da Scriffles

Premier Anna Bligh's good luck dragon.

It doesn't matter what portfolio Premier Anna Bligh has held over the years, whether its Disability or Education or ... no, not so sure about infrastructure ...

But she's always impressed people as a capable performer on top of the facts and issues able to reel off comments off the top of her head - her staff actually admire her.

Now as Premier she now has the opportunity to show that Australians are capable of planning to provide infrastructure that caters for future growth - and not just for growth, let's make it sustainable, ecologically-friendly, well thought out. Pray. Pray. Pray.

First the flood devastation and now Cyclone Yasi - who knows what's next!

But it sure is focusing attention on our leaders - and they all seem to have stepped up and done their 41 pirouettes en pointe before their captive audiences.

With all the leaders rubbing shoulders with The People maybe we can expect better government - everyone seems to have forgotten the shocking hung parliament.

What an age we live in! Perhaps we will see a dragon next. 

 

When I visited San Francisco's Exploratorium I bought this postcard showing psychologist's EG Boring's little intelligence test. 

I think the climate change debate is a reincarnation of the postcard.

Do you see a young or old woman or both?

Tim Flannery and the rest of the Climate Commission appointed by the Federal Government in February held it's first community meeting in Geelong on Friday.

Listen to an ABC podcast 

I watched it on the ABC. They responded to the fears of the average Australian from how a carbon tax will affect petrol prices and groceries to whether jobs will be lost in the most energy intensive industries such as aluminum smelters. This unfortunately was broadcast on the ABC on a Friday night after 8.30pm while the Tony Abbott in the climate skeptics crowd speech was all over every media outlet for the past few days.

So here's how I think it must look to the average Aussie who bothered with last week's debate at all: 

By the way, here are some answers given to questions at the Geelong forum:

• Petrol prices would go up $2-$3 a tank (depending on the size of the tank) with the introduction of a recommened $20-$30/tonne price on carbon.
• Jobs at Alcoa would be saved if (as is part of every plan under consideration) the aluminum industry gets some form of compensation - because it's actually doing something about reducing its energy consumption already and is already internationally competitive in this area.
• There is no global warming debate in the scientific community. Why? Because the existence and cause of Global Warming is accepted as fact by 98 percent of the scientific community.
• "UNCERTAINTY" is the reason investors are not investing in clean energy which means it will take even longer to bring the price of clean energy down.
• Scientists are annoyed and frustrated by the "political" debate around climate change and went back to their test tubes, exploration ships and the like to do the work rather than argue with people who don't have their facts straight.

PS: If television's morning programs really want to do a public service then perhaps they should do a segment every morning with a scientist!

Translation for international readers of da Scriffles: 

The GoGo Bird: Prime Minister Julia Gillard - leader of a minority government in a hung parliament - is captive to the Greens (hence green shoes).

The Poll Dancer: Opposition Leader Tony Abbott & his team of fat cats are worried about the cost of living for ordinary Australians and the fact that Julia Gillard lied before the election when she said her government would never introduce a carbon tax. Now that she needs the support of The Greens to remain in government she's changed her mind. 

 

Ocean warming affects the cloud forest of the Daintree where lives a white possum that drinks dew off leaves in the uplands - the most ancient highest parts of the Daintree.

Some species of plants which existed when Australia was part of  Gondwanaland still live here - and it is the only place in the world you find them. 

If the mists stop rolling in off the ocean and hitting the highlands then the biodiversity of the Daintree will diminish because the forest will change.

The upland species will disappear from the mountains which were part an ancient reef system before tectonic movement pushed them up leaving only the Great Barrier Reef.

These ancient mountains have been worn down by the millennia.

The possums, frogs and insects which are unable to live in warmer zones would move up the mountain if it went any higher, but it doesn't.

(I'm paraphrasing information from a technical tour of the Daintree hosted by James Cook University's Professor of Geography Steve Turton.)

You can find on the outside only what you possess on the inside. – Adolfo Montiel Ballesteros

When an armed robber makes up his mind to do whatever it takes to get whatever it is that he needs what motivates him is self-interest - right?

