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‘how to quit your tech’..(+ op-ed..)

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Broadcaster Gemma Cairney

(ed: i’ve noted before how i am looking forward to the end of the age of the phone – looking forward to the giant leap forward in tech which means people are no longer the slaves of this little shiny box they must carry with them everywhere/at all times and must constantly consult with/refer to..(!)

be it a constantly updating hologram alongside you only you can see/whatever – bring on the day when everyone can just put down their phones – and then ask themselves: ‘what the fuck was that all about..?..what the fuck was i thinking/doing there..?’)

(excerpt..)

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

Read the news?

Check your emails?

Scroll through social media?

Now imagine your phone’s not in the room.

If that makes you feel aimless or uncomfortable – it may be time for a digital detox.

This doesn’t have to be about giving up the digital world altogether says Tanya Goodin founder of digital detox specialists Time To Log Off and author of Off.

‘It’s about becoming aware of your own personal challenges around screens – gaining an understanding of what will help you overcome them and learning to live with technology in a way that’s healthy.

People are always amazed by how different they feel after not being on their phones and that motivates them to want to keep going’.

Goodin has devised a seven-day detox to fit in with a typical week of work while still enabling improved sleep – productivity and mood.

She recommends downloading a tracking app such as Moment (free on the Apple store) which measures how much time you spend looking at your screen and how many times a day you pick up your phone.

‘Some of the challenges make use of the functionality of the device itself others are about physically removing yourself from it.

They build up over the week from those that involve still keeping your phone on you – to those that involve separating yourself from it.

Going cold turkey is daunting so the week eases you in gently – from cutting down on particular aspects of your phone use to getting used to leaving it behind from time to time’.

We asked six busy people to do just that and follow this week-long plan:

(cont..)

Source: How to quit your tech: a beginner’s guide to divorcing your phone | Technology | The Guardian

‘australia aims to be world’s top medicinal cannabis supplier’.. (+ op-ed: nz screws up – again..)

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In 2016 the federal government legalised patient access to Australian-grown and manufactured medicinal cannabis.

(ed: the headline for this story could/should be ‘new zealand misses the bus – again’..

because what we are seeing here is a repetition of what happened with the medical opium growing industry – some decades back – because of our geographical isolation etc. nz was in the box seat to become the worlds’ premium supplier of medical opium –

– but the government of the day sat on their hands/refused to see the economic opportunities on offer/shied away from ‘opium’..?..who the fuck knows why…?

and tasmania put their hand up – and with govt support tasmania has now become the worlds’ premium producer of medical-opium..

and now we are seeing the same thing happening with medicinal-cannabis..

as a country we are perfectly set up to become a major player in this burgeoning industry..

but yeah..nah..eh..?…

our political leaders would rather bounce up and down on their hands..again..eh..?..

and just let the aussies do it..)

(excerpt..)

Australia’s budding medicinal cannabis sector is set for a major windfall after winning approval to begin exports.

The health minister Greg Hunt said allowing medicinal cannabis product exports will help the developing domestic market to grow.

‘By helping the domestic manufacturers to expand – this in turn helps to ensure an ongoing supply of medicinal cannabis products here in Australia’ Hunt said in a statement.

He said he hopes Australia can be the world’s top supplier of medicinal cannabis.

(cont..)

Source: Australia aims to be world’s top medicinal cannabis supplier after exports get green light | Society | The Guardian

‘how I fell in love with country music’.. (+ op-ed..)

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Steve Earle

(ed: the writer mentions steve earle (above) – and i would suggest that anyone who sneers at country-music – as some cliched garth brooks-tainted confection- should go and have a listen to steves’ ouvre..

‘cos there is country – and then there is intelligent-country..

the latter marked by great lyric-writing/musicianship..

and of course here in nz – give tami neilson a listen..eh..?..

she (and other locals will also give you powerful/intelligent-country..)

(excerpt..)

But there is one joke which is quite funny and also very telling.

It goes like this.

Two blokes go into a pub somewhere in northern England.

One of them who is hard of hearing goes to the bar to get some drinks.

The barmaid says there’s a band on – a country and western band.

The bloke goes back to his mate and sits down with the drinks.

‘There’s a band on tonight’ he says.

The other bloke says ‘What type of band?’

