Plus a bonus extra below the fold, “Bulldust, Oz Blogger Hero” (he should be beet red by now).
The Australian Lectures by David Archibald
David Archibald, July 8, 2010
Anthony Watts runs the world’s most popular science blog with three million hits per month. One of the reasons for its popularity is that it possibly the most cheerful science blog, which in turn is a reflection on the owner: positive, productive and thoroughly decent in a Midwestern American way. So when the call came for support speakers for his Australian lecture series, I had no hesitation in signing up for the whole gig, which included, in order, Sydney, Townsville, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Noosa, Emerald, Melbourne, Hobart, Mt Gambier, Hamilton, Ballarat, Narrogin, Perth, Canberra, Wagga Wagga and Coffs Harbour. For me it amounted to 26,000 km of travel.
Read the entire essay here at Quadrant Online.
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Doomed Planet, July 7, 2010
Who was the first person in the world to dub the CRU scandal a “ClimateGate”? Anthony Watts says it’s Bulldust. More…
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Noel and Stefan’s excellent adventure
While I was on the road, I got an email from WUWT reader Noel and his friend Stefan (pictured above) who were concerned that I hadn’t had any time for R&R on the tour. Noel offered to take me on a boat ride around Perth harbor, and to see Rottnest island about 20km from Perth harbor. About 7,000 years ago the sea levels were low enough that aborigines could walk to the limestone outcrops.
According to Wiki recent (in geologic time) sea level rise made the peninsula into an island:
Rottnest Island was inhabited by Aboriginal people from approximately 30,000 years ago, until rising sea levels separated the island from the mainland of Western Australia approximately 7,000 years ago. The island features in Noongar Aboriginal mythology as Wadjemup. Aboriginal artefacts on the island have been dated from 6,500 to more than 30,000 years ago.
There were no people on the island when European exploration began in the 17th century, and the Aboriginal people did not have boats that could make the crossing, so the island had probably been uninhabited for several thousand years.
Even doing R&R I learned something about sea level rise I didn’t know. You can see the land bridge clearly in this Google Earth image with bathymetric features:
After being the target of some protesters at previous cities, and since I didn’t know these fellows, I was a bit concerned that maybe the purpose of the boat ride was a one way trip. 😉
My concerns were soon allayed in communications and evaporated completely when I met them at the dock. They were wearing yellow smiley badges (seen above).
It was a great afternoon. I loved every minute, lunch was superb, and it all was refreshing. I gave my best talk ever that night in Perth at WAU thanks to being invigorated.
And BTW, lest one think they are just some “big oil groupies” (like our protesters imagined), these two fellows are in the environmental business. They handle waste management problems of all kinds. Green but not mean, my kinda guys. Thanks fellows!
Well done David!
The daily updates on the tour were a pure pleasure to read. It was good to see some of the bunk coming out of the warmist camp debunked so decisively.
Bill Derryberry
Have a good rest, but keep it short. The next leg of the WUWT world tour should be here in America.
Once thinking Americans learn the truth they do not return to the warmers, but not all Americans surf the web for their information. Many still find it at small community meetings, like was done for the Australia tour. Look to the tea parties for evidence of how well this is working,
For some reason the “Land Down Under” song has been going through my head all day, so I doubled down on it, finding videos of it performed by Colin Hayes with Ringo Starr, et. al., and for four minutes by Aussie soccer fans, and so on. I had heard the news that a court settled that the rights-owners of the “Kookaburra” song are to get a 6% cut of the money from the other song (yes, some of its tune is played on flute in the other song as sure as that toy Koala bear is in the video). So I was thinking that now they can finally splice a Kookaburra into the video. Then I saw the rumor about a 3-sigma finding by the Tevatron for the Higgs boson. Could it be by any chance that that Higgs fellow is an Aussie? Anyway, a toast to Bulldust from darkest Queens, NY (and of course I’ve never been to Australia, so I focus on pop culture imagery. Still I’ve met a few Aussies – salt of the earth.)
