FEAST OR FAMINE

Men and women in Australia: the healthiest and wealthiest

2012-02-07T16:50:00.000-08:00

The Canberra Times reveals interesting statistics about men and women in Australia. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has reported that Australian women are healthier, live longer, and are better educated than Australian men, but earn less and are in fewer leadership or senior positions in business, politics, or the law.

A girl born today is expected to live to 83.9 years, while boys will live to 79.3 years. This is due to the likelihood that women are less likely than men to be overweight, smoke, drink excess alcohol, or die from heart disease. The proportion of overweight or obese women is 47.6% compared to 62.8% of men; 11.7% of women drink alcohol at risky levels compared to 15% of men; and 19% of women smoke compared to 23% of men). However, during their lifetime more women will experience an anxiety disorder (32% compared to 20% of men) or depression (18% compared to 12% of men). Australian men are twice as likely to experience substance abuse (alcohol or drugs) and more than three times more likely to commit suicide.

Australian women are more likely to attain a post-secondary school degree (38.3% of women compared to 30% of men), but this does not translate into higher pay than men. Female graduates earn, on average, $2,000 a year annual salary less than a male in their starting salaries, and the average hourly rate for women is $3 less than for a male. Men continue to hold the most percentage of top jobs in Australia (97% of chief executives in the nation’s top 200 companies are men; 77% of federal cabinet ministers are men; and more than 71% of Commonwealth judges and magistrates are men). Despite this salary discrepancy, females are more likely to buy their own home (62.2% of women compared to 58.8% of men).

Australian men are more likely to have experienced violence in the past year than women (10.8% compared to 5.8% of women), but women are more than three times as likely to experience violence from their partner. Women have experienced more harassment than men in the past year (19% compared to 11.6% of men). Women were also stalked more than men in the past year (2.5% compared to 1.5% of men). Men are more than ten times likely to be imprisoned than women.

Release of Martina Nicolls' third novel: Bardot's Comet

2012-02-04T16:41:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to announce the release of my third novel, Bardot’s Comet (2011) through the Strategic Book Group in New York. Unlike my first two novels, The Sudan Curse (2009) and Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010), Bardot’s Comet is not based on my experiences as an aid development consultant. It is an altogether different novel.

BARDOT’S COMET is historical fiction, a literary crime novel, set in Adelaide, South Australia, from 1966 to 1969. It is a period of intense social and scientific change: the rise of feminism and sexual liberation, the Vietnam War, the first lunar landing, the global debate on science versus religion, and the arrival of the Murchison meteorites.

Leonardo Bari is an Italian who migrated to Australia with his parents at the turn of the twentieth century and is employed at the local university as a mathematics professor. He marries his Italian girlfriend and their daughter is born in 1924. His wife dies in childbirth and Leonardo changes his daughter’s name to Prudence.

PrudenceBari is viciously murdered on the day that a comet strikes Murchison in Australia on the morning of September 28, 1969. It is also the thirty-fifth birthday of the French screen siren, Brigitte Bardot, Leonardo’s favourite actress. Prudence changes the name of Murchison’s Comet to Bardot’s Comet.

The simple act of changing names haunts Leonardo Bari as he questions its impact on his daughter’s life. Can changing a name alter one’s destiny? Does the occult art of numerology form an integral part of the cosmic plan for one’s life?

BARDOT’S COMET is Leonardo Bari’s diary of the events from 1966 to 1969, leading up to his daughter’s death. Leon’s journal is an introspective, self-doubting, paternalistic account of his daughter’s life, career, and relationships. The father-daughter mathematicians are a contrast in personalities. Leon is sensitive and old-fashioned while Prudence is tough and progressive. Theories of fate, destiny, and the search for universal truth embrace the aged Italian migrant’s view of the pivotal three years of his daughter’s life. His daughter’s controversial views of mysticism and feminist science receive both adulation and criticism. Her prize science student, Innes Cartwright, denounces science for the priesthood.

Boyish in youth, asexual in adulthood; in her forties, Prudence is unmarried and childless, but at the peak of success as an internationally acclaimed professor of mathematics. Society questions her sexuality and her choice of career over motherhood. Leon questions his choice not to re-marry and his ability to raise a daughter alone.

Leon’s basic fear is that he will lose her to an unsuitable man and yet, at her age, it seems wrong for an Italian not to be married. With traditional concepts of love and marriage, he yearns for his daughter to marry Fabian Rossi, her debonair Italian manager. Prudence, however, invests her emotions in inaccessible relationships: a long-distance relationship with Michael McShane, the itinerant brooding Irish writer; a relationship with the reserved Oswald Danes, a farmer and childhood friend; and a flirtatious relationship with Cyril Silverman, a young, bi-sexual music lecturer and activist.

Fabian accompanies Prudence on a three-month promotional tour of Europe and America but this, to Leon’s frustration, seems to add tension to their relationship. Believing that Prudence wants commitment, Oswald proposes as man lands on the moon in 1969. Prudence visits Michael’s home in England and he subsequently follows her to Australia. Cyril increasingly distances himself from her as his gay lover, Darren, becomes violently jealous.

On September 28, 1969, Professor Prudence Bari is brutally murdered. The Police Commissioner investigates the crime. After Leon’s natural death, the Police Commissioner finds his journal. To set the record straight, the Police Commissioner adds his commentaries to the journal, and the truth is revealed.

Was Prudence Bari’s fate pre-destined? Was it a heinous hate crime; murdered out of anger, jealousy, or for her controversial ideologies? Was Bardot’s Comet the bringer of doom and death? Is Destiny, God, Bardot’s Comet, or Leonardo himself ultimately responsible for Prudence’s fate: her murder?

View the video trailer: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmfmsc_bardot-s-comet-by-martina-nicolls_shortfilms

Bardot’s Comet is available from online bookstores such as http://amazon.com. Large orders for schools, libraries, and bookstores are available at a discounted price by contacting my publisher, Strategic Book Group on bookorder@aeg-online-store.com

Title: Bardot’s Comet

Author: Martina Nicolls

ISBN: 978-1-61204-522-1

Number of pages: 242

Paperback and kindle (ebooks)

Postscript: For readers of my stories based on aid development work, my next novel will focus on Liberia.

Renato's Luck by Jeff Shapiro: book review

2012-02-03T21:56:00.000-08:00

Renato’s Luck (2001) is set in Italy in the early 1990’s. Renato Tizzoni of Tuscany, prompted by a dream, is on a mission to the Vatican to save his marriage and his village.

Renato’s job in the Public Works Department, as a plumber, is to ensure that the townsfolk have water. The Government plans to build a dam near his village. If this happens his village will disappear under water and the whole village will be forced to relocate to a new area. All the past history of the town will be lost forever.

He has never been a fortunate man. His parents died before his eighteenth birthday, his fifteen year old daughter is pregnant out of wedlock, his marriage is taking a turn for the worse due to his sexual dysfunction, and his father figure Aristodemo has just died.

Renato has a dream that he sees the hand of the Pope and subsequently finds a fortune. His interpretation of the dream is that he should visit the Vatican to see the Pope. People in the town hear of his upcoming travel intentions. Given that not many people leave the town for holidays, his trip becomes a public affair. They view the trip as “something brave and frightening and thrilling.” Believing that the dream is Renato’s luck, the villagers all want their luck to change too, and for their village not to be relocated. Thus Renato gathers the names of sad and misfortunate people of his village on paper to take with him when he sees the Pope. Blessed by the local priest, his departure is a momentous occasion.

He arrives at the Vatican in Rome and attends the Pope’s mass at the St. Peter’s Basilica. There “everybody’s asking for something.” He realizes that he has a few seconds to ask the Pope for a miracle during the papal blessing. When Renato finally sees the Pope standing before him, what does he ask for? Does he ask for something for himself, his loved ones, or his village? He is under pressure for he has the power to change someone’s life or the lives of all the villages. But does he have the power to change the Government’s decision to build a dam? Governments come and Governments go, and they accomplish very little. Life goes on.

Women influenced more by other women, not men, regarding healthy eating

2012-02-01T15:22:00.000-08:00

Studies at the Australian National University in Canberra reveal that women are much more likely to be influenced by other women regarding eating messages. The research by doctorate student Tegan Cruwys at the ANU department of psychology revealed that women listen to other women about healthy eating or dieting rather than men – both positive and negative messages.

Healthy and unhealthy messages about eating delivered to women by men had little effect on women, said the researcher. This is regardless of whether the male is a doctor, partner, husband, brother or friend. Additionally, Cruwys found that when a healthy eating message is delivered by someone women identify with, it was likely to change their eating behaviour – positively or negatively. This highlights the importance of carefully targeted health messages about eating and dieting.

(www.anu.edu.au/reporter)

Temperate and dry January in the nation's capital but wet and cold in Sydney

2012-01-31T17:00:00.000-08:00

While other capital cities across Australia have had sweltering January temperatures, Canberra—the nation’s capital—has been moderate. Perth, the capital of Western Australia, and Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, had 35C-40C temperatures for much of January.

The Bureau of Meteorology recorded a mild January for Canberra. Canberra’s daytime temperature ranged from 18.6 to 34.7C. There was no single day over 35C – it is usual to have 6 days on average with temperatures over 35C in January. The average was 27.4C, just half a degree below its historical average of 28C. Canberra’s night time temperature averaged 12.4C, below its historical average of 13.3C. Its coldest night was a mere 1.6C on January 12, which was the coldest January minimum in 56 years - since 1956.

Therefore there were few highs and few lows (with one extreme exception) in Canberra with January temperatures remaining moderate and mild. This was due to the lack of north-easterly winds bringing warm air from Central Australia. Instead, the wind was easterly, bringing cooler air than usual. It has also been a dry January. The average rainfall for January in Canberra is a mere 58.5mm, but it was even drier with only half the average rainfall at just 30mm.

Sydney, on the other hand, recorded its wettest January in 11 years and the coldest one in 12 years. Sydney recorded 139mm of rain last month, exceeding the long term average of 101mm. January also had 13 rainy days compared to the average of 12. The average minimum temperature for the month was 19.6C and the average maximum was 26.1C, also making it the coldest January in 12 years. The wet, mild start to the year follows Sydney's coldest December in 51 years, which puts Sydney on track to record one of its coldest summers in recent decades.

Reptiles in the Australian National Botanic Gardens

2012-01-28T18:37:00.000-08:00

The last weekend of the “Snakes Alive” exhibition in Australian National Botanic Gardens in the capital Canberra marked the approaching start to the school year. Lots of parents and children took advantage of the weekend to view live displays of snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs and crocodiles.

The reptiles on display included a percentile goanna (the largest lizard species in Australia), a baby crocodile, a pig nose turtle, a death adder, pythons, frilled neck dragon lizards, and blue tongued lizards. The exhibition was in the Crosbie Morrison Building set among the trees, shrubs and flowers of the botanic gardens.

In 1933 Canberra was known as A City of Flowers, but it did not have a botanic garden. In September 1935 Dr. Dickson, the Chief of Plant Industry, presented a report recommending the present site on the lower slopes of Black Mountain, but no action was to take place for another ten years, until after the war. In 1944 a research forester from South Australia, Lindsay Pryor, was appointed Superintendent of Parks and Gardens for Canberra and commenced planting a range of eucalypt trees.

Extensive contour ploughing was undertaken for water conservation. These contours later formed the basis for the paths in the lower parts of the Gardens. The 1960s saw the major development of the Gardens as they are today, with an emphasis on field collecting with major trips of several months duration as far afield as Western Australia to ensure that the collection was truly 'national' in character. In 1967 the Gardens were open to the public for the first time and in October 1970 the Gardens were officially opened by the Prime Minister, John Gorton.

During 1970 a misting system was installed in a dry gully, and the careful selection of plants, along with the artificially increased humidity, saw the development of the Rainforest Gully as one of the Gardens major attractions. This was a significant horticultural achievement as well as raising public awareness about rainforests. In 1978 the name was changed from Canberra Botanic Gardens to National Botanic Gardens in recognition of the national role of the institution.

In 1980 an amphitheatre was built in the Gardens which became a popular venue for public functions and concerts, and later for weddings. The pie-van that had operated for a couple of years was replaced by a café next to the Tasmanian section of the Rainforest Gully. This Café, now operated by Hudson's, has proved a popular eating place for the last nineteen years. Greater access was provided for visitors to the Rainforest Gully with board-walks constructed using government job creation schemes in 1983 and 1989. In December 1989 the Gardens were nominated for National Estate listing.

Australia Day: from federation to forty years of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy

2012-01-25T19:33:00.000-08:00

Australia Day is celebrated on January 26 each year. This year marks 224 years of European settlement and 111 years of Federation. The name of the day has undergone several changes: from Foundation Day to Anniversary Day to Australia Day. In addition, this year is the fortieth anniversary of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.

Captain Arthur Phillip, from Britain, took formal possession of the colony of New South Wales (on the east coast of Australia) on January 26, 1788 and became its first Governor. The first official celebrations were held in 1818 to mark the 30^th anniversary of European settlement. In the early nineteenth century, the anniversary was called Foundation Day. On the 50^th anniversary, a public holiday was declared in New South Wales and it became an annual event. By 1888, all colonial capitals of Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Darwin and Hobart), except Adelaide, proclaimed Anniversary Day a public holiday. Before 1901 each state and territory of Australia had its own government and state flag. The federal dream was to join all of the six states and the one territory of Australia to form one nation – “One people, one flag, one destiny”. On January 1, 1901 the dream was realized and the first Australian government, under the leadership of Edmund Barton, was sworn in. This was the formal proclamation of a federated Australia by the Governor-General Lord Hopetoun. Afterwards the Australian Capital Territory was established and Canberra became the nation’s capital.

In 1946, the Commonwealth Government, States and Territories agreed to observe one national day and it became known as Australia Day.

In the bi-centenary year of 1988, the year was named a Year of Mourning for Australia’s indigenous population who regarded the year as a celebration of survival.

This year is significant for the country’s indigenous inhabitants as it is the 40^th year of the establishment of their Aboriginal Tent Embassy outside Old Parliament House, where is still stands today.

Four Aboriginal men established the Australian Tent Embassy in January 1972 on the lawns of Old Parliament House as a simple but significant protest. Michael Anderson, Billie Craigie, Tony Koorie, and Bertie Williams, launched the embassy in response to Prime Minister Billy McMahon’s refusal to grant Aboriginal land rights. In 1992, the Aboriginal Tent Embassy was established as a permanent occupation. It has remained there ever since. In 1995, the Aboriginal Tent Embassy was entered in the Register of the National Estate, Australia's official listing of natural and cultural heritage places. However, it is not recognized as an official Embassy.

Despite government efforts to remove the tents (due to its “illegal occupation” and later deeming it to be an “eyesore”), it has become a continuous and perpetual form of protest – the ultimate “sit-in” or Occupy Movement. The significance of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy is that it has a 40 year history, continuously for the past 20 years. This means it can be regarded as the longest running political demonstration in the world.

This year, for three days from January 26 to 28, 2012, the Corroboree for Sovereignty celebration invites supporters to gather at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy to mark its 40^th anniversary. The program of the three-day anniversary will focus on deaths in custody, including a national day of action, and presentations on the tragedy of Aboriginal youth suicide. The Corroboree for Sovereignty is always held on January 26, Australia Day, which indigenous Australians and supporters often refer to as Invasion Day.

There is a feeling from indigenous elders that now is the time for younger people to become more involved in issues that affect them, particularly health, wellbeing, and mental health issues. It is felt that, over the past forty years, the lifestyle, concerns, and rights of the indigenous population have not been significantly advanced. This year supporters will continue to advocate changing the Australian Constitution to recognize Aboriginal sovereignty. This will recognize their advocacy for comprehensive land rights and an end to mining on their land.

Indigenous elders welcome support from the general community, the multicultural community, unions and all supporters for a united community which fully recognizes Aboriginal rights.

The iconic Aboriginal Tent Embassy is listed on Canberra’ tourist map. A symbol at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy is a sacred fire which represents peace, justice, and sovereignty, much like an eternal flame. International and domestic visitors are invited to place gum leaves on the ceremonial fire as a symbol of protection during their stay in Australia.

Enter the dragon: 2012 The Year of the Water Dragon

2012-01-25T00:37:00.000-08:00

This year, the Chinese or Lunar New Year marks the beginning of the year of the water dragon. It began on January 23 and culminates about two weeks later on February 4 with the lantern festival. The lantern festival will be held at Gallipoli Reach from 6:15 to 9:00pm.

In Canberra, the Canberra Multicultural Forum, the Australia China Friendship Society, the Prosperous Mountain Lion Dance troupe, and ACT Chinese-Australian Association are hosting a number of events celebrating the Chinese New Year.

The Lucky Dragon Family Festival

The National Museum of Australia in Canberra is also celebrating the historical and cultural links between China and Australia at a special family day event on January 26 which is Australia Day. The free family event will include the China Doll stilt walkers, a Tai Chi demonstration, and Chinese dancing and music from the Australian Chinese Culture Exchange and Promotion Association. There will also be the opportunity to make Chinese paper dragon puppets and to learn how to tie a Chinese knot. Other highlights include a dragon boat demonstration on Lake Burley Griffin and a tea ceremony. The Lucky Dragon Family Festival at the National Museum of Australia also marks the closing days of the exhibition “A New Horizon: Contemporary Chinese Art.” The exhibition is a display of Chinese art since 1949 on loan from the National Art Museum of China in Beijing including 62 ink-and-wash and oil paintings, eleven sculptures and a new media work that shows the evolution of Chinese art. The exhibition closed on January 29.

Kar karma

2012-01-22T15:53:00.000-08:00

The Canberra Weekly (19 January 2012) reports that studies have found a close link between thinking and driving styles. This suggests that by teaching learner drivers a specific way of thinking, they might develop a patient and careful driving style.

A researcher at the University of Canberra, Dr. Lucienne Kleisen, said that hierarchic thinking – thinking that makes a person aware of several events at the same time while being able to prioritize the events into those that are more urgent and important – is possible the best learning technique for learner drivers. Kleisen maintains that thinking styles and driving styles can both be trained. She said that if learner drivers develop hierarchic and effective thinking, it is more likely that young drivers will adopt a safer driving style.

Kleisen’s research has shown that it is possible to identify a young person’s preferred thinking style and to tailor driver training accordingly and therefore potentially influence their driving habits in a positive way.

Gender differences and flexibility of learning

During her research, funded by the NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust, Kleisen discovered that young males are less flexible in their use of different driving styles than young females.

Car karma

Kleisen’s driver training research also revealed that young drivers believe in “car karma” – they believe that if you behave nicely to other drivers, your trip will most likely be a pleasant experience, while if you don’t behave nicely to other drivers on the road, negative or less positive events might happen during the drive.

Pride precedes a fall: do skyscrapers predict a financial downfall?

2012-01-18T22:09:00.000-08:00

A study by investment bank, Barclays Capital, says that the construction of high rise buildings and skyscrapers are indicators of an imminent economic downfall.

The BarCap report provides a number of examples. These include the construction boom that led to the erection of the skyscrapers of the Chrysler and Empire State Building in New York which preceded the city’s 1929 stock market crash and the Great Depression. In addition, the building boom to erect taller and taller constructions in Dubai, such as the Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building - preceded the 2010 financial crisis. So, the report concludes that when there is a period in which countries strife to build the tallest construction, soon afterwards the country is hit by financial woes. The correlation between high rise construction and economic crash should heed as a warning to countries.

The BarCap warned that China, which is currently undergoing construction of half the world’s highest buildings, will soon be headed for an unhealthy economic situation. Similarly, in India, which has just built two skyscrapers, is also on Barclays’ radar, especially since 14 more high-rise buildings are planned. High buildings lead to bad karma, says Barclays Capital.

The report reveals that building booms are signs of excess credit resulting in bursts of sporadic but intense construction activity, rising land prices, and excessive optimism. However, the report says that by the time the buildings are finished, the economy of the country is already sliding into recession. And currently, China and India are showing signs of fulfilling the prophecy. The report labels China has potentially the world’s “biggest bubble builder” because it is the location of 53% of the 124 skyscrapers under construction globally.

The BarCap report says China is already “wobbling.” Evidence of this, the report says, is that the number of residential property sales has decreased by 40-50% in Beijing and Shanghai and developers have slashed prices by 5-20%.

India, soon to have the second tallest building in the world, the Tower of India in Mumbia, and 14 more skyscrapers on the way, already has non-performing loans which have grown by nearly 33% in the past six months.

