Miscellaneous comments from 29 October 2010

A CSIRO study titled Reshaping Cities for a More Sustainable Future predicts that if Australia’s cities continue to grow as urban sprawl, in just 10 to 15 years air pollution in our cities will increase as much as 70 per cent compared to 1990 levels. Urban design exerts a strong impact on a city's air quality and the exposure of its population to harmful pollutants. The result is cities that, in the long term, are economically and environmentally non-sustainable. We’re a nation that whose economy and way of life are underpinned by access to affordable and sustainable fuel sources. This can't continue. But we’re also a nation made more vulnerable to the impacts of rising oil prices due to our relatively high vehicle use, the relatively high fuel consumption in our vehicle fleet, our 97 per cent reliance on oil based fuels for transport and our declining domestic oil reserves. The food bowl that was the Murray-Darling Basin is fast drying up - the CSIRO expects cuts in irrigation water availability of up to 85 per cent by 2030 in Victorian regions. Unless significant changes are made to the way we shape and build our cities, the 21st century looks bleak for Australia. Transport emissions alone are projected to increase by 42 per cent over the 1990 level (Australian Greenhouse Office 2004). Almost half of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions and two thirds of emissions from energy are generated in urban areas, or through energy conversion for urban use. Urban form and density also have a significant impact on energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Australia's self-sufficiency in oil products is declining markedly, and like most other Asia-Pacific states, Australia will become increasingly dependent on imports from the Middle East in the next decades. Why are we deliberately heading towards increasing the threats with population growth? Obviously, there are global forces behind the power brokers with self-serving interests.

Researchers have produced new DNA evidence that almost certainly confirms the theory that all modern humans have a common ancestry. The research confirms the “Out Of Africa” hypothesis that all modern humans stem from a single group of Homo sapiens who emigrated from Africa 2,000 generations ago and spread throughout Eurasia over thousands of years. The carbon isotopic composition of individual plant leaf waxes in a marine sediment core collected from beneath the plume of Sahara-derived dust in northwest Africa reveals three periods during the past 192,000 years when the central Sahara/Sahel contained likely trees, indicating substantially wetter conditions than at present. In 1974, the discovery of Mungo Man turned the conventional theory of human evolution upside-down. Anatomically, Mungo Man's bones were distinct from other human skeletons being unearthed in Australia. Unlike the younger skeletons that had big-brows and thick-skulls, Mungo Man's skeleton was finer, and more like modern humans. Aside from undermining the Out of Africa theory of evolution, Mungo Man also undermined other migration theories relating to human colonisation of Australia. Although Mungo Man was dissimilar to the 10,000-year-old robust skeletons being found in Australia, his bone structure was similar to modern day Aborigines. Multiple migrations helped explain the variance in skeletons. 200,000 years ago an African tribe, either through superior food gathering ability or open war, started the extinction of all hominin species living throughout Eurasia. We know about European colonisation, and their discovery of "new" continents while stealing homelands from indigenous peoples. Humans have always migrated. However, there are no new frontiers to conquer, or races to subdue, conquer, exploit and exterminate! Racism has its roots in the belief that some people are superior because they belong to a particular race, ethnic or national group. The concept of race is a social construct, not a scientific one. Western Europeans have in recent years accepted more immigration in a shorter period of time than any society has ever done peacefully in human history. There are hardly any Britons in Pakistan today, so why should the Brits allow huge numbers of Pakistanis to settle in Britain? And if the Algerians can demand independence from France, why can't the French demand independence from Algerians? "Racist" accusations and the fact that we are all "out of Africa" with innate rights to immigrate, are being used as a population myth to support ongoing immigration to Western nations. However, opposition to immigration, once high levels have been achieved, is not necessarily about racism or ethnicity but about sustainable numbers, and protecting our planet, our nation, our territories, from the multiple threats present this century. Anti-immigration is not necessarily racist, but about managing home territories and not stealing opportunities from future generations of the host country. At least 2.2 million migrants will arrive in the West every year until 2050, according to a United Nations report . It appears to be taken for granted by the UN that we will sit back and accept all these millions to flood our countries. Westerners should not and cannot take responsibility for billions of people in other parts of the world. They have a right to limit their population growth to a sustainable level. More immigration peacefully has already occurred than any other society has done in human history. Migration patterns about about TO Western nations, not the contrary! Some nations are immune from criticism and are under no pressure to conform! But nothing is inevitable. Societies could collapse, yet we are supposed to stand by quietly and simply observe this demise. On one hand, the economic right-wing assures us that this unparalleled mass migration will be “good for the economy” and provide for "skills shortages". On the other hand, left-wingers attack those of us who are concerned for our cultural survival us for inciting “racism, xenophobia and discrimination.” Meanwhile all we can desire and aim for is our continued existence in the face of multiple imminent global threats!

