Writing a blog is by and large a solitary activity, and social media, paradoxically, can be anything but. But lately I've had the pleasure of becoming, dare I say it, part of a community. It's a loosely-bound, organic kind of community, but a community nonetheless.
In a time when it's commonly assumed we're all living nutso, hectic, increasingly isolated lives, with the breakdown of family values, declining influence of religion, lack of moral fibre and increasing technologification (not a word) of daily life, I find this quite heartening. So I thought I'd take a break from writing about food and coffee today and turn instead to the food blogging community.
Most people can spot a faker from a mile off. I know I can, especially if what you're faking is my bread and butter. It's hard to have genuine interactions with people who are liars. But not only that. Say you want to become part of a community based on an interest in… nail polish. You want to really *love* nail polish. To death. Because everything you do in that community will be defined by nail polish. We see this all the time in cults. If you don't want to drink the kool aid, you have to leave the cult. Your bible study group won't have much to say to you if you stop reading the bible. I dread to think what I'd do with friends if I stopped drinking coffee. Senhor R and I have often turned to each other and said 'What would you do with someone who didn't love food? What would you talk to them about? How could you be in a relationship with them?" That's it. Right there. That's why I'm a food blogger and not a nail polish blogger.
This goes hand in hand with the genuine interest thing, because if you aren't obsessed with something, how the hell are you going to be part of a community based on it for years to come? But more importantly, it takes time to make yourself known. In the case of blogging, no one's really going to read you that much at first. On social media, conversations, building up rapport, all that stuff – that can't just suddenly happen. Even meeting people you've chatted to online can be weird and awkward, you may not get on. You may not ever meet. But when you're present – online, at events, wherever, you'll be seeing the same faces and names popping up over and over again, and yours will be too.
This is a really important point. I'm not saying you're not going to meet your BFF food blogging or bible studying or nail polishing – you very well just might. But I am saying that it doesn't matter if you don't, and that being your aim is…lame. Because an interest-based community is by definition, based around an interest, it's fine to meet your community just for dinner, or bible study, or nail polishing, or things related to or based around that. Anything else is just icing on the cake and not everyone's a fan of icing (or so I'm told). The aim of the game is not to make friends by having an interest. Pursuing that interest is the aim in and of itself.
Why become part of something?
Study after study has shown that being part of the herd makes us want to kill ourselves a little less. It gives our lives meaning, we feel connected. Note I'm not encouraging you to join a clique, with rigid rules, a reluctance to let in new people and a tendency to shun those who don't follow protocol. I'm talking about a group where people come together to do something, together, that they are interested in, and that gives them a feeling of purpose. But the main reason to become part of a community is IT'S FUN! And yes that warrants caps and an exclamation point.
Are you part of an interest-based community (or as I am now calling it, an IBC)? What's been your experience?
It may not happen often, meeting up with my IBC, but when it does it feels comfortable. Yes there are likewise people out there and sharing time together, away from the computer, is pretty humbling.
I love that you used my acronym. And I agree. 'Comfortable' is exactly the right word.
Great post. I am a food blogger and am loving it. I think respect is a big word.
Great post. I enjoy the sense of community around food blogging. I like that it's not a solo hobby, that I can meet up with people, share a bite to eat & chat about food, glorious food. Like you said though, sometimes meeting strangers can be awkward…I like the big group catch ups – less pressure that way.
It's how I got to meet you, so it can only be a good thing, right?
The Perth Foodie community has been nothing but welcoming, gracious and helpful. It's made my favourite thing 1000 times better, because I'm with people who GET IT. Who don't think I'm crazy. It's a beautiful thing.
eatmeetswest recently posted…Cake Club. Where it's at.
Can I just say, I felt so welcome when I came to visit Perth, it was an amazing couple of days. And I love that we can travel around and visit each other like it's no big deal. But it is a big deal! It's fantastic!
Lovely commentary on a topic much greater than people outside the bubble give it credit. It is lovely to have a pocket of people who, for lack of a better term, 'just get it'!
Love this post! I am slowly joining the IBC community of food bloggers as a relative newbie to the scene. Making 'adult friends' unconnected to your world of uni/work/boyfriends is tricky and twitter has helped make new connections. Although we may not be BFFs with matching friendship bracelets (yet), it's nice to meet so many cool peeps that don't judge me for taking photos of food before wolfing it and discussing its finer points.
Everyone bands together for the common goal of helping those who are less fortunate, and it's a great way to meet new neighbors and connect with old ones..
Another great post. I guess besides the sense of community, pursuing an interest with passion also helps with keeping your sanity.
I like this a lot – I've been waiting for an article like this to turn up in my RSS feed.
Confession: sometimes (because of my staggering inability to update my food blog) I don't feel like I'm a "proper" part of this community. But when I attempt to insert myself into events (read: such as inviting myself to the #BurgerParty via Twitter), I'm usually welcomed openly. Food bloggers are such nice folk!
R, you are totally a part of the blogging community. You are one of the first bloggers I met I'm sure…you love food, we love food – it kinda doesn't matter when a person updates their blog or not. It's all about a shared interest.
Who would've thought when I started meeting bloggers that I'd be going to their weddings or that a couple of them would become my closest friends? When I first started, there weren't as many of us and only a handful were slowly starting to emerge out of the shadows and taking the plunge of meeting face to face. Back then it was also quite different because twitter was still new so we got to know each other a little differently. So much has happened in the last few years!
Well said, great post! I am loving all the new blogger pals I am making, it's stacks of fun.
It's great meeting people with a similar interest and it's a brilliant way to feel a huge sense of understanding & belonging.
I really enjoy your posts… You explain the bigger picture of blogging so well.
I enjoy the sense of community around food blogging. I like that it's not a solo hobby, that I can meet up with people, share a bite to eat & chat about food, glorious food.
I've only just returned to Sydney after living overseas for three years and I'm so excited to meet some of the lovely food bloggers whose writing I've been following for ages.
I agree, people do things and join a community primarily because it is fun!
Oh, the Food Blogging Community?
From the photos, one could be excused for thinking you'd joined the Chinese/Vietnamese (or east-asian) Community.
Research & write a post on why the food blogging community is top-heavy with east-asians, when their numbers Australia wide are less than 1-in-20 of the population!
Your questions, for me, only prompt further questions.
Depends what you mean by 'east Asian'. Do you mean people born in the Eastern parts of Asia? Or whose' parents were? Or who are of East Asian appearance? Or who self-identify as 'east Asian'?
About 1/3 of us, for example, identify as Australian by ancestry. What does that mean? What does an 'Australian' person look like? Could they not possibly look 'east Asian' to you or me?
In response to your question as to "why the food blogging community is top-heavy with east-Asians" vs. the overall racial/cultural profile of Australia, I don't know that it necessarily is or isn't the case. I haven't done a survey, it could be that there are more food bloggers of 'east Asian' appearance in Sydney… or at events… or in my photos… or who I've met.
Why does it matter? It seems like you're trying to get at something here, and I'm not sure I like it.
You take a series of photos of a group of amateur writers. The photos are mostly of orientals, in a land that is mostly anglo-saxon, and you "don't like" it when someone notices and makes an observation on this anomaly?
On the surface of it such a group should be pretty much representative of Australian-born inner-city urbanites.
Thus the anomaly stands out.
It is not as if it is (say) a meeting of an online "mandarin language" discussion group.
One would have to completely devoid of observation skills to not ponder where are the anglo-saxons.
Why do you "not like" this? Surely you don't hang around exclusively with people who are either (a) too dumb to notice their surroundings, or (b) aren't well travelled enough to realise there are many breeds/brands of people in this world?
Steve at the Pub recently posted…Guilty – unless proven Guilty!
'Orientals'? Really? That's a pretty disparaging term. I'd try to avoid it if I were you. Ditto for referring to people as 'breeds' or 'brands'.
I'm not sure why you assume a a bunch of photos of some Sydney food blogging events would be 'representative of Australian-born inner-city urbanites', and as I said before, who's to say these pictures aren't? Maybe they don't represent what you think that demographic looks like.
I have eyes. I can see what people look like. But I'm not sure how it's relevant in this case, and I'm completely entitled to say so in the comments section of my own blog.
What don't I like about your comment? To me, you are not just observing that many people in the pictures are of Asian appearance. You're saying that there *has* to be some reason lots of food bloggers are Asian, right? Some story behind it, some justification. You're saying that this needs to be 'researched' or 'investigated', because if everyone in these pictures was anglo, that wouldn't be worth investigating, that would just be 'normal'?
I published your comments. But I disagree with them. I wrote a post about communities – why it's great to be part of one. The fact that the people in my community don't look quite the same as the people in your community? That's irrelevant to me.
