A Skewed View! #equality #promotion #bureaucracy

Why is it, as a society, we value our footballers more than we value our educators, our health professionals, many in the legal profession and our politicians. What makes a footballer worth a high six or seven figure income when we pay our Prime Minister less than half of that? Yes, a footballer at the top of his game has inordinate skill that perhaps not many others possess. And yes, you may also say that politicians are all rogues and do not deserve more. But, will the skills of the footballer make an Earth shattering difference to the life expectancy of world populations, to the standard of living for those living in sub-standard accommodation, or to how we live our lives? I know you will all say that footballers have only a short time in which to capitalize of the skills and fitness that sees them at the top of their game. I still cannot see why this means they are worth up to twenty times the income of the average Joe, or worth double what we pay the person we trusted in the democratic process to oversee the running of our country.

Not to be seen to picking on our sports people, there are many anomalies that have developed in our workplaces and society in general in the last couple of decades. Once upon a time if you worked hard, gave your all in an honest day's work, you could work your way from the bottom to the top. Many of the great companies of the world have their very foundations in this work ethos. Those at the top would never have dared to make judgement on those ranked lower than them without first having experienced their position in the business. Sadly, this is no longer the case. Those at the top today are generally the self promoters! These executive elite are the big talkers, Mr or Ms Popular, who never have a moment of self doubt. Are they good at their job? Generally not! However, this does not even occur to them. After all, they have all the worker bees running around making them look good.These  worker bees are those that work hard, have all the knowledge, and take all the falls. To add insult to injury the Queen Bees have somehow managed to acquire these massive salaries, lerks and perks, and a lifestyle to which they have become accustomed. I just love the way the business model is reliant on this voracious appetite for money at any cost. Oh and of course, the executive salary is tied to the bonuses that are reward for the successful posting of a massive profit.

These over paid self promoters run everything today from businesses, to schools, to hospitals, to universities, to banks.  Their success is gauged in profitability. It is no coincidence that with the business model applied to hospitals and schools, that we have seen an exponential growth in administrative staff. With this, has come a pruning of staff at the coal face. The very service that the institution is supposed to provide is in jeopardy due to budgetary constraints but, those in the administration continue to build their ivory towers unabated. Also sadly, many of those in administration have no idea, or experience, of the situation or processes which they oversee. This means many of their decisions are ill founded, wasteful, and downright ridiculous. However, so long as the budget has been met and a profit returned, who cares?

In business, I do not deny it is imperative that companies run at a profit. But, why is it that the one at the top is paid $3,000,000 in some instances and when it comes to cost cutting they ruthlessly prune at the bottom sacking those on a mere pittance. How come none of the executives simply prune a huge chunk off their massive income, and keep on some of the workers at the bottom. You may say this is simply business working in a free enterprise market, but somehow it has all got out of proportion. I fiercely believe that each and every one of us should work to make our way in life. But, with work should also come opportunity. Opportunity that is reward for working hard, not opportunity that is a reward for being a totally incompetent self promoter! How often do we see someone who is totally incompetent promoted and rewarded because no-one quite knows what to do with them? All too often, and maybe this is why the world is in such a mess at the moment. We have those that believe the world owes them a living, and are social security recipients for generation after generation. And we have those self promoters at the top collecting these indecently large salaries, swanning around living the life they believe they are entitled to. 

In the middle we have the workers who are the ones who actually make everything happen. They are generally the ones who cop the cutbacks, who work longer and longer hours for no extra pay, who go the extra mile without being asked. What is in this for them? Gratitude that they actually have a job! Do not get me wrong! I have no problem with people giving their best. But in every workplace there are those who are the big talkers who do not give their best and they are the ones who will rise up the food chain at the expense of the others and the cycle of incompetence will continue. This model will continue until we go back to rewarding hard work and diligence. Then we will have executives who appreciate what it is like to be the storeman, the salesman, the teacher or the nurse. Then we will have executives who have empathy for those at the bottom. The Queen Bee will truly be a worker bee that has been chosen for the right reasons and not a drone that is promoted on self recommendation. 

Until next time, keep working! 

someecards.com

It's all about me really! #knowledge #me #selfabsorbed

Today in class, The year 9's were doing a unit on the environment. They were specifically talking about damage to the environment and native species from introduced plants and animals. When the teacher asked them to name an introduced species, the first answer was a Koala. (Remember, I live in Australia.) The teacher's eyes widened and he said, 'Maybe we better begin with the native species first.' So then he asked for the names of some native animals. The answers poured in, dogs, cows, horses, camels! By this stage the teacher was apoplectic. He said, 'A good place to start would be with some Marsupials!' The answer to that was, 'What is a marsupial?' His eyes glazed over! Purple in the face, the teacher then asked where the girls had been for the first 14 years of their life.

animals.nationalgeographic.com

How do students that live in Australia, go to school in Australia, get to fourteen years of age, and not even know that the native species of Australia include the kangaroo, wallabies, koalas, They are on our coins, our coat of arms and everyone knows these animals are native to Australia. Well we thought everyone knew! What is it that these kids are so interested in that has impeded their thirst for knowledge. What is of so much importance, that is so world changing, that is the only thing that they are vaguely interested in? That elusive thing is - themselves! It is very sad that very few of these kids actually value their education. It is sad that they do not see the empowerment that knowledge brings. I fear we have lost the plot. We are raising a generation of spoilt brats. They are too tired to do the menial tasks required of them because heaven forbid, 'I had to do some work in class.'

Why is it that these kids have such an elevated opinion about their self importance.  Is it because the average family is now two or less children. Is it because the the sun rises, shines and sets in these precious children. They have never known what it is like to be one of the motley crew that is a large family, where money is tight, and you all simply look out for, and after, each other. In a big family,there simply isn't time to worried about yourself! Is it the social media and the breakdown in interpersonal skills that has led to this self-absorbancy? They know every pout and pose for that selfie. They happily snapchat their genitals and yet have no idea that education is power. Power to change their lives for the better. Power to keep them from poverty. Is it the affluence of society that has bred this generation who believes it is the cleaning lady's job too pick up after them. Is it because their parents are too busy working, too tired, too jaded, or all of the above??

rottenecards.com

They are only fourteen!' I hear you say! Yes they are, and the hormones have well and truly kicked in. But, this is no excuse for their general apathy to knowledge, and their poor attitude to learning. In third world countries, the kids are crying out, trying anything that will give them some relief from poverty. Our girls have had it pretty easy really, but basically view their time at school as a time to hang out with friends. The fact that they have lessons is just an inconvenience that must be endured until the next break. I know that lessons have always been a bit of a drag at times but what has happened to their curiosity? At no time have we had greater access to the tools for knowledge. Heaven forbid, it is at our fingertips! It is as easy as a swipe, a touch, or a keyboard - the world is your oyster.

