Department | Jotup

Climate minister Chris Bowen says replacing coal-fired power stations with nuclear would cost $387 billion

Retrieved on:

Sunday, September 17, 2023

The government says replacing Australia’s retiring fleet of coal-fired power stations with nuclear energy would cost some $387 billion.

Key Points:

The government says replacing Australia’s retiring fleet of coal-fired power stations with nuclear energy would cost some $387 billion.
The costing, put out by the Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, is a pre-emptive strike against the opposition, which is moving to include nuclear power in the energy policy it takes to the next election.
Bowen said the nuclear option would represent a $25,000 cost impost on each of more than 15 million Australian taxpayers.
Bowen describes the opposition’s pursuit of nuclear energy as a pipe dream, saying nuclear is around three times more expensive than firmed renewables.

NASA report finds no evidence that UFOs are extraterrestrial

Retrieved on:

Saturday, September 16, 2023

NASA’s independent study team released its highly anticipated report on UFOs on Sept. 14, 2023.

Key Points:

NASA’s independent study team released its highly anticipated report on UFOs on Sept. 14, 2023.
In part to move beyond the stigma often attached to UFOs, where military pilots fear ridicule or job sanctions if they report them, UFOs are now characterized by the U.S. government as UAPs, or unidentified anomalous phenomena.
I have long been skeptical of the claim that UFOs represent visits by aliens to Earth.

From sensationalism to science

He said he wanted to shift the UAP conversation from sensationalism to one of science.
With this statement, Nelson was alluding to some of the more outlandish claims about UAPs and UFOs.
Scientists have called this claim fraudulent and say the mummies may have been looted from gravesites in Peru.

Conclusions from the report

The NASA study team report sheds little light on whether some UAPs are extraterrestrial.
The report does offer recommendations to NASA on how to move these investigations forward.
The NASA study team described in the report the types of data that can shed more light on UAPs.
The authors note the importance of reducing the stigma that can cause both military and commercial pilots to feel that they cannot freely report sightings.
The NASA study team suggests gathering sightings by commercial pilots using the Federal Aviation Administration and combining these with classified sightings not included in the report.

Looking for a needle in a haystack

Using analogies, officials described the analysis process as looking for a needle in a haystack, or separating the wheat from the chaff.
The officials said they needed a consistent and rigorous methodology for characterizing sightings, as a way of homing in on something truly anomalous.
Spergel said the study team’s goal was to characterize the hay – or the mundane phenomena – and subtract it to find the needle, or the potentially exciting discovery.
He noted that artificial intelligence can help researchers comb through massive datasets to find rare, anomalous phenomena.

Concrete in schools: how missing data and poor funding contributed to today's closures

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

A hasty autumn budget included additional revenue funds for schools, coming as a relief to many school leaders.

Key Points:

A hasty autumn budget included additional revenue funds for schools, coming as a relief to many school leaders.
Twelve months later the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, is under pressure to dig deep into his coffers again.
Usually, discussions of school funding focus on revenue funding, which is related to pupil numbers and pays for salaries and other running costs.

Knowledge gaps

The fact that schools are in disrepair is not news – it has been the case for many years.
But it has not been addressed for two fundamental reasons: lack of data and lack of funding.
But its findings do little to convey the detailed knowledge that would be needed to plan a strategic, school-by-school refurbishment and rebuilding programme.
The government says that recent cases of crumbling concrete led to a “loss of confidence”, resulting in hurried orders to vacate affected buildings.

Lack of funding

The incoming coalition government, however, felt that money was not being targeted appropriately, and that much was being lost in bureaucracy.
Thirteen of the schools with Raac were approved for rebuilding under Building Schools for the Future, but had their funding withdrawn when the scheme was scrapped.
The coalition government announced the Priority School Building Programme in 2011 to address the most urgent repair and rebuild needs, but it has seen funding fall to well below the amount needed for the job.
A chronic shortfall of both capital funding and system knowledge cannot be allowed to put the education – and lives – of children at risk.

Birmingham's bankruptcy is only the tip of the iceberg – local authorities across England are at risk

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

This signals that the council is unable to balance its budget, due to lack of financial resources.

