Circumstances that we choose are emotionally more tolerable, no matter how bad they are, than circumstances that are imposed upon us.
When it's info or wisdom we seek; "He who asks is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask remains a fool forever."
~ Chinese Proverb
When asked where he lives, New Zealander and creative writing guru Bill Manhire responds, "I live on the edge of the world, just like everyone else."
Quoting Lloyd Jones speaking at Massey University, Auckland, August 2010
We've been led to believe that multi-tasking is a good thing, and possibly gender specific.
We know multitasking while driving is not good. Many countries have outlawed driving while talking on a cell phone, but they can't specifically outlaw drinking coffee, putting on make-up or eating a sandwich from the drive-thru.
On the other hand, a much vaunted improvement in the recent iPhone operating system was the multi-tasking feature.
In discerning whether it is good for us or not, I think we need to consider whether we want to look more productive or have a clear and purposeful mind.
A University of London study showed that people distracted by incoming email and phone calls saw a 10-point fall in their IQs. What's the impact of a 10-point drop? The same as losing a night of sleep. More than twice the effect of smoking marijuana.
Doing several things at once is a trick we play on ourselves, thinking we're getting more done. In reality, our productivity goes down by as much as 40%. We don't actually multitask. We switch-task, rapidly shifting from one thing to another, interrupting ourselves unproductively, and losing time in the process.
You might think you're different, that you've done it so much you've become good at it. Practice makes perfect and all that.
But you'd be wrong. Research shows that heavy multi-taskers are less competent at doing several things at once than light multi-taskers. In other words, in contrast to almost everything else in your life, the more you multitask, the worse you are at it. Practice, in this case, works against you.
In the midst of day to day responsibilities, Christine Valters at Abbey of the Arts, suggests being as fully present as you can to the task at hand. When you're in work-mode be fully mindful to it as you engage it. Do only one thing at a time. Multitasking only serves to increase anxiety. Quoted from In The Life of a Busy Woman
I have beautiful volumes of letters, collected exchanges of written conversations between people. Some of them are famous. Some of them were in love. Others were exploring matters of faith, science or were just pen pals.
The danger is that we will become the first generation in history to leave no written record of ourselves. If George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Captain Cook, Governor Grey or Ernest Hemingway had only used e-mail, would we have the same record of them that we possess through their letters and journals today?
Unemployed people. Refugees. People in shaky relationships. Homeless people. Couples struggling with infertility. Those waiting for a visa, or a verdict, medical results or exam results, election results or whether they accept the offer made on that house . . .
"Liminality is a place in between. It is emptiness and nowhere.
Adolescence is the liminal space between childhood and adulthood.
But liminality is more than a point along the way to somewhere else.
It represents anti-structure to structure, chaos to order.
The place between two worldviews is a liminal place.
It is a place of dying and rebirth, even of metamorphosis,
the place where the caterpillar spins its cocoon and disappears from view.
Liminality is Israel in the desert, Jesus in the tomb."
Leonard Hjalmarson
Richard Rohr says,
"I am convinced that without experiences of liminal space (that place where all transformation happens), there is no truthful perspective on life. Without truthful perspective, there is neither gratitude nor any abiding confidence. It is precisely this deep gratitude and unfounded confidence that I see most lacking in people today . . ."
The opposite of this abiding confidence, this transformational faith is a lack of emotional and spiritual maturity, a lack of soundness, leaving us incomplete, coasting on the crumbs and hand me downs of others, not self-feeders in faith and spirituality, but fragile, fickle, fearing that something will happen that might undo us, push us over the edge.
Having my eyebrows shaped and tidied up cost me $9 last week. I wasn't in for a hair cut or facial. I just was tired of the chaos above my eyes and decided I needed to call in specialised help.
