POEM "Heinrich"

HEINRICH

You walked to the top of the tallest mountain
In bitter cold.
I walked down the dirt road
Just before sunset.
Yours was an achievement.
Mine an everyday event.
Your passport is full of stamps
Souvenirs of where you've been.
My passport is empty
Save a young photo of me.

©Joanna Terpstra 3/4/09

SOLE CONCERN - my letter to the editor

This is a letter I wrote to the editor and had emailed to about 12 newspapers, A Current Affair, Choice magazine and the Department of Fair Trading. So far my letter has been published in Grafton's Daily Examiner last Monday 27/4/09.
If you can think of anywhere else to send it, please do so.

SOLE CONCERN

Dear Sir/Madam,

Like most people, I tend to wear sandals in summer, shoes in spring and autumn, and boots in winter.

With the cooler autumn weather, I polished up my Roc shoes and wore them to town. While crossing the road, the soles fell apart - they split from side to side as well as the metal arch support breaking through. I bought these shoes less than 5 years ago, kept them for special occasions and they still looked as good as new.

Then I remembered the Roc boots I had before that. I wore them each winter for 3 years. On the 4th year the soles completely crumbled into chunks while driving. The bits stuck under the brake pedal and I almost had an accident.

Reluctant to throw the boots out, I put them back in the wardrobe, hoping to think of a way to fix them. The soles disintegrated into a tarry black mess, sticking to and ruining my other shoes nearby, and getting tracked into the carpet.

The problem, I am told, is the Poly Urethane soles. If the shoes are not worn continuously, the PU sole material breaks down. You can usually identify PU because the sole and the heel are one continuous piece, molded, not stitched, onto the leather upper. They give with thumb pressure and are marketed as "comfort soles". Sometimes "PU SOLE" is printed on the inside of the shoe or on the underside of the sole.

These soles are not repairable. Complete replacement with another type of (less comfortable) sole is over $100.

The brands that use these PU soles have a reputation for comfort and quality - Roc, Kumfs, Rivers, Colorado, Hush Puppies, etc. Also some men's work boots - Oliver, etc. These shoes and boots can retail up to $300 a pair. And it's not just how long they last AFTER you've bought them. If they've been sitting on the shop shelf for some time, the soles can look perfect and then disintegrate anytime you wear them - sometimes within months. Beware of specials as these are most likely old stock and reduced items often cannot be returned due to store policy. New shoes may no longer be covered by any warranty by the time next season rolls along.

Imagine all the things you rely on your shoes for when they can fall apart suddenly. I know of one girl whose heel broke while crossing a busy road, was hit by a car and broke her leg. Imagine a labourer wearing work boots up on scaffolding. Not only can sole unreliability be embarrassing and inconvenient, it can be dangerous. Imagine carrying a pot of hot soup, a baby, running, climbing stairs or accepting an award on stage.

The sad thing is that often it is the middle-aged and elderly, buying Kumfs at ridiculous prices ($260+) for the sake of comfort, who are most at risk of a fall and hip fractures. PU soles are a rip-off.

Oh, and if you try to return them to the shoe shop you will be told there's nothing they can do - that's how things are these days, "Its a throw-away society after all".

There should be a warning on these soles, "WARNING - PU sole will disintegrate if not worn continuously", and carry a date of manufacture and a use-by date.

I have just checked my wardrobe - yes, the soles of my Kumfs and my Hush Puppies split when I gently bended the shoes. Those were my most expensive shoes - they hardly lasted more than 3 years. I paid good money for what I thought was quality and am very disappointed. I still have other non-PU shoes and boots that have lasted me many more years, and are still going strong.

Sincerely,

Joanna Terpstra
65 Russell Road
Woodford Island NSW 2460
02 6647 7262


SOME FEEDBACK SO FAR...