Hmm.. You've missed the point entirely. My apologies. I always assume people who can write have the ability to think critically.
Sometimes they don't. My mistake!
Tip: Not everything is "heavy with messages" and hidden meanings. Often an observation like: You're in a country that is predominantly anglo-saxon, yet this series of photos shows very few of them, means: well, means exactly that.
Sorry for not realising you are a deadly serious person caught up in some sort of uptight "thou must not notice chinese-looking people look, you know, chinese" frame of mind.
Sort of like having a series of photos taken at somewhere named "(something) Hills", but without a hill in sight.
"Orientals" is a disparaging term? Erm… Que?? It is not only a spanish absorbtion into English, but it has been a word in the English language for a long time. I take it you don't read classics?
One thing makes me rather curious, what on earth gave you the idea that people in my community look different to the people in your photos?
"I always assume people who can write have the ability to think critically." That's what I'm doing, and yet you seem to take issue with that.
"You're in a country that is predominantly anglo-saxon, yet this series of photos shows very few of them." Ok, let's say that really is what you mean. So what? I'm also in a country that is predominantly desert. Are you commenting on the fact that I'm not in a desert?
My point has nothing to do with noticing or not noticing the relative 'chinese-ness' of a group. I just question (you know, using my critical thinking skills and all) whether the 'chinese-ness' of that group has anything to do with…well, anything.
In this context, yes I think 'Orientals' is generally considered an outdated, disparaging term. We are not reading the classics here, ni estabamos hablando en espanol. 'Oriental' is a word used to describe a vase, not a person.
The reason I assume the people in my community must look different than the people in yours is that if they did, I doubt you'd think the ethnic makeup of the Sydney Food Blogging Community warrants comment. But that's just an assumption. Maybe this could be the start of your PHD.
People aren't vases. They aren't hills. Commenting on someone's ethnicity or appearance is not the same as commenting on a landscape.
Lady, you've shown no sign whatsoever of having critical thinking skills (just an aside).
You do quite well actually, better than most. (Being as you exhibit many of the test signs of Downs Syndrome.) (i.e. unable to make rational thought connections).
And you sir have completely missed the point of my post by making such an irrelevant comment in the first place.
Even though I rarely meet up with other food bloggers or attend various events, I like the online interaction we share. As you say, it's nice to be part of a community of like-minded people.
I found it bizarre also.
I missed the picnic and the food blog conference which were both shortly after I started FSI. So kind of felt like I wasn't part of the community yet. (But would once I met some people.) But then… Twitter! All of a sudden I was reading bloggers' conversations, then I joined in, and then I invited myself to the #burgerparty and things are gaining momentum with more meetups happening soon.
Interesting to note that two of the highest traffic referrers to my blog are other bloggers. I saw some research recently which showed that food bloggers are the ones most likely to read and comment on other food blogs. Which really makes sense as we all have much the same interests.
Great post, Lauren. I'm coming up to a year blogging and I can't believe how much it has changed my life in terms of the friendships I've made and the work opportunities it's helped to create.
I still remember the thrill of walking into the Australian Food Bloggers Conference last year November and being in a room full of people that loved writing, photography, food and blogging. I felt like I had found my tribe.
Keep these excellent posts, coming, Lauren!
Ahahaha oh man. Just catching up on some old posts and this one is great Lau. But seriously, did some guy say that "you've shown no sign whatsoever of having critical thinking skills" and follow it up with a WINKY FACE and then say that you "exhibit many of the test signs of Downs Syndrome"?! You're a bigger person than most for approving those comments.
I have always admired what a welcoming and generous bunch the Sydney food blogging community is.


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Reckless Greed: Our Universities driving coronavirus to Thailand and Australia. Israel has banned flights to Thailand. Are we next? »
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Who rules Britain? Activist Judges. Paris is the excuse to let the deep state run amok. Get out now.
The non-binding unenforceable Paris agreement was always a theatre show on the international stage, where most countries promise to do nothing, and the rest make promises they don't keep. But it's an excuse for the domestic Deep State to do whatever they want.
The zero carbon goal by 2050 was also a Grand Theater Promise. But here the two symbolic acts of nothingness met like anti-matter and threaten to blow up an economy.
Climate campaigners win Heathrow expansion case
By Tom Espiner, BBC
Controversial plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport have been thrown into doubt after a court ruling.
The government's decision to allow the expansion was unlawful because it did not take climate commitments into account, the Court of Appeal said. Heathrow said it would challenge the decision, but the government said it would not appeal.
The judges said that in future, a third runway could go ahead, as long as it fits with the UK's climate policy.
Since when were Judges appointed to decide if an elected government stuck to its policies? Isn't that what the voters are supposed to do?
Fears Heathrow eco-bombshell could pose a threat to ALL future transport projects after court ruled the £14bn airport expansion was illegal
Colin Ferdandez, Daily Mail
British ambitions of becoming a global economic power after Brexit suffered a major blow yesterday after a court ruling suggested future airports, motorway and energy projects could all be blocked to prevent global warming.
The Court of Appeal ruled that the £14 billion expansion of Heathrow airport was illegal – because the Government failed to take into account its legal duty to curb climate change.
Green campaigners said the victory was 'groundbreaking' and warned the legal precedent sounded the death knell for big infrastructure projects that increased greenhouse gases.
But critics said the move would hand a huge economic advantage to the UK's competitors.
Boris didn't want it anyway, his constituency is near it and hates it. But the legal precedent is a bomb.
The Court of Appeal ruled that this case was one of 'exceptional public interest'.
It noted that 'the issue of climate change is a matter of profound national and international importance of great concern to the public – and, indeed, to the Government of the United Kingdom and many other national governments, as is demonstrated by their commitment to the Paris Agreement'.
Some commitment — Most nations are failing to meet their own voluntary Paris Agreement Goals.
Must be grounds for appeal — judge didn't do his homework. The public are bored to death of climate change which is why 98% of them don't offset their flights with even $2 worth of carbon credits. And most nations are barely even committed enough to update their agreement.
h/t Pat.David Wojick
Photo by Samuel's Photos on Unsplash
February 29th, 2020 | Tags: Paris, UK | Category: Global Warming | Print This Post | |
50 comments to Who rules Britain? Activist Judges. Paris is the excuse to let the deep state run amok. Get out now.
I don't know about UK judges, but I know the difference between God and a federal judge: God knows that He is not a federal judge.
tonyb
As far as I understand it from listening to numerous experts here in the UK, is that it seems clear that the Govt broke its own laws as they don't specify that when they originally approved the Heathrow expansion that they took into account environmental concerns such as climate change and didn't specify whether the laws surrounding it had been addressed.
apparently it would take a very simple addition of a couple of lines to the Heathrow bill saying the climate emissions laws had been taken into account and the law would be satisfied.
However I think it would be a very brave govt willing to risk the wrath of environmentalists as in effect you would be diluting the deranged climate change ambitions.
All this is probably not helped in as much that Boris is passionately against the new runway so probably welcomes the decision and is unwilling to rattle the cage.
Mind you, Heathrow is in a terrible geographical location. I would not dream of using it unless absolutely necessary, as it is a long drag for me from the West country and in a crowded part of the country with bad traffic congestion.
far better to develop the regional airports which are far more convenient.
So it may be that these huge airport hubs like Heathrow are out of date and lets not forget that something like 30% of all passengers coming into Heathrow are merely in transit, so are of no benefit at all to our country and arguably through their noise and pollution are positively unwelcome
Here are some actual figures on Heathrow transit passengers
"Heathrow had about 18 million transfer passengers in 2011, out of around 66 million passengers. That is about 27%
Documents for the Airports Commission indicate that the number would be about 30 million transfer passengers by 2050.
The additional 22 million passengers would take up over 50% of the new runway capacity, (ie. 22 million out of the extra 45 million) and would provide little or no economic benefit to the UK. They do not pay APD. Transfer passengers do not leave the air-side at Heathrow."
all in all it is difficult to see why locals would want hundreds of thousands of extra flights many of which are carrying a proportion of people merely using Heathrow as an interchange, with no financial benefit to the UK and a considerable increase in noise and pollution.
I would stress that I live nowhere near the airport so am not affected by it but I can see why locals are not impressed by the business case.
