Make Poverty History

I'm sure you've heard of the movement. It's been in the media for quite some time now. Its the big campaign to pressure the G8 into increasing aid, drop the debt, and make fair trade laws. Honestly I'm praying that it works. I would love for the poverty we see in so many countries to be eradicated.

Will it work? I don't know. A friend of mine constantly says that the debt is just figures on a page, meaning nothing. I don't know. I tend to think that removing the debt of these countries,(most of whom are in debt because at one time they were run by one of the G8) is the right thing to do. It seems that it would free up much of the funds that are currently just going back into the pockets of the richest 8 countries.

But will it work?? I still don't know. It has potential. But humans are corrupt. Corrupt governments can sneak a "little off the top", and the people will still be suffering.

In the end, I suppose it depends on a lot of individual humans. Will they sacrifice their greed for a better world?

Support Make Poverty History

Humiliation

Bob Ellis, an award-winning Australian columnist, wrote an article for AdBusters in which he suggests that the photo of Saddam in his underpants is a rouse by the Americans to humiliate him and make his followers stop supporting him. He points out many of the weaknesses of such an act, suggesting that this will only hurt the American's cause not help it.

He further comments that humiliation is part of the American culture. From Little league to Spelling Bees, Americans are all about the winners and losers.

My qualifications on this matter are limited, but present. Having grown up in American culture, I never remember thinking in sole terms of winners and losers. Humiliation was never part of my discipline or culture, thus, his conclusion that humiliations is entirely based in the American way of life, I feel is a bit harsh.

While humiliation makes great public entertainment, it does not win friends. Growing up, I remember valuing friends more than winning. But then again, it is possible that I was a unique case.

I'll accept that. Both my parents have worked to create a culture where their children would learn to empathise with others. They probably succeeded more than they planned.

My empathy leads me to feel for Saddam. I don't like or agree with the kind of horrors that he supported and carried out, neither do I like or agree with the kind of horrors that GW Bush supports and carries out.

War is never pretty. Loss and shame will be felt on all sides before it is over. History will be our ultimate judge. Today, my generation judges the Vietnam war with skepticism and shame. Will tomorrow's generation feel the same about this war?

Something different....

Last night I sat through another conversion story told by an aspiring minister. He told how his life was saved from sex, drugs, and alcohol and he was brought to a life of servitude to Christ. While interesting and occasionally inspiring, I hate those conversion stories. They remind me how inadequate my conversion is. No, not inadequate, boring. My conversion story is boring.

From the first moments I can remember, I remember knowing that God was real. I knew He was because I talked to him constantly. I used to pray when I was playing on the play equipment, running around the field and in the dark in my room. I told Him about the monsters under the bed that I was scared of, and He reminded me that monsters under beds aren’t real. I told Him my desires for the day, He told me to have fun. When I was 11, I was baptised into the church. From then on, I still told Him everything. I told Him about boys I liked. I told Him about my dreams, I told Him my excitements. Then I started high school.

This is the part of the story that, if it was a typical conversion story, I would tell you I got pulled into drinking, drugs, and sex. But in this story, it didn’t happen. While I may have been interested, to varying degrees, in all of those things, I didn’t participate in any of them. Maybe it was because of my belief system, maybe it was my desire to be different to all those TV teenagers whom I despised, maybe it was God. I think it was a combination of all of these things. I never touched any of these “usual” sins.

This isn’t to say that life was easy. Being a teenager is hard and not always much fun! I found myself constantly trying to figure out who I was supposed to be in this world. Matters weren’t made easier when my parents hit, “mid-marriage crisis”. Life was hard. How can you control all the feelings inside? How can you get those feelings and hurts outside yourself? Then a close family friend died and I lost the plot. I sat in my room for hours and hours on end; staring at the ceiling. No, this isn’t the part where I start doing drugs. This is the part where I realise the vast amount of things I don’t like about the world, about my parents, and most of all, about me. I told God everything. I told Him I hurt. I told Him I was angry. I told Him I didn’t like things the way they were. He whispered, “I know.”

This isn’t the part where things get easier. In fact, from this part onwards, they get harder; more friends die, friends leave, parents, well, parents are parents, and I fall in and out of love several times. I’m not going to gloss over these heartaches by saying, “but at least I had God.” Because while I did, those times didn’t feel easier because I had Him. Looking back, however, I can see that it was through His intervention and planning that I made it out in one piece.

So the big thing I had to overcome was my teenage years, and let’s be honest, as hard as they can be, most people survive them. My conversion story does get more interesting from here on, though. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your view, there isn’t any sex, drugs or rock-n-roll in it. What happened was a fulfilment of many of my childhood dreams. I had dreamed of travelling outside my native country. I dreamed of seeing places that no one I knew had ever seen. I wanted to see Paris, London, Sydney, and many others. Thus far, all my dreams from childhood have been fulfilled. Now I have new dreams and I know that my story will continue, more dreams will be fulfilled, more dreams acquired. I don’t keep God around just in case I get into trouble. I don’t keep Him around at all. He chooses to be with me, and I choose to share my life with Him.

So there you have it, my conversion story without any conversion. I told you it was boring.

Attack

Many of you who read this site, probably have never heard of Schapelle Corby, but it is because of her high profile court case that relations between Indonesia and Australia could fall apart.

Corby was arrested in Bali several months ago when 4 kilos of marijuana was found in her boogie-board bag. Due to the fact she left Australia via Sydney airport, it seems unlikely that she was attempting to smuggle drugs into Bali. In fact her defense team made a good case for baggage handlers using her bag to smuggle drugs into the country.

The Indonesian courts, however, did not see things her way. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison. This was a devastating blow to her and many of her sympathisers here in Australia.

Last Friday, someone in Australia attacked the Indonesian Embassy. An envelope containing an unknown bacteria was sent to the embassy. In response to this, Australia has upped its security at the Australian embassy in Indonesia.

Sadly, this seems to be the way of the world. When one person is mistreated, retaliation occurs which incurs more retaliation. When will the violence end? It is terrible that Ms. Corby was sentenced for so long, but one must be glad that the Indonesian government didn't push for the Death sentence (which was their right).

Life rarely happens the way we want it to but we must keep our wits about us. How can we as a human race ever hope for peace if we are constantly seeking revenge? Peace must begin with me taking responsibility and control of my actions. That is the only way to stop the violence.

Did you know?

World Debt Day. Sure it has already happened and most of us have moved on (if we even noticed it at all) however, I must highlight a few points.

In the 1980s UK Bands got together for a project entitled "Band Aid". This project raised over 200 million dollars for Ethiopia famine. Unfortunately this money was only able to cover the monthly bill for the debt of the country. While this was helpful for the month it was sent, Ethiopia is no better off today than it was 20 years ago.

This is a great reason why the world bank needs to start canceling the debt of third world countries. The countries can not afford to pay the bills AND pay to import food. These countries have already paid back the money they've borrowed but the interest of that money is still hurting them today. For the sake of a few million dollars the World Bank lets millions, even billions of people die. Is this fair? Is this worth it?

Consider Terry Shivo. Her family, her government, spent thousands of dollars to keep her alive. For the sake of a dollar, the World Bank allows a person to die. For the western Christian world to let this happen is an outrage. Take a stand, write to your local government and ask the cancellation of the debt of the poorer countries.

for more information visit: TearFund

In Honour of

In honour of Wold Debt Day, i would invite everyone to click this link.

http://www.sun.com/one/

It is a powerful message. As Nelson Mandela said, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. . . . Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure".

Don't you think it's time we used our power?

Sudan

You know, whil i consider myself a strong activist, i must admit that my knowledge is limited to only what i can find in out-of-the-way places, at least most of the time.

On the news the other night, i saw a 10 sec clip on a war in Sudan. If it wasn't for the fact i had heard about it from Amnesty International previously, i would never had known what they were on about.

Here is a brief overview provided by Amnesty International:

In February 2003 a new armed opposition group, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) took up arms against the government, because of what they perceived as the lack of government protection for their people and the marginalisation and underdevelopment of the region. The support base of this armed group came mainly from the agricultural groups in the region. Shortly afterwards another armed group, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) emerged.

The government of Sudan responded by allowing free rein to Arab militias known as the Janjawid (guns on horseback) who began attacking villages, killing, raping and abducting people, destroying homes and other property, including water sources and looting livestock. At times government troops also attacked villages alongside the Janjawid, and government aircraft have been bombing villages sometimes just before Janjawid attacks, suggesting that these attacks were coordinated. The links between the Sudanese armed forces and the Janjawid are incontrovertible, the Janjawid are now wearing uniforms provided by the army.

