I am back,
thank you to those who might have missed me.

Imagine this:

I ran a breast cancer awareness brunch yesterday. at the local hotel (restaraunt)
it is a funny wee town. you never know who is going to come to events that are planned, and suddenly there it was....40 women arrived and between us we raised $1500. Not too shabby.
I know we can find a cure.

I am running another breakfast later this month at the school.

Movember is next month, so maybe if I stopped waxing? but then again I don't have a prostate.

the quandry continues

If I don't believe the same things that you do, does that mean one of us is wrong.

I wouldn't be, couldn't be wrong, as my belief is what makes me who I am. I think I just figured out how wars are started.

I am still puzzling over the healing issue. If I am a healer, and someone doesn't agree with me, does that mean I have the right to withdraw my healing? Isn't healing something that is done regardless of race colour and creed, and if the other persons creed is that they accept their condition, does that give me the right to withdraw the healing that I have to give.

healing and health

I am in a quandry.
I know I haven't written for a while, and things just move on without you, but I have been having some serious thoughts mainly about the concept of healing

Perhaps there is someone out there in blog land who might be interested in responding.

If we are to heal, and we have a condition, a dis ease that is affecting the normal function of our bodies, we are given choices. Some of those choices might include "alternative" choices, others western medicine, or a combination of all sources of healing.

I know that there are some who think it has to be one extreme or the other, all western, or nothing, others think that it has to be all natural....

My quandry lies not in those decisions, but in the "acceptance" or the ignoring of a condition, or simply the acknowledgement. All have an emotional response attached to them, and with that in mind, I am not looking for an ANSWER, but simply a point of view.

My questions come from a discussion that I had with a healer. I was told by this person that a third person was no longer being treated because they had accepted their condition, and in doing so had negated any chance of healing....I am not sure what I think of this.

tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow

I went and hard a tarot reading today. I love a good tarot reading, makes you realise your desires.
He was very good.
Funny the things you find when you aren't looking for them LOL

So there I was sitting there and a friend of mine walked in the cafe, and I told her about the tarot reading, and the bloke sitting beside her turned out to be a masseuse, I need a massage, and he said if I bought him a tarot reading, then he would give me a massage.....well....who can pass that up. LOL

So Monday I get a massage.

massage and love

I suppose that I should start with the idea of massage.
I am a Reiki master. I learnt massage after I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, and through my learning of how my body works I learnt how to assist others to "heal"
Today I have been massaging a lady who has parkinsons. I have looked up parkinsons on the net, and I have taken this from parkinsons.org

Parkinson's disease is one of a larger group of neurological conditions called motor system disorders. Historians have found evidence of the disease as far back as 5000 B.C. It was first described as "the shaking palsy" in 1817 by British doctor James Parkinson. Because of Parkinson's early work in identifying symptoms, the disease came to bear his name.

In the normal brain, some nerve cells produce the chemical dopamine, which transmits signals within the brain to produce smooth movement of muscles. In Parkinson's patients, 80 percent or more of these dopamine-producing cells are damaged, dead, or otherwise degenerated. This causes the nerve cells to fire wildly, leaving patients unable to control their movements. Symptoms usually show up in one or more of four ways:

• tremor, or trembling in hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face
• rigidity, or stiffness of limbs and trunk
• bradykinesia, or slowness of movement
• postural instability or impaired balance and coordination.

Though full-blown Parkinson's can be crippling or disabling, experts say early symptoms of the disease may be so subtle and gradual that patients sometimes ignore them or attribute them to the effects of aging. At first, patients may feel overly tired, "down in the dumps," or a little shaky. Their speech may become soft and they may become irritable for no reason. Movements may be stiff, unsteady, or unusually slow.

through our shared experience of massage, now this lady is awakaning an awareness of her body. There is a joy in the sorrow, in the mourning, and the inability to exress anger. Life is always harder for someone else when you take the time to have a look.

back again

well I went back in again, Darwin, gee I miss my chair and my bed when I go in...the home comforts are wonderful LOL

somethings are bigger than the sum of us

I have been involved in the relay for life. I sang at the candlelight ceremony, and I played games with the walkers, trying to get a theme song for all the teams. I had fun.
the relay for life is a charity event that is raising money for a cure for cancer.

tests tests and more tests

I am heading back into Darwin for more tests,
a full body scan (such comfort)
and xrays of hands feet pelvis back and knees.
then a couple of litres of blood.

leaps and bounds

Now I am prednisone I feel that I could take over the world.

