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Cashing-in on Green. Again.

You know, it’s just incredible what some marketing types can come up with to coerce people into paying more for something when they don’t need to. Sure, they usually get caught sooner or later, but that doesn’t stop the next marketing guru from making claims about their product that just aren’t true.

Like the painkiller brand  that claimed it’s product went “directly to the source of pain” which was a load of croc. No “green” claims here, but eventually people woke up to the fact that painkillers, all painkillers, numb the pain receptors in the brain and that’s what stops whatever is hurting from doing so; if it went “directly to the source of the pain” it would do absolutely nothing. When they were eventually called to account, the CEO blamed the consumer for falling for it, saying they should have known better. I think he thought that was a good enough excuse for lying. Over-the-counter pain medications all contain pretty much the same ingredients in the same levels, yet there are still painkillers on the shelves claiming to be for “specific” types of pain. They cost more than the general range, despite the fact they contain the same key ingredients and all target those same pain receptors in the brain.

But anyway, this post is about products claiming to be environmentally-friendly that probably aren’t. Some years back, one of the electricity companies began advertising their new “green” electricity. They did a nice advertisement for television, waxed lyrical about “reducing our carbon footprint”, developed a cute logo for their new green electricity and a lot of people fell for it, despite the fact that their “green” power from alternative energy sources was going to cost them even more than the high rates they were currently paying for the standard stuff.

So I decided to look into why that was…which eventually lead me to something startling. Turned out that at the time those ads were airing, the company did not have sufficient alternative infrastructure in place to guarantee those customers paying a higher rate for “green” power were getting what they were paying for. During off-peak times a percentage of their electricity did come from alternative sources, but not all of it, and during peak times the percentage was close to zero.  The company knew this yet they still advertised their higher-priced “green” electricity and people fell for it. And then they paid for it.

And that’s the problem with “green”. Environment equals money. Terms like “green” and “environmentally friendly” are money spinners for the businesses that use them and while some may have a genuine product that is what it says it is, others do not, but that doesn’t stop them from slapping a “green” label on it and hiking the price. Fortunately, many of them are caught and exposed for the frauds they are.

What got me onto this topic though, is a new paint being advertised that claims to “absorb carbon” as it dries, thus turning your room, or your whole house, “…into a tree!” It has cutesy artwork of a happy baby with it’s chubby little arms up, and a fan or leaves arching, foliage-like, above its little smiling face. Forgive me my scepticism, but I think I’m seeing the “green” electricity thing all over again.

Admittedly, I haven’t looked into the mechanics of how this miraculous product manages to absorb carbon but when you consider that most paints are water-based these days and are touch-dry in 30 minutes, I have to wonder just how much carbon it can soak up from the entire planet’s atmosphere in such a short time? Assuming, that is, that it does and I have some real doubts about that. Also, if it’s an interior paint job, how does it manage to absorb carbon from the air…that’s outside? But it all sounds so wonderful and environmentally responsible and the baby looks so cute with those little leaves artfully arranged above it!

But before it’s exposed as a counterfeit claim, which I suspect it will be, the manufacturer is going to make a killing on sales because people are going to rush this paint without stopping to analyse the claims it is making. It’s “green”, it’s saving the planet and their house will make “…like a tree”!

No it won’t.

 

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Spreading the Dread

So tell me, how does allowing a protest to go ahead, while social distancing is still in place, help with containing a global virus? Don’t get me wrong, I understand the desire to protest, especially to be a voice where there is injustice, but right now  is really not the time.

But I have seen the smug grins on the faces of the lawyers who have managed to get judgements banning the various protests from happening overruled and to be honest, I just want to slap them. What is it they are not getting here?

I mean, the claims that the protests will be safe and those joining it will practice social distancing has my eyes popping in disbelief because when have you ever seen a large gathering of people keeping a metre or so distant from each other while marching en mass through the streets? Seriously, show me a crowd of protesters practising social distancing while getting all het up and spitting spleen, and I’ll show you a herd of vegans grazing at McDonalds.

Exactly. Never going to happen.

But organisers and protesters are trying to convince the rest of us that an angry mob is capable of being responsible about social distancing because the very last thing they would want to do is fast-track the COVID-19 infection rate by gathering too closely together in a large group. Well please excuse me while I fall down laughing. Actually, I’m not laughing. We really are in the grip of a pandemic right now and people really are dying from it, yet authorities are being prevented from acting against entitled self-centred idiots who appear to be of the opinion the restrictions just don’t apply to them.