With this war on, women and children are bearing the butt of the conflict. With Rape the weapon of choice for this war, the women suffer.

How can the world not be involved? Why don't we pay attention? Could it be that the world sees Sudan and sees little to gain financially by helping?

I have heard it said that Idealism sells. If we can show that with little improvements we're saving the world than we will do it. I'm not sure. Maybe that works for some, but i think most are more interested in the lining on their own purse.

Identify

i've been reading Isaiah lately. It has struck me that all my life i have accepted that all the good stuff was written for me but the bad stuff was written for someone else. I mean, i honestly try to follow God. I try to do his will...so doesn't that automatically make those good verses for me?
Take for example, isaiah 3: 10-11:

10Tell the innocent how fortunate they are, for they shall eat the fruit of their labours. 11Woe to the guilty! How unfortunate they are, for what their hands have done shall be done to them.

I don't consider myself innocent. In fact, i think i'm far from it. Television has robbed me of most of my innocents, curiousity, and stubbornness have taken the rest. So what part does that leave me then? The guilty. I am guilty and the verse clearly states that what i have done to other will be done to me. Thus, it is a warning to me to be careful how i treat others, but not just the others i see.

By buying clothing i know has been made in sweatshops i dirty my hands. I help poeple take advantage of the poor. This will come back on me.

There are lots of verses that talk about the poor. I've often thought of myself as poor...but the truth is, i'm part of the richest 6% of the world. I have more money, education, healthcare, and other benefits than 94% of the world. 63.3% of the world survive on less than $3 AUD a day. This means that there is literally billions and billions of the world that are significantly poorer than i am. Now what on God's green earth would make me believe that i am poor??

It could be the advertisements that are constantly telling me i need more. I could be the mentality of keeping up with the Jone's. It could be television that tells me i'm always poorer than the average family. It could be all of these things. But i am not a subject of the advertisers. i am not a subject of the television. I am a subject of God's and as such i should be looking at life through His eyes and not anyone elses. This reminds me that i have a big responsiblity when it comes to my wealth. My responsiblity is to those who don't have it, to share it responisbly, and not to waist it on things that won't last.

Our life is not our own.

Hate vs. Peace

"When you find peace within yourself,
you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others."

Mildred Norman, The Peace Pilgrim
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"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten
we belong to each other."

Mother Teresa
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"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

Mahatma Gandhi
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"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides.Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encouragesthe tormentor, never the tormented."
Elie Wiesel
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Baha'i Faith:"Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself."

Buddhism: "Hurt not others in that you yourself would find hurtful." --Udana-Varga 5:18

Christianity:"As you wish that men would do to you, do soto them." --Luke 6:31

Confucianism: "Do not unto others what you would not have them do unto you."--Analects 15:23

Hinduism:"Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you." --Mahabharata 5:1517

Islam: "No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself." --Sunnah

Judaism:"That which is hateful unto you, do not imposeon others."--Talmud, Shabbat 31a

Wicca:An ye harm none, do what ye will."--Wiccan Rede

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Are we all that different??

Turn it in

I was listening to triple J's program Hack last night. There was a report on a new plagiarism prevention system that been incorporated into Universities around Australia. It is an American company called Turnitin. How it works is, a university pays for a license to use this company's program. Then the Uni can send in essays, assignments, whatever, to this company. They will check it against all the other essays, assignments, whatever, in their database and make sure it has not been copied from somewhere else. Hmm...Sounds okay, right? Wrong.

The intellectual rights of a paper belong to a student. Thus having a company KEEP a copy of the student's work and then use it to make more money is wrong...Unless of course the student agrees to it. This is where it gets hairy. Every student must sign a statement for each paper they turn in that says this is their own work and that the school can check it for plagiarism. This statement, essentially gives turnitin the rights to keep the paper and make money off of keeping it while the student gets...NOTHING. But a student can not complain about this because, they MUST sign the statement if they want their paper marked. This seems a bit wrong to me.

On the other hand, I don't really want other people copying my work, so...What is the solution?

any ideas?

I am an activist

I am an activist. I wasn’t always this way. Maybe it was the social justice class I took a while back. Maybe it was hanging out with friends who cared about what was happening in the world. Maybe it was my own research into environmental and humanitarian issues. Or maybe it was a combination of all these things.

The point is, I’ve found myself getting into more and more trouble over my beliefs.

At Christmas, I offended my mother by refusing to wear a pair of shoes she had bought me until I found out whether or not they can come from a sweatshop. She felt I was being rude for not just accepting the gift. I think she was very hurt by it.

I also offended a woman I stayed with during the holidays. I made it clear I thought America should be pursuing peace instead of profit. She thought I was not paying attention to all of the facts and turning my back on my Christian upbringing. We were both so angry at each other by the end of our “conversation” that we were both crying.

The other day I firmly rebuked someone for throwing paper out instead of putting it in the recycle bin. I think they felt I was invading their personal space and telling them what to do. I probably was, but it was for a good cause!

Recently I was asked to name some of the most important things in my life. I named environmental and humanitarian issues as two of my real passions. I was then asked if I had given them to God. To be honest, I hadn’t. I had heard of giving God things like, relationships, time, energy, etc. But these are REALLY BIG issues. I’ve never prayed for world peace or to save the rainforest.

My friend says its all useless because the world’s coming to an end anyway. She says no matter what we try to do, its all coming to an end and therefore, our efforts are pointless. I suppose she has a point. Why clean the house yourself, when the maid service is on the way?

I gave it some thought. I thought about it long and hard. I came to a conclusion. I don’t agree.

God is supposed to be a BIG God. He’s supposed to be able to tackle even the biggest problems, right? Someone once told me,

“Don’t tell God how big the storm is, tell the storm how big your God is!”

My friend is right, “God is coming soon”. But He’s been coming soon for quite some time now. And while we wait, we shouldn’t trash the waiting room or abuse other people in that room.
I guess all this should bring me to a closing paragraph. What are my conclusions? I’m still an activist. I’m still likely to offend you by telling you off for knowingly buying products made in sweatshops. I’m still going to take my paper (and yours if you’ll let me), to the recycle bin. But now, I’m more willing to pray for peace or for God to save the environment. I know it sounds funny. I mean, even I laugh when I read it, but hey, what can it really hurt?

Video

Some of you may notice that i've got a video playing on this site. What do you think?

Like the song?

Hate the song?

Like the idea of a video?

Too distracting?

Let me know...i'm always interested in new ideas.

btw: if you do like the video idea, check out kristin's picks for another video clip.

Revolutions

I'm sure you've heard of the American revolution, you've probably also heard of the French revolution and possible even the Industrial revolution. So why am I about to embark on a long rambling essay on what a revolution is? Simple, some people (including my history lecturer) doesn't seem to know. This is not to say she's stupid or anything, many leading Historians disagree on the meaning. But as Allen Steele says, "Perception is reality".This leads to the question, "what is my perception of revolution?" Well, here it is:

Revolution is a change in beliefs or thinking that causes, or attempts to cause, a new way of life to emerge, either culturally or politically. This change can take place over any number of years so long as there is not a lapse in movement of growth.

So by my definition I can count the current social and ecological awareness movement a revolution, right? I'm not sure. Because while it is a movement that is looking to change the way of life and politics for everyone around the globe, it isn't always an organised movement and it isn't always moving in one direction. Sometimes it takes an extreme approach while other times it takes a very moderate or even conservative step (usually backwards).

Hmmm...I guess I need to do some more research. I really HAVE to be able to define this better.

Not for male eyes

Okay, ladies, I've got to share this with you. As you may know, we use far more disposable products then men. The main reason being the monthly visit from "aunt flow". I've been thinking that it would not only save a lot of money in the long run, but it would save a lot of landfill space, trees, and cotton (and all that goes with that) if we had another choice. Well, it turns out that we do! Kasper is selling "Glad Raggs". These environmentally friendly feminine hygiene products allow women the comfort of underpants while going a little easier on the environment.

So I sound like a walking advertisement, don't I? Well, its cause I really would like to try this. I mean, it would increase my washing, but...What is a little bit of extra washing compared to the smaller footprint I will leave?

There is, of course, the catch. I'm a student with no money. So until I get my own job and no longer have to pay school fees, I'll be using the cheap stuff:(

Pinky and the Brain...

To illustrate the points raised by the previous article, click this link.

The antichrist of retail?

A recent article on the Slate website spoke out against Wal-Mart. It took a press release by H. Lee Scott Jr and analysed it. The press release claimed that Wal-Mart wasn't a bad company. Its average employee wage was $10USD an hour and compared to other local retailers, it had more full time employees and offered more insurance coverage to its employees. Timothy Noah, the writer of the article, claimed that average wage would be silly thing to look at the average because high paid employees (whose income was well above the sale clerks income) was included in the average. He estimated, though various sources of reference, that the medium wage of an employ was $8.50 an hour. He also found that "full time" in the U.S. was usually considered 40 hours a week, except at Wal-mart, where it was 34 hours a week. Noah calculated that the average income for a sales clerk would be about $1000 under the poverty line in the USA.