Thanks guys for taking care of Anthony.
Brad
thank you come back again, and spread the word that global warming is BS
REPLY: I prefer the term “oversold”. We have in fact had warming in the last century. The cause is the dispute. – A
Great to hear of some of you adventures Anthony. Maybe some more in the coming weeks? Would like to hear your description of the land, climate, and specialties in Australia having never the chance to go down under. I’m sure it was impressive since it sounds like you traveled it all.
I’ve followed for many months the adventures of a delightful young lady, 16, Jessica Watson from Adelaide that just completed sailing a circum-navigation of the world and set the world record. Any information of this world that is first hand like that is always welcome and from that you learn what reality actually is. Most south Indian Ocean storms missed her until she ducked under Australia on the home stretch in April.
If there is ever another example of America, one is Australia, if they would just learn to drive on the right side of the street! :-‘) BTW, did you get a chance to brave it behind the wheel?
Anthony,
If you repeat this trip, it would be great to get you down to New Zealand.
We really seriously need a reality injection.
I’d be happy to help out in whatever way possible.
I find being invigorated does wonders for verbal expression. :,)
A resounding success! Any chance you might like to hop across the pond to the UK?
Green but not mean, my kinda guys. Absolutely, my kind of guys too!
What really p….s me off is the way the modern greenies have hijacked being green.
Your companions who manage waste are an essential part of being truly green.
I spent most of my career involved in providing clean water and sewerage projects, flood relief and so on, yet I have to listen to the MSM green journalists who have done nothing which gets their hands dirty, lecture me on how I should run my life. Long before today’s green journalists were a twinkle in their daddies’ eyes, the Public Health Act 1936, was the greatest piece of green legislation the UK had ever seen, and that was folowed in 1954 by The Clean Air Act, which I believe came into force in 1956, and Londoners and citizens of other British cities could breathe again. Those two Acts provided :- Clean potable water, Disposal of foul and surface water sewage, disposal of solid waste (trash), burial of the dead, and later in the 50’s restrictions on burning solid coal and other foul and noxious substances. – Not bad for my generation.
Wonder what today’s greenies can claim for their generation, apart from some computer models that is.
In view of all the cities and towns toured, I’d like to dedicate the linked song to Anthony. The Australian version of “I’ve Been Everywehere Man” by Lucky Starr
LOL interestingly I am a total mutt… my Dad is Welsh and my Mum is Dutch (and yes I will be up late on Monday morning for the World Cup!) By pure coincidence I was born in Geelong, Australia, left Australia when I was two and only came back in September 1992. I have no idea why but within a couple weeks I felt like this was home.
BTW my wife (whom I met on the net – another interesting story) is from New York State and was born in Queens. Small world eh? So a toast right back at you in Queens… *grumbles because he has to drink US beer because of the missus* I guess it’s MIller time (MGD at least).
PS> Do all you Americans that say “we want to go to Australia some day” (which is pretty much everyone up there, from personal experience), do yourself a favour and come on down… you’ll have a blast. Just don’t come in the middle of winter or summer, April and September are good times.
I’m sorry I missed your talk. BTW, that’s not a land bridge, that’s just the area that Google has imagery for.
REPLY: Yes they have imagery for that area, but the imagery tells the story. If you zoom in, you’ll see clearly the just under the surface reefs and islands that form the bridge. If you turn on the “oceans” clicky in GE you’ll be treated to icons of all the shipwrecks along that. -A
UK Sceptic says:
July 9, 2010 at 11:22 pm
A resounding success! Any chance you might like to hop across the pond to the UK?
Again, I second that! Happily, people in the UK do seem on average to be maybe a little bit more sceptical than most other cultures, by nature – but there are still a hell of a lot of Gaiya-worshippers, dreadlock-haired white New Agers, and holier-than-thou feel-good liberals, who are very protective of the Green/Red agenda, so your presence would be most welcome for the freedom lovers.
