I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.
Mae West
Kim's Blog . . .
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I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.
Mae West
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Kim's Blog . . .
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Fave links . . . an eclectic mix of news, philosophy, solutions, politics - and earthy pleasures . . . . International Society for Ecology & Culture
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. . musing on Peak Oil, Climate Change & other disturbing stuff . .
. women, sex, pleasure, love, death, grief and more . . .
Wednesday 21st June 2006 - Longest night, rain, seeds & breaking evil spells . . . (back to the top) It's official, tonight's the longest night of the year in Oz. I love this quote from Starhawk:- "In the time of deepest night comes the spark of regeneration and hope." And I got the shivers (literally), while reading her article on the Winter Solstice. Here's an extract:- "Last year, I was able to release the
residue of five days in jail after the World Trade Organization protests
in Seattle. This year, I come to the beach on fire with a deep sense that
now is the last crack in time when we still have a chance to intervene in
the processes of ecological destruction. The image that keeps coming to me
is of the Titanic heading for the iceberg but still with a bit of room to
maneuver. My friend Donald, however, recommends the image of compost,
which is also a kind of fire. May the ignorance and greed that fuel
destruction become compost. May the hatred that wounded Luna decay. Decay
feeds fertility. If we can compost our anger, maybe the needed changes can
come gradually and organically, not as a collision but as a
transformation."
Not many pips and husks get past me, and all my plastic containers (or waxed cartons), get another life as a pot. I'll give them away or plant them out eventually . . . I'll solve our water restrictions (no garden hosing), with my grey water. We've got an old fashioned system - an automatic pump shunts it through a wide purple hose when the waste tank's full. I'll turn it off, then switch it on when I'm ready to water. That saves water gushing in one spot while I'm busy doing something else. Knowing about Peak Oil makes me feel very differently about "Waste." Let's face it, every scrap is a small bit of the greatest "Lottery win" of all time - one-off ancient sunlight. In that spirit, once something organic enters my house or land, it stays. I'm accumulating energy . . . Anything that decays gets thrown in the chicken pen (food scraps too). Paper and cardboard get shredded, and the poultry shed is accumulating a kind of carbon and chook-poo lasagne, as I daily (almost) scatter a big bag of the stuff over last night's dropping . . . Then it gets spread round my fruit trees (eventually). My philosophy? Feed rotten fruit to the chooks, and rotten chooks to the trees. A couple of days ago, the new bamboo got a sudden feast when one of my feathered friends mysteriously turned up its toes. And for some reason just recently, the theme of "Breaking the evil spell" has been weaving through my life. It started when an old acquaintance from England emailed me (OK then, maybe more than just an acquaintance). Hadn't heard anything from him for years. Anyway, a pleasant exchange (all I want now), quickly turned into spiteful barbs as his old, obnoxious self emerged. So what's different this time? This time the spell was broken, as I understood some frogs are just that - frogs. I didn't try to understand (couldn't be bothered), just told him to get lost. How much time do women waste on losers before the enchantment fades? Probably too much. Let's face it, almost every girl has had their "Oh my God, what did I see in HIM" epiphany . . . "As above, so below" - and vice versa. I'm getting ticked off with feeling like I live in an alternate reality, just because I know about peak oil. Evidence of another "Evil spell" here? The corporate media? I agree with Paula Hay when she writes about "A Special Place in Hell" for negligent journos and editors. Here's an extract:- "A special place in hell awaits Larry King, his producers, the editorial decision-makers at CNN, and other so-called “journalists” who collude in obfuscating Peak Oil information. Their actions are no different than if they refused to broadcast evacuation orders for a city in the path of a hurricane, volcano, or tornado on fear that residents might cease shopping. Keep the city’s residents spending until the very moment they are overcome, then watch them die—this is how to maximize profits at the edge of the abyss." Sooooo, still in the spirit of breaking spells, I decided I'd be stone in the corporate shoe. I