Yet another good reason to be thankful I live in Australia and not America - no inchoate death star cult

 

At the time of writing this post these two petitions accepted by the U.S. White House had a combined total of 6,844 signatures:

we petition the obama administration to:

Assign NASA to do a feasibility study and conceptual design of the Gen1 USS Enterprise interplanetary spaceship.

We have within our technological reach the ability to build the 1st generation of the USS Enterprise. It ends up that this ship’s inspiring form is quite functional. This will be Earth’s first gigawatt-class interplanetary spaceship with artificial gravity. The ship can serve as a spaceship, space station, and space port all in one. In total, one thousand crew members & visitors can be on board at once. Few things could collectively inspire people on Earth more than seeing the Enterprise being built in space. And the ship could go on amazing missions, like taking the first humans to Mars while taking along a large load of base-building equipment for constructing the first permanent base there.

For more information see BuildTheEnterprise.org.

Created: Dec 22, 2012

we petition the obama administration to:

rapidly develop and deploy a nuclear thermal rocket for both manned & un-manned space missions.

Harness the full intellectual and industrial strength of our universities, national laboratories and private enterprise to rapidly develop and deploy a nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) adaptable to both manned and un-manned space missions. A NTR (which would only operate in outer space) will jump-start our manned space exploration program by reducing inner solar system flight times from months to weeks. This is not new technology; NTRs were tested in the 1960s (President Kennedy was a guest at one test). The physics and engineering are sound. In addition to inspiring young Americans to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, a working NTR will herald a speedy and economical expansion of the human presence in the cosmos.

Created: Jan 03, 2013

 

However, this earlier petition had 34,435 signatures:

 

we petition the obama administration to:

Secure resources and funding, and begin construction of a Death Star by 2016.
Those who sign here petition the United States government to secure funding and resources, and begin construction on a Death Star by 2016.
By focusing our defense resources into a space-superiority platform and weapon system such as a Death Star, the government can spur job creation in the fields of construction, engineering, space exploration, and more, and strengthen our national defense.

Created: Nov 14, 2012

 

The official White House response:

White House Response to

Secure resources and funding, and begin construction of a Death Star by 2016.

This Isn't the Petition Response You're Looking For

By Paul Shawcross

The Administration shares your desire for job creation and a strong national defense, but a Death Star isn't on the horizon. Here are a few reasons:

·     The construction of the Death Star has been estimated to cost more than $850,000,000,000,000,000. We're working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it.

·     The Administration does not support blowing up planets.

·     Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be   exploited by a one-man starship?

However, look carefully (here's how) and you'll notice something already floating in the sky -- that's no Moon, it's a Space Station! Yes, we already have a giant, football field-sized International Space Station in orbit around the Earth that's helping us learn how humans can live and thrive in space for long durations. The Space Station has six astronauts -- American, Russian, and Canadian -- living in it right now, conducting research, learning how to live and work in space over long periods of time, routinely welcoming visiting spacecraft and repairing onboard garbage mashers, etc. We've also got two robot science labs -- one wielding a laser -- roving around Mars, looking at whether life ever existed on the Red Planet.

Keep in mind, space is no longer just government-only. Private American companies, through NASA's Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Office (C3PO), are ferrying cargo -- and soon, crew -- to space for NASA, and are pursuing human missions to the Moon this decade.

Even though the United States doesn't have anything that can do the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, we've got two spacecraft leaving the Solar System and we're building a probe that will fly to the exterior layers of the Sun. We are discovering hundreds of new planets in other star systems and building a much more powerful successor to the Hubble Space Telescope that will see back to the early days of the universe.

We don't have a Death Star, but we do have floating robot assistants on the Space Station, a President who knows his way around a light saber and advanced (marshmallow) cannon, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is supporting research on building Luke's arm, floating droids, and quadruped walkers.

We are living in the future! Enjoy it. Or better yet, help build it by pursuing a career in a science, technology, engineering or math-related field. The President has held the first-ever White House science fairs and Astronomy Night on the South Lawn because he knows these domains are critical to our country's future, and to ensuring the United States continues leading the world in doing big things.

If you do pursue a career in a science, technology, engineering or math-related field, the Force will be with us! Remember, the Death Star's power to destroy a planet, or even a whole star system, is insignificant next to the power of the Force.