Key Points:

This signals that the council is unable to balance its budget, due to lack of financial resources.
That the largest local authority in Europe and the second largest city in the UK should effectively declare itself bankrupt should come as no surprise.
More than a decade of austerity in English local government has squeezed local councils to their utter financial limits.
However, this recent reversal in local government funding is not enough to offset the decade-long cuts to government funding.

What happens when councils go bankrupt

This bars all new expenditure for a period of 21 days, except for those that safeguard vulnerable people and statutory services.
Issuing this notice signals that the council is unable to bring under control its future expenditure.
Since 2018, however, five councils have issued section 114s: Northamptonshire, Croydon (in 2020 and 2022), Slough, Thurrock and Woking.
However, the governance and accounting issues in Birmingham mirror those experienced by all the English authorities that have declared themselves bankrupt in the last five years.

A flawed system

Tensions with council staff, in particular in relation to waste collection, led to an extended strike in 2017.
Yet, in 2021, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy reported that the city had made good progress.
Following the recent cases of Thurrock and Woking issuing section 114 notices, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities decided to launch an inquiry into the effectiveness of financial reporting and audit system in local authorities.
In May 2023, the cross-party levelling up, housing and communities parliamentary committee criticised the government’s competitive funding system.
Councils have to bid for access to government funds, in a system which is fragmented and resource intensive.

South Africa’s government has been buying land and leasing it to black farmers. Why it’s gone wrong and how to fix it

Retrieved on:

Monday, September 4, 2023

This has resulted in an incorrect understanding of the real progress made to correct the racial distribution of farm land ownership in South Africa.

Key Points:

This has resulted in an incorrect understanding of the real progress made to correct the racial distribution of farm land ownership in South Africa.
In 2012 the National Development Plan set a target to redistribute (or restore) 30% (or 23.7 million hectares) of all freehold agricultural land to black South Africans by 2030.
The general perception is that the land reform programme has failed to deliver a recognisable shift in ownership patterns.
I have also identified steps that the government should take to fix the problems.

Land acquisition

Since then, by our calculations, the total area of land rights transferred away from white ownership – either to the state or black beneficiaries – or where financial compensation has been made, is equal to 19,165,891 ha.
This is equivalent to 24.7% of all freehold agricultural land.
Although the number may look heartening, given that it is close to the 30% target set out in the National Development Plan, the issue of concern is that the state is now a major owner of agricultural land (more than 2.5 million hectares).

Flawed design

Through the scheme the land is then held by the state for the use by lessees of the programme.
By June 2023, the state had acquired 2.5 million hectares of productive farmland through the programme.
Most of the roughly 2500 beneficiaries have a 30-year lease agreement with the state.
It's not gone well
I have gained further insights in conversations with farmers currently leasing land from the State.

Major obstacles

This makes it difficult – or impossible – to invest in the land or secure loans for improvements and growth.
Beneficiaries have to rely on government grants to do business.
Farmers have limited credit history, collateral or access to formal financial institutions because of the nature of the lease arrangement.

Action that needs to be taken

Firstly, the government should transfer the asset to an institution with a vested interest and capacity to provide both oversight and finance.
Fifth, the purchase price (pegged value minus lease amounts paid) should be financed over 25 years at a preferential interest rate.
Seventh, put a moratorium on the allowed window of reselling the farm to 10 years and let government have the first right of refusal.

Who’s Vivek Ramaswamy? He's the Trump 2.0 candidate who’s making waves in the Republican primaries

Retrieved on:

Thursday, August 31, 2023

The New York Times described him as promising “to exert breathtaking power in ways that Donald Trump never did”.

Key Points:

The New York Times described him as promising “to exert breathtaking power in ways that Donald Trump never did”.
An article for Time magazine called him a “rockstar for those who think cancel culture is threatening every corner of American life”.
Well-spoken, polemical and supremely self-assured, it’s no surprise that the Trump-loving Vivek Ramaswamy has emerged as the new darling of the Republican presidential primary field.
While still some 40 points out of first place, it’s a sudden uptick for a candidate who was, until recently, a virtual unknown.