And so they’re out in force, probably aiding the spread of the virus and getting all bent out of shape over anyone attempting to quell their stupidity. What is it that they just do not get about this pandemic? It is highly contagious and spreads rapidly, hence the social distancing rules. Kind of rules out protest marches, doesn’t it?

Yes it does.

So what happens when they all start getting sick? When they pick it up on the march, take it home with them and spread it to their families and friends and throughout their communities? Which they will do because these people just don’t stay home. They go out for coffee, visit people and shopping centres and wherever they go they will spread the virus they picked up while taking part in a protest that should never have been allowed to go ahead in the first place, and they will do that because they seem to be incapable of getting their empty heads around the fact that COVID-19 can infect anyone, including them.

It is unfair on the rest of us, who are trying to do all the right things no matter how difficult, that there are some out there who cannot, or more likely will not, accept that doing what they like, when they like, is not a good idea right now.  I’m not only fed up with them, I am fed up with the smug lawyers who believe it is right to challenge the courts and have right decisions overruled to support wrong ones. Like large groups of people getting together, too closely together, in the middle of a global pandemic where distancing from each other is vital in slowing the infection rate, thumbing their noses at the rest of us as they go their merry way. Stupid, stupid people, and right now, the world seems to be full of stupid people. And stupid lawyers. Talk about a total disregard for the wellbeing of others.

Just plain stupid.

 

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When Going Cashless Gets Creepy…

Cashless transactions have been a thing for a long time now. It began with the introduction of credit cards and rolled from there, but cash is still available for those who prefer to use it instead of plastic for everyday transactions. People, on the whole, like cash.

The current pandemic though has seen a surge in cashless transactions for even the most basic shopping and many businesses are either encouraging it, or just plain demanding it, along with shoppers opting for cashless because they don’t want to handle actual physical money in case it’s contaminated and they catch the virus from touching it.

Okay, I get that, but that’s where the hand sanitiser comes into it; handle money, cleanse hands. It works.

But if you were someone with a lot of money, a patent on something that will make you heaps more, and an agenda for turning the world’s population on to cryptocurrency, you’d take advantage of the current desire to pay for everything electronically and quietly feed the fear about dealing with, or handling, cold hard cash. And if your patent involves the use of cryptocurrency to your definite advantage, well, you’d promote it for all it was worth, even if it’s not really worth anything except in an online transaction where the other party also uses it. But there’s not a lot of cryptocurrency transactions going on right now, so you would have to devise a way to make virtual currency every bit as desirable as actual currency and that would be a biggie.

Unless you found the world in a situation where cash, as a potential virus carrier, is becoming less popular with the masses. Enter COVID-19.

Back on 20 June 2019, Microsoft Technology Licensing filed an application (Patent Number 060606) for a system called Cryptocurrency System Using Body Active Data, which describes a system where a device can verify whether “the body activity data satisfies one or more conditions set by a cryptocurrency system” and once verified, the user is awarded cryptocurrency for completing “blocks” of verified tasks and transactions which are then added to a blockchain. On 26 March 2020, the Patent (Publication Number US20200097951) for the above was published by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

So what exactly is a “Cryptocurrency System Using Body Active Data”? Well, it monitors brainwaves, body heat, heartbeat and other personal biometric data emitted from the user whenever the user performs tasks provided by an information service provider, such as viewing advertising or using specific Internet services. Whatever it is they’re doing, the data from the transaction is then placed on the blockchain, which is the verification that the task was completed. By tracking the users’ brainwaves and other body responses, Microsoft hopes to use the data generated in a blockchain system which would then allow for the creation of currency as validated in a cryptocurrency system.

Anyway, in order to access validation data, the human user would require a censor, which is either attached to, or implanted in their body. Microsoft envisages users being rewarded for allowing their body to be monitored in this way by paying them in cryptocurrency for performing specific tasks; a process known as “mining”.

Huh? Is this set to be the next step in creating a whole new workforce and paid employment system? A new global currency system? To be honest, I really hope not, because everything that everyone does will be recorded, from cryptos to voting records to medical data and so on. I do not want my whole life on record in a public blockchain. And I like real money, thank you very much! And my financials and biometric data, private.

