←Volume 31
December 28, 2016
In this Issue:
Cinema Review: A United Kingdom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX5vI4osR50 Hands up if you know anything about the modern history of Botswana and its King Seretse… I only had the vaguest idea of where exactly Botswana is myself, but events there shortly after WWII exemplified the attitude of white...
Why Don’t You Just Zen Spank Me?
Jesse Thomas-Hall is a Zen Spanker. If you’re like me you won’t know what the hell that is. Just what does a fellow who’s been following the path of inner alchemy who has mastered meditation, martial arts, Chi Gon,...
The Strumbrellas
The Strumbellas are a Canadian rock band who play alt country, indie rock and something they’ve been calling folk popgrass. A feature at Bluesfest, they revealed a few dark secrets about their musical raison d’être. Simon from the Strumbellas revealed...
Cinema Review: The Edge of Seventeen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB6Gecy6IP8 If we can agree that Easy A (2010) set a new gold standard for the contemporary teen-flick, high-school dramedy (and I won’t hear a word spoken against it), then you should not disregard this smart, funny, hip and, in...
Lloyd Cole looks back
2015 saw the release of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions Collected Recordings 1983–1989. The release saw a resurgence in acclaim for the artist prompting a new anthology The Lloyd Cole Songbook: 1983–1996, which spans the classic period of the...
Live Music Roundup – Thursday 29 December, 2016
The Cat Empire & Xavier are coming! Widely held as two of Australia’s most outstanding live acts, The Cat Empire and Xavier Rudd will hit the highways together for the first time in January and February 2017 for a series...
Dangerous thinking times
What better opportunity to examine a brief history of how the intelligentsia have been the first up against the wall in times of revolution than with the recent launch of Professor Watchlist (www.professorwatchlist.org). Run by US far right lobby group...
Electorate takes softer line than pollies
Australian voters tend to accept difference and change better than the politicians they voted for, judging by a recent report released by the Australian National University.
Throw more than a prawn on the barbie
In need of a last-minute gift for the cook in your life? Or maybe some inspiration for a seafood-based Christmas lunch?
Pulling the think tank strings
Hans Lovejoy Anyone who doubts the influence of think tanks needs only to consider Tony Abbott’s short tenure as prime minister (2013–2015). Most of his initiatives were derived directly from a legislative wish-list drawn up by right-wing Liberal think tank, the...
New Beet on the Beat
A great deal of thought has gone into a new vegan restaurant – The Beet - that has opened in Byron Bay.
Coorabell Hall robbed of hot water
Billy Wrencher from Coorabell Hall says beware of anyone trying to sell a cheap secondhand Rinnai 16 LPG Hot Water System and a gas regulator, as theirs was stolen recently. ‘The cost of replacement is nearly $900,’ says Wrencher....
Major developments decided without oversight
Hans Lovejoy The independence of a planning panel which decides developments too large for councils has been defended by the NSW planning department. Major developments valued at more than $20 million are decided by the Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP), yet...
Reward offered over antisocial behaviour in nature reserves
Fed up with illegal camping and antisocial behaviour in north coast nature reserves, former Greens MLC Ian Cohen is offering a $500 reward ‘to the best candid shot of someone shitting in the bush.’ He told The Echo that he...
Britain succumbs to the snoopers’ charter
Daniel Sage We are nearing the end of one of the craziest years in memory, an early contender for weird year of the century, and possibly as precipitous to our species as the year when an asteroid hit the Yucatán...
Triathletes race to Kingscliff
The 14th edition of the Kingscliff Triathlon was won by Daniel Coleman and Gillian Backhouse in late November. The kids division featuring 200 children under 12 was sold out. In total 1450 athletes competed in the event, well above expectations of...
Pottsville wins Northern Rivers AFL9s
The Mount Saint Pat’s Nanos (Pottsville) won the Northern Rivers AFL9s All Stars Final defeating Lismore Force and The Bar (Byron Bay). The final was to determine the best mixed AFL9s social team in the northern rivers in a cross...
Volunteers surge to help disabled surfers at Byron
Diana Willis The International Day of Disabilities was celebrated by Far North Coast Disabled Surfers at Clarkes Beach on December 3. At least 40 participants enjoyed a picture-perfect day along with more than 100 excellent volunteers. Many thanks to all the helpers...
Rainbow Dragons workshop inclusion
Monica Wilcox Rainbow Region Dragon Boat Club is once again breaking new ground in the local sports arena. Earlier this month, while Lake Ainsworth was awash with people, inflatable toys, SUPs and kayaks, the club became one of very few Australian...
‘Lucky’ surfer keeps delivering
Max Perrot One of the most humble, friendly and talented locally born surfers you will ever meet out in the waves of the Byron Shire is Daniel Wills, or ‘Willsy’ as he has become known throughout the surfing world. Willsy is...
Nationals MP supports pork barrelling
Pork barrelling, which is a term that refers to using government funds for projects designed to please voters in a particular electorate, appears to have the full support of federal Nationals senator John Williams. It comes in response to questions...
Surf life savers kept busy over weekend
Big waves and rough seas saw fourteen people get into trouble at Brunswick Heads over Christmas Eve, and thanks to the efforts of the local Surf Life Savers, they all were rescued. One young Swedish woman in her early 20s...
Healing the planet at Starlight
Seriya Cutbush is a Byron yogini, whose exposure to her mother’s yogi and healer lifestyle, has left strong impressions on her being. Her journey guided her to practising and studying meditation and healing throughout Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Central...
Culture Roundup – Wednesday 28 December, 2016
Women Like Us in Ballina Get those scooters on charge and get to the Ballina RSL when Mandy Nolan and Ellen Briggs present Women Like Us, the sensation that’s been called ‘a two Tena pad show’. Two women of wit doing...
The Cabaret of Capsis
Paul Capsis needs little introduction. His voice has been described as ‘an act of God’. When he presents his show Addicted to the Nightlife at Lismore City Hall, be prepared to be seduced by this strong yet deceivingly fragile powerhouse. I...