Suddenly I have energy....but I know it is not for long, cos I am going off it again in three weeks. Not on a high dose, but you know all about it...makes a wham when you you used to have taps.

back to teaching music again.
Have the timetable sorted, and the rooms booked.
It is a good life, a good place to live.

who knows who

I read Widgets post, and did the personality test too

Your personality tendencies in a nutshell...
You enjoy making plans and commitments but you sometimes don't follow through. You are curious about many different things and highly value artistic expressions and ingenious thoughts. You are calm and logical for the most part, but some things worry you more than others. You are always polite and respectful toward others and avoid confrontation even to the point of being gullible. You show some tendency toward being outgoing and sociable.


About those "Casual" and "Disciplined" bubbles... Conscientiousness is not one of your defining traits, meaning that you are neither anal retentive nor anal expulsive. What does that mean? In a nutshell, you keep it together fairly well, but you do not suffer too much if you let things fall through the cracks every once in a while. If you make plans with a friend, chances are good that you will show up at the designated time. Then again, something better may come up or you just might forget. Either way, you're good. Another possibility is that you are very conscientious about some things, but more relaxed about other things. For example, you might demand the utmost rigor and discipline in your scholarly/work life, but keep your home looking like a garage sale gone terribly awry, with various articles of clothing and personal belonging strewn about. Where's Fido? Hopefully he hasn't been eaten by the alien life that has developed since the last cleaning.

About that "Alternative" bubble... You are intellectually curious, imaginative, and literary. I do believe the technical term is "artsy fartsy." When reading poetry, the images may move you until you quiver with delight, or perhaps quivering from all of the espresso that you've been drinking. Speaking of caffeine, it would not be a big surprise if you indulged in other substances to heighten your senses. After all, whoever heard of creative geniuses who were sober? Freud was a coke-head, Hemingway was a fall-down drunk, and Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul to the devil, probably while high on wacky tabacky. You have quite the active fantasy life and are often in la la land, earning you the well-deserved nickname "space cadet" from your loved ones. Mostly, you're a lot of fun to hang out with because you're always game for whatever idea your non-medicated (but should be) friend has in mind. The next time someone suggests that you streak naked in the dead of winter, do think twice, or at least wear some mittens.

About those "Unemotional" and "Neurotic" bubbles... To quote the Hershey chocolate company, "sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't." That pretty much sums up your score on the trait of emotional stability. There are times when you feel such intensity of emotions, mostly negative, that you just want to lie down and spend the day thinking about how you can score Prozac. In other contexts (like when you are on your meds), you feel just fine - calm, happy, ready to face the day. The emotions cancel each other out and you look like you are dealing with life fairly well statistically. Another possibility for your middle scores on emotional stability is that some things push your button more than others and when your buttons get pushed, you stress and freak. What's that I hear? Is that your mom calling? For the most part though, you are the epitome of grace under pressure.

About that "Cooperative" bubble... You are such a nice person that people often wonder if there's something darker lurking beneath the surface. Your Eddie Haskell, "Gee, you look really nice today, Mrs. Cleaver" behavior may make some people wonder what it is that you're really after, but then they realize that you're the real deal and they plot to take advantage of your kindness. After all, you also tend to believe that most people are trustworthy and honest so you would fall for just about any ruse. I'll warn you now, don't give away any of your savings to phone psychics or in-laws with big plans to strike it rich. Your tenderness makes you a big sucker for anything that might tug at your heart strings. It would not be surprising if you've sent money off to Ethiopia to save the starving children or at the very least, donated to your local homeless person down the street. In short, you're a sweet, kind person and you should never change.

About that "Extraverted" bubble... I have a friend who can strike up a conversation with anyone: Nobel Peace prize nominees and winners, muppets, sanitation workers, perfect strangers, my crazy uncle Harry. My friend is a bona-fide extravert. Your scores indicate that while you tend to be extraverted, you also have some degree of reserve. Perhaps in some situations, you prefer to say less or maybe you have duct tape over your mouth. Either way, you may save your high energy for the situations when you have a need or desire to be "on" and your quiet moments for those with whom you feel most comfortable.

aha the meme tag

I think I have done this right, I have to linkwidget.....will have to work out how to do this, AAAH I DID IT!!!

