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Andrew Kuper

Wong Sees 'Tough Budget' for Australia on Floods, Currency - Businessweek - 0 views

www.businessweek.com/...tralia-on-floods-currency.html

Australia Flood Economy Financial

shared by Andrew Kuper on 15 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • We got some short term softness -- that’s as a result of a number of factors, the floods, the cyclone, but also a cautious consumer and a strong Aussie dollar
  • The Australian dollar has risen to a record versus its U.S. counterpart
  • The government expects a A$3 billion decline in company tax revenue and a drop of A$1 billion in income tax intake, Wong said today.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • Economists have estimated the damage from the floods may reach $20 billion, or about 1.5 percent of Australia’s $1.3 trillion economy, while the cost of rebuilding after Cyclone Yasi may be more than A$2 billion.
  • In addition, Japan’s strongest earthquake in history on March 11 is estimated to have dented demand for Australia’s bulk commodities by almost A$2 billion in this fiscal year, shaving less than one-fourth of a percentage point from GDP, according to the Treasury.
  • Andrew Kuper on 15 Apr 11
     
    What are the effects of the Australian Floods? Citation:"Wong Sees 'Tough Budget' for Australia on Floods, Currency" http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-04-09/wong-sees-tough-budget-for-australia-on-floods-currency.html Summary: This article talks about how Australia will be affected financially following the floods. It mentioned that the total cost of the damages are equal to roughly 1.5% of the country's A$1.3 trillion economy. It also talked about how Japan's earthquake affected Australia, because they receive many Japanese imports.Questions:1. What exactly does Japan have to do with this?2. How will the people rebuild and finance all this damage? 3. Are these figures in American dollars or Australian dollars? *Edit: Reposting because I forgot to share to WC group. Old post deleted.
William Leys

Coal and Climate Change in Queensland - 0 views

socialistresistance.org/...d-climate-change-in-queensland

Australia

shared by William Leys on 10 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • The recent severe flooding in Australia that caused scores of deaths and billions of dollars in property damage and which was followed by an unusually powerful cyclone that caused damage hundreds of kilometers from the Queensland coast are the result of climate change. Floods and cyclone are natural phenomena but their unusual intensity and increasing frequency are linked to changes in weather patterns.
  • Meanwhile, ocean surface temperatures off northern Australia have been at record levels — as much as 5°C above average in some places.
  • Given this knowledge, the silence on the contribution of climate change to the January floods and Cyclone Yasi is deafening. The Royal Commission announced to investigate the floods will be limited to the response to the disaster and not the cause.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • The Australian and Queensland governments are putting fossil fuel company profits ahead of human safety.
  • William Leys on 10 Mar 11
     
    Research Question: What are the effects of the Australian Floodings? Summary: Australia is putting fossil fuel production ahead of public safety in order to maintain low costs. Reflection: The article is definitely coming from a more socialist perspective (go figure), so they speak against the more Capitalist government in Australia. Questions: How will they be able to prevent future storms given the knowledge they have? They don't offer a solution, so do they know someone who does? "Coal and Climate Change in Queensland." Socialist Resistance (2011): n. pag. Web. 10 Mar 2011. .
Andrew Kuper

Australia floods threaten Queensland capital; 14 dead, dozens missing - Los Angeles Times - 0 views

articles.latimes.com/...a-fg-australia-floods-20110112

Australia Flood Queensland

shared by Andrew Kuper on 11 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • 40,000 properties were expected to be affected by the overflowing Brisbane River
  • rate of 7,000 cubic meters a second
  • overwhelmed the dam, built in the late 1970s after devastating 1974 floods, and the water was released to prevent its collapse.
  • Andrew Kuper on 11 Apr 11
     
    What are the effects of the Australian Floods?Citation:"Australia floods threaten Queensland capital; 14 dead, dozens missing" http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/12/world/la-fg-australia-floods-20110112Summary: The city of Queensland has experienced some particularly bad flooding. The flood here has killed at least 14 people, with many more missing. Much of the flooding has come from a dam which was released to prevent its collapse. This damn was built to prevent flooding after Australia's last major flood in 1974. Questions: 1. Why didn't the dam work, was it not large enough? 2. How will the people rebuild after all this damage? 3. What all is being done to help those affected?
Andrew Kuper

