The Australian, Rintoul and the truth about recent research into regional mean sea level rise deceleration

Snapshot from Google search index on 23 July 2011

Stuart Rintoul is variously described as a senior journalist and/or author currently working for News Ltd’s The Australian newspaper.

On Friday 22 July 2011 he wrote an front page article loosely based on interview with Phil Watson, from the Coastal Unit in the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water.

As soon as I read the article I began to wonder at the level of misrepresentation by The Australian this article by Rintoul might involve, given the stable from which it sprang.

I went to the quoted peer-reviewed article and found that all was not as The Australian would have us believe and this NSW Government Office of Environment & Heritage letter to the editor bore out my suspicions:

Letter to the Editor - Sea-level rises slowing: tidal records
Media release: 22 July 2011
I refer to today's article titled, Sea-level rises slowing: tidal records.
Your article has misrepresented our Mr Phil Watson's research paper by saying that "global warming is not affecting sea levels". This is untrue and misleading and it is not what Mr Watson told your journalist. Mr Watson’s research looked only at measurements of historical data. It specifically did not consider predicted linkages between sea level rise and global warming predicted by climate models.
Our organisation is committed to open scientific investigation. This important research will help us understand the different contributions of the El Nino-La Nina Southern Oscillation and of climate change to sea level change. The research and underlying data is entirely consistent with the rate of global average sea level rise for the 20th century advised by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was of the order of 17 +/- 5 cm.
There is strong national and international evidence that sea levels will increase substantially in this century. The world is warming and this includes the ocean. When water warms, it expands and sea level rises.
Sea level rise is a slow process but it has serious medium and long term impacts. The projections are for a rise of 40 cm by 2050 and 90 cm by 2100 in NSW, and this data is reflected in NSW policies. Our scientists are working with others to increase understanding of what and where the impacts may be, so that we can better plan for and help local communities adapt. If we are prudent now, we can substantially reduce future costs.
Yours sincerely
Mr Simon A Y Smith
Deputy Chief Executive - Environment and Heritage Policy and Programs
Contact: Public Affairs

This is a brief outline taken from Watson’s actual article published in The Journal of Coastal Research:

Is There Evidence Yet of Acceleration in Mean Sea Level Rise around Mainland Australia? by P.J. Watson

There is unequivocal measured evidence of a global average rise in mean sea level during the 20th century on the order of 17 +- 65 cm (IPCC, 2007)
….. Satellite altimeters that have been measuring changes in the world’s ocean water surface since late 1992 with improved global accuracy and reliability have focussed attention on measured global trends that appear to be increasing at rates exceeding 3 mm/y, generally in line with the upper bound projections of global average sea level rise (IPCC, 2007).
It is, however, important to understand that there will be specific localised or regional variations compared with the global average sea level rise projections. In addition to international scientific endeavours, it is imperative to analyse and understand the trends emerging from the longest Australasian tide gauge records to improve the picture of ‘‘regional’’ sea level rise to augment forecasting capabilities.
Very long, continuous records from Fremantle (1897), Auckland (1903), Fort Denison (1914), and Newcastle (1925) have been analysed to investigate whether there is evidence of acceleration in the rise of mean sea level over the longer term at these particular locations…..
The longest continuous Australasian records, Fremantle and Auckland, situated on the western and eastern periphery of the Oceania region, respectively, exhibit remarkably similar trends in the relative 20-year moving average water level time series after 1920. Both time series show a rise in mean sea level of approximately 120 mm between 1920 and 2000 with strong correlation (R2 $ 0.93) to fitted second-order polynomial trend lines that reflect a tendency toward a general slowing in the rise of mean sea level (or deceleration) over time on the order of 0.02–0.04 mm/y2. The Fort Denison water level time series after 1940 similarly reflects a decelerating trend in sea
level rise at a rate of 0.04 mm/y2 based on a strongly correlated fit (R2 5 0.974) to the second-order polynomial function.
This decelerating trend was also evident in the detailed analysis of 25 U.S. tide gauge records longer than 80 years in length (Dean and Houston, pers. comm.) and a general 20th century deceleration, driven predominantly by the negative inflexions around 1960 evident in many global records, are well noted in the literature (Douglas, 1992; Holgate, 2007; Woodworth, 1990; Woodworth, Mene´dez, and Gehrels, pers. comm.).
In considering shorter term recent accelerations, it is evident that there is a high rate of relative sea level rise averaged over the decade centred around 1994. Although average decadal rates of rise in relative ocean water levels are clearly high during the 1990s, they are not remarkable or unusual in the context of the historical record available for each site over the course of the 20th century. Similar conclusions have been drawn by Holgate (2007) in examining global data and by Hannah (2004) examining long-term sea level records for New Zealand. These recent post-1990s short-term accelerations fit within the overall longer term trend of deceleration evident in these long Australasian ocean water level records.
Using a 20-year moving average (10 y either side) water level time series limits the current analysis to the year 2000 (although the year 2000 uses data up to 2010). It is probable that if there is any longer term increase of significance in the rate of sea level rise embedded within the latter portion of the record, as distinct from a cyclical short-term attribute, this may take a further 10 to 20 years to influence the longer term time series.
Further research is required to rationalise the difference between the acceleration trend evident in the global sea level time-series reconstructions and the relatively consistent
deceleration trend evident in the long-term Australasian tide gauge records. These differences are likely to have a significant bearing on the global average and ‘‘regional’’ projections for sea level rise into the future.

