Harbour Bridge Turns 75

Today marks the 75th birthday of Sydney's Harbour Bridge, still the longest single-span and highest steel arch bridge in the world.

Frat Boy Tackles Complex Policy Issues

Check out the latest publication from the Heinrich Boell Foundation entitled: "The Debate over Fixed Price Incentives for Renewable Electricity in Europe and the United States: Fallout and Future Directions."

One of the authors, Wilson Rickerson, was a fellow brother of the Phi Beta chapter of Psi Upsilon (suspended as of 2006 due to buffoonery). He wooed the ladies, he rocked the world as the frontman for The Velveteens, and now:
"Wilson Rickerson is a Boston-based energy consultant focusing on renewable energy policy and markets. He assists state and municipal governments with policy development,consults to businesses seeking to invest in the renewable energy industry, and helps organizations with energy program management and planning.

Good on ya, Wilson!

Hummer

How to greet a Hummer.

Nod to Jeremy. . .

Australia Unlimited

I took part in the Global Foundatin's Australia Unlimited Roundatable last week, which gave me the opportunity to hear opposition leader Kevin Rudd speak (a man, by the way, who appears poised to knock Howard and the Liberal party out of Canberra), mix with various corporate leaders from around the nation, and meet Victoria's governor,Professor David de Kretser (which subsequently caused me to go look up what it is that the governor does. . .).

Best of all, I finally managed to get a media quote that makes me sound half-way reasonable on climate change as opposed to predicting the end of the world and other such apocolyptic stuff that is often attributed to my name:

"A CSIRO scientist who works on climate impact, Ben Preston, told the roundtable that while those attending had been asked to consider the environment and trade as potentially conflicting forces, the real way to consider them is to regard them as being allied, for example, as a potential market in Asia for Australian technologies that can control pollution and help promote sustainable growth."

Sweet. . .

Public Service Announcement

Only in Australia (or Las Vegas, or certain parts of Russia):

"The man who lined the Gateway Motorway with bikini models in a bid to convince drivers to keep left will take his message directly to the office of Parliamentary Secretary for Transport, Andrew McNamara."

On what planet do have naked chicks on the side of the road alleviate traffic congestion? The only way this works is if thousands of motorists pull off the road entirely to get a better look at those, er, signs.

Yo!

Stallone on growth hormone charge
Leonie Lamont
March 13, 2007 - 10:41AM

"Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone denied having restricted drugs shortly before 48 vials of human growth hormone were found in his luggage, a Sydney court has been told."

Now we know what's responsible for his "eye of the tiger". Imagine he won't be heading back down under any time in the near future.

Sgt. Jarvis

The following is spam that ended up in my inbox today:

"From: Jarvis Jr [mailto:sgt-jarv.rjr@ usarmy.com]
Sent: Tuesday, 6 March 2007 4:06 PM
To: Subject: Can I trust you??

Hello Friend,

I am in need of your assistance. My name is Sgt. Jarvis Reeves Jr. I am a military attache with the Engineering unit here in Ba'qubah Iraq for the United States, we have about $14 Million dollars that we want to move out of the country.

My partners and I need a good partner someone we can trust to actualize this venture.The money is from oil proceeds and legal.But we are moving it through diplomatic means to your house directly or a safe and secured location of your choice using diplomatic courier services.

But can we trust you? Once the funds get to you, you take your 30% out and keep our own 70%. Your own part of this deal is to find a safe place where the funds can be sent to. Our own part is sending it to you.

If you are interested I will furnish you with more details. Awaiting your urgent response.

Your Buddy.
Sgt Jarvis Reeves

God Bless America!!!"

Granted, it's spam, but amusing on so many different levels:
1) Despite the appearance of a .com email address, it actually goes to a yahoo account in Denmark (not very patriotic!)
2) Jarvis? Brilliant (the jr. is a nice touch as well).
3) The U.S. military can't move 14 million dollars out of Iraq without the help of Australian civil servants? You're kidding right?
4) The U.S. government wants me to keep 30% of anything? That'll be the day. . .
Pretty dopey, but more entertaining the usual Nigerian nonsense.

Waarom?

Nude workouts? No sweat, says gym
"THE first clothing-free workout at a Dutch gym went ahead as planned — and participants and observers said it met expectations."

Queens

The QEII and QMII rocked up in Sydney Harbour yesterday. And then promptly left, but not before making a spectacle of themselves.

New Qantas Club

So how many frequent flier miles does it tack to earn sex with a flight attendant? Unfortunately, I can't answer that question, I've looked through all the terms and conditions in my Qantas Club account, but can't find any reference to said benefit. But then, I only have Bronze status - I reckon I've got to at least earn Platinum before I can get perks like that. . .

Man catches shark with his bare hands

Man catches shark with his bare hands
February 16, 2007 - 3:59PM

"Phillip Kerkhof says it was the vodka that made him catch a 1.3 metre shark with his bare hands."http://www.theage.com.au/news/NATIONAL/Man-catches-shark-with-his-bare-hands/2007/02/16/1171405427401.html

Storm rider's miracle survival

Storm rider's miracle survival

"A German paraglider survived lightning, pounding hail, minus 40-degree temperatures and oxygen deprivation after a storm system sucked her to an altitude higher than Mount Everest."

New Snapshots

Here's a few photos from recent events:

Australian Open 2007

Sorrento

Yarra BBQ

Sean & Ryan's Visit

England the Most Unfriendly Country?

The Age's Travel Blog argues why England is the most unfriendly nation to travel in:

"trying to get a smile out of an English shop assistant is like trying to find Osama bin Laden - ie, we're not even sure if it's possible. Ever tried making eye contact and smiling at someone in the Tube? No? Funny, neither has anyone else..."