"One of the largest storms on the planet is churning away south of New Zealand with a central air pressure estimated to be in the 950's hPa range and covering an area the size of Australia." reports WeatherWatch.co.nz. The storm has a very large centre but while the true middle of the system is likely to remain at least 1000kms south of the country gales, heavy rain and snow, are still going to make a direct hit on New Zealand over the next few days. For my overseas friends who are not accustomed to the place names and conditions of these Antipodean Islands which are often referred to as The Shaky Isles, a weather report that is more extreme than usual. The fact that we live across the ditch from Australia and are the next getting off place for Antarctica influences our weather. NZ has been called many things. "A small comma on the broad expanse of the Pacific Ocean" is appropriate when you look at the magnitude of this storm. Combined account from NZ news sources: Metservice "New Zealanders are being advised to batten down the hatches and stay away from the beaches as a huge storm bears down on the country, a southerly change coming directly off the Antarctic shelf during Friday and Saturday. The same weather system is already causing major problems in Tasmania with thousands of homes left without power as strong winds, snow and surf batter the state. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that Tasmanians were experiencing their coldest day in decades. "one of the largest storms on the planet" A severe wind warning is already in force for Wellington, Wairarapa and the Marlborough Sounds and there was a possibility there could be severe gales for a time tomorrow in other areas of the North Island, Marlborough and also north Canterbury. The weather would not be as severe as a hurricane or cyclone partly because the low pressure system would be spread evenly and over a large area rather than tightly wrapped around a small centre." Auckland will snuggle down and wait it out, praying that Christchurch is spared. After more than 660 aftershocks since the earthquake there, they don't need any more complications. Wild weather will not help in the recovery, the patching of roofs where chimneys once stood or in the soothing of frayed nerves and tempers.
The wild weather is expected to bring extreme conditions over the next 48 hours, including gale force winds, heavy rain and bitterly cold temperatures.
WeatherWatch.co.nz, said the weather was the result of one of the largest storms on the planet, the size of Australia and the centre of which was churning away about 1000km south of New Zealand.
An interesting cross-cultural, international diversity affirmation thing unfolded on the radio this AM. Ultimately the issue was morality, but the conversations had more to do with who decides or judges the moral fitness of others.
If you were in a talent show, showing off your X Factor, trying to be the next Top Model or join a really hot band . . . . .
A conversation on the radio recently included the ranting of a woman who wanted to donate canned goods to the Pakistan Relief efforts. The goods had not been as eagerly received as she thought they should have been and she was offended.
She just wanted to help.
As generous as her heart may have been, her gift was very probably not appropriate to the need.
How exactly do we get those cans to the needy people of flood ravaged Pakistan? Will they have a can opener, pot or spoon with which to open, heat or eat the contents?
Many accounts have been opened for those affected by the Christchurch earthquake. A local Christchurch businessman questions the need, saying that Christchurch has what it needs and must just now get on with the rebuilding.
The National Business Review wrote about the Christchurch man going to his building and beginning the repair work himself. He sounds a bit of a renegade in that he went in without City Council clearance and could have endangered himself or started a domino effect that could have injured others, but he has the Canterbury can-do attitude.
His blog lists all the reasons why Canterbury citizens can take care of themselves, giving credit to an excellent Civil Defense, the EarthQuake Commission and corporate donations. He then points people to donate to relief for those in Haiti and Pakistan where there was devastation and great loss of life.
Why do people think they need to give money to those who have suffered from this earthquake and the hundreds of aftershocks that have shaken them to the core?
Is it because we are frustrated as we watch or listen to the news reports from the comfort of our "stable" homes or cars? Is it because we have warm and clean clothes on and can have a hot cup of tea or a cold drink whenever we want? Is it because our pictures are still on the walls and our toilets flush?
I'm not suggesting guilt as such. I didn't cause the earthquakes or the floods or the fires.
Maybe I'm suggesting gratitude. Maybe it is in the midst of comparing what they've lost and what I still have that I see disparity and want to level the field a bit?
Why do we give?
Anecdotes or strange pet behaviour is likely to surface as the aftershocks slow and settle in Christchurch. Is there any truth to the belief? Should we all get a dog, bird or goldfish? If nothing else, the water in their dish or bowl might be an indicator.
"Dogs are barking!"
"What does that mean?"
"Maybe they wanna relieve themselves?"
The belief that animals can predict earthquakes has been around for centuries.
In 373 B.C., historians recorded that animals, including rats, snakes and weasels, deserted the Greek city of Helice in droves just days before a quake devastated the place.
Accounts of similar animal anticipation of earthquakes have surfaced across the centuries since. Catfish moving violently, chickens that stop laying eggs and bees leaving their hive in a panic have been reported. Countless pet owners claimed to have witnessed their cats and dogs acting strangely before the ground shook—barking or whining for no apparent reason, or showing signs of nervousness and restlessness.
But precisely what animals sense, if they feel anything at all, is a mystery. One theory is that wild and domestic creatures feel the Earth vibrate before humans. Other ideas suggest they detect electrical changes in the air or gas released from the Earth.
