About 20 years ago I had a bit of a life crisis. My hairdresser told me that my hair was starting to thin, a shock for a man in his mid-twenties. I guess that my sense of self was pretty thin, or that I didnt have a good grasp of what was important in life. I suppose that I panicked and focussed on my hair, looking for the hard evidence. It seems a little foolish now, but things spun out of control and I fell, without knowing it, into an anxiety syndrome. Of course, I didnt find out about my affliction for over three years, largely because doctors thought I was just over-stressed and needed to relax. Thats exactly what I would like to have done.
To cut a long story short, an anxiety syndrome occurs when a person has a physical reaction, such as a churning stomach, palpitation or panic attack, usually as a result of a period of sustained stress or shock or such like. In my case, the anxiety manifested itself as a band of pain or tension around my head. Such an attack can often panic the sufferer into other similar attacks, until the very fear of these disturbing symptoms brings on more and more bewildering assaults. Fear creates an ongoing cycle.
A wise doctor that I saw some three years after I fell into this pattern recognised the syndrome and gave me a wonderful book, Self-Help for your Nerves by Dr Claire Weekes. Within a few months I was a lot better. I fact, the book saved my life and my gratitude to the late author is boundless. I still suffer occasional bouts of the syndrome, in fact, I am at the present. But I know, despite their debilitating nature, that I will come through.
To anybody who suffers from nervous illness, I recommend this book.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Idling Away
Like everywhere else, Australian TV is beset by an endless (do you really mean without end? ed.) procession of reality-style TV shows. I give most of them short shrift, though I confess to enjoying Australian Idol, probably because I like music, sing in a choir and can occasionally be found connected to an ipod.
I'm aware of all the arguments against such a "competition"; the focus on pop/rock, the competence of the judges, the flawed voting system, to name but a few. There' s no doubt that the supposed end product, a dynamic new young pop talent, can hardly justify the huge costs in production and personnel. But this isnt really about that objective. It's more about entertainment and pulling in advertising revenue, all the while hoping that an attractive talent will emerge at the end of the process.
Still, there's something a little compelling about it all. In the initial phases, of course, most of us, if we are honest, get a kick out of seeing so many people making fools of themselves. ("But I am a great singer. I'm gonna prove you wrong!") I am always amazed at the lack of self-knowledge or the inflated self-opinion. Who is winding these people up, I wonder? Friends, family?
At the present, we are down to the last nine, meaning that we should be seeing performers who can sing well and have a stage presence, or at least, the makings of one. And by and large we do. Notwithstanding the often facile remarks of the judges (with the exception of Ms Hines) and the sometimes wayward voting patterns of a fickle public, there is some serious talent left in the competition. I'm not sure that I want to see or hear a packaged pop product at the end of it all, but I'm happy to sit through the process.
And by the way, my relationship with the ipod is strictly master/slave. It plays music at my command (supposing the batteries aren't flat) and it gets put away in a drawer like any other common item. It has not changed my life, it does not sleep with me, nor do I gaze at it in wonderment. It does the job well , though I imagine half a dozen similar mp3 devices do too. But the guff of an 'IT' obsessed media is the stuff of another blog.
I'm aware of all the arguments against such a "competition"; the focus on pop/rock, the competence of the judges, the flawed voting system, to name but a few. There' s no doubt that the supposed end product, a dynamic new young pop talent, can hardly justify the huge costs in production and personnel. But this isnt really about that objective. It's more about entertainment and pulling in advertising revenue, all the while hoping that an attractive talent will emerge at the end of the process.
Still, there's something a little compelling about it all. In the initial phases, of course, most of us, if we are honest, get a kick out of seeing so many people making fools of themselves. ("But I am a great singer. I'm gonna prove you wrong!") I am always amazed at the lack of self-knowledge or the inflated self-opinion. Who is winding these people up, I wonder? Friends, family?
At the present, we are down to the last nine, meaning that we should be seeing performers who can sing well and have a stage presence, or at least, the makings of one. And by and large we do. Notwithstanding the often facile remarks of the judges (with the exception of Ms Hines) and the sometimes wayward voting patterns of a fickle public, there is some serious talent left in the competition. I'm not sure that I want to see or hear a packaged pop product at the end of it all, but I'm happy to sit through the process.
