Retire

From 19 April, Stephen Wiltshire will draw an image of Sydney, which he will do from memory following a climb up Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Stephen has been invited by Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) to coincide with Autism Month. The public is invited to watch Stephen at work, and to see a collection of his earlier works on display at Customs House, Circular Quay in Sydney, from 19 to 25 April 2010.

Venue: Customs House, Circular Quay
Admission: Free (donations welcomed)
Time: Customs House is open from 8am – Midnight – the exhibition will be open to the public at all times until April 25.

A PLAN to build high-rise apartment and office blocks along a proposed rail line in Sydney’s inner-west would ruin the quality of life for thousands in the suburbs, NSW Opposition Leader Barry O’Farrell says.
The New South Wales Government has endorsed the building of high-density developments around rail stations in Sydney’s inner west if a new Metro lines goes ahead. In order to justify the $13 billion-dollar investment, tens of thousands more people would have to live and work within walking distance of the proposed metro stations. Heritage inner-west suburbs such as Glebe, Leichhardt, Rozelle and Camperdown are earmarked to be among the first to face radical changes.

Is this what is best for Sydney? From what I have seen and read so far, I am not convinced that this is a good planning proposal. Why are we risking some of the cities jewels filled with history, colour, character and culture on such a risky proposals?

The metro policy also would explain the Government’s opposition to extending the light rail from Rozelle to Dulwich Hill, said a Greens councillor for Leichhardt, Cassi Plate. The MarketPlace shopping centre in Leichhardt has been earmarked as one of 10 stations along the proposed line.

Cr Plate said there was huge community support for the six-kilometre extension, which is estimated to cost $17 million.

“There is an ulterior motive to all of this. Developers will make an awful lot of money out of the lifting of building height restrictions, and the Government will continue to expand on Sydney’s fringes.”

I don’t trust this government to place proper planning above developer’s profits considering their track record.

What do you think?

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

Before I start I will admit I am a non-smoker that has never taken up the habit. It is also fair to say that I am not a fan of cigarette smoking. One of my many objections to cigarette smoking is cigarette butt litter. It is dangerous, illegal and bad for the environment.

Cigarette butt litter is a growing problem in Australia, particularly since the banning of smoking in office buildings, and more recently in pubs and clubs. Australians litter more than seven billion butts each year, with the Keep Australia Beautiful National Litter Index showing that cigarette butts make up a staggering 49% of litter.

Cigarette butts are harmful to our environment and can take years to break down. They can leach toxic chemicals such as cadmium, arsenic, lead and zinc into water within one hour of contact and can be carried by stormwater into our rivers and bays, potentially harming our marine life.

Did You Also Know?

• Cigarette butt litter is the world’s greatest environmental litter problem?
• Globally, approximately 4.3 trillion butts are littered every year. In Australia we contribute around 7 billion of those cigarette butts annually. In most western countries cigarette butt litter accounts for around 50% of all litter!
• Almost 1 in every 3 cigarette butts end up as litter.
• Young children are known to pick up and ingest cigarette butts. Reports have described severe toxicity among children who ingested cigarettes, cigarette butts or snuff, including depressed respiration, cardiac arrhythmia, and convulsion
• Cigarette butt litter dramatically increases when smoking bans are implemented.
• In Australia, NSW smokers throw away enough butts to fill up 7 Olympic swimming pools.
• It can take up to 12 years for a cigarette butt to break down.
• Butts have been found in the stomachs of fish, whales, birds and other marine animals, which leads to ingestion of hazardous chemicals and digestive blockages.
• Cigarette Butts thrown from a car windoe can start a roadside fire or even a bushfire
• 7% of Australia’s bushfires are caused by discarded cigarettes
• And the final most important thing to know about cigarette butt litter is: Only smokers can stop the litter.

Photo by Brian Yurasits on Unsplash