Paul Shawcross is Chief of the Science and Space Branch at the White House Office of Management and Budget

Tell us what you think about this response and We the People.

Metgasco continues its plans to abandon test wells after drilling is completed

Metgasco inspires a lot of confidence when it openly speaks of abandoning the Glenugie test well after attempting to seal its 800 metre length with a concrete pour.
There is no mention of any form of periodic monitoring of the integrity of this plug.

The 'rehabilitation' of such wells has been known to deteriorate over time in some instances and, I'm sure that this particular corporation will expect the community to monitor its old exploration sites and local government to pick up the tab for any necessary initial investigations in the future should problems occur.

By then the directors and major shareholders will have moved on to pastures new.

 

 

METGASCO DRILLING ANNOUNCEMENT

11 January 2013

 

Drilling announcement - Thornbill E04 spuds

 

Metgasco advises that the Thornbill E04 well was spudded with AJ Lucas Rig 103 last night. The current operation is drilling a surface hole and installing surface casing.

 

Thornbill E04 is a simple vertical well whose objective is to better define coal distribution in PEL 426. The total planned depth of the well is 800 metres. The well will be “plugged and abandoned” before the rig leaves the site and the site rehabilitated.

 

This well is the start of a work program that has been approved by the New South Wales Government. One of the short to medium term goals of this program is to provide competitively priced natural gas to local businesses.

 

Metgasco’s Managing Director, Mr Peter Henderson reaffirmed that: “Once we have completed drilling our exploration wells, we will drill some lateral wells to demonstrate the productivity of the coal seams, before drilling our conventional prospect, the Greater Mackellar structure.

Metgasco has a 100% interest in PEL 426.

 

Richard Shields

Metgasco Limited

Mobile: 0418 418 877

* My blue bolding

Remembering the deeply weird side of Mr. Rabbitt - Part Three

In which Mr. Rabbitt openly and proudly admits (what he now denies) that he is not his wife Margie’s idea of a what a good husband should be………

Snapshot taken from an article about then Liberal Party candidate, Tony Abbott - Tough Guy For Canberra by Simon Kent published in The Sun Herald on Sunday 27 March 1994

*January 2013 photograph of Oppostition Leader Tony Abbott from Google Images

The Grafton Knitting Nannas Strike Again! Making testosterone-fuelled Metgasco a running joke

 

This time a NSW Police vehicle gets a peaceful makeover in Knot The Gate Yellow on 7 January 2013…..

 

http://knaggrafton.blogspot.com.au/

What are those crazy women doing? - Better call the cops, they're just around the corner. - I'm a bit worried, Stu, they've got fluffy toy chickens and knitting.

Looking, looking, looking - for evidence that Abbott isn't telling another whopper

 

Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott explains his historical position on reproductive technology in January 2013:

 

In the run-up to the 2005 budget, more concerned than ever to rein in Medicare costs, the government proposed to increase safety net thresholds and to limit older women’s access to IVF. It’s a matter of record that I considered resignation over the safety net decision. Perhaps not going ahead with the IVF restrictions was my colleagues’ way of atoning for a decision I deplored.

 

"My attempt to excuse the then government's misguided intention, once it had been leaked, has given rise to a persistent myth: that I'm against IVF," Mr Abbott writes. "In fact, during my time as health minister, the number of women accessing IVF and Medicare support for IVF rapidly increased. I have never been opposed to IVF.

 

Really? So all I have to do is look for supporting documentation, right?
Unsurprisingly what I found did not reflect Abbott's fractured version of events.

 

This is Tony Abbott for the record on a number of occasions in April 2005:

 

Abbott used ABC radio to press home his point about the financial side. There was "some evidence", he said, that doctors had substantially lifted their charges and action would be taken if "profiteering" was found. The Government should name the clinics where rates had shot up. Abbott went on to claim the safety net had resulted in "a lot more money going into the pockets of people getting IVF treatment".

ALEXANDRA KIRK: Does the Health Minister's reasons for limiting the number of Medicare funded IVF treatments extend to other procedures?
TONY ABBOTT: There needs to be some restraint when it comes to the availability of taxpayer funds for non-essential procedures.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: So are there other procedures apart from IVF that you'd apply the same logic to?
TONY ABBOTT: None that you've raised with me?  

