Travelsmart Brisbane (despite the tunnel project)

I wish I'd become joyously happy and love the city I live in and the people I live with and who run the city and country I live. I'm not happy. I live with a society that loves money more than they love life itself. I live with a society that is constantly being presented with f'en great big messages about "its time to change how we do business", yet we continue to persue the business as usual and let (someone) make lots of money mentality. The case in point and the topic of the next couple posts is the Brisbane Tunnels (Queensland Australia). Or see North South Bypass Tunnel. On the flip-side see these other sites for opinions about the tunnel:

• Courier Mail Blog on the tunnel,
  
• Courier mail article on increased congestion,
  
• Senator Andrew Bartlett's Blog,
  
• "Fabian's" Blog,
  
• (No)Tunnels fact sheet,
  
• Stop the North South Bypass Tunnel,
  
• Queensland Conservation "TUNNEL VISION, FLAWED LOGIC" media release.
  

Our oil supplies appear to be dwindling (See Peak Oil and Australian Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas) especially with nations such as India and China aspiring to be "just like the west" and ramping up their car production and car usage.

So much evidence has been presented to us and so many smart people have told us frankly that "Climate Change" / "Global Warming" is a reality that is going to affect every living thing on this planet and we must change the way we live. (For example, see Climate Ark Blog, Climate Hot Map, Union of Concerned Scientists, Greenpeace, WorldWide Fund for nature, Google (currently 240,000,000 hits), ...).

The message is clear, we need to drop the "business as usual" attitude and adjust to our changing surroundings and change the way we live.

In face of all this we have people like George "Dubya" Bush and John Howard with their pathetically poor leadership which continues to push the "If we get the economy working first then the environment will be fixed" attitudes. In exactly the same way, we have our somewhat unbrilliant Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Campbell Newman, doing exactly the same thing. He's a yes man. Admittedly the proceeding Labor Council proposed the idea for the Brisbane Tunnels and I'm equally critical of them. But Campbell reeks of saying "yes" too many times and to the wrong people (such as the ones who want to fund and develop these stupid projects that appeal to him). The Tunnel project will cost billions of dollars ($2 billion up from $950 million). It will encourage so much more traffic. But worse than this, due to the cost of the project, a complete and comprehensive public transport system will not be created. Given all the problems our planet is facing an improved public transport system is the most logical development we should be embracing. By building expensive road systems we are giving our citizens NO OPTIONS as to how they get around. Build a brilliant public transport system and most people can use that leaving those who need to drive private vehicles the roads that currently exist.

Your thoughts at this stage could well be "yes, everyone has a suggestion". Yes and our myopic Council fails to consider any of them except the ones proposed by their cronies.

I am writing a letter to Lord Mayor Newman and The Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Paul Lucas MP. These two co-signed a letter sent to residents of Brisbane (I have no idea if this letter was sent to just inner-city residents or it circulated further out).

The letter is titled "Travelsmart". Let me go find an official site for this ...

My god, the irony of this is greater than I thought. Travelsmart is a national campaign to reduce pollution from transport usage and not just Queensland. This is after Sydney and Melbourne have built extensive freeway and tunnel projects that wasted more money, causes more people to drive instead of catch public transport and thus depletes our already limited supplies of fossil fuels and causes more pollution. I will continue this post by including the letter sent to me:


Dear resident,

Reducing traffic levels in your neighbourhood

Queensland Transport, the Australian Greenhouse Office and Brisbane City Council have been working in partnership on a project called Travelsmart.

Travelsmart helps tackle local traffic issues by giving residents access to information, advice and encouragement to walk, cycle and take public transport.

If you choose to take part in the Travelsmart program you will be able to order free information specially tailored to your local neighbourhood. The information available includes:

• a local map of your neighbourhood transport options
  
• special 'timetables' for your nearest bus stop, and
  
• leaflets on all aspects of cycling and walking
  

The benefits of Travelsmart can be achieved by people simply changing just a few trips each week. his can make a big difference to traffic levl, and to your health.

Over the next few days Socialddata Australia, (telephone number 1800 68 4860) will contact you with futher information about Travelsmart. Please consider the information carefully and discuss it with other members of your household.

This is a wonderful opportunity to join a community effort that can make a big difference to your community, local area and neighbourhood. We hope you will be part of it.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Lucas MP (Minister for Transport and Main Roads)

Campbell Newman (Lord Mayor of Brisbane).


What a rort; what a bunch of tossers. They build a tunnel and say don't use it. Its like handing out chocolate bars and telling you not to eat them. They should be handing out fruit and vegetables. They should build proper public transport systems and make them so friendly, useful and efficient that people use them.

I will put my letter up when finished.

BTW, I'm quite a happy chappy. Just very frustrated.

