Rising tide 350 action

(Informing the crowd)

There has been a rising tide of discontent throughout the world! Citizens of nearly every country on the planet have declared their wish to see commitment from the Governments of the world to take real steps towards reversing climate change and reducing CO2 emissions in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million. People are tired of Government Greenwashing and large numbers are asking "What will it take to get our government to do what it takes to reduce emissions?"


(Radical Activists from a local Church stand on a footbridge)

Here in Darwin we formed a human Tide Line to show where the sea level will be if our government refuses to commit to real reductions.



(Business man... Possibly real estate agent)

Apparently today has been (Continues to be) the largest international day of action ever! But the battle has not yet been fought. This is only the call to awaken us all. There will be more action and many more opportunities to demand that our governments commit to reducing CO2 emissions. It is also a call for us all to take the matter of climate change seriously and personally, although it nothing is likely to change without the support of government policy and systemic changes in the infrastructure of the country there is also a place for individuals to prepare for a post fossil fuel future! Sacrifices will need to be made, however this doesn't need to mean lives that are impoverished. It may actually help us improve our lives. Just as Colin Beavan discovered during his year of the No Impact Project, you can read about it in his book No Impact Man.

Conscriptees to the wrong side

I've just finished reading the Quarterly Essay titled 'Quarry Vision' by Guy Pearce. (I know it's not the latest, but relevant with Copenhagen just around the corner)
I'd love to include some pretty cool quotes from the essay but I've already passed it on to a friend and don't intend to see it again until everyone I know has read it!

here's an Extract from the Essay.

Another article on the subject: http://newmatilda.com/2009/03/24/has-carbon-lobby-captured-kevin-rudd

If you're an Australian and you celebrated the downfall of the Howard government hoping that our new Prime Minister would take a serious stance on Climate Change or that finally we would see an end to the lies and deception. By now you have probably already realized that we must have been dreaming to think we'd been delivered from 'Evil' (I know it's harsh). If you thought we would now be represented by a Government with conscience then unfortunately, like me you were also terribly mistaken and also a little Naive. (I still can't bring myself to listen to Midnight Oil)

If after observing the Rudd Government's slick PR work, crafty Rhetoric and contradictory policy you are feeling a little (very) let down. If you suspect there may be a conspiracy afoot but are afraid of being labeled as paranoid or worse still Un-Australian' you should trust your instinct! The conspiracy is real and we are all participants in it.

'Quarry Vision' confirms the suspicion that Government is in bed with Australia's biggest polluters! That Government Climate Change Policy has been virtually written by those who will profit from the continued and increased emissions from exporting and burning coal. That the Clean Coal propaganda is grounded in fairy tale science and will not provide any effective solution to the global warming problem! That there may in fact be such thing as The Carbon Mafia!

11:17 PM (I have republished this post after having deleted a huge chunk described by my wife as Diatribe! I would have used strike through but I don't know how to do that!)

According to the Oxford Dictionary diatribe is a forceful verbal attack; a piece of bitter criticism...

Who am I to argue?


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If this is a war on Climate Change then will we be 'Conscriptees' as Guy Pearce suggests or will we choose to fight for our children's future?

DO WE HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?

Publishers note: (Next post will contain nothing but flowers and happy thoughts)

'Rooms for the Memory'

Have you ever seen a Ghost?
I've just seen a Ghost... Whether you believe in such things or not doesn't concern me. It does not matter!
It's been about 20 years since I saw Dogs In Space, a film set in inner Melbourne based on the lives of a bunch of young people living in a large shared house and going wild in the freedom of their youth. The film affected me deeply the first time I saw it because it kind of reflected the life I wanted to live and the amount of sense things made to me at the time... (Not Much if you're wondering).
Anyway; for those who don't know the film the lead Character was played by M Hutchence (INXS)... (If you don't know who he is, maybe you didn't grow up where or when I did, and you may never have heard of INXS, which would be a bit weird, that's OK but don't bother reading on, you probably won't get what I'm talking about).
Watching the film again and seeing Hutchence moving around on screen brought back all the emotion, excitement, angst, wonder of my youth... I watched as though I was watching my own life flickering across the screen!
I watched as though the guy was alive and it Haunted me!

The film was made in 1986 but I didn't see it until a couple of years later on Video. It blew my mind! I have no idea if any of it resonates with young people today but, I don't care! Watching it again was like someone had rubbed the lamp and released a Genie!

I can't describe completely how affected I was but when 'Rooms for the Memory' played at the end of the film I trembled!

Misled by maps

Firstly the Ride to Work Breakfast at Roma Bar was a great success again this year... Sorry I left my camera at home but you can imagine the scene. It's 6:59 am the banners are out the pastries have arrived I'm enjoying my first coffee for the day (a delicious brew thanks) and I look down the street to see about 20 cyclists all clad in reflective Government Issue orange vests. What a wonderful sight. I don't know how many turned up but it was a very pleasant way to spend the early morning.

Anyway back to my Rant about misleading information on a particular Map site. I'd discovered an application called Flood Maps that can overlay sea level rise by the meter superimposed over the well known G--gle Maps.

I'm looking at how Milingimbi Airstrip looks like the only dry land on the Island after relatively little rise in sea level and wondering if they've been prepared for the potential impending disaster when my eyes wander to the bottom of the page and I discover a link that simply says global warming.

So thinking it will lead me to information about the causes and predicted consequences of sea level rise, since that's the purpose of the map after all, I click on the link and am delivered to this!
http://www.newgencoal.com.au/

Somebody please tell me. Is this ethical? Now I started getting all parranoid thinking it must be part of some kind of conspiracy that our Government is involved in to lead people away from meaningful action to combat climate change. I started to feel all woosey and sick at the thought of the power and the money that can be used to prevent our attempts to reduce global warming. But I come away reminded of the lyrics "Power and priveledge can not move a people, who know where they stand..." and my resolve is strengthened to know that win or loose It's what you stand for that matters most!

See you on October 24th

Bye bye Festiva hello Xtracycle

The car has gone! Long live the bicycle!


(Long bike - short car)


Yesterday we finished up the paperwork needed to transfer ownership of our trusty Festiva to it's new owners. My friend who recently got her driving licence and has been joined in Australia by her two kids, really needed a car (I couldn't convince her that it's better to cycle!) so we gave her ours!

It's been a great little car and was getting good fuel economy, sometimes 550km from a 35 litre tank... (what's that in kms per litre or litres per 100km?) but needed some work and I'm flat out being Mr Dad with two young kids with .0 time for tinkering so the decision was easy. Get rid of the car and get fairdinkum about cycling!

Now I have committed to cycling as often as I possibly can! (I'll have to because the car is no longer an option!) Just in time for the national Ride To Work Day...

As a special gift my friend gave me a really nice Batik shirt! It's funny how things work out because I've always wanted a really nice Batik shirt. I've owned some cheep ones but this one is much nicer and I would never have bought it for myself! (Partly because I'm stingy and partly because I have a no new clothes policy... Protest T-shirts excepted) What a great gift and a great lesson. Don't fear about letting things go. Sometimes you need to pass things on to those who need them. You never know what good things may come your way.


(Giving up the car for the trusty Xtracycle long bike)

Have a nice day.