It's about time Australia faced reality when it comes to generating electricity by way of nuclear power. For too long we have had our head in the sand and refused to even discuss the possibility.
Twenty-nine world countries have nuclear power - and another fifty-four generating stations are planned to be built. In Australia - we are still burning coal and ruminating about wind/solar.
Demand for electric power is rising sharply each year, not only because our population is increasing - but also because innovation and industry are increasing the uses to which electricity is put. There is little chance that this situation will change anytime soon.
Australia has about a third of the world's uranium - and not a single nuclear power generator.
Time to bite the bullet. We are still harping on about Chernoble - and choosing to forget that those twenty-nine other countries have been running their reactors accident free for decades - and have now chosen nuclear as the only way to guarantee to meet base load needs.
If we are fair dinkum about saving the planet from global warming - the only answer is to dump coal and burn nuclear !
Saturday, 7 August 2010
Friday, 6 August 2010
Pie in the sky !
A very fast train from Wollongong to Sydney ! In fact the Maglev has been resurrected, dusted off - and presented as a possible solution to our problems.
There seems only one fly in the ointment ! It is the eve of a Federal election - and that is the silly season when desperate governments trying to claw their way back to office reach into the smoke and mirrors department.
Just like another famous - half built - rail connection to western Sydney, this will see a twenty million dollar feasibility study thrown at it - but of course all that will happen after the election.
For any improvement in the rail connection to Sydney one major undertaking must occur first - and that is a tunnel from Thirroul to Waterfall to replace the steam era track winding up from the escarpment to the flat lands.
Without that there can be no improvement by way of Maglev or fast electric trains - and have you noticed that there is no mention of that tunnel is this latest " pie in the sky " election promise.
It's a bit hard to get excited - when we have heard this all before - so many times !
There seems only one fly in the ointment ! It is the eve of a Federal election - and that is the silly season when desperate governments trying to claw their way back to office reach into the smoke and mirrors department.
Just like another famous - half built - rail connection to western Sydney, this will see a twenty million dollar feasibility study thrown at it - but of course all that will happen after the election.
For any improvement in the rail connection to Sydney one major undertaking must occur first - and that is a tunnel from Thirroul to Waterfall to replace the steam era track winding up from the escarpment to the flat lands.
Without that there can be no improvement by way of Maglev or fast electric trains - and have you noticed that there is no mention of that tunnel is this latest " pie in the sky " election promise.
It's a bit hard to get excited - when we have heard this all before - so many times !
Thursday, 5 August 2010
Prisoner safety !
This would not be a good time to be arrested ! You might face a very long wait for transport to a police station.
The entire fleet of two hundred and fifty police paddy waggons have been taken off the road - because they are likely to tip over without warning, subjecting both prisoners and police officers to injury.
It seems that the bureaucrats slapped a prisoner pod onto the rear of Ford Ranger vehicles - without any consideration as to what this extra weight and bulk would do to the handling safety.
Once again, the state budget will be compromised by another blunder. There will be added cost acquiring emergency transport for prisoners and at the same time there will need to be an urgent replacement of this vehicle fleet.
How about cutting the bureaucrats out of the equation and letting the vehicle manufacturers design a prisoner pod that suits their vehicle design ?
The chance of that happening is about the same as fairies appearing suddenly at the bottom of our gardens !
The entire fleet of two hundred and fifty police paddy waggons have been taken off the road - because they are likely to tip over without warning, subjecting both prisoners and police officers to injury.
It seems that the bureaucrats slapped a prisoner pod onto the rear of Ford Ranger vehicles - without any consideration as to what this extra weight and bulk would do to the handling safety.
Once again, the state budget will be compromised by another blunder. There will be added cost acquiring emergency transport for prisoners and at the same time there will need to be an urgent replacement of this vehicle fleet.
How about cutting the bureaucrats out of the equation and letting the vehicle manufacturers design a prisoner pod that suits their vehicle design ?
The chance of that happening is about the same as fairies appearing suddenly at the bottom of our gardens !
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
A " greener " car fuel.
Motorists will notice a new fuel blend pump at their petrol outlet in coming weeks - but they dare not use it in their car !
We are about to get Bio E-Flex fuel - which will be designated as E-85. This is a car fuel that will contain 85% ethanol - and consequently will have a massive drop in harmful emissions.
The soon to be released next model of the Holden Commodore will have a " flex: engine system that can use both normal petrol and E-85, and it is also suitable for some European built cars. It is expected that other manufacturers will quickly follow suit.
This is a natural progression from the presently available E-10 - a blend of ten percent ethanol - and we can expect that E-85 will be at a significantly lower price because of it's increased ethanol content.
But - don't break out the champagne just yet !
Remember when the government was pushing motorists to convert their cars to liquid petroleum gas ? It was heaps - and heaps - and heaps cheaper than petrol !
Look at the price of gas now !
And remember that the tax man never loses out in the long run !
We are about to get Bio E-Flex fuel - which will be designated as E-85. This is a car fuel that will contain 85% ethanol - and consequently will have a massive drop in harmful emissions.
The soon to be released next model of the Holden Commodore will have a " flex: engine system that can use both normal petrol and E-85, and it is also suitable for some European built cars. It is expected that other manufacturers will quickly follow suit.
This is a natural progression from the presently available E-10 - a blend of ten percent ethanol - and we can expect that E-85 will be at a significantly lower price because of it's increased ethanol content.
But - don't break out the champagne just yet !
Remember when the government was pushing motorists to convert their cars to liquid petroleum gas ? It was heaps - and heaps - and heaps cheaper than petrol !
