tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241034842024-03-13T18:03:39.818+13:00Karakia CoastIdeas, observations and images on the pleasures of Local and the impact of Global.Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-68470383117078653202012-09-14T12:26:00.000+12:002012-09-14T12:26:50.704+12:00Ramblin Man<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>"Creativity is the residue <br />of time wasted"</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>-Albert Einstein </i><br /> </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It feels good to be posting again, after a break...</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNPwU2RzMtEHOF0kXePtqcgNBIF9h1sBKn31mI70PUNZ3js6_b4vFbGIptgtQ4AKWfX7RgVCsG2Sfz_RUJjXG81kcPtkoHq_LnqsLLOJ2AkuRoB8galPFN-HEYijYUg3TRS7jug/s1600/Image0053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNPwU2RzMtEHOF0kXePtqcgNBIF9h1sBKn31mI70PUNZ3js6_b4vFbGIptgtQ4AKWfX7RgVCsG2Sfz_RUJjXG81kcPtkoHq_LnqsLLOJ2AkuRoB8galPFN-HEYijYUg3TRS7jug/s320/Image0053.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moonrise in Waiheke's main village</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We all have something to say..</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">How important it is to us, taking the time, and cultivating the dicipline to say it, are clearly, important factors for anyone writing.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Growing real food is magic for me.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The enjoyment and understanding that comes from partaking in and preserving the bounty our natural ecosystem services provide is important to me.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So I write about it. Pretty simple, really. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSkV-uws0_TIBaiz3oJSuLyoZIwa8T01hiLqXEcfnzsQi3iXct_xl3hfxEGVQYHca_B4DPbGBDlq7Fc-f16_xAQuH1IqRDQFZSYTWpDjYLBBqza4uZdj_02ajqUxvSjWcWMTah-Q/s1600/Image0004.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSkV-uws0_TIBaiz3oJSuLyoZIwa8T01hiLqXEcfnzsQi3iXct_xl3hfxEGVQYHca_B4DPbGBDlq7Fc-f16_xAQuH1IqRDQFZSYTWpDjYLBBqza4uZdj_02ajqUxvSjWcWMTah-Q/s200/Image0004.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winter cauliflower</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7bojjq4JRKQapoS6-vk1gDiqRGOKZpnx_sCw4T-bpIoYvkd0lLmzMTcNhQwtB-Cqkk06VMvH91AQ8RB2Zd-ZpfKijAYMgdnz38fbPzbsRGkKM9YBIWyrvoQJ31kOdee5nSaVMA/s1600/Winter-broccoli-2--Aug-2010.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7bojjq4JRKQapoS6-vk1gDiqRGOKZpnx_sCw4T-bpIoYvkd0lLmzMTcNhQwtB-Cqkk06VMvH91AQ8RB2Zd-ZpfKijAYMgdnz38fbPzbsRGkKM9YBIWyrvoQJ31kOdee5nSaVMA/s320/Winter-broccoli-2--Aug-2010.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winter broccoli</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Winter is mild in New Zealand, and good food can be grown at all times of the year. Being surrounded by water, there is little chance of any frosts, and it is just a matter of timing as to when you can get seeds to germinate etc, like anywhere else. Seedlings can go in at any time of the year. So good nutrient dense food can be had all year. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This is a good thing. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSkV-uws0_TIBaiz3oJSuLyoZIwa8T01hiLqXEcfnzsQi3iXct_xl3hfxEGVQYHca_B4DPbGBDlq7Fc-f16_xAQuH1IqRDQFZSYTWpDjYLBBqza4uZdj_02ajqUxvSjWcWMTah-Q/s1600/Image0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaT1XPXQrfKlaAQSx8rnYzIWh8h8yg6UWcMRnkBIKV-2wdz8itoTtccjj_0S1w4LlJJBkU6iQhferGEDKIMqLN3vpez_wOaPbmC8iIY2RNKqyHuLwSdmHg6_yShE3C02xY45RbfQ/s1600/Tahiti+surf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaT1XPXQrfKlaAQSx8rnYzIWh8h8yg6UWcMRnkBIKV-2wdz8itoTtccjj_0S1w4LlJJBkU6iQhferGEDKIMqLN3vpez_wOaPbmC8iIY2RNKqyHuLwSdmHg6_yShE3C02xY45RbfQ/s320/Tahiti+surf.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wave riding</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Music, media and meditation (amongst other things) all garner my attention as well...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Some can be written about, the others, not so easily. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">While political junkies are running about in a lather talking up their guy to run the broken, rigged system that is the United States government..</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Bob Dylan has a new album out.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It is his 35th album. <i>Tempest</i> is the name.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvdDx4X0vDLx5g5FdKjFUFpJXF0ofUvqSjW5pPdBKCVdZBFIREKGgx8Klc4ZRJU-BiJcXOzNNQQ-xVPATZJ5B490G3C-U5MFuCs6wWJmjke7kEB1bEy4Bt9xgn-vSOMSYM_aXDg/s1600/Dylan+at+Capitol+theatre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvdDx4X0vDLx5g5FdKjFUFpJXF0ofUvqSjW5pPdBKCVdZBFIREKGgx8Klc4ZRJU-BiJcXOzNNQQ-xVPATZJ5B490G3C-U5MFuCs6wWJmjke7kEB1bEy4Bt9xgn-vSOMSYM_aXDg/s200/Dylan+at+Capitol+theatre.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rocking Bob</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">Pictured left is his concert at the recently refurbished Capitol Theatre in New York. Apparently, a perfect venue for the troubador...as this <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/06/arts/music/a-jovial-dylan-celebrates-reopening-of-capitol-theatre.html">NYTimes review</a> states, making it clear the 71yr old was enjoying himself. Not one to be left behind, the maestro has his songs drip fed out online nowadays, and a quick visit to iTunes will get you the feel for his enduring musical gift. A glowing <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/sep/06/bob-dylan-tempest-review">review of the album</a> on The Guardian makes interesting reading for the die-hards (like me)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Tempest</i>. What a great name</span>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Which is what Spring is often like down on a small island in a big ocean. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Waiheke is only 20km long, and about 15km off the coast of the main city of Auckland. When the wind blows, it howls. We have had a share of it this year... but the signs are good now, even though Spring days are so unpredictable</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCJLUZyUtmNBJ0zJLjhEVTpOZnbZdczYnSlMj4hWPHqYGjhDdYKLMq2xGvcpydW7fAgajcKu4cRtgHmdquIISbvWxKfvbnkR9EAqUdO7fwG6DZtDxMcfloBRQ6_d8uko4nfykUBw/s1600/Image0111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCJLUZyUtmNBJ0zJLjhEVTpOZnbZdczYnSlMj4hWPHqYGjhDdYKLMq2xGvcpydW7fAgajcKu4cRtgHmdquIISbvWxKfvbnkR9EAqUdO7fwG6DZtDxMcfloBRQ6_d8uko4nfykUBw/s200/Image0111.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signs of Spring</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">One of my new favourite blogs is by a lady called Perma Goddess (great name!) about her abundant small permaculture holding in Ireland called <a href="https://permaculturecottage.wordpress.com/">Bealtaine Cottage</a>. She posts about most days. Absolutely superb.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My spring walks take me all around the small village of Rocky Bay here on the island, a home of mine for a number of years, and a great little community.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-kbKKiKuWOquqq4FtIBT2zj7ANxb25k-yPQDJpTNKqGPtLYqhjc178ANR_9vszEK0RcJa3824LLcBO6dIFNj6y78620suguOhwvO0v79LhKwH1mc_4uXCpEa1heN8cBvNE4Vs0A/s1600/Image0102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-kbKKiKuWOquqq4FtIBT2zj7ANxb25k-yPQDJpTNKqGPtLYqhjc178ANR_9vszEK0RcJa3824LLcBO6dIFNj6y78620suguOhwvO0v79LhKwH1mc_4uXCpEa1heN8cBvNE4Vs0A/s320/Image0102.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The country lane I start my walks on</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">I start up the lonely lane and see where it might lead. There are signs of Spring everywhere, and the air is fresh and crisp.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The ground is still a bit too wet to get involved in any cultivation presently, but the birds are active, the temperatures are warming, and growth is emerging from hardier species. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Even the spiders are getting themselves </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">excited.. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWylPz61FzLjzfUrfOl53hFDJ49sm5N7chpT1zc5nH_5XrzJB1eUqSz-rdSLo2DhAt5XRQYkbiHN5WJ3U6hm0o6HIscB1BbRvAB4a7q3XAPpM8zP8eoJ3KtdmQLzYjpRLeRb4EEw/s1600/Winter-spider-webs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWylPz61FzLjzfUrfOl53hFDJ49sm5N7chpT1zc5nH_5XrzJB1eUqSz-rdSLo2DhAt5XRQYkbiHN5WJ3U6hm0o6HIscB1BbRvAB4a7q3XAPpM8zP8eoJ3KtdmQLzYjpRLeRb4EEw/s320/Winter-spider-webs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fractal geometry?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Nature is all about balance</span>. <span style="font-size: large;">We would do well to seek that in our lives, rather than make so much effort trying to own, patent, and manage natural processes.</span> <span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">They are already managed very well, thanks. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This was an interesting take on our energy conundrums I read recently from a solar enthusiast:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">"</span><i><span style="font-size: small;">Think about it this way. We’re killing people in foreign lands in order to extract 200-million-year-old sunlight. Then we burn it . . . in order to boil water to create steam to drive a turbine to generate electricity. We frack our own backyards and pollute our rivers, or we blow up our mountaintops ... for an hour of electricity, when we could just take what’s falling free from the sky.” </span></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Danny Kennedy <br />Sungevity</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Solar is undisputed as reliable source of energy. In fact we would die pretty quickly without it. The problem is not using it, we do. Every day. The problem arises when we want to try to plug it in to our excessively energy-hungry lifestyles! Then we are dealing with all sorts of issues like infrastructure, rare-earth materials, etc etc.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">As a farmer, I am a big solar fan. Works great. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Have to have it, actually. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">I just use it as it is... </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqz0OV6tqI3OPZucHTE8UGzJ-fXfvpd8tlvP8HYoPyqb_Lykz-gEjUWad0PELo6Lf7TIo3vnwsxyTcOeuRS9bHwn0A9yxRGjSnN7np7Ndw-8l8HNpKljHy_tdLIhbqedpiH8twTg/s1600/Garden-Safari-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqz0OV6tqI3OPZucHTE8UGzJ-fXfvpd8tlvP8HYoPyqb_Lykz-gEjUWad0PELo6Lf7TIo3vnwsxyTcOeuRS9bHwn0A9yxRGjSnN7np7Ndw-8l8HNpKljHy_tdLIhbqedpiH8twTg/s400/Garden-Safari-2.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"> HOPE YOU CAN TOO!</span></span> </span></div>
Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-4516954370000227752012-09-07T10:33:00.001+12:002012-09-07T10:33:52.630+12:00Living Earth<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ywGyBmQeyzNB2WLSKxv3RddRI1AMGvBnMEaWiXnjFlQbpJFhQ5q-NQXLXvvzdcoyUyV6_xxVG5WNADR5Qgy51t4YEs64d0w1ngbRiouvnNL9FS_Z3FNNNGMRtsDlmNz7IJ3oeg/s1600-h/Compost.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107941763331820466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ywGyBmQeyzNB2WLSKxv3RddRI1AMGvBnMEaWiXnjFlQbpJFhQ5q-NQXLXvvzdcoyUyV6_xxVG5WNADR5Qgy51t4YEs64d0w1ngbRiouvnNL9FS_Z3FNNNGMRtsDlmNz7IJ3oeg/s320/Compost.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large; font-style: italic;">"Eating is an agricultural act"</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">-Wendell Berry</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I love compost. It is the most essential and basic of all natural life processes. It is beautiful, easy and efficient. The small pile above, in which my fork is stuck down deep, was made in only a few months. The carbon material, mixing with water air and nutrients, has broken down into a dark friable and highly fertile mix that anything will grow like mad in. Great stuff. Most of the material has been sourced from the local wineries on the island, and is quite acidic, so I always make sure to add plenty of lime. Great for compost tea, which the plants respond to quickly</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqDpDMUjZGF89o-vv9OiFb4ltT5BuWkE7iLJ28WsobnPWg8rcrhirSZ9syAOTRDtXNz2iAl89AHL5s0FioH8LDohv1g5TZGB-ZW_p4aYZSExp-qpQLWw-7uwysjApgoO2egioIA/s1600-h/Cover-crop-2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107945164945918930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqDpDMUjZGF89o-vv9OiFb4ltT5BuWkE7iLJ28WsobnPWg8rcrhirSZ9syAOTRDtXNz2iAl89AHL5s0FioH8LDohv1g5TZGB-ZW_p4aYZSExp-qpQLWw-7uwysjApgoO2egioIA/s200/Cover-crop-2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">The compost I have made in between rows in the vineyard (left) is called green manure, or cover cropping, and works essentially the same way, only on a larger scale. Seeded in the fall, a mix of grasses and legumes are now in full bloom and will be turned under this week. With some added bacteria and fungi, the process will take place over the 6 acres </span><span style="font-size: large; font-style: italic;">in the ground, </span><span style="font-size: large;">just as it has for ages, as nature designed. I am just facilitating the process. with enzymes and bacteria that helps ensure the biological activity is complete. This enables the soil to use the additional organic matter in holding water better, allows nutrients to become available through electromagnetic and chemical reactions going on all the time. It is a dynamic situation, always changing and always teeming with life. This life in the soil is essential for life in our food.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large; font-style: italic;">"Soil is alive. It more than simply supports life. Living soil is healthy and healthful. It allows for the growth and development of healthy, healthful plants - plants that fulfill the nutritional needs of animals and people. Dead soil is dirt. It does not produce healthy animals and people. It does not produce healthy vegetation. It erodes. It compacts. It clods. It no longer carries an adequate electromagnetic charge".</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">-Dr. Arden B. Andersen</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: large;">Life and Energy in Agriculture</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-56444893365100530182007-08-27T16:55:00.000+12:002007-09-05T16:49:47.378+12:00Dancing In The Streets<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBIfED_MUvsXiWZ7Lojt5_o6kljpvePKnzSX2jpCBpgj7PtCjuPaNTfK4IENnpzjoQWr3KRJg00ogLasPeyHVkjyPBDtpHS1M6OGTtjMBkaS6AUMOs5NjgkR9lSETHY5SL_e7bA/s1600-h/BM+05.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBIfED_MUvsXiWZ7Lojt5_o6kljpvePKnzSX2jpCBpgj7PtCjuPaNTfK4IENnpzjoQWr3KRJg00ogLasPeyHVkjyPBDtpHS1M6OGTtjMBkaS6AUMOs5NjgkR9lSETHY5SL_e7bA/s320/BM+05.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103244602413321058" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The question that motivates this book originates in a sense of loss: If ecstatic rituals and festivities were once so widespread, why is so little left of them today? If the 'techniques of ecstasy' represent an important part of the human cultural heritage, why have we forgotten them, if indeed we have? If we possess this capacity for collective ecstasy, why do we so seldom put it to use"?</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;">-Barbara Ehrenreich<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Dancing In The Streets</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">A History of Collective Joy<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /><br /><br />No problem for the annual migration of "Burners" that take to the Nevada desert for a bit of "ecstatic celebration" and all sorts of creative foreplay in the process.. All the latest from SFGate<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88SKr8-ljd6kLQbiUmleS2MoG4vMA06rft9ku2l-GJp2ipLpMuROOtCX41ctqF3Lw2VI31v8CWOV9mWyq98FIo6OdlAwVyRnznURBD8iG5YbfPL9Q0Y-1fCyzdVmx_A4KcMeWsg/s1600-h/Early+Burner.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88SKr8-ljd6kLQbiUmleS2MoG4vMA06rft9ku2l-GJp2ipLpMuROOtCX41ctqF3Lw2VI31v8CWOV9mWyq98FIo6OdlAwVyRnznURBD8iG5YbfPL9Q0Y-1fCyzdVmx_A4KcMeWsg/s200/Early+Burner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106568275740232562" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://sfgate.com/burningman/">here</a>, and from 10 Zen Monkeys<a href="http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2007/08/28/burning-the-man-with-hunter-s-thompson/"> here,</a> which includes the silly guy that wanted to "Burn the Man" a couple of days early. Not a good boy...<br /><br />But what would you expect from such a character?<br /><br /><br />Everyone else seems to be having a grand old time..<br /><br />I always thought it might be a bit uncomfortable camping out in the blowing sands for a fortnight with very little else to do but build and burn...but hey, haven't been there, so I will trust it is a tribal thing.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_BNiSZK3WTh79Cl0aetEk9G56UCZaady2pVvqS8f8Mx187aRWtwgoZjYNYENcXDAev5JSb2Bvyj2-Hqytn4NBOUoG6_0-rDnbo31gs_6hyphenhyphenH9SIbw16xcQ3aLPsN-U6kSqQdmIvw/s1600-h/Burning+Man.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_BNiSZK3WTh79Cl0aetEk9G56UCZaady2pVvqS8f8Mx187aRWtwgoZjYNYENcXDAev5JSb2Bvyj2-Hqytn4NBOUoG6_0-rDnbo31gs_6hyphenhyphenH9SIbw16xcQ3aLPsN-U6kSqQdmIvw/s320/Burning+Man.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106568825496046466" border="0" /></a>In tech news, the <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2172703/">Wikipedia vandals have been found out</a>, and now you know where some of those entries come from, and what happens to them (and by whom). Pretty clever.<br /><br />Who's afraid of Google? The Economist asks the question, and <a href="http://www.economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=9725272">according to them</a>, plenty of folk. Mainly around privacy concerns, but anytime you have a company that grows that fast, it just <span style="font-style: italic;">has</span> to have some kind of secret agenda. Doesn't it? Simply to organise and rule the world's information, seems fairly innocent enough... Yeah right. It is really a targeted advertising company selling you products aligned with your specific interests that they just happen to know about because of your search history. OK with that?<br /><br />At least they have got some characters working for them, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/01/technology/01google.html?ex=1346299200&en=131e7e4d6752f3ac&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss">like this guy</a>, reported in NYTimes, who gets his photograph<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxwGCZE_AQtlwbWNVrg5VOTpDpcoh8zVcWVRSh81vzDRryhoMGTW-qohiBAP5VgpGcYbP_FMn3Hsf7XKfhS5smBrI0TA4Wz83qfrmFGUWr50xu1_dqeGbP9NzuAfin28xPLbA4Wg/s1600-h/Star+Trekkers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxwGCZE_AQtlwbWNVrg5VOTpDpcoh8zVcWVRSh81vzDRryhoMGTW-qohiBAP5VgpGcYbP_FMn3Hsf7XKfhS5smBrI0TA4Wz83qfrmFGUWr50xu1_dqeGbP9NzuAfin28xPLbA4Wg/s200/Star+Trekkers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106571990886943634" border="0" /></a> taken with all the VIP's passing through the<br />Googleplex. Just an ordinary engineer, eh?<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Gotta be a fun place to work, though...<br /><br /><br />No doubt everyone saw <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WALIARHHLII">Miss South Carolina</a> give her answer to on a Teen Beauty Contest as to why so many Americans cannot find their way around a map...<br />It makes Bush seem articulate!<br /><br />Biopics of famous people, dead or otherwise, have been prolific in recent years, especially in the musician category. <a href="http://www.alternet.org/movies/60917/">Paul Harris in Alternet </a>asks why Bob Dylan himself doesn't play a role in the upcoming movie about his life called <span style="font-style: italic;">I'm Not There</span>. Perhaps he thought 6 actors was enough.<br /><br />Want to know all about private islands, and the eccentric people that own, inhabit and visit them, for say, up to 8years at a time? Well look no further. Private Islands blog is <a href="http://private-islands.blogspot.com/2007/08/roger-lextrait-king-of-palmyra-island.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Pick one up today. And don't forget to invite me around.<br /><br />Gotta love those Africans.. They are becoming adept at blending culture and technology into a real art form: <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjWL0vAu6xQGeOhFk83eoUzNjZvgaqvNHk5n0ooIRIu19rkfviIh6dEhHOroj3ZKZUfj0L1pKffFJ6ED1et7DVfSbf5cl8akX_wlybf_hZ2tHYxGM__g8eiQWr-n-AVvCE6OjX3g/s1600-h/Hands+Free+phone.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjWL0vAu6xQGeOhFk83eoUzNjZvgaqvNHk5n0ooIRIu19rkfviIh6dEhHOroj3ZKZUfj0L1pKffFJ6ED1et7DVfSbf5cl8akX_wlybf_hZ2tHYxGM__g8eiQWr-n-AVvCE6OjX3g/s200/Hands+Free+phone.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106575091853331362" border="0" /></a></div> </div><br />Now that's what I call Hands Free!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjWL0vAu6xQGeOhFk83eoUzNjZvgaqvNHk5n0ooIRIu19rkfviIh6dEhHOroj3ZKZUfj0L1pKffFJ6ED1et7DVfSbf5cl8akX_wlybf_hZ2tHYxGM__g8eiQWr-n-AVvCE6OjX3g/s1600-h/Hands+Free+phone.jpg"><br /></a></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_BNiSZK3WTh79Cl0aetEk9G56UCZaady2pVvqS8f8Mx187aRWtwgoZjYNYENcXDAev5JSb2Bvyj2-Hqytn4NBOUoG6_0-rDnbo31gs_6hyphenhyphenH9SIbw16xcQ3aLPsN-U6kSqQdmIvw/s1600-h/Burning+Man.jpg"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a></div></div></div></div></div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-63176241522058406552007-08-17T14:09:00.000+12:002012-06-15T12:37:10.514+12:00Under Mouse Arrest<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZdNgkjufc-YJCjth64e4YaJtbwU8ae9SzQQmi8vgMQYq1lTsiQFEgqvVB0ZVjtVRfljE-WFHaCxFBzvEPECFiP_d3lJIpUfuVopH1eJgCXWfjOCbqpe4lnvP8qtPrXJ6zGkh9w/s1600-h/sallycruikshank07.jpg.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099489418017147698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZdNgkjufc-YJCjth64e4YaJtbwU8ae9SzQQmi8vgMQYq1lTsiQFEgqvVB0ZVjtVRfljE-WFHaCxFBzvEPECFiP_d3lJIpUfuVopH1eJgCXWfjOCbqpe4lnvP8qtPrXJ6zGkh9w/s320/sallycruikshank07.jpg.gif" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">"I will visit a place entirely other than myself.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Whether it is the future or the past</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Need not be decided in advance."</span><br />
<br />
-Susan Sontag<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
A plethora of links, clips bits and bytes of completely unrelated, yet undoubtedly culturally important information on offer today, in case curiosity got you as well as the cat:<br />
<br />
That icon of American journalism Bill Moyers, has a chat with Barbara Ehrenreich (author of <span style="font-style: italic;">Nickel and Dimed</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Bait and Switch</span>) as well as Clive James, Australian born cultural critic living in U.K. <a href="http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/08032007/watch2.html">Lively and entertaining discussions</a> on the state of affairs here, there and just about everywhere. Moyers' PBS show called <span style="font-style: italic;">The Journal</span>, is indeed a worthwhile view, either on the television or the net.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=9735">The current state of the Music industry</a>, how it got to where it is, and where it might be heading in this article "off The Record", by Robert Sandall in Prospect Magazine.<br />
<br />
A nice little ditty from the SF Chronicle on the <a href="http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2007/08/10/alohafriday081107.DTL&type=travel">beautiful Waimea Falls Canyon</a> on the North Shore of O'ahu, since it has been run by the Audubon Society these last few years. One of my favourite spots, and worth every plaudit.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2171371/fr/flyout">Why are we so afraid of offending Muslims?</a> asks Christopher Hitchens in online magazine Slate.<br />
