<p><a href= "https://aanthologies.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=072942134034ef3087251f606&id=9d397ecda3&e=819dd33ca8" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Watty Thompson & his Total Fire Band will deliver their unique flavour of heartfelt country-folk melodies alongside Melbourne buzz band, <a href= "https://aanthologies.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=072942134034ef3087251f606&id=9866e7114b&e=819dd33ca8" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Belair Lip Bombs</a>, with more artists to be announced.</p> <p>Adding an element of unbridled fun, Melbournes least-professional (but most clamtastic) feminist water ballet team, <a href= "https://aanthologies.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=072942134034ef3087251f606&id=32e40fbb74&e=819dd33ca8" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Clams</a>, will take to the pool.</p> <p class="p1"><b><i>Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews </i></b><a href= "https://fortemag.com.au/music/"><span class= "s1"><b><i>here</i></b></span></a><b><i>.</i></b></p> <blockquote class="instagram-media"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <p> </p> <div style="display: flex;"> <div style= "background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex;"> <div style= "background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style= "background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style= "display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style= "color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;">...</div> </div> </blockquote>

While its still months away, the Melbourne Renegades have announced that once again they are bringing the juggernaut that is the Twenty20 Big Bash League back to our doorstep.

In a massive coup for the City of Greater Geelong yet again, the Renegades confirmed their loyalty to the Geelong region, with the Renegades KFC BBL|13 home opener against the Perth Scorchers set to take place at GMHBA Stadium at Kardinia Park on Sunday, December 10.

Keep up with the latest in local news and entertainment here.

where games usually last approximately three hours with each team having twenty overs to bat. This means entertainment right from the outset with inventive and big-hitting batting, quick and clever bowling, acrobatic and athletic catching and fielding, plus those moments that leave fans gasping on the edge of their seats.

The return of the Renegades to Geelong will see the likes of local hero Aaron Finch lining up alongside new overseas players, promises to be an exciting contest against the reigning BBL champion Perth Scorchers.

 

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following article contains footage of deceased persons.

Presenting talent and wisdom beyond her years, Jess Hitchcock has stirred the Australian music and performing arts scene as a genre-defying force. Her powerful voice and knack for storytelling have seen her shine across pop, country, folk, opera and music theatre, sharing the stage and studio with some of Australias industry favourites. 

Hitchcock shined with her 2019 debut Bloodline, inspired by her family origins from Saibai Island, in the Torres Strait, and Papua New Guinea. Now the artist comes to life on her new album Unbreakable, a dynamic and sweetly soaring outpouring of feel-good sounds and raw, vulnerable emotion. 

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

Released on 30 June, the album delves into compelling depths with grace and stirring confidence, providing an ode to overcoming inner and outer life battles and exploring resilience through a female lens.  

 

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RNZ, From The Detail, Tom Kitchin, co-host of The Detail @inkitchnz tom.kitchin@rnz.co.nz 11 July 23

There are diplomatic headaches and heated scientific debates after Japan revealed plans to dump the wastewater its been using to cool the Fukushima nuclear power plant  in the Pacific. 

Sea and ground water has been used to cool the damaged reactors, and now theres about 1.3 million tonnes of that sitting in tanks while the Japanese government and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) figure out what to do with it.

They want to release the wastewater into the ocean  diluting all the cancer-causing nuclear fission products out of it  such as caesium, which can build up in muscles, strontium-90 which can build up in bones and iodine-129 which can build up in the thyroid.

. journalist Nic Maclellan, a Melbourne-based correspondent with Islands Business Magazine, tells The Detail.

The Pacific Islands Forum has been especially critical, and appointed an independent scientific panel to investigate safety issues around the proposed dumping, he says.

The panel has raised a series of issues around the quality of the sampling, the cost of the sampling, the cost of the programme over decades, the maintenance of safety sampling and the fact that they really dont know whether Japan can maintain the quality that will stop other radioactive isotopes being released into the ocean.

There are also questions over whether the wastewater dump is a breach of the Treaty of Rarotonga, signed in 1985, which created a South Pacific nuclear-free zone.

It was largely about nuclear weapons, but article seven talks about preventing nuclear waste dumping. 

Japan has been acting as if these safety concerns are not serious and its taken a lot of pressure for Japan to be dragged kicking and screaming into addressing questions, many of which are still unresolved, Maclellan says.

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The stunning Victorian valleys we all know and love will come alive this Spring with a slew of live gigs taking over intimate venues, rural hotels and regional halls in a show of strength, support, love and commitment to extraordinary communities who have been affected by the floods of October 2022.

Through Music Victorias Live Music for Flood Recovery program, supported by Creative Victoria, small towns and villages in regional and rural Victoria will host 30 live music events at local venues for communities to revive and gather in the 12 months of clean up and rebuilding since floods impacted the region.

Stay up to date with whats happening in and around the region here.

The program of live music events will be delivered across flood-impacted regions of Victoria including the townships of Tallarook, Pyramid Hill, Boort, Newbridge, Rochester, Bridgewater, Mooroopna, Baringhup, Horsham, Euroa, and the Pyrenees this Spring.

On Saturday 14 October, the inspiring and resilient community of Rochester are invited to come together for Rochella a family-friendly festival of live music and local food at the Rochester Recreation Reserve. This special event, organised by community with support from sporting clubs and committees of the region, is an opportunity for locals to reunite and take a moment to share, commemorate and gather to appreciate the spirit of the Rochester community.

In the Loddon Valley, Whole Loddon Love will see the likes of Dan Kelly, Felicity Cripps Band, Queenie and Jess Parker perform over two weekends in October, in local halls and hotels in Boort, Pyramid Hill, Newbridge, Bridgewater, and Baringhup.

 

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Psychedelic rock icons The Brian Jonestown Massacre are set to bring their distinct brand of psychedelic rock to Australia this November with a 10-date tour, stopping in Australias biggest cities as well as a few more.

Headed by music visionary Anton Newcombe and an ever-changing cast of other characters, the band will be playing new material as well as favourites pulled from their vast archive.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre 2023 Tour

• Nov 11 Odeon Theatre, Hobart
• Nov 13 Astor Theatre, Perth
• Nov 15 The Gov, Adelaide
• Nov 16 Enmore Theatre, Sydney
• Nov 17 The Northern, Byron Bay
• Nov 18 Princess Theatre, Brisbane
• Nov 19 Kambri ANU, Canberra
• Nov 21 The Forum, Melbourne
• Nov 22 Theatre Royal, Castlemaine
• Nov 24 UOW Unibar, Wollongong

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

With some 20 studio albums, 14 EPs, five live albums, six compilation albums and 22 singles behind them most released on their own A Records the band is nothing if not prolific. Since taking shape in San Fransisco in the early 90, The Brian Jonestown Massacre has built a reputation as a staple of the scene.

