French focus on ‘climate change' fears

NEWS Researchers from around the world are expected to meet next month in Papeete, French Polynesia to discuss leading environmental issues like global warming. Growing fears over possible impacts from global warming – including potential for global economic collapse due to increasingly bad weather within the next few decades – have seen some in the scientific community adopt "climate variability" as an alternative explanation to rising temperatures, other than human pollution. However the Papeete conference zeroes in on "Risques naturels et changements climatiques" or natural risks and climate change. Jean-François Royer, CNRM/GMGEC/UDC, Equipe Dynamique du climat makes the following comments, in French, mostly and roughly translated via Google as follows: "The analysis of long climatic series shows a significant reheating of temperatures on the surface on the whole of the globe during the 20th century, and the more variable changes according to different seasons and areas for rain. " "Such climatic changes can be attributed mainly to modification of the thermal regulation of our planet caused by an increase in industrial gas wastes or the ‘greenhouse effect’, such as from carbon dioxide." "Projections in growth of industrial activity, under various economic scenarios, make it possible to calculate modifications of global climate using digital models representing, in detail, principal mechanisms governing the circulation of atmosphere, ocean, ice-shelves, and, their interactions." "These simulations, carried out under many climatic models, show that reheating will continue and could reach several degrees by the end of the 21st century, given scenarios of rapid economic growth. " "This increase in the average temperature will be accompanied by many changes in general circulation of atmosphere and ocean and in the hydrological cycle, leading to important modifications in the frequency of extreme phenomena such as heat waves, heavy rain or drought, and tropical cyclones. " "At the conference, we will review the results of new climatic simulations, carried out within the framework of the GIEC, by stressing more particularly the changes simulated on the Pacifique area and their consequence. These climatic changes could have an impact on many activities such as storage, the management and the distribution of the water reserves, the fires of forest, agriculture, tourism, the heating and air-conditioning, health…, and require relatively important adaptations in our ways of life." According to the French embassey website, next month’s conference follows an earlier one which took place in August 2004 in Noumea, New Caledonia, and takes into account objectives defined there for 2008. The Papeete conference is being promoted as a “progress report” ahead of targets for next year. Delegates will assess research with regard to two themes relating to current major issues: natural hazards and climate variability, and, Societies - Resources and Environment, still with the same goal: "to contribute through research, with the support of Europe, to the development of all countries and territories of the Pacific region". For further information, please consult the following website: www.etape2006-recherche-pacifique.org Original abstract in French as follows: L’analyse de longues séries climatiques montre un réchauffement sensible des températures en surface sur l’ensemble du globe au cours du 20-ème siècle, et des changements plus variables selon les saisons et les régions pour les précipitations. De tels changements climatiques, peuvent être attribués principalement à une modification de la régulation thermique de notre planète produite par l’augmentation des rejets industriels de gaz à « effet de serre », tels que le gaz carbonique. Les projections de croissance de l’activité industrielle, selon divers scénarios économiques, permettent de calculer les modifications du climat à l’aide de modèles numériques représentant en détail les mécanismes principaux régissant la circulation de l’atmosphère, de l’océan, de la banquise et leurs interactions. Ces simulations, effectuées par de nombreux modèles climatiques, montrent que le réchauffement se poursuivra et pourrait atteindre plusieurs degrés à la fin du 21-ème siècle, dans le cas de scénarios de croissance économique rapide. Cette augmentation de la température moyenne s’accompagnera de nombreux changements dans la circulation générale de l’atmosphère et de l’océan et dans le cycle hydrologique, conduisant à des modifications importantes dans la fréquence de phénomènes extrêmes tels que les canicules, les fortes précipitations ou les sécheresses, et les cyclones tropicaux. Nous passerons en revue les résultats de nouvelles simulations climatiques, effectuées dans le cadre du GIEC, en mettant plus particulièrement l’accent sur les changements simulés sur la région Pacifique et leurs conséquence. Ces changements climatiques pourraient avoir un impact sur de nombreuses activités telles que le stockage, la gestion et la distribution des réserves en eau, les incendies de forêt, l’agriculture, le tourisme, le chauffage et la climatisation, la santé …, et nécessiter des adaptations relativement importantes dans nos modes de vie.

