Moggy Musings [Archived material from Boy the Wonder Cat]

A There Be Mongrels musing: In the last twelve months four dugongs and two rare snub-fin dolphins have been found dead, tied up and weighted down in waters around Townsville. If any moggies in that area know who is doing this - next time these mongrels launch a boat go down to the creek, river or ocean and dip your paws in the water stirring vigorously. With any luck, the storm you raise will sink their boat.

A Jimmy Barnes musing: Rex the German Shepherd sent a bark my way to say that he's heard a rumour that Jimmy Barnes is featuring at a 4pm Saturday 21 May 2011 private function officially launching the ritzy re-vamp of the Yamba Tavern, a hotel on the banks of the Clarence River with jetty and mooring for those arriving by water. Rex says Jimmy's son David Campbell performed at the Yamba Golf Club on Wednesday night.

A mayoral musing: A little birdie told my mate Sheamus The Black who told me - that far from Clarence Valley Council having the wait and see policy on coal seam mining using fracking which Richie Williamson announced via a local newspaper it has no formal policy at all. Tsk, tsk Mr. Mayor.

A portrait of a b@st@rd musing: The offender is described as being aged between 50-60, with a grey beard, grey woolly hair and wearing a red, white and black flannel shirt with black track pants, white runners and a red and black helmet. This is the description of a cyclist who stabbed the very friendly bulldog, Hank, in Dandenong on 9 May 2011. Anyone with information on the attack should contact Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.

A plunging the depths of bad taste musing: On Anzac Day 2011 most people using Twitter were careful to show some degree of respect for Australia's national observance commemorating the war dead. Two of the few who stood out for displaying extreme bad taste were Australian Christian Lobby managing director Jim Wallace who did a bit of gay and Muslim bashing under an ANZAC banner and poorcredithomeloans.info which decided misleading #ANZAC tweets leading to its website and a nastee virus were the order of the day. If these two cross my path I reserve the right to sink my claws into whatever flesh they have on view.





Boy

Can Australia Afford The Murdochs? A brief look at some players in the Australia Network tender

Australian News Channel Pty Ltd is a joint venture of PBL Media, Seven Media and British Sky Broadcasting.

News Corporation already owns a controlling 39.1 percent stake in British Sky Broadcasting

Rupert Murdoch is Chairman/CEO and Elisabeth and Lachlan Murdoch are directors of News Corporation

News Corporation is one of the world's largest media conglomerates

News Limited operates as News Corporation's Australian brand

News International Chairman/CEO is James Murdoch

Lachlan Murdoch's private company holds 9 per cent of Prime television
Lachlan Murdoch is acting acting CEO and a substantial shareholder in Ten Network

Lachlan Murdoch becomes key investor following his company Illyria’s purchase of 9.1% in the Prime Media Group

In 2006 News Ltd controlled 68 percent of the Australian metropolitan and regional newspaper market

Sometime in February 2012 the Australian Government intends to grant a contract to operate its overseas media service, Australia Network

British Sky Broadcasting and the public broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation are both participating in the competitive tender.

Given the recent disclosures of alleged widespread wrongdoing within the News Corporation Group, can the nation afford either the risk to international reputation or domestic democratic processes by allowing the Murdoch family any more media influence than it already has?

* Phone hacking: both Murdochs agree to face MPs following jail threat
* FBI probe puts pressure on News shares
* News of the World phone hacking - interactive timeline, 6 November 2005 to 15 July 2011

