Bye Bye Bellofoodbox

My beloved bellofoodbox has been a huge part of my life for the last year or two. Just a little background - it was started by a devoted band of volunteers to help promote the quality, affordable produce (with a preference for spray free or organic) that was grown locally (within 100 miles of Bellingen) for economic, social and environmental reasons. Since it started off, the success of buying local has been pretty incredible - instead of two and a half local outlets there are now six or seven and it was decided by the committee that bellofoodbox would best be operated by the Bellingen Green Grocer.

All in all this a great decision - BGG operates with similar ethics to bellofoodbox, has agreed to keep the markups the same (to ensure that the fruit and veg is really affordable), and being an actual shop front it will allow clients to either top up the produce in their boxes or to buy other local, sustainable products like milk or to just get a yummy juice. The down side (and the only one) is that they super little band of volunteers and our team leader Leigh, are going our separate ways so far as Wednesday afternoons are concerned.

So today was our last day all together. Which corresponded with my last day in town so it was bittersweet. Having said that, there was much laughter to be had. There was the usual pick of one or two strangely shaped items of produce - this one was an emoticon apple - turned up one way it had a huge smile, up the other was a sad face (no photo of that one, there are lots of weird fruit and vegetable shots out there), there was the inventive use of a damaged apple to  create an incense holder and open particular conversation the contents of which can't be posted here. There was also a couple of birthdays to celebrate. And that doesn't even include our incredible customers that come bouncing in to collect their bounty with a happy face, an interesting story or a quick joke.

On the downside, it was our last day together. While we work incredibly well together, in all circumstances, we are a disparate little group that don't usually see each other anywhere else - except random moments when driving around town followed by wild waves out a window which the other person may or may not see.

I know I am going to Tasmania so this would have been my last day anyway. I know that the changes are really, really good for the project. But, as I said, it was a bittersweet day.

When I announced I would be travelling south it was mentioned, as a throw away comment, that I need to start my own foodbox program in Tasmania. If it could be half as good as the experience I have had with our local one, I would be made not to.

So thank you, best of luck and farewell bellofoodbox and all who have sailed with here xx

Yep, I Did It

I have enrolled in my BA (Literature). I don't actually start studying officially until June but there are some novels I can read in the interim. I am going to try and do two units each session (four sessions in a year) which apparently translates through to a full course load. See how it goes, as I am just doing this for fun, there would be no problems in dropping it down to one if it all gets a bit too much :-)

I must have progressed in my personal growth this year becuase even the vague thought of studying used to send my blood pressure soaring and the possibility of a genuine panic attack being imminent. Now all I feel is excitement.

Photo: "Real Student Life" by lesleyx

Passing the Hat Around

Got a letter from Tom Stephens MLA, Member for Pilbara yesterday - with thanks to Phillip Adams for passing on my name.

Tom is passing the hat around for a young indigenous guy called Linden Brownley who has been invited to attend the inauguration of Barack Obama.

Linden needs to raise about $5,500 needed to cover flights, accommodation and tuition (Linden will also be attending the University Presidential Inaugural Conference). Now I had decided to thrown some money in anyway but your should see this guys resume - it is phenomenal! I couldn't imagine anyone I want more to be there as a representative of our country.

So, if you want to thrown some coinage Linden's way, you can contact Tom directly on pilbara@mp.wa.gov.au or let me know and I can pass on a whatever details you need (Tom's letter, the resume, bank details or whatever). If not, please think good thoughts for this young many as he embarks on what surely will be a life changing trip :-)

Photo by David King

The House Is Small But The Welcome Is Big.

Children orphaned by AIDS and aged between 11 and 18, living in Mozambique's capital, Maputo, were given cameras to document their lives. The project is called The House Is Small But The Welcome Is Big.

This photo was taken by Irenio (18) who with his sister Saquina (16) run their household since their mother dies of AIDS last year.

Irenio wanted to be sure to document beauty in his life - he did not want the world to think that his life reflected only poverty or sadness.

He especially wanted to capture the kids, who like him, perform Capoeria [Brazilian martial art form] on the green grass at the nearby golf course.

Irenio and Saquina's family live in two of their home's three rooms. For extra money, they rent their third room for $10 per month.

They do not have running water or electricity.

See the rest of the photos, all of which are mighty powerful - and bring a tissue .

Onya Big Kim!

Former Labor leader Kim Beazley has been appointed chancellor of the Australian National University (ANU).

Professor Beazley is currently working at the University of Western Australia where he took up a post after retiring from politics last year.

During his 27 year political career he served as deputy prime minister, defence minister and leader of the Opposition.

