Zézette and baby sister Sally, Dicky Beach. It wasn't easy to stay upright in the wind wearing that elaborate headpiece, hence the sibling support.
23 October 2005
21 October 2005
Long and Winding Road
Do you ever find yourself slapped in the metaphorical face by the wet fish of How the hell did I end up here, doing this?
It's been gnawing at me today. I've spent the last week or more hunched over my computer at work doing the dull, fiddly, shitty layout for the financial section of my organisation's annual report, using the utmost force of will to actually remain at my desk and not run off, yowling, into the street and away. How did this happen? "Graphic Designer" is supposed to be a glamorous job title, dammit! What would the twelve-year-old me think if she could see me in a cheap, ugly office, surrounded by a litter of paper and coffee cups, swearing at the screen and grinding my teeth? Actually, the desktop detritus wouldn't have been a surprise to her at all, truth be told, but earning a living doing something that brings me periodically to the brink of either tears or violence? The poor wee kid would have been heartbroken.
It's odd, the winding path we take throughout our lives, don't you think? God knows the one that's lead me here has had many unexpected turns; I could have ended up anywhere. Mine's not been so bad at all, really... not now that I've finishing that fucking layout, anyway.
It's been gnawing at me today. I've spent the last week or more hunched over my computer at work doing the dull, fiddly, shitty layout for the financial section of my organisation's annual report, using the utmost force of will to actually remain at my desk and not run off, yowling, into the street and away. How did this happen? "Graphic Designer" is supposed to be a glamorous job title, dammit! What would the twelve-year-old me think if she could see me in a cheap, ugly office, surrounded by a litter of paper and coffee cups, swearing at the screen and grinding my teeth? Actually, the desktop detritus wouldn't have been a surprise to her at all, truth be told, but earning a living doing something that brings me periodically to the brink of either tears or violence? The poor wee kid would have been heartbroken.
It's odd, the winding path we take throughout our lives, don't you think? God knows the one that's lead me here has had many unexpected turns; I could have ended up anywhere. Mine's not been so bad at all, really... not now that I've finishing that fucking layout, anyway.
15 October 2005
Happy 80th Birthday, Margaret Thatcher.
Do you weep Mrs. Thatcher do you weep?
Do you weep Mrs. Thatcher, in your sleep?
Do you weep like a willow on your Marks & Spencer's pillow,
With 3 million on the brain, will they ever work again?
Do you weep Mrs Thatcher, do you weep?
- Adrian Mole.
The Iron Lady's birthday should give us pause for reflection -- under a Coalition-controlled Senate Australia could well be on the brink of something similar to that which Britain endured throughout the Eighties. While I doubt that we'll go to war over a small colonial outpost -- though they could turn up oil under the Cocos-Keeling Islands, you never know -- the union-breaking and welfare cuts have already begun. I wonder what odds Centrebet is giving the introduction of Poll Tax in under 18 months?
12 October 2005
Does This Meme I'm Needy?
I've never really taken to the meme thing, but this one from Paul's blog rather tickled me. The idea of this one is to google "[your name] needs" and pick the first few results.
Just realised Christmas is just around the corner and you've no idea what to get Zézette again this year? Then you may be interested to know that:
Just realised Christmas is just around the corner and you've no idea what to get Zézette again this year? Then you may be interested to know that:
- Zézette needs to know about the group
- ...but we can show compassion to someone like Zézette who needs our immediate help...
- Zézette needs more than the traditional basic Speech, Occupation & Physical therapy.
- Zézette needs a babysitter to transport her kids from Portland to Vancouver
- Zézette needs her own iPod (I didn't make this up, I swear.)
- Zézette needs to move them to the bathtub to drain and refill the pond.
- Zézette needs hundreds of dollars worth of dental work
- Zézette needs a shadow for her own protection
- Zézette needs information
- Tim needs a theme
- Tim needs your love, just like any young man his age
- Cheryl needs a lot of help
- Cheryl needs a chrome pole and a garter so folks of that kind can place dollar bills in it.
- Mike is in need of a date
- Mike needs your 10 bucks
- Sally Needs to do More Shows
- Sally needs Joe's permission to transform plants using Joe's vectors
- Wendy needs cordyline help
- Wendy needs to KNIT
- Pauline needs lots of advice to deal with her two romantic interests, Nick and Jagger.