But what, exactly, is a blockchain? Blockchain technology was the brainchild of either an individual, or possibly a group, named Satoshi Nakamoto, and is a kind of “diary” or spreadsheet containing information about various transactions which is spread over many computers, at the same time, each of which have a copy of the blockchain. All information on the blockchain is publicly available as it is a decentralised, transparent, immutable system and the information is stored on many computers around the globe. No one controls it. It was originally devised for digital currency, Bitcoin, but it has evolved into something much bigger, as the tech community has discovered other potential uses for it. Basically, as I said, it is a time-stamped series of immutable records of data managed by a cluster of computers not owned by any single entity. It’s supposed to be very safe, as users are not “identified” publicly on the blockchain, but let’s face it, any hacker worth their salt could play serious silly buggers with it if they really wanted to. Anyway, one of its uses is it can store and transfer money and can replace all the current processes and business models that rely on charging fees for transactions. Transactions on the blockchain are free and many things can be fitted with blockchain code. It cuts out the middleman. Blockchain would change the way the financial world operates and has the potential to eliminate almost every financial institution, unless they made some big changes to their operations, like eliminating fees and commissions from their business model. That sounds great, yes? Well, not really. You know what they say; if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is.

I don’t know about you, but I am seeing something here that I don’t think I like. Sure, it hasn’t been implemented yet but like most things with a (possible) hidden agenda, should this technology become widely available, it will begin with being an “option” for those who want to use it, make their biometric data available and accumulate cryptocurrency for some future use. And then one day it may no longer be optional. It has the potential to be the way of the not too distant future and if cryptocurrency is set to become the new global currency, none of us may have a choice if we want to earn a living. This may be the only money we can use. But it’s what we would have to agree to and what we’d have to grant access to, in order to earn, that I don’t like.

I don’t like it at all.

 

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Designer? No. Crossbred.

Since when have crossbred puppies cost four figures?

Well, probably since some savvy breeder ended up with an accidental litter of crossbreeds, saw how cute they were, and opted to make a killing, financially, via a cutesy name and some clever marketing to make it look like a deliberate creation of a whole new breed.

Except they’re not. Nor are they “designer”. They are a cross between two completely different breeds and while the purebred puppies are entitled to their price tag, within reason, the crossbreds are really not.

That’s not to say they are not entitled to a loving home and a happy life. Of course they are. That should be the life of every animal, but to call these little crosses Cavoodles and Moodles and Labradoodles (just to name three) attach an exorbitant price tag, and con people into thinking they have just paid a small fortune for something unique, is plainly and simply a rip-off.

I’m not blaming the puppies here. Most of these crosses are really cute. It’s the “designer” dog breeders who are big-time snout-in-the-trough who give me the you-know-whats, turning out crossbred puppies in extraordinary numbers and charging over the top prices for them. If anything is going to encourage backyard puppy farms popping up all over the place, it would have to be the “designer” breeders. Especially if they can get away with selling the puppies off at thousands of dollars a pup.

And why am I having this conversation? Because of the recent reports of “designer” puppies being suddenly in high demand by people cooped up at home, as a result of the pandemic, suddenly deciding they want a companion. A dog would be nice. Preferably a French Bulldog (the current trendy breed) or one of those crossbred designer puppies. Either will look good in social media posts and will be a cute distraction from the four walls.

I just hope they realise they are responsible for that puppy’s health and wellbeing for the length of its life. Pet ownership is a long term commitment, not a short term distraction to keep its owner entertained for a few months while in lockdown.

Anyway, French Bulldogs can go from anywhere between $6000 to $15,000 each. A Moodle (Maltese x Poodle) is $6000 plus, ditto a Cavoodle (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel x Poodle). Thing is, if a Moodle was advertised for sale for what it really is, a Maltese/Poodle cross, that price tag would get laughed out of town because people would rightly conclude that a crossbred puppy, no matter how cute, was not worth six grand! But if it’s called a Moodle, a Designer Puppy… I know, right? Some people have far more money than sense. And probably shouldn’t be allowed to own a dog.

Once upon a time though, it was whichever purebred dog was the current status symbol that fetched a ridiculous price and unfortunately, many got dumped in pounds and shelters when they went out of fashion, to make room for the next hot breed puppy. But now it’s Designer (mix-breed) puppies that are all the rage.

But if people are really genuine about taking on a canine companion, why not visit one of the animal shelters that have many, many puppies and adult dogs just crying out for a forever home. They could have their pick of the number of purebred and crossbred (okay, maybe not the current “designer”) dogs, and there are some truly beautiful animals there who would love to be someone’s lifetime companion. And they are also a lot more affordable than the little fashion accessories mentioned above. There is nothing wrong with shelter dogs, other than they have been surrendered for whatever reason; their owner had to move away, or died, or had to move from a house to a flat. Or just lost interest in caring for a pet. And it’s sad. But equally sad are the “designer” puppies, whose status as a fashion accessory can drop as quickly as it began, when the next new “designer” cross replaces them.

Some people don’t deserve to have a pet.

 

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The New Dawn is Nigh

Welcome to the end.

