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!!!!

"Hundreds, Thousands and Millions"
'twas a dark, rainy and blustery canberra night, following the 20,000 odd meal that my beloved has prepared for me over 21 years of Marriage, Miss almost 6, Ms 17 and I went off to the local college production of "Our Town'.

Methinks Thornton Wilder would be well pleased with the Australian interpretation of the quintessential small town story. The speech teachers had done a marvellous job imparting an American twang to the young peoples voices. If I had not known some of the actors I would have thought it a visiting US troupe.

In keeping with the minimalist design for the play, props were kept at a bare minimum, with the stage managers providing props at the very last minute, an effect which made the immediacy of the action eg picking up clothes or shelling beans more pronounced.

The choric stage manager role was played by two ladies, one with a light banter, the other with a severish style, their interaction and semi-modern attire narrowed the gap from the costumes and storyline of a plot representing life from a hundred years ago.

The human condition is changeless, life aye even the mundane is important, to see another person, to note their aspect and their being, is to find a value that makes life explode beyond the immediate, to touch the past, present and future with the hundreds, thousands and millions of experiences that do make us us!

An interesting aside, after seeing the play I now appreciate more the use of the word sir as an honorific by Americans, it has grated with me over the past 12 months since I first was greeted with it, but now I am more accepting.... Us English types see it more as an elitist term for knights and the royal and upper classes of society.....

favorite line: "It's like what one of those Middle West poets said: You've got to love life to have life, and you've got to have life to love life ... It's what they call a vicious circle."

Anyway a full Wednesday comes to an end and so to bed!

Master 19 looking at punk clothing, declined to purchase anything, as 'doing up buttons is too difficult'

The Dolphin Pub Weymouth run by New Zealand expats

Part of the Royal Hotel on the beach front at Weymouth

Another memorial to Victoria, Queen that is.

Looking away from Cerne Abbas

Weymouth Beach UK March 2004

A Vietnamese Priest I have known for over 20 years has just returned from Inala, with the photos I have posted below. He has other ones showing altar cloths bloodstained, a close up of the statues chin with oil on it. Fr Joe has seen life changing occurrences during his 4 days at Inala. He was impressed with the faith of the people and the impact of the events on non-believers. Life-changing behaviour has occurred. He has a plastic bag with a rosary in it that has a strong rose-like scent.
for better photos: Leons website.
I cannot vouch for Leons photos but Fr Joes photos I believe are untouched and represent the same shots as Leons, albeit not as good quality. Something is happening at Inala. Time, as they say, will out. If anything is to be made of it, it is that peoples lives can change and healings: physical, emotional and spiritual take place when circumstances are right.

The statue and the crucifix.

Close up of the bloodstained statue from the Vietnamese Catholic Community Centre, Brisbane. google: Inala statue.

Pentecost - Catholic understanding
( shavout Jewish-Christian understanding )ie feast of weeks is over down under.
The celebration of the "birthday" of the christian church.
The world still has not found a 'birthday' to celebrate our common humanity.

I ended Sunday with a sore head. The electric garage door decided to lost a nut off a bolt and ended up half open, or half closed depending on ones point of view. Whilst trying to get the spring back on the bar the door collapsed onto my head
OUCH!

Meanwhile the family have been playing 500.
Cards are a great pasttime and enable much light hearted banter.

I am taking my sore head to bed and will leave philosophical musings for another time.


Watch the oil prices in the coming week