Life is not meant to be easy. But, it can be a hell of a lot easier if you have the skills to make your way in life. It is easier if you know the meaning of self-reliance, cooperation and generosity of spirit. None of this comes from self importance. The 'look at me' syndrome, that grips our young children and adults is self fulfilling and self destructing. How do you widen your knowledge base to build your resilience when you have no idea about anything other than yourself? 

The world is a rapidly changing place. There are many challenges ahead - economic hardship, instability in the Middle East, Ebola and it's consequences. These little darlings are going to meet hardship in their lifetime and will simply, have no idea about the train wreck that is about to hit them. Maybe this will be the Saviour of this indulged, self indulgent youth. They will simply have no choice. Maybe then we will get back the curiosity in our young. Maybe they will realize that the sun does not rise and set with them? I hope so because unless something changes these kids are in for a pretty miserable time. In the mean time, how lovely would it be that the girl's of today's lesson, actually celebrate our wildlife and come back to school knowing that we do not have alligators in Australia, a Koala is not an introduced species, and a camel is certainly not a native one.

Until next time, keep being curious!
 

notable-quotes.com

Nerds Incorporated! #niche #likeminded #geek

What is a nerd? To me a nerd was always the computer geek who spent days, weeks and even months slouched in front of a computer doing things that mere mortals have a snowball's chance in hell of understanding, let alone doing. Then, one day a revelation happened upon me when I realised that I am a nerd, not of the IT criteria but the science criteria. I am an extremely practical person and have always been a science sort of person since an early age. Not that I spent all of my time investigating how things worked or pulling the legs off cicadas. However, I loved all things medical and the smell of a hospital was like an intoxicating giddy excitement. When I left school the obvious career choice was one in health care and so my career in Science began. In a fledgeling pathology service, training was paramount and the technique was really the stuff of dinosaurs.  However, it was hands on science that required skill and patience. When I think about it, we just about drained the patient dry for some of the test, pregnancy tests required toads, TB diagnosis required guinea pigs and glassware reigned supreme.

blog.hmns.org

These days, my occupation in the the Science department of a secondary school still involves many of the techniques I learned a lifetime ago. I still agonise over clean glassware, prepare sterile agar plates, litres of reagents and hang out with like minded people. It was in this job, that the realisation of my nerdiness descended. Our conversations revolve around the latest disease, the next eclipse, how things work, the universe and its beginnings, and the news of the various science Facebook pages dedicated to scientific trivia and breakthroughs. We all get excited at the purchase of a new telescope, jump for joy when the roller coaster we design actually works, and invariably try to achieve yet another party trick involving hydrogen and its volatility.

One of the most exciting times for me, and one when I felt my proudest, was when my very best friend, who is an interior designer and has very little Science inclination, spent ages observing the solar eclipse at the end of 2012 and the total lunar eclipse last week. I was so thrilled as he got my enthusiasm for the whole thing. Even if after the solar eclipse, he said to me that he could not see a thing. I said 'What do you mean?' His reply was 'I cannot see anything after staring at the sun for so long!' I was horrified!!!!! During the recent 'blood moon', even though we live in different cities, he and I watched the Earth and the Moon do their thing, shared photos and commentary. Would he have watched, and appreciated the eclipse if some of my nerdiness had not rubbed off? I do not think so.

I am proud to say that he is in danger of becoming as big a nerd as I am. I have offered to teach him the basics of chemistry but that is a work in progress. It does not matter if he does not quite descend to my level of nerdiness. After all it would be a tad boring if the only conversations we had, were about antimatter, the Hadron Collider, and the Big Bang Theory :) My dear friend is one of the cleverest people I know. His mind is razor sharp and he has the memory of an elephant. His bent, just happens to be a little different from mine. He is a good taste nerd and as an interior designer is fantastic. He rearranges molecules, just on a different level to what I do.

So I have come to the conclusion that we are both nerds. We are good for each other as we challenge each other every day with our difference and our similarities. We have great conversations that range from the trivial to the deep and meaningful.  We have taught each other an inordinate amount about technology and we do not do too badly considering the status of the IT Industry when I was growing up! So we continue to push the boundaries, learn new things each and every day. Most importantly, we value each other for what they really are. We are 'Nerds Incorporated' who look out for, and after, each other each and every day.

Until next time stay safe!

scienceclarified.com

Bags! #fashion #belongings #possessions #humanity

When we look back at civilization the ability to carry items has always been synonymous with survival. Very early in the piece man found a way of collectively carrying his goods and chattels be it bound together on the end of a pole, in a pot, wrapped together in bark or hide or eventually in a bag. Granted they were very rudimentary, but they often meant the difference between life and death in facilitating the transport of food and goods which otherwise would have been impossible to carry.  Today the variety of bags is as diverse as the imagination will allow them to be. A bag is used for every application from packaging food to presenting gifts.  They can be tiny enough to carry gems or large enough to package a fridge or washing machine.  Life without bags is impossible to imagine.  How would we carry our shopping? What would we carry our clothes in when traveling? Imagine a school with no backpacks or bags full of books!

yellowpages.com.au

Even if we leave all the packaging bags to one side, look at the diversity in the bags that we choose to carry every day.  We have bags for our laptops. We have bags for our tablets. We have bags for our makeup and toiletries. We have nappy bags, hand bags, duffel bags, backpacks and the list goes on. The materials from which they are made is also endless. The textures, colours and durability all influence our decision when it comes to choosing a bag. Handbags vary in size from the miniscule to the obscenely large. Luggage comes in all shapes and sizes, with wheels and without, made from plastic, fabric, combinations of both and anything in between. Backpacks enable the backpackers to see the world with just one bag, just as they allow a toddler to carry his own lunch into daycare. The list is endless and their application is the same.

