GMG 2008 - A colpi di spot su radio, tv, di manifesti sulle strade per invitare gli abitanti di Sydney a prendere parte alla Gmg (15-20 luglio) e per ricordare che è aperta a tutti. A due mesi dall’inizio di quello che viene considerato “un evento storico per tutta l’Australia” il Comitato organizzatore della Gmg ha lanciato la campagna “Giornata mondiale della gioventù – il tempo della tua vita eterna”. “Sappiamo che gli abitanti di Sydney hanno voglia di essere coinvolti in questa grande manifestazione di fede – afferma il direttore operativo della Gmg, Danny Casey – i cattolici sono il gruppo di credenti più numeroso della città, ma non tutti frequentano regolarmente la chiesa. Vogliamo tuttavia dire loro che sono i benvenuti”. La campagna che continuerà fino a metà luglio prevede anche inviti porta a porta per invitare i ‘Sydneysider’ a iscriversi come volontari o a offrirsi per ospitare i giovani in casa. Maggiori informazioni sono sul sito ufficiale della Gmg, www.wyd08.org.

Annie Nightingale http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/annienightingale/index.shtml

Pendulum http://www.pendulum.com/

Pendulum Mix
Pendulum – ‘The Other Side (Original vs Remix Edit)’ (Warners)
Nine Inch Nails – ‘That’s What I Get (Computer Club Remix)’ (Unknown)
Elite Force – ‘Return 2 Mind Funk (Vandal Mix)’ (Used & Abused)
Aphex Twin – ‘Windowlicker’ (Warp)
Sta – ‘Sex’ (Marine Parade)
Does It Offend You, Yeah? – ‘We Are Rockstars (Remix)’ (Virgin)
Culture Shock – ‘Asteroids’ (RAM)
Noisia – ‘Seven Stitches’ (RAM)
Tigerstyle – ‘Nachna Onda Nei’ (AK Publishing)
Dj Hell – ‘Tragic Picture Show’ (IDJ Gigolos)
Squarepusher – ‘Port Rhombus’ (Warp)
Syndicate – ‘Unknown’ (Unknown)
The Chemical Brothers – ‘Fuck Up Beats’ (Virgin)
Afrika Bambaata – ‘Breakers Revenge’ (Unknown)
Dj Mehdi – ‘Wee Bounce’ (Ed Banger)
The Knife – ‘Silent Shout’ (Rabid Records)
Pendulum – ‘Different’ (Warners)
Tipper – ‘Supersport (Subphonics Shallow Grave Mix)’ (Higher Ground)
Vent – ‘Encoded’ (Hardcore Beats)
Fugazi – ‘Sweet and Low’ (Dischord)

2008-05-17 Annie Nightingale Pendulum

I didn't actually write an article for them, hence the surprise, however they did pick up one of my articles from Relevant Magazine titled "losing Our Humanity". I love that God can use something like this and still catch me off guard, check it out.

Muslim Converts in Austria

hat tip-Ronit Fraid  rfraid@bigpond.net.au

 http://tinyurl.com/42ehjg

THE format is hardly ground-breaking. As a blend of The Chaser and The Panel, Salam Cafe aims to deliver laughs via sketches, vox pops and a discussion of the day's issues. The twist is that the panellists and interviewers are Muslim, giving Salam Cafe — which steps into SBS' Wednesday night slot previously filled by Newstopia — an endearingly subversive edge.

This edge can be seen on YouTube, where several clips survive from the three seasons the show spent cutting its teeth on Channel 31. One clip shows a series of vox pops conducted in Frankston.

"What do you know about Muslims?" one interviewer asks a passer-by.

"Not a lot," says the young man. "But I know that their beliefs are pretty dangerous"

"What do you think of Muslims?" another young man is asked.

"I hate 'em."

"What's Ramadan?" the interviewer asks a woman.

"Is that like a poppadam?"

The segment is funny but also poignant, giving an insight into the sort of prejudices and misconceptions faced by Muslim Aussies such as Susan Carland.

"Most of the misconceptions are about Muslim women," says Carland, a regular panellist on Salam Cafe. "A lot of them are about the headscarf. I'm often asked if I have cancer. And I have a badge that says, 'No, I don't wear it in the shower'. People really think we're aliens. It's just a piece of material, like a T-shirt. It doesn't have magic powers.

