Graham's Site

Limits to Growth and Sustainability

2012-01-15T21:13:00.000-08:00

My mind has been addressing issues concerning the limits to global financial growth and sustainability since a recent talk at a LETS meeting on the Tablelands. I was aware of the Report Limits to Growth from some years back. More recently I have read Heinberg's The End of Growth. But if we are to believe the media, big business and most politicians, all the emphasis still seems to be on continuing economic growth as the panacea for financial ills - ever more consumption, more production, more global trade. Despite the GFC, the identified limits to oil production and other factors, few in leadership positions seem to be taking the prospect of an end to growth seriously. And yet logically there has to be a limit.

At the same time there has been much discussion of the concept of global sustainability, but few can agree on what this does involve or should involve. In so far as it might have a meaning concerned with limiting growth, it has found few serious supporters in the media, among big business and politicians and probably among many economists. The concept has even been derided in some quarters as being too vague and idealistic.

It seems to me that the recent emergence of a number of large third world countries as major producers, consumers and global traders has only brought forward the prospect of an end to growth. Their impact has been dramatic, is eating into global capacity for growth and must impinge significantly on the existing first world countries and their economies. In fact, it may well be that recent economic downturns in most first world economies may be due in large part to the emergence of these large third world countries in that respect.

Perhaps this is all a part of a process of the gradual economic equalisation and globalisation of resources, labour, wealth and trade, accompanied by the loss of certain special economic advantages and privileges that in the past have been held by the west.

What concerns me is that while the prospect of the end to growth is being well articulated by various sources, less well articulated is what to do about it; how to respond to it in a way that ensures an acceptable future for all people and nations. It is easy to thinks up catastrophic outcomes, much less easy to think up positive outcomes. Some particular suggestions are often made, such as the need for more recycling and alternate fuels, but there is little in terms of an overall philosophy and holistic approach that goes to the heart of the issue.

With this in mind, the Baha'i Writings have a relevant point of view that deserves to be more widely known. Of course the primary emphasis in those Writings is upon spiritual and moral solutions. But leaving those aside for one moment, there are a number of interconnected measures indicated that could well provide answers. All of them are set in the context of an increasingly interdependent planet where the concept of global unity in diversity is seen as meritorious and desirable. They point to the need for a radically new and much more united form of global order compared to that which we have at the moment. I have set out below a short extract but the full text is available on line and should be referred to.

Excerpt from Rethinking Prosperity: Forging Alternatives to a Culture of Consumerism

Bahá'í International Community's Contribution to the 18th Session of the United Nations Commission On Sustainable Development

"A sustainable social order is distinguished, among other things, by an ethic of reciprocity and balance at all levels of human organization. A relevant analogy is the human body: here, millions of cells collaborate to make human life possible. The astounding diversity of form and function connects them in a lifelong process of giving and receiving. It represents the highest expression of unity in diversity. Within such an order, the concept of justice is embodied in the recognition that the interests of the individual and of the wider community are inextricably linked. The pursuit of justice within the frame of unity (in diversity) provides a guide for collective deliberation and decision-making and offers a means by which unified thought and action can be achieved.

...the transformation required to shift towards (global) sustainable consumption and production will entail no less than an organic change in the structure of society itself so as to reflect fully the interdependence of the entire social body - as well as the interconnectedness with the natural world that sustains it. Among these changes, many of which are already the focus of considerable public discourse, are

the consciousness of world citizenship;

the eventual federation of all nations through an integrated system of governance with capacity for global decision-making;
the establishment of structures which recognize humanity's common ownership of the earth's resources;

the establishment of full equality between men and women;

the elimination of all forms of prejudice;
the establishment of a universal currency and other integrating mechanisms that promote global economic justice;

the adoption of an international auxiliary language to facilitate mutual understanding; and

the redirection of massive military expenditures towards constructive social ends."

Children & Grandchildren at Wedding in Perth November 2011

2011-12-10T16:14:00.000-08:00

House in Herberton

2011-11-03T17:27:00.000-07:00

Open day at House in Herberton Sunday 30 October 2011
Some pictures

Northern Territory Anthem

2011-09-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Stephanie Harrison for her winning entry for the Northern Territory anthem competition.

"Standing as one, Northern Territorian!

Strong and free from the desert to the sea

Red sand, blue sky, our spirit will never die

We're proud to be from the Northern territory

From the sea of Arafura

To the rocks of Kata Tjuta

From the centre to the Top End

We have many faces

We have come from many places

That's what it means to be

From the Northern Territory

Stand as one, Northern Territorian!