And by the way, my relationship with the ipod is strictly master/slave. It plays music at my command (supposing the batteries aren't flat) and it gets put away in a drawer like any other common item. It has not changed my life, it does not sleep with me, nor do I gaze at it in wonderment. It does the job well , though I imagine half a dozen similar mp3 devices do too. But the guff of an 'IT' obsessed media is the stuff of another blog.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Wholly family
Yesterday Nadia and I went to Nepean Hospital for her 12 week ultrasound. I suppose that we were both a little apprehensive. There are a lot of unpleasant stories and medical complications that seem to emerge from no-where when you begin researching pregnancy. So we were especially happy that the tiny baby was 1) actually there and 2) in very good health. I can't emphasize too much how utterly singular the experience is. No expecting father should miss it.
Today I took this photo of Nadia and Ruth, both wearing hats. Ruth is our 15 year old kelpie cross who just keeps going on and on. The day will come, we know, and sooner most probably. Until then she can amuse us with occasional burst of energy and silly photos. It's a wholly family of sorts, since I'm behind the lens and there really is a trio in front, if you think about it.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Ever Closer Onions
The rejection of the proposed EU Constitution by both France and Holland some two months ago is a blow for proponents of ever closer union. It must really be gaulling (surely, galling, ed.) for the French and especially the increasingly impotent Chirac. The French President must be particularly piqued that the rejection by his own country plays directly in the hands of the perfidious British, who have only ever wanted a loosely confederated EU with a more dynamic market orientation.
There are many things to admire about France. I could go on about the food, the countryside, the elevation of high culture, the great writers, musicians and philosophers for longer than most people could tolerate. I'm also rather fond of Tin-Tin. But the French share with the Americans a singular arrogance about themselves and a national pride well in excess of the facts on the ground. Its strange then that these two republics, born about the same time and saturated in a not dissimilar hubris, should be at each others throats these days. A clashing of two mighty egos.
To jump back a paragraph, the point I set out to make was the beautiful irony of the French 'non'. The Blair Government has been sweating on the upcoming referendum (over the EU Constitution) for some time now and must have realised the difficulty if gaining a British yes vote. The consequences of a 'no' would have most damaging to Britain's perceived place in Europe. So imagine the delight in Downing St and Whitehall at the French result. Political union is dead and the French are holding the smoking gun! Sacre bleu!
There are many things to admire about France. I could go on about the food, the countryside, the elevation of high culture, the great writers, musicians and philosophers for longer than most people could tolerate. I'm also rather fond of Tin-Tin. But the French share with the Americans a singular arrogance about themselves and a national pride well in excess of the facts on the ground. Its strange then that these two republics, born about the same time and saturated in a not dissimilar hubris, should be at each others throats these days. A clashing of two mighty egos.
To jump back a paragraph, the point I set out to make was the beautiful irony of the French 'non'. The Blair Government has been sweating on the upcoming referendum (over the EU Constitution) for some time now and must have realised the difficulty if gaining a British yes vote. The consequences of a 'no' would have most damaging to Britain's perceived place in Europe. So imagine the delight in Downing St and Whitehall at the French result. Political union is dead and the French are holding the smoking gun! Sacre bleu!
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Rage from the grave
The memoirs of a former Federal Parliamentary Labor Leader have been set the media ablaze. Mark Latham headed the party at the previous Federal Election (2004), resigning three months later in a pique of recrimination, some of it, no doubt, brought on by ill health.
Latham was an interesting politician, candid, full of ideas and visions, if you like. But he was never really in control of himself, lacked discipline at critical junctures and seemed not, if reports are correct, to have been a team player.
At best, his memoirs seem ill judged and, if the adage about revenge is to be believed, has served his so-called opponents a very hot dish indeed. At worst it is a dummy spit of Olympian size, belittling both the man and his party and handing a free kick to the Government.
Biting the hand that has fed you is not an edifying site. Latham probably has some legitimate gripes about loyalty and performance, but this ungracious effort demonstrates one clear fact. He is a man who had no business trying to become Prime Minister.
Latham was an interesting politician, candid, full of ideas and visions, if you like. But he was never really in control of himself, lacked discipline at critical junctures and seemed not, if reports are correct, to have been a team player.
At best, his memoirs seem ill judged and, if the adage about revenge is to be believed, has served his so-called opponents a very hot dish indeed. At worst it is a dummy spit of Olympian size, belittling both the man and his party and handing a free kick to the Government.
