Willis's Walkabouts Newsletter 115, September 2021 — Covid Chaos
Once again, this newsletter is far too long but it's been so long since the last one that I had a lot I wanted to cover. More than any other newsletter I have ever written, this one needs a gentle browse over the coming weeks. While I enjoyed every single article, I particularly recommend
- 911 ― September 11, 2001 ― 20 Years On
That day changed our world forever. If we try hard enough, we can regain some of what was lost. Read and reflect. - Political Power Grabs ― And A Ray of Hope
The articles about charities and political advertising are especially worth while. - China
Includes a few things you definitely won't find in the popular press. - What if the Coronavirus Crisis Is Just a Trial Run? *
- And, of course, the three sections about our trips.
If you are viewing this on a mobile, the newsletter and many of the links should work better in a horizontal format.
Restricted content. Articles marked * or ** are on restricted websites Click for more info.
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In this issue
WW ― Covid Chaos
Border closures wreaked havoc on our trips. We tried to keep people up to date with a regularly updated Covid Update on the home page on our website. The updates came fast & furious at the start but quieted down as things stabilised.
From five trips that had been fully booked, two went out half full, two had to be cancelled, half of another was cancelled and the other half will be mostly locals. Not good.
We did, however, manage to create a new trip and run it with a small group. That trip gave us the info we needed to add a new trip to next year's program. More later in this newsletter.
I am proud to say that we honoured our covid guarantee and gave a full refund to everyone who asked for one because of border closures. That's better than many major business have done. That guarantee will remain in effect as long as borders keep closing.
Rest of 2021
Only three trips available.
- Kakadu Highlights No. 9: 25 September - 2 October List price: $1795.
This is section three of the original trip. Family and friends make up most of the group. Still a few places left, so ....
Special offer ― $800 discount. Pay only $995. Send me an email ASAP if you're interested.
Guide: Russell Willis - Something special. I'm not yet sure of the details but I will offer a special trip that will include part of Kakadu Highlights No. 11 in November.
It will be very hot, very humid and very cheap. I'm doing this so I can show a select few why I enjoy bushwalking in Kunumeleng ― The Build Up Season.
I can't finalise the details until I see what's actually being permitted at that time. - New Year in Kakadu: 27 December - 2 January Or will it be New Year in Litchfield? It depends on rain and permission so we're not sure where we'll go, but it is a good way to get a taste of the wet season without having to take a lot of time off work.
We Need Help
The Kakadu Birdwatching & Nature Special: 3-16 October had to be cancelled when the guide was offered definite work before we had the bookings to guarantee departure.
Over the course of three weeks, I created a series of ten videos showing different parts of the trip and posted them on our Facebook page. The videos range from 53 sec to 3 min 40 sec, total time 21¼ minutes. You can see them all in a play list on our YouTube channel. That describes the trip far better than I can with mere words.
The videos are obviously done by an amateur. Suggestions for improvements are welcome.
I don't think there is anything else quite like this on the market. If we could get the message out to the right audience, we should be fully booked every year. If you have any suggestions as to how we get our message out where it needs to be, please send me an email and let me know.
Political Power Grabs ― And A Ray of Hope
Australia ― "No other developed democracy holds as tight to its secrets"
- Australia May Well Be the World's Most Secretive Democracy *
It's an old story, but still true. Below are some others that make similar points. - Australian minor parties revolt against new rules that could bar up to 30 from next election
Greens and senators Rex Patrick and Jacqui Lambie suggest they will oppose a bill requiring minimum party memberships and banning certain words in names - Who's Liberal? What's Labor? New bill to give established parties control of their names is full of holes
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Federal electoral reform bills criticised by small parties, green groups and charities
The leader of the New Liberals believes the bills are 'directly aimed at us', while environment group fears 'it would have the effect of silencing community voices' - The government is clamping down on charities ― and it could have a chilling effect on peaceful protest
Under the proposed regulations, "the regulations would not require a conviction, the laying of charges, or even a formal allegation of an offence being committed before the ACNC can take action. The wording only refers to "acts or omissions that may be dealt with" as a summary offence."
