tyabblemons Said:

Twitter: The people's revolution.

Published by Brad Lemon on April 25th, 2014

Twitter: The people's revolution.

There has been a revolution in communications, and communities are only just coming to terms with what this means.The revolution was social media. Facebook changed the way we express ourselves. But possibly more important to society was the adoption of Twitter.
"Twitter made searchable real-time communication available for the masses."
This was a game-changer. In the initial onset of Twitter, many journalists came unstuck, accidentally breaking stories that were meant for publication. The ability of Twitter to broadcast information in real-time challenged fire and police officials, who struggled to produce timely information. It was thought that if authorities didn't lead, then false information would circulate. And police operations can be compromised by having radio traffic transcribed to Twitter. But a fire may be fast moving, and impact on a town, and be reported on Twitter before authorities even issue a warning.
Overwhelmingly, Twitter has been good for the community. It is the only searchable real-timesource of information in the world. This means people can now get information about things that affect them, like disasters, in real-time.
Twitter has changed the way mainstream media break a story. Nowadays, a well known journalist will 'break' a story on Twitter as soon as it happens. They know the story will be broken anyway, so they may as well be the source. Then, they quickly submit their story about the event to their newsroom for publication. The consumer seeks the content that was broken by the journo to get more detail about the event. In this way, journalist's brands are now more important than the masthead they write for.
Following journalists on Twitter is a good way to get the latest news. Downside is, on the weekends they seem obsessed with sport...
For fire and other emergencies, authorities recommend you maintain multiple sources of information. Social media should be one of these sources. I think social media is a revolution. A people's revolution. And Twitter is king for real-time information.
Brad Lemon
April 2014.

So you think you want a dingo??

Published by Brad Lemon on January 5th, 2014

So you think you want a dingo??
A.K.A. Where's Bindi?!!
Pictures & story by Sue Burek.

I want a Dingo!

If you have absolutely no acquaintance with the breed, I would suggest the adoption of a 3-year-old child, who has A.D.D. Feed the child 10 mars bars a day, washed down by 10 litres of red cordial; keep it up for a month. Then ask yourself if you want to deal with this sort of behaviour and responsibility for 15 to 20 years.

They are cute! They are cuddly! They are adorable!

They are manipulative. They are cunning. They enjoy your suffering.

They will tear off into highways at rush hour, committing mass carnage along the way, never to return. They will dance around as you dodge Fords and Mack trucks and fling yourself across intersections in the effort to return their leash to your clutching hands. And you'll do it over and over again. Because, of course you are dumb enough to want a Dingo in the first place, and we LOVE them!

I'm dumb for wanting a Dingo? That's MEAN!

Of course I'm mean!!

Did you think it's a sign of intelligence to want an animal that considers obedience to be an amusement for the lower classes (AKA all other dogs)? A dingo that views you with little more than tolerant affection ("Aren't they sweet? I've had them since I was 6 weeks old!")? Scary.

I STILL want a Dingo!

Masochist.

Get psychotherapy. You'll need it for...

...the times your Dingo stands 500 metres away, daring you to take one step in her direction. When you do, she takes off like she's been fired from a cannon. This can go on for months - Dingoes are easy to amuse.

...the times she decides to take off down the street, up trees, on rooves of houses, yes, I kid you not!! Deaf and blind to anything but what her dear little heart desires (which is putting as much distance as possible between herself and the human race).

It is virtually guaranteed by the hand of God that at some point in your Dingoes lifetime, you will be chasing her down a busy street, screaming her name, risking your own life, to the varying amusement of spectators. Of course she will be having the time of her life and would not do anything so ridiculous as let you catch her. You've never been so amusing as you are now. Of course you will be suitably attired for the chase, wearing a short tatty dressing gown that has been washed with the towels and jeans too often and has no buttons left.

(She may vary this amusement by ignoring your increasingly hysterical commands for three hours, but marching merrily up to the first stranger who snaps his fingers and says "What a beautiful Husky!") Don't even talk about the gift, in the form of a $10000 fine, yes, that's right, ten thousand dollar fine that the Department of Sustainability and Environment will bestow upon me for my pride and joy being on the run. The only way to recapture your dingo is to exercise your sniper skills and shoot it, before someone else does. By law, a loose dingo must be shot.

And you can't even torture her. She's just so damn cute.

Are Dingoes hard to train?

A Dingo can learn all the basic obedience commands (Come! Sit! Stay! Down! Heel!) in a couple of casual lessons. They're smart. And they'll get smarter if you feed them bits of bacon when they do something right. A problem with these little psychos is that while they learn commands, they also have figured out how a lead works, how it doesn't work when you're not attached to it, how long it is (to the last inch), how fast you can run, and how fast they have to run to keep the lead about three kilometres ahead of you.

