Politicians and billionaires don’t seem to care what happens to the planet. They are more interested in AI, GDP, and power. My mantra was always that as long as Gross Domestic Product was the measure of success around the world, then it was pretty obvious that our environment, the Earth, was not going to be taken care of.

And now that we have criminals running governments around the world, well things are getting out of hand.

Have you read about Artificial Intelligence? Pretty sure you are using it if you are on the internet.

Here is some data that may keep you awake at night:

So how is AI problematic for the environment?

Most large-scale AI deployments are housed in data centres, including those operated by cloud service providers. These data centres can take a heavy toll on the planet. The electronics they house rely on a staggering amount of grist: making a 2 kg computer requires 800 kg of raw materials. As well, the microchips that power AI need rare earth elements, which are often mined in environmentally destructive ways, noted Navigating New Horizons.

The second problem is that data centres produce electronic waste, which often contains hazardous substances, like mercury and lead.

Third, data centres use water during construction and, once operational, to cool electrical components. Globally, AI-related infrastructure may soon consume six times more water than Denmark, a country of 6 million, according to one estimate. That is a problem when a quarter of humanity already lacks access to clean water and sanitation.

Finally, to power their complex electronics, data centres that host AI technology need a lot of energy, which in most places still comes from the burning of fossil fuels, producing planet-warming greenhouse gases. A request made through ChatGPT, an AI-based virtual assistant, consumes 10 times the electricity of a Google Search, reported the International Energy Agency. While global data is sparse, the agency estimates that in the tech hub of Ireland, the rise of AI could see data centres account for nearly 35 per cent of the country’s energy use by 2026.

https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/61440087 Here is the Qobuz playlist, and below the evil Spotify playlist. Qobuz pays artists more….make the switch.

All music made without AI….

Driven in part by the explosion of AI, the number of data centres has surged to 8 million from 500,000 in 2012, and experts expect the technology’s demands on the planet to keep growing. (UN Environment Programme)

Water, water, water is not everywhere if AI continues to grow exponentially.

A medium-sized data centre can consume up to roughly 110 million gallons of water per year for cooling purposes, equivalent to the annual water usage of approximately 1,000 households. Larger data centres can each “drink” up to 5 million gallons per day, or about 1.8 billion annually, usage equivalent to a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people. Together, the nation’s 5,426 data centres consume billions of gallons of water annually. One report estimated that U.S. data centres consume 449 million gallons of water per day and 163.7 billion gallons annually (as of 2021). A 2016 report found that fewer than one-third of data centre operators track water consumption. Water consumption is expected to continue increasing as data centres grow in number, size, and complexity. (eesi.org)

A new study just came out in the past week about AI Data Centres and how much heat they generate. Check this out…..

Data centres built to power AI produce so much heat that they can raise the surface temperature of the land around them by several degrees—creating so-called data centre heat islands that may already be affecting up to 340 million people. Andrea Marinoni at the University of Cambridge saw that the amount of energy needed to run a data centre had been steadily increasing of late and was likely to “explode” in the coming years, and set out to quantify the impact.

The researchers took satellite measurements of land surface temperatures over the past 20 years and cross-referenced them against the geographical coordinates of more than 8400 AI data centres. Recognising that surface temperature could be affected by other factors, the researchers chose to focus their investigation on data centres located away from densely populated areas.

They discovered that land surface temperatures increased by an average of 2°C (3.6°F) in the months after an AI data centre started operations. In the most extreme cases, the temperature increase was 9.1°C (16.4°F). The effect wasn’t limited to the immediate surroundings of the data centres: the team found increased temperatures up to 10 kilometres away. Seven kilometres away, there was only a 30 per cent reduction in the intensity. ( https://www.benton.org/)

I do not use AI. I do not like AI. AI will take away jobs. AI is already feeding us information in search engine overviews. In short, you are trusting AI to give you accurate, unbiased information. In short, you are trusting the tech billionaires to ensure you get the information YOU want. They would NEVER try to programme that information to tell you what they want, WOULD THEY?

AI Overview, yeah, you have seen it in your browser when you search; it’s scary. People are getting the answer they need from the overview over 50% of the time, without clicking through to websites to do their own research!

This video may be a bit tech-heavy….but skim through it if you have a moment.

One thing is clear: whichever browser you use, you’ll soon be able to get a hand from an AI assistant. I do not want an AI Assistant. Call me a technophobe, call me an old-fashioned researcher, call me the breeze, because I do not think the IT world is looking after humanity.

I will leave you with some words and some ‘science fiction’.

Let me know how you are using AI in the comments or how you feel about AI…

Linda McMahon, the Education Secretary in the USA, made this mistake last April.

The Trump Regime has reached a new low. The Environmental Protection Agency, headed by Lee Zeldin ( I am ashamed to say another creep from my birthplace, Long Island, NY), is no longer in the business of protecting the environment.

Before joining the Trump Mafia, Zeldin had this to say:
“We will have never done enough to ensure that our water and our air is clean, safe, and healthy.”

Now Zeldin has said things like:

I am “driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion.”

Climate change is not a religion. It is science.

Zeldin has done a total flip-flop on his previous views on the damage that fossil fuels do to our environment. How does he feel about AI, given that his role is to PROTECT the ENVIRONMENT? Must he be dead set against it?

“America has led every technological revolution, from manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution to railroads, aviation and the space race. We have pioneered some of the most innovative technologies to date, leading the world into new eras of possibility. Artificial intelligence is the next great American Frontier.”-Lee Zeldin

Have a little look at this BBC video on the impact AI will have on our water supply.

There are more than 1 billion migrants worldwide today – and water deficits are linked to 10% of the rise in global migration. The World Bank’s just-released flagship publication on water shows that it is a lack of water, rather than too much, that has a greater impact on migration. (World Bank Org. 2021)

It’s not much of a stretch to daydream that in some dystopian world, we will need LESS water for humanity because most of the work will be done by AI and robots. Oh, that must be science fiction, right? Check out this video below.

Is resistance futile?

The Orange Environmental Rapist (allegedly, along with raping other non-robots) says climate change has no basis in fact. The science is a hoax….it’s a con job. He keeps telling us China has no wind turbines, or windmills as he calls them.

Here are the facts:

Trump had this to say today:

“We are officially terminating the so-called endangerment finding, a disastrous Obama-era policy,” Trump said at a news conference. “This determination had no basis in fact — none whatsoever. And it had no basis in law. On the contrary, over the generations, fossil fuels have saved millions of lives and lifted billions of people out of poverty all over the world.” DJT-12-2-2025)

This Public Service Announcement was broadcast on Earth Day in 1971.

America is going backwards so the Trump regime and their industrial friends can line their pockets with more gold.

The USA is the largest polluter since the Industrial Revolution. China is now in first place based on current emission rates…..

Top Countries by Total

Emissions (Climate Change)
China and the U.S. produce the highest volume of greenhouse gases:

1. China: ~9.9–13.2 billion tonnes (driven by manufacturing/coal)

2. United States: ~4.4–4.6 billion tonnes

3. India: ~2.3–2.9 billion tonnes

4. Russia: ~2.0 billion tonnes

5. Japan: ~0.9 billion tonnes

AMERICA ….YOU CAN DO IT…WITH THE HELP OF THE TRUMP REGIME….YOU CAN BE # 1 AGAIN! MAPA.
Make America Polluted Again.