Spreading passengers out to the regional airports makes much more sense than adding to this cumbersome behemoth that is Heathrow, that exists in the wrong location for historic reasons. If the govt has the will they can conform to their own laws by slightly rewriting either the Heathrow or climate change acts. I am not sure they would want to do so as the time for a vastly bigger Heathrow has probably passed.
tonyb, the big problem is not so much the passengers but the goods that are shipped out from there. In fact Heathrow shifts about 29% while Gatwick only ships 0.2%(most of the other shipments are by sea).
https://tallbloke.wordpress.com/2020/02/28/britains-economy-on-the-brink-as-climate-lawfare-threatens-infrastructure-projects/
People are strange when it comes to airports. Many live near them because the value of the homes goes up, why else is there new developments around airports? People don't have to live there but those new ones that move there tend to be the ones that complain.
I agree about the complainers Ivan – My position is that anyone who has bought and/or moved into an area affected by an airport, including under flight paths, since the start of the jet age should have no grounds for complaint about noise. So effectively, only those who bought before the late fifties can complain which means anyone who has bought in the last sixty years should have no say.
Kalm Keith
Take away the carbon environmental thing and there are still too many reasons not to build it.
David Wojick
As Tony B points out above, this was just a procedural decision. That is, the government did not specify how the new runway fits into their climate commitments. The Court did not rule that the present plans prohibit the runway, or prohibit anything, as this judgement is widely being incorrectly reported.
However, the Guardian reports that BoJo said a few years ago that he would block the runway if he could, and he now can simply by doing nothing.
Just to continue, adverse procedural decisions can be almost as bad as substantive ones. In the U.S. our NEPA (national environmental policy act) frequently blocks federal projects, and federal permits for private projects, entirely on procedural grounds.
I call it the Black Hole of Environmental Assessment. NEPA says the Feds have to do an environmental impact assessment for the project. They do a draft and the greens sue saying that x was not considered. The Court agrees. So the Feds assess x and then the greens say y was not considered. Again the Court agrees. Since there is no end to possible considerations the Feds can never finish the EIA.
Historical aside: I was there. NEPA was passed to stop the U.S. flood control dam building program. I was working my way through grad school designing dams for that program. One of my projects became a test case. Our first EIA was ten pages long. By the time I left it was 14 inches thick and had again been remanded by the Court, this time for failing to consider aesthetics. That dam was never built and so too for many others that were designed. So we still get catastrophic floods, which the greens blame on climate change. My rage runs deep.
Alan Watt, Climate Denialist Level 7
Amended Heathrow expansion plan:
This expansion is consistent with the government's climate committments, in as much as we will ask Princes Charles and Andrew to purchase an equal amount carbon offsets.
Fred Streeter
When HMG authorises policies like the Heathrow 3rd. Runway, the Planning Act of 2008 states that it must:
"include an explanation of how the policy set out in the statement takes account of Government policy relating to the mitigation of, and adaptation to, Climate Change".
Consequently, HMG was bound by the 2008 Act to explain their policy with regard to an Agreement that they had ratified, and any other such Commitments.
Had they to done so, the 3rd Runway would have sailed through, all other objections having been set aside.
Thanks Fred.
It always helps to read the judgement. Your comment implies that the activist judges applied the law.
The challenge for the government now is to amend the Planning Act 2008, if they dare.
I have a cynical streak which notes that Boris did not want a 3rd Runway, and that omitting details of the Climate Change impacts ensured that the will of Boris was obeyed.
We are witnessing the very early stages of the collapse of the West. We have a long way to go so enjoy the remainder of the ride.
Get rid of capitalism
https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/climate-change-crisis-capitalism/
and replace it with what?
What's really needed is the capacity of our democracy to punish corruption.
Integrity vanishes when corruption is tolerated.
What about getting on board and trying to turn it around.
The Age of Enlightenment is not over yet! Reality is what it is. Trying to understand it is seeking the Truth.
That is what Science is. Post Modernism is not that.
Meanwhile the BBC confirms it needs radical change. The presenters also shows the UK education system needs major improvements.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/02/28/bbc-claimed-xr-activists-in-cardboard-helmets-were-real-miners/
Ross –
UK Expresss has it too:
28 Feb: UK Express: Miners attack BBC for claiming colliery workers joined Extinction Rebellion demo
THE BBC has come under fire for its coverage of the latest Extinction Rebellion protest after one of its main presenters claimed miners had joined activists in a demonstration against the expansion of a coal mining site in County Durham.
By Luke Hawker
Martin Raine, a miner at the site, has insisted there was no alliance with the protest group and said the actions of the Extinction Rebellion demonstrators had put jobs at risk…
The firm (Banks Group) has applied for planning permission to extend the mine in order to extract a further 90,000 tonnes of coal and 20,000 tonnes of fire clay…
The Banks Group spokesman Mark Dowdall condemned the demonstrators for targeting the site.
Mr Dowdall said the actions of the protest group could "exacerbate the problem" and increase pollution.
He explained the UK would be forced to import coal from distant countries such as Australia or Russia.
He said: "Extinction Rebellion's ill-conceived demands will directly exacerbate the problem they are looking to solve.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1248876/Extinction-rebellion-news-BBC-latest-coal-mine-protest-county-durham
Posted by Old Arthur at Morning Mail on this topic;
Essentially, the soft-hearted judges decided that the framers of the constitution probably meant to exclude all aboriginals and descendants of aboriginal from the definition of what an alien is, they just forgot to put that bit in, so we are doing it for them.
BUT there is a bigger problem, and it won't be saved by the judges who go purely on the constitution as written.
It is this.
The UK signed up to the Paris Agreement and passed it into their laws. Now they want to build a third runway at Heathrow. Not so fast.
A court ruling has just been made and was made solely on the grounds that, in approving a third runway through the Airports National Policy Statement, the government HAD BROKEN ITS OWN LAWS.
"…in particular, the provision in section 5(8) of the Planning Act, which requires that the reasons for the policy set out in the Airports National Policy Statement 'must… include an explanation of how the policy set out in the statement takes account of Government policy relating to the mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change'. We have concluded, in particular, that the designation of the Airports National Policy Statement was unlawful by reason of a failure to take into account the Government's commitment to the provisions of the Paris Agreement on climate change."
The judges said they had no beef with CO2 levels, nor any green ideas.
Now then, we want to build dams, we want to pass regulations about bushfires. We will end up having to face a High Court challenge every time.
Trump is no lawyer but he saw the danger of foreign entanglements and soft headed lefties who know better than us.
Agreements, treaties and related tribunals, councils, commissions all created outside of government departments, add funded non-government organisations.
MCMXLIII
It ought to be warning to politicians here that 'virtue-signalling' legislation can have real-world consequences.
28 Feb: iNewsUK: Tory MPs step up battle with judges after Court of Appeal decision to block Heathrow expansion
Exclusive: Senior backbenchers have accused the judiciary of blocking the will of Parliament
By Richard Vaughan
Senior Tory MPs have attacked the High Court's ruling on the expansion of Heathrow as a direct challenge to Parliament in an escalation of the party's feud with senior judges…
Former Tory justice minister Crispin Blunt suggested the High Court had overreached in its ruling against Heathrow. "Parliament voted by a large majority for the expansion of Heathrow," he told i. "This is a challenge to Parliament from the judiciary."
Another senior Tory backbencher said they were concerned that judges were "putting their noses into decisions made by politicians".
"One of the reasons why the High Court ruled against the third runway was because the environmental impact wasn't considered, but before this was voted on in Parliament it was debated and debated again until the vote was cast," the MP said…
Heathrow Airport insisted it will press on with expansion and will work with the Government on the climate change issue, with a spokeswoman saying it is "eminently fixable"…
Giving their ruling on Thursday, Lords Justice Lindblom, Singh and Haddon-Cave said the expansion decision was unlawful because then-Transport Secretary Chris Grayling failed to take account of the Government's commitment to the Paris Agreement – which commits signatories to tackling climate change by taking measures to limit global warming to well below 2C.
The Conservative Government has proposed limiting the use of judicial review to challenge ministers' decisions. One possible option is to block campaign groups from bringing the cases to court, with only those personally affected by Government policies allowed to launch a judicial review.
Boris Johnson and his allies have been angered by a series of high-profile court verdicts on sensitive constitutional issues, including the prorogation of Parliament and the triggering of Article 50.
In their election manifesto the Tories pledged an inquiry into constitutional reform, with judicial review likely to be the first item on the agenda when it starts in the coming weeks.
https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/tory-mps-battle-judges-heathrow-expansion-2003437
I found it quite interesting the way Brenda Hale tried to block Boris Johnson/Brexit, and the way the progressive left applauded her as a hero for putting up a serious road block to implementing the people's decision.
It was a good insight into how these people see the world and are prepared to operate.
Heathrow, Rocky Hill, I wonder which will be next?
widening the M1?
