Mesothelioma

05/12/2006

The other day I heard about the disease Mesothelioma, because of the amount people were paying for google adwords (upwards of $50 on a popular site). I did a little look around and the whole thing makes me a little sick. There is simply no place to go on the internet for people to discuss ways of dealing with diseases like these without some lawyer trying to take money off them.

So I started a blog about it. Obviously it's just me now, and still just an idea. Hopefully, in the future, more poeple with an interest in the area will joining up - not just sufferers or victims, but people like me who care about corporate greed causing preventable disease - to discuss ways of finding justice without more heartache and lawyers fees.

Obviously I'm no expert, and it will take up too much of my time soon, but i want to get a bit of a base up. Maybe it will become more of a general site for sufferers of lung cancer because of cigarette companies, those who have been affected by chemical companies etc. They have been free and easy pickings for lawyers for too long.

There are adwords on the site - the first time ive tried to get ad revenue off a site, and as of now, im not sure what to do with the money, if i get any. I hope that if a goup does form, we can use the money in some effective way? Although the clicks I have received so far only generate about $.50, so we wont be making any big leaps quickly.

I wonder if it is simply the time of day, or just an accident that you read about something that seems so grossly unfair, only to hurt people even more int he fight for justice.

Anyway, if anyone is interested, find the blog at http://mesothelioma.blogspirit.com/, feel free to comment about the direction you think it should take (or if i should just give up while im behind) or if you want to help out.

Blogging is a good way of getting good search engine rankings, and I would like a site run by interested people to be the one victims find... not the lawyers sites!

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Myspace

04/08/2006

I've never really looked around myspace before, but heard a lot about it. I somehow managed to get a link to 'the most popular girl on myspace' Tilatequila or something and couldn't resist a look at what would make someone the most popular girl on Myspace. Duh! It's the same thing that makes a girl the 'most popular' anywhere - her willingness to pose next to naked in photos and talk about how she loves being a 'hussler'.

I know a lot of parents are full of concern when they sign on to see what their kid is doing online all day, to find out that they are posting revealing photos of themselves alongside details of how to find them. Man I hate it when communities end up putting girls right back in their place - the sex symbols of society, and when girls actually internalise the whole thing and try to be the most sexy girl in the room. Why would you do that to yourself?

I remember going through school with a bunch of girls who thought the same thing, and week in week out delivered themselves on a plate to whoever wanted a bite. By the ripe old age of 17, they were all depressed, had almost zero self confidence, drank far far too much and had set themselves up for a future where they would never experience a relatinship with someone of the opposite sex where they were valued as a person and not as a sex toy.

I'm sure a lot of cool people have interesting Myspace lives (although how they stand to look at those hideous pages and find their way through the site is a mystery to me - let alone how you're meant to communicate with anyone!), but it's fascinating how blatantly this whole world ties together. The movie and music industries pump out near naked girl after near naked girl, inspiring girls to think that is the opitime of cool, then someone launches a communitiy that enables people to generate so much 'virtual' popularity through acting like the famous girls they model themselves off that they too can launch their own pop/modelling/movie career.

Sorry, I don't have any answers for this one, just blatant horror, which, I know isn't very practical. 

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Regaining Control

03/28/2006

You hear a lot about how various disorders/problems/issues are a result of loss of control. Bulemia, anorexia, obsessive compulsiveness etc etc. Thankfully, I don't suffer from any of these, although I have known people who do and it isn't fun for anyone. But I think there is a part in all of us that feels that same sense of grasping at what we can control when life skews sideways or upside down. Last night it popped into my head, maybe I was mildly upset about something or stressed, or whatever really, and my first instinct is to clean, to want the house sparkling because I CAN DO THAT. I've kind of noticed it before, like after a fight or a particularly stressful day, I just want to be clean, I can't relax until I have cleaned. Funny. I think it's also a self preservation thing, when life is in disarray, but your surroundings are more ordered, you feel safe, when things are happening that you can't control, the fact you can make sure your house is the way you like it really helps. I'm sure everyone has their quirks, it's just weird to really realise mine. I suppose it's like when you are really angry you just want to go for a fast run, it's natures way of sorting you out. By the time you've exhausted yourself, the anger has faded and you're ok. It's nice to know when you don't know what to do, there is some instinct in there somewhere sorting it out for you.

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Have We Broken the Limits of Human Possibility?

03/22/2006

I watched about five minutes of the Commonwalth Games last night. Just enough to watch Australian mixed medley team swim so fast for the gold medal that the rest of the field didn't even feel their wake. Celebrations were in full swing before Shri Lanka even competed their final lap and I believe the world record was shattered. Is that kind of speed humanly possible?

I'm not playing the usual NZ vs Australia line here, I don't really buy into that rubbish, what I am interested in is what exactly we are achieving by breaking the limits of human possibility, using people who are literally athletic machines. Dad let out a sigh aftre the race at how it's all about being one step ahead of the drug tests these days, that and massive, massive funding. The great Kiwi athletes of the past were ordinary people, they went to work like everyone else, and achieved the extra ordinary in their own time. They were never paid to do it.

Nowdays with all the money involved, the investors demand a return, seemingly at any cost. Can we as the human race really feel proud of those tiny girls who have been packed off to gymnastics school and never experienced a proper childhood or should we just feel sorry for them?

Yes the records keep getting broken, yes, I also take great joy out of seeing the true limits to what we can achieve. But this doesn't seem to be an accurate measure any more, just a bunch of drugged up machines who must win at all costs. There is no human triumph there.

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Don't Touch yourself While at War?

03/19/2006

I came accross this wonderful article at the Huffington post, which, for all the uninitiated is one of the top 100 blogs worldwide, but also a blog that I have never felt a need to read. I was brought up in rather a non-religious setting, which is why I've made it to this age knowing only a handful of religious types. While I feel strongly that the church is a bad thing, because I have about ziltch interest in studying the bible to prove it, I am often at a loss as to how to communicate my thoughts. My favourite comments from the article:

• "There is no bigger closet in the world than the Catholic hierarchy, in which there's even room for the Pope's $1000.00 Prada shoes."
• "I also was raised a Catholic, well until my parent's divorce when we were all ex-communicated." (isn't 'ex-communicated' a really humourus word? like they were booted off the island).
• Man created god in man's image and likeness--unfortunately, he then forgot it was just a joke.

The article starts by saying "As we know, Christ came down to earth to instruct us in the ways in which we must limit our sexual expression."  and Goes on to outline a hilarious situation where church raised children are fed warped ideas about sex and war by priests that blatantly contradict their own teachings, to the point I'm sure ANYONE has to question where exactly these 'morals' were dreamt up and why (aside from the few who just feel attacked by someone questioning god)

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The Way People Treat Waiters

03/17/2006

I've just been over at the Brand Builder, and it reminded me of something I've always held true:

 "Watch the way people treat waiters. It'll tell you everything you need to know about what kind of person they are."

 It's something Tim and I talk about often, how to judge a person by the way they treat the 'lowliest' person in the room - funnily enough that's normally me. The amount of times I'm involved in a conversation with Tim and another guy and have to pinch myself to see if I really exist or if I am a figment of my own imagination, astonishes me. Waiters, shop assistants, all those people who are there but somehow appear not to be for a lot of people are often the best judges of charater you come across. That old 'feminine intuition' thing is also easy to figure out. It's hard to like someone when they think nothing of you just because you're a girl.

I actually have been a waitress (for one night). I was still at school, when I still kind of thought sexism was a myth. I thought it would be inrteresting to see how it would feel to be the unseen. It hurt. But I still remember the few people that night who were friendly to me, that's how dramatic an indicator the waiter test is.

