tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171583362024-03-07T16:44:38.204+11:00cookie loves cakecookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-76169831850496931862010-04-02T08:08:00.004+11:002010-04-05T07:28:53.548+10:00Returning South - Operation Waltzing Matilda<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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After spending the year in dock fixing up damage from last years campaign, a two month tour of Australian ports then a month of final preparation in Fremantle.. we were ready. A patched up hull, a new water cannon, and months worth of maintenance on everything from the leaky bridge windows to emptying, chipping and painting the very murky muddy depths of the chain locker.<br />
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Stocked up and full of secrets and excitement we dropped the lines and headed south. The biggest secret was of course the new super tough ship, the Bob Barker, who were were going to meet up with in Antarctica. <br />
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It all started sooner than expected when just a day out of port a ship appeared behind us on the radar, matching our speed and course. It had been lurking on the edge of Australian and International waters and fell in behind us heading south. It was the, now famous for its psychotic ramming tendencies, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Sh%C5%8Dnan_Maru_2">Shonan Maru No. 2</a>. The Shonan Maru is an old harpoon ship, and faster than the Steve Irwin, so we could not out run it and a problem for us at it could relay our co-ordinates to the whaling fleet so they could steer clear of us.<br />
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So to keep them from getting to close we set up a stern line ready to deploy of the back of the ship to keep those harpoon ships at bay. We used this tactic successfully last year several times <a href="http://animal.discovery.com/videos/whale-wars-the-stern-line-strategy.html">last year</a> (<a href="http://animal.discovery.com/videos/whale-wars-the-stern-line-strategy.html">link is to an Animal Planet 'out take about this - My only screen time!</a>). A few days later the helicopter had just landed after a reconnaissance mission and the heli-deck team were getting the blades off, the Shonan Maru No. 2 powered up its engines and came in on the attack, trying to hit and disable the chopper with its water cannons. A few of us sprinted to the aft deck and as the Shonan Maru approached we got our stern line out and watched the Shonan Maru suddenly drop speed and back off. HA! But apart from that and a few more times when they came aggressively close to attempt to intimidate us (HA! again) things were too quiet for us with them on our tail.<br />
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The next week followed days of preparing nice little surprises for the fleet and final training on launching the boats. We have the boat launching down this year, with new attachment points for the handling lines welded to the ship and new gear, and lots of training for the crew lead to much smother controlled launching of the boats and hopefully less dramatic scene of the boats swinging about on 'Whale Wars'.<br />
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<b>Cape Dennison</b><br />
After an usually calm crossing of the southern ocean we reached the Antarctic coast, we saw some amazing icebergs, Orcas swam by the ship and the great continent's ice cliffs loomed.<br />
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We were waiting for the Ady Gill to catch us up so we had a day to wait out, so we headed into the near by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_Bay">Commonwealth Bay</a> and dropped Anchor at Cape Dennison late into the never darkening night under the midnight sun. A few hours later started a fantastic 'Day off' in Antarctica that was a welcome break and adventure.<br />
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Cape Dennison is the windiest place on earth, but luck was with us as the ocean was flat glassy calm and the sun was shining.<br />
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The Day started with a swim with the penguins. Leaping of the ship then hitting that point of no return, that short but acute moment where you are in mid-air and yet to plunge into icy depths of the Antarctic ocean, overshadowed by the crumbling ice cliffs of the continent edge, and you wonder how much of a good idea this really was and can you change your mind? Oh Crap. Then just as quick your submerged and it all goes very primal and there is no thought at all apart from cold.. get out.. cold.. get out.. cold..<br />
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We had made some friends over the radio with scientists and archaeologists working ashore who had seen this strange ship come in and anchor, who figured that the only Black ship in these waters had to be Sea Shepherd and called us. We got the Delta in the water and got ready to for one of the crew who parachuted out of the helicopter and landed on the ship, it looked way off at first, but he'd he made the impossible looking jump perfectly and didn't end up taking a second dip of the day!<br />
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After that we made landfall, and we got to walk out on the icy shores of Antarctica! A total lifelong dream come true. The approach to the bay was surreal and exciting, we passed little bergs a few of meters away with Adele penguins hanging out in the flows, while others bobbed in and out of the water. The surrounding rocks were home to a large penguin colony and the water was full of leaping darting shapes. Out on the land they really are the most adorable clumsy folk. They waddle about and fall over so often that sometimes they just push themselves around on the ice on their bellys like they cant be bothered to get back up again. I took about a hundred penguin photos, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/">every one a cutie</a>! It was strange to be looking through a camera lens at things I'd only seem before in National Geographic, or with David Atonbrough narrating.<br />
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The folks there were restoring <a href="http://www.mawsons-huts.org.au/">Mawsons Hut</a> an old frozen hut from explorers in 1912, there was still food, books, magazines and smelling salts preserved by the ice. By coincidence Dan and I had seen an <a href="http://www.mawsons-huts.org.au/cms/images/historical-images/">exhibition of photos</a> from the Original mission in Hobart about six months ago, and never thought we would be walking into the original hut and seeing the darkroom used by the photographer still there 100 years later.<br />
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Scientists working there had been struggling to retrieve a tidal data collector five meters under the water in the bay, so a couple of our divers plunged out of the delta while we looked on from above... brrr. After a search it was found and we hauled it up from the depths, mission accomplished. On the way into shore a confused penguin jumped out of the water and into the delta landing on my foot, it thought we were an iceberg, we had to help it back into the sea.<br />
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So.. long day on the ice and the water, stomping in the snow, cruising under ice cliffs, driving the delta around chunks of ice in the water and I now look like a genuine Antarctic explorer with a glowing red wind and sun burned face and white goggle eyes... Very cool.<br />
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Then we set off for a midnight rendezvous with the Ady Gill... where we sent over supplies before heading back to port to shake our spy-ship tail and refuel.<br />
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We were almost back to the Antarctic continent from refuelling in Hobart when the news came through, slowly in rumours that spread around the ship from group to group, from the bridge out to the deck where we were preparing our 'gifts' for the whaling fleet, across the dishes, around the tea time que for the toaster, a head stuck around the galley door... "The Ady Gill been rammed" "Oh that doesn't sound good" "How bad?" "The bow have been completely seared off!" " Jesus!" " Are they OK?" "How are the crew" "Is the Bob there?" "Have they been rescued?" "Is is sinking?" "Are they leaking fuel?" "It was totally the Shonan Maru No. 2's fault" "They were trying to kill them!"<br />
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We started heading to their position full speed. Finally the sad news came in that our new funky James Bond-esque speed boat had gone down. Luckily, apart from some painful broken ribs, all the crew were OK. Before it sank they had managed a through salvage operation and pulled up most of the gear, and most importantly all the fuel was pumped off so it didn't end up in the ocean. Our new secret ship, the Bob Barker was on the scene and handling the rescue.<br />
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The Nisshin Maru factory ship, who the Ady Gill had been following, had done a runner in the chaos and could be back to business chopping up whales so we broke of from joining the rescue and started to chase after them around the Antarctic continent for nearly two weeks to keep them running and not whaling. We sailed for days and days leaving the world behind us, ending up in one of the remotest places you could be, as close to Rio de Janeiro as to Fremantle. Rio or Freo?<br />
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We searched the ice edge, where the nutrients off the continent mean more krill for the whales to eat. More eyes peeled, and off work folks adding to the eyes on the bridge looking out for the fleet. We were searching around the Amery Ice Shelf before we had to turn back.<br />
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We had got word that the Bob Needed help with some mechanical problems, the Ady Gill shipwreck survivors need to get back to land and our chopper was sick and needed replacement parts. So we were to help out and head back to land. However the Bob was being tailed and we didn't want to meet up where the spy-ships could harass us, so it was decided to meet at the mysterious fog shrouded islands of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerguelen_Islands">Kerguelen</a>, in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Being of French territory the Japanese Harpoon ships would not enter, so we could sneak in before the Bob arrived and not get spotted, and then both ships could sneak out in the fog and get away.<br />
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<b>Kerguelen</b><br />
We approached Kerguelen at dawn, surrounded in a shroud of orangey pink mist. We headed for a sheltered harbour we entered the mouth of bay, the only hint of land being lines of solid green blobs on the radar. A pair of <a href="http://www.whale-web.com/dolphins/commerson.html">Commerson Dolphins</a> spot us and start to ride our bow and within minuets others are hurtling out of the fog from all directions till we have about twelve of them playfully escorting us in. Now we are totally surrounded by mountains, but still all is pinky grey as still we are shrouded by fog. Then dark and pointy peaks start to appear in the mist then we brake through the wall of fog to see high snow capped alpine peaks and volcanic calderas and rocky lava plug peaks. Again we were very lucky with the weather, as most days of the year the islands is shrouded completely in fog and its rare to ever see the mountains. The bay is filled with the barks of mammoth fighting elephant seals, the calls of circling birds and chirps of penguins swimming by. Some of the remotes islands of Earth, shrouded in fog; what a place for a secret rendezvous.<br />
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A few hours later the Bob arrived, first we see it on the radar, hidden by the same wall of fog in which we arrived, then we were in range of our handheld radios and familiar voices come over the airwaves. Jibbing them about having just got out of the shower (their water maker was struggling in the Antarctic waters and they were on major restrictions and had not had showers or clean clothes for weeks!). Eyes peeled most of the crew were out on the decks waiting for that first glimpse of the ship we'd heard so much about. Then after what seemed forever a dark and craggy shape started emerging out of the fog looking just like the 'Black Pearl' from the pirates of the Caribbean.<br />
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We moored up together for twelve hours of loading across barrels, gear, water and crew. Before a crazy storm blew up and in howling winds separated the two ships and got ready to depart.<br />
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My story ends here as after 12 of the 15 months on the ship, 2 campagains and a Dry-docking it was time for a break..<br />
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The final third leg ended up being full of action... with both the Bob Barker and the Steve Irwin catching the fleet and keeping on their tail for 3 more weeks, this up close and stinky. The now-sunk Ady Gill captain Pete Bethune succeeding in a very daring night time boarding of the Shonan Maru No. 2 by jet ski - then lurking unnoticed on the ship for 90 minuets till dawn before knocking on the bridge door with a bill for the sinking of his ship, being taken prisoner and back to Japan. <a href="http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-100308-1.html">A very successful summer in Antarctica</a>.<br />
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Check my <a href="http://cookielovescake.blogspot.com/2010/04/battle-in-antartica-operation-musashi.html">Operation Musashi blog</a> for more about the whaling fleet, what they do and about last year where I was more in the thick of the action - And my <a href="http://cookielovescake.blogspot.com/2010/04/chipping-grinding-painting-dry-docking.html">Drydock blog</a> where we were all very in the thick of the rust action!<br />
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Check out my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/collections/72157623598577140/">Sea Shepherd & Antarctica photos on flickr.</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.seashpherd.org/">www.seashpherd.org</a></div>cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com46tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-53178467616927439942010-04-02T07:57:00.006+11:002010-04-02T23:13:04.415+11:00Chipping, grinding & painting - Dry-docking the Steve Irwin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDbAS1OX3aJmmV-uy9-F4j0F7kMJJCOJFNNHm6XjXWBo6Rb0fNS98yQcKkR94t-0p41lTuQKqhMNttYMhYXE_BzZ8F5uguB5QiNQ_Zxfzb-lZUXCf0Ddx_TqrBlg6P4OIXgmQ/s1600/drydock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDbAS1OX3aJmmV-uy9-F4j0F7kMJJCOJFNNHm6XjXWBo6Rb0fNS98yQcKkR94t-0p41lTuQKqhMNttYMhYXE_BzZ8F5uguB5QiNQ_Zxfzb-lZUXCf0Ddx_TqrBlg6P4OIXgmQ/s400/drydock.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>"LUNCH TIME!!" Brent's head emerges out of the chain locker hatch, spatted with brown drips and chips of rust, dripping wet, with a big grin. He'd been busy blasting away layers of thirty years of rust and mud from ocean bottoms worldwide from the walls of the chain locker.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZIreQQnqQLXfAVdukz1an31cSofFUOMk03ckntX9fEjPHjQ-X2mCHntHaTZSewUm0dT7OACksWDtPHRNZSxi84Wq9QDoZPrb9wEZaVyKsC7XEemAMwJwxKy_ZbqmQUwzlSXY/s1600/inthehole.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZIreQQnqQLXfAVdukz1an31cSofFUOMk03ckntX9fEjPHjQ-X2mCHntHaTZSewUm0dT7OACksWDtPHRNZSxi84Wq9QDoZPrb9wEZaVyKsC7XEemAMwJwxKy_ZbqmQUwzlSXY/s320/inthehole.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Out on deck Tor, James and Elle were tiptoeing on clean grey primer in socks, painting a coat of black topcoat and scattering grit to anti-slip the deck. Brushes were quickly wrapped and paint capped to rush below, as the smells drifting up through the vents from the galley had been getting stomachs grumbling for hours since the 7am start. The smell of evaporating thinners almost indistinguishable into the background through familiarity. "Pies, its totally pies!" "Nah Pizza" "Just you wait, Pies ".<br />
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Heading down the weatherdecks for the Aft hatch a shower of sparks from the monkey deck above dodged and a wave yo to Rich grinding away at the radar platform.."Lunch!" is mimed and eh sets down his grinder and starts to clamber down.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHKkdHyRonxjNAUEaJVuSGHinQQ5PV-eS9l44skYr1t7sjg3bqoal3XmCGNTc5xtL71YjJQhFTJ8jzb2q3XsyjLfKYXzfXMDjKP307uTJygdT6KriujnsKsxEmjZxf5tUUsM1/s1600/weld.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHKkdHyRonxjNAUEaJVuSGHinQQ5PV-eS9l44skYr1t7sjg3bqoal3XmCGNTc5xtL71YjJQhFTJ8jzb2q3XsyjLfKYXzfXMDjKP307uTJygdT6KriujnsKsxEmjZxf5tUUsM1/s320/weld.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Still the whole ship vibrates, the noise is grating and you can hear it in every cabin, every hold, Ear defenders are needed to even approach the aft deck, as Dan oblivious in his ear defenders and protective gear ,had his head down with the Needle gun chipping away old paint and rust on the aft deck. I crouch in front of him and wave, and he stops and the whole ship sighs in relief.<br />
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Hands and faces washed, overalls and boots off and a hungry bunch of deckhands pile into the mess to see what Laura had for us. Its Pies!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKcfe66ECPdmc25NliV8IVHSXcX7iDWgxTr4zp-YChhZzPAQUOWu3W4eN4xCKdAgcpUYLMQV7_XmHUqt1b51IHSJ0vMXKvnGKNXbWJVLYDTQvsB8a9qYCsS7ohTthVWcL5GHJ-/s1600/upslip.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKcfe66ECPdmc25NliV8IVHSXcX7iDWgxTr4zp-YChhZzPAQUOWu3W4eN4xCKdAgcpUYLMQV7_XmHUqt1b51IHSJ0vMXKvnGKNXbWJVLYDTQvsB8a9qYCsS7ohTthVWcL5GHJ-/s320/upslip.JPG" /></a></div><br />
The Steve Irwin was up out the water at Brisbane slipways getting overhauled and repaired. The Biggest repair being the huge gash in the hull from the collision with the Yusshin Maru no3.<br />
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Between the campaigns we had a core team of 10-15 folks grinding, chipping, waterblasting, scrubbing, welding, painting and cooking to get the ship fixed and ready for the next campagain.<br />
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This is a slideshow of some of the work done on the ship. Its much better to music (but that infringes copyright) Play some in the background (I'd recommend Morcheba 'The sea' and then The Rolling stones 'Paint it black' for the boat-deck section.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzxtq0OTnktD-1qhwOMNbO_lXjM5Xc9DDAXPCwNKPJdYvPQAIZ4xOmSolXOcQHmp-jW77iNODDu1lARwB-IlmtcdBdCNHZSNtL5Ypw4y0oQzBkgwYw5QukDSphzV6BYMH0FJ5/s1600/ship_final_clean_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzxtq0OTnktD-1qhwOMNbO_lXjM5Xc9DDAXPCwNKPJdYvPQAIZ4xOmSolXOcQHmp-jW77iNODDu1lARwB-IlmtcdBdCNHZSNtL5Ypw4y0oQzBkgwYw5QukDSphzV6BYMH0FJ5/s400/ship_final_clean_sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.seashepherd.org/">www.seashepherd.org</a><br />
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Check out my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/collections/72157623598577140/">Sea Shepherd & Antarctica photos on flickr.</a><br />
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</div>cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com54tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-5880982856751115952010-04-02T07:53:00.004+11:002010-04-02T08:31:42.698+11:00Battle in Antartica - Operation Musashi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBySU9UZpbu5Xpr15HHTfxa0v5p8eyY5wJ6c5Ic4SxhSF1nqHXGWdytuc6mkCvA_6QfD-_kUu7clCjWld0jloOoM8j4AzLpYmzFTG-T3hlHNGCQwpdsJziFkQo_PHlIiuznCw/s1600/boatssnow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBySU9UZpbu5Xpr15HHTfxa0v5p8eyY5wJ6c5Ic4SxhSF1nqHXGWdytuc6mkCvA_6QfD-_kUu7clCjWld0jloOoM8j4AzLpYmzFTG-T3hlHNGCQwpdsJziFkQo_PHlIiuznCw/s400/boatssnow.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>A quiet but urgent knock at the door wakes me and through the sleepy haze I hear Amber's voice "they have a whale. they are whaling". The Adrenaline kicks in, gets me up, into my thermals, mustang suit, neck-warmer, hats, gloves, boots and down to all the deck dept. cabins to wake the crew. We can't let them get away with this. We had been close on the tail of the fleeing the Factory ship for 3200 kilometres, stopping them whaling and keeping them on the run, but today is different. No one has ever tried to whale in front of <a href="http://www.seashepherd.org/">Sea Shepherd</a> in its thirty year history, but today they thought they would give it a go. A mistake they will come to regret.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZkZ6-kg39haFk0Brj2Y0xDdfsspHm5_K7_N0ajCYrTMJf1AAHI9QmBhTuWSLq2Zs9BPGzreY5Xx8PD7djfZDDI4Yeaqam7d3hKTzXDgbTwazNdiM9QLJCcF1iKvL_JUeJ9Fr/s1600/antartica02waypoints.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZkZ6-kg39haFk0Brj2Y0xDdfsspHm5_K7_N0ajCYrTMJf1AAHI9QmBhTuWSLq2Zs9BPGzreY5Xx8PD7djfZDDI4Yeaqam7d3hKTzXDgbTwazNdiM9QLJCcF1iKvL_JUeJ9Fr/s320/antartica02waypoints.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Each year between december and march Japan's <a href="http://weblog.greenpeace.org/oceandefenders/archive/2007/02/fleet_family_snapshot.html">whaling fleet</a> hunts whales in Antarctica with the aim of killing around a thousand lives. Their 'catch' comprises of Minke, Fin and Hump backed whales with the Minke making up the majority.<br />
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Japans whaling fleet is the last of it's kind, being a Pelagic (Deep sea) whaling fleet with a factory ship at its heart. The factory or slaughter ship is the '<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/02/15/1171405329747.html?from=top5">Nisshin Maru</a>' is accompanied by three Harpoon or killer ships named '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%ABshin_Maru_No._2">Yushin Maru</a>' No.s 1,2 and 3. The 'Yushins' are very fast and manoverable. These four ships catch, kill and butcher the whales. The process is highly industrial. A killer ship will harpoon a whale and kill it. This often takes more than twenty minuets using explosive harpoons and high powered rifles, as whales are very large animals and not easy to kill. Once dead the whale is tied alongside the kill ship and towed to the waiting Nisshin Maru. A winch cable is given to the killer ship by the Nisshin Maru and attached to the dead whale, then the whale is hauled up the Nisshin Maru' massive slipway. The whales carcass is butchered by a team using knifes on pole arms called flensing knifes and powered winches to pull apart the flesh.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTs9YlVMePsECNmukI8pPrhGijJZyP1JSOlTCghZ8hyfX213FOqH4cGAUn8JDcEw5Vi5fusJKJDxxTX5gkkJyDx6e3o2RZKKx6KfbjseL2DmtrRNRf2KON0qUS5L70Z0Az2pZ/s1600/whale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTs9YlVMePsECNmukI8pPrhGijJZyP1JSOlTCghZ8hyfX213FOqH4cGAUn8JDcEw5Vi5fusJKJDxxTX5gkkJyDx6e3o2RZKKx6KfbjseL2DmtrRNRf2KON0qUS5L70Z0Az2pZ/s400/whale.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Assisting and supporting the fleet are a number of other ships. Two spotter vessels operate nearby <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFG5W_CxTp4">Kaiko Maru</a> and report the location of pods of whales and the position of Krill blooms. The spotters are the '<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFG5W_CxTp4">Kaiko </a>' and 'kyoshin maru no. 2' although other ships have filled this role. These ships are converted fishing vessels with very high masts and crows nests used for spotting. The fleet is also supported by a tanker vessel 'Hiyo Maru' formally '<a href="http://entrenessaonda.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/a-greenpeace-inflatable-boat-t.jpg">Oriental Bluebird</a>.' It's role is to resupply the fleet with fuel and take delivery of processed whale products.<br />
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All the ships of the fleet are own by Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha, Ltd and operated by the <a href="http://www.icrwhale.org/eng-index.htm">Institute of Cetaceans Research</a>. In recent years The fleet has expanded to include ships who's purpose has been as security for the fleet.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecaC7x3-0bbl5jtqXELcakgnP-T4_Mlarp2oe-Brw5nBZFbIWHMcgQBp7K7F0qbC19SwV384q-DGM3t1arni4f3v8CepDNUDgRpLDBKOlvqq33ip38XIdHjp_vII3cF0gh9c8/s1600/antartica08_harpoon_ships.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecaC7x3-0bbl5jtqXELcakgnP-T4_Mlarp2oe-Brw5nBZFbIWHMcgQBp7K7F0qbC19SwV384q-DGM3t1arni4f3v8CepDNUDgRpLDBKOlvqq33ip38XIdHjp_vII3cF0gh9c8/s320/antartica08_harpoon_ships.jpg" /></a></div><br />
It was a long day, filled with crazy adrenaline highs that once have abated you think you can't take another, like watching a whole series do 24 back to back, but you are actually there.<br />
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One of these moments was when I was inside just heading back to the deck when I heard the Nisshin Maru's horn blow way to loud. Totally-utterly-right next-to-you loud. WHAT?! I sprinted out of the aft hatch to see the bow of the massive Nisshin Maru tower over us actually overhanging the heli-deck on the back of the Steve Irwin. It passed by us with just a whisper to spare. Everyones faces were white as sheets, especially the pilot and cameraman who had been in the chopper at the time. A few seconds different and we could have all been scrabbling for life-rafts, if we even had that much time.<br />
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It started to feel like one of those old airplane dogfights, where we were the underdog. We were chasing the Nisshin Maru, with 3 harpoon ships circling us and cutting in front of us to try and lead us away from the Nisshin Maru so they could slip another whale in, and us sticking behind the NM like a dog with a bone. I'd be busy sorting something on the deck, look up and whooah! there's a harpoon ship just meters away baring down on us.<br />
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The Harpoon ships managed to get another whale to the Nisshin Maru and we just missed blocking the transfer. We needed a little more speed to keep up with the harpoon ships. The engine room was belching dark oily air and the ship groaned and shuddered and we raced to catch the ships. We were right up close to the Factory ship as it pulled the Minkie whale up its slipway. You see the images so many time on the TV but seeing the same thing for real is so different. I will never forget seeing that newly killed Minkie body being dragged up the slipway into the factory, or the red of blood and guts come poring out of the ships scuppers into the sea as they cut it up.<br />
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It was a long day. The first two whales got passed us and we were too far away to do anything about it but the next three were hard fought for and it took the fleet fourteen hours to transfer them. If the whale is not butchered soon after it is killed the meat spoils and loses its value. The whalers were getting desperate.<br />