Organic Foods

From Union of Concerned Scientists:

2. Arsenic in your chicken
Many chicken products sold in the United States are contaminated with arsenic, a known carcinogen, according to a new report by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. Investigators found arsenic in half of 155 samples from supermarkets and in all 90 samples from fast-food restaurants. All the samples were below the tolerance level set by the Food and Drug Administration. According to the report, arsenic is legally fed to an estimated 70 percent of broiler chickens to kill parasites and promote growth. Its use on poultry farms causes environmental contamination when soils are fertilized with chicken manure containing arsenic, and when other animals are fed chicken litter containing arsenic. Arsenic is not allowed in organic chickens, and Tyson, the nation's largest chicken producer, claims not to use it. Read the report here or read about chicken and arsenic in The New York Times (free registration required). To find producers who claim not to feed their chickens additives such as arsenic and antibiotics, visit the Eat Well Guide.

3. Organic diets lower pesticide levels in the body
Eating an organic diet can dramatically lower pesticide levels in the body, according to a study that measured organophosphates in children, conducted by scientists from Emory University, the University of Washington, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Initially all 23 children were eating a conventional diet, and urine samples from all of them contained metabolites of the common pesticides malathion and chlorpyrifos. Then the children switched to an organic diet, and the pesticides in their urine dropped to undetectable levels. When the children returned to a conventional diet, the pesticide levels went back up. Read the study in Environmental Health Perspectives.

March of the Penguins

Today I attended a movie event hosted by the Australian Democrats and the Animal Cruelty Society - "March of the Penguins". This is a documentary about the year in the life of the Emporer Penguins in Antarctica. It was amazing to see how beautiful and organised nature can be. Very inefficient maybe in our eyes though you do have to realise how much of an advanced organism we are.



Their journey starts with the mass journey of male and female Penguins at the end of summer, 70km from the sea to a safer place inland where the ice is thick. The Males and Females match up and love each other before producing an egg. The female hands the egg over to the male to look after and if they don't do the transition properly then the egg will spend too long on the ice and "die". She takes the long walk back to the sea, which is further now as winter has created more ice. The father looks after the egg through the long, cold and dark winter, and when the sun starts to rise again some three months late or so, and the days get longer and warmer, the egg hatches. The father has a little bit of food stored away and gives the chick that. It will only sustain the chick for a day or two and in that time the mother must be back - such amazing timing! In this waiting time the father could end up not holding the chick tightly enough and it doesn't take long for chick to die from the cold. When the mother gets back, she needs to find the father and chick (if they are still there), purely through calling out to them. The father then hands the chick over to the mother (again a dangerous move) and he calls to the chick and it calls back so they can find each other again later when he returns. He goes back to the sea and the mother regurgitates food to the chick to feed and strengthen it. The sea ice is melting as summer continues on, so the distance to the water becomes less and less. He goes back to get food (its a bugger of a journey for him since he hasn't eaten in something like 105 days). He returns with food and then the cycle goes on for a couple months with she going back and returning with food, and then he does the same, and so on. In this time the chick keeps growing. The parents need to be alert of predators such as flighted birds that are eager to pick off a chick or two for food. At about March the chick is prety much abandoned to fend for itself and the parents break up and dissapper back into the sea. In a couple months they'll return to find a new partner (The Penguins are monogomists whilst they are together but each season they will have a new / different partner). The chicks hang around for a while together and then after some time (not sure exactly how long) they'll take to the sea for the first time. They will return in 5 years to become parents themselves.

I'd like to get closer to nature and understand it better. In this I'd like to take more wildlife photos (in the latest Issue (eight) of Cosmos Magazine, in the section "CALL OF THE WILD", they presented the world's most beautiful photographs of the creatures and places that make our planet unique - from the winners of the 2005 Wildlife Photographer of the Year. This inspired me. The photos can be seen at Natural History Museum Exhibition.)

The probability of global bankruptcy

At the last Climate Action Brisbane meeting at Friends of the Earth (FOE) headquarters, the following was handed out. Sources haven't been checked and authenticity hasn't been confirmed but sounds very plausible and likely given what we can see happening around us.

Extract from book "The Little Green Handbook", by Ron Nielsen, 2005, published by Scribe Publications. Reproduced without authorization under the 'fair use' doctrine of international copyright law, without profit.

Perhaps the best and most convincing short-cut to the problems associated with studying the slow process of climate change and extreme weather, lies in weather-related economic losses. The relevant records are not only well documented and scrutinized, but are also expressed in terms of a single quantity we can easily understand and appreciate - the money we have to pay for weather-induced damage. These records are maintained by insurance companies, and it is in their interest to make them reliable.

One such company is the Munich Re group, which has clients in more than 150 countries. Before being made available to clients, records of weather-related losses are checked and verified several times. They involve large sums of money, and many companies rely on their accuracy. According to Munich Re, local weather-related economic losses increased from $3 billion per year in 1980 to $80 billion per year at the end of the 20th century. Losses per decade increased from $86 billion for 1980-89 to $474 billion for 1990-99.

Only a small percentage of the losses are covered by insurance, but someone has to pay for them. Only 34 per cent of Australia's weatherh-related loses in 1998 were covered. In that year only 29 per cent were insured on the continent of America, 27 per cent in Europe, 7 per cent in Africa and 4 per cent in Asia.

