Leading on from Peak Oil Hausfrau:
Thankyou for walking to the shops to do some grocery shopping, for taking your own bags and backpack, for taking a trolley and for enjoying yourself in some sunshine. You have reduced your consumption because you are limited in what you can buy (because you have to carry it home), you're doing your bit for your own health by walking, and you are trundling your trolley along behind you so had to pack your goods sensibly and maybe buy in bulk.
Thankyou for buying a water bottle and using it, refilling it, washing it and keeping it with you when you go out. If not - thankyou for drinking out of your hands in the bathroom.
Thankyou for not washing your car, for not flushing the toilet every time you wee in it, and for wearing clothes until they really need a wash.
Thankyou for buying 2nd hand - clothes, books, baby gear, textbooks, furniture, cars, decorations etc.
Thankyou for using a Diva Cup or similar innovative item!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
I went to the zoo
If you notice that the animals are all in the shade, half asleep, or looking pained, it's because it was VERY hot that day and the poor animals weren't really enjoying it. I loves the zoo though - this was Taronga Zoo in Sydney and it is an amazing place.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Tuesday I've got Friday on my mind...
Things are going on in my life and I've been of two minds as to whether to post here or not. On one hand, this is a blog. It's public. It's read by who knows whom, and so forth. But on the other hand, I need to have somewhere to write about:
So I will turn over a new leaf on here and post some Real stuff that is going on in my life. Not just the minutea that I tend to post about here.
So, here are some photos of me! I got a new dress and loves it. I struggled to take a photo of that at the time as I don't have a tripod, but this is the best shot so far:
I have a heap more photos on my camera of recent excitements so will get the off in a minute and upload them... bring on instant transfer, sortage, improvement, upload, tagging and presentation of photos!!
- school
- life
- health
- fitness
- ttc
- wedding, marriage, that kind of thing
- moving house
- cooking, crafting and creating
So I will turn over a new leaf on here and post some Real stuff that is going on in my life. Not just the minutea that I tend to post about here.
So, here are some photos of me! I got a new dress and loves it. I struggled to take a photo of that at the time as I don't have a tripod, but this is the best shot so far:
I have a heap more photos on my camera of recent excitements so will get the off in a minute and upload them... bring on instant transfer, sortage, improvement, upload, tagging and presentation of photos!!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Maternity Services Review - what a WASTE of time and what a missed opportunity
It's like asking a vegan and a butcher to work together to improve the lives of animals
Comment made regarding the attachment the report has for the word "collaboration" when it isn't defined, and is completely alien in hospital-delivered maternity care. Many midwives work around obstetricians, many obs expect midwives to be their handmaidens, and the women don't get any continuity of care or carer in many cases.
The Australian article is here. And the actual review is here. I am appalled at stupid things like this:
The Review Team noted that a number of state and territory governments have developedprograms and policies to allow for publicly funded homebirths, under specific conditions. For example, New South Wales Health prescribes comprehensive requirements for homebirths, including safety, monitoring, evaluation, credentialing of the midwife and compliance with incident reporting requirements. While acknowledging it is a preference for some women, the Review Team does not propose Commonwealth funding of homebirths as a mainstream option for maternity care at this time. It is also likely that professional indemnity cover support for a Commonwealth funded model that includes a homebirth setting would be limited, at least in the short term.
Meaning that as of next year, homebirth will be illegal as you would have to have indemnity insurance (the type of insurance that professional medical officers like OBSTETRICIANS have because the Government SUBSIDISES it and therefore it is available to them - two things that are not the case for midwives) (ie it's NOT AVAILABLE and if it was, it'd be heinously $$$ and not suited to midwives anyway).
Remind me to get pregnant in the next 3 months so I can birth at home with a midwife of my choice, without her working illegally.
Comment made regarding the attachment the report has for the word "collaboration" when it isn't defined, and is completely alien in hospital-delivered maternity care. Many midwives work around obstetricians, many obs expect midwives to be their handmaidens, and the women don't get any continuity of care or carer in many cases.
The Australian article is here. And the actual review is here. I am appalled at stupid things like this:
The Review Team noted that a number of state and territory governments have developedprograms and policies to allow for publicly funded homebirths, under specific conditions. For example, New South Wales Health prescribes comprehensive requirements for homebirths, including safety, monitoring, evaluation, credentialing of the midwife and compliance with incident reporting requirements. While acknowledging it is a preference for some women, the Review Team does not propose Commonwealth funding of homebirths as a mainstream option for maternity care at this time. It is also likely that professional indemnity cover support for a Commonwealth funded model that includes a homebirth setting would be limited, at least in the short term.
Meaning that as of next year, homebirth will be illegal as you would have to have indemnity insurance (the type of insurance that professional medical officers like OBSTETRICIANS have because the Government SUBSIDISES it and therefore it is available to them - two things that are not the case for midwives) (ie it's NOT AVAILABLE and if it was, it'd be heinously $$$ and not suited to midwives anyway).
Remind me to get pregnant in the next 3 months so I can birth at home with a midwife of my choice, without her working illegally.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
It's the economy, stupid... or the stupid economy?
