I remember in the 1960s being driven on the autobahns by a (rich) friend of mine who kept falling asleep at the wheel. I was in the back seat. His wife next to him kept nudging him regularly to wake him up as we drove between 150 and 170 km/h IN THICK FOG. One could not see 20 metres ahead. I was scared... I don't scare easy but on this day my butt cheeks were so tight they gripped the comfy leather as if it would act as a seat belt (seat belts did not exist in those days)... Of course we were "in the fast lane" and at this amazing speed, before seeing them through the fog, we overtook the red rear lights from trucks and cars in the slow and middle lanes... I was really scared...

And this is what's happening now in regard to global warming. We are driving through fog and the science tells us there is a pile-up waiting for us somewhere ahead and the traffic is becoming more and more congested with extreme "events" — but we're still driving at speed with the intent of dodging the annoying slower cars on "our" fast lane... because as we drive at speed, we've made this lane "ours"...

I have some Liberal (conservative) friends who "believe" in global warming. So far, it has not affected their lives, so on this subject, they still are prepared to accelerate from 200 km/h to 250 km/h on the autobahns in thick fog in their Merc 400 hybrid... despite the warnings and small pile-ups to be noted in the slower lanes. They know there is a "chance" of a massive pile up ahead, but they're relying on their brakes to stop when it's at their convenience at the last second... Already, there are a million dead people on the road, but the spacious ambient comfort inside the vehicle turns the reality of blood "outside" into a quiet console game... What they don't realise is that should they be able to stop just before crashing into the pile-up that one cannot see, some other silly buggers behind them will rear-end them into a ball of fire... 

The "good" 10 per cent Liberal (conservatives) I know, those who are fully aware of global warming, are not prepared to reduce our emission of CO2... They know that anthropogenic CO2 is the culprit, but bugger any attempt to reduce our carbon consumption — because the science is unable to tell them if the crash is tomorrow or in 20 years... Meanwhile, they are happy to gamble on the latter date and they have done their bit to save the environment by investing (not buying) in a hybrid car with a 4 litre petrol engine (3.5 litres actually — so there!)...

The others 90 per cent of conservatives have no clue and don't want to know... They drive like my friend in the 160s — asleep at the wheel...

To tell it mildly, ALL THE LIBERALS (Conservatives) are prepared to sacrifice the future of this planet for present comforts. NONE of them want to take the foot off the accelerator pedal... The "good" 10 per cent announce without realising the horror of their twisted thoughts that "they will deal with the problem when it arises"... (meaning WHEN IT AFFECTS THEM DIRECTLY).

Taking the foot off the accelerator would cost money and this is THE ONLY CONSIDERATION ENTERING THEIR BRAINS... 

We better start tightening our butt cheeks on the leather of our bicycle seat, as these (may I call them selfish — though they have a heart of gold in regard to tax deductible charity) humans are taking us down with them... 

The former resources minister Ian Macdonald has insisted to a corruption inquiry that he had "total authority" to issue exploration licences without a tender, including to a company backed by former union boss and Labor Party figure John Maitland.

Mr Macdonald, giving evidence before the Independent Commission Against Corruption for the third time in two years on Wednesday, has also maintained that he and Mr Maitland were not friends of any kind, contradicting Labor colleagues from the same faction who had regarded them as "mates".

"We had a cordial relationship," Mr Macdonald said.

"I met him about 15 times in seven years . . . I never went out drinking with him . . . I have never met his children."

But Mr Maitland did meet Mr Macdonald's daughter Sasha, who, the inquiry has heard, attended a celebratory dinner at Catalina when an exploration licence was formally issued to Mr Maitland's company. She went on to secure a job in China through one of Mr Maitland's contacts.

The ICAC inquiry is focusing on the circumstances in which the licence was issued just before Christmas in 2008. It had the effect of creating a windfall of $50 million for the investors behind Doyles Creek Mining when the asset was floated on the stock exchange – including Mr Maitland and Newcastle businessmen Andrew Poole and Craig Ransley.

