Road trip

too cool
Originally uploaded by narnia_k.

The trip to grandma's house was a very exciting 10 hour trip. we saw fog, frost, and snow. Thankfully the roads were pretty clear so no accidents.

AND dad only got lost once!

;)

wanna see more pics of our trip? click the photo!

Praise Santa

I have often heard that Santa Clause and God were thought to be very similar individuals. I have sometimes wondered if Santa Clasue was the "god" we hoped we would find.

Like God, Santa is supposed to judge. He (santa) makes a list of good girls and boys.

Unlike Santa, however, God doesn't give out gifts according to our actions. Santa only gives good little boys and girls gifts. (and isn't it interesting that every parent says that their child is "good"??) God looks at us, realising that we have "all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God". Yet in his mercy, he still grants us the gift of eternal life, if only we want it.

In my human nature, however, i want a judge that will be "fair". i want my enemies to *pay* (prefereably with their own blood) for the sins against me they have committed. Santa, while not taking blood, leaves a lump of coal. Coal, left long enough will turn into diamonds. The gift seems to say, "Just like the coal, your not quite good enough to be worth much". We like the idea that the bad people will have thier nose rubbed in their sins. Yet somehow, we are always the "good" children. We see ourselves as always worthy of the gifts we recieve on christmas. When we perchance get a gift that isn't quite what we wanted we cry out "unfair!" we point to all our noble deeds and claim that we deserve better.

Christ gives His gift to us all. The Christ child was given not just to those who would do what they were supposed to, He was given to all who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Homosexuality

What is it with a society that is terrified of the homosexual male? I was up at my grandparent's house this weekend and found out that while they tolerated homosexual females there was something unacceptable about the homosexual male.

My brother says that it stems from the idea that girls are touchy-feely with eachother anyway, so it doesn't matter when they turn lesbian. Maybe men find the idea of lesbians sexy and thus find it more tolerable. With men, it is a different story. Could it be that they can not find anything sexy about guy on guy and thus can not deem it, in any way, acceptable?

IF this were true, a conclusion that we humans are ruled not by what is right and wrong, but rather by where our hormone levels reside. A case could be made for this argument. According to the National Institute for Working Life, many homosexuals who were working in "manly careers" such as the air force or army, were heavily discriminated against. "manly careers" are also careers that have long held a high level of testosterone and sexual drive.

But National Institute for Working Life also mentioned that homosexuals were also heavily discriminated in church offices. In the church, however, discrimination was much more hidden. Information and meeting times/dates were not given to those known to be homosexual. They were not spoken to. The homosexual, both male & female, was left in nearly complete isolation.

As Christians we are called to love our neighbours. Sadly, Christ forgot to mention that we are only supposed to love our heterosexual, white, Christian neighbours. Any one who doesn't' fit into our pre-conceived notion of "neighbours" is naturally left to the world to devour. But maybe this is just a fitting condemnation for those *stupid* enough not to agree with us.

happiness

Your mad at the dogs
Your mad at me
Your mad at her
But really your mad at you
And until you will realise this,
you will be mad at the dogs
you will be mad at me
you will be mad at her

And you will never be happy

sex & politics

More controversy over the proposed .xxx internet address. The internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (iCANN) is trying to establish an internet "red-light district" by creating a .xxx, similar to the .com or .net. But controversy has arisen from conseratives in the USA. They claim it will only legitmise the porn industry.

Personally, i embrace the concept. The idea that all porn would be relegated to one area means that not only would it be an easy way to monitor whats the family computer is being used for, it also makes for easy blocking.

True, probably not ALL porn sites will go to the new .XXX sites, but at least it will make stumbling upon is less frequent!

Earthquake

Africa has joined this list of nations struck by natural disasters. The latest event was a 6.8 earthquake in the Congo.

First reports are suggesting that most casualties are children who have had parts of buildings fall on them.

Maybe I'm just more aware of the devastation that is around us now...but it sure seems like the earth is no longer as submissive as it once was...

First Snow

Yesterday was this year's first snow fall. The cold weather has finally yelded a snow! As i always say, if its going to be cold, it better bloody SNOW!

