August 25, 2008
100 Years of Science: Lecture in Sydney, September 6, 2008
Professor Jak Kelly will present 'Science then and now: What will 100 years have done for science?' as it was delivered 100 years ago to a meeting of the Royal Society of NSW, in the now heritage-listed Science House in the Rocks (Sydney) on Saturday September 6, 2008.
According to the latest newsletter from the Royal Society of NSW, an equally eminent scientist will follow with a demonstration of the advances in science since that time.
Was science held in much higher regard back then - around the turn of the 20th Century?
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Science then and now - what 100 years has done for science
2-4 pm Saturday September 6, 2008
Science House, 157 Gloucester Street (corner of Essex) in Sydney CBD
Bookings not essential
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August 16, 2008
Australian Environment Foundation Annual Conference
A highlight of the last year's conference for me was meeting Helen Mahar. I will be at the conference again this year. You can also register at www.aefweb.info
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July 02, 2008
New Australian Movie Starring Caroline Marohasy
Caroline Marohasy, a reader of this weblog and my daughter, makes her debut in a new Australian revenge thriller 'The Horseman' that will premier at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
Caroline Marohasy and Peter Marshall in The Horseman
If you like this genre of movie you can watch the trailer; but be warned there is lots of blood and guts and violence.
A couple of early reviews include:
"The Horseman is a balls to the wall, edgy thriller. A simple, fast paced action movie - the kind people used to make in the 70's. Think 'Get Carter' in 'Stubbies' crossed with Tarantino. If you like your movies bold, hard-core and unapologetic, then keep an eye on director Steven Kastrissios".
- Greg Mclean (Director of Wolf Creek & Rogue)
"I just saw an advance screener of this film and was left breathless. The Horseman is the most compelling Australian film that I have seen since Wolf Creek. It is taut and relentless, grabbing you by the throat in the opening scene and not letting go until the end credits roll. The film’s frenetic pacing and tight narrative structure brings to mind similarly impactual genre classics like Mad Max and Romper Stomper. Indeed, it belongs to that rare type of thrilling Aussie cinema that gets bums on seats and keeps them there! Kastrissios should be congratulated for such an amazing debut. He should also be paid close attention to: I believe he is set to become an important fixture of the Australian cinema scene.
- Dean Bertram (Director, A Night of Horror International Film Festival)
And a note from Caroline, "Australian independent feature films really need grass roots support, and this one is no exception. So you might become a fan at our Facebook site".
warning - this is a horror revenge movie with lots of 'blood and guts'
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June 24, 2008
Ken Willett Talking Transport in Brisbane
The Institute of Public Affairs invites you to the third Brisbane Club Lecture for 2008. Entitled 'Prescribing the right medicine for a city choked with congestion' the lecture is on Thursday, July 24, 2008 at 5pm in The Brisbane Club's The Oak Room (241 Adelaide Street, Brisbane CCBD).
After the talk, attendees are invited to come at their own expense to an informal dinner with Ken Willett at the nearby restaurant Zenbar at 7:00pm.
Ken Willett is a Senior Consultant for ACIL Tasman. Ken has worked in project/corporate for more than 38 years and is an expert in urban transport economics and natural resource economics. In recent years he has focused on anti-congestion policy and abatement of greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector. Before joining ACIL Tasman, Ken worked in the private and public sectors in three states and headed RACQ's public policy department for nearly 5 years.
RSVP Andy Poon, Telephone 03 9600 4744, Email apoon@ipa.org.au
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May 27, 2008
Tracks for Cyclists
"It can be quite tricky traversing a car dominated city by bicycle, particularly when you need to travel an unknown route to a new destination.
"But the chances are, someone has cycled that way before you. Bikely.com makes it easy for him or her to show you the best way.
"Put very simply, www.bikely.com helps cyclists share knowledge of good bicycle routes."
Read more here: www.bikely.com
Posted by jennifer at 07:35 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
February 21, 2008
Neil is Back in Action
I took this slightly out-of-focus photograph from the verandah of my living room, four days ago and in doing so, formally began to re-establish my collection - hopefully, all is not lost.
By way of perspective, I have long suspected that one of the many benefits of living in tropical wilderness is the luxury of going barefoot. I maintain that removing the immediate protection of footwear and restoring direct contact with terra firma, with all its irregularities and unexpected anomalies, optimises one’s long-term proprioceptive interests. But more than mere exercise, an almost infinite combination of sensory variations underfoot, reverberates throughout one’s greater physiology to enunciate, in the most eloquent tones, relations with the natural environment.
