On cue — After droughts and fires, then come the floods

All the wise-heads said that Australia's drought was caused by global warming.  Where has that warming gone now that Australia has huge floods?  Has the warming ceased?  Or does warming cause floods too?  But something that causes everything probably causes nothing

By Joanne Nova

So much for the “hotter drier” Australian future they were warning us about 3 weeks ago.

As predicted, droughts in Australia often end in floods. It is the way it has always been. Today people are already being rescued from the rising water and possibly another 200 -300mm of rain may fall before Sunday warns the BOM. Many fires have been extinguished.

Climate change has made no difference to the drought trends in Australia in the last 178 years and climate models are totally skilless at rainfall. When will the climate modelers admit that these are natural cycles?

Forecasters become increasingly concerned that even more rain could fall even faster than expected as five people have been rescued from floods.

The NSW State Emergency Service issued a flood warning for Sydney’s metropolitan areas, saying forecast weather conditions were “likely to cause widespread flooding”.

Flooding has already occurred in Roseville in Sydney’s Upper North Shore and the north-western suburb of Putney, where commuters are advised to allow extra travel time.

Meteorologists have said they are increasingly worried about the unfolding weather events in New South Wales and have “great concerns” that “intense bursts” of rain could see hundreds more millimetres fall far quicker than originally expected.

The NSW Rural Fire Service said the heavy rain was welcome in bushfire-ravaged parts of the state.

“We were over the moon to see rain arrive across many parts of NSW, with decent falls in the state’s north,” the RFS said on Thursday night.

When will our climate experts and the ABC “Science ” team mention that the solar cycles and ocean currents are linked to rainfall all over the world, and their models contradict each other, show no skill and are useless at rainfall.

Five years after rain returns, climate modelers redo models and “predict” more, less, some, different or same rain

Australian – Asian rainfall linked to solar activity for last 6000 years

Sun controls half of the groundwater recharge rate in China for last 700 years

Solar effects seem to shift wind and rainfall patterns over last 3000 years in Chile

Climate Models: 100% right except for rain, drought, storms, humidity and everything else

Delighted to hear it’s raining. Hoping everyone stays safe and its “well spread”.

SOURCE  







Nurse paying price for speaking to paper

A BRISBANE nurse with 40 years' exemplary service has been threatened with the sack after exposing flaws in the training of student nurses to The Sunday Mail. 

In a five page, heavy-handed "show cause" email from Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Margaret Gilbert, a duty manager at Prince Charles Hospital, was told she may have breached media regulations by making a comment about the dropping standards of bachelor nursing degrees and the decline of practical skills in student nurses.

The email alleges seven breaches by Ms Gilbert and states that if it is decided that disciplinary action should be taken, she faced losing her job, demotion, reprimand, re-deployment or a monetary penalty.

The email from Queensland Health has sparked unprecedented action by the Nurses Professional Association of Queensland. Ms Gilbert is a union delegate.

On Friday, the NPAQ commenced proceedings with the Industrial Relations Commission and it will be heard tomorrow. The NPAQ claims the media gag order and the threat of serious disciplinary action on Ms Gilbert is a breach of human rights.

It is believed this will be the first time the new Human Rights Act introduced on January 1 will be tested. "The fundamental role of a nurse is to be an advocate for their patients. If Margaret is denied the chance to speak out on the standard of nursing and the impact on patients, then other nurses will be scared to speak for fear of being sacked,' NPAQ president Phil Tsingos said.

"As a union delegate, Margaret was duty bound to raise issues publicly about matters such as 1ow levels of education and skill by nursing graduates."

Queensland Health alleges that Ms Gilbert did cause or could have caused the public to lose confidence in the nursing capability at the Prince Charles Hospital and that her comments in the 6 November edition of The Sunday Mail did or could have deterred potential candidates from joining the nursing profession.

It is also alleged she did or may have caused damage to the relationship between Metro North and partner universities. The freedom of speech case could have ramifications for all public servants who are scared to speak out about official wrongdoings, the union claims.

"We are going to throw everything at this case," Mr Tsingos said.

From the Brisbane "Sunday Mail" of 9 Feb., 2020







'An intellectual hypocrite': How the dumped PM used to say coal would be part of Australia's energy mix for DECADES - but now claims it's NUTS

Conservative broadcaster Alan Jones wants former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull expelled from the Liberal Party for opposing taxpayer-funded coal-fired power stations.