No, no, not the end of the World, silly (what were you thinking?) I’m talking about the end of the current astrological age, which began waaaay back in 68 BC or thereabouts, when the World entered the Age of Pisces.

Whether you believe in them or not, astrological ages are very real and occur due to a real motion of the Earth, known as the precession of the equinoxes, which move westward along the ecliptic, the path of the Sun. It’s the measurement of the Ages and pays close attention to the Jupiter/Saturn conjunctions. Ancient peoples had a very clear understanding of this and back in the day, when astrology was held in high regard as the “measure of God’s will”, pre-Christian peoples and the early Christians followed the movement of the planets, especially those of Jupiter and Saturn (as they were the most visible) as the planets were understood by all to represent “God’s Clock”. Which God depended on the beliefs at the time, but cycles of precession were duly noted because of the importance of their influence upon the Earth.

Okay then, a cycle of precession lasts 25,800 years and there are twelve constellations of the Zodiac. Approximately, every 2,150 years, the Sun’s position at the time of the March (venal) Equinox (0 degrees Aries) moves in front of a new Zodiac constellation. The Age of Aquarius will begin when the March Equinox moves out of the constellation of Pisces and into the constellation of Aquarius. The main herald though is the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction which will take place in the constellation of Aquarius at the time of the Summer Solstice (southern hemisphere) in December 2020 when the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction takes place at 0 degrees Aquarius; a new starting point.

“So what difference does that make?” I can hear some of you asking. Okay, if you have any knowledge of astrology you will understand that each sign has its own characteristics. These will be present, to varying degrees, in the physical and psychological makeup of people born under those signs. Activity with the planets affect us all, but in what way will depend on an individual’s chart and in what house in their chart the specific celestial event happens. “As above, so below”.

But this also applies to our planet as a whole. The Age of Pisces has been predominantly about money, power and control. It has also been about religious control and for centuries, various religious groups and leaders have put their own slant on their teachings and actions to control kings, queens, whole countries and their populations. They played politics. They became very rich. They and their followers used “Fear of God” very effectively to get what they wanted, and “acting under God’s Will” to  justify the persecution of those of different creeds, of wars, genocide and the land grabs that would inevitably follow. It is still happening today and this pretty much sums up the gist of the Age of Pisces. Sure, there have been positives, like many  of the technological advances in medicine and industry that have improved the lives of many over the generations, but again, the potential to use these advances to generate money for a small handful of individuals, harness power for same and grant them a level of control which they should not have, is again, typical of the Age we have been living in.

Which is why we should be seriously looking forward to, and celebrating, the move into the Age of Aquarius. The hippies of the 1960s and early 70s had it more or less right, even if they were six decades premature. The Aquarian Age is predicted to be a golden age of peace and tranquility. One of love, brotherhood, freedom, integrity, harmony and equality. It is also predicted to be far more environmentally friendly on a world scale, but in a more balanced and progressive way, as opposed to some of the misinformation that has been foisted on us via wealthy mouthpieces fuelled by self interest. The Nanny State, political correctness and a swathe of political minority groups may also take a dive, as balance is re-established, and common sense becomes the New Black.

But the best thing about the move into the Aquarian Age? It will be the way of the World for next 2,150 years.

Meanwhile, we are still dealing with the death-throws of the Age of Pisces and it looks to be going out with a bang. Natural disasters, a global virus, financial crashes and a couple of nations deliberately stirring the pot, which could lead to a war, a biggie that will affect us all to varying degrees, depending on where it happens, and I’m predicting Asia because China is really pushing the envelope in a number of specific directions. Hence the next six months could be really tough for the entire planet.

Fingers crossed we make it to December.

 

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Believe It or Not

I recently witnessed an exchange between a potential shopper and a retail assistant at the door of an Op Shop, where the shopper was asked to please use the complimentary hand sanitiser at the doorway, which was a condition of entering the shop. The shop assistant was pleasant and polite, but the shopper backed up as though she had been asked to swallow razorblades with a bleach chaser.

The woman refused to use the sanitiser, claiming she never used it because she was not “buying into the fear”. When the shop assistant politely advised that using the sanitiser first was a condition of entry, the woman stomped off in a huff.

Right now the planet is not in a good place, health wise, and whether you believe the virus is a hoax, a conspiracy, an  immune system killer via waves from the 5G satellites, or just plain evil dust being sprinkled on us from above by same, the fact remains that there is something out there and a lot of people around the world are dropping down dead when they contract it. Even those who recover are being left with after effects which will not necessarily go away.

So it’s not good.

