Right Place ... Right Time

Just out doing some personal photography for UNI and my collection. Basically taking shots of anything with interesting textures / colours / shadows, nothing specific at the time....

so im down at the Swan River foreshore next to this huge date palm. iPod in pocket, listening to C2C, camera in hand, just chilling out taking some snaps. along come this British couple. ...

*cue interruption cough*
"Excuse me! ... excuse me, we've been watching you from over there. can you tell us what you are you taking photos of?"
*im standing in front of a date palm. i thought it was pretty bloody obvious myself.*
"Is there birds or things in there? is that what your after?"
*my reply is a genuine, nope just taking shots for my design work.*

funny thing with fate, you can never tell when its gonna smile on you, bound to never repeat, you just have to be there, right place, right time. long story short, the couple walk off, and no sooner were they 5 meters away, a couple of Rainbow Lorikeet Parrots arrived to pose for me in the palm. i couldnt believe my luck, chewing away at lunch (dates) they were about 1.5 meters away from me, aware but not scared of my presence.

nice to be out for awhile and not take things so seriously, to just remember how unique things are outside our doors. natures own colour palettes. click each one for a larger version.

CCTV ! ... your next

CCTV .. (Closed Circuit Televison Cameras)
Thats right folks, security cameras are becoming a way of life. Big Brother and the Authoritative watchdogs out there are pushing their electronic eyes and ears into every corner of our lives.

Thank goodness its used for the right reasons ...
Protecting our freedoms by alerting the authorities to any suspicious behaviors that could seem like an act or prelude to a terrorist act. snuffing out those who don't quite look right. those that might have packed a bomb to work, ordered an extra load of fertiliser for his backyard garden ... or for that unsuspecting James Brown in all of us, wanting to bust out and reek havoc on those air drums and bass.

Watch the Video. Terrorist at Work! ... so the camera said.
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Going To A Go Go

Biting The Hand That Feeds : Arctic Monkeys

"It was file-sharing that helped them distribute their music to listeners for free but, now it seems that profits are their biggest concern". .... but who are these Artic Monkeys?

Arctic Monkeys are an English four-piece indie rock band originating from Sheffield England. Formed in 2002, Arctic Monkeys achieved chart success with their first two singles, reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart. Their debut album "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" became the fastest-selling debut album in British music history

Arctic Monkeys achieved their success and popularity through fan-made demo tapes and online file-sharing of their songs, before they had a record deal or album. They were heralded as one of the first acts to come to public attention via the internet, with commentators suggesting they represented the possibility of a change in the way in which new bands are promoted and marketed.

CUT TO 2007 :
The first real breakthrough act of the download era, the band that used file-sharing to build their audience, has now apparently secretly employed Web Sheriff to make sure that their new album, "Favourite Worst Nightmare," stays off file-sharing networks (P2P - Person to Person file transfer). It's being reported that the band's record label, has hired Web Sheriff, the London based File-sharing network copyright monitor, to protect against the Arctic Monkey's latest album from spreading across the internet.

Now aint it ironic that they're trying to kill off the very thing which made them what they are today? File Sharing, Consumer / Fan generated interest based on free downloads of music, ending in millions of Actual Hardcopy Records / CD Albums being sold to those very fans?

I've always argued this point, and i still stick to my guns. The Internet and more importantly its functions of file transfers, file sharing, music downloads, movie downloads, etc are actually benificial to those that choose to embrace its positives. For us as consumers its a kick in the butt to those media corporations that "Sell" us the latest and greatest, forcing a purchase, without allowing us to make the decision if the product is worthy. If we can hear / see / read and sample the product, i argue we can make more informed choices on whether it deserves further purchase or dismissal as rubbish. The power is given back to us, to choose who gets our dollar for the right reasons.

Yes I download music and movies. Yes i still purchase Cds and DVDs. I Try to make informed choices on who derserves my hard earned cash. Think a little before you spend.

FULL ARTICLE : ZEROPAID







For the Record : The Artic Monkeys aren't on my album list. There's better music out there.

Will You Make The Change? or Just Complain ...