Water, water everywhere: strong storms flood Australian cities. - 0 views

find.galegroup.com/...retrieve.do

Australia Flood

shared by Andrew Kuper on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • The downpours have caused the worst floods there in 50 years.
  • The cyclone caused rivers and lakes to flood, leaving about 386,000 square miles of the nation underwater. That is an area larger than Texas.
  • The rushing waves affected more than 200,000 people.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • some experts say the country's economy could suffer for years.
  • estimates repairs will cost more than $5 billion.
  • Andrew Kuper on 17 Feb 11
     
    What are the effects of the Australian Floods? Citation: "Water, water everywhere: strong storms flood Australian cities." Weekly Reader News Edition 4-6 [a Weekly Reader publication] 11 Feb. 2011: 2+. Student Edition. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. Summary: Australia is recovering from the worst flood it's seen in 50 years. The flooding was caused by heavy rain from a cyclone. Over 386,000 square miles of Australia is underwater. The flooding has affected over 200,000 people, and has cost at least five billion dollars (not sure if it's Australian or US) in damages. Analysis: This is simply shocking to me. I'm bothered by how little attention this has received in relation to the magnitude of what's going on. The amount of land that is underwater is larger in area than the state of Texas, and 200,000 people have been affected. By comparison, Hurricane Katrina left only 1,500 people homeless, and we're still talking about that six years later. Questions: 1. What are the environmental/ecological impacts of the flooding? 2. How will this affect Australia's economy/businesses? 3. What all is being done to help those affected?
William Leys

Housing finance falls more than expected - 0 views

news.smh.com.au/...n-expected-20110406-1d3og.html

Australia Flooding

shared by William Leys on 10 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • The number of home loans approved in February fell 5.6 per cent, to a seasonally adjusted 45,393, data from the Australian bureau of Statistics showed
  • Economists' forecasts had centred on a 1.5 per cent fall in housing finance commitments for February.
  • "There were expectation that it would fall on the back of the Queensland floods but if you look at the data a little bit more closely housing finance commitments fell pretty much across the board," Mr Dinte.
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  • Mr Dinte said the November interest rate hike by the Reserve Bank of Australia was part of the reason for the fall.
  • The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) would be concerned with falls in housing finance in NSW and Victoria for the month, which dropped 10.1 per cent and 4.6 per cent respectively, the said
  • William Leys on 10 Apr 11
     
    Research Question: What are the effects of the Australian Flooding? Summary: The economy in Australia took a hit from the flood, which also combined with a interest rate raise from November and created a 5.6% drop in financing. Reflection: Same thing happened in New Orleans after Katrina, the Government stepped in more forcefully in the U.S. to insure that people could get loans to repair homes though. Questions: Would people in Queensland be more likely to be turned down from loans? They need all the help they can get after taking the hit they did. "Housing finance falls more than expected." Sydney Morning Herald (2011): n. pag. Web. 10 Apr 2011. .
William Leys

Due to flooding, the Australian Coal Production Loss $ 8, 3 Billion | Business Area - 0 views

businessarea.org/n-loss-8-3-billion-271523.html

Australia Flooding

shared by William Leys on 10 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • SIDNEY – Damage caused by flooding in Australia some time ago resulted in the loss of coal production is estimated at $ 8, 3 billion.
  • s previously projected. Heavy floods hit parts of Queensland in January, causing significant damage, among which is the cessation of mining production and the cessation of transportation infrastructure.
  • “It is estimated the lost coal production ranges between 20-30 million tonnes,” said the Australian Treasury Department was quoted as saying by the AFP on Sunday (03/04/2011). Previously the government has indeed been estimated that the floods which covers an area of ​​the country of France and Germany will cut its coal production of approximately 15 million tons in the first quarter of March.
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  • In addition to main economic impacts due to these disasters is the disruption of mining and coal exports. Another thing that affects the agriculture in several countries. “Rising prices for crops and livestock, leaving farmers to further increase the expenditures and strive to increase their capital,” said the Australian Treasury. Besides these two effects, the flood that killed more than 30 people also have an impact on the tourism industry. Tourism Australia is facing some problems.
  • William Leys on 10 Apr 11
     
    Research Question: What are the effects of the Australian Flooding? Summary: Continuing problems with coal have impacted Australia more than anticipated Reflection: Since the coal mines still have stagnant water in them, the process of procuring coal has stayed difficult and over-costly. Forcing coal prices to rise for the Australian-Asian market. Questions: Why were the original lost tonnage estimates by the Australian Government so off? Shouldn't they have had a better picture of the amount lost?
William Leys