The BarCap reports says that, if history repeats, the building boom in China and India is a reflection of a misallocation of capital which may result in an economic correction in the next five years.

People predicted the global economic crisis. A branch of economics founded by followers of Henry George (an American economist) has charted property collapses over the past 100 years and found that booms create the condition for a bust around every 18 years. Fred Harrison in The Chaos Makers (1997) wrote: “by 2007 Britain, and most of the other industrially advanced economies, will be in the throes of frenzied activity in the land market. Land prices will be near their 18-year peak on the verge of the collapse that will presage the global depression of 2010.”

Australian high altitude wines

2012-01-17T16:57:00.000-08:00

Australia is primarily a hot, dry country. However, it has regions of cool climates suitable for cultivating wine grapes. Wine grapes don’t like hot climates as they give their best flavours when ripened in mild to cool conditions. To compensate in warm regions, vignerons plant vineyards at high altitude.

Canberra’s highest vineyard is at 860 metres above sea level. The town of Orange in the state of New South Wales has many high elevation vineyards, while Australia’s highest vineyard is located in Guyra at 1,320 metres above sea level. The Orange region is often referred to as the Central Highlands of Australia producing apples, pears and cherries. It has a mild to warm summer with maximum temperatures of 32 degrees Celsius (90F) with cool to cold nights during the wine grape growing season.

At a one-day symposium in June 2007, at Snows Lake Vineyard in Northern California’s Lake Country (2,000 feet or 610 metres above sea level), vignerons and viticulturists from around the world discussed the characteristics of wine grapes grown at high elevations. The benefits of high altitude wine growing were that the total tannins increased with higher elevations while bitter tannins decreased; sunlight intensity was higher resulting in increased photosynthesis and production of grapes; and skins were thicker. These are all attributes of high quality wines.

However, high altitude wine grape growing is complicated and expensive because geography and climate affects production. For example, high elevation sites have lower average temperatures, lower heat accumulation, but higher daytime temperature fluctuations. The geography can affect power supply, water supply, erosion, pests, and bird damage. This results in high production costs which are passed onto high retail costs. Generally consumers don’t ask for high altitude wines and hence they may not be clear about the differences in costs.

There is no real definition regarding at what height wine growing becomes high altitude. In Europe, the wine industry uses factors such as degree of slope, altitude above sea level and existence of terraces, but in many other countries and regions, there are no specifications.

The Orange region – 206 kilometres or 128 miles west of Sydney - is often referred to as the Central Highlands of Australia producing apples, pears and cherries. It has an elevation between 600-900 metres (1,968-2,952 feet). The soil varies widely and it has a mild to warm summer with maximum temperatures of 32 degrees Celsius (90F) with cool to cold nights during the wine grape growing season. It is dry during the summer and can become quite windy which is both an advantage and a disadvantage for growing grapes. Wind helps to reduce spring frosts but it can damage sensitive grape varieties such as Merlot. The major threat to the grapes in the Orange region is from birds. The main wine styles produced are Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot and Shiraz (the most widely planted variety).

Guyra is on the Northern Tablelands in New South Wales 511 kilometres (317 miles) north of Sydney. It’s one of the highest elevated towns in Australia. The principal industries include wool, sheep, beef cattle, potatoes and tomatoes.

(http://www.winesandvines.com/)

Shame by Salman Rushdie: book review

2012-01-15T01:07:00.000-08:00

Shame (1985) is Rushdie’s third book, noted for its magical realism.

The Indian author is also the narrator, saying that the novel is and isn’t about Pakistan, never living there for longer than six months at a time: “I learned Pakistan in slices.”

It is of the birth of Omar Khayyam Shakil on his grandfather’s deathbed to three mothers – all sisters, one with the real pregnancy and two who experience phantom pregnancies with “perfectly synchronized sympathy” to conceal the shame of the unmarried mother, “with not a solitary father in sight.” Named after the famous Persian poet, Omar feels like a “creature on the edge: a peripheral man.” Living with the shame of being born out of wedlock, Omar says shame is like everything else; “live with it for long enough and it becomes part of the furniture” – to the extent that he lives a shameless life, the opposite of ashamed.

Coddled by his three mothers, Chhunni, Munnee, and Bunny, he puts on weight and is teased. For his twelfth birthday he asks to be released from “this horrible house” and to know the name of his father. This causes dissent amongst his three mothers and Omar leaves home. At eighteen and “fatter than fifty melons” he returns home with the news that he has a scholarship to the best medical college in Karachi. Two years later, his three mothers inform him that he now has a brother, Babar – again with not a father in sight.

At thirty, Omar developed “a high reputation as a doctor and a low reputation as a human being” – by now, he is totally without shame. His mothers are not the only ones shamed, for the marriage of other characters are not what they seem. “Shameful things are done: lies, loose living, disrespect for one’s elders, failure to love one’s national flag, incorrect voting at elections, over-eating, extramarital sex, autobiographical novels, cheating at cards, maltreatment of womenfolk, examination failures, smuggling, throwing one’s wicket away at a crucial part of a Test Match: and they are all done shamelessly.”

His brother, Babar, dies a rebel before his twenty-third birthday, with eighteen bullets in his body. Omar falls in love with Sufiya Zinobia Hyder, the twelve year old daughter of the man who ordered the killing of Babar, and asks for her hand in marriage. Her relatives know he is thirty-one years older than her, and that he is a fat, ugly, debauched man, but wonder “where we are going to find the girl a better match?” Their daughter is known as Shame, The Beast, and often the she-devil. The marriage goes ahead and when her character is revealed, her relatives give him the chance to renege on the marriage, but Omar persists with the union. He equates the situation with migration, one of the perspectives of the narrator: “When individuals come unstuck from their native land, they are called migrants. When nations do the same thing (Bangladesh), the act is called secession. What is the best thing about migrant peoples and seceded nations? I think it is their hopefulness."

In his sixties, sick with malaria, his oldest mother, Chhunni, tells him his family history.

Having read seven of Rushdie’s novels, this is one of my favourites. It's intense, macabre, dark, and gruesome, but the writing styles is exquisite, evocative, rich, and imaginative.

Man's best friend might be his dog but it might not bring domestic peace

2012-01-12T16:50:00.000-08:00

Man’s best friend is his dog – but not necessarily. The average dog is now believed to cause nearly 2,000 domestic disputes and arguments in its lifetime.

A study by an insurance company in the United Kingdom maintains that the average pet dog, during a life expectancy of 12.8 years, can cause 1,997 domestic arguments – which equates to three arguments a week and 156 quarrels every year, reports the Sun-Herald.

Arguments range from disagreements over who should take the dog for a walk, feeding them too many treats, and what to do with them during holidays. The study revealed that 25% of dog owners regularly argue about where the dog is allowed to wander about the house – such as on beds and sofas. About 20% of dog owners argue whose turn it is to clean up the dog’s mess and 10% disagree over who should clean the stains on the carpet, caused by the dog.

Disciplining the dog also causes arguments – 18% of couples argue and separate because one is accused of being too harsh on the dog. About 15% of couples argue about who should train the dog, while 10% of people get annoyed if the dog is “humanized.” Other arguments include who should buy the dog in the first place, what type of dog they should have, and how much they should buy it for – as well as the amount spent on the dog during its lifetime. The damage caused by dogs (such as broken children’s toys and chewed footwear) also causes domestic arguments.

Due to the dog argument, about 17% of households say that the disputes were so bad that one member of the family slept in the spare room (and it wasn’t the dog!).

Can the world learn from tribalism? Is it the lesson for community cooperation and social cohesion?

2012-01-11T17:09:00.000-08:00

The tribal conflict over cattle rustling in Pibor, South Sudan, has resulted in attacks and reprisals between two main communities, the Lou Nuer and the Murle. Tribal tensions are not new, and have been a feature of Sudan, and other countries, for centuries. Can other countries, or more importantly, individuals, learn from tribal conflict?

New Scientist (7 January 2012) has an interesting book review that may shed some light on the impacts of tribalism. Mark Pagel, professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom and author of Wired for Culture (to be published in March) has reviewed a book by Richard Sennett, professor of sociology at New York University and the London School of Economics, entitled Together: The rituals, pleasures and politics of cooperation (2012). Sennett contends that “living with people who differ—racially, ethnically, religiously, or economically—is the most urgent challenge facing civil society today. We tend socially to avoid engaging with people unlike ourselves, and modern politics encourages the politics of the tribe rather than of the city.” In Together he traces the evolution of cooperative rituals in situations as diverse as slave communities, socialist groups in Paris, and workers on Wall Street. Divided into three parts, the book addresses the nature of cooperation, why it has become weak, and how it could be strengthened. Sennett also maintains that the capacity for cooperation is embedded in human nature.

Sennett is alarmed by the way societies develop tribalism within their ranks and the way in which this “deeply ingrained tribalism” can lead to aggression towards people who are perceived to be “different” from their own culture, background, race, community, or group. Sennett is concerned about modern capitalist societies that, he says, promote social withdrawal (hibernation, loneliness, solitude, and hermitude). Sennett details some causes of social withdrawal such as economic inequality, the breakdown of workplace relations, and the psychological effects of living in an uncertain world. He gives examples of people emigrating from “poor” communities in search of better education and economic prospects – which, he says, perpetuates deprivation in the area they escaped from.

Pagel, in his review, says that if Sennett is right, trouble is brewing in the world because the world is continuing towards mass human migration from poor to prosperous regions. This, in addition to conflict over land and resources, over unequal distribution of resources, over economic disproportions, and over people entering our communities that are “not like us” is pushing people to the brink of unhappiness, dissent, and social withdrawal.

Sennett promotes social cohesion that requires commitment (to community) and empathy. He champions repetitive shared experience of ritual, from religious ceremonies to workplace routines, as a way of promoting social cohesion.

Sennett is optimistic. He believes that the history of tribalism – one of near-continual conflict – can lead to creative forces responsible for cooperation.

Sennett maintains that early bands of humans formed into tribes that were bands of bands. Collection of tribes later coalesced into chiefdoms and collections of chiefdoms became nascent and emerging nation states – countries (just like the most recent example of South Sudan). Sennett says that at each stage, entities that previously competed and fought against each other formed cooperative coalitions that generated wealth more often than conflict.

Pagel states that “as challenging and demanding as cooperation is, it has been our species’ secret weapon, and those of us alive today are the descendants of people who had what it takes to make it work. This thoughtful book outlines the craftsmanship we will need to ensure that it continues to do so.”

Sennett maintains that cooperation is embedded in every human’s genes, but it needs to be strengthened, particularly when interacting with people unlike ourselves. He therefore attempts to explore cooperation as a craft. But he also explores urban design – how cities and communities can be designed for better community cooperation (he says that most urban design is currently homogenous and rigid promoting tribalism and not social cohesion). Tribalism is, he says, “involves thinking you know what others are like without knowing them” which is counter-productive. Tribalism is human cooperation that results in aggression, corruption, collusion, organized crime, and other destructive results such as the “us-against-you” philosophy. Sennett’s definition of cooperation in the social cohesion sense is “an exchange in which the participants benefit from the encounter.” It is mutual support that can take many forms from the minute to the major – including polite social civilities such as saying “please” and “thank you” to the mutual support required to deal with life’s frustrations and unfairness with positive social consequences. He stresses that information sharing, although on the surface appearing to be cooperation, is not communication and shared dialogue.

Sennett likens cooperation to music. In an orchestra of different instruments and different people, a ritual practice (or rehearsal) can produce harmony – musicians need to interact and cooperate to make art. “Much of the actual conversation between musicians consists of raised eyebrows, grunts, momentary glances and other non-verbal gestures. It’s not just about talking and listening; it’s about sympathy, empathy, and above all, shared and familiar dialogue.

Sennett’s book is divided into three sections exploring how cooperation can be shaped, weakened, and strengthened, drawing on research in anthropology, history, sociology and politics, and including concrete case studies. He concludes with chapter on the French essayist Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) who examined the world through his own judgement, describing the great variety and volatility of human nature. Montaigne continues to be an inspiration for many to the present day. Novelist Judith Shklar in her book, Ordinary Vices (1984) wrote: "It is only if we step outside the divinely ruled moral universe that we can really put our minds to the common ills we inflict upon one another each day. That is what Montaigne did and that is why he is the hero of this book.”

Tea tree oil controls flies in Australian sheep and bacteria in airconditioning units

2012-01-10T17:28:00.000-08:00

Tea tree oil has shown to be effective in controlling all stages of sheep flies, such as maggots, eggs, pupae and adults.

The Australian Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), a government department, funded research to find a pain-free way of controlling flies and lice in sheep. Flystrike from blowflies (large flies) can infect sheep, causing disease and death, and thus impacting the sheep meat and wool industries.

However, research conducted by the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation in Queensland has led to the discovery of a natural product that controls flies in sheep. Researchers tested the tea tree oil for its insecticide effect and its impact in repelling sheep blowflies and lice.

The tea tree is a tree native to Australia along the north coast and streams of New South Wales and Queensland. The scientific name is Melaleuca alternifolia and is commonly called narrow-leaved paperbark, narrow-leaved tea tree, or snow-in-summer (due to its white flowers). The oil from the tea tree is known to be an anti-bacterial and ant-fungal medicine for humans and is used in antiseptics, deodorants, shampoos, soaps, and lotions. However, humans cannot swallow the oil because it is poisonous in large quantities.

Researchers used a 1% solution of tea tree oil in sheep dip for louse infected sheep two weeks after shearing them. This killed the lice for up to 20 weeks (5 months) after treatment. In addition, jetting sheep with six-month-wool with a tea tree solution reduced the number of lice by up to 94% compared with control treatments. Researchers also said that tea tree oil could also be used to repel flies (like a fly spray) and also to treat wounds and sores in sheep (such as scrapes and scratches).

The organic tea tree oil is safe, environmentally friendly and a low residue pest control. Therefore the oil (often called ti-tree oil or melaleuca oil) can be used not only for humans, but also for sheep, representing a significant potential new market for Australian tea tree oil.

An Australian company has also used tea tree to manufacture a water-based gel designed to remove mould and bacteria growing in air conditioning systems in offices. The gel blocks are placed inside air conditioning units. In hot and humid, or cold and damp environments, bacteria can grow in ventilation units which can lead to allergy-causing spores and gases. The company, Gelair, now sells the gel blocks all over the world.

(https://rirdc.infoservices.com.au/items/10-190 for the publication “Controlling Fly Strike and Louse Infections in Sheep with Tee Tree Oil” and https://rirdc.infoservices.com.au/items/07-143 for the publication “The Effectiveness and Safety of Australian Tea Tree Oil”) – Rural Diversity (Issue No 7, Summer 2011)

Australian travellers arrested overseas is low but on the rise

2012-01-07T16:45:00.000-08:00

The Sun-Herald reported on January 8, 2012, that at least two Australians a day are arrested somewhere in the world – and that this number has doubled in ten years since 2001.

In 2001 a total of 568 Australians were arrested and 208 were imprisoned in foreign detention centres overseas. Ten years later, in 2010-2011, 1,069 Australians were arrested (88% increase) and 313 were imprisoned (50% increase), representing record levels. The countries in which Australians find themselves in most trouble are the United States of America, China, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) indicates that the crime which has increased the most over ten years is assault – 89 Australians were arrested overseas for assault in 2010-2011. Another 75 were arrested for drug offences, and 79 were arrested for visa violations. Other crimes include theft, corruption, fraud, illegal recruitment, paedophilia, prostitution, sexual assault, murder, kidnapping, and tax evasion.

Each year more than 7 million Australians travel overseas and about 200,000 (3%) of them seek consular assistance when abroad.

DFAT’s website Smartraveller (http://smartraveller.gov.au) provides advice on travelling overseas, local laws and regulations, health information, tips, and travel registration in which people can register their travel plans. Travel registration enables the Australian government to know how many of its citizens are in a particular country. It is particularly useful for travelers going to remote or politically tense regions as it enables them to be located during problematic situations. It is also useful if there are natural disasters in the region.

Australian lifesavers: rescues increase in sea and surf

2012-01-03T18:21:00.000-08:00

In the nine days from December 25 to the New Year public holidays, 1,291 people have been rescued from New South Wales beaches alone – predominantly in and near Sydney beaches. That’s an average of 143 rescues a day. In total, 66 have required hospital treatment.

The statistics are double the number of people rescued over the same period of time last year. Last year in the same region of New South Wales (on the eastern coast of Australia), 649 swimmers were rescued from the ocean.

This year, lifesavers, in addition to the almost 1,300 rescues, made almost 30,000 preventative actions. Warnings and preventative actions were provided to 28,784 beach visitors, urging them to swim between the flags and ordering them off unpatrolled and unsafe areas of the coast, or preventing intoxicated individuals from entering the water.

The festive season, public holidays, and hot temperatures have resulted in many people visiting the beaches of Australia. Unfortunately, many swimmers are not swimming in between the iconic red and yellow flags – where surf lifesavers patrol the area to keep swimmers safe from hazards. People unfamiliar with the surf conditions, such as tourists, continue to have trouble negotiating the waves and ocean tides. The most dangerous condition is the rip. Many people cannot identify a rip because the ocean looks calm. However, a rip is a current of water that drags a person away from the coast into deeper water. Ocean water between the flags is “safe water” – patrolled by lifesavers and rip-free.

Pibor, South Sudan, under tribal conflict over cattle rustling and abducted children

2012-01-01T14:41:00.000-08:00

Tribal conflict over cattle rustling and the return of abducted children has resulted in attacks in the town of Pibor in Jonglei State of South Sudan. South Sudan gained its independence from the north in July 2011 after the peace agreement in 2005. However tribal conflict within South Sudan is still common. In Pibor, the Lou Nuer and Murle communities are in conflict over cattle. The BBC reported on January 1, 2012, that about 6,000 Lou Nuer fighters attacked the Murle in Lukangol, Pibor, and other towns, burning homes, the hospital, government buildings, and seizing livestock. The United Nations has deployed 800 troops into the region but they are greatly outnumbered by the fighters.

I was in Pibor in 2005 after the signing of the north-south peace accord. Below is an extract from my novel, The Sudan Curse, on the Pibor region.

Outside our tents Jeremy briefed us on possible meetings while we ate lunch and drank cardamom tea. The Commissioner of Akobo County joined us. He offered Jeremy assistance to mediate between the Murle—small in number, but fierce in nature—and the Lou Nuer.

... Sister Glory and I walked to the Medecins Sans Frontieres compound, a substantial distance away. In the town of Pibor Post, a blend of Muslims and Christians busied themselves with daily chores. There was a babble of tongues from traders. A Muslim trader in a white jalebeyah tied white plastic water containers to his flat-tray cart, already laden with rolls of stuffed canvas and an old blue suitcase. His wife wore a pink T-shirt underneath a blue cloth draped around her body and over her head. A man with two children sat cross-legged on a purple blanket beside the cart. Amid the covered Muslim girls were Pibor females with scant pleated skirts that barely graced their bottoms, often bare-breasted or T-shirted but braless and overladen with strings of beads. Greeted by a young Swedish woman at MSF, Junta Gerden, we meandered through the vast cream hospital tents. Malaria was the disease commonly treated, but recently there had been a high number of patients with diarrhea and waterborne parasites due to the lack of uncontaminated water. Since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, they had not treated anyone with conflict wounds. In one tent, on single beds, lay two teenage girls with day-old premature babies, delicate and feeble. One stroked her newborn with a finger, gently making circular motions on the protruding belly. “They have a better chance here. Mary traveled five days on foot to have her baby here. Wise girl,” said Junta.

… Sister Glory and I relaxed on the log in the middle of the market, sipping scented tea. Women confirmed that only months ago the range of vegetables and items for sale was limited. A group of women with their own stall said they remained in their village before the peace agreement and now they sold cabbages at the market. They laughed at their own happiness. After some time we moved onward, talking to traders and buyers. An Arab trader beckoned us to his stall. “As-salaam ’alaykum!” he called out.

I answered, “Wa ’alaykum as-salaam,” as we approached.

He offered us a free bag of dried peas as we discussed trading processes, comparative prices, and the origins of the goods, many of which were arriving from Ethiopia and Kenya. As we approached the compound, the Murle peace committee entered the gate; chiefs, youth, elders, civic authorities, women, and church representatives, talking optimistically about the future of Southern Sudan, but not without reservations. Distance was a prohibiting factor in promoting peace and unity. The large influx of returnees stretched resources, causing minor rifts. Toposa children resumed their education in the Arabic school, and the Nuer, Bor Dinka and other tribes commenced English schooling wherever they could. “No one is opposed to the philosophy of peace, but we need services,” the leader said.

