Boxing Day Down Under

WHY am I holding a girt big rock?

Because I stubbed my toe next to my little toe on my right foot on it. Not being one to live and let live I picked up the rock, caught in the act by bros in law {thanks Greg} and in a satisfying expression of revenge I threw said rock away from its original location in the Cotter river, east of Canberra, to a new location.

Hopefully not disturbing any creatures that live under rocks. As you can see recent rain has made the river muddy but on a hot summers day it sure is nice to get wet!

Several hours later my toe is purple and painful.

Maybe the quote of 2004:
This is a nation which has been tested in adversity, which has survived physical destruction and catastrophic loss of life. I do not underestimate the ability of fanatical groups of terrorists to kill and destroy, but they do not threaten the life of the nation. Whether we would survive Hitler hung in the balance, but there is no doubt that we shall survive Al-Qaeda. The Spanish people have not said that what happened in Madrid, hideous crime as it was, threatened the life of their nation. Their legendary pride would not allow it. Terrorist violence, serious as it is, does not threaten our institutions of government or our existence as a civil community….

[S]uch a power in any form is not compatible with our constitution. The real threat to the life of the nation, in the sense of a people living in accordance with its traditional laws and political values, comes not from terrorism but from laws such as these. That is the true measure of what terrorism may achieve. It is for Parliament to decide whether to give the terrorists such a victory.
Lord Hoffman.

from the Lord Laws Report on detention of suspects in the 'war' on terror.

From Informed Comment Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Juan Cole writes:
Intimidation by Israeli-Linked Organization Aimed at US Academic
MEMRI tries a SLAPP

I just checked my campus mail and found a letter in it from Colonel Yigal Carmon, late of Israeli military intelligence, now an official at the Middle East Media Research Organization, or MEMRI. He threatened me with a lawsuit over blog comments I made here at Informed Comment, reprinted at anti-war.com. This technique of the SLAPP or Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation had already been pioneered by polluting industries against environmental activists, and now the pro-Likud lobby in the US has apparently decided to try it out against people like me.

UPDATE: Juan Cole (rights) writes: Many thanks to all the readers who have written in response to my posting about the attempt of the Israel-linked MEMRI "translation service" to intimidate me with the threat of a lawsuit. continues here .

I may live down under but i still take note of things like this:
Saving Private Ryan banned on US TV Stations! How much will they need to be paid to broadcast Passion of the Christ? Interesting times indeed: 'Tis a premature emasculation devoutly to be wished. From my favorite femme fatale blogger aynclouter!!! you rule girl. Consider yourself blogrolled!

So we have survived elections and eclipses.
The world shudders or is that twitches, and following that tic continues on its merry way.

Little thought provoking stuff in the blogosphere, autopsies remain stilted or anguised.

Some sense that the US has become a nation divided between the prosperity protestants and the despairing democrats. I think the truth is somewhere else, life is satisfactory for the masses and 51% chose the status quo.

Some think that the liberals are all at sea in the US and cannot come to grips for the unity call espoused by Kerry. More like we all live in a yellow submarine. And you can google that if you cannot remember the lyrics. If you are a liberal - you probably cannot!

So 49 days to Christmas - starvation, war, injustice, discrimination and the whole human mess continue to stalk the planet. Thank goodness for Jesus! Not the blessings and security Jesus but the Jesus who challenges the status quo, mixes with the tax-collectors and prostitutes and calls us to ask 'what is truth'.

Change is a constant, come and hear the birds sing!
The newness of the electronic medium means that social mores and behavioural norms are still being discovered.
Well meaning and good-intentioned people make mistakes...
However some rise beyond their errors and manage to maintain an ongoing persona...
Anniversary congratulations to the libguy!

In your honor the The Agitprop Sub-Commissar for the Antagonist Soviet will play "The lament of the cherokee reservation Indian" and" Dawn of correction", and finish up with Mr President by the Strangers.

I cannot seem to find that one - the pro-Nixon forces obviously have begun the internet purge! The ultra-conservative radio stations banned it in 1970 succesfully it appears.

Well, how about Don't it make you wanna go home? instead!

Occasionally the media manages to produce something that is head and shoulders above the normal mish mash and entertainment for the masses.

This is important

SORRY! but I have been called a weirdo for the last time.

You don't know me, and I am not one of your little toys.
So don't tell me what to do, don't tell me what to say.
And most of all don't run sean-paul down.

I aint feeding your sicko mind any more.

To all my friends, thanks for your support it's been wild.

See you at the other place.

flowers in my hair flowers everywhere:

another day another brilliant blogsite thanks to rook

It's my life and I can do what I want! Sometimes I do!

another shot, this sticker was made by an agonist friend from the USA. Unique handmade things are so cool. Just like the readers of this blog - all unique, all handmade. You are all cool.

This is a neat sticker adorning my CPU. Tilt your head to the right to see how I look at it, tilt your head to the left to see it from the perspective of the northern hemisphere. upside down sticker posted sideways. See it is good to think outside the square.

Smoke rises from outside the Australian embassy September 9th,2004

May our prayers rise for victims of terrorism - including family and friends,
May hatred of fellow human beings never, ever take root in our hearts.
September 11th, 2004

It was meant to be the day that Paula Radcliffe was crowned Olympic marathon champion, elevating her to the pantheon of British sporting immortals. It was not supposed to end with her slumped on an Athens pavement, crying bitter tears of pain and frustration. want to know more?

A decorated member of the New Hampshire Air National Guard after returning home from Iraq appeared hopeful and upbeat during an interview soon after his arrival in the United States. "It feels fantastic. It’s hard to explain it, it feels so good. I’m just going to take today slow, wake up tomorrow, and see what it’s like to be back in a normal place." A day later Dave was dead from a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

pathos and pain, post-traumatic stress and the rest of us keep praying...

Has Church discipline and rubrical observance gone to far?

'Church Says Girl's Communion Not Valid' BRIELLE, N.J. - An 8-year-old girl who suffers from a rare digestive disorder and cannot eat wheat has had her first Holy Communion declared invalid because the wafer contained no wheat, violating Roman Catholic doctrine.

In Australia, this coeliac problem is creating some havoc for the St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia. The Society had been manufacturing gluten free hosts for years but now has changed to conform with the latest Vatican directives. Online Catholics article 'valid hosts could make you sick' and read more here, which links to this recent article in the THE AGE - "Assurance on communion wafers from Liturgical Commission head Fr Peter Williams of the National Liturgical Commission has given an assurance that the Church is determined to avoid causing alarm to communicant Catholics whose health is threatened by communion wafers containing gluten.'

Info-on-wheels
This mobile Internet PC is a welcome addition to the remote village of Bithoor in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It provides high-speed wireless internet access to Bithoor and five other villages as part of Project Info-cart, which aims to use technology to improve education, healthcare and access to agricultural information in India's villages. -- AP

T H O R P E - homage to the most succesful Aussie Olympian!

FREESTYLE THRILLER Ian Thorpe took his second gold of the Games in the 200m freestyle final - setting a new Olympic record on his way to victory.

The Australian phenomenon put Phelps in his place, as the 19-year-old could finish only third behind Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband, the defending champion.

This was supposed to be the clash of the titans, the king of the Sydney Olympics Thorpe taking on young pretender Phelps who came to Athens bidding to win eight gold medals.

In fact it was van den Hoogenband who made the early running, leading at the turn for the final 50 metres.

However, Thorpe stepped up a gear and powered ahead to touch home first, punching the air in triumph and brandishing a massive grin which was in contrast to the tears he shed two nights ago in relief at retaining his 400m freestyle crown.

Thorpe's winning time was 1:44.71, which was 0.65 of a second outside his own world record but 0.64 of a second inside the previous Olympic record which had been held by van den Hoogenband.

My bed and sleep were more important than getting up at 2.00am to watch the race, but still great to wake at 7.00am and hear the exciting news

abc.au reports
Hong Kong has highest abortion rate in developed world: Hong Kong has the highest abortion rate in the developed world with almost a third of all pregnancies terminated, according to a media report citing official figures.

But officials warned however that the figure could be much higher as the data does not take into account illegal abortions carried out over the border in mainland China.

Hong Kong's hospitals carried out 20,235 abortions in 2001, the latest figures available, the South China Morning Post reported, citing Government data.

With 49,144 live births that year, the termination rate was 29.2 per cent.

Officials were not immediately available to confirm the report.