- Pauline needs healing miracles and financial help .You can pray for her and help if you can.
9 October 2005
Pain Relief
Today I stand tall today as an Australian. It's been a while. Racism, detention of asylum seekers, sucking up to Bush, homophobia, shameful Indigenous health and welfare statistics, appalling treatment of Cornelia Rau and Vivienne Solon by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs*, a massive jump in HIV infections, driving down of minimum wages, removal of unions powers.... there hasn't been a great deal to be any less than downright ashamed of, or so it's felt.
So it was with a great lightening of the heart I read two noteworthy items recently:
1) The Nobel Prize for Medicine awarded to two Australian researchers, and
2) The Andrew Olle Media Lecture delivered by John Doyle.
Professor Barry Marshall and Dr Robin Warren discovered twenty-three years ago that stomach ulcers are caused by a bacterium, readily treatable (in most cases) with a simple course of antibiotics. The best part of this story is that Professor Marshall was so determined to prove his case to a sceptical science community that he actually swallowed a solution contaning the bacterium and subsequently developed an ulcer. It's not only artists who suffer for their passion.
It's less than a decade since another Australian researcher has been awarded a Nobel: Dr Peter Doherty, immunologist and jolly nice chap, for his investigation into how the immune system recognises virus-infected cells.
Science is strong in this country... up to a point. The desire and skill in undoubtedly there, yet our government, in its wisdom, creates few new research opportunities, financially cripples universities and makes tertiary education prohibitively expensive. This is done in the name of "economy", yet the pharmaceutical industry alone shows just how profitable good, well-funded research can be. Not that I'm an advocate of science-for-profit, mind you; I still harbour lofty ideals such as investigation for the sheer beauty of it, for the advancement of culture and betterment of life. But, if it's dollars that talk, you could do worse on your investment than plough a substantial chunk into education, grants and funding for innovative and creative institutions for research.
So, to the Andrew Olle Lectures. For the young players, Andrew Olle was a wonderful, personable, bright and much-loved ABC journalist who died suddenly of a brain tumour in 1995.** The lecture was founded in 1996 in memorial.
I always try to catch the lecture; it's invariably given by an articulate and intelligent speaker, and this year continues that tradition. This year, the speaker is John Doyle.
John Doyle is well-known for rambunctious inuendo-riddled sports commentary in his Rampaging Roy Slaven persona, but less so in the mainstream population as a keen-eyed critic of Australian society. I think a bit of the more biting humour of the old Roy and HG days was lost in between the meat trays and Dean Martin breaks. I was tempted to give a running commentary of the lecture, but have decided instead to restrain myself and only leave you with a small sample of his words plus a couple of links and urge you to at least have a quick browse at what you find there.
I love my country desperately, but the behaviour I've been seeing from its government, media and citizens of late has been shameful. Heartbreaking. A couple of medical researchers and a comedian/radio announcer/writer have reminded me today of some of the truly wonderful qualities in our currently flailing culture: humour, criticism of authority, irreverence, innovation, a spirit of inquiry, persistance, compassion.
It's a welcome relief.
*just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?
**I was shocked to learn while researching this that it was so long ago.
So it was with a great lightening of the heart I read two noteworthy items recently:
1) The Nobel Prize for Medicine awarded to two Australian researchers, and
2) The Andrew Olle Media Lecture delivered by John Doyle.
Professor Barry Marshall and Dr Robin Warren discovered twenty-three years ago that stomach ulcers are caused by a bacterium, readily treatable (in most cases) with a simple course of antibiotics. The best part of this story is that Professor Marshall was so determined to prove his case to a sceptical science community that he actually swallowed a solution contaning the bacterium and subsequently developed an ulcer. It's not only artists who suffer for their passion.
It's less than a decade since another Australian researcher has been awarded a Nobel: Dr Peter Doherty, immunologist and jolly nice chap, for his investigation into how the immune system recognises virus-infected cells.