“The pressure is on the peace committee,” said a youth representative.

“Everyone expects us to solve all of their concerns and sometimes they forget that the new state government has a role too. A threat to peace is the impatience of people. We have resumed trading with our neighbors, but some people travel great distances in a day to trade and greed is sure to be present, as well as the unpredictability of production. It won’t be easy.” Jeremy assisted the women of the compound with dinner as the Murle Peace Committee disbanded. The smell of spicy chicken lured us to a pot nestled on hot coals. In darkness we scooped delicious mounds of rice and chicken onto plastic plates. Flashlights flickered in the night.

* * *

Shafts of morning sun glinted on the scorpion’s back. The size of a fingernail, it slipped into my shoe almost unnoticed. Knocking the shoe against a chair to rid it of dirt, the scorpion arched its tail over its back and dropped to the ground making me jump in fright. It scuttled under a cardboard box. Sister Glory remained with Reverend Nganloki in the afternoon after several meetings, while I returned to the compound, finding Jeremy with a pile of papers. “Jeremy, what’s worse, do you think, tribal conflict or north-south war?”

“War is always to be avoided,” he said. “There can be nothing worse. I know why you ask the question. I ask myself the same thing sometimes. Tribes fought continuously with other tribes. In most places, different tribes traded with each other and intermarried, but, in the dry season, tempers flared easily and conflicts occurred. Although, before the civil war, the tribal conflict was with bows and arrows, not guns, as is the case now. Long-term tribalism certainly has a price. It’s pervasive and a greater impediment to economic recovery than war. Ethnic tensions leave permanent scars, such as ineffective governments, less respect for the law, low literacy and schooling, limited access to clean water, and poor healthcare. Worse than that is the underlying fragmentation of society and constant mistrust. For example, if government officials favor one group over another, it can lead to corruption, resentment, or dispute. Ethnic hatred generally runs deep and never goes away. If that was the case, we’d be better off with a president who is more of a warmonger than a tribalist.”

Martina Nicolls is the author of The Sudan Curse (2009)

Ring, ring, why don't you give me a call: telecommunications skyrocket on New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T02:47:00.000-08:00

Australians will ring in the New Year with a record number of telephone calls and texts.

Telecommunications provider Optus predicts that its customers will send 76 million texts on New Year's Eve, 10 million more than last year. People will make more than 51 million telephone calls on mobile phones on the night of New Year’s Eve while 44 million calls will be made from landline home phones.

That equates to more than one in three Australians who are anticipated to send greetings via social media this year. India, Vietnam and the United Kingdom are predicted to be the three most popular overseas destinations to call this year.

The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan: book review

2011-12-29T15:12:00.000-08:00

In Amy Tan’s The Hundred Secret Senses (1995) Olivia meets her older Chinese half-sister and first child of her father, Jack Yee, at the age of five. Kwan, 18, leaves China to live with her step-family in San Francisco. Kwan believes that she has “yin eyes”: that she can see and hear the ghosts of the dead. With the knowledge of the dead, of Chinese wisdom, and the ability to diagnose illnesses, Kwan protects and advises her new-found sister, Olivia.

Olivia thinks that Kwan has an opinion about everything. Olivia thinks she is nosey, interfering, persistent, persuasive, talkative and worst of all – Kwan wants everyone, particularly Olivia, to be happy all the time.

This is a beautifully and poignantly written story of Olivia’s relationship with her separated husband, Simon, and her half-sister in America and on a journey to Kwan’s Chinese village. Olivia tells the tale with humour, honesty and a sense of guilt at her annoyance with Kwan’s interference in her life.

It’s a tale of Chinese intuition, dreams, superstitions, ghosts and legends set amid the world of American logic and reason. Yet it is more than a tale of American-Chinese differences. It tells of sisters as different as chalk and cheese – in age, in lifestyle, in aspirations, and in culture - and of Kwan’s desperation to be a part of her sister’s life. It is Tan’s third and best book.

Miss a day, gain much more: Samoa moves the international dateline

2011-12-27T23:21:00.000-08:00

Samoa is a South Pacific island (population 200,000), formerly called Western Samoa, situated on the eastern side of the International Date Line, making it the last country on Earth to end the day. This means that it is a day behind Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and other Pacific countries – Samoa’s trading partners – restricting the country to a three-day business week. It lies south of the equator about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii (and is about the size of two of Hawaii’s islands, Oahu and Maui combined).

Samoa was placed this side of the international dateline almost 120 years ago when its trading partners were Europe and the United States of America. Samoa’s parliament passed legislation on Monday June 27, 2011, to reverse the decision on December 30, so that the international dateline lies to the east of the country, bringing it in line with Australasia. Therefore, this year, Friday December 30 won’t exist. The country will literally miss a day to enable the alignment – finishing Thursday December 29 and waking to December 31.

Samoans are generally in favour of the decision and those having an anniversary on December 30 will only miss out this year as December 30 will be back on the calendar in 2012. The official registrar indicates that 767 births and 43 marriages were registered on that date.

An official from the tiny New Zealand territory of Tokelau, which lies to the north of Samoa and has a population of less than 1,500, said it would probably follow Samoa's lead and also skip December 30. Samoa gained its independence from New Zealand in 1962 and was admitted to the United Nations in 1976. In July 1997, the constitution was amended to change the country's name from Western Samoa to Samoa. The U.S. territory of American Samoa protested and still refers to the country as Western Samoa. [American Samoa will remain unchanged and will continue to lie east of the dateline.]

Missing a day will result in the country being three hours ahead of Sydney, Australia, instead of 21 hours behind. The volcanic country is traditionally dependent on agriculture and fishing at the local level, as well as the manufacturing of agricultural products. Tourism is also an increasing source of income. Moving the International Date Line will also make it one of the first countries to start the day.

The Stranger in the Mirror by Jane Shilling: book review

2011-12-27T14:54:00.000-08:00

Jane Shilling’s The Stranger in the Mirror: a memoir of middle age (2011) is a British woman’s journey approaching her fifties as she comes to terms with her age, her loves, and her career.

First, Shilling comes to terms with the definition of “middle age” – “the unequivocal marker of the boundary between youth and what is left of life” and states categorically that “middle age and the menopause are not precisely the same thing.” Interestingly, the author uses comparative literature to juxtapose her feelings and thoughts with those of other authors, past and present. These include quotes from Simone de Beauvoir, Colette, George Eliot, Germaine Greer, Henry James, Nancy Mitford, and Virginia Woolf (such as “Lord, are we as old as all that? I feel about six and a half”) and an analysis of fictional middle-aged characters.

She also uses fashion, hairstyles, and cosmetics (and cosmetic surgery) as markers – when one’s ability to wear hot pants and biker jackets with conviction tends to diminish. Magazines, media, movies and motherhood also help her to define the passing of time – raising a son as a single mother. She realizes that as he transitions through the “awkward age” from adolescence to manhood, she is also transitioning through the awkward years of “hot flushes, sudden weight gain, incapacitating vagueness, wrinkles, invisibility, powerlessness and an interest in gardening.”

By Shilling’s own admission, this is not a manual on how to cope with menopause. Nor is it a novel as such. It is a memoir, a story, or a personal meditation of her own life as she experiences it. Some revelations will no doubt resonate with readers, while others will be glossed over. However, it’s an easy-to-read work of personal fact in which the reader can stop at any moment in time to reflect on their own life, thoughts, feelings and actions –not to constantly look backwards, but to look forwards with confidence.

Snowdrops by A.D. Miller: book review

2011-12-26T19:08:00.000-08:00

Andrew D. Miller’s Snowdrops (2011) is set in Moscow from the early 2000s. The story commences with the smell of a dead body that was buried under the snow all winter, emerging with the spring thaw—"a snowdrop".

Nick Platt is a British lawyer recounting his four-and-a-half years exploring the seedy and decadent nightlife, clubs and bars of Moscow where every woman under forty dresses like a prostitute when the winter snow melts.

Nick sees Maria Kovalenko—Masha to her friends—in a metro station. One stop later, Masha and her sister Katya are accosted by a man in a ponytail trying to steal Masha’s fake Burberry handbag. He scares off the thief and befriends the sisters, eventually helping their aunt Tatiana to find an apartment.

That’s when Nick sees the “snowdrop” surrounded by policemen and knows immediately that it was Konstantin Andreyevich, his neighbour’s missing friend. Nick’s friend, Steve, suggests the death was part of a scam common in Russia in the 1990s and early 2000s. And the sisters were involved.

Simply and sparsely written, the scam is slowly revealed, just as the body is slowly thawing and surfacing from the grey slush to reveal the truth—not just of the sisters, but of the culture of Russian corruption.

Hemingway's Boat by Paul Hendrickson: book review

2011-12-25T22:14:00.000-08:00

Paul Hendrickson’s semi-biographical, Hemingway’s Boat: Everything He Loved in Life, and Lost, 1934-1961 (2011) is a mixed bag: mostly engrossing, but often confusing.

Hendrickson’s manuscript is more of an expose of his notes than a formal biographical account as he interviews people in Ernest Hemingway’s life and analyses photographs and memorabilia. The greatest piece of “memorabilia” is Hemingway’s boat, “Pilar” – bought in 1934 after his best seller, “A Farewell to Arms” and achieving fame as “America’s greatest novelist.” It is at this time that Hemingway leaves America to live in Bimini near Havana, Cuba, until forced back to America when the future of Cuba nosedives after 1958 under Fidel Castro’s regime.

Hemingway describes the Cuban years as the happiest of his life, which he ended early on July 2, 1961 in his Ketchum, Idaho home, shortly before his sixty-second birthday and a year after he leaves Cuba. Not only was it his happiest period, it was also his most prolific as an author. He would spend much of the fishing season on his boat off the coast of Cuba, inspiration for his novel, “Old Man and the Sea” which resulted in the 1952 Pulitzer Prize. In 1954 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. However, he also continued spending time in Africa on safari, and in Spain to watch bull-fighting which inspired further novels, works of non-fiction, and short stories.

Hendrickson’s work comments on Hemingway’s relationship with his parents (particularly his father), his three sons and his four wives. He also comments on the influential personalities in Hemingway’s life, his publishers, and assistants. He comments too on the numerous biographies of Hemingway including that of his son, Gregory (Gigi) Hemingway (1976), his fourth wife Mary (1976), and his brother Leicester (1996). It is on these pages where Hendrickson departs from a chronological and linear account and the boat as the focal point for depicting Hemingway’s inspirations, loves, losses, challenges, thoughts, and feelings. His best and most interesting writing occurs when he focuses on Hemingway and his boat. The most poignant chapter is of the last years of Hemingway’s life as he battles suicidal tendencies, electric shock treatments, and depression. For Hemingway lovers Hendrickson’s work presents a different, unique approach to the narration of the author’s life.

Hats, pin stripe suits, and silk ensembles: Canberra fashion designers from past to present

2011-12-21T20:54:00.000-08:00

The Canberra Museum and Gallery in the heart of Canberra, Australia, is exhibiting “Fashioned Here: The business of fashion in Canberra” from September 3, 2011 to January 22, 2012 – a collection of local fashion designers.

From private commercial and fashion houses in Canberra, the collection of designer fashions begins with a simple hat block from Stanley Taylor’s 1926 drapery and concludes with a series of colourful outfits designed by Maggie Shepherd in the 1990s. In between are a selection of men’s and women’s hats, suits, and dresses.

From the Tracey Lord design collection is an orange turban/beehive hat (circa 1960), a cocktail hat from 1970, an elegant black satin pillbox (1950s), a cream felt beret (1950s), and several straw and raffia hats. The Sylvia Parsons collection includes a green synthetic fur pillbox, a grey felt hat with ribbon trim, and a purple velour pillbox. One of my favourites is from the collection of Christine Waring – a “petit beret” of red velour with fur and felt cutwork flowers and leave. My other favourite is a panama hat (circa 1940) from RT White Mensworld.

Olivia Newton-John’s Mardi Gras party costume by Matthew Aberline Design (2008) is exhibited amongst a grey 1959 Sam Catanzariti man’s suit, a Joseph Label 1965 man’s pin stripe suit, day dresses by Sylvia Parsons, silk wraps and ensembles by Maggie Shepherd (circa 1970s-1990s), and other designs by Stanger than Fiction, Bonnie Begg, Phuan Thai, and Christine White.

The larger-than-life personality of King O’Malley: Canberra Exhibition

2011-12-21T20:16:00.000-08:00

The life and politics of King O’Malley is on exhibition from October 29, 2011 to March 4, 2012 at the Canberra Museum and Gallery in the city centre of Canberra, Australia.

King O’Malley, of Irish heritage, born either in Canada or America (he stated both) on either July 2 or July 4 (he stated both), in 1858 or 1854 (he stated both) was a larger-than-life legend in Australian politics. Even his name is suspect. According to O’Malley himself, his parents were William and Mary (nee King) O’Malley. Neither the date, first name, nor the place of his birth is known with certainty, although he certainly died on December 20, 1953.

Working as an insurance salesman, traveling around America, he moved to Australia when he was given a medical death sentence – a doctor diagnosed tuberculosis in 1888 and gave him six more months of life. In Australia, an aboriginal, Coowonga, cared for him until he recovered. In good health, O'Malley decided to walk the 2,100 kilometres from Emu Park in Queensland to Adelaide in South Australia where he resumed his insurance career while also preaching Christianity.

He was elected as a radical democrat in South Australia in 1896 – as a Christian socialist aiming to rid hotels of barmaids "hired for their physical attributes rather than their prowess in drawing ale." Women were much taken by his appearance. In 1899 he moved to Tasmania and was elected at the 1901 federal election and although being a prominent and colourful member of the Parliament, his radical ideas were not widely accepted.

O'Malley became Minister for Home Affairs when he moved to Melbourne and promoted Canberra as the site of the future capital of Australia. He declared American architect Walter Burley Griffen winner of the competition to draft a plan for the new capital. On February 20, 1913, O'Malley drove in the first peg which marked the start of the development of the city.

He lived to be about 95, and at the time of his death he was the last surviving member of the first Australian Parliament. Although he advocated for prohibition (a ban on alcohol) a pub in Canberra, King O’Malley’s Irish Pub in Civic, was named after him in 2000.

His famous quote is “Battle hard, never give up a good cause, never drink stagger juice [alcohol], smoke, or lose your sense of humour.” (1952)

The life and politics of King O’Malley is on exhibition from October 29, 2011 to March 4, 2012 at the Canberra Museum and Gallery in the city centre of Canberra, Australia.

His famous quote is “Battle hard, never give up a good cause, never drink stagger juice [alcohol], smoke, or lose your sense of humour.” (1952)

Kashmir: a call for a plebiscite for self-determination and human rights

2011-12-20T16:52:00.000-08:00

For more than 60 years (since 1947 at the time of the Partition – independence from Britain) the land debate over Kashmir has continued between India and Pakistan. When the British left the region, India and Pakistan were formed and gained their independence. One state in the north – Azad Jammu & Kashmir – was undecided and hence the United Nations separated the state into two administered regions with a line in between – based on religious and geographic factors. On one side of the Line of Control – the cease fire line that bisects Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) – is Pakistan-administered AJK (predominantly Muslims). On the other side of the LOC is Indian-held Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) which comprises predominantly Hindus.

The United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan passed a resolution in 1948 that the people of AJK could decide their fate through a plebiscite, but this has never happened because neither side could agree on the conditions. Instead, the governments of India and Pakistan positioned their military in the region. Today, as Dr. Gyan Basnet points out (Kashmir should decide, December 20, 2011, www.atimes.com) over 700,000 military personnel are in the region.

Three main choices are available for the people of Kashmir: (1) become part of India; (2) become part of Pakistan; and (3) independence. Now a fourth choice is being mooted: (4) a power-sharing agreement. Dr. Basnet highlights two aspects of self-determination – external and internal rights. To date, the people of Kashmir have not had the free choice to determine their future. Plebiscites, or referendums, are the legal mechanisms most widely used to enact self-determination, which is why the United Nations called for one 63 years ago. Dr. Basnet, a doctorate in international human rights law, states that the right to self-determination is part of customary international law that imposes binding obligations on all nation states to establish a positive right for suppressed peoples eventually to experience and enjoy the full range of human rights. “Kashmir has a definable territory with a history of independence or self-governance, a distinct culture, and the will and capability to restore self-governance and reliance.” Therefore, Dr. Basnet states, Kashmiri’s right to self-determination is morally and legally justified. “A free and fair plebiscite demands all-round political commitment and withdrawal of the armed forces of both sides.”

Martina Nicolls is the author of “Kashmir on a Knife-Edge”

2011 Yearbook on Peace Processes by Vicenc Fisas: book review

2011-12-17T17:49:00.000-08:00

Vicenç Fisas, Director of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) School for a Culture of Peace (ecola de cultura de pau) and UNESCO Chair in Peace and Human Rights at the UAB has compiled the sixth edition of the Yearbook on Peace Processes. It contains analyses of conflicts between countries and regions in 2010 in which negotiations are being held to reach a peace agreement, regardless of whether these negotiations are formalized; are in the exploratory phase; are faring well; are stalled; or are in the midst of crisis.

The analyses are provided by countries under regional sections such as Africa; Latin America; Asia and Pacific; Europe; and Middle East.

The introduction includes exceptionally detailed descriptions of definitions. These include negotiation [“by negotiation we mean the process through which two or more clashing parties (either countries or internal actors within the same country) agree to discuss their differences in an agreed-upon setting to find a solution that will meet their demands. This negotiation can be either direct or through third-party facilitation. Formal negotiations usually have a prior, exploratory, phase, which enables the framework (format, venue, conditions, guarantees, etc.) of the future negotiations to be defined.”]

By peace process Fisas means a “process to put an end to violence and armed struggle.” The signing of a cessation of hostilities and the subsequent signing of a peace agreement are nothing other than the start of the true “peace process” which is linked to the stage called “post-war rehabilitation.” He also describes each of the main stages in the peace process. However, this yearbook limits itself to analyzing efforts made in the early stages of the long pathway to peace, without which the final goal would be impossible to reach.

This yearbook analyzes the peace processes of 2010 and the status of 58 conflicts, 51 of them in negotiations, four countries without peace processes (Somalia, DR Congo, Colombia and Spain) and three with finished processes (Mali, Niger and Central African Republic). In half of the armed conflicts today there are open or exploratory dialogues. During the year, 16 conflicts ended with a peace agreement being reached with the respective armed groups or neighbouring countries. Eleven processes are consolidated and 23 were interrupted. Due to numerous peace agreements reached with different armed groups in recent years, the number of negotiations analyzed has gradually declined, while the percentage of conflicts yet to be negotiated has risen (19). Subsequently, Fisas provides a chart of countries by the status of their negotiations at the end of 2010. The categories include: (1) going well; (2) in difficulty; (3) going poorly; (4) in exploratory stages; and (5) resolved. Generally speaking, in 2010 46% of the negotiations went well or ended satisfactorily. Another 24% of the negotiations encountered serious difficulties, and 24% truly went poorly. In some countries the armed groups have demanded preconditions for engaging in negotiations, such as demanding to hold negotiations in a neutral country, the release of some of their leaders, the withdrawal of foreign troops, the cessation of hostilities, or the ratification of previous agreements.

One interesting component of the yearbook is “the peace temperature in 2010.” Each year the School for a Culture of Peace has drawn up a monthly indicator of the status of the peace negotiations existing in the world with the goal of analyzing the overall dynamics of these processes. In 2010, this index analyzes a selection of 18 negotiations. The index is developed based on the average result after granting three points to the peace processes that have fared well during the month, one point to those that remained at a standstill or showed no new developments, and zero points to those that have experienced difficulties. The maximum score in a given month would be 3.0, and the average would be 1.5 points. The index (or temperature) is represented on a graph and sheds light on the obstacles keeping the majority of processes from remaining on a positive course in a sustained way.

The analyses by countries include narrative and tables of approximately 3-5 pages per country. The organization of the analysis of each conflict follows a similar pattern in most cases: (1) a brief synopsis of the context of the conflict, with a brief description of the armed groups and the main actors intervening in each conflict; (2) the background to the peace process; (3) the events that happened in 2010; (4) a table with the most significant events as a summary; (5) a selection of websites to monitor the conflict; and (6) a table illustrating relationships among the primary and secondary actors in each conflict. At the start of every country analysis, there is a box containing basic country statistics.