The data placed Hong Kong at the top of the world abortion ladder, ahead of the United States at 24.4 per cent, Canada at 24.3 per cent and Australia at 23.7 per cent, the report said.

Medical experts quoted by the report blamed the high rate on poor sex education in the southern Chinese territory's schools but warned that the stigma of abortion forced many women to seek illegal terminations in China's neighbouring Guangdong province.

"Some of the girls are so confused, worried and frustrated and the first thing that comes to their mind is abortion," Suvan Law Sui-wan, counsellor at teenage pregnancy support group Mother's Choice told the paper.

"They think it is safe, quick and effective. In Chinese culture it's shameful to be unmarried and pregnant."

--AFP

from Bishop Anthony Fisher last month:

Such suffering women need to know that they are not alone, not mad. They need the healing and hope that can only come after confronting the truth of abortion. Could this latest film help?
Some years ago I was part of another Channel 4 programme, a panel discussion about the new genetics. I was asked what I thought about prenatal tests which were fast becoming ‘search and destroy’ techniques against the handicapped. Before I could answer, another panellist – who was a notorious embryo experimenter – accused me of thinking all abortion is a sin.

"Of course it’s a sin," piped up a third panellist, Germain Greer. As someone who’d been through the abortion mill and subsequent infertility, she spoke with some authority and passion. She even dared to use the politically incorrect word ‘sin’. Every abortion, she thought, is a sin and women know it in their heart of hearts.

Our society is now so habituated to aborting its young that it has little else to offer women with unplanned pregnancies. We have become so callused by an annual abortion count of 75,000 to 100,000 that we close our eyes to the unborn children destroyed and the women left wounded. And our medical profession has been so corrupted by three decades of this practice that many women find themselves on a treadmill to termination as soon as they enter the consulting room.

When I was at school almost 30 years ago a prayer we learnt by heart was "May human life be defended and protected from its first beginnings". For some the impact of a human life in utero is just too difficult. Abortion remains a plague on society in all countries.

this is making news in Australia:{via Catholic Telecommunications}

Catholic women "more likely" to have abortion

Sydney's Catholic women are far more likely than women of other religions to have an abortion, according to figures published in today's Sydney Morning Herald.

The paper says the statistics were provided by Sydney's main abortion provider, Australian Birth Control Services.

Almost half of the clinic's 6000 patients last year identified their religion and of this group almost 40% said they were Catholic. A further 23% identified themselves as "Christian", while fewer than 5% said they were Protestant. Seven% were Muslim and 5% were Buddhist.

An analysis of women who have had more than one abortion at the clinic since it opened in the late 1980s found that Catholics account for almost 45% of those who identified their religion.

Clinic medical director Dr Geoffrey Brodie speculated that the figure may be even higher because Catholics may be more reluctant than other patients to divulge their religion.

But ethicist and director of the Melbourne-based John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family Dr Warwick Neville said he would not have expected the number of Catholic women to be so high.

"The church's consistent teaching is that abortion in any circumstance is gravely wrong. [But] the church can never impose its teaching and nor does it seek to police it," he says.

"Where and how people are able to take [the church's teaching] on board and apply it to their lives, the church has no control over.

"But someone who says, 'look, I'm just going to go for an abortion', no one in the church either has any control over that or any understanding as to why they would do that."

SOURCE
A Catholic conundrum (Sydney Morning Herald 6/8/04 - requires payment)

LINKS
Economics as reason for abortion (Sydney Morning Herald 6/8/04)
Australian Birth Control Services
Abortion is science's grim story (Sydney Morning Herald 5/8/04)
Abortions cloaked in secrecy (The West Australian 4/8/04)
Public shift on abortion: Abbott (The Australian 2/8/04)
An abortion deception (The Age 3/8/04)
Abortion clinic fears pre-poll political assault (Sydney Morning Herald 6/8/04)
Why is my church so silent on abortion? (The Age 5/8/04)
Compass: My Foetus (The Age 5/8/04)


I note that over 40% of the Australian Population is Catholic, so the statistics make some sense; especially seeing that less than 18% of all Catholics attend Mass on Sunday, and have little moral understanding or willingness to follow the eternal proscription on abortion. Note the Compass story above earlier related news items: Reality TV going too far
and Abortion doco welcomed by right-to-lifer

BE ALERT NOT ALARMED, HAS THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION SHAKEN THE TREE OR JUST BEEN POLITICALLY EXPEDIENT IN RAISING THE FEAR FACTOR?
from skynews: TERROR INTEL 'OUTDATED'

The intelligence that led to yesterday's US terror alert was up to four years old, it has been reported. Intelligence officers told the New York Times and the Washington Post there was "no concrete evidence" of a terrorist plot or proof that terror surveillance operations were still being carried out.

US financial institutions were put on alert after the Bush administration raised the terror alarm to 'high'. Emails on an arrested al Qaeda suspect's computer gave details of attacks on America's financial institutions - and also mentioned London. But intelligence officers said much of the information may have been collected before the September 11 attacks.

"There is nothing right now that we're hearing that is new," one intelligence officer told the Washington Post.

Spare a thought for all those whose fear level went through the ceiling over the past couple days. Those with mental disorders, the emotionally sensitive, those who were directly impacted by 911...

The yellow crazy ant has been found in NSW. This is an amazing event to actually make the news in this time of escalating oil prices due to terror fears. Meanwhile the Vatican has recognised women in the workplace. Another useful interview here, the uk independent published this.

It's cold this time of the year in Canberra. People inhabiting Northern Hemisphere countries up towards Greenland, Iceland, Siberia and Alaska know a different sort of cold. They know extreme cold. Here it is cold.

Toes are cold, fingers are cold and the ice and frost on the car takes ages to get off, if you use water that freezes over as you motor on down the road.

Fortunately unlike northern climes the sun comes out and after 11am it is very nice to be out in the sun. Sadly, of course, that means no cloud, no cloud means no rain, no rain remains a huge worry. Drought is bad.

I have decided after visiting many blogs that the latest reincarnation of the one hand clapping zoan is comments (0)

well its been almost 12 months since i last did an online quiz so here I go:

"God will not suffer man to have the knowledge of things to come; for if he had prescience of his prosperity he would be careless; and understanding of his adversity he would be senseless."

You are Augustine! You love to study tough issues and don't mind it if you lose sleep over them. Everyone loves you and wants to talk to you and hear your views, you even get things like "nice debating with you." Yep, you are super smart, even if you are still trying to figure it all out. You're also very honest, something people admire, even when you do stupid things.

What theologian are you?

A creation of Henderson

Two gems from a pagan christian from the angels:

1)Accepting Jesus Christ as Your Personal Lord and Deconstructionist: Winners Never Win {thanks for the link pagan christian }

in his own rite:
2)and a look at USA religio-politico-analysis

And a hattip to a Canberra blogger: / who has added moi to his blogroll BLUSH

another lovely creek shot from my agonist friend way out west

approaching Mt Nameless

more photos from an agonist friend: looking towards Mt Nameless, way out west far far far from where I live!

wallabies and kookaburrah

wallabies, birds, including kookaburrah sitting on branch

see wallaby, see galah

Another shot from an Aussie agonist, later in the day: I am hoping to travel outback in a few years, meanwhile I am glad others can share their tranquil home environs with me! I'll be posting some south NSW coast wildlife photos soon. Canberra is to dried out to share!

A wonderful shot of a very special Australian spot, many miles from civilization.

Nincompoop latest google bomb for an election year.

Only one thing to comment on tonight:
 
JOHNHOWARDLIESDOTCOM

Refugees allowed to stay.

The power of polls and blogs! The Australian Government has announced that almost 10,000 refugees are closer to being allowed to stay in Australia after a pre-election softening of the Howard Government's asylum-seeker rules.

The story even made the Guardian in the UK.

Locally in Canberra support for Afghan refugees is superb, and in regional areas opportunities have been increased. I am well pleased!

Life goes on outside the wired world...

Out on Saturday night to a book party, the things one does to get three hours with spouse, after 5 1/2 days in the bookshop I go to a bookparty!!

Childrens birthday parties, removing old grout from bathroom tiles and applying white silicon - tubes are neat, much better than mixing up grout, please comment if you have any suggestions for partially used bags of grout mix! Walking to the local shops for Sunday Morning Coffee, NO video of bellydance forthcoming....the lads are still playing the computer games.

