Hey beachmumma, did you read this article? http://www.ourpatch.com.au/australia/users/pippas83/blogs/578-single-move-to-byron-bay

According to Demographer Bernard Salt’s research, a man drought most certainly exists in Australia – but we girls don’t need a demographer to tell us that! He uses figures from the 2006 census to back up his theories, which you can read all about in his book Man Drought  – is that the book you were referring to?

Unfortunately he mostly discusses populations in the metro areas but he tells us for a fact that the man drought is real and it’s getting worse over the generations, but it’s also limited to specific age groups – for Aussie women, the drought of single men hits at 33 and extends until age 56 – there is no man drought in the 20s – females and males are equally single, or (depending on where you are) there are more single males!

It seems Byron Bay is good for singles, he never specified the number of single males vs females. But the population in Byron is also very transient! Brisbane is apparently the best city for single women looking for a single man.

Would I move from the northern rivers region of NSW to a mining town to find a man? No.

The “traffic lights versus roundabouts” debate has generated an outburst of interest from residents in my current town of Lismore, in northern New South Wales.

Lismore is a regional centre with a population of around 45,000 people. Council is proposing the installation of traffic lights on two of the CBDs main intersections, as part of the new CBD plan. It will cost $6 million to replace the roundabouts and install traffic lights in Lismore CBD. Most people, including myself, believe this is a waste of ratepayers’ money.

Traffic lights are expensive to install and operate, they are normally only considered for sites with particularly high levels of traffic. In the Lismore CBD, I believe roundabouts are preferable to traffic lights – they are cost effective to install and maintain. I believe in light to medium traffic conditions as is the situation in the Lismore CBD at the moment, roundabouts cause less delay to traffic movement than traffic lights.

Sure, some motorists have no idea how to use roundabouts, don’t know their right blinker from their left, and so on and so forth. I’m a bad driver who loves roundabouts – it really is fun driving around in circles!

And sure, Lismore might grow a bit over the next couple of years. We’re an inland city close to the coast. But traffic lights aren’t going to decrease the volume of vehicles using 1-lane streets in the CBD.

The Mayor, Jenny Dowell, is also opposed to the installation of traffic lights – some people may have voted for her on this platform. She is promoting two public meetings to hear the details of the traffic study and the recommendations they have proposed and then to hear public opinions.

The workshops will be open to the public tomorrow (Wed 29th October) at 5.30pm in the Star Court Arcade, then on October 30 at 7am. She’s urging all interested members of the public to attend – I’ll certainly be there, voicing my concerns and calling for more cost effective options.

So what do you think – traffic lights or roundabouts in country towns?

When I first heard the term ‘global financial meltdown’ I freaked out a bit and had visions of the world coming to an end.

I met with my accountant the other day for tax purposes and asked him about this world economic nightmare. I’m not tied up in the stockmarkets, don’t have a mortgage and my super is spread across a number of funds so I’m not as affected as many others – I guess I just asked his opinion out of curiosity. His advice was “your mum doesn’t need to panic – these are just day-to-day events”.

It sounds like some people might lose their homes, which is devastating. Some day, I’d like to own a plot of grass of my own, on which to build a home. So when I hear that a fall in the value of property is on the cards as a result of the US financial storm, that’s welcome news.

On a local level, I hope that banks will start to limit their lending and people will spend less, shop second-hand (though even that can be pricey – has anyone noticed everything at the op-shop has doubled over the last few years? 15 dollars for a dress at vinnies? Daylight robbery!)

All the best.

Good riddance?

This news came as a shock for me, but probably a welcome shock. Kristina Keneally and Linda Buney came out of the caucus meeting in tears… upon hearing the news, I myself was on the verge!

I have interviewed Morris Iemma on two occasions over the short course of my journalistic career. He came to Lismore in January, when the region was declared a natural disaster zone. He also came to announce the opening of the Integrated Cancer Centre, and to announce improved Breast Screen Services in Lismore. He was very emotionless, lacked expression. He just spoke like a politician – churned out the PR spiels; talked his way around the challenging questions like a pro.

To me, Morris Iemma never came across as a person who really cared for the people. Did you notice how he always looked tired? He had these big dark bags under his bloodshot eyes.

I always felt sorry for him, the pressure he was under. But in the end his biggest mistake was he didnt make decisions the taxpayers wanted him to make and those bad decisions have cost him his political future.

Good luck to Premier Nathan Rees, former garbo?, even though nobody seems to know who the guy is or what he stands for. He’s a modern politician, bit of a lefty, young, soon-to-be-married – I like fresh blood. I’m optimistic.

I’m 24 and yes, sometimes I do miss the buzz and excitement of the city, usually on a Saturday night. I am big on live music. Byron attracts its fair share of quality bands, but Lismore… well, we have great restaurants, forums and community meetings.

I lived in Brisbane during uni – after that I backpacked through some South East Asian countries before winding up in Japan where I decided to work as an English teacher for almost 2 years. I lived in two of the country’s most populated cities – first in Osaka and then Nagoya.

I LOVED everything about the Japan experience but after a while I found myself actively searching for space! Everywhere I went there were people – life became a permanent queue. Let me give you an example of space in Japan: a subway seat. Something to be fought for. If you manage to score a double seat to yourself on the train, it’s like christmas.

When I returned to Australia, I came straight back to the Northern Rivers and I was in paradise. Wide open spaces, trees, grass, rainforests, beaches, lakes and rivers in abundance! Doorways higher than 1 metre tall. I decided this region was the most beautiful place in the world, and the honeymoon period is not over, I still love it here.

So I certainly miss the nightlife, the huge melting-pot of cultures and all the different eating options on offer in cities. Sometimes I miss the anonymity of city living too, but reality is there is no better feeling than being part of (and contributing to) a strong and active community – it’s both inspiring and fulfilling!