With frequent, consistent training, you may be rewarded with a Dingo who just might, if the weather is right and there is nothing to chase or destroy in the surrounding area, if facing due north, with a slight easterly blowing, come when called, only indoors. More chance of hell freezing over before this occurs but it's a nice thought?.Bribe your Dingo readily and often for obeying commands with food and praise and you have the best chance of tipping Her Majesty's whims in your favour.

Try the 'yank-and-smack' routine and you'll end up with an unhappy Dingo. Unhappy Dingo will come up with Annoying Dingo Consequences for Stupid Ownership. These can be, but not limited to, sudden deafness, the refusal to move AT ALL, ear-splitting screams that send the neighbours racing to call the RSPCA, or lamblike obedience followed by a dash for freedom that jerks the lead out of one's hand and sends one on another three-hour chase. Unhappy Dingoes may be timid, sullen, or aggressive and may repay you with many entertaining behaviour problems that you will never be able to fix. If a dingo fears for its own safety it will defend. With a very capable set of teeth. Don't bully your Dingo. You will be bitten.

Remember, you were dumb enough to get suckered in. It's YOUR fault you didn't get a quiet, compliant Collie or Lab-type dog that simply lives to throw itself at your feet.

Do not trust your Dingo off lead in a confined space, eg: the lounge room, unless you are certain that you have hours to spare in which to catch her. Come when its called..?? Dingoes won't. In this case, unless you wish to join the statistics of owners who say "Well she was always well behaved until...[insert tragedy here]" do not let your Dingo run free in an uncontained area. You will never see it again.

How are Dingoes with other pets?

Can they catch it and eat it?

Other dogs?

Bindi gets along with one other dog, my male adult Rottweiler... and has decided that all other dogs on the planet are Not Worthy. She may sniff them; they can't sniff her. If they have the temerity to try, she will separate their heads from their necks. Male, female, spayed, neutered - it's all the same to her. Apparently Dingoes, especially the females are bad for this. Bindi doesn't give a damn if the dog in question outweighs her by some eighty pounds.

Cats?

Perfectly fine, Bindi just loves cats, except she can't quite eat a whole one...

Small pets?

If your hobby is raising canaries, guinea pigs snakes, and mice, you may want to invest in another breed. Do not obtain a Dingo if your passion is watching hand tamed budgies roam free in your living room.

Dingoes have an extremely high prey drive, their predator status being equal to that of a saltwater crocodile. If it runs away, your Dingo will kill it and eat it. If it stays still your dingo will kill it and eat it. Pretty much everything living must die. Do not trust your Dingo with anything living.

How are Dingoes with children?

Any breed of dog can live harmoniously and safely with children if it is raised and trained to respect children and also is respected by them. This is the owner's FULL responsibility. But we are talking dingo, NOT dog. Never trust any dingo alone and unsupervised with very young or strange children. If something BAD happens, it happens because YOU were stupid enough to leave a creature whose instincts and reactions are completely different from your species' along with a completely clueless pre-adult human. Dingoes are NOT furry people, they do NOT share our cultural and moral values and they should NOT be expected to reason out our social mores.

A Dingo that is mauled and tormented by brats will defend with its teeth, out of fear. Those jaws are very strong. A Dingo could conceivably kill a toddler if motivated to do so.

This is not to say that they are likely to do so or are prone to leaping on and attacking small infants. This is a realistic view of a species different from us, which must be understood and handled properly in order to live safely in captivity.

I never leave Bindi or any of my critters alone adults or children, anyone at all really. No, it doesn't matter how good she is. I will not take the risk of something happening to satisfy a Disney-eye view of how dingoes are 'supposed' to behave. Accidents happen, kids do funny things, or Bindi could suddenly decide to take a chunk out of the ice-cream cone Junior is munching on. I don't know what could happen and I certainly don't care to find out.

What about grooming? Do Dingoes shed much?

Dingoes don't shed. They explode.

No, your Dingo has not gained weight or been a freak body perm experiment. It is admittedly disconcerting to find your sleek little dingo resembling a Jex Pad. Even worse, your house is filled with downy little mats that strain your coffee and add substance to your food.

The underfur that comes from one Dingo during one shedding season would do credit to a dog four times its size. They don't think like medium sized animals and they certainly don't shed like medium sized animals. However it must be noted that Dingo undercoat comes out most efficiently when adhered to formal dress, customary regulation navy blue uniform clothes, any sort of food, or dog-hating visitors. You arrive at my home in nylon socks; you leave 3 inches taller on woollen..

Don't leap off the twenty-fourth floor of your apartment just yet. It does end... really.

Do they chew? Bark lots? Dig?

