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The Corroboree

bogfrog

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Posts posted by bogfrog

  1. Posted

    Hah, these weren't my bogettes eth, other ones doing like me with their own brand of originality.. But they made my blood boil claiming we are a higher species, without any real back up.

    I'm glad to hear you say we are animals.. Of some sort.

    What would you say are our ancestors then? Warriors from where? Did they look like we do now?

  2. Posted

    Are humans animals?

    I recently had an interesting albeit frustrating discussion in a class where we were asked to consider what the differences are between humans and animals, and if we are a part of the animal kingdom or not.

    I found that the general consensus of the group was that we are not animals, and largely this opinion seemed to derive from a sense of the superiority of humans over animals. The discussion was cut short due to time constraints, and probably with good reason as I was becoming irrationally irritated by what I was hearing. But it left me wondering.. What do you lot think? Are we animals?

    Largely I found the reasoning a bit flawed, most people seemed to think that we are not animals, because we possess certain qualities that animals do not, such as creativity, problem-solving, manipulation of resources, compassion, empathy and imagination. This is where I started getting really angry. Because I see animals have many of these traits, often in greater quality and quantity than you see in most humans.

    In example:

    - Creativity, I was driven to think of bower birds, those clever little avian artists who create 'bowers', little scenes filled with objects which tickle each birds unique fancy, they select objects of shapes and colours which appeal to them personally.

    - Problem-solving, well that's laughable that people think animals don't have problem solving capacities.. The New Zealand kea has proved time and time again it can solve complex, multi-step puzzles to reach a reward. Crows do this also. Chimps and other primates have been using tools long before we ever picked up a stick. Seagulls fly way up high and drop shellfish onto rocks to access their gooey innards.

    - As for compassion and empathy, whales, dolphins, elephants, even dogs show an incredible capacity for empathy.

    When it comes to imagination, how the fuck would we know what goes on inside an animals consciousness?

    It might seem irrelevant, but I feel it's not. If we continue to classify ourselves as being "a higher lifeform", separate from the animal kingdom, this further enforces our disconnection from nature. If we see ourselves as being outside the web of life and operating in our own, self-generated paradigm, then we can easily negate our responsibility to interact harmoniously with other lifeforms.

    Many indigenous cultures allocate the title of personhood to all creatures, not just humans. A baboon is a person. A praying mantis is a person. A hawk is a person. Each of these branches of people possess unique behaviours and dispositions, which if studied, can be learnt from. Surely this view is more beneficial to overall harmony because with personhood, comes a degree of respect and sovereignty.

    I also have issue with the view that humanity is a virus. That we infect a biosphere, reproduce at an alarming rate and utilise all available resources for our own means, without regard for the effect we have on other lifeforms. This view IMHO, while clearly having a high degree of relevance to the behaviour of the human species, also emphasises our difference from all other life forms and negates responsibility on our behalf to behave any differently.

    The last pet peeve I have to add, is that the rare time I see direct comparisons being made between humans and animals, so often it is in a purely negative light. For example, comparing politicians to wolves. Wolves have their own, highly sophisticated social structures which allow their packs to function. They live in accordance with the natural ebb and flow. Their actions may appear brutal at times, but there is an implicit higher reasoning, which is concurrent with the laws of nature. Their behaviour is driven towards toughening their own kin towards having the ability to survive. Politicians ain't like this..

    Thoughts?

    • Like 3

  6. Posted

    Well mutant may call this a cop out, but i believe i feel the effects of progressive astrology quite strongly. Especially now that i have taken time to become familiar with each planet/signs preposed attributes.

    Selfconditioning maybe, but why does it seem so bang on to what i am and have been experiencing?

    Call me a kook or whatever, frankly i just dont care what people think, if astrology helps me make sense of things, i use it, if it doesnt, i disregard it.

    I also use runes, tarot and the iching, and have found each tool has its place, pros and cons, but none can be relied on too heavily. They can point the way but you have to take the action required.

  7. Posted

    Farmers markets beat supermarkets for price and quality of produce any day.

    Making your own bread is easy, fun and quite cheap.. and you get to fill it with your choice of seeds and herbs. I knw this will be the third mention i have made of stinging nettle in this thread..but you can put dried nettle into bread too for a greater nutrient profile and it doesnt affect the taste or appearance.

    Nuts are also handy to save $... keep available to nibble on to avoid default bingeing on crappy quick food when your blood sugar levels drop and your brain stops working cz you need a decent meal. Nuts will tide you over.

    And hot water bottles have been my saving grace while growing up poor in cold houses. Cuddles are always preferable, cz who needs money when you have a snuggle-bunny, but sometimes a hottie will have to do.

    Good luck to all my fellow penny pinching peasants...our wallets may be thin but our minds are keen, and if our deeds are clever our hearts can stay warm and our bellies full!

    • Like 4

  8. Posted

    Hehe i can already see myself dressed in rags, huddling over a cauldron of radish and stinging nettle soup..

    Such is life.

    They really are prolific producers tho, and something i had forgotten about, ta. I will track down some seed.

    I wish at times like these i lived in a warm climate.. i wana grow my own corn, pumpkin and watermelons. Attempts at these here have had miserable results.

  11. Posted · Edited by bogfrog

    And so it begins aye...full body armour?

    I would say enlist as much help as you can. You don't wanna fuck your back even further. Cajole friends into helping you with promise of inebriants.

    When I did my big move it was down lots of stairs too. My only advice is to take it easy and not rush. A fall down some stairs with a Peruvian could be the end of you.