Global weather-related losses covered by insurance increased from $26.2 billion for the 1980-89 decade to $123.5 billion for 1990-99. These data show that, on average, only 26 per cent of weather-related losses were insured. Accurate records of uninsured losses are also important for insurance companies, because they contribute to an understanding of what is insurable.

How long can we cope with weather-related economic losses? If global income is substantially greater than the losses, and if it increases at least as fast as the losses, we have nothing to worry about. There will always be enough money to repair the damage. If global income increases more slowly than the losses, it is worthwhile to calculate how long the money will last. To estimate this period I have analysed the data for weather-related economic losses and for global world product (GWP) both expressed in 2001 US dollars.

Preliminary examination of the data shows that the prospects are not encouraging, because the losses are increasing much faster than income. As we have seen, global weather-related losses per decade have increased ... 450 per cent, in the last two decades of the 20th century. However, GWP increased from $29 trillion per decade to $386 trillion, or 33 percent, during the same period. GWP is still greater than the weather-related losses, but the losses are increasing much faster, and in time they might match global income. That would mean global bankruptcy.

Weather-related economic losses can be fitted by using exponential function. The best fit corresponds to a doubling time of 4.42 years. GWP can be fitted using a polynomial function, which increases slowly and has no doubling time. The two calculated curves cross in 2045. If about that time we decide to repair the damage, there will be no money left for anything else.

---

The world seems to finally be accepting what the Environmentalists have been warning everyone about for ages. The most recent issue of Time magazine has the cover story Global Warming: Be Worried. Be Very Worried.

My take on this is that the world will have to change the way it "does business" fast and voluntarily - we can't afford to wait until we are made to do it since then we will certainly have gone beyond the tipping point.

Here's Johnny!

No actually its me! I'm back, and I'm bad too!

Sorry to all my hardened readers for my absence. What have I been doing - alot but then again not much at all.

Over the last 5 weeks I've been doing:

• The Step Up Event - Over 600 teenangers and 70 coaches plus about a group of 20 volunteers all crammed into the Brisbane City Hall.
  
• This was followed the next week with the Step Up debrief and celebration
  
• I told someone who I've known as a friend for a while now that I really missed her after not seeing her for a couple weeks. I wanted more than to see her every now and then. I wanted more than pleasant conversations on the phone. I wanted more than to suggest things she could do in her life. It took her a while to go from seeing me as a friend she loves to a lover she digs, and now it feels pretty relaxed and comfortable plus very exciting; I know it was the right thing to do. More on this when she'll let me do a media release!
  
• I've spent a week in Canberra and Sydney with my mum who had a bad stroke in August 2004. She is now living in Canberra and I took her to see her Sydney house she hasn't been at since before her accident. I organised dinners with her friends from Sydney, and I also met my friends from Uni and Work. I have photos though are yet to sort them out and put them up. I aim to do that soon and will write about events then.
  
• I've joined a group initially called D3 (December 3 2005 was the inaugural "Walk Against Warming") and now renamed to Climate Action Brisbane (CAB). I'm coordinating creating Web Site, Blog and Photo site for them and will provide more details here when this has been all worked out. I'm of course also involved in the meetings we have fortnightly and we hope to create some significant, interesting and hopefully entertaining events. Our purpose is to help raise people's awareness about the dire situation our World is going to experience in the face of the effects of Global Warming. Essentially, we've been given the message but are ignoring it. Why? Because money clouds people's vision.
  
• I started dancing Swing again at Carina Bowls Club, Brisbane (Australia) on Thursday nights. I've also been asked to attend events with CAB and a Satsang Meditation group I've been with once, and of course, Step Up meetings, all on Thursday. Thursdays are so busy. Of course I want to do it all. I'd like to discuss the dancing I do sometime.
  
• Ohh, and I have a new member in my team at work. He's an experienced Software Analyst, Designer and Java developer and my work load has finally decreased to a reasonable level! Now I can concentrate on all the other things I am trying to do <phew/>.
  

So stay tuned and I'll put up Blog entries about these events and link to any photos.

Keep truckin' kiddies!

Step Up Coaching session 2

I attended the Step Up Foundation Coaching second session. I attended the first session last week and wrote about it soon afterwards. This 2nd session was the same as the first but held at a different place (City Hall where the Step Up Foundation event is next Thursday and Friday (23, 24 February 2006)) and hosted / led by a different person (Jon from the Business School), and ofcourse at a different time. However for me, I partipated and listened closely to what was said and even wrote notes. I'll present the notes. I didn't need to take as many photos as another lady was there doing the same. Here are my notes from the day.

The attitude of teens is one of

1. Explorer - find out more
   
2. Cruiser - just cruising along
   
3. Prisoner - don't want to be there
   

The coaches should have

1. Open mind - Coaches should go in with this
   
2. Sense of fun
   
3. Love and care for the teens - be friends
   
4. Sense of contribution - eg. your own way to add value, everyone puts in, that's what makes it work
   

"The triangle"

The three corners:

1. Focus
   
2. Beliefs - If its possible for you then its possible for me - its just a matter of how!
   
3. Strategy - see Key coaching basics
   

Key coaching basics

1. Terminology - call them "teens", not "kids"
   
2. Respect - we respect them for even turning up
   
3. Suspend Judgment - suspend our judgment of the teens - treat them as human beings that have unlimited potential
   
4. Trust - if they trust you they'll open up
   
5. Confidentiality - don't say much about yourself since its all about the teens. Put the focus back on them. People like others who are like themself. Build repore, such as learn about current music so you can sound not so uninformed and 'old'.
   