love "The Matrix" films, such a sharp (and instantly recognisable), allegory for where we're at . . . which led to me to create this to publicise Richard Heinberg's upcoming visit to Queensland, and then circulate this email through the Queensland community:- Subject: Truth about oil . . . in Qld . . . coming out of the closet on Wednesday 23rd August 2006 in Brisbane. Hear Richard Heinberg & David Holmgren. Who are they? Here's a key quote:- 29/10/05, State Member for Hervey Bay Andrew McNamara (Chair of Queensland's "Oil Vulnerability Task Force"), is interviewed on falling global oil supplies:- "Last Christmas a friend of mine gave me a book to read, it was Richard Heinberg's book on Peak Oil, and I found it quite startling. Like most members of Parliament I read a lot of stuff, and some of it's good and bad, but this one really made me sit up. And I thought because it's well written doesn't mean it's right, but if it is right it's got amazing implications, so I started talking to different people. A physicist I know in my part of the world, in Hervey Bay, Ian Richards is someone I respect and I said 'What do you know about this?' And he said 'Yeah, it's absolutely true.' Want to find out more? Check out this page:- cc - Federal politicians (Qld) cc - State politicians (Qld) cc - Local Councillors (Qld) cc - Local newspapers (Qld) cc - Local schools (Qld) cc - Universities (Qld) cc - Chambers of Commerce (Qld) cc - Trade Unions (Qld) cc - Courier Mail (journalists & Editor) cc - Northey Street City Farm I've already had one woman from a local Chamber of Commerce call me in utter amazement - she could hardly believe she hadn't been told this by the mainstream media. Wants me to speak at one of their next meetings . . And this brings me to Starhawk's writings on "Breaking the Evil Spell." I love this line:- "The fortress seemed invincible. But in deep and subtle ways, it was flawed. Every broken dream, every cry of despair, opened a new crack." . "With Mars as its ruling planet, the Tower is a card about war, a war between the structures of lies and the lightning flash of truth. The Tower, as Wang points out, stands for "false concepts and institutions that we take for real." When the Querent gets this card, they can expect to be shaken up, to be blinded by a shocking revelation. It sometimes takes that to see a truth that one refuses to see. Or to bring down beliefs that are so well constructed. What's most important to remember is that the tearing down of this structure, however painful, makes room for something new to be built." Here's some more on that. And the symbolism of this card, in relation to the events of 9/11 are impossible to miss. This article by Tonia Shoumatoff, explores that theme. Here's a brief quote:- "With the fall of the World Trade Center 18 months ago, it seems that America has pulled the Tower card from the cosmic tarot deck that resides in the collective unconscious of humanity." Perhaps, just perhaps, films like Aaron Russo's "From Freedom to Fascism" show a growing web of cracks in the fortress - evidence of our increasing power to banish evil spells. Just tiny threads at first, turning into yawning chasms that crumble the monster . . . What serves life
will stand, And with even more synchronicity re "Breaking the evil spell," I watched this DVD for the first time last week, here's a quote . . . "The powers of financial capitalism had a far-reaching plan, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole...Their secret is that they have annexed from governments, monarchies, and republics the power to create the world's money..." . . . it certainly woke me up from a trance . . . (back to the top)
Monday 12th June 2006 - Uppity women & re-framing the debate . . . (back to the top)
She's just been painted a "childish/neurotic woman" by our local media (Queensland's "Sunday Mail" is part of the mob), for her principled stand against the environmental vandalism of her Government & party, e.g. two new dams. Here's an extract from "The Sunday Mail," 11th June 2006, to illustrate my point:- "RENEGADE MP Cate Molloy openly
thumbed her nose at Premier Peter Beattie yesterday as she headed an
anti-Government march outside the State ALP conference. "I am ashamed of my Government," she told The
Sunday Mail, labelling the dam plan a "dumb thing" Mr
Beattie was imposing on Queenslanders.
The Premier last night refused to take action against Ms
Molloy but some senior ALP figures were seething, describing her as an
embarrassment.
"Something has to be done about her," one
influential Labor member said." See
what I mean? Doesn't it make you want to throw up? Now they
can't get away with burning uppity women, they assassinate them with
language. So I thought I'd do a little assassination of my own . . .
