Managing director of Ebono Institute and major sponsor of The Generator, Geoff Ebbs, is running against Kevin Rudd in the seat of Griffith at the next Federal election. By the expression on their faces in this candid shot it looks like a pretty dull campaign. Read on
Given that police are going to crack down hard on any protesters who do not register as Issue Motivated Groups and sit meekly on the side-lines with police approved signs, a number of groups have emerged to support the notion of an alternative summit. The idea was floated at Jaegera Hall in January and developed further in the lead up to planning for the March in March. There is now a People’s Summit and a People’s March proposed.
The global group Alternative G20 is backing the summit billed as being held on 14th and 15th November 2014. The opportunity to explore fresh ideas and to think outside the political box, it’s also a time for some fun with live music and comedy events. The group was just establishing it’s Brisbane website as Westender went to press.
The Brisbane Community Action Network (BCAN) is holding a barbecue and ideas jam to discuss approaches at 3:00pm on Sunday June 1st in Orleigh Park West End. Most of you will read this issue after that event but Westender will report the outcomes online.
BCAN aims to develop and advancing community generated answers to world economic, social and environmental problems. Visioning another World : The G20 Peoples Summit will be a three-day festival of symposiums, idea-sharing, art, creative activities, education and action. It will take place in Brisbane over 12-14 November 2014, before the G20 Leaders Summit.
It gets dark early in Australia now and the nights are pretty cool, so you’re going to need a blanket, a pillow or two, your binoculars and perhaps a warm coffee while you stargaze. On a clear night depending on your age and your eyesight, you can see anywhere up to about 1,500 to 2, 000 stars. Introduce city lights and pollution, and you see less and less. Remember stars rise about 4 minutes earlier every night, that’s about 2 hours a month, and like the Sun and planets, they move from east to west during the night.
You can enjoy winter nights comfortably for hours on end if you dress properly and heed a few cold weather tips that everyone should know. You can do fine by piling on layers of ordinary clothes that are already around the house. What matters is how you wear them. Many thin layers are often better than a single thick one as the idea is to trap air pockets – ask any bird!
June nights offer the chance to see a planetary parade with all six planets known to the ancients in the sky waiting for you. It all starts early evening with the most difficult to find, Mercury, sitting low in the west. Look directly above and a little to the left of the point where the Sun set about 40 minutes earlier. For Mercury, you may need binoculars. Sweep this area of the sky looking for a star-like object. Good luck!
Second in the procession is the king of the planets, the gas giant Jupiter. You can’t miss it because it’s the brightest ‘star’ in the north-western sky. In a telescope Jupiter is a bright cream coloured ball with faint red or brown bands. Small telescopes will show Jupiter’s four brightest moons.
The third planet to find is Mars. Turn right from Jupiter, facing east, and you’ll see orange Mars. In fact it looks like a red star, about halfway up from the horizon. In a decent telescope, its small polar cap becomes visible.
King of the planets, Jupiter. The brightest ‘star’ in the north western sky
Just after sunset our fourth planet, Saturn, is rising in the southeast. Saturn is a masterpiece in almost any telescope. The rings are easily visible as are a handful of its 62 brightest moons. By the way, Saturn is the lightest of all the planets. If you had an ocean big enough, Saturn would actually float on water! Oh, and one word of warning, viewing Saturn for the first time through a telescope could get you hooked on astronomy! It did me.
Our fifth planet won’t be up for several hours. Venus can be found low and to the east in the morning twilight around 5.30 am. It outshines any other star or planet in the sky. How about the sixth major planet visible in May? Look below your feet. It’s the Earth.
Our national emblem
What do you think of when someone mentions the Southern Cross? Yep, that constellation of stars best seen from Australia. From Eureka to Ned Kelly, from Gallipoli and the minefields of Victoria, the Southern Cross on our flag has been the symbol for a rebellious and proud Australian spirit. It’s the smallest of the 88 modern constellations but probably the best known. This constellation of five stars can be seen only from the southern hemisphere and is a reminder of Australia’s geography.
It’s always visible in our night sky. Stars of the Southern Cross appear on the flags of Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Samoa. The Southern Cross was written into the lyrics of Advance Australia Fair in 1901 – “Beneath our radiant Southern Cross.” The 1974 Australian America’s Cup Challenger also named ‘Southern Cross.’
Grab your telescope and look around the left side star of the cross. Below it you’ll find a beautiful star cluster called the Jewel Box, so named because it looks like millions of pieces of ground glass. They’re really colourful supergiant stars, reds and blues intermingled with yellows and whites. “Brilliant” is the word usually used to describe The Jewel Box. It’s considered one of the most beautiful sights in the night sky.
Running rings around the moon
Hey, what’s that ring around the Moon? Have you ever seen it approaching winter, a huge circle completely surrounding the Moon? Well, it isn’t really around the Moon, it just looks that way. It’s formed when ice crystals in our atmosphere reflect the Moon’s light, bending it into a circle and making that ring effect we always marvel over.
