Mood:  a-ok

Picture:  Huge sandmine hole next to Wollemi World Heritage national park on one side and Yengo NP/McDonald Wilderness on the other, 40 km west of Sydney next to the Singleton Road. The sand "pulled out" goes into the ALP controlled construction sector. The mine by Birdon Contracting Pty Ltd was illegal 1986-96 then given retrospective approval by Hawkesbury River Shire Council, and proceeded without valid development consent from 1996-2007 according to Environmental Defenders Office written legal advice. It is due for takeover by Adelaide Brighton Pty Ltd and most likely will be expanded to 270 ha and approved by Minister Frank Sartor in due course. It is killing the water flow in Tinda Creek into Wollemi natural heritage area. There is no real restoration of these huge sand mine sites. They are usually left as quicksand slurry pits (called 'lake' in the spin). Photo by SAM editor 14th March 2007.

SAM's editor has been assisting an objector take legal action against the above sandmine. Hawkesbury City Council got a rude letter recently from lawyer for the sandmine which reads in part:

and also here and note paragraph 6

However the business paper for council meeting of 29 July 2008 with a 40 page report and answers to questions on notice from Greens Councillor Leigh Williams has the following recommendations by the officers:

Recommendation:

That:

1.The application under s.96 .... be refused as, due to non-compliance with Condition 4 of the original consent, the consent has lapsed and Council is unable to consider the application.

2. A Notice of Intention to serve an Order be issued on the operator to cease operations due to there being no current consent for the operation. [etc]

If a majority of councillors were flirting with approving the sandmine's extension for another 1.3 million tonnes of sand regardless of the officer's report (which has been rumoured), then this 3 page fax received mid afternoon the same day gave them pause:

 

The council on their own legal advice decided to defer the whole matter until deliberation of the Land & Environment Court.

At these proceedings an affidavit of some 150 pages of evidence will be considered as per the front page here filed and served at the council meeting on the council and the operator Birdon Contracting Pty Ltd, prepared by community objector Diamond, complete with corrections and edits. Adelaide Brighton Cement as the purchaser might be in for a long wait yet.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by editor at 4:51 PM NZT

Updated: Tuesday, 26 August 2008 2:04 PM NZT

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Here is the July 08 screenshot taken this morning:

Previous monthly reader pageview figures for 2007, 2008 verified by screen shot (web host provider monthly pageview account details) posted on or about 4th day of the month found in this thread:

• June 08 - 27,440
• May 08 - 25,046
• April 08 - 19,250
• March 08 - 20,803 
• February 08 - 13,109
• January 08 -  19, 898
• December - 11,627
• November - 10,220
• October - 9, 100 
• Sept -  8,100 (roughly, no screenshot)
• August - 8,845
• July - 7475
• June - 9675
• May  - 9, 059
• April  - 12,087
• March  - 6,684
• February - 5,372
• January 07 -  2800 (3rd Jan - 3rd Feb 07)

Posted by editor at 10:41 AM NZT

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Water on Mars a selling opportunity

THE news from NASA is excellent: the Phoenix Mars mission has found water. Not only does this mean enterprising real estate agents have vast untouched acreage to advertise as water frontage (not to mention water views, and then water glimpses when those quarter-acre lots on the Martian arctic plains start going under the hammer), but the precious fluid itself can be used to enrich our lives back here on the home planet. We can see the slogans now: Mars water - it's out of this world. Marketers know consumers are prepared to pay a 1000 per cent mark-up to buy bottles of water allegedly from mineral springs on boring old Earth. What will they pay for water allegedly from a different planet?

The discovery provides hope, too, for Starbucks. The mission, we are certain, will find Mars's coffee culture is second-rate - fertile ground, then, for this enterprising chain. There's a reason those little men look green: they've been hanging out for a mugaccino.

Friday, 25 July 2008

Open letter of complaint to ACCC about Coca Cola Amatil deception on 'spring water' at Peats Ridge

25 July 2008  Outline of submissions on Coca Cola legal appeal to delete 66ML/YR Trial at Peats Ridge

Amanda Tesvic Senior Associate, Sydney

SERVICE AREAS

• Competition & Consumer Protection
  IT, Communications & Media

2-3 August 2008 Prising open cautious NSW courts - Opinion - smh.com.au

Fundamental to the principle of open justice is the ability of the public to gain access to documents held by courts. But anyone who has sought to rely on ...

Posted by editor at 8:47 AM NZT

Updated: Monday, 4 August 2008 10:20 AM NZT

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This is not a well packaged story. It’s a contemporaneous traverse of the Sunday television free to air political talkies indicating the agenda of Establishment interests: Better to know ones rivals and allies  in Big Politics and Big Media.

Indeed it’s the tv version monitoring task similar to what Nelson Mandela refers to here in his book Long Walk to Freedom (1994, Abacus) written in Robben Island prison (where he was meant to die like other African resister chiefs of history in the 19C), at page 208

“..newspapers are only a shadow of reality; their information is important to a freedom fighter not because it reveals the truth, but because it discloses the biases and perceptions of both those who produce the paper and those who read it.”

Just substitute ‘Sunday tv political talkie shows’ for "newspapers" in the quote above.

For actual transcripts and/or video feeds go to web sites quoted including Riley Diary on 7. And note transcripts don’t really give you the image content value.

Media backgrounders

Laurie Oakes skewers alcohol industry.