For anyone interested in global peace, comparative analyses of peace processes per country, or the specific details of a country’s or region’s peace developments, this yearbook contains a factual and informative account and analysis in one resource manual. There are no fancy photographs, neither on the cover, nor in the body of the yearbook. It is readable, organized, comparative and comprehensive.

(http://escolapau.uab.cat/)

Islamabad, Pakistan, fruit and vegetable prices: December 2011

2011-12-17T00:40:00.000-08:00

The prices of most vegetables increased in city bazaars in December across Islamabad, Pakistan. These included tomatoes (up 7 cents a kilogram), green chilli (up 9 cents a kilo), ginger (up 18 cents a kilo), and pumpkin (up 18 cents per kilo). Cauliflower, cabbage, cucumber and onions stayed relatively stable. Potatoes decreased by 4 cents a kilo. Chicken also decreased by 3 cents a kilogram. Almost all fruits remained stable, with pomegranate and guava decreasing by 11 cents a kilogram. Fruit prices on the increase included oranges and bananas (up 11 cents a kilo), and apples (up 9 cents a kilo).

Current prices are as follows (in US dollars) per kilogram:

Apples $1.25 per kg

Bananas 68 cents per kg

Cabbage 41 cents per kg

Cauliflower 34 cents per kg

Chicken (fresh) $1.22 per kg

Cucumbers 45 cents per kg

Garlic 86 cents per kg

Ginger 86 cents per kg

Green chilli 86 cents per kg

Guava 57 cents per kg

Onions 48 cents per kg

Okra 80 cents per kg

Oranges 91 cents per kg

Pomegranates $1.70 per kg

Potatoes 23 cents per kg

Pumpkins 45 cents per kg

Tomatoes 68 cents per kg

Rising diabetes rate in young Pakistanis: women at greater risk

2011-12-13T05:15:00.000-08:00

The Second International Conference on Diabetes 2011 (11-13 December) in Karachi, Pakistan, jointly organized by the Dow University of Health Sciences and the Diabetic Association of Pakistan, highlights the global rise of diabetes, the most widespread metabolic disorder in the world.

The International Diabetes Federation estimates that 285 million people worldwide have diabetes. By 2030, the number is expected to increase by 54% to 438.4 million and will mainly impact developing countries.

In Pakistan, currently 7th in the world in terms of their diabetic population, 7.1 million people are affected by diabetes. With an estimated prevalence of 7.6% of the total population, the number of Pakistanis affected by diabetes is expected to rise to 13.8 million by 2030, placing the country 4th in the world.

Diabetes is a chronic condition (i.e. lasting a long time, often for the duration of a person’s life) whereby insulin is no longer produced or not produced in sufficient amounts by the body. Insulin is essential for the conversion of glucose (sugar) into energy. When diabetics eat glucose (sugar is a common ingredient in most food, especially cakes, fruit, cereals and sweets), it can’t be converted into energy and instead it stays in the blood.

In Pakistan, 10% of young people have diabetes and the number is increasing. Females are slightly more affected than men with a ratio of 51% of females and 49% of men. But due to its complications, the diabetes death rate is higher in women. The Diabetic Association of Pakistan indicates that 53,000 females die every year in Pakistan due to diabetes, compared with 26,000 men every year. Diabetes causes premature deaths in both children and adults. The complications caused by diabetes include kidney failure, heart problems, and eyesight problems. About 12,000 Pakistanis become victim of retinopathy each year – an eye disease that can lead to impaired vision and blindness. More than 100 patients require foot surgery or amputation due to diabetes.

The Second International Conference on Diabetes promotes health care and early diagnosis to prevent diabetes and increase access to essential medicines. It also aims to develop and encourage best practice in diabetes policy, management, and education for prevention, managing the condition, and treatment. The Sindh Governor in Karachi announced the establishment of a diabetes research centre at the Dow University of Health Sciences and the promotion of innovative ideas such as telemedicine - the use of telecommunication and information technologies to provide clinical health care at a distance. It helps eliminate distance barriers and can improve access to medical services that would often not be consistently available in rural communities. It is also used to save lives in critical care and emergency situations.

International Mountain Day - the mountain ranges of Kashmir

2011-12-11T07:34:00.000-08:00

In 2002 United Nations declared December 11 annual International Mountain Day (IMD) focusing on the conservation of mountain biological diversity and preservation.

President of the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Mountaineering & Hiking Club, Mohammed Saleem, posted an interesting article on the mountain ranges of Kashmir (http://www.greaterkashmir.com) to mark IMD. Saleem states that all of the world’s famous mountains taller than 7,000 metres are in Asia and all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres are in the Greater Himalaya range. The State of Jammu and Kashmir comprises three geographical regions: (1) The Lesser Himalayas, also called Jehlum Valley (Kashmir); (2) The Inner Himalayas or the Indus Valley (Ladakh & frontier areas) which is also known as Trans Himalayas; and (3) The Outer Himalayas, also called Southern Mountain Range (Jammu). The Valley of Kashmir is a longitudinal depression in the north-western Himalayan range carved tectonically, and situated at an altitude of 1,590 metres. The length of this oval shaped valley has a parallel axis to the general direction of the mountains bordering it which include: the middle mountains, the Pir Panjal, the Himalayas, the Zanaskar, the Ladakh, the Karakoram, and the Shivaliks. Uniquely the valley of Kashmir is covered with majestic mountain ranges which possess a source of most of Earth’s fresh water, repositories of biological diversity, popular destinations for tourism and recreation, and areas of important cultural diversity, knowledge and heritage. It also has volcanic mountains. The Soyamji peak erupted volcanic lava in 1934 for about 13 months.

Saleem writes that mountaineering and trekking in some of the surrounding mountain ranges of Kashmir Valley, such as Karakoram and the twin peaks of Nun and Kun have remained a mountaineer’s dream. English mountaineer, Eric Shipton, described the Karakoram prior to his pioneering 1930s expeditions of the mountain range, located west of the Himalayas, as “blank on the map.” At that time the range virtually formed an unexplored boundary between cultures, nations and religions, with China on the east, India on the south, Afghanistan to the north, and Pakistan to the west. The range has Earth’s highest concentration of glaciers, some of which are the longest outside the Polar Regions and the longest concentration of tall peaks in the world, with more than sixty peaks over 7,000 metres. Among these is K2 (8,611m), the second highest mountain in the world. Saleem lists the mountains in the Kashmir Valley and provides facts on the naming of K1 to K5 Mountains, their subsequent name change to correspond to mountaineers, and the history of the Kashmir mountaineering club (established in 1934).

Since this year’s theme for the International Mountain Day is “Mountains and Forests” the ecological system of the mountains has become too fragile to bear more assaults. Saleem states that mountains are no isolated ecosystem; they are highlands and lowlands interlinked in complex ways. Mountain forests are ecologically complex and biologically diverse. Over the decades the mountain forests have come under significant pressure for timber, water, agricultural land, unplanned urbanization, and recreational areas. Similarly, the denudation of forests in the State of Jammu and Kashmir has been rampant in the last couple of decades. He states that stumps of cut adult alpine trees in Kupwara, Tusamaidan and Doodpatri forest compartments look like cemetery grave stones from afar, and horizontal deep cracks can be seen in glaciers that weren’t there twenty years ago. These signs highlight their fragile existence. Further degradation will affect the ecological balance of flora and fauna, wildlife, glaciers, and watersheds immeasurably.

Martina Nicolls is the author of Kashmir on a Knife-Edge

December 11: International Mountain Day - Pakistan actively increasing forests

2011-12-10T22:05:00.000-08:00

The International Year of Mountains was held in 2002 at a time when I was in the Himalaya Mountain region in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Now, again in Pakistan, I celebrate International Mountain Day in Islamabad.

The International Year of Mountains was launched by the United Nations (UN) in New York on December 11, 2001 to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable mountain development. As 2002 concluded, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed an annual International Mountain Day to draw attention to the important roles that mountainous regions play in water and food supply. Activities focus on book fairs; symposia; themed lectures for students; workshops and press events. Mountaineering and exploration societies often hold lectures and social events on or around December 11.

Each year International Mountain Day has a particular theme. Previous themes have focused on freshwater, peace, biodiversity or climate change. The theme for 2011 is: mountains and forests. Healthy mountain forests are crucial to the ecological health of the world. They protect watersheds that supply freshwater to more than half of the world’s people. They are also home to wildlife, provide food and fodder for mountain people, and are important sources of timber and non-wood products. Yet in many parts of the world mountain forests are under threat, mainly due to deforestation.

The International Day aims to raise awareness about the relevance of mountain forests and the role they play within a Green Economy as well as in climate change adaptation measures.

The Daily Times newspaper in Islamabad highlights the importance of Pakistan’s mountains. Pakistan has one of the most fragile mountain systems in the world. The Karakorum, Himalaya, and Hindu Kush mountain ranges meet at a junction in northern Pakistan. Animals living in these mountain ranges include the snow leopard, screw horned marhkor, Himalayan ibex, urial, blue sheep, Marco Polo sheep, brown bear, and Tibetan wolf. These mountains have natural forests of alpine, coniferous, and sub-tropical pine trees. The spread of indigenous mountain forests is mostly in Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir, Kohistan, Chitral, Swat, Dir, Muree, Hazara, and Ziarat. The article states that Ziarat is the third largest juniper forest in the world, with some trees dating 4,000 years old.

Northern Areas, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Azad Kashmir account for nearly 52% of Pakistan’s forest reserves. From 1947 there has been an incremental rise in the rate of deforestation. Timber prices in Pakistan are currently double the world’s average, making its timber a valuable commodity. Pakistan is believed to be ranked second in the world for cutting down trees.

Floods have also caused large-scale land erosion and soil degradation in many areas. Forty-days of road blockages of the Karakorum Highway led to economic losses for people of the region. Tree roots have a vital role in stabilizing the soil, particularly on hill slopes, helping to control soil erosion.

Afforestation and plantation programs in Pakistan are supported by community organizations, mostly through a network of eleven Rural Support Programmes which have formed 266,815 local-level organizations with over 4.3 million local members. The Rural Support Programme Network (RSPN), registered in 2001 and funded by international donors, involve mainly rural communities in improved management and delivery of basic services through social mobilization. Organized local communities, through the RSP network, undertake diverse activities, such as tree planting.

On July 15, 2009, Pakistan set a Guinness World Record for tree planting - planting 541,176 trees in 24 hours. The young mangrove saplings were planted by 300 volunteers on without using any mechanical equipment in the vast wetlands of the Indus River Delta in Thatta District. The tree planting, which is part of Pakistan's pledge to plant 120 million trees for the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Billion Tree Campaign, took place about 150 kilometres southeast of Karachi in a biodiversity sanctuary that was designated in 2002 by the government as the Wetland of International Importance. The Billion Tree Campaign was launched in 2006. The record-breaking event was organized by Pakistan's Ministry of the Environment.

Pakistan has been particularly active in increasing the national forest coverage and has set a target of one million hectares of new forests by 2015. To make this happen five mega-forestry projects have been launched.

(http://www.un.org/ and http://www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign)

Images of the total lunar eclipse, December 2011, from Pakistan

2011-12-10T07:09:00.000-08:00

This evening – December 10, 2011 – is still, calm, and cloudless, perfect for viewing the total eclipse of the moon.

The photographs were taken at 19:00 from the roof top of the Serena Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan – 1:00 am on Sunday morning in Sydney, Australia.

International Human Rights Day in Pakistan

2011-12-09T20:58:00.000-08:00

The theme of the 2011 International Human Rights Day, observed annually on December 10, is: Celebrate Human Rights. It marks the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1950) against abuse and violations of human values.

Human rights defenders, individually or in organizations, anonymous or celebrated, work within their communities, across their countries, or globally to end discrimination by campaigning for equitable and effective laws, reporting, and investigations into human rights violations – and to support victims of violations. They demand accountability for perpetrators and transparency in government action.

The Government of Pakistan has a Ministry of Human Rights. Its vision is: “In order to fulfil the dream of Shaheed Mohtama Benazir Bhutto, the Ministry of Human Rights is committed to creating a society where democracy would be the tradition, peace would be the culture, and protection of human rights would always be the top priority.” The Ministry of Human Rights is committed to promote the equality of genders, access to equal opportunities, services, goods and privileges, non-discrimination in work and ensuring social justice for all citizens of the country.

The government, in media announcements, lists some of their achievements toward human rights as: the Right to Information and Right to Education have been included as fundamental rights in the Constitution; unanimous approval of Anti-Women Practices Bill from the National Assembly; approval of Women in Distress and Detention Fund from the National Assembly; the National Commission on Women (NCW) Bill presented in the National Assembly; awareness material on several Human Rights issues have been extensively disseminated in different regions of the country; a number of advocacy events such as seminars, conferences, and symposia; and many international Human Rights treaties including the Convention Against Torture, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, or Punishments (CAT) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICPR) have been ratified.

The government pledges to strengthen peace and democracy, and resist violation of human rights on all levels.

(http://www.mohr.gov.pk/)

The moon's a balloon: total lunar eclipse on December 10, 2011

2011-12-08T19:12:00.000-08:00

A total lunar eclipse takes place on the evening of Saturday, December 10, when the Moon's orbital trajectory takes it through the southern half of Earth's umbral shadow. Although the eclipse is not central, the total phase still lasts 51 minutes. The Moon will pass through Earth's shadow. The timings of the major eclipse phases are listed below.

Penumbral Eclipse Begins: 11:33:32 UT

Partial Eclipse Begins: 12:45:42 UT

Total Eclipse Begins: 14:06:16 UT

Greatest Eclipse: 14:31:49 UT

Total Eclipse Ends: 14:57:24 UT

Partial Eclipse Ends: 16:17:58 UT

Penumbral Eclipse Ends: 17:30:00 UT

• Penumbral eclipse begins – The outer, light penumbral shadow begins to cover the moon. This phase of the eclipse is subtle. Some people say they can’t tell it’s happening, even while looking right at it. It looks like a dusky shading moving across the moon’s face. For the next hour or two, gradually more and more of the moon will be in shadow.

• Partial eclipse begins – The inner, dark umbral shadow begins to cover the moon. Like the penumbral shadow, it starts on one side and slowly creeps across the moon’s face. It looks like a dark bite taken out of the moon.

• Total eclipse begins – The dark shadow completely covers the moon. This is the total phase of the eclipse, called the totality. It generally lasts for the better part of an hour. During the totality, the shadow on the moon often appears red. It is very beautiful!

• Greatest eclipse – The middle of the eclipse. The totality is still going on.

• Total eclipse ends – The inner, dark umbral shadow begins to leave the moon’s face. A sliver of light appears on one edge of the moon. For the next hour or two, gradually less and less of the moon will be in shadow.

• Partial eclipse ends – The inner, dark umbral shadow leaves the moon.

• Penumbral eclipse ends – the light, outer penumbral shadow leaves the moon. The eclipse is over. (http://earthsky.org)

At the instant of greatest eclipse (14:32 UT) the Moon lies at the zenith in the Pacific Ocean near Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. The entire event is visible from Asia and Australia. Observers throughout Europe and Africa will miss the early eclipse phases because they occur before moonrise. None of the eclipse can be seen from South America or Antarctica.

During a lunar eclipse sunlight can filter through Earth’s atmosphere onto the shadow on the moon. This filtered sunlight makes the moon appear red during a total eclipse. But red isn’t the only colour of a totally eclipsed moon. An eclipsed moon can appear brown, red, orange or yellow. The colour depends on the presence of dust and clouds in Earth’s atmosphere. If there has been a major volcanic eruption, for example, the shadow on the moon will appear dark throughout an eclipse.

Eclipses during 2012:
2012 May 20: Annular Solar Eclipse
2012 Jun 04: Partial Lunar Eclipse
2012 Nov 13: Total Solar Eclipse
2012 Nov 28: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

A full report on eclipses during 2012 will be published in Observer's Handbook 2012.

(http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html)

Detailed information on solar and lunar eclipse photography, and tips on eclipse observing and eye safety may be found at: http://www.mreclipse.com/

The full moon prior to every December 25 holds great spiritual significance for many people: known as the Christos Moon it celebrates the union of love and wisdom.

Kashmir hydropower project: engineering, energy and cheap electricity

2011-12-06T21:16:00.000-08:00

The Dawn newspaper in Islamabad reports (December 5) on the engineering marvel of the new Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-administered Kashmir. When completed it will not only provide 969 megawatts (MW) of cheap electricity to the national grid, but also secure Pakistan’s water rights over the Neelum River, currently under threat from India’s “water aggression.”

Of the combined 55 kilometre length of the tunnel, about 18 km is now completed, including eight smaller tunnels. Four kilometres of the 32 km main tunnel, which is to divert Neelum river water from Nauseri to Chatter Kalas, has been completed.

The Neelum River has already been diverted through a smaller 500-metre diversion tunnel to dry out the riverbed for construction of a 786-foot dam in progress.

The report states that with 30% of the hydropower project completed, it has already begun to change the landscape of Azad Kashmir. The small village of Nauseri in the Neelum Valley now has road access. Nauseri is a few kilometres from the Line of Control (the line between Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Indian-held Kashmir), 41 kilometres from Muzaffarabad (the capital city of Pakistan-administered Kashmir). International engineers are providing hundreds of villagers with on-the-job training. Dozens of villagers are being trained in Germany to operate the tunnel boring machine (TBM). The tunnel boring machine, the first in Pakistan, is expected to revolutionize tunnel excavation techniques in Pakistan.

The TBM will reach the project site in February 2012. Firstly the TBM will be transported from Germany to Karachi by the end of January. Then it will take about three weeks to arrive in Muzaffarabad by road on a 70-ton 64 wheeled truck. The machine will expedite tunnel construction, particularly of the 400 metre section that will pass underneath the Jhelum riverbed to reach Chattar Kalas where an underground powerhouse will be located to dispatch 5.15 billion units of electricity per year to the national grid at Ghakkar Mandi near Gujranwala.

The two rivers, the Neelum and the Jhelum, converge in Muzaffarabad. They are the lifeblood of Pakistan and Kashmir. The Jhelum River, a tributary of India’s grand Indus River is Pakistan’s and Kashmir’s main water source, critical to their existence. This is, many believe, the real reason for the relentless conflict between Pakistan and India over Kashmir. At Muzaffarabad, the rivers merge into a single stream, with the waters continuing southward to Islamabad and the plains of Pakistan.

Martina Nicolls is the author of “Kashmir on a Knife-Edge” and lived and worked in Muzaffarabad. She is currently working in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Said Pur Village in Islamabad, Pakistan

2011-12-04T05:55:00.000-08:00

On the slopes of Margalla Hills in Islamabad is the ancient Said Pur Village, known as the potters’ village. Reputed to be 400 or 500 years old, the Capital Development Authority developed the village into a tourist attraction (a model village) in 1967 with restaurants, cafes, and art galleries in order to attract people to the historic buildings and promote the local artisans.

Before entering the gates to the village (with a population of about 2,000) is the goat market where hundreds of goats are sold. The grand mud archway invites tourists into the village of stone paved paths and low brick walls. Said Khan, one of the sons of Sultan Sarang, the Gakhar chief of the Pothohar region during the reign of the Mughal Emperor presented the village to his daughter. In about 1580 Mughal commander, Raja Man Singh, converted it into a place of Hindu worship with temples and gardens around the natural streams. It includes terraced walls and small ponds. Hence the architecture reflects his Hindu heritage and the village was a pilgrim centre up to 1947, the year of the Partition – Pakistan’s independence.

There is a Hindu temple with a yellow-coloured dome, thought to be over a hundred years old. It is believed that the Hindu temple was converted to a government school soon after Partition. Next to the temple is the two-storey Said Pur school/orphanage in pink tones which has now been converted into an art gallery and museum. The villagers were potters and much of this heritage remains and unglazed pots can still be bought. In fact, there are potters’ workshops still functioning with artisans practicing their trade. Standing half the height next to the school is a cream coloured gurdwara (Sikh shrine).

Men's health: possible predictors of men living longer

2011-12-03T23:39:00.000-08:00

Pakistan’s Daily Times Monitor reports five unusual predictors of good health in men – and their potential to live longer. Knowing the predictors could result in men attending health clinics earlier, and more often, for regular check-ups.

(1) Finger length – Researchers at the Institute for Cancer Research in London found that men older than 60 years of age with an index finger longer than their ring finger were 33% less likely on average to develop prostate cancer. Younger men with longer index fingers fared even better, with an 87% average reduction in risk.

