the trim of my sails

ginja not ninja

2012-01-20T15:52:00.002+11:00

Total surprise greeted my day when walking near the beach. Ithought all my Xmas’ had come at once! Unfortunately not so (sigh) becausehiding in the bushes was not a playful young women but an advertisement forGinja bikinis. On reflection I think my disappointment was unjustified because maybe wishful-fantasy and imagination is more rewarding thanthe real thing (smiles). Although I could be wrong but those colours are justnot me. Check out the links in the text for work-safe, homepage, photos of beach Ninjas.

Okra

2012-01-20T15:35:00.005+11:00

Okra (Abelmoschusesculentus) has such an interesting flower that I keep 2 or 3 plants in mygarden. Unfortunately its blossoms only last about 4 hours and the photo's colour is poor. However as a vegetableit is useful for decoration, with its seeds and marrow useful in soups,stews and salad mixes. Also adds botanical variety to the vegetable patch.

bike path

2012-01-16T15:15:00.001+11:00

Just when I was beginning to despair at the level and intensity of road rage toward cyclist's in my suburb (Queensland drivers?) the sudden appearance of a road work crew upgrading the cycle path proved that cyclists are not forgotten. Moreover the installation of tree guards to prevent damage to tree roots crossing through and underneath the path (Eucalypts die if their roots are damaged) shows that the civil engineers of the shire council have a total quality management focus in their projects. Considering the amount of head-on collisions between cars and trees I think that trees deserve a break just as much as cyclists. Please be careful on the roads (smiles) and thank you to the Byron Shire Council for their excellence in civil engineering.

work bike

2012-01-05T16:32:00.000+11:00

Pedal and Thread is a shop which, sells bicycles and women’s casual clothing. Opposite Tandaya the indigenous art gallery in Grenfell Street, Adelaide, it appears at first view to be a quirky fashion boutique. However their products fill not just a fashion niche but challenge bicycle manufacturers who ignore the "work bike" as a low-cost transport product line.

Improvements in technology have made bikes lighter but stronger and clothing shells protect against adverse weather conditions. In the past bicycles were often an important part of courier and delivery businesses and now, especially in cities, urban areas and even the village, traffic congestion, public transport failures, road accidents and security scares, often hinder deliver and call out tasks.

So why have many businesses not recognised that between e-mail and the delivery van there are good productivity and fitness gains to be made from the work bicycle. If you are in Adelaide Pedal and Tread is worth a visit for their bicycle design ideas and options. Check out Tandaya too, both free.

words

2011-12-18T20:36:00.003+11:00

Found these words on a gravestone at Rosslyn Chapel, Edinburgh and at first view they will appear overly sentimental but on reflection, I believe they make a better memorial compared with the nationalist jargon one often sees on state sponsored epitaphs. Is it true that Rosslyn Chapel was where freemasonry was founded because of its historical links with the knights Templar and should this historical connotation influence how we read poetry; you be the judge?

Not brass or stone

these will corrode

and some day die but love alone

laughs at death

and soars on high

to fragrant immortality.

Not stone or brass

these perish with the flight

of time, and quickly pass

but love endures in every time

eternal as the poets rhyme.

human touch

2011-12-04T14:21:00.001+11:00

ScarlettRoad is a documentary about Rachel Wotton, a female sex-worker, whospecialises in services to people with special needs. Specifically,but not limited to men with cerebral palsy, paraplegia and multiplesclerosis. For many it will be confronting viewing because itchallenges the mainstream belief about the needs of people who areconsidered disabled.

Impaired ability in one facet of a person's body does not mean that people are devoid offeeling, needs and desire. One attractiveand brave young women with mobility challenges, explained why shelost her virginity to a sex-worker. This woman’s decision as a health-care and confidence-building choice, is a sensible human right. Moreover, many of the male clients featuredin the Scarlett Road documentary showed the therapeutic benefit of sexworker services.

New South Wales haslegalised prostitution with checks and balances to protectsex-workers, clients and communities. Unfortunately, religious beliefscontinue to be absolute toward anyone who engages in sexual relationscontrary to church authority. All people are entitled to theirreligious beliefs but when the imposition of those beliefs deny a health-care or well-being benefit then it becomes a violation of human rights.

I hope the message in Scarlet Road will help people see the value of sexworkersrather than exclusively as a moral determination. More information for people with disability or their carers on how to access the sex industry can be found at the Touching Base website.

elemental

2011-11-18T19:27:00.001+11:00

Beach or more correctly in the photo, dune chemistry, can be exciting by using Theodroe Gray's periodic table cards. The photograph is not quite as artistic as I intended, however as a field test it proved the card set to be very robust. Ironically, Hydrogen was the only card, which blew away. Coincidently this beach was mined in the 1970's for rutile to make Titanium, -titanium is best identified as the pigment in white paint on your fridge- which gave the activity an historical context. Next time I will include ocean waves to make the photo more reactive. Available as a book, jigsaw puzzle and poster, for the serious academic or fun family activity.

dry dock

2011-09-13T13:33:00.003+10:00

The writing team at the Trim of My Sails is taking a short break while working on an expanded service for its readers. In the meantime you may enjoy browsing the archived material. Genuine e-mails will receive a prompt reply.

best wishes

nigel

cadel evans

2011-07-25T15:15:00.008+10:00

Outstanding Tour de France this year because of Cadel Evan's yellow jersey win, which is encouragement in Australia for cyclists who are overshadowed as athletes by rugby players and cricketers. Moreover this profile raising event will help motorists realise there is a place for other road users. Kudos for the organisers because Cadels win is further evidence that this bike race is now an international competition and a celebration of French culture for the whole world. Many thanks and congratulations.

dinosaurs in australia

2011-07-11T16:12:00.001+10:00

Benjamin Kear and Robert Hamilton-Bruce have scored a metaphorical feather in their caps with Dinosaurs in Australia: Mesozoic Life from the Southern Continent. Not since Mary White’s Greening of Gondwana Land has research been published, which is so accessible for the academic and general reader. Moreover the chapter layout builds an explanatory story-line supported by lavish illustrations. If not for your personal book collection, Australian Dinosaurs is worth seeking out at your library. John Williams music sold seperately.

rainbow

2011-07-04T16:21:00.001+10:00

bush telegraph

2011-06-29T16:20:00.001+10:00

Sad to receive a letter from N.S.W. Forests this week with information about their new website and the demise of the snail mail Bush Telegraph magazine. The magazine was excellent at public communication and information, which is vital for topical environmental issues. Moreover I wonder if this is an indicator of further loss of public profile for the forestry industry at a time when carbon sequestration has more than a monetary value. However thank you to N.S.W. Forests for making back issues available and best wishes for the new online version.

anu geology

2011-06-21T15:52:00.006+10:00

University was a very confusing time for me and the A.N.U. Geology Department added to that confusion through a bizarre and strange, language and behaviour. I am sure my classmates and lecturers saw me as a complete "whack-job" too (smiles).

However the learning experience and patient teaching at A.N.U. Geology is one to be treasured because they introduce students to a different Australia than usually encountered by most people. Therefore I thoroughly recommend this faculty and their history not just for their knowledge of Earth Sciences but also for the personal growth achieved as part of their classes and field trips.

animal porn

2011-06-17T17:07:00.002+10:00

The article "Lopsided Love" in New Scientist magazine this week, (18 June 2011, pp 42 -45) should be of interest to the Australian Christian Lobby and anti-pornography campaigner Gail Dines because not only does it discuss asymmetry in animal genital morphology but graphically features two camels humping and a man artificially inseminating a pig during suidae group-sex. At first view this must read bizarrely indeed! However I assure you the man in the “pig” picture does not appear to have any erotic intent. However the pigs and the previously mentioned camels appear to be enjoying themselves very much.

The purpose of the New Scientist article is to discuss and explore the impact of genital asymmetry in reproduction and the propagation of species using several examples including humans. It should come as a relief to many men and boys that the slight bend in one's penis is very beneficial for female sperm retention and a useful shape for pleasure. Also explains the purpose and necessity of diverse labia and testicle, shape, sizes and suspension. Therefore be assured that diversity in bodily appearance is normal.

This human ecology perspective from New Scientist illustrates valid alternatives to Christian and neo-Feminist arguments about pornography because open discussion and portrayal of human sexuality prevents shame through opinions on normality. Modernity has left the Australian Christian Lobby and anti-pornographers, behind and is why their demand for respect is not realised.

Post Script

Retried Brigadier Jim Wallace AM is the Managing Director of the Australian Christian Lobby and was the commander of the Special Air Service. While soldiers should be allowed to have any career they wish after military service, from a human resource perspective, Brigadier Wallace’s, elite skill-set, in killing and destruction, appears rather extreme for a religious lobby group whose fundamental ethos is love thy neighbour (irony bordering on pathos).

More Post Script
See also in New Scientist: How sex with neanderthals helped us go global!

marion griffin

2011-06-14T16:28:00.002+10:00

With the centenary of the founding of Canberra (the capital of Australia) next year, it is an opportunity to learn more about Walter and Marion Griffin, the designers of the (high modernist) city Canberra.

Paul Kruty describes Marion Griffin as one of the three great architects of the Prairie School, after Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, which is high praise, considering the intellectual depth of her contemporaries. However I believe that Marion has never been recognised for her achievements and a new book edited by David Van Zanten, "Marion Mahony: Reconsidered," confirms her genius.

Many of my American readers would not recognize Marion, as the second women to graduate from MIT in architecture and the first women in the United States licensed to practice the same. But her abilities have a greater depth: as a designer for Frank Lloyd Wright, as the creative and romantic partner of Walter Griffin and in her own right for her diverse abilities and projects.

Check out her recently discovered Silviculture manual, based on bark features, in the Nicols collection at the National Library. A feather in his cap too, for David Van Zanten, as editor.

planting trees

2011-06-06T16:16:00.002+10:00

The Ocean Shores Country Club and the Brunswick Valley Landcare Group joined forces in May to improve the environmental conditions of Marshall’s Creek in the Brunswick River Catchment. In the photo above the reader can see a group of volunteers at the Ocean Shores Country Club planting seedlings to prevent stream bank erosion. The plantings supplement submerged hessian covered tree trunks placed along the apex of the creek’s curve for protection against erosion until the plants achieve an adult density of foliage to stabilise the area.

The grasses and lilies in the short term are fast growers and will provide fair protection for the riverbank but it will be another 5 – 7 years until the trees reach a suitable height before the hessian covered logs can be removed. One challenge was to preserve the fairway green, which in my opinion could have been moved several metres away from the creek in order to have denser plantings at its apex. Also tidal influences supply the creek with brackish water and acid sulphate soils determined species choice.

Juncus kraussii (sea rush) x 25

Lomandra longifolia (basket grass) x 150

Cupaniopsis anacaidiodes (tuckeroo) x 25

Dianella caerulea (blue flax lily) x 50 nice flower

Hibiscus tilaceus (cotton tree) x 25 excellent shrub flower

Casuarina glauca (swamp oak) x 50 overused (?)

may moon

2011-06-02T16:24:00.006+10:00

Mobile phone camera astronomy is a necessity when one does not have a telescope at hand especially when on a pristine tropical evening one is riding their bicycle (coincidently mine named moon-shadow) home. However I think many an historical astronomer would have been jealous of even this crude instrument.

Never before have I seen the moon with a spectral halo, which you might just make out in the photo, caused by ice crystals refracting light in the upper atmosphere. I have seen many white-light halos, of various sizes reflected in the atmosphere and in different parts of Australia but never like this visual treat.

