Brief rundown of Show day weekend

On Friday I went for a quick rider around a small nature reserve not far from where I live called Holmes Jungle. I thought it was time I explored a bit deeper into the unknown area that lies beyond the creek. It is an amazing habitat out there. When you enter the reserve your are in open woodland and venture through a little bit of savannah, heading down hill alongside a natural watercourse you find yourself at a permanent creek that supports a whole other ecosystem and the palms and riparian plants. This ‘Jungle’ greets you like you’re walking into a living wall and the difference is immediate as soon as you step into the jungle it is cooler, darker and more humid than the area outside.
It is such a contrast when you cross the river and find a totaly treeless expanse of water weeds and reeds! The are surrounding my bike in this photo is completely saturated. I started riding along what I thought was a track and found that I was actual riding across floating reeds that had woven themselves into a kind of natural mat. I didn't want to damage the area and had no chance of riding across it but it was quite a surprising spot to stumble into. The track I returned on was also interesting the ground was sandy and there was totally different vegetation to what I'd passed on the way in.



Went to Royal Darwin show on Saturday morning to see Play school 40th anniversary concert. We got there bright and early for the 9:30 show but had our times mixed up and it actually started at 11:30 so we met up with a Gillian and Amy with a couple of their friends and took the girls on a few rides.
The Play school performance was great! I sat with the kids and ate Boston bun with a cup of tea and was thoroughly entertained by Karen Pang, my favorite Play school host of all time! She is awesome and has an amazing energy that zips out and totally captivates the children, and me. After the performance the kids went straight up to her and gave her a big hug! Unfortunately Jay wasn't there but Teo did a great job too.

Oh and there will be no photos of the show because our new 2nd hand camera wouldn't work! So we got one trial roll out of it and that was all. Total cost. Camera $10, Battery $10 Developing $16 (half hour express) Roll of film $4 Total $40!

After Play school we quickly went home packed the car then headed off for tumbling waters; again. It's really great spot and it's beginning to feel a bit like home for us as we've already been about three times this year. I may leave the tent set up permanently there and we'll make it our weekend home. It was fairly cool last night, even with two sheets and a thick sleeping bag over us!

On the way home we stopped in at the berry springs nature park and went for a swim. The water was clear and warm. It was a fantastic way to spend a Sunday morning and we may do that again next time also.

Peak Oil

Peak Oil.

Have you ever wondered how much oil is left? How much demand has grown? How long will you be able to drive your car before the cost of fuel becomes prohibitive? What will be the global consequences of increased fuel prices? Will global warming disrupt human activities through environmental catastrophes so soon that we don't even have time to burn up all the remaining fossil fuels anyway?
I wonder about these things often and so I am totally amazed when people get all upset about the cost of fuel at the moment. Don't get me wrong I cringe every time I fill up but to actually expect the prices to drop is a bit ridiculous! Maybe there is some strange logic behind the idea that the 'perceived' high price of fuel is temporary and will some day return to 'normal'. Even if for some reason it did come down it would only be a temporary thing. Realistically the cost of fuel is going to go UP and UP and UP! Just like there is some logic behind the idea that Australia can support a population of 40,000,000 people, and things will start looking up just as soon as this darned drought is over. I am 36 years old and I've been hearing that one as long as I can remember. Maybe there isn't a drought. Maybe this is just the way this country is but we can't accept that because it requires us to take a conservative attitude towards development! Maybe there's no point speculating about what is normal because normal has gone out the window because the climate it is a changing. Even if for some reason the price did come down it would only be a temporary thing.

Oil is a finite resourse that, despite it's impermanence, we have built our entire infrastructure, economy, trade, cities, modern human civilization to rely apon as though it will be there for ever! If this is the age of Oil, which, judging by how many cars there are on the road I would say it is, then we are currently living in what has become known as the time of Peak Oil. Of course supply will fail to meet demand! At least from the perspective of it meeting the demand or consumption as it currently stands. Not at some distand time in the inconceivable future, but if the model for peak fuel is acurate we should be preparing for this huge change right now.

