Jennifer Marohasy

I HAVE been a subscriber to the “Scientific American” for over 30 years. It used to be the most useful summary of the most important recent scientific discoveries. I have witnessed its slow and inexorable decline, to an organ of the environmental movement, an advocate of “global warming”, a peddler of extravagant cosmological theories, unflinching support for US Government political policies, and  the persistent announcement of premature, unfulfilled scientific discoveries.
 
The latest issue (October 2009), gives me hope that the situation  is changing for the better. Admittedly, they are still stuck on “global warming” but there are now several articles which indicate a change in some of the other obsessions.
 
We start with an article by Jeffrey Sachs. “The Crisis of Public Management” which has a good go at US Government incompetence, and the absence of sensible coordinated  plans for security (the 9/11 fiasco), disaster control (hurricane Katrina), financial regulation,. health care, budget deficits, corruption in Iraq and Afghanistan, military procurement, energy, and, yes, climate change. The president is reduced to meaningless platitudes without effective action, because ther is no coordinated plan.. About time somebody says these things.
 
Next comes my favourite columnist, Michael Shermer (Skeptic) who debunks the idea that pirates are disorganized. He puts forward the view that successful activities of humans automatically develop  discipline, in this case, quite strict. They promote a reputation for irresponsibility to scare their victims. It is a counter to the “Lord of the Flies” idea, and the principles apply not just to the Mafia, but also to Al Quieda and Somali pirates.
 
I pass the articles on black holes and on smart pills to the article by Leonard Maugeri on oil supplies which debunks the theory of “Peak Oil”, and shows that there is enough oil for at least 100 years, and that future prospecting and better recovery from existing sources is far from ended..
 
The next article “Lost Cities of the Amazon” debunks the idea of a “pristine rain forest” in Brazil. Parts of the area were once covered with densely populated, flourishing cities, surrounded by farms. Most of the people died of disease after European occupation and the forest took over.. But some are still there.
 
Later we have “Biotech’s Plans to Sustain Agriculture”  which attacks the “organic” movement and insists that biotechnology can continue to supply adequate food.
 
Lastly, somebody asks “Why do whales beach themselves”. The answer is, a whole variety of reasons, some of which might involve humans. It is pointed out that there are records of whales beaching themselves at the time of Aristotle.
 
So, perhaps there is a future for genuine science.
 
Vincent Gray
Wellington, New Zealand.

Dear All,

Please find attached a newsletter* with meteorological information updated to August 2009. All temperatures are shown in degrees Celsius.

In the maps showing the geographical pattern of temperatures, the period
1998-2006 is used as reference period. The reason for comparing with this recent period instead of the official WMO ‘normal’ period 1961-1990, is that the latter period is affected by the relatively cold period 1945-1980. Almost any comparison with such a low average value will therefore appear as high or warm, and it will be difficult to decide if modern surface air temperatures are increasing or decreasing. Comparing with a more recent period overcomes this problem.

In the other diagrams the thin line represents the monthly global average value, and the thick line indicate a simple running average, in most cases a 37-month average.

The year 1979 has been chosen as starting point in several of the diagrams, as this roughly corresponds to both the beginning of satellite observations and the onset of the late 20th century warming period.

Surface air temperatures August 2009 was generally low at northern mid latitudes. Also southern Africa experienced relatively low temperatures this month. In contrast, equatorial Pacific Ocean, northern Argentina and Australia were relatively warm.

In the Arctic, most of the Arctic had temperatures near or below the
1998-2006 average. Only northern Canada and parts of Greenland was relatively warm. In the Antarctic, most of the eastern part of the continent was relatively cold in August 2009, while parts of the peninsula and the region around the Ross Sea and ajoining land areas were relatively warm.

All diagrams and figures are also available on http://www.climate4you.com/

Yours sincerely,
Ole Humlum

*********************************************

*If you would like to receive the monthly updates email Ole.Humlum at geo.uio.no .  The information is also available at http://www.climate4you.com/

Ole Humlum is Professor of Physical Geography Department of Physical Geography, Institute of Geosciences University of Oslo, Box 1047 Blindern
N-0316 Oslo, Norway

Email: Ole.Humlum at geo.uio.no
Web: http://www.geo.uio.no/geogr/staff/olehum.html

Greetings Everyone,

Below is the details and terms of reference for a Senate inquiry into Bushfires in Australia. This should compliment the gaps that will likely be left in the Royal Commission for the chronic state of the environment due to political nest feathering for green preferances. This green lunicy of using the environment as a political football has now killed people and destroyed large tracts of our environment.