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Then the Yushin Maru no.3 came in to try and pass another dead whale across, but this time we have some speed up and we raced them head to head to get in the way of the transfer. I was out on the aft deck above the propeller as it thudded around as fast as it can go, everything shaking as both ships were both flying along full speed to get to the Nisshin Maru first. <br />
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I was at the side of the ship when we reached the Nisshin Maru and the Yushin Maru got closer and closer and then the collision was suddenly inevitable. In probably one of his most romantic gestures ever my fella took my hand in his as the two ships collided, and we held onto the ship with both hands as the Steve Irwin healed over drastically to Port for what seemed an eternity as the two hulls grinded together.<br />
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Finally the ships parted and we ran up forwards, and the were the first on the scene, unbolting and pulling open hatches to see if sea water was flooding in. We found a small hole in the anchor box, which is thankfully far above the water line, where our anchor had been pushed through our hull. You could see through it to the outside down to the tip of the bow breaking through the water below.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UiU_PPs2VEu_YiPe1U2DKnRqi2iDHtdrcdAHdVhtE2H6aIIFIe4A_dciOHmMkGgRpvh0miKYYzn7kH3ALh5koDG31l31mJQOkaHE7kGIdziYolMReJMlgjQS6MobAt1bqmLN/s1600/antartica07looking_for_holes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UiU_PPs2VEu_YiPe1U2DKnRqi2iDHtdrcdAHdVhtE2H6aIIFIe4A_dciOHmMkGgRpvh0miKYYzn7kH3ALh5koDG31l31mJQOkaHE7kGIdziYolMReJMlgjQS6MobAt1bqmLN/s400/antartica07looking_for_holes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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The fleet didn't try and whale in front of us again...<br />
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<a href="http://www.seashepherd.org/">www.seashepherd.org</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglmDpZ1mDa0A4iu5IHX5kcpPP2YfDO03OW6R_z5JxX3oYyq0zifKSLS1pPTJzbsxEYFte1y0L-zg4amYgHuZSEEnT93ns2JkkyL3w00fovLtEZsQ9BqE-H9ii9ByiJVkmbdhfW/s1600/rossiceshelf.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglmDpZ1mDa0A4iu5IHX5kcpPP2YfDO03OW6R_z5JxX3oYyq0zifKSLS1pPTJzbsxEYFte1y0L-zg4amYgHuZSEEnT93ns2JkkyL3w00fovLtEZsQ9BqE-H9ii9ByiJVkmbdhfW/s400/rossiceshelf.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Check out my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/collections/72157623598577140/">Sea Shepherd & Antarctica photos on flickr.</a></div>cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-68234167605582136832007-08-29T18:53:00.000+10:002007-09-04T08:23:42.394+10:00Coal & Black Mesa - Sheepherding on the Navajo Reservation, Arizona<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJapMH9kJHzrDizpvWR55dCDgz0lYUVCHmdDCawfDdksXH0WSwdhKHuhXNkumCNgzlqOdN755qDDueFi7-MxPhFV1-SGI8plf4uNdsAXsSwtLS05GqtoXJsGzLhCL-w2_-u-hh/s1600-h/finger8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJapMH9kJHzrDizpvWR55dCDgz0lYUVCHmdDCawfDdksXH0WSwdhKHuhXNkumCNgzlqOdN755qDDueFi7-MxPhFV1-SGI8plf4uNdsAXsSwtLS05GqtoXJsGzLhCL-w2_-u-hh/s320/finger8.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104047252306048082" /></a><br /><br /><b>Dawn</b><br /><br /><i>After a stormy night of being kept awake by howling coyotes & barking dogs down at the coral, I wake again suddenly, alert to strage noises and an intense pink pre-dawn glow filling the hut.<br /><br />Strange yelp and moans are emerging from under the woodpile, along with new smaller canine whimpers, so I go an investigate. The small dog is having her pups. As the sun breaks the horizon another tiny voice is added to the throng and off in the distance the coyotes begin to sing.</i><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgExq-lv-Q-Rgn2Ozo6E5HvOd9L5kBwMqOCSbdh0G1cA9Gv141_7O_NHxYya8N9bkgvNUVnFR34QsBNpdKu8FTOij_QySqFIVb5FZaCuTJCLS0HjeK-9hhZPSsGle1rXTr86h/s1600-h/dogs5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgExq-lv-Q-Rgn2Ozo6E5HvOd9L5kBwMqOCSbdh0G1cA9Gv141_7O_NHxYya8N9bkgvNUVnFR34QsBNpdKu8FTOij_QySqFIVb5FZaCuTJCLS0HjeK-9hhZPSsGle1rXTr86h/s320/dogs5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104046225808864258" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRx-EGbjmJYBeao5KQlWKBl3FSMa7EgvFc91pX1cid0lWR2hcEw99RgJImvBS8cHOSWwKB-WRtxqRwvrS1bA5sqSaAqbm3QZk9SirBRzoIPepjMMozNrLFPmfdR4jlZFfJy3gJ/s1600-h/dogs8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRx-EGbjmJYBeao5KQlWKBl3FSMa7EgvFc91pX1cid0lWR2hcEw99RgJImvBS8cHOSWwKB-WRtxqRwvrS1bA5sqSaAqbm3QZk9SirBRzoIPepjMMozNrLFPmfdR4jlZFfJy3gJ/s320/dogs8.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104046230103831570" /></a><br /><br /><b>Vegan sheepherding?</b><br /><br />I'm in Arizona out on the Navajo/Hopi reservation herding sheep for a Navaho elder.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJZPlZWdsVNdKpGPhNeV1RxrRo26rL1GpBGRsDOaAN_dmlRG8CY2dIL_WeV9tCjSJfLfC_klUPxwSQEhm0U5b0XMTo3bebtzO_HtX2ueihJvcn-Gfo5Cz5ou0Ide5lHFzEs9n/s1600-h/mesas5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJZPlZWdsVNdKpGPhNeV1RxrRo26rL1GpBGRsDOaAN_dmlRG8CY2dIL_WeV9tCjSJfLfC_klUPxwSQEhm0U5b0XMTo3bebtzO_HtX2ueihJvcn-Gfo5Cz5ou0Ide5lHFzEs9n/s320/mesas5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104047613083300994" /></a><br /><br />What brings me here is that there is coal under these arid lands, lots of coal - and the usual swath of environmental and cultural destruction that comes with its curse. Its a very complex situation out here, involving the ancestral homelands of two indigenous peoples, so as a visitor I wouldn't presume to understand it enough to summarise it here. But what is clear is that it's white man & coal that the root of the problem. I'll quote summery from the <a href="http://www.blackmesais.org/cultural_sen_history.html">Black Mesa Indigenous Support web-site</a>.<br /><br />"In 1974 the U.S. Congress passed Public Law 93-531 allegedly to settle a so-called land dispute between the Dineh and their Hopi neighbors. This law required the forced relocation of well over 14,000 Dineh and a hundred plus Hopi from their ancestral homelands. The "dispute" being settled by PL 93-531 was, in reality, fabricated by the US government as a way to obtain easier access to strip-mine one of the largest coal reserves in North America. The land known as Black Mesa is home to thousands of traditional sheepherders, weavers, silversmiths and farmers. For hundreds of years before Europeans came to the Americas the Dineh and Hopi existed in balance with each other and with Mother Earth."<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7Wfpj735qQr4slWV6aQxS_eYMv0HGscx0UQ9Z0-6OOnnwpynmvrURqWuqjuvEq8UfM7dclpBAtwRQ4TRSOZts9lVTDMUfbsRXdUwQj4fvhbn5PCt8UY4WwGNcfTSjR9cYY0M/s1600-h/wool.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7Wfpj735qQr4slWV6aQxS_eYMv0HGscx0UQ9Z0-6OOnnwpynmvrURqWuqjuvEq8UfM7dclpBAtwRQ4TRSOZts9lVTDMUfbsRXdUwQj4fvhbn5PCt8UY4WwGNcfTSjR9cYY0M/s320/wool.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104048489256629586" /></a><br /><br />I am here to help a family who have been resisting the relocation since the 70's. Many resisted and were harassed until only a handful remain. In Star Mountain Valley only Ida and her sister, and two of their children, still live here.<br /><br />"We had a good life one the reservation. We lived in harmony with the land. Now we live with the enemy. Our ways are gone. Relocation is termination of Indian people. Its like a storm that sweeps through a field of grass, blowing chafe here and there, uprooting plants, making them tumbleweeds, like the Anglos." - Relocatee<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqqAigbpdeyS1Du6kYWg9Wh3OU14d2BEpJpqDFycmob90CVCU30c1P67kkCquuGFI9oYcjP42YGWkDTO_fGlTNgoSVrIiqc1bueUdVjHpShWJ9pSTYq8VOsf03SDZb_txXvD2O/s1600-h/starlighning.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqqAigbpdeyS1Du6kYWg9Wh3OU14d2BEpJpqDFycmob90CVCU30c1P67kkCquuGFI9oYcjP42YGWkDTO_fGlTNgoSVrIiqc1bueUdVjHpShWJ9pSTYq8VOsf03SDZb_txXvD2O/s320/starlighning.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104048476371727650" /></a><br /><br />I'd been wanting to visit the area since a mob of us in Newcastle NSW occupied the offices of Peabody Coal in solidarity with the people here, when Peabody moved back into Newcastle after <a href="http://www.peabodyenergy.com/Operations/CoalOperations-Australia.asp">buying up Excel coal</a>. Action report, video & photos on <a href="http://arizona.indymedia.org/news/2006/10/51018.php">Arizona Indymedia</a>. <br /><br />From the Press release: “Climate change now is a global issue and the global community must now act to protect what is left of our precious environment. These coal companies have no place in our future the way they desecrate the earth and our sacred homelands. Peabody’s practices in America have shown that they have no regard for the earth their and they will do the same here. We will not let the desecration of indigenous cultures continue, here in Australia or overseas” said Arthur Ridgeway who is a traditional owner of the Pambalong area that now makes up Newcastle. <br /><br />Its good to meet local folks & campaigners here in Arizona that had heard of that action!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZ-ZrW0TtfwkBRdJG0nSF3iIiAHcKUrzIDDeuKYkqo74HV3TEUexMm9NxeLJT4Qz3mGq9QkbidRKCL-PGoNb1TsNcQaU_AzVfo6B04u5JXZWLiO2KWDrPkjjCsE0QaspYTyro/s1600-h/inoffice.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZ-ZrW0TtfwkBRdJG0nSF3iIiAHcKUrzIDDeuKYkqo74HV3TEUexMm9NxeLJT4Qz3mGq9QkbidRKCL-PGoNb1TsNcQaU_AzVfo6B04u5JXZWLiO2KWDrPkjjCsE0QaspYTyro/s320/inoffice.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104055850830574978" /></a><br /><br />Most of the time out here its Just Ida, who is 80, and her daughter Rose, who is 60. Other members of the family come out to visit as often as they can, but cannot move back out having previously left for school & work while growing up.<br /><br />It was great relief that in my first few days here there was another supporter to show me the ropes. Eli is uber-competent guy who has spent many months out here over the last two years, supporting the family & sheepherding and he gave me the low-down on this very different lifestyle.<br /><br />My Day involves getting up with the sun, helping make breakfast, feeding the dogs & horses, then taking the sheep out till it gets to hot and they want to come home.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivUYySTOWut_42Yv2wKYVKvPxFDiZ6L7O563cFkJJKOOswQUfgr0kO6QGpodB0-d8q5-5pBW5al3MNnxww1bmSoiW20sbQTKkLgsnQAv2-Vfb8F_nJXMapcK3Lmz8Eb3Cl9vdW/s1600-h/sheep2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivUYySTOWut_42Yv2wKYVKvPxFDiZ6L7O563cFkJJKOOswQUfgr0kO6QGpodB0-d8q5-5pBW5al3MNnxww1bmSoiW20sbQTKkLgsnQAv2-Vfb8F_nJXMapcK3Lmz8Eb3Cl9vdW/s320/sheep2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104048132774343922" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjoq7oqUJe8LDJfu2WTtT2xx_65gVb8le3l0eGp-fZFHAoWyFvqW1rtCzSLAEbebgimwC0Q1NG6GI1S5RKz7hMbWXbl5oAhLLZJHIsjGpzQqJAOY89h4Q7epIG8hNRHcb1mtI/s1600-h/bah2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjoq7oqUJe8LDJfu2WTtT2xx_65gVb8le3l0eGp-fZFHAoWyFvqW1rtCzSLAEbebgimwC0Q1NG6GI1S5RKz7hMbWXbl5oAhLLZJHIsjGpzQqJAOY89h4Q7epIG8hNRHcb1mtI/s320/bah2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104046212923962338" /></a><br /><br />The rest of the time is a mix of cooking, cleaning, fixing stuff, shopping runs and chilling out in the shade away from the sweltering heat. The thermometer gets well over 40.C in the shade some days!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQel4kGq4mjW1UvNbO2IBVIrDC_u27Hadt-wWkhBYgZmU7NKborQcaE2S-tSougbkciBDDGLhjmRbvfeubiD3TFPzETf6lfr4sGZvEsdB5ySwSnuGUjWw2rH0_ai9lyFuXrl3W/s1600-h/tank2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQel4kGq4mjW1UvNbO2IBVIrDC_u27Hadt-wWkhBYgZmU7NKborQcaE2S-tSougbkciBDDGLhjmRbvfeubiD3TFPzETf6lfr4sGZvEsdB5ySwSnuGUjWw2rH0_ai9lyFuXrl3W/s320/tank2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104048480666694962" /></a><br /><br />Its amazing how quickly new things become important in life; water, sheep, the excitement of the feral horses coming by. It's the first time I've given my brain any time to slow down at all since those long beautiful mornings <a href="http://cookielovescake.blogspot.com/2006/12/carry-on-up-flozza-adventures-in.html">up my tree in Tasmania</a>, about 6 months ago.<br /><br /><b>Water</b><br /><br />Water needs to be fetched from tanks at nearby springs, siphoning into barrels in the back of pick-up truck and then siphoning into various water containers at the house and coral. After many days of coughing up water I finally started getting the hang of it! One you've fetched, carried and siphoned every drop of water your using you really look at your usage 'how much do I really need to wash these dishes'? I'm not sure I'll look at water coming from a tap the same way again.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcJEokHyiOy6D2_mAEs2j4v0TH2zMWg8CTg7SzlQeY75TUmA4F7zn4orYeCRPxkSsVZ1hSz9akU70iqBMcHlycH_bwkX_0__Dcyu_EHoq_beaKs_ezool07hepgPTaF5QlXc6/s1600-h/water.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcJEokHyiOy6D2_mAEs2j4v0TH2zMWg8CTg7SzlQeY75TUmA4F7zn4orYeCRPxkSsVZ1hSz9akU70iqBMcHlycH_bwkX_0__Dcyu_EHoq_beaKs_ezool07hepgPTaF5QlXc6/s320/water.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104048484961662274" /></a><br /><br />I hear from Ida that she used to grow squash & watermelon and many other things in the now dry sandy garden filled with tumbleweeds - the water table has dropped and they get significantly less rain than they used to. Their wells are drying up too. "The water is gone, deep. And the rain, not like it used to be, where is the rain?"<br /><br />So a devastatingly familiar story unfolds where the indigenous people of the earth are feeling the most consequences of our carbon abusive society. The lower water table is from <a href="http://www.blackmesawatercoalition.org/black_mesa.html">water mining</a> for the slurry lines. Its also drying up the wells. Also there is the relocations to expand the mines. And then, at the other end end of the climate change cycle, their arid lands are becoming uninhabitable. So the people who we need to be learning off the most. who know how to live sustainablly on this planet are being pushed of their lands. Cultural genocide.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXp37XHNDuYo4NaAIDc6RmMgjMRYPfnYt6voZLiEtqugm0jKl4BEwMOZti2IxiOVJIz69laF9SeGtunqzISKNQnm2K0paWk0Br6qz2UrE46Ha_XNhv0cxJawpoEdjBrYYcpdpY/s1600-h/echo2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXp37XHNDuYo4NaAIDc6RmMgjMRYPfnYt6voZLiEtqugm0jKl4BEwMOZti2IxiOVJIz69laF9SeGtunqzISKNQnm2K0paWk0Br6qz2UrE46Ha_XNhv0cxJawpoEdjBrYYcpdpY/s320/echo2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104047235126178850" /></a><br /><br /><b>Of dogs and sheep</b><br /><br />One of my main fascinations here is the pack of nameless sheepdogs who live with the sheep and come out herding to protect them. They aren't like British sheepdogs, and the visions of flat-capped farmers lounging on a crook shouting 'come-by' and the dogs doing all the works. They do their own thing, and protect the sheep from Coyotes and other dangers. You do the herding... and sometimes the sheep herd you!<br /><br />Watching the dogs world is like something from west side story with fights to be the alpha male, who will hang out/tolerate who and the many pregnancies & pups.. Out in the hills they like to chase Jack-Rabbits occasionally one catches one and shares the spoils with the alpha.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjue8vO2OXIH9uCDXWUWNiLM7xHKiC0BvTODaFAoQjvMuHId-rg8syRpCx86S7r8O4vW-CRf8Kejl0WAyvhDmPEXWDL6YR-8lp5Iu-VksQsxlRDYGM6ub_8TEpzYUQh4xiwl2nO/s1600-h/dogs10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjue8vO2OXIH9uCDXWUWNiLM7xHKiC0BvTODaFAoQjvMuHId-rg8syRpCx86S7r8O4vW-CRf8Kejl0WAyvhDmPEXWDL6YR-8lp5Iu-VksQsxlRDYGM6ub_8TEpzYUQh4xiwl2nO/s320/dogs10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104047243716113458" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBE6JDgerEG4hz2i9eXtWR0WXBhdr3-gdlKBFxo8_p5BSfJL0n3IRzDSKjqB1LMBFZwhJjcNAbecYDUXTl1sHnGvOEBO8ibo8iNYTHEyiFRJnrfpmJlZPoQ3UhxIorhOn7aeG/s1600-h/dogs11.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBE6JDgerEG4hz2i9eXtWR0WXBhdr3-gdlKBFxo8_p5BSfJL0n3IRzDSKjqB1LMBFZwhJjcNAbecYDUXTl1sHnGvOEBO8ibo8iNYTHEyiFRJnrfpmJlZPoQ3UhxIorhOn7aeG/s320/dogs11.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104055846535607666" /></a><br /><br /><i>Snake in the grass <br /><br />Out with the sheep when the dogs go crazy - somehow different and more urgent then when chasing the jackrabbits. So I'm on my guard as I approach the frantic pack, when one of the dogs hurls it head back and into the air goes flying a shimmering S writhing in the sun.<br /><br />Snake.<br /><br />The dogs finally calm down and wander off leaving one to guard its prize. I come as close as I dare and see its <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidewinder_(snake)">camouflage patterns in the grass</a> - but dare not approach as it may be playing dead and the last thing I want is to be up close and personal with a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz85K2bgCF0">pissed, venomous, sidewinder</a>.</i><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8upKXiASG4chfl1JuVTr0HslU1KP50GWtBM4TkF0tnRtLbLR5kuKTIRZTZ5qqw-IrjzOU5eRPO3zQH2yFbM_L5LsKXFxdq7bLhlH-GGbWxlkCJZITFEF6GLprjebV8XOE4Jh/s1600-h/sidewinder.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8upKXiASG4chfl1JuVTr0HslU1KP50GWtBM4TkF0tnRtLbLR5kuKTIRZTZ5qqw-IrjzOU5eRPO3zQH2yFbM_L5LsKXFxdq7bLhlH-GGbWxlkCJZITFEF6GLprjebV8XOE4Jh/s320/sidewinder.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104048141364278530" /></a><br /><br /><b>Black Mesa</b><br /><br />Ida's Daughter, Verna, a long time campaigner and Author, spends much of he time out here and working on the campaign to resist the relocations. She took me out to see the nearby Peabody mine up on 'Big Mountain' to add to my talks & slideshows about the destructiveness & resistance to coal mining & infrastructure. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1RDiEoBDWstzl8fPqvoMLhyphenhypheno4AzGASdWiea5i4sDd2KCGeYmwUZcvIzNMmMnc5v072mDcY6LpxCTwrNJo_KaHNAMt_1Mq71Wpdp3Xehib2bFOFjokNuvs60yoDtOLaCgVzBv/s1600-h/peabody.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1RDiEoBDWstzl8fPqvoMLhyphenhypheno4AzGASdWiea5i4sDd2KCGeYmwUZcvIzNMmMnc5v072mDcY6LpxCTwrNJo_KaHNAMt_1Mq71Wpdp3Xehib2bFOFjokNuvs60yoDtOLaCgVzBv/s320/peabody.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104047621673235602" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzA1BTfH4xfV-ga8KeaC8qXuZUvnFhRV7Eo_i9gROP_0nPu5KMEYygq1OPO0oWXNRpVay0JpOnI9sgOGdznTQ0YrIOcua5uwcFGNzyCAJ4FqBP_CCZVJvxXUGn7SOTOR8_GrGY/s1600-h/peabody3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzA1BTfH4xfV-ga8KeaC8qXuZUvnFhRV7Eo_i9gROP_0nPu5KMEYygq1OPO0oWXNRpVay0JpOnI9sgOGdznTQ0YrIOcua5uwcFGNzyCAJ4FqBP_CCZVJvxXUGn7SOTOR8_GrGY/s320/peabody3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104047630263170226" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxBqbsDzAyXykAHT79TMbHYRzEKavW1l9AM53XQ5FHkHAhiKkacF7ZPOjpQp0tMWTzpgUDXdfrwYnVbLbRFBm8RsqHphqUeQdZMmYnH216WgHxS9t9ikOtWaF7AGd_p21hlhe/s1600-h/peabody8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxBqbsDzAyXykAHT79TMbHYRzEKavW1l9AM53XQ5FHkHAhiKkacF7ZPOjpQp0tMWTzpgUDXdfrwYnVbLbRFBm8RsqHphqUeQdZMmYnH216WgHxS9t9ikOtWaF7AGd_p21hlhe/s320/peabody8.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104048115594474690" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63aVf5BSEBhScPHXxmZJQDIU7rCeYJGqKY90JaWUM6eAAwb4WwHvcPWQOHeICfKzsjIPgBG0Z62eDtZ-hdLodBaoGRDC_qjN2YIF4DquqEiqLar-VW-jAsnsyss2kGSSl54U1/s1600-h/peabody11.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63aVf5BSEBhScPHXxmZJQDIU7rCeYJGqKY90JaWUM6eAAwb4WwHvcPWQOHeICfKzsjIPgBG0Z62eDtZ-hdLodBaoGRDC_qjN2YIF4DquqEiqLar-VW-jAsnsyss2kGSSl54U1/s320/peabody11.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104048124184409298" /></a><br /><br />People up there who have been 'relocated' for the mines and they cover over the piits with fake weird hills where all the plant they have planted are dying.. and people live so close to the mines that their homes & lands are covered with a thick dust and their windows rattle & smash with the blasting.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxMQDSVrw_A5iWOG7qcYxxFaqHkNhZmQdOOXrppMf_Tv0i2aknsd2HgSXxTOQs986GJl3Rz9QiBv6g1XZXuUiH_jA75RvGokB7d-0J9FdgQR_68n4zs48fZLA1PGfGA6Kmiqr/s1600-h/peabody13.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxMQDSVrw_A5iWOG7qcYxxFaqHkNhZmQdOOXrppMf_Tv0i2aknsd2HgSXxTOQs986GJl3Rz9QiBv6g1XZXuUiH_jA75RvGokB7d-0J9FdgQR_68n4zs48fZLA1PGfGA6Kmiqr/s320/peabody13.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104048128479376610" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMR5kloR28vUQ2eTi_P5P7kD12eSPLsCtDJFyj2WixkZSp4nKYJlCp5K_Wz1_yHPxNBcKDqbAexAuQ5D_uM25okCISowqbGi-XjIg9mKCpC5e9dFN_tuIlVc2OzPHDb7PswIw/s1600-h/peabody2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMR5kloR28vUQ2eTi_P5P7kD12eSPLsCtDJFyj2WixkZSp4nKYJlCp5K_Wz1_yHPxNBcKDqbAexAuQ5D_uM25okCISowqbGi-XjIg9mKCpC5e9dFN_tuIlVc2OzPHDb7PswIw/s320/peabody2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104047625968202914" /></a><br /><br />"I realize your job is to call for People With Hearts for Black Mesa, Star Mountain, and the rest of Big Mountain, and we are thankful for everyone's tireless effort. Just as it is the same for the elders of Big Mountain, my mother's is a keeper of her legacy. We are in to defend their traditional duty. We will never ever fully understand their ultimate committment to protect their medicine bundles, prayers, sacred places, natural springs, plants, air, and all life, and we can be there when they need us. Our elders will never leave their homes, land, animals and their entire belief systems, and ecause of their stance, we must stand guard. Our years of struggle will never cease because of our elders. We are obligated to cherish them." -Verna Clinton- Star Mountain<br /><br />For me most amazing thing about being in Star Mountain Valley, even beyond the stunning volcanic mesas, wide open skies and thunderous storms, is listening Ida's stories and wisdom. This might just be the strongest woman, and the strongest person I've ever met.<br /><br />Links:<br /><a href="http://www.blackmesawatercoalition.org/">Black Mesa Water Coalition</a> <br /><a href="http://www.stoppeabody.org/index.html">Stop Peabody</a> <br /><a href="http://www.blackmesais.org ">Black Mesa Indigenous Support</a><br /><br />Articles on Black Mesa:<br /><a href="http://www.aics.org/BM/bm.html">American Indian Cultural Support</a><br /><a href="http://talkingtree.org/blackmesa.htm">Talking Tree</a><br /><a href="http://www.shundahai.org/bigmountainaction021806.htm">Shundahai Network - Dedicated to Breaking the Nuclear Chain</a><br /> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-C-I-UfubQnemdzzhRJZvVaN1-16jWrSYwHiYz2IidwVIekqLKvtVhEMM-3A7K0QCcWIRIH6obiyznPOG9x7MF_1MKiKOWR-CJn_4lNbVuSBAL8TmQ3EswTpkD-NQ3_s1Zpn/s1600-h/star6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-C-I-UfubQnemdzzhRJZvVaN1-16jWrSYwHiYz2IidwVIekqLKvtVhEMM-3A7K0QCcWIRIH6obiyznPOG9x7MF_1MKiKOWR-CJn_4lNbVuSBAL8TmQ3EswTpkD-NQ3_s1Zpn/s320/star6.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104048472076760338" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaO-O9iUq28Jp9wieZ_qepUbWMHL9IKFD2eDKMeXNgkgidORJlIituGpf_ZroyGsWuLIZ0LmXVz_7fNsu4Rz_Cxk1xgP3fyDgFmPuEIVJm4BJuWDta3naIB8WWrYqBRbUX2dWE/s1600-h/leg.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaO-O9iUq28Jp9wieZ_qepUbWMHL9IKFD2eDKMeXNgkgidORJlIituGpf_ZroyGsWuLIZ0LmXVz_7fNsu4Rz_Cxk1xgP3fyDgFmPuEIVJm4BJuWDta3naIB8WWrYqBRbUX2dWE/s320/leg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104047600198399090" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCwk-k9VibwHfAN0u-1cWLash5EPAoHQLw15EkwrjvILoWYKEe52ixwAz9T2AVScSNl6RBU2WzBmRfuQq9uY8jpSxNS9Y8MsyhImNA5IT1Qcd26C824fgIQHXzaQuusfv8_gd/s1600-h/horses3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCwk-k9VibwHfAN0u-1cWLash5EPAoHQLw15EkwrjvILoWYKEe52ixwAz9T2AVScSNl6RBU2WzBmRfuQq9uY8jpSxNS9Y8MsyhImNA5IT1Qcd26C824fgIQHXzaQuusfv8_gd/s320/horses3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104047260895982690" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHH9VyYRMz773fRiK5qSDNOFkOJqXNLdSkX9YMDGdNzAPFa7plsuWxjtOubp8mLWlXqiyikKPeBqYqgi82QW78Ml2REY6oBTQPWFJNUF9wmcumkJecGsV0pLOlmfHeshI4sp_/s1600-h/cars5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHH9VyYRMz773fRiK5qSDNOFkOJqXNLdSkX9YMDGdNzAPFa7plsuWxjtOubp8mLWlXqiyikKPeBqYqgi82QW78Ml2REY6oBTQPWFJNUF9wmcumkJecGsV0pLOlmfHeshI4sp_/s320/cars5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104046208628995026" /></a>cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-56230177387229577462007-08-27T21:09:00.000+10:002007-09-04T03:06:00.323+10:00Coast to coast - trailing the US activst calendar<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujAeBf9h4bThmEkyPox8OTQAywCc33KxaNg0msQ9lNFj4IT65cm0JE8c8DtELvs9K_9MnkegTRHjAf4HAdNT6LQh99R2a5p7ZkSj7qmhSaQOJCOFpD1dF_dyNR3q3jiGEWerm/s1600-h/maine.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujAeBf9h4bThmEkyPox8OTQAywCc33KxaNg0msQ9lNFj4IT65cm0JE8c8DtELvs9K_9MnkegTRHjAf4HAdNT6LQh99R2a5p7ZkSj7qmhSaQOJCOFpD1dF_dyNR3q3jiGEWerm/s320/maine.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103338277759529682" /></a><br /><br /><i>Julian bounds naked across the rocky beach screaming with determination, hits the water, splashing in deeper with a few more leaps, then dives under the sparkling surface. In less than a blink of an eye in a shower of white surf he's resurfaced, screaming louder and urgent than before and runs twice as fast up the beach to a waiting towel, looking stunned. Its still early spring in Maine, and on impulse we've run away from the tour for a few days and hitched up to northern Maine, and now we've hit our first Ocean since Florida and are determined to take the plunge. Our local friends are looking dubious. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8ID4kMi9aEJn8VLMwckbQolq2Yh9BG3hBxJl272DI_Eg-jdOkqH2ypLV32Xop5K_CCjpc98wugempwQtwyde_FsTkrsLdFijZRr7yxJi58LtL1Z601EqneSMaMduEED5DZBK/s1600-h/maine3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8ID4kMi9aEJn8VLMwckbQolq2Yh9BG3hBxJl272DI_Eg-jdOkqH2ypLV32Xop5K_CCjpc98wugempwQtwyde_FsTkrsLdFijZRr7yxJi58LtL1Z601EqneSMaMduEED5DZBK/s320/maine3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103342383748264866" /></a><br /><br />My turn. The running across rocks option isn't open to me, since busting my ankle in that fateful fall in the New Zealand mountains a few years back. So I put a foot in the surf washing up the beach and a numbing cold pain envelopes it. That aching deep-bone numb sensation that just feels wrong like death. I pull my foot out fast and its bright red and stinging. Surly if this water wasn't salty it would be frozen! For the first time I really, really acutely appreciate what the gulf stream does for us in the UK. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6oKqfFU6RMVXw1qUBfvZkrvq5ITPRm3n8WMWluBZmn57oOLSeyjeJ-1DolphWu1F4AfpV2DEZxLzUlDgs76gJA0VxebRRPlZfFz2DrZTINmWi5t4Ge-FSEYY_NwiSP7tcDqAx/s1600-h/gulf_maine.