Thursday, September 26, 2019

Another rant. 
Climate matters are very much to the fore this week.  A time to voice approval and promote efforts to avert climate change and join the push.
 Not so by our government and its leaders.  They know the score yet will not utter a suitable response. We are ashamed.  Surely some of us will object in a significant manner to this pathetic leadership. 
As they say, with friends like Morrison and Trump who needs enemies?

 It is fascinating to see the agenda of our newspapers and their unbelievable thoroughness at creating a negative attitude to climate change and to anything Green and possibly to Muslims and migration and on and on.
 It is not a matter of keeping quiet or report events but an effort to sling mud at those topics, to  trivialise or sensationalise, to belittle.
On 'ya Miranda Devine, for one, who must be in the business of writing to sell papers - what else could explain it, now she has gone to NY. Will she learn first hand how to fool the proletariat using Trump know-how and send back pro-Trump drivel to lucky readers.  

Friday, September 13, 2019

 The minister for agriculture etc now says he has always believed the scientists about climate change.

   The inquiry into aged care services continues on.  Having a relative in care is not without times of anguish for the person in care and for the relatives.  Aged care services can to be weighed up against  care in the family's own home.
 Much can be averted if the relatives themselves take care of the older generation where possible.
This is not suggested as if choice of professional care is slack but to literally avoid significant worry, pain, monitoring and attention to arrangements.  In many instances the older generation is more easily kept in communication while ever they remain with family.      

Monday, September 09, 2019

 Creative moves in school - dance, music, song and paintings were offered and were appreciated.

Our schools produced a government minister who in interview today intimated that with climate change the cause was not the point or didn't matter.  The sick joke is that his portfolio concerns agriculture and emergencies among a long list of 'insignificant' matters.
The government is paranoid about climate change.  An unwritten law bans the mention of climate change among the Liberals.  As if we are considered incapable of dealing with that sort of talk.
The Liberals suppress policy on a major threat regardless of the price we pay. 
A major anti-intellectual 'lost his seat' but others take his place, it made no difference.
   
school poster.... If you don't spread your wings you'll never know how far you can fly.....

Sunday, September 08, 2019

Travel and Thomas the tank engine.
Total Carbon emissions from the growing number of cruise ships have naturally increased although shipping companies are working on reductions.
 The total global CO2 -e Emissions (kt) from cruise ships in 2017 was 21,195 kt.  (kt or metric Kiloton is equal to 1000kg)
The estimated average per cruise ship passenger is 0.82  CO2.  This is the equivalent to a return air trip London to Tokyo economy class.
The figures come from self reporting from two main shipping companies as a basis for the estimations.

Aircraft emit C02 and other greenhouse gases which are documented.  The total C02 is 665.24 MT.
A MT is million tonnes.
Some figures: Great Britain 178.49 C02MT               per capita C02kg 415
Australia                                 17.48                                                         711
China                                    250.89                                                           50

from tourismdashboard.org....Griffith University Institute for Tourism and University of Surrey.

Saturday, September 07, 2019

The Three Sisters are still in Katoomba.
 Ocker Australians in the era of the sort of obligatory trip to London sixty years ago travelled by sea.  How would long distant sea routes be as an alternative to flights and carbon emissions?
 The ethics of air travel has had me thinking for some time.  To plant a few trees as offset is a gesture of sorts.
 Elizbeth Farrelly who writes very interestingly about the built environment, wrote in the Herald recently about ...the preposterous lie that endless travel is a basic right...and questions our addiction to travel and the consequences.
 How can one possibly steal a last overseas journey in this climate? Not to swell the hordes at the tried and true top ten destinations but more of the lived experience and to gallivant in a specific 'corner' of some culture and history would not fail to please.  

Wednesday, September 04, 2019


Urban day trippers visit Echo Point, they make up a never ending stream of visitors.  A forceful gale didnt make much difference.
  In America, Wal mart says they will limit the sale of guns in some ways.  It is a good start.
  Today at the shopping centre I saw a baby well under 12 months given a hamburger from the famous fast food supplier. The parent first tore the burger in half. That's getting off to an early start.  I will own up to having a grilled chicken wrap and a cap'.
  In stock now: nice cauliflowers and runner beans are plentiful and reasonable.  Rain must have fallen somewhere. Avos are small and less expensive.  Mangos are appearing  -  well ahead of summer. 
  A strawberry 'war' is underway and the woody fruit is low cost.  Incidental prices of fresh food rose a whole lot for Fathers day....as is usual on those sort of days. Is it a rip off or a response to demand for less plentiful items....no, Thursday and those prices are back down again.