The UFCW also ran a story on Wal-Mart, claiming that the store used overseas, sweatshop-made, clothing while simultaneously campaigning to "buy American". The UFCW found that Wal-Mart imported 10% of ALL China's exports. It also found that sweatshops for Wal-Mart often refused its workers access to healthcare, forced workers to work overtime, and locked bathrooms so workers could not use them during working hours (and this is just the short list). In 2002 Wal-Mart was forced to pay the huge fines for 1,436 child labour infractions. In the china sweatshops, workers are women between the ages of 17-25. They are housed in a dormitory type setting with 15+ to a room. They are monitored 24 hours a day, work for a mere 12-28 cents an hour, and fired when they reach the age of 25 because they are "too old".

Wal-Mart is cheap and easy, just like a whore. But they aren't a whore, they are a pimp. They sell the goods of others to the benefit of those on the very top. The chief executive officer of wal-mart, H. Lee Scott Jr., makes around $29 million a year, including stock option grants. His workers make barely enough to survive. Why do we put up with it? He isn't the only one that makes million off the little guy, Michael Eisner, CEO of Disney, makes obscene amounts while those making plush toys for him starve.

So what can we do? Do we boycott the companies? We can, but usually it hurts the workers more than those at the top. Do we scream and yell and pretend it is helping? We can. Write letters, make songs, legislate ethics? All of these things have been tried to various forms or another. In the end, it is always the little people that gets screwed. So drop the soap and bend over, the big guy wants your action!

True Activism

As most of you know, I'm usually the first to step up and start declaring a boycott on some company. I genuinely want to make the world a better place and the injustices that companies often perpetrate get in my way of making the world better. Thus, if they start showing signs of being stupid, I'm first to vote them off the earth.

I recently came across the Nestle boycott. The boycott is placed on Nestle because of its practices in distribution of baby foods in developing countries. According to one website, Baby Milk Action, Nestle knowingly went against a code of practice for selling baby food/milk to poorer countries. I read the report shown on their website and was shocked. Not by the horrors that Nestle committed but by the fact, I felt that Nestle was perfectly within their rights to do things the way they did them. This is not to say I endorse their marketing style, but what company wouldn't market to its fullest potential?

If Nestle had been advertising that their milk was better than breast milk OR that mothers should give up breast feeding and ONLY feed by the bottle, I would have thought, "these guys are some sick bastards". Instead I find that they send aprons to nurses (with their own label on it) in pediatric wards. They market products at a cost that is as low as possible in many countries. And they are always saying things like, "It is almost as good as breastfeeding". This says to me that they are telling their customers that breastfeeding is the better option.

Okay, so they manipulate the system. What company doesn't do this? A better solution than boycott is information. You don't like what a company is telling people, you think it is wrong or misleading? Then go and give them the RIGHT information. Don't refuse to buy...That will not do nearly as much as an organized effort to properly inform the consumer.

Heroes of old

Heroes are mythical creatures that fly out of stories and make a nest in our imaginations. They build themselves up to be greater than life and when the truth is revealed, we feel let down.

Real heroes do exist. Not the superheroes that we see in movies and comic books, but heroes from history and daily life.

My heroes are not conventional. They are not perfect. They often have a bad reputations. Genghis Khan for instance. He did the unbelievable, bringing together tribes and uniting them into one nation. That is incredible! His life was full of battles and trials, yet he held true to his convictions and made a name for himself that is not forgotten, even thousands of years later.

Malcolm X is another example. He's often had the reputation for being racist and violent. But reputations are not always all they are cracked up to be. While his violent reputation may have preceded him, he was never involved with a violent demonstration. But was is more interesting than his reputation is the fact that he was able to grow personally. He was able to leave behind old opinions that had been publicly and LOUDLY proclaimed by himself. He was able to say, "wait, I think I have had it wrong". His ability to learn from life is a lesson to us all.

What is it about these men that I admire?

I admire the their faith. Neither one worshiped in the same style I do. Neither one ever claimed Christianity as their religion of choice, but both men believed that their God was listening to them when they prayed. They believed, even when things went wrong, even when their religious leaders turned out to be hypocrite or frauds, they still believed that there was someone listening to their prayers and answering each one in His time.

I admire their achievements. Both of them changed the world with their leadership. Khan united a nation and brought prosperity to many many people. Malcolm X changed the way African Americans thought about themselves, how they interacted with others, and helped them stand up for themselves.

I admire that they were both able to realise that they were wrong. Malcolm X publicly changed his beliefs. It is a hard thing to admit your wrong, it is even harder to admit to the world, you were wrong. Khan always kept the same goals, he never wavered, but he was able to say, "this plan didn't work, we will try another". That is hard to do when you have thousands of people following you because you say that you can bring them prosperity. Failing never looks like a good option. He was able to use his failures and renegotiate his ground with each battle.

These men are not angels. In fact, both of them have often been vilified by various sources. But they were strong men who were human, with all the strengths, faults, and failures that brings. This gives me the courage I need to change the world. After all, the world doesn't need perfect heroes, it needs humans.

Pests and Toxins

Okay, so we all know that some of the stuff we spray to get rid of spiders, ants, months, and other insects are harmful. We hope that it is only harmful to the insects and NOT to us. Unfortunately often the same toxins that kill the insects can hurt our bodies as well.

So what can we do? Live with the bugs??

Thankfully, there are other options. The Greenpeace website has listed some very handy ways of getting rid of your common household bugs. Check out their website to find out more!

Long Awaited for

Alright everyone. You've heard rumours about it on the tagboard. You may have heard Becky or myself refer to it...but IT IS HERE!

Becky and i have decided to go in together to make the newest blog, tHe c0LLaBorAtioN. We're not really sure what it will feature, probably mostly drivil, but...it will be GOOD drivil, and hopefully, you'll enjoy reading it.

On a slightly less important note. Kristin's Picks has had a make-over, and you might be interested to see the newest design.

Happy Blogging, everyone!

Saving the world, three people at a time

I recently did a radio spot on donating blood. For those of you who know me, you know that i have never donated in my life! I'm terrified of the idea of sitting in a chair with a needle sticking out my arm for 10 minutes. So why would i be so hypocritical and suggest that other people do it?

It started as a simple assignment to research blood donations. Once i started i realised it was going to be a lot more complicated than just simply putting words on paper. If i was going to write a script asking other people to give blood, i was going to have to be willing to give myself, which is a BIG ask!

In my searching i came across BloodSaves.com. It is an american site, but it was still very helpful. I found out that one donation of blood (1 pint or 470ml) can save up to three people! I learned that blood only has a shelf-life of a about week (depending on what part of the blood is being kept). This means that from one week to the next, new donations are needed.

I also learned that 30 per cent of the blood donated goes to help people who need it on a regular basis, such as leukaemia patients.

This got me thinking.








Still thinking....











Thinking....








It might just be worth my terror to give some blood.




Now would someone please remind me of this article next time the blood van comes to campus!?

New Pics

My birthday photos are here. Or rather some of them are there. Others can be found by visiting Melody's site or just clicking here. ENJOY!

Coffee and Me

Coffee is one of those drinks that is everywhere. You can hardly get into a shopping mall without being inundated with the smell of it. But have you ever stopped to wonder where that coffee comes from?

Did you know that one fifth of the world's coffee is consumed by America? Did you know that most coffee growers get only 3 cents for every $3 cup of coffee sold? This is not enough for most farmers to live off of. The Fair Trade movement is trying to change this. Fair Trade Coffee is sold at several locations around Australia and at Starbucks upon request. By buying a Fair Trade Coffee, your not just having a cup of coffee, you helping to make the world a better place. Now doesn't the day feel better already?

For more locations where Fair Trade Coffee is sold visit the Oxfam website. Or for american readers, visit Fair Trade.

Your friendly Environmental reminder

Clean water is something that most people enjoy drinking. Or at the very least, they prefer it to polluted water. In disaster zones or war zones the need for clean, drinkable water is keenly felt. In Australia we often forget that our water supply will not last forever. In fact, at the current rate of consumption, water will be in scarce supply in only a year! America, your situation is not much better. While water is more available to you, your current rate of consumption for some of your states causes you to use up supplies from one own state while looking for more water in other states. If this trend continues, the earth's water resources will be gone before my generation's grandchildren rear their ugly little heads!

