Hello Rambling Masses,
I am in a bit of a didactic solutions kind of mood today, so I thought that I would aim the flickering torchlight of my intellect and reason on a rather topical issue in contemporary Australia - what shall we do to save our poor farmers?
For those not in the know, our farmers are struggling more than they ever have in our 200-year-odd history of western civilisation. Drought conditions are continuing to turn pasture land and arable land into arid dust bowls, soil salinity is robbing the earth of its growing potential, and the national river network is desperately in need of water.
The federal government is doing what they can by providing some $3 billion worth of drought aid, but this is really only a short-term sticky plaster solution to what is quite likely going to be a problem that will remain with us in the long term, what with climate change and the growing scarcity of fresh water.
So, what do we do to save the farmers and, just as importantly, keep home-grown produce on our tables? It seems like it is an impossible problem. Many different solutions have been tendered, from the sublime to the ridiculous. On the ridiculous side of things, we have such ideas as piping fresh water from the north, over thousands of kilometers to the drier southern climes, or building more desalination plants. All poppycock, and not at all practical.
My solution to the problem is at once complex and oh so simple. It seems obvious to me that European farming practices, on which our farming is almost exclusively based, are no longer a viable method of using (and abusing) the land. I further postulate that the first thing we should do is to change our whole idea of how we farm.
First, the government should supply significant funding increases to bodies like the CSIRO, so that they can engage in research to determine native species of flora that can be cultivated to provide food for people and stock. Let's face it - every half-decent gardener with their little plot of suburban land knows these days that native plants are ideally suited to the climate we live in and with. There's a reason for this - the plants have had millions of years to evolve to suit their environment. Duh!
Here's another real brainwave - how about the CSIRO research actively engages the aboriginal communities to learn from a people that have been here for 40,000-odd years? Not only will we learn a huge amount about sustainable practices in Australia and which plants and animals could be viable food sources with the least possible impact and most suited to their local microcosms, but we would also be empowering those aborigines who want to make a go of it to take a place of pride and honour in our society as teachers and guides. Working together, we could prove that we really are the "knowledge nation", instead of throwing millennia of lore out the window.
It would not be an easy task. There would be much trial and error, but I am just about certain that viable alternatives can be found amongst the "bush tucker" style of plants and animals to feed this nation, save the farmers, and lift the majority of aborigines up to where they belong.
As consumers, we also need to be very open to new ideas. We must start to accept the new foods that we carry home in our shopping bags (canvas bags, of course...) and prepare lovingly in our kitchens.
A classic example is meat. Go to any supermarket, and you will be confronted with vast walls of chicken, lamb, beef and pork. If you're lucky, you might see two small trays of limp, tired kangaroo meat, costing about $8.5 million per gram. This is so very wrong. Roos are very drought tolerant, their breeding cycles are perfectly adjustable and in tune with their local environment, and as soon as you leave the cities, you really start to get an idea of how many of the buggers there are roaming around the place. If only we diverted some of the effort away from chicken, sheep, cattle and pig farming and into kangaroo farming, we would have a much more sustainable outlook for all farmers.
It's great that the government is helping the farmers out, but you have to realise at some point that a quick fix like that isn't going to come near to solving the long-term problems of inefficient and unsustainable farming practices. It's akin to spending tens of thousands of dollars fixing up a car's engine when the real problem lies in the fact that it has square wheels.
Until next time Ramblers, stay real.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Are We Really That Stupid?
Hello Rambling Masses,
Well, the real election campaign has started here in Australia, with a predictable economy-based grab for votes by the incumbent Prime Minister, Beige Howard. He and his Treasurer Peter Costfellow have promised tax cuts to all, costing the country some $34 billion over the next 3 years.
Are we really that stupid? Are we really going to buy into this shameless vote grab, choosing short term selfishness over a real progressive future plan for the country and our progeny? Beige certainly hopes so.
Let me just break it down into really simple terms for everyone - just a bit of elementary mathematics.
FACT 1: The average wage earner will be $30 a week better off after the 3-year tax reform currently on the table. That's $1560 per year.
FACT 2: In September 2007, the average mortgage nationally was $329,489, with the average New South Wales home loan at $382,790.
FACT 3: The inflationary pressure caused by a staged $34 billion injection into the economy will lead to a 0.25% interest rate hike at the very least, most probably a 0.5% interest rate hike.
FACT 4: Pursuant to Fact 3, the average home owner will be paying an extra $1380 per year on mortgage repayments.
FACT 5: The total effect of the tax cuts on our hip pockets is an average grand total of $180 per year.