The anti-wokester

A self-branded “non-white nationalist” he speaks stridently against the modern progressive movement.
Many of his policies, like the revolution he seeks to provoke, are decidedly counter-establishment.
He advocates hardening the US-Mexico border “where criminals are coming in every day” through the deployment of military resources.

Slash aid to Ukraine

He wants to slash aid to Ukraine, implying that what’s in America’s best interest isn’t necessarily what’s in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s worst interest.
To end the war, Ramaswamy proposes granting Russia “major concessions”, while “freezing … current lines of control in a Korean War-style armistice agreement”.
In exchange, “Russia has to leave its treaty” and its joint military agreement with China.

Creating Trump 2.0

As “Trump 2.0,” his challenge is a delicate one: to please the right-wing base, while still separating himself enough from Trump to win over converts.
Ramaswamy has attacked criminal prosecutions of Trump as “politically motivated and setting an awful precedent.
He’s even hinted at hiring Trump as an "adviser” or “mentor” in his White House.

What’s next?

Washington Post columnist George F. Will has derided him as “comparatively, a child”.
Trump holds a commanding lead and looks poised to dominate Iowa and New Hampshire, before running the table in the remaining primaries.
Whether there’s substance behind his candidacy — and whether he has independent staying power — are the big questions for #Vivek2024 to answer.

Suspension of two South African judges has opened up debates about bad working conditions and poor delivery of justice

Retrieved on:

Thursday, August 31, 2023

The decision to suspend the judges caught the attention of the media because both were involved in high profile murder cases.

Key Points:

The decision to suspend the judges caught the attention of the media because both were involved in high profile murder cases.
One reason judges need to do their jobs well is that confidence in the courts in South Africa is low and on the decline.
This is illustrated by a longitudinal study conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council’s South African Social Attitudes Survey.
Nevertheless, it’s important to acknowledge that South Africa’s judges work in less than optimal conditions.

Poor conditions

She was forthright in describing the administrative and infrastructural challenges facing the judiciary.
Justice Maya, who was eventually appointed deputy chief justice in February 2022, was not voicing new concerns.
À lire aussi :
South Africans are fed up with their prospects, and their democracy, according to latest social attitudes survey

What needs to be done

At the moment three different entities responsible for running different aspects of the judiciary don’t seem to be getting it right.
Secondly, modernisation of the court system would go a long way in improving the working conditions of judges.
As far back as 2007 there was an extensive review of the criminal justice system.

Looking forward

In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic almost brought the country’s courts to a standstill due to a lack of technological support.
À lire aussi :
South Africa since 1994: a mixed bag of presidents and patchy institution-building
Judges work under difficult and stressful conditions.
But much more is expected from the judiciary as one of the arms of state in a constitutional democracy.

RICO is often used to target the mob and cartels − but Trump and his associates aren't the first outside those worlds to face charges

Retrieved on:

Thursday, August 31, 2023

Many racketeering prosecutions involve lucrative criminal enterprises, such as illegal drug operations or the Mafia.

Key Points:

Many racketeering prosecutions involve lucrative criminal enterprises, such as illegal drug operations or the Mafia.
Whatever the lawfulness of Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, no one claims his conduct was part of a Mafia scheme.
At that time, he will be read his formal charges and will plead guilty or, far more likely, not guilty.
A grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, indicted Trump and 18 other political associates on Aug. 15, 2023.

RICO’s relatively short history

At least 31 states, including Georgia, have since enacted so-called “little RICO” or “state RICO” laws modeled after federal RICO, allowing such prosecutions to be brought in their courts.
In general, both federal and state judges have interpreted RICO broadly, in both allowing charges and convicting defendants.
But in such cases only monetary damages and other forms of civil relief may be awarded, and this does not result in imprisonment.

