YET ANOTHER GRADUATION!

“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” - Aristotle

We had our graduation ceremony in Melbourne today at the Melbourne Town Hall. Consequently, it was another very busy day, coming right after a very busy week, which has seen me finalise our Annual Report to the Office of Higher Education, which is to be lodged first thing on Monday morning. Tomorrow is a day of rest!

The graduation went very well and the Town Hall, which is a magnificent venue, was full of graduands, family, friends, academics and the official party. I gave the welcoming speech that was well received and two hours later, we had finished. The official party then went to dinner at Feddish Restaurant at Federation Square where we had a very pleasant meal with much mirth and merriment.

As a consequence, for Music Saturday, something quite appropriate. Here is the Allegro from the G major organ concerto Op.4 No.1 HWV 289 by George Frideric Handel. The organ in the Melbourne Town Hall is magnificent and was used to great effect in the graduation this evening.

CREAM OF TARTAR CAKES

“Chemistry can be a good and bad thing. Chemistry is good when you make love with it. Chemistry is bad when you make crack with it.” – Adam Sandler

Cream of tartar is one of those fascinating cooking ingredients that lives in the back of the pantry and one rarely uses, but which in certain recipes is indispensible. It is one of those “unnatural” natural ingredients that nowadays is manufactured in great quantities through chemical reactions, and most people will generally inveigh against because of this “chemical” identity. However, it is perfectly natural just as salt is, or soda, or vinegar – all of them are “chemicals”.

Potassium hydrogen tartrate is the proper name for cream of tartar, and it is an acid salt that has a number of uses in cooking. Most foods that we consume are mildly or considerably acidic, for example brown sugar, steak, plums, lemons, vinegar and apples. In fact, egg whites, baking soda, and milk are some of the few non-acidic (alkaline) foods we have.

When tartaric acid is half neutralised with potassium hydroxide, transforming it into a salt, we obtain cream of tartar. Grapes are the only significant natural source of tartaric acid, and cream of tartar is got from sediment produced in wine making. The scientific journal Nature reported some time ago, that traces of calcium tartrate found in a pottery jar in the ruins of a village in northern Iran, is evidence that wine was being made more than 7,000 years ago.

In the kitchen cream of tartar is used to help stabilise and give more volume to beaten egg whites. It is the acidic ingredient in some brands of baking powder. It is also used to produce a creamier texture in sugary desserts such as candy and frosting, because it inhibits the formation of crystals. It is used commercially in some soft drinks, candies, bakery products, gelatin desserts, and photography products. Cream of tartar can also be used to clean brass and copper cookware. Here is a recipe using cream of tartar.

FAIRY CAKES
Ingredients
•    350g caster sugar
•    1 cup cake flour (soft plain flour)
•    12 large eggwhites
•    1 tsp cream of tartar
•    1/2 tsp fine salt
•    1/4 tsp almond essence
•    1 tsp vanilla bean paste
•    300 ml thickened cream
•    1/2 cup icing sugar
•    1/4 cup raspberry jam
•    Extra icing sugar, for dusting

Method
1) Preheat oven to 160ºC. Line a 12-hole patty pan with paper cases.
2) Combine half the caster sugar and all the flour in a large bowl.
3) Whisk eggwhites with an electric mixer on high speed until very frothy. Add cream of tartar and salt and whisk briefly.
4) Add remaining caster sugar to eggwhite, a tablespoon at a time, while whisking on medium speed, until soft peaks form.
5) Fold into flour mixture with almond essence and vanilla. Spoon mixture evenly into each paper case until half-full and bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
6) Whip cream and icing sugar into soft peaks.
7) Cut tops off cupcakes with a serrated knife, then slice the tops in half. Spoon jam and whipped cream on cupcakes, then position halved tops to resemble fairy wings. Serve dusted with icing sugar.

DEEPWATER HORIZON DISASTER

 
“Oh Beautiful for smoggy skies, insecticided grain,
For strip-mined mountain’s majesty above the asphalt plain.
America, America, man sheds his waste on thee,
And hides the pines with billboard signs, from sea to oily sea.” - George Carlin

The Gulf of Mexico environmental catastrophe in the BP oil rig is getting uglier and uglier by the day. Since the explosion in the rig on April 20th, there has been constant leakage of polluting oil into the sea, which not only causes damage locally but which also contaminates shorelines and kills millions of living things in its wake. Not only has the disaster caused untold environmental damage that will take decades to reverse and has cost human lives, but also now it appears that al this could have been prevented.

A memo has now shown that BP admitted to US congressional investigators its decision to ignore warning signs hours before the explosion in the rig. Tests indicated that something was wrong on the Deepwater Horizon, yet BP made what they termed a “fundamental mistake” in continuing operations (as the memo says). Two hours after the abnormal test results were recorded, the rig exploded and 11 workers lost their lives and the environmental disaster unleashed. However, that is not all. The memo also indicated that problems were found in equipment meant to provide fail-safe protection against a blowout.

BP today started the “top-kill” clean-up operation, while the world waits anxiously to see if this is effective. Heavy mud is being pumped into the oil-leaking rift undersea. If oil stops flowing to the surface in the Gulf of Mexico, BP officials will know that this latest effort to stem the continued leakage has been successful. It is hoped that this intervention will stemt eh flow of oil, but we won’t know until Thursday evening local time.