Now, I ask you, do all of the dense bastards out there in Ramble land actually think that this is a sweet deal? I personally hope not.
Here's a staggeringly intelligent alternative that I've got. Take that $34 billion and use it to put a water tank in every single household in Australia. There are approximately 8.5 million households in Australia. With an average installation cost of $4000 per house, that comes to a grand total of about $33 billion. We can then save $4.5 billion per desalination plant that our stupid state governments are proposing as the solution to our water shortage problems.
There's even $1 billion left over to spend on the biggest mother of a party ever, to celebrate the first sensible political decision in the modern age...
Well, the real election campaign has started here in Australia, with a predictable economy-based grab for votes by the incumbent Prime Minister, Beige Howard. He and his Treasurer Peter Costfellow have promised tax cuts to all, costing the country some $34 billion over the next 3 years.
Are we really that stupid? Are we really going to buy into this shameless vote grab, choosing short term selfishness over a real progressive future plan for the country and our progeny? Beige certainly hopes so.
Let me just break it down into really simple terms for everyone - just a bit of elementary mathematics.
FACT 1: The average wage earner will be $30 a week better off after the 3-year tax reform currently on the table. That's $1560 per year.
FACT 2: In September 2007, the average mortgage nationally was $329,489, with the average New South Wales home loan at $382,790.
FACT 3: The inflationary pressure caused by a staged $34 billion injection into the economy will lead to a 0.25% interest rate hike at the very least, most probably a 0.5% interest rate hike.
FACT 4: Pursuant to Fact 3, the average home owner will be paying an extra $1380 per year on mortgage repayments.
FACT 5: The total effect of the tax cuts on our hip pockets is an average grand total of $180 per year.
Now, I ask you, do all of the dense bastards out there in Ramble land actually think that this is a sweet deal? I personally hope not.
Here's a staggeringly intelligent alternative that I've got. Take that $34 billion and use it to put a water tank in every single household in Australia. There are approximately 8.5 million households in Australia. With an average installation cost of $4000 per house, that comes to a grand total of about $33 billion. We can then save $4.5 billion per desalination plant that our stupid state governments are proposing as the solution to our water shortage problems.
There's even $1 billion left over to spend on the biggest mother of a party ever, to celebrate the first sensible political decision in the modern age...
Monday, October 15, 2007
What A Shock!
Hello Fellow Rambling Masses,
My God! What a shock! Beige Howard is going to fight the election on an economic front. What a surprise. I never expected him, the great money-over-all-else man, to forsake all rhyme, reason, environmental concerns, worker disregard, infrastructure indifference, etc., etc., just for a braindead grab at votes.
So, here we are, in an economic boom that has absolutely nothing to do with the governing party and their (lack of) policies, and they are once again touting and flogging that old, old dead warhorse of political spin "oh, we've done so well with the economy - how can you possibly trust the country with anyone else?" caper.
Let me tell you that a blind, toothless, rude spit-roaster with halitosis, a racking cough and a tendency to hit on your girlfriend at barbeques could have done just as good a job at running the Australian economy as the current 11-year old regime that likes to claim all the kudos for what is a worldwide economic phenomenon tangentially affecting Australia. Nice work, Beige. Well done. We couldn't possibly have done it without you.
Now, just a bit of advice for the 5-week election campaign that looms - don't get anywhere near a real policy. That's dangerous. Just stick to tax cuts and continuous re-runs of the "interest rates would be higher under labor" statements that won you the last election. It will all be okay. I am sure that the electorate is every bit as dense and dimwitted as last time...
My God! What a shock! Beige Howard is going to fight the election on an economic front. What a surprise. I never expected him, the great money-over-all-else man, to forsake all rhyme, reason, environmental concerns, worker disregard, infrastructure indifference, etc., etc., just for a braindead grab at votes.
So, here we are, in an economic boom that has absolutely nothing to do with the governing party and their (lack of) policies, and they are once again touting and flogging that old, old dead warhorse of political spin "oh, we've done so well with the economy - how can you possibly trust the country with anyone else?" caper.
Let me tell you that a blind, toothless, rude spit-roaster with halitosis, a racking cough and a tendency to hit on your girlfriend at barbeques could have done just as good a job at running the Australian economy as the current 11-year old regime that likes to claim all the kudos for what is a worldwide economic phenomenon tangentially affecting Australia. Nice work, Beige. Well done. We couldn't possibly have done it without you.
Now, just a bit of advice for the 5-week election campaign that looms - don't get anywhere near a real policy. That's dangerous. Just stick to tax cuts and continuous re-runs of the "interest rates would be higher under labor" statements that won you the last election. It will all be okay. I am sure that the electorate is every bit as dense and dimwitted as last time...
