Medusoids iii, iv, v & vi, 2006.

Just got home from installing Forget me Knot at Fort Takapuna Historic Reserve in Devonport, over looking stunning Narrow Neck beach, Rangitoto Island and the Hauraki Gulf. Danika and I managed to install the works in a great location among some small bushes in the gusty wind and brief showers.
The exhibition will be open to the public from Friday the 3rd of November, with the artists welcome and Gala opening night on Thursday the 2nd. The exhibition runs for two weeks, for more information visit the exhibition website:

NZ Sculpture Onshore

Have a look at the research and more images on the projects page…

Small Dog Gallery, in the Devonport Art Depo, 28 Clarence Street, Devonport.

This exhibition opened last night and had a great turn out. Each artist was responsible for approximately 100 pieces roughly the size of an A5 page and the works were installed in the gallery from floor to celling, creating a visual overload. The concept was an experiment in mass production and obsession and brought together a wide range of media and materials.

The Depo Artspace

I’ve been concerned about the environment for so long - and at times it’s just so just so big a problem that one person seems so insignificant, but it just comes down to individuals making small changes every day. As far as the issue of global warming goes, there is nothing really new in this film, but Gore does a good job of breaking down the science behind understanding global warming or ‘climate change’. Anyone could walk away from this film an understand the crisis the environment is in.

It had more of a global perspective than I thought it might - after reading an article by Gore in the green issue of Vanity Fair earlier this year (more…) that seemed to assume that if you were reading the article, you were an American and that there was only one ‘administration’.

As you would expect, there were saddening pictures of disappearing glaciers, tree felling and the terrible effects of extreme weather patterns. Even a simulation of the effect of rising sea levels on many low lying cities, and not just those in America. Thankfully the film concludes with positive actions that may make a difference.

So go see the film, and visit the website:

climatecrisis.net

This was so exciting! Our shell club had the opportunity to view part of the Auckland Museum’s marine collection last night. The collection is estimated to contain approximately 500,000 specimens and includes both wet and dry specimens.

I made a special request to see echinoderms (urchins and starfish) as I have been very interested in the structure of these animals, they are composed of five sections - a pattern that has been emerging in my crochet.

Here are few photos…

..a freaky sea urchin

..another urchin

..a brittle star

Staring Patrick Graham as Titus.

11 - 21 October, all performances start at 7.30pm at Musgrove Studio, Maidment theatre.

For more info see the Maidment and titus.stage2.co.nz

Following a handful of individuals as they prepare to compete in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, we were given insight into the personalities of some unique and eccentric puzzlers.

Irritatingly American-centric at times, the film also touches on the history of the development of the crossword puzzle and its place in the New York Times, and includes a brief mention of Margaret Farrar, the first crossword editor for the New York Times.

http://www.wordplaythemovie.com/

Set in the 16 century and based on records that suggest this may actually have occurred, the film re-enacts the journey taken by an army of Spanish conquistadors through the Andes in search of the mythical El Dorado, the City of Gold. Kinski is as crazy as every, and was well cast as the merciless, power hungry Aguirre, leading his army - and his lovely teenage daughter to their deaths. The scenery is breathtaking as you would expect and the film is an interesting for-ray into the dark side of human nature.

The DVD I watched also had an excellent director commentary, which is also worth listening to.

The right to vote in most Western countries is a given these days, but we wouldn’t be where we are now without the efforts of some very hard working and dedicated men and women.

Patricia Grimshaw wrote and excellent book on this subject entitled:

Women’s Suffrage in New Zealand, put out by Auckland University Press, 1972, 1987.

Read on here at Te Ara and on the New Zealand elections website

A friend alerted me to this a while ago, but I completely forgot to post it!
Apparently this little baby was ‘discovered’ recently in a auction on e’bay, and was found to be a new species.

Quite exciting stuff, but a little bit concerning as some of these collectable creatures may be the result of illegal dredging, their popularity might just spell bad news for the urchins and other animals in their habitat.