<br />
Gee, I dunno, maybe it's something to do with being afraid of what we don't understand?<br />
<br />
<br />
Not to get stuck into politics and World Affairs for too long, there is always that little bit of 40 yr old gossip for ardent music fans about 2 greats: George Harrison, Eric Clapton and their relationship with well, one lady. Patti Boyd tells what she remembers <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=473174&in_page_id=1879">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Leave it to good ol' New Zealand to come up with some innovative ideas for getting out there and enjoying the scenic wonders this country has to offer: <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10455923">All the Great Walks are now free</a> for under 18's including great accommodation in the Department of Conservation Huts (<a href="http://www.doc.govt.nz/Explore/002%7ETracks-and-Walks/index.asp">DOC</a>). Take it from me, that is a <span style="font-style: italic;">really good</span> deal.<br />
<br />
If you are a reader, you will appreciate <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6929404.stm">Venezuela's mobile library that has 4 legs</a>. Great stuff.<br />
<br />
A new documentary film entitled <span style="font-style: italic;">Dr Bronner's Magic Soapbox </span>about a one Emmanuel Bronner, a chemist who escaped from a mental asylum and developed his own brand of peppermint soap (as you do) is previewed <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11813678">here on NPR</a>, as well as chat with the director, Sara Lamm.<br />
<br />
Staying with the health and food, <a href="http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/55847/">an interview with Andrew Kimbrell</a> , author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Your-Right-Know-Genetic-Engineering/dp/1932771190/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-9853787-2588732?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187319978&sr=1-2"><span style="font-style: italic;">Your Right to Know: Genetic Engineering and The Secret Changes in Your Food</span></a> is important. This is not going to go away. <span style="font-style: italic;">Half</span> of the processed food on American shelves has been genetically modified in some form or another. Own the brand, and own the business.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://wiserearth.org/">Wiser Earth</a>, Paul Hawken's enormous database of NGO's and environmental activist groups (literally thousands) all on one portal website. Head off wherever your interest and time take you. What a great visionary. His latest book is entitled <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blessed-Unrest-Largest-Movement-Coming/dp/0670038520/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-9853787-2588732?ie=UTF8&s=books&amp;amp;qid=1187320348&sr=8-1">Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in History Came Into Being, and Why No One Saw It Coming.</a><br />
<br />
Speaks for itself, really.<br />
Ciao.<br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuPvIeg7DLYwrH8Dp_QTu37g1iN-Wu6do5sSVv6cmGScMuFEgr-5RBb2OMizV0Q2ma8udMzWu4a60Zf8BfJTn7bDgp8wa5h8wHx8-q6Neqgf_U5o8d7zdsj9DC57zE6mGx3GL9Dw/s1600-h/Amaryllis.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099503423905499986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuPvIeg7DLYwrH8Dp_QTu37g1iN-Wu6do5sSVv6cmGScMuFEgr-5RBb2OMizV0Q2ma8udMzWu4a60Zf8BfJTn7bDgp8wa5h8wHx8-q6Neqgf_U5o8d7zdsj9DC57zE6mGx3GL9Dw/s320/Amaryllis.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a></div>
</div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-65603479318886070042007-08-11T12:40:00.000+12:002012-06-15T12:38:11.431+12:00Being Bob<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6qhODhKuaFl1gerg02BcQ42i5q9uQILovQYph0nRKYEJAOeCoM_2P3AH5L1CJWVz8x6OupymEtFsr3uyPAHugMcaUbDb0Xw_dqTQYggBDVhV1QKFR1W1tjV63ET5jOVKH4bQunw/s1600-h/Dylan.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097238132753022946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6qhODhKuaFl1gerg02BcQ42i5q9uQILovQYph0nRKYEJAOeCoM_2P3AH5L1CJWVz8x6OupymEtFsr3uyPAHugMcaUbDb0Xw_dqTQYggBDVhV1QKFR1W1tjV63ET5jOVKH4bQunw/s200/Dylan.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><span style="color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;"> "There must be so</span><span style="color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;">me way out of here", said the joker to the thief<br />"There's too much confusion", I can't get no relief.<br />Businessmen, they drink my wine, ploughmen dig my earth<br />None of them along the line know what any of it is worth.<br /><br />"No reason to get excited", the thief he kindly spoke<br />"There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke<br />But you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate<br />So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late".<br /></span><span style="color: #ffffcc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;"><span style="color: white;">All Along the Watchtower</span></span><span style="color: #666655; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-style: italic;">The cynical reviewers harp on about the ageing audience, and lack of intimacy , or the clinical nature of his performances in Bob Dylan's current tour down under. His re-working of the songs, far too many in nearly 50 years of performing to reach everyones favourites, also cops some flak.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />None of it matters. Not to him. And not to those who experience the essence of a living legend performing the way an artist does best: with creativity and surprise.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Since when is music just for the young? Yes, each decade I see him is a different show, and each one has a magic all its own. Auckland sold out its first show last night, and after a stint over in Australia, he is due back for two more shows at the end of the month in a small theatre. He must be doing something right for that kind of demand. And for someone who has been called everything from god to the spokesman of his generation, the lyrics say it all:</span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: white; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666655; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: white;"> You fasten all the triggers</span><br /><span style="color: white;">For the others to fire</span><br /><span style="color: white;">Then you set back and watch</span><br /><span style="color: white;">When the death count gets higher</span><br /><span style="color: white;">You hide in your mansion'</span><br /><span style="color: white;">As young people's blood</span><br /><span style="color: white;">Flows out of their bodies</span><br /><span style="color: white;">And is buried in the mud.</span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666655; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: white;"> Let me ask you one question</span><br /><span style="color: white;">Is your money that good?</span><br /><span style="color: white;">Will it buy you forgiveness</span><br /><span style="color: white;">Do you think that it could</span><br /><span style="color: white;">I think you will find</span><br /><span style="color: white;">When your death takes its toll</span><br /><span style="color: white;">All the money you made</span><br /><span style="color: white;">Will never buy back your soul.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: white;">Masters of War</span><br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">That was Vietnam, now it is Iraq et al. The words mock and they taunt, they make you think. His backup band as tight a R&B unit as you will ever see. </span> <span style="font-family: georgia;">No, rock concerts are not as they were 30 and 40 years ago, and a commercial pall hangs around some of the concrete arenas like a bad odour, totally inappropriate for the man who</span> <span style="font-family: georgia;">set the tone launching an important cultural revolution in the last half of the 20th century.<br /><br />He says what he needs to say, plays what he likes to play, and does it with truckloads of class.<br />For me, that is enough.<br /></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4OIydD696200MWSWi0w1W-5zVZPZ2caW4xW2gqXJgMjgQIaFTZQNF6XufSEO80Pi0L6YsHPqBhTYOUKlLw3XLc6dcgmXMQwnRdonp5qujfrW_l6ZQlzEOOs7_UjHTEtNRYoL_g/s1600-h/KeepOnTruckin.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097572521726820338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4OIydD696200MWSWi0w1W-5zVZPZ2caW4xW2gqXJgMjgQIaFTZQNF6XufSEO80Pi0L6YsHPqBhTYOUKlLw3XLc6dcgmXMQwnRdonp5qujfrW_l6ZQlzEOOs7_UjHTEtNRYoL_g/s200/KeepOnTruckin.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
Winter creeps slowly along it path towards conclusion in the Southern Hemisphere, with warmer and longer days pointing towards Spring, albeit the skies still frequently showering us heavily, and keeping the ground too wet to work for us growers.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9EJRQxy5PyWMbPLeEYAvIcYeimIxU19SflHjF_mLcC0CRFUEFVJEApLZwGOCxpav13CFS_6UrIGmPRJqN9DIZhyphenhyphenFlQNlSZpqCimvt3tIEmCQEaHFYNlAYGQaxNsFGAitG_KXqZQ/s1600-h/121_2169.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097573531044134914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9EJRQxy5PyWMbPLeEYAvIcYeimIxU19SflHjF_mLcC0CRFUEFVJEApLZwGOCxpav13CFS_6UrIGmPRJqN9DIZhyphenhyphenFlQNlSZpqCimvt3tIEmCQEaHFYNlAYGQaxNsFGAitG_KXqZQ/s200/121_2169.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a>Waiheke Island only has about 7000 inhabitants full time, and in the winter, it is isolated and removed from the mainland by a 30 min boat ride, and everyone feels it. Especially when the weather cancels the ferries, which is not too often.<br />
<br />
One of the things I like most about living in a small rural community (at least this one) is the fact that so many people wave as they drive past. I don't know who they are, most of them, but it doesn't really matter. They are saying hi and smiling, content in the knowledge that they too, are experiencing something unique in todays urbanised and industrialised world. there are no traffic lights on this island. No MacDonalds and no Wal Mart. Refugees all of us, it's as if we all have a very special friend in common.<br />
<br />
Simplicity.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1Yoq8KwvJkpR3wQ8nM644j_vH_Po1mbxxgOECPMJIMFnH1J9pHgflFgLW95JgWzy0HPqNi8CHlry7riRtHprtgmU8qfRqHDTRu_lfadB12hJPkCp4TqdbknSejwW0x8Ht3OqTA/s1600-h/Whakanewa.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097577637032869906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1Yoq8KwvJkpR3wQ8nM644j_vH_Po1mbxxgOECPMJIMFnH1J9pHgflFgLW95JgWzy0HPqNi8CHlry7riRtHprtgmU8qfRqHDTRu_lfadB12hJPkCp4TqdbknSejwW0x8Ht3OqTA/s200/Whakanewa.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a></div>
<br />
I take the opportunity to embrace the solitude available, and though I have been called a bit of a hermit by more than one of my friends, it is not an exclusionary practice, but one borne out of both desire and circumstance. It certainly has its benefits, not the least of which is an ability to practice the art of living in harmony with my environment, which at times can be a challenge. It's both serene and wild, a small island in a big ocean,<br />
and I don't want to miss any of it. Right now, the clouds hang low and dark, pellets of rain pounding down from one of many showers today, and in between welcome sunny periods to walk and refresh from the onslaught of power that so characterises the natural beauty.<br />
<br />
Hare Mai.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
<span style="color: #666655; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></div>
</div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-11070872361047366182007-07-29T10:54:00.001+12:002007-08-01T07:18:10.028+12:00Grape Expectations<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCekggL214a63ZulA0f0Z0eDW9KVn-CGZ1s2pbg1tZLPJ87PNiHGEzBNiHsaoUC0e-CzELUEaSwHbcYTNfI1hOkXF9xtyUjGIHdsR9BpSIf6FETPPyTFlGi6Sno4WpDOf_nd1xEw/s1600-h/Spur-pruning.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCekggL214a63ZulA0f0Z0eDW9KVn-CGZ1s2pbg1tZLPJ87PNiHGEzBNiHsaoUC0e-CzELUEaSwHbcYTNfI1hOkXF9xtyUjGIHdsR9BpSIf6FETPPyTFlGi6Sno4WpDOf_nd1xEw/s200/Spur-pruning.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092386679429382050" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVN9_hNad6MCbf2tZTRA4mRyswhQQMfq3SQ7dGUzZ-MMSuHeJxzmQRX7itg64NUY857DiE-LNEFdW_tPJz7B_m8Jhr4g3iaKevtdXf5bEVbdtUbKFn3-vBkIcojOIRo_ZqVwG8w/s1600-h/Cane-pruning-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVN9_hNad6MCbf2tZTRA4mRyswhQQMfq3SQ7dGUzZ-MMSuHeJxzmQRX7itg64NUY857DiE-LNEFdW_tPJz7B_m8Jhr4g3iaKevtdXf5bEVbdtUbKFn3-vBkIcojOIRo_ZqVwG8w/s200/Cane-pruning-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092385326514683778" border="0" /></a> It's mid-winter in Aotearoa, and the pruning for grape growers is well under way. The two main types of pruning the vines are finding healthy canes with sufficient number of buds and laying them down on the wires for shoots in the spring(left); or leaving spurs with a sufficient number of buds on last years canes as shown in the picture on the right.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwhLtfjbjoqwImKi5a0oRy4oTzrjWjKm4qviQSmF9XU8bo0JHkx3hYDTQvjuqgwUhytuOXwb96Mr5WHNxAY1YqoVVDmTNLyZaanV1W4rxQJ-UsSpezuWNmkV-tOAYLoe029bu-g/s1600-h/Vineyard-pruning.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwhLtfjbjoqwImKi5a0oRy4oTzrjWjKm4qviQSmF9XU8bo0JHkx3hYDTQvjuqgwUhytuOXwb96Mr5WHNxAY1YqoVVDmTNLyZaanV1W4rxQJ-UsSpezuWNmkV-tOAYLoe029bu-g/s200/Vineyard-pruning.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092391206324912050" border="0" /></a></div>Both methods work well, and depend upon variety, terrain, labour and growing styles. The essential purpose being to have new shoots burst through in the spring from last years growth and produce canes healthy enough to flower and fruit. Viticulture experts will have any number of reasons for using either method. In the end, the production of quality fruit will have to start with an appropriate number of buds, and from there, it all begins, as with most plants. Note the heavy under planting of a winter cover crop on the left and lower shots as opposed to the right. This will be due to a simple timing issue effecting the strike rate of the seed put down (the row on the right picture was sown a week later, after the soil temp had dropped), as well as the bird population catching on!<br /><br />Heavy rain is falling at the moment, and July has had a number of moist warmer low pressure systems dropping copious amounts (100mm+) of rain on several different days. Needless to say, it is pretty soggy out in the fields. We keep all the equipment off until it is dry to avoid further compaction. 100mm= approx 4 inches in N American terms. About what Southern California gets all year! <br /><br />I thought Auckland might rate as one of the 15 greenest cities on the planet, but not so, according to <a href="http://www.alternet.org/environment/57973/?page=1">this poll</a> from online magazine Grist, as reprinted in Alternet. West Coast USA cities Portland, Vancouver and San Francisco came as no surprise, having lived in each of them. But places like Sydney and Bangkok were eye openers for me. See for yourself why the initiatives these cities have taken are putting them at the forefront of urban environments making a difference. Still, Bangkok? I could hardly breathe last time I was there. Apparently recycling residents' cooking oil for biodiesel fuel is a winner. Whatever.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicHF8wCCo9W23o_-AW8Eyx2V-77Y7112-LNcfChWf871KH7fpnE7GxJ8cfPPxLMr5Z561DPijxPFTX1WngUOVw8a2m6N1dTljfRuR8P97uIB6NqJ7610sY5a93XLZeCROFG85abg/s1600-h/Kerouac+scroll.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicHF8wCCo9W23o_-AW8Eyx2V-77Y7112-LNcfChWf871KH7fpnE7GxJ8cfPPxLMr5Z561DPijxPFTX1WngUOVw8a2m6N1dTljfRuR8P97uIB6NqJ7610sY5a93XLZeCROFG85abg/s200/Kerouac+scroll.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092393894974439362" border="0" /></a></div>For Jack Kerouac fans, the legendary scroll on which he typed non-stop the book <span style="font-style: italic;">On the Road, </span>is a priceless piece of literary history. The truth, according to <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11709924">this NPR article</a> citing the curator for the famous piece of paper, is that he worked through many drafts over the period of 1947-49, but the <span style="font-style: italic;">actual typing</span> only took about 3 weeks, as he typed 100 words a minute. He thought it wasted too much time replacing sheet after sheet, as his mind raced along, reportedly aided by any number of substances that eventually killed him not long after. Great book nonetheless.<br /><br />If you have the funny feeling that the gap between rich and poor in whatever measure makes sense is getting wider, <a href="http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2131974,00.html">this article in the U.K.'s Observer</a> is a real eye opener. <span style="font-style: italic;">Welcome to Richistan, USA, </span>gives some sobering statistics. Just a few lest you are in any doubt about what is happening in the Land of Plenty:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"In 1985 there were just 13 US billionaires. Now there are more than 1,000. In 2005 the US saw 227,000 new millionaires being created. One survey showed that the wealth of all US millionaires was $30 trillion, more than the GDPs of China, Japan, Brazil, Russia and the EU combined".<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span>Pretty cool<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">. </span></span>Especially if you are one of the <span style="font-style: italic;">227,000</span> every year(presumably many from the emerging online industries and dot com booms) - was there a bust? Doesn't sound like it. That is only <span style="font-style: italic;">one year</span>! It is an interesting article about how new economies are building around the super-rich and all the social implications of that (can it be called a sub?) culture. Apparently net worth needs to be in the $100 million region even to be considered part of the club.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNg9NGPc9Tijx6K-Gb0FpQBEMaVhWx5wQhuJbUGX276wOBzHIGy5IpOmffTQAlxXzXoWvIQnpxdVmySp2VYAAavyPyCdSZs95nTcO9Iz6rQVC7QlNHojO30-IQxMWhe4wjmyFB_Q/s1600-h/naked+bums.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNg9NGPc9Tijx6K-Gb0FpQBEMaVhWx5wQhuJbUGX276wOBzHIGy5IpOmffTQAlxXzXoWvIQnpxdVmySp2VYAAavyPyCdSZs95nTcO9Iz6rQVC7QlNHojO30-IQxMWhe4wjmyFB_Q/s200/naked+bums.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092405508566007762" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Hope they're all happy.<br /><br />In the end, we all come into this world and depart it with the same amount.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />On the health front:<br /><br /><br />A great article <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11813678">here</a> on the famous Dr Bronner and his soap empire (ever read those labels?)<br /><br />And of course nothing would be complete without a quick <a href="http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/56087/?page=1">update on the latest research around Soy</a> and all its related products. It would appear the fermented variety (such as tempeh), as noted earlier on this blog, has less of the adverse effects present in normal soy.Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-76851413608935367332007-07-07T10:10:00.000+12:002007-07-07T13:10:40.975+12:00Blessed Unrest<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNHn6banhEBsE4B3mjpJkzq_SkVCmbhLW9KG0DnJJGuOJXcu5GdIvs16zkuJH5kFdEjJhdhzRgmyj1CpkSnleN2ZwVQ2npS4yLZ_8xQIvCpD-N6-Plphkhr4zM2ZBQUTorgemfaQ/s1600-h/Hibiscus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNHn6banhEBsE4B3mjpJkzq_SkVCmbhLW9KG0DnJJGuOJXcu5GdIvs16zkuJH5kFdEjJhdhzRgmyj1CpkSnleN2ZwVQ2npS4yLZ_8xQIvCpD-N6-Plphkhr4zM2ZBQUTorgemfaQ/s200/Hibiscus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084253155951012674" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">"<span style="font-style: italic;">Ideologies exclude openness, diversity, resiliency and multiplicity, the very qualities that nourish life in any system, be it ecosystem, immune system, or social system...Ideas are living things; they can be changed and adapted, and can grow. Ideas do not belong to anyone, and require no approval.</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-style: italic;">History demonstrates all to eloquently that no ideology has ever amounted to more than a palliative for any dire condition. The immune system is the most complex system in the body, just as the body is the most complex organism on earth, and the most complicated assembly of organisms is human civilization.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-style: italic;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-style: italic;">The hundreds of thousands of organizations that make up the movement are social antibodies attaching themselves to the pathology of power...it is what the earth is producing to protect itself".</span><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >-Paul Hawken</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span>Blessed Unrest</span> </span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Hawken">Paul Hawken's</a> latest contribution to the increasingly complex dialogue on social and environmental justice movements is more like a resource encyclopedia. While he meticulously outlines the urgent nature of many imminent global crises, he is at pains to steer clear of languishing in blame and recrimination. Instead, in one important chapter, he takes the example of the human immune system as proof that living things will respond to potential threats in a complicated, yet efficient way. That is not to say all is well, and we can sit back and watch as things work themselves out. He devotes nearly half the book, as well as his latest project <a href="http://wiserearth.org/">Wiser Earth</a>, as an opportunity to catalogue and celebrate the action and interconnectedness of the thousands of NGO's, civil society organisations and groups that are filling the leadership vacuum left by governments and politicians. The website is a truly global resource centre and portal for those whom action on issues as pressing as global warming, <span style="font-style: italic;">real</span> food production, AIDS, poverty, and all aspects of sustainable living are given tools for "solving as pattern", as Wendell Berry termed addressing multiple and interconnected issues.<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why no One Saw it Coming </span>is the appropriate subtitle.</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxAPzkmfBv_sZzaHRusLvoVWkavWn5sDOJSQHqhJFijGzQMyKcJ1cceAZU5Jr3db6MYy6KkALTW5ZyNyzKHLTygUjc_pkypswtRMnJu8S9bMzsqOIgwqEFaNTqkiGRB1aboi-WQ/s1600-h/sense+enhancement.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxAPzkmfBv_sZzaHRusLvoVWkavWn5sDOJSQHqhJFijGzQMyKcJ1cceAZU5Jr3db6MYy6KkALTW5ZyNyzKHLTygUjc_pkypswtRMnJu8S9bMzsqOIgwqEFaNTqkiGRB1aboi-WQ/s200/sense+enhancement.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084235151448107794" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">One such example in wht he terms "the movement" is <a href="http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/">The Center For Food Safety</a>, informing consumers what <span style="font-style: italic;">really is</span> in their food, what they can do about it, and how to eat real food. They have pulbished a new book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Your-Right-Know-Genetic-Engineering/dp/1932771190/ref=pd_bbs_2/105-4575431-6918842?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183765410&sr=1-2">Your Right to Know, Genetic Engineering and the Secret Changes in Your Food</a>, by Andrew </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Kimbrell. It might be useful to know that over half the processed foods in the grocery shelves of the U.S. contained genetically modified ingredients.