Now that you've begun to inform yourselves through this forum / blog and other outlets, the knowledge is slowly filtering out. but what good is that if you aren't prepared to step outside your comfort zone and USE IT!

First example.
I came across this today and it sparked something off while shopping. we all hear and complain about "theres all these chemicals in our foods now" , "yeh have you seen the size of those chickens" , "all those hormones and additives" .....
I too have been hearing about and complaining at these things for long enough, and up till now have been too lazy and uninformed to make a change. thing is there are alternatives out there. as ive mentioned before these alternatives are priced higher on the shelf, but whats the price for good health ? and leaving a positive environmental footprint? we need to step away from "oh but its too expensive" and see the bigger picture. the price difference is obvious when you consider the costs of running independent organic or free range farms. more on this to follow.

For now, lets deal with the chicken debate. we have all seen those Coles and other chain prepacked chickens that look like 20 year old sized turkey breasts. know how they get that large? yup you guessed it. those chickens are bread on feed that is laced with growth hormones, enabling the farmer to breed larger chickens in smaller areas, in quicker time for slaughter. ie more product on the shelves quicker to make more profit for a cheaper production cost (feeding the chickens less natural food and for a shorter time than natural methods)

Im posting this to show there are alternatives. Grain fed, free range natural farms, producing healthy chickens free of additives and hormones. you need to investigate this on your own per state, but for us all in Western Australia .... Mt Barker Free Range Chicken, is a fine example. make the switch, eat healthy, support the environment that enables you to eat and drink, support those farmers and industries that are trying so desperately to fight off the giant food supermarket chains. think past those extra few dollars per serving, think long term health. once you make the change, encourage others. if you support a local butcher, inform them, and ask them to become a supplier.

Change doesn't happen in leaps, it begins with steps.



Mt Barker Free Range Chicken : WEBSITE INFO
The Mt Barker brand guarantees that you are buying a quality, naturally grown chicken that is completely free of artificial hormones and antibiotic growth promotants. The clean, green and traditional production of Mt Barker Free Range chicken produces a full-flavoured chicken that is lower in fat and incredibly succulent and tender.

Mt Barker Free Range chickens are fed a wholesome diet that includes the best natural pastures and grains Western Australia has to offer. The chickens are able to roam freely on home-grown pastures during the day, and spend their nights indoors where they are kept safe and warm and sheltered from inclement weather. This natural lifestyle ensures our chickens grow naturally in a stress-free environment. At Mt Barker we believe that our humane, environmentally-friendly method of production really does provide you with a healthier and better tasting chicken.

Mt BARKER CHICKENS WEBSITE: LINK

WHERE CAN I BUY Mt BARKER CHICKENS ?: LINK

EMAIL AND SEND YOUR SUPPORT: sales@mtbarkerchicken.com.au





THINK PAST THE DOLLAR ....

Tiffany Bozic

“I have always been drawn towards finding some kind of common thread or language that binds us to and separates us from nature and each other.”
Tiffany Bozic
Illustrator / Fine Artist
2006

Tiffany Bozic may be a young artist, but her paintings speak wisely of age-old thoughts and themes. Working with acrylic paint and wood, Tiffany lets her materials dictate what their fate should be. “I have always had an immense and probably very bizarre admiration for wood. I always felt like I relate to the currents and movements of the grain. When I look at a blank piece of wood, I see something swimming around in the grain already, it isn’t so conscious,” she explains. “I am following something inside me that finds a resolution only after going through a physical transformation by bringing it into existence. This is a slow process for me, I really don’t have any control over it. Whatever it is, it’s much more intelligent than I am.” Bozic says the experience is very intense and that she only “follows the orders” to fully understand what shape these visions will take on.

Recently caught Tiffany at the Perth edition of the Semi-Permanent Art / Design / Conference. still trying to pick my jaw from the ground. an amazing show full of inspiration. cheers to all involved, its just a tarnish that its now becoming a target for the wagon hopping "sponsors", to market their products at the young and absorbing minds. Andrew ... remember at heart, this shouldnt be for profit, this should be for the growth and inspiration of a new generation of creatives and artists, who will lead the world in communication. bring Perth a full show next time, lets cut the bullshit of transport costs and crowd turnouts. give us a go.

