propelling.ca

greenpeace on the grand banks

the MV Esperanza is docked in Halifax today and tomorrow, before heading to Norway to document the uneasy coexistence of oil platforms and ocean ecology in that area.

we had the chance to speak with Bunny McDiarmid, former deckhand on the original Rainbow Warrior vessel, and current campaigner to stop deep sea trawling, especially in the international waters off Newfoundland.

she believes that Canadians will be receptive to actions to save the non-recoverable areas of ocean biodiversity, given their experience with the cod fishery collapse in the Atlantic Ocean.

the Greenpeace experience on the Grand Banks included the opportunity to board several boats and record their by-catches, species captured that "have no commercial value". the international composition of the Greenpeace crew meant that they could interview skippers in their native language.

Greenpeace has a viable strategy to raise awareness, they cover news on the high seas in a way that no other organization attempts. they make their bias clearly known. they attempt to influence events according to the values of their organization, and often are successful at showing the crux of the matter in a clear light.

>laura

big predators and sustainable nova scotia

mitch read me a report about a cougar attack on a young girl on Vancouver island recently, it prompted concern, how to preserve the big cats and other predators, when their contact with humans is often so gruesome and inspires loathing rather than sympathy. they need a really large area of land and abundant prey and in most cases would prefer not to come in contact with humans at all. the question gnaws at me.

here's a picture of a wolf in a cage on an island in stockholm city harbour

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i reconnected with this wiki recently, and found some great info on what is happening locally:

http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/sustainable_nova_scotia
/sustainable_nova_scotia

>laura

slow ballet

been editing video of the russian ballet, looking at it closely and slowly, frame by frame, and realizing what training has made this beautiful art possible

also Kevin's pictures of the small world of bugs, realizing the design in this intricate and easy-to-ignore scale of reality

and writing an article about soil biodiversity, examining the role of microscopic bacteria, nematodes and fungi on farms, fascinated by the not-very-well-understood role they play in helping plants thrive, and the simple ways in which farmers can inadvertently destroy their beneficial relationship

and reading entries on Scotty's blog about a Slow Food convivia in Australia, celebrating food traditions and the production of food that honors culture, place, and the time it takes to make it with care

and, meditiating, slowing my mind

in all, a celebration of the slow, the small, and the appreciative way, finding plenty and richness in the gaps

>laura

deepak chopra

these quotes from The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire:

"consider our emotions. Emotions are just recycled energy. Emotions do not originate with us. They come and go depending on situations, circumstances, relationships, and events... Emotions are never created in isolation, they always come about because of some interaction with the environment. In the absence of circumstances or relationships, there is no emotion. So even though I may fly into a rage, it is not actually my anger. It is anger that has settled on me for the moment."

"at the physical level, what we call the real world, the soul is the observer in the midst of the observation. Anytime you observe something, there are three components involved. The first, which occurs in the physical world, is the object of your observation. The second, which happens at the level of the mind, is the process of observing. The third component of observation is the actual observer, which we call the soul."

where we are living, our door is wide open and people who walk by, if they choose, can peek their eyes in. i have a deeply ambiguous relationship with privacy, on the one hand not trusting people to value my experience of life properly, and on the other hand, feeling comfortable in deeply intimate connection with a great number of people on first meeting.

i'm not trying to join the dots this time

>laura

back in hali

writing from the home place for the next six weeks, couldn't be more centrally downtown, i can hear bagpipes in the public gardens greeting the 7% diminished tourist market this year

the airport is under repairs, and people are making daily trips to the airport to try to get out and into this city, there has been 200 flights delayed and cancelled to date. makes the town feel like a safe haven and also like a trap

going to the cottage to swim in the lake and try the cold Atlantic, its a July summer weekend, and I have no weddings

have been slow hooking up with friends in the city, taking it all one step at a time, first meditation class, second apartment, third job, fourth organize a rooftop patio party!

soon enough

>laura

from new york, new york

back on North American soil, the rain in this city is so very reluctant hanging in the humid air, covering the ground from Harlem to Union Square with my cool cousin in moccasins, she's going to Toronto for a while but will be back to claim the acting opportunities available to a talented young Canadian. i'm getting my hair cut by a metrosexual trainee who says under his breath "you said you wanted them short" when I start to question out loud in front of his supervisor the cumulative disappearance of my bangs. looking at the New York Times, there's a new plan to build what is called the Freedom Tower at ground zero, and this plan may actually be built as it has an impenetrable 200 foot concrete base. my aunt has retired now for a year from her actuarial job in middle Manhattan and doesn't miss working life. the flight into this city on Air India was refreshing, passengers clapped as we landed and the pilot said "welcome to America", the woman beside me offered homemade chapatti. the new Visit US program requires retinal scans and fingerprinting at some airport arrival areas, this apparently didn't apply to me as a Canadian. the Visit US registration card which was trashed in front of me at the counter had questioned if I was "seeking entry (to the US) for the purpose of engaging in criminal or immoral activities" and further if I had ever been "arrested or convicted of an offense or crime involving moral turpitude", i had checked NO, but will have to check in with my lawyering father on the exact meaning of turpitude, because there was that shop-lifting incident when I was 13. also in NY I find the jade rooster I have been looking for since Chinese new year, and recover a joy of shopping somewhat dimmed during the year in Sweden. my uncle following Wimbleton lets me know a Swede is still in the semi-finals, a surge of something comes over me, having been called a half-Swede earlier by a very nice Estonian provided a feeling of happiness.

>laura

from nida, lithuania

travelogue, stardate 17.54.31

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the highest sand dunes in Europe, feeling relaxed after the grand escape from Russia, slipping under the wire early in the morning, on the overnight train one day after expired visas, days of walking around hot cities with unhappy people, Red Square in Moscow blocked off to civilians and guarded by 1000 soldiers all day June 12, Russia Day.

>laura

intelligent life

and, we used to think it was all about book learning!
the way people learn to learn has a lot to do with the development of their perception

this model comes from gunter pauli, ZERI Education Initiative
www.zeri.org

and, my friend Jules was telling me yesterday that he thinks there could be four types of education: education for freedom, education for creativity, education for productivity, and education for sustainability, at a basic level

what are the basics?
what intelligent capacities do we have?
what do we really need to learn, and how will we be taught how to learn?

>laura

certified sustainability freaqk

i don't know when i lost my cool, i don't need to know how much of it i imagined in the first place, i do know i feel more compassionate and more like a supernerd each day

its like going to Chicoutimi, Quebec for a month and a half and the only language spoken there is French, wondering when someone is going to crack the rule, and break into English, and it doesn't happen, the mindshift that occurs is the first step towards fluency

here, the immersion is in sustainability, a way of thinking, a way of life, an optimistic worldview, and ultimately a fluency in this new language is beginning to emerge.

its been a weird year and hard to describe, a lot of personal growth has taken place, some subtlely and some in huge spurts like latent potential suddenly given the right conditions. its OK that others are far ahead because my stuntedness has been about quality refinement not growth. i tell myself. and it's OK that this program has allowed so much personal growth, the investment will not be wasted in the longer term.

>laura

solo swimming in swedish lakes

dipped! marking the open season on lakes, one full week before last year's Victoria Day immersion!

>laura