westsidetoday.com

The bane of modern civilization is the plastic grocery bag and I do not know how many stores, governments etc have tried to get rid of them. When I was young groceries were packed into large brown paper bags. When you tried to carry multiples of these, you usually ended up with the bottom falling out of one of the bags as the condensation from the milk etc made the bag wet. Whilst not the most durable, these bags were great for the environment (if you don't count the trees they choppd down to make them) as they were 100% biodegradable. They did not end up in our oceans, river systems and land fill. However, along came the plastic grocery bag. They were cheap, strong, lightweight, easy to carry. The world must consume billions of them every week. Once we have them, we re-use them for every task known to man. They become rubbish bags, lunch bags, clothes bags, luggage bags. But unfortunately their durability is also a liability as they claim the life of sea creatures, clog waterways and remain in landfill for an eternity. Many of the substitute grocery bags are really no better for the environment than the plastic ones. They are made from byproducts of the petro-chemical industry. We would do well to use well constructed calico bags. They are easily washed for hygiene, they are durable, they are biodegradable, and  they are strong.

The versatility of bags is truly remarkable. We put our sandwich in one which we, in turn, carry in a cooler bag, that usually ends up inside a school bag, handbag, or briefcase! They are a bit like Russian dolls really!!!  We put our delicate items of laundry into wash bags! We have toiletry bags, dirty clothes bags, shoe bags, brown paper bags, organza bags, freezer bags, cliplock bags and the list goes on, and on, and on! In any one house, the number of bags would be endless, and to think they all have originated from the need to collect, keep and carry items necessary for survival.

jaunted.com

Not much has changed really! At the moment we see the refugees pouring out of the Middle East carrying their few meagre belongings in those checked fibreglass bags. These bags are carrying humanity, they are carrying a lifetime. They are the symbol of despair and a symbol of hope. Without them, or some other bag, these poor unfortunate souls would have to flee with nothing. The displaced and the homeless carry their worldly possessions in bags. The term 'bag lady' symbolizes the homeless, just as these fibreglass bags are a symbol of those now fleeing war and annihilation. These humble, simple articles, that we call bags, are the fabric that allow these people to scrape together what is left of their lives and carry it to safety.

Just as birds collect and carry twigs to make their nest, and mice scurry backward and forwards shredding paper etc to build theirs, the origin of the humble bag began with the need for human beings to collect and carry. Today, they are part of everyone's lives from one end of the spectrum to the other. To some they are the symbol of survival. To others they are a status symbol with brand names displayed like the peacock's feathers. The bag has been with us since the beginning of time, and I believe like the proverbial cockroach, and will be here long after the end of mankind. The humble bag will give testimony to the ingenuity, the courage, the frivolity, the humanity, and the frailty of man.

Them and Us! #ethnicity #religion #disease

Right now, the world is a bit of a  mess. There is the huge threat to world stability and peace with the tinder box of the Middle East in the throes of a Holy War. We have Russia wielding its might against the Ukraine - 'It is only a little country.' I hear you say, but let me remind you of the whereabouts of the beginning of World War 1. Africa can only be described as a proverbial mess. We have flexing of the muscles of the giants of SE Asia, and we have the United States and its coalition partners trying to be the peace makers and brokers when others, who have much more at stake, refuse to stand up and be counted.

kpbs.org

The very evolution of the world and its environs has meant the development of different races of different colour, different beliefs, different lifestyles, different languages. These differences are not exclusive to different continents but are abundant, even within countries, as man formed into tribes for survival. This very fight for survival has meant that man has fought man since the beginning of time. It is simply the magnitude of the battle, the ferocity of the fight and the loss of morals that makes today's battle such a despicable one. We have lost our way as a society. We are supposed to care for our fellow man, and yet, we remain silent when bad things happen. Is this because we have become so self absorbed that we cannot see past the next selfie? Is it because we do not want to stand up and be counted for fear that no-one will support us? (This does happen friends - all the time!) All too often there are those who make the bullets but, are not prepared to fire them, or take the consequences of their actions. Is it self preservation that makes us shy away from doing the tough stuff?

How easy is it with social media to feel we are doing our bit without actually doing anything. We simply hashtag the latest issue, feel righteous, then move on and not give a second thought to the actual plight of those involved. A classic example of this is #saveourgirls. Whatever became of this movement - too hard, too old?? I can remember at the time talking to others about these poor, unfortunate girls and saying that if they were not released, I hoped they had all been lined up and shot. It was greeted by stunned silence! However, I went on to explain that there is a fate worse than death, and these girls were likely to meet it. They will be raped, tortured, sold into slavery and a misery that few of us can imagine. To them death would be merciful, and welcome, but we have moved on to the next hashtag #icebucketchallenge, so our conscience is clear (apparently)!

In Africa, we have the ultimate enemy of Ebola, as it heeds no borders, no religion, no tribal ethnicity. We all thought this outbreak would be like others, where it hung around for a while, killed off a few, and retreated back to the rainforest. However, while the world (until recently) stood by and waited, this virus spread like the plague in the Middle Ages. Lack of hygiene, lack of will, corrupt governments, ignorance, and complacency from the West has let this crisis escalate till it is no longer just their problem (which we would happily ignore forever). Without Bill Gates the world would have waited forever, then screamed blue murder when it arrived on our doorstep. Oh sorry, that is different, as it is now 'us' and not just 'them'!

We have a very strong 'them and us' mentality today. All the way from religion, civil rights, health issues, and everything in between to whether or not daycare is good for kids. There is no 'them' and 'us' with sickness.It strikes indiscriminately! Yes, the battle may be different depending upon your circumstance, but it makes us face our mortality and realize that no one of us is any better or worse than another. It is how we play the game of life that will make a difference when our time has come. We will be able to say we lived a life well lived and done our very best for ourselves and others.