Spare a thought for those, though rich, that live in some degree of fear, I often remember Isa in my prayers...

Meanwhile AIDS is referenced by Mathieu and again and by moi aussi at agonist.scoop which is now beginning to real move.

And according to this a fellow blogger got the finger by ~POTUS~!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DICKIE

Of Greeks and balls and blogs and floorboards.

We are all Greek today! Well done, one goal and match won! Little work will happen on Olympic Games preparations today methinks.

Meanwhile in the land of blog: Bubby, known offline as Lillian Tashlik, is an 88-year old, American-born great-grandmother who began her career as an award-winning blogger eight months ago at the behest of her granddaughters. Good work, Bubby! (and family). Featured in the Jerusalem Post registration required!

Well almost finished the flooring! 21.5 sq metres (approx 210 sq ft) is a lot of work. I bashed my knee at work on Friday so found it hard to get up and down all weekend as I laid the flooring.

On top of all that diverticulitis came back and I spent Sunday night thru to Monday morning tossing and turning in pain, too exhausted to get out of bed and get some Buscopan.

Honey flooring is what we are installing!

Of election bribery, allergies and flooring

Most Australian families over the past week have received a $600.00 per child payment from the Australian Government. If you are lucky enough to have moved or changed circumstances ( est. 2200 families) the Centrelink Payment has been paid twice, yippee for some lucky families. The Minister for Family And Community Services (FACS), and the Prime Minister are sparring over families paying back the overpayment. Fun and games indeed for those having a baby after12MN on July 1 the government gives them $3000.00!

No word on when the Australian election will be called though.

Meanhwhile, allergic skins reactions in Master 19 have led us to rip the carpet up out of his bedroom and begin installing wooden panel flooring....

Thank you, Mr Howard for funding the flooring. However, you have not bought my vote. Sadly, although I have been a liberal lover for over 25 years the treatment of refugees and the participation sans UN in the invasion of Iraq have soured my love affair. My vote will be going elsewhere.

Updates on Darfur and Sudan

Summary: over 30,000 dead, upto 1 million displaced. Widespread rape continues of western Sudanese women. Genocide is becoming a likely point of intervention for the USA. Posturing re terrorism and the cessation of the 21 year war between Christians and Moslems is also of interest to the USA. Recent Washington Post articles are also referenced here:
Darfur updates at hattip Candy

A happy foetus is a smiling foetus!
A professor at London's Create Health Clinic has poineered a new type of ultrasound scan which gives us, for the first time, pictures of foetuses as young as twelve weeks walking, yawning, moving their arms and legs, and at 18 weeks, opening their eyes, and even smiling at 26 weeks.

The new technique gives much more detailed pictures than conventional ultrasound, and according to Professor Stuart Campbell,

"This is a new science for understanding and mapping out the behaviour of the baby. Maybe in the future it will help us understand and diagnose genetic disease, maybe even conditions like cerebral palsy which puzzles the medical profession as to why it occurs."
He's compiled a book of the images, called Watch Me Grow, and provides 10 beautiful sample images linked within the original article from the BBC. hattip imrdkl

A smiling foetus is a happy foetus

Proper blogging technique requires a heading.


Then a link unto the site that discusses what makes a weblog a weblog.....

So now we have a proper blog entry.

news:
Blogging boom gives Iranian women a voice Jun 23, 2004, 18:25 AP

Take one exasperated Iranian woman. Add a computer. Hook it up to the internet. "And you have a voice in a country where it's very hard to be heard," said Lady Sun, the online identity of one of the first Iranian women to start a blog - a freeform mix of news items, commentaries and whatever else comes to mind.

Initially created to defy the nation's tight control on media, these web journals have turned into a cyber-sanctuary - part salon, part therapist's couch - for the vast pool of educated, young and computer-savvy Iranians.

But conservatives have formally reclaimed control of parliament and will step up pressure to censor the internet. continues @ AP link above!


After Chaos, a Forced Silence in Sudan Refugees Warned to Keep Quiet During Visits by Foreign Leaders Washington Post Foreign Service By Emily Wax Sunday, June 27, 2004; 7:01 PM

ABU SHOK, Sudan, June 27 -- The Sudanese villagers in this western region of Darfur were bombed. They were raped. Their huts were burned, and their grain pillaged. Now those who fled the chaos say they are being silenced.

The Sudanese government dispatched 500 men last week to this sweltering camp of 40,000 near El Fashir, capital of North Darfur state, the refugees and aid workers say. The men, some dressed in civilian clothes, others in military uniforms, warned the refugees to keep quiet about their experiences when Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan visit the region next week.

Darfur has been the scene of more than 16 months of conflict between residents of the region and Arab militiamen backed by the government. Aid workers say 30,000 have been killed by the militia and more than 1 .2 million forced to flee their homes.

"They kicked us and said, 'Stop talking,' " said Malki Ali Abduallah, 25, who fled the fighting six months ago with six children and a cooking pot. "I said, 'no, no, no. I am angry. I am tired. I don't want to be quiet.'
continues @ Washington Post Link above!

Well down they go for the fourth time in a quarter final, another penalty kickoff and Becks kicks above the cross-bar, pints are drunk and many other Englishman will feel as wretched as Beckham no doubt does. Portugal can feel proud but I wonder about that patch of dirt that Sven-Goran complanined about.

Meanwhile the filthy zionists have been excluded from participating in the chess competition in Libya. Apparently Gaddafis new won acceptance by the west does not extend to allowing Israeli Chess Masters to play within Libya. BOO! HISS! Fortunately many players are boycotting the 'games'.

I will raise a glass of wine with Portugal and ponder the ongoing state of things.

I have been meaning to mention the new Agonist - link at lower left... It has rapidly developed into an excellent news resource. The lively 'family' atmosphere that used to permeate the Bulletin Boards is gone, a more nuanced measured response to posts is the order of the day.

The scoop format appears to be taken seriously and posters are not (yet at least) confident enough to let some exuberance out in the diaries and comments. I am well pleased with the transition, the usual team of suspects has worked hard and it is a real credit to their efforts.

If you are interested in world events dip into the site.

forgotten fluffy favorites:
The smallest deed is greater than the
grandest intention. Patti Labelle

It takes less time to do a thing right than
it does to explain why you did it wrong. Henry Longfellow

Life is a series of moments.
To live each one is to succeed. Corita Kent

Do a little more than you're paid to;
Give a little more than you have to;
Try a little harder than you want to;
Aim a little higher than you think possible;
And give a lot of thanks to God for health, family and friends. Art Linkletter

Do your little bit of good where you are; it's
those little bits of good put together that
overwhelm the world. Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Wise sayings often fall on barren ground; but a
kind word is never thrown away. Arthur Helps

You must have long-range goals to keep you
from being frustrated by short-range failures. Charles Noble

A very comprehensive set of pages at the NY Times: U.S. Said to Overstate Value of Guantánamo Detainees By TIM GOLDEN and DON VAN NATTA Jr. Published: June 21, 2004

GUANTÁNAMO BAY, Cuba, June 19 — For nearly two and a half years, American officials have maintained that locked within the steel-mesh cells of the military prison here are some of the world's most dangerous terrorists — "the worst of a very bad lot," Vice President Dick Cheney has called them.

The officials say information gleaned from the detainees has exposed terrorist cells, thwarted planned attacks and revealed vital intelligence about Al Qaeda. The secrets they hold and the threats they pose justify holding them indefinitely without charge, Bush administration officials have said.

But as the Supreme Court prepares to rule on the legal status of the 595 men imprisoned here, an examination by The New York Times has found that government and military officials have repeatedly exaggerated both the danger the detainees posed and the intelligence they have provided. continues at link at top^
hattip Sylv at agonist.scoop

Baby Boom X 2
Twice the joy By David Seale Friday, 18 June 2004

As of yesterday, twins outnumbered singletons in the John James Memorial Hospital maternity wing.
/snip

It was surreal seeing set after set of twins....

Maternity manager Robyne Moore said one or two sets of twins was quite common in a hospital at any one time - in its 10-year history, John James has had three sets once - but five was something altogether special.

She conceded twins had become a lot more common in the past 20 years, thanks mainly to in-vitro fertilisation, but not this common.

"It's exciting for the parents in particular, even the parents of single babies get very excited - everyone gets excited about twins, even the staff," she said, adding there were six more sets due to be born there in the next six or so months.