Paul Kelly skewers Nelson in opinion column

Linton Besser Skewers Iemma Govt on transport in SMH - Now backbencher MP for Marrickville knew about the tunnel plan under Marrickville in the last State Election, implied knew being in Cabinet since Nov 2005. Note byelection for Tebbutt to lower house was only a month earlier. Sartor released Commission of Inquiry report just after byelection for Tebbutt - so cynical. Besser writes the stories that Tim Dick might have tried to do 2 years earlier when we tipped him off about refusal of FoI by Sartor's people. We nurse the theory Tebbutt stood down from Cabinet to avoid betraying her electorate with smog stacks - call it looking after Nathan if you like Carmel - quite right too.

Tripodi and Iemma open their Port Botany construction project destroying the Bay even more - Linton Besser leaked reports in SMH, and on Stateline last Friday, are surely a revenge on Iemma and Tripodi from somewhere inside government about that many headed hydra that will spawn destruction across the city and make the Green Ban days look like a picnic.

Mal Farr soft shoe on uranium exports to India – ignores insecurity of nukes and dodgy reactors like INVAP here in Australia – built by dodgy brothers Argentinian company.

ERA being urged to double its production at Ranger U mine smh 26 July 08

Chris Bowen assistant federal treasurer in SMH rolls out the climte change rhetoric, read wedge on Lib-Nat.

The Australian front page is quite overt and/or proud over it's role promoting Nelson's lurch to brown with strategic opinion pieces in early July. Nelson sure has brown on him now and might be looking for a job with Kenny soon.

Scientist Roger Jones on IPCC from CSIRO in The Oz, Higher Education slams denialist case p23 30 July 08. SMH also carries a feature riposte for the punters.

Nick Wood vice pres NSW young labor left faction calls his own Iemma Govt “an embarrassement” in the op ed features smh albeit last sentence.

Wentworth Courier carries cover of MP Paul Pearce sledging Iemma Govt on power sale plan.

First climate PR advert of federal govt sighted smh 2 aug p25, includes our line “already pushing up insurance premiums”.

GE close to $3B ‘clean coal’ deal for NSW or Qld in a few months spruiks The Oz p28 30 July 08

600,000 evacuated from Fuqing city in Fujian province mid last week due to a typhoon, story sourced to Shanghai – low lying city.

9 Sunday 7.30 – 9.30 am

(Flu crashes into this observation sadly.)

Pre 8am Poscoe (now with Kohler? and Crikey) and Ross Greenwood – both smart edges – do some chat and nostalgia.

Byrne and Woolley do more. Lots of priceless old stories.

Adam Shand and Ross Coulthard – proud contrarians and intelligent with it.

Jim Whaley intro for political interview Laurie Oakes with PM Rudd. Cut his teeth on this show. Sad day. [True]. Rudd refers to time of “flux” [ my comment about Andrew Bolt]. Q. slowing things down? No – big programme. Anecdote about don’t rushing for a speech, fell in a pool. Q. Nelson replace by Costello, scared? Question of policy says Rudd, not personality.Sharp dig about knocking Kim Beazley off, not just about policy from LO. No blink Rudd smooth. Emphasises policy.

LO re economy – formidable opponent for you? Rudd plugs his 12 years point [though CKerr points out tad under 12]. Switch to insiders. Interview runs longish 9.50 and still going at 16 mintues. Mostly dry economics discussion.

Money question in wind up about Olympic funding. LO takes a swing in a supplementary. Rudd boilerplate.  Including

And that was that with LO sounding emotional – after so many years. [LO there for 27? – Go watch Rollerball folks – outlive the format]

Chat Ellen with LO and great anecdote about Keating gazumping his Cabinet – arrogant PK turned the studio in to parliament house.

Live cross to Sky Helen Dalley, also live on that channel, geeky lairising. Fairly boring chat but they earned it.

Footage of youthful Peter Thompson film critic and step brother to actor Jack.

http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/default.asp

10 Meet the Press:  8- 8-30 am

Missed a lot of this show, but saw enought to know good panel Michelle Grattan (Age, Fairfax) and Steve Lewis (News Corp). Simon Crean was the talent who took the invitation despite the rhetoric to note as an ex leader parties don't reward destabilisers (a curious comment really, and probably hopeful), and get your policy right. Or something like that.

Second half was - damn I forget - Lawrence Springborg here 03/08/08 - Simon Crean & Lawrence Springborg

Meet The Press - Watch Political Video Online - Channel TEN.

Riley Diary 7, 8.35 am

Got a chunk, Newcastle backdrop re Costello leadership. Might have been a film package earlier. Away until after the Olympics now.

http://www.seven.com.au/sunrise/weekend

Insiders 2: 9- 10am

Panel Bolter, Mal Farr, K Middleton. Intro on crashing economic indicators re superannuation reverse, business selling down, etc

Press round up – Costello plotting his return.

Guest is Lindsay Tanner highly articulate but wet blanket material on the economy.

Everyperson section is high school HSC kids.

Paul Kelly – party camped on Costello doorstep.

Footage of Nelson in [deathknell] interview with Kerry OBrien 7.30 Report.

Bolt reckons most backbenchers rejected 2012 of Hunt Turnbull line, though shadow cabinet went with that. Unreported says Bolt.

Mal Farr leans on elbow at Bolter – real issue is beyond detail but capacity.

[Sound of the teacups – works – should do more of it, a Sunrise effect]

Bolt reveals his prejudice backbench are “right”, front bench are “wrong”.  [badly wedged by ALP]

Bolt vote of approval for Fortescue/Rudd employment programme. Looks like cotton industry in Morree or similar model relocated to mining sector.

