An unusual Mothers Day
BHC
Today would, I think, qualify as an unusual Mothers Day. I left my four youngest in Melbourne and dashed up to Bendigo to visit my Mel in hospital. Mel is fine, had surgery late last night and is facing more surgery later this month. Naturally, I am a little on the worried side but am confident she is in good medical hands and I know her husband will take the best of care of her. This did kind of overshadow his recent birthday though, but I am sure Mel will make it up to him later.
Autumn has arrived well and truly in Bendigo as this streetscape illustrates.
Autumn in Bendigo
That climate change stuff
This time series, based on satellite data, shows the annual Arctic sea ice minimum since 1979. The September 2010 extent was the third lowest in the satellite record. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Personally, I believe we are damaging our planet. I’m not here to review the MANY scientific articles on the topic – they are everywhere and almost every politician in the world has an opinion one way or the other about the scientific opinions. Then the public have opinions about the politicians’ opinions about the scientific findings/opinion/theories/hypothesises. Confused yet?
On top of that we have Carbon Prices, Emission Trading Schemes, agreements between countries to reduce emissions and so it goes on. And on.
The question for me, a non-scientist just hoping we leave a liveable planet for future generations, is more simple. I ask myself, are we damaging the planet in more ways that we are willing to recognise?
I look at what we do to sustain our materialistic lifestyle.
We raze forests, we dam rivers, we kill other living species to extinction, we dig much “stuff” (minerals, natural gas, etc) out of the ground. We destroy ecosystems and pollute our oceans and waterways. We generally talk about climate change being the result of just our emissions, but I wonder to myself, is that the only cause of damage? Are we not continuing to upset the balance of nature, the balance of the planet overall?
We drive cars massively bigger than we need, we build mansions instead of homes, we use electricity like it is as necessary as water for our survival.
Just talked to my kids – have you talked to yours?
As I wrote in I am woman, hear me roar, the events of recent times have angered, frustrated and saddened me. Not just the rape and disenbowelment followed by death of the young woman in India – other events too as mentioned in that article. Yesterday we lost yet another woman in Australia. She died of injuries inflicted during an assault. A nurse, simply trying to help people. Now she is dead.
This morning I sat my four down and had a talk. Yes, I used the Indian case and the article The Subjugation Capital as the illustrative theme of our talk. I did not gloss over the disembowelment, even for the younger two. I think that aspect has been glossed over way too easily in the media. This was a gang who not only raped, but treated this woman as ….. well, I don’t know what word to use. Other animal species don’t treat each other that way, only the human species.
Mr O can’t even talk about the case, he is so horrified at what was done. Like the case of man’s inhumanity to man I wrote about in We are the world, this is just beyound his comprehension. He said to me, “I cannot comprehend how people can hurt other people, I just cannot understand it at all.”
In a conversation I had with other mothers today education was discussed as the way to ensure change. I said education starts from birth, at the parent’s knee. I took my own advice and sat our four down.
I am woman, hear me roar
December has been a horrifc month. I’ve written little about the massacre of 20 children on the USA or the gang rape of a woman in India. I’m not going to write much now.
What I am going to say is this. I am a woman. I have three daughters. I have raised or am raising six children. It is time for the women of the world to unite. Swati Parashar has rightfully asked for more western women to speak out against the violence faced by women in developing nations.
Yet we have insane people shooting innocent children in a western country that refuses to control gun ownership, but will pray to “God” about him taking little children.
We’ve seen gang rapes in France and a young girl shot in Pakistan. Here in Australia we’ve had the terrible aduction, rape and murder of two young women in Melbourne and we have a Royal Commission into the abuse of children, many of whom committed suicide later in life. I’ve said before I believe there is a link between the subjugation of women and the abuse of children.
Time for women in all nations to rise up and demand an end to the insanity. Don’t bother making any damn comments on here that it is the victim’s fault. Such comments will not be published. Think very carefully about why you even think such stupid thoughts and DO NOT bring religion into it either! Edit: It has just been brought to my attention this can be misinterpreted by new readers. What I meant here was DO NOT offer religious “justification” for subjugation of women.
Women like Dr Anita Shukla should hang their heads in shame.
Support MAKE THE CALL
Imogen Bailey is a woman on a mission. Imogen participated in Go Back Where You Came From Series II and aside from being a very busy woman working on her career, she is passionate about the question of children in mandatory detention and dedicates her time to campaigning to try to get the message to our politicians that the majority of Australians DO NOT want so see children in detention.
There is a Facebook page for you to like: http://www.facebook.com/pages/MAKE-the-CALL/304182263021396
There is a web site which provides more information, found at http://www.makethecall.info/, from which I stole Imogen’s video. 
John and I love our children. These are the children of an asylum seeker detained for two years in Australia. While these children were NOT detained, because they were not here, they could well have been.
Kids like these should NOT be in detention
There is also a Twitter campaign started by Jessica Rowe with the hash tag #kidslikemine. You can check out that campaign here: http://www.mamamia.com.au/parenting/refugees-children-are-just-like-mine/
Please support Imogen’s campaign. Go to the website, call YOUR local MP. Like the Facebook page.
Family Bike Races
For a complete departure from the seriousness of the last few articles, here are some unadulterated shots from some informal weekend family bike races, including prize presentations for 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
The Good, The Bad & The Hungry
On the last evening before ramadan I get that feeling of quiet, happy anticipation that comes before the start of something you know is going to test you. I've always loved ramadan, loved the way it brings families together. It ties you to one another and a common goal. While the world outside is dark and still, you eat together, pray together.