ConocoPhillips Australia (CPA) is committed to reducing our impact on the environment. Our high environmental standards ensure that our actions will provide the energy needed to drive global economic growth and social well-being today, whilst also securing a stable and healthy environment for the future.- From ConocoPhillips website.

Last week (reported by the ABC) a methane tank previously owned by CPA was found to be leaking. CPA had stated the leak was minute. Oh well, nothing to worry about here, I guess. They are a good corporate citizen, making sure the environment is their top priority, of course!

Sorry to burst that bubble but the leak began in 2006 and it was described then as ‘minute’.

Gas giant Santos now owns the white elephant, and there is a significant problem. Tests in 2019/20 showed that the tank was leaking 184 kilos of methane an HOUR.

No big deal as this was the statement released:
The company say the leak is stable, and poses a moderate climate risk, but no immediate threat to the public or the environment.

Regulators in Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) have known about the leak since 2020, just hours after they signed off on extending the use of the giant tank through 2050.

We do not know how this one single cover-up impacts Australia’s ability to meet climate change goals discussed in Paris and most recently in Brazil. Yes, we do know it certainly does not help.

Of course, if this is covered up, mainly because no one can SEE methane, who knows what other environmental messes are happening out of sight of the public’s eyes. It certainly seems the government and the corporations knew but decided to fucking cover it up.

This is simply one case of corporate greed and lack of care for the environment. You would think with all this talk of climate change goals and global warming that there would be more transparency these days.

Oh, sorry, I must have hit my head. Of course, nothing much has changed. Greed comes first always.

Our PM, Tony, had this to say over a bowl of pasta e fagioli at the G20 meeting:

“There is overwhelming support for action on climate change.”

Right, of course, I assume he will be talking to the folks in Darwin on his return as a point of order.

At the COP 30 meeting on the climate in Brazil last week, delegates sat around and were warmly met by Indigenous groups pleased with their support of saving the rainforests:

After that opening ceremony, they met for a number of days and came away with no roadmap to truly reduce fossil fuel usage. The USA did not send any delegates, but they did have a table set up with merchandise selling t-shirts:

The USA is one of the top 3 consumers of fossil fuels and the Orange Wasteoid in the Oval Office is taking matters into his own hands to help save our planet with his America First Energy Plan.

https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/45787028—-This is QOBUZ Link….please quit Spotify.

Here are some points of that environmental task force:
-Environmental Protection Agency ( a fucking misnomer) proposes to strip protection from millions of acres of wetlands/streams

-new oil and gas drilling in 1.3 billion acres of US coastal waters including areas in the previously untouched Arctic.

-change of the Endangered Species Act that would assess ECONOMIC factors, such as lost revenue, before labelling a species endangered. Once again, dollars before nature. There goes another animal you will never see again.

And The Guardian reported that the Orange Cesspool’s anti-stance on protecting the environment could result in millions of people dying globally. The present administration does not care about these deaths. They will take place in the poorer countries around the world and we know damn well based on all the GOLD in the White House that poor is a dirty word.

“The United States…has always been a bad faith actor when it comes to climate action, and the biggest blocker of meaningful progress,” said Rachel Rose Jackson, a research director at Corporate Accountability. “It has walked away from doing its fair share time and time again; the only difference now is that its bad intentions are on public display for all to see more clearly.” (Mother Jones)

With every corporate honcho kissing the ass of Trump and the growth in AI and the energy sucking needs of that technology, America is not taking any notice of the climate. The Orange Puffer Fish is calling climate change a hoax.

Mother Nature continues to be raped. We pillage her beauty and destroy the planet that we need to survive. If the nations involved cannot look beyond profit, we will never have a solution that serves humanity.

The World Meteorological Organisation had this to say:

We are far beyond carbon offsetting, car-pooling, bike riding and recycling.

As long as increased GDP and profits continue to rule what our World Leaders really want, these Climate Change Conferences are simply for show. Look, we are doing something….but meanwhile…there will be more of this:

Drill Baby Drill….at our peril.

In case you are too young to recall, the video below was released in 1970.

Pay attention, please. Write-Protest-Call.

“One thing is already clear: we will not be able to contain the global warming below 1.5 °C in the next few years,” UN Secretary General António Guterres said in October 2025.

https://global-tipping-points.org/ Read More At That Link…please.

More than 80 per cent of coral reefs worldwide have bleached in a marine heatwave in the past two years.

Nations, governments, and individuals are not paying attention to these tipping points.

This orange fool believes climate change is a “con-job” and that the world should “drill, baby, drill”.

Here in Australia….let’s touch on our once beautiful coral reefs.

A study last year found temperatures over the Great Barrier Reef were now at their hottest in at least 400 years.
Bleaching at Ningaloo and the Great Barrier Reef has been part of the ongoing fourth global mass bleaching event that has hit 83% of the planet’s coral reefs across at least 82 countries and territories between 1 January 2023 and 10 April, according to US government data.

The Paris Agreement, signed about the time Neil Young made this statement about his love for the planet, had signatories from over 190 nations. Targets were set, but targets were not met. Nations pulled out.

Trump pulled the USA out of the Paris Agreement on THE DAY HE WAS INAUGURATED into office.

Without the GLOBAL Agreement on Climate Change, we are at the whims of the billionaires and their corporations. Even with it we are controlled by these evil bastards—pure Evil with no care for humanity.

And don’t forget of the power suck of AI, the amount of water needed to cool the data centres providing the OOMPH so AI can work, and really, the devil is on our doorstep, in many ways.
If you want more info, check out this MIT Piece from January of this year.
https://news.mit.edu/2025/explained-generative-ai-environmental-impact-0117

We all need to continue to make noise.
What’s your favourite planet?
EARTH

Loving the planet….such an easy thing to do….spread the word.

My mate Joel sent me a picture of the streets of Little Italy yesterday. Some of you may know that the Feast of Saint Gennaro takes place on the 19^th of September. The street festival in Little Italy, New York, lasts for 11 days. New Yorkers gather for sausage and peppers, zeppoles, cannolis, pizza…..

The last time I visited that festival was the 22^nd of September 1979. 46 years ago, we wandered and ate and drank some beers and toked some doobies. We were in the city from Brooklyn. My mate Joel had his car in the city, parked near Battery Park, in a weekend legal parking spot. As our evening wound down, I think there were 4 or 5 of us who headed for what must have been a station wagon because we all got some hours of sleep in the car, tangled around each other.

In March of 1979, the Three Mile Island accident occurred. This was a partial meltdown of a nuclear reactor in Middletown, Pennsylvania. This was the reaction that spurred a public outcry against Nuclear Power across America. These guys definitely made you feel that nothing was wrong….yeah, right.

My friends and I, from Long Island and New York, along with many others, joined the SHAD (Sound and Hudson Against Atomic Development). This group was an offshoot of the Clam Shell Alliance from New Hampshire. We were focused on protests at the Indian Point, N.Y., facility and the facility being built in Shoreham, Long Island. We opposed nuclear power and nuclear weapons.

On June 3, 1979, over 15,000 of us gathered at Shoreham to scream NO NUKES to the world and the powers that be. We held a rally that started around 1 PM, and a few hours after Pete Seeger, Jerry Rubin, and others spoke and performed, over 500 of us headed to the fences.

With rugs and blankets to throw over the barbwired it was time for peaceful civil disobedience. Immediately after climbing the fence we were met by Suffolk County police who arrested us, used cable tie handcuffs to keep us from running away, and placed us on a yellow school bus.

