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Hi Marianne, I had a really great time at our last get together in SF. It would be lovely to see some old friends again. Is eDreks' agent and spin doctor out of prison yet? And if Susan can't find a baby- sitter, tell her I'll organise some childcare facilities. Also, warn Joe that my wife is a bit of a "fag hag". Can't wait. Anth the upside down http://blog.myspace.com/anthonyginn
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Anth, besides the coolest youth, Brisbane has the greatest art museuam. Blew me away. The Aborginal Art Museum just on the north edge of downtown. Please don't miss it. In the back area are the LARGE pieces and wall coverings. The best I've seen and unforgettable. Yes, the lovely Aussies, mostly -- and the more macho the more hate -- hate their Aboriginals. It's a shame. Just like the American Indians in Denver suffering the same problems. I spoke with Aborginals north of Cairns on a public bus on the way to golf in the rain forrest on one of my five trips once. Great people. Regular people. Nice people, today. Their friggin genes are amazing. Have you read: Dr. Morgan's book: Mutant Message Down Under, which was self-published as non-fiction, but also years late as fiction, refusing to buy in to her legend, by a large American publishing house?. I recommend it greatly. Better than the Acquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ. Love Australians. And Australia, I do. Best to you Anth. Thanks all for indulging me, as I've no other way to contact Anth at this time. peace
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Great Abo art in Australia. Brisbane is a beautiful city. Australia has such a great vibe compared to the crime and punishment mentality in US cities. When I was in Sidney in 2001, I had the opportunity to buy a large dream painting - the dollar was 2 : 1, so it was quite reaonable. It was something I had wanted for many years, but wildly expensive in US galleries - if you could find them.
A great book dealing with Abo's in Australia, NZ and New Guinea is Guns, Gems and Steel by Jared Diamond.
Best wishes OTS - I have gone into semi-retirement.
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Thanks Ko' and OTS, we'll make an effort to visit the museum. Jared Diamond is a brilliant writer, have you read any of his other stuff, like, "Why is Sex Fun," or his latest, "Civilisation", dealing with why civilisations collapse? "Guns Germs and Steel", is set to become one of the classic history books of the coming years. It dispenses totally, the idea that a societies progress has anything at all to do with the race or ethnicity of its members. Anth, perms and meals.
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Anth, the blog you and Dot are writing is every informative and entertaining. Well done. I loved "Guns, Germs and Steel" and I just finished "Collapse" which is also great. Very sobering when you consider things like global warming and the rate at which we seem to be destroying the planet. BTW -- I understand Australia is having the worst drought in a 1000 years. That must be kind of scary. I understand their neanderthal leader is talking about cutting off irrigation water to farmers because there is only enough left for drinking water. In Collapse, Jared Diamond calls Australia a kind of "canary in the coal mine" because it has such a fragile eco-system, and he thinks that climate change will have the biggest and earliest effect there. I wonder if that is already coming true. Looking forward to seeing you and Dot in SF in June. I just moved out of the city after 16 years, over the Golden Gate to Marin County. Alas, I have gone suburban in my old age!
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While a great admirer of Diamond's books, especially GG&S Australia is not having the worst drought in 1,000 years. It is possibly the worst drought in 100 years and it is the worst drought since human record keeping got very accurate.
I'm pretty sure that long term records from various non-human sources indicate that there far worse "droughts" in pre European settlement times but as the media have now taken up the subject now all we hear are near-hysterical and often contradictory claims about imminent disaster. The drought in the 1890's before human effects on climate change occurred was at least as bad as the current one.
It is the Australian Prime Minister (a short and very un-neandarthal type of human) or appropriate members of the government who has declared that irrigators on the Murray River system may lose their allocation. However, it is not actually his decision to make. If the water is not there, it is not there and apparently, neandarthal or not, he does not wish the citizens of the cities relying on that water to die of thirst in the streets or homes.
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The American media is calling the drought in Australia "a thousand year drought." Can't say for sure where they got that. But the "worst drought since human record keeping," doesn't sound very good. Australia isn't the only candidate for "Collapse" in Jared Diamond's book, although he does think it's a likely candidate. Another one is Montana. I heard Diamond speak in San Francisco about a year ago, and people were asking the kind of responses people had for, say, the destruction of the society on Easter Island, which died out because they used up all of the wood on the island and had no more with which to make boats for fishing which supplied them with food. He was asked what people likely said as they cut down the last tree. He said that people most likely said things like they needed to study it more, or that it wasn't really a problem, or that it was blown out of proportion, or that it wasn't clear that humans were causing the problem, etc. It was a good line.