L had a pair of hush puppy court shoes fall to bits......she got them on special at coffs about five years ago and wore them straight away....the heel broke in the palm centre.....$20 to have them fixed.....she then left them in the back floor of the car for a few weeks as spares and when she took them out the soles had fallen to pieces....unrepairable....she could have easily damaged her ankle when the heel went....we should have taken them back straight away but we were on a time schedule.....very pissed off.
- N

hi my bare foot and not pregnant friend ha ha
how about sending complaint to outdoor hiking magazines
I too have been caught out
In the SES a whole store of safety ha ha work boots crumbled brand new just out of the boxes
cheers and good luck
- V

Nice that you thought of sending me the letter.  I agree with you about the soles on shoes.  And you are absolutely right, I also wear Kumfs and Supersoft.  It is a problem with the soles, in that they are unrepairable.  Do right annoying when the shoe is quite alright thorough.  I have met with the same exact response and comments from the shoe shops when I've gone to go in and complain.  I had twice then I bought brown leather boots (D F's) and not 6 months later the sole cracked in the area when you bend the foot to walk.  They told me I must have stepped into something that made the sole perish.  Can't do anything but get frustrated and the sellers aren't interested.  Life sucks in this matter. 
- M

Hi Jo, us men dont have that many probs with our shoes cos we dont have a shoe fetish haha :) I have 5 pairs...2 rather expensive "joggers" ( from The Athletes Foot } AAND 3 pairs of very expensive shoes i hardly ever wear ( i dont go to funerals / weddings ) No probs with the ones buried in the wardrobe. My biggest problem are my heals cos i wear barefeet...nice to hear from you and listen to your soul :)
- G

MY RESPONSE
For the record, I am no Imelda Marcos. I am a size 10, which is usually sold out as shoe shops only get one pair in each order batch - they get lots of the other common sizes. (Consequently, size 10s are rarely on the specials table). I also have an extremely wide foot so most shoes are too narrow for me. On top of that, I don't wear high heals because I have lower back problems. I walk some 5 kms most days and most women's shoes wouldn't cope with this (funny, I thought shoes were for walking). AND to top it all off, I have a dreadful latex allergy which cuts out all sneakers and joggers as well as many shoes, which have latex innersoles (latex is not listed in the materials label - they only say "synthetic").

So shoe shopping is not something I look forward to. Just trying to get a pair that fit makes me feel like a trannie. At home I am usually barefoot, wearing ugg-boots if it's cold. Outdoors I wear my Rivers croc-look-a-likes (they are softer and wider than Crocs) and I get 6-12 months walking out of them before the sole wears through from lots of kilometres. However, they are definitely NOT a dress shoe, and although comfortable, are an ugly accessory to a nice outfit when I go out.

The brands that solved my shoe problems are now out of the question, so I am on the search for comfortable shoes WITHOUT poly urethane soles.

PS. I had a pair of Oliver men’s work boot soles crumble to bits when I was high up on the ladder painting my house. Why hasn’t this become an OH&S issue yet????

Cheers from Joanna

Thought for the day...

Good judgement comes from experience,
Experience comes from bad judgement.

POEM "Dew"

DEW

Light as dew collecting on leaves
I ached for the sight of you
Familiar and tired with years
I knew
The last time I hugged you
Would be the last
I pressed your flattened breasts hard against me
Hoping some imprint might be left
Of the nipples that fed me
Half a century ago
And light as dew
The sun evaporates what remains.

©Joanna Terpstra 11/8/08

ART SALE NOW ON

ART SALE NOW ON at Joanna Terpstra's Studio Gallery.
Original Paintings, Sculpture & Prints.
Phone 02 6647 7262
No reasonable offer refused!

Uranium

'Uranium mining is financial dead end: Greens


The Australian Greens today urged caution on fast tracking uranium mining in Western Australia, following reports that BHP is considering rapid development of WA's largest deposit at Yeelirrie.