It was a peaceful day of activism. I was arrested at about 4PM and was arraigned at about 10PM. We sat on that bus for a long time and as we rolled into the police station in Yaphank, NY, we were singing “We all live in a Yellow Submarine.”
We were getting a bit delirious. Tony and I knelt in front of the judge who arraigned us in a faux begging for mercy plea. He laughed anyway.

The Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant was constructed but never went operational due in part to our activism. Six billion dollars was wasted.

I awoke from a dream of the World Trade Centre this morning. I could see the towers in the sunshine. Just like I did many decades ago.

It was a day 46 years ago on 23 September. We gathered and protested for our planet's survival, and we sang and danced with joy, along with our deep conviction that the earth needs the help of all beings. No Nukes.

We had no smartphones. We had each other, conversation, connection, and community. The sails from the Sloop Clearwater could be seen over the crowd as it sailed on the Hudson. Many were lysergically charged and enjoying the speeches, music, and gorgeous autumnal weather. 200,000 strong.

Activism and protests continue. But the world has changed. Suppose you are reading this and are not active in some way. Fix your game. Take a small step, write a letter, join a group, the world and all of us beings need your help. There is an administration in the White House that needs to be taken down.

Don’t let the Right White Christian Nationalists get you down. Jesus was not a racist.

Post Script on Nuclear Power Today:
“Since 1960, the U.S. has attempted to build 250 power reactors,” said Arnie Gundersen, a chief engineer at Fairewinds Energy Education, a nonprofit that opposes nuclear power. “More than half were canceled before generating any electricity. Of the remaining reactors, not one was ever completed on time and on budget.”

Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are pushing for more Nuclear Power plants today to feed their power-hungry AI projects.

But critics of nuclear energy are skeptical. They argue that while the pitch from utilities and the tech companies may sound appealing, it does not address longstanding problems with nuclear energy. Those problems include the high cost of new reactors, construction delays and the lack of a permanent storage site for spent nuclear fuel. (New York Times-16 Oct-2014)

We need to climb more fences and make more noise!

All of the icons graced the stage….Neil, Willie, John and Bobby. It’s 2025 and these musicians have made this Farm Aid Movement something to be proud of. Check out all the performers on the feed below…

Unfortunately, farmers are not doing well.

As CNN reports:

‘Tidal wave of problems’: With harvest here, Trump’s trade war pushes some US farmers to the brink

Farmers across the country are issuing increasingly urgent warnings that they’ll face grim consequences if they don’t get help selling this year’s bumper crop that many have begun harvesting.

Trade deals many had hoped would quickly emerge after President Donald Trump slapped tariffs on some of the United States’ biggest agricultural customers haven’t come. A farm bailout is no sure thing on Capitol Hill. And farmers — many of whom voted for Trump — say time is running out.

“It just seems like things have stalled all summer long,” said Brian Warpup, who grows corn and soybeans on his 3,900-acre farm in northeastern Indiana. “We’re always hopeful that those negotiations are moving forward, but yet with harvest here, patience may be running thin.” (CNN-20 Sep-2025)

Farm workers are afraid to work or have been deported.

Trade wars, tariffs, inflation and high interestr rates are killing them.

“Farmergeddon” is real.

Neil kicked off with Big Crime.

No more great again
No more great again
Got big crime in DC at the White House

Don't need no fascist rules
Don't want no fascist schools
Don't want soldiers walking on our streets
Got big crime in DC at the White House
There's big crime in DC at the White House

Got to get the fascists out
Got to clean the White House out
Don't want no soldiers on our streets
Got big crime in DC at the White House
Got big crime in DC at the White House

No more great again
No more great again
Got big crime in DC at the White House

No more money to the fascists
The billionaire fascists
Time to blackout the system
(No) no more great again
No more great again
Time to blackout the system
Got big crime in DC at the White House
Got big crime in DC at the White House

No more great again
No more great again
Got big crime in DC at the White House
No more great again
No more great again
Got big crime in DC at the White House
Got big crime in DC at the White House
No more great again
No more great again

The Orange Psycho got a good deal of the farming vote.

I am spretty sure the pain thery are feeling is not what Fat Burger, their dear leader, promised.

Impeach Trump Now.

So we can…Keep on rockin’…..

Scientists are reporting emerging evidence of abrupt and potentially irreversible changes in the Antarctic environment.

If a scientific report were released into our world today, what would you hear?

Researchers say the world must reduce carbon emissions, but warn it may be too late to prevent some changes.

Scientists and researchers have been advocating for a change in our ways for decades.

From Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring to Earth Day in 1970, the drums have been warning us for quite some time.

Our beautiful planet will be here forever.

We, us humans, may not be.

I was on LSD when I saw Tiny Tim perform this song (below) at a Floral Park Police Benefit at the Floral Movie Theatre in 1973. That’s another story
He sings about the Ice Caps Melting. Check it out.
It’s a short song, avoid the acid.

IS ANYBODY LISTENING?

Or maybe I will just take a trip….

“There’s a song that wants to sing itself through us. We just got to be available. Maybe the song that is to be sung through us is the most beautiful requiem for an irreplaceable planet or maybe it’s a song of joyous rebirth as we create a new culture that doesn’t destroy its world. But in any case, there’s absolutely no excuse for our making our passionate love for our world dependent on what we think of its degree of health, whether we think it’s going to go on forever. Those are just thoughts anyway. But this moment you’re alive, so you can just dial up the magic of that at any time.”
― Joanna Macy

Joanna has left so much to all of us that she, of course, will always be with us. Deep Ecology, Buddhism, and her beautiful soul and intellect is only a click away. Or close your eyes and you can see and feel her sparkling energy.

Here is a beautiful conversation Joanna had with Jess Serrante Check out her work and other discussions with Joanna.
https://resources.soundstrue.com/podcast/s1-ep-10-we-are-the-great-turning/

As I woke to the news here, overlooking the Dorrigo Plateau, I picked up the drum and meditated, drumming for Joanna on her journey home. Dorrigo is the land of the Gumbaynggirr people. It is one of the most magical and beautiful spots I have found on this continent.

Less than 5 minutes into the meditation, accompanied by drumming and tears, I was greeted by some magic, pictured below.

Sail on, Joanna, sail on.

Shanti.

One Love.

“The biggest gift you can give is to be absolutely present, and when you're worrying about whether you're hopeful or hopeless or pessimistic or optimistic, who cares? The main thing is that you're showing up, that you're here and that you're finding ever more capacity to love this world because it will not be healed without that. That was what is going to unleash our intelligence and our ingenuity and our solidarity for the healing of our world.”
― Joanna Macy

Anne Symens-Bucher

Jun 29, 2025

Saturday, June 28, 2025

Dear ones,

I am sitting with Peggy as I write. Our hearts are heavy. On the heels of her coming home, it now seems clear Joanna has a chest infection. Without an X-ray it's not confirmed, but likely it is pneumonia. This morning and last night she clearly expressed that she does not want to go back to the hospital for IV antibiotics (or anything else). So we are following her lead, and find ourselves suddenly pivoting towards more of a hospice approach. Recovery looks like an uphill road. We are giving oral antibiotics and mostly focusing on comfort. She is happy.

We know you would want to be here with her if you could be and for that we are so grateful. She who loves so many people now feels the presence of each of you who is with her in your prayers, your thoughts, your love. She rests, a look of peace on her face. Her beloved family is with her now. They are everything. They are enough. Her three grandchildren sit at her bedside and they delight in each other's company. She is sung to and she waves her arms; she is the leader of the symphony.