Right, so you don’t believe there is a deadly virus out there. Okay, then feel free to have your  like-minded friends all come to visit you, all at the same time, and you can all hug and party like there’s no tomorrow. That’s your prerogative. Chances are though, that one or more of them may have been exposed to and infected by another like-minded individual and before you know it, your tomorrows may be severely compromised or worse, definitely numbered, because you have all come down with what feels like the worst flu you can ever remember having…

Well you can’t say you weren’t warned.

If by some stroke of luck you all survive the defiant group hug in your own homes, that doesn’t let you off the hook when it comes to the general directives when you are outdoors, and if that directive includes keeping physically-distanced from others and using hand sanitiser, when asked, before you enter a premises, then what’s the problem? It’s not a biggie. The thousands of people dying around the globe are not dropping all at the same time from natural causes and no, it is not “just flu” either.

You see, despite what you may or may not believe, there are many others out there in your community who are taking COVID-19 a little more seriously. As a result they are following all the directives currently in place to protect themselves and others, and while it may be impacting their lives to a greater or lesser extent, depending on their circumstances, at least they are still alive and not threatening the lives of those around them.

It is not that difficult!

No one is asking us to leap through hoops of fire, do the razorblades and bleach thingy (okay, maybe someone I just can’t be bothered naming here did mention bleach), or lock ourselves up so securely as to never see the light of day again. Even at the peak of the threat, we could make a visit to the chemist or the supermarket. We could go out onto a balcony or into a backyard. Walk, cycle or jog around the block or the park. We were just asked to stay distant and make good with the hand sanitiser and keep our socialising to the phone, social media and Face Time, and if you think that has flushed your whole life down the toilet, then you might want to rethink your whole life.

As for the woman who refused to use the hand sanitiser and stomped off in a huff; perhaps that was a blessing because I don’t know whether it was her clothes, or her, or both, but she smelt like there had been no laundry or showering done  in while. Quite a while to be honest, and I wondered whether not washing at all may have been part of her protest over the “fear” she was not “buying into”.  I mean, general hygiene has always been a thing, not a request that has just popped up recently because we have all been asked to be more diligent about it. But  hey, if you don’t want to wash  yourself or your clothes or sanitise your hands, stay home.

Trust me, no one won’t miss you.

 

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Beware What You Share

Despite the popular trend to share selfies and all sorts of personal information on social media, it is something I have never done, because in the back of my mind was a little niggle that made me pause, and then opt Not to plaster my Facebook page with pics of myself, posts about where I am at any particular time, or any personal information or issues on what I am doing or experiencing. If anything, I have kept it really light.

And now I am soooo glad I did that. Why? Because of Hoan Ton-That (born Cam-Hoan Ton-That) and his company, Clearview AI.

A very clever boy, Hoan Ton-That grew up in Lyneham, Canberra, where he attended Lyneham High School, finishing Year 10 in 2003. He completed Years 11 and 12 at Hawker College and from there went on to the Australian National University (ANU) to study for his Bachelor of Information Technology degree. Ton-That registered a company in 2006 named Software for Mom Pty Ltd and appeared to be on his way to a bright future. Then he dropped out of university in 2007, before finishing his studies, and took himself off to Silicon Valley.

The first hiccup in what appeared to be the start of a promising career was the accusation that surfaced in America in 2009, which alleged Hoan Ton-That was behind two phishing scams, and in a court case currently running in the US against CLearview AI, it has been alleged that Ton-Than was also involved in other companies, including ViddyHo.com (another alleged phishing site which conned users into sharing access to their gmail accounts, which allowed the site to then generate spam to those on the users’ contact list). Not good.

The other alleged phishing site apparently connected to Ton-That was Fastforwarded.com, which attempted to extract passwords from users by fraudulent means. Also not good.

And then there’s Clearview AI. This company was founded in 2017, initially under the name Smartcheckr, and is a powerful facial recognition technology which sells access to the site to various law enforcement agencies, commercial businesses and a number of government agencies who can then upload images and, with the aid of artificial intelligence, make comparisons to the huge store of photographs in Ton-That’s database. If they find any matches, the database will then provide all the information it has available on those people; information that has been mainly accessed from their social media accounts.

But according to Clearview AI’s lawyer, Tor Ekeland, it is all above board and Clearview AI’s primary purpose is “focused on providing it’s groundbreaking and effective technology to assist law enforcement in the US in identifying perpetrators of horrific crimes such as trafficking and child abuse…”. He goes on to say more of the same but disputing that, I suppose, would be the class action Clearview AI is also facing in Illinois for breaching privacy provisions, a similar action in Virginia also and as a result, the police force in New Jersey has been advised to stop using it.