It certainly is beautiful and looks almost as if it’s too unusual to be real, I look forward to learning more about this one…

Read more here on the Guardian website: The Guardian

I was not disappointed, I immediately liked the main characters, Antoine and Christine Darbon Doinel, Antoine is a not-so-well employed (as opposed to an unemployed) artist, seeking the perfect job, his partner Christine is a violin teacher from a bourgeois family (according to Antoine at least). Soon they are to become parents, and Antoine lands a cushy job working for an American company where he spends his time test driving model boats in a miniature harbour designed by his firm - all quite strange- but perhaps a parody of the American corporation through the eyes of a French man.

As the relationship changes between Antoine and Christine, the immaturity of Antoine is really very annoying, he begins an affair with a beautiful and exotic Japanese woman while his wife is still nursing their child (I know!). This is of course from 1970 and all very strange to a woman today (or is it just me?) I was pleased to see Christine’s anger when she confronts him about it - but then she becomes concerned that she was to harsh with Antoine after refusing to share their bed with him, knowing that she ought to just accept his infidelity and forgive him. After all, men just need to be able to sleep with whom ever they want and then be able to come home to a loving and understanding wife - who of course would never cheat on her husband.

But anyway enough about that! Anointe and Christine have a groovy apartment and it’s a great slice of life from the 60s/70s period, I’m still going to check out the other films in the series:

The 400 Blows (Les Quatre cents coups), Stolen Kisses (Baisers voles), and Love on the Run (Amour en fuite).

All that aside, the movie was great, the opening credits were the best I’ve seen in a while and it was a good laugh. There was nothing sacred, smooth talking Nick Naylor is a lobbyist for the cigarette company ‘Big Tobacco’ and is up against a sad line up of anti-smoking groups, and I’m sure you can guess who comes out on top. But it’s not as simple as all that, Naylor’s job is anything but secure and he is struggling to maintain a relationship with his son, who he only sees on the weekends.

One thing I noticed was that throughout the movie, no-one actually smoked a cigarette…

http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/thankyouforsmoking/

***You Are From Neptune***

You are dreamy and mystical, with a natural psychic ability.
You love music, poetry, dance, and (most of all) the open sea.
Your soul is filled with possibilities, and your heart overflows with compassion.
You can be in a room full of friendly people and feel all alone.
If you don’t get carried away with one idea, your spiritual nature will see you through anything.

What Planet Are You From?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatplanetareyoufromquiz/

The last one was cool, there were lots of crafty stalls and a wide range of things to purchase, including acorn jewellery, odd second hand goods, zines, screen printed bags, knitted thingys, and crocheted vaginas!

There was only thing I was a little sad about - I would have liked to have seen more crochet, but maybe I can change that this time round!
http://www.craftwerk.co.nz/

More crafty sites…

Heather Barnes:

http://www.electricfoxes.com/

Nut and Bee:

http://www.nutandbee.com/

The more I think about this film, the more I appreciate it and the story it has to tell, as if there is a window in your life when you can be profoundly affected by injustices and moved into action. I found it inspiring, and considering the impact Che Guevara had on the South American people - not to mention the rest of the world - it reminded me that maybe one person can make some kind of a difference.
http://www.motorcyclediariesmovie.com/

The project involved a team of staff receiving and documenting donated junk and then through a process of submission of proposals permission was granted to either go ahead with the proposal or go back to the drawing board. The resulting objects d’art were auctioned off along with the files and documentation from the project as well as the rights to the next Cante chiCo exhibition.

Unfortunately I was quickly out-bided on the pieces I was keen on… it was a cool idea, and it was good to see so many people turn out in support.

http://www.viewauckland.co.nz/info_whats_on_120735.html

Ingemar is an anxious little fellow, a problem that is compounded by his older brother - who enjoys exploiting Ingemar’s sensitivity and openheartedness. Throughout the film Inegmar likens his journey to that of Laika, the dog the Russians sent into orbit at the beginning of the space program.

Without being overly sentimental, this is a gentle, touching film that reminded me of just how tough things can be when you’re a kid.