The gusher has spewed at least 7 million gallons of crude oil and has converted beautiful coastlines into nightmarish, polluted death traps for wildlife. Tourists are kept away, local industry has suffered, towns are beginning to feel the economic crunch, on top of already fragile finances. Dead fish, sharks and dolphins are washing ashore, while crabs, turtles and birds are being found soaked in oil as the slick invades into Louisiana’s wetlands. South of New Orleans, globs of oil have shut down public beaches. The spill is now impacting about 250 km of coastline. It is feared that the spreading oil slicks will catch the ocean current to the Florida Keys and up to the eastern seaboard.

The disaster illustrates highlights several home truths about our society and our present mindset:
First, our lifestyle is making demands on the environment that it cannot meet. The more we have the more we want and the more we despoil our earth in order to maintain a lifestyle that has extinction written all over it.
Second, multinational companies are motivated by greed and have a modus operandi set to increasing their profits and maximising the efficiency of their business. They have lost all sense of morality and have no ethics, allowing them to carry on their business in ways that bypass regulations and laws, and blatantly concentrate all their efforts on finding new loopholes to beat the system.
Third, our politicians are becoming increasingly corrupt, easily bribed and more and more involved in the nefarious deeds of big business, aiding and abetting the offenders.
Fourth, we as a population, as a society are becoming more apathetic and easily distracted by entertainment, material possessions, creature comforts and superficial values.
Fifth, those among us who still see the errors of our ways and cry out against the insanity around us have our voices drowned out by the multitude.

Can such a civilisation survive?

petroleum |pəˈtrōlēəm| noun
a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons that is present in certain rock strata and can be extracted and refined to produce fuels including gasoline, kerosene, and diesel oil; oil.
ORIGIN late Middle English: From medieval Latin, from Latin petra ‘rock’ (from Greek) + Latin oleum ‘oil.’

ABSENCE AND ITS CURE

“Days of absence, sad and dreary, Clothed in sorrow’s dark array, Days of absence, I am weary; She I love is far away.” – William Shakespeare

To be far away from the one we truly love is a tonic for a relationship that may be becoming too comfortable in its self-assurance and which may risk being taken for granted. The separation from one we love peppers our mind and body with the keenness of increased desire. Absence is the spice that we add to fondness, enriching it with the savour of passion. We reawaken memories of being in love and reanimate our endearment feelings of new ardour.

I write this while anticipating a rapidly approaching reunion…

Absence

They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder,
But ever since you left, my heart is smaller, colder.
Now by myself, all of my time is mine to squander;
But so much time is worthless and I feel inert and older.

They say that absence from our love is worse than death
And feeling all that distance separating us, I sympathise;
My life is empty, cold, each gulp of air a dying breath,
A heart that’s stopped, a silent mouth and closing eyes.

They say that absence lessens small loves, increases great ones;
How true that seems, as my love for you grows evermore;
With absence watered, my rushing river of love, swells, runs
And takes all with it, till it reaches welcoming far shore.

They say the joy of meeting pays the pangs of absence,
But all I feel is pain and torture; no thought of future bliss
Will now console me, and your lack is my quintessence;
I abide your deficit, only to live again when we shall kiss.

AFRICAN LIBERATION DAY

“We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers. Our abundance has brought us neither peace of mind nor serenity of spirit.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

African Liberation Day is celebrated on May 25th every year and on this day, many countries in Africa celebrate the hard-fought achievements of their freedom from European colonial powers. Many African countries and African communities around the world play an active role in organising events and celebrating African Liberation Day. Ghana, Kenya, Spain, Tanzania, the United Kingdom, and the United States are all involved in maintaining the momentum of this commemorative day. In Ghana, May 25th is a public holiday. Various activities organised include formal gatherings with panel discussions, street marches, speeches by political and social leaders, rallies featuring cultural entertainment, poetry, and speakers.

The special connection with Ghana is that in 1957 Ghana was the first African country south of the Sahara to secure independence from colonial rule. The newly independent nation took its name from an empire that flourished near that region between the 4th and 10th centuries. African Freedom Day was founded during the first Conference of Independent African States, which attracted African leaders and political activists from various African countries, in Ghana on April 15, 1958. Government representatives from eight independent African states attended the conference, which was the first Pan-African conference in the continent. The purpose of the day was to annually mark the liberation movement’s progress and to symbolise the determination of the people of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation.

Between 1958 and 1963 the struggle for independence in Africa grew bigger and there was much support and activism not only in Africa, but also around the world. During this period, 17 countries in Africa won their independence and 1960 was proclaimed the Year of Africa. On May 25, 1963, 31 African leaders convened a summit meeting to found the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). They renamed Africa Freedom Day as “African Liberation Day” and changed its date to May 25. The founding date of the OAU is also referred to as “Africa Day”. African Liberation Day has helped to raise political awareness in African communities across the world. It has also been a source of information about the struggles for liberation and development.

An outline of the map of Africa, or the shape of Africa, is often used as a symbol for the day. Pan-African colors, may also be used for the day, and come in different sets of three colours. For example, the green, gold, and red colors used in the flag of Ghana or the red, black, and green colors adopted by the American-based Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA)

After about 500 years of the most brutal suffering known to humanity, the enslavement of Africa and the subsequent trade in human souls, which cost Africa in excess of 100,000,000 of her children, the masses of African People in the 1950s and 1960s finally were able to shout with a single voice: “Enough! Let us be free and able to shape our own destiny.” The bell of freedom that rang then, still reverberates and fills Africans everywhere with pride, determination and renewed energy for continuing to fight for what is their birthright: Freedom, dignity, self-determination, prosperity and

Happy African Liberation Day to all Africans all over the world!