(2) Birth order – Several studies, including one by the Institute for Cancer Research in London, while not definitive, indicate that first-born boys are exposed to higher levels of estrogen at birth, increasing their risk of testicular cancer later in life. Older siblings also seem to have a greater risk of developing childhood leukemia.

(3) Grip strength – According to a 25-year study, grip strength was the best predictor of how well men avoided ill health. The weakest-gripping men suffered twice the disabilities of men with hands of steel. In a separate study, both for older men and women, grip strength was correlated with a longer lifespan.

(4) Hair loss – Studies from the Harvard Medical School and Brigham Women’s Hospital have shown that significant hair loss at the crown of a man’s head is associated with an increased chance of heart disease. Men who were completely bald at the crown were up to 36% more likely to show signs of heart trouble than men with a full head of hair. (No age indicators were mentioned)

(5) Religion – Researchers at the Loma Linda University School of Public Health found that men and women who go to church regularly or practice a religious life – no matter what faith they belong to – live longer. One reason may be that most don’t drink alcohol, smoke, or eat meat – but even those who do smoke, drink and are meat-eaters appear to live longer than people who are not religious. Another factor could be the company of like-minded friends that provide a basis for ‘something to look forward to, something to live for’ as other separate studies show that, on average, people with friends are likely to live longer than loners.

Attack and retreat: Margalla monkeys in Pakistan

2011-11-30T04:04:00.000-08:00

A colleague and I decided to walk up one of the nature hiking tracks in the nearby Margalla Hills, the backdrop to the picturesque Islamabad. We were advised to head for Track #5, about 5 km long, less popular than Track #3 and reputedly more beautiful. So we took the road less travelled.

The Margalla Hills is a range at the base of the Himalayas in Islamabad, Pakistan, believed to be 40 million years old. The elevation is 685 metres at the western end and 1,604 metres at the eastern end. The vegetation comprises deciduous and evergreen trees, such as pines, eucalyptus, mulberry and oaks, with a range of shrubs. It is particularly green and lush at this time of year. Wildlife includes Rhesus monkeys, jackals, birds (such as eagles, hawks, crows, and sparrows), snakes, wild boars, porcupines and mongoose. We were warned about the aggressive monkeys that have increased in number over the years, and their habit of expecting food from hikers or rummaging through the litter bins.

Soon after we commenced the walk, we were already taking photographs – of birds, butterflies, rocky hilltops, wildflowers, dense foliage, and running water in the flowing stream. The track is thin and rocky, gradually rising up hills.

In the thick bushes of Track 5 we could hear the rustle of monkeys. A concrete slab on the path marks each 100 metres. At about the 2 km mark, we could see monkeys in the trees: quite a few of them. The first one was rather large, heading into the bush – others were swinging on the tree branches. We stopped, wondering whether to proceed further.

Suddenly a monkey darted out of the bush and charge toward us. My first reaction was to run – and fast, which I did. Expecting my younger colleague to overtake me, I was aware that I couldn’t hear her behind me. I stopped and turned around. She was facing the monkey which had stopped in the middle of the track: it eyeing her, and her roaring at it. At the same time she was walking backwards. She tripped on a rock, landing on her rear. My concern was that the monkey would charge at her again and jump onto her while she was down on the ground, so I grabbed her under her arm pit to lift her up (while juggling my camera with my left hand and trying to record the event). The monkey just sat in the middle of the track staring at her. We retreated down the track, terminating our grand idea to reach the summit.

India and Pakistan relations: Destination Peace

2011-11-29T19:21:00.000-08:00

Destination Peace – “aman ki asha” is a commitment by the Jang Group of Newspapers, Geo, and The Times of India Group to create an environment that brings the people of Pakistan and India closer together, contributing to genuine and durable peace with honour between the two countries.

The News, Islamabad, on Wednesday November 30, 2011, published a full one-page promoting the “aman ki asha” initiative. It reported on the visit of the Mumbai Press Club (from India) to the Karachi Press Club in Pakistan and a delegation of Pakistani youth visiting Mumbai for a seminar on “Breaking down barriers to cross-border dialogue.”

The Pakistani university student delegation to Mumbai – women from Lahore and Islamabad – organized by Mumbai University’s sociology department focused on discussions about youth in Pakistan and India speaking against violent extremism. The delegation is from Sisters against Violent Extremism (SAVE), an organization for terror victims, especially women, who have lost family members in terror attacks to narrate their experiences.

The Press Clubs from Mumbai and Karachi aimed to promote dialogue between journalists from both India and Pakistan. Increased cultural exchange is promoted through conferences, workshops and meetings between journalists and political leaders. A memorandum of understanding was signed between Karachi Press Club and the Press Club of Mumbai pledging to use acceptable language when reporting events regarding each other’s country to eliminate words which propagate hate and create mistrust among the adjacent countries.

The presidents of both press clubs advocated for improved cooperation between journalists of both countries in the form of exchange programs, internships, and the exchange of literature to strengthen their cultural ties. The visit to Pakistan was not merely about meetings and discussions with each other, but also an opportunity for the Indian media to experience the life and culture of people in Karachi and to meet the business community and the people in the street. They also had the opportunity to visit the National Museum in Karachi, the beach, and travel to Hyderabad to meet the Hyderabad Press Club. For many of the Indian media from the Mumbai Press Club it was their first visit to Pakistan.

As one journalist reported in The News, “I think the visit helped the Mumbai journalists to understand Pakistani society better, and how common people think about the socio-economic-political scenario prevailing in their society and region. The common people are clearly for enduring peace.”

(http://amankiasha.com)

Martina Nicolls is the author of "Kashmir on a Knife-Edge" and is currently in Pakistan

Dual voting rights for Kashmiris living in Pakistan

2011-11-28T19:23:00.000-08:00

The Dawn newspaper in Islamabad reports that around half a million new names will be added to the Pakistan Election Commission voter list. The Election Commission has acknowledged the dual voting rights of Kashmiris living in Pakistan.

The Election Commission has ordered the enrollment of the citizens of Azad Jammu and Kashmir who are living in Pakistan and possess Computerized National Identity Card (CNICs) issued by the National Database and Registration Authority. The Commission accepts the application of these citizens and has ordered provincial election commissioners to issue instructions to the enumerators/verifying officers and AROs to enroll the citizens of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on the fresh electoral rolls whose process is still in continuation provided they fulfill the conditions of Section 6 and 7 of the Electoral Rolls Act (1974).

The proposal to grant dual voting rights to the Kashmiris was under consideration for months while legal advice was being reviewed. The Law Ministry said that Kashmiris residing in Pakistan had the right of dual registration to vote in the state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and in only one electoral area in Pakistan provided that they fulfill legal requirements and that the cards named only one address (permanent or temporary) in Pakistan. The matter was discussed in light of the Constitution. Article 257 provides that when the people of the state of Jammu and Kashmir decided to accede to Pakistan, the relationship between Pakistan and the state shall be determined in accordance with the wishes of the people of that state.

Martina Nicolls is the author of “Kashmir on a Knife-Edge”

Kashmir Art Festival in Rawalpindi

2011-11-28T18:55:00.000-08:00

A three-day Kashmir Art Festival from November 28-30 will be held at the Rawalpindi Art Council (RAC). RAC has collected works from artisans of Srinagar and other cities of Indian-held Kashmir who have settled in Pakistan for the last 50 years. Their traditional artwork will be on display.

The artwork includes papier mache, Kashmiri embroidery, shawls, frames and paintings. The origins of papier mache work in the region are said to be 600 years old. Layers and layers of paper are molded into shapes and designs, then painted and lacquered (shown in the photograph). The artisans hope that their talents will be promoted world-wide and generate tourism to Kashmir.

Martina Nicolls is the author of "Kashmir on a Knife-Edge"

Female parliamentarians in Pakistan call for mandatory quotas for higher representation

2011-11-27T08:14:00.000-08:00

Women from four provincial assemblies and civil society organizations in Pakistan called to protect the provision of reserved seats for women in the National Assembly, Senate, and provincial assemblies in accordance with the Constitution.

Female parliamentarians also demand that political parties develop consensus among themselves to amend the Political Parties Act to provide a mandatory quota of 10% of general seats for women in order to mainstream them into the electoral process. They would like this to happen before the next elections. They maintained that the provision of the reserved seats for women was the Constitutional right of women in Pakistan under Articles 25, 34, 51, and 106.

The female parliamentarians maintain that their role in assemblies helped to initiate debates on issues of women’s empowerment both within and outside legislatures, and eventually lead to a key role in law-making on crucial issues which concern all citizens, especially women and the disadvantaged. They vowed to reiterate the commitment made by the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus at a Roundtable on September 29, 2011, that declared: “we further commit to enhance and strengthen women’s representation in legislatures by working within our respective political parties and elected representatives.”

Recently, governments in more than 100 countries have adopted mandatory quotas for the selection of female candidates to political office. For example, in the newly inaugurated country of South Sudan a 25% quota has been set for women’s parliamentary representation In many countries campaigns are being introduced to promote female interest and participation, such as the “Don’t get mad: get elected” campaign. These mandatory quotas differ across countries in varied ways, such as reserved seats (such as in Pakistan and India), party quotas (such as in Sweden and the United Kingdom), and legislative quotas (such as in Argentina and France). Representation can be representation-by-population, representation-by-area, or other forms of representation.

Literary Festival for Children in Pakistan

2011-11-26T05:27:00.000-08:00

Pakistan’s first ever Literary Festival for Children was held on Friday November 25 in Lahore. Dignitaries, teachers and students attended the festival.

The festival aimed to promote the habit of study and reading, particularly among the large population of youth, but also to address issues such as the protection of the book. Pakistan is currently experiencing a drastic demographic change as the population of young people is increasing rapidly. According to the United Nations, 60% of Pakistan’s population comprises people below the age of 25 years. It is predicted that this group of people will reach up to 70% within a decade. This means that a gigantic portion of the population will be aspiring to be engaged in education. It is imperative that the government can meet their education demands, particularly in numeracy and literacy.

Currently Pakistan is undergoing difficulty in meeting the nation’s basic education needs. The government’s Education Task Force reveals that more than 25 million children in Pakistan are deprived of basic education. It will therefore be almost impossible to meet the Millennium Development Goal of providing primary education to all children by 2015 under the “Education for All” initiative. Neighbouring countries India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are more advanced in achieving their targets of education for all.

India and Pakistan relations: sporting ties

2011-11-24T09:24:00.000-08:00

The Nation in Islamabad reports that sporting ties between India and Pakistan may resume which could lead to broader relationships.

The three most popular sports played between India and Pakistan includes cricket, hockey, and wrestling. However, international sporting contests have been predominantly suspended in Pakistan due to security concerns and cross-country tensions. The Mumbai attacks in November 2008 were believed to be carried out by Pakistani militants, thus heightening tensions between the two nations. A gun attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in early 2009 brought an end to international matches in Pakistan.

However, the arrival of two Indian sporting teams to Pakistan in the past week – for wrestling and a blind cricket series – are said, by Nation, to be the first signs of renewed sporting ties between India and Pakistan. Organizers of cricket and hockey say talks are underway to bring mainstream Indian teams back to Pakistan for sporting competitions. The Nation reports that the cricket and hockey organizers have “high hopes” for future matches. Future talks are expected to be held in India in the next few weeks.

India’s hockey team has not visited Pakistan since 2006. A four-match tournament is being discussed and may occur as early as January or February 2012.

Improved relations follow decisions by both countries to work toward normalization of commercial trading ties. India and Pakistan have also revived a peace process this year, although dialogue has been intermittent. With increased trade, the expectations are that bilateral relations will progress. Dialogue continues over territorial disputes (Kashmir) since independence from British rule in 1947 and regional ambitions in Afghanistan.

Last week, blind cricketers from India and Pakistan resumed series competition in Pakistan – it has been five years since Indian players came to Pakistan and three years since Pakistan players were in India. They see this as “the first drop of rain” after the sporting drought. Mud wrestling resumed in Gujranwala and Lahore last week, which was the first time since Indian wrestlers were in Pakistan since 2008.

Martina Nicolls is the author of Kashmir on a Knife-Edge

India and Pakistan relations: cultural exchange

2011-11-23T06:02:00.000-08:00

Indian film actor, Sharad Kapoor, has underlined the need for cultural exchange between India and Pakistan for improved relationships, understanding, shared experiences, and networking.

Currently in Pakistan, Kapoor said in a press conference in Lahore, “I am feeling at home here in Lahore. People are amazing here and there is warmth in the air in this city.” He was not in Pakistan for work, but used the opportunity of the personal visit to promote the idea of cultural exchange.

Islamic women police conference in Pakistan

2011-11-22T08:51:00.000-08:00

Female law enforcers are less than 1% of all law enforcers in Pakistan (0.86%). In comparison, female officers make up 33.38% of the total Australian Federal Police workforce in Australia (September 2010), with a Workforce Diversity Plan to increase recruitment.

In November, 2004, Australia appointed its first Muslim police officer, originally from Lebanon. She wears a navy, lightweight hijab specifically designed for her occupation that fits underneath her police hat.

A four-day International Islamic Women Police Conference from November 21-24 in Islamabad, Pakistan, brings together women police officers from more than ten Islamic countries to build synergies and discuss context-specific gender issues. These include gender perceptions of police culture and policing practices, progression of women in the police force, invisibility of women in mainstream policing, opportunities for professional development, and challenges of the job.

In Pakistan, there are 18 women police stations across the country with seven in Gilgit-Baltisan, three in Karachi and one each in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Larkana, Peshawar, Abbotabad and Islamabad. The Pakistan government now has a policy to integrate women in the mainstream police force, which is an increasing international trend in Muslim countries.

Research has shown that women police officers bring improvements in the working environment, such as the reduction of stress in the workplace. Women police officers also bring a public friendly image of police. Research suggests that women police are much less likely than men to use extreme controlling behavior, such as threats, physical restraint, search, and arrest. Surprisingly, the findings do not confirm that women are more likely than men to use supporting behaviours. Therefore assuming female officers manifest stereotypically feminine traits in policing tasks is clearly an overly simplistic conceptualization of the meaning and impact of gender in policing. In Pakistan, female police officers are seeking advanced courses in law enforcement and the placement of women in active policing based on their skills.

India and Pakistan relations: electricty may bring them together

2011-11-21T19:33:00.000-08:00

India plans to sell 500 megawatts of power to Pakistan. Officials of the two countries are scheduled to meet in December to finalize the tariff and grid connectivity, reported the Indian newspaper, The Telegraph. India and Pakistan have reached a formal understanding on the sale of electricity. The finer details still need to be finalized. Electricity trading with Pakistan is part of a larger plan for a South Asian transmission link which will help countries in the subcontinent to harness energy.

The sale of electricity to Pakistan will help reduce the country’s outages. The officials indicated that both countries are considering setting up transmission infrastructure in a joint ownership. Lahore in Pakistan has complete transmission lines and grids, which is near the grid in Punjab in India, so it would be economical to transfer power through Amritsar.

There is a political will among the leaders of both countries to enhance trade ties. South Asian electricity trade is being seen as a major area of cooperation among countries that will bring increased prosperity to the subcontinent by providing power to the deficit parts of the region. South Asia is a major global hub, having 25% of the world’s population.

There is an ongoing shift in focus from agriculture to manufacturing in South Asia. Currently, no South Asian country can fully meet its energy needs from within its own domestic resources. Integrating South Asia with a robust power grid is the ultimate goal.

India will need about 250,000 megawatts of power by 2017, a fivefold increase on its current requirements, to sustain its economic growth. A South Asian grid will give the region 100,000 MW to trade and help India tap hydropower and natural gas reserves of its neighbours.

The grid model connecting Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland – and another linking South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe – are being studied in order to provide the best system for South Asia.

The electricity and energy cooperation are non-traditional areas of trade development. Bhutan has managed to balance its trade with India with large exports of hydro-electric power. Similar potential exists for Bangladesh and Nepal.

An integration of electricity grids across South Asia will reduce power costs and enhance manufacturing competitiveness. Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan and India have huge hydro-electric potential which can be tapped for intra-regional power trade.

A transmission link with Bhutan is currently in place. There are plans to tweak the existing line to enable imports of up to 5,000 MW into India by 2020. New Delhi is setting up a link with Bangladesh. Plans are also underway to establish a transmission link to exchange upt to 1,000 MW with Sri Lanka.

Martina Nicolls is the author of Kashmir on a Knife-Edge

Good looking people: are they employed ahead of others and are they paid more?

2011-11-20T03:30:00.000-08:00

The Deal, November 2011, documents a study in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin that has identified a disadvantage in being attractive in appearance. It found that being good looking was not an asset in job interviews when interviewed by someone of the same sex who sees a candidate as a threat. The authors found that attractive candidates were preferred over less attractive candidates only when interviewed by members of the opposite sex (which they said was true for both women and men). But attractive candidates were at a disadvantage when interviewed by same-sex interviewers who viewed them as a threat in the workplace. There was no significant difference between how men and women judge candidates – instead, the key influence was the self-esteem level of interviewers. Therefore, the researchers found that male interviewers who see attractive males as a threat will select an unattractive male or an attractive female (the study did not state which one would be more favoured). Likewise, female interviewers who see attractive females as a threat will select an unattractive female or an attractive male. The solution is one for organizations: to avoid a bias toward appearance (attractive or unattractive) organizations should have an equal number of male and female selectors during job interviews.

Once you have a job, the amount you earn could depend on how attractive you are. Age and appearance-based discrimination was found to be a subconscious trait within the workplace. Research published in the Journal of Economic Psychology concluded that very attractive people earned 12% more than those of average appearance. A study from the University of Florida and the University of North Carolina in America found that tall people earn more than their shorter colleagues, on average. Dr. Raymond Hamden, a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist at the Human Relations Institute in Dubai, says that workplace stereotypes of attractive people are that they are more personable, approachable and successful - and therefore perform better.

Regarding our individual bias toward attractive people, researchers say it starts when we are young. Research from Exeter University in the United Kingdom showed that babies fixate on a beautiful face for longer than an average one, which they deem to be a trait within people at birth (innate) and not learned over time or susceptible to other people’s influence. As we grow older, researchers believe that we may not be conscious of what we are doing when we look at someone. Researchers think this has to do with the shape, symmetry, and proportion of a person’s face. Jared Alden, Psychologist at the German Neuroscience Centre in Dubai thinks people respond to attractiveness at mostly a non-verbal level – i.e. by how they look and not what they say, even though people often say “looks aren’t important” when it comes to people’s perception of others.

But, the researchers say that in reality (as opposed to psychological studies) it is not necessarily the very attractive that earn more (and they give Bill Clinton, Richard Branson, and Warren Buffet as examples of being neither tall nor particularly attractive). What about the famously unattractive but highly successful comedienne Phyllis Diller or comic film director Woody Allen? However, they question what part charisma, intelligence, determination, hard work and other non-visual characteristics play in the rise of someone’s earnings. Dr. Raymond Hamden adds that the three major factors that, when combined, influence income and financial gains are: (1) physical attractiveness; (2) intelligence; and (3) personality.

Others question what attractiveness really is – what defines a beautiful person? What place does inner beauty play over outer beauty? In other words, what effect does a pretty face but an ugly personality have in the workplace? And do the beautiful people really get the best relationships, the best jobs, and the best pay packet? Hamden says being evaluated on merits brings social, professional and psychological rewards – being judged on looks alone does not. Naturally there are individuals and organizations that focus on dedication, commitment, and experience when hiring staff and determining incomes, and not looks.

The psychologists, Hamden and Alden, add that being attractive has its drawbacks in the workplace because others place higher expectations on them when they may only have average capabilities. In the longer term, for the attractive people when under such high expectations, they may be more susceptible to anxiety, stress, depression, or burn-out. Besides, good looks may be temporary, are subject to interpretation, and are the obsession of the media. Therefore retaining a positive self-perception and being beautiful on the inside, the psychologists say, can be more influential than great hair or a pretty face.

In addition, the psychologists’ five top tips for attractiveness are: (1) smile; (2) be friendly; (3) have a confident posture - shoulders back, head up, etc. tend to catch people’s eye rather than shuffling or looking defeated; (4) maintain serene body language – instead of biting nails, fidgeting, shifting positions, or nervously playing with hair or equipment; and (5) speak positively – instead of constantly complaining, putting people down, or making negative comments. Basically, they say, looking good starts with looking confident.

Hamden and Alden say that if you want to make yourself more attractive (without cosmetic surgery), the focus should not only be on intelligence, dedication, commitment, and experience in the workplace, but also on being healthy, cooperative, productive, exuding confidence, and making the most of the assets you have.