Do they chew? More properly, what DON'T they chew? Bindi has destroyed every precious item I ever owned, and many other previously valuable, totally irreplaceable sentimental objects that now resemble recycled dingo vomit. Don't even mention vehicles found knee deep in foam rubber (I always wondered what car seats were made of inside). Roof lining shredded on the floor and chewed up door rubbers are a common sight.

She's gotten better now that she's older, but every so often finds it amusing to remind me of my complacency. Supervise your Dingo 24 hours a day or resign yourself to mass destruction. Dig?? Not since trenches became fashionable. Bury the fencing four feet underground and cement it in. Ideally install a lid over the entire yard, and hope for the best.

Providing different amusements and proper confinement for your Dingo is good if you wish to keep her from chewing your computer cords, tunnelling to the neighbour's chicken coop, or keeping the neighbourhood aware of every movement within one kilometre of your house. Your neighbours will thank you and the death threats will eventually cease.

Dingoes don't bark, wonderful you say? Wait until you hear the noises they can make..!! Their vocal chords allow them to make 12 different noises - each dingo will pick 3 or 4 as their own. When my 3 get going they sound like 12 dingoes!!.. this enables them to accurately count how many are in a pack. Eg: 10 drinking from a water hole,, 20 incoming commence to howl,, then 10 will vacate the water hole to make way for the 20 incoming? too many to stay and fight,, if the numbers are reversed,, different story..

Too much work for such a cute animal? I suppose dodging cars and crawling through other people's back yards and leaping paling fences half naked are hobbies of yours?

While you're at it, put a roof on the fence or at least an insert that extends inward or you'll look out the window one day to see your Dingo sail over 4 metres of chain-link.


'Bindi' - Australian Desert Dingo, 10yrs old.

During Bindi's puppy hood, was there anything that stands out?

"Where's Bindi??!!?"

I must have committed some horrible crime in a previous life to deserve this dingo. I love her so much but she is every bit dingo and then some. She is a thief, a clown, a dingo on springs when choosing to evade capture and for a quiet dog the loudest I have ever heard. Last month she began a screaming episode that brought out concerned neighbours and sent me to the Chemist to spend $10 on Stingoes to discover that she had not broken her leg that was outstretched and stiff, she had been stung by a bull ant. Yeah, so, Dingoes tend to overreact. Understatement. Neighbours are still asking what happened to her that day.

Anyway, this has given me a sense of what my life will continue to be like and the reassurance that I am not alone! I wish I had been given that advice prior to bringing this darling little precious golden nugget into my life, but then I think of all the exercise I would miss - racing out the door, down the street and around the block in pursuit of her! Where's Bindi? The most terrifying comment in our home!

Sue.


Brand Stealing on Twitter

Published by Brad Lemon on October 30th, 2013

Brand Stealing on Twitter
by Brad Lemon
30th October, 2013.

There is a way to increase your retweet rate dramatically, and boost your Klout score (if you place faith in such things) by taking a popular tweet and giving it an RT, instead of a native retweet. By using a popular tweet (preferably from a highly followed, credible account), you ensure you will get retweets under your own name. It's a very subtle way of brand-stealing.

First, we must look at what a Twitter brand consists of. The most important part of your brand is your avatar, and this is why you should never change it. Most users can't keep up with all the tweets in their timeline. Some have lists of important people, and they try to read every tweet in that list. But mostly, people just skim their timeline and read tweets from people that catch their eye, or tweets that stand out somehow. Your avatar is much quicker to identify than your username. Next most important part of your brand is obviously your username (and listed name), followed by your follower count, and then bio. After this, I think comes the amount of people you are following - many people don't like to follow celebrities because it changes the balance of their follower ratio. Next, comes your tweets. I think your cover-photo rates in there somewhere, but I don't know what rank it has. All these things make up your Twitter brand. The number of tweets you have is unimportant, unless it's only 6, which should ring alarm bells. I would be prepared to debate their order of importance - you may see it slightly differently to me.

It's important to note that an original tweet carries metadata about when it was tweeted and what client was used, and the conversation that it is part of. All these bits of information are important. In the case of fire traffic, the metadata is especially important if your tweet doesn't carry a timestamp. By using a native retweet, you preserve this data, and anybody who filters retweets can block your retweet out. If you RT the tweet, you replace the original branding with your own, and destroy the original metadata, and overwrite it with your own. You'll get past most filters because your tweet appears to be new, even though you are RTing another tweet.

If you've chosen to RT a popular tweet, many people will give you a native retweet, boosting your Klout score. Because an RT references the original author, they won't mind, unless they are a developed user aware of brand-stealing tricks. Government agencies like NSWRFS don't care about brand stealing - they just want to get their data out. That's the other thing, users will general be grateful for an RT - they will thank you for stealing their brand!