I'm thinking that it will be something in California, which will get right up Trump's nose. Something like madating the phase out of petroleum as an energy source for vehicles.
Nope, multiple Cycle Lanes.
Much more likely.
29 Feb: Daily Mail: Rival firm lodges appeal in bid to build Heathrow expansion as bullish airport bosses say they are confident of winning permission at Supreme Court and Gatwick pushes ahead with new runway plan
•Heathrow bosses have insisted the planned runway expansion should go ahead
•Firm developing rival extension plans also launched own Supreme Court appeal…
By Danyal Hussain
The Arora Group said it lodged appeal papers in the Supreme Court in a bid to 'put Heathrow expansion back on track' as the west London airport's bullish owner, Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL), also stated it will appeal.
Pending an appeal, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps must review the NPS if the Government wants the project to go ahead. The Arora Group was an interested party in the Court of Appeal case.
It wants to build and operate a new terminal serving a third runway at Heathrow and what the firm claims will be a quicker and at a lower cost than HAL…
It comes as Gatwick said today it would push ahead with plans for a second runway of its own by Spring.
A consultation will be held in April or May to bring Gatwick's northern runway into full time use – which could see 15 more flights per hour launched from the airport.
Heathrow chiefs meanwhile have played down the significance of yesterday's court decision, which blocked runway expansion plans.
A Heathrow spokesman told Mail Online: 'Heathrow's North West runway remains Government Policy.
'The Court of Appeal ruling does not stop Heathrow expansion and the process issue identified by the Court is eminently fixable. Failure to fix it rules out airport growth anywhere in the country.'…
The spokesperson added that Heathrow would work with the government to amend its policy, while a Supreme Court appeal is ongoing.
The airport also insisted its plans were in line with the Paris agreement, pointing out that the government policy is what needs to be modified.
Yesterday's ruling suggested future airports, motorway and energy projects could all be blocked to prevent global warming.
But critics said the move would hand a huge economic advantage to the UK's competitors…
Former transport secretary Andrew Adonis said: 'The only winners from a refusal to expand Heathrow as agreed by Parliament two years ago will be other international hubs that will take the extra traffic, especially Amsterdam, Paris and Dubai.
'There won't be fewer flights – they just won't come to Britain.'…
'The benefits of a third runway would extend far beyond south-east England. Hundreds of UK companies are already invested in the supply chain for expansion, and tens of thousands of additional jobs will be created if the project goes ahead.'
Former chancellor George Osborne criticised Mr Johnson's lack of leadership. He tweeted: 'Judges kill off Heathrow third runway and Britain getting the modern air transport infrastructure we need, despite the elected Parliament voting for it overwhelmingly. Presumably this is the kind of over-reaching undemocratic judicial activism Boris wants to curb…or perhaps not.'…
Clare Farrell, a co-founder of Extinction Rebellion, added: 'The recognition of this appeal will support citizens all over the world who are begging for policy-writing in line with the truth.'
Dr Phillip Williamson, from the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia, said the Court of Appeal judgment 'shows that the Paris Agreement is legally binding, not an aspiration, and will require many other policy re-thinks'
Environment minister Zac Goldsmith, an opponent of Heathrow expansion, tweeted that the court's decision was 'HUGE!!!' He also criticised a tweet by Greens MP Caroline Lucas which asked, 'How can we trust Government pledges on climate when it has taken the courts to end climate-wrecking projects like Heathrow?'
Mr Goldsmith wrote: 'Sometimes wonder if Greens actually prefer the bad news! How else to interpret this reaction to this good news (and this judgment combined with the Government's decision not to appeal certainly is good news).'…
An act of self-harm to make us all poorer: Commentary by Alex Brummer
What few people realise is that Heathrow is enormously important for freight and exports. In terms of value, it is the UK's biggest port for global markets excluding the EU and Switzerland, and handles 33 per cent of Britain's exports to very fast-growing international markets which are at the heart of 'global Britain'…
Heathrow says the third runway would be worth billions of pounds in exports.
The battle over London's vital global transport hub is a sharp reminder of how the economic costs of a green agenda threaten the prosperity of the nation…READ ALL
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8056741/Bullish-airport-bosses-say-Supreme-Court-overturn-expansion-ruling.html
behind paywall. imagine some will say why ship Scottish salmon to London?
28 Feb: UK Telegraph: A 'global' trade policy with no Heathrow third runway is a joke
by Juliet Samuel
Every year, tonnes of Scottish salmon are shipped down to London and then go on their way to destinations all across the globe, getting from sea to supermarket shelf in places like Taipei within 18 hours. The remarkable hub that enables this to happen is Heathrow airport, where Scottish salmon is the heaviest trade good passing through. Overall, Heathrow is the country's most valuable non-EU port. It handles more than £100 billion of goods per year…
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/02/28/global-trade-policy-no-heathrow-third-runway-joke/
GWPF is carrying this:
27 Feb: Melanie Phillips: It's ministers not judges who are skidding off the policy runway
As readers may know, I have been banging on for years about overreaching judges straying inappropriately and dangerously into the political arena. And as I wrote here (LINK) only last week, my view of the carbon net-zero policy is that the governing class has taken leave of its senses altogether.
But leaving aside the question of whether a third runway at Heathrow is desirable or not, the court's critics have got this one wrong. The people to blame are not the judges, but the politicians who created the law they themselves were breaking.
As ever, it's worth reading what the judges actually said; which you can do at this link (LINK) to the full judgment, and at this one (LINK) to the summary…
In other words, the court didn't even say the runway decision must conform to climate change policy — merely that the government must explain just how it is taking that policy into account.
But the government won't even do that. It is also declining to appeal to the Supreme Court, a course of action now being taken independently by Heathrow itself…
Second, there is no way the government can show how it is taking its Paris commitment into account. And that's because there's no way it can reconcile the expansion of Heathrow with its commitment to achieve carbon-zero by 2050, a policy which would necessitate a drastic reduction in air traffic – thus indeed crippling the British economy – and could even mean the end of air travel altogether, along with a number of other totally impossible objectives.
What's stopping this third runway therefore is not the courts – it's the government itself which, as a result of the environmental derangement to which it has fallen victim, is now skidding off the runway of reason altogether.
https://www.melaniephillips.com/ministers-not-judges-skidding-policy-runway/
Melanie Phillips is one of the best journalists in the UK. A journalist in the truest sense of the word.
Australia is not in the EU, has never been in the EU. Yet are we any less of a crash dummy? Will the UK be any less of a crash dummy now, especially with the City of London growing new wings (and claws and tentacles)?
I prefer the term "pervasive state" to "deep state". "Deep state" is an expression like "conspiracy": just by saying it you get relegated to the potty corner. Alex Jones will do his job and make sure such concepts are associated with frothing mouths and popping eyeballs.
"Pervasive state" is more accurate. The control isn't underground, it's out in the air and freely accepted. Don't like the idea of blowing up coal power plants? You'll be startled the first time, as with your first oyster, but after a few it's just natural and enjoyable. A bit like a TV show where people marry for an audience. Or like some Scandinavian professor telling you it's time we considered eating granny. It's all in the open, and after a bit (well, actually, a lot) of conditioning, everything's cool.
But if we turn off their poisonous media, maybe, just maybe…
A manufactured concept….confected by a handful of Global Governance Fabian nutcases , plutocrats and tree-huggers-come-rich international agents of influence…all enabled and facilitated by Socialist activists posing as journalists…becomes the hoax of the millennium sold as a sacred covenant .
Turns out the supposedly non-binding Paris Agreement and the hysteria its lying premises invoke…used as an alibi by weak sectarian 'leaders' even in a secular country like Australia…now has the power to dismantle not just the health and prosperity gains of the 20th and 21st centuries…but many elements of the Enlightenment.
Australia's the country that should be leading the resistance…not leading the holy compliance with the scam that our government likes to brag about…but the resistance….as the only 1st world country that is under existential threat from its madness.
Of course Australia's leaders ..if one of the UK's many zombie academics has her way…would then be liable for prosecution in the International Criminal Court for the new crime of 'postericide'…ie 'intentional or reckless conduct fit to bring about the extinction of humanity.'
That could be embraced as an opportunity to get at the truth…to force the cult to prove its hypothesis or desist.
The Heathrow decision on curtailment that's also a current issue with other major airports around the world ..could be a warning signal from those judges re what's to come if legislators succumb to the hysteria…but more likely is yet another sign of elected government being neutered and sidelined…subjected to virtual takeover by unaccountable unelected entities ….even foreign actors and the mobocracy…all empowered and emboldened to the point of virtual coup by the government's own supine grovel to a classic moral panic.
