01Feb
The courage of every day normal citizens is what I believe will save America.
Kayla Schultz was screamed at and called a “fucking cunt” by a federal agent and accused of interference, for sitting in her car, just as the Alex Pretti altercation was evolving. She started recording then captured the whole thing on video, and KEPT RECORDING after watching someone killed in front of her. She was the closest eye witness to record the event.
In Kayla’s video you can also see Stella Carlson aka “the lady in pink”, also stand her ground, barely 20 feet away. Stella also filmed the whole incident as it unfolded, including as Alex Pretti lay dead and the federal agent’s reactions. Stella Carlson’s video is perhaps the most important, with the clearest view of what happened.
These citizens, witnesses, didn’t flee to safety (they would have been completely justified). They stood their ground.
The courage of these two women is off the charts. They don’t have any training in how to deal with this kind of trauma. No conditioning like a soldier or police officer. Just raw, unadulterated courage and a commitment to stand witness. They are going to need some heavy duty therapy.
CNN has interviewed both Kayla and Stella, and I have linked the interviews below. Their stories are harrowing, horrifying, but also inspirational:
Stella Carlson (“the woman in the pink coat”)
Kayla Schultz
In 2014, the Brisbane activist community got together to organise a community driven response to the G20 Summit planned for the city. Rather than focus on or give fuel to the mainstream media obsession with riots and drama (in Brisbane, really?), the community decided to instead enact it’s own alternative “People’s Summit”, a week of talks and workshops on alternative economic models that place people at the centre, to be followed by a peaceful People’s March. This historic event was supported by BrisCAN-G20, the name given to the network set up to co-ordinate the summit and march (the march to be organised in cooperation with Indigenous activists who also planned their own “Genocidal 20” protest march).
The resources on this page include the archive of the BrisCAN-G20 website (which carried the news, information and press releases during the period of organising and event holding), as well as links to photos and the still operational (but not actively updated) BrisCAN-G20 facebook page.
Go to:
BrisCAN-G20 -> Website Archive
Facebook -> Briscan Facebook Page
Organising Events -> Briscan Facebook Calendar
X (formerly Twitter) -> Briscan Twitter Profile
(scroll to 2014 for G20 related content)
Video -> Briscan-G20 YT Channel and Altmax Media
Photos and Promotional Material:
Artwork Produced Leading up to and During the G20
People’s Summit Program:
Various works are under way throughout the region, being organised and conducted by Lismore City Council with CMC and JF Hull Holdings as contractors. The latest info about each work site can be viewed at this link (which shows details and map locations):
https://caportal.com.au/lismore-city-council/project-pipeline
Areas currently undergoing work include (among others) Cawongla Rd, Stoney Chute Rd, Oakey Creek Rd, Terania Creek Rd and Wyrallah Rd.
Upcoming works include Stanger Road (2 sites), Lillian Rock Rd Blue Knob, Mountain Top/ Georgica (2 sites) and Oakey Creek Rd Georgica.
All roads at this stage are open and projected to remain open during works.
For those interested, here is more information about the techniques being used to conduct restorations:
https://www.lismore.nsw.gov.au/files/assets/public/v/1/4.-building-and-planning/1.-flood-restoration-portfolio/fact-sheets/20250822_frp_case_landslip-repair-fact-sheet.pdf
02Dec
Photographer and Altmax Editor Max Riethmuller has been capturing various events through out Northern NSW and South East Queensland for the last couple of decades. Much of his work can be viewed through his flickr news collection. Access via link below:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/pitdroidtech/collections/72157622617299182/
You can now follow Altmax Media and comment on stories via your fediverse account. Comments and Boosts will only be visible on fediverse clients however (such as Mastadon).
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Search for @altmaxmedia@altmax.com.au and click “Follow”.
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Stony Chute Rd is slated for an opening late November, with one lane access only at some sections. The landslip area that resulted in the Stony Chute Rd closure is mostly completed but in the meantime work has started on the slip between Stanger and Zouch roads.
Gallery of progress to date:
Video of Current State of Works:
Landslip and road damage remediation works as part of reconstruction funds released in response to the 2022 floods, will be ongoing in the area for the new three years, though Stony Chute Rd repairs are due to be completed by November 2026, when the road will return to two way access.
CMC Have taken up residence at their shiny new depot on Blue Knob Rd just north of Nimbin and will be tackling a range of road projects in the area in coordination with Council and State Government.
CMC Depot under construction:
10Nov
Flickr Gallery – click to view:
On Wednesday 5 November, two fire appliances passed through Nimbin heading south. Shortly after the Hazards near me app showed a fire on Mountain Top Rd.
I drove out to Stony Chute Road where the fire was clearly visible burning up on the hill. Fortunately the RFS had established a degree of control. Shortly after my arrival on scene an aerial firefighter from Rotorwing Helicopters, via Lismore, arrived, set up their bucket, and started lifting water from a local dam and water bombing the fire.
I watched the pilot drop 10 or more buckets, by that time both RFS and the water bomber working together had the fire well under control. I left at that stage but heard later the water bomber continued with some more passes and then the RFS remained to perform blacking out operations.
Photo Album of the action on Flickr:
The group Friends of the Nimbin Pool, Nimbin Caravan Park, students of Nimbin Central School, local artist Julie de Lorenzo, the Chamber of Commerce, Lismore City Council, among various other volunteers and stakeholders, have worked together over the last year to bring a raft of improvements and beautification projects to the Skatepark and Nimbin Pool.
Funding was finally secured to properly seal Nimbin Pool, and in the process a parade of marine animals painted by Nimbin Central School students has graced the surface. A new toilet block was built, and then local artist Julie de Lorenzo commissioned to paint it with murals inspired by local geological and dreamtime history and local flora and fauna.
The pool is hoped to reopen within the next week or two.