Talking with strangers

From today, it is my intention to talk everyday with someone, face to face, whom I don't know. I intend to keep that up for a year.
Not entirely sure how it will happen, although somedays it will come about through the normal events of everyday living, on others it will be something I will have to puroseful pursue.
My aim will be to make that contact more than a simple exchange of greetings, rather an actual conversation of some substance, although that might be simple.
Let's, for the sake of the exercise, call it "Talking with strangers".

What's Wrong With Anzac? - A surreal experience

A surreal connection, well, at least for me, seemed to pervade the room as I listened last night to Marilyn Lake (below) and Henry Reynolds (bottom)talk about their new book, What’s Wrong With Anzac?
Just a week or so earlier I had sat in the same room and listened as politics lecturer and social commentator, Waleed Aly, had discussed his latest work published in Quarterly Essay, What’s Right? The Future of Conservatism in Australia.
Both pieces seemed connected, although I feel sure that neither Lake, Reynolds nor Aly would not agree.

Aly’s views on conservatism reflected Australians enthusiasm to go to war in another country to fight for and defend a civilization they knew and loved.
Conservatism is not about an unwillingness to change, rather it sees change as organic and evolving and conservatives will welcome change when it is illustrated to be appropriate.
Lake and Reynolds would probably not disagree with Aly’s thesis, but it seems their concerns are more about the militarization of Australian history.
Some 200 people packed out the main auditorium at Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre (the Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas) to hear Lake and Reynolds discuss what it was the pushed them to assemble their ideas.
Both are noted historians and both argue that Australia’s Anzac obsession distorts our understanding of the past, replacing historical fact with myth.
Last night, Lake questioned the Federal Government’s official sponsorship, particularly when John Howard led the country, of Anzac through the funding of commemoration and education that has been mobilized as a conservative political force.

It is at this point that Aly may become a little restless as the Anzac juggernaut is not truly conservative; rather it is neo-conservative with political aims that pander to nationalism, racism and individualism, rather than the building of communities.
Lake made the point that the Department of Veteran Affairs appears to have a blank cheque in relation to funding when it comes to promoting and educating people about Anzac Day and she wondered what the public reaction would be like if other departments, such as the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs or the Department of Immigration and Citizenship had the same access to government cash and within that, influence.
The book, What’s Wrong With Anzac is published by the University of New South Wales Press and the ISBN is 978 1 74223 151 8.

Hypocritical attack from Tony Abbott

Tony Abbott’s recent attack on Peter Garrett over what we might call the “insulation affair” seemed somewhat hypocritical..
The leader of the federal Opposition chipped away at former Minister for The Environment calling for his sacking over what he saw as the mismanagement of his department, accusing him of everything short of murder..
Obviously there were some shortcomings in the implementation of the program, but whether or not you see the Minister as personally responsible hinges almost entirely on your political affiliations.
Mr Abbott (above) is undoubtedly an honourable fellow, but it seems he has confused political aspirations and values with honesty and objectivity – it is another case of don’t listen to what people say, rather watch what it is they do.
History, even recent history, is apparently unimportant and irrelevant when Mr Abbott looks and searches for a political foothold.
Mr Abbott’s comments about Peter Garrett’s performance come in the shadow of a government decision, a government of which he was an active part, that committed Australia to a war in another country in which thousands of people died, including a few Australians.
The violence in Iraq and Afghanistan seems unlimited with the death of more than 100 coalition soldiers so far this year, a trivial number compared to innocent civilians who suffered injuries or a violent death.
Mr Abbott was a part of the government that took this country into a war that appears without end.
Australia, we should always remember is simply the magnification of those we pass on the street every day and who, in many instances, abhor violence and yet, it seems, have swallowed the Abbott line.
Obviously the complications associated with the government’s insulation scheme are less than ideal and deserve some censure, but in calling for Mr Garrett’s head, the leader of the Opposition needed to consider his party’s past and put matters surrounding the insulation debate in context.
The Liberal leader celebrates Mr Garrett’s demotion and conveniently forgets, and apparently so do many Australians, that is was a Liberal led coalition government that took us into a violent confrontation that has led to the suffering of thousands and the deaths of many.

