Jambo Jandals

Don't you just love stiring people, especially those who are sticklers for the rules. I have a mate who hates when words are writen in the wrong form. For instance, I commented on him being board! Saying he has had two much to eat. I reakon people who pick on gramatical errors should be chastised and fed with an abundance of mis-written emails. Fun yeah?

Both Liss and I are keen gardeners. She succeeds with all her crops, I try to keep my plants alive. My skills are probably likened to that of an doctor in an intensive care unit, caring for sick and dying BUT I am getting better. This week I read an article in a gardening magazine talking about "Terminator Technology" . Genetically modified seeds capable of destroying plant life as we know it. I have posted the article below and it is well worth a serious read.

What you need to know about terminator technology
The United States Government and GE companies have developed a patented technology "to create sterile seeds by selectively programming the plants DNA to kill its own embryos" Vandana Shiva. The USDA receives a 5% profit from the sales as a sort of policing action.
"Pea pods, tomatoes, peppers, heads of wheat, and ears of corn will essentially become seed morgues. Thus the system will force farmers to buy seeds from seed companies every year" The gradual spread of sterility in seeding plants would result in a global catastrophe that could eventually wipe out higher life forms including humans from the planet", Vandana Shiva, Stolen Harvest.

"Never before has man created an insidiously dangerous, far reaching, and potentially "perfect" plan to control the livelihoods, food supply and even survival of all humans on the planet".

Writer Gene Guidette says "In one broad, brazen stroke of his hand, man will have irretrievably broken the plant-to-seed-to-plant-to-seed cycle, the cycle that supports most life on the planet. No seed, no food, unless you buy more seed. The terminator technology has crossed the line, the tenacious line been genius and insanity. It is a dangerous, idea that should be banned. Period."

Monsanto and the USDA have patents that give them monopoly control for 20 years over GE technology. Terminator was developed according to the USDA scientist Melvin Oliver because" The need was there to come up with a system that allowed you to self-police your technology, other than trying to put on laws and legal barriers to farmers saving seeds and to try and stop foreign interests from stealing the technology. "
There are 1.4 billion indigenous people and peasant farmers whose whole livelihood revolves around selecting and saving seed for next years crop planting. They select and adapt local varieties to their unique needs. If Terminator were commercialised their livelihoods would be threatened for no other purpose than to transfer ownership and control of our publicly owned food crops to GE crop companies.

Monsanto breaks its promise
In 1999 Monsanto responding to global outrage said "We are making a public commitment not to commercialise sterile seed technologies such as the one dubbed "Terminator" but today it has revised this policy on a case-by-case basis".

Australian government backs Terminator
The Australian government which does not have an official public policy on Terminator is supporting Monsantos case-by-case approach. At the UN convention on Biological Diversity there is a global ban on Terminator which since 2005 the Australian, Canadian and NZ governments have sought to overturn.

What can we do? Here is a link to a petition to the Agriculute Miniter is a good way to start. Feel free to respond if you are interested. There is plenty of info avialble on the web about this product too.

This is a storey out of todays Age. I thought it was worth posting as it talks about an issue that I am often reminded of. Being a small business owner, I often feel the pressure to remain contactable and in touch with the world however it is something that I purposly fight against.

Everyone has a story about the intrusiveness of the mobile phone: of the boss who rings while his employee is on a family holiday; of the young woman who embarrasses a bus full of people by her loud argument with a friend; of people on trains who bray into their phones about personal topics ranging from their love lives - "I said to him ..." - to the state of their innards - "Yeah no, the doctor reckons ..."

For the workaholic, the constant contact offered by a mobile can become an emotional umbilical cord and his relationship with his phone can compete with his real relationships. A Sydney organisational psychologist, Grant Brecht, tells of one couple who came to see him at the wife's insistence. They had taken a "holiday" together, only to have the husband bring along two mobile phones and spend at least six hours a day talking about work on them. "But my wife is my first priority," he told Brecht in the first session.

What price this noisy revolution, with its demands for everyone to be available everywhere, 24/7? How do we pay for the convenience of being able to keep tabs on the children while we are at work, and tabs on work while we are with the children? What is happening to solitude, attentiveness and the boundaries between public and private in the age of mobiles and BlackBerries, SMS and email?

Today Martin used an analogy at church that spoke of a person riding their bike. At the start, the person rode slowly and had difficulty keeping balance, first falling to the left, next to the right. No mater how slow the person rode, he often fell. As the rider got faster, pushed toward the goal, it became easier to balance and less falls were had. The harder he pushed towards the end, the easier it got. The storey made a point of us focusing on the goal and not on the little things that can get in the way, letting God search our hearts and enable him to remove those stumbling blocks.

