Monthly Archive for May, 2008

Gas Guzzling Cars of Government Leaders

Published on May 31, 2008 in Australia in the News. 2 Comments Tags: .

Just another example of do as I say, not as I do and what make these people even worse then usual is that they are hypocrites at the expense of the taxpayer:

KEVIN Rudd might empathise with working families over fuel prices, and express concern over climate change, but some of his colleagues have double standards when it comes to their choice of taxpayer-funded vehicles.

Through a little-known perk, federal departments often provide ministers and parliamentary secretaries with a private-plated car and fuel card for their use in Canberra, separate to any electorate or private vehicles they might have at home.

So this week, when not in parliament debating price-reduction policies and cabinet leaks, the ministers had the opportunity to take a spin around Canberra’s roundabouts and open up on the avenues – all at taxpayers’ expense, and with scant regard for the fuel used and fumes produced.

The Australian has used Freedom of Information laws, and questioned ministers’ offices and departments, to compile the accompanying list of cabinet cars.  [The Australian]

Here is the great graphic which shows the cars that the Aussie taxpayer is funding for these people:

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My favorite on here is Penny Wong the climate change Minister driving around in a gas guzzler.  Good on Peter Garrett for not accepting a government car but I am curious to what his own personal car is along with the rest of these government ministers?

Uncontacted Tribe in the Amazon Photographed

Published on May 30, 2008 in South America. 1 Comment Tags: , .

I think this is one area I will not be going on a walkabout anytime soon:

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APPEALS have been made to leave alone the members of one of Brazil’s last uncontacted Indian tribes, spotted in the Amazon jungle near the Peruvian border.

The Indians were sighted and photographed from an aircraft or helicopter during flights over the rainforest in remote Acre state, said Brazil’s National Indian Foundation, known as Funai.

Funai said it photographed “strong and healthy” warriors, six huts and a large planted area.

The photographs show red-painted tribe members brandishing bows and arrows.

Funai said it was not known to which tribe they belonged.

“Four distinct isolated peoples exist in this region, whom we have accompanied for 20 years,” Funai expert Jose Carlos Meirelles Junior said.

“We did the overflight to show their houses, to show they are there, to show they exist,” he said.

“This is very important because there are some who doubt their existence.” [AAP]

“Strong and healthy warriors”, this guys makes it sound like he is spotting wildlife instead of people. It seems to me that if this guy wanted to ensure these natives remained “uncontacted” I would think flying a helicopter right over their homes wouldn’t be the way to go about doing that?

Anyway the pictures they took are pretty cool:

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Pretty sizable community they built out in the middle of nowhere.

You can view the rest of the pictures they took here.

Melbourne Teacher Wanted Student to Treat Her As A “Sex Slave”

Published on May 30, 2008 in Australia in the News and Victoria. 21 Comments Tags: , .

If people think weird behavior between teachers and students only happens in the US, let me tell you it happens plenty here in Australia as well:

A MELBOURNE female teacher charged with sexually penetrating a 15-year-old student urged the boy to treat her like a sex slave, court documents show.

Nazira Rafei, 25, who is a teacher at a Melbourne high school, is charged with one count of sexually penetrating a child under 16 and four counts of an indecent act with a child under 16.

She is also charged with trying to conceal the relationship by making an unwarranted demand on the boy.

During a brief filing hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today, her lawyer, Steve Pica, indicated Rafei would plead not guilty.

“This case is likely to attract a fair degree of media attention,” Mr Pica told the court. [AAP]

This case isn’t really getting too much media attention really other then minor blurbs in the news unlike the US where it seems like these teacher sex scandals always make big headlines.

Anyway here is a picture of Nazira Rafei for those who are curious which I know some of you out there reading this are:

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You can read more here from the Herald-Sun.

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Friday Eco-fact: Australia’s Feral Camels

Published on May 29, 2008 in Environment. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Like many exotic species introduced into Australia, dromedary camels were brought in with the best of intentions. The camels were the first mass transit of the Great Australian Outback. In the mid-1800′s camels were shipped to Australia mostly from India to be used to ship goods and people across the Outback. What else was imported with the camels was camel herders that were responsible for driving the camels across the Outback. Even though most of the camel herders were from northern India and Pakistan these herders became popularly known as “Ghans”.