Cartoon from Google Images

CSIRO Cape Grim Greenhouse Gas Data Now Online with Interactive Mapping

Carbon dioxide May 1976 - April 2011

Methane May 1976- April 2011

Nitrous oxide May 1976 - April 2011

The Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station monitors Southern Hemispheric air... The Cape Grim station is positioned just south of the isolated north-west tip (Woolnorth Point) of Tasmania. It is in an important site, as the air sampled arrives at Cape Grim after long trajectories over the Southern Ocean, under conditions described as ‘baseline’. This baseline air is representative of a large area of the Southern Hemisphere, unaffected by regional pollution sources (there are no nearby cities or industry that would contaminate the air quality)...
Air samples are analysed at the station to determine concentrations of greenhouse and ozone-depleting gases, other air pollutants, including aerosols and reactive gases, and radon.
Also measured are weather and climate indicators like wind speed and direction, rainfall, temperature, humidity and solar radiation.
Since sampling began at Cape Grim, more that 3 billion measurements have been taken. Among these are measurements of greenhouse gases (GHGs), including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and synthetic GHGs such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).

CSIRO interactive mapping here.

Abbott's Army in action [news video]

Yeah, get back under your rock; taunts the Abbott supporter who later followed a young woman out of a 'community' forum and down the street and, did not appear to desist untl after police arrived.

According to a Channel Nine News report on 14 July 2011 this man is former member of Liberal Party MP Bruce Billson's campaign team, Declan Stephenson.

Abbott’s Army in action – Parts One and Two

http://www.skynews.com.au/video/?vId=2555788&cId=Programs&play=true

http://www.skynews.com.au/video/?vId=2555939&cId=Programs&play=true

Saffin reminds business that false and misleading claims concerning 'carbon tax' price rises carry a penalty

NSW North Coast Federal Labor Member for Page, Janelle Saffin, on the subject of a potential for price gouging under the guise of impacts of the carbon price mechanism projected to come into effect in 2013:

The Gillard Government will provide new funding for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to crack down on any business that seeks to gouge its customers by making misleading claims about the impact of putting a price on carbon pollution.
Page MP Janelle Saffin said the ACCC will use its powers under the newly introduced Australian Consumer Law to investigate and prosecute any such business with the power to impose penalties of up to $1.1 million.
Ms Saffin said the Government will direct the ACCC to give the highest priority to:
• Investigating and taking action against any business that makes false or misleading representations about the impact of the carbon price on the price they charge consumers;
• Educating businesses on their obligation to accurately explain the reasons for any price rises that do occur for reasons unrelated to the introduction of a carbon price;
• Raising awareness amongst consumers by informing them that businesses are prohibited from making false statements about the impact of putting a price on pollution.
“The Government will give ACCC new funding of $12.8 million over 4 years to carry out this role.
“I’ve always been someone that stands up for fairness and making sure we don’t get ripped off, so it’s great the ACCC will be able to crack down on unfair price gouging” Ms Saffin said.
By providing new financial resources for the ACCC, the Government will ensure that businesses cannot take advantage of their customers with false and misleading claims about carbon pricing......[Media Release 13 July 2011]

Photograph found at ABC News online

Coal seam gas, Metgasco & Arrow get a song all of their own

On the Northern NSW blog
The Creek


Coal Seam Gas mp3






I’m the man from Metagasco or Arrow or…you know
Have I got a deal for you
Just sign on the line and I’ll give you a mine
And some pocket money too

But wait there’s more while I’ve a foot in the door
I can renovate much of your land
Build roads just for me and clear all those trees
Did you plant them? Oh that’s too bad.....

Rest of the lyrics here.

Faaark orf, Google! You need me more than I need you

“From 31 July, people who have created private profiles in, say, the ad broker's free email service Gmail will be deleted by Google unless individuals switch it to public view.

"The purpose of Google Profiles is to enable you to manage your online identity. Today, nearly all Google Profiles are public. We believe that using Google Profiles to help people find and connect with you online is how the product is best used. Private profiles don't allow this, so we have decided to require all profiles to be public," said the company.

Google said that it would only require a user's full name and gender to be displayed on the public profile. Any other information an individual doesn't want to reveal to the world can be edited or deleted.

"If you currently have a private profile but you do not wish to make your profile public, you can delete your profile. Or, you can simply do nothing. All private profiles will be deleted after July 31, 2011," said Google.

