the King George Square conumdrum

One of the biggest debates in the Brisbane City Council is did they make the right choice when they upgraded King George Square in the central city.

Opponents and council opposition parties led by Cr Milton Dick have repeatedly called for grassed and shaded areas to be returned to the square, that is currently covered in concrete and paving stones after being redeveloped in 2009.

Prior to the 2009 upgrade there was a garden bed in the center of the square which before 2005 had been a fountain.

Today in the middle of the "heat wave" that is gripping South East Queensland the mercury topped out at a whopping 61˚C, this reading was taken shortly before midday at surface level.

Photo from Quest City News via couriermail.com.au

Council & Lord Mayor Graham Quirk have firmly stated that there is nothing they can do to change the layout of the square, due to the busway under the square, which cannot handle the additional weight that would be added by the grass and soil.

Are you a Brisbaneite? does King George Square turn you off?  What solutions do you think should be implemented to make King George Square more user friendly in summer?

Read more about the issues via City News HERE & HERE

Short Thought #1

A new series of posts on current news items and my thoughts on them.
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Eleven people die in Slacks Creek house fire, south of Brisbane

BODIES have been found in a Slacks Creek home after a fire overnight that claimed 11 members of an extended family.
The fire reportedly started just after midnight in the home, in Wagensveldt St in the suburb of Slacks Creek, that was occupied by two Pacific Islander families.

This is tragic absolutely tragic, and my thoughts and prayers go out to the two survivors and the entire extended family, as well as friends, neighbours and the rest of the local Pacific Island community.

There really isnt anything you can say other than that.
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High bus fares drive commuters away, but Translink are set to raise them another 50 per cent

BRISBANE bus commuters are being driven away by high fares, Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk says, and more pain is on the way.

What can I say the State Government through Translink have screwed the public transport network in South East Queensland right royally.

With a single zone adult fare set to rise from $2.65 to $4.04 by 2014 this is simply ludicrous, how are people supposed to be taking public transport if the state government is pricing it out of the reach of the ordinary person?

Cr Quirk has some good ideas about curbing the rise in costs but I dont think they go far enough, if the state government cares about getting people onto public transport and vehicles off the roads then they should do something to stop the rising costs that make Translink one of the most expensive public transport providers.
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Channel 9's live crosses to reporters from news chopper straight from Frontline

IT'S the type of thing that happened in the fictional current affairs show Frontline.
Host Mike Moore would cross to a reporter who was allegedly in a hostile zone, but was really nowhere near danger.
Fiction became reality last weekend when Channel 9's weekend news bulletins crossed to reporters in a helicopter allegedly hovering over the Daniel Morcombe search site "near Beerwah".

What can I say, how in this day in age with all the modern technology about and the fact your competitor is just a few hundred meters away on the same hill, can you expect to get away with a live cross to a helicopter sitting outside your studio?

Once again Channel 9 fail - thats twice now on this blog I've pulled up Ch9, and both times they appear to be faking things to get ratings ...

If you want news you can trust watch Ch7.
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Aus media groups to boycott World Cup

In an unprecedented move, Australia's leading news media organisations have informed the International Rugby Board that they will not be seeking accreditation to cover the World Cup in New Zealand.

So News limited, Fairfax Australia and the Australian Associated Press agency have all announced they wont seek accreditation for the world cup.
Their New Zealand counterparts are covered by a governmental law introduced when hosting was announced so they are fine but they share the concerns of their Australian counterparts.

For an organisation who is trying to globalise their game and match FIFA, the IRB have really shot themselves in the foot with these harsh conditions and rules.

My opinion Rugby Union is a game that will only flourish in the Home and SANZAR nations and wont grow because its governing body is doing everything it can to prevent widespread coverage of their sport and their show piece tournament.