tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40211368535624138812024-03-06T08:13:30.166+10:00Life with GeckosA blog about the daily life and random thoughts of a horticulturally challenged tree-huggin hippy living in suburban Brisbane.Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-708249696766941492011-03-04T20:56:00.000+10:002011-03-04T20:56:42.103+10:00Ellen Dunham-Jones: Retrofitting suburbia | Video on TED.com<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/ellen_dunham_jones_retrofitting_suburbia.html">Ellen Dunham-Jones: Retrofitting suburbia | Video on TED.com</a>Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-49887842020883842992011-03-04T20:34:00.000+10:002011-03-04T20:34:24.964+10:00Michael Pawlyn: Using nature's genius in architecture | Video on TED.com<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_pawlyn_using_nature_s_genius_in_architecture.html">Michael Pawlyn: Using nature's genius in architecture | Video on TED.com</a>Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-72250944805774883272011-03-04T19:17:00.001+10:002011-03-04T20:07:49.212+10:00Dan Phillips: Creative houses from reclaimed stuff | Video on TED.com<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_phillips_creative_houses_from_reclaimed_stuff.html">Dan Phillips: Creative houses from reclaimed stuff | Video on TED.com</a><br />http://www.phoenixcommotion.com/Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-9100024754061070072011-02-02T12:34:00.002+10:002011-02-02T12:37:04.520+10:00happy bah humbug new yearI haven't posted anything for ages because the holiday season is essentially the crazy season here and I like to pretend it doesn't exist.<br /><br />However, school is resumed, holidays are over, the weather is screwy, and I'm going to start back at uni in a few weeks.<br /><br />So i might fit a few posts in this month who knows?Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-68226934820916988132011-02-02T12:28:00.004+10:002011-02-02T13:12:39.090+10:00Recently, i was at a major supermarket in Brisbane and I overheard an employee who was stocking milk say to his colleague, "There's not much here. Are we ordering less, or what?" His friend groaned and replied, "Ummm, did you miss the floods? The major dairies are all gone."<br /><br />My Husband works in a fruit and vegetable shop in the city, and he has been getting customers angry at him, because the shop doesn't have a certain type of lettuce, or snow peas. Most of the stock in the shop was coming round about routes to get past closed roads, and the major Brisbane fruit market has stopped functioning. The retailers and wholesalers have figured out a temporary, but inconvenient system. <br /><br />It has been covered by the all the news outlets. How can people be surprised? And how on earth can they blame the retailer for not being able to source stock?<br /><br />The freaky weather that is impacting our (MY) food supply is a strong La Nina event. For the last few decades we have had regular <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Ni%C3%B1a">La Nina events</a>, but they have been considered moderate. the last strong one was 1988/1989. So we've had dry years, interspersed with moderate years. Now, we are finally having a wet year. Incidentally, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974_Brisbane_flood">1974 floods </a>occurred during a La Nina event.<br /><br />No one of my generation (i'm 28) or possibly even my mother's generation has ever experienced widespread food shortages. (I've been hungry before, but because I was broke, not because there was nothing to buy.) This year is going to be a hungry one. Queensland's main food regions (vegetables, grain and beef and dairy cattle) were hit by flooding, and now the rest of the state, where much of our fruit is grown, is going to be flattened.<br /><br />Straight after the floods in Brisbane, I had the eerie experience of walking into a major supermarket and the shelves were empty. <br /><br />We all found ourselves self rationing. We didn't want to buy more than our fair share.<br />If there is only a bit of something, you didn't want to be the one to take the last bit.