    I found for the metre plus specimens, it was easiest to carry them by holding the rim of the pot, and have the plant leaning forward on an angle out infront of you. Or ones that were too heavy to do that, I would hold the pot with both arms between belly button and chest height and have the majority of the plant above my head height. It just seemed easier that way, as your centre of balance gets whacked out if you try carry them any lower.

    But as I said earlier, please, pleease just take it slow. I didn't have any accidents but came very close cause I was trying to show off how strong I was, wanting to convey to my male friends that just cause I'm a girl, that doesn't mean I can't handle my own cactus collection.

    Take it easy and for moving things about, keeping them in pots is easier to handle than bare rooting them where they stand.

    Lying down in the vehicle is a good idea for those that are too tall, and placing towels or blankets in between will stop a bit of damage due to the bumps in the road. Oh and drive slow and careful.

    Good luck mate.

    Edit: oh, just remembered another goodie. For moving really large specimens, that you can't bear to cut, or simply really spikey buggers that you fear, enlist a helper, as you will need two people, take two pairs of jeans and place them underneath either end of the plant, crotch in the middle and the leg parts on either side. Then you can use the legs of the jeans to hold onto and walk slowly to where you need to go.

    The denim will take a lot of weight, so works well and minimises danger.

    • Like 4

  12. Posted

    What are some vege crops that give the maximum output of food in the shortest period of time?

    I have silver beet, spinach, kale, miners lettuce and lettuce on the go. But progress is slow.

    I am thinking a huuuuuge patch of spuds should be my next step. And might try growing kumara (sweet potato) too, as I have seen them succeed in my climate, and the young leaves are edible.

    But what else. What can I grow to feed my hungry tummy when the money runs dry...?

  13. Posted · Edited by bogfrog

    ^

    Eek!

    Dchiw you are being tested, really tested over a loong period of time, and you want to retain your patience and good will towards those who are testing you, but they just keep pushing it further and further. And each time you stretch yourself to accomodate the testing, telling yourself it is worth it, and you just have to suck it up and keep going.

    But then one day, you realise that others are quite literally taking advantage of your willingness to stretch and accommodate, and you realise if you had used the last six months doing something else, you would actually be very well off rather than in a shit load of debt.

    Working life sucks. It's hard to be a grown up.

    Edit: oh well. What it really comes down to is dchiw you realise people will use you and abuse your good nature, smile to your face while they stab you in the back...eventually you realise they are only smiling because they think you are a fool and can't believe their luck in luring you in.

    Well fuck them. I'm no fool. Being a nice person is a disposition of behaviour that can lead you into traps.

    My ranting rant ends with a don't cha love it when you realise you don't have to take people's shit anymore and you deserve better, and will make bloody sure you get better, one way or the other.

    • Like 4

  15. Posted

    Hi, so I think I have sent out the seeds to all but one of you.

    Establishing who this last person is may take me a couple days.

    But otherwise, if anyone hasn't received their seeds within a week please shoot me a pm.

    There are more pods ripening so if there's more interest I'd happily send another batch out when they are done. Trades preferred from here on in, as the postage is quite costly when your on a low income, so its nice to have things to put back into the garden for the long run.

    So just to clarify, the seeds I have access to and have sent out come from a yellow bloomed sanguinea.

    According to Zed240 the cold climate Brugs are not self fertile, which means.. There's a 97% likelihood that they have been pollinated with the red bloomed sanguinea, as this is the only other brugmansia I have seen growing locally. Which is very cool, as far as I'm concerned!

  16. Posted

    Solomon!

    What you doing? How you doing?

    Please update regarding your progress in the foreign land... And pics! Plant pics pleease.

    I miss you and hope you are having the best time

    • Like 1

  17. Posted

    ^

    Witchy supply stores usually have frankincense and myrrh resin. I dunno what suppliers are in your area but most places will have an online retailer or two selling dried herbs and insence. Frankincense and myhrr are surprisingly cheap. There are others worth looking into too, I'll have a look in my books when I return home.

    • Like 1

  18. Posted

    Nifty wee contraption you have there.

    Rosemary. Frankincense - yeah, good anxiety relief.

    Clary sage is another one which can promote sleep, although be careful when using it as if you use too much the effect is reversed and instead of dreamy relaxation you will find yourself over stimulated and busy in the mind.

    Lavender and chamomile are also calmative, but as with the clary sage, use sparingly as the effect is quite often altered by the amount used.

    • Like 1

  19. Posted · Edited by bogfrog

    Well we do all recognise that these cacti are often purveyors of highly important information... So I can see why an agent (of the Cosmic Intelligence Agency ) would commit such time towards extracting it. There are surely simpler methods of obtaining it tho ;)

    • Like 2

  23. Posted

    Dnt worry if you keep it up eventually your skull should harden like the shaolin monks who hit their heads against sacks of flour for hours per day...then you'll have the ultimate weapon always with you, the concrete head-butt :P

  24. Posted

    When you have a bloody creepy dream, and then google the description of the entity that accosted you in this dream to find hundreds of reports of him, anywhere from mildly bothering to severely traumatising people all over the world.

    I dreamt I was in a big regal old house, on the second story landing. The only other person present had just left through the front door, I watched them go. And then the elevator chimes and lights up, someone is about to get off on my floor.

    So out comes this very tall man dressed in a black and white suit, long coat and a fedora. His skin is almost pure white, and he moves extremely slowly as he walked towards me. Instantly I was filled with terror, and slapped my hands together into heishi hands (prayer hands) and said some chant to make him leave. I lost visual clarity, everything was dark and then became light. I looked around after the burst of white, but he was still there, very still, staring at me. I tried again, this time shouting at full power that he must leave, and everything in the dream fades to first black, then brilliant white and I wake up.

    Creeepy... *shudders*

    They call him hat man.

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