Sunday, October 7, 2007
AWAy Forward?
Greetings Rambling Masses,
I won't rabbit on too long about AWA (workplace agreements between employers and their employees which are replacing collective bargaining as the new standard for the establishment of employment conditions), but I feel that there is one very important thing that is NOT being said in the debate about them as we move towards a federal election.
Australia, along with many other parts of the world, is enjoying a time of almost unprecedented economic boom. Unemployment is very low, due in only a very small part to Beige Howard and his band of smarmy men. How can this government take the credit for something that is happening on a global scale, something that they have no control whatsoever over? Without the demand for resources from China, India and other developing super-powers, Australia would not be enjoying the current walk in the park.
When people debate the introduction of the AWAs, which gives a huge amount of power back to the employer, there are a few things that need to be considered. At the moment, economic times are great! The world is our oyster. The cases of mistreatment and exploitation of workers are not that great in number. There are a few cases where greed and the unhealthy capitalist urge to chase ever-greater profit margins have resulted in workers' rights being unacceptably trampled on, but on the whole, there has not been too much to report negatively about. Low skilled and low paid workers will continue to bear the brunt of the AWAs, since their bargaining power is next to nix.
Now, let's change the parameters slightly and see what is going to happen. It doesn't take a world-class fortune teller to look into the depths of the crystal ball to realise that when times start to get tough again (and this is indeed a certainty) then the pendulum will swing, and everyone will start to get raped and pillaged by the AWAs. The government's pretend safety net (the so-called "fair go" ombudsman) will be swamped with millions of cases of unfair dismissal, sub-standard conditions, stripping of holiday pay and penalty rates, unacceptable work hours, and pay rates that will dive like the stockmarket worms on a bad day.
Now, I agree that during the 70's and 80's, the unions had way too much power. We had a strike every second day, and there were rolling blackouts and lack of services aplenty when this happened. I personally don't ever want to go back to those days. However, I also don't want to go back to the days of legalised sweatshop conditions, child labour, unsafe work practices, and ridiculously long working hours. It was these things that led to the formation of unions in the first place, and it was these things that the unions battled against, fighting for worker rights. Okay, they then went on to become fat cats and part of the problem, but we must guard against swinging the pendulum too far the other way. Beige Howard has done just that.
When did a company in a competitive capitalist environment ever introduce policies that safeguarded workers' rights without having pressure brought to bear on them? Very rarely. If we disempower the unions too much, we lose the balance that is crucial in all facets of society.
For it is all about balance. Don't give the unions too much power. Don't give the owners of capital too much power. Try to tread the middle path. This is why I think that AWAs are one of the most backward steps since feudal lords crunched their fine boots down on their vassals' necks.
I won't rabbit on too long about AWA (workplace agreements between employers and their employees which are replacing collective bargaining as the new standard for the establishment of employment conditions), but I feel that there is one very important thing that is NOT being said in the debate about them as we move towards a federal election.
Australia, along with many other parts of the world, is enjoying a time of almost unprecedented economic boom. Unemployment is very low, due in only a very small part to Beige Howard and his band of smarmy men. How can this government take the credit for something that is happening on a global scale, something that they have no control whatsoever over? Without the demand for resources from China, India and other developing super-powers, Australia would not be enjoying the current walk in the park.
When people debate the introduction of the AWAs, which gives a huge amount of power back to the employer, there are a few things that need to be considered. At the moment, economic times are great! The world is our oyster. The cases of mistreatment and exploitation of workers are not that great in number. There are a few cases where greed and the unhealthy capitalist urge to chase ever-greater profit margins have resulted in workers' rights being unacceptably trampled on, but on the whole, there has not been too much to report negatively about. Low skilled and low paid workers will continue to bear the brunt of the AWAs, since their bargaining power is next to nix.
Now, let's change the parameters slightly and see what is going to happen. It doesn't take a world-class fortune teller to look into the depths of the crystal ball to realise that when times start to get tough again (and this is indeed a certainty) then the pendulum will swing, and everyone will start to get raped and pillaged by the AWAs. The government's pretend safety net (the so-called "fair go" ombudsman) will be swamped with millions of cases of unfair dismissal, sub-standard conditions, stripping of holiday pay and penalty rates, unacceptable work hours, and pay rates that will dive like the stockmarket worms on a bad day.
