Touching Base

Hi everyone,

 Australian’s all eat sausages for breakfast lunch and tea

with golden syrup and tomato sauce the sausages are girt by peas

beneath the radiant barbeque the sausages roast with pride

This is sung to Advance Australia Fair and was created by my younger son D.  What a creative little vegemite he is   This is his newer version of the National Anthem.   Watch this space…lol

I have been super busy with school with a lot of reading to do now I have assignments and tutorials due very soon.  The main issue I have been working on is the forum I’m taking part in regarding the Japanese Comfort Women in World War II.  I won’t say much more at this point as there are three other classes taking part in forum taking different views and I don’t want to give any secrets away.  However, when this is finished in several weeks I will post more on it.  I’m quite appalled actually not only by the Japanese government but by the lack of action on the international community.

Speaking on international communities, the last 48 hours saw Australian David Hicks plead guilty to terrorism charges.  Now I’m not saying he is guilty or innocent because I don’t know but I cannot believe he was held for 5 years without charge on foreign soil and nothing was really done.  We did get a little action in the last few weeks from the Australian Federal Government but I would like to add that they are taking part in a federal election later this year.  Yes I’m cynical.  If you have someone locked up, you either charge them as you have enough evidence or let them go.  This also flies in the face of international conventions.  Who wouldn’t plead guilty to escape Guantanamo Bay and the conditions he was held in?  Now that he has plead guilty we will never know the full truth.

New South Wales also held their state election last weekend with the Labor government being returned for a fourth term.  I don’t affiliate myself with either the right or left but I am very surprised that they were returned to office.  After 12 years in power already I can’t see any benefit of them being given another chance.  Our health and education systems are starting to fall apart, petrol prices are really hurting small income families, dental should be made available on the bulk billing system as dental health is one of the highest problems in the state.  Officially, NSW is a recession…nothing to brag about is it.  I will say however that the roads that are being built and upgraded near my shire are a great improvement!

The other problem I have an issue with is the way the Sydney Harbour Tunnel had secret deals done between the state Government and the contractors who run it.  Deals were made to guarantee that the tunnel would be economically viable with the promise that smaller side streets would be closed to ensure this.    This was not made known to the public for some time.

This ties in with the dirty election campaign they ran where they admitted in popular print media they lied about things.  For example they started a scare campaign saying that the opposition leader Peter Debnam was going to axe 20,000 public service jobs.  The Labor party ranted that these were going to leave education, health and police services vulnerable.  However, I watched the interview where Debnam raised this issue.  The 20,000 people were coming from not employing 5,000 office beaurocrats a year that Labor had been doing.  These people were not needed and just extras on the payroll.  I am surprised the media did not pick up on this and run with it.

People want a government that is committed in offering services needed by the public, and that all business transactions are transparent.  We don’t want to know that the people representing us are as bad as school yard bullies.  We want leadership, honesty, integrity and positiveness.  Who funds their dirty election campaigns? We do…I think my tax dollars could be better spent elsewhere.

I have a sore tooth so that is my ranting done for the day

Bye!

My Week So Far

What a busy week I have had.  I really knew I was back at school this week with all the research I have been doing and the late nights I have been putting in.

For one unit, War and Peace (introduction to International Politics) we are taking part in a workshop which will be discussing the Japanese Comfort Women of World War II.  I did not know a great deal about this subject before this, but at this stage, after reading the horrific experiments and atrocities that were delivered by the hand of the Japanese Imperial Army, I felt physically sick and rocked to my very core.

Of course I realise atrocities during war occur that are driven by the individual rather than the sovereign nation they are defending.  However the research I am finding is leaning towards the Japanese government condoning these actions and ordering many of the atrocities to be performed.

For those of you that keep up with the news you will already know that this issue is currently a hot potato in the political arena.   Japan is under pressure to say sorry to these women for the crimes against them.  We hear about countries such as Australia and the US taking part in ‘dialogues’ about this issue with Japan.  Yet these two nations, as an example, are not  exactly free from committing, to a certain extent, crimes against a race (such as slavery) within their own histories.   Yes I am talking about the indigenous cultures and their decimation upon the arrival of European settlement.