From the gallery website:

Adorn is the first solo show by Rama Aycrigg. Her practice is a celebration of the decorative form as suggested by the title of the show. It is driven by the joy of adornment, the satisfaction of making something more visually attractive by decorating it. The visual experience itself is homage to the decorative traditions that her work references. The patterns that she uses are inspired primarily by the prolific decorations of the Indian culture, an influence that began for her as a child in the Hare Krishna community. She has drawn inspiration from a medley of sources including architecture, fabrics and traditional arts performed by women such as Rangoli (decoration of the entrance to the home) and Mehndi (decoration of the hands and feet).

http://www.marco.org.nz/Default.aspx?tabid=291

See Rama’s website in the ‘links’ menu.

The exhibition is open from the 8th to the 18th of August, and is at the PPG Gallery, level one, 194 Great North Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland. Gallery hours are Tuesday - Friday 10.30 am - 4.30 pm, Saturday 11.00 am - 3.00 pm.
http://www.ppggallery.co.nz/

10 - 26 August, George Fraser Gallery
25a Princes St.

http://www.georgefraser.auckland.ac.nz/?thispage=Shows

Dr O’Shea related his research into growing the giant squid in captivity from eggs, and the work he has been involved in to try to bring an end to (ecologically) unsustainable fishing practices.

Fact sheet:

http://www.tonmo.com/science/public/giantsquidfacts.php

What the Wikipedia has to say about the giant squid…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Squid

Turn down the lights, sex and the giant squid…

http://www.cdnn.info/news/eco/e050925.html

Then there were those great photos of a live squid taking the bait…

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/09/photogalleries/giant_squid/index.html

Detailed information is available below, apparently the spots travel around the planet in opposite directions and the new spot is approximately the size as Earth. The article below also explores why the clouds and spots appear red and speculates on the chemical composition of the environment.
http://www.keckobservatory.org/article.php?id=88

It is another film by Michel Gondry (The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) about a young man who struggles to distinguish his dreams from reality. The main character Stefan (Gael García Bernal, who I recall from Y tu mama tambien) works at a mindless job wishing he could become more creative and he falls in love with his neighbour, a woman who collects and makes things. Interspersed with cool animation - old school stop-motion style animation - featuring surreal creatures and imagery, like a freaky electric shaver-monster, cellophane water, a typewriter with weird mechanical fingers that operates itself and an excellent stitched felt ski field, this film was fun to watch even though the gutlessness of the main character was a little annoying (ooh that’s a bit harsh I know).

Official and unofficial sites:

http://www.director-file.com/gondry/science.html

http://wip.warnerbros.com/scienceofsleep/

We kept some of the traditional Winter Solstice themes, evergreens, candles, red and other warm coloured decorations, roast veges, and nuts. Winter Solstice celebrations and traditions were adapted for Christmas, in an effort to ease the transition from paganism to Christianity - and secure more converts of course (during the reign of Emperor Constantine I).

In many cultures the Winter Solstice signals a turning from the darkness of winter into the productive seasons of spring and summer, it is often a big celebration as people gather to welcome new growth and productivity. It is a time to reflect on what you might be cultivating inside and draw on inner strengths, as well as plant new crops and enjoy foods that were preserved using traditional methods such as sun-dried tomatoes and nuts. Here in New Zealand it also kicks of Matariki (Moari new year) celebrations as the Matariki or Pleiades constellation rises in the morning sky.

Read more about Winter Solstice and other celebrations in the book: Celebrating the Southern Seasons by Juliet Batten, it’s perfect if you are interested in alternatives to contemporary celebrations so popular today.

A play by Thomas Sainsbury
Performed by Stephen Fitzgibbon

ArtStation
1 Ponsonby Road
Auckland

June 9 th, 10 th, 11th
8pm

$5/$10

Paul Thompson has locked himself into an anonymous basement to avoid his life and his problems. But the food is running out, the water is running dry, his strength is fading, he can’t get out.

And he’s sure he’s not alone.