Oi! Ghost Rider

Hollywood's latest comic book blockbuster, Ghost Rider, was filmed in none other than Melbourne, Australia.

New Bloc Party

Call the Cops

The Police plan first tour since '80s

"WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - The Police announced their first tour in decades Monday at a rehearsal at the Whisky a Go-Go as a throng of fans crowded near the legendary Sunset Strip nightclub."

Hard to believe. And after so many years, the question is, do I care?

Greetings Vegetarian Lobby. . .

In addition to other, sometimes odd, unsolicited comments I've received as of late, the oddest must be those that have emerged from pro-Vegan advocates:

"Global warming poses one of the most serious threats to the global environment ever faced in human history. Yet by focusing entirely on carbon dioxide emissions, major environmental organisations have failed to account for published data showing that other gases are the main culprits behind the global warming we see today. As a result, they are neglecting what might be the most effective strategy for reducing global warming in our lifetimes: advocating a vegetarian diet."

"Why is it that with all this talk about global warming, no one is talking about the impact of meat eating on the environment?If you would like, I could send you a copy of a leaflet I recently came across titled 'Think you can be a meat-eating environmentalist? Think again'. There is also another publication called "Go vegan' which I could send as well. If scientists wish to talk about climate change, I think it would be better to put the WHOLE story on the table."

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not the appropriate poster child for vegetarianism. Addressing climate change is hard enough without hitching every other wagon of social issues to it.

Skeptics, Opportunists, and Nuts. . .

As one's public profile increases, he/she is inevitably exposed to the slings and arrows of outrageous people. I am puzzled as to why one would take the time to look up a perfect stranger's email address and give them shit. Here is some samples of the fan mail I've received as of late - some of it benign, some of it harsh, some unintelligible:

"If NSW continues with coal exports on a business as usual basis we'd better start planting baobab trees now. Is peak oil our only hope? Who joins me in this research?"

"Your negative quote of greenhouse gas and damage to our environment in today's Australian makes it clear that both you and the paper are Howard puppets, the oddity is that Howard only looks after the top 2% of Australia's wealthy people , so how does a paltry scientist fit into the equation and become a Howard mouthpiece? Do you think you'll wake up tomorrow in a chauffer [sic] driven Rolls?"

"Please publicise the fact that animal agribusiness is a major contributor to global warming and the drought. A recent UN report reveals that cattle rearing is worse for global warming than driving cars. Also, the drought is intractable, and animal agribusiness uses great amounts of water compared to other agribusiness. The waterways pollution is also a problem as well as land clearing, not to mention the great cruelty to animals in intensive farming."

". . .you are prostituting science - the NSW, QLD, VIC or other Greenhouse Office or dept. comes along with fistfull of government dollars and you obediently package up a report liberally sprinked [sic] with "may", "might", "could" to suport [sic] their political position - you admited [sic] yourself you modified the disclaimer to disguise the dubious science."

and the same guy:

"You may have noticed a flurry of Global Warming activity - The Great Barrier Reef is bleaching, glaciers are melting. polar bears are drowning etc. etc. It's because its state-of-the-union time for the cult. The Conclave of elders of the Global Warming cult - the IPCC - is about to issue the new doctrine - the fourth pronouncement of faith. It will leaked and then released with great fanfare accepted as a fait acompli and then everyone will duck for cover when the criticism has time to form. Nobody in the cult will debate it - why should they? They hold the high moral ground - why allow doubt? What exactly will happen? On Friday the IPCC will release a summary of the up-coming 1600 page Fourth Assessment Report on climate change. The press will report it as gospel with huge sensational claims and headlines. Meanwhile the panel will sit on the actual science for another 2 months, doctor it up a bit to make sure it all fits the summary and then release it. This will of course be too late for any reasonable debate, discussion, or protest - it will be old news by then.We saw the same process for the now widely discredited Stern Report."

-He's got a whole website of this stuff. . .

Media Circus

Climate change appears to be a popular topic these days. A brochure synthesising information on climate change in the metro Sydney region was released yesterday. The appearance of the words "climate change" and "Sydney" in the same sentence, combined with some dramatic journalism from the Daily Telegraph led to quite a media stir. By the end of the day, I'd done interviews for five free-air television networks (which, in Australia, is all of them), the Weather Channel, the Australian, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Financial Times, and BBC Radio-London, to name a few. At last count approximately 160 reports were filed in media outlets. And the interviews keep coming. . .

Here We Go Again

Well, it's almost 2 February, 2007, which means the next round of the IPCC's periodic assessment reports of all things climate change is almost here. In reality, though not officially available for public consumption, the report has already been with us for a couple of weeks, as information has been leaked to the press on a daily basis. In fact, it's hard to recall anything more leaky than the IPCC and its authors, but hey, they're excited, right? So six year's after the last go, what's new in the world of climate science? The answer - all kinds of stuff, provided you're really into the subtleties. If however, you're looking for dramatic new projections of future climate change, sea-level rise, and global consequences, you'll have to wait another five years (or more). For the moment, it's largely status quo, with the exception of a few minor adjustments here and there and modestly more definitive language regarding confidence in the attribution of observed climate change to human activity.

Now of course, this is not what you'll hear from the media or be reading about over the next few weeks. No, instead you'll be bombarded by stories regarding the "new" findings, showing "catastrophic" consequences, that will "certainly" befall humankind if we don't act "immediately". But unless one does more than scratch the surface, she'll be hard pressed to find the the stuff that actual does expand upon what we new back in 2001.