Governments like the UK's and ours are cravenly relinquishing everything that constitutes democracy without any permission whatsoever from voters….relinquishing much of their own role and powers to Marxist activists and business leaders ,bankers and financial behemoths who claim to believe the science and claim they're acting on risk [that their own cohort deliberately manufactured]….but show in their justifications that their chosen line of sight deliberately blinkers out everything but the huge fortunes to be made from being favored early-adopters of global compliance for Global Socialism.
It remains to be seen if business will be so concerned for the planet that they'll welcome the end of long-haul and medium-haul aviation and shipping….and thence of tourism…junketing…conference-hopping…and much of their wealth .
28 Feb: ClimateDepot: Freeman Dyson, Princeton's legendary theoretical physicist, dies at 96 – A climate skeptic: 'I like carbon dioxide'
Nat Geo excerpt: Freeman Dyson's criticism of climate science grew out of his own involvement with the JASON group and developed amid the nuclear winter debate with Carl Sagan and others. In his own simple climate model, Dyson underplayed the effects of greenhouse gases. Atmospheric physicists savaged his model for going against a broad consensus. That stung Dyson, who insisted that "global warming is grossly exaggerated as a problem." His skepticism continued to bring scathing criticism during his final years, as evinced in a New York Times Magazine article headlined "The Civil Heretic."…
Dyson is also featured in book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Climate Change.
Excerpt from Freeman Dyson's email to Climate Depot's Marc Morano on March 3, 2018: Dyson: "Congratulations for the success of the book and for the serious attention it is getting from people who matter. The experts will of course continue to put you down with a sneer. The people who matter are those who are not experts but can tell when they are being scammed. Keep up the good work! Yours sincerely, Freeman Dyson."…READ ON
https://www.climatedepot.com/2020/02/28/freeman-dyson-princetons-legendary-theoretical-physicist-dies-at-96-a-climate-skeptic-i-like-carbon-dioxide/
don't think SciAm cares to focus on the above:
28 Feb: ScientificAmericanBlog: Scientific Rebel Freeman Dyson Dies
The iconoclastic physicist rejected the idea of an endpoint to the human quest for knowledge and happiness.
By John Horgan
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/scientific-rebel-freeman-dyson-dies/
I have been in contact with my Federal MP on this already and reminded him that this is the thin end of the wedge. Any commitments like zero emissions (a la ALP) will cause catastrophic issues for our economy as we have needed developments scrapped over spurious "climate change" issues..
He has replied and confirmed the LNP will leave this to Labour.
It may seem a waste of time but I engage with my Federal MP and govt ministers on the Climate Change issue. If we all do this then they will get the message. It is done in a professional manner with evidence, like Jo provides and I have spoken personally with them where possible.
28 Feb: ClimateDepot: CPAC shocker: "RepublicEN" astroturf group launches character attack on Princeton physicist (Will Happer)
By James Taylor
https://www.cfact.org/2020/02/28/cpac-shocker-republicen-astroturf-group-launches-character-attack-on-princeton-physycist/?mc_cid=618ea22887&mc_eid=d5e6b5270d
should have shown this article as being from CFact.
28 Feb: BristolPost: Defiant Greta Thunberg is a leader of a generation – but I cannot cast my cynicism completely to one side
Bristol Live editor Mike Norton joins the crowds to see world famous climate activist
by Mike Norton
To the rhythm of raindrops on thousands of coats and umbrellas, a tiny teenager brought hope and happiness to Bristol today…
Among others, we heard from Bristol Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig, whose intelligent speech was slightly lost on a crowd distracted by its own machinations and the unrelenting rain.
Then, half an hour later than expected, a ripple of cheers at the front of the crowd. They had spotted Greta…
Greta's unmistakable Scandanavian accent cut the sodden atmosphere with an uncompromising message: "This is an emergency. Nothing is being done to halt this crisis despite all the beautiful words and promises from our elected officials.
"I will not stand aside and watch. I will not be silent while the world is on fire. Will you?"…
"Thank you. And let's march!"
And march they did…
There was no denying the power of her presence and its effect on the young people who strained to see her or marched proudly behind her…
Despite that power, however, I cannot cast my cynicism completely to one side. At times, the messages on College Green were frustratingly simple. There was, for example, much cheering for the decision not to allow the Bristol Airport expansion. Greta, in her speech, said it had been "cancelled". The truth, of course, is much more complex with any appeal against the decision likely to allow a plan which was recommended for approval by North Somerset council officers…
But it is also clear that she speaks to a generation of young people who feel increasingly disenfranchised by the decisions of the generations before them…
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/defiant-greta-thunberg-leader-generation-3900314
PICS: 28 Feb: Bristol Post: Incredible aerial shots show scale of crowd at Greta Thunberg protest
VIDEO: 1m19s
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/gallery/greta-thunberg-uk-protest-bsy4c-3897768?amp_js_v=0.1&usqp=mq331AQCKAE=&int_source=taboola&int_medium=display&int_campaign=organic
Bristol Post claims 30,000 in one of the aerial pics. doubt that figure. for once at a "climate protest", BBC also mentions the police figure – 15,000 (probably more accurate).
***if only the politicians, media and OTHERS in power were ignoring CAGW:
28 Feb: BBC: Greta Thunberg Bristol climate strike: 'The world is on fire'
The teenager was welcomed by chants of "Greta, Greta" as she addressed some 15,000 people at the Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate (BYS4C) event…
Wet weather failed to deter thousands of people turning out for the 17-year-old, who appeared on stage at about 11:45 GMT.
"Our leaders behave like children so it falls to us to be the adults in the room. They are failing us but we will not back down," Greta told the crowds.
"This emergency ***is being completely ignored by the politicians, the media and those in power…
Police said 15,000 are in attendance, although organisers believe the figure is closer to 30,000.
By Steve Mellen, BBC News
The roar when Greta stepped in front of the microphone echoed across the green and her speech was regularly punctuated with roars of approval, especially when she mentioned the decision not to grant Bristol Airport planning permission to expand…
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-51663632
taking the easy way out!
28 Feb: Deutsche Welle: Greening the city: How Brussels is planning for climate change
The Belgian capital is known for its terrible traffic. But in the city of the EU Green Deal, new plans aim to give the streets back to pedestrians and help residents counter the crisis of a warming planet
by Martin Kuebler, Brussels
Choked with traffic and often blanketed by smog, the Belgian capital is notorious for having some of the worst traffic jams in Europe. Just 28% of journeys here are made by public transport, compared to 44% of trips with private vehicles. In 2018, the European Commission issued Belgium with a formal warning over its failure to address illegal levels of air pollution in its capital…
The European seat of power is now trying to clean up its act.
A 10-year plan developed by regional authority Brussels Mobility, in consultation with municipal authorities and local residents, is aiming for a 25% reduction in car use by building new tram and metro lines, and encouraging walking and cycling.
To make private cars a less attractive option, the "Good Move" plan will also impose a 30-kilometer per hour (just under 20 miles per hour) speed limit across the Brussels region starting in 2021. Within the next ten years, the city will also eliminate 65,000 street parking spots and provide a 100% electric bus fleet.
Still, the plan hasn't been without detractors.
In a report published in October, Inter-Environment Bruxelles (IEB), a regional NGO focused on ecological and social issues, criticized the plan's reliance on the private sector — ride-hailing services, rental scooters — to replace private cars, and said it lacked details on how it would pay for its grand ideas.
Shifting the problem
But IEB says the "true blind spot," of Brussels' plans to tackle traffic is a proposal to divert cars toward the ring road circling the city — outside the Brussels low-emissions zone.
And the neighboring region of Flanders, under whose jurisdiction most of the ring road falls, has controversial plans to expand the highway…
https://www.dw.com/en/greening-the-city-how-brussels-is-planning-for-climate-change/a-52256405
just switched on Sky Australia – toy companies going green.
switched to Sky UK, reviewing the weekend papers. one Bidisha was saying UK Times front page had the only good story. police in Bristol roll out green carpet for Greta Thunberg – which isn't online as yet. apparently, Bristol Police have 2 electric cars, and they were happy to drive Greta from the train station to the protest venue. she's so inspiring etc.