Astronomy, not just for the professionals. What star have you wished on lately?

madagascar plants

2011-05-10T14:42:00.002+10:00

Have I been raving about the Adelaide Botanical Gardens? I was hoping to get a good photo of the new building for the Amazon Liliy Pond but the architecture is not photogenic and I think it is nice to leave some surprises. However the Palm House is another matter because it is a recently restored Victorian glasshouse designed by the German architect Gustav Runge and chocked full of plants from Madagascar. Claimed by the gardens to be the only one in exisitence the photo above does not do it justice. Sheer delight if you intend visiting Adelaide.

mclaren vale

2011-05-04T13:44:00.001+10:00

South Australian’s are a nasty people because they think so much of themselves and their achievements when they are such a parochial and isolated community - not that I have the moral high ground because one might argue that having a blog of inane postings is just as pretentious! Also Philip Adams on the ABC Big Ideas program suggests that everyone who writes has been psychologically damaged, which makes it difficult for a personal attack for South Australians as the white trash of Asia - conversely South Australian’s do possess metaphorical cameo treasures that I have written about before such as the Art Gallery and Botanical Gardens.

Another one of South Australia’s cameo treasures are the McLaren Vale vineyards and wineries, which produce excellent table wine. The above photo is a field on the edge of the town and what makes it especially picturesque are the golden ash (Fraxinus excelsior) barrier trees, just starting to change their leaf colour. You can just make out (please left click the picture for a larger image) that they are coppicing too and I think this has been allowed to happen because in the next field, not pictured here, there is a flock of black-faced sheep. Coppiced trees may not be an ideal place of shelter for humans but sheep in an open field would find it very cosy indeed and please the farmer with healthier lambs.

The coppicing may also keep the bicycle path between the fields free of windblown detritus although the fallen leaves of the ash trees would make copious litter. The one thing I would change from the plantings is that I would intersperse the golden ash with claret ash (Fraxinus angustifolia) to add even more vibrancy to the seasonal colour of the field through vine and tree leaf (pleasant sigh).

wollemi pine

2011-05-02T16:47:00.003+10:00

Recently, "by word of mouth," I heard reports that the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) in the Adelaide Botanical Gardens had died! And it was a similar rumour to the report of the same at the National Botanical Gardens in Canberra about their tree, in 2007? which had died because of poor soil but had since recovered. Not to be confused with the recent Wollemi deaths at the Royal Canberra Golf Club due to La Nina rains and minor flooding.

However back at the Adelaide Botanical Gardens I took the above photo and made a closer inspection of this 2 metre tree. Below the crown there were several dead braches with a few fallen to the ground but all the open cones were still attached. Also the lower trunk appeared to be copicing with new growth but I am not sure if this is not original. Mostly the Adelaide tree appeared robust and I wonder if it had just been scorched by the Adelaide sun which is very harsh in summer?

However just in case of sunburn I planted my tree in part shade even though subtropical sun is not as harsh as in Adelaide or Canberra.

bliss 2

2011-04-30T13:58:00.002+10:00

On a recent visit to the Art Gallery of South Australia, I was reacquainted with a favourite painting by Herbert Draper titled the foam sprite. As a younger person (especially as part of school field trips) the meaning of its themes were never spoken of openly because of its erotic and now feminist message, which is quite prophetic considering it was painted in 1895.

However it is in relation to an earlier post about the painting titled Ecstacy, by Władysław Podkowiński, that I wonder if Draper too, is capturing the wild and animalistic nature of human sexual fantasy and testing the boundaries of taboo inspired erotica. Or do Władysław and Draper just get their message noticed by using animal metaphores? Of course it can just be a nice painting too.

But like the Władysław Podkowiński painting I think Draper speaks to me more about freedom, in spite of the fantastical representation of pleasure.

americas best idea

2011-04-21T13:39:00.006+10:00

The National Parks: America’s best idea, is a PBS six episode movie/tv series, which illustrtates the majesty of politicaly protecting areas of pristine wilderness. Ken Burns and Dayton Duncon take viewers on a journey not just through nature but a gentle stroll of historical narrative with people who believe in a personified if not grander status for the wilderness.

A sentimental, overly romantic and slow-paced production in some episodes, does not detract from the premise that the countryside has a place in democracy seperate from the polity with its own rights, priviliges and liberties. Some critics may suggest that I have been seduced by a nationlistic appeal to a utopia of an historic pastoral ideal; similar to the impact of listening to Beethoven’s 6th Symphony on a lazy Sunday afternooon.

However I urge everyone to view this documentary at least once, with the second and third visitations resulting in better understanding. God Bless America.

sophie milman

2011-04-15T13:55:00.011+10:00

Sophie Milman's third album, take love easy, is a cover work of familar music, which is so enjoyable because Milman's voice is pleasantly resonant and ideal therapy at the end of one of those "in your face" days. So too there is a depth to her production and marketing, most evidenced by her website where you can hear music samples of excellent quality for online listening. However I wonder if the title and themes for take love easy were inspired by Yeats poem: down by the salley gardens? (according to Wikipedia, Yeats copied it from a similar Irish folk song.) Very romantic (smiles)!

Down by the salley gardens my love and I did meet; She passed the salley gardens with little snow-white feet. She bid me take love easy, as the leaves grow on the tree; But I, being young and foolish, with her would not agree.

In a field by the river my love and I did stand, And on my leaning shoulder she laid her snow-white hand. She bid me take life easy, as the grass grows on the weirs; But I was young and foolish, and now am full of tears.

Van Gogh's Garden in Montmare with lovers...... may also be a visual metaphore?

new ship

2011-04-14T16:24:00.021+10:00

On April 6th the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) bought the HMS Largs Bay (pictured above) only a month after Leigh Sales, broke the story about the seaworhtiness of HMAS Tobruk. This rapid acquisition suggests that the RAN must have been planning the purchase long before the "drama" of the media hype. So why all the pretense? The metaphorical "get out of jail free card" reason of national security is an overused, lame excuse, which reveals the difficulty senior military officials have with media scrutiny.

However, at first view, the Largs Bay appears to be such a good choice for the RAN when the Australian dollar is so strong, with the Largs Bay being recently tested and built by the British, giving Vice Admiral Crane options while integrating the Helicopter Landing Dock and Air Warfare Destroyers. Considering Australia’s large coastline and the multitude of island nations in our region the Largs Bay would be an asset for not just battlefield support but disaster relief and humanitarian aid.

One major defence procurement issue down: eleven to go!

sucker punch

2011-04-10T12:42:00.006+10:00

Zack Snyder continues to impress with his latest movie sucker punch. Like 300 and Watchmen, Snyder's art direction and production design provides a rich palete in big screen entertainment. I perhaps would prefer this story in a graphic novel because the fast-paced screen play did not give me time to relish the parts of the storyline, which I really enjoyed, such as the first world war scenario with zeppelins and biplanes.

Hence critics argue that this is more of a video game rather than a motion picture but I think that is unfair on Snyder because Warner Brothers executives would have pre-determined this format for merchandising revenue. So too, the female characters are so cliched while being a post-feminist critique of patriarchal and mental health cruelty. Unfortunately this message will be lost on the target audience.

Perhaps too the "fight at all costs" theme is so over emphasied in cinema and society when other choices are more productive. For young people in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and West Africa sucker punch trivialises and fantasises the consequences of tyranical violence. Conversely fantasy is the only method of empowerment many individuals can afford.

However Zack Synder is definately a master of his craft because he provides us with excellent questions!

statistics

2011-04-08T16:39:00.005+10:00

I find it difficult to comprehend the audacity of the media and authorities who use numbers to justify their arguments, which on further analysis prove to be fallacious. Also authors of recruitment books often instruct the reader to use odd numbers to illustrate their achievements because it sounds better? If I were an employer I would be looking for honesty in reporting data.

Government officials and market analysts are the worst offenders when they omit the process and boundaries in achieving their numerical arguments. Check out the repetitive unemployment figures used to illustrate economic growth by governments. Or fashion magazines discussing social trends.

However all is not lost because, the late Darrell Huff has written an excellent, easy to read book, pictured above, revealing how numbers are used to dupe people into believing an argument. Looking for something more technical? Go to Wolfram Math World for copious detail.

Abe Books

2011-04-04T14:09:00.000+10:00

Received an interesting e-mail from Abe Books pertaining to their customer database and believe it is worth repeating here; especially the text highlighted in red because repitition is a useful method of learning (smiles).

Epsilon Informs AbeBooks of E-mail Database Breach
We have been informed by Epsilon, a third-party vendor we use to send e-mails, that an unauthorized person outside their company accessed files that included e-mail addresses of some AbeBooks customers. Epsilon has advised us that the files that were accessed did not include any customer information other than email addresses. As a reminder, AbeBooks will never ask customers for personal or account information in an e-mail. Please exercise caution if you get any emails that ask for personal information or direct you to a site where you are asked to provide personal information.

solar system

2011-03-30T13:41:00.005+11:00

Wonders of the Solar System by Professor Brian Cox -from the university of Manchester- is a wonderful television series because of its ability to explain the laws of physics by filming evidence for geologic and geomorphic processes on earth and then revealing how these processes occur on other planets. Not since my undergraduate geology classes has science been brought to life in a way which is truly a wonder to comprehend. Professor Cox has a "David Attenborough" quality of connecting with his audience and a personal warmth that reaches out to the viewer. I imagine Professor Cox is well sort after as a PhD supervisor but for those of us who have other commitments in research, this series on DVD, is a must have, for ones entertainment and personal growth collection. What is your favourate planet?

The fight for pluto's status continues.

kookaburra

2011-03-24T16:21:00.003+11:00

Five laughing Kookaburras (Dacelo novaeguineae) in my back garden have made friends with me because I have been feeding them crispy bacon strips and it is a joy to interact with them. However they do not make a laughing sound while feeding; more of a low-level screeching complaint.

My favourate Kookaburra, who I have named bandit, -because he/she has a black band of feathers across the eyes and around the head like a Zorro mask- comes and sits on my clothes-line while I am working. However after reading the NSW government environmental website I have decided not to feed them every day because Kookaburras need calcium from other food sources other than human table scraps.

Perhaps what is so charming about these birds is the way they look at you and their huddled perching as a group on a fence rails. Conversely last year I saw a Kookaburra grab a water-dragon (not kreacher) by the tail and bash it against a tree trunk to kill it before eating, which makes me grateful I am a human!

Maybe I have been programmed to like Kookaburra’s because of the Australian nursery rhyme by Marion Sinclair: Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree, Merry, merry king of the bush is he...... and also the artistically beautiful early Australia postage stamps make this bird a nationalistic icon.

But mostly they are just fun to have around and they keep the snakes away. The picture above features Bandit looking particularly wobegone on a rainy day.

vice admiral russ crane

2011-03-22T16:24:00.018+11:00

On Lateline last night Peter Lloyd interviewed Vice Admiral Russ Crane about a replacement for the Collins Class Submarines and asked questions about the seaworthiness of the Landing Ship Heavy (HMAS Tobruk), an issue previously raised by Leigh Sales on the 7.30 report.

Is it true that when a person’s eyes move to their right before answering a question they are accessing the creative side of the brain so they can answer with a lie? Did the Vice Admiral exhibit this behaviour right after Peter Lloyd asked him about holding-back on the seaworthiness of HMAS Tobruk and in the first sentence response used three negatives to justify his answer! Is this deceptive behaviour?

RUSS CRANE: And the minister got some disappointing advice, disappointing in that it was not advice that I'm sure he would have liked to have got. I didn't like getting it either. But he got that advice which was disappointing in relation to the availability of Tobruk, but that advice was provided in the timeframes that it should have been provided.

PETER LLOYD: Was anyone holding back?