<br /><br />My sister was shopping for her house warming dinner and wanted to make bbq ribs with salads. There were hardly any salad veg, and definitely no meat, milk or bread. Any thing that the shops rely on regular deliveries of was gone. She changed the menu and we had a lovely sit down roast dinner. When food is scarce then old fashioned food is the answer. We had silver-side with roast potatoes, pumpkin and onions. There was also a vegie cous cous for the strange vegetarian. Peasant fare, cheap to buy, stores well and easy to cook.<br /><br />I feel an anxiety, like I need to get out there and start planting more food in my garden. I feel like I should be stockpiling. Is this intuition? irrational anxiety? or a reasonable reaction?Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-84315317452195096442010-11-10T18:19:00.002+10:002010-11-10T18:43:20.049+10:00wibble wednesdayMy family is in the news again, and not for anything good.<br />I really don't like the way the media is treating this.<br />I don't feel like anyone is treating her like a person, it's creepy to read/watch about things that are so painful and so much a a part of me, talked about on tv and th internet by complete strangers. Like my life is a side show.<br />Even though it's a long time ago, to me and my family it isn't. <br />I've been making a scrapbook/memory page, but i'm not sure i can do it anymore.Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-83534412346173047852010-11-08T01:34:00.001+10:002010-11-08T01:34:21.783+10:00<!-- Begin I Write Like Badge --><br /><div style="overflow:auto;border:2px solid #ddd;font:20px/1.2 Arial,sans-serif;width:380px;padding:5px; background:#F7F7F7; color:#555"><img src="http://s.iwl.me/w.png" style="float:right" width="120"><div style="padding:20px; border-bottom:1px solid #eee; text-shadow:#fff 0 1px"> I write like<br><a href="http://iwl.me/w/31398c21" style="font-size:30px;color:#698B22;text-decoration:none">Cory Doctorow</a></div><p style="font-size:11px; text-align:center; color:#888"><em>I Write Like</em> by Mémoires, <a href="http://www.codingrobots.com/memoires/" style="color:#888">journal software</a>. <a href="http://iwl.me" style="color:#333; background:#FFFFE0"><b>Analyze your writing!</b></a></p></div><br /><!-- End I Write Like Badge -->Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-68274529990096904762010-10-26T02:04:00.002+10:002010-10-26T02:32:43.205+10:00I need to unload some brain lintIts 2am, I should be sleeping.<br /><br />I was wondering whether it is easier to deal with the death of a loved one, if it is sudden as opposed to being given advance notice.<br /><br />I was leaning towards sudden death. It's not nice being given updates on a loved one's waning health via social networking, in fact it sucks. Also I am really not good at dealing with grieving in front of the person you are grieving for. Its vulgar. And then there is the perceived obligation to "tie up loose ends", "make your peace" and all that gaff. I am really more of a sweep it under the carpet and let's never speak of that upsetting/embarrassing/my life-is-a-disappointment-to-you moment again. <br /><br />How do you act? what can you say that doesn't seem over dramatic or too flippant? I don't want to talk about my grades, or the weather, or your latest bad medical news, I just want you to stop dying.<br /><br />Then I realised, yes, I'm self absorbed, "Oh my God you're dying? This is really affecting me". Yes, I am uncomfortable faced with mortality, my own and anyone elses. BUT... So is the rest of society. <br /><br />Go into any newsagent's, there is the get well soon card, and the condolence card, and nothing in between. Where is the "I'm sorry you won't be here for christmas" Card? Or "So your doctor just changed your prognosis from six weeks to two days?" There is no Larson cartoon for the occasion. <br /><br />Hallmark has failed me.Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-70383976684429921062010-10-26T01:46:00.000+10:002010-10-26T01:47:17.122+10:00<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1689657.World_Made_by_Hand" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="World Made by Hand" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1186944958m/1689657.