 

18:47 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Politics

Technorati issues and men's bill of rights

I have finally got my act together photo wise, and am putting pictures of us up in all the places that like them. Either we are terribly ugly or technorati is overloaded and is currently not accepting my picture for our Decisive Flow blog. At the same time, I thouht I'd 'claim' this blog incase some sneaky blog stealer claimed it first (well we can all dream), but Technoraiti doesn't want to accept this either, so I have to copy the following link into a post:

Technorati Profile

Good, all set.

Read this article if you have a spare minute about the poor man whos woman 'assured him she wouldn't get herself pregnant' and is now filing a court case to avoid paying child support for a baby he doesn't even want. The author writes the bill himself, including such wonderful statements as:

"Amendment V
No man shall be held to answer for a pregnancy, unless on a presentment of evidence of paternity; nor shall he be twice put in jeopardy of owing child support, unless he failed to learn the first time; nor shall he be compelled to bear wetness against himself, without due process of consent; nor shall private parts be taken for his pubic use, without just compensation."

 As someone who just get's angry, not humurous, I admire people who make others look like fools :)

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Censorship of Violent Video Games

03/13/2006

I was just over at someones blog (sorry link is lost) who was talking about some 'mums brigade' against violent games. While I think some of the comments were valid (ie. "Maybe you should stop blaming video games and become a proper parent"), it's not really children I'm concerned about. Quite frankly, children shouldn't be playing violent video games, the only reason it keeps coming up is that parents keep letting them. We can talk all we like about it, but realistically do nothing. I'm more concerned about adult gamers. I reckon it's true, you shouldn't be allowed to censor video games, what we don't realise, is that at the moment, we are. Censorship is simply when something is not shown. Like for example, when we talk about censorship of the worst violence, like the American soldiers killing Iraqis game, we should be focused on what is ALREADY BEING CENSORED. Like the game about being an Iraqi with a bunch of white people carrying guns and media through your house and trying to kill you. Haven't heard of that game? Ah, well that's because it doesn't exist. Equally violent, equally horrific, but from another point of view, you know, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY.

I have a feeling its a human reaction to identify with your game personality, eg. if you see yourself as an American holding a gun and shooting the bad 'Iraqis', funnily enough, that will affect your opinion of American Soldiers and Iraqis. If you see yourself on screen as a cowering Iraqi running away from (or trying to fight back at) American Soldiers, you may identify with their plight. To me, not being given that opportunity is censorship at a MUCH higher level than me saying 'now it's released, please take it back' 

18:44 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Politics

Please Don't Fight for YOUR Cause

I have always wondered why it is that minority groups who gain some form of equality in society, immediately turn around and trample on the next group down. It seemed crazy that anyone who has known discrimination would then discriminate against others, but it's not. We all have our own causes, we fight for female rights, racial equality, sexual freedom, whatever group we are a part of. We don't fight for global equality. A lot of women who believe in and fight for the right to be equal to a man, don't believe that homosexuals are equal, they see no contradiction in stopping a gay person sharing the same rights women now enjoy. This is because people who fight for their cause and their cause alone, don't actually believe in equal rights for all, just in a better life for themselves.

I think I'm starting ot change my tune. I used ot think some people needed to devote their lives to one cause in order for anything to do anything. Now I realise that you can't be passionate about one certain cause without doing a little damage, you need to spread the load across every injustice you come across in daily life and that's all. For example, we had a friend come over the other night who told us a story about a job interview he didin his company. The applicant walked in, (rightly) perceived the interviewers to be straight men and immediately made a comment about 'fags'. One interviewer quietly turned to the other and said 'Andy, being a homosexual, do you take offense to that remark?' Andy (maintaining a straight face) said "Actually, I do, I don't think this interview can proceed.'

Maybe the guy walked out thinking 'I would hate to work with fags anyway', maybe he realised that it's not acceptable anymore to degrade someone because of who they love, either way, neither of the interviewers has a passion about gay rights, nor need to, they saw an injustice and made it not ok. That's cool. 

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Is Bill Napoli A Potential Rapist?

03/12/2006

I have to ask (as many are after watching the video clip). State Senator Bill Napoli of South Dakota seems to spill his rape fantasy's when asked in what situation abortion should be ok. The weird way he repeats the most horrific lines, and focuses on the 'religious virgin' is about the freakiest thing I've ever heard. He's obviously put some good time into thinking about rape and his conclusions about 'the worst type of rape' seem to be more of a hideous description of the porn he probably watches than a serious belief that rape is somehow better for those who have already had sex, don't get sodomised and aren't religious.

I wish people would stop saying 'at the very least let rape victims have abortions', like somehow a foetus from a rape victim is less of a person than one from someone whos contraception failed. Can noone see that this directly contradicts that whole line about how they are stopping abortion because they believe 'every baby has a right to life'?

15:00 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this | Tags: Politics

Well, thats life for you (if you're a female)

03/09/2006

Came across this article today, which, I must say, is mildly depressing for people like me who at least think we've come a long way - and this is in countries we deem 'developed'. What can you do though? cry?

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Shoutout to Comment Spammers

03/08/2006

Thankyou robots that came through my site and comment spammed me (especially the one who said 'Perfect 10'). For a moment there I really thought I had made it in the blogging world before crashing back down to reality when I saw your hideous sites. Please don't do it again, I really like my one honest comment a month routine and will be very said if i have to control comments and lose everyone.

 PS. Does anyone have any experience with White Doves? Ours wont go away and seems to beon a suicide mission. It sits on our doorstep all day and when we lock it out it dives at our windows until it makes loud thumping noises. I am worried about it's neck.

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Why Mainstream Media Makes us Immoral

03/07/2006

I was just looking at a few more opinions about the illegalisation of abortion in North Dakota and it struck me that two weeks/months/years from now when I am no longer simmering, the suffering will still be going on. It reminds me of the halabaloo over Australian Shapelle Corby last year when she was arrested and sentenced to 25 years for importing drugs to Indonesia. At the time you couldn't NOT hear her name every 5 seconds, Australians were threatening a full scale boycott of Indonesia, we all felt the pain and anguish of her potential innocence. But now, she is still rotting in jail and I haven't heard her name for months. Now the scandal has died down, it's like we all think it's over, like she too has packed up and gone home. At the time, I found the immense outcry interesting as I hadn't heard so much as a whimper about the many, many innocent Indonesians crammed into Australian jails for the sole crime of being a refugee.

So the mainstream media makes us immoral. We only care about anything while it is sensational, which means the media can force news down our throats happy in the knowledge that when they stop writing about it, we'll stop thinking about it. Out of sight, out of mind. Sometimes I wonder how it must feel to be a 'victim' of the mainstream media, to be like Schapelle, so overwhelmed with support for the first few months, only to have virtually everyone forget your plight shortly after. Or the women of North Dakota. When the 'abortion debate' has been publically debated, nothing changed and their lives now just that little bit worse, will they feel sad that the rest of the world has kind of forgotten about them?

Maybe that's why I get a little frustrated about 'baby steps', because the way our news is presented needs a complete overhaul. A little more practicality maybe, not the sudden drench then drought we currently get that allows us to think when the hype is over, the movie is over too. Maybe we could stop seeing the news as being a sort of reality TV Programme and realise the pain lasts longer than the scandal.

 

 

17:53 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this | Tags: Politics

Highlights from Rotovegas

03/06/2006

We spent yesterday pretending we were tourists in Rotorua. We bullied the token American along so we could pretend we were 'just showing him round'. Man Rotorua is 10 times as fun for tourists as it is for New Zealanders.

First we went Zorbing. If you have never been introduced to a Zorb, think giant Hamster exerciser. You literally have to dive through a hole in the side of a double layered, massive bouncy ball, then they throw in a bucket of water and set your Zorb free to roll down the hill or if you are feeling extra feisty, the 'slalem course.' At the end, you go through a rebirth process, complete with waters breaking and sliding through a nice red tube to the awaiting man with a towel.