Their most recent release, The Future Is Your Past, came out in February this year and received praise from critics. The bands previous release, 2022s Fire Doesnt Grow On Trees, sprung up from an intense period for Newcombe as the artist wrote one song a day for 70 days during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bringing together elements of kaleidoscopic rock and droning shoegaze with an experimental edge, the music that emerged from this period just added to the rich discography that makes up the legend of The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

Since coming out of the pandemic, the band has toured throughout the US and Europe. Theyre all set to bring their mesmerising show down under this summer.

Tickets to see The Brian Jonestown Massacre will go on sale on July 6. Get yours here.

The post The Brian Jonestown Massacre are coming to Castlemaine in November appeared first on Forte Magazine.

Above: Tim Wilms (The Unhinged) and Jarrad Searby (Proud Boys/National Socialist Network/Finks/Melbourne Magistrates Court) pose for the camera. Wilms is wearing RWDS merch popularised by the Proud Boys and, more recently, mass murderer Mauricio Garcia. This week on Yeah Nah Continue reading

After 11 years, Milk! Records is set to close at the end of 2023 and theyre going out with a final release from Barnett herself. An instrumental album and the soundtrack to the film Anonymous Club, End Of The Day is slated for release on September 8.

Milk! Records

• Milk! Records are closing at the end of the year
• Their final release will be an instrumental, improvisational film soundtrack from founder Courtney Barnett
• End Of The Day will be released on September 8 this year

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

This will be the final release of Milk Records, Courtney Barnett said on Facebook, on End of The Day. It has been one of the great honours of my life to be a part of this incredible community and to work alongside so many amazing artists. Thank you to every single person who has been part of this journey, it wouldnt be the same without you.

12 Victorian music labels you should check out, based on what music youre into

A bastion of Melbournes flourishing music scene, Milk! Records founded in 2012 to release Courtney Barnetts first EP Ive Got a Friend Called Emily Ferris. Having released over 60 titles in the last decade alone from independent and internationally established acts, theyre a queer and queer-friendly community of artists and arts workers.

Milk!s roster includes Australian artists Courtney Barnett, Jen Cloher, Dyson Stringer Cloher, Hachiku, Liz Stringer, The Finks, Jade Imagine, Mess Esque, Loose Tooth, and East Brunswick All Girls Choir as well as international artists Sleater-Kinney, Chastity Belt, Hand Habits, Tiny Ruins and Bachelor.

Vale, Milk! Records, you absolute legends. Thanks for everything.

The post Milk! Records to close at the end of the year with final Courtney Barnett album appeared first on...

The celebrated Aussie singer hit triple j airwaves early this morning to reveal her tour news, five shows in total including three solo dates in New York City, Los Angeles and London. The September live shows come in celebration of McMahons other big news today: Light, Dark, Light Again is the title of her highly anticipated second album, set for release on Friday 27 October via AWAL (pre-order here). McMahon also revealed her latest single, titled Letting Go steam/watch here.

Angie McMahon tour

• Wednesday 27 September Metro Theatre, Eora/Sydney, NSW
• Thursday 28 September Northcote Theatre, Naarm/Melbourne, VIC

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

Fans can catch the captivating McMahon at Sydneys Metro Theatre on Wednesday 27 September, followed by a performance at Melbournes Northcote Theatre on Thursday 28 September.

Utilising a bolder, bigger, brighter expanse of sound than ever before, Light, Dark, Light Again is the follow-up to McMahons assured, ground-breaking 2019 debut album, Salt. That release hit #5 on the ARIA Album charts, and took home multiple accolades including the AIR Award for Best Independent Rock Album. The Melbourne singer-songwriters second LP was co-produced by Grammy-nominated producer/songwriter Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Waxahatchee, Kevin Morby), songs written from the ashes of a tough but transformative few years of relationship changes, private breakdowns and core-shaking revelations.

The multiple ARIA nominee first entered the cultural consciousness via 2017 breakthrough track Slow Mover, with Salt cementing her as a globally recognised artist to watch. With an explosive live show reminiscent of Big Thief and The War on Drugs, Angie McMahon has become renowned for her truthful storytelling that speaks to the unpolished and messy experiences of life. Shes toured the US supporting Hozier, performed at Dot To Dot (UK), Best Kept Secret (NL), Splendour In The Grass and Groovin The Moo festivals as well as shows alongside Julia Jacklin, Mumford and Sons, Angus and Julia Stone and more.

Frontier Members can get early access via the Members Pre-sale, which starts Monday 17 July (10am AEST see website for full details). Tickets go on sale Wednesday 19 July (12pm AEST) via frontiertouring.com/angiemcmahon. 

The post...

The Federal Court of Australia has dismissed the legal challenge seeking fair and equal access to the age pension for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Proud Wakka Wakka man Uncle Dennis* brought the case in which the Federal Government faced court for the first time in connection with its failure to close the gap in life expectancy between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous people.

Despite recognising the ongoing gap in life expectancy, the Court did not accept that Australia's racial discrimination laws should give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people earlier access to the age pension.

It comes on the same day as The Closing the Gap Annual Data Compilation Report found that Australia is still not on track to meet the target of equal life expectancy by 2031. No progress towards this target was reported since the previous year.

The Albanese government has a responsibility to address age pension inequality out of court, by lowering the pension age for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The current pension age of 67 years does not account for the stark differences in life expectancy and health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It means that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people do not have the same opportunity to retire and receive support through the age pension as other Australians. Equal access to the pension would also support several Closing the Gap targets.

Uncle Dennis brought the case with the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service and the Human Rights Law Centre, with support from DLA Piper.

Proud Wakka Wakka man Uncle Dennis said:

Im frustrated with this white system, its not a system of the land. It doesnt give us a say. White people are living longer because they havent lost what we have lost. As an Aboriginal man, Ive seen too many of my people dying at a very early age. We are lucky to get to 50 years old. This case was about telling the truth, and asking the Government to work together with us, to give our people the same chance in life as everyone else.  

Things will never get better unless the Government closes the gaps it created. We didnt have a problem, a problem came here. Our language, our culture and our identity comes from here, it doesnt come from another country. Truth, justice and accountability are important.