Biting the hand that has fed you is not an edifying site. Latham probably has some legitimate gripes about loyalty and performance, but this ungracious effort demonstrates one clear fact. He is a man who had no business trying to become Prime Minister.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Gadding On
Tomorrow Japan goes to the polls to elect a new parliament. If you're even a little interested in Japanese politics, I'd recommend any number of news sites (such as the BBC) if you'd like a summary of what its all about. As I've said before, I'm in the unusual position of hoping that the government of Junichiro Koisumi is re-elected. It's unusual because my politics is left of centre and the LDP is a conservative party. But Koisumi is the kind of political shaker who is getting Japan to reflect on its position in the world and the way things are done. I'm not usually in favour of privatisation, but there is a case for Japan's lumbering postal service to be shunted into the modern era. There is also a strong case for reforming the financial sector and the scandalous pork barrelling that occurs, with the open complicity of parliamentarians.
Yesterday I had my weekly Japanese class with Keiko san, and as usual I fumbled my way through an hour of broken Japanese. Keiko is fairly long-suffering in my estimation. I do try hard but the more I learn about Japanese grammar and usage, the more choice I have on how to say things, the more confused I get. I hanker for those simple days of sentences without relative clauses and in which one can use the polite -masu form of the verb. Now I have to contend with a dog's breakfast (inu no asa gohan) of verbal and adjectival conjugations, all competing for time in the ancient CPU that is my brain. All the while, I know that the next chapter of my textbook is harbouring yet another layer of difficult stuff. Yes, I am slowly getting better - I guess I'm somewhere around the level of a three year old now. And yes, it's fun to do and an intellectual challenge. I will stop complaining now.
Australia is about to be assailed by new draconian anti-terror laws which, amongst other things, allow a person to be detained, without charge, for up to 12 days upon the suspicion of the authorities. Now lets get this in perspective. It was the Howard Government that decided, against the wishes of a solid majority of Australians, to go to war with the US and Britain in Iraq. The central reason for this war was the alleged stockpile of WMD that Saddam had secreted from the UN weapons inspectors. There was very little real evidence for the existence of these weapons and considerable evidence that the intelligence agencies of the US and Britain were using dodgy sources to make their claims. The British Government was even claiming that these hallucinations could be readied for active use within 40 minutes. Critics at the time not only dismissed much of this 'evidence' as political spin, but also noted that the countries participating would increase, rather than decrease, their exposure to terrorism.
And so we have the Australian Government arguing, without the least shame, that because of the increased risk of terrorist assault, its citizens civil liberties must needs be proscribed. And who will enforce these new laws? Why, the very people who told us that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, that there would be no greater terrorist threat as a result of the war and who continue to act as if they weren't so absolutely, bloody wrong.
Democracy may be the least worst from of human governance (Churchill, I think), but sometimes it throws up such mediocrities, such fools. It's hard not to cry.
Yesterday I had my weekly Japanese class with Keiko san, and as usual I fumbled my way through an hour of broken Japanese. Keiko is fairly long-suffering in my estimation. I do try hard but the more I learn about Japanese grammar and usage, the more choice I have on how to say things, the more confused I get. I hanker for those simple days of sentences without relative clauses and in which one can use the polite -masu form of the verb. Now I have to contend with a dog's breakfast (inu no asa gohan) of verbal and adjectival conjugations, all competing for time in the ancient CPU that is my brain. All the while, I know that the next chapter of my textbook is harbouring yet another layer of difficult stuff. Yes, I am slowly getting better - I guess I'm somewhere around the level of a three year old now. And yes, it's fun to do and an intellectual challenge. I will stop complaining now.
Australia is about to be assailed by new draconian anti-terror laws which, amongst other things, allow a person to be detained, without charge, for up to 12 days upon the suspicion of the authorities. Now lets get this in perspective. It was the Howard Government that decided, against the wishes of a solid majority of Australians, to go to war with the US and Britain in Iraq. The central reason for this war was the alleged stockpile of WMD that Saddam had secreted from the UN weapons inspectors. There was very little real evidence for the existence of these weapons and considerable evidence that the intelligence agencies of the US and Britain were using dodgy sources to make their claims. The British Government was even claiming that these hallucinations could be readied for active use within 40 minutes. Critics at the time not only dismissed much of this 'evidence' as political spin, but also noted that the countries participating would increase, rather than decrease, their exposure to terrorism.
And so we have the Australian Government arguing, without the least shame, that because of the increased risk of terrorist assault, its citizens civil liberties must needs be proscribed. And who will enforce these new laws? Why, the very people who told us that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, that there would be no greater terrorist threat as a result of the war and who continue to act as if they weren't so absolutely, bloody wrong.