ANU vice-chancellor Ian Chubb says Professor Beazley will be an asset to the university.

"Kim Beazley has made a remarkable contribution to Australia through public office and is now set to continue that record in his role as chancellor of Australia's leading university," he said.

He says Professor Beazley has many strong attributes including his commitment to the education sector and to universities.

"He's very intelligent, he's very well connected in the political, bureaucratic and business world, a lot of the things that you need to add value to the university through a job like that are things that he can bring," he said.

Professor Beazley will take up the appointment at the start of next year.

"He has a commitment to higher education and a knowledge of it that's unparalleled and I think he'll be very very good," he said.

Labor frontbencher Bob McMullan says Professor Beazley also has three important attributes.

"He's got a great commitment to higher education, a profound knowledge of higher education and the leadership and public speaking skills that'll be a great sort of advocacy function for the university."

From ABC Online for the full story click the link.

For Abz

Maya Angelou Honored with Voice of Peace Award

Saturday may have started out gray and drizzly, but by early afternoon it was as sunny inside the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center as it was outside.

That's because the venue was hosting the first of what was hoped to be an annual Voices of Peace celebration, put on by nonprofit group Hope for Peace and Justice, dedicated to "equip[ing] people of faith to be champions of values that will leave the world more compassionate, united, and healthy."

That's according to the Rev. Michael S. Piazza, organization president and the national pastor and dean of the Dallas-based Cathedral of Hope.

Mr. Piazza was just one of several emcees for an afternoon honoring the group's first recipient of its Voice of Peace award, poet Maya Angelou, an award-winning author and civil-rights acticist.

The show drew a packed house that heard an orchestra and the Voices of Peace Chorus, a choir of members of the Women's Chorus of Dallas, the Turtle Creek Chorale and the Cathedral of Hope Sanctuary Choir.

The aggregation filled the bowl of the stage of the Meyerson, all the way up to the magnificent pipe organ, which was also deployed. As this group kicked things off with a number of songs, including several written specifically for Dr. Angelou, the hall's energy began to grow.

The male chorus of the First Baptist Church brought the energy up to tent-revival levels with a rousing version of the old spiritual "Down by the Riverside," a feeling that was clinched by fourth-grader Dalton Sherman, winner of the recent 16th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition. He gave a stirring speech about the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. that drew laughs and a standing ovation.

The keynote, however, was the acceptance speech of Dr. Angelou. Walking slowly onto the stage, she managed to convey both frailty and strength.

Her speech took the biblical theme of the rainbow God sent during the flood to give Noah hope. Anyone who does even the smallest unasked courtesy to a fellow man, she said, was one such rainbow.

At the end of her address, Dr. Angelou thanked the audience for being a "rainbow in my clouds" and asked them to consider her the same.

Judging by the response, that was a foregone conclusion.

Article by Matt Weis in the Dallas Morning News

Unknown Species from the Deep Discovered

Mysterious creatures from the deep have been discovered in waters off the east Antarctic land mass.

Scientists from around the world cruised waters in three ships and trawled at depths of 2,000 metres.

Voyage Leader Dr Martin Riddle says during 20 days of sampling they collected thousands of animals.

He says up to 25 per cent of them are previously unknown species.

"We saw giant worms, giant crustaceans, giant spiders, glass-like tunicates," he said.

"In other places things scraped bare and barren by iceberg scour so a huge diversity of life, very colourful, very rich, far exceeding any of our expectations."

Dr Riddle says the scientists specialising in cold water fish, had never seen anything like it.

"They had fins in various places, they had funny dangly bits around their mouths," he said.

"We were working on the bottom so they were all bottom dwellers so they were all evolved in different ways to live down on the sea bed in the dark so many of them had very large eyes, very strange looking fish."

The specimens have been sent to universities and museums around the world for analysis.

Further details and photos from the ABC.

Digital Archives Connect Indigenous Communities to Their Past

Most of us take the family photo album for granted - a record, sometimes going back for generations, of births and weddings and the memorable events in between.

Not for most impoverished Aboriginal communities.

For them, either there were no photos, or they were taken by missionaries or white bureaucrats who took any photos with them when they left.

Now a project in Tennant Creek is helping to return a lifetime of photographs, movies and songs that the local Warumungu people thought they had lost forever.

It is all the brainchild of American researcher Kimberly Christen, a researcher into Indigenous issues at Washington State University.

"The Warumungu community there has done so much outreach themselves just to find these people who have boxes underneath their beds of old photos that really belong to the community, because it's their personal history, but know it's just been taken away," she said.