Guilty until proven innocent. The vague wording makes it easy to clamp down on anything the government doesn't like. Another step in the death of democracy in Australia. - Regulations governing conduct of Australia's federal MPs are weakest of comparable nations, study finds
"Australia should implement a parliamentary code of conduct with strict, enforceable anti-corruption laws, report says." I haven't heard either of the major parties taking up the cause. - Of Australia's 32 biggest infrastructure projects, just eight had a public business case
Politicians love the vote-pulling power of major transport projects. They also quite like to keep details of of how they've decided to fund a project under wraps, avoiding the pesky scrutiny the public deserves. - Australia is paying hundreds of millions to AstraZeneca for COVID-19 vaccines. But the deal is a 'national security' secret
National security? What have they got to hide? - Australians denounce their prime minister for a trip to see his family during lockdown. *
One rule for the politicians and senior bureaucrats. Another rule for the rest of us. You know it's bad when it makes the press overseas.
A Ray Of Hope
Zali Steggall unveils bill to crackdown on misleading political advertising **
Ms Steggall said under existing Australian laws it was "perfectly legal" to lie in a political advertisement.
"Public trust in politicians has been eroded over time, some of that erosion is due to their propensity to lie and the lack of accountability," she said.
"There is legislation that prevents misleading and deceptive advertisements by businesses and there are enforcement bodies in place to keep an eye on it. But there is no law or body to stop politicians or third parties from lying about a candidate or their opponent during an election campaign."
Personally, I think too few Australians are willing to use the preferential voting system to send a message to the major parties that they can't take us for granted. When I've got a choice, I don't put either major party first in my preferences. For what it's worth, if either Labor or the Coalition backs the political advertising bill and the other doesn't, I'll put the the one that does ahead of the other.
China
We depend on China taking most of our exports and depend on them for most of our imports. The more we understand, the better we can manage the relationship. Below is a selection of articles most of which you are unlikely to find in the mainstream press. If you want to understand China, you really should have a read.
- Xi's Big Mistake
"Cai Xia's contention is that the Communist regime is more brittle than it looks, like the Soviet regime before the end. "I recommend that the US be fully prepared for the possible sudden disintegration of the [Chinese Communist Party]," she said.
Imagining what such a "sudden disintegration" would look like, I suspect it wouldn't be pretty, even if good in the long run. Economically, it could make 2008 or even the COVID pandemic look mild."
Well worth a read. - Seeing Red
"... we have returned to a bipolar world, and a superpower duopoly will again be the organizing principle. This time the countervailing force against the U.S. is China."
There is a LOT more in a relatively short article. One final quote.
"Whatever Xi does, there's the real possibility that the Chinese system, as morally flawed as it is, might produce greater prosperity than the U.S. model." - China ― Old Before Rich
China's population is already shrinking. - Xi Jinping's War On Everything
Good insights as to why he is doing what he is doing. -
Mainland Chinese magazine outlines how surprise attack on Taiwan could occur
Article and video detailing how the island could be prepared for PLA landing coincide with Communist Party centenary celebrations
Publication does not explore possible counter-attacks or responses from other key players in its scenario - 'Our Hands and Feet Are Tied': Hong Kong's Opposition Quits in Droves *
The landslide victory of pro-democracy politicians in local elections in 2019 was a stunning rebuke of Beijing. Now, fear of retaliation has driven them to quit. - As Chinese Vaccines Stumble, U.S. Finds New Opening in Asia *
Several Southeast Asian nations are raising doubts about the efficacy of China's vaccines. The Biden administration has recently offered to provide shots, "no strings attached."
"Residents in Thailand vaccinated with one dose of China's Sinovac are now given the AstraZeneca shot three to four weeks later. In Indonesia, officials are administering the Moderna vaccine as a booster to health care workers who had received two doses of Sinovac."
Passports
Not specifically about China, but it does reflect on China as well as the rest of the world.
- How Powerful is Your Passport in a Post-Pandemic World?
Links to the site below for details - Global Passport Ranking
compares how many countries people with different passports can go to without a visa.
Interestingly, people from China need more visas than people from Taiwan.