High-density development in Australia is causing more greenhouse gases than the suburbs, argues Dr. Tony Recsei of the group Save Our Suburbs, in this rebuttal of a blog post by Michael Dudley. Resisting Dickensian Gloom Advocates of high-density policies (often termed "Smart Growth" but also under other descriptions and euphemisms such as "urban consolidation", "compact development", "growth management" and "urban renewal") maintain these policies save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Inner city households outstrip the rest of Australia in every other category of consumption. Even in the area of housing, the opportunities for relatively efficient, compact living appear to be overwhelmed by the energy and water demands of modern urban living, such as air conditioning, spa baths, down lighting and luxury electronics and appliances, as well as by a higher proportion of individuals living alone or in small households. According to the Australian Conservation Foundation's Consumption Atlas, the average carbon dioxide equivalent emission of the high-density core areas of Australian cities is 27.9 tonnes per person whereas that for the low-density outer areas is 17.5 tonnes per person. The emissions from household dwelling construction and renovations at 11.8% are greater than emissions for transport. If we are to reduce our urban energy and water footprint by individually collecting localised solar energy and rainwater it appears reasonable that this will only be practical for dwellings that have a large roof area per inhabitant. That means low density. It also means trees, garden spaces and vegetable patches.

India In India, permanent residency is a status largely reserved for people of Indian extraction who can prove certain connections to the country. These may include family ties, former possession of an Indian passport or other criteria linked to historical developments such as the postindependence period (after 1947) and the constitution of 1950. China Foreigners who want to apply for permanent residence in China should obey Chinese laws, be healthy and have no criminal records. At same time, they should act in accordance with one of the conditions below: First, the applicants have invested in China directly, have steady investment condition and good revenue record for more than 3 years. Second, the applicants take the job continually as or above the assistant general manager or factory director, have the high title of or above the associate professor or assistant researcher, or have enjoy the equal treatment in China for more than 4 years, during which the applicants have been living in China adding up to no less than 3 years and have good revenue records. Third, the applicants have great and outstanding contributions to China or meet the special requirements of Chinese government. Pakistan UK citizens who can demonstrate a family link to Pakistan can gain citizenship on application. It is unusual for others, except for journalists, diplomats and entrepreneurs, to seek residency. Cases are dealt with on an individual basis by the Ministry of the Interior (Pakistan). Turkey Residency permits granted to foreigners married to Turkish citizens are of two types. The law classifies countries into “Group A” and “Group B.” If you are a citizen of “Group A” countries, you are granted a five-year temporary residency permit and the permit can be renewed for five years each time. For “Group B” countries’ citizens, you are initially granted a one-year residency permit, which at the second and third renewal can be extended to two years. All subsequent renewals receive a five-year temporary residency permit.“Group A” countries are European Union members and members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). “Group B” consists of all other countries. Chile You will be required to apply for permanent residency after you have been a temporary resident for two years, but you may apply after one year. If you leave Chile for more than one year, your permanent residence status will expire. ertain things might help you obtain permanent residency. For instance: family in Chile, a college education, a large savings account, owning real estate in chile, fluency in spanish, skills that are high in demand, and of course the help of a qualified attorney. Vietnam Foreigners who are residing in Vietnam in the following conditions will be considered for permanent residence: a) Being unjustifiably oppressed while fighting for people’s freedom and independence, socialism, democracy and peace or for a science cause. b) Having contributions in building and protecting the fatherland of Vietnam c) Being the wife, husband, child, father or mother of a Vietnamese citizen residing permanently in Vietnam. Japan If you want to get Permanent Residency and are not willing to marry a Japanese, count on a ten-year stay in Japan minimum. If you want the easy way in, you must: Firstly, be married to a Japanese for at least five years Why five? It's pretty arbitrary, but five is the benchmark if you are from a first-world country (it will take longer, word has it, if you are from Asia or Africa). Almost impossible! Indonesia The processes of obtaining proper documentation to live and work in Indonesia can seem like an endless maze of bureaucracy. Lack of posted regulations, irregular application of existing regulations, vested interests and other matters complicate what one would think would be a relatively smooth processing of paperwork for foreigners to live and work in Indonesia. Company sponsorship is required as a FIRST STEP in order for a foreigner who wants to work in Indonesia to be issued a work permit/visa. This sponsorship is required BEFORE a semi-permanent visa and work permit can be processed. Thailand All applications for Thai Permanent Residency is processed by the Royal Thai Immigration Commission. The annual quota for granting permanent residency in Thailand is a maximum of 100 persons per country. 1. You must have had a Thai non-immigrant visa for at least three years prior to the submission of your application. Holders of multiple NON-Immigrant visas can not apply. You must have 3 consecutive yearly extensions in order to qualify. 2. You must be a holder of a non-immigrant visa at the time of submitting your application. 3. You must be able to meet one of these categories to apply for PR status in Thailand: * Investment category (minumum 3 - 10 Mil. Baht investment in Thailand) * Working/ Business category * Support a family or Humanity Reasons category: In this category, you must have a relationship with a Thai citizen or an alien who already posses a residence permit as a husband or wife; father or mother; or a guardian of a Thai child under 20 years of age. * Expert / academic category * Other categories as determined by Thai Immigration Australia Many categories! Employer sponsored workers Professionals and other skilled migrants Business people Specialist entry Doctors and nurses Regional employment Air and Sea crew Pacific regional pilot scheme Students Refugees Retirement investor visas etc, etc We have endless resources, endless land, a bottomless pit full of "skills shortages" despite our unemployment rate and first rate educational system. "Populate or Perish" is still the motif of today's politicians.