Strong and free from the desert to the sea

Red sand, blue sky, our spirit will never die

We're proud to be from the Northern Territory

From our dreamtime stories

To the pioneer's glory

This place is full of history

So we will stand together

Endeavouring together

That's what it means to be

From the Northern Territory

Stand as one, Northern Territorian!

Strong and free from the desert to the sea

Red sand, blue sky, our spirit will never die

We're proud to be from the Northern Territory"

Series of Lectures to Law Society of the Northern Territory

2011-08-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

In recent years I have given a series of lectures to the NT Law Society. The 5th of these lectures was delivered in September 2011, entitled:

The Revival of Proposals for a Grant of Territory Statehood: Some Unresolved Constitutional Issues.

Previous lectures were on:

Litigation Based on Northern Territory Self-Government Arrangements

Sources of Law in the Northern Territory

The Relevance of International Law to Australian and Northern Territory Domestic Law

Legal Aspects of Judicial Review of Northern Territory Governmental Decisions

These lectures will be compiled by the Nt Law Society in a single booklet soon.

Hidden Words Bookshop Kuranda North Queensland

2011-05-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

Hidden Words Bookshop

If you are in north Queensland and are a lover of good books make sure you call in to the Hidden Words Bookshop, new and used books for thoughtful readers. Our prices are low and we can take orders. Try us for a low price if you are searching for a book. We have books in many categories and because of our expertise we may well beat the price you find by searching the net yourself. Or just come in and browse.

We can also prepare reading lists and other materials. We can help with your writing or research. First consultation and net research is free. We offer a range of services, so drop in for a free tea or coffee and a chat. From where the ordinary bus stops in Therwine Street Kuranda, opposite the park and small oval in the centre of Kuranda, just walk down the hill a short distance to the last shop in Therwine Street (on the right), or ring 07 40937120 or email nicholsonmandalay@msn.com first to make sure we are open.

Servas

2011-05-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

Servas
This is a world wide travellers and host organisation designed to build peaceful relation between different peoples. You can join as a host or a traveller or both. Applicants are interviewed first and there is a membership fee. If they become members they may request and receive a Servas passport for travel purposes. This must be produced in order to stay with hosts. Travellers can also obtain a confidential host list for the country they wish to visit with details of hosts and can request to stay with hosts for 2 nights. Travellers live with hosts for this time and become part of their normal daily routine.

Terrie and I have been hosts for many years and have had many travellers. We have also been travellers a few times and stayed with some Servas hosts. We recommend the organisation.

Passing of my brother Stuart Nicholson

2011-05-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

My second eldest brother, Stuart John Nicholson, passed away after a lengthy illness in Mandurah last year. He had been in much pain. He is survived by wife Lois and son Ross & his wife; daughter Diane and husband and one grandchild. The funeral was held on Wednesday 29 September 2010 at Karrakatta Cemetery Shenton Park. I will miss him.

Trip to Bali

2011-04-07T23:34:00.000-07:00

Trip to Bali 2011

My wife and I travelled to Bali from 4 to 14 April this year (2011) for our daughter's 40th birthday. We first of all stayed in Ubud on our own before moving down to Legian for the celebrations.

Having been to Bali many times before and been entranced by this magical place, its culture, religion and scenery, I was a little disappointed with some changes - more pollution, rubbish, crowding, traffic jams etc. We saw little of women with heads piled high with offerings for the temple (see above) and other exotic sights. But we still had a nice time, particularly with family members including 2 grandchildren.

For an article I wrote on Bali see:

From Kuranda to Island Paradise.docx - on May 22, 2011 8:45 PM by Graham Nicholson (version 1) 14k View Download

Ron Price on a new Website

2011-01-10T16:26:00.000-08:00

Pioneering Over Four Epochs - www.users.on.net

My dear friend Ron Price has now set up up his own new website to handle his voluminous web writings, commentaries and poetry. He is a long time member of the Baha'i Faith whom I first met with his wife Chris when they lived in Katherine, Northern Territory of Australia some decades ago. They now live in Tasmania.

This is a voluminous net site, with writings on POPULAR CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIOLOGY, HISTORY, PSYCHOLOGY, MENTAL HEALTH, RELIGION, PHYSICAL SCIENCES, BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, PRINT & MEDIA. There is room for comments.

Ron is a frequent contributor to other net sites on a wide variety of subjects.