Coking Coal Supplies Tighten Further - Commodities - Resource Investor - 0 views

www.resourceinvestor.com/...-supplies-tighten-further.aspx

coal australia

shared by William Leys on 16 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • The situation is far worse than three years ago, when flooding also affected Queensland coal production. At that time (February 2008), the tonnage lost is estimated to have been only 5-6 million tonnes, McCloskey said. On the other hand, the effect on the recent floods appears to have more than counterbalanced fears of a slowdown in Chinese coal demand
  • “Can Australia and the rest of the coking coal market make up the lost tonnage in the balance of the year? The answer is: no,” McCloskey said. “Some people will not be able to make steel because of what is happening in Queensland,” he stated.
  • US producers have steadily expanded coking coal exports in recent years, from 37 million tonnes in 2009, to 55 million tonnes in 2010. This year, US exports are forecast to reach 65 million tonnes. much of which will be in the form of relatively low grade blending coals. These factors will help to restrain prices.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • Brett Hartke
  • William Leys on 16 Feb 11
     
    Research Question: What are the effects of the Australian flood? Summary: Coking Coal from Australia is going to harder to get. The effect could end up being higher prices for steel production (what coking coal is used for).  Reflection: The flood had a serious effect on coking coal and as a result the production costs of steel will go up. This could effect any number of industries ranging from the auto industry to housing. 
  • Jessica Ruthsatz on 28 Feb 11
     
    Hi Josh, you did a nice job with the annotations, but your summary and reflection could be more substantial...you are also missing questions.
William Leys

AFP: Australia floods to cut growth: bank - 0 views

www.google.com/...M5hpeLcjHpScSlPdHCUdZdjhYYhhsA

floods australia

shared by William Leys on 16 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • SYDNEY — Australia's record floods will shear one percentage point off growth in the March quarter, the central bank said Tuesday, with preliminary estimates showing a 15 percent drop in coal output
  • "The biggest effect on GDP was likely to arise from swings in coal production, with many Queensland mines severely affected by wet weather since December," the bank said in the minutes to its latest interest rate meeting, published Tuesday.
  • Treasurer Wayne Swan has flagged a 0.5 percentage point drop in growth for the current fiscal year due to the floods, which killed 35 people and brought the nation's third-largest city, Brisbane, to a standstill.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • The coal industry, which flooding virtually shut down in Queensland last month, stood to lose about Aus$5 billion (US$5.02 billion) in exports from the crisis, while agriculture could take a Aus$2 billion hit, Swan said.The floods were followed by a top-level cyclone which Treasury estimates wiped out Aus$700 million in rural production, Aus$200 million in coal exports and Aus$100 million in tourism activity.
  • William Leys on 16 Feb 11
     
    Research Question: What are the effects of the Australian Flooding?Summary: People are all losing money because Australia's 3rd largest city (Brisbane) completely came to a halt from the floods.  Reflections: It's bad that Australia is going to lose a large chunk of their GDP, at the same time it isn't just going to effect them. Japan is  a huge importer of Australian coal. A good 10% of that coal is now under water and that will make it more difficult for Aussies to get coal to Japan, which in turn could raise the prices of Japanese made cars in the U.S. Questions: How much equipment was damaged as well?  
Andrew Kuper

Australian flooding - The Big Picture - Boston.com - 0 views

www.boston.com/...australian_flooding.html

Australia Flood

shared by Andrew Kuper on 15 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • Cyclone Tasha
  • Hundreds of thousands of people in an area the size of France and Germany combined are now affected
  • at least nine people have been killed so far
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • the water level is expected to continue rising over the next two days and 38 regions were declared natural disaster areas.
  • Andrew Kuper on 15 Apr 11
     
    What are the effects of the Australian Floods? Citation:"Australia flooding" http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/01/australian_flooding.html Summary: The flooding seems to have gotten worse, the number of people affected seems to have gone up. What's worse is that the water level is still going up, so things are still getting worse. Questions:1. Is this new information or old?2. when will the water go down? 3. What all is being done to help those affected? *Edit: reposting after I forgot to share to WC group, old posts deleted
Andrew Kuper

Australian Floods Peak in Brisbane - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...14australia.html