6. Powerful listener - 'Why?' asks about the past and the problem, not the solution. Ask 'what' or 'how' questions instead. Such as What did i learn from this, or How can I do things better.
   

Why choose business for Step Up?

Because there is no discrimination in business.

You're role as coach

1. Facilitator
   
2. Mentor teens - answer with a question (most of the time). Such as "Great question! What are the options we have?". Since its about them not you.
   
3. Assist participants to get the most out of step up
   
4. Provide a safe and trusting environment
   
5. Be yourself, have fun. You will never be cool so don't even try!
   

Topics discussed at the event

1. Business planning
   
2. Marketing / sales
   
3. Operations / customer service
   
4. Team work
   
5. Finance / budgeting
   
6. Personal leadership
   
7. Achievement
   
8. Success modeling
   
9. Goal setting
   
10. Overcoming challenges
    
11. Challenging life
    

Key Step Up models

If its possible for me then its possible for you - its just a matter of how

Reinforce this belief

Success Model

Decision x Action = Results
Don't be a 'gunna', be a 'doer'
(I wrote about this more in the first session).

Success / failure definition

• Success is a few simple disciplines practised every day (discipline is knowing what you should do, when you should do it and even if you don't feel like it).
  
• Failure is a few errors in judgment repeated every day.
  

Above the line / below the line

Will do / commit / must Success
Now --------------------------------------------> Future
Try / should / might Failure

Something is hard until it becomes easy!

Secret

A breakthrough is a breakwith - a breakwith existing beliefs

Depression

I'm writing this whilst watching the JJJ Hotest 100 songs 50 - 1. I bagged the Hottest 100 a bit in australia-day-2006 post though watching it with great joy tonight. It seems so easy for me to see the glass as half empty and I'm starting to figure that apart from my cynicism, I suffer from boughts of depression. I'm kind of bi-polar in the sense that tonight and lastnight I can feel really electric and alive but then other times I will lash out at people, see the worst in things or worse still, not be able to communicate with people at all. Sometimes I don't feel depressed but rather see visions of what I perceive to be hapening in the world around us (I get pretty down on human being's unrelenting efforts to kill all life on our planet - and human beings know its happening too, but money is too important to stop the (money producing) activities that are causing it. I defer this discussion to other blog posts). This post will talk about the extremes of my moods. I'll continue.



Last night I met my friend June at Southbank, an attractive tourist area. Also see my photos of Eliot's drumming troup parading through Southbank for the Queensland Music Festival. That's Eliot in the photo above.

I had a good night. I like June. We have much in common and get along well. We enjoy dancing, nature, coffee, wine, deep discussions and seemingly much much more. We differ in that she is Catholic and has a faith that I could never have (I am spiritual and believe in higher powers, however I see religion as "marketed spiritualism". They've taken some great information, such as in the bible and other such texts and peoples desire to belong and their selfish wish to want to have an eternal life in bliss and equal fear of living in complete 'hell', and marketed it with dogma that says "you must do this and that, and don't do that ...". (The "Thou shall"s and "Thou shall not"s are basic premises that are what I consider the good part of religions). This will be the topic of discussion in many other blogs entries. I would like to start by writing up some valid extracts from "Conversations with God" - that'll happen soon).

We met to do Latin dancing with a group that is there to attract the Tourists. It is free and alot of fun. Its sponsored by the Brisbane Council apparantly, though the dancing troup gets advertising in so it works for them (I will go along to their paying dance classes maybe next week). We started with a coffee and moved to the bar next door when June's friend "Lisa" arrived. I had a glass of my favourite wine - Merlot and it was pretty good and a reasonable price ($3.50 maybe).

I did some dancing - Latin: Meringue (mmm, not sure if that is how you spell it), Salsa and a bit of Cha Cha. I've been doing Rock and Roll and Swing dancing for 7 years now and will quite often (instinctively) combine these moves in with Latin. But that's ok, since most modern dancing styles are very similar. I danced with 6 ladies, including "Daria" who was very pretty and I hope to catch up with again someplace ... sometime.

Tonight was a positive night for me - I was feeling good and "ontop of things", almost to the point where I had some kind of control of those I was interacting with. I like this. This is in contrast to 2 Sundays ago when I went out with June to Jills Jive. I felt depressed Saturday afternoon and this continued through Sat night. I know this because I had those dreams and decided to get up early on Sunday and go for a long (1.5 hr) walk rather than lie in bed and just think about things. Come Sunday evening, I met June at Jills and the night was a "disaster" for me. I felt daggy and wore shorts there (these didn't match the dancing shoes I put on and I knew before I left home that they wouldn't. It was like I wanted to look shit. NOTE that lastnight I put on good pants and looked sensational!). That is how I felt. Trevor the owner told me off and informed me that the dress regulations are long pants. I felt pissed off with him since he knows me and could have either waited to see if it happened again or told me in better ways. Of course though, being depressed I internalised the rage. I danced like crap and I was really concious of it. June's friend "Rosie" was there and she just didn't want to dance with me (she said so!). Last time we met, last October, at a Rock N Roll dance in Mt Gravatt, I was quite "on top of things" and had a great night dancing. Jannit was there and I certainly like being with her so that could have had something to do with it. I danced with Rosie that night and had great fun - I was dancing well and so was she. It was great. So when at Jills our dancing together felt like absolute rubbish I was suprised. Now I know why.

