Is there any other country which allows

the "indigenous" population to "self-identify"?

The reality in this country is that I could call myself "aboriginal" and seek the financial and other benefits of being "aboriginal" and it would be difficult for anyone else to deny me those benefits or refuse to acknowledge my claim. Indeed I could go further and claim they were "racist" and seek damages.

The story of Bruce Pascoe is surely one of the ultimate reasons why "self-identification" is something that needs to be questioned. Here is someone who has made a career and a name for himself by claiming to be "aboriginal". His ancestry has been researched by others and no evidence for his claim can be found. Despite that he holds a "chair" at a leading university in something he claims is indigenous agriculture. The claims he makes about such agriculture have been shown to be false but he continues to hold the chair and teach his supposed findings. The university is aware of all this and has done nothing. All this makes a mockery of any claims about academic rigor.

For some reason the government has not stepped in either and said, "You are not aboriginal and what you are teaching is nonsense."  Pascoe actually has the support of the present Prime Minister. He has even labelled Pascoe's work "marvellous".  

I know of no academic, not even an indigenous academic, who agrees but perhaps they remain silent out of fear for their present and future research grants.

At least some of this could be avoided if some form of "proof" was asked for. In some instances there is a requirement for people calling themselves "aboriginal" to be accepted by groups also calling themselves aboriginal. Is that sufficient? Of course not. It needs much more than that.

"But", we are told, "It is too difficult to prove because of poor record keeping." Really? Yes, record keeping was often very poor but is it that poor? If all your ancestors can be shown to have been born in another country altogether how does that make you "aboriginal"? Why are you permitted to go on calling yourself that? 

My friend M... has never had a government hand out. He has never needed one or wanted one. Yes, I know he is an exception. His family were and are exceptional. All of the above however angers him because he knows there are aboriginal people who could really benefit from the programs and policies intended to benefit them. It often does not happen because others who are in no way genuinely disadvantaged take advantage of "self identification" and take what they can. 

Perhaps it is for this reason alone that there needs to something other than self-identification?  

More house hunting anyone?

Oh yes, I am trying. It is difficult, very difficult.

I really am trying not to be fussy but there are essentials. Is it really unreasonable to be looking for a place at ground level?

"Oh but they have lifts!" someone told me recently. They had seen what appeared to be a very affordable place in the CBD. Why didn't I grab that when I had the opportunity? 

Mmm...it was on the 6th floor. There are no windows in the bedroom and nowhere to safely park my trusty tricycle. Yes, it does have a "lap pool" and a "gym" and a communal laundry. The annual fees are enormous. I suppose I might manage without a window in the bedroom - but it will push up the cost of air conditioning because I need air in the bedroom!  I do need a safe park for the tricycle and I do not need a pool or a gym. 

Yesterday I put in a query for a place not too far from here. It looked as if it might be something I could actually afford. The agent called me an hour or so later. Would I like to have a look - a look today perhaps? He really sounded very keen. He could be there in ten minutes. I told him it would take me longer than that to pedal over there. We arranged a slightly later time. 

I called Middle Cat. She was not answering the phone. I pedalled off. Halfway there she returned my call. "I'll meet you there," she told me. We met and prowled through the place. It is a boxed in sort of place. There is a supposedly "private" front "garden" - in reality a tiny gravel covered area - surrounded by a high fence. Add that to tiny, dark rooms and I had the sense I had been imprisoned. Of course I would take it if I could get it but I have just been speaking to someone who tells me there is a strong possibility there are major plumbing issues which have been papered over. My BIL will need to investigate.

I put in a query for another place yesterday. It is opposite one of the local high schools - but far enough for the potential noise not to be an issue. The agent has emailed to tell me there is a tenant in it until March. I could find a way around that - short term house sit perhaps? I am now waiting for her to call me but I will not hold my breath. At least from the photographs (always treated with caution) the place looks more open. There is a window in the bedroom! 

I will no doubt continue to prowl, to hunt, to hope. If you hear a miaou of desperation in all this you are correct.  

There is money in this

so why would you not get involved? 

There is a certain controversial columnist in this country, one Andrew Bolt, who must actually thrive on being hated so much by some of his readers.  For all the controversy he stirs up he also appears to be very popular.

Yesterday he was having a shot at the latest obsession of some councils - that of changing names of places to "aboriginal" or "indigenous" names and paying to do so. If you are wondering what the problem is please let me explain.

In the example he gave a shire council in a neighbouring state has changed the name of a local park. It has been given an indigenous name. The name now being used allegedly comes from an extinct language and the council has apparently paid the local "Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation" for "permission" to use it. The council had to pay for the "translation" as well. All this was done to satisfy the demands of a very small group, many of whom never spoke the language at all. 

I do know something about extinct languages and endangered languages. It is something which has concerned me for many years. Recently my local council paid someone to try and teach what was said to be the local indigenous language at white settlement. It was nothing of the sort of course. That language is extinct. Claims to speak it are ridiculous. It cannot be "revived". The meanings given to words are, despite claims to the contrary, not certain. There was no written language to preserve it. Information given to those who did try to find out something about it was inaccurate for many reasons. In spite of all this someone was paid to teach it. 

If any members of the group associated with this language at white settlement were brought here today I wonder what their reaction would be? I am quite certain they would not recognise it as the language they spoke. 

That is in no way intended to denigrate their language. It served them and their needs at the time. Like many other indigenous languages in this country it is not suited to the needs of today. Paying to "translate" and use words from it is not going to change that.  

Lowering the age of criminal responsibility

is not wrong in itself. It is what you do with those who commit the crimes which should be under discussions.

The Northern Territory has just voted in a new government. The new government is planning on reducing the age of criminal responsibility to ten years of age. Naturally there are people opposed to this. They claim that it will do nothing to help. They say it is "racist" (because most of those caught under the law will be "aboriginal"). There are all sorts of arguments brought out claiming that this is not a good thing.

There are some things rarely mentioned. The first is that even very young children know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. It is something they can be taught. It is something they can also observe from the behaviour of those around them. Even given all the social problems in the Northern Territory I would take an educated guess that the vast majority of young trouble makers know they are doing the wrong thing...and that they can get away with it. 

The second thing worth mentioning is that juvenile records are closed.  They cannot be accessed once you are an adult. (There are some very rare exceptions to this and the alleged crime as an adult has to be very, very serious.) This surely means that children who have criminal records still have a chance to start adult life with a clean slate. They can be taught. They can learn.

And of course we give children a second chance. Children do get carried away by their companions. They do things adults would not do because they are bullied or their companions "dare" them to do something. 

In giving them that second chance we may not lock them up but we do supervise them. I see no value in locking young children away. It simply teaches them to be better criminals. 

We should expect them to apologise to any victims and make reparations. Taking some of their free time and giving them an unpleasant or boring task can be very effective. My brother and I were far from perfect. Our mother had a range of very effective punishments which involved these things - as well as some serious corporal punishment.  I am strongly opposed to the latter but the former certainly worked. (There are still occasions I remember and resent because I was not guilty of the supposed deed.) 

There is not much that can be done however if the "age of criminal responsibility" is set too high. A "telling off" will have no effect if there are no other consequences involved.  Even taking away the much loved "right" to use the swimming pool (common in some aboriginal communities) is not sufficient. A child needs to be doing something under supervision while their friends are having fun... and that "something" needs to be something they will not enjoy. I will say here however that, unless truanting is the issue, this should not involve school work. It just teaches a child to hate going to school.

 I would say here however if truanting is an issue then the child is simply told. "You didn't come to school this morning so tonight you need to do the work you did not do then." (I once kept a consistently late child in after school each afternoon for a week. I had his father's permission - indeed it was his suggestion - and that of the head to do it. He came to school on time after that.)  

