Saturday Afternoon Bowls

There's nothing better than a lazy weekend comprising of reading the paper, drinking coffee and lawn bowls.

I enjoy social bowls. My favourite place to bowl is probably at Paddington- Paddo Bowls. It's entertaining, it's fun, and my friends and I have had birthdays there. Watching bowls is also relaxing.

I went to watch the Putney Tennyson Grade Five Men's Team play against Merrylands. Merrylands is a fairly big bowling club, whereas Putney is a small club. Bowling can be both social and competitive. John McWilliam, the Chairman of Putney Tennyson Bowling and Community Club says "Everyone sees it as an old person's sport but it's not….It's easy, you can have a laugh." I also brought along my camera to take some snaps of this competitive 'old person's' game, and it was really enjoyable to chat to the bowlers.



The cream Putney uniform: I think it keeps in line with traditional bowling fashion...

The bowlers: watching, waiting, resting.

I had a fun day watching the Putney men play competition bowls: warm weather, interesting to see how different people bowl, and good RSL food!

The week before the Putney Tennyson Grade Five Men's Team beat Baulkham Hills 6-0. This time they lost to Merrylands 0-6.

Admiring Ani DiFranco

I took this picture from a blackboard in Newtown. It is an urban tribute to Ani DiFranco. The words on the board are lyrics from 'back around' on her puddle dive album.

Some of the lyrics from 'back around':

'my lipstick jumped ship/ to a styrofoam cup/ the coffee gone/ the conversation strong/ all i got left to give/ baby is up/ but sentiments like/ shadows grow long/ guess i gotta go'

'i never really/ go anywhere anyway/ i just pass thru/ from time to time/ bye bye baby/ baby bye bye/ maybe i'll see you/ next time i'm in town/ maybe when i'm thru/ falling off the face/ of the earth/ i'll come back around'

In 2003, I went to see Ani DiFranco, The Waifs and Bob Dylan play at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. DiFranco read us a poem called 'self evident'. She had been in New York during '9/11'. Her words were intense:

'on the day that america/ fell to its knees after strutting around for a century/ without saying thank you/ or please'

'so fierce and ingenious/ a poetic specter so far gone/ that every jackass newscaster was struck dumb and stumbling/ over 'oh my god' and 'this is unbelievable' and on and on/ and i'll tell you what, while we're at it/ you can keep the pentagon/ keep the propaganda/ keep each and every tv/ that's been trying to convince me/ to participate/ in some prep school punk's plan to perpetuate retribution/ perpetuate retribution/ even as the blue toxic smoke of our lesson in retribution/ is still hanging in the air/ and there's ash on our shoes/ and there's ash in our hair'

'can you imagine how many paper coffee cups would have to change their/ design/ following a fantastical reversal of the new york skyline?!'

DiFranco challenged us in the audience. Some people liked it, others didn't. It didn't matter. She was honest and raw. To me, it was fabulous.

The Spunky Monkey

This is Suzy and her 'spunky monkey red single sterling silver' necklace. She purchased it from the MOS (Museum of Sydney) Shop. I shot this picture in Newtown after I remarked: "Why Suzie, I like your necklace. It's funky."

Unfortunately the MOS (Museum of Sydney) Shop has sold out of the necklace, but it is available through other sites including Star Vintage and Amazon.

The MOS (Museum of Sydney) is located on the site of the first Government House. The museum lets visitors experience the world of colonial, indigenous and Australian life; through art, exhibitions, film and other artistic mediums. You can even go on a tour.

Sydney now is currently being shown at MOS (Museum of Sydney). It is a photojournalism exhibition that has recorded life in Sydney. Twenty-four photographers have snapped over one hundred images for the exhibition. The pictures for Sydney now have been shot since 2000 so it is a modern look at life, Sydney-style.

Sydney now will be showing until the 27 April 2008. Entry is free.

EcoGeek and Transport Solutions

Another look at EcoGeek:

The World’s Largest Hybrid (23/4/2008) by Hank Green is another article examining the possibility of making transport greener.

The U.S. Department of Energy and GE (General Electric) have come up with an idea to hybridise haul trucks which are huge trucks used in mining…considering you have to go up stairs to get into the vehicle…

GE is currently working on an electricity storage system, and is testing the battery packs.

Like Green says, maybe it will make mining a little more environmental.


The UK’s First Hydrogen Fueling Station Opens (21/4/2008) by Andrew Williams looks at how Birmingham University has opened a hydrogen-based station in order to do tests on various vehicles. This will allow researchers to see how vehicles need to be changed to make sure hydrogen transport is ‘cost-effective’ in the long run.

The researchers hope to gain more support. According to the Auto Industry article about the project:

“As a direct result of this research it is hoped that the public sector will start to buy into these new technologies, providing support to companies in the supply chain who are moving from the technology demonstration phase into the early stages of commercialisation.”

With new projects like this popping up, let’s hope that more national funding is put aside for greener transport solutions.

An Introduction to EcoGeek and its Posts

EcoGeek is all about the world of technology, environmental awareness and science.

The blog deals with different issues: from gadgets to garbage, Mercedes to Mobil. Various authors contribute to the blog so there is no author monopoly here! The site has a clean and professional design. Some of the articles are written in the first person, while others are not. I find this reflects the diversity within citizen journalism, that people write the way they feel, without being confined. However this blog is interesting as it is scientific, educational, quirky and personal. EcoGeek can be engaging even to the non-scientists.

The layout is effective with a good use of 'eco' pictures, and the blog has a few ads (all environmentally-related), keeping with its theme of helping the environment, and the importance of being green.

The Greenest Way to Die: Liquidification (8/4/2008) by Magnus Holvold looks at the use of resomation for human bodies. Resomation is a form of liquidification which is more environmentally friendly than cremation (as it produces less carbon emissions and is 100% free from mercury).

The article is informative without being morbid, and the author puts his own take on the issue of death as he wants a tree to grow out of his skull! Now that's a kooky way to leave a legacy. The author also gives some links to resomation.

Staggering Video of Our Nation Exhaling CO2 (8/4/2008) by Hank Green includes a YouTube clip dealing with "Project Vulcan". It is amazing to see how emissions change during the day, and the clip makes good use of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) tools and maps.

Green Garbage Trucks Make a Dirty Job Cleaner (8/4/2008) by Hank Green looks at Volvo making a 'hybrid garbage truck', currently in Sweden, and the article concludes with posing the issue of diesel fuel versus 'hybrid efficiency'. Diesel may save $$$, but it won't save the planet.