Democracy may be the least worst from of human governance (Churchill, I think), but sometimes it throws up such mediocrities, such fools. It's hard not to cry.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Hildegard
Hildegard of Bingen was a 12th century Christian mystic who embraced a far more wholistic and embracing faith than what we often hear about today. The Earth as God's good creation was fundamental to her perception of how life should be lived. In a way, she is an ancient flagbearer for the environmental movement. She exhorts us to "meet each creature with grace", a radical idea for her time and one that still seems not to have penetrated human sensibilities.
The air,
blowing everywhere
serves all creatures.
Ever is the firmament its support
Ever is it held
carried,
by the power of God.
(from Hildegard of Bingen, Gabrielle Uhlein, Bear and Company, 1983)
The air,
blowing everywhere
serves all creatures.
Ever is the firmament its support
Ever is it held
carried,
by the power of God.
(from Hildegard of Bingen, Gabrielle Uhlein, Bear and Company, 1983)
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
The Religious Left
You hear a lot, in fact, far too much about the religious right, especially in America. But where is the religious left, the party of Jesus, if you like? I'm a little tired of the right's myopic political agendas. I'm even more tired of their conflation of issues like abortion, homosexuality, prayer in schools and the like with genuine religious principles.
Correct me if I'm wrong (no really, go ahead) but I can find precious little that Jesus had to say to about sex (yes, he told a prostitute that she should give it up), though I can find a great deal that he said about religious hypocrisy and cant. Religious leaders of his time copped a bit of stick, as we say here. Nor did he ever ask his followers to get involved in politics; rather, the opposite('Render unto Caesar...)
So where is the assembly of voices of the religious left? The voices that will talk about tolerance, compassion and love. The voices that will repeat the Sermon on the Mount as if it were a manifesto that can be acted upon here and now.
They are somewhere surely. Stand up and speak out against the dark punishers, the pious naysayers..........
Correct me if I'm wrong (no really, go ahead) but I can find precious little that Jesus had to say to about sex (yes, he told a prostitute that she should give it up), though I can find a great deal that he said about religious hypocrisy and cant. Religious leaders of his time copped a bit of stick, as we say here. Nor did he ever ask his followers to get involved in politics; rather, the opposite('Render unto Caesar...)
So where is the assembly of voices of the religious left? The voices that will talk about tolerance, compassion and love. The voices that will repeat the Sermon on the Mount as if it were a manifesto that can be acted upon here and now.
They are somewhere surely. Stand up and speak out against the dark punishers, the pious naysayers..........
Conservative shenanigans
Further to my last post, the politics of hate (surely, happy Liberal family, ed.) in conservative circles has been jollied along by the Federal Health Minister, Tony Abbott. With characteristic charm, Abbott weighed into the debate over the resignation and attempted suicide of state leader John Brogden with comments alluding to to the latter's 'political death.'
It emerges that the information that tipped off The Daily Telegraph came from persons within Brogden's own party, the chief suspects being creatures from the far right. This gaggle of nasties includes some, like Abbott, who profess to have a Christian leaning. I'm not sure which Christ or New Testament they have been looking at. Their behaviour and public comments suggest that a vicious bigotry is emerging in the Liberal Party that is seeking to influence policy in ways anathema to most Australians. It also call to mind the illiberal attitudes of the likes of Jerry Falwell and Pat Buchanan in the US. I don't think this kind of imported pseudo-Christian ethical babble will play well in Australia.
If things weren't bad enough for George Bush over Iraq (excuse me for jumping topic), then along comes a hurricane that has blown away his flimsy claim to be a great crisis manager. If only Bin Laden could release a video claiming responsibility for Katrina, then maybe he could slip off the hook.
Bush: The terrorists have seized control of the weather. And we have found secret weather-making stations in the heart of terror central. (Cut to map of Iran)
But somehow I don't think this will happen. May his ratings continue to tumble.
It emerges that the information that tipped off The Daily Telegraph came from persons within Brogden's own party, the chief suspects being creatures from the far right. This gaggle of nasties includes some, like Abbott, who profess to have a Christian leaning. I'm not sure which Christ or New Testament they have been looking at. Their behaviour and public comments suggest that a vicious bigotry is emerging in the Liberal Party that is seeking to influence policy in ways anathema to most Australians. It also call to mind the illiberal attitudes of the likes of Jerry Falwell and Pat Buchanan in the US. I don't think this kind of imported pseudo-Christian ethical babble will play well in Australia.