If you don't know what Peak Oil is then look it up. Here are some links to start you off.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_oil

http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/

It's simple stuff really but for some reason the worlds of media and politics do not apear to function in anything other than a reactionary state. So we cry about the cost of fuel and the pollies do what they can to gratify our immediate demands and we say thank you but it wasn't enough but we'll take it anyway. Do we ever bother to ask, "but what is really happening in this world anyway?" Rarely! The similarities between this situation and the very things that Orwell and Huxley had warned us about are too many to laugh about. Wow It's so weird reading and seeing science fiction while living it at the very same time.
If you are unconcerned about the current state of affairs and think that the wonders of science will find a solution to this problem, you are probably right. Already drinking water recycled from sewage is being seriously considered by at least one Australian municipality, due to the unavailability of fresh drinking water and nuclear reactors are already back on the drawing board for Australia as a suitable alternative to burning fossil fuels. I'm sure that science will come up with something that will save us from our terrible fate but when they offer you those protein pills to replace fresh food when it becomes too scarce, please take my advice. Don't eat the green ones!

Teaboy

teaboy
Originally uploaded by davidfntau.

Teaboy the surfer is wearing his flower hat.

After having read the newspaper and seen the news; life's bitter reality had become a little more than the usually chilled out Teaboy could take. Perpetual violence in the Middle East, fanatics, bombs and terror everywhere people squabbling over the price of oil as though it can be grown cheaply on a farm somewhere by under paid peasants! Information blasting at him from every direction but never a solution.
POWER - HATE - BOMBS - MONEY - WATER - FOOD - PLASMA SCREEN TVS - MP3 - REALITY TV - GETTIN - SPEND - QUE JUMPERS - NUCLEAR POWERED ALTERNATIVES - GUNS - RAPISTS - UNLOVED CHILDREN - STARVING ELEPHANTS - OIL - SCREAMING - FIGHTING - INTEREST RATES - etc... etc...

Teaboy decided it was time for action! He put down his paper and turned off the TV. He made a pot of tea..... It was time...

He put on his crinkled old flower hat and....

Humdrum

Humdrum...

I may have had some good news yesterday. I checked The Canon site and found that there is a fault in the wiring of a range of canon digital cameras and the PowerShot A75 is one of them. I sent the camera off for repair straight away and hopefully it will be repaired for free! That will be fantastic! As always I really started to appreciate all the cameras excellent features when I thought I might never be able to use it again. I suppose we’ll see in a couple of weeks if anything can be done.

10 Canoes..... The Movie

Last night I went out on my own and left my girls at home; I finally got to see 10 Canoes. What a great film! It was fantastic to see an all-indigenous cast in a film telling their own story! The characters were great and it seemed to really pass on the story telling process. The film was funny and it was serious!

As the narrator pointed out, these simple but drawn out stories pass on a complex network of relationship, law, morals, and a code of ethics that need to be remembered and followed. They are told, as in the story itself, in a way that a young impatient youth or child can understand and they pass on concepts that would require a great deal of maturity to understand otherwise.

As we are watching the impatient young Dayindi (Jamie Gulpilil) being given the story I felt like there was another story being told. This story was for us Balandas. I would not like to speculate here too much what we were intended to learn from the story; maybe one thing…. maybe another…. Maybe both, or none at all. But there were strong messages about having respect and learning from our predecessors and about respecting and adhering to lessons of the past. The story Dayindi wanted to hear did not end as he’d expected. I felt there were a lot of parallels between his young naivety and the ignorance of us Balanda in matters of etiquette and respect. Dayidi coveted his brother’s wife but he was immature and didn’t understand the responsibilities that accompanied his desire. Wow…..! Sounds like the Balanda approach to the land itself! But maybe I read too much into these stories? Why not? Isn’t that what they’re for? Don’t they exist for this very reason? To make us think about our actions. To remind us that there is such a thing as ‘right action’ and so there must also be ‘wrong action’.

I hope there will be many more films like this, made in the N.T, where people still have their language and stories are remembered. It may not be too late to rescue these treasures from the fate that so much culture has suffered in other parts of this country.

After the film I wandered back through Mitchel Street. Bright lights, blaring Plasma screen TV's, a bar on every corner and every place in between. It has changed so much in the past few years! Modern bustling and appealing to every whim of the cosmopolitan tourist especially if they are looking for a traditional English/Irish Franchise bar experience! It's Hedonists paradise offering a well earned break for all those foot sore adventure eco-tourists who've been there and done that and would now just like to be teleported back to the nightlife to which they are Dependant on. People come to the Territory for that unique wilderness experience and when they get to Darwin they want a break from all that and seek the familiarity of a bustling urban environment. So we give it to them. I didn't see one black face in the street!
It looks like the intensive program of getting indigenous people off Darwin streets and back to the communities they came from appears to be working.
I don't spend much time mixing it in the street so I wonder if the indigenous police have the right to humbug the drunken tourists as well as indigenous people?