Now, I used to do a lot of brand-stealing about a year ago. I was very good at it, and I got lots of retweets. It wasn't until a user pulled me up that I realised that it was unethical. But the worst part of brand-stealing is that it destroys the metadata.

There might be a very good reason for using the RT. I'm not suggesting it's taboo - there are times when it should be used, and indeed, you can't make a modified tweet (MT) without brand-stealing.

Here is a reason to use RT. In this case, I added extra info to the text of the tweet, and RT'd the original tweet, crediting the author. The original metadata for the tweet was destroyed, and new metadata was added. The Navy didn't tweet it at 3:39pm using Tweetdeck, I did.


Original of that tweet, showing original metadata, which told me that the tweet was sent by IFTTT:


Native retweet - metadata still intact:


This next one is an example of brand-stealing. This is actually a funny clip, so I've posted the video. You'll notice here I've credited the author (@alicam) by RTing the tweet, but I've replaced his avatar with my own. I captured the tweet immediately after I RT'd it, so there are no retweets yet. There will be one or two later on as people surf my feed. Many users go though my native tweets and give stuff they like a native retweet. In this example, I chose a big account (581k followers!). You have no idea when this tweet first appeared, or what software produced it, or what conversation it was from - I have destroyed the metadata. You could find it by searching for it, though, provided @alicam hasn't deleted the original.

One further thing. If Alister now deleted the original tweet, all native retweets would also be deleted, yet my RT would live on. If the information was incorrect, Alister has lost the ability to correct it by deleting it.




In conclusion, brand-stealing will increase your followers and retweets, and boost your Klout score. To me, it's unethical. But most important of all, the metadata is lost. I don't recommend the practice. I'd like to apologise to Alister for stealing his very good tweet, to use in my example. Don't think Alister has ever engaged in brand-stealing - his content is genuine.

Brad Lemon - @tyabblemons

20-10-13 Blue Mountains Fires Animal Rescue, Shelter and Emergency care information.

Published by Brad Lemon on October 20th, 2013


Info from VOST Victoria,
more info on Twitter.
Please follow:
@tyabblemons



Incident name:
Point of origin/address: Blue Mountains NSW
Map:
Job note curator: Rose Lemon

11.38am - 20-10-13 Incident info: Horse Feed availability, - From Facebook - Jay O'Connell
Hey everyone my names Jayne some of you may know me from rescue and or selling pet food I'm trying to arrange getting some horse pellets to HHH for the horses affected by the bush fires they have opened there hearts and paddocks to the horses in the affected area's if you would like to help please inbox me and I'll tell u how, thank you for taking time to read this post - https://www.facebook.com/Jayne1986 10.57am

WIRES are running pet boxes up to Katoomba this afternoon, Need help. - Letitia Kemister
Anyone in the lower mtns who has pet boxes or bunny rugs for WIRES please inbox me..we are running some supplies up to Katoomba today..thanks
3 hours ago
Emergency Supplies and Traveling Kits for Pets - Pixie Bigelow - Facebook.

Emergency Supplies and Traveling Kits
Keep an Evac-Pack and supplies handy for your pets. Make sure that everyone in the family knows where it is. This kit should be clearly labeled and easy to carry. Items to consider keeping in or near your pack include:
• Pet first-aid kit
• 3-7 days' worth of canned (pop-top) or dry food (be sure to rotate every two months)
• Disposable litter trays (aluminum roasting pans are perfect)
• Litter or paper toweling
• Liquid dish soap and disinfectant
• Pet feeding dishes
• Extra collar or harness as well as an extra leash
• Photocopies of medical records and a waterproof container with a two-week supply of any medicine your pet requires (Remember, food and medications need to be rotated out of your emergency kit-otherwise they may go bad or become useless.)
• Bottled water, at least 7 days' worth for each person and pet (store in a cool, dry place and replace every two months)
• A traveling bag, crate or sturdy carrier, ideally one for each pet
• Flashlight
• Blanket (for scooping up a fearful pet)
• Recent photos of your pets (in case you are separated and need to make "Lost" posters)
• Especially for cats: Pillowcase or EvackSack, toys, scoopable litter
• Especially for dogs: Extra leash, toys and chew toys, a week's worth of cage liner.
You should also have an emergency kit for the human members of the family. Items to include: Batteries, duct tape, flashlight, radio, multi-tool, tarp, rope, permanent marker, spray paint, baby wipes, protective clothing and footwear, extra cash, rescue whistle, important phone numbers, extra medication and copies of medical and insurance information.