But why stop with water? Australia has a HUGE hole above its head. The ozone is depleting. Why? Because as citizens of earth, we've neglected to be careful with what we were sending off into the sky. We've burned a hole, and we don't even seem to be interested in mending it or at least slowing it down.

My mother once told me that she could not be a conscientious consumer because she didn't have the time to research each and every company she bought from. This is a fair enough statement. I don't think many people have that kind of time. So here is a few little tips (or click here) for you. You can find out what companies are polluting in your areas. You can find out how much they are polluting. Thus, your level of knowledge can increase. But BEWARE with knowledge comes responsibility. Are you ready to become responsible for your own ecological footprint?

Wanted: NEWS -dead or alive

While not every bit of news that gets its face flashed in the newsweb or newspaper is good, some is at least interesting. Such is the case with this story. A man, who was hit by a car was pronounced dead. It wasn't until the medical examinor was recording his wounds did he notice the man's shallow breathing! If that doesn't chill your bones, i don't know what would!

What we don't know, Won't hurt us

The California mud-slides killed 10 people, by last reading. During the rescue operation, a statement was made by a rescue worker, "this is mother nature at her worst". I was shocked. Had he forgotten about the tsunami that had taken the lives of more than 200,000 people only a few weeks before? Did he know that rescue workers in Tsunami effected areas were (as of last night) still finding an average of 1000 bodies a day?? I decided to check see what the American news was reporting. So I went to msn. The leading news headlines were:

1. 36 die in worst day for U.S. in Iraq
2.Calif. train derails, at least 10 die
3.Bush to Iraqis: ?Defy ... terrorists?

I know that often msn isn't the leading source for news so I checked CNN. The leading news stories were:

? General: Chopper crashed in bad weather 3D model
? Bush: I have 'planted the flag of liberty' Transcript
? Rice wins confirmation Panel OKs Gonzales Video
? Music mogul surrenders in drug money probe
? SI.com: Kidnappers demand $3M for MLB player's mom
? 10-pound meteorite hits Cambodia, sparks fires, prayers
? No UK charges for Guantanamo four
? Entire staff of NYC radio show pulled over tsunami slur
? Passenger subdued on Southwest flight

At least they mentioned the Tsunami. However, the story really had nothing to do with the disaster. I had to do with radio shows being careless in their broadcasting.

SBS is a leader in new for Australia. Its top stories were:

1. Deadly Day for US Troops

2. 10 Die in Train Crash

3.BUSH UPBEAT ON IRAQ ELECTIONS

4. Auschwitz liberated 60 years ago

5.Tsunami toll reaches 280,000

6.Cops strip in the line of duty

There used to be a saying, "If it bleeds, it leads". Could it be though, that people are more interested in hearing stories that don't make them feel bad? The America government gave $350 million dollars to the tsunami relief. In addition to this many of their celebrities donated more than $10 millionUS. England gave 76 million pounds plus cancelled debts of the countries which totaled about $3 billion USdollars. Along with that the soccer clubs have pledged $1.8 millionUS . Australia has pledged $6 billionAU over the next 4 years. Not only that but the television networks worked together to raise a further $20 millionAU. While each of these countries were willing to give something, both England and the USA have been out done. Could it be that Americans and Britain's don't want to know where their money is going? Or do they not want to know where someone else's money is going?

The obvious argument against this is that Australia is closer to these countries effected and thus, has more to gain by helping them. This is true. Can't argue against it. But when you think that England and America are BOTH much wealthier than Australia, have bigger populations than Australia, AND had a bigger death toll due to the tsunami, it is pitiful.

For more info about the tsunami. Go to Wikipedia.

News about ME

Okay, i haven't updated anyone on what is happening with me in quite a while so here it goes....

LAST WEEK:

Went to avondale to start my marketing job/training. My superviser had gone on holiday and my trainter was no where to be found. Went to the boss of the superviser and found out that she didn't know what i could do at all. So for an entire week i had no job. It wasn't too bad. I got to do a bunch of catching up with stuff i needed to get done for the drama in May.

LAST WEEKEND:
Came down to Sydney with Chris. Hung out with Melody a lot. Watched a few movies and decided to stay in sydney this week due to the fact i was unsure if i could get work in Avondale immediately. (we have a national holiday on Wednesday so i don't know if starting this week is really going to be an option) ANYWAY....Jillian (chris' mum) asked me if i would be willing to work for her for a few days instead. So i said yes! She wants me to help develope a degree (a BA in communications) for Pacific Adventist University. So far it is heaps of fun!

THIS WEEK:
This week i'll be in Sydney until Wednesday whereupon i will travel up to Avondale and spend the next week and a half up there.

Now you know what is going on with me. Wish you hadn't have read this, don't you?

Random info

I've started a new blog that is much more random. I'll post comments about movies, other blogs, websites...etc. and then rate them out of 10. If your interested have a look!

Response to Admiral

I am a History minor. It may surprise you to find out, but I actually do know something about history. I know that history is first and foremost subjective. It is subjective because of people’s beliefs, the culture of the time they live is, and their way of life, to name a few things. Thus when people right history they write from their understanding and knowledge which will not be the same as our current understanding and knowledge.

If I had lived, with the knowledge that I have now, during the time of WWII, I may have been apposed to the war¼then again, I may not have been. I don’t know. The reason I don’ know is because I don’t understand what it was like to live during that time. What is often said about Hitler was that if America hadn’t have joined in the war when it did, the Nazi party could have taken over the whole world, causing persecution and general death everywhere. I don’t think this is likely. First of all, there is a limited number of sources that think Hitler wanted to concur North America. Secondly, the war had already started turning against the Nazi’s when America decided to come on board. These are factors I have not often heard discussed in a typical history lesson. Neither is what is about to follow. Forgive me if it sounds anti-semantic. It is not meant to be racist but rather to give another viewpoint on the subject.

If Hitler had gain control of most of Europe, and continued to suppress those of Jewish decent, it would be very unlikely that the Zionist movement would have started in, what is now known as Israel. In fact, there wouldn’t be an Israel. The lives of millions of Palestinians would have been saved. There would be more peace (not completely peaceful, but definitely no fighting between Palestine and Israel) in the Middle East. This peace would save the lives of thousands of soldiers who have been sent to this area from all over the world.

But all this is speculation. We don’t know what would have happened. We don’t know if the flame that fuelled the Nazi party would have burned out in 5 years. We don’t know if he would have concurred the world. There is just too much we don’t know. And we can’t know because we don’t have the resources to find that out. What we can know is what is happening now. We know our own current culture better than our grandchildren ever will. With this knowledge we can look at the present and make evaluations on what is right and wrong for NOW¼Just like those living during WWII did.

A time and a place for everything

I was reading an article, The Phantom Weapons... , which was written by an Iraqi girl. It broke my heart. She paints a picture of a life that isn't too dis-similar from my own, except, she is facing a war that threatens to destroy everything she knows. Can it be right to do this to a country? I've been asked many times if it was right to go to war against Hitler. I don't know. I didn't live during that time period. I can't just read the history books because, as GB Shaw says, "History tells lies, like always". The winner writes "the truth". So all i can judge on is what i see and understand now. I can only decide what is right and wrong for this moment. So...is it right for America to send troops over to Iraq? Well, if i judge by the american democratic way (greatest good for the greatest number of people), no. From the news i am getting, it seems that more people are living in fear now than they ever were before. More people are certainly dying now than they were under Sadam. True Sadam was not the nicest of leaders but the same could be said for bush. His tourture of non-americans in political prisons is terrifying. The implimenation of signed agreements to wave all personal rights of appeal on entry to the usa is rediculous! As so many poets have said, freedom is only an illusion.

ARG!

Get permenatant residency
Apply for job in Adventist system
Apply for job in non-Adventist System
finish project for becky
catch up with friends
Don't let family down
Don't forget friends
Write emails
Update blog
Pray
Make food
Go Shopping
Think ahead
Get reimbursed for luggage
Track down Qantas representatives
keep the room clean
Pay bills
Do work
finish internship
don't stress out

but whatever you do, don't drop the ball.

My Baggage

Well, they found it, returned it, and washed their hands of it. Or at least that is probably what the airlines believe. My bag was returned yesterday with a GIANT hole in the side of it and the strap ripped off! My beautiful LEATHER bag is now unusable! (F&#$ing bastards) So now, i've got to find all the paper work and make a claim. grrrrr....it all takes up time and energy that i would rather spend on chris....er...i mean, working and school work....yeah! anyway...generally, i'm annoyed.

On a more exciting note. Melody will be arrive here in australia this Thursday. This means many things. Long talks. Late nights. Exciting work expiriences! and best of all, my twin back in the same country!