Your Health ― Bad News
If you need hospital treatment, governments around the country have made decisions that will ensure you get less than the best care.
Nursing Shortage
A friend of mine is a doctor at the Royal Darwin Hospital. They told me that operating theatres often remain unused because of a lack of nurses. The surgeons are there, the equipment is there, the demand is there but the lower paid staff are not. "As it is we get many of our nurses from India and the Philippines I heard nurses today saying the pay is worse here than down south. That may not help. Some have gone to Howard Springs too." Those shortages are the direct result of government policy. The more I dug, the worse it got. This is something that's been known for years but governments have done little or nothing to address the problem.
- 'There are vacancies everywhere': State battles dire nursing shortage
- COVID-19 becomes a further drain on chronic nurse shortage
"Like doctors and other medical specialists, hospitals and health clinics around the country have relied on foreign nurses to help top-up their staff levels ― something which has been mostly cut off with national border closures since March last year." - Skill shortages may undermine our healthcare system
- And one from the US — our problems are far from unique.
'Nursing Is in Crisis': Staff Shortages Put Patients at Risk *
"When hospitals are understaffed, people die," one expert warned as the U.S. health systems reach a breaking point in the face of the Delta variant.
What's going to happen when we start opening up and delta starts to spread among those who have chosen not to be vaccinated?
What if the Coronavirus Crisis Is Just a Trial Run? *
A few quotes. * "Faced with this common threat, cooperation failed. Rather than a concerted shutdown of global aviation, frontiers were closed on the fly; supplies of personal protective equipment were grabbed at airports; haphazard travel bans continue to this day.
The failure to develop a global vaccination program is not just dismaying. It ought also to be profoundly puzzling: It defies the self-interests of the richest countries in the world. Booster shots aside, the greater the volume of infection, the greater the risk of variants even more dangerous than Delta.
The coronavirus was a shock, but a pandemic was long predicted. There is every reason to think that this one will not be a one-off.
Alcohol
Happy? Sad? Stressed? How Drinking Became the Answer to Everything *
Alcohol has become so normalized there's hardly a situation when a drink doesn't feel appropriate, experts say. Now we're marketing it to one another.
"researchers have found that alcohol is responsible for at least 15 percent of breast cancer cases. And yet, Dr. Babor said, alcohol companies are known for practices like 'pinkwashing' where they decorate their products in pink to convince consumers that they can help fight breast cancer by buying their goods."
Definitely true in Australia as well.
All About You
If you have Netflix, I highly recommend Netflix: Human: The World Within
It's a great series on the human body. I've seen things I hadn't thought were possible. Highly recommended.
911 ― September 11, 2001 ― 20 Years On
At the 20th anniversary of the Al Qaeda attacks in America came and went, I read a number of articles. When I look at the world today and what it was like in 2001, I have to ask myself, "Did the terrorists win?" Sadly, I think they won far more than they lost. Browse through the articles below and see whether or not you agree. More than anything else that's ever gone into this newsletter, this one needs time to reflect. Read an article or two, then come back a few days later and read another one. If we don't think about things like this, we can't learn from our mistakes and our society is doomed to destruction.
That morning, just before the attack, I set off on a five-day walk in the Oorlogskloof Reserve in South Africa. I didn't learn about it until five days later. I wasn't there. I don't know anyone who was but here is a story from someone who was there. Reading that first person account, brought it home to me in a way I hadn't experienced before. Highly recommended.
- 'Fortress USA': How 9/11 produced a military industrial juggernaut
"The best chance to reverse the militarisation of the US state is policy guided by the radical proposal that life ― regardless of race, gender, status, sexuality, nationality, location or age ― is indeed precious. As we reflect on how the United States has changed since 9/11, it is clear the country has moved further away from this basic premise, not closer to it." - It started long before 2001. Far too few people paid attention at the time, but in his farewell address to the nation in 1961, retiring President Eisenhower warned of the rise of the Military Industrial Complex.