NARGA - National Animal Rescue Groups of Australia - https://www.facebook.com/NARGAdisasterteam -

Help coordinate disaster responses, alerts, volunteers, calls for action and updates for the National Animal Rescue Groups of Australia (NARGA) Inc DRT

New South Wales Lost Pet Register - Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nswlostpetregister We are here to reunite you with your pets in the quickest time possible. Please like and share as the more members we have the more successful we will all be! -

There are Lost Pet Co-Ordinators in your area now throughout the whole New South Wales region. Find your nearest Co-Ordinator here:


LOST OR STOLEN BIRD ? Please read: parrotalert.com is a new advanced global geographical lost, stolen and found parrot reporting and alerting site. Register: www.parrotalert.com Follow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/parrotalert

www.facebook.com/pages/parrotalertcom/113427195380251?ref=ts


FIREWORKS & PETS -- IMPORTANT Tips, Advice and Information @http://www.drkatrina.com/yourpet/PetTips/FireworksandandPets.aspx - This page works well also for tips, advice and information in regards to storms and your pet.

When your Pet first goes missing, please do the following.

* Post your LOST pet notice including photo and detailed information on our wall.

* Make sure their Registration and Microchip information is up to date
http://www.petaddress.com.au/

* Place large Posters up around the area, with a photo and description of your pet and contact details. Please ensure any photos you use in your posters are clear/high quality photos so as people can easily identify your lost pet (the same applies for posting photos online). If you want to offer a reward put "REWARD OFFERED" and do not disclose the amount at any time !

* Ask neighbours to check in and around their yard (and on their roof as some cats have be known to become 'stuck' on a roof)

* Walk around your neighbourhood, looking and asking if anyone has seen your pet (it's advised that you be holding up your lost pet flyer so people will know you are not a salesperson thus will be more receptive)

* Place Lost ads in the local and national news papers in your area (if you have the budget), also place online ads with all the Lost and Found sites in your area

Also check Gumtree and your local pound


★ REMEMBER ★ NEVER give up looking for your pet, they want you to find them ! :-)




11.49am - Wingecarribee Shire Council update -

Residents of Yerrinbool have been advised to relocate today.

West Yerrinbool is advised to leave by noon.

Larger animals can be taken to Moss Vale Showground.

The public information number is 1800 227 228, please call this with any urgent questions. We will post more info as it comes to hand.

Email to Neale Burgess MP 23/9/13 - Knitting Nannas of Toolangi being persecuted.

Published by Brad Lemon on September 23rd, 2013

Email to Neale Burgess MP 23/9/13 - Knitting Nannas of Toolangi being persecuted.

Dear Mr Burgess,

The Forest-Wars have taken a dangerous new twist. The logging industry is now actively collecting data and prosecuting individuals who stand in their way. They have attacked our elders, The Knitting Nannas of Toolangi. They are prosecuting them for obstructing logging. Please see this Facebook Post: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=381416128656413&set=a.290839747714052.1073741828.290793144385379&type=1

One person commenting on this page described this as 'despicable'.

I have already copied you some traffic today to Minister Greg Hunt MP, regarding the removal of protester's rights. I note the stance of the Liberal Party, and the spirit with which they have conducted themselves. I'm afraid to say that I do not believe their actions are in the best interests of the environment or the nation. Removing the rights of ordinary people to peacefully protest is a militant, draconian strategy, and it won't work.

I am ramping up to contact with many international non-governmental organisations about the persecution of the Knitting Nannas of Toolangi. I will not direct them to industry, but instead, point them to the government policy that is causing such legal action to be viable. In this way, I will demonstrate that Knitting Nannas and anyone else (myself included) are being attacked for political crimes, by the government.

I humbly request that you immediately suspend legal prosecutions against the Knitting Nannas of Toolangi. As VicForest is owned by the taxpayer, I believe you carry moral and ethical responsibility here, and international NGOs will see this clearly.

All the legal action is doing is forcing us to escalate the fight against Leadbeater's Possum's deliberate extinction plan on an exponential level. We will use these brave martyrs to make example, and draw the world's interest.

Please respond in writing about how you propose to deal with the erosion of my rights as a conservationist, and any legal action against the Knitting Nannas of Toolangi.

Yours faithfully,

Brad Lemon
Former Lieutenant/Secretary Tyabb Fire Brigade 2000-2006

@tyabblemons

24/09/2013 2:26 PM No response to this email has been received at this time.

Another sent:

24th September, 2013.

Dear Neale,


Here's an excerpt:


It is clear to me that the Liberal Party have been moving to shore up their very weak position on logging, and live animal exports. My car carries stickers from both campaigns. By stopping me from reaching out to consumers of products which destroy our environment and hurt animals, I must now contact international Non-Governmental Organisations and request their help. I was prepared to debate with you in good faith, but you can see clearly here that you have been telling me one thing, while working towards another agenda.

Would you please tell me if you endorse the Liberal Party position, and their strategy to remove my right to protest by informing consumers about unethical products?