Only a madman would stand in front of a desperate person wielding a gun or a knife and advise him to get in touch with his authentic self - it's the same with trying to tell a junk food addict not to binge on crap -  that's all you folk who load your shopping trollies with soft drinks, chips, biscuits and LCMs <YES LCMs> processed and bottles of unnatural yuk and go into debt to pay your shopping bill.

OKAY. Instead of a carbon tax, let's tax junk food and spend it on renewable energy innovation. Who's the robber now, hey?

Do you like the Barren Von Carben series by my nieces? I thought up the Baron and asked them to create him. I like the way they spell his name: BARREN. I created his oily haired bride. The Barren's Bride.

It's really weird for me at the moment because I've been writing reports of health forums on children's nutrition and diabetes - there's a massive epidemic in our society and no one's taking up arms. The rate of bowel cancer in children is rising. 

Two-thirds of Australians are overweight or obese. People basically aren't eating fruit and vegetables.

Obese children suffer horrible systematic discrimination. The emotional and psychological impact (not to mention the cardio-vascular disease, diabetes and kidney failure) follows them into adulthood - they drop out of school, they can't get jobs, they suffer social discrimination. Read the stats. 

The one good thing Tony Abbott has going for him is that he cycles, he runs, and he surfs - even though he leads a busy life. He's time poor too but he finds time! Perhaps he might get elected if he starts to truly care about something OTHER than being elected.

Here's a suggested Australian Constitution based on our TRUE and HONEST Australian values:  

* The right to live forever! *The right to smokes and booze! *The right to Maccas! *The right take whatever I want and pay nothing - or close to nothing! *To hell with everyone but ME! *The right to hold to self-righteous arrogance and claim it as fact - that is to lie. *The right to whinge about someone else's lies. *The right to kick and spit and punch people for no good reason (Have you listened to the news lately?).

Are these the values we defend our shores with?

THIS is the AUSTRALIAN way of life that refugees aspire to? You can own a Nintendo and eat Maccas at the same time.

Once upon a time, Australian children bragged about being able to walk and chew gum at the same time - and they could!

That's because the energy spent walking was greater than the calorie intake of chewing gum!

I've stopped blogging because I know that I've started ranting over climate change and it's boring. But really people!

You take up arms against future proofing the environment but you do nought to protect your children's health. Throw that extra pack of chips in the trolley, go on! Hello??? Anyone in there??? Honestly! 

A third of Australian children will be obese by 2020 - these are the figures helpless health professionals talk about as they tremble thinking about the future burden on our health system, not to mention our society. Imagine how they feel being unable to turn the Titanic around?

I realized that there are a lot of good people in the health system who feel bad about fighting a losing battle - if only you could hear them.

When is it time to change? It's taken half a century to change people's attitudes to smoking. We do not have half a century here folks.

Continue to swallow those Maccas "family" meals and guzzle your soft drink, instead of water. Is it that difficult to cook fresh family meals? 

Our economy is groaning - the Health economy is bankrupt - that's what waiting lists mean people! There's no money to cover the deficit. It's not a pretty picture if you're on a waiting list.

If you aren't on those waiting lists then you're lucky. Me? I'm not on a waiting list but I do need to lose a few pounds. I don't eat junk food though - not in all my life! When I was kid if we wanted pizza my parents told us to make them - the base, the sauce, cut up the topping and wait for it to cook! Fresh out of the oven. Good honest, authentic food from flour and whole tomatoes and cheese and olives and ...

I wonder what will happen to me these days if I end up in a nursing home unable to take a hot shower so that I can move in the morning... After a month of yoga twice a week, my spine can move again. Ah the splendor of life tied to a desk.

Let us live forever! We crawled out of the ooz and we can crawl back ... are you shocked yet? 

Where exactly is this "authentic" self that the heeby new age body beautiful creepies talk about?

Bullshit is authentic too if you know what you're looking at.

Creepies because all they are doing is pushing their latest product down your throat! You too can be thin if you pay a fortune for my secrets. Agh!

What is enough for an armed robber? $5000 ... $50,000? ... $1000 or just a carton of smokes?

Well, what exactly are you prepared to take up arms for?