Archive for March, 2006
I could have been certain that I’ve written about CIT charging “Student Association” fees, how horribly wrong it is, and how it should be illegal under VSU (Voluntary Student Unionism) before, but I can’t find any record of it, so I’ll provide some background.
CIT (Canberra Institute of Technology, for those of you who have been wondering) has a student union called “CITSA”, or “Canberra Institute of Technology Student Association”, they also charge all students a compulsory CITSA fee, without forcing anybody to join CITSA. From memory, this fee is around $60. I can’t remember the exact details of the VSU legislation which was passed by parliament last year, but I know that students are no longer allowed to be forced into a student union, the thing I’m not 100% sure about is if educational institutions are allowed to charge a student union fee, I think they can’t, and I’m 95% sure that they can’t, but as I said, I can’t recall the exact details of VSU.
If, for some strange reason, VSU does not cover this, then it is an outrageous loophole, and one the legal teams who drafted the VSU legislation should have picked up on very early in the piece. VSU is very important as it means I don’t have to be a part, by connection, of some strange angry chanting mob taking over Civic with five dozen different campaigns at once, most of which I would disagree with. I would be more than happy to pay a bit extra for food or drink in exchange for not giving a student association a lump sum every six months.
On this topic, I overheard some CIT (possibly CITSA) officials talking in Cafe Yala the other day. Whilst I didn’t catch every word, and didn’t want to appear to be eavesdropping, I did get most of it, and the basic message of their conversation was:
- CIT is the only educational institution in the country to charge a compulsory student union fee
- The legality of it is unclear, and if possible would only be through a loophole
- They have already received at least one complaint by phone
- One complaint to a federal MP would probably be enough to bring the whole sordid little scheme crashing down
The officials in question saw me standing there near them waiting for my coffee, looking somewhat distant and focussed. It is surprising that they had that conversation at a reasonable volume in public and in front of, when I am known to carry a recording device with me, especially during lectures. The fact that I appeared to be concentrating on something else does not alter this, as I was nearby for plenty of time before I looked like I was concentrating on anything.
It is a pity that I didn’t turn on my digital notetaker as I would have loved to record that conversation, alas it didn’t really last long enough, and I didn’t want to scare them off by searching through my bag for any length of time, which would probably have made it harder for me to hear the conversation anyway.
Samuel
March 24th, 2006 at 08:00am
Let’s see if I can beat last week’s score of 4/7…a score of 6/7 would get my total score over 50%!
Knights V Bulldogs
Tigers V Warriors
Sea Eagles V Sharks
Cowboys V Storm
Rabbitohs V Dragons
Broncos V Eels
Roosters V Raiders
Samuel
March 24th, 2006 at 07:25am
Here we have an unusual object which I have dubbed the “Scarecrow Laundry Robot”.
In reality it is a basket on wheels, designed to hold a laundry basket so that you can just wheel the laundry basket along with you whilst hanging washing on the washing line, it has been moved whilst its normal location gets cleaned up a bit, the rake was also from that area. It is currently holding some wire and some wood.
Samuel
March 23rd, 2006 at 06:36pm
I’ve got an unconfirmed report from a reliable source here, that the refuellers at Sydney Airport are on strike. It is unlear if this means just some of the refuellers, or all of them…or what the story is, but the bottom line, if this turns out to be true, we could have aeronautical delays and madness on our hands.
Again, this is unconfirmed, but from a reliable source.
Update (10:11PM): Turns out it was true, but by the time I posted it the drama was almost over. According to news.com.au:
The meeting was called this afternoon by staff of Airport Refuelling Service, a Qantas subsidiary.
The workers met for a few hours to discuss their concerns with job security and entitlements.
Flights resumed about 5.30pm (AEDT), a spokesman for Sydney Airport Corporation said.
“It’s all over now,” he said.
He said three flights had been affected but the delays were short.
Samuel
March 23rd, 2006 at 05:27pm
Regulare readers would know about the recent Campbell High School P.E. Class story (see here and here if you would like to catch up). Well yesterday, at some time between 2PM and 8PM while I was at CIT, Gai Beecher, the principal of Campbell High School rang and left a message on my answering machine.
The short summary of the message is that she thanked me for the recent letter of praise, saying that it was nice to receive positive feedback from the public…or something to that effect, I don’t remember the exact words and the message has since been deleted.
I can quite honestly say that it was my pleasure to be able to send a positive letter, especially seeing as they had worked on fixing a problem.
This does highlight a couple things though:
- People (myself included) are most vocal when they are critical of something. I was quite critical of the initial problem, due to the unsafe nature of the problem, and the fact that it showed a (probably unintentional) drop in standards since I was last at Campbell High School in 2003.