Thank you very much for your time,

Brad Lemon
Former Lieutenant/Secretary Tyabb Fire Brigade 2000-2006

@tyabblemons

Email to Minister Greg Hunt MP 23/9/13 - I'm terrified of what you are doing.

Published by Brad Lemon on September 23rd, 2013

I'm terrified of what you are doing.

Dear Minister Hunt,

I will admit to being absolutely terrified. The changes I have seen since your government took office has shocked me into some kind of stupor.

In correspondence prior to the election, you told me that I wouldn't always agree with your methods, but you asked me to trust you. You were right about one thing. I have not agreed with one single thing you have done since you came into office!

As for trust - I only confided to Neale Burgess yesterday that you were the ONLY member of the current government that I trusted. Due to our great working relationship, established over many years, I trusted you.

You hold the Howard/Ruddock years as a trophy case for your government, but I remember my horror well at the dehumanisation of refugees during this time. I don't think it's an example of good government policy - I think it's an example of government failure. Now, classifying the information about boat arrivals is a political master-stroke, I admit. But the ethical and moral implications of what your government has done are abhorrent. You will most likely succeed in removing boat arrivals from the public consciousness - but I tell you, there will be people like myself who will not stop trying to help refugees. I wrote to you about refugees during the election; I trusted you. I understand that you are bound by the Liberal Party, and your government's policy.

I trusted you because I believed in the great opportunity that I, as a constituent of yours, now had. I could write to you about environment and conservation issues, and feel that I was making a difference. There is no good to be gained by working in opposition to you, except perhaps the protection of my rights.

Your Liberal colleague, Neale Burgess MP, has spent long hours convincing me that it was not the Liberal Party standing in the way of reform on the conservation of our forests. This means the National Party have had to field tough questions about the management of our forests, and why it is costing the Victorian Taxpayer $1.50 per tonne to clear-fell Leadbeater's Possum habitat, making Leadbeater's Possum extinct. Recently, the State LNP Government announced expansion into western Victoria - they would begin to log Mt Cole, near Ararat. We spent millions of dollars working to remove logging from the state's western forests. This is a giant, backward step by the state government, who are desperate to promote the logging industry in Victoria. I maintain there is room here for a logging industry, and the mill at Maryvale, but we need to diversify onto the plantation timber, and help farmers and investors who are going to the wall as I write. The federal government's position supporting the plunder of our natural resources has been noted. You said before the election, you hoped the states would do the right thing:
"We will allow the current process between the states to be determined by the states.
 My hope is that they will have some form of agreement and accommodation that will help the possum, it's a magnificent animal.
 It's one of our iconic national species." - Greg Hunt MP, ABC AM, 20/8/13
Well, I'm writing to tell you they have not done the right thing. They have logged a critically sensitive ecosystem at Nolan's Gully, Toolangi, Victoria, Australia. I tried to alert you and asked for help to call a temporary halt to this logging, but you only responded that you couldn't squeeze in a visit to Nolan's Gully, nor could you meet with local elders, the Knitting Nannas of Toolangi. I understand you were very busy with the election. We don't think the timing of this logging was accidental - the public at large were distracted by the election, but we were still able to run a successful campaign. We didn't save the habitat, unfortunately. 5 more coupes are planned there. I showed a picture to Neale Burgess of a tree dropped at Toolangi that upset him greatly. It is my belief that Mr Burgess knows in his heart that what the government are doing is not only making Leadbeater's Possum extinct, it's costing the taxpayer money to do it. They need money, Mr Hunt, and they could save a lot by shutting down the logging of state forest and turning it over to private enterprise. They are locked in by ancient contracts. You could solve this - you could eliminate their 'sovereign risk' if you passed laws above their head - they could argue they had no control over Federal laws and could not be expected to foresee the near extinction of Leadbeater's Possum. Your leadership could save the forests, and the possum.

But my greatest concern, is that you are using a similar technique to dealing with boat arrivals to shut down public information about the damage the states are doing to our natural resources, by passing laws to prohibit people like me from engaging in peaceful protest, and also educating the consumer about the repercussions of the consumer choices they are making: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/companies-to-get-protection-from-activists-boycotts/story-fn59niix-1226724817535

People's rights are taken away in tiny, hard to detect ways, and never in large blocks. In such a way, you will make it illegal for me to engage in peaceful protest of the kind I have been engaged in, in the electorates of Flinders and Hastings. I have warned consumers about the damage Reflex paper is doing in our community, and how it impacts of the state forest. I have done this by leaving information for consumers wherever they find Reflex paper. The result is then captured, and posted to social media, where the protest lives on long after the actual signs have been removed. We have encouraged consumers to purchase post-consumer recycled printing paper. This is best for the environment.