What did I find most interesting about this film? It was not the inexcusable exploitation of the indigenous people of Bolvia by massive multinational corporations like Coca Cola, no surprises there. The documentary makers highlighted something I had not considered in the past, the coca plant is part of Bolivain culture and that just because it’s cultivation by unscrupulus organistions and individuals drives international drug trafficing - the plant cannot simply be exterminated. It is a very complex situation, evident in the US governments plans to introduce “alternative industries” to provide other surceses of income for farmers. The naiveity of the solutions is astounding, such as the introduction of banana plantations - complete with a marketing plan to introduce a ‘bananas in schools’ program. You have to see it to believe it.

http://www.humanrightsfilmfest.net.nz/films.asp#real

The festival ran for one week at the Academy Cinema in town. After missing most of the films in previous years, this time round I was determined to see as many as my work schedule - and budget- allowed. I took in four of the feature films and a couple of the shorts films.

After each of the features films there were panel discussions with various speakers, from politcians, scientists, and representitives from the New Zealand
Human Rights Network.

http://www.humanrightsfilmfest.net.nz/

I won tickets to see this play off the radio last month, the play itself was on for two weeks, and I was silly enough to go see it on it’s second to last performance. This gave me only one day to tell everyone I know that they MUST go and see it.

The play was based on numerous anecdotes about relationships and experiences of a variety of women. It was brilliantly put together, and combined clever sound and lighting to great effect, it was funny and engaging.

There is more information about future performances and the venue, The Luxembourg Gardens - up three flights of stairs in a great old building that has views of the harbour and classy Showgirls.

http://arthouseinc.blogspot.com/

craftster.org

Voog Hats

Joana Vasconcelos

Ming-Yi Sung

And one of my favourites… Knitted Dawn of the Dead.

If only I had thought of doing this…

The tale is told through journal entries and letters written by key characters -bar Count Dracula himself. The story centres around the journey undertaken by the young solicitor Jonathan Harker, who travels to Count Dracula’s castle in Transylvania to facilitate the completion of a real-estate transaction. A naive Harker almost loses his life, and unwittingly assists the Count in his sinister plan, which you will discover for yourself when you read the book…

Stoker is a great story teller and beautifully sets the tone for the novel, as you sense the disquiet creeping into the lives of Jonathan and his associates.

The complete text is available for free download here:

Bibliomania.com

Many of the ideas put forward in this book are based on observation of nature, specifically in comparison with how industrialisation grew and has spread globally. Interesting to note is the abundance of the natural world, plants produce huge quantities of petals, leaves and seeds in order to reproduce, but the petals, leaves and other organic materials are not wasted, but are part of the life cycle, breaking down to become compost. Human design is so short-sighted when it comes to considering the ‘afterlife’ of products, beyond recycling or the landfill.

The beauty of diversity is also covered, that the one-size-fits-all approach human designs sometimes have is not reflected in organic development. Traditional or indigenous buildings being an excellent example of this, having developed in response to varying weather conditions and needs of the occupants.

But enough from me, track it down and read it for yourself!

This was available at my local library, for more information visit this site:

www.mcdonough.com

Worth watching regardless of opinions on American/British aggression, as this is one of the most closely followed news channels internationally. It exists specifically for an increasingly marginalised and misunderstood group.

For more information, visit the news site:

Aljazeera

After having this plant for two and a half years, I was not sure that it had the best conditions to flower, it has been living on a sunny warm kitchen window for the last two years. Watch this space for updates!

For more images of this variety and the spectacular flowers they produce see this site: www.plantarara.com

Back off! This little weta was busted hiding out on my friend’s tent when she was packing up, we liberated it onto a nearby branch.

Images from a February camping weekend at Motoura Island, a trip primarily to thank the volunteers who have been involved in the restoration of the island over the previous year, with a few simple tasks for those who are keen to work.

With 30,000 trees planted to date the island is looking great, the goal was 45,000 trees planted over a nine year period. Planting is carried out over the winter, tasks for the summer trips usually involve improving facilities on the island and seed collecting for growing the next generation of seedlings to be planted on Motoura.