RUSS CRANE: No, I don't believe - no, nobody was holding back. ... In the case of HMAS Tobruk, we had an issue with the hull where some temporary repairs had been made to the hull, and that was satisfactory on the basis that the ship was going to go in to dock and be fixed.

Maybe I watch too many television programs such as Lie to Me and CSI Miami and perhaps as a civilian I do not understand the challenges of managing the Royal Australian Navy.

But even when a dumb-ass like me can comprehend the indefinite nature of the Vice Admiral's answers in managing the opinion cycle, just think of the opportunity this presents for Australia’s enemies? The Australian Defence Force, personnel, civilian and uniform continue to tell the Australian public how good and special they are but their actions tell a different story.

Please check out Lateline's vid-cast.

starchitects

2011-03-18T16:10:00.003+11:00

In the January issue of Playboy -yes I read it for the articles (smiles)– Frank Gehry in an interview revealed his dislike for the title starchitect. I can understand this dislike because the book of the same name has many beautiful design ideas, which have yet to be proven as reliable structures in the long term.

Does anyone remember the Turkish earthquake in 1999? Where in the town of Golcuk the mosque (and adjacent apartment block) remained standing while around them many of the modern buildings were ruined. How did the mosque built in a low tech era survive when buildings of modernity failed? This example shows the true meaning of a starchitect and something for the recent victims in the New Zealand and Japan earthquakes to reflect on.

While I was reading the Gehry interview I also referred to my architecture pop-up book because paper sculpture often gives the reader a better understanding of the concepts. But I was slightly unsettled by the facade and design of Gehry’s new design for the business school building for the University of Technology Sydney, -also pictured above- which appears to have a post-modern, post-disaster, and modern-art motif.

No earthquake, tsunami or nuclear meltdown required!

sun protection

2011-03-16T16:00:00.002+11:00

Island tribe are cunning marketers through their, "tame the sun," advertising campaign. Call me debaucherous but they got my attention, however after the initial drooling, one realises the photograph has some odd features. Where is this surfers leg rope? And a wet suit is a must have equipment chioce to prevent wind burn, temperature shock, sand fly bites and other minor irritants of beach play.

Perhaps the person in the photo is a caddie? A person primarily assigned to mind the gear and have a towel at the ready for the pro-surfer or privileged mariner (please see: “foxes of the north shore,” p. 34, Australia’s Surfing Life, march 2011). But the cancer council must be shaking thier heads in despair because their message is that sun-screen is NOT enough to prevent skin cancer.

Conversely is the photograph a fantasy to inspire and motivate us to use sunscreen? and in this post-feminist world should the picture portray a bare-bottomed male striding pristine beaches with a spare board not just for female pleasure but to be useful too?
Nah...... thats just a fantasy.

poets guide

2011-03-13T15:22:00.003+11:00

Poetry can be very pretencious and I understand why some readers may feel that the exercise of writing and reading poetry is just an excuse for lazy people to justify their lay-about lifestyle. I admit that it has sometimes been a page filler on this blog but if planned and structured, as part of ones day, it can be an excellent tool for insights, reflection and as a coping strategy for the mundane and indeed the tradgic. But in this instance I am refering to everyday activities and what the wind of serendipity blows our way.

An excellent and non-pretencious study of british poetry by Owen Sheers (not to be confused with Mark Shears) is now availble on DVD, titled A Poets Guide to Britain. Not a travel dairy as some readers may feel the title suggests but an inspiring introduction to 6 poets with a dialogue, symbolism and locations kept simple to appeal to a broad audience while offering signposts for viewers looking for deeper meaning or an intellectual experience.

Unfortunately reviews of the book with the same title at the Amazon.com bookstore are not as encouraging and that is why I sugest the DVD for note-taking, reflection and a "down-to-earth" poetry experience.

new leigh

2011-03-08T15:55:00.008+11:00

Does anyone remember my post last year about the Leigh Sales Fan Club where I wrote about how ABC television in Australia intended to switch the Lateline anchor, leigh sales, to the 7.30 report. (Where have they been?) Well last night they came back with a new show and a mighty story pertaining to the operational status of the Australian Defence Force and specificaly the Royal Australian Navys' amphibious ships!

Here is leigh's intro:

There are currently 11 Defence projects with a combined worth of $10 billion running over time and over budget. For example, there's the Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft, approved 14 years ago and still not airworthy. There are the Overlander field vehicles, constantly delayed and still at testing stage. And, the Collins Class submarines with huge maintenance issues.

Don't forget the Joint Strike Fighter and its inadequate replacement with the super-hornet, which I have often highlighted on this blog. At first view anyone in defence can say: "What do you know?" and that is a fair call because I do not have a military background. My rebuttal question would be: "How many defence ministers, from both political parties, struggled with the defence portfolio?" Too many! and this metaphorical revolving door of government administration indicates the problems not challenges with managing Australia's defence.

Defence work-place culture both civilian and uniform has issues with a "Don't come to me with problems; come to me with solutions," attitude to management. Moreover at the micro-level one can understand how problems manifest at the large scale, in the way defence personnel colaborate with their civilian contractors. From the lowliest window cleaner to the most highly skilled software engineer, time and excellence is wasted in completing a task, while defence personnel are busy preening themselves about their status and the obssesive practice of managing "outsiders."

Judge them by their fruits!

agora

2011-03-05T14:38:00.008+11:00

Agora is an excellent movie in which the director Alejandro Amenabar uses the biography of Hypatia, a 4th century mathematician played by Rachel Weisz, to ask questions about human beliefs based on either reason or faith. Many themes are explored through cinematic artistry and the scenes of Alexandria, North Africa and the Earth from orbit - interspaced in the teleplay - reflect Hypatia's astonomical research, illustrates the insignificance of humans and creates a converse appearance of god observing the idiosyncracy of local politics.

It also reveals the sins of patriarchy, christianity and the abuse of power to manipulate communities for personal status. Rachel Weisz's Hypatia is abandoned by the men who love her and then stoned to death at the climax of the film. This biography adds weight to the radical feminist argument that all men should be punished or at the very least to rexamine the premise that woman have rights and men have responsibilities!

orbea helmet

2011-03-01T16:24:00.008+11:00

My bicycle helmet has saved me twice from head injuries: once in Canberra when I was being swooped by a magpie and more recently when I fell into a drain at night. Moreover helmets are becoming the must-have protection against the risk of injury from road rage. Motorists appear to have a particular dislike for me, right now, with several cases of verbal abuse and one instance of chocolate milk being thrown at me from a car window. A cold shock to the face and chest including a sticky after effect (sigh). Therefore a good fitting helmet provides security, confidence and hopefully protection from anything bad coming your way.

Coincidentally while having my bike serviced (new chain and cassette) Sunrise Cycles had the new, if not complete range, of Orbea helmets in store. I could not refuse to purchase the Ari (white) model because I have been nagging Sunrise Cycles about the best of Orbea. So for $AU60- I am very happy with the base model’s fit because the bowl shape circles the crown well, while being light on the bald patch for senior riders and hugs the forehead without chaffing. The best feature is the Velcro fastening chin-strap cushion, where perspiration tends to collect, and prevents the strap from digging into one’s double chin, especially when sweating on a humid day. The weight and comfort assists the rider to feel as if they are not wearing a helmet.

The only minor quibbles I have with the Ari model is that the visor is tapered instead of being as broad as the helmet shape, so that sunglasses are a necessity in summer particularly if one is riding on the beach. Also the back-strap, disc-tightening system, might be difficult to tighten for some people and my Vaude backpack helmet cage is not wide enough to hold the Ari helmet in place and keeps slipping out of the bottom fastener. Fortunately Vaude’s Australian agent is located at Ballina so I can take the whole set-up into the store to find a solution.

I think many readers, because of the strength of the Australian Dollar, will argue that they can get better value for money by purchasing MET or Giro helmets online. And if you have your heart set on European manufacturing, then I cannot argue against that choice. However I have decided to buy from my local dealer so I can build rapport and achieve some empathy for my needs as a rider. In spite of my quibbles another bonus of my Orbea helmet is the excellent fashion contrast with the livery of my Orbea hard-tail. Next time I will purchase either the Rune model with orange stripes or the Odin model with red stripes because the fashion colours help the rider go faster (smiles).

good words

2011-02-24T16:33:00.006+11:00

This month’s Griffith Review has been an outstanding read for me because just when I thought my beliefs and hopes were like a voice in the wilderness I found comradeship in reflection and consideration of its messages. Although not part of my tribe, Paul Davies, Lesley Head and Margaret Merrilees provided affirmations and insights.

Emma Hardman was most refreshing because her essay pertains to a comment I received in my interpersonal communications post about stupid words and I acknowledge it is very difficult to be comprehensive in the comments space. Hardman provides us with true irony through her discussion of writing hansard’s. In the following two examples from Hardman’s essay I challenge the reader to truly define stupid words:

1. Politician in parliament.

In terms, of, um, sorry, just to, I mean, in terms of this very first one, you can really see here. Um, Peter would you, thank you. In terms of this getting, getting out of the canoe, it initially didn’t at first it really strikes me that really bush stores what it seems to be isn’t it seems to be quite a powerful idea in that sense in as much as it would seem too if it’s really very much improving one aspect of those communities being a store that really, really reduces the two I guess but it also as well would seem is providing an example of a business prize beyond what the rally small list of examples of the jobs you have got in those communities right at the very present moment which are providing a really a role model. What is that? Dou you agree with that?

2. Hardman’s hansard version.

In terms of this first paragraph – getting out the goo – it initially strikes me that Bush stores seem to be quite powerful idea in the sense that, if it is improving one aspect of those communities, being the store, that reduces the “goo.” But is also would seem to be providing an example of a business enterprise beyond the small list of examples of jobs which are providing role models in those communities at the moment. Do you agree with that?

3. nigel’s version.

In the first paragraph I have the initial impression that Bush Stores are the best for “getting out the goo” in communities. Also it appears that Bush Stores provide a role model for business in spite of few examples. Does that make sense?

If the Australian Parliament is having this kind of difficulty I will definately be thinking twice the next time I label something as stupid words! Thank you to Emma Hardman in Word for Word, finding meaning beyond verbatim, pg 120 Griffith Review 31, autumn 2011, A quarterly of writing ideas, Griffith University in conjunction with Text Publishing.

light purple

2011-02-22T14:10:00.008+11:00

Amethyst, dark-pink, lilac, magenta and mauve,

A fine colour

Not too dark, not too dull

Between red and blue

Pale cerulean with a trace of crimson

Lost scarlet

Less loud than cherry

Not boring and routine like pale grey

Or nondescript and ubiquitous black

And far more happy than jade

The fragrant hue of lavender

Fallen jacaranda blossom

On a par with cool, lush, field-carpet, green

A friend of shiraz and burgundy

A softer taste than lemon or orange

The wrong side of blush, the right side of puce

An interesting sun

The last colour of daytime

And the first tint of good night

This list was inspired by Bic’s 4 colour fashion pen, which offers the field note-taker and avid sketcher, excellent options for writing and drawing. No merit or gift was received for this post.

interpersonal communications

2011-02-21T15:12:00.009+11:00

Do you have a lot of difficulty connecting with people? I find it a frustrating task and work twice as hard to be socially comfortable. This extra effort pays off most times because there are many people I meet who appear unable to conduct even a basic conversation or alternatively just grunt to repel unwanted discussion.

Leil Lowndes has many interesting books and I asked my library too buy the one pictured above for ideas in relating to others. It is worth the read because Lowndes has some excellent suggestions for manners and conducting oneself in the business environment. I would reccomend it to anyone. However the reader needs to remember that social practice in America (and elsewhere) does not quite fit with the Australian experience.