Mal Farr reveals his research on India – re car industry there re Nano at $2,500, [wrote story about uranium export agenda to India soft sell forgets INVAP dodgy reactor and all the insecurities of that agenda – very irresponsible.] More willing debate between Farr and Bolter about per capita emissions – Bolt is correct on increased carbon emissions even if per capita is lower by comparison with Australia.

HG and Mike Bowers talking pictures. Mostly about Nelson in trouble. Deficit of Rudd cartoons is BC making a balancer comment.

NT election next weekend – ALP Govt going asap – surprise win in 2001, landslide in 2005, polling good this time, despite “culpability” says Bolt.

Bolt barracks for Costello economic credentials [after Nelson lurch to brown has crashed and burned much to his chagrin].

Home page is http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/

Posted by editor at 12:47 PM NZT

Updated: Tuesday, 5 August 2008 8:04 PM NZT

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The Federal Coalition Opposition seem to be forgetting the soft power of the global reinsurance industry.

Swiss Re and Munich Re etc control trillion$ in assets worldwide as per this ABC Background Briefing show in 2005:

The Business of Climate Change Sunday 16 October  2005 

And this industry sector knows that it's not worth writing re-insurance policies for the domestic insurance industry (think former HIH and every other insurance company here) for any country that does not have world class global warming policies.

The statistics on massive storm insurance losses makes this financial approach a business imperative for the global re-insurance industry. This is what a leading re-insurance sector representative said back in 2005 when climate change science was far more contentious and arguable:

"As head of the geo risks division at Munich Re, the world's largest insurer of insurance companies, Peter Hoeppe sizes up the threat of tropical cyclones, floods and tsunamis like a Las Vegas bookmaker tries to pick the winner of the Super Bowl.

And increasingly, Hoeppe's biggest worry is not when the fabled big one will shake California, or the next Hurricane Andrew will steamroll Florida.

It's global warming, which he believes is already costing the $US3trillion ($4trillion) insurance industry.

Worldwide disaster losses have been rising for the past half a century, even when inflation is factored in - and Munich Re asserts climate change is at least partly to blame.

Insured disaster losses last year totalled $US44 billion, the most expensive year yet for the industry, the German reinsurer says.

Overall disaster losses were $US114.5 billion, the second-highest total.

By contrast, disaster losses, adjusted to 2004 values, were about $US40 billion in 1980 and $US10.5 billion in 1951.

Worldwide disaster losses have been rising for the past half a century, even when inflation is factored in - and Munich Re asserts climate change is at least partly to blame.

Insured disaster losses last year totalled $US44 billion, the most expensive year yet for the industry, the German reinsurer says.

Overall disaster losses were $US114.5 billion, the second-highest total.

By contrast, disaster losses, adjusted to 2004 values, were about $US40 billion in 1980 and $US10.5 billion in 1951.

"Single events can never prove climate change. But like a stone in a mosaic, if you get enough of them, you begin to see a full picture," said Hoeppe, who leads a team of 25 meteorologists, hydrologists, geologists and economists that studies the global cost of calamity.

"We have seen dramatic increases in damage from weather events. Something is changing in the atmosphere. There is no other explanation."

Sceptics, including some climate scientists who believe in global warming, wonder whether some insurers are talking up the threat of climate change to raise rates. And most American insurers are more concerned about terrorism than the weather.

Nevertheless, although most insurers do not believe climate change is eroding their bottom line, many are growing concerned that it could in years to come if predictions prove correct and extreme weather becomes more common in a warmer world heated by greenhouse gases.

Last week, for example, the Association of British Insurers, a trade group representing about 400 companies, predicted the worldwide cost of major storms could rise by as much as two-thirds by 2080 because of global warming, raising average annual losses to $US27 billion by today's valuations."

in

Global warming costs us: reinsurer - Business - Business - smh.com.au reporting the Los Angeles Times 7 July 2005

Then see this in 2006:

28 August 2006 BBC NEWS | Business | Insurance firms weather the storm

Now look at this from July 2008 where this industry observer is suitably agnostic but the figures are ramping up the pressure to freeze out economies that don't co-operate in global action.

When storms turn political July 2008 With the prospect of high hurricane activity and pressure to keep rates low, reinsurers face a growing need to mitigate their risks, as Bob Ward explains. [from Global Reinsurance website]

We won't be able to hide under GW Bush's skirts for much longer either with both McCain and Obama supporting more action on climate change, not less. 

In this sense Australia is not 'leading the world' with it's Emissions Trading Scheme (now Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme) but following the majority of the rest of the developed (read European) world.

By contrast GW Bush's USA economic disfunctionality is hardly a useful counter model to take our economic settings from.

If the Federal Coalition play chicken with the European controllers of the global (re) insurance industry and they withdraw re-insurance support to Australia the social and legal chaos that will follow will make the collapse of HIH look like a picnic:

14 January 2008 HIH founder free but pain lingers | NEWS.com.au

and here back at the start

HIH Insurance - 31/05/2001 - QWN - NSW Parliament

Unlike PM Malcolm Fraser's slogan of the 1982-83 election regarding "not waiting for the world" -

as per Insiders programme yesterday 28 July 2008 here

Last Update: Sunday 27 July 2008

 This week on Insiders

Barrie and the panel discuss how the coalition will respond to the Government's plan to push forwards with emissions trading and whether internal divisions will undermine the effectiveness of the Opposition.

