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Victorian bushfires death toll expected to rise to 230Font Size:
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Print UPDATED: Rick Wallace | February 09, 2009
Article from: The Australian THE DEATH toll from the nation's worst bushfires is expected to more than double, with the Victorian Government being advised to prepare for 230 fatalities.

Police and fire crews began entering some of the worst-affected regions today and the official toll stood at 128, having been increased from 107 just after 2pm AEST.

But The Australian understands the state government was advised during crisis meetings this morning of predictions of at least 230 deaths.

The grim tally amounts to at least three times the number of lives lost in both the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983 and the Black Friday fires of 1939.

The warning come as residents in the Beechworth and Yackandandah regions in Victoria's northeast remain on high alert today with a bushfire bearing down on them from the east.

As forensic investigators began work in the Churchill region in Gippsland to establish if the fires were deliberately lit, the state's Country Fire Authority advised that the blaze in the bushland region had crossed the Yackandandah-Dederang Road about 20km southeast of Beechworth.

It has also jumped the Kiewa River between the towns of Running Creek and Coral Bank, another 20km to the south, and is heading northwest towards the two regions.

Towns on urgent alert include Stanley, Bruarong, Dederang, Gundowring, Gundowring Upper, Kancoona, Kancoona South, Coral Bank, Glen Creek and Running Creek.

The town of Eskdale is also on alert.

The fire warnings came as Victorian Premier John Brumby indicated today that a review of the bushfires would include examining the "stay and defend or leave early" policy.

Police said today all fire-devastated areas would be treated as crime scenes to determine if arson was involved.

Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon said: "At this stage we have a team at the fire at Churchill in the Gippsland Valley, which is certainly one that we believe was deliberately lit.

"Our fire experts and our own investigators have suggested that the way that it happened, how fast that it happened, that there is good evidence to believe that it was lit."

Responding to speculation that the fires has been deliberately lit, the Prime Minister, who remained in Victoria today, said it would amount to “mass murder”.

“What do you say about anyone like that - there are no words to describe it other than mass murder,” Mr Rudd said.

Today's sitting of federal parliament has been cancelled as a mark of respect to the victims.

Mr Rudd said Australia had become used to disasters affecting Australians overseas, such as the Bali bombings, but now tragedy had struck on a large scale at home.

“This is of a level of horror that few of us anticipated,” he said. “The practical challenge is to provide the hand and heart of human friendship.”

More than the 31 fires are still raging across the state.

Mr Rudd said he had received offers of help from the British and New Zealand prime ministers and would be taking up the offer of 100 firefighters from New Zealand.

He said 600 army temporary accommodation units would be provided to house those left homeless by the fires while Centrelink would be making immediate cash payments to fire victims.

“These are just starts and I say this to the people of Victoria - Australia is with you and we're going to rebuild these communities with a combined national effort,” he said.


Story Tools

Photo of Bike rider giving Koala a drink of water during the Australia heatwave courtesy of: Daniel Shaw

The Animals in the wildfires are suffering and dying too... Click here to read a story from some of the residents... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/7877503.stm

The Life of Samuel J. Tilden - Revised and Edited - to Honor Tilden's Birthday - February 9, 2009

Above is the link to the book cover for the revised and edited by Nikki Oldaker version of John Bigelow's, "The Life of Samuel J. Tilden"...This project took over 3 years to publish - but was well worth the endless hours of work. ISBN 978-0-9786698-1-2

The other day while working on the marketing and promotion plan for the new book release -I came across a review written in the New York Times, 1895 online article archives. "I have only to suggest that no citizen’s library, and especially no Democrat’s library, should be regarded as complete without a copy of this invaluable and most interesting work"...David B. Hill, New York Times - May 5th, 1895 This review has been added to the dust cover today.

Because my company is a new start up publisher - the book is going straight to POD (Print on Demand) distributed through THOR - Hard cover price $35.85 and can be pre-ordered and purchased at online bookstores. I wanted the new revision of the book to be able to compete with other scanned versions and priced it as low as I could go with a hard cover POD production. To sweeten the deal Show Biz East Productions is offering a two book half off the paperback deal which "Samuel Tilden, the Real 19th President". can be found and purchased from the Tilden website only.