elections 2006: remember the “girls in pearls”

EDITORIAL > OPINION > COMMENT > by jason brown editor avaiki news agency Journalists are not supposed to talk about whom they like and dislike in politics. They are supposed to fair, balanced and independent of all political, business and even community influences. Yeah, right. Sorry to sound like a Tui beer ad but most newspapers also print editorials and these are generally written by, yep, journalists. OFFICIAL SECRETS Similar silliness exists in the political world, where the first act by many a politician who wants to become a minister in countries like the Cook Islands is to swear an oath to country – and an official secrets act. Like most countries, the Cook Islands does not have a freedom of information act. For now, the Cook Islands tomorrow goes to snap elections called three months ago by a prime minister facing a vote of no confidence from people he swore he would not let get into power because of fears over corruption. Few illustrate these fears better than people like George Pitt, a news media owner. Already the ultimate insider, Pitt is standing for the Vaipae constituency in Aitutaki, an atoll 110 kilometres north of the capital and site of filming for the latest and controversial Survivor series. It seems appropriate that both Pitt and Survivor are on the same island. Pitt is the ultimate survivor of dozens of power shifts and struggles since his mate Tepure Tapaitau, acting broadcasting minister in 1997, gave Pitt a 10 year license while the real minister was out of the country. RACIST Pitt is also racist, airily declaring for example that he “hates Indians.” So do many other Pacific Islanders. Few who study at USP forget the predatory attentions of Indian shopkeepers in downtown Suva, Fiji, an unfair impression of a people who may be as ruthless as any white man in business but who are also generally generous, to a fault, with friends and family. Compared to Pitt, however, the greasiest Indian shopkeeper is a saint. George Pitt is a rotund man in his fifties who has spent much of his time in the last few years clutching a little digital camera, taking photos of young girls. This is a strange assignment for a company owner whose staff books have included more than a few young girls over the years. “Girls in pearls” as the Pitt Media Group know them, however, are an institution at Pitt’s weekly newspaper, the Cook Islands Herald. Most girls look old and smart enough to look after themselves, and happy to be recognised as an island beauty, photographed in stunning strands pearls. UNDERAGE A few, or possibly more than a few, are uncomfortably underage. And this discomfort shows through on their faces, all the way to the front page of the Cook Islands Herald. Add to this Pitt’s record of hiring young girls and publishing preteen columns in the same paper as gossip items about sleazy sex stories, including one about stains left on one manager’s desk. Pitt undermined his own credibility when he claimed that many gossip items in Chook’s Corner are written as “entertainment” and may undergo “embellishment.” Which may or may not be a polite way of making excuses for his lies and half truths. Given content like that, it is not surprising that rumours about George Pitt and young girls have swirled around Avarua for years. It is not unusual for men of a certain age to suffer a midlife crisis by trying to rediscover lost youth with females young enough to be their children. Such attempts occasionally end in true bliss but, more usually, in guilt and self-loathing for both parties. Pitt appears to be in the first camp, married to a much younger woman, possibly not young enough to be a daughter. But very few midlife crisis involve many dozens of young girls. COCONUT WIRELESS? There have been maybe 150 girls in pearls since Pitt adopted this front-page format about three to four years ago. Many of them were photographed by George Pitt personally. Is there anything to the rumours? Or is it the usual story of the infamous Coconut Wireless, a system whose speed is matched only by its inaccuracy? After all, Pitt is a pastor, of his own church, admittedly, after being kicked out of the Assembly of God over allegations of