Sadly, while we did see snow for more than an hour, it turned to falling slush and finally rain. No proof of the snow fall remains. and i am yet again, depressed.

Soccer Dog

Yesterday was a family day. We took the dogs out to the park for a bit of a run and some fun! while the weather was quite cold we enjoyed kicking a soccerball around...or we enjoyed it until misha, our German Shepherd stole the ball!






See what i mean?

11:00 am Wednesday morning. The cars are packed. We are ready to go. We wait in stalled silence for mother to arrive home at 12:45 so that we can leave for grandmother's house.

11:30 am Wednesday morning. Mike (my bro) and I decide that this isn't worth sitting around and waiting all day for. We find errands we can run.

12:00 pm Wednesday afternoon. Mike and I realise his car oil is dangerously low. He adds more and finds that "something" is dripping and making a puddle under his car. We ignore it and head off down the road.

12:50 pm Wednesday afternoon. We make our way on the freeway only to find traffic moving at 5 Kilometers an hour. Car accident. We drive this way for the better part of an hour. By this time, my mother and father have gotten on the freeway and are somewhere *way* behind us.

2:00 pm Wednesday afternoon. mike and I detour off the freeway to a deserted highway (at the parent's bidding) to "take a short cut".

[please raise your hands if you've seen horror films that start out this way]

4:30 pm Wednesday afternoon. My parents call to inform us that their car is making strange "musical" sound. They stop at a mechanic. We also stop just as we realise that Mike's car is overheating. After 5 minutes with the mechanic for parent's car, family decides NOT to go visit grandmother.

5:30 pm you-know-which-bloody-day. New plans are made to visit the friends who are quite conveniently close for the holidays. Parent's car is found to need new brake pads. Mike's car cools and we begin our trip to the Jackson house.

So much for a fun filled holiday full of family bitchiness. I feel quite disappointed.

Thanksgiving

After 4 years without it, I'm now celebrating Thanksgiving again. It is so very odd how easily I fall back into it. Mashed potatoes, gravy, roast, carrots, bread rolls...I remember the menu perfectly. This year is going to be different though. For the first time in my entire life, we're going to my grandmother's for Thanksgiving.

I love my grandmother to death. Unfortunately, as those who have met her will tell you, she isn't the friendliest person in the world. She has an incredibly sharp tongue that often lashes out at the nearest victim unexpectedly. This causes comments like, "well, haven't you gained a lot of weight!" This strikes fear into the very heart of my father.

So why are we going? Well, the basic reason is that she asked, I was excited about it, mother didn't say "NO!" so dad accepted. Everyone (including my grandmother) was shocked!

Today we will get in the car and drive 8 hours to her house. We'll pray that it works out. We'll pray no one dies...but in the end, it will be a miracle that gets us all thru in one piece.

a 2 hour blessing

Last sunday my mum and brother took a one hour drive north to portland. We squished ourselves into the small cab of our pick-up truck and took off. About 1 hour later we arrived at Mills End. Mills End is a fabric store that has a HUGE selection. Having failed to find fabric suitable for my wedding cape thus far, i had decided that a large (overpriced) fabric store was just what the seemstress ordered.

Taking out the wedding dress, we hung it on a coat rack (what was convinently placed in the bridal section). We started the search for the perfect wedding cape fabric. we ended up with 10 bolts of material. The first few were okay, but nothing fabulous. it was by a fluke that my mother walked past a discounted table and found the beautiful velvet-like white fabric.

Amazingly enough it was EXACTLY the right amount we needed for the cape!

With our great find in hand, we headed home. Three of us, squished in a truck for another 1 hour 25 mintues home...

life

This week is the beginning of a class i will be teaching until Mid-December. I'm teaching a song in ASL (American Sign Language) to grades 3-4. We are learning "One Small Child". So far, after only one day, the kids have learned half the song. None of the parents, children, or relatives of the kids are deaf, so i've decided to make the song more performance centred rather than language based. While they will be using real signs for the song, i've divided into groups that will move around as the song progresses. It is going to look AWESOME! but it will be the blacklights andwhite gloves that will make the look complete!

I can hardly wait for the Christmas Program!

(who knew i could get this excited over a children's program!)