There are effective ways of handling young offenders but they require time and effort and may be inconvenient for the adults around them. I had to remain in the classroom with that child, and see he did the same work as his classmates had done in the hour or so before he arrived.  It was highly inconvenient. 

Perhaps that is part of the problem. We do not want to inconvenience ourselves. It is much easier to "give them a good telling off" than actually teach them that actions have consequences they may not like.

The power bill has doubled

and the cost of milk and orange juice as gone up with it even though both the dairy and the juicer are using less power than they were using. My power bills have gone up too even though I am using far less power than I did when the Senior Cat needed the house to be warm or cool. (That was not just comfort it was a safety issue.)

This morning's rant by those trying to run their business with dramatically increasing power prices is justified.  We have a government dependent on the support of "the Greens" in order to stay in power. We have the United Nations complaining we are not doing enough to prevent "climate change" and pressure from all the Pacific island nations claiming that they are going to drown because of "global warming".

In reality this country is probably punching well above its weight if we consider it has a tiny population for the size of the land mass - and that most of the land mass is uninhabitable. What is the real danger for us is that the economy will fold under the weight of trying to turn "green" in an unrealistic fashion. The "renewable" demands are simply not taking into consideration the way the population is situated and the difficulty of getting power, especially enough power, to everyone who needs it in a reliable and environmentally responsible fashion. Of course this does not consider that the government is still apparently happy to obtain the money brought in by coal and gas sold and used overseas.

I was asked recently whether I supported the idea of nuclear power. I do. It is the only realistic option. Yes, it is expensive - but expensive in the short term. Over the long term it is almost certainly going to be much cheaper. Yes, it will take time to build - but almost certainly not as long as those opposed to it will have us believe. Yes, there are some associated risks and problems with storage issues but they are no greater than the risks and problems associated with the supposedly friendly and "green" solar panels and wind turbines. 

Returning small amounts of money to us in an effort to hide the increase in power bills and the uncertainty of the electricity supply under renewables is dangerous and irresponsible. It is not going to cover the increase in my power bills although I now use far less than we once did. It most certainly is not going to cover the increase in the cost of milk or juice or anything else. 

Is the price too high? I think it is because there are alternatives. 

I have just lost my temper

and that is such a rare thing for me that I am feeling shaken by it.

I am normally a very even tempered sort of cat. I can and do feel strongly about things but I will discuss issues calmly enough not to provoke an argument. I really do try to listen to other people and I will even allow them to believe they have won an argument if the situation gets too heated. 

Middle Cat says I am not nearly "assertive" enough. Yes, I will avoid confrontation. It frightens me. Admitting that here with the computer screen between me and the world is easy enough. In real life it is much more difficult. I have always assumed that it is the "arm's length" which makes it so easy for some people to behave in such appalling ways to other people.

This morning however was too much. There was an email to Brother Cat from the executor company. In it they once again did not provide the information he was, very reasonably, requesting. In it there was a claim something had been done. It has not been done. (My own financial adviser was able to access the necessary information and it showed that the necessary action had not been taken.) We are still not being given the information we need to pay out the Black Cat and thus remove her from any further financial activities in relation to the estate. 

The problems we have had can be shown to be directly related to a lack of due diligence on the part of the executors but they are denying any liability for the problems caused by their former employee. Had they sacked her rather than "suggested she resign" we might have been able to do more but of course this has not happened. 

I am here trying to not just pack my own belongings with nowhere to go but trying to sort out many things which belonged to my parents. Middle Cat is "helping" and sometimes unintentionally interfering. I keep getting "advice" from all and sundry.  Brother Cat and his partner want to come over and "help" but last time they did this was no help at all - to the contrary. This morning it was all just a bit too much. When the executor company tried to tell us they had done  what they had not done and I am at an even further financial disadvantage because of it I lost my temper. 

I am now waiting for an answer to an email which very firmly pointed out my housing situation and the financial disadvantage they have caused. Middle Cat will say I have not been "assertive" enough of course but I rather suspect that they will be scrambling to try and respond to actual facts. Facts can be useful when you lose your temper.  

Compulsory acquisition of a

two year old house at below market value. Why? Do other people really need to walk just a few metres from the door of their house (not being compulsorily acquired) to get in their car and go to work? Do they really need to do this as the only occupant of the car? Do they really need to do it just a day a week? Is saving a few minutes on the journey so important?

I was talking to someone at the library yesterday. He knows I need to move too and he had stopped to ask me if I was interested in getting rid of something. (Sorry mate I am keeping that sofa because it doubles as a bed.) He told me of the family he is trying to help. 

The family is currently living in what can only be described as very, very cramped accommodation. They had scrimped and saved and built a house, much of the work done by the father while he was also working full time. They had all the necessary permissions - in writing. At no time was any mention made of "compulsory acquisition" for a new road through their property and several other properties.  It is actually very unlikely that anyone knew because the plans were apparently changed elsewhere at a very late stage. 

But, plans are plans it seems. Once plans are signed off then things like compulsory acquisition can take place. Yes, you are supposed to get "market value" for such acquisitions - but market value can slump well below even the cost price if the area's value changes because of a road built to benefit others. 

There is no way this family can find other accommodation of a similar standard in the same area for the price they are being offered. Indeed they probably won't find any accommodation of that standard anywhere for the price they are being offered. The man telling me all of this is knowledgeable about such matters and, by his reckoning, the family will lose around $300-350,000 at least. That does not take into account the stress and cost of actually moving somewhere else and the children needing to go to new schools.

This will happen of course. Building a road so that some people can spend five more minutes at home is more important than housing a family. The work the family has put in is less important than the votes of people who travel along that route. 

"They have been told they are lucky the offer is as high as it is and, if they don't accept it, the next offer will be even lower," I was told. 

It was all a bit too close to home for me. We are currently battling with the executors of the Senior Cat's estate. They have not shown what is known as "due diligence" in many matters. There is a long and complex paper trail which shows this. We are now being told they have the right to make choices which could potentially disadvantage us still further...and that they almost certainly will make those choices "because that is the way we do things". 

Perhaps it is time to bring these people to account - but I am not holding my breath over it happening. 

Tickle v Giggle

barely rates a mention in our state newspaper. True a report of the case is there on page 3 - but as nothing more than a small paragraph at the bottom. It would be easily overlooked. Perhaps it is because even the state's newspaper is wary of getting involved in the controversy.

For those of you who have missed it the case involves someone now called Roxanne Tickle and a one time social media app called "Giggle for Girls" then run by Sall Grover.  Tickle took Giggle and Grover to court because Tickle was denied access to the app due to something labelled "gender identity. 

The app was intended for women only. Apparently Tickle's birth certificate states "female" and Tickle underwent "gender affirming" surgery in 2019.

Yes, you can see where I am going here. Tickle was born male. Tickle may have undergone "gender affirming" surgery but many people would agree Tickle still looks and sounds male with a deep voice and obvious facial hair. Tickle wanted an "apology", "damages" and access to the app. The defence argued Tickle was male and no discrimination had occurred.

The case was decided in Tickle's favour with the judge saying that Tickle was indirectly discriminated against. Tickle was awarded costs and $10,000. The result has also been applauded by the Human Rights Commission. This is from the HRC website.

“The 2013 changes to the Sex Discrimination Act make it clear it is unlawful under federal law to discriminate against a person on the basis of gender identity,” says Sex Discrimination Commissioner Dr Anna Cody. “We are pleased this case has recognised that every individual, regardless of their gender identity, deserves equal and fair treatment under the law.” 

The role of the Sex Discrimination Commissioner in this case was as a ‘friend of the court’ (amicus curiae). Dr Cody assisted the Court by providing submissions about the meaning, scope and validity of relevant provisions of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth).

