Painted Bunting
Passerina ciris
Male
Home range South-East USA
Photography by: Danita Delimont/Getty Images
Saturday, 11 March 2017
Friday, 10 March 2017
Clarence Valley Council: did he jump or was he pushed?
Did Clarence Valley General Manager Scott Greensill jump or was he pushed out the door on 3 March 2017?
Today’s joint statement by Clarence Valley Council Mayor Jim Simmons and Mr. Greensill announcing the general manager's resignation effective 5pm on 10 March 2017 is correct in so far as the resignation occurred.
If one leaves aside the fact that within days of council’s 21 February 2017 ordinary monthly meeting there was a strong rumour abroad that a majority of councillors had formally expressed a view that they had no confidence in the general manager.
If that rumour is true, then the general manager’s position was untenable. He had as near as was possible been politely handed his hat and shown the door.
The upside for the general manager is that he can now afford to take an extended paid holiday before he needs to look for new employment, given his 2015 renegotiated contract still had so long to run and a lump sum payment would have been inevitable.
Thursday,
2 March 2017
Saturday, 4 March 2017
Dear Malcolm, About your clean coal........
A letter to Malcolm Turnbull:
Dear Malcolm,
I am
a retired power industry engineer with considerable expertise in the asset
management, performance and efficiency of coal fired generation and I can
assure you emphatically that building a new coal fired power station of any
type would be technical and economic insanity. Let me explain why. Capacity
Factor is a measure of how much power is actually generated as a percentage of
what it could produce if it ran all the time at its nameplate rating. Because of
the high capital and fixed costs of coal fired plants you need to achieve a
Capacity Factor of more than 85% for all of its 30 year life to be economically
viable. Below 70% you lose money and also suffer large efficiency drops and
corresponding increases in levels of CO2 and other harmful pollutants. Below
55% the major components of the plant start to fail due to the inevitable
increase in thermal cycling of the plants as they ramp up and down or are
switched on and off. Do you know the current capacity factor of our existing
black coal power stations in the NEM (VIC, NSW, QLD)? I guess no because I had
to go through all of the latest annual reports of the generation companies to
calculate it. AND IT IS 53%. This is because wind and solar are cheaper (regardless
of the RET) and have displaced more expensive coal fired plants in the energy
market. (At least we are in front of China where the average CF is 50% for
exactly the same reason). So how can we justify a new, very expensive ultra
critical coal plant when its power cost will mean it cannot pay for itself, it
will not be able to achieve any efficiency improvements or CO2 reductions due
to operating at reduced loads and is also likely to have a short life because
the exotic metals needed are extremely susceptible to thermal fatigue? You will
notice I have not referred to politics or climate change in my discussion, just
engineering and economics. I should also point out that it will take ten years
to build a new power station and I suspect we don't have that long when we are
running our very old power stations with increased thermal cycling. We need to
be accelerating storage options, not being distracted by technology that is no
longer appropriate to the market.
Wayne Bissett.
A story of cultural vandalism in three tweets
We put this scarred tree... pic.twitter.com/60wRAZ8Nx2— Mt Murri Yaama (@handsomemurri) March 3, 2017
...in a cage, so the white ppl wouldn't damage it. pic.twitter.com/AiXnlC4uTO— Mt Murri Yaama (@handsomemurri) March 3, 2017
The lack of respect for indigenous culture and history is an enduring shame.Because they had a good crack at this other one near it. pic.twitter.com/PDFIp2Gfi6— Mt Murri Yaama (@handsomemurri) March 3, 2017
Thursday, 9 March 2017
Australians do not trust banks with their super, 7 out of 10 want a not-for-profit system, Essential Research polling reveals
AAP MediaNet, media release, 3 March 2017:
Australians do not trust banks with their super, 7 out of 10 want not-for-profit system, new polling reveals
Explosive new polling shows that when it comes to superannuation, most Australians don’t trust the big banks and over two-thirds want the system to run on a not-for-profit basis with all returns to members.
The Essential poll of 1000 people, commissioned by Industry Super Australia, has found that only 31% trust that the banks will ensure the superannuation system works in their best interest. This compares to 38% for the Federal Government; 61% for the Fair Work Commission; and 69% for Industry Super Funds.
Consumers feel strongly that their interests should be the sole focus - 70% believe all super funds should be not-for-profit with all returns to members rather than split with shareholders; just 6% disagree.
Industry Super Australia chief executive, David Whiteley, says the results send a clear message the public want superannuation to work solely in their interests and not as a profit-making opportunity for the banks’ wealth management machines.
“When it comes to super, the banks are legally required to act in the best interest of their customers; most Australians don't believe they do," said Whiteley.
“Consumers know aggressive cross-selling of advice, insurance and super is designed to boost shareholder profits rather than leave them better off.”
“The banks’ relentless lobbying to remove consumer default protections could result in people ending up in under-performing funds and a nest egg that’s tens, even hundreds, of thousands of dollars short”.
“Australians have told us what they think – they don’t trust the banks and believe their culture and profit motive are at odds with the purpose of super,” said Whiteley.
It is a sentiment shared by 58% of respondents who believe the banks would use the compulsory nature of super to exploit fund members.
Two thirds of Australians agree that the banks are already too powerful and giving them more of the superannuation market would make the situation worse.