Our campsite, we took in a little relaxation after our morning collecting seeds. The weather was perfect, and at night the sky was so clear we spied some satellites and several shooting stars. One of the other campers came across a kiwi scratching around!

The water was beautiful and clear, and at low tide walking the beach was very rewarding, I found washed up starfish, kina, a variety of crabs and other shells.

Japanese with English subtitles.

Biographical information and Interview with Shohei Imamura

Complete background information is available here, including an account written by German jurist Anselm Ritter von Feuerbach, who described Hauser as: “Mild and gentle, without vicious inclinations, and without passions and strong emotions, his quiet mind resembles the smooth mirror of a lake in the stillness of a moonlight night.”

Preview this Friday 13th January 2006, 5.30pm - 7.30pm.

Graduates from Elam and Whitecliffe College, the exhibition is on between January the 13th and February the 2nd.

For information on the works in the exhibition, gallery opening hours or how to get, there please use the contact me page.

Exhibited at Te Tuhi - The Mark in Pakuranga Auckland. Open from November 10 until December 14 between the hours of 10am and 4pm.

From The Lorax, by Dr Seuss, 1971.

Playfulness, humour and nonsense are key aspects of this installation. The quirky art and illustrations of Dr Seuss has been the impetus behind the production these objects, which I see as absurd and dysfunctional. The objects and their arrangement in the space is intended to create a sense of wonder for the viewer, to experience the fun and playfulness involved in making the objects and installing them.

As a process of iteration and repetition, crochet begins with a slip knot and involves creating a series of loops using a hooked needle, altering the topology of the original material from a simple length into a complex three dimensional form. Fascination with the ability to control and manipulate these materials has driven my practice, resulting in �mutations� of traditional crochet stitches. Although techniques like crochet were almost abandoned due to the introduction of modern manufacturing, crochet has retained its thrifty nature and developed into a sophisticated craft.

My obsession with the various objects in this installation illustrates Freud�s theory of humans being �polymorphously perverse� (Wikipedia). In the early stages of an individual�s development, Freud believed that a person would find pleasure in any number and variety of objects. Freud asserted that this changed over time, as obsessions developed and formed fixations on specific objects as a child grew. Each object is a free flowing exploration of ideas, a response to my obsession, as manifested in colour, form, structure and scale.

There were approximately 600 trees left to plant between us, but there were also other tasks to keep us busy, these included drain digging and removing a fence. It was our first time on the island, so we joined a group of other new visitors on a guided walk around the coast and along one of the main tracks across the island. After this we set to our tasks, Rob and Timmy went off to dig two small drains and Carla and I decided to plant kawakawa seedlings along another walkway. The soil was dark and rich, and the kawakawa seedlings had a lovely sweet peppery smell, it was great getting involved in a worthwhile activity with so many other volunteers.

After planting we wandered back to the kitchen cabin near the rangers house for a sausage sizzle and drinks. We had about two hours to spare before the ferry returned for us, so we walked along the beach and took photos of the fascinating creatures and flotsam that had washed up on the beach including this tiny crab!

I had such an excellent time, I look forward to next year, and would recommend tree planting to everyone, as an enjoyable way of giving something back to the earth instead of constantly taking.

A chilling story from a German missionary living in Japan re-tells what he witnessed:
dw-world.de

The first of a series of drawings on plastic, featuring the symbolic ginkgo leaf. Regarded as a “living fossil” and a symbol of longevity.

Photos of the giant catch here.

Art Attack

Small Print

Where do you go to get permission to start firing at such “heavenly bodies”?
Is it really about unlocking the secrets of the universe or weakly disguised weapons testing?

This site is worth a look, and you can sign up for the newsletter (out every two weeks).

Giant Experiment

David Suzuki Foundation

From the website:
Synopsis

THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED
DIRECTED AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY
KIM BARTLEY AND DONNACHA O’BRIAIN
IRELAND, 2003
74 MINUTES

IN SPANISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES

Hugo Chavez elected president of Venezuela in 1998, is a colourful, unpredictable folk hero, beloved by his nation’s working class and a tough-as-nails, quixotic opponent to the power structure that would see him deposed. Two independent filmmakers were inside the presidential palace on April 11, 2002, when he was forcibly removed from office.