/snip

It had been quite hectic work for the midwives, more so because of the increased number of premature babies.

Twins were often put in a crib together to settle them down. This usually worked, considering they were quite used to each other's company in the womb.

"When you look at Jack and Eve, when I put them in the cot, you see Jack automatically wrap his arm around Eve and comfort her; and then they're trying to kiss each other and hug each other all the time," registered midwife Allana Carter said. "But with Hamish and Charlotte, we've got, 'oh no, not you, we're back together again'."

Guess that shows there's never two - or should that be four - the same.
Canberra Times

useful blog of the month award:
Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
Want to cut your electric bill? Check into compact fluorescent bulbs! They can save a dramatic amount of energy in the long run. After procrastinating for years, I've bitten the bullet and installed compact fluorescent bulbs in almost every light fixture here at ranchero indebto. And I'm reaping the benefits in more ways than one. Not only are compact fluorescent bulbs more energy-efficient, they last for years. Thats' right ... years. We're talking five years or more, depending on the bulb. Think about not having to change a home full of burned out light bulbs ... especially in those pesky hard-to-reach places ...now that's brilliant! continues:

daniel gray's geekbooks.com - from the swamps of joisey

Sunday dawns cool in mid June in Canberra. The Brindabella hills are capped with snow and a cold chill is in the air. The forecast is for possible snow but it does not eventuate. Instead a sunny day enables me to get out in the garden after Mass. Whilst trimming the old growth of bushes I reflect on the gospel of today where Jesus asks his disciples "Who do you say I am?"

Deep down all of us are asking each other that question silently all the time. The more mature may actually be able to ask friends what am I like, what are my good points, my not so good points, what do I need to change about myself.

Those of us who are more obsessive probably focus more on our (perceived) failings. An ego inventory of the positive side is more important. I found myself thinking about faith, self identity and communal aspects in worship and service to others.

I grew up in the post Vatican II church, but have inherited some of the
Jansenist beliefs that the Irish Catholics brought to Australia. Self criticism and doubt rule. The traditional Latin Mass probably offers its adherents some sense of being the elect. I struggle on with the novus ordo that the Church continues to promote as the correct style of worship for the current time. For the past 16 years Catholics have been waiting for a new translation of the Roman Catholic Celebration of the Mass, and we still wait. Faith is such a personal thing and I give thanks that I have the gift of faith. Meanwhile I continue to notice that church attendance continues to decline.

In the garden the gum trees are beginning to blossom. Other winter blooming plants have a myriad of buds about to pop open, and the daffodil and jonquils are poking their green shoots higher and higher.

Down the coast I collected a bag full of fine broken shells.I have created a little shell "garden" with a strand of seaweed delicately draped across it, behind it I have placed a number of succulents in little pots with polished stones around each succulent. My artistic side is nurtured a little bit. A pansy creates a purple patch under a small fence but does anyone care?

Safely home after a warmish break - 18degC days compared to 11degC Canberra days.

Finished Wittgensteins Poker and two greg bear novels + half a tome called 'complete reference guide to html' which of course it is not, was not and will not be slash / \ anyone?

Watched Molokai
Amazon.com
This biography of Father Damien, the Catholic priest who in 1873 volunteered for service on the eponymous Hawaiian leper colony, doesn't hesitate to idolize its subject, and why should it? For 15 years Damien ministered almost single-handedly to the quarantined community, supplying what medication he could procure while struggling against the red tape from organizations (religious and governmental) that would rather have forgotten all about the hundreds of people slowly dying in primitive conditions. He won some battles and lost others, finally succumbing to the disease himself in 1888. The film can't overcome the inherent weaknesses of projects such as this: high officials given to improbable speeches recapping the relevant historical events for us, a certain formlessness generated by skipping through the years and only hitting the high points, stock bureaucratic villains whose motives are never fairly explored. On the other hand, screenwriter John Briley has an Oscar on his shelf for Gandhi, so he knows how to string the lessons together and make them go down smoothly.
The earnestness of the project no doubt led to the who's-who supporting cast (Sam Neill, Derek Jacobi, Peter O'Toole, Leo McKern) (oh yes, and Kris Kristofferson), but it is David Wenham who must carry the film as Damien, which he does well enough--not spectacularly but with a touching humility not above a tetchy self-righteousness. Director Paul Cox was an inspired choice, however, bringing to the project his patient fascination with emotions at their most subtle and restrained; as a result, Molokai's low-key sense of conflict, often a fatal flaw in similar movies, becomes the film's saving grace, a manifestation of its subject's quiet, persistent faith. --Bruce Reid


which shows nothing ever changes.... Gandhi is next, been sitting unopened on the shelf for too long...

meanwhile many agonist posts to catch up on....

Gone to the coast for three days
Winter walks along the sandy beaches and thru the State Forest.

Israel to bulldoze Gaza settlements
JERUSALEM June 13, 2004
(Times of Oman-AFP)-- Israel will demolish all 21 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip as part of a promised pullout from the territory, officials said yesterday, going back on earlier plans to leave the homes intact.

"The houses will be destroyed so that they do not fall into the hands of terrorists or the mafia run by (Palestinian leader) Yasser Arafat," said an official in the office of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
"It would have been otherwise, had we received assurances that these buildings would be turned over the Palestinian refugees, but, as this is not the case, we had no other choice," the official said, asking not to be further identified.

The announcement came as Sharon accelerated preparations to implement the withdrawal following its approval in principle by ministers last week, despite opposition from hardline members of both his party and his government.

continues:
timesofman

My blood boils and my outrage grows, the sheer vindictiveness in demolishing perfectly good housing by the so called representatives of God's People is an expression of the ongoing callousness and hatred that those who do not wish peace exhibit!

Lamingtons, recipe below:

Aussie Food: Lamingtons Small squares of plain cake, dipped in melted chocolate and sugar and coated in desiccated coconut.
SPONGE CAKE
3 eggs
1/2 cup castor sugar
3/4 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup cornflour
15g (1/2oz) butter
3 tablespoons hot water

Beat eggs until thick and creamy. Gradually add sugar. Continue beating until sugar completely dissolved. Fold in sifted SR flour and cornflour, then combined water and butter. Pour mixture into prepared lamington tins 18cm x 28cm (7in x 11in).

Bake in moderate oven approximately 30 mins. Let cake stand in pan for 5 min before turning out onto wire rack.

CHOCOLATE ICING
3 cups desiccated coconut
500g (1lb) icing sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
15g (1/2oz) butter
1/2 cup milk

Sift icing sugar and cocoa into heatproof bowl. Stir in butter and milk. Stir over a pan of hot water until icing is smooth and glossy. Trim brown top and sides from cake.
Cut into 16 even pieces. Holding each piece on a fork, dip each cake into icing.
Hold over bowl a few minutes to drain off excess chocolate. Toss in coconut or sprinkle to coat. Place on oven tray to set. (Cake is easier to handle if made the day before.
Sponge cake or butter cake may be used. May be filled with jam and cream.)

BARON LAMINGTON
Rt Hon Charles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane Baillie, Baron Lamington, GCMG, Governor of Queensland from 9 April 1896 to 19 December 1901.

Whilst the origin of the name for the lamington cake cannot be accurately established, there are several theories. One of these theories is that it was originally the slang term for the homburg hat, worn by Baron Lamington, and these cakes were named for him.

Another theory is that they were named after Lady Lamington, the wife of the Governor.
aussie-info

The Evil EmpirePresident Reagan's Speech to the House of Commons, June 8, 1982.


We're approaching the end of a bloody century plagued by a terrible political invention -- totalitarianism. Optimism comes less easily today, not because democracy is less vigorous, but because democracy's enemies have refined their instruments of repression. Yet optimism is in order because day by day democracy is proving itself to be a not at all fragile flower. From Stettin on the Baltic to Varna on the Black Sea, the regimes planted by totalitarianism have had more than thirty years to establish their legitimacy. But none -- not one regime -- has yet been able to risk free elections. Regimes planted by bayonets do not take root.

The strength of the Solidarity movement in Poland demonstrates the truth told in an underground joke in the Soviet Union. It is that the Soviet Union would remain a one-party nation even if an opposition party were permitted because everyone would join the opposition party....