The Australian publishes for the lulz

Hold on to your hats, good folk in the media! opens The Australian newspaper's Media Blog article on 12 July 2011 titled The little crap sheet that could, as News Corporation was preparing to front a U.K. parliamentary committee.

It went on to say:

Crikey says today that it’s going to draw up a Code of Conduct - for itself!
Of course it won’t be some wanky document it uses to fan its face.
Once it’s done, you can expect:
a) to get a call from Crikey staff, each and every time they intend to smear you;
b) no more using the answers you give, in good faith, to sneer and giggle at you a second time; on the contrary, you’ll get a fair, honest, mature hearing;
c) no more quoting from cheap-shot anonymous emails which, whether they believe it or not, most media outlets get, and most choose to ignore;
d) no more nastiness, in the putrid swamp that is the Crikey comments thread;
e) no more publishing, verbatim, the emails from PR flaks that yes, everyone gets, but no-one else goes near (Did you see this mistake, on Nine?! Did you see that mistake, on Seven!) not least because it makes them look cheap, nasty and lazy;
f) a celebration from Crikey, each and every time one of their enemies (none of which they’ve ever met) does something good, as opposed to piling on the bile;
g) some original reporting for a change, instead of endless raking over what other media are doing;
h) no more carping at successful media companies that employ many staff, do many good things, try new ideas, and who occassionally [sic] fail but at least give it a go, when the best Crikey can do is put out a dicky little newsheet, 90 per cent of which is recycled, bitchy, or wrong;
i) pigs, flying.

Now I've stopped uncontrollably laughing at The Howard Abbott Gazette, I would point out to its management and staff that, as a newspaper in the News Limited group, it also has a Professional Code of Conduct which was drawn up by the parent company itself - presumably which it also uses to fan its face et ectera.

The anonymous journalist sarcastically writing in Media Diary unintentionally furthers the case for removal of the media's right to self-regulate its own behaviour through that tame and toothless body, the Australian Press Council.

Deliverance country?

An attempt to normalise the abnormal?

The Monday editions of the the Clarence valley's local paper, The Daily Examiner, regularly feature a stand-out happy snap of members of the local gun club.

What's next? Can readers expect to see weekly pics of people playing the pokies?

Hendra - a perspective

Grey-headed Flying Fox

In September 1994, the death of Vic Rail and his race horses alerted us to the emergence of a new virus - called firstly equine morbillivirus, and then named Hendra, after the suburb where it was first identified.
Despite its regular occurrence since that time, it is considered to be rare, and not easily transferred.

Morbillivirus are not new to us – measles among people, and distemper among dogs are two examples that have been around for a long time, and both are now successfully managed with vaccination.

Tests have indicated that Hendra is found in the natural world in flying foxes, but experiments have not yet shown if, or how it moves across species to horses, and then from horses to people.

Wildlife carers with many years of intimate contact with flying foxes have shown no sign of antibodies that would indicate that the virus moves between people and bats.

At this stage, where it comes from, and how it is transmitted seems less important than working out how to manage it when it presents in horses.
Until a vaccine is available, and Biosecurity Queensland places that about 1 year away, risk management seems to be the best way to prevent outbreaks of Hendra.

To minimise chances of horses contracting the virus, the Australian Veterinary Association recommends that all horse feed and water containers be covered, and that horses be stabled at night, or kept in areas where they are not exposed to night feeding flying foxes.

To minimise risk to people, they recommend that good hygiene, like hand washing, and avoiding coming into contact with horse saliva, will lessen contact with possible viral fluids.