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6oKqfFU6RMVXw1qUBfvZkrvq5ITPRm3n8WMWluBZmn57oOLSeyjeJ-1DolphWu1F4AfpV2DEZxLzUlDgs76gJA0VxebRRPlZfFz2DrZTINmWi5t4Ge-FSEYY_NwiSP7tcDqAx/s320/gulf_maine.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103346846219285442" /></a><br /><br />I'm not sure how I'm going to get in till I spot some sea-weed covered rocks with waves crashing into them. I clamber up then as the ocean pulls back I drop myself into the path of an oncoming wave. I let the wall of intense icy shock pull me into the sea and attempt to swim, but I find the ability to breath has left me as I gasp with cold.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTDWCG_waBqoi02IMd184N4NdNcql9dv0pE_NsM-IrbRo3pdCDQ9NUFM-MK7AV0jsx5ly4O4T4Ynws31VpKPpv5MOD-QKZtyFZtqVEpS43D7v_TTZV5SKmuHB4ZjPcO749srU/s1600-h/maine8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTDWCG_waBqoi02IMd184N4NdNcql9dv0pE_NsM-IrbRo3pdCDQ9NUFM-MK7AV0jsx5ly4O4T4Ynws31VpKPpv5MOD-QKZtyFZtqVEpS43D7v_TTZV5SKmuHB4ZjPcO749srU/s320/maine8.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103338286349464290" /></a><br /><br />I find I am back on the rock.. not remembering how I got out.. body shocked and unable to move as I hug to the dark stone for its vapid not-quite-heat. Maybe I've finally taken this 'must swim in every body of water I see' thing a little to far.<br /><br />'I like Maine' I think.. 'hmm when the tour's over....' </i><br /><br /><b>Months later... Michias Maine</b><br /><br />The <a href="http://www.beehivecollective.org/english/front.htm">Beehive Collective</a> are Radical Artists & Eduactiors.. they are part of the <a href="http://risingtidenorthamerica.org">Rising Tide North America</a> Network, and I met them at the beginning of the Tour in Texas where they were down working on their <a href="http://www.beehivecollective.org/english/graphics_campaigns.htm ">next project</a>. The Small town of Michais became my new home as I was warmly enveloped into this new family and took up residence in their tree-house.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMqtbFYZlf6o3b5T_j8ar3aV2v1HbJCcDAlaJXcPSwVGRufJXOxoU7P7r9WwuzpPS-FhPPeqbc03P52FsB22i9ah3zbmn0e3nAv2D3A548_hPumP3yp4fPKk0ca62HjVN5Yie6/s1600-h/treehome.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMqtbFYZlf6o3b5T_j8ar3aV2v1HbJCcDAlaJXcPSwVGRufJXOxoU7P7r9WwuzpPS-FhPPeqbc03P52FsB22i9ah3zbmn0e3nAv2D3A548_hPumP3yp4fPKk0ca62HjVN5Yie6/s320/treehome.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103339476055405426" /></a><br /><br />As well as working internationally the Bees are involved in local community organising, and a few years back the Bees bought & rescued the old <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Patrons_of_Husbandry_(The_Grange)">grange hall</a>. Which is now <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72157600280661718/">restored</a> and back as a community centre.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDL1LxbQQ6_i_LIFZAe1k4ik0djtFCr9HxOEGiwZ5A5A-3-KxttcPDp3VgFNQDfO8ZFGfClAcJuPVjIsyFGA0cmDOTPJCGa_fOkP2eucMI-JiISXh07QeuQuPZFikE9s6aJa08/s1600-h/grange38.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDL1LxbQQ6_i_LIFZAe1k4ik0djtFCr9HxOEGiwZ5A5A-3-KxttcPDp3VgFNQDfO8ZFGfClAcJuPVjIsyFGA0cmDOTPJCGa_fOkP2eucMI-JiISXh07QeuQuPZFikE9s6aJa08/s320/grange38.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103338269169595058" /></a><br /><br />After a life of endless highways, strip malls, mountain top removal, posh universities, thundering trucks & Hummers I was soon charmed by Michias's hardy community. Life feels little more real - as people live there cos its beautiful, cheep and far from the rest of the US. For the first time since Texas I thought.. "I could stay here".<br /><br />Much of my time was spent digging in gardens, being eaten my Mossies (Mosquitos for all the Americans!), eating good food, swimming in cold rivers, dressing up and working on my tour <a href="http://risingtide.org.uk/pdfs/RTNAtour.pdf"> trainers pack</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDlAzk_VqDd-ECv3CrQHVyzhPUpmjl9c8EK9eFupKWIeWc9pSj9dzRrcoCcSQiAK88blFQUbyPoDxv3MILnFrZjWHNXvPtDtI8RS11vAYu1BRZdkY6Js45LQKXRyUd2fbU1Wn/s1600-h/beegarden2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDlAzk_VqDd-ECv3CrQHVyzhPUpmjl9c8EK9eFupKWIeWc9pSj9dzRrcoCcSQiAK88blFQUbyPoDxv3MILnFrZjWHNXvPtDtI8RS11vAYu1BRZdkY6Js45LQKXRyUd2fbU1Wn/s320/beegarden2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103337886917505634" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaYDd2gvHtHU3hgsQa0qCbvWNIesz34tvkBnLiT8I_DLEesUZlPy2XZb8_oGZN3Dhurkz9EBD4b5PXWAGpzT1mNmTxJfub_aW3YoNya44UysQgaG_mE8cBqnUClmjCBs-upapj/s1600-h/caberet10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaYDd2gvHtHU3hgsQa0qCbvWNIesz34tvkBnLiT8I_DLEesUZlPy2XZb8_oGZN3Dhurkz9EBD4b5PXWAGpzT1mNmTxJfub_aW3YoNya44UysQgaG_mE8cBqnUClmjCBs-upapj/s320/caberet10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103337899802407570" /></a><br /><br />I learnt a lot about globalisation and the devastation of mass infrastructure via the <a href="http://www.beehivecollective.org/english/plancolombia.htm">Bee's posters</a> and got to join in the brainstorming process for a few little bits of their new eagerly awaited poster.. which is looking fantastic.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUm8M_7QBSOOAN-IPIcMYbRGtCqlNuYxZvIavOEz1P32jfK_7ocQ-6NDWyLGLrIkVKZGGa4gYfC4U3h2eXAi9JWeOQvpdXUuwZ37EaUP9aqhtDsbMB_wKkhGG9MeVBN1x-p0N9/s1600-h/secretclub6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUm8M_7QBSOOAN-IPIcMYbRGtCqlNuYxZvIavOEz1P32jfK_7ocQ-6NDWyLGLrIkVKZGGa4gYfC4U3h2eXAi9JWeOQvpdXUuwZ37EaUP9aqhtDsbMB_wKkhGG9MeVBN1x-p0N9/s320/secretclub6.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103339467465470802" /></a><br /><br />We went on a side mission up-to Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada) where I met up with <a href="http://eabhathekiwi.blogspot.com">old housemates</a> from Auckland, New Zealand for the Atlantica protests (oh I have SO many rants about tatics I wont even start right now..) <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUGHT3xaSUCExZJrBI4yO-jqHNh9nOL64qQG5nHR21EsoxolqLw2bP-63ePVYU7HnIEt3M7ma40WtN1yz8dYbl8UKrdZzEr2g-Zs_wQRqhyphenhyphenoR-Uf438mugM_WFi7FTUCOYZAjM/s1600-h/atlanitica2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUGHT3xaSUCExZJrBI4yO-jqHNh9nOL64qQG5nHR21EsoxolqLw2bP-63ePVYU7HnIEt3M7ma40WtN1yz8dYbl8UKrdZzEr2g-Zs_wQRqhyphenhyphenoR-Uf438mugM_WFi7FTUCOYZAjM/s320/atlanitica2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103337882622538322" /></a><br /><br /><i>lurking in border towns</i><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-A30cSkLXSWS_SmQJ40CTWO8cE0l3Or6f_IJzKIya2z8XfrqlxByFaSxMTltKY-tR1baIod0XUxKjnW5juK-G20eB8nvV9bEUMtzwdad5CUJdEaFxYLv8ThqEPTHBTlO0YrX/s1600-h/halifax17.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-A30cSkLXSWS_SmQJ40CTWO8cE0l3Or6f_IJzKIya2z8XfrqlxByFaSxMTltKY-tR1baIod0XUxKjnW5juK-G20eB8nvV9bEUMtzwdad5CUJdEaFxYLv8ThqEPTHBTlO0YrX/s320/halifax17.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103338277759529666" /></a><br /><br /><br />Then my final six weeks became a mammoth feat of logistics. as on hardly any cash I looked at all the great things going on and worked out what could sensibly do before I had to leave.. then ignored that and tried to go to everything anyway.<br /><br /><b>So it began.. <br /></b>an an epic 8,758 km 5,442 Miles roadtrip catching various rides across the States<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJqpUSZU06xd2v6a4Bmzwf8KEmudLQMxH29eoL0BRr91nObuaRS3i_k78PpnHFw1MS1Yk-RcsuC5CwtzN2WrWk7ZhE3Q9tzaesa73sLykA-f3NpIbE2urnktlA4YAw8fQVho0/s1600-h/crossus.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJqpUSZU06xd2v6a4Bmzwf8KEmudLQMxH29eoL0BRr91nObuaRS3i_k78PpnHFw1MS1Yk-RcsuC5CwtzN2WrWk7ZhE3Q9tzaesa73sLykA-f3NpIbE2urnktlA4YAw8fQVho0/s320/crossus.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103338269169595042" /></a><br /><br />It started with a crazy two day drive down the Atlanta Georgia for the <a href="https://www.ussf2007.org/">US Social Forum</a>. The USSF was a great experience, however Georgia, in the deep south, in July was not. Craziness - so hot you stagger from air-con to air-con.. not good!<br /><br />I've never gone to any of the European Social Forums, having a bad impression from people it was all a bunch of privileged liberal NGO types and not very real. But the USSF was mainly organised by people of colour, and It was amazing ot go to vast plenaries where non of the (slightly a minority of) white folks got up and spoke at all. As a popular education nerd It was great to go to workshops run by <a href="http://www.projectsouth.org/pages/mainbody.htm">Project South</a>, a US based pop-ed collective.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPP6E17HWBw-Y8LlUpERqQKkTDpJ7LUyLfABvgd6RN3A1yFiovjx_G5lofc9fyBVRA-VyGb6IINPIfadKenPYgct5Csu3YQrmU8WNFvO4JzLQBG-l9MaoMlcFKxXzMsfZBkoAq/s1600-h/ussf_poped.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPP6E17HWBw-Y8LlUpERqQKkTDpJ7LUyLfABvgd6RN3A1yFiovjx_G5lofc9fyBVRA-VyGb6IINPIfadKenPYgct5Csu3YQrmU8WNFvO4JzLQBG-l9MaoMlcFKxXzMsfZBkoAq/s320/ussf_poped.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103339484645340034" /></a><br /><br />Rising Tide ran a workshop on carbon trading (I did the pop-ed bits.. and ranted about <a href="http://www.etcgroup.org/en/issues/geoengineering.html">geo-engineering</a>) and people were engaged & entertained while learning stuff.. in a workshop on carbon trading! yay! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUMCy2tgF_7XXz59cxtooGA4y44Kbnu7Uyjq-HNhcoSZDieNto9ejRd23CveW3oN5ezPor9-9IUO8jq5I6zH4N4seB0PTFbN_mbwU2vR42IyX6XVukqVTUGaJSPAOXeC2zkxS/s1600-h/ussf.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUMCy2tgF_7XXz59cxtooGA4y44Kbnu7Uyjq-HNhcoSZDieNto9ejRd23CveW3oN5ezPor9-9IUO8jq5I6zH4N4seB0PTFbN_mbwU2vR42IyX6XVukqVTUGaJSPAOXeC2zkxS/s320/ussf.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103339939911873426" /></a><br /><br />So.. another ride north to the The EF! Gathering in, also sweltering, Indianna. Followed a whirly couldn't-have-fantasised-about-it-better week of good friends, beautiful people, climbing workshops, intense conversations on the 'sate of the movement' sneeking off to cold springs and swimming a lake to cool down. One of the sillier 'actions' of the week being a 60 person strong naked flash mob of a Rising Tide meeting we were trying to have.. in a thunderstorm, ending up with us all swimming in the lake while lighting struck around us. Not the most sensible evening of my life.. but feck loads of fun! And there were thousands of flash-bugs (fireflies) everywhere that constantly had me wide eyed and excited like a kid in snow.. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9xp0OzUPZgBZyO16TRo7AKYLXT-eO-fhBRFEpa6rh5JzdBKRmzQGZAiw_FGVlkKMescihp9WHaAqIqGbVrChV4HJ3V_r3_xnlNPBP3b8ghXWunZodH_p8G6tMxpPIQtvsfH_/s1600-h/secretspring2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9xp0OzUPZgBZyO16TRo7AKYLXT-eO-fhBRFEpa6rh5JzdBKRmzQGZAiw_FGVlkKMescihp9WHaAqIqGbVrChV4HJ3V_r3_xnlNPBP3b8ghXWunZodH_p8G6tMxpPIQtvsfH_/s320/secretspring2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103339471760438114" /></a><br /><br />Hitting the road again in a friends truck for a crazy 30 hour non-stop ride to a place thats always grabbed my heart.. Arizona - to spend a few weeks at Black Mesa Sheepherding on the Navajo Reservation (its all about coal, again).. that will be the next blog!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQaCcVENAxVpdPcT9g2TICpYMLzR8GWqzMAh8y1XQr61KsxcoAeWx4Vije9YsNWLH7xUFXuBJhyphenhyphenDX-Iiwu00QUno6ZFwgqgeP3jUDvUGyOPnk_89DYk5PpdSYAiCAr_O57-c8O/s1600-h/R66_3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQaCcVENAxVpdPcT9g2TICpYMLzR8GWqzMAh8y1XQr61KsxcoAeWx4Vije9YsNWLH7xUFXuBJhyphenhyphenDX-Iiwu00QUno6ZFwgqgeP3jUDvUGyOPnk_89DYk5PpdSYAiCAr_O57-c8O/s320/R66_3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103338720141161234" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzjCVtaurgrlhEQ_2C0-78f1RemIVsvYC-muEWDKjo63o-Utk92qRYz9EsWVpzeK0tE-Q4qvC3oXrAQJpkMWivezUtqGTaJj7XAJYznyKSZvdSU49N3lpXygoBCRcz-376WwH/s1600-h/R66.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzjCVtaurgrlhEQ_2C0-78f1RemIVsvYC-muEWDKjo63o-Utk92qRYz9EsWVpzeK0tE-Q4qvC3oXrAQJpkMWivezUtqGTaJj7XAJYznyKSZvdSU49N3lpXygoBCRcz-376WwH/s320/R66.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103338724436128546" /></a><br /><br />Then an overnight bus to Santa Barbara to meet a friend and drive up the coast.. and to my surprise he picked me up in a pristine <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72157601650418279/ ">70's VW Combie</a>.. we travelled up Route 1 vis Big Sur in stye! It was like being on a proper holiday, playing in rivers and stuff, it was great!. A pit-stop in San-Fran - so what did I do with one night in one of my fave cities in the world? .. Sat in the back of an old mattress delivery van with no windows gossiping with an old friend.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQk1lwaMTEFd3pA5rt3mEq0_sVCjB64VSmLiGZmSJxM53jr5-KuUMcgLVUXqdr5m3iTnlUXADwlQUfCLDUcge2un3d1FHyShbhb0AKQE1ECbg_XKytxbSHU-shiRkgdJ2aMNnU/s1600-h/route1_8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQk1lwaMTEFd3pA5rt3mEq0_sVCjB64VSmLiGZmSJxM53jr5-KuUMcgLVUXqdr5m3iTnlUXADwlQUfCLDUcge2un3d1FHyShbhb0AKQE1ECbg_XKytxbSHU-shiRkgdJ2aMNnU/s320/route1_8.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103339458875536194" /></a><br /><br />Onwards! past the '<a href="http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/All-About-Garlic/Detail.aspx">garlic capital of the world</a>' (oh really - oh thats so American! - <a href="http://soniaarrison.com/2005/07/31/gilroy-is-not-the-garlic-capital-of-the-world/">Self proclaimed</a> world capital of everything...what about <a href="http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:jiPxUoWgmHEJ:www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010617/spectrum/main3.htm+%22garlic+capital+of+the+world%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=43&client=safari">the French</a>?) <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNuHR4j5MPyvx6eW_m1_WCB2hf8vB-V0YRsRonXAxXAU-uFqO_Pcp7FZXGlxd5Zok1M5eYo03tPKuZBK8HO9qIX-JKYbt7fRbFlcP7er2le4RfXh7LdE-Fd63bt7r11rv7WJ-q/s1600-h/route1_3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNuHR4j5MPyvx6eW_m1_WCB2hf8vB-V0YRsRonXAxXAU-uFqO_Pcp7FZXGlxd5Zok1M5eYo03tPKuZBK8HO9qIX-JKYbt7fRbFlcP7er2le4RfXh7LdE-Fd63bt7r11rv7WJ-q/s320/route1_3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103338737321030450" /></a><br /><br />Then up past the big trees of the west coast to Oregon to get ready for <a href="www.climateconvergence.org/">climate camp..</a> with brief adventure out to some hot springs in the forest (Lots of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72157601656553973/">foresty pics</a>).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1agpvsjlyxU4EQA68jLYp8ysgVrSbuQclMdFuqZV0a1Ay_dcmuEPVB1OrgAXVPVyH2H_A6TxuryWIS26P0T4iMLBLoauEhlG6P_-iTDsDqyO2xS9CcUJEabozDQBRvH5eoUB0/s1600-h/oreagon3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1agpvsjlyxU4EQA68jLYp8ysgVrSbuQclMdFuqZV0a1Ay_dcmuEPVB1OrgAXVPVyH2H_A6TxuryWIS26P0T4iMLBLoauEhlG6P_-iTDsDqyO2xS9CcUJEabozDQBRvH5eoUB0/s320/oreagon3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103338711551226610" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6-GzPgHg8__dwGLTybnX6JmdtFyVxispPrP6GemlB5_-geLq3svHj1OWIq6AVXf_inl8h3Ujq51dndnJGo9GPmADxv5OzHLzzCP7vJlr0dtj0kS2Ac6BD4CXZbBRuBlsRPxp/s1600-h/oreagon36.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6-GzPgHg8__dwGLTybnX6JmdtFyVxispPrP6GemlB5_-geLq3svHj1OWIq6AVXf_inl8h3Ujq51dndnJGo9GPmADxv5OzHLzzCP7vJlr0dtj0kS2Ac6BD4CXZbBRuBlsRPxp/s320/oreagon36.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103338715846193922" /></a><br /><br />So the only calendar item I dropped was <a href="http://www.queeruption.org/"> Queeruption </a> in Vancover.. only a few hours north - but thought it was better to stay and help with the camp, and was joined by some border rejects and we had a not-at-Queeruption-solidarity get together and became 'Brian's Angels'.. we found these costumes out on the street walking the dog!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7yMDYUX6GiJ2BNDnZieTrL-p7zx022Gib33r3ERxWeekwKfAPtKOy-CBU6GAMIC3lb-r0QZCs2LjU8zSG4d55LKKaX4u_MdKRDbIEe3XZVW2C0Qpv0IKB1lLtvi51oCHsBzuC/s1600-h/briansangles.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7yMDYUX6GiJ2BNDnZieTrL-p7zx022Gib33r3ERxWeekwKfAPtKOy-CBU6GAMIC3lb-r0QZCs2LjU8zSG4d55LKKaX4u_MdKRDbIEe3XZVW2C0Qpv0IKB1lLtvi51oCHsBzuC/s320/briansangles.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103337895507440258" /></a><br /><br />Crazy bug found on the street in Atlanta (Rhinoceros Beetle - the strongest animal on the planet):<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcsk_CCv5j0mrmwoRlIEmJMvs2lZAxkgMhKSlqWmT2eGZFCjZMkJr3A-3zcRBgfm9piuj0BpmwY6b5r-stqZXi4SphZUWzUA3hNLz48e_anTfg1J3Th_wLOXM4tBXkkyJ-xe-7/s1600-h/bigbeetle4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcsk_CCv5j0mrmwoRlIEmJMvs2lZAxkgMhKSlqWmT2eGZFCjZMkJr3A-3zcRBgfm9piuj0BpmwY6b5r-stqZXi4SphZUWzUA3hNLz48e_anTfg1J3Th_wLOXM4tBXkkyJ-xe-7/s320/bigbeetle4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103337891212472946" /></a><br /><br />Many more pics on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/">my flickr</a>.cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-10218772021520686022007-08-24T05:44:00.000+10:002007-09-01T18:48:00.168+10:00On tour in the belly of the beast - Rising Tide North America<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCiREvCoskiFaQjk6EG6z36cc_PFM7_RkqwFdcTqyDsDRyZu222-0lQilEOUvcGD-GPLuguYj9quYULpK3o3OQYya_CoBcrpLZp-6jIiYhzXVh0c3urv2S-ItvyqJsJfPe0LC/s1600-h/burtsnow.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCiREvCoskiFaQjk6EG6z36cc_PFM7_RkqwFdcTqyDsDRyZu222-0lQilEOUvcGD-GPLuguYj9quYULpK3o3OQYya_CoBcrpLZp-6jIiYhzXVh0c3urv2S-ItvyqJsJfPe0LC/s320/burtsnow.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101984705931292850" /></a><br /><br />So its been a while......Again.<br /><br />Plunged headlong into the paradox of so much going on and so little time to process any of it... let alone blog any of it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipxnjvxkLKMt5cySZfrrCUh9leD6D5wQ4ZGOKMKD-4V5IUI7GafpA9ueIx4fURdpwqRe0dGFsM3aUajFM1f-iBRnoy5oFUqRRdhyphenhyphendciP0AFdOpyAQdIXdv-txQ9bwhfKvl0DTg/s1600-h/tourmap.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipxnjvxkLKMt5cySZfrrCUh9leD6D5wQ4ZGOKMKD-4V5IUI7GafpA9ueIx4fURdpwqRe0dGFsM3aUajFM1f-iBRnoy5oFUqRRdhyphenhyphendciP0AFdOpyAQdIXdv-txQ9bwhfKvl0DTg/s400/tourmap.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102214160264114722" /></a><br />A massive 7,129 miles or 11,473 kilometres.<br /><br />So the Rising Tide tour... well it was intense. However three and a half months, 40 stops, traveling on a bus, with a small group of people, talking about climate change all the time always was going to be intense. We all went a little mad, and sank to far into our vices - mine being <a href="http://www.gtskombucha.com/"> kombucha </a> & <a href="http://www.myspace.com/cookielovescake"> myspace </a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1BZ9laIriw3KxmqCS8fAp_RTSAbue30O3gI_gcoVX79EODjbQ6Lgg-Ig39JJAMOEz2sX2Ragk5oOa3H1Hz_oIJKtuuwvw4juInL8tIjRR_-39SopkDr3Pu2r6ixW5OPDDRdDG/s1600-h/roadtohell.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1BZ9laIriw3KxmqCS8fAp_RTSAbue30O3gI_gcoVX79EODjbQ6Lgg-Ig39JJAMOEz2sX2Ragk5oOa3H1Hz_oIJKtuuwvw4juInL8tIjRR_-39SopkDr3Pu2r6ixW5OPDDRdDG/s320/roadtohell.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101985685183836546" /></a><br /><br />A couple of months in we banned 'end of the world' conversations, took up bad <a href="http://risingtide.org.uk/york/burritobeer.m4a">harmony singing</a>, and were a lot better off for it - and I now have the '<a href="http://floodculture.blogspot.com/ "> floodculture </a> ' blog to vent my climate despair..<br />(OK my tourmates are gonna KILL me for putting that song online.. *hides*)<br /><br />As always.. a knudge to check out my pics <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/">on flickr </a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ua2Y5LAH_qSA6kESZUbIzW0x8sy4xJKcbPgpqBz14D_8J0VKftZu6HcNvo0V5FzlNZjlbkUHLW9lTdLTxjb4qOwxKG8UYbXtgDUW_igjD7TyiqPuNANIcd-UCipOo7vYXc7L/s1600-h/busmirror.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ua2Y5LAH_qSA6kESZUbIzW0x8sy4xJKcbPgpqBz14D_8J0VKftZu6HcNvo0V5FzlNZjlbkUHLW9lTdLTxjb4qOwxKG8UYbXtgDUW_igjD7TyiqPuNANIcd-UCipOo7vYXc7L/s320/busmirror.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101985032348807362" /></a><br /><br />The tour was quite an undertaking.. and we never 'finished' the planning.. as every stop we'd debrief and tailor and adapt for the next stop.. this was a full time 24/7 job! But it got better and better as we gained confidence and learned off all the great folks we met. There is a film of one of out later tour stops below.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9eP0Ax6heYvBRH51FQ2DsuiERmvj_dXxmBxShqEc7iu5nTBh9UHET8-UpqLU3Kr3zR9Kui8kxIWxMbQkH5qVwpz0cQ3Jm0pbJ4pqCpc-ZtkI3QEwmPre8XV3ndHTuj_VDWBV/s1600-h/fellowship.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9eP0Ax6heYvBRH51FQ2DsuiERmvj_dXxmBxShqEc7iu5nTBh9UHET8-UpqLU3Kr3zR9Kui8kxIWxMbQkH5qVwpz0cQ3Jm0pbJ4pqCpc-ZtkI3QEwmPre8XV3ndHTuj_VDWBV/s320/fellowship.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101985053823643906" /></a><br /><br />OK.. the tour.. well here's my blurb on it (its in italics if you wanna skip it and to get back to my more random ramblings): <br /><br /><b>climate change, community response & popular education</b><br /><br /><i>Climate change is happening already and affecting life all over the planet. We need to do as much as we can to stop it getting any worse, but we also need to be prepared as communities to deal with the effects of what’s coming as the changes get more severe; we wont be able to rely on governments when resources become scarce. <br /><br />Communities are preparing to respond to climate events and to be able provide for their own needs.. This translates to the many projects already in action and the many more in creation. <br /><br />Emergency disaster relief teams, health collectives, community gardens, permaculture projects, bike collectives, wind & solar projects, social events, cross community solidarity projects, skill shares and practical training. <br /><br />Popular education is an integral part of this work as these projects rarely emerge from people being told that things need to happen. They emerge instead from people acting on the needs in their area and from cross-pollination of ideas from other places and cultures. <br /><br />One of the most rewarding things as a popular educator is to bring together groups of people and find common interests and spark conversations and projects. <br /><br />At our New York tour stop we were doing a mind mapping exercise on disaster relief. The different needs were mapped out by the group and then it was found that different folks that had never met before had skills in many of the identifi ed areas. An email list sheet was passed around and taken away by one of the participants to organise their next meeting. A new project started! </i><br /><br />Film of tour stop in Guelph, Ontario. <br /><a href="http://guelphsocialjustice.org/wiki/index.php/Rising_Tide">guelphsocialjustice.org/wiki/index.php/Rising_Tide</a><br />And on <a href="http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=5925137752094579969&hl=en-CA"> Google video </a> <br /><br />Radio Interview of the tour crew in Guelph, Ontario. <br /><a href="http://www.resistanceisfertile.ca/ ">resistanceisfertile.ca </a><br /><br />And... I've just finished a 'tour documentation project' which has become a 'resource pack for trainers & facilitators' with descriptions of the games & exercises.. and all the tools you need to create your own climate road-show! Its really quite good - I've had lots of ace feedback already so take a look: <a href="http://risingtide.org.uk/pdfs/RTNAtour.pdf">risingtide.org.uk/pdfs/RTNAtour.pdf</a> 2.4 MB pdf <br /><br /><a href="http://risingtide.org.uk/pdfs/RTNAtour.pdf"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKXLITJsLtAf3qiH2OJnh4XGOiwZZFEek478YwI7C8Qo6202ADLtU5lSRsXg_j5rF9nJJjzOL06QApjs9PIPdYovbVAwY5JKFuDnRDS3r3bB0QcxWAdDRMACqNF-sqiRpB0xb/s320/tordoc.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102003556542755346" /></a><br /><br /><b>So.. the most memorable points on the tour?</b><br /><br />Florida rocked. (and your all totally hot, it cant just be the endless sunshine?) We swam in warm seas, met up with locals resisting LNG & Coal plants, community gardens, rockin' parties, torrential tropical storms... and.. and we went row boating in the everglades in alligator infested waters! <a href="http://risingtidetour.blogspot.com/2007/03/gigs-gas-gardens-gaitors.html">Tour Blog post on Florida</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXTh2fO4cL7UYddMlY19GMffPmqrjxc-dzskhYBujfI7SEAs5ItmW1gWv-HT0-diOtbKVYNp_y7V1zphNUoThqqoQDIrM-JTZwt5yOgHJL9Ly6ZiRYLyp7Muyh_DGQHXtwoKlt/s1600-h/gaitor4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXTh2fO4cL7UYddMlY19GMffPmqrjxc-dzskhYBujfI7SEAs5ItmW1gWv-HT0-diOtbKVYNp_y7V1zphNUoThqqoQDIrM-JTZwt5yOgHJL9Ly6ZiRYLyp7Muyh_DGQHXtwoKlt/s320/gaitor4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101985358766321954" /></a><br /><br />Hmm what else? Bloomington (my bloomies.. I love & miss y'all), clowning with circa in chicago, gourmet dumpster chefs in Shepherdstown, sleeping out in the west Virginia Appalachian mountains, crazy gorges & high-school stops in Ithaca NY, Kick-starting Rising Tide Canada in Ottawa, (40 folks to their 1st meeting) and Montreal - Ces't Fantastique...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgh06XrsSFTglHFKrqn1ejsxQ0rpVYW4GiDLbSc-neFxb4TZjs2kV9lxaLhrKTXLgdx2aiJjwMoLsKSIN2lE1YBaUBJKojHVY6vsPxDBYfTJON1a4DW9_-jG0GfuQiTjPlsoK/s1600-h/freefood.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgh06XrsSFTglHFKrqn1ejsxQ0rpVYW4GiDLbSc-neFxb4TZjs2kV9lxaLhrKTXLgdx2aiJjwMoLsKSIN2lE1YBaUBJKojHVY6vsPxDBYfTJON1a4DW9_-jG0GfuQiTjPlsoK/s320/freefood.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101985354471354642" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMC-WNpTjTQTcR53bEfrkxbjsYnHBwW2m6ujWR97_pL0QEv1p2vswTffxEjwc6PidoDGIzwzcfiQGCl-Vvsq4iULIv1LVOrKWdgjZLEYMbeIUfSni7tEb59gMUF__oE6xt1w5/s1600-h/mtl_ithaca.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMC-WNpTjTQTcR53bEfrkxbjsYnHBwW2m6ujWR97_pL0QEv1p2vswTffxEjwc6PidoDGIzwzcfiQGCl-Vvsq4iULIv1LVOrKWdgjZLEYMbeIUfSni7tEb59gMUF__oE6xt1w5/s320/mtl_ithaca.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101985371651223890" /></a><br /><br />The <a href="http://www.lvejo.org/">Little Village Environments Justice Organisation</a><br /> are the most inspiring & cool folks ever! In the largest mexican community in US they are making all the link with community organsing, fighting 2 coal power plant and community gardening turning lawns into food.. and much much more.. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFUgwqvtdS7CxZSFU3mKu___u1IUwjrHNN_sKB4jD1vF6Nmlr3F7NOPbBNjjEC9IhIKq4fagEjc-TCOcRnH76KRMyKCfXmx7Ruc1f-Lrbp3mnMM9FhZphEfIVpEO1Zv1lzaIm/s1600-h/littlevillage.