Honey flooring is what we are installing!
Thursday, July 01, 2004
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.
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.
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
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
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 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
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
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.
Then a link unto the site that discusses what makes a weblog a weblog.....
So now we have a proper blog entry.
Monday, June 28, 2004
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!
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!
Friday, June 25, 2004
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.
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.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
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
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
Monday, June 21, 2004
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
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
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
Sunday, June 20, 2004
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
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?
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?
Thursday, June 17, 2004
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....
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....
Sunday, June 13, 2004
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!
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!
Saturday, June 12, 2004
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
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
Friday, June 11, 2004
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.
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.
Thursday, June 10, 2004
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
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
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