“Gender equality means equal treatment for people of all genders, including trans people. Sex and gender identity are interconnected, not mutually exclusive, and access to justice for one group does not come at the expense of another, but rather strengthens our collective commitment to equality and justice for all. 

“We must continue to recognise the worth and dignity of every person and reject the harmful stigmas and stereotypes that cause discrimination. No one in Australia should face exclusion or discrimination based on sex or gender identity, and we will continue to stand with trans communities and advocate for the rights of all women, including women who are trans.” 

I know there will be people who will agree with the outcome. It is not something I can do. I believe it is wrong in fact. Yes, you can have "gender affirming" surgery. Yes, you can present as someone of another sex. Does it actually make you B instead of A or A instead of B? No.

It is also setting yet another dangerous legal precedent.  We already have those born male competing as females in sport. What do we do about "women's shelters" and "women's health clinics" and "women's prisons"? The latter have already had incidents of rapists being housed in them and causing harm. 

I really do feel for people who believe they are the "wrong" sex. It must be an extraordinarily difficult thing to live with every day. Whether it gives someone in that position special rights over others however is something I would question. Just as some people have to accept that a disability can bar them from doing something is it possible some "transgender" people need to accept there are activities they cannot participate in?

There were bears and bags

and a rabbit on a teapot...and no, I was not in Wonderland. These all came in to be entered and judged in this year's annual state Show. One item was a hula-hoop filled with a colourful sun catcher, another a box full of vegetables - made from crochet. Then a "garden" of plants came in, along with a gingerbread house and a "book" which opened up to reveal shelves with books and cats. There were cardigans and pullovers, shawls and cowls, gloves and socks added to the piles. All early morning we went backwards and forwards to put things in the right classes ready for judging.

At last the time for an end to delivering entries came and one of the Convenors asked me, "Cat, can you take one of our new judges over to morning tea?" Of course I could. 

We went across to the far corner of the building where the wonderful women from the Country Women's Association leave big trays of fresh scones and cake. The new judge (machine knitting) was amazed. There were more than twenty people crowded in to the small room. I showed her where to help herself to tea or coffee and she was soon chatting to someone she knew.

The judge for knitting and crochet had not arrived. I phoned her. Yes, she was on her way! 

A little later we were going through the categories making sure everything was ready for her. How many entries had not come in. We double checked everything, adjusted numbers, removed one item from one place and put it in another. We told each other to remind each other of this or that or something else. Did we leave that mannequin lying down or stand it up? I looked at what was on it and muttered "Best in Show" to myself. (I was right.) 

Then I went around on my own and looked again at everything. I made a mental note of what I thought would be the prize winners. It is useful to do that because the judge can sometimes ask a specific question about technique or style. It is my job to answer those if I can. I am not permitted to comment but I can answer a specific question. It is also useful to know if my judging skills align with those of the judge.

The judge rushed in, took a deep breath and visibly relaxed. We began work. The recorder of the results was kept busy too. 

Later we had a lunch break - but not for long. There was too much to do. The judge commented on the very high standard of some of the work. As the post-judging tickets got attached with names I found I was right that the extraordinary colour work knitting was the work of a man who had won something the previous year. I use that word "extraordinary" advisedly too. It really is very, very special.

There was the crochet and the combined classes to do in the afternoon. Why can people not read the size for "amigurumi" - not more than10cms high please. The challenge is to make something small! 

At the very end there is a class we call "weird, wild and wonderful". I had, very naughtily, put something in to tease the judge. We know one another well enough for that and I knew she would have no idea who had made it. I had asked another steward to call me at that point and she did. 

"What on earth is this?! It's hideous!" I heard the judge shriek.  The rest of us burst into laughter as she held up the "high-vis hat". It is made from neon-orange acrylic and has "glow-in-the-dark" beads hanging from the tassel on top. 

The judge looked at me and everyone else there and then burst out laughing, "You can't do this to me."

It was a bit of fun at the end of a long and otherwise very serious day....and she did actually award me a 3rd for it. We are a bit "weird and wild" there.  

"This is Senator .....'s secretary here...

, Would I be talking with....?"

I took that one seriously, very seriously. I know that is how things are done and should be done. What he went on to say next convinced me he was genuine. 

"Do you have a few minutes?"

Oh yes, I have a few minutes for this issue. It took more than a few minutes but I knew it would. I had my ammunition ready. If you send a letter to a Senator in Downunder's national parliament then you had better be prepared if you want them to take you seriously.

I have been writing letters to politicians for many years. It has often been part of my job to do just that. Over the years I have also managed to learn a thing or two. 

One of those things is to write an actual letter. Do not email unless later asked to do just that...and then say you are doing so because you have been asked to do just that. It might sound strange but a paper letter actually has more punch. It is much more likely to be read, to be taken seriously...but check your spelling, check your grammar. Do not write it the way I write this blog!

Then, keep your letter to a single page. If you cannot get the message across in just one page then you have not given it enough thought. Nobody in a Senator's office is going to read more than a page. Make sure it is properly laid out and typed too. Done that Cat? Then post it. They might get back to you.

Be prepared for them to get back to you. When the phone call came I was at the desk top. I pulled up the file and I was ready with answers to some rather searching questions.

"I may need to get back to you. Is this the best number?" I was asked.  Yes, it will work but I won't be at my desk on... 

Twenty minutes later we stopped talking. I think we have a problem solved. It is one of those small things with a simple solution which can make a big difference to someone with a disability. I hope an issue has been solved for one family and, in doing so, it will be solved for other families with a similar issue. 

It might help that the solution will not cost anything. Does anyone else find it a little strange how the government always seems to like those sort of solutions?  

Soft toys anyone?

There were piles of them sitting there waiting to be judged. 

I spent yesterday at the state's showground. It was part of my duties as a steward in the Handicrafts section. The entries are delivered this week and then judged before being put in the display cabinets. 

I take a particular interest in the knitting and crochet of course but I am also interested in the soft toys which are entered and then passed on to the Women's and Children's Hospital. The work that some people put in to something they are then giving away is extraordinary. There were over forty entries in this class this year. 

As they came in the stewards on duty were going "Oooh" and "Look at this one!" The entries were being carefully lined up with laughing comments about, "Make sure they can see what is going on" and "Behave yourselves" when they were put down.

Other entries came in too, entries for other classes. Some of the embroidery came in. There was the millinery and the dressmaking too. Smocking came in for special attention from an expert judge. (I would have no idea about the finer points of that class but I recognised some beautiful work.)

All entries now need to be in by 10am. Judging begins at 11am. In between we rush over to the other side of the building. There the wonderful ladies from the Country Women's Association have left freshly made scones for morning tea. The urn is on. Scones and tea or coffee are consumed and regular stewards catch up on what each has been doing in the past year. 

Then, back to the judging. Will it be this one...or that one? The soft toys were varied of course. They always are but they were all good enough to pass on - even the one obviously knitted by a child. 

"How was this done?" and "I can't find the last seam...no, here it is." Yes, everything had safety eyes. There were no loose parts and nothing that was sharp or dangerous on anything. It made judging so hard. We looked at the bears, the dolls with long spindly legs (just right for being grabbed and pulled around), the red and yellow dinosaur. There was a tiny pink elephant and a lion with a curly mane.  

At last a beautifully embroidered felt cat was chosen for first and a cloth bear for second. They were followed by other items and then the name cards were attached and we put them in their special display cabinet on the end of one of the long rows. 

I think they look good there. All of them will go to new homes with very sick children who need something a bit special or children who have nothing to comfort them. To me this is something very special and very much part of what the state's annual "Show" should be about. 

Tomorrow I go back to steward for the knitting and crochet. As always I expect it to be a very enjoyable day but it won't be quite the same as seeing those toys on display. 