Dr Vandana Shiva is an environmental activist who's in Australia to accept this year's Sydney Peace Prize. The 57-year-old philosopher and activist has been recognised for her work on the empowerment of women in developing countries, her advocacy of the human rights of small farming communities, and her scientific analysis of environmental sustainability. For three decades she's argued that the world's poor and the planet's ecosystems have suffered at the hands of the free market system. "Many communities are threatened by the consequences of global warming, yet in Australia the movement to address this issue has gone to sleep," he said. Women been left to look after the care economy and they've been left to look after life. It's not in our genes but it's definitely in the social division of labour and that's what woke her up to the fact that if we have to care about nature and we have to learn how to live differently. She says we have to give up the paradigms that have come from what she has called capitalist patriarchy and start building alternatives on the basis of this convergence of feminism and ecology for all - men included. According to Dr Shiva, gender equality is crucial for the economic prosperity and growth of any country. "No country can prosper if half its population is left behind," she told IPS news, http://www.awid.org/eng/Issues-and-Analysis/Issues-and-Analysis/INDIA-Wo... She condemns capitalist systems driving economic growth because so much of the high living standard is linked to transfer of resources from what were colonies in the past. She says that Capitalism has transferred huge wealth - and that wealth transfer has not stopped because for every dollar given to the Third World as aid, $3 is taken out in terms of business and interest repayments. That is why the Third World is always in a debt trap. Her worry about globalisation is that the huge amount of consumerism of rich societies and rich people is based on constant demands on the world's resources. The most polluting part of this activity is now being dumped on India and China. It's like saying - "You carry the burden of ruining your rivers, ruining your lands but we will have the consumption".

Jennifer Parkhurst from Rainbow Beach pleaded guilty to 46 charges, including the feeding and interfering with dingoes, in the Maryborough Magistrates Court today. Prosecutors for the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) alleged she fed 17 dingoes, including six puppies, over a 13 month period. Recently three students bashed to death a kangaroo while at a school camp. They were give a "caution" by police! Other cases of extreme sadism and animal killings end up with almost no punishment, or trivial fines. We humans have impacted on this land, stolen habitat from wildlife, killed large numbers as "pests", and eradicated their food supplies. If dingoes are starving, park rangers have a duty of care to make sure they survive. The priorities of our callous decision-makers and law enforcers are decidedly warped. Of course, dingoes should not get used to visitors feeding them, and thus threatening visitors on the island! However, the "safety" of people is more of an issue than concern for the welfare of the indigenous animals! People entering into wildlife habitats must take precautions, and the dingoes could be fed in such as way as it appears "natural".