"For me, it's very important that this show is about Muslims, not about Islam. It's just showing that Muslims are normal people. We're not from Planet Islam. It's showing the human face of the Muslim community, same as Acropolis Now did (for the Greek community) in the '80s. People will see that we won't eat their babies."

Since the World Trade Center attacks, Muslims have had a serious image problem. "Obviously the whole world was turned on its head post-September 11," says Ahmed Imam, Salam Cafe's host. "There was a lot of heat in the kitchen."

The Bali bombings of 2002 and 2005 didn't help. Which is ironic, given that Islam — contrary to the rantings of some extremists — is essentially a tolerant religion. "Islam says to Christians and Jews, 'We worship the same God you do'," says Carland. "Islam is a continuation. We feel the prophets all came with the same message."

"People are probably not expecting the kinds of stuff that comes out of our mouths," says Imam. "Even (producer) Ted Robinson said, 'When I saw the show the first time, I was laughing at what you were laughing at. I couldn't feel any distance'. Humour is a particularly Australian characteristic, and we all originate from different places, but we're all Australian. And the humour is probably a reflection of the new kinds of Muslim in Australia, who are comfortable living and practising their faith and joking."

Humour also allows Salam Cafe to broach sensitive topics.

"We won't do anything we're uncomfortable with," says Carland. "But then we do address some uncomfortable issues because I think to ignore those issues is even more offensive to people."

The regulars chosen for the 10 initial episodes of Salam Cafe — to be filmed in front of live audiences in Sydney and Melbourne — are an impressive bunch. There's Waleed Aly, the young lawyer who is a regular contributor to The Age opinion page and ABC radio.

There's the show's host, Imam, who is the acting chief executive of the Islamic Council of Victoria, a father of four and the son of the Mufti of Australia (Fehmi Naji el-Imam). He sees Salam Cafe as a potentially useful tool in bringing Islam into the consciousness of mainstream Australia.

"I was born and raised here in Australia," he says. "My dad came to Australia in 1951 from Lebanon, then he married my mother, who was of Anglo-Celtic background and became a Muslim in the '50s. The Muslim community in the '50s in Sydney and Melbourne was incredibly small, and only since the '70s has Muslim migration skyrocketed. So it's a changing dynamic. Within the Muslim community there are now more parents who have grown up here and who understand the environment and significance of the cultural values."

Then there's Carland, who is sharp, opinionated and has a stud in her tongue.

"She has a touch of the punk about her," says Pamela Swain, who is producing with Robinson.

"She's like a punk mum. She's got a bit of the rebel about her and is also a feminist. But she's amazingly down to earth, and so Aussie.

"I can't speak highly enough of all them. The thing that makes me really excited is they're really young. The oldie is Ahmed Iman, he's 38, but these are mostly 20-somethings, and that's a generation we don't often see on television. This show is a big ask of them, but I think it's got great potential."

With the help of Robinson and Swain, whose credits include Good News Week, The Glass House and The Sideshow, Salam Cafe on SBS will be more polished than it was in April 2005, when it premiered on the community TV channel.

The idea for the show came over a game of Pictionary. "When you don't drink it's just party around the clock," says Carland. "Ahmed just said, 'Wouldn't it be good to have a TV show?' We thought it would be awesome, so we filmed four episodes in a local primary school. It was all very Wayne's World, but the Muslim community seemed to like it. Originally it was just a panel show, but then we brought in sketches."

For the initial episodes, the title was Ramadan TV. "We deliberated for weeks over what the name should be," Imam says. "And just like the word 'Islam', and the word 'Muslim', 'Salam' comes from the word for 'peace'. And then we decided we wanted to create the atmosphere of a coffee shop. Because everybody loves a coffee shop, especially in Melbourne. So this is the Peace Cafe. We didn't want something overly Islamic or Arabic but something where a Muslim sees the name, they know, and when a non-Muslim sees it, they might just think, 'That's an interesting name'."

As far as Imam is concerned, the image problem faced by Muslims in Australia will soon pass.

"Everybody has their time," he says. "The Italians, the Greeks, the Asians, they all had their time. Now it's the Muslims, and probably even more so at the moment it's the African community. It could be someone else next. The Italians, Greeks and Asians have all come through that, and it's going to happen with Muslims, too, and hopefully this show will assist with that process. Not that we're sponsored by the Department of Immigration."

Salam Cafe screens Wednesdays at 10pm on SBS.

