Hi All,
I believe that there needs to be greater transparency and accountability to the public for the bills they send us.
I am a pensioner and live on my own.
My days do not change markedly. Occasionally I might go to visit one of my children.
Yet!! Yet, the variation in my bills is immense.

Several years ago I gave up my garden, my one pleasure, due to the drought. I used to grow my own vegetables as well as flowers and shrubs. I did all of the water saving exercises, yet the bills still went up.
When I complained they agree there was an anomaly and reduce it to the average. Gradually it has crept up again. So what is the anomaly?
I get up in the morning, make porridge and drink a cup of coffee.
Twice a week I do my washing.
Unless I need to work on the computer, I leave home for the day, go to my daughter’s place, and help her with her garden.
Returning home, I cook a meal, watch TV, shower and go to bed.
The strange thing is that her bills seem to be similar to me. I live on one side of town and her on the opposite. Strange?
I believe the companies need to go back to employing meter readers and not rely on guestimates. Even if by any imagination their guestimates are valid, the clients should not have to pay higher reading bills that are not credited until later. Those on pensions already have found that whatever increase they get is quickly chewed up as electricity, power, water, rent increases disproportionately to the increases. My pension buys less than it did 12 months ago and then it required close budgeting to meet all costs. Pensioners are paid well below the poverty line, whereas as in most European and British are guaranteed not to receive a pension below the poverty line.

*Posted by DreamOn, Wednesday, 25 August 2010 1:21:21 PM*

" ... Islands are already going under, the ice sheets on the polar caps have reduced considerably and gas concentrations, as is the case with the depleted ozone layers over certain areas of Australia are scientifically measurable. ... "

*Posted by Pericles, Wednesday, 25 August 2010 2:30:05 PM*

" ... Really?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/03/2916873.htm

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/01/27/floating-islands/

But please, don't let reality intrude on a story that has everything. Pathos, bathos, all generously soaked in a cargo-cult mentality. ... "

&

" ... Vastly oversimplified. Here's a little more detail to chew over. ... "

..

The best doco I have seen on the north polar cap was from Russia Today, who reviewed the findings of the science body that has been conducting bore core samples for decades, amongst other things and tracking the results for decades. The science is quite plain. So plain in fact, that even now at the UN relevant parties are negotiating the rights to the fish stocks whose range will increase significantly as the ice that once barred their way continues to diminish.

..

I found that your article supported my assertion that some islands are going under. That's not to say there aren't locale specific additional variables at play, but as your article states, the overall sea level is going up.

..

Your second article is tripe. Try real science with citations and references to published and accepted scientific journals if you continue to want to be taken seriously.

Indeed, there is a lot of misinformation being published by pseudo scientists, but your article reads like the climate change equivalent of the "Stolen Generation" skeptics.

..

I'm disappointed *Pericles* I had thought better of your research skills but then, say again, what is *Kami Kaze* all about?

*Professor AU* You have my sympathies.
..

*Yappy* you really have no idea at all about what you are talking about and seem incapable of thinking outside the square.

..

You raise the question of Indonesia, so I will comment on that. Indeed, family planning and contraception is greatly required, and indeed it would be good if they stopped chopping down the rain forests and burning associated carbon synchs, not to mention the

Orang Hutan -> Orangutan -> Person Forest -> Person of the Forest

..

To suggest that shutting down the coal stations in Oz would make no difference is absurd. Perhaps you would care to consider reading some of the publicly available literature published by the relevant recent Australian of the Year on matters to do with climate science.

..

But alas, I digress, re alternative economic models, I refer your attention to the magnificent river systems of East Jawa. Before the dirty filthy polluting coal plant parasites and their operatives were established at law by the Human Rights abusers and War Criminals from Jakarta, the Dutch had set up a magnificent water wheel electricity scheme, which more than catered for all of the local communities.

Once up and running, they cost virtually nothing, and the maintenance for the teams that kept them operational (ie keeping the grates clear of vegetative debris) was paid for by small community collections.

Thereafter, the electricity was abundant and as good as free. .. But then, as said, they were all pulled out in favor of filth and money grubbing parasites.

