Permablitz the Gong!

Go Perma Nuts.

Community Voice for Wollongong

Hold on.  Democracy in Wollongong.  Really.  Perhaps.  May as well get behind it!

There's Community Voice running in this local election in Wollongong, which will be Sept 3rd 2011.  A few of my favourite inspiring people are in the thick of it.  Including two of the most inspiring women I know.  Both of them always give me fresh perspectives and have real, real social vision, skills and force.

It really is a very rare experience for me to see the things I have been thinking would be a good idea for the region being suggested.  Renewable energy jobs rather than this amazingly tired business about carbon tax can only equal loss of jobs.  Campaigning for a one hour rail trip from Sydney to the Gong.  No Coal Seam Gas Mining.  A revived culture sector: they did it with Revive Newcastle.  A lot of my favourite artists are now in Newcastle and I'm kinda jealous of their network.  But you know what, that can happen here also.

The place of hope or at least a sense in achieving possibilities.  That great loss of hope for many when Obama fell of his pedestal ... reminds me that hope and fear, hope and disappointment are always twins.  And in the meantime, it's about working for what you want to see anyway.

I have been teaching a subject on Media and Communication and have been thinking about democracy and representation.  And how it matters, how I care about it.  

So I am letterboxing and womaning an election booth and into it.

Arab Spring, Media and Democracy Seminar Clip from UOW

Some important discussions happen at UOW.

Stop Motherfracking CSG

Funny, I think I've heard this kind of debate just a few times before.  No, it's really safe.  No, we've never done it before and messed with the water supply, the soil on this scale, with these chemicals and processes, but it's safe. How do we know?  Trust us.  Because we've been so reliable before.

Also, how does it work if one Liberal is going to defend farmers against CSG companies, and another is going to now work as a lobbyist for CSG companies.  The parliamentary inquiry better not be tainted by this ish.  Which is why stop CSG and lock the gate are good things.  Seriously, leukemia causing chemicals and spontaneous abortions?  

John Ralston Saul's On Equilibrium talks about prudence as common sense and conservative behaviour, something that conservatives, of course, aren't exactly doing.

Jess Moore and others who instigated stop CSG Illawarra are running for election in Wollongong Council. 

There's a Four Corners piece on CSG here.

Update on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 at 1:42PM by Annalise Friend

Not to mention.

There's a Get Up Petition calling for an inquiry and at least for regulation and guaranteed safety, because it is a national issue.

In the Illawarra there's a community forum in Thirroul this Saturday.

Revise Conference

Coming up at University of Wollongong.  I am really interested in re-mixing and revising and look forward discussions, performances, papers and such.  I will do a paper and a performance, Scanner will be around, as will some of my favourite people.