It's now official - Adelaide has registered its first-ever November heatwave. The Bureau of Meteorology said "The heatwave was confirmed this morning when the temperature topped 35C for the fifth day in a row".
And I can vividly remember on 8th July last year when Ross Garnaut presented his report and findings at the Adelaide Town Hall - when he said "South Australia was the most exposed of all Australian states to the adverse effects of Climate Change".
But apparently the *blue* team didn't hear the warning - or read the "press release" and so they are still wandering around - with their *thinking organ* hidden away in a dark orifice.
I suppose SA Senator Nick Minchin is perfectly comfortable in his own special air conditioned office - while working out tactics to defeat the government's ETS bill - but the South Australian people are probably wondering when their local politicans are going to start telling them the truth.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Sometimes I despair
Often I berate the numbnuts on the *blue* team for their poor analysis, bad policy and *dumb* decisions - but it seems that all Australian politicians are "drawn from the same well", "cast from the same stone", "educated at the same trough", and revert to "arse covering" mode when they are closing in on an election - as demonstrated by this.
How are we ever going to make the tough choices that are needed as a nation when the easy decisions are wasted?
How are we ever going to make the tough choices that are needed as a nation when the easy decisions are wasted?
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
News Corp is getting a bit tetchy
I wonder if anyone else has noticed how "News Corp" has been showing a little nervouseness lately - and how Rupert has been spruiking the great work of his corporation - to anyone who will listen.
He was out here recently, on a regular flying visit - to issue riding instructions to his editors and local executives and some of his *friendly* politicians and his business *cheer squad*.
Don't you get the sense that he is *on a bit of a "last minute" mission*. He is rushing around like a 20 year old - trying to get things done - before...
Sounds a bit like the *News Corp empire* is in it's death throes to me.
He was out here recently, on a regular flying visit - to issue riding instructions to his editors and local executives and some of his *friendly* politicians and his business *cheer squad*.
Don't you get the sense that he is *on a bit of a "last minute" mission*. He is rushing around like a 20 year old - trying to get things done - before...
Sounds a bit like the *News Corp empire* is in it's death throes to me.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Minchin spills the beans
Well, I don't need to say it because Nick Minchin already has - here.
Senator Minchin has told ABC's Four Corners program most Coalition MPs do not think human activity is causing global warming.
"I'd say a majority don't accept that position," he said.
Well there you have it - straight from the horse's mouth - a majority of Coalition MP's don't understand basic science.
And I suspect that many of them also can't read because the proposition has been spelt out - very clearly - in a number of scientific journals.
Hmmm - So Minchin admits that Coalition MP's don't understand science and can't read...
That's a big enough handicap to keep them in opposition for decades.
For those that should go back to secondary school or perhaps do a science degree - this will keep them occupied for at least a decade - while the rest of the human race gets on with fixing the problem.
Numbnuts in blue - how very quaint.
Senator Minchin has told ABC's Four Corners program most Coalition MPs do not think human activity is causing global warming.
"I'd say a majority don't accept that position," he said.
Well there you have it - straight from the horse's mouth - a majority of Coalition MP's don't understand basic science.
And I suspect that many of them also can't read because the proposition has been spelt out - very clearly - in a number of scientific journals.
Hmmm - So Minchin admits that Coalition MP's don't understand science and can't read...
That's a big enough handicap to keep them in opposition for decades.
For those that should go back to secondary school or perhaps do a science degree - this will keep them occupied for at least a decade - while the rest of the human race gets on with fixing the problem.
Numbnuts in blue - how very quaint.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Kevin should push hard
Kevin has taken the gloves off and called the *skeptics* for what they are - a bunch of delusional rightwing nutters - more concerned for their "fat-cat" mates in the big polluting industries than their fellow citizens.
Time is quickly running out and we can't afford to let the "anti science" vested interest approach of the few dictate how we deal with this serious issue.
My view is that Kevin needs to "bring it on" - even if that means a double dissolution.
Lets have the brawl that we clearly need to have and sort out once and for all our *National strategy and approach* for dealing with "Climate Change".
It seems to me that if he does that then he will gain major grass roots support across the nation - and he may even wipe the floor with the *blue* and *black* teams - who seems to comprise the bulk of the "do nothing - skeptics".