Some breaking news that involves the group here in Australia, thanks to Gimpy's Blog and the ever-vigilant Brain Duck:

Dore Australia have just gone into receivership. Staff (including myself) have not been paid for the month of May and turned up for work on Fri 16th to find all clients cancelled and to be told via Australia wide teleconference that they were to go home and would find out in a week if their contracts would be terminated. We may or may not see our money.
We were given no warning, in fact had we had any idea, we would not have been signing new people onto the program. In my clinic, we were signing new people on and taking their money on Thurs 15th.

The day we went into receivership. We were made to look like crooks by taking money for a service we now can’t provide. I am angry for the clients.

I want to know, where is Wynford in all of this. We were told he would always support us, yet we have heard nothing? I feel betrayed as I and the rest of the staff truly believed in the program. We saw first hand the results it can have.

Will find out more about it ASAP!

And my father would say back to his dad,christ, I wish I had a quid for everytime you said that one geeze...

Well, well, well

How are you? I am OK. Actually, I am exhausted. Yesterday I went to the Genderfuck Ball held by all the Queer Clubs from all the tertiary institutions in WA to celebrate International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO). It was a great night despite the drama from some of my friends. Plus, I got an excuse to dress up in a suit and tie, something I do not often do yet admittedly quite fun. After all, I am "genderfucking" so I can do whatever I want.

The 17th of May is the Norwegian Constitution Day. It is the day which celebrates the signing of the Norwegian Constitution in Eidsvoll in 1814. It is also IDAHO today as well. Hooray for equality and Norwegians everywhere! How did I celebrate these days? Well I celebrated IDAHO last night and for Norwegian Constitution Day... I am staying at home because I am looking after my little brother. But I will consider the Genderfuck Ball as my celebration for the day.

Have you ever had to fight for your right? I sometimes think I have to fight for my right... to wear whatever fucking t-shirt I want. I went to the record store to buy the new Death Cab For Cutie record (btw, it is grrrrreat) and I was in the shopping centre when a lady with child looked at me as if she was repulsed by the very sight of me and said to me "it is people like you that make me fear what is going to happen to the world" and glared at me as I looked at her confused at what just happened. I then realised she was upset because of the t-shirt I decided to wear which had this graphic on the front:

As some of you may know, I am huge fan of this band. This shirt is actually one of my favourite shirts I own. I think I'll still wear it when I am in my 40s even if it looks completely ridiculous. People have glared at me when I have won this shirt before, but this was the first time someone actually approached me because of it. I am a believer of free speech, so if I like Bad Religion the band and if I think Christianity (and most religions in general) are bad to begin with, then I can express my opinion any fucking way I want. How come people can get away wearing just as offensive shirts saying "Australia: Love it or leave it" as a message towards immigrants to warn them not to complain about Australia because if they do, they should leave because they don't belong. Love it or leave it, isn't that a little black and white?

Everytime I see a shirt with a message like this, I get so angry inside. I am an immigrant, and if I don't agree with Australia's policies, views or whatever, then I will say that I don't agree with them. If I do agree with Australia, I also say that I agree too. Everytime I see this shirt/slogan I always think that the person is a closet (or very open) racist and I want to punch them in the face. But I don't punch them. In fact, I say nothing and I keep on walking.

I am not saying the woman who was angry with my shirt was wrong in expressing her opinion to me, she should be allowed to express her opinion to me. But I should be allowed to express my opinion to the knob heads who wear those "love it or leave it" shirts. In fact, I might start doing that. If people think I am a satanist (I am not) then I am gonna go up to all these racist pigs and tell them that immigrants helped build Australia and we will express our opinion towards this country no matter how positive or negative it is.

I suppose this blog is about being proud of who you are. I am just proud to be myself. Now, all I want to see is a t-shirt making fun of me for that, I would buy that shirt too.

Cobra Celia d-_-b

In it, there is a paragraph mentioning,

"In tandem with these suggestions, which we can deploy on a short time scale, we should also invest in developing longer term global low-emissions energy technologies.

Fusion, a process discovered by the eminent Australian Mark Oliphant in 1932, is the process that powers the sun and stars. If harnessed, it offers millions of years of safe, base-load electricity with zero greenhouse gas emissions and no weapon proliferation. The fuel nuclei are typically isotopes of hydrogen: deuterium, which is naturally abundant in water, and tritium, manufactured by neutron transmutation of lithium, an element common in the Earth's crust and also found dissolved in seawater.