104,500 injured, attacked,

sexually harassed, under stress causing mental illness? This is apparently the number of teachers formally reporting incidents over the past decade. That is apparently around fifty-two incidents a week...and those are the incidents which are formally reported. (A formal complaint will go to the central office.) 

How many more teachers are complaining to the school principal but not taking it any further? How many more are experiencing some of these things but not saying anything to anybody?

I really do not believe the situation was that bad in the schools for which the Senior Cat was responsible. As "the head's kids" we saw a fair bit of the staff outside school hours. In rural schools the teachers were in and out of our house, particularly at weekends. I knew how to get everything ready for morning and afternoon tea from late primary school Teachers frequently had meals with us. We even had one live with us for a short time.  

I knew some of them had problems. Some of the very young and very inexperienced teachers had a few discipline problems but they were quickly dealt with by the Senior Cat or his deputy. There was one young woman who could not handle the position at all. How she managed to do her teacher training was a mystery. The Senior Cat sent me in to her classroom with a message one day. The room was noisy, very noisy and then there was a sudden (and I mean sudden) silence. The miscreants looked at me. I looked at them. They knew what I was thinking. Was she going to tell him they were playing up? Most of them were about eight years old. I handed over the information required and asked if I could speak to two of the boys I knew would be ring leaders. Out in the tiny "porch" of the classroom - the space where the children kept their bags and coats - I spoke to them. No, I would not tell my father but if the noise began again I would and that meant nobody would get any playtime for the rest of the week. (It was Thursday.) As a prefect (it was an all age school) I had the power to suggest detention but not give it. And yes, the classroom I was in was close enough that I could suggest I could hear them. It was the perfect solution on that occasion because the two boys knew that the junior most football team would be chosen at lunch play time...and they wanted to be on the team.

It did not last as a solution of course. The following time Miss S... left. She was unable to control any group of children and went into a different profession eventually working behind the scenes so she did not need to have contact with the public.

The following year in a new school I went into the staff room one afternoon. School was over for the day and I had been asked to do something. I went in and found two teachers there...one in tears because a couple of the boys had been giving her a very hard time. The other teacher was about to send me straight out but the upset teacher said, "No, it's all right. Cat won't say anything." She was right. I would not have opened my mouth to anyone because I knew to say anything would have made it much, much harder for her. It was a rare incident.

So what is going on now? Schools have changed. Teaching methods have changed.  Discipline has also changed because of this. Our teachers were Mr/Mrs/Miss. They wore collars and ties if they were men and skirts or dresses if they were women. It is very different from the jeans and t-shirts which are now common on teachers, some of whom are known by their given names. Does this account for the increased number of incidents and injuries? It is not the entire answer of course but perhaps it may be part of it.

Two hours a day on

Tik Tok? Apparently this is now "normal" for about half of our 10-15yr old students.

I have yet to even look at Tik Tok. I have no idea how it works. Perhaps I need to try and find it and explore it? Really I am not interested. It puzzles me how anyone would want to spend so much time watching it, not just occasionally but every day.

These past few weeks I have been sorting and packing books. Yesterday someone came and took away a load. Her partner turned up and took another load. They are going to be divided between two charities and a school. The charities have "op-shops" around the city and the school is a small, faith based school where reading is emphasised. It is not an ultra-religious school like some, simply a school where concerned parents want their children to spend less time viewing screens and more time reading and doing. I was very happy to see the books go off to those locations.

Middle Cat and I discussed reading with the woman who came to pick the books up. She is anxious for her children to read and told us she reads to them at night. "It's a bedtime ritual." 

I am all for that. Four of the children in this street are read to at night. One of the boys is not at all interested in reading...or school. He spends most of his daylight hours outside kicking or batting a ball. Inside he is most definitely not permitted extended screen time. It is the same for his sister. There might be arguments but his parents are firm about it.  The same is true of the twins at the end of the street. Somehow their mother, even with another and much younger child, finds time to do things with them, hear them read and read to them. All four of them were eager to take home the craft material I have been clearing out. Cardboard! Paper! Stickers! Tape! Polystyrene shapes! 

"I love you Cat," the youngest told me and snuggled in for a moment. 

I have put a bit aside for the two boys who recently moved house.

The other two children left in this street are different. We rarely see them outside. On the admission of their father they spend a lot of time on their computers at the ages of ten and eight. One of the other mothers told me yesterday that her active child went to ask if the other boy would like to come and play. The response was, "No. He's playing games on his computer." We both agreed that this said a lot about the way he interacts - or rather, does not interact. 

It is easier to have a conversation with the almost six year old in the street than it is to have one with the eight year old. The six year old is much more inquisitive too. 

If those two hours a day on Tik Tok were spent reading perhaps things would be different? 

Home hunting, house hunting,

headache inducing and more. My rear paws are sore too. 

Middle Cat and I went and looked at more places yesterday. One was on a very narrow, very busy road. Yes, it was near a railway line but actually quite a long way from the closest station. It was also rather close to a pub which has a reputation. We prowled off again. These were safety issues.

We looked at another one. It was the "rear" unit, down a long and narrow driveway. No, not a problem for me but Middle Cat, who is a good driver, decided to back out because turning the car in that space was harder than backing out. We looked closely at this place but the bedrooms (there were two) were very small and very dark...and there was no stove in the kitchen. Yes, perhaps something could have been done about that but at a cost. The price was already more than I can afford.

And then there was the one up for auction for the Public Trustee. Even from the pictures on the website this was unlikely but...  It was described as a "homette". Space wise and location wise it would be magnificent. Obviously other people came with the same idea. We all went away shaking our heads. What they want for something that genuinely needs completely gutting and redoing was ridiculous. 

If my BIL was twenty years younger and had a regular 9-5 job it would be an excellent investment. He could have made money on this place - if he had another life time. It had obviously not been lived in for some years. There were leaks, peeling wall paper, tiles missing from the bathroom. The bathroom itself was probably the original built in the 60's. The kitchen was the same. In an attempt to hide the worst someone had covered the top of the stove. What lay beneath it was anyone's guess. The carpet had been removed but you could see the remnants on the floor of the "built-in" wardrobe. No, we prowled off.

There will be other places. I know there will be other places but there have been so many dark and cramped places that I feel disheartened - perhaps even downright depressed by all this.

Co-housing anyone?

It seems the government has finally taken a deep breath and put "co-housing" on the table.

No, don't get too excited. This is the Downunder version of some highly successful schemes in places like Denmark. The idea is that people have their own private space built around a shared space. There can be shared facilities such as laundry facilities and more. There are obvious advantages in relation to the care of the very elderly and the very young but there are also issues with privacy. If a group of people get on well together then co-housing units can work very well. If they do not get on or one person creates issues for everyone else then there can be real problems.

I looked at co-housing schemes when I was doing some research into play spaces for children. I also looked at the Dutch idea of "woonerfs" - streets where traffic is at a minimum and can only go very slowly. The idea there is to give children a place to play outside.

Combine the two ideas and you have part of the answer to the increased pressures on housing in this country - or so it is said. The co-housing option is up for discussion here - or is it?

The answer to that has to be - not really. The proposal here is to divide existing housing so that some of the large old houses on bigger blocks become two much smaller living spaces. It may mean additions to some of the present dwellings but residents would have their own access point and rear privacy but a shared front area. It would not be quite the same as the idea of "units" built for a similar purpose.

Yes, it sounds good if it helps to solve the current housing situation but I wonder how well it will work. Suburban dwellers in this country are looking for their own space. There is still a strong desire for a single unit dwelling surrounded by your own space - the old "quarter acre block". The idea of sharing that with anyone is not something many would want to contemplate.

The idea however has been put out for public discussion. It will be interesting to see what the response is. My big question is going to be "where will the children play?"   

So the Senate has sunk the

bill to place the militant CFMEU into administration? So the government is squealing that the Opposition and the Greens do not want the mess to be cleared up?