The Samuel Tilden project has been an ongoing project that I've dedicated my time to since 1994. During the production of "The Life of Samuel Tilden" I took great pride in carefully retyping and editing every word Bigelow so eloquently wrote about his great friend and confidant Samuel.

The new book is being digitized for e-book production for later this year and will as of February 9th be available in 6 x 9 print with a newly designed updated dust cover. (Click on the book picture above to see a larger version of new dust cover.)
A few Internet links have been added to the book during the revision for students so they can easily go to related web sites for research. Also, during edits I found an important error that John Bigelow's printer missed I'm sure by accident before the book went into print and corrected it. I am always and forever in awe of writers and printers from the 19th century and earlier works because of the tedious work involved in publishing their books. Computers have made it so much easier for 21st century writers to correct mistakes made. I am forever editing and editing everything I write and know there are times my head gets ahead of my fingers on the keyboard. Another difference in my revised edition is revised Tilden's rare book collection and produced a new layout charting each book and artistic plate that was in his collection. One thing I did leave out of this version was the page index. Many may not approve of that decision - but the decision was made to label the chapters very clear so readers would know exactly where to find information in the book.

Samuel Tilden spent a small fortune purchasing his private collection of rare and one of a kind books...This collection was passed on through his estate as his gift to the New York Public Library he planned. I listed them carefully for interested Art Curators seeking the rare books he left...All of the collection has to be worth a large fortune today if still in tact.


Tilden's dream of a free library was nearly derailed when his nephews and other family members challenged his Will's 35th clause. Samuel never married and had no children of his own. He did leave each member property and money to sustained them but they felt they deserved the entire estate. They're attempt to win all the estate's money was challenged and won in New York state's courts. If it were not for Samuel's best friend and Executors of his Public Library Trust the famous landmark; the New York Public Library, would have never seen the light of day. John Bigelow one his Executors explains in detail how the will was broken and how he and others supporters of Tilden argued and negotiated to keep the "Tilden Trust" in tack and profitable...enough so that they made enough money through savvy investments to get the library built by combining the Astor and Lenox libraries to the project.

Samuel Tilden was Governor of New York and elected President by over 254,000 votes as our 19th President. His Presidency was taken away by one disputed Electoral College vote. Both books detail the election dispute ...one in the form of his biography and the other as a novel.

This year on his birthday the National Arts Club will hold their annual "Tilden" birthday dinner. It is to my understanding that at this year's celebration the guests will dress in 19th century costumes. How cool is that...It is my intent to present O. Aldon James the current President of the National Arts Club the book as a gift and hope he will take delight when he reads the Acknowledgement to him:

A special thank you to all the National Arts Club Presidents, especially O. Aldon James for preserving the Samuel Tilden historical landmark Gramercy Park home. Also to the Trustees and donors of the New York Public Library for continuing to support Samuel Tilden’s gift of the first free public library system in the United States.
So psssssst... don't spoil the surprise!!!


The book has been: "Dedicated To: Public Librarians & History Teachers Worldwide"

Samuel Tilden formulated a Plan for the Peoples' Government that Works!

Why is it that we treat our elected officials like Royalty? In America they are not…they work for the people…at least they are supposed to.
Recently I have had the opportunity to read volume one of the “The Life of Samuel Tilden” and am discovering more about corruption in politics
and what the real role of the people’s government should be. From what I have read and learned is that in Tilden’s tenor as Governor of New York - it ain’t nothing like it is supposed to be.

We have politicians riding around in limousines with bodyguards protecting them who eat in the finest restaurants and go to events neither you nor I would be able to afford on a middle class salary. These people are wasting and spending taxpayer dollars like movie stars…They take no responsibility whatsoever in wasting tax dollars and why should they? It is the fault of the people who voted for them then sit back and do nothing while they rob the coffers of the government blind. The people sit back and watch with disgust day after day when it is reported on the news about their thefts and misconduct… One has to question why? I know I question why – but like the rest of the people – I sit on my laurels and do nothing to stop them.

Just yesterday I read that Congress and the President signed into law a budget that made my eyes pop. Five hundred and fifty five billion dollars!!! I will repeat that - $555 billions of dollars that include 70 billions dollars for the Iraq war and Bush was disappointed because that’s all he got. He wanted 196 billions of dollars to blow and our stingy Congress only gave him 70 billions. Bush complained about earmarks… he criticized the thousands of "earmarks" -- specific spending allocations for projects and programs favored by specific members of Congress, often for their home states and districts -- included in the budget… Uh duh – isn’t that what the money is supposed to be for? American taxpayer pork projects like the infamous bridge to no where.

