Filed under: posted by coopz...
the decision by the KRudd government to shelve the ETS until at least 2013, is the latest in a long line of short-sighted governments playing politics… the fact that climate change has transformed from the greatest moral, economic and social issue of our time, to something that can be placed on the backburner is disgusting…
there are a number of reasons that this would be the inevitable end of the ETS:
- the success of climate denialists (deluded as they are) to instill doubt in the public’s mind
- the general apathy of the Australian public and the refusal to trade unsustainable lifestyles for the sake of future generations
- the use of climate change by the government and a wedge issue
- the fact that the ETS was a ridiculous scheme that subsidised polluters to continue spewing GHG, not reducing emissions until 2035 – who would honestly vote for this crap?
one should never look for a complicated, technical solution to such crises because the goal is often lost in the process… that is what an ETS is, complicated way to make banks and industry alot of money and ignore the issue… the easiest way to deal with the issue of fossil fuels and GHGs is – STOP DIGGING THE SHIT UP AND BURNING IT!!!
but what is the great big elephant in the room when it comes to climate change?? the refusal to declare that economic growth is the cause of climate change… we can have all the legislation we want to “reduce” emissions, however, if we, as a society, are unable to question the fundamental assumptions of our economy and society – ie an ever expanding treadmill of production and consumption – we can forget about addressing this existential issue in any meaningful way… incremental reform is not the answer… what is “politically feasible” is not good enough… it takes empowered people…
check out empowerment in all its glory:
http://www.risingtide.org.au
Filed under: posted by deluxe...
ok so here i am reading my daily dose of the BBC news and i come across the following article… australia shelves key emissions trading scheme… now this bothers me… not because we have shelved a policy that could have worsened our environmental impact and continued to fill the pockets of the industry players that are causing australia to remain one of the highest per-capita emitters of greenhouse gas… but because this shift is causing us to slip closer towards a ‘do nothing’ outcome as opposed to a more robust approach to carbon reduction and pricing as proposed in this recent report by the gratten institute (a new think tank based out of melbourne, australia) or the previous garnaut report… it also scares me that we have climate-skeptic tony abbott running around (that guy is crazy!) when he actually belongs back in the 1600’s chairing the salem witch trials… in a era where this actually not much difference between our current government and the alternative, i remain very scared… greens anyone?
tony abbott at work debating that the earth is actually flat...
Filed under: posted by deluxe...
please listen to the freelance whales… they come from queens, new york… they sound a little like the postal service blended with sufjan stevens and spat out into the never ending night sky… ahhh bliss… i am falling in love with them… if you wanna listen up make sure you do it here… this makes me wanna move to new york… with luv x
freelance whales... pic taken from their website...
Filed under: posted by deluxe...
squashed on the santiago metro i started thinking about the pure volume of people that this system has to carry and consequently the attitudes of people who not only seem rushed and agitated but also unwilling to consider their fellow citizen… coming from australia i have little experience with metros (well probably any functional public transport system fullstop) so the santiago system i see a very highly efficient… clean… and extensive enough to carry the bulk of middle-ring residents… now the issue emerges when the dreaded rush-hour is upon us and everyone is vying to win that extra five minutes (pushing to get on) to the point that many passengers are unable to actually get off the train!?! … now this bothers me… being a planner it is important to consider solutions to remedy this problem… one solution may be the re-evaluation of core working/study hours which would allow for a more efficient flow of users… another is the rigorous policing of platforms and the use of gates to filter passengers on and off the train… followed by education mechanisms to educate citizens about the ways of courtesy for fellow travelers… or more likely a combination of all three (plus other solutions you may consider effective)…
good policy and change comes about only when your consider that there is not one magic silver bullet answer rather a combination of short-term, medium and longer-term goals… the following paper by demos (a uk based think tank and personal favorite of mine) titled connecting the dots sums this up nicely… maybe then we can start moving towards a more harmonious city… ok now onto world peace… x
comments most definitely welcome…
Filed under: posted by deluxe...
