Wes Allen critiques a discussion paper by Joe Postma

Elizebeth's brother Dr David Weston (Wes) Allen has written a critique of a discussion paper by Joe Postma.  I have posted it on the NCTCS blog.  (Here)  Most of us will remember John Byatt, who has almost congratulated Wes in a comment  HERE  - "I do not know why you bother Wes, but well done,"

Never thought the day would come.

Road trip – Barossa Valley

As someone who enjoys more than the odd drop of port, the fruits of the Barossa are well appreciated. This was also the first time that I went back to visit where Samuel Stiller and family first settled at Bethany near Tanunda after arriving on Australian shores in 1844.

 

Although the landscape was dry as to be expected for localities within a winter rainfall paten, the scenery was still pleasant. I’m told it’s at its best in the spring. Driving around the Adelaide Hills & the Barossa the towns are close together. The Qld measurement of how many stubbies between towns wouldn’t apply; you would be flat out consistently downing one. We were warned not to park under red gums searching for shade as on warm days visibly sound limbs fall off without warning. Check out the photo below for the sign we found on a tree near the Friedensberg cemetery where the maternal ancestor of my wife’s family is buried who coincidently immigrated to Australia on the same boat as my family.

Besides a couple of days relaxing we spent one day following up the movements back in the mid 1800’s of my wife’s family. One day going up into the mallee country at Lowbank where my great grandfather & as a young man my grandfather farmed. Where my great grandmother died in 1928 aged 49; where the drought in the early 1930’s was that bad that the few remaining livestock were fed off the thatch off the roofs of the buildings; the farm was surrendered to the bank and with what little processions the family still had moved to Qld where my great grandfathers brothers had pioneered settlement in the Downfall Creek valley. Then one day was spent at Bethany in the Barossa valley.

The first photo above is one I took from a high hill overlooking Bethany; all the buildings at the base of the hill belong to the two branches of the Stiller family who have remained on the original land. Until recent times the next three strips of land belonged to the family. Sadly modern day commercial pressures upon the small traditional vineyards are such that they are no longer viable. Not only has vineyards with greater scale as we saw at Griffiths in NSW on the way home have had an impact but also the market has been distorted by large investment scheme funds. One branch of the family has pulled their vines out and the other has very recently sold their vineyard fields and is looking to sell the house as well.

This quote comes from Random House, Discover Australia, Motoring Guide 1997 edition found in a short entry about Bethany.

This was the first major Barossa settlement founded in 1842 when more than 20 German Lutheran families arrived from Silesia to escape religious persecution. The original cottages stretched along the village street with farming strips reaching back behind them across to the village common; this was the pattern in Silesia.

Refer again to the first photo and you can see what can be called the village street across the upper left hand side of the photo. The houses for the village settlement are on this street & each parcel of land is a long narrow piece going back behind the cottages. This form of village settlement is again mentioned in this South Australian History web site as well as how the village employed a shepherd to care for the livestock on the village common. The village common was where I took the photo from. Talking to a younger cousin of my grandfather who is still in residence; he told me of how the shepherd would pick up the few milking cows from each little farm along the village street each morning & take them up to the common. Those cows would get so use to the routine that in the evening as he brought them back down the village street they would by themselves drop off into the correct farm yard to where they belonged. The shepherd’s cottage as it stands today is the last photo below.

 

 

Previous related discussion, Road trip - Broken Hill

Where the Global Warming Hoax Was Born

I wonder how many have seen this Special Report at the link below?

The AGW scam apparently began at the 1975 'Endangered Atmosphere' Conference in North Carolina.

I think it is something about which people should be aware.

The report was published in the Fall 2007 edition of the 21st Century Science & Technology magazine.

Anthropologist Margaret Mead
 stressed throughout her presentation the need for consensus, an end-product free from any troubling "internal scientific controversies" that might "blur the need for action."

 She believed in population control.

http://www.21stcenturysciencetech.com/Articles%202007/GWHoaxBorn.pdf

Road trip - Broken Hill

Last night we arrived home after a couple week break on a road trip that covered a total of 6,015 km’s. It was a complete break as there was no facebook, internet TV or even radio news. The road trip turned out as real history tour especially going to places significant in the 1880’s; maybe not all of national significance but of importance to my own family history.

