Nation leaders don't sign legal agreement to prevent climate change.

While one hundred days counted down before Copenhagen we were talking and ready to do something about averting climate change - if only we could work out what to do. But we couldn't. Huge organisations, reporting on the developments of the negotiations, encouraging us to sign online petitions and lobby in other convenient and simple ways.

Last week the negotiations failed, there was no agreement signed by all the different politicians representing hundreds of nations spanning the Earth. We could do nothing about this, and now it is a week before Christmas and the pressure is on to think about something else. By the New Year it may be old news and the public eyes be distracted by something else. The timing of one who schedules the meeting of population leaders!

Two weeks ago, amongst those paying close attention to the possibilities of what might happen at the UN Climate Summit - I wonder, was a subtle euphoria brought on? Subtle signs seemed to suggest something wholly positive on the scale of advanced global civilization could be in line. Did we, the attentive, the environmentally concerned and considerate, relax for a moment? Did we become confused and lethargic? Could we have done much at all?

The likes of these people have gathered previously at other UN Summits, we have heard of the G7, G8 and G20 meetings. Even so, we do not know much of what we can expect of the United Nations.

Today, now, we can note something to remember, the significance of Copenhagen was that Global Leaders could have been legally and financially bound to avoid a global rise in temperature of more than two degrees centigrade. They could have been required to make the restructuring of their states, into environmentally friendly ones, amongst their very top priorities. They could have been made to be responsible for looking after all human populations everywhere. But was that ever really going to happen. Who are these people really.

The conference was important, not so that we would ourselves as individuals come to agreement that we must reduce our pollutant emissions. It was not about you and I agreeing to reduce the environmental damage we do. It was not. It was for 'Global Leaders', actual 'National Leaders' to sign up to an agreement but no matter how much human populations wished they would, they did not.

Climate Change

With 100 days to go before the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen my brother received a letter from Greenpeace.

The letter's content was not news to him and was not news to me. We know that the current way of human civilization needs to change urgently. Collectively we humans have grown in numbers and power and developed a destructive capability that needs to be checked. The future would seem bleak.

One conclusion I have come to again and again is that each one of us needs to make sacrifices. We have been accustomed to consuming far too much and being far too blasé about our impact on our home. The planet is not an infinite resource and it is not an infinite rubbish bin.

Assessing the situation it could seem we have nothing but bad habits, bad habits that are mainstream (common-sense). The change in our civilization needs to be great, and the swifter and more effective it is, the more of the world’s wonderful beauty we can conserve.

A change needs to be made, and what better can we change than ourselves? The simplest option is to reduce our negative impact on the planet’s environment. In many ways, to do less, consume less, make do with less. Such change would require self-discipline and sacrifice - exercises that do reap their own rewards. The future would be oh so good.

My brother made some more specific points for individual change. Here are four ways in which we could take immediate action to help save the planet:

1. Write to our so called leaders and let them know what would make them popular with us. Would you support them going to the UN Climate Summit and agreeing to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions you can legally produce? Please follow this link: http://www.actoncopenhagen.decc.gov.uk/en/subscribe
   
2. Donate money to support worthy campaigns. Would you like to know more of Greenpeace’s campaign? http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/climate-change.
   
3. Change what you buy. One pound one vote! Don't pay your electricity bill to a company that burns fossil fuels. Switch to an alternative such as this company: goodenergy.co.uk
   
4. Each one teach one. Talk to each other. Take a serious issue seriously - it needs discussing at all levels of society.
   

October 2009 - From London

I have been back in London since the end of April. Almost half a year has passed since the journey physically came full circle. I am not in the same place I started in.

"I hardly feel like I was away. I'm back to the same old routine. Nothing has changed."

Not one of the those statements is true. The journey is not over. It goes on... for the rest of my life... perhaps on even further.

I have to say that my feet remain itchy for the highway but apart from that my body and mind crave days and nights, weeks and seasons passed in the tropical climes of South America. Friends abroad and friends at home are a part of me with or without the distances.

The seasons change outside my window, green leaves turn red, dry out and will inevitable fall. The night is longer than the day and gets longer still. Winter here is like that.

This morning I thought about approaching a girl I saw across the road to introduce myself and ask who she was. But strangers don't seem as approachable and it will take courage to bring some of the tropics back out in the UK.

Back Home

This is a quick post to log that I'm back home, to show the extent to which my beard grew and to show me post beard.

8 Weeks in New Orleans

fig.1

fig.2

fig.3

fig.4

fig.5

fig.6

For the last eight weeks I have been in New Orleans. Mardi Gras marked the penultimate stage-post of the journey I undertook when I set out from London at the end of 2005.

Along with the experience of spending a couple of months in one of America's most unusual, cultural mixes came the opportunity to finish and broadcast a lot of previously incomplete artwork that I have had with me for the last year.

Images are above and accompanying texts are below. Please feel free to get in touch with good intentions.