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFUgwqvtdS7CxZSFU3mKu___u1IUwjrHNN_sKB4jD1vF6Nmlr3F7NOPbBNjjEC9IhIKq4fagEjc-TCOcRnH76KRMyKCfXmx7Ruc1f-Lrbp3mnMM9FhZphEfIVpEO1Zv1lzaIm/s320/littlevillage.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101985367356256578" /></a><br /><br />The 'seed sow road show' was a total high.. we met up with a cycle tour.. which, after spending a day cycling around the projects of The youth run <a href="http://worcesterroots.org/">Worcester Roots project</a> who have test lead levels in soil then plant bio-remediation plants in problem soil.. all in a big ghost-busters 'toxic soil busters' bus. <br /> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCV0xv2Oh3NJB9FG0TsmC3rtGh3ovuUl3bCYEVk3Ctjbp5i07ud_RhzmgfYk4dKtnY1yb8eSXQMw6Jkz78Zl8krwtiMCcCD5jociM7sVcVEQkNf6_4Xi_cXFNXo-feewj1rExw/s1600-h/seedsew64.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCV0xv2Oh3NJB9FG0TsmC3rtGh3ovuUl3bCYEVk3Ctjbp5i07ud_RhzmgfYk4dKtnY1yb8eSXQMw6Jkz78Zl8krwtiMCcCD5jociM7sVcVEQkNf6_4Xi_cXFNXo-feewj1rExw/s320/seedsew64.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101985994421481906" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe98bXjngBGxgGMQpngMc-HNXrJ5QkYoeG6ucBkrsmmGo1AometC8UPhK2oyoPmDF7FR3TsC71OAEN4fucWRzos3IKAxIlh81bJdu7RcWpH_TxEL3Q3_JuIO8_QifrS7R_VI8L/s1600-h/seedsew34.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe98bXjngBGxgGMQpngMc-HNXrJ5QkYoeG6ucBkrsmmGo1AometC8UPhK2oyoPmDF7FR3TsC71OAEN4fucWRzos3IKAxIlh81bJdu7RcWpH_TxEL3Q3_JuIO8_QifrS7R_VI8L/s320/seedsew34.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101985693773771154" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCE_Dmx_QW-zT-Eajg4RMRYq3AL0Y8C5CwzYPdYp3TVkBmPPjSCvf09rkitE-xrprAVuEylFNgKrMk0trTI-OSpxDtfhmY3pefDnUPiOb4JM8QIKcWudj-syGwDypxSB65nU_/s1600-h/seedsew40.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCE_Dmx_QW-zT-Eajg4RMRYq3AL0Y8C5CwzYPdYp3TVkBmPPjSCvf09rkitE-xrprAVuEylFNgKrMk0trTI-OSpxDtfhmY3pefDnUPiOb4JM8QIKcWudj-syGwDypxSB65nU_/s320/seedsew40.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101985693773771170" /></a><br /><br />Visiting and bringing supplies to the indigenous <a href="http://sisis.nativeweb.org/actionalert/ ">Six Nations Blockade</a> in Canada was amazing.. to see them taking down condos.. check out these links to find about more about <a href="http://www.geocities.com/insurrectionary_anarchists/sixnations.html Six Nations Land Reclamation">their inspiring & bold actions</a>..<br /> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZV8pzh7KAFpmL-kvaWjXGs_EV6OetA1zbRAUMqGPBXprOMVk_mbTPUwOose7rWAwsH3ZcIwheEdCo3afVUMOMV8bLHazog8LqgBaLlVFvYQJOlfjh6n-adtfCZkEcIKXsYAO/s1600-h/6nations6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZV8pzh7KAFpmL-kvaWjXGs_EV6OetA1zbRAUMqGPBXprOMVk_mbTPUwOose7rWAwsH3ZcIwheEdCo3afVUMOMV8bLHazog8LqgBaLlVFvYQJOlfjh6n-adtfCZkEcIKXsYAO/s320/6nations6.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101984688751423602" /></a><br /><br />There were also some intense & hard places. Like visiting Larry Gibson, who's home is surround by coal mines.. . in Appalachia they literally blow off the tops of the mountains to get at the coal.. he used to live on the smallest mountain in the area.. now his land tower about the rubble and devastated land around. There is a <a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06057/661523.stm">short film about Larry here</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-vbgzl4E7JksTDCEn9-ub58MgdnvUKXWoE_CiPhZPNdoeRf9AhUH7v1CfXg7-8UJAB8hC_sckiFxXgFLvxVRPrSvfK1ptsTq9ei7cHi9Qg1f6bRZJ2wqzQZb37C6cAQFnaUh/s1600-h/mtr1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-vbgzl4E7JksTDCEn9-ub58MgdnvUKXWoE_CiPhZPNdoeRf9AhUH7v1CfXg7-8UJAB8hC_sckiFxXgFLvxVRPrSvfK1ptsTq9ei7cHi9Qg1f6bRZJ2wqzQZb37C6cAQFnaUh/s320/mtr1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102679893632791090" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Rv2PR4mL5ycIwkfQRT7HeQDnojPW4F50V_tKxDp9i9jwih5wAN84aVV4JWnlxGPw-lUOaom-JqhXq7L92qtlok4CibnJY9U7i3DdECvAnHbxOBu3qfSYRN_i5GpT_0OS6YiJ/s1600-h/mtr2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Rv2PR4mL5ycIwkfQRT7HeQDnojPW4F50V_tKxDp9i9jwih5wAN84aVV4JWnlxGPw-lUOaom-JqhXq7L92qtlok4CibnJY9U7i3DdECvAnHbxOBu3qfSYRN_i5GpT_0OS6YiJ/s320/mtr2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102679897927758402" /></a><br /><br />There is so much more to tell! maybe some stories will eek out at a later date.. we met so many fantastic folks at every stop we were hosted by the most rad amazing people.. so a huge thanks to y'all - love ya!<br /><br />Some pics from the road below.. and there are many more <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/">on flickr </a>. And more on the blog real soon!<br /><br />Carbro web of fun..<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ8wACDREYRySLgH9wx2QRLQiSP7O4sPzOSxSgztmOxFMzrL-1F8PxUv1VFeeDt2iiH7QgfUqcPMEK1H98mjsxsgXQP0wOzwJSHEV1WTKdKWIZX31v836yPZq3oSDfQvi5n1PF/s1600-h/carbweb.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ8wACDREYRySLgH9wx2QRLQiSP7O4sPzOSxSgztmOxFMzrL-1F8PxUv1VFeeDt2iiH7QgfUqcPMEK1H98mjsxsgXQP0wOzwJSHEV1WTKdKWIZX31v836yPZq3oSDfQvi5n1PF/s320/carbweb.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101985036643774674" /></a><br /><br />The 'L' in Chicago<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5B68r9WZFAldDAxJTKCucOoMnheMvTarrSFm2vXjJe-44rc7ZzXFLHPc-KdWOxIOB03Lo-c-NbH5vx5KdOsh2YAsImtb4hvbcaHr0aTwmivBeSfsqQvkeNAMnxLPg5vI_XMs/s1600-h/thel.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5B68r9WZFAldDAxJTKCucOoMnheMvTarrSFm2vXjJe-44rc7ZzXFLHPc-KdWOxIOB03Lo-c-NbH5vx5KdOsh2YAsImtb4hvbcaHr0aTwmivBeSfsqQvkeNAMnxLPg5vI_XMs/s320/thel.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101986003011416530" /></a><br /><br />Vote Nobody.. in Guelph, canada<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQEuTiyfi2EFyo91t1sZ2Ids6rx16ZEYhFfOb9Heu9gygtgFQbYCQSa8RuTwMLo0iOfRImjcmwiGS5hOk-CtrqL9q3B5EMYrbIeJYwZ_d3dqnADkp7d4OfBVWz3CaiJRufDya/s1600-h/votenobody.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQEuTiyfi2EFyo91t1sZ2Ids6rx16ZEYhFfOb9Heu9gygtgFQbYCQSa8RuTwMLo0iOfRImjcmwiGS5hOk-CtrqL9q3B5EMYrbIeJYwZ_d3dqnADkp7d4OfBVWz3CaiJRufDya/s320/votenobody.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101986114680566274" /></a><br /><br />Shark Jars.. real or not? (Florida)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyJwrabGDGcXR6QFtDZdlAzrd_kwadQQRE_Nu3B4_zCyVPDTuaeI08FxqC6hSaZ0S8oHJjHpdVpUD1_oGd2J3Zn_S1P_pqb-SQlIfBmRMHMw15wiTxSmrT1Kh8DRQ2-uiQo9l/s1600-h/sharkjars.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyJwrabGDGcXR6QFtDZdlAzrd_kwadQQRE_Nu3B4_zCyVPDTuaeI08FxqC6hSaZ0S8oHJjHpdVpUD1_oGd2J3Zn_S1P_pqb-SQlIfBmRMHMw15wiTxSmrT1Kh8DRQ2-uiQo9l/s320/sharkjars.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101985998716449218" /></a><br /><br />To the point<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvypGdtAC7wseInx6Rq8Vpimjw8KgFB0dXl-6xscW5JRYiOVJaG5M7rEGE2xWQiM8_dE0Bq3Nae6JF8Q9Qu2la51cwYAPUbyXJXKJEILLjqIK4XhCiZOSftu557rIgOJu7nrQ/s1600-h/bannermake.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvypGdtAC7wseInx6Rq8Vpimjw8KgFB0dXl-6xscW5JRYiOVJaG5M7rEGE2xWQiM8_dE0Bq3Nae6JF8Q9Qu2la51cwYAPUbyXJXKJEILLjqIK4XhCiZOSftu557rIgOJu7nrQ/s320/bannermake.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101984693046390914" /></a><br /><br />Creepy how the graves & sky-scraper look the same..<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2dPhaHauF4wpp7WDP2ZimTEPbXejAH3cHXLw5M0cI0eoUmYE7XBofXZdmL85ohCtmqqQKisD_1GSEuOZySwZpR8vd5jsUTkRiwrME5-TWz_cZjBE8YeWLgIcJc1G0tbPmQAjh/s1600-h/nycskyline2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2dPhaHauF4wpp7WDP2ZimTEPbXejAH3cHXLw5M0cI0eoUmYE7XBofXZdmL85ohCtmqqQKisD_1GSEuOZySwZpR8vd5jsUTkRiwrME5-TWz_cZjBE8YeWLgIcJc1G0tbPmQAjh/s320/nycskyline2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101985655119065442" /></a><br /><br />Somewhere in the north-east it all started getting a little strange.. (HP Lovecraft country)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOryHTuaJ7O96xQfg2KKi2NlblQAQTdGjLvlyakYOvUQYFi7YB1r4CCvG5q_8EtSTGwYqXu9HpjltdOHLOG5lNBqFZfwwH1-9xqRep9IOvc8v2Ao5_I9460SkS0Dc4eoNWqLN/s1600-h/basementeye.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOryHTuaJ7O96xQfg2KKi2NlblQAQTdGjLvlyakYOvUQYFi7YB1r4CCvG5q_8EtSTGwYqXu9HpjltdOHLOG5lNBqFZfwwH1-9xqRep9IOvc8v2Ao5_I9460SkS0Dc4eoNWqLN/s320/basementeye.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101984697341358226" /></a><br /><br />Cowboys for Christ.. (Gas station in Georgia)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteE3b5bSpl8SKfK4WdeQOQWVUjWnjTh_EUkm8gtxPBOr1MB7ttQZgHrbCAGaLq_XPREzyncaX96XhnXa6xyvFvTQBvCqGrLXKARHFAGN5TSCjSVuTk0g2rIeJN4ky94XghMJv/s1600-h/bumper.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteE3b5bSpl8SKfK4WdeQOQWVUjWnjTh_EUkm8gtxPBOr1MB7ttQZgHrbCAGaLq_XPREzyncaX96XhnXa6xyvFvTQBvCqGrLXKARHFAGN5TSCjSVuTk0g2rIeJN4ky94XghMJv/s320/bumper.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101984701636325538" /></a><br /><br />'Community'. (Arlington, DC)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNXfjjKeoKnhFpgbggguOHawIa-8UJG4ynKElxY_cOt18A0Xv1lIcvNfHX9xsfgaruwRLuimnbP5MFL5381kV4_UXflDiZPMvXAJJ4zYehBdGNDmLU_vujIkThL7O8qcoBgu0A/s1600-h/coffee.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNXfjjKeoKnhFpgbggguOHawIa-8UJG4ynKElxY_cOt18A0Xv1lIcvNfHX9xsfgaruwRLuimnbP5MFL5381kV4_UXflDiZPMvXAJJ4zYehBdGNDmLU_vujIkThL7O8qcoBgu0A/s320/coffee.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101985045233709282" /></a><br /><br />All these cakes are Vegan.. Cookie loves Vegan cake... (a NYC bakery)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64JUJKrJqheosmXqrUcWWstxcIpXcdznVhPcwqhqnaImqxy_mlbdULJKvFAlDJlcY_AcBnS8cQyc6Isq7o0HwzNINlpaKBsOpyIQArqAnQMFl4pkL1kuIg1-wIf5iG1e15RrC/s1600-h/vegan.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64JUJKrJqheosmXqrUcWWstxcIpXcdznVhPcwqhqnaImqxy_mlbdULJKvFAlDJlcY_AcBnS8cQyc6Isq7o0HwzNINlpaKBsOpyIQArqAnQMFl4pkL1kuIg1-wIf5iG1e15RrC/s320/vegan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101986011601351154" /></a><br /><br />Florida.. (at river threatened by power plant)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJlkIj8T3N7aNO3UjKMIlM8HMw290fJ2ArLv89uMvNl3Sdxox6QCXpD5yKSzTHoQPg_QcWndBoe8iSSwkAe80vCmRevLJSCjUtBj9m32c8q3PxHtINRlm59K9kJ0Cx_vEZs0r/s1600-h/treeflower.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJlkIj8T3N7aNO3UjKMIlM8HMw290fJ2ArLv89uMvNl3Sdxox6QCXpD5yKSzTHoQPg_QcWndBoe8iSSwkAe80vCmRevLJSCjUtBj9m32c8q3PxHtINRlm59K9kJ0Cx_vEZs0r/s320/treeflower.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101986011601351138" /></a>cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-91009720918796453762007-01-29T18:03:00.000+11:002007-03-28T12:55:16.402+10:00'Its not my revolution if I can't floss'<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYCB7qz2m2Jra-1Yrhnv60HREeycdbSBMTUIx9gL46Ih3DMEmS-_6cMqWzcjLGtzaylh5JahXLf_51pRel1ftvrWtdWXC43DHfQTxhWhddXN9PFR84stDfxabSjvkVHJwdJOy/s1600-h/cactus.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYCB7qz2m2Jra-1Yrhnv60HREeycdbSBMTUIx9gL46Ih3DMEmS-_6cMqWzcjLGtzaylh5JahXLf_51pRel1ftvrWtdWXC43DHfQTxhWhddXN9PFR84stDfxabSjvkVHJwdJOy/s320/cactus.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042632376650998802" /></a><br /><br />Texas.<br /><br />Culture.<br /><br />Shock.<br /><br />Tassie to Texas is a huge dislocation and as a few days ago I walked to a Taquareia (Taco & Burrito shop) by six lanes of traffic and a huge flyover with giant <a href="http://www.hummer.com/ ">Hummers</a> and SUVs thundering past and above under the bright plastic signs of the strip malls and gas stations... I felt pretty overwhelmed. Hey Toto.. I'm not in the forest anymore.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypW4uiJTKwbem5XN5hRtTarOjusAsLdgIuYa3rbWYpnOTmfxh2fhO9gScNBrtzY98jRJfGQnjL2la_mEzmrotNn8-Igqdv6ahF2eFWDBYBqdosoS2RC3l6BGboZjLJ1rc3zzw/s1600-h/abbing2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypW4uiJTKwbem5XN5hRtTarOjusAsLdgIuYa3rbWYpnOTmfxh2fhO9gScNBrtzY98jRJfGQnjL2la_mEzmrotNn8-Igqdv6ahF2eFWDBYBqdosoS2RC3l6BGboZjLJ1rc3zzw/s320/abbing2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5025344849558010450" /></a><br /><br />Probably doesn't help that whenever I shut my eyes I am back in the Florentine, under the leafy green light walking the forest paths or high in the tree tops listing to the kookaburras laugh below me. The camp I've been living at was busted and <a href="http://sydney.indymedia.org.au/node/50150">there have been many arrests and violence out there.</a><br /><br />So what am I doing in Texas?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfR2MS0CLMzJEcmQ8Rbds4gauoj5bo7LU8IgVaBOc4LhuT6FpcfmJ__0pcREx12nMVEhixx0fvXTQyBKrRPfBdlMIUh_Ir2Y8MfoWoYP1_4DzCuHyRQoL7Gk_D0DIc3o_8mIeq/s1600-h/turky.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfR2MS0CLMzJEcmQ8Rbds4gauoj5bo7LU8IgVaBOc4LhuT6FpcfmJ__0pcREx12nMVEhixx0fvXTQyBKrRPfBdlMIUh_Ir2Y8MfoWoYP1_4DzCuHyRQoL7Gk_D0DIc3o_8mIeq/s320/turky.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042633368788444290" /></a><br /><br /><b>Snap Displace</b><br />My Resource Rebels adventure has switched countries & continents and brought me to Austin, Texas to meet up with the <a href"=http://risingtidenorthamerica.org">New Rising Tide North America</a> (RTNA) to travel with them on their US roadshow.. although I should be saying 'our' as I have been rapidly assimilated into RTNA by hours & days of consensus meetings.. <br /><br />So to get into the activist lingo.. I'm going to be 'bottom lining' the tour blog that can be found <a href="http://risingtidetour.blogspot.com/"> here: risingtidetour.blogspot.com </a> With updates from the road and all the cool folks we get to meet on the way.<br /><br /><b>Meeting Meeting Meeting Meeting</b><br />Well after hankering for more meeting protocol in Australia..(Although there was some great stuff in places.. so big ups to the fab facilitators over there!) I was excited to get to such a crew with strong meeting process - However I feel like I've been in a perpetual meeting since I arrived! We spent weeks camped out in Austin at The' Brownfield' (see RT blog) with the wider Rising Tide crew before we got onto the road, restructure in the RT Network. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIz7BxRUWwiVumMyrYvkpLIU4bGUhmOYqFmoj25mUxSpnrsQnnV966lwlDaPKzucKKsWW7MW_ESAEMmZm-BWghY9-_m4hx37HS07zJXxDTsGQ1aWiMFpaEdNdyD_lbkpGm0Ddt/s1600-h/catapillr.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIz7BxRUWwiVumMyrYvkpLIU4bGUhmOYqFmoj25mUxSpnrsQnnV966lwlDaPKzucKKsWW7MW_ESAEMmZm-BWghY9-_m4hx37HS07zJXxDTsGQ1aWiMFpaEdNdyD_lbkpGm0Ddt/s320/catapillr.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042632380945966114" /></a><br /><br />One meeting even started around while I was asleep in my crashbag under our big tarp... Another morning I awoke was to a mass flossing session around me... with a worried discussion about how they were going to floss after industrial collapse.<br /><br />No really.<br /><br />Flossing aside, The RTNA folks are very exciting & cool folk. There is activists from all over and also Artists from the <a href="http://www.beehivecollective.org">Beehive Collective</a> & Musicians from <a href="http://riotfolk.org/">Riot Folk</a>. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZzeSpeL-xexemBr-b2bmS6dgHw4YDBIXETjHLx0iD51CjQbpqfYwO8eF2Rgh0pRA2CImGvVc_lJxjgMwEIoWpMNMKZ-aYIBt79rDL4qWm1lZ7XXTrPi5yHEccUVU7iMX8Etq/s1600-h/greywaterskull.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZzeSpeL-xexemBr-b2bmS6dgHw4YDBIXETjHLx0iD51CjQbpqfYwO8eF2Rgh0pRA2CImGvVc_lJxjgMwEIoWpMNMKZ-aYIBt79rDL4qWm1lZ7XXTrPi5yHEccUVU7iMX8Etq/s320/greywaterskull.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042632385240933442" /></a><br /><br />The Roadshow bus broke down.. and our lives we taken up by meeting after meeting.. so I don't feel like I saw that much of Texas! Apart from the many cacti and spiky things at the Brownfield earning Texas the title of 'Brillo-pad of America'. What I did see was pretty cool - lots of Vegan fun.. amazing big food co-ops full of Yummy Vegan treats, ice-creams places.. Pizza places that have soy cheese.. mmmm. Austin seemed way cooler and more chilled out than I expected, but does have the reputation of being the 'Eye of the redneck hurricane'.<br /><br />Anyhow check out the roadshow blog for tour news! - <a href="http://risingtidetour.blogspot.com/"> risingtidetour.blogspot.com </a> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWziIQFF3e22ChyphenhyphensOoQ-BH0k-iV8gRPcq69hF14TIqKtV07nw1YSBs8Jl-JNtM4Kum81PjZNUXtqlRC6567PdzwqK5BYge9oYp-RLp0akoCVQWn8VybeIoJF1MhICsQzxqR8cC/s1600-h/greycat.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWziIQFF3e22ChyphenhyphensOoQ-BH0k-iV8gRPcq69hF14TIqKtV07nw1YSBs8Jl-JNtM4Kum81PjZNUXtqlRC6567PdzwqK5BYge9oYp-RLp0akoCVQWn8VybeIoJF1MhICsQzxqR8cC/s320/greycat.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042632380945966130" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCeMYLQHmOyLuCDxQFj-j3kaSOTzKkuIfWukoOLwaGxkxCTAqm-z3yiIJUr8EM_vMEEpFtmvyjHociUdA_PI4daSAh8ft7iKoMmEdZj7-yzG1myneJ9IeCvLPAiTrW4iBmAuh2/s1600-h/slingshots.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCeMYLQHmOyLuCDxQFj-j3kaSOTzKkuIfWukoOLwaGxkxCTAqm-z3yiIJUr8EM_vMEEpFtmvyjHociUdA_PI4daSAh8ft7iKoMmEdZj7-yzG1myneJ9IeCvLPAiTrW4iBmAuh2/s320/slingshots.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042633364493476978" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDegCatZawNWL2gpwfXvJ04eUZ8rggJmFI0QUgBvCfiODYXgi2lwgs9pArrCBgMJq6w7DoXQH8Mo4kZEBRzx8veBcYMjLj-SXz6fGtCSOwU52lRWTvXuYosT5XTd8bjcO4mCaM/s1600-h/lonestar.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDegCatZawNWL2gpwfXvJ04eUZ8rggJmFI0QUgBvCfiODYXgi2lwgs9pArrCBgMJq6w7DoXQH8Mo4kZEBRzx8veBcYMjLj-SXz6fGtCSOwU52lRWTvXuYosT5XTd8bjcO4mCaM/s320/lonestar.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042632389535900754" /></a>cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-56952826447572560102007-01-15T17:35:00.000+11:002007-01-16T11:47:14.031+11:00Forest Furnace<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rfP4VdXbwNuIy6nUluRuBjUHy6M_iOD-dc-bRA7JW2f8GOJzRjRLcPWmSz0AdrU65QiuIZiyln5HhKUJrfEKy5Qkn6wbgIy0IzpUOAZIO3okwPURs8yx_WQ-7OLKaIKkijvF/s1600-h/bushfire.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rfP4VdXbwNuIy6nUluRuBjUHy6M_iOD-dc-bRA7JW2f8GOJzRjRLcPWmSz0AdrU65QiuIZiyln5HhKUJrfEKy5Qkn6wbgIy0IzpUOAZIO3okwPURs8yx_WQ-7OLKaIKkijvF/s320/bushfire.gif" http://cookielovescake.blogspot.com/2006/12/blockade-over-weld-river.htmlborder="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5020145766875424082" /><i>(Photo by Bob Mossel)</i></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97ADoPulLjQ6H76O3_w5vDo4q0RLQFA1gszQjOiMAG9GeBrO_ZRSYpA7utTydZeQ7TkFFBDVxobLpSRTd1_QBPMvmOiDdkjLL7nN9HNFH2GeM_PdmwULYy-sGOhmxzVil4I-7/s1600-h/toon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97ADoPulLjQ6H76O3_w5vDo4q0RLQFA1gszQjOiMAG9GeBrO_ZRSYpA7utTydZeQ7TkFFBDVxobLpSRTd1_QBPMvmOiDdkjLL7nN9HNFH2GeM_PdmwULYy-sGOhmxzVil4I-7/s320/toon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5020142459750606146" /></a><br /><br /><i>“so we are going to cut down the ancient forests, feed them into a power plant and call it green power”..</i><br /><br />It reads like some un-funny far-side cartoon, but is an all to real proposition in Tasmania.<br /><br />With the all-to-familiar ‘record breaking figures’ it’s the hottest-driest year on record in Tassie and months before the usual forest fire season all around us the forests burn.<br /><br />Thought out Tasmania& Victoria (where the east Gippy blockade in my ‘<a href="http://cookielovescake.blogspot.com/2006/12/causing-trouble-in-victoria-g20-gippy.html"> Causing trouble in Victoria</a>’ blog was) the ancient forest, plantations and peoples homes are in flames.<br /><br />It dominates the headlines daily with insane fiery pictures.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfjSag5mK2IDdrh2A1ihDHEjqX3vlIS4OfzCzIITrRVegsXuCY7e-5sLDegoOmclY_I42yC_310HdmcC3VfNj9TooJeI2Ksf5dDK9OrVdOvjo9XOx5m3-5AwuFTZDRspXCZPx/s1600-h/mossflozz.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfjSag5mK2IDdrh2A1ihDHEjqX3vlIS4OfzCzIITrRVegsXuCY7e-5sLDegoOmclY_I42yC_310HdmcC3VfNj9TooJeI2Ksf5dDK9OrVdOvjo9XOx5m3-5AwuFTZDRspXCZPx/s320/mossflozz.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5020148339560834450" /></a><br /><br />Climate chaos is hitting hard here and governments & industry continue to do their best to push it over the edge.<br /><br />There are two different proposals for wood-fired power stations in Tasmania current slip-sliding their greased way through the approvals process. One at the <a href="http://www.southcom.com.au/~sos/aboutus.html">Southwood 'Integrated Timber Processing Centre'</a> just outside the Weld valley where I was living in the forest over the winter, and one as part of a new <a href="http://www.wilderness.org.au/campaigns/forests/tasmania/gunns_proposed_pulp_mill/">pulp mill proposal</a> up north.<br /><br />Not that the logging and subsequent 'regeneration burnings' aren’t damaging enough to the climate as the last old carbon storing trees are felled.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBrqcd7iwCxrsw7k0CdcphHeojcOIhngteXJLoMt6e_uj1anj0bb078fdAqDCLofmIPlCuzT4VX5Tn5Hh9_r89vct5o_GkZ8EYD5A4EQEVyJxW5ol_Z8aOWuCuGQuB1i8XcFsr/s1600-h/climateelf.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBrqcd7iwCxrsw7k0CdcphHeojcOIhngteXJLoMt6e_uj1anj0bb078fdAqDCLofmIPlCuzT4VX5Tn5Hh9_r89vct5o_GkZ8EYD5A4EQEVyJxW5ol_Z8aOWuCuGQuB1i8XcFsr/s320/climateelf.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5020417453621667234" /></a><br /><br />However the audacity of trying to call it renewable energy takes another big step towards Orwellian ‘War is Peace’ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doublethink">doublethink</a>.<br /><br />Living out the forest up as tree is amazing, but in these dry times does bring on some fire paranoia.. ‘Its looking a bit hazy today…’ Does the air smell smoky to you?’ There is no mobile signal in the forest.. and at one of the blockades we were an hours walk away from the nearest car access.. when would we do? Many strategies were discussed, live jumping in the river, and that it better to run away downhill.. as fore travels faster uphill. How fast could I absail down this tree?? So many things we don’t have to consider living in the wetter uk!! but for how long?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiti9JV7EEAwwyaEql44IqeXd6fQqdAmVtdHH4JUFulHYPxsSCuzAqTDiwioN81cDGGWh6pcdNdw4lDfMe7vI34I_ylP2hPpkTynkFhJzH_0hV_rNIyqHA_8A_N9d30V_v_bvSp/s1600-h/flozroad3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiti9JV7EEAwwyaEql44IqeXd6fQqdAmVtdHH4JUFulHYPxsSCuzAqTDiwioN81cDGGWh6pcdNdw4lDfMe7vI34I_ylP2hPpkTynkFhJzH_0hV_rNIyqHA_8A_N9d30V_v_bvSp/s320/flozroad3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5020148060387960194" /></a><br /><br />So for life at the blockades, and a taste of these amazing acient forests check out my last three Tassie posts, and my video from the Florentine:<br /><br /><a href="http://cookielovescake.blogspot.com/2006/12/carry-on-up-flozza-adventures-in.html">‘Carry on up the Flozza’</a><br /><a href="http://cookielovescake.blogspot.com/2006/12/blockade-over-weld-river.html">‘Blockade over the Weld River’</a><br /><a href="http://cookielovescake.blogspot.com/2006/05/trouble-in-tasmania-pirates-of-weld.html">‘Trouble of Tasmania – Pirates of the Weld’ </a><br /><br />And a website I found with more info on<a href="http://www.news-tasmania.com/global-warming.html"> Climate Chaos & Tassie </a><br /><br />Also check out the Tassie, Weld & Florentine photo sets on <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/">my flickr</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zBlsJ01PKsrGyL0E5kOaJQua1dZdXxptMinreKRKR_0pOBvcS9TtlBl2WJ3w6RZoew1U4E5td1HKoUMmI63WjtjYEJEa1i01oFWDqYQnthhMyaWEcD1wCTXDD4PAT6OBniNr/s1600-h/sitview.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zBlsJ01PKsrGyL0E5kOaJQua1dZdXxptMinreKRKR_0pOBvcS9TtlBl2WJ3w6RZoew1U4E5td1HKoUMmI63WjtjYEJEa1i01oFWDqYQnthhMyaWEcD1wCTXDD4PAT6OBniNr/s320/sitview.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5020147618006328674" /></a>cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-91196933920479342092006-12-21T13:43:00.000+11:002007-09-03T07:11:41.897+10:00Carry on up the Flozza.. Adventures in the Florintine Forest<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1ShAaag180Yv9oGk6e5GnDicLf1e1W4vTR1reYLhyphenhyphen6Rx6qNJgqnpGSjVlbJCP5Oha_wHlMdNs5_yPkIVa6H45RfF2FisPuC4gTKw087umqoLDBiQP7oqUPvIA4rxVbRzg6nm/s1600-h/flozzaview.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1ShAaag180Yv9oGk6e5GnDicLf1e1W4vTR1reYLhyphenhyphen6Rx6qNJgqnpGSjVlbJCP5Oha_wHlMdNs5_yPkIVa6H45RfF2FisPuC4gTKw087umqoLDBiQP7oqUPvIA4rxVbRzg6nm/s320/flozzaview.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010803761785426898" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Little 4 min movie I made in the flozza up some very big trees!:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1mLDtV9j0bU"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1mLDtV9j0bU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />The Upper Florentine Forests<br /><br />Every step you take in the upper Florentine forest presents you with another ridiculously beautiful scene, and I constantly am grinning wide-eyed and grabbing for my camera.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZrbEPQ4MKZ32tXauiwL5DHnP1bpNF3x5wwdkPnyuiNdgijzW73iAb-tuDY-D32rY2rOHZ9Unz_jUMq-PB0Vy_hCvletvDaFfmSA9n5-SkrxeW0hPrAR8R22xhlAGU8w3STIW/s1600-h/paradise.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZrbEPQ4MKZ32tXauiwL5DHnP1bpNF3x5wwdkPnyuiNdgijzW73iAb-tuDY-D32rY2rOHZ9Unz_jUMq-PB0Vy_hCvletvDaFfmSA9n5-SkrxeW0hPrAR8R22xhlAGU8w3STIW/s320/paradise.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010804891361825826" border="0" /></a><br /><br />When Peter Jackson filmed the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxoyiOnilo0rNzX1k_aB6cfNfrHb5J8u1gsXbjv3TTdwVOpvFQ7t3d8RKQq9MXceC2s3xe7HcbteLNgKBNAPY9eui26cvEVTmXbTjYjgaRjPo3heUIKuNdRN_kAwspOylz_AC/s320/herforest.jpg">Loth lorian forest scenes</a> in The Fellowship of the Ring he found some amazing NZ forests, but then had to mock up the bases of giant trees to crate the forest he pictured..<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8X28013nd_OyuxQmkjLciD_eUHdiS-64OOVZ8k5V6itIi9_XJ2AZ1NzTkLB2arDz7kUMaiBXqFBEIiiZSmWLYAGTyxez3H4ToAENqjRpqIrbV6jbhQWky8P-x4lKY5d93uU9/s1600-h/myrtle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8X28013nd_OyuxQmkjLciD_eUHdiS-64OOVZ8k5V6itIi9_XJ2AZ1NzTkLB2arDz7kUMaiBXqFBEIiiZSmWLYAGTyxez3H4ToAENqjRpqIrbV6jbhQWky8P-x4lKY5d93uU9/s320/myrtle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010804655138624530" border="0" /></a><br /><br />These are the forests he was looking for - these are the forests of Loth lorien.. as you weave your way through moss covered myrtles & sassafras's you come across the basses of giant trees then looking up their massive trunks they disappear off into the canopy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgiqHwMX1LYvJa8u_5jdPhQlJ46nOslod7WsZY079QFAHkITXZ90iIjl8CseSTN4VCjgJ-nKGIHQyYtm3xkWt3cUOxlERH4uiP5PfSFhtyvDjxBdk-gIiDrWcUheAjKpouQbUA/s1600-h/dfaview3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgiqHwMX1LYvJa8u_5jdPhQlJ46nOslod7WsZY079QFAHkITXZ90iIjl8CseSTN4VCjgJ-nKGIHQyYtm3xkWt3cUOxlERH4uiP5PfSFhtyvDjxBdk-gIiDrWcUheAjKpouQbUA/s320/dfaview3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010804028073399266" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Waking up in the spongy moss under dappled light streaming through the canopy & man-ferns is like waking into more beautiful a dream than you could have ever been having - then rubbing your eyes again and again to really believe what you are seeing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vxVoK4tPC5QDmLQ3RYN9uaA6e6pVXyqWRlJnlVPN5h1VynVAQXgRgU4_cuPx_6JCj-Aylri542ozXOngt_wkNEce_syoCvTAwuKKV_YBKErquTMdudzTw1BDvg1lXcCW0xvb/s1600-h/fernshoot.