The climate change debate continues.

[Bruce Tuncks]

We are not seen as a rich but empty land in my opinion. We are nearly all desert, and the non-desert parts are really small.

It was the worst unfortunate thing that we look large on a map of the world.

[old man emu]

1 hour ago, Bruce Tuncks said:

We are not seen as a rich but empty land in my opinion. It was the worst unfortunate thing that we look large on a map of the world.

The idea that people from other countries have that Australia is simply an expanse of unoccupied land comes from their visualising Australia from their experience. Ask an Englishman to go 100 kms to do something and he'll baulk at travelling that far. Ask an Aussie and he'll tell you he'll be there in a bit over an hour. The tourist images of sandy beaches and bustling CBDs are mistaken for reality.

[Old Koreelah]

1 hour ago, Bruce Tuncks said:

We are not seen as a rich but empty land in my opinion. We are nearly all desert, and the non-desert parts are really small.

Australia’s Gulf Country is similar in latitude and climate to Bangladesh, but with a tiny fraction it’s human population.

Much of our inland is similar to heavily-populated farmland in Asia. That’s what they see, but they probably don’t realise how much our rainfall varies.

1 hour ago, Bruce Tuncks said:

It was the worst unfortunate thing that we look large on a map of the world

Agreed. Even worse for us is the image we project of wealth and plentiful space.

[onetrack]

It's not an image - we are very wealthy by world standards, and we certainly do have plenty of space. We could easily accommodate tens of millions of Himalayan refugees - but whether they would attempt to, or be able to, overwhelm our substantial immigration controls, is a moot point. Bottom line is, the people in these overpopulated nations breed like rabbits and die like flies, they need to address their birth rate.

 

Europe has a bigger problem than we do when it comes to illegal immigration. When I was staying on Samos in 2013, there were 200-300 refugees at the wharf every morning, being rounded up by the Greek police and immigration authorities. They were floating across from Turkey overnight on rubber tubes, the Mycale Strait between Samos and the Turkish mainland is only 1km wide.

 

https://www.thebrenthurstfoundation.org/news/greece-refugee-life-on-the-other-side-of-the-highway/

[onetrack]

Back to climate and weather - Hurricane Hilary is bearing down on Southern California, with warnings for an extreme weather event for the region, with the possibility of flash flooding and major storm damage from the Baja California, North - perhaps even through to the California/Nevada border.

 

This is the first time an official Hurricane or Tropical storm warning has ever been released for California. 84 years ago, in September 1939,  Tropical Storm El Cordonazo made landfall near Long Beach, California, bringing record-breaking rainfall and, tragically, fatal flash-flooding.

However, no tropical storm warning was ever issued for El Cordonazo - because prior to 1956, there was no U.S. National Hurricane Center to issue one.  

 

The problem with a Tropical Storm or Hurricane hitting Southern California and moving into Nevada, is that a storm following this path encounters the mountain ranges of California.

In the South is the Transverse Ranges and the Peninsular Ranges, and North from them is the monstrous Sierra Nevadas, rising to 14,000 feet. Any storm running into these ranges will produce heavy rainfall and flash flooding due to "orographic lifting" - the action of rain falling from rain-bearing clouds, as they rise and cool rapidly, whilst travelling over mountains. 

 

https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/history-making-tropical-storm-warning-in-effect-as-hurricane-hilary-bears-down-on-california/1455826

[Bruce Tuncks]

Yeah, we could have an acre for millions of refugees, except that they would all move to Sydney at the first chance.

I reckon our present unaffordable big-city  real estate would get much worse.

In the olden days, my ancestors had to go to places like Alice Springs to get work. No longer, the politically correct fat ladies have said that this is "cruel" and so they all move to cooler and greener parts. Draw a map of Australia, leaving out the uninhabitable bits, and you will see that we are a small country.

[spacesailor]

Korea had to evacuate all the ' worlds' scouts from their " world Jamboree "  .

Due to inclement weather. 

spacesailor

[onetrack]

Hurricane Hilary has been downgraded to a Category 1 Tropical Storm, but it's still going to pack a punch, with large amounts of rainfall still expected over California, along with 85mph winds.

 

https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-hilary-mexico-southern-california-7fddeb8c6eaf2e6cb8893dfe4db838fe

[red750]

There was video on TV today showing a temple in Bangkok which was on a hill, surrounded by dry land, and is now on an island. The only sign that there was settlement around it are the tops of power poles poking out of the water.

[old man emu]

Latest Trump Tweet:

 

"Well, California did vote for Hillary. Be careful what you vote for."

[Bruce Tuncks]

I reckon that temple must be on a dam site, red.

[Bruce Tuncks]

Wow, OME, If only we could vote for rain etc it would be great. Is Trump promising better weather with his own money as backup?

[red750]

I see not only is California dealing with hurricane Hilary, but had a 5.1 scale earthquake this morning.

[Marty_d]

Obviously gods vengeance for being so liberal and progressive...

Oh wait, Arnie was a Republican!

[onetrack]

I knew a couple of Italian farmers when I was earthmoving contracting in the early 1970's. They were not long out of Italy, but good farmers. They told me that back in Italy, "whenever a big strong North wind blows, we feel the earthquakes!" So they reckoned strong winds seemed to be associated with earthquakes. But the scientists claim it's not a provable link.

 

The Italian blokes didn't stay here long, they must have had a strong affinity with Italy. They developed their farm within a few short years, and sold it, and then went back to Italy.

Apparently, part of the reason was one brother, who was unmarried, had a promised bride waiting for him back in Italy. The married brother had brought his promised bride out to the farm, but she wasn't happy here.