The economic meltdown is yet to really hit here in Australia - there's bits and pieces about it affecting a shift at the car manufacturer here, (but that is probably because they insist on making big V6 cars here in Adelaideand making the much more sensible in oh so many ways smaller cars overseas) or a mine here, or an exporter here, but as yet it's not Really Hit Home. I find the web is therefore a REAL eye opener about people losing their jobs suddenly and horribly for that reason.
Comments around various blogs about the manufacturing issue with the USA - applies here too. We lost our entire clothing/footware manufacturing not that long ago, and not only did we lose the skills but there was also a move away from blue collar work being available to people, and towards people having no choice but to be unemployed because they can't (or granted, won't) do the work available.
In some ways I agree with the throwaway comments being made about "bring on another depression". People are soft. They don't know how to cook, or sew, or grow, or look after animals, or bake, or live communally, or raise children, and that means they are chasing something unreal and "higher" and ?more laudible than making a home and family work.
I just read a rambly post about this topic from the perspective of Gen X. It talks a lot about the change that people are making to going back to their hearth and raising children and running on one income rather than outsourcing childcare and food making and clothes construction, and chasing a bigger house and a second car and more and more debt. So many things have been outsourced and that makes us all very vulnerable when the economy contracts and people aren't able or willing to do those things.
And I include myself in all of this - I rely on society to do things for me that I don't want to do. Society is about that at a basic level (we can't do everything for ourselves!) but it costs money to do that, and it costs more for Jane to do x for me than it would me for to do said x for me, so there is an inflation involved in that. As more things are outsourced, I have to earn more or rack up more debt to get the same things as before, and so I am now living beyond my means. Multiply that by the whole economy and we're suddenly screwed. And there will be a day/year/decade of reckoning of this and it's going to hurt.
Where are the communes these days? Not so much in the free love kind of way, but in the "farm with workers" or the "boarding house with employees living in" or the "large house with family running it" etc. We live in way more space than we need or use and have spare rooms just in case, and a craft/yoga/study/library room that we use hardly ever and try to fill with stuff that we can't afford to have and don't use and so we spend more money that we don't have to entertain ourselves instead of reading a book or doing a workout or crafting.
And raising families - it takes a community to do this. An article I read recently suggested that what defines Gen X and Y from the previous generations is that we count our friends as or above families in terms of how much we see them and what we ask of them or do for them.
This also comes at the same time as peak oil is more part of the discussion, and people are worried about the impact that the reduction in cheap energy will have. I see so many of my friends getting bikes and scooters, and moving close to where they work, and reskilling, and embracing crafts and reuse/recycling/repurposing, and living in share houses even when in adult years.
I am trying to work through what this means for having a family plans in the next year or so as well. If the economy does implode here, I am relatively safe as I will always be able to find work. I can't say the same for many of my friends and family though, which is distressing.
Comments around various blogs about the manufacturing issue with the USA - applies here too. We lost our entire clothing/footware manufacturing not that long ago, and not only did we lose the skills but there was also a move away from blue collar work being available to people, and towards people having no choice but to be unemployed because they can't (or granted, won't) do the work available.
In some ways I agree with the throwaway comments being made about "bring on another depression". People are soft. They don't know how to cook, or sew, or grow, or look after animals, or bake, or live communally, or raise children, and that means they are chasing something unreal and "higher" and ?more laudible than making a home and family work.
I just read a rambly post about this topic from the perspective of Gen X. It talks a lot about the change that people are making to going back to their hearth and raising children and running on one income rather than outsourcing childcare and food making and clothes construction, and chasing a bigger house and a second car and more and more debt. So many things have been outsourced and that makes us all very vulnerable when the economy contracts and people aren't able or willing to do those things.
And I include myself in all of this - I rely on society to do things for me that I don't want to do. Society is about that at a basic level (we can't do everything for ourselves!) but it costs money to do that, and it costs more for Jane to do x for me than it would me for to do said x for me, so there is an inflation involved in that. As more things are outsourced, I have to earn more or rack up more debt to get the same things as before, and so I am now living beyond my means. Multiply that by the whole economy and we're suddenly screwed. And there will be a day/year/decade of reckoning of this and it's going to hurt.
Where are the communes these days? Not so much in the free love kind of way, but in the "farm with workers" or the "boarding house with employees living in" or the "large house with family running it" etc. We live in way more space than we need or use and have spare rooms just in case, and a craft/yoga/study/library room that we use hardly ever and try to fill with stuff that we can't afford to have and don't use and so we spend more money that we don't have to entertain ourselves instead of reading a book or doing a workout or crafting.
And raising families - it takes a community to do this. An article I read recently suggested that what defines Gen X and Y from the previous generations is that we count our friends as or above families in terms of how much we see them and what we ask of them or do for them.
This also comes at the same time as peak oil is more part of the discussion, and people are worried about the impact that the reduction in cheap energy will have. I see so many of my friends getting bikes and scooters, and moving close to where they work, and reskilling, and embracing crafts and reuse/recycling/repurposing, and living in share houses even when in adult years.
I am trying to work through what this means for having a family plans in the next year or so as well. If the economy does implode here, I am relatively safe as I will always be able to find work. I can't say the same for many of my friends and family though, which is distressing.
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