Is this a 'binge drinking' first?

You can tell The Daily Examiner has a former jock as its new editor.
During Grafton's July Racing Carnival the newspaper has Track Gossip on the front page.

The second trivia item was; "An 84-year-old woman in one of the hospitality tents was shocked by the waiter when she asked for a bottle of champagne.
'Sorry, Madam, I can't give you that, it's classed as binge drinking,' he told her.
The spritely pensioner told him that in all her life she had never been classed as a binge drinker and wouldn't cop it now.."

Apparently the waiter would allow her 2 glasses of champagne, which she took sans strawberries.

Stone the crows! At 84 years of age this woman lived through The Great Depression, the Second World War and every national upheaval thereafter.
She deserves to party at race time in her retirement years.

Bet that mongrel waiter went home and had a relaxing beer or three or four - with never a thought as to how his political correctness had humiliated one of his elders.

Stop laughing; they're serious about national carbon trading!

The Liberals Malcolm Turnbull, Tony Abbott and Greg Hunt approve of an national emissions trading scheme and, rather belatedly, so does their leader Brendan Nelson.

However, the Rudd Government timeline for implementation is just too, too fast for these gentlemen.
Start up in 2010? No, no, and no.

It's hard not to laugh at these Coalition politicians, who complain bitterly of matters being rushed.
None of the four seem to think that voters can count.
Nelson, Turnbull, Abbott and Hunt have all conceded that the Howard Government actually received advice that it could commence such a scheme by 2011 if it so desired (with the bureaucrats allowing that 2012 might be a better date).

I'm betting that what "too fast" actually boils down to is less than 12 months between the start up date Rudd finally announces and 2011.
Perhaps at little as 6 to 8 months.

Hardly an earth shattering difference and one that doesn't justify the obstructionist position that the Opposition appears bent on taking.
But then, I don't think that the Opposition has taken on board the fact that ordinary Australians (as opposed to business leaders) want to see government begin to tackle climate change mitigation asap.

I suggest that all four MPs take a look at Behavioral Economics and Climate Change Policy, it might give them a small hint about human nature.

But greed and accumulation are only a part of the richness of human behavioral patterns.
These have come to prominence because they have been rewarded through an incentive structure that grew hand in hand with the production bonanza made possible by fossil fuels. Types of behavior conducive to cooperation, doing with fewer material
possessions, and recognizing the necessity of shared sacrifice are also part of the human experience. [Gowdrey, John M,January 2007]

Launch of Unions NSW maternity leave campaign at Ballina

In The Far North Coaster online magazine yesterday.

"The Federal Member for Page, Janelle Saffin, says it is appalling that in 2008 Australia has no universal paid maternity leave.
At the launch of Unions NSW maternity leave campaign at Ballina’s Fox Street Pre-School today, Ms Saffin said she agreed that six months paid leave would be the ideal because it was consistent with breastfeeding.
“I support the Government in referring the matter to the Productivity Commission because that’s the best way to investigate the social and economic costs and benefits,” she said.
The Productivity Commission Inquiry is to identify the models for paid maternity, paternity and parental leave.
Ms Saffin said there needed to be public funding.
“In Page, we have about 10,000 small businesses and they can’t afford to be paying the costs of maternity leave,” she said."

I don't think the Page electorate is in any doubt that we now have a federal member who is willing to go to bat for us all and, one who has quickly established a good relationship with Northern Rivers media.
Her first eight months on the job have been remarkable for the level of positive media coverage.
Having a former editor on staff helps I'm sure.

WYD 08: Pope warns world against the dangers of Angel Food Cake!

On SBS World News Hour last night an excerpt from the papal mass was shown in which the world heard Pope Benedict (with an unfortunate stress on the first syllable) warn the young about a growing spiritual dessert [sic].

In the interests of public safety, posted below is the likely culprit - Black & White Angel Food Cake.
Please report any sighting immediately to the nearest bishop.

Photograph from Culinary in the Desert Country.

Another round of free energy audits for low-income households and supply of some energy saving devices

If you have a Centrelink or Veterans' Affairs Pensioner Concession Card and haven't has your house audited to see how you can save energy and money, here is your chance to participate this year.

According to the NSW Dept. of Environment and Climate Change [June 2008] it will begin free audits on the NSW North Coast in November.

NSW households spend as much as $32 per week on gas and electricity, on top of transport fuel costs. Over the next five years the NSW Government will help the most vulnerable households to save energy and money to buffer them against rising energy prices.
Through the NSW $63 million Low Income Household Refit Program, 220,000 households will receive an energy efficiency audit, refit kits that include water and energy saving devices and advice, and information on purchasing more efficient appliances.

Quoted in The Daily Examiner last week, a departmental spokesperson also included draught-proofing doors and windows in this offer.

Contact details were listed in The Daily Examiner as:
Phone 1300 631 967 or email ccf@environment.nsw.gov.au and put "household refit" in the subject line.

Nice work if you can get it: ANZAC Top 40 rich list

t#1 Andrew Forrest
Net Worth ($bil): 6,600 More on Andrew Forrest

#2 Graeme Hart
Net Worth ($bil): 5,400 More on Graeme Hart

#3 James Packer
Net Worth ($bil): 5,300 More on James Packer

#4 Frank Lowy
Net Worth ($bil): 4,400 More on Frank Lowy

#5 Harry Triguboff
Net Worth ($bil): 2,700 More on Harry Triguboff

#6 Gina Rinehart
Net Worth ($bil): 2,400 More on Gina Rinehart

#7 Richard Pratt
Net Worth ($bil): 2,100 More on Richard Pratt

#8 John Gandel
Net Worth ($bil): 2,000 More on John Gandel

#9 Kerr Neilson
Net Worth ($bil): 1,900 More on Kerr Neilson

#10 Stanley Perron
Net Worth ($bil): 1,800 More on Stanley Perron

Rest of the Australia-New Zealand Top 40 at Forbes.com here
With pictures of what super-rich looks like.