Camera

While at the Nightcliff market this morning Sam and I went and had a look at the 2nd hand bookshop. We found a few books of interest but there was also a pocket camera that I wanted so we had to choose between one of the books and the camera. Before I knew what was happening Sam had already bought the camera! She knew I wanted a new one since our digital camera had blown up. What a champion!
The camera is a Samsung VEGA 77i. I managed to find a couple of reviews on the internet that recommended it and mentioned that it had a good lens. The camera was $10 and I had to get a battery which also cost $10. Hopefully It will see us through until we can afford another digital one.

Photos
Finally my photos have been developed. I'd almost forgotten what they were of. I took nearly a whole roll when we were at Litchfield 2 weeks ago.

My daughter and I went for an early morning walk and were lucky enough to see some beautiful birds. Here are some of the birds we saw.


Red-winged Parrots



Red-backed Wrens (Female or a male in non-breeding colours, I can't tell.)


Black Kites


We also managed to get pretty close to some Agile Wallabies, these ones are pretty wild so they took off when we got too close. It was great to see them in a more natural setting than out in an open padock somewhere.



I remember I did have some film left after that trip so wandered down to a burned patch of bush behind the Uni where I saw heaps of Red-tailed Black cockatoos.


Red-tailed Black Cockatoo

Camera, Cool Mob and canoes

Time has been slipping away as usual and I haven’t had much to add to the blog but I thought I’d better make an effort just to keep it ticking and to move some of those pictures down the line so the blog won’t take so long to load!
I’ve had more camera problems! Out of two rolls of film I put in to be developed last week one came back blank and the other hasn’t returned at all! I’ve gone to collect them 3 times this week and have been disappointed every time. What a bummer!

Cool Mob

We got the results from our energy audit the other day and came out with a fairly low carbon count, however it counted our family as three people that means that our 2-year-old daughter is counted the same as an adult. This would bring the carbon count per person down a bit because she doesn’t use anything herself and doesn’t yet own her own car. So I guess if we could keep our count down to the level it is at we should be managing ok. It’s still a lot of carbon use though Tons every year!
The audit was well worthwhile and we received a 12-page document that addressed our current situation in detail, and offered energy saving solutions. Sam has already started to implement some of the suggestions.

10 Canoes

There was a documentary on last night called ‘Making 10 Canoes’. I can’t wait to see the film while it’s still screening in Darwin. I missed the premiere and was even more disappointed when I saw friend’s photos of the night! It must have been a proud moment for the actors to be publicly acknowledged in Darwin, a place where they might otherwise have been asked to move along. Here's a link to the web site: http://www.tencanoes.com.au/tencanoes/
Of course anything that isn’t a Hollywood blockbuster doesn’t get much of a run at the cinemas here, even if it is an acclaimed local production! The documentary was very good, but was another reminder of how little we see of indigenous society in the media. It was a great example of how a little respect can go a long way when it comes to improving our relationships with other people. I can’t help imagining what this place might be like if we sought to encourage and value the practice and continuation of other cultures.
While I'm on the subject of Indigenous culture I thought you might like to check out US MOB it is a great interactive website that allows you to venture into the world of some central Australian kids who do a great job of telling their story.

CoolMob

Last week we joined CoolMob and on Saturday had an energy audit done on our unit. Coolmob is a:
"Community project to help Darwin and
Palmerston households save greenhouse
gas emissions" Coolmob NT



It was nice to chat with the auditor and learn how we could reduce our unnecessary consumption of electricity.


OOOoopssss! I had a really long post about energy, conservation and the demise of my cameras but I accidentally deleted it. I'll take that as a sign that I shouldn't be filling my blog with negative or pessimistic stuff!

So anyway just to slip one in here's a photo of me. I thought my camera was broken but it appears to be taking photos exactly as I see the world (Today anyway). It reminds me a bit of the destruction of the Wicked Witch of the West from 'The Wizard of OZZ'..

Aoww I'm meeelting.... meeeltiiiing!......

Three Faces of Love

It is amazing that (going by my own personal experience) the average Australian knows very little about the cultural practices or beliefs of his/her neighbours! Rather than learning more to and gaining a better understanding of each other in order to develop better relationships small pieces of knowledge are often used to form stereotypes and devalue other cultures.
If due to my lack of education I appear to be ignorant to many things I can rest assured that I am not alone in this country. I think there's a good chance that most of us wouldn't even understand the roots of our own culture and so don't really understand our place in the world. To venture out from that flimsy base and learn about others may be too much to ask of us.
I like living in Darwin which is a fairly open and culturally diverse place because although it is still an Anglo dominated society, there is a cultural openness that is free of the commonplace bigotry I knew as a kid.
How cruel to tell people they must assimilate, but no matter how hard they try they are never really accepted anyway.