Book Reviews in the Kuranda Paper

2010-12-01T17:38:00.000-08:00

The Kuranda Paper is a monthly broadsheet that is produced entirely by volunteers as a community service. It pays for itself by advertising, with any surplus going back into the community.
I write several regular columns, being the Book Review of the Month and the Profile of the Month.
These are accessible on the paper's website http://kurandapaper.com/ so please go to that site. Here are the books reviewed in date order:

January 2012 "Queen of the Sun: What are the Bees telling us?", (Clairview, 2011), Taggart Siegal and John Betz (Eds)

November 2011 "Ivory's Ghosts", (Grove Press, 2009), Ron F Walker

October 2011 "Hitchens vs Blair: The Debate of Our Time", (Allen & Unwin, 2010), R Griffiths (Ed)

September 2011 "Creative Writing", (HOWTOBOOKS, 8thEd., 2010) Adele Ramet.

August 2011 "The Return of Intuition", (Llewellyn, 2010) by K Harwig

"Intuition: Knowing beyond Logic" (St Martin's Griffin, 2001) by Osho"

July 2011 "My Brain Made Me Do It", (Prometheus Books, 2010), E J Sternberg.

June 2011 "Who Am I?" (Chargan My Book Publisher Pty Ltd, 2011) Robert (Bob) Taylor.

May 2011 "The Meaning of Things" (Phoenix, Prof A C Grayling, Reissue 2007) - ISBN 9780 75381 3591

April 2011 Book Review "Admiral Arthur Phillip: The Man" (Pilar Publishing, Lyn M Fergusson, 2010) - ISBN 9780 64654 3352

March 2011 Book Review - "Understanding Death: The Most Important Event in your Whole Life" (Baha'i publishing, Wilmette, 2009) - ISBN 9781 93184 7728 - $31.95

January 2011 Book Review - "Before the Fallout: from Marie Curie to Hiroshima" (Berkly Books, 2006), Diana Preston - ISBN 9780 42520 7895 - $15.95

December 2010 Book Review- “What Makes Us Human” (One World, Oxford, 2007), Charles Pasternak (Ed.) - ISBN 9781 851768 5196 - $29.95

Previous reviews:

“52 Secrets of Psychology” by Dr Chris Day (Enlightened Publications, 2009)
ISBN 9780 64651 0088

“The Book of Testaments: A practical guide for spiritual realisation” (Boolarong Press, 2009), Stephen Chong ISBN 978 1 921555 350

“The Empathic Civilization” (Polity, 2009), Jeremy Rifkin
ISBN 978 07456 414641

“Endless Universe” (Broadway Books, New York, 2007), Paul J Steinhardt and Neil Turok -
ISBN 9780 767 915014

“The Eurasian Miracle” (Polity Press, Cambridge, 2010), Emeritus Professor Jack Goody -
ISBN 9780 7456 4794 4

“First Encounters” by Joseph Cummins (Murdoch Books Pier 9, 2009)
ISBN 9781 74196 1430

“Queen, Empress, Concubine: Fifty Women Rulers from the Queen of Sheba to Catherine the Great” by Claudia Gold (Quercus, 2008)
ISBN 978 1 84724 542 7

“Voyages to the South Seas: In Search of Terres Australes” (Miegunyah Press and State Library of Victoria, 2008 ed.), Danielle Clode
ISBN 9780 522 85542 5

"In the Tropics: Great Houses Extraordinary Lifestyles" (Eugenie Navarre, Cairns, 2010)
ISBN 9780 98079 5004

All books can be ordered through Hidden Words Bookshop PO Box 1010 Kuranda Qld 4881 Australia nicholsonmandalay@msn.com

Prize winning fine wool sheep stud in Western Australia

2010-11-17T21:37:00.000-08:00

My Son Iain and Daughter-in Law Lucy own an established and registered sheep stud in New Norcia WA known as Boorabbin Poll. They trade as Koolinda Park.

They breed fine wool merino sheep and have won lots of prizes in the Royal Perth Show

Above are some pictures.

"Farmer first

“Economics must commence with the farmer and thence reach out and embrace the other classes, ….. Therefore it is becoming that the economic problem be solved for the farmer first, for the farmer is the first active agent in the body politic.”

(Baha'i Scriptures)

Baha'i Thought of the Month

2010-11-08T21:47:00.000-08:00

A NEW LIFE is EMERGING on the PLANET

"A new life is, in this age, stirring within all the peoples of the earth; and yet none hath discovered its cause or perceived its motive. Consider the peoples of the West. Witness how, in their pursuit of that which is vain and trivial, they have sacrificed, and are still sacrificing, countless lives for the sake of its establishment and promotion. The peoples of Persia, on the other hand, though the repository of a perspicuous and luminous Revelation, the glory of whose loftiness and renown hath encompassed the whole earth, are dispirited and sunk in deep lethargy.