- The Price Tag of a '911 World'
It's far more than money. - The unseen costs of the War on Terror
Similar to the one above, a bit more detail in some areas, less in others. - How Sept. 11 Gave Us Jan. 6 *
"The war on terror accustomed white Americans to seeing themselves as counterterrorists. Armed white Americans on the far right could assemble in militias, whether in Northern states like Michigan or on the southern border, and face little in the way of law-enforcement reprisal. Such impunity led to situations like one in 2016, recounted in a relatively rare criminal complaint, when members of a Kansas militia with the revealing name the Crusaders plotted to murder their Somali-American neighbors. "Make sure if you start using your bow on them cockroaches, make sure you dip them in pig's blood before you shoot them," one stated. They considered themselves to be doing what America was doing all this time: combating terrorism, since, as patriots, they couldn't be committing terrorism." - How 9/11 Turned America Into a Half-Crazed, Fading Power *
- I Wrote the Lead Times Article on 9/11. Here's What Still Grips Me. *
- The Real Meaning of 'Never Forget' *
"from the commercialization of the phrase "never forget," which appears on pens, shirts, mugs and baby onesies, to the privatization of the war effort, which shifted billions of taxpayer dollars into corporate coffers, Sept. 11 became a business."
I wonder how much of the 'never forget' memorabilia is produced in China. - 20 Years On, the War on Terror Grinds Along, With No End in Sight *
The failures in Iraq and Afghanistan obscure what experts say is the striking success of a multilateral effort that extends to as many as 85 countries. - 9/11 conspiracy theories debunked: 20 years later, engineering experts explain how the twin towers collapsed
- Two from Australia.
- Before 9/11, Australia had no counter-terrorism laws, now we have 92 ― but are we safer?
In short, no. In some ways we are less free than almost any other similar country. The Political Power Grabs section above explains why. - 'I'm not afraid of terrorism. I'm afraid of being accused of being a terrorist': growing up Muslim after 9/11
- Before 9/11, Australia had no counter-terrorism laws, now we have 92 ― but are we safer?
- And one from the world.
How Students in 12 Countries Are Taught About 9/11 *
With the terrorist attack and the wars that followed having entered the realm of history, we sought to understand how these events are being taught. What is stressed? What is overlooked?
Highly recommended. It made me reflect on the fact that, when I was their age, WWII was no further away from me than 2001 is from them.
WW 2022 ― Big Changes
Prices Are Going Up
I've been out of touch for too long. We once paid our guides above average wages. Over the years, we didn't raise wages as fast as other tour operators so, from Christmas, what we pay will go up substantially. Combine that with other price increases and the cost of the tours will have to rise. For many years, our policy on price rises has been, Anyone who books and pays a deposit before a price rise is announced will
• lock in the existing price on any trip where we provide all transport.
• lock in a price half way between the old and the new on any trip where we charter transport.
That policy will continue.
Discounts
We can't run our trips unless we know whether or not we have the needed numbers well before the trip is due to depart. Our advance purchase discounts will remain the same.
The 5% membership and past client discounts are intended to reward people for being repeat clients and reward membership in particular organisations. While we still want to reward those people, we are considering putting a dollar limit (perhaps $200?) to the value of each of those discounts. If you have any thoughts on that, please let us know.
Access
For a variety of reasons, we have lost or may lose access to a number of areas. We will continue to work with land managers and Aboriginal traditional custodians in an attempt to overcome these issues. The 2022 program on our website will have major changes but we will do our best to run every trip which has bookings before those changes are made.
New & Improved Trips ― A Taste of What's Coming
The links below take you to the 2021 pages. I led them all and think I can make them even better.
- Centralian Highlights: April
The link above takes you to the notes describing the trip this year. I led it. I think I can make it even better. Dates & length may both change slightly. - Kakadu Kimberley Special: May-June
This is the only trip we offer which combines Kakadu and the Kimberley. I expect to make some minor changes. - Gulf to Gregory: May-July
The trip will be about three weeks. I don't have the dates yet. I managed to run a special trip which went into Limmen National Park in August. Having been there once, I've got to go back for a longer walk. Unlike many of the areas where we walk, burning had been minimal. Vegetation and wildlife were in better shape than in most of the areas where walk. Little water where the tourists drive, plenty where we walked. The trip will be similar to one I offered in 2020. Gulf to Gregory. Watch for updates.