<br /><br />A good place to start this journey of discovery is to be aware of what we are putting into our bodies. Food is <span style="font-style: italic;">not </span>what it seems in many cases, and many large corporations, in the name of increased productivity and "feeding the world", are indeed toying with an unproven and highly unstable area of science, now selling at your local shop!<br /><br />As Hawken points out, <span style="font-size:100%;">" </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Ecology is about how living organisms interact with one another and their environment. Sustainability is about stabilizing the currently disruptive relationship between earth's two most complex systems - human culture and the living world".</span><br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Having children often puts a different perspective on some of these matters, as we ponder what</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFupHw_znT5dpBJgyGpDLHn5tvPvBWWYD1pIlowOhcVtQrcadYtskHw8JeOCisovptsE7D7bgkqItas-S5_5GFM4iyV5o7w3OgBjUyzFfv0jinnbMa5yAkZjTg4o__0baKlg9NIw/s1600-h/Robot+meets+child.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFupHw_znT5dpBJgyGpDLHn5tvPvBWWYD1pIlowOhcVtQrcadYtskHw8JeOCisovptsE7D7bgkqItas-S5_5GFM4iyV5o7w3OgBjUyzFfv0jinnbMa5yAkZjTg4o__0baKlg9NIw/s200/Robot+meets+child.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084237973241621282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> they and their children and grandchildren will face in coming years in dealing with the living world, which they are a part of.<br /><br />If the issue of sustainability is really about ensuring adequate resources for future generations, it becomes quite personal and relevant once some of those "generations" start staring you in the face, wondering WTF you did to leave something to live on for others, like well, them.<br /><br />If we continue to consume in the same way, there will not be enough, and ways of living will alter dramatically. This is already starting to happen with many, but life as we know it will not be the same...<br /><br />Consuming is part of the process of living of course, and then there is <span style="font-style: italic;">hyper-consuming, </span>a mode of living made famous in the U.S., and spreading like a virus throughout the world, thanks to the marketing saavy of our best persuaders, that teach us how to want things we don't need.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrBORNWMQl_H0xq9Pp2sro1rCsB_QARJhgoq29mh5QpbVJWunQcuF8TGP22lay0x8XBJ1GrMFkP5TSx6SCs5GqxClAwskGZdPSPVZM76cI18tAUQ5iBIvmFfw24QhxprJRyt4J0w/s1600-h/Hot+Dog+eater.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrBORNWMQl_H0xq9Pp2sro1rCsB_QARJhgoq29mh5QpbVJWunQcuF8TGP22lay0x8XBJ1GrMFkP5TSx6SCs5GqxClAwskGZdPSPVZM76cI18tAUQ5iBIvmFfw24QhxprJRyt4J0w/s200/Hot+Dog+eater.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084247559608625970" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />Like perhaps 66 hot dogs at one sitting. A perfectly normal activity to celebrate Independence Day...Or whatever.<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />Good luck with that gut, buddy.<br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />If you are not familiar with Google's newest controversial toy, Street Video, apparently one can get even closer to the neighborhood than with its famous maps, which by the way, did not even get Waiheke Island in the picture, not that I am disappointed in the least. I don't need people trying to locate and zoom in on my home. Mark Morford's column in SF Chronicle gives it a review to remember, in "<a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2007/06/06/notes060607.DTL">I can see your thong from here</a>". Pretty funny if it weren't actually happening. Wasn't there something by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Orwell">George Orwell</a> about Big Brother and all that around 1984?<br /><br />Well, it's here.<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div></div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-21211499560763977232007-06-21T14:51:00.000+12:002007-06-24T09:25:28.709+12:00Precautionary Principles<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVP81UDG8GT0z3zGMa2m60otc5yPLXcxZ4-AgX9X7D1KK8ZETM63PREZGUOfJMf_RMqn0JJUTwFlA2wGqK7RmYcSPRlbT3SI0pXNudAge3cq-LWlthjVRz_KQiE3rk8xjJUuC8g/s1600-h/Putiki-Bay-house.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVP81UDG8GT0z3zGMa2m60otc5yPLXcxZ4-AgX9X7D1KK8ZETM63PREZGUOfJMf_RMqn0JJUTwFlA2wGqK7RmYcSPRlbT3SI0pXNudAge3cq-LWlthjVRz_KQiE3rk8xjJUuC8g/s320/Putiki-Bay-house.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078345392713852050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Reality is relative to the measuring apparatus"<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I pass by this cottage on the lagoon every day in my travels. It stirs my imagination, primarily because I have never seen anyone around it, or any vehicles nearby(I don't think it even has any driveway access). It is very much part of the "Old Waiheke" many people talk about when they remember <span style="font-style: italic;">funky</span> as the term describing most residences on the island, and<span style="font-style: italic;"> affordable</span> was the other. Some of both are still present, but well hidden indeed.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Loss is nothing else but change, and change is nature's delight"</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />-Marcus Aurelius</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The tide makes its twice daily pilgrimage up and through the mangroves surrounding the red roofed retreat, shape-shifting its foundations dramatically. I recall seeing a small boat pulled up on its front shore once, a curious visitor or perhaps the owners exercising their only access. Alone and steadfast, the seasons pummeling it as can only happen to coastal property, it remains a constant feature on my daily landscape. Long may it stand.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Everything in this life can be looked at from a wider perspective, and all too often we fail to do just that. It is an opportunity lost.<br /><br />One who achieves that mental architecture in a unique way, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalai_Lama">Dalai Lama</a> spoke recently in Auckland. I was most impressed with his<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqeTuNRvl1lx51HXIm7fID1nPhtydJFmzdQkEjd0TyLxxE4qGFPUtwnk3j5TSLwGzI5r1lJAIYLv2GWjLDQ1eexVC-W-v2in0pm_WFjbOCUOeQfgZMVu7n0VPoSLV2iFM_nJQlA/s1600-h/Dalai-Lama.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqeTuNRvl1lx51HXIm7fID1nPhtydJFmzdQkEjd0TyLxxE4qGFPUtwnk3j5TSLwGzI5r1lJAIYLv2GWjLDQ1eexVC-W-v2in0pm_WFjbOCUOeQfgZMVu7n0VPoSLV2iFM_nJQlA/s200/Dalai-Lama.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078355473002095778" border="0" /></a> ability to "re-frame" any controversial or inflammatory questions, with uncanny wit and a lack of any pretentiousness at all. The diplomacy with which he takes his very personal message of Buddha's teachings out directly to people, as well as his relationship with the media, make him a unique communicator. There is an underlying tenderness and playful quality to his manner, one which immediately puts others to ease. His talk centred around the notion of "internal disarmament".<br /><br />There have been Dalai Lamas since the 15th century, all leading the people in the mountain kingdom of Tibet, until the neighbours to the north decided they wanted to put a stop to all that. He is the first one to have lived outside his own country, in exile, for nearly 50 years. Succession will be no doubt be a disputed matter. However, this charismatic individual, winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1989 as well as a long list of honours and Major Awards as shown on his <a href="http://www.dalailama.com/page.16.htm">official website</a>, has a very high profile around the world. Called both a political leader in exile, as well as a spiritual teacher, he seems more concerned with the message of peace, tolerance and compassion within a wider social context, and that has to be given some merit.<br /><br />Others also continue to ensure themselves of a high profile around the globe, for various reasons, and if you have ever wondered what people like Bono are doing at G8 conferences for leaders of wealthy nations, Brendan O'Neill of Spiked Online magazine has a few answers in <a href="http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/3481/">this article,</a> in which he refers to Bono as the the "9th power". <br /><br />When we start to need rock star celebrities to front global conferences on poverty, it may be time to re-evaluate with deliberate caution the way we go about trying to help others. A noble cause can be hijacked in the most subtle ways, and "internal disarmament" would an important first step in avoiding such sad results.<br /><br />Enough of the politics...<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;">T<span style="font-family:georgia;">he </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginko_biloba"><span style="font-style: italic;">Ginkgo biloba</span></a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> tree has long been a favourite of mine. Known to be one of the world's longest living trees, with specimens in China claimed to be more than 2,000 yrs old, it has reputable medicinal value, is very popular for street plantings due to its urban tolerant nature, and is a good bonsai tree.</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnOEdLvCZ5I43Ou2xoLWOkQuwjJfYgHsSdkggSE_v_NSGm1a-lJyTfHOY751LJEX7Hjl5w4R_4xwQFfCcOhDKt6SmN_ekCceuQT5ta8tyCBxyjiDr6AkM8BODXuUOg-2qdA47DAQ/s1600-h/Ginko.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnOEdLvCZ5I43Ou2xoLWOkQuwjJfYgHsSdkggSE_v_NSGm1a-lJyTfHOY751LJEX7Hjl5w4R_4xwQFfCcOhDKt6SmN_ekCceuQT5ta8tyCBxyjiDr6AkM8BODXuUOg-2qdA47DAQ/s320/Ginko.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078639576498791602" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >This one, just down the road from me, puts on a lovely autumn display of golden foliage that lasts for weeks. Amongst all the other native NZ bush and evergreens, it stands out quite distinctively. Apparently, along with all the rest of its remarkable traits, there is a tree that withstood the Hiroshima Atomic bomb attacks in 1945. </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >Only a kilometre from the blast site</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >, it is one of the only living things to survive. Talk about tenacity!</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >Finally, if you have ever had your beloved letterbox (or mailbox as known in the U.S.) vandalised, it can be an annoying and emotional affair. Here on the island, we have a wide array of creative and artistic endeavors hosting the post, as it were. So much so, there are books of photos dedicated to them. Yet they are frequently the target of vandals out looking for something to do.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfr3kmPvXLzBAJterRKie4n6KSdQZfDPD433lEeCy47g04igmgt-nKVHpIaq6AQwuX3g4NQ0LAm94CdeqG3Wr46OG1NfLqhVpuyUS7hNPGVrEgebFz22hF7a90h6xi24afKukPLg/s1600-h/vandal+proof+letterbox.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfr3kmPvXLzBAJterRKie4n6KSdQZfDPD433lEeCy47g04igmgt-nKVHpIaq6AQwuX3g4NQ0LAm94CdeqG3Wr46OG1NfLqhVpuyUS7hNPGVrEgebFz22hF7a90h6xi24afKukPLg/s320/vandal+proof+letterbox.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078652740573553858" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><a href="http://boingboing.net/maginotmailbox.html">This article</a>, reprinted in the "online directory of wonderful things" <span style="font-style: italic;">Boing Boing</span> , describes a firm in Cincinatti, Ohio that specialises in vandal proof letterboxes. Lasting years, and surviving everything from the usual baseball bats to pipe bombs, they are made of 10 gauge carbon or stainless steel, and it is usually the vandal that comes off second best.<br /><br />What comes around goes around...</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></div></div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-26492529236277227282007-06-10T09:07:00.001+12:002007-06-14T09:58:32.314+12:00Cult of the Amateur<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtfiks72UNzXe3He6Lu1_a9TMgFyXx6vX05gZu2TDA7STYqKyPQ49EfQe-W_loK5Q6t7Qi8im4ycC4FVgAaHDZZ8dOtSrx6hP4oM6EPRpSN7ccWJPmkcdoNf4f9LR2eGGhR3edA/s1600-h/hiltontears.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtfiks72UNzXe3He6Lu1_a9TMgFyXx6vX05gZu2TDA7STYqKyPQ49EfQe-W_loK5Q6t7Qi8im4ycC4FVgAaHDZZ8dOtSrx6hP4oM6EPRpSN7ccWJPmkcdoNf4f9LR2eGGhR3edA/s320/hiltontears.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5074174837735515186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"People are crazy,</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Times are strange.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />I used to care, </span> <span style="font-style: italic;">but things have changed".</span><br /><br />-Bob Dylan<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">If you asked me if I care <span style="font-style: italic;">at all</span> about a <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/10/wparis110.xml">spoiled heiress getting hauled off to serve jail time </a>for being stupid enough not to use a driver for her narcissistic socialising around LA, I would most certainly say not at all.<br /><br />But the fact that so many people <span style="font-style: italic;">are </span>is good enough reason for any social scientist to dig a little deeper. Not unlike O.J., or that little beauty pageant girl that was murdered and the parents were suspect, or any other of the multitudes of scandal-driven media frenzies that regularly obsess the Americans, and by way of technology, the rest of the world; this has all the hallmarks of a divided and dysfunctional class system. Or should that be a <a href="http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1631258,00.html">divided and dysfunctional justice system</a>. The class system seems to me to be functioning quite well.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmt2bj7KsjdneAw1HWFn6qVNPckS0qRbhs0HOQxDR0CvLx8Z6eFy_nZOfg7qH7ZV2PT4fAAIQJeyw7UeXfgObgaAI4amKI5HYRAJGsZ2tjd20S4tg92XEFsLur84uNf-MYXuO3iw/s1600-h/naked+bums.jpg"><br /></a></div>For some. At least the princess can have some "time to think and learn" and see what life is like on the other side. Not necessarily a bad thing. Those morning showers could be a bit chilly though without heated floor tiles...<br /><br />The bloggers have been out in full force on this one, with most notably <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-ehrenreich/#blogger_bio">Barbara Ehrenreich</a>, author of <a href="http://amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-6066381-9515151?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Barbara+Ehrenreich&amp;Go.x=8&Go.y=6&Go=Go"><span style="font-style: italic;">Nickel and Dimed</span>, as well as <span style="font-style: italic;">Bait and Switch</span>,</a> penning a few words about what she sees as the most appropriate course of action for what she describes as the "bloated overclass" in<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-ehrenreich/banish-the-bloated-overcl_b_51814.html"> this piece</a> for Huffington Post.<br /><br />Even Tommy Chong of <span style="font-style: italic;">Cheech and Chong</span> fame, gets a word in on the absurd coverage, and his scolded by Stephen Colbert <a href="http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/54085/">here</a>. A funny guy still.<br /><br />More Global Gymnastics of the Gentrified: Bono and Bob Geldof both make their regular appearance at the G8 type summits where political leaders pose and preen, looking like they are serious about some of the pressing problems of the world. To get a photo with one of these guys can help with some of the Generation Y vote or some such ditorted logic. Not so impressed, however with the follow through on recent pledges, these crusaders of cool <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/09/wgeight109.xml">give one back to the governments here</a>.<br /><br /><br />Meanwhile, <span style="font-style: italic;">The i-Phone</span> is coming, and if anyone were interested in brand equity at business school, the current juggernaut that is Apple would be the right place to start. The hype is nearly<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_RNBh9I6ahUnT1eWaYllejAi7h5KxiboLR1T2NCV2-v7x7DQEcfDbG25g2K2GUXEO5XyrGahODBd0rgFXRnnq88N3g0owrBczEq2tP3b2EoZDFTig9Y8h2xCoqy3rzQavcZUHw/s1600-h/Robot+meets+child.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_RNBh9I6ahUnT1eWaYllejAi7h5KxiboLR1T2NCV2-v7x7DQEcfDbG25g2K2GUXEO5XyrGahODBd0rgFXRnnq88N3g0owrBczEq2tP3b2EoZDFTig9Y8h2xCoqy3rzQavcZUHw/s200/Robot+meets+child.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5074730000913228898" border="0" /></a> suffocating in the tech world, and Jobs and co are trying to lower expectations a bit just to avoid disappointment.<br /><br />Not in the product itself, but in the <span style="font-style: italic;">ability to get one</span> while simply <span style="font-style: italic;">everyone</span> else is trying to as well. Mark Morford of the SF Chronicle has the lowdown <a href="http://sfgate.com/columnists/morford/">here</a>. But will it make <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> you happier?<br /><br />Marketing genius, or the Secret of all Persuasion: induce the people to persuade themselves.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOwojbEcM5eeG34NoUwXlwiB1ZzxfbADpwKHugCb1zY8rPvvT67uJP2R4jEbHVlJWZ6TmiIsO44m2V1LxMSGIVZ2Ws7UGqZvK3cnIRNua25edSXQjUUc-EEwNUBF7KWt79h-ddw/s1600-h/Rudy+Rucker.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOwojbEcM5eeG34NoUwXlwiB1ZzxfbADpwKHugCb1zY8rPvvT67uJP2R4jEbHVlJWZ6TmiIsO44m2V1LxMSGIVZ2Ws7UGqZvK3cnIRNua25edSXQjUUc-EEwNUBF7KWt79h-ddw/s200/Rudy+Rucker.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5074674793403606098" border="0" /></a>Whole Foods, the uber-store for greenies with cash, has opened up in London. <a href="http://observer.guardian.co.uk/focus/story/0,,2099532,00.html">Not everyone is impressed</a>. Apparently the idea of cherries that are $10/punnet organic or not, is the one of the deal-breakers according to this Guardian piece.<br /><br />Michael Pollan, author of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Omnivores Dilemma</span>, has researched the chain store at length, and has another installment in his food politics writing from the Bioneers people <a href="http://www.bioneers.org/pollan">here</a>, called Beyond the Bar Code.<br /><br />Back in Godzone, political leaders here are as usual scrambling in an awkward dance when it comes to <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10445565&pnum=2">meeting with the Dalai Lama</a>. Is he a spiritual teacher or a political exile engaged in "splitist" activities for a long time, as per the Chinese foreign embassy? One thing is for sure, he is a winner of the Nobel Peace prize, and an engaging orator. I for one am looking forward to hearing him speak next week when he is in the country. I have heard him several times, and on no occasion has he ever spoken ill of anyone, let alone the large country to the north that invaded his tiny sovereign nation all those years ago.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaQ3WZG4okQ1MJUa6uqc2lcqimUsPHGRHe2tK4u3Rywv2qHj1bF-xeuZArcAoPEDgkWHXAztwEFSyL8qg1q9GeFF_j2TG9iAhgq8tJU3Z0KDg4twsGMeKpQX84K26Y0lmQbZPVg/s1600-h/sky+and+trees.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaQ3WZG4okQ1MJUa6uqc2lcqimUsPHGRHe2tK4u3Rywv2qHj1bF-xeuZArcAoPEDgkWHXAztwEFSyL8qg1q9GeFF_j2TG9iAhgq8tJU3Z0KDg4twsGMeKpQX84K26Y0lmQbZPVg/s200/sky+and+trees.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075656150481069170" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Winter is setting in for us Southern Hemisphere residents, grass is greening, temps dropping, and the shortest day appears around the corner. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matariki"><span style="font-style: italic;">Matariki</span></a>, or the Maori New Year celebrations take place over the next couple of weeks with the rising of the Pleiades constellation. The literal translation is "small eyes", and signified the right time to plant, as well as historically serving navigation purposes in their maritime voyages. I am not so sure about their waka travels, but with climate change making such an impact on our atmosphere and weather, it is gradually becoming a bit late with wet and cool weather requiring an earlier sowing.<br /><br />I am a big fan of singer songwriter Jeff Buckley, who tragically died 10 years ago last month, in a drowning accident at the peak of his career. Sad story, but his memory lives on, thanks to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee7oEeEidW4&mode=related&search=">clips like this</a> on YouTube. Enjoy. Life can change at the blink of an eye.<br /><br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div></div></div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-73171585214606569392007-06-02T11:21:00.000+12:002007-06-05T09:31:49.477+12:00Titans of Tech<div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >"The less one knows,</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />The longer it takes to explain what one does not know"</span><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0xGXww1xcWnKBtp9jBVphcaO06MxNS3SjQzG_67FNPp58AiYJ4AGJcEebTcbqzeaY6AbEKF3bPQygElyCJ9DJDjD12ZITg30jQhZJZ9_c5iTEd8yuPWiHlsGn0DgygwoZUVrcA/s1600-h/Jobs+and+Gates.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0xGXww1xcWnKBtp9jBVphcaO06MxNS3SjQzG_67FNPp58AiYJ4AGJcEebTcbqzeaY6AbEKF3bPQygElyCJ9DJDjD12ZITg30jQhZJZ9_c5iTEd8yuPWiHlsGn0DgygwoZUVrcA/s320/Jobs+and+Gates.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071977766859800146" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Sultans of Swing... well, not exactly. Titans of Tech, most definitely. Wall Street Journal hosts another <a href="http://allthingsd.com/">All Things Digital Conference</a> with Bill Gates and Steve Jobs on the same stage together for the first time in a decade, having a sentimental chat. Video and transcript <a href="http://blog.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2007/05/when_worlds_collide_gates_and.html?nav=rss_blog">here</a>. Life moves on, as they say.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bL355ZHd-Okq6IT2kGTTDLWMstM_eAreS30WeO0y8UKuZQreWJ3M9GfLnGBMSwkUbvq3CICN7s7S3ZTjzRPpkPgK_W4nHp-ZJsqEld4NT4FeOUdPt8rCMBghQVMmIZkauL9Uqw/s1600-h/Whakanewa.jpg"><br /></a></div>It has been raining in Godzone. Having my autumn planting done, I am happily reading an<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8UThWFukhBCYIb9l_9kj63Xut1cavkc7LY634wGvd7BwbHVXLhtVs8yk40zR6gzzV1hj2fhNU1FsI_-8HFsT9Ek3oTDKNRThRxJGohtQp7mT9pUzsLjSrFedbTusE25pNiqMCA/s1600-h/Rainbow+lightning.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8UThWFukhBCYIb9l_9kj63Xut1cavkc7LY634wGvd7BwbHVXLhtVs8yk40zR6gzzV1hj2fhNU1FsI_-8HFsT9Ek3oTDKNRThRxJGohtQp7mT9pUzsLjSrFedbTusE25pNiqMCA/s200/Rainbow+lightning.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072323941223857778" border="0" /></a> acclaimed novel by the author Richard Ford, called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lay-Land-Vintage-Contemporaries/dp/0679776672/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-6066381-9515151?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180909833&sr=1-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Lay of the Land</span></a>. It is a witty and sardonic tale of mid life crises amongst the disillusioned Boomers of East Coast America that takes place at the turn of the millenium. Very enjoyable.<br /><br />Ford was one of many internationally recognised authors at our recent <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/event/story.cfm?c_id=1500897&objectid=10441982">Auckland Writers and Readers festival</a>. Fast becoming a must do on the early winter calendar, the speakers, venue and discussions all were superbly done. Now the country's largest gathering of of New Zealand and international authors, attracting 11,000 guests over the 3 days. I must say I had never heard of the widely published travel writer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pico_Iyer">Pico Iyer</a>; but he was one of the hits at the festival and his books are now on my must read list.