Historians looking back at our time will note the consistent restraint and peaceful intentions of the West. They will note that it was the democracies who refused to use the threat of their nuclear monopoly in the forties and early fifties for territorial or imperial gain. Had that nuclear monopoly been in the hands of the Communist world, the map of Europe--indeed, the world--would look very different today. And certainly they will note it was not the democracies that invaded Afghanistan or suppressed Polish Solidarity or used chemical and toxin warfare in Afghanistan and Southeast Asia.

If history teaches anything, it teaches self-delusion in the face of unpleasant facts is folly. We see around us today the marks of our terrible dilemma--predictions of doomsday, antinuclear demonstrations, an arms race in which the West must, for its own protection, be an unwilling participant. At the same time we see totalitarian forces in the world who seek subversion and conflict around the globe to further their barbarous assault on the human spirit. What, then, is our course? Must civilization perish in a hail of fiery atoms? Must freedom wither in a quiet, deadening accommodation with totalitarian evil?

Sir Winston Churchill refused to accept the inevitability of war or even that it was imminent. He said, "I do not believe that Soviet Russia desires war. What they desire is the fruits of war and the indefinite expansion of their power and doctrines. But what we have to consider here today while time remains is the permanent prevention of war and the establishment of conditions of freedom and democracy as rapidly as possible in all countries."

Well, this is precisely our mission today: to preserve freedom as well as peace. It may not be easy to see; but I believe we live now at a turning point.

In an ironic sense Karl Marx was right. We are witnessing today a great revolutionary crisis, a crisis where the demands of the economic order are conflicting directly with those of the political order. But the crisis is happening not in the free, non-Marxist West but in the home of Marxism- Leninism, the Soviet Union. It is the Soviet Union that runs against the tide of history by denying human freedom and human dignity to its citizens. It also is in deep economic difficulty. The rate of growth in the national product has been steadily declining since the fifties and is less than half of what it was then.

The dimensions of this failure are astounding: a country which employs one-fifth of its population in agriculture is unable to feed its own people. Were it not for the private sector, the tiny private sector tolerated in Soviet agriculture, the country might be on the brink of famine. These private plots occupy a bare 3 percent of the arable land but account for nearly one-quarter of Soviet farm output and nearly one-third of meat products and vegetables. Overcentralized, with little or no incentives, year after year the Soviet system pours its best resources into the making of instruments of destruction. The constant shrinkage of economic growth combined with the growth of military production is putting a heavy strain on the Soviet people. What we see here is a political structure that no longer corresponds to its economic base, a society where productive forced are hampered by political ones.

The decay of the Soviet experiment should come as no surprise to us. Wherever the comparisons have been made between free and closed societies -- West Germany and East Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia, Malaysia and Vietnam -- it is the democratic countries that are prosperous and responsive to the needs of their people. And one of the simple but overwhelming facts of our time is this: of all the millions of refugees we've seen in the modern world, their flight is always away from, not toward the Communist world. Today on the NATO line, our military forces face east to prevent a possible invasion. On the other side of the line, the Soviet forces also face east to prevent their people from leaving.

The hard evidence of totalitarian rule has caused in mankind an uprising of the intellect and will. Whether it is the growth of the new schools of economics in America or England or the appearance of the so-called new philosophers in France, there is one unifying thread running through the intellectual work of these groups -- rejection of the arbitrary power of the state, the refusal to subordinate the rights of the individual to the superstate, the realization that collectivism stifles all the best human impulses....

Chairman Brezhnev repeatedly has stressed that the competition of ideas and systems must continue and that this is entirely consistent with relaxation of tensions and peace.

Well, we ask only that these systems begin by living up to their own constitutions, abiding by their own laws, and complying with the international obligations they have undertaken. We ask only for a process, a direction, a basic code of decency, not for an instant transformation.

We cannot ignore the fact that even without our encouragement there has been and will continue to be repeated explosion against repression and dictatorships. The Soviet Union itself is not immune to this reality. Any system is inherently unstable that has no peaceful means to legitimize its leaders. In such cases, the very repressiveness of the state ultimately drives people to resist it, if necessary, by force.

While we must be cautious about forcing the pace of change, we must not hesitate to declare our ultimate objectives and to take concrete actions to move toward them. We must be staunch in our conviction that freedom is not the sole prerogative of a lucky few but the inalienable and universal right of all human beings. So states the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which, among other things, guarantees free elections.

The objective I propose is quite simple to state: to foster the infrastructure of democracy, the system of a free press, unions, political parties, universities, which allows a people to choose their own way to develop their own culture, to reconcile their own differences through peaceful means.

This is not cultural imperialism; it is providing the means for genuine self-determination and protection for diversity. Democracy already flourishes in countries with very different cultures and historical experiences. It would be cultural condescension, or worse, to say that any people prefer dictatorship to democracy. Who would voluntarily choose not to have the right to vote, decide to purchase government propaganda handouts instead of independent newspapers, prefer government to worker-controlled unions, opt for land to be owned by the state instead of those who till it, want government repression of religious liberty, a single political party instead of a free choice, a rigid cultural orthodoxy instead of democratic tolerance and diversity.

Since 1917 the Soviet Union has given covert political training and assistance to Marxist-Leninists in many countries. Of course, it also has promoted the use of violence and subversion by these same forces. Over the past several decades, West European and other social democrats, Christian democrats, and leaders have offered open assistance to fraternal, political, and social institutions to bring about peaceful and democratic progress. Appropriately, for a vigorous new democracy, the Federal Republic of Germany's political foundations have become a major force in this effort.

We in America now intend to take additional steps, as many of our allies have already done, toward realizing this same goal. The chairmen and other leaders of the national Republican and Democratic party organizations are initiating a study with the bipartisan American Political Foundation to determine how the United States can best contribute as a nation to the global campaign for democracy now gathering force. They will have the cooperation of congressional leaders of both parties, along with representatives of business, labor, and other major institutions in our society. I look forward to receiving their recommendations and to working with these institutions and the Congress in the common task of strengthening democracy throughout the world.

It is time that we committed ourselves as a nation -- in both the public and private sectors -- to assisting democratic development....

What I am describing now is a plan and a hope for the long term -- the march of freedom and democracy which will leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash heap of history as it has left other tyrannies which stifle the freedom and muzzle the self-expression of the people. And that's why we must continue our efforts to strengthen NATO even as we move forward with our zero-option initiative in the negotiations on intermediate-range forces and our proposal for a one-third reduction in strategic ballistic missile warheads.

Our military strength is a prerequisite to peace, but let it be clear we maintain this strength in the hope it will never be used, for the ultimate determinant in the struggle that's now going on in the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas, a trial of spiritual resolve, the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish, the ideals to which we are dedicated.

The British people know that, given strong leadership, time, and a little bit of hope, the forces of good ultimately rally and triumph over evil. Here among you is the cradle of self-government, the Mother of Parliaments. Here is the enduring greatness of the British contribution to mankind, the great civilized ideas: individual liberty, representative government, and the rule of law under God.

I've often wondered about the shyness of some of us in the West about standing for these ideals that have done so much to ease the plight of man and the hardships of our imperfect world. This reluctance to use those vast resources at our command reminds me of the elderly lady whose home was bombed in the blitz. As the rescuers moved about, they found a bottle of brandy she'd stored behind the staircase, which was all that was left standing. And since she was barely conscious, one of the workers pulled the cork to give her a taste of it. She came around immediately and said, "Here now -- there now, put it back. That's for emergencies."

Well, the emergency is upon us. Let us be shy no longer. Let us go to our strength. Let us offer hope. Let us tell the world that a new age is not only possible but probable.

During the dark days of the Second World War, when this island was incandescent with courage, Winston Churchill exclaimed about Britain's adversaries, "What kind of people do they think we are?" Well, Britain's adversaries found out what extraordinary people the British are. But all the democracies paid a terrible price for allowing the dictators to underestimate us. We dare not make that mistake again. So, let us ask ourselves, "What kind of people do we think we are?" And let us answer, "Free people, worthy of freedom and determined not only to remain so but to help others gain their freedom as well."

Sir Winston led his people to great victory in war and then lost an election just as the fruits of victory were about to be enjoyed. But he left office honorably and, as it turned out, temporarily, knowing that the liberty of his people was more important than the fate of any single leader. History recalls his greatness in ways no dictator will ever know. And he left us a message of hope for the future, as timely now as when he first uttered it, as opposition leader in the Commons nearly twenty-seven years ago, when he said, "When we look back on all the perils through which we have passed and at the mighty foes that we have laid low and all the dark and deadly designs that we have frustrated, why should we fear for our future? We have," he said, "come safely through the worst."