The capsule to rescue the trapped miners. constructed by the Chilean Navy, traveled up and down through the earth a distance of 33 miles in total to save the 33 trapped down below. It was reported that about 1 billion people watched the rescue operation, and the rescue was estimated to have cost US $20 million. News of the courage, faith and patriotism of the nation, the rescuers and the miners has now traveled across the globe to touch every nation in the world. It was amazing to see the unity and patriotism displayed. There were Chilean flags, songs, t shirts and balloons of Chile's colours - red, white, and blue - and patriotic chants. "Chile" was written on the capsule. There was the constant presence and attention of Chile’s Presidente Sebastián Piñera and the Minister for Mining. Everybody supported each other at all levels. Their faith, courage and patriotism is a credit to their solidarity as a nation. Crises always brings out the best in human nature, but Australia - if we had a similar crisis - would be much more muted in response. We have become so divided, so diverse, so embedded by political correctness, so multicultural, that any display of such patriotism would no doubt be considered in bad-taste, "racist" or "offensive" to ethnic groups! We need a new wave of affirmation of Australian-ness, of our unity, our sovereignty, our alliance to our great nation. Our national pride has been diluted by decades of division, multi-nationalism and multi-loyalties. Our Indigenous people have been marginalised by layer upon layer of ethnic settlements, and our Irish-English-European heritage is being over-ridden so that we have become an "International" medley of mixed identities without real meaning, common history, common interests or common culture. Chile is to be commended for their unity and dedication for each other.

The American Student Loan Racket by Nancy Hanover. Today’s young adults face a lifetime of diminished expectations, if not outright poverty. A majority of those attending college find themselves caught in the vise of a scissors crisis?low wage jobs and astonishing levels of student loan debt. The majority of the parents of college students, after decades of stagnating wages, had only one asset, home equity - a resource that has either vanished or become a punishing debt load under the impact of the housing meltdown. Now the younger generation has mortgaged its future in the form of student loan debt. The same could be said for Australian students, the avoidance of it adding to our "skills shortages". Australians are competing with foreign students and their up-front cash for courses. A desperate US student who is up to his eyeballs in debt, about to become a father and has little hope of finding a job when he graduates next year, has offered to quit law school in exchange for a full tuition refund. The payback for their investment is supposed to come when they get their degree and are recruited by a law firm, where they could earn in excess of $100,000 a year in their first year. It is the most onerous kind of consumer debt because student borrowers do not receive standard consumer protections. Their loans are undischargable in bankruptcy, usurious penalties are legal, and there is no statute of limitations. The irony is that many of our older Australian politicians would have been paid to study, under Commonwealth studentships, or else had free tertiary education!