Home again...well almost

We are back in Australia. I'm staying in the SAN for the moment. I'll be back at avondale in a couple of days.

The trip was interesting. When we checked in at Portland, the airline we were using agreed to check our baggage through, all the way to Sydney even though we were changing airlines in LA. When we got to LA we found out that we had to go through security to check ourselves in though and come all the way back through security which ended up taking almost 45 minutes. grrrr. Finally we make it to our terminal and board the plane (which is delayed for an hour). We are a little bit nervous because if the plane doesn't make it to Sydney by 11 pm the plane gets diverted and we have to go to Brisbane or Melbourne to spend the night and get up early Sunday to catch a flight into Sydney. oi! So in order to make it on time, the pilot goes extra fast. This causes A LOT of turbulence. Which means a lot of people on the plane get sick. I had a lot of fun. It was like riding a rollercoaster ride for 13 hours....okay, by the end it wasn't as much fun but it kept the ride interesting. All the jarring about actually made it easier for me to sleep. It was like getting rocked to sleep. Chris, however, didn't find the trip nearly as enjoyable. I think he was feeling a bit sick by the end of it himself. Anyway...We made it. As in Chris and I made it...Sadly our luggage was not so lucky. We were able to get our bag of warm winter clothes here but all our books, and chrissy presents are lost somewhere. Hopefully the airline will find them and get the bag to us today. But we have to call them to tell them where to deliver the bag...oh damn! I was supposed to call! I've got to go.

surprise!

Last weekend a friend showed up at my house whom i wasn't expecting to see. Some of you may know him as the American Jesus, others just call him Brandon. Either way, i was more than a little suprised when my sister was followed into the house by the last person i expected to see. I was more than a little shocked. In fact, i don't think i said more than "Brandon!!!" for the next hour. It was great to have him here. He stayed for New Years while we lit fireworks. Then came to church with us and dealt well with my parents showing him off. (they were actually showing me, my siblings, my boyfriend, and all friends off...there was no discrimination on the humiliation) But everyone had fun. He stayed sunday while we played games and watched movies all day long and stayed Monday while we did more of the same! it was great! It hurt terribly when we had to say goodbye. No one likes to see friends leave, but it is always worse when you don't know when you'll say hello again. However, i suppose it is all for the best, i mean, Becky and he were getting a bit too friendly. (they slept together the last night he was here).

life, i think.

So Chris and i have been in the usa for something close to a month. we've gone sledding, swimming (in an indoor pool), out to a movie (or two), and we've discussed the disgraceful ability of the US media to turn a disastor in Asia into a story about the USA. It could be just me, but i'm pretty sure that the usa is paranoid that an event might happen that they have had no control over and has had nothing to do with them directly. We have gotten more coverage here on little boys giving all their money (all $35 in change) to the relief effert and families of missing tourists then of what actually happened. It is really amazing! But even as the US media pats america on the back for being such a giving and concerned nation, full of charity and help, it shows pictures of soldiers killing people in falusia (sp?) and tells stories of those Palestinians who should give Israel the Gaza Strip, because they are obviously taking up too much land for themselves. I can't believe the kind of double-speak we have happening here! Can no one see that death by drowning is no more pitiable than death by gun??

a brief update

I've not posted anything in ages. So i'm thinking i probably owe an entry. So here's what i've been up to.

First: Surprised my father with a visit to america. His jaw hit the floor, blounced and then came the tears. (not from the jaw but from the eyes)

next surprised my bro in Idaho. He did the same thing except, no tears. We spent a week in idaho where we visited many of my friends and went to a wedding. I was very disappointed that i only had time to see people once, but my schedule was so busy, i only had time to see people once.

We left idaho, kidnapping Jenne (a friend from high school) and taking her with us back to oregon. We got here just in time for more a visit from my mother's brother and his family. That was nice, i haven't seen them in several years.

This morning, we put Jenne on a plane and sent her back to idaho. I tried to be strong, but alas, i cried. i miss everyone so much. I hate to say goodbye but time still rushes on...so goodbye.

Goodbye

Well, this morning i said goodbye to Becky. I hate saying goodbye. There were tears all around, well, actually i don't think the guys cried, it was just Adele, Bec, and I. I didn't want her to go. I still don't. I would love for her to stay here in australia until...well...until forever. She doesn't have to live with me, or even right next door to me, but it would be very nice if i had better access to her year-round. Oh well...i'm sure mum and dad feel the same way. Maybe i can convience Mike to come down here now that becky is back in the states....

A letter from the Home Office to the People of America

The following was stolen from Melody's Mind Cave. (sorry mel). It was too good to pass up. Please realise that this entry is said with tongue in cheek and ENJOY!

A letter from the Home Office to the People of America

In the light of your failure to elect a suitable President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of Your independence, effective today. Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths and other territories. Except Utah, which she does not fancy.

Your new prime minister (The Right Honourable Tony Blair MP; for the 97.85% of you who have until now been unaware that there is a world outside your borders) will appoint a minister for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded.

A questionnaire will be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

1. You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary. Then look up "aluminium". Check the pronunciation guide.

You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it. The letter "U" will be reinstated in words such as "favour" and "neighbour", skipping the letter "U" is nothing more than laziness on your part.

Likewise, you will learn to spell "doughnut" without skipping half the letters.You will end your love affair with the letter "Z" (pronounced "zed" not "zee") and the suffix "ize" will be replaced by the suffix "ise". You will learn that the suffix "burgh" is pronounced "burra" e.g. Edinburgh.

You are welcome to respell Pittsburgh as 'Pittsberg' if you can't cope with correct pronunciation.Generally, you should raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. Look up "vocabulary". Using the same twenty seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication.

Look up "interspersed". There will be no more 'bleeps' in the Jerry Springer show. If you're not old enough to cope with bad language then you shouldn't have chat shows. When you learn to develop your vocabulary then you won't have to use bad language as often.

2. There is no such thing as "US English". We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter "u" and the elimination of "-ize".

3. You should learn to distinguish the English and Australian accents. It really isn't that hard.English accents are not limited to Cockney, upper-class twit or Mancunian (Daphne in Frasier).

You will also have to learn how to understand regional accents - Scottish dramas such as "Taggart" will no longer be broadcast with subtitles. While we're talking about regions, you must learn that there is no such place as Devonshire in England. The name of the county is "Devon". If you persist in calling it Devonshire, all American States will become "shires" e.g. Texasshire, Floridashire, Louisianashire.

4. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as the good guys. Hollywood will be required to cast English actors to play English characters. British sit-coms such as "Men Behaving Badly" or "Red Dwarf" will not be re-cast and watered down for a wishy-washy American audience who can't cope with the humour of occasional political incorrectness.

5. You should relearn your original national anthem, "God Save The Queen",but only after fully carrying out task 1. We would not want you to getconfused and give up half way through.

6. You should stop playing American "football". There is only one kind of football. What you refer to as American "football" is not a very good game.

The 2.15% of you who are aware that there is a world outside your borders may have noticed that no one else plays "American" football. You will no longer be allowed to play it, and should instead play proper football.

Initially, it would be best if you played with the girls. It is a difficult game. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which is similar to American "football", but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full Kevlar body armour likenancies).

We are hoping to get together at least a US rugby sevens a side by 2005.You should stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the 'World Series' for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.15% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable.

Instead of baseball, you will be allowed to play a girls' game called "rounders" which is baseball without fancy team strip, oversized gloves, collector cards or hotdogs.

7. You should declare war on Quebec and France, using nuclear weapons if they give you any merde.

The 97.85% of you who were not aware that there is a world outside your borders should count yourselves lucky. The Russians have never been the bad guys. "Merde" is French for "Shit". French is the first language of a country called France which is in Europe. Europe is one of the continents in the world other than your own.

8. July 4th is no longer a public holiday. November 2nd will be a new national holiday, but only in England. It will be called "Indecisive Day".

9. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and it is for your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we mean.

All road intersections will be replaced with roundabouts. You will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

10. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips.

Fries aren't even French, they are Belgian though 97.85% of you (including the guy who discovered fries while in Europe) are not aware of a country called Belgium.Those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called "crisps". Real chips are thick cut and fried in animal fat. The traditional accompaniment to chips is beer which should be served warm and flat. Waitresses will be trained to be more aggressive with customers.

11. As a sign of penance 5 grams of sea salt per cup will be added to all tea made within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, this quantity to be doubled for tea made within the city of Boston itself.

12. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all, it is lager.From November 1st only proper British Bitter will be referred to as "beer", and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as "Lager".