Nerita Waight, CEO at the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service said:
Everyone deserves to live a life with dignity but this is not possible for our communities who have been left with no choice but to live shorter lives in poverty because of decades of racist colonial policies and a continued lack of investment and change in the systems, institutions and policies that affect their lives day in day out. 

D........

Australias favourite punks Clowns have just announced the upcoming release of their fifth studio album, ENDLESS, due out October 20, 2023, and to celebrate will be heading out on a six-date Australian tour in October and November, supported by label mates VOIID.

The album unveils an exciting new chapter in the bands storied career and is their first full-length offering since 2019s ARIA-nominated NATURE/NURTURE.

Clowns Australian Tour 2023

Friday October 20th 170 Russell, Melbourne/Naarm
Saturday October 21st Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide/Kaurna
Saturday October 28th Crowbar, Sydney/Eora
Friday November 3rd Amplifier, Perth/Boorloo**
Saturday November 11th The Black Wreath, Alice Springs/Mparntwe**
Saturday November 18th The Brightside, Brisbane/Meanjin

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

This marks their first proper headline tour since 2019, just before the world descended into unprecedented chaos. With a swathe of postponed shows now completed behind them, and their creative ideas born over the pandemic now crystallized into their most compelling record to date, ENDLESS promises to serve as an emphatic conclusion to the tumultuous past few years, ushering in a new chapter for the band and igniting a fresh wave of thrilling prospects.

Accompanying the album and tour announcement is the explosive release of the second single, BISEXUAL AWAKENING, along with a provocative music video certain to turn heads and raise eyebrows. Check it out above!

Written between 2020 and 2022, ENDLESS represents a significant milestone for CLOWNS. During these isolated times, the period forced the band to fully appreciate the importance of in-person rehearsals and studio time to feel connected to their music. As the early home demos unfolded, a powerful theme of immortality emerged in the music, capturing their unyielding determination to persevere and adapt to a rapidly changing world. The concept of immortality naturally revealed itself, first bubbling subconsciously in the bands creative hive mind and eventually taking centre stage in the albums narrative. ENDLESS delves into uncharted sonic territories, incorporating elements of 80s heavy metal, new wave, and analogue synthesizers.

Tickets to the shows are on sale now here. 

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A transcendent and intangible experience thats often referred to as the greatest music festival on the planet, the culture of the festival is a true testament to the strength of Melbournes own music scene. This year, German pioneers of electronic music as we know it Kraftwerk will be gracing the supernatural amphitheatre and boy, we couldnt be more stoked.

Meredith Music Festival 2023

• Where: Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre, Meredith
• When: December 8, 9 and 10
• Lineup: Kraftwerk, + more to be announced when the ballot is drawn

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

Heute angekndigt: formed in 1970 by Ralf Htter and Florian Schneider in Kling Klang, West Germany, they crafted a visionary and futuristic sound that would influence generations to come. Their discography including Autobahn, Radio-Activity, Trans-Europe Express, The Man-Machine, and Computer World are the reason that music sounds like it does today.

A self-funded and non-commercial event thats been delighting festival goers since 1991 with a diverse selection of local and international acts. A festival like no other, it was the winner of the Licensee of the Year award at the APRA Music Awards of 2020.

Meredith Music Festival is held on the family property of one of the festivals organisers, a farm complete with a Ferris wheel, an Ecoplex Cinema, the extremely popular Pink Flamingo Bar and famous nude running race, The Meredith Gift.

With only one stage, so no timetable clashes, Meredith Music Festival is known primarily for its great music and great culture the reason that we love the Melbourne music scene so much in the first place.

It all goes down on December 8, 9 and 10. Try your luck at the ballot here. Viel Glck!

The post Meredith Music Festival ballot opens today for 2023, Kraftwerk to headline appeared first on Forte Magazine.

Geelong Arts Centre is preparing to unveil its highly anticipated $140m Little Malop Street Redevelopment. The Art Centre is Victorias only state-owned cultural institution outside of Melbourne, and with this new development, it will be Australias largest regional arts centre.

Geelong Arts Centre is bringing the ultimate arts adventure into your hands. To celebrate its exciting Grand Opening, the Geelong Arts Centre is giving a Golden Ticket to one lucky winner, packed with money-cant-buy experiences and valued at over $4K. Think epic experiences, heart-stopping performances, and mind-bending spectacles. This is your opportunity to witness highly regarded shows in one of Victorias most creative cities.

Keep up with the latest in local news and entertainment here.

So, whats included in this adventurous giveaway?

 

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Australias path to net zero emissions isnt so much rocky as it breathtakingly foolish. That is unless were all okay with wide-scale habitat destruction both here and overseas) while wasting trillions of dollars in the process. Geoff Russell weighs in on the renewables vs nuclear debate, which seems to be going from the bizarre to the absurdum.

Mathematicians often use a form of proof called Reductio ad absurdum. If you want to prove something is false, then assume its true and see what that implies. If the implication is false or contrary to something we know is true, then the job is done.

Heres an example. Suppose Jill and Joe are having a discussion. Joe believes in the power of prayer and Jill wants to prove that praying for something doesnt work.

JOE: If I pray, then I can pass my exam.

Jill assumes prayer works and so tries to see what that implies.

JILL: If prayer works, then few, if any Christians would ever have died from cancer.

Thats true if most Christians with a cancer diagnosis respond by praying not to die (from the cancer).

Jill: So, since many Christians die of cancer (every day), prayer doesnt work.

Theres a bit of slack in that argument. Maybe Christians dont all take to prayer when given a cancer diagnosis, and maybe some die without being diagnosed. A mathematician doing mathematics would be more rigorous, but Reductio arguments are often used in this rough and ready way.

Of course, you can escape the argument by exploiting a common loop hole.

Joe: Prayer definitely works, just not all the time and only if you are devout.

Enter Net Zero Australia.

 

Best laid plans

All over the world, research groups are producing net-zero plans of one kind or another. The latest local work came out in April 2023, from Net Zero Australia (NZAU).

NZAU is a consortium of universities and consulting companies, with most of the people being from Melbourne University.

Michael Shiloh had been studying tuberculosis for about two decades when he started wondering about a seemingly basic question: What makes people with TB cough? This is the diseases hallmark symptom and a main mode of transmission, but despite training as an infectious disease physician and many years of probing the pathogen as a researcher, Shiloh realized that he didnt know. A quick search of the literature suggested that essentially nothing had been studied about it, at least not at the molecular level, he says.