The best thing about the Zorb, is that the guy dreamed it up one night lying drunk on the beach. Now he has aquired a rural hillside and about ten massive zorbs, the company now earns about $45 a minute as zorbs containing up to three tourists are rolled down the hill in a production line.

We then left for the Luge. Every time I see something like a lUge I remind myself not to pass on my fears to my children. The luge is fairly infamous in New Zealand for the sheer number of injuries sustained by toursists. You would not catch me dead on one of those things.

Incidentally, the world mountain biking championships were being held at the same time, so we sat and watched crazy people do insane things on vertical drops.

Last stop was Rainbow Springs were we meandered through native New Zealand bush, Kiwis, Rainbow Trout, Tuataras and Kauri trees to become excessively overexcited by the farm animals. For a country that appears to be one giant farm and is the home of about 6 million sheep, we sure did get a kick out of those little guys.

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Blogging Gripes

At risk of sounding like I am dead against just about everything (which I'm not, this is just my ranting place :)), I don't really like aspects of the blogging world. I suppose this is natural, as blogging is such a wide open idea, that everyone takes it's meaning differently. But I just can't help but think one thing it is definately not is regurgitated mainstream media. Wrapping up one thing in shiny paper and calling it something else still does not stop it from being what it is. The newly released Newsvine, for example has been touted as 'perfect' by virtually all the people whose opinions I normally agree with (eg. Techcrunch), but to me, its just more CNN, BBC, etc etc bundled up differently. Can't you just read a newspaper if you want that? (The online version of course). But, I suppose, I am disagreeing with the people I normally agree with more and more and am kind of sad to see that the top 100 blogs in technorati is slowly being infilterated with womans weekly style celebrity blogs. I feel like saying 'please mass, don't disapoint me here, I gave you my faith that if given a better more accurate option, you'd move away from the junk pushed at you by the ten mainstream media companies and onto the voices and opinions that really interest you.' Maybe the mass just ain't ready. Maybe celebrities and the US media opinion on the war on Iraq are really all that the world boils down to in the end.

 

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The Homosexual Threat

03/05/2006

What I have never understood about 'homophobia' or whatever the term is for people who make other people's lives a misery because of sexual preference, is why? I know that seems like a dumb question because most people have an answer: 'They' are 'different', it's 'unnatural', 'they' are child molesters, "I don't mind it as long as they're not gay around me", "I'm not homophobic, but I'm not gay". But these are not the reasons why we are homophobic, the real reasons are nothing to do with homosexuals, they are to do with the threat they pose to accepted power structures.

Power Structures? Nah, it's just unnatural, look at what the bible says!

And I'm sure you believe that racism occurs because of skin colour and sexism occurs because everyone truely, innately believes females are weaker. Both actually stemmed out of a threat to power, mainly because each group under attack posed a real threat to the accepted power structures. There are a lot of black people, together they would naturally be quite globally powerful, or at the very least simply ignore the insignificant power of the white man. Women make up 50% of the planet, the easiest way to knock them out of the game? Make it generally accepted that they are too weak, make it impossible for them to become economically independent and prove you wrong. Phew! now we're just down to white men controlling the world. Lets keep it that way.

I know that sound a bit crazy, but realisitically the belief that humans intuatively feel prejudiced against non white males is just ridiculous, of course these beliefs are planted in us and of course those planting the seeds of hate are not doing so out of the same beliefs.

But what threat does homosexuality pose?

What was the motivation behind embedding in us this notion that it is so wrong? I don't see the major threat to white males. Is it simply removing a few more people from the power equation? A way to justify the testing of the Aids virus for later release on the Black Africans? Does that sound too extreme? The reason I think it's a biggie is because homosexuality is so very entrenched in nature that it must have been awfully hard to convince us it was 'different'.

Take, for instance, this article, a true story about two male penguins in Central Park Zoo in New York who adopted an egg and raised the baby. This story was tuned into a book and could be found in the non-fiction section of the childrens library. It caused quite a stir for having 'homosexual undertones' and had to be relocated to the fiction section so the children didn't realise it was a true story. How possibly can we logicalise a true homosexual story being banned from the non-fiction section because it has homosexual undertones? We can't. And since I believe we are largely logical creatures APART from in the face of overwhelming brainwashing, I must assume there is some serious brainwashing going on. I just wish I knew why.

09:50 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Politics

A Sign from Above? Or an Escaped Bird?

03/04/2006

Today we were sitting outside enjoying a late summer Saturday, downing freshly BBQ'd hamburgers and some Tuis (beer for non-NZ folks), when the strangest thing happened. A pure white dove fluttered down and landed on our sun umbrella. Then it moved to the roof where it sat for about an hour with the sun acting like a halo around it's entire body (it actually was a beautiful and magical sight). We don't get doves here, we only really get seagulls and sparrows and this bird was way out of their league. Being non-religious types we uttered the usual jokes about whether it was a sign from above and if we'd change our tune if a massive earthquake hit and we were the only ones left standing. I wanted to take a picture, but when you have a pure white dove perched on your roof, you don't get the inclination to move, lest it goes and perches elsewhere. We managed to coax it down with bread and as it scoffed it down it looked at us like 'thanks for finally realising I was hungry after spening an hour watching you eat your hamburgers'.

Although it moved amoung the seagulls it did not partake in their squabbling, in fact, I'd go as far to say it felt above the whole eating scraps off the ground thing. After a while, it flew away. Half of me wishes I did believe in signs from god and would now experience intense peace, the other half hopes that poor misguided bird finds its way back home. 

23:21 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (43) | Email this | Tags: Dove

I signed Up to Feedburner

03/01/2006

Today I signed up to feedburner, so if you do by chance like this blog enough to have subscribed to it, I would be very stoked if you now re-got the feed, so I know you are reading in. I do realise this is a largely hypothetic discussion, as I'm fairly sure I am my only reader. If you currenlty don't subscribe to my blog, but want to now the feed icons are way more pretty, go right ahead :)

19:46 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (8) | Email this | Tags: Feedburner

Talking About Prejudice

02/27/2006

As someone who has felt like they've taken a substantial hit recently in the prejudice stakes, this blog entry was fascinating to read. Here's this guy, in his 20's? CEO of a really, hugely successful Web 2.0 service, who get's called a 'Nigger' by a stranger on the street, has to daily fight people's automatic image of a CEO as a 30 something white guy, and then, after writing a very polite rant, still has people say 'yes I was a little surprised by your age'.

On the other side, his success has lead to a bunch of people posting comments on his site that are blatant suckups, simply because of his status.

How confused can our stereotypes of success, race, age and gender get? 

11:16 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Business International

Forgetting Who The Bad Guys Are

02/25/2006

This is a pet hate of mine. Propoganda against the groups of people who are actually trying to do something for this world. Maybe extreme animal rights activists are causing a little bit of harm... SO WHAT? They sometimes do bad things for a good cause, do people not see the blatant attempts to side the rest of the world against the good guys? 'Yes we test on animals because it improves our profit margins, but sometimes people trying to save the animals from unnecesary torture hurt us, so they are like 10 times as bad." Who follows that logic? It looks like a lot of people do. I just have to list my rebuttals to these comments, because reading an article that was pure fear mongering about animal rights activists without providing any solid, substantial facts about animal testing really bothers me. And it bothers me far more when people who, as a result of the science communities cencorship of animal testing information, voice their uneducated opinion in SUPPORT OF THE BAD GUYS.

1. I think animal testing of cosmetics is a red herring, nobody promotes it, and cosmetics companies know their brand is in trouble if they're caught doing it.

Ummm helloooo! Virtually every cosmetics company tests on animals. Procter and Gamble, Johnson and Johnson, you knowm, the poeple who make Colgate toothpaste, V05 shampoo, and virtually every household product people buy at the supermarkets during their weekly shop. The reason they APPEAR to be animal friendly is because they refuse to label their products, which means consumers have to spend hours researching what they buy in order to make an ethical choice. THAT IS NOT WHAT GOOD CORPORATIONS DO.

