I think that many of us in the western world live in a kind of consumer cocoon. It is a place that is not quite real but is all too real. It is how we live our modern lives and it is a model, apparently, for many developing nations.

I think one of the reasons that we live here is because the outside world has the appearance of being a dangerous place. When I was growing up I feared a nuclear war and the kind of death or incomprehensible desolation that that event would bring. It was difficult to face square on but impossible to avoid. That threat persists though the agents of its threatened execution have ceased to be the major players, for now.

It is hard to know where to start when sizing up the threats that could make our lives, or our children's lives, difficult propositions. Wars in the Middle East, Iran's nuclear ambitions, Pakistani instability, global warming and financial meltdowns are amongst the more prominent brush fires about. And did I mention Kim Jong ll in North Korea?

One of the values that emerged from The Enlightenment was the exaltation of Reason. It can be argued, and has been, that reason alone is insufficient as a model for human progress. That's true enough, I think. But the re-emergence of the Irrational in new forms in both developed and developing nations is a mighty cause for concern. When added to the cocktail of poisonous problems besetting the planet, it is an admixture for disaster. Though, as usual, I am happy to be proven wrong. I pray that I am.

the washup

For those less familiar with how Federal politics functions in Australia, here is a rundown of the last week. Last Saturday saw the culmination of five weeks of campaigning in the 2010 Federal Election and the result was tie, so to speak. The Government will likely have 72 seats (in a 150 seat chamber), the Opposition 73. There will be three conservatively inclined rural independents, one urban Green, and one independent former Green. Consequently, neither of the major parties has a house majority and both parties will need to enlist the support of a grouping of the independents to form a government.

Sounds easy enough, don't you think. The Opposition form an alliance with their erstwhile conservative independent friends and bingo, we have a majority of 76. But wait. These three independents are former Nationals (who form the junior partner in the Opposition Coalition) and they just happen to detest their former party. Would they be prepared to help the Government stay in power? Well maybe. The independents have submitted a 7 point plan to both major parties as the first step in choosing a dance partner.

It's slightly crazy days indeed. One of the rural independents, Bob Katter, wants (amongst a raft of parochial and sometimes oddball policies) two new states in the north of Australia. Not asking much, is he? I think that we can safely say that, whoever is able to form a government (and perhaps no-one will )is likely to have a difficult time governing,and that's before we even survey the upper house, the Senate. The latter will have 9 Greens holding the balance of power by the middle of next year.

Watch this space.

advanced counselling techniques

Last Thursday I had the penultimate practical assessment day for my Diploma of Counselling. None of the pracs are easy and this one was especially difficult, more so because it was an entirely new unit in the course. I think that there were indications that some aspects were a little undercooked in fields such as assessment directions and criteria, though our assessor, Sandra, was outstanding in explaining everything. And just as well too.

It wasn't so much the counselling practical in front of others that was difficult, but digesting and hitting the assessment targets, whilst otherwise engaging with the 'client', all in ten minutes. The second part of the day (which was far too long) was an 'interview' with a supervisor concerning another hypothetical case study, by which time my concentration was shot. But we all got through.

As I look out the window a near full moon is high in the sky, chasing through thin sheets of ripped cloud. Beautiful.

coffee

I've had my Gaggia Classic for two years now. I buy locally roasted beans and grind them myself. And it's worked out fine - the machines paying for themselves within 12 months and me having really good coffee to drink everyday. There is one down side though. I find that very few cups of coffee I buy out (and this is really only occasionally anyway) just don't measure up. They don't taste as good, being either too milky, too weak or simply, not well made. Having done a domestic barista's course too, it's easy to appreciate the skill and attention involved in making a decent latte. But there is also an attendant risk of one becoming a coffee snob.

On the weekend I went down to Canberra to watch the federal election results unfold with a friend. They unfolded into an unusual and quite rare electoral cul de sac which is still be unravelled as I write. But that's another story. My point is that I bought maybe four cappucinos over that time in upmarket Manuka, all at different establishments, and not one was up to scratch. These are all places that pride themselves on making good coffee, so really, I am puzzled that no-one could get it right.

I don't want to fall into the trap of being snooty about a cup of coffee. There are far more important things happening that require my attention, not the least of which was my ostensible reason for being in Canberra in the first place. All I ask is for a decent coffee when I'm out.

by Mrs Ireland

My wife Nadia has said that she will write a book someday called Mr Ireland, by Mrs Ireland. In it, she plans to expand upon my many eccentricities and foibles. Apparently, this subject matter will be of interest to more than just an in-the-know circle of friends and family. A wider audience is envisaged, such will be the comic breadth of her writing.

I admit, I am at least a passable subject for study in the local environment, though not more than any other person really. Nadia is a good writer, with a style that is very readable, unpretentious, free from wordiness or obvious contrivance. Sometimes I am a little reminded of the Japanese author, Banana Yoshimoto. An apparently simple, direct style that places the focus on the characters and the story. It is not really 'simple' at all, but a learnt skill.

As for me, the less said the better. I am close to finishing my counselling diploma and have had many opportunities to 'work on myself', psychologically. It's a tough balancing act - to create greater self-awareness and personal change without coming across as a navel-gazing obsessive. I guess I could release my notes on myself as material for Nadia's forthcoming book. Or write my own. That guy, by This one.

election of the exs

This election must surely rank as one of the oddest in Australian electoral history. Starting as a phony war, continuing as a surreal non-event, plagued by leaks and non-sequitters and now, brim-filled with ex-leaders various interventions, it seems that the unpredictability of events and the potential for voter-volatility may only heighten in the final two weeks.

Andrew Peacock, Malcolm Fraser, Bob Hawke, Mark Latham, John Howard and Kevin Rudd are all players in this campaign so far, to lesser or greater degrees. The former PM Rudd looms like the elephant in the tally room, though he may have made his peace with the new PM now. Mr Fraser thinks the Coalition is not ready for office (he did resign from the Liberal Party recently). Bob Hawke has swanned in with warnings about the Tories, as he likes to call them. Mark Latham has monstered into the campaign like a, well, village idiot, actually. And John Howard I would just like to forget about, period.

Generally, they have been distractions from the real issues, issues which are buried beneath the aforementioned nonsense (see para 1). So, distractions within distractions.

Meanwhile, the Government has clawed back to be just in front in the polls, and well ahead, still, in the betting odds. Eleven days to go now, in an election that is truly going down to the wire.

js47 life with tom

I think I have mentioned before that out first two years in Japan were as a couple, alone. On the third occasion, we had the baby Tom too. This radically altered what we could do and when we could do it. Out went the fairly regular weekend trips to the nearby cities like Kobe and Osaka. Out went much of our bike-riding about town. Our social life took a significant dip as well. And every parent will tell you that sleep deprivation becomes a serious issue, especially when both parents are working.

Still, we managed. Nadia took the brunt of the sleep loss and I am forever indebted to her for it. We re-organised the 'away' work, which became my exclusive domain. Sometimes I took the evening classes for my exhausted wife. We were lucky to have our live-in friend Miwa to help out, a real blessing, as I have said many times before.

Taking Tom out, aside from when I wheeled him in the stroller around Sanda, involved loading up our trusty Mitsubishi and going somewhere, usually a shopping centre, the veggie cafe in Arinodai or to the local doctor. We did the summer trip to the Tango-Hanto Peninsula too. Now and then they both came with me for the trip out to Sasayama, though this was rare. And maybe twice we went as a family by train into the big smoke.

I include a selection of Tom shots in various localities. It was a struggle but also a pleasure. I don't think he remembers anything, though the link with Japan remains strong.