Tell Me (and Others)

Today it is reported …

A new study suggests climate scientists may have underestimated the effect of greenhouse gases, with global temperatures now predicted to rise by between 1.4 and 3 degrees Celsius by 2050.

The study was published in the journal Nature Geoscience by a team of international scientists who ran 10,000 computer simulations of climate models in an attempt to explore the range of global warming predictions made by climate scientists.

Well, I say, Bring It ON. Enough of this cold weather.

My wife bought me some Oreo cookies recently as they have appeared on the supermarket shelves here in Australia. When we are I the USA each summer. I am also spoilt by getting a couple of Oreos with my afternoon coffee.

I happened to look at the packet they came in. Lo and behold, and as Gomer Pyle would say, “Surprise Surprise”. They are Made in CHINA.

Hey Mr Kraft Foods, don’t you think you could make them in Australia?

So, next time you contemplate purchasing some food items, have a close look at the labelling.

And I was a bit pissed off to see that they had the ‘halal” symbol on the packet.

So, not only Made in China, but also “Halal”. Very Un-Australian.

They went in the trash and we won’t buy them again, regardless of where they brag that they are made.

RIP “Oreos” and most other “Kraft” foods. Just a little too crafty for me.

JG.

Well, we had a great vacation in Hawaii and had lots of adventures.

We stayed near  Kapaa on the East coast of Kauai for most of our three weeks in Hawaii. We rented a condo at the Waipouli Beach Resort and it was perfect. Lots of activities/sightseeing on the North shore and on the South shore. So, here you are about half way between the two. Plus all the sights up the East coast.

• Zip lining
• Quad bike riding
• Downhill cycle ride
• Rain forest hiking

We did all that, plus the relaxing in the pools at the resort.

There was a family group of 6.

After the Kauai stay, we headed back to Waikiki Beach for three nights. That area of Honolulu is over-run by tourists, but is worth experiencing for a few days. 4 days/3 nights was plenty on Oahu.

Next we flew over to the “Big island”, Hawaii Island and had three nights there. The aim was to see the volcano erupting and the recent lava flows.  The lava was not flowing the days we were there, but had been just a few days earlier. We took a Helicopter flight over the coastal lava flows and could see lots of steam/sulphur fumes emanating from the recent lava. Also there was lots of trees that had been singed by the heat and were dying.

At night we visited the volcano itself and witnessed the firey red glow coming from the crater. Lots of steam, ash and red glow from the molten lava in the volcano tube.

When done there, we headed West on the island to the Kona region. There we relaxed a few days and then headed back to Australia. Thanks again Qantas for some great flights. We managed to use a whole bunch of our Frequent Flyer points for the trip

John

Aloha. We are heading to Hawaii next week and will be there into the new year.

This will be my second trip to “Sandwich Islands” having previously been to Oahu and Maui about 15 years ago for a few days.

This will be a family gathering on Kauai. Hoping to do some zip lines, bike rides and ATV ride. Plus sit back and relax a little, or a LOT!

Mahalo

I just discovered a PC mouse that was in my toolbag that showed signs of battery leakage. I opened it up and found two AAA Duracell batteries which had leaked acid, and pehaps has ruined my mouse.

I thought, dang, those must be some old batteries. But I checked them, and they both show “MAR 2016″ as there good until date. And this is only 2011.

These are the ‘CopperTop”  Duracell Alkaline batteries, usually more than $2 each.

Bottom line, next time I go to buy fresh bateries I will dodge the Duracell brand. Nothing durable about these suckers. I wonder if they are guaranteed.

2011-09-12 UPDATE: I contacted Duracell and they have been most co-operative. They have offered to refund me the cost of my damaged mouse.  They responded quickly and favorably, so I will be happy to buy Duracel next time.

John

Ella

Today we travelled up to Paradise on Mt Rainier, Washington. It is only about 1.5 hours drive from Seattle, where we are spending the Northern summer.

I was apprehensive about travelling there, as it is listed as a DANGEROUS volcano. see the wikipedia link. But we did survive the day.

It is a magnificent location. A National park and there are some great scenic views. I did drive there about two years ago, but at that time I did not know it was rated as such a dangerous volcano.

I am assured it is closely monitored and any preliminary signs of the next eruption will be broadcast well in advance so people can flee. If it blew its top with the same force as the nearby Mt St Helens did in 1980, then the local landscapes will change significantly. It was only driving away from the park that I noticed the warning signs showing “Volcano- Evacuation Route”.

But all in all, a great days outing. And I will go again.

John

This week we travelled on the inaugural Qantas flight 7 from Sydney, Australia to Dallas, Texas.

The flight time was about 15.5 hours.

Luckily we managed to get an upgrade to business class using frequent flyer points so the trip was not too bad.

There were some TV crews on-board to record the event and they just happened to interview the flight Captain right alongside Candace’s seat. After interviewing the Captain (About 2 hours into the flight), they then filmed the Captain walking up the aisle and stopping and welcoming Candace on the flight.

Next, the camera crew (Rob Penfold) interviewed Candace about how she felt about the new non-stop service to Texas. Being a Texan, she was naturally very positive that it was a good thing and that we could now by-pass the congested Los Angeles airport.

The interviews were shown live on Aussie national channel 9 on Tuesday evening and friends said she did great.

Upon landing at Dallas, (yes, the 747 made it) as we were taxiing to the gate, we were sprayed with water cannon by the fire service there as a welcoming gesture. Lots of photographers and waves all round.

Then, as we de-boarded and entered the terminal, there was another welcoming party headed up by none other than John Travolta. We both shook hands with him as we passed by. He was dressed in his usual Qantas Captains outfit. He bought one of the original Qantas Boeing 707s and still flies it himself.

All in all, a fun trip with lots of surprisingly good on-board food and drink!

In a few months we will be on a return flight, Dallas to Brisbane, Australia and this reportedly takes about 17 hours due to the prevailing westerly headwinds.

John

I know, You all hate youtube, but here goes.