2. No, we use them for experiments because most of us value human life more than animal life, and experiments on them may increase the quality of human life. I'm not advocating torturing fuzzy bunnies, I'm advocating responsible experimentation, as I stated originally.

Actually we don't value life at all. Or responsibility. Otherwise we would be looking at the causes of increased cancer rates and linking them back to our use of chemicals in all aspects of life. Don't expect to remain healthy for ever when everything you touch has been liberally dosed with harmful chemicals, and the food you eat has been pumped with hormones and forced to live in unsanitory conditions and the pollutants we emit are causing the ozone to break down.

3. Q. If testing on people is not acceptable, why should animal testing?

A. because we are speciesist. we are speciesist because we cannot otherwise survive.

Acutually, we do test on humans. We most like to test on Jews and did a lot on that in the 1940's, we also killed a lot of native americans and experimented steralisation on them, mentatl institutions also have a history of practises that turn humans into vegetables - is that any better? We claim we don't endorse it but go right ahead and validate those despicable tests by using the results in generally accepted science. Basically we are racist is anything. We really only like white people. We're not too concerned with killing each other, hesne we happily trot off to kill Iraquis in order to secure more oil, thn make and play video games that depict the american army and media trampling through Iraqui dwellings with voice overs that cry 'Kill the Serbs!'

4. PETA does give money to cover the court costs of ALF members. The two organizations aren't as distict as you claim. Also PETA's official policy is to be "pro-choice" when it comes to violence.

I hope this critical post did not come from a country that endorses the death penalty, or oil wars, owning guns or even the Bush administration, war games, the torture of prisoners of war... the list of violence goes on. I thought we all agreed violence is great!

5. There's a story that circulates around in academia, not sure if it's true, but basically some animal rights people went and released hundreds of animals from a research facility (rabbits I believe).The next day, the vast majority of the animals were found dead within 100 yds of the facility because they were domesticated animals, etc.

I cannot think of a better way to discredit the work of activists than calling them animal killers. I have no doubt this circulates acadameia, but does it represent the full picture of animal liberation or just some more propoganda?

I don't release animals from trials, I don't break in, but I can't stand it when people make judgements on those who do without thinking about the complete picture, I will reiterate my comment on this forum: I hope everyone who made a comment seriously checks every bottle of shampoo, moisturiser, lipstick, hairspray, sunscreen, foundation, toothpaste etc etc for the explicit 'NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS' statement. Otherwise, what right do you have?

14:00 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: animal testing, propoganda, animal rights, animal activism, PETA

America is One Scary Place

Following on from my current theme of female rights, I have to point out this absolute tragedy for women in America. Despite all the evidence pointing to the fact that making abortion illegal doesn't curb the abortion rate, only increases the number of unsafe and unhygenic surgeries, good old America (with the full backing of God I assume) has decided. No. We the old men who run the world will decide whether or not a female in one of the most frightening circumstances they have faced has any form of decent choice. Nice notch in the belt for the land of the free. What freedoms exactly are you trying to protect with all these wars, the freedom to decide for others how they run their lives? mmm hmmm.

Im not sure what credentials those two terribly old men on the right have to be involved in a choice like this (thankfully these two voted against the legislation), however their fellow old men collegues felt differently and now the poor American women who, it appears have lost yet another freedom to the land of the free will have to follow the 'moral' advice of the old men who decide their fate for them.

Can some old man please tell me what right they have to make this choice? One who is one hundred percent sure that they or no one they know and respect has ever ever left a woman with an unwanted pregnancy and carried on their merry way. For goodness sake, you'd find that most women who get abortions are well aware they are killing a baby. Do you people understand how hard that is for someone? That females do not need old men to prescribe our morals for us that we have our own thanks, which makes a decison like that one of the hardest things some women have to face. EVER. Maybe you should instead inprison men who have unprotected sex, you know, the ones who lead women to fall pregnant with unwanted babies? That would cut the killing, oh but right, it may infringe on the rights of a male to do as he pleases in this world.

I don't hate many people, but I hate you for doing this. It is so so so wrong.

UPDATE  - For anyone who may potentially need this in the future, Molly Saves the Day has posted The Abortion Manuel

12:10 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (24) | Email this | Tags: Politics, Abortion, US Politics, South Dakota, Female rights

Shut Down

02/24/2006

I had a conversation last night about the creation of 'evil' within organisations. Is evil-doing part of the organisation's foundations or does it develop as they grow? Can evil-done be reversed with change? Obviously the Olympics exclusion of women came up, and we both agreed that with organisations that have a history of unethical or inequal standards, the only way to rectify the situation completely is to dissolve and re establish fresh and new. Yes women will be able to ski jump soon, as they are now allowed to compete in other previously denied areas of the games, however this does not help us. It is humiliating to beg to be allowed to join something everyone else is allowed to join, and to be grateful when they 'let you'.

This brings me to another point for anyone following the emergence of Web 2.0. Web 2.0 is meant to be the new generation of the web, while the exact definition is left undefined, the foundation of the movement is open standards, low barriers to entry, and equal playing field. However the market has just shut down.  

The web 2.0 movement has a few key players, they got in early and control the airspace. These people have blogs that have readerships upwards of 10,000 a day, they are very knowledgeable. However time has passed and there are more and more people in the space, however, what you notice soon enough is that the same names crop up. Even names that don't have much more to add than their reputation, these 'A-listers' appear to be colluding to keep others out. This small group, founded on the basis of web freedom are tending towards web domination. I think a lot of people are beginning to talk about this, I just thought I'd mention now, while we are in the early stages, that this is how it happens. Good intentions, followed by excitement about success, followed by ambition to remain successful at all costs, followed by abandonment of initial intentions.

It's sad to see it happening again. 

16:40 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: web 2.0, barriers to entry, olympics

Ski jumping is just too dangerous for women.

02/18/2006

""Ski jumping is just too dangerous for women. Don't forget, [the landing] it's like jumping down from, let's say, about two meters to the ground about a thousand times a year, which seems not to be appropriate for ladies from a medical point of view."

Sometimes it comes up in conversation when I do something like claim that something is 'female only' and my boyfriend takes issue with it being a type of reverse sexism, that girls having time alone will not fix anything or be an answer. What I always maintain, while knowing that is the case, is that you guys have NO IDEA WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE A GIRL. I wish I could explain just how different my life is because I was born with certain chromosomes, so you would undertsand how it feels to live like this, the tiny little things you never even have to notice that boil my blood, the way that our world is still run by men, the way we can never escape their decisions and have to live by their rules every single day, except for those moments we can say 'ha! you like this? you want to do this? well tough, YOU'RE NOT INVITED'.

Petty maybe, but from what I have learned in this life, you never truely know how something feels until you've experienced it yourself. And the reaction I always get from men about the miniscule number of times they are excluded is like it is the most immense human rights violation they have ever experienced. That is when I realise, it is and that is why it's important to feel it so you have some slight notion of the endless frustration and tiny little irritants that we feel every single day.

This anger all stemmed from this article, I'll finish with a final quote:

"Tiresome is the word. Many American women over the age of 45 can remember when girls who wanted to play Little League baseball were told the same excuses. The women's marathon wasn't added to the Summer Olympics until 1984 because it was supposedly bad for their health."

14:25 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Politics, feminism, olympics

Digg - A psychological experiment

02/16/2006

I am enthralled by psychology at times, things like Digg.com, leave me (unsuccessfully) trying to crack the code of why people click on what, why some things get hyped and others go through life unnoticed. While I am still baffled, there is something that I have learned in my attempts to see how I can get the articles I Dugg on the front page. I like stuff noone else likes! I am the epitome of boring! I know this because when I find an article and think 'this stuff is life changing', no one else Diggs it at all.