The other one replies: ‘I don’t know – Some cunt from Preston’.

Sorry to hit you with another c-word but the punchline neatly reflects popular contempt for country music.

The gag is perceptive in that a lot of what we call country music is irredeemably naff – chugging pop-rock with lyrics about beer and trucks sung by blokes with hats like Garth Brooks and Jason Aldean.

But I also hate the joke because it obscures everything that I love about country.

There’s no rollicking good-time tunes – no heartbreak – no great stories – no downhome charm and definitely no joyous fiddle or pedal steel to set your spirits free.

The country I love is what it was before it was even called country music.

It was first known as hillbilly or mountain music or just traditional music – born of its roots in Appalachia where families would sit around taking turns in ensemble singing and playing.

I can’t say my life changed the first time I saw the Duelling Banjos scene in Deliverance but it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and it occurred to me that there must be more to that sort of music than the Benny Hill theme tune.

(cont..)

Source: How I fell in love with country music | Martin Farrer | Opinion | The Guardian

norway to decriminalise all drugs..(+ op-ed..) 

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(ed: here in new zealand our new reformist gummint is promising a referendum on cannabis (no..!..not binding..!..don’t be silly..!) – and this to happen in about three years..(this move at a kind of glacial-pace with our new reformist gummint shows how we don’t like to rush things..down here..

i mean – we do have a bit of a ‘p’-epidemic around these parts…(withdrawals best treated with strains of cannabis with a heavy body stone (google it..!..)..

but..y’know..!..yeah! – nah..!..eh..?..

s.f.a. is gonna change – with the exception of the monopoly on medical-cannabis being handed holtus boltus to big-pharma..(don’t ask..!..his name is peter dunne – recently departed parliament – his task there clearly completed..

and this following his decades of work in the interests of big-tobacco..and big-alcohol..

some people loath him so much – they call him peter dung…

i am one of those people..)

(excerpt..)

Norway is to become the first Scandinavian country to decriminalise drugs as it focuses on treatment rather than punishment.

The majority of the Norwegian parliament the Storting – backed the historic shift which was supported by the Conservatives (Hoyre) – Liberals (Venstre) – the Labor Party (Ap) and the Socialist Left (SV).

They directed the national government to reform its policies on drugs.

(ed:..gee..!..i imagine if an outbreak of commonsense from all out political parties like that happened here..

don’t be so silly..!..i then tell myself..)

(cont..

Source: Norway becomes first Scandinavian country to decriminalise drugs in historic vote | The Independent

‘the sugar needs to stop’..(+ op-ed..)

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Image result for free to use image of amount of sugar in coke

(ed: i actually think imposing a sugar-tax (as some form of deterrent?) is merely putting a bandaid over a suppurating-sore..and will achieve s.f.a…

and food/drink like this sugar-laden rubbish/poison should just be banned outright..

..why not..?..)

(excerpt..)

Dental Association spokesman Dr Rob Beaglehole sees the effect of sugary drinks everyday.

He says he has extracted whole sets of teeth from children as young as 18 months.

Each extraction under general anaesthetic costs the taxpayer $4,000 and last year 7,500 such procedures were carried out.

Dr Beaglehole has long been a vocal opponent of sugary drinks and an advocate for a sugar tax.

‘Every single day dentists are taking out rotting teeth from kids –  some as young as 18 months – still in nappies.

It’s heart-breaking doing that because the child is in so much pain – they’ve been suffering and not eating’.

This has long term effects he says the child’s next set of teeth may come through in odd ways and in the meantime the child is severely hampered.

The stories of children having fizzy drink in their sipping cups is common place he says.

‘It’s all over New Zealand – it’s very easy for us to blame the parents – there’s definitely an aspect of parental responsibility but the main issue here is we are living in an unhealthy environment and it’s very difficult to modify our unhealthy behaviour if we’re continually bombarded with junk food marketing and advertising’.

And ignorance about the amount of sugar in these drinks is across the board he says.

‘I’ve given talks to 100 doctors and 100 dentists and generally only one person can tell me how much sugar is in a can of coke … the reality is there’s 9 teaspoons of sugar.

So if doctors and dentists don’t know how is a poor family living in a poor area in South Auckland going to know how much sugar they are giving their child ?’

(cont..)

Source: Rob Beaglehole: the sugar needs to stop