If things weren't bad enough for George Bush over Iraq (excuse me for jumping topic), then along comes a hurricane that has blown away his flimsy claim to be a great crisis manager. If only Bin Laden could release a video claiming responsibility for Katrina, then maybe he could slip off the hook.
Bush: The terrorists have seized control of the weather. And we have found secret weather-making stations in the heart of terror central. (Cut to map of Iran)
But somehow I don't think this will happen. May his ratings continue to tumble.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Catching up
Our broadband connection has been playing up this week, with unreliable and unpredictable connectivity. I guess that's technology...
We've had a wild week in local politics, by which I mean state politics. The leader of the conservative opposition party, the Liberal Party, resigned after allegations emerged that he had made racially dodgy remarks about the former Premier's wife. It was also alleged that on the same, somewhat beer-soaked evening, he chatted up a couple of female journos.
On the following evening, and apparently in response to newspaper headlines scheduled for the next day alleging further transgressions, the poor man tried to kill himself. He failed and is now in recuperation.
The role of the press in this matter has been the topic of hot debate today. To what extent should the fellow should have been let alone once he had resigned, rather than pursued with additional (unsubstantiated) allegations? How far should the media go in delving into the private life of public figures? Amid the collective hand-wringing today, there was a distinct wiff of hypocrisy in a number of media quarters.
But more on this later.......
We've had a wild week in local politics, by which I mean state politics. The leader of the conservative opposition party, the Liberal Party, resigned after allegations emerged that he had made racially dodgy remarks about the former Premier's wife. It was also alleged that on the same, somewhat beer-soaked evening, he chatted up a couple of female journos.
On the following evening, and apparently in response to newspaper headlines scheduled for the next day alleging further transgressions, the poor man tried to kill himself. He failed and is now in recuperation.
The role of the press in this matter has been the topic of hot debate today. To what extent should the fellow should have been let alone once he had resigned, rather than pursued with additional (unsubstantiated) allegations? How far should the media go in delving into the private life of public figures? Amid the collective hand-wringing today, there was a distinct wiff of hypocrisy in a number of media quarters.
But more on this later.......
Friday, August 26, 2005
Oranges
Nadia's pregnancy book ( a comic take on the subject by Kaz Cooke) says that the uterus in Week 10 is about the size of an orange. I find it hard to get my head around the idea of a cricket-ball- sized object squeezed into my lower abdomen or adjacent precincts, but then again, I'm just a man. I think I'll find it even harder once the object swells to the size of rock-melon, but as Nadia reminds me, it is she that is the subject of this unique invasion, not me. It doesn't stop me thinking about it, though.
Speaking of cricket (were you? - ed), the Ashes series has warmed up considerably since England won the second test. Given that Australia seems to win at every sport (except alas, soccer) I'm really hoping the Poms can carry off the series. In any event, the Australian team are a little too arrogant for my liking and a dose of losing can only do some good in the long run. And the game needs some other champions once and a while.
Speaking of cricket (were you? - ed), the Ashes series has warmed up considerably since England won the second test. Given that Australia seems to win at every sport (except alas, soccer) I'm really hoping the Poms can carry off the series. In any event, the Australian team are a little too arrogant for my liking and a dose of losing can only do some good in the long run. And the game needs some other champions once and a while.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
OBN
A couple of days ago our Prime Minister received the Order of the Brown Nose (surely, public service award - ed.) from the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars. Nothwithstanding our PM's outstanding achievements in the cause of American foreign policy, the fact that previous winners include Dick Cheney should be sufficient warning to future nominees. I'm not sure which Woodrow Wilson is alluded to in the organisation's title, but it surely could not be the same Woodrow Wilson who was an American President and, er, a Democrat. This Wilson of the same name was a fervent internationalist and a leading proponent of the League of Nations.
The current US President, George Bush sent his congratulations via video.
"John Howard is a great personal friend of mine and a supporter of the American Way er, sorry, the freedom of all peoples, and I ask him to report to my office at 9.30 tomorrow morning for further instructions, um, I mean, a cup of tea." (Video goes hazy, then blank)
Nice to know we have powerful friends.........
The current US President, George Bush sent his congratulations via video.
