Is what is happening in Dilli a 'Plague'?

Jacquie van Santen for ABC Science Online reports:

"Like an army preparing for battle, locusts instinctively wait until their 'battalion' is large enough before falling into line and swarming ahead en masse, researchers say.

The apparently leaderless group will fly around chaotically until the swarm reaches a certain density of numbers, when they immediately assemble and become an orderly, collective plague."

Pete's Points

If we did not know better, this description of real insect behaviour could well apply to the current behaviour of some people in East Timor's capital Dilli, who seem to have lost any idea of what it means to be civilized human beings who respect each other and each other's property.

Like most others I suspect, I have been watching people looting government warehouses and other people's property, torching homes and shops and killing each other. I am apalled at the behaviour that I am seeing on the screen and wonder what is going to happen to the people who have been so well photographed doing the deeds.

Talking about law and order and bringing some semblance of normal human behaviour back to Dilli is one thing and I have no problems with Australia going in to assist the government there. I do have a problem with people who lose all sense of what it means to be live in society.

People who behave like insects they should bear in mind how plagues of insects are treated and start to worry about whether their behaviour will result in similar consequences.

Violence breeds violence and lawlessness breeds lawlessness.

I look forward with interest to the next few weeks and months to see how the government in East Timor is going to deal with the people whose images have been so adequately been captured by film crews as they carry out their acts of vandalism, theft, arson and murder. If these people are NOT caught, tried ansd where found guilty punished then frankly I despair about the notion of law and oder being restored to this fledgeling country.

As for the other situation that I can forsee on the horizon - namely people who have left the bounds of civilized behaviour seeking escape from justice by claiming persecution and wanting to claim refugee status in Australia, let's just think about first!

News on the ABC and what is wrong with it!

Brigid Glanville for AM provided the following words for an article entitled "Oil Industry Looks to Boost Production"

An international oil and gas conference on Queensland's Gold Coast is hoping to find ways to increase Australian production and encourage more exploration.

Australia consumes about 700,000 barrels of oil a day, but produces only 500,000.

At current rates it could be producing just one-third of what the country will need in 2015."

"The decline in production is one of the main factors behind the current high petrol prices."

"The Australian Petroleum, Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) warns the crisis is only going to get worse.

APPEA chief executive Belinda Robinson says oil production is declining rapidly."

"To the extent where we are producing the equivalent of about 80 per cent of what we consume," she said.

"Now we're down to around 65 per cent and all the predictions are that we'll have a production deficit of around 70 per cent by 2015.

"In other words, we'll be down to producing the equivalent of around 30 per cent of what we consume.

"One of the big issues for the future is to try and stem that production decline by investing more heavily in exploration."

Over the next decade, without further exploration, APPEA predicts the declining oil production could add up to $20 billion to Australia's trade deficit.

What a load of CROCK!

We currently produce most of our own oil and actually SELL much of what we produce to other markets as the sort of oil we have is not necessarily suitable for the production of petroleum.

We have huge oil fields that are being opened in the Timor Straits where once again we will be in a position to enjoy the benefits of having a relatively NEW oil supply at a time when others are running out of this startegic material.

We have a HEAP of interests in the Antarctic where many people also suspect that there is oil just waiting to be found and we have a unique opportunity to convert much of the coal that we own to oil and oil based products!

Exploration

Because oil is a globally traded commodity, it is often cheaper for companies to explore overseas.

Beach Petroleum managing director Reg Nelson says companies need to be encouraged to explore.

More incentives? You HAVE to be kidding!

When oil is costing the consumer more each day and there is a huge windfall for the oil companies they still want incentives?

"There's a whole range of issues there that we'd hope the Government would see scope to provide more incentives," he said.

"There could be tax incentives, there could be encouragement for what the industry has been looking for - flow through shares so that any tax deductions go through to individual investors.

"These things are done elsewhere in the world, that would be a great shot in the arm for Australia if that were to happen."

Pete's Points:

I simply do NOT believe this article - or more to the point the sheer indulgence of the oil companies in their claims.

At present we seem to be producing better than 2/3 of our own oil requirements and yet with oil being a 'global commodity' we are paying world prices for the oil we use.

Never in the history of the world have oil prices been so hight and yet the industry wants MORE taxpayer subsidy to explore for oil when it is already cashing in on a glut of money that is flowing into its coffers.

Vale Richard Carlton or "What Price Fame?"

One of the veteran news broadcasters of the Channel 9 news, Richard Carlton, while covering a story about a mining disaster, where two men have been trapped in a mine for 14 says (at the time of writing this item), died of a suspected heart attack last night.

Appropriately he died on the night that the Australian TV industry was handing out its awards entitled "“Logies"”

So Richard Carlton the veteran news broadcaster in question, managed at one and the same time, —as his last official act to become the news both on his own channel and of course all of the other broadcasters as well. After 40 years in the business this veteran apparently had his timing down to perfection.

Mr. Carlton managed to be the news for the last time (—or perhaps there is more to come)— I suspect that Channel 9 will give a high profile to this story to give its own award to its veteran broadcaster and to convey to him and his family condolences on his passing.

However, business being business it would not surprise me to see in the next few days some time and air time being devoted to a coverage of the life and times of this veteran reporter - unless of course the Australian Budget displaces him from the ratings!

Chutzpah!

I have seen some interesting ways to raise money for research, but this takes the cake!