13. From December 1st the UK will harmonise petrol (or "Gasoline" as you will be permitted to keep calling it until April 1st 2005) prices with the former USA. The UK will harmonise its prices to those of the former USA and the Former USA will, in return, adopt UK petrol prices (roughly $6/US gallon - get used to it).

14. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers or therapists.The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent. Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun.

15. Please tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us crazy.

Tax collectors from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all revenues due (backdated to 1776).

Thank you for your cooperation.And this ought to teach you Americans not to abuse the right to vote.

I'm DONE!

Guess what everyone! I'm finished with exams! I just finished (moments ago) and i'm now ready to....wait...i'm not ready to do anything...i want to go to bed. That sounds like a better idea than planning where i'm going to live for the summer, packing boxes, or even snogging Chris! [oh my!] Goodnight everyone...i hope to meet you all in my dreams!

my rant for the day

After doing a bit of searching, I have been unable to find any social justice blogs worth mentioning. I can find some serious political blogs but I still fail to find what I'm really looking for. So maybe I'll be the small voice that cries out for social awareness. PLEASE PLEASE realise your impact on the world. We only have one world, we all are one people. Don't just leave all the work up to god because, by the look of things god has left the solar-system.

Then again, you probably don't care. You have things to do. You have events to plan for. You can't take time out to worry about the family in Iraq, the starving Asians, or the aids victims in Africa...These are all far away. Let someone else worry about them.

Its funny, as I was growing up I often thought that the holidays season was supposed to be about being nice to those who were less fortunate than I. Today I think it has always really been about reminding myself how lucky I am not to be one of those "other" people. I don't like this ideology. I'm starting to think the whole holiday season is just bollocks!

Buy Nothing Day!

26 November is buy nothing day!

To find out more click on the site!

set, lights, and videotape

I have recently finished my 3 minute short film. i would like to say it is Oscar material, but i think i would be lucky if it were tropfest material. I do like it and it says exactly what i want it to say, but...i suppose an ethical stance on war is probably not the most popular thing to be saying right now.

I was reading this article and it said the most common cause of world hunger was war. There was a protest in America against the Palistinian and Israeli conflict a while back. One of the posters said, "Today I helped Kill a Palistinian. If you pay taxes, so did you!" It is horrifying to think the country that so loudly promotes Christianity, so lavishly spills (or helps to spill) blood on the basis of enthic cleansing, racial discrimination, or greed.

Sorry if i have offended anyone...but as the song says, "paranoina strikes deep".....

Thankful

For the last two days i've been running around mad, like a chicken with its headcut off, trying to get a major project for one of my classes done. As i would run between one building and the next i would pray, begging God to help me get the project done on time. Well i guess God didn't have the power to help me squeeze 5 weeks of work into 3 days...but he did have the power to convience the lecturer to extend the due date til 22 Nov. WoW! so much time! Believe me, i'm not waisting my time. I'm working quite hard at writing this blog....searching for pics on the net (for my project, HONEST!)....and um...eating...

So keeping with the working hard tradition...i'm going to lunch!

living on borrowed time

I currently have an essay due today (which i have an extention til wednesday for) an essay due tomorrow, a major project due sometime in the next few days and i'm typing a blog entry! WTF am i doing!???







oh...um...Got to go.

Check this out

I've been involved as co-editor for the Avondale College student publication, The Voice (as some of you may know). This week is the last week we're accepting votes for the entries of our, Finding Your Voice Competition. Normally, we would keep voting to the student body, but most of the student-body seems ambivalent to the competition. So I'm opening it up to everyone. Check out the site, vote and leave comments or suggestions to these up and coming writers. All of these writers would really like some feedback on style, content, and general overall impressions. Thanks for your help!

The Bigger Picture?

I have never considered myself particularly socially minded. In fact, I would say that most of the time, I am happily unaware of the abuses to developing countries that happen because of western politics and industry. Lately, this has started to change. I'm beginning to see that there is a connection between my faith and need for social ethics. I can no longer sit back and be merely shocked by what is happening. I demand that my senses be raw and I feel the pain of others. My affluent lifestyle should not numb me to basic human empathy

Pictures

Maybe i'm harping on the subject...it is perfectly possible. I mean, i've only mentioned it twice on the tagboard, and half a million times to people on the phone. But i thought i might try one or two more ploys to get people check out the pictures i have finally posted on the msn photo album. The first ploy would be this entry, the second ploy is going to be a mass email to everyone i know telling them to LOOK AT MY PICTURES, DAMN IT!

Maybe you all have already looked at my pictures...perfectly possible that you clicked on the link, saw the pictures and moved on. But no one has left a comment saying, "i saw the pictures and i really liked the one with you and the thumb." I have heard nothing...from anyone, not even my own family! Sigh....that is okay...i know that you all are just very busy people and just don't have time to look at my pictures....[sniff sniff] its okay, i'm not hurt at all.

Look everyone! the new batman suite comes without nipples!!!

(if the image doesn't turn up, click here)

The trip to Queensland

Day 1: Plane arrived at 10 pm. No public transport to our hotel. We hired a car and drove the 2 hours up to our hotel...whereupon the night manager slept through our attempts to ring him. We slept in the car until 6 am.

Day 2: Got up and rang the night manager again. He answered the phone and i said, "we've been here since one and since you didn't answer the phone we slept in the car." His reply: "Oh SHIT!" He let us in, we went up to our rooms and slept...for an hour. Started moving properly at noon. Had food, and started our 1.5 hour trip to Brisbane to return rental car. Returned rental and took public transport back...it took us 5.5 hours to get back. [side note: Waiting for Queensland public transport to come is like giving a eunuch a blowjob.] we finally get back to our hotel at 8:30 in the evening. We go to bed.

Day 3: We are tired of traveling. We sleep, watch TV, and read, all day long. Becky leaves the hotel room once to pick up the chocolates left for us by the night manager. Other then that, we don't leave.

Day 4: Swimming and beach walks are on the agenda. We find out that there is a slippery slide in the pool of our hotel. I find out that Becky is scared of slippery slides. hehehehe

Day 5: We decide public transport was created by the mentally deranged and we hire a car for the day. We go to Movie World. Heaps of fun. We ride rolercoasters, watch street shows, and check out Warner Bro.'s set for various movies. On the way back to our hotel, we get sidetracked and end up going through Brisbane in the middle of rush-hour traffic. We get back to our hotel at 8. Almost immediately i go to bed.

Day 6: Travel all the way back to Brisbane with the night manager who forgot to wake up on our arrival. He dropped us at the trainstation and we ride the train all the way to airport. We wait for the plane. Get on the plane. Land, get off, rush to meet a train. Becky gets off at Horsby and goes to work. I change trains and come all the way back to college.

The end....

Thinking aloud

Head pounding.
eyesight blurry.
nervous twitches in fingers, knees, feet, and toes.
Head still pounding.
Brain whirring.
Thinking starting....
Head pounding.
Eyesight blurry.
Eye lids drooping.
Mind tripping.
Head Pounding.
Thinking dying.
Need water.
Must study.
One more blog...
Head pounding.
Must stop.

A prayer

War. How much longer can we go on killing eachother until we run out of souls to murder? How much longer can we continue fighting until we realize we are only hurting ourselves? It isn't the Muslim's fault, it isn't the American's fault, it isn't Iraq or Iran, it isn't Europe, or Australia's fault...it is humanity's flaw. While I know that we may never achieve peace throughout the world, I can still hope for peace of mind for my own life. May my life never intentionally hurt another, may my life seek to uplift another, and may I be a light in a dark place.

What Type of Villain are You?

mutedfaith.com.

Today I wanted to tell God to go away. You see, He's been bugging me for days now, telling me we are having problems with our relationship. It is true. While we still may speak, there is something wrong. I just haven't known what to do about it. I told Him last week that if He wanted me to "prove it". He hasn't left me alone since. I'm in a constant state of knowing that I need to spend some time with Him yet still not knowing how exactly to get the connection back. I suppose the old favourites should do, you know, "read your bible and pray" but it is hard to read when your over-analysing writing style and it is hard to pray when you can't listen. These are excuses. I know it. So does God.

It has gotten to the point that it is painful to know that God is so near and I am so unwilling or unable to contact Him. The pain wakes me up in the morning and I numb it by turning on the radio. I keep my anaesthesia going all the way to the shower when I busy myself with what to do for the day until I can make it back to my anaesthesia.

This morning was different. The anaesthesia didn't help. It actually made it worse. I needed some relief. I found my way to the floor and with head on the bed I asked for help. I said I didn't know who to talk to, but I needed someone. I just needed to get through the day and feel somehow connected again. Nothing happened.