It is here I disagree with many people.  Yes, the Native American people and the Indigenous population of Australia suffered as a race at the hands of the Europeans.  However, this suffering, if only recently has been INCLUDED in the national history.  While the Australian Prime Minister will not apologise to the stolen generation generated by a previous government, the fact that it happened is incorporated into our history.  It is being taught to the next generation of Australians through the education system.  This may not be the sorry that the Aboriginal people are asking for but it is definately a step in the right direction, to help with the healing process.

I cannot think of any country that does not have some kind of violence in its history, perhaps a legacy of the colonisation process.  While no amount of compensation can ever repair the damage the Japanese inflicted on the Comfort Women, acknowledging that a wrong was done and teaching it as part of their history is a good way for Japanese to maintain their integrity within the international community.  Honour is an important part of the Japanese culture and it is about time the Japanese government starting acting honourably as stated in their Constitution preface of 1946.

Happy Birthday to the Sydney Harbour Bridge

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is one of the most iconic landmarks in Australia. Mention you are from Australia to people from other countries and the ‘bridge’ or ‘coat hanger’ is one of the first things that come to their minds.

The bridge construction began in 1926 and was completed in 1932. For its time is was an engineering triumph as the only links between the south and north of the city were by a road which included 5 bridge crossings or by ferry.

Construction on the bridge began in 1926. The foundations are set in sandstone and measure 12 metres (39 feet) deep. The construction of the arch began in 1929 and was built in halves with steel cables supporting each side. The arch supports the weight of the deck which is 59 metres (194 feet) above sea level, and measures 503 metres (1650 feet). There are hinges at either end bearing the bridge’s full weight and spreading the load to the foundations. The hinges allow the structure to move as the steel expands and contracts in response to wind and changes in temperatures.

The Harbour Bridge was officially opened on 19 March 1932 costing approximately $A13.5 million, and was eventually paid off in 1988. More than 150,000 vehicles cross the bridge each day.

The bridge was built by 1400 workers, 16 of whom were killed in accidents during construction. Approximately 80,000 liters (21,000 gallons) of paint are required for each coat of paint for the ‘bridge’, enough to cover an area equivalent to 60 soccer fields. One famous bridge painter was Paul Hogan from the movie Crocodile Dundee.

The ‘bridge’ is the main crossing of Sydney Harbour carrying rail, vehicular, and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney CBD and the North Shore.

 

The arch is composed of two 28 arch trusses. Their heights vary from 18 m (55.8 feet) at the center of the arch to 57 m (176.7 feet) (beside the pylons). Around 6,000,000 million rivets hold the bridge in place. The total weight of the bridge is 52,800 tonnes,

The building of the bridge coincided with the construction of a system of underground railways in Sydney’s central business district, known today as the City Circle, and the bridge was designed with this in mind. The bridge was designed to carry six lanes of road traffic, flanked by two railway tracks and a footpath on each side.

The bridge was formally opened on 19 March 1932. The Premier of NSW Jack Lang, was to open the bridge by cutting a ribbon at its southern end. However, just as he was about to do so, a man in military uniform moved forward on horseback and slashed the ribbon with a sword, declaring the bridge to be open “in the name of His Majesty the King (George) and the decent and respectable citizens of New South Wales”. He was arrested and the ribbon was retied and Lang performed the official opening ceremony. After he did so, there was a 21-gun salute and a flypast by the RAAF.

The intruder was identified as Francis de Groot. He was convicted of offensive behaviour after a psychiatric test proved he was sane. De Groot was not a member of the regular Army but a member of a right-wing paramilitary group called the New Guard which was opposed to Lang’s leftist policies. This incident was one of several that Lang had with the New Guard in that year.

The Bradfield Highway is designated as a travelling stock route which means that it is permissible to herd livestock across the bridge, but between midnight and dawn, and after giving notice of intention to do so. In practice, because of efficient methods of rail and road transport, and the relocation of the abattoirs and markets, such an event has not taken place for about fifty years.