The official report!

Good news! i'm fine. Turns out that it was a syst, but that isn't a big deal. I'll be in a bit of pain, but it isn't any thing serious. I also have a bit of muscle strain...possibly caused by helping my mother shappoo the carpets.

But i'm fine!! HURRAY!

So far so good

2nd round of tests today. So far everything is looking "normal". I have one more appointment this afternoon. But so far, all looks like it was a fluke thing...

sick

Why is it, about the time you start feeling on top of the world, the world changes positions?

Last Friday i began to notice that my stomach wasn't feeling great. I pushed it off as being overly sensative to dairy products. On monday, the pain increased. I began to notice that it was painful to stand in certain positions. It was more painful to sit.

I decided to go into the doctor at 11:00 am. The doctor sent me to the Urgent Care department. They took blood. They did a full check up. Ran several tests. All my tests came back okay, but they aren't sure what it causing the pain.

My mum thinks its probably an ovarian syst. She's had them before. She says they become very painful and there is nothing to do about them.

THe doctor is fearful it could be the beginnings of an apendix problem.

Generally, i'm scared. Keep me in your prayers.

Amazing Mule Story

A friend of mine sent me this. i found it so interesting i had to post it to you!

A couple from Montana was out riding on the range, he with his rifle and she (fortunately) with her camera. Their dogs always followed them, but on this occation a Mountain Lion decided that he wanted to stalk the dogs you'll see the dogs in the background watching.

The man got off the mule with his rifle and decided to shoot in the air to scare away the lion, but before he could get off a shot the lion charged in and decided hew anted a piece of those dogs. with that, the mule decided he wanted a piece of the lion and took off. That's when all hell broke loose....for the lion.

As the lion approached the dogs, the mule snatched him up by the tail and started whirling him around. With every pass, banging its head on the ground. Then he dropped it, stomped on it and held it to the ground by the throat. The mule then got down on his knees and but the cat all over a couple of dozen times to make sure it was dead, than whipped it into the air again, walked back over to the couple and stood ready to continue his ride as if nothing had happened.

Even though the hunter didn't get off

An Aussie Gentleman

differences between rugby and american football

lesson from the boondocks

For the past several weeks this comic has been discussing the Bird Flu panic that is beginning to hit America. As the boy points out, if the bird flu does become a serious event, we will have to decide the people who are worth the resources it takes to sustain them...

question: if the country descends into anarchy, what use does a politician have?

The American Constitution

I was listening to a semi-local talk radio program today. The host was discussing the American constitution. He was suggesting that no laws should be passed that go against the Constitution, even if the majority of the public vote it in. He used as an example that slavery was against the Constitution and thus, was unconstitutional. Meaning that the American government supported a policy that was unconstitutional for many years.

This stance puzzles me. Didn't the "founding fathers" own slaves when they wrote the Constitution? Where they themselves suggesting that they give up their way of life many decades before our famous president Lincoln "set the slaves free"??!! Or could it be that the Constitution has been set in a light that previously only the bible has shared, that being infallible?

By no means do I suggest that we do away with the Constitution, but neither to I purpose that it is a device that will be relevant for America for all eternity. I can not suppose to give the perfect answer to this dilemma but perhaps more forethought from the radio host would have been appropriate.

Nightmare

I had a horrible nightmare last night. I dreamt that Chris and i held out wedding here in the States. It was the day of my wedding and a thousand things were going wrong. First my dress wasn't quite finished. Then out of my four bridesmaids only one showed up and i had one person fill in. Chris' family never even showed up! After the wedding, neighther one of us knew where our reception was going to be held, let alone if there was even going to BE a reception.

I woke up with one of those horrible feelings in the pitt of my stomach. You know the one that tells you that something is about to go horribly wrong....[insert creepy music here]

I got 'em!

The date has been set! 16 July 2006! For everyone who has been *dying* to know the wedding date, it is now set. Excluding any unpleasantness (like no visas) the day will go down in history as the most beautiful wedding ever to grace the cooranbong area...or at least a day when Kristin didn't wear black.

Twinkle Twinkle

Star gazing has always interested me. I especially like closer views of heavenly bodies. This weekend looks like the time to see them!

