NSW North Coast could lose in vicinity of 2,000 homes in latest climate change 'worst case' scenario

From the Australian Government report Climate Change Risks to Australia's Coasts released on 14 November 2009.

Number of residential building in NSW local government areas at risk of sea water inundation

Click images to enlarge

Tweed Heads inundation projections

Fighting back against gene patents in 2009

This year the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Association for Molecular Pathology have led a court challenge to the legality of the U.S. Patent Office practice of granting patents on genes.

COMPLAINT against United States Patent and Trademark Office, Myriad Genetics, Lorris Betz, Roger Boyer, Jack Brittain, Arnold B. Combe, Raymond Gesteland, James U. Jensen, John Kendall Morris, Thomas Parks, David W. Pershing, Michael K. Young. (Filing Fee $ 350.00, Receipt Number 687779)Document filed by American Society For Clinical Pathology, College of American Pathologists, Association For Molecular Pathology, Haig Kazazian, Arupa Ganguly, Wendy Chung, Harry Ostrer, David Ledbetter, Stephen Warren, Ellen Matloff, Elsa Reich, Breast Cancer Action, Boston Women's Health Book Collective, American College of Medical Genetics, Lisbeth Ceriani, Runi Limary, Genae Girard, Patrice Fortune, Vicky Thomason, Kathleen Raker.(ama) (Entered: 05/12/2009)

According to the ACLU on 2 November 2009 and WebWire on 3 November 2009:

Several major organizations, including the American Medical Association, the March of Dimes and the American Society for Human Genetics, filed friend-of-the-court briefs in support of the challenge to the patents on the BRCA genes.

and

The court noted the significance of this case. The court's opinion stated, "The widespread use of gene sequence information as the foundation for biomedical research means that resolution of these issues will have far-reaching implications, not only for gene-based health care and the health of millions of women facing the specter of breast cancer, but also for the future course of biomedical research… The novel circumstances presented by this action against the USPTO, the absence of any remedy provided in the Patent Act, and the important constitutional rights the Plaintiffs seek to vindicate establish subject matter jurisdiction over the Plaintiffs' claim against the USPTO".

This case has survived a plaintiff's motion to dismiss and is going forward.

With patents now being held on approximately 20 per cent of identified human genes, this court case is of more than passing interest.

Where's a copper when you need him?

A mate was down in Yamba visiting rellies last week when he took a walk to the local shopping centre.
Being a bit slow on his pins he started to cross Treelands Drive at the point which has a pedestrian island in the centre of the road.
Without warning, a big semi headed for Bi-Lo supermarket crossed over to the wrong side of the road and travelled about five truck lengths before doing a wide turn into the Yamba Fair carpark entrance.
And truckies wonder why they have such a bad rep on the NSW North Coast....

Climate Change Risks to Australia's Coasts - report nobbled by department?

Screenshot which came up with any attempt to read Chapter 5

Like many other Australians today, I went to the Federal Department of Climate Change website to download the latest report Climate Change Risks to Australia's Coasts announced with some fanfare earlier in the day.

Small problem. The very chapter of intense interest; Chapter 5 identifies the key risks to built infrastructure with a particular focus on residential buildings at state and local government scales. Risks to infrastructure, services and industries in the coastal zone are also summarised according to the relevant web page - well it has gone missing.

Departmental IT ineptitude or a sudden realisation that many people could for the first time fairly accurately assess the risk to their property values and that might be politically just a tad too uncomfortable for the states and local government?

Minister for Climate Change and Water Penny Wong much earlier in the day speaking on the ABC Radio AM program:

This is a very important step in providing the information Australia needs.

Over to you, Minister Wong.......

Bat war continues and Nationals Hartsuyker and Cansdell are in the first round of 'enemy' casualties

Bat fall-out

WELL done Steve Cansdell and Luke Hartsuyker. Just the week after all the relevant stakeholders held possibly the first ever truly positive meeting about the Maclean flying fox colony, you help whip up a frenzy and involve schoolchildren in an illegal disturbance of the animals, many carrying recently born young, using a starter pistol and general loud noise.

One tentative step forward had finally been made in this ongoing saga, with all parties agreeing to form a proper long-term management plan, and you go in there and destroy that whole democratic process and regress the whole community.

And all for your own political gain. You are shaming the community and standing in the way of progress. Don't you get it? Disturbance does not work and never has as a long, or even short, term solution, and is currently illegal in Maclean.

LINDA WRIGHT,

Lawrence.

[The Daily Examiner, letter to the editor, 14 November 2009]

Animalia......(2)

From The Daily Examiner 7 November 2009 on the subject of Grafton Regional Art Gallery:

Good Food Magpies

The family of magpies who live around the Gallery has two young members who are just starting to get their adult feathers. All staff at the gallery cafe, Georgie's, and the gallery would like these youngsters to grow up in the civilised manner of all magpies. So we are asking all our patrons and visitors to not feed the birds but to simply enjoy watching them as they forage in the gallery gardens and courtyard and listening to their beautiful warbles.

The youngsters will soon enough be told to move out by their parents to find their own territory. They will need hunting skills beyond the ones required to gain delicious tidbits from Georgie's customers not to mention having the appropriate social skills.

EDO Northern Rivers: seminars and workshops in December 2009 [climate change, managed retreat, biodiversity, land clearing, power stations]

Seminar: Planned retreat, climate change and biodiversity - Byron
Bay, 3 December

In response to a rising wave of interest from all levels of government
in threats to coastal communities from climate change, the Environmental
Defender's Office Northern Rivers presents a free public seminar on
coastal management. It will focus on how liability issues, adaptation
strategies and biodiversity protection are dealt with in recent
initiatives including Byron Council's Draft Coastal Zone Management Plan
and the NSW Government's reforms to coastal erosion management.

Thursday 3 December
SCU Room, Byron Community Centre, Johnson St
5.45 for 6 pm sharp to 8 pm

Light meal provided. No booking necessary. For more information, please
call Mark Byrne, Education Officer, EDO Northern Rivers, on 66228470 or
1300 369 791 or email edonr@edo.org.au. Please note that current
litigation concerning protection works at Belongil Beach and the
question of whether or not Byron Council is partially responsible for
erosion there will NOT be addressed.

Workshop: Native vegetation and private native forestry - Coffs
Harbour, 5 December

This event is being organised with Coffs Harbour Council in response to
concerns about illegal land clearing. It will cover the approvals
process for private native forestry under the Native Vegetation Act and
other relevant instruments including Local Environmental Plans and Koala
Plans of Management.

Saturday 5 December
Cavanbah Hall, 191 Harbour Drive
10.30 am to 3 pm including a light lunch

To register to attend, please call Rachel Binskin at Coffs Harbour
Council on 66484662 or email rachel.binskin@coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au.

Meeting for groups: TransGrid and local energy - Lismore, 10
December

Does the North Coast need more coal-fired electricity at a cost of
$227M? TransGrid, NSW's electricity network builder and operator, plans
to build a 330 kV transmission line from west of Tenterfield down to
Lismore. The EDO Northern Rivers and Lismore Community Sustainability
Forum are organising a meeting on the evening of Thursday 10 December in
Lismore to discuss this project, join with other groups, examine
alternative power proposals and plan a strategy to stop this "19th
century" project. The proposal will be publicly exhibited under Part 3A
of the EPA Act, and the EDO will organise at least one public meeting at
that time. This initial meeting is for representatives of environment
and community groups. We are contacting groups by separate email. If
your group has not received an invitation and would like to be
represented, please reply to this email or call Mark Byrne on 66228470
or Simon Clough on 66242894 to let us know.