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Reminiscing

As you do … on cheap electricity and a gas-led climate emergency.

The late, great John Clarke, together with fellow comedian, Bryan Dawe, explain Australia’s energy market. [Videos might only be available to Australian audiences.]

But don’t mention the planet.

You have to wonder if those companies with large long term contracts for electricity are paying proportionately much less than small users of electricity? It would make sense. Discounts for bulk purchases are pretty standard, aren’t they? I wonder if small users are thereby subsidising the big users? Do we know by how much? On top of that, the Australian government has committed $600 million to fund a new gas-fired power station to boost capacity when domestic demand and hence, gas prices. peak. As gas is expensive and government will want to reduce the budget deficit incurred from the pandemic (including clawing back the cost of its gas-led recovery investments), it doesn’t sound like future electricity prices will be minimised. Maybe this will just spur more businesses and individuals to go off-grid? That is likely to make it even more expensive for those who can’t afford to make that switch. It doesn’t seem to be a win for the hip pocket or the planet. Who does win then?

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Celebration Of Country And Culture

Welcome to my regular Friday song/tune day, ladies and gentlemen, where I pick a piece of music that reflects my mood or the times, to share with you.

It is NAIDOC Week in Australia. During NAIDOC week, celebrations are held across Australia to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) peoples. There are around 500 First Nations groups, each with their own culture, language, beliefs and practices. I think we should celebrate NAIDOC week with a couple of songs, but before we do, I would like to acknowledge and pay my respects to the traditional custodians of the land where I live, the Ngunnawal people.

It was a difficult choice as there are so many wonderful performers from which to choose, but today I have decided to go with Emily Wurramara’s wonderful performance at TEDx, of three songs – Black Smoke, Hey Love and Ngerraberrakernama – from her first album. Since some of my fellow Aussies are in lockdown this weekend, I chose this longer video, rather than limiting my choice to just one song. Ms Wurramara takes inspiration from family and childhood home of Bickerton (Milyakburra in language) and Groote Eyelandt in the Top End. I think we all want to go there. I hope you enjoy.

Take care, everyone. For those Aussies stranded overseas, I hope you will soon be able to return home.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

Photo credit: NASA astronaut image of Bickerton Island in Australia, Wiki Commons

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Rocky Times

Welcome to my regular Friday song/tune day, ladies and gentlemen, where I pick a piece of music that reflects my mood or the times, to share with you.

Photo by Scott Webb on Pexels.com

What a rocky week it has been. In North America, record breaking heatwave exacerbated by climate change is killing people, flora and fauna, as well as damaging infrastructure and disrupting economic activity. In Australia, the national government announced it will provide a loan to a private company, Pembroke Resources (established 2014), for a new metallurgical coal mining project. The mine will have an operating life of 80 years. Pembroke Resources is owned by US private equity firm, Denham Capital. No pesky shareholders or bankers to worry about, but who is going to insure a project like that? Do Australian governments (there is bipartisan support for coal projects) really not care about the damage that our addiction to coal is causing? I wonder if all our fire fighters are vaccinated now in case they are called to help fight fires overseas this year?

Let’s not go there. It is too depressing.

However, since we are chatting about rocks, I learnt from another blogger, Martha Kennedy, that Colorado town, Crestone, is known for its geology and for the discovery of a partially mummified body of a cult leader at the town (see here). I guess it is pretty dry in Crestone. The name of the cult group is called “Love Has Won”. So naturally, I thought of the song, Love On The Rocks, written by Neil Diamond and Gilbert Bécaud. You thought that too, didn’t you? Anyway, it is my choice for Friday song day. Enjoy.

Cheers.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

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The Changing Seasons – June 2021

Canberra (Australia) – I’m so cold, oh so cold!

I felt anxious and grey during June, perhaps mirroring the inclement winter weather and the times, but here I am, on the eve of July. Soon the wattle will be blooming gold and the landscape will extrude from its current camo coat of green and brown.

I barely managed to pick up the camera but spurred on by my supporters, the crested pigeons, I began. Fluffed up, a crested pigeon warms up in a pocket of sun.

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Timing

Welcome to my regular Friday song/tune day, ladies and gentlemen, where I pick a piece of music that reflects my mood or the times, to share with you.

The people of eastern Australia spent another week on tenterhooks with coronavirus hotspots popping up across three states. Unvaccinated people took to their doonas or had parties, including at one state parliament house. I do note however that many health workers have been vaccinated so that is good news. Let the good times roll. In other news, one political party in a governing coalition had a leadership challenge while the leader of the other party in that coalition was in quarantine after returning from o/s. Yep, things are almost back to normal downunder. I imagine that developments overseas are just as challenging to the collective psyche. I don’t know about you, but I need to chill out. Let music fill the chamber, so to speak.

We can still make beautiful music if we work together. We can worry about the rakali another day (in joke).

Here is one of my favourite pieces – Ravel, Introduction and Allegro for flute, clarinet, harp and string quartet, performed by L’Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. Enjoy.

Take care, everyone. Peace.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

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A Water Birth

There is nothing like the Lens Artist Photo Challenge to make me feel all philosophical. This week’s theme is It’s A Wonderful World. I have decided to focus on water because water is awesome. It’s essential to our being. Earth is the only terrestrial planet in our solar system that has liquid water at its surface.

Apart from Antarctica, Australia is the continent with the least rainfall. At the first hint of rain at the end of the recent horror drought in south-eastern Australia, swarms of flies emerged to drink from the puddles in still dry dams. How awesome is that?

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My Measure

The other day, my little dog chewed my eraser and ruler. She’s so adorable. It was her way of saying “Get my breakfast or pay the price.” My True Love (TL) joked that she had my measure. Unfortunately, he’s the one that has my measure.

My TL says that I am like a fierce little dog. When the little dog sees a person (in my case, a government spokesperson) walking past the house, a frisson of excitement issues from the little dog as it prepares to take on its larger foe and a volley of furious barking ensues. The little dog is so proud when its barking sends off the (completely oblivious) offender. It’s sport, it’s fun. Okay, I do admit to getting rather furious in defense of my position (ie. good public policy). However, sometimes a little impulse control wouldn’t go astray. So I’ve amended my last blog post so that it is more in keeping with a calmer, bigger dog.

Notice too, how I’ve issued this advice/apology on a Saturday when there are fewer passers-by (readers).

Woof, woof.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

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Bizarrely Enough

Welcome to my regular Friday song/tune day, ladies and gentlemen, where I pick a piece of music that reflects my mood or the times, to share with you.

I have amended this blog post because I was rather unfair in some respects.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has revised its advice on the AstraZeneca Covid 19 vaccine in response to new vaccine safety concerns. it has been recommended that administration of the AZ vaccine be suspended for the 50-59 age group. This group should instead have the Pfizer vaccine (excepting those who have already had their first dose without incident). The AZ vaccine is still recommended for those above 60 years of age. See here for the ATAGI advice.

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Collective Narcissism

Revisiting the archive while I have some downtime.

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WordPress Daily Prompt  —  Narcissism

There are some of us who avoid the news, and some who, for many reasons, have restricted access to news.  I live in a country where the news is very parochial and sometimes it seems that we are caught up in a kind of collective narcissism.   

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