Science is strong in this country... up to a point. The desire and skill in undoubtedly there, yet our government, in its wisdom, creates few new research opportunities, financially cripples universities and makes tertiary education prohibitively expensive. This is done in the name of "economy", yet the pharmaceutical industry alone shows just how profitable good, well-funded research can be. Not that I'm an advocate of science-for-profit, mind you; I still harbour lofty ideals such as investigation for the sheer beauty of it, for the advancement of culture and betterment of life. But, if it's dollars that talk, you could do worse on your investment than plough a substantial chunk into education, grants and funding for innovative and creative institutions for research.
So, to the Andrew Olle Lectures. For the young players, Andrew Olle was a wonderful, personable, bright and much-loved ABC journalist who died suddenly of a brain tumour in 1995.** The lecture was founded in 1996 in memorial.
I always try to catch the lecture; it's invariably given by an articulate and intelligent speaker, and this year continues that tradition. This year, the speaker is John Doyle.
John Doyle is well-known for rambunctious inuendo-riddled sports commentary in his Rampaging Roy Slaven persona, but less so in the mainstream population as a keen-eyed critic of Australian society. I think a bit of the more biting humour of the old Roy and HG days was lost in between the meat trays and Dean Martin breaks. I was tempted to give a running commentary of the lecture, but have decided instead to restrain myself and only leave you with a small sample of his words plus a couple of links and urge you to at least have a quick browse at what you find there.
Right on, John!
The fact is, as Lachlan Murdoch pointed out in his address here, the media is a business, and if going low sells, then let’s mine really low. Lachlan’s remarkable thesis seemed to be that elite opinion is to be avoided at all cost. What is preferred is opinion that fuels nationalism. And profits made serve to improve the systems of delivery of information to consumers – colour printing and the like. What is overlooked is that, in the end, delivery and delivery systems are meaningless. Content is all that matters. Rubbish is still rubbish be it on an old 21inch black and white HMV or in high definition through the digital set top box. The Beatles and the Stones sounded great through the crystal set attached to the iron frame of my bed as a ten year old. As for elites: well it’s best to encourage worship at the feet of sporting elites, for those who dabble in elite thought may well come to conclusions that are at odds with the prevailing wisdom within the culture of the organization. And while on the one hand the Murdoch organization bleats on about its abhorrence of political correctness and the need to enshrine freedom of speech and opinion, on the other, when dealing with China, is quite sanguine about removing the BBC channel from its Star service because the opinions expressed might upset the burghers of Beijing.
But to give it its due News Limited is digging its heels in regarding Freedom Of Information laws. And is supportive of two journalists who are under threat of gaol for not revealing their sources over a leaked government document. The time has come for a bill of rights.
(Full transcript , selected excerpts on Paul's blog and audio download)
I love my country desperately, but the behaviour I've been seeing from its government, media and citizens of late has been shameful. Heartbreaking. A couple of medical researchers and a comedian/radio announcer/writer have reminded me today of some of the truly wonderful qualities in our currently flailing culture: humour, criticism of authority, irreverence, innovation, a spirit of inquiry, persistance, compassion.
It's a welcome relief.
*just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?
**I was shocked to learn while researching this that it was so long ago.
5 October 2005
Centre of My Own Universe
Oh, I'm a popular lass, I am, I am. I'd never realised this before, being a rather solitary type, but I have to tell you my Inbox is busier than Fridays at Flinders Street Station. There's nothing else for it: people love me.
Here are just a few of the admirers I have to thank for my new-found and jubilant recognition of social worth:
That's the thing about life at the top of the tree; there's always some monkey trying to knock you down.
Here are just a few of the admirers I have to thank for my new-found and jubilant recognition of social worth:
- Inconspicuousness J. Headfirst
- Giannini Bellantoni Boutros Bielecki
- Green Rad Maurio Rose
- Pennig Munoz Molokov Wolfgang
- Botner Holly
- Oyarzun Sommer Hung Novikov
- Radulescu Iulian
- Prinz Thompson Dimitrov Glasson
- Vasilica Trammell
- Colston Castro Sanusi Elhawat
- Garrido Kartashov Scribante Powell
- George Aguinaldo Bokuchava Salois
- Counterrevolution Q. Containment
- Gennady Stickle
- Fiddlers D. Alphabetically
- Sanusi Danlas Chuks
- Disgleirio Cohrs
That's the thing about life at the top of the tree; there's always some monkey trying to knock you down.
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