I already knew this to a certain extent, so that really only flaws me temporarily. Back to the psychology of Digg. Theres now tonnes of research that if other people like stuff, you're more inclined to also like it. So if 10 people Dug something, you are more likely to also Digg it. (Aside from the one flaw I see, in that you generally click away at anything that looks interesting, then have to spend half an hour re-looking through pages of links to Digg the things you like - either that or I read stuff completely differently than everyone else as well).

Things I've learned 

•  Well known terms (Google, Apple, President Bush) in a title make people more likely to Digg it
• Sometimes people get this pefect combination of cuteness and wonder in an article (like the assasin spider) and everyone cant get enough of it.
• Other times using well known terms doesn't help you at all.

I think maybe Im on the wrong track and it's all about placement, so you have to be popular for people to like your articles. I never read the instructions on these things so may have the entire thing completely wrong.

But I'm absolutely fascinated. If you havent already, go have a look! http://www.digg.com

22:05 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this | Tags: Digg, Psychology, News

The art of good conversation

02/12/2006

years ago someone told me that the best conversationalists aren't talkers, they're listners. Most people tend to find themselves more interesting than they find others, so if you let them yabber on while you simply ask questions, they'll leave you thinking 'gee wizz what a fascinating person she was'. I tried it for a while, and they were right, people showered me with compliments and simply loved talking to me. All the theory adds up. Execpt here I was, bored out of my brains and attracting people who really did only like talking about themselves constantly, and had no time at all to learn from others. Ahh theres the flaw. The only reason I say this, is because in the often crafted world of 'networking' this seems to be common advice for people to come across as interesting and grow their circle of contacts. I think thats absolute rubbish, I certainly don't want to live a life where I am too busy schmoozing the arrogant idiots who thrive off listeners and of course the best way to come accross as interesting, is to simply BE INTERESTING. A good conversation will always be a balanced conversation. You share a bit, they share a bit, you both get heaps more.

10:51 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

Ouch

02/08/2006

I have always loved dancing, and really struggled upon entering small town life with the idea I'd have to postpone for a while. Eventually I found a cool dancing studio and joined up the local 'adult' Hip Hop class. Good times. Our end of year show last year was held up with sneaky wine shots to get several members too drunk to realise they were going on stage and several more to not run for the nearest exit. However, they now have two adult hip hop classes so all in all it was a resounding success.

We tried a bit of ballroom/latin last year too, however, the teacher was obviously well past finding stumbling beginners amusing and the local school hall with its glaring lights just didn't provide enough atmosphere to get into it, so that one is on the shelf. 

Last night I got back into advanced jazz, and today I cant walk. Now I realise why I am called an adult, I am obviously getting old because my muscles have frozen up and no longer like to be contorted at all angles to maximum split.  Ouch!

08:34 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

Why I can never Remember People's names

02/06/2006

Ha ha, I've been wondering why half of everything I see or hear goes in then straight back out :) Are Smarter People Better at Ignoring Things

16:42 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (3) | Email this

Melbourne

01/31/2006

Just thought I'd give a small plug to Melbourne as a tourist/business destination. The two times i've been there recently have the extrordinarily nice experiences. Melbournites are those genuinely friendly people who will literally stop their car in the middle of the road to let you cross and give you a cheerful wave while doing so, they give directions to any poor sod trying to navigate the tram system and will go out of their way to be friendly. The only person I met there who I didn't instantly think was nice was that horrible policeman who issued us a ticket for thinking a tram signal was a normal road signal - being told 'you will be sorry' will not go down nicely with those mega rich Commonwealth games followers.

The scenery is pretty nice - for a city. We quite enjoy eating there, when I am allowed to have lunch (normally this privelege (man I dont think I have ever spelt that before) is denied me during work hours in Melbourne by my collegues who seem to go on a simultaneus crash diet) we looovveee the gourmet sammies, dinner is just superb down lygon street or at southbank.

The bars are nice too. As is that street full of bakeries. Also, how cool is it to sit outside having a BBQ while a flock of Pelicans flies over? And it's good times when you come from a country where we think possums are terrorists, to go somewhere where they are so protected they act like they own the place.

17:05 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (4) | Email this

A Place Called Home

01/29/2006

We've been living in Ohope for over a year now, this is unintentional - we planned a fleeting two months to regroup before we were back off exploring the world. Tis a funny aspect of what it is a to be a kiwi, we live on two tiny islands yet see more of the rest of the world than this place we call home. The fact is, we love Ohope, we love it here so much we are perpetually torn between shouting it from the rooftops so that everyone can come and experience life at the beach and keeping it secret so they don't bring their ugly apartment dwellings with them. We love it so much, we thought we'd try a little investing in the area, so we thought we'd do the other kiwi thing and get into property.

Not people to enter into anything without falling passionately in love with it, we bypassed all far more stable recurring revenue rental property alternatives and dived headlong towards this little plot of land:

 

 We are busy exploring the brand new world of kitset/prefab homes to see the feasable options and talking to bankers and friends and family who are full of advice and tips on NZ's property market (which, by the way has been so out of control, prices have doubled in the last few years). So depending on finance, we may very soon become the owners of a little slice of heaven... 

20:47 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this

Not Talking

We were sitting down by the stunning Ohiwa Harbour on Friday night (post triathalon), with a couple of friends chatting about the world, the news etc etc, until one of us piped up "look I really don't care about Bird Flu or whether or not Hilary Clinton is the next US president, can we please not talk about it?". The comment, which was taken as an insult at the time, was actually quite an interesting thought. These days, we believe that freedom of speech is to be cherished, and to use that as our weapon at all times. Through open conversation comes education and hopefully action, also though, comes validation of things you really wish were not validated. So what if we did the opposite? What if, instead of spending one hour one the strip of sand overlooking thousands of stars talking about the things we neither influence or care about, we just didn't? What if instead of mass communication, came mass silence?

In the past few years we have had a variety of potential disasters paraded in front of us on the nightly news, from Y2K, to Mad Cow Disease, SARS and now the wildely mutating, out of control virus that comes from those dirty asian chickens Bird Flu (Wow, what a script for the 3rd rate horror movie). Yet none of them have arrived, none of them have led to a global plague, but what every single one has succeeded in is wasting our precious time, the time we spend talking about them, discussing with our neighbours, friends, relatives, shop keepers, idle conversation on the streets about impending doom. The time we spend validating what is otherwise simply a news story.

It's true, I actually don't give two hoots about the next American president, nor should I. They should have no ability whatsoever to influence my life over here on the other side of the world. They are americas president not the worlds president, and no amount of media hype about their power will do anything until we internalise it and we too believe that for some reason some person in a foreign country about as far away from here as you can get in both culture and geography has any right at all to influence us. At least until we can influence them right back, and to be hoest until everyone in the world gets a vote for the American president, that will never be the case.

So why do we bother to talk about it? How much less power do you think George Bush would wield if no one in any other part of the world aside from the US actually gave two seconds to thinking about him, let alone waste time talking about him while we could be talking about something that we can actually influence. What about if instead of invoking our right to freedom fo speech over every matter that comes to light, we invoke our right to simply ignore it? To respond with mass silence?

13:45 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (3) | Email this | Tags: Politics

The Mini Triathalete

01/27/2006

In an hour I will be in the midst of a crowd of women swimming round the harbour, before leaping on our bicycles, then staggering (f going at all) through a 2.5 km run, before dropping at the finish line. Well thats my story anyway. Have you ever tried one of these things? Man oh man, I thought I was reasonably fit, able to run 6ks easy, and pretty confident in my ability to bike 10 ks, but doing this all in a row?