After leaving Qld from the in-laws place near St George we crossed the border at Hebel and a 13 ½ hour travelling time, arrived at Broken Hill.

 

Broken Hill was a very pleasant surprise, we had booked a 2 night stay which is a full day of sightseeing but we found that Broken Hill offered enough to keep you interested for a 4 night stop over. There is nearby Silverton, art galleries included that of Pro Harts that we visited, museums, mine tours, lookouts at sunset and soak in some rather unique architecture.

Photo - Pro Hart's famous painted Rolls Royce

 

From memory the Broken Hill mining of silver, lead & zinc got going in the late 1880’s when the gold rush era was a fading memory. It was very important to the Australian economy in the depression in the 1890’s. BHP became one of Australia’s largest companies and in doing so it contributing to Australia developing a manufacturing industry throughout the first part of the 1900’s.

In context of the current debate of resource activity impacting upon agricultural production it is very safe to say that Broken Hill mining activity never took out any prime agricultural land.

  

Photo - Old buildings at Silverton

 

Lastly I can highly recommend the accommodation we booked at Jadan Cottages; well renovated old building, very thoughtfull provisions for the travelling family and at a very reasonable cost. 

Will Australia be 'The Biggest Loser" as the US eats into the gas market?

AUSTRALIA will be the biggest loser among liquefied natural gas exporters if US LNG production takes off in a meaningful way, with more exports displaced than any other nation because of the high costs of building new projects.

The finding, in a Deloitte report commissioned by US LNG proponent Cheniere Energy, comes as global engineering contractor KBR - a leader in West Australian projects - says work on US LNG projects is starting to grow as work in Australia dwindles because of surging costs.

The Australian reports if a substantial amount of US LNG is exported to Asia, it could displace the equivalent of one $20 billion project in Australia..

KBR chief executive William Utt said price hikes in Australia meant opportunities for his company were falling.

The nine million tonnes a year of potentially displaced Australian LNG production would be the same amount as the $US20b Australia Pacific LNG project in Gladstone is aiming to produce.

Read the full story in The Australian

 My Comment: The Australian industry claims it has contracts in place (including the burgeoning CSG/ LNG industry in Central Queensland) so time will tell if these will be honoured when cheaper shale gas is available from the US and probably other overseas competitors. Or will a cash strapped government be called on to prop up the expensive new process here, which is battling controversy on many fronts, mainly environmental issues?

French focus on threats to Great Barrier Reef

The following is a media release just received from Australian environmental group Save the Reef. Recently some of us were told this was a local issue of no interest to the general community on "that" site. But it is still very much in the international focus. See the Planet Hope video at
 http://www.france24.com/en/20130101-planet-hope-australia-coal-great-barrier-reef-coral-environment-energy-gladstone-port-exports

Save the Reef media release.

9 January 2013

International embarrasment  - Great Barrier Reef Dumpsite

French television internationally embarrassed Australia by airing news about the Great Barrier Reef "dump site".   In a 10 minute program the French interviewed Gladstone fishermen with their sick fish and ruined livelihood and discussed the Abbot Point expansion.   France had no problems discussing how Australia is risking their World Heritage Status with plans to expand Abbot Point and dump dredge spoil in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.  (This plan was mostly ignored by Australian TV when released)    The decision makers in France would most likely have seen this news program and it will not aid Australia's case which will be presented on 1st February 2012 to UNESCO (who have threatened to put the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area on the "In-Danger" list). 

Save the Reef has condemned the Abbot Point expansion.  A report by the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning found Abbott Point was under utilized and its use has been declining over the past three years, operating at just 27% capacity last year.  There is no need to expand Abbott Point and use the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park as a dump site for 3 million cubic metres of dredge spoil right now when UNESCO is about to make a decision to put the Great Barrier Reef on the In Danger list"  stated Dr Andrew Jeremijenko.  "Dumping in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is a new low for Australia. Lower then the current Gladstone Ports dump site in the World Heritage Area.  The claims that dumping in the marine park 8km from Holbourne Island National park in the Whitsundays will not cause harm are unbelievable."   
The Government continues to ignore the UNESCO recommendation and released its 10 year Port Strategy with its plans to expand ports like Abbot Point throughout the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. They intend to continue to use the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area as a dredge spoil dumping zone despite 91% of people opposing it and plan to start charging to dump spoil in the marine park despite UNESCO's recommendation to improve water quality.  The government have relaxed the water quality limits and allowed dredging over the limits.  They fined the dredgers a paltry $6600 for dumping tonnes of their spoils illegally in the World Heritage Area and passed new legislation so that mines can dump their waste water (the equivalent of half of Sydney Harbour) which will flow into the Great Barrier Reef.  