AVATAR POLITICS

“All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.” – George Orwell

For Movie Monday today I’ll first talk about politics. Totalitarian democracy is a term made famous by Israeli historian J.L. Talmon to refer to a system of government where lawfully elected representatives maintain the integrity of a nation whose citizens, while granted the right to vote, have little or no participation in the decision-making process of the government. For example, the type of government that USA, or Australia or the UK have. This is in opposition to a direct democracy where the people participate directly in the decision making on a regular basis. Examples of this include Switzerland, where five million voters decide on national referenda and initiatives two to four times a year; with direct democratic instruments are also well established at the cantonal and communal level.

The “democracy” that most nations operate under is a representative democracy that if carefully administered attempts to take into consideration the will of the people as much as possible and reach decisions that please most (a consensus democracy), such as we have in Sweden, for example. Or if powerful factions begin to take control of government, the system becomes more of a totalitarian democracy, as happens in some countries where capitalism is rampant and a rich and powerful aristocracy move the strings and the puppet government moves. The people are placated by lip-service elections and much rhetoric about liberty and equality, while a small minority control government and its decisions so that the aristocratic minority benefits most.

Why all of this on Movie Monday? Because a couple of weekends ago we watched a highly political film. It was James Cameron’s 2009 “Avatar”. This director’s left wing sympathies are well known, so it was difficult not to view the film as a political statement. Or to not equate the Na’vi with the American Indians or the American blacks, or to not equate Pandora with Korea, Vietnam, Iraq or the other multitude of locations where capitalist interests have despoiled countries and people in order to make money.

The film is an allegory and as such can be interpreted on many levels. The more innocent amongst us may see it simply as a sci fi fantasy, boys’ own adventure with lots of action and even fighting robots and lots of explosions, yeah! Those with a guilty conscience, will no doubt say it is a cheap, sensationalist, left-wing piece of propaganda that bags white, middle-aged capitalists, who only want the best for everyone (and this of course can’t be done with some small sacrifices). Others may call it racist, especially when one sees the way the Na’vi are depicted - uncivilised savages who have to wait for a liberator in the face of Will, the “superior” and more civilised half-human, half-Na’vi Avatar. Whatever one’s point of view the film is worth seeing.

One thing we immediately realised when viewing the film is why it didn’t win the Best Film Oscar. Such a controversial political hot potato couldn’t possibly be selected for an Academy Award. Instead of a film where the army are very much the bad guys (Avatar), the Oscar went to the Iraq war heroes, the army depicted as good guys (The Hurt Locker). It is the choice of a totalitarian democratic state defending itself. It is a natural choice, especially in these times of insecurity, lost national pride, global financial crisis and an overwhelming sense of needing to reassert what people hold dear to their hearts – good old-fashioned values that built nations and created empires.

Avatar is too much of an inflammatory thorn in the side of imperialist great powers. Belgium in Africa springs to mind, Holland in Indonesia, France in the Pacific, Britain in India and Australia and the US everywhere else. It is a criticism of our financial systems and capitalism where (until recently, at least) greed was good. It is a lament for the harm we are doing to our environment. Cameron has been quite open about his motives in making the movie: “Greed and imperialism tend to destroy the environment,” he said in a recent interview. “It’s a way of looking back on ourselves from this other world.”

Dryden’s and Rousseau’s concept of the “Noble Savage” very much underlies the film and the Na’vi are depicted as in touch with their environment, in a holistic, universal, harmonious way that we humans have lost. Humans are painted with garishly evil colours, especially the “civilised savages” of the army and the heartless capitalists whom they protect. Scientists are given better press, as it is they who attempt to understand the Na’vi and approach them so that they may come closer to them.

What has been described as a flaw in the film, and even labeled as “racist” is that Will, the white man in a Na’vi body is the “hero” who liberates the Na’vi. Will’s Na’vi body infact is a mixture of human and Na’vi DNA. As a hybrid he identifies more with his Na’vi genes and is recognised and accepted as part of the Na’vi ecosystem. It is a case of dominant and recessive genes and the Na’vi wins out in more way than one. When we see Will’s Na’vi Avatar we do not see a human we see a Na’vi.

I could discuss the film more, but I shall stop here as it is more of a discussion that lends itself to debate rather than monologue. It is a good film and contains much to think about.

"THE IMPRESSIONISTS" - BAZILLE

“I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.” - Claude Monet

For Art Sunday today, something different. We watched an excellent 3-hour TV miniseries this weekend, called “The Impressionists”. It was directed by Tim Dunn and starred Julian Glover (as the elderly Monet), Richard Armitage (young Monet), Aden Gillet (Degas), Charlie Condou (Renoir), Andrew Havill (Manet), Will Keen (Cezanne) and Anthony Calf (Zola). It was a BBC UK production and once again, there was a beautiful sense of history and authentic detail, as the British know so very well to do. The costumes, cinematography and acting were first class, with some of the marvellous countryside and mise-en-scène being a living re-creation of some of the most famous paintings in the world.

The action centres on Monet who as an old man meets a journalist in his estate at Giverny, while he is painting one of his famous Japanese bridge pictures. Monet recollects the heady days of his youth when he and the most illustrious brotherhood of Impressionist artists - Degas, Renoir, Bazille, Cézanne and Manet shocked and astonished the artistic establishment of Paris. The series was based entirely based on documentary evidence, with some stunning authentic scenery transporting the viewer to 19th century France and the private lives of some of the most renowned of the world’s artists.