Now here are the rules........


1. Link the person who tagged you
2. Mention the rules on your blog
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them & leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they have been tagged.

Six things about me

*I love salty plums.

* I am starting to work in oils. I have been afraid of oils for a while, but I have started using the water based oils....HUGE difference....I love them. Texture in the brush strokes....I love it.


* I am a Reiki Master. I can sense energy, I use the energy in my artwork....the painting at the bottom of the page, and this one were worked using the energy from Reiki, most of the paintings that work in this manner are the ones that sell.

*I really want to get back to work, outside of the house, but I just can't seem to get there. I work part time, which is great, but I can't manage full time, I fall in a heap. I get jealous of people who can work full time and then bitch about it.

*When I worked as a nurse I worked in palliative care. I helped people to understand death. I did this to work out why someone close to me died. I went to the opposite end of the scale, midwifery at the end of my nursing career. I didn't finish the course, as I got pregnant, and I stabbed my hand with an unsheathed needle in the middle 80's (right at the beginning of AIDS, and it was a fearful thing...remember that ad? the death figure bowling a ball....) So I stopped being a nurse.

*I became a teacher for the holidays...I know I know, it isn't true...but it was a good thought for the holidays to be around with the kids. I trained as an early childhood teacher/music, full time, I had my second daughter in my first year of study....and my son in my third year of study. I took my babies with me to class...and they were a hit. I used an ultrasound of my son to predict his coding (DNA and recessive traits in facial features (mainly))

well well well

Take the Quiz here!

time flies

aint it funny how time flies, even when you aren't looking?
Suddenly you are older than you were, and you feel the same inside, but outside it got different?
My lord my body hurts today.

cooking cooking cooking

so we were in the Mediterranean Sea, and I went to Mexico....chili con carne....mmmmmmm
I served it with corn chips, avocado, tomatoes, sour cream, chili seasoning.....trouble was I cooked the meal, and they all went out. The dog LOVED dinner than night.

So from Mexico we have gone to America. Hot dogs tonight. I am grilling some, serving with the trimmings. onions, cheese, mustard, tomato sauce (ketchup) with a bit of salad...not the best meal, but the boy was in charge of the menu tonight.

home again...again

I came home again from another trip to Darwin.
Have to go in again, again and then again again....wonder why science fiction devises don't work in the real world...you know "beam me up scotty" LOL that would be fun.

It has been really busy in Darwin lately. Hard to get a room. Had to go and stay at the Y. So many people, so much happening, and then the wet comes and nothing. I suppose it is hotter than normal, it is funny seeing all the locals slopping around in jumpers and jeans, and tourists in shorts.

Darwin is a funny town, it wants to be big, but it doesn't quite get there. It has improved since we first moved here, you can have a parcel delivered within two days now....not the week that it used to take. The airport is airconditioned now, and not the tin shed on the army base. It is still isolated, but nowhere near to what it used to be.

If you want to persuade a woman, look straight at her

If you want to persuade a woman, look straight at her

from Cognitive Daily

[This article was originally published in April, 2007]

There is a considerable body of research showing that eye contact is a key component of social interaction. Not only are people more aroused when they are looked at directly, but if you consistently look at the person you speak to, you will have much more social influence over that person than you would if you averted your gaze.

The problem arises when you address a group of people. How do you pick who to engage visually? Most public speakers are encouraged to look around the room, alternating eye contact with individuals in the audience. But there's no way to look at everyone at once -- so some of your potential social influence will by necessity be lost.

Now, a team led by Jeremy Bailenson has figured out a way to get around that limitation. In a virtual reality environment, there is no need for the representations of other people to be consistent. Since each individual's virtual experience is generated separately, in a "room" full of people, each person could experience the phenomenon of everyone else looking at them. Everyone can be the center of attention, all at the same time!

In the figure, person A believes that both B and C are looking at her. But in C's virtual world, both A and B could be shown as looking at her instead.

