RickInOz

Someone kindly pointed out the flagrant hypocrisy in posting about wanting meaningful action on climate change not long after posting about buying a car that emits 243g of CO₂ per kilometre (just for context, that’s in the second highest UK tax band – L).

In so doing, they had a fair point, but I do try to do my bit for Gaia. Our house has all low-wattage bulbs, our white-goods are A-rated, we turn as many appliances off at the wall as possible, switch off lights/heating/cooling in rooms we aren’t in and our electricity supplier carbon-offsets our entire consumption. I also cycle to work, even when it’s raining, and use the bus to get into the city centre.

Now, I’m not claiming holier-than-thou status, nor even that I’m particularly “green”, but I do the best I can with what resources are available. If there had been an emission-free engine option for the Subaru that offered similar performance, then I would have chosen it without hesitation. But that wasn’t the case, and so it will have to burn petrol.

Many of the bigger car companies, even ones you might have suspected as being stalwarts for sticking to tradition like Chrysler, have started researching alternative power generation methods. Electricity is currently touted as a “green” alternative, but where do those watts come from to charge the battery? That’s right, the burning of fossil fuels, so no dice there. Hydrogen might be an alternative, but the only currently commercially viable production method involves electricity. So the problem goes round and round.

So, why am I continuing to rant about this. Well, my vitriol is still aimed at governments. With their vast budgets and ability to legislate, they are the only organisations who are capable of forcing change through. The good intentions of corporate giants can only achieve so much until they are hamstrung by the need to remain profitable. Currently the only real-world-usable all-electric and hydrogen cars are prohibitively expensive. Similarly, fuels that have lower emissions per litre than petrol. Once there used to be a government subsidy on diesel, but Greedy Gordon worked out that he was losing too much money when everyone started buying diesel cars, and so rapidly pulled it. In fact when we left the UK diesel was more expensive than petrol, so actually acting as a disincentive for buying a greener car. Great move, chump.

Until the collective might of the international political leaders becomes sufficiently motivated, I can’t see anything changing. Platitudes like the Copenhagen conference aren’t going to change a thing in the near future. Instead it will take significant catastrophe like:

1. Oil extraction becomes prohibitively expensive
2. Widespread famine decimates the human population
3. Rising sea levels flood major population centres
4. Extreme weather patterns threaten our survival
5. Fresh water becomes scarce

or wars over any of the above, to galvanise action.

But this is the major failing with governments. In democracy, they are all too scared to be bold for fear of failing re-election. In communism or totalitarianism, there is no means of quality control. Instead it will boil down to the usual motivator – death. No, I’m not being melodramatic. Think about any major public safety initiative over the past decade or two and then investigate the trigger event. Be it gun control, pedestrian crossing design, child-proof bottle caps, or whatever, someone died and good came of it.

So how many lives will it take for this issue to see some significant and consequential action?

The recent Copenhagen conference and the Kyoto treaty before it have been little more effective than putting a Band-Aid on a gaping wound. It’s been clear for decades that the prospect of climate change is not just the scaremongering of a few paranoid scientists, yet little action has resulted. It doesn’t help that countries like China and India deliberately sabotage any attempts to curb carbon emissions, with the age-old excuse that it would lead to their financial ruin.

But change can occur and successfully too if there is the political will. In the mid-80s grim warnings about the effect CFCs were having on the ozone layer were taken extremely seriously. Within only a couple of years the offending chemicals were almost completely eradicated from use. As a result, although ozone depletion is still a problem, there is evidence that the layer is on the road to recovery and should return to baseline levels by the end of this century.

In fact, we have exerted pollution control in recent history. Smog used to be a major problem in most industrial nations and contributed to a decline in respiratory health. It reached epic proportions enough to prompt many countries to enact Clean Air Acts to force the use of smokeless fuels, filtering technologies and a move towards alternative power generation (i.e: nuclear). And none of these countries slid into economic crisis, rather the alternative as governments plugged money into developing new technologies and then made profits from exporting the same.

