FEAST OR FAMINE

Dialogues with Scientists and Sages: The Search for Unity (1986) is a compilation of the views of prominent mathematicians, physicists, biologists, philosophers and spiritual identities. Topics include space, time, matter, energy, life, death, creativity, inspiration, as well as mathematics and science. Each chapter presents a separate individual and their views, either through interview questions and responses, or written directly by the identity. These include British quantum physicist David Bohm (1917-1992) whose focus was on understanding the nature of reality in general and of consciousness in particular; German-born Tibetan monk Lama Govinda (1898-1985) on Buddhism; Russian-born Belgium physical chemist Ilya Prigogine (1917-2003), the Nobel Prize winner in chemistry (1977); British-born Indian Benedictine monk and mystic Fr. Bede Griffiths (1906-1993) on Christianity and Hinduism; British biologist Rupert Sheldrake (1942-) on his views of parapsychology; His Holi...

In the centre of Canberra, Glebe Park is a lush, brick-paved, tree-filled expanse that serves as a playground for children, arena for concerts, open space for exhibitions and festivities, a spot for family and corporate lunches and picnics, as well as a haven for individual respite and rest. Amid the gardens and trees are a number of sculptures. Egle, the Queen of Serpents, by artist Ieva Pocius, is an elegant bronze caped woman based on Lithuanian mythology. She was a bicentennial gift from the Lithuanian community to the park, unveiled by the Honourable Ros Kelly MP, on November 5, 1988. Egle marries a serpent prince who is subsequently killed by her outraged family. Stricken with grief, Egle undergoes metamorphosis, thus transforming into a tree. Adelaide sculptor, Ieva Pocius (1923-) depicts Egle soaring upwards with a soft roundness to the form. She is renowned for her pieces in stone, wood, ceramic, steel, and bronze. The World Peace Flame Monument by local Ngunnawal e...

The Moor’s Last Sigh (1995) is an epic fantasy-reality comedy-farcical saga-memoir of the last child and only male heir to the spice trade da Gama dynasty of Cochin, a major port city on the west coast of India. Narrated by Moraes “Moor” Zogoiby, born in 1957, it is the story of his fall from grace in a high-born cross-breed family in which his father is an Indian Jew and his mother, a celebrated artist, is Christian with Portuguese heritage (a descendant of the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama). He commences with his Moorish roots and his great-grandfather, Francisco da Gama; and tells of his three older sisters, “Ina” (Christina), “Minnie” (Inamorata), and “Mynah” (Philomena); his mother; his father; and his lover Uma Sarasvati, the woman who “transformed, exalted, and ruined” his life.   The story reveals his “family rifts and premature deaths and thwarted loves and mad passions and weak chests and power and money and the even more morally dubious seductions and ...

Large trees play an essential role in sustaining biodiversity and bird life in urban environments, claims an Australian National University study reported in Canberra Weekly (16 February 2012). Research by doctorate student Karen Stagoll in the Fenner School of Environment and Society on large eucalyptus trees in small suburban parks in the nation’s capital, Canberra is the first of its kind in the world. Eucalyptus trees are native to Australia and, due to their abundance, were a prime choice of subject. The research shows that large trees in urban environments provide habitats critical for wildlife—birds and animals. Large trees provide food, nesting sites, and shelter for wildlife in agricultural and forestry landscapes. However, large trees, as opposed to smaller trees, shrubs, and low-lying vegetation, do the same in urban environments. Hence, large trees attract wildlife to urban areas. Stagoll’s research found that urban parks and gardens with more large eucalyp...

The Australian War Memorial in Canberra is a free-entry military museum and hall of remembrance to commemorate the participation of Australians in global conflicts. It displays a series of panels, known as the Roll of Honur, recording the names of over 102,000 Australians. The Australian War Memorial was opened in 1941 in the northeast of the nation’s capital nestled at the base of Mt Ainslie with a view of Parliament House. The large museum contains the Commemorative Area (shrine) including the Hall of Memory with the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier, the Memorial's galleries (museum) and Research Centre (records) and an outdoor Sculpture Garden. It contains an extensive display of exhibitions, including films, soundtracks, full-sized military transportation and equipment, artwork, photography, models, and interactive displays. The museum covers periods such as: Colonial (1788-1901); Sudan (1885); South African Boer War (1899-1902); China Bo...

The weekend of the National Multicultural Festival is the busiest, most celebrated event on the Canberra calendar. The office of Multicultural Affairs confirmed a record attendance of 260,000 people for the three day event from February 10-12.

The three day celebration of Australia’s multiculturalism is celebrated in the nation’s capital, Canberra, from February 10 to 12. In addition to the cultures of the pacific, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Africa, the music, dance and stories of Australia’s First Nations people attracted a large audience. Ceremonies play an important part in the life of First Nations peoples, from chanting, singing, dancing and music. They include initiation of boys and girls into adulthood as well as everyday life. The songs and dances performed during the National Multicultural Festival include the collecting of honey, grinding food, and celebrating important events. Using the unique and iconic sounds of the didgeridoo and clap sticks, they beat time to tell the audience of their stories and culture. MARTINA NICOLLS MartinaNicollsWebsite   Martinasblogs Publications Facebook Paris Website Animal Website Flower Website SUBSCRIBE TO MARTINA NICOLLS FOR NEWS AND UP...

At 4:00pm by the fountain at the entrance of the Canberra Centre a flash mob dance celebrated the annual National Multicultural Festival in the nation's capital.

The National Multicultural Festival is Canberra’s premier cultural event which actively involves over 200 community groups, local and national arts groups, up to 70 diplomatic missions, numerous businesses and over 200,000 people who attend over 150 free activities and events during a three day period from February 10-12.  The Festival celebrates the cultural diversity of Canberra and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) by providing events that positively showcase cultural diversity and encourages people to share in and celebrate various cultures by enjoying their arts, music, dancing, and food. The Festival is produced by the ACT Office of Multicultural Affairs, Community Services Directorate, ACT Government. The Festival is held in the Canberra City Centre from Friday February 10 (4:30 to midnight); Saturday February 11 (10am to midnight); and Sunday February 12 (10am to 5pm).

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)...

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 Leonar...

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 upcomin...

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)

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...