Well, I thought it sounded simple too, so I left it till 2 days ago to give the whole thing a trial run. I had so much salt in my eyes from the sea, I could hardly see, and my arms became dead weights for the remainder of the event, and the run was a dead loss really.

But I have paid $20 and have a sneaky suspicion there are some kind of present for entering, so I shall slog it out again. Good reminder that you are never as fit as you think you are, well I'm not anyway.

 Wish me luck!

17:05 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: exercise

The saddest words in the world

12/19/2005

Sometimes, in all the anger and logical arguments that are bandied about like tennis balls, we forget. Sometimes, in this world, logic, reason, the ability to debate ideas at a level above what is expected from a ten year old is not important. Sometimes, simply being rich and powerful is enough to justify your continued wealth and power, to allow you to stand up in front of the entire world and singlehandedly degrade the human race, to ensure future generations will look back on us in disgust. Thanks George Bush's speech writer.

In the face of massive destruction, of sheer loonacy at extremely high levels, we settle back and watch the final episode of Desperate Housewives and pretend for another day that somewhere, somehow, someone has this whole war thing under control.

What are these words? 'victory' 'terrorist' 'honour' 'corruption' 'democracy' 'repressive'? Are these not the saddest words in the world? Glued together with propoganda and flawed reasoning, the story should be religated to a trashy novel, but is instead spoken by the president of our 'free world'. There is good and evil, the good guys have to emerge victorious against the innately develish evil guys. Did the government borrow that storyline from hollywood? or visa versa?

At the very least, please, save me from hearing any country in the world who fails significantly to have EVER had a female president to self instate themselves as an authority on who'se looking out for women. Or was that the little comic moment?

And also, when you are faced with any choice, there are always more than two options. Maybe it would pay for someone to teach that to presidential candidates before they inherit massive power without even the most rudimentary of reasoning skills. 

Or was that one of those immensley clever speeches, like those double sided pictures, you need only to swap 'Iraq' with 'America' to get a perfect description of 'the greatest democracy on earth'.

 

21:25 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Politics

Roses

11/09/2005

Our next door neighbour grows flowers, right now the scent is wafting through the window and it feels like one of those delightfully tropical nights on a hot little island somewhere in the middle of the ocean. I think I might go outside and 'smell the roses'

21:20 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

Learn from women

 

I was re-thinking about those terrorism signs all over Melbourne the other day, especially after reading up on people's thoughts on how governments should deal with the fact we have so angered people that they are willing to kill themselves and us at random. It occurred to me that maybe, instead of looking at this as a 'new phenomonom' - The Age Of Terror, it's probably more helpful to look at groups who have in many senses been living in 'terror' for decades. The main group, is women. I say that because in this world, places are dangerous for me. As it is now considered dangerous to use public transport in London for everyone, it has always been dangerous for me to use it alone at night since I was born. It's also dangerous for me to walk dark streets alone, or go to the beach at night, or even leave my drink alone at a bar lest someone spike it with date rape drugs, it is dangerous for me to hitch hike. All these things that are dangerous for me, are things that the men in my life tell me I should avoid.

Obviously, the government takes the same approach with this form of terror, the object is to avoid, stay scared and assume that the reason for the terror is out of your hands. Heres the thing, terror against women is created by a male dominated society, where it isn't perceived as truely bad to demote women to an inferior status. Hmm, lets look at these 'terrorist' countries, have we not also perceived that it isn't truely bad to demote them to an inferior status? have our actions now and in the past not been a form of terror in their eyes? (I hightly doubt the average Iraqi does not currently feel terrorised to a degree far grater than us). Ok, so maybe these 'terrorists' are in the same position as women, their status in the world has long been decided for them, and they have been living in terror for many years (Racial terror, in this case, not gender terror).

Women have spent years and years fighting for freedom from this terror, fighting to be allowed in their homes without it being ok for men to bash them, and being stopped at every point by their dominators. Talk to any femenist, it has been a long and painful struggle. But now we all agree women were right, fromt he very first day they said 'we should be allowed to wear trousers, and to vote, and to work'. It's a pity it took about a hundred years to make that a reality and even now, obviously it's still not.

 

Maybe these guys have seen history more than we have, and they are sick of looking at all these struggles in which the downtrodden group is fought violently all the way to achieve their rightful goals, only to end up with everyone agreeing it was fair after all.

I don't agree with violent means, yet I have also never seen my family killed. I imagine it does strange things to you, makes you a little desperate. Maybe instead of posting up banners and rushing though laws that reduce freedom for all, we realise the lessons from women, blacks, Aboriginals, Homosexuals, Jews, and make life easy for a change, for people to make their point and be valued members of the world, now instead of aftre they've had to perform atrocious acts to make us even notice their problem exists

09:10 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

OK, I went back

11/03/2005

Basically the gist of the blog post in question, was that this guy read a blog by the speaker of the house? in America, pointing out that environmentalists are getting in the way of energy progress (ie. they can't build more oil wells? power stations? in America now because of these bad environmentalists). He very rightly managed to come to the conclusion that this speaker guy was sneakily trying to make the public side with the oil companies instead of the environmentalists.

here was my comment:

I agree entirely with your take on things, not hard to figure that your politicians are after more oil profits. What I don't understand, is how Americans proportionately seem to be the most ignorant people in the world when it comes to this...

Does the interest in your politician's manipulation of you as a people end in satisfaction that you think you have it figured? Or does it only end when you remove yourself from them and do something to negate their influence?

I suppose I'm asking if you actually care that America is one of the largest global polluters we have, and that down here in NZ, we are massivly feeling your effects. I'm burnt to a crisp after two hours of sun in SPRING. This is an ozone hole created largely by America, and as a result, we have to care. But are you still at the stage of delighting over the powerplay in your government ranks? Is that still considered intelligence in America?

Anyway, I then went to another blog, in which the blogger wrote a fairly interesting article about what it would be like with a president who actually thought, to which this initial guy replied 'yeah we don't have enough nuclear power stations. '

Maybe I should find links to these articles? so you can read them for yourself:

blog 1: http://tdaxp.blogspirit.com

blog 2: http://drforbush.blogspirit.com

anyhoo, heres the reply to my comment:

Natalie,

Your snarky sarcasm must have been great in creative writing class. I visited your blog and read your long, lengthly and extremely pretensious, know-it-all, self absorbed post (Nov 2, 2005 post).

Instead of being all mad at the world and consumerism (funny that your blogging pursuit is a result of that same craze that brought us those overhyped iPods you bemoan) and whatever pet left issue is trumpted today, why don't you do something tangible about it.

Here is an example, leave the mean comments aside and debate on the ideas. Tell me about the ozone levels and how American capitalism, which NZ is a benefitor of, is causing your local issues. Tell me about the solutions you propose that will discourage polution without wrecking the global economy.

Without ideas, your comments are just carping a party line. Dan at least put forward an argument.

Sincerely,

Bill Rice

What I find interesting, is that he thought I was being sarcastic and mean. I want being sarcastic, I was being honest, I think there is still a difference. I also find it interesting that people are so into their 'politics' they see only the traditional 'left' and 'right'. I am neither, in fact I wouldnt have a clue about what goes on in government, like the origional guy so nicely put, they are all out to profit, I cannot directly influence them, so I will try to work around them. The issues that are important to me, are issues like us ruining our environment, us killing each other off, us oppressing each other, I was unaware that these issues were purely 'pet left issues', I thought they were massive, earth shattering issues we're all facing.

And I suppose the rest of his answer brings me to the point of my post. Whats the use of 'at least putting forward an argument' thats exactly what i failed to see from him, any form of argument about whether thats right or wrong, all he stated was the fairly obvious facts.