One night in the hospital she told me she didn't know how to sing. I understand that was her experience of herself--at her workshops she counted on others to lead the singing. And if there was no music, no one noticed, because her poetry was her orchestra, her teachings were her song, her stories were her symphony. But in the hospital, she was making up little songs; songs that rhymed, songs that were profound, songs about the Great Turning, the Great Knowing and Unknowing and the Knowing Enough. She could and did carry a tune. I told her she definitely knew how to sing and that she was truly a great song:

"I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world. I may not complete this last one but I give myself to it. I circle around God, around the primordial tower. I've been circling for thousands of years and I still don't know: am I a falcon, a storm, or a great song?"

I think she would want us to hear these words now, words that Rilke penned in another time altogether, as if for this moment in which we find ourselves. She would be glad that we are thinking about her, certainly, and also about the world she loves so well. Hear her say:

"...Through the empty branches the sky remains,

It is what you have.

Be Earth now, and evensong

Be the ground lying under that sky

Be modest now like a thing ripened until it is real

So that the One who began it all, may feel you when reaching for you."

BE EARTH NOW!

Walking and walking and walking some more is the sort of pace I love when traveling in this part of the world. At this time of year, starting early is very important. You can walk after 11 a.m., but make sure you are hydrated and in a mood where sweat will not inhibit your fun.

On the banks of the Nam Ou here in Laos, the sleepy little town of Nong Khiaw can bring you fog, low clouds, rain, and blistering sunshine all within a few hours. It’s not like Melbourne, where you get four seasons in one day; it is one season in one day with many variations on the theme. All of them involve some level of wetness.

My morning walk today did not involve a climb to one of the viewpoints scattered in the karst limestone edifices surrounding this sleepy town. I decided to head out to the Phatok Caves just under 4 kilometers from my digs here. The heat was down but the humidity was up. Drip, drip, drip….

These caves were used as hideouts for the Communist Party fighters of the Pathet Lao. The U.S. Air Force began bombing targets in Laos in 1964, flying planes like AC-130s and B-52s full of cluster bombs on covert missions based out of Thailand. The United States eventually dropped the equivalent of a planeload of bombs every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, for nine years. Over 270 million cluster bombs were dropped, so they were scattered over the landscape. The US called this secret bombing project Operation Barrel Roll.

This operation, developed to inhibit the supply chain assisting North Vietnam, was kept secret from the American public.

As I sat in the big cave today the thunder of an approaching storm rumbled through the valley. Thinking of those sounds as munitions falling did not take much imagination. By 1975, 200,000 Laotians were dead (10% of the population) with many more wounded and over 3/4 of a million were refugees. The Ho Chi Minh trail, as it was known, was the target for this overkill.

The Vietnam War and the US involvement was a waste of human life. The pain and suffering continue today, as almost 1/3 of the bombs did not explode. You stay on the paths while walking in Laos. or you are gambling with finding a bomblet.

5 months ago all mine clearing assistance from the USA was stopped and no one is sure when it will flow into Laos again. America, they should pay for all of their mess to be cleaned up and stop more people in this beautiful country from being killed and maimed.

Prayers and offerings were made, and I made a hasty retreat as thunder and lightning seemed to be heading my way.

This is an idyllic spot. I walked back, wondering how the generational trauma of a decade of dealing with daily bombings has impacted the people who live in this landlocked country. Tears mixed with my sweat.

Meanwhile, these beautiful people are now being strangled by development. 7 dams have been built along the Nam Ou, one of the largest tributaries of the Mekong. These damns will generate electricity and they have already screwed up the river for fishermen, farmers and communities. Add in the high-speed train already running through Laos to China and there has been massive deforestation and displacement of locals.

These lovely people are pawns in a much bigger game. Life goes on along the river….except you can no longer get to Nong Khiaw by the river. Damn Dams. That is an inconvenience for travelers, but the fish, the land, and the people who need it for their survival are all suffering.

The Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy Dam Disaster in July 2018 saw dozens of lives lost when it collapsed. Villagers, survivors, and people displaced are still awaiting compensation. People have been moved to areas not suitable for their farming. This was 1000 kilometers from where I am now, down south. The entire Mekong is under threat.

The authoritarian government of Laos is lacking in looking after the human rights of its citizens. Any criticism of the state is strictly prohibited. The beauty here is skin deep and wrapped around nature. Imagine living in a country where you can’t protest or voice your concerns?

America, do you hear me?

More on the damns below….

https://news.mongabay.com/2021/12/in-laos-a-very-dangerous-dam-threatens-an-ancient-world-heritage-site/

We had just had a BBQ Dinner with my partners kids, Dusty and Noah. It was a simple steak, corn, mashed taters, salsa, guacamole and chips meal on a late summer evening. I stepped out into the yard to move the food around and stretch my legs. The sparkling sun was dropping in the sky, and it lit up the white gum tree a yard or two over from ours.

There is a lorikeet that visits me when I go to the garden at this time of day. He is usually sitting on a lone branch and we trade whistles and acknowledge each other. I find it a very comforting visit when he makes an appearance.

Lorikeet was not on his perch this evening, but a red wattle bird flew up to a lone branch. With a stunning blue sky behind her, she looked towards the setting sun, waiting for the time to return to its nest or for its lifetime partner to appear. I scanned the tree looking for her partner.

As I scanned the tree, she flew off eastwards, leaving the sunshine behind. Seconds after she made a move, her partner landed on the same branch to survey the neighborhood. I thought that this must be their stopping-off place to catch the rays of the sun before they headed off to their crib to canoodle.

Over the last few weeks with our foliage and trees full with green and late summer life, I had caught a glimpse of the wattle birds feeding. I assumed these were the same pair I had noticed.

Still standing in the yard, I made some bird noises and whistled and said hello in my two legged language. He turned toward me and made his distinctive noisy squwak as he savoured the sunset.

Whistling and looking at Mr.Red Wattle Bird, he turned his head, and swooped down into the yard. He must have seen something in the trees that warranted a visit near me and he poked around as I watched him from 10 feet away.

We made eye contact again. He was grabbing some food off the tree and shook its head around. As I watched, he paid no attention to me for a few moments as it had found what it was looking for.

I spoke to the bird with my own voice and language and said, “Come on over here now.”

He had flown to the top of the arch where the weather vane is and he gave me a look. As I watched him, he leapt off the arch and flew directly towards me. I figured he would arch up into the sky quickly. Instead of a hasty retreat, the lovely fella seemed to slow and make a pass towards me. He came within a foot of my face so I could see every bit of this magical creature. It banked to the left and followed the path his partner had taken home.

These are the moments that make me aware that we are not seperate from nature. These beings do communicate with us daily and all we need to do is attune ourselves to their frequency to get a message. My heart was filled with joy. This was a sweet inspiring visit from a feathered beauty. The intention of the bird was clearly to come down and check me out before he split.

There are magpies and doves that are constant visitors to the front and back garden. The doves sometimes even make their way into the house where I have to usher them out or at times get them down from the skylight where they fly for safety.

Birds. They have been a constant companion and interesst since I was a little boy. We had a couple of parakeets when I was still in primary school. I’ve attended bird workshops in the forest for a weekend, I get as excited as a child when I see a Black Cockatoo in flight.

Recently, I sat in ceremony with my drum and conspired with others who were doing the same elsewhere around the world. We prayed together and built a web of energy. I had a vision of a red bird; it flew by in my line of sight, but there are no birds here as red as the one I saw. The shape was familiar, but I did not think about that at the time. I was taken by the colour.

