tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post5368159663649551272..comments2024-03-25T05:30:23.847+11:00Comments on HotWhopper: Shock and furious anger at the vandalism of CSIRO: Larry Marshall wants to tear it down before anyone can stop himSouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08818999735123752034noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-67092460864519091702016-06-02T17:43:57.023+10:002016-06-02T17:43:57.023+10:00I did consider "technologist", but that ...I did consider "technologist", but that implied to much understanding of developmental processes. My impression of Marshall from his wafflings is that he has a grasp of the technical aspects of his field, but that he relies on pushing those around him to do the actual intellectual hard graft.<br /><br />In reality he may well lie somewhere in between, but he certainly doesn't think scientifically, or logically, or holistically. Putting him in charge of the CSIRO is like putting a train driver in charge of a Formula 1 racing car.Bernard J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16299073166371273808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-87219788910203701482016-06-01T22:50:00.746+10:002016-06-01T22:50:00.746+10:00Oh for goodness sake, Bert. Get him away from that...Oh for goodness sake, Bert. Get him away from that windows rubbish... the correct way to stuff up is 'rm -r *'. Even whip in a 'sudo' if he wants to be a serious sociopath... <br /><br />Also, nice summary, Bernard J. I think 'technologist' rather than 'technician' may be a better better descripion of LM, but I see where you are coming from.<br />R the Anon. <br /><br />R the AnonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-91596494047570913092016-06-01T15:06:05.286+10:002016-06-01T15:06:05.286+10:00Can't help but draw a comparison to UK frackin...Can't help but draw a comparison to UK fracking etc. (that's a big etc., but it's late) while scrapping real clean energy, Cameron/Osborne/Rudd and the gang of fossil.<br /><br />The English speaking part of the world has a lot to answer for.Susan Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16935228911713362040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-6250055046429686522016-06-01T10:47:19.624+10:002016-06-01T10:47:19.624+10:00If there was ever a case for immediate dismissal f...If there was ever a case for immediate dismissal for cause... but then, Marshall didn't appoint himself, did he?<br /><br />Hopefully the coming election will clear out some of the rot. Hopefully...Magmanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-19771608100649918602016-06-01T06:00:41.959+10:002016-06-01T06:00:41.959+10:00Thanks for that Bernard J. Your clear post has mad...Thanks for that Bernard J. Your clear post has made my anger at the utter stupidity of what LM is doing to CSIRO go from nine to eleven. <br />I am even more angry than when I caught my nephew who I allowed to use my computer many years ago for games, about to press enter with the command line "del *.*". He claimed he did not know this was a bad thing to do. <br /><br />He had the same stupid feigned innocent look that LM has. My nephew has turned out to be a complete sociopath.<br /><br />Bert<br /> Bert from Elthamnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-42526319999445068222016-05-31T15:27:02.097+10:002016-05-31T15:27:02.097+10:00Listening to Larry Marshall speak to the scientist...Listening to Larry Marshall speak to the scientists (<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/backgroundbriefing/the-inconvenient-scientists/7432610" rel="nofollow">Extra audio" here</a>) is completely cringe-worthy.<br /><br />He clearly does not understand that the science is not in any way remotely "completed".<br /><br />He clearly does not understand the need to have a detailed knowledge of how the world is responding to human emissions of fossil carbon.<br /><br />Marshall clearly does not understand that the changes being wrought on the planet are such that another couple of decades of business as usual, with an Australian scientific capacity devastated by his gutting, will see our nation put far further behind in its ability to adapt than if he'd left well enough alone, and behind to the point of dangerous inability to continue as we have.<br /><br />He clearly does not understand that the best policy responses to climate change are already known: make the polluters pay and encourage switching to already-existing alternatives.<br /><br />He clearly does not understand that putative technological gizmos that might attract patents will in this context give less overall bang for buck than a continuation of fundamental research - we need our eyes as open as possible to our (lack of) progress in implementing what are very straight-forward solutions.<br /><br />He clearly does not understand that Australia ceded its renewable energy technology advantage under the Abbott and Howard conservative governments, and that we cannot catch up now with other countries who are years ahead in the "innovation" of such technology. Other countries will now be in far better positions that Australia to more efficiently develop new and improved technologies.