Pardon me, but there's a Chilean in my soup

On the eve on the Australian Open men's singles final, the Dittmers and Prestons dined in one of our favorite Italian spots along Collins Street. Much to our surprise (and pleasure), the place was calling with Germans, including our waiter. Even more surprising, however, was the entrance a few minutes after our arrival of Fernando Gonzalez, along with his coach and trainer. While the room stared in a bit of awe (most of that awe coming from Uta), they took seats at the next table. We continued with our dinner with a new topic for conversation, and as the night wore on and customers started heading for the door, the man of the hour ultimately had to put up with the usual photos, congratulations, and hand shakes from his admirers. We managed to score a photo of Uta and the would-be champion, which undoubtedly will appear here in the near future. Unfortunately, Gonzalez was unable to dethrone the reigning king of tennis, Roger Federer, at the next day's final. . .

UPDATE: 1/2/07 - And, finally, the proof:

Worst Band Names '06

Check out Kyle Ryan's annual wrap-up of the worst band names of 2006.

A sample:
"Papa Grows Funk
If you put “funk” in your name, you should be smacked. Although nothing may ever touch last year’s Public Display Of Funk for sheer audacity in its terribleness. To wit…
Urban Funk Ordinance
Yes, let’s pass one outlawing this band.
Bandits Of The Acoustic Revolution
Using the word “bandits,” minus 5 points. “Revolution,” another five. “Acoustic,” minus 15. Using them together, minus 1,000 points. They sound like cousins of these guys:
Natives Of The New Dawn
and
Daughters Of The Sun
You can practically smell the patchouli from here. Ditto for these fückengrüven names…
Groovatron
Tye Dye Skye
National Ass Groovin’ Association"

It's Not Football, Mate

The ethnic conflict and violence which has historically undermined Australia's attempts to maintain a viable professional soccer league showed up at a strange venue on Monday - Rod Laver arena. Apparently it was a slow day for hooliganism, and thus rowdy young men clashed at Day 1 of the Australian Open. I say, there's nothing more manly than a punch-up while wearing one's tennis whites. The conflict erupted between large groups of Aussies still harbouring nationalist feelings toward their ethnic homelands in the Balkan peninsula (Serbs, Croats, and Greeks). The police ultimately got it all sorted, but tournament officials are a bit embarrassed.

Armageddon

Temperatures yesterday topped out at 41C(106F)in Melbourne, so needless to say, it was a bit warm. Meanwhile, fires continued to range in Victoria's east, damaging electricity transmission lines, which led to blackouts throughout much of the state, including Melbourne. And most importantly, the high temperatures delayed outdoor play at the Australian Open for much of the day, resulting in some matches still underway at 2:00am. Ahhhh, summer in Australia. . .

Start the Presses

The long awaited book, Creating a Climate for Change: Communicating Climate Change and Facilitating Social Change, is now available for ordering via Amazon. Vicki and I have a chapter within regarding communication by the business community. It's long and a bit pricey for vacation reading, but perhaps one of the most comprehensive treatments of the subject to date.

Book Description (from Amazon):
"The need for effective communication, public outreach, and education to increase support for policy, collective action and behavior change is ever present, and is perhaps most pressing in the context of anthropogenic climate change. This book is the first to take a comprehensive look at communication and social change specifically targeted to climate change. It is a unique collection of ideas examining the challenges associated with communicating climate change in order to facilitate societal response. It offers well-founded, practical suggestions on how to communicate climate change and how to approach related social change more effectively. The contributors of this book come from a diverse range of backgrounds, from government and academia to non-governmental and civic sectors of society. The book is accessibly written, and any specialized terminology is explained. It will be of great interest to academic researchers and professionals in climate change, environmental policy, science communication, psychology, sociology, and geography."

Tracking Victorian GHG Emissions

The Climate Group recently unveiled it's new online tool for tracking weekly greenhouse gas emissions for the state of Victoria.

"The Greenhouse Indicator provides accurate and real time information on the amount of greenhouse gases produced each week in Victoria from energy use. This accounts for about 85% of the State’s greenhouse gas emissions."

West Side Story

A family feud in Sydney's west over the weekend led to massive street brawl. Hey, when you're a Jet, you're a Jet. . .

Dispute between families sparks riot
January 7, 2007 - 2:00PM

"NSW Police Minister John Watkins called on the entire community to help solve the escalating problem of youth violence following an incident in Sydney last night in which 19 people were arrested on riot charges."

Drought Solves More Mysteries

As reported here, the severe drought afflicting southeast Australia has brought quite a bit to the surface. And now this:

Body found in submerged car
January 7, 2007 - 4:50PM

Police believe they have found the remains of a man who disappeared 11 years ago, inside a car submerged in a river in central Victoria.

A police spokeswoman said men fishing on the Loddon River, near Serpentine, 200km north of Melbourne, called police after they spotted the car below the surface of the water last Friday.

The current low water levels had brought the car closer to the surface.

"The vehicle was located six kilometres south of Serpentine, just off the Bridgewater-Serpentine Road," the spokeswoman said.

Police say they believe the skeletal remains may be those of a 38-year-old man who disappeared from Newbridge, near Bendigo, in 1995.

"A coroner's inquest at the time found the matter to be suicide without a body," the spokeswoman said.

Police have spent today investigating the scene and have removed the car from the river.

A New Year's Eve

After returning from Tasmania, we quickly unpacked, cleaned and prepared to host the McKinley brothers as they completed their Australia tour in Melbourne. One of their first activities in Melbourne was to help us ring in the New Year. We kicked off festivities at an afternoon barbie at Jeremy's followed by a gala event at the Riverland Bar on the banks of the Yarra.

As the photos evidence, the night was quite enjoyable but did get a bit messy toward the wee hours of the morning. The fireworks were awesome, particularly since they were being launched from a barge on the river about 75 metres from our location. Our party become scattered as we attempted to make our way home, with some opting to walk (and getting lost) while I tried to herd a couple onto the late-night drunk bus through the somewhat chaotic streets of downtown Melbourne.

