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!