The same can be said for the smörgåsbord of pheromones that infiltrate the sensory openings of Jacobson’s organ and target the limbic centres of the brain. By way of contrast and beneath an urban pair of veritable olfactory-ugg-boots, nature’s stimuli are swamped by a tidal wave of highly concentrated pollutants and chemical deodorants.
In this sense, unfettered exposure to the natural environment provides a myriad of sensations, spanning a gamut of pleasures and repugnancies. Indeed, how is one supposed to appreciate the inherent truth of a pleasurable sensation without regarding the agony and inconvenience of its equally unambiguous counterpart?
On this basis, I take some philosophical counsel from the suffering and inconvenience of my recent computer crash. Beyond the catastrophic loss of my entire data-base, save that which might be recoverable from expensive data restoration technology, my appreciation for computer technology is now balanced against my contempt for its sensational unreliability.
Incidentally, the upkeep of this blog can be assisted by using the donate button on the right-hand side of the homepage. Many thanks to those who have already done so.
Posted by neil at 05:07 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
November 19, 2007
Lord Nigel Lawson on 'The Politics and Economics of Climate Change'
Lord Nigel Lawson, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, prominent commentator on the Stern Report, and key member of the 2006 UK House of Lords Economics Committee Report into the Economics of Climate Change will speak on:
'The Politics and Economics of Climate Change'
Monday, November 26, 2007
12:00:00 PM - 2:00:00 PM
Four Seasons Hotel, 199 George Street, Sydney
$235 per person, table of 10 books available at $2,100
- contact Andy Poon at the IPA on 03 9600 4744.
I may be able to get you (and/or your partner) a ticket at half price, if you contact me in the next two days!
Email jennifermarohasy@jennifermarohasy.com
PS I will be there. :-)
Posted by jennifer at 03:41 PM | Comments (19) | TrackBack
July 03, 2007
Fellow Blogger Launches Re-election Campaign: A Note from Andrew Bartlett
Queensland Democrat Senator, Andrew Bartlett, and I don't agree on a lot...
Except the power of the internet, the importance of free speech and that the Australian environment is unique and precious.
Anyway, Andrew recently sent me a note including comment that:
"While most people assume the [federal] election will not be called before mid-September at the earliest, it can be called from July onwards, so we're getting out there early to show we're ready and rolling."
In particular, Andrew's campaign launch is happening this Sunday 8th July. It will be starting from 11am, in the Gardens Theatre at QUT Gardens Point campus, 2 George St in Brisbane City. It should all be over by around 12.30.
You can read Andrew's web diary at http://www.andrewbartlett.com/blog
His homepage is at http://www.andrewbartlett.com
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Australian Enviroment Foundation Conference: Melbourne 8th and 9th September
Hi Jennifer,
The Australian Environment Foundation's second conference will be held in Melbourne on September 8th and 9th 2007 with the theme "People and their Place in the Environment".
You can download conference details and the registration form here:
http://aefweb.info/data/Website%20flyer%20&%20Registration%20Ver1.pdf
Registration closes on July 30th.
Topics covered will include global warming, nuclear power, water, forestry, GM crops, environmental impact assessment and wildlife management. Speakers include:
Conference speakers:
Don Burke, Chairman of AEF,
Professor Augie Auer, Climatologist – Climate change from a meteorological perspective
Professor Bob Carter, Marine geologist and environmental scientist – Real Facts and Figures about Global Warming. An analysis of the facts of climate change in balanced context.
Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Chairman of the Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation – Peoples future energy needs and the environment
George Warne, CEO of Murray Irrigation – Irrigation farmers place in the environment
Gary Featherston, President of the Institute of Foresters Aust. – Impacts on water from forest management
Calton Frame, Resource Manager Gunns Ltd – The environmental assessment process for the proposed pulp mill at Bell Bay
Professor Rick Roush, Dean of the Faculty of Land & Food Resources at Melbourne University – GM crops: Reducing risks to people and the environment
Dr Grahame Webb, principal, Wildlife Management Int. – Conservation through sustainable use
Professor Aynsley Kellow, Head of the School of Political Governance, University of Tasmania – Social and Political implications of environmentalism
Regards,
Max Rheese
Australian Environment Foundation
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March 15, 2007
New Website, New Blog, New Photographs: A Note from Neil Hewett
Hi Jen,
After a torrid month or so of blundering around a web-design application and with the help of the team at Wild Lime Media, we have finally published (and hopefully de-bugged) our new website; complete with a ‘Rainforest Revelations’ weblog.