"John Howard is a great personal friend of mine and a supporter of the American Way er, sorry, the freedom of all peoples, and I ask him to report to my office at 9.30 tomorrow morning for further instructions, um, I mean, a cup of tea." (Video goes hazy, then blank)
Nice to know we have powerful friends.........
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Pontiff Orstralis
The news that the Pope has announced Australia as the next venue for the World Catholic Youth Conference has sent the nation into a spin. The number crunchers aside, the more significant news was the Pontiff's remark that Australia was amongst those countries that are most desperately spiritually impoverished.
Its true that, to outsiders, Australians might court the image of being a nation of irreverent, sports-loving hedonists, but the truth may be quite different. The brash call-a-spade-spade Aussie seems to have a hidden world of potential spiritualities. Its just that we rarely like to talk about them. I was surprised by the candour of the many responses on a talk back radio program this evening to the question, 'Do you have an object that has special daily spiritual meaning for you?' It made we wonder about the assumptions I've made about my countrymen.
Its certainly true that established churches are emptier than ever; not a desirable outcome in my estimation. The moral relativism that has often ensued has been chaotic at best. Nor am I enamoured of the fashion for New Age therapies with their 'Me' obsessions. It's just that I think people here think more about God, and about matters relating to the meaning of life than they are prepared to admit or given credit for.
Its true that, to outsiders, Australians might court the image of being a nation of irreverent, sports-loving hedonists, but the truth may be quite different. The brash call-a-spade-spade Aussie seems to have a hidden world of potential spiritualities. Its just that we rarely like to talk about them. I was surprised by the candour of the many responses on a talk back radio program this evening to the question, 'Do you have an object that has special daily spiritual meaning for you?' It made we wonder about the assumptions I've made about my countrymen.
Its certainly true that established churches are emptier than ever; not a desirable outcome in my estimation. The moral relativism that has often ensued has been chaotic at best. Nor am I enamoured of the fashion for New Age therapies with their 'Me' obsessions. It's just that I think people here think more about God, and about matters relating to the meaning of life than they are prepared to admit or given credit for.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Loose Ends
After seven years together and a baby on the way, Nadia and I have finally decided to get married. Actually, we've been engaged since August of last year. Nadia returned to Japan from summer holidays and proposed to me at our favourite temple(see photo above). She had secretly bought a ring in Scotland. Well, was I surprised!! Apparently I couldn't speak for minutes on end........
So I've just made a booking for us to see a marriage celebrant. We won't be having the Big Wedding, for lots of reasons really. Why spend all that money? We hope to find a beautiful crop of rock bordering the national park for the ceremony, then have a party/reception back at Elaine's house. Elaine is Nadia's mum. I will hire a swish marquee for the back yard and we'll have a lot of fun and we will definitely not stand upon ceremony.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Anniversaries
VP day. I'm, thinking back 60 years to the sheer relief that the war was over. Newsreels of civilians massing in the streets, men dancing, unmitigated joy. I seems so much like a different age, almost a different planet. My mother was still in the UK, a teenage girl who had survived the Luftwaffe. The notorious bombs had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The British Empire was finished. The American and Soviet domination had begun. It was a time of absolute change, of complete breaks.
Today I visited the blog of a Chinese university student. He had taken great pains to translate parts of his original Chinese blog into English, and pretty good English at that. He was a fairly typical kind of guy, enjoyed his studies, social life and looked forward to the future. One of his entries caught my attention, a demonstration against Japan by fellow students. The grievances were unspecified, but the protest looked big, aggressive and nationalistic. He described it as 'our lovely party' and I wondered whether something may have been muddied in translation.
Japan does have a lot to atone for with regard to the first half of the 20th Century. It pursued aggressive colonial policies from an early stage, invading and subduing Korea, then Manchuria, then South-East Asia during WW2. Most armies are violent and leave a trail of misery, but the Japanese Imperial Army seemed especially cruel and malevolent. It seems unlikely that Japan has ever asked why its army behaved so brutishly.
However, Japanese leaders, Prime Ministers and Emporers have repeatedly apologised for the damage and chaos caused during its colonial past. The apology was repeated today by the Japanese Prime Minister. But its clear that, unlike Germany, Japan has yet to find a way to sufficiently demonstrate its contrition to its former adversaries. Visits to war shrines by prominent leaders and ambigious history textbooks haven't helped the matter.