"The world uranium spot price has collapsed since July last year, and yet the industry is still behaving as though their imaginary 'nuclear renaissance' is actually happening," said Australian Greens nuclear spokesperson Senator Scott Ludlam.

The Greens have produced research which shows that the share price of the top ten uranium explorers in Australia have been decimated by the turmoil in financial markets, underperforming the market overall and well below the large diversified miners.

"This is an industry on the way out. We should not tie the WA economy to the troubled fortunes of the world nuclear industry, nor jeopardise the health of our mining communities and the environment," said Senator Ludlam.

"I'm extremely concerned that Federal resources Minister Martin Ferguson and WA Premier Colin Barnett are undertaking discussions to fast-track uranium mining in WA, given the strong anti-nuclear sentiment Western Australians hold very close. This state elected the first person in the world on an anti-nuclear platform and an abiding sentiment remains."

"There is a huge swell of people standing up in opposition to uranium mining in WA. The peak body of major environmental, peace and Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia - ANAWA - are ready for a fight," said Senator Ludlam.

"Uranium mining is very dangerous to the health of workers and surrounding communities; wind carries radon gas and radioactive dust from the tailings, leading to miners consistently suffering increased rates of lung cancer. For every tonne of uranium oxide produced, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of wastes are left behind for thousands of years."

"Uranium mining in Australia is a political, social, environmental and financial black hole. Mining companies will reap economic benefits for a decade but Western Australians will bear the brunt of this toxic legacy for millennia," he concluded. '

Solar Rip-off

'Greens Bill to stop solar PV rip-off

Greens MLC Mark Parnell has introduced a Private Members Bill to fix up the solar feed-in scheme, after discovering big energy retailers are ripping off well over $350,000 each year from SA households with solar panels.

"This is the great SA solar rip-off. At least another $350,000 should be going into the pockets of householders who have done the right thing by installing solar panels on their roof, not into the coffers of big electricity retailers," Mr Parnell said.

"Despite public pressure, and many extremely upset customers, these big energy companies are refusing to do the right thing. So, I have introduced a Bill into Parliament to get it fixed up once and for all.

"Big energy companies should not be allowed a free ride, and should start paying for the electricity they receive from domestic solar power producers," he said.

When the feed-in scheme commenced on July 1st this year, companies including Origin and AGL took the opportunity to make windfall profits by no longer paying for the electricity they were receiving from households exporting power to the grid from their domestic solar panels.

Solar panel owners should be receiving 2 payments:

1. A payment for the electricity the households export to the grid (paid for by the energy retailer)
2. An extra 44c/kilo watt hour feed-in premium (paid for by all domestic electricity consumers)

Instead, some retailers stopped paying the first amount and instead just started passing on the 44c premium (for which they didn't pay) that was intended to 'top up' what households were already receiving. The Greens have calculated this will deliver a windfall profit of over $350,000 each year to Origin and AGL.

"The Greens have moved to close this loophole to ensure the benefit of the solar feed-in scheme will go to households who are doing the right thing, not to big power companies keen on a free ride," he said. '

CORPORATE WELFARE

As if it's not enough for our taxpayer's money to be used to bail out banks that have been making obscene profits at our expense for years, and absolving them of their responsibility to guarantee our savings, the cause for private profit funded by taxpayers continues...

'DPAC PULP MILL ADVERTISING SPEND CONSTITUTES OBSCENE CORPORATE WELFARE

Nick McKim MP
Greens Opposition Leader

www.tas.greens.org.au

The Tasmanian Greens today responded to revelations contained in the Department of Premier and Cabinet Annual Report that the government spent nearly $200,000 advertising in support of Gunns Ltd's pulp mill, describing it as 'corporate welfare on an obscene scale'.

Greens Leader Nick McKim MP said that the expenditure of $189,289 on advertising in support of the mill was outrageous, and called on Premier David Bartlett to apologise to the Tasmanian community for the gross misuse of taxpayer funds.