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1689657.World_Made_by_Hand">World Made by Hand</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/47834.James_Howard_Kunstler">James Howard Kunstler</a><br/><br />My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/127816236">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /><br />I really like these books. The paranormal subplots kind of threw me, though. I guess having only read his non-fiction work and his blog, I wasn't expecting a fantasy book. <br/><br/>The first time I read this book I was a little disappointed, I had just watched "Collapse" directed by Chris Smith. I wanted JHK to give me a blow by blow account of events we can expect and how to survive them. Instead, World Made By Hand shoves you a decade or so after all the "Long Emergncy"/teotwawki stuff has happened, and straight into the "new normal". <br/><br/>The second time I read it, I was able to just read the story, and I found I liked it, even the paranormal freaky bits. Although I found it hard to suspend my judgement on the anti-religion viewpoint. JHK has these characters he calls Christian, but their version of christianity and the Bible is so twisted and freaky, that it made me feel ill. I wish JHK had named the "New Faith" deity something other than Jesus.<br/><br/>A lot of people have problems with the role of women in this book. I would like to point out the book is in first person, narrated by a male character, who lives alone, in a society where the female population is limited. Of course the only women he interacts with sleep with him or mother him, (or both). This is just an extrapolated version of the way the sexes interact in reality. Even though we apparently have equality, women tend to do the larger portion of domestic duties, even if they have a job outside the home. It stands to reason,that if you take away the desk job, electricity, the suv, hot running water, the washer/dryer, fast food and law and order, women will be spending more time at home, and less time in the public sphere. I'm fairly certain women are not "forbidden" to be in on council meetings as some people have written. The women are just so busy they couldn't be bothered to go.<br/><br/>Another point brought up is the unresolved ending. Kunstler mentioned in a podcast interview, kunstlercast.com, that his idea was to write 4 books, one for each season. So there are 2 more to come.<br/><br/>Overall, this was a nice story. Robert Earle is an apocalyptic version of Pa Ingalls. Much, much easier to read than McCarthy's "The Road". The premise of a post carbon society, while not an earth shattering concept to Transitioners, serves as a good vehicle for peak oil discussion out in the wider McWorld, always a good thing. Mostly though, I get the feeling that JHK just had fun writing this. A world where all his economic/environmental/political predictions have occured, but "stuff" still happens. <br /><br/><br/><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4460406-kell">View all my reviews</a>Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-33612426188302693562010-10-19T09:41:00.000+10:002010-10-19T09:42:16.403+10:00Why the Global financial crisis isn't overhttp://gonzalolira.blogspot.com/2010/10/second-leg-down-of-americas-death.htmlKella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-1394153589437381482010-09-06T13:59:00.001+10:002010-09-06T14:01:56.429+10:00Elizabeth Warren The coming collapse of the middle class<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/akVL7QY0S8A?fs=1&hl=en_GB"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/akVL7QY0S8A?fs=1&hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-70507336163852365612010-07-13T11:25:00.002+10:002010-07-13T11:37:24.947+10:00Frugal stuffOur limit is AU$100 a week for all food, toiletries, public transport, treats, basically anyhting that isn't a regular monthly bill. Thats about US$80 depending on the exchange rate.<br /><br />This is how I (sort of) manage:<br /><br />1. Use Vinegar for cleaning. <br />If you don't like the smell, (you prefer the way bleach smells?? :)) you can add a few drops of whatever essential oil you like. I use Tea tree oil for the bathroom. Put some bicarbonate of soda on a scrubbing brush and let the kids go for it, its that safe. then you spray a bit of vinegar on. The young ones will love the "fizzy". Maybe you can squeeze in a bit of acid and alkali science in there at the same time, lol.<br /><br />I also use vinegar instead of fabric softener. Vinegar is an odor neutraliser, essential for teenage boys, as well as neutralising alkaline soap residue, for sensitive skins. Some fabric softeners actually work by coating fibres in a synthetic waxy substance, and if the item is smelly, then the smell gets locked in, only to be released as soon as the item gets warm/damp. For really smelly stuff soak first in a bucket of water with 1/4 cup of lectric soda crystals (aka: washing soda/sodium carbonate/soda ash).