Watch: Real Lo | Real Hi | Win Lo | Win Hi

 ..... in reality Australia is playing catchup well behind the Europeans who control our insurance coverage. Given the shaky US economy and the election of a new US president later in 2008 means we must throw our lot in with Europe and so should the Coalition Opposition in Federal Parliament. To do otherwise is being highly irresponsible and putting the Australian economy at risk of a fatal brush with global political economic forces.

It would be nothing for Munich Re or Swiss Re to withdraw their re-insurance support for a distant 21 million population country and write our economy off. In fact they must be quite tempted to do so already given the active sabotage by the Howard Govt of Kyoto reforms. The Coalition Opposition should not tempt fate over the economic future of Australia by flirting with a super 'HIH collapse' scenario.

Posted by editor at 2:29 PM NZT

Updated: Monday, 28 July 2008 9:37 PM NZT

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Just substitute ‘Sunday tv political talkie shows’ for "newspapers" in the quote above.

Media backgrounders

- Good Weekend on Marius Kloppers 45 – father died young, a common trait of high achievers – reminds of uni buddy – small perfectly formed, amoral, endlessly charming, 5 languages, driven by personal ambition – endlessly adapatable change capable man for the 21C. Good feature missed some tough questions – wife missing in action from story as are usual pics of kids. Security conscious guy. 6-8 coffees a day vegetarian. Alpha male, 2 years national service, part of Mandela’s transition year when it counted – that’s his saving grace. Accepts global warming as a reality for  …. Adaptation.

-  Good John Garnaut feature on BHP stalking Rio Tinto and Chinese Iron and Steel Association (CISA) – real heavy political economy analysis.

- Geof Dixon looking as old as the Qantas jet that blew a panel and took a 20K fall

- Alan Ramsey in Sydney Morning Herald - after several cracking articles natural resource issues - on Murray Darling policy/market failure, climate change and other federal government dodginess - get's punished perhaps 26 July 08 with a half sized column after (arguably) botching the stats on carbon dioxide emissions in his opening paragraph 8 days back (or so the rival Strewth column in The Oz asserted.) Ouch. Hang in there Big Al. A long view is appreciated here at least.

- Peter Lloyd everywhere. Talk about let himself down, but he can make his way back to self respect. Time starts now champ got to get to the bottom to go up.

- Right wing opinion writers Devine, Bolt, Tim Blair, Duffy all in neurosis over global warming policy reality.

- Saturday press flattering of Sunday 9, just glad it’s not them maybe, real sadness here, though won’t miss 7.30am starts.

- Australian Story has ‘red rag’ Premier Anna Bligh with ALP in pre emptive mode but will it work? – almost unsellable package by the looks, banana party has formed as LNP too.

-Michelle Grattan has the best take on Costello in Sun Herald today – giving comfort to Nelson over Turnbull, to hang tough on global warming. But does Costello really believe it or just being opportunistic to keep Turnbull parked? Parking Turnbull I would say, ready to move at any time over the next several months to October book release.

- Our piece on WYD/Costa/’Jane’about a vulnerable colleague shoved into the Kiloh Centre psych ward for a week and out of the way  got some reaction (?) next day in the press with another ‘Jane’ turning up in The Oz, and police locking up an insane man who died of an ‘ulcer’. Maybe he really did.

- News Limited by name and nature – picture in due course of  Saturday Telegraph of picfac with Bishop Fisher but conviction of paedophile priest relegated to obscure position in same press edition. That’s what sponsorship conflict of interest does to news values. Compare Adam Spencer breaking a story mid week on abc 702. Bravo the latter, boo the former.

9 Sunday 7.30 – 9.30 am

Proud but beaten by profit psychosis of corporate capitalism natural enemy of good journalism.  Ellen looking strong – lighter Sunrise on 7 wins – as per cute underfed (!?) stand in on 9 for Usher, Allison Langdon, seen her in the pack before at Redfern - Carol Thomas memorial for her son TJ. Stalker survivor. Saturday press is flattering as it should for 27 year run.

Nice story for sound recordists on quiet place in national park.

Ross Greenwood – web technology research from Oz – strong story

Catchup on Obama US presidentials soft spoken Bruce Wolpe Fairfax – good Obama backer.

Main feature behind the razor wire on affect of children. Big and true story. Interesting choice of public interest for Sunday 9 machine on the way out. Bravo. Feature really drives the nail in to Howard/Ruddock policy of mandatory detention of children.

Virginnia Leong in story – met her once at Federal Court. Child Naomi has psychological troubles with growing and learning. Footage nails ex minister Ruddock on willful ignorance of expert reports. Dead bat doesn’t work for him. Basis of big comp deals here for Naomi etc need speech therapy.

Macdonalds crap advert in favour of Beijing Olympics sanitizing the brutal dictatorship there.

Laurie Oakes with ex journo federal MP Turnbull cracking question – what would he Kerry Packer have thought about show winding up? Very commercial guy due honour to appear 2^nd last show etc.

Onto ‘forensics’ – far too rushed on GW says MT, should wait for new US president, and Copenhagen UN conference (doesn’t ring true).

LO refers to fillerbustering – what is your policy? MT goes through the motions but says wait till 2012 waiting for a global agreement [Flaw is that never will be, has to be demonstrated, and forced with trade etc soft power.]

“John Howard wasn’t known for being too green, that’s for sure” suggests that the direction under Nelson etc. Costello heading the same way so no hope there for embrace of the age of transition.

MT talks up LNG [but govt has shifted on that already.] Says it will replace dirtier coal – but more likely just increase consumption, as unlimited demand.

Strong question re leadership implications of greenhouse policy? Turnbull looking isolated which is a pity.

http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/default.asp

10 Meet the Press:  8- 8-30 am

Lead in about Peter Costello in 2007. PB back in chair.