Our Society
Predicting the Future
- Failures' Fallout: Predicting Politics & Policy in the Post-Pandemic Era
A PDF of a power point presentation. If you want to understand what's happening in the world, this is the most important item in this newsletter. - The Economics of Rudeness
waiters, airline staff & more ― it's not as bad in Australia but we have problems too.
I put this one in my Covid Blog. I thought it important enough to repeat it here
Techlash
- Now Going Viral: Meeting Online Friends in Real Life *
Marissa Meizz became a TikTok meme after her friends excluded her from a birthday party. She decided to do something about it.
The answer to our too connected but disconnected life.
'Social media can be a very bad place for people,' Ms. Misuraco said. No More Lonely Friends 'brings people that are all in the same boat, looking to make friends and craving good human interaction. When you go there, you know everyone has the intention of meeting friends." - Japanese city bans 'smartphone-walking'
I like it. - Hey buddy! Your cellphone addiction is causing a pedestrian traffic jam
Video reveals distracted walkers slow everyone down
Children & Teenagers
- If You Ignore Porn, You Aren't Teaching Sex Ed *
Refusing to discuss sexually explicit media, which is more accessible to minors than at any other time in history, won't make it go away. As far back as 2008 ― basically the Pleistocene era in internet terms ― a study found that more than 90 percent of boys and close to two-thirds of girls had viewed online pornography before turning 18, whether intentionally or involuntarily. - As Parents Forbid Covid Shots, Defiant Teenagers Seek Ways to Get Them *
Most medical consent laws require parental permission for minors to get a vaccine. Now some places are easing restrictions for Covid shots while others are proposing new ones. - Einstein's too hard for school science? No, students love learning real modern physics
Misc
- Nightmare scenario: alarm as advertisers seek to plug into our dreams
After Coors sought to steer unconscious minds to thoughts of beer, scientists have called for curbs on 'targeted dream incubation'
Scary stuff - Why Is It OK to Be Mean to the Ugly? *
"One 2004 study found that more people report being discriminated against because of their looks than because of their ethnicity."
"the earnings gap between people perceived as attractive and unattractive rivals or exceeds the earnings gap between white and Black adults" - Hondas and Toyotas Have Suddenly Become Collectible *
They are the cars that seemed to be in everyone's driveways a few decades ago. Now they are hard to find. - Why Police Have Been Quitting in Droves in the Last Year *
Asheville, N.C., has been among the hardest hit by police departures in the wake of last year's George Floyd protests. About a third of the force quit or retired. - Shipping around the world, vessel types, actual at time.
World economies depend on trade. This gives you an amazing picture of what's going on at any given moment - Let the Games ... Be Gone? *
After bidding scandals, human rights outrages, overburdened host cities, rampant cheating, a pandemic ― and, sure, thrilling competitions ― has the world had enough of the Olympics? - Friday essay: Satan is back (again) ― the Devil in 5 dark details
"Conservative Christianity has a long commitment to the idea of a personal devil. Our Pentecostal Prime Minister Scott Morrison believes the misuse of social media is the work of the Devil. Pope Francis, meanwhile, maintains Satan still exists." - The Strange, Sad Death of America's Political Imagination *
The United States used to be a country of dramatic invention and dynamic change. Today, our politics are sclerotic, and our dreams are small. What happened?
"Since 1945, when the United States assumed a position of armed primacy over the planet, its government has grown more centralized, more opaque and less democratic: The National Security Council, an unelected group on which no lawmaker serves, oversees international affairs. The most controversial parts of foreign policy ― arguably the ones most requiring public debate ― are covertly handled by the C.I.A."
"The federal government doesn't just run the United States; it seeks to run the world. And it's hard to do that while remaining open to domestic democracy. The centralization is contagious. A government operating unaccountably abroad starts doing the same at home. You send Humvees to Falluja, and soon they're patrolling Ferguson." - There's a Specific Kind of Joy We've Been Missing *
"emotions are inherently social: They're woven through our interactions.
One more important thing we've lost during covid.
WW Kudjewk ― The Monsoon Season
The Met Bureau is predicting above average rain so 2022 should be a great year to visit.