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vxVoK4tPC5QDmLQ3RYN9uaA6e6pVXyqWRlJnlVPN5h1VynVAQXgRgU4_cuPx_6JCj-Aylri542ozXOngt_wkNEce_syoCvTAwuKKV_YBKErquTMdudzTw1BDvg1lXcCW0xvb/s320/fernshoot.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010804178397254642" border="0" /></a><br /><br />If forestry get their way this would soon be a road an the stunning giants around us will be falling.<br /><br />- But the people are resisting!<br /><br />There are several tree sits up and more on the way the forest kids here really know their stuff.. many are trained arborists and industrial climbers. I've been learning different climbing techniques and how to rig things up.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78aK6eFrp5n-2zYmHOkVjpNdGo3QyhOB4BtAMAiyAWkqwma5AGXx9ol-98vxK0-C2hBK_QG2eO09CV-17PfdpA2nyDbM7r-NF8DQdyuXcZQSHzY4XDerDf80VoJWV6Sp6XYA_/s1600-h/triangle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78aK6eFrp5n-2zYmHOkVjpNdGo3QyhOB4BtAMAiyAWkqwma5AGXx9ol-98vxK0-C2hBK_QG2eO09CV-17PfdpA2nyDbM7r-NF8DQdyuXcZQSHzY4XDerDf80VoJWV6Sp6XYA_/s320/triangle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010805149059863602" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Plans are afoot for an <a href="http://www.12back.com/playsets/ewok.php3">Ewok village</a> in the treetops with rope bridges connection the different homes. Soon cries of 'Bechawawa' will fill the forest along with the cackling kookaburras. <br /><br />I soon find myself high above one of the tree-sits sat astride a branch hauling up thick polyprop lines to connect up traverses in the trees around, trying out the newly learned 'donkeys bollox' knot which unfurls itself when looped over a branch - then trying to hurl it over a branch of an adjacent tree. After more <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/treefishing1.jpg">tree fishing</a> more trees are 'caught' and traverses put up. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwQqhhyphenhyphenox1Cg7HNTFrWRVp8SdfXpAynUeunD3cYYoK63Ppnf5DZ1Edn7zr4tJCKUwCeDjZ-2uPC01jLwXS6g0gP0dcuX-pVkawTTnXPlZ_iWT78zAqRfqTLe4ZiUA6pxjHxgl/s1600-h/monopod.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwQqhhyphenhyphenox1Cg7HNTFrWRVp8SdfXpAynUeunD3cYYoK63Ppnf5DZ1Edn7zr4tJCKUwCeDjZ-2uPC01jLwXS6g0gP0dcuX-pVkawTTnXPlZ_iWT78zAqRfqTLe4ZiUA6pxjHxgl/s320/monopod.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010804375965750274" border="0" /></a><br /><br />There is an amazing aerial photo of the tree-sit I slept in <a href="http://www.bobbrown.org.au/700_zoomed.php?id=3065">here on Green Senator Bob Brown's website</a>.<br /><br />With bountifully dumpsters, kind grennies & locals we eat well in the forest, even campfire baked bread & banana cakes from dumpstered goodies!<br /><br />Both the Florentine and the Weld are due to be logged any day now.. tree-sits need climbers, so anyone who can get down here do - January is all on!<br /><br />There are different groups involved in protecting the Upper Florentine... check out: <br /><br /><a href="http://www.forestdefenceunit.org/">Forest Defence Unit</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.derwentforests.org/">The Derwent Forest Alliance</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.wilderness.org.au/campaigns/forests/tasmania/world-heritage-watchtower/">The Wilderness Society</a>cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-4137217885248559232006-12-21T13:22:00.000+11:002006-12-21T20:25:03.994+11:00Blockade over the weld river<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58H5hyphenhyphenWPF938eQqe2ielrQId_TLXQnaFq1UA8jasSbvHm4xKK7uiM7ur3XvSEH9ZlK78dVxlPmsxnrGuPfKMIniIonBv9gBkNQZSrQmv2toxPAO3-7f33EaIKK_USORRWx77A/s1600-h/weldriversun.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58H5hyphenhyphenWPF938eQqe2ielrQId_TLXQnaFq1UA8jasSbvHm4xKK7uiM7ur3XvSEH9ZlK78dVxlPmsxnrGuPfKMIniIonBv9gBkNQZSrQmv2toxPAO3-7f33EaIKK_USORRWx77A/s320/weldriversun.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010818837120635970" border="0" /></a><br /><br />1 min clip of my first day in the tree sit:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XRE9mt9ZoQ8"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XRE9mt9ZoQ8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />Later that night...<br /><br /><i>It starts in the distance, a deep roar. It comes closer, the pressure changes and its suddenly much colder. The branches of the eucalyptus tree start swaying & rustling.<br /><br />You can hear it coming with the directional certainty of an oncoming car.. or juggernaut.<br /><br />Then the roar hits and everything is swaying, the platform swings and the rudimentary tarp shelter rattles & whips nosily in the wind.<br /><br />With it it brings rain and I curl up further away from the cold shower encroaching further and farther in the open end of the shelter.<br /><br />30 Meters below the rumbles and splashes of the weld river churn on in the darkness, the when light comes I watch the river rise and rise with all the rainfall.</i><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjll9jyEUbpouae4p9rsLxlBiBmVSeELbWAj3KBc8F5lsspjP_eBahhQULB7bhKzZ-ZJCDaVFxCJzV6AtvgY-aC4-OiLo2GDnGXa4YNlGsZBdQ4nSkTUmfp8izGHloyi0qy2tOY/s1600-h/tarplife2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjll9jyEUbpouae4p9rsLxlBiBmVSeELbWAj3KBc8F5lsspjP_eBahhQULB7bhKzZ-ZJCDaVFxCJzV6AtvgY-aC4-OiLo2GDnGXa4YNlGsZBdQ4nSkTUmfp8izGHloyi0qy2tOY/s320/tarplife2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010802228482102178" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I'm up in a blue tarp world above a logging road reaching into the weld valley. A few weeks ago, while I was at the G20 in Melbourne they busted the <a href="http://cookielovescake.blogspot.com/2006/05/trouble-in-tasmania-pirates-of-weld.html">ongoing camp I lived at</a> over the winter, felled some of the trees with tree-sits, pushed through a new road and destroyed the pirate ship.<br /><br />But now we have re-taken the valley.<br /><br />The tree-sit I am in is made from 4 poles in a rectangle with a net tied in between with a small tarp on top like an open ended tent.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEingsQ1GDjyE7cMwd_zCnzgMrGyYggxFXoUM_3jvPjxVSnpGKhzqxTWmcTkBTbXlY21x_XThyphenhypheny49VHgTWrtf5hORPvISgBsY1Yt1YtOUC6PQAHMjM9pylgVC3Y9mZnXp-gZGtfK/s1600-h/boreduptree.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEingsQ1GDjyE7cMwd_zCnzgMrGyYggxFXoUM_3jvPjxVSnpGKhzqxTWmcTkBTbXlY21x_XThyphenhypheny49VHgTWrtf5hORPvISgBsY1Yt1YtOUC6PQAHMjM9pylgVC3Y9mZnXp-gZGtfK/s320/boreduptree.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010801425323217794" border="0" /></a><br />So essentially I am floating up in the tree tops with no floor.<br /><br />The sit is attached to a rope hooked over a branch leading down to the logging road, there its attached to a monopod (single upright pole) lashed to a logging gate.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_4-u0X2aqfOPp6xuxJvWEOO4RhKSmmoxwo0Zx5wrGBztZhKzUea3T2m82tfRRfU89MxSFeNum7j8pN_1vPDfRtNmFGqtmYHx7xJKdO1hxgj3xOt7_Z8AMkLUgLz3Pz0mxLH2/s1600-h/rivercamp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_4-u0X2aqfOPp6xuxJvWEOO4RhKSmmoxwo0Zx5wrGBztZhKzUea3T2m82tfRRfU89MxSFeNum7j8pN_1vPDfRtNmFGqtmYHx7xJKdO1hxgj3xOt7_Z8AMkLUgLz3Pz0mxLH2/s320/rivercamp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010802035208573842" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The idea is if they try to take down the sit.. the sit will fall. <br /><br />The idea is that they don't.<br /><br />At first I stayed in the tarp bubble getting used to being up there.. and eventually I grew more confident and started exploring. climing higher, exploring, reading books sat astride branches 30 up in the tree tops..<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNuzdBOtS84vWecpVMN0_6JHoTNJQbSTEbG2cdZhm42xTylGx04dnXG4pxoOG_EK2yJKAkimOfxr2PsM5Fq7bMM8vtjgas3YZyFEHfAhEay66JTT8ZQ_Dl3dbFAOxrmoG-zDkE/s1600-h/topcamppeople2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNuzdBOtS84vWecpVMN0_6JHoTNJQbSTEbG2cdZhm42xTylGx04dnXG4pxoOG_EK2yJKAkimOfxr2PsM5Fq7bMM8vtjgas3YZyFEHfAhEay66JTT8ZQ_Dl3dbFAOxrmoG-zDkE/s320/topcamppeople2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010802443230466994" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Most of the rest of the 'down below' time at camp, when others are up the sits, is spent on the road.. oftern getting up at 4 am incase foresty arrive with the cops to bust us. Daily wash swims in the frezzing Weld river, so pure you can gulp down the water while swimming..<br /><br />Sometimes its cold and we are huddled around the fire, then a day, or somtines hours later it is burning hot and we are sweltering and dreaming of the river again. Never again will I call England 'changable'!<br /><br />Its hard to believe they will come in and destroy this amazing forest, but after taking a numbing walk back to the old camp and seeing the new road they have put through the danger is all to real and immidate. <br /><br />Keep up to date with happenings in the weld on <a href="http://www.huon.org/weldvalley/">huon.org</a> and <a href="http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/?comments=yes&search=yes&medium=&keyword=weld">Melbourne Indymedia</a>.cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-58642072775759683522006-12-14T11:33:00.000+11:002006-12-21T14:13:22.792+11:00Causing trouble in Victoria - The G20 & Gippy ForestsWow so life has descended into another crazy blur.. a house, home & bed seem like a hazy luxurious dream and it seems like forever since I slept somewhere where we weren't on full alert for an early morning bust. <br /><br />5 new photo sets on <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/">my flicker! </a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ZXoJGsnXDgWZDV_q9-kX_20Hw8QhE9Wbl_DodNXZnNMWeGl07iaq7McPqs0yluq196eXdhz-a058DI9E_d9MaGMv-xlQr8sDIp8tD1E9U_HhC6lQCTmsxa04e7tw_qh144kv/s1600-h/320072621_57fde36626_o.jpg"><img style="float:centre; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ZXoJGsnXDgWZDV_q9-kX_20Hw8QhE9Wbl_DodNXZnNMWeGl07iaq7McPqs0yluq196eXdhz-a058DI9E_d9MaGMv-xlQr8sDIp8tD1E9U_HhC6lQCTmsxa04e7tw_qh144kv/s320/320072621_57fde36626_o.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010795841865732898" /></a><br /><br />First it was down to Melbourne for the G20 madness. A crazy week of <a href="http://www.aspaceoutside.org/">squatted social centers</a>, spoke councils, <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/320067775/in/set-72157594416120982/">rebel clowning</a>, snatch squads, vegan yumminess, tram jumping, dumpsters, <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/320163845/in/set-72157594416120982/">police violence</a> & paranoia. Sounds like a summit to me! Lots of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72157594416120982/">photos here </a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeTsxE2sQND36vHmdtEACFNyqRAm9egN525cmXrk3UHz3bqDhAkTXqzVPVYo-E9EJH7SAqUi5vtG4Y7lNt2W443aXnpWIYQ2-WMhjSe_cO_0frjj1fIuQWRSuvsJTNWCFjtqjS/s1600-h/320166995_e304a6b958_o.jpg"><img style="float:centre; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeTsxE2sQND36vHmdtEACFNyqRAm9egN525cmXrk3UHz3bqDhAkTXqzVPVYo-E9EJH7SAqUi5vtG4Y7lNt2W443aXnpWIYQ2-WMhjSe_cO_0frjj1fIuQWRSuvsJTNWCFjtqjS/s320/320166995_e304a6b958_o.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010796078088934194" /></a><br /><br />Oh and somehow (..I blame that Irish boy) ended up as climate speaker at the 'big rally' which was pretty intense as there were thousands of folks around and a wall of press.. I NEVER go and listen to speakers at rallies! But there I was.. and how a copy of it can be <a href="http://risingtide.org.uk/node/166"> found here </a> - Most of it plagiarised from London Rising Tide.<br /><br />So with post summit snatch squads circling and paranoia heating up a crew of us head out to the victorian forests where we hear of a coupe being logged that might be saved after the upcoming elections...<br /><br />"A three hour drive".. "leave at 3pm"... Hmm, there in time for tea then. Marvelous. <br /><br />My first trip with the veggie oil van dumpster crew is a fantastic initiation to the true power of faff as we finally rock up to East Gippsland at dawn the next day after a mammoth tangental all night drive. However fun and dumpsterfull! And when we get to business we are a newly bonded tight crew - it was the most cuddly blockade ever.. Check out the <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72157594429142291/">really ace photos</a><br /><br />We stopped logging in a coupe near Goonerah. There were four big machines there all put out of action, two by lock ons and two by being ties off to a tree-sit hanging of a branch. We went in after dark and spent the night setting up..<br /><br /><i> I headed up the road with a few folks to 'scrub' (pulling lots of stuff onto the road to slow the loggers & down when they arrive and buy us some time).<br /><br />A frantic mission searching around with head torches and hauling logs & stones - whip a clove hitch around a log then haul on the rope.. oftern with many of us hauling & pushing with improvised leavers.. 1..2...3.. urrrragh...1...2...3.. urrragh...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7M0iT3PeaK9NLVHfdp8EmzVGP_aZN4MKsqK6C-8msEAzzeAdHfVw-h4PIsaNh2f7MPWJRxxvClKVH5UyswUcUrKwtJo9DaRvjK5lWcICKNp5FUZTF_Xp_PMQlOiKXlunTbhJ/s1600-h/dozerdawn.jpg"><img style="float:centre; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7M0iT3PeaK9NLVHfdp8EmzVGP_aZN4MKsqK6C-8msEAzzeAdHfVw-h4PIsaNh2f7MPWJRxxvClKVH5UyswUcUrKwtJo9DaRvjK5lWcICKNp5FUZTF_Xp_PMQlOiKXlunTbhJ/s320/dozerdawn.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010797031571673938" /></a><br /><br />Then the <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/326821956/in/set-72157594429142291/">sky starts to lighten.. </a>not long till the contractors show up for work and soon we can see without head-torches... and such an essential never leave your side item becomes redundant for the next 17 hours. Everythig is ready and now we wait... we <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/326822117/in/set-72157594429142291/">huddle round the fire</a> in the pre-dawn chill.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikyZdcDo6HFE5_SGS89MIRzvVjk-LsefdAhEdWjBMx0ArugcVt-H0VupuMLfrtVscxK7qtl_-n3YbWfLtrtXn656Qs26aoB7ApU65jNX8lRxKc8rDWlGW44pWhb4r-RYxlPPOQ/s1600-h/lockedon.jpg"><img style="float:centre; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikyZdcDo6HFE5_SGS89MIRzvVjk-LsefdAhEdWjBMx0ArugcVt-H0VupuMLfrtVscxK7qtl_-n3YbWfLtrtXn656Qs26aoB7ApU65jNX8lRxKc8rDWlGW44pWhb4r-RYxlPPOQ/s320/lockedon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010799393803686754" /></a><br /><br />I buddy for a friend locked on to a '<a href="http://flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/326826186/in/set-72157594429142291/">Logmate</a>' AKA 'Forest Fucker' <PIC> a huge beast with clamping jaws thats grab tree trunks as a automated chain-saw cuts them down than then the jaws attached to an articulated arm to stack the cut trees in a pile.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibAdIbx0Lu6NdHYF6n0WnHwLlnECSPg3PS8o1vuUO7EYYyQmvSw7QHmOvMtBZ-t4CdOCyyhtkfgBk92kfICaUzFQme6IqEGe5nS7N-5iW8NJ4QyIbXRbW1O6rJHvkprFWHOoVH/s1600-h/dmclogging.jpg"><img style="float:centre; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibAdIbx0Lu6NdHYF6n0WnHwLlnECSPg3PS8o1vuUO7EYYyQmvSw7QHmOvMtBZ-t4CdOCyyhtkfgBk92kfICaUzFQme6IqEGe5nS7N-5iW8NJ4QyIbXRbW1O6rJHvkprFWHOoVH/s320/dmclogging.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010796786758538050" /></a><br /><br />The contractors show up, grumble a bit, take photos and leave. Later the cops show up and do the same thing. Then the forest is ours. I fInd a sense triumph sitting on the machinery, so do it a lot. Big hunk of metal not destroying the forest today.. </i><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxjlOWsmMov1eZ_LxQMg_2mfYdkvyHvK9htC6XJrrssufVvrMu2N5cvLGGdtyn69ixLV7OzgxWnLKdA83fL318weerkEvPlUyAgkn-sNhEfu_x3AOhU_EtE-YSfOnBX-avY9H/s1600-h/mydigger.jpg"><img style="float:centre; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxjlOWsmMov1eZ_LxQMg_2mfYdkvyHvK9htC6XJrrssufVvrMu2N5cvLGGdtyn69ixLV7OzgxWnLKdA83fL318weerkEvPlUyAgkn-sNhEfu_x3AOhU_EtE-YSfOnBX-avY9H/s320/mydigger.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010799591372182386" /></a><br /><br />Later Reinforcements arrived so Red & I hit the road for more forest blockades across the bass straight., via <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72157594429145052/"> a look-see</a> around the <a href="http://www.seashepherd.org/">Sea Shepherd's</a> Farly Mowat, and onto the overnight ferry away from the mainland and back to Tasmania...cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-1161214954780203992006-10-19T09:31:00.000+10:002006-10-19T11:51:32.976+10:00Camping it up for the climate & the Bandicoot Insurgent Rebel Clown ArmyAll quiet on the blog front for a while.. which either means I'm off galavanting in the bush or ridiculously busy.. A bit of both this time as I became logistics queen again for an <a href="http://anvilhillactioncamp.blogspot.com/">action camp</a> for the <a href="http://www.anvilhill.org.au/">Anvil Hill Campaign</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/coalst.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/coalst.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />It was heartbreking not to be at <a href="http://climatecamp.org.uk/">climate camp</a> but although on a different scale the Anvil Hill action camp was great - it brought together a diverse range of folks.. local people, 'activists', forest ferals, greenpeace, greens MPs.. all to skill-share, stratagise and do direct action training. Much fun was had by all.. and I learned loads as well.. Had my first bash at media work.. (hmm but I hate the corporate media..but maybe not when they love us and are bigging up our campaign! ohh sell out!) I did TV, Radio & Newspaper interviews all in one day.. oh the whirl. I better go put some time into <a href="http://www.climateimc.org/">Climate Indymedia</a> to ground myself.<br /><br />Some photos on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/ ">Flicker - set: 'anvil hill action camp'</a> <br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/marequee.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/marequee.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Here's our cheesy anvil hill movie, the voice over is cringe-worthy.. but hopefully appeals to 'middle Australia'<br /><br /><object width="325" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rBUEkuUera0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rBUEkuUera0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="325" height="265"></embed></object><br /><br />Otherwise for the Anvil Hill campaign it has been a non stop few months.. on top of camp organising their has been actions, running coal/cliamte stalls on the radical edge - remote rural mining towns! and all over the Hunter Region.. Then also screening t-shirts, making patches.. all sorts..<br /><br /><b>Photo Blog!</b><br /><br />There have been lots of other fine adventures from scores of action to random Push-Bike prom queen escapades. Check out my last two months in pictures at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/ ">Flicker - set: 'springing into action'</a> <br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/pushbikeprom.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/pushbikeprom.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><b>In Bandit Love - Rebel Clowning</b><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/birca4.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/birca4.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />When first talking about summit organising over here for upcoming fun in Melbourne I got all enthusiastic about using my experience to help create convergence spaces, horizontal organising, support networks - stuff like that.. and the main response? "that's nice cookie.. tell us about the clowns.." so I though bugger it.. I'd go with the flow and work on something cool that's fun & silly for a change and doesn't involve logistics!<br /><br />And with some of the fine folks from Newcastle, and the bandicoot insurgent rebel clown army was born. Check out some of our adventures on our blog.. <br /> <br />However its a parody site... so first take a very quick peek at the Aussie Army recruitment site: <a href="http://www.defencejobs.gov.au/default.asp?initMedia=1&media=flash&S=1&bounceBack=/default.asp&p=60"> >>here</a> <br /><br />Then check out the BIRCA blog: <a href="http://birca.blogspot.com/">birca.blogspot.com</a> Really do - this site is groovy, getting hundread of hits and its only 3 weeks old!<br /><br />Some photos on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/ ">Flicker - set: 'bandicoot insurgent rebel clown army'</a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/kernelkeasalute.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/kernelkeasalute.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><b>Celebrity blogger..</b><br /><br />There was a big <a href="http://www.thisisnotart.org/ ">arts festival</a> in town while brought all our cool mates from all over Australia to town I ended up doing two radio interviews on blogging! (Well they were interested in the Rainbow Warrior one and Blogging by mountain radio from Happy Valley). So I'm now a celebrity blogger so y'all keep coming back OK? And I'll try and post a little more often..<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/akemiposse.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/akemiposse.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-1156833283756913842006-08-29T16:13:00.000+10:002006-08-31T10:53:46.916+10:00No Solution to Climate Chaos! Leave it in the Ground - A nukes tour into the red centre.<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/02cHere6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/02cHere6.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />So almost a month back from the outback and still no blog. I must admit.. as well as being stupidly busy I've been struggling. I really cant do the campaigns, the issues and the amazing people we both met and travels with justice in one blog. The post just keeps on growing and I feel I haven't really said anything at all. So I'll give you a snapshot of some of the crazy-beautiful-stunning-inspiring-horrifying experiences and link to some of the campaigns.<br /><br />If you cant hack the big blog then I'd urge up to go look at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/">my photos</a>, the desert is really, really special. Then the video clip below and skip to my sum up at the end! There are a LOT of links.. so I've put a list of them at the end of the blog for anyone feeling extra geeky.<br /><br />And to everyone currently at <a href="http://www.climatecamp.org.uk">climate camp</a> I miss you fab folks!<br /><br />The Tour was to see and learn about some of the issues surrounding nukes in Australia. I went into the desert as I felt inadequate when people asked me if nukes were are solution to climate chaos. Apart from 'NO!' and 'Well that's just insane' and a few figures on the carbon emissions of mining, production & transportation etc. I really found it hard to answer in any convincing or heartfelt way. And to be honest I just don't learn very well from reading stuff, I'm all about life experience.. and when so many environmentally aware folks have been <a href="http://www.ecolo.org/media/articles/articles.in.english/love-indep-24-05-04.htm">'Doing a Lovelock'</a> and coming out in support of nukes I wanted a little more fuel to my 'no feckin way' fire.<br /><br />Articles on why Nukes are not the solution to Climate Change: <a href="http://www.nirs.org/climate/climate.htm">1</a>|<a href="http://archive.greenpeace.org/comms/no.nukes/nenstcc.html">2</a> | <a href="http://www.melbourne.foe.org.au/documents.htm">3</a><br /><br />The tour was organised by <a href="http://www.foe.org.au/">Friends Of the Earth</a>. FOE in Australia are ace.. they are the most radical grassroots NGO.. full of awesome not-quite-paid-ish folks doing very cool things. I keep meeting people from Europe and exclaiming to each other.. wow like FOE are cool here!<br /><br />Also blog followers may have noticed I've been in Australia a few months now and and haven't mentioned Indigenous issues on my blog once. That's because I really don't know what to say yet. Its a really hard issue full of pain and horror and ongoing racism and I think I need to do a lot more learning before I do any talking. <br /><br />So.. the tour..we set of.. A big bus.. and two minibuses. After a 12 hour train ride to Melbourne and then 12 drive to Adelaide. almost ready to drive out into the desert....<br /><br />The nights out under the stars camped on the red red sand around a fire watching the stars I will never forget. The <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/">sunrises and sunsets</a> were as amazing as out at sea.. actually I was often reminded of my time on the <a href="http://cookielovescake.blogspot.com/2006/05/bracing-mainsail-logging-in-west-papua.html"> Warrior</a>.<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/fireside1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/fireside1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/swagdawn.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/swagdawn.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/roxby.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:left;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/roxby.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /> <a href="http://www.bhpbilliton.com/bb/ourBusinesses/baseMetals/olympicDam.jsp">Roxby Downs</a> is <a href="http://www.anawa.org.au/sa/o-dam.htm">uranium mine</a> sat on the worlds largest uranium source.<br /><br />We had a tour of the mine driving around in a big bus, it was huge, industrial and crazy. There are massive works around the mine, the kinda things you usually see only in movies. <br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/roxby5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/roxby5.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><i>"A place like that can turn a kitten into a tiger" - Uncle Kevin</i><br /><br />The PR and Environmental guys who came around with us, stalwart under the shower of "how can you do this evil shit?" type questions that assaulted them. You'd <i>almost</i> feel sorry for them. Until you think about the work they are defending. The destruction in front of us and dangerous places left where the reactors and waste dumps.. Not to mention the crazy countries getting their hands on all that Uranium..<br /><br />The environmental manger said, of the barrels of nuclear waste.. "So safe you could lick it!" Yeah mate.. like to see you do that. <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/sosafe.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/200/sosafe.