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Here is a link to a government site concerned with the drought that I grew up reading about as the worst, the so-called "Federation drought" - it occurred during the time that Australia was being "federated" from the existing "independant" states. There are many similar elements, the call for prayer, the fear that the cities will run out water but a somewhat different tack on Murray River irrigation.
I sort of half used to believe in "global warming" until the media took it up. Well, we'll see over the next 30 years how things pan out. I'm also not such a believer in Jared since I heard that quote. The last trees were certainly not cut down after discussion, they were cut down secretly and quickly before anyone else could get them. That's the human way.
I had hoped a decade or so ago that we were approaching a new sophistication in our understanding of the Australian environment and that the word "drought" would disappear from the vocabulary. As long and uncertain dry spells (as compared to the rainfall levels that humans would prefer) are a normal part of Australian weather they should not be spoken of as something unusual, unexpected or somehow different.
PS This site gives a pretty good overview
http://www.bom.gov.au/lam/climate/levelthree/c20thc/drought.htm
Modified by Ocker at Tue, Apr 24, 2007, 23:24:54
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Time to end the prejudice against Neanderthals - they survived very well in tough environments for far longer than we 'modern' humans have so far managed, and I'd be more than happy if my prominent brow ridges are a Neanderthal inheritance. Re: Drought. It is way too early to say whether any given weather event or change in climatic pattern is attributable to global climate change. Indeed it will probaby only be possible to make such connections retrospectively from several decades distance. Planning, predicting and looking for solutions to predicted problems is a different science; as indeed is archaeology which is notorious for changing its collective mind - the jury is still out on Easter island - though I like the idea of surreptitious late night logging heralding the end of a culture. The OT bit is of course the position of Amaroo and the question of whether in a water depleted environment it is a a suitable form of development. And of course, should the current dry period affecting Australia be shown to be exacerbated by human driven climate change - Rawat's GSV and his movement's encouragment of mass international travel will be judged accordingly. Nik
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It's clear that global warming his happening and that it will have serious consequences, although of course nobody knows how it will really pan out. That's part of the problem, we are playing with something that we can't accurately predict, although from what I have read, the effects seem to be accellerating at rates that were not predicted. The issue isn't that Australia or any place else has droughts or floods, or whatever, but that man has become dependent in places like Australia for irrigation and the use of water that might not be there. My understanding is that Australia has been living under an unusual wet period and it is now reverting to the more normal dry period, with no end in sight. This is only a problem for the humans that have grown dependent for their lives and livelihoods on that water that may no longer be there. California is also going to have a problem. As temperatures rise, there will be less snow pack in the Sierra for which most of California relies for water, including the largest and most productive agricultural area in the world. That and growing population means we have a problem. If people and huge industries weren't dependent on the snow pack, there would be no issue. You should read Jared Diamond's book before jumping to conclusions. It's very thoughtful, not alarmist, and a very good read.
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'California is also going to have a problem. As temperatures rise,
there will be less snow pack in the Sierra for which most of California
relies for water'
They say such things about the Himalayas too, that when the glaciers and snow is gone, the rivers won't flow.
But if it doesn't land as snow, it'll land as rain won't it? I have never seen this question addressed in the climate change propaganda.
If climate change is man-made, do you think Mr Rawat will say sorry? - I mean, he has to be one of the biggest individual carbon emitters in the world, with his private jet and his calling his followers to fly about after him.
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My, shall we call that a loaded term? Maybe you aren't reading the right literature but it has been written about extensively. At least in California (and also true in the Himalayas I would think), the snow pack is what keeps the rivers/streams running all year. The snow pack in the mountains is a huge water storage system and without it all the water will run off and won't be available when it's needed, during the half the year when it doesn't rain. And of course, there will also be more floods, also at the wrong time of year. Far from being "propaganda" that sounds just like common sense to me.
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OK, so I missed the quotes. I am pretty convinced that climate change is man-made myself, hence my question about Rawat apologising for his huge contribution.
There's still propaganda about though...
the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person
ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause; also : a public action having such an effect
Common sense might need better propaganda, cos not many people are making many changes to limit the damage.
I guess the snow fields must have a regulating effect on the water supply, building up in winter, and melting through the summer.