Anthony, you used the term “Green, but not mean” in reference to your Auzzie buddies. I wouldn’t even refer to genuine environmentalists as “Green;” after all, if the term “Green” ever did refer to pure environmental principles (and I’m not sure that it did) it has long since been hijacked. When I was growing up, “green” was another word for “naive.” It evidently still is.
Sounds Homeric, great work guys!
Doug in Seattle says:
“Have a good rest, but keep it short. The next leg of the WUWT world tour should be here in America.
Once thinking Americans learn the truth they do not return to the warmers, but not all Americans surf the web for their information. Many still find it at small community meetings, like was done for the Australia tour. Look to the tea parties for evidence of how well this is working,”
I second that!!! I’d really like to meet Dave Archibald too.
I don’t care in the least what Leif Svalgaard has to say about it.
You all might even be offered a gig on Fox News, at least you should.
Cold Englishman says:
July 10, 2010 at 2:23 am
Green but not mean, my kinda guys. Absolutely, my kind of guys too!
What really p….s me off is the way the modern greenies have hijacked being green.
Modern-day Greenism is also more about appearance than reality. They need to be seen as being “Green” even though whatever they are doing may in fact have little to do with actual environmental benefits, and may cause more harm than good. The louder they are about it, the more their Greenism has to do with politics, money, and feeling good about themselves and the less it has to do with the environment. Their hypocrisy knows no bounds.
Bulldust says:July 10, 2010 at 2:48 am
PS> Do all you Americans that say “we want to go to Australia some day” (which is pretty much everyone up there, from personal experience), do yourself a favour and come on down… you’ll have a blast. Just don’t come in the middle of winter or summer, April and September are good times.
If you folks get your government in order, I’ll move down under. Unfortunately, our US government is headed down under, but to a different, warmer place.
Anthony – we need you badly here in New Zealand.
Geography and weather quite different to Oz – I think you’d love it.
Christchurch, New Zealand
REPLY: Organize a tour and funding then, I can’t just show up. – Anthony
Bulldust, I was lucky enough to spend three weeks in Victoria State, Canberra, Sidney, Cairns and the Atherton Tableland, and Alice Springs (and Ularu) several years ago. It was delightful, if cold in Victoria (we visited in late June). Great places, wonderful people! And yes, almost every American I’ve met says they’d love to go to Australia.
Cold? I don’t comprehend the meaning of the word… a few years back I went for a jog with the Boulder (CO) Hash House Harriers (a drinking club with a running problem) and they still have a picture on the web site:
http://www.angelfire.com/mi/birdman/bh3.html
The Annual Hangover run is at the crack of noon on 1 January each year. They had been kind enough to throw on a blizzard that morning… as you can see I was appropriately atired.
You’ll be happy to know I have managed to fix the running problem 🙂 And yes, that is where the name Bulldust comes from, running with the HHH, which is a worldwide disorganisation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_House_Harriers
Good times… we all need a bit of craziness in our lives.
Ref – morgo says:
July 9, 2010 at 10:53 pm
Nothing wrong with being ‘green’, we’re all pretty ‘green’ or we wouldn’t be here; it’s those “GREEDYS” that will take advantage of anything to make (or take) a dollar that drive ya through the roof and into the poor house;-) They’re everywhere! They’re everywhere!
In times of uncertainty and doubt, there is great and nearly endless opportunity at hand to ponzie, and rob, and rape, and pillage, and have a great glorious time; especially if you’re a nobody college professor, x-VP, investor/financier, old has-been movie star (or a young one who wants to work again), or up and coming politician looking for something to ‘stand for’.
Yhep! It ain’t the “Greens”, it’s the “Greedys” ya gotta look out for!
Bulldust which part of Australia are you in? I’m in Canberra and would like to network a bit. My contact details are part way down this page. http://vacoyecology.com/
Julia Gillard still wants to push through an ETS We need to be organised.
Weather is not climate:
Australia, coldest day in 100 years.
http://www.meattradenewsdaily.co.uk/news/140710/australia___global_warming_my_backside_with_the_coldest_day_in__years.aspx