Now, I agree that during the 70's and 80's, the unions had way too much power. We had a strike every second day, and there were rolling blackouts and lack of services aplenty when this happened. I personally don't ever want to go back to those days. However, I also don't want to go back to the days of legalised sweatshop conditions, child labour, unsafe work practices, and ridiculously long working hours. It was these things that led to the formation of unions in the first place, and it was these things that the unions battled against, fighting for worker rights. Okay, they then went on to become fat cats and part of the problem, but we must guard against swinging the pendulum too far the other way. Beige Howard has done just that.
When did a company in a competitive capitalist environment ever introduce policies that safeguarded workers' rights without having pressure brought to bear on them? Very rarely. If we disempower the unions too much, we lose the balance that is crucial in all facets of society.
For it is all about balance. Don't give the unions too much power. Don't give the owners of capital too much power. Try to tread the middle path. This is why I think that AWAs are one of the most backward steps since feudal lords crunched their fine boots down on their vassals' necks.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
A Message To Be Respected (And Listened To)
Greetings and Salutations, oh Rambling Masses,
Here I am on a Saturday morn, having just seen my wife off in her 5:30AM taxi to the airport. I am not tired, so I flick the teev on and see what it has to offer. After getting the latest blast of gangstas rapping about hos and bling on early morning Rage, and wondering why in Australia we have this fascination with all of this American crap, I decide to flick through the stations and see what else is on.
Being in Sydney, I get the local independent station TVS (station 31). We often tune in just for a laugh at the sometimes amateurish content, but every now and then there is a diamond in the rough.
Prem Rawat is just such a diamond. For those who don't know him from a bar of soap, let me tell you a bit about him. Also known as Maharaji, he is a 50 year old Indian man who tours around the world talking about peace, love and understanding. He is not associated with any religious movements, and in my humble opinion, his philosophies are indeed a thing of beauty that should be heard by more people.
When you mention philosophy, people usually think about the egghead "If a tree falls in the forest and there's no-one there to hear it, does it still make a sound" stuff. However, philosophy is all this and much more. Philosophy is about investigating and defining our place in the world, and about the path towards better understanding of ourselves, others, and the universe at large. Prem Rawat's philosophical discourses are approachable, palatable and practical, and for that I applaud him and have the utmost respect for him.
Also, when he talks, he sounds like The Late Show's parody of Desmond Tutu - "What we neeeeeeeeed..."
I would like to share with you the transcript from the show that I caught. It is all about peace and happiness - things that we should all be striving for with all of our energy. It is not pie-in-the-sky stuff, but real and practical words of wisdom. For those who would like to know more about Prem Rawat and his lectures, you can visit his website. Without further ado, here is one of his lecture transcripts.
Here I am on a Saturday morn, having just seen my wife off in her 5:30AM taxi to the airport. I am not tired, so I flick the teev on and see what it has to offer. After getting the latest blast of gangstas rapping about hos and bling on early morning Rage, and wondering why in Australia we have this fascination with all of this American crap, I decide to flick through the stations and see what else is on.
Being in Sydney, I get the local independent station TVS (station 31). We often tune in just for a laugh at the sometimes amateurish content, but every now and then there is a diamond in the rough.
Prem Rawat is just such a diamond. For those who don't know him from a bar of soap, let me tell you a bit about him. Also known as Maharaji, he is a 50 year old Indian man who tours around the world talking about peace, love and understanding. He is not associated with any religious movements, and in my humble opinion, his philosophies are indeed a thing of beauty that should be heard by more people.
When you mention philosophy, people usually think about the egghead "If a tree falls in the forest and there's no-one there to hear it, does it still make a sound" stuff. However, philosophy is all this and much more. Philosophy is about investigating and defining our place in the world, and about the path towards better understanding of ourselves, others, and the universe at large. Prem Rawat's philosophical discourses are approachable, palatable and practical, and for that I applaud him and have the utmost respect for him.
Also, when he talks, he sounds like The Late Show's parody of Desmond Tutu - "What we neeeeeeeeed..."
I would like to share with you the transcript from the show that I caught. It is all about peace and happiness - things that we should all be striving for with all of our energy. It is not pie-in-the-sky stuff, but real and practical words of wisdom. For those who would like to know more about Prem Rawat and his lectures, you can visit his website. Without further ado, here is one of his lecture transcripts.
The Fundamental Need - by Prem Rawat
We talk about peace, but do we ever stop and wonder, "Where did this idea of peace come from?" Why do human beings across the face of this earth even want peace?
If peace is a luxury, then you can say, "Well, it would be nice to have peace." But it’s an innate and fundamental desire, a need, a necessity that gets acknowledged in a human being. Something stirs from within and says, "Without peace, the whole equation is incomplete." Throughout the world’s civilizations, peace has always been something that has been acknowledged.