For each kilogram of fuel, fusion releases four times more energy than fission, and a staggering 10 million times more than coal. Fusion fuels are distributed globally, are compact and present no particular problems in stockpiling, ensuring security of supply. The fusion process is also intrinsically clean; waste is generated only indirectly through neutron activation of the shield of the reactor. Based on existing technology, fusion power plants could be recycled in 100 years. Research into the use of advanced alloys and ceramics suggests this period could be even shorter.

To initiate fusion reaction, the fuel nuclei must be heated to 100 million degrees celsius. Reproducing such star-like conditions on Earth is an incredible technological and scientific challenge."

Local politics is not always talked about as much as it should be around the traps. For me the most entertaining type of politics is the local stuff. It's so more diabolical than state or federal politics, especially in the distribution of 'shit sheets' and the very personal nature of candidate's campaigns. Of course there is also the fact that the issues focus on the very everyday issues facing many residents, ratepayers and local businesses and industry.

One issue that I cannot be silent on follows.

Recently the Mayor of my municipality, Brimbank, has conspired with his factional allies to slash millions of dollars allocated to parks and reserves in the upcoming Council budget for the sake of soccer clubs. The Mayor, Sam David, decided that he would take $2.9 million from funds allocated to Sunshine, Ardeer and Albion (Harvester Ward), which is Sam's ward, and give some of this money to a soccer club.

That's right!

The Mayor took money from a disadvantaged part of his municipality and ploughed it into a private soccer club for a new pavillion. Of course people attending matches will have to pay to use the new pavillion as the soccer club sits on private land. And another slap in the face comes knowing that the soccer club in question actually has Sam David as a life member.

That's right!

The Mayor has a long association and holds life membership of this soccer club, and used his position of authority, and the ruling faction, to take money away from the public to give some of it to his club. This is a complete outrage and sounds extraordinarily nepotistic, as well as a shameful effort to buy favour and votes. And its not the first time that funding has been diverted from worthy community projects to be given to a soccer club or for a soccer club's benefit.

But then Sam David doesn't seem to care that much when he takes credit for the work of others. Take for example, the last election in 2005. His campaign leaflets declared loud and proud that he, and he alone, saved the Sunshine pool. But the real truth is that he had nothing to do with it being saved at all!

When it came to the crunch Sam David voted reluctantly to save the pool; while the Council faction voted to kill the contracts. But it wasn't Sam that put in a recission motion. The truth is it was the Greens' Miles Dymott who put in the recission motion, forcing the Council to vote again to cancel the contracts, which of course with the public outrage the Councillors couldn't cancel them.

But then there are a bunch of other examples of this kind of cronyism on the Brimbank City Council. At least residents and ratepayers have the chance this year to change the Council and hopefully signal a beginning of the end to the cronyism on Brimbank City Council.

There is a decent article in Wikipedia about the terrace houses whose design was imported from England - worth a read here.

When we got there, we sat out the back for the necessary coffee. It was a fine day, good weather we have been having recently. Nice and sunny and warm.

For ages, I had been looking forward to getting to the city as I needed a change of subject - a change from the coast and its beaches, the lakes amongst which we live and the small-farming country a little inland. Hard to imagine that you would not want a change from that but it happens.

So there we were, me with camera in hand and shutter finger twitching. I was struck by the planes and shapes of the backs of the houses in the sun, also the colours. Here are a couple of shots.

Here's one in black and white that I like:

So much to see in cities! More to come ...

Alan Evans, President of the NRMA, spoke at an invitation-only breakfast (supported by Hilton Sydney, I might add as a shameless plug) attended by CEOs and other key business decision makers who were curious to quiz Alan on his extensive experience with governments of all colours and persuasions.

The conversation was colourful, and more than a little honest. Our normal practice is to make the presentation or notes available to guests, but in this case due to the honesty we felt we couldn't make ALL the notes public. So Alan kindly agreed to be interviewed afterwards - so we could share the broad findings of the Breakfast with the wider community.

So the essence is still the same - advice and tips on how to connect with Government, and a refreshing discussion about the changes to the way political donations are made.