Instead 57% want a small number of high quality super funds run by trusted providers rather than a large menu of bank offerings.
“Public opinion clearly runs counter to the banks’ efforts to change the super system to suit their vertically integrated business models. Astute policymakers will be listening,” said Whiteley.
The big bank CEOs will appear before a parliamentary inquiry this Friday and early next week. The Standing Committee on Economics’ Review of the Four Major Banks hearings are set for 3, 7, 8 March.
ASIC has recently launched court proceedings against Westpac for a 3-year sales campaign that alleges staff were rewarded bonuses for shifting customers from external super funds into a bank fund. ASIC alleges that Westpac failed its best interests duty to consumers; breached financial licence conditions and Corporations Law and failed to ensure related financial services entities provided services honestly and fairly.
Industry Super Australia provides policy, research and advocacy on behalf of 15 not-for-profit Industry SuperFunds who are the custodians of the retirement savings of five million Australians.
As Australia enters Autumn 2017 eyes turn to the skies
Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), media release, 28 February 2017:
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) remains neutral. However, recent changes in both the tropical Pacific Ocean and atmosphere, and climate model outlooks surveyed by the Bureau, suggest the likelihood of El Niño forming in 2017 has risen. As a result, the Bureau's ENSO Outlook status has been upgraded to El Niño WATCH, meaning the likelihood of El Niño in 2017 is approximately 50%.
All atmospheric and oceanic indicators of ENSO are currently within neutral thresholds. However, sea surface temperatures have been increasing in the eastern Pacific Ocean and are now warmer than average for the first time since June 2016, while the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) has been trending downwards.
Seven of eight international models surveyed by the Bureau indicate steady warming in the central tropical Pacific Ocean over the next six months. Six models suggest El Niño thresholds may be reached by July 2017. However, some caution must be taken at this time of year, with lower model accuracy through the autumn months compared to other times of the year.
El Niño is often associated with below average winter–spring rainfall over eastern Australia and warmer than average winter–spring maximum temperatures over the southern half of Australia.
The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) has little influence on Australia from December to April. Current outlooks suggest a neutral IOD may persist until the end of autumn.
All atmospheric and oceanic indicators of ENSO are currently within neutral thresholds. However, sea surface temperatures have been increasing in the eastern Pacific Ocean and are now warmer than average for the first time since June 2016, while the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) has been trending downwards.
Seven of eight international models surveyed by the Bureau indicate steady warming in the central tropical Pacific Ocean over the next six months. Six models suggest El Niño thresholds may be reached by July 2017. However, some caution must be taken at this time of year, with lower model accuracy through the autumn months compared to other times of the year.
El Niño is often associated with below average winter–spring rainfall over eastern Australia and warmer than average winter–spring maximum temperatures over the southern half of Australia.
The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) has little influence on Australia from December to April. Current outlooks suggest a neutral IOD may persist until the end of autumn.
Climate outlooks – monthly and seasonal Issued: 23 February 2017 – Next issue: 30 March 2017:
Climate outlook overview
Autumn (March to May) rainfall is likely to be below average over the southern two-thirds of Australia.
March is likely to be hotter and drier than average across most of Australia, except the far north and west.
Warmer autumn days and nights are likely across most of Australia, except northwest Australia where days and nights are likely to be cooler than average.
The drier than average outlooks are likely a result of forecast higher than normal pressure across western and southern Australia, meaning fewer rain-bearing systems are likely to cross the coast (see the Climate Influences section for more detail).
NSW Forecast – chance of exceeding median maximum temperature in March to May 2017:
NSW Forecast – chance of above median rainfall in March to May 2017:
The Conversation, 1 March 2017:
Crop yields around Australia have been hard hit by recent weather. Last year, for instance, the outlook for mungbeans was excellent. But the hot, dry weather has hurt growers. The extreme conditions have reduced average yields from an expected 1-1.5 tonnes per hectare to just 0.1-0.5 tonnes per hectare.
Sorghum and cotton crops fared little better, due to depleted soil water, lack of in-crop rainfall, and extreme heat. Fruit and vegetables, from strawberries to lettuce, were also hit hard.
But the story is larger than this. Globally, production of maize and wheat between 1980 and 2008 was 3.8% and 5.5% below what we would have expected without temperature increases. One model, which combines historical crop production and weather data, projects significant reductions in production of several key African crops. For maize, the predicted decline is as much as 22% by 2050.
ABC News, 17 February 2017:
The impact of several heatwaves so far this year will be felt for some time by primary producers around Australia.
From crop damage, to livestock stress, the impact of these extreme temperatures is yet to be fully understood.
Meanwhile, farmers and wholesalers say they have had to come up with innovative methods of cooling their animals and produce.
But they are not the only ones to feel the impact of the heat; consumers will feel it in their wallets and in the quality available.
Wednesday, 8 March 2017
*************International Women's Day 2017*************
To all the grandmothers, aunties, mothers, daughters,
sisters and female friends in Australia
(and women around the world)
sisters and female friends in Australia
(and women around the world)
Hold you heads up high today
As always your individual and collective
courage, resolve and goodwill
enables communities to thrive and grow
courage, resolve and goodwill
enables communities to thrive and grow
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