<br /><br />Next up on the "culture vulture" list will be the <a href="http://www.dalailamavisit.org.nz/overview.html">Dalai Lama visit</a> on 17 July, the <a href="http://www.nzff.co.nz/">Annual Film Festival</a>, and then the iconic Bob Dylan playing on Aug 11. Definitely indoor stuff at this time of year.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJSZSUPyaHFWK8zqWWv-e1QjQn23fGbZcqso0PXe4bRlX023bbMBUd4FhsmrLhS306FIwfONYPV6fkMpZwhA69LbHDozLuw3hC3SGPpQpqBS4YeOnJQVUSc1jxLoQ5-plgoDpyUg/s1600-h/Amy+Crehore.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJSZSUPyaHFWK8zqWWv-e1QjQn23fGbZcqso0PXe4bRlX023bbMBUd4FhsmrLhS306FIwfONYPV6fkMpZwhA69LbHDozLuw3hC3SGPpQpqBS4YeOnJQVUSc1jxLoQ5-plgoDpyUg/s200/Amy+Crehore.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071248958154309154" border="0" /></a><br />The San Francisco Chronicle looks back 40 years to the Summer of Love in the City with a <a href="http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/20/MNG2NPUD1C1.DTL">series of articles by Mark Molford</a>. Well worth the time even if you were not there. It didn't last, as these things are apt not to, but the ramifications still percolate through our western societies.<br /><br />On that theme, The Guardian has a list <a href="http://travel.guardian.co.uk/article/2007/may/27/escape2">here </a>of the so-called "hippie hot spots", where the living is relaxed and cheap I would assume. If that is your thing, then you will want to know <span style="font-style: italic;">whats hot</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">what's not</span> anymore. And I thought <span style="font-style: italic;">I</span> had been around, but apparently not so..<br /><br />A final North American roundup: the widely followed story of two humpback whales that <a href="http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/22/BAG0NPV5P01.DTL">took a wrong turn at the Golden Gate Bridge</a> is fascinating. In their annual voyage up the west coast from Mexico to Alaska, the two mammals got lost halfway up the winding estuaries of the San Francisco Bay for a couple of weeks. Of course it was a New Zealand man who invented and developed the dart gun especially used in these circumstances to inject the whales with some antibiotics to ward off infections from their travels. Hard to imagine <span style="font-style: italic;">what</span> could be in those waters..<br /><br />Check out where your city ranks in <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4306936.stm">these increasingly popular polls of the best cities in the world</a> to live. There are always variations in the criteria with these, so if you aren't listed, well, maybe it's just because the pollsters don't recognise the true value of where you live. (hint: Australian and Canadian cities rank high).<br /><br />Also from the BBC: interesting but not surprising research claiming both <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2988647.stm">Newton and Einstein had a form of autism.</a><br /><br />Al Gore, the consummate politician who everybody wants to run for President, and who is still playing coy, has<span style="font-style: italic;"> another</span> new book out called An <span style="font-style: italic;">Assault on Reason</span>, and is <a href="http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/2007/05/al_gore_1.html">interviewed by Jon Stewart here</a>. Michael Moore with his new movie <span style="font-style: italic;">Sicko</span>, chatting with Bill Maher <a href="http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/2007/05/michael_moore.html">here</a>. Strong opinions, good points, and articulate. Great viewing.<br /><br />Having installed and maintained several boutique vineyards on the island, so I know a little bit about what it takes to create some interesting flavours from varieties of grapes. Most viticulturists here say sarcastically the first bottle they produce cost them roughly 3-4 thousand dollars after several years of pouring the money in. So, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18868861/from/RS.5/">the story of "2 Buck Chuck</a>", a renowned winemaker in California, and one of my mothers favourites, will get some winces and low-brows from this part of the world. To buy a bottle of wine for $2 is an indeed an accomplishment in production efficiencies, volume, and distribution(no mention of quality here). We could not even get an <span style="font-style: italic;">empty</span> bottle for that much.<br /><br />And finally, it is nice to see UK food retailers taking the lead <a href="http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2091722,00.html">informing consumers of what the carbon footprint is for many of its products, including production, transport and eventual disposal</a>. This is not going to go away. It is not too much to ask I believe, what <span style="font-style: italic;">exactly</span> is in the food we eat, and what its production is doing to our planet. I also think it would be fair to say those food "products" doing the most harm to our bodies are also doing the most harm to our environment. As within, so without...<br /><br />Buyer be <span style="font-style: italic;">Aware</span>.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ihqEGsKBv_HAGuuKk6vD3iV2Q5YXs4DiQftAvc7MFDBe3EsI3_bVWmxeUmj6EEkrG6odG7sKhydy0ewavf-ygZO5SpeNVIHDv1t2nazdJKEB8N0vTbqmsvPkpAh4sSRKecPzBA/s1600-h/Paradise-Family-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ihqEGsKBv_HAGuuKk6vD3iV2Q5YXs4DiQftAvc7MFDBe3EsI3_bVWmxeUmj6EEkrG6odG7sKhydy0ewavf-ygZO5SpeNVIHDv1t2nazdJKEB8N0vTbqmsvPkpAh4sSRKecPzBA/s200/Paradise-Family-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071254833669570098" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity"</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />-Ralph Waldo Emerson</span><br /></div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-84327970922636229702007-05-17T15:08:00.000+12:002007-05-21T12:29:05.659+12:00Getting Over It<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiha6fWoRTLZbtxXmDCAnMZMn7-x-Lgkr0Izg-cr0ZuNe9uWeFUNngCB9Y3mlzgHP1KjJ5DtUs2pU_jU-cwR3sk0d1RWnPA_w_a840bkXMwt58f-RI9s52v3LLVgBI83dStinNLUg/s1600-h/Amaryllis.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiha6fWoRTLZbtxXmDCAnMZMn7-x-Lgkr0Izg-cr0ZuNe9uWeFUNngCB9Y3mlzgHP1KjJ5DtUs2pU_jU-cwR3sk0d1RWnPA_w_a840bkXMwt58f-RI9s52v3LLVgBI83dStinNLUg/s320/Amaryllis.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065361945265929698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work;<br />and that when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">The mind that is not baffled is not employed.<br />The impeded stream is the one that sings.</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />There may be many stories just like <a href="http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/2007/04/does_sentencing_delay_mean_a_p_1.html">this one</a>, but for Julie Amero, the American schoolteacher facing <span style="font-style: italic;">40</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">years</span> in prison for supposedly exposing her pupils to online pornography, it is a nightmare that is not yet over. Her claim is that she is the victim of unwarranted pop-up porn ads via some malware, and was unable to fix the problem before students saw the images. Anyone who has spent anytime at all on a computer knows how easy that can happen. Where is the schools IT manager in all of this? Not a good look, as they say.<br /><br />And speaking of nightmares, if your name is David Bain, and you lived in Dunedin, NZ in the early 90's, then the last 13 years in prison came to an end last week. Arrested and jailed for <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/4060795a10.html">allegedly killing all 5 members of his family</a>, he has steadfastly claimed his innocence. A long and arduous campaign has gone all the way to the Privy Council in London, where Law Lords (what is a Law Lord?) quashed his conviction and he was subsequently released. He may still face another trial, but do you think he might just have paid his dues already? To lose your entire family and then spend over a decade in prison as the murderer if in fact you were not, would be a nightmare hard to top. <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/sundaystartimes/auckland/auckland/4060427a6498.html">More to come</a> surely, in what some call "trials by ambush".<br /><br />Not a good week for New Zealand all around really. First they are told they blew it in the trial of Mr Bain so many years ago, and then <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/4060665a11.html">visiting European tourism students give the "clean green" image a bit of workover.</a><br /><br />They claim the lack of recycling ("plastic bags everywhere!"), as well as lack of cycle paths and other car-alternative transport options do no favours to the visitor on an eco-conscious trip.<br />Outside the cities lie vast unspoilt regions of exceptional beauty, for sure, but apparently our carbon footprint per capita is not to be proud of. Ouch again.<br /><br />However, the wildlife have got it together..<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6MYpGjVxbuTHdFxDZxevNPmskLuIXMB87Q5gD3cv6LzeRC0JSVIrwunlzhl9tEHSgr0S95CJknGePV-uFvRU2TLfS-isNsb2IFDa2Jkl3E8kouOTi60QhsDDAfYbkX6_byLI2Q/s1600-h/NZ+godwit+migration.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6MYpGjVxbuTHdFxDZxevNPmskLuIXMB87Q5gD3cv6LzeRC0JSVIrwunlzhl9tEHSgr0S95CJknGePV-uFvRU2TLfS-isNsb2IFDa2Jkl3E8kouOTi60QhsDDAfYbkX6_byLI2Q/s320/NZ+godwit+migration.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065368868753210866" border="0" /></a></div>The New Zealand godwits head north every year, and their journey is now <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6646091.stm">being tracked</a><br />by scientists, according to this BBC report.<br />Not one to rest much, the godwit is a small bird that makes its way all the way to Alaska every year, by way of China. Fattening themselves for the epic jaunt, they travel over 10,000km with only a short stop for food and water along the way.<br /><br />That's alot of flappin'. Carbon neutral as well!<br /><br />A new biography is out on the <a href="http://chronicle.com/temp/reprint.php?id=1vq88hgzd1kmsc4tc8mgm71svpt2zts0">great thinker of the early 20th century, Rudoph Steiner.</a> Along with founding the Waldorf schools and Biodynamic agricultural methods, he was fond of pouring his remaining coffee from his cup each day on the earth, so it could have the benefit as well. A very prolific writer and lecturer with some interesting ideas and supporters, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthroposophy">anthroposophy</a> was the name given to his mystical and holistic approach.<br /><br />Attention (pop) culture vultures: <a href="http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/51942/">The Simpsons</a> has reached 400 episodes! Haven't seen a bad one yet, actually.<br /><br />Another guy to steer <span style="font-style: italic;">way</span> clear of: First, he promotes the invasion of a sovereign country and <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_s63Qks6xtKWguzJN_muOTakCq0GkPXZ8As6a9JCTJ46crDAjKJ8BmXF7IsmgcnKLYjlJ5qJdZ33qaL56ttXusfAvDC_K63keWQJlQZiGQIecgd-BYsZjgynXgqqj_Fs3rYwk6w/s1600-h/skin+terns.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_s63Qks6xtKWguzJN_muOTakCq0GkPXZ8As6a9JCTJ46crDAjKJ8BmXF7IsmgcnKLYjlJ5qJdZ33qaL56ttXusfAvDC_K63keWQJlQZiGQIecgd-BYsZjgynXgqqj_Fs3rYwk6w/s320/skin+terns.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5066801017008127490" border="0" /></a>makes a mess of that whole neo-con imperialist post 9/11 hysteria, then slips out of government to take up a post at the World Bank.<br /><br />There, he gets his girlfriend a hefty pay rise and cushy post, while heading up an anti-corruption task force to tell other governments how to act so they can get money from the Bank. Charming. I'd say <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1801127.ece">Paul Wolfowitz</a> has some explaining to do.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Michael Moore's new film <span style="font-style: italic;">Sicko</span>, premiering in Cannes this week, should be another shaker for those who have something to hide. Like the U.S. government apparently, who have tried <a href="http://film.guardian.co.uk/cannes2007/story/0,,2083430,00.html">seizing the film before he could "sneak" it out of the country</a> to the festival. You can't buy publicity like that.<br /><br />However, all is not lost.<br />If you were a housewife circa 1954, you might have enjoyed some portable music in the kitchen as you went about your duties (or not). This shows just how far we have come for the audiophiles, if not in gender equality:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidn0yjuO19yuSMJcae0oPR1o_0GrkVmCCA-mBbVbc_TlZLwg-6erKJgJCs45dTB_mxLreY2HHpKVj3zo6zhYM0_sXPAw7tdNPXOnOmcEnNm7mTPyzpRY5oep7A10O-qnGbrTEYeQ/s1600-h/portable+audio+1954.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidn0yjuO19yuSMJcae0oPR1o_0GrkVmCCA-mBbVbc_TlZLwg-6erKJgJCs45dTB_mxLreY2HHpKVj3zo6zhYM0_sXPAw7tdNPXOnOmcEnNm7mTPyzpRY5oep7A10O-qnGbrTEYeQ/s320/portable+audio+1954.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5066802442937269778" border="0" /></a>Happy Cooking!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidn0yjuO19yuSMJcae0oPR1o_0GrkVmCCA-mBbVbc_TlZLwg-6erKJgJCs45dTB_mxLreY2HHpKVj3zo6zhYM0_sXPAw7tdNPXOnOmcEnNm7mTPyzpRY5oep7A10O-qnGbrTEYeQ/s1600-h/portable+audio+1954.jpg"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a></div></div></div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-20142816826729325292007-05-08T17:07:00.000+12:002007-05-11T10:57:01.770+12:00Misallocation of Attention<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3StE_b6LG1qps0ZbPjOYIfJm0VfNvIHmrNvIWPoFQuGT70pFtRSE22L2EbNc2P20QlzQwOFTbkonoMUEzgRsImMtbWOBNOzaxzKVpGR1rpVNLGIIJGxZBQYWMYn7kiSMnn8CoQ/s1600-h/Rainbow+lightning.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3StE_b6LG1qps0ZbPjOYIfJm0VfNvIHmrNvIWPoFQuGT70pFtRSE22L2EbNc2P20QlzQwOFTbkonoMUEzgRsImMtbWOBNOzaxzKVpGR1rpVNLGIIJGxZBQYWMYn7kiSMnn8CoQ/s320/Rainbow+lightning.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5062773658083170274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">" </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">It's not dark yet,</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><br />But it's getting there</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >-Bob Dylan<br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br />It had to happen. Just as the current backlash on religious fundamentalism has produce pundits from all corners of the atheistic spectrum; we now have internet entrepreneurs saying the offerings of the last couple of years ( commonly referred to by those in the tech world as "Web 2.0") have led to "digital narcissism" and are wrecking our culture.<br /><br />Eh? It is what it is. The internet simply reflects that in a quicker, wider and more visual manner.<br /><br />I have not yet read the book, but Andrew Keens <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cult-Amateur-Internet-killing-culture/dp/0385520808/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-1672968-4263055?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178765358&sr=1-1">The Cult of the Amateur, How Today's Internet is Killing our Culture and Assaulting our Economy</a>, </span>has received mixed reviews, with most claiming it to be a <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10437430">rant too far</a>. MySpace and YouTube may have lots of students blogging on their frat parties or making silly attempts at directorial stardom, but it still is a creative outlet that has transformed the way we relate to each other. Some say to the worse. I think it is still too early to say. Stay tuned.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Bad News Weekend</span> in Aotearoa: Two teenagers get run over at a party in Christchurch, a toddler gets shot dead in a drive by gang shooting, and a P Lab blows up, killing the drug baron-to-be. That's just last weekend. These are all things that make New Zealanders think hard about what kind of society we are living in now. It may be commonplace in other countries, but it puts a shudder up the collective spine of this one. Young people are such a source of energy. Losing them such a waste.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">There is more to life than living, </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-IOG3A6Qdb1I-zhWer75b3-Z_3LIHRfZmHx6DZuv9hrQh-kKfHQKEZZvbJR3os1CABnunSAh-Fa6wn94JyW2cHI5zXlXdKdzrMtQ8wWW2uk6cuEiG3Dp6wRHDbDiO4u0qlATejQ/s1600-h/bjorklevine.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-IOG3A6Qdb1I-zhWer75b3-Z_3LIHRfZmHx6DZuv9hrQh-kKfHQKEZZvbJR3os1CABnunSAh-Fa6wn94JyW2cHI5zXlXdKdzrMtQ8wWW2uk6cuEiG3Dp6wRHDbDiO4u0qlATejQ/s200/bjorklevine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5062761013699450802" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;">There is more to death than dying.<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>The Icelandic Diva Bjork live (right) will send anyone into a spin with her eclectic and experimental mix of vocal and instrumental explosions, a recent live recording in New York is <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9872952">here</a> courtesy of NPR.<br /><br />And while you are using up some bandwidth, and only have time for one good interview all year, don't miss <a href="http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04272007/watch.html">Bill Moyers chatting with Jon Stewart</a> about what is (and isn't) journalism, what is (and isn't) happening in America, and generally looking at current events from a different perspective. From Moyers' new PBS show. Brilliant.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/05/02/915/">The Hippies were Right</a> is an interesting article from SF Chronicle columnist Mark Morford. Since Green has become the new chic, then maybe the hippies were on to something all those years ago. I kind of enjoyed living in a teepee. My carbon footprint was more of a charcoal smudge, but it <span style="font-style: italic;">was</span> living lightly!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ex1aq-WNZgvhjxM-GYpl9Eu1IJDX3JRDK6_A7mIJV9-FVgkvWhJJJoBgr8W5q-Br8a7uico6chCpdqpZC3Tx-ghXNTlxz6736pOOoDIiV7o0e1fSVuE4EzNatoHeJ02iiwwsVQ/s1600-h/Charles,_Prince_of_Wales.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ex1aq-WNZgvhjxM-GYpl9Eu1IJDX3JRDK6_A7mIJV9-FVgkvWhJJJoBgr8W5q-Br8a7uico6chCpdqpZC3Tx-ghXNTlxz6736pOOoDIiV7o0e1fSVuE4EzNatoHeJ02iiwwsVQ/s200/Charles,_Prince_of_Wales.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5062773086852519890" border="0" /></a>Speaking of greenies, and hippies (not!), Prince Charles features in the Vanity Fair Green issue, in an article entitled <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/05/princecharles200705">A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Throne</a>. Apparently he has received an Environmental Global Citizen Award that he jetted in to pick up earlier this year. For the Prince everyone likes to make fun of, and who has been "talking to plants" for awhile now; it is clear he was on to it in the early days, pushing organic farming and sustainable land management. Still hounded by the press in all his causes both personal and otherwise, the saavy Prince is finally seeing his message get through. A big hit in environmentally conscious California, that is for sure.<br /><br />His Duchy Originals boasts 200 plus mostly organic products, generating over $2M for charity. His latest idea is <span style="font-style: italic;">Accounting for Sustainability</span>, a method of "accounting for the green costs" in products, in order to let consumers make informed choices. This has been put forward before, by Paul Hawken in his groundbreaking book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Capitalism-Creating-Industrial-Revolution/dp/0316353000/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-1672968-4263055?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178767262&sr=1-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">Natural Capitalism</span></a> with Amory Lovins, but maybe its just a little sexier now.<br /><br />If that doesn't get you going, then a new study out by Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin, states quite boldly that <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/08/health/psychology/08medi.html?em&ex=1178856000&amp;amp;amp;amp;en=33aa54958413848c&ei=5070">meditation</a> is and excellent way of achieving prolonged states of concentration. This prevents the brain from "blinking", thereby losing attention at perhaps a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Lm8gV4B-G9ctvr9MlY3_-CWXI-aZebaOVzwfjRxA2ZnOl2mooILetZ2080_q28xMTUiQMkh3anSUQa1xSgVDmxI09L3bbOt4f0DR5NchFqiJQLtN_rOKQ-sQQ1NOcB2zFEr5SQ/s1600-h/Rudy+Rucker.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Lm8gV4B-G9ctvr9MlY3_-CWXI-aZebaOVzwfjRxA2ZnOl2mooILetZ2080_q28xMTUiQMkh3anSUQa1xSgVDmxI09L3bbOt4f0DR5NchFqiJQLtN_rOKQ-sQQ1NOcB2zFEr5SQ/s200/Rudy+Rucker.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5062770673080899522" border="0" /></a> crucial point. When things happen too fast, it is claimed, consciousness is supressed, and well, where are those damn car keys anyway? He calls attention a "flexible and trainable skill", which is groundbreaking stuff in the world of neuroscience.<br /><br />Get those brain watchers and mystics together for a bit of a sit down, I say.<br /><br />Michael Moore's new doco, called <a href="http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/50911/?page=1"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sicko</span></a> will no doubt take an unmerciful look at the Healthcare system in the U.S., where average annual health insurance premiums are more than what worker on the minimum wage makes in a <span style="font-style: italic;">whole year</span>. wage. Any wonder there are 30+ million uninsured? Premieres at Cannes this month.<br /><br />Gotta get down to the local Rocky Bay Hall for my weekly <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qigong">Qigong</a> workout. The grapes are in, the olives as well, Winter green manure cover crops are sown, and pretty much had the last swim for the summer. (ouch!) Time for some inner work.<br /><br /></div></div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-35307782629451325242007-04-29T08:59:00.000+12:002007-04-30T11:15:54.726+12:00Time and Space<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wC6Z06NlBmqK_3jN_WjTwfHxIIJGWaopM2fCttOo5ZmKyBJ7q_XelZJM19ifYVTQ6b1_E8UzietH2fIJ76TRZDY9SUS0JEnfR95k3VaxJdWWiOVKbRkUcGGrCoAmE5TiuPdt3A/s1600-h/Whakanewa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wC6Z06NlBmqK_3jN_WjTwfHxIIJGWaopM2fCttOo5ZmKyBJ7q_XelZJM19ifYVTQ6b1_E8UzietH2fIJ76TRZDY9SUS0JEnfR95k3VaxJdWWiOVKbRkUcGGrCoAmE5TiuPdt3A/s320/Whakanewa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5058956737827084178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;" >"Because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn like fabulous roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue center light pop and everybody goes "AWWW!"</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br />- </span><span style="font-size:85%;">Jack Kerouac</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br />On the Road, 1957<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>No, it's not Australia in this little photo, with another case of the curious tourist; <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0a38tjN3F7UtPwklYWIiTGUksBx0MxweKV-CL5szVrw91mTZpjUR7YcLBaCFdxrBc_qnGdAvcN2wFpqqbVzg4iGTItgr47FxO2y6wDtZ8sUpwUbDIzAG6DSBb9yPofg8N65y8g/s1600-h/Croc+arm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0a38tjN3F7UtPwklYWIiTGUksBx0MxweKV-CL5szVrw91mTZpjUR7YcLBaCFdxrBc_qnGdAvcN2wFpqqbVzg4iGTItgr47FxO2y6wDtZ8sUpwUbDIzAG6DSBb9yPofg8N65y8g/s400/Croc+arm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5058603489651890002" border="0" /></a>it is a poignant example of the dangers inherent in zookeepers jobs, for which I have a new and profound respect. Apparently due to the wonders of modern medicine, this vet has his arm back, and God only knows what has happened to the poor croc...