Earthquakes are a sudden phenomenon. Seismologists have no way of knowing exactly when or where the next one will hit. An estimated 500,000 detectable quakes occur in the world each year. Of those, 100,000 can be felt by humans, and 100 cause damage.
One of the world's most earthquake-prone countries is Japan, where devastation has taken countless lives and caused enormous damage to property. Researchers there have long studied animals in hopes of discovering what they hear or feel before the Earth shakes in order to use that sense as a prediction tool.
The United States Geological Survey, a government agency that provides scientific information about the Earth, says a reproducible connection between a specific behavior and the occurrence of a quake has never been made.
"What we're faced with is a lot of anecdotes," said Andy Michael, a geophysicist at USGS. "Animals react to so many things—being hungry, defending their territories, mating, predators—so it's hard to have a controlled study to get that advanced warning signal."
Erratic Behavior in Dogs
Researchers around the world continue to pursue the idea, however. In September 2003 a medical doctor in Japan made headlines with a study that indicated erratic behavior in dogs, such as excessive barking or biting, could be used to forecast quakes.
There have also been examples where authorities have forecast successfully a major earthquake, based in part on the observation of the strange antics of animals. For example, in 1975 Chinese officials ordered the evacuation of Haicheng, a city with one million people, just days before a 7.3-magnitude quake. Only a small portion of the population was hurt or killed. If the city had not been evacuated, it is estimated that the number of fatalities and injuries could have exceeded 150,000. Read more at the National Geographic New site at the above link.
Photos of Jack, Pencil & Milo were taken by Jill Shaw c. 2009
When I visited Te Papa Museum in Wellington recently, I went through the earthquake exhibits. amazing, scary and . . . "But that won't happen to me." Wonder how many in Christchurch had thought the same?
One of the new things I learned in that exhibit was the practice of putting some sort of adhesive under things that sit on flat surfaces. They suggested a drop of wax, Blu-tac or non-slip mats.
At that exhibit, I also went through the shaky house. It had warning signs on it to encourage you to hold on and be prepared for violent action. They did not issue helmets or elbow pads, but that might have been good.
People this week said their real life experiences were many times what that museum Earthquake House demonstrated. Many of them are have having a hard time relaxing to sleep.
Fix. Fasten. Forget.
For more information on how to Quake Safe your Home, visit www.eq-iq.org.nz
Also see our brochure - People, Property and Natural Disasters (PDF 1Mb)
EQCover is New Zealand's Earthquake Commission’s natural disaster insurance scheme. It insures homes, land and personal belongings against the following:
I heard Murray Deaker interviewing Peter FitzSimons over the weekend about his new book, A Simpler Time.
"It still amazes me what they allowed us to do without their supervision or help while remaining deeply loving parents. Climb trees from the age of four or five? No problem. Drive the tractor from the age of eight or nine onwards? Good luck to you. Haul on the hoist to pull the half-ton bins filled with oranges off the trailer? Yes. Take your bike out on the Pacific Highway and ride to school? Just be careful, but okay ...
Their rough reckoning was that if we thought we could do something, we probably could - and if we thought we couldn′t do something, we probably still could, if we applied ourselves."
Those looking for FitzSimons the rugby player, biographer, journalist, husband or father will be disappointed, as the memoir concentrates solely on his formative years. But if a childhood dictates future prosperity, there's sense in crediting his parents for laying solid foundations for his success.
Peter FitzSimons′s account of growing up on the rural outskirts of Sydney in the 1960s is first and foremost a tribute to family. But it is also a salute to times and generations past, when praise was understated but love unstinting; work was hard and values clear; when people stood by each other in adversity.
Above all, in the FitzSimons home, days were for doing. In this rollicking and often hilarious memoir, Peter describes a childhood of mischief, camaraderie, eccentric characters, drama - and constant love and generosity. The childhood of a simpler time.
Go to Thoughts On An Earthquake for Adrienne Rewi's post-quake musings on having some things shaken that she hadn't expected.
While my photo was not taken at the same place as Adrienne's photos, it will serve for comparison and to illustrate how the Avon River is a vital and vibrant thread to the tapestry of Christchurch. For it to have disgorged it's water is profound.
Compare this with what you find at Adrienne Rewi Online.
Families are encouraged to prepare a Family Emergency Data Form as advance preparation for any future civil emergency.
It must be assumed that family members may be separated for a variety of reasons during an emergency and that it will be difficult to provide written and photographic material to support search, identification or reunification of families.