I've read George Lakoff
(Professor of linguistics, University of California), and his brilliant
stuff on media framing
So here's a "Letter to the Editor" (just 71 words), that I sent
to every local newspaper in Queensland to-day ("Mr. Beattie" is
the current Premier
of Queensland):- "So our “Sensible” Mr. Beattie slams Noosa MP Cate Molloy for “Grandstanding” when she calls for sane water planning? Come off it Pete, you’ve just splurged 280 million on a football stadium – but you figure 85 million is a good enough for Queenslanders when it comes to water saving devices. So here’s some advice I guess Cate would give you, look after real problems before squandering our money on boys toys." That should resonate. It re-frames Cate Molloy as the sensible mum, exasperated at Dad's irresponsible spending (that's the subconscious theme, and a familiar one to generations of women . . .) I also emailed every member of the State and Federal parliaments in Queensland, with a copy of my widely disseminated missive. As they know from past experience, my short & pithy comments to the local media have been widely printed before. . . (back to the top)
Friday 9th June 2006 (back to the top) Chatting up the local media, and Andrew McNamara on John Howard's nuclear ambitions in Queensland's "Courier Mail" My
22 year old son walked in the door this evening, looked round the place
and said words to the effect of "Looks tidy, anyone been
over?" And there you have it, a neat summary of my domestic
skills. The family greets my sporadic efforts with suspicion of
hidden motives. And my offspring was right, I'd welcomed round a
reporter from my local newspaper to watch "Imposed by
Nature." She's a wonderful woman, intelligent and This brings me to problems with my local council. Seems our elected officials live in an alternate reality. Ordinary folk might think that once local councillors are made aware (via several emails), of this huge problem - and how it will derail any other plans they have - they'd be hungry for more detailed info and advice. Not so. This is what I was told (by a senior officer working in environmental policy):- * I might get 15 minutes at a Committee meeting, if the CEO agreed to my written request. * No, I couldn't show a 27 minute DVD at this meeting. There wouldn't be time. * I'd have to provide them with a comprehensive and simple plan of what they should do about it . . . now, I know I can turn a phrase or two, but explain and solve the defining problem of the 21st Century in 15 minutes? Even I'm not that good. * When I sputtered a few words about council's development plans being trashed by "Peak Oil," I was confidently told that wasn't possible - there'd always be "Some" solution (or source of energy), that could be used. When I tried to explain the ins and outs of why that probably wouldn't happen, I was brashly told OF COURSE it would - and that was that. This was from an employee who (by her own admission), hadn't read a thing about Peak Oil (ever). * That this was "Just another issue" that would have to compete with all the other demands on the councillors time. I wonder what the Planet's verdict on that will be . . . I'm reminded of this quote from retired oil geologist Colin Campbell "Deal with reality or reality will deal with you." * That I could organise an info day for councillors and senior officers if I wanted - but they probably wouldn't come. They're "Too busy." * I then tried to shock the woman by mentioning the possibility of mass starvation in the Shire, curtesy of "Peak Oil." She wasn't buying. "If that happens," she said, "we'll deal with at the time." She then offered that councillors are only concerned about what's happening NOW. Two or three years down the track doesn't count. . . . So there you have it folks, the inscrutable face of our local bureaucracy. Hence my phone call to our local newspaper . . . My local councillors WILL pay attention to this, because I'm going to make too hot for them not to. Luckily I've struck gold with an interested and involved journalist. Not only did she watch "Imposed by Nature," she took my copy away with her - as well as copies of "The End of Suburbia" and "The Power of Community – How Cuba Survived Peak Oil" - plus Richard Heinberg's book, "The Party's Over." Her suggestion? Organise a high profile community event with another key local group (who would probably come on board if I asked), plus the one clued-in councillor who picked up my other DVD today. She'd then give it some high profile media . . . After she left, I even had some scheming thoughts re public statements on "Council will worry about mass starvation when it happens." THAT might have an energising effect on our elected representatives . . . they haven't seen the last of me. And in other news, Andrew McNamara sent me a copy of an opinion piece from him (on Australian Prime Minster John Howard's nuclear ambitions), that ran in Queensland's "Courier Mail" on Tuesday 6th June 2006. Now I found this amazing, only the second time I know of that Murdoch's publication has given the briefest mention to "Peak Oil," despite my "Key questions" to editor David Fagan (which still stand). Anyway, here's the article in question:- Let’s
have the real energy debate, Prime Minister The how, why and where of nuclear energy
means it is a no go in Australia, argues Andrew McNamara. Prime
Minister John Howard’s call for a debate on the use of nuclear power
generation is over before it has begun.