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Sat by the huge industrial works were massive piles of bright yellow sulphur we all seemed to, on some level, want to be radioactive ore.. Somehow if it was big and evil looking yellow, like in the Simpsons, it would be a more visible threat.. one people would take more seriously. If it was a neon yellow it would be a more tangible evil to be pointed at and villainised.<br /><br />The tailings dams are where all the remaining sludge, after the ores have been processed, is left and are are massively huge. They are beautiful, ugly, radioactive and disturbing at once. And what's to stop birds and marsupials going about their daily lives form stumbling on this toxic hell hole? Not much..<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/tailings6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/tailings6.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />They mine something else here too, as well as a range of heavy metals. They mine water. They use heap and heaps of it .. they use around 33 Million Liters of water a day form the ancient Great Artesian Basin, Mound Spring, a few hours drive away is a group of rare ecosystems that live from this water and are <a href="http://www.sea-us.org.au/roxstop97/msinfo2.htm">drying up</a>. <br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/mound3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/mound3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Many of the Springs are in Uncle Kevin's country. An amazing Elder I will never forget - some people you just shut up an listen to. He took us around to many of these springs. Beautiful and crazy pockets of life in the middle of the arid lands with lush plants and dragonflies buzzing around like some fairy portal to another wold. However they were all lower then they used to be and then we visited one that had all but all dried up, it was the first time he had seen it dry, and all the life around it parching away. Sad, sad times.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/waterthievs1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/waterthievs1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Back in Roxby Town - Everyone who lives there is connected with the Mine. I felt like an invader, in this weird place with shiney 4x4s, manicured lawns and high cancer rates. Somehow reminded me of the USofA.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/woomera2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/woomera2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woomera,_South_Australia">Woomera</a>. Before going on this trip a friend <a href="http://www.skype.com">skyped</a> me after hearing of my itinerary and said "So, your going to all the nice places huh?" What can I say.. the infamous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woomera_Immigration_Reception_and_Processing_Centre">detention centre</a> has been <a href="http://artactivism.members.gn.apc.org/photos/fence.htm">shut down </a>... cant say the rest of the place is much better.<br /><br />Its a full on military town were the locals are afraid to be seen associating with protesters.. or taking their custom. Its proud centre piece is a 'missile park' in the middle of town displaying bits of rockets that have been tested there over the years.. And again green lawns eerily shine in the dry, arid desert.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/woomera1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/woomera1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />We had been joined by Avon, A man who was in the army back in the 50s when they tested the nukes.. Yeah.. I didn't know that about Australia.. they blew up nuclear bombs in the middle of the country. What kinda insane place blows up Nukes in the middle of the country? And actually it wasen't even the Aussies doing it, it was the British army..<br /><br />He told stories of his life and what they were exposed to, and how many of his army mates are dead. We heard about the histories of the missiles on display in the park.. I looked beyond to Woomera school right next door and wondered what affect it has on children growing up next to this glorification of weapons of mass destruction.<br /><br />So they blew up nukes in the big beautiful deseert. They said it was empty. Empty dead lands. Its all a lie. There were people in the area, they didn't check out the routes of the indigenous folks in the areas, that went right through the site. An aboriginal family were found sleeping in the crater.. they wisked them off, stripped them and scrubbed them down.. they all died. <br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/woomera5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/woomera5.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />But thats just one example.. there were more. The dust cloud went over a much larger area than they were expecting. <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/woomera3.0.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/200/woomera3.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>We met a man who, as a boy, had been in the radioactive fall out cloud: Uncle Yami Lester (uncle being the title of respect for indigenous elders). Another amazing man full of so many smiles and so much joy. He lost the sight in one eye within a couple of weeks of being covered in the fallout of 'Totem 1'. They took him into hospital.. then removed the wrong eye. Its like an unbelievable horror story... did they support him? Like hell did they. They took him from his home and people into the city and taught him how to make brushes. <br /><br />The Racism that has been here, and is still so prevelent is, well I dont have words for it, just so wrong. <br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/UnkYami.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/UnkYami.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/lakeeyre.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/lakeeyre.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Words like creek & lake, river.. Now I've, being a soggy brit grrrl, have been brought up to expect water to be some major and integral part of these enitites.. How wrong am I! I've spent ages here looking for creeks to find I am walking right up the 'creek'. "But they are so dry! I exclaimed.." And ruffled some feathers. . "they are not dry.. they are ephemeral" I was told earnestly. Water is a serious business out her in the desert. Ephemeral my new favourite word..meaning 'lasting for a very short time'.<br /><br />Lake Eyre is sometimes a lake.. and more often vast salt flats stretching a far over the horizon. The cracked salt splitting in jagged lines that catch in the in sunset twilight and glow like something out of <a href="http://www.tron-sector.com">Tron</a>. <br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/lakeeyre6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/lakeeyre6.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />After the full on intenseness travelling together of the tour we all ripped our boots off and spread out on our own or in small groups over the... i want to say over the ice, because it was so much like ice.. warm under out bare feet.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/lakeeyre3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/lakeeyre3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />We ran, danced, rolled about, licked the salt and got infused with the intensely both calm and exciting energy of the place. I spoke to a guy who against years of social conditioning had walked off on his own and watched the sun go down and cried, and cried. I think it affected us all a bit like that.<br /><br />Well.. till I got all excited:<br /><br /><object width="350" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DZfiIDaMz3g"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DZfiIDaMz3g" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="350" height="300"></embed></object><br />Watch it till the end!<br /><br />People had a protest camp out here for years! Its the hottest, dryest part of OZ, resisting the stealing of the water for the mines.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/kupapiti.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/kupapiti.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />It means White fella in the ground.. And on the while fella maps its morphed into the more western sounding 'Coober Pedy'. When I heard that everyone lives underground to escape the baking sun I had romantic visions of ancient pueblo style fronts to cave homes. But the reality is far more Mad Max, and facinating.. like in the way you have to stare at a train wreck. <br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/madmaxtown2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/madmaxtown2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Its a mining town, folks get leases on plots of land to mine opals. So people dig holes and everyehere there are shafts and big smetrical cones of dirt. Dirt piles everywherte. It spread K's & K's out of towm like some crazy gialnt moles on speed have invaded the area. There is so little rain out here that they are not going to be eroded away in a hurry.. so thousands of years from now all that might be left out here of human kind is the strange mounds of earth and maybe a higher then normal background radiation count from all that stray fallout.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/madmaxtown3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/madmaxtown3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />This Town is home to the <a href="http://www.iratiwanti.org/home.php3">Kupa Piti Kungka Tjuta</a>, the Senior Aboriginal Women from Coober Pedy who fought an inspiring successful campaign to stop a nuclear waste dump in their country... until the planners stared to look for other targets up north.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/alice.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/alice.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Somewhere over the years I'd gained a slightly romantic vision of Alice. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was some kinda style.. but the town its self was like small town with lots of nasty tourist shops.. and it is a lot greener than I expected! <br /><br />luckily we were staying out of town. Out in the beautiful red sand and red hills and everyone-a-blinder sunrises & sunsets.. Sadly this amazing place is threatened land, its right by one of the <a href="http://www.alec.org.au/site/index.cfm">proposed nuke dump sites</a>. We stayed with the traditional owner of the land, Auntie Kath Martin. We talked with her, protested with her and felt her pain.. an inspiring woman.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/notadump4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/notadump4.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />She spoke with hurt that they had been told her she was being selfish, selfish in not wanting the nuclear & hospital waste to go there. that her and her people should do this for all Australians. So why can't the folks if Australia that are gonna at least use the energy and other applications have the dump in their backyard?<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/pinksmudge4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/pinksmudge4.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/greenpink.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/greenpink.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />SUM UP...<br /><br />What did I learn out in the desert?<br /><br />- There are LOTS of reasons why nukes are no solution to climate chaos, least of which is by the time they would manage to build all the dammed reactors and infrastructure needed to power the inflated power needs of the population by nukes, that we'd be way to far down the line of messing things up climatically it would not be worth the bother.<br /><br /> - That the Aussie desert really is amazing, calming. The quality of sound and light is amazing.. and unreal. At times it felt like being on a sound stage. Its not dead out there its arid- a whole slower beautiful way of life as vibrant as the lushest forest.<br /><br />- That, as ever, the worst to suffer from our capitalist overblown needs are not white, are not the privileged. I'm used to the racism of the privileged world being from afar.. our lifestyles messing with and stomping on the lives of folks in far away places . But here, if you look, its right in front of you. Welcome to Australia.<br /><br />- That I am thankful I have experienced the land in this way, welcomed by the indigenous owners. That i didn't go out to Uluru and take the tourist trail that so threatens and disregards the cultural heritage of the indigenous people here. It meant so much to me, that I was thanked for visiting in such a way, when the thanks really needed to be the other way for such a heartfelt welcome.<br /><br />- That nukes are really messed up. Well we all knew that but I now understand and really feel it. And understand more of the entire cycle. In the UK we are used to the issues of decommissioning reactors and what to do with the waste. We might discuss the problems of Uranium falling into the hands of folks who want to make nukes if there is so much of it being dug up. But, as much of my Australian experiences have been about recently, mining is so much at the root of things. <br /><br />Enough. Leave it in the ground. All of it. Everything. <br /><br />The Uranium, The <a href="http://www.anvilhill.org.au"> Coal</a>, The <a href="http://www.bakuceyhan.org.uk">Oil</a>, The <a href="http://www.savelakecowal.org"> Gold</a>, The <a href="http://www.headheritage.co.uk/uknow/features/index.php?id=41">gorilla killing Tantalum</a> in Mobile phones, the Water, The Crystals, The <a href="http://www.peatalert.org.uk">Peat </a>.. Everything.. EVERYTHING! I can't see any good in mining.. any of it. Carrots, Potatoes, Parsnips... <i>They</i> can come out of the ground, but go any deeper than the topsoil and we are all in trouble.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/nodump7.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/nodump7.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/arisin8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/400/arisin8.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Summery of links in this blog:<br /><a href="http://www.climatecamp.org.uk">Climate Camp UK, kickin off right now!</a> <br /><a href="http://www.ecolo.org/media/articles/articles.in.english/love-indep-24-05-04.htm">Article by James Lovelock - Pro Nukes 'Greenie''</a>(this guy is full of shit by the way!)<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/">My Photos.. think I'm obsessed</a><br />Articles on why Nukes are not the solution to Climate Change: <a href="http://www.melbourne.foe.org.au/documents.htm">FOE</a> :<a href="http://www.nirs.org/climate/climate.htm">NIRS </a> :<a href="http://archive.greenpeace.org/comms/no.nukes/nenstcc.html">Greenpeace</a><br /><a href="http://www.foe.org.au/">Friends Of the Earth, Australia</a>.<br /><a href="http://www.bhpbilliton.com/bb/ourBusinesses/baseMetals/olympicDam.jsp">BHP Bilton's page on Roxby Downs</a> <br /><a href="http://www.anawa.org.au/sa/o-dam.htm">Slightly less Bias page on the Mine</a> <br /><a href="http://www.sea-us.org.au/roxstop97/msinfo2.htm">Article on the Impact of Olympic Dam/Roxby Downs on the Mound Springs</a>. <br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woomera,_South_Australia">Woomera page on Wikipeadia</a>. <br /><a href="http://www.skype.com">Skype</a> <br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woomera_Immigration_Reception_and_Processing_Centre"> Wikipeadia page on the Woomera detention centre</a> <br /><a href="http://artactivism.members.gn.apc.org/photos/fence.htm">Pics of Woomera fences being ripped down - Rarrah! </a><br /><a href="http://www.tron-sector.com">Fansite for the film Tron</a>. <br /><a href="http://www.iratiwanti.org/home.php3">Kupa Piti Kungka Tjuta, the Senior Aboriginal Women from Coober Pedy</a><br /><a href="http://www.alec.org.au/site/index.cfm">Arid Lands Environment Centre</a><br /><a href="http://www.anvilhill.org.au"> Anvil Hill Alliance</a> what takes up most of my life right now.<br /> <a href="http://www.bakuceyhan.org.uk">The Baku Ceyhan Pipeline campaign</a> (Oil & Gas)<br /><a href="http://www.savelakecowal.org"> Save Lake Cowal</a> (from Gold mining)<br /><a href="http://www.headheritage.co.uk/uknow/features/index.php?id=41">Article on Gorilla killing Tantalum</a> <br /><a href="http://www.peatalert.org.uk">Peat Alert UK</a>Anti-Peat Miningcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-1153317071543700892006-07-19T23:42:00.000+10:002006-07-19T23:51:11.560+10:00Leaving Brisvegas<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/trustme.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/400/trustme.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Life continues in a crazy whirl of campaigning, trying to be in 4 far flung places simultaneously, being totally skint, blagging, and generally trying to exist on air while trying to stop a coal mine.. Not having any income for the last 7 month's is becoming a BIG problem.. But I seem to fall on my feet, it takes a lots of work & energy to exsit like this, but the folks of Australia have been awesome in looking after me!<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/comedown2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/400/comedown2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I sometimes struggle to remember when life didn't consist of constant travelling between several places, hitching adventures, getting crazy rides in the back of vans with ferals, not knowing where I'm gonna sleep that night, absorbing new info about yet another evil company trashing another amazing wilderness and when getting to sleep with an actual pillow didn't fill me with such unabated excitement.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/RTbanner3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/400/RTbanner3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Sorry I'm being really bad at communicating recently.. I miss you all.. But often my rare times online I have to get a heap of campaign stuff done.. However I am trying to keep my blog & photo site updated as much as possible. I have lots of time travelling to think & remember all the fab things we have all done.. I miss you all so big love to York, Leeds, Oxford, Norfolk, London, Sheffield, Notts, Wellington, Christchurch, Auckland, The Warrior, Mayo, Dublin, Papua New Guinea and lots more places.. Hello! <br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/street.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/400/street.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Last week, in addition to my four far flung crazy paces, I popped up to brisabne.. oh a quick 12 hours away.. I was at 'SoS' Students of sustainability conference, which was much like an activist gathering in the UK , but on a student campus and a bit too posh.. But there were heaps of great people there and some amazing work being done. On the last day a whole heap of folks spontaneously, nothing to do with SoS... no really, went out and 'reclaimed the streets' in Brisbane CBD, which was very fluffy but heaps of fun..<br /><br />http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/<br /><br />Oh and there are also some pretty pics of tourist surfers (they couldn't surf for toffee!) and hippies at sunset from a brief stop over in Byron Bay.. we were glad to escape as soon as!<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/bondisunset10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/400/bondisunset10.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />As you may have guessed I'm sticking around for a bit longer - but don't worry.. the beer here is like piss.. engevita costs about four times what it should and vegemite totally sucks. I really cant stick around in a country that long that cant get its yeast products right. <br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/bondisunset7.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/400/bondisunset7.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />So.. gotta run.. coal mines to stop an all..<br /><br />Off to the desert for two weeks to check out Uranium mines, nuke test sites and the like.. see you when I've been irradiated..<br /><br />xxcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-1150951821208966272006-06-22T14:43:00.000+10:002006-06-23T14:28:17.266+10:00The Batcave<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/batcave3.jpg"><img style="float:centre; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/batcave3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />G'day from the largest coal port on the planet. Newcastle is home to the Batcave, a cool activist house by the beach. Its a huge old bond storage basement of now yuppie flats half buried into the ground with 'rooms' partitioned off with old banners, and bits of carpet. It means half the rooms, and the 'corridors' are very, very dark. A big population of Crows live in the park outside so there is the constant cackling awww awww to add to the batcave feel. <br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/batcave2.jpg"><img style="centre; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/batcave2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />There's an always busy ping-pong table in the kitchen/lounge, canoes & boats and props from actions stuffed into dark corners, wet-suits hanging by the windows and a stack of surfboards by the front door. And get this.. there is a photocopier sat in the lounge.. and it actully works!<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/batcave.jpg"><img style="centre; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/batcave.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Regular banner making, meetings and cooking up of vast quantities of soup to take out to events means it a busy place. Random activist households around the world are great, used to a transient population, communal food where you chip in, new friends and a place you can chill out and be more than a guest.... you can just be. <br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/lockonwashup.jpg"><img style="centre; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/lockonwashup.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I'm rapidly becoming a 'bat', so I better split soon before I need to pay rent!<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/parade3.jpg"><img style="centre; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/parade3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Newcastle Rising Tide have are still rocking.... check out the latest pics from our Midwinter 'Stroll against Coal' through town.. and take a look at the cop with some serious 'look at the size of my baton' issues. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/ 'Stroll against coal'</a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/paradecops3.jpg"><img style="centre; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/paradecops3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/standoff.jpg"><img style="centre; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/standoff.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Oh, and probably one of the most disgusting websites I have seen for a long time: <a href="http://www.coalcandothat.com/" >www.coalcandothat.com</a>cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-1150283592337084332006-06-14T20:42:00.000+10:002006-06-14T21:27:30.813+10:00Bringing Coals to Newcastle - RT flotilla blockade<i>Its raining and thers is a strong wind blowing us out to sea.. a huge ship laden with coal is headed out of the port as people on brightly colours canoes, boats, surfboards and a raft made from milk crates are paddling out to block its passage...</i><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/100_9082.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/100_9082.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Before lunch, we'd been out there blocking the narrowest channel with about 70 people while the cop boats jetted about chopping up the water with their wake.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/100_9107.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/100_9107.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />On shore around 100 folks gathered in support, along with the press with telephoto lenses and more cops huddled in groups to the side like wannabes not invited to the party.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/100_9075.0.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/100_9075.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />We'd come ashore for hot soup and to warm up. Its SO not warm all the time in Australia.. that's a complete myth and its winter now. Then suddenly there was a call out that there a coal ship was on its way and people scrabbled back into wet suits and onto the water.. the cops got to the fastest paddler, who was going to get in front of the ship and capsized him in their wake. I'd just managed to squeeze back into a cold soggy wet-suit and was frantically paddling at the ship which was passing.. steadfastly ignoring the fact that I was never going to catch up with a huge cargo vessel in a kayak...<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/100_9115.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/100_9115.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Newcastle Harbour exports more coal than any other port in the world, it has the capacity for 80 million tonnes a year. The coal is form the Hunter valley, where the sunning Anvill Hill is, and the place Centennial Coal want to <a href="http://risingtide.org.au/node/58">turn into an open cast coal mine</a>. The Hunter coal industry want to increase coal exports by 65% over the next 5 years. That's really a poor effort in the reducing climate wrecking carbon emissions..<br /><br />Out of this hub of carbon shipage, from homes where sat on the sofa you can see giant coal ships go by, Newcastle Rising tide was sprouted. Activists working to stop climate chaos.. The crew here are great, and very much like the RT folks in the UK with similar politics, energy and action. The groups now communicate and network.. but the original concepts for both Rising Tide incarnations came totally independently, some ideas are just too good!<br /><br />A report of the action can be found on Newcastle rising tides website: <a href="http://risingtide.org.au/node/76">risingtide.org.au/</a><br /><br />And my pics are, as ever on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72157594165541678/"> My Flickr pages</a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/100_9143.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/100_9143.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-1149043718015455102006-05-31T12:48:00.000+10:002006-06-02T15:43:43.496+10:00Trouble in Tasmania - the Pirates of the Weld<i>My alarm goes off and I stumble bleary eyed out of my cabin onto the deck, it must be time for my watch. A possum strolls across the moonlit bow...... eh???