US08: Blog lusting for Barack

I suppose it had to happen. Someone fell in love with Barack Obama's butt at Bloglusting for Barack, because his sexy deserves a forum all its own.

i love barack obama.
he is an astounding man of great character, sterling principle, sound ideas, endless hope, and boundless ability.
and he’s also pretty freakin hot. we don’t discuss that enough.
i know im not the only one who feels that way; most of the people who found my main blog got there via searching for sexy pictures of barack, so i know the demand for this sort of forum is out there.
i will scour the net for beautiful, delicious pictures of our love, barack obama, and put them all here for your bloglusting convenience.
additionally, you can email me your own pictures, love letters, poems, etc, at BarackIsSexy@gmail.com and i will post them here as well. it will be the sexiest shrine to positive political change ever.
so ladies, gaydies, and all those in between… let’s get it poppin.

This blog also solicits donations for Obama, but does not appear to have been active past the month it was created.
An Obama for America campaign team idea which was mercifully allowed to wither on the vine or just an over enthusiastic supporter?

North Coast shark rescue

Sharks get such bad press generally, so it was nice to see a Grey Nurse Shark rescue receive world-wide coverage this week.

A big well done to all those involved.

In The Times online:

Divers near Byron Bay, 500 miles (800km) north of Sydney, attempt to capture a grey nurse shark, above, that has a grappling hook lodged in its digestive tract, leaving a metal handle sticking from its mouth.
After it was captured and placed in a holding tank, rescuers pushed a plastic pipe into its throat and the veterinary surgeon David Blyde reached between the jaws of the 10ft shark, through the pipe, to free the hook.
“As a veterinarian you often end up putting your hands in places that people find somewhat unattractive,” Dr Blyde said.
The grey nurse shark is not considered a threat to humans but its bite could do serious damage. It is one of Australia’s most endangered marine species after being fished to near-extinction.

Tony Abbott's take on an emissions trading scheme

Tony Abbott was a one stop ride when asked about the Rudd Government's emissions trading scheme on ABC Lateline last Friday.
However, you just have to admire Tone's dogged persistence at getting across his 'message' and managing a gratuitous mention of Evans' dodgy opinion [See WaterDragon's post].
According to Tone the Moan, Penny Wong all but stole the emissions trading scheme, lock, stock and barrel, from the former Coalition government.
Somehow I think Abbott's words may come back to haunt him during the next parliamentary sitting period.

TONY ABBOTT: Well, no. Well, no, I'm not. I mean, these are the guys - it's the Rudd Government that wants to take a Howard Government program and rush it into practice and no doubt maladminister it, even though the science is evolving. These are the guys that are going to muck things up and I think it's only right and proper that they should be held to account and put on the spot....
TONY ABBOTT: Well, I mean, the now Government says that the Coalition doesn't take this issue seriously and yet they've actually taken up the Howard Government's plan, except they want to rush it in too early, even though the situation is evolving. Now ...
TONY ABBOTT: Because the emissions trading system that Labor is proposing is essentially a carbon copy of what the Howard Government proposed only we wanted to wait and see what happened until 2012. We didn't want to rush it in as an act of theology in just a couple of years' time, when the expert advice that we got was that it was impossible to bring in an emissions trading system safely and fairly in the time frame that Labor is now pursuing...
TONY ABBOTT: So did you read the article by David Evans in the paper today? ...
VIRGINIA TRIOLI: Tony Abbott, you're ducking and weaving here, I mean...
TONY ABBOTT: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, I...
VIRGINIA TRIOLI: Yeah, but there's enough out there at least for you to say, "No, that won't work, this will?"
TONY ABBOTT: Well, as I said, it's not for us - I mean, the Howard Government put forward a policy. Essentially it's been adopted by the Government.

Starwatching on the weekend

Starwatching from XYCD
Click image to enlarge

Who should we believe on climate change?

It didn't take long after the Federal Minister for Climate Change and Water announced the green paper on a national emissions trading scheme for a section of the media to find it's anti-anthropomorphic climate change position.

The Australian lead the charge yesterday with this from Dr. David Evans.

I DEVOTED six years to carbon accounting, building models for the Australian Greenhouse Office. I am the rocket scientist who wrote the carbon accounting model (FullCAM) that measures Australia's compliance with the Kyoto Protocol, in the land use change and forestry sector.
FullCAM models carbon flows in plants, mulch, debris, soils and agricultural products, using inputs such as climate data, plant physiology and satellite data. I've been following the global warming debate closely for years.----
But since 1999 new evidence has seriously weakened the case that carbon emissions are the main cause of global warming, and by 2007 the evidence was pretty conclusive that carbon played only a minor role and was not the main cause of the recent global warming. As Lord Keynes famously said, "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?"

Now Dr. Evans has a perfect right to his own opinion. However, there is one question that comes to mind; is this opinion worth considerable weight?

I honestly don't know, but I suspect that a man whose biography shows that his Phd was in electrical engineering, whose forte is mathematics and computer programming, whose first love appears to be his investment portfolio and the stock exchange and who has a company to promote, may not be the person with the last reliable word on climate change theory.

Dr. Evans also appears to be a fan (perhaps also a member) of The Lavoisier Group which was founded in 2000 as a group of people who were concerned about the drift at that time towards ratification of Kyoto and the decarbonisation of Australia.

So, in the end, perhaps David Evans is not "the rocket scientist".