Here is my solution for our global pollution problems: the sun, the wind, or maybe remembering a few things about cars, they were made to run off vegetable oil. Or maybe the whole movement with cutting down on plastic bags, or maybe encouraging biking in city areas by banning cars, or maybe, just go that first step and get rid of the massive gas guzzlers that are found mainly in America. Do you need more? Im full of them, in fact the whole world is, I can give you examples of all those solutions successfully in action, but I dont want this to get too 'long and lengthy'. All these are pratical, easy solutions, not only will they not wreck the global economy, they will enhance it. No more fake economies built on war for oil, no more worry about the fact we are slowly draining this planet of resources (a sure fire global economy wrecker)

As for the ozone hole, I'm sorry to sound annoyed, however I've heard of conversations with Kiwis overseas who are appalled to find the very people causing our troubles are oblivious to our suffering down here. The pollution from the north drifts down to the south and to be honest, I think it's your reponsibility to look it up for yourselves, so I wont spoon feed you the evidence.

Pretentious and self absorbed is not something I consider myself, and to be called it is not something I take lightly. Every single thing I write is based on an action, using that particular post as an example. My point was purely that we as consumers have power and responsibility. I suppose the reply to my comment was exactly my point. why do people do that? I'm not the enemy, I'm working against those who abuse and injure, my solution is to not support them by donating to their cause through your purchases. You may not agree that animal testing is hideous or that cigarrette companies blatantly target children and third world nations, but how can I be called pretentious for not only giving a damn, but ACTIVELY doing something about my beliefs? Why do you immediately jump up to attack me with a way I'm possibly contradicting myself (blogs and ipods). So what? I'm not perfect, although to be honest, I cant see how I'm supporting any organisation/view/advertising campaign simply by expressing my thoughts in a website is anywhere near pushing a product made by a company. However why it is important to you to pick out the possible holes in my argument instead of agreeing or disagreeing. Do you think its cool to give free advertising to apple? Do you expect me to be perfect because I care? It's so unfair that because I'm trying to work against the things that ruin this world, I have to be picked apart all the time, while all these lazy people who take the easy option feel justified because they don't care. Like I said in the example post, Im sick and tired of having to research every little thing I buy for HOURS, but I still do it. I make mistakes, then I learn and stop doing it. Its bloody hard work, like I was begging for in that post, is a little slack from the lazy consumers for those of us who are trying, why not a little support for those who are making a massive sacrifice to their daily comforts in order to stay true to their beliefs? Is that pretentious?

20:50 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this

Why it's happening

11/02/2005

I thought tonight I'd have a little explore of the other 'blogspirits'.

I wish I hadn't.

A while ago I distanced myself from the mainstream media, that is why I'm generally oblivious to 'whats going on'. How your perspective on the world changes when you don't have to see that rubbish every day... While I'm not one to be happy knowingly living in a fantasy world, I have made a concious choice to not expose myself to certain aspects of the world. I refuse to read the utter crap that is mass produced by corporations who will do anything for money. No ipods are not the coolest thing in the world, does the fact that you people are all apple's free advertising machine make you feel a bit stupid? I will not read any of the regurgitated rubbish that spews out of a lot of bloggers fingertips. Blogging is not about reading a newspaper and repeating what you have just read, I don't want to hear any more about how George Bush lied. I knew that years ago, and I didn't need a newspaper to figure it out. As for the latest 'natural disaster'... the next thing I want to ever read about that is our global realisation that these things are created by us drilling massive holes in the earths crust, draining their substance then burning it to create massive ozone holes and crazy weird weather patterns. I wont donate money to Hurricane Katrina, and while I may be labled uncaring by those thick and staunchly blind followers of power, I have to say now, your so wrong. Your so wrong to confuse 'caring' with 'following'. I cared ages ago, I cared while you guys were driving your disguisting massive vehicles, and not voting so that a murderer and global human/environmental rights abuser can wreak havoc on the rest of us. I still care, I care so much that I WILL NOT pretend throwing money at the newest 'victims' is in anyway helping.

And anyone who is sitting back now, allowing one religion to sneak its filthy way into our childrens minds, please never talk to me about muslim fundamentalists, what do you think you are? Brainwashing our society with news about intelligent creation. Get this, the world has been intelligently designed, by an intelligence that can NEVER EVER exist in one form or spirit or god, but but the fact that every tiny little bug, fungi, bacteria, piece of coral, tree, shrub, grain of sand does its bit, interacting, communication, working in perfect harmony to create this truely magical planet where its really quite amazing, things evolve. They do it in front of us every day, look around, those obese parents have obese offspring, that patch of grass growing right at the tip of the lawn by the ocean grows ever thicker to work with the salty environment. Don't think you're battling science, it's as flawed as religion is, were talking nature here, a force more powerful than us and our destructive ways can ever be. Don't you see, natures trying to kill us off now, just to save itself, thats why we have earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis...

I'm normally quite a calm person, but I cannot believe in this day and age we're still this THICK! What really got to me was this stupid loser who thought he was witty? smart? plain infuriating? to comment at the end of a well written, thoughtful blog 'yes, we need more nuclear power stations.' How much is this guy responsible for killing? Obviously his support of George Bush makes him partially responsible for the death of hundreds and thousands of people, his support of old and destuctive forms of energy attributes to him the death of our environment, the global warming that is causing the deaths of many more hundreds and thousands of people. Why do we not try these people in our justice systems as the mass murderers and environmental crimials that they are?

Why do we pretend it's about freedom of expression? how is expression truely free when ones expression oppresses, kills and injures many others. Our overall total freedom has now been significantly reduced.

Anyway, as always, I am only after answers. Someone give me a reason why this all should be the case, why it should be as it is, normal for people to kill and wound my lack of action, to influence and brainwash and oppress and do it under the banner of 'freedom of expression'?

21:20 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Ecology & Environment

Get Crafty

10/31/2005

Aww man! You know what i LOVE? Losing my sewing machine plug, only to complain about it to enough people that they shut me up by putting me onto cool sites that I can't leave for hours. Aside from that, I also love taking my broken $25 machine into the local sewing shop where the shopkeeper gasps in astonishment at the price, proclaims its advantages over the fandangled $500 models and proceeds to shower me with plugs and advice and offers of assistance.

Anyway the site is: http://www.craftster.org 'ha ha' I hear you think 'anyone who spends serious time on the internet and enjoys crafts, surely would have gone there years ago.' mmm, yep, I am slow. The place is full of American high school students sharing excitment over their proms and 'big fat stomachs', BUT, some of them have real talent when it comes to whipping up a dress. There are some really cool patterns and advice aplenty from those in the know.

In other news, I accidentally left my car unlocked on the streets on friday night, unluckily for the poor kid who had a good rummage through it, I am a freak who keeps it spotless and empty. Thank you, to whoever it was, for not breaking, harming or doing anything other than trying to make a quick buck. I feel that strange reverse guilt, what kind of stingy girl leaves no money in the car for the opportunistic car rummager?

And another big thank you (I'm feeling very grateful today) to all those growing number of people who use 'she' instead of 'he' sometimes, when describing a person. I don't consider myself a feminist, but I do think it has a massive effect on life when everyone always assumes it was a man who did something - something that's really hit home recently when I've sat as the only female in meetings and had, I not known, never would have guessed my gender existed...

18:20 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this

Shaping up

10/26/2005

My sister wants to run a mini triathalon in Febuary, I am her keen yet unfit sidekick. Geez man, the years really zoom by when you think of excercise, I've been running several times a week all year yet only now am I starting to get to the level I used ot get to in a few measley months. Hows that for the anti motivator? Anyway, my newest discovery is biking. Funnily enough I'm surrounded by keen bikers, but never felt the urge, until i went straight after a run. One of the best feelings in the world is jumping on a bike after plodding along on a run where every step exhausts you, and doing the entire route again at high speed. I really recomend it, I look forward to it even. Actually the sister is now contemplating a duathalon or whatever it's called when you cut out the swim part, she's decided she's not big on swimming.