It is time those within religions stood up and be counted against their own who perpetrate evil. Stand up publicly and stand beside the country that has become their home, accept their customs and say enough is enough. We are firstly citizens and secondly a religion. It is time for us to become one community. The world is no longer a conglomeration of isolated tribes that occasionally happen to bump into each other. We live next door to each other, we travel through each others borders constantly. We need to respect each others beliefs, and way of life, while embracing the community as a whole. Through standing up for others - be it those less fortunate, the ill and infirm, religious and sectarian minorities, women, children - we can make the world a better place.

So drag yourself away from your cell phone. Be not afraid to actually take a stand a little more strongly than #selfiewithoutmakeup. Have a look at those Kurdish women who have taken up arms to fight evil. They are real women with real issues and real courage. Instead of 'Them' and 'Us' let us try to become 'One'. We will not succeed in one day, and we do not have to do the quantum leap on the first day! But, by actually standing up for what is right and the rights of others, we and the world will prosper.

Maybe,just maybe, out of this mess a real Spring will rise!

#harshtag

What is a Gift? #life #talent #miracle

theguardian.com

When we talk of gifts, our minds turn to presents that we give for an occasion or reason.  However, whist these gifts play a very important role in expressing our feelings they are not the only context in which the word 'gift' can be used. One of the most beautiful gifts ever is the gift of life.  Who cannot help but marvel at the miracle of life when a new plant pops its head out of the soil to stretch its first  cotyledons towards the sunshine; or a chicken pecks its way out of the shell to emerge all bedraggled and wet only to morph into a yellow ball of fluff within a short space of time; or when the first cry of a newborn babe emits to herald the beginning of a new life. Life is truly a miracle and a gift. The gift of life continues to be a miracle throughout the entirety of life as a baby gives its first smile, takes its first step, as young love blossoms for the first time, as the body regenerates after sickness, and as the sun goes down on our lifetime, though the body and mind may be frail, we marvel at what each day will bring.

We simply have to look around us to appreciate the gifts that abound in our lives. The gift of nature, her beauty, her ferocity, her simplicity, her complexity shapes our lives and our futures. The gift of hearing enables us to be able to appreciate the beauty of music, the wonder of  speech and language, the comfort of waves lapping the shore and the excitement of a jet engine passing overhead. The gift of sight lays before us the beauty, and rawness, of a world laid bare. Through sight we witness first hand the very best and the very worst that life can bring. The gift of health is one we most often take for granted and fail to appreciate until we suddenly find it gone. All too late, we wish that we had taken care of the fragile gift of our health - not eaten that extra cake, had that extra glass of red wine, smoked that last cigarette. The gift of wealth is by definition the most diverse, as what one man defines as wealth, is poles apart from what another man may define wealth. Once we appreciate the gifts that define us, and the gift that our life really is, we will begin looking after not only ourselves but the world around us.
 
'Gift' is also used to describe a talent or a trait when people excel at a particular skill. What an apt and beautiful way to describe the skill of the musician, the genius of the mathematician, the flair of the artist and the ability of the top student. These are the people that make their field of expertise look flawless and simple. It is indeed a wonderful thing that the gifted in humanity are all gifted in a different way. How boring would it be in a world full of gifted scientists that solved mysterious formulae. The gifted have given us the works of Shakespeare, The Sistine Chappel, the Hadron Collider, Disney Land and Facebook to give you a microcopic example.Without our gifted and talented the world would indeed be a poorer place.

Whilst not every person is gifted in a genius type of way, I believe that each and every person is gifted in their own way. In a world where many choose to terminate their Down's Syndrome  pregnancies, I always marvel at the sunny nature of these children and adults and the gift of this sunshine that they add to our lives. Each of us deserves to be valued for the gifts that makes us the unique being that we truly are.

Some give the ultimate gift through donating their organs. Usually, the donation of organs involves the death of the donor and this selfless gift, not only from the donor but their loved ones, truly does mean a gift of life, as the recipients would surely die without this most significant gift.  

The gifts that touch our lives (which in themselves are a gift) are many and varied. The gifts vary from the material, to the emotional, to the imaginary, to the real. Whatever form the gifts in our lives take they are part of us, they shape us and the world around us. Give thanks for your gifts, appreciate them, take them by the throat and run with them!

en.wikipedia.org

A Natural Alternative #examinationbedsheets #surgicallinen

This week with a spring of excitement we venture along with Medical Search (www.medicalsearch.com.au) to promote what we here at WinC Wrap in Cotton believe in.  At WinC we believe in natural.  We believe that our products be friendly to the environment and we believe that our relationships are as natural as the sun rising in the morning.

If you are a believer in a disposable society then WinC Wrap in Cotton is not for you.  If you are a believer in a sustainable future then you have come to the right place.

At WinC we started our business in 2012 with our gift wrap range with our motto of   'The gift that keeps on giving'.  To this day we still believe that our wraps are the look of the future. Let's face it furoshiki has existed for centuries in Japan (Nara period). Yes, we have taken a modern twist to that age old wrapping method with great results, with the wrapping itself being part of the gift itself. Being true to the environment, and bringing many years of use and memories, rather than paper wrapping which ends only in waste tips and, as revenue for disposable producers.

At the end of 2012 we had a call from a surgeon who asked if we could make sheets for his surgery. His words were "I am sick and tired of paper sheets having to be peeled out of patient's cracks" . We assume he was talking surgery scars, he he. Since that time, we at WinC have been making fitted sheets for examination beds, modesty sheets and pillow cases to individually fit doctor's exam beds and beauty care beds in their corporate colours. No, our products are not cheap and nor is their quality.  These surgical sheets are made to order, hand made (not mass produced by sweat houses overseas) and a made to last. They are made of hospital quality fabric, and strong elastic, of which, none shrink, fade, or go out of shape.  They, like our other products, are made to keep on giving.  We individually tailor your linen and individually tailor a delivery that suits you no matter what part of the globe you are in.  

So, if you believe like WinC Wrap in Cotton, that you need a natural product that is tailored to your needs and, if you believe mass production leads to mass disappointment, then WinC Wrap in Cotton is the place to shop.  We have a page on this blog that features our linen and how a couple of our customers feel about our product. Have a read!

Contact us today and speak to a real person who can guarantee your linen will keep on giving years of productivity. 