The importance I am giving peace is that it is just as important as being able to breathe, just as important as being able to see, just as important as being able to exist. Something within each human being stirs every single day and says, "Let me feel, let me experience the state in which I am not burdened with conflict. It is important for me to feel that simplicity in my life."
Whether we live in what we call a free society or in prison, we need to feel something. What is so fundamental to us is not the boundaries of countries or even our ideals, for in the midst of the ideals, we have forgotten the fundamental human thing.
In this existence, we forget what the primary purpose is. What is the most important thing to you as a human being? To welcome that and not find it mysterious because it isn’t mysterious, not to find it routine because it is not routine. To acknowledge that the life I have is an exquisite gift, and I need to make the most of it.
An empty pitcher, an empty well, cannot fill other vessels. A dry well? You can throw 10,000 buckets into it, and all that will come out is sand. And that’s if you’re lucky. For a lamp to light other lamps, that lamp has to be lit. For a candle to light other candles, that candle has to be lit. Peace is a noble objective; helping mankind is noble. But it has to begin with a lit lamp. First and foremost, peace has to be recognized in a person’s own self.
Everybody’s requirements are different when it comes to this world: somebody likes a blue car; somebody likes a green car; somebody likes a white car. I’m not passing judgment on that. That’s fine. But there is one need that is the same for all. The name for water is different in different languages, but water in itself is not different. Its ability to quench thirst is not different.
We are free to understand the gift that we have been given. That is a freedom no one can take away from us - not another government, not a terrorist. There is a peace that resides equally in the heart of every human being. It is not a peace that somebody hands us on a platter, because that peace can be taken away some day. This is a peace that no one can take away from us.
This is a peace that can be felt even in a battlefield - the innate peace, fundamental to everyone. The fundamentals of every human being: freedom, understanding, peace, joy, happiness.
Feel that peace in your life. Feel that joy in your life. Feel that understanding in your life. Come from that place, and there will be no end to how much you can be filled with beautiful understanding and gratitude. Make it real, make it practical. Make it the way it is supposed to be - every life, everywhere touched because a lit lamp came by and was able to light the unlit lamps. This is the possibility for all of us, but first we need to be lit.
Is it asking for a lot? Probably. Is it impossible? Absolutely not. It is very, very possible. It will take a lot of effort, but then effort is one thing we can make. And it is up to us.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Economics 101
Hello Rambling Masses,
Here's my rather simple take on the economy, be it a local, national or global one. Apart from the occasional injection of currency from various countries' mints, money is not created or destroyed. What makes a successful economy is merely the constant movement of money. A recession or depression is merely the stagnation of this natural movement of money.
Phew! What a mind-blow! Now that we've got that out of the way, I would like to apply this rather simple philosophy to the current problem of the environment. The Federal Government of Australia has continually postulated that the reason for its foot-dragging regarding the environment is purely economic - we don't want to do anything that risks jobs or puts us at a competitive disadvantage to the rest of the world.
Erm, yeah, okay. The absolutely revolutionary concept that I want to put forward is that if you show leadership and invest in an industry, then the money will follow. If the government had anything other than glass balls in their scrotum, they would invest some of that $20 billion they are sitting on, and push to become one of the world leaders in renewable energy research and development. The long-term gains would far outweigh the initial investment, and that's just looking at it from an economic point of view.
I have incredible respect for the amount of investment that Germany is engaging in, mostly in the solar and wind sectors of renewable energy research and implementation. Imagine that - Germany, which gets a tiny percentage of the amount of sunlight that Australia gets, investing hugely in solar technology. Now, that's balls for you.
What is our excuse? None that I can see. To borrow from a rather forgettable Hollywood movie - "If you build it, they will come". Instead of renewable energy companies shutting down their operations here in Australia and moving elsewhere (where the political will is stronger), they would flock to our shores and help to build a powerful industry that would provide jobs, business investment and a future for us all, instead of the fossil fuel graveyard that we are currently building for ourselves.
It takes only a cursory dip into my somewhat feeble intellect to come up with further suggestions for sustainable industries that could yield incredible profits, whilst still providing much smaller ecological footprints than current destructive practices. For example, non-THC hemp plantations (THC is the psychoactive constituent of hemp that gives the "high" when smoked or otherwise ingested, but non-THC varieties of hemp are available) could replace all wood-pulp industries currently in operation. The growth rate of hemp is such that it yields much greater fiber returns per square metre with much less irrigation requirements than any tree plantations in operation. The fiber can be used to make clothing, rope, paper, even particle board and other manufactured wood products. The cost involved in migrating current manufacturing and processing equipment to hemp fiber instead of wood is minimal when the big picture is considered, and timber industry workers could be reskilled with no loss of Beige Howard's precious jobs-figures that he likes to tout as one of his government's great achievements.