Well...no, hang on a moment. If the government was really interested in cleaning the mess up they would be doing just what the Opposition and the Greens want. I would go further and say that the union needs to be done away with altogether. It is much too powerful and much too corrupt. 

A number of smaller unions could then take the place of this big one. There would also be a ruling to prevent any current office holders from holding office in the future. Membership would be genuinely voluntary and no union funds would be passed to the Labor party.

Yes, in my dreams. The reason the government's legislation is so weak is because the Labor party depends on the involuntary donations of union members to fund their election campaigns. 

Yes, I know that it is said "but big business funds the Coalition in the same way". There are however some differences between the way in which the funds are donated. If you are a business, especially a big business with shareholders, you have to be accountable for how you donate. If the shareholders don't like it then they can withdraw their support. Directors have to be able to justify what they are doing. Union members do not have that choice. It may seem as if they do but the reality is different. It also needs to be recognised that big business donates to the Labor party in the hope of getting what it wants (often planning permission) or because they need to keep the union on side. 

How do I know this? I have seen the evidence for myself in the office of a local MP. I reluctantly helped out there one year - reluctantly because I have never wanted to join a political party. I was the acting secretary for six weeks. I had to open the mail - and write letters. It was all too obvious what was going on. 

No union should be as powerful as the CFMEU. They are costing business, particularly the construction industry, hundreds of millions of dollars. Construction managers get around $200,000 a year - and that does not include some of the other "benefits". My GP, who takes responsibility for the health of such people, gets less than half that, works much longer hours and does not have any of the same "benefits".

Perhaps it is time to reconsider the role of unions. I know one thing. They should not be there to provide funds for the Labor party any more than business should be there to provide funds/bribes to both sides. 

Do we spend enough on

education?

There are more comments about the NAPLAN test results in the state newspaper this morning.  The general view seems to be that simply "throwing more money" at the school system is not the answer.

It isn't of course. Class sizes are half what they were when I was a mere kitten at school.  I don't know how big my first class was of course. It is not the sort of thing that many of us could remember. I do however remember my "Grade 4" class. There were forty-six children in that. The following year my "Grade 5" class was "small". For some reason it was a girls only class - all thirty-six of us. The family then went back to much smaller classes in rural schools but they were still larger than many city schools are now. 

Eventually I returned to the city and went to an all girls high school where I was the fifty-third girl in the class. Until I left school classes were not much smaller than that. We were crammed into rooms in four rows facing the blackboard. There was no room to rearrange the desks.

Somehow we managed to learn in this environment. Not only did we learn but we reached a standard which is without doubt higher than it is now. Yesterday I saw two pieces of work that had been handed in by a "Year 10" student. Her mother was delighted with it because of the very positive remarks the teacher had made. I made the necessary polite comments but, if I had handed that work in, it would have been passed back to me with very different comments.  What also disturbed me was the fact this girl is going to a school which still believes spelling and grammar matter. She is also considered to be "bright" and "hardworking" according to her school reports.

I don't know what is going on. Although I have had contact with girls (and even some boys) at secondary level I have not spent much time in their classrooms. I have the impression things are very different now. It must be when there are only about twenty-four students in most classrooms, often less in the first few years.

According to someone I know in Japanese educational administration class sizes in Japan are around forty students each. Still most students seem to learn to read and write their own language - and it takes longer hours and more effort to become proficient in Japanese.  Yes, it seems the discipline there is stricter and expectations are much higher. 

"Throwing money at the problem" and "reducing class sizes" has not worked. I suspect the unpalatable truth is that there needs to be a much greater degree of discipline - at home as well as at school - and our expectations of students need to be much higher.

 

Do you remember grammar and

spelling lessons? Do you remember those "reading comprehension" tests and "composition"?

They came up in conversation a couple of days ago. This morning there is an article about the NAPLAN results in the state newspaper. (For those of you in Upover the NAPLAN tests are a supposed nationwide testing scheme to see how well students are doing in school.) 

Now my use of grammar is far from perfect. I know that. I sometimes go back and look at what I have written. I cringe. I like to think my spelling is reasonable. Others may differ. 

I remember those grammar lessons. They were not interesting. They were deadly dull in fact. Even the Senior Cat had difficulty making "Subject, Verb, Object" idea interesting. It was something which had to be taught. It was something we had to learn. I know a good deal more now than I knew when I did the "PC" at the end of primary school.  I also know that I knew far more then than the average primary school student knows now. 

"We don't do it like that," is something I have been told more than once. No, they don't. Why would they? 

The same is true of spelling. We had "spellers" or "spelling books. There were lists of words in them which were expected to learn to spell. That was not a problem for me. If I had not achieved ten out of ten for the weekly spelling test I would have been docked what little pocket money we did get for doing chores around the house. My brother was treated the same way. 

Right from the start of school we had "daily diaries". These were books in which we wrote a single sentence. It could be about anything. If we used a word we could not spell the word would be written down for us to copy. I was expected to learn to spell those words too. Was it true of other children? I suppose it was. I also suspect they kept their daily sentence very simple. Mine tended to be longer and more complex. I remember my first sentence one school term, "My mother had enough poppies in the garden to sell some to the florist". Yes, I was a little brat. Other children might have wanted, "Mum grows flowers."

Apparently they no longer do that sort of thing. I am not sure what they do. Their "readers" seem to be a series of very short books. T... across the road was very quickly bored by those but they serve a purpose. Our readers were supposed to last all year. I would read them in the holiday period before school started. After that I was constantly in trouble for reading something else in class. 

All this makes me wonder how I would have done on a NAPLAN test. Do some children do less well than they might because they are simply bored by what is on offer? Are those tests really testing anything? Yes, they must be. I know enough about such testing to know that the results might pick up some children who are falling  behind. It is also likely that some children appear to be doing less well out of sheer boredom. I think that is a problem too. 

"Efforts to wake him have

failed," the report says. 

So yet another person is in hospital after an altercation on the "night life" strip in the CBD. He is in a critical condition in hospital because of an argument. 

Another man is in custody. He is facing serious charges which may yet get upgraded to even more serious charges.

Both men would almost certainly have started out their evening with the intention to enjoy themselves. It is perhaps that which I find particularly difficult to understand. No doubt alcohol and/or drugs taken by them or those around them was a contributing factor in all this. 

I wonder about the "night life" issue. My brother, Middle Cat and I never went to the so-called "night clubs" in "the strip". Even if we had been able to afford it we would not have wanted to go. Of course the "drinking age" was twenty-one back then and it is eighteen now. There are many people who believe that lowering the age was a mistake. I certainly believe it was a mistake to allow universities to have "bars" on their premises. It is not just students but staff who have suffered from too ready access to alcohol. Writing this I realise I never did find out where the venues were at my last two universities! 

As I have said elsewhere in this blog I am allergic to alcohol (and vinegar and basil and shellfish). Swallowing something that feels as if I have swallowed a stinging nettle is not funny. It won't kill me but it is very, very uncomfortable. Perhaps I am not the best person to be talking about all this but the weekend's events have left me disturbed. It really does concern me that lashing out in anger fuelled by alcohol or drugs or the taunts of those around you should lead to such consequences. 

Was it also bullying which contributed to the young man stabbing and killing three young girls at a dance class? That story made me feel physically ill. Is he mentally ill? Yes, he almost certainly must be. It is not the act of a sane person. If he is mentally ill, what brought it on? 

All of this has also made me wonder about something else - about the issue of responsibility. Most of us would believe we are responsible for those not old enough to care for themselves. Most of us surely also believe we are responsible for those who cannot physically or mentally care for themselves, that the aged or ill need help. Why is it then that we do not feel more, if not responsible, then responsive in other situations?