The term Ghans is so ingrained in Australian culture that when a train line was made to cross the Outback it became known as the “Ghan Train” in honor of those early camel herders:

For those who visit Alice Springs can actually see a monument to these early Outback travelers over at the train station:

However, the construction of the Ghan Train along with the construction of roads made the Outback more accessible and the use of camels obsolete. So when these early camel herders were out of work and their camels were of no use, they were simply let go. Since then the descendents of these camels have flourished in the Outback. The lowest estimates put the camel population at 500,000 while one estimate puts the camel population as high as one million. Incredibly these numbers makes Australia the home to the largest population of wild camels in the entire world. Their wild nature has also made them an export market for Australia. Middle Eastern countries prize the camels for both a food delicacy and for racing purposes.

However, since the camels are not native to Australia they are extremely damaging to the environment. They wander the Outback eating vegetation cover that small marsupials use for cover. Once the marsupials are exposed it makes them easier prey for predators thus drastically reducing their populations. They compete for grazing land and water holes with livestock which only further depletes the vegetation and reduces available water for both livestock and native wildlife. Due to these reasons, camels are widely considered a nuisance in Outback Australia. With camel populations expected to double in eight years it is clear that camels are only going to become an even bigger nuisance.

On Walkabout At: Port Campbell National Park – Part 1

Published on May 28, 2008 in Victoria. 2 Comments Tags: , , .

Port Campbell National Park

Australia’s Great Ocean Road has a number of fabulous sites to include pristine beaches, spectacular coastlines, beautiful waterfalls, ancient rain forests, giant trees, and attractive small towns. However, the most well known and most photographed area along Victoria’s Great Ocean Road is not any of these locations, but is in fact Port Campbell National Park.

The park is located on the far end of the Great Ocean Road about 190 kilometers southwest of Melbourne:

The 12 Apostles is an area of limestone coastline that formed 20 million years ago that has been slowly eroded by the crashing ocean waves since that time. This erosion has resulted in a deeply fractured coastline that features a number of dramatic rock formations.

My wife and I had spent the night at a nearby campground in our trusty Coleman tent and woke up early in order to get to the park and see its most famous attraction the 12 Apostles before the crowds arrived. We were literally the first people at the park that morning and were greeted with off and on rain. It wasn’t enough rain to spoil our visit though.

The Gibson Steps

The first rock formation we stopped to see was at Gibson Beach:

The parking lot was on the cliffs high above the beach which could only be accessed by walking down what is known as the Gibson Steps:

These steps were carved by hand back in the 19th century and were quite slippery when I was walking down them because of the rain. Once on the beach we were rewarded with quite a dramatic view of the steep ocean cliffs:

Besides having a great view of the cliffs, Gibson Beach also has a perfect view of the first of rock formation composing the 12 Apostles:

The 12 Apostles

From Gibson Beach my wife and I then made the short drive over to the next car park which is where the main visitor center for the park is located. It was still early and the visitor center closed, so we just followed the short trail to the viewing platform that overlooks the 12 Apostles:

No one is really sure who named the 12 Apostles because there is only seven of these fascinating rock formations now. The other five formations may have been knocked down by the crashing waves. In 2005 there was eight Apostles left until one suddenly collapsed due to the eroding waves. The rubble of that Apostle can be seen in the foreground of the picture above. Locals believe that there probably wasn’t ever 12 Apostles to begin with, but that a drunk with double vision incorrectly counted the number of rock columns and named the place. If you have been in Australia as long as I have, you would understand that this theory is totally plausible.

Anyway the individual rock formations are really stunning and the rock layers that composes them and the surrounding coastline can be easily seen:

I also found myself fascinated by the steep coastline:

As can be seen by the erosion of the cliff face, the ocean’s water level once reached much high then is does today. With all the talk about climate change, it is very clear as can be seen here, that climate change has happened before and will happen again.

Walks Around the 12 Apostles

Anyway from the visitor center there is a variety of trails that run in each direction on top of the cliffs in order to get various views of the 12 Apostles and the dramatic coastal cliffs:

Following one of the trails heading off towards the east it lead out onto a peninsula that provided great views looking both towards the east and west. Toward the east I was able to get a view of the first rock columns I had saw over at Gibson Beach:

Looking west I had yet another view of the rest of the 12 Apostles:

Looking at the 12 Apostles it was interesting to see the how different each of the rock formations were. About half of them were really thick and bulky:

While the other half were slender and elegant:

The Shipwreck Coast

As stunning as this coastline is, it is important to remember that this area is known as the Shipwreck Coast because of the number of ships that have been lost on these rocky shores. In just one 40 year period 80 ships were lost along this coast due to the fog and hidden reefs that made navigation so treacherous in these waters.

