Another day, another Adani demo

It's extraordinary that they're still needed, but they are. The massive Queensland coal mining project fails to 'stack up' in so many ways, economically and environmentally, that it should have been put to rest long ago. For one thing, the greenhouse gases it would liberate would be greater than the sum total generated by many quite large countries (Belgium and Austria were mentioned).

The Liberal Party of course is full of coal-loving climate-deniers, but even the Labor Party hasn't quite managed to oppose it very whole-heartedly. In particular, Anthony Albanese, alleged left-wing leadership alternative to the right's Bill Shorten, has said little, and couldn't be enticed to address this rally in Marrickville. This is within his Inner Western electorate of Grayndler, which  could well fall to the Greens at the next election, especially if its member stays missing in action on this matter.

He wasn't there in person, but his effigy was.







A couple of hundred people can make quite a lot of noise, and I hope Albo heard us, wherever he was hiding.







Musical accompaniment was from the Riff Raff Radical Marching Band, and they did a great job!

More Doom but no gloom!

Back to the Temples of Doom the other day - that wonderful playground of giant sandstone 'pagodas' that form a natural climax to any Gardens of Stone bushwalking adventure.









Here's my old friend, visiting from England, taking in the very un-English scene.







And here they all are, using the bathroom facilities.



We're in the Maiyingu Marragu Aboriginal Place (many spelling variations on that one). It's part of the area, north of Lithgow, which is still threatened by damage from coal mining, and which should rightly be protected within an enlarged Gardens of Stone National Park.

Still a powerful museum experience

Not just a science museum, Ultimo's Powerhouse Museum is the main site of the Museum of Arts and Sciences. It's housed in the old powerhouse building of the electric tram system, and it's quite an institution.

As well as science and technology, it deals with transport, decorative arts, design, media, communication, and lots more. A visit is quite an education.

I first visited the Powerhouse in the 1980s, shortly after it was rehoused in its current spectacular lodgings. I've been back once or twice, and last week it was time to catch up with it once more. It might be the last time too, with much talk of its impending destruction and/or exile to Parramatta and/or duplication. Who knows what the final outcome will be, but the State Government seems to have all kinds of secretive plans for it, all probably involving wins for property developers and losses for us, the public.

Among the probably immovable exhibits is the enormous Boulton-Watt steam engine, said to be the oldest working rotative one in the world.

There's even a nice little corner devoted to space exploration. It includes a section of International Space Station mock-up, which pretends to rotate around you, giving you a very disorienting experience to simulate, sort of, not knowing up from down, as you wouldn't.


And there's the obligatory section of hands-on science education exhibits, like the 'Zap the plasma ball' Van de Graaff machine.