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fig.1: Unflying Bird
Indian ink and correction fluid on paper.
Started: Sao Paulo (Late 2007) Finished: New Orleans (March 2009)


fig.2: Dog Draws
Indian ink and watercolor on decent art paper.
Inked: Belem, Brazil (May 2008) Colored: Tula, Hidalgo, Mexico (November 2008)


fig.3: Flower God
Indian ink and watercolor on paper.
Inked: Peru (August 2008) Colored: Tula, Hidalgo, Mexico (November 2008)


fig.4: Core Heart
Bic ball-point pen and watercolor.
Tula, Hidalgo, Mexico (November 2008)


fig.5: First Oil
Oil on hardboard - 40cm x 40cm
Tula, Hidalgo, Mexico (December 2008)


fig.6: NOLA Series of Small Cards
Indian ink, watercolor and correction fluid on decent art card.
New Orleans, USA (March 2009)

Ongoing Thoughts About Worthwhile Life and Death

'What worthwhile Ocupation would I like to take on?', I ask myself.

Something I'm satisfied to dedicate my self towards.
->
Something I'm good at!
And something that is good! (As an example it would lead in universally benefical directions)

Idea - Adopting polluted or misused land, supporting nature's recover and harmonious, human cultivation of the land.

Something rewarding in terms of (quality of life)!
. Comfort
. Alimentos
. Liberty
. Beauty
. Family and friends


Nurturing!
Appreciating!
Protecting!

<-Adoring the natural world,
life energy,
healthy environment

<-
[Perhaps] art dealing
. Taking money from where it's abundant and leading it to where it's scarce.
. Promoting beauty, healthy activity and responsible action.

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These are some thoughts in development. Good comments are welcomed.

Sat. St. Patricks Day (2009)

We did some successful "pan handling" today. That's asking people for money and getting it. My question was, "Do you happen to have enough money to give me some?"...Guess it's an idea I've been playing with for some time. Only fault is we used the money to buy cookies thus feeding the junk food industry and my sugar craving, something I'd "given-up for lent". Deep down in my heart God had said to resist the temptation and to enjoy an early night - May be I'll be sent more toothpain.

As we walked the St. Patrick's Night, drunk-filled, French Quarter streets I'd give people the cupped-hand-wave-slash-prana-energy-beam and receive lots of smiles, 'howdies' and waves in response. One guy however exploded into weird, aggressive retaliation. He had disturbing emotions running through him which attracted me to see if I could ease his troubled mind. Problem was, I approached with a mix of the monkey walk and a malandro prance and he had the fear on him so my percistant presence just seemed to upset him. All I'd meant originally was to have my blessing well received.

With cookies, Richie and I had tea and stayed up talking. Amongst other things I recounted sexual encounters since leaving Sao Paulo. The story of the peruvian nun is exciting. Richie thinks that I should include it in the book and I guess he's right.

Other than that today I've just been drawing between meals taken up in Richie's appartment.

Wednesday, 25th March, 2009 - French Quarter - New Orleans

So, what have I been up to? A little while after Mardi Gras I thought that in the spirit of Lent I would abstain from craving-generating substances: sugar, coffee and excessive eating in particular. That was because I'd let good daily practice of mind-and-body-training slip. Since the initial idea of abstinence I did give-in to all of the cravings including, hanging out with my crazy friends smoking and drinking and spending my time chasing a pretty Kat when I had intended to work or sleep. Well, my crazy friends are crazy fun and not to be neglected, chasing was all I hoped it would be and the Kat liked it too, yet at the end of the day I was lacking sleep, feeling tetchy and looking at a long list of things I'd intended to do that I clearly wasn't getting done. I'd like to tell you the story of why the stressful to-do-list vanished. The story uses the analogy of single-minded meditation.

The conditions for me to draw, web-design, paint, write-up dairy entries, communicate via internet and shuffle papers around thoughtfully have been better than they've been for a long time. Ideas kept coming to mind of things that I should do to make the most of the resources available. I had ideas and made them into tasks, adding and adding to my should-do-list without considering when I would get it all done.

In single-minded meditation one cultivates concentration on one thing and dismisses unrequested thoughts until they no longer interrupt. Outside of meditation [at least] I wasn't willing to turn ideas away, yet doing so is necessary in order to stay concentrated on finishing projects already at hand. This list of attractive, distracting tasks was causing me to stress and ironically as a result I wasn't getting anything done. So I've unattached myself from all of the tasks. Sounds pretty unproductive? It actually doesn't feel that way. It feels like stress subsiding and going away and also of being reminded of the value of concentration. Patience once again proves its virtuousness.

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Now I don't know who may be reading this but I do know there are many out there more and less able to concentrate than myself. Please bare in mind that this is a technique I am developing for turbulent conditions, in unfamiliar environments, without the stability of a regular routine. I wrote it up so you could read it. If you did please leave me a comment.