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sydney alternative media - non-profit community independent trustworthy
Thursday, 7 June 2007
Advertise with Sydney Alternative Media, boost your profile and help sustain community media!
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: advertise?

 

Call us for professional service on tel. 0410 558838 or land line Sydney (02) 9558 9551or send an email Attn Tom to

The editor gets by on about $10K annual income just below the taxable income threshhold. This is for several reasons:

- to keep a low carbon footprint;

- remain independent of vested financial interests, either corporate or party political;

- to show solidarity with the majority of the poor in this world;

- when we do have spare cash we donate it to such as Clean up Columbia here and ecology action Australia projects generally.

- we don't know how to make any more money and still have time for our community media work, and stay independent. Cheesy but realistic.


Posted by editor at 8:10 PM NZT
Updated: Saturday, 22 November 2008 8:39 AM EADT
Cr Khan bowls up green politics to Albanese on the home turf
Mood:  chatty
Topic: election Oz 2007

 

 

With federal govt money involved in this hyper consumption view of the future Cr Khan has plenty to work on in this side of Sydney.  


and here

Media Release - 7 June 2007

Anvil Hill coal mine approved: Govt's climate change credentials in tatters

Greens MP and mining spokesperson Lee Rhiannon said Planning Minister Frank Sartor's decision today to approve the massive Anvil Hill coal mine in the Upper Hunter Valley shows the Iemma government is not serious about addressing climate change or safeguarding the Hunter's water resources.

"This decision shows the Iemma government is completely captured by the coal industry," Ms Rhiannon said.

"The approval sets NSW down the path of no-return. Our state's future has been hijacked by today's announcement.

"While approval has been granted, the fight to stop this and other mines has just begun.

"Greens MPs will join with effected communities in taking peaceful, direct action to resist the expansion of the coal industry.

"The approval of the Anvil Hill mine signals that the 22 applications on the table to build new mines or extend existing mines will also be granted.

"Anvil Hill will produce 10.5 millions tonnes of coal annually. When burnt this coal will produce 27 million tonnes of Co2 annually, equivalent to doubling the number of cars on NSW roads.  It will cause up to $58 billion worth of climate change damage in less than one generation.

"Coal is the elephant in the room when it comes to climate change. 

"Nothing can compensate for the environmental damage this mine will do. Minister Sartor is wrong to think strict conditions or minimal job creation opportunities will be a sufficient trade-off.

"The burning and mining of coal is responsible for 40 percent of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions from our coal exports are equivalent to all our domestic greenhouse gas emissions.

"Minister Sartor is swimming against the tide of international scientific evidence on climate change and the need to take urgent action to cut emissions.

"Morris Iemma's children and all of our children will condemn the government for this decision in years to come," Ms Rhiannon said.

Contact: Lee Rhiannon 9230 3551, 0427 861 568
 

............

and here

Vote Climate Goes Live

Australia's first dedicated election website focused on the issue of Climate Change, now moving towards its second year, has just released its "At A Glance" policy analysis.

The "At A Glance" page summarises the different parties' climate related policies in clear and concise graphical tabular format.

The "At A Glance" page will be updated in a week to include links to our policy summary pages and further links to the source material on which the summaries are based.


Help Vote Climate

We are asking your group to become involved in the Vote Climate campaign in a number of ways.
  1. Link to VoteClimate.org.au from your own web page.
  2. Promote VoteClimate.org.au to your lists and friends.
  3. Print out the Vote Climate posters and put them up in your local area, workplace, uni etc.
  4. Carry a Vote Climate banner at this years Walk Against Warming being held the Sunday two weeks before the day of the Federal Election.

When linking to our site please also link to the Big Switch Campaign (no website yet) organised by Greenpeace and the state Conservation Councils.



What is Vote Climate trying to achieve at Federal Election?

Vote Climate is working to the following goals for this election:
  1. get Labor elected
  2. move the control of the senate to the minor parties (most likely Greens)
  3. get a clear strong vote for the climate
  4. push inner city green marginals closer to the point where Greens can win
  5. move all parties to stronger climate policies


What are some other activities your group can undertake?
  1. Run a climate change candidates forum in your local area
  2. If in a Labor / Liberal marginal or Greens/ Labor marginal you could leaflet your electorate with a strong statement on each parties performance on climate change. Vote Climate would be happy to help you draft your letter.
  3. If not in a marginal seat help a group that is in one.
  4. Any number of other activities from stalls, to postering, to talks.


