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."