Anyone can get charged with RICO

So, if otherwise upstanding citizens who work for legitimate businesses commit acts of bribery and corruption, this can lead to a RICO charge.
A few years later, in 1994, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that abortion clinics could use the federal RICO law to sue anti-abortion protesters who conspired to shut them down.
In 1997, the federal government charged a Texas sheriff with RICO after he accepted money from a federal prisoner in exchange for conjugal visits with the prisoner’s wife or girlfriend.
Over the past few decades, many business leaders, politicians and other government officials have been convicted of state and local RICO offenses for various crimes.

Georgia courts are on board

Georgia courts agree with the Supreme Court that their state RICO law requires no allegation or proof of “nexus with organized crime.” A range of people in Georgia have been hit with RICO charges.
In 2005, Georgia prosecutors charged a former DeKalb County sheriff named Sidney Dorsey with killing his successor, as well as racketeering and other crimes.
Truck stop owners and operators accused of doctoring the prices and fuel quality labels on gas pumps have also been prosecuted.

Governors may make good presidents − unless they become 'imperial governors' like DeSantis

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

In fact, a 2016 Gallup Poll found that almost 74% of people say that governing a state provides excellent or good preparation for someone to be an effective president.

Key Points:

In fact, a 2016 Gallup Poll found that almost 74% of people say that governing a state provides excellent or good preparation for someone to be an effective president.
But as the former executive director of the National Governors Association for 27 years, I have worked with well over 300 governors.
During that time I have been part of many conversations with governors regarding other governors running for president.

A dominant position

That experience often creates a false impression that what they did in their states they can do for the nation.
These are not exactly issues important to citizens of most other states and thus not useful as a foundation for a presidential campaign.
This is clearly reflected in a recent New York Times poll of Republicans, where only 17% supported an anti-woke campaign, while 65% supported a law-and-order campaign.

Significant power

Governors traditionally have more constitutional and legal powers than do presidents, particularly in terms of budgets and in cases of emergency.
Often, I heard these comments during discussions with governors at National Governors Association meetings.
Similarly, many governors can cut previously enacted state budgets by up to 5% without consent from the legislature.
Governors also typically have more power than presidents during emergencies.

Political prominence

Governors often are the dominant political force in their states.
They particularly tend to overshadow the legislative and judicial branches – which significantly limit the power of the president at the federal level.
Governors dominate the legislature, in part, because state lawmakers tend to have very few staff to help them – if any at all.
In addition, most state legislators are part time and may only be in session a few weeks per year.

A matter of timing

The last governor that I remember who reached imperial status was Scott Walker, Wisconsin’s governor from 2011 to 2019.
He ran for president in 2016 but withdrew after only two months because of his poor showing in the polls.
This year, in addition to DeSantis, five other former or current governors have declared they are running for president.
But most of them are not imperial governors nor at risk of becoming one.
In addition, many in his party believe he would have had difficulty in his bid for reelection.

How gene mapping almost all remaining kākāpō will help NZ’s rare night parrot survive

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

The genetic mapping of almost the entire kākāpō population has shed new light on specific traits that will help conservation biologists in their efforts to save the critically endangered flightless night parrots.

Key Points:

The genetic mapping of almost the entire kākāpō population has shed new light on specific traits that will help conservation biologists in their efforts to save the critically endangered flightless night parrots.
They only breed every few years, triggered by the availability of certain forest foods such as the fruits of the native rimu tree.
Read more:
Plant hormone boost for New Zealand's critically endangered night parrot

Intense species management

The aim was to gather as much information as possible on each bird, hoping this would allow better management and identification of risks.
Our team from Genomics Aotearoa applied for access to the data to see if we could develop new tools to help manage kākāpō and perhaps other endangered species.
Read more:
A huge project is underway to sequence the genome of every complex species on Earth

Understanding the genetics of kākāpō biology

This allowed us to update the kākāpō family tree and to identify families with unusual genetics.
We studied a range of biological features to link genomic information with observable traits.
Read more:
Back from the brink: how genome research is helping the recovery of the Chatham Island black robin

Looking towards kākāpō’s future

Our work confirms that the active management carried out over the past 45 years has maintained diversity in breeding values.
This diversity means that kākāpō have enough genetic diversity and evolutionary potential to cope with future challenges.
These are a test of our predictions and an opportunity to finetune our models to raise the future prospects for the species.