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  Global Warming Science Moves On

  David Evans     |      August 12, 2008

  There is no evidence that carbon emissions cause significant global warming. None.

  On global warming, public policy is where the science was in 1998. Due to new evidence, science has since moved off in a different direction.

  The UN science body on this matter, the IPCC, is a political body composed mainly of bureaucrats. So far it has resisted acknowledging the new evidence. But as Lord Keynes famously asked, "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?"

  Four things have changed since 1998.
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  We speak the same language, but that doesn’t mean we understand each other

  Catherine Fritz-Kalish     |      August 11, 2008

  Our environment is what makes and shapes us.
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  Rewards and rewarding experiences of using PCs in schools.

  foggy     |      August 7, 2008

  I think there is a trend to 'reward' children when they perform well, and it cannot be more emphasised, to teach the children computer basics.
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  Can I Enjoy a Guilt-free Olympics?

  joelkatz     |      August 7, 2008

  Although we must remain vigilant, and put pressure on China to improve its human rights’ record, we can also allow them their time in the sun. And, as most people recognise, the sun is just rising over China.

  There’s an undeniable economic and cultural shift towards East Asia, and particularly China. Australians have to tear themselves away from the Anglo-European centric cultural position we’ve held since this young country’s birth. Do we really need French in school? Don’t quote me on this, but I’ve a hunch that learning Mandarin might get you further in your professional career.

  But to change tack slightly… or quite significantly.
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  Reasons for Optimism

  Kate Rimer     |      August 7, 2008

  Many women with children who take on the big roles, have a secret weapon – flexible husbands.

  For almost 20 years I have worked in financial services and professional services. I am also mum to Ben (6 yrs) and Abbey (2yrs). I have been the main breadwinner for my family the past 7 years. What I share today is one person’s experience but I think the themes are common to the experiences of many women (and men) across many industries. We are in still in the first or maybe for some second generation of flexible work for most organisations. We have a lot to learn, but essentially I am cautiously optimistic about the ability to bring greater flexibility to the workplace.
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  Workforce Planning at Every Level

  sally.rose     |      August 6, 2008

  "There needs to be a significant shift in who’s in charge of driving the labour market. What industry needs is a better fundamental understanding, and then a systematic approach to planning. Then industry will be able to drive the direction of the labour market" (Julie Sloan).

  Julie Sloan of JSM management consulting is a well regarded Australian expert in the field of workforce planning.  Author of the book ‘An introduction to Workforce Planning – are you ready for crunch time’?, as well as the principal author of the first ‘Guidelines on Workforce Planning’ for Standards Australia launched in April 2008. 

  I asked Sloan how she felt about the call for a National Workforce Planning Strategy.

  Sloan "strongly supports" the idea.  "It is vital that this issue is high on the agenda now, with a view to having national standards in place by 2009".
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  Advance Australia Fair

  Anne Summers     |      August 5, 2008

  Will women be better off under the Rudd government?
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  PCs in schools: Assure a value added preparation for the future workforce

  foggy     |      August 2, 2008

  Definite stuff. And why not? We expect either too much from a computer or too little. Just tell me,how many spheres of our activities like banks, police, news dailies’ offices, shopping centres, engineering firms, computer science learning centres themselves and IT learning centres, has the computer completely taken over? Can you imagine a giant monitor […]
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  Parting Seas for guest workers unlikely

  Matthew Tukaki     |      July 31, 2008

  The following article relates to the development of a guest worker scheme for Pacific Islanders to fill job gaps in unskilled labour areas.
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  The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

  sally.rose     |      July 31, 2008

  Water samples taken in the patch from the research vessel Alguita in 2001 revealed the presence of six times more plastic than plankton.

  Not long ago I was horrified to hear about something named The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Claims there was an expanse of garbage floating off the coast of California that was "twice the size of Texas".

  Surely, in this age of satellite imaging, if such an abomination existed there would be pictures. I looked and didn't find any.

  In the absence of any photographs of a floating garbage pile, I hoped it was just a beat-up. Unfortunately all further enquiries have led me to understand that the real story behind the name is much worse than anything I had imagined.
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  Education begins on the first day, in your home, on your knee

  Douglascomms     |      July 31, 2008

  Reading to children doesn't only make them smarter, it makes them into more confident, imaginative and caring individuals.

  There was one thing I really liked about Mark Latham, and that was his first speech as leader of the opposition.

  He got up and spoke about the importance of parents reading to their kids.

  From the time they pop out into the world to the time the actually tell you that they're happy to read themselves to sleep each night, every child in Australia deserves to be read to by their parents at least once per day.

  In fact I think it should be written into the United Nations charter on the rights of the child. Two books – two chapters – 15 minutes – however you want to measure it, reading time is the one fundamental piece of the education puzzle which each and every child needs.

  And yes, I believe they need it.
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  A glimpse of the future

  Gary Nairn     |      July 29, 2008

  Merging technologies unleashes the true power of each technology.

  A couple of months ago I was lucky enough to take a paddle on a pristine lake on the far south coast of New South Wales, and while it didn’t look like it, I was hard at work.

  You see my kayak was not only spatially enabled, it was linked to the net. It was a new wireless web-technology kayak.

  In-between paddles I was on-line booking my flight from Canberra to Wellington, checking my emails and buying and selling some shares (although I’m not sure if I should be buying or selling these days).

  The web-kayak was also monitoring the tides and lake current patterns and linked to a GPS which indicated how many paddles in what direction would give me the optimum course to get across the lake to the river we were about to explore.

  The system was also taking into account underlying 3D topographical maps of the lake to highlight water depths, submerged rocks, sandbars, etc.