 

Clearing a house

ready for sale is a slow process if your parents were both craft minded. It is also emotionally difficult.

I suppose there must be many houses where there are neat and tidy living areas with few possessions. Possibly they have large television sets, a lounge and a couple of arm chairs...and very little else.

This house has always been different. There have been books...and more books. There is the "sewing stuff" my mother had. The Senior Cat never wanted me to throw anything away. 

The only thing we did part with was the sewing machine. We referred to that as the "Boeing 747" because neither of us knew how to use it. It was one of those fancy machines which did embroidery as well. I have no interest in such things. If I had a sewing machine it would need to be something very straightforward - forward, back, zig-zag and a simple buttonhole would be enough. If the needle threaded automatically I could actually use one of those. As it is a former neighbour who was a professional dressmaker took up the Senior Cat's trousers and I did some knitting for her. It was a sensible swap of skills. 

But now I am faced with a mess. The room in which all this was kept was intended to be a small bedroom. It has been gradually filled with things over the years. "Dump it in the sewing room," the Senior Cat would tell me...and I would put whatever it was in there. Later he would be looking for something else and things would get turned over and left. "I'll put it away later" - and of course we never did. 

All this is on top of the sixty or so boxes of books I have now packed. My BIL took sixteen off to my nephew's place yesterday. They will stay there until I move. The rest need to go to a charity "book shed"...and I have still more to pack.

Of course I want to keep my stash of yarn and most of my other craft materials...the problem is I still have nowhere to live.

Going to an exhibition

is a rare event for me. There are very few here which appeal to me - or at least appeal enough to want to pay to enter them.

Yesterday was an exception...and no more than a gold coin. I needed a break from the mess in the house. I needed a break from the depressing business of looking at places to live.

Middle Cat and I looked at a property yesterday and it would have been ideal. I could get around the steep step into the room on one side because there is also another door out onto the narrow back "garden" area. Yes, it is a bit "uphill" but it is close to a train station and there is a proper pedestrian cycle at the lights because of the big school not far away. The rooms were bigger than many we have looked at - room enough for some bookshelves. Oh yes, it would have been ideal - except for the price.

I could just about have managed the advertised price but, realistically, it is going to go for far more than that. The location alone will see to that. We came away feeling down as more people went in to look. 

No, I needed that break away from it all. I prowled off to an exhibition of embroidery. There was a reason I wanted to go. The group had posted a picture of one of the exhibits on line. It was a tree with "fruit" made from Dorset buttons. I think I have mentioned Dorset buttons elsewhere in this blog. There are basic Dorset buttons which were made in their many thousands before button making machinery and plastic ended the trade. There are also Dorset buttons which are an art form. These were an art form. It was worth the effort of getting there for that alone. 

Yes, there were some other lovely things as well. It was good to actually see some of the things my friend S... had been working on displayed there. I also recognised the work of several other people. I wondered at the amount of work which must have gone into some pieces. I also wondered what would happen to some pieces, what you do with them later. It is something which always puzzles me because I make things for people to use, to wear. I don't make display pieces even though I recognise that some of the work their was well worthy of display.

It was also good to catch up with P... and have a chat. She was sitting there crocheting. Other women were sitting there working on projects too, concentrating enough that the big gallery-room was rather quiet. There were no men in evidence but there was at least one male name on the display tickets and that can only be a good thing.

It was a good afternoon. I arrived home early enough to - pack some more books. All I want now is a permanent place to put them back on shelves.

 

"You are not welcome here,"

is perhaps one of the hardest things anyone can hear. If you cannot even hear then it is perhaps even harder.

A Canadian friend called in yesterday. He has been out here for almost three years now. His company sent him here and they were even suggesting he might stay another two years but he has chosen to go back to Canada.

The reason for going back is his partner, his lovely M...  His relationship with M... is very loving and very close. It is a relationship many people would believe to be very difficult because M... is profoundly deaf and C.... is hearing. C... grew up in a family where there were profoundly deaf people. He grew up "trilingual". He uses Canadian Sign Language as easily as he uses English.  He also studied French at school and although not quite as proficient in that language he can hold a conversation in it.

M.... uses CSL most of the time - or she did while she was here. When I first met her I wondered how she would cope. Lip movements are different here and trying to lip read her third language, English, was clearly a problem. Her first language is CSL and her second is French. She has a degree in maths. M... is highly intelligent and can often be very funny indeed. We got on very well together although the communication barrier was so high. Even finger spelling was a problem because she uses a one handed alphabet and I use a two handed alphabet. 

Never mind all that. We made an effort. Occasionally she came down from their little unit in the hills behind me and we would spend some time together.

But, for all I tried, she was lonely here - very lonely. She wanted to meet people but a group I thought might make her welcome told her she was not welcome. It was a real shock to both of us. C... had been prepared to go with her and interpret. I would have helped too. No, they did not want her. 

M... did not push the issue. There was a small "home church" group which tried to make her feel welcome. It was fine on Sundays when C... was with her but at the craft group it was much more difficult. I was asked to help but I could not always be there. M... would go when I could go. We both giggled over the issue that you cannot sign and knit at the same time. It was just as well we could because, underneath all the giggling, there was real hurt and anxiety and loneliness.

I encouraged M... to put items into our state RAHS Show. She did and I was delighted when she won prizes for everything she entered. Her sock knitting is superb. She passed on her crochet hats to me and I sent them off to the Alice Springs Beanie Festival. They sold and she rather shyly presented me with the money for a scholarship fund for African girls. It was her way of thanking me.

After long discussion with her partner and with me M... went back to Canada early. They could communicate via the internet of course but it was not the same. M... missed him. C... missed her. 

Yesterday C... told me how much he was looking forward to being with M... again. We both agreed how much courage it had taken for M... to come and how difficult it is if you do not speak the language, cannot communicate easily.  

If anyone in that group is still silently spying on this blog (and I know you have from time to time) then I have this to say to you, "I am ashamed of you. You claim "everyone is welcome" but we all know it is not true." 

"Justice is expensive and

has a long gestation..." someone is quoted as saying in this morning's paper. 

He was commenting on the fact his brother's killer is still refusing to allow the body for burial. The woman in question has twice been found guilty of his murder and falsifying a will. She has used the money from the estate to fight her conviction as well as not allowing his remains to be released. 

Now she is attempting to take a case to the High Court. The grounds on which she is attempting to do this are uncertain. There must be something there which is worrying the court but nobody seems to be too sure what it is apart from those involved. 

Does she believe that withholding permission for burial will strengthen her case? Who knows what she is really thinking. We can only guess, despite her long criminal history, she is still attempting to say, "I am innocent."  

It has always bothered me that justice is expensive. People who have money, or have money behind them, are much more likely to be able to fight a case brought against them. It does mean that some of those guilty do manage to get out of a sticky situation if they have a smart barrister. There are innocent people who plead guilty to something because they do not have the money to do anything else. Yes, some of them may be involved in a situation but they are not guilty of the offence in question. It happens all the time.

There is new legislation with respect to wills and probate finally coming into effect in this state. Our family can only wish it had come into effect much earlier. It would have prevented a very, very nasty situation. I would not be looking for somewhere else to live under extreme pressure had that legislation come into effect much earlier. As it has been sitting in parliament house for more than eighteen months without going - quite literally - across the road for the governor's signature I feel upset. 

It might also have prevented this "black widow" from pursuing her case. It is a case which is clogging the courts when there are much more important things for the courts to be concerned about. 

Yes, justice is expensive. In the case of the "black widow" she should not have been permitted to use the estate money to fight the charges not just once but twice and now a third time. It has been ten years now since she was first convicted. At very least the body should have been released for a decent burial. 

There is something very, very wrong here. The gestation period is far too long.  

"How many hours did you spend

staring at the bottom of a pool?" 