Elucidating the role of cough in illness means first appreciating its role in health. Cough is one of these critical defensive processes that we have to clear the respiratory system, says Stuart Mazzone, a neuroscientist at the University of Melbourne. But it also contributes to disease spread, as research by Shiloh, now at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and others has described. And dysfunctional control of coughing resulting in too much coughing or not enough can cause serious health problems.

Heres a look at how and why we cough, and some of the ways that coughing can go wrong.

My interview with Melbournes Triple R Radio program, The Grapevine, about my new book, The Palestine Laboratory:

The Palestine Laboratory is a new book by journalist Antony Loewenstein that documents how Israels subjugation of the Palestinian people serves as a testing ground for weapons and surveillance systems that are then exported around the world.

Built on extensive research, interviews and on-the-ground reporting, the book draws on modern events including Harvey Weinstein, 9/11 and the current crisis in Ukraine to show the consequences of a military industrial complex that facilitates the persecution of groups in many parts of the world.

Antony joined Dylan and Kulja on The Grapevine to talk through it all.

Whats happening in Palestine is not staying there the occupation is being exported The technologies and tools that Israel has developed over decades whether its spyware drones or facial recognition technology is now a massive export business to countless countries around the world.

The post Melbournes Triple R radio on The Palestine Laboratory appeared first on Antony Loewenstein.

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Gold Coin Donation

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LIVE An Exhibit by Lucinda Goodwin

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DJ Wormboy Residency

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Come Talk Art

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Season Of Harvest ft. Groff, Dr Worm, Roche.

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Live vinyl DJs from 8pm at Medusa.

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Live vinyl DJs from 8pm at Medusa.

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From Maryanne Demasi Reports: Antidepressants can cause severe, sometimes irreversible, sexual dysfunction that persists even after discontinuing the medication. Sufferers have described it as chemical castration a type of genital mutilation caused by antidepressants, mainly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The condition is known as post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD), a condition largely unrecognised, and the true incidence of which is unknown.

David Healy, psychiatrist and founder of RxISK.org said, I saw my first patient with PSSD in 2000, a 35-year-old lady who told me that three months after stopping treatment, she could rub a hard-bristled brush across her genitals and feel nothing. Josef Witt-Doerring, psychiatrist and former FDA medical officer said, This condition is so devastating that it will cause serious changes to your life and to those around you.

It happened to Rosie

In 2020, during protracted Covid lockdowns in Melbourne, 23-year-old Rosie Tilli felt an increasing sense of anxiety and depression. Her psychiatrist prescribed a low dose of Lexapro (escitalopram), an SSRI to help Rosie calm down, assuring her that if she experienced side effects, theyd go away once she stopped the medication. Soon after taking the medication Rosie felt emotionally blunted, but took it as a positive sign. At first, I thought it was great because it felt like the medication was working. But then I couldnt feel my emotions, I couldnt cry, I had no sexual desire, and my genitals went numb.

After four months, Rosie decided to slowly wean herself off the medication. Some of her symptoms improved and the fog lifted, but over the next two years her libido faded to nothing. It has been two years of hell. Now, I have no sexual function. Im numb down there. I cant have an orgasm. It feels like my soul has just been vacuumed out of my body. I feel completely asexual, said Rosie. She sought help from various professionals, but none believed it could be the antidepressant because the drug had already left her system. They concluded it was all in her mind.

Rosie went to a local youth centre for help, but they ended up sectioning her under the Mental Health Act with an Involuntary Treatment Order, insisting she take antipsychotic medication. I refused to take an antipsychotic because I knew I wasnt psychotic. Instead, they forced me to take another antidepressant against my will in order to leave the facility, said Rosie. It was the most traumatic thing Ive ever been through in my life. I fel...

Donald Trumps eldest son had to cancel a planned speaking tour in Australia just days before he was due to arrive in the country over doubts the country would grant him a visa, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Donald Trump Jr was scheduled to make appearances in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne between July 9 and []

Quite amazing how many medics are coming out of the woodwork spruiking low carb eating. Im not keen to use the word diet anymore because diets are associated with weight loss through calories restriction. The keto/carnivore lifestyle isnt strictly about losing weight (Ive now lost twelve kilos), thats an added bonus as far as I am concerned. The real reason is to get healthy Anyhow, this guy has many interesting things to say, heres one I like

On a much lighter note, heres my favourite car journalist going off on a tangent I never expected. Language warning, but its very very good and funny to boot John doesnt understand how you cant exercise your way out of a bad diet, but his message is still more than valid..

2-Sense podcast

This week on the Australian Property Podcast I was joined by Chris Bates to discuss the big three property news stories of the week.

We discuss Domain's house price forecasts, which anticipate new highs, and also record mortgage repayments expected next year. 

Tune in here (or click on the image below):

Anyone lurking on this humble blog will have noticed that Ive become rather passionate about the state of the food industry and its impact on the global health system. All of the doctors and scientists Ive featured here in the past six months all say get off the seed oils and switch to olive or coconut oil. Which I did twenty years ago already. This got me thinking, is it even possible?

Global oilseed production is projected to reach 632 million tons on record plantings. Soybean production is forecast to rise 23 million tons to 386 million, a 6-percent increase. Production of all oilseeds is forecast to increase, with all but cottonseed and rapeseed reaching at least 10-year records.12 May 2021

On average, during the period 2016 to 2021, world production of olive oil was 3.1 million metric tons (3.4 million short tons). Spain produced 44% of world production. The next largest producers were Italy, Greece, Tunisia, Turkey and Morocco. I now refuse to buy anything but Australian olive oil after being warned by a Sicilian wwoofer who worked here that most European olive oil is cut with seed oil.

Simple maths therefore shows that theres 210 times more unhealthy oil produced globally than healthy olive oil..

Coconut oil is just as bad at 3.6 million tonnes. Worse, a quick google discovered this :

 

Coconut Oil Production More Destructive Than Palm Oil

As I suspected, the whole metabolic syndrome epidemic is not a problem, its just another predicament. In fact its so much like lets switch from fossil fuels to renewables, its not funny. This ones outcome, however, is that it will kill millions, if not, eventually billions of people.. And when youre in serious overshoot, population collapse is the only outcome.

according to Dr Robert Lustig who was one of Nate Hagens recent blog guests, the growth in diabetes in the USA (quite...

Realty Talk

When Nate Hagens says I know things that I cant say in a public podcast, then you know were slouching towards Mordor.

RAC activist Margaret Sinclair reported on the situation for refugees in Indonesia to the executive of the Victorian Trades Hall Council on 23 June. The executive carried the following motion unanimously. Victorian Trades Hall and its affiliates note that 14,000 refugees are trapped in Indonesia, most for eight years and many for ten years or []

The post Trades Hall backs campaign for refugees trapped in Indonesia first appeared on Refugee Action Collective (Vic).