<br /><br />Marshall very clearly does not understand that there is no way to adapt to climate change if we have not done our absolute utmost to mitigate every 0.1 °C warming that can possibly be avoided.<br /><br />Marshall is simply a guy who sells technological gee-whizzery dreams to politicians, and who does not care what devastation he leaves in his wake as long as it furthers his own ends.<br /><br /><br />It's telling that he thinks that the federal government is his "customer". No, the customers are the Australian public, and the future generations who want a sustainable planet, and the "deliverable" here is public good, not profit. These conservatives keep telling us that governments should not be in business, but when they can see a way to get public-good services diverted to doing the hard yards for profit-driven enterprises, don't they leap to siphon what they can from the trough...?<br /><br />Marshall keeps on referring to "adaption". This is a clunky term not used by those experienced in adaptation science. That he persists in using it, even years after he should have grokked from the professionals that he's so insufficiently exposed to the field that he doesn't even know the basic terms, indicates his abject ignorance of the organisation and the fields of endeavour of which he has been given responsibility.<br /><br />Marshall's not a scientists, he's a technician, and he's completely unqualified for the role that he's been given.<br /><br />Marshall's placement of CEO of CSIRO, and his blunderbus destruction of the organisation, is a ham-fisted mess of political interference. In the near future it will be seen for what it is - a catastrophic destruction of Australia's ability to work effectively to mitigate damage to the planet, solely for the ideological benefit of a small number of well-off sociopaths.Bernard J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16299073166371273808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-48700327382965192482016-05-30T00:54:42.508+10:002016-05-30T00:54:42.508+10:00Ah, I see I've been beaten to the mention of B...Ah, I see I've been beaten to the mention of Background Briefing.<br /><br />It mostly only confirms what a lot of us close to these scientists knew all along, but now it's explicit - the CEO of the CSIRO admits that he's executing the conservative Australian government's agenda. The same government that has just coerced UNESCO to delete all references to Australia from its report last week on the dangers of climate change...<br /><br />This government is not one that should have control of a church fete, let alone a nation with some of the best scientists in the world. This political interference in science and its communication is a scandal of profound and disturbing significance, and it staggers me that there aren't more media outlets on the case.<br /><br />Thank heaven for The Guardian and the ABC, is all I can say.Bernard J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16299073166371273808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-85218636895960849142016-05-29T22:07:00.757+10:002016-05-29T22:07:00.757+10:00Thanks Anonymous and thanks once again to that jew...Thanks Anonymous and thanks once again to that jewel in our crown <b>Radio National</b>.<br />Sou I request a new thread. The CEO of one of the finest scientific joints on the planet described his communication re the dismantling of climate research as <b>my bad</b>. <br /><br />Larry what are you? A fucking 13 year old?<br /><br />PGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10807913317731807617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-73219304712141238822016-05-29T21:24:19.094+10:002016-05-29T21:24:19.094+10:00Gday,
ABC's "Background Briefing" r...Gday,<br /> ABC's "Background Briefing" released tapes of the infamous meeting between Marshall and CSIRO's Land and Water Division from a few weeks back this morning.<br /><br />http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/backgroundbriefing/the-inconvenient-scientists/7451660<br /><br />You hear the response of the Scintists throughout. From about 2:50 to 3:20 is rather saddening yet entertaining. The recordingds are part of a longer show. You can follow the links. Mostly good but I have a couple of quibbles. Anyway, 'enjoy' the listen..<br /><br />R the Anon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-55134118710153661002016-05-28T15:00:51.565+10:002016-05-28T15:00:51.565+10:00Yes that was a bizarre way of Larry Marshall to in...Yes that was a bizarre way of Larry Marshall to introduce his ideas for future directions of CSIRO.<br /><br />I have met most of past Chiefs of CSIRO that were there in my time. All on appointment went to as many divisions as possible to get a broad idea of the current research programs and the people involved. They all were very good at listening.