Mr Macdonald's appearance at the commission marks the end of seven months of public hearings into three separate corruption cases that have also embroiled Labor Party powerbroker Eddie Obeid and his family, and former treasurer Eric Roozendaal.

To date, Mr Macdonald has been accused at the ICAC of three separate acts of corruption.

The first involving a meeting he arranged for accused murderer Ron Medich and a state official, and a prostitute named Tiffanie allegedly arranged for Mr Macdonald in return. The second was his alleged involvement in a "criminal conspiracy" to rig a coal licence tender that generated millions of dollars for the Obeids. And finally, in the current inquiry, for showing "partial" treatment to Mr Maitland.

Counsel assisting the inquiry, Peter Braham, SC, said it was generally accepted in the Rees Labor government of 2008 that if a minister was going to embark on something that would involve the forgoing of state revenues, the matter should be brought to the cabinet.

Mr Macdonald rejected the assertion and said he had never heard Nathan Rees say any such thing.

"I had total authority to deal with exploration licences without going to cabinet," Mr Macdonald said.

The inquiry has heard that the department of mineral resources played very little role in issuing the licence and that the minister's office was Mr Maitland's principal point of contact.

Phone records tendered to the inquiry show Mr Maitland and Mr Ransley dealt with the former minister's personal staff.

Mr Braham also asked Mr Macdonald to accept that the issuing of the licence to Doyles Creek Mining, without a tender, involved an "aberrant process on your part".

"It might have been different in part," Mr Macdonald said, "but I believe it was quite proper."

Mr Maitland claimed on Wednesday that the guidelines for the release of a tenement such as Doyles Creek "provide for flexibility".

Mr Macdonald continues giving evidence on Thursday.

'I Had Total Authority' For Mining Licences: Macdonald

Labor MP Michelle Rowland has hit out at the Coalition saying it knew she had a sick child when they refused her request for a ''pair'' to leave Parliament, contradicting statements from senior opposition minister Christopher Pyne.

''I put in what I thought was a reasonable request,'' Ms Rowland told Fairfax Media on Thursday morning. ''I expressly stated it was because my child was sick and I would really appreciate the opportunity to be home with her . . . and I got a reply yesterday that that was declined.''

A ''pair'' is a gentleman's agreement between parties in which a politician excuses themselves from a vote to square the numbers when an opponent cannot attend Parliament for a good reason.

The purpose of the image at top is to draw attention to the fact that about 90 per cent of conservatives (Aussie Liberals) don't "believe" in global warming... Proper science has never been one of their forte... They of course believe in god and money (in the reverse order). Both of these beliefs are being inconvenienced by global warming — and an anthropogenic global warming at that... Of course global warming is not a question of belief but one of knowledge.. Math and science that does not involve gambling on a race horse, on the stock market or at a casino near you is of course not worth a penny in any Liberal (conservative) bank account.

Should the aussie conservatives — who of all hypocrisy call themselves Liberals to confuse the reality of their ultra right wing beliefs — take the levers of this country, we would see more major damage to the environment and more of the destruction of the planet surface as a whole...

Climate change or global warming is a most serious matter that will affect future generation of humans and other life-forms for MILLENNIUMS... WE cannot trust the Liberals (conservatives) to understand the problem mostly because I know — I have tested — they don't understand, they don't want to understand and ultimately, THEY DON'T CARE... Hence my rude toon at top....

Meanwhile in America, the deficit is near the size of the Australian government entire budget and could have been worse...:

CBO sees brighter economy with budget deficit to plunge to $642 billion this year

By Lori Montgomery, Wednesday, May 15, 5:30 AM

The budget deals of the past two years and a recovering economy are rapidly mopping up the tide of red ink that swept over Washington after the 2007 recession.

After four years of budget deficits in excess of $1 trillion, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office forecast Tuesday that this year’s deficit will plummet to $642 billion, or 4 percent of the nation’s total economic output.

That’s $200 billion lower than the CBO forecast in February. Analysts attributed the sunnier outlook to higher-than-expected tax revenue and about $95 billion in higher payments from mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which are profiting from a recovering housing market.