I have several friends working in S. E. Asia who find the unsophiscated nature of Australian business contact frustrating and often crass. Conversely Australians find the rest of the world so up tight and scoff at their obssesion with status (smiles).

However emotional intelligence appears to have increasing importance in all facets of life. Whether it can win your sweathearts admiration, close that important business deal or get one invites to those most important parties and opening nights!

But here is the vital and most significant part of being successful. No matter who you are; embrace it and make it your own because happiness comes from within not from the approval of others. Society is so influenced by fashion and idiosyncracies that fault can even be found with perfection.

Something I wish Lowndes and indeed all my connections remember as a preface.

brisbane city cat

2011-02-14T15:37:00.002+11:00

The Brisbane City River Cat has started services again today after their suspension due to the floods. Some ferry stations are still closed so passengers need to check the website or ticket kiosk's for information. After Brisbane's floods this is a joyuos return to normality because it is one of the most enjoyable experiences of visiting or living in Brisbane.

flannery the messiah

2011-02-11T16:23:00.012+11:00

Professor Tim Flannery has been appointed to lead a new commission on climate change in Australia. Professor Flannery is a paleontologist by training with many years experience at the South Australian Museum where he developed excellent scientific communication skills and the reason I believe he was made Australian of the Year.

Commissions in Australia are independent advisory departments who assist government, industry, academia and the public to plan and make policy. A similar and high profile former example of a commission: The Murray Darling Basin Authority, in recent years was upgraded to enforce Australia’s water-use policy in the Eastern States.

I believe in the human impact of climate change because of the widespread use of motor car engines whose by-product is carbon monoxide gas. If you operate a motor car engine in a confined space it will change the chemical composition of the air in that confined space. The earth’s atmosphere is a large confined space and the continued and growing use of motor car engines producing carbon gases will change the chemical composition of the earth's atmosphere. One may also argue that coal fired power stations impact the earth’s atmosphere in a similar manner.

The tipping point of runaway climate change is now passed because people failed to take action to halt and reduce carbon-gas production from motor car engines (and other sources) when there was a chance to nullify its impact on the atmosphere. The passing of this tipping point makes Professor Flannery’s appointment irrelevant!

However an explanation of Flannery’s appointment can be found in antiquity. Themistocles c. 524–459 BC, the Athenian politician and general, convinced Athenians to build a fleet of triremes to protect their city from invasion by neighbouring states rather than the true nature of the threat, the imminent invasion of the conquering Persian army! If Themistocles had been honest with Athenians and told them of the Persian threat, it would have caused wide spread panic, collapse of the economy and a frightened populous who would elect a leader who would tell them that everything was going to be all right.

So too, Flannery has been appointed to ease public concerns.

In our societies it is too late to give bicycle riders more status than Ferrari owners but I cannot see that happening anyway? So the human race is now going to become extinct because we have poisoned our atmosphere just so people could have the convenience of operating a carbon-gas producing motor car engine. Maybe if we are lucky human's could advert this disaster if people would plant more trees, have a kitchen garden to grow their own food, be selective in our transport options, install grey-water systems, convert to alternative energies, change one’s lifestyle and give status to those people who have a low impact on the earth’s atmosphere.

Is that probable?

the state

2011-02-10T16:18:00.006+11:00

One of my regrets is that I did not read this book sooner! This outstanding volume by James C. Scott helps the reader understand the behaviour of Governments, leaders, authorities and organisations.

Seeing like a State showed me how in my own village the new skateboard park zoned on the outskirts of town has failed to meet the expectations and purpose of its designers. What shop-owners, police and residents cannot understand is why children still hang-out in town and ride their skateboards and bikes on the road or footpath (sidewalk).

It is very funny to see the police chasing skateboarders or shop owners having fits of apoplexy because children dare to invade their business space! Especially when public money was spent construsting this artificial crèche, which was supposed to solve their youth problems. Scott discusses the converse argument by Jane Jacobs’s that especially for children the sidewalk is a place of socialisation, safety and excitement, which draws everyone to its centre.

My town does not have a youth problem, it has an adult problem, obsessed with its own importance and authority. The skateboard park example shows how a small place can illustrate a large issue, which Scott brings to the fore through discussing observations in government practice.

Thank you to Bookbyte for the image.

google art project

2011-02-02T16:34:00.004+11:00

The google art project is outstanding because it brings the gallery experience right into the the home or classroom especially for those who have limited access or mobility. Not quite the same impact as an, "in-your face," real time visit, but definately the virtual experience makes an impression. I knew the street view technology would be useful for something! Would you like to see my virtual gallery? (may take a few moments to load and for readers with a taste for the macarbe it will appear sentimental and conservative).

Thank you so much Google.

and also zoice.com for the image.

neighbourhood sign

2011-01-31T16:28:00.003+11:00

I am very fond of sign’s and notices, as return visitors to this blog will attest, especially those written with an ironic quality. The most fun part is trying to decipher the meaning and intent of language usage because I find human communications very difficult to comprehend (says someone who runs a blog for fun and merit!).

In this instance a person who has been mowing the pictured lawn verge for 17 years is now experiencing particular vexation because of dog and human faeces deposits. Perhaps it is because these deposits are bagged that engenders fear of damage to one’s mower or other garden implements? Or maybe for a repetitious fouling of one’s shoes, which is an excellent parable for those who persist in going barefoot in our village!

I have some empathy for this situation because really there is no excuse in a post cholera and typhoid community to disregard practices of sanitation. But I wonder if it is shear laziness or an enthusiastic attitude toward garden fertilisation. Left click the picture for a magnified view of the sign.

Whose lawn would you shit on? (smiles)

tenga

2011-01-27T16:47:00.008+11:00

Is it true that in her latest book Bettina Ardnt comes to the conclusion that most men, all their life, want sex with women (or partner of choice) but for females the same is not true or is a more complex issue. On the ABC television show, Questions and Answers last year, when a member of the Australian Sex Party was part of the panel, a male from the audience asked the panel how he could obtain more sex in his life and the response was very flat indeed. Some viewers may have argued that the answers were impotent.

However all is not lost in satisfying male needs because Japanese designers have come to the rescue with an invention, which caters to male rapture for those quiet times when the feminine world is so fucking nasty one wonders, (only for a split second), if the Taliban view of feminism has some credo. I am referring to those moments (justified in cases) when women have the desire to castrate all of mankind over the age of 12.

Tenga will provide you with unparelled satisfaction but unfortunately not the same oneness you can experince with your sweatheart. But very damned close, with eyeball, receding into the back of the head, pleasure. Need some quiet, alone-time? Tenga can help one get there!

the trim of my sails team recieved no graturity for this post

entomolgy 2

2011-01-25T15:42:00.006+11:00

The evolution store has an excellent online presence and I thank the Oh Joy! blog for the above photo as a companion to my previous post. I mention the evolution-store because I think it is better to purchase specimens from reputable traders because they fulfill an ethical and scienctific checklist before sale. Some people will argue that the only thing one should take from nature is a photograph and this is an excellent point to reflect on.

However natural history is an amazing area of study becuase of the wonder it engenders when aided by the intimacy of specimens. Perhaps the museum should be the only place of collection? Recently a black-cockatoo shed one of its wing feathers in my back garden and this windfall now has pride of place on my book case. Should I return the feather to my garden for ethical correctness? (comments section below)However with the evolution-store one can double check before purchase if your items are an ethical transaction!

Of course purchase of the human skulls don't count because they are the ultimate in dumb-ass species.

entomology

2011-01-21T19:50:00.003+11:00

Why did the butterfly cross the road? No idea in this instance but with much dificulty I moved the above creature to a shady place. In a cosmic sense I am not sure this was the right thing to do but a creature with such aesthetic markings on its wings does not deserve to be crushed by the wheel of a car traveling at 50 km/hr (although this is not the average speed on our roads!) If you were an aviator what colours would you have on your wings?

queensland floods

2011-01-11T16:31:00.004+11:00

Thank you to every one for your phone calls and e-mails concerning the Queensland floods (I didn't know you cared; smiles). Over the border, here in the Norhtern Rivers, we have had heavy rains and there is a lot of water on the ground in adjacent suburbs. However this is normal for this time of year and we are in NO danger. However, as a precaution, in case of more rains and storms we have reviewed our evacuation procedures and changed some travel plans. The next few days will be a challenge for the people of Brisbane and our thoughts and prays are with everyone at this time.

If you cannot get in touch with me, my Father is the next best contact. Thank you especially to my friends in Los Angeles who called this morning. Best Wishes.

corsair flash drive

2011-01-11T16:09:00.002+11:00

Recently I bought an 8GB usb flash-drive from Corsair through the excellent people at Amazon. Considering the extreme weather conditions and time of year, both in the U.S. and Australia, I am so impressed with the timely delivery! But it is Corsair who really know the meaning of, value for money, because the flash drive also came with a short-cable for when one's computer slots are jammed with peripherals and a nautical themed dog-tag necklace (the team at the Trim of My Sails were especially impressed).

In offices the Survivor drive will be slightly heavy but for the field worker and active individual its rugged construction will provide excellent data safety. Adverse weather conditions too will not be an issue and will provide confidence for trades-people, outdoor and emergency workers. When one has deadlines to meet, unlike the SanDisk Cruzer, the absence of formating adds to the simplicity and time saving access to data. I do not usually do product endorsements but in this instance I highly reccomend Corsair Flash drives.

Corsair makes life simple and secure!

porsche

2011-01-07T15:38:00.005+11:00

In the picture above can you guess the occupation of the Porsche owner?

During a recent intense hail storm, with disregard to pedestrians, this car was driven under the shop-front walkway to prevent damage to its paint work and panels. I guess if it was my hard-earned purchase or dream I may have behaved in a similar manner (although I belong to the Italian school of grand touring).

Will humans ever take precedence over status prizes? I bet the manufacturers would argue that no-one was in any real danger and in comparison with the Christmas road-toll it is a very minor issue. However when skateboard, scooter and bicycle riders arrive in the same location outrage and righteous anger from shop-owners is rampant.

I find it strange that our society assigns status and forgiveness to people who own prestige items and I wonder how Porsche convinced us that virtue is obtained through driving their vehicles. However does the presence of the shopping trolley's in the foreground contrast the purpose of owning a Porsche, if not the design?

Porsche: the choice of dumb asses!

year forest

2011-01-04T16:11:00.001+11:00

2011 is the United Nations year of forests and I preface this celebration with the United Nations title because everyone is usually having a year of something! Just in time too because many people do not realise or are just plain ignorant to the fact that the tipping-point for runaway climate change is now past; so buying that hybrid car will only help one with their status anxiety and petrol prices. Moreover I still ride a bicycle, much to my discomfort but with excellent benefits to my physical fitness, in the vain hope that by example alternatives can be illustrated. All is not lost!

Most importantly forest growth, planting, conservation, harvesting and replanting has never been more vital to human custodianship of the earth because forests are nature's factories for all living things, as opposed to, the concrete structures of Wall Street, which offer industry to a few human, rodent and insect individuals. I am not suggesting a romantic rally to arms of tree hugging and dressing in Frodo costumes, but more responsibly, planting trees using appropriate species, in suitable landscapes as protection for our present and future communities. This year please plant a tree in an ethical manner and place.

For more information one can follow the United Nations link in the text or in Australia visit the Institute of Foresters at their Homepage.

chuck lorre vanity cards

2010-12-30T16:29:00.003+11:00

This is going to sound so passé (because in Australia we our behind on the release dates for entertainment) but after watching the Big Bang theory on DVD and reflecting on some of Chuck Lorre’s Vanity Cards I wondered if number 225 needs a rethink?

