Monthly Archive for April, 2009
Page 2 of 5
I can’t think of a major city in the world that faces the possibility of running out of water like Melbourne is by as early as 2010 according to this posting if you can believe it:
There has not been one week in 2009 where Melbourne’s Water Storage levels have increased or even stayed the same. It has been on a continual decline due to lower than average rainfall, higher than average water usage per person, and an ever increasing Melbourne population…
Should this amount continue to decline at this rate? Well possibly. Melbourne’s water usage over winter should decline, however we are still having the greatest population increase of any city in Australia…
Although I don’t like to extrapolate, if the current decreasing trend of water levels were to continue in the graph as shown above, then by November 30, when (No Water Minister) Tim Holding will re-review the storage levels, Melbourne’s water levels will be at 13.3%, less than half of what they are now. And I can extrapolate further too. If the current decreasing trend of water levels were to continue beyond this, then Melbourne will have its last drop on the 16th of June 2010.
What continues to amaze me is that people continue to be surprised by this happening despite the fact that the city has been Australia’s fastest growing city and had a huge population boom without improving the water infrastructure.
What is sad is that this should have been addressed long ago.
This is what the blog Why Go Australia recommends for those of you thinking about climbing to the top of Uluru:
Uluru, or Ayers Rock, has become one of Australia’s most iconic travel destinations. Its allure is undeniable: sitting at the very heart of the flattest continent on the planet, its jettisoning, majestic red walls and hubris shape demand recognition; as if to remind all of its visitors that this place is anything but ordinary. Aside from the nearby Mount Olga, it’s the only significant landmark for hundreds of miles around, so Uluru defines the landscape of the vast Australian outback.
Perhaps for this reason, many travelers find it difficult to shrug off the beckoning, spiritual urge it compels to climb it. Climbing Uluru is certainly possible, and many travelers do make the trek to its summit every year. A chain handhold was added in 1964 and extended in 1976, making the half mile climb easier and more accessible for tourists, but it’s still a difficult hike to the top. (………)
All of that said, as any visitor to Uluru will attest, there are also some significant ethical concerns to consider before deciding to make the climb. Specifically, the local Tjukurpa and Anangu people choose not to climb Uluru due to the site’s great spiritual significance, and they kindly request that visitors don’t climb it either. The climbing path crosses a sacred “Dreamtime” track, which the locals only trek for ritualistic purposes. In fact, as you arrive at Uluru you’ll notice signs posted right at the foot of the climbing trail asking visitors not to climb. The juxtaposition may seem paradoxical, but for the conscious traveler, seeing the site shouldn’t be removed from experiencing– and respecting– the unique cultures of the region too. [Why Go Australia]
To say that Uluru and the Olgas are the only significant landmarks for hundreds of miles in the Red Center is not exactly true. Mt. Connor is just down the road from Ayers Rock and actually often confused with it when visitors first see it:
There actually other large rock formations in the area as well though Mt. Connor, Uluru, and the Olgas are the most prominent.
Anyway, back to the subject at hand; the belief that the local Aborigines do not want tourists to climb Uluru has a ring of truth to it, though not for the reasons you may think.
When I went to Uluru I asked one of the local Anangu people if his people would be really offended if I climbed the rock. He said the local Aborigines actually don’t mind people climbing the rock, but they just try to discourage people from climbing rock in effort to get people who may be elderly or out of shape from climbing up the rock and killing themselves from exhaustion or heat stroke. He said that when someone dies on the rock the locals have to conduct an elaborate ceremony so that the spirit of the deceased person leaves the rock. This is highly annoying to them when they have to do it over and over again because of people who shouldn’t be trying to climb the rock in the first place die for whatever reason.
So from that perspective I could understand why they try to discourage people from climbing the rock. He also told me that yes Uluru is a holy rock, but that the Olgas are actually more important to the local people. He said that Aboriginal males still do coming of age pilgrimages to the Olgas and that is why visitors are not allowed to climb the Olgas, but can climb Ayers Rock.
So if you go don’t feel bad about climbing Uluru if you are in shape. The views from the top are really incredible and worth the effort to climb up the rock to see. The views feel even better to see when you can do it with a guilt free concious.
Australian Defence Force officials are now advocating for a military expansion:
AUSTRALIA needs an army of 12 battalions, up to 200 advanced combat aircraft and 18 submarines to prepare for future strategic challenges including the rise of China, a new study warns.
Professor Hugh White, visiting fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy, said this would be expensive but not unaffordable, requiring around 2.5 per cent of GDP, up from the current two per cent.
Professor White, principal author of the 2000 Defence White Paper, said most people understood that China’s rise was transforming Asia, but few acknowledged the obvious consequences for Australia’s security.
He said that in the upcoming 2009 White Paper, set to be released before the end of the month, the Government could choose to hedge its bets and defer key announcements.
But he said in a paper released yesterday that the least the government should do was commit to building a defence force able to achieve strategic objectives set out in the 2000 White Paper.
Prof White said there was a big gap between present forces and the tasks they were supposed to be able to perform and that gap would only grow.
“Even with eight battalions, Australia would today be hard-pressed to deploy more than about 3000 troops to a major crisis in our region for a short deployment of up to a few months,” he said.
He suggested a minimum of 12 battalions, each with around 800 troops.
Professor White said the navy needed to be structured to deny Australia’s sea approaches to an enemy, requiring a force with fewer surface ships and more submarines.
Australia now has six highly capable Collins class boats which reach end of life around 2025.
“In my view, Australia should soon start steadily to expand the submarine force to 12 boats, and eventually to 18,” he said.
Professor White said the RAAF traditionally enjoyed a significant margin of superiority over regional air forces, with current plans to maintain that superiority through buying 100 advanced Lockheed F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.
He said improving regional capabilities meant the arbitrary figure of 100 was almost certainly too low and the government needed to consider buying up to 200.
Professor White said China was set to overtake the US as the world’s largest economy, ending the era of uncontested US primacy.
The US had various options ranging from acquiescence to meeting the challenge head-on. To meet the challenge, the most obvious approach would be to build a regional coalition, including Australia, to balance China’s power.
But in any conflict, he said, Australia would face the uncomfortable choice of siding with the US, with our future utterly dependent on the outcome, or standing aloof in the certain knowledge that we would then be on our own in an uncertain region thereafter. [AAP]
What is interesting is how much less Australia pays for defense compared to the United States. According to the article Australia is currently spending 2% of GDP on defense where America spends currently 4.2% of GDP. What I wonder is if the ADF does get a extra money for their expansion who are they going to recruit to fill the ranks with the current recruiting crisis they are currently going through. If you can’t fill the force you have now, how are going to fill an expanded force in the future?
Despite the dingos this is one place I really want to visit some day up in Queensland:
ANOTHER child has been attacked by a dingo on Fraser Island, the second such attack within a week, with government officials opting to destroy the animals.
On Sunday a 10-year-old boy sustained scratches and bruises after being attacked by a young dingo.A 16-year-old girl had her shorts ripped by a dingo but was otherwise unscathed on April 6.
The Courier-Mail reports that both dingoes were destroyed by officers from Department of Environment and Resource Management.
In a statement, DERM said a tagged, juvenile male dingo which attacked the 16-year-old schoolgirl on the beach outside Eurong township had a history of aggressive behaviour and had attacked a female tourist at the same location the next day.
The dog which attacked on Sunday also had a history of aggressive behaviour involving nine separate incidents. [Courier Mail]
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