Bailenson's team wanted to see if they could use this method to allow one person to increase his or her influence over more than one other person simultaneously, by programming her "avatar" -- the virtual representation of herself -- to be looking directly at each of the others.

dinner dinner dinner

I love to cook.
I really hate the process of deciding what to cook. It drives me mad.
So I have taken up cooking in regions.
Currently I am swimming in the Mediterranean Sea....
I love to cook.....
But there are still problems
The kitchen is SO SMALL, and we only have electric....so I have a small camp gas ring...electic pan, electric fan forced oven flat grill, rice cooker slow cooker and microwave. I have devised a system of shelves that I have put up, and I top the sinks with boards and just go for it....
Add to that that I sometimes have trouble bending, so I tend to put things just below waist level, and the bottom shelves are sort of dregs of kitchen society!

Cooking is a bit of an emotional experience for me. I love love love cooking. I just wish I could pass this love onto the kids....they see it as a bit of chore.

Night before last I made a Neapolitan fettuccine. I usually make my own pasta. I mix the dough in the bread maker, and my daughter and I roll the pasta through the machine. It is a family moment. LOL

Last night I made moussaka, egg plant, meat sauce, béchamel sauce. It is a good meal, and the newer egg plants are easier to prepare, but I sliced them lengthwise, so the fussy eaters were having a hard time with them. It was really really nice.

Tonight I made Yiros.

The shop is being revamped so they don't have all the normal things....so I found chick peas. but couldn't find tahini, so I roasted some sesame seeds, and put them through a blender....good lord I think I have gone mad. I made Tzatiski, and had slow cooked lamb steaks in Cinnamon, bay leaves, rosemary, garlic peppers....I had to get the MOTH (Man of the house) who was at a talkfest in Darwin, to pick up some lebanese bread....He rings me from the supermarket "they don't have it" "NO NO, " says I "go three ailse to the left and there they are" "are not" says he, walking the directions I gave him... "Huh" says he, "greek bread..." hmmm I either spend too much time shopping or I am psychic....

I am going to have to have left overs tomorrow night....

home again home again jiggidy jig

Had an interesting time in Darwin...saw all the people who say they want to see me again...of course. takes a lot to get me in focus. LOL

But went to the BEST oils workshop I have been to in AGES. used water based oils, which takes away half the problems with the ventialtion. Experimentation is the best thing....like playing with new blocks.

still sore and sorry. it can only get better. The knees are the worst thing at the moment. Both are so swollen...they look angry. I don't think they are, but I think that they could very well be, I would be if I hurt that much LOL

tis a long weekend this weekend here, Darwin Show Day, then another one the next weekend for Picnic day.

one of the men in my life.

thank you for your support. I headed to the yahoo group, thank you for that.

I am heading into "town" 3ookms up the road, to see my rheumy; my dentist; my optomotrist; have a mammogram; have a facial (mmmmmm) I am going in tomorrow, to do an Oils Workshop, that should be great, I miss talking art.
I am staying at the YWCA, so I have packed the amusements (PSP(I can only play one game... LOL and one movie!), MP3, Radio. Books) Hmmmm. wonder what I would do without technology.

I love going into town,
I don't go in that often by myself anymore, I ususally head in with my husband and stay at the Casino. It is tough when you have to FORCE the man to take time off....

The poor man is a serial workaholic. SEVEN days a week, and usually TWELVE hours a day. He works in the mine, and is a superintedant of the mill (best yorkshire accent) "...trouble at mill" He has worked there for fourteen years, he has taken a TOTAL of TEN WEEKS vacation in that time. There have been reasons for this. The last time he asked for time off he was refused, and the time before that and the time before that.....and this is because he is really really good at his job. I wish he wasn't, then he would just come home and switch off. He NEVER talks about work at home....neither do I.....and no one really understands why I know nothing about it! He does tell me that things are going to busy, this usually means that he might leave for work at 4.00am. He comes home, I cook him dinner and he falls asleep....small wonder he doesn't talk about work. Que sera, sera!

Chronic Pain

I am having a whinge.
I need to.
I don't usually talk about it, but it has been driving me mad.

I have psoriatic arthiritis. I take a number of medications that at the moment don't seem to be working, personally I call them my poisons, as they are taken to prevent the immune system from attacking itself. The goal of treatment for psoriatic arthritis is to control inflammation. Skin symptoms and joint symptoms are usually treated at the same time.

They don't always work...

