Archive for June 4th, 2009
And stands down as Defence minister.
The announcement has been confirmed with a released letter from Mr Fitzgibbon to the Prime Minister, which acknowledges that he is “not absolutely satisfied that I [ensured full] compliance with your Ministerial Code of Conduct.”
“I have decided to resign as a member of the Executive, effective, immediately.”
Yesterday Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he was not happy about Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon’s failure to declare another gift.
Mr. Fitzgibbon’s failure to declare gifts in a timely manner, and his controversial relationship with Chinese businesswoman Helen Liu forced this outcome, and after what I said the other night following Mr. Fitzgibbon’s latest late declaration of a gift, I’m pleased with the outcome.
[..]quite frankly if you aren’t capable of disclosing gifts, I fail to see how you can be considered competent enough to be the minister for defence[..]
I don’t want to take pleasure from the downfall of Mr. Fitzgibbon, rather from the fact that the right thing has been done, and the important role of Minister for Defence can now be handed to someone who won’t bring as much controversy, and will hopefully be more suitable for the job.
Samuel
June 4th, 2009 at 03:07pm
Dr Willem de Lange, IPCC author and senior lecturer in Waikato University’s Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, describes some of the dodgy science at the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and explains why he believes that global warming and cooling is not caused by humans.
In 1996 the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Second Assessment Report was released, and I was listed as one of approximately 3000 “scientists” who agreed that there was a discernable human influence on climate.
I was an invited reviewer for a chapter dealing with the economic impact of sea level rise on small island nations… I was not asked if I supported the view expressed in my name, and my understanding at the time was that no evidence of a discernable human influence on global climate existed.
The chapter I reviewed dealt primarily with the economic consequences of an assumed sea level rise of 1 m causing extensive inundation… I disagreed with the initial assumptions, particularly the assumed sea level rise in the stated time period.
Further, there was good evidence at the time that sea level rise would not necessarily result in flooding of small island nations… Subsequent research has demonstrated that coral atolls and associated islands are likely to increase in elevation as sea level rises. Hence, the assumptions were invalid, and I was convinced that IPCC projections were unrealistic and exaggerated the problem…
What has sea level actually done so far this century? There have been large regional variations, but the global rate has slowed and is currently negative, consistent with measured ocean cooling. Claims to the contrary are exaggerations and not realistic…
Trying to stop or control climate change is akin to stopping ocean tides…. As the latest IPCC report notes, there is no convincing evidence of the impact of CO2 (or any other human influence on climate) at a continental scale…
So, I am a climate realist because the available evidence indicates that climate change is predominantly, if not entirely, natural. It occurs mostly in response to variations in solar heating of the oceans, and the consequences this has for the rest of the Earth’s climate system. There is no evidence to support the hypothesis runaway catastrophic climate change due to human activities.
Courtesy of Andrew Bolt.
Samuel
June 4th, 2009 at 02:42pm
I had a most unusual dream the other night featuring an odd version of the (now defunct) Belconnen Bus Interchange.
In this dream the bus interchange was larger than it is in real life and had multiple ramps and bridges crossing the roadway. I, for one reason or another, was boarding buses, validating my ticket, sitting down for a second and then walking off the bus so that I could repeat the procedure.
Eventually I decided to use one of the bridges and sit down on a bench near a fence next to a building at the back of the bus interchange, which seemed to back on to a street in Holt. While I was sitting there, two girls ran out of the interchange carrying something and jumped the fence. A lady from ACTION followed them but didn’t see which direction they went in…I informed her that they had turned right, she then followed them and returned a few moments later with them tied up by a rope.
The girls asked me why I had given up their location, to which I replied that they hadn’t paid for my silence.
The dream then ended.
Samuel
June 4th, 2009 at 12:27pm
During the 8am news I received a text message from my bank with some nice news. I was paid overnight, and for the first time since early January, my bank balance is in positive territory. That’s some nice news which is sure to put a smile on one’s face.
That said, much like last time I had a positive bank balance, it won’t last long. This afternoon there is a very high probability of a … err, how can I put this to avoid giving specific details … I have a “major infrastructure investment” which will take my bank balance back in to negative territory for the time being.
That doesn’t really bother me though, because there is much more to life than the bottom line on a balance sheet. I was reminded of that this morning when I caught a bus in to the station … (hmm, a bus, a clue to the “major infrastructure investment” … what? No! No I am not buying a bus!)
When I caught the bus this morning I had the same bus driver as usual…late as always, miserable as always. He’s certainly earning more than I am, and if you ever needed proof that money is not the key to happiness…then that’s it.
I was on a situation like that once. It was clear that I shouldn’t be doing the job I was doing at the time. Why else would I be unhappy in what I was doing?
I took the hint. Financially I’m much worse off, but emotionally and spiritually I am much better off. It hasn’t been easy, but it is starting to prove fruitful.
Samuel
June 4th, 2009 at 10:27am