I once asked this question of a boy who was struggling at university. He was a "smart kid", intelligent enough to get into university.  He was also a former competitive swimmer, once tipped for the Olympics. He gave it all up to the intense disappointment of his family, his trainers and others.

"Too many hours," he told me in response to my question, "But I feel like I failed."

He felt others had invested so much time, money and energy in his potential success that he had failed them. He was told he had in fact. He had "not given his best" to the intensive routine he was expected to follow. His father and his coach had expressed their "great disappointment" and more. The demands being made on him were huge. Eventually he scraped through his degree and took off on a round the world working holiday.  Someone else who knew him later told me he was still out of the country and that was almost ten years later.

I thought of him when I learned that a fourteen year old had won a gold medal for "skateboarding" at the Olympics. Apparently all she wants now is a duck. I hope she gets her duck...and the time to relax with it. 

Not everyone will agree with me but I do not think a fourteen year old should be competing in the Olympics. A fourteen year old should be at school and doing things like swimming or skateboarding for the fun of it. How many of them "burn out" and regret the hours they spent? Yes, this teen has a gold medal but what is she going to have say four years from now? Will she do well enough in school to go on to train for something else, a career of some sort? Will she regret the hours spent training when she could have been out with her friends? What sort of pressure will she now be under?

And what about the cost of training her and getting her there? It takes others to do that. Her family will have invested heavily in that medal. Is it really worth so much? 

My answer to that would be "no" on many levels. I also know that other people will read this and think I am being ridiculous, that sport is much more important than that. We will have to agree to disagree.  

Using rape as a weapon

is abhorrent but using it as a political weapon is doubly abhorrent. 

If what is being currently said in the very nasty defamation trial between a current Senator and her former staffer is correct then we all need to be appalled. The Senator is now suggesting it was one of the factors which led to the death of another Senator. 

The Senator died of a heart attack on the side of the road. It might of course happen to anyone but it is well known that she was under a great deal of stress at the time...from colleagues on her side of the house. She allegedly chose to pass on allegations of a rape or a possible rape being covered up to the police rather than her colleagues. If that is correct then she did the right thing. 

Politics is a nasty business at the best of times. There are very few politicians who have not been guilty of deliberately undermining others, even those on their own side. They will do it if they can see it as another step on the ladder to the top. It might be possible if you are an "independent".

There was an independent senator in another state who seemed able to actually do his job without putting his values to one side. There was a local independent member here who also did the same. I knew him and I liked him. He took the train along with the rest of us. (He considered it an opportunity to talk to people or for them to talk to him.) Neither man would have countenanced what is currently going on. 

I have no doubt at all that the additional stress contributed to the death of the senator mentioned in yesterday's court proceedings. It is clear she was unhappy before that. She was not part of the little clique headed by a senator for whom I have little time. It would have made life in federal politics very difficult. Taking an anonymous letter of a rape allegation to the police would have been difficult. To do this without informing your colleagues is surely an indication that she knew it would be used as a "weapon" against the Opposition? If all this is true then it is something which should never have been done. It was a major issue at the time, one which almost certainly cost the Opposition the election.

Those responsible for the mess no doubt take the view that all is fair in love and war but I wonder if they have considered they are using an alleged rape victim to do all this? Was it really "juror misconduct" which aborted the trial - or was that deliberate? At very least it was convenient. 

We may never know what really happened but it is clear that, for some, it has been a weapon. Rape is so abhorrent that it should not be used that way - and allegations about it should not be used as a weapon of electoral war.

 

Probable not possible?

Apparently our "terror" alert has been raised from "possible" to "probable". We are now being told there is a fifty percent chance of a terror attack being planned or occurring in the coming twelve months. Social media is being blamed for new ways to stir up trouble and cause "radicalisation" and more. 

The Prime Minister is saying "be alert but not alarmed" as he chooses to blame a "diverse range of extreme ideologies" being expressed on social media. We are told that young people, especially young men, are being "radicalised" much more quickly. No, we are told, the October 7 attack in Israel is not to blame. It has apparently just exacerbated an already present problem.

In our state newspaper this morning there is another article of interest. It is about a new government report apparently with the title "Towards Fairness: A multicultural Australia for all". Apparently Downunder is not a "fair" country.  There have apparently been "violent attempts to eradicate anything deemed counter to Western-Anglo society". The report apparently accuses us of attempting to be "assimilationist" whatever that might be. Our schools are accused of not being "culturally responsive". The report is apparently even saying we should not expect everyone to be able to speak English.

Like the writer of the article I would have thought being able to speak the major language of any country was essential if you are going to participate fully in the life of it.  I once dealt with a medical emergency in a country where I did not speak the language. It was a very frightening experience dealing with a boy having a major epileptic seizure in the early hours of a very cold morning on a train hurtling into Pisa. I knew what to do because I had dealt with the same situation in school so many times but trying to explain to other people when I did not speak more than a few words of Italian made it so much harder.

"Multiculturalism" is supposed to be a good thing and it has certainly given us some good things - a much more diverse and interesting diet is one - but it is not "cohesive". It now encourages "division" in many ways. This has become increasingly obvious in recent years. We have an entire television channel devoted to the idea of "multiculturalism" and another one just for "indigenous" affairs. It is possible to get funding for "community events" if you are sufficiently "different" - but not if you are white-Anglo-Celtic. The first white settlers to this country are apparently dreadful people who wanted to wipe out any other culture - and have continued to do so.

If all this is true then it seems hardly surprising that there is a probable terrorist threat. After all we are apparently guilty of the heinous crime of not allowing people to live as they please even while expecting enjoy the benefits of living here.  

Bruce Pascoe is

not "aboriginal". There are enough very public records to show he is not what he claims to be at all. He still manages to hold the position of Enterprise Professor of Indigenous Agriculture but an internet search shows there are increasing doubts about not just his claim to be "aboriginal" but the claims he makes about "indigenous agriculture".

Still, he has had a lot of people fooled for a lot of the time...except those who perhaps matter the most. My friend M... (who is very, very clearly aboriginal) has gone "up north" to an event. A good many of his more distant relatives are also at the same event. Known as "Garma" it is a four day event which runs over the weekend and ends today. 

There has been the usual, as M...puts it, "politicking" at this event but for him it is a chance to catch up with distant relatives, check on a few of his former clients and listen to what people are saying. M... finds the claims of Bruce Pascoe and some others more than irritating. He sees these claims as doing nothing to advance the interests of his "mob".

"What they need most is education...and they are not going to get it while we insist on going about it in the way they are currently going about it," he has said more than once. M...., who does know something about these things, considers many of Pascoe's claims to be "absolute nonsense for which there is no evidence at all".  I suspect he is right.

I will be interested to hear what M... has to say when he gets back. He was strongly opposed to the proposed Voice to Parliament. He campaigned against that. It surprised many people. Wasn't he in favour which would give "his people" a say in their own affairs? His response was "they have a say. It's called a vote. They need to be educated about that." His ideas about "equality" align more with those of "white" people even while he does take great pride in his heritage. It is why he gets so angry when people like Bruce Pascoe try to take over and say how things were done and how things should be done in the future.

I know M...'s family is exceptional. It has been for many years. From all accounts his grandparents were exceptional people. His mother most definitely was and his father was too. Education was important to everyone in his family.  It is people like M... who need to be heard, not people with an agenda based on ideas of separation and difference.  Garma needs to be seen as a gathering of the clans, not as a place to impose policies of separation on people.   

Books nobody wants

or should I say nobody wants but me.

Yes, I know I have to "downsize", to move to another location, to give away most of the books I have so carefully collected over the years.

People have walked into this house and then just stopped and stared at the bookshelves. I once had a couple of "street kids" come and visit me. They came from homes where there were no books at all. 