Here in Australia, it has surfaced that police officers in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland have also held a number of registered accounts with Clearview AI. The Federal Police have too. So how did they get onto it? Clearview AI did offer a free pilot trial and the belief is that most of the officers with access had signed up for the freebie, as opposed to signing up for an account, which comes with a very expensive yearly fee.

An investigation into Clearview AI has been launched by The Australian Information Commissioner and the site has been disabled in Australia. That’s good news, but what isn’t all that great is that Hoan Ton-That has already built a database of over three billion photographs, almost all of which have been “scraped” from social media accounts via computer programs more commonly known as spiders, or web crawlers. Many Australians were scraped. Twitter, Google and Facebook have apparently served the company with “cease and desist” communications and Apple has also blocked the app from its store.

But that’s a bit like locking the stable door after the horse has bolted, isn’t it? Ton-That already has that enormous database and most of it was obtained with neither the knowledge, nor the permission of those he scraped, and he is happy to sell that information to the highest bidder. The photos and accompanying information were scraped intentionally and unfortunately, anyone who is good for the fee could get access to it, not just legitimate law enforcement agencies. Private commercial facial recognition databases are not bound by the same laws that apply to similar programs under government control and that leaves the door wide open to undesirables getting a hold of it, and once they have it… Fortunately, I am highly unlikely to be an attractive candidate for this site because of the lack of pics and info, but unfortunately I can’t say the same with any real assurance about some of my online friends and family members and that’s a concern.

So just be careful what you post, because there is probably another Hoan Ton-That out there somewhere. Possibly more than one.

And they’re looking for someone just like you.

 

 

 

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Self sufficiency is the New Black

When I was a little kid, self sufficiency, in various degrees was pretty normal. Depending on the size of the backyard, people kept a few chooks for eggs (and occasionally for the table), had vegetable gardens, a few fruit trees scattered amongst the flower beds and a square of lawn for the kids to play on. But most homes in suburban Australia were on quarter-acre blocks then, so it wasn’t difficult to divide the yard into specific-use spaces.

It kind of fell by the wayside when local councils began meddling too much in what people did in their own backyards and while the veggie gardens and the fruit trees could more of less stay, chooks were out.

But the advent of swimming pools, decks, upgraded barbecue areas, outdoor kitchens, hot tubs, and trendy sculptured split-level outdoor living-spaces edged out the veggie garden over time. Supermarkets already had a foot in the door and produce started arriving in greater volumes from overseas and even the fruit trees vanished, except for those where the residents dug their heels in and kept at least one plum, apricot or mulberry tree. Either way, the kind of self sufficiency I grew up with was almost gone by the time I reached adulthood, which I always viewed as a loss. More people were opting to live in units too and balconies (if they had one) were for a table and a couple of chairs in the corner and perhaps a few pot plants of colourful flowers. Rarely a vegetable though.

Home renovation shows however, saw a resurgence in the humble vegetable garden, as it became de rigour to have one, and even the unit dwellers got in on the act with some of the flowers vanishing to make way for pot-grown tomatoes, potatoes, herbs and even the odd potted fruit tree. Green walls appeared in kitchens and before you could say “hey, lets take this further!” community gardens started sprouting up all over the suburbs. Councils, after a few mutterings, decided not to interfere too much with community gardens, even the ones that appeared on verges along community streets, so long as they were kept neat and a whole generation of new suburban gardeners thought they had come up with something that hadn’t been done before. Well okay, it hadn’t been done before along suburban footpaths, so I’ll give them that. But suddenly, food gardens were no longer viewed as the domain of grandparents, hippy communities and tree huggers in general. A lot of urban dwellers rediscovered the joys of growing their own.

And then came coronavirus, and with it came the panic shoppers all believing we were about to run out of food and toilet paper and after shopping their way through the shelves for non-perishables, they began hitting the fresh produce aisles. Then the nurseries for every vegetable seedling they could find. Extremely annoying, but the thing is, it has woken people up to the importance of being self sufficient. Really self sufficient, as in, being able to grow enough food to keep the family fed when a catastrophe hits.

Hence growing your own, along with “buying Australian” becoming the New Black. It appears that people have taken to the concept like ducks to water and this is not a bad thing. Anyone can grow a selection of their favourite fruits and/or vegetables. They can grow their own herbs. You don’t need a big backyard to do it in either, as they will grow just as well in a pot as they will in a garden and if you really want to go Next Level, you can opt for heirloom varieties. Suppliers of heirloom seeds and fruit trees can be found online and some nurseries even stock heirloom seedlings now. Check the credentials, but basically heirloom means the seeds, and fruit trees, are from varieties dating back over fifty years or so, before food plants were genetically manipulated to crop faster and mature more quickly to meet the growing demands of commercial markets. In a home garden situation, heirloom is a much better option anyway, as they have a longer cropping period, but just choosing them over later “re-designed”  stock helps to re-establish these lovely old strains that used to be staples in Australian backyards.