As we love the impressionists, this miniseries was visual feast, on which we gorged ourselves. The relationships between the artists, the historical setting, the artistic and social climate and their family environments put the impressionists’ art in context and made us understand a little more the artists and their works. I recommend this biographical drama most highly and if you like art, I think you will love this movie.

One of the surprises in the miniseries was Frédéric Bazille, a painter whom I had not heard of before seeing this film. It is understandable perhaps, as his oeuvre is very limited because he died at a very young age. His painting above “The Artist’s Studio”, depicts several of his artworks in progress along with himself (standing tall leaning on the easel), Manet, and likely Monet. This painting indicates the friendship and fellowship that existed between these painters and it is something the film highlights very well.

ODIO

“It is better to be unfaithful than to be faithful without wanting to be.” – Brigitte Bardot

For Music Saturday today a Neapolitan song sung by Gigi Finizio. It has all the characteristics of an Italian song from Naples, including lush melody, rhythm and emotional lyrics, all brought together by the inimitable voice of Gigi.

The song is called “Odio” (“Hate” or “I Hate”) and is the passionate cry of a lover whose love has betrayed him and who now sleeps with another man.

I try to distract myself
So as not to think
Of this childish game
For three…

I hate you,
I hate him,
I hate all things
And this life…

A FORMAL FUND-RAISING DINNER

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” - Anne Frank

Last Wednesday night I went to a fund-raising dinner at Box Hill Institute, which it had organized in association with the Rotary Club of Box Hill Central. It was for a very good cause, a project that was started with Federal Government funding, but which now has to continue running under its own steam. The project is called “Our Patch” and as the Institute says, “…it is a creative training social enterprise created in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs to build employment skills in sustainable gardening and cookery.”

The program is and educational initiative where students are trained in food production and preparation from plant to plate. Vegetables and fruit grown in the “Our Patch” garden are transformed into meals in Box Hill Institute’s kitchens and served at local community events. It is a creative training social enterprise, which gives job seekers interested in horticulture an opportunity to work in production gardening, and develop practical skills in sustainable gardening. The program also includes planting and establishing crops, harvesting crops and landscape gardening. The training programs also allow for students to take the produce and transform it into attractive, nutritious food and serve it according to hospitality industry standards.

The dinner was an event that celebrated the achievements of past students (some of them now restauranteurs or award-winning chefs), current students and staff. The students under the direction of professionals prepared and served all the food in the Box Hill Institute’s excellent function room associated with its training restaurant, “Fountains”. The night was a grand success and much money was raised, which will certainly contribute to the continuation of the program.

The Rotary Club of Box Hill Central which does an excellent job of fund raining, community support, international programs and generally much good work in enabling people’s potential is a staunch supporter of the “Our Patch” project. They made their presence felt at the dinner and it was good to hear of their other fund-raising activities and aid programs.

Now to the dinner itself, which is only fair enough as after all this is “Food Friday”! The menu was created by Guy Grossi of Grossi Florentino Restaurant, one of Melbourne’s fine dining experiences and one of my favourites. The menu was prepared by Lorcan Shin-Yew of Charcoal Lane, David Robson from the Healesville Hotel and Federico Rodriguez from the Agrodolce Restaurant. The Front of the House was hosted by Therese Ryan from Mirka at Torlano Hotel.

The meal was excellent and the service exceptional, made all the more satisfying knowing that we were served by students in training (under the eagle eye of their teachers!). The menu of the six course meal was:

Amuse-Bouche
Tuna croquettes

Appetiser
Kingfish Carpaccio, with Eucalyptus Oil, Blood Orange, Pantelleria Capers, Watercress and Piquillo Peppers (accompanied by Trentham Estate Sauvignon Blanc)

Entrée
Duck and Wild Mushroom Tortellini with Duck Jus and Caramelised Pear (accompanied by Trentham Estate Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir)

Main Course
Castricum Lamb with Herb Bread Stuffing wrapped in Caul, Young Vegetables, Carrot and Tarragon (accompanied by Trentham Estate La Famiglia Nebbiolo)

Dessert
Peach Semifreddo Wrapped in Double Cream with an Amaretto Streusel Topping in a white Chocolate Case and Lavender Gelée Raspberries with Meringue Langue de Chat (accompanied by Trentham Estate Noble Rot Taninga)

Coffee or Tea with Handmade Chocolates

The vegetables of course were from the “Our Patch” garden and the food prepared by students of the Institute under the direction of the graduate chefs mentioned above. It was a delicious dinner, a valuable fund-raising event and a networking opportunity. However, I was also very pleased to see the labours of students under the guidance of their teachers and the great satisfaction on their faces at the end of a successful night when we showed them our appreciation by our applause when they were acknowledged.

THE TROUBLES OF THAILAND

“All wars are civil wars, because all men are brothers.” - François Fénelon

The terrible situation in Thailand seems to be escalating and an end isn’t anywhere in sight. Having visited Thailand many times, I am both surprised and saddened by what I see and read in the news. Thai people are some of the most endearing, gentle and gracious I have met. To see the chaotic situation there and the increasing violence that occurs and has turned their daily life into a fiery, bloody nightmare is of great concern.

The latest atrocity is the death of nine people in clashes that happened in a temple designated a “safe zone” within a Thai anti-government rally site that was shut down in a military offensive. These deaths are to be added to the death toll from the hostilities at the Red Shirts encampment which stood at six yesterday.

A police spokesman indicated that the nine deaths resulted after a gun battle that raged inside the temple in early evening, several hours after protest leaders surrendered and told their supporters to disperse. Hard-liners within the movement refused to give up their cause and as hundreds of protesters rushed into what they thought was the safety of the temple, black-clad militants engaged in a gun battle with security forces, resulting in the fatalities.