The questions of how Australia builds and runs the plants without
the engineers and scientists, why it goes nuclear at all considering our
abundant coal and gas reserves and where to put the hypothetical plants
that no-one wants all have the same answer – We don’t. Australia
is undoubtedly a lucky country. We
have resource wealth for which other nations pay very dearly.
The fact that Australia has 40% of the world’s uranium means that
we will have an increasing role in filling the energy needs of an
increasingly power hungry planet. However
that is no argument for Australia to go nuclear.
The fact is that the science and engineering of commercial nuclear
electricity generation is out of our reach for a generation at least. Australia’s
only nuclear engineering faculty, at the University of NSW, closed in
1988. So did the School
of Nuclear Technology at Lucas Heights in Sydney.
There hasn’t been a single graduate in nuclear engineering in
this nation for 20 years. Where do we find the teams of highly trained and experienced
scientists to run the nuclear power plants, or indeed, the specialist
engineers to build them in the first place?
The answer is, we don’t. Strike
one, Prime Minister. The
answer to the question of why to go nuclear is an even more emphatic “We
don’t”. Australia has
thermal coal reserves for power generation for over 200 years and coal
seam methane reserves greater than all conventional gas resources
discovered and produced to date. There
is at least 100 years of gas supply available for power production.
The Prime Minister’s assertion that generation IV nuclear power
reactors may now be economic for base load power generation misses the
point. The energy crunch we are facing is in liquid fuels for
transport, not carbon stocks for electricity generation.
Strike two, Prime Minister. Finally,
the question of where to site these unbuildable, unnecessary nuclear power
stations is an emphatic “not here, thanks”.
Nuclear power stations need lots of water. Putting to one side the
water crisis facing most of the continent over the next 20 years, this
need for water necessarily puts nuclear power plants near larger
population centres on the coast. John
Howard can call for all the public debate he likes on the benefits of
nuclear power, but until he nominates preferred sites he is simply not
serious. Strike three, Prime
Minister. You’re out. Howard’s
argument that we need to go nuclear to battle the truly civilisation
threatening risk of global warming is well meaning but misunderstands both
the urgency of the climate change issue and the looming impact of world
oil production peaking some time between now and 2015. There
is no solution to the looming liquid fuels crunch other than to use less
fuel. Alternatives and
renewables won’t make up the difference. The coming transport energy
gap, while highly destructive of economic growth, will have one positive
impact – greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles will go into steep
decline as the rising price of oil forces cars and trucks off the road in
favour of more energy efficient mass public transport and freight
movement, involving rail and coastal shipping. When
the Prime Minister acknowledges these facts, we will know that he is
serious about a wide ranging energy debate in Australia.