"This is corporate welfare on an obscene scale, with taxpayers money spent on a propaganda campaign in support of a toxic and unpopular private project."

"I wonder how homeless Tasmanians, or people waiting for elective surgery, would feel about money which should have been spent improving the lives of Tasmanians instead used to promote a polluting pulp mill." '


Our much-touted laissez fair free enterprise capitalist system is actually one of privatising the profits and socialising the losses.

Surfing The Coldstream Festival

I enjoyed spending the weekend in Yamba for the Surfing The Coldstream festival. The highlights for me were the street theatre, trapeze and stand up poets, as well as the Krishna vegie curry. The music was much too loud for me to enjoy.

Here are some slow time exposure snaps I took on the Light The Night street parade.

Huge animal

Huge insect

Samba Blisstas

The crowd

Fire show

Angela Sleeping

At 10 months old, is my granddaughter taking after her grandmother in martial arts?

Angela sleeping more like a kung fu fighter than an angel

- from My son's Blog

POEM "Age"

AGE

I was too young
And now I'm too old
When was I just right?

©Joanna Terpstra 20/9/08

POEM "Remedy"

REMEDY

Administer the bitter remedy
Hoping to cure all ills
Sprooking from your soapbox
Deliciously red
Tantalizingly sweet
Poison disguized as elixir.

©Joanna Terpstra 23/9/08

POEM "Don't Know"

DON'T KNOW

You don't know
And yet you are certain.
You don't say, "yes"
You answer, "absolutely".
If you agree with me
You say, "you are exactly right"
But I may be wrong.

©Joanna Terpstra 30/9/08

POEM "Bathtime"

BATHTIME

In the bath
Time stands still
Soaking skin
Body warm
And mind calm
Spaciousness
Gives room for freshness
Water soothes the soul.

©Joanna Terpstra 30/9/08

Cool Companions

Yesterday I spent the day at the Lawrence Agricultural Fair. I had to wait till 2pm for the event I most wanted to see - Cool Companions. It was directed at the kids mostly, but Tanya and Neil reluctantly let me have a short hold of their gorgeous pythons. Check out their website: www.coolcompanions.com.au

Me loving the black-headed python
(photo taken by Neil Charles with my camera)

Me again with the olive python
(photo taken by Neil Charles with my camera)

Tanya Carter holding the Snappy Tom, the young saltwater crocodile

Close-up of crocodile

I put my 'Mad Max' tractor on eBay

I put my tractor on eBay:

'Mad Max' Kubota 4WD Tractor, Cultivator, Cage & Tyne
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290262981937

Please pass on the link to anyone you know who might be interested.

Emptiness

"Seeking Emptiness"
Oil Pastel on Linen Canvas 1000 x 1000mm

"Finding Fullness"
Oil Pastel on Linen Canvas 1000 x 1000mm

This is a sample of the paintings I am working on at the moment. I have been trying to find some way of realizing on the outside what I am feeling on the inside, especially in my meditations.

Parliamentary Approval to Send Troops to War

Wednesday, 17 September 2008

'PM must have parliamentary approval to send troops to war
- Greens

Australian Greens Senator Scott Ludlam will introduce a Bill into the Senate today that would ensure parliamentary approval for the deployment of forces.

"It is time that Australia joined its closest allies and like-minded democratic states by involving the Parliament in the decision to send troops into battle," Senator Ludlam said.

"Decisions about sending Australia's sons and daughters into danger, quite possibly to their deaths, should not be made by a handful of people, or in undue haste. Such decisions must enjoy public confidence and the mandate of the parliament", Senator Ludlam said.

"This bill would see Australia join other like-minded democracies. Britain has transferred the prerogative power to declare war to the parliament. Countries like Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey all require their parliaments to approve this most serious decision.

"The Howard government was the first government in Australia's history to go to war without the support of both houses of Parliament when troops were rapidly deployed to an illegal war in Iraq in 2003. This Bill provides an opportunity to learn the lessons of this mistake and ensure it never happens again.