All Warumungu people can use the computer archive, but there are cultural protocols to protect sensitive or sacred information.

The Warumungu people have contacted missionaries, museums, individuals - even cattle stations - for copies of any photos or recordings that document their history.

By Anne Barker. Full story on the ABC here.

Elections for Burma

Burma's military Government will hold a referendum on a new constitution in May this year followed by multi-party elections in 2010, the first in two decades, state television announced.

"In accord with the fourth step of the seven-step roadmap to democracy, a nationwide referendum will be held in May 2008 to ratify the newly drafted constitution," it said.

The new constitution, now being drafted after the completion of a national convention first convened in the 1990s, will be finished soon, the statement said.

The constitution is believed likely to disbar detained Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from office by ruling out anyone married to a foreigner, as she was, and to ensure the top leadership comes from the military. Ms Suu Kyi's husband, British academic Michael Aris, died in March 1999.

Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy swept the last multi-party election in Burma in 1990 after the army had crushed nationwide pro-democracy demonstrations with the loss of several thousand lives.

The military, which has ruled the country since 1962, ignored the result and she has spent much of the time since then in detention.

For the full story, click the ABC here.

Admin Note

The Sports Report and Good News stories will now become periodic rather than regular postings.

Rebels Sign DR Congo Peace Accord

Fighters loyal to Laurent Nkunda, a renegade general, have signed a peace deal with the government of Democratic Republic of COngo (DRC) and an armed tribal group

Joseph Kabila, the DRC president, attended the signing in Goma, the capital of eastern North Kivu province, which suffered heavy fighting in recent months.

The accord on Wednesday followed two weeks of negotiations.

The UN and Western governments, which have exerted heavy diplomatic pressure for a peace deal to be signed, hope the accord can put an end to fighting in the east, which has raged on despite the official end of Congo's 1998-2003 war. Kabila's government, Nkunda's Tutsi rebels and the Mai Mai militia group had been due to sign the peace deal on Tuesday, but last minute disagreements from Nkunda's side over the draft delayed the signing.

Continuing violence has impoverished the country's east. Up to 1,500 Congolese die in the region every day, mostly from preventable diseases and malnutrition, aid workers say.

Story from Al Jazeera

KOTO - Know One, Train One

KOTO is a not-for-profit restaurant and vocational training program that is changing the lives of street and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam.

“The greatest accomplishment for the person who has helped you, is to see you stand on your own two feet and then in turn help someone else that reminds you of yourself, because if you Know One, then you should Teach One.”

Mr Jimmy Pham,
KOTO Founder and Director

Jimmy Pham once helped four street kids get clean, now he runs a remarkable charity that has attracted international support, writes Fergus Shiel.

Since its establishment in September 2000, KOTO has trained well over 100 kids as skilled hospitality professionals, hosted international dignitaries including US president Bill Clinton and won the backing of the Australian Embassy among others. Graduates have the world at their feet with job offers coming from some of the best resturants and hotels in Vietnam and abroad.

Pham's life changed forever during a brief trip to frenetic Saigon in the mid-'90s.

"One evening I went for a walk and met four kids selling coconuts who told me they showered next to an open sewer twice a week and paid for the privilege. Next day, I organised for them to have a proper wash and by the time I left I was paying for 60 kids to wash and eat."

Pham financed KOTO with close to $100,000 borrowed from his family, having spent four years building trust among Hanoi's street kid community, supporting up to 60 of them on the money he earned as a travel industry consultant and tour guide.

KOTO is mostly self-funded but can always use help. It is a story of a hand up not a hand out.

Boy is Empowered by His Weakness

Michael Guggenheim's dysgraphia, a learning disorder that impairs his writing, spurred him to open a nonprofit that teaches homeless students how to use computers.

By Francisco Vara-Orta, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Every Wednesday in North Hollywood, Michael Guggenheim teaches a handful of students how to type their names and basic phrases in Microsoft Word and how to work with math, vocabulary and typing programs.

At a recent tutoring session, Michael moved between the laptops used by shelter residents Alicia Lewis and Heaven Sanders, both 7. He coached them for 30 minutes on typing their names, then switched to a half hour of vocabulary and math games.

But Michael is not just another teacher. He is 12, a sixth-grader at Los Encinos School in Encino. He can't drive, vote or write much with a pencil, but he started a nonprofit when he was 11 and teaches computer skills to elementary students once a week.

He doesn't regard his dysgraphia, a learning disorder that severely impairs writing, as a disability. Instead, he has turned it into a driving force.For starters, he was quick to discover that he could use a computer, and now he earns straight A's using a laptop for course work.