I'm not going to write a thesis about this and don't want to ramble but I have to say that even as a native born white Australian I felt excluded and that there was something seriously lacking in the culture of my upbringing. Maybe that's because I didn't fit either I was never interested in Ausie Rules Football so was in a sense a social outcast in the microcosm of Melbourne sport obsessed culture.
So here I am living in Darwin at the opposite end of a country I really knew nothing about. And life here is much different but there are still huge voids between people who really should know a lot more about each other. In a way sport does cross that boundary, howeverIt is still based on assimilation to a singular defined set of rules rather than an apreciation of diversity. I try to open my own mind, which brings me to the purpose of this whole post.
Books & literature. I have recently come by some great books of and about Aboriginal culture in Northern Australia. It is amazing how much has been documented and how extraordinary the stories are that have been collected; yet they are unknown to most people. I am currently reading a book called 'Three Faces of Love' which has some remarkable stories (translated) from the people of East Arnhem Land. The book is an abridged version of stories written in a book called Love Songs of Arnhem Land and is just one of several I have acquired.
It is amazing how much exists within other cultures that we could share and learn from yet we continue hold these things in contempt and prefer our own ldeas born from ignorance.
I guess as a person who is somehow dissatisfied with the value systems I have inherited and the modern consumer culture that dominates my society I like to find alternative belief systems that are more acceptable to my spirit. Although I am quite aware that there is no ideal culture and every system has it’s shortfalls I am also quite concerned that as a collective we may be sacrificing the very things that make our humanity so special. So absorbing as much as I can of this stuff is a great distraction and education for me. It helps me to understand the gaps in my own world view and validates my feeling that all is not well. In doing this I am able to take on or adopt values that are acceptable to me and allow me to live in good conscience knowing my beliefs are based on a broader pool of human experience….

So anyway I’ve got a pile of books that were destined for disposal and have already discovered some very discriptive and personal accounts of lifestyles I previously knew nothing about.
One other book 'The Gaia Atlas of First Peoples' by Julian Burger provides a brief and slightly idealized view of indigenous people from around the world and describes various aspects of their traditional practices, how they've been affected by colonial powers, how indigenous people are dealing with change and various other issues they face.

It's funny I had only just put this book down when Message Stick appeared on the TV. The whole episode featured the thoughts of several prominent Aboriginal men speaking about issues of personal empowerment and leadership within Aboriginal Australian society. The program was introduced by former Democrat senator Aiden Ridgeway; who also carried a message of hope that young Aboriginal people would take up the cause to enrich and contribute meaningfully to the culture of their people and in fact all people.

Bees

That sore throat has returned! I must need to eat the jam more regularly!

Native Stingless Bees are quite common around Darwin. We have a nest in an old Didgeridoo in our back yard, so I've been thinking about ways of getting some real natural honey and have decided that I'll try and split the nest and start a hive.
Now I think this is a great idea but Sam was suitably unimpressed! I have a few ideas of how I can do this using recycled gear but I'll be ordering some literature from the Australian Native Bee Research Centre (there is one you know) just to make sure I'm doing it right.

Bread and Jam

This morning I got up and made myself toast with some of that special jam. I believe the jam has a little something special in it and all my worries just melted away, so did my sore throat which I've been carrying for nearly a month now!

Litchfield Park...

This weekend we managed to escape Darwin and made a trip to Litchfield National Park. Leaving Darwin at midday on Saturday we still had time to visit the Adelaide River War Memorial and do the short walk to Tolmer falls lookout before heading to Wangi Tourist Park. The camp ground is in a really nice location about 5 km past Wongi Falls and the facilities are quite clean.
It is a pretty time to be travelling around in the Top End. The whole country is absolutely covered in blossoms and flowers of one type or another! While out there we saw 100s of Lorikeets feasting on the Grevilleas that were in flower, at dusk when the Lorikeets were departing for their nightime roosts, the flying foxes moved in to enjoy the feast.