Kakheti Region, Georgia: from vineyards to desert

2011-11-17T15:55:00.000-08:00

Khaketi is an agricultural, wine region in south-east Georgia, bordering Azerbaijan. It consists of 8 administrative districts: Akhmeta, Gurjaani, Dedoplistskaro, Telavi, Lagodekhi, Sagarejo, Signaghi, and Kvareli, with Telavi as the administrative centre.

Limestone is extracted in the Sagarejo district. Oil and gas deposits have also been discovered. Preliminary estimates put the oil reserves at 2-7 million tons. At present, 260 tons of oil is extracted per day.

After the Soviet-influenced “collective” farming, the farmers in the region have strongly moved toward “individual” farming. However, the farming and irrigation systems are run down and damaged, with limited replacements. The USAID Georgian Employment & Information Initiative (GEII) focuses on establishing drip and spray irrigation, as well as rural business development, vegetable production, and farmer group formations (supplies to market).

Signaghi, a small town (population about 2,000) is heavily reliant on wine production and tourism. It has great tourism potential, but the development of this sector is hindered by poor local infrastructure, including the lack of good hotels. The USAID GEII project, as part of rural business development, upgraded guesthouses to meet Georgian Department of Tourism standards.

Udabno is considered to be “remote” even though it is only two hours from Tbilisi because it is the driest region of Georgia - with a dry continental climate, called the David Gareji Desert. By Australian standards, the region is cereal/wheat growing land (and not desert as we know it), however the land is currently under-productive, due to lack of water.

In the Kakheti region – from vineyards to desert, households are mainly engaged in growing wheat (27,000 ha; 36,000 tons), grape (16,000 ha; 65,000 tons), sunflower (17,000 ha; 10,000 tons) and maize (12,000 ha; 27,000 tons). However, Georgia imports 60% of its wheat from Russia, and 35% from Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Hence, there is a lack of locally grown wheat – it is just 5% of the entire consumption of the country (100,000 tons in 2009, but 200,000 tons in a good year). Georgians consume 800,000 tons of wheat per year. This region produces about a third of the country’s yield. During Soviet times, Georgia harvested 300,000-500,000 tons of wheat per year, but now the integrated farming system has been dissolved. Not all land used for wheat farming is productive. The Government of Georgia plans to increase wheat production from 5% to 30-35% by 2012.

Australia is renowned for its dry-land farming, and wheat is our second largest primary product (behind cattle), with 80% exported. While growing, winter wheat requires 200-380mm of rainfall, but can manage a bit less. The Udabno area has an annual rainfall of 400mm per year and only 100mm during the winter wheat growing period. However, other areas in the Kakheti region receive 1,600mm per year.

At Udabno, the David Gareji monasteries were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in October 2007. The David Gareji complex actually has 19 monasteries with about 5,000 “cells” or caves where monks live. It’s an amazing system of architecture built for austerity and isolation.

The main east-west motor road of the region stretches between Tbilisi and the Lagodekhi area. To reach Lagodekhi, we passed through the subtropical Alazani Valley which receives 1,600mm of rainfall, on average, per year. Within just a few hours driving, the regions of Udabno and Lagodekhi are almost complete opposites. While Udabno was treeless, Lagodekhi is quite an oasis. Water is not a problem in the Alazani Valley and in Soviet times there were pipelines to the dry region of Udabno, but these no longer exist.

The Lagodekhi markets were excellent, with a wide variety of fresh fruit, vegetables, cheeses, breads, nuts, and bottled sauces. The Lagodekhi National Park was the first natural reserve opened in Georgia (in 1912). There is a large variety of trees, plants and animals in the reserve. UNESCO has listed Lagodekhi National Park among the monuments and sights of worldwide importance.

Education, alchohol management, and employment are critical for indigenous youth in Australia

2011-11-14T15:39:00.000-08:00

Indigenous Affairs Minister, Jenny Macklin, in the Northern Territory of Australia has launched a new plan to provide education and a brighter future for Aboriginal children in collaboration with indigenous communities. This is the first time extensive collaboration has occurred to determine the essential needs and priorities for those most disadvantaged under the current education scheme. Rising from emergency talks, the meetings became more collaborative. However, this trend needs to be maintained and sustained over years and decades to have a complete and lasting impact.

Aboriginal communities in Northern Territory have identified three priorities for their children’s future: (1) education; (2) alcohol management; and (3) employment. Education will be the driving force to break the cycle of poverty within the indigenous communities. Macklin has approved a scheme for Centrelink to intervene, and for schools to convene family conferences to find the best incentives and penalties to ensure that each child attends school each school day. Centrelink is a government agency under the Department of Human Services responsible for the development of service delivery policy; it also provides access to social, health, and other payments and services.

Regarding alcohol management, the minister intends to maintain existing restrictions and limitations on the sale of alcohol in the Northern Territory in designated areas (for indigenous and non-indigenous customers) and increase penalties for people defying the bans. Authorities will be able to refer problem drinkers for income management, and communities will be involved in developing their own alcohol management plans.

The government’s jobs plan provides an extra 50 ranger positions to interact with communities, particularly remote indigenous communities. Macklin says the plan guarantees employment for indigenous students who complete Year 12 of secondary school. The jobs dividend is crucial to underpin the importance of education and alcohol management because it develops self-reliance in communities that have become too welfare dependent.

The plan hopes to build widespread community support for these measures identified by the communities themselves. In an ideal world, all children would be in school gaining an education that prepares them for adulthood and sustainable employment. Unfortunately many remote Aboriginal communities are currently far from ideal. At present, Aboriginal children are unlikely to be able to compete for jobs due to a lack of opportunities available in remote areas. A chance at employment may mean relocation – a daunting and painful thought for many. However, the alternatives of not relocating to where more opportunities are or to relocate temporarily to gain the skills required to become resourceful citizens that may explore business ideas, leaves communities in the same stalemate position. Fostering the prosaic but life-changing habit of getting children to school daily is a crucial start on the way to a better future.

Are you susceptible to corruption or are you an agent to reduce corruption?

2011-11-09T15:06:00.000-08:00

New Scientist, November 5, 2011, presents an article that suggests anyone can become corrupt. “If we are mostly honest, most of the time, that may just be down to a lack of opportunity,” says Samuel Bendahan at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. In Lausanne studies of participants playing a specifically devised game showed that, after the first five rounds, 20% had resorted to theft, and if people were offered more ways to profit during the game by round ten the figure increased to 45%.

In another study by Joris Lammers at Tilburg University in The Netherlands and Adam Galinsky at Northwestern University in Chicago, the researchers suggest that “empowered individuals were prone to cheating, yet they were harsher in their condemnation of immoral acts than were people primed to feel powerless – and they were hypocritical, judging such acts to be less blameworthy if carried out by themselves than by others.” Therefore it appears that the more power a person has, the more likely they are to be susceptible to corruption and hypocrisy.

Studies appear to suggest that where there is a culture of corruption, it seems to be almost contagious. Danila Serra of Florida State University and Abigail Barr at the University of Oxford conducted a series of experiments with Oxford undergraduates from 34 countries. Each person had to decide whether or not to bribe an official for service. Barr and Serra found that participants in the experiment from countries with the worst Corruption Perception Index (CPI) scores, a list published annually by Transparency International, were more likely to engage in bribery. Hence, they deduced that our propensity to engage in corruption is strongly cultural, reflecting the social norms of the country in which we live. Dan Ariely at MIT found that the more creative a person, the more likely they are to cheat. He says creative people are more able to tell a story to cover their cheating tendencies.

However, studies also show that individuals can become less corrupt. Barr and Serra, in further studies, found that a person’s tendency to bribe declined the longer the person spent in the United Kingdom (a country with a ‘very clean’ Corruption Perception Index – i.e. a country deemed to have a low rate of corruption).

Interestingly, Barr and Serra found that graduates from countries on the CPI list that were deemed to be ‘very corrupt’ tended to be more honest than their undergraduate compatriots who had spent equal amounts of time in the United Kingdom. The researchers, therefore, see these graduates (i.e. those who studied abroad) as non-conformers who could fight corruption if they return to their country. In other words, they could be agents of change. However, Bendahan did not find the same result with 300 students and determined that an initially honest person is not immune from corruption.

The studies show that reducing corruption in countries is not easy. They advocate deterrents and punishment, because punishment works in laboratory experiments. There is evidence that social disapproval can reduce corruption. However, the most effective method of reducing corruption was to increase the number of audits or assessments of a project or government agency, or NGO (non-government organization) for accountability. Serra also revealed that anonymous complaints can also reduce corruption provided that they are logged centrally and trigger an official investigation if a threshold number of complaints have been received. In addition, the studies recommend that there should be more checks and balances at the top/executive level of a government or organization to avoid corruption by individual people in power.

In addition to reducing opportunities for individuals to take corrupt actions, countries must be accountable in the form of government transparency.

The 2010 least corrupt countries on the annual Transparency International CPI list included Denmark, New Zealand, Singapore, Finland, Sweden, Australia, United Kingdom, and the United States. The most corrupt countries on the 2010 list were Somalia, Burma, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Studies by Peter Turchin, a population biologist at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, maintains that the form of corruption that is most difficult to eradicate is that perpetrated by elite groups against their fellow citizens. He states that countries that are ‘mature’ and less corrupt are those where: (1) resources are shared more or less equitably; (2) there is almost full employment; and (3) the population is in a growth phase.

Government reforms: extraordinary achievements needed

2011-11-08T17:43:00.000-08:00

A year ago, on September 23, 2010, the President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, said in an interview for Tabula that his government needed extraordinary achievements to survive. He said that Georgia must become a European centre of the region, not a suburb of Europe: “The shortest route from Central Asia and China to Europe goes through Georgia - we should take the advantage of the reality that we are like Europe but at the same time we can understand Turkey, Iran, China and Central Asian countries.” To this end, Georgia signed a European Union Association Agreement, taking another step towards NATO integration and EU membership.

Moreover, he advocated a balanced Constitution with no concentration of power in the hands of one entity: opposition parties should also evolve. “The smaller and the swifter the government, the higher is the benefit to the population,” he said. Many countries, not just those of Europe in the throes of the global crisis and austerity measures, or Middle Eastern countries in the throes of the Arab Spring, are looking at government reforms to further enrich democracy and governance, government efficiency, and the fight against poverty. Saakashvili adds, “A society having no compassion towards disadvantaged fellow citizens is not a society,” and added that poverty reduction is a top priority for his government.

Freedom is a key component of his government’s reforms, of which he says of Georgia, that has a vestige of Soviet totalitarian thinking, “the degree of its freedom is rising day after day.” He sees freedom as an evolution and has introduced courses on critical thinking in schools, and promoted democratic values such as tolerance and human rights, to raise citizens “who value both personal freedom and freedom of the state.

Although, as Saakashvili says, “the global crisis has weakened the chances of small countries like Georgia [to set reforms of regional importance], extraordinary achievements are needed to survive. In the space of a year, it is not just small countries like Georgia, but all countries, that need extraordinary achievements to survive.

La Grande Fete: a grand day in Canberra

2011-11-05T01:46:00.000-07:00

Telopea Park School in Barton, Canberra, held its annual La Grande Fete on Saturday, November 4, 2011 on a grand sunny day. Stalls and stalls offered a delicious variety of multicultural food – Austrian, French, German, Moroccan, Canadian, Algerian, Australian, Korean, and Belgium, to name a few.

The Canberra French Car Club displayed a number of cars and the Australian Air Force demonstrated the hot-air balloon. In addition there were rides, show games, a giant slide, a Guignol puppet show, dancing and music. Other stalls included face painting, cakes and sweets, and hand-made children’s gifts and decorative foods. Indoors, there were new and old books for sale, pre-loved clothes, and a range of raffles.

Telopea Park School, Lycee Franco-Australien de Canberra, has been a bi-national French-Australian school since 1984.

Volunteer for good health: giving improves health benefits

2011-11-03T16:51:00.000-07:00

The Australian Good Health magazine (December 2011) highlights the health benefits of philanthropy and volunteering. When people donate money or time, their health improves. This can include humanitarian and environmental donations, medical donations including being a blood donor or organ donor, community volunteering, involvement in children’s organizations, caring for animals, or involvement in sporting associations.

Australians have always been known for volunteering their time. A 2006 study found that the portion of adult Australians who volunteer increased from 24% in 1995 to 41% in 2004, and the number of hours volunteered increased by more than 50% during this period. This is one of the highest volunteer rates in the world.

Apart from the “helper’s high” (a sense of satisfaction) that volunteers experience – shown on MRI brain scans – because “focusing on others causes a shift from our unhealthy preoccupations with ourselves and reduces the stress-related wear and tear on the body and soul” - volunteering has shown other benefits. Kindness, particularly regular acts of kindness, is said to stimulate the vagus nerve which controls the heart rate, therefore reducing blood pressure and inflammation.

Health benefits of philanthropy and volunteering time, includes – (1) alleviating depression in both the short and longer terms, including lowering the level of depression; (2) being more satisfied with life, with a stronger will to live; (3) alleviating anxiety with fewer psychological symptoms caused by psychological conditions; (4) extending the longevity of a person’s life; (5) stimulating the hormone oxytocin which protects hardening of the arteries, dilates blood vessels, reduces blood pressure, and helps the heart to regenerate after damage; and (6) general overall happiness.

Yevtushenko Selected Poems by Milner-Gulland & Levi: book review

2011-11-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Yevtushenko Selected Poems by Robin Milner-Gulland & Peter Levi: book review

Yevtushenko Selected Poems (1962) is a collection of translated verse by Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevtushenko – not necessarily the best of his large output, but of the editors’ favourites. Nor does the selection cover the author’s long and prolific output of a life time of work, but instead focuses only on a ten-year period of his early poems.

Born in 1933 in remote Zima Junction, Siberia, of mixed Ukrainian, Russian, and Tartar heritage, Yevtushenko commenced writing poetry at a young age. In 1957 he was expelled from the Gorky Institute of Literature in Moscow for “individualism” and was prevented from traveling abroad, although eventually he was an extensive traveler – visiting France, Georgia, Africa, America, Cuba, and Great Britain.

He was one of the best known poets in 1950s/1960s Soviet Union, and in 1962 Yevtushenko was featured on the cover of Time magazine. He is now known as a novelist, essayist, dramatist, screenwriter, lecturer, actor, editor, film director, and (since 1987) honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Critics differ on the stature of Yevtushenko in the literature world, with Tina Tupikina Glaessner (1967) referring to him as “one of the greatest poets of the modern age” and Tomas Venclova (1991) asserting that few in the Russian literary community “consider his work worthy of serious study."

This brief selection includes the autobiographical poem “Zima Junction,” and “Babiy Yar” for which he is most famous, but it also includes light and humorous verses, such as “On a Bicycle” and “Encounter” – in which he writes of seeing Ernest Hemingway (one of his favourite authors) in the Copenhagen airport. It also depicts Yevtushenko’s turn of phrase that evokes emotion in their simplicity and honesty – direct, uncomplicated, and unpretentious. Many lines are distinctly memorable – such as “No people are uninteresting” and “It would be far more terrible to mistake a friend than to mistake an enemy.”

The selection shows the intensely personal, the controversial, the serious, and the light-hearted sides of his work that extends chronologically from 1952 to 1961. It leaves the reader wanting more.

The Essential T.E. Lawrence edited by David Garnett: book review

2011-10-31T14:55:00.000-07:00

The Essential T.E. Lawrence (1992, first written in 1951) is an account of Lawrence of Arabia – the archaeologist, intelligence officer, soldier, polemicist, and diplomat. It is both an anthology (with a wide selection of Lawrence’s writings from his letters and books) and an autobiography.

Born in 1888 in Carnarvonshire in Wales, Thomas Edward was the second of five brothers. Intending in 1910 to be a photographer and establish his own printing press, he took his camera to the archaeological dig in Carchemish on the west banks of the Euphrates for a holiday and stayed for three years. Carchemish is on the frontier between Turkey and Syria, about 100 kilometres northeast of Aleppo in Syria. That was his first contact with Arab society, where he made lifelong friends.

He left Damascus in 1918 and reported to the War Office in London where he spent three years trying to gain freedom for Arabs – the failure during the Peace Conference affected him long afterwards. In 1921 Winston Churchill offered him a post, which he accepted, but soon after enlisted in the Royal Air Force. In 1922, he lived in Clouds Hill, a cottage near Bovington near the British army base in Dorset, England – a place he restored and called his home. After a stint with the Royal Tank Corps (the army), he returned to the air force until he was discharged from service in February 1935.

Three months after he left the military service, he died on May 13, 1935, at the age of 47, crashing his motor cycle near his home. Clouds Hills now belongs to the British National Trust, open to tourists.

The Essential T.E. Lawrence provides an insight into his military service, his health and state of mind, his home life, his relationship with the British military officials, and more importantly, his relationship with the Arabs who had a great respect for him. In some of his letters, he signs off “Lawrence from Arabia” and soon become known as Lawrence of Arabia. The 1955 Richard Aldington’s biography of Lawrence of Arabia revealed the good, the bad, and the ugly side of Thomas Edward, and was released in France under the title, “Lawrence L’Imposteur.’

Garnett’s book, reprinted in 1992, attempts to provide information for readers to decide whether the controversial Lawrence was an imposter or a hero, an adventurer or an attention seeker, a macho man or a homosexual. Despite the Aldington and Garnett books, Lawrence of Arabia continues to arouse sympathy, outrage, and excitement.

Diwali Mela: Festival of Lights in Canberra

2011-10-29T21:21:00.000-07:00

Diwali Mela, the Indian Festival of Lights, was a community event on Sunday, October 30, with dance, music, drama, games, poetry, yoga, henna painting, Indian food, astrology, fashion wear, and a jumping castle for the children. It was held in Glebe Park, Canberra, from 10:00am, announcing Miss India at 6:00pm and fireworks at 8:00pm.

Kashmir - caught between India and Pakistan politics

2011-10-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Executive Director of the Kashmiri American Council, again calls for conflict resolution for one of the longest continuing conflicts between two countries: Kashmir caught between India and Pakistan. The peace process needs to take into account the sensitivities of Pakistan, values the sentiments of India, and keeps intact the whole state of Jammu and Kashmir, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai says. He calls for dialogue and negotiations between the two nations – both through official and unofficial means – for non-violent dispute resolution, but add that the greatest hurdle is to get all parties to the negotiating table. Before all parties attend the negotiation process, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai says it is crucial to embark on confidence building measures first to enable all parties to attain a sense of trust and act in good faith toward fair resolutions.

India and Pakistan governments have recently commenced negotiations, which the international community commended. However, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai says that what needs to be highlighted is the failure of both countries to recognize Kashmiri Leadership as a legitimate partner in the peace process. Kashmiris are the ones, he says, who are most affected by the ongoing conflict, and hence they need to play an important part in determining the future of their land and people. Therefore the three main parties involved in the peace process should be the governments of India, Pakistan, and the people of Kashmir – with the aim to come to an imaginative resolution through the flexibility of all parties.

(http://www.greaterkashmir.com/)

Martina Nicolls is the author of Kashmir on a Knife-Edge

Sustainable population policy

2011-10-27T22:32:00.000-07:00

Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, called for a sustainable population policy.

In 2010, the number of babies born was the highest on record-297,900. This is a fertility rate of 1.89 babies per woman of reproductive age. However, this is below the replacement level of 2.1 babies per woman. Many countries around the world are reporting declining fertility rates due to modernization, increased education, and family planning.

Australian economists warn that a below-replacement birth rate, combined with a rising life expectancy, the country will face a smaller workforce, slower economic growth, and a lot of retired folk that need to health and welfare attention. The federal Department of Treasury estimated that the increase of Australians aged 65 years and older will add $60 billion to the country’s health and welfare bill by 2050.

With a lower than replacement level fertility rate, is Australia’s population also declining, leaving a dearth of young people to stock a workforce to look after the increasing older generation?

Australia has a high overseas immigration intake, relative to its population. In 2010-2011, Australia accepted 170,000 immigrants. In 2011-2012, it is expected to accept 185,000 immigrants.

Therefore, the fertility rate combined with the immigration rate gives Australia a rate of population increase of 1.4% annually. This is lower than previous years, but it is still adding to a population of over 35 million by 2050 (currently at 19 million).