 

Since 1998, BridgeClimb has made it possible for tourists to climb the southern half of the bridge. Tours run throughout the day, from dawn to dusk and are only cancelled for electrical storms or high wind. Night climbs are also available. Each climb is a three-and-a-half-hour experience.In 1988, work began to build a tunnel to complement the bridge. It was determined that the bridge could no longer support the increased traffic flow of the 1980s. The Sydney Harbour Tunnel was completed in August 1992.

Since the opening, the bridge has been the focal point of much tourism and national pride. The bridge also earned the nickname of the Iron Lung as it kept many workers employed during the Depression. It has also been the scene of about 40 suicides, many of which took place within months of the bridge’s opening, during the Great Depression.

 

In January of each year since 1998 the Sydney Harbour Bridge has what is referred to coloquially as the “Bridge Effect”, in which fireworks and a light display using a framework and rope lighting are used to complement the fireworks on New Years Eve. In the months leading up to December 31 (usually from late October), the scaffolding and framework are clearly visible, as is the outline for the design, which leaves the Sydneysiders speculating as to how the effect is to be realised. During the millennium in 2000, the Sydney Harbour Bridge was lit up with the word Eternity as a tribute to Sydney artist Arthur Stace who wrote this word on pavements all over Sydney.

Also in 2006, security on the bridge has recently been introduced, due to the heightened risk of terrorist attack.

Personally I remember travelling over the bridge twice a day by train when I worked as a secretary on the North Shore. Many may view the Harbour Bridge as ugly and bulky. To me, the Bridge only emphasis the beauty of Sydney Harbour, the Royal Botannical Gardens and the Opera House.

Happy 75th Birthday Sydney Harbour Bridge!!!

For the Girls…

The other day, last night actually, I was surfing the web looking for things in relation to old Aussie bands from the 80s-90s and came across a link for youtube. I am sure many of you are familiar with the site. I had only been there once before so I decided to have a browse at what they had and found this little gem. It is one of my most favourite clips of all time.

Many of you will remember the night Tom Williams and his partner Kim danced to You Can Leave Your Hat On for the end of the Dancing with the Stars competition (Australian version). You can call me chauvinistic if you like but apart from the perv factor (for both guys and women) I think the clip is fun, really sexy and suggestive without going over the top. Tom also has great abs So I’m going to post the link here and hope it brings to you a few minutes of viewing pleasure…enjoy.

You can view the video on the left side of this page under the categories section.


The Beginning of Another Year…

Well this week brought with it my first week back at university for Autumn semester.  I have been super busy getting organised to go back so I haven’t had much time to do anything let alone blog.  

 I love first week back at university.  I guess it is because we are there but nothing is due in so it’s stress free.   A lot of things are going on with orientation week for first years with free bbq lunches, free soft drink give aways, stalls of interesting and non interesting things eg: political stands, safe sex stalls with free sample bags, free fairy floss/snow cones/pancakes for breakfast, free temporary tattoos (mine is on my arm and my younger son pointed out it looks tough mum until you see the butterfly part .   There is also the excitement of seeing your university friends (Kristie, Sheree, Mark, Evan, Casey, Brent) after the break and the prospect of making new friends in the new subjects you are taking.

 I am taking 4 units again this semester, it is my third and final year for my Bachelor of Arts (Humanities) degree with  my major in History/Politics/Philosophy and enough units for another major in  English, Texts and Writing.   This semester I am taking Modernism, Australian Textual Studies, Foundations of Modern Europe and War and Peace (an introduction to International Politics not the book).

 I am a little apprehensive about Modernism as I am not familiar with it but I look forward to learning about all these subjects this year as they are interesting.  Only 13 weeks worth of classes to go….

 It looks like a busy year not only personally but in Australia with a Federal Election sometime in 2007 and a State Election in NSW on 24th March 2007.  On a larger, global scale issues seem to be ‘hotting’ up with the environment, human rights, the Middle East and the US Election Race taking prominance in the world media which will no doubt promote wide ranging discussions through the entire global community. 

 Cheers!

 Savannah