As an aside - doesn't anybody wonder why it is from within the "Liberal" and "National" political parties where we find the most vocal "Climate Change" skeptics?
I will let you think about that for a little while - perhaps it will be revealed later.
HINT: "They're not "skeptics" - they are "opportunists".
Time is quickly running out and we can't afford to let the "anti science" vested interest approach of the few dictate how we deal with this serious issue.
My view is that Kevin needs to "bring it on" - even if that means a double dissolution.
Lets have the brawl that we clearly need to have and sort out once and for all our *National strategy and approach* for dealing with "Climate Change".
It seems to me that if he does that then he will gain major grass roots support across the nation - and he may even wipe the floor with the *blue* and *black* teams - who seems to comprise the bulk of the "do nothing - skeptics".
As an aside - doesn't anybody wonder why it is from within the "Liberal" and "National" political parties where we find the most vocal "Climate Change" skeptics?
I will let you think about that for a little while - perhaps it will be revealed later.
HINT: "They're not "skeptics" - they are "opportunists".
Friday, November 6, 2009
Thank goodness for Google Reader
All I can say is - "Thank goodness for Google reader, quality newsfeeds and personal blogs" - because parts of the Australian mainstream media have definately lost the plot.
I have been regularly reading "The Australian" on a daily basis - almost since it was first published. Sometimes not very frequently and sometimes it has been difficult to get copies - but for more than 30 years it has been my newspaper of choice.
Even in the latter half of the first decade of the 21st Century when many commentators have criticised Rupert's baby as *the Fox News* of the Australian media - I still remained loyal.
Even as Janet Albrechtsen continued with her personal poison - attacking anything and everything vaguely normal and promoting the most god-awful right wing rubbish - just because it aligns with her seriously warped sense of the world - I still remained loyal and pretended that she was just an abberation.
Even as the right wing and ratbag commentariat, the religious nutters and the seriously dumb and just plain silly used and abused their pages of editorial space to attack anything and everything intellectual or science based - I assumed it was just a phase that would pass - like a teenager growing up.
Even as Chris Mitchell took the paper downmarket and tried to use it as a vehicle to play his personal political games with important issues like *climate change* - I still scanned the stories - with the hope that there were a few gems of quality hidden away - somewhere.
But I have to confess that they have won - after 30+ years I am beaten.
Today I decided that it is all too hard - the collection of *Bumpf and BS* that is packaged as our national newspaper is now of such a standard and quality that I am no longer interested in reading it.
I am particularly distressed to observe the way it attacks our government - apparently just because they are of the *red* persuasion as opposed to Rupert's version of the right colour - which is obviously *blue* or more likely *black*.
"The Australian" no longer represents the nation - it should rename itself. My suggestion is "Rupert's Rightwing Ratbag Rag".
I have been regularly reading "The Australian" on a daily basis - almost since it was first published. Sometimes not very frequently and sometimes it has been difficult to get copies - but for more than 30 years it has been my newspaper of choice.
Even in the latter half of the first decade of the 21st Century when many commentators have criticised Rupert's baby as *the Fox News* of the Australian media - I still remained loyal.
Even as Janet Albrechtsen continued with her personal poison - attacking anything and everything vaguely normal and promoting the most god-awful right wing rubbish - just because it aligns with her seriously warped sense of the world - I still remained loyal and pretended that she was just an abberation.
Even as the right wing and ratbag commentariat, the religious nutters and the seriously dumb and just plain silly used and abused their pages of editorial space to attack anything and everything intellectual or science based - I assumed it was just a phase that would pass - like a teenager growing up.
Even as Chris Mitchell took the paper downmarket and tried to use it as a vehicle to play his personal political games with important issues like *climate change* - I still scanned the stories - with the hope that there were a few gems of quality hidden away - somewhere.
But I have to confess that they have won - after 30+ years I am beaten.
Today I decided that it is all too hard - the collection of *Bumpf and BS* that is packaged as our national newspaper is now of such a standard and quality that I am no longer interested in reading it.
I am particularly distressed to observe the way it attacks our government - apparently just because they are of the *red* persuasion as opposed to Rupert's version of the right colour - which is obviously *blue* or more likely *black*.