- It is important to give credit where credit is due. It’s fine to be critical, but it is pointless to not give credit when you see a change for the better in whatever you were critical about. I often raise concerns about this, that and the other, but I like to be able to follow through to an outcome of some sort. Sometimes it is good, sometimes it is not, in this case it was, and I am happy about that.
Campbell High School (and all schools for that matter) probably don’t hear from the public very often when they set a good example, but I’m sure they hear all about it when they don’t. It would have been all to easy for them to ingnore my gripe as being “just another angry letter”, but they didn’t, and for that they are very deserving of praise.
I must say that Mrs. Beecher’s phone call was a very nice gesture, and one which I have taken the time to return. I rang her office earlier this afternoon, she was unavailable at the time, but I left a message for her, assuring her that I received and was very grateful for her message.
Hopefully we can now close this chapter and move on, with the knowledge that everything turned out for the best.
Samuel
March 23rd, 2006 at 03:47pm
According to a job advertisement on radioinfo, 2CA & 2CC are looking for a “Senior Journalist”. Does this mean that either Kris or James are leaving us? The ad certainly makes it sound that way:
You’ll be responsible for all operational duties in our small newsroom – as well as a weekday news shift. There will some occasional overtime weekend work.
It seems that most of the 2CA/2CC journalistic talent gets snapped up by 2UE, and in some cases television stations (Aela Callen went to Seven, James Goodwin went to 2UE and then WIN). None the less, if somebody is going I will miss them, and I’m sure I represent most, if not all, of the listeners in wishing them the best of luck.
Of course it is possible that 2CA/2CC are just adding another person to the news team now that they are producing seperate bulletins for 2CA and 2CC.
As has been said by many people on many occasions….”Only time will tell”!
And before somebody suggests it, the timing of Editorial Echoes ending and this job ad appearing are purely coincidental…besides, I don’t fit the criteria in the job ad.
Samuel
March 23rd, 2006 at 08:06am
A final look at the HECS and TAFEs issue, before Samuel spends some time explaining to the few of you still listening, why the podcast is ending….yes, with much regret I must inform you that this is the final episode.
The episode can be downloaded from here.
Edit: Link corrected
Further edit: Here is a transcript, so that those of you who aren’t listening can also know why Editorial Echoes has ended.
This is Editorial Echoes, episode number eight, for Thursday March 23, 2006…the final episode.
Yes, you did hear it right, this is the final episode and I’ll explain the reasons why just a little bit later on, but first, yesterday I did say that I would be out in force to gauge the public opinion on the idea of HECS fees being extended into TAFEs.
Now, the majority of people that I spoke to did not want to have their answers recorded which, I don’t know, I can’t really work that one out, I mean it’s not as if they were going to be personally identifiable from it, it was just going to be random voice clippings of random voices, it was hardly going to be able to identify anyone but “No, not interested, don’t want to be recorded” whatever. Of course the people who did want to be recorded, they all seemed to think it was such a bad idea that it should never happen.
Now, I was very surprised to find that a number of these people were in fact TAFE students. I just can’t get my head around this, maybe they’re in some gallant financial situation where they can afford every single little fee that comes up to them but, apparently for the rest of the people who might not be able to do that, the scheme just doesn’t have merit. In fact, one person said this to me:
“Yeah I don’t think it’s applicable, CIT fees aren’t that exorbitant where you can’t sort out a payment plan or something else.”
That was pretty much the opinion of most of the people who were willing to be interviewed. There were a few people who did agree with me that it was a good idea and I still think it’s a good idea, I mean OK admittedly TAFE fees aren’t as high as uni fees, but students still do have trouble and seeing as they’re not anywhere near, according to some people, anywhere near the university fees, certainly they wouldn’t provide as much of a challenge to the government in terms of funding them, in fact it would be fairly small in comparison.
But, I don’t know, the one thing I do have to wonder…the TAFE students who were against the idea today, if the scheme is introduced, as is being seriously considered, if it were to be introduced, would they be willing to use it?
Anyway I did say that this is the final episode, and well I’m afraid it is. The podcast started off quite well, it was, there were quite a few downloads, the first episode was very successful, and to start with on iTunes it got up to, I think it was…I can’t remember the exact graphic, I don’t have it right in front of me, but it was up there in the top twenty of its category on iTunes which was very good. Then over the weekend it kinda disappeared, which I suppose, that was to be expected, it would sort of drop down a bit, because there weren’t new episodes over the weekend, which was always the plan, it was a weekday podcast, but, it never returned, and having a look at the download statistics I can tell you why.