Vote Climate a Unique Website

Vote Climate is entirely self funded by its volunteer campaign team and consequently its voice is not restrained by fear of losing tax deductible status or government funding, unlike the mainstream environment movement. Vote Climate will be the only independent national climate election website to recommend who to vote for and in what order .


A few points on political campaigning?

With the election now under way its time to start applying pressure on the political parties to get outcomes. Here are a few points to guide you along.


Have Labor already won?
  • NO absolutely not.
  • With Rudd in the leadership position they merely have a chance.
  • People interested in a change of government will need to work very hard to make sure this happens.


Applying Pressure
  • Political parties and politicians only care about getting votes in seats they want to win. If you can't give or take away votes in seats they are concerned about you have NOTHING, and that is NOTHING to negotiate with.
  • They will often engage with lobbying in an effort to convince you that you are on the right track and they will do something for you and that you are about to succeed, while all the time simply trying to prevent your group actually doing something that will effect their votes.

  • Parties will make decisions almost always on a least cost analysis (though they usually claim otherwise), comparing the dollar cost of implementing a given policy to the cost/benefit in votes/influence you are offering, the votes they loose and the implication for other key supporters/donors/pressure groups.
  • They will even try and get you working for them, ie THEM "we can't do X unless you give us Y" If you find yourself in this position something has gone wrong with your campaign. Instead the conversations should go YOU "Give us X or we will do Y". Even better is to be able to say YOU "Give us X and we will stop doing Y"
  • If you have limited resources (ie time) avoid talking to people who can not actually influence decisions within their party.


Where to target
  • Liberal will be concerned about seats it might lose to Labor
  • Labor will be concerned about seats it wants to win from the Liberals and seats it might one day lose to the Greens.
  • Greens can use help anywhere to hopefully win Senate seats or in the Greens/Labor marginals (though these seats would be a much lower priority than winning balance of power in the Senate).

--
Adrian Whitehead

VoteClimate.org.au

0403 735 118

............................

and last but not least this on Get Up via YouTube

 

 


Posted by editor at 7:09 PM NZT
Barbara Lichi of Ultimo Project exhibits fractals at Brenda May Gallery
Mood:  lyrical
Topic: culture
 Barbara Licha exhibits at Brenda May Gallery till 23rd June 07
barbaraexhibitiondetails
 18fractals.jpg
1puzzle.jpg  
 
14fractals.jpg
13flight.jpg
skalpt_02.
 
........................  
 


 


Posted by editor at 9:53 AM NZT
Updated: Thursday, 7 June 2007 11:09 AM NZT
It's the climate stupid - PM Howard on 6 week end game?
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: election Oz 2007

Picture: Thank heavens for the garbos taken at 5.10am this morning, with welcome light rain making for a cold job for these toilers.

Apparently influential columnist Andrew Bolt in his column June 6th 2007 in Melbourne

Howard's last gasp 

has called in effect for a 6 week time line on removal of PM John Howard to be replaced by Peter Costello .... who as Treasurer took a grilling from Kerry O'Brien of the 7.30 Report last night

Government welcomes strong economic figures 

on why his Cabinet submission to act on climate change was rejected by PM Howard 4 years ago 2003. Costello was very light hearted and patient saying he had "set his course" sounding very much like "I told you so".

Also climate change sceptic Cardinal George Pell has been roundly and collectively repudiated by the NSW ALP - ostensibly on stem cell research, but also the subtext of climate change? One wonders. It would be interesting to know if Pell is quoted in the PM Howard's so called Clever Climate PR advertising package.

It would be quite orthodox for Pell to be in Howard's PR as a trenchant critic of the Greens and their alleged rival religious belief in global warming.

The ALP (federal and state) presumably know they have to neutralise Catholic cardinal Pell prior to the next federal election vis a vis Catholic voters on global warming let alone stem cell research for medical benefits.