My point to this post is that I do get depressed at times and then do feel exceptionally good at others. When I'm depresssed it can erally affect my spirituality and outlook on life. I can certainly understand how people commit suicide. I definitely wouldn't do that since I have something too big to do. In contrast, when I'm "happy" I can almost control those around me. I like this, not because I like to control but because I like to be on top of things.

The question I need to answer is how often I spend in each extreme. I'm actually thinking that the positive extreme is actually normal but that my normal is most people's "feeling a bit down". I'll have to think about that one more. How long in each - both are fairly rare (every one to two months) and last for a day or two.

I'm looking for a lot of explanations in life and over time I will present my findings here of this and much more.

Sleep well my lamb chops. I will, I've been chilling out with a couple Scotch and Waters as I watched Rage and wrote this. I don't normally drink at home - its just that I felt good!

GUNNS

On the Gunns website they say that "Gunns Limited is Australia's largest fully integrated hardwood forest products company. They also say they want to expand their operations.

There is no denying that. I'd like to highlight some serious issues that surround this company and ask how society can support companies that are clearly leading unsustainable and deadly practices? Their operations have negative consequences for all local flora, fauna and even human life. This post is to ask people to no longer support them (nor any like them).

I'm sure that anyone in the Environmental (or anti-Environmental) movements knows the story well. Gunns is considered one of the worst environmental vandals in Australia. See Wilderness Society Campaign for more information. To understand the depth of this morally reprehensible company, see the Friends Of Gunns 20 site. The Gunns 20 are 20 individuals and/or organisations that are being sued by Gunns because these people tried to stop the Environmental damage caused by the operations of Gunns. Mmmm, I've just been reading some other interesting articles and sites on this subject:

• (the age) Who-benefits-when-a-company-sues-to-save-its-reputation
  
• (Indy Media) The Styx Valley in Tasmania contains pristine rainforests. In the name of corporate greed, this is being destroyed at a phenomenal rate by logging company Gunns for wood chip. What little remains is being napalmed and burnt to the ground. Nothing living survives. The cleared land is then used for plantations. Poison is laid to kill off any living creatures.
  
• (Google search) Google: gunns+dont+kill
  

The purpose of this post is to help everyone in the (pro) Environmental Movement realise that the only way to "stop" companies like Gunns is to stop using their products and services and/or to convince others to do so. Some would take this a step further and suggest that we should NOT DRINK THE WATER OR EAT TASMANIAN produce grown in areas around the plantations, woodchip, pulping or logged areas since it is likely contaminated. This has to happen across all of society. This is the only way in the flawed system that is Capitalism.

People don't kill trees, Gunns do

StepUp Foundation coaching

In Winter 2005 I started volunteering for StepUp Foundation. The purpose of this group is explained on the website and quoted here:

Our purpose is...
“If it’s possible for me, it’s possible for you, it’s just a matter of how!”

The purpose of stepUP Foundation is to educate and excite teenagers the world over about the possibilities for their futures in business and in life.

We do that via 2-day flagship events, an online community, school and individual products such as Audio CD's. Ongoing Coaching and mentoring is provided to our Teens by our partner 'Youth Excel'.

By seeing example after example of people who started just where they are now, via our Speakers and Coaches, Teens begin to understand that anything really is possible if they just set their mind to it.

The major event is being held Thursday and Friday 23rd - 24th Feb 2006 at Brisbane City Hall. If you're in town, pop in and you can see what its all about.

Today was the coaching session where they coach the coaches. The structure of the event is that a large number of teenagers participate. They form groups with each group being lead by a "Coach". Up on the stage are motivation speakers and the like. The coaches are there to help their group understand what is being said, and for them to watch over their teens as a guardian. The coaches are individuals sent along by the businesses they belong to. Each event has all new coaches. This is a very good experience for coaches since it gives them the skills to lead a team, and in this case, a team of teenagers. The coaches are exposed to what the teens are - very good information about life and business skills. Today was the first of two days dedicated to coaching the coaches. There is another next Saturday.

I've uploaded the photos from the day to a new Flickr account I created for the Step Up foundation.

I took some notes on the topics discussed.

Decision x Action = Result

If you want to change the Result then either the decision or the action has to change. Or initially, to get a Result, you need a decision and action. I came up with 2.

Understand Mortgage Better

Action =

1. Book meeting with finance company to discuss.
   
2. Analyse statements and known arrangements and collect data to review and questions to ask.
   
3. Go see financiers at appointment time and ask the questions. Don't leave until I have all the answers and are fully understanding.
   

