and we are the last generation that can do something about it.
If not now, then when? If not us, then who?
Save the Earth—it’s the only planet with Chocolate!
Judy Cameron
Survival doesn’t lie with more technology, renewable or otherwise, but of deliberately reducing the impact of our lives; of refusing to buy into consumer society; of sabotaging economic growth, which is the cancer of this planet. It is distinguishing wants from needs, and divesting ourselves from wants. Then we can change our living circumstances and the world around us, to convert needs to wants.
Dr Bob Rich
At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
Albert Schweitzer
Bobbing Around
Volume Twenty-three, Number Twelve,
June, 2024
Bob Rich’s rave
bobswriting.com anxietyanddepression-help.com/ mudsmith.net/ previous issues
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Changing delivery
Health update
Letter to my Member of Parliament
Wholesale LiFE Award
Generous Hamburg crowd
From me to you
Changing delivery
Health update
Letter to my Member of Parliament
Wholesale LiFE Award
Generous Hamburg crowd
Changing delivery
The Bobbing Around mailing list is so big that my domain, bobswriting.com, has been accused of spamming by a number of automatic filters. Since the newsletter is opt-in (“Drop me a line and I’ll drop you from my list”), this is a false positive, but there is no way I can battle it. Many common email services automatically bounce anything from bobswriting.com. This includes gmail, but then Google hates me in other ways, too, and the feeling is mutual—needing to send universal, unconditional love only applies to living things, and Google is (not yet) alive.
The good news is that WordPress has a service: I can nominate people to become followers. When this happens, the lucky recipient receives email notification of my first post thereafter (love that word). Every such email has an UNSUBSCRIBE link. So, as now, you can unsub at any time, though I hope you’ll stay on my team.
I can upload 100 email addresses at a time, and will start when an insanely busy life permits.
So, if you are already a “follower,” you won’t notice the change because it won’t exist. If you are an email subscriber, you will get each of my posts instantly, instead with a link to it once a month, as now. If the topic doesn’t interest you, simply delete, as now.
No big change, actually.
With metta,
Bob
Health update
Thank you to all the lovely people who periodically inquire about my loved ones’ health.
I am doing fine post-op. My aim is to regain my pre-op strength and fitness by the end of this year.
Darling daughter Natalie has made an entirely rational decision for dealing with her liver cancer. She has decided that chemo is worse than the disease. Since she has stopped, she has become stronger, fitter and emotionally calmer.
Like all of us, she could die tomorrow (like with a bit of space junk landing on her house, or being attacked by an automobile) or in 20 years’ time. The important thing is that the ongoing NOW should have high quality.
Prayers welcome.
My wife has had a number of setbacks after open-heart surgery, and is now weaker than when she’d emerged from hospital. We, and our medical team, are working on it, and you can help by beaming healing energy her way.
Letter to my Member of Parliament
The conservative opposition in Australia has launched a nuclear bomb. It’s not the explosive kind, but a policy. If they gain power at the next election, they will commission seven nuclear reactors instead of putting the money into renewables.
Here is what I wrote to the bloke who is supposed to represent me:
-
Dear Mr Violi,
- Announcements, but note that publication date is neither fixed nor guaranteed;
- Brags of achievements that may be of general interest, for example publication of your book;
- Poems or very short stories and essays that fit the philosophy and style of Bobbing Around;
- Above all, responses to items in past issues. I will not reject or censor such comments, even if I disagree with them.
The nuclear plan is insane. To start with the end first, what do you do with a decommissioned nuclear power station? It is deadly for thousands of years. Britain and many other countries struggle with this problem.
Then there are the waste products. After several generations of effort, humanity still hasn’t found a way of dealing with them. Do we dump them in the home of a First Nation?
Time lag. By the time power from these hypothetical constructions is available, we can kiss this planet goodbye. The best evidence shows that we have at the latest till 2030 to change global direction.
Cost. Every nuclear power station in the world has only survived through massive government subsidies. Why bother when every other source of electricity is cheaper?
Danger. I CERTAINLY don’t want one within a few hundred kilometres of me, so I won’t impose the risk on anyone else.
Water. We live on the driest continent, and predicted to go dryer as the climate catastrophe progresses. Nuclear needs enormous amounts of water, and as at 3 Mile Island, the discharge can become compromised. Do we want to risk that in Australia?
Terrorism. They make fantastic targets for terrorists.
When you were campaigning, you claimed that you would cross the floor if circumstances demanded it. So far, you have voted with Peter Dutton every time. Now is the time for keeping your promise.
Yours sincerely,
Bob Rich, PhD
Healesville, Victoria, 3777, Australia
Wholesale LiFE Award
The LiFe Award: Literature For Environment is one of my long term projects for encouraging… guess what. That’s right, environmental writing.