The scene is tragic, especially if one considers the grim reality in the internecine civil battle where Thai is fighting against Thai. The possibility of a brother against brother confrontation makes the violence even more sickening, as is the case in any civil war. What makes these nine deaths more shocking is the lack of respect to the “safe zone” designation shown by both of the fighting groups of militants and security forces.

The untenable and insufferable situation of the political and social tensions in Thailand can only be imagined. However, one wonders how bad it must really be if a peace-loving, gentle people who for the most part live by the Buddhist precepts suddenly become so overwhelmingly violent and determined to overthrow those who govern them. But even a hardy camel will have its back broken by that final straw that makes its great load lethal.

Where to from here? A full scale civil war? An increasingly bloody confrontation where the country tears itself apart? A government that stops at nothing to remain in power? A king who remains hidden in the background and fails to act decisively in order to put a stop t the bloodshed? An international community that ignores all of this because there is no oil or other natural resources in Thailand worth its imperative intervention to preserve democracy?

internecine |ˌintərˈnesēn| adjective
Destructive to both sides in a conflict: The region's history of savage internecine warfare.
• of or relating to conflict within a group or organisation: The party shrank from the trauma of more internecine strife.
ORIGIN mid 17th cent. (in the sense [deadly, characterised by great slaughter] ): from Latin internecinus, based on inter- ‘among’ + necare ‘to kill.’

OUR SHARE OF NIGHT

“One summer night, out on a flat headland, all but surrounded by the waters of the bay, the horizons were remote and distant rims on the edge of space. Millions of stars blazed in darkness, and on the far shore a few lights burned in cottages. Otherwise there was no reminder of human life.  My companion and I were alone with the stars: the misty river of the Milky Way flowing across the sky, the patterns of the constellations standing out bright and clear, a blazing planet low on the horizon. It occurred to me that if this were a sight that could be seen only once in a century, this little headland would be thronged with spectators. But it can be see many scores of nights in any year, and so the lights burned in the cottages and the inhabitants probably gave not a thought to the beauty overhead; and because they could see it almost any night, perhaps they never will.” - Rachel Carson


A short blog today as I have been very busy all day and tonight I had a function on that meant I was up and around from 5:30 am to 11:30 pm with hardly a break.

Our Share of Night

Our share of night to bear,
Our share of morning,
Our blank in bliss to fill,
Our blank in scorning.

Here a star, and there a star,
Some lose their way.
Here a mist, and there a mist,
Afterwards - day!

            Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886)

ALL ABOUT GOOGLE

 “A blog is a message in a bottle, both in purpose and likely readership.” - Robert Brault

I have a liking for those special days when Google changes its logo to reflect some anniversary, holiday or other day of special significance. For example, at Easter or Christmas or Tchaikovsky’s birthday or Earth Day. It’s a very nifty way of drawing attention to those special days and some of the graphic designs are quite ingenious, amusing, beautiful or fetching. If you wish to see some of these from different parts of the world, why not visit this Google page:
http://www.google.com/logos/

Now for some fun. How about personalising your Google search page so that it displays a message of your choice: Your name or your dog’s, or some expletive that is your personal favourite? Go to this site and set the display text you want instead of “Google”, and then set it up as your home page:
http://www.funny-google.com/

How about a search engine in Pig Latin? What a fun way to remember your school days!
http://www.google.com/webhp?hl=xx-piglatin

And if you are really into the techie stuff, how about this version of Google Hacker with its choice use of numbers and symbols to spell out the words?
http://www.google.com/webhp?hl=xx-hacker

If you are feeling bad, how about putting a little devil in the Google logo?
http://www.google.com/bsd

Or if you are really hip, either emo or goth, how about these?
http://googleemo.com/
http://www.gothengine.com/
http://www.googoth.co.in/

Seriously now, Google is also the scholar’s friend and is there to make internet searches more efficient and scientific. Here is Google Scholar:
http://scholar.google.com.au/

And Google search in quadruplicate, so you can do four separate concurrent searches.
http://www.googlegooglegooglegoogle.com.br/

Ah, isn’t the internet wonderful? And by the way did you know why Google is called that? It is a misspelling of “googol”:
googol |ˈgoōˌgôl| cardinal number
equivalent to ten raised to the power of a hundred (10 100).
ORIGIN 1940s: said to have been coined by the nine-year-old nephew of E. Kasner (1878–1955), American mathematician, at Kasner's request.

Google the company, was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, often dubbed the “Google Guys”, who proved you don’t have to be good spellers to become billionaires…

MOVIE MONDAY - ATONEMENT

“A man calumniated is doubly injured - first by him who utters the calumny, and then by him who believes it.” – Herodotus

We watched a couple of films at the weekend, and as I want to review both in detail, I will save one for next week, beginning with the first this week. It was the Ian Wright 2007 film “Atonement”, starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy (with a special guest star appearance by the great Vanessa Redgrave). This is a UK/French co-production and is made with the usual care the British take when they make period films. It is set around 1935-1945 and the recreation of the pre-war and war years atmosphere is exquisite with tremendous attention to detail.