Now that that’s done, I can return to some semblance of a life. In my absence from your blog, I have captured some interesting images.
The Daintree Cape Tribulation rainforest is at its most vibrant in the wet. Some of its best-kept secrets are revealed in circumstances that are frustratingly uninviting to visitors. Nevertheless, we at Cooper Creek Wilderness carry on with our tours and share the wonder of the wet with a privileged few.
This image of a brush-footed trapdoor spider was captured two nights ago at the entrance to its burrow, deep within the buttress roots of a Javan Ash.
Primitive spiders lack trachea and have very limited respiratory capabilities. Their gill-like book-lungs confer a greater proximity to an aqueous pre-existence, than the more modern and mobile Araneomorphs. They are also less able to travel great distances from the protection of their burrows and tend to have more immobilizing venom.
Also known as whistling spiders, barking spiders or Australia’s Tarantulas, they are subject to concerning pressures from collectors who sell them as pets for around $400 each. In an attempt to control these impacts, their trade has become regulated by licencing requirements (I wonder if this is having any success).
The other interesting image is a magnification of a longicorn beetle's head, Batocera sp., whose family includes Australia’s largest beetle.
Their powerful mandibles rip into timber and their large, white and fleshy larvae are favoured bush-tucker for Cape York bama.
All the best from Cooper Creek Wilderness,
Posted by jennifer at 06:30 PM | Comments (13) | TrackBack
March 14, 2007
Eco-Freaks: A New Book by John Berlau (Part 1, DDT)
I occasionally get emails from the other side of the world with a query about something environmental that is uniquely Australian.
It was not so many years ago that John Berlau emailed me about the Murray River and also bushfires. He was writing a book. It’s now published. Called ‘Eco-Freaks: Environmentalism is Hazardous to Your Health’ the book includes chapters on DDT, Asbestos and Hurricane Katrina.
I’ve only read the first three chapters. There could be something in the following few about the Murray River and Australia or he may be saving that for another book.
Anyway, while the focus in 'Eco-Freaks' is on America, the issues Berlau chooses to explore are relevant to the whole world.
The second chapter on DDT, and entitled ‘Rachel Carson Kills Birds’, will have Tim Lambert in a spin. In fact Berlau references Lambert’s blog ‘Deltoid’ (footnote number 128). But it’s not complementary.
I have read a lot about DDT, Rachel Carson and environmentalism, but I still learnt a lot from that chapter.
And I was amused by the anecdotal. In particular, that Joseph Jacobs, a chemist who worked to mass-produce DDT to protect American troops during World War II, ended up with DDT poured over him when the valve at the bottom of a large vessel was accidentally opened. In his autobiography, Jacobs wrote:
“When it dried, I had DDT an inch thick all over me. In my hair, in my ears, and in my mouth and nose. I took off my clothes, showered, and scrubbed, but probably ingested more DDT during that one incident than is today considered safe to absorb over any years.”
Berlau goes on to comment about the fate of Joseph Jacobs:
“After all, in the years after Silent Spring, DDT was called ‘double death twice’. One touch could kill you. And sadly, after being exposed, Jacobs did die – more than sixty years later in 2004, at the tender young age of eighty-eight.”
‘Eco-Freaks’ is available from Amazons.com.
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December 29, 2006
www.whalephoto.com
Congratulations to whale and wildlife photographer, George McCallum. His revamped website is back online with a thousand or so images including of minke whales, humpback whales and killer whales:
The website includes albums on 'European birds', 'oil platforms and rigs', and also one entitled 'weather and water':
http://www.whalephoto.com/2007/thumbnails.php?album=24.
For more information on George: http://www.jennifermarohasy.com/blog/archives/001650.html.
Posted by jennifer at 11:22 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
December 22, 2006
Interested in the Environment? Looking to do a PhD?
A new partnership between the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) and the University of Queensland has resulted in the creation of a new 'Science and Environment Research Group' and 3 PhD Scholarships in Environmental Science and 1 in Environmental Law.
Funding is available for 4 PhD scholarships to undertake evidence-based research into environmental issues with the aim of providing improved information and frameworks for prioritizing environmental need, quantifying the costs and benefits of conservation initiatives, developing agricultural policies and appropriate legal frameworks.