<br /><br />Dr Malcolm Kenneth McIntosh when he visited our lab asked me what I was doing. So I gave him a quick explanation of the optic that had been designed by Melbourne Uni that focussed x-rays.<br />We were using it to improve the beam intensity of our crystallography setup. The actual gain in intensity was a factor of thirty! This meant we could get diffraction from 100 micron protein crystals.<br /><br />His dry remark was 'very interesting I know some people in the defence industries that would like to be able to do that.'<br /><br />Dr McIntosh unfortunately had no kidney function. Yet he worked tirelessly to keep the science of CSIRO at world's best.<br /><br />Larry Marshall seems to think that making a quick quid is all that matters or is that fast buck. At best he has DK or at worst doing the bidding of his political masters.<br /><br />Without blue sky research the so called entrepreneurs will have nothing in the future to base any business on. All the so called modern tech companies are using government and university based research results for their success. <br /><br />Bert<br /><br /><br /><br /> Bert from Elthamnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-6409694556491620942016-05-28T13:37:45.125+10:002016-05-28T13:37:45.125+10:00Kevin Trenberth
The little I know about [Marshall]...Kevin Trenberth<br /><i>The little I know about [Marshall] makes it seem most inappropriate for him to lead CSIRO: sort of like the preposterous proposition of Donald Trump becoming president of the US.</i><br /><br />PGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10807913317731807617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-12856858133100432172016-05-28T13:17:29.551+10:002016-05-28T13:17:29.551+10:00More background on Larry Marshall spending thousan...More <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/business/innovation/larry-marshall-the-csiro-leader-who-divides-opinions-20160527-gp5tzn.html" rel="nofollow">background on Larry Marshall</a> spending thousands trying to do a Steve Jobs, with the real CSIRO calling his display "bizarre"!Souhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08818999735123752034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-65655232195191804192016-05-28T01:56:56.103+10:002016-05-28T01:56:56.103+10:00The latest shock and anger in the scientific commu...The latest shock and anger in the scientific community is over the conservative Australian federal government's corrupt leaning on UNESCO to remove all mention of Australia from a report on the dangers of climate change:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/27/australia-scrubbed-from-un-climate-change-report-after-government-intervention" rel="nofollow">http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/27/australia-scrubbed-from-un-climate-change-report-after-government-intervention</a><br /><br />Imagine if the government had leaned on an international financial report to remove all mention of a significant Australian debt/finacial liability in order to change the behaviour of investors/lenders. <i>That</i> would be corruption, would it not? Why is this any different?<br /><br />And doesn't it go to illustrate the degree to which these conservatives are in complete and abject denial of fundamental science? I seriously think that people who aspire to government should demonstrate that they first have competency in basic skills in objective fact analysis, logical thinking, and ethical integrity.<br /><br />On each of these measures the current Australian government fails spectacularly.Bernard J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16299073166371273808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-80273635956498031992016-05-19T15:12:03.703+10:002016-05-19T15:12:03.703+10:00Phil, there was some rationale to the spelling cha...Phil, there was some rationale to the spelling change...<br /><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Labor_Party#Name_changes" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Labor_Party#Name_changes</a><br /><br />Whether the reasons are good ones is another matter!Bernard J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16299073166371273808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-47920798119768750292016-05-18T11:19:20.965+10:002016-05-18T11:19:20.965+10:00And again from today's New York Times.
http:/...And again from today's New York Times.<br /><br />http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/18/world/australia/australia-to-lay-off-leading-scientist-on-sea-levels.html?PGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10807913317731807617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-76743115703737940142016-05-17T10:44:22.757+10:002016-05-17T10:44:22.757+10:00No end to West Islanders wierdness...No end to West Islanders wierdness...PhilScaddenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05937238628676275303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-40459278134189829952016-05-17T02:43:35.711+10:002016-05-17T02:43:35.711+10:00Oh my giddy aunt.