Mars will be making a pass of earth coming a mere 43.1 million miles away. (everybody wave at the martians!)

Now doesn't this pic look like a jack-o-lattern?

Where am I??!

Today is the first day of the rest of your life....or at least I think that is how the quote goes.

today I found out that the visa I wanted to apply for, I am (yet again) unable to apply for. Thus, I am frustrated. I am not sure how to get back to my home. I just want to come home. Why can't the Australian government SEE that!!!

damn terrorist paranoia!

wedding moments

Over the weekend, my sis came to visit. Being that my mum is a very driven person, she decided that even though becky would only be available for one day of shopping, we would spend that day searching for brides maid dresses for becky (as well as luggage for her 2 international trips next year). As many times happens when brides maid dresses are being considered, we went to bridal stores.

I was asked at every one, "are you the bride?"

"Yes" i replied kindly.

"Are you excited?" they would ask.

It is at this point i'm not quite sure how to respond. i mean, the obvious answer isn't the right one, because if it was, they won't have asked the question. so i pondered over which response to make:

"no. its an arranged marriage. i've never met the man."

"not really. my last 3 wedding weren't that exciting either".

"My father sold me to a man for three magic beans, so a wedding isn't as exciting as the beans"

"Yes, but i expect the wedding night to be a real drag!"

What was I thinking?

I've agreed to help my mother by doing some relief teaching for her. While I find the job easy, you will not find me doing this long term. Somehow the idea of spending more than a week with grades 3 & 4 sends chills down my spine (and not in a good way!).

I must congratulate my mother. She has taught these children VERY well. They listen, obey, and think through problems. I'm so proud of them.

Yesterday they started learning about Australia. The books that are available to them seem to portray that NZ and OZ are the same country. One little girl said to me, "I know how to say war dance in Australian. Haka!"

Turn your knob to BOB

As I desperately try to figure out what radio stations play decent music around here (aka ANYTHING besides country) I came across BOB FM. It has a slogan that nearly caused me to run my car into a tree when I heard it.

"Turn your knob to bob!"

Now that phrase may not cause much of stir for Americans but for anyone who has been outside the USA and heard the word "knob" used for parts of the male anatomy, you can imagine my disbelief when I heard it! I couldn't stop laughing!

Sigh...the price you pay for having a slightly different vocab.

Maryhill Museum of art

Who would have believed that a beautiful place like this is nessled in the bleak plains of Washington/Oregon? This is an art museum. A beautiful place!

Here i saw a plethera of Chess sets from all over the world and throughout many different time periods.

I found beautiful carvings/busts/ and paintings that all made me wish i could create great works of art.

Art from Native American Indians were on display, as were historical pieces from Sam Hill, an inventor and thinker in the 1800s. Facinating stuff.

Mini dresses

I definately didn't intend to set off the alarm, but i did. Maryhill museum of art has a collection called theatre de la mode. It features dresses by french designers right after WWII. Very facinating. All the dresses were sewn to fit a miniature doll (see above doll). The buyers would choose their dress after looking at the miniature and the dress would be ordered. This saved on fabric, something that was not readily available.

Now how did i set off the museum alarm?? Simple. By reaching out and touching the hem of the dress of one of the dolls. OOPs! the security guard appeared immediately and shook his finger at me.

"I'm so sorry" i said pitifully. "i wasn't thinking!"

uh DUUUH!

i felt so stupid! It didn't help that the security guard, my mother, AND her friend all were laughing at me.

Born into Brothels

Born into Brothels is a documentary by Zana Briski. It depicts the lives of a few calcutta children who have been born into brothels. Zana teaches these children to take photos. She gives them cameras. She tries to get them out of the brothels and into schools.

It is a powerful story that really moved me. I love how these children see their lives change and are grateful.

It is my hope that i will not only be grateful to the people who have positively changed my life, but also be willing to help change the lives of others for the better.

QUOTE

Over the past weekend i saw old friends and met a few new ones. The best quote of the weekend, though was Jodi's. She saw that her flatmate (who is mildly allergic to nuts) had eaten a chocolate that contained walnuts. Her immediate question was:

"Are you going to die??!!"