Nothing "Fairy Floss" or "Dream Time" about that mate. And the communities had savings and consequently grew. Now, they have been relegated to subsistence living in order to pay for a non essential industry.

..

As for Geo Thermal, well, you just bang a solid core into the hot rocks which in turn heats up, generates steam and spins the turbine. The difficulty is not that in whether the tech works, but rather that there is no justification to charge so much for it thus business doesn't want it.

**Yappy* you really have no idea at all about what you are talking about and seem incapable of thinking outside the square.*

Ah Dreamer, I think outside the square all the time. I just try
not to float on the clouds. Big difference!

*As for Geo Thermal, well, you just bang a solid core into the hot rocks which in turn heats up, generates steam and spins the turbine.*

Ah so simple hey. In this case, rather then trust the judgement
of an Australian pensioner, living in Indonesia, I'll rely on the
knowledge of Grant King, CEO of Origin Energy. They invest hundreds
of millions each year. He is actually informed about the industry,
unlike yourself.

*To suggest that shutting down the coal stations in Oz would make no difference is absurd.*

Not so Dreamer. Given the 250'000 daily increase in global population,
given the fact that the Chinese are opening another power station
each week, our tiny bit frankly does not matter. All the problems
are in the northern hemisphere, not the southern hemisphere.

But for some, its a feelgood problem. Get your act in order in
Indonesia, before you try to preach to us please

*Yappy*

You continue to make assumptions not based on fact and in reality you are but guessing. Whilst I have made it plain where I currently reside, but not for very much longer, your assumptions about what I do and my age are clearly incorrect.

..

As regards thinking outside the box, and different economic models, what you may like to consider is one of the fundamental differences between "Green Techs" and "Fossil Fuel" energy sources.

And that is simply, whilst say with coal you have to locate it, dig it up and then transport it before you burn it, with wind, solar and geothermal you do not.

The wind keeps blowing most of the time in rich areas, the sun in parts of Australia cranks non-stop giving in excess of 90% coverage during day light hours and the hot earth radiates non stop.

All you have to do is harvest it.

..

In fact, more potential energy strikes the earth from the sun every day than the entire estimated fossil reserve in total. Hmmm ..

..

Now, in truth I do appreciate some of your economic knowledge, but in this particular area you are needing an upgrade. By all means, ignore what I say, but if you want to understand the science behind the tech then read what the scientists say (clearly your mind is fine enough for that and the same goes for *Pericles*) and the vast majority of them are in agreeance visa vi global warming and climate change on in principal issues.

How in turn that applies to the economy is the matter of interest before us. But I put it to you, the problem with getting green tech established, is not because it is too expensive or not viable relatively, but rather because it will decimate the electricity industry as we know it and put a lot of people out of work.

And therein we find 2 of the primary objections that we see respectively emanating from the blue and red sectors of the political sphere.

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Another example perhaps? If you ever driven the nullabor, you would note the emergency solar powered telephone service. Now, I don't recall seeing too many staffers in the immediate vicinity. In fact, not that I know for sure, but mayhaps the road kill ute drives by once a month, wipes the dust of the panels and then drives on. That is about as much regular maintenance as they need.

..

Indo already has geo thermal and as they sit on the so called ring of fire, they have plenty of it in addition to paying less than 60c per litre of fuel and less than $AU10 per 15kg clean weight bottle of gas.

What they don't have is an abundance of parasitic multinational energy companies like BP feeding off them as we do in Australia. Chevron is one of the exceptions to that, but only because they are bringing new tech know how to upgrade the Indos scientific capability.

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No, the matter requiring economic expertise before us is how to migrate excess, non essential personal out of the fossil fuel sector and relocate them into knew areas of employment. New industrial endevour needs to be part of that mix i.m.o.and I note *Obama* is one of the politicians discussing regulating favorable business conditions to get some of the newer industries up and running, as opposed to just throwing them to the ravages of the pre-existing economic law of the jungle.

..

That in part is what I refer to as new and novel economic modeling.