TIFFANY'S ARTIST INTERVIEW

STUDIO PHOTOS

TIFFANY'S HOMEPAGE

Monsanto ... evil runs deep and wide

The Monsanto Company is a multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. It is the world's leading producer of the herbicide glyphosate, marketed as Roundup. Monsanto is also by far the leading producer of genetically engineered (GE) seed, holding 70%–100% market share for various crops.In March 2005, it finalized the purchase of Seminis Inc, making it also the largest conventional seed company in the world.

Monsanto's development and marketing of genetically engineered seed and bovine growth hormone,have made the company controversial around the world and a primary target of the anti-globalization movement and environmental activists.

Monsanto was founded in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1901, by John Francis Queeny, a 30-year veteran of the pharmaceutical industry. The company's first product was the artificial sweetener saccharin, which it sold to the Coca-Cola Company. It also introduced caffeine and vanillin to Coca-Cola, and became one of that company's main suppliers. In 1954, Monsanto partnered with German chemical giant Bayer to form Mobay and market polyurethanes in the US. In the 1960s and 1970s, Monsanto became the leading producer of Agent Orange for US Military operations in Vietnam. Other major products have included dioxin (in the herbicides 2,4,5-T and Agent Orange), aspartame (NutraSweet), bovine somatotropin (bovine growth hormone; BST), and PCBs. Monsanto scientists became the first to genetically modify a plant cell in 1982. Five years later, Monsanto conducted the first field tests of genetically engineered crops.

In the 1990's Monsanto conducted genetically modified (a.k.a. Terminator genes) Cotton trials in India through its subsidiary Cargill Seeds. It generated stiff opposition from the Indian Farmers and one of its Plants in Karnataka State was pulled down by protestors within hours and finally the Indian Government banned the company from continuing further. Throughout 2004 and 2005, Monsanto filed lawsuits against many small farmers in Canada and the U.S. The lawsuits have been on the grounds of patent laws, specifically the sale of crops containing Monsanto's patented genes as a result of wind carrying seeds from neighboring crops. As of February of 2005, Monsanto has also filed patent claims on common breeding techniques for pigs which would grant the ownership of any pigs born of such techniques and their related herds.

i generally thought this info and the Aspartame crisis was common knowledge, but it seems many still need to be alerted to the dangers. i hope this can be a forum for us to all share our concerns and information in an open fashion.

Monsanto 'suicide seeds'

Monsanto files patent for new invention: the pig

Monsanto detailed history

Aspartame .... poisons in diet softdrink

Aspartame is a sugar substitute frequently used in products like diet soda.(for example, Canderel®, NutraSweet®) Unlike sugar, aspartame is a non-carbohydrate based product, so it contains virtually no calories. The product is the result of an accidental discovery in 1965 by James Schlatter, when he made aspartame from aspartic acid and phenylalanine, he noticed its sweet taste.

It was first authorized to enter the market in the United States in 1974. The dangers of Aspartame poisoning have been a well-guarded secret since the 1980s. The research and history of Aspartame is conclusive as a cause of illness and toxic reactions in the human body. Aspartame is a dangerous chemical food additive, and its use during pregnancy and by children is one of the greatest modern tragedies of all.

Why haven't you heard about this before? Partly because the diet industry is worth trillions of American dollars to corporations, and they want to protect their profits by keeping the truth behind aspartame's dangers hidden from the public.

what a can of worms. are we all this blind to not see how we are poisoning ourselves?
thanks goes out to Miguel for spreading the words, i think its better served up here in this format for everyone to read, investigate, decide and comment on. more to come on Monsanto's business of food control. please read the articles linked and spread the words.... more importantly, make the change.

ASPARTAME : FULL ARTICLE

JANET HULL : SWEET POISON FACTS. BOOK

SUGAR : ARE YOU ON DRUGS? MUST READ

THINK FOR YOURSELF. INFORM YOURSELF

The Trap. BBC2

Just how Free are we?

According to Adam Curtis - we're not. In fact, he says that in an attempt to liberate us, Western governments have simply narrowed our choices and created a system where class and money means everything. In a series of three films, Curtis finds out how we got where we are today, and how our system of governance has led to chaos abroad. Be warned. These films may well change your life.