Enjoy.

posted by Justin Flaherty, MD Horizon Communication Group

HILLTOWN FAMILY VARIETY SHOW

WXOJ LP - 103.3 FM - Valley Free Radio
Northampton, MA
Saturday mornings from 9-10am

05/17/08 PLAYLIST

listen now | subscribe to free podcast | archived shows | contests | myspace

• Steve Weeks - "Look, Look!" [Alphabet Songs Vol. II: Ivan Idea]
• Ellis Paul - "Wabi-Sabi" [Dragonfly Races]
• Twink - "Mr. Magic" [The Broken Record]
• The Beatles - "Magical Mystery Tour" [1967-1970 Disc 1]
• Nat King Cole Trio - "Kee-Mo Ky-Mo (The Magic Song" [Nicky's Jazz For Kids]
• The Sippy Cups - "Magic Toast" [Electric Storyland]
• The Harmonica Pocket - "Spiders in My Breakfast" [Ladybug One]
• SHOW ID: Harmonica Pocket (www.harmonicapocket.com)
• Matt Nathanson - "Starfish and Coffee" [For the Kids Too]
• STORY TIME: Steve Weeks (www.steveweeksmusic.com)
• Mem Fox - "Possum Magic" [Possum Magic]
• Steve Weeks - "Kiki Kangaroo" [Alphabet Songs Vol II: Ivan Idea]
• Justin Roberts - "Koala Bear Diner" [Meltdown!]
• Joe McDermott - "Baby Kangaroo" [Everywhere You Go]
• SHOW ID: Princess Katie & Racer Steve (www.princessracer.org)
• Princess Katie & Racer Steve - "Hot Shot!" [Fast & Feisty]
• The Sippy Cups - "Little House of Jello" [Electric Storyland]

We checked out Mem Fox's web site to see what information she might have on the Australian culinary highlights mentioned in her story, Possum Magic. This is what she had to offer:

"I chose pumpkin scones in Brisbane (for those of you reading this outside Australia, Brisbane is the capital of the state of Queensland) because at that time the wife of the premier of Queensland was Flo Bjelke-Petersen, nationally famous for her pumpkin scones— it was an in-joke for the parents who read the book to their children. The other foods were chosen for their alliterative qualities and because they were typically Australian. The recipes for ANZAC biscuits, lamingtons and pavlovas can be found below.

Now for the recipes:

Lamingtons

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of butter
• 1 and a half cups of sugar (8 oz)
• 3 cups of self-raising flour (12 oz)
• 4 eggs

Method:
Beat together the butter, sugar and eggs. Add milk, then add the flour and beat well. Bake in a large square cake tin for 45-50 mins at ‘cake temperature’ (gas 180C or 350F; electric 180-200C or 350-400F). When completely cold, cut into 3 inch squares, cover with icing (frosting) and dip in fine coconut. (In the USA grind or vitamise coarse coconut till its in smaller, finer pieces, if you can be bothered. Otherwise the coarse coconut will do although it won’t be truly authentic.)

Icing: (Frosting)
Sift 1 kilo (2lbs) of icing sugar with 4 tablespoons of cocoa. Work in 250 grams (1/4 lb) of butter then slowly add half a cup of hot water to make it rather thin. Add half a teaspn. of vanilla. Place basin containing icing over a bowl of hot water to keep icing sort of runny. With a skewer, hold each piece of cake and ice it all over and then toss it in coconut spread on greaseproof paper. Labour intensive but worth it!

Anzac Biscuits

(These biscuits, ie.cookies, were originally made for soldiers in the Australian and New Zealand Allied Corps—ANZAC—in World War I)

Ingredients:

• 2 measuring cups rolled oats
• Half a cup sugar
• 1 cup flour (8 oz)
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar (looks like baking powder, but isn’t)
• Half a teaspoon of baking soda
• Half a cup of melted butter
• 1 tablespoon golden syrup (NOT honey)
• 2 tablespoons boiling water

Method:
Dissolve baking soda in the water. Mix dry ingredients. Add syrup, then water. Roll out and cut biscuits roughly 3 inches round. Bake in oven for 20 minutes at 180 Centigrade (350 Fahrenheit.)

Pavlova (A meringue dessert)

Ingredients:

• Whites of four large eggs
• Pinch of salt
• 500 grams (8 oz) castor sugar (very fine sugar)
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• Half teaspoon vanilla
• 1 level dessert spoon (in the USA one and a half dessert spns) cornflour

Method:
Beat whites of eggs with salt vigourously for six minutes gradually adding, as you beat, the castor sugar, vinegar and vanilla. Mixture should be stiff and able to stand in peaks. Then sift in the cornflour. Lightly wet the pavlova plate (round crockery baking plate, about 10-12 inches across) and spoon mixture on to it to make a circular mound. Gas oven: Bake for 10 mins at 200 Centigrade (400 Fahrenheit) then at Centigrade (Fahrenheit 200) for 60 mins. Electric oven: pre-heat to 200 Centigrade (400 Fahrenheit) then set at 100 Centigrade (250 Farenheit) and bake undisturbed for one and a half hours.

Topping:
Long before the pavlova is in the oven make up one packet of red jelly (jello) and allow to set in fridge. When set, cut it roughly. When pavlova has baked and has cooled down completely spread top with jelly, then top that with fresh chopped strawberries or freshly cut peaches, or slices of banana and kiwi fruit. Top that with whipped cream. A dessert from heaven. (You can leave out the jelly if you wish but I always have jelly.)

Check out Mem Fox's website at www.memfox.net where she shares the story behind her stories, recipes, favorite books and much more.

THE Sydney bishop disowned by Australia's Catholic bishops as failing to understand basic church teaching says the church is trying to restrict debate on sexual abuse.

Bishop Geoffrey Robinson released a statement yesterday replying to his condemnation by the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference last week, saying he was disappointed but not surprised. Bishop Robinson, the auxiliary bishop of Sydney, who for a decade headed efforts by the Australian Catholic Church to tackle sexual abuse, resigned in disillusionment in 2004.

Last year he published Confronting Sex and Power in the Catholic Church, arguing that until the church considered radical reform from the Pope down, it was not serious about tackling clerical sexual abuse.

[...]

Bishop Robinson, who is on a lecture tour in the US, said it was reasonable to ask questions about power and sex in the church. "The bishops appear to be saying that, in seeking to respond to abuse, we may investigate all other factors contributing to abuse, but we may not ask questions concerning ways in which teachings, laws, and attitudes concerning power and sex within the church may have contributed," he said. "We must be free to follow the argument wherever it leads."

Meanwhile, Los Angeles Archbishop Roger Mahoney has denied Bishop Robinson permission to speak in his diocese next month.   here

Of course any Bishop with a head to think such as Robinson is going to get kicked out.  I hope there are some Catholics in LA who will give this guy a place to speak, since he seems to be worth listening to ... 

Are you a dreamer? Do you have a desire to do something great with your life? Do you have unique talents and gifts that you long to share with others? If so, then take your hand right now, tap yourself on the shoulder, and shout "Tag! I’M IT!"

That's right! You're it! You are responsible for making those dreams happen. No one else is going to do it for you. Not your boss, your co-worker, wife, husband, father, pastor or friend. You and you alone are responsible for making your God-given dreams a reality.

Too many of us surrender our dreams to others, chance, or the direction of a passing wind. For some reason, we are trained to think that dreams just somehow happen or that they can only happen if someone takes us under their wing and guides us on to our ultimate destiny.

Yet, the bible itself is power-packed with verses that tell us that we indeed have the power and the ability to do our dreams. It holds us completely accountable for what we have been given and it reassures us that God himself is enough. He will accomplish his dream in us if we just believe.

Self-help and success books are constantly prodding us to believe this truth. Titles like "Take Control of Your Life!”,” If It's Going to Be, It's Up to Me!" and "The Power of Believing" are just a few of the wonderful books on the market that support us in making our dreams a reality.

Nothing is going to happen if we do not take the initiative to make it happen. Here are 3 keys you can apply today to make your own personal dreams a reality.

1) Stop whining and start working! If you find yourself whining about the fact that your dreams are just not happening or that no one is taking you under their wing and guiding you to success - stop it! Remember, the cure for "E"motion is in the word itself. Drop the "E" and you find the answer - "motion" Motion, is always the key to dealing with emotion.

2) Believe and receive! Start believing that you are capable of making your dreams a reality. If you feel small and weak, don't worry. Your belief should not lie in your own strength but in God's power working in you. As you believe, you will receive direction, guidance, peace and ultimately the realization of your dreams.

3) Be dynamic and different! Realize that making a decision to do your dreams automatically puts you in a minority. Like it or not, you are different! Most people live a "settle for" life but you have chosen excellence. Therefore, you can expect to receive some flak. Being dynamic in your attitude and vision helps you rise above the norm. It is the key to keeping you "up" in a "down" world.