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen has rejected claims people campaigning against detention centres being built in their communities are racists. But the Immigration Minister insists asylum-seekers are safe and unlikely to escape detention and break the law. On the banks of the Avon River, just 90 minutes from Perth is the town of Northam in the heart of the Avon Valley. The town, with its beautiful setting and its population of nearly 7000, is remarkably attractive although it has a reputation for fiercely hot summers. On 18 October 2010, the Australian Government announced the establishment of an immigration detention centre at the Department of Defence Northam Training Camp. It is a large block of open land which provides maximum flexibility. The government considers a range of factors when selecting new immigration detention accommodation sites including availability of Commonwealth land, infrastructure, ability to provide support services, logistics and efficient operation. Northam residents say local businesses will benefit from the decision by the Federal Government to house 1500 refugees in the Wheatbelt town. More than 700 community members turned up at a town hall in Northam, 100kms north of Perth, to express concerns about the Federal Government's plans to establish a detention centre in the town. One Northam resident, Graham Hassan, asked for reassurance from the Immigration Department, "Our genuine concern is fear, we're fearful for our safety. A number of residents raised security concerns about the Federal Government plan to use the old army barracks in the town as a detention camp. Others claimed the centre would draw vital medical resources away from the local hospital and complained of a lack of consultation by the department before it announced the move. Shire president Steven Pollard drew an angry reaction from the crowd last night when - after acknowledging the traditional Aboriginal owners of the local land - said that everyone at the meeting was there because of the immigration policies of the last few hundred years. (However, mass immigration, large number of asylum seekers, and ecological overstepping has only recently raised its ugly head! Actions in the past can't justify ongoing over-riding of the rights of traditional owners. ) Another woman raised the possibility women could be raped if any of the 1500 single, male asylum seekers broke out, while WA One Nation vice-president Lyn Vickery called out: "They will slit your throat in a second." Many residents raised concerns about the detention centre's impact on Northam's already strained and under-staffed hospital and the contingency plans in place if there were a riot. Premier Colin Barnett said: “I guess many people in the Northam community are feeling the interests of asylum seekers are being put ahead of their interests as local community people.” Others say money should be for struggling farmers and homeless groups. Others claim that it is unfair that 400 people will be housed in the Adelaide Hills when there are thousands of South Australians are on waiting lists for basic housing. Some of these asylum seekers have paid more than $12,000 to get to Australia by boat, according to reports. The Premier repeated calls for the number of 1500 single, male asylum seekers to be halved. Understandably, there are many real concerns, and unknowns. Having such a large number of men confined near a close-knit community with already stretched resources, and knowing that some of the men may have suffered conflicts, is a challenge. The reality is that once residents, the men will want to bring their families, while other mis-placed refugees are still waiting in refugee camps.

Producer prices - the prices of goods and services at the factory or farm gate - increased at it's fastest quarterly pace since the December 2008, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data showed. The PPI is a major component of the key measure of inflation, the Consumer Price Index (CPI), due on Wednesday. The price index for utilities - gas, electricity and water supply - jumped 8.9 per cent in the quarter. Prices of utilities tend to ratchet upward. The chief executive of one of the country's biggest energy retailers has warned that power prices are set to increase dramatically. Origin Energy boss Grant King said that complying with the mandatory renewable energy target (RET) and network spending would put upward pressure on energy prices. Energy Minister Martin Ferguson and his opposition counterpart Ian Macfarlane warned in separate interviews that power prices were likely to double in the next five to seven years. The RET seeks to ensure that 20 per cent of Australia's energy consumption by 2020 is derived from renewable sources. To ensure that renewable energy sources are a sizeable portion of power generation, these expensive components must continually outstrip population growth. Groups such as the Energy Supply Association of Australia say the situation is leading to higher costs for energy users. Network costs -- which made up about half of the total electricity bill for households and businesses -- were going up, particularly in NSW. Population growth means infrastructure costs must be paid for in the fixed price. Soaring utility prices have already been one of the biggest recent drivers of inflation, prompting groups such as the Energy Users Association of Australia, whose members include mining giant Rio Tinto and multinational packaging company Amcor, to warn that jobs and investment could be at risk. Household water bills are spiralling upwards as states struggle to expand desalination and recycling. Further rises are predicted. Figures show we need a growing investment in more diverse sources of supply, such as desalination plants and recycling due to more consumers and diminishing supplies. The World Bank and the OECD, representing major developed countries, warned that the price of water must go up as supply dwindles and populations multiply. A food security summit in Brisbane (Sept, 2010) heard that prices are expected to increase by up to 50 per cent over the next 10 years, making fresh food unattainable for some people. There's very little additional arable land to bring into production and productivity rates in farming have plateaued, irrigated water is not going to be all that much available. Nothing should be growing on a planet with diminishing supplies of natural resources, yet we keep hearing about growth? Economic growth is touted to improve livelihoods, create job opportunities and raise household and government incomes. Higher household incomes directly reduce poverty and help people afford the basic necessities of life. Growth also increases government revenues that can be invested into schools, roads, and hospitals. That's fine, until population growth outstrips the finite supply of natural resources, and government revenues! The workhorse model of economic growth, the neoclassical growth model, suggests that rising population growth reduces steady state living standards, and has no effect on per-capita economic growth. A rise in population growth rate in theory does not affect steady state per capita growth, but lowers living standards. Economist deal with infinite numbers and ideological theories, not with real life where finite environmental factors lead to depletions, rising costs and poverty. Business do not care about GDP per capita. They support high population growth because more people means a larger consumer base and (potentially) higher profits.