<br /><br />2. Make your own Laundry soap.<br />The reason I started making my own laundry soap (recipe <a href="http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2007/08/various-recipes-for-green-cleaning.html">here</a>) was because commercial ones all smell so strongly, and when I'm grouchy and headachy strong smells make it worse. I also noticed that whenever I folded my clean washing I would start sneezing uncontrollably. The cost cutting was just an added bonus at the time, now it's essential.<br /><br />3. Cook from scratch.<br />I think if you have kids use them, lol. Free labour, in the guise of character building, and learning to serve. Older kids need to understand that what you do for the least of your brothers, you do for Him. (I'm still learning this myself). And littlies just long to be included. When you take the time to teach them now, it might take 3 hours to make dinner, but in a few years time, they can be left to do it themselves. Sacrifice some time now, and it will be made up later (i'm hoping, :D). Also if the kids are really stubborn to help in the kitchen, you might have to start with junky, exciting food, like pancakes, or cupcakes. And someone will have to eat all those wobbly practice efforts, so Dad should be happy.<br /><br />4. Set aside a "baking day" ala Little House on the Prairie. <br />Bake a dozen loaves and freeze them, but make sure you slice them first.<br /><a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx">Mother Earth News</a> has a recipe for Artisan Bread in 5 minutes for free, its not the whole book, but it's what I've been using. That way you can try it out and decide if you want to buy the book.<br /><br />5. Slowly cut down on the amount of bread you serve. <br />Eat porridge for breakfast, make it a treat, with a spoonful of honey or brown sugar, and milk, or some stewed fruit.<br />Dad might still need his sandwiches for lunch, but try and sneak a container of pasta, or casserole and rice, if he has access to a microwave.<br />Always make it a treat, never a sacrifice, don't give him "leftovers" but a "specially saved serve of your favourite because you mentioned how much you liked it last night" lol.<br /><br />6. Eat less meat. <br />My family has gradually gone from having meat as a staple, to a treat. I don't eat it at all. One meat dish a week can last a few meals. (<a href="http://matronofhusbandry.wordpress.com/2008/10/26/sunday-chicken/">This is how one amazing woman does it</a>) <br />I cook a batch of mince, chilli or spaghetti, and i use a ratio of 1:2 lentils to meat, plus some grated carrots, to give double my normal recipe for the same amount of meat. The kid thinks that is normal, guests either like it or are too polite to complain, lol.<br />Leftovers of nearly anything can be made into pasties. Cut a sheet of prepackaged (gasp) puff pastry into 4 squares (quarters) put a spoonfull of mince slightly to the left and bottom of the center of each square, moisten the edges with water, milk or egg. Fold each top right corner to the bottom left one to make triangles, press the edges together with a fork, poke a few holes in them. bake on baking tray until golden and puffy, the filling is already cooked.<br /><br />7. Chickens, sigh I wish.<br />If one of your kids is animal orientated, and you have a yard, buy them a "present" of a few chickens (minimum 2, they need friends). 100 - 200 eggs per chicken, per year, for about 5? years. Here organic, barn laid eggs are AU$10 a dozen, free range is even more, so that's at least AU$160 (about US$130) a year worth of eggs. And you can't put a price on watching fluffy clucky bottoms bob and scratch around, or the life lessons being a responsible steward of G-d's creatures provides. Also your eggs with be totally salmonella free. Definitely worth the original outlay, and ongoing feed costs.<br />Once you have a steady supply of eggs, you can make fresh custard, home made ice cream, quiches, fritattas, pavlovas, meringues, egg nogg, all sorts of things that before would have cost too much to make. Ever wondered why some of Grandma's recipes call for 8 eggs!? She had to think of ways to use up a summer glut, eggs were practically free for her!