Cell phones will not always work. Landlines are often electricity dependent and few of us remember all the numbers we might need.
Many have observed that if the recent Christchurch earthquake had happened during the day, many people would have been killed. Buildings crumbled and collapsed. People below would have been buried and crushed. What if the children and parents had all been separated; at work and at school? What would a frantic dad or mom think of first? How to get to their kids. Sometimes that is not possible. Being prepared will minimise the fear and maximise the potential of a right response.
Download and complete the forms with ID photos attached. Front Page Reverse Page
Bringing God in to the conversation is usually a good thing. There are times when His name is used in pain, vain or anger. Some would say there are no atheists in foxholes*, that when times get desperate, people seek faith and find God.
However all of that works, I was pleased that, of late, it 
wasn't always and only me who was mentioning God. A common comment tying God to the 4:34 AM Christchurch earthquake was, "Thank God it didn't happen 5 hours earlier or 5 hours later. There would have been a tremendous loss of life!"
Does that comment imply that God controlled the earthquake?Either way, it brings to the surface the question of the will of God, the sovereignty or authority of God. Does God cause or allow natural disasters? After the 2004 tsunami caused by a tremendous earthquake in the Indian Ocean, a woman rang a talk radio programme and suggested that God had caused the tsunami as judgment on the sex industry of Thailand.
He could not have timed it better?
Some would suggest He could have stopped it.
"Don't talk about religion, politics or money!" was the wisdom of previous generations in my family. I should compile a statistical record of the topics of conversation in my normal day out and amongst people. I'd say those three categories would be very near the top of Frequently Discussed Issues.
Brainstorm things that would be useful in emergency?
Prioritize them later. For now, just make your list.
*Multiply some supplies p/person over 3+ day span of time.
What are some other things you would take into consideration?Before a disaster: You will need to have:
- A Household Emergency Plan that will help you and your household plan for what to do when disaster strikes
- Household Emergency Checklist This list will help you prepare essential food, water, clothing and medical supplies for you and your family to cope for at least three days
- A Getaway Kit of essential emergency and medical items if you need to be evacuated.
Civil Defense officials constantly tell people to be ready for the unexpected. This week an expert seismologist said much is known about earthquakes, except when they are going to happen.
While we can't expect the poor of Haiti to lay in extra supplies in case of emergency, we can expect people to take a measure of responsibility for themselves in developed countries.
I posted about all of this in January 2009, so don't think this is a new pulpit for me after the huge earthquake in Christchurch.
The NZ government has an Earthquake Commission that is prepared to respond in these very scenarios. Christchurch City Council and the Civil Defense is doing a super job. Countries like the United States have offered assistance if needed. But the fact is, people must take responsibility for their own well being, especially for the first 3-4 days.
I'm not suggesting we all become neurotic and weird, anticipating disasters with every change of the wind. I am suggesting that love and wisdom dictate that we consider the possibilities and tuck a few things away.
In 2009 I wrote, "Let’s assume you are at your home, there has been a mudslide that has taken out power and water, roads & telecommunications in your area." After the recent earthquake in Christchurch, we don't have to use so much imagination. Other people can remember hurricanes, tornadoes and blizzards. This isn't paranoia; it's reality.
Consider: How would you and your family cope if you were without electricity or water for three days or more? You can’t go to the shops and get anything because they have closed . . . . no electricity and the employees can’t get to and from work!
Christchurch Earthquake already on Wikipedia! 2010 Canterbury Earthquake The entry talks about aftershocks and the epicentre, alluvial sediments and strike-slip faulting. No, I don't really now what I'm talking about, thus the quest for info. Curious, I am.
Unfortunately we are all learning 
heaps about earthquakes at the present. Earth Scientists are coming in to their own, as are geologists, seismologists and disaster preparedness experts. What causes the rumble of an earthquake? How do you measure an earthquake?
Who was Richter that his name came in to such common household usage near fault lines?One of the interesting facts about Charles Richter is that he was born just north of Cincinnati, OH, near the Indiana-Ohio State line, a place in which very very few earthquakes ever occur. I know the place well, but only now learned the connection with Richter of the Richter Scale. WikipediaResearch suggests that the Christchurch region can expect a sizable earthquake every 55 years and that the conditions are right there for liquefaction of the soil which is the cause of so much disruption of buried lines and pipes, and of surface damage to roads and tracks. Wikipedia's Links for the 2010 Canterbury Earthquake
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