I got an email later that morning. Dad said "we need to talk". So I rang him first chance i got. We chatted about this and that and finally he asked, "How is your spiritual life?" My father has never before in my memory asked me that. I didn't want to tell him. Somehow though, I didn't want to lie. I told him it wasn't good, but i didn't go into detail. Somehow he knew what to say, though. He told me that I'm never alone. God is going to be there with me. Whatever happens to trust the plans that He has placed in my heart. He has put them there for a reason and not to give up on them. Most of all not to give up on Him.

Coincidence? It could be. But I choose to see it as devine intervention when i needed it most. Maybe I am being naive, maybe I'm giving God too much credit, or maybe not enough, but either way, somehow I was touched.I know I felt God's fingers brush away my tears and tenderly caress my heart.

I'm so tired. My eyes have nearly mutinied on me, refusing to open again after a blink. My legs are tired, they wobble with every moment. My brain gave up working long ago and left signs that read "Will be back when replacement body arrives". How can this be? We are all supposed to be a team, my body, brain, and me. Sure we're going to have a few rough spots but as soon as we've watched all the new episodes of CSI, I've promised to treat us to a nice long nap. Why are all of you giving up on me? I promised I would let you rest soon. If I give you lovely sweets, you still don't work well. It is only when I abuse you by feeding you nasty vegetables that you suddenly realize the danger that your in and start behaving well! Why can't we just get along, my body, brain, and me??

A name!! I need a name. I've been working on creating a website for The Voice which will feature much of the publications that we do. Sadly, I've been unable to come up with a good/decent domain name for our dear student publication. "thevoice" is taken. "theavondalevoice" sounds boring and long! I need ideas and QUICK!

Today is another day in the life of a desperately over-worked girl. I have now obtained 3 part-time jobs on campus. I still have one job in Sydney part time so this means that I'm working 4 JOBS! Somehow this is wrong, I mean really, desperately wrong!

In other more exciting news, Becky is settling in well. She is getting used to the language but still occasionally has a blank look on her face until I or Chris translated into American.

One more note: I would just like to thank everyone who has called me a skank in the last few days. I love you all so much. [please note the sarcastic tone]

The sister made it into port safe and sound...Then she met my friends....

Becky seems to be settling in as well as she can with an older sister who is insane and living across the hall from her. She is coping with the lingo as well as most people do on their first day. In other words she is nodding her head and smiling but not really understanding what Taylor and Casey are saying at all.

Last night was the big get-to-know-the-new-Americans night. We ate damper and drank Milo. It was heaps of fun but I suspect that Becky was only thinking of her bed. Jet lag can be nasty.

Well, I'm off to go help the dear girl assimilate into the Aussie culture!

Today is just not my day. My day started at 4 this morning. I woke up, dressed, and made my bed. At 4:20 I headed out to the roundabout in order to meet the bus that was driving down to pick up my sister from the airport. I had been informed the previous working day that the driver would pick me up at 4:30, so I thought I had plenty of time. This information, I found out 45 minutes later, was wrong. Turns out that the driver left well before I got there and I sat in the FREEZING cold waiting for nothing. That annoyed me, A LOT!

So now, she is arriving in less then an hour and I won't be there to welcome her in! I'm very disappointed. What do I do with my self for the next three hours?? Can I sleep? Probably not. Could I watch a movie? Possibly, but I won't concentrate on it. The truth is I wanted to be the big sister who picks her little sis up from the airport and now, well, I get to be the big dope who missed the bus.

They say that absolute power corrupts absolutely, but I disagree. For the last week or so I've been the only Dean on Duty in Ella. Have I abused my powers? Not really. Sure I unlocked a bathroom door that was supposed to stay locked, and sure I used a kitchen that wasn't supposed to be in use, but I cleaned up my mess. I didn't unlock the front doors to the few men in the Men's dormitory and I didn't start selling tickets to those mysterious rooms in Ella, (also known to females as, bedrooms). I've been a good girl, I have. Except for that one incident, everything was fine.

I did finally make it thru to one parental unit.[insert pic of the weekly parental fix]Sigh, that was nice.

Now that i've made contact with mum, i can now get ready for my sister's arrival. I've started decorating her room (sshhhh, don't tell her). I actually need to take some pictures of it before she gets here and post them somewhere...i'll figure out where and how later...anyway, Then i need to take photos of when she sees the room! HEHEHEHE! I've put special effert into making the room...um..."friendly". She'll either love it or hate it...i'm hoping for hate because i don't particularly want to see some of the stuff i've put in there every time i visit her room. (that should probably give you a decient guess at how bad it is)

ooo! i think my laundry's done! got to go everyone. We'll speak again next time on, THE WIERD AND BIZARRE !

Maybe i'm the only one who has ever made the effort of calling home only to be greated with the sound of an answering machine. It has, on more then one occation, caused me great frustration as i've put so much effort into walking accross campus to get the phone i want, arranging for any people or things i need to have with me, with me, and finally to arrange that the parental units are at home! After making such a great achievement, the parental units do not answer. Maybe they have decided that i'm not particularly worth the call, or maybe they enjoy teasing me with the idea of speaking with them, or maybe they actually gave me the wrong telephone number just to see what would happen...i don't know, but just for the record, it is annoying.

I have one week before school starts again. In that time i've decided to write two things. The first is an article about three women of different generations who have spent significant parts of their lives in New Guinea. The second is a...well, to be honest i don't know what it is...it is just some writing to answer the ever present question, "So...why did you come to Australia?" Have you ever been asked a question so many times that you start to make up answers that sound logical but are complete BS? "Why did you come to Australia?" "I was fleeing the wrath of my parents after I burnt dinner one too many times." "For my rare health condition, its called life." "Because i was dying to have strangers ask me questions that have no good answer" "BECAUSE I WANTED TO, okay?!"

I probably won't ever make a good politition...well, then again, Winston Churchill had his fair share of harsh come backs so maybe my dream of becoming the next world dictator can come true yet!

I'm tired. My feet are sore but my mind is over active. I've been working for three days now and I still have 4 more to go before I get a break. My feet, back, and legs are already wondering what in the world I was thinking of when I agreed to work an extra 14 hours!...Oh yeah! The cash! Why is it that somehow my wallet, which is a completely inanimate object may I remind you, have more say over my body then my aching limbs?? Somehow, in the journey of life I missed an important road sign, probably the one that said maximum speed limit 110 Ks an hour. I'm running my life on over drive and I'm now wondering why I ruled out the hippy commune. I suppose that life has many surprises around the next bend for me but if I keep going at this speed I won't even realize there is a bend in the road until I've plowed myself into the mountain side.

One quick request...Those of you who have voted, would you mind telling me who you are and what you have voted for?? I can guess some of the people but not all...[Turkish...thanks heaps for letting me know what you voted for!]

THANKS EVERYONE!

I've now been working for a week (give or take) and I must say...I MISS MY HOLIDAYS! I don't particularly like being back, running between 2 jobs and hoping I make enough to keep me above water. Maybe I don't dislike the jobs, but it is the responsibility that I don't like. [Grrr for growing up]

I am looking forward to college starting again in a few weeks though. HURRAY for school work...[umm...Maybe I need a therapist]

I am BACK! And I absolutely must tell you about my most romantic day!

We were set to go snorkeling at Lion Island. (this whole beginning bit is not romantic, so it is going to get only a small passing reference as I skip on to the romantic bits.) We left late, we arrived late, they had to call the boat back for us and we got there in time to do about 1.5 hours of snorkeling before lunch.

So we get on the island, we put on our gear and get into the water. Chris and I are (OBVIOUSLY!) paired up. He and I hold hands as we watch colourful fish dart this way and that under us. We see many different types of coral and a few sea slugs. Some times the waves make it hard to stay close but we keep pulling eachother back together when we fear the waves...and sometimes when we don't. (can I get an "AWWWWW!"?) We do a couple of dives where we attempt to touch a fish or two or sometimes just see what is under the coral and rock. It is when we are just heading out of the water when we spot a long thin fish. It is about 1.5 feet long and nearly translucent. He (or maybe she) is floated with the current and not expending much energy at all. We move closer. It moves away. It looks like a snake. (See mum, I can even find snakes in the water!!) It isn't a snake though...We follow it until it heads too far out for us to be bothered following it.

We head back to shore. Both of us take a swig of water before challenging eachother with silly tricks in the sand. It doesn't take long before I'm too sandy and get back into the water to wash off.The water is warm so I sit down and let the waves push me around for a bit. Chris joins me and we sit on the clear blue water talking until one of us (I think it is me) gets the bright idea to start a water fight. The water is too salty for it to last long and we go back to talking. Finally Chris stands up. "Okay," he declares, "I'm done." Just then the boat arrives to take us to another island for lunch. (What timing!!!)

