Losing our connections
A musing. Why are supermarket shelves emptying?
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Perhaps the pandemic hysteria is really all about losing connection and freedom to move freely in our society, to gather, travel, hug, kiss and have nurturing human contact.
The bonds of community so vital during and after these recent bushfires hold us steady and help each of us find our way forward with resilience and empathy.
The corona megavirus isolates individuals, denies contact and creates paranoia and fear in communities that have just been through a hyper-vigilant state of terror.
We cannot bear to be alone.
Perhaps "retail therapy" offers some bizarre sense of security and self soothing. I'll be right as long as I have my toilet paper. Hmmm?
Motria Von Schreiber, Bega
Share love around
I think it's great that Cobargo is getting so much focus and support from the media. No doubt the business people are doing well, and deservedly so.
However, no-one is being pointed in the direction of Quaama, to give the general store a boost. Trade for those shopkeepers has been impacted by the availability of free food and groceries at the local recovery centre.
Elinor, the proprietor of the shop, spends a great deal of her time trying to source caravans for those of us who are still displaced. No-one else seems to realise that there are still local people with nowhere to go.
Share it around, guys!
Lindy Marshall, Verona
Nuclear obfuscation
Deputy Premier John Barilaro should stop obfuscating about his nuclear reactors plans for NSW.
Tell us please, Mr Barilaro: Do you plan on building a reactor in the seat of Bega? Will there be a nuclear reactor at Batemans Bay or Moruya Heads or Bermagui? How about at pristine Twofold Bay near Eden?
Families want to know now, so that they can sell up and get out of the danger zone before you pollute our air and waterways with carcinogenic radioactive isotopes, like Strontium 90, Iodine 131, Caesium 137 and Tritium.
And where will you dump the tonnes of high level radioactive wastes?
Kenneth Higgs, Raymond Terrace
Risky pipedream
Moves by conservative state politicians to remove long standing and prudent protections against radioactive risk should sound alarm bells across NSW.
A pro-nuclear upper house inquiry initiated by One Nation MLC Mark Latham has recommended opening the door to nuclear power and uranium mining in NSW.
Neither approach makes economic or environmental sense and neither is supported by Labor or the Greens.
Australia is blessed with outstanding renewable resources. We do not need to explore dangerous nuclear energy options. Nuclear is expensive, risky and slow to implement.
Around the world countries are transitioning to renewables - the fastest growing energy sector in the world.
Uranium mining in NSW would risk the health of the environment and regional communities for scant promise of return. Australia's embattled uranium sector has been hard hit by the commodity price collapse that followed the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis, which was fuelled by Australian uranium.
We need real, proven energy solutions, not risky, radioactive pipedreams.
Nuclear power has no role in Australia's energy future and is a dangerous distraction from real progress on our pressing climate challenges.
There is little to be gained and a lot to lose from this poor piece of political posturing.