Comments for Thinking Allowed

Comment on From the Kitchen #140 by Daan Spijer

Daan Spijer — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 07:51:24 +0000

Don’t forget that the Aborigines n Australia had thousands of acres under cultivation (mostly yam daisies) and also ‘farmed’ certain grasses. They weren’t only hunter-gatherers. They also made extensive stone fish traps in some places and, at least in Victoria, built stone houses.
I get what you say about the difference between knowing how to live with the land and living in equilibrium with it. I guess what I was getting at is the attitude of so many people (peoples) that they can just keep exploiting without consequences. There’s a limit and when that limit is exceeded …

Comment on From the Kitchen #140 by Tarwin

Tarwin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 07:47:27 +0000

Some quick thoughts on this, and please forgive me for the ‘harshness’ of them, I’m just putting things out for discussion and don’t necessarily stand by what I’m saying, more of a devils advocate.
Do non-farming civilizations (nomads, hunter gatherers etc) “reach an equilibrium with the land” ? What exactly does this mean ? An intimate knowledge of the land does not mean one is in equilibrium it simply means one knows how to survive on that land, even if the land is not bountiful and flowing with milk and honey.
Large farming civilization has lost it’s connection with what is sustainable (the land), or at which point sustainable goes past a point at which consumption of resources is an exhausting exercise. This is a function of over resource use could also be seen in places such as Easter Island or maybe even in Mayan civilization, where it has been argued that part of the fall of their empire may have been from over use of resources.
The fact that their knowledge “allowed its people to survive so well in this land” does not mean that it would be helpful to people now. Both because of the size of population, and the technolosation of society.
Maybe we can learn from them that ‘living within ones means’ means smaller societies that ‘survive’ rather than ‘grow’, but I don’t people would be happy with that. We are built to expand, to explore and to grow.
The Whites up to a point have a ‘balance’ with the land – they changed the land quite a bit too (as did the Aborigines with fire) by grazing, etc. But there’s a point where you get equilibrium and then it really just comes down to a religious thing: the English had a “man is on top”, “man has power” religion, which let them (in some ways) create technology … maybe …
But the ‘limit’ for the way the Aborigines lived earlier may have been quite a bit smaller than the ‘limit’ we have with ‘technology’. With a relatively small population, the actual impact one could have is pretty low.
I guess the general ‘consumption’ was a lot lower though as well (i.e. mostly only food, cooking items, local timbers, etc).

Comment on A Mother’s Final Gift by Not the Last Goodbye « Thinking Allowed

Not the Last Goodbye « Thinking Allowed — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:22:07 +0000

[...] of such journeys are from a third-person perspective, as is the case in A Mother’s Final Gift (reviewed here by me recently), or they are from survivors, looking back on the journey. If not a blueprint for surviving [...]

Comment on From the Kitchen #132 by Shirley Hassen

Shirley Hassen — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:10:41 +0000

Hello Daan, a long time since I heard from you. I had a card and do not ever want to use it. I use a bank book and have done so for over 60 years.

I did have a card once and not aware of the hidden costs I am still paying (with large interest) the card off. I have scrapped my card, and do not even know where it is and it being lost is a great benefit to me because I am not tempted to use it no matter how in dire need I get. Shirley

Comment on From the Kitchen #132 by Tarwin Stroh-Spijer

Tarwin Stroh-Spijer — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:58:32 +0000

You’d be surprised at how much “information overload” has not hit as yet. The more companies can get data the better they are at processing it. The problem with government is it’s not really their job to crunch data, as this does not equal profit. Tax agencies have got better at this in recent years, but they’re probably held back by (few) laws which protect our privacy. And that’s where things get tricky. When our ‘data’ is connected through those people who have some kind of hold over us – to people who make or use laws then it becomes a problem. That is big brother. When it’s someone selling something to you the worst that can happen is they are more likely to sell you something which you want – which is a good thing right?

Comment on Devil in the Milk by Disconnect « Thinking Allowed

Disconnect « Thinking Allowed — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 09:01:26 +0000

[...] Devil in the Milk [...]

Comment on Sarah’s Last Wish by Lynn Nerdal

Lynn Nerdal — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:47:50 +0000

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
-Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor

Comment on Sarah’s Last Wish by Lynn Nerdal

Lynn Nerdal — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 11:45:15 +0000

I was rocked by this book. As a mother and a foster carer I find the events of Sarah’s illness and the fiasco that was allegedly “care” by medical, legal and Docs reprehensible and I can only liken it to the death camps of the holocaust in it’s torturous nature and it’s absolute disregard for humanity! Such a callous disregard for Sarah or her parents and family, such ignorance of deathly proportions, such a heartbreaking story.

Our only hope must be for this story to go “viral” as they say these days, for every single person to read this book and know they have every reason to be informed and to have every avenue at their disposal to ensure their own personal safety and their family’s. Nothing can be taken for granted, the rights of children and adults are paramount, and this travesty must never be repeated.

Thanks for a great review Daan, thanks for a wonderful book Eve and thanks to Sarah for her incredible courage and grace in the dark days of horror she had to face. God bless Sara and her parents and siblings and extended family; indeed, her heart will go on and on.

Comment on From the Kitchen #129 by Daan Spijer

Daan Spijer — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 07:25:29 +0000

Yes, there are unexpected consequences of granting personhood to corporations. There is also the confusion in people’s minds as to the reality of a corporation – it is a figment in the asme way that money is a figment: we give it such reality as we choose and we need to choose carefully.

Comment on From the Kitchen #129 by Tarwin Stroh-Spijer

Tarwin Stroh-Spijer — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:47:52 +0000

Wow – that was a good one. No waffle. Right to the point!

I’ve been hearing on public radio here in the US that a short time ago there was a high court decision, surrounding the 14th amendment (free speech) that now allows corporations to donate as much as they want, or spend as much as they want, in the political arena.

Another problem for Corp. as Person.