The Sydney radio 2GB breakfast show presenter is outraged that Mr Turnbull has spoken out against the idea of building a new plant in north Queensland with public money.

Jones, a former Liberal candidate with influence in conservative circles, urged the party to expel the former PM because he was undermining his successor Scott Morrison.

'You're the only one that's nuts, Malcolm, and you're an intellectual hypocrite,' he said on Tuesday morning. 'Simple as that and we've had a gutful of you.

'If any other person in the party made comments such as that, deliberately designed to damage, they would either be suspended or expelled from the party.

'Quite frankly, Turnbull should be expelled from the party. His only intention is to make sure that Scott Morrison is beaten.'

Jones failed to mention that two moderate Liberal MPs from inner-city Sydney, Trent Zimmerman and Dave Sharma, have also spoken out against the idea of building new coal-fired power stations with taxpayer funds.

They made the intervention on Monday after Energy Minister Angus Taylor, from the Liberal Party's right faction, announced the government would spend $4million on a feasibility study for a 1GW 'high efficiency, low emissions' coal plant at Collinsville, north-west of Mackay in north Queensland.

Mr Turnbull yesterday spoke out against the prospect of public money being used to build a new coal-fired power station during a media conference at Parliament House in Canberra.

'The fundamental economic reality is this: there is no economic basis on which to build a coal-fired power station in Australia any longer,' he told reporters.

'The cheapest form of new generation is a combination of renewables plus storage and literally that is no longer a remotely contentious proposition. 'Those people who are advocating that the government should fund coal-fired power are basically making a case for higher emissions and higher energy prices and that is nuts.'

Nationals MPs from regional Queensland - including renegade backbencher George Christensen and former resources minister Matt Canavan - have been pushing the idea of taxpayers funding a coal-fired power station.

Mr Turnbull acknowledged there was a divide in the government between regional MPs, whose constituents depended on mining riches, and Liberal MPs holding cosmopolitan capital city electorates, where voters are more concerned about combating climate change.

'It's been a faultline in the Coalition for a very long time,' he said.

Previously, as prime minister, Mr Turnbull had argued coal would be part of Australia's energy mix for a long time, telling the ABC in 2016 clean coal could help reduce Australia's emissions.

SOURCE  





Young African migrants in Australia go insane at a great rate

New research has found teenage and young African migrants in Australia have a 10 times higher risk of developing a psychotic disorder than those born in Australia.

A study carried out by advocacy group Orygen outlined the mental health risks of young African migrants such as adapting to a new country and the experience of seeking asylum or discrimination.

The Risk of Psychotic Disorders in Migrants to Australia report identifies arrivals from Kenya as being at most risk at 10 times higher than Australian-born young people.

They are followed by migrants from Sudan who are at seven times greater risk and Ethiopians at more than five times.

"From the data here we see that the migrants from war-torn countries have an increased risk of psychosis," Associate Professor Brian O'Donoghue said.

"And we know that experiences of early childhood trauma, loss and separation can be risk factors for psychosis."

In contrast, the research found first-generation migrants from Europe, New Zealand and the United States were at similar risk of developing psychosis to Australian-born youth.

The study looked at young people aged 15 to 24 who presented with their first episode of psychosis over a six-year period.

The findings of the report build on research from the United Kingdom which found specific migrant and ethnic minority groups were at elevated risk.

"This is the first study that can conclusively say which young migrants are at higher risk for developing a psychotic disorder," Mr O'Donoghue said.

He said the findings highlighted the need to provide sufficient funding and accessible mental health services to vulnerable migrant groups.

“Areas that have higher rates of migrants from certain countries should have services that are adequately resourced, equipped and staffed for that,” he said.

He said research also indicates that young African migrants who are developing a psychotic disorder have longer delays in accessing appropriate services and treatment.

“So one of the immediate things that can be done is to improve the knowledge and awareness of the early signs of psychosis in the people who are likely to be in contact with young African migrants, such as teachers, school counsellors and youth workers.”

SOURCE  

 Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).    For a daily critique of Leftist activities,  see DISSECTING LEFTISM.  To keep up with attacks on free speech see Tongue Tied. Also, don't forget your daily roundup  of pro-environment but anti-Greenie  news and commentary at GREENIE WATCH .  Email me  here