Ladies and Gentlemen I present -Cow Grazing

It's finally up! The newsletter that I am aiding with over at the Canberra Opera Workshop or COW is finally up and ready for you dear readers to eat up, discuss and find out a little more about COW and their upcoming production The Elixr of Love.

Check it out here for the October updates;

http://www.canberraoperaworkshop.org.au/whats-on/cow-grazing-october/

And here for the November updates;

http://www.canberraoperaworkshop.org.au/whats-on/cow-grazing-november/

Whilst you are there book a ticket, or bring a party, we have a deal with Vilvaldi's restaurant that is providing a 3 course meal, and Opera tickets, for the civilised night out. Or even just to show your girlfriend that you are cultured.

Fun for all the family.

Let me know what you think.

Regards,

Dale Stam

COW Photos

The COW website is starting to develop- Besides photos of our lovely two leads, I see photos of the Chorus. I will appear soon. You know if you say my name in the mirror three times with the light turned off. That's how the Internet works right?

Check out my fellow cast members here
http://www.canberraoperaworkshop.org.au/chorus/

Also coming up on their website will be some more of my writing- similar to what is on this Blog for Livid Production and AWTC, but bite sized.

Keep your eyes peeled, and come and see our show. Tickets still available;
http://www.canberraoperaworkshop.org.au/buy-tickets-now/

We are always looking for new calfs and cows to join the herd find further information here;
http://www.canberraoperaworkshop.org.au/join-cow/

To find out further information email them at secretaryatcow.org.au

Just started Chapter 8

Just a short update.

Well, well it seems to be coming together well, and I am enjoying my coffee as I write chapters away.

I was a little worried how it would all mesh, but there was no need.

I actually see quite a few picture moments already, and we have barely begun.

Previous Posts on this topic

http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/chapter-one-complete.html

http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/writing.html,

Carbon Tax Hyperbolic worries and Reality Part Two

Well the Carbon Tax has been in for a few days now, and well not much has happened...yet. Here is part two of this series that examines the hyperbolic worries of the Carbon Tax, and how the world is actually heading towards these often weird scenarios;



2. Trees and Plants become reputable investments.

The worry:
To reduce the amount of Carbon we send up into the white moving beard of God, we can utilise Mother Nature’s great air filter; plants. Plants effectively eat CO2, or the evil carbon and burp our breathable oxygen, that all living creatures including us breathe. Makes you wonder why we killed them for allowing us to breath. Yeah, our bad.

With this magical ability identified, the big pollutants could use plants- especially trees to soak up loads of their CO2, reducing their output and their relative tax cost. However to accompany this change in business investments, would be the increased security to guard the plants. Plants will become such an investment of increasing importance to these companies, that there will be whole new companies crawling out of the woodwork, just so you can invest in plants. Consider it, they are a long term investment, which could theoretically save the company a nice chunk of money that does not need to be taxed. So it is safe to assume a stable investment that will keep growing in value. All of these characteristics point towards super funds. To accompany this will be an increase in research and development into genetically altered super CO2 eating plants. In short you heard it hear first- invest in plants.

How reality is almost there:
In the October 2010 issues of BioScience researchers from Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory outlined the various avenues for altering the CO2 conversion that plants undertake to pull the CO2 out of the air, release Oxygen back for us to breath, and place the Carbon into the soil, which will hopefully be left long enough to form a form that is more human useful.

Photosynthesis, or how plants turn CO2 into sugars that the plant used to feed itself and grow depends upon the plants ability to absorb light for growth and suck up CO2, so research is being undertaken to improve these processes, and therefore the associated soil carbon process explained previously. This research would also have the real world benefit of having crops which grow quicker, which could help with the starving populations of developing countries. By incremental improvements in these areas the scientists believe that a significant impact on the Global Carbon could be achievable within the next 50 years.

There are already companies where you can invest in trees and agriculture (or argribusiness) for instance the Macquarie (as in the Macquarie Bank) Forestry Investment, which gives investors the opportunity to invest in Australian plantation forests. True, its not quite the same thing, with the trees being cut down after reaching maturity (approximately 10years), with a minimum investment of $10,340 for 2011. Humans always need wood for paper and furniture, so there is usually an increase on initial capital invested and agribusiness has historically had little correlation with the stock market, a reassuring sign after the GFC. So yes, you can in fact invest in plants, sort of.


Missed Part One? You can catch up here;
http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/carbon-tax-hyperbolic-worries-and.html

Dale Stam

COW Performance

Well the COW has had its first live performance at the St Ninians Church in Lyneham, ACT.
The cast were all a little nervous, and with a new pianist they were able to provide the assembled masses with a taste from the Opera with only minor hiccups.

We thank you all that were able to attend, and now that we ourselves have had a slice, we are all looking forward to our opening night in December- book your tickets and enjoy the maiden performance at the opening night of COW's production of Exlir of Love at the ANU theatre.

Dale Stam

Carbon Tax Hyperbolic Worries and Reality

Carbon Tax Hyperbolic Worries and Reality

By Dale Stam 18/10/11

Part One


‘I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore’ Asked Dorothy, breathing rapidly after crashing her house through a giant bubble.
‘Well no little girl, you are in Oz, and I’m afraid you went and broke our bubble’ said a Munchkin quickly before taking a large breath.
‘Why do you have a bubble around the whole land?’ Inquired Dorothy.
‘Well Dorothy it seems the merry old Land of Oz has implemented a tax on Carbon to keep the technicolour bright.’

