Wendy Roberts - Coastings

On the Blowerfish - Windfarms - Rachel Ollivier
ATA

Bron is back from up country, and is still banging on about Essendon finally winning for the season. But at least the weather was back up to standard.

Baby name of the week is cyphonautes - 0.3mm long, shaped like a hat, with cilia around the bottom. It is a baby of the bryozoan that makes up the white crusty bits on washed up kelp.

This weekends Weekend Australian Magazine carries a story of 3 months in Antarctia by Emma Johnston, a repeat Marinara guest.

Minister Thwaites launched a program about keeping boats clean. The six D's are:

Dislodge
Drain
Dispose
Douse
Dry
Don't Forget

For more info, hit the website

He also said that the ballast water regs now come into place on boats coming from high risk ports within Australia.

And - if you want more information on Channel Deepening, there will be meetings in Rosebud on April 27, Queenscliff on 29th, Chelsea on May 3 and Melbourne on May 5. Check the Melbourne Ports Corporation website for details.

Reefwatch has been going for 18 months now - and the result in over 200 people taking part, and interesting discoveries - such as an introduced nudibranch, and there is a chance for the discovery of new species.

In order to help with the dissemination of information to help people as watchers, the Museum and the Aquarium have got together to provide seminars on the species - with talks from experts to tours to check them out. The first speaker will be Mark Norman - talking about cephlapods - on Monday 26 April. Book at the aquarium (9923 5911) for the cost of $5.50 to cover tea and coffee.

Is wind a good resource - but how good and where ?. Before we ask for calls - here is some background. They are made up on 10 - 100 turbines, on towers about 70 m high with 70 m diameter blades. A farm at the top end would provide the energy for 50 - 60,000 houses.

The turbines are slow moving - with a leisurely pace (not like the fan in you house).

Not everyone thinks they are wonderful. The key concerns are around, visual amenity, bird strikes, noise - with the tension between taking more time to work it all out, verses moving now to deal with climate change.

Are the standards for windfarms higher than for other industries - especially those industries that are being replaced ?

Thanks to all the callers for the broad range of insightful views about the issue, and sorry to those we couldn't get to air.

" Lets go walk this town "

" Beautiful Feeling "

" Cloud Room "

My Friend the Chocolate Cake

Paul Kelly

Laura Views

Yesterday, everything was bloody big except the vis. Today it is flat and the vis is much better. Back beaches are shocking - go surfing.