And to underline how the climate is the main game PM Howard is in the news today prefacing attempts on a post Kyoto international deal at the Sept APEC in Sydney:

Let's replace flawed Kyoto: PM

MARK DAVIS | John Howard will use this year's APEC summit to try to forge an international consensus on climate change.


Just as Glen Milne has written about this recently: Glenn Milne: APEC makes heavy weather for Howard | Opinion | The ...

Our sense of this is that it's all too late for long time, allegedly indispensible PM Howard.

...............

Which calls up this article (offline it seems) by Geoff Gallop hidden away in Higher Education May 16th in Murdoch press The Australian, perhaps explaining again his journey from depression to light in his new job as director of the graduate school of government at Sydney University (from which campus this writer is still capriciously banned?):

Not just the grip of the Bourke cronies running developer corruption through the ranks, not just the pro uranium mining stoush with federal colleagues, but also the underlying existential philosophical foundations of a post industrial economy. It's an article as if written by and for the Green Party:

Postscript #1 - press backgrounder climate change, G8, APEC

PM Howard seems to have woken up that climate change is a global problem and isn't going away on his watch judging by the press today. Shortly we will add a snapshot of the headlines. But for now some links showing that Howard like his mentor Bush regime are trying to play catchup for APEC in Sept if not G8 on now.

There is an intriguing side play to all this: Why was Peter Hartcher's so called blog story excluded from the paper version of the newspaper today: John & George and the G8: Who's copying whose homework? posted "6 June 2007 5.32 pm"?

This reminds us of the Marian Wilkinson story of the Singapore diplomatic alarm at nuclear energy (or worse) proliferation/safety problems in south east Asia, which also missed the paper print version: Asia-Pacific nuclear authority plan scuttled after safety debate ...

Other serious reporters today on this evolving geo politik theme of how to save our planet today, in scary real time are here:

Blair will be at his most persuasive

Canada joins PM on climate (p1 of The Australian)

Mike Steketee blog: Playing on fear

Vital role for APEC in any post-Kyoto framework

Dalai Lama calls for climate change action | The Daily Telegraph

including quote from Virgin Blue airline chief Brett Godfrey in furious agreement at a function with the Dalai.

Airline industry wakes up to green debate far too late

Good oil on carbon trading needed now 

 

 

 


Posted by editor at 8:30 AM NZT
Updated: Thursday, 7 June 2007 1:20 PM NZT
Wednesday, 6 June 2007
Brute politics to bring down swaggering Treasurer Michael Costa?
Mood:  don't ask
Topic: nsw govt

We wonder about Michael Costa Treasurer of NSW due to give the next NSW Budget speech on June 20th: NSW State Budget Lunch 2007 - CEDA

We noticed the increasingly rotund and rambling state of mind of the treasurer in the Upper House Question Time 8 days ago, effecting the nonchalance of a political assassin who fears no one and nothing and thus seems somehow a little careless.

But it's pretty dangerous it seems to us living and working in a chaotic zoo like NSW politics even for Costa. Might be a rampaging fang toothed Gibbon, or Kodiak Bear on the prowl at any time. We wrote of that slightly bizarre wild atmosphere up there at Macquarie St a week back here:

Thursday, 31 May 2007
Morris Iemma head keeper in NSW Parliamentry Zoo making governance here a circus?
Now the Sydney Morning Herald editorialist has picked up our 'zoo; theme today with this last line of their piece today
 

"Anything which makes the bear pit more like a parliament and less like a zoo deserves everyone's support"
referring to poor standards of communication in the House.

We get the intuition Costa may get a shock within the next 5 weeks. Politics is a frighteningly random and dangerous business really and those who live by, quite often die by the same ruthless play. Look at Chief of the DPP here just doing his job copping a fearsome flogging in the press:


Then look at these two hapless ASIO agents being prosecuted for allegedly leaking (?!), who must feel like they are lions on the main course in the Coloseum of old. Why the reporting restrictions? Why indeed has Chris Merritt the legal editor at The Australian and a seriously heavy journalist, formerly with the Australian Financial Review whacked this postage stamp story on p5 of The Weekend Australian. Heaven knows:

We bought the postcard of the Roma icon at right from the junk stall at Addison Rd Centre Market last Sunday to send to the thinking man's crumpet. Sure enough she has a column today about public/private censorship in today's press refering to "exotic fauna" - ironic really coming from the unique Liz Farrelly - and also "ancient Rome". Perfect.