New Year's Day was spent licking wounds (at least for those capable of movement).

Tasmania

We spent the week between Christmas and New Year's navigating through the wilds of Tasmania, dodging bushfires, wildlife, and bad weather. We arrived in Devonport after an overnight ferry trip on the Spirit of Tasmania, and immediately headed toward the east coast, where we took a peak at the Bay of Fires, before heading south to spend our first night at the Bicheno Caravan Park. There, we managed to catch the nightly parade of fairy penguins from the cold waters of the Tasman Sea into their roosts on the Bicheno coast. We also met Tim and Cindie, who've spent the past 5 years bicycling around the world and were actively working on editing the second book describing their adventures.

From Bicheno, we continued south, stopping in at the Freycinet National Park, and Swansea and continuing on to Hobart, where we arrived Christmas Eve. We lodged oursleves at the Customs House Hotel on the harbour, and had to search a bit before we could find a find meal worthy of Christmas Eve (quite a few tourists in town for the Sydney to Hobart race). On Christmas Day, we joined the rest of the tourists at Port Arthur, one of the few remaining windows to Australia's more humble colonial beginnings. Christmas Day was cold and rainy, with snow falling on Tasmania's peaks. As a further insult, Hobart pretty much shut down by the afternoon, and so we were forced to find sustenance in the local casino, and we returned to our hotel only to have the electricity knocked out by a gust of wind.

On Boxing Day, we returned to the bush, and headed north into Tasmania's highlands. We spent a night at the Tarraleah power station - formerly a community for Tasmania's hydropower workers - now a quiet resort, complete with accommodation ranging from a luxury lodge, to cottages, to camp sites. We got a taste of summer weather in Tasmania, with temperatures overnight dropping below 10C.

The following day, we continued north into the Cradle Mountain/Lake St. Clair National Park, stopping for a quick peak at Lake St. Clair, before taking the roundabout western roads to get to Cradle Mountain. We passed through some of Tasmania's more rustic communities, including Queenstown (a little village nestled into a mining-scarred landscape) and Rosebery, the latter looking like something out of West Virginia in the 1970s. We arrived at our campground just outside the park in the late afternoon, and proceeded to pray for good weather for the next day.

We woke early to tackle Cradle Mountain itself - a peak the juts out of the highland landscape, famous for its views which are often obscured by nasty weather. Just three days before, the mountain had received snowfall, but we were lucky enough to experience fantastic blue skies. The hike to the base of the mountain along the park's Overland Track (which continues south for days for the intrepid adventurer) was pleasant enough - fantastic views of the surrounding peaks and valleys. The ascent to the summit however was indeed challenging, with the "trail" consisting of a series of metal stakes sticking out of a boulder encrusted mountainside. We scrambled past more than one person who'd decided that this was not what they had in mind when they set out for a hike, but we made it to the top without too much trouble. We returned via Hudson's Lake, a trip that took longer than we expected, over rougher ground, and the trail disappeared toward the end, forcing us to get a bit creative. It all ended well, however, and we called it an early night after about seven hours on the move.

Our final day saw us heading back toward Devonport to catch the ferry home, but we stopped off in the quaint town of Sheffield to check out the famous murals (painted years ago as a means of attracting tourists - it appeared to have worked), and then snuck in one last hike through Narawntapu National Park (previously known as Asbestos Range National Park, but that clearly doesn't sound as pleasant). This coastal park allegedly has the highest density of wildlife of any park in the world. Not sure about that claim, but there certainly were heaps of wallabies and pademelons. Once again, we got a bit side-tracked and lost the path, but eventually back-tracked and recovered.

We boarded our ferry a bit stinky and sailed off into the sunset for the voyage home.

For the feast of photos, go here.

Drought Fights Crime

Drought exposes illegal firearms
Jordan Chong
January 4, 2007 - 3:02PM

Falling water levels might be a nightmare for farmers, gardeners and the community at large, but the drought has helped police recover a number of illegal guns dumped in lakes near Ballarat.

Four weapons, including rifles and a bolt-action shotgun, have been found since November at Wendouree and Creswick lakes, which sit empty because of Victoria's long drought.

Some of the weapons have a history, with one rifle linked to a burglary that occurred in Ballarat about 20 years ago, according to local police.

Ballarat Senior Sergeant Gary Pilmore said many of the firearms had been uncovered by people fossicking through the empty lakes.

He urged people who discoverer guns to contact local police.

"These guns are in very poor condition and some may still have ammunition inside them," Sen Sgt Pilmore said in a statement released by Victoria Police today.

"We are concerned that some people may come across an old firearm and take it home instead of contacting police and handing it in.

"For their own safety and the safety of the community we are asking people to immediately contact us if they find a firearm and we will come and collect it from them."

He said work was continuing to link the found guns to old crimes or return them to their original owners.

A series of gun amnesties in Victoria and the banning of certain categories of firearms may have prompted the dumping of the guns, he said.

Dumb Stuff from OZ

Bank issues credit card to cat
POSTED: 0415 GMT (1215 HKT), January 3, 2007
SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) -- An Australian bank has apologized for issuing a credit card to a cat after its owner decided to test the bank's identity security system.

The Bank of Queensland issued a credit card to Messiah the cat when his owner Katherine Campbell applied for a secondary card on her account under its name.

"I just couldn't believe it. People need to be aware of this and banks need to have better security," Campbell told local media on Thursday.

The bank said the cat's card had been canceled. "We apologize as this should not have happened," it said in a statement.

Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Typo takes tourist 13,000 km out
POSTED: 1427 GMT (2227 HKT), December 29, 2006

BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) -- A 21-year-old German tourist who wanted to visit his girlfriend in the Australian metropolis Sydney landed 13,000 kilometers (8,077 miles) away near Sidney, Montana, after mistyping his destination on a flight booking Web site.

Dressed for the Australian summer in T-shirt and shorts, Tobi Gutt left Germany on Saturday for a four-week holiday.

Instead of arriving "down under", Gutt found himself on a different continent and bound for the chilly state of Montana.

"I did wonder but I didn't want to say anything," Gutt told the Bild newspaper. "I thought to myself, you can fly to Australia via the United States."

Gutt's airline ticket routed him via the U.S. city of Portland, Oregon, to Billings, Montana. Only as he was about to board a commuter flight to Sidney -- an oil town of about 5,000 people -- did he realize his mistake.

The hapless tourist, who had only a thin jacket to keep out the winter cold, spent three days in Billings airport before he was able to buy a new ticket to Australia with 600 euros in cash that his parents and friends sent over from Germany.

"I didn't notice the mistake as my son is usually good with computers," his mother, Sabine, told Reuters.

Year in Review

2006 went quickly. Some highlights in retrospect:

The Blog.It's been a struggle at times, but it looks like we managed around 163 posts for the year. Would certainly like to increase that number in 2007, given time and something worth blogging about.

Australia. It's a bit crispy around the edges at the moment, but the nation finished off 2006 fairly strongly. Sure, a few setbacks, such as the AWB scandal, but at least there weren't any race riots. There was a power shift in the Labor party that elevated Kevin Rudd to the leader position, which may make things interesting in the 2007 elections next year. Howard - will he stay or go? Perhaps most importantly, despite the over-priced and shoddy clothing, the daggy haircuts and fashion sense, the over-abundance of cleavage (which actually doesn't bother me too much), the bushfires, the lack of any sense of e-commerce, and national sports which can be at times incomprehensible (and yes, I'm talking about you, Cricket), we really like it here.

Work. We worked our asses off this year, but were both rewarded with promotions. I hope to be able to make a new post in the new year, entitled "Sugarmamma," which will signify Uta's rise to the status of principle bread-winner in the house, but that still remains to be seen.

Travel. Lots. It's all pretty much outlined in the blog, which you should be reading anyway.

Extracurriculars. After a break of several years, I resumed karate training at the beginning of 2006. A year later, I'm staring to get a feel for my old self, but also getting a feel for what it's like to get older. Uta triumphed her way through Melbourne's winter tennis season and came in second in the club championships. We both struggled a bit with the languages, work kept me away from my German classes quite a bit the past few months, and similarly, Uta had trouble meeting up with her crew of Spanish speakers. But 2007 is another year. . .

Merry Christmas from Downunder

The end-of-the-year silly season is here, complete with scorched earth and BBQs. We're off to Tasmania for the holidays. See you in the new year.

Geography Cup

spash_head
Originally uploaded by BLP.

The Ashes are now over, with Australia soundly defeating England in three straight matches. However, international competition of another sort continues with the 1st Geography Cup Challenge which pits the UK against the US in a battle to see which country is the most ignorant with respect to the rest of the world.

Currently, the US is retaining its solid reputation for myopic introspection, but it's early in the game. Anything could happen.

Irate farmer scoops up woman with tractor

Irate farmer scoops up woman with tractor
December 15, 2006 - 8:49AM

"An angry New Zealand farmer scooped up a terrified woman driver into his tractor's loader bucket before dumping her on the road after she crashed into his fence.

Carl Randall Martin, 51, from Wairamarama, near Auckland, drove the tractor at her six times, knocked off her hat and then pinning her up against her crashed car before scooping her up in the bucket and tipping her on the gravel road, the New Zealand Herald reported.

The incident on August 5 was outlined in the Manukau District Court on Thursday after Martin had been convicted of assault with a weapon.

He will be sentenced on January 16."

Sterno

The Stern Review on The Economics of Climate Change ,has provided some much needed perspective on the global costs and benefits of climate change and climate policy.

CSIRO's own pseudo-Stern Review, in the form of the Energy Futures Forum, was released earlier this month. The overall effort was comprised of five reports, one of which, comparing the costs and benefits of different emissions futures, we climate impacts folks put together.

Burning Down the House(s)

A few weeks ago, authorities were predicting this summer would be one of Australia's worst fire seasons in decades. This fear has certainly come to pass over the past week, with much of eastern Victoria (and more recently parts of Tasmania) up in smoke. To date, fires have claimed around 400,000 hectares in Victoria's east. A number of the fires continue to burn out of control and are expected to continue burning throughout the summer.

I hopped up to Canberra at the end of last week, which gave me the opportunity to fly over the fires. Looked pretty dismal. I returned to Melbourne to enjoy a weekend of record temperatures (reaching 42C on Sunday) combined with a thick haze of smoke. Fortunately, a change in the weather Sunday afternoon dropped the temperature back down to 20C, allowing us to enjoy an afternoon barbie with all the 343 Church Street neighbours.

Too Much Yankee Rum Drinkie

I believe it was Dean Wormer who stated: "Fat, drunk and studid is no way to go through life, son." Yet last night at Australia's Walkley Awards (for journalism), one saw that horrible combination in action, as political columnist Glenn Milne rushed the stage to abuse Stephen Mayne (of Crikey! fame). Good stuff!

New Wiggle

A landmark passing of the torch has occurred in Australia, as the yellow Wiggle,Greg Page, and hung up his wiggler due to a chronic illness. A new, and markedly younger, yellow Wiggle by the name of Sam Moran, has thus been crowned. Don't worry, as one of the group's founders, I'm sure Greg will continue to rake in the royalties. But I wonder what kind of deal the new guy got. . .

With Allies Like These . . .

