Busy highway not the place to stop to view turbines

A wind farm is beginning to take shape not far from where this blog is domiciled.

Here is the first of the creatures, growing out of Mt Cullerin, 12 kilometres east of Gunning, in New South Wales.

Since this photo was taken, about five more structures have been erected with about 10 still to come.

I think they are magnificent - and I happen to like wind farms. But then again, I have been known to sit around at airports for a couple of hours taking photos of aircraft. So, 'whatever floats your boat', you might say. 'Whatever spins your propeller' might be more appropriate!

There is a problem, however.

The Cullerin range wind farm is located right next to the Hume Highway, which, for overseas readers, is the main dual carriageway highway linking Sydney and Melbourne.

The problem is that (especially) when travelling west, you come round a slight bend in the road at 110 kilometres per hour, and bam! - you are confronted with massive white wind turbines growing out of a large hill straight in front of you. The temptation is to pull over to the not-very-wide road shoulder and take a couple of happy snaps.

Other wind farms in Australia have dedicated viewing areas - like this one at Crookwell, some 50 kilometres to the north of Cullerin.

I really do hope that Origin Energy, the developers of the wind farm at Cullerin, do likewise, and provide a dedicated area for enthusiasts and the curious, to park their cars and take some photos should they wish. Pulling over to the side of the road - while preferable to stopping in the middle of it, like I saw one driver almost attempt to do - is just asking for trouble.

Earth Hour Madness

The silly season is nearly upon us. No, I don't mean Christmas. I'm referring to this hair-brained idea called 'Earth Hour'.Get a load of this drivel from the Earth Hour website:

In 2009, Earth Hour is being taken to the next level, with the goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote. Unlike any election in history, it is not about what country you’re from, but instead, what planet you’re from. VOTE EARTH is a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community. A call tostand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday. We all have a vote, and every single vote counts. Together we can take
control of the future of our planet, for future generations.

How switching off your lights for one hour is 'taking control of the future of our planet' is beyond me; as is the whole notion of 'Earth Hour'.

'Earth Hour' is a classic example of people believing anything that makes them feel good. The concept doesn't challenge their intellect, but I guess it is difficult for a vacuum to be challenged.

I happen to like lights. They give me a warm, vibrant feeling. They make me think the world is still running, functioning, living, breathing, thriving. I don't want to be transported back to the 40s, and the days when people turned out their lights and snuffed out their candles for fear a bomb might land in their living room.

Dis-illumination for one hour, or any length of time, is inane and meaningless symbolism. Think about it. What are you going to achieve by turning off your lights? Nothing, save for giving credence to the dills that thought up this concept, and proselytising their cause.

The 'Earth Hour' propagandists want us to "VOTE EARTH". I suggest we all abstain, and get on with life.My own symbolic act will be for me to make sure I have a light burning brightly at 8.30pm on the 28th March.

The Hutch endorses John McCain

It will come as no surprise to readers of The Hutch that this blog endorses John McCain to become the 44th President of the United States of America.

What groundswell of support there is for Senator Barack Obama to become the next President, appears to be based on three main tenets: 1) he is a fresh face; 2) he is charismatic; and 3) he is not George Bush. Correct though these points may be, they are by no means sufficient reason to entrust Senator Obama with the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Indeed, should the American people appreciate these aforementioned attributes to such an extent that they are unable to see beyond them come the first Tuesday in November, then I truly fear for the future of that great country, and the consequences for the rest of the world. America, it is not too late to wake up!

Now, more than ever, the United States needs a President with a proven track record; an experienced and gutsy politician; a leader who will prove a master-mentor to his second-in-command.

John McCain is a safe pair of hands - a steady, knowledgable rock in these times of economic uncertainty. Oh, sure, I have no doubt he and Gov Palin will shake up the establishment where it's needed. I know Washington won't be looking forward to that, but I certainly am.

Elections are serious business. Contrary to what cynics might think, elections are not popularity contests. They are not American Idol for politicians. This is not the time for the most powerful country in the world to choose as its leader someone with zero executive experience - a populist politician, yet whose resume is thinner than rice paper.

Senator Obama's extreme left-wing, anti-capitalist, Marxist ideologies will, if supported by Congress, do incalculable harm to the USA, let alone the rest of the world.

Senator Obama wants to spread the wealth around. Yet the only way to spread the wealth around is to employ people - not what Senator Obama's tax policy will achieve, indeed, under the best traditions of socialism, rather than stimulating job growth, Obama's is a tax and spend welfare scheme. A scheme that will have the 30 to 40 percent of Americans who pay no tax rubbing their hands together while wondering where to put their second Plasma TV.

John McCain is a man of substance and ability. His opponent is a man of unproven potential. John McCain is a man of principle and courage. His opponent is a man of questionable associations, both in the US and abroad.

Senator John McCain is the man for the times. Governor Sarah Palin will one day be the future.

From this great south island nation, this humble blogger respectfully implores his friends 'across the pond' to endorse John McCain on November 4.

The United States of America, and rest of the free world, are not ready for the type of presidency Barack Hussein Obama would bring; and may it always be ever thus.

Canberra Airport - Up, up and aw......wait a minute!

I am a big fan of Canberra Airport - and airports generally (long story.)

The Canberra Times reports that plans for the AUD$250M airport terminal redevelopment at Canberra are on hold indefinitely (I hate the word 'indefinitely'.)

UPDATE

I have just seen the local Canberra news on TV, and apparently the story isn't as doomsday-ish as reported in the Canberra Times (now, why doesn't that surprise me?)

It seems that the airport's plan is to delay the start of the new terminal building - for the time being - but hope to commence building before Christmas. Excellent news! Canberra desperately needs a new airport terminal.

In the same news report, airport general manager, Stephen Byron, clarifies the reason for the delay:

...now is not the time to be starting a project
when you're not sure that the debt market is going to let you finish it.

Kevin Rudd: Doing his bit for greenhouse gasses

The globe-trotting penchant of Australia's Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, is starting to test the patience of the media, the voters and his own backbench.

His trip to the USA this week means that he has been out of the country for 50 days since becoming Prime Minister last November. In other words, he has spent one in six days overseas since the Australian people made the mistake of electing him.

Naturally the PM needs to travel overseas. But either Rudd doesn't trust his Ministers or senior bureaucrats to do some of this travel on his behalf, or Rudd just wants to get in as much travel as he can, knowing that at the back of his mind there is a possibility he could be a 'oncer' (one-term PM).

If, god spare us, Rudd and his cronies get re-elected in 2010, I predict a dramatic reduction in the amount of overseas travel he does, for he will have done it all during his first term!

I don't mind Rudd spending time out of the country. The problem is he keeps returning to Australia.