The Tallis family is a British aristocratic family that has the typical lifestyle and estates that go with the blue blood. The first part of the film occurs in their idyllic country estate in pre-war Britain. Briony Tallis is the precocious 13-year old daughter who wants to become a writer and has the imagination to go with it. She sees her older sister Cecilia (Knightley) and Robbie Turner (McAvoy) at the fountain in front of the family stately home and she misinterprets what is happening. Robbie is the son of a family servant toward whom the family has always been kind. They paid for his education and now he plans on going to medical school. Briony is given a wrong note by Robbie to take to Cecilia and Briony reads it. She concludes that Robbie is a pervert, and in her eyes (obscured by jealousy as she has a serious case of puppy love for Robbie) he has done the ultimate wrong. When her cousin Lola is raped, she purposefully lies, and tells the police that it was Robbie she saw committing the deed.

The second part of the film follows Robbie to war in France and some poignant images on the beach of Dunkirk are interwoven with the now young adult Briony and Cecilia (both nurses) who are attempting to breach the rift that has developed between them. Faithful and loving Cecilia is waiting for Robbie to return from the war so they can marry. The third part of the film concerns an aged Briony (Redgrave), who has indeed become a successful novelist. She explains her last book, which is autobiographical and in which she tries to atone for the wrongs she committed as a young girl…

The film is based on the novel “Atonement” by Ian McEwan, which I have not read. This novel of his received the WH Smith Literary Award (2002), National Book Critics’ Circle Fiction Award (2003), Los Angeles Times Prize for Fiction (2003), and the Santiago Prize for the European Novel (2004). McEwan’s fiction has earned him worldwide critical acclaim. He won the Somerset Maugham Award in 1976 for his first collection of short stories “First Love, Last Rites”; the Whitbread Novel Award (1987) and the Prix Fémina Etranger (1993) for “The Child in Time”; and Germany’s Shakespeare Prize in 1999. He has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction numerous times, winning the award for “Amsterdam” in 1998.

Even without reading the novel, I think I am safe to say that the author would have been pleased with the result. The acting was surprisingly good (especially with some of the youngsters – Saoirse Ronan as theyoung Briony was excellent), the cinematography and direction exceptional and the music by Dario Marianelli, quite impressive (with typewriter obbligato, a nice touch). Once again, although this film may be described as “chick flick”, I find that it of enough depth and interest to make it appealing even to mere males. I certainly enjoyed it and it was able to maintain my interest throughout. The movie has lots of good things going for it and deserved more than the $6.99 I paid for a DVD of it!

I would recommend this film to anyone who has an interest in period romantic drama, people interested in the psychology of children, those who are involved in second world war history (especially the UK/French side of it) and all who wish to see an intelligent, adult, engaging drama.

ART SUNDAY - DRYSDALE

“Australia is properly speaking an island, but it is so much larger than every other island on the face of the globe, that it is classed as a continent in order to convey to the mind a just idea of its magnitude.” – Charles Sturt

For Art Sunday today, an Australian artist, Russell Drysdale (1912 - 1981). He was born in England in 1912, and arrived in Australia in 1923. Russell Drysdale is regarded as a pioneer of Australian modern regional painting. Breaking radically with the Heidelberg School’s romanticised and impressionistic view of rural Australia and bourgeois scenes styled on the European traditions, Drysdale used the originality of his artistic style and vision to effectively shape an alternative national identity based on his own honest vision of the harsh nature and distinctiveness of life within the Australian inland.

When Drysdale died in 1981 he was regarded as a national hero, his art was widely known and greatly admired. His images of rural country towns and outback landscapes, often with their inhabitants, were instrumental in defining a national identity at a time of tremendous social change in Australian history. For audiences in Australia and abroad, Drysdale's paintings reflected the essence of Australia and its people. Drysdale's themes, including identity, isolation, the land and its people, multiculturalism and indigenous Australians, are explored in his art.

"The Cricketers" (1948) is perhaps Drysdale’s most famous painting, and one of the most frequently reproduced images in twentieth-century Australian art. The subject of three figures set amid the stark walls of buildings in a deserted town, bathed in unnatural light, is a haunting and extremely original interpretation of a familiar sporting theme.

The painting was a loose commission from the English publisher, Walter Hutchinson. Hutchinson's collection of approximately three thousand paintings opened to the public in February 1949 at Hutchinson House, London, and was known as the National Collection of British Sports and Pastimes. Hutchinson wanted a painting of an Australian cricket match and asked his Melbourne office to arrange a commission from one of Australia's best-known artists. The request was referred to Leonard Voss Smith, a noted collector and dealer who worked for Hutchinson. Voss Smith mentioned the matter to Drysdale, who at the time was occupied with subjects of Hill End.

Drysdale's painting of country boys having an informal game of cricket against a building at Hill End was not what Walter Hutchinson was expecting, and he was shocked when the painting arrived in London. He cabled Melbourne and fired Voss Smith. The next day, having ascertained that Drysdale was indeed a distinguished Australian artist, Hutchinson cabled to reinstate him…

FAMILY DAY

“The lack of emotional security of our American young people is due, I believe, to their isolation from the larger family unit. No two people - no mere father and mother - as I have often said, are enough to provide emotional security for a child. He needs to feel himself one in a world of kinfolk, persons of variety in age and temperament, and yet allied to himself by an indissoluble bond which he cannot break if he could, for nature has welded him into it before he was born.” - Pearl S. Buck

Today is the day to celebrate the International Day of Families, which this year focuses on the impact of migration on families around the world. As the world becomes more and more a place of increasing social and economic disparities, people in many countries are forced to leave their homes and try to search for a better place to live and raise their children. Poverty, unemployment, political or armed conflicts or violations of human rights are strong incentives for migration. Opportunity is sought by parents through migration to improve the well-being of their children and other extended family members.