Sustainable Population Australia calls for “better, not bigger” – advocating a policy to address environmental, social, and economic implications of population growth.

http://www.population.org.au/

Separated and switched-at-birth twins reveal traits that may further the nature versus nurture debate

2011-10-26T17:14:00.000-07:00

Making the news recently has been several cases of children switched at birth—that is, the child is sent home to the wrong parents. Years later the switch is discovered, but by this time, each child has been raised in someone else’s family. It is estimated that about 20,000 accidental baby switches occur annually, although most are quickly detected. But what happens if the switch happens to twins and they are switched for decades?

Nancy Segal, in her research, Someone Else’s Twin, documents cases of separated twins. Segal presents three documented suppositions:

(1) Genetics is dominant (i.e. nature is more dominant than nurture) – Intelligence and personality are generally genetic; Segal noted that these traits were constant in identical twins raised apart. However, job satisfaction, materialism, and attachment styles are more heavily shaped by home life, i.e. nurture (the way a child is raised).

(2) Parents bond to the child they raise – Even though parents had concerns that their switched child did not look like them, they never doubted that the child was their own. When the switch was discovered, they found it difficult to part with the twin they raised, and to bond with a new child (despite it being their true child).

(3) Similarities lead to friendships – the identical separated twins in Segal’s studies reported an instant connection when they met for the first time, often decades later. They immediately felt like old friends.

New Zealand rugby victory may equal economic optimism

2011-10-24T17:38:00.000-07:00

New Zealand defeated France on Saturday October 22, 2011, to win the Rugby World Cup. It was a narrow win, by one point, but one that the nation certainly needed.

The past year has been tough for New Zealanders. On September 4, 2020, the South Island in the Canterbury Region received significant damage during an earthquake of magnitude 7.1 on the Richter Scale.

In November 2010, mine blasts in the Pike River Mine, northwest of Greymouth in the South Island, killed 29 miners and contractors. Thirty-one miners were present in the mine during the first explosion. Two men escaped, but the rest were trapped. A second explosion five days later put an end to the rescue mission. A third and fourth explosion occurred, leaving no possibility that the men were alive. It was New Zealand’s worst mining disaster since 43 men lost their lives at Ralph’s Mine in Huntly in 1914.

Three months later, in February 2011, Christchurch in the South Island was rocked by a series of earthquakes. The initial earthquake was a magnitude of 6.3 on the Richter Scale when it hit New Zealand’s second largest city, causing widespread damage and the loss of 181 lives. This was the second deadliest natural disaster recorded in New Zealand since the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake. It has been estimated that the total cost of rebuilding Christchurch and the surrounding environment to be around $16million, also making it their most expensive natural disaster and the third costliest earthquake worldwide. Another large aftershock struck the same region on June 13, adding to the damage.

Therefore, the rugby World Cup win is significant, not just for the team and its supporters, but also for the country’s economy. Research from the University of Miami suggests that a significant sporting victory can also affect a country's economy, brought about by the increased optimism of its people. An increased sense of national identity and pride has been known to take precedence over regional concerns and problems. And the power of a national win during an international competition has been known to be transformative.

A Dutch academic study of “Soccernomics” in 2006 by Ruben van Leeuwen and Charles Kalshoven discovered that World Cup-winning countries have enjoyed positive economic growth thanks to a mixture of increased confidence and heightened prestige. Kalshoven has documented that psychologically euphoric moments can prompt residents and tourists to open their wallets and spend more. Improving the New Zealand’s visibility abroad can greatly contribute to short-term, and perhaps even longer-term, consumer and investor confidence.

The International Rugby Board already predicts $40million benefits to the overall economy in New Zealand. The IRB added that revenue from the commercial program at this World Cup, including broadcast, sponsorship and travel and hospitality would deliver an estimated $128 million net surplus boost to rugby worldwide. MasterCard is predicting a lot more: up to $750million in tourism and consumer spending.

With New Zealand’s past year of natural disasters, a one point victory could have more significance that it realizes.

Number of people on earth approaching seven billion: will the population peak or continue to rise?

2011-10-22T17:52:00.000-07:00

The United Nations has predicted that the seven billionth person on earth will be born on October 31, 2011. The alternative date is 2013. While the UN predicts that the birth will occur this year, the Vienna Institute of Demography thinks it is more likely to occur early in 2013 or even as late as 2020.

The confusion about how many people there are on earth and when the seven billionth person will actually be born is related to many complex issues, such as accurate country census data. Census data is usually collected every five or ten years, and some countries have not verified their data (in other words, there were controversies that have yet to be reviewed). International census experts say that some countries are under-counting; others say that some are over-counting. Most countries predict that their census count is inaccurate by about 3%. In addition, countries are rarely inaccurate in reporting their death rates, birth rates, child mortality rates, and so on. Many countries have reported a decline in fertility with the average woman now only having 2.5 children, half as many as her grandmother 50 years ago. Furthermore, migration rates from one country to another add another level of confusion.

For example, the UN estimates that India’s population will grow from 1.2 billion to 1.7 billion by 2050. However, the Vienna Institute of Demography predict a growth rate from 1.1 billion to 1.4 billion.

However, more important than the actual timing of the birth of the seven billionth person, or the “uncertainty range” (whether the discrepancy is months or years) is whether the world’s population will peak within the next few decades or whether it will continue exponentially.

The UN predicts that the world’s population will be more than 10 billion people by 2100, although the Vienna Institute of Demography says it is unlikely to be this high. The UN predicts that the population will continue to rise in 2100. However, the VID says that there is an 85% chance that the world’s population will have peaked by then, and therefore will not continue to rise. Nobody knows for sure. But one thing the demographers do know is that an increasing global population will have important consequences for the planet.

Spies of the Balkans by Alan Furst: book review

2011-10-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

The Spies of the Balkans (2010) is set in 1940/41 in Salonika—Thessalonika—a mountain village on the border of Bulgaria and Greece, known as ‘the Jerusalem of the Balkans.’ Much of Europe is occupied by Nazi Germany, and Mussolini’s Italian army is in Albania on the Greek frontier. Germany was now interested in the region.

Detective Costa Zannis had an international reputation in the political sphere and was in much demand. A German was in town, and so were a lot of spies. But this German was a Jewish woman, Frau Emilia Krebs, trying to get her friend’s two children out of Berlin to Turkey. Costa becomes embroiled in a plot to smuggle Jews from Europe to Istanbul.

Residents of Salonika were preparing for resistance, buying weapons and stockpiling them. World War II brought disaster for the Jewish Greeks—in 1941 the Germans occupied Greece and began actions against the Jewish population.

From occupied Paris to Berlin, Budapest, Zagreb, Belgrade and Istanbul, this espionage novel becomes intriguing when Costa falls in love with Greek Demetria and his plot to help the escaping Jews is jeopardized.

Furst is an American author and most of his works are set around World War II. He lived in France for many years and Paris features in all his novels—The Spies of the Balkans is no exception. Recently this year, Furst received the Helmerich Award, a literary prize that recognizes an author’s body of works. His best known works are from his Night Soldiers series, such as The Foreign Correspondent (2006) and The Spies of Warsaw (2008). The Spies of the Balkans is the eleventh and most recent novel from the Night Soldiers series.

Mobile phones and driving: not a good combination

2011-10-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

In September 2011, in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) where the population is 350,000, a total of 207 infringement notices were issued to people using their handheld mobile phone while driving. Although this is a decline on the August figure of 276 infringement notices, statistics show that the trend fluctuates annually. To date, the ACT has already reached the 2010 total statistics for infringements. Last year 1,776 people were booked for driving while using a handheld mobile phone. This year’s figure, to the end of September, is already 1,777.

In Australia, it is illegal to drive while using a handheld mobile phone. The penalty is a significant fine and three demerit points. Talking, sending or receiving text messages, playing games, or taking photos are all illegal if you are driving at the same time. It is also illegal if your vehicle is stopped, but not parked—for example, when you are waiting at traffic lights. The phone must be mounted in a commercially designed mount attached to the dashboard; alternatively a headset or earphone can be used while the phone is in the driver’s pocket or pouch—but the driver must be able to use the phone without touching, holding, or resting the phone on their body. However, no-one with a learner’s permit or P1 licence can use any type of mobile phone function of any kind while driving, not even mounted or through a headset or earpiece, or even through a loudspeaker operation.

Any lapse in concentration increases the risk of the vehicle being involved in a crash. Inattention is reported as a contributing factor for 33% of fatal crashes and 45% of serious injury crashes per year in Australia. Research shows that using a mobile phone while driving increases the risk of crashing by at least four times. The most common types of crashes associated with mobile usage are ‘run-off-the-road’ crashes and ‘rear end’ crashes. Research has found that novice drivers who use a mobile phone spend less time looking at the road ahead. They are also more likely to wander over the road (across traffic lanes) and take longer to notice driving hazards.

Using a mobile phone while driving can significantly impair a driver’s reaction time, visual search patterns, ability to maintain speed and position on the road, ability to judge safe gaps in the traffic, and general awareness of other road users.

Mobile phones were introduced into Australia in 1987. Today, the number of mobile phone connections exceeds the number of landlines, and more than 80% of Australians own or use a mobile phone. Despite the fact that it is illegal to use a handheld mobile while driving, an observational survey conducted in Melbourne found that, at any given time, about 2% of drivers were using a handheld phone while driving. These drivers were more likely to be male, young (18–30 years), in metropolitan areas, and more frequent drivers. Importantly, young drivers were almost five times more likely than older drivers to use a handheld phone while driving. Most drivers (97.8%) were aware of the ban on handheld mobile phone use while driving and agreed with it (93.6%). Half of all drivers (50.1%) did not agree with extending the ban to include hands-free phones. Most drivers felt that it was unlikely that they would be caught for using a handheld phone while driving in their local area (69.0%).

Arts projects receive funding in the Australian Capital Territory

2011-10-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

Street youth, writers, musicians, elderly dancers, and puppeteers are celebrating the announcement of the Australian Capital Territory’s (ACT) Arts Funds grants. More than fifty community groups received funding ranging from hundreds of dollars to tens of thousands for each project.

Examples of projects funded include: a project for young street artists; a cross-cultural dance collaboration; the production of a puppet play; and dance classes for elderly and special needs groups.

2011: Korea-Australia Year of Friendship

2011-10-14T23:36:00.000-07:00

The Canberra Korean Community designated Saturday 15th of October as ‘Korea Day’ for citizen in Canberra to celebrate the last day of ‘Korea Week’ as part of the Korea-Australia Year of Friendship. There were events and performances in Glebe Park including Taekown-do and Taekkyeon demonstrations, and a concert by Nanjang & Pan (Korean folk music and arts performance troupe), Triple B (Korean Amateur Rock Band), and the International Youth Performing Arts Company.

Korean food stalls were open from 11:00am until late in the afternoon with Bul-go-gi (Korean barbeque) and Kimchi (a traditional fermented dish of vegetables, such as cabbage, radish, onions, cucumber, and seasonings) and pancakes.

The year 2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Australia. Therefore both governments designated 2011 as the Korea-Australia ‘Year of Friendship’ and jointly launched the ‘Year of Friendship’ websites. Throughout the year, the governments of both countries have conducted diverse cultural, social and academic events in major cities across Australia.

Women's peace, women's rights: 2011 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to three women

2011-10-12T02:18:00.000-07:00

The Norwegian Nobel Committee, on October 7, awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize to three formidable women: Tawakkul Karman, a leader of anti-government protests in Yemen; Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first democratically elected female president in 2005; and Leymah Gbowee, also of Liberia who campaigned against the use of rape as a weapon of war.

Karman is the first Arab woman to win the peace prize. The award was recognition for the Arab Spring revolution over the past year, demanding a change in political oppression, and women’s role in the rise of new democracies. Karman, 32, is a member of a political party linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement, which the Nobel Committee regarded as “an important part” of the Arab Spring. The Nobel Committee awarded Karman, 32, as a peace prize recipient because she "started her activism long before the revolution took place in Tunisia and Egypt. She has been a very courageous woman in Yemen for quite a long time."

The two Liberian women (Sirleaf, 72, and Gbowee, 32) are the first sub-Saharan African winners of the peace prize since Wangari Maathai of Kenya won it in 2004 for the fight against deforestation by mobilizing women to plant trees. Maathai died last month at the age of 71. Sirleaf is seen as a reformer and peacemaker in Liberia, campaigning to end government corruption and to work for reconciliation after 14 years of civil war. Gbowee, in Liberia, has organized hundreds of female protesters through Monrovia to demand disarmament of fighters, forcing attention on women combatants exploited and raped by warlords. She was honored by the Nobel Committee for mobilizing women “across ethnic and religious dividing lines to bring an end to the long war in Liberia, and to ensure women’s participation in elections.”

It is the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s hope that the prize to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakkul Karman will help to bring an end to the suppression of women that still occurs in many countries, and to realize the great potential for democracy and peace that women can represent.

The last time three co-winners were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize occurred in 1994 to Yitzhak Rabin, Yasser Arafat, and Shimon Peres.

The Traveler by Sadik Yalsizucanlar: book review

2011-10-09T04:38:00.000-07:00

I bought The Traveler (2010) by Turkish writer, Sadik Yalsizucanlar at the airport in Istanbul.

The Traveler is known only as The Traveler, a man with no name, who meets and often lives with people on his journey from Spain to Mecca. He falls in love with Harmony, a woman of intense beauty, who shatters his notion that “love is the existence of a lover.” He also meets a man he names Abdullah who accompanies him to Granada in Spain. On his travels, he also writes. He is a poet and author, and as he wrote the last chapter of one of his books in Cordoba, Spain, a pen, called The Quill, speaks to him, providing divine inspiration.

The Traveler is actually the story of the well-known sufi thinker and poet Muhammad (Muhiyiddin) Ibn ‘Arabi, described as the Leonardo da Vinci of the East, who lived during the Middle Ages in Andalusian Spain, but also the story of universal humanity and the universal traveler.

The style is meditative and serene, simple and spiritual, reflecting the spiritual journey of universal man.

Sixth anniversary of Kashmir earthquake: rehabilitation continues

2011-10-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

On October 8, 2005, Kashmir was struck by an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter Scale resulting in widespread devastation and approximately 86,350 fatalities—making it the most fatal earthquake to occur in the Indian subcontinent.

At 8.50 in the morning the Himalayan region of northern Pakistan and Kashmir felt the quake, with its epicentre 19 kilometres northeast of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. In addition to the enormous fatalities – 19,000 of which were children, approximately 138,000 were injured and over 3.5 million were left homeless as 780,000 buildings were either destroyed or damaged. Approximately 250,000 farm animals died and more than 500,000 required shelter from the harsh winter.

Due to the mountainous area, many landslides were triggered along the fault line. The landslides and rock falls added to the considerable damage as well as the disruption to roads, structures, and communities. The government of Pakistan estimated that more than 80% of the total destroyed buildings were located in rural regions. The largest concentration of destroyed or damaged buildings in cities occurred in Muzaffarabad and Balakot. The earthquake destroyed 782 health institutions and countless schools, estimated at about $614 million to rebuild.

After the quake in 2005, residents were severely affected by the harsh winter season. The upper regions of the Kashmir valley have already received the first snowfall this year as the winter months approach. Icy winds have begun blowing across south Kashmir.

Six years later, recovery and rebuilding continues. Pakistan Prime Minister, Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani recently announced a number of mega projects in the region to continue the rehabilitation efforts. This includes a medical college in Muzaffarabad, a hydro-power station, a section of motorway from Murree to Muzaffarabad, a bridge connecting Dudyal to the Rawalpindi region, and a review of post-quake resettlement processes.

Martina Nicolls is author of Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010)

Green festival in Canberra, Australia: a kinder shade of green

2011-10-07T01:21:00.000-07:00

The inaugural “Living Green Festival” will be held in the Albert Hall on Commonwealth Avenue in the city of Canberra, the capital of Australia, on Sunday, October 16 from 10:00am to 4:00pm. The theme of the festival is “a kinder shade of green” which makes the link between climate change and a compassionate lifestyle. The festival will showcase easy ways humans can reduce their carbon footprint and be more considerate of the animals we share the planet with. It will feature entertainment, speakers, children’s videos, informative videos, as well as product and food stalls.

www.livinggreenfestival.org.au

An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro: book review

2011-10-03T23:42:00.000-07:00

The novel, An Artist of the Floating World (1986), by the author of Remains of the Day is written from a retired Japanese artist’s perspective after World War II, from 1948 to 1950. Masuji Ono reflects on his memories of the “floating world” - a reference to his youthful life imbibing in the pleasures of art, entertainment and alcohol.

Now a grandfather, Masuji Ono has lost a wife (who died in 1945) and a son, Kenji (attempting to cross a minefield to escape the bombings during the war). His two daughters, Noriko and Setsuko, and Setsuko’s seven-year-old son, Ichiro, and his artist colleagues, are the subjects of his memoir. This is a beautifully sentimental portrayal of family relationships and gender roles and expectations: grandfather and grandson; married sister and single sister, father and daughters; father and son; father and son-in-law; art teacher and art students; husband and wife; aunt and nephew; and mother and son.

These current relationships are entangled in his memories of himself as a young artist and of people’s perceptions of his profession: “we artists may at times deserve mockery” and “as a breed, you artists are desperately naïve.” His own father stymied his desire to be artist, and government officials destroyed and burnt “unpatriotic trash” – with one official saying, as the paintings of Ono’s colleague, Kuroda, burn: “bad paintings make bad smoke.” In his retirement, Ono still paints “a few watercolours to pass the time.”

In the present, he watches his grandson grow amid European and American influences that slowly alter his traditional Japanese life – Ichiro wants to be a cowboy and imitates their English as he impersonates the Lone Ranger. Whatever happened to a child’s desire to be a samurai warrior or The Ninja of the Wind, Ono ponders. And whatever happened to a father’s role being respected by the household? And what will be Japan’s future after the humiliating defeat in the war?

Women, the peace builders of Kashmir

2011-10-01T18:51:00.000-07:00

Women of Kashmir urge progress toward peace between India and Pakistan. An Intra-Kashmir Women’s Conference, organized by the New Delhi Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation and Srinagar Women for Peace, was held on 27-29 September 2011 in Gulmarg to bring 45 women together from both sides of the Line of Control, a boundary separating Pakistan-administered Kashmir from India-controlled Kashmir, to strategize for peace. The disputed 1972 Line of Control is a military (de facto) border between Indian and Pakistan controlled Kashmir. The Indian military commenced construction of a double-row electrified fencing and concertina wire 2.4-3.7 metres (8-12 feet) in height along the 740 kilometres (460 miles) border. The land in between the fencing is mined. Its initial purpose was to keep out Pakistan militants who crossed into the Indian side of Kashmir, the disputed state, although Pakistan has objected to the barrier stating it is illegal to erect such as construction.

The outcome of the Intra-Kashmir Women’s Conference was the decision to establish a joint forum of women for “peace, security, and economic stability to prevail throughout the region and an immediate end to the protracted conflict.” They demanded the inclusion of women in all peace-building, peace dialogues, and peace negotiations regarding Kashmir. Some women’s policy groups had been holding dialogues since 2003 to address misperceptions and distrust. However, the firm demand was now for wider coverage and support for dialogue at all levels to address the concerns of women and to advance women as peace-builders.

In addition, the women attendees urged India and Pakistan to simplify procedures related to trade, communication and travel across the Line of Control; to respect the ceasefire with an immediate halt to violations; address land mine issues; immediately release stray crossers; initiate phased demilitarisation in all civilian areas; and repeal “draconian” acts such as the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and the Public Safety Act.

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958 by the Parliament of India conferred special powers on armed forces to legitimize their presence in emergency situations which have been deemed by the Indian government as “war-like” by local leaders. In essence, the Act (employed since 1990) gives Indian army officers legal immunity for their actions in the area classified as a “disturbed area.” In December 2006, Indian Prime Minister Mamohan Singh declared that the Act be amended to ensure it was humane. Protests on September 10, 2010, turned violent the next day, marking the anniversary of the controversial act. The Indian Government is considering partial withdrawal of the Act. The Act has been criticized by international and local human rights organizations. The Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (1978) by the Parliament of India prevents the entry of unauthorized persons and grants the military powers to search and detain trespassers. The Act has also been criticized by international human rights groups because people detained are at risk of being tortured.

The women of the conference also demanded an end to all human rights abuses violations on both sides, such as arbitrary arrests and detentions, enforced disappearances, sexual violence, crackdowns, searches, displacement, and rehabilitation of displaced communities without segregation.