- BOM declares negative Indian Ocean Dipole, tipping the odds towards more wet weather
- The BOM Tropical Climate Update is revised about every two weeks.
- The BOM Chance of Above Median Rainfall shows you the current predictions for up to the next three months.
- The Chance of Exceeding page allows you to see how likely it is that there will be a given amount of rain in the next week to three months. For Darwin and Kakadu, the BOM says it's very likely that we'll get at least 300 mm of rain in the October-December period and a good chance of 400 mm. This map covers the whole of Australia. It's fun to have a play and see what looks likely.
Personally, I prefer walking in the wet season to walking in the Dry. If you want to understand how that is possible, please have a look at our Kudjewk ― The Monsoon Season web page. This links to a second page which links to a third. Together, they give you everything you need to know to understand what to bring and what to expect on a wet season trip. Access problems may prevent us from running some of the trips on our list, but the ones below should all be possible.
- New Year in Kakadu: 27 December - 2 January
The most likely venues are Baroalba Creek or Litchfield. - Green Kimberley: 4:22 January
Three sections gradually increasing in difficulty. I'm keen to do the trip myself. We already have bookings but not yet enough to guarantee departure. - Bungles in the Wet: 6-19 February
We need only one more booking to guarantee departure. Cassie led the trip this year and is keen to do it again. - Kakadu Light: 6-19 February
This is a trip I particularly enjoy and will lead myself for as few as three people. One of the special things we include is a visit to the Territory Wildlife Park. Sadly, some of the best exhibits may be under threat. Fears for attractions at Territory Wildlife Park, speculation birds will be 'disposed of'. Hopefully it won't come to that, but if it does, it's one more example where government has spent so much money on things that don't need doing that things which are truly valuable get neglected.
If you are coming to Darwin, the Wildlife Park is a place you really should visit ― but check first to see how much is still open.
Covid
Covid has changed our society forever. The 'new normal' won't be the same as the old one. I've regularly updated my covid blog since it first began in March 2020. If you haven't visited it recently, it's worth having a look. Browse down through the past few posts and click on any links that interest you. You'll find some things that never made it into the mainstream press.
Here are a few stories I think are particularly worth while.
- Virologist Eddie Holmes lays out how COVID will likely shape our lives in the years to come
I used this one in the blog and thought it important enough to include it here for a larger audience. - The missing social bubble of the NSW lockdown makes those living alone feel forgotten
The question to the Q+A panel was simple and plaintive. "How come," asked our viewer, "the person I may have been sleeping with for just a few months can come over and stay with me in lockdown, but my dearest friend of 14 years can't?"
Why, our questioner wondered, is an intimacy bubble defined only in terms of sex ― new, cheap or otherwise ― and not for what it really is: much-needed deep, human connection?
Or, put another way ― doesn't anyone understand how lonely lockdown is for someone on their own?
Definitely thought provoking. And, in my opinion, a sad comment on our society. - The shifting sands of COVID and our uncertain future has a name ― liminality
"Learning to "go with" all the twists and turns that come with rapidly changing science and the resultant uncertainty is what we need. We might enhance our lives by accepting liminality in how we navigate each day, to learn to tolerate ambiguity." - Delta is tempting us to trade lives for freedoms ― a choice it had looked like we wouldn't have to make
"We are getting closer to having to trade off lives against freedoms; getting closer to having to decide how many COVID deaths and how much COVID illness we are prepared to live with in order to return to something more like normal living." - You're much less likely to get long COVID if you've been vaccinated
- They Didn't Expect to Retire Early. The Pandemic Changed Their Plans. *
"After years in which Americans worked later in life, the latest economic disruption has driven many out of the work force prematurely."
I suspect it's a similar story in Australia. - Who's being allowed to leave Australia during COVID? FOI data show it is murky and arbitrary
One more example of how government fails us.
Covid on Camera
Amazing 3D images show the coronavirus infecting human airway cells
YouTube Video from New Scientist
The Environment
Government Bungles
Bungles or deliberate. We all suffer.