In the countries receiving the immigrants, families can earn a better living and send income to family members left back in the home country. Migrants contribute to the economy of the host country, while also enriching the social and cultural fabric. Women migrant workers can work, study and gain many opportunities denied them in their home country.

But all is not well in paradise! It is very often that migrants face harsh living conditions, low wages, prejudice and discrimination. They suffer disproportionately in times of economic hardship and unemployment can hit them first. Children of migrants are a very vulnerable group with a great toll to pay. Human trafficking, child labour and violence can damage them irreparably and the social, emotional and psychological effects are dire.

Migrants enrich and diversify our communities, stimulate our economies and provide a means of making the world a better and more equitable place. Acceptance of migrants as an integral part of society enhances our society in multiple ways. The family unit of migrants is usually a tightly knit one that has to survive in adversity, through love and mutual support. How often do we admire that quality in these families?

For Music Saturday, something that is very apt. A migrant family archetype is the Holy Family on its flight to Egypt, as imagined in music by Hector Berlioz. Here is King’s College Choir, Cambridge, singing  “The Shepherds’ Farewell” from “L’ Enfance du Christ”, Op 25.



Blest are ye beyond all measure,
Thou happy father, mother mild!
Guard ye well your heav´nly treasure
The Prince of Peace, the Holy Child!
God go with you, God protect you,
Guide you safely through the wild!

Thou must leave Thy lowly dwelling,
The humble crib, the stable bare,
Babe, all mortal babes excelling,
Content our early lot to share,
Loving father, loving mother,
Shelter thee with tender care!

COMFORT FOOD

“My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it’s on your plate. That’s my philosophy.” - Thornton Wilder

A busy day at work today, catching up with much that had accumulated in my absence over the past few days. A series of meetings to attend, mail to go through, one-to-one meetings with staff and answering my emails. I have also brought work home with me to do over the weekend, and hopefully that will bring me up to date for the week up ahead.

It’s been a cold and rather grey autumn day here in Melbourne, so at the weekend it’s time for a nice comfort food recipe. A sweet and fruity dessert that is perfect for this season!

APRICOT SHORTBREAD
Ingredients
•    250 g unsalted butter, softened
•    1 cup caster sugar
•    1 egg
•    1 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
•    1 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted
•    400 g apricot conserve
•    ground cinnamon, cloves to taste

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180º C.
2. Line base and sides of a 30 x 20 cm lamington tin with baking paper.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add egg and beat until well combined. Add spices, flours and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.
5. Press two-thirds of dough into base of prepared tin.
6. Form remaining dough into a sausage shape, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for 25 minutes or until quite firm.
7 Put apricot conserve in a small pan over a medium heat and stir until smooth and spreadable. Stand conserve for 5 minutes to cool slightly, then spread evenly over dough in tin.
8. Take dough from freezer, remove plastic wrap and grate evenly over conserve.
9. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned. Stand tin on a wire rack to cool. When cold, cut into squares or fingers.
10. Serve with ice-cream.

POSTCARD FROM BRISBANE 2

“It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven't lost the things that money can't buy.” George Horace Lorimer

The weather in Brisbane today was beautiful – a lovely, sunny, warm day with blue skies and just the hint of a breeze. As we progress into the Southern Hemisphere winter, the weather in my home town Melbourne gets progressively colder and wetter and greyer, while in Brisbane, the subtropical dry season is beginning, with equable temperatures and a dry, warm climate. Many people living in the southern states of Australia have their holidays up in the North in the midst of winter, as a relief from the winter blues.

I had to attend a ministerial seminar and workshop today, which although informative was at a low level and reading a webpage would have given as much information. However, it was valuable in that I made some good contacts who will no doubt prove to be very useful in the future. One wonders how much money from the public purse is wasted on activities such as this where guest speakers and consultants (who are paid a fortune!) are invited to “educate” high level people in education who are themselves experts in many of the fields that are covered…

Walking back through the City after the seminar I was surprised by the very large number of people milling around the busy streets and shops, the huge amount of traffic and the considerable construction that was going on. We are fortunate here in Australia that the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) has touched us but lightly and amongst the developed economies in the world we are doing very well. With about 5.5% unemployment and a moderate to low deficit, Australia seems to be an economic paradise when compared to the USA and some European countries. It seems we are still the “lucky country”, but for how long?

The latest budget delivered by our government has started some alarm bells ringing and the opposition is forecasting doom and gloom (but after all that is the job of the opposition, is it not?). The GFC is far from over and Australia’s healthy economic is about to take a beating according to some economists. Australia’s natural resources and its mining wealth seem to have been one factor that protected it from the worse of the crisis. Now with the new tax on mining some politicians are predicting dire financial effects. However, the tax on profits of multinational companies that exploit Australian resources before these profits leave the country seems only fair to the local population. Time will tell where these times are leading us, I just hope it’s not the case of “let’s start third world war in order to resolve all sorts of problems all at once”.

finance |ˈfīnans; fəˈnans| noun
The management of large amounts of money, esp. by governments or large companies.
• monetary support for an enterprise: Housing finance.
• ( finances) the monetary resources and affairs of a country, organization, or person: The finances of the school were causing serious concern.
verb [ trans. ]
Provide funding for (a person or enterprise): The city and county originally financed the project.
ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French, from finer ‘make an end, settle a debt,’ from fin ‘end’. The original sense was [payment of a debt, compensation, or ransom]; later [taxation, revenue.] Current senses date from the 18th century, and reflect sense development in French.