Tony Abbott – right spear carrier. Costello has backed anti greenhouse reform forces, underpins Nelson on leash. Abbott trying to hose down “idle speculation” thinks it’s good he is still there, good if he came back, his call.

Footage Rudd bipartisan call re climate change. Conservatives versus progressives – ie wedged?

TA counters on Govt dithering. Wrong on opposition can stall on their own policies – blatant spin.

Careful to stroke Rupert Murdoch as minimalist believer.

PB – 20 years since Rio even.

Merger up north – got their act together. Sigh of relief.

Panel is ACrabb Fairfax – looking GOOD. Tick tick tick, and I don’t mean the 60 Minutes clock either.  Topic is intervention issue in NT. At least 5 years. Great question on non racial welfare quarantine. TA stands very firm, roll it out rest of Australia.

Andrew Probyn of West Australian, sounds smart, got a UK lint to him. TA says stunt re constitutional change for Indigenous.

Back on to global warming – TA takes populist line – “devil’s own job in front of him”. AC has head tilt – she’s gorgeous! Kerry Obrien style question – ironic to support JH over PC now supporting PC.

[does turn on global warming and TA anti ecology attitudes, get over it Tony, Peter Woof uni politics was 30 years ago for God sake].

2^nd half re alco pops etc. Nick Xenophon, new senator, cross bench. Vigorous guy, media tart with some serious messages. Water for Murray and no pokies – 2 trick horse? Serious issues – true. Claims an intellectual dimension which is fair enough. AC – South Oz background – small state type. Mmm.

Look out AC – rear view camera angle, no worries, watch the slouch correction!

Riley Diary 7, 8.35 am

Riley Diary today – seems not. Looking after the kids on holidays probably. Great footage for lighter moment.

 Picture:  John Belushi? Paul Keating? A cool banana,or pineapple perhaps. A spiv escaped from the local used car yard? The dusty old press pile produced this gem last week from the federal election 2007 - so recent yet so long ago.

Insiders 2: 9- 10am

Milne in beat up story – part time electorate office worker, party worker, obviously policy adviser type person. Gallery version of ambulance chasing.

Merger in Qld. Panel is Kerry Anne Walsh, Toohey, Milne.

Footage of Rudd on greenhouse. Hunt as shadow environment – talented guy, but looking isolated and neutered as per all Coalition environment ministers. Worst job in Opposition, even more than the leader?

Talks up “clean air issues”. Rudd soft on India and China, sounds good. Messed up clean sector, lng, cng and solar. Again talks a good game. Like Mal Turnbull on 9 refers to showdown meeting this week.

BC tests him out on Nelson policy shifts – Hunt talks a good game, should work for anyone else really – climate institute?

Bangs on, talks a smooth game, looks under pressure as he takes free kick against Defence Minister ramping the rhetoric reeling Iemma into dodgy NSW sinecurocracy. Guffaws from panel breaks the silence.

……………………………………..

Segue to everyperson segement. Small business folks. Talk about India and China be pressured. [Got it wrong though] Conservatives. Turnbull preferred as leader.

Chat about Hunt interview – want to be out while China and India stay out.

Great archival footage of Fraser slogan - not waiting for the world which flopped apparently. BC notes many in Coalition thinking better to wait in fact. [The problem for them is the developed world as in Europe is not waiting for us - The global insurance industry like Swiss Re and Munich Re will foreclose on our economy, withdraw insurance cover for lack of valid GHG policies and make the HIH collapse look like a legal picnic.]

[So the truth finally arises after 12 long years of Howard that Coalition were always ‘out’ as economic satellite of export market clients in Asia, and follow that music. Everything till then was a ruse and a sabotage inside the Kyoto tent.

So now we at least have Coalition honesty about party of skeptics. That’s true and that’s the rump on that side of the wedge for them. It’s an ALP and Green Party future for Australia and big business should jump in that direction now.]

Kelly soliloquy – Nelson is browner than Howard, frontal assault on Rudd strategy. [true – taking the xenophobic line]. Notes moderates have heartburn. Logic in political strategy but high risk, banking on new narrative about cost of living, significant opening voters blue collar workers, resource states, RARA land won’t buy. Great risk is Rudd will say party of skeptics, ALP in middle ground, try and deal with problem in economically responsible way.

Toohey refers to California and popular big Arnie  [true but Australia more generally not like Californication populace].

Cost of electricity will still fall as share of household income. Chat about politics of populism coming back on Rudd re cost of living. Senate could save Rudd by rejecting the ETS.

Grab from MTP with TA – quite wrong to have policy before govt. Fair enough says panel – WRONG – Opposition can decide their own policy timing if they have real credibility. Wait and see is rubbish.

Strong comment by Toohey – Brit company wanted to mine coal seam gas with ETS of ALP. Swan footage against endless corporate welfare.  Milne agrees this is Bob Brown point too.

Analysis of Costello leadership prospects.