Quite some time ago, Barbara and Jon Tucker earned the award for Those Sugar-Barge Kids. Turns out this is part of a series, and now they have published a boxset of five books all with the same delightful characters engaging in environmental action.
So, please have a look at the entire 5-book “Those Kids” series by Jon Tucker.
If you write books of any kind that advance the cause of staving off the sixth extinction event of our lovely little planet, please submit your work. And if you have read such a book, send the author or publisher here.
Generous Hamburg crowd
I have renamed the second volume of the Doom Healer series Renata/s Reach. Renata Baumgartner is an immensely important character, and with the new title, she needs to figure more often, and more prominently.
This means I needed more specific details about her life in Hamburg, Germany. The internet was surprisingly little help. Neither Google nor Bing could answer my questions or question my answers. But then I found a Facebook group, “Hamburg’s English-speaking crowd,” who were delighted to offer kindness, support and advice. Several lovely people spent considerable time researching for me, demonstrating REAL human nature.
Thank you! Three of them will certainly figure in my Acknowledgements.
Good news
Vermont leads: make climate criminals pay for damage
Those climate criminals are of course the gas and oil corporations, although the coal and automotive industries have also been in on the act for about two generations.
When the state of Vermont suffers damage from extreme weather events, it will charge the corporations responsible for part of the cost.
This should be universal. Then maybe those corporations will have less money available to fund Trump’s campaign?
Oh, wait. They have so much money it’ll be a drop in the ocean for them.
Here is one of the many announcements.
Four out of five people are sane: UN report
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), GeoPoll and Oxford University got together, and no doubt following proper sampling procedures, asked 75,000 people living in 77 countries about their government’s climate action. Why couldn’t they have given the number 7 full sweep by phoning 2000 more people? Perhaps because what they already had was a representative sample of 87% of the world’s population, and that’s better than 77%.
Sensibly, 80% of the respondents want to drastically reduce fossil fuel use as a method of avoiding turning into fossils themselves.
Maybe many of them have read The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. Many won’t have, given they live in all sorts of countries all over the place.
Oh yeah, the link. You can check out the report here.
Politics
On human shields
Please read this essay by a physician who used to go into personal danger to care for those with no other support. It is well-balanced, based on irrefutable evidence, and shows that Israel has done exactly what it is accusing Hamas of doing.
Two wrongs multiply rather than cancel.
Psychology
Wired-in compassion
One of my (perhaps all too many) personal cliches is that we are genetically pre-programmed for decency, caring, empathy, compassion. Aggressiveness, hate, discrimination, selfishness are there, too, but in a good culture, they are discouraged, and are the exception rather than the norm as in ours.
Generosity, compassion, kindness are well-researched positive psychology tools for wellbeing. The more you give, the more you get, and the more you give, the more you grow.
Here is a well-written “5-minute read” about it.
Terrified
One of my “grandsons” did something he is now deeply ashamed of when he was in his early teens. I led him to resolve the issue, and he has been doing well. He has graduated, and has been offered a scholarship for post-graduate study.
He contacted me in something of a panic. He’d made friends online with a girl who has been very supportive, and he eventually disclosed what to him still feels like a deep, dark secret. She responded with compassion and empathy, but now, he is in the grips of the What If monster: what if she reveals it to others, or their conversations come to public notice.
Here is the relevant part of my answer:
- Dear Michael,
I know nothing about this girl except what you have told me. On that basis, she is caring, compassionate and decent. So, what is the probability that she will deliberately cause you harm?
Look, humans are genetically predisposed to look for threats. It is too late when a tiger is charging at you. As you walk in the forest, a noise may be nothing, or that tiger stalking you. So, we have evolved to automatically look for danger. And once we are in the grip of the “fight or flight” response, the blinkers go on, we think in absolutes and the tragedy seems like it’s already here. Mark Twain famously said, “I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.”
Go to my problems page. There I describe several ways of distancing yourself enough to be able to think through this issue calmly and rationally.
Congratulations on your academic achievements. I’ve always been confident that you will do well in life.
Your caring grandfather,
Bob
Technology
Pedal power
If you are old enough, you’ll remember twin tub washing machines. One tub did the washing, then you shifted the soggy mess into the other tub, which rinsed it and spun it dry.
Fellow Moora Moora member, Veronica Curmi, invented a brilliant way of staying fit while saving electricity: she hooked an exercise bike to the spinner part of the machine.
Read this interesting article about the modern equivalent. Jim Gregory keeps fit by powering his computer, printer, wifi, and various other small electric devices while working. It’s a win-win all around.
Health
Medicated ecosystem
Medicines, and also drugs of addiction, are everywhere, in everything and everyone. I don’t use meth, but it is probably in some of the food I eat, and possibly in the water I drink — and the same for you.