The forecast puts the nation on track for its smallest deficit since 2008, before the recession hit in full force. And the CBO predicts that the gap between revenue and spending will continue to shrink through 2015, when it will fall to just over 2 percent of the economy — well within the bounds of what economists consider to be economically sustainable.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/cbo-budget-deficit-to-plunge-to-642b-this-year-lower-than-expected/2013/05/14/e46112fe-bccb-11e2-97d4-a479289a31f9_print.html

US taxpayers are footing the bill for overseas lobbying that promotes controversial biotech crops developed by U.S.-based Monsanto Co and other seed makers, a report issued on Tuesday said.

A review of 926 diplomatic cables of correspondence to and from the U.S. State Department and embassies in more than 100 countries found that State Department officials actively promoted the commercialization of specific biotech seeds, according to the report issued by Food & Water Watch, a non-profit consumer protection group.

The officials tried to quash public criticism of particular companies and facilitated negotiations between foreign governments and seed companies such as Monsanto over issues like patents and intellectual property, the report said.

The cables show U.S. diplomats supporting Monsanto, the world's largest seed company, in foreign countries even after it paid $1.5 million in fines after being charged with bribing an Indonesian official and violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in 2005.

One 2009 cable shows the embassy in Spain seeking "high-level U.S. government intervention" at the "urgent request" of Monsanto to combat biotech crop opponents there, according to the Food & Water Watch report.

The report covered cables from 2005-2009 that were released by Wikileaks in 2010 as part of a much larger release by Wikileaks of a range of diplomatic cables it obtained.

Monsanto spokesman Tom Helscher said Monsanto believes it is critical to maintain an open dialogue with government authorities and trade groups in other countries.

"We remain committed to sharing information so that individuals can better understand our business and our commitments to support farmers throughout the world as they work to meet the agriculture demands of our world's growing population," he said.

State Department officials had no immediate comment when contacted about the report.
Food & Water Watch said the cables it examined provide a detailed account of how far the State Department goes to support and promote the interests of the agricultural biotech industry, which has had a hard time gaining acceptance in many foreign markets.
"It really goes beyond promoting the U.S.'s biotech industry and agriculture," said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch. "It really gets down to twisting the arms of countries and working to undermine local democratic movements that may be opposed to biotech crops, and pressuring foreign governments to also reduce the oversight of biotech crops."

But U.S. officials, Monsanto and many other companies and industry experts routinely say that biotech crops are needed around the world to increase global food production as population expands. They maintain that the crops are safe and make farming easier and more environmentally sustainable.

PROMOTION THROUGH PAMPHLETS, DVDs?

The cables show that State Department officials directed embassies to "troubleshoot problematic legislation" that might hinder biotech crop development and to "encourage the development and commercialization of ag-biotech products".

The State Department also produced pamphlets in Slovenia promoting biotech crops, sent pro-biotech DVDs to high schools in Hong Kong and helped bring foreign officials and media from 17 countries to the United States to promote biotech agriculture, Food & Water Watch said.

Genetically altered crops are widely used in the United States. Crops spliced with DNA from other species are designed to resist pests and tolerate chemical applications, and since their introduction in the mid 1990s have come to dominate millions of acres of U.S. farmland.

The biotech crops are controversial with some groups and in many countries because some studies have shown harmful health impacts for humans and animals, and the crops have been associated with some environmental problems.

They also generally are more expensive than conventional crops, and the biotech seed developers patent the high-tech seeds so farmers using them have to buy new seed every season, a factor that makes them unappealing in some developing nations.
Many countries ban planting of biotech crops or have strict labelling requirements.

"It's appalling that the State Department is complicit in supporting their (the biotech seed industry's) goals despite public and government opposition in several countries," said Ronnie Cummins, executive director of non-profit organization Organic Consumers Association.

"American taxpayer's money should not be spent advancing the goals of a few giant biotech companies."

US Taxpayers Footing Bill That Promotes Monsanto Abroad

There will be a dramatic global decline in the number of animal and plant species this century if the world continues to procrastinate over measures to cut carbon dioxide emissions to limit climate change, a study has found.