Home page is http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/

Posted by editor at 12:28 PM NZT

Updated: Monday, 28 July 2008 9:39 PM NZT

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The full text of the pro bono submissions document filed and served yesterday 25 July 2008 (in preparation for the callover on Tuesday morning 29th July 2008 at the Land & Environment Court of NSW) can be found here:

25 July 2008  Outline of submissions on Coca Cola legal appeal to delete 66ML/YR Trial at Peats Ridge

Previous postings on this topic can be found here:

• Friday, 25 July 2008

  Open letter of complaint to ACCC about Coca Cola Amatil deception on 'spring water' at Peats Ridge
  Mood:  sharp
  Topic: legal
• Friday, 18 July 2008

  Coca Cola water bottling case: Letter to expert evidence "gatekeepers" re science of Sydney sandstone
  Mood:  a-ok
  Topic: legal
• Friday 18 July 2008 -  Is this how Coca Cola pick and choose their expert evidence to destroy Peats Ridge Springs?
  Mood:  blue
  Topic: legal
• Tuesday, 15 July 2008

  Coca Cola Water Bottling Case: Mystery Green Folder found with critical evidence for court expert Lane
  Mood:  a-ok
  Topic: legal
• Saturday, 5 July 2008

  Coca Cola water bottling Case, Peats Ridge Springs: Objector gets a chance to be heard
  Mood:  chatty
  Topic: legal
• Friday, 4 July 2008

  Coca Cola water bottling at Peats Ridge Springs Case: Decision today in Land Env Court on party joinder
  Mood:  chatty
  Topic: legal
• 4 July 2008 - Coca Cola Amatil caught out breaching bulk export condition in trial at Peats Ridge Springs?
  Mood:  sharp
• Friday, 27 June 2008

  Coca Cola water bottling case: Draft short order of minutes for court consideration today
  Mood:  chatty
  Topic: legal
• Friday, 27 June 2008

  Coca Cola water bottling case: Community Objector submissions to Justice Pain today 3 pm
  Mood:  chatty
  Topic: legal
• Tuesday 24 June 2008 - Does Coca Cola bottled water at Peats Ridge have a chook poo contamination problem in the future?
  Mood:  not sure
  Topic: health

• 24 June 2008 Coca Cola's nominated, and court appointed expert 'blinks' twice on report deadline?

• Friday, 13 June 2008

  Environmental agitator seeks to join legal action against Coca Cola at Peats Ridge Springs, NSW
  Mood:  a-ok
  Topic: nsw govt

• 1 June 2008 Coca Cola Amatil bottled water legals: Ratepayers force reversal by Gosford Council so far

• 1 June 2008 Objecter seeks to be heard in Coca Cola bottled water case after driest May on record

• 21 May 2008 Coca Cola in Environment Court on 6 June over Mangrove Mtn bottled water extraction

Posted by editor at 7:45 PM NZT

Updated: Saturday, 26 July 2008 8:38 PM NZT

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Mood:  sharp

Dear ACCC Complaints officer

We write as agent for an intervenor Neville Diamond in the Land & Environment Court proceedings 10429 of 2005, current in 2008 called David Kettle Consulting [agent for Coca Cola Amatil] v Gosford City Council. Diamond was made an official Intervenor in judgement by Justice Nicola Pain on 4th July 2008, which is less than a full party, more than a bystander, actually limited participant in proceedings.

Our concern is that our legal and media research over the last several months has indicated the CCA subsidiary Peats Ridge Springs Pty Ltd which is its business signage, and trading name, and common name of its business location on Mangrove Mountain near Gosford, and has been at least for some years in advertising on their bottled water product, is NOT spring water. If we are right then this is a breach of section 52 of the Trade Practices Act and equivalent NSW fair trading legislation.

That is to say the company in court documents fully concede the water is pumped from multiple bores to source what used to be a spring fed creek up until the early 1990ies but which till then permanent waterway has been wrecked by over consumption.

The Australian Macquarie Dictionary Third Edition, defines a spring in this context as

"34. an issue of water from the earth, flowing away as a small stream or standing as a pool or small lake, or the place of such an issue: mineral springs"

The local food growing farmers and horticulturalists quite reasonably accuse the CCA/PRS of producing "bore water" as per minutes of a public meeting in 2006 not spring water as a result. In 2006 CCA was successful in litigation in getting permission to lower the local water table 5 metres deeper into the ground (in the drilling jargon from 10m to 15m from case collar). Their bore apparently reaches 70 metres into Peats Ridge/Mangrove Mountain.

The locals now describe the once permanent creek, once permanent groundwater dependent flora and wildlife "as a bare paddock".

Interestingly CCA on print out of their website earlier this year refer only to "Peats Ridge Water" as their product line. Refer http://www.ccamatil.com.au/australianProducts.asp

But they maintain on another webpage "Peats Ridge Springs, Peats Ridge (water bottling only)". This suggests to us the corporation is alive to the misdescription of product issue but continue to play in the grey legal area while they can, having destroyed the un named watercourse on their site. Refer http://www.ccamatil.com.au/bottledwater.asp

Could you please advise what documentary or other evidence you need to progress an official investigation into our complaint on tel. ...... or 0410 55883 ......

Please also see this weblink for images of misnamed "Peats Ridge Springs" water product/business get up etc.

http://www.sydneyalternativemedia.com/blog/index.blog/1829489/open-letter-of-complaint-to-accc-about-coca-cola-amatil-deception-on-spring-water-at-peats-ridge/

Yours truly

Tom McLoughlin, agent for intervenor Diamond.

Posted by editor at 7:52 AM NZT

Updated: Friday, 25 July 2008 2:06 PM NZT

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Mood:  sharp

Treasurer Costa has taken the political cowards path - parading his child and wife on the front page of the Daily Telegraph. Just as the Pope did a baby picture in the face of abuse whistleblowers. Just as every political figure at risk has done leveraging the innocence of childhood for their own selfish career and ambitions out of the pages of a PR-A01 text book.