This is usually a good sign it’s going to rain, and I bet it will, within a day or two in fact. By the way, old timers say if you count the number of stars inside the ring that’s how many days of rain you’ll get! See if I’m wrong next time you spot one.
Spot the space station
Here’s a good tip for those wanting to know when the Space Station is passing over your town. Sign up to NASA’s ‘Spot The Station’ program and receive free email or text message notices hours before the station flies overhead. I use it all the time. It’s completely free and safe to do, and you’ll be right there to catch one of the best sights in the night sky. To sign up for ‘Spot the Station,’ visit: spotthestation.nasa.gov.
The ultimate stair climb challenge, Stadium Stomp GABBA presented by health.com.au, will be held for the first time at the GABBA on Sunday 22 June, 2014.
Stadium Stomp GABBA presents a unique fitness challenge. It is not a competition or a race, but a personal test of stamina and concentration.
Taking stair climbing and endurance events to a whole new level, Stadium Stomp GABBA provides entrants with the one-off opportunity to take on the 5,000 plus steps on seating Levels 2 and 4 of the GABBA and raise money for a nominated charity at the same time.
We encourage all our participants to fundraise for a charity of their choice or our preferred charity is the Mater Foundation. Fundraising is not mandatory but a great way to make every step count.
Participants climb up, down and around the stairs within the GABBA’s stadium bays, traversing literally thousands of stairs along the way before running a full lap of the ground to finish.
Participants will see the GABBA in a whole new light and be amongst the first to stair climb this Brisbane icon. Queensland has never seen anything like this!
How it works
Stadium Stomp GABBA is open to all levels of fitness. There will be rest stops along the way, drink stations scattered throughout the course and music to keep participants pumped and going.
The course will comprise two laps of Level 4 and one lap of Level 2 before running a full lap of the oval to finish.
It’s approximately 5,000 steps and will take anywhere from 40 minutes to 90 minutes to complete depending on fitness levels.
Staggered start times from 7am to 12 noon will ensure the stairs won’t become too congested.
Who can enter?
Anyone 14 years and older can enter Stadium Stomp GABBA as individuals or in teams. You can form your own team or join a team that has already entered and is looking for more members.
There are training tips and four and six-week exercise programs at www.stadiumstomp.com.au to make sure entrants are prepared for the stair climb challenge that awaits.
There will also be a designated spectators’ viewing area so friends and family can watch the action at no charge.
Given the wide-spread concerns about the development of Montague Road, the Draft City Plan and the lack of community engagement, Westender gave Aldi the opportunity to discuss in detail its engagement with community and plans for its site, now under construction. They have provided the following.
ALDI Australia is eager to bring the ALDI difference to West End and provide local residents with our Smarter Shopping offering: a convenient in-store experience with a clearly defined product range of the highest quality products at permanently low prices. When looking to open a new store in an area, ALDI works closely with local councils, community and residential groups and other businesses to ensure the presence of the store has a positive impact on the community.
A car park will also be built on site which will provide 74 spaces.
The new ALDI store will offer rewarding career opportunities to 20 residents, both in full and part-time positions, from the local community.
Westender publishes the following official council response to the tree disappearance at 108 Boundary St, West End
Environment, Parks and Sustainability Chairman Matthew Bourke said based on a request from one of the property owners, an arborist had assessed the tree earlier this year and recommended that it be removed.
“Urban trees provide benefits that are important to our city’s liveability and our subtropical landscape character, so their removal is not taken lightly,” Cr Bourke.
“However we must also respect the rights of adjacent property owners and that for every person concerned about the removal of a tree, there’s someone else worried it may fall on their property and cause serious damage.
“Council seeks to retain significant trees wherever possible, but in this case removal was the responsible course of action given its restricted location and the history of its neighbouring trees.
“The first of the neighbouring trees fell against the nearby building during a storm in November 2012, and the second tree was uprooted and landed on the road during the Australia Day storm event in 2013.”
After the WETA meeting held on 14th May, 2014 at which a representative from the Brisbane City Council was present, a communication was sent out advising that a consensus was reached regarding the Graffiti-Street Art in the West End area and it was being investigated to see where this could be introduced to West End.
We would like to advise that no decision was made on the night. It was agreed that further discussions will be held with the Brisbane City Council to discuss this matter further before any decisions are made.
Helen Thompson, Secretary, West End Trader’s Association
Given that police are going to crack down hard on any protesters who do not register as Issue Motivated Groups and sit meekly on the side-lines with police approved signs, a number of groups have emerged to support the notion of an alternative summit. The idea was floated at Jaegera Hall in January and developed further in the lead up to planning for the March in March. There is now a People’s Summit and a People’s March proposed.