US sabotaged Australian wheat deal in Iraq
Richard Baker
November 25, 2006

"THE United States intervened to sabotage a huge wheat contract agreed upon by AWB and Iraq during a series of secret meetings in Cairo last year, less than two years after Australia joined America to topple Saddam Hussein."

Could it be that the Howard government's commitment to military deployment in Iraq has had less to do with backing the Bush Administration and more to do with protecting Australia's economic interests in the region? Still, it doesn't appear to have bought OZ much in the way of access.

Thunderdome

I spent the weekend in Mildura in Victoria's northwest at the 8th annual Victoria JKA Gasshuku. I left Melbourne a tad late in the day, which forced me to drive the 7+ hours across Victoria on my own. Driving across what is almost entirely a barren landscape (unless you count drought-stricken wheat crops as dynamic features), I felt a bit like Mad Max on my way to the Thunderdome, but without the bad ass car, leather, guns or any other semblence of coolness.

My late arrival meant I missed out on the Friday evening training, so my weekend kicked off with the 6am training on Saturday, which was quite enjoyable - calm and peaceful, the Murray River flowing past in the background, birds and the occassional "bah" of sheep in the distance. As the sun rose higher in the sky, however, conditions became a bit more challenging, with temperatures reaching about 36C by the afternoon. Training continued through most of Sunday, but with a later start and an earlier finish.

Apart from muscle soreness, I walked away with a new found appreciation for basai dai, a renewed frustration with mae geri, and some useful tips on judging.

The Long & Winding Road

It's been just over a week since we escorted Levette (from the good ol' USofA) down the Great Ocean Road. The weather was top-notch, and we spent a night in Apollo Bay followed up by a pleasant stay in Port Fairy in a restored 19th century cottage on Bank street.

A few other photos here.

Beijing, PRC

I have now returned from a week in the capital of the world's fastest growing economy. As one might imagine, I have stories aplenty - the amusing, the tragic, and the absurd. Overall, the week was wonderful. Admittedly, to a westerner, Beijing appears a bit nuts (even schizophrenic), but then that's what makes it so wonderful. Some reflections:

Why was I There? For the record, I attended START's Young Scientist Conference (fortunately I still qualify), which was followed by the Earth System Science Partnership's Open Science Conference on Global Environmental Change. Now, on to the more interesting stuff. . .

Scale. Beijing is big. Really big. 14+ million people, with 1 million construction workers in the city at any given time (and it shows). The city proper measures something like 100 km by 100 km, and I was struck at how the major streets were be lined with towering high rises which stretched off into the distance as far as the eye could see. If you drove 10 km down the road, you'd still see the same canyon of urban development. There's no where in the city were you can step back and take it all in. The impeding Olympics are also inspiring much frantic development, including a new airport terminal, two new subway lines, the redevelopment of who knows how many blocks, a new Olypmic stadium (the "birdsnest" - just a block from our conference site), and the list goes on. The one thing that is consistent in Beijing over the past 1000 years is scale - nothing is done small if it can possibly be done big.

Air Quality. At first, I was pleasantly surprised - sure, with 14 million people, you expect a bit of car exhaust here and there, but overall, it didn't seem much worse than any other major city. But turns out I just got lucky. The day I flew out, I got to see Beijing smog in all its glory (see below). It was brutal.

Traffic. Shocking! We found that the 10 km trip from central Beijing out to our hotel could take 1-1.5 hours during rush hour. Drivers appeared to steer with their horns, and cars, bicycles, and pedestrians all hurl themselves at each other with frightening disregard for anyone's personal safety. Miraculously we only saw one car accident the entire time (although we also heard a rumor that Beijing University loses quite a number of students each year to bicycle accidents). The subway was a similarly chaotic - the cars were packed, but unlike in Tokyo, professional packers weren't required - the locals appeared to be quite capable of packing themselves in. And let me tell you - if you've never been a tall black man packed into a subway car in Beijing with 200 people staring at you - it's an interesting experience.

English. Forget it - doesn't exist, particularly among those who you need to interact with (e.g., taxi drivers, wait staff, etc.). Now you're thinking, "surely they know simple stuff like 1-10, "hotel", "airport", etc." Nope, you're dreaming. If you leave home without your destination written on paper in Mandarin, you're not leaving home. Similarly, if you managed to leave home, but don't have the address for home written in Mandarin - good luck. You're screwed.

The Economy. Neither I, nor any of my colleagues, could reconcile China's communism with the spirit of entrepreneralism that rages through the Chinese people. Chinese people are more than happy to completely rip you off (let the buyer beware) and will do their best to accomplish this goal. But to be fair, everything is negotiable, so if one is dumb enough to take prices at their face value, he gets what he deserves I suppose. Many of us found that prices could be negotiated down by anywhere from 50% to 90% (although we concluded that westerners lack the basic skills to be good hagglers). What was also interesting was the economic influence that 100 young scientists with a per diem could wield. Stage performances in a bar were altered to accommodate us, we were virtually the sole patrons of an acrobat show one night, and our final night in town, we rented out an entire restaurant (and negotiated down the alcohol prices). One quickly becomes aware that he's wielding wealth that is quite disproportionate to the average individual. Case-in-point, 6 of us had dinner and drinks one night at local establishment for a grand total of AUS$12 (and that includes the extra main dish that we ended up with by mistake). [But you could pay AUS$4 for a coffee at the aiport, and these kinds of contradictions are everywhere]. Really, the only clear sign that communism is thriving was the absurd amount of overemployment in some establishments. The local supermarket around the corner from us, for example, must have had 4 people "working" in each aisle and three at each cash register. As a consequence, none of them really had anything to do. When I did take something off the shelf, it was immediately replaced. This type of overemployment was rampant and must be juxtaposed against the rural poverty which exists outside the developed areas.