It seems people lost interest, now I know there’s a few of you out there listening to this, and to the few of you and I think there’s about six, seven of you who have been listening right throughout this, to all of you I say thankyou very much, your support is greatly appreciated, but for the time and effort that I am putting into this podcast, it’s just really not worth it, especially with declining numbers, it’s just gradually dropping. Maybe people just aren’t interested in hearing a few minutes of my opinion each day, I don’t know what it is, I was thinking this might actually be a little bit more successful than this, but we’re struggling to get even ten downloads a day at the moment which basically means to me that it’s just not worth the effort because, let me run you through the production process.
I record the episodes either when I’m out and about or I record them when I’m at home, and it’s something that I’ve thought of, I’ve thought through mostly, I mean on occasion I haven’t quite thought it through properly and it’s coming off the top of my head a bit, but for the most part I’ve thought it through, and so I come in and I record it or I record it on the spot, then I put it on the computer, I have to convert it from the digital notetaker format into a wave file, I then have to import that wave file into Audacity, I have to put in the intro and outro music, I have to increase the volume on the, well I pretty much have to compress the, this bit, the spoken bit so that it’s a fairly consistent volume, I have to play with the volume of the intro music and the outro music so it doesn’t go bizerk, and overall it just, it takes a lot of time.
Then I have to export that, I have to make sure I get the ID3 tags correct, I have to write the changes to the RSS file,I have to write changes to the blog sidebar, I have to write the post that goes with it, and then at some stage, later on after it’s released, so after it gets automatically copied into position which was another bit of tedious work, a bit of automation I was very proud of and very happy with but it turned out to be a bit of a waste of time really, sometime after the episode appears I have to go and update the Editorial Echoes page with the information about the episode so it’s quite a bit of effort and quite frankly if only six or seven or eight of you are actually listening it’s really not worth the effort. I do apoligise for that, I mean I was really hoping this would be a success, I know a number of you were, but ultimately it wasn’t, and that does sadden me to some extent, especially when it started off so promisingly, such consistent download figures, and suddenly it just fell into a big black hole.
So yes, this is the final episode, there shall be no more Editorial Echoes, and that’s a pity, I’ve enjoyed doing this, I have, but, well I’ve already explained why it can’t go on.
Thankyou very much for listening, I do appreciate it as I keep saying, and I’ll keep updating my blog of course, I suppose this means I’ll have a bit more time to devote to it, and Samuel’s Persiflage, my other podcast, will continue as always, the march schedule is sadly behind schedule at the moment and will probably remain that way until one of the people I have asked for an interview actually takes me request seriously, I just don’t, I don’t know, that seems to have stalled, which is a problem, but we’ll see what we can do about that.
Anyway I’m Samuel Gordon-Stewart, this has been Editorial Echoes, the final episode, I hope you’ve enjoyed, I don’t know if it’s possible to enjoy this one, I know I haven’t, none the less this has been editorial echoes, episode number eight, we had eight episodes, it was good while it lasted. I’ll say it again, I’m Samuel Gordon-Stewart, until we meet again, tada.
Samuel
March 23rd, 2006 at 06:00am
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Lynsey Armitage and Karen Murphy, the two ladies who won gold in the women’s pairs lawn bowls event at the Commonwealth Games. The won gold is a thrilling and convincing show of power and excellence, overcoming Scotland 11-7, 14-3 in the final.
Lawn Bowls is a magnificent sport, and I am glad that it is receiving the profile it deserves by being a part of the Commonwealth Games.
Well done Lynsey and Karen!
It is worth noting that Australia got a medal in each of the Lawn Bowls events, with another gold going to the Mens Triples team.
Samuel
March 22nd, 2006 at 11:35pm
Wayne Mac is currently on Mix 106.3 cohosting the “Cold 30” program…there is a webstream on the mix website for those who are out of town.
Edit: Whoops, forgot to mention that Wayne’s playing hits from 1977! Doing a great job too…you’d never know he left radio.
Further Update: The number one song from the week of July 13, 1977 was “Walk Right In”.
Samuel
March 22nd, 2006 at 08:24pm
Cafe Yala is located on the Reid CIT Campus, and has become a regular place of coffee consumption for me. Quite simply, the coffee is great, and as a student I get a discount, having an excellent $2.40 flat white in between classes is brilliant, in fact when I rang Kris McKenzie on 2CC last week, I was sitting at one of the outdoor tables enjoying a cup of coffee.
Yala also has a small selection of food, mostly muffins, of these I would have to recommend the blueberry muffins, as I just love blueberries. I can’t recall the price of them, but I do know that they are delicious.
Yala is open to everyone, but CIT Students (and staff as well I think) get a discount.
Samuel
March 22nd, 2006 at 12:17pm
You may have noticed the recent suggestions from some people that I should bring back to Coffee-Cup-O-Meter and the Stepometer.
