Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun?
Chief Minister Katy Gallagher’s been in the big chair for a year now.
How do you rate it?

Katy Gallagher’s first year
Exceeded expectations
Went to expectations
Was worse than I expected
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Urban Dictionary confirms there is a deal of confusion as to what a poke means on Facebook these days.
We should probably sort it out so here we go.

A facebook poke means…
Would you like to have sex with me?
I have generally warm feelings towards you but nothing specific to say
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Let’s get with the program people. It’s 2012 and we’re not all white anglo saxon protestants around here trooping of to church every Sunday and observing the Sabbath.
Why should the Christians get all the holidays while Diwali, Hanukkah, Lunar new year, the Eid ul fitr, Nowruz, or Kwaanza are not?
To say nothing of the massive [...]

According to the ACT Supreme Court Edited Extract of Proceedings, Joseph Patrick Ennis, who assaulted and broke the arm of his de facto wife Lisa Shelton on 24 October 2010, has received his sentence. A two years good behaviour order and 100 hours community service.
This isn’t the first time he has assaulted Ms Shelton, the [...]

The name of the man to have committed seven sexual offences against a twelve year old boy (four acts of indecency, two sex acts and one count of using the internet to deprave young people) has been released in an article by ABC News today.
Michael David Watt, a 25 year old youth worker from Conder, [...]

The Greens’ Shane Rattenbury has announced the release of a discussion paper on police car chases.
Shane’s release tends to shy away from what he’s actually proposing but the discussion paper is reasonably direct:
The ACT Greens proposed to trial an updated ACT police pursuit policy to restrict chases to violent crimes only like murder, rape [...]

The Greens’ Amanda Bresnan is calling for an end to to the Catholic driven taboo on discussing suicide:
ACT Greens Health spokesperson, Amanda Bresnan MLA, will today call on the ACT Legislative Assembly to break the silence on suicide, by having figures on the ACT suicide toll released to the public biannually.
“There is a great deal [...]

Given the total routing of state Labor governments recently seen in NSW, and most recently, in Queensland, will there be a sellout of baseball bats in the lead-up to the October 2012 ACT Election?
Me thinks yes. 
Annihilating Labor governments increasingly appears to be a national pastime, with each state or territory competing to outdo one-another in the [...]

Catallaxy is agog at some of the positions being advertised in the ACT Public Service:
Tony brought to my attention three related advertisements in The Australian today for senior positions in The Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate in the ACT Government. Is the Chief Minister trying to jump the shark or something?
AND DON’T FORGET, THE [...]

Liberal Leader Zed Seselja is flogging his dead horse about Shane Rattenbury’s past links to Greenpeace.
Weirdly Zed feels it’s important for the Green MLA to say things Zed wants him to say. But his argument gets weirder still:
Two Greenpeace members have pleaded guilty to property damage of CSIRO experimental crops reportedly worth $300,000. ACT Opposition [...]

Local band Fun Machine have sent in this photo from the football at Manuka today with the note:
Giant crack under pressure
We can only hope the semi-local team recompose themselves.
Got an image of Canberra you want to share with the world? Email it to images@the-riotact.com .
And to pre-empt the outrage. Here’s a poll for you:

Pictures like [...]

This Saturday the old Toast Courtyard (above where Electric Shadows used to lurk? Erm.. current reference… up the stairs from the Indo Cafe!) plays host to four of Canberra’s most accomplished bands AND a prison rules basketball comp between the bands.
This madness could, of course, only be the product of You Are Here:
Triple J [...]

The ABC reports today that an ACTION bus driver kicked 15 students from Telopea Park School off a bus.
Apparently he was not pleased with their behaviour, though there is no indication of whether the behaviour was criminal or dangerous to the driver or other passengers.
It seems that in survey after survey in Australia’s [...]

Attorney-General Simon Corbell is asking for your thoughts on people riding Segway scooters around town.
“Segways have proven to be a popular activity around Lake Burley Griffin, and the government has taken a detailed look at a range of situations where they could be used, like on or off roads,” Mr Corbell said.
“Segways operate in many [...]

On Thursday 2CC’s Mark Parton argued that we police should not book drivers who fail to give way to pedestrians. He called it “common sense” for walkers to give way to drivers.
Do you agree with him?
Next time you see Mark Parton on a pedestrian crossing, will you:
A: stop to let him cross?
or
B: keep driving so [...]

Tim the Yowie Man has been in the Ginninderra Falls and ha YouTubed what it’s looking like after the recent rains.
He expresses the view public access (currently restricted by private property) should be restored.
Over to you guys.