And the apprehension by the coppers of a quite different Mediteranean type Tony Mokbel all seemed to gel together with Mr Costa, not for any illegal shipping on the latter's part. No totally legal coal export is Costa's game but he also has that cavalier style in his politics bragging 8 days ago to the 3 Green MPs how his dark suit was "the colour of coal", as if climate change was a figment.

It's probably easy for Costa, Premier Iemma with him, PM Howard too, to think it's only the economy that matters when people around them are pandering to their ego as per this cover of the Sydney Writer's Festival broadsheet #1 of 4, with Morris in the middle:


It's all enough to make us feel like the frog in this picture below for newsletter #2, one per day for the 4 day event, or the kid in this YouTube classic being chased by the wolf. 

And not just me. Costa might consider just how many wolves there are in the legal fraternity when he attacks one of their own like Cowdery ... for doing his job. Lawyer Greg Barnes gave a clue to the anger within these halls of serious money and power yesterday on the crikey.com.au ezine. Nor would I think that's the end of the matter if I have any sense of my own legal profession here. Some serious hard cases in there the equal of one Michael Costa.

 


Posted by editor at 3:40 PM NZT
Updated: Wednesday, 6 June 2007 8:48 PM NZT
Green Party in NSW looking to cooperate with Labor in the Senate, several marginals
Mood:  energetic
Topic: election Oz 2007

The Australian carry this emerging story as well as the ABC radio yesterday:

Labor, Greens set for swap deal | News | The Australian

There is also this news in the Canberra Times June 6th (?) which looks to be offline regarding Cr Keith Hughes, spouse of Harriet Swift both anti woochip colleagues of this writer:

 

 

The version we heard on the abc radio June 5th 2007 is that ALP policy will not be affected by any preference swap and audio of Senator Nettle said she welcomed the chance for her party to remove John Howard in his own seat of Bennelong.

It seems a very significant helping hand on national environment day for the re election of  Greens Senator Nettle.


Posted by editor at 2:39 PM NZT
Updated: Thursday, 7 June 2007 10:22 AM NZT
Maireid's report on Irish election outcome(s) for the Hill of Tara heritage
Mood:  quizzical
Topic: world
Hi Everyone,
The Irish General Election count is in. 
For those of you won't don't understand how the Irish election system works, here is a fantastic insight, below. 
No party has a full majority, so there will need to be a coalition government. 
We won't know who will form the coalition government until 14 June!
This RTE (Irish tv)  link has a very informative video panel review of the election.: http://www.rte.ie/news/elections2007/

Note this comment on the Fianna Fáil (Fianna Failures!)  majority vote, by Pat Rabbitte, Labour Party leader: "People have a huge level of indebtedness – large mortgages – they were afraid that a change of government would undermine the economy."


(How familiar is this? How many people 'speak' one view and actually vote for their self-interest?)


While Tara preservation campaigners were hoping and praying for a change of government, we still have a ray of hope via influence from a new coalition government comprised of a combination of Independents, Labour Party, and Green Party, (the latter two have stated that they want to reroute the M3). Meanwhile, the Fina Gael Party, which won the second largest number of votes, may also be able to make up a coalition for an alternative government! .
...Wow! 

The article below should make it all understandable.

Either way, unfortunately, we're still faced with uncertainty over the fate of the Hill of Tara, so the Anam Cara for Tara arts action campaign must keep going for a while longer. 
In other words, the campaign can not "culminate" with the Anam Cara Festival in June, hence, we have decided to postpone the festival until August. 
All events programmed for June will go on under the name of the Anam Cara for Tara arts action campaign. (simply, handing out the downloadable b&w info. handbill at the door –to raise awareness.)

Many renowned artists have said they would love to give their support, but need more time -- representing an impressive list of great artists in the Irish / Celtic genre, whom I dare not mention until their events are confirmed!