'Business as usual' wins nuclear power debate

"Business as usual" effectively won a recent Melbourne debate about whether or not Australia should embrace nuclear power.
Both those arguing for and against the idea were unable, it seemed, to escape from the mindset that either nuclear energy or renewable power should be employed in allowing us to maintain existing life styles.
An advocate of nuclear power, American D James Hansen (above right), who has been described as the grandfather of the climate change debate, had a slightly different view suggesting that nuclear and renewable power were harmonious and so both should be used.
Some 1200 people listened to the debate and a poll taken before proceedings it was the “don’t knows” who easily won the count followed by those who voted “for” the idea of nuclear power with those opposed being next.
A poll taken at the end of the debate reversed those results – those opposed to nuclear power headed the count, followed by nuclear power supporters and in last place, the “don’t knows”.
Many at the debate, beyond just one questioner, were seeking confirmation that life as we know it would continue.
In fact all those on both three-strong debating teams appeared to be arguing their case from an assumed position of whatever energy source was chosen, business would continue as usual – it won’t.
There appeared to be harmony at the debate about the reality that is climate change and in fact all those on the team opposing nuclear power congratulated D Hansen on alerting the world to this difficulty.
Dr Hansen, as were all other debaters, concerned about the world’s reliance on electricity provided by coal fired power plants, hence his call for those plants for to be replaced by nuclear generators.
The business as usual clique, made up by most of us, overlooks the fragility of life; overlooks the increasing brutality of our usually benign nature; overlooks the reality that our lifestyle of the 20th century is not appropriate for survival in the 21st, literally; and so the debate really should have been about achieving a sustainable life style, not how we power that which isn’t.

Tatura group works its way to tomorrow

Tatura is going to be prepared for the challenging times ahead should success await a small group eager to see it become a “Transition Town”.
Local dentist, Ross Musolino, was inspired after reading “The Transistion Handbook – creating local sustainable communities beyond oil dependency” and discovered Tatura had many like-minded people.
The Transition Towns group became a reality in October last year at a public meeting attended by about 20 people.
Ross, along with his fellow members, is eager to see the Tatura community understand, accept and prepare itself the distinct and different challenges it will face through the rigours of climate change and the realities of peak oil.
Since its formation, the group has been busy learning what transition means for them, what it means for the community, how best it can encourage other to understand and embrace the idea, structuring itself into an effective working group and exposing the community to the broader idea.

'Since its formation, the group has been busy learning what transition means for them'

One of the group, Alfred Heuperman, has arranged for Prof John Martin from La Trobe University’s Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities to speak in Tatura on Thursday, April 22.
Prof Martin has worked across Australia for the Federal, State and Local governments and in the Asia Pacific and Africa on a range of assignments for the World Bank, the ADB, AusAID and the UNDP.
His current research and consulting interests include local and regional governance, agriculture and rural change, and the impact of climate change on regional Australia.
He will speak at Tatura’s St Mary’s hall at 7:30pm. Admission will be free and a light supper will be provided.
The idea of Transition Towns began to take shape in the mind of the founder, Rob Hopkins, after he visited the Hunza Valley in Northern Pakistan in 1990.
His thoughts were without a name, but began to take shape after he learned about peak oil on 2003 and then in 2006 put together a project “Transition Town Totnes”. The concept has since blossomed, spreading around the world and arrived at Tatura last October.
Eleven people eager to see Tatura adopt the Transition Town ideas meet in the town’s community centre on Wednesday night to talk about advancing the idea locally, the April visit by Prof Martin and report on the various activities of small committees within the group.
One at the Wednesday night meeting, Goulburn Valley vice-president, Terry Court, said that Australia had nearly 30 Transition Towns.
The group’s next meeting is planned for Wednesday, April 14. Those keen to know more about the group, or its activities, should contact Mr Musolino 5824 1038.

Unfathomably complex societies

Quote: Waleed Aly -
It follows, then, that societies are unfathomably complex - far too complex to be grasped by even the most intelligent person. So much about them is intangible and mysterious that they cannot be altered by design in a way one alters a machine. This is why evolved tradition, custom and culture are important: they capture the sorts of intangible wisdom that philosophy cannot. Accordingly, any social change that is dismissive of tradition or believes it can be swept away dangerously misconceives the nature of humans and human society and invites great ruin. Tradition has its own force and wisdom.

Quarterly issue: 'What's right'.

Easter Satuday picnic train

A train trip that was not only back in time, but also to Tocumwal was enjoyed by hundreds of people on Easter Saturday.
The nine carriage-long Tocumwal picnic train carried passengers from Seymour, picked up many more at Shepparton and then journeyed onto the small town just north of the River Murray.
Tocumwal was once a major rail junction, being the place where mis-matched Victorian and New South Wales rail gauges met and passengers changed trains.
Fortunately trains from Victoria can still terminate at Tocumwal, but the New South Wales network has now deteriorated to the point where its use is no longer possible.
The Easter Saturday train was one that has been salvaged, restored by the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre and at least kept in service for outings such as the Easter Saturday picnic train to Tocumwal.
Some of the cars on the Easter train were more than 100 years old and several others were first used in 1930s and had been a part of the historic Spirit of Progress, a train that most older Victorian would have of at least heard about.
In fact, the Spirit’s Parlor Car (above - note the American spelling of Parlor) entered service in November 1937 and gave those a sense on the Easter Saturday train of what train from decades ago would have been like.
The train left Shepparton at 10:16am and arrived in Tocumwal after a leisurely and trouble free journey about 90 minutes later.
Two diesel powered locomotives pulled the train – both 875hp units that entered service in 1962 and 1965.
Heritage train services, such as that in Easter Saturday, are restricted to 80km and are allowed to delay scheduled V/Line Services.
More details about the centre’s other services are listed at the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre website.