One of the big problems associated with solar and wind power technologies is that they cannot provide base load power - when the sun isn't shining and when the wind isn't blowing, there's no power, right? Well, all it takes is a little bit of innovative thinking, and that's something that Australians have always prided themselves on. Battery technology is not at the point where power can be usefully stored for later consumption. However, batteries are not the only method of energy storage. For example, pumps could be run off solar/wind power during the day, pumping water up to a reservoir at the top of a hill. The water could then be released during the evenings to run turbines, thereby generating power at night. This isn't rocket science, you know, just simple engineering and application of the conservation of energy principles.
Tidal power and geothermal power are other technologies that warrant much more research because of their great potential.
For God's sake, Australia, wake up and see the sun shine. Investment in sustainable industries now will not put us at a competitive disadvantage or risk job security. To think that is pure folly, unless you are a recalcitrant backward-thinking slug whose head is still stuck back in the 1950's somewhere. The challenges of the future await us, and they should be met with the ingenuity and hard work ethic that our forefathers used to get us all to where we are now. We have been slumbering lately, and it's time to realise that the fossil fuel honeymoon is over. It is only through environmentally sustainable practices and sound judgement that we will survive it with anywhere near our current levels of wealth and ease.
I have faith in the human race to overcome the obstacles that are looming. However, without political leaders who have the will, the guts and the determination to make the hard decisions, we will be lost. The world will slowly slip into ruin, as we listen to the latest Pop Idol tune on our iPods or watch the latest tax-payer funded advertising campaign on our plasma screens, telling us that the government is "really serious" about the environment.
Here's my rather simple take on the economy, be it a local, national or global one. Apart from the occasional injection of currency from various countries' mints, money is not created or destroyed. What makes a successful economy is merely the constant movement of money. A recession or depression is merely the stagnation of this natural movement of money.
Phew! What a mind-blow! Now that we've got that out of the way, I would like to apply this rather simple philosophy to the current problem of the environment. The Federal Government of Australia has continually postulated that the reason for its foot-dragging regarding the environment is purely economic - we don't want to do anything that risks jobs or puts us at a competitive disadvantage to the rest of the world.
Erm, yeah, okay. The absolutely revolutionary concept that I want to put forward is that if you show leadership and invest in an industry, then the money will follow. If the government had anything other than glass balls in their scrotum, they would invest some of that $20 billion they are sitting on, and push to become one of the world leaders in renewable energy research and development. The long-term gains would far outweigh the initial investment, and that's just looking at it from an economic point of view.
I have incredible respect for the amount of investment that Germany is engaging in, mostly in the solar and wind sectors of renewable energy research and implementation. Imagine that - Germany, which gets a tiny percentage of the amount of sunlight that Australia gets, investing hugely in solar technology. Now, that's balls for you.
What is our excuse? None that I can see. To borrow from a rather forgettable Hollywood movie - "If you build it, they will come". Instead of renewable energy companies shutting down their operations here in Australia and moving elsewhere (where the political will is stronger), they would flock to our shores and help to build a powerful industry that would provide jobs, business investment and a future for us all, instead of the fossil fuel graveyard that we are currently building for ourselves.
It takes only a cursory dip into my somewhat feeble intellect to come up with further suggestions for sustainable industries that could yield incredible profits, whilst still providing much smaller ecological footprints than current destructive practices. For example, non-THC hemp plantations (THC is the psychoactive constituent of hemp that gives the "high" when smoked or otherwise ingested, but non-THC varieties of hemp are available) could replace all wood-pulp industries currently in operation. The growth rate of hemp is such that it yields much greater fiber returns per square metre with much less irrigation requirements than any tree plantations in operation. The fiber can be used to make clothing, rope, paper, even particle board and other manufactured wood products. The cost involved in migrating current manufacturing and processing equipment to hemp fiber instead of wood is minimal when the big picture is considered, and timber industry workers could be reskilled with no loss of Beige Howard's precious jobs-figures that he likes to tout as one of his government's great achievements.
One of the big problems associated with solar and wind power technologies is that they cannot provide base load power - when the sun isn't shining and when the wind isn't blowing, there's no power, right? Well, all it takes is a little bit of innovative thinking, and that's something that Australians have always prided themselves on. Battery technology is not at the point where power can be usefully stored for later consumption. However, batteries are not the only method of energy storage. For example, pumps could be run off solar/wind power during the day, pumping water up to a reservoir at the top of a hill. The water could then be released during the evenings to run turbines, thereby generating power at night. This isn't rocket science, you know, just simple engineering and application of the conservation of energy principles.