Having lived in Japan for two years and with the hope of returning soon, I have never found anything other kindness and fairness in my relationship with Japanese people. So its distressing for me, and probably many other foreigners who live there, that Japan seems to have been unable to deal properly and openly with its past. Perhaps this anniversary will start a debate, perhaps not.
Today I visited the blog of a Chinese university student. He had taken great pains to translate parts of his original Chinese blog into English, and pretty good English at that. He was a fairly typical kind of guy, enjoyed his studies, social life and looked forward to the future. One of his entries caught my attention, a demonstration against Japan by fellow students. The grievances were unspecified, but the protest looked big, aggressive and nationalistic. He described it as 'our lovely party' and I wondered whether something may have been muddied in translation.
Japan does have a lot to atone for with regard to the first half of the 20th Century. It pursued aggressive colonial policies from an early stage, invading and subduing Korea, then Manchuria, then South-East Asia during WW2. Most armies are violent and leave a trail of misery, but the Japanese Imperial Army seemed especially cruel and malevolent. It seems unlikely that Japan has ever asked why its army behaved so brutishly.
However, Japanese leaders, Prime Ministers and Emporers have repeatedly apologised for the damage and chaos caused during its colonial past. The apology was repeated today by the Japanese Prime Minister. But its clear that, unlike Germany, Japan has yet to find a way to sufficiently demonstrate its contrition to its former adversaries. Visits to war shrines by prominent leaders and ambigious history textbooks haven't helped the matter.
Having lived in Japan for two years and with the hope of returning soon, I have never found anything other kindness and fairness in my relationship with Japanese people. So its distressing for me, and probably many other foreigners who live there, that Japan seems to have been unable to deal properly and openly with its past. Perhaps this anniversary will start a debate, perhaps not.
Edyoocayshun
The debate over the best way of teaching reading continues in Australia. Educators elsewhere will be familiar with the 'whole language vs phonetics debate', which, for reasons best known to academics, have been acrimonious at times. Both systems seem to have their strengths and weakness and, as best I can work out, a skillful mix of the two has proven to be effective. Senior educational bureaucrats seem, however, to have had a Damascan moment. Apparently, phonetics is back on the agenda, probably for no better reason than the need to seem to be doing something new.
That's a pretty fundamental way of thinking in this country. If it isn't some concoction lifted from overseas, then its just a facelift for something that already exists and that already has a perfectly happy name, for heaven's sakes. Just like the tortured English that passes for Business English...but I dont want to get started on that!
Allied with this kind of thinking is the debate over English syllabi in my home state of NSW. About five years ago, a new syllabus introduced into high schools a far more ambitious project in learning and understanding English than before. Unfortunately, it imported most of the jargon associated with tertiary post-modern communication studies. So for author/playwright/poet/writer, read 'composer' and for reader, read 'responder'. That's just the tip of it.
Don't get me wrong. I had a lot of fun with post-modern studies at uni the second time around, but then, I had already completed a first degree in the traditional way. I had a grounding( a dangerous and delusional word as it implies that something is solid) already, so I could afford to learn the academic buzzwords and play the game. Its was interesting and challenging but in the end, I knew it was like a play and I was was giving a performance. And for a micro-second, even I, imagined that analysing the text that was, say, toilet graffiti, was as valid as analysing the text that is, say, King Lear. I know I'm exaggerating, but I'm sure you get my drift....
That's a pretty fundamental way of thinking in this country. If it isn't some concoction lifted from overseas, then its just a facelift for something that already exists and that already has a perfectly happy name, for heaven's sakes. Just like the tortured English that passes for Business English...but I dont want to get started on that!
Allied with this kind of thinking is the debate over English syllabi in my home state of NSW. About five years ago, a new syllabus introduced into high schools a far more ambitious project in learning and understanding English than before. Unfortunately, it imported most of the jargon associated with tertiary post-modern communication studies. So for author/playwright/poet/writer, read 'composer' and for reader, read 'responder'. That's just the tip of it.
Don't get me wrong. I had a lot of fun with post-modern studies at uni the second time around, but then, I had already completed a first degree in the traditional way. I had a grounding( a dangerous and delusional word as it implies that something is solid) already, so I could afford to learn the academic buzzwords and play the game. Its was interesting and challenging but in the end, I knew it was like a play and I was was giving a performance. And for a micro-second, even I, imagined that analysing the text that was, say, toilet graffiti, was as valid as analysing the text that is, say, King Lear. I know I'm exaggerating, but I'm sure you get my drift....