But after three strikes, perhaps it is time for the next batter up
anyway. Andrew McNamara is the Labor Tuesday 6th June 2006 (back to the top) Nuclear stuff, shopping, and Matt Savinar on men & women . . . Another sunny day, another late morning. Woke at 10am, groggily recalling disjointed dreams. Hubby turned on the news, and there it was. The agenda makers at it again (John Howard, corporate media et al). This time they're trying to shove nuclear power down our throats. It was hard to listen to the detail, and you don't have to. Their games are transparent. Feeling angry, I emailed a "Letter to the Editor" to around 300 local papers all over Australia (having painstakingly collected their addresses previously, never know when they'll come in handy) - and then sent this missive to every Federal & State politician in Queensland:- To:- "Letters to the Editor" should be short, pithy, easy to read and informative. They're more likely to be published. Use the "Flesch Reading Ease" function on your spell & grammar check. So while my creation won't get printed in all those papers, it'll probably show up in quite a few (from one end of the country to the other). Has before. Interestingly, I got this reply from Peter Slipper (a Queensland Federal MP):- "Kim There is a fundamental error in your email. The PM is not "so keen" on nuclear as you suggest. He just wants to have a full scientific evaluation of the issue. What's wrong with that? Peter" Puhleeeeeez . . . does Peter Slipper think we're all that naive? I gave up "Play School" when I lost the plaits. So I replied:- Thanks for getting back to me Peter. Much appreciated. A full scientific evaluation of nuclear power has already been carried out in the UK (it reported just recently). Here it is:- http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/publications.php?id=344 And this article in "The Australian Financial Review" says it all:- http://afr.com/articles/2005/06/23/1119321845502.html C'mon Peter, I'm not naive, and neither are you. Bottom line is getting the Australian public to accept nuclear power is about as palatable as getting them to eat dog meat. And trying to push something like that through, while dealing with the very nasty consequences Peak Oil (likely to make any central Government as popular as a skunk at a dinner party), is called "Hubris." All the best, Kim I'd just finished my missives, when hubby announced he was going shopping. Strange creature my old man. Hates sport, loves shopping. Now I know malls and car trips are doomed projects, but there was some cappuccino and cake with my name on it . . . Desire's not politically correct. Anyway, he was going. I could tag along or not. I hadn't planned to buy anything, until the red clingy skirt and soft emerald jumper with the plunging neck called my name . . . It's not easy opting out of consumerism. Let's face it, there's no problem avoiding tat - but what about that new title, DVD or album you've coveted forever? Or the stunning dress? One day I'll reform, no choice really . . . After dinner (is that another doomed pastime?), I read Matt Savinar's latest article on women and peak oil. (or rather, why there are so few prominent women in the field). Good on'ya Matt, you're a brave man ;-) Attempting that is like hubby telling the truth when I ask "Does my bum look big in that?" I grinned when he wrote:- * I shall now slowly tip-toe my way out of this minefield * I tend to agree with Matt:- "Some folks will take notice of these trends and then announce we should take steps to alter or influence them. I say good luck, you may as well try altering or influencing the social trends of a giant colony of chimps. Because, in the end, that's essentially what we are: chimps who have developed the capacity for complex endeavors like literature, medicine, and managing to burn up a trillion barrels of oil faster than 'a stick of dynamite stuck up the timeline of man' " And it's also true a man's attractiveness is more closely related to power, confidence and humour than their objective good looks (as Matt says). Call me strange, but I'd take Bob Hoskins over Brad Pitt any day. I wonder how many men appreciate women's discerning tastes? Might save a great deal of agony over the bald patch . . . And here's Mae West's wisdom (love that lady):- "A man can be short and dumpy and getting bald but if he has fire, women will like him." Saturday 3rd June 2006 (back to the top) A day in the life . . . Peak Oil, fear & passion. Weaving the mysteries A sunny day in SE Queensland, Australia. Got up at 9am (love sleeping), gulped two glasses of water and made coffee. OK then, re-hydrated some granules. House was quiet, hubby snoozing after a night shift, kids out. I glanced at the housework, but headed for the computer. More interesting. Checked my email, and read the latest on "Energy Bulletin." I looked over the missive I sent Murdoch's "Courier Mail" yesterday (Editor):- Date:
06/02/06 09:20:14 .