</i><br /><br />I'm on a whole different kind of ship, a life size pirate ship built in the forest. I'm living at a blockade in the middle of the Tasmanian forests. The camp is on the end of a forestry road blocking access to 2000 threatened hectares of ancient tall trees forest bordering the Tasmanian World Heritage Area, a protected areas of wildernes that stops as soon as the tall tress begin.. funny that.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/pirateship.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/pirateship.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Forests that have been growing here undisturbed, for longer than we've been on this planet are now being logged by <a href="http://www.gunns.com.au/">Gunns</a>, who own 4 wood-chip mills in Tassie, their contractors and under the mismanagement of <a href="http://www.forestrytas.com.au">Foretsry Tasmania</a>. Most of the trees end up as woodchip. Paper.... Nice report your printing out? and is that loo roll good and soft for you? There was a whole family of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_Quoll">spotted quolls</a> living under that tree.<br /><br />The pirate ship is built on the road and has a sit up it mast, and around there are many more lock-ons, fort style barricades, tripods, mono-poles and tree sits up huge threatened eucalyptus trees. <br /><br />The forest is breathtaking, I still cant believe I've been lucky enough to call it home, eucalyptus trees have always been my favourite and here are whole forests of them! Along with my fave from New Zealand, the Ponga tree-ferns, called man ferns here. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72157594151763620/">See My forest pictures on Flickr</a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/treefernsmoke.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/treefernsmoke.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><b>Mad Marsupials</b><br />Kookaburras cackle like gangs of monkeys in the forest as flocks of black cockatoos circle the camp. Night falls and the little marsupials come out to play.. Possums fight over our compost scraps and knock pans over in the kitchen. Creatures with acient linage that have been wiped out on the mainland still roam these forests. Walking about in the bush and driving the forest roads at night you can spot <a href="http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dse/nrenpa.nsf/FID/-2A203D75272F4D714A256809000A7B43?OpenDocument">stripy bum bandicoots</a>, wallabies and spotted quoll. I didn't get a glimpse of a Tassie Devil though, there is a mystery <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/science/features/tassiedevil/default.htm">blood transferred catchable cancer </a>wiping out their population, no one knows what started it, but the chemicals used in the forestry plantations are high up on in the possibilities....<br /><br />There is a Platipus living in the in the creek that runs through the camp, where we get our water from. Catching a glimpse of this crazy shy duckbilled marsupial is rare, but one night on the way to the fabulous camp firebath secluded out in the bush I heard an unmistakable splosh so sat down on the bankand I watched it swimming about for ages.<br /><br /><b>I love the smell of napalm in the morning</b><br /><br />The clear-fells. Ouch. What can I say... look at the pics. There is a clear-fell just out the front of camp, and its what forestry plan to do with the forest in my photos. They chop everything down and take out what they want. Then they then drop this stuff, extremely similar to Napalm, and burn.. burn.. burn.. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72157594151690009/">My forest destruction pictures on Flickr</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/blackstump2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/blackstump2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Reminicant of <a href="http://cookielovescake.blogspot.com/2006/05/happy-valley-price-of-coal.html">the Stockon mine overshadowing Happy Valley</a>, while living in the beautiful rainforest every now and then in the distance you can hear the sounds of chain-saws, the beep of macherery then the slow chilling crash of falling trees. Suddenly the atmosphere at camp changes, you can see the pain and anger in people faces. And the passion. "I can't sit around and listen to this.. lets go out tonight and *******"<br /><br />The local rednecks and forestry workers aren't keen on the camp, they totalled one of the camp's cars <news/pics?> and they sometimes drive up near the camp at night the weekends and let of gunshots in the darkness.. but nothing more serious than failed attempts at intimidation so far..<br /><br /><b>Doing it backwoods style</b><br />Anyway....back to that first night on the deck of the pirate ship.... I'd just arrived in Tassie and when I first met up with the crew for a lift earlier in the day everyone was really flaked out and vague.. I started to wonder if this was all a bad plan.. Then I found out they had just all got out o the cop shop after getting up at 3 am to lock on to a bunch of machinery.. their 3rd action that week. Wicked, my kinda crew! <a href="http://www.huon.org/weldvalley/press.html">Recent Tassie forest actions</a><br /><br /><i>My alarm has gone off at midnight for a reason. Logging is currently happening up in a nearby coup around the nests of the endangered <a href="http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/BHAN-54GUYT?open"> wedge tailed eagle</a>, and there are only 117 breeding pairs left. The tripods and lock-ons have stopped work for most of the week. <br /><br /><b>Get in the the the back of the van!</b> - Tonight is no different... a few hours later I'm pegging it down a dirt road after the van after we see headlights approaching, leaping in the door and being grabbed by many arms as I roll inside and we speed of into the night... </i><br /><br />The next night the road was successfully blocked by a another tripod and 'Wedgie Wilderness or Wasteland' banner ready to block the contractors arriving in the morning.. See my pics from the action and pics of the camp here>> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72157594151655559/">Resistance Pictures on Flickr</a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/podaction2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/podaction2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Across the forest is another area being logged, the Styx. There has been a tree sit, continusly occupied for 51 days by another of the Tassie crew in the cold wind and even deep snow.. after many failed attempts we was finally removed James Bond style with <a href="http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,19108931%255E3462,00.html">cops rappelling down to his sit from a chopper</a>. <br /><br /><b>land of giants</b><br />The big trees really are big.. there are tree sits SO high up. At seeing some pics I took up a UK tree sit someone exclaimed "Its so close to the ground!". In Tasmania only Trees over 83 meters tall are protected, whatever the species, so many of the many 'smaller' giants (oh, only 50-80 meaters high!) are, up for the chop and have been felled.<br /><br />The tree sits are at anything from about 30-60 meters up these giants.. It takes a long, long time to prussic up, and I have total respect for these guys that have at times, for months on end, been heading up these trees every night. I still have calluses on my hands from my few prussicing and absailing excursions into the canopy.<br /><br /><object width="420" height="250"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WlBiPeMEFwc"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WlBiPeMEFwc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="250"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlBiPeMEFwc">Link to video clip of me in a tree sit</a><br /><br /> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72157594151603292/">My Big Tree Pictures and tree climbing pics can by viewed here on Flickr</a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/abbing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/abbing.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><b>Tree Fishing</b><br /><br />So how to you climb such big trees? Well you can try Larching (I think its called that) when you loop 2 bits of rope around the tree and hang prussics of them and slide them up.. and basically friction stops you falling.. But its lots of slipping about and I'm not sure my nerves will take that at height! Another way it the art of tree fishing.. Take one bow & arrow.. add weight the front end of the arrow and attach fishing line to the back end. Get ready with fishing reel and shoot away. The art it to get the arrow over the branch then stop the real as soon as possible to stop the arrow heading off to get tangled in other trees!<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/treefishing1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/treefishing1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />It was great do an ideas swap and to learn heaps new skills (some of which I wont be mentioning on a public blog!)<br /><br />But oh! it was so cold! There was snow on the mountain some days and I had 2 sleeping bags, a big blanket and a hot water bottle every night brrrrrr.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/gandalfme.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/gandalfme.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><b>Oh no, its the pigs!</b><br /><br />One night we were driving back from a stomping bush dance, with out one sober driver and about ten of us ferals rolling about drunk in the back of the van and we were pulled over by the local cops, initially for a dodgy exhaust.<br /><br />A cop came over.. shining his torch in the van windows looking at each person in turn, then stuck his heads through the window to ask.. "OK, it there anyone in this van I <i>haven't</i> arrested this week?" *muffled giggles* "oh, Who are you? your next week right?" *less muffled giggles* "Jane? is Jane here" *sweeps his torch around* "Oh hi Jane, were done with your rucksack now, you can pick it up from the custody desk.." <br /><br />Driver's breadth test was passed so we drove of howling with laughter into the night... wow the cops here are nice!<br /><br />It was hard to leave the forest, its is so unbelievable wrong that they are clear-felling this ancient woodland to make paper. Also it was hard to leave the amazing folks living out here, doing such great work.<br /><br />And what of my friend the platypus, sloshing around in his little creek - our life-source? We bush pirates can move on to other places, but where would he go if the area was chopped and burned? Would he make it out?<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/forestglow.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/forestglow.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/">Check out all my Tasmainia photos on flickr</a>cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-1147094141230168202006-05-08T23:13:00.000+10:002006-05-09T06:42:31.466+10:00Carbon crimes: Sydney airport to Anvil Hill<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/headssmile.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/headssmile.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><i>I wake up.. where am I? I was on a plane.. then got a lift in the back of a van..then I crashed out. Now there is no one here. Well I know a kinda where, I'm at the greenpeace warehouse, and I'm in Sydney. .. but WHERE am I? </i><br /><br /><i>I can hear planes taking off, so I'm not far from the airport. I find a map. Right somewhere in 'this radius'. Hmm, I could go for a walk down the street till I find a sign, no.. no... there is an easier way.. Mail. I find some, ahh an address.. now we are getting somewhere. Right, find and ethernet cable..plug in the laptop in.. Sweet, I have net access.. find an Australian street-finder online.. chuck in the postcode.. great. Location pinpointed. That's where I am. Sweet.</i><br /><br /><i>So to step 2. Need sustanance. First acquire local Currency. Then locate shops.... Why is my life always like this??</i><br /><br />So I've caught up with myself blogging my climate destroying tour.. whoops I mean tour of climate destroying projects of the world.. In the last 12 months I've been to:. Mayo, Gas, (IE), Happy Valley, Coal(NZ), , The Paradise forest, Rainforest (PNG & West Paua).. And last weekend: Anvill Hill Coal (OZ).<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/anvillhill3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/anvillhill3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Anvil Hill is another proposed coal mine, in yet another amazing rare ecological area, very like <a href="http://cookielovescake.blogspot.com/2006/05/happy-valley.html">Happy Valley</a> - but a little more accessible, and has people living close-by, mostly resisting the mine..<br /><br />Read more about the campaign from <a href="http://risingtide.org.au/node/58">Newcastle Rising Tide's web site here</a>, and the <a href="http://www.anvilhill.org.au/">Anvil Hill web site here.</a><br /><br />It really is another stunning forest wilderness - and again so different, there are even wild kangaroos hopping about everywhere! I was totally excited to see kangaroos! boing boing boing boing boing boing boing boing boing boing boing boingboing boing boing boing boing boing boing boing boing boing boing boing!<br /><br />Sadly the first few 'roos I saw were roadkill, somehow harder to see when they were so big, like they had just laid down to sleep by the side of the road. Very disturbing.<br /><br />I facilitated some of the workshops I adapted from the those created by the fab <a href="http://www.trapese.org/">Trapese</a> It's amazing what a difference half an hour sat with some of the project reports can do to make your workshops tailor made to a campaign you don't really know much about! <a href="http://www.cpe.uts.edu.au/">PopEd</a> is really great for that as its about drawing on the experience and knowledge of the group, with some help along the way.<br /><br />Later we all sat in the dark, dark night under the stars around the fire.. and in the usual strange juxtaposition of ancient and new I got my laptop out.. I showed the Anvil Hill folks, and the Greenpeace fronties I was there with, some photos from Happy Valley and gave them on overview of what's happening there. Its so great to be able to link up these projects and bring the most important message to those resisting: you are not alone.<br /><br />After a night sleeping out under the overwhelming, mesmerising bright stars watching thunder storms flicker in the distance we took a walk around the site and see aboriginal artefacts, beautiful forest and of course those roos! See the pics on my<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72057594129350324/"> flicker 'Anvil Hill' set</a><br /><br />Next stop: The <a href="http://huon.green.net.au/weldvalley/">Tasmanian ancient forest,</a>where trees are being dynamited and forests practically napalmed.. Oh and its almost winter. Its already colder than the UK right now, at Equinox. Welcome to exrteme protest camping.. Can it beat the madness of the <a href="http://www.struggle.ws/rsc/">Rossport Camp </a>Mayo, Ireland in a force 9 gale? <br /><br /><i>*flashback to fin clinging onto a marquee pole in the gale with the wind howling around us and the turbine making the scariest I'm about to come off and chop your head off noise, ankle deep in cold wet peat bog" and Fin shouts over the cacophony "Feck em!, feck em and their Newbery fecking Bypass...we were at MAYO!") *</i>cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-1146837162988510872006-05-05T23:51:00.000+10:002006-05-30T15:41:26.033+10:00Bracing the mainsail - Logging in West Papua<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/banner.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/banner.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The sun sets over the tropical seas, voices in many languages drift about the ship, an the alarm is going off the engine room and someone is sat on the stern playing Bowies's space oddity.. or is this a scene from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Life_Aquatic_with_Steve_Zissou">"The Life Aquatic"'? </a>We watched the movie one night it in the mess and laughter got more and more intense and pointed. Finally someone says it: "This really, really is like being on a greenpeace ship.." "Except we don't have shiny skin-tight wet-suits". "Or guns". We do however have pirates out here... more on them later.<br /><br />During the tour I met a man from a village who told me the harrowing story of their area, as he spoke I saw he had no front teeth, from where the police had kicked them, out he told me. I then met a whole group of people from his area and interviewed them. I heard of children poisoned and killed by chemicals used to treat the newly logged wood, and when this was protested the retaliation was; beatings, rapes, humiliation, burning of villages, destruction of crops and food in the wild. <br /><br />The interviews might be used soon.. so I can't post them right now. There were reasons we couldn't at the time, so I'll link to them - as I want to get the stories of therese warm, friendly welcoming, hopeful people out. And pass on information on the scale of the oppression and human rights abused these people face, as total as the devastated forests around them.<br /><br />All our lives from TV, newspapers, the internet.. we hear harrowing tales, so much you become numb to it. But here for the first time I heard stories first hand, from more people with missing teeth, and deeper less visible scars. And what overwhelmed me was their drive, hope and joy in life - after receiving, and still suffering from, so much violent oppression.<br /><br />One nice observation: watching group dynamics I noticed the group always sit in circles, and if someone else joins there is a big awareness of that the shuffling so they are made part of the circle.. I had a chat about it and we ended up having a long, (if slow, to deal with language differences) discussion about inclusiveness. These guys dig circles as much as I do - respect!<br /><br />Spending thst much time in the the wilderness of the sea and seeing seemingly endless forest onshore has changed me and my perspective/scale of wild. I might have a litte trouble when I get back the the UK, as more often I look at hills and see the missing forest. morning the loss of the forest there that were gone long ago.<br /><br />BLOGS<br />To read more on the forests, the campagin and some adventures.. check out the out the blogs on: <a href="http://weblog.greenpeace.org/paradiseforests">weblog.greenpeace.org/paradiseforests</a><br /><br />I reckon my best/most interesting blogs, in order of goodlyness are:<br /><c><a href="http://weblog.greenpeace.org/paradiseforests/2006/04/bearing_witness_to_destruction.html">Bearing witness</a><br /><a href="http://weblog.greenpeace.org/paradiseforests/2006/03/stay_away_from_the_drop_off.html">Stay away from the drop off</a><br /><a href="http://weblog.greenpeace.org/paradiseforests/2006/03/shore_leave.html#more">Shore leave</a><br /><a href="http://weblog.greenpeace.org/paradiseforests/2006/03/jayapura_nights_1.html">Jayapura Nights</a><br /><a href="http://weblog.greenpeace.org/paradiseforests/2006/03/arrival_in_jayapura.html">Arrival in Jayapura</a><br /><a href="http://weblog.greenpeace.org/paradiseforests/2006/03/oh_buoy.html#more">Oh Bouy</a></c><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/snorkel.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/snorkel.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I totally loved it on the ship, and I love being a sea. Previously I've always been slightly unearved by the sea. Its so big, and salty, and full of large things.. and it goes down and down and down.. I have now fallen inlove with the vast expanses of water. I I've now swum in the ocean where you can't see land in any direction, and below keeps going further than I can imagine.. and did Jaws come and get me? did I inexplicably sink forever.. no.. is was pretty darn nice actually. <br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/underwater.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/underwater.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The light on thre sea never looks the same twice (although we never got fog!), Its like looking at stars, you can gaze out forever and never get bored.. Many nights I'd sleep out on 'Monkey Island" (the area above the bridge) under the stars and watch thunderstoms flah in the distance. I'm really starting to have trouble sleeping indoors.<br /><br />There were so many best (and worst) moments.. I couldn't pick one. Realising I was one of the drunken sailors in the corner of a dingy bar in downtown Jakarta was pretty cool though! Or riding at night on the back of moped for the first time ever scarily winding its way thought the traffic Manokwari, or hiking through the rain-forest, or maybe just every single sunset and starry night at sea.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/portholes.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/portholes.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />PIRATES<br />We passed through some dodgy waters, some of the most notorious in the world for pirate attacks.. and these are no cutlass toting 'oooh-arr'ing guys in Jolly Roger hats.. they are pretty scary men with weapons.. and as I said before, this is a greenpeace ship - we don't carry guns. We battened down the hatches, literally! Never thought I get to say that without it being a figure of speech,and doubled the watch at night. There were a few ships out there running black, which we could see on the radar, but nothing came to close. Then just after I left the ship I received this from a friend still on board "Last night two ships in our vicinity were approached by pirates, they attempted to board them but they used fire hoses and averted or detered the pirates. Needless to say we're now doubling our watches incase the worst happens." Come to think of it that was the last mail I received form the ship..<br /><br />And tales from the high seas? We did have a few 'interesting' moments.. one with much worse than pirates.. we were in very remote seas sailing around a particually troubled area - but I'm not going to ruin my best stories by putting them here.. you'll just have to coax them out of this old sea-wench with a whisky or two!<br /><br />PICS<br />I've put four photo sets on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/">flicker</a> from the warrior, as I'm trying to keep my sets small:<br /><br />- <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72057594119831562/">port</a> - images from welcomes and excursions around port<br />- <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72057594119858727/">ship</a> - life at sea..<br />- <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72057594119891159/">land</a> - forest pics<br />- <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72057594119900522/">sunsets</a> - does what it says on the tin.. pretty dammed amazing!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/ladder.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/ladder.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I only put pics on flicker that I took.. so you get lots of me here on the blog this time! I realise that most of the pics are of mucking about in the water.. it totaly looks like a big holiday. Really there was a lot of work involved. Whenever I was not blogging I'd join the deck-hands in keeping teh ship ship-shape.. which meant heaps of primer and painting.. but then you look up from your work and ohh what a view! <br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/bowjump.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/bowjump.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/strangefruit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/strangefruit.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Hey can anyone name that fruit? I found it floating miles out to sea..<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/4jump.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/4jump.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-1146834424718587912006-05-05T22:36:00.000+10:002006-05-05T23:12:01.190+10:00Only take rides in Jags.. hitching for posh girlsI don't know if you've heard of my legendary hitch last summer when hitching all the from the ef! gathering in the midlands to the <a href="http://www.struggle.ws/rsc/">Rossport protest camp</a> in Mayo, on the west coast of Ireland? Stood at a lay-by near Stoke with a sign saying purely 'M6' and this car pulls up with Dublin plates.. he takes us all the way to Dublin, including getting us on the ferry for a fiver, then drops right at my mate's house just in time for a few beers.. we even stopped on the way for chips at Conway castle in Wales.... and... all in a Jag!<br /><br />So.. its six months on and I've been in the Valley for two weeks. Julia & I are stood beside the road jusat outside Westport. Its <a href="http://www.backpack-newzealand.com/mapofsouthisland.html ">coast to coast</a> and at least a five hour drive so potentially a full days hitch to Cristchurch, through remote mountian passes, last time I did it I got stuck for 4 1/2 hours in a little redneck town called Reefton.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/reefton.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/reefton.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />We'd walked out of the valley that morning and somehow, and I'm not entirely sure how (although I'm pretty sure there were vegan pies involved), its was 4pm and we are just setting out. We had no tent and just one sleeping bag between us... 'neah' It'll be fine. We watched the intemmittant cars go past ignoring us. Hmm so we sleeping cosy in ditch tonight?<br /><br />Then.. out of nowhere a 1966 Jag XJS 3.4 L Walnut interior pulls up, going all the way to Christchurch! For a while I couldn't stop laughing, the first this I did was take this pic:<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/hitchtochch.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/hitchtochch.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />And.. if that wasen't sweet enough it was driven by a couple of 'Icies'. Dudes fresh for 6 months working in Antarctica, one driving from Ross to the pole and the other working at the pole. I'm totally into Antarctica.. one of them had even read my <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0006497039/qid=1146705507/sr=8-5/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i5_xgl/203-4760705-3996756">fave fiction on the place</a>.. and said it was true to life.. he even knew some of the people the character were based on! <br /><br />However, after living in the bush for 2 months, well we were not exactly exiting in the same world as clean society! I had only one pair of only trousers which had dried mud to the knees from the walk out. We'd not showered for weeks, my hair was half dreaded and we spent most of the journey trying to work out how bad we smelt...<br /><br />Would you pick me up?