Now I know by the way it was flying and the shape that it was a Red Wattlebird. These birds are grey and brown in plumage but they stand out because of the pink/red wattles on either side of the neck.

In many cultures, birds are seen as messengers from the spiritual world. I am unsure how to read this visitation. While this most recent connection was occuring, there was this strong connection to nature and the moment. Once the moment passed, I was exhilarated and shared the story with the family.

A Wattlebird is said to be indicative of a shaman in disguise. Someone who is drawn to the unusual. Hey, little shaman bird!

A Wattlebird is a both a ventriloquist and mimic, so its message is "speaking will either set you free or imprison you, stand your ground and speak the truth" .....

Looking through my photos it was easy to come up with these pictures I had snapped of my avian friends as my eyes are always looking skyward. I treasure the moments where I can commune with my feathered friends.

I wonder if you have the same connection to birds or other animals that connects you to the planet and all living things.

I hope so.

Post Script: We had another little wonderful connection with nature last week. Dusty was returning home at midnight and found a baby possum on the ground. She could hear the Mother making a racket but this little guy, she named Fergus, was not going to survive long on the sidewalk.
She rescued it with our help and the next day we brought it to the vet for care. When we arrived at the vet there was another resident with a baby possum they rescued.

Here they are together, I guess it was meant to be.

Gurtha-Wuma Worrk-gu: Fire, Strength & Renewal

I have taken this theme from the 2024 Garma Festival and am using it in my daily life. It is sort of like a mantra. These words in both languages will assist in my healing journey and give me power.

The ocean has always been where my spirit thrives. I grew up on an island. Long Island, N.Y. And although it was truly suburbia, no house in the Hamptons for my family, the Atlantic Ocean and the Long Island Sound were not far from my doorway. The sound of gentle waves on the Sound or the big surf of beaches from Rockaway to Montauk rejuvenated me no matter the season.

The sand, the surf, the smell of the salty air. Riding waves, watching waves, and the seabirds swooping for some food. My decades of life are filled with memories of one beach or the other. A constant. Alone or with family and friends the saltwater is in my heart.

For the last 40 years, I have lived on this island continent. This is my home. Australia.

Again, I find myself on the land of the Wadawurrung people of the Kulin Nation. The Wadawurrung name for this region is ‘Balla-wein’ and the balanda called it the Bellarine Peninsula. It was named this after the boats came. When the land was stolen, the indigenous people were displaced or massacred. There is blood in the soil of this land.

But as we continue to seek the truth and the stories that have been lost to many through time, the beauty of this country prevails and the custodians of this land are the Wadawurrung people. Walking to Point Addis today I could feel the ancestral heartbeat in the ironbark and the blooming wattle. I knelt at the start of the sandy trail and asked permission to move along the walk.

I was welcomed.

Cockatoos, galahs, and rosellas squawked and flew in the trees as I walked. Spring was happening all around me and the morning sea mist had not burnt off yet and wisps of fog hung low along the coastline. Searching for whales or dolphins or other sea life was limited due to the decreased visibility.

Instead, I soaked up the energy of the land. The remains of an ochre quarry presented me with a thought of the indigenous people excavating and using ochre for art and ceremony. I ran my hands over the clay earth as I listened to the waves down below the cliff face. It was not hard to imagine what this land was like thousands of years. The only thing missing was my tribe as I was alone on this walk.

This is a a healing time for me. In nature and near the sea with some yoga thrown in is how I plan on thriving over the next 2 months. The incision in my chest has healed but I still feel tight and not quite right physically. My energy is good but I feel a bit jammed up from not having used my upper body much for 3 months. My lovely entanglement with COVID 2 weeks ago has also brought about some stiffness. It is hard to know what is causing what at the moment.

Walking will move me through this country and I will learn and investigate stories that I have missed in my earlier travels along this coastline. There are always new tales to hear and more yarns to stumble upon. Movement is important and nature is my medicine.

Here is Barry Gilson a proud Wadawurrung man, a water tribe they are, and this is a short tale to tell you about the place where I am located until early October.

Water will heal. Water will bring life. The land of the ironbark trees will shield me and I will study the art of the bark. Strength returning.

At the bottom of the artwork are sand dunes. The sand dunes hold thousands of years of history of Wadawurrung people.

Freshwater to saltwater.

The coastal waters are represented withbottlenosee dolphins, sharks and whales included to symbolise some of the largest species that live there. The freshwater is where buniya the eels and fish live. These were also a food source for thousands of generations of Wadawurrung people.

Look, I know it’s not as if I planned it
I grew up where I landed
But now I’ve got to understand it
I ‘ve got to see
The things I take for granted
The sense of ease I’m handed
All the circumstances
I move through easily
And I’m not gonna lie
I’m afraid I won’t get it right
I’ll try to help and hurt someone
I’ll walk when I should run
But fairness is like love
A thing you can’t have too much of
The more you give the more you get
We haven’t tried that yet
So I’m looking in the rooms I’m in
And the songs I sing
The bent notes I sing with
I’m looking at everything
Look out – look in
Let it in
And when I see it call it out and say “This is water”- Rain Perry

Inspired by the David Foster Wallace essay “This is Water”

Hope you are healing and strong wherever you are.

Let the music keep your spirits high.

Espresso maker loaded up with coffee and water and a few minutes later I am caffeinated.

Coffee is fairly safe for most of us and as far as we know it is not a carcinogen.

Let me remind you about PFA’s:

Per- andd poly-fluoroalkyl substances – commonly known as PFAS – are a group of over 14,000 human-made chemicals that have been popular since the 1950s. For exampl,e these forever chemicals have been used in:
Ø Cleaning products.

Ø  Water-resistant fabrics, such as rain jackets, umbrellas and tents.

Ø  Grease-resistant paper.

Ø  Nonstick cookware.

Ø  Personal care products, like shampoo, dental floss, nail polish, and eye makeup.

Ø  Stain-resistant coatings used on carpets, upholstery, and other fabrics.

Interesting as hell that many of these uses are products that are close to or used on your body or to cook your food. Throw that Teflon out if you still use it. Firefighting foam has been a big culprit in spreading PFA’s in some areas and shedding it into the water.

Joe Jackson wrote back in 1982 “Everything Gives You Cancer”.  He did not mention water. He was probably drinking Perrier anyway.

That takes us to water around the world. You google ‘water and pfa’s” and your screen will fill with studies and concerns and pollutants in our water that will make you switch to beer. Oh shit, beer is mostly water, isn’t it?

Australia did not think PFA’s were a big deal until 2017 or so. Check out this chart.

A recent UNSW-led international study, published in Nature Geoscience, illustrates the global problem we are facing. Simply, PFA’s are everywhere, we all have them inside of us and we do not know if there is a safe level. Most countries do not treat their water for PFA’s because of the cost involved in re-jigging their plants.

(https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-024-01402-8)

Australian guidelines do not meet the new US guidelines on exposure. Once again, we are human guinea pigs for whatever the multinationals have created to sell their NEW-ADVANCED-SUPER products.

Water. In the 1960s people switched to bottled water because they were concerned over the purity of tap water.

Then people forgot to trust the most accurate way to know you need a drink, THIRST, and started carrying around reusable water bottles to ensure they drank their recommended amount. We are funny people.

In 2022, 2 billion dollars in reusable water bottles were sold in the USA. More consumption, but fuck, the population is hydrated and exposed to even more carcinogens. Where do all those old reusable water bottles go? In my house, they appear to go under the sink or the back seat of cars. People leave them behind or another one purchased to avoid single-use plastic pollution.