<br /><br />8. Cut Back on toiletries<br />Try using the "No Poo" method of hair care, it's not for everyone. My Boy doesn't use shampoo or conditioner, I haven't noticed a difference in smell. He uses normal soap if its needed. Us girls still use shampoo, I think long hair needs a bit more care.<br /><br />9. Grow your own.<br />Try and fit growing vegies and fruit into your lifestyle. I struggle with this one. I know in my head that a few tomato and lettuce seedlings will grow up into hundreds of dollars worth of salads. I just don't look after the garden enough. Maybe one of your older kids needs an income? Offer to "rent" them a patch of yard, to grow seedlings and veg on. The rent being, say 10% of what they produce and then the rest they could try and sell to nieghbours. It could work, it definitely couldn't hurt.<br />blessingsKella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-72932194738013078772010-07-12T21:53:00.001+10:002010-07-12T21:53:47.938+10:00When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted, when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then will you discover you cannot eat money.<br />~ Cree ProphecyKella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-77821550187172988312010-07-12T20:31:00.005+10:002010-07-12T21:04:46.760+10:00Chicken soup for the vegetarian soul...What do vegetarians eat when they have a cold? :(<br /><br />I feel sooo sick. But I can practically feel the antibodies building up and by His stripes I'm healed.<br /><br />Anyway, what am I supposed to eat when swallowing hurts? I can't eat chicken soup.<br /><br />I don't want to eat msg or additives, so packet soups are out, but I can barely stand, boiling a pot of water is all I feel up to.<br /><br />Here is my "Chicken" and sweet corn soup. <br /><br />Ingredients:<br />1 tin of corn kernels<br />1 tin of creamed corn<br />2 teaspoons of grated/minced ginger<br />1 crushed clove of garlic<br />1 tablespoons of soy sauce<br />1 litre of vegie stock (if you are supermama then you have litres of the stuff in your freezer right? oh well, just check the label for numbers first.)<br />1 tub of firm silken tofu, sliced into cubes or mangled pieces depending on how sick you are.<br />1 tsp cornflour <br />1 egg, lightly beaten<br /><br />NB: if your principles are too strong to resort to opening cans, feel free to chop up massive amounts of corn. however if you are sick, you need to take it easy, well that's how i rationalise it anyway.<br /><br />Tip everything (except for egg) into a pot, bring it to the boil, remove from heat, then stir in the egg.<br /><br />If you have the energy, sprinkle some chopped shallots on top. Otherwise, take a bowlful and retreat back to bed.Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-60313784311868873192010-06-25T12:39:00.002+10:002010-06-25T12:47:50.884+10:00Speling MistakesHa ha ha.<br />OK, I am guilty of quite a few typos, sorry, typographical errors. Pure laziness, on my part. I also write the way I speak, especially in casual mediums, like email, or this blog, so I am always making grammatical errors.<br /><br />However, I just got my son's report card. There are quite a few spelling mistakes in the comment sections. What, they don't have spell chuck?<br /><br />Come on guys, this is a formal document. I still have report cards from my primary school days, so this is a document that will be kept for long time. Not to mention, passed around Grandparents, and doting Aunties.Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-17291848629715898742010-06-25T12:28:00.000+10:002010-06-25T12:28:40.731+10:00Our Red House: Australia's New Prime Minister<a href="http://ourredhouse.blogspot.com/2010/06/our-new-prime-minister.html">Our Red House: Australia's New Prime Minister</a>Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-39433409751660965262010-06-25T12:23:00.003+10:002010-06-25T12:28:01.035+10:00The New Prime MinisterThere's quite a bit of blogging buzz about Australia's new prime minister.<br /><br />OK, OK. I get it, she's a chick. Whoo-hoo. <br /><br />Problem is, she wasn't elected by me. Did you vote for her?<br /><br />I'm not convinced that Rudd was doing a great job. However, that should have been sorted out at the next election.<br />I feel that my democratic rights have been impinged.<br />A few elite politicians shouldnt be able to make massive decisions about our country's leadership.