Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

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Get a Globally Recognised Avator – A Gravator

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Hi Jen

Have you seen those little picture things in your blog (and at other sites)? Well… Inspired by none other than G Bird I have hacked through your page source and found the relevant link.

Neat little freeware service… Creates a gravatar for you to make your blog persona come alive.  And you can have a library and change them too.  If you register and do a gravatar “check” at the gravatar site  – you will get something like this.  Change the size to 48 (last two digits). Wack this in the URL spot for comments in your blog and your blog picture persona will appear !

Of course you need to do your own ….above just an example.

Send the inmates a message.

Only catch is the service takes about 10 minutes to register after you set it up.

Luke

[First posted on September 11, 2008 https://jennifermarohasy.com.dev.internet-thinking.com.au/blog/2008/09/2168/ ]

The Tassie Devil Appeal

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Hi Jennifer,

We are trying to raise funds for an important cause that you and your readers may be interested in.

The Tassie Devil Appeal “breed and release” program is made up of 17 of Australia’s most acclaimed zoos and wildlife parks all working protect the Tasmanian devil from the threat of extinction.

We are aiming to raise funds through the appeal website, www.tassiedevilappeal.org . As wildlife conservation is an issue that the your readers takes very seriously, we thought it would be appropriate to invite your blog to participate.

People can make a difference and have some fun! They can even win the right to name a real Tasmanian devil born into the breeding program.

I thank you in advance for your help and if there is anything I can do to assist you, please just ask!

Warm regards

Dan
The Taronga Foundation

Farmland to Coal Mine: Darling Downs, Queensland

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On 1st Sep 2008 the Queensland Government issued a Mineral Development Licence for coal to the wholly Queensland Government owned Tarong Energy Corporation over the iconic Haystack Road farmlands.

Harvest has begun on the Haystack Plain which has once again been favoured with a bountiful crop.  This may truly be our last harvest on this inherently fertile farmland. Tarong Energy, this week confirmed in writing that they will be taking their assets (our farmland) to the market in early 2009.

 

Minister for Mines & Energy Hon Geoff Wilson MP, last week stated that there is no need for new legislation to protect iconic farmland. Without new legislation there is no legal reason why Tarong Energy can not sell their asset (our farmland) to another company that will surely exploit the coal resource. At our expense the Queensland treasury will celebrate their one off win fall through the sale of their asset, (our farmland) but never again will the Haystack Plain produce a bountiful crop!

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=669lsVI4Zrc

Website: www.coal4breakfast.com.au

Important Article by Friend and Forester Mark Poynter

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Friends,

 

An important article has been published today at Online Opinion http://www.onlineopinion.com.au by Mark Poynter.

 

  Mark Poynter is a professional forester with 30 years experience. He is a member of the Institute of Foresters and the Association of Consultant Foresters, and author of the book Saving Australia’s Forests and its Implications (published in 2007).

 

Mark’s article looks at two recent publications by the Fenner School of the Australian National University.  The first by the WildCountry Hub director Professor Brendan Mackey and colleagues that colour codes carbon and speculates that there is ten times more carbon potential in forests than a world wide estimate made almost 20 years ago.

 

The second report critiqued is from Judith Ajani (formerly Clark) that extensively quotes the Mackey report to argue that native forests should be used as carbon stores, and existing plantations will provide all our timber needs.

 

Both reports appear strongly influenced by the Wilderness Society, its political ally the Greens and an organization known as the “Greens Institute”.

 

So it’s worth a read and even a comment.

 

Comment can be made at http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=8094 

 

Cheers

Alan 

 

The photograph, taken by Jennifer Marohasy, shows Mark preparing for his recent presentation to the Australian Environment Foundation.

Bob Carter in Brisbane Speaking on Climate Change as a Natural Hazard

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The Institute of Public Affairs holds lectures on interesting topics at the Brisbane Club.   Last night eighty guests heard Professor Bob Carter from James Cook University explain how climate always changes and why climate change is a natural hazard.   

Thanks Bob for another great presentation!

In the New Year, the Institue of Public Affairs is hoping to start a lecture series in Sydney along the lines of the Brisbane Club Lectures and Bob has agreed to give the inaugural lecture.

To be sure to be invited to these and other events become a member of the Institute of Public Affairs.

An Old Queen Parrot

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Since moving to the Blue Mountains late last year I’ve made some new friends including a King Parrot and a Magpie.   The young male King Parrot sits on my back landing and looks through the glass door into my study when the bird-feeder is empty.  Maggie, the Magpie, perches on a window sill and looks into the kitchen when she is hungry and notices I am feeding myself.

They are both rather bold birds.

There are usually three or four King Parrots in the trees in the vicinity of the bird-feeder that hangs in my backyard.  Over the last few days an old King Parrot, in fact a female so lets call her a Queen Parrot, has been mostly just resting on the back lawn.