The move is part of Mountain View's wider ambition to bake social products into its search and email products.

As a result, anyone planning to use Google+ will need a public profile with, at minimum, their full name and gender displayed.” {The Register 7^th July 2011}

International Whaling Commission in July 2011: Australia replies to Japan

From Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society members blogging from IWC 63:

Japan notes the importance of the agenda item ‘Safety at Sea’ to them and that this issue will be looked at on Wednesday. He calls on his Commissioner to make a short statement. The Japanese Commissioner is grateful for the many messages of sympathy and offers of help that Japan has received subsequent to the Japanese earthquake. He noted the devastation wrought on coastal communities and that this makes it even more important to promote sustainable use.

The Hon.Tony Burke MP, Australian Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities replies to the Japanese position:

Intervention on safety at sea, International Whaling Commission, Jersey
E&OE Transcript 12 July 2011

TONY BURKE: Thank you very much Mr Chair.
While Australia has intervened previously, this is my first opportunity as Australia's Minister for the Environment to intervene and I wish to congratulate you on the role that you've taken on and the work that you've been doing with the Commission.
Mr Chair, Australia's position on safety at sea is actually shared by the Japanese Government. Nothing less than full compliance with domestic and international laws is acceptable. Safety at sea is important enough to make sure that laws are enforced and also important enough to make sure that appropriate international fora are used.
The International Maritime Organization is the appropriate forum for safety at sea. It had a resolution on the 17th of May of last year, specifically dealing with assuring safety during demonstrations, protests or confrontations on the high seas. It is extremely important to ensure safety at sea. The Australian Federal Police continues to deal with the investigations which have been put to us and deal with them through the appropriate law enforcement agency which we have.
But what is also being asked in the presentation by Japan are two further things.
First, every description of the whaling vessels involved was a reference to research vessels, to Antarctic research activities, to legitimate research activities. Those particular views are views that Australia cannot hold.
Secondly, the presentation from Japan also raised the issue of asking Australia to do more than what are our legal obligations under the International Law of the Sea. We cannot be in a situation where we are providing a higher level of support for a whaling vessel than we would provide to any other vessel within the waters, or within our responsibilities under the International Law of the Sea. That is effectively what is being asked.
So as long as the issue is focused on genuinely ensuring safety at sea, Australia is there and we are there to help provide our international obligations and indeed, Mr Chair, to also make sure that we provide an equal level of protection for all vessels. But to the extent that we are being asked to provide specific protection above and beyond, simply because a vessel is involved in whaling is something which goes beyond the reasonable expectations of safety at sea. And indeed the appropriate forum is not here but is the International Maritime Organization.

Who are the 500 biggest polluters?

Who are Australia's biggest polluters?
B#ggered if I know, but they’d have to be those companies producing around 80% of industry pollution.
So what particular industries are they hiding out in?
Well, surely it’ll be in coal mining, steel and aluminium smelting, cement and zinc production, pulp mills, coal-driven power stations and the like.
Still I’d love to have a peek at Gillard’s list, so I’d know which direction the gouging of my hip pocket will come from first.
And let's face it - it's London to a brick that gouging will happen at almost every opportunity. The captains of industry and their troops down the line will be unable to resist even if they face heavy fines when caught.
For all that – onya Joolya! Well done. The country is finally moving forward.

Pic: Mt. Isa

Update:
According to the Australian Government's Clean Energy Future website the profile of this group is -
135 operate solely in New South Wales and the ACT
110 operate solely in Queensland
85 solely in Victoria
75 solely in Western Australia
25 solely in South Australia
20 solely in Tasmania; and
fewer than 10 solely in the Northern Territory.
a further 45 liable entities operate across multiple states.
around 60 are primarily involved in electricity generation
around 100 are primarily involved in coal or other mining
around 40 are natural gas retailers
around 60 are primarily involved in industrial processes (cement, chemicals and metal processing)
around 50 operate in a range of other fossil fuel intensive sectors; and
the remaining 190 operate in the waste disposal sector.