Dana and I went for an early morning walk and saw lots of Agile Walabies along with a great variety of birds including some Red-backed Fairy-wrens (not in breeding colours), Forrest Kingfishers and Red-winged Parrots which we were able to get fairly close to. The scent of nectar was thick in the air so we soon found ourselves sampling the delicious nectar and flowers of the Fern-leaved Grevillea (Grevillea pteridifolia). MMmm delicious!
This morning we all went to Wangi Falls and did a short walk, starting at the pool, climbing the escarpment (by stairs) we then crossed the river and returned via the other side of the pool. Along the way we came across the 39km loop walk, which I'd like to do over a couple of days. This one includes some bush camping and crosses some more remote country on the escarpment.
We also saw 3 Partridge Pigeons at the side of the road which was a real treat, hopefully Sam got a photo of one of these on my Canon EOS 630. The digital camera is working intermittently and is very unreliable!

Stands alone

Silky Oak
Originally uploaded by davidfntau.

I've been fascinated by this tree lateley.
It's a Silky Oak (Grevillea robusta). This one single tree trapped in a sea of concrete appears to be surviving against the odds. Back in Melbourne they're everywhere but this is the only one I've ever seen in Darwin. It is contained in a tiny patch of soil at the edge of a service bay in between a carpark and a service entrance of a large shopping centre. There has been construction all around it but for some reason the tree has been spared. I don't know how long it's been there or if anyone else has ever even noticed it. I've been here about 9 years and don't remember when I first noticed it but this tree never seems to change. It doesn't appear to have grown and I never notice any flowers on it. Maybe this is what has helped it escape detection and allowed it to survive in such an inhospitable environment. What a battler!
Coincidentally there are heaps of Grevillea species in the Northern Territory, they are quite a diverse group of plants which range from low growing ground covers to medium sized shrubs. This species (native to eastern Australia) is the largest that I am aware of.

Dadap Tree

The amazing tree that all the birds are attracted to is called a Coastal Coral Tree (Erythrina caffra).
Kafir-boom in it's home South Africa, Thong-lang in Thailand and Dadap or Dedap in Indonesia and Malaysia. It is drought tollerant which makes it well suited to Darwin's climate of wet - dry conditions.
The Dadap is a sacred tree in Bali and is considered a symbol of fertility. The tree features in Balinese ceremonies including the wedding ceremony. "After circling the compound three times a string connecting two branches of the dadap tree is severed by the couple passing through it." (Wedding & Tooth Filing, Bali Travel Guidebook).
Dadap is also believed to have medicinal properties and parts of it are used to treat various ailments.








Big Blackfella

The current issue of Australian Geographic, issue.83 (2006 Jul - Sep), has a story titled BIG BLACKFELLA on page. 34. While making our 4 day dash to Melbourne back in April my Dad and I happened to see him from the road (Stuart Hwy).
He was a magnificent site standing tall high on a rocky escarpment like a sentinel watching over his country. He was a giant whose view encompassed everything in the land from horizon to horizon. We tried to get closer to him to find out more but settled for a slightly closer view from the road before we continued on our way.
According to the article the local Anmatjere people call him Charlie Quartpot, a rainmaker from the past. He cut an awesome image and was a good reminder that although the wide open spaces and few settlements along the way give the impression of emptyness the Australian desert is far from empty! If you manage to spend some time out there you may sometimes have a sense that you are not alone... Maybe you're not?

Pretty Birds

There's a tree on the CDU campus that is a great hit with all the nectar eating birds! I don't know what it is but it has been absolutely covered in birds. On Monday I counted 7 species in less than 5 minutes! These included: Spangled Drongo, White Gaped Honeyeater, Rufus Banded Honeyeater, Little Friarbird, Silver Crowned Friar bird, Red-collared Lorikeet and the Varied Lorikeet.
I went out there with Stephen Barnett (Librarian/Photography enthusiast/Fellow Blogger) who brought his camera with a 400mm Zoom lens he was trying out and we took some photos.
I am particularly fond of the Varied Lorikeets. They are smaller quieter and less common that the noisy and agressive Red-collared ones. I've added some photos.