<br /><br />In a jag?cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-1146647723204018692006-05-03T17:53:00.000+10:002006-05-30T15:43:35.256+10:00Happy Valley - The price of coal<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/iconicshot.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/iconicshot.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><i>Accompanying pics can be found on my flicker sets <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72057594119745993/">happy valley</a> & <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72057594119818026/">into the valley</a></i><br /><br />There was this moment driving up into the mountains, on the way into a remote part of the New Zealand wilderness, on our way to occupy the site of a proposed coal mine. I was surrounded by dammed fine looking mountains sweeping straight down into the ocean, baking hot sunshine, in a van full of dammed fine looking kiwis listening to some dammed fine kiwi tunes on the stereo... I thought: somewhere along the line I did something right.<br /><br />We were on our way into Happy Valley to start an occupation of a unique wetland under threat of destruction for the high grade coal beneath, mainly to export for aluminium smelting. Drinks cans, cars, bikes, ladders, foil, office blocks..and much more. It's a Kiwi habit, the endangered NZ Icon, and home to many other species, including a snail unique to the area. And then there's all that carbon in the coal... There is already a huge mine close by, and they want to wreck more of the area. You can <a href="http://www.savehappyvalley.org.nz">read more about the campaign here</a>, I'll tell you more about life in the valley. <br /><br /><b>Extremes</b><br />The west coast is place of extremes.. when its hot, its hot hot hot. When we first arrived in the valley the west coast was 'experiencing a period of unusually dry weather' (that phrase is getting <i>far</i> to familiar). But oh the swimming holes! There are few things more fantastic after getting baked all day than being in a remote wilderness plunging into icy water.. then warning up in the sun on the rocks. I've been learning to jump of big rocks. Well I'm not sure learning is the right word for it, as it doesn't take much skill.. just a bit of nerve. I'd never jumped of anything this high before. <br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/chickenbuttjump.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/chickenbuttjump.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Then finally the rains came.. and we all retreated to our tents. The dry cracked mud for the wetland finally came into its own. It got cold and damp. There isn't a really dry communal space at the camp, and in the rain no one wants to take their sleeping bags out of their tents.. so we mainly end up curled up on our tents dozing an reading all day, venturing out when we get to hungry. Sometimes going out on missions and getting very wet!<br />The tarp over my tent made a perfect water catcher and I could just <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/136682629/in/set-72057594119745993/">lean out of the fly and fill up!</a> The kitchen and shelter tarps made even better ones so we'd fill up every pot and pan we can find with the clear, pure lovely rainwater. mmm so fresh!<br /><br /><br /><b>De-stress</b><br /><br />The different pace of life is so good. There is so much peace, so much time not thinking of anything except concentrating on the rough terrain and putting one foot in front of the other without re-twisting my ankle. New things become important, using your senses, learning to track, checking for footprints, broken twigs, being really aware or your surroundings. <br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/camp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/camp.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Everyone started having really viviid dreams, really amazing ones that often sorted things out in your head where you wake up feeling better about things you haven't consciously thought about for months. It made me realise how good for you having some good rest, physical effort and concentration can do to your head-space. You can feel how repressive and damaging our lifestyles in the city are away from the nature, space and beauty needed our psyches as well as our bodies. We're not evolved to be shut in boxes and it ain't good for us! Ok enough ranting... back to the the valley..<br /><br /><br /><b>The world turns</b><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/goldenfloor.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/goldenfloor.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Sunsets in the valley are glorious, there no other word for it. The red tussock of the valley floor lights up aflame in the setting sun.. and then the stars! Hours and hours and hours were spent laid out staring up at the night sky, I've never seen clearer. Real night, without the orange glow deadening everything.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/shooting.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/shooting.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><b>Moonbow</b><br />A couple of years ago I didn't know moonbows exsisted. I heard the word and thought it was some hippy invention after to much acid.. wooh, like moonbows man. However, one wet moonlit night after a long wet windy day we were all clustered around the kitchen bender around cups of tea. We were enjoying the break from the relentless rain while watching huge cloulds blowing down the valley below us and catching glimpses of the moon and stars in breaks between the clouds. We were all staring at the moon and then someone glances in the opposite direction and gasps.. we all turn and there arching across the sky in a huge rainbow, but appearing monochrome in the night sky. The area under the moon-bow glowing slightly brighter then the rest of the sky. Now that was quite a thing! Moonbows man!<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/wetcamp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/wetcamp.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><b>Kiwi Kiwi Kiwi Kiwi Kiwi Kiwi Kiwi Kiwi Kiwi</b><br />After taking part in the <a href="http://cookielovescake.blogspot.com/2006/04/kiwi-listening-adventures-in-mossworld.html">kiwi listening</a>, and the serious lack of Kiwis in the Nina Valley, it was an amazing surprise to find such an active kiwi population in HV. Most nights I'd wake up to the kiwis calling. At first I was an expert (all that tape listening!) and was asked to shout 'Kiwi', whatever time of night it was, usually 5 am! But soon everyone started to recognise their calls and soon the familiar conversation struck up.. "Male?" "nah female.."<br />However I never got tired of waking up to it , so many nights in those quiet hours before dawn laying in my tent on the edge of camp listening to the calls before drifting back to sleep. It hasn't taking me that long to become familiar with exotic soundscape; <a href="http://www.nzbirds.com/birds/sound/bellbird2.wav">Bell birds</a>, <a href="http://www.kiwi-wildlife.co.nz/Sounds/weka.mp3">Weka</a>, <a href="http://www.nzbirds.com/birds/sound/kiwigs.wav">Kiwi</a>, Frogs (Ozzie import) Fernbirds, <a href="http://www.nzbirds.com/birds/sound/morepork2.wav">Morepork</a>, <a href="http://www.kiwi-wildlife.co.nz/Sounds/tui.mp3">Tui</a> and those darn possums. <br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/milliweka.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/milliweka.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The bell bird has such a distinctive call, the ones in the valley sang a repeated - DCDAG - and as we went about our days you'd hear people absent mindedly whistling the bell birds tune...<br /><br />One night we had a morepork flying through camp and land on the kitchen tent as we all watched open mouthed. A shy <a href="http://www.nzbirds.com/birds/ruru.html">Morepork</a> come to visit! (check out the pic of the <a href="http://www.nzbirds.com/birds/img/moreporkchicksrosemary2.jpg">little morepork chicks</a> down on the right - we didn't see any but these are totally cute).<br /><br />However, that wasn't all we could hear. It could be all to easy to get absorbed in the valley and forget what was so close by, and our long walks in which stayed well away from any signs of human encroachment made this more so. But day and night there'd be huge explosions from blasting, and the sounds of the machinery. Boom, Beep, Crunch, and a reminder of what danger hangs over this remote wilderness. The camp can be seen on the bottom left here and just a sectiojn of the huge <a href="http://solidenergy.co.nz/mines-stockton.htm">Stockton mine</a> looms above. You can click on any of my pics for a larger version.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/campmine.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/campmine.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />We wont let it happen here!<br /><a href="http://www.savehappyvalley.org.nz">www.savehappyvalley.org.nz</a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/valleyhaze.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/valleyhaze.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />More pics of the Valley & camp can be found on my flicker sets <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72057594119745993/">happy valley</a> & <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72057594119818026/">into the valley</a><br />(big ups to the talented Jen - Pics 5, 6 8 & 9 posted here are hers..)cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-1146134010138342762006-04-27T20:32:00.000+10:002006-04-27T22:06:00.036+10:00Kiwi Listening - Adventures in MossworldHey, so my blogs are now about *cough* 3 months behind.. well I have been busy.. However while I was in the bush I was keeping track in my notebook. Yeah not my powerbook, I got a boan-fida old fashioned used-to-be-a-tree notebook. Pen, paper, bad spellings that don't correct themselves, doodling in the margins.. remember all that? So I am gonna try and catch up with myself.. so here's ya first moss-packed instalment:<br /><br /><b>Kiwi Listening - Adventures in Mossworld</b><br />Photos to accompany this can be found <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72057594117621855/">here</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/ninaforest3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/ninaforest3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />A group of twelve of us head out of Christchurch through the now familiar Lewis pass which connects to the upper west coast, where <a href= "http://www.savehappyvalley.org.nz/blog"> Happy Valley</a> is. On the stereo is a strange series of <a href="http://www.kiwi-wildlife.co.nz/Sounds/is_kiwi.mp3"> screeches </a>& <a href="http://www.nzbirds.com/birds/sound/kiwigs.wav ">trills</a>, and the ardent listeners quickly cast their vote.. "Male"..."no, no that was Female, I'm sure of it!"'. Its late, we've been driving alongside a wide river deep in the mountains for some time and eventually park up and camp for the night. We're half way through the pass, surrounded by the huge mountains. In the dark by the new moon starlight I can see the shapes of two hulking mountains to the left, and know somewhere between their peaks is the way ahead, on foot. Up between these dark shapes is the Nina Valley.<br /><br />Only a few minutes back we'd passed the site of some <a href="http://www.nelsonlakesshuttles.co.nz/Sylvia%20Flats%20Hot%20Pools.jpg">unmarked hot pools</a> so after we are pitched up Karen & I head back down the road to the unremarkable lay-by and head down a riverside track to the hot springs. Half an hour later we are totally floppy, heated through and submerged from the cool mountain night air. How stylish, realxing in a natural sulphur pool shovelled out of the rocks and shale, exchanging gossip about ourselves and specualtions on our chch crew. Above on both sides tower the dark shapes of the mountains framing some of the brightest stars I have ever seen silhouetted against the overhanging Ponga treeferns and cabbage trees. Its totally unreal. Not for the first time and certainly not the last time this year I think 'Wow, this it truly one of the most amazing moments of my life'. Ten seconds later I'm screaming..<br /> <br />..I've just plunged myself into the freezing waters of the Lewis river. What a rush!<br /><br />So what's Kiwi Listening? It's a survey on Kiwi populations. Kiwi are nocturnal, notoriously shy and well camouflaged. However their call is loud and distinctive. On this survey we go out in pairs and sit between dusk and midnight and listen out for Kiwi calls, them mark their direction, number and gender plus locality and weather conditions. I've never ventured off for some many days before with a tent, sleeping gear, stove, billy, outdoor clothes and and food. Completely self sufficient for a week in the bush on my own two legs. Cripes my pack was heavy! <br /><br />The Nina Valley is Mossworld! I could rewrite this blog with 'moss' as every third word and still not get across how ubermossy it is. Its knee deep in places.. On good nights some of us slept out under the stars on the soft bouncy moss, it was that spongy.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/dragonwings.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/dragonwings.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The first night it chucked it down, but me and my co-listener stuck to our spot on top of a knoll and I sat there under mega-drips from the trees above getting colder and wetter. I didn't even want to put my hood up as it would affect my hearing. There was nothing to be heard in the forest, not a bird, not even possums. So cold! I think I spent the entire last hour pretending I was staking out some evildoers headquarters or a lookout for a welcoming party for some dodgy shipment of something, so I wouldn't quit... The next day I found out we were the only listening pair that didn't give up and finish listening from <i>inside</i> their tents. Bah!<br /><br />The rest of the week was a glorious adventure through moss and mud, crossing rivers, exploring side valleys up to the tops, stopping to jump into icy, icy rivers before splitting of into pairs at night to listen in a new spot. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72057594117621855/">Check out the pics!</a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/jump.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/jump.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Sadly we heard nearly nothing. There was a possible hearing on the first night. On the last night I got so comfortable in my listening spot in the moss that after midnight I just curled up and went to sleep, then later suddenly awoke. My listening partner appeared.. "did you hear it? did you" "eh?" and thus was the first of many nights to come where I found I had trained myself to wake up to the sound of Kiwi.<br /><br />We had a great adventure in the Nina Valley. After a couple more clumsy miss-haps and R-I-C-Eing Bonnie suggested I should be wrapped in moss... I also gained quite a reputation as the loony brit that threw herself into the icy water when ever I got the chance. But it was hot! The hike out was very, very hot. I could hardly take it, every stream I soaked my sun-hat so it would drip all over me as I walked. When we reached the icy Nina river again I collapsed into it and lay on my back under the water with my nose poking out and gulped down the water that flowed passed for at least 15 minutes. Not sure how I didn't get hypothermia.<br /><br />Most of the group then headed back to Cristchurch, but a few of us headed on west, hitching through the rest of the pass to the coast and onto the start of the occupation of Happy Valley....cookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-1140959282955180042006-02-27T00:02:00.000+11:002006-04-27T20:35:24.273+10:00Yo ho ho and a bottle of rumSo...my blog seems to be turning into purely 'links to other blogs I can be found at' as I dont have time to keep this one happy for now. But wow I'm havin' a blast..<br /><br />So from tomorrow I'm on the Rainbow Warrior for 3 months doing the ships blog!<br /><br /><a href="http://weblog.greenpeace.org/paradiseforests/">weblog.greenpeace.org/paradiseforests</a><br /><br />Come visit me there and leave me some comments. I won't be on my usual email till may. I will be able to send some, some leave me a message on the blog and i'll mail you..<br /><br />xxcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-1139142750993626572006-02-05T23:11:00.000+11:002006-02-05T23:34:52.556+11:00Offline....Hey guys, just to say I have heaps of new pics and stories.. I'm having so much fun.. I keep thinking wow.. you don't get many days this good in your life.. then they keep on coming! However, no time to post any tales right now, I've been living in the bush for weeks and I'm headed back into a Valley we are occupying to stop a coal mine in a few hours.. I promise I will when I'm reunited with my laptop in a couple of weeks. There are more details of the campaign a few posts & pics from me here:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.savehappyvalley.org.nz/blog">www.savehappyvalley.org.nz/blog</a><br /><br />xcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17158336.post-1137395703463440152006-01-16T18:04:00.000+11:002006-01-20T21:53:02.960+11:00Adventures on the south island..Kia ora te whanau, I'm still not convinced about this blogging lark.. now I've been having lots of adventures I've not really had the time or access to talk about it! ...a big sorry I'm being so rubbish at communicating, I had no credit on my phone for 3 weeks (& no shops!) I'm not getting much on-line access and I've a lot of campaigning/acitvisty work & logistics type stuff on which I have to see too before I can reply to whanau.<br /><br />But heres a bit of a ramble about the last month.. hopefully some of the pics will speak for them selves, theres two now albums on flickr.. 'bush' and 'tramp' (kiwi term for a several day walking mission) theres links to individually mentioned pics.. or the whole albums. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72057594048963909/">Bush</a> & <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/sets/72057594048964779/">Tramp</a><br /><br />So it started with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/86844822/in/set-72057594048963909/">a plan.</a>. We drew a map of the top of the south island on the whiteboard with the dates and location of everyone we would like to meet and everywhere we'd like to go and 'there be dragons' and things like that.. of course the adventure didn't quite end up as we planned..<br /><br />Em, Nomis & I (friends from wellington) started off from wellington on my favorite ferry ride in the world to the south island.. getting in very late so being the brigands of the high seas we are, we bedded down in the brig of a pirate ship for the night. Which was under a big <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/86844287/in/set-72057594048963909/">wooden ship-shaped climbing frame</a> in the park in Picton..<br /><br />THE DEEP<br />We then <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/86844284/in/set-72057594048963909/">hitched</a> to Pelorus Bridge, an amazing (if over touristy) part of a clear cool river with impossibility vast deep pools.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/canopy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/canopy.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Being the budget mission we were (and hating camp sites) we found a magic spot hidden in the bush under <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/86844823/in/set-72057594048963909/">Ponga tree ferns</a>, Beech and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/86843659/in/set-72057594048963909/">larger canopy trees </a>where we wouldn't get spotted by anyone after camp fees.<br /><br />We met up with an cool American EF! activist/botanist and all spend a few days here swimming, eating, swimming, walking, swimming, sleeping out under the stars, comparing cultures and activist scenes & slang around the world and learning heaps about the plants from Em our native plant expert.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/mantis.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/mantis.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />INJURED!!<br />I bashed my knee swimming, and I didn't think much of it at the time.. ouch maybe, and ohh its bleeding a tiny bit.. and got on the to task in hand for the next two days of swimming, walking, lazing about in the bush, exploring waterfalls and more swimming in the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/86844282/in/set-72057594048963909/">deep, deep clear pools..</a><br /><br />Two days on and I'd already been for my pre-breakfast swim and suddenly my knee was like a balloon and weird squeeky feeling when I moved it, so it was quickly into R.I.C.E. action (Rest, Ice, Compression & Elevation) to fix it so we could go tramping. No an easy thing when you are living in the bush and hitching..although I'm sure <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/86844281/in/set-72057594048963909/">hitching with a stick, bandages knee and ice-pack</a> gets more rides! <br /><br />So.. on the road again and as out last civilization stop of a week we got in supplies, had some rather dysfunction multi hitching communications problems, camped up hiding down a river.. But it all ended well and we all eventually got to a place caled Marahau for the new year which is the stunning start of the Able Tasmen national park with many stunning beaches and surrounded 360 by hills. Check out <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/86844824/in/set-72057594048963909/"> the pics here</a> and the next few pics.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/oystersunset.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/oystersunset.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Have leeks, will travel : <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/86845338/in/set-72057594048963909/">'pack' </a><br /><br />We finally get ourselves together on new years day we then hitch over the mountains to get to the start of out tramp into the wilderness.. the last ride, who was quite randomly was someone my friends know from wellington, who was looking for somewhere to park her van for the night, so we persuade her to come with us to a little free camping spot a little ways down the valley Em knew where we want to start our tramp from.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/waterfall.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/waterfall.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />As we pull into the lay-by there a strange <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/86845337/in/set-72057594048963909/">sign and ballons attached to a post</a> 'disgraceland - phy-trance retirement village'.. “oh there seems to be hippies here..” “is that a teepee?” “is that Sarah?” and ended up at an <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/86846250/in/set-72057594048963909/"> party in the woods</a> with 2 sound systems and random friends from all over.. luckily there was also a drum & bass sound system! All very surreal and very New Zealand!<br /><br />So realising the road end was 38ks down the valley, and in the rain no traffic (opps!), we persuade a random friend of a friend at the party called 'hobbit' to drive us 30ks down the valley and up over the hydro station <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/86847202/in/set-72057594048964779/ ">(the track started down in the mist by the reservoir at the end of this valley)</a>. So after a last swim in the heat them came winding along and unsealed road through the bush with 6 hippies, 2 crosses and a Jack Russel!<br /><br />WINTER<br />We set of up into the mountain in the wind and the rain.. there are no pictures of the next part of our journey as the weather was so wild.. we climbed for a couple of hours then passed Lake Peel, which was more in the air than in the lake, then across the ridge where we all got blown over several times.. the gusts would come and I'd anchor myself with my feet and the walking poles and big pack against the wind and it was still impossible to keep standing. Then the biting hail started....Never been so glad to reach a mountain hut!<br /><br />The weather stayed largely pants so we didn't walk far, just a couple of hours a day one night sleeping in a very pre-historic <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/87097627/in/set-72057594048964779/">rock bivi</a> at 1000m, with a not very warm fire. Very Cool. It looked very much like the one used in the Fellowship of the ring for Wethertop. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/smoke2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/smoke2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />After a cold, cold night was woken to what looked like someone taking a photo then the world went BOOM!!! and we were in the middle of a huge thunder cloud. I've never heard thunder roll around for so long and so loud. BOOOOOOOOOOOOM, ROOOOOOOOM, UUUOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM UUUUUUUHHHHHHH UUUUMMMMMMM.<br /><br />The weather finally cleared and we tried for an accent of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/86846807/in/set-72057594048964779/">MtArthur..</a> but the weather came in and we were up on the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/87099913/in/set-72057594048964779/">ridge</a> <br />in <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/87099910/in/set-72057594048964779/">driving horizontal snow!</a><br /><br />We got sooooo wet.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/1600/neui2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4048/1647/320/neui2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />At the road on the other side of the range we got cell signal and I texted a friend who lives in the area(ish!) to see if we could stay we started walking down the valley and an hour or so into walking down the road to civilisation and she came an picked us up and took us to a land of sunshine, beds, fruit trees and showers! Ahhhhh.<br /><br />I'm now in Cristchurch a new land of meetings, organising, saunas, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/86846808/in/set-72057594048964779/">banner making</a> , <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookielovescake/86847199/in/set-72057594048964779/">t-shirt printing</a> and surfing.<br /><br />Yes surfing! before you get to excited with the image of me in a tight wet suit long hair straggly with salt around my shoulders and surfboard under my arm (although the were was probably a few moments like that) . I have to tell you the first time I went out in the wet suit i managed to put it on both inside out and backwards.. as as for actually catching waves.. hmmm well thats another story.<br /><br />Well theres loads more tales to tell.. thats just a taste of the last month... please keep mailing me your news – even if I'm poo at responding, I appreciate it heaps.<br /><br />arohanui xxcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817331731527656092noreply@blogger.com2