<br />That's what is so worrying about this.Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-85148641016113736972010-06-25T09:23:00.003+10:002010-06-25T12:30:02.899+10:00i just realised something pretty obvious.<br /><br />Ages ago you used to get charged for how many hours you were online, not how much you downloaded/uploaded. <br /><br />I remember my mum yelling at me to turn the dialup modem off, because while it was connected, we were paying.<br /><br />So, it was totally in the interests of the provider to supply a slow connection.<br />Now, we get charged by the amount of downloads/uploads, so the providers want us to have the fastest connections they can provide....<br /><br />They want us to be able to download movies and watch streaming tv, and rack up charges...<br /><br />just a random connection i made....Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-1062864255201555202010-06-23T23:34:00.001+10:002010-06-23T23:37:07.720+10:00the fail whale<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigSeMxsNkD53ImTXOkkBbP62cgU9XWERL08vUQq5xKX9hkLESPlbIHx3P3t83g3b9EGhf-F-xKYDDJPOkW-2IcsRzzkou8a7WoTZfBe-m_GEctUVZeL4rZatg9rr4wRiwLH-cUUmE99_Vb/s1600/the+fail+whale.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigSeMxsNkD53ImTXOkkBbP62cgU9XWERL08vUQq5xKX9hkLESPlbIHx3P3t83g3b9EGhf-F-xKYDDJPOkW-2IcsRzzkou8a7WoTZfBe-m_GEctUVZeL4rZatg9rr4wRiwLH-cUUmE99_Vb/s320/the+fail+whale.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485962232298582210" /></a><br /><br />so cute, i want to punch it in the faceKella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-66409013692861922092010-06-23T22:40:00.003+10:002010-06-23T22:51:44.234+10:00Does anyone else feel this isn't democratic?Does anyone else feel that it's not really fair for the Labor Caucus to suddenly try to replace our prime minister?<br /><br />It's basically an impeachment.<br />Has he done anything wrong? Illegal?<br /><br />How can a few people decide for the entire country, without a vote?<br /><br />Can't they just wait until the election, to change the party's leader?<br /><br />Julia Gillard wasn't voted for by me nor anyone else.<br /><br />I protest.<br /><br />It's an incredibly bad time for the nation to have leadership changes. The last thing Australia needs is political instability to add to economic instability.<br /><br />If caucus votes Kevin Rudd out, can an election be forced by the opposition?Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-34109390965108490722010-06-17T20:40:00.000+10:002010-06-17T20:41:34.642+10:00<table style="'font:11px" cellpadding="'0'" cellspacing="'0'" width="'360'" height="'353'"><tbody><tr style="'background-color:#e5e5e5'" valign="'middle'"><td style="'padding:2px"><a target="'_blank'" style="'color:#333;" href="'http://www.thedailyshow.com'">The Daily Show With Jon Stewart</a></td><td style="'padding:2px">Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c</td></tr><tr style="'height:14px;'" valign="'middle'"><td style="'padding:2px" colspan="'2'<a" target="'_blank'" style="'color:#333;" href="'http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-june-16-2010/an-energy-independent-future'">An Energy-Independent Future<a></td></tr><tr style="'height:14px;" valign="'middle'"><td colspan="'2'" style="'padding:2px"><a target="'_blank'" style="'color:#96deff;" href="'http://www.thedailyshow.com/'">www.thedailyshow.com</a></td></tr><tr valign="'middle'"><td style="'padding:0px;'" colspan="'2'"><embed style="'display:block'" src="'http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:312470'" width="'360'" height="'301'" type="'application/x-shockwave-flash'" wmode="'window'" allowfullscreen="'true'" flashvars="'autoPlay="false'" allowscriptaccess="'always'" allownetworking="'all'" bgcolor="'#000000'"></embed></td></tr><tr style="'height:18px;'" valign="'middle'"><td style="'padding:0px;'" colspan="'2'"><table style="'margin:0px;" cellpadding="'0'" cellspacing="'0'" width="'100%'" height="'100%'"><tr valign="'middle'"><td style="'padding:3px;"><a target="'_blank'" style="'font:10px" href="'http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/'">Daily Show Full Episodes</a></td><td style="'padding:3px;"><a target="'_blank'" style="'font:10px" href="'http://www.indecisionforever.com'">Political Humor</a></td><td style="'padding:3px;"><a target="'_blank'" style="'font:10px" href="'http://www.thedailyshow.com/videos/tag/Tea+Party'">Tea Party</a></td></tr></table></td></tr></tbody></table>Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-56452786386000117082010-06-17T10:40:00.002+10:002010-06-17T11:01:53.475+10:00I clicked on one of those ads: you know "stay at home mum loses weight by using our product..."