mismanagement. Let us examine those rumours in more detail, rumours surrounding a man who wants to be an Honourable Member of Parliament in the world’s only self-governing Maori country, Avaiki Cook Islands. About two years ago, a lawyer pulled up on his bike as the writer was walking along the waterfront footpath. “Those rumours about George Pitt and young girls?” he asked rhetorically, without even a hello. “They’re true,” he said, nodded, and took off. TOPLESS A single source rumour is a dangerous beast to touch. Since then, however, Avaiki News Agency has heard the same rumour from nearly a dozen different sources of fair to high reliability. Much more recently, a source told of sitting in Trader Jack’s with a former employee of George Pitt. Drunk, angry, the worker said he had gone on to Pitt’s computer to collect some photos for one of their newspapers. What he saw made him feel queasy, our source says the employee said. There were folders of young girls, some fully clothed in the wrap around pareu and pearls strands the public is used to seeing on the front page of the Herald. Others, however, were topless. RELIABLE? It is far from certain at this stage whether the topless girls were underage but the source says the former worker seems to think so. How reliable is this second hand information? We decided to test the waters ourselves. A colleague volunteered, as did a young, underage but very level-headed relative. We sat down and discussed all the implications of the allegations and how an undercover assignment might play out and any emotional or mental impact on our test ‘girl in pearls.’ Both assured us they were up to the task. "LOWER" A photo shoot was arranged with Cook Islands Herald and, on the appointed day, George Pitt showed up to take the photos. Even with a relative there, Pitt was straightforward about what he wanted from the relative. He wanted her pareu “lower” and this was a request he repeated as many as half a dozen times. Lower? How many times has George Pitt said that? To how many girls? And how many has he invited to photo shoots without their relatives? Or anyone else? Difficult questions, to be sure. Especially when some readers may be wondering whether this is a personal vendetta between this writer and George Pitt. Especially when Pitt’s paper has, over the years, repeatedly attacked this writer with everything from being a “homosexual stalker” to “drug dealer” with “inferior product” to having “ethics-for-sale” and asking the prime minister for jobs. ALLEGATIONS None of these allegations took place. Pitt has never apologised for those and dozens of other lies. He refuses to print letters from this agency. A former employee said that Pitt told him “don’t print any letters from Jason Brown.” Pitt never has. In failing to do so, Pitt has betrayed fundamental principles of the media – to allow those criticised and accused the right of reply. How many others has he denied? How many other media ethics has he broken? CORRUPT Long links with corrupt politicians like Norman George make Pitt a controversial candidate, as well as repeated conflicts-of-interest. One source tells us that Pitt, as Telecom chairman, ordered low ranking Telecom staff to hand over confidential phone records of critics, like former prime minister Dr. Robert Woonton, now, incredibly, an ally. Or Pitt’s shady deals, like the $75,000 New Zealand funded aid project that helped prompt the collapse of the Pacific Islands Investment Development Scheme, as it became known before being dumped in favour of the existing NZAID regime. Or his history of media thuggery against anyone who stands in his way; his scamming of church funds and his tiny and dwindling New Hope church, or even his promise to advertisers not to criticise them in public – unless they stop advertising. How many stories have you seen, for example, criticising CITC on the CITC and Wattyl Local News? None? This is a man who lusts after the rich and powerful. A senior Cook Islands Party official said Pitt gave him a book about how to win power and keep it, including lying about your enemies and using double talk – accusing others of the same crimes you commit yourself. PIG-HEADED Pitt’s chosen party was until very recently headed