sorry another skateboard related post… simple… clean… and shot beautifully… when you watch this it makes life feel so simple… its all about those little things… hanging with friends… laughing… being strong… and most importantly being free… mayer hawthorne – i left my heart in san francisco…
mayer hawthorne is a singer, producer, songwriter, arranger, audio engineer, dj, rapper and multi-instrumentalist based in los angeles, california… i am really digging his stuff… make sure you listen up here… with luv x
Filed under: posted by deluxe...
valpo valpo valpo… chile’s second largest city… cultural capital… unesco world heritage listed… and the place i called home for the first year and a half of my life… with its maze of steep hills (cerros).. its numerous stairways (escaleras)… its colorful and crumbling houses (it has survived various earthquakes after all)… and its extensive collection of street art both chaotic and contemporary… traditional and poetic… political… this a city that one definitely does not find difficult falling in love with… and with a massive thank you to my aunt who has done a great service in maintaining her connection to valpo… i am blessed with the opportunity to still call the house my mother grew up in ‘my valpo home’… so if you ever find yourself in this part of the world its a place i strongly recommend you visit… go on get lost in valparaiso…
electric box...
corner graff...
getting to know valpo...
stairs...
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wheatpaste...
- the humble home…
all photos shot by deluxe… you can view some more valpo goodness on the new deluxeflickr photostream… with luv x
Filed under: posted by deluxe...
my friend eirlie has been doing some awesome stuff designing for the label friedrich gray… after working successive 13hr plus days she told me about this short film dislocation they have just finished… nice work! … with their growing range popping up in stores across the world just thought i’d send a shout out and a make sure you watch this space on a very talented up-and-comer… x
Filed under: posted by deluxe...
as spotted on the flavorwire website (deposited directly to my inbox via their daily dose update – flavorpill) water: our thirsty world… a special issue of national geographic and related exhibition at LA’s annenberg space for photography… builds an extensive portfolio of the past and future of water on earth and the ever increasing problem of access to fresh water in a shifting climate… view the issue, find out what you can do to help and browse images and videos from the exhibition on the national geographic’s website here and think about this:
“civilization has been slow to give up on our myth of the earth’s infinite generosity… declining to look for evidence to the contrary, we just knew it [water] was there… we pumped aquifers and diverted rivers, trusting the twin lucky stars of unrestrained human expansion and endless supply…. now water tables plummet in countries harboring half the world’s population…. rather grandly, we have overdrawn our accounts…” (barbara kingsolver, april 2010)…
photograph by camille seaman (freelance 2006) … severed from the edge of antarctica, this iceberg might float for years as it melts and releases its store of fresh water into the sea… the water molecules will eventually evaporate, condense, and recycle back to earth as precipitation…
photograph by lynn johnson (for national geographic magazine 2009) … in shekana, ethiopia, halike berisha must fill her jug from a contaminated reservoir… access to clean water is not solely a rural problem, but the challenges of delivering it are most daunting in remote places...
photograph by barry yanowitz (freelance 2008) … a 90-foot-tall cascade spills beneath the brooklyn bridge in nyc… in 2008 artist olafur eliasson installed the public-art piece, one of his four “new york city waterfalls,” to celebrate “the physicality of water”…
most words taken from the exhibition here… x
Filed under: posted by deluxe...
skateboarding changed my life… to this day i still count it as the single most important influence in my life… it helped shape the person i am… the way i view the environment… the music i like… the art…the fashion… and the friends i am so fortunate to have (of course they don’t all skate but it’s their skate style mentality and good hearted nature i respect so much)… so when my good good friend andrew (aka walkie talkie) shared this piece of skateboard art with me i knew i had to share it with you too… a ton of digital photos, a ton of real life magazines, an hour of recording music… skateboardanimation by Tilles Singer…
if you wanna find out more about the hustle that is skateboarding make sure you watch this awesome vid the get by (courtesy of hbo)… with luv x
Filed under: posted by deluxe...
just thought i needed to pay some respect here… i had heard that the rainy season in rio hits around march/april but after the most torrential rain for decades has caused landslides and flooding in a city not prepared for such devastation it makes you greatful for what we have and how fortunate we are to live the way most of us do… having visited rio recently and understanding its place as a city on the move I hope it can bounce back and continue to help those most in need…
image courtesy of the BBC...
thosespacesinbetween 