<br /><br />The veteran journalist Bill Moyers has a new <a href="http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/index-flash.html">podcast journal on PBS</a>, freely downloaded on iTunes, and well worth the time to listen to his insight. His special called "<span style="font-style: italic;">Buying the War</span>", a superb piece of investigative journalism on how the media rolled over early in the selling of a war without justification or strategy, has <a href="http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/51110/">already has some pundits in Washington running for cover</a>. It seems that Jon Stewart on his Daily Show is the only one that has the balls to ask <span style="font-style: italic;">real</span> questions about what is going on in that country and its foreign "policy". And he doesn't even consider himself a journalist! Bill has a fascinating chat with this intelligent and witty comic. Don't miss.<br /><br />Naomi Klein pulls no punches in her <a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/51157/?page=1">scathing analysis of the World Bank</a> and it's head Paul Wolfowitz, another screw up from the Bush administration mired in yet <span style="font-style: italic;">another</span> scandal that will hardly help the already shaky reputation as a credible aid organisation for developing countries. Yea right.<br /><br />It doesn't take much digging to find out that the big 3 in development aid: WTO, World Bank and IMF are as Klein puts it playing their game of "one way strip poker" with World Trade.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3r3wCTCbw3qnc8fagZtNQHv1t2b9n3uwie0MBlmbnCkjkvYYq4Hg1fFo7B52IEFFxzl0nReWPSOBHlfFDiXC0eKgXhdd2oXfRyC1xxjeEz-V07fxUu9sWG6jbnYKdCiLHLiEa6g/s1600-h/bjorklevine.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3r3wCTCbw3qnc8fagZtNQHv1t2b9n3uwie0MBlmbnCkjkvYYq4Hg1fFo7B52IEFFxzl0nReWPSOBHlfFDiXC0eKgXhdd2oXfRyC1xxjeEz-V07fxUu9sWG6jbnYKdCiLHLiEa6g/s200/bjorklevine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5058603974983194466" border="0" /></a></div>You drop your barriers, and we will keep ours up, as the system goes. I guess the winners call that Fair Trade...<br /><br />Tessa Mayes, of Spiked-online, after calling Vanity Fair one of the great icons of American journalism, <a href="http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/3122/">rips into their latest Green issue</a>, as a celebrity love-fest, complete with photo-shopped snaps of Leo and polar bears, and who is <span style="font-style: italic;">talking</span> about what, rather than who is <span style="font-style: italic;">doing</span> what.<br /><br />Meanwhile...This guy has been quietly plugging away on the environmental issues that matter so much him, whilst becoming King of England does not seem <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> high on his priorties...<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYTkwGDem9HaD8fWDKtOMj0fFD7NMrf1vuLVn47dTwbKeodFGUQD6pNW-L3JS4her1mU9w83Hn2E61ER6C8xN7QKrYSOVTUqWziBJvwAUH_j3OIKmUwf11B_wa50tZfA1MbWYGog/s1600-h/Charles,_Prince_of_Wales.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYTkwGDem9HaD8fWDKtOMj0fFD7NMrf1vuLVn47dTwbKeodFGUQD6pNW-L3JS4her1mU9w83Hn2E61ER6C8xN7QKrYSOVTUqWziBJvwAUH_j3OIKmUwf11B_wa50tZfA1MbWYGog/s200/Charles,_Prince_of_Wales.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5058608300015261554" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Charles">Charles, Prince of Wales</a> has always been a fascinating figure to me, one of those highly intelligent, yet pampered and aristocratic individuals who seem to inherit everything, yet what do they do with it all? With the Prince it would seem, quite a lot. He would be the only figure in the entire British monarchy that would get any time at all from environmentalists, and he is treated like <span style="font-style: italic;">real</span> royalty in the States, a position usually reserved for sport or entertainment celebrities. As the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/25/dining/25prin.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5070&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;em&en=3cc36c4a41cb68a7&ex=1177646400">NYTimes reports</a>, he has become a bit of a hero for the organic movement, and been at it awhile too.<div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div>One biography I read years ago had him asking a prominent spiritual teacher for initiation into a practice of yoga and meditation. He was politely refused as the story goes, with the explanation that his profile was just too great in this lifetime. Great story. Good guy. Who cares about the ears, or the personal issues (we all have them)! He actually <span>has the resources</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> to do something </span>about changing our food production systems towards a more sustainable future and and walks the talk. Good for him. England doesn't need another King, but us food eaters and growers need a champion like him as a patron<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQoDVpMLKcm5kDDM_K77PTOavHFaxvmT3cSRqoz18iyOtjtgF_yo9Axy-uW11-YcN0kw_AZsFg2DV4v7_1yIVbx6FRS1PXsy2wF4KEJpZxNpi6yUtSOa7gZdXdCWaTLXg2WHfNw/s1600-h/hawking+in+space.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQoDVpMLKcm5kDDM_K77PTOavHFaxvmT3cSRqoz18iyOtjtgF_yo9Axy-uW11-YcN0kw_AZsFg2DV4v7_1yIVbx6FRS1PXsy2wF4KEJpZxNpi6yUtSOa7gZdXdCWaTLXg2WHfNw/s200/hawking+in+space.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5058609012979832706" border="0" /></a><br /></div>On celebrity or whatever, I am sure Professor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hawking">Stephen Hawking</a>, the renowned physicist was definitely having a good time in zero gravity playtime the other day, his mind no doubt racing through all the theories he has written about for so many years, while the body floated effortlessly. Brilliant. On to space for the wheelchair bound cosmologist!<br /><br /><br />Rain is falling lightly on our faire island today, and with what I can see around the world, I don't think you would catch me complaining too much about having the gift of plentiful water here in New Zealand. The hillsides are greening, the water tanks filling, and the essential ingredient for life making its way through the soil, bringing with it a nourishing mix of mystery and science.<br /><br />Happy Eating.<br /><br /></div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-34216849118822904452007-04-12T08:12:00.000+12:002007-04-27T17:05:00.307+12:00Living To Learn, Learning To Live<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzu6tAJBAXGck_Bf_0A_ifgoupdrhgdPDIvMooUnlC-G-TIIhVyIjzZ963g6mOJeSqZaFowdP5YcemuVkaB8zNVg-YAvSNY5F7O54Y4HEsbTq7qhXKqhjqhijO9K9Bjg8cubFIg/s1600-h/Rocky-Bay.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzu6tAJBAXGck_Bf_0A_ifgoupdrhgdPDIvMooUnlC-G-TIIhVyIjzZ963g6mOJeSqZaFowdP5YcemuVkaB8zNVg-YAvSNY5F7O54Y4HEsbTq7qhXKqhjqhijO9K9Bjg8cubFIg/s400/Rocky-Bay.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5052267993722227266" border="0" /></a>Rocky Bay, Waiheke Island<br />April 2007<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">The streets of my little community start to empty out after the last holiday of the Summer, which is Easter. Not that they were busy to begin with. The 100 or so homes that dot the coastline here on this part of the island are mostly holiday homes. The remainder of us call it home for the full year, with periodic breaks. The boats and children and walkers and joggers and dogs and kites and bikes and kayaks have been mostly put away. Back to the job in the city or wherever they all go.<br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5umMPeLJQAue0JJ-Yzxr6lCBfevon2dzhBRQvPjazgEPWGrOeN-3wuFxR186IC2R_s4FvxGLLG_rHtW6e9XmidEkQvCH69uQ1rUHS-jikRDZjJXv1RkKG6r1Hveqf32lZehhqiw/s1600-h/Paradise-Family-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5umMPeLJQAue0JJ-Yzxr6lCBfevon2dzhBRQvPjazgEPWGrOeN-3wuFxR186IC2R_s4FvxGLLG_rHtW6e9XmidEkQvCH69uQ1rUHS-jikRDZjJXv1RkKG6r1Hveqf32lZehhqiw/s200/Paradise-Family-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5052272610812070482" border="0" /></a></div> </div><br />Even Pa in the local Paradise Duck family is looking around and planning his annual "flyabout"... Now that the little ones have flown off on their own<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><br /><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of flying about, if you are a traveller, and would like to see what countries you have been to on a graphic scale, <a href="http://www.world66.com/myworld66/visitedCountries">this site</a> makes it easy to "plug and play" your travels and have them displayed on a world map. It then became apparent (to me anyway), how many places I <span style="font-style: italic;">haven't been. </span>Yet.<br /><br />Don't forget to think about your carbon footprint as you jet around however, and as <a href="http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/50077/">this Alternet article</a> points out, the process of offsetting your personal carbon emissions from flying or whatever by purchasing credits has some fairly flawed logic behind it. One person likened it to an athlete sitting at the side of the track eating ice cream and paying someone else to run the race. Paying for something does not necessarily change behaviour, it is just another tax. The wealthy will continue doing what they do, and the not wealthy will continue not doing what they haven't been doing. Does that sound like change?<br /><br />Six years into the project to catalogue all living species on earth, <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070408.wcatalogue0408/BNStory/Science/home">Smithsonian scientists have topped the 1 million mark</a>. What a great job! Never ending might be the appropriate sidebar here. 253,000 species of butterfly and moth, and 83 species of krill, the tiny shrimp that whale eat. Well done you science boffins!<br /><br />Addicted to data? I used to think I had a problem, and well, maybe I do. But without the <span style="font-style: italic;">must</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">have</span> mobile interface of the day, the Blackberry, I feel relatively safe from the pushers of <span style="font-style: italic;">hyperconnectedness. </span>Like all good pushers as <a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1607260,00.html">this Time article says</a>, the current digital variety do not really fulfill any existing needs, they <span style="font-style: italic;">create new ones</span>, and then proceed to fill those, thank you very much. Can you stand to be <span style="font-style: italic;">un</span>available? Especially if everyone else<span style="font-style: italic;"> is</span>? I definitely can, and make sure I am, as a matter of fact. I force myself to go out (at times hesitantly) without my cellphone at least once or twice a day. Ouch.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8Wcn8MRmoAF9lpNynesEMwrHToFRIf70_GBzyuHaYT93u0MahJTXqXZHwANfhCUWNqDR8dLoTm9fKKWejAE1MAc15LNIpf8q0UkZwrVhIz9t1UBjqa9q06RdNRDgw8SasFjMFw/s1600-h/tiger+typing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8Wcn8MRmoAF9lpNynesEMwrHToFRIf70_GBzyuHaYT93u0MahJTXqXZHwANfhCUWNqDR8dLoTm9fKKWejAE1MAc15LNIpf8q0UkZwrVhIz9t1UBjqa9q06RdNRDgw8SasFjMFw/s200/tiger+typing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5052678450861804130" border="0" /></a></div><br />Try it, it is really liberating. As Wi-fi becomes more and more ubiquitous, and devices become cheaper and easier to use, the temptation will start to creep in. That is exactly what they want. Good luck. There is a whole world out there waiting to be explored. And it doesn't have a digital component. Yet.<br /><br /><br />The Guardian once again gives a good <a href="http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2049364,00.html">sense of perspective to the online world in this article</a>. Businesses are scrambling to understand how to get the eyeballs (especially media saavy young ones, you know the ones that <span style="font-style: italic;">spend</span>) on to their products and services. There are so many social networking sites now, the need a social network to connect them all.<br /><br />Instant Tribe, but in a very distant way.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9K4oFhT1-VYWQOpOjXEu6R3Oalzs9q9XzLN6x6qSqTx7Z6avAItA_XiK8MeOqmfR6eaUU0V0d-fB0B9YmnJ3sHUCxbSugSmiCYxjUMy3Fc_gXBUGly0DruSwvtL39XUkPXrpjEQ/s1600-h/Star+Trekkers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9K4oFhT1-VYWQOpOjXEu6R3Oalzs9q9XzLN6x6qSqTx7Z6avAItA_XiK8MeOqmfR6eaUU0V0d-fB0B9YmnJ3sHUCxbSugSmiCYxjUMy3Fc_gXBUGly0DruSwvtL39XUkPXrpjEQ/s200/Star+Trekkers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056061555023930834" border="0" /></a></div></div>The so called social networking "sites" are so popular because they allow one to engage without really engaging. To pick and choose who to befriend and who not to, to share personal details online that never require any real personal interaction, and the ability to be turned off or on as desired. A sort of selective and impersonal way to fill the void that being alone often brings...<br /><br />Don't get me wrong, <a href="http://myspace.com/">Myspace</a>, <a href="http://youtube.com/">YouTube</a> and others are so successful because they fulfill a need (albeit one that has been created) to connect and share with others the creativity and information that gives culture its momentum. It is definitely a Tipping Point. They are great resources, and though they may not at present be used for anything too liberating or world changing, the time will come.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7nw7X9M3o01VQQWypnuHbMo00PHAo8jcxdPRXENYWLD39p12ItoXNDi_mTgZH6Cjehfn-UE6Mo80Yf5HSaUeILKT7ZlpwoZt9wYUYgHhHUkTiib_VexSuHvDtONanDUIi3XiAhg/s1600-h/Morality+Bureau.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7nw7X9M3o01VQQWypnuHbMo00PHAo8jcxdPRXENYWLD39p12ItoXNDi_mTgZH6Cjehfn-UE6Mo80Yf5HSaUeILKT7ZlpwoZt9wYUYgHhHUkTiib_VexSuHvDtONanDUIi3XiAhg/s200/Morality+Bureau.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056064754774566370" border="0" /></a></div>As long as the massive corporations that control other sources of media, as they slowly worm their way into the internet do not inflict any type of filtering process or "codes of conduct" that inhibit the very open nature of the web as we see it now. It is all simply a reflection of what we as a collective consciousness are doing, like it or not.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-25002363035650819522007-04-06T10:36:00.000+12:002007-04-12T08:11:58.758+12:00Creative Ecology<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqowWJ8TZOrwztL7k7Aq98FRcGB8fdMIon8uqATNjy7xy9HTQvwdqvTbLu7j8ogelk6nScEaH2Tg5YNL8WDpGGCAvquq3TY2EeYjIqiV05r0yp84jEyijHvjgf-G7rb4NTuDUYA/s1600-h/Amaryllis.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqowWJ8TZOrwztL7k7Aq98FRcGB8fdMIon8uqATNjy7xy9HTQvwdqvTbLu7j8ogelk6nScEaH2Tg5YNL8WDpGGCAvquq3TY2EeYjIqiV05r0yp84jEyijHvjgf-G7rb4NTuDUYA/s320/Amaryllis.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050076924143898930" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">"Not everything that can be counted counts,<br />and not everything that counts can be counted"<br /><br />Albert Einstein<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left; font-family: georgia;">Easter in New Zealand brings with it a heady mix of seasonal transition. The anticipation of winter around the corner, the joy of autumn harvest, and the lingering pleasures of a fleeting summer. On the island we have a Jazz Festival, big Saturday Markets, and the water still warm enough still for a pleasant swim, which I had yesterday. We are full of visitors, mostly from the city, but more and more from around the world.<br /><br />While Christians around the world celebrate the coming (and going) of their messiah, with all manner of activities, here it is mostly about having a holiday. The island's wine and olive oil industries are in full harvest mode. A good time of year.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">As more and more of my friends, family and colleagues speak to me about their (ouch!) retirement plans, developers in the States don't really know what kind of planned communities the "boomers" want. They never could quite come to grips with that demographic, and still they try. Looks like according to </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/06/travel/escapes/06retire.html?em&ex=1176004800&en=ca84b6a80235eba8&ei=5070">this NY Times report</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">, it is left up to "grassroots" efforts to plan out their own sense of community with like-minded individuals. Most succcessful ventures are accomplished by those who really care.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;">And that is the thing about community, it brings the neighour back into neighbourhood. Sharing with others all these precious natural resources we are fast running out of seems only logical to me...It also helps to spend time around those that accept and support your lifestyle.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;">Having spent some time in community when it was still called commune, it has appeal, particularly within the context of a local economy and food production. I am no Armageddon type, but I do believe A Hard Rain's is Gonna Fall before too long.</span> <a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.newscientist.com/blog/environment/2007/03/packaging-waste-facts-and-figures.html">The New Scientist Environment blog</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> has some great entries, with lots of sites that show ways to leave a lighter load of carbon behind in this life. Everything from transport to packaging...Here's an example:</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1u7pIPy60zfVPlDE1sNRrxkIfRy6Dj_BVl4pHY-2O85hQUvKJlSoPhGq1VXRD0OSz6ivwKnES3RIwUBO7OM6Pp1yYim2AH4XboKr0Vjv63vbbLSaOnSyvDTGuOLzaZWTRceONg/s1600-h/Waste+production.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1u7pIPy60zfVPlDE1sNRrxkIfRy6Dj_BVl4pHY-2O85hQUvKJlSoPhGq1VXRD0OSz6ivwKnES3RIwUBO7OM6Pp1yYim2AH4XboKr0Vjv63vbbLSaOnSyvDTGuOLzaZWTRceONg/s320/Waste+production.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050501842438361410" border="0" /></a></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">200 kgs per person per year of just packaging! It makes you think a little more about what your purchase, and how it can be taken home (those supermarket bags are the worst, and it is bold that <a href="http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/03/28/MNGDROT5QN1.DTL">San Francisco has now banned the plastic bags</a>). Well done!<br /><br />Staying in the Bay Area, a company called <a href="http://meraki.net/blog/">Meraki is doing great work in providing affordable easy wireless access</a> to many who could not otherwise afford it. Share the love.<br /><br />Speaking of which, there are some lovely short essays on NPR.org, in the This I Believe segment, which has one man's affirmation of his truth in articulate fashion. <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9109844">My Personal Leap of Faith</a>, it is called, and well worth a read.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Not the greatest of times for the Cruise Line industry, apparently there is all kinds of shady goings on out at sea. And nobody knows whose laws to obey. It's all a bit of a shambles really, with people getting sick and running aground, as well as unbelievable stats: <a href="http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/01/MNG4DOV80Q21.DTL">66 assaults and 28 people missing (presumed dead) over the period 2002-2005</a>. Some vacation!<br /><br />Meanwhile, pre-teens and teens in the States are being subjected to between 12 and 20 food ads a day on the television alone, all extolling the virtues of, you guessed it, sweets and snack foods. Forget Big Tobacco <a href="http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20070329_forget_big_tobacco_big_food_kills/">this article says</a>, it's Big Food that is killing us!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">No matter what kind of person you are, getting the right information about your food is always important...<br /></div><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYkHxgZFzixTVhGis6nP263cOmw0POC-iBpTJ5aswt8i53VpHopAIUGaMoiKRlBLik_NJWay7PAypxqMV2GK6AtBp3-nsSZfECiopXRYAuoeSFvLE3zswXe53fx2IShpAOd3XCQ/s1600-h/sadhu.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYkHxgZFzixTVhGis6nP263cOmw0POC-iBpTJ5aswt8i53VpHopAIUGaMoiKRlBLik_NJWay7PAypxqMV2GK6AtBp3-nsSZfECiopXRYAuoeSFvLE3zswXe53fx2IShpAOd3XCQ/s200/sadhu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050510024351060322" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYkHxgZFzixTVhGis6nP263cOmw0POC-iBpTJ5aswt8i53VpHopAIUGaMoiKRlBLik_NJWay7PAypxqMV2GK6AtBp3-nsSZfECiopXRYAuoeSFvLE3zswXe53fx2IShpAOd3XCQ/s1600-h/sadhu.jpg"><br /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYkHxgZFzixTVhGis6nP263cOmw0POC-iBpTJ5aswt8i53VpHopAIUGaMoiKRlBLik_NJWay7PAypxqMV2GK6AtBp3-nsSZfECiopXRYAuoeSFvLE3zswXe53fx2IShpAOd3XCQ/s1600-h/sadhu.jpg"><br /></a></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-2559478253221222662007-03-25T17:08:00.000+12:002007-03-31T12:55:06.738+12:00Culture Shifting<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnB26PGH8j_h9plmKOh-0ak6X2o2vTlCOcamgmxo12LxyQdWqGmKldlOXsLMFZpCBshsdN5fVegL620HeESlKCGwYjQobguG-95SdrMUq0BwqlVQgJB18BT_uOgr8NwC_gz3VcWg/s1600-h/Birthday-moonset.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnB26PGH8j_h9plmKOh-0ak6X2o2vTlCOcamgmxo12LxyQdWqGmKldlOXsLMFZpCBshsdN5fVegL620HeESlKCGwYjQobguG-95SdrMUq0BwqlVQgJB18BT_uOgr8NwC_gz3VcWg/s320/Birthday-moonset.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5045725579468234450" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"<span style="font-size:100%;">People are crazy</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><br />Times are strange;</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span> <span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >I used to care</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><br />But things have changed"</span><i><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br />-Bob Dylan</span><br /><br /><br /></i></span><div style="text-align: left;">Here are two powerful articles worth your time, both excerpts from books I have recently read. The first one <a href="http://www.michaelpollan.com/article.php?id=81">here</a> is by Michael Pollan, and it articulately sums up the food system in the USA: Fast, easy, cheap. He also explains how (and why) corn is slipped into nearly 25% of the items in your local supermarket, subsidized by the taxpayer to give out empty calories fast, easy and cheap. You get what you pay for...<br /><br />For more, <a href="http://www.michaelpollan.com/">visit his website</a>.<br /><br />The other is by Bill McKibben, author of the new release <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Economy-Wealth-Communities-Durable/dp/0805076263/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-2842034-7558548?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1174886447&sr=8-1">Deep Economy</a>, which is just about as brilliant a wake up call I have ever read. He challenges the prevailing wisdom on economic growth, and shows in example after example, how <span style="font-style: italic;">more</span> does not necessarily equal <span style="font-style: italic;">happy</span>. He is a strong advocate of local economies, and the power behind communities. His article <a href="http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/49593/">here</a> has very salient and timely points from the book.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGIxBlkGLOo3-_nCUJp0JTiG6ahRYTB7PJRimnnv5GQ0Q5NSI5kTIAgYm4ANEgOqA4c5FAhgOj588IhQwQ3X-U_N4IiDtbpa3dGY-ePR_AFe5q0DPCd9ZLioY8OnSbG_7llp29GA/s1600-h/W+Values+map.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGIxBlkGLOo3-_nCUJp0JTiG6ahRYTB7PJRimnnv5GQ0Q5NSI5kTIAgYm4ANEgOqA4c5FAhgOj588IhQwQ3X-U_N4IiDtbpa3dGY-ePR_AFe5q0DPCd9ZLioY8OnSbG_7llp29GA/s320/W+Values+map.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5046101556610359010" border="0" /></a>Ever since Rodney King let out those simple words <span style="font-style: italic;">"Can't we all just get along people?"