Firm Believer

Winc Spurt
Contact: jennyadmin@wincwrapincotton.com
or
sales@wincwrapincotton.com

Examination Bed Sheets in Corporate Colours

Guest Writer #equality #humanrights #discrimination

As you will notice, apart from my sign off as "Winc Spurt', my writing is more airy fairy than the main contributor for Wincwrapincotton. Our dynamics are directed to lifestyles. However, my dear friend is more of a science and logic type of gal.  Ask her to quantify the facts and figures of emissions etc - there she is! I am sure that she could calculate, and discern, the emissions from a gay boys bathroom faster than we can find the local gay haunt.  She is a woman of substance, a woman of character, a no holes barred kind of girl.  The kind of girl you feel safe with.  The kind of girl that you could stroll with your manbag down a dark alley full of poofter bashers lurking, and know that this woman would take them on and win.  

bagrepublic.com.au

You know that if this woman wouldn't kill these people as to why gays have rights with logic, as small as she is, off she would whip her 'Birkenstocks' and beat them into submission.  This woman is a power to be reckoned with.  A straight woman who believes that we all have a place in society, a place where we all can coexist.  This woman will stand and be counted when most will sit back and let it happen. Her husband and her children will attest to her unending passion for equality, and if they don't agree to her thinking, they soon will with her unending passion of getting her point across. 

Where am I going with this you may well ask?  Is my next step to beatify this woman? Maybe, but I certainly believe we should take lessons from her and, follow her lead.  How many of us depend on people, such as this woman, to fight the fight.  How many of us sit in the afterglow of a battle well fought, and say that was tough, without ever even having a hair out of place in the first instance.  How many of us talk, talk, talk of the difficulties of being gay, of being a feminist, of the unfairness of inequality, and never go past the 'poor me' syndrome.  

Yes it is lovely to feel safe with people doing the front line battle.  Its great to have hope that one day all will be equal in the world.  But, can we actually say that we were in this together?  Put simply, NO!   For whatever cause we are seeking won, we must also contribute! Whether it be ageism, racism, sexuality issues we must all contribute.  What would we do if suddenly these people who are fighting for our rights ceased, owing to battle fatigue.  It is well and good sitting comfortably in our gay bars etcetera chatting with our friends, saying another state or another country has signed for same sex marriages but, until every corner of the globe is on the same platform, nothing is safe.

Not for one minute, am I saying that we like my friend, shed our 'Birkenstocks' and start physically fighting the fight, but we all have a voice. We all have computers, we all have pens. We all have the power to vote or not vote for those who do not support equal rights.  We all have ingredients to offer to the mix.  Stirring the pot, adding ingredients of our own will make the mixture much healthier and to our liking.  Taking part in the cook up is much nicer for the tasting if we have add  our touches to the banquet of life.

In short, I am asking you to join these people in 'our' causes.  Don't sit back and wait for it to happen.  The proof is in the mixture of the pudding, and the taste can be a much sweeter victory if we are all united and work together no matter what our cause.

Firm Believer

Winc Spurt

Contact:- leeadmin@wincwrapincotton.com

Place one of these stickers on the window of your business. Show your support for equality and gay rights. They are availble at www.wincwrapincotton.com

A New Slant on Life!

Those who actually know me already know by now that I am fairly non-compliant when it comes to most things. If anyone wants me to do something, the very worst thing they can do, is actually tell me that I have to do it. This is the precise moment when I decide that there is no way on Earth that I will be doing whatever it is that they have recommended, decided, or chosen for me to do. Stubborn, -I suppose you could say that.

This obtuse trait is not isolated to tasks and chores. It plays a very large role in my personal health management plan. I have the idea that if I never go to the doctor, then I will never get sick. Stupid I know but, I feel going to the doctor for nothing major will tempt fate. Consequently, I rarely visit the doctor, I just bumble through with my philosophy of  'You will either get better or you will kark it!' It seems to have worked ok so far.

So came a period recently where I was having a lot of trouble with my eyes. I was waking in the night with a headache in my right eye. After, looking at lights to determine whether or not I could see rainbows, their absence indicated to me that I had not developed close angle glaucoma . So, I decided that maybe I simply needed new glasses. Ooooh how long was it since I had been to have my eyes tested?? Quite a while I thought, and yes,
it was close to 5 years. No wonder my glasses were scratched beyond belief.

I was not too keen on heading out to the optometrist as my last pair of glasses proved to be a bit of a marathon effort. I had my eyes tested as per normal. Phew, the script was the same. I chose my frames - robust ones! I am very rough on my glasses and when choosing frames I try to buy 'Mack Truck' ones, as any of lesser quality have little chance of surviving the beating they will get. Off they went to get the lenses fitted. 'No worries' I thought! Same script, and I had previously not had a moments bother adjusting to the graduated lenses. How wrong was I! 'The lenses are made with new technology,' they said! 'Soo good,' they said! 'Disconcerting,' they should have said! My new glasses looked great from the outside in. But, from the inside out - eeeeeek. Everything round, became oval, I could no longer read writing that the previous week I could have read easily. The list goes on but my optometrist is a persistent guy and he said not to accept until I could see perfectly. This took three attempts at getting the lenses right. All was right with the world!

No wonder I was loathe to get my eyes tested again. But, off I went. Once again all was fine until the dreaded new glasses were ready to collect. They looked great! BUT, as soon as I put them on, I knew they were not any good. Once again my round dinner plates are oval, my computer screen, ipad and phone screen are much narrower at the bottom than the top, and anything that should be square is a parallelogram. 'Give it time,' they said. 'Your brain has to adjust' they said. 'Wrong,' I said. However, I still have my glasses and, a bit like my view on life, everything is quite warped. The only thing that appears quite normal are my dear friends who are bent. I have no idea if the glasses can be fixed, but everyone keeps reassuring me that they are far superior lenses made with the latest technology. 'Just give me the old technology,' I say. 'We will adjust the ones you have,' they say. 'How do I see in the mean time,' I say. As a result, my new glasses are still firmly glued to my nose.

Seeing as they are on my nose and appear to be there to stay, I will put a positive spin on my my new glasses. Now that this superior technology has given me a new slant on life, I can move forward without bias when discussing the stupidity of politicians; I can lean towards interests that really tickle my fancy and I can recline in my chair and have a nap if I feel so inclined! 