Far from courageously ventilating the issue of mental health and his "14 medications a day" Costa should face up to the scathing analysis of such documentaries as Enron: Smartest guys in the room free on Google video (as posted below ... again). The experience of power privatisation in California to corporate spivs was an economic, industrial, social and in the end political disaster. Smart people learn from history and so does the labour, social justice and green movement.

Costa should face up to the profound issues of dangerous climate change leavened with the equally diabolical Global Dimming phenomenon caused by China's huge particulate pollution burden on the atmosphere.

We say this as legal tutor to our environmental colleague 'Jane' who lives independently but suffers chronic schizoophrenia this last 20 years. We visited her after a week at Prince of Wales Kiloh Centre during the hoo haa around Catholic World Youth Day. The event that Costa threw our tax dollars away for at the expense of every retailer in the CBD. She looked well fed, stable, calm, subdued and profoundly bored.

Personally I have no doubt Jane was whisked off the street at Macro Wholefoods in Bondi Junction and admitted to Kiloh so those nice pilgrims wouldn't be annoyed by a vulnerable harmless confused local. It was looking pretty crowded in there too.

Jane rang us this week, the day after WYD finished, to say she had just been allowed home. As we fully expected too. Suddenly the police are back to the usual duties and generally invisible again as they were before WYD. And Jane can enjoy her lentil soup in peace in her own home and watch her own tv and read her art books and visit her local shops in peace.

No thanks to such as Michael Costa and his devout mates like Premier Iemma. Maybe poor Jane should convert from secular Jewry to Catholicism next time?

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

Saturday, 17 May 2008

NSW public energy heist?: Enron 'smartest guys' free 109 min film on Google Video
Mood:  special
Topic: nsw govt

As indicated in this profound film, staff of Enron (a US $65 billion corporation, 7th largest in the USA, which went bankrupt in 24 days in 2002) were regarded as the "best and brightest" in business. This has an eerie ring to it echoing a phrase for those selected for the recent 2020 summit blessed by PM Rudd.

PM Rudd also as it happens has endorsed the public energy sell off plan of the NSW Premier Morris Iemma who is in China as we write presumably to further progress the $15 billion sale  'the best and brightest idea' he can come up with for future governance of NSW! Enjoy (!?) the film. We will.

When you've digested that "magic of the market" and "de-regulation", have a look at this 60 minutes plus BBC doco on Youtube of the history of the public relations industry based on the theories of psychoanalyst Freud. It's a cracker.

And if you are still up for it this chestnut, less than one minute:

 

 

Posted by editor at 9:34 AM NZT

Updated: Thursday, 24 July 2008 10:38 AM NZT

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Mood:  blue

See this article above: It's the global warming skeptics last throw of the scientific dice really via such as Andrew Bolt-er as per Insiders abc tv yesterday:

  Book release reignites Costello leadership speculation The panel discusses how any emissions trading scheme will affect the Australian economy and the release of Christine Jackman's book on Kevin Rudd's election campaign. [Webcast available via their front page here http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/]

That's not to say Andrew doesn't have half a point but just not the one he thinks he has: What you can't see in the article in The Australian is the riposte of honest earth mother type Annabel Crabb (God love her): That the rise in global temperatures - 10 hottest years on record in the last 13 years - has indeed plateaued but at a much higher level than is natural.

Which brings us to 3 weeks back when Sunday 9 via Adam Shand - no  no intellectual fool either - threw the same skeptic dice. Shand's feature 29 June 08 (curiously missing from their web archive) referred to the flipping of summer and winter in 1815 or so as proof scientists are arrogant to think they have all the answers - the year as Senator Bob Brown pointed out same show that Krakatoa blew it's top and the dust sent the global seasonal pattern haywire. That is cold summer, hot winter in Europe. A one off in fact, not a failure of science or the triumph of uncertainty but of extreme nature:

Interview: Bob Brown
June 29, 2008
Watch our report
This week, Ellen Fanning talks to Senator Bob Brown of the Greens about the new role of the Greens in the Senate and the impact of climate change. more

Which brings us back even further to Jonathan Holmes and 4 Corners presentation via BBC Horizons programme here, about a year ago [actually 3 years plus] presenting the real and intriguing phenomenon of Global Dimming - err sorry, what's that? It's particulate air pollution on a huge scale usually via dirty industrialisation attracting water droplets and thus cloud cover which in turn reflects the sun's warming rays and thus artificially reduces global temperatures.

Apparently scientists clued into this Global Dimming when they discovered that compared to the 50ies and 60ies a whopping 10% less sunlight was hitting the ground due to particulate pollution in the modern world. That's not only weird but bound to have climatic consequences - and it does:

Four Corners - 21/03/2005: Global Dimming

So get this implication of less particulates - from cleaner industry - and thus clean air for clean lungs means higher temperatures in a greenhouse gas polluted atmosphere tending to push up that way already. 

Conversely dirty air meaning more particulates means more lung cancer and more cloud cover etc and a dampening of temperatures.

This suggests for want of a better term - The Slow Krakatoa of the Chinese (and probably Indian) particulate air pollution phenomenon no doubt correlating to their economic boom of the last 10 years. 

Only anecdotal too but we recall one westerner report of travelling in China an area of the State of Victoria and experiencing a blanket of smog like Sydney or Melbourne (on a bad day) for the whole massive area of land travelled. That's particulate industrial pollution year after year on a scale to influence neighbouring countries - another anecdotal report - and yes even global climate.

That's Global Dimming dampening upward global temperatures in what may well be a temporary reprieve from escalating Global Warming and dangerous climate change.