"There are appropriate exemptions made in the Bill that do not interfere with the non-warlike overseas service with which Australian troops are engaged," Senator Ludlam said.'

POEM "Coin"

COIN

Gold coin rolling
Down the drain-grate
Falling far from view.
In the darkness
Scurry rats and cockroaches
Disappointed that it was not food.

©Joanna Terpstra 9/9/08

POEM "Grin"

GRIN

When the finality sank in
Your grin was a mockery
Of all I cherished.
I smiled to keep you on side
But my heart broke loud.
Fortunately you were deaf
And the masquerade continued.

©Joanna Terpstra 3/9/08

Mum's Memorial

Yesterday was my mother's memorial. The year has passed quickly. The sadness remains.

HIROSHIMA 63RD ANNIVERSARY

'Media Release: Senator Scott Ludlam
Australian Greens Senator for WA
Wednesday 6 August 2008

AUSTRALIAN GREENS SENATOR IN HIROSHIMA ON 63RD ANNIVERSARY

Australian Greens Senator Scott Ludlam is currently in Japan, at the invitation of Mayor Akiba of Hiroshima, to attend the ceremony in Peace Park marking the 63rd anniversary of the US nuclear attack on Hiroshima.

"63 years ago today our world was changed forever when an indiscriminate weapon was used against this city," said Senator Ludlam.

"Today, 63 years after that terrible day, there are still 26,000 nuclear weapons pointed at cities, aimed at people, poised to irradiate our water and food chain and permanently impact the gene pool. We must redouble our effort and eliminate these weapons.

"Nuclear weapons are not like other weapons - there is no other weapon that can kill hundreds of millions of people in a few hours and bring about the end of human civilisation.

"The Australian Greens strongly oppose the mining and export of Australian uranium particularly to nuclear terror states and have a long standing record of effort in this regard.

"The radiation from nuclear weapons and nuclear energy is uniquely hazardous, persistent and indiscriminate, damaging our most precious legacy, the core human blueprint stored in our DNA and passed on to future generations.

"Every nuclear power plant is a pre-deployed radiological weapon waiting to be detonated by an enemy. Each and every nuclear power plant creates more of the materials required for nuclear weapons.

"That is why the Australian Greens work for a truly nuclear free future, for our planet and for all people, regardless of race, colour or creed," Senator Ludlam concluded.

Senator Scott Ludlam

www.scottludlam.org.au '

Chenrizig Visit

I have recently returned from 2 weeks on the Sunshine Coast, mostly staying at Chenrizig Institute Buddhist centre, with forays into the surrounding countryside for hydrotherapy at various swimming pools and enjoying the local markets.

Some of the many steps leading up to the garden and Gonpa

The huge prayer wheel

The Gonpa butterfly stairs and portico

Looking back down from the landing to the prayer wheel house

Inside the Gonpa - the burgundy mats are for the ordained nuns and the blue mats for the laity

The Buddha altar

Visitors

Today I had a pleasant surprise... although I was in the bath at the time. Will and Grace visited me - old school chums of my son Shannon. It was great to catch up and see photos of Will's global advenure.

Will bringing world peace to my verandah

Grace, who I met for the first time after hearing so much about her

Me and Will

POEM "Shine"

SHINE

You had no idea
Where shine came from
Or how much polish was involved.
Old rags.
Dampened.
Wiped over
On
And off.
You came with your theories
But its elbow grease I wanted.

©Joanna Terpstra 22/06/2008

Dalai Lama Teachings

Last week I attended the 5 day teaching seminar with the Dalai Lama. It was a wonderful experience. It has been 26 years since I saw the Dalai Lama. I remember because Shannon was a baby in my arms.

However, my encounter with the public transport system in Sydney leaves a lot to be desired. Why does it take over 2 hours to get to the Sydney Showground Dome from my accomodation 10 km away on the weekend?