The rise to $5 for a single trip and $10 per day for a standard Myki fare is unexpected, given these usually occur in January. The PTUA along with the rest of Victoria has only had a weeks notice of the increase, which is a big jump for most fares. Passengers wont be welcoming the rise, which Continue reading Fare rise unexpected

photo of Dorothy Sayers

Time and trouble will tame an advanced young woman, but an advanced old woman is uncontrollable by any earthly force.

This wonderful quotation is from Clouds of Witness, a 1926 mystery novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, the second in her series featuring Lord Peter Wimsey.

I havent read Clouds of Witness, so I dont know who says it, or whereabouts in the novel it comes. I should read it, being myself a lover and writer of mysteries.

I have, however, quoted Sayerss lines quite often during the last few years. I sent them to a friend after I joined Grandmothers for Refugees. (Im not  grandmother, so I had to become an associate member.)

But Im old enough to be a grandmother, which is the point.

I have nothing against young women. Many whom I meet are brave and wonderful, but I admit to indulging a private smile at the picture of them tumbling, gracefully, regretfully, at hurdles, while we grannies and would-be grannies, with our grey hair and whiskered chins march on.

Im particularly mindful of the need to keep marching on as the launch of my twelfth novel approaches. I should feel proud to have got this far, and I do. I should feel grateful to all the people who have helped and continue to help me, and I definitely do. I look back at the hurdles where I fell and lay there panting, then got up again and stumbled on.

Sayers says we advanced old women are unstoppable by earthly forces. Of course its conceited to claim we are advanced. But I think were entitled to the claim when we look back at the hurdles and realise that any one of them might have been the end.

When I think of earthly forces, I mainly think of human ones, that did not want me to succeed. I dont think of the wind and rain, the wild storms that have never been my enemies.

Thank you Dorothy Sayers, for your foresight and your strength of purpose. Thank you all the other writers of my age, who have never given up.

Well, the countdown has begun in earnest now, to the publication of my third sea-change mystery and twelfth novel, Gerard Hardys Misfortune.

A few days ago, I was asked what clan tartan the cover designer, John Cozzi, had used.

Its a hybrid, based on the Johnston, my familys tartan on my fathers side, but with brown lines added. Those lines, and the pale green ones as well, suggest bars on a cell to me, and will perhaps to others too, when they read the story. My murder victim, Gerard Hardy, is found in a cell-like room at the end of a basement corridor, underneath Queenscliffs historic Royal hotel.

The title is a play on The Fortunes of Richard Mahony and Hardy is a Henry Handel Richardson scholar, in Queenscliff to conduct some unorthodox research.

As Ive said in previous posts, I find Richardsons a compelling presence still, just up the hill from the Royal, at 26 Mercer Street, where she lived as a small girl with her mother and father and her sister, Lil.

Gerard Hardys Misfortune isnt an historical novel, but the history of the Richardson family does play an important part.

And the glue that holds the whole thing together is provided by the main characters in my first two sea-change mysteries, Chris Blackie and Anthea Merritt.

The 25km Keppels Hut circuit walk at Lake Mountain has been on my radar for a while and one I managed to tick off recently.

Lake Mountain is near Marysville, about a two hour drive from Melbourne, and, at around 1,400m high, gets snow in winter.

The area is regenerating after the 2009 bushfires and the landscape is dominated by the white skeletal remains of dead mountain ash and snow gums and shrubby regrowth coming up beneath them.

...

Some time back I wrote a post on ghosts at the Royal Hotel in Queenscliff.

At last the long process of writing and editing my novel about a murder in the basement of the Royal is coming to an end. Im involved in discussions about the cover, which will be designed by the incomparable John Cozzi, who created the cover for the second book in my sea-change mystery series, The Swan Island Connection. Ive just sent John some photos of the haunted old hotel.

Reading through my manuscript for the last time, I was surprised by the importance of ghosts. That sometimes happens to a fiction writer; shes busy focussing on one theme or another, then goes back to the story and finds that something else has been important all along.

Brigid Magner is a literary scholar and lecturer at RMIT. Speaking about her research on literary tourism, Brigid makes the point that houses where famous writers have lived are often felt to be haunted.

But the term haunted does not always refer to ghosts as such. It can also refer to a haunted state which can either be a pleasant communion with a bygone spirit, or it might entail distress and anxiety. It can also refer to the old haunts of notable individuals.

In my story, the young man killed in the Royals basement was a Henry Handel Richardson scholar, visiting Queenscliff for a tarot reading which he hoped would connect him to the spirit of his heroine.

In the 1870s, the child who was to become Henry Handel Richardson lived with her family at 26 Mercer Street, just a hop, step and jump from the Royal. No one has seen or heard or felt a ghost at 26 Mercer Street so far as Im aware, but the Royal is reputed to be haunted from its basement to the top of its tower. Built in the 1850s, it was Queenscliffs first morgue.

Ethel Richardson or Ettie as she was known when she was a small girl  believed the spirits of the dead could communicate with living human beings, as did her father, Walter and her sister Lil. Ethel maintained this belief to the end of her life, though she was secretive about it.

I thought of all of this as background to a murder mystery, but then somehow it became more than background. Not that my main characters believe in ghosts or spirits; they dont. But they are influenced by them nonetheless.

One suspect sees visions and has done since her childhood. Chris, my police constable, is sympathetic, but wary at the same time. Then one night he sees M...

When I was thinking about doing a five-day circuit walk around Mt Bogong, Victorias highest mountain (1986m), it wasnt until I was a couple of days in that I realised Id actually be climbing it twice. So much for my planning and map reading skills.

So while Bogong has been on my to do list for a while, when I finally get an opportunity to do it, I do it twice. But it was definitely worthwhile. Victorias Alpine National Park is beautiful. The summer wildflowers were out, creeks and rivers were flowing nicely, great campsites at alpine huts and a nice mix of pleasant and challenging walking.

Day 1 Mountain Creek campground to Cleve Cole Hut (about 12.5km)

I started out at the Mountain Creek campground, near the town of Mt Beauty, on New Years Day about 10am, taking The Staircase route to the Bogong summit. It was a steady climb up to Bivouac Hut, about half way, where I stopped for lunch. The track is well graded as its the most popular route up and down. People do it as a long day walk. It wasnt as busy as usual as the weather for the area was forecast to be in the mid to high 30s Centigrade for the days I was there. It didnt take long to be drenched in sweat especially when carrying a pack and gear for five days.