They were also present 48 hours later when, remarkably, he returned to power amid cheering aides. Their film records what was probably history’s shortest-lived coup d’�tat. It’s a unique document about political muscle and an extraordinary portrait of the man The Wall Street Journal credits with making Venezuela “Washington’s biggest Latin American headache after the old standby, Cuba.”

My issues with this are:

The school is spending student fees on this service, with out any consultation with the student body. Lecturers and students ought to work together on this issue.

Indirectly it is assumed that all students must be plagiarising unless proven otherwise, using Turnitin’s software.

Student must submit MS Word documents, making purchase of this software compulsory, we must either purchase, or in most cases, pirate a copy.

The hardline taken, particularly in this trial period is unnecessary.

Computers and technology fail us everyday, so why invest so much in this system, it is fallible just like other technology.

Turnitin retains all the data it collects, maintaining the monopoly, if stopping plagiarism was really their goal the data would be available for other uses free of charge. Do we want our assignments being used by a corporation to increase their market share and make make more money?

Is there anything we can do about this?

Some interesting articles and sites have further information on such issues, including a case where a student who refused to submit his essays through Turnitin had his case upheld in court.

Student’s case upheld

Students can still pay for someone else to write their essays without being pick up by Turnitin.com

Plagerism at University

From the site: “… Imagine to appear with your German at parties, family events, or just hang out with them at the local shopping center. No matter which occasion you choose, you will surely impress your environment by presenting an original German.”

Don’t miss the T’shirts.

Some experts; writers, geologists and other scientists suggest that we are already on the way down, we have reached a global peak and from now prices will continue to rise, demand continue to increase - and politicians will get desperate, as we have already seen ample evidence with Americas war for oil in Iraq.

Now we need to think ahead, our resources are limited, and so we must think sustainably, to move forward. On a positive note, one writer believes that this may force people to become neighbourly again, we will need to work together, and we can make changes on a local level.

This documentary was screened in Auckland by The Green Party NZ.

Not all doom and gloom, the film presents success stories of people who stood up to powerful corporations, and introduces individuals who have a sense of responsibility which they try to apply to their business practice. If you have never thought of the negative effects of capitalism, or wondered about the power Western corporations hold over the globe, or are interested in the legacy we are leaving for our great-grandchildren, this is a must see.

The Corporation

If you are a little squeamish, look at the artists choice of media.

German Film Archive

Visit this site to find out how you can have your say: Auckland city website

This article reminded me of the Takiroa Rock Art Shelter in North Otago that I had recently read about in Historic Places in New Zealand by Gavin McLean, Hodder Moa Beckett Publishers Ltd.

Apparently this area was a popular hunting ground and would have been used as a place of shelter, perhaps by travelling hunter gathers who lived in the locality. McLean notes that the images vary from abstract forms to humans, animals and bird life. Other images of sailing ships suggesting the art was revived after or during the arrival of European settlers.

For more information:
Beautiful Waitaki
NZ Archaeology

If you are planning a visit, as I will in the future, please visit this site with regard to cultural issues and protcol:
Ngai Tahu Maori Rock Art Trust

I picked up a copy of this book and began to read at Nostromo Books in Grey Lynn(now Lord Jim’s Books on Surrey Crescent). It had that familiar theme ‘humankind has been almost completely obliterated, except for a random group of individuals struggling to survive’. The writer of the zombie flick 28 Days Later has most certainly pinched the beginning for the film from Wyndham’s classic, not to mention borrowing snippets from the rest of the plot in The Day of the Triffids and Wyndhams’ The Kraken Wakes.

This is an exciting read that I was unable to put down over the course of a weekend, and is probably more timely than I initially imagined. Isolated groups of humans survive a mysterious global disaster, as London’s city structure and amenities begin to crumble, it becomes apparent not only must they rebuild and form stable communities of strangers, they are also under threat from killer plants - a strange engineered creation by human scientists trying to find a new source for quality oil.