Develop Web Application Idea

Action =

1. Do Software Engineering plan for idea including creating models and any prototypes. As far as I can do by myself without any help.
   
2. Discuss with friends and interested parties. Refine models and prototypes.
   
3. Seek developers who can code this up and test
   
4. Get it out there and have people use it
   
5. Build it up so will raise the interest of significant companies in the Web Apps arena.
   

What am I committed to?

1. To do well in my job.
   
2. To create my own business and do well in it
   
3. To have my personal life under control
   
   
   
   • Finances (understand)
     
   • Relationships (be in ones I enjoy, are good for me and good for them)
     
   
   
4. To have my unit / house looking how I want it to.
   

Pure Evil

In contrast to my last post of Warm human compassion, here is a post about what might be considered pure-evil. Why pure-evil? Because the company and supposed attitudes of this company are what is wrong with this planet - that money and increasing profits are more important than life itself. This company itself acts like most other companies so it isn't necessarily fair to single them out. Everyone is out to make a buck, the more bucks the better, and the more bucks than that guy down the road the better. Currently you can make more bucks by following unenvironmental practices. That is changing ...



A recent email I received from an environmental organisation that I'm subscribed to (Walk against warming - Brisbane chapter) contained the following story.

If you'd earned $36.13 billion dollars (after taxes!) last year what would you do with it? Well, if you were ExxonMobil, you'd grab the champagne, write a fat bonus check to your lobbyists and the junk science groups you fund and schedule a meeting to make sure Congress doesn’t drop the ball on opening the Arctic Refuge and our pristine coasts to oil drilling.

Today oil giant ExxonMobil will announce its record-breaking profits for 2005 to the public -- roughly $36 billion! That is the largest profit ever recorded by any corporation in America!

In response, the ExxposeExxon.com campaign has created a short, funny video in Exxon’s honor. Click the link below to check it out:

http://www.foe.org/exxon/movie.html (and don't forget to turn on your speakers!)

We’re sure the movie will make you chuckle. Please share the laughs by forwarding it on to all your friends and family.

The movie is humorous, but ExxonMobil’s policies are not. Sadly, ExxonMobil’s profits have come at a huge cost -- both to consumers like you and me and to our environment. ExxonMobil uses its billions to sabotage efforts to slow global warming and to lobby Congress in support of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and off of America’s majestic coasts. Instead, ExxonMobil should invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy, such as wind and solar power.

The good news is that we have a chance to change for the better the way ExxonMobil does business in 2006. ExxonMobil CEO Lee Raymond retired in December after a long and extremely costly run. This month, Rex Tillerson took over as ExxonMobil’s new CEO. You can help ExxonMobil change direction by asking Rex Tillerson to make the company a responsible corporate citizen that respects consumers and the environment.

Once you've watched the video, help increase the pressure on ExxonMobil's new CEO by taking one more minute to forward the movie to as many people as you can.

Word of mouth will be crucial to our ability to influence ExxonMobil's new head honcho, Rex Tillerson. If we hope to catch Rex's attention, we are going to need a lot of people to watch this little movie and send him a message. After all, Rex is a busy man with a multibillion dollar company to run.

So please take a minute right now do whatever you can to help us spread the word about the movie at http://www.foe.org/exxon/movie.html.
Forward this message to your friends, family, and colleagues. Write about it on your blog. And do anything else you can think of!

With your help, we can convince ExxonMobil to change its policies for the better.

Other links discussing the disgrace that is ExxonMobil:

• Union of Concerned Scientists - Congress recently gave the oil and gas industry, including ExxonMobil, $10.7 billion in tax breaks.
  
• Shareholders campaign to get ExxonMobil to recognise the reality of Global Warming
  
• General information about ExxonMobil including a discussion of their poor Environmental record
  
• Stop ExxonMobil - discusses their ExxonMobil's unchecked corporate abuses
  
• Exxon's funding of climate sceptic
  
• Allegations against ExxonMobil - WIkipedia entry
  
• ...
  
• Google Search 'ExxonMobil'
  

Warm human compassion

Once in a while you see something to make you feel good about the human race. I joined a group called Freecycle Brisbane.



You may need to be a member to view this page, so instead I will quote what it says its all about:

The Freecycle concept has taken the world by storm. There are now over 3000 Freecycle groups worldwide with about 75 of those in Australia. Combined membership is now fast approaching 2,000,000.

This groups is dedicated to saving landfill by giving unwanted stuff to others. In doing so, we may be helping someone who is in need.

Freecycle Brisbane serves the metropolitan area of Brisbane and surrounds.

Actually, check out the http://www.freecycle.org/ site.

Anyway, the following mail appeared:

From: shar_bar05 at yahoo.com.au
Subject: [freecycle_brisbane] Giveaway Purebred Black Labrador
Date: 5 February 2006 11:06:52 GMT+10:00
To: freecycle_brisbane at yahoogroups.com

We have a beautiful black 5 yo labrador that we are hoping to find a new home for. She has papers, but has been fixed.

