Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Sunday, November 25, 2007
A Terrible Dilema
Last last night, before I went to bed I was faced with a dilema of such great propoertions that I want to call it some more impressive than a plain old dilema. I want to call it a Gordian Knot or a Sword of Damocles or a Focault's Pendulum. None of them work (and the last one is a book I believe) but dilema just doesn't suffice.
I was on my way to bed, as I may have mentioned, having seen little Johnny Howard offer a highly commendable concession speech after he had his little bottom kicked by that Kevin Rudd.
My partner asked me whether I'd have chosen the Liberals to be kicked out of Australian politics over England qualifying for Euro 2008. The immediate pain it caused me led to believe that if I did have such powers I may have misused them.
I tried to justify my hesitation by reasoning that the difference between the Liberals and Labour really aren't all that pronounced nowadays so were I to prefer subjecting myself to the usual summertime quarter final humiliation then things wouldn't really be all that different. That didn't really stack up as I don't think the world is going to change all that much whether England qualify or not.
However, I'm glad I'm bereft of such powers as I fear that they may be in the wrong hands...it wouldn't be public knoweldge after all would it?
I was on my way to bed, as I may have mentioned, having seen little Johnny Howard offer a highly commendable concession speech after he had his little bottom kicked by that Kevin Rudd.
My partner asked me whether I'd have chosen the Liberals to be kicked out of Australian politics over England qualifying for Euro 2008. The immediate pain it caused me led to believe that if I did have such powers I may have misused them.
I tried to justify my hesitation by reasoning that the difference between the Liberals and Labour really aren't all that pronounced nowadays so were I to prefer subjecting myself to the usual summertime quarter final humiliation then things wouldn't really be all that different. That didn't really stack up as I don't think the world is going to change all that much whether England qualify or not.
However, I'm glad I'm bereft of such powers as I fear that they may be in the wrong hands...it wouldn't be public knoweldge after all would it?
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Child Abuse and Fear
I see to recall a recent post about child abuse but here's another letter which struck a bit of a chord with me and my obsession with the constant fear-mongers we have in government.
October 12, 2007
I HAVE just received my NetAlert Protecting Australian Families Online package in the mail. The Australian Government has spent $189 million to date, and the document is full of fear.
According to the document, 40 per cent of children who chat online chat to people they do not know, and 39 per cent of children have photos of themselves online. Oh dear. Where are the statistics to say that the World Wide Web is harming our children or putting them at real danger?
How much is the Australian Government spending on child sexual abuse in this country? The most recent national figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare indicate that 198,355 reports of suspected cases of child abuse and neglect made were made to authorities nationwide in 2002-03. This figure has risen significantly in recent years; there had been 91,734 reports in 1995-96.
It is estimated that 85 per cent of sexual abuse occurs in the home.
Even assuming all abuse out of the home is online (a ridiculous proposition), we are targeting $189 million at 15 per cent of the abuse.
Why doesn't the Government address the 85 per cent? I guess that telling families they best look in their own backyard rather than the amorphous "internet" isn't as politically compelling.
One in three girls and one in six boys will be the victim of sexual assault before the age of 18 but there is virtually no direct ongoing government funding to help victims.
There is also no accurate information about the prevalence of child abuse in Australia. The most accurate statistics available are the numbers of reports of suspected child abuse made to statutory child protection departments. While these figures give some indication of the incidence of child abuse and neglect, it is believed that fewer cases of abuse are reported than are occurring.
The Government may be better placed spending $189 million in the area of child sexual abuse, which is real, rather than on the fear campaign it is running with the Protecting Australian Families Online program.
Pheona Arndell
Bronte
Perhaps it also resonates becuase I finished reading The Unknown Terrorist last night and while I was generally rather dissapointed with the book from a literary point of view (get me!) I enjoyed the ending which seemed to focus on the selling of fear. It was still pretty crude and I wouldn't recommend the book but it chimed.
October 12, 2007
I HAVE just received my NetAlert Protecting Australian Families Online package in the mail. The Australian Government has spent $189 million to date, and the document is full of fear.
According to the document, 40 per cent of children who chat online chat to people they do not know, and 39 per cent of children have photos of themselves online. Oh dear. Where are the statistics to say that the World Wide Web is harming our children or putting them at real danger?
How much is the Australian Government spending on child sexual abuse in this country? The most recent national figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare indicate that 198,355 reports of suspected cases of child abuse and neglect made were made to authorities nationwide in 2002-03. This figure has risen significantly in recent years; there had been 91,734 reports in 1995-96.
It is estimated that 85 per cent of sexual abuse occurs in the home.
Even assuming all abuse out of the home is online (a ridiculous proposition), we are targeting $189 million at 15 per cent of the abuse.
Why doesn't the Government address the 85 per cent? I guess that telling families they best look in their own backyard rather than the amorphous "internet" isn't as politically compelling.
One in three girls and one in six boys will be the victim of sexual assault before the age of 18 but there is virtually no direct ongoing government funding to help victims.
There is also no accurate information about the prevalence of child abuse in Australia. The most accurate statistics available are the numbers of reports of suspected child abuse made to statutory child protection departments. While these figures give some indication of the incidence of child abuse and neglect, it is believed that fewer cases of abuse are reported than are occurring.
The Government may be better placed spending $189 million in the area of child sexual abuse, which is real, rather than on the fear campaign it is running with the Protecting Australian Families Online program.