Australia Flood Brisbane

shared by Andrew Kuper on 10 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • BRISBANE, Australia — Floodwaters peaked here on Thursday, swamping tens of thousands of homes and businesses
  • killed at least 15 people in the past week.
  • flood zone could remain under water for days
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • The Brisbane River, which snakes through Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland, crested early Thursday at about 15 feet above normal
  • cumulative death toll from flooding since the rains began in late November to at least 25.
  • more than 25,000 homes and 5,000 businesses were inundated when the two major river systems burst their banks
  • ripped a 960-foot-long concrete boardwalk from its foundations,
  • In Ipswich, a city of 150,000 people about 20 miles west of Brisbane, officials estimated that 3,000 homes and businesses were flooded
  • Andrew Kuper on 10 Mar 11
     
    What are the effects of the Australian Floods? Citation:"Floods Peak, Leaving Ruin in Australian City"  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/14/world/asia/14australia.html Summary:The city of Brisbane has experienced some particularly bad flooding. The flood here has killed at least 15 people in one week. The city could remain underwater for several days. The flooding has been caused by extreme rains which caused the Brisbane and Bremer Rivers to rise up to 15 feet. Over 25,000 homes and 5,000 businesses have been flooded in Brisbane alone. Analysis:This article gave much more focused detail than previous articles I had read It really shows how much the devastation has affected individuals. There were several pictures as well which showed the scope of the flooding, including one of flood waters covering most of a basketball court. This really put it into perspective how bad the flood has been. It's extremely tragic to think about how many people have suffered from this flood.  Questions:1. What is the monetary cost of the flood in this area?2. How will the people rebuild after this? One woman wasn't insured for a flood, and is completely homeless.3. What all is being done to help those affected?
Andrew Kuper

BBC News - Australian Prime Minister unveils new flood tax - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...9378347.stm

Australia Flood tax

shared by Andrew Kuper on 10 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • The Australian government has announced a new tax to help pay for the devastating floods over the past month.
  • half of the five-billion dollars the federal government needs.
  • no-one earning less than $50,000 or anyone affected by the flooding would pay.
  • Andrew Kuper on 10 Mar 11
     
    What are the effects of the Australian Floods? Citation:"Australian Prime Minister unveils new flood tax" http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/gmt/9378347.stm Summary:Australia is creating a new tax to help the people affected by the flood. They've excluded those affected by the flood and those who make less than $50000 a year. They need to raise quite a bit of money, and this should get them about half way. The Australian Gov. is also cutting many costs to help raise more money Analysis: This is good news. They have a plan for raising the money they need. This new tax should be a good start. They were smart to tax only those making more than $50000 and who weren't affected by the flood because those aren't the people who need help.  Questions:1. How are they defining "affected by the flood"? That could include almost everybody.2. How much are they taxing each person?3. How do the Australian people feel about the tax?
William Leys

Flood study to examine health effects of mould and mud - News - Virtual Medical Centre - 0 views

www.virtualmedicalcentre.com/...16014

Australia

shared by William Leys on 10 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Homeowners in flood-affected Brisbane suburbs are being asked to participate in a study that will examine the effects of mould and mud on people's respiratory health.
  • Laboratory director, Professor Lidia Morawska, said although the flood waters had receded in Brisbane, there were numerous public health issues associated with its aftermath.
  • Mould and dust from waterlogged materials and silt and organic debris in flood-affected areas could impact on residents' respiratory health, with the greatest effect typically seen in children and asthmatics, she said.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • "Understanding human exposure is very important to know whether there's any risk to our health from mud and mould," said Professor Morawska."It is clear that after flooding there is quite a big problem with mould. This has been seen in many other parts of the world, including after Hurricane Katrina.
  • Professor Morawska said 15 households that were flooded and 15 homes that were unaffected were needed for the study, which would take place in coming weeks.
  • William Leys on 10 Mar 11
     
    Research Question: What are the effects of the Australian Flooding? Summary: Mold and dust have worked their way into people's homes. Test have to be done to see how bad that could be for the owner's health. Reflection: Much like the Katrina situation, they need to insure that they have a clean environment to live in. Questions: How invasive will the tests be? Is it something you have to be out of your home for a full 24 hours? "Flood study to examine health effects of mould and mud." VirtualMedicalCentre.com (2011): n. pag. Web. 10 Mar 2011. .
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