<br />I don't know why I did. Desperation?<br />Anyway, it was talking about "negative calories". The premise being that your body uses more calories to burn certain foods, than the foods themselves contain.<br />For only 6 easy payments of $66.60 plus p&h, and my first born daughter's soul, I could recieve an ebook listing all these wonder foods. Whatever.<br />I assume the first 50 food items are lettuces.<br /><br />Then I started thinking, that practically anything you grow, or make can be classified as negative or nearly neutral calories. Digging a vegie patch, turning the compost, squatting down to weed the garden, all burn calories. So anything I grow, while not only being yummier, also burns more calories than are in the final product.<br /><br />So if I break a sweat kneading bread, can I eat the whole loaf by myself? And since my mixer broke, any cakes, muffins or brownies I make have to be whisked by hand. Which, by the way, really kills my upper arm. Therefore, not only do they not contain <a href="http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/failsafe.htm">nasty 200s</a>, but they could be approaching neutral calories.<br /><br />Ha Ha Ha, I'm pretty sure negative calories is hogwash. 1000 calories is 1000 calories whether its a ton of carrots or a cheeseburger.Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-20881613740986275212010-05-24T09:57:00.004+10:002010-05-24T13:02:38.837+10:00Brisbane house are over priced<span style="font-size:100%;">How on earth can a real estate agent advertise a AU$500 000+ home as "perfect for first home buyers"?????? (<a href="http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-windsor-106291492?activeSort=price-asc">one example</a> but there are more)<br /><br />The real estate industry is so out of kilter that these agents think half a million dollars is a perfectly acceptable price to pay for a 3 bedroom weatherboard house on a postcard patch of lawn. And somehow they think that people buying their first home can afford something like that.<br /><br />Let's do some sums kiddies:<br /><br />"Average" wages in australia in february 2010 are about $<a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6302.0/">1 200</a> a week.<br /><br />So average annual income is approx $62 400*<br /><br />Now let's assume that we have a two parent family, with a couple of kids. One parent working fulltime and one working part time**, so we have $62 400, plus about half to two thirds, or about $36000, before tax.<br />So total income for the family is $98 400.<br /><a href="http://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/content.asp?doc=/content/12333.htm">minus $17 000 for tax, </a>$81000<br />Lets put these figures through <a href="http://www.suncorpbank.com.au/home-loans/calculators/loan-repayment-calculator">a mortgage calculator:</a><br />The maximum this fictional couple can borrow is $467000.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">If</span> they can comply with all the terms and conditions and come up with the deposit, which for most loans is 10%.<br /><br />So if my fictional average income couple have saved up 50 grand, they can buy what the industry considers an "entry level" property. And then pay $1000 a week, which is two thirds their combined income and hope to god interest rates don't go up, ever. I hope the kids don't eat much, or wear clothes, or go to school.<br /><br />I'm not really convinced that <span style="font-style: italic;">average</span> families are earn</span><span style="font-size:100%;">i</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ng nearly $100 000 a year. I can't find a statistic for family incomes.<br /><br />Btw There are plenty of nice properties out there for less than $500 000, my problem is with real estate agents who seem to think that First Home Buyers are looking for something in that price range.<br /><br />I can remember my mother buying her first house for $42000 in th 80s. Her second house was less than $100 000 in the early 90s and sold for more than double that ten years later. That's just ridiculous! The same house, rose over 100% in ten years? Wages have not risen enough to compensate...