Another demand was for 33% quota for women in assemblies, councils and local government bodies on both sides of the Line of Control to strengthen women’s representation, deal with gender issues, and establish human rights commissions to monitor and report gender-based issues. This would include the establishment of legal aid committees to address women’s issues, and the initiation of people-friendly police reforms and gender sensitization of all law enforcement agencies.

Gender budgeting and fairer resource distribution for women’s issues was also demanded, as well as greater access to health, education and micro-financing schemes, a revisit of the education curriculum, vocational skills training, employment opportunities, and a wage policy for women.

Martina Nicolls is the author of Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010).

Flowers and food festival at Floriade, Canberra

2011-09-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

The annual Floriade flower festival (September 17-October 16) in Australia’s capital, Canberra, has as its theme for 2011, “a feast for the senses.” Every day in October, the senses will be tempted by culinary demonstrations during Floriade that include a pantry marquee, well-known chefs creating food treats, and stalls selling food and beverages.

Some of the highlights include:

(1) October 1: Making Gnocchi – Bicicletta Restaurant staff (Diamant Hotel) demonstrate homemade pasta, the gnocchi

(2) October 1 and 7: Truffles – Capital Country Truffle Festival experts demonstrate the gourmet truffle

(3) October 2: Tasty Science Show – staff of Questacon (Canberra’s science interactive museum) demonstrate the science and technology of the tongue

(4) October 2-3: Latin America Feast – Carnival in the Park present a taste of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and more

(5) October 4: The Perfect Macaron – Owen from the Dream Cuisine demonstrates the art of making macaron

(6) October 4 and 11: Chocolate – Robyn Rowe creates couverture chocolates

(7) October 4, 6-9, 11: Decorating Cupcakes – Emma McMahan of Sugar and Slice demonstrates decorating the perfect cupcake

(8) October 4-6 and 11: Diversity of Food – local farmers and chefs demonstrate using biodynamic produce (Sam Stratham), cooking without flour (Sam Stratham), beef meals (John Walker), quick and easy meals (Sue Anderson), and making fresh pasta (Sue Icemenes)

(9) October 5, 9 and 11: Seafood Smorgasbord – Blue Seas demonstrates how to prepare and cook seafood

(10) October 6-7: Cheese – Cheeselinks demonstrates how to make Feta, Romano, Parmesan and Camembert cheeses

(11) October 8 and 15: Centenary of Canberra Cake – Janet Jeffs demonstrates out to cook Canberra’s 100th anniversary cake (all ingredients sourced within a 100-mile, 160 kilometre, radius of Canberra)

(12) October 8-10: Beechworth Honey – live displays with bees producing honey with samples of Australian honey products

(13) October 11-13: The Clever Chefs – Mike Scheumann of the National Convention Centre and Paul Butler of the National Press Club of Australia demonstrate how to use leftovers to avoid wasting food

(14) October 12-13: Culinary Skills – Canberra Institute of Technology chefs demonstrate cooking techniques

(15) October 15: The Black Olive – Mark Olive demonstrates contemporary indigenous outback flavours

Magpie swooping season in Canberra: nesting and protecting

2011-09-27T03:09:00.000-07:00

Spring is the start of magpie swooping season as they instinctively fend off intruders to their territory to protect their nests during breeding time.

Magpies are medium-sized black and white birds with golden brown eyes. Juveniles (up to about three years of age) have lighter grey feathers, rather than distinctive black and white. Adults are about 37 centimetres (15 inches) in length. They can live up to 25 years of age and usually begin breeding between the ages of three and five years. Most magpies will swoop within 30-50 metres of their nest if they perceive the pedestrian to be a threat. They spend quite a lot of time on the ground and because they have long legs they walk or hop about.

Most of the year, the bird is a popular and curious friend that visits back gardens, parks, and shopping centres. However, when they breed, they often become quite aggressive (especially males). Often they will swoop to warn intruders to stay away – and therefore they don’t strike because the idea is to chase people away. Other times they will strike to attack, leaving the intruder with beak or claw gashes. When they strike, they will come from behind and swoop, hover momentarily, and then strike. They usually attack with their beaks and aim for the scalp, face, or eyes. Magpies will rarely make a sound when they attack – so instead of screeching, you only hear the sound of flapping feathers in a whooshing sound as they skim over your head.

Some precautions for pedestrians and cyclists include: walk quickly (but don’t run); protect your head with an umbrella, hat, or bicycle helmet; wear sunglasses; and attach a flag or streamers to your backpack or bicycle. Waving arms or throwing items at swooping magpies generally only makes them more likely to attack.

Magpies are protected species in Australia, and therefore it is illegal to harm the native birds under the Nature Conservation Act (1980).

Well-known and easily recognizable, the Australian Magpie is unlikely to be confused with any other species. The pied butcherbird has a similar build and plumage, but has white under feathers unlike the magpies’ black under feathers. The magpie-lark is a much smaller and more delicate bird with complex and very different banded black and white plumage. The magpie-lark screeches when it swoops and rarely aims to aggressively attack people. Currawong species have predominantly dark plumage and heavier bills and are much larger than magpies.

Gender diversity in the boardroom improves company performance

2011-09-25T03:58:00.000-07:00

For years males have been dominant in the Australian boardroom. Out of 200 public companies, only 13% of women are on their boards. The government now has a target of 40% of women in board positions by 2015 to ensure gender diversity.

A 2010 McKinsey & Co survey found that the majority of executives believed that gender diversity will improve their company’s financial performance. They believe that more women in senior positions can start a positive loop for productivity and financial decision making.

Already companies are increasing appointing women as board members, with 26% being appointed in the previous 12 months. The upsurge in appointments is believed to be a result of companies using search consultants, instead of professional networks.

In America only 15% of board members in large firms are on their boards and only 10% in Europe. This represents a squandered opportunity. Emerging is evidence that mixed boards make better decisions than monolithically male ones.

Mindful of this, European countries are also passing laws that would force companies to promote more women to the executive suite. A new French law requires listed firms to reserve 40% of board seats for women by 2017. Norway and Spain have similar laws; Germany is considering one. The European Parliament declared this month that such quotas should be applied throughout the European Union. Viviane Reding, the EU’s justice commissioner, says she wants European boards to be 30% female by 2015 and 40% by 2020.

There are two main arguments for compulsory quotas. One is that the men who dominate corporate boards promote people like themselves. The second argument is more subtle. Talented executives need mentors to help them climb the ladder. Male directors mentor young men but are reluctant to get chummy with young women, lest the relationship be misconstrued. Quotas will break this vicious cycle by putting lots of women at the top, who can then offer their sisters a leg up.

However, the lack of role models is no longer the main obstacle to women’s careers. Children are. One study found that two-thirds of American women had at some point switched from full-time work to part-time or flexible time to balance work and family. But in doing so, they make it harder for women to gain the experience necessary to make it to the very top, and to be appointed as a board member.

Some argue that quotas are too blunt a tool to solve the problem because quotas may force firms either to pad their boards with token non-executive directors, or to allocate real power on the basis of sex rather than merit. Neither is good for corporate governance. Norway started enforcing quotas for women in 2006. A study by the University of Michigan found that this led to large numbers of inexperienced women being appointed to boards, and that this has seriously damaged those firms’ performance.

However, the proportion of firms that address the issue by appointing by providing women with a career path that enhances their skills, and promotes gender diversity, are likely to reap the rewards.

Australia: more snow than Switzerland

2011-09-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

It is now springtime in Australia. But two hours from the spring flower festival, Floriade, in Australia’s capital, Canberra, snow is still falling in the Snowy Mountains. The ski season is from early July to mid-September, but in most years there is still good skiing until mid-November on the Kosciuszko main mountain range.

The world’s longest continuously running ski club is in Australia. Three Norwegian miners introduced skiing to Australia in 1861 during the Gold Rush period in New South Wales. They constructed skis from natural wood and established the Kiandra Snow Shoe Club. In 1908 the town of Kiandra hosted the world’s first international Alpine Ski Carnival in which Denver skier, Charles Menger, from America, won the main event. Kiandra nowadays is not a ski resort, having died out after the Gold Rush. However, the Kiandra Snow Shoe Club was re-named the Kiandra Pioneer Ski Club and is based in a town called Perisher, two hours from Kiandra. Perisher, in the state of New South Wales, is the largest ski resort in the southern hemisphere. The Perisher Blue resort has 1,250 snow-covered hectares that incorporate seven mountain peaks across four ski resorts that are inter-linked by a network of ski-lifts. More than 400 ski-lifts can be operational across the Australian ski fields at any time.

Much of Australia, particularly in the country’s centre, is desert or semi-arid land. To the north are tropical rainforests and to the south are cold-weather rainforests. Despite these small areas of rainforests, and recent flooding in northern Australia, the country’s rainfall is actually the lowest of all the globe’s seven continents. Eighty percent (80%) of the land has rainfall less than 600 millimetres (23.6 inches) a year, and 50% has less than 300 millimetres (11.8 inches) a year. Hence, much of the country is still in drought.

But Australia can get a lot of snow. Australia actually has more snow cover (in area) than Switzerland, although the snow depth is only several metres deep and snowfalls are highly variable across the snowfields.

The Snowy Mountains region in the south-east of the country covers the mountains of Victoria, Australian Capital Territory, and New South Wales, but there are also mountains (and a snow season) in Tasmania. The highest peak in Australia is Mt Kosciuszko in the Snowy Mountains at a modest 7,310 feet (2,228 metres) above sea level, where there is an alpine climate. Because of the low altitude of the mountains, the snowfall is not as reliable as the larger peaks of Europe. The lowest minimum temperature ever recorded was −23°C (−9.4 °F) at Charlotte Pass in the Snowy Mountains on 29 June 1994, however night temperatures in the region are usually around -8°C. Daytime temperatures are about 2°C.

The Snowy Mountains are generally called “The Snowies” in New South Wales and “the High Country” in Victoria. Most of the commercial ski resorts are near the Victoria and New South Wales state border. On the Victorian side are three major and four minor resorts. On the New South Wales (NSW) side there are two major and two minor resorts. There are also two minor ski resorts in Tasmania. The deepest snowpacks are usually in late August and early September, and the snow quality is best in July which is the coldest month in Australia but the weather is less stable. So August is the best comprise for snow depth and snow quality (but it is peak season and expensive). The steepest ski runs are in the resorts of Thredbo, Perisher, Charlotte Pass, Selwyn, Falls Creek, Hotham, Buller, Baw Baw, and Mt Mawson.

Canberra's flower festival a feast for the senses

2011-09-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

Each year Floriade, Canberra's premier flower festival, has a specific theme: this year it is "a feast for the senses." Floriade will be held from September 17 to October 16 at Commonwealth Park.

The "From the Pantry" marquee is a new stall in which well-known chefs demonstrate a range of recipes. The Lindeman's Open Garden will also showcase celebrity chefs cooking seasonal light recipes while advising people what vegetables to grow during spring.

There will also be horticultural programs, floral designs, jazz musicians, an Australian National University concert, Japanese music, show rides, a circus troupe, food and drink stalls, a farm of baby animals, and a reptile exhibition. In the evening, Nightfest will feature spectacular lighting with a dramatic musical soundtrack, as well as cocktails, live entertainment, night markets, food, wine and an outdoor cinema.

Flaws in the Glass, a self-portrait by Patrick White: book review

2011-09-14T01:40:00.000-07:00

The manuscript, Flaws in the Glass (1981), is Patrick Victor Martindale White’s autobiography. White, born in 1912 in England, migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. For three years, at the age of 20, he studied French and German literature at King’s College at the University of Cambridge in England.

Throughout his life, he published 12 novels. In 1957 he won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award for Voss, published in 1956. In 1961, Riders in the Chariot became a best-seller, winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1973, he was the first Australian author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Eye of the Storm, despite many critics describing his works as ‘un-Australian’ and himself as ‘Australia’s most unreadable novelist.’ In 1979, The Twyborn Affair was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but he withdrew it from the competition to give younger writers the opportunity to win the award.

His autobiography, Flaws in the Glass, is a quarter of the size of his typically large tomes, describing his school life, life as a pastoralist in Australia, his home in Centennial Park, and his homosexuality. Unlike most artists who refrain from disclosing their favourite works, he openly admits that “in my own opinion, my three best novels are The Solid Mandala, The Aunt’s Story, and The Twyborn Affair. All three say something more than what is sacred to Aust. Lit. For this reason some of them were ignored in the beginning, some reviled and dismissed as pornography.”

White seems ill at ease writing about himself because the writing doesn’t have the same literary style as his fictional works, often being disjointed as he responds to criticism of his works. Nevertheless, it is interesting for revealing the development of his writing abilities, his source of ideas and inspiration, his attitude towards women and religion, and his feelings about the criticisms of his personal life and his professional works.

Many of his novels were written bedridden with spasms of asthma. Patrick White died in Sydney on 30 September 1990.

The Strangest Man - the hidden life of Paul Dirac, mystic of the atom by Graham Farmelo: book review

2011-09-11T23:03:00.000-07:00

The Strangest Man (2009) by Graham Farmelo is a detailed account of one of the discoverers of quantum mechanics, and the youngest Nobel Prize winner in 1933 at the age of 30 which he shared with Erwin Shrodinger for theoretical physics and the discovery of new and productive forms of atomic theory.

Born in Switzerland in 1902, Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac moved to Bristol, England, with his schoolmaster father, Charles, mother Florence, his brother Felix, and sister Betty, where he became a British citizen in 1919 and studied at Cambridge University. Paul Dirac said he never had a childhood, was not interested in sport, and had little time for literature and theatre. He worked six days a week, only taking Sundays off to go for long walks.

His brother Felix, two years older than Paul, was prevented from studying medicine by their authoritarian father, when he suddenly ‘snapped,’ left the factory where he worked and committed suicide at the age of 25. Paul subsequently paid for his sister Betty to undertake nursing studies when, again, their father did not want Betty to further her education.

Farmelo documents Dirac’s studies in exceptional detail – from his schooling, and his academic lecturers, mentors, and colleagues, including Robert Oppenheimer, Max Born, Walter Elsasser, Werner Heisenberg, Niels Bohr, Wolfgang Pauli, Eugene Wigner, Richard Feynman, Paul Ehrenfest, Alan Turing, and Albert Einstein. Dirac was one of Einstein’s most admired colleagues – primarily because they both espoused beauty in science. Dirac was an ambassador of ‘mathematical beauty’ – the fundamental simplicity, inevitability, power and grandeur of mathematics.

His personality was legendary, known as a loner, a man of a few words who spoke only when spoken to, and an ‘emotional cripple.’ It was therefore a surprise to most of his colleagues when he commenced a relationship in 1934 with a colleague’s sister, Margit (Manci) Wigner, a divorcee with two children. Together they had two more children. The last fourteen years of his life were spent in the United States at the Florida State University.

Farmelo leaves no stone unturned as he painstakingly documents an incomplete personality, a full life, and a step-by-step account of the thought processes, successes, and failures that led Paul Dirac to the global acceptance of his atomic theory and his genius, despite him being ‘the strangest man.’

The Sudan Curse and Kashmir on a Knife-Edge enters the Taiwan market

2011-09-11T01:00:00.000-07:00

Strategic Book Publishing & Rights Agency is proud to announce the sale of two books, The Sudan Curse and Kashmir on a Knife-Edge, in ebook form, to the major library and mobile phone suppliers in Taiwan, including two public companies.

Strategic's CEO, Robert Fletcher, said he did not know of a single other publisher that has landed a deal like this for their authors.

The Taiwan sales group is a major coup incorporating 8 companies. My books, in electronic version, will now be readied for sale to Taiwanese libraries, schools, mobile phone companies, and online retailers.

Georgia: Kakheti vegetables damaged in floods

2011-08-27T01:17:00.000-07:00

In one day, on August 21, Lagodekhi (a city in eastern Georgia in the Kakheti region) received rainfall 2.5 times the average monthly precipitation for August.

Farmlands, mostly vegetable gardens were damaged by the heavy rains. The overflows also damaged bridges, village roads, and residences. One family lost 8,000 pepper plants. Nearly 900 hectares of maize, 300 hectares of vegetable crops, and 100 hectares of melons were swamped by the floods. Water also carried away 50 bee hives.

Kakheti is a famous wine region in Georgia, and fortunately September’s vintage will not be affected. Nearly 5,900 tons of grape hybrid harvest is expected this year – up from last year’s 4,335 tons of hybrid grapes.

Wealth creation and distribution is lopsided

2011-08-25T07:04:00.000-07:00

Guy de Fontgalland, international investment banker and President of the Eurasia Management House in Tbilisi, Georgia, raises the issue of collateral damage to some 80% of the world’s population if the globalization trend continues to enable “free foxes to roam amongst free chickens” – i.e. where some 5% of the world owns 95% of the wealth.

Fontgalland states that while globalization has supported manufacturing and trade across nations; transferred production technologies to less developed countries; and helped more nations to establish enterprises in other countries it took a “wrong turn” along the way. He claims globalization helped “totalitarian regimes in the developing world to amass billions of dollars of ill-gotten wealth, spread their power-base across businesses, and armed forces, and snuff out the essential economic freedom globalization intended to bring to millions across the world.” In other words, globalization has led to a log-sided wealth accumulation process among the elites of the developed world and that of developing countries (such as Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt, Syria, Israel, Bahrain, Oman, and India). The result of this lopsided wealth accumulation, Fontgalland claims, is the cause of widespread protest against corruption, economically abusive regimes, and resources distribution inequalities.

The new economic model, says Fontgalland, Jeffrey D. Sachs (author of “End of Poverty – Economic Possibilities of Our Time”) and many others – including members of FairShare International – should be “fair sharing of wealth and a collusion of intelligent interests.”

The groundswell of “resentment and revenge” against perpetrators (individuals and countries) of lopsided wealth creation is currently being witnessed across the globe. Bringing people to court for the embezzlement of a nation’s wealth doesn’t address future solutions. The World Bank report, “World Development Report: Conflict, Security and Development” (2011) notes that the proportion of people living in extreme poverty in developing countries declined sharply since 1999, but with the vast increases in the total population across the globe, the number still living in extreme poverty was close to 1.5 billion. “Wealth must be redefined in terms of human aspirations for all,” suggests Fontgalland.

FairShare International (FSI) – of which I am a life member – is a diverse, global community of individuals, families, and businesses who are taking an active stand against the unjust distribution and misuse of the world’s resources – money, energy, water, and minerals (and people too). FSI aims to: (1) decrease the gap between rich and poor; (2) better use the earth’s resources; (3) strive for more ethical connections with others; and (4) conserve the natural environment.

FSI members do this every day by following the 5.10.5.10 formula:

5 = redistribute your personal wealth by giving away at least 5% of your gross annual income for direct assistance to financially disadvantaged communities and individuals anywhere on earth.

10 = reducing your consumption of water, energy, and minerals by at least 10% and sustaining it forever.

5 = building community through contributing at least 5% of your leisure time annually to direct, face-to-face assistance to people who could use your help.

10 = taking significant action at least 10 times a year to advance democracy.

www.finchannel.com (August 22, 2011)

www.fairshareinternational.org

Wine tourism in Georgia’s Kakheti region on the rise

2011-08-23T04:07:00.000-07:00

The number of tourists visiting the Georgian wine district of Kakheti, known as “The Motherland of Wine,” increased 24 times in 2011, compared with the same period last year. Archaeological sites have discovered wine presses and cellars, with clay, bronze, silver and gold wine glasses among the monasteries and churches in the region, which are now tourist attractions.

Almost every family has its own home-made wine. Kakh wines come from various areas within the region, such as Kvareli, Manavi, Tsinandali, and Mukuzani, mainly growing Rkatsiteli and Saparavi grapes.

Kvareli, the main administrative city centre of the Kakheti region, is famous for its Wine Tunnel. Five kilometres east of Kvareli (or a 40 minute walk) turn right at Vina Gruzie. The second entrance is the main entry into the tunnel or cave. The legendary tunnel is a chilled (to about 14C) wine storage space of 7.5 kilometers long, in the mountain-side, with 13 paths and a small ethnological museum. In each path along the tunnel, carved into the rock, is a different wine-maker’s store of wines. Wine Tunnel tours are about $10 per person, depending on the size of the group. Often wine enthusiasts can sample up to 8 different wines.

The wine harvest season in Georgia is September, but all year-round there is something for everyone in Kakheti. The city of Telavi in the Kakheti region is a two-and-a-half hour drive east of the capital, Tbilisi, in an area that not only attracts wine enthusiasts, but also environmentalists, adventure seekers, gourmands, and cyclists.