SAM micro news now fears we are facing Sophie's Choice: Choose your poison - Beijing style lung cancer rates with all the benefits of Dimming from those higher concentrations of particulates, or intensified cyclonic weather in southern latitudes (like Brisbane, Sydney etc), from cleaner yet still C02 (and other GHG) overburdened atmosphere.

And Global Dimming has another big impact - the particulates that form the water droplets that form the clouds - apparently they are smaller in size than your usual cloud forming droplets (or something like that). As a result apparently they tend to rain in different locations. According to the 4 Corners docoumentary this has led to failed rains in Africa resulting from particulate pollution in Europe and North America. Hard to credit sure, but that was the thesis and the science referencing was pretty strong in that show.

Here are some senior scientific voices from the BBC Horizons show:

PROF VEERABHADRAN RAMANATHAN: We saw ten times more particles in the polluted air mass north of the Maldives compared with what we saw south of the Maldives which was a pristine air mass.

NARRATOR: In the polluted air billions of man-made particles provided ten times as many sites around which water droplets could form. So polluted clouds contained many more water droplets, each one far smaller than it would be naturally. Many small droplets reflect more light than fewer big ones. So the polluted clouds were reflecting more light back into space, preventing the heat of the sun getting through. This was the cause of Global Dimming.

PROF VEERABHADRAN RAMANATHAN: Basically the Global Dimming we saw in the North Indian Ocean, it was contributed on the one hand by the particles themselves shielding the ocean from the sunlight, on the other hand making the clouds brighter. So this insidious soup, consisting of soot, sulphates, nitrates, ash and what have you, was having a double whammy on the Global Dimming.

NARRATOR: And when he looked at satellite images, Ramanathan found the same thing was happening all over the world. Over India. Over China, and extending into the Pacific. Over Western Europe... extending into Africa. Over the British Isles. But it was when scientists started to investigate the effects of Global Dimming that they made the most disturbing discovery of all. Those more reflective clouds could alter the pattern of the world's rainfall. With tragic consequences.

NEWS REPORT - MICHAEL BUERK VOICE OVER: Dawn, and as the sun breaks through the piercing chill of night on the plain outside Korum it lights up a biblical famine, now in the 20th Century. This place say workers here is the closest thing to hell on earth.

NARRATOR: The 1984 Ethiopian famine shocked the world. It was partly caused by a decade's long drought right across sub-Saharan Africa - a region known as the Sahel. For year after year the summer rains failed. At the time some scientists blamed overgrazing and poor land management. But now there's evidence that the real culprit was Global Dimming. The Sahel's lifeblood has always been a seasonal monsoon. For most of the year it is completely dry. But every summer, the heat of the sun warms the oceans north of the equator. This draws the rain belt that forms over the equator northwards, bringing rain to the Sahel. But for twenty years in the 1970s and 80s the tropical rain belt consistently failed to shift northwards - and the African monsoon failed. For climate scientists like Leon Rotstayn the disappearance of the rains had long been a puzzle. He could see that pollution from Europe and North America blew right across the Atlantic, but all the climate models suggested it should have little effect on the monsoon. But then Rotstayn decided to find out what would happen if he took the Maldive findings into account.

DR LEON ROTSTAYN (CSIRO Atmospheric Research): What we found in our model was that when we allowed the pollution from Europe and North America to affect the properties of the clouds in the northern hemisphere the clouds reflected more sunlight back to space and this cooled the oceans of the northern hemisphere. And to our surprise the result of this was that the tropical rain bands moved southwards tracking away from the more polluted northern hemisphere towards the southern hemisphere.

NARRATOR: Polluted clouds stopped the heat of the sun getting through. That heat was needed to draw the tropical rains northwards. So the life giving rain belt never made it to the Sahel.

DR LEON ROTSTAYN: So what our model is suggesting is that these droughts in the Sahel in the 1970s and the 1980s may have been caused by pollution from Europe and North America affecting the properties of the clouds and cooling the oceans of the northern hemisphere.

NARRATOR: Rotstayn has found a direct link between Global Dimming and the Sahel drought. If his model is correct, what came out of our exhaust pipes and power stations contributed to the deaths of a million people in Africa, and afflicted 50 million more. But this could be just of taste of what Global Dimming has in store.

PROF VEERABHADRAN RAMANATHAN: The Sahel is just one example of the monsoon system. Let me take you to anther part of the world. Asia, where the same monsoon brings rainfall to three point six billion people, roughly half the world's population. My main concern is this air pollution and the Global Dimming will also have a detrimental impact on this Asian monsoon. We are not talking about few millions of people we are talking about few billions of people.

NARRATOR: For Ramanathan the implications are clear.

PROF VEERABHADRAN RAMANATHAN: There is no choice here we have to cut down air pollution, if not eliminate it altogether.

From BBC Horizons Global Dimming documentary 2007

These global weather effects look grim folks, and the egotistical rivalry amongst high paid journalists doesn't seem to be helping things much either. What we need is more light less heat as the saying goes, pun intended.

Postscript #1

We wrote our comment above before absorbing John Garnaut's piece 2 days earlier about the huge particulate pollution in China :

19-20 July 2008 Light in the fog - World - smh.com.au

with this instructive graphic here:

John Garnaut doesn't quite get to grips with the science of Global Dimming but otherwise he is right that the particulate pollution in China is a Big Thing with global implications. Global Dimming explains more of the how and why this pollution feeds into climate instability.

Posted by editor at 8:38 AM NZT

Updated: Wednesday, 23 July 2008 1:03 PM NZT

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