 “The government is defying UNESCO.  It not only recommended expansion of ports that don’t need to be expanded, it also relaxed the coastal development laws, despite UNESCO expressing extreme concern about  “the unprecedented scale of coastal development.” said Dr Andrew Jeremijenko. 

The state has announced its 3 month inquiry into the Health Payroll,  but has failed to announce the UNESCO recommended inquiry into Gladstone Harbour and Curtis Island including its expansion into the pristine Keppel Bay.   The local council, the state member and the Federal member, all oppose the expansion of Gladstone ports into the Fitzroy  Delta and Keppel Bay, home to the rare Snubfin dolphin.     

Jeff Seeney called UNESCO a "bunch of international beurocrats" and Campbell Newmans response to the UNESCO recommendations was “...We are in the coal business…"    While the world is watching us and making a decision about our ability to protect the World Heritage Area, these comments can only be described as "grossly incompetent".  

Dr Andrew Jeremijenko, spokesperson for Save the Reef, said   “The Queensland Government is not only risking the World Heritage Listing by defying UNESCO recommendations unnecessarily, it is risking our reputation as custodians of the Great Barrier Reef, a world wonder, a tourism icon and our national treasure.   The World Heritage “In Danger” listing would make us polluters of the reef, instead of protectors of the reef.  It would be a worldwide embarrassment.  It is no wonder the French journalists filmed a story when they saw it for themselves."

There is no need to ignore UNESCO.  There is no need to expand the ports.  Coal can use existing ports.   Our Reef has lost over 50% of its coral and the “In Danger” list is likely.   If we won’t protect the Great Barrier Reef, we won’t protect anything.  

It could never happen here, right? Mexican gas plant explosion kills about 30 workers

I wouldn't be too sure, no wonder there are concerns here in Gladstone, the site of several huge LNG plants, and in the gas fields and along the pipeline routes, but I only heard about this today. Maybe I wasn't following the news but I didn't see it reported here, where huge gas tankers will soon be negotiating a narrow channel close to the main city CBD:

By Bill Van Auken 
20 September 2012

An explosion that ripped through a Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) gas pipeline distribution facility in northeastern Mexico near the US border Tuesday has left some 30 workers dead and dozens more injured.

The official death toll rose to 29 on Wednesday afternoon. PEMEX, Mexico’s state-owned oil company, said on its twitter account that seven more workers are missing. A company official put the number at five, while warning that it could rise. At least 46 workers were injured.

The bulk of those who lost their lives in the explosion and fire were employees of a private contractor brought in to do maintenance work at the facility. Twenty-five of the contract workers are known to have died along with four employees of PEMEX itself. Part of the confusion over how many remain missing is the result of PEMEX trying to coordinate information with the contractor.

The explosion, which occurred at 10:45 am on Tuesday, ignited a huge fire sending towering flames and a column of smoke high over the facility, a gas distribution center located approximately 12 miles down the highway linking Reynosa to the city of Monterrey to the southwest. Reynosa is just across the US border from McAllen, Texas.

President Felipe Calderon said on Wednesday that the quick response of Mexican firefighters and army personnel helped avoid a “real catastrophe” that would have ensued had the blaze spread to a nearby gas processing plant.

Security personnel evacuated people from homes and ranches surrounding the facility for fear that the fire could ignite new and bigger explosions.

Initially, PEMEX officials tried to minimize the scope of the industrial disaster, failing to report the number of dead and injured early on and stressing that the fire had been quickly controlled. As the toll of fatalities became clear, however, the company was compelled to recognize the seriousness of the accident.

PEMEX Director Juan Jose Suarez told the media that there was “no evidence that it was a deliberate incident, or some kind of attack,” adding, “There is no reason to think that this terrible accident was caused by criminal gangs.” What has been learned so far, he said, points to an “unusual accident.”

(Continuing reading at http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2012/09/peme-s20.html

Video at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152362045915377