Is that the new Time Cube? ...Oh my giddy aunt. <br /><br />Is that the new Time Cube? adeladynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-41875042387988696332016-05-16T22:35:06.788+10:002016-05-16T22:35:06.788+10:00Oh, thanks Numerobis, I wondered :)Oh, thanks Numerobis, I wondered :)Souhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08818999735123752034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-72178918669811149772016-05-16T19:33:36.509+10:002016-05-16T19:33:36.509+10:00Minor point Phil - it's the Australian LABOR P...Minor point Phil - it's the Australian LABOR Party, and has been so since 1912. Australians usually spell "Labour" when not referring to the ALP.MWSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-40348369463803885112016-05-16T16:22:18.359+10:002016-05-16T16:22:18.359+10:00"When measurements began in 1976, carbon diox..."<i>When measurements began in 1976, carbon dioxide levels were slightly more than 300 parts per million.</i>"<br /><br />Those were the days...Bernard J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16299073166371273808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-63976734114538744932016-05-16T12:47:42.138+10:002016-05-16T12:47:42.138+10:00Sou can I add to the References and Further Readin...Sou can I add to the <i><b>References and Further Reading List</b></i> this from the NYT Editorial Board?http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/04/opinion/australia-turns-its-back-on-climate-science.html?PGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10807913317731807617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-81454787299870966222016-05-16T12:24:53.012+10:002016-05-16T12:24:53.012+10:00Now that would be an ad worth watching.Now <i>that</i> would be an ad worth watching.Bernard J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16299073166371273808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-63648656976391486682016-05-16T12:22:51.610+10:002016-05-16T12:22:51.610+10:00My experience of John Church is that he is a man o...My experience of John Church is that he is a man of integrity, what my old undergrad lecturers would have called "a scholar and a gentleman". With John's international renown and regard he won't be particularly disadvantaged by Marshall's attempt to gut Australian oceanography by jettisoning John - there will be plenty of groups around the world happy to snap him up.<br /><br />The issue is that people such as John Church are the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keystone_species" rel="nofollow">keystones</a> of Australian climatology and oceanography, and the conservative political movement and corporate interests in Australia are not-so-slowly but very surely dismantling Australia's ability to participate in expanding the world's understanding of what the use of fossil fuels is doing to the planet. The is a profoundly disturbing abuse of political power, and in my view is as perniciously corrupt as any of the other forms of political misbehaviour that seem to be appearing all to frequently in the news these days.<br /><br />On related matters, <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-16/cape-grim-co2-reading-reaches-400ppm-for-the-first-time/7417434" rel="nofollow">it's been reported today that atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration has tipped 400 ppm at Cape Grim</a>.Bernard J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16299073166371273808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-38492482741767630292016-05-16T12:19:17.994+10:002016-05-16T12:19:17.994+10:00Eli, Peter Sinclair perhaps?
Let's crowd sou...Eli, <b>Peter Sinclair</b> perhaps? <br />Let's crowd source campaign ads starring David Attenborough, with comments from the world's great scientists as well as economists, (Stieglitz, Sachs and Krugman) and maybe the odd Leonardo DiCaprio to boot.<br /><br />It can be done. I'll pass this suggestion on to <a href="https://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/science/prove-it-mr-turnbull/you-re-for-science-mr-turnbull-prove-it" rel="nofollow">Get-Up.</a><br /><br /><br />PGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10807913317731807617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-65840738450488784802016-05-16T11:10:15.157+10:002016-05-16T11:10:15.157+10:00Perhaps time for some heat on the Labour party to ...Perhaps time for some heat on the Labour party to promise just that. Something like: "Labour, if elected, will immediately reverse the damage done to our venerable science institutions and remove those whose response to unfavourable news has been to shoot the messenger". You need more than hand-wringing out of Labour.PhilScaddenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05937238628676275303noreply@blogger.com