The People. We found the locals wonderfully helpful and curious (I don't think I've ever attracted so much attention in my life). If one were lost with a confused look on his face (which, let's face it, happens often), he'd quickly attract a crowd of do-gooders who would attempt to collectively help him out of whatever jam he's in. That said, by western standards, the locals could also be described as horribly rude - concepts such as waiting in line, for example, don't exist. I suppose in a land of $1.3 billion, if you snooze you really do lose. One also sensed a sharp disparity in equality between the sexes. And the Chinese must be, hands down, the world's most accomplished spitters.

The Food. Top Notch. Granted, came across a few odd items (see below), but generally one of the best eating experience I've ever had while travelling.

Vices. One would imagine the Chinese to be a bit conservative, but once again, it appeared that just about anything could be had for the right price. My roommates and I were amused to find advertisements featuring scantily clad women offering oddly translated services shoved under our door on a daily basis. We ended up with quite a collection. Then there was the night where about 30 of us decided to go to a nearby bar. Entrance required a quick trip up in an elevator, and when the elevator door opened, we were a bit surprised to find a double row of young women waiting for us. A more knowledgeable patron would have calmly made a selection from the collection and gone off to enjoy his evening, but we were too busy trying to figure out what we had gotten ourselves into. We made a hasty retreat, particularly when we found out how much they were charging for a beer.

Sightseeing. What can I say, it's Beijing. There's heaps of really old stuff, increasingly surrounded by new stuff. I joined some other youngins on a tour of the Summer Palace immediately upon arrival, and caught the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and the Great Wall later in the week.

Some photos from the trip available here.

Travel

I'm easing into my last weekend at home for the next few weeks. I'm off to see the world, very quickly. Kicking things off with a night in Auckland. Flying back to Melbourne only to leave the next day to spend seven days in Beijing. Upon my return, I get a night at home before flying to Alice Springs for a few days, followed by a one-day breather in Melbourne before heading out again to Sydney.

Aussie Music

YouTube is the lazy blogger's best friend. . .
However, I have taken the time to assemble some samples of Aussie-grown music talent that I've been listening too lately. Enjoy (and if not, rest comfortably knowing none of these guys are likely to make it off the continent).

Youth Group: Catching and Killing


78 SAAB: No Illusions


Augie March: One Crowded Hour (promo)


Cut Copy: Going Nowhere


Hilltop Hoods: The Hard Road

George Bush on Global Warming

Brilliant

Still Dry

Rain continues to be nowhere in sight for, well, just about everywhere. Wheat production is charted to drop by 35% relative to last year. Not to mention impacts to livestock, water supplies, and, lest we forget, fire.

Hobart

How does one go further "downunder" from Melbourne - try Tasmania. Ventured down to Hobart (the gateway to the Southern Ocean) Tuesday and Wednesday for a risk assessment workshop. Due to unseasonable warmth, it proved to be a lovely visit - blue skies, cold beer, etc. Sure, there was a bushfire that blew up during the day on Wednesday, but show me some place in Australia where that doesn't happen.

Imminent Doom! (Maybe)

I awoke this Monday morning to find no shortage of alarming headlines regarding the potential implications of climate change for the Asia/Pacific region. On any other day, I'd have wondered what it was that set the press off, but this morning I largely had only myself to blame. The Climate Change and Development Roundtable released its policy recommendations regarding climate change and development assistance today, the scientific foundations of which were established by a CSIRO report to which I contributed. The attention thus far has been quite good, but I still sometimes have trouble reconciling what I know was written in our report with what is communicated in the media. Suffice to say, for some media outlets, sensationalism is alive and well - one can only hope that such headlines inspire some to look deeper and develop an understanding of climate change risk that is a bit more sophisticated than that which can be developed over a cup of coffee. Meanwhile, my hat is off to those journalists who take the time to understand and carefully communicate what is undoubtedly a very difficult subject.

No Sweat

Uta participated in the annual Melbourne Marathon on Sunday - she settled for just a half a marathon (I settled for the 1/100th of a marathon which involved me walking across a parking lot). Her time has yet to be officially published, but it didn't seem like it took her more than 15 minutes or so to run the 21 k's from Beaumaris to the CBD.

A Day at the Races

Spring carnival kicked off on Saturday - we crashed the Members section at Flemington and spent the day in a cycle of sweating and drinking beer. More cleavage and absurd head gear than one could shake a stick at were on display. . .

The boys can be seen here:


And the girls here:


And various other photos are available here.

Your Say

Allen

Apparently, George Allen's troubles are so profound, even folks on the other side of the planet are taking notice.

And since we're on the subject of politics, this is pretty funny. . .

Science Lobby

It appears some of America's scientists have tired of walking the difficult objective line between science and policy and have gone all in and formed their own lobby group - Scientists and Engineers for America. The organisation states that it is "dedicated to electing public officials who respect evidence and understand the importance of using scientific and engineering advice in making public policy." On one hand, this sounds lovely - can't imagine a scientist that isn't frustrated with the manner in which science is used, misused, or ignored in public policy. And of course, SEFORA states that it is a "non-partisan" outfit. But that just makes me suspicious, as every hard-core ideologically driven lobbying group I've ever encountered says the same thing. And since they're explicitly looking to endorse and advocate for candidates (and policies, no doubt), my guess is that they'll be becoming pretty damn partisan pretty quick. The pitfall, of course, is that this gives critics all the ammunition they could ever need in their attempt to argue that scientists are a biased lot of folks whose mythic objectivity is only that. This moves science one step closer to being simply another political "issue".