The Biosecurity Queensland web site has regular updates, and can be followed on Facebook and Twitter.

Carole West / Gill Bennett / Wildlife SOS


* GuestSpeak is a feature of North Coast Voices allowing Northern Rivers residents to make satirical or serious comment on issues that concern them. Posts of 250-300 words or less can be submitted to ncvguestspeak AT gmail.com for consideration.

GetUp! shoots over the bows of Mining Billionaires

Newspaper advert which began appearing on breakfast tables across Australia last Friday.
Just gotta love these young scrappers.....

A local voice on the national stage

 

Yamba resident Paul Stephen contributed this item to the letters section of The Age:

Credit: Letters, The Age, 22/7/11

And you thought some of those climate change contrarians may have had a modicum of intelligence? [Part Two OR The Pollie's Version]

Tony Abbott: See, one of the things that people haven’t quite twigged to is that carbon dioxide is invisible, it’s weightless and it’s odourless. How are we going to police these emissions…
{Tony Abbott interview with John Laws on 7th July 2011}

Yep, the little lad from Warringah really said that.
Why have I set him in the dunce’s corner? Well………………
1. Carbon dioxide is not always invisible.
2. This gas is definitely not weightless.
3. It’s not always odourless either.
4. Australia already requires companies with a high carbon dioxide equivalence to record greenhouse gas emissions and civil penalties can be imposed for non-compliance.
So just for Tones the Terrible………….
1. 'Freeze' enough of the pesky element and it’s there for all to see as a block of ice – sometimes keeping the party punchbowl cool.
2. Its molecular weight is around 44.01, its specific gravity about 1.521 and its density 1.98 g/dm3 or thereabouts – so yes, science can measure it. 1 part per million by volume of atmospheric CO2 equals 2.13 gigatonnes of carbon according to available calculation.
3. As a gas it can sometimes have a slightly sharp odour and a sour taste – and if it comes to it, occupational health and safety boffins know that carbon dioxide is toxic in high concentrations.
4. Tones was Health Minister (and Leader of the House) in the then Howard Government when it introduced the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 in August-September of that very year.
Crikey, mate - even the little tacker down the street has your number by now!

#Google Images spat out the drawing of a carbon dioxide molecule

Quote of the week in which we all get told

“Political observation in this country is like watching a guy slumped on a couch trying to eat pre-chewed food out of his chest hair.”
{Heathen Scripture Australiar and the f*cking idiot dilemma18^{th July 2011}}

Viscount Monckton: House of Lords publicly knocks down one of his many false claims after Spencer interview in Australia & journalists do the rest

One could be forgiven for thinking that florid climate change denialist Christopher Monckton’s recent Australian speaking tour did not return value for money to his backers or give comfort to the anti-science views of Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott.

First Monckton was forced to publicly apologise for the fascist/Nazi slur thrown at one Australian economist before the start of his journey and now this………………

An open letter to Viscount Monckton of Brenchley from the Clerk of the Parliaments published at www.parliament.uk after Monckton’s ABC Sydney Breakfast with Adam Spencer radio interview on 7 July 2011:

Dear Lord Monckton

My predecessor, Sir Michael Pownall, wrote to you on 21 July 2010, and again on 30 July 2010, asking that you cease claiming to be a Member of the House of Lords, either directly or by implication. It has been drawn to my attention that you continue to make such claims.

In particular, I have listened to your recent interview with Mr Adam Spencer on Australian radio. In response to the direct question, whether or not you were a Member of the House of Lords, you said "Yes, but without the right to sit or vote". You later repeated, "I am a Member of the House".

I must repeat my predecessor's statement that you are not and have never been a Member of the House of Lords. Your assertion that you are a Member, but without the right to sit or vote, is a contradiction in terms. No-one denies that you are, by virtue of your letters Patent, a Peer. That is an entirely separate issue to membership of the House. This is borne out by the recent judgment in Baron Mereworth v Ministry of Justice (Crown Office) where Mr Justice Lewison stated:

"In my judgment, the reference [in the House of Lords Act 1999] to 'a member of the House of Lords' is simply a reference to the right to sit and vote in that House ... In a nutshell, membership of the House of Lords means the right to sit and vote in that House. It does not mean entitlement to the dignity of a peerage."

I must therefore again ask that you desist from claiming to be a Member of the House of Lords, either directly or by implication, and also that you desist from claiming to be a Member "without the right to sit or vote".