That was the sum of my Waitangi Day, working all day from 7.30am I was relieved to come home to a party, bbq, and a bar tab. One of the benefits of living at a bowling club, occasionally you can slip into the crowd and enjoy the show. Pluto played along with special guests Andrew Fagan and Jordan Luck. Even Helen Clark turned up, I am impressed that our primeminister can relax at an event such as this, I counted only four over dressed men with ear pieces, without an armoured vehicle and a military escort.

It will be interesting to see how the new radio station goes, as it is another CanWest MediaWorks product, along with stations like good old More FM and The Rock, two of the most mind numbingly middle of the road stations churning out the same old crap day in, day out. Lets hope the new brand will go easy on the cheese and do it’s bit for New Zealand music and musicians.

Read more about it here

stuff.co.nz

and here

The New Zealand Herald

Free from the shackles of censorship and government control Aljazeera has offered its audiences in the Arab world much needed freedom of thought, independence, and room for debate. In the rest of the world, often dominated by the stereotypical thinking of news �heavyweights�, Aljazeera offers a different and a new perspective.

Aljazeera

Uranium-238 is a trace element that remains after uranium-235 has been used in reactors or in the making of nuclear weapons. When radioactive particles collide and interact with human cells and body tissue, they interfere with cell division, breaking the body down on a cellular level. One part of fallout from atomic bombs is strontium 90, and according to the wikkipedia, is mistaken by the human body for calcium and so is deposited in the bones where it remains and continues to poison the body.

Highlighting the hypocrisy of Americas assault on Iraq to find ‘weapons of mass destruction’, this article http://www.counterpunch.org/du.html notes that the Pentagon refused disclose the chemical and metallic properties of its munitions, following reports of peacekeepers working in Sarajevo coming down with cancers.

http://www.mindfully.org/Nucs/Cancer-After-DU-Bomb.htm

An excellent read, presenting an alternative view to traditional Western ‘ownership’ attitudes to land. Environmental kinship, Mana and the respect for life and the planet being paramount to a harmonious existence as humans. Stopping the cycle of using and depleting resources buy focusing on adding value and beauty, for example using materials such as wood from a majestic tree to create a functional but beautiful chair, or on a larger scale a house or building. A major contrast to the exploitive consumer culture we exist in, encouraging the reader to stop and think before acting.

Highlighting the idea of humans being caretakers rather than dominators of the earth, and without the ‘airy fairy’ attitude that is sometimes associated with environmental philosophies and ideals, this is a book for anyone who is concerned about the environment.

As someone considering the prospect of ‘owning’ my own home and land in the future, I feel it is even more important to treat the earth with high regard. Being determined to enhance and protect rather than simply take from the earth.

Rather than dealing with the statistics and technical details regarding the series of explosions that lead to one of the worst nuclear catastrophes of last century, this book presents the human side of nuclear fall out.

Thousands of civilians, largely uneducated in the dangers and risks associated with radioactivity, became the subject of scientific analysis. People were evacuated from their homes, which in many cases were buried or destroyed and transplanted into other cities. Many older people returned, unwanted for fear of contamination. Women’s accounts of losing sons or husbands as these were the first to enter the reactor to put out the fires and ‘clean up’. Generations of women who are afraid to conceive a child because of terrifying defects and increase in cancers.

An attempt to understand the human toll, an excellent but quite depressing read, presenting information that is so easily set aside in the race to procure more ‘efficient’ and ‘effective’ nuclear weapons. An arrogant and dangerous exercise.

Interesting to learn the effect aspartame has on the production of serotonin, and how this food aditive promoted as dietry supplement actually stimulates hunger cravings rather than satisfying them.

Aspartame - fruad and deception

excitotoxins.info

Snopes.com

opening 5.30pm Monday 4th October 2004.
Randolf Street Gallery, Newton

Seven artists, seven different materials exploring the idea of where the education we get at art school will take us.

As desperate as ever, Hard news 13/6/03

Good pictures!

Colossal Squid, BBC

Biz info online