Monday 1 December 2014

World AIDS Day 2014





The global World AIDS Day theme for this year continues on from last year’s theme: Getting to Zero: Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths.

The aim of World AIDS Day is to encourage all Australians to be aware of HIV; to take action to reduce the transmission of HIV by promoting safe sex practices; and to ensure that people living with HIV can participate fully in the life of the community, free from stigma and discrimination.

As a community and as individuals, there is a lot we can do in relation to HIV. Working in partnership with people living with HIV, we can encourage others to understand how the virus is transmitted. We can support people to access testing and treatment, as we know that getting treatment at the early stages of infection results in better health outcomes. We can raise awareness that HIV positive people have the right to participate in a community free from stigma and discrimination.

Show your support for people living with HIV on World AIDS Day by wearing a red ribbon, the international symbol of HIV awareness and support.

More info here 

Which Tony?


On Google Trends first “Tony” was stupid. Then he was stupid, a bully and a liar. After that he was stupid, a bully, a liar and toxic - swiftly followed by being considered a bully, stupid, a liar, toxic and sexist.

Being thought of as a stupid bully seems to be something expected to continue into the future.

Sound like anyone Australian voters might know?



Metgasco considering leaving New South Wales for good?


Metgasco Limited Chairman Leonard Gill at the coal seam and tight gas exploration and wannabee production company’s 2014 annual general meeting, according to the Ballina Shire Advocate on 29 November 2014:

"The government's announcement has again given the green light in principle, but provided another set of traffic lights in practice," Mr Gil said.
He also suggested many gas companies in NSW would be contemplating the government's offer to buy back petroleum exploration licences.
"Given the continuing changing rules and ongoing delays in NSW, it would not surprise if all exploration licence holders - even the largest ones - gave some thought, at least in private, to this option."……
Mr Gil said the company will "continue to pursue opportunities to diversify outside NSW" as the best way to provide value to shareholders.
"Given ongoing delay in the Northern Rivers, the lack of investor confidence in NSW and the outlook for continuing sovereign risk, diversification remains a priority in order to set the company on a growth path," Mr Gil told the meeting.

The Australian Stock Exchange chart of Metgasco ordinary share daily price performance over the last twelve months:


At close of trade on Friday the company's ordinary share price stood at 4.7 cents.

Metgasco monthly ordinary share price charted over last ten years:


Current shareholder sentiment has been described as "depressed" by one AGM observer.

A state of affairs some shareholder comments on the HotCopper forum this month tend to support:

When do you think MEL lost community support and squandered their opportunity?

who says mel management cannot be matched for the ability to destroy shareholder value while holding a great assett?

Cast your mind back several years Henderson and tell me you weren't prepared to walk away then!
Or was that a silly, ill conceived bluff, that may have come back to bite. Still not happy!

Tweed MP Geoff Provest was quoted calling on companies with exploration licences on the North Coast to give them up.
My local MP sucks - does he mean without any compensation (how un-Australian)
Seem to remember you getting out at about 41c danebell when ERM bought in - smarter than me mate. The end may be nearer than we think - best to all Sean.

Wonder what ERM Power are thinking, our largest shareholder with 58,000.000 shares having paid up to 0.60 cents a share in 2011 like the rest of us longtermers, who have been stuck unable to sell our shares because the NSW govt, The Greens and Lock the Gate have ruined MEL's promising future and ours as well.

What 4-traders thinks of Metgasco's immediate future:

Metgasco : East Australia's future gas projects shrink

11/29/2014 | 07:01am US/Eastern

There were three upstream gas projects in east Australia culled during the past 12 months from the list of potential projects complied by the Australian government's commodity forecaster, the Bureau of Resource and Energy Economics (Bree).
The Casino coal-bed methane (CBM) gas Casino project operated by Australian independent Metgasco was taken off the list of potential gas, oil and LNG projects that could be sanctioned in the medium term. Also struck off were the two trains of the Fisherman's Landing LNG project, which was listed as two projects, operated by Australian independent LNG Limited (LNGL).....
Another Bree report this week showed that the 2012-13 fiscal year to 30 June was the first year in more than six years that a new gas-fired power station did not come on line. This was in contrast to 5,135MW of similar capacity coming on line between 2006-07 and 2011-12.
There still remains 7,928MW of planned gas-fired power capacity in Australia, or about 7pc of Australia's installed power generation capacity. But most of these projects are unlikely to be approved during the next two or three years given the current oversupply in the Australian electricity market that has depressed wholesale electricity prices.

The Australian Parliament may be in recess by 5 December, but the Abbott Government will be coming after us all again in February 2015


There are only three more sitting days until the 44th Australian Parliament goes into recess until February 2015.

While we all may breathe a sigh of relief that the horrible fascination that is parliamentary question time is no longer occurring and The Speaker has gone to that dank, dark place biased and confused speaker’s go in recess, now is not the time to be idle.

Because it is almost inevitable that the Abbott Government will return in the first quarter determined to force the states into 'voluntarily' requesting increases in the Goods & Services Tax (GST).

It is highly likely that a call will come from Liberal and National party sock puppets to both increase and widen this consumption tax.

The argument for a tax increase will probably be along the lines of; any increase can be kept down to a reasonable level if it is accompanied by a widening of the tax base.

There are no prizes for guessing that taxing goods under $1,000 purchased overseas via the Internet will be mentioned, as this has been a favourite with local business for some time.

However, using the Abbott Government’s past performance as a guide, perhaps we all should be preparing to hear these puppets raise the possibility that educational course material purchased as a prerequisite of participation, along with certain health services and off-the-shelf medications, should all now attract the GST.

By the same token it is highly likely that all cooked or processed meats and some fish will be on any new taxed food wish list; such as BBQ chickens, ham on the bone, whole salamis etc. and smoked fish.

As of 23 October 2014 food in the groups listed below currently attract the GST according to the latest legislative compilation:

Prepared Food
Quiches, sandwiches (using any type of bread or roll), pizzas, pizza subs, pizza pockets and similar, food marketed as a prepared meal, but not including soup, platters etc. of cheese, cold cuts, fruit or vegetables and other arrangements of food, hamburgers, chicken burgers and similar, hot dogs.

Confectionery
Confectionery, food marketed as confectionery, food marketed as ingredients for confectionery or food consisting principally of confectionery, popcorn, confectionery novelties, muesli bars or health food bars, and similar foodstuffs, crystallised fruit, glace fruit and drained fruit, crystallised ginger and preserved ginger, edible cake decorations.

Savoury snacks
Potato crisps, sticks or straws, corn crisps or chips, bacon or pork crackling or prawn chips, seeds or nuts that have been processed or treated by salting, spicing, smoking or roasting, or in any other similar way, caviar and similar fish roe, other snack foods.

Bakery products
Cakes, slices, cheesecakes, pancakes, waffles, crepes, muffins and puddings, pavlova and meringues, pies (meat, vegetable or fruit), pasties and sausage rolls, tarts and pastries, doughnuts and croissants, pastizzi, calzoni and brioche, scones and scrolls, bread (including buns) with a sweet filling or coating.

Ice-cream food
Ice-cream, ice-cream cakes, ice-creams and ice-cream substitutes, frozen confectionery, frozen yoghurt and frozen fruit products (but not frozen whole fruit), flavoured iceblocks (whether or not marketed in a frozen state), any similar food.

Biscuit goods
Food that is, or consists principally of, biscuits, cookies, crackers, pretzels, cones or wafers.