Sky presenter asked is it right for the police to drive her? Bidisha said there would be thousands of people and, even tho they would all be fans, it wouldn't be 100% safe, so it was okay. found the usual over-the-top DM coverage which mentions this:
28 Feb: MSN: Greta Thunberg brings Bristol to a standstill: Roads are closed as teenage activist tells 30,000 at UK climate rally she 'will not be silenced when the world is on fire' after she arrives by train then gets a police escort in an electric car
by Jack Wright, Daily Mail
She arrived in Bristol by train earlier today for the mass climate change rally, where she transferred to an electric Red Nissan Leaf before enjoying a police escort from Temple Meads station to College Green…
Police together with Bristol City Council have issued a number of warnings of multiple road closures and bus diversions for locals as at least 20,000 people are set to flock to the demonstration…
Event organisers Bristol Youth 4 Climate, which is part of an international movement that organises climate change protests in schools, claimed earlier today as many as 30,000 attended the strike…
Among the thousands of faces in Bristol for the strike today is celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, who posted to social media that he was with his sister and family to listen to Greta speak.
He tweeted: 'In Bristol with my sister and family to support climate striking students and hear Greta Thunberg. The weather looks horrendous – but nothing compared to what we'll get if we don't take climate action NOW!'…
One coach company revealed that it was providing transport from 13 places around the UK, including Oxford, Birmingham, Brighton, and Cardiff, to enable thousands of children to skip school today.
The climate activist has already cancelled her anticipated visit of a 50ft-high mural of herself, showing Greta half submerged in melted icewater, painted against the redbrick wall of the Tobacco Factory in Bedminster…
Meanwhile, two local schools announced they had closed ahead of the demonstrations, with Colston's Girls School writing to parents citing police fears over adults 'coercing' youths…
According to the Bristol Post, acting principal Kerry McCullagh expressed fears of 'criminal acts of damage' and of young people being in 'great danger' ahead of today's rally.
The school authority had referred to warnings by Supt Andy Bennett of Avon and Somerset Constabulary, who claims to have seen 'coercion from adults' in previous Bristol Youth Strikes.
Parents whose children may attend the march are concerned about the potential for 'crushing' as Greta, who came to international prominence two years ago, leads thousands through Bristol…
Bristol Youth 4 Climate hit back at 'patronising' public safety fears ahead of the mass demonstration, before declaring: 'The world's youth are taking up to and taking action on the climate crisis.'
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/greta-thunberg-gets-a-police-escort-in-an-electric-car-after-arriving-in-bristol-by-train-for-her-uk-climate-rally-that-has-closed-roads-around-the-city-while-thousands-of-children-are-expected-to-join-her-amid-warnings-of-crushing/ar-BB10vEfS
why would Bidisha love the Greta electric car story?
Wikipedia: Bidisha: Publishing and broadcasting under her first name only, Bidisha began writing professionally for arts magazines, such as i-D, Dazed and Confused, and the NME, at the age of 14, and published her first novel at 18. She writes for The Guardian and The Huffington Post and works as a TV and radio presenter for the BBC, presenting programmes such as Woman's Hour.
She also does outreach work in UK detention centres and prisons, in affiliation with literary and human rights organisation English PEN…
She is a regular guest on The Big Questions and Sunday Morning Live (BBC One), and also appeared as a regular panellist on BBC Two's Newsnight Review (BBC Two). For BBC Radio 4 she has contributed regularly to and presented Saturday Review, Front Row, Archive on Four, Heart and Soul and Woman's Hour. She was one of the regular presenters of BBC Radio 3's flagship arts programme, Night Waves.
On the (BBC) World Service, she was a guest presenter of the books programme The Word, and was the regular presenter for The Strand…
the Sky Australia toycos going green piece was from the US, and probably about the New York Toy Fair. California led the way:
26 Feb: Forbes: Green Is The Hottest Color In The Toy Box, As Manufacturers Embrace Sustainability
by Joan Verdon
The manufacturers are rushing to make these changes due to demands from today's parents, but also because retailers are requesting them.
"Sustainability is becoming much more important both to this generation of parents and retailers," said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of The Toy Association, which hosts the annual New York Toy Fair…
"It can make a difference in terms of sales," said Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of industry trade publication Toys and Family Entertainment, and CEO of toy, and baby and pet products review site TTPM. "If even 10 or 20% of people are looking for that type of item then you need to do it," he said.
James Zahn, senior editor of The Toy Insider and The Toy Book, said he's seen a surge in the industry's sustainability efforts over the past six months.
"We're seeing packaging made with recycled materials, soy-based inks and other plant-based inks. Even the plastic fasteners in the packaging are becoming sugarcane-based," he said…
California-based Green Toys has been making toy trucks, cars, and boats from recycled milk jugs for more than a decade and has grown from a small startup to an important player. It has moved from specialty toy stores to deals with big box giants like Target…
Toy companies that ignore the consumer demand could find customers have a sustainability plan of their own – buy fewer toys.
"You've got to think about everything that you're doing because consumers want it," Pasierb of The Toy Association warns. "Otherwise they're going to say, 'Look, I'm going to buy less'. And that's in nobody's interest."
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanverdon/2020/02/26/green-is-the-hottest-color-in-the-toy-box-as-manufacturers-embrace-sustainability/#708602f86f76
Gerald the Mole
The judiciary should not be involved in matters of government however a third runway at Heathrow is a bad idea. Extra capacity should be provided by expanding airports in the north. Already there are too many "near misses" in the crowded London airspace. I wonder what public opinion will say when an airliner crashes into west London as it will some time.
26 Feb: Daily Caller: Report: Green New Deal Will Impose A $75,000 Per Year Cost On Swing-State Households
by Chris White
The Green New Deal would cost households an average of between $74,287 and $76,683 in Colorado, Michigan and Pennsylvania, among others, a report (LINK) from the Competitive Enterprise Institute noted. CEI worked with Power the Future and the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty on the report…READ ON
https://dailycaller.com/2020/02/26/green-new-deal-household-cost/
29 Feb: Townhall: Study: Green New Deal Would Destroy America's Dairyland
by M.D. Kittle
MADISON — It's been pretty clear that the New Green Deal would be a disaster for business and for consumers. Now a new study (LINK) confirms just how disastrous the environmental/wealth redistribution plan would be for Wisconsin.
Wisconsin families would be shackled with $40,000 in new costs, and the Dairy State's struggling agricultural sector would be crippled, according to the multi-state analysis authored by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) and Power the Future. Will Flanders, research director for the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, contributed to the study…
In Wisconsin, households in the first year of implementation would face $75,000 in additional costs on the Green New Deal's expensive ride to zero CO2 emissions within a decade. The increased costs would top $40,000 every year thereafter…
https://townhall.com/columnists/mdkittle/2020/02/29/study-green-new-deal-would-destroy-americas-dairyland-n2562009
excellent open access piece by Greg Sheridan. read all in case it disappears behind paywall:
29 Feb: Australian: Asia in no hurry to do without energy sourced from coal
by Greg Sheridan
Don't mention Asia. And if you must mention Asia, don't mention China. And if you must mention China, for goodness sake don't tell the truth about it…
Scott Morrison pointed out on Friday that precisely four countries have concrete plans for getting to zero by 2050. They are: Marshall Islands, Suriname, Switzerland and Norway…
Virtue leaders tell us the world is moving towards zero emissions by 2050. That formulation only works if you exclude China and the whole of Asia, and indeed many others, from the definition of "world".
Australian commentators will do anything for Asia except examine what it actually does…
More broadly, and this is a key point, decarbonising is only an option for rich nations. It makes rich nations much poorer, but if you feel that's necessary to save the planet, so be it. But no poor nation is going to choose to remain poor in order to meet an emissions target.
The Australian debate is much given to demonising coal and all its works. China produces and uses more than half the coal used in the entire world…
One thing we would have to do to embrace zero 2050 is get rid of our gas industry. Yet Australian gas has been critical in China becoming less carbon intensive. If we withdraw our gas, presumably the Chinese will use even more coal. And if we withdraw our coal, which is the most thermally efficient coal, they'll presumably use more dirty coal.
However, another way that China is becoming less carbon intensive is by replacing old coal with new coal. China is not abandoning coal. China is committed to coal…
By miles and miles, China has provided the biggest increase in coal since 2000. According to Beijing's own statements, in 2018 it had 1006 gigawatts of coal power. By 2026 this will increase to 1084GW, an increase of 78GW. In 2018, from coal alone, China produced 475 billion tonnes of carbon emissions. This is nearly 10 times Australia's total emissions from all sources of 539 million tonnes.
Now, the folks in Australia who promote the most radical and economy-destroying measures for us, always try to pretend that China and the rest of the world are on the same path…
So when China builds a new such plant, that is a wonderful sign of the world embracing zero emissions. But when the Morrison government considers providing the paltry sum of $4m to look into building an ultra-super-critical, high-efficiency, low-emissions, coal-fired power plant at Collinsville near Mackay in Queensland, this is somehow the work of the devil…
Matt Canavan, who strongly supports the proposed Collinsville plant, is now seen as an outlier in these matters. In fact, he is one of the best-informed federal politicians from any party on energy and climate issues…
***The idea of saying the world is moving to zero emissions by 2050 is a sick joke and involves the typical Australian inability to take any serious account of Asia.
