A tribute to the ANZACs and other brave souls

It seems not too long ago when I wrote about ANZAC day last year, but this is a topic I have no qualms in repeating. Im more familiar with the events around World War II, but the Gallipoli battle and the ANZACs role in it is only one from World War I I can claim some awareness of. What I admire is the sense of pride Australians associate with their heroes from Anzac, the fact that they celebrate the bravery of their ancestors, not necessarily the victory.
and they can rightly be so. these young soldiers were all volunteers that left behind families, new wives, young babies to go fight a war thats thousands of miles away. Australia had only become a federation for 14 years when the nation joined force to fight with the British, probably at a time when the newly joined states still had a number of conflicts among themselves, conflicts put aside for this display of unity.

the tradition of volunteering seems to have remained with the Australians, with different focus now. most australians are against wars and against sending troops into Iraq or elsewhere. Yet the spirit of volunteering remains strong within Australian communities. Im told that it has the biggest volunteer firefighters in the world, and also the biggest volunteer lifesavers too. (new knowledge for me was...the weekday patrol are Lifeguards - as in paid, while on the weekends they are Lifesavers - as in volunteers. Thanks to David for this interesting snippet)

in similar theme of bravery, April also marks the first civilian revolt by young Jews against the Nazis in occupied Poland some 65 years ago.

May all these brave souls rest in peace, but most of all, may the perpetrators realise that there will always be a price for them to pay and stop all their violent acts.

Autralia 2020

funnily enough, listening to the discussions and suggestions from the various streams on how to deal with some key issues Australia face as country gave me the impression that Australians are more socialist leaning than I thought
any idea proposed, new or old, creative or not, all seem to rest on achieving those suggestions through more government funding, and more taxes.

My encounter with outright racist hatred

a bizarre incident this morning..I was at my usual bus stop, waiting for the bus to get in to work. As it does every so often..the bus was late..so there I was, sitting, waiting, watching the traffic slowly move past.....amidst the tens or hundred of cars that drive pass, another one comes by....woman driving, guy in passenger seat, has window rolled down, smoking...he glances over my way...I glance at him..and he starts to say something...so I turn wondering....what he was on about...

and well, there it is...racist hatred staring me right in my face! for no reason at all, hes gushing out all sorts of abusive language..words I wouldnt want to repeat, Im sitting there looking at his face in a bit of a shock, and he continues with..what are you looking at [insert rude adjectives], you want me to come and slap you in the face?
WHOA! the guy seriously has issues. My only regret is I was in such a shock that I was slow to react....the car was slowly moving away, else Id really have got up and asked him if he really dared to do anything or was he only capable of throwing abuse at women while sitting in a car.
I have worked with people who are subjects of abuse, racist remarks or all sorts of discrimination, have even been the subject myself in some subtle form, but this was my first encounter with blatant racism and hatred. I guess it was also the very coarse language that shocked me. I recovered in time to take their licence plate though...not sure what if anything I can do with it..but am certainly having a think about some kind of report to the police. Afterall he did threaten to hit me...

People have alluded to how Australia can have some very racist people, but in all my years here have not come remotely close to anything that would indicate this. So the experience today kinda threw me off. Yet I still wouldnt take this as a broad generalisation, and can only hope that given the vast number of immigrants that Australia is accepting, there will be enough done to educate and sensitise the local population. What I dont get is, how can anyone assume they are better than the rest simply because of the colour of their skin? Your skin colour really means nothing, its your attitude, personality and intelligence level that counts. And even with all that, no one is better than the rest, you are just different.

Arsenal season 2007/2008

well the game I alluded to in my last post...the EPL match against Manchester united....we didnt win it...in fact we lost. that puts out our hope of getting back into first spot in the race for the EPL champion.
we've had a good season...lots of young players, great plays, interesting styles etc, but obviously missing out on the finishing. Sure its disappointing to not get silverwares, especially knowing how well the team has played and how we deserved to have won so many other games but didnt. Anyhow, no complaints from me, as said..lots of young players...they will help build the team over the years. Not a bad year really, considering the comments earlier in the season when Thierry Henry left and every one had Arsenal at zero chance of winning the league. If we consider it the beginning after the last batch of those that had become big name players....then I say it wont be long before Arsenal is producing those super stars again.

cheated out of a win

in the last week or so, Arsenal played Liverpool in 3 games -- 2 home and away legs of the Champions League quarter finals and 1 EPL game. In the first leg of Champions League Arsenal should have been given a penalty kick against Liverpool but wasnt. On the return leg at Anfield, a penalty was given against us when it was not suppose to be. Liverpool scored, turning the tables completely, and going on to win and progress to the semi.
of course Im not happy!
but oh well....... what can you do

sunday night (monday morning Syd time) we play ManU in the EPL. will be a big game.......

be a Gooner, be a giver

arsenal partners to raise funds for autism :) im so proud of my team :)

[quote]
Arsenal, TreeHouse and World Autism Awareness Day

This season, Arsenal has pledged to raise £250,000 to fund sports facilities at TreeHouse's new National Centre for Autism Education in North London. So far, the response from supporters, players and staff has been incredible. With a little more help, we'll get there!

Our partnership is also about raising awareness and building understanding. Autism is an "invisible" disorder and even though one child in 100 in the UK is now diagnosed with autism, few of us can imagine its impact on the lives of individuals with autism and their families. For those families, real understanding from the community can make a big difference.

By making a donation on this very special day - World Autism Awareness Day - you will be acknowledging the need for greater understanding and ultimately, helping TreeHouse to transform the lives of far more children with autism, and the lives of their families, through education.



Thank you from the bottoms of our hearts. From the Children, Staff and Parents of TreeHouse.
[unquote]

source: http://www.justgiving.com/beagoonerbeagiver
you can also donate through the above site.