Later, he started the nonprofit organization that takes laptops and educational software to elementary school children in homeless shelters.

"The tool that changed my life was a laptop, and it's a skill that's necessary to learn to get good grades and a good job so you aren't left behind."

Dysgraphia, a form of dyslexia, makes it difficult to write by hand. It is a lifelong condition that has nothing to do with intelligence. Like some people with dysgraphia, Michael experiences pain while trying to write. His written work is illegible after a few sentences, and even tying his shoes can be difficult.

Michael was inspired to start his nonprofit -- which he christened Showing People Learning and Technology, or SPLAT -- after participating in school-sponsored volunteer work and observing that some children had little or no access to technology.

So far, he's been able to acquire four laptops and about 20 CDs of donated software by writing to manufacturers and businesses, painstakingly signing each letter.

"Where I think some may see having dysgraphia as a disadvantage, I don't, because my computer skills and teaching these kids is helping me gain even more knowledge," Michael said. "And it exposes me to people I may have never met."

Small Change, Big Difference

The Small change, Big difference campaign encourages people to make minor changes in their lifestyles to give them a better chance of living longer, healthier lives.

It is aimed at adults with a message that it is never too late to start, and that even small changes in diet and physical activity can make a difference.

The idea that small changes are not only a step in the right direction but have proven benefit in themselves is new.

The research has identified that day to day activities, including what you do at work and at home can extend a person's life by up to three years.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

The maximum amounts of additional exercise you need to do to get the most health benefit, depend largely on the type of job you do. If your job involves a lot of physical work, you might already be doing enough daily exercise.

The following list of professions will help to give you an idea of the maximum daily amount of physical activity you should be doing: office workers need one hour; hairdressers, shop assistants and guards need 30 minutes; and, plumbers, cleaners, nurses, bricklayers and construction workers are already doing enough daily exercise at work.

But remember, you don't have to try and do all of the extra activity at once. Start small and build up gradually at your own pace.

For example, if you should be doing an extra hour a day, start with 10 minutes and build up from there. Remember, some activity is better than none, and building more activity into your daily routine will be of huge benefit to you.

HEALTHY EATING

If you would prefer to change what you eat, here are some tips on how to get that extra portion of fruit or serving of vegetables each day.

* Next time you reach for a snack, grab a piece of fresh fruit instead of crisps or chocolate

* have a glass of fruit juice when you are feeling thirsty instead of tea, coffee or a fizzy drink

* add some salad to at least one meal you have each day

* stir a handful of fresh or frozen vegetables into pasta, soup or noodles

* top your pizza with extra veg such as peppers, mushrooms, onions tomatoes.

Just eating one piece of fruit or serving of vegetables a day is better than eating none at all.

A Beacon of Hope for the Homeless

By Rick Baker, Ronnie Duncan and Robert Lynch, Special to the Times

Published December 25, 2007

This year on Christmas and New Year's Eve, many homeless will have a place to rest their heads thanks to an amazing partnership among a county, cities and a charitable outreach. Since its opening, Pinellas Hope has provided safe ground for more than 200 women and men each night and will continue to do so until the end of April.

For Christians, Christmas is all about homelessness. Joseph and Mary had to settle for a cave on a cold night. Soon, according to the Gospel accounts, they would have to settle for illegal immigrant status as well, as one ruler's jealousy forced them to flee into Egypt and hide from the authorities.

Perhaps it is with this historical precedent in mind that so many people have stepped forward to assist in myriad ways with Pinellas Hope. Originally, it was felt that only one meal per day could be provided. Interested citizens have come forward to offer breakfast and lunch to those who must remain throughout the day. All manner of necessities of life have been donated by businesses and individuals to assist those living in hope to await the dawning of another and possibly better day.

Pinellas Hope is not a perfect solution to the challenge of caring for the homeless in Pinellas County. That was never promised. But Pinellas Hope has challenged the heart of a larger community more than ever imagined and that community has responded with compassion and support. The goal of Pinellas Hope is to find permanent housing for its temporary occupants and sustainable jobs that will offer a modicum of self-respect. There is no happier moment for the community gathered on 126th Avenue N than when one or more of the residents leave for good for permanent housing or a job.

There are still bumps and ruts in the road to self-sufficiency to be negotiated, resolved, settled. Organizers of Pinellas Hope learn something new every day and changes and modifications of the plan are required. But this Christmas and New Year's Eve, one thing can be taken to the bank. There is a star shining in the sky which offers hope to the homeless and can lead them to a better life. Our thanks to all who made Pinellas Hope possible.