Drugs have horrible effects on many species of animals, including fish and birds, as set out in this paper. It’s not healthy for you to eat trout addicted to water-borne drugs, but it is even worse for the poor trout.
What to do about it?
Be responsible in how you dispose of unused medications. In Australia, you can take them to the pharmacy.
Avoid illegal drugs (duh!) and unnecessary medications your doctor may want to prescribe.
Big Pharma is one of the monsters killing this planet. Join with others in environmental action.
This issue is another reason to consider becoming a vegan, or at least to go as close to that as possible.
I approve of these announcements
Pragito’s free book
This is what she sent me:
Over the past few months, I’ve been reflecting deeply on what it means to live a truly fulfilling and joyful life. Through this journey, I’ve identified five core elements that I believe are essential to achieving lasting happiness.
These insights have been compiled into a comprehensive and engaging PDF titled “The 5 Pillars of Happiness”, and I am thrilled to offer it to you for free.
In this PDF, you will discover:
1. Gratitude: Cultivating a habit of appreciation and recognizing the good in every day.
2. Connection: Building and nurturing meaningful relationships that provide support and joy.
3. Purpose: Finding and pursuing activities that give your life meaning and direction.
4. Health: Maintaining physical well-being as a foundation for emotional and mental happiness.
5. Growth: Continuously learning and evolving to keep your mind and spirit vibrant.
Each pillar is explored in detail, with practical tips and exercises designed to help you integrate these principles into your daily life.
To download your free copy, simply CLICK HERE. I truly believe that these insights can make a significant difference in your journey towards a happier, more fulfilling life.
[Please note: the link Pragito send me is a dud. I have asked for the correct one, and will post it if it arrives the after time of Bobbing Around’s publication.]
And Pragito’s course on creating miracles
I’m excited to announce: CREATING MIRACLES
Get Out Of Your Own Way and SkyRocket Your Success
In this 4-week Program, you’ll join me to purify your thinking of fear and separation, so that more Love can enter your heart and miracles can unfold naturally.
You’ll experience firsthand how, if you want to change your life, you must change your perception as you move from fear to love.
You’re reborn anytime you don’t bring the past with you — and I can help you start anew.
I will teach you how to ground yourself every week in a realization of what is Real — a realm of pure Love, in which anything is possible, and in which miracles occur naturally because Love is present.
In this exclusive Program, I guide you, step-by-step through interactive exercises, meditations, guided hypnosis, to integrate key areas of your life — spiritual, physical, professional, and romantic — into your 2024 and beyond journey.
I remind you that your job is not to seek love, but to seek within yourself the barriers you’ve built against it, so you can make room for miracles in 2024 and beyond.
That is why I have created CREATING MIRACLES, to coach those who wish to purify their minds of fear each week and allow miracles to enter. JOIN US!!
Here’s the link to the sales page.
With love,
Pragito Dove
Ned Kelly’s son rides again
For iggorant furriners, Ned Kelly was a real person who basically fought the Irish rebellion in Australia by robbing banks and holding up stage coaches. He became a folk hero.
My mate, Trevor Tucker, has researched him and his times, and has found evidence that Ned had a son survive him. This is the theme of Trev’s first novel, which he has now reissued.
When I asked him for links, Trev sent:
This is the link to my new “Trevor Tucker Author” Facebook page. It’s an evolving project to make better use of social media.
His webpage is also being overhauled and should/could be ready to go by mid-June, enabling visitors to order any/all of his books directly from this site. Long overdue.
This 2nd edition novel is available in both print book and eBook versions. However, eBook distribution is posing a bit of a problem, unless the potential buyer has an account with Streetlib. Trev is investigating Borrowbox to see if that’s an option, particularly via libraries.
Collins Booksellers, and the VIBE Shop, in Sale, purchased 40 copies within the 1st week of Ned Kelly’s Son release. Within the Collins shop they have a BEST SELLER display which includes this book, at number 5 (from 5). Gotta start somewhere.
The Vibe Shop has a Ned Kelly memorabilia display in their front window which of course includes copies of Ned Kelly’s Son; a perfect fit.
Poetry
Joyous Litha, by Laurie Corzett
“Litha” is the Wiccan term for the Summer Solstice. And for those who don’t know, Wicca is one of the noble religions. Its main tenet is, “An ye harm none, do what ye will.” Mind you, I don’t know why she wrote this in the middle of winter (on the correct side of the planet).
-
Our sheltering craft in the sea
and all the world of Summer is ours
to ride the fire, toast to the stars
sway with warm desire, open our hearts
create a Summer of Love.
Celebration waves the streets, with drums,
lucid bells, a call to play
Carnival cheer brings heat to flame
Chants blend to sing with drinks and games
Grand gestures expand, to applaud such a day
fueled by smiling Sun
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