In the Dome with His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking

Sand Mandala by the Gyuto monks

Gen Lama mandala dissolution ceremony

Read the Dalai Lama 2008 Visit Report

Reptile Park Visit

Yesterday I spent hours playing with snakes at the Australian Reptile Park near Gosford. Here are some happy snaps....

Me cuddling Fluffy or was she cuddling me?

The friendly Fluffy team

Hang loose...

The reticulated Python some 7 metres long stretching out

Me and Olivia

Here is the photo I promised of me and Andrew's Olive Python, named Olivia. She's so gorgeous! Fred took the photo at Yamba markets on his mobile phone over a month ago, but we have been unable until now to get it onto my computer.

I had to purchase a new phone due to Telstra closing the cdma network. Fortunately Fred could sms me the photos from his phone. He sent 4 photos, but I could only manage to send one to my computer via Bluetooth. Bluetooth won't transfer from Messages to my computer, it only transfers from My Photos. How I managed to move one photo to My Photos and not the others, still stumps me. I tried for an hour and then gave up in despair. Every time I purchase a new device it's a steep learning curve...

The day before April Fool's Day I ruptured a disk in my lower back and have been in pain and bedridden for quite some time. However between my TENS machine, herbs, hot baths, exercises, Human Touch massage chair, David Moon, my acupuncturist, masseur, chiropractor, and visits to the Grafton hydrotherapy pool, I am actually mobile again (for short periods). Yippee!!!!

February at Grafton Gallery

This is so late being posted because I didn't get around to downloading the photos from my camera till now. My hard drive is a wee bit overloaded at present.

On the evening of February 8 I went to the Chinese New Year celebrations at the Grafton Regional Gallery. The Charcters in Peking Opera exhibition was magnificent and I bought 2 of the dolls, numbers 52 and 53.

The next day I attended the talk by Graeme Payne about his exhibition "Spirit of Place". Then Nicki Holmes's talk for her photographic exhibition "Focused on Water". While she was explaining how she carried her camera around with her and took photos of anything and everything, I quietly pulled my camera out of my bag and started clicking.

Nicki Holmes explaining her photographic art to our small but very interested crowd

Nicki in full form

Kay paying attention

Graeme Payne getting over his shyness

Anne Warboys of TNN Gallery

Graeme's photos of me - all three...

Haunting painting of trawler survivor

(Sorry, it's very difficult to get a good photo of this painting because it is so dark, but I'm working on it)

Here is a link to an article in Easter Saturday's Daily Examiner, titled "Haunting painting of trawler survivor".
It's about a painting I did of a crucifixion for the Blake Prize some 10 years ago, with Michael Williams as the model hanging from the cross. Over the years Michael has often modelled for me and my life drawing classes. Hanging strung-up on my verandah at night was one of his less pleasant assignments. He suffered arm pain and a mild case of hypothermia. (At the time I did not know that hanging from a cross could actually kill someone due to the position's affect on the lungs. Oops.)

He is the same Michael Williams in the news lately as the survivor who swam for 10 hours after the fishing trawler he was working on was dragged to the bottom of the sea.

The article makes some allusions to him being a "saint", which, most of us who know Michael know, he definitely is not. Perhaps "saviour" might have been a better analogy, seeing as his marathon swim saved his and another man's life?

My painting has some interesting correlations to the event in that Michael was naked, he was bleeding, and the Pacific Ocean is in the background, and that it was at night. The painting is titled "...And There Was a Darkness over all The Earth", a direct quote from the Bible, which I assume is a metaphor for the light of the world going out, but it may have been an actual astronomical fact such as an eclipse. Was Christ a fisherman or an actual "fisher of men"? The Bible is full of analogies and historical accounts which are open to interpretation. Michael Williams is indeed a fisherman.

Detail of "...And There Was a Darkness over all The Earth", 1220 x 1220 mm oil on board © Joanna Terpstra 1998