Former resources minister Ian Macdonald introduced legislation which overruled the highest court in NSW and resulted in a $1 billion windfall to two mining executives who have been under the scrutiny of the Independent Commission against Corruption.

Travers Duncan and Brian Flannery had owned the Moolarben coalmine near Mudgee for more than 30 years. But it was not until the Labor government intervened that it made a big profit.

The NSW Court of Appeal had ruled they could not mine at Moolarben because the lease encroached on a lease held by mining giant Xstrata.

But after the court decided, in August 2008, they could not mine at Moolarben Mr Macdonald stepped in to champion Mr Duncan and Mr Flannery's cause.

After a long legal battle, it took one day for the Labor government to introduce legislation that overturned the Court of Appeal's decision. The legislation went before the entire cabinet for approval.

Mr Duncan and Mr Flannery sold the mine within a year as part of their company Felix Resources to Chinese miner Yanzhou Coal, delivering $530 million each to Mr Duncan and Mr Flannery.

This was not the first time they had received a helping hand from the Labor government.

The pair were also shareholders in a private company, Cascade Coal, which in 2009 received an exploration licence at Mount Penny, near Mudgee, after a suspicious tender run by Mr Macdonald.

In 2008 the government amended the Mining Act to reverse the outcome of a Court of Appeal decision. Left to stand, the court decision would have invalidated Mr Flannery and Mr Duncan's mining leases at the Moolarben coalmine.

The ICAC has revealed a friendship between Mr Macdonald and Mr Duncan, who were regular dining partners.

Transcripts reveal the pair had dinner together in June 2009 at one of Sydney's top restaurants when they discussed Yangzhou Coal's interest in buying Felix Resources.

Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham said it was outrageous the Labor government had legislated so quickly to overturn a court decision. ''This action implicates the entire Labor cabinet, not just a single rogue minister,'' he said.

Peter Coates, a senior executive at Glencore Xstrata said the ''speed of the law change was very unusual''.

A day after the bill was passed, on September 24, 2008, Felix Resources issued a statement praising Mr Macdonald for his decision to amend the Mining Act.

Mr Flannery, who was managing director of Felix Resources at the time, said the bill - the Mining Amendment (Improvements on Land) Bill 2008 - would ensure the validity of the Moolarben leases.

He said the government's action had ''restored clarity and certainty to mining leases that had been placed at risk of unnecessary and costly litigation by the recent Court of Appeal decision''.

When introducing the bill, Mr Macdonald said it was needed to restore certainty to existing mining titles in place before the Court of Appeal's decision.

With the benefit of hindsight, some Liberal and Labor MPs are questioning the appropriateness of the decision. The opposition did not oppose the legislation because it seemed to reinforce the title of miners holding leases which were not in question.

Mr Buckingham said the Greens want a royal commission into the administration and operations of the Mining and Petroleum Acts. ''We believe it is the only way to restore public trust in this area and achieve root and branch reform,'' he said.

George Williams, from the University of NSW law faculty, said in general, it was ''unusual but not unreasonable'' for parliaments to legislate to reverse a court decision. ''It is certainly not common but it does happen in circumstances where Parliament is particularly concerned about the court decision,'' he said.

''It raises real concerns about whether it is appropriate to override that decision and you normally expect a strong case to be put forward in Parliament to permit that.''

Peter Gerangelos, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Sydney and author of The Separation of Powers and Legislative Interference in Judicial Process, also said the reversal of a court decision was ''relatively rare''.

On Friday Mr Flannery said the Liberal opposition and the Labor government had jointly passed the legislation. ''So as to its appropriateness, please ask the Premier, Mr O'Farrell, or the solicitor-general who could better articulate the reasoning for agreeing to such legislation,'' he said.

He said construction of the mine began immediately after the legislation was passed and it was one of the few mines developed at the height of the global financial crisis. It now employed 400 people.

Mr Duncan and Mr Macdonald declined to comment.

Resources and Energy Minister Chris Hartcher said: "If there is sufficient evidence of misconduct the government will ensure a thorough investigation occurs."

Labor's Helping Hand Led To $1b Yield