The sad part is she was recently hit by a car, and now has a dislocated leg. The vet has told me that she needs an operation within one month, with a cost of around $800. Unfortunatly we are not in a position to give her this treatment, so our only other option is euthanasia. We are desperately hoping that someone with a big heart will take her, give her the treatment she needs and love her dearly.

She has a beautiful temperament, and is perfect around children as she has been bought up with 5 of ours. She is currently on pain killers. She has enough to last her for 2 weeks, but the vet has said he will supply more if she needs them. Please contact me on 33894047 if you would like to come and see her. We may be able to arrange delivery if you are unable to collect her.

Please dont say you will have her if you cant give her the treatment.

Thanks

Sharon

Some discussions ensued on the list including:

From: lazy_furball at yahoo.com.au
Subject: [freecycle_brisbane] WANTED!!: A KIND VET TO GIVE SHARON'S DOG A CHANCE!!
Date: 5 February 2006 19:46:50 GMT+10:00
To: freecycle_brisbane at yahoogroups.com

IM SORRY IF THIS EMAIL IS NOT THE GENERAL KIND OF POSTING BUT READING ABOUT THE DOG MADE MY HEART MELT.

PLEASE SAVE THIS DOG!!! ALL YOU FREECYCLERS OUT THERE, I'M SURE SOMEBODY IS OR KNOWS OF A VET WHO WILL GIVE THIS POOR DOG A CHANCE TO LIVE!!!

JUST THINK OF THE MANY YEARS OF HAPPINESS THIS DOG WILL BRING!

FOR ANYBODY WHO HAS THE HEART TO HELP PLEASE CONTACT SHARON ASAP.

REGARDS

TAMMY (ALSO A PET OWNER)

THIS IS SHARON'S EMAIL.

shar_bar05 at yahoo.com.au

From: "Sharon"
Date: 6 February 2006 11:52:06 GMT+10:00
To: freecycle_brisbane at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [freecycle_brisbane] Labrador

Hi everyone, thankyou all for your efforts and concerns for Ruby, my labrador.

Because of your efforts, the vet offered to fix her today, and he will wait and see what is offered in the form of donations from those wonderful people from this group.

He was able to replace her leg back into its joint, through manipulation and therefore the surgery that he thought was necessary wasnt needed. She still has a problem with her knee, he said, that may need operation in the future, but I will be better prepared for that one!

If you want to email me for more information, please email me privately. The moderators of this group have been wonderful so far, with bending the rules slightly, but I think it would be better if you all email me privately from now on.

Because of your wonderful aide, she will no longer be looking for a new home. I am extremely grateful for those people that offered to take her, and I only hope that I can repay the favour in some form or other, in the future.

Big hugs to you all and thankyou once again.

Sharon

36 and still breathing

Folks, my birthday continues. Now that I'm feeling better about the event I can apologise for the winge and the attempted rectification of Angry Dad 2006's family (See 36 today). I'm feeling better as I had my final celebration with my very dear friend Jannit.

It wasn't an exciting night in terms of riding a roller-coaster or the like, but its great to be with someone you love. We went out together but had to break if off about 20 months ago. Sounds like a story for another blog entry.

Anyway, we had dinner at the Easts Leagues Club followed by coffee at the Coffee Club Stones Corner. See the photos on Flicr. We ate at the Rugby Club as I was rewarded with a free birthday dinner after becoming a member last September. I had to join in order to get entry (as I live within 5km. I could lie, but most clubs are affiliated, so for a whopping $2 joining fee I can get into most RSL and Leagues Club - something which happens with suprising regularity when you walk the circles I do.) The real reason for joining was not to be able to drink cheap (read - "subsidised by the poker machines") piss, but to dance to a band playing there. Unfortunately due to the Rugby League Grandfinal the band wasn't playing. Why not watch the Grandfinal I hear you ask? I can take it or leave it. When I'm with mates who love watching it I'll love watching it to; But when with a friend who couldn't give a toss I couldn't give one either. We ended up dancing at the Cooporoo RSL. I got in there with no problems as I am now a bona-fidey, genuine, guaranteed member of an affiliated club!.

Life goes on ... or should I say "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives" (Nah naa na na nahhhh na na na na nah na nah ...).

Party on kidies and enjoy it while you're young.

I will have to go off now and check out what Angry Dad 2006 has had to say lately.

Sleep well my little lamb chops.

NE

Photo Management (Generally and for public display)

I thought I would write a post on how I manage my photos and put them up for public display.

First of all I use iView Media Pro for media management. I haven't yet ventured into movies so it is currently only managing my photos, however it would be a fantastic tool to manage movies aswell and I look forward to making this step.

I use a Mac though iView is available on Windows aswell.

iView handles applying meta-data, and in particular:

• Events
  
• People
  
• Keywords
  

You can also create Categories and assign these to any photos (or rather, assign photos to belong to Categories). A photo can only be part of one 'Event' but can belong to any number of Categories.

I use a tool called Picture Sync to upload the photos to my Flickr account (though it can be used to upload to a number of photo management sites). This tool will also reduce the size of the image and upload the meta-data aswell. This last bit is why I use the tool - so I can manage the meta-data at home but have these appear on the photos in Flickr.