Tidal power and geothermal power are other technologies that warrant much more research because of their great potential.
For God's sake, Australia, wake up and see the sun shine. Investment in sustainable industries now will not put us at a competitive disadvantage or risk job security. To think that is pure folly, unless you are a recalcitrant backward-thinking slug whose head is still stuck back in the 1950's somewhere. The challenges of the future await us, and they should be met with the ingenuity and hard work ethic that our forefathers used to get us all to where we are now. We have been slumbering lately, and it's time to realise that the fossil fuel honeymoon is over. It is only through environmentally sustainable practices and sound judgement that we will survive it with anywhere near our current levels of wealth and ease.
I have faith in the human race to overcome the obstacles that are looming. However, without political leaders who have the will, the guts and the determination to make the hard decisions, we will be lost. The world will slowly slip into ruin, as we listen to the latest Pop Idol tune on our iPods or watch the latest tax-payer funded advertising campaign on our plasma screens, telling us that the government is "really serious" about the environment.
Environmental Issues Closer To Home
Hi Ramblers,
And just in case you were wondering, because of my rather anti-Liberal government leanings of late, no - I am not a Labor man. This counts especially for you Dad, just in case you read it.
It's not like Labor has much of a track record. Let's face it - it's the Labor governments of WA, and now NSW, who have made the monumentally idiotic decision to build desalination plants as a supposed fix to our water shortages.
How the building of a $4.5 billion plant that will require almost the total output of a whole power station, and cause irreparable damage to the marine ecology in the area, is going to be in the best interests of the planet is something that I haven't quite figured out yet, but I am obviously a simpleton that doesn't have access to the incredible depths of scientific knowledge that our esteemed state leaders have.
So, what is the political solution to our woes? Neither Liberal nor Labor have had much of a stab at anything dangerous like actual policies, preferring instead to stick with tried-and-tested spin, waffling and hyperbole. The Greens, as rather well described by someone whom I forget, used to be like a watermelon - green on the outside and red on the inside, but now they are more like an avocado - hard green on the outside, soft green on the inside, with a Brown nut in the middle.
I guess the only thing we can do is to try to communicate to the leading contenders in this upcoming election that we will no longer stand for delaying tactics, smokescreens and total disregard for the ramifications of our current destructive ways. Through organisations like GetUp!, we have a chance to be part of a groundswell of popular lobbying, so I would urge that you all get up from your comfortable seats and spend a few minutes of your valuable time in contemplation and investigation of how you can empower yourself to make a difference.
I personally have had an absolute gutfull of these self-serving muppets who try to tiptoe through their terms in office, avoiding policies, decisions and controversy, letting our country slowly gurgle down the drain. Enough is enough! I am doing my small bit, in the hope that a whole lotta small bits will add up to make a big enough bit to be noticed. If I stand by and do nothing, I am as bad as those ineffective assholes who should be running our country.
Harumph!
And just in case you were wondering, because of my rather anti-Liberal government leanings of late, no - I am not a Labor man. This counts especially for you Dad, just in case you read it.
It's not like Labor has much of a track record. Let's face it - it's the Labor governments of WA, and now NSW, who have made the monumentally idiotic decision to build desalination plants as a supposed fix to our water shortages.
How the building of a $4.5 billion plant that will require almost the total output of a whole power station, and cause irreparable damage to the marine ecology in the area, is going to be in the best interests of the planet is something that I haven't quite figured out yet, but I am obviously a simpleton that doesn't have access to the incredible depths of scientific knowledge that our esteemed state leaders have.
So, what is the political solution to our woes? Neither Liberal nor Labor have had much of a stab at anything dangerous like actual policies, preferring instead to stick with tried-and-tested spin, waffling and hyperbole. The Greens, as rather well described by someone whom I forget, used to be like a watermelon - green on the outside and red on the inside, but now they are more like an avocado - hard green on the outside, soft green on the inside, with a Brown nut in the middle.
I guess the only thing we can do is to try to communicate to the leading contenders in this upcoming election that we will no longer stand for delaying tactics, smokescreens and total disregard for the ramifications of our current destructive ways. Through organisations like GetUp!, we have a chance to be part of a groundswell of popular lobbying, so I would urge that you all get up from your comfortable seats and spend a few minutes of your valuable time in contemplation and investigation of how you can empower yourself to make a difference.