Successful applicants will become research fellows at the IPA and PhD students at the University of Queensland. The recipient of the scholarship in environmental law will become, in addition, a Research Scholar of the Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law (CPICL) in the T C Beirne School of Law.
Areas of research
The PhD research topics will be determined by the successful candidate through discussion with their advisor(s) and the IPA. Environmental Science projects will involve students using an evidence-based approach to quantify the costs and benefits to the environmental from government policies in areas such as, but not limited to:
• agricultural practices and chemicals
• genetically modified organisms
• water use, conservation and environmental flow management.
The Environmental Law candidate will survey and evaluate the legal and administrative frameworks for environmental management in Australia to determine their fairness and efficiency for achieving environmental goals. The environmental law research topic will be in these broad areas:
• use of evidence to develop environmental protection policy and law
• the suitability and efficiency of current laws and administrative processes for determining environmental goals, impacts, options, costs and benefits and the development of regulatory models that allow the application of sound science and appropriate economic instruments in meeting the challenges of environmental management.
The Person
First class honours or Masters graduates from a relevant discipline such as but not limited to biological or environmental sciences or law. Potential candidates will want to contribute to the environmental policy debate and pursue a career in research and public policy, communicating science to the public or advising Government and Industry oin environmental issues. The research fellows will be selected based on demonstrated academic achievement and their allied interest in the goals of the Science and Environment Research group. The personal skills and attributes should also include:
• Ability to access, analyse and evaluate data in topical and controversial areas
• Developed oral and written communication skills
• The ability to participate in the public debate on environment issues
• Understanding of evidence based non-partisan assessments.
Remuneration
These are full-time scholarships for a fixed-term of 3 to 3.5 years at $25,000 per annum with a generous allowance for operating and travel.
Contact
For more information about the projects and to obtain a position description contact Dr Jennifer Marohasy from the IPA at jmarohasy@ipa.org.au or look online at www.ipa.org.au.
For general scholarship information contact Marijke Schmidt Research, The University of Queensland, m.schmidt@research.uq.edu.au.
Closing Date for Applications: Monday, 29th January 2007.
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November 09, 2006
Mine Your Own Business, But Don't Miss the Movie
Mine Your Own Business is a powerful film about the hopes of people living in poverty and about misguided environmentalism.
Directed by former Financial Times journalist Phelim McAleer, Mine Your Own Business exposes the motivations of those attempting to stop economic development in the name of the environment.
The Institute of Public Affairs will be screening Mine Your Own Business at the following locations
Melbourne, 20 November 2006
Arthur Streeton Auditorium, Sofitel Melbourne, 25 Collins Street.
Hobart, 21 November 2006
Old Woolstore Theatrette, 1 Macquarie Street.
Sydney, 22 November 2006
Dendy Opera Quays, Shop 9, 2 East Circular Quay.
Perth, 23 November 2006
Cinema Paradiso, 164 James St, Northbridge.
Screenings at all venues begin at 6pm. The film will be followed by a discussion with Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney. $10 donations welcome. Payment can be made at the door.
To register contact Georgina Hamilton on 03 9600 4744 or ghamilton@ipa.org.au
For more information on the film click here: http://www.mineyourownbusiness.org/index.htm
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Update 10th November
Following comments (see below) quering the motivations of Phelim McAleer in making the movie I'm updating this blog post with profiles of the films directors and producers:
Ann McElhinney
Ann McElhinney is a Fellow of the Moving Picture Institute, a not for profit dedicated to advancing liberty through the medium of film (thempi.org). She is also is a journalist, broadcaster and producer and joint managing director of New Bera Media, an independent documentary production company.
Ann McElhinney directed and produced “Mine Your Own Business” (2006).She is a co-producer and presenter of “The Search for Tristan’s Mum” (2005) an hour long documentary for RTE. The documentary
featured the case of Tristan Dowse, who was adopted by an Irish couple at birth and then abandoned in an Indonesian orphanage two years later. Tristan’s plight provoked a wave of sympathy and outrage in Ireland and “The Search for Tristan’s Mum” followed journalist Ann McElhinney in a search to find his natural mother in Indonesia.
As a result of McElhinney’s undercover investigations into Tristan’s case where she posed as a woman hoping to adopt she revealed an illegal baby selling ring. Further investigations by the Indonesian police saw the leaders
of the ring sentenced to nine and eight years in prison.