We exist to bear witness.
We had to be.
The infinite needs us to see it.
Without the perceiver,
the perceived does not exist.
That gives us leverage.
Don't look until you get what you want.

Do the questions posed by the story-line of another popular culture reference such as the Matrix movies refute this proposition? The above premise may hold true for someone like the Neo character played by Keanu Reeves’ who was the ONE but for others who are just ordinary it appears nonsensical because they will never be the one. How frustrating that the meaning of the word perception has such a limited definition in the English language.

Hhmm........ Is Mr Lorre philosophicaly messing with us?

merry xmas

2010-12-23T15:37:00.004+11:00

Bitter sweet Christmas for many this year! and perhaps a commercially deflated festive season will help people to ignore the shopping-hype and focus on just being with loved ones and extending a kind word to our neighbours. Simple pleasures can be rewarding. Best wishes to my online friends.

leigh sales fan club

2010-12-11T13:38:00.004+11:00

The producers at ABC Television are very cunning and devious programmers: best illustrated by moving Leigh Sales from Lateline to the 7.30 report. How unfortunate for Leigh because at this time slot she will have to “dumb-down” her interviewing skills for a broader audience. Conversely I admit finding someone to replace Kerry O’Brien was always going to be difficult. Perhaps partnering Sales with the excellent political communicator, Chris Ulhmanm, will metaphorically “lift” viewers to a more analytical and reflective audience? Otherwise more Leigh in this instance will mean less of the Leigh we like. No news of Leigh's appearance on the First Tuesday Book Club but one can always check out the "Well Read-head."

mr squiggle

2010-12-07T16:08:00.001+11:00

Norman Hetherington died today and for many, his creation of Mr Squiggle, was one of the must-watch shows on ABC Television. Best wishes to his family, friends and loved ones.

voyage to nowhere

2010-12-04T16:34:00.020+11:00

Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a reasonable fan movie for younger teens and children but unfortunately it does not deliver for adults like the previous Narnia movies (Caspian was outstanding). Wonderful art direction, screenplay and locations do not lift the plot development and screenplay out of mediocrity in spite of some bright moments of characterisation and life messages in the story.

The lack of a character villain or protagonist is perhaps where the story-line fails? 3D motion pictures now appear to be an indicator of poor quality and for Dawn Treader it is an awkward format. Like Harry Potter audiences and movie makers have unrealistic expectations of their franchises. Best to wait for the DVD release of Dawn Treader.

farewell

2010-12-03T15:36:00.005+11:00

The RAAF retired its F-111's today, which until the Joint Strike fighters are delivered (hoping....) now concedes air superiority to our neighbors in the Asia Pacific. Of course these aircraft are well past their used-by date and I think a reconnaissance role in the East Timor mission? was their last intense contribution to defence. Affectionately known as "the pig" the model had five unfortunate crashes during its 40 year service. It was always a spectacular addition to airshows and as a rare visitor to Sydney airport. Best wishes to the pilots and crew: past and present.

strelitzia alba

2010-11-11T15:44:00.008+11:00

The white strelitzia (strelitzia alba) is often over looked by gardeners in favour of its orange and purple flowered cousin (bird of paradise). This native of South Africa is an excellent and hardy indoor species because of its large leaves, (often referred to as elephant ears) which are excellent at capturing dust and filtering household air. Morever its size makes it easy to clean and maintain although perhaps not decorative for all rooms.

Unfortunately it is extremely difficult to get strelitzia's to flower indoors and I have tried for years with diverse potting mixes, manures and care. Only once did I have an infestation of mealy bug, which was irradicated easily. Therefore I was amazed to find this road-side specimen with the white flower glorious in its blossom and botanical serendipidty.

I have not revealed the location for fear of vandalism.

top ten fine music

2010-11-03T14:44:00.007+11:00

What happened to posting in October? I have been so busy with the ABC Classic FM radio and Limelight Magazine's survey of listener's favourate classic 100 pieces of music. The last survey in Australia was held in 2001, which should not be confused with last years, top 100 symphony survey because this time all fine music is included. With instant certainty my top five was very easy to choose. However I feel unhappy with the music I have left out? A top-ten without Handel, Vivaldi, Prokofiev, Mussorgsky and Shostakovitch, I could go on (breathe-in), that it appears bereft of beauty, meaning and dare I say it, an uncultured listing!

Hhmm.... Perhaps that is why the marketing and public relations origin of this survey has made it a top 100 because of the quantity and diversity of titles (very cunning indeed). Moreover does a favourate list reveal the character of its creator? Unfortunately no surprises with my choice. How about you?

1. Bocherini La Musica Notturna Delle Strade di Madrid (fun)

2. Dvorak Symphony No. 9 (sublime)

3. Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto (intense)

4. Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue (alive)

5. Beethoven Symphony No. 7

6. Mozart’s Requiem Mass

7. Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 14 (how I feel all the time)

8. Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

9. Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade

10. Holst The Planets (like flying on a dragon)

social media

2010-09-24T16:24:00.002+10:00

This book made me rethink my activities in social media because it discusses the history and purpose of Face-book and its founders. I would recommend this topical book to all social media users as well as the general bibliophile. The reader may require patience with its verbosity and I could not help the reflective question of whether Face-book really matters? Check out Alain de Botton's post about "Distraction."

Most spell-checkers have not yet categorised the word face-book so I wonder if it is worth a bound publication?

beach scraping

2010-09-20T16:16:00.001+10:00

New Brighton is a nearby beach, which is under threat from erosion. The Byron Shire Council has implemented a beach-scraping project as a preventative and community safety measure. With sea level rise due to climate change and a history of environmental damage due to titanium mining in this area one might argue that in the long term this effort is futile.

However if you are a resident on River Street, New Brighton, this is very timely intervention indeed because just two storms in succession would erode the whole dune system. Also New Brighton is unfortunate geographically because it is located at the optimum angle (not quite evident in the satellite map) vulnerable to wave action.

However if this project is a success or failure it will provide an example of how to engineer safety for coastal communities threatened by sea level rise erosion. Hhmm....does it also help when a dynastic political family lives at the beach?

short stack

2010-09-20T16:08:00.002+10:00

On the weekend I was lucky to visit an appearance by Short Stack a pop/punk band at Sanity Records in Tweed Heads and was amused by the frenzy of teenage women who were excited by the occasion! I was chatting with one of the mothers about her love in her youth for Donny Osmond and David Cassidy when I asked the silly question, “Are Short Stack important?” phewww; big mistake.......... as I was rounded on by a dozen girls who immediately harangued me about the virtues of this Australian band. A security guard nearby rolled his eyes at me in empathy and I was glad of his presence for my safety (smiles).

One has to wonder about their name though? Surely “Foot-Long” or “Well-Hung” would be a better metaphor for the primitive mating rituals associated with punk/pop music? However I do admire any attempt to promote artists and the joy they bring to our lives so please check out their EP, Planets or album “This is Bat Country” (a very real metaphor for where I live) at the link in the text or your retail store of the same.

Is 16 the best age to observe human behaviour?

eye catcher

2010-09-17T17:13:00.003+10:00

Do you find the connotations of this album-cover title ironic? Some readers will be rolling their eyes in exsasperation while wondering if that is all this blog author ever thinks about! However there is more in this innuedo than a lesbian, fantasy, sex-romp. Alternatively in a cultural context a scotish person may illustrate their displeaure in ones bevaviour by stating (in an aggregious tone) "I'm gunna do you jimmy!" and "doing someone over" is quite a distasteful activity indeed.

Fortunately Melinda Schneider in this instance is vocally celebrating the songs, which were hits for Doris Day. The nostalgic and pleasant exploration of mid 20th century pre-femminst popular music may also be used to tortue teenagers and young adults who are being a nuisance in ones, quite-time, personal space. Best of all, for the discerning listener, is this excellent accompaniment to an elegant dinner at home.

Who would you "Do" in the music tradition?

tree poems

2010-09-14T16:05:00.003+10:00

The Little Book of Trees celebrates the human love, sorrow, wonder, reverence, anger against their destruction, pleasure in their beauty and appreciation of their timber. Featuring historical trees such as: the tree used as a prison, the Dig Tree marked by explorers Burke & Wills and the Cazneaux tree that survived devastation of the landscape. The Little Book of Trees, partners the poetry of Judith Wright, Jack Davis, David Campbell and Henry Lawson, with images from the National Library’s pictorial collection by Hans Heysen, Brett Whiteley, Wolfgang Sievers and Olive Cotton who found inspiration from the tree.

ISBN: 9780642277121

Author: National Library of Australia

Pages: 45

Price: $AU 15-95

Tomorrow

2010-09-10T14:13:00.011+10:00

Tomorrow When the War Began, is an excellent viewing experience for fan’s of John Marsden’s books of the same name (written for teenagers and adults alike). It is a well crafted motion-picture, which is let down by some of the dialogue and casting through Australian cultural cliches and stereotypes. However I think it is on a par with Red Dawn a 1980's American movie with a similar story. Performances and screenplay are good and I hope this is a foundation on which sequels can be made. Many feminist viewers will be delighted by the female-leadership themes. Perhaps best to wait for the DVD but I did enjoy the cinema experience and I think overseas audiences will find novelty in the location.

endangered 2

2010-09-01T15:34:00.009+10:00

My previous Endangered Species posting from when I was living in Canberra has become a favourate topic for local readers at the trim of my sails and I wonder if this is because the My Environment database at Environment Australia is down for maintenance?

Alternatively one can access information about endangered species in your Australian neighbourhood with the Environment Reporting Tool. You can get there from the following explanation or by using the links in the text. First go to the Environment Australia Home Page and then look for the right hand lower side-bar, marked Resources, and click on the first link, titled Databases and Maps. Next scroll down to the 13th link named Environment Reporting Tool, which takes you to a page where it asks the visitor to enter their postcode or other search strategy.

For me the biggest surprise in comparison with my former neighbourhood in Canberra was the jump from 14 to 64 threatened species! For example I have listed just the eleven bird species below (4 also listed in the Canberra report!):

Regent Honeyeater Anthochaera phrygia

Coxen's Fig-Parrot Cyclopsitta diophthalma coxeni

Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor

Southern Giant-Petrel Macronectes giganteus

Northern Giant-Petrel Macronectes halli

Black-Throated Finch (southern) Poephila cincta cincta

Kermadec Petrel (western) Pterodroma neglecta neglecta

Australian Painted Snipe Rostratula australis

Campbell Albatross Thalassarche melanophris impavida

Black-breasted Button-quail Turnix melanogaster

However the threatened species list is also bolstered by marine species, which I would argue is a separate ecosystem? However the biggest consideration must be the geographic location, which is the most northern zone for temperate species and the most southern zone for tropical species so these border zones are not a genuine indicator of species survival because they are already at the limits of their habitats. Conversely this is a good, "eye witness," indicator for how species adapt to climate change (intriguing).

What species do you most care about in your neighbourhood?
(please do not include family members even if they behave like animals, smiles).

enlightenment

2010-08-24T16:58:00.003+10:00

In spite of the drama of the Australian federal election on the weekend, and the journalistic aftermath (sigh), I believe the best story of the week was about James Turrell and his exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia (why did I ever leave Canberra?). Art Nation on ABC TV featured some amazing installation art by Turrell who also has a work-in-progress at Roden crater in the United States! I feel I cannot do justice to his work in a review here because it is inspiring and borders on the physics of visual optics, so please check out the i-vew's at the links in the text.

manhood

2010-08-20T14:32:00.004+10:00

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too:

If you can wait and not be tired of waiting,

Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated don’t give way to hating,

And yet don’t look to good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim,

If you can meet with triumph and disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same,

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build ’em up with worn out tools;

If you can make a heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch and toss,

And lose and start again at your beginnings,

And never breathe a word about your loss:

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the will which says to them: “Hold On!

