Blinds

Mask, Herzfeld throw more verbal punches; sheriff, prosecutor toss accusations at each other during press conference

2007-01-16T21:22:00.000-08:00

Mask, Herzfeld throw more verbal punches; sheriff, prosecutor toss accusations at each other during press conference

If you count the three-block jaunt from the door of one office to the other, the press conferences staged by Saline County Prosecuting Attorney Robert Herzfeld and Sheriff Phil Mask on Thursday easily qualified as a highly-spirited event.The performances included self-proclamations of excellence, refusals to answer questions and mob-like behavior when one attended the other's press conference.

It began with Herzfeld's scheduled Thursday morning news conference, where he announced that he had filed the report on his prosecutor's investigation into the evidence management and practices of law enforcement agencies in Saline County. The investigation was ordered in September by Circuit Judges Gary Arnold, Robert Garrett and Grisham Phillips after a newspaper reported the questionable sale in 2004 of seized firearms.Herzfeld introduced his report, noting that some of its contents were “quite stunning," notably, the maintenance of a slush fund by the sheriff for laundering and maintaining control of money donated to the department.Several law enforcement agencies in the county do an excellent job of maintaining criminal evidence, Herzfeld said, especially the Benton Police Department.

Spend time scouting for duck hunting success

2006-12-19T22:34:00.000-08:00

Spend time scouting for duck hunting success

Duck season is once again here. The season dates for the north zone in Texas are Nov. 4 to 26 for the first split. The second split of the season begins Dec. 9 and runs through Jan. 28.This long season gives hunters plenty of opportunity to take to the marshes in quest of a full strap of ducks. The limit this year is a very generous five ducks, but it's important to be aware of "which" ducks and how many may be harvested.A "hunters choice" is in effect, allowing hunters to take only ONE duck per day from the list of mallard hen, canvasback, pintail and dusky duck. The five-duck limit may also include two wood ducks, two redheads or two scaup.The daily limit may consist entirely of mallard drakes, gadwalls, widgeon, shovelers or teal. This new "hunters choice" regulation will eliminate the "season within a season" we had last year for species like canvasbacks and pintails; allowing the harvest on only one mallard hen will also give the species a break.With low water levels on most area lakes, duck hunters will have to scout harder than ever to find ducks.

DCA draws blinds on FoI review

2006-12-11T00:38:00.000-08:00

DCA draws blinds on FoI review

The Campaign for Freedom of Information (CFoI) has published details of the DCA's refusal and its own appeal against the decision on its website.

A spokesperson for the campaign told GC News on 1 November 2006: "We don't think they are justified in refusing the request."

Last month the DCA published a review of FoI which claimed the average request cost 254 per hour and took 7.5 hours to process, and proposed that any costing more than 600 could be refused.

The CFoI filed an FoI request for the raw data behind the report, aiming to establish how the DCA came to these figures. The DCA has refused, claiming the information is exempt from FoI as it relates to the formulation of government policy.

In its appeal, the DfoI has emphasised that it asked for factual information and the DCA's analysis, and claimed the department has disregarded its own advice to Whitehall on how to handle requests.

The mind illness that blinds us to everything but dollars and ...

2006-11-21T01:21:00.000-08:00

The mind illness that blinds us to everything but dollars and ...

ACCESS ECONOMICS believes obesity is costing the economy $21 billion a year - "double the cost of Medicare", as the Herald put it this week.

Fair enough, but how are these things worked out? Is it the extra cost of trouser fabric, necessary to cover the nation's ever larger backside? Is it the additional leather required to fashion all those size 46 belts? Or just the extra fuel Qantas needs for its take-offs?

Every week someone comes up with one of these calculations. Urban air pollution, we are told, costs Australia $7 billion a year, tobacco abuse costs "a staggering $21 billion" and a lack of live-in fathers "nearly $13 billion".

Dust-related asthma costs Australia $50 million a year, a lack of English $4.8 billion, and hearing loss is costing $12 billion.

Web campaign urges Spaniards to switch off

2006-11-09T01:16:00.000-08:00

Web campaign urges Spaniards to switch off

Closing blinds to keep out the sun instead of turning on air conditioning can save a household more than half a tonne of carbon dioxide emissions a year, Spaniards are being told by a new campaign against climate change.

Switching off computers, televisions and music centres when not in use can save 87 kilos (191 pounds) of carbon dioxide (CO2), says the Web page www.movimientoclima.org, launched on Thursday.

Spain has the worst record of all the countries that .