by former leader Sir Geoffrey Henry. Sir Geoffrey is to be commended for stepping down in style, and with some dignity intact, rather than waiting till he is finally turfed out on his ear. However, this is a decade after the first calls for his resignation. In the meantime, Sir Geoffrey has allowed his party to become a refuge for the self-interested. He has stood by people who should have been dumped long ago, as he himself should have been for shockingly pig-headed mismanagement of the economy - or listening to irresponsible (and mostly foreign) advisers who should have known better. PUPPET Sir Geoffrey has previously identified Pitt as a puppet master who delights in pulling strings, possibly a compliment from a man who was praised by offshore bankers with millions in alleged mafia money for his “extraordinary” cooperation. Ruling Democratic Party MPs are not much better on the whole. There is just as much corruption in government as there has been in the opposition, with many in parliament tainted by multiple floor crossings and other political betrayals. Parties remain secretly funded, with a weak Justice ministry that never prosecutes parties for failing to file returns, allowing potential for all sorts of corrupt influences. PARTNER Speaker Norman George is a prime example of this, setting himself up as a coalition “partner” - backstabbing everyone who stands in his way. He and Pitt now profess to be enemies, after years of happy headlines. How does that Tui ad go again? Democratic Party officials do have Jim Marurai, a politically and personally popular man who can and does say “no” to the powerful. Yes, his right hand man is Trevor Pitt, George Pitt’s younger brother. And, yes again, there are serious concerns about Marurai still being a puppet for Pitt and his supposedly ex-mate George. Marurai and his strong, independent leadership may be nothing more than a powerful bargaining chip among the big boys as they swagger about, masters of all they survey, creaming overly fat profits off hard working Cook Islanders and pouring it into overseas mansions and fast cars. PUPPY But – and there is always a but – the Democratic Party does not, officially at least, have any connection with George Pitt, at least not anymore. Former chief of staff Eddie Drollett, seen more often out of prison than in during his supposed two year sentence for corruption, is still a concern for the Demos, but he's a puppy compared to George the pitbull. For this reason alone, Cook Islands voters concerned about corruption should send a clear message and give a clear, solid majority to the Democratic Party. Even if Pitt subsequently succeeds again in ripping apart such a government, it will still have sent a message that Maori Cook Islanders care about post-colonial corruption and don’t want it in their country. Of course, that would not solve corruption problems. But it would be a start. Across the Pacific, country after country is struggling in quicksands of corruption. So far the Cooks are only circling around, but if no one draws a line well short of that stage, the country will be swallowed whole, like many of our Pacific sisters already have. DRAWING A LINE IN THE SAND Avaiki News Agency, here, now draws that line. Tiny, with no money, no equipment, this news agency is committed to freedoms of speech and information and exposing corruption including powerful people who take advantage of the weak, not just in the Cooks, but, as our name suggests, across the region. For now, attention is on the Cooks and the snap elections tomorrow. So, the question is, will Pitt win in Vaipae, now apparently known as Vaivaitau? Possibly not. Kete Ioane may not be as clever as Pitt. He is a strong community leader, and that’s what counts for most voters. If they still want to give Pitt the benefit of the doubt, voters in Vaivaitau need to ask themselves this question: do voters really want to be led by a man who spends his days telling young girls to pull their pareu lower? It will take a heavy electoral loss for the CIP to get rid of the rubbish in its ranks. Voters who have supported the CIP all their life, as have their parents, may want to remember, tomorrow, George Pitt and his “girls in pearls.” < ends