I personally have had an absolute gutfull of these self-serving muppets who try to tiptoe through their terms in office, avoiding policies, decisions and controversy, letting our country slowly gurgle down the drain. Enough is enough! I am doing my small bit, in the hope that a whole lotta small bits will add up to make a big enough bit to be noticed. If I stand by and do nothing, I am as bad as those ineffective assholes who should be running our country.
Harumph!
Tas-Mania & The Art Of Pretending To Be Environmentally Responsible
Greets Oh Rambling Masses,
Once again, the Federal Government of Australia has proved to be at least 100 years out of touch with the need to be environmentally sustainable and responsible in this modern age of mass consumption and destruction. I sometimes think that Beige Howard and his cronies are trying their darnedest to win the how-to-screw-the-planet-up-most award.
It's wonderful to see that the government will spend $23 million of our taxpayer dollars on an advertising blitz to show how in touch with environmental concerns they are, and then cave in to big business in one of the few unspoiled corners of the planet (Tasmania), agreeing to build a delightfully destructive pollution-machine in the shape of a pulp mill.
"Oh, but we have put safeguards in place, ensuring that it is world's best practice." Yeah, I guess that's right when you compare it to the strip-logging of Amazonian forests or the clubbing of seals, but in the broad scheme of things, it's about as anti-environmentally aware as you could possibly get. This government is one of the most out-of-touch, anachronistic dinosaurs that has ever had the incredible good fortune, due to voter ignorance and/or apathy, of leading a supposedly progressive nation in the modern age.
The decision by the environment minister Malcolm Turncoat to back the Gunns pulp mill in northern Tasmania is nothing short of environmental terrorism. I am sure that he will defend his decision by quoting "Australia's chief scientist" Dr. Jim Peacock, whose terms of reference were limited to a mere pinprick of ecological ramifications.
And to all of those proponents of the Timber Industry (Forest Rapers Inc) who claim that the pulp mill is an essential injection of jobs for hard-pressed timber workers, I have only one word for you - reskilling. Use your not-insubstantial lobbying power to suggest to the government that a modest investment in the renewable energy industry and reskilling of timber workers to be part of it will reap incredible rewards, as well as the respect of this and future generations.
Once again, thank you Beige Howard for shortsightedly considering business and the economy above everything else. In the dim, dark, smog-filled future, I must remember to track down your grandchildren and remind them that you were the asshole that fucked up our last great wilderness.
Until the next time that I breathe the acrid, pollution-filled smog that passes for air, I remain your ever-faithful ranter, oh Rambling Masses.
Don't forget to vote when the cowardly miscreant finally decides to pull an election date out of his Beige you-know-what.
Once again, the Federal Government of Australia has proved to be at least 100 years out of touch with the need to be environmentally sustainable and responsible in this modern age of mass consumption and destruction. I sometimes think that Beige Howard and his cronies are trying their darnedest to win the how-to-screw-the-planet-up-most award.
It's wonderful to see that the government will spend $23 million of our taxpayer dollars on an advertising blitz to show how in touch with environmental concerns they are, and then cave in to big business in one of the few unspoiled corners of the planet (Tasmania), agreeing to build a delightfully destructive pollution-machine in the shape of a pulp mill.
"Oh, but we have put safeguards in place, ensuring that it is world's best practice." Yeah, I guess that's right when you compare it to the strip-logging of Amazonian forests or the clubbing of seals, but in the broad scheme of things, it's about as anti-environmentally aware as you could possibly get. This government is one of the most out-of-touch, anachronistic dinosaurs that has ever had the incredible good fortune, due to voter ignorance and/or apathy, of leading a supposedly progressive nation in the modern age.
The decision by the environment minister Malcolm Turncoat to back the Gunns pulp mill in northern Tasmania is nothing short of environmental terrorism. I am sure that he will defend his decision by quoting "Australia's chief scientist" Dr. Jim Peacock, whose terms of reference were limited to a mere pinprick of ecological ramifications.
And to all of those proponents of the Timber Industry (Forest Rapers Inc) who claim that the pulp mill is an essential injection of jobs for hard-pressed timber workers, I have only one word for you - reskilling. Use your not-insubstantial lobbying power to suggest to the government that a modest investment in the renewable energy industry and reskilling of timber workers to be part of it will reap incredible rewards, as well as the respect of this and future generations.
Once again, thank you Beige Howard for shortsightedly considering business and the economy above everything else. In the dim, dark, smog-filled future, I must remember to track down your grandchildren and remind them that you were the asshole that fucked up our last great wilderness.
Until the next time that I breathe the acrid, pollution-filled smog that passes for air, I remain your ever-faithful ranter, oh Rambling Masses.
Don't forget to vote when the cowardly miscreant finally decides to pull an election date out of his Beige you-know-what.
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