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NT government criticised for progressing Beetaloo Basin gas project without full environmental study
Late last week, the NT government uploaded a "partial" approval of the company's environmental management plan. The partial approval will allow it to proceed with civil works and land clearing, while a final decision to approve drilling and fracking is pending. Sends a clear message that approval will be given. I wonder, who was paid what? -
Robber barons and high-speed traders dominate Australia's water market
on any relevant measure the market has failed. It has failed the environment. It has failed farmers and towns. It has failed to recognise the rights of Indigenous Australians. And it has failed in its basic function of allocating water to where it can best be used. A giant policy experiment is sucking hundreds of millions of dollars each year out of the Murray-Darling Basin, and it is sending water away from our most productive land and what used to be our most vibrant food-bowl communities. The federal government has had the report of the Competition Commission's water markets inquiry since February. The silence is deafening. - Reckless': G20 states subsidised fossil fuels by $3tn since 2015, says report
Support for coal, oil and gas remains high despite pledges to tackle climate crisis
"There's evidence that [subsidies] disproportionately benefit wealthier consumers, rather than vulnerable groups," Once again, governments help the rich at the expense of the rest. - Pest plants and animals cost Australia around $25 billion a year ― and it will get worse
Without urgent action, Australia will continue to lose billions of dollars every year on invasive species.
Climate Extremes
We're going to get more and more extremes of all kinds
- An Economic Lifeline in South America, the Paraná River, Is Shriveling *
The continent's second-largest river is drying up amid the biggest drought in 70 years, upending ecosystems, trade and livelihoods. The Iguazu feeds into the Paraná. Falls were way down recently. - Climate scientist: This is a dystopian moment
- European Floods Are Latest Sign of a Global Warming Crisis *
Floods like these, which have left more than 100 dead, had not been seen in perhaps 1,000 years. For many, the warnings came too late, raising questions about lapses in Germany's flood alert system. Links to good photos and other stories. Makes most Aussie floods look insignificant. - The climate crisis haunts Chicago's future. A Battle Between a Great City and a Great Lake *
- It's Some of America's Richest Farmland. But What Is It Without Water? *
A California farmer decides it makes better business sense to sell his water than to grow rice. An almond farmer considers uprooting his trees to put up solar panels. Drought is transforming the state, with broad consequences for the food supply. - Pacific Northwest Heat Wave Shatters Temperature Records *
It reached 115 degrees in Portland, Ore., on Monday, the second day in a row that the city has broken a heat record. Salem, Ore., and Seattle also set records.
Economics
- Climate change will create massive security threat and refugee crisis: Former director of defence
Climate change will create wars on Australia's doorstep and a global refugee crisis, according to a former director of the Department of Defence who is calling on the country to address global warming as a security threat. - Where and how will we get the metals to feed our future technology needs?
"With the growth in electric vehicles, wind turbines, domestic solar systems, and so many batteries ... it is often overlooked that almost all of the materials needed to electrify our world are finite in supply." -
European carbon border tax is a warning to Australia to clean up or pay the price
We depend on exports. We could be in trouble. -
Australia has huge potential to develop offshore windfarms near existing substations, report says
Hunter and Latrobe valleys considered particularly suitable sites as union says industry could offer oil and gas workers a career transition - 'Environmental accounting' could revolutionise nature conservation, but Australia has squandered its potential
"While (the current) approach may deliver a successful political placebo, it is a formula for policy failure."
Truth in Advertising
Carbon Capture & Storage
4½ minutes, includes foul language but makes the point.
If you want the worst of the language bleeped out, have a look at the
PG version
As the person who sent it to me said, "I wish these weren't so accurate."
Misc
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You may have heard the 'moon wobble' will intensify coastal floods. Well, here's what that means for Australia
With 8 m tides, Darwin is sure to be affected. - A Young Naturalist Inspires With Joy, Not Doom *
At 17, Dara McAnulty is becoming one of Britain's most acclaimed nature writers, with work that touches on his autism as much as the world around his home. - Frogs
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Dead, shrivelled frogs are unexpectedly turning up across eastern Australia. We need your help to find out why
Link to what you can do - We've done our bit. One of our clients on this year's Bungles in the Wet trip, tells us that The museum of Australia FrogID project
has now updated their map so it now has some frogs we recorded in February. Previously there were no frog recordings at all from the Bungle Bungles and some of the frogs we recorded (eg. Copland's Rock frog) have very few recordings anywhere.