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue

Or walk with Kings - nor lose your common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you but none too much:

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds worth of distance run,

Yours is the earth and every thing that’s in it,

And - which is more - you’ll be a man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling, pg 108, Cook R. J. 1997, 101 Famous Poems,

Contemporary Books Chicago

I have often written about manhood, in relation to, or as it is influenced by female led relationships and while this topic has received many visits at my Blog (according to site meter the most popular after Cartier love bracelets) I think gender is a taboo subject for many because of the impact of post-feminist modernity. Or maybe it is just too controversial to construct a good argument? (smiles)

This is why I enjoyed reading Kipling’s, If (above), written at time when a patriarchal empire had a female head of state, which offers excellent insight and encouragement on how to be a better person. Although the third paragraph is perhaps inappropriate in the years of a global financial crisis?

The biggest challenge (in the last paragraph) is the line “If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you” because many people relish hurting others and delight in schadenfreude. How often does one hear the comment: Don't take it personally? Kindness is not a virtue which secures one status however and most importantly two or three lines out of 32 in a poem make this a worthy read and excellent for goal setting.

What is a man?

orbea forever

2010-08-16T13:11:00.008+10:00

The picture above illustrates what happens when one does not purchase an Orbea bike! And one of the most visited subjects at the trim of my sails has been my postings about my Orbea Satellite mountain bike. The joy of riding especially in Surf Town makes me enthusiastic about the soon to be released 2011 season of Orbea bikes and I hope the following observations will be informative.

1. Always double-check information about one’s bike and spares. Online resources and shopping will save you money and hassles when dealing with retail stores. Even if you have a rapport with your local dealer it has never been truer that everyone is desperate to make a fast buck out of nothing.

2. At my recent service I have finally had to change the pads on the Avid Juicy 3 disc brakes, which has been excellent value considering the impact of the terrain in Canberra and Surf Town. Also the front disc needed replacing because I used an old style bicycle rack, which bent the disc ever so slightly but frustratingly beyond repair.

3. The bearings in the headset were badly rusted but I think this is the result of the sea air and high rainfall rather than poor quality.

4. Handle bar grips are finally gone and people tell me that the Orbea brand are no longer available but this is where some online research pay dividends. Conversely a change to another brand may enrich the use of one’s bike. I bought orange grips to make a gouache fashion statement.

5. The cassette is slipping through the smaller toothed cogs while pedaling and this is not unexpected because I think Orbea use a cheap version to keep costs low. In fairness one has to consider plain wear and tear. The cassette will last another 4-6 months but after the next service it will need replacing.

6. You may remember when I bought my Satellite I replaced the Continental Explorer tires with Geax Tattoo’s. This was an attempt to deal with road-ice in Canberra and the unexpected bonus in Surf Town, has been their grip in sand especially at low tide. However I am switching to Maxxis Holy Roller tires for stability across diverse surfaces.

My Orbea bike as been a good purchase even though I am a low end user at about 120 - 150 kilometre’s of cycling a week. Tires, wheels, brakes and forks I think are most important. So if I was to buy this seasons Orbea Satellite taking into account my experience I would upgrade to these parts: Mavic Crosswide wheels, Avid Juicy XX brakes and maybe the Fox 80 mm forks.

What is your Orbea experience? Nigel received no merit or payment for the writing or posting this article.

Road users please give cyclists 1 metre of clearance.

true lies

2010-08-12T14:27:00.009+10:00

In Australia on ABC television there is a half hour show, which reviews the strategies and tactics of advertising agencies by offering a volunteer-panel critique of commercials. Currently Australia is going through a federal election process and the Gruen Transfer has modified its theme to a Gruen Nation discussing the propaganda of political parties advertisements. One feature of the TV program is to ask guest agencies to produce a television commercial, called the pitch, to try and sell some outrageous products. Previously one agency made a television commercial to convince Australia to invade New Zealand (smiles).

However sometimes this entertainment project backfires and sweet truth's emerge revealing to the audience new insight. Last night Ben Peacock from the agency, Republic of Everyone, as part of, the pitch, on Gruen Nation was asked how his advertising agency would sell the Greens Political Party to voters. What followed was poetic and I entreat everyone to view the commercial at the links in the text or to check it out online.

If you think climate change, needs a policy change;

If you think dental care, should be part of Medicare;

If you think marriage is about love, not laws;

If you think boat people, should be treated like people;

If you think; vote the Greens.

echidna

2010-08-10T15:48:00.001+10:00

I saw this is Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) heading toward on-coming cars and leapt into action to shoo it away from the edge of the road. During this hands-off wildlife experience I wondered if Echidna’s were only active at night but obviously not so, on this occasion. The Echindna's spines are an excellent design for deterring predators but making love must be awkward! (Is that all you think about!) And a diet of ants must be so boring after a while or perhaps the entomological world has more diversity than would first appear. What is your favourate prickly moment?

alexia sinclair

2010-08-09T16:00:00.005+10:00

Art Nation was a terrific show last weekend because it featured two of my new favourate artists whose work I am not afraid to evangelise because they are true craft-masters.

Alexia Sinclair is a fascinating creative photographer who captures thought-provoking and emotive images, which amaze with their erotic and fantastical themes. Do they have a hue of feminine authority? Sinclair’s Blog/Website is interesting too because she allows her reader’s to view and comprehend her creative process, which many artists deny or limit for various reasons. Magically Sinclair’s creations still retain a mystique in the final product even with insight into their creation.

Secondly Khai Liew, the Malaysian born designer now based in Adelaide, explained how he fashioned furniture for the Art Gallery of South Australia. Readers maybe non-plussed at my reminiscences but on my earlier visit to this gallery I remember admiring Liew’s work because I was interested in the quality of the timber. Now I realise there was a depth of thought into their installation. However it is Liew’s contribution to the refurbishment of the Museum of Economic Botany at the Adelaide Botanical Gardens which I believe achieve the kudos.

Please check out the links for an excellent shopping or reflective experience and I suggest simultaneously listening to I am Pegasus by Ross Ryan for inspiration. Overly sentimental? It is through creative expression that we find meaning and purpose and in this instance I hope Sinclair and Liew provide some sign posts (smiles).

mad scientist

2010-08-06T14:22:00.006+10:00

This weekend nigel will be having some backyard fun experimenting to achieve notoriety (infamy) in the scientific community. However on the slim chance that something goes wrong you may want to deny any association, disown friendship and terminate your face-book links (hope the heads-up is apprecited?).

For homeland security reasons I want to clarify that there will be NO religious extremists or materials such as weapons grade plutonium involved! Bye the bye, an acquaintance of mine showed me some thorium recently and I was amazed at the heaviness of the small sample. If you really want a rare-earth element experience; the red colour on your computer screen is agitated Europium shedding its electrons so that spell-check users may write good English.

Moreover if I was really into world domination I would have thrown in some rocket science but Surf Town is a civil aviation flight training area so I want to keep my experiments on the safe side. The paper work combination of CASA regulations and Occupational Health and Safety would literally (no pun intended) result in being buried in documentation.

Physics parties coming to your neighbourhood soon!

work

2010-08-02T16:23:00.003+10:00

Back in February 2009 you may remember I posted my enthusiasm for Alain de Botton's new book on the Pleasure and Sorrows of Work and I have just finished the paperback version. Once again an excellent read in applied philosophy with de Botton’s easy and conversational narrative covering diverse and interesting topics. Worth a second and third read because I metaphorically just flew through it in a weekend.

I am not sure de Botton captured the true nature of the aviation industry because I believe the workers and people of this occupation are so pretentious and self important that I think it would have made a better illustration of status anxiety. So too the machinations of Human Resource Professionals in the accountancy case-study highlights the ironic time wasting of that profession's now dominance of the work place.

However perhaps my observations are petulant distractions from a good humoured and insightful study of what dominates the meaning of modernity in people’s lives. Mostly it helps place one's occupation and action in perspective when the work-place does not encourage the kindness and cooperation most of us wish for in our endevours.

Check out Working with Monsters by Dr John Clarke as an illuminating counter-point to de Botton's observations.

parking photo

2010-07-30T17:02:00.003+10:00

Another photo from the back streets of Brunswick Heads, New South Wales. Slightly ironic for a number of reasons including the orgasmic falafel van, which is usually parked alongside. The motor vehicle has become so ubiquitous and yet our communities appear unable to cope with its needs?

kidnapped

2010-07-26T20:44:00.001+10:00

I have been reading an article in the June, Playboy magazine (its true! I read Playboy for the articles, smiles.) about adventure holidays where one gets kidnapped or participates in a man-hunt. I always thought this was an urban myth however a French company is offering adventure kidnaping for those who want some spills, thrills and chills! (the tour de france is not enough?)

The Ultimate Realty website, translated from the French, provide the usual web based information but on reflection the thought that this would appeal to consumers in a post Nine/11 world is unsettling, if not outright scary! because of the horrors of the Iraq and Afghan wars.

There are some fantastical cultural examples of kidnap adventures with Robert Louis Stevenson’s book: Kidnapped, Jane Austen’s Gothic tale of Northanger Abbey and was the main character in the story of O, originally kidnapped? More recently the Michael Douglas’ movie: The Game along with ubiquitous pirate movies suggest similar themes.

I am sure there are some frustrated spouses who would love to kidnap their partners to do some house-work and ironically I think Pro-Doms offer cleaning slavery for a fee! and kidnap adventure is a fantasy the alternative lifestyles community has been having fun with for some time?

However if one was to participate in a kidnap adventure how would safety and the threat of public liability be eliminated? By comparison my own kidnap fantasy is so tame! With a playmate of the month and a wild night of ecstasy that is never going to happen because Mr Hefner has strict rules about girls bringing men back to the mansion, sigh..........

What is your kidnap adventure of choice?

mulch

2010-07-16T16:12:00.008+10:00

Mulch may not appear to be the most entertaining blog-post topic? But on this occasion the success and aesthetic appeal of using cypress pine is something I wanted to share. A couple of months ago I was chatting with Lady Julia about my desire to change mulch’s because my shreded tea-tree decomposed so fast! Lady Julia said she used cypress pine on Bill’s garden, (how do Fem-Dom’s know so much?) so if it works in Kentucky it is good enough for me too. The best thing about cypress pine is that it deters white-ants, which makes it an organic alternative. The photograph does not capture the pine fragrance or texture of the garden experience. What garden mulch do you use?

bliss

2010-07-08T11:42:00.012+10:00

At first view, does the horse in the above painting, by Władysław Podkowiński , appear slightly crazed? The paintings title, Ecstasy, is supposed to depict human orgasm and I think Podkowiński has captured the woman's hair beautifully but for me it is more symbolic of freedom. Perhaps freedom and ecstasy are metaphorical cousins because one might argue that until the 20th century western female sexuality had been dominated by patriarchy. Is Jane Fonda’s portrayal of Barbarella, a simile, in the excessive pleasure machine ?

My friend Vic over at Jane Austen Today once explained to me that women find Darcy Fitzwilliam - from Jane Austen's, Pride and Prejudice - a thrilling, romantic, character because Darcy is metaphorically a thorough-bred stallion, which has been tamed and harnessed by Elizabeth Bennett. This theme is continued in the current Twilight Vampire movies where a slender, indecisive, waif-child, appears to influence bloodsucking demons and wolf men. These animal characterisations for male behaviour are a good visualisation for post-feminist critiques but also have a totemic quality, which could be argued as the primordial heart of society.

