Category: Archive

Archived material from historical editions of The Generator

Venezuela nationalises utilities

admin /10 January, 2007

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s plans to nationalise the nation’s largest phone company and utilities, gain greater control over the oil industry and seek authority to make laws by executive order are sending investors racing for the exits, says The Australian (10/1/07, p.17).

"Recover strategic means": Mr Chavez, speaking after the close of stock trading in Caracas, declared that "all those sectors that are so strategic, such as electric power, everything that was privatised, will be nationalised". "Venezuela," he said, "will recover the strategic means of production.”

Carbon trading will increase cost of electricity

admin /10 January, 2007

The Energy Users Association of Australia estimates the current costs of compliance, now between $4 and $9 per megawatt hour, or up to 20 per cent in additional electricity costs, could increase to $25 per megawatt hour under a proposed emissions trading scheme, reported Annabel Hepworth and Duncan Hughes in The Australian Financial Review (8/1/2007, Continue Reading →

Caltex embraces bio-fuels

admin /9 January, 2007

Caltex says it has achieved its year-end target of over 100 Caltex-supplied service stations selling ethanol blended petrol, says The Australian Financial Review (22/12/06, p.13). E10 at 125 stations: E10 Unleaded petrol, blended with 10 per cent ethanol, is now sold at over 125 service stations in the Caltex network from Canberra to Cairns. This Continue Reading →

This Road is for Jews Only

admin /9 January, 2007

By SHULAMIT ALONI
J ewish self-righteousness is taken for granted among ourselves to such an extent that we fail to see what’s right in front of our eyes. It’s simply inconceivable that the ultimate victims, the Jews, can carry out evil deeds. Nevertheless, the state of Israel practises its own, quite violent, form of Apartheid with the native Palestinian population.

The US Jewish Establishment’s onslaught on former President Jimmy Carter is based on him daring to tell the truth which is known to all: through its army, the government of Israel practises a brutal form of Apartheid in the territory it occupies. Its army has turned every Palestinian village and town into a fenced-in, or blocked-in, detention camp. All this is done in order to keep an eye on the population’s movements and to make its life difficult. Israel even imposes a total curfew whenever the settlers, who have illegally usurped the Palestinians’ land, celebrate their holidays or conduct their parades.

If that were not enough, the generals commanding the region frequently issue further orders, regulations, instructions and rules (let us not forget: they are the lords of the land). By now they have requisitioned further lands for the purpose of constructing "Jewish only" roads. Wonderful roads, wide roads, well-paved roads, brightly lit at night–all that on stolen land. When a Palestinian drives on such a road, his vehicle is confiscated and he is sent on his way.

Pollution limits Rain in WA

admin /9 January, 2007

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200701/s1823854.htm

A private researcher says Western Australia’s drying climate be partly blamed on air pollution.

Aron Gingis from Australian Management Consolidated says pollution particles are being picked up by clouds as they pass over industry on the south-west coast.

Mr Gingis says the air pollution in the clouds blocks precipitation, so the water cannot form into droplets and fall as rain.

He says the problem is causing less run-off to flow into dams and less rain to fall on farms in the south-west.

"We found that these clouds are running regularly enough through the catchment south-west," he said.

"But [they] stop precipitating very closely to the coast, next to those pollution sources, and when they are going inland they produce very little."

© 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Oil prices lowest in 18 months

admin /9 January, 2007

Oil prices have plunged sharply in the first days of the new year, falling 10 per cent to drop below $US55 a barrel for the first time since 2005, largely in response to an unusually mild winter in the United States, says The Canberra Times (8/1/07, p.11).

Almost hit $US54: On Friday (5 January) a barrel of light sweet crude for delivery in February fell to $US54.90 at one point, its lowest level since June 14, 2005. In London, a barrel of Brent North Sea crude was trading on Friday at $US54.50, a price last seen on November 30, 2005.