I cannot believe you will persevere with these laws. You are not serving the environment with such laws - you are serving the interests of big-business and eco-vandals. Is the position of Environment Minister another name for the Abbott Government Minister for Destruction of the Environment? You are trying to remove World Heritage Listing from part of Tasmanian forests. You are blocking the planned introduction of marine parks in the Great Barrier reef, which is already under tremendous strain from climate-change and state government industrial developments. Your environment policy is making Leadbeater's Possum extinct.

It appears to me that your office is swamped. You simply can't set up the infrastructure you need to serve as Environment Minister fast enough. You haven't even acknowledged receipt of my last emails to you, so I assume your staff are overloaded, and you can't appoint more staff quick enough to deal with the workload - you have NEVER not replied to an email from me before. I understand why this is, but I will point out that while you are preoccupied with developing this massive infrastructure, the electorate of Flinders is not receiving your attention. You aren't even responding to traffic - not even to say to me that you have received the traffic, but that systems are overloaded and there will be a delay before a response is received.

How can I possibly trust a man who is removing my right to peacefully protest?

All the good work that Neale Burgess has done convincing me that it was not the Liberal Party standing in the way of reform is now down the gutter, washed away by your decisions since becoming Minister. I can easily see that you support the state-sanctioned plunder of our natural resources. I can easily see that it is the Liberal Party who are killing the environment - helped along by the State Nationals.

I humbly request that you take the time to communicate with me about your intentions. Hiding the extinction of Leadbeater's Possum is not going to work like hiding the refugees will.

Yours with great respect,

Brad Lemon
Former Lieutenant/Secretary Tyabb Fire Brigade 2000-2006

@tyabblemons
23rd September, 2013.
23/09/2013 6:11 PM

Many thanks Brad,

I am not aware of any emails that have not been responded to. Nothing has changed in that regard and I am determined to be as responsive as possible.

I will arrange a response about your concerns as soon as it is possible to do so.

Greg

Hon Greg Hunt MP

Federal Member for Flinders

Minister for Environment
24/9/13 3.45pm:

Hello Minister Hunt and Mr Burgess,

This post is still legal in Australia:


But if the Liberal Party get their way, and your proposed laws are passed, I won't be able to say this, most likely.

With great respect,

Brad Lemon
Former Lieutenant/Secretary Tyabb Fire Brigade 2000-2006

@tyabblemons
24/9/13 3.57pm:


Testing Soundcloud Widget

Published by Brad Lemon on September 20th, 2013

Installing soundcloud into postach.io blog.


20/9/13 We're pushing the boundaries of the blog - please bear with me folks, while the good people at postach.io have a look at the issue. You can listen, if you like. But if you click through to the post it won't display yet, sorry. Hope to get the widget working right quickly ~ Brad.

22/09/2013 5:38 PM Fixed! On the weekend! I know, I can hardly believe it either - but the team at postach.io heard my plea, and jumped into their pyjamas and hit the keyboard. They produced this within 48hrs, and we were working in opposite time zones - if I had responded to email traffic while I was sleeping, it would have been fixed faster! It's Sunday. I find this amazing. These people are dedicated!

We now have the ability to embed sound! No, you can't hear much while I'm working - that's the point, it's nice and quiet, even with three of us working here. Wait until summer, when the fire traffic is running. I'll leave this post here, and in summer, I will record the noise at my desk. The difference will be remarkable. Check back in January ;)

A big thank you to the team at postach.io, who pulled through for us. They delivered.

Brad Lemon
22nd September, 2013.

Update: January 2014. As promised, here is the noise at my desk in Summer:


I Cry

Published by Brad Lemon on September 11th, 2013


Pic: Emma Campbell

To cry every day is a sign that one is losing one's mind, no? No. I'm not losing my mind. I'm quite sane and rational.

I am deeply affected by the plight of Leadbeater's Possum. This little creature is 20 million years old, and has been surviving here, through climate-change and natural upheavals, for all of that time.

It was first described in the Great Kooweerup Swamp, which was drained, and the Mountain Ash habitat was felled. I've seen pictures of the loggers felling giants, and there are memorials along the highway to the 'great logging pioneers' that cleared the area. My possum might have been as far south as Tooradin, just five minute's up the road from me. This was part of the Great Kooweerup Swamp, but the swamp was drained, destroying the ability of the water-table to support the habitat required for Leadbeater's Possum. They became extinct there.

They became extinct in more and more places, as the logging moved across our great state, taking all the prized Mountain Ash giants. Today, there are just tiny pockets at Yellingbo (small reserve), Central Highlands (being logged) and Toolangi. Now Toolangi is perhaps the most important colony - it is where they are densest of all. There is only 1,000 left in the whole state. But Toolangi is being clear-felled as I write this. I'm trying desperately to call a temporary halt, while we discuss the science, which clearly, irrefutably states that we cannot sustain ANY clear-felling.

