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Letter to Lady Henrietta Muddling

April 16th 2009 13:41

Dear Lady Henrietta,
How delightful it is to have the pleasure of your son's company. He is truly enchanting.
I could enumerate David's many admirable qualities but of course you well know, as his loving mother, what a wonderful and talented boy he is.
I always thought he was funny. His writing has made me laugh out loud many many times. But how pleasing to find that, in person, he is infinitely more amusing than his written word implies. He entertains me endlessly with a continual stream of thoughts, ideas and distractions. As a matter of fact it has taken me about 5 hours to even write this message to you because he has so distracted me.

Even in a practical sense he is a wonder. A great cook( so very satisfying) who also does the dishes. I can hardly believe it!
But, I must tell you, a most surprising and pleasing aspect of his person is his unflagging energy. O, mercy me, it is simply astounding! He is unfettered by the false sense of propriety which has been known to moderate the behaviour of even the most enthusiastic of males.
Lady Henrietta, I offer you my heartfelt congratulations on raising David to be so thoughtful and considerate. So charming, intelligent, enthusiastic, open and honest.
And with such a great cock.
Sincerest thanks,
Mister Smith

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GROWING UP IN BROADY

March 7th 2009 11:53

The Christmas before last I went to a cocktail party at the home of friends - Russell and Della. Media reports about the ‘gangland’ killings and trials in Melbourne had been circulating for what seemed like forever and Russell made a comment to me; along the lines of Broadmeadows now being kind of cool. Russell has had a straight middle class, educated upbringing but has this fascination with the other side of town.

Yes, Carl William’s notoriety had caused the fairy dust of celebrity to be blown over Melbourne’s outer North. The tawdry mystique was fleeting - I guess people went back to thinking of it as a crappy outer suburb after Carl Williams went to jail - but while the Carl Williams thing was happening, people who had probably never set foot in Broadmeadows and had never wanted to set foot in Broadmeadows were suddenly finding some connection. I guess Eddie McGuire paved the way. And crazy John Ilhan. But it kind of annoyed me.
I was driving my son to school around the time when Underbelly - the tv series based on the gangland killings - had been banned from public screening in Victoria but was being viewed illegally by almost everyone. We always had the radio tuned to Hughesy & Kate in the mornings - they were still pretty entertaining if you could ignore Kate Langbroek’s consistently unsensible comments. She seemed to get worse after the birth of her second child so you had to assume it was some domestic pressure so I was sympathetic. I just told her to ‘shut up’.
Anyway, some regular on the show- one of the voices who fill the airspace with blathering - claimed he was a ‘Broady boy’ even though he was from Oak Park. If you live in Melbourne, that’s like someone who was brought up in Toorak saying they are from North Caulfield or East St Kilda. There are two suburbs - Glenroy and Jacana - between Oak Park and Broadmeadows. And when this bloke was growing up his family would definitely not have wanted to be associated with the undeniably lower working class housing-commission suburb of Broadmeadows.
Genteel Moonee Ponds, a couple of suburbs in the other direction would have been more in their line of vision. But now this guy’s laying claim to hailing from Broadmeadows. What a wanker!
When I was a teenager my daydreams all revolved around getting out of there. It really was a backwater - the last suburb at the end of the train line with miles of paddocks beyond. But that was part of its charm. All that free space was great when I was a kid but teenage years are so very different. You’re losing interest in childhood pursuits and looking towards things that are just beyond your reach so everything is vaguely boring.
I’m older than Carl Williams - my teen years were the 70s but I expect it was just as boring for a young Carl Williams as it was for me. Probably more so. Most of the paddocks would have been built on and built up by then.
Looking back, it seems like I spent my early teenage years walking. Walking to my girlfriend’s house and hanging around. Walking around the streets to see who we’d run into. Walking to the local shops and hoping someone we knew would turn up. Walking and waiting.
The one place I remember as being fun was ‘the track’- a series of paddocks that stretched from the outskirts of new streets with new houses towards a backdrop of distant industry. Where local boys would take unregistered cars - pushing them through the streets - and, while we crammed into the cars and shrieked, would drive as fast as the old bombs would go, churning up the hard dry earth to dust. For teenagers in Broadmeadows, there really wasn’t much to do.
The first time I actually ‘went out’ from my suburb, was when my sister and I went to St Kilda for the day with our (secret) boyfriends and a couple of other slightly older teenagers. Luna Park. The beach. And then the city. It was so exciting! But when we arrived home - at 9.30pm on a Sunday summer night - our mother was crying. I couldn’t understand it. She kept going on about St Kilda and ‘prostitutes and pimps’ and sobbing and I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. I had to ask my sister later what a pimp was. We were simultaneously laughing at our mother’s stupidity and raging because we’d just been given the punishment of no going out of the house - except to school - for 2 weeks. I really didn't mind that too much because the boyfriend idea was starting to pall but my best friend was still allowed to visit.
Teenage boredom and infuriating parental rules aside, my memories of growing up in Broadmeadows are very happy. A lot of families were working class Aussies who had moved from inner city or beachside suburbs like Carlton, Collingwood and Middle Park and had landed in Broadmeadows because of the cheap government housing.
And there were immigrants. Lots of Brits - like my parents - and people from Italy, Spain, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, Yugoslavia, Ukraine, Poland, Austria, Germany, Holland and Ceylon. I’m sure I could come up with some more if I thought about it. What people had in common was their poorness.
Many families we knew left Broadmeadows for more salubrious suburbs but I think it probably had as much to do with the stigma of living in Broadmeadows as moving up the social scale.
Turks had started to trickle in when I was a teenager and that trickle became such a stream that my old high school (Upfield) became a Turkish secondary college and a mosque was built across the road.
And we got some interesting teachers - relegated to the backwaters for one reason or another. The young and newly qualified. The foreign - some we could barely understand. And the too radical to be trusted in the better class areas. Helen Garner taught at Upfield High for a time. I had her for French. Pregnant, glowing and admirably cool - I think the word we used was ‘grouse’ - in platform shoes and mini-length smocks, she was proof that motherhood did not have to equate with dowdiness.
A few of these teachers seemed to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown and I feel really guilty now when I think about how cruel I was. I might have pushed them that bit closer to the edge. Then again, maybe it just toughened them up. Anyway, I blame hormones and repression. And boredom!
It wasn’t until I had spent years living away from Broadmeadows that I was able to momentarily assume the eye of the stranger; take in a sudden glimpse and focus on what I guessed an outsider might see. A scraggy young mum in tight jeans and runners, a couple of squawking kids, a smoke hanging out of her mouth.
My daughter attended Macrobertson Girls’ High, a selective secondary school that takes girls from all around Melbourne, and she made friends with a couple of girls who lived in the Western suburbs. We lived in an Eastern suburb.
I was frantic one night after my daughter had gone out, waiting for her to phone from her destination - a party in Altona that she had gone to by train. I had this image of a dark lonely railway station platform and a bunch of half-drunk yobbos. I was praying that nothing bad would happen to her and had to go and lay down on my bed to calm down. What a relief when she phoned to say that her friends had picked her up.
I wonder what Dr Phil would have to say about that? It was an extreme and unfounded reaction, I know. It was silly. I’m sure the people in Altona are lovely but in my mind all I could see was the shadowy threat of the Western suburbs.
Now, if it had been Laverton…

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STANLEY SMITH'S SWEATERS

March 2nd 2009 13:16

I have just re-written this story. The inspiration for the story was my College philosophy teacher Stan Van Hooft, who showed me that it was okay to think in a different way. Part way through my second year of college I dropped out. I was supposed to be studying writing but I was too young to really have anything to write about and I was more interested in taking recreational drugs and staying up all night. My concentration was dissolving. But I always remembered Stan Van Hooft.
I wrote this story, and some other things, when my children were small. One day I made a fire and burned everything I'd written, including diaries, but I kept 2 stories. I had the idea of writing a bunch of them and making a collection called 'Little Stories for Big People' but that's as far as I got.

STANLEY SMITH'S SWEATERS

Stanley Smith seemed always to be on the verge of perlexity. As if he expected, at any moment, to be told something incomprehensible.
‘I want to collect my thoughts’ Stan said to the empty room.
‘And what will you do with them?’ A voice came back.
‘When I have a sizable collection I intend to make a sweater but it's taking a long time.’
‘You must have constant stimulation in order to generate more thoughts.’ The voice declared.
Stan contracted his brow and replied,
‘Then I'd have the problem of sifting through a copious amount of thoughts for those that were suitably matched. You see, the problem is with the sweater itself. I have not yet decided on style, or colour, or length. Or, in fact, anything at all about it.’
‘Then I suggest that you decide first of all on the colour. It is, after all, the most remarkable feature of a sweater.’
‘Not necessarily’ Stan argued. ‘Certainly, if an object is brightly or strongly coloured the eyes are immediately drawn to it.
‘Or if some aspect of its design highlights the colour, it may be the focus of attention.’ The voice added.
‘Yes’ agreed Stan, But this may also pose a problem. You see, I don't want to attract others simply because of my sweater. You know how it is. You go to a party and a complete stranger hails you as a kindred spirit when you have little in common other the colour of your jumper. In a big crowded room I could be mistaken for someone else.’ Stan sighed and shook his head.
That night Stanley Smith lay on his bed at the end of his room, beneath an open window in which drapes moved softly and heavily on the night air. He had a dream.
Two large drawers, in the dresser opposite the bed, slid open. The contents stirred. Slowly, silently, moving imperceptibly at first they hooked their arms around the edges of the drawers and crawled, caterpillar-like, toward's Stanley's bed. They wriggled up over the bed-end. Yellow, Red and Blue. And countless variations.
Stanley awoke and beheld, in wonder, two jumpers sitting at the end of his bed discussing life in the drawer. Previously, they had shared only chance encounters at the dry-cleaners or in the mad whirl of the washing machine. They had a lot to talk about. All the sweaters spoke with excitement about what was beyond the drawer. They mixed in new and interesting ways and life seemed suddenly full of unexplored possibilities. It was agreed, unanimously, that Stanley Smith had a lot to answer for. He had mistreated them. Constantly tossed on cold floors or sat on by the dog. Or left in the washbasket for weeks, being borne down by the growing weight of Stanley’s more personal items. It was beginning to take its toll and more than a few were deeply concerned - not only about their future but about the ethics of the situation. They were well acquainted with Stanley's one-man dialectics. He read his lectures out loud - in front of the mirror, in the bath, as he dressed. And at odd times when he had a few minutes to spare. He prepared for the questions that would be asked and practised the responses he would give.
The sweaters were united in agreement about the cause of their dissatisfaction. Their indignation mounted and fuelled their desire to escape their bonds.
They slipped under the sheets and wound themselves around Stanley's wrists and ankles then carried him high into the sky and hung him on a star. They glided with arms outstretched, billowing down on currents of air that took them back to Stanley's room.
‘Things will be different from now on.’ They declared, and raised their arms and waved joyously.
In the morning Stanley's mother came into his room and picked up his jumpers then folded them and put them back into the drawers. She was not as methodical as Stanley and the jumpers were replaced at random, in the order in which she picked them up.
So the change wasn't quite what they had anticipated. Many complained, but as they became better acquainted and settled into their new surroundings, they began to accept what they saw to be the inevitable fate of a sweater. Stanley was not there to stimulate their emotions and they eventually came to believe that nothing existed beyond the drawer; that what they had experienced had been the result of a particularly concentrated dose of dry-cleaning fluid, which had caused them to etherize and to defy earthly barriers, thus enabling them to carry out Supersweater feats.
But since Stanley no longer wore the jumpers there was no reason for them to be cleaned so they remained in the drawer until they became so moth-eaten that they were not worth cleaning anyway.
Then one day, Stanley's mother opened the drawers and took them out. She used them for cleaning and polishing until they were so full of holes that there was only one place left for them.
The rubbish bin.

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IS THERE REALLY ORBLE STAFF

March 1st 2009 01:56

HELLO IS ANYONE THERE?
I have sent repeated messages to Orble and no-one is answering Anyone know what to do?

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I LIKE ASIANS

February 25th 2009 00:16

I like Asians.
Even if they have come here and stolen our jobs, they probably do them better. They work really hard. There are a lot of Asians in my neighbourhood. And plenty of Asian shopkeepers. They start off with a shop that is really basic and a bit shoddy but before your eyes, bit by bit, they get better fixtures and bigger fridges and wider counters. They slog away and they look so tired but they remain remarkably pleasant.
I feel safe with a lot of Asians in my neighbourhood. When I'm out walking after dark and I see a group of young Asian guys, it never crosses my mind that they might be thugs. I know that Asians commit crimes, too. I've heard accounts of the violence of Asian pirates. I read all about that crazy Asian guy who lured the female real estate agent to a property in a far outer region of Melbourne and murdered her. But he's an exception.
And Asians make nice food. Quality for price, Asian food can't be beaten. They really have advanced our culinary choices and improved our diet.
And the babies! They are so cute. All babies are cute, I know, but Asian babies are by far the cutest - like little dolls.
Is that racist?

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HERE HE IS

February 19th 2009 17:32

HERE HE IS

The most vicious dog on Orble

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GM FREE MEETINGS

February 18th 2009 08:46

NEWS FROM GENEETHICS
GM FREE - US & CANADA SPEAKERS
First hand experiences from Canada and the USA
Public forums: GM crops - the benefits and risks

With Genetically Manipulated (GM) canola grown last year in Victoria and NSW, farmers are deciding if GM canola will be good or bad to grow. North American farmers will tell you about the possible benefits and risks of GM crops and answer your questions on corporate influence, segregation failures, legal issues and the effect on markets.

Guest speakers are: seed cleaners and growers Moe Parr (Indiana, USA) who was sued by Monsanto in 2007 and Ross Murray (Young, Saskatchewan, Canada) who will talk with Australian farmers about reducing our reliance on multinational agribusiness. (More details below)

Victorian Forums

Yarrawonga

Wednesday, 25th February, 3-4.30pm

Endeavour Room, Yarrawonga-Mulwala RSL, Melbourne Street, Mulwala

For more information contact Geoffrey Carracher: (03) 5386 6261, 0428 316 901

Waipali@bigpond.com

Melbourne

Thursday, 26th February, 1-2pm

The K Room, Parliament House, Spring Street, Melbourne

A light lunch is offered so please RSVP by noon Monday 23 February to

assist with catering. Confirmation of your attendance can be made to:

Freja Leonard

E: freja.leonard@parliament.vic. gov.au

P: 03 9348 2622

F: 03 9348 2699

Elmore

Friday, 27th February, 7-8.30pm

Memorial Hall, 63 Hervey St, Elmore

For more information contact Geoffrey Carracher: (03) 5386 6261, 0428

316 901, Waipali@bigpond.com

Horsham

Saturday, 28th February, 2-3.30pm

Wellesley Performing Arts Centre

For more information contact Geoffrey Carracher: (03) 5386 6261, 0428 316 901

Waipali@bigpond.com

Guest Speakers

Moe Parr (Indiana, USA) owns and operates Custom Seed and Grain Cleaning in Indiana,
Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois and Michigan. Born in 1934, he grew up on a farm, married in 1961
and has six children. In February 2007 Monsanto sued Moe, alleging he had aided, abetted
and encouraged his customers to breach Monsanto's GM Roundup Ready soybean patent.
Monsanto used his bank records to also investigate his customers for patent infringement.
Moe couldn't afford the legal fees, settled out of court, and must now give Monsanto samples
of all the seed he cleans, to test for Roundup Ready soy contamination. Moe's customers are
too scared to save seed and he has lost his soy seed cleaning business. He still cleans
wheat, oats, barley and rye as they are not GM.

Ross Murray (Young, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a third generation seed grower and grain
cleaner. He has a BA in Economics and honours degrees in Political Studies and History from
the University of Saskatchewan. He farms grain with his brother Scott on the family farm, is a
pedigree seed producer, runs Manitou Custom Seed Cleaning, and is a life member of the
Canadian National Farmers Union. With a keen interest in economic and environmental
sustainability, Murray began going organic in 2002. He worries about the viability of rural
communities with volatile global markets and believes agriculture's dependence on synthetic
herbicides, pesticides, fertiliser, and GM will sacrifice biodiversity, health, and food security.
Ross wants to talk with Australians about reducing our reliance on multinational agribusiness.

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GM FREE AUSTRALIA

February 7th 2009 05:52

The following message was sent to me from Gene ethics. Anyone who has followed this issue will know that it has taken ongoing pressure by some dedicated people to convince the government to tread carefully. Gene technology is largely the domain of huge agri-businesses and anecdotal evidence suggests that genetically modified crops cause sterility in livestock. It is a huge unknown and completely unnecessary.

Six Victorian local councils have asked the Victorian State Government to declare their areas GM-free Zones.
Some candidates from 46 of Victoria's 79 councils who support GM-free policies are:
Ballarat City
Belinda Coates <belinda.coates@vic.greens.or g.au>
Brett Edgington <theedge@wix.com.au>
Jon Stanger <jon.stanger@vic.greens.org.a u>
Banyule City
Ian Kirk <ian.kirk@vic.greens.org.au>
Damian Magner <hawdonward@yahoo.com.au>
Gerrit Schorel-Hlavka" <inspector_rikati@yahoo.com.a u>
Bass Coast Shire (passed GM-free motion that needs full implementation)
Gareth Barlow <gareth.barlow@bigpond.com>
Philip Wright <pwright@nex.net.au>
Jane Dore Daly <jdd@waterfront.net.au>
Christopher Nagle <c.d.eastmannagle@gmail.com>
John Duscher
Veronica Dowman <garon@pacific.net.au>
Kelly Simrajh
Peter Paul <pandgpaul@bigpond.com>
Ernest Smith
Roger Thorrowgood
Baw Baw Shire
Liz Clay <liz-clay@sympac.com.au>
Tricia Jones <triciajones.4.drouin@gmail.c om>
David Balfour <sueb@dcsi.net.au>
Ivan Saxton <ies@dcsi.net.au>
Bayside City
Anastasia Kriticos stacyt@iprimus.com.au
David Low
Benalla Rural City
Peter Dunn <admin@pdunnsolicitors.com.au>
Boroondara City
Brad Miles <brad@miles.id.au>
Teodor Bila <theobila@hotmail.com>
Stanko Stapar <stanstapar@hotmail.com>
Heinz Kreutz <Heinz.Kreutz@arts.monash.edu .au>
Martin Smith <martin_p_smith@bigpond.com>
David Bloom <bloom44@bigpond.net.au>
Cardinia Shire
Gloria O'Connor <glorocon@yahoo.com.au>
Linda Hamilton <linda@webassets.com.au>
Kate Lempriere" <k.lempriere@cardinia.vic.gov .au>
Casey City
John Rickard" <johnmrickard@gmail.com>
Miriam Ekladious <mtadr@deakin.edu.au>
Lynette Keleher <lynettek@ozemail.com.au>
Darebin City
Trevor Poulton <poulton@labyrinth.net.au>
Liz Leveridge <liz.leveridge@optusnet.com.a u>
Sara Scally <sihamscally@hotmail.com>
East Gippsland Shire
Jane Rowe <janerowe@aanet.com.au>
Mendy Urie
Dale Fisher <aleevelyn2000@yahoo.com>
Raymond Amos <raymondamos@optusnet.com.au>
Graeme Blennerhassett <graeme@drgraeme.com>
Tony Meade ameade@bigpond.com>
Peter Gardner <ngarak@bigpond.com>
Clint Eastwood <clinteastwoodeastgippsland@y ahoo.com.au>
Trudy Anderson
Bill Gamble <bill.gamble@gamcorp.com.au>
Peter Neal <aus_disp@people.net.au> (My hands are tied until you get me into council)
Frankston City
Susan Jarmo <susanjarmo@yahoo.com>
Henryk Kay <hkay@optusnet.com.au> (presented a GM-free petition to council)
Jaymz Stevens <jaymz.stevens@vic.greens.org .au>
Golden Plains Shire
Mark Hooke <markhooke@gmail.com>
Greater Bendigo City
David Jones <avidjonessedgwick@hotmail.c om>
Rod Fyffe
Elaine Harrington <harringtonelaine@hotmail.com>
Peter Cox <hardhill@impulse.net.au>
Bruce Carpenter <carpenter.bruce@bssc.edu.au>
Wendy Radford <wendy.radford@vic.greens.org .au>
Julian Poloniato
Trudi McClure <trudda@hotmail.com>
Julie Rivendell <julie@rivendells.com>
Stuart Fraser
Kevin Gibbins
Wayne Gregson <wayneg01@optusnet.com.au>
Keith Reynard
Greater Dandenong City
Jim Reiher <jim@unoh.org>
John Ward (see: Really Long Link
Geraldine Gonsalvez <geraldine_gonsalvez@yahoo.co m>
Maria Sampey <maria.sampey@optusnet.com.au>
Greater Geelong
Bob Hynes" <mazdabob@geelongce.net.au> (will talk it over if elected)
Nick Montgomery <nicholasjmontgomery@gmail.co m>
Stephen Juhasz <stephenj@dodo.com.au>
Hepburn Shire
Don Henderson <on.henderson@tripstop.net>
Rod May <capck@bigpond.com>
Horsham
Mark Radford <radforda@netconnect.com.au> (may share some of our concerns)
Iestyn Hosking <iestyn@vic.chariot.net.au>
Hume
Steve Gagen <merriward@gagens.com>
Kingston (passed a motion re food services but not activated)
Dean Andrew <ean.andrew@optusnet.com.au>
Geoffrey Heard <marketyman@yahoo.com.au>
Mara Hayler <mhayler@iprimus.com.au>
Rosemary West <rowest@ozemail.com.au>
Caspar Cumming <caspar.cumming@gmail.com>
Martha Baptist <mbaptist@bigpond.net.au>
Gerard Flood" <gflood@vtown.com.au>
Caroline O'Donnell <cjodonne@deakin.edu.au>
Knox
Steve Bullock <steve.bullock@vic.greens.org .au>
Mark Lavale <mark_27@live.com.au>
Amanda Leeper <amanda_leeper@optusnet.com.a u>
John Giles <carolgiles@aapt.net.au>
Jim Penna <pennamgt@bigpond.net.au> (backs VLGA GM site register policy only)
Latrobe
William Barber <willbarberass@ozemail.com.au> (on the fence)
Linda Reid <lindareid.1@bigpond.com> (interested but where does she stand?)
Macedon Ranges
Brian Whitefield <pumps11@bigpond.com>
Anne Moore <anne1moore@yahoo.com.au>
Russell Yardley <rmyardley@bigpond.com> (yet to be convinced)
Manningham
Vincent Choi <rptecture@gmail.com>
Raymond Hoser <raymondhoser@optusnet.com.au>
Mia Spizzica <miaspi@bigpond.net.au>
Garry Addison <Garry.Addison@cpaaustralia.c om.au>
Maroondah (petition recently tabled, needs action)
Alex Makin <Alex.Makin@maroondah.vic.gov .au>
Melbourne
Joseph Toscano <shiftingtheburden@gmail.com>
Brian Forde <thejunkcompany@hotmail.com>
Sophie McEwen <semcewen@gmail.com>
No responses
Mitchell
Anna Dominguez Smith <annadominguezsmith@gmail.com>
Monash
Josh Fergeus <josh.fergeus@vic.greens.org. au>
Karl Le <karl_le@yahoo.com.au>
Moonee Valley
Ange Kenos <atkenos@hotmail.com>
Hamish Jones <hamishjones@optusnet.com.au> (just wants more info)
Moreland
Oscar Yildiz <oscar1970@optusnet.com.au>
Stella Kariofyllidis <stellak@iinet.net.au>
Vannessa Hearman <vhearman@gmail.com>
Turan Ertekin
Sue Bolton <sueb@greenleft.org.au>
Anita Carcour <magicmovements2001@yahoo.com>
Hashem Ouaida <houa1@optusnet.com.au>
Christopher Anderson <chrisabruns@gmail.com>
Alice Pryor <alice@pryorknowledge.com.au>
Mornington Peninsula
Reade Smith <reade.a.smith@gmail.com>
Moyne
Gillian Blair <gillianb9@westvic.com.au>
** Anna Dillon <anna.dillon@bigpond.com> (own views - won't discuss GM-free)
Nillumbik
Sigmund Jorgensen <sigmund.jorgensen@montsalvat .com.au>
Linda Laos <elalaos@gmail.com>
Tony Adams <tony.adams@vic.greens.org.au>
Liezl Shnookal <liezl_shnookal@iprimus.com.a u>
Jenna Farrington <jennafarrington@yahoo.com.au>
Port Phillip
Anthony Scrinis <anthony@scrinis.info> (no comment yet)
Ann Birrell <ann.birrell@vic.greens.org.a u>
David Carter <carterforcarlisle@gmail.com> (will consider GM-free if elected)
Anne Austin <austinglover@optusnet.com.au>
South Gippsland
Jennie Deane <franjen@dcsi.net.au>
David Lewis <avid.lewis@bigpond.com>
Kieran Kennedy
Bob Newton
Mimmie Jackson <vote1mimmie@gmail.com>
Warren Raabe
Southern Grampians
Stafford Hall <stafford.hall@police.vic.gov .au>
Surf Coast
John Foss <jfoss@ozemail.com.au>
Swan Hill
Warrnambool
Lisa Owen <eowen@datafast.net.au>, <lisa.owen@vic.greens.org.au>
Jenifer Lowe <rjlowe@eftel.net.au>
West Wimmera
Warren Wait
Whitehorse
Philip Daw <awfamily@iprimus.com.au>
Joseph Magill <joseph_magill@hotmail.com>
Denise Massoud <enisemassoud@optusnet.com.a u>
Whittlesea
Mladenovski Zoran <zoran@stateyoursay.com>
Wodonga
Ed Foulston <ed4council@iinet.net.au>
Yarra Ranges (Has GM-free policies. More to be done)
Samantha Dunne <samanthalistens@gmail.com>
Di Moore <i@dimoore.com>
Jo Tenner <jotenner@netspace.net.au>
Ian Harris <har58@aanet.com.au>
Alan Coutinho-Hogan <elaineandalan@iprimus.com.au>
Lisa Nink <lcnin@netlink.com.au>
Joanne Switserloot <gaiaspirit@gmail.com> (requested more info)
Yarra (has GM-free policies. They need more pro-active implementation)
Stephen Jolly <Stephen.Jolly@yarracity.vic. gov.au>
Denise Dudley
Anthony Main <anthonymain1@hotmail.com>
Sam Gaylard <sam.gaylard@vic.greens.org.a u>
Amanda Stone <amanda.stone@vic.greens.org. au>
Davis Clayton <avis.clayton@vic.greens.org .au>
Gurm Sekhon <yarra@gurm.org>
Alison Clarke <yarrabranch@vic.greens.org.a u>
Jenny Farrar <yarrabranch@vic.greens.org.a u>
** Tom McFeely" <tom@changeyarra.net.au> (disagrees with GM-free)
Yarriambiack
Terry Grange <tgrange@westnet.com.au>

Please also ask your local council to be GM-free. Gene Ethics will supply a petition tailored for your area and a 2 page briefing. Please email us with the name of your council and your personal contact details.

Many councils are also making their meals on wheels, creches and other food services GM-free, and taking various other GM-free actions. These are all important to turning the tide on the few hectares of GM canola grown this year.

Together, we can still win a GM-free future. Please take positive action for GM-free in your local community.
Peace and joy,
Bob

Bob Phelps
Executive Director
Gene Ethics
Level 2, 60 Leicester St, Carlton 3053 Australia
Tel: 1300 133 868 or 03 9347 4500 {Int Code 613}
Mob: 0449 769 066
Fax: 03 9341 8199

Email: info@geneethics.org
Gene Ethics website:
Really Long Link

THINK, CARE, ACT!

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Posted By: Mistersmith - Category: No Category

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AUSTRALIAN CITIZENSHIP

February 7th 2009 05:26

The widely reported 'children overboard' Tampa incident of 2001 alerted Australian citizens to the manipulative and insular attitude of the Australian Government. For me, two newspaper reports from around 2005 demonstrated the government's ruthless stance towards anyone deemed to be an outsider.
Stefan Nystrom had his visa revoked, after being convicted of serious criminal offences, and was ordered to be deported to the country of his birth, Sweden. Stefan’s mother had been living in Australia for 8 years when she became pregnant. She had gone back to Sweden for a holiday and, experiencing pregnancy complications, had remained there for Stefan’s birth. She returned to Australia when Stefan was three weeks old and just never got around to having him naturalized.
Reportedly, there were some very unsavoury aspects to the adult Stefan's character and imposing the technicality of his birth in order to evict him from Australia was given much support, even though Stefan Nystrom’s immediate family was in Australia and he was unable to speak the Swedish language.
Robert Jovicic was a nother victim. Born in France to Serbian parents, he had lived in Australia since he was two and, again, his deportation came about because he got into trouble with the law. His case was eventually resolved and he was granted permanent residency in Australia, but not before starving on the streets of Belgrade.
It seemed incredible to me that the government could expel people who were clearly Australian in every way apart from official status and I couldn't help but project myself into a similar scenario. I could not realistically imagine what the circumstances might be (apart from being falsely convicted of, say, terrorist activities) but I felt that certain rights which I had always taken for granted were no longer inviolable.
For most British immigrants in the 60s, citizenship was barely an issue. As British subjects, our Permanent Resident status - granted by a government which actively encouraged us to migrate - gave us exactly the same privileges as a natural born Australian.
The ties to Britain were strong in those days. My parents didn’t even need a passport. Just a document of identity with their photos stapled to the back, stamped by the Department of Immigration.
As time went on the idea of having to make a pledge of allegiance seemed more and more silly but about 10 years ago, having taken almost no interest in politics, I was suddenly keen to vote against John Howard - that ruthless approach was becoming more apparent - but I had long slipped off the electoral role and now needed citizenship to get the voting privelege.
I finally took the plunge, not long ago , and was required to sit an exam. The girl who interviewed me said that 60% of applicants failed at their first attempt and needed to re-sit but anyone who has seen the test knows what a joke this is. Like knowing a few facts about Australia’s history proves your loyalty!
Many nationalities were represented at the ceremony. Indian, Pakistani, Middle Eastern, European, Latin American and Asian. We listened to speeches from the Mayor and couple of MPs. We received a certificate and a native sapling. And two sweet voiced girls sang. At the end, we all joined in the chorus of the national anthem - encouraged by council members onstage who were waving flags and bravely aiming for the high notes.
It was kind of touching and, for me, kind of bizarre. I came to Australia in 1964, as a child, yet here I was being thanked - along with all the other new citizens - for bringing my culture to this multi-cultural land. My birthplace is so distant a memory that it seems almost to belong to someone else. I am Australian. And I certainly didn't need a citizenship certificate to prove it to myself.
John Howard is now gone but the dreadful fear of outsiders remains. At least I don't have to worry any more about getting evicted. But my sapling isn't looking too good.

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Posted By: Mistersmith - Category: No Category

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What do you do?

January 11th 2009 23:59

How do you zone-out from life's stresses?
How do you fit all your committments into your day?
When I first joined the Orble community I was curious about whether there was a common thread linking the bloggers and did a post to get opinions about what Orble provided. More recently I did a post to canvass opinion for something I am writing for another website, Karmic Ecology, on the theme of balance.
Really Long Link
This is a follow up.
My own experience with Orble is that it is a great source of diversion. I got involved because I was job-searching and writing whilst recovering from major surgery.
Stress is a huge problem in the Western world today, resulting in health issues. Unemployment is high and, if you do have a job, you are usually expected to work beyond what used to be regarded as a full working day, without compensation. In spite of all our labour-saving devices, people seem to have less time to relax.

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Posted By: Mistersmith - Category: No Category

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April 2009

1 Posts

March 2009

3 Posts

February 2009