It’s not hard to do, it can be a fun family activity and a really practical one because you will be doing something that will go a long way to granting you a more secure future, food-wise. It might even save your life one day.

Maybe sooner than you think.

 

 

 

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What Police State..?

I have to wonder about the groups of people out there protesting over the lockdown and isolation directives designed to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Mainly they are up in arms about their “rights” being trampled on and the emergence of a “police state” which is preventing them from living their lives the way they wish and doing whatever they want to do whenever they want to do it. They are demanding the lockdown and restrictions be lifted immediately because the whole situation has been either a set-up, or a conspiracy, depending on who you listen to.

Okay, so let’s look at rights. Here in Australia we have been asked to stay home, where possible, to slow down the spread of coronavirus. Many have been able to work from home, but those who haven’t are receiving government financial assistance to help them through. Yes, it’s tough right now. People have been asked not to congregate in groups. However, they can grab takeaway food and coffee. They can watch whatever they like on television, download movies, socialise on social media, go to the supermarket whenever they need to and to go outdoors to exercise via going for a walk, a jog or a bicycle ride if they wish. No hard or fast rules here, so even though we have been in a lockdown/social distancing situation, we have still had it pretty good because we have had a lot of options available to keep fit and stay healthy. As a result, I’m not seeing any trampled rights here. If our rights were being seriously compromised, we would not have all of those options.

Regarding those fined by the police, they were the ones who refused to abide by the directives to not travel to holiday destinations, not congregate and mingle in groups or attend/organise functions in large numbers. That was it. They refused to do as they had been asked and so naturally, the consequences they had been warned about repeatedly, followed.

Which brings us to the claims we are now living in a “police state”. My feeling here is that those claiming we are living in one, would not know a police state if they fell over it. As mentioned above, we have not had our lives locked up altogether. We still have the freedom to access the Internet, socialise online, talk on the phone, and go out on essential errands like doing a food shop etc. These activities are not restricted to certain days or times and the only restrictions we do have to abide by is keeping to that social distance thingy marked out on the floor. In a genuine police state, these options are just not there and people live in fear of reprisals every day, even when they are innocent of any wrongdoing. This is not happening here. The police in Australia have been enforcing the social distancing directive only, and only with those who have deliberately flouted it due to a misplaced sense of entitlement. No one is exempt from social distancing at the moment. But no one has been fined for being out for a walk or a jog either, or for a trip to the supermarket or takeaway food outlet, when they have adhered to the directive and kept apart from others they might meet along the way.

In a genuine police state we’d all be pounced on the minute we walked outside our doors, so those claiming we are living in one now have absolutely no idea. Being free to use the Internet, perhaps they should have Googled “Police State” before  congregating with their placards, then perhaps they would have realised just how un-policed we are in comparison to the citizens of countries where a police state is very real and the people have no rights or freedom at all, and any form of protest is out of the question because the fear of reprisals is severe and very, very real. Australian citizens are so not living in a police state. The only thing we have been specifically asked to do is to stay home where possible and avoid close physical contact with each other. That’s it.  Our rights have not been taken away and the police are leaving us alone, so long as we follow that simple directive.

But there’s a lot of misinformation out there and too many people tend to take it as gospel. Do the research! COVID-19 is very real and is killing people world wide. Even those who survive it will be dealing with the after affects for a long time, some even for the rest of their lives, because the disease causes all manner of health complications. It is not a nice thing to contract and plays merry hell with the immune system, lungs, heart and a host of other things.

Personally, I doubt there is a link between it and the 5G network either, because I have yet to find any reliable information which proves that there is, but I remain openminded for the moment and if I ever find a link, I’ll get into it here. But right now, I think we can dismiss that one. The disease it real though, so I’m not dismissing that by any means, nor an I ignoring the practical ways of hopefully avoiding coming down with it.

The be honest, I think those protesting in large, close-contact groups need to take a step back and and a good look at how much they still have. Sure, we are dealing with sudden economical hardships, some more than others, but the nature of COVID-19 currently dictates that life is going to be very different for a while, but we have not been deprived of our rights or our freedom. We are just dealing with temporary parameters designed to slow the spread of a dangerous disease. So shelve the entitled perspective.