So why now the rant? Well, today Scaredy had to be admitted at the vet clinic with heatstroke. We were in the throes of the 3rd successive day above 41 degrees and he started to pant. This is a worrying sign in cats and implies that their ability to compensate has been exceeded. Fortunately we caught him early enough and he shouldn’t suffer any long-term harm, but it has still come as enough of a worry and stress to all concerned.

Those of you shivering through the European winter may be thinking us lucky to be having such warmth, but even your aberrant weather pattern can be traced to climate change with the shifting of the Gulf Stream.

The intentional short-sightedness and belligerence of many nations internationally annoys me intensely. What is worse is that the immediate greed is utterly unnecessary. Carbon offsetting, renewable and alternative energy sources and forestation rather than deforestation could all generate huge fiscal flux around the world and potentially be the backbone of a new era of financial growth.

But instead, we have become dangerously addicted to fossil fuels and especially crude oil. Unfortunately, as is typically the case, governments will continue to follow Newton’s First Law. I hope when that change is forced, we have time to reverse the damage done in the interim period of blasé indifference. And I hope it happens very soon as I don’t want today’s scare to happen again. Ever.

Just a quick note:

We’ve both been back to work this week, and it’s been a bit of a shock to the system. Regan especially took almost 3 weeks off, and I had become rather used to being on leave. In fact it was rather relaxing to be able to get lots of little things done …. all those chores we’d been putting off … not to mention hosting Xmas and getting away albeit very briefly.

It’s made us consider what’s important. The cliché “you work to live, not the other way round” is ringing rather pertinently at the moment.

A little more sophisticated than nuts and gum. Despite that, an unusual combination, but it does work.

It may not be common knowledge, but one of our favourite wines is the Rosé made by the Hahndorf Hill Winery. Having ordered from them before Christmas we received a gift with the wine, an introductory offer to partake of the new ChocoVino experience.

They have come up with an interesting concept, that of tasting chocolate in the same manner that one would taste wine. It is also a means of enlightening people to the availability of very fine, niche product not typically available at your local store.

For us, this included tasting the unique Noir Infini, which contains 99% cocoa solids. We expected this to taste very bitter and strong, but instead the fine production techniques and attention has created a very intense yet smooth taste. There are many similarities between the taste of cocoa, coffee and tobacco and we certainly appreciated the earthy, smoky taste with an unusual velvety texture not found in other chocolate.

Interestingly, chocolate radically alters the taste of wine. Most of the wines tasted dry by comparison to the sweetness of chocolate, but the Noir Infini has so little sugar added that it actually brought out the fruit sugar in the Rosé that accompanied it.

These last few posts have certainly had a recurring theme, but the indulgence will have to be tempered from now on. Going back to the gym today certainly was painful.

Vacation. Having not been on holiday for over a year, it was about time we “got away” for a change.

In fact, we just got back yesterday from a quick jaunt down to the Coonawarra.  For those who aren’t aware this is an established wine-producing area, benefiting from relatively good rainfall, cool winters and warm summers. The key aspect is the terra rosa soil that adds a unique flavour to the wine.

So, on the first day we drove down from Adelaide and,  after a quick lunch in Naracoorte, visited some of the less well-known wineries like Punter’s Corner as well as established names like Wynn’s.

Normally these vineyards are known for their rich, earthy reds, especially Cabernet Sauvignon. But instead, we tasted some surprisingly good whites including an excellent Riesling at Katnook.

Then, the following day, we took the opportunity to see the World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves. These limestone caves were formed naturally by groundwater erosion with some stretches some half a million years old. There were some truly beautiful formations including actively forming stalactites and stalagmites.

We were also surprised by how cool the air in the caves was. Even though it was over 40 degrees outside and a bright sunny day, the caves were still a pleasant 18 degrees. Apparently they remain this sort of temperature all year round, rarely getting warm in summer nor cold in winter.