REACHING FOR THE LIGHT

“Success: To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.  This is to have succeeded!” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have had a very full, busy and tiring day today. I don’t mind hard work at all, but there some things that really grate on me and exasperate me. One of these is betrayal, the other is people that act in a petty and vile manner for no reason at all, are hateful and nasty just for the sake of it, and the other is individuals who are so inflated and full of their own sense of self-importance and infallibility that they ignore everyone else, stepping on corpses to achieve their hollow goals.

Today, unfortunately one of my direct reports revealed herself as one of these rare individuals who betrayed my trust, acted in a petty manner and tattled on her staff on a vile manner, and was nasty for no other reason except to elevate herself in the eyes of her supervisors. The display shocked and dismayed me, especially as I had helped this person achieve her position and had believed enough in her to allow her to occupy a position of trust and responsibility.

What satisfaction can there be for someone who achieves success by betraying friends and colleagues, stabs people in the back, plots and schemes, lives by laws and rules dictated by greed and egotism? What satisfaction can there be for someone whose happiness is based on the misfortune of countless others? How can such persons sleep easily at night, knowing their actions have caused so much misery?

I wrote this poem as I tried to calm down this evening in my hotel room, and attempted to work out strategies to deal with this difficult situation…

Reaching for the Light

I try to touch the brilliant light
To win the shadows and the dread of night;
I try to search and find the truth
Like in those days long gone of youth.

I do a daily battle and I hope to win
The spreading evil and the vile chagrin;
Of countless disappointments, of loss,
Of pressing weight of heavy crushing cross.

I shake the dark cloud of despair and woe,
While freeing my soul from baseness low.
I try my best, act fairly, strive for good
All for the sake of amity and brotherhood.

And yet the vile dark worm of greed
Consumes all good, while selfish ends do breed;
Corruption, filth, false values gain foothold
Innocence, purity and goodness bought and sold.

How can my puny hand wield mighty sword,
What courage can I find to battle endless night?
How can my single effort win the endless horde,
Can my resistance overcome such an unequal fight?
With singleness of purpose and with rich reward
We few of honour can make all wrongs right.
With perseverance and thought of defeat ignored,
We crush ignoble acts and thoughts, to find the light.

Jacqui BB hosts Poetry Wednesday. Please visit her blog for more poems.

POSTCARD FROM BRISBANE

“The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway.” - Henry Boye

Hello from Brisbane! It’s no rest for the wicked, it seems, but I think I must have been wicked in a past life – hence the punishment in this one! When one travels for work, there are many imperatives that are operative and one soon loses most of the enjoyment that is usually associated with travel. My flight was delayed today and then on approach to Brisbane airport we flew through a tropical storm, which made for a bumpy landing. The traffic getting out of the airport was horrendous, something obviously due to the weather, but also because the major arterial out of the airport had major roadworks that we battle with.

Nevertheless, I finally got to my hotel and after freshening up, I joined my colleagues for dinner at an Indian restaurant in New Farm, called “Sitar”, one of a chain. There were about 30 of us and the service was rapid, although not very good and the food was standard, nothing very special. We did have a good time, however, as there was much catching up, conversation, joking, and even discussion of some work projects.

Tomorrow is a full day with much to do, many meetings and a full schedule. On Thursday I have a workshop to attend at the Office of Higher Education and then finally back home on Thursday evening.

MOVIE MONDAY - INVICTUS

“Be nice to whites, they need you to rediscover their humanity.” - Desmond Tutu

Well back home today, but only for a short time as tomorrow I am off to Brisbane for a few days for work. I saw Clint Eastwood’s 2009 film “Invictus” on the plane on the way to Perth in my recent trip. I have gained a lot of respect for Eastwood’s directorial work in the last few years and this film was no exception, up there with “Unforgiven”, “Gran Torino”, “Bridges of Madison County” and “Million Dollar Baby”.

Firstly let me say that I don’t follow rugby and was not familiar with the real story on which the film was based. However, I was aware of Nelson Mandela’s return to power and this for me was the real story. The rugby story was window dressing (which rugby fans will probably disagree with), and for me a metaphor for South Africa, the country and its people, struggling to heal the damage done by decades of apartheid.

The film starred Academy Award Winners Morgan Freeman as South African President Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as Rugby Captain François Pienaar. “Invictus” is a movie full of emotional highs and lows, passion and poignancy. It tells the story of Nelson Mandela's first years as President of South Africa in the 90’s, a riven country, which apartheid has scarred. In a master-stroke of unification of his people, Mandela used the country’s love for rugby to connect the whites and the blacks. The national team, the Springboks, have a poor record of winning but Mandela taps the captain of the team to rally his troops and surge into battle for the greater good of his country.

“Invictus” is a short 1875 poem by the English poet William Ernest Henley. The title is Latin for “unconquered”. The poem mirrors the spirit of the film and I give it to you here in its entirety:

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
                         William Ernest Henley

Freeman gives a wonderful performance and one sees that this role meant a lot to him. Damon is less convincing as he is not as hulking as the real rugby player Pienaar, perhaps, but the intensity of his performance does counterfoil Freeman’s cool, calm and collected Mandela. The personality of the leaders (of the country and of the team) is countered well, and the differences between black and white in the divided country are exposed for the world to see by Eastwood’s sensitive handling of the material that is more than 95% true.

I shall probably watch this film again, the second time not on a plane as I am sure there are many bits of dialogue I missed and the screen on a plane is poor substitute for the screen of a cinema or of a TV screen at home. However, even when watched in the less than ideal environment of a plane, the film was very good and I recommend it most highly.