Click to view slideshow.

Once past Bivouac Hut and above the tree line the track got steeper and the rest breaks became a bit more frequent. I was amazed to see people in sneakers and with light backpacks running down. Apparently its a thing to RUN up and down Bogong. I had a chat with one guy and he said running with little gear gave you the opportunity to go further. But he said the down side was you couldnt camp.

I reached the top of Bogong about 4pm. Amazing 360 degree views. A bit hazy but at least it was a bit cooler with the altitude. Saw a paraglider land not far away on the summit and had a quick chat before he started walking back down after packing up his gear.

From the summit it was a pleasant, gentle downhill walk over open plains covered with flowers to Cleve Cole Hut, a stone ski hut among snow gums. Lovely hut with running water and bunks. I set up my tent a short distance away on a lovely flat patch of soft grass among the trees. Across a plain a short distance away a pack horse tour group had set up. There were a lot of flies but thankfully Id brought my head net. Ideal for sitting around camp waiting for dinner to cook and the sun to go down when the flies will disappear. The night was clear and the stars spectacular.

Day 2 Cleve Cole Hut to Roper Hut (about 11km)

I started out early at 7.45am knowing that it was going to be a hot day and I had a fair bit of downhill and uphill walking to do. The walk down to the T Spur junction was nice. Lots of snow gums, a pleasant stream, open grassy patc...

We are not updating this blog at the moment so if you want to know what's happening with the Helmeted Honeyeaters and the Friends group then look us up on facebook or go to our Website.

New York November 30, 2016 A coalition of environmental, medical and health groups have served the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a Petition calling on the Agency to ban the addition of fluoridation chemicals to public water supplies due to the risks these chemicals pose to the brain, reports the Fluoride Action Network (FAN).

> Learn more

Abstract: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26927146
Full text: http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/3/259/htm

<p style="text-align: justify;">Bethany, youre getting close to the truth, but youre not quite there, when <a href= "https://www.sciencenews.org/article/50-years-ago-fluoridation-was-promoted-bone-protector" target="_blank">you write</a>:</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px; text-align: justify;"> Fluoridated drinking water may not help bones, but it does reduce cavities by 25 percent in both adults and children.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">First of all, we invite you to learn more about fluoride and bone <a href= "http://fluoridealert.org/issues/health/" target="_blank">right here</a>. Secondly, you seem to be misinformed about the alleged benefits of water fluoridation and therefore take these for granted. These resources will help clarify the matter for you:</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px; text-align: justify;">  <a href= "http://fluoridealert.org/articles/teeth-facts/" target= "_blank">Fluoride & Tooth Decay: The Facts
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yq3zZXzU7M" target="_blank">Strong evidence for benefit?</a><br> <a href="https://youtu.be/FRIdsxT3IGc?t=2772" target= "_blank">An even closer look at the evidence</a><br> <a href= "https://fluoridationfactchecker.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/fact-check-disappearing-fluoridation.html" target="_blank">More</a></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Now you have no excuse not to know.</p>

This pathetic excuse for a journalist writes the following:

The dental profession needs to make it unambiguously clear to local government councillors that at the next election, they will mobilise their colleagues, and their patients, to vote against any councillor who countenances a ban on fluoridation. In this campaign dentists need to call on the support of the medical profession. The Australian Medical Association is a more powerful industrial organisation than the CFMEU.

This constitutes nothing less than a direct threat; a disgraceful call for the bullying and threatening of local councils into making the decision to inject fluoridation chemicals into public drinking water supplies, regardless of the democratic will of the people.

Exactly as Dr. Paul Connett warned local councillors  in New Zealand, we can see this type of dental thuggery being promoted in fact, demanded in Queensland; and it must be exposed and resisted at all costs.

Your chance to watch Dr. Slott in person. See how the man that bullies opponents on the internet becomes a little mouse when he is challenged to debate in person.

This article contends that poor dental health in Queensland children is a direct consequence of lack of public water fluoridation schemes across the state, and that by implication those who oppose or prevent artificial water fluoridation programs from being implemented are harming the dental health of the community. The first thing to do here is to broaden the scope beyond the narrow bandwidth of the water fluoridation status of Queensland. Once we do this, we quickly realise that the pro-fluoridation contention that lack of artificial fluoridation programs results in increased tooth decay, is false

> Read full post at FFC

Whilst the fact that a certain number of professionals oppose or support measure X, Y or Z does not automatically constitute a valid argument one way or another, it is always worth noting when professional or expert voices have something detailed to say on a matter. Their arguments should at the very least be taken seriously and aired appropriately. Since its inception, water fluoridation has been opposed by numerous well-qualified individuals and this continues into the present day

> Read full post at FFC

[Original article here]

For over 70 years the promotion of fluoridation has been based on authority rather than sound science. Thus it came as no surprise when the NZ Ministry of Health in their current attempt to introduce mandatory fluoridation by stealth, called on some prestigious scientists and researchers to produce a blue ribbon panel report to support the claims that the practice is safe. Heading up this panel were none other than the Prime ministers chief scientific adviser Sir Peter Gluckman along with Sir David Skegg, president of the Royal Society of New Zealand. The panel faithfully obliged and their report was released on August 22, 2014 and entitled: Health Effects of Water Fluoridation: a Review of the Scientific Evidence. Gluckman and Skegg signed off on the reviews content and their overall conclusion (surprise, surprise) was that fluoridation is safe.

However, the report is full of mistakes, omissions, misrepresentations and selective use of the literature. One of the biggest mistakes came in their cavalier dismissal of the Harvard meta-analysis of 27 IQ studies (Choi et al., 2012). Gluckman and Skegg repeat a major mistake made by many promoters of fluoridation. They incorrectly stated that the average lowering of IQ in 26 of the 27 studies was a downward shift of less than 1 IQ point. However this mistake was corrected by Choi et al over 2 years ago. It was not a drop of half an IQ point but a drop of half of one standard deviation, which is the equivalent of 7 IQ points. That is a very big difference!

The Gluckman and Skegg team report. But they corrected their mistake in a way that would not be clear to the layperson but worse still made this change without changing the conclusion derived from the mistake. This conclusion for anyone knowledgeable on the subject is ridiculous, but unfortunately many will be deceived by this manipulation and conclude there is no problem with fluorides neurotoxicity and specifically its ability to lower IQ in children.

Thus I urge you to compare below bold the words changed and the derived conclusion in italics -this conclusion is not changed between the two versions.