<a href="http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/property/brisbane-coast-homes-among-worlds-most-unaffordable-20100127-mxo9.html"> House Prices are seriously over inflated and unaffordable</a>.<br />I can remember the gossip when a friend built a house in the early 90s and spent around $450k. Everyone was positive they had over capitilised. I shudder to think what that property would be worth today. I shudder mainly because the house is not my taste, actually it's a hideous cliche of a McMansion. Not to mention a vast waste of resources.<br /><br />Will house prices ever deflate back to their "real" worth?<br />Let's say house values rose at the same (ish) rate as everything else, between about </span><span style="font-size:100%;">3%</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> and 5% a year. A particular postwar 3 Bedroom house in Brisbane, purchased in 1990, was $100 000. 10 years later that house rising in value 5% a year should have cost about $162 000. instead it sold for $50 000 more than that. 20 years later it should cost around $265 000, yet houses in that area now sell for a median price of <a href="http://www.ourbrisbane.com/suburbs/murarrie">$557k</a>. Let's say that house is worth a lot less than it's neighbours and give it a conservative value of $440k. (it was actually advertised for this amount in 2007, lol) By my reasoning, (most likely flawed/naive) this house is over valued by nearly $200 000.<br /><br />This problem will most likely not go away. The GFC (which is not over despite media consensus, schmucks), will create rises in the real cost of living, wages will stagnate, inflation will rise and even if the real estate bubble bursts, the price of houses will remain unaffordable.<br /><br /><br /><br />*imo this amount could be skewed by including mega earners in these calculations. <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6523.0">For example, the highest 20% of earners earn 39.4% of all income and the middle 20% earn 17.4% of all income.</a><br />**if the second earner has a casual job, which is more likely, considering the 2 kids, then the bank will not regard the income as reliable, reducing the amount the family can borrow.</span>Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-78393423860647150342010-05-14T13:55:00.003+10:002010-05-14T14:05:59.170+10:00Pacific Garbage Patch, Albatross Chicks<a href="http://hungrybeast.abc.net.au/stories/great-garbage-patch">Hungry Beast: The Great Garbage Patch</a><br /><br />"Simply allow yourself to feel whatever it is that you feel about this, without jumping to the way to solve it, because I think we really need to feel these things and if we can feel them deeply, even if the feelings aren't comfortable then those are the feelings that will turn into the fuel that can drive passionate action." -<a href="http://www.chrisjordan.com/">Chris Jordan</a><br /><a href="http://www.chrisjordan.com/books.php?exhibitid=155"><br />Midway: Message from the Gyre</a>Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4021136853562413881.post-34361991145944274732010-04-25T12:11:00.003+10:002010-04-25T12:30:23.328+10:00Does anyone else freeze <a href="http://www.choicefoodforkids.com.au/review/POPPER-JUICE-Apple-Blackcurrant">poppers (tetra pack, juice box)</a> as a cheap and <span style="font-style: italic;">slightly </span>healthier alternative to ice blocks?<br /><br />I thought this was universal, until my husband said he had never had a frozen popper before. He thought I was crazy and teaching my son to be weird until he tried it. Mmmm, frozen icy goodness.<br /><br />A 250mL popper which takes 2 seconds to for a hot, thirsty kid to drink, can take 15 to 20 minutes to eat.<br /><br />Ask any mother how much she would pay for 15 minutes silence, on a long, hot, "<span style="font-style: italic;">Boooooring</span>", weekend day....<br /><br />Use a serrated knife, like a bread knife to score the package all around the middle, then cut the frozen popper in half. You will have to give it a bit of a whack. Give the child a teaspoon and half the popper, and tell them to go outside. It can get quite messy, little flecks of ice get flicked everywhere and melt into sticky droplets. Leave the other half in the freezer for later.Kella Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946233729341814984noreply@blogger.com0