Take care, as things may not be as they appear!

www.regentsprep.org

Nanny State #resilience #responsibility #ownership

Today, I spent the day doing a first-aid course. It was the usual of bandaging, CPR etc with a few new extras such as anaphylaxis and asthma treatment. The one feature of the course that really struck a chord with me today was the arse covering with what you could, or could not do, for fear of litigation. I am not advocating we take things into our own hands and pretend we are doctors, but how you can be sued, for simply trying to help someone, when they may very well perish without intervention, is beyond me! Why can't we be gracious enough to acknowledge the efforts of others and take some responsibility for ourselves.

This got me to thinking about how today, nobody wants to take responsibility for their own actions. It is always someone else's fault! Everyone wants the government to take responsibility for all sorts of things, from regulation of fast food through to all sorts of petty junk that governments have no business being involved in. I cannot believe in this country how readily people give up their rights and freedoms to some government regulatory body simply because they are too lazy, or lack the conviction, to take responsibility for themselves. We are giving away our freedom at an alarming rate and nobody seems to care. Nor do they realize, that every freedom we give up, requires a fee for an application, or a fine, for non-compliance! They simply provide government with another revenue stream, as fees and fines are simply another tax that we have to pay.

Today, we wrap our kids in cotton wool. We do not allow them to do anything that is not organized to the n'th degree. We have made them into fearful, anxious, little beings that have no idea that life is tough. God help them when they get to the tough bit because they have never known failure (We now call that dreaded 'fail' word - success deferred!!!!)  Success deferred???? What the hell does that mean? We do not allow them the freedom to be kids. To use their imagination, to run free and most of all just be! Through the freedoms of childhood come the scrapes and broken bones. But from these kids learn problem solving skills and resilience. They learn to improvise, compromise and most of all to look out for, and after, themselves. 

museumvictoria.com.au

My childhood, in a small country town, was one of long days of play where trees became pirate ships, the chook house, a hairdressing salon!  We left home to play just after breakfast and roared home just before dinner. We never went inside anyone's house to play, we were not allowed to ask for food and if we were thirsty, we had a drink out of the garden hose. We played through long hot summer days, of Cowboys and Indians, had billy cart races down long hills and made hopscotches in the gravel of the road. We went home with sheets of gravel rash, which we knew, would earn us a clip over the ear for overloading the billy cart. We learned to hook up backyard telephones, build cubbies out of galvanized iron and on occasions were known to cut down guinea grass with a Japanese sword that my father had souvenired from the Pacific in the Second World War! Did any of us die? Absolutely not! We learned life skills that have stood us in good stead for our entire lives.

We rode our bikes with the wind in our hair, we hung out of trees, flew around on hurdy gurdy's until we could not see straight, let alone stand up. We swam in creeks, played in long grass and we survived!! We looked out for each other. We learned to problem solve - even if it was only to get out of a hiding for lighting a fire in a paint tin and getting burnt. We learned to take responsibility for ourselves and not to blame others for our shortcomings.

I know we live in a very different world today where technology rules (Hey, I am blogging here!) but the rules for kids today should be the same. They should be made take ownership of their behaviour. Mum and Dad should not bail them out of every situation of their own making. This is how we learn from our mistakes, because anyone who has not made a mistake has not lived. This is how we end up with responsible adults. 

We need to tell government to get out of our lives, that we are able to take responsibility for our decisions and, as such, not expect the government to pick up the slack. It will be liberating in more ways than one! We will not have anywhere near the number of fees or fines and, once again children will know the freedom of unrestrained play - the wind in their hair, the dirt under their nails, the skin off their knees and most importantly, the sleep of the innocent.

When, we bring about this change, we will once again see a greater sense of community and have the freedom to get involved without the fear of being sued simply for trying to do the right thing. The Nanny State will have no place in our lives and metaphorically speaking everyone will feel the joy of the wind in their hair!

Weather Girl! #sunshine #happy #moods

I know that 'Cabin Fever' is a diagnosed condition and another name for the depression that settles after a long winter of cloudy skies, virtually no daylight and being cooped up in doors. But, is there such a condition for someone who lives in a city that has almost 360 days per year of sunshine. This situation suits me just fine as I am a sunshine girl.

wallpaper-download.net

I live in the tropics, in an area that is in a bit of a rain shadow. This can be a bit of a curse when we are looking for a bit of a top up for our water supply, but living in the dry tropics can be very liberating. You are virtually guaranteed picture perfect weather for months on end.  The winters are not too bad but I love the summer. It is hot and I love hot. I do not like dry western heat, I like moist tropical heat, the sweat running down your back type of heat! I love the ceiling fan whirring overhead, only having a bottom sheet on the bed and the washing drying in about 10 minutes. 'Oh, but you have to have air-conditioning', I hear you say. No we do not have air-conditioning because I cannot see the point of living in the tropics if you are simply going to live inside with all your windows and doors shut. I like my windows open and the fresh air coming in. I am a sticky beak and I like to know what is going on outside - the sound of the wind in the trees, the cockatoos squawking and in summer the deafening sound of the cicadas.

My mood is wired to the weather. I can handle rain if it is big fat rain that belts down in drenching volumes but, I really dislike cloudy weather where the skies are grey with heavy cloud that simply sits. I like rain that washes everything clean - the cloud lifts and the sky simply sparkles! The air is full of positive ions and all is good in the world. I dislike misty rain that comes with the wind and makes you cold. It makes me want to eat, it makes me bored  and it makes me feel anxious and sad. When it is dark early and cold to boot, I long for long summer days where it is 30C plus from 6am to 9pm and the days are long and sultry. I do not know if my dislike for cloudy skies comes from my childhood where the it drizzled for months on end with the cloud hugging the hilltops and the misty rain gusting in on a cool south easterly wind, but I know I need to live with sunshine.

Do not get me wrong, we do not actively lie in the sun here to get a tan because you can literally feel the sun burning you. You do not tan, you cook! The sun here has some grunt! But our lifestyle where you can really wear very little clothing all year round is idyllic. Yes, sometimes it is very difficult to get your clothes on after a shower because you are already sweating so much they simply stick to you! Your makeup runs off as fast as you put it on! But if your wear clothing that is suitable for the climate, forget the makeup, then you are just fine. Our minimum temperatures in summer rarely fall below 25C so there is no need to look for anything warm when you get out of bed. That is just how I like it. Easy! 