We still don’t know what we are drinking and if it is clear of PFA’s even if we are using water filters at home. Just a reminder PFA’s were found in the billions of single-use plastic bottles of water that people consumed. Everything gives you…..

Cancer rates in those under 50 have increased dramatically over the last 3 decades. Some of the reasons stated are that many unhealthy changes have affected diet, lifestyle, obesity, the environment, and our microbiomes. None specifically say WATER, but I guess you can put that under environment.

“We found that this risk is increasing with each generation.”

Shuji Ogino, professor, physician-scientist

Is it all too late? Have we been told to hydrate for decades and now we have all ingested so much water that our cancer rates will just continue to rise? The water looks fine, it smells fine, but it certainly is starting to feel like drinking water is not safe.

This is a topic that will not be going away.

Water is vital for our survival. Not only has it been tainted, but it is also scarce.

A quarter of the population of our planet, 1.84 billion people, are living under drought. Most of these people are in low and middle-income nations where water is vital for farming. Especially crops like rice, which truly depend on a good source of water.

We don’t hear much about droughts because they don’t move like missiles in a war zone. They take a bit of time to do their damage and they are silent.

One such place that is living in drought conditions is a city with 22 million people. Mexico City pumps its water from underground and they supposedly lose 40% of its water due to the leaking infrastructure that supplies the water. News stories say they could run out of water this month. That may be a tad sensational, but who knows when Day Zero will happen.

Drought, like PFA’s, is everywhere.

How does this news help you? Well, it shows the disregard capitalism has had for humanity. Nothing new to ponder. Just the facts, ma’am.

Here a couple of beautiful Aussie Birds to make you smile.

Do you recall these environmental disasters? Or have you forgotten? Or are you out shopping?

Bhopal (1984)-40 years ago Union Carbide in India poisoned more than 1/2 a million people.

Thousands died. Contamination continues to be seen in that area around Bhopal.

Chernobyl-1986-Only commercial nuclear accident where people were killed by radiation. Over 150,000 civilians who lived nearby have been impacted and exposed to radiation. The nightmare for them continues. Yes, the war continues in the Ukraine.

Love Canal 1977-The Hooker Chemical folks had closed their factory in the 1950s and then the area was rejigged for houses. People started complaining of health issues, black tar was bubbling from the ground and some people died. The number of people with health issues caused by the contamination grew. Finally, Jimmy Carter stepped up and 400 homes were evacuated and people were moved to other locations.

All a bit late for the people who had been living on a biological/chemical time bomb for decades. Lo and behold as of 2023 people are now living in this area that was contaminated back then.

They say it is ‘clean’ now. I am not sure who THEY are. Real Estate Agents?

(“Face Of Appalachia” first song on the playlist was written by Sebastian and Lowell George…from an album that has been with me 50 years)

Fukushima (2011)- No one died when the nuclear reactor was damaged here in Japan.

Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant, Japan is one of the world's most radioactive places. Fukushima is still highly radioactive today, Besides the millions of gallons of radioactive water that was released at the time of the accident, in 2023 Japan began releasing treated water into the ocean.
I am sure it is ‘totally’ safe. You got to trust them, right?

Close to 2 million people live in and around the plant.

Exxon-Valdez Oil Spill Alaska (1989) and BP Deep Horizon Oil Spill Gulf Of Mexico (2010). The spill of 11 million gallons of oil in Alaska was a drop in the ocean compared to the 210 million gallons leaked into the Gulf of Mexico. Simply, the impact that this has had on sealife across these areas is something that will never stop.

Now we have PFA’s which have been dubbed the ‘forever chemicals’. Have a look at this infographic.

We have all been exposed. We do not know and may never know the full impact these chemicals have had on us as human beings. I don’t think there will be enough studies and time to figure it all out. Just think about some of the cancers and new illnesses we have today and maybe there is a line pointing us to these PFA’s.

Humans do not have forever. The planet will still be here. It will outlive us.

Leading political leaders are saying some dumb shit that as citizens we should be paying attention to.

Peter Dutton, the Opposition party leader in Australia, and a man with a particularly odd head, wants to drop out of the Paris Agreement. Check it out below.

Trump, another politician with an odd head, removed the USA from the Paris Agreement in 2017 and Biden signed them back up in 2020.

What will happen next? That depends on YOU.

You are a responsible citizen. ‘

VOTE.

As humans and nations, we have to STOP measuring how good our country is doing by GDP (gross domestic product). I have been chanting this for decades.

GDP was not designed to assess the welfare o the well-being of citizens. It was designed to measure production capacity and economic growth. Simply, GDP maintains the patriarch and the vested interests of the people who already have all the chips.

If you can watch this clip from the last debates these two senior citizens took part in and still vote for Trump, I am unsure of your ability to think of the future.

Please explain that to your children and your grandchildren.

I dare you.

BASTANTE!

And this is but an island in an ocean.

This is our home, third from the sun.

Let it be evergreen

Let it be evergreen

And this is but an island in an ocean.

This is our home, third from the sun.

God, keep it evergreen.

To keep it evergreen I would lay my life down.-William E Smith

This morning I read these words in the Sydney Morning Herald online:
Pre-COVID levels saw airlines carry 4 billion people across the world every year and the industry predicts that number to double by 2036.

That means a lot more planes in the sky, and that's happening while cargo and private flights are expected to increase too.

Besides CO2 emissions travelling by metal tube has other emission issues.

\What we will see as more and more people can afford to fly is that this impact on our environment will continue to grow. The aviation industry is well behind the curve on new technology around how to fuel these flying machines.

I don’t have a bucket list for international travel before I die. There is so much within Australia that I am yet to experience. I am not sure how I will cope or deal with the distances. It is a work in progress. Just because my time is limited do I piss into the wind?

The romance of traveling to unknown parts of the world still tugs at my heart. Of course it does, I worked in the airline industry for 17 years. I walked the tarmac and I have done my miles in the air. I worked for a big IT firm that flew me around to meetings even though that same company had invented the technology to have virtual meetings years before Zoom.

Many of us have family and friends around the world we would like to see. All of us who are well off enough to make these dreams happen will probably not eliminate air travel. We are so accustomed to it even if we do believe that the planet is in trouble.

The companies that manufacture and fly these jets should do all within their means to make air travel more environmentally friendly. If it is quite costly to do so, you know they won’t rush into it until they are forced to do it. And then the cost will be passed onto the consumer.

We can make our decisions and we can think about what is driving us to travel. Or we can just turn a blind eye to it, pay some extra money to buy some carbon offsets or credits, and feel good about our travel. Do they work?

Check this article out….

https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/carbon-credits-and-offsets-explained/

I have been preaching doom about air travel for some time now telling people if they want to do it, do it now. Will governments allow it? Will the fuel exist? What impact can our planet stand?

I probably should not tell people to travel now. I will stop that.

Yes, I am no scientist….

My feeling is that you can’t offset something that billions of people do each year. In 2019, over 4.2 billion passengers boarded flights. We had some downtime due to COVID-19, but the numbers are back up and the enforced lack of travel has given everyone the bug.

The choice is always yours to make.

And don’t even get me started on people with private jets….