ORIGINAL VERSION: Recently there have been a number of reports from China and other areas tha...

Learn more about water fluoridation

...

In March this year we told you about the record breaking news - more birds than ever before, more breeding pairs than ever before...

Well....

In the 2013-14 breeding season (Aug'13-Feb'14), 36 Helmeted Honeyeater young were raised at Yellingbo. A bumper year!

In the 2014-15 breeding season (Aug'14-Feb'15):

• in excess of 130 individual birds - a record number of birds since the start of the recovery program in 1989
• 23 breeding territories - a record number
• 46 fledglings - beating the 1995-96 record
• 1 female had triplets for the 2nd year running (plus two additional clutches of 2 offspring each).

THIS BREEDING SEASON so far:

• more birds than ever before are being observed
• more breeding pairs and territories than ever before
• more fledglings than ever before 
• another female has just had triplets!
• ... and the season still has a couple of months to go!

How good is that?

Would you like to be part of the volunteer team that monitors the Helmeted Honeyeater populations at Yellingbo? Contact us for further details.

Caught on camera

Remote cameras are one of the great inventions for wildlife monitoring.

Unfortunately, someone thought their needs were greater than the Recovery Program's.


One stolen remote camera (after this image was downloaded and the camera reinstated).

One less opportunity to learn how to manage this critically endangered bird.

A corroboree in the sun just after release: making friends

Yesterday 18 captive bred Helmeted Honeyeaters from Healesville Sanctuary were released into the wild at Yellingbo, joining the 130 birds located there.

Read more here

A team of 70+ volunteers are now springing into action to help support and monitor these birds under the direction of the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning's Senior Scientist Ornithology.

How can you join this dedicated team? Email us for more information.

Image: Merryn Kelly

...

Swamp Gum - core habitat. Image S.Tardif

 When Australian fauna found nowhere else on earth go from endangered to critically endangered.

Both the Helmeted Honeyeater and Leadbeater's Possum (Victoria's faunal emblems) have recently been upgraded to critically endangered - facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild - under The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act).

The EPBC Act is the Australian Government's central piece of environmental legislation. It provides a legal framework to protect and manage nationally and internationally important flora, fauna, ecological communities and heritage places defined in the EPBC Act as matters of national environmental significance.

Is this all bad news? Is this the beginning of the end?

No.

The Recovery Teams of both species have sought EPBC Act critically endangered status to provide for increased protection of these species. 

What can you do?
Many things. Both big and small. For starters, contact the Friends and buy a membership (from $10). 

Your membership makes a difference. Find out more here

Are you liking our Facebook page?

HeHo on Facebook

Do you Tweet?

HeHo on Twitter

Helmeted Honeyeater fledgling March 2015 - image B.Tardif

Apart from membership to Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater?

Not much.

Your membership makes a difference to the long-term survival of this bird (pictured). Find out more here

Surplus Energy Economics

The home of the SEEDS economic model Tim

#258: Written in the skies

Posted on June 17, 2023

PEAK OIL AND THE UNFOLDING INFLEXION

On a glorious summers day towards the end of the Second World War, a German fighter ace, his squadron grounded for lack of fuel, sat in a deck-chair watching the vapour trails of American bombers write the end of the Third Reich across azure skies.

Metaphorically, a similar message is being sky-written now. According to Goehring & Rozencwajg who are as good as it gets where energy analysis is concerned  Hubberts peak is finally here. Only hindsight, of course, can conclusively determine the moment at which peak oil became a reality, but G&R are very probably right.

With conventional oil production in decline since 2016, the only source of unconventional supply which remains capable of further increase is the Permian basin, located in six counties in West Texas.

This basin, say G&R, is within a year of its own peak, and we know how rapidly shale production declines once a basin slips onto the down-slope of the drilling treadmill. The rates of decline of individual shale wells tend to be very rapid, and a point inevitably arrives at which operators can no longer drill enough new wells to stop overall output declining.

OPEC claims to have 4 mmb/d of spare production capacity, but this even if true, which is highly debateable wouldnt tide us over for long, with demand growing, and other sources of supply in relentless decline.

The peaking and impending decline of oil supply is sky-writing dramatic changes to activities hitherto taken for granted. Its almost impossible to overstate the importance of oil for so many aspects of daily life.

Some examples are obvious, though many others are less so. Unless you believe, for instance, we can replace avgas with recycled cooking-oil, mass air travel is finished, not necessarily imminently, but inevitably. Flying may remain an option for the well-to-do, but huge economies of scale will be lost, and industries structured around low-cost flights will be left high and dry.

Much the same applies to motoring...

At less than 30 days this fledgling looks to its parents for food - image B.Tardif

...

The last 2014-15 breeding season update was mid November. At the end of November we now know of:

• 20 breeding territories (16 last season)
• 27 fledglings (36 last season)
• 5 females on nestling/s
• 8 females on egg/s
• 3 females building nests

There are more Helmeted Honeyeaters at Yellingbo than at any time in the Helmeted Honeyeater Recovery Programs history (the Recovery Program began in 1989). How good is that?

Do you live in Melbourne, Victoria? Would you like to be part of the volunteer team that monitors the Helmeted Honeyeater populations at Yellingbo? Most volunteers contribute a minimum of 4-5 hrs one day a month. Our rosters operate 7 days p/wk, 365 days p/yr. Contact us for further details.

A lucky few wound up their bird survey today seeing a female Turquoise Parrot on the fringe of bushland and farmland in Yellingbo.

Not since November 1990 has a Turquoise Parrot been seen here. One very excited Ornithologist, who did his Masters on Turquoise Parrots in and around north-eastern Victoria, called this the sight of the day!

The Turquoise Parrot is considered vulnerable in New South Wales, and threatened in Victoria. Until the 1880's, the Turquoise Parrot was considered the most common species of parrot in Western Sydney. It was considered extinct in the wild by 1915. By the 1920's it was recovering. They had formerly been caught in large numbers for the cage bird industry, and were also shot for food, as a pie-filling.

It's a tough life being a beautiful bird. 

It may not be a great sign that a 'Turq' was seen today. They are found from south-eastern Queensland, through New South Wales to eastern and north-eastern Victoria. The range was formerly more extensive. They are generally resident in an area, but some local seasonal movement occurs. It's a very dry year over the Divide. Is this driving at least one Turq down south?

Just one more example of the benefit of wildlife refuges throughout the landscape.

Go to Birds in Backyards to find out more about this species

Ken Simpson

Memorial planting site - image B.Tardif

This morning over 30 people came together to remember the life of Ken Simpson.