Ginninderra falls
Should be opened to the public.
Private property should be respected
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(Thanks to Thumper for the [...]

The first thing to say about Corinbank 2012 is bring your gumboots.
That’s the inside word from guys working on the site.
Bunnings still had a nice range of sizes this morning when I stopped in, with a choice of steelcap and non-steelcap.
But on the subject of preparedness, a question.
If you’re lucky enough for festival romance [...]

Member for Fraser Andrew Leigh has tweeted about what he’s been getting in the mail in the runup to Monday morning’s Labor party leadership vote:
#respill corro: 800+ emails (mostly to all MPs), 100+ calls, 10+ letters, 1 dildo with rude message. Support evenly split, except last item.
But who do you want to see come out [...]

Wow, just seen this pop up on the 2CC twitter feed.
Given it’s not like she’s local, and it’s more than just an interview, how do you feel about a radio station which uses Pauline Hanson as a co-host to drive ratings?

Pauline Hanson co-hosting on 2CC
Reduces my opinion of that station
Is great!
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On the Drum yesterday Greg Jericho was lamenting the lack of analytical rigour in the Canberra Press Gallery.
Abbott read out a speech he must have given at least 50 times by now. It contained nothing new.
Nothing. Not a thing.
Here’s the thing – why can’t the press gallery slaughter this chump? It’s not like they [...]

We’ve had some fun with publishing Jeff Manny’s epistles (the self described ““second richest and biggest business man in Belconnen” for those coming in late).
Doing so has had the intended outcome of ending his correspondence, so mission accomplished.
But some readers have expressed concern about taking joy from what appears to be mental illness.
It was always [...]

Katy Gallagher has provided one set of empty platitudes on the eve of Australia Day.
Zed Seselja has another.
Which is better?

Australia Day motherhood statements
Zed wins
Katy wins
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Today’s latest effort by Liberal Senator Gary Humphries is built on a novel contention.
Based on data from the ever reliable Property Council he appears to be arguing that the size of the public service should be dictated by sentiment in the Canberra property market.
Some naive souls like your correspondent might think that minor trifles; like [...]

So proud of you lads – wonder if your mum knows about your awesome signs!

Kids with “tits out” signs
Need to learn about this internet thing
Shouldn’t have their image published
Are fair game
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Liberal Senator Gary Humphries has gone stark raving mad and is calling for Canberra to host the G20 Summit in 2014.
Months after the announcement that Australia would host the summit of world leaders, plans for Australia’s hosting are proceeding with no explicit role for the national capital coming into consideration from the Labor Government.
Canberra looks [...]

As a pretty awful 2011 winds to a close I’m interested what the rest of you think 2012 is going to be like.
No need for concrete predictions, what’s the vibe of the thing for Canberrans?

2012 will be…
Better than 2011
Worse than 2011
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A couple of weeks ago the Canberra Times was breathlessly reporting the Guinness world record attempt light show of the Richards family at 3. Tennyson Crescent in Forrest.
Two weeks later we note Guinness remains silent on the issue.
But MJay has been down to see them and sent in these photos.
We thought we’d take this opportunity [...]

Do rioters think that boot camps should be regulated?
Sydney councils have commenced regulation of the industry.
Should boot camp businesses be required to pay taxes for their ‘use of public places in gaining assessable income’?
This is whats happening in Sydney: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/aggressive-militarystyle-training-squads-in-parks-get-marching-orders-20111204-1odfb.html

Bootcamps in parks
Should pay for the privilege
Aren’t doing any harm
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Simon Corbell has announced his proposed pathways to the promised carbon neutrality of 2060.
The options are:
Pathway1: involves the use of renewable energy as the main strategy for achieving emissions reductions. The purchase of a small component carbon offsets is also included, as current modelling indicates that switching to renewable energy for the total ACT electricity [...]

Zed Seselja is shedding a tear for a property owner who didn’t keep the Revenue Office up to date with their movements:
One Canberra resident was hit with a $4,000 bill because the ACT Revenue Office did not follow up on its own undelivered mail notices, and there may be hundreds more facing similar shocks, ACT [...]

ACT Health and the Canberra Hospital are designing a new brand:
Branding of the TCH&HS group is an important step in developing our image, reputation and identity. These are vastly important parts of any organisation in assisting with research, public awareness, recruitment & retention and fundraising and it is our hope that it will provide a strong brand [...]

NineMSN have the peculiar news that the accessory du jour in Parliament House is a retro styled handset for one’s mobile phone to shift the radiation from the vicinity of the brain.
This still doesn’t help most of us men who keep our phones next to our balls, or the vast majority of normal humans who [...]