So we go to lunch, eat omelets, rice, and pumkin...hmmmm. Admittedly not a romantic lunch. Lunch finishes and Chris and I (and David and Sharona) head up to the top of the Island. From the top we can see ocean in every direction. Chris and I (and only Chris and I) walk to the very end of the island before heading back. We are standing on the top of the island, the wind whipping around us (and unromantically nearly ripping my sarong off!!) when he pulls me close and gives me a long kiss. WOW! All that was missing was a camera crew with cameras moving around us and a director screaming, "CUT!"

So there it is, my most romantic day.

Hello again!

I'm sure you all are saying, "it is about bloody time she got her act together and put something new on!" Actually, in all truth, there probably isn't anyone here at all. I haven't published anything new in such a long long long time that it is just CRAZY! Well, i'm currently waiting for my DVD to burn so now i've got TIME!!! HURRAY!

I have spent the last week trying to get this DVD to burn...has it burned?? no. Why? Simple, the computers hate me. I'm not exactly sure why this is, but it might have something to do with the fact that i walk in every morning and say "Goodmorning, you ****ing computers. I really really really hate you today!"

It is truely surprising how terrible my mood is after fighting these computers for a week straight.

I am finally back at college and looking for an excuse not to do an assignment. The very old Blog entry qualified as a legitimate excuse.

The problem of course with this, is now I have to come up with something interesting to say. So here is my attempt. I have just finished coming out of my drama class. It is fascinating how different the director of this class is to pretty much every other director I've worked with. This lady knows what she is looking for, but has a terrible time doing it herself. In other words, she doesn't give very good examples. On the plus side, this causes us to try different things we didn't know we could do before. I'm quite excited because although I didn't get the part I wanted, I did get a part that will make the whole thing rather interesting for me. I suppose I should fill you in on what the heck I'm talking about....

We are performing The Merchant of Venice. I auditioned for the part of Shylock. I didn't get it. What I got instead was the part of Lancelot, the clown. (don't say it...Don't even say it)

well, after a very interesting time mucking around on stage, I think I've reached performance exhaustion. This is really sad because we only went for an hour and a half, and we normally will be going for 2 hours once a week. I've got to build up my stamina!

i met a lady not too long ago. She had an interesting response to my rant, even if she had never actually heard it. She is 39 years old and has never married. She has spend many years getting different degrees and seeing different countries and tracing her family origins. She is not adverse to marriage. in fact, she is looking forward to one day getting married but she advocated staying single until your at least thirty. THe reason was that she felt that by getting married when your young you don't get a chance to know your self. You end up bonding yourself to someone when you just don't know enough about who you are and what you really want. She also said that remaining single gave you the chance to meet many people and witness on a one on one level whereas being paired off too early causes you to only focus on the other person or the people in your immediate circle. I thought it was an interesting point. What do you think?

Have you ever noticed that magazines are always asking celebrities what the secret to a long and happy marriage is? What is it about celebrities that makes us think they will have the answers? They are celebrities! Their marriages last all of 10 minutes.

Sometimes magazines decide to get "serious" and bring in "experts" on the subject. Ever read their advice? "Do this and he'll love you forever." or "Try this position in bed and he'll be your bedroom slave for a month!" Isn't there more to a relationship then sex?

The church doesn't seem to have any better answers. When inquiring minds ask, they are told that sex belongs in marriage. It is a wonderful answer, too bad it doesn't answer the question. I want some practicality. What is the balance between physical intimacy and an intimate friendship? If there isn't a balance how do you juggle the two? The church's favourite answer to this seems to be, "wait until marriage to explore this." This doesn't help in a practical way because holding hands, hugging, and even tickling are all part of a physical intimacy. If I were to go strictly by what the church says, I would not be touching at all. I don't think I've met a pastor, teacher, or church officer who has not done any of these things before marriage.

I guess my complaint is that there has been so many people who have gone before me. They have the experience. They have the spiritual walk with God to balance their response. They should know how it is supposed to work. They can tell me where the lines, balances, and juggling occurs. So why is it that drawing this information out is so difficult?

i was reciently told about this game. I've only started playing but it is fun. Feel the power so i thought i would let you all in on it as well. If you want to read up on my country, my nation's name is The Queendom of Narnia Citizens Enjoy!

I was just informed that Auburn Adventist Academy had a fire last tuesday. The fire was located in the women's dormitory but no cause as to the reason for the fire has yet been found. 83 female students lived there included overseas students. These women lost everything they had in the fire, passports, visas, clothes, sentimental items, books, everything.

My heart goes out to them. It is not easy to lose everything like that. It is difficult enough to live out of a suitcase for a few days, to live with only the clothes on your back or what someone else gives you must be trying, to put it mildly.

I remember when the Boise Valley Adventist School burned down, (my school for years 2-5) I remember wondering what we were going to do for school now that the building was in smoldering ashes. I don't know what I would have done if my house had burned. My pictures, my papers, my memorabilia, my computer. There is just too much stuff that could not be replaced. I don't know how well I would cope with that.

I'm quite agitated. I feel like I haven't had the chance to do anything in the last month that would stimulate my thinking. I have been at a loss for a good discussion how media controls lives or how Hollywood is turning into a big production company for independent films. I need inspiration to strike. I want to suddenly have an idea that I just can't sit around and wait for it to go away. I want to DO something. Make something happen. Throw all my energy into something and stop worrying about smaller points of interest. I want more out of my life.

Is it wrong to say this? To demand that life is more then friends, boyfriend, and school? Does it trample on people's toes that I feel this way? I would be willing to say yes to all of these things but I've past the point of desperation, the point of caring. Something has to change. I don't know how to change it, I'm just sending a message into the middle of the busy super-highway and hoping it doesn't get killed. Kinda futile effort, wouldn't you say? It is, but it is all for the small, minute chance that something will change.

Okay, I've done enough with the sex stuff and to be honest I haven't done anything with the drugs and rocknroll recently. However, as of tomorrow, I will be attending a Christian Youth Rally so both of these points could be remedied.

On a slightly different note, Chris has me reading a book called High Fidelity. I can hardly put it down. If you liked the movie (like dad did) then the book is well worth the read. It puts an interesting perspective on what men think. [end promo for book]

I know it is only a matter of time before someone tells me that i don't publish enough stuff on my blogsite. Therefore, i'm thwarting their rebukes by posting something. It isn't much, i'll admit, but it at least it will cover three basic points.

1. Sex
2. Drugs
3. Rock'n' roll, BABY!!

Now that those points have been covered, i leave them to you to ponder.

I have recently come accross some new and interesting sites and been reintroduced to some old favourites. Check out Kosher and The Never Ending Fight on the damah site. Both are short films that are worth the 3-5 minutes to watch. There are several music video sites up now as well...I can't vouch for every video but most of the ones i have seen have been pretty good. Enjoy!

I have been sitting here for quite some time trying to think of something profound to say. But the truth is, i have nothing to say. I have no great bit of wisdom to pass on to the masses. My mind is not blank, but is full of meaningless drivel that i would not presume to impose upon my eager readers. I will, however, attempt to bring to life a question that has been raised by a few who have read my essay. The question is, "am i advocativing pre-marital sex?"

It does seem that pre-marital sex is not really banned in the Bible for men. But times have changed. There is now a (supposed) equality of the sexes. So we will assume that whatever is okay for a man is okay for a woman. (this does not mean that we, as women, WANT to do every thing that is okayed for men to do, but that it is possible)

It has been said that fornication is often mentioned and heavily discouraged by God (or the writers of the Bible, depending on how you look at it). While this is true, fornication is nearly always in reference to pagan worship or whoring. Both of these big no-nos in jewish society. And although we no longer live in Jewish society, i think these two no-nos can still apply.

If we turn our attentions to stories and what they tell us about pre-marital sex, we can come away with some interesting pictures. Some, like the story of Esther, show us a positive outcome of sex. Others like David and Bathesheba give us negative ones. But there is a HUGE difference in the stories. David gets into trouble for having sex with Bathesheba, not because he is married but because SHE is married. SO what would have happened if she wasn't married? then what? would he have just let her become part of his haram? would he have even married her? would he have needed to??

The thing is, though, even if you let yourself believe that pre-marital sex is okayed in the Bible, you are still left with real life. In real life pre-marital sex is dangerous. Yes, i know there are millions of ways to prevent this and that...but you could end up with any number of STIs (the old term is STDs) or worse! you (if you are female) could end up pregnant!!! YIKES! So for me, the whole issue of "will i or won't i" comes back to, what is going to be the best for me physically? and WIll it effect my relationship with God positively or negatively?? Those are the questions that have me chosing a life of abstinence.