"The Australian" no longer represents the nation - it should rename itself. My suggestion is "Rupert's Rightwing Ratbag Rag".
Monday, November 2, 2009
Rory Wins - but there will be consequences
I suspect that Steve Keen's error is one of timing and that eventually he will be proven right - house prices could well fall by 40%.
It's just a question of when. And it's also a question of how high they will go in the meantime. Because, the bigger the rise - the harder the fall.
But seriously, why isn't anyone concerned by any of this? Do we really believe that perpetually increasing house prices are a good thing? And if we do (as seems likely) then is anyone thinking about the consequences?
Because there are always unintended consequences - it's really about who they impact and how hard.
Clearly perpetually increasing house prices don't help those who already own houses - because they need to live somewhwere. A high selling price just translates to a higher buying price for the next one. Where is the benefit in that?
But they do impact new entrants to the market - who tend to be the young and/or migrants - who often can't afford the price. Or if they do then their financial situation becomes so stretched that they end up living in poverty for decades - just to get into a house! Where is the benefit in that?
Actually I think I know why this is happening.
This country has a long and chequered history of speculative property development and house building. Just check the list of billionaires, millionaires and other rich people in your community. Odds are that a good percentage of them (probably more than 50%) will be builders and/or developers. Few of them are smart - but they got there by making stuff for $100 and selling it on to you for $200. Just add zero's to get to a different scale.
Now this form of industry and commerce is really the only thing that has been a consistent wealth generator across the nation over the past hundred years. The alternatives are not so good or not so easy to get into.
* The Agriculture and Grazing industries have become too capital intensive.
* Manufacturing has died an un-natural death.
* Mining is owned and run by and for the multi-nationals.
* Technology was killed by the dot com crash.
* Financial services died as a result of the global financial crisis.
* Everything else is hard work and/or low paid.
So the last great money making frontier is *housing* and by the way, house prices are about the only thing still going up - because we as a nation have a serious bias toward this form of investment - and that has produced a lot of "vested interests" all keen to advise you or help you or fund you to get in on the act.
Never mind that it is not very productive to have all your capital sitting in bricks and mortar - or that your job in the other industries is probably precarious - lets put all of our eggs in this one basket - and hope for the best.
Because when it does turn *pear shaped* then "the government" will bail us out - isn't that what they always do?
It's just a question of when. And it's also a question of how high they will go in the meantime. Because, the bigger the rise - the harder the fall.
But seriously, why isn't anyone concerned by any of this? Do we really believe that perpetually increasing house prices are a good thing? And if we do (as seems likely) then is anyone thinking about the consequences?
Because there are always unintended consequences - it's really about who they impact and how hard.
Clearly perpetually increasing house prices don't help those who already own houses - because they need to live somewhwere. A high selling price just translates to a higher buying price for the next one. Where is the benefit in that?
But they do impact new entrants to the market - who tend to be the young and/or migrants - who often can't afford the price. Or if they do then their financial situation becomes so stretched that they end up living in poverty for decades - just to get into a house! Where is the benefit in that?
Actually I think I know why this is happening.
This country has a long and chequered history of speculative property development and house building. Just check the list of billionaires, millionaires and other rich people in your community. Odds are that a good percentage of them (probably more than 50%) will be builders and/or developers. Few of them are smart - but they got there by making stuff for $100 and selling it on to you for $200. Just add zero's to get to a different scale.
Now this form of industry and commerce is really the only thing that has been a consistent wealth generator across the nation over the past hundred years. The alternatives are not so good or not so easy to get into.
* The Agriculture and Grazing industries have become too capital intensive.
* Manufacturing has died an un-natural death.
* Mining is owned and run by and for the multi-nationals.
* Technology was killed by the dot com crash.
* Financial services died as a result of the global financial crisis.
* Everything else is hard work and/or low paid.
So the last great money making frontier is *housing* and by the way, house prices are about the only thing still going up - because we as a nation have a serious bias toward this form of investment - and that has produced a lot of "vested interests" all keen to advise you or help you or fund you to get in on the act.
Never mind that it is not very productive to have all your capital sitting in bricks and mortar - or that your job in the other industries is probably precarious - lets put all of our eggs in this one basket - and hope for the best.
Because when it does turn *pear shaped* then "the government" will bail us out - isn't that what they always do?
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