and the nature of alternative news sources most people turn to now. Social media was way ahead from the get-go with updates and locals were able to have real time conversations street by street. Twitter and other apps were abuzz. The online Bulletin discussion was comparatively quiet. A new FB group NQ Disaster Watch and Noticeboard was convened within hours and membership swelled to over 30,000 in a day or so. If mainstream media (MSM) like yourself were the go to source, thered have been no need or the huge momentum that saw this community group formed. Other social media groups connected so the updates were informed, continuous, and illustrated with live footage and heartbreaking images of the unfolding event. Many of these were subsequently used by MSM. Beyond the critical hours, was the paper the first media source to warn and educate residents about the deadly likelihood of meliodosis? How about Ross River and Dengue fever? Instead, a freshwater croc up a gum tree was a major headline, so much so that it became a Newscorp icon nationally.

Will the Bulletin give other local groups a free column or page to boast about their contribution? How about the army, SES, police, charity groups, volunteers from near and far, neighbours helping each other, strangers risking their lives to rescue people and pets? Further claims in your Feb. 28 essay are frankly unrelated. Helping to get funding for water infrastructure? The one-year-wonder fifo journo who first took credit for this, has moved on already, with this spurious claim on her CV. The paper always publishes the truth? Only local journos contribute? Paul Murray is local? While were at it who are real people? This story hasnt come across as intended Ms. Cairney. At least there were only a few grammatical errors. So take off the true blue Aussie hero cape wee Scottish lassie and stop telling the local community they area breed apart. That label is better reserved for some prominent individuals who spruik or are spruiked about in your small scale publication. Whew, The Pie will be out of a job at this rate. Jenna, the fact that you felt you had to say what youve said vulgar, condescending trite waffle while at the same time desperately pleading to be loved gives the lie to the fact that YOU KNOW the Bulletin lost any real touch with this community a long time ago, and you hoped this was an opportunity to re-establish this limping paper as part of the core of this community. Given the immediacy of your paean of praise, so soon after the crisis and is still an on-going emergency, readers (such as they are) can smell the desperation. And this embarrassing overkill in claiming some sort of achievement by your troops when they were simply doing the jobs they were trained for and are paid to do, has all but wiped out any goodwill the paper re-established through an outstanding effort of after the fact reporting one of the citys greatest disasters. But Hey, Maybe Thats Your Idea Of A Welcome Mat Wonder wholl be winging in for this one.

Hey, maybe the mayor will name and shame you if you dont choose a local to take the helm. Oh, wait a sec not likely, given that the mayor who took a wet lettuce leaf to smack insurance companies who might dare to use out-of-town tradies to fix up flood damage, appeared a tad hypocritical. Apart from buying her mayoral chariot (plus shipping costs to Townsville) out of revengeful spite in Brisbane, Jenny Hill chose not to buy local when she needed legal representation in her losing stoush against Clive Palmers defamation matter. Instead, this firm in Adelaide Street in Brisbane. Forked tongue doesnt even start to describe it especially when she uses the VIP lounge of the airline she wanted us all to boycott Qantas. The Chatterati At Full Pelt Over Clives Guest List Speaking of Clive Palmer, perhaps more has been made of just who didnt attend his so aptly titled Titanic dinner, rather than who did. Plenty of Townsville C-lister desperates rolled up, and plenty named on the table plan were no shows. The standard reply when asked why they went along from some was curiosity (fair enough) and others for the feed and free booze (even more honest). Several said the tucker was terrific. Plenty of ice buckets too, one imagines. Like everyone else, The Pie trolled through the list and had a quiet chortle at a few of the freeloaders, but read nothing into it, all pretty predictable. Except one. Check out who was, apparently sitting next to our old mate, Tony Raggatt on Table 20.

One Andrew Crook, who presumably (if he turned up, and cant imagine he wouldnt have) flew in for the event from his Gold Coast base. Now The Pie wasnt there, and it turns out Australia has Andrew Crooks surplus to requirements, including a well regarded legal eagle. But the old birds money betting that it was this bloke, Clives former media adviser.

Hey Clive, if that is external lap band surgery for your tucker intake mate, it aint working. Now Mr Crook is a kinda upfront guy, who for a couple of decades ran his own media company with the very upfront name Crook Media. Based, where else, on the Gold Coast. And it is Crooks good fortune that his old boss didnt have his Titantic knees-up off-shore, because, unless things have changed, Mr Crooks passport has been in the custody of the AFP wallopers for a few years now. This is why.

The matter return to court on a most appropriate date , April 1, where a trail date may finally be set. Not wishing to pre-judge anything, but The Pie hopes that after Mr Raggatt shook hands with his dining neighbour, he counted his fingers. When The Real News Goes Away and Jenny and Lil Patty are back farting rainbows for the The Astonisher to print, wonder how long before the money sinkhole called our new stadium will be back centre stage. One would like to think that recent events might have caused some nervous reassessment of this foolhardy waste of public money. Its the classic good news and bad news. The good is this, reported by Australian Leisure Management magazine:

The Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works, leading the delivery of the new stadium, has advised that while the site was affected by some water logging as a result of the extreme rainfall event it did not experience overland flooding. The Department advised 100,000m3 of fill was used to raise the building platform above the Q100 flood level before construction commenced. Which is as it should be, but while that is an accurate summation, its not good news at all for the short sighted, bull headed rush to built this white elephant. A little while ago, we got this pants-wetting dopey glop from the Astonisher.