Take the Union of Concerned Scientists, for example. According to its website, "UCS was founded in 1969 by faculty members and students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who were concerned about the misuse of science and technology in society." Again, sound great, but in this day and age, UCS is effectively recognised as one of a number of environmental NGOs that lobby in a not entirely non-partisan manner. Throwing another such entity into the mix isn't necessarily bad (depending on one's politics), but it seems doubtful that such lobbying is the path toward rational uptake of science in decision-making. Rather it's an attempt to swing decision-making toward someone else's brand of irrationality.

Grand Finals

It was Grand Final weekend once again, with the AFL final on Saturday at the MCG in Melbourne and the Rugby League final at Telstra Stadium in Sydney. We "watched" Sydney and West Coast contend for the AFL final at the home of Quigley Down Under in Brunswick, which involved half time antics where I had to compete in a race to drag a bottle cap across a patio with a potato on a string. Don't know who came up with the sport, but I won handily. I've finally found my calling. Oh, and West Coast won the final, by 1 point - a nail biter.

We also stumbled upon the game of Kubb - originally Swedish in origin, this quaint past time essentially involves knocking over blocks of wood by throwing sticks at them. Simple but elegant.

Melbourne faced Brisbane for the Rugby League final on Sunday - Melbourne lost, despite being the favorites. But then, it's just rugby. . .

$3 Billion

That's how much of his own personal fortune Sir Richard Branson has committed to tackling climate change. So one guy (albeit a fabulously wealthy guy) has the bucks to spend what amounts to 1% of the cost for the United States to implement the Kyoto Protocol. Granted compliance with said greenhouse gas mitigation initiative obviously doesn't come cheap, but then neither do wars in Iraq. Turns out they apparently cost about the same, but given that Bush has pledged to remain in Iraq indefinitely, that venture will likely end up costing far more before it's over. Which would benefit the world more? Hmmmm. . .tough one. Guess that all depends on what kind of world you want to live in.

Crowe as Irwin

Steve Irwin being himself was educational entertainment. Russel Crowe playing the late Croc Hunter just sounds obnoxious.

Bad Sun Rising

The summer fire season kicked off a few months early over the weekend. Forecasts for above average summer temperatures following the driest winter ever (or at least for as long as anyone bothers to remember) has southeast Australia all set for the worst fire season in the history of the early 21st century.

Bitchin' Hyundai

Our dependence upon public transportation, cabbies, and friends has dropped considerably after we anted up the necessary $$$ over the weekend to acquire a macho muscle car in the form of a Hyundai Getz. Now we will be able to fill at least one of the two parking spaces we have at our crib, and the new addition to our family should be perfect for cruising around this little island of Australia.

Early Summer?

A bit odd, but not entirely unpleasant except for the hurricane force winds that scattered my lunch. . .

Obviously Not Your Ordinary Croc Hunter

The public turned out in droves today to pay their last respects to Steve Irwin. Eager fans camped out to get a hold of the tickets (available at no charge, but quickly sold via Ebay), and the list of celebrities in attendance out was not too shabby: John Howard, The Wiggles, and Russell Crowe, and that's just for starters.

Song Australia

Last night we stumbled upon the new video from Manjit Boparai, an Australian cab driver turned songwriter. Video was absolutely hilarious. Makes me wonder why Australia's more conservative side is so up in arms about immigration and the preservation of "Australian values", because it seems Australia's migrants are having more fun being Australians than the rest of the lot. In any case, a sample of Manjit's earlier recording can be found here. I'm hoping an enterprising young Australian will leak the video to the net in the near future.

Time to Go Home

Tourist rescued twice in one week
Jano Gibson
September 13, 2006 - 9:59AM

"A 50-year-old British man is recovering in Alice Springs hospital after being rescued in Northern Territory bushland for the second time in a week."

My Beef with Sunrise and Boost Juice

I've climbed aboard my soapbox to address a tragic injustice that's been raging behind the scenes at two of Australia's most beloved enterprises: Sunrise and Boost Juice.

The plot - every morning the delightful hosts at Sunrise announce two names (one male, one female). If your name is announced, you get to rock up to your local Boost Juice Bar and get a free beverage (called a "hottie" - whatever that is). As articulated below in my comment to Sunrise (submitted dutifully following Sunrise protocols), I find this contest completely rigged and unfair, in contrast to traditional "Australian values."

"Dear Sunrise,
Every morning for the past two weeks, I've been watching with interest as names are announced in the daily Boost Juice "What's Ya Name Game". Unless I'm mistaken, the names that have been chosen are almost exclusively those that are Anglo-Saxon in origin. That's wonderful for Tom, Dick, and Harry, but what about those Australians who were here before the First Fleet arrived? What about the Australians who have their roots in Italy, Greece, Serbia, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, etc.? I'm sure they wouldn't mind a fair go at winning a free beverage. Though I'm sure this is an accidental and perhaps inconsequential oversight, it is a simple demonstration of the privilege that those in the majority get to enjoy and the prejudices that we often overlook."

I continue to await a response. (It's been a few days, I'm not holding by breath.)

Why Wasn't I Invited?

Apparently, I just missed out on the climate conference of the year. And people think scientists don't know how to have a good time. . .

Stripper storm at climate meeting
September 7, 2006 - 3:47PM

"Outraged scientists stormed out of a government-sponsored climate change conference dinner in Canberra last night, after the strippers booked as entertainment left them all hot and bothered."

UPDATE 11/9/06: By the way, after the death of Steve Irwin, this ended up being the second biggest story of the week - burlesque dancers doing interviews on news shows, the whole nine yards. It was brilliant. The issue of female exploitation within Australia's Earth sciences community is now firmly on the public agenda.

CRIKEY!

The man, the myth, the legend. The Elvis of the Outback has been called back to that great big roadhouse in the sky. May he rest in peace.