The cave system is also host to a diverse ecology, most important of which is the Southern Bentwing Bat. I was under the assumption that the only indigenous mammals in Australia were marsupials, but this bat is placental yet never introduced. Unfortunately we weren’t actually allowed to see the bats in person as they and their habitat are carefully protected, however we were able to watch their activities remotely by infra-red camera.

The last, but more important feature and reason for Heritage status, is the fossil load. The sedimentary rocks have preserved the bones of many hundreds of species over the past couple of hundred thousand years. This includes many marsupials that are now extinct and have never been seen by homo sapiens.

Although we were only down there for two days, we still feel like we got a lot out of that time. If nothing else, it was a good opportunity to run in the new car and get some kms on the clock. So, we’ve finally started getting out of Adelaide and doing different things. This change in lifestyle was a while coming, but now we’re making the most of it.

Rest of the photos here.

Another tradition and, since we’ve done one of these for the past two years, a chance to summarise what we got up to this year. So without further ado:

This year I:

• worked a full-time medical retrieval post
• did the inaugural job for the MedSTAR retrieval service
• retrieved patients from over 30 towns in South Australia, and also Darwin and Alice Springs
• completed enrolment for my potassium chloride trial
• updated my paediatric life support qualification
• passed the JFICM Fellowship exam as part of the last cohort before the transition to an independent college
• sacrificed holidays and family activities in order to pass the above exam
• rewarded myself with a new car and camera
• continued cycling to work and BodyPumping
• stayed up late to watch England regain the Ashes
• rediscovered some green-fingers and beautified our backyard

This year Regan:

• started learning Chinese (in addition to already taking Arabic)
• flew to every state capital in the country on business
• was taken on full-time and promoted at Exhibition Studios
• saw her first major project open in Canberra
• completed the City-to-Bay and various other charity fun runs
• participated in the public leg of the Tour-Down-Under

As a couple we:

• signed on for another year at Gibbon Lane, which will be our longest period without moving since being together
• celebrated our 9 year anniversary
• hosted the whole family for Christmas Day
• started attending activities, events and holidaying now that revision is no longer an issue

And next year we have planned

• to visit Vanuatu
• to return to the UK to see friends and family in late August / early September (clear your diaries now!)
• to host my family over here at Easter time
• learning new skills in use of ultrasound in Intensive Care practice
• going back to MedSTAR for more flying time

So, we hope you all had a fruitful 2009 too, and, in the best maritime spirit, we wish you favourable winds and clear horizons for next year.

Two days ago we had the family round for Christmas lunch. After an aperitif, two starters, 3 main courses, cheese, 3 desserts and chocolates, all washed down with lots of wine, we all felt rather full. Unsurprisingly.

And today, like many other people, we felt a little twinge of guilt about all those calories, enjoyable though it was consuming them all at the time. So, to make amends we went for a little jaunt.

First up was a cycle ride from home to the bottom of Waterfall Gully. Hardly the Angel Falls, but picturesque nevertheless:

That was just the warm-up as then we hiked the trail up to the summit of Mount Lofty. It was quite a tough climb but well worth it for the view from the top overlooking Adelaide:

All told we did a fair bit of work. The cycle ride was 30km rising 175m on the way to Waterfall Gully. Then the hike was an 8km round-trip climbing 500m from base to summit. And pretty hard work on some of the steeper sections.

So, as a result, we feel like the balance has been partly restored and then swiftly ruined by sitting down to a lunch of cold cuts, cheese and ice-cream. Oh dear, better get back down the gym.

Rest of the photos here.

Here’s a little Christmas present for you all. The new release BodyPump 72 has arrived and here are my thoughts on it. The launch was over a week ago, but I’ve been just a little busy … so better late than never … and on with the review:

Warmup:
This one follows the usual pattern of working the back, shoulders, legs, back and biceps. Nothing special to report in terms of innovations, but we do very little legwork with only 5 squats and 8 lunges per leg. Instead we have two sets of overhead presses and a long biceps set. This makes the track feel a little unbalanced and upper-body heavy. Fortunately though, the music comes to the rescue and we get the first uplifting warm-up song for ages: If (Freemasons 2009 Re-Dub) – Freemasons Feat. Hazel Fernandes.