I'm trying oot get the other sister involved with my ideas for matching pink excercise outfits, however, unbelievably, she is staunch in her lack of excitement. So it looks like I will only be producing two matching pink outfits. When I get a new sewing machine. The last one was just great, but of all things, I lost the plug. So at the moment I am poised over http://www.trademe.co.nz waiting out the final thirty minutes of the auction. Im currently in the lead, which gives me a bit of a buzz. Tim (boyfriend/business partner) is amazed at my newfound joy over things he showed me long ago, that I was completely disinterested in at the time. We have a summer plan to leave the computers behind for parts of the week and get out and into the Ohope scene... I'm really keen to take some early morning beach yoga classes, I would like to teach them but dont know any yoga, so may have to chat to someone in the know.

 Just so you know, in NZ this week a massive 4.5 meter long, 1 tonne, beautiful Great White Shark was massacred by us humans in a fishing net. What a loss. How incredible, to be a creature that can swallow a seal that is largr than myself in one gulp, no teeth marks. How dismal that it's life is ended by us for no reason.

21:31 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

Terror In the Airports

10/13/2005

Every tram in Melbourne is pasted with banners telling a terrorised population to report every unattended "thing", NZ newspapers report a man who stopped an entire chunk of Auckland city dead when he discarded the bomb part of his Bad Taste fancy dress costume in a city rubbish bin. You will be mistaken for thinking that the recent natural disasters are not intertwined with a terrorist plot (terrorist plots, by the way, can only be hatched by dark skinned individuals from Middle Eastern areas of the world). I saw a poor Australian man being threatened and terrorised in an airport simply because his skin was the wrong colour. I stood witness for nearly two hours while his bags were unpacked and examined, his private property trawled through and his dignity stripped (while his entire family stood through the arrival gate for several hours without any of our lovely airport attendants bothering to inform them that he was being held up.)

Who are these terrorists? I have to ask. And I have to face the thinly masked racist members of our community who now feel justified in hating every person who wasn't born with pasty white skin and christianity. Racism is not the sole domain on Neo Nazi Skin heads. And terrorism is not the sole domain of Muslim extremists. In fact, in their name we are being terrorised, but not by them. If I was to do a tally of total terror throughout history, anyone without white skin would barely justify a mention, which not only begs the question, what have we done to create these terrorists? it also makes me wonder if in fact the terror is being inflicted by some of 'our own'.

I'm sorry, but panic notices on public transport do not makes society safer, neither does holding up innocent individuals at airports because they fit a terrorist 'profile'. What it does do, however, is inspire terror. Although I have never yet witnessed an act of terror outside of these, I am meant to feel as if our countries are under siege.

Don't get me wrong, I do feel sorry for those who have died s a result of the Bali bombings (mainly the Balanese, would you guess?), and the victims of the London bombings, especially the innocent members of London who were targeted for attacks after the bombs went off, thus proving our inherent racism. Most of all, I feel sorry for the people of Iraq, who now live in real terror every day, not just that commanded by propoganda on public transport. I feel annoyed when after the London bombings, some nutter said 'we are all Londoners today' and everyone thought that was a powerful statement. We are never 'all Iraqis'. And that says so much more.

22:15 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Politics

So many options

09/25/2005

Don't you love those moments where you just sit back and think "I could do anything", when you manage to imagine a tomorrow where you've packed your bags and are on the way to a new and distant country with half a plan and a whole bunch of possibility. Theres always a hundred reasons why not, but in that little space of time, you're just certain it's going to happen.

13:05 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this

Part of the Elite

09/18/2005

It's interesting, all this debate on same sex marriage and same sex adoption. Well actually, it's not really interesting at all, the issues themselves are so obviously non-issues that the reasons they are controversial become fascinating. It has always seemed to me to be a very weird human trait, that groups who have known oppression are the loudest in the fight to oppress others. We have sports stars like Tiger Woods sporting Nike clothing and slave labour, in NZ, various Maori organisations, still fighting for equal status in society, simultaneously demanding that gay people get none, and women, possibly the largest group of people to understand what it's like to be considered inferior, defining other groups along racial or economic lines and doing exactly the same to them.

It's not human nature by any means, it's a view on the world that has somehow been taken by all of us and perceived to be reality. We want to be part of the elite, but others who also join the elite threaten us, if they join, we must somehow lose out. By the elite, in this case, I just mean, an ordinary, respected member of a community, belonging to the 'mass' without being an outsider, abnormal.

The biggest argument against gay marriage is that it 'ruins the sanctity of marriage' - I'm unsure why our 50% divorce rate didn't manage that single handedly. By sanctity, I assume, and am told, we are talking the religious base of marriage, it's awfully funny how religious we become all of a sudden, in fact, I'm sure most of our recent marriage defenders haven't been to church once in their life. We are ruining the sanctity of the elite, if any old person who loves another person, can marry them, what do we 'normal' heterosexuals have anymore? Marriage simply wont mean anything! Maybe we still use marriage to hide a lot of other problems and fear that if people start getting married purely for love, then our lives become a sham. You can tell it's not human nature by the sheer stupidness of it, yet still, we insist on isolating members of our society, issuing them a 'civil union' and telling them to move on, yes we will recognise you, but you still can't join us.

Same sex adoption, on the surface appears to have slightly more murky waters - Babies need their mothers! Really? Is this not the same thinking that kept women in the home, and now we get women annoucing their place is in the home, and that is why two males cannot bring up a child. Talk about killing two birds with one stone. Notice the focus on two males? it seems lesbians are still widely believe to be there or the benefit of males and virtually left out of all arguments concerning 'serious' gay issues.

As far as I'm aware, if we continue to bring up children the way we do now, the world will be the same as it is now. We saw it last night on our election coverage, people who are fighting for their cause are miles ahead of the rest of us, in terms of forward thinking, clear mindedness and alternative paths ahead. Maybe it is us who must get over our ideas that children need to be protected, and protection is hiding them away from the world, until they emerge as an adult without any skills or ideas of how things work. Children are far more adaptive than we think, they are not born with closed minds, however they are created extremely quickly by our parenting. Give a child two loving parents, a little idea of the world, and you'd be surprised what you can create. Give children a clue, and you may well remove the innocence that allows marketers to target them, companies to prey on them and the ability for us to stagnate ourselves on age old issues instead of focusing on things that matter.

09:25 Posted in Chatting | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Musings

Lazy Sunday

09/11/2005

It wasn't too long ago that I'd virtually forgotten the concept of a weekend, one day melted seamlessly into another in a blaze of activity that seemed to have no end. Now though, it's really nice to get immersed in the rest of life. When you go through a period when you have no time at all to call your own, you really start to realise how much you wasted it while it was plentiful. I don't think I even remember how to operate a T.V, and feel sorry for all those people who just keep turning them on because it's the thing to do. I was never a big T.V watcher, but now wonder how there was ever time for it at all.

These days, the chance to just sit and read through interesting parts of the internet (as geeky as it sounds) is one of my favorite things. Yesterday I explored the world of alternative enery in NZ and was amazed at the breadth of ideas and companies that were born out of a need to change the world for the better. NZ is, of course, the perfect testing ground for new technologies. Small, isolated and dynamic enough to reverse the damage fo the last 150 years, I would not be surprised if we overtook Europe to become the leader in clean transport, de-centralised energy creation, and sustainable living.

Although still fairly hidden away, there is a growing movement away from the poisons of the past. My next door neighbour alone set out on her own crusade to bring organics to this town, and while we still have luddites who can't get over their view of hemp as a drug, people like my mother proudly sport clothes made form the fibre, and give their friends canvas shopping bags for christmas - and my mother is by no means your conventioanl hippy. We're now in negotiations about a compost toilet for the house she wants to build, I think the water tank is a given. And, of course, the entire town of Golden Bay has gone platic bag free.

11:15 Posted in Chatting |