Now I can see you wavering

As you try to decide

You've got a war in your head

And it's tearing you up inside

You're trying to make sense

Of something that you just don't see

Trying to make sense now

And you know you once held the key

But that was the river

And this is the sea!-Mike Scott

I love nature and I love celestial happenings. I will look out my window tonight but I doubt I will see anything with all the city lights around me. If you want to see this head down to St. Kilda or some beach somewhere after dark and get your mind blown.

This sort of electromagnetic magic has not occurred in 2 decades. Thank you, Sun!

So leave the house tonight if the clouds are gone and check out some natural magic. You won’t even need any mushrooms.

It’s a gorgeous day here in Richmond at Epworth Hospital. Broken sleep, vitals check at 530 and early AM breakfast arrival made me one sad-ass grumpy mofo. I could not handle 2 days of being down so I gave myself a good talking to in the bathroom mirror.

“Look, Paul, you signed up for this and yeah, it looks like you were attacked by some person with a knife and you got a wee bit of pain. And, poor you, you are a little bit tired. Paul, you have had worse hangovers than this and less sleep. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get on with it”

It worked so far and I feel energized and a bit more myself than I have in the past 5 days. Hard to believe it has been 5 days since my surgery. It feels like it was just a few moments ago.

Remember one thing: you can control your emotions wherever you are today. The remote control is all yours and you can turn it up or down. I just had life-threatening surgery and I should be allowed to wallow.

But no way will I do that.

I got walking and exercises to do. Life is for living. And we have The Pies to watch!

Call me if you need a pep talk.

And don’t forget it is Mother’s Day….do what you need to do.

My Mom has been gone for 50 years. I still miss her love.

“Wake up, Paul,” my Mom would whisper as she rustled my hair or gently moved me to wake. The warmth of the bed and the radiator's heat were asking me to do something else. I resisted for a moment digging deeper under the blankets.

“Quick, look out the window. There’s a couple of cardinals on the bird feeder,” she said excitedly.

This would get me up. I loved the beautiful bright red of the male cardinals. I did not know the term plumage dimorphism then, I only educated myself on that 5 minutes ago.

“Oh, look, over there on the shrubs in the back, there is a blue jay,” she whispered. I think she thought the birds might hear us through the storm windows. She was probably right that any loud noise might have them scatter. We would huddle close to the window and peer out from upstairs or my Mom would move us down to her bedroom to get a closer look at ground level.

My Mom loved birds.

From seagulls to eagles, she was fascinated whenever one crossed her path. She passed that on to me at an early age. My knowledge of species was not my game but the thrill and enjoyment of seeing them up close or flying brought great joy to my heart. When we traveled we had a bird book so we could make note of our new feathered friends we came across. Twitchers we were not. We were just amazed by the beauty of nature and liked to know what we saw.

Before I forget, that new term I now have, “plumage dimorphism”, describes the difference in plumage of male and female birds. In many species, the male is more colourful and ornamented than the female. What happened to us humans? We certainly did not take after birds, for the most part.

This was my introduction to birds and a somewhat continuing love of nature that was enjoyed by my mom in our suburban town 30 minutes from New York City. Although we did not have much bush around us, we had our yard, and we took note of what happened there and in the trees across the street in the school yard. We were observant of what went on around us. Maybe the world was not as distracting as it is today.

Fast forward to 2024 and I found myself in the bush in Victoria just an hour outside of Melbourne with a bunch of other bird fanciers. We were not twitchers, although I think some there might garner that title, we were there to learn about birds from Andrew The Bird Guy. I love his moniker and my gal thinks I am her bird guy. Talking to magpies or running after a yellow-tailed black cockatoo to watch it in flight, she thinks I am a bit spare. Thanks for putting up with me, Sparkles.

Andrew Turbill is The Bird Guy. Spending a few days in his presence, with a few dozen others, we learned about birds and their language. Andrew’s finely tuned humour and deep knowledge of his subject matter made the time fly as he told us tales about his experiences with birds and life in and around the bush.

We camped for 3 nights, had wholesome and beautifully cooked food, and had the joy of communing in nature to learn more about just a few of the species that we came across. We listened intently to their calls and went beyond the song. Learning that birds have calls for courtship, alarm, territorial, bickering, mimicry, and more. I was astounded and my ears have gone to a new level. As I sit here typing away I hear the morning currawong in my yard in St. Kilda and the magpies warbling out front and I just saw the ever-present mourning doves in the yard hoping for some leftover dog food.

We learned to sit in the woods and quietly observe in our sit-spots and take note of sound and vision of what happens around us. This is a part of nature that I love and I do it often but not with such a bird-intent focus. I cannot thank Andrew enough for sharing his stories and knowledge with me and the group.

You may want to get started now if you want to start learning about all the birds.

Why?

Based on a study done in 2021 (https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2023170118) there are about 9,700 bird species and there are somewhere between 50 billion and 428 billion birds on our planet. This range is so broad due to various uncertainties—among them, the difficulty of counting billions of small animals that can fly, the wide and often unclear ranges over which birds roam, and a lack of scientific data in many areas of the world.

WOW

Many iconic Australian birds are numbered in the millions, like the Rainbow Lorikeet (19 million), Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (10 million), and Laughing Kookaburra (3.4 million). But other natives, like the rare, Black-breasted Buttonquail, only have around 100 members left. I don’t have the space to list the numbers for each species.

It’s more than a lifetime of work studying the birds in your neighbourhood. Don’t get overwhelmed, just enjoy their magic.

This Bird Language Retreat is not about simply birdwatching. It is about paying attention to nature, to all our relations. Many of us 2 legged types believe we are separate from nature. Those amongst us who are smarter know that we are not. Sitting in the bush, connecting with the environment, and listening and watching are skills that the indigenous before us and today know more than us colonials.

Slowing down is a skill.

We were all gathered in a circle on an open field playing a game on the last day. As if on queue an immense wedge-tailed eagle flew directly overhead. Everyone was amazed as it flew at treetop while being pestered by a couple of magpies. For me, I had never seen that eagle so close, and I think my mouth was ajar in wonder.

Here is a video of the game predator and prey we played on the final day. What a hoot! Simply, 2 people were predators and 4 were prey and all were blindfolded. The idea was to eat or not be eaten.

Joining us on this adventure was rewilding facilitator Claire Dunn. Her connection to nature and assistance with us moving into this space was delightful. Check out Claire’s stuff here:
https://www.naturesapprentice.com.au/

She also turned us onto a blindfold string walk game that opened up our senses.

This was Andrew’s first foray into a retreat in Victoria. I highly recommend, if you have even a small interest in our winged mates, that you check out his webpage and go along to a retreat if life permits.

Gotta fly!

https://andrewthebirdguy.com/

Click on the Insta thing below…for a laugh

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See below for another bird experience in 2023…..

Someone tell me how as we head deeper into this Century that the Grand Prix is still allowed to exist. I live just around the block from the Melbourne Track and I can hear the engines and see the flyovers of RAAF and Red Bull and Roulette’s aircraft zooming over the yard.

According to a report from F1 corporate, the organization caused about 256,000 tons of carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere every season. The report broke down the emissions this way:

45 percent from air, sea, and road transport

27.7 percent of business travel, including hotels impact

7.3 percent from event operations

19.3 percent from facilities and factories

0.7 percent from power unit emissions.

Soccer, American Football, Golf, Cricket, and Tennis all have their footprint to look after and minimize but automobile racing, well, simply the sport itself is a fuck you to the environment.

It proceeds today because the F1 Overlords say they will make it sustainable and they will buy carbon credits to make it all green.

Mostly, it goes ahead because of one word:

CAPITALISM.