Rick Baker is the mayor of St. Petersburg, Ronnie Duncan is a Pinellas County commissioner and Robert Lynch is bishop of the Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg.

What If They Held A War

"What if they held a war
And nobody came"
Anonynmous

Yesterday it was announced that in the holiday spirit, peace has broken out all over the world.

Well that is the official reason, the *real* reason is that the bean-counters have become involved. It is been ascertained that if the budgets directed at war were re-directed into social programs - weird things like providing people with food and shelter and medical services and education - then the impetus for war will virtually be eliminated. And there would still be significant funds left over.

Yes there are still negotiations that need to occur over land issues, who's god is the real god and the like, but now that the population is generally sure that they will be able to live for another day - as will their children - much of the anger that fired the original debate has dissipated.

It has been acknowledged that there will always be the greedy people, as well as those with a lust for power, but with this new system, it is less likely they will be able to fire up the general populace.

So, Happy Holidays (yes I know they aren't all right now) - be it Christmas, Ramadan, Kwanza, Hannukah, Solstice or any others that I missed.

Long Live Clem's Legacy

Clem Jones has passed today.

Clem Jones AO was the Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 1961 to 1975.In 1961, Brisbane was a city with no town planning, many unpaved streets, limited water supply, and few areas with sewers. Through the 60's, Jones successfully led the council to develop a town plan, seal roads, improve drainage, and connect sewers to most of the city. The city council, under his stewardship, purchased city properties to build underground car parks, which were then topped with public parks and gardens. In the suburbs, land was acquired for open space and parkland. Work started on the development of the Brisbane Botanic Gardens.

During the 14 years that Clem was Mayor, he refused to be paid a cent for his services.

A surveyor by profession and cricket ground curator of some renown, Clem's civic service continued well after his retirement from politics through his membership of many civic, sporting, and professional bodies, such as the Darwin Reconstruction Commission following Cyclone Tracey, the Western Queensland Flood Appeal, and his election as delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1998. His vision, enthusiasm, and energy have made him a commanding force in many projects, including aged and disabled persons care, World Masters Games, and Queensland football. His honours include the key to the city of Brisbane and recognition for his contribution to sport with an Associate Membership of the Australian Sporting Hall of Fame.

I have chosen this as today's Good News Story - not because he has passed, but because he lived.

Acknowledgement to Wiki and The Australian Of the Year pages for research assistance.

Karma Currency

I have already posted my Christmas wish list but I have just discovered Karma Currency and they are definitely worth a look.

It works by (say) I buy someone a $50 voucher for someone for Christmas. I actually pay a couple of dollars more to cover KC's administration costs so I know that my friend can have the entire $50 to spend. She can then go to the website and choose from over 100 Australian charities. She might give all of it to one charity, or divide it amongst any of the charities listed. If she has a specific charity in mind, and they haven't signed with KC, she can even let KC know and they can follow up for you.

KC also works for birthdays or any other RAK you may want to do. You can even register for a wedding this way!

Mandela Honored by Mo Ibrahim Foundation

Thursday, 29 November 2007

Former South African President Nelson Mandela was named Honorary Laureate of the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership at a ceremony held in Egypt on Monday. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation bestowed the title upon Nelson Mandela in recognition of his extraordinary leadership qualities and achievements. Honorary Laureate: Nelson Mandela “Nelson Mandela stands as an inspiration, in South Africa and throughout the world, to all who share his devotion to democracy and equality. In presenting this Laureate, the Foundation would like to celebrate his extraordinary achievements and support the important work of the foundations he has established,” said Dr. Mo Ibrahim, successful African business and founder of the organisation. In recognition of the award, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation will be making a grant to the four organisations carrying on the work of Nelson Mandela and his wife, Graça Machel - the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, and the Foundation for Community Development in Mozambique. In a statement Nelson Mandela said he was proud to be the Foundation’s Honorary Laureate and accepted the honour on behalf of all those across the continent who made it possible. In October this year Joachim Chissano, the former President of Mozambique, was announced as the first winner of the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, the world’s largest prize, worth US$ 5 million over ten years. The ceremony on Monday was held to honour the achievements of both former presidents Chissano and Mandela. Upon accepting his award, Chissano thanked the Mo Ibrahim Foundation for their work in promoting good governance in Africa and reminded African leaders of the important role they play in Africa’s development. “We must fight corruption and promote integrity and good governance. And we need to establish a sustained process of national dialogue and reconciliation in all the countries emerging from conflict. In short, we need to work towards building capable states in Africa,” said Chissano. Over 500 invited attended the function that featured live performances from some of Africa’s greatest artist including Salif Keita and Anjelique Kidjo. More stories here