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Cooking
It's not that I haven't been happy about my partner's pregnancy. I admit I've only alluded to it rather obliquely thus far. The reason is simple. The first trimester is the time in which things can go wrong - most commonly wrong, that is. I guess I'm holding back on unadulterated enthusiasm until around week 13. I'm cautious also because we almost certainly had a miscarriage in February.
But its Week 8 now and everything is going fine. Of course, Nadia feels queasy quite often and has lots of strange physical sensations. She is always tired. I try to be good at helping, though I am all the while aware of the fact that I am a bloke and blokes just don't get it. Apparently.
But I did have a minor triumph of sorts tonight. She ate three slices of home-made pizza and didn't feel sick!
Tomorrow its falls to me to book the marquee for our wedding and have a chat to a celebrant("I've got a wee poem that runs to 500 lines or so that I'd like you to include...").
More on that later.........
But its Week 8 now and everything is going fine. Of course, Nadia feels queasy quite often and has lots of strange physical sensations. She is always tired. I try to be good at helping, though I am all the while aware of the fact that I am a bloke and blokes just don't get it. Apparently.
But I did have a minor triumph of sorts tonight. She ate three slices of home-made pizza and didn't feel sick!
Tomorrow its falls to me to book the marquee for our wedding and have a chat to a celebrant("I've got a wee poem that runs to 500 lines or so that I'd like you to include...").
More on that later.........
Friday, August 12, 2005
Lion Heart
Japan is going to the polls on September 11, in a classic act of Koizumism. I became a bit of a fan of the Japanese PM four years ago, in spite of the fact that he heads the LDP, a conservative party. I can only say that, despite my own centre-left instincts, something about the man, his ideas and his manner, grabbed me..
In the last four years he has struggled to drag a party beholden to special interests and business-as-usual (even when the means of conducting it have been discredited), into the modern era. By Japanese standards, he has been unorthodox and controversial. But the centrepiece of his reform agenda, the privatisation of the Japanese post office and allied services, was finally defeated in the parliament a week or so ago. Hence Koizumi's crash-through-or-crash poll.
I haven't always agreed with his agenda. I think the visits to Yasakuni were needlessly provocative, even if the principle was sound enough. I think he cozied up too close to Washington (though still mildly by comparison with the sycophants in the Australian Government) and should have pushed more firmly for an opening of Japan's highly-protected agricultural sector.
But this will be an election worth watching. Oh, I wish I was in Japan right now!
In the last four years he has struggled to drag a party beholden to special interests and business-as-usual (even when the means of conducting it have been discredited), into the modern era. By Japanese standards, he has been unorthodox and controversial. But the centrepiece of his reform agenda, the privatisation of the Japanese post office and allied services, was finally defeated in the parliament a week or so ago. Hence Koizumi's crash-through-or-crash poll.
I haven't always agreed with his agenda. I think the visits to Yasakuni were needlessly provocative, even if the principle was sound enough. I think he cozied up too close to Washington (though still mildly by comparison with the sycophants in the Australian Government) and should have pushed more firmly for an opening of Japan's highly-protected agricultural sector.
But this will be an election worth watching. Oh, I wish I was in Japan right now!
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Eddi Reader
Last night a group of us went to see Eddi Reader at our intimate local venue, The Clarendon. Eddi has one of the best voices I've heard and she is passionately present during every song. She is a pretty eclectic artist and mixed ballads like 'Dolphins' with poems(set to music) by Robbie Burns. Her three piece band included long-time collaborator, Boo Hewerdine, whose slightly harder edge pieces provided contrast to the folkier elements of Eddi's repetoire. A great night!
As we emerged from The Clarendon, it was snowing! Yes, its winter, but its been warmer than average so the cold snap has come as a shock. But how beautiful to see cars covered in white and how sweet of my friends to make snow balls and hurl them at me!
As we emerged from The Clarendon, it was snowing! Yes, its winter, but its been warmer than average so the cold snap has come as a shock. But how beautiful to see cars covered in white and how sweet of my friends to make snow balls and hurl them at me!
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
I hinted before that we worked sometimes in Japan as English teachers. Of course, lots of people do that.
Here's a photo of Nadia and me last year in Kyoto. We were about to attend a special tea ceremony, and we took a stroll through the adjacent gardens. Sakura were in full bloom.
We both love Kyoto. Our best Japanese friend, Miwa, works at a nearby ryokan, or guesthouse. I guess that's what she was doing when this photo was taken.
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