Are those eager water raiders beginning to shape shift?

On 8 July 2011 The Daily Examiner again addressed the subject of mining exploration in the Clarence River catchment in journalist Terry Deefholt's article Gold mine plan causes concern:

PLANS to build open-cut gold mines in the steep terrain and high rainfall areas of the Orara Valley and near the Little Nymboida River have raised the concerns of well-known Clarence Valley campaigner Judith Melville.

Some of the old gold mine areas targeted are near world heritage-listed rainforest, some is farmland and some is state forest.....

“The mining boom has led to an increase in exploration pressures in the Clarence catchment and I have serious concerns over the potential impacts on catchment water and the level of water required to successfully run these mines,” she said......

Ms Melville described the State Government's regulations on tailings dams as woefully inadequate, referring to a Dam Safety Committee document which outlines how mine owners had to self-assess the risk to public safety from their tailings dams.

She said even a minor spill of mercury or arsenic into the water system could have a major impact.

“It's about perception ... can you imagine how quick Sydney restaurants would stop buying Clarence seafood if there was a perception of contamination?”

She also expressed concern about water usage.

“A thumbnail guide is that processing a tonne of ore requires a tonne of water,” Ms Melville said.

“What happens in a low-flow regime? Are we going to have less water coming in to support a healthy estuary because these companies want to operate all year round.”

Centius Gold's managing director John Slade said the company would conduct aerial magnetic surveys of the Bobo area (south-west of Grafton) in the next couple of weeks with plans to commence drilling shortly after, if the surveys stood up.

Mr Slade said it could take five years of planning, environmental impact statements and decision making before drilling led to a mine.

He said the company would not need to negotiate with any landholders in the next five years because there was enough prospect of gold in state forest areas.

As to concerns about mine tailings, including arsenic, reaching river systems, Mr Slade said the company's gold mining operations “don't touch the water table” unlike coal seam gas.

He said water used to extract gold was pumped into tailings dams unconnected to river systems and the water evaporated over time.

He said the high rainfall of the area would need to be taken into account when planning the size of tailings dams.

An independent geologist's report contained in an Anchor Resources prospectus rates the processing risk of a Bielsdown mine (about 15km north of Dorrigo) as “moderate to high”.

“The mineralisation at Bielsdown contains some mercury, which may be difficult to eliminate from antimony concentrates. If the mercury level in concentrates is too high it could render them unsaleable,” the report said.

A prospectus from Altius mining states the Karangi exploration licence covers at least 150 old gold mines, most of which closed early last century.

“The high grades mined would indicate that there is a strong possibility of developing a number of open-cut mining projects,” the prospectus says.

Has Steve Cansdell been caught out doing what pollies do best?

The Daily Examiner
9th July 2011

Click on letter
to enlarge

Clean Energy Future: Modelling A Carbon Price, in Australia July 2011

Clean Energy Future Modelling Fact Sheet

I hear'd it wiv mine own liddle ears - Abbott was counting out loud again

Tones the Terrible Abbott was in full flight for the meeja yesterday and opined that a couple with one child under 4 years and a single annual income of $65,000 would be worse off under a carbon tax by the Gillard Government's own calculations.
He was reported in print for posterity; "Mr Abbott pointed to Government documents, featuring cameos of how changes will affect people, showing that a single income family on $65,000 with a child under five years is worse off."
What Tones didn't say was that after a Clean Energy income supplement once the carbon price kicks in, ongoing tax concessions and probably a lump-sum payment in mid 2012, this family would only be out of pocket $43 a year at most or 82 cents a week after March 2013.
The sky's falling!
Even Teh Oz was forced to point out the obvious "82 cents a week", but couldn't quite bring itself to say the words "less than the price of a cup of coffee".

Cartoon from laberal