</span> in the middle of Southern California riots so many years ago, I always think about it.<br /><br />One either <span style="font-style: italic;">gets along,</span> or not. Situations change, people change. Different people <span style="font-style: italic;">definitely</span> do things differently.<br /><br />If it is true that "we don't see the world as it is, we see the world as we are", then getting to know how others <span style="font-style: italic;">are</span>, might be a good start to getting along.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.worldvaluessurvey.com/">World Values Survey</a> is one place to find out more about those who live in this world with you, their values, beliefs, and how they are. Neat map, too.<br /><br /><br />For instance, on the subject of drugs, there are many different ways people choose to intoxicate themselves, or relax however you view it. Not many of them would be <span style="font-style: italic;">good</span> for you, but there are some that are clearly <span style="font-style: italic;">less harmful</span> than others. Depending, of course upon usage. <a href="http://society.guardian.co.uk/drugsandalcohol/story/0,,2040887,00.html">These latest British studies </a>reported in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Guardian</span>, are rightly putting spotlight back on the likes of alcohol and tobacco, so long having the free ride, because of their legal status. Dangerous is dangerous, and these experts are rating what is and what is less. Interesting stuff.<br /><br />If you are old enough to remember Soupy Sales, then you will most likely want to click on <a href="http://www.youtube.infamousx.com/v/e6f3uN2vVak">this link</a> to see a short clip of him that explains why he is laughing so hard...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-ePLVP8gyk3q7yQB1_rnRu8d4EgcFnR4gleRyOk_BWmEMV92JZYb8LX-s7Ugd5vLZOV4Es0_vXTyLX-Pg1-q5FBUOwnmvmAK6OFdQhDYHC9ilSP-MquHC7mOOFVCK9J1LaGA3A/s1600-h/Soupy+Sales.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-ePLVP8gyk3q7yQB1_rnRu8d4EgcFnR4gleRyOk_BWmEMV92JZYb8LX-s7Ugd5vLZOV4Es0_vXTyLX-Pg1-q5FBUOwnmvmAK6OFdQhDYHC9ilSP-MquHC7mOOFVCK9J1LaGA3A/s200/Soupy+Sales.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5046106878074838786" border="0" /></a></div>Could it be an unrehearsed surprise (in the form a stripper), greeting him on the usual closing gag was just a bit too much? This guy was alright. <span style="font-style: italic;">Very early</span> days of T.V. comedy<br /><br />Whole Foods, that cathedral of "organic" foods in the States, <a href="http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/49783/">gets a once over</a> from a British journalist on the eve of its entry into the U.K. They are nice supermarkets, as supermarkets go, and they certainly have their legions of fans, but are they <span style="font-style: italic;">really </span>doing all they can to source local, fresh food, or are they the green version of Wal Mart?Watch this space.<br /><br />Bill Maher is a pretty funny guy, and he pushes his satire right to the edge sometimes. I do not watch his show, as it is not carried here in New Zealand, but what I do see, especially his <span style="font-style: italic;">New</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Rules</span> segment are quite good. <a href="javascript:play_video('/mediafiles/Mahertraitors_15_25032007.flv');">Here</a> in this YouTube clip he decides he has had enough of having his patriotism challenged, and asks whether the current president is even a patriot.<br />Ouch.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-Wq6Z01gB045LEZPnlokDBfSzYq-xY2rB6u2JD2kvoEoKvAPSoaJSeE0FjKGwE_xu_QrPRhg6euGcdshsLw3wlM2kYYavphWZoNhp0pS0cld4JhcpkfL7F2NRHfPzbXWcoINwQ/s1600-h/cigphone.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-Wq6Z01gB045LEZPnlokDBfSzYq-xY2rB6u2JD2kvoEoKvAPSoaJSeE0FjKGwE_xu_QrPRhg6euGcdshsLw3wlM2kYYavphWZoNhp0pS0cld4JhcpkfL7F2NRHfPzbXWcoINwQ/s200/cigphone.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5046794227724754898" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Well, you know it had to come. Perfect for the Japanese, that love to talk and smoke, this Cigphone has everything you need right at your fingertips. A must have gadget, I will <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> have..<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-88400370860330365412007-03-17T11:06:00.000+13:002007-03-28T20:52:52.016+12:00Reading Writing and Eating<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhR3F17UiTYTp-sgCBFpoTH1kfGxE-I2sE9u5AISqh7fMIcXukAOLRfY1fjhZMN5SK2MsrWvp53DIUa2q-cyrzr2KCV22mnXvMV1ZeMiLw6Yi5Mo-_ELrl3D30rhhx7MVNHCgUA/s1600-h/Market-Veges.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhR3F17UiTYTp-sgCBFpoTH1kfGxE-I2sE9u5AISqh7fMIcXukAOLRfY1fjhZMN5SK2MsrWvp53DIUa2q-cyrzr2KCV22mnXvMV1ZeMiLw6Yi5Mo-_ELrl3D30rhhx7MVNHCgUA/s320/Market-Veges.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042651674165188018" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">" Eating is an agricultural act"<br /></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">-Wendell Berry</span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >I love writing.<br /><br />I don't put pressure on myself to come up with ideas to write about, or set any deadlines to meet, which means I will probably languish in the realm of under paid and under published for an indeterminate amount of time.</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >But that is OK.<br /><br />It is more the process (and challenge) of putting together the myriad of ideas and thoughts streaming through, seeing how they can be communicated articulately that is most enthralling to me. I takes me out of my self for awhile, and opens the window of concentration a bit more. It is good practice.<br /><br />As Julia Cameron says bluntly in her encouraging </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Right-Write-Invitation-Initiation-Writing/dp/1585420093/ref=pd_bbs_2/102-8879900-2383351?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1174175806&sr=8-2">Right to Write</a>:</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">"Not writing creates self obsession. Self obsession blocks connection with others. Self obsession blocks connection with self."</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div></div><span style="font-size:100%;">For her, writing is a way of life, one that I have not yet really entered. Flirting as I do with it, the temptation is growing to make a more concerted effort to enter that world. She is a great example and lively inspiration in her books.<br /><br />The Wikipedia entry for writer and 2001 Nobel Prize winner in literature <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V.S._Naipaul">V.S. Naipaul</a> has the following quote from Joan Didion:</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br />"The actual world has for Naipaul a radiance that diminishes all ideas of it. The pink haze of the bauxite dust on the first page of </span><span style="font-size:85%;">Guerrillas</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" > tells us what we need to know about the history and social organization of the unnamed island on which the action takes place, tells us in one image who runs the island and for whose profit the island is run and at what cost to the life of the island this profit has historically been obtained, but all of this implicit information pales in the presence of the physical fact, the dust itself... The world Naipaul sees is of course no void at all: it is a world dense with physical and social phenomena, brutally alive with the complications and contradictions of actual human endeavor... This world of Naipaul's is in fact charged with what can only be described as a romantic view of reality, an almost unbearable tension between the idea and the physical fact..."<br /><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">Naipaul himself takes a more sweeping approach recently in a <a href="http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2030192,00.html">Guardian article</a> about his roots and the lands whose histories he dissects:<br /></span><br /><i><span style="font-size:10;"><span style="font-size:85%;">"But writing was my vocation; I had never wished to be anything but a writer. My practice as a writer had deepened the fascination with people and narrative that I had always had, and increasingly now, in the larger world I had wanted to join, that fascination was turning into a wish to understand the currents of history that had created the fluidity of which I found myself a part. It was necessary for me as a writer to engage with the larger world. I didn't know how to set about it; there was no example I could follow."</span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">Exactly<i>. </i>There rarely is any example to follow, and that is why I love writing. Yes, there are many published as well as unpublished wordsmiths out there, and I enjoy reading as many as I can. Reading gives me almost as much pleasure as creating through the written word. But the <i>process</i> of writing, - the transformation of personal direct experience and idea into language and narrative, the words that are chosen, the magical flow of subliminal energy out through the hands to what can be read and interpreted - <i>that</i> is a hard example to try and follow.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Georgia;">Any complete reader or writer would have had experience with the Grand Dame of publishing, the <i><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/main/magazine/">New Yorker</a>, </i>and now one can get </span><a href="http://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/Product.asp?Params=category=18-873%7Clevel=2-3-4%7Cpageid=5571%7CSpecial=featured%7CLink=Img"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">all their back issues</span></a><span style="font-family:Georgia;"> (over 4,000) on one convenient hard drive. Great. Call me old fashioned, but half the fun of those magazines is to flip the pages and see the cartoons amid the writing and hustle bustle of one of the greatest cities. I take the occasional article from them, but to read a screen for too long is not easy. Thats why those e-book readers won't take off. I don't know anybody that actually <i>enjoys</i> looking at a screen for very long periods.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Georgia;">Subject to both a book and a documentary, the </span><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7545512"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">Wild Parrots of San Francisco</span></a><span style="font-family:Georgia;"> are getting a bit more protection from the city, to ensure their habitat stays intact and their fame grows. <i>That</i> is a good news story. It is the simple things that can bring so much joy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Georgia;">Meanwhile, over in Australia (way over - West Australia in fact), </span><a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10425324"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">this guy netted a cool $20,000</span></a><span style="font-family:Georgia;"> for riding a monster wave near the Margaret River. He would certainly <i>be double-stoked</i> - to be both alive, <i>and</i> to be a winner. Well done.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Georgia;">Whilst still in San Francisco (where else?) a new subculture of <i>neo-nomads, </i>who fancy themselves a bit like the Bedouin, like their coffee strong and their wireless free, and are </span><a href="http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/03/11/MNGKKOCBA645.DTL"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">doing business the way <i>they </i>want to </span></a><span style="font-family:Georgia;">in wired cafes around the city. It used to be the garage or dorm room was the success story for tecchies, now it looks like the place of choice for successful new start-ups will be some wired cafe in the back streets of the Mission District. Wait for it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Georgia;">Remember this lady? The fired NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak, part of a love triangle of astronauts that went awry, tried to kidnap her rival and well, basically lost the plot.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Georgia;">The before and after pictures speak volumes about either the air up there, or why some people should <i>definitely</i> stay on the meds..</span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ></span><br /></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9VfU-YcshqvwyWY6ESurVKNdKEND9X9-mpAVcdhsATQXuOTPDeEJiT4aPvSQoo5i2CtGvUaYFYbW-LuXEFFPEfmhOW4lG-nXkQG8ByOgoLHnui2YsNJjPs3BnA1DgizXOhh39A/s1600-h/lisanowak2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9VfU-YcshqvwyWY6ESurVKNdKEND9X9-mpAVcdhsATQXuOTPDeEJiT4aPvSQoo5i2CtGvUaYFYbW-LuXEFFPEfmhOW4lG-nXkQG8ByOgoLHnui2YsNJjPs3BnA1DgizXOhh39A/s320/lisanowak2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5043844366612717250" border="0" /></a></span></div><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:100%;" >And you thought <i>your</i> job was stressful!</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >"It was written I should be loyal to the nightmare of my choice."<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br />- Joseph Conrad<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Heart of Darkness</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-22485223045854044412007-03-03T19:56:00.000+13:002007-03-07T17:25:55.770+13:00Two Monks and a Turning Tide<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwMxS4Si5uDkImbZpojXpTolXHOtsmHVYPlJGc6JL0Z-Iib7fpDSy2CSFc87WJUh8BbswBJaQiUh5SHKpacb8uqrer6StAPTq-FeFE-smNQHxQG6Sy5fIc6624sCNlpsdsuMOQg/s1600-h/Onetangi-beach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwMxS4Si5uDkImbZpojXpTolXHOtsmHVYPlJGc6JL0Z-Iib7fpDSy2CSFc87WJUh8BbswBJaQiUh5SHKpacb8uqrer6StAPTq-FeFE-smNQHxQG6Sy5fIc6624sCNlpsdsuMOQg/s400/Onetangi-beach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037589246599842178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" > Two monks were arguing about a flag.<br />One said: "The flag is moving."<br />The other said: "The wind is moving."<br />The Buddha happened to be passing by.<br />He told them: "Not the wind, not the flag; mind is moving."<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Mind <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> moving. And does it cover some ground.<br /><br />It has taken me a few days to re-connect all my bodies from the rigors of long haul flights and doing family large in the States, and except for its minor physical setbacks, the trip has left me mentally and intellectually invigorated.<br /><br />It feels as though the tide is turning.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sympathetic vibration</span> is not a term I use frequently, but it seems to encapsulate much of the feeling I got recently in the States from those whom I spoke, from the places I visited, and what I read. It has been a long 6 years, and the momentum for change, the <span style="font-style: italic;">drivers for change</span> seem in place and almost like an idling race car at the starting line, ready to roll.<br /><br />In particular I refer to the inextricably linked lifestyle of excess fossil fuel consumption/global warming/ industrial food system that has been chugging along at a totally unsustainable rate for the last 60 years with disastrous consequences. George Bush's administration have in some ways ironically helped the catalyst for change by "throwing fuel on the fire", instead of looking for ways to dampen the flames. It is now a raging inferno, and many more can see it, including some in his own political party.<br /><br />But as Al Gore states emphatically in his <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6401865.stm">Oscar winning documentary </a>"An Inconvenient Truth", it is <span style="font-style: italic;">"moral issue rather than a political one". </span>That really got me thinking. I have a daughter, she will someday have children, and what is it that we will be leaving them in terms of a planet? What kind of biodiversity? What kind of atmosphere? What kind of society?<br /><br />Although Gore has his fair share of critics (both about the message and the messenger) no one in my opinion has done more in terms of educating and raising awareness of the causes and solutions to the most pressing issue of our times than the man who won the popular vote for presidency in 2000. He may be leaving a larger carbon footprint at the moment, but his message for action is getting through, and that will reduce everyone else's (including his) in critical mass.<br /><br />Partly because there is a new race on, and partly because of the Oscar success, he is everywhere in the media now. <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/13248532/why_gore_should_run__and_how_he_can_win/1">Rolling Stone </a>explains why he should run again, and how he can win; <a href="http://environment.guardian.co.uk/ethicalliving/story/0,,2023839,00.html">The Guardian</a> argues those who criticise him as hypocritical need to look at the bigger picture; and <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/articles/070305ta_talk_remnick">The New Yorker</a> sums up his overall situation quite articulately as usual.<br /><br />Back here in New Zealand, food miles are a big issue for our growers, and as I have often written, the food traveling around the globe is <span style="font-style: italic;">not </span>going to last. Start getting used to eating what is <span style="font-style: italic;">in season</span>. <a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1595245,00.html">Time magazines cover story</a> this week is calling local food the "new organic". Our <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10426067">Prime Minister is weighing in big time</a>, positioning the country as a sustainable and efficient place in which to purchase produce, most of which is shipped by sea. Perhaps. But this is political posturing for the most part, in order to do something about a growing fear from our food exporters that they may be cut out of important markets in Europe etc. She may be correct that we do have more efficient production methods due to our favourable climate, but is missing the point really. Why are we exporting our kiwis and apples to Europe, and buying ones from Chili and California in our supermarkets? Our lifestyles and habits need to change on a personal and societal level, and the markets will respond.<br /><br />To protect the markets by continuing to support unsustainable practices is the same thing the U.S. did after WWII with all the extra ammonia nitrate. As Michael Pollan explicitly talks about in his best seller <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History-Meals/dp/1594200823/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-7433270-1792848?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173051077&sr=8-1">The Omnivores Dilemma</a>, a new industry was set up to utilise all the leftover chemicals from the war and it essentially replaced agriculture. , As efficient as it may have been in producing more food and reducing prices, we might as well have been sipping petroleum directly, for it has had about the same results economically and physically .<br /><br />When I say the tide is turning, it comes from the heart of change in the U.S. the State of California, and from there, the Bay Area has always been a leader in social and cultural issues. <a href="http://www.eatlocalchallenge.com/">Local Food Challenges</a> such as the one <a href="http://www.locavores.com/">Locavores</a> have instigated have done much to raise the awareness of those in the outlying areas how they can eat in season, and where they can get the food they need any time of year. Both the SF Chronicle and the Pt Reyes Light, places I have just recently visited, have articles <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/06/01/FDGF7CV4KP1.DTL&hw=locavores&sn=001&sc=1000">here</a> and <a href="http://www.ptreyeslight.com/cgi/opinion_archives.pl?record=2">here</a> supporting their efforts. Brilliant.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/28/dining/28whole.html?em&amp;amp;ex=1172811600&en=4c3689bcbb6bfadd&ei=5070">Whole Foods</a>, the once proud and mighty chain of stores leading the organic movement in the States, is even coming under increasing fire from many sides as it tries to reconcile its growth with the original core values of supporting local farmers and providing quality organic food.<br /><br />Again, Pollan from <span style="font-style: italic;">Omnivores Dilemma </span>in describing Big Organic now in the States<span style="font-style: italic;">:<br /><br />"For better or worse, these are not the kinds of farms a big company like Small Planet Foods or Whole Foods does business with today. It's simply more cost-efficient to buy from one thousand-acre farm than ten hundred-acre farms. That's not because those farms are any more productive, however. In fact, study after study has demonstrated that, measured in the amount of food produced per acre, small farms are actually <span style="font-weight: bold;">more</span> productive than big farms; it is the higher transaction costs involved...The industrial values of specialization, economies of scale, and mechanization wind up crowding out the ecological values such as diversity, complexity, and symbiosis".<br /><br /></span>And so it goes. Buyer beware.<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><br />Once Wal Mart decided to start selling "organic", one had the suspicion there would be a direct effort to manipulate the focus from local and quality to price and distribution as the main driver. Sure enough, that it what has happened, and in the world of food politics, one has to move quickly to counter such efforts. These local groups and blogs are doing a wonderful job of disseminating critical information.<br /><br />Can you meet </span><span style="font-size:100%;"> all your dietary requirements within a 100 mile (160km) radius?<br /><br />Something to think about and plan as we start to enter a new paradigm around living on this earth in a way that will allow others to use it after us.<br /></span></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-46206773477308531422007-02-21T09:43:00.000+13:002007-03-05T15:04:34.271+13:00Hotel California<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZnziK_R1f1uuKX5W9iZeNctgujpEZL2UokzCzmydGJSGagUXimp5qC1y-HOdy8f6O66AXYu5aWaPL9V_8bn4gtHQcp-r0Qc2wOruVB68bH4p9bg5uIVR9VD9Dt4xS5jXxONO0Q/s1600-h/Sonoma-winery-faces.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZnziK_R1f1uuKX5W9iZeNctgujpEZL2UokzCzmydGJSGagUXimp5qC1y-HOdy8f6O66AXYu5aWaPL9V_8bn4gtHQcp-r0Qc2wOruVB68bH4p9bg5uIVR9VD9Dt4xS5jXxONO0Q/s320/Sonoma-winery-faces.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033798801325083282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 85);font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span></div>12 hours is a long time to sit in a 600 mph metal projectile at 35,000 ft. Actually, 12 hours is a long time to sit anywhere. The conditions are not natural in large commercial aircraft, and so even the lure of recent <a href="http://film.guardian.co.uk/oscars2007/story/0,,2021570,00.html">Oscar standouts</a> such as <span style="font-style: italic;">Babel</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">The Departed</span> could not keep me from sedation and boredom.<br /><br />However, the Bay Area Rapid Transit is a well thought out enterprise. My daughter and I slipped effortlessly onto a waiting BART train from the airport and arrived in my sisters North Berkeley neighbourhood a bit over an hour after landing in San Francisco direct from Auckland. Not having traveled together for well over a decade, it was full of laughter and fun, and continued through the week as we were shuffled from one party to another around the region in the lead up to the big event - my sisters wedding. Immersed in the not uncommon realm of the lost immigrant son/brother from the New Zealand, I was then totally enthralled by a lovely diverse and eclectic group of nearly 100 friends and family gathered together on a damp coastal Marin winter weekend for the occasion my sister waited 55 years to plan.