Politically, we need to renew our concerted effort, folks, if we are to have an impact on the politics of treason that threaten Irish national heritage today.
Write a letter to the Irish media, since the Irish government ministers are not paying heed to thousands of letters appealing to them to reroute the M3 freeway away from the Hill of Tara! 
Ask friends to write a letter too. How hard is this to do!!?? 
Break a leg! Do it! Now! 
Go to the website http://www.AnamCaraFestival.org 
and take action!
If you are an arts practitioners, let your audiences, students and colleagues know about this urgent campaign!

The spirit of Tara is calling to us all! Listen! Act! 
Remember the spirit of your ancestors!
We are the 7th generation!

In good faith!
Maireid Sullivan
http://www.GlobalArtsCollective.org
P.S. We have had to move www.AnamCaraFestival.org to the main server because it was getting so many hits that the server wanted to charge more money!
The link still works, but is diverted from the first page.

Irish Times, Monday 4 June 2007
FF and Greens to resume talks on coalition
Miriam Donohoe, Political Staff

Negotiations between Fianna Fáil and the Greens on the formation of a
new government resume today after "differences" emerged between both
sides during initial opening talks yesterday.
The discussions are central to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's plan to form an
86-seat government with the Greens and the Progressive Democrats, along
with the further support of three of the five Independent TDs, Michael
Lowry, Beverly Flynn and Jackie Healy Rae.
Mr Lowry confirmed in a statement last night that he had been asked by
Mr Ahern to negotiate with Fianna Fáil about his involvement in a
"cross-party alliance". A Fianna Fáil source said a cross-party alliance
would give Mr Ahern an enormous "comfort factor" and would offer a more
stable option than doing a deal solely with the PDs and Independents.
Green Party chairman John Gormley and Fianna Fáil's Séamus Brennan
described the opening three-hour discussions at Government Buildings as
"cordial and constructive", but stressed that nothing had yet been
agreed and there were differences on policy issues which they would try
to resolve in the coming days.
Mr Brennan said after the meeting there were issues on which both sides
placed different priorities which "are publicly known and emerged during
the election" which they would try to work through.
Mr Gormley said the initial talks were positive but there were "quite a
number" of issues to be discussed, adding: "We hope to have resolutions
to any difficulties in the coming days". Neither would elaborate on
where the differences lie.
Mr Gormley also said the Greens had not ruled out talking to other parties.
Yesterday's initial talks covered very broad issues, including the
economy, and were very much an exercise in setting out the parameters
and timetable for continuing talks. When the talks get under way in
greater detail from today, there is expected to be tough negotiating on
several issues including hospital co-location, which the Greens are
against, and their demand that corporate donations be banned.
Yesterday's talks started at 11am and finished at 2pm. Ministers Brian
Cowen, Mr Brennan and Noel Dempsey comprised the Fianna Fáil negotiation
team, while Mr Gormley, Dan Boyle (who lost his seat in Cork South
Central) and general secretary Dónall Geoghegan made up the Green Party
team. Today's talks are expected to last all day.
A Fianna Fáil deal with the Green Party, which has six TDs, and the PDs,
with two TDs, added to Fianna Fáil's 78 seats, would give the Taoiseach
a comfortable 86 votes, plus the added support of some Independents.
However, Fine Gael insisted last night that it is still in a position to
form an alternative government, despite that fact one of its would-be
coalition partners had started formal talks with Fianna Fáil. "Contacts
are ongoing with the relevant parties involved," according to a spokesman.
In a statement on Saturday the Green Party said in spite of its best
efforts, the prospects for an alternative coalition "look remote". Fine
Gael sources insisted last night that this should not be interpreted as
the Greens giving up on a Rainbow government. "To the contrary
communication channels remain open." After the end of yesterday's
initial talks Mr Gormley stressed the Greens were not ruling out talks
with any other party.
In a statement last night Mr Lowry, the Tipperary North Independent TD
and former Fine Gael minister, confirmed he had accepted an invitation
from Mr Ahern to negotiate his involvement in a cross-party alliance "to
provide a stable government". He said he did not envisage Enda Kenny
having any realistic prospect of forming a government.
It is understood that the interim PD leader, Mary Harney, is open to the
prospect of a cross party coalition and is expecting further contact
from Mr Ahern later this week. She was aware that Fianna Fáil was to
have talks with the Greens.
A Green Party spokesman confirmed yesterday that a meeting of the party
membership has been called for the Mansion House in Dublin next Sunday
to decide whether or not to do a deal with Fianna Fáil if the
negotiation team reach agreement on policy issues this week. The
membership will also have to agree on going into a cross party coalition
with Fianna Fáil and the PDs.
Tensions ran high between the PDs and the Greens during the election and
a party source said yesterday that that could be an obstacle for the
party in agreeing a deal that included the PDs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Irish Independent Saturday 26 May 2007]
No need for this M3 route
The next government will still have to grapple with trying to solve the
problem of finding an effective overall transport policy for Dublin and
its hinterland. If possible, this should be managed in such a way as to
meet not only the needs of Dubliners, the needs of commuters and their
families but also the continuing requirement to protect and preserve our
unique heritage and environment.