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There are quite a number of areas of the world that rely on snow pack to provide water during the warmer dry season. California is definiately one of them. Most of the water gets used by agriculture, the California Central Valley, which is the most productive agricultural area in the world, and an enormous industry for the state. Without the snow runoff in the summer and fall, however, it couldn't happen. At least one good thing might come of it -- the California rice industry might finally be destroyed. Growing rice in Louisiana is fine, but growing such a water-hog crop in California is insane. It was only the cheap, abundant water from the Sierra that even made it thinkable.
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They grow rice in SE Australia too! But they say they might get none at all this year, due to the drought. Strange crop to grow there. Much wetter up north.
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Well I've only read GG&S and Collapse and the 3rd Chimpanzee but I'm not jumping to conclusions. I think Nik put a pretty good exposition of my attitudes and I'd agree with your post expect for parts of the first paragraph. But then I've become more conservative as I've grown older and I've also read 50 years of environmental and other social and cultural horror predictions which don't seem to have come true yet.
My own main childhood fear (apart from the death of the sun and the heat death of the universe and that non-existence of God) was another ice-age. Maybe a little gloabl-warming might prevent that next real catastrophe.
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It's an excellent blog.
Possibly you could make a book from it?
Anyway, best wishes.
Maybe we'll meet some other time.
The other Anthony
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Is it too late to contact Anth and arrange a Latvian night in Brisbane? And if it's not, how is it done?
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If you meditate enough Anth will feel the love and he will turn up. Just make sure everyone brings a brown envelope.
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I'm glad you didn't say what should be in the bag. Anth the casualty of the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s
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Hi Mate,
email me, anthginn@yahoo.com
we can always have a beer, even if no one else wants to come.
anth
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Anth, Marianne, We can't make it down this year, I'm starting a trial the next day. But, Anth, Dot, you can't come this close and not do the drive up the Oregon coast and over the border. No way. It's beautiful country and it's really not far at all. Come on guys, you'll love it here. Plus you get to write "favour" and "colour" and all sorts of other words too. ?
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Hi Jim, We need to talk (Dot and I, that is), she's not spoken to me since I dragged her off to the snake restaurant in Hanoi about 6 months ago. We've been kicked into another gear since we started taking planes in Singapore, and the best way to describe my state at the moment is, "disorganised and spaced out". It's the jet-lag. We've toned down our travel plans a bit, and booked our flights, but we can change our flying dates at minimal expense and hassle. Dot's asleep at the moment, but I'll talk to her about making a detour and nipping up the coast to BC. If there's a cheap flight up from SF it's a distinct possibility we can make it up there for a few days. It would be great to see you and Laurie again, not to mention seeing a bit of Canada- I hear it's bigger than England. Let's continue this rambling, indecisive discussion by email. anth the senile
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I wish I were American to attend that dinner. But only for this occasion. Life is unjust...
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June 16th is my birthday and it would have been fun to meet you all - but I will probably still be here in Singapore in June.... everyone have a drink for me!
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Folks: It looks like the dinner will probably be Saturday, June 9. Email me for details as they will not be announced publicly. Annie, we'll miss you. Joro, you don't have to be American to attend - ever! But it is always great fun and a lot of laughs. These dinners happen in Europe too, so keep an eye on the forum for the occasional get-together across the Atlantic. Marianne
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Marianne, I think the I Ching has ordained it will be June 16th (see your post above). anth the time traveller.
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Annie, have you tried the rice plates and masala dosas in Little India yet? There are some fantastic, and unbelievable cheap restaurants there. Plus it's one of the last bits of "Old Singapore" in existence. anth the banana leaf.
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Anth - I love everything about this place. It is like living in the middle of a giant "Mall of America" (which is NOT the good part) but it is also full of the nicest people around, the public transport is fantastic, and there is food from every country in the world! And I love walking in the Botanical Gardens. A friend took me to eat at the pedestrian mall on Waterloo St (near the Krishna temple and the Buddhist temple) and I got a whole plate of rice and veges for $1.80 SD !! Tourists spend so much money in the malls, but there are so many great vendor stands around. When I came through Singapore as a tourist (a million years ago), I really didn't like it - but as a semi-resident (my brother lives here and I am staying with him for a few months) - it is just wonderful!
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We had a great time. But be careful not be caught chewing gum, or saying things like, "Is there anywhere you can go bungy jumping around here." Antha Dosa
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