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Dead, shrivelled frogs are unexpectedly turning up across eastern Australia. We need your help to find out why
Photos, Videos & Just For Fun
A collection of things I enjoyed. I didn't enjoy the commercials that pop up on the YouTube videos. The best I can do is wait the mandatory five seconds and click 'skip ad'. If someone can tell me how to avoid them completely it would be much appreciated.
- Space
- Hubble Space Telescope turns 30: Astronomer Fred Watson shares his top 10 photos
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The International Space Station will soon be retired, but a replacement likely won't come from NASA
Short story, mainly about the 13 min video - 209 Seconds that will make you question your entire existence
The title is a bit of hype but it does show where we fit into the universe as a whole.
- Animations
- Hypnotically Satisfying Animations
Not my description but I certainly agree. Highly recommended. - Meet The Artist Behind These Hypnotically Satisfying Animations
- Here's a link to his Instagram page
- Hypnotically Satisfying Animations
- Meet the penis worm: don't look away, these widespread yet understudied sea creatures deserve your love
- Household appliances for men
Times change. I enjoyed it. Good for a laugh. - Hettie Anderson, Sculptors' Model Who Evaded Fame *
Her image has been rendered on gold coins and monuments around the United States. But little is known about this Gilded Age model.
What is known is that she surfaced in Manhattan in the 1890s, a light-skinned African American who joined its cultural scene after escaping bitter prejudice in the South.
Her image was on the US $20 gold piece from 1907 to 1933; re-used on modern bullion coins since 1986. I wonder what white southerners would have thought if they'd realised that the image on their coins was an African-American. - Beyond AOC's 'Tax the Rich' dress: 5 acts of fashion provocation that changed history
Little did you know?
What a Way to Finish!
This newsletter had been checked, ready to go, and suddenly, Birds in the Balcony appeared in my inbox. In these troubled lockdown times, I had to share it. Less than three minutes, worth every second.
News About This Newsletter
Restricted websites. The NY Times allows non-subscribers to look at ten free articles each month. I've got more links than that in this newsletter so I've marked them with a red asterisk (*) so that you can choose which are of most interest to you. If you get blocked without being able to see any articles, send me an email and I'll see if I can give you a workaround.
Bloomberg allows three free articles. The Washington Post and The Economist both have limits but I'm not sure what the current limits are so I've marked their articles with a double red asterisk (**).
Next Newsletter — October? November? Depending on how fast things change, I hope to have one or possibly two issues out before Christmas.
As always, I welcome a bit of feedback about some of the things in this newsletter and suggestions for the next one.
Sending the newsletter
I'm now using a paid version of MailChimp to send all of the newsletters. I'm not sure what I'll do if the list goes over 2500.
walkabout@bushwalkingholidays.com.au is the contact address on our website. If you would like to continue to receive these newsletters, please include this address in your "friends list" so that it isn't blocked.
Emails sent to walkabout@bushwalkingholidays.com.au are currently automatically forwarded to rrwillis at internode.on.net. If you want to send an email to that address, replace the word "at" with the symbol @. I am trying not to put that address any place where it can be harvested by spam bots.
We don't want to add to the mass of email spam. If you don't want our newsletter, please send us an email and let us know. We'll then delete your name from our newsletter list.
Our email address is walkabout@bushwalkingholidays.com.au.
Note. Both MailChimp and the other program we use to send some of these newsletters have an automatic delete at the bottom. Clicking that link will delete you from the mailing list on the server but it will not delete you from our main database. One of the programs will not allow the auto delete to send me an email notifying me that a deletion has been made. If you want to be sure that you are removed from all further mailings, please send an email to walkabout@bushwalkingholidays.com.au
If you know someone you think would enjoy this newsletter, please forward it to them. The more people who get it, the more likely it is that I'll be able to run the trips which might interest you.
I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Best wishes.
Russell Willis