“The Search for Tristan’s Mum” was selected by fellow industry professionals from across the globe and showcased at Input 2006 in Taiwan in May 2006.
McElhinney was an Assistant Producer on the BBC Spotlight documentary “Romanian Twins” (2004) and featured
in CBC’s “Return to Sender” (2005) as the investigative reporter who discovered the story of Alexandra
Austin. McElhinney also worked with CBC as an associate producer and researcher on “Return to Sender”. Previously McElhinney worked as a journalist with the BBC, Irish Times, RTE, Sunday Times and Sunday Tribune.
She has regularly contributed reports and analysis for RTE’s Six One News, Morning Ireland and World Report and has been a regular contributor to Orla Barry’s show on Newstalk 106 and Today FM’s The Last Word show.
Phelim McAleer
Phelim McAleer is a Fellow of the Moving Picture Institute, a New York-based non-profit that identifies
and nurtures promising filmmakers who are committed to protecting and sustaining a free and prosperous society (www.thempi.org). He is also the joint managing director of New Bera Media, an independent documentary production company. McAleer directed, produced and wrote “Mine Your Own Business” (2006) the world’s first anti-environmentalist documentary. The documentary hacks away at the cozy image of environmentalists as well-meaning, harmless activists. He was also an Associate
Producer, second unit director and researcher on the documentary “Return to Sender” which aired on Canada’s CBC in February 2005.
From 2000 to 2003 he was the Romania/Bulgaria Correspondent for the Financial Times. He has also written for The Economist from the region. Previously from 1998 to 2000, he worked for the UK Sunday Times in their Dublin office.
McAleer started his career as a journalist working for a local newspaper in Crossmaglen, Co. Armagh known as Bandit country for the ferocity of the IRA campaign in the area. He then moved to the Irish News in Belfast. At the Irish News, Northern Ireland’s largest selling daily newspaper worked as a journalist covering the Northern Ireland troubles and peace process before becoming night editor.
He devised and co-produced “The Search for Tristan’s Mum” which was broadcast on RTE 1, the Irish State television station, in 2005. It featured the case of Tristan Dowse, who was adopted by an Irish couple at birth and then abandoned in an Indonesian orphanage two years later.
The Search for Tristan’s Mum was selected for and shown at Input 2006, a showcase for the best programs
from national public broadcasters from around the world, the programs was selected by fellow industry professionals and showcased at Input 2006 in Taiwan in May.
He has been a regular contributor to RTE and BBC radio and television.
Posted by jennifer at 10:55 AM | Comments (12) | TrackBack
October 01, 2006
The Head of a Blue Whale
The head of a Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus, just below the surface. Part of a group of three photographed off Spitsbergen in the Norwegian arctic three weeks ago by George McCallum.
For wildlife photographs visit: whalephoto.com.
Posted by jennifer at 10:54 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
September 14, 2006
Advertisement: Remote Access Vehicle That Can Swim
I received the following short note from Japan with information about remote access vehicles that can swim. Readers of this blog who spend time in the bush might be interested in the Land Tamer. I wish I had one when I worked in Madagascar.
Dear Ms. Marohasy，
We are the distributor of Global Imaging in Japan, our system is the data receiving, processing, and archiving from the NASA EOS MODIS data for our clients are the National Universities and Institutes in Japan, Asian countries, and Australia.
We are reseller of PFM Manufacturing Inc, for promoting the Land Tamer 6x6 and 8x8 Amphibious Remote Access Vehicles is a simple, efficient, proven system and is easy to maintain wherever you are. Please see the website is http://www.landtamer.com .
Since many countries have mosquito problem and the West Nile Virus, from mosquito carries, many state and local governments have grants to combat those public health problems.
As you know, when carrying out this type of business, getting to the site and working around the site can sometimes be very hard due to muddy transitional areas.
The Land Tamer has the ability of traveling from land to water over those areas is where our Land Tamer shines.
With our low ground pressure due from the large tires, the land Tamer can travel where other vehicle cannot go. Additionally, we have several optional accessories for the Land Tamer, such as our hydraulic water propulsion system for moving though deep water, or our hydraulic power take off (PTO) that can be used to power a core drilling machine to get river bed samples, etc.
Best regards,
Tadayuki in Japan
http://www.globalimaging.com
mail to: takimoto@globalimaging.com
Posted by jennifer at 12:21 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack