It's a spade. That's all it is.

I would like to make a note of two things:
1)The Burmese government is oppressing its own people more than usual this week. The have been oppressing them for a long time but now it has come to the world's attention via the internet because they have shot monks and a foreign journalist. This puts them in a large and comfortable club of dictatorships with little regard for human life, freedom, or indeed, very much, apart from political and ideological survival and individual gain.
2) This may seem reasonably important, but it isn't. If you pay any attention to the news, you will see that of far greater importance is equine flu and football. Football, in fact, will be the most important issue this weekend.

The footballers, it seems, can run faster than Burmese monks.

This sort of narrow focus looks like delusional self interest and is, in consequence, an embarrassment, to say the very least.

Amazing Grace

Hello All.
I saw the film Amazing Grace yesterday. I was it with my grandmother, my mother and my sister. Three generations of socially active, politically aware christians.
I have never been ashamed of Christ. But I have been ashamed of the church in the past (and present.) This film reminded me that the church and christians have plugged away at issues because as christians they had to. And they have won. And I needn't give up.
I suggest everyone sees it, whether or not they are christians. It doesn't bring you out on a high like a lot of very hyped movies. But there is a difference between red frogs and corned beef with potatoes. Only one of them will allow you to work until the end of the day.
It's a good film.
And then, once you've watched the film, have a look at http://www.notforsalecampaign.org
And f course, the song itself is wonderful. Sing it through slowly and quietly to yourself some time when you are alone. You'll see what I mean.
And that will be all.
Oh, wait. If anyone would like to be involved or sponser me, I am running the 40 hour famine at my church with one of my friends. Talk to me about that.
Bec

Pome

I found this poem today. I liked it.

Leftright

In the year 1870

the Grand Duchy of Lichtenstein

sent eighty men

(leftright leftright

in their long overcoats)

and one cannon

to the Franco-Prussian war

and when the war was over

welcomed home again

(leftright leftright)

eighty-one men

and one cannon

no-one has ever

accounted for this

Evangeline Paterson

Oh dear!

Aristotle says:

"... political science is not a proper study for the young. The young man (I guess I, though not Aristotle, could include woman here, ed.) is not versed in the practical business of life from which politics draws its premises and its data. He is, besides, swayed by his feelings, with the result that he will make no headway and derive no benefit from a study the end of which is not knowing but doing."

I wonder what he'd think of the values espoused in today's great work of citizenship/ duty literature.

I refer, of course, to The Princess Diaries .

I see that a great number of my friends are at present posting "it's exam time and I'm procrastinating" blogs, whereas I have other means of procrastination and so haven't blogged for a very long time.
Well, this blog is supposed to be for the discussion of world issues etc. (can a blog be a highbrow art form? I think so.)
So here are some issues to chew over while I get back to my study:
*Darfur - the problems remain and are even spreading because of porous borders with Chad etc.
http://www.savedarfur.org/content?splash=yes
*Flooding in some parts of NSW while many other parts remain in deep drought. Farmers are continuing to commit suicide because they cannot provide for their families and are losing their stock and properties.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/indepth/featureitems/s1946546.htm
* The planet is continuing to heat up.
* There is yet more fighting in Mogadishu (capital of Somalia)http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6655261.stm
*There is plenty of fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo
http://www.pulitzercenter.org/showproject.cfm?id=17&gclid=COuT3IDa04wCFQJIYQodSStTsg
*Iraq continues to be a horrific mess.
*Much of Afghanistan continues likewise. (I don't think I need to put any links on these - everyone knows.)
*Russia and the US are having yet another face off over missiles (and much as I enjoy studying the cold war, I'd really prefer not to live in one, especially considering how desperate we'll all be for Russia's fuel pretty soon.)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/oil/story/0,,2099454,00.html
*Child (and adult) slavery continues to be rife, as does poverty, disease, illiteracy, hatred, violence, drug and other abuse and all the other detritus which forms our fallen world.
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/
AND...
*Most people in this area are not particularly bothered about this beyond "tsk tsk, how dreadful . . . have another biscuit?"

Well, in an astonishing act of hypocrisy, I will now leave all those problems to my small but dynamic readership and return to my study of declensions and conjugations. I just thought I'd put them out there. Feel free to investigate them for yourselves, of course!

PS: Please don't get me wrong. I am not sunk into a deep slump of blackness over these issues, not do I suggest that we all should be. Very rarely is a deep slump of blackness the place from which change can be perpetrated. I just think they should enter our consciousness, so that we can build our reactions and decisions around an honest and thoughtful awareness of the world we live in and the people we share it with. Good evening!

I did it!!!

Just a quick note to say I voted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, how highly surprising.
And then I watched the election coverage, where they tried to act like it wasn't a foregone conclusion. An exciting first election, eh?
Aaaand now, I finish posting. When there's something else to say, worth saying, I'll say it. Can't allow myself to be just a self obsessed blogger rambling about #1 ... not all the time, anyway!

My democratic perogative (isn't to spell poorly...)

So, State Election on Saturday.

Who's excited???????

Well, to be honest, not many people. Maybe Pete Adcock, because he's in the Young , er, Liberals.

But it's not much to jump around about, is it?

State politics is a thankless task. Get it right and everyone uses your precision hospitals, schools and buses without a word of thanks. Get it wrong and Quentin Dempster makes you feel a bit silly on Stateline. So hardly high praise or infamous glory.

Mind you, this time water is on the agenda and that's important. As are transport (including student cards, yes yes!) and health and education. They aren't moviestars like international peace or global warming (and I suppose exchange and interest rates matter to a lot of people too) but they make quite a difference to my life.

So, to wrap up this blather,

That's right, my own little poster. Because even voting in local council elections, which few of us seem to understand or care about anyway, we are exercising right which people fought for, died for and to this day, die without.

Goodness gracious, if I hear another girl say she's not interested in voting or is going to donkey vote (and who's the donkey then?) I'll throw her under the king's horse! For those who don't know their early 20th century history, type "suffragette" into a search engine. Or look in one of those book thingies.

So don't be bored with voting!

The current Premier certainly isn't!

. . . or maybe he's just about to sneeze

Got a sniffle and a cough and so much else!

Just a quick note to say this.
I have some nice viral thingy at the moment. Temperature and migraine and cough. And I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO lucky!
I am a uni student. I have stayed home the last 2 days and rested.
My parents looked after me when I was sick and miserable in the middle of the night. And I have a soft bed and comfy pyjamas and enough clean water to drink and have a shower. If it's serious I can go to the doctor.
This is an extraordinarily good situation, for this messed up world.
Do you know what I mean?
Anyway, I give thanks to God that I am so well looked after, even with such a minor ailment!
Bec

A first Post (with Plato!!!!)

I have intended this blog to be high minded in the extreme. To cover climate change and human rights and love and peace. To make a place where discussion can be wide ranging and clearly pragmatic.
But what actually gets my blood up enough to brave a volatile internet connection and write?
A local issue.
Here it is... (and anyone surfing who reads this, don't be put off if you aren't a NSW resident. I won't always be this parochial. I'm not a huge fan of blogs with a 2km radius of ideology.)
I went to get my tertiary student concession a few days ago. Grabbed a form and saw that I had to sign that I am not engaged in employment. What ho? Does this mean I can't employ people? Hardly a problem there. But I needed clarification.
I went to the student enquiries person to ask my question. I was serious in asking it.
But alas, I was met with a smirk. And quoth she:
" It's up to you, but I don't want to know about it."
Now that is NOT an answer to the question.
So I emailed the state transport ministry. No answer yet. But I rang them this morning and it turns out that although I am a full time student, because I work (less than 10 yours a week, generally), I am not entitled to concession.
Now, compared to the issues outlined above, this is minor. I freely admit. But here is why it matters and why Plato is in the heading.
1)Students pay tax. They pay GST. They pay HECS. They don't have much money (compared to other members of our extremely affluent society.) And so, there are student concessions. Great. But also, this means that they nearly ALL have jobs. So, is the State government out of touch or is it just tight fisted?
2) Plato:
".. what we have in mind is education from childhood in virtue, a training which produces a keen desire to become a perfect citizen who knows how to rule and be ruled, as justice demands. I suppose we should want to mark off this sort of training from others and reserve to title "education" for it alone."
So what is this student services lady at Macquarie Uni (name and shame) doing? Rather than facing the issue that she obviously thinks the rules are unfair? She's teaching students that when things aren't fair, just diddle the government.
Now, I don't know about you, but I think it stinks when the government lies to me. In consequence, to retain my moral high ground, I can hardly lie to the government. But nor can I afford the train and bus tickets coming my way.
The only answer is to take on the NSW government and win. Any suggestions would be very welcome. And help.
Petitions. Letters to MPs. (Mine is in opposition at present so I have a feeling he'd pass the buck, but I'll try anyway.
Because it isn't going to cost the government much more. But in moral terms it will cost students much less. And I have a feeling that students are sufficiently pliable that we can still teach decency (without words or lectures being necessary) even at a tertiary level.
And that's the first posting.
Hang in there!
Bec