800 habitat plants were planted in honour of Ken alongside the creek in Yellingbo NCR.

Ken was a passionate naturalist and a keen observer of birds and their habitat. He had a strong commitment to education and welcomed each opportunity to share his incredible knowledge.

Ken's memorial planting, incorporating a suite of plant species that Helmeted Honeyeaters require for ongoing survival, will be the backdrop for the Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeaters upcoming outdoor classroom space.

Vale Ken Simpson.

These are just two of the aims for the upcoming Helmeted Honeyeater survey at Yellingbo NCR.

When? Sunday 30 November 2014

Can you help?

No prior experience required. Training provided on the day.

Click here for more details

Ken Simpson

Join us as we commemorate and celebrate the life and work of Ken Simpson with a special habitat restoration planting.

• Saturday 22 November 2014
• planting from 10am (continued after lunch if needed); lunch from 12.30pm 

NB. This event will be postponed if it is a day of high fire risk.
Venue: The depot, Shield Road (off Macclesfield Road), Yellingbo (Melways Map 305 Ref. F12)

BYO: salad or dessert to share, plus plates/cutlery/cups. We will provide a BBQ lunch of sausages and veggie burgers, plus tea/coffee.

Please RSVP by 14 November for catering purposes by email or phone (03) 5964 8341

Ken Simpson (29/8/38 - 9/7/14) was a distinguished ornithologist (bird specialist) and influenced so many people with his passion for the natural world. His enthusiasm for wildlife, birdlife in particular, was passed on to many. The Yarra Valley area was indeed fortunate to have Ken as the resident enthusiast ready to share his knowledge. The Friends were privileged to have Ken as their President in 2001. The 'birders' go to book 'Field Guide to the Birds of Australia' is a living testimony to Ken's knowledge, passion for birds and desire to share. Join us as we plant a living tribute to Ken alongside the Woori Yallock Creek. 800 Helmeted Honeyeater habitat plants will be planted.  

Helmeted Honeyeater collecting nesting material - image B.Tardif

...

18 Helmeted Honeyeaters bred at Healesville Sanctuary were released into Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve recently; 5 on 17/9/14 and 13 on 25/9/14.

They join 90+ Helmeted Honeyeaters, plus 9 current fledglings from the 2014-15 breeding season.

Unbanded Helmeted Honeyeater - image B.Tardif

Colour leg bands, Helmeted Honeyeater - image B.Tardif

Do you live next door to Yellingbo NCR or Bunyip State Park? You may see Helmeted Honeyeaters on your property. If you do, please let us know.

Taking a photo is a great way to help us identify the bird you see. Does it have coloured bands? is it unbanded? Check out the images to see what we mean - the bands are on the legs.

Contact us here.

Australian King-Parrot - image B.Tardif

Find out more here

...

Feeding volunteers monitoring the birds - image S.Tardif

29 fledglings at Yellingbo NCR to date

PLUS

4 birds known to be either on eggs, or feeding nestlings

PLUS

65 regular volunteers assisting with the supplementary feeding program.
We currently have 2 gaps in the feeding roster - 1st Sunday and 2nd Saturday of the month. Would you like to find out more about what's involved? Contact Sue

Yellingbo NCR - image S.Tardif

Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve is one of the Victorian sites selected for revegetation works under the state government's '2 Million Trees Program'.

Trees and shrubs over 2 metres are the reveg species selected under this Program. This is great, but thanks to the Judith Eardley Wildlife Fund, significant understorey species plantings will now complement and greatly enhance this Program.

Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater are key partners, with the Program being coordinated by Parks Victoria and Greening Australia. Read more here 

Photographer: Sue Tardif
Image: YNCR habitat

Lowland Leadbeaters Possum - remote camera image

Lowland Leadbeaters Possums (LBPs) are critically endangered - only 40-60 remain in the wild and they are only known to exist at Yellingbo. They occupy the same habitat as Helmeted Honeyeaters at Yellingbo, as evidenced here, captured on a remote camera in June 2014.

Sugar Gliders are a similar size, and also live within Yellingbo NCR.

Sugar Glider - remote camera image

How can you tell the difference? Check out the tails. LBP's have club shaped tails (narrower at the base where it meets the body, and thinner at the tip of the tail). Sugar Gliders' tails are widest where it joins it's body and thinner at the end.

The 2014-15 breeding season is on the go. 6 nests are nearly complete at Yellingbo, with more in the early stages of building.
An early season nest, mid July!, was abandoned around the same time the male partner went missing. The female has repaired and is building another nest. Fingers crossed for this one.

36 fledglings are currently being observed at Yellingbo NCR. A bumper season.

Are you looking for volunteer involvement in a threatened species program?

We currently have gaps in the 365 day p/yr supplementary feeding and monitoring roster.

Training and support provided. Would you like to find out more about what's involved? Contact Sue

Not everyone can contribute time. Members are our life blood. Download our membership/donation form here. 

Finding anyone, regarding any subject of your choice, with whom I will wholeheartedly agree is getting more and more difficult as I cut through the quagmire that the internet is starting to consist of.

Even some of the people whose opinions I took as gospels six or seven years ago are seemingly losing the plot. Its a little bewildering. Is it me? Maybe its me losing the plot. Ill readily admit its getting more and more difficult to understand everything thats going on as it all unravels faster and faster.

Last week I featured another YouTube video starring someone who was campaigning on the issue of the growing metabolic syndrome epidemic, but even he didnt understand the role or otherwise of fiber in the diet. Then along comes this heart surgeon who, again, had so far flown under my radar. Philip Ovadia seems more than qualified to talk about metabolic syndrome, hes operated on many victims of this epidemic and he was one of its victims himself.

Yes its a long video, but knowledge always comes at a price. I found this faultless, and I really appreciate his honesty and passion.

History tells us a wet year is likely to mean a  good breeding season for Helmeted Honeyeaters, and this year is proving that assumption to be correct.




At Yellingbo this year:

Twenty-five known fledglings, to date for the 2013-14 breeding season.

PLUS

Females sitting on four more known nests, including one female from the October 2013 captive bred release group.

This is all good news for the Recovery Program. Stay tuned for updates - the breeding season extends from August-February.

Find out more about Helmeted Honeyeaters here

Many thanks to all the volunteers who are making a difference to the survival of this bird through planting, supplementary feeding, collecting seed, propagating plants, contributing to planning

Photographer: Bruce Tardif
Image: light blue/dark blue collecting nesting material