And drop the attitude.

 

 

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Remember That Rainy Day…?

One of the pitfalls of the isolation thingy is the “What day is it?” thingy. Just realised yesterday was Friday (sorry…)

 

Remember that proverbial rainy day? The one which people used to put aside for, just in case? Okay, well it’s here now, and a lot of people have been caught short because not only did they not think to put something aside, or just didn’t bother, but may have even been lulled into the false assumption that a rainy day just wasn’t on their horizon.

But it so is. That is the nature of rainy days and right now it’s bucketing down and a lot of people have been caught without an umbrella.

Sure, no one saw COVID-19 coming, but some have been caught so short it will take years for them to recover, assuming they ever do, and I am beginning to hear the word “victim” popping up more and more in news reports and talkback programs, and I am not necessarily talking about those who contracted coronavirus.  Mostly it financial victims but the word is being bandied around all over the place and I am beginning to suspect there will be “victims” popping up who really aren’t, except maybe in their own minds. Only some of them will be genuine.

The financial victims will be those small business owners who have had to shut down their only source of income indefinitely, the people who lost their jobs because their workplace had to either cut staff and hours, or close their doors altogether, those low income earners/welfare recipients who live hand to mouth because they just don’t have enough left over after paying for food and other necessities to put anything aside, and those who, for some reason, don’t qualify for government support. Most people have rent or mortgages, and the stress levels among them trying to meet those obligations is rising.

My sympathies are with those now having to deal with being in that position, but tends to peter out a bit regarding those who have over-extended themselves to live in an upwardly-mobile bubble. They took on a mortgage for a nice house with a sought-after address they couldn’t really afford but would sort of scrape by so long as nothing went wrong. Went further into debt for brand new cars and other accessories, and life has revolved around their credit cards for so long they have forgotten what making do with what they have actually means. Others opted for a pricy rental  in an expensive area that realistically was beyond their means but fed their aspirations. They could also scrape by (just) on a wing and prayer so long as nothing went wrong. Well yes, they lived precariously on credit card debt too and perhaps stuck their fingers in their ears while going “lalalalala” whenever the inkling of a rainy day entered their heads (mustn’t think about that). But then something did go wrong. Very badly horribly wrong, and it all came crashing down. I don’t deny for a moment these people are dealing with genuine through-the-ceiling stress levels right now, but I’m not sure they are victims of the current situation because I think financial catastrophe was on the cards for them anyway, coronavirus or no.

Genuine victims here though, are  those in countries where the poorest of their populations have had to leave their villages and go out into fields or hills and in some cases, even up into the trees, in order to self isolate because staying at home in a one-room abode shared with a lot of other people was not really an option. They are existing without facilities, with minimal food, water and shelter and near to no medical assistance should they become ill. These people have had their entire lives made much worse by this pandemic. Those I am less inclined to see as victims however, are people who are safely ensconced in spacious homes with all the comforts, oodles of money in the bank, swimming pools, gadgetry, televisions, plenty of food and clean water, supermarkets and basically everything they could possibly need to keep themselves entertained. Yet oddly (well, maybe not) these are the ones bemoaning their current stay-at-home situation. They can’t go out for coffee, they can’t go to the beach, they can’t pop around to friends’ places for drinks etc. These are the ones feeling “victimised” by coronavirus. Barely a peep from those people experiencing genuine hardship and/or social isolation and loneliness, just a lot of noise from Instagrammers, celebrities, wannabes and those so accustomed to having the lifestyle they want handed to them on a platter that they cannot deal with the sudden restrictions to their vacuous existence. Unsurprisingly, they are often the ones found flouting the social distancing directives as well.

But are they victims? No. There are a lot of victims out there but it’s not these guys.

Anyway, this is the rainy day that was always on the cards and with luck, we have all learned something from it. Hopefully the lesson has been to make preparations for the next one in case it comes down in cats and dogs like it has this time, and to get a handle on who classifies as a victim and who just doesn’t fit the bill, because I’m starting to see a lot of “victims” emerging who aren’t. Perhaps we might learn that we don’t have to have the best of everything like, right now. Previous generations worked and saved for those things and were prepared to wait until they could afford them. Start a mortgage on a starter house and move up from there. A reliable secondhand car will do you just fine until you can afford that shiny new wiz-bang model. If you’re any kind of celebrity, you should have at least a couple of million still sitting in your bank account so shut up, you are not in financial dire straits and if you have a home, a supermarket, a phone and social media, you are not really doing it hard at all, hence you are not a victim.

But as for the rest of us? Just organise that umbrella, okay?