I remember S... looking at D... and D...looking at S... and then S... asking in a rather alarmed way, "Is this a library?" It was not the sort of place either of them were likely to visit.  That the Senior Cat and I should own so many books was an idea which was completely foreign to them. It made them nervous.

I have noticed the same thing with other non-readers. They seem to be nervous around books. 

At the other extreme someone else I know, the daughter of people who ran a highly successful second hand book business, came to visit with her partner. Within a few minutes of being here both of them had books off the shelves. They felt quite at home among books.

It is true that I feel more at ease in a house which has a visible collection of books, preferably a lot of books. The books need to look as if they have been read, as if they are used. I do not want the "collections" made by some people as interior decoration. I certainly do not want to be faced with an old set of the Encyclopaedia Brittanica or the World Book one either. My maternal grandmother had a set of "Arthur Mee" which we were allowed to read if we were "very, very good" but in reality they were so out of date that we found them more amusing than instructive.

But now I have been packing books. I estimate there will be about sixty boxes of books. There are books I would much prefer to keep but realistically I know there will be no room wherever I move. There are few places with room for as many books as this. Perhaps that is why nobody wants them...or maybe many people simply don't read?  

The crisis they were supposed

to fix has apparently doubled in size.

Our state government was elected on a major promise. It was a promise to "fix" ambulance ramping at our major hospitals. There was a major campaign by the ambulance workers themselves. Vote in this mob to reduce the delays we were told.

Many people believed it. The mob was voted in. Since that time the problem has increased. It has increased despite $7.9bn being "thrown at the problem". 

Perhaps that is where the problem starts. There is no point in money simply being thrown at anything. There needs to be an investigation. It may mean actually facing some hard facts and the idea that some woke ideas will simply not work.

They want to get people to use the "clinics" for minor issues. A friend of mine did use one the other idea. It was the sensible solution when she sliced her finger open rather badly and it needed a but more than a band aid strip. Her family knows how to handle such things. They know about real medical emergencies.

Too many people have no idea at all. They do not know about basic first aid, let alone how to deal with a major emergency.  

I don't know whether I can deal with a major emergency. I have dealt with epileptic seizures and babies being born and the Senior Cat falling and cracking his skull open. No, it wasn't easy and I would have welcomed good strong cups of tea afterwards - and did not get them - but I coped. The little medical knowledge I have proved useful but I would need much more to deal with a major road accident. 

Still I think we should teach first aid procedures in schools. Knowledge of that can save lives. It would be time better spent than time spent on some of the woke ideas they tell us are making children recognise "gender diversity" and the like.

It might also help the ramping issue if there was a return to dedicated mental health services. Too much time is taken up in emergency departments dealing with people who are in mental crisis. An ED is no place for a person who is feeling suicidal anyway. They undoubtedly need a quiet place...and immediate attention. 

And why on earth did the government decide to add yet another tax to clinics? The cost of that has simply been passed on to patients who then decide that going there is too expensive so they will go to the ED of their local hospital instead. Paying $80 for a five minute consultation ($41.50 for a pensioner/health care card holder) is more than most people will pay if the ED is cheaper. 

The "doctors are rich" and "they can afford it" notion is still strong. There are medical professionals I know who work much longer hours and take on much greater responsibilities than the train driver they treat - and earn less while facing the constant threat of being sued for getting something wrong.

Perhaps it is time to rethink the whole business of supplying medical services and asking all of us to take more responsibility for ourselves. It might not fix the ramping issue but it might reduce it. 

"I want to retire"

someone told me yesterday. He is old enough, more than old enough. The problem is that he and his wife took on three grandchildren and they have been "doing it tough" as the saying goes. The last eleven years have been a repeat of their earlier parenting but they are more than twenty years older now. Their vague plans for doing some travel or spending more time on their own interests ceased long ago. They cannot simply hand the children back at the end of the day.

The Senior Cat took a rather early retirement. While he loved teaching and interacting with children the responsibilities of running a very big and very difficult school were taking a toll on his health. He was also again being pressured to take up a very senior role in the Education Department itself. It would have meant no contact with children, no teaching and even more stress. It was not for him. He had plans.

It might be said the Senior Cat had a second career. He made conjuring apparatus for magicians. He was good enough that more than one world renowned magician asked him to make or repair things for them. I became used to finding these "characters" appear at the door with something in their hands. They would disappear like rabbits into the workshop and reappear through the back door seeking cups of tea and biscuits and someone to talk to while repairs were made. My mother loathed it all but tried to hide it. Apart from her own love of ballet she found any sort of theatre person not to her liking. The Senior Cat loathed ballet. 

After Mum died the visitors increased and stayed longer. I often found myself putting extra vegetables on and hoping there would be enough to feed everyone. It was part of looking after the Senior Cat. He also taught young people conjuring tricks and stage craft. He encouraged them to take an interest in woodwork and gardening. Perhaps it could be said he went on teaching in other ways. He went on teaching to within a couple of days of his death. 

"Your father didn't really retire did he?" The man who was telling me he wanted to retire said this in a puzzled sort of way. I had to agree that perhaps he had not but he was happy having the time to do what he wanted to do. 

"What would you like to do if you did retire?" I asked. 

He thought about it for a bit and then said, "A bit of travel. We need a holiday but then...well really I would like to spend some more time with the kids, doing things with them. It would be more of the same but without the pressure of work."

I wondered how many other people think like that rather than dream of endless travel, sport and things for themselves. It is not the same as "looking after the grandchildren because both parents work" is it?

So now the meat is to blame?

Is there no end to the excuses being used by those responsible for supposedly ensuring that athletes remain "drug free"? 

I have no doubt at all that many athletes use "performance enhancing" drugs. Perhaps even all of them do, some of them unknowingly but others in full awareness of what is going on. 

Yes, at the most elite levels, they are under enormous pressure to "win". This is especially so for athletes from countries like China. I also have absolutely no doubt there are people who are working on developing performance enhancing drugs that cannot be detected - or not detected yet. 

Athletes are still being expected to "break" records even when it is becoming increasingly obvious that there is a limit to all this even if performance enhancing drugs are used. Are we really aiming for a record of a split second in the 100m dash, let alone the 400m relay? Why is it all considered to be so important?

The Olympics are a form of war of course. For all the so called "friendly rivalry" and more the reality is that athletes are competing. Their fellow competitors are foes not friends. The focus on the medal tally is proof enough of that. (I have no idea how Downunder is doing.)

But using the idea that the presence of illicit drugs can be laid at the door of the meat provided by another country is simply nonsensical. That was not the excuse for all those vegan meals in Paris. There were other reasons for that. No, this was about something that happened in Beijing. The athletes involved were supposed to be banned but the meat was blamed. It was meat from Downunder. Really? The odd thing is that the illicit substances found in the blood of the athletes are not something used in this country at all. It has left the meat industry "baffled".  Really?

Going vegan is a woke idea. It is not what nature intended. While some of us may choose to be largely vegetarian (and many people are) there is a difference between that and no animal products at all. Getting enough protein is a real problem. I look at a vegan I know and she looks anaemic, very anaemic. Her diet is definitely lacking in something. Another vegan I know looks much the same and is much too thin to be healthy. If these people wanted to be athletes they would have to ingest something artificial to even have the energy to train. Both of them are keen followers of the Olympics but they also claim the athletes could reach peak performance without resorting to any animal products. They will even name some who supposedly have. 

I rather doubt their claims. I doubt them as much as I doubt the claims of the Chinese when they say the "hamburger" meat from here was responsible. Were elite athletes from their own country actually wandering freely around and buying what amounts to junk food? It really seems very unlikely in a country where everything an athlete does is so closely controlled.

If there are illicit drugs in your system then the most likely answer is that you deliberately took them. You swallowed them or were injected with them. The meat was not to blame.