Squats:
This was billed as a tough track but I don’t think it’s particularly difficult. Essentially the track consists of two big rounds each having two distinct halves. Mostly it’s standard fare with a cue to go to wide stance at the quarter mark. If you enjoyed the bottom-halves from the last release, then you’ll like this one as we do 48 again. Each big round finishes with 4 x 4 of them, and if that wasn’t enough a couple of 2 x 4 sets are thrown in too. But despite that, it certainly doesn’t match 71 for intensity. The show-piece in this release is that the music lulls between the two rounds making it sound like the track has finished, but then it goes on. I can well see the “surprise” wearing thin very quickly. You would think that Kelly Clarkson wouldn’t work in BodyPump, but I Do Not Hook Up is sufficiently rocky to work well.

Chest:
I’ll warn you straight up – this is a hard Chest track. We’ve had a few accessible tracks recently, so this one will sting. It starts off simply enough with a replica of the chore from 69 with slow ranges, singles and 6 bottom-half pulses. This is repeated twice before we sit up for a premature break. Then, like 64, there is a fair bit of work to come and this causes that familiar burn to develop early. This track also sees a return of the slow bottom-half pulses from 68, but we only get one set of these unfortunately. A great track: Always Be Here – Dane Rumble with hints of Michael Jackson and RHCP, but it’s let down by chore that doesn’t always match it.

Back:
Another cookie cutter affair and lifted straight out of 70. So don’t expect anything exciting with the usual lifts, rows, clean-n-presses, triple row sets. Three rounds with breaks in between make for a reasonably straight forward track. It’s not that easy, but by no means challenging either. The return of Cascada with Perfect Day seals this off as a utterly forgettable track. The team at Les Mills really need to do something with track 4 as it is fast becoming tired and unimaginative with the same acts and same chore turning up again and again.

Triceps:
Now this release shows how good triceps tracks can be. It’s a real toughie esp if you take the options … but we’ll get to that in a second. To start with it’s bar work with 3 rounds on the bench. We also get the pullover move from 67 back again, but just for the first two rounds. And then the other favourite – dips! The option I mentioned before is to do this weighted either with the bar or a plate in your lap. I’ve found myself fatiguing enough by the end of the bench work so have just been doing the dips with bodyweight alone, but perhaps I’ll try for something by mix-out time. The music badly lets down what should be an enjoyable track with Sugar by Flo Rida. This song would be bad enough on it’s own but dredges new depths by sampling the dire Blue by Eiffel 65.

Biceps:
This has the makings of a tough, yet great, biceps track. It starts with two duplicate rounds, with the option to switch the back leg half-way through as always. The usual slow reps start us off before some bottom-half pulses. And then the innovation kicks in. Anyone remember the bicep rows from 67? Pulling the bar up to the chest works the bicep in a very different way to curls and prevents momentum assisting bar movement. I actually found my forearms felt it after these rows rather than my biceps, presumably from having to grip the bar hard. We then get a much needed break before finishing with a simple 16 bottom-half row set. Pity really as there was potential to fit in some more bicep rows. Music is the Ricochet TV cover of Green Day’s Know Your Enemy.

Lunges:
72 had been a fairly strong release so far, but here is the big let-down. As if we hadn’t done enough squats in the Squat track, we get more … lots more in fact. The track consists of 4 rounds alternating squats and lunges. The squat sections aren’t the active recovery I was expecting them to be and really hammer legs still fatigued from earlier work. Which meant I then couldn’t really do the lunge sections justice. It defies logic why they couldn’t have just choreographed lunges instead, either dynamic or static. This one should be swapped out as soon as possible. Music: Gone – Lasgo.