Sunday weary Sunday

We survived another Territory day... just. It's been a pretty gruelling weekend with both my wife and daughter sick, and the dog freaking out over the continual explosions. Our sleep was interrupted by periodic explosions loud enough to rival a 21 (big) gun salute!
We managed to go and check out a house for sale and found as with every other house we've seen it was well beyond our means. The sad thing is that it was at the lowest end of the market which has been steadily and dramatically increasing for the at least the past 5 years. I don't have the statistics at hand but the cost of housing would have increased by over 100% in that time! Now is the time to say IF ONLY! While I think of all the opportunities I'd passed up before.
It's a good time to get spiritual and nothing brings me closer to God than realizing my security is in jeopardy! (Even if it is only my financial security!) :)
Good time in deed to focus on the real stuff of life. So I went outside (the rental unit I live in) this afternoon and planted some tomato and basil seeds. While out there I heard the sound of Double Barr finches calling. Looking round I eventually found them high in a Carpentaria Palm. On closer inspection I found they actually had a nest up there (it seemed a bit high for a finch nest). It wasn't long before I had shed all my worries about the highly inflated, fat cat investor driven property prices and had re-focussed on something real and beautiful. Houses are too inconsequential and impermanent to warrant a lifetime of debt and worry. Beauty is so much greater than that!

Waiting for peace.....

Here's a bit of stencilled art/graffiti from the concrete water tower at CDU. Doesn't the black-silhouetted image fit with the bland concrete wall?
I'd rather write about the Curlews or the scrub fowl but this guy is haunting me and I've gotta give him space.





I noticed it, at first, from a distance; as I was watching some birds darting through the trees in the car park.
The contrast of black on grey was like a smudge my sights keenly focussed on the honey eaters at play.
I surveyed the trees briefly before my eyes shot back with sharp involuntary precision to the image on the wall.
A threat? Yes! danger! danger?... No... no.. it's just a picture. What is it.
I move closer to check it out but just enough to determine that it's only an image on a wall.
I chuckle to myself and continue on my way. Some fancy graffiti of some dude with a Kalashnikov (AK 47). Probably a terrorist! Fearsome yes but no immediate danger.
I walked past that image several times over the next couple of weeks always looking at it from a distance always impressed by it's threatening almost menacing presence. Convinced that it was put there to threaten, to promote fear in those who saw it. A clear image of a man pointing a rifle in such a menacing way could only suggest that violence would be done!
I began to feel compelled towards this image and so one day went up and had a good look at it. Then I realized that it was the silhouette of what appeared very much to be an American soldier. What at first looked like the turban of a radical fundamentalist transformed into the kevlar helmet of an American G.I.
My view of the image changed instantly. The image mutated from aggressive attacker into protective defender. But still the weapon was held in a threatening stance.
Now I am confused!
Was he at first a freedom fighter transformed by my prejudice into a symbol of terror?
Or is he now an oppressor blindly perceived to be a symbol of justice and freedom?
I have no idea who he is supposed to be or why someone posted him there, but now that he is I feel forced to keep a suspicious eye on that wall and rarely notice the birds...
He can't be disarmed and he won't go away!

Oh yeh and the fireworks have been going off all night and the dogs been inside, right under our feet, since 5pm!
It's Territory day and it's got to be seen to be believed! (unfortunately my camera's stuffed so I couldn't get any video). Every street, beach, paddock, sports ground and spare piece of dirt in the Darwin metro area have been converted into emergency launch pads. All kinds of explosive eluminating bang, fizz, whistle and scream things have been shooting through the atmosphere since 6pm and they're still going. The sky is full of lights and flashes and the streets are shrouded in a smoky haze! Rockets are spinning out of control and people are runnin dogs are skamperin birds are a droppin and the noise aint stoppin coz tonight Darwin's rockin. And I reckon the police fire and emergency services will be busy too.

The revolutionary NYC cyclists

While browsing some great New York City bicycle culture blogs like Bikeblog I came across this article on a philosophy/concept/theory called 'Social Capital' at a blog called The Oil Drum: New York City."Helping New Yorkers understand, prepare and adapt to the implications of Peak Oil"
This site dares to consider the social implications of an economic collapse due to the inevitable and dramatic increase in the price of oil.
I like their alarmist approach to this situation. Why? Because there is cause for alarm!
Anyway that is kind of getting away from my point. The concept of Social Capital is probably not a new one but it is something that appears to be totally lacking from the ideologies of todays political leaders, at least in this country. It is definitely a term that I have never heard mentioned from the Australian media or politicians. So if you're interested to know what it is click on any of the URLs above and you can find out a bit more.
There seems also to be a culture of bicycle activism that expresses such a social conscience that presents a strong argument against the status quo that favours cars over people on urban or city streets.
These guys are revolutionary! Their blogs describe what it is like to be a cyclist in a hostile city environment where there is little consideration for cyclists or pedestrians and cars have right of way regardless of the harm they cause! How we travel must have some bearing on our thinking and our connectedness to others and these guys make a clear point that cycling is the more enlightened way to go...