There are 78 major joints in the body and psoriatic arthritis can affect any one of these.

I have experience different patterns of pain. Sometimes it affects just one or two joints such as a knee or ankle, but often several joints, both large and small and on both sides of the body, are involved.

I also have a painful, stiff back or neck caused by inflammation in the spine. This is called spondylitis. This is there all the time.

I am just having a whinge. I don't care if no one listens I just needed to say it "out loud"

common sense ways to reduce your fuel consumption

first the obvious

Observe the speed limit

Use your cruise control

Avoid routes with a lot of stop signs and red lights

Avoid unnecessary hills

Remove excess weight from your trunk

Check your tire air pressure frequently

Carpool or take public transit

Combine errands (remember, the most efficient drive is the one avoided)

Ride your bike or walk to the store at least once a week

and now the icing

Reducing the use of roof racks

Rolling up your windows and turning on the air conditioner at higher speeds, typically above 50kmp

Replacing a broken or missing front air dam

Lowering your vehicle

Running narrower tires

Choosing smoother wheels (ideally, flush discs like those on vehicles trying to set land speed records)

aha

"No one who cannot rejoice in the discovery of his own mistakes deserves to be called a scholar."

Bill Clinton Sadly Folds First Lady Dress Back Into Box

CHAPPAQUA, NY—After months of tirelessly supporting his wife on the campaign trail, devoted spouse and former president Bill Clinton breathed a resigned sigh Monday and carefully folded the charcoal silk, fitted sheath dress he had hoped to wear as first lady during next January's inauguration and placed it back in its beautiful box.

Enlarge Image

The former commander in chief takes one last look at the most beautiful first lady dress in the whole wide world.

The 61-year-old Clinton, who has appeared on the covers of both Time and Newsweek and has recently been lauded for his work as an outspoken advocate for human rights, purchased the Christian Dior gown earlier this year after wife Hillary announced her bid for the presidency. Though he has promised to stand by her until rival Barack Obama is officially named the Democratic nominee in August, Clinton told friends that he "could not bear" to look at the dress any longer.

"A beautiful gown like this shouldn't be wasted on any but the most special of occasions," said Clinton, who, before packing the garment away, spent a quiet moment running his fingers over the expert stitching and delicate cascade of ruffles. "No. This dress deserves to be worn by a real first lady."

After slowly tying the original silk bow around the box and clutching it to his chest for 45 seconds, the former world leader gently placed the dress inside his so-called "first lady hope chest." Sources close to the Clintons have confirmed that the chest includes items the 42nd president had planned to bring with him to a Hillary-led White House, among them a pair of unworn white satin gloves, some hand-blown glass Christmas ornaments, a pewter locket bearing a portrait of his mother, a pressed daisy, two pearl drop earrings, and a handful of wallpaper and fabric swatches.

"My, my, would you just look at this—all dressed up and no place to go," said Clinton, removing a ruby brooch from a small box marked "Final Iraq Pullout." "I suppose the American people want better for their first lady than some pie-eyed boy from Arkansas with a head full of dreams and all the grace of a peeled potato. I only hope Michelle [Obama] or Cindy [Hensley McCain] will have the courage to change those hideous drapes in the Lincoln Bedroom."

While Clinton has vowed never to wear the outfit publicly, he admitted to removing the gown from its box once before, after Hillary won the California and New York primaries. On that occasion, Clinton reportedly stood before his bedroom mirror, held the bodice to his torso, straightened his posture before extending a gloved hand outward and, in honeyed, lilting tones, repeated the line, "Oh, this old thing? Prime Minister Fukuda, you do go on."

Despite her husband's charm and optimism, Sen. Clinton was unable to gain enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination and will return to her seat in the U.S. Senate. After she announced the suspension of her $212 million campaign, former president Clinton told reporters he was "devastated" that he would never have the chance to stand before the American people on the Capitol steps in the timeless elegance of Dior.

"It was silly of me to waste so much money on such an extravagant outfit, but when I saw it in the store, I thought to myself, 'Bill, that's your inauguration dress,' " Clinton said. "I suppose it's for the best, though. Knowing me, I would have spilled champagne all over it. Still, can you imagine?"