I like millions of other Americans are disgusted over the entire situation – but we still sit on our laurels and do nothing. Are we waiting for a new leader to take over and fix it? With the current crop of Presidential candidates running for office – we will once again – vote them another money waster into power. There is not a one, except Ron Paul who is talking about the waste…he’s the guy who is raising money by the millions from group of citizens that are trying to get him elected so we can change government waste. He is out there promising to do all kinds of things to stop it…but like the majority of us who have heard him speak and know he is right are afraid this doctor from Texas that could destroy this country with the stroke of his pen if put into power. We fear this big of change in the right direction like we fear the fictitious role play by Al Pacino when he portrayed the Godfather. So if not Ron Paul – who do we think we can vote into office to run our government the way it is supposed to be? Hillary? Obama? Rudi? Fred? Mitt? Huckabee? Edwards? Dodd? Biden? All of these people scare the hell out of me…because each and every one of them are not saying the word or want to take the action to fix what’s broken in America…Each and every one of them in my opinion have new ideas that are going to cost MORE MONEY and they will fix nothing…each and everyone of these limo riding political celebrities made popular by the press and paid for by the corporations are drooling to sit in the Oval office and biting at the bit waiting for their chance to waste one of the biggest bank accounts in the world, our money. None of them have uttered the word, REFORM.

Like I said, after reading Tilden’s life story, I learned what needs to be done to fix our broken government… I just don’t know how to get the rest of you to take the time to read how our government is supposed to be working for us – but if I ever do – you will learn what our government is supposed to be and how to fix it…The facts are all in Volume one of, “The Life of Samuel J. Tilden” which I will publish in time…but not in time for the 2008 elections. I only wish I had the means and the influence to bring to you a Hollywood film about Tilden - then you too would know how your government, and the reform formual Tilden used worked. He worked 24/7 to bring the truth to the people and taught them what it takes to make the Peoples' Government work. He nailed Government Reform down to a science and our Politicians, Corporations and Media are surpressing the plan from you, Joe and Jane citizens.

One of Tilden's most famous statements engraved on his tombstone is: "I Still Trust in the People." He knew we knew how to get it right if we stuck together to get the work done.

Samuel Tilden book exhibits 5 shows Fall 2007

September 19-21, 2007PNBA, Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue, WA
September 27-29, 2007NEBA, Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, RI
September 28-30, 2007 SIBA, Hilton Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
September 28-30, 2007MPBA, Denver Marriott Tech Center, Denver, CO
October 5-7, 2007 MBA, Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, MN
October 5-7, 2007NCIBA, Oakland Convention Center, Oakland, CA
October 14-15, 2007NAIBA,Sheraton Baltimore City Center, Baltimore, MD

Teachers, Students and Librarians- this is a fantastic story for a book report. It's an easy read and your students will easily get into in the story. 20% discount if you buy from the Publisher direct at www.SamuelTilden.com

Some brief history about Tilden:
New York Governor, Samuel Jones Tilden, was considered the greatest democrat ever during 1800's. He was easily nominated to be the Presidential Candidate by his party because of his reform tactics and was doing everything in his power to put the people involved in rampant corruption out of business. Tilden was best know for his success in the take down the Tammany Hall and infamous William "Boss" Tweed ring and later the Canal Ring.

Tilden won the Presidency on Election Day, November 7, 1876 beating out Rutherford B. Hayes by over 254,000 popular votes. The morning after the election newspapers across America headlined Tilden's victory, as the elected 19th President, but it was short lived when when a corrupt conspiracy took hold. Tilden elected the 19th President.

The dispute began early in the morning hours after Election day when John Reid, Managing editor of the New York Times refused to accept Tilden as President. Reid and his editors board agreed to print the headline in an editorial, "Election in Doubt." Reid paid a visit to the Republican Party Chairman, Zach Chandler around 3 am and convinced him there was still a chance for Hayes to win if the party would help him convince 3 southern states to hold there state. Within days other well known Republican newspapers across the county followed the NY Times lead to cast doubt. Tilden because he was shy just 1 electoral vote to claim the Presidency.