Well, it’s funny you mention it, as this has been on the cards for quite some time. I have every intention of bringing these back, but it should be noted that they are special features, and only appear occasionally. The stepometer was last in session around the middle of last year…and Steppy is ready and raring, so the stepometer will probably be back very soon. I will probably bring back the coffee-cup-o-meter soon as well.
Stay tuned for details.
Samuel
March 22nd, 2006 at 09:11am
Editorial Echoes #7 is online and ready for download. Today Samuel looks at the possibility of the HECS (Higher Education Contribution Scheme) being extended to TAFEs.
Samuel will be out and about at various times of the day with his digital notetaker at the Reid CIT campus, and possibly in Civic, gauging public opinion on the matter…just look for the person wearing the Editorial Echoes logo. Samuel will include some (or maybe all depending on the number) of the responses in tomorrow’s Editorial Echoes.
Alternatively, if you have a view on the issue (preferably 30 seconds or less), email it as an MP3, Wave, or Ogg Vorbis to echoes@samuelgordonstewart.com
Emails over 10MB will bounce.
The episode can be downloaded from here.
Samuel
March 22nd, 2006 at 06:00am
The Canberra Balloon Fiesta has been moved from the week leading up to Canberra Day, to the April school holidays this year, but a shorter “Circus Of The Air” has been on in the lead up to Canberra Day. It is basically the same as the balloon fiesta, just with a circus at ground level added to it.
Anyway, on Sunday morning I got up early at about 4:30, having not slept, and rang John Kerr. I eventually had a chat with John at 5:15am about various things including whether or not the audio you hear when you’re on hold with a radio station is on delay or not, my first pay packet (which was one of the subjects of the show), and the fact that I was going to take Nattie to see the balloons.
At 5:35 Nattie and I left home and started walking to the lawns of Old Parliament House where the balloons take off from. We were just going around London Circuit and about to go up the bridge to Commonwealth Avenue when John Kerr signed off with “Good Morning Good Morning”, one of the songs from “Singing In The Rain”. I was singing along quite loudly during this 30 seconds or so which were played before the news. Nattie and I continued along Commonwealth Avenue and across the Commonwealth Avenue bridge, then we turned left and walked along the side of Lake Burley Griffin until we reached the lawn which goes right up to old Parliament House (with a couple roads crossing it). We then walked up there to the balloons.
Once we got there it was time for a bit of breakfast. Nattie and I got the “small” breakfast, of bacon, egg and toast, I also got a coffee. Nattie ate most of the bacon and half of the egg, I ate the rest. We then went back to the food tent and Nattie had half a sausage.
We then went and watched some hot air balloons being inflated and then later taking off. We turned the radio back on (David Young’s Garden was on) and walked over to Commonwealth Avenue where we got a good view of the balloons, which were drifting over Yarralumla and Lake Burley Griffin.
Afterwards we walked home. It was about 8am when we got home, and I had a cup of coffee before having Hot Cross Buns for breakfast.
Nattie and I might make the journey again for the actual Balloon Fiesta in April, and if we do, we’ll take the Camera with us.
Samuel
March 21st, 2006 at 09:49am
I had a very odd dream the other night, it started off with me in some meeting room where two people were telling me that I wasn’t allowed to sing ever again, I tried to contest the issue, but they handed me a copy of a new law preventing me from singing.
After this I went to wash my hands, I went into a strange dingy little public bathroom and washed my hands, but while I was drying them some angry thug came along and picked me up and tied me to a pylon, the building’s security staff came and took the thug away but left me tied to the pylon. The rope disappeared quite suddenly and I fell to the floor.
After that ordeal (and finishing washing my hands), I went outside and caught a bus, it was a school bus, and for some reason it was filled with people who were (apparently) from my year three class, including my year three teacher, Mrs. Sue Amundsen. I was sitting in the seat right behind the back door, and the bus was travelling down a street when it hit and knocked over a truck at an intersection. The driver of the bus pulled over a bit further down the road and Mrs. Amundsen and the driver got out to see if the truck driver was alright. I also got out and had a bit of a tantrum about the bad day I was having, so Mrs. Amundsen came over and told me I was being naughty and would have “R and R” (the name for detention at Ainslie Primary School…I can’t remember what it stood for) for the rest of the week.
At that point the dream ended.
This could be an interesting one for you to try and interpret, I know a lot of you enjoy doing that.
Samuel
March 21st, 2006 at 07:44am
A vegetarian group wants the red meat advertisement starring Sam Neill to be banned. Samuel has a chuckle at their expense.
The episode can be downloaded from here.
Samuel
March 21st, 2006 at 06:00am
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