Blah blah blah wedding

I think i should change the name of the blog from "where is the justice?" to "where is the wedding?" For some reason my whole world seems to be turned upside down trying to figure out what colour is best for a wedding! oi!

But i thought i would ask a question of my dear readers...

Chris and i have not yet decided on where to have our wedding. we know we want it near Cooranbong so our college friends can come...we also know we DON"T want it in college church...Thus we are stuck trying to decide where we are going to have it. Jillian suggested we have it in the stone chapel at the asylum. "It has a lovely view of the water and kangaroos!"

She's right. it is a lovely view. Beautiful place too...but an asylum???

Any ideas guys?

More Wedding ARG

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Adele brought up an interesting delema. What do we have for music? Finding "just the right music" is hard! how do i know it is "right"? Do we only pick songs we like? cause if we do, we probably won't have many love songs. (sadly, there aren't many i like)

Do we pick the best of the love songs? We we use old or new? oi...i wish chris was here...(or i was there) and we could do this more smoothly...as a team. This sending stuff back and forth is proving to be a real pain.

ARG!

Weddings. they are of the devil. I've only been working on mine for a couple of weeks and already i feel frustrated at them! Lets start with the wedding dress:

Do i want white? off white? white with a pattern?

What colour of white should the bridesmaides where?

Should i order the fabric online or from the store?

Should i order the trim for the dresses now or later?

Should the capes be velvet or satin or just some cheap black fabric?

What sizes should i make the capes?

Should i use the accent colour on the capes?

should i use our accent colour on the dress?

Should i request that the bridesmaides dresses have a hint of the accent colour???

Should they carry flowers or something else?

Should i carry flowers or something else?

And just think...i haven't even gotten to the colour of the table clothes yet:P

Weather Pixies

Just in case anyone is wondering about the differences in the weather pixies, here is what's new with them.

The one on the left still depicts the weather for the Sydney Australia area. The pixie on the right depicts the weather for the Salem, Oregon (USA) area.

Not that I expect anyone to really care, but I wanted to be able to get the weather for both my homes at once.

wedding...

Okay, i've found the PERFECT wedding dress. It is in the form of a pattern. Yes, that is right, i'm making my own wedding dress. This is turning into a real pain in the a$$! Let me give an example.

I go into a fabric store and ask the lady at the counter about a specific fabric. She gives me a blank stare. i re-word the question, "Will this fabric be warm in winter?"

"This is wedding material, dear." she says.

"yes," i reply. "I'm getting married."

"Oh, your getting married in December?" she seems pleased with herself to have guessed my date.

"Um, no. July." I reply.

and we're back to the blank stare.

i'm so proud!

I was chatting to my mum about different places to shop around the area. She told me that Wal-Mart was around but she refused to shop there cause they abused their workers!

I think i must be having some sort of an influence! She is boycotting a company that doesn't support her values! SHE CARES! i feel so proud of her!

Well, my work here is done;)

We need to talk

Okay leaving australia was terrible. One of the hardest things i've ever had to do. But they say that with every cloud comes a silver lining. my silver lining came in the form of Chris. (no he didn't come with me to the USA)

At the airport just before i was ready to start down that long coridor to the security check and further on, the plane, Chris pulled to a quiet cornor of the airport. (surprisingly, there was one!)

"this will do" he said.

He then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I (of COURSE!) said yes.

So now that i'm here in the USA i'm working with mum to make a wedding dress (which is going to be AWESOM!) and counting the days until i can return.

(Note to adele: just cause we're getting married doesn't mean that i get into the country any easier) sigh....

The Flight of Kristin

Well i finally booked my ticket today. It was a painful process. 3 hours of working to find an afordable ticket and figure out how to pay for it. oi!

well, now that it is booked i can report that i will be officially leaving the country on 22 September 2005 at 11:30 am.

The bad news (as if the previous news wasn't bad enough) is the flight itself. for 10 hours i will fly to China. Once i get there i'll have a five hour layover then fly again for 11 hours to that states. Once i reach the states i'll have a couple hour layover in San Fran then spend another 3 hours on a plane to Oregon. (will some one PLEASE shoot me?!)

sadly, this is the better of the two flights i've booked. The return flight is a REAL nightmare. well, maybe not cause i'll have something like 16 hours to get out of the plane, walk around the city...yeah, that i will be nice. I'll get another stamp on my passport!