In NSW, they are felling forest that is 1,000 years old. I'm not going to link it - I've posted elsewhere. This kind of plunder of a state's natural resources is typical of a state government, and they can't be trusted with our forests.

In 2004, Rose wrote a popular song called 'I cry'. The song is about what it is like to be a firefighter's wife. At the time she wrote it, I was away on long-haul deployment in the Central Highlands, and we were briefed by top CFA brass that we were trying to save Leadbeater's Possum from the fire. I fought that fire trying to protect the beautiful, giant, Alpine Ash trees, that just can't take the heat around their base - they fall over. Everywhere. A mess of fallen trees after the fire has passed. And they fall for hours, on into the night, you hear them crashing down - another dignified, sovereign being has crashed to the forest floor. We call them 'widow-makers'. The Leadbeater's Possums don't escape the fire. They are burned alive in their hollows. On Black Saturday, 2009, 45% of all Leadbeater's Possums and their habitat was wiped out in practically one day.

"We could lose the remaining possums in one fire", says Professor Lindenmayer, who has studied the possum for 30 years. This is terrifying. Climate change is causing massive fires in forest only designed to burn every 100 years or so. Getting these fires year after year is destroying habitat. Man's fault.

But the logging is something we can stop. We can move the loggers onto the plantation blue-gum that was grown for them, but has become a failed enterprise, crippling farmers and investors. We don't need to lose a single logging job if we act now. But after December, Leadbeater's Possum begins an unstoppable extinction trajectory, says the professor. Yes, I'm sweating a little. After December I will not just work to close down logging jobs; I will work to overthrow the government!

The Mountain Ash is cut down by VicForests. They lose money. They lose $1.50 for every tonne of wood they sell. Crazy isn't it? Why would that be, and who then is making the money? Australian Paper make the money. They make Reflex Paper. VicForests are locked into 1996 prices, because Jeff Kennet signed contracts allowing the clear-felling of the state forest until 2030 - at 1996 prices. Australian Paper are 100% owned by the Japanese. Our Leadbeater's Possums are being killed by the Japanese - but you can stop them. Just don't buy any products made from Mountain Ash.


That's tricky - pallets for carting beer around around are made from it. Reflex paper. Fence palings - all those fences! The bulk of it is pulped - sawn logs for building, fences and furniture are just 4% of the tree. 60% of the tree is entirely wasted - left in the forest. No, logging has had its heyday. Those romantic pioneers, armed with just a handsaw are gone. Now they use huge machines that clear the forest in a day. Then they load the trucks with just the trunks of the grand old Mountain Ash - it's at least 50 years old. The second-growth they are harvesting at Toolangi I believe to be 70 years old. In just another 30 years, it can support Leadbeaters' Possums.

Every day, I cry. You see, I work on saving Leadbeater's Possum every single day. It is my obsession. I refuse to be the last generation to have Leadeater's Possums - that is unthinkable. I can't look my grandson in the eye. I seriously can't. At some point in my day, I will find information that makes me despair. And I'm so frustrated. All this, for greed. 20 million years of possum, ending in my lifetime. And so I find myself crying. I'm not losing my mind, and I'm not depressed. I'm deeply affected.

Back in the 1970's, I fought to end logging, and we won. We will win again, or I will die trying. I do not intend to break the law - I want to change the law. I want emergency laws passed to protect Leadbeater's Possum, and I've asked my MP (Neale Burgess) for this, but he won't respond. I've also asked Greg Hunt MP for the same, and he too won't answer the question. These Liberal men hold the possum's future in their hands.

Dr Tim Flannery says "The only reason this has been going on, is because the public allowed it." Not any more, Doctor.

Brad Lemon
11th September 2013.



Fire severity and landscape context effects on aboreal marsupials

Published by Brad Lemon on September 3rd, 2013

There is a lot of debate in the community about Leadbeater's Possum at present. Many outlets are giving good coverage of the issue, being led by The Age.

This is the science, in a nutshell. The two greatest threats to Leadbeater's Possum are fire and logging. Climate change is causing massive fires.

The government's position, and the logging industry ignore the effects of fire. They have carried on, regardless of 45% of Leadbeater's Possum habitat being wiped out in the 2009 fires. There is one tiny, unburned and unlogged patch of forest remaining in Victoria. Industry have their sights firmly set on harvesting it. It contains the most dense population of Leadbeater's Possum still surviving.

"These recommendations are currently the opposite of
existing management practices"

Professor David Lindenmayer has personally asked me to publish this information for your perusal.

Please open the PDF file contained in this link to see the document. Thank you.

Brad Lemon
3rd September, 2013.

It appears you don't have a PDF plugin for this browser.No biggie... you can click here to download the PDF file.

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