I am publishing this letter on the parliamentary website so that anybody who wishes to check whether you are a Member of the House of Lords can view this official confirmation that you are not.

David Beamish
Clerk of the Parliaments

15 July 2011

Monckton publicly and somewhat pathetically hit back during the televised National Press Club Address on 19 July, when a journalist raised the issue of the open letter, with a classic piece of misdirection along the lines of 'my passport says I'm a peer and because I'm a peer I must be a member of the House of Lords' or words to that effect.

In answer to a question from another journalist concerning his so-called expert status, Monckton also stated that he had a peer reviewed scientific paper in the APS Physics Journal titled Climate Sensitivity Reconsidered By Christopher Monckton of Brenchley.

Predictably, the American Physical Society has a very different perspective:

Climate Sensitivity Reconsidered

The following article has not undergone any scientific peer review, since that is not normal procedure for American Physical Society newsletters. The American Physical Society reaffirms the following position on climate change, adopted by its governing body, the APS Council, on November 18, 2007: "Emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities are changing the atmosphere in ways that affect the Earth's climate." [my emphasis]

And you thought some of those climate change contrarians may have had a modicum of intelligence?

 

A quick look at a climate change denier from the transcript of ABC Background Briefing “The Lord Monckton Roadshow” on 17th July 2011. No comment is actually needed on this gem of absurdity from Archibald and it’s hard to get my jaw up off the floor anyway in order to form the requisite sentence:

Wendy Carlisle: A few years back, David Archibald gave a speech at a Lavoisier Group conference and it made for interesting reading.

David Archibald: I'm a member of the Lavoisier Group.

Wendy Carlisle: You gave a speech at, I think, a conference a couple of years ago now and -- can I quote? -- 'My reward for this work, as it is for every member of the Lavoisier society, will be in heaven. For the forces of darkness control the science journals, government departments, public institutes and universities.' Did you say that?

David Archibald: Yes, I did, and I'm quite proud of it, thank you. And thank you for bringing it up for your listeners.

Wendy Carlisle: His motive, he says, is truth.

David Archibald: For people on our side, there is no financial reward; we're all doing it out of love for country and love of humanity and all that sort of thing.

Wendy Carlisle: Do you believe that the 'forces of darkness' are running universities?

David Archibald: Yes, I do.

Wendy Carlisle: The 'forces of darkness' are running science journals?

David Archibald: Yes, I do.

Wendy Carlisle: Government departments?

David Archibald: Yes, I do.

Wendy Carlisle: Public institutes?

David Archibald: Yes, I do.

Wendy Carlisle: Who are the forces of darkness?

David Archibald: Those who wish a carbon-constrained economy on Australia.

Will NSW Premier O'Farrell protect local government investment in NSW North Coast sustainable urban water infrastructure?

 

From A Clarence Valley Protest on 18 July 2011:

There are ninety kilometres (90 km) of underground pipelines linking the Nymboida River with the Shannon Creek Dam in the Clarence Valley, the Rushforth Road Reservoir at South Grafton and the Karangi Dam near Coffs Harbour.  The combined value of this infrastructure to Clarence Valley and Coffs Harbour local government has been estimated at $200 million.

On 18 July 2011 The Coffs Coast Advocate reported Coffs Harbour City Cr. Mark Graham as stating:

…he had inspected a site on Wild Cattle Creek where Anchor Resources was exploring for antimony and there were already large plumes of antimony which could leach into Wild Cattle Creek and into the Nymboida River.

“There is a massive plume washing from the exploration site into the headwaters of our drinking water catchment,… There is a great need to protect the catchment of the regional water supply and our collective investment of about $200 million"

If these plumes are as reported, then the China Shandong Jinshunda Group Co Ltd through its Australian mining exploration arm, Anchor Resources Ltd, is placing local government investment, an urban water supply (which supports an estimated 3 million residents and visitors/tourists each quarter across Clarence Valley-Coffs Harbour regions) and, a high-value natural environment, at risk even before antimony mining and processing has begun.

According to a report commissioned by Clarence Valley Council in 2008; On average, domestic overnight visitors spent $118 per night, International overnight visitors spent $76 per night and domestic day trippers spent $80 per trip.

Will NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell and Minister for Resources and Energy Chris Hartcher ignore potential risks to the interests of Northern Rivers and Mid-North Coast communities in order to facilitate the interests of this international mining corporation?