By seeing these rocks, cliffs, and high waves for myself, it is easy to see why navigating these waters was so dangerous for early sailors. Unlike those early seafarers that crashed on these shores, I was safe on top of these steep cliffs taking in some great views. Despite the rain and wind I was getting battered with, I was having a great time and couldn’t wait to see the rest of this fantastic park.

Next Posting: Port Campbell National Park – Part 2

Witness Claims Rescued Divers at Blame

Published on May 26, 2008 in Australia in the News. 0 Comments Tags: , .

It appears I was wrong, the two divers recently rescued off the Queensland coast were responsible for getting themselves stranded says a fellow tourist on the diving trip:

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Attention has now turned to the dive company, with police and the Office of Workplace Health and Safety announcing they will conduct a routine investigation into how the dive trip almost ended in tragedy.

But a British tourist who was on the boat has described Mr Neely, 38, and Ms Dalton, 40, as “their own worst enemies” and defended the boat operators against claims they waited too long before alerting authorities to the couple’s disappearance.

Matt Cawkwell, 28, said Mr Neely and Ms Dalton were told not to move out of the lagoon in which the dive boat was moored, but did so anyway.

“They took it upon themselves to venture further afield and that’s how they ended up being caught in the current and that’s how they ended up being lost,” he told The Age last night.

“Everybody else got back. Less experienced divers who were doing the same thing realised what was happening and managed to make it back, these people didn’t.”

Mr Cawkwell said claims by the couple that they surfaced 200 metres from the dive boat but were unable to attract the attention of the 18 people on board were unlikely to be true.

“They say they came up 200 metres away, but it’s just wrong,” he said. “We don’t know exactly where they came up, but there were enough eyes on that boat to have seen anyone within 1000 metres — easily.”

Mr Cawkwell took exception to claims that the boat operators waited three hours before contacting the emergency services.

“That’s not correct, it was a much shorter time than that,” he said. “They went at 2pm and they weren’t due back ’til 3pm, and there is no way it was phoned in after 6pm — that’s just totally inaccurate.

“It just seems that everyone’s saying the company were responsible, when I think the responsibility lies with the two people who took it … (upon) themselves to do literally what they wanted and disregarded everything else.

“They couldn’t wait to get back in the water, even though they should have waited longer.”  [The Age]

It is pretty amazing that these two are going to be given $1.1 million dollars to sell their story to the Daily Mirror when it appears they were responsible for getting themselves lost.  If they got themselves lost then they should pay for the rescue operation.

Their agent (if you believe it that they already have an agent)  is the same agent that brokered the interview Tania Zaetta did with Channel 9 after her Australian soldier sex scandal.  He claims that the couple’s insurance will pay for the cost of the rescue.

Giant Squid Caught Off the Victorian Coast

Published on May 26, 2008 in Australia in the News. 0 Comments

Check out the size of this squid caught off the coast the Victorian coastline of Australia:

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Fishing trawler skipper Rangi Pene knew he’d netted the catch of the day when he winched his net up from the ocean floor.

About halfway down the net was a large mass which, as the net drew closer, Mr Pene knew was not your everyday fish.

It was in fact the catch of a lifetime – a six-metre long, 230kg squid, which is now in a freezer in Portland, waiting for collection by Museum Victoria.

“As soon as we seen it, we (thought) we’ll have to save this,” the excited skipper said.

The trawler, Zeehaan, was fishing about 40km off the coast of Portland in Victoria’s west, when it netted the squid on Sunday night in waters more than 500 metres deep.  [AAP]

If anyone is wondering the squid was already dead when it was caught.  It will be interesting to see how much this squid ways compared to the squid caught last year by New Zealand fishermen off the coast of Antarctica that weighed in at 495 kilograms.  Now that is a lot of calamari.

Richard Neely and Allyson Dalton In Bidding War After Diving Rescue

Published on May 25, 2008 in Australia in the News. 0 Comments

A British man and his American partner are now in the midst of a bidding storm that is drawing heavy criticism in Australia after their rescue from a diving trip gone bad this weekend:

BRITISH diver Richard Neely and partner Allyson Dalton have been accused of flouting a dive briefing as a $250,000 bidding war broke out for the rights to their miraculous story of survival.

And Mr Neely’s father Stuart, in the UK, said this was the third time his son had cheated death in four years.