So take control of your life and dreams today and you will be well on your way to making all of your most passionate dreams real!

IT WAS probably one of the more mixed audiences that Australia's seven High Court judges have had. Up the back sat a quiet Filipino nun in a habit and veil, interested to see what this nation's highest court made of issues surrounding the people she works with in her homeland: women trafficked for sex.

In the front row, taking meticulous notes of the complex proceedings, sat sex-worker representative Elena Jeffreys. Her hair was dyed lime-green and coin-gold; she wore a leopard-print coat and fake-croc platform shoes over blue ankle socks; and her top had purple words running down the sleeves - rentboy, slag, slut, harlot, hooker ...

Welcome to the landmark legal case of the Queen against Wei Tang. This case will decide how Australia legally defines slavery and "possession" of one person by another. It will decide how Australian anti-slavery laws in the 21st century should respond to the nimble evolution of human wickedness into new forms of human exploitation.

Jeffreys, president of the Scarlet Alliance (the Australian Sex Workers Association), says that whatever the outcome, this case will not be the whole answer: "Migrant sex workers deserve labor rights in Australia so that trafficking doesn't occur."

It all began in a brothel in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, where the licensed owner, a Chinese immigrant named Wei Tang, had five Thai women working for her as prostitutes. They arrived in 2002 and 2003 on visas that were fraudulently obtained and worked for her under conditions that prosecutors would later allege amounted to slavery. The women had all worked in the Thai sex industry and knew they were to work as prostitutes here. Four of the women were "purchased" from Thai recruiters for about $20,000 each (one woman was bought from a "Sydney owner").

Upon arrival in Australia, they had little if any money or English and knew no one. They were told they were "contract girls" who owed a "debt" of between $40,000 and $45,000 that they had to work off (a figure much higher than they had been led to expect). This would involve providing sexual services for no payment for up to 900 men. They were housed in bedrooms in which they slept up to four at a time on mattresses on the floor. Their passports and return tickets were taken from them and locked away and their freedom of movement was restricted. They worked 10-to-12-hour shifts six nights a week.

This is a four page article and well worth a look.  But I note that journalist Karen Kassin falls prey to the classic madonna/whore dichotomy when writing of women and sex - nuns and prostitutes, as she mentions.  The article is   here

Sunday 17 February 2008 - 7.45 pm (approx)

Yesterday, spent the day the day at the family farm. It was so wonderful to return there. I miss it so much. I used to go there every weekend.

(tractor shed)

(old dairy)

(paddock for sick calves)

(various aunts and uncles)

(new farm house)

(orchard - plums are ripe)

(Dad, mowing the lawn)

(... to major tourist road)

So the Chaser boys should take it as a monumental compliment that the former Guantanamo Bay detainee was chortling through the Osama bin Laden section of their Age Of Terror live show in Adelaide on Wednesday night.

During the show Hicks and his father Terry were seated behind a row of journalists who reported the father-son duo laughed out loud when the Chaser boys lampooned the terrorist mastermind.

Hicks got in the festive mood prior to the show by enjoying a few Coopers Pale Ales.

Source

but wait...there is more.

• This  release  uses  the  cohort-component  method  to  estimate  the  2007  mid-year population  of  South  Africa.  Provincial  estimates  are  based  on  the  latest  available boundary information obtained from the Demarcation Board.
• The  2007  mid-year  population  is  estimated  at  approximately  47,9  million  of  which approximately 24,3 million (51%) is female.
• Kwazulu-Natal has the largest share of the South African population. About 21% of the population lives in this province.
• Life  expectancy  at  birth  is  estimated  at  approximately  49  years  for  males  and  52 years for females. Life expectancy at birth is highest in the Western Cape and lowest in Kwazulu-Natal.
• The  estimated  overall HIV-prevalence  rate  is approximately  11%.  The  HIV  positive population is estimated at approximately 5,3 million.
• The infant mortality rate (IMR) is estimated at 45,2 per 1000.

Population Groupings

• Aficans - 38 079 900
• Coloured - 4 245 000
• Indian/Asian - 1 173 700
• White - 4 352 100

New Zealand takes out a quinella, with Milford Sound and Queenstown the two highest ranked destinations. Sydney, Cairns, Byron Bay, Melbourne, Port Douglas, Noosa, Perth, Cape Tribulation, Fremantle, Alice Springs, the Margaret River, Airlie Beach and Hobart were the Aussie inclusions. With regard to the USA California dominated, with Lake Tahoe the hightest rated, and in Europe it was Rhodes. Thailand managed six mentions. One slightly bizarre inclusion was Nadi, which may be a gateway to heaps of Fijian goodness but which is a pretty ordinary destination in itself.