The global sports market is worth about 600 billion dollars.

During my decades on the planet, I spent many hours watching and participating in sports. As an elder now, I want to let you know, that participation is much better than watching.

You do know that don’t you?

Are you going to the F1?

Maybe you should ask yourself what your politics are about the environment.

Do you have children?

Maybe you should ask yourself and your children what your family’s politics are about climate change.

If you are a climate change denier, you my kind reader, are a fucking idiot.

Globally, live music touring racks up more emissions in a year than the F1. Do we stop Live Music or just let acts continue to buy carbon credits?

To me, carbon credits are like the act of contrition or prayers you had to do after you confessed your sins to Father Murphy.

They may make you feel good, but you have still sinned.

Let us see what John Oliver has to say about Carbon Offsets.

Some of you may believe it is all too late to do anything.

I am not a nihilist.

There is still hope in my heart and soul and words. But I do know that recycling, driving less, eating less meat, etc. will have an impact.
Will this impact be enough to turn things around?

Probably not.

Big changes are going to have to take place. Long-distance travel on big ol’ jet airliners, decreasing our usage of fossil fuels greatly in everything we do, and ensuring the people who believe what we believe are in power are just some things that need to be done.

We also have to hold all the corporations accountable for their toxic hit to our home.

Now.

People have been talking about how we have raped and pillaged our home for decades now.

Talk is cheap. We only have one Earth. Uninhabitable means we are dead.

We cannot stop everything we do as humans but we do need to take a big pause. I do believe that long-haul international travel, some sports, and other entertainment will need to take a break. We need to pause and see how we can improve how we live and how we treat this planet.

But money talks and nobody walks. Everyone is on a train, plane or automobile.
We do have collective power as global citizens who care for our Earth for our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, etc.

We have become huge consumers of ENTERTAINMENT. We need to re-learn how to entertain ourselves. We need to build a better place before we have nowhere to breathe.

There is no way I will live long enough to go to Mars with Musk or some other pipe dream. These technological goals to solve our problems are just distractions. We, as a human race, need to work together to solve the biggest issue facing us.

Or we can just change the channel, turn on the F1, and shop until we die.

All of this is your choice. If you have children, I hope you think long and hard about your choices. I know mine have not always been perfect but I am doing what I feel I can do and have tried to be as Green as I can.

My overconsumption of concerts and festivals has not been very GREEN. That is probably my biggest sin as a consumer.

We are all part of nature. It is not separate. I hope my great-grandchildren can live on a planet that brings them great joy. I cry for them as I watch what goes on.

We all have a choice.

Let’s try our damn best to choose things that do not impact our environment for a moment of pleasure. Yes, it is hard to re-learn.

But it is better than extinction.

Sat, 23 Mar 2024, 8:30 pm – 9:30 pm is Earth Hour.

Register Below.

https://www.earthhour.org.au/

“Good sense, innocence, cripplin' mankind.

Dead kings, many things I can't define.

Occasions, persuasions clutter your mind

Incense and peppermints, the color of time."

There is a phenomenon that has been happening for some time now. With over 2,300 klicks driven over the last 3 weeks, it has hit home with me.

Death on the highway was missing.

I am not talking about roadkill because the number of upside-down wombats and roos I saw were plentiful.

And let’s not talk about the human carnage on the road, that seems to be on the increase in Australia. Distraction, speed, and decrease in RBT checkpoints all add up on this island home.

The windshield phenomenon (or windscreen phenomenon) is the observation that fewer dead insects have accumulated on the windshields and front bumpers of people's cars since the early 2000s. It has been attributed to a global decline in insect populations caused by human activity.

Is it the fact that there are just more and more humans driving?

Someone looked at the design of cars and maybe it was that they were more aerodynamically designed to ‘push’ bugs away from the windscreen. That theory has been debunked and I am not a scientist, so will not go into that.

Or maybe us 2 legged folks are using pesticides too much.

80% of the animal population are insects and with climate change and habitat destruction, their numbers are decreasing. Insects are pollinators, they remove wastes, they control the pests in the insect world and they provide nutrition for wildlife.

We do not even know how many insects have yet to be discovered and how they impact our planet and livelihood. We wipe them out in many ways.

Lawns are like a desert for insects. Think about planting natives and the like in your gardens and around your home so you can keep their environment and our planet in balance.

Bugs are cool. Remember Bugs Life? Think about your bugs like these fun-filled characters before you slam your hand or a book on them.

Except for mosquitos, I don’t like them and they cause more death and destruction on this beautiful planet we live on than any other animal. Birds may eat them but we can give the birds some feed to protect the human population from malaria, dengue etc.

Mossies love me. If I go out during peak time, I can get bit 20 times in minutes or less.

Sorry, mossies. I do not think there is a case for protecting you in large numbers.

Simply, this is just another reflection of what we humans have done to our environment.

All these injuries add up.

How much time do we have?

It’s getting warmer.

We are getting closer to something. Let’s hope it is not some big-ass zombie virus coming out of the melting permafrost.

Look out the window. The weather has changed.

Can you feel it?

Our planet needs our love and respect. Always.

Don’t like insects?

Check out this worm story….
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-14/spawning-sea-worms-swarm-fishers-boat/103314834

Hit play while you read along….

Been a deeply relaxing end to 2023 and start to 2024 down along the South Coast of NSW.

It’s high summer school holidays but it does not feel crowded or busy here. We have been housesitting on a hill overlooking the ocean in Surf Beach. The birdlife has been amazing, the resident pug (Bubbles) and cat (Jasper) have been easy and joyful to have around.

My connection to Black Cockatoo’s is very strong and having a few that pass by and frolic in the trees nearby have me smiling like a child. I hear their cry and go running outdoors to catch a glimpse of them in flight. It brings me such a simple and warm joy.

Yesterday, Tina and I went to Pebbly Beach. I knew there were the ‘surfing’ kangaroos there and wanted to visit Murrmarang National Park where this beach is located. Walking along the beach and gazing at the ocean or the spotted gums that come down to the coastline, with only a dozen or so people scattered around, you lose track of what century it is. The world continues to spin but you can feel the spirit and the history in the land.

At one point thousands of Aboriginal people lived here. Just walking around, you can easily realise why. Not just for the beauty of country, but for the food and shelter provided by such land. The headland was a gathering point and as I said you can feel the spirit in the country.

Murramarang Aboriginal Area is located in the northern region of the park and it encompasses the largest midden on the south coast. We did not make it to this area on this trip. There is just so much coastline to explore.

Guerilla Bay has to be one of the most beautiful spots I have been to along the NSW Coast. Situated in Batemans Marine Park it is a sanctuary zone. It is idyllic.

Guerilla Bay also sits within the traditional Aboriginal country of the Yuin people, with boundaries stretching the length of NSW’s southeast coast and west to the Great Dividing Range. The local Yuin people are known as Walbanja.

Research on the name Guerilla Bay shows it has nothing to do with warfare or primates but is more likely a simplified pronunciation and adapted spelling by white settlers of an Aboriginal word meaning ‘big rock’.

An Aboriginal man from Tomakin told the late Professor C.P Fitzgerald the local name was “Guarella” meaning ‘big rock or big stone’ in the local language. Gurabung means stone, and can be shortened to “guray” pronounced “goo ray ah”. (Eurobodalla Council excerpt)

From Melbourne to Wagga Wagga to Surf Beach and back home again. Miles of smiles.

I hope your 2024 is moving along at the pace you so desire.

Hope to see you somewhere along the trail.