. . . . . Where a story that mentions "Peak Oil" and says we may
be paying $2 a litre for petrol very soon - and $5 a litre by 2010, is
relegated to page 30, and a stupid political spat is front page
news . . . What are you ON exactly? Quite honesly Springborg
& Beattie et al could be doing cartwheels down George Street -
and I STILL reckon Joe Blow's more interested in the price of petrol. And
then of course, it's beyond your journalistic abilities to make the very
obvious connections between this and the Brisbane Tunnel . . . . These
are wry observations - I'm just making a point. However, you're
FAR behind the grass roots on this issue. It's quite bizarre to
watch. Local
authorities all over the USA are holding info days on "Peak
Oil," and passing resolutions on the issue. I'm working with my
own local council in this regard - and the eventual results
of this can be sent all over Queensland in the click of a
button. You
have power and money, but without credibility on this core issue you have
nothing. Left
to our current political and media "Leaders," my kids
wouldn't stand a chance. The biggest issue of the millennium is
exposing how incapable you are of serving the people when it really
matters And it will continue to do so, the planet doesn't negotiate. Regards,
Kim . . . Ouch. I didn't tiptoe. For those of you who don't know, "Springborg" and "Beattie" are two local pollies of the usual mould - and "The Courier Mail" headlined some internecine political row, while we go to hell in a hand basket . . . Who gives a rats our elected officials are still scrapping over glory? The planet will lay waste their games . . . Which brings me to an irritation. The morbid spectacle of "The Boys" puffing their chests and thinking they can walk on water. Well, not all "Boys," but you get the picture. Here's one tragi-comic example, Brisbane Lord Mayor's fantasies. And even the money men think they're above the laws of the Universe, as my questions & answers show.
The Dark Lady "I am the womb from which all things are born. I am the shadowy, still tomb; all things must come to Me and bare their breasts to die and be reborn to the Whole. I am the Sorceress that will not be ruled, the Weaver of Time, the Teacher of Mysteries. I snip the threads that bring my children home to me." Extract from "Charge of the Dark Goddess" (Anon) So, they plan on escaping Gaia's laws . . .? Sadly delusional. She had the first word, and she'll have the last. Which brings me to delusions and addictions in general. Pleasure and fear got us into this mess. Maybe they'll get us out. Where there's fear there's power, passion
is the healer Starhawk I am the chrysalis in which you will face that which terrifies you and from which you will blossom forth, vibrant and renewed. Extract from "Charge of the Dark Goddess" (Anon) Maybe "The boys" at Queensland's Courier Mail think I'm just some crazy woman - they're right. But it's a mistake to dismiss Crazy Women . . . they live inside all of us . . . . . . as well as in the whisky bottle, the heroin shot, the last line of coke - then there's the blow job, the stripper, the prostitute - the junk food, the next step up the ladder, the next conquest, the next expansion. She hooks us on what feels good, which is as it should be. Our species would have withered away without her fierce passion. Doing what pleasures us keeps us alive. But our brain's not interested in the source, and there's the rub. As long as our neurones are bathed in bliss, it's to hell with reason. I worked in a drug/alcohol de-tox unit for 10 years. I've seen it first hand. But the primeval power that drags us to hell is also the well spring of life. A paradox. The Crazy Woman is in hugs, skin on skin, good sex, good food, sweet scents, music, song, truth, beauty, love, laughter, love, protectiveness, friendship, creation, art, grief, dreams - her power's in our DNA. The lesson? Don't mess with Dark Ladies or Crazy Women. They're breathtaking friends, but deadly enemies. She'll show you the road to heaven, and to perdition. Your choice. And use her power, it's your birthright. Extract from . . . The River of Life by Starhawk The women turned to
each other; they said: "We are scraps of a torn fabric,
"We must amplify love, and throw off dread,
"So come
mothers and grandmothers,
"We are sweet
water, we are the seed,
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For even as love crowns
you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for
your pruning. Kahlil Gibran on Love Wednesday 21st June 2006 - Longest night, rain, seeds & breaking evil spells . . . Monday 12th June 2006 - Uppity women & re-framing the debate . . . Tuesday 6th June 2006 - Nuclear stuff, shopping and Matt Savinar on men & women . . . Saturday 3rd June 2006 - A day in the life . . . Peak Oil, fear & passion. Weaving the mysterie
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Some
babies in my shade house. I've got lots of seedlings - date palm,
avocado, paw paw, custard apple, star fruit, mango, pomegranate, lychee,
longan, bunya nut and macadamia. Grocery shop seeds . . . I'm still waiting for
the persimmons and carobs to sprout . . . no sign yet. Maybe that's
one solution (amongst many), to our problems? Planting everything in
sight, and giving it away to our friends & neighbors.
.
. . .and perhaps Card 15 of the tarot, "The Tower" illustrates
her words. Here's a quote on its meaning:-
This
is 