Look at the price of gas now !
And remember that the tax man never loses out in the long run !
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
What price for sex ?
A young woman working for department store David Jones had an unfortunate encounter with it's chief executive. He asked her for a bit of nookey !
She complained - and the store did the right thing. The chief executive got fired !
Now this young woman is suing David Jones and it's directors - for an amazing thirty-seven million dollars. She says she is entitled to five percent of the chief executives salary - and five percent of the stores annual profits.
Just why she thinks that a simple request for sex should result in the store paying such a penalty is unclear.
Ever since the opposing genders of male and female appeared on the earth the battle for sexual favours has raged. There must be few men on this planet who have not coveted some woman in their lifetime - and few women who have not been flattered to find that a man finds them attractive.
The only issue here seems to be the status of the male concerned. As the chief executive, this guy had power ! He could promote - or he could deliver retribution for a refusal - and for that indiscretion he was cast adrift and lost a well paying job.
It seems that David Jones did the right thing - and this young woman claims that all she wanted was to be " treated with respect ".
Surely firing the offender was a reasonable outcome - and this claim for a ridiculous amount of money is sheer opportunism !
Or perhaps a bold move to grab fame and fortune by becoming a " celebrity " !
She complained - and the store did the right thing. The chief executive got fired !
Now this young woman is suing David Jones and it's directors - for an amazing thirty-seven million dollars. She says she is entitled to five percent of the chief executives salary - and five percent of the stores annual profits.
Just why she thinks that a simple request for sex should result in the store paying such a penalty is unclear.
Ever since the opposing genders of male and female appeared on the earth the battle for sexual favours has raged. There must be few men on this planet who have not coveted some woman in their lifetime - and few women who have not been flattered to find that a man finds them attractive.
The only issue here seems to be the status of the male concerned. As the chief executive, this guy had power ! He could promote - or he could deliver retribution for a refusal - and for that indiscretion he was cast adrift and lost a well paying job.
It seems that David Jones did the right thing - and this young woman claims that all she wanted was to be " treated with respect ".
Surely firing the offender was a reasonable outcome - and this claim for a ridiculous amount of money is sheer opportunism !
Or perhaps a bold move to grab fame and fortune by becoming a " celebrity " !
Monday, 2 August 2010
Safety - and the coming fire season !
The Black Saturday Royal Commission report has been released, and it is suggested that it's recommendations will be studied by those responsible for fire safety in the Illawarra.
This area is unique in that we live with a forested escarpment that presents a huge fire danger. It last burned about 1968 - and since then there has been a steady increase in homes built on the edge of the tree line.
Just what evacuation plan exists in case of a major fire - and where can residents obtain a copy ?
Where are the emergency assembly points ? Where are the designated " safe spots " for residents to shelter ? How will evacuation warnings be conveyed to those in danger ?
The Black Saturday Royal Commission report is really nothing more than an investigation of the short comings of preparation for a fire event in Victoria that killed 197 people.
It should be taken as a warning for the Illawarra to get ready for the inevitable burning of the escarpment - which is a absolute certainty to happen some time in the future.
Otherwise - we will eventually be reading an " Illawarra Catastrophe Royal Commission report - detailing the short comings of preparation for a fire event that caused many deaths in this region.
It's not a matter of " if " it happens ! Merely a case of " when " !
This area is unique in that we live with a forested escarpment that presents a huge fire danger. It last burned about 1968 - and since then there has been a steady increase in homes built on the edge of the tree line.
Just what evacuation plan exists in case of a major fire - and where can residents obtain a copy ?
Where are the emergency assembly points ? Where are the designated " safe spots " for residents to shelter ? How will evacuation warnings be conveyed to those in danger ?
The Black Saturday Royal Commission report is really nothing more than an investigation of the short comings of preparation for a fire event in Victoria that killed 197 people.
It should be taken as a warning for the Illawarra to get ready for the inevitable burning of the escarpment - which is a absolute certainty to happen some time in the future.
Otherwise - we will eventually be reading an " Illawarra Catastrophe Royal Commission report - detailing the short comings of preparation for a fire event that caused many deaths in this region.
It's not a matter of " if " it happens ! Merely a case of " when " !
Sunday, 1 August 2010
Insider trading !
We have some very strange laws on the books these days ! If anyone gets a little privileged information and uses that to profit from share trading they can be arrested and charged with " insider trading ".
Yet we can legally bet on horses, dogs, all forms of football and other sports - and who wins or loses elections !
Now it appears that the politicians are laying bets on not only the outcome of the Federal election due later this month - but the state election to be held early next year.
It seems that this betting is often on the basis that the party they represent losing the election will reward them with a profit.
It would seem to many that this is a form of insider trading. Not only do politicians have access to the intense voter samplings taken out by all political parties, but they are in a position to influence the outcome.
Some may even wonder if the stream of cabinet leaks undermining Julia Gillard's chance of election victory are coming from a political insider with a big wager on a Labor loss !
If so, we have reached a new low in politics !
Yet we can legally bet on horses, dogs, all forms of football and other sports - and who wins or loses elections !
Now it appears that the politicians are laying bets on not only the outcome of the Federal election due later this month - but the state election to be held early next year.
It seems that this betting is often on the basis that the party they represent losing the election will reward them with a profit.
It would seem to many that this is a form of insider trading. Not only do politicians have access to the intense voter samplings taken out by all political parties, but they are in a position to influence the outcome.
Some may even wonder if the stream of cabinet leaks undermining Julia Gillard's chance of election victory are coming from a political insider with a big wager on a Labor loss !
If so, we have reached a new low in politics !
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)