Pheona Arndell
Bronte
Perhaps it also resonates becuase I finished reading The Unknown Terrorist last night and while I was generally rather dissapointed with the book from a literary point of view (get me!) I enjoyed the ending which seemed to focus on the selling of fear. It was still pretty crude and I wouldn't recommend the book but it chimed.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Post Script
Couldn't find any eggs, didn't do any surgery. Will get drunk and swim in the pool together.
How was it for you?
This morning I had to ejaculate into another jar which was pretty good. I had a private room, choice of a bed or a be-sheeted chair, lights down low and a selection of gentleman's magazines to peruse.
Bronzed and shiny ladies parting their rubbery looking labia don't really do it for me but I had a quick look none the less. Gift horse. Mouth. And I nearly came a cropper when I came face to face with an article about the last Labour loser, Mark Latham. Please feel free to make youw own comic interjection at this point, I'm trying to steer clear of foul and abusive language on this blog but the Latham/labia link is leaving me sorely tempted.
Anyway, yes it was good for me, thanks for asking. Since then my partner in this adventure has had several additional holes made in her lower body and is recovering from a general anaesthetic. I would like to provide more detail about the operation to remove her eggs, introduce them to my recently spun sperm and reimsert them into her fallopian tubes but I regret that I may get it all wrong and reveal myself to be somewhet lacking in the knowledge required of one half of an infertile couple.
To be classified as infertile you need to have not conceieved after one year of unprotected sex. I don't know why that struck me as interesting but it did. So I include it for want of anything more interesting in its stead.
While she's been flat on her back enjoying a jolly good rest I've been to check us in to our new hotel. Last night we stayed in Formulae 1 which is classified as a budget hotel and while clean and centrally located and replete with drunken backpackers trying to get into one another's rooms at 4.00 in the morning it lacks a rooftop swimming pool and other amenities recommended for a person recovering from surgery (not to mention a person recovering from masturbating and then dragging bags across a busy and hot city). Therefore our bags are now in the Hotel Grand Chancellor which is not great but is better. I can enjoy swimming in the pool while my post operative partner can look at it and marvel at how the smell of curry can reach an area located 17 floors above the city. No swimming or alcohol for 24 hours after surgery.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Good news
It's about time some sunshine shone.
It's been a dreadful couple of days what with spending the weekend in Melbourne and returning to find no kids in school. It's almost intolerable to walk those corridors and hear silence where there should be swearing, smell cleaning products rather than toe-jam and see other staff members looking happy and relaxed. Just not on.
Sun. Can't remember where I read it exactly but I was researching an activity for men which would mark mental health week. This year both Rural Health Week and Mental Health Weeek are trying to focus on that much neglected group; men, Putting The Men Back Into Mental is this year's slogan I believe.
Apparently 30,000 Finnish men were studied over 8 years and they found a link between cholesterol and depression. And the best bit is that it's the other way round. High cholesterol, low depression. I've been given six months by my GP to lower my own cholesterol by dieting and exercise or he'll prescribe drugs. But what if I get depressed?
I told my loving partner this last night and she pointed out that I'm already depressed which took the wind out of my sails somewhat. Imagine how terrible I'd feel if I had low cholesterol I'd probably have said if I wasn't trying to calculate whether I could clean up all her blood before Eastenders.
111 of those Finns topped themselves. That's quite a lot isn't it? Even for Finland. Mind you, we had a couple from Iceland and a woman from the Ukraine who moved here recently and they all left because they couldn't stand the weather. They didn't top themselves though which is something I suppose. What's with this new word, suicidalisation? Scratch that, I've just spell checked it and it's suicidal ideation. Still, what was wrong with suicidal tendancies?
It's been a dreadful couple of days what with spending the weekend in Melbourne and returning to find no kids in school. It's almost intolerable to walk those corridors and hear silence where there should be swearing, smell cleaning products rather than toe-jam and see other staff members looking happy and relaxed. Just not on.
Sun. Can't remember where I read it exactly but I was researching an activity for men which would mark mental health week. This year both Rural Health Week and Mental Health Weeek are trying to focus on that much neglected group; men, Putting The Men Back Into Mental is this year's slogan I believe.
Apparently 30,000 Finnish men were studied over 8 years and they found a link between cholesterol and depression. And the best bit is that it's the other way round. High cholesterol, low depression. I've been given six months by my GP to lower my own cholesterol by dieting and exercise or he'll prescribe drugs. But what if I get depressed?
I told my loving partner this last night and she pointed out that I'm already depressed which took the wind out of my sails somewhat. Imagine how terrible I'd feel if I had low cholesterol I'd probably have said if I wasn't trying to calculate whether I could clean up all her blood before Eastenders.
111 of those Finns topped themselves. That's quite a lot isn't it? Even for Finland. Mind you, we had a couple from Iceland and a woman from the Ukraine who moved here recently and they all left because they couldn't stand the weather. They didn't top themselves though which is something I suppose. What's with this new word, suicidalisation? Scratch that, I've just spell checked it and it's suicidal ideation. Still, what was wrong with suicidal tendancies?
Friday, August 24, 2007
My feet are hot
Very, very tired.
I'm going to Canberra on Monday for the week so I need to get everything done or postponed before I go.
Feel rather adrift too, the lloing changes don't seem to diminish in importance no matter how much I try to ignore them.
I should also note that Peta's Granfather died this morning so there's nothing wrong with my prioritising or perspective then.
I'm going to Canberra on Monday for the week so I need to get everything done or postponed before I go.
Feel rather adrift too, the lloing changes don't seem to diminish in importance no matter how much I try to ignore them.
I should also note that Peta's Granfather died this morning so there's nothing wrong with my prioritising or perspective then.
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