I would urge people to put in a submission, as so far the Federal bushfire enquiry after 2003 was the best.

Regards Ralph Barraclough

Read more »

The book entitled ‘Heaven And Earth’ by one of Australia’s foremost Earth scientists and outspoken climate change sceptic, Professor Ian Plimer, is “brilliantly argued”.  At least that’s according to Paul Sheehan writing in the Sydney Morning Herald.   Find out for yourself by attending one of the book launches and getting yourself a copy:

The ADELAIDE book-launch at Parliament House, Adelaide is SOLD OUT!

However, you can come to a ‘Second Launch’

Wednesday, 22 April 2009, 5.30pm

Pagoda Chinese Restaurant

189 Glen Osmond Road, Frewville SA 5063

Supper provided, drinks at bar prices

email – Damian Wyld – thomasmore@chariot.net.au

 IN MELBOURNE – the book launch is SOLD OUT!

However, you can still meet Ian Plimer and have your copy signed
beforehand

6th May, 2009 between 04:30pm – 5:30pm

Location: The Hotel Windsor, 111 Spring Street, Melbourne

UPDATE  MELBOURNE

I was hoping you could make a slight amendment to details about Ian Plimer’s Melbourne book launch on your blog.  Due to demand, we’ve now booked a larger room and we’re able to accommodate more people.

The details are as follows:Date:                            Wednesday 6th May, 2009

Time:                           5:30pm – 6:30pm
Location:                     The Hotel Windsor, 111 Spring Street, Melbourne

RSVP essential:           Bree Ambatzis, 03 9600 4744 or bambatzis@ipa.org.au

IN SYDNEY

Meet Ian Plimer at a book signing -

May12 between 3.30pm  and 4.30pm

Abbey’s Bookshops

131 York Street Sydney

NSW 2000 Australia

IN WAGGA WAGGA

Meet Ian Plimer at a book signing

April 24th, at 11am

Angus and Robertson,

Shop 6, Marketplace,

Wagga Wagga

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UPON returning from an eighteen day cruise Sydney to Perth via the top end people have been asking me what was the highlight.  Well there were many highlights but one very memorable event.  My daughter Jennifer had asked me to send her a card from Broome and while buying one in ‘The Camel Shop’ we decided that the camel ride on Cable Beach at sunset would be ‘something to remember’. It turned out to be ‘something never to forget’.

The tour operator dropped us off at 5 pm with the promise that he would return for a pickup at 7.30 sharp. The ship was scheduled to depart at 8 pm.  “No worries”, we were assured.  “It is a ten minute walk across the sand from the carpark so give yourselves plenty of time”.  Booked for the 6-7 pm ride we were there with plenty to spare, paid for the obligatory photographs, and chatted amiably with the lady from the Broome Camel Shop with whom we had booked. Friends from the ship, replete with our own camera, promised to catch the moment.

Listening avidly to the advice ‘hold tight and lean back’ given those mounting one line of camels we stood patiently as our line returned from the half-hour 5 pm trip to dismount. Time seemed to be getting away but the proprietors assured us we would be back in plenty of time.  So as you do, when you have no choice, you submit to the occasion.  I followed the advice of my son Jim -  ‘Enjoy the moment’.

As mounting began from the back of the line and we were in the lead it was well after six o’clock before we followed the instruction ‘put your left hand on the front of the saddle and with your right hand on the back lift your leg up and over the pommel. I had no idea that the girth of a camel is so wide that it demands a rider to perform the splits and I was still wondering if indeed I could cope when the instruction to ‘hold tight and lean back’ came before I was prepared. No one adjusted my stirrups and with my dangling legs desperately trying to gain leverage for my feet,  I tried to raise my body together with the help of my left hand on the pommel and my right on the back of the saddle, to mitigate the ‘splits’, when a rather gung ho young man of about fourteen quite nonchalantly tossed the lead rope over his arm and we set off.

As the first ‘string’ was a few yards in front, following the water’s edge, we set out to catch up and in fact overtook, riding parallel but higher up on the beach.  At this time a photographer was running beside us taking individual shots while admonishing the young man to slow down ‘It isn’t a race.’