The recently discovered national monument at Lismullin lies directly in
the path of the proposed M3 motorway, just as the decision as to whether
to protect and preserve the Gabhra Valley (wherein the discovery was
made) will lie directly in the path of the next government.

The hills of Tara and Skryne, together with the Gabhra Valley, are all
part of an integrated archaeological landscape that must be preserved
from inappropriate development.

There is no absolute necessity for the present M3 motorway route and its
accompanying massive interchange at Blundelstown.

There are still viable alternative routes just as there are viable
alternatives to the motorway itself. These alternatives have been
detailed many times over (mass transit, upgrade N3 etc), and the first
step should be to get on with the necessary bypasses in conjunction with
reinstating the rail link from Dublin to Navan. These steps, together
with possible upgrading of the existing N3 (2 plus 1 is one particular
way), would be more cost effective and more environmentally friendly.
JOHN T. ROONEY,
PARSONSTOWN,
BATTERSTOWN,
CO MEATH
/////////////////////////////////////////
Paul Muldoon's piece also appears in the International Herald Tribune
...................................


 


Posted by editor at 2:22 PM NZT
Updated: Wednesday, 6 June 2007 2:27 PM NZT
Tuesday, 5 June 2007
Andrew Bolt digging an anti science hole for himself on sea rise risk?
Mood:  not sure
Topic: globalWarming

 

This is a cautionary open letter of advice for green and red baiter Andrew Bolt there at the Herald Sun in Melbourne equivalent of the Sydney Daily Telegraph here:

The Age drowning in hype | Herald Sun Andrew Bolt Blog

Dear Bolter 

I saw you scoffing on Insiders , and the scoffing at your scoffing. You scorned this report carrying the picture above: page 1 The Age 2nd June 07 Landmarks at 'high risk' from rising sea levels - National ...

Here is the bad news: Dr James Hansen of NASA (you know, the guys revered for sending man to the moon) has analysed West Antarctica and Greenland with its above sea level ice volume. His advice is that there is accelerated melting via crevasse cracks. It's 1 mm sea rise per year now but NON LINEAR. 1cm in 10years. Then quite possibly double the RATE every 10 years ie 2cms 20 years, 4cm after 30 years. Do the math, by 2100 its 5.11m sea rise. You will see it's right.

A report is here on USA Grist news site  15 May 2007  An interview with renowned climate scientist James Hansen |  

 "I've actually written a paper and submitted it called "Scientific Reticence and Sea Level Rise" [PDF], because it just seemed to me that there was a gap between what scientists really thought and what was in the public knowledge in regards to ice sheet stability and sea level rise."

at the pdf  [bold added] dated 23rd March 2007

"Under BAU forcing in the 21st century, sea level rise undoubtedly will be dominated by a third term (3) ice sheet disintegration. This third term was small until the past few years, but it is has at least doubled in the past decade and is now close to 1 mm/year, based on gravity satellite measurements discussed above. As a quantitative example, let us say that the ice sheet contribution is 1 cm for the decade 2005-2015 and that it doubles each decade until the West Antarctic ice sheet is largely depleted.

 

That time constant yields sea level rise of the order of 5 m this century. Of course I can not prove that my choice of a 10 year doubling time for non-linear response is accurate, but I am confident that it provides a far better estimate than a linear response for the ice sheet component of sea level rise." :Dr James Hansen NASA.

