When travelling, borders can magically dissolve as can the boundaries we put around ourselves.  I am in Queenstown [map], in the southern depths of the New Zealand south island.  It sits on the edge of a large lake surrounded by majestic, snow-capped mountains. (more…)

The experiences had by any one individual enhance the experience of the entire human race. It is, therefore, pointless to decry the inability of one person to have the same experience as another. Women can experience pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. That men cannot does not diminish them as people. (more…)

Have we ever had democracy in this country?  We don’t seem to have it now.  The word ‘democracy’ denotes government by ‘the people’.  The system in place in Australia and many other countries is that the people delegate their right to govern to a group of elected representatives.  Often that is where the power of the ‘demos’ stops. (more…)

In a time long ago, there were two giants who both wanted to be in charge of all the people in the villages and on the farms and of all the creatures in the forests and on the plains.  Only one of the giants could be the boss.  They used to decide the issue by fighting over it, but things had changed. (more…)

SAD, CFS, IBS, ADD, ADHD, ASD, CVD, BCC^*, DVT^*… some of the acronyms of modern health and its challenges.  Are they increasing in prevalence because of changing diets and changes in agricultural practices or are they a passing fad, a fashion? (more…)

Living in a community is a complex undertaking.  It involves a balancing of private and public concerns.  There are some issues that are of concern to the community as a whole and some that are purely private. (more…)

I lie on the damp earth under a multi-hued canopy.  Sunlight plays around and over me, as do the many insects.  My clothing, derived form earth-sucking plants, again soaks moisture from the ground, but I can draw no physical nourishment from this. (more…)

I love the changing seasons we experience in Melbourne.  I like change.  Change brings challenges and keeps me alert and alive. (more…)

Reading is not always a pleasurable pursuit.  Recently I have been working through a number of books which are not entertaining but certainly worth the effort.  In fact, they are important books and the reading of them can lead to positive changes in our society. (more…)

Sarah’s Last Wish: a chilling glimpse into forced medicine
Eve Hillary
2010
ISBN: 9780980662900
$29.95
348 pp with images + references

I have found this book very difficult to read, because it is so well written.  It is the subject of the book that has gripped me by the throat and made breathing difficult.  Eve Hillary is a masterful storyteller and this book is a fine tribute to a courageous girl and her family and a powerful condemnation of professional incompetence and negligence, unethical behaviour and bureaucratic excesses. (more…)