March 2007
bbc.co.uk

To those of you who ive passed copies of Adam Curtis's previous work, The Power Of Nightmares (2004) Documentary, then you will know what to expect from his latest effort "The Trap". currently being viewed in 3 parts in the UK BBC2, im securing a copy as we speak. i intend to pass it on asap.

In the mean time have a read on the content if you wish. this one should be as much an eyeopener as his last documentary was. shame SBS only ran it in 2007, hope they can jump on this one sooner for more of an audience. keep digging everyone.

THE TRAP

MEDIA ARTICLE

DETAILED INFO

MON863 ... Dinner's Ready!

Australia: How safe is your Genetically Engineered Food? A (GE) corn approved for human consumption in Australia has produced toxicity symptoms when fed to rats! A new study on the effects of GE corn variety, MON863, on rats concludes it can't be considered a "safe product". However, the same variety was given a big tick by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), our government food safety regulator, declaring it safe for humans.

Developed by Monsanto, the world's largest genetic engineering company based in the US. Monsanto tried to suppress the test data but it was obtained by Greenpeace, following a court case. The same data was available to the national regulator, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), in 2004 yet FSANZ failed to assess it, relying solely on Monsanto’s analyses. Makes you want to just forget about shopping at your local chain stores. Buy up some land and just grow your own produce organically ... but wait, in order to grow something non Genetically Engineered / altered, you would need GE free seed. No second guess who supplies the market with standardised GE grains for growing. Farmers now days cant keep last years seeds. new seed is to be provided by Monsanto and other Corporate Agriculture Entities each season.

Knowledge is power, the more you know, the better decisions you can make next time you purchase your food. you can make a difference by thinking alot harder about organic and other quality produce. dont look at your bank balance ... thats what Monsanto is counting on.

FULL STORY: GREENPEACE

EARTHFILES: US CASE STUDY

BB07 ... BS allround

Saw the advertising campaign from channel 10 the other day for the newest season of BB .... Big Brother. promoting this years show on the basis of Big Brother being a cloaked entity, running for politics, under the assumption "the people would vote for this type of entertainment. damn this is alarming. how can this viral marketable entertainment pass for television. don't people "get it" yet?

Skip to a world where the underlying idea or philosophy is to condition the mass public. numb your mind into submission. getting you comfortable with mass propaganda images and campaigns. "The all seeing EYE", singular and asexual to target the mass. making you accepting down the road of the final implemented "security measure" of CCTV cameras in every building monitoring for terrorist activity. under the premise "yeh watching people vicariously through CCTV cameras, day in day out, without their knowledge of when and who's watching what is A'OK. in fact its fun and enjoyable, because ive seen it on TV for almost 10 years.

the digital Panopticon.

What do we care if there's a camera in every room, on every street corner.? We're losing our freedoms day by day, and whats more astonishing, we're supporting the measures by which its introduced. Are people so blind to not see how wrong this is?

Big Brother is watching you. ... .. .

ORWELL'S FUTURE IS REALITY: MUST READ

VICARIOUS

Blair Wins Trident Nuclear Arsenal Vote

The British Government has won a parliamentary vote to update the nation's nuclear arsenal, despite warnings that it would give a green light to nations such as Iran to develop their own nuclear weapons.

In a vote that fractured Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labor Party and led to warnings of a new nuclear arms race, the House of Commons voted 409 to 161 to approve the $50-billion overhaul of the nation's Trident missile "nuclear deterrent," the network of submarine-launched ballistic missiles the government said must remain a backbone of the nation's security over the next 50 years.

This vote is for the design and concept stage on the new weapons and there will be further parliamentary votes when contracts are negotiated for work to begin in 2012.The new system is expected to last until 2024. So clearly the British aren't concerned about spending 50 Billion on renewable energy, Climate Change Research or De-Arming the world for a better safer future.

Nope, its back to the fear propaganda age of the cold war. where we "need" WMD's to "protect" us from the evil doers .... terrorists .... arabs ... men in red ... who else is on this daily list they keep feeding us. This all coming from one of the superpowers that wish to "disarm" North Korea and Iran. the pot calling the kettle black ?