Clinton has denied rumors that he will wear the high-necked, cap sleeve frock at an upcoming gala at Arkansas Children's Hospital. He has also refused to give the one-of-a-kind gown to his daughter, Chelsea, saying she is still years away from getting married and "doesn't have the waist for it."

Clinton added that the most upsetting aspect of packing the tailored first lady dress away was that it meant recognizing that his decades-old dream of being first lady would never come true.

"I remember watching President [John F.] Kennedy's inauguration," said Clinton, clasping his hands to his chest and staring off into the distance. "It was Jan. 20, 1961. He placed his hand on the Bible as everyone watched and took the oath in front of God and Chief Justice Earl Warren. And there beside him was Jackie. Oh, Jackie. In that pillbox hat and that glorious Oleg Cassini masterpiece in greige wool melton. She was a wonder."

"I remember thinking, 'Someday, I'll be president,'" Clinton continued, "'and then, eight years later and largely owing to my own massive public appeal, my wife will become president and I can be the prettiest first lady there ever was.'"

At press time, Clinton was seen in a low-cut black evening gown holding two bottles of champagne as he attempted to gain access to Sen. Barack Obama's campaign bus, telling reporters he only wished to discuss a "key domestic issue" with the presumptive Democratic nominee.

life really can be interesting

China is the world's largest importer of chicken feet and the United States is the world's largest exporter

It is physically impossible for pigs to look up to the sky.

A polar bear's skin is black. It's fur is not actually white, but clear.

More people are killed annually by donkeys than die in air crashes.

You burn more calories sleeping than watching television.

35% of people who use Personal ads for dating are already married.

Leonardo da Vinci invented scissors.

Lemons contain more sugar than strawberries.

Boanthropy is a disease in which a person thinks thay are an ox.

Babies are born without kneecaps. They do not appear until the child is about 2 - 6 years of age.

Because of the rotation of the earth, an object can be thrown further if it is thrown West.

The average human body contains enough fat to make seven bars of soap.

The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.

People say 'Bless you' when you sneeze because when you sneeze, your heart stops for a millisecond.

In the course of an average lifetime you will, while sleeping eat 70 assorted insects and 10 spiders.

The pupil of an eye expands as much as 45% when a person looks at something pleasing.

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

By law, every child in Belgium must take harmonica lessons in primary school.

While performing her duties as Queen, Cleopatra sometimes wore a fake beard.

Did you know that you share your birthday with at least 9 million other people in the world?

The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England. Zanzibar surrendered after only 38 minutes.

just another day in paradise

Now we come to the crux of my issue for today:

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has unveiled a plan aimed at boosting the number of Indigenous Australians in the force.

"One of the things we need to do, by addressing the skill deficiencies people might have, put them in a position where they can pass the entry requirements," he said.

"That's a key objective we have whether it be for people in northern Australia or people in Redfern or in Fitzroy."

Mr Snowdon says ADF has a lot to offer Indigenous Australians including education, employment and health care.

"If we can provide people with some experience wearing a uniform, doing some of the work that they might acquire whether that be Army, Air Force or Navy then that will provide them with an insight as to what's expected of them," he said.

While no specific targets have been set, Mr Snowdon says the challenges of health, education, culture and isolation can be overcome.

I suppose the defence department could provide all these things, but are we offering a jump from the frying pan into the fire?

The Northern Territory's Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Tony Fitzgerald says the Federal intervention into remote Aboriginal communities should be abandoned and the legislation underpinning it should be repealed.

Mr Fitzgerald says the intervention has caused confusion, unfairness and inconvenience in remote Territory communities.

He is critical of the one-off, short-term health checks and income quarantining measures, and says the suspension of the Northern Territory and Federal race discrimination legislation can never be justified.

Meanwhile, the head of the Northern Territory branch of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) says he does not know of any cases of child sexual abuse that have been uncovered by the medical checks introduced as part of the federal intervention.

"It's disappointing for people who had hoped that the financial muscle of the Commonwealth Government would create significant improvements in the lives of these Aboriginal citizens," he said.

"Particularly in such prosperous times for our nation it simply doesn't seem right to see Aboriginal people living 25 to a house and living in a certain level of despair about their futures."

"Eight hundred additional Commonwealth public servants doesn't seem to me like a good investment when Maningrida, the largest community in the Northern Territory, can't have a dentist or a child protection worker or a youth worker."