Well, the task I've set forth will long outlive our own generation. But together, we too have come through the worst. Let us now begin a major effort to secure the best -- a crusade for freedom that will engage the faith and fortitude of the next generation. For the sake of peace and justice, let us move toward a world in which all people are at last free to determine their own destiny.

LOVE YOUR ENEMY
The prescription to love your enemy and to requite evil with good is sometimes thought of as an impractical and perfectionist ethic, able to be practiced only by a few exceptional souls. But, in fact, this doctrine is widely taught in all religions as a fundamental principle for pursuing relationships with others. The person who insists upon vengeance or retribution is not necessarily committing a crime, but neither will his act of revenge be helpful to spiritual advancement. Revenge, which requites evil with evil, only multiplies evil in the world, while love, by in which one strives to overcome evil with good, spreads goodness in the world.
True love is unconditional and impartial--thus the metaphor of the sun that shines down on all life. It is tested and proven by encounters with those who are difficult to love. Where true love prevails, there no enemies are found.

The concluding passages dispute the prescription to love your enemy when it apparently contravenes the principles of justice and right. Sometimes the best way to love an evil person is to make him face justice, or to hinder him from doing wrong. Nevertheless, these corrective actions should be done with a loving heart and with the other person's welfare uppermost in mind.


"He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me!" In those who harbor such thoughts hatred is not appeased.

"He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me!" In those who do not harbor such thoughts hatred is appeased.

Hatreds never cease through hatred in this world; through love alone they cease. This is an eternal law. 1.Buddhism. Dhammapada 3-5

Dhammapada 3-5: Cf. Jerusalem Talmud, Nedarim 9.4, p. 850.

You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Christianity. Matthew 5.43-48

My Lord! Others have fallen back in showing compassion to their benefactors as you have shown compassion even to your malefactors. All this is unparalleled.
Jainism. Vitaragastava 14.5

Of the adage, Only a good man knows how to like people, knows how to dislike them, Confucius said, "He whose heart is in the smallest degree set upon Goodness will dislike no one."
Confucianism. Analects 4.3-4

I should be like the sun, shining universally on all without seeking thanks or reward, able to take care of all sentient beings even if they are bad, never giving up on my vows on this account, not abandoning all sentient beings because one sentient being is evil.
Buddhism. Garland Sutra 23

What kind of love is this that to another can shift? Says Nanak, True lovers are those who are forever absorbed in the Beloved. Whoever discriminates between treatment held good or bad, Is not a true lover--he rather is caught in calculations.
Sikhism. Adi Granth, Asa-ki-Var, M.2, p. 474

The sage has no fixed [personal] ideas.
He regards the people's ideas as his own.
I treat those who are good with goodness,
And I also treat those who are not good with goodness.
Thus goodness is attained.

I am honest with those who are honest,
And I am also honest with those who are dishonest.
Thus honesty is attained.
Taoism. Tao Te Ching 49

It may be that God will ordain love between you and those whom you hold as enemies. For God has power over all things; and God is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
Islam. Qur'an 60.7

Aid an enemy before you aid a friend, to subdue hatred.
Judaism. Tosefta, Baba Metzia 2.26

Do good to him who has done you an injury.
Taoism. Tao Te Ching 63

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Christianity. Romans 12.21

God said, "Resemble Me; just as I repay good for evil so do you also repay good for evil."
Judaism. Exodus Rabbah 26.2

Conquer anger by love. Conquer evil by good. Conquer the stingy by giving. Conquer the liar by truth.
Buddhism. Dhammapada 223

Man should subvert anger by forgiveness, subdue pride by modesty, overcome hypocrisy with simplicity, and greed by contentment.
Jainism. Samanasuttam 136

May generosity triumph over niggardliness,
May love triumph over contempt,
May the true-spoken word triumph over the false-spoken word,
May truth triumph over falsehood.
Zoroastrianism. Yasna 60.5

The good deed and the evil deed are not alike. Repel the evil deed with one which is better, then lo!, he between whom and you there was enmity shall become as though he were a bosom friend.

But none is granted it save those who are steadfast, and none is granted it save a person of great good fortune.
Islam. Qur'an 41.34-35

A superior being does not render evil for evil; this is a maxim one should observe; the ornament of virtuous persons is their conduct. One should never harm the wicked or the good or even criminals meriting death. A noble soul will ever exercise compassion even towards those who enjoy injuring others or those of cruel deeds when they are actually committing them--for who is without fault?
Hinduism. Ramayana, Yuddha Kanda 115


Someone said, "What do you say concerning the principle that injury should be recompensed with kindness?" The Master said, "With what will you then recompense kindness? Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness."
Confucianism. Analects 14.36

According to Anas ibn Malik, the Prophet said, "Help your brother whether he is oppressor or oppressed."

According to Anas, after the Messenger of God said, "Help your brother whether he is oppressor or oppressed," Anas replied to him, "O Messenger of God, a man who is oppressed I am ready to help, but how does one help an oppressor?" "By hindering him doing wrong," he said.
Islam. Hadith of Bukhari

from the moonies no less

Three days here will be very restful rock on Sunday....

Walking thru the Aussie bush (watch out for ticks and leeches)

So we're off to South Durras for a little winter holiday

All work and no play make Graham dull boy

The Guardian UK has three stories of Darfur:

Ewen Macaskill in Darfur Tuesday June 8, 2004
'They came at dawn and killed the men' Sudan refugees tell of world's worst humanitarian disaster

Richard Dowden Tuesday June 8, 2004
Broken on the old battlelines drawn in the Saharan sands

Ewen MacAskill in Khartoum Wednesday June 9, 2004
Britain prefers monitors to military action to avert disaster in Sudan

Please talk about Darfur to your friends and workplace associates and spread the word!

Darfur Update:

Jun 7, 2004 Washington
The Bush administration Monday defended its handling of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan's western Darfur region. It reiterated that U.S. relations with Sudan cannot be normalized as long as the situation in Darfur continues. US Aides Reject Criticism of Darfur Role

World Must Act on Darfur Crisis, Says Kerry Jun 8, 2004 Washington
The presumptive Democratic Presidential candidate, John Kerry, expressed concern about Darfur in a statement Monday. Also Monday a Washington Post newspaper editorial said that the United States and key allies had been so anxious to get an agreement ending Sudan's north-south civil war that they have "shrunk" from pressuring Khartoum on greater access to Darfur. Meanwhile the Bush administration defended its handling of the crisis in Sudan's western Darfur region.

'Disaster' in Sudan draws world leaders' attention

Rising concern over the refugee crisis in Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur region burst onto government radar screens in Washington and London yesterday, with key cabinet ministers warning of a looming disaster.

At the same time, a key United Nations agency called for a dramatic boost in international aid to stave off catastrophe among an estimated 350,000 people facing death from hunger and disease.

Sudan: Incommunicado detentions, unfair trials, torture and ill-treatment - the hidden side of the Darfur conflict
Amnesty International:While international attention has focussed on the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, the failure of the legal system which underpins the human rights crisis has gone largely unnoticed, Amnesty International said today in a memorandum to the Sudan Government and the recently-appointed Sudanese Commission of Inquiry.

The vast majority of detainees in Darfur and those arrested outside Darfur in connection with the conflict are not told the reasons for their arrest and are not allowed access to lawyers, families, and medical assistance. They are denied their right to be brought promptly before a judge or other judicial official; the right to challenge the lawfulness of their detention and the right to be treated humanely. Torture is widespread.

"The failure of the justice system cannot be ignored. Injustice is not just a consequence of the conflict, it is one of its causes. These abuses, like the fighting, will worsen if immediate preventative measures aren't taken," Amnesty International warned.

Darfur's Desperation Todays editorial from latimes:

The death toll in Darfur, the western region of Sudan, in the last year is staggering: 10,000 by conservative estimates, 30,000 by a reckoning of the nonpartisan International Crisis Group. In response, President Bush last month said Sudan "must immediately stop local militias from committing atrocities against the local population"; the European Union said it was "essential that the Sudanese government fulfill its commitment to control the irregular armed forces." These well-meaning demands have proved pathetically ineffective in stopping Sudan's government-backed ethnic cleansing. Stronger measures, up to and including military intervention, are needed.