The world does not consist solely of elite west European opinion, plus New York.
***try telling that to theirABC. Julia Holman's "70 countries" are committed to net zero by 2050 on ABC Breakfast this week was being parroted by Nicholas Reece on Sky News a couple of days later.
pathetic Albo:
VIDEO: 1m: 29 Feb: Sky News: Albo calls for carbon emissions reduction while backing in coal
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese maintains Australia will export coal for years to come in a call to cut carbon emissions rather than end mining.
Mr Albanese travelled to the NSW Hunter Valley for a Labor conference in Singleton.
He used a key speech to criticise the Nationals for engaging in 'lazy cynicism' and for selling out regional communities by opposing action on climate change.
The Labor leader said a 2050 net-zero emissions policy means more jobs for blue-collar workers.
https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6137132637001
Greg Sheridan url –
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/asia-in-no-hurry-to-do-without-energy-sourced-from-coal/news-story/d2fe55c7f60bae15e11652e97ee10741
Rod McLaughlin
I disagree. Sometimes, the right decision is taken for the wrong reasons. I'm in favour of stopping airport expansion for every reason except CO2. I used to get woken up by planes flying into Heathrow. The noise, the CO, the waste of fuel flying rather than going surface, etc…
the waste of fuel flying rather than going surface, etc
How exactly do you expect people to realistically go by surface to Australia, Africa, USA etc, etc ?
And i wonder when / why was it you moved to an area under a flight path to H'row ?
Its been an international airport long before you were born .
Gerry, England
The premise of this article is wrong! The judges are applying the law that the government has enacted but at the back of it is a European Directive – the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive. No Directive – no law. And before we get bleating that we are no longer members of the EU, the transition period requires everything to stay the same until the end of the year AND beyond that the regulations created to make the Directive UK law will still be there until they are revoked!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Rena Lesué: How I got the reputation for being "blisteringly honest."
How I got the reputation for being "blisteringly honest."
It's hard to imagine why anyone would want to become a professional writer. It isn't as if it is the best paying gig in the world. Most writers don't make enough to buy health insurance. Nevertheless, writing is the marrow in my bones, it's stitched into my soul.
In high school, I didn't show an aptitude for much of anything. I liked certain classes, but I wasn't exceptionally talented in any one area. My attentions were, sadly, too consumed with dating to bother with academia. However, in college, I was drawn to literature courses. Suddenly teachers spoke openly about the hush-hush topics that no one brought up in secondary school, and critical theory pushed the boundaries of my mind, forced me to see things differently, and challenged my beliefs. I loved every minute of it.
As an emergent writer, I hunted for ways to shine around campus; first by contributing articles to The College Times, the college newspaper, and then publishing short stories in college magazines. Writing became a therapy and a drug. It was a creative outlet and a method for processing learning. But more than anything, it provided me with an unparalleled sense of fulfillment. Give me words or give me death.
I published a lot in the years to follow (mostly in newspapers and blogs), and then I went on to get an MFA in Creative Nonfiction. The training in my Master's program helped shape my work and aim me in the direction of a genre I hadn't considered before. Narrative essays and memoirs became the bread to my butter. The Triskets to my cream cheese.
This week, one of my essays was published in Pinball. "How We Die" captures the naked life of a family ravaged by depression. Yes, this is my family and our toe-to-toe, thrust-and-parry battle with depression. It's writing like this that gave me the reputation for being "blisteringly honest" by my writer mentor, Jake Lamar. Here's the link.
Interesting story, especially useful lesson can be learned from this. I have never liked to write, as a result, I used these services 99papers. After completing university, I have had experience in writing essays and tried his hand as an essay the author, as a result, it remained a hobby of mine.
Oh! This is an interesting essay. I was in Croatia when I was 19 years old. I want to say that I cannot imagine my life without traveling. But I'm also a student of the Faculty of Sociology. Therefore, during the scientific practice, I use a site https://academic-consultants.com/research-paper-writing/ that saves me from the tedious and unpleasant work at the computer. So I can enjoy the trips to various countries!
It's a great success for you. Congratulations! I will read it right now. By the way, have you heard about this plagiarism checker online? Do you use any of them?
Wonderful article, Katrina! You know I had the similar story. Writing assisted me to bolster my self-esteem in college years. After my group-mates read my works, they saw me in a different light. But honestly speaking, it wasn't easy to make high-quality content. I made the great efforts to succeed. I use many online tools such as PlagiarismSearch. I recommend you to try utilizing online services to make a creating process easier.


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March 3/16 18:55 pm - Roorda Wins a Second Medal for Canada at Track Worlds
Steph Roorda won Canada's second medal of the 2016 Track World Championships on Thursday, when she attacked the field in the last 500 metres of the Women's Scratch Race, and held on to take the bronze medal. Canada sits fifth in the standings with two bronze medals after two days of competition.
Four titles were awarded on the second day of competition at the Lee Valley Velopark in London. Germany was the big winner of the day, taking two world titles to add to the two bronze medals they won on the first day. Australia also won their second gold medal, while host Great Britain took their first.
Roorda launched what would prove to be the decisive attack with less then two laps to go in the 40 lap Scratch Race, catching a breakaway group with half a lap left and still leading with 100 metres to go. However, Laura Trott (Great Britain) came up fast from behind with Kirsten Wild (Netherlands), and the pair caught Roorda on the final straight to take gold and silver, with Roorda hanging on for third.
Steph Roorda attacks
Final sprint won by Laura Trott, Kirsten Wild 2nd, Stephanie Roorda 3rd
Wild, Trott, Roorda
Link to Photo Galleries
This was Roorda's first individual medal at a world championships, and she said "It feels great. I think it's a testament to the work we do on the Team Pursuit. We're really fit and it proves we can perform in other events as well, so I'm really, really happy."
"No one was really keen to catch that [breakaway] group and there was a bit of a hesitation, and that was the moment that I saw it was the right move to make, and I knew some of the big names were behind me, and if I could open the gap and go over that [breakaway] group of riders, then it was going to be to my advantage. You just go as hard as you can at that point, sprinting for the finish line, and not thinking about anything, really."
In other Canadian action, the Women's Team Pursuit squad of Allison Beveridge, Jasmin Glaesser, Kirsti Lay and Georgia Simmerling, finished second in the qualifying round, with a time of 4:20.664 . The United States were the top qualifiers. Canada will face New Zealand in the next round on Friday, with the winner going on to the gold medal final.
"I'm optimistic for our team," said Simmerling. "Today was not our best ride, but we can make some small changes and go a lot faster. It was a crazy day out there but we're sitting in a good position. We can execute."
Canada also had two entrants in the Women's Keirin - Kate O'Brien and Monique Sullivan. Both raced aggressively in the opening rounds, but did not make it past the Repechage round.
Monique Sullivan
"Anything can happen in the Keirin," said Sullivan. "It was pretty exciting to have two of us in the race today; that's never happened before. It was actually Katie's first real international Keirin at the world championships, so it's a pretty big step for us. We've been focussed on getting that Team Sprint spot [for Rio], so that was the real mission for the season, and we were both feeling the effects of that here. We don't really have the best legs, but that's a sacrifice for the Olympics."
"We were focussed on execution, and getting good, aggressive rides in, so that when we have the legs, we'll know what to do with them. For me personally, in the second race I used up my bullets too early and misjudged the speed of the racers coming behind me. We were both racing aggressively and were in the mix, and it does show progress and that we are going in the right direction, even though it doesn't always look like it from the results."
Kristina Vogel brought Germany their second gold medal of the day in the Keirin. The final put the German rider up against defending and multi-time world champion Anna Meares (Australia) and the 2013 world champion, Rebecca James (Great Britain). Meares tried to take the lead on the final lap, but Vogel was too strong. James took the bronze medal.
The first title of the day was awarded to Germany's Joachim Eilers in the Men's 1000m Time Trial. Former world champion Theo Bos (Netherlands) set the first fast time as the second rider out of the start gate. It wasn't until Eilers, the final rider, finished, that Bos was pushed down to second place. Quentin Lafargue (France) took the bronze medal. There were no Canadian starters.
The session concluded with crowd-favourite Men's Team Pursuit. After Denmark won the bronze medal over Italy, the two dominant nations of the event - Great Britain and Australia - faced off against each other for the gold medal. Australia took an early lead, but the British team battled back to take the lead themselves in the final 1000 metres. Despite the deafening cheers of their supporters, Great Britain slipped back to second and the Australians took a well-deserved win, with a time only 1.068 seconds off the world record. Canada did not move past the qualifying round.