That is not to say that my love of hot is for everyone. Obviously, there are many who would hate the heat of the tropics, who rightfully love the weather in their particular part of the world. I just happen to love the weather in my part of the world. Ok, there are the cyclones that I am not too fond of but thankfully they do not visit too often. We take cyclones here very seriously and our houses are built to withstand winds of up to 250km/hr and we have emergency procedures in place. But, when they do come, one positive is that they are fantastic fly screen cleaners. When the wind dies down, and the rain abates, and the sun peeks out of the cloud, the fly screens are spotless!!

This is a weather girl who loves the smell of new rain on hot bitumen, loves the rebirth that rain brings after the last drop has fallen and the sun blazes down in its full glory. This is a weather girl that loves the sun in her face, and a breeze in her hair. So bring on summer with the heat, the sweat and the mozzies! That is when I am at my happiest! 

Happy Summer Days to You!

Balance! #farming #conservationists #land

At the moment in Australia, huge tracts of our country are drought declared. At no time since settlement have some areas been de-stocked to the degree that they are today. Farmers are desperately trying to maintain a minimal breeding herd, but for some, even this has proved to be impossible. Some stations have been completely stripped of their herds as it proves impossible for farmers to keep their animals alive. They have been sold off at reduced prices where possible and many that are starving a simply shot where they stand in the ultimate act of mercy by their owners. I know that farmers are pragmatic people but to them, their herds are not only their livelihood, they care for their animals as well. To have to shoot their herd takes an amazing act of courage or an amazing act of desperation. Sadly for many, it is an act of both, as in recent times many have taken their own lives at the end of a gun after destroying their herds.

abc.net.au

Our farmers are a stoic lot. They go about their business under harsh Australian conditions with very little support. There are no subsidies in this country. They farm under non-protectionist policies and are told to compete on a world market where other governments subsidize their primary producers to the hilt. Our farmers have among the world's best farming practices. They are efficient, they are environmentally aware and, if given a fair, go they are profitable. This fair go includes not only the hand dealt to them by the weather, the price for their produce in the market place, the costs imposed on them by essential services but, the support from an urbanized population.

It is probably fair to say that the average urban Aussie has absolutely no idea where the food (and we have quality food in this country) comes from. They have no idea that as they sleep in their doona cocoons with the sun rising, in vast tracts of the countryside, farmers have been at work for hours going about the business they do best - growing food. To them, milk comes from a carton, meat in a nitrogen filled bubble pack in the supermarket, fruit and vegetables from bins at the market. They have no idea how this produce actually arrived at their supermarket, let alone how it grows or where it grows. This is slowly changing with the advent of community gardens within our cities but we have a long way to go before the average Aussie understands exactly how and where there food actually comes from and the calibre of people who farm this great country.


To many environmentalists the farmers have been the enemy and they have done their darnedest to destroy these keepers of our land. Our farmers are the ones who combat feral pigs, woody weeds,wild dogs and feral cats. Introduced pests are not their only problem, as our beloved kangaroo that rises to plague proportions during good seasons, eats out their meagre supply of grass during dry times, and dingoes eat their livestock. When they try to control these factors that mean the difference as to whether or not they make a living, they are deamonized. This is from city dwelling idealists that have never set foot off the asphalt. Farmers look after their soils, their land, their ecosystems, as that is their livelihood. Farmers are Australia's first environmentalists and as such deserve the support of each and every Australian.

The support services in rural ares are poor to say the least.The women must leave to have their babies, the medical services are sparse (the doctors who service these areas are as tireless and as amazing as their patients), and psychological services non-existent. You may say that is fair enough in Australia's vast inland. But, I am talking about rural Australia in general - East Coast, West Coast and anywhere in between. It is no wonder that the mortality rate for rural Australia is much higher than that of their city cousins.

We as a nation, from government through to the man on the street, need to give our farmers the support they deserve. They very rarely ask for support.  Not because they don't need it, but because they are a proud lot who love what they do. Believe me, they would not do it without this extraordinary love for the land. If nothing more, than the integrity of our food supply, is motivation for looking out for our farmers, we need to embrace these hard working, increasingly marginalized people. So, next time you sit down to a meal, give thanks to our farmers. If they need a hand up in difficult times do not be afraid to put your hand in your pocket and help out. It may well be a life or death difference.

This is a harsh land with a generous heart. Make yours the same! 

Give our farmers a fair go!

I'm Always Chasing Rainbows #hope #newbeginnings

From time to time there in the sky before us, is the wonder of nature, that is the rainbow! Then our mind turns to things material and we dream of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and we share these dreams with those around us. Whoever it is we are with at the time - mother, father, child, lover, or friend. When alone, we simply dream on!!

Rainbows are seen as a new beginning, a celebration of the skies after the rain. They are a sign of hope. A sign of how wonderful our world really is.  Rainbows are indeed glorious.  But let's stop and think about it for a minute, unless we are kinder to our environment there will be no rainbows, there will be nothing to dream for. There will be no one with which to share our dreams, our hopes, and our pot of gold.

en.wikipedia.org

Yes, there are pots of gold to be made out there, but at whose expense?  Everyday we see another plastic gadget come on the market to make our lives more simple. We rush to the stores to buy, then they wrap it in the very trees that give us the oxygen to breath.  Meanwhile, the factories that are making these gadgets, and their pot of gold, are pumping needless toxins into the air. We then rush home to our air purifiers, our air conditioners, our Ventolin puffers, not noticing that the trees that give us our breath are disappearing as fast as that new gadget's life span. And, believe me they don't last long, not as long as the toxins last in our air.