"I think it's right we take the decision now to begin work on replacing the Trident nuclear submarines. I think that is essential for our security in an uncertain world, I believe it is important that we recognise that although it is impossible to predict the future, the one thing ... that is certain, is the unpredictability of it."
Tony Blair
March 14th.

LA TIMES FULL STORY

GREENPEACE PROTEST

GREENPEACE UK.

Who Said Drugs Were Bad ?

Net of Being
by Alex Grey
2002-2006
Oil on linen

For several years, Alex Grey has been working on a major 7.5 foot by 15 foot painting called Net of Being. Related to Grey's series of painted and sculpted "universal beings" created since 1999, the Net of Being establishes a new order of infinite space composed of and continuous with infinite consciousness. A fiery web of eyes and galaxies form a realm of total interconnectedness in an x-y-z axis grid of Godheads, implying mirror-like inter-reflectivity throughout space. The viewer peers up into the necks of the next higher level of Godheads. The shared heart of each four-faced Quad God sheds an eerie underlight, as a ball of white light inside each head sources luminosity for a level above and beyond sight. Through light, the head and heart are merged in a mesh evocative of the mythic Jewel Net of Indra or Buddhafields from the Avatamsaka Sutra.

Adam Jones, the guitar and art wizard of TOOL saw Alex's early drawings for the Net of Being back in 2002, and he expressed a strong interest in the image at that time. Grey is extremely honored to have his painting grace the cover and interior of TOOL's historic package of their staggering new album, 10,000 Days.

Like "Net of Being," Grey's paintings typically start with a vision, which he turns into a pencil sketch and later a painting that can measure five feet by 10 feet.
"Something like a psychic FedEx just kind of gets inserted in your mind," Grey said.
The process can take six months to a year, and the visions are often inspired by experiences Grey has after taking psychedelic drugs. He said he has used LSD within the last year while working on a painting of the drug's creator Albert Hofmann.

The result is incredibly vivid and geometrically intricate work that centers on the human body, with visible sinews, organs or blood vessels and electric auras. The work has drawn a loyal following to Grey's work and made fans of musicians like Kurt Cobain and the members of Tool."After we're all gone and in 300 years or 500 years, Alex will be a master. He, right now, is a modern master to me," Jones said.

ALEX GREY HOMEPAGE

FULL STORY

Fahrenheit 203

Last couple of days ive noticed this has beamed into my room / studio / office / spider hole. it lasts a simple mere 4.75 mins. you blink too fast and its over. but when it hits its like the powers that be shine a mini supernova my way.

as i slave away on work its a reminder to get out once in a while. we forget how much we miss out there. these photos are of course looking towards the new hotel chains near Burswood in East Perth, across the Swan River. as the sun sets to the west it amazingly hits these giant glass towers to beam its remaining energy into my view. somehow im just at the precise angle that its reflected for me, without any diversions by the City centre behind me.

light finds a way....
back to the spider hole til easter.
posting continues as per usual. thankyou so much for your interactions and thought joustings. this is the purpose of this place. share and interact. thankyou.

S.

The Rabbit Hole. . ..

"There are two things you need if you are to uncover and communicate what is really happening in the world. One is to be free of any dogmatic belief system. The second is not to give a damn what people think and say about you, or, at least, not to let that influence your decisions.

Without number one you will never go into the bizarre areas that are necessary to understand the forces that control this planet. Once you are faced with information that demolishes your belief system you will begin to edit what you have discovered and refuse to go where it is taking you.

Without number two, you will never communicate what you have found because you will be terrified of the consequences for you from the reaction of your friends, family and the public in general."

David Icke
January 1st 2001

Just listened to a C2C show with David Icke as a guest. He is a leader in the "Truth Movement" wave of the new century. Much like his peers in Alex Jones and Jim Marrs, he seeks the truth surrounding the core notions of "Why we are here", and How we have been fooled to believe in our 9-5 daily normal existance when there is so much more to our reality and purpose". Often ridiculed for his drastic extra terestrial theories. If nothing else his views and information should be seen as the grey that makes up the black and white we are told. its another source to digest and make up your own conclusions on. promoting you to think.

mind blowing to say the least. i will be making copies of the show and sending it out to those that want to hear. i'll post some more on Davids work in the coming week. Rich this is a 2 hour C2C show that i think you will love, and flows directly into your recent posts and thoughts.

more to come, i'll leave you with these thoughts from The Matrix.
"... I'm trying to free your mind, Neo. But I can only show you the door. You're the
one that has to walk through it."