Isn't life wierd?

Today i woke up early. I didn't recognise the room i was staying in. Probably because i'm at Avondale for the weekend.

I woke up thinking about this trip back to the states.

Will i find work?

Will i be able to further my career?

How much will distance from Chris hurt?

What will my relationship with my Aussie friends be like when i come back?

Is this the best thing for me?

Is this the best thing for my friends?

Is this the best thing for Chris?

There are so many questions. Not enough answers. but life's like that really. (Or maybe its just my life) Lots of questions not many answers. At least not many answers until you ablsolutely need them.

I'll miss it here.

Thank you!

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to thank you all for your prayers. While it doesn't appear that i'll be able to stay in Australia, i do have peace with my decision.

You probably all want to know what that decision is...so here it is... (insert trumpets)

I'm going back to the USA for a few months. I hope to be able to return in a few months time to a job that offers sponsorship. If not well...maybe chris can sponsor me (wink wink)

We considered going to New Zealand (thanks Ben for the offer!) but we decided it would be too expensive to do that for as long as would be required.

I'll miss australia more than words can convey, but i am looking forward to seeing family and old friends again.

Thank you again for your prayers. It is the only thing getting me through this.

Now what??

I opened my mail today to find a letter from the immigration department. I have been refused a visa for further stay in australia.

Now what?

I feel like my heart has been jumped on from a huge height. Who knew i was so in love with a country that detains immigrents in a jailcell??

I could try and fight this...but...can i? i'm not sure i have any options left except to leave.

i need wisdom. Quick everybody PRAY!

i just want to know what to do next...

Genocide

Last night I had a terrible time trying to sleep. In the end, I don't think I slept much at all last night. I kept thinking/dreaming of people being killed.

Reason? I watched Hotel Rwanda yesterday afternoon. It is the true story of some of the happenings of the Rwanda Genocide. I cried. How could a world not care about the killing of millions of people??? Didn't World War II teach us anything??

In 1999 The Guardian reported:
The West must share the responsibility for killings in Rwanda and Bosnia.

Watching the film tore me apart inside. Reading the news articles about it ripped my heart again! Caring about the fact that people hacked eachother up with machetiis requires me to feel! and it hurts badly!

So I'm left with a problem. Do I continue reading these issues. I have very little power to do anything about them. I live in a foreign country and have little or nothing to do with my own. I have no political sway.

If I ignore the cries of these millions of people (because genocide is still happening TODAY) does the blood of the victims fall on me?

Australia...get it right

Australia is often misunderstood. Even in uncyclopedia it is completely taken out of context.

Check it out!

Mars and Snickers on the loose!

It wasn't long ago that Mars and Snickers bars were taken off the shelves of Australia. Now, they're back

If it weren't for the fact that i'm now scared forever into believing that candybars are easily tampered with, i might go out and buy one to celebrate....

then again, i might just go out and buy one anyway.

Adventism and social justice

I was reading an article in the Review today about 4 Adventist friends (two African Americans, one Caucasian, one Latino) in the 1960s who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. They marched to make a stand against the racism in their country.

The official church stance on racism at the time was, "don't get involved". These four men where discouraged from marching, they were discouraged from socialising together, they were discouraged from being friends. But they were and they did.

Over the years, many of these men have distanced themselves (to varying degrees) from the denomination due to the churches reactions to their stand on racism.

Today, the church (as a denomination) has a "no comment" stand on social justice. Many of the members (aka The Church) have made pro-active comments about the need to support social justice in the world. Their efforts are noticed and appreciated by those of us who often feel distanced from their denomination.

But without an official stance from the denomination, we are seen as renegades of our religion by those outside our faith.

Our faith will continue to challenge us to act. That won't change. But a little support might be nice....

Please send more help

I was asked to write a quick letter to a friend outlining the best and worst of my highschool. It took me almost no time at all to remember the worst thing my highschool ever did, asking Mr. Fignole to leave.

