Thursday, February 19, 2009

James Price Point, Fragile Pindan Tableland

Pindan is a collapsible silty-sand or clayey-sand soil that occurs extensively in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, and is typically red in colour. James Price Point, the proposed location for the LNG Gas Hub will be basically built on a Pindan tableland. Pindan is usually considered deleterious, but many pindan display a self-cementation property upon dryback during construction, with a substantial strength gain in dry moisture conditions which was thought to be due to the bridging effect of clay in the pindan. This strength is lost upon re-wetting. The use of pindan sand-clay presents particular problems where it could be subject to dynamic or vibrating loads such as foundations for large motors and generators, since these could destroy the clay bridges when the material is dry and cause a collapse. Collapse potential can be minimised by ensuring that the pindan is compacted to a high asdensity as possible (100% standard MDD), but cannot be avoided entirely. The material may well still densify (and strain) after construction and continued exposure to the vibrating load.

Friday, February 13, 2009

The interests we are up against are MASSIVE

The following email was send to Redhand from John John
The interests you are up against are MASSIVE. You need to make sure that you know who you are going up against and get SMART with your campaigning.

Research is important, so is developing a strategy to win support from people not just in WA, but the world over.

Here are some things to look at VERY CLOSELY and consider carefully how you are going to respond.

1. Major Companies behind Gas Project
http://www.karoongas.com.au/Projects/OffshoreBrowseBasin/tabid/55/Default.aspx
http://www.conocophillips.com.au/business/developments/index.htm

2. Key People you should look at behind the Project - Research their histories
http://www.karoongas.com.au/AboutUs/CorporateInformation/tabid/57/Default.aspx
http://www.conocophillips.com.au/About/index.htm

3. Key Office Locations
http://www.karoongas.com.au/ContactUs/tabid/69/Default.aspx
http://www.conocophillips.com.au/Contact/index.htm

4. Other Research Resources

Book: Indigenous Peoples: Resource Management & Global Rights

Book Description
Rapid industrial development and urban growth increasingly threaten indigenous peoples and their ways of life. As a result, a grassroots movement is spreading among indigenous cultures, and the 1992 Rio Earth Summit catalyzed a UN legal investigation. Indigenous Peoples challenges the assumption that these processes are empowering indigenous peoples in tangible ways by examining the ongoing work, and offers a detailed analysis of the legal, political and institutional implications. This volume is an engaging study of the issues involved in indigenous peoples' rights.
• http://www.amazon.com/Indigenous-Peoples-Resource-Management-Global/dp/905166978X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234057610&sr=1-1

Book: Rethinking Resource Management: Justice, Sustainability and Indigenous People

Book Description
This book offers students and practitioners a sophisticated and convincing framework for rethinking the usual approaches to resource management. It uses case studies to argue that professional resource managers do not take responsibility for the social and environmental consequences of their decisions on the often vulnerable indigenous communities they affect. It also discusses the invisibility of indigenous people' values and knowledge within traditional resource management. It offers a new approach to social impact assessment methods which are more participatory and empowering. The book employs a range of case studies from Australia, North America and Norway.
• http://www..amazon.com/Rethinking-Resource-Management-Sustainability-Indigenous/dp/041512333X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234057610&sr=1-3

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Harry the Hermit Crab at James Price Point

Meet Harry the Hermit crab as he searches for like-minded crabs and humans to assist him in his endeavors to keep greedy hands off country.