Zero-Emission Vehicle !

The future is on the Cutting Edge. its no longer 50 years away, its now. Is it even possible to comprehend? Could we actually power veichles without fossil fuels? Could we drive that car of our on water?

YES. simple as that.
introducing the latest car to run on Hydrogen. The Honda FCX. now think ... this has been around since the 80s, developed to this level since 2002, why is this not main stream news?

The only emission that the FCX produces is water vapor. That's because a revolutionary technology allows the FCX to power its motor with electricity generated from a hydrogen-oxygen chemical reaction. With a maximum output of 80 horsepower and 201 Lb.-ft. of torque, the FCX has responsive acceleration that is ideal for city driving.

In July 2002, Honda's FCX was certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB), making it the first and only fuel cell car in history to be approved for commercial use. CARB and the EPA have also certified the FCX as a Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV), Tier-2 Bin 1. !

The FCX Concept boasts an energy efficiency number of about 60 percent. This means that 60 percent of the energy produced by the fuel cell makes it to the FCX's wheels!. By comparison, gasoline-only-powered cars have an energy efficiency of about 20 percent while gas/electric hybrids are slightly better at around 30 percent.

There will be a financial cost to change, but isn't that cost worth our lives? our futures? our childrens futures. Stop thinking about your bank balance, Start thinking about what you can do to save the next generations future. Educate yourself and start with small steps. Visit the PlanetArk Australian website and see what you can implement in your own homes and business's.


THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY! think green

HONDA FCX DETAILS

HONDA FCX REVIEW

RECYCLE REUSE REDUCE

PLANETARK

CUTTING ROOM FLOOR ...

*Adopts a David Attenborough Tone*
Curiously ... here, we watch the great homodomoape.
aftering sitting in the wild grasslands of the great african lanscapes we finally managed to capture this rare footage. Never before seen audio and video, enlighten us on the closest relative we have in the global ecosystem ... Fascinating as we take you now to "Conversations with Homodomoapes .."




[right homodomoape] "Steve, ... psst Stevo, i think we're being watched again man. bloody humans and their reality documentaries. I mean i was just saying to Janice the other day that Billy should never have been kicked out of Big Brother for eating his own fleas..."
[left homodomoape] "Dave, ...."
[right homodomoape] "Yeh Stevie Devie? want me to scratch your back?"
[left homodomoape] "You say one more word and i swear i'll use this pebble here to knock some sense into you... Wait, that would be evolution talking again."



[right homodomoape] "now, i know i left my car keys somewhere round here last night ..." "maybe if i pretend to look the other way, they will magically fall out of your rear."



[right homodomoape] "somebody say .... LEAPFROG!!!"
[middle homodomoape] "im gonna regret this in the morning ... wait, it is the morning... oh boy."
[left homodomoape] "guess that's what happens when you loose your car keys and someone yells leapfrog eh. A brothers gotta know when to shake and bake i guess"


*random shots from the gamepark 2006. sorting photos for a design project, these guys just struck my funny bone.*

Positive Polarity

Something to refresh the senses, remind us how lucky we are to be here.

KONABOY'S PHOTOS
Pete's photos have so much depth and beauty to them. His keen eye for detail and immense technical ability truly bring his photography to the highest level, sure some could argue that it's hard to take a bad picture in hawaii, but his photos are more than just sunsets and pretty flowers, they're intricate, crisp looks into the unseen flora and fauna of his surroundings.

His unique perspectives give a fresh look at frequently photographed things and I cannot praise his work enough. He truly embodies flickr's spirit and is my absolute favorite photographer in this online community. everytime I visit his stream, I always end up getting lost in the images for hours and come with 15 new favorites. Bravo Pete and keep up the exquisite work!

JOIN FLICKR