Assange Appeal to U.K. High Court: skeleton argument [warning - explicit language]

Julian Assange (of Wikileaks fame) has concluded his appeal to Britain's High Court concerning an unfavourable lower court judgment in relation to extradition proceedings initiated on behalf of the Swedish Prosecution Authority and, the Justices retired to consider their verdict at the end of the day on 13 July 2011.

For perhaps the first time since the mainstream media began reporting on the issue, a relatively clear-eyed view of the complainants' evidence is publicly available concerning the circumstances of the alleged rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion.

The blog Sweden vs. Assange has posted the skeleton argument put before the Court by Assange's legal team.

The Assange defence team asserted on the basis of the two complainants statements:

Julian Assange engaged in ’rough and impatient’ consensual foreplay with complainant AA, and he complied with her wish that he used a condom once she expressed her desire for him to use one.

Julian Assange used a condom upon claimant AA’s request. The condom split.

Julian Assange pressed his naked erect penis against AA whilst they were voluntarily sharing a small bed. They had shared the bed for several days and engaged in consensual sexual activity previously.

In the context of repeated acts of consensual sexual intercourse, Julian Assange penetrated SW whilst she was ’half-asleep’. The penetration was met by consent on the part of SW, in full knowledge that Julian Assange was not wearing protection.

It is noted that the Swedish Prosecution Authority rejects the claim that all sexual activity was consensual. Details can be found in the translated European Arrest Warrant.

It is also noted that to date Assange appears not been formally charged with any sexual offense under Swedish law, as by the Swedish Prosecution Authority's own admission the investigation is still only currently at the stage of "preliminary investigation".

Publicly available documents presented to earlier U.K. lower courts hearings can be found here.

Kudelka deftly nails Abbott to the Policy Cross

The Australian 18 July 2011

According to Kudelka:
"Today we discovered that Peter Reith’s post-mortem of the Liberals’ election effort last year suggested that a bit of policy might not go amiss. Now this bothered me, firstly because he needed to be asked, and secondly because Peter felt it needed to be said."

Nobody but us hens in here!

We have had very cold nights and heavy frost in the mornings.
The temperatures have been as low as 2 and 3 degrees below zero.

So this afternoon I was not all that surprised when I went to put the chooks away for the night and found Arnold the not so little calf had decided to bunk down in the chook shed.

The hens were a bit upset that Arnold had decided that he would bunk with them. How would he fit that bulk onto the roost? Would the roosts take the 200 kgs plus weight, does he snore?

All this was being loudly discussed by the flock. Some had decided that they would have nothing to do with it and refused to go into the shed; others had a more inclusive approach, he may be a strange looking hen but he was friendly.

Arnold on the other hand had a look on his face that said “nobody but us hens in here”. If he could’ve clucked he would have.

It took a little persuasion and half a bucket of food to entice him out of his new home much to the hens’ relief.

Arnold wandered back up the paddock to join the rest of the cow herd, but I was sure I heard a gently clucking sound as he walked away.

Graphic from Pure Dawning

GMO News: Monsanto's unusual payments and CSIRO denial of link to biotech giant

According to an American Public Media Marketplace Morning Report radio segment on 30 June 2011:

NANCY MARSHALL GENZER: Monsanto's Roundup herbicide was a blockbuster for years. Then China made a generic knockoff. To counter that, Monsanto started a program to give distributors cash incentives to buy Roundup. The SEC wouldn't comment.
But the federal government has investigated Monsanto for alleged anti-competitive practices before. Monsanto declined my interview request. But in a conference call yesterday CEO Hugh Grant said the company is co-operating. The company also says it's phasing out the incentives. And its seed business appears to be blossoming.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has had cause to address the matter of unusual payments with Monsanto & Co. before as seen here:

Monsanto Company: Lit. Rel. No. 19023 / January 6, 2005
First, the Commission filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia charging Monsanto with violating the FCPA and seeking a civil penalty. The Commission further charged that the senior Monsanto manager devised a scheme whereby false invoices were submitted to Monsanto and the senior Monsanto manager approved the invoices for payment. The approximate $700,000 was derived from a bogus product registration scheme undertaken by two Indonesian entities owned or controlled by Monsanto. As a result of the conduct described above, the Commission charged that Monsanto violated the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA (Section 30A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934). In a related proceeding, the United States Department of Justice has entered into an agreement with Monsanto Company to defer prosecution on charges of violating the anti-bribery and books and records provisions of the FCPA.