He was an amazing teacher. He was my handbell teacher. He taught rhythm and music...But mostly he taught us respect. We respected him and he respected us. Sadly, he was not the most loved teacher in the music department.

Due to some shady dealings on the part of some of the richer families, this man was asked to leave the High School. Well...Asked to leave is a bit harsh, "his contract was not renewed".

The school let go of a man who had more experience in music than ANY teacher we had yet been introduced to. Sadly, the new teacher to replace him was a fresh graduate with very little expirience compared to Fignole. We missed him terribly...we eventually grew to like our new music teacher...although for myself, i never was able to appreciate him like i appreciated Fignole.

So where ever you are, Mr. Fignole, here's to you! You are great, just like you've always been!

Coma

There was a report on the news last night about a woman who woke up from a 20 year coma. According to the report she had knowledge of events and music that happened while in that comma. Immediately, the news reporter used this as evidence that we shouldn't "be so quick" to let a coma patient die.

BULLOCKS I say. For every one person that wakes up after 20 plus years there are hundreds more who NEVER wake up. There are two reasons this story made news here:

1. We just had a person die because they were taken off the machines instead of being forced to continue living. Therefore, it comments on current events

2. But mostly it adds fuel to the debate. It says that the hope that someone will wake up should be enough to pay thousands and thousands of dollars because one day, they might wake up! And if you don't do this, your being cruel because the person is still inside that being, although science and medicine both say there isn't much brain activity happening there.

Being that this is my blog and I like to mix things up...Try this on for size.

Even if there is a person who is aware in that comatose state, is it fair to the family to go through the mental trauma of having a family member but not having them? Is it fair to the children in the family to have the expense of a family member in hospital put upon them? Is it fair keep a spirit captured inside the brain with any way of expressing itself?

Maybe all these things are nothing. Maybe if I were put into a situation I would feel differently...But for now, I tend to think that death is better than a comatose life...For the patient and the family!

Islam...

Have you ever thought that your country should be ruled closer to the principles of goodness? It isn't a foreign concept. Most people want their government to do good things for the people. They want their government to be moral.

The Islamic political group, Hizb Ut-Tahrir has the following purpose:

To revive the Islamic Ummah from the severe decline that it had reached, and to liberate it from the thoughts, systems and laws of Kufr, as well as the domination and influence of the Kufr states. It also aims to restore the Islamic Khilafah State so that the ruling by what Allah (swt) revealed returns.

In the United States there is a Christian political group called, The National Reform Association. Its mission is:

to maintain and promote in our national life the Christian principles of civil government

In Australia, the Christian Democratic Party says,

The Christian Democratic Party has for over twenty years represented the concerns of people who support Christian values, schools and caring institutions, family life, and who uphold the importance of the Commonwealth Constitution.

Now, explain to me the difference between "Christian Values" and "Islamic Values". Much of their Bible is shared, so the values can't be THAT different.

No matter the similarities, it is still Hizb Ut-Tahrir that is under investigation. Is the investigation a necessity? Maybe...But you won't find as many resources going into the Christian activists who are trying to liberate Chapel Corby. They aren't a threat...They don't post threats, attack Embassies, or speak in hate-filled terms. Not like those damn Muslims!

Quick update

I'm busting my butt keeping out of trouble, moving chris into a new house in sydney, working, and occationally looking for real work. But you can read all about it by clicking HERE

Immigrating...

I feel, being an American citizen, that I have the right to point out the stupidities of my country.

As a temporary resident of Australia, I feel I have no rights what-so-ever to point out that their immigration system is one of the most difficult frustrating systems I've ever encountered.

When a call is placed to the immigration office the person on the other end of the phone either is super HARSH or has an accent so thick you struggle to determine if he said hello or f*ck off.

This of course is contrasted with the "hold" operator who continually mentions how happy Australia is to have people apply to stay within their borders.

In the end, I bang my head against the wall to make sense of it all. This works, a concussion seems to help it all make sense!

But like I've said before, I'm only a temporary resident and have no rights what-so-ever to point to their flaws.

Walking...

Torture. It demoralises a person. Makes them less then human, in their own eyes and in the eyes of their torturers as well.

So why do we* allow this to happen?

