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Body of Issue EDITOR’S COMMENTS PRESIDENT’S WELCOME Affie Adagio John August I will be your editor As incoming President, again until another thanks to the support comes forward because that people have shown Max and Meg Wallace me in being willing to have relinquished their vote for me and roles. Many thanks to supporting me after both for their efforts. becoming President. By the time you read this edition I will During my campaign it became clear that have my PhD in hand. Many thanks to all there are many Humanists who have been those who were supportive throughout and members for some time. You rose to the have congratulated me on the outcome. call, and myself and others appreciate it. At the same time, I welcome all recent More good news – the takeover bid I members. warned you about has failed, thanks to your coming together and fighting it at the I have only been a member a few years; I AGM. Dierk von Behrens was our suspect that you, like me, see a need to returning officer and his professional articulate a secular view - one that approach was much appreciated. Now, I emphasises the ability to lead our own happily advise you of the Management lives independently of a belief in God, and Committee for the next year. while we would grant others the freedom to believe what they will, problems arise HUMSOCNSW COMMITTEE: 2007-8 when people try to develop laws or impose their religiously based views on President: John August others. It is clear that religion's hold on Vice Presidents: David Duffy society has become a greater concern in Ann Young recent years. Several decades ago, it was Treasurer: Victor Bien difficult to become a school teacher if you Hon. Secretary: Affie Adagio were an atheist, and access to abortion was Minutes Sec: Angela Drury illegal. Atheists were discriminated Vpts Editor: Affie Adagio against. Committee: Tony D’Angiolillo, Hugh The world has changed - in Australia, Drewitz, Sturt Duncan, Brian Edwards, atheists are no longer much discriminated Gillian Ellis, Fred Flatow, Noelene against - but new challenges have arisen. George, Harry Giann, Waratah Gillespie, New laws, masquerading as "family Robin Hall, Ian Jones, Mark Pavic values" are a religiously inspired intervention in our lives - and when the intervention is not direct, a range of tax CAHS CONVENTION 2008 benefits and other pressures direct people to lifestyles which the religious The next convention is in Sydney and we irrationally favour. Creationism and are working on having a memorable irrationality generally are on the increase. weekend. As yet we have not finalised the Creationists are more politically active, arrangements, so look out for that lobbying for everyone to be taught information in the first Vpts edition in creationism. Creationism being 2008. indoctrinated to those in religious schools 2 is bad enough - but its even worse that it makes sense to (metaphorically) spread be taught to everyone, including non our eggs between different baskets. believers. But this is the push that some believers have at present. There are many It is a challenge we need to address. We other issues - voluntary euthanasia and need to both increase our membership and others, which I can't consider here in any get to know each other. Compassion is an detail. important foundation, but we don't have to agree on everything - in fact, disagreement But, apart from reacting and defending is healthy. Then, hopefully the flame of against these threats - the joy we have in humanism can be passed from the old knowing who we are and sharing those custodians to the new. At some time in values with each other - are also the future, when we can see ourselves as important. Not only will we lobby for sufficiently cohesive, we might then seek change - but so too will we share each a merger. But we don't need to worry other's company. Humanists have tried to about that in the reasonable future. What change the nature of religious and other we do need to worry about is turning education in schools, by introducing around our financial situation, doing Humanism or ethics lessons as a things (like Darwin Day, for example), replacement to Religious Instructions in and sharing with our members - though Schools. The Queensland Humanists the Newsletter (Vpts), and Humanist pushed for this recently; it was quashed by Viewpoints Afternoon Talk (HuVAT). the religious lobby, with support from These will be the priorities of myself and Canberra. Religious instruction has hopefully the committee. recently become more pernicious with Howard sponsoring religious counsellors As President, I want to facilitate activities in schools. and support members. I found my previous position in the committee But, moving to practical matters - the limiting, and it was part of the reason I business of Ann and Steve is now behind sought the presidency. But now that I am us, and President, I see my task as helping others along with setting direction - I do not plan The new committee has decided to to hold tightly to the privileges of rescind the previous committee’s President. Let us all look forward to a decision which led to the Special bright new future ! Meeting in August. Therefore, there will be no need for the Special Meeting which had been set for CLIMATE ISSUES November 2007. Many thanks to From Dick Clifford those who had participated in the Last Friday I went to meeting held in August regarding see "A Crude this matter and apologies for any Awakening: The Oil inconvenience caused. Crash". I've communicated with the Rationalists, It is a comprehensive doco which sets out and they indicate a willingness to the Peak Oil theory, the history of oil, financially support activities. Much as I dramatic pictures of oil wells in Venezuela did (and still do, in an abstract fashion), and other places showing a field of rusting support the idea of a merger, the derricks - they were in full capacity in the unfortunate reality is that we are too 70s now abandoned and you realise that all susceptible to a takeover at present, and it the fields working now will be reduced to 3 the same putrid condition in 30 - 40 years From Victor Gunasekara time. This film is now showing at the Palace, Adelaide and I thoroughly Solar generated electricity recommend it. It is probably showing in and electric cars which other states but you will have to hurry it Dick Clifford is advocating may only last a few days. The Saturday in his Letter to the Editor Advertiser ran an article on Holden's car are things which are under losses and I thought about their stupidity in serious consideration by not building economical cars so I wrote the Governments and Industry following letter to the Editor. Of course even now. The problem is they won’t print it, so I am sending it to that with existing technology power you. Please pass it on to all your contacts derived from the sun, wind, waves etc. and one to your paper signed by yourself will not generate enough power to meet and amended as you feel fit. even base load let alone in addition power an entire transport system. Unless practical ways of how this can be done are ====LETTER TO EDITOR ==== shown merely arguing in the abstract will Industry must Change not be sufficient. Nuclear power is a The report "Holden blames car launch for possible alternative but proving difficult to losses" - the Advertiser 16 6 07 - gives get past environmental considerations. little assurance that they understand the The long-term solution may lie in fusion position. They should instruct a not fission technology. But this has not compulsory viewing for management and even been demonstrated to be feasible in workers of the film "A Crude Awakening: the laboratory. The Oil Crash". (now showing at the Palace) Of course if small electric cars become feasible and cost-efficient there will be They should be designing a crash proof massive congestion on the roads which electric car supplied with batteries and will require massive investment on solar panels to fit on your home roof. 50% transport infrastructure that will cancel any of us should be driving them by 2015. of the gain made by switching to smaller They should be combining with the coal cars. In a capitalist economy it is consumer and oil industries to create a new battery demand that will determine the direction of and fuel-cell industry, invest in innovation and production. While Geothermal power and build very large government regulation can make changes it Concentrating Solar Thermal plants using can rarely bring about a radical change parabolic troughs or power tower arrays such as has been advocated. with 12 hour heat storage capacity. Heat exchangers and turbines could be integrated with the Geothermal plants. From Victor Bien Such a program would ensure full employment. It is said that oil may only Sea levels and ice sheets: last 35 years, less if we go to war, and the Ray Evans points out that price will be prohibitive for most of us Prof Nils Axel-Morner, before then. By changing over to solar head of the power now, oil will be saved for Paleogeophysics and manufacturing plastics, pharmaceuticals, Geodynamics Dept Stockholm U and past paints and much else. president of INQUA 4 Commission on Sea Level Changes and "computer model" incorporated "all the Coastal Evolution debunks sea level relevant factors" - hardly a satisfactory claims. Satellite measurements show no answer. The answer had an arrogant "keep change in sea level over the past decade.
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