Can anybody tick all of them off?

[Image of Milford Sound via Anita Gould]

I was not the slowest on the track as I suspected I would be, but def not the fastest.

So that is me...number 16, ready to race.

And there I go overtaking on the outside.

Unfortunately I couldn't finish al fouth heats of the race. I had a throbbing headache, which the karting didn't help, and my knees didn't want to work as they should.

But alas, it was great fun and I'm just happy I got away with all my body parts as the end of the race was dominated with spinnes and collisions.

I'll keep it meaningful. Like a t-shirt.

Today’s travel notes

I've spent the last few days in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast. That's in Queensland, Australia, dudes. I spent most of my time tucked away with a book, because the Travelling Companion was working. Still, we did get out and about. The TC is depressingly awake at ungodly hours of the morning.

My impressions? Laid-back luxury.

Surfers Paradise is treacly-beautiful. Chocolate-box stuff. And never mind "Surfer's Paradise", it's definitely a shopper's paradise.

Did we come away with the mandatory souvenir? Oh yes. Though I have to concede here that we avoided the usual bit of arty attire. Instead, we acquired "Dracula's Crawling it's alive! Hand". It's noise-activated and comes with an SM-type leash. This souvenir I approve of. It suits the TC to a T.

The Gold Coast is about 45 minutes' flight from Sydney. We flew Virgin Blue --- highly recommended. Straight up, a bit of a swoop around some thundery cloud-peaks, then back down for a fast landing. Do it at sunset for maximum view-value, if you're into that kind of thing.

Once you're in the Gold Coast, there are only two things you need to know: "Beach Side" and "Dry Side". Once you understand that these are the two sides of the Gold Coast Highway, you can get anywhere any time.

We didn't do the big xxx-world attractions. We did do the "Haunted House". Clever disorientation techniques, mirrors, uneven flooring and sticky dangling face-stroking bits in the dark had the desired effect on the TC. I was safely tucked inside a book in a bag, but I felt the tremors and heard the hesitant giggles. This is where we found Hand.

Travel tip

A peg comes in handy when you’re travelling. Use it to seal your bag of coffee. Or just to hang out with. Like I'm doing in the photos.

The book I’m in

Sleep, Pale Sister, by Joanne Harris.

The photos

Me walking on the wild side (Jonathon Livingstone S was a bit close for comfort):

Me hanging out with some fishermen, an ibis, Jonathan and Peg:

Me and Peg on Neptune's chair:

Pre-dawn, and nobody is awake but me, the TC and an ibis:

Surfers Paradise (that's what it says):

Dawn over Surfers Paradise:

The main drag in Surfers Paradise, with Neptune's chair:

Just some of the shops:

Hand --- his complete handle is "Dracula's Crawling it's alive! Hand":

Haunted House (Hand's erstwhile home):

Q1, the tallest residential building in the world --- that's its claim:

A worm’s eye view

Dawn on the beach:

Write your letters in the sand --- a wave washing over a footprint:

Other travelogues of note

• Kamil's travel photography blog. Aaaasome, he's been kite-surfing.
• Jessicaca found herself in Surfers Paradise during Schoolies week, and left. Oh dear oh dear, you poor thing.
• Shah thinks Surfers Paradise is Australia’s version of Miami. I've got news for you: Miami is but a pale imitation ;)
• Austin has some golden-hued photos to complement my silvery snaps.

That’s all for today dudes.

"This is a stunning solar stuff up for Labor's first budget. Australian voters expected the Rudd government to tackle climate change. Instead, this was an Exocet missile into a key industry for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The removal of the rebate for households earning more than $100,000 per annum was no0t thought through, Senator Brown said.

If either Peter Garrett or Penny Wong were consulted or backed this absurd move, they should hang their heads in shame. Their silence has been deafening, Senator Brown said.

This episode, along with a string of other greenhouse worsening budget outcomes, shows the Rudd government is inept when it comes to tackling
the need for urgent action on climate change.

However, Brendan Nelson's two billion dollar plan to reduce petrol excise by 5 cents a litre is in the same category; perverse policy in an age of huge climate change problems.