I am not being an advocate smokers here but, we have banned them from public places. We are confining their polluting ways to areas that cause less discomfort to others. We have made them carry packets that show graphic illustrations for the damage that they are doing to their own bodies and the bodies of those affected by their second hand smoke.  I can understand the reasoning behind this onslaught against smokers, but do we see graphic pictures of damage on most of the products we get in the shops? The pollution caused by these manufacturing processes is just as damaging as second hand smoke! Do we see pictures of cities being destroyed by the pall of  factory smoke that hangs over them forcing the residents to wear surgical masks? Do we see pictures of buildings and crops destroyed by acid rain which is simply this factory pollution washing back to Earth in the form of sulphuric acid?? Do we see pictures of the forests destroyed in the making of the paper packaging products? Not only are these trees unable to produce lifesaving oxygen but, the carbon that is locked up in the tree as cellulose is now unleashed on the world as carbon dioxide. I here you say, 'We only use recycled wrapping paper.' But is it necessary to even use wrapping paper in the first place?

There are farmers struggling for a living, when they could be growing natural products to wrap our products.  There is bamboo, pineapple leaves, cotton, and lilies to name a few that can be grown to make products to wrap our treasures in.  But it is trees, the very things that are our carbon sinks, that give us the oxygen we breathe, that provide food and shelter for countless creatures, that we destroy to provide us with packaging and, the manufacturers with their pots of gold. We have a choice to say 'no' to the wrapping. We have a choice to say 'no' to another plastic gadget.

There is no choice but to tell our children our friends and loved ones to stop this raping and pillaging of our environment.  We have no choice but to tell our governments to battle the war on wastage. Our landfill sites are at tipping point with disposable rubbish. When we go to the doctor and we see those disposable sheets covering their surgical beds, we must say no, we want a natural product not something that adds to the pollution of the planet on every level.                                                 

Yes! we want to see the rainbows. We want our children to benefit from a healthy environment. We need to think before we make easy choices.  All of us need to act in a way that benefits Planet Earth, not just ourselves.

Lets not be just chasing rainbows and looking for the little blue bird. in vain. Look and see the sunshine, see the glorious planet we have inherited and leave the legacy of a rejuvenating and sustainable future.

Firm Believer,

Winc Spurt.

Contact: leeadmin@wincwrspincotton.com    

I'm Always Chasing Rainbows - Judy Garland                                    

Solar On! #sustainability #climatechange #carbonpollution #globalwarming

A few years ago when climate change was the new religion and its following was reaching mass hysteria proportions, governments told us that unless we changed the way we lived we were all doomed. We were the bad guys. How dare we begin to use all these new fangled electrical goods that had become embedded in our lives. I am not an air-conditioning fan as you know but, how dare people actually turn on, run, and keep cool with these things they have paid money for, and installed for that very purpose!!!! Our carbon footprint, whatever that really is, was bigger than that of a Yeti. We were told that we had to reduce our electricity consumption. Government incentives and subsidies were all put in place to encourage everyone into the renewable energy cycle.

theguardian.com

As with all things subsidized by governments, I have no doubt prices were artificially inflated but the average Joe off the street took on the pain of climate change and embraced solar generated power. They saw it as a way to keep their electricity bills in check, and do their bit for the environment as well. The fact that as much if not more CO2 is produced in the production of the solar panels than they will ever save in electricity generation their lifetime is something that not many people realize. And so, they go about their business of installing solar panels on their roof. Might I add, that this is at considerable cost to themselves, many even taking out loans. However, the contracts that governments entered into meant that over time you would recoup your costs, have cheaper electricity bills, help the environment, and even save the government having to build new power stations to keep up with demand.

So why now, are those that have solar panels on their roof, the bad guys? It makes perfect sense in sunny Australia that we should have as many as possible. However, all these solar panels highlighted a serious flaw in the nation's electricity network. Successive governments ripped the profits out of the electricity generating industry and put it into consolidated revenue so they could afford their extravagant, wasteful ways.The end result being the electricity distribution network was seriously run down, and not designed to have all of these solar panels feeding electricity into the grid. Firstly, the powers that be decided to limit the number of solar producers to so many per street. Then, they changed that policy to limit the size of the unit you were allowed to install, with no restriction on who could install them. Now we have street upon street of solar panels. Why shouldn't we? It is a free country with limitless sunshine. But because of the failure of successive governments to do anything with our infrastructure this oversupply of generating power is having serious repercussions for the electricity grid.

When big business and governments do their forward planning and expenditure budgets they project their future revenue base. This future revenue base has taken a serious hit. Why? Because the average Aussie took all this environmental stuff on board and embraced energy efficiency and renewable energy. We not only generate power and pump it back into the grid, we also do not use as much. This has left the distribution companies with huge shortfalls in their projections!!! Hence, they then come up with all sorts of fancy accounting procedures of fixed charges for nothing and begin a smear campaign to deflect criticism away from themselves.

Australia in recent years has become embroiled in a tug of war between the 'haves' and the 'have nots'. This conflict is the perfect platform for the smear campaign - after all only the rich can afford solar panels, right?? Wrong! The average solar panel owner is simply that - average. We were told we should do this. Often at great expense to ourselves. Nobody gave them to us! We paid for them! But now we are the rich and we are ripping off the poor because we are being paid under a legal and binding (until the government changes it) contract for the electricity we generate. We are told we are selfish because we do not contribute to the poles and wires. I have paid my electricity bill for the last however many years and had solar panels for 2. But no, that does not count!! I will give them count. Get rid of some of the bureaucrats earning more than $500,000/annum and then we will see real savings.

Electricity prices in Australia are fast becoming the highest in the world. With our plentiful supply of (dare I say it) coal, countless days of sunshine and another taboo subject, uranium, our power generating capacity is assured almost until the end of time. So, why should we have to pay this ridiculous amount of money for this essential item for everyday living. Sheer incompetence, and empire building is why!! It is time for all politicians and bureaucrats to be held accountable. It simply is not good enough when they make these huge messes and sail off into the sunset without even so much as a backward glance.

So stop bashing the solar panel owners who were trying to do the right thing. I am tired of, and resent, being made out to be this rich, non-caring person who is simply ripping off those less fortunate than myself. We are just the average Jo who is trying to make ends meet the same as everyone else. Solar power makes sense, especially in industry where they consume any power they generate. However, they do not have a mortgage on solar power cos it also makes sense for everyone. We just have to get those in power (pardon the pun) to stop building ivory towers and begin looking to the future with our infrastructure and make sure it is up to the task required of it. 

My thoughts!

WinC Spurts

en.wikipedia.org