Shoulders:
In keeping with the generally tough nature of the release thus far, this Shoulder track is a killer. We start with some push-ups before going into rear-deltoid raises, lateral raises. Then grab the bar for upright rows and finish with overhead presses. All sounds fairly standard fare doesn’t it? Well get ready to hurt as this release features the 3/4 range pulse. So, rather than coming back to the bottom of the range we stop early and then go up again (i.e: go 1/4 range to top back and forth). This prevents us from taking that micro-break at the bottom and really makes the most of the “time-under-tension” principle. There are 12 of them per exercise group and they really make your muscles scream, believe me. Music is a rocky remix of Michael Jackson’s Beat It by Xeroxx.

Abs:
Another challenging track, but unfortunately not in a good way. As with 71, those who have packed their gear away early will wind up looking foolish as we need the bench again. Those reverse crunches are back, but this time there are no regular crunches to break them up. This means those deep abdominal muscles really get targeted. As if that wasn’t enough we then punish them some more with a long hover. There is the option to have feet up on the bench again, with travelling forward and backward and alternate stepping on/off the bench for advanced Pumpers. As with previous releases featuring a hard shoulder track and following it up with a prolonged plank, this is a big mistake and I just can’t hold it, not through lack of core strength, but my arms just won’t hold me up. Music: Love Sex Magic – Ciara Feat. Justin Timberlake.

Warm-down:
After such a gruelling workout it would be nice if we could do the normal supine leg stretches, but this time we have to quickly transition into and out of a seated glute stretch. This combined with lying quad stretches makes the first half of this track seem rather rushed and scrappy. It wouldn’t be so bad if we had been given a good tune to unwind with, but instead a cover of the Seether remix of George Michael’s Careless Whisper, by Badlands has to suffice … but falls very short and isn’t relaxing in the slightest.

Overall Impressions:
Despite many negative comments above I do like this release. For an experienced participant like me it offers a rare challenge with none of the tracks being easy, and most of them being downright nasty. It’s not particularly cardio-intensive but certainly tests endurance and will-power.

The downside of this is that, on the converse, I suspect that it will be too daunting for new participants. Triceps, Shoulders and Abs are simply too complex and tough, and even using light weights won’t diminish their difficulty. Les Mills need to be mindful that the program attracts a range of people and they can’t just cater to one hardcore group. Having said that, on the plus side, it will act as a rude shock to all those who have been coasting along with the same unchallenging weights for too long.

Musically this is another lemon. The first 3 tracks really work well, and are well suited to their disciplines and choreography. Unfortunately thereafter things go downhill with Biceps and Shoulders going some way to recoup the howlers in Back, Triceps, Lunges, Abs and Warmdown. Just because they have to use cover acts to keep licensing costs down does not excuse poor choices. The difficulty of tracks partially masks the bad songs, but not enough unfortunately.

Maybe this will be a keeper like 71 turned out to be (with the exception of lunges) as it does have some great tracks despite being let down in a few key areas I’ve elucidated above. Time will tell, and we have a few more weeks to get to know it better.

Your comments and opinions will be welcome as always.

Last night we braved the mozzies and crowds to attend the annual Carols by Candlelight. I hadn’t even been aware that the event existed so it became another Adelaide first.

Rather than the intimate affair door-to-door in Shamley Green, this was an outside concert with guest acts, a full choir and jazz band. Obviously it is very popular as we were among thirty thousand people or so. The choice of music, however, was somewhat less than conventional and I was unaware that “Love The One You’re With” was a carol. Fortunately there were enough of the standard offerings to satisfy the traditionalists.

Unfortunately the title was a misnomer with a distinct shortage of candles. Instead, garish multi-coloured LED lights were the order of the night. Far lower risk of fire, but not exactly making for an authentic Yuletide scene.

And it also acted as a good opportunity to take the camera out and start learning how to take good photos:

The full automatic settings don’t necessarily get it right, as this over-exposed shot of St Peter’s Cathedral shows:

But with a little tweaking on manual it was possible to get a far more natural appearance:

The rest of the photos can be found here.

Those shots of the cathedral act as a neat segue as we are planning to go to the midnight Eucharist. there next Thurs. Hopefully there will be a conspicuous and pleasing lack of 70s cheese.