On Friday, Canadians will race in the Women's Team Pursuit, Men's Sprint and Men's Individual Pursuit.
Previous Days
Track World Championships March 2/16 - March 6/16, London UK
Men Team Pursuit Qualifying
WOmen Individual Pursuit Qualifying
Women Team Sprint Qualifying
Women Individual Pursuit Final
Men Team Sprint Qualifying
Men Team Sprint Final
Women Team Sprint Final
Men Scratch Race
Women Team Pursuit Qualifying
Women Scratch Race
Women Keirin PT1
Men Team Pursuit Final
Women Keirin Final
Women Team Pursuit Round One
Women Team Pursuit Final
Men Sprint Qualifying
Men Sprint 1/16
Women Omnium: Scratch Race
Women Sprint Qualifying
Women Sprint: 1/16, 1/8, Repechage
Women Points Race
Women Omnium: Individual Pursuit
Men Omnium Scratch
Men Omnium: Individual Pursuit
Men Points Race
Women 500 TT
Men Kilo TT
Men Sprint 1/4 Final
Men Sprint: Semis and Finals
Men Omnium Kilo
Men Omnium: Points Race
Women Omnium: 500TT
Women Omnium: Flying Lap
Women Omnium: Points Race
Women Sprint: 1/4 and 5-8 Final
Women Sprint: Semis and Finals
Men Keirin: Round 1 and Repechages
Men Keirin: Finals
Men Madison


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Westport Fuel Systems Completes Sale of CNG Compressor Business for $12.3 Million Euro
Company Profile | Careers | Follow Company
Vancouver, BC, July 26, 2018--(T-Net)--Westport Fuel Systems Inc. (TSX:WPRT / Nasdaq:WPRT) today announced that it has completed the sale of its compressed natural gas compressor business to Snam S.p.A., a leading European gas utility company, for total proceeds of 12.3 million Euro, net of a 500,000 Euro holdback to be released upon fulfillment of an independent audit process to be completed within 30 business days.
This divestiture was initially announced by Westport Fuel Systems on May 17, 2018.
"The closing of this transaction marks another achievement in our portfolio rationalization, a strategic initiative we started two years ago following the merger with Fuel Systems Solutions to capture synergies, drive efficiencies, and strengthen our balance sheet," said Nancy Gougarty, Chief Executive Officer of Westport Fuel Systems. "With a stronger balance sheet, a more streamlined business, and improving operational results, we believe we can build on our market-leading position in our core markets, which should drive long-term value for the company and our shareholders."
Westport Fuel Systems is hiring.
View their Open Jobs
About Snam S.p.A.
Snam is Europe's leading gas utility. Founded in 1941 as "Società Nazionale Metanodotti", it has been building and managing sustainable and technologically advanced infrastructure guaranteeing energy security for over 75 years. Snam operates in Italy and, through subsidiaries, Austria (TAG and GCA), France (Teréga) and the United Kingdom (Interconnector UK). It is one of the main shareholders of TAP (Trans Adriatic Pipeline) and is the company most involved in projects for the creation of the Energy Union. First in Europe by transport network size (over 32,500 km in Italy, about 40,000 with international subsidiaries) and natural gas storage capacity (16.7 billion cubic meters in Italy, about 20 billion with international subsidiaries), Snam manages the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant built in Italy and is a shareholder of the country's main terminal. Snam's business model is based on sustainable growth, transparency, nurturing talent, and development of local areas by dialoguing with communities. It fosters sustainable mobility, expands into energy efficiency, and invests in biomethane and innovative technologies to increase the use of renewable gas, a key resource of the green economy. www.snam.it
About Westport Fuel Systems
At Westport Fuel Systems, we are driving innovation to power a cleaner tomorrow. We are inventors, engineers, manufacturers and suppliers of advanced clean fuel systems and components that can change the way the world moves. Our technology delivers performance, fuel efficiency and environmental benefits to address the challenges of global climate change and urban air quality. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, we serve our customers in more than 70 countries with leading global transportation brands. At Westport Fuel Systems, we think ahead. For more information, visit www.wfsinc.com.
Westport Fuel Systems
Vancouver, BC (CleanTech & Energy)
300 Employees In BC (2200 Total)
Westport Fuel Systems engineers, manufactures and supplies the world's most advanced alternative fuel systems and components.
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Are you paying too much income tax - quick guide for Doctors, Lawyers, Architects, etc.
Are you a professional, freelancer or consultant who is tired of paying too much income tax? Then this article is for you!
To reduce the burden of compliance of small taxpayers, the Indian Government provides the presumptive taxation scheme which is easy to comply with. The benefit of this scheme was earlier limited to only specified businesses but now the government has extended that facility to Professionals also. A new section has been introduced in the Income Tax Act - Section 44ADA, w.e.f AY 17-18 that aims at simplifying the tax compliance of professionals, particularly small professionals so that it facilitates ease and efficiency in carrying out their professional obligations.
Under this scheme, professionals whose total gross receipts are not more than Rs. 50 Lakhs in a financial year (April – March) can file their return declaring 50% of gross receipt as income and after deductions of section 80, they can pay tax on balance amount.
Who can avail presumptive taxation scheme?
Further, this scheme is applicable only to resident assessee that includes individual, HUF or partnership but not a limited liability partnership firm.
For example, Mr. Jagdish Chand is a successful architect. His total gross income for the FY 2016-17 is Rs. 45 Lakhs. In normal course of things, taxable income will be Rs. 35 Lakhs.
However, if Jagdish opts for presumptive taxation scheme, his taxable income will only be Rs.22.5 Lakhs.
Therefore, Mr. Jagdish Chand will save Rs.3,75,000 on income tax under presumptive taxation scheme. Furthermore, he can claim all Section 80 tax-saving deductions and investments over and above the presumptive taxation scheme.
What Deductions are allowed in the Scheme u/s 44ADA?
a)All deductions from sections 30 to 38 (including depreciation and un-absorbed depreciation / allowances) shall be deemed as allowed and no further deduction is allowed under any of these sections.
But, if an assessee who claims that his profits and gains from the profession are lower than 50% of gross receipts and his total income exceeds the maximum amount which is not chargeable to income-tax, then, he has to maintain books of account as per section 44AA and get the audited and furnish report u/s 44AB.
Unlike Section 44AD for business, a professional can easily opt in and out of the presumptive taxation scheme without any restriction of 5 year period. This means a professional can opt this scheme for a year and opt out of it the next year. He/she can further take up the scheme again the third year.
What if you maintained proper books of accounts and your net taxable income is less than half of your gross total income?
This would mean your work related expenses are higher and your taxable income is less than the total gross receipts. In such a case, you professionals should not avail the presumptive taxation scheme and pay tax on the actual taxable income after getting books audited.
Whether income from foreign clients should also be included?
This is the general confusion with the professionals providing services to foreign clients. The answer is simple YES. As a resident of India, the income is received in India, hence your global income will be taxed in India. If you are paying taxes on your foreign income in that foreign country, then you can claim tax relief on taxed income (which was taxed twice), while filing return in India.
¶ Consultants can file income tax return form ITR-4 (old ITR-4S) - which is a much simpler form - instead of ITR-3 (old ITR-4) - which is a relatively bulky form.
¶ Professionals can now file tax returns on their own instead of paying a tax consultant.
¶ Usually, there are not many expenses to declare for professionals, by declaring 50% of income as profit and balance as expense, a lot of tax saving can be done.
What if you do freelancing work on the side?
These days we often see that salaried employees with a regular day job provide freelance or consulting services in their spare time. In such cases also you can opt for the benefit of presumptive taxation scheme.
If you have a regular day job and you also do freelancing or consulting, then you have two kinds of income i.e. salary income and non-salary income. Since both are income under the laws, tax would be charged on both. You can simply add your freelancing income to salary income to compute the total taxable income. However, you can use the benefit of presumptive taxation scheme and add only half of your freelance or consulting income to your salary income.
For instance, if you salary income is Rs.22 lakh and your freelance income is Rs12 lakh, you can use presumptive taxation and add only half of the latter to your total income. This way, your total income for the year will be Rs.28 lakh.
Main objective behind this Presumptive Taxation Scheme is to minimize the compliance burden on small taxpayers earning through profession and to provide an ease of doing business. This scheme provides a massive relief and encouragement to professionals, freelancers, or consultants. Therefore, next time you pay tax don't forget to analyze your income u/s 44ADA and avail benefits as such.