<br /><br />And plan she did. As an artist and designer, everything from the invitations to the table setting quotes and accompanying rocks all had her individual touch of class and elegance. The groom-to- be here, after one of many late nights, naps through some last minute details he probably would not have wanted to know about anyway...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCgAI-H5BdrBpDwwT6zMK7GxNS-U28Wf55eyoPsUum_3Tu_dIx4d7sfef52iUu-bTFFBrvZKg_BkaQiyPQ3DsR7Xj72TCLgF2ZmxfHi65TxiWs5v0aYKF4ZkSCytb2xWZ2U1087w/s1600-h/Wedding-planning.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCgAI-H5BdrBpDwwT6zMK7GxNS-U28Wf55eyoPsUum_3Tu_dIx4d7sfef52iUu-bTFFBrvZKg_BkaQiyPQ3DsR7Xj72TCLgF2ZmxfHi65TxiWs5v0aYKF4ZkSCytb2xWZ2U1087w/s200/Wedding-planning.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036381921205811922" border="0" /></a></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5JO9Nz76R5us1UO-xGJ8mykM5Xl9WlfEH331PZ-qM16zmEWMDkY4EjdWbKQd9f7_IUQWQV9jSqKB3dPWbpwyR-u-VBPenU20x2GDx96OkOZvUwnq3vzH_rk6iiTnnhu_crer0Tg/s1600-h/Wedding-venue.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5JO9Nz76R5us1UO-xGJ8mykM5Xl9WlfEH331PZ-qM16zmEWMDkY4EjdWbKQd9f7_IUQWQV9jSqKB3dPWbpwyR-u-VBPenU20x2GDx96OkOZvUwnq3vzH_rk6iiTnnhu_crer0Tg/s200/Wedding-venue.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036382208968620770" border="0" /></a>After the first venue burnt down unexpectedly a month before the date, there were some severe panic sessions, but eventually all was meant to be. <a href="http://www.theolemainn.com/">The Olema Inn</a> hosted the reception, and a beautiful home in the Nicasio Valley with some sort of shady link to Jerry Garcia catered the actual ceremony(Marin was home to much of the creative zeitgeist in the heydays of the late 60's and 70's Bay Area).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZZfJH9KihrnZ3-NkKi0szEYZe7BS0d7_kW_dJvZ9bveOLHi2zcz90-KDK-Rvil6CIB0AQm_YT0Jns_SpOV0WJR6FqIa5kUYvQB9pvhnAPXiNGM8GqImZGq_fxJPq6EZYeX3VKw/s1600-h/Wedding-tables.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZZfJH9KihrnZ3-NkKi0szEYZe7BS0d7_kW_dJvZ9bveOLHi2zcz90-KDK-Rvil6CIB0AQm_YT0Jns_SpOV0WJR6FqIa5kUYvQB9pvhnAPXiNGM8GqImZGq_fxJPq6EZYeX3VKw/s200/Wedding-tables.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036382531091167986" border="0" /></a></div>Everyone from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skywalker_Ranch">SkyWalker</a> (George Lucas) to <a href="http://www.planetwalk.org/Info/">PlanetWalker</a> (John Francis) lives there, and many have done a great job in their own way of protecting the area from excess development. remaining as gorgeous and pristine as ever. Pt Reyes has always been a favourite area of Lyn and Ken's, so to have the weekend spread out over a number of different Inns and restaurants was very fitting in the end.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kQsf6UH5v1SZAu8TD31DTNFkQm0Io0k62uwbRwy26iqQEBBCzn4gA53rke4WRjGA_IWihXlWTkpj0qBJA8A8iSBSTYKC_VHE6G4ZTC_bJzTH6ccmy7hTfYrt86ALAOfvCQRrrQ/s1600-h/Pt-Reyes-Lodge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kQsf6UH5v1SZAu8TD31DTNFkQm0Io0k62uwbRwy26iqQEBBCzn4gA53rke4WRjGA_IWihXlWTkpj0qBJA8A8iSBSTYKC_VHE6G4ZTC_bJzTH6ccmy7hTfYrt86ALAOfvCQRrrQ/s200/Pt-Reyes-Lodge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036384824603704066" border="0" /></a></div><br />The night before the ceremony, after a lively 80th birthday dinner for my mother,we all went to the local <a href="http://www.ranchonicasio.com/music.htm">Rancho Nicasio Valley Restaurant</a>, a great local pub in the middle of nowhere, for some fantastic blues by the <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=60411870">Lara Price Band</a>. If you have never seen 60 yr old ranchers dancing with their wives next to couples spanning the entire spectrum of, well, everybody, then <span>get on</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span>down there</span><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span>.. I mean it is like, <span style="font-style: italic;">sooo</span> California.<br /><br />"West Marin" as it is known, has been on the vanguard of political and social change for many a decade, and the number of hybrid cars per capita must be the highest in the U.S. Just the day before, the <a href="http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/">Tour of California</a>, the states version of the biggest sporting event on earth, came barreling through and had huge support. My mother was out with thousands of others in her home town just north to cheer them on.<br /><br />Sebastopol is a small Sonoma County rural town-turned-vineyard-boomer-hippie mecca near Santa Rosa. It borders Marin county, and is north of San Francisco by about an hour. My own university days from the area bring back memories of the many rivers and rustic VW van trips through lush redwood forests to communes in the surrounding expansive countryside. I did manage to attend some classes however, and the beauty in Somoma, Medocino, and Humboldt counties is still as vibrant as ever. My mother is an active resident of the quite liberal artist community here. Although my perspective about this part of California is somewhat tainted by the surge in population after 20 years in the other end of the Pacific, nothing can take away the natural beauty and good intentions of many of the progressive residents.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJdRsEG8DyT49hDy7cn9f5sqcB6JcuM9EcQXrS5MKcaa7l9OP1nn0msDEBLg-6DXFdP0lazpJnMBICI_OQGMc54XW6ay8uFnethTd97MqTOPPSROBsUkvoScniC2aDQMXk-keWA/s1600-h/Mom-and-Michael.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJdRsEG8DyT49hDy7cn9f5sqcB6JcuM9EcQXrS5MKcaa7l9OP1nn0msDEBLg-6DXFdP0lazpJnMBICI_OQGMc54XW6ay8uFnethTd97MqTOPPSROBsUkvoScniC2aDQMXk-keWA/s200/Mom-and-Michael.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036379795197000370" border="0" /></a>I was in Sebastopol to get my mom down to the wedding, and get through the maintenance list on her house, which I enjoy. I was also to deliver a gift parcel to a local resident from a friend in Australia.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikot_Z9qpGBVULEtXQ9Ec3m48l2UIcZPkTzOovePj2wML5y6B_KMhhTk5wZM4URqUQ7GTYiJvBNXrVFd3A3pEo5l0yDjdHrF7pkYQECRNBr1mjOIstNXZfj-Nh2CQ0WKoFfYLsIg/s1600-h/momstudio.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikot_Z9qpGBVULEtXQ9Ec3m48l2UIcZPkTzOovePj2wML5y6B_KMhhTk5wZM4URqUQ7GTYiJvBNXrVFd3A3pEo5l0yDjdHrF7pkYQECRNBr1mjOIstNXZfj-Nh2CQ0WKoFfYLsIg/s200/momstudio.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036380203218893506" border="0" /></a></div>Naturally, the only place to find her on a Friday would be on the main street corner of town in the weekly peace protest. The opposite corner had some guy with a placard full of pictures of soldiers, and so the giant 4WD pickups honked at him and revved their engines at the Peace Girls. Apparently that is some kind of message of support or otherwise. There were "V" peace sign of 30 years ago as well, and it felt like I was in a bit of a time machine. I posed the question that it could be possible to both support the troops <span style="font-style: italic;">and </span>bring them home, but that irony seemed lost on most.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5kVk9Fg-n4VumMMf1VN0OLiJaTtsEkefXOpv77fsCMjp14Mvbv7BLbSi6JjvJbnr-AMhO3lV2M85deW5sY3KMXlfUW0JJyQJKXLH9oUSePRXTZWTyOjZtBGKQPb2tUOXLc2Wng/s1600-h/Sonoma-Winery-woodcarving.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5kVk9Fg-n4VumMMf1VN0OLiJaTtsEkefXOpv77fsCMjp14Mvbv7BLbSi6JjvJbnr-AMhO3lV2M85deW5sY3KMXlfUW0JJyQJKXLH9oUSePRXTZWTyOjZtBGKQPb2tUOXLc2Wng/s200/Sonoma-Winery-woodcarving.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036860895958661906" border="0" /></a>No visit to the Sonoma area is complete without the Russian River and a local vineyard experience. My mother had a favourite one all planned out, one she had hoped to visit for some time.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEML4BaQ27eA4P47aLYtxtXektcJy_yQEiK6Dn2GPiNq7KyFH0sZXSw_u0Kmk9-aUI87fV2Je2D5sLtxRX2IKp65IiSKE9DkQVGXE3r7m7Sx4Gtjb5EwGT70TmOzRE-euNHcIrw/s1600-h/winery-hut.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEML4BaQ27eA4P47aLYtxtXektcJy_yQEiK6Dn2GPiNq7KyFH0sZXSw_u0Kmk9-aUI87fV2Je2D5sLtxRX2IKp65IiSKE9DkQVGXE3r7m7Sx4Gtjb5EwGT70TmOzRE-euNHcIrw/s200/winery-hut.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036861742067219234" border="0" /></a></div>Naturally, it had a sculpture walk and meditation hut, amongst beautiful grounds. Highly recommended, <a href="http://www.paradiseridgewinery.com/">Paradise Ridge</a> has the ultimate view over the valley, along with very elegant winery and function facilities.<br /><br /><br /><br />A cabin on the Russian River had long been a dream for family in the Bay Area, and recently some of them got a little cottage near the town of Healdsburg. It was definitely winter when we stopped by for a visit, but the charm and character is always there, along with the majestic redwoods. It served as a superb day of rest in a hectic week, even though the water levels were quite high. Naturally, it had wireless broadband for us mobile bloggers... Way to go folks!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZu2RPWL3vbk3LabOmIVRmxtyGz42BXvQXtBgXmLdnx58x53FmG-VUEBUPG31xU50xzKjPHOLDZtC1DbyP0PcWt7OYOwrAfVwA-TN6Ie2ccm4pjyhIikk3JxISLJwoA8gIson0_g/s1600-h/Russian-river.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZu2RPWL3vbk3LabOmIVRmxtyGz42BXvQXtBgXmLdnx58x53FmG-VUEBUPG31xU50xzKjPHOLDZtC1DbyP0PcWt7OYOwrAfVwA-TN6Ie2ccm4pjyhIikk3JxISLJwoA8gIson0_g/s200/Russian-river.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036864447896615730" border="0" /></a></div><br />So, the bride and groom are in Baja warming up for the next stage of their lives, I am back in New Zealand on Waiheke and my lovely Karakia Coast, on the tractor and living as deliberate and purposeful as I am able. This particular Americana group of friends and family have gone their respective ways, and I will look forward to seeing them again soon. All is said and done that will be for the time being, and another chapter is opened..<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglulUr1FncWf1JWNKRRmt989E-izL1Q4EwNOu29nsuKxfw3GUkZqAdL_akP5fcZt5p0-FOltKG48Lvk254diyosxz-EVdqQ53bzNn_LRwavTmWdXaupDrjgBnrcl22Cds2cotfA/s1600-h/Lyn-and-Ken-wedding.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglulUr1FncWf1JWNKRRmt989E-izL1Q4EwNOu29nsuKxfw3GUkZqAdL_akP5fcZt5p0-FOltKG48Lvk254diyosxz-EVdqQ53bzNn_LRwavTmWdXaupDrjgBnrcl22Cds2cotfA/s200/Lyn-and-Ken-wedding.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036865418559224642" border="0" /></a></div>Best wishes always to Lyn and Ken, and to all who made the occasion what it was - friends, family and whanau from near and far.<br /><br />Rumi lent words of wisdom during the ceremony, as fitting for marriage as they are for all our own particular journeys through relationship:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-style: italic;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN-US" ><span style="font-size:85%;">The minute I heard my first love story</span><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >I started looking for you, not knowing how blind I was</span></p><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN-US" ></span><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" lang="EN-US" ><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >,<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >They’re in each other all along..</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-65881420100771213152007-02-14T18:26:00.000+13:002007-03-02T15:48:38.766+13:00If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ljy8qv0X36BCLWRuDTvqQMscxKl924_ngzaGa9L5oyGATrQjuEuORXcrgkT-AcdMdjuPuFeZ08BW3Lh3t4o3fOgprS1P2QksdVUnlyN-0bJr5n9lRpv2SwqYehZDNAlCOMH4qw/s1600-h/Patio-table.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ljy8qv0X36BCLWRuDTvqQMscxKl924_ngzaGa9L5oyGATrQjuEuORXcrgkT-AcdMdjuPuFeZ08BW3Lh3t4o3fOgprS1P2QksdVUnlyN-0bJr5n9lRpv2SwqYehZDNAlCOMH4qw/s320/Patio-table.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031257464881072722" border="0" /></a>If you are one of the many that have absolutely <span style="font-style: italic;">had it </span>with holidays like Valentines Day, you are not alone. <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7369581">Songs for the Dumped</a>, whilst not all that tactful, has found a place in our cultural repertoire at this time of year. My favourite is the title of this post. The list is not exhaustive, but NPR does a good job of making an offering for all those whom this holiday is just a bit smarmy and overdone.<br /><br />There is certainly no dearth of events, festivals and activities for those in love or not, in New Zealand's all-too-short but spectacular summer. Long holiday weekends seem to be as common as the Vegemite that traditionally accompanies them. Not many seem to care or know much about the history or reasons behind them, but a day off is a day off...<br /><br />Here on The Rock, we have had the <span style="font-style: italic;">Sculpture on the Gulf</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Waiheke Wine Festival</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">CultureFest</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Little Day In</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Outdoor Cinemas</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Whakanewa Regional Park Opening</span>, and Waitangi Day and Anniversary Day all in the last month. No one can accuse the planners of not taking advantage of this window they have to lure Auckland visitors out here.<br /><br />In between that, I am going to squeeze in two weddings, try to grow some good grapes and olives, and be a host to the stream of visitors that are lured to the magnificence that is the Hauraki Gulf.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYUrbWzu1yP5JMsND1S31ty5mrsT4Uf919DqU9RjtVfcVWp9yVLbuuVCCJ6s2z1wGOSoduS_o2v3fiTVB_Mq_58IL5XdUTSLOp20Ae7ilzi_t92jVmElwoRe27HMQxEJ-jCruRw/s1600-h/Jana-Saren-Sculpture-walk.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYUrbWzu1yP5JMsND1S31ty5mrsT4Uf919DqU9RjtVfcVWp9yVLbuuVCCJ6s2z1wGOSoduS_o2v3fiTVB_Mq_58IL5XdUTSLOp20Ae7ilzi_t92jVmElwoRe27HMQxEJ-jCruRw/s200/Jana-Saren-Sculpture-walk.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031580197313628770" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqftEnlcmQtLGpAo0G_9lmyECigbvtpO1nmi-bZS_tVWxf_4HqvhTJ-Vjtn4KwfcCltxra0KiKCg0Fmsc82wMTnW2MCbJJP6OqGnNL_mcIMkgYhR8TS5RkUwpKhxH6yxaRnonvdQ/s1600-h/Sculpture-walk2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqftEnlcmQtLGpAo0G_9lmyECigbvtpO1nmi-bZS_tVWxf_4HqvhTJ-Vjtn4KwfcCltxra0KiKCg0Fmsc82wMTnW2MCbJJP6OqGnNL_mcIMkgYhR8TS5RkUwpKhxH6yxaRnonvdQ/s200/Sculpture-walk2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031580549500947058" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Sculpture on the Gulf is fast becoming a regular feature on the New Zealand artist trail, and the surroundings could not afford a better backdrop for some of the local talent to showcase their latest works.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I would normally take the walk along the Pohutakawa lined seashore anyway, and to have it so decorated with artworks is just another treat for visitor and resident alike. Air temp 23 deg C, water 20 deg C. The islands long history of catering for and supporting artists continues.<br /><br />Elsewhere in New Zealand, one of my favourite musicians came to play in one of those outdoor vineyard concerts, and the promoters did not bother to find out enough about <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/3944136a1860.html">Eric Clapton</a> to know he is a non-drinker, and promptly named a vintage of their local drop after him to mark the occasion. Oops.<br /><br />I just happened to be making a trip up to the US next week, and of course in the only in America file comes this <a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1587281,00.html">outstanding story of the crazed, in love astronaut</a> driving 900 miles in diapers and weapons in the trunk to deal to her rival for the affection of another astronaut. Do they time these things for Valentines Day, or just write them to boggle the imagination?<br /><br />Houston, she <span style="font-style: italic;">has</span> problems..<br /><br />Oh, and let's not forget about the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2008189,00.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">363 tonnes</span> ($US12Billion) of cash sent to Baghdad</a> shortly after that very well thought out invasion and occupation a few years back. Well, it seems there is precious little information as to where it might have gone, or what it was spent on. Unbelievable really.<br /><br />Before I have my afternoon nap, I can rest assured I am doing something solid for my heart and my health, according to the latest research <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6354855.stm">in this BBC article</a>. That is the kind of news I like.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_KK-rKo41Il4nwDsG9-H9DqFaU3sEJT3VQdbMBM7leRhtEN2HTkdqVO_NZgr5X2AAy9UCvqT_I04Mjpx4OBkRkOow92DLhLWO9KVyvv3HbRqtOPGlB8-6rHbtflv_KDYIxhDlg/s1600-h/Sculpture.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_KK-rKo41Il4nwDsG9-H9DqFaU3sEJT3VQdbMBM7leRhtEN2HTkdqVO_NZgr5X2AAy9UCvqT_I04Mjpx4OBkRkOow92DLhLWO9KVyvv3HbRqtOPGlB8-6rHbtflv_KDYIxhDlg/s320/Sculpture.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031588228902472322" border="0" /></a></div>Remember Carl Sagan? Yeah me too. Don't worry, he isn't on tour. As it turns out, he passed away about 10 years ago, and his partner/collaborator is giving us another glimpse into his vast understanding of the cosmos and life's origins by <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/13/science/13carl.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5070&amp;em&en=3a031dafb2c9bb85&ex=1171602000">publishing some of his most important lectures</a>. In these heated times of God v Science 2.0, his articulate and non threatening belief in the vastness of the universe is a bit of relief. Well worth a read.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-68414448258458856492007-02-06T12:27:00.000+13:002007-02-06T12:33:44.342+13:00Dry Your Eyes<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4fZaWzJqxiHzN2IROfAIrHL8LoQlOQPwsUz0edD8_H6CvfH8by2S6VUpY6x-cpH6F7VoaGCg2SQls7dxVBCCe-bmqWJJEqdd_RSX11PDSQlcOERRzIeaQry1rMfdeizAhRC0yMQ/s1600-h/Alter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4fZaWzJqxiHzN2IROfAIrHL8LoQlOQPwsUz0edD8_H6CvfH8by2S6VUpY6x-cpH6F7VoaGCg2SQls7dxVBCCe-bmqWJJEqdd_RSX11PDSQlcOERRzIeaQry1rMfdeizAhRC0yMQ/s320/Alter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5028196117283189074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >And it taught us more about living</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Than we ever cared to know</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >But we came to find the secret</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >And we never let it go</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br />And it was more than being holy<br />Oh it was less than being free<br />And if you can't recall the reason<br />Can you hear the people sing<br /><br />Right through the lightning and the thunder<br />To the dark side of the moon<br />To that distant falling angel<br />That descended much too soon<br />And come dry your eyes<br /><br />Come dry your eyes.<br /><br />- Neil Diamond<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The groom strode purposefully down the beach, head held high with pride and exhilaration. Behind him were best friends from around the globe, and waiting at the hand made alter (see above) were a small and curious group of family and friends. The feet were bare, the eyes became moist, and the sand soft. A light breeze blew along the seashore as he waited patiently for his destiny to appear.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUH7Tr28TJQLz9ceETFEt8tXxsrnAmWxTLJQg-fB2EGdXenJ69q9N0Rz0vpcr0f-eyYrqL7UNGBbJUk9Mk-LDXNyrinkyR9VjuYVJ3D1JTGfBtd7cRjHRu8p_JypiZ5siEb6r_Q/s1600-h/Shirts.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUH7Tr28TJQLz9ceETFEt8tXxsrnAmWxTLJQg-fB2EGdXenJ69q9N0Rz0vpcr0f-eyYrqL7UNGBbJUk9Mk-LDXNyrinkyR9VjuYVJ3D1JTGfBtd7cRjHRu8p_JypiZ5siEb6r_Q/s200/Shirts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5029326748232501810" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0IEPFPe8UfME7_er7Wo0BX1zkzu1uSfmx2xPHxO1mprXgS1NrxTdudwT3bFBLAJCsAEvhZD8ixPCEOZLt-NOAhHvpJkc4s6BMwUENz9vPfBEn1fswsycdxexFfzOJTOgcqmz8XQ/s1600-h/Bride-and-Father.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0IEPFPe8UfME7_er7Wo0BX1zkzu1uSfmx2xPHxO1mprXgS1NrxTdudwT3bFBLAJCsAEvhZD8ixPCEOZLt-NOAhHvpJkc4s6BMwUENz9vPfBEn1fswsycdxexFfzOJTOgcqmz8XQ/s200/Bride-and-Father.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5029327096124852802" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Dad escorted the lovely young bride at the end of a procession which included a pied piper, and bridesmaids, all looking gloriously bedazzled by the occasion, as were many of the witnesses.<br /><br />This was not an ordinary wedding, but the "union of free spirits", I was told.<br /><br />And so it was.<br /><br />The party went on well into the night at the local Boat Club in Russell, fancifully decked out by friends to cover the salt and stodge of the many yachties that pass through this famous portal of the Pacific. When I too,got married in a boathouse in Puget Sound in Washington State, this bride was not even born, and the groom was 9yrs old.<br /><br />Like so many of these celebrations, it is a time of remembrance, of story, of appreciation, and of family. This story has the immigrant son wandering the globe and landing on an island in New Zealand where his life is changed completely by the people he meets, one of whom he soon marries. Everyone is happy in this moment. And with the tribal drumbeat of our complex relationships to each other, to the earth, and to larger humanity, so continues all of our stories.<br /><br />Come Dry Your Eyes.<br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-53887977345172986592007-01-28T09:57:00.000+13:002007-01-30T15:07:18.305+13:00Only The Lonely<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5lKDBNxuDJGfUEKM9xG8KAo_krvYSiLwyUoT3zGMRaqgUAk6muONpt2ZDIfK9ifoqhFchm8IhE5PbhlJE-qJc811n5J8QWFFcKvQb2XDJyJ32lyZw77vb0le8NqriJjsitFmKw/s1600-h/mana+sanctuary1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5lKDBNxuDJGfUEKM9xG8KAo_krvYSiLwyUoT3zGMRaqgUAk6muONpt2ZDIfK9ifoqhFchm8IhE5PbhlJE-qJc811n5J8QWFFcKvQb2XDJyJ32lyZw77vb0le8NqriJjsitFmKw/s320/mana+sanctuary1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024820766909772082" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >How does it feel<br />To be on your own,<br />With no direction home?<br />Like a complete unknown,<br />Like a rolling stone?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >-Bob Dylan</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />She walks her dog most days along the main roads, disheveled hair and bright red lipstick smeared across her face in a genuine but ill-fated attempt to brighten her lips. Her clothes are third or fourth hand, and the look on her face is a mixture of concentration and bewilderment.<br /><br />She can be found almost anywhere on the island, going nowhere, coming from nowhere, but still moving forward. The polka dot dresses and sneakers can be spotted from a distance, but the solitary figure and her dog give are part of the community, rather than a discarded homeless statistic. Who knows her story? Does it matter?<br /><br />Yesterday, she was alone, without the dog, and without any movement or purpose. She sat on the bus stop with her large red sun hat, staring the ground. No bus can take her where she is going, no friendly chats are forthcoming with The Lady in Red.<br /><br /><br />I am told by long time residents that 20 or 30 years ago, the marginal, the disenfranchised, the eccentric, and the artists (who sometimes were a combination of all of the above), flocked to Waiheke Island. Some perhaps had no choice, and were guests of the State, others saw an opportunity for the natural beauty, isolation, and mystique to inspire and invigorate. It set the tone, which still exists, slightly hidden amidst the recent invasion of Large Black SUVs, trophy homes, and vineyards as the trendy Playgrounds of the Wealthy.