 

The report on Grist is right next to their face to face interview with your Big Boss Rupert Murdoch on a similar topic of News Corp embracing greenhouse gas neutrality here: An interview with Rupert Murdoch about News Corp.'s new climate strategy  of 16th May 2007

I understand the IPCC report you quote from early this year was based on year or more old data especially omitting crevasse mechanism of accelerated melting data.

Bolter, you are sounding like Saul on the road to Damascus.

 

Poscript #1 (as posted on Melbourne Indy Media website)

Do the math, and Mother Jones
by Tom McL Wednesday June 06, 2007 at 10:32 AM

 

in 10 yrs - 1 cm sea rise - cumulative 1cm
.....20 yrs - 2cm ................- ...............3cm
.....30 yrs - 4cm ................- ...............7cm
......40 yrs - 8cm................- ...............15cm
......50 yrs - 16cm.............- ................31cm
......60 yrs - 32 cm...........-....................63 cm
......70 yrs - 64 cm............-...................1.27 metres

That's 2077, when this writer is well gone (112) and a 20 year old will be 90 years old. On this quite possible scenario under Dr Hansen's advice the ocean has risen 1.27 metres I suppose a bit like the image above.

But then it gets really 'interesting' on the last two doublings ie horrific just at the turn of the century, or maybe a 99 year lease (!?)

.......80 yrs - 128 cm.........-....................2.55 m
.......90 yrs - 256 cm.........-....................5.11 cm

What really worries me is this article by Mother Jones with 250,000 subscribers there in the USA which describes some 12 different climate tipping points from Amazon forest etc clearance, to methane release in the perma frost, to God knows what else.

Here is the article and it really should be PG or MA reading:

"The Thirteenth Tipping Point" dated Nov-Dec 2006.
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2006/11/13th_tipping_point.html

A useful metaphor for the above would be driving a 4 wheel drive down a steep slope in first gear, and if you haven't done driver training, and foolishly, like fatally, put your left foot on and depress the clutch pedal to change to 2nd gear. At this point if you have enough nouse to realise your danger, you have two choices - die at the bottom of the hill or jump out: The gears will never re engage as you gain acceleration at exponential rate of increase. Nor will the brakes and tyre friction overcome the momentum of the car's weight on the skiding slope. The 4WD will crash - 100% certain. That choice is out of your hands from exponential increase in momentum the moment you put the clutch pedal down in a moment of supreme ignorance.

You have to stay in first gear going quietly until you steer to safety. 

When I did driver training as a zoology student in 1987 our instructor made us fold our left leg under the seat so he was sure we young bloods in training couldn't kill him by accident on a bush trail by depressing the clutch in a reflex action. Do you get it Bolter?

Postsript #2

Apparently influential columnist Andrew Bolt in his column June 6th 2007 

Howard's last gasp 

has called in effect for a 6 week time line on removal of PM John Howard to be replaced by Peter Costello .... who as Treasurer took a grilling from Kerry O'Brien of the 7.30 Report last night

Government welcomes strong economic figures 

on why his Cabinet submission to act on climate change was rejected by PM Howard 4 years ago 2003. Costello was very light hearted and patient saying he had "set his course" sounding very much like "I told you so".

Also climate change sceptic Cardinal George Pell has been roundly and collectively repudiated by the NSW ALP - ostensibly on stem cell research, but also the subtext of climate change? One wonders. It would be interesting to know if Pell is quoted in the PM Howard's so called Clever Climate PR advertising package.

It would be quite orthodox for Pell to be in Howard's PR as a trenchant critic of the Greens and their alleged rival religious belief in global warming.

The ALP (federal and state) presumably know they have to neutralise Catholic cardinal Pell prior to the next federal election vis a vis Catholic voters on global warming let alone stem cell research for medical benefits.

And to underline how the climate is the main game PM Howard is in the news today prefacing attempts on a post Kyoto international deal at the Sept APEC in Sydney:

Let's replace flawed Kyoto: PM

MARK DAVIS | John Howard will use this year's APEC summit to try to forge an international consensus on climate change.

Just as Glen Milne has written about this recently: Glenn Milne: APEC makes heavy weather for Howard | Opinion | The ...

Our sense of this is that it's all too late for long time, allegedly indispensible PM Howard.