He had been caught up in the tsunami that hit Asia on Boxing Day 2004, while working as a diving instructor in Thailand, but escaped his hotel to reach higher ground.

Later his dive boat sank off Thailand and he was forced to tread water for eight hours through the night until he was picked up by another boat.

The Briton and his American girlfriend spent 19 hours adrift in shark-infested waters off Queensland’s Airlie Beach.

The couple’s friend, Danielle Scott-Flanders, denied they had done anything wrong after suggestions they might have ignored a dive safety briefing. [Herald-Sun]

The Australian morning shows were hammering the couple this morning claiming they should pay back the Queensland government for the cost of their rescue if they are looking to profit from it.  So far the couple has only made less then $10,000 for the story but it is believed that the American 60 Minutes program is offering $250,000 to air their survival story.  I feel that if these two were at fault for getting lost in the first place and are profiting off of their own mistake, then I could understand the government wanting to get reimbursed.  However, if the dive company is at fault then I think they have every right to sell their story just like many other survivors of extreme situations have in the past. 


Photo of Richard Neely & Allyson Dalton after their rescue.

The media is reporting that these two were highly experienced divers and local officials are crediting their diving knowledge with their ability to survive so long in the open ocean.  Judging by this it appears unlikely these two were at fault for being lost out at sea, but who knows.  I’m sure we will hear plenty more about this case. 

Bushwalker Vanishes in Little Desert National Park

Published on May 25, 2008 in Australia in the News. 0 Comments

Another hiker has disappeared this year in Victoria’s bushland:

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A LARGE-scale search and rescue operation will resume today for a 49-year-old man from Melbourne’s west who failed to return from a week-long camping trip.

David McCormack, of Sunbury, was due back on Friday night from a camping trip to the Wyperfeld and Little Desert national parks near Dimboola, about 330km west of Melbourne.

He was last seen early on Tuesday morning by a ranger when he checked in to inquire about camping sites, police said.

Mr McCormack was prepared to camp for the week but it was out of character of him not to arrive back home on time or contact his family, police said.

Search and rescue teams, the air wing and local police units from Nhill, Dimboola, Rainbow and Hopetoun searched the area but were unable to locate Mr McCormack yesterday.

Australian Search and Rescue (AusSAR) will join the police search today, with two fixed-wing aircraft to leave from Essendon and Moorabbin airports at 8am (AEST).   [AAP]

Mr. McCormack is the second Victorian bushwalker to disappear in the last three months after Warren Meyer vanished while hiking in the Yarra Ranges this March.  The area is very remote but he was traveling by four wheel drive which should be visible from the air.  Let’s hope this search has a happier ending then the mystery that still surrounds Warren Meyer.

On Walkabout Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Published on May 24, 2008 in Tabloid Crap. 0 Comments Tags: .

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This weekend my wife and I were quite excited to head over to the local movie theater to watch the latest entry of the Indiana Jones series. Our expectations were pretty high considering this was an Indiana Jones film. The way the movie started out it appeared our expectations were going to be met with lots of fast and furious Indy action as he gets caught in a Russian plot to steal a artifact from a US military base in Nevada.

However, after the first 20 minutes of the film it was slightly down hill from there for this movie. There was about a 30 minute lull in the movie to tell the story of the film but the story was so uninteresting and absurd it became (if you can believe this for an Indy film) boring. Yes boring, that was until towards the end in the Amazon where the action finally picked up again with some outstanding action sequences as Indy tries to escape the Russians and return the Crystal Skull to the lost city of gold he was trying to find.

However the action sequences at the end has some extremely absurd moments even for an Indiana Jones movie such as Indy’s young sidekick swinging like Tarzan with has gang of monkeys to fight the Russians. Not to give anything away for people who haven’t seen the movie, let me just say it ends strangely to say the least.

Anyway the movie was still fun to watch. Harrison Ford was excellent in the movie. Even though I and other reviewers (for far different and I would say absurd reasons) have had criticisms about the movie, it is not because of Harrison Ford. He is older now but his age wasn’t a factor in this movie and actually provided some comedy relief as characters make wise cracks about his age in the movie. Australia’s very own Cate Blanchett plays the Russian villain in the movie and personally I don’t think she played a very good villain at all. The actors weren’t bad and an Indy movie isn’t really about good acting anyway.

Overall I would say my wife and I got our money’s worth watching the movie but it is probably the worst of the Indiana Jones series which doesn’t mean much considering how good the other movies were. So definitely check it out but just keep your expectations in check.