<br /><br />Diversity is nothing if not enlightening. We often see others not as we see ourself, but as <span style="font-style: italic;">different</span>. For some that is a challenge and opportunity, for others a threat. But we are in this together, no matter how high a wall we may try to put around us. No man is an island, as the saying goes.<br /><br />With a number of countries surpassing a billion in population, and The Good Old US of A now at 300million, one would think that making and keeping connections with others would have become easier, not more difficult, especially with the growing number of devices and tech advances that make it easier for busy people to keep in touch. Apparently not so. Whether you call it social isolation or disconnectedness, for many people plain loneliness is a haunting presence lurking over their shoulder day and night. One in four Americans now live alone, compared to just 10% in 1950, according to <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14126192/">this AP article</a>. Everyone has their own way of coping, and some do not.<br /><br />Contrast that with the many who have the good fortune to live long and fulfilling lives; taking their opportunities to appreciate every day, and to share their knowledge, wisdom, experience and creativity gained in the process. These are the real leaders for the new world.<br /><br />A good example is <a href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/Utilities/printer_preview.asp?idArticle=13187&R=111EE2AA9E">this brilliantly witty essay from Joseph Epstein</a>, reflecting on the changes in life upon reaching that most profound of decades, the 70s. Very well worth the read. And the Guardian's David Thompson recently had <a href="http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,1972299,00.html">an overview of successful artists in their 70s</a>, not the least of whom is Clint Eastwood, making the best films of his life.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span>Families are scattered all over the island on this holiday weekend, on their yachts, in the campgrounds, or crammed into the many baches sprinkled over the hills and coastline. Some are happy, some are not. Some are wealthy, some are not. They are together, with their friends and families and colleagues and sometimes complete strangers. We are tied together in this knot of complex, interwoven and changing relationships throughout our lives.<br /><br />Whether we have a large circle of friends to call on, or a small one, it can be the lifeblood of our interaction in this world of increasing complexity and uncertainty. Our inner strength is a reservoir that can fluctuate with the seasons or the reasons. Certainly it needs replenishing with the support of close association with others, either in <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> world or in<span style="font-style: italic;"> another...<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4iA70oJOIC2oOwVlBQw_KqibKPW8-sUlMCixi7gOQ2Xgm63g0Jy4KZ3iJmTFaWdbzVkr0phbZ0InlJC546Ltb6GdlrpGXXZif4hKdh4W06mhSjBKSpGkSXzHFdMN2IrcQEsl3A/s1600-h/Sol-picnic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4iA70oJOIC2oOwVlBQw_KqibKPW8-sUlMCixi7gOQ2Xgm63g0Jy4KZ3iJmTFaWdbzVkr0phbZ0InlJC546Ltb6GdlrpGXXZif4hKdh4W06mhSjBKSpGkSXzHFdMN2IrcQEsl3A/s200/Sol-picnic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5025180015154278722" border="0" /></a>While on families, one of the weddings I am attending this summer had a pre-Big Day picnic down by waters edge this weekend, many of the family and friends having traveled all the way Down Under from Europe for the occasion. They seem to be certainly enjoying the relaxed summer season and vibe here after leaving Northern Hemisphere temperatures not worth mentioning. We talked about the whanau, the fairies, and the New Zealand way of life, amongst good food, good company and frisbee.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn like fabulous roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue center light pop and everybody goes "AWWW!"<br /><br />Jack Kerouac<br />On the Road<br />1957</span></div><br />Many people come and go in my life. I am grateful for the practice and the experience each and every one has given me, even if it is buried all <span style="font-style: italic;">Freudian-like</span> deep in my subconscious somewhere. Some stay that I want to go, others go that I want to stay, but the point is this(and there is a point): Our story is unique to us, and it can be refreshingly healthy to share the common threads with others close, knowing we are <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> alone in this most mysterious and marvelous of journeys. We may at times <span style="font-style: italic;">feel lonely</span>, and that can actually be a very precious gift of solitude. The only constant we can be sure of in <span>this</span> world is change however, and it can come in an instant without any warning. So be prepared.<br /><br />The Lady in Red will keep on walking in different directions until she stops. I will see her again tomorrow and be reminded once again of the temporal nature of this life. She may be lonely, but she is not alone.<br /></div><br /></div></div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-1169241535204531422007-01-20T09:50:00.000+13:002007-01-21T17:08:43.046+13:00Spiritual Maturity?<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4279/2412/1600/488395/butterfly.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4279/2412/320/707003/butterfly.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The minute I heard my first love story</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I started looking for you, not knowing</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">how blind that was.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Lovers don't finally meet somewhere.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">They're in each other all along."<br /><br />-Rumi<br /><br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">My sister gets married next month in California. A friend that lives nearby here on Waiheke gets married the week before up in the Bay of Islands, a beautiful part of New Zealand. I will attend both and support their commitments to shared lives together. There will no doubt be celebrations worthy of the institution and the wonderful people taking part. A social fabric that at once is both revered and heavily criticised, still holds court all over the world in ways that no other pact does between two humans.<br /><br />We are inherently social creatures. Our ability to work together in sustainable ways to leave a better planet for our children is not helped by the <a href="http://money.guardian.co.uk/ethicalmoney/story/0,,1834973,00.html">rising level of single person households</a>, a trend happening in all "developed" countries with populations that can afford such luxuries. Still, there are a number of creative accomodation arrangements emerging through either necessity or desire. To have both community and harmony (often difficult), intimacy and solitude (often necessary), is an area of life that challenges cultural immunity. Any experiment outside cultural norms, and protection comes swiftly and often severely. One of the backlashes from the 60's and 70's communal movement is the current hijacking of American society by the religious right.<br /><br />Extended families, or "whanau" is a concept embraced heavily amongst the Polynesian cultures, and whilst not necessarily a link through blood alone, the strong connection and sense of responsibility is there, and the support for the youngsters is shared and diverse. That was definitely one of the most positive aspects of my communal experiment, and my daughter agrees now 20 odd years later. The care was both genuine and unconditional.<br />Whatever works.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.greenwood.com/catalog/author/S/John_F._Schumaker.aspx">John Schumaker</a> writes extensively in <span style="font-style: italic;">In Search of Happiness</span> about personal satisfaction and the quest for some "thing" that becomes more and more unattainable in current times. <a href="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JQP/is_391/ai_n16619371/pg_3">In this article</a>, he explains how the ancient Greek philosophers used to equate happiness with virtues such as loyalty, friendship, moderation, honesty, compassion and trust. Today, it is more about what we think we need to <span style="font-style: italic;">own, </span><font>or<span style="font-style: italic;"> who we need to be with</span> in order to be happy. The conspiracy, as he calls it, is not driven by our genetic disposition, but rather our cultural attitudes, and is not sustainable. The Greek virtues, the Navajo hozho ("may you walk in beauty") are conditions that do not rely on any type of self gratification, which never lasts. They either exist or they do not. The question begs asking then, if something is not lasting, how real is it?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: some things are within our control and some things are not".<br /><br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><font><font>-Epictetus</span></span></span></span><font><font><font><br /></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></div><font><font><font><font><br />Indeed. And as the Talmud says wisely, <span style="font-style: italic;">"we do not see the world as it is, we see the world as we are".</span> In another clever <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/18/fashion/18difficult.html?em&ex=1169355600&en=e831bf11d16641cb&ei=5070">NY Times piece</a> called "<span style="font-style: italic;">Help, I am Surrounded by Jerks</span>" (sound familiar?), we are made aware of the growing plethora of material available to help us deal with "difficult people". Whether you take a seminar, read any number of books, or listen to tapes, it all comes down to realising (either through pain of experience, or good fortune), that we cannot control anyone (or anything for that matter), only our reactions or responses.<br /><br />Real spiritual maturity begins then with the ability to allow events beyond our control to weave their inevitable way through our lives without letting them rock our foundations.<br /><br /><br /><br />Not at all difficult are the tuis, or parson birds, that have been especially prolific around Rocky Bay this summer, with the consistent flowering of trees and shrubs providing ample meals and good nests...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4279/2412/1600/24893/Tui-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4279/2412/320/650101/Tui-1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>This one stays perched outside my bedroom window early each morning, and making sure I am up at the right time.<br /><br />Widespread in New Zealand, they have an iridescent sheen, with the most conspicuous feature being the white tuft of feathers on the neck.<br /><br />With a noisy flight and fluid, melodic song, it is certainly one of the true delights amongst the many companions in the forest. Another reminder perhaps of wider perspectives on the nature of divinity and spiritual understanding.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/south_asia_hindus_take_dip_at_holy_festival/html/1.stm">The Holy Men</a> covering themselves in ash and bathing in a dirty (sorry, holy) river every year in Allahabad in India have other concerns. They won't have problems dealing with "difficult people"; they are no doubt beyond that. They will miss the song of the tui as well. When you live in a country with a billion others, difficult can be a relative term. The rituals and the ceremonies that "talk story", as the Hawai'ians like to say, may indeed have something to say, but how <span style="font-style: italic;">real</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">are they</span> in the overall context of this short life?<br /><br />As a wise man said to me once:<br /><br /></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><font><font><font><font><font>Watch your thoughts</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><font><font><font><font><font><font><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >They become actions</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Watch your actions</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >They become character</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Watch your character</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >It becomes your destiny</span><font><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><br />And the next time someone tells you about how toxic some chemical or another is, be sure to remember <font>that<span style="font-style: italic;"> everything</span> is at some point, including <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6263029.stm">water.</a> The key is the dosage. Whoever thinks up these stupid (and now deadly) contests on AM radio <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> needs to get a life, and they could start by knowing what they are doing.<br /><br />I suppose we all could.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-1168668808221323602007-01-13T19:06:00.000+13:002007-01-16T10:06:38.976+13:00A Suspension of Disbelief<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4279/2412/1600/34863/Rocky-Bay-harbor-eve.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4279/2412/320/828411/Rocky-Bay-harbor-eve.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >"Life is what happens to you while<br />you are busy making other plans"<br /><br />-John Lennon<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I often wonder if I am the only one that sees a totally unsustainable movie playing before my eyes when I walk into the supermarket and see Italian kiwifruit and California apples for sale here in New Zealand. NEW ZEALAND, for heavens sake, where we have spearheaded the innovation and development of these two wonderful and healthy fruits for years! Even though I have the privilege of being a consumer in the same country and proximity where they are grown, They are not available to me.<br /><br />I must travel down the back roads and head out to farming country to buy direct from the grower in order to get fruit that is not flown in from half way around the world.<br /><br />We are subject to the inexorable march of globalisation, with its artificially cheap products and services making us feel we are <span style="font-style: italic;">so</span> fortunate with all our choice. We are in fact, supporting an unsustainable process of food distribution around the world. This industrialisation of our most essential of commodities is a process that requires increasingly more energy to bring goods to market than it provides the consumer. A net loss I believe it can be termed. <a href="http://www.michaelpollan.com/">Michael Pollan </a>has written widely and articulately on the subject.<br /><br />And the fruit can be weeks, if not months old, thanks to even more energy-hungry Controlled Atmosphere storage. Another marvellous and innovative </span><span style="font-size:100%;">advance in</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> technology that allows fruit that would otherwise be eaten within days of harvest, complete with natural sugars and sweetness, to be now harvested early and stored indefinitely in order to meet specific market demands. Remember what a vine ripened tomatoe tasted like? Jeff Nield of Aternet writes <a href="http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/46472/">here </a>that it is possible in most places to have a healthy and nutritious diet by eating food grown within a 100 mile radius of where you live. It should not be so difficult unless one lives in an extreme climate.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/11/fashion/11VEGAN.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5070&amp;em&en=915da9da3037fac6&ex=1168664400"><span style="font-style: italic;">Vegan chic</span> could only come out of New York</a>, and the demand seems to be growing for fashion without animal cruelty, and that could only be a good thing. You might be surprised at the styles and marketing some entrepreneurs are coming up with in an effort to please their discerning clients in a green yet trendy way. Whatever works for you.<br /><br />Thinking big...Whether you like their "product" or not, global superstar celebrity is a saavy and successful marketing industry. The Idol series piggybacks on that understanding, but the ones that are there, have tremendous understanding of how to work media attention. Think Cruise, Bono, Jobs, Madonna, and of course known worldwide to all but still fresh to Americans, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/sports/soccer/12beckham.html?em&ex=1168837200&en=6a5bdc5a3df60f79&ei=5070">David Beckham</a>; who has just negotiated a <a href="http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1989337,00.html">$50M a year contract</a> to market football (soccer) in the states. Oh yes, he will also play for team called the LA Galaxy. Of course you have heard of it!<br /><br />Condition branding sells, and to have youth, fame, fortune, and (except for the case of Paris Hilton) talent, is a potent mix attracting the highest commercial bidder who sees a big return over 4 or 5 years in merchandise and endorsements. It will be an uphill battle to try to convince Americans to embrace the <span style="font-style: italic;">beautiful game, </span>with their own sports so well established. With a growing immigrant population, however, the challenge is there. Good luck to him. If he teams up with Cruise in a movie though, I think I might have seen enough.<br /><br />Speaking of American Idol, and perhaps its franchises in many parts of the world, <a href="http://music.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1988155,00.html">this Guardian article shows how off the mark they really are</a>. I don't think I have been able to sit through a whole episode, and now that the main player has dissed my main man Bob, it is definitely OFF the list. Get a life, buddy!<br /><br />A bit of nostalgia for the aging hippie crowd. <a href="http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/14/BEIN.TMP">40 years since the Famous Be-In</a> that started the summer of Love. A bit corny perhaps? But compared with the public lynchings of Middle East dictators, I would have to say not a bad effort, folks.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of looking at things"<br /><br />-Henry Miller<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24103484.post-1168476297114303582007-01-11T12:47:00.000+13:002007-01-13T10:25:37.576+13:00Shape Shifting<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4279/2412/1600/715743/Onetangi-beach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4279/2412/320/102247/Onetangi-beach.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"He lives well</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">who is well hidden"<br /><br />-Rene Descartes<br /></span></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I often wonder what meaning <span style="font-style: italic;">re-create</span> takes on in the context of todays fast paced society. Many holidaymakers are over on the island for the next few weeks, making the most of their time away from office, home, and regular routines. With an increasing amount of activities on offer for them here, is there actually any "re-creating" taking place?<br /><br />I would suggest the guy that was in such a hurry he had to pass me in a <span style="font-style: italic;">carpark </span>for heavens sake, is not taking full use of the opportunity he has here. The sign upon landing at the car ferry says "Slow Down -You're Here". That is just one of the reminders we have for visitors. Is it possible for people to change gears when they are on holiday, or is it now just another duty to be checked off the list of things to do, a latte-fueled charge down to the beach with Blackberry in hand, checking emails and keeping the motor on the SUV running, just in case?<br /><br />If "work" and "play" were not words that had such emotive images attached to them, it might be a different story. "Work hard - Play Hard", and "Just Do It", are but two of the marketing slogans that have been imbibed in our culture of Continuous Partial Attention.<br /><br />I remember the best (and perhaps the only) nugget of useful information I received out of all those years of management training and personal growth programmes. There is no such thing as Time Management. We all have the same time. 24hrs in a day. No one has any less or any more. How can something like <span style="font-style: italic;">time</span> be managed? It is our <span style="font-style: italic;">priorities</span> that are managed. What we do with the <span style="font-style: italic;">same</span> time we have each day. The next time I hear someone say "there are just not enough hours in the day to get everything done", I may have to kindly point out that there isn't much chance of a change in that department. The great New Yorker cartoon recently had two men standing at Stonehenge and quipping, <span style="font-style: italic;">"Now that we have invented time, perhaps we should create deadlines".<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Perhaps indeed... We wouldn't want to miss anything IMPORTANT, would we?<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4279/2412/1600/43111/sadhu.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 115px; height: 162px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4279/2412/320/962648/sadhu.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div> </div> </div> I think often about what is really<span style="font-style: italic;"> important</span> in my life, and what simply is part of an interruption-driven desire to meet somebody else's expectations. Sure, we all have clients, bosses, friends, relatives, spouses, etc. that ask for our time, that most valuable of resources. This needs looking at from a wider perspective. For in each present moment, there is an opportunity to improve our lives, as well as the lives of others by our example. To <span style="font-style: italic;">re-create</span> is an important part of that process.<br /><br /><br /><br />It is not a difficult process, believe me, as demonstrated New Years Day, with some "quality time" amongst friends in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4279/2412/1600/270907/Taruanga-New-Years-07.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 261px; height: 175px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4279/2412/320/560763/Taruanga-New-Years-07.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Notice the distinct lack of activity. An important part of the "re-creation" programme!<br /><br />The iconic kiwi shed, long recognised for the healing qualities it brings out in male energy, works just as well in the formation of long term relationship building(I have been visiting this couple on their two acre plot for over a decade).<br /><br />Fresh veges from the garden, avocados from the tree, and ice tea on the veranda. Thanks Paula and Robin!<br /><br />Meanwhile..<br /><br />On another plane (or planet) altogether... quote of the week, has to go to the US Secretary of State, Ms Rice, who has <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1988306,00.html">implored Iran and Syria to "end their de-stabilising behaviour"</a> in the region of Iraq.<br /><br />Eh? Who took these people off their meds?<br /><br />And what is sending in 150,000 soldiers occupy a country for 3 years, creating untold amount of suffering and chaos, after bombing the infrastructure to the dark ages considered? Stabilising?<br /><br />Gimme a break.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">-Albert Schwietzer</span></span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4279/2412/1600/43111/sadhu.jpg"><br /></a></div> </div><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4279/2412/1600/43111/sadhu.jpg"><br /></a></div></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></div>Karakia Coast...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11889755731545824350noreply@blogger.com0