Monsanto Company: Admin. Proc. Rel. No. 34-50978 / January 6, 2005
File No. 3-11789 In the Matter of MONSANTO COMPANY, Respondent. PTMK reports to Monsanto through Monsanto's Asia Pacific regional management, which is headquartered in Singapore. PTBS reports to Monsanto through Monsanto's Asia Pacific regional management, which is headquartered in Singapore. During the period, the Indonesian affiliates violated the accounting policies, controls, and procedures of Monsanto. Monsanto wanted to increase acceptance of GMO crops in Indonesia. The senior Monsanto manager is a citizen of, and was based in, the United States. On behalf of Monsanto, the senior Monsanto manager, management of the Indonesian affiliates, and the consulting firm employee lobbied for legislation and ministerial decrees favorable to GMO crops. In order to fund the $50,000 payment, the senior Monsanto manager devised a scheme involving false invoices. The invoices were submitted to Monsanto in the United States on December 20, 2001, several weeks before the second trip occurred.

Charles Michael Martin: Lit. Rel. No. 20029 /March 6, 2007
The complaint further alleged that to generate the funds to make the illegal $50,000 payment and to conceal the unlawful activity, Martin directed the Consulting Firm to create a set of invoices to falsely bill Monsanto in an amount sufficient to cover the illegal payment. Martin subsequently approved the false invoices for payment by Monsanto, and took steps to ensure that Monsanto paid the false invoices, thereby causing Monsanto's books and records to be falsified and circumventing Monsanto's system of internal accounting controls. Based, in part, on these allegations, the Commission previously filed a settled enforcement action and instituted settled administrative proceedings against Monsanto. SEC v. Monsanto Co., Case No. 1:05CV00014 (D.D.C. January 6, 2005); Monsanto Company, No. 3-11789, Exchange Act Rel.

Closer to home the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation denies it has links to Monsanto. The denial comes despite its collaborative efforts with that giant biotech corporation with regard to developing novel plant material based on Monsanto patented genes, especially Ingard Cotton in the 1990s and, the fact that this cooperation appears to exist to date if Monsanto itself is to be believed in 2011.

Indeed, these commercial R & D links being so well-known that they are often recognised in academic papers.

['Consolidating Control: Plant Variety Rights, Genes and Seeds']

One has to wonder why the CSIRO was so foolish as to make such a blanket denial.

One Man's Opinion: News Corporation is sorry.....

Advertisement placed in The Guardian newspaper in Britain and other media
during the week ending 16 July 2011
Click to enlarge

Rupert Murdoch and his sons Lachlan and James in happier days

What is the Murdoch family and the News Corporation media conglomerate it dominates sorry for?
Why, for being caught of course.

Who will the family and corporation blame for the unfolding scandal? Inevitably, everyone and anyone other than members of the Murdoch family.

Is this the end of Rupert Murdoch's political influence?
Only if Britain, the United States and Australia all refuse to support the argument that the international media empire he heads is too big to be allowed to fail.

Who or what will be the losers if Murdoch's political balls aren't removed?
Without a doubt, democratic institutions in every county in which News Corp, its subsidiaries and affiliates, operate.

But News Corp isn't behaving badly in Australia is it?
Oh yes it is. In the absence of world war, widespread civil conflict, country-wide famine or desperate national financial crisis driving a need, the Murdoch press has broadly stated an aim of destroying one minor democratic political party and repeatedly calls for an early election (beginning within days of the 2010 ballot results) with the aim of regime change at federal level.
It deliberately misquotes and misrepresents those public figures or scientists who do not support its skewed views.
It is known to have attempted to charge at least one political party for favourable published comment (Page 1 & Page 2) by its journalists during an election campaign and patently wouldn't recognise its own (or indeed any other) Professional Conduct Policy if it fell over a tattered copy on the footpath.

A bit of background courtesy of The Guardian UK and Granny Herald AUS:
Phone hacking: Murdoch goes on defensive over 'total lies' by MPs
Les Hinton sacrificed, but the worst is yet to come for News Corp
Rebekah Brooks's resignation letter
Phone hacking: Met police put pressure on Guardian over coverage
Phone hacking: Murdoch paid US anti-bribery law lobbyists
Rebekah Brooks's belated resignation intensifies spotlight on James Murdoch
News of the World phone hacking - interactive timeline
Murdoch's strange hunt for a handout

Pics found at Google Images

UPDATE:

Staying true to the lack of ethics displayed by its parent company, News Ltd's Herald Sun published this incitement to murder in a comment section, according to @heraldsunreader:

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