The camel following behind me now decided to come abreast. I chatted to it in my most friendly voice upon which he leant his head into my lap. I scratched it behind the ears but when they lay flat, which normally indicates an animal is cross, I decided to stop.  “Remember they bite and spit” was the advice from my daughter Caroline earlier in reply to my text that I was booked to ride a camel.  Now completely out of my comfort zone I decided reducing the ‘splits’ demanded my whole attention.

It was now nearly 6.45 and being within earshot of the young man I suggested maybe it was time to turn around.  He ignored me but to my relief the photographer took control, gave marching orders to the young man telling him this was the last time he would lead a group. The pace slowed which made riding easier.  We turned for home and fell in behind the other line. I estimated we would be back by 7.15 with every chance of making the deadline.

As we looked into the sunset and the camels formed this famous line at the water’s edge my camel made definite leanings to the left. This meant I had to lean purposely to the right to maintain my balance.  Looking back the gentleman with the lead rope opined that “Sarah doesn’t like getting her feet wet so not to worry.”  “Not to worry”!!  Couldn’t he at least lead the lot back from the edge. Anyway we were facing in the right direction; I was actually on a camel at Cable Beach; there really was a sunset of which I was part; so why not enjoy it.  And I did.

We got back at 7.15 and I counted the minutes as the dismounting began from the back. When it got to me, once again I was completely overtaken by the sudden lurch below but with some help I managed to ease my leg back over the pommel and slip with a thump to the sand.  Aware that John was being helped out of his saddle, and willing my knees to come together, I took off to the tray-back vehicle with the photographs.  It was then I saw John being helped into a 4-wheeldrive which promptly left for the car park.

The first few yards on hard sand were easy but I soon bogged in the heavy dry sand higher up the beach. Remembering that people had been left behind in Darwin an urgency overtook me and I was propelled up the beach, onto the rocks and into the carpark, arriving with minutes to spare.  ‘How did you get back so quickly?” John asked. “I thought you wouldn’t make it and was just preparing to lie down in front of the bus”.

Joan Turnour
Brisbane, Australia

Folks,

Please shake your head with me in wonderment at the continuation of a pernicious technique that was pioneered (I think) by Oxfam last year. Why do we give access to our schools to these people?

 http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Wwf-Canada-970669.html

 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/14881/

And I suppose that it is just a coincidence that these two ventures should be launched in the same week on opposite sides of the Pacific, with their closing dates timed to ensure press attention in the lead up to Copenhagen.

Meanwhile, you will also doubtless be interested to hear that the summit of Everest is now being affected by global warming, leading to another WWF-led publicity stunt:

 http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008200904051451.htm

What does an organisation have to do these days to become banned by the government?

It’s going to be a long six months until Copenhagen.

Cathy

Folks,

Here’s an interesting report from the “pedigree” US Climate Change Science Program (heavily backed by NOAA).

http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/sap/sap1-3/final-report/

And a news description of it from the good ole’ National Post:

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1453831&p=2

I sort of remembering seeing a brief press release on this in December (when it was issued), but I certainly didn’t understand that it was associated with such bombshells as:

“It’s wrong to blame our warming climate on human pollution alone, says a major analysis by U. S. climate scientists who say North America’s warming and drying trend also has important natural causes.

Natural shifts in ocean currents have caused much of the warming in recent decades, and almost all of the droughts, says the U. S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).”

Cathy

Folks,

The April edition of Quadrant has published a written version of the talk that I gave at the Heartland-2 conference in New York, under the title “A New Policy Direction for Climate Change”. It can be accessed online at:

http://www.quadrant.org.au/magazine/issue/2009/4/a-new-policy-direction-for-climate-change

The same issue also contains an very useful analysis by Tom Quirk of the perils of computer modelling, though I can’t find an electronic copy posted (if anyone finds one, perhaps they could distribute the details).

Lastly, if anyone wants to become depressed then try a browse through some of the 122 and counting submissions to the Australian Senate enquiry into the draft emissions trading legislation, at:

http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/economics_ctte/cprs_09/submissions/sublist.htm

Perhaps it’s just the ones that I’ve picked out to look at, but my God there’s a mountain of self-serving rubbish here. Amongst it, though, there are a few shining lights, including No. 28, from Viv Forbes and the Climate Science Coalition.

Cathy

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