I don't' know. But we do. We turn a blind eye to it. We create an environment where we can take advantage of people whom we fear.

From Australia's refugee detention facilities, to America's Guantanamo Bay, we continue to accept that our governments, while making a few mistakes, still have our best interest in mind.

But do they? By locking up people in places we would NEVER willingly send any family member to, they are perpetuating myths about other cultures. We are perpetuating fear of that culture. We are raising children to fear and hate others who have a different religion.

Is this really in the best interest of our society?





*we being humans from western countries

What are we?

Australia has a refugee problem. This problem consists of people who claim to be refugees coming into the country and just EXPECTING the government to accept their cry for asylum.

The Australian Government has decided that the best way to combat these "so-called-refugees" is to lock them up until they end up in a mental institution then give them a temporary visa that states, as soon as the government can find somewhere else to send them, they have the right to deport them there!

I know the immigration department claims it is making it easier for those in detention centres to get a visa and get out, but this is ridiculous! By the time they are possibly getting this new visa, they have already been in detention for too long! Then, once they have this new visa, they must deal with the prospect of being kicked out as soon as the government deems it fit for them to go back to their country. If I were these people, I would DEFINITELY be worried that the government might decide that its safe to go home too soon.

Perhaps I shouldn't be critising the place I'm hoping to live for the next couple of years. But I'm happy to stop critising when they stop treating refugees like criminals!

Bono & me (part 1)

This is U2's lead singer, Bono. He is one of the biggest campaingers for world peace.

Bono & Me (part 2)

So in my attempts to bring about world peace, i've taken to dressing like Bono. The more people that look like him the more peace we can inspire. (that's how it works, right?)

Scalping

What is happening to this world??

In my home town of Boise, Idaho a woman has scalped, thats right SCAPLED!, a teenage girl.

It appears that the teenager offended the woman in some way and she made plans to remove the teenage girl's mohock. When she didn't have a raser for the job, she took out her knife and decided, "heck, why not take the whole thing off!" So off came the hair AND skin!

Okay, it may not have happened like that, but i'm appauled!

It is said that humanity is only 2 meals away from barbarianism. After an action like this, i'm starting to think they might be right!

Watch for falling rocks

Top 7 things i hate in the World:

7. Hatred
6. War
5. Corupt Politics
4. AIDS
3. Poverty
2. Death
1. Selfishness

Top 5 Things I love in this World

5. Dreams
4. Love
3. Hope
2. Forgiveness
1. Compassion

The list of hates is long, but i believe the list of love is 10 times stronger. It is through our hopes, dreams, forgiveness, and compassion that the world can be change. It is our choice to make the effort. Will you?

Bush & Justice?

In the wake of the London bombings US President George W. Bush, speaking at the G8 summit, told reporters: "We will not yield to these terrorists, we will find them, we will bring them to justice."



But what would the justice be?? Would it be the kind of justice that is currently being served at Guantánamo Bay?


It seems that this is the only sentence that Bush EVER says. He is always claiming to "not yield", "find", "bring to justice". But let's think about this. Has those responsible for the World Trade Center attacks ever really been found? Short answer, no. Has he brought anyone to justice?...Well...No. (note: torture is not a form of justice). Has he yielded? No, he has instead spread terror and fear throughout the middle east and brought stronger prejudices to the West.

Lastly, I would like to point out that London is not the territories of the USA. Bush has no right to be the police for another country. Let England do what it wants to do as far as "justice" goes.

But let me add this one thing to the USA and to England...Please remember that Torture is NOT a form of justice. I support the need to capture and prosecute those responsible, but do so with mercy and love. Let this set us apart from the terrorists.

Live 8

Did anyone see the Live 8 concerts the other night? Sadly, I was only able to watch the highlights of them due to the lack of cable television here in the dormitory.

Wow! I couldn't believe so many bands, so many people, so much money was spent, just to get the G8 to take notice that there are starving people who could benefit from some fairer trade.

I suppose the next few days will determine what happens. Can we actually begin the process of making poverty history???

I pray we do!

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
----------
"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten
we belong to each other."

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

Mahatma Gandhi
----------
"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
----------
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

-------------------

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.