O friends! Be not careless of the virtues with which ye have been endowed, neither be neglectful of your high destiny. Suffer not your labors to be wasted through the vain imaginations which certain hearts have devised. Ye are the stars of the heaven of understanding, the breeze that stirreth at the break of day, the soft-flowing waters upon which must depend the very life of all men, the letters inscribed upon His sacred scroll. With the utmost unity, and in a spirit of perfect fellowship, exert yourselves, that ye may be enabled to achieve that which beseemeth this Day of God. Verily I say, strife and dissension, and whatsoever the mind of man abhorreth are entirely unworthy of his station."

(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 195)

Visit to Turkey

2010-11-01T16:31:00.000-07:00

House of Baha'u'llah (reconstructed), Istanbul, in the Fatih District

House of Baha'u'llah, Adrianople
Ancient monument, Ashklepion, birth of modern medicine
Have just returned from a great trip to the west of Turkey with Terrie, taking in some fantastic ancient sites, Istanbul, Gallipoli ANZAC site and many other places in the west of the country. Visited Baha'i sites in Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), Edirne (formerly Adrianople) and Gallipoli Village.
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Chile temple (Baha'i House of Worship)

2010-08-24T18:06:00.000-07:00

Artist's model of proposed Temple, Chile

My son, Haigh Nicholson, has been in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Columbia and other South American countries where he has been learning Spanish and then travelling with my daughter in Chile and Argentina on bicycles before returning back to Australia.

Haigh reports that the construction of the Baha'i Temple in Chile east of Santiago has apparently been held up by practical issues that caused delays. See picture above and below. It will have nine translucent spinaker sails. It is in the Panelolen district in the foothills of the Andes and on the eastern fringe of the City. It has already been given a design award (see below).

A recent report states:

Chile's "temple of light"

Architecture
An early model of the Baha'i House of Worship for the South American continent, simulating how it will appear at night. Excavation work is under way for the new Baha'i House of Worship for the South American continent, in the Chilean capital of Santiago. The House of Worship, with its surrounding water gardens of plant species native to the region, will cover some 10 hectares of a 50 hectare site. Excavation is now being carried out of an area measuring 62 meters in diameter, to prepare for the building's foundations and the area around it. The diameter of the House of Worship itself is approximately 30 meters.

"Striking and original"
The project to construct a Baha'i House of Worship in Chile was announced in 2001. A call for submission of designs was made the following year by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Chile, eliciting 185 entries from more than 80 countries.

The design brief called for a domed structure with nine entrances which, symbolically, would welcome people from all directions of the earth for the praise and glorification of God. From a shortlist of four entries, Hariri Pontarini Architects was given the go-ahead to develop its scheme, described by the Universal House of Justice in its recent message as a "striking and original design."

The building consists of an arrangement of nine translucent "wings," rising directly from the ground, and giving the impression of floating over a large reflecting lily pool. The wings will allow sunlight to filter through during the day, while at night the House of Worship will emit a warm glow from its interior lighting.

The innovative design required that an entirely new form of cast glass be invented for the building's exterior. "That was an exploratory journey that took some 18 months," says Mr. Hariri, whose team needed to develop technologies that would ensure the building's survival in the environmental conditions of the location, a highly active seismic zone.

Award-winning design
Since it was first unveiled, the design for the House of Worship has been praised in more than 40 international journals, and received numerous accolades. Canadian Architect featured the building as one of its 2004 Awards of

Excellence. A judge described it as representing "a rare convergence of forces that seem destined to produce a monument so unique as to become a global landmark..."

Most recently, in August, a global panel of almost 100 judges named the House of Worship joint winner in the World Architecture News "Civic Building - Unbuilt" award category.

Baha'i temples all have 9 sides with 9 doors, representing the various great revealed religions, with the one supreme God of all represented in the centre. Inside are the holy books of all these religions. The only words spoken, chanted or sung inside are from these holy books. There are no priests or sermons and no offerings. They are open to all people for divine worship only.

short stories

2010-08-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

I have recently written short stories, as follows:

Clarence Darrow InterviewedPDF.pdf - on Aug 9, 2010 10:28 AM by Graham Nicholson (version 1) 16k View Download
Lord Orrery's Model.docx - on Aug 12, 2010 12:45 PM by Graham Nicholson (version 1) 40k View Download
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A Fragile Meeting.docx - on May 22, 2011 9:26 PM by Graham Nicholson (version 1) 17k View Download