The heads of the world's leading industrial nations should put Darfur atop the agenda at the Group of 8 summit in Sea Island, Ga., this week. European nations, which failed to intervene in the face of similar atrocities in the Balkans and Rwanda, should warn Sudan they will dispatch troops if the ethnic cleansing is not halted. France has peacekeeping troops in Ivory Coast, and British troops helped end a civil war in Sierra Leone two years ago. A troop commitment from the European powers is needed because the United States is simply stretched too thin by the Iraq conflict to send a significant peacekeeping force to Darfur.

Sudan's Arab rulers, in part by agreeing to share oil revenues, completed a preliminary peace deal with Christian and animist rebels in the south who had waged a 21-year civil war. The peace talks inflamed two rebel groups in the west, which protested being left out of the spoils. Militias armed by the government in the capital, Khartoum, have battled the rebels and pillaged civilians of the Zaghawa, Fur and Massalit tribes. The civil war has forced more than 1 million from their homes, more than 100,000 of them fleeing into neighboring Chad. The lucky ones live in refugee camps in terrible conditions; the less fortunate brave sandstorms in the brutal desert.

Lack of water and food means that many more Darfurians will die. Last week Andrew Natsios, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said that even if relief efforts were accelerated, more than 300,000 forced from their homes would die of starvation and disease. If Sudan keeps blocking aid or foreign governments hesitate, Natsios said, the "death rates could be dramatically higher, approaching 1 million people."

The U.S. joined the rest of the world a decade ago in watching Hutus kill Tutsis in a genocide in Rwanda that left more than 800,000 people slain. The anniversary of those killings brought great international lamentation two months ago. But the global community possessed the power to stop that crisis, just as it does this one. What it requires is political will to exercise that power, especially from European nations that in the past have been all too reluctant to commit troops in the face of mass slaughter.

I just watched part of the BBC World news.
A feature item was a look at the waves of USA aircraft flying into Afghanistan to create a huge new airbase. This is being built to try and finish the hunt for UBL. One USA grunt who was interviewed stated inter alia that this was going to stop terrorist attacks in the USA, he will feel safe from aircraft crashing into buildings and will be able to go shopping without worrying about someone have explosives strapped on them going into the malls...

He really meant what he was saying, a true believer that the war on terror will stop terrorism. I remember as a kid the red brigade, the IRA, and the weather underground and assorted attacks on Israelis. There is a collective amnesia that dulls the reasoning of many alive today...

I feel almost paralysed in my ability to do anything about it...
Global concerns however must be addressed at the local level. I will continue to try to be more friendly to those around me, and be more active in promoting peace in the Canberra community.

shameless advert for the blogger network:The Sound of Blogging
What is the sound of one blogger blogging? If you post to your blog from the woods and nobody hears it, did you really post? Audioblogger will solve these riddles.

ON a serious note (hattip Tina)
Darfur starvation will be televised ... eventually
By Andrew Stroehlein

BRUSSELS – When people are starving en masse, television is there to capture their fly-covered faces as they expire. The world is appalled by the repeated images of the dying and is stirred to action: People open up their purses to charity appeals, and politicians feel strong public pressure to address the famine and its root causes at the highest level.
But mass starvation doesn't just appear out of nowhere in an instant, so where are the TV cameras just before the emaciated bodies start piling up?
continues:
CSM 8th June 2004

ON a lighter and fluffier note:
You may not know that many non-living things have a gender. For example:

1. Ziploc Bags - They are Male, because they hold everything in, but you can see right through them.
2. Copiers - They are Female, because once turned off, it takes a while to warm them up again. It's an effective reproductive device if the right buttons are pushed, but can wreak havoc if the wrong buttons are pushed.
3. Tyre - Male, because it goes bald and it's often over-inflated.
4. Hot Air Balloon - Male, because, to get it to go anywhere, you have to light a fire under it and, of course, there's the hot air part.
5. Sponges - Female, because they're soft, squeezable and retain water.
6. Web Page - Female, because it's always getting hit on.
7. Subway - Male, because it uses the same old lines to pick people up.
8. Hourglass - Female, because over time, the weight shifts to the bottom.
9. Hammer - Male, because it hasn't changed much over the last 5,000 years, but it's handy to have around.
10. Remote Control - Female...... Ha! You thought it'd be male. But consider this -- it gives a man pleasure, he'd be lost without it, and while he doesn't always know the right buttons to push, he keeps trying.

NEVER EVER TALK TO CHILDREN IF YOU ARE FAMOUSE, and when you google news (venus) never be surprised:

Post-Clinton blow to ego Alan Taylor's Diary

SEEING John Updike at the Hay-on-Wye literary festival gladdened the heart. The Guardian, ever alert to accusations of dumbing down, asked him if he felt like Tom Cruise. Updike, who is 72, said: “I feel like an elderly Tom Cruise.” His appearance at Hay – “the Woodstock of the mind”, according to Bill Clinton, last year’s star turn – was presented as a coup, the next best thing to exhuming JD Salinger.
But it is worth remembering that long before Hay had been conceived Mr Updike was the top of the bill at the first Edinburgh International Book Festival 21 years ago. On being told that he was in the presence of greatness, one mightily impressed toddler asked: “Is he the man who blows up the balloons?”

sundayherald

Scott talks about Gilda on findadeath.com

Do you remember Gilda Radner?

Sunday, a winter morning, it got below freezing again overnight.
Nearly every sunday morning since my return from the UK Helen and I and Ms 6 have a ritual. We take a 8 minute walk thru the suburb to the kippax shops and visit a gardening shop, where a middle eastern family have the food franchise. Coffee for the adults and a baby 'cino for Ms 6. I sometimes indulge in a plate of hot bacon, toast, tomato, and sausage and try not to think of the waistline. I did again this morning. The walk there was bitterly cold, even though the sun was shining. The walk back was not too bad.

Later in the morning I took Ms 6 to Lake Ginniderra, an artificial lake off the central shopping area of Belconnen (to the west of Canberra) that has childrens playgrounds scattered around it. I was dismayed to see the effect of the drought, the water level has dropped several feet and the stench of the exposed mud was a bit much. The once green fields are a 'burnt off' dry brown color. Tree roots are coming up out of the ground in a lost search for water.

My daughter did not notice any of this of course, she was happy kicking the fallen leaves and twigs that cover much of the parkland, and climbing over the play equipment.

Such is the civilised bliss I enjoy whilst in Sudan and the Congo it all gets worse and worse...I ponder these things in my heart and mind, and feel uncomfortable.

Brief biographical story that will explain a bit more of this 72 character.

I was born in the UK in 1959, Mum was a bombing refugee from Shepherds Bush in London, Dad grew up in Somerset- hence my visit 'home' in March.

In 1966 we emigrated to the great white land of the holy spirit. Two years in Melbourne,(mini Greece) and then up to the city of Albury on the 'mighty' Murray river. I grew up to the age of 12 in a Catholic Parish dominated by the Irish immigrants. I have a great love for the Irish, of both religious persuasions, and my blood boils whenever I hear English types slag off at them. Childhood was dominated by my love affair with books that continues to this day. Many a teacher banged the desk lid on my head as I read a book that had nothing to do with the lesson in progress.

Dad died when I was 13, and I spent a number of years with foster parents following Mums depression and mental illnesses. This exposed me to Australian farming, both sheep/cattle and apple orchards. Finally upon completion of Year 12 I commenced my nursing training.
The life of a male amongst 200 odd women I will gloss over. Remember it was the mid to late '70's and the hippy/free love generation were just ending. HIV and AIDS were still to appear....

I survived, indeed I more than survived, I returned to the practice of Roman Catholicism, my parents had converted when I was 3, and upto the age of 17 I was a regular Mass goer. I met up with the St Josephs House of Prayer Community, Goulburn (my friend Charlie who protested GWB's Canberra visit lives there) and went there after finishing my nursing training.

Community living gave me a taste for caring for the poor and disadvantaged throughout the world, aided by contact with Br Andrew (Mother Teresas' male order founder) and other social justice legends that passed thru the House of Prayer.

At the age of 22 I married Helen and for 6 years I nursed on and off, worked as a labourer, wood cutter, and also worked for the social security department of the Australian Government as a field officer for 2 years. Hence I have enjoyed a varied work career.

Since 20 years of age I had done voluntary bookshop work, and then in 1987 I began my new career as a bookseller, first in Goulburn and then for the last 15 years in Canberra.