Whether you like it or not, it seems that we will be implementing a Carbon Tax, this article will focus upon 5 hyperbole worries leading from the introduction of this Tax and tie them into the reality that spanned them. Just keep in mind, it could always be worse.

1. Electricity only supplied during peak hours.
The worry:
Electricity prices are going to go up with this tax. Why? Because Australia has a lot of coal which is made up of Carbon. You can’t eat it, you can’t wear it, its surface area is minuscule so it can’t be used as shelter, you can however do two things.
A) You can draw with it. It is messy and expensive, but that is all irrelevant because it has artistic merit, or
B) You can burn it, and provide heat.
We have developed B so that it boils water, which produces steam, which turns a turbine that gives electricity.

Now during peak hours, the vast majority of people are home from work and demand electricity, so for your share during this busy period you pay a higher rate. This is the section of the bill that is the highest, because the system is under the most stress, however after this period then it will have a long rest where preparations can be undertaken. This is the most lucrative section for energy companies, they would be able to reduce the amount of coal needing to be burnt because they did not need to provide electricity during off peak, or the unimportant people hours. Also because energy companies would not need to burn our dinosaur pals to supply energy for the minority, then they would release less CO2 into the atmosphere, and thus get taxed less. At $25 per tonne companies would be looking at ways to decrease the upcoming tax debt, and if they do this they are not passing the costs onto you, the consumer. Its win-win right?

How reality is almost there:
Electricity in the form that we imagine travelling the wires, does not store all that well. It is impractical for energy companies to charge up car batteries and then distribute them to everyone for personal use, not to mention astoundingly expensive. Solution, build a giant battery, but remember when your favourite song is half way through and your MP3 player beeps off dead. Batteries do not last long, are expensive, and only return roughly 2/3rds of energy placed within. But this has not stopped Australia from researching; currently we have a few avenues;
* Super batteries - they have worked for us in the past so just keep going, but making them more efficient and cheaper.
* Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) devices, which would use the dual relationship of electricity and magnets to create a perpetual field. Downside, it requires energy input to keep the magnets at the required temperature (relative to the beyond freezing temperatures of liquid nitrogen) to create the high quality superconducting effects.
* Mechanical or energy conversion - such as the turning of a windmill or turbine which can then release electricity with a hypothetical flick of the switch.

All of these various avenues will eventually lead to a realistic system that can be implemented and sustained at a country wide level. Then if we can store electricity we can also choose when it is released. So what leads to more efficiency of the company to save the electricity that they will be taxed on producing because of the essential fuel to start the process, could lead to them passing on the costs to the consumer, or the more likely the increasing of costs all around that people can only afford to use electricity when they need it, which would fall usually within the peak hours. If they can release electricity whenever they want, and the eventual demand will be during peak hours, why pay to have it flowing out during off peak hours. Who uses electricity after 8pm anyway?

Stay tuned for the other parts in upcoming posts.

If you liked this article you might enjoy my other article on the Carbon Tax;
http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/carbon-tax-and-what-it-means-for-you.html

Or continue onto part two of the worry;
http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/carbon-tax-hyperbolic-worries-and_10.html

COW: Rumours around the paddock

Dear Readers,

For those of you who of course went and bought tickets to COW's inaugural production, The Exlir of Love, I have a juicy piece of gossip that you can stick your teeth into.

There is the possibility that the ANU Theatre Restaurant Vivaldi's and COW will be combining forces to create a unique theatre going experience in the Canberra Region. With an opera and an inspired 3 Course meal for a good price.

For you guys seeking a nice Seasonal get together with your significant other, this could be something that you should really start to look into.

Check their website for further information.
http://www.canberraoperaworkshop.org.au/

Also if you are in Canberra Saturday the 5th of November come down to the St Ninians Church in LyNeham. That is here guys...
http://g.co/maps/m8qr6

The COW will give their first public performance commencing at 11:30am.

Why so late? Well who said Opera is never spontaneous!

Come by and enjoy the St Ninians Fete and see some COWS moo.


Keep coming back to get further details.

Looking for more COWS;

http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/cow-up-and-mooving.html

http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/cow.html

New to Canberra check out the following;http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/garden-capital.html

Here is some information to catch you up.
Dates:
Evening: 8.00 pm Friday, 9 & Saturday, 10 December 2011.
Matinee: 2.00 pm Sunday, 11 December 2011

Ticket Prices
Adult$38.50
Youth (under 26 years) *$35.50
Child (under 17 years) *$33.50
Pensioner/Senior *$35.50
All check to see if the rumour is true- or if there are any choice cuts available.

For the booking information.http://www.canberraoperaworkshop.org.au/buy-tickets-now


Do you have any news on COW or anything that you think people should know about send me a message at dalestamatgmail.com

Plus Look we made a flyer, which you can turn into a hat, then you can sing 'Look I made a hat'.

A mention on the blog for those who can identify which musical that phrase is referring to.

Congratualtions Little One!

Well to follow up my previous comment, a brave poster by the name of Little One was skilled enough to find me within the group.

So to reward you for your detective skills, I give you the worlds greatest detective and his great advice.

Enjoy!

Dale