Therefore does the animal metaphor in the illustration of human passion have more to do with ritual or symbolism in our search for bliss rather than an actual realistic experience. The wild and animalistic themes test boundaries of taboo making fantasy exciting because at our core humans are animals too! Perhaps at first view, like the horse in the painting, my opinion might be slightly crazed too.

rivers

2010-07-05T10:18:00.002+10:00

Surf Town is having its annual kerbside clean-up where households can get their unwanted items disposed of in an environmentally safe manner. This year I am surprised by the large amount of electronic goods, which people are throwing away. I was trying to write verse about the above picture but I think the metaphors are too convoluted. That is why I have titled this post, Rivers, because the metaphorical stream-flows include: digital information; human culture, thought and awareness, electricity, manufactured elements and components, transport, waste, labour and the ironic symbol of the small bus stop shelter in the background.

Where is your TV going?

phantom

2010-07-02T16:40:00.004+10:00

She was a Phantom of Delight

She was a phantom of delight

When she first gleamed upon my sight;

A lovely apparition, sent

To be a moment’s ornament;

Her eyes as stars of twilight fair;

But all things else about her drawn

From May-time and the cheerful dawn;

A dancing shape, an image gay,

To haunt, to startle and waylay.

I saw her upon nearer view,

A spirit, yet a woman too!

Her household motions light and free,

And step of virgin liberty;

A countenance in which did meet

Sweet records, promises as sweet;

A creature not too bright or good

For human natures daily food,

For transient sorrows, simple wiles,

Praise, blame, love, kisses, tears and smiles.

And now I see with eye serene

The very pulse of the machine;

A being breathing thoughtful breath,

A traveller between life and death;

The reason firm, the temperate will,

Endurance, foresight, strength and skill;

A perfect woman, nobly planned

To warn, to comfort and command;

And yet a spirit still and bright

With something of angelic light.

William Clarke Wontner: Safie, One of the Three Ladies of Bagdad, from 1001 Arabian Nights,
(burton edition).

William Wordsworth pg. 144

Cook R. J. 1997, 101 Famous Poems, Contemporary Books Chicago.

Please do not copy, write down or reflect upon this poem while listening to Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5 even with Bernard Haitnik as conductor the themes are far too heavy and morose in contrast to the verse. Vivaldi or Sammartini is a lot nicer for this sort of thing; a delight indeed!

tall tree

2010-07-02T15:11:00.002+10:00

Worlds tallest flowering plant? Australian Geographic (jul-sep 2010, pg 18) believe it to be the 2008 discovery of a Eucalyptus Regnans specimen, at 101 metres in height and 4 metres in girth, located about 5 kilometres from the Tahune Air Walk (can’t see it on the google map? me neither). The key to this story are the words: flowering plant, a hardwood, as opposed to softwoods like the Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menisci) or California Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) native to the North West Pacific Coast of North America. I have heard so many arguments about which is the tallest tree in the world that I think editors raise the topic deliberately to create controversy, debate and argument?

The tragedy of this story is that before European settlement of the America’s and the South Pacific, especially New Zealand, there were large populations of trees above 100 metre’s but we have lost them all, like our climate.

best library

2010-07-02T13:25:00.004+10:00

Readers will recall my fondness for libraries and the special postings I have written about the Biblioteque Mazarine or the British Institute in Florence. Recently I was especially surprised by an article in the May 2010 Playboy magazine….. I realise that some readers will be rolling their eyes and thinking the next sentence a cliché but I would like to challenge critiques to consider Stephen King’s poetry piece in the March edition and also this month short-story by Ethan Cohen. Unfortunate that many people prejudge connoisseurs of this publishing icon. But I digress.

Page 15 in the May 2010 edition of Playboy magazine writes about Jay Walker, the founder of Priceline in the United States, who used his fortune to build and shelve the ultimate library in his New England home. The catalogue includes an instruction manual for the Saturn V rocket (last weekend, a manual, I so needed), props from the sets of James Bond movies and renaissance editions of surgical manuals. Also vintage prosthetic eyeballs (too much reading can be a strain), antique laptop computers (they’re antique already?) and a pre-World War I radio. Did you build a crystal radio as a kid?

The excellent layout and furniture of Walker’s library makes me wish I had saved more as a younger person. However if I had a library it would feature 2-3 historical paintings on the non-shelved walls. Italian rose wood Grande Arredo furniture and desks, half a dozen glass cased model ships with at least one cargo vessel. Globes, especially of the planets. An antique map collection with ethnographic illustrations. Geminiani’s manuscripts on how to play the violin. A hard sample display of the periodic table of chemical elements and books with the particular categories of architecture, asian history, ethnography, fencing, forestry, geography, lacrosse, mathematics, painting, Sci Fi novels, I could go on….…..

What would you shelve in your library?

Check out the Wired magazine Blog for the original article or diverse library architecture at the links in the text.

rainbow

2010-06-30T10:15:00.003+10:00

I was riding my bicycle (moonshadow) on the pacific highway toward Byron Bay when this excellent rainbow bridged the road. Unfortunately my camera does not do it justice! The rain patterns were so unusual because they appeared to be circling me as I was riding south. Must have been an illusion although the Brunswick and Tweed River Basin do have a bowl shaped landscape as a result of the Mt Warning Caldera and perhaps this gives lower level cloud a cyclonic effect?

For readers interested in rainbows for their blog; on the layout edit page, one can download a rainbow pictures widget for your side bar.

Dr Ken Eldridge

2010-06-28T11:53:00.002+10:00

Dr Ken Eldridge died last week after suffering illness for some time. Perhaps not well known outside the scientific community however one can still discover his immense work on plantations and silviculture by just entering his name into a Google search.

Although we were only acquaintances, Dr Eldridge was very kind to me and often met each other around town where I enjoyed chatting with him about trees. I was always amazed when visiting his CSIRO office in Yarralumla, which he shared with David Spenser, at how, without complaint, they managed to work in such cramped conditions.

Moreover Ken’s lectures were always captivating from a slight statured and softly spoken person, whose words were filled with wisdom and on occasion very rye humour indeed. Also field trips were a delight for his insights. I hope that Dr Eldridge’s life is seen as a celebration rather than a loss and for this reason I post this poem below by Lucy Larcom as a tribute.

Plant a Tree

He who plants a tree

Plants a hope.

Rootlets up through fibres blindly grope;

Leaves unfold into horizons free.

So man’s life must climb

From the clods of time

Unto heavens sublime.

Can you prophesy, this little tree,

What glory of your boughs shall be?

He who plants a tree

Plants a joy;

Plants a comfort that will never cloy;

Everyday a fresh reality,

Beautiful and strong,

To whose shelter throng

Creatures blithe with song

If you could but know, you happy tree,

Of the bliss that shall inhabit thee!

He who plants a tree, -

He plants peace.

Under its green curtain jargons cease.

Leaf and zephyr murmur soothingly;

Shadows soft with sleep

Down tired eyelids creep.

Never have you dreamed, this blessed tree,

Of the benediction you shall be.

He who plants a tree, -

He plants youth;

Vigour won for centuries in sooth;
Life of time that hints eternity!

Boughs their strength uprear:

New shoots, every year,

On old growths appear;

You will teach the ages, sturdy tree,

Youth of soul is immortality.

He who plants a tree, -

He plants love,

Tents of coolness spreading out above

Wayfarers he may not live to see.

Gifts that grow are best;

Hands that bless are blessed

Plant! Life does the rest!

Heaven and earth help him who plants a tree,

And his work its own reward shall be.

bottoms and sandals

2010-06-22T10:50:00.005+10:00

Terrific Tush Tuesday is a posting I no longer publish because of some negative feedback. But pages 4 and 5 in the August edition of Australia’s Surfing Life, pictured above, intrigued me because it features Miss Reef, Maria-Eugenia Scalise and on the opposite page, the Reef J-Bay sandal. Check out the link for the complete photo.

Clearly I am not the demographic Reef or Australia’s Surfing Life is trying to capture because I cannot quite make the connection of how wearing Reef sandals will make you a better surfer or give one the oppotunity to hang out with Maria? The punch line of Reef's message is that Maria is ridiculously comfortable and therefore by association the sandals as a footwear accessory?

It is Maria’s lovely shaped bottom, which really makes the reader think of one thing and one thing only. Forget the sandals and the surfing! Which makes one wonder how the Cancer Council must feel with their campaign to educate people about the dangers of skin cancer and competing with messages of a baser instinct.

So why is their little objection to portraying the female body for advertising but not as an object of personal admiration?

le tour

2010-06-21T13:01:00.005+10:00

I am so looking forward to the tour de France because it promotes a dynamic and geographically exciting race. So too this year’s official magazine, is good value for money, with a poster and articles that far exceed the advertising content.

The Tour is how a sporting event should be organised, as opposed to the emotive, South African, World Cup. The Australian team’s performance has almost become a matter of national security rather than a festive occasion. It is just a game played by millionaire athletes who do little to improve society and the media commentator ranting and hissy fits are not worth the sadness it engenders.

Say goodbye to soccer and check out the Tour for three weeks of excellent sporting performance and commentary. Starts July 3!

orgasmic food

2010-06-19T17:46:00.014+10:00

In the back streets of Brunswick Heads I was intrigued by the painted label on the pictured food caravan above (please left click for better image). At first view I wondered if Homus, the catering wing of Hamas, is seeking a franchise in this part of the world. But that is highly improbable?

Moreover Falafel is not my favourate food because the title of the book “He Died with Felafel in His Hand” has had a lasting impact on my culinary choices. Conversely ever since the iconic Meg Ryan fake orgasm in the movie: When Harry Met Sally, I guess there are many people who live in hope! I know some Jane Austen fans who swear that Baci chocolates have a similar effect but I think they are exaggerating. And Falafel is such a strange food to be orgasmic. If there was to be a food that was orgasmic, there would have to be a down-side, as something that is totally bad for you with millions of calories, metaphorically going straight to the hips because nutrition and pleasure is an oxymoron.

Or perhaps the idea of Orgasmic Falafel is just a marketing ruse to get consumers to purchase the chewed-up version of wheat-grass so one can figuratively get more bang for their buck? True ecstasy indeed!! but I think consumers should test a free sample first before laying out any money?

What is your orgasmic food of choice?

joint strike fighter

2010-06-17T14:14:00.005+10:00

For many of my readers and defence enthusiasts in general, Lockheed Martin’s poor management of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is old and very tired news indeed. However Tom Burbage from Lockheed Martin is in Australia to reassure us that Lockheed will be delivering 14 JSF’s to Australia by 2014! This is good news because Australia has lost air superiority in the region with upgraded Russian and Chinese military aircraft able to out-perform the Super Hornet.

Also the Australian Defence Forces are stretched so thin across a variety of international operations that if a Nation-State is thinking of invading Australia, now might be the time? The JSF is not just for the Australian Air Force; with a ski jump at one end of the landing deck, a maritime version would integrate with the Australian Navy’s Helicopter Landing Dock, HMAS Canberra and Adelaide. With 3 to 5 aditional aircraft of this type it would give these ships a massive increase in capability.

At first view critics will suggest that this approach to Australia’s naval capability is a clichéd and a metaphorical “drop in the ocean” when compared to the U.S. Pacific Fleet and its 5000 Marines. However a JSF addition to HMAS Canberra or Adelaide will make these already fast and manoeuvrable ships a high quality addition to partnerships with United Nation’s disaster relief and peace keeping operations as well as defence needs for Australia’s vast maritime zones.

However if Lockheed cannot deliver the JSF soon or at a full operational status then I believe the Australian Defence Forces will adapt. For years the Collins class submarines, also a critical component of a HMAS Canberra and Adelaide “pocket-fleet,” have failed to live up to expectations. Therefore in spite of Australia’s ability to get-by with what we have (?) I ask our defence officials to start thinking about alternatives because Tom Burbage did not appear comfortable on Lateline last night in spite of his reassuring and informative answers.