Bit late in the day to realise this snippet of the bleedin obvious, youd think, especially for a council and government who both love a good old, protracted jobs-for-the-boys business study followed by a feasibility study for as a trifling matter as what to do with some dilapidated tin sheds on Flinders Street West. But in the hands of the nameless author of this inane bit of tub thumping (hi, Jenna, that you again, luvvie?) the blind idiocy reaches new heights when we read this:

Sure, perhaps it shouldve been: with a population one third again as large as Dunedin, and high profile footy team like the Cowboys, Townsville would be set to match that part. But The Astonisher yarn goes on

But there may be a teensy weensy problem with the entertainment ideas when compared with the Barr Stadium. Here, see if you can spot it heres the Forsyth Barr (just two rs, thanks, Jenna)

Forsyth Barr stadium, Dunedin and heres what our new economic saviour is going to look like when finished.

Spot the difference? Yes, your right, ones GOT A BLOODY ROOF AND THE OTHER HASNT. Bottom lime: our new stadium may be flood proof, but it certainly isnt rain proof for any entertainment ambitions. And entertainment business is risky enough, dont think that wont be noticed. Once again, the vision of Mr Magoo infests our planning leadership. Speaking Of Which, Two Questions Have a look at this, then contemplate two questions:

If the staff at the counter in Walker Street can tell you what you want to know if you visited the Flinders Street office, why do we have extra staff to do that in a rented CBD premises (when its open)?Why open an office in this location anyway, the sadly true dead heart of Townsville, where there are bugger all people wandering about? Why not at say The Willows, Stockland, or Castletown? Or have they done that, lots of votes out that way, yknow? This wouldnt an abortive attempt yet again for Mayor Mullet to use public money for her electoral campaigning? Nah, she wouldnt do that. Would she? And Seems Another Magpie Prediction Is True On more than one occasion, The Pie has suggested we need to change our approach to water usage in Townsville, and has been waiting for the well reasoned debate on the issue. Fat chance. Thats not the way they do things down in the Hermit Kingdom in Walker Street. It is rule by fiat and stop whingeing and wanting a say in these matters, peasants. With the amount of water around at the moment, this TCC ad in the Astonisher yesterday phrased to make it sound like happy days are here again is apparently Mayor Mullets way of announcing water restrictions are here to stay.

This may indeed be a sensible and prudent forward looking move, but questions remain dangling in the face of the inundation that has just sucker-punched our city, isnt the almost comical announcement worthy of an explanation? But more importantly, will we keep paying for water we cant use? Will water rates be reduced? Wouldnt like to be in a dark room with George Pell waiting for an answer to that one. Speaking Of His Un-Eminence, In Defence Of George Pell, By The Pope

The simplest undeniable defence that the kiddy-fiddling cardinal could have used came too late for him. No less than the Pope had the excuse for Pells abominable actions a few days ago in Rome Pell is, according to the Pontiff, a victim in all this. This from comments during the week. The Magpie February 27, 2019 at 12:32 am(Edit) Can you believe it? The best the Pope can do is say child abuse was Satans doing in other words, THE DEVIL MADE HIM DO IT!!! There was a time when that wouldve been a few hail marys and off to another parish to prey on. Perhaps that has changed now, but not a skerrick of real responsibility, just the old fairytales that have always worked before. They have either learnt nothing, or will continue to trust their evil style of infrastructure that invites nay, virtually guarantees abuses, and not just sexual ones, but emotional ones as well. The devil is indeed involved, but hes not at the gates, hes got the keys to the city. Vatican City, it would seem. (And all other religions, bar none). But for all that, The Pie totally agrees with one conclusion of the Vatican meeting of the boys in their pretty dresses and helicopter caps they said something concrete must be done about the child abuse by the predatory priests. Too right it must, and allow The Pie to suggest that this would be a the most effective CONCRETE idea

these should applied with great force to the offending anatomy to ALL paedophiles but make sure you keep your thumbs clear. Its A Week Of Questions, So Heres Another from Comments Well it is a hot air event, Canberras annual festival of Balloons. But there was a disgraceful excess of it before any flight lifted off. So heres the question: How is this OK for public consumption, kiddies and adults alike

but this is not?

Answer: Because some disturbed PC drop kick judged that it looked like a golliwog, and thus had it banned from entering the event. But what if it does look like a golliwog to some (it nowhere near does, anyway) maybe to black people, it might make them feel included? Did anyone ask? And the swerve in eligibility is a bit late in the day, as this completely unremarked appearance in 2011 attests.

Think we need another pair of bricks. When The Book Is Written, It Will Be Called Trump And Consequences This weeks gallery from the world according to Trump, who it would appear, has met his match.

And Finally, Is Theresa Mays Brexit Rocket Finally About To Blast Off?

. The world has survived another week, so look back and start working up your outrage and have a thunder in the comments, which run 24/7. As you know, this load of old cobblers is a labour of love (for Townsville) by The Pie, and it will always be free, but if you can help defray blog costs and the estimated five days it takes to put this weekly missive together, a donation is always appreciated and most helpful. The how-to-donate button is below. http://www.townsvillemagpie.com.au/astonisher-iditor-jenna-cairney-does-a-sally-field-pitifully-wailing-you-like-me-you-really-like-me/

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