Then in Flickr I move the photos into the appropriate Set. Flickr's own upload tool for the Mac, imaginitively named "Flickr Uploadr" can also manage to move the photos into a defined Set in Flickr. Maybe PictureSync will be given this feature one day (soon?).

I match 'Events' in iView to Sets in Flickr. Due to iView's many-to-many relationship between Categories and media files, I will never upload Categories to become Sets in Flickr. Buy by definition, an iView Category is the same as a Flickr Set, since a photo can belong to multiple Sets also. Perhaps Flickr is able to manage this - to have only one image and in multiple Sets. YES, I know this is a feature of Flickr, but I mean so that if you upload a new Set with an image with the same name it will just use the original. For this to work then Picturesync will need to be able to upload to Sets. Investigation continues ...

As for putting photos that are in Flickr on the Blog see yesterdays post at Flicr Images.

I will put information up about how I manage the media files in iView in some future post.

Flicr Image

As you may have read in the previous post, I've started a Flickr account, and this blog post is to have a bit of a play with linking to images. I found that if you click on "All Sizes" then it presents HTML you can use to paste into a page.

The first image was created as part of the blog page created directly from Flickr. That doesn't seem to allow me to 'add to an existing page' and thus it was great to find the HTML to paste in.

The next trick will be change the alignment so text comes besides the images. Let me have a look at the HTML DTD ... I think you need to use CSS and perhaps text-align: center? Dunno, will have to have a fiddle with.


IMGP0435.JPG



Joanne and Brooke at Woodford




Originally uploaded by novorivus.

Having a fiddle and seeing how I can reference an image that is on Flicr.

Australia Day 2006

Today (26/1) is Australia Day. Also known as Invasion Day as it was the day James Cook landed in Australia in 1788 and through a turn of events, pushed the indigenous population away causing much social discontent. The Australian Aboriginals are less than pleased at our presence and let that be known. In return the right-wing constituents of this counry let them know that their culture is not welcome here - white man is here to stay so they'd better like it. That is obviously an over-simplification. How I look at it, is that the Australian Aboriginies lived here for 40,000+ years, living in perfect harmony with nature ('the environment') and in return for this, nature them rewarded them with a rich life. Modern man, of which Europeans who populated Australia are part of, have been around for only a couple thousand years and already we're wiping out species at a non-natural rate, we've poluted the planet so badly that is changing the global climate. Modern Man though, has made significant strides into Science, technology and allowing us to "have fun". What we haven't discovered is what Science can't directly prove. There is so much we don't understand and we are not going to while we continue along the same path we are.

Anyway, I'll finish my ditribe by saying that the terrible situation we have put ourselves and all live on this planet in doesn't have to be. The technology we've established, and the Science we've used to develop our fantastic understanding of the universe and almost everything should allow us to prune off the bad bits of our existance, and keep the good ones. This will then allow us to achieve what we ultimately want to - to "find god". More on this in another blog post.

James Cook also came "down-under" for another reason - to observe the Transit of Venus which only happens every 70 years or so. They needed to do this to establish our distance from the sun (now termed as "1 AU").

Finally, as an Australian, I'm glad that Captain Cook helped establish a colony or else I wouldn't exist (as the person I am / in the body I inhabit).

Australia Day is also the day of the JJJ Hotest 100. JJJ is a public radio station, which means it paid for through taxes. This allows it to be non-commercial and to not have to bow to commercial interests such as the "Lowest Common Demoninator". My post on Musical Intelligence goes some way to explain the relevance of this. I just need to survive the next 2 or 3 weeks now where they'll play the top 10 songs over and fucking over (breaking well beyond my threshold). Ultimately this will be done help promote the JJJ Hottest 100 number 14, 15 or whatever its up to. Don't get me wrong, I love JJJ, but when my threshold is constantly being broken, and my love has so long ago turned to hate, I find it kind of unpleasant.

I love to have a good winge! Life wouldn't be interesting without one.

I celebrated Australia Day by spending it with friends at Brisbane's Botanical Gardens. The central figure is "Trav", as we used to call him when we were teenagers in Canberra where we grew up together. Trav is the man with very short blonde hair. Trav is part of the Brahma Kumaris spiritual organisation and all other people were friends with him through that. It was a good day with friends, playing a bit of volley ball without a net, walking through the park and generally having a chilled-out time. The photos can be found at Flickr set - Australia Day. I love nature and this offered the best glimpse of it I've had in, ummm, 3 weeks since I was at Dad's (he has a property 60km from the nearest major town (Coffs Harbour, NSW Australia), on the edge of a national park and with sensational views across the valley to another national park. That will be the topic of a blog entry sometime.

NOTE - I CHANGED THE URL IN FLICKR AND ITS STOPPED WORKING FOR ME, SO THE Botanical Gardens photos won't be available until I've fixed the problem up.

The last bit of news for today is that I've started a Flickr account and thus this is where my photos are now coming from.

Sleep well my little lamb chops.

NE