Web Marshall on some computers does not allow a connection to Lockheed Martin’s home-page. the Trim of My Sails team did not receive any payment or gratuity for the writing of this post and it is the private opinion of an Australian citizen only.

walking on water

2010-06-15T14:20:00.002+10:00

On the weekend I visited the Minjungbal Aboriginal Cultural Centre at South Tweed Heads on the corner of Kirkwood Road and Duffy Street. For some time I have been intrigued by the fame of the self guided “Walk on Water” nature tour. This 30 to 40 minute stroll, winds through sub-tropical forest and via a boardwalk “out” onto mangrove areas of the Tweed River. One does not literally walk on water but the effect of the boardwalk does make it a realistic experience especially at high tide. Unfortunately one cannot make a complete circuit because part of the boardwalk has been damaged. But doubling back does not hinder one getting up close and personal with fish, crabs and birds. However for me the transition from mangrove to forest was the most interesting. If you are spiritually inclined there is a Bora ring and interpretive signs of Minjungbal culture assisting one to commune with the ancestral spirits. However I found the traffic noise from nearby roads quite intrusive as the forest tends to enfold one in its space? Check out the links in the text for more information.

power of art

2010-06-10T12:50:00.006+10:00

Many of my friends know about my love for oriental carpets and some have chided me for the irony of having copies, on the same book-shelf, of Edward Said’s, Orientalism and Charles Jacobson’s Check Points on How to Buy Oriental Rugs (smiles). One of my life’s goals is to buy 3 carpets in Istafan or Shiraz and I once had the honour of viewing the Pakistan High Commissioner’s, paintings and carpets, which would be the envy of many a gallery.

However on this occasion it is a book, which is exciting my passion, from Taschen, who have the amazing ability to publish on any topic and in this instance, Islamic Art by Annette Hagedorn. On page 76 it discusses the Ardabil Carpet, a knotted silk and wool blend about 10.5 x 5.5 metres in size from the holy site of the same name in northern Iran but now housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (their information is slightly different to Hagedorn?).

For me the central feature of the 16 point yellow medallion reminds me of Marcus du Sautoy’s mathematical arguments on symmetry and the blossom’s on the deep blue background of a lotus flower water garden. What impels this carpet into heavenly perfection is the white cartouche on the inner field at the bottom of the above picture with couplets of a poem by the Persian author Hafiz (d.1390).

I have no other place of refuge in this world apart from your threshold. My head has no other resting place except for this gateway.

Followed by the acknowledgment; Made by Maqsud Kashani, servant of the threshold in the year 946. This subtitle is not to be confused with the weaving date suggested by Hagedorn as commissioned by the Safavid ruler Shah Tahmasp I (1524 -1576).

I noticed that further sanctions have been anounced against Iran's nuclear policy and I think we often forget when disagreement and conflict challenge our values the rich heritage and cultural legitmacy of our protagonists. Power of art indeed?

bright star

2010-06-09T12:40:00.006+10:00

Bright Star is an interesting movie on DVD but I had difficulty empathising with its themes because I was expecting a better understanding of Keats and his poetry. Jane Campion and Jan Chapman are no doubt masters of their craft with an A Capella soundtrack using Mozart's music and incorporating seasonal foliage as a backdrop in the screen play to create mood and atmosphere.

The story is told from the perspective of Fanny Brawne who is in love with Keats and the impact of his life on a young woman who forfeited so much for her love. Brawne’s, surrender, hopes and loyalty is a wonderful critique on patriarchy. But this metaphorical portrait and critique of the endurance and patience of women is so idealistic. Perhaps a feminie audience would have a broader emotional spectrum to cope with the tragedy, sadness and loss in the story? Campion has set up the whole screen-play so that women can have a nice cry at the end!

Conversely David Stratham in his review gave the movie five stars because of its realism, fine performances and the tenderness of the love story. So perhaps my judgement is not objective but influenced by the unhappy circumstances of the present time. However I think all story tellers associated with Bright Star are missing the point, message and meaning of Keats life! It is through poetry where the individual and society can go to express the better experience and joy of humanity.

Poetry is not just an escape but a meaning of existence because it is in our hearts where the birds sing and the sun shines not the standard of the milieu surrounding our journey. This is why Keats identifies so well with modern readers. Jane Campion and Jan Chapman have made a fine movie in Bright Star but they have failed to convey the majesty of what resulted from the realism of Brawne’s and Keats' lives.

grass

2010-06-06T11:32:00.007+10:00

One of the most beautiful things in Surf Town are the flora that blossom in winter and although I really love trees I think some grasses are excellent too. Check out the flower hues of this road side plant above, which I think it is curled dock? a type of sorrel (Rumex crispus). I am also guessing it is a species-indicator for acid sulphate soils and a weed. However its the hues of purple are fascinating, which must attract the pollinators who see in the ultra-violet.

The attractiveness of the foliage as a seasonal cut flower would brighten ones home or maybe as a wild, fresh, gift for your sweetheart. For my friends in the United States I am so jealous of your Tall Grass Prairie National Park, which would be a treasure to visit and once again highlights our need for environmental responsibility. I took the photo to capture the afternoon sunlight but it does not equal the personal visitation.

coffee

2010-06-02T13:51:00.004+10:00

The joy of having a garden, especially in moderate climate zones, is that something is always happening to bring joy to one’s life. In the picture above you can see the cherries on my coffee tree starting to ripen. Can you imagine after roasting, the aroma and taste of brewed coffee straight out of the back garden? The supermarket has a lot of consumer charm because of convenience and their product range but I believe there is a lot of satisfaction in being self-sufficient for some items because as consumers we are becoming so dependent on the market. Just one tree is a good start to growing your own food.

true blood 2

2010-05-30T19:18:00.005+10:00

The citizens of the deep south in the United States really lead colourful lives. Surf Town in New South Wales is so chilled-out in comparison to the action in season two of True Blood. Just as exciting on DVD as season one. Great timing for the DVD release as well because season three in the United States starts in June. I was not too keen on the Greek religious demon plot element this time but the teleplay carried it well with some excellent sub-plots. Far outshines the Twilight movies because it has a wider audience appeal.

New Moon's last line of dialogue: "Will you marry me?" Oh please! Great for 14 year olds but that is what I metaphorically call a real pain in the neck. Also I believe Vampire 90210 is a more accurate label for the Vampire Diaries TV series becuase True Blood is true adult entertainment. Thank you HBO. Is it possible we will see a TV reality series titled Vamp Camp? Remember you heard it here first at the trim of my sails!

I am still asking whether Christians are the True Vampires? they drink the blood of Christ, either literaly or symbolicaly, at every mass or communion on Sundays around the world. Fascinating..........

Anton Radevsky

2010-05-27T14:50:00.006+10:00

Is this the best architecture book on the market? I would like to think so. The picture above (model of the Chrysler Building in New York City; check out the size) is just one page in Anton Radevsky’s, Architecture, pop–up book, which is chocked full of interactive buildings. Perhaps the accomplished will see this item as a little boring? While younger readers and library borrowers will be challenged by its fragility.

However reading alone does not give one, especially on the internet, the same tactile and immediate reflective experience, which pop-up books provide. One gets to dream and imagine while at the same time have a physical, tangible reference. Anton Radevsky put so much work into this edition that he is worthy of accolades and praise. My next purchase will be the Wendy Evans Josephs’ pop-up book, which I have written about previously. Readers can now preview the book on You-Tube.

PS: the trim of the sails team is working hard on our photographic skills and we ask readers to empathise with us during this learning process.

show-off

2010-05-24T12:17:00.002+10:00

Readers and visitors to the trim of my sails may remember my experiences with the antics of Kreacher the eastern water dragon (Physignathus lesueurii lesueurii) who lives outside my bathroom window. On the weekend I had a close encounter with one of Kreachers' relatives? However this time it was a less animated experience because I think the animal was in the process of hibernating or had been slowed down by the colder weather. What I found amazing is the dexterity of this animal in being able to perch at such a strange angle. I find it hard to believe that this pose (maybe its playing to the camera) could be maintained all winter however on checking this morning the show-off was huddled under a piece of wood.

What is your recent dragon experience?

jigsaw @ jigzone

2010-05-21T14:15:00.002+10:00

Does anyone remember my post way-back about deconstructing pussy cats? Hhmm.... yes it was a while ago. So on a rainy day in Surf Town I have retreated inside to the iconic jigsaw puzzle, which Jigzone has reinvented online for surfers of a different kind where one can upload their own photos to create a unique puzzle. Different piece shapes and sizes are also an option but I found photos with a landscape format most suitable. Get deconstructed at the links in the text or search online. The above picture is interactive, although it can take a little time to load.

I am still searching for a brand new 3D puzzle of New York City, which was popular a few years ago but appears to have been discontinued? No Amazon or ebay.

Voyage to the Planets

2010-05-19T12:04:00.027+10:00

The ABC in Australia has a new series airing on Thursday's called Voyage to the Planets. (Already seen it on your favourate Network? not to be confused with a 2004 BBC TV program with a similar name). The first episode was about Mars with some excellent photo and movie montages of the surface and poles, backed up by insightful interviews with researchers and scientists.

Laurel and my friends at the Pluto Blog probably cannot wait for our favourate planet, which appears in episode 6 (why wasn’t it first?). Unfortunately in the "about the series page" it has a disclaimer backing the International Astonomical Union's labeling of Pluto as a dwarf planet! While suggesting its placement in the series as a Planet was for heritage and science-history reasons. The about the series paragraph needs to be read carefully! but I suggest to the producers in regard to Pluto's status they need to consider whether, you are with us or against us?

However one can also visit the Voyage to the Planets homepage to view pod-casts and participate in online activities (some features take a little time to load on my computer). I think so far the program has a balanced presentation without getting bogged down in scientific jargon or space talk. Check it out through the links in the text.

art glossary

2010-05-14T12:24:00.005+10:00

While browsing at my community library I found this treasure of a small book tilted, Looking at Paintings: a guide to technical terms. At first view it appears to be another glossary to put on ones book-shelf or why bother when “just Google it” is the often reply to questions. However with Looking at Paintings the authors have selected diverse examples from the worlds top galleries to be illustrate their meanings. Also, in its own right, the book is a delight for its pictures. A good reference for students or the enthusiast of all ages rather than the professional and their allies.

With my recent viewing of Simon Schama’s the Power of Art and my post about Mark Rothko I enthusiastically found in Looking at Paintings, a two sentence explanation of Colour Field Painting, accompanied by a picture of Rothko’s no. 301 (Reds and Violet over Red/Red and Blue over Red, 1959). This entry inspired me to create my own virtual design of online art (now deleted because of its pretense), which I call: Colour Field Drawing Through Scan. Visitors can check out five works I have posted on a new page with a link in the sidebar .

day of the triffids

2010-05-13T14:20:00.004+10:00

As a boy the 1962 version of the Day of the Triffid's was one of the most exciting movies in my life before Star Wars and Star Trek. Later its themes were used in a teenage, 8mm, short movie I helped make with teenage friends. My only regret was that I did not read John Wyndman’s book earlier! So imagine my surprise when on the video store shelf I found a 2009 miniseries version of the same name.

Some people may find it a bit lame in the terror stakes but the level of suspense was quite good from experienced actors, which made the viewing riveting rather than humorous. Excellent production values and art direction aided the quality of the tele-play. Not quite a "predator" movie but the experience created fond memories and excellent entertainment value from an often unsited classic.

Good messages too about disrespect for the environment.