I think, not knowing much English, and not having any other family here, was making her unhappy. So they all packed up and went back to Italy, and apparently they started up a decent size business there, and they're all happy.

[old man emu]

Meanwhile, back in Sydney, Clover Moore and her "Live Better Electrically" mob have loosed the first arrow to destroy the restaurant scene in their bailiwick. They have begun moves to ban the connection of new buildings to gas supplies.

 

Why will this destroy the restaurant scene? Food is cooked by heating. The means of heating currently available to us involved oxidising combustible substances (wood, coal, petroleum-sourced liquids and gases), or by several applications of electricity (applying electricity to high resistance materials to generate heat or generating electromagnetic waves of specific frequencies). The restaurant scene  is based on one or other means. There is no escaping that fact.

 

However, there is more to preparing food than simply applying heat. In order to produce a satisfactory product, the cook has to be able to control the amount of heat applied to the ingredients at various stages of the process. Here are the temperature change instructions for the most simple of sauces, Bolognaise:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. (15 minutes at this temperature)
2. Bring to the boil.
3. Reduce heat to low.
4. Simmer, covered.(20 minutes)
5. Remove cover. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

The loss of control occurs with changes 2 and 3. With a gas cooker, one can immediately increase the heat from the medium setting to a higher one to establish the boil. However, with electricity, it takes time to heat the resistive element and transfer the heat to the saucepan. Similarly for reducing the heat from boil to simmer. Instantaneous with gas; takes time with electricity. 

 

So what? So a sauce cooked with electricity will take a bit longer to finish. But that's not the problem for the cook. While ever the sauce is not at the optimum temperature for the chemical interactions that make the sauce unique, those interactions either fail to occur or occur too much, resulting in a product that is not up to standard.

 

I suppose such a ban could have its positive effects. Mo more Maccas and the like because their business model requires gas cooking of their products. On the down side, there won't be as many noodle shops.

 

[facthunter]

Burning gas in a confined space is a recognised health problem. Burnt food is also carcinogenous...Hot rocks and leaves are used with many indigenous cooking methods. (not including the singed Roo variety) which is hardly Haute Cuisine. Sea food is better lightly cooked/steamed.   The safe level of TRANS FATS is ZERO. Nev

[old man emu]

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

Burning gas in a confined space is a recognised health problem.

WH&S regulations would require proper extraction of combustion products from the workplace.

 

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

Burnt food is also carcinogenous

A blunt statement like that demands that you back it up.

 

Here's my rebuttal obtained by a quick google which brought up https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/

Acrylamide is a chemical that’s found in starchy foods like bread and potatoes, if they’re cooked at high temperatures for a long time. This includes baking, barbequing, frying, grilling, toasting, or roasting. Acrylamide from burnt toast, burnt chips, or crispy potatoes is unlikely to increase the risk of cancer. But there isn’t enough good quality evidence to show a possible link between acrylamide and cancer. For example, some studies aren’t able to accurately measure the amount of acrylamide in people’s diets. Good quality studies have not shown that acrylamide from food causes cancer in humans.

 

And activated charcoal is a useful, simple medicine. It is most commonly utilized in medical settings to treat drug overdoses or as an emergency anti-poison remedy. Activated charcoal is thought to offer several other benefits, including less gas and flatulence, lower cholesterol levels, and improved kidney function. Some people claim that it helps whiten your teeth, filters water, and even cures hangovers.

 

In other words, it cures coughs, colds, dirty holes and pimples on the bum.

[facthunter]

Charcoal is pure carbon. Overtemped oils, fats and complex foods are another matter entirely.  Nev

[Marty_d]

 I believe induction stovetop heat pans much faster than regular electric.  Not sure how they compare to gas.

[facthunter]

Proper and thorough cooking is a food safety thing, microbiologically, which you obviously can't do with Salads. Starches are not an issue. Many vitamins are destroyed by cooking and keeping for too long. Cooking processed meats at high temps wouldn't be a good idea. Carcinogens contribute to the likelihood of Cancers occurring.. Meat is different when a high temp is applied to it but I have been advised to not burn toast either.

 Anyhow for meat and seafood.. Just flame it with Cognac and don't burn the house down. Looks and tastes terrific. You can  also Caramelise your sausages with red wine and add grilled onion rings that are part boiled first... Yum. Nev

Edited August 22, 2023 by facthunter

[nomadpete]

1 hour ago, Marty_d said:

 I believe induction stovetop heat pans much faster than regular electric.  Not sure how they compare to gas.

Very similar. Induction cooktops have instantaneous  control just like gas. I am a convert.

 

[onetrack]

We have gas for hot water and electricity for cooking. We have a relatively cheap Chef induction stove. It's got a fan-forced oven.

 

Never had any problem with cooking with electricity - except for when the power goes off! When that happens, we find a cafe that's still got power and eat there!

 

Gas explosions have destroyed quite a number of buildings and appliances, and killed quite a few people. Electricity is safer, but the power must stay on.

[spacesailor]

Electricity is ' safer ' .

Until you die by electric shock.

I was bitten by my old ' air- compressor. 

The motor windings had made the whole thing lethal. 

What a shock to my system that was .

It went into the garbo truck , no second thoughts there .

And it was only single-phase 240 volts .

Not like those huge wattage cookers. 

spacesailor

[old man emu]

I wonder why there is not a control on microwave ovens to alter the output. It seems that it is all or nothing with them. That makes it very hard to gt the correct amount of heat into food.