Lord Orrery’s model is still housed in England

Visit Kuranda Village - a Tourist Mecca

2010-04-25T22:51:00.000-07:00

Above is one of several markets in Kuranda Village. To the left is the sign at the front of the Bookshop in Kuranda. Kuranda is a great little village in the rainforest up in the hills behind Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Come and visit, you will enjoy the Village and the surroundings with lush forest, much of it World heritage. There are great things to see and do. The Village itself is a tourist paradise with much character. There are native animals, butterflies, Aboriginal artefacts, arts and crafts and many other things to see. The markets are open every day. There are also great rainforest walks as well as the thunderous Barron Falls in the wet located in the Barron Gorge, plus the Barron River itself.
Come up by vintage train from the Cairns central station, or by cable car from Smithfield, or if you want a cheap but interesting trip by bus from the centre of Cairns.
We are not far from the east coast so you can still enjoy the beauties of the beaches and the Great Barrier Reef. It is also the doorway to the marvelous Atherton Tablelands.

A Boutique Bookshop in Kuranda

2010-03-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

The Hidden Words Bookshop in Therwine Street Kuranda is going fairly well after opening on 1 March 2010. Quite a collection of mainly new books for the thoughtful reader has been put on the shelves and sales made. Prices are being kept down. A monthly book review is appearing in the Kuranda Paper.

There is no other collection anything like that in this boutique bookshop in the north of Australia as far as I know.

So come and browse and have a free tea or coffee. If your tastes in books run to any of the topics of history, biography, psychology, science, philosophy, religion & spirituality, politics, international affairs, environment, human rights & justice, arts & culture; crafts, feminism, Aboriginals, ancient and modern classics, poetry, geography, botany, zoology, archaeology, Nth Queensland authors, self help or gift books, this is for you. Also available is research assistance.
It is easy to find - just go to where the public buses stop opposite the Park in Kuranda, that is Therwine Street, and proceed down the hill a short way to the last shop. Personal service guaranteed.
Graham Nicholson

Tel (07) 4093 7120
PO Box 1010 Kuranda Qld 4881 Australia

Herberton house renovations

2010-02-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

My dear wife is renovating in period style an old house in Herberton on the Tablelands of north Queensland. Above are a few progress pictures.

new photos

2010-01-07T20:24:00.000-08:00

Here are two photos, one of the Baha'i ladies from Malanda on their day out to Kuranda, sorry Diane Wellington is missing as she was the photographer.
The other photo is of myself picking paw paws at our home just out of Kuranda with my wife Terrie helping. The fruit are delicious and are served to guests.

Some people of Aboriginal descent in Kuranda

2009-12-13T21:10:00.000-08:00

2009-12-09T23:26:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

I have been working on a short play entitled "The Gibran Portrait". It deals with the portrait by Kahlil Gibran of Abdu'l-Baha, undertaken in New York in 1912. It has 3 actors - Gibran, Juliet Thompson and Percy Grant plus a narrator.
The Gibran Portrait pdf 4.pdf - 471k View Download
As to a selection of my other articles, stories and poems, please see "older posts" at the end of this page. These are available for viewing and downloading.

2009-11-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

Recently My wife Terrie and I have been to Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, where we had a most memorable time. It is a very multicultural and multi religious society made up of various Europeans, Indians, African creoles and Chinese, with much intermixing. English is the official language but French and Creole are most common. It is a beautiful Island with a very colourful past and very friendly people. On the whole it is quite harmonious.

I went to Hindu prayers at a small temple, prayers at the Mosque in Port Louis, a service in the Catholic Cathedral in east Mauritus and a Baha'i feast in the Rosehill Baha'i Centre. We also attended Divali "festival of lights"celebrations in the north and visited the Baha'i National Office in Port Louis.

We had an interesting experience at Casela Wildlife Park, see the photo above.

We stayed at Maison Eureka in Moka, a lovely old French mansion once used by French colonial sugar planters with African slaves. We were spoilt by the staff and had a great time there in an old but comfortable 3 room cottage, see photo of the Mansion above.

New Poem

2009-10-28T23:26:00.000-07:00

Welcome again to my blog.

Following is a poem that won a small cash prize at the latest Kuranda Spring Festival Poets' Breakfast in 2009:

Forest Glass House pdf2.pdf - on Dec 14, 2009 26k View Download

2009-10-01T22:07:00.000-07:00

Barron falls, just outside of Kuranda, during wet season , below, and in the dry, See

Barron Falls in dry.jpg - 11k View Download