 

Then came Tony Abbott's explanation that a cut would be legitimate given that IVF was an elective rather than life-saving treatment. "If non-essential treatment is funded endlessly, medical costs blow out endlessly, and responsible governments have to try to ensure that we give good value to taxpayers, as well as good value to patients," he said.

 

Liberal Party women have demanded the government dump its plans to limit access to Medicare-funded IVF treatments, telling Canberra to stay out of the nation's bedrooms.

The NSW Liberal Women's Council said the government had no right to intervene in such a personal issue as a woman's right to have a child.

The council's 100 members unanimously passed a motion calling on federal cabinet to rethink plans to limit IVF access.

The government is considering placing a cap on the number of Medicare-funded IVF treatments to a total of three for women over 42 and three a year for women under that age.

The move would save the government just $7 million a year.

Health Minister Tony Abbott defended the planned cutbacks, saying the government could not afford to fund elective procedures.

"IVF treatment is not - it's very important, obviously - but it's not life saving treatment,"….

 

Mr. Abbott in May 2005:

 

Health Minister Tony Abbott has blasted the Victorian Law Reform Commission's call for single women and lesbians to be given access to IVF, saying it casts doubt on the wisdom of "expert" committees.

Is Metgasco ignoring the Clarence Valley total fire ban in its drive to sink an exploration well at Glenugie?

 

According to the NSW Rural Fire Service; For public safety, a Total Fire Ban is declared for days when fires are likely to escape and be difficult to contain. This is caused by a combination of dry vegetation and hot, dry, windy weather.

 

Such weather conditions were occurring in the Clarence Valley the day before yesterday, yesterday and again today and, total fire bans have been in place.   

As responsible citizens and caring members of our community the vast majority of Northern Rivers residents take note of these fire bans and limit our outdoor activities appropriately.

 

However, mining companies do not have to obey the same rules as local residents if they do not wish to do so and, on 10 January 2013 Metgasco began to drill an exploration well on farm land at Glenugie in the Clarence Valley.

 

According to Metgasco; The rig commenced drilling at 11 o'clock last night and continued to drill until this morning.

 

If this drilling did encounter coal seam gas Metgasco may flare such gas on site despite the fire risk.

 

Flare line at Talma, Richmond Valley NSW

 

Excerpt from Metgasco Limited, 2010, REVIEW OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, For proposed Exploration Drilling Program Clarence Moreton Basin, New South Wales.

(Petroleum Exploration Licence No 426) Grafton-Exploration Drilling Program:

 

At the sites, an area of up to 110 by 110 metres will be temporarily fenced for the period of drilling and testing activities and all such activities will be contained within the fenced area. Appropriate signage relating to restricted entry, fire hazards, protective clothing, etc. will be prominently displayed.

Equipment on site will include the drilling rig, air compressors, support vehicles and transportable buildings for drill equipment storage. There will be minimum physical disturbance at each site beyond the drilling of the well itself (including cellar). It is expected that the drilling operations will be zero release at the well site, and all drilling fluid will be contained within on-site tanks. However, if it is deemed necessary for safe drilling operations, up to three small sumps, (3m x 3m x 2m), two large sumps (10m x 10m x 2m) and a smaller flare pit at the end of the flare line may be dug on site. Sumps will be lined with high density polyethylene (HDPE) 200 μm poly liner. It may also be necessary to grade the area where the rig base will sit on the site…..

Because the proposed drilling comes under the Petroleum (Onshore) Act 1991, the wells may be fitted with blow out prevention (BOP) equipment which will be installed on casing cemented to at least 10% of the anticipated final depth.

Prior exploration suggests that the composition of the gas encountered may be predominately methane with minor nitrogen (N2) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Any methane gas produced on site will be flared if necessary, utilising a flare line and flare pit at a safe location away from the well so as to minimise

hazards. Although it is flammable, methane (the principal component of natural gas) is not poisonous. [my red bolding]

 

When I woke this morning there were still a number of bushfires listed as active in the Clarence Valley and this was part of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology predictive temperature mapping:

 

Click on map to enlarge

 

Ashby lodges a tit for tat appeal in Ashby v Commonwealth & Slipper

 

James Hunter Ashby and his new legal team finally files his appeal in Ashby v Commonwealth & Slipper – asserting that the Rares judgment which found the original proceedings were an abuse of process was in error.