It could be just angry locals? so I serached some more:

An expert on Indigenous policy who has just returned from a visit to Maningrida in Arnhem Land says the intervention has not eased overcrowded housing.

Jon Altman from the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research at the Australian National University spent 10 days in the Aboriginal community.

He says he saw no evidence that housing has improved in the 12 months since the intervention began.

"Maningrida is one of the largest Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. There is about 3,000 people out there living in about 200 houses - 15 per house.

"I certainly didn't see a new house built in the last 12 months."

So where does the money go?

An independent review of container accommodation used as part of the Northern Territory emergency response has found a serious need to clarify the roles of Government business managers.

The review, commissioned by the federal Department of Families and Community Services, looks at a number of issues around the Government's response to traces of formaldehyde being found in staff accommodation this year.

The report's author, Tony Blun, says communication problems between Government business managers and community employment brokers were highlighted by the formaldehyde incident.

Mr Blun goes on to call for a need to clarify the roles and priorities of the Government business managers and for objective and transparent performance appraisals to be carried out.

He also recommends a review of the level of resourcing for the managers as part of the intervention.

The Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, has accepted all 16 recommendations.

Is this still my paradise? a rambling connection

In a series of rambling thoughts, and connections that might or might not be really connected, I have come back yet again to the problem of the returning soldiers from conflicts that we as part of the "war on terror". They have done their job. It is a legitimate job. "We" sent them to these places, and as part of the "we" that sent them off to do a job that is too hard for the rest of us we should do something about it.

This video report is taken from the New York Times, and discusses the pointy end of an endemic problem.



In the video the mother of one of the boys states that her father was a returned Korean veteran, and "we knew not to discuss it" so we didn't. How far have we travelled? PTS casualties were shot in WW1, in WW2, they were called cowards, and vilified or ignored into a bottle. Korean and Vietnam vets were treated with disdain into a bottle.

Even the BBC has a mention of the dissatisfaction of their service personel. Hard to imagine that the stoic British would complain...

Almost half of UK military personnel are ready to leave the forces, a Ministry of Defence survey suggests.

Some 47% of Army and Royal Navy respondents and 44% of those in the RAF said they regularly felt like quitting.

Among the concerns raised by the 9,000 servicemen and women surveyed were the frequency of tours, levels of pay and the quality of equipment and housing.

The Ministry of Defence said the survey revealed "areas of concern" but that conditions were being improved.

In the English army the 16 year olds (really? do I want to send my son to war?) have a pay scale comparable to traffic wardens...
It is a job fraught with risks - but critics say the sacrifices of a soldier's job is not matched with rewards.

All the soldiers need is a bit of recognition. But recognition needs to be real, not a fleeting parade or one day of saying "thanks for that"

And here in australia

A day after the nation honoured its veterans, an ex-special forces soldier has criticised the support provided to members of the Defence Force as "useless" and "token".

Australia Defence Association executive director Neil James concedes that improvements needs to be made in mental health support for soldiers.

"Certainly the position of the Association is that the psychological care of the returned soldiers could be better, but you've really got to be careful about drawing general lessons from individual experiences," he said.

He says that cases of returned soldiers feeling unsupported often boils down to a case of numbers.

"It very much depends on where he served, how he served and how the unit was debriefed," he said.

"The system can't be absolutely perfect in 100 per cent of cases, and this may be one of the cases where the care was inadequate."

the dragon...

the dragon is pen and ink. It is built of trees and leaves.
Dragons are wonderful....as you can imagine it took a while for me to draw this. You don't notice that you have spent so much time, until you stand up, the old adage: "Time flies when you are having fun!" really is true.

a forest dragon

the pictures

I was thinking after I wrote that I would like show how I feel about the area that I live in.
I painted this series of paintings about four years ago. Watercolours

These are the six seasons of Kakadu.

the names are taken with permission from Gagadju language.

The bottom image is one from my soul.

Energy flows.

It is beauty and strngth and love.

I no longer have this picture. It went to a good home.

Pastel, monochromatic.

the beginning

I live in paradise. Others come here to visit, and I am one of those who live here.
Sometimes I don't like living here, but most of the time I do.
It is a small town.
A mining town.
A tourist town.
A changing town.

We came here for two years fifteen years ago.
Still here.


Still smiling


Just.