As a sensitive new age guy back in the late '70's I wrote poetry, (useful in the seduction stakes). I used to get frustrated with the constant replacing of paper in the typewriter and got into the TRS80 microcomputer and Apple computer. HAR. HAR. HAR. I expended all my nervous energy learning how to control the beasts with all dialects of basic that I stopped writing poetry...

However, my computing skills has become a useful hobby, tho Helen rapidly learnt how to live as a computer widow. Needless to say I am as hooked as ever on the electronic medium. Nowadays it is useful in communicating ideas globally.Hence my interest in the Agonist.

listening to the voices of society and the still,silent, gentle voice within;
provides much confusion and non-realisation as to which way to go...

fortunately Michael Caseys new book is a gem:
Fully Human, Fully Divine: An Interactive Christology

this eloquent book traces an understanding of the human condition from the early church, the church fathers and thru the monastic writers and drops us right into the reality of today - spending too much time surfing the web, addictions of various types etc, all stitched together with useful quotes from the gospels, and at times useful quotes from the rabbinical midrash commentaries. This is a book to savour like an extremely elegant wine, sip and reflect, sip and reflect. It will be a book that will be a best seller for a number of years. Michael has obviously spent much time listening to the human condition of those who have sought his advice and has enveloped this current life into the life the gospels reveal of Jesus Christ in both his humanity and his divinity. Prepare to be wounded by this book on one page and then healed on the next! I LOVE IT!

on a similar vein ron rolheisers latest column is out:
conflicting voices.

The UN fears hundreds of thousands will die in Darfur
photo credit (c) bbc website see post below for link...

weep for yourselves, the world still cares too little:

'Thousands starving in Darfur'

A catastrophe is now unavoidable in Sudan's Darfur region, the United Nations and aid workers say.
Some 300,000 people will starve, even if emergency aid is delivered immediately, according to the head of the United States aid agency.

Some 10,000 people have died, and a million made homeless in a conflict between rebels and Arab militias.

bbc

Five favorite books:

Etty

Hillesum was in her mid-20s at the time of the Holocaust; her diaries consist mainly of musings about the confusion, perplexities, and struggles all around her and mature into a clear philosophy of love of God and all humanity. Her most intimate thoughts are played out at length, but perseverance results in a rewarding view of humanity. The young woman's letters (the second part of the book) reveal a great deal more detail about the day-to-day life at the transit camp of Westerbork (the last stop before Auschwitz). Here, individual people come into view more clearly, and the horrors and atrocities facing the Jews at that time emerge. That Hillesum could rise above hate and generalization in the midst of such horror and evil reveals a tremendous inner strength. Her courage, determination, and faith reveal her amazing spirit. An inspirational reading experience.
Bunni Union, Geauga West Library, Chesterland, OH
Copyright 1997 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Mans Search for Meaning

This is among the most influential works of psychiatric literature since Freud. The book begins with a lengthy, austere, and deeply moving personal essay about Frankl's imprisonment in Auschwitz and other concentration camps for five years, and his struggle during this time to find reasons to live. The second part of the book, called "Logotherapy in a Nutshell," describes the psychotherapeutic method that Frankl pioneered as a result of his experiences in the concentration camps. Freud believed that sexual instincts and urges were the driving force of humanity's life; Frankl, by contrast, believes that man's deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose. Frankl's logotherapy, therefore, is much more compatible with Western religions than Freudian psychotherapy. This is a fascinating, sophisticated, and very human book. At times, Frankl's personal and professional discourses merge into a style of tremendous power. "Our generation is realistic, for we have come to know man as he really is," Frankl writes. "After all, man is that being who invented the gas chambers of Auschwitz; however, he is also that being who entered those gas chambers upright, with the Lord's Prayer or the Shema Yisrael on his lips." Amazon.


Girard Reader

In the academic landscape of victimization theories, deconstruction and post-modernism, here arises a singular voice that cuts to an all encompassing generative theory of civilization. It is a theory that explains why we buy Nike, why we go to war, and how we achieve peace. It would be better known in academia except this poor soul has the unfortunate timing of discovering a theory that objectively validates the truth of Catholicism, when Christianity (and even worse Catholicism) is out of vogue. Chicago Reader


Whats so Amazing about Grace

Phillip Yancey has written his masterpiece. This book will touch you to your core being, your soul, and your heart. I found myself so into reading this book, I could not put it down. Yancey is incredibly adept at showing how much love Christ has for all of his followers, and all of humanity. I have shared this book with numerous people, and I have never had a bad response to the message it puts forth. Joseph Dworak St Paul MN.

Holy Longing

As a regular columnist for the Catholic Herald, Rolheiser has clearly honed his writing skills. Like an eloquent marriage counselor, he deftly tries to reconcile the rift between contemporary spirituality and Christianity. For example, he points to the four pillars that support a healthy marriage of Christianity and spirituality, which are "Private prayer and private morality. Social justice. Mellowness of heart and spirit. Community as a constitutive element of true worship." Building upon these pillars, Rolheiser delves into the more challenging marital tensions with chapters such as "Christ as the Basis for Christian Spirituality" and a "Spirituality of Sexuality." This is an excellent book for any Christian who has longs to create a more holy and lasting spiritual union. --Gail Hudson

bon lecture!

Comments now work.
step 1 - click on comments
step 2 - scroll to bottom of new window that opens
step 3 - click on post a comment
step 4 - click on post anonymously...
html coding eg < em > your comments here in italics < / e m > work

Winter flus have started, I have a sore neck - head - nose - cold thingie happening at present. Paracetemol and Whisky have muted the symptoms somewhat.

Full Moon tonight with loads of clouds scudding across the sky. Little or no rain, however the cloudy conditions have prevented the temperature dropping to freezing point so that is good.

Local news remains pre-occupied with coronial enquiries of bushfires and murder victims, including one case from Norfolk Island. Local reporting of global news remains Iraq prison abuse orientated especially dealing with how much the Australian defence force knew, did not know or did not tell the Aussie govt.
LINKS? You want LINKS >>> use google news like I do.

I will leave you, though, with this morsel (read it slowly and pretend two comedians are having the conversation) (actually one liberal and one labor politician ) :

ROBERT HILL: It was always our preference that either the United States or Britain would be a detaining power in the event of any… the taking of any prisoners with which we were associated because they had the facilities to deal with them, which we didn't have.

LOUISE YAXLEY: Labor's John Faulkner asked a series of questions of how that arrangement was reached.

JOHN FAULKNER: On what basis, on what communication, agreement, negotiation, understanding, memorandum, was this, underpinned this?

ROBERT HILL: Well yes, I've said to you, I believe there was an understanding to that effect on the basis of what I've been told and the exact form of that I don't have here tonight, but if you want to know the form of it I will ask.

LOUISE YAXLEY: The Labor Senator also turned his attention to the senior foreign affairs and trade officials at the Estimates Committee hearing.

OFFICIAL: Senator, I think what we're saying is that we're not aware of whether or not there is or was an arrangement or an understanding and if there was one, we're not aware of the nature of that and on that basis we'd prefer to take this question on numbers.

JOHN FAULKNER: It's not a question of not being aware of the nature of it, you're not aware of the existence of it.
We're now being told...

OFFICIAL: At this point in time Senator, I'd like to take it on prior notice.

JOHN FAULKNER: I find this quite incredible. I'm extremely concerned when we've got the head of the Iraq task force, an eminent lawyer like Mr French before us, Australia's Defence Minister, Mr Chester, who's an expert on everything, and nobody can tell us.

ROBERT HILL: You've just been told.

JOHN FAULKNER: We've been told you don't know.

ROBERT HILL: You don't listen.

JOHN FAULKNER: I do listen. You don't know.

ROBERT HILL: You've been sitting there for too long, getting out of...

JOHN FAULKNER: What is the agreement?

ROBERT HILL: I said I don't know the exact....

JOHN FAULKNER: You don't know, I know you said that.

ROBERT HILL: No, I said I don't know the exact format of the agreement, I know there was an understanding to that effect.

JOHN FAULKNER: An understanding is not good enough, an understanding would be something you could come to in a phone booth out the back, it's some telephone box discussion between people, unknown, persons unknown, at a time unknown and the details unknown.
abc.net.au AM current affairs program

If one did not know better one would think Rumsfeld had some input into the conversational style!!!!