rare maori recognition

COMMENT Selection of a Maori Cook Islander to carve a taonga for Maori New Zealanders enters the history books as one of the few moments of cooperation between the divided people. Official parties visiting Maori leaders are far and few between. Many leaders from Avaiki Cook Islands head straight to Wellington and do not bother seeing anyone other than western style politicians. It might be said that Maori have no interest in meeting each other. After all, nothing has stopped leaders from either side reaching out. However, both 'sides' regard the other as inferior or of little consequence, if they think about other Maori at all. Each time Maori do manage to get together, episodes of powerful spirituality, emotions and magic are reported by participants. It may or may not significant that authorities in New Zealand have done little to build relations among Maori.

what annan disclosure means for clark

NEWS COMMENT Just a few sentences long, the news item about UN chief Kofi Annan is an exciting development in global transparency. Annan's voluntary disclosure sets a precedent for future UN chiefs - and anyone else aspiring to leadership on the world stage. Voluntary disclosure will, sooner or later, become the norm not the exception. Online, there are less than half a million links to pages about lifting the lid on all your secrets, financial or otherwise. It is the 'otherwise' category causing most concern for one UN aspirant, Helen Clark. Leaked by no less than Time magazine - a suitably weighty source for such a leak - the New Zealand prime minister is one of a handful of politicians listed by the news magazine. Superpower rivalries may even see a relatively neutral player like Clark slip in, says the news weekly. A pity then, but probably no coincidence, that this is the precise moment for New Zealand's opposition party, National, to spark off a nasty playgroud spat after weeks of parliamentary tumult over allegations of "corruption" inside Clark's ruling Labour party. Based on a photograph published in a magazine run by a Christian fundamentalist, newspapers ran stories questioning whether Clark's husband, professor Peter Davis is gay. Investigate magazine's photo showed Davis being kissed in greeting at Labout party headquarters on election night by what the New Zealand Herald described as one of the couple's "oldest friends" Dr Ian Scott, "who is gay." So, too, are about 300 million other people on the planet. Controversy still surrounds their lives at least partly because most lives are still lived mostly in secret. Our leaders must swear to protect our secrets before they can act for us, even if that involves also promoting the causes of transparency. Those causes received a huge boost this week from Annan's decision to release his financial records to assist a probe into alleged bribes within the United Nations. He hesitated before doing so, he said, only because he did not want to set a binding precedent on successors. Future UN leaders may choose to ignore the precedent. If they do, Annan's example will no doubt be used to pressure them to decide otherwise. All of which takes place against a background of steadily increasing transparency, from days when betraying court business could be punished with beheading to today when laws of the land allow ordinary citizens to dig into public records freely. Imagine when all records, even personal ones, are available to anyone who wants them. Eventually, in the future, all people, including the gay ones, will live openly and freely, because of actions like the one taken by Annan this week. If she's chosen as UN head, it's an approach the tight-reined Clark may struggle with. Campaign finances Odious Debts Online BBC News World Bank hones anti-graft plan World Bank Promises Bribing Corporations -- No Publicity in ... Firms admit paying bribes in World Bank program Bank anti-corruption framework: "A lot of rhetoric and arm-waving" ... Gov slams court picks Beige Holdings Limited - Dealing In Securities Adequate Financial Disclosure... Will Selective Waiver Become a Reality Under Proposed Rule 502? New! Get the latest news on voluntary-disclosure with Google Alerts. page 1 2 next

saving the planet? fat chance

COMMENT People are too fat. "This insidious, creeping pandemic of obesity is now engulfing the entire world," said Paul Zimmet, chairman of a meeting of more than 2,500 experts and health officials, opening the weeklong International Congress on Obesity. "It's as big a threat as global warming and bird flu." This latest new big thing already has a Hollywood style amalgam: Globesity. By contrast, no cute words for either global warming or bird flu. Some people argue whether climate change is more accurate. No one talks about warmbaling or climage, gloaming or ... birflu? blu? Back to the global population. Nearly one in six are fat. Nevermind saving the planet from global warming or an outbreak of bird flu. Many of us are too fat to see our toes. But is obesity really as big a threat as global warming or even bird flu? Zimmet's comments have already been picked up by critics as an example of America's navel gazing, typical of a country that, for example, reports US deaths in Iraq but not how many Iraqis are killed. It's not certain if first world obesity could match global crisis like climate change or bird flu. Bird flu might claim as many as 100 million lives in a global population of six billion, at least according to estimates from WHO. Global warming still has its uncertainties, and seems a more distant threat. However, the last six months have seen reports stating some events are occurring as much as a century ahead of predictions. If this rate of increase continues, global warming may start year round storm damage of sea-level cities within our life time. Hurricanes are also increasing in severity. Lives may not be lost from rising sea levels or cyclone damage. It may be that global warming disruptes world weather patterns so badly that global trade is disrupted for months if not years - leading to a collapse of the world economy that currently "wins" and "loses" billions of dollars every minute. As a result, hundreds of millions if not billions of human lives are 'downsized' from a combination of HIV and other untreated diseases, if they survive dehydration and starvation as human populations start dropping back towards pre-industrial levels. Or so disaster theories go. In terms of impact, however, globesity is the new kid on the block. If Zimmet continues trying to paper-scissors-rock different kinds of global disaster, he will find globesity loses everytime. Pacific Islanders will find good humour in the ironies. There may be poetic justice in a disease that kills off the same people doing most of the polluting. Good job, it will be said by Pacific Islanders. Including fat Pacific Islanders, themselves leading obesity statistics across the region. As Americans and Europeans remain obsessed with their own round bellies, there is fat chance they will pay much attention to global problems. If half the predictions about global warming prove correct, however, few people will be worrying about obesity.