It got me thinking about the storey in another perspective though. My thoughts were for those people around us who are focused on the goal and pushing towards the end but who fall during the ride. Most, if they are riding quickly, sustain major injuries. I had reason to think of a mate who has recently "fallen from his bike" and is having trouble getting back on. He is totally dismayed, has lost sight of his Reason and is really struggling with what his past 30 years have represented. How do we remain at top speed and return to the bike after an injury? In reflection I think it has a lot to do with our support crew, our team. If we do not surround ourselves with people who know us deeply, can support us in trouble and who can encourage us through the tough times, we will most likely fall to the side of the road, become another casualty, just another cross on the side of the road.

A penny for your thoughts?

In times of great need, people look for a great man to show them the way and lead them to a brighter future...

Look no more America, that man is here.


“Human nature. I do something nice for you, you do something nice for me, like not kill me. Next thing you know, we're friends.”
Macgyver

Macgyver understands the needs of the average American, tax breaks, free swiss army knifes for every child. A free Houseboat for every American! War on Terror? Macgyver will take care of this in under twenty four hours once elected, no blood shed, just common sense. His solution for Iraq? a roll of toilet paper, a piece of coal and a bit of string. That's all Macgyver will need for a democratic and free Middle East, Osama Bin Laden? Delivered to Washington smarting from one line quips and red-faced from a beating by a man armed with no more than a piece of chalk and an onion.

This all within a week of Macgyver entering the White House...

Macgyver 2008, The smart choice.

whether you like the sport of boxing or not, last nights fight between Anthony Mundine and Danny Green concluded with what I think was a fair result. Both Mundine and Green danced around the floor trading blows in a fairly good display. Mundine's defense was the key, holding Green out and with his speed he managed to counter Greens with some lightning of his own. Interestingly "The Man" still rates himself saying "I'm the most dynamic, prolific, scientific, artistic, charismatic, flamboyant, impeccable athlete in the past, present and the future. The Australian public, I don't hate you all. You got a love me man, I'm one of your own."

Why is it that boxers, not the most articulate people in the world, always seem to be able to talk themselves up. The greats did it, thenott so great did it. Is it their way of getting drive? Surely they are setting themselves up for a fall. Why don't we see people in business doing it. You know I am the most scientific,educated, artistic, prolific,charismatic, flamboyant, dynamic audio visual guy in the world but I don't go around saying that, do I?

Forgive me brain for I have thinned. It's been 23 hours, 12 seconds since my last coffee. My attempt to clense my body is killing me from the inside out. It's amazing how much pain can be secreated through the head. This "treat your body as a temple" thing can't last much longer....got to go.

Ahhhh, sweet caffine, brings joy to the soul. Couldnt do it anymore. Went to Manhatten Sound's Rockstar Cafe, had a coffee. Could have also had a massage, music lesson, hair cut, dance lesson and facial at the same time but that is a topic for my next post.

Given an open scope, it's amazing what kids come up with during "free draw" time. This piece of art belongs to a primary school student at a friends school. I would hate to think what would be drawn if they were studying animal behaviour!!

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible" - Walt Disney

I've noticed that one of the things that drives me to success is the thought that I can achieve something that people deem impossible. Walt Disney's quote typifies a lot of success storys where people think outside the box, achieve the unthinkable and inevitably reach a level of personal satisfaction that those who dont dare, dont get.

Not a theological discussion was to be heard, only the nerdy murmurs of 7 passionate communicators. The intent was to discuss solutions for the EBC web site, the result, Hensby showing us some quite funny soccer videos. Ask Hensby for a demo, you could be surprised.

For those who missed it, there was an article about Hillsong which appeared in the Weekend Australian. Steve has posted the link on his web site but I thought it was well worth doing the same. Here is a link to signposts who have been given permission to publish the entire article. I would love to know what you think and if it effects your view of the whole Mega Church model.

Reading the news today it states "Maverick former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett is considering a comeback to politics after state opposition leader Robert Doyle quit suddenly." I must admit that the thought of an election billed as "Kennett v Bracks" does sound interesting. It seems that every election in recent times has had a big personality running against some quivering, unstable, weak opponent. If Kennett did decide he wanted to get back into Politics, do the Liberals really have any option but to let him lead? Can you imagine the policies? For the first time in a long time, I am interested in how this latest political story unfolds.