Posted by editor at 8:33 PM NZT
Updated: Thursday, 7 June 2007 8:29 AM NZT
The ruthless ambitious world of high level politics: Time on US Democrat leaders here
Mood:  incredulous
Topic: world

Apparently 2008 presidential candidate John Edwards (and 2004 vice presidential candidate), was against the Iraq War and John Kerry admits as much here:
 
"That fall, [2002?] as a vote loomed on the resolution giving Bush authority to go to war, Edwards convened a circle of advisers in his family room in Washington to discuss his decision. He was skeptical, even exercised about the idea of voting yes. Elizabeth was a forceful no. She didn't trust anything the Bush administration was saying. But the consensus view ..... he didn't have the credibility to vote against the resolution. ....The meeting we held in the Edwardses' family room did him a disservice; of course, he was the candidate and if he really was against the war, it was up to him to stand his ground. He didn't. If he had, it almost certainly would have been Edwards and not Dean who emerged early on as the antiwar candidate. "
But then Kerry sinks the boot in deep as per a later quote below in a macabre anecdote in Time published 30th May 07 which on one level  is nothing to the trouble and suffering that President George W Bush has caused this last 6 years but it still reads as quite grim gossip, at page 2 of the story at

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1626498-2,00.html

 

"Kerry talked with several potential picks, including Gephardt and Edwards. He was comfortable after his conversations with Gephardt, but even queasier about Edwards after they met. Edwards had told Kerry he was going to share a story with him that he'd never told anyone else—that after his son Wade had been killed, he climbed onto the slab at the funeral home, laid there and hugged his body, and promised that he'd do all he could to make life better for people, to live up to Wade's ideals of service. Kerry was stunned, not moved, because, as he told me later, Edwards had recounted the same exact story to him, almost in the exact same words, a year or two beforeand with the same preface, that he'd never shared the memory with anyone else. Kerry said he found it chilling, and he decided he couldn't pick Edwards unless he met with him again. When they did, Kerry tried to get a better personal feel for his potential number two ..."
 
 
Says alot about sleaze in politics at that incredibly high level, that Edwards could repeat something like that with a false preface, and that Kerry would still pick him as running mate after swearing off him.
And then Kerry helping with this hatchet job on him in Time May 30 2007 now with Edwards wife having breast cancer too, and still wanting to run though it's incurable (if my memory serves). How sicko is all this? No wonder Bush was able to beat them. Talk about lost their moral compass. Bush never even had to worry about finding his to compete it seems.
 
 
God spare us. It's hilarious in a sinister macabre fashion.

Posted by editor at 1:33 PM NZT
Updated: Tuesday, 5 June 2007 3:01 PM NZT
SAM blog circulation figures for May 2007 - down 3000, but trend is okay
Mood:  amorous
Topic: independent media
Here are the hit rate figures for May 2007 (up to and including June 3rd, as we started on Jan 3rd) for hits to this password protected edited news blog. 
As a preface notice the downturn after a high point in growth in April. We looked into this and found unusually high interest in a story about the famous Simpson aka Kirkpatrick and his donkey at Gallipoli prior to Anzac day proper 25th April found via top right calender:
Sunday, 14 January 2007
The 'real story' of unionist, anti war Gallipoli martyr Kirkpatrick aka Simpson and his Donkey
That was a gem of an interview with a nugget of original primary evidence of Australian history. 
So we hope and trust the hit rate continues to trend upward but is subject to shooting stars as well. We have more faith in the daily discipline of researching, finding and reporting alternative news and gradually growing the information service. As they say, the folks who turn up for work every day end up running the place. At least cumulatively, at the risk of 'circulation spin' we have roughly 35,000 readers (new or repeat) since Jan 2007.  
Let's see how June goes:
May 2007 - 9, 059

April 2007 - 12,087

March 6,684

February 5,372

January 2800

Thankyou to our readers and especially anyone taking the time to comment or offer a story. This particular blog template could be more slick and alot more interactive but it will do for now. Thanks especially for the encouragement from various ngo and other professionals who are also stakeholders (aren't we all) in a vibrant community media sector here in Sydney.


Posted by editor at 10:29 AM NZT
Updated: Tuesday, 5 June 2007 11:01 AM NZT

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