Marriage Equality

So, someone tweeted me a link reminding me to write to my local MPs on marriage equality. Here's a summary:

Dear Rob,

I know a lot of gay voters in the electorate.

You're a reasonable guy, you probably recognise that the majority of the population supports gay marriage.

It's one more step to removing state sponsored discrimination, which will eventually help to reduce homophobia. That means that students at schools in rural Australia won't have to deal with the same level of consistent abuse as the gay students I knew at Chatham High.

I hope we can all count on you to push for marriage equality.

Yours sincerely,
Michael Kelly

I sent one to Joe Hockey also, but using some more flavored language, as he was recently reported making some unsavoury remarks about gays in the media.

Congratulations, and...

Unable to stand idly by in such an exciting time for Australia, I penned an email to my local member and (now) political power broker Independent Rob Oakeshott about this momentous moment, and who deserves to be granted supply.

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Rob Oakeshott,

Like so many others, I want to congratulate you on your phenomenal win this election, deservingly retaining our electorate; and particularly showing that independents are indeed a powerful force in Australian democracy.

I want to remind you that many like myself are inspired by your leadership, and are looking forward to seeing you represent us in a progressive way.

You know only too well the limitations of the telecommunications network in our area. It's a massive issue around the nation, especially in regional Australia. Around the Manning area, we still have people who can't access ADSL, let alone broadband. These people are still on dial-up, it shows clearly how regional Australia has been ignored and left behind. So many regional Australians have been told that wireless can meet their needs, been duped, and left out of pocket with wireless hardware that is just as slow as dial-up, at several times the price.

We know that the Liberal government's half baked approach to the digital economy will echo Telstra's approach: promising solutions, implementing technology that's doomed to fail, and ignoring the end users pleas and frustration when they are left with a hopeless connection. It is this sort of failed policy on the digital future which will continue to drain the youth out of the regions of Australia, weakening areas like the Manning.

Having been schooled in the area, and having a passion for public education, I am still involved with both of my old schools (Crowdy Head Public and Chatham High) and their students. My dad lives in Crowdy Head, and teaches at several primary schools around the region. He bemoans the lack of permanent facilities; and like so many he is elated at the Education Revolution's construction of permanent classroom facilities. I am naturally cynical toward initiatives that involve the Dept. of Educ and Training, but I can honestly say I was overwhelmingly impressed by the implementation of the laptop per child program. These initiatives have made me all the more excited about becoming a rural/regional public school teacher, in the hope that I will be teaching in a system that is properly funded, and respects the role of the internet in the future of education; made possible my a traditionally egalitarian Rudd/Gillard government.

On the other side of politics, we have a sexist, homophobic racist. An international embarrassment.

The next few years promise to be a fascinating ride, we all look forward to watching on as you and your fellow independents exercise a powerful voice in Australian democracy on behalf of regional Australia and the country at large. I strongly hope that you will vote for the less shameful side of government on supply, such that we needn't be ashamed of our PM, our digital future, or our education system. Equally, I look forward to seeing the government held accountable for every decision they make from here on, by a truly independent balance of power in the House of Representatives.

Regards,
Michael Kelly

Lyne Constituent

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Oakshott's website and email.

Images from Focus Mag and Oakeshott's website respectively.

Email to UN about Alum Mountain

This morning I wrote an email to Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous Peoples, James Anaya, about the Bulahdelah bypass.

I haven't time to write anything more in depth this morning; but adding another voice to the discourse can't hurt. James' contact details are as follows:

OHCHR, United Nation
1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland

Tel. + 41 - 22 917 96 47 fax + 41 - 22 917 60 10

Email: indigenous@ohchr.org

[Photo credits go to Wilderness Kev for both images]

There is a bunch of info about the situation if you don't know whats going on or just want to find out more.

Manning Times article on ICAC submissions

NBN Snipped about eviction of traditional owners

FB group: Bulahdelah bypass - The facts

And of course, Google for more info.

Prof. Anaya,

You have probably been contacted by others in relation to the current action by the Roads and Traffic Authority in NSW, Australia to decimate a number of sacred Aboriginal sites. They are planning a highway through the Bulahdelah (Alum) mountain, a landmark significant to local people, but most sacred to Aboriginal people. But it is not just the sacred ancient mountain itself that is under threat; the site also contains the Healing Tree, and the sacred Healing Stream, amongst others.

Our government has an appalling record on Indigenous issue: from the racial genocide upon which Australia was founded, to the dispossession, the stolen generation, race based restrictions on transport and rights, classification of Aboriginal people as fauna, and even the much more recent and continuing military 'intervention' in the Northern Territory, which is largely in contravention of the recommendations of the Little Children Are Sacred report upon which the intervention was allegedly founded.

This government has proven time and time again that it cannot be trusted on issues related to race. I hope that you will make contact with our government and let them know that what they are doing is wrong; they will not listen to us, but maybe they will listen to you.

Regards,
Michael Joseph Kelly

Mos Def, and...

I heard this song on Triple J the other day and tracked it down. It is called Auditorium, and was released by Mos Def, but features Slick Rick. He sings the verse, that made the song stand out to me (I've since tracked down some of his releases). Anyhow I went looking for lyrics to this track, and found none of integrity, so I decided to pen out my own; but it seemed less appropriate when written. You really need to check out the track to get it, because the words merely leave one thinking: 'Huh?'. The relevant section starts at around 2:30.

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Also, un-relatedly, coming up soon (where 'soon' means 'eventually'), what do these images:

Have in common with this one:

Find out about this, and about the effect of our current dual system schools on society, and maybe a little about how to build an atomic bomb; with the launch of some new content at some stage soon. Will be announced.

An odour came in the window thismorning, and has permeated my day. The house began to smell, and when I burst forth expecting fresh air out the back door, I began to dry wretch and the stench only intensified outside. I scampered to the train station, pausing only to cough and hack from the newly induced illness. It resurfaced briefly on the breeze at the platform, before disappearing; leaving only the lingering unpleasantness in my nostrils.

Alas, my freedom was not to last. When I got off the bus, I was again assulted by this smell. Just once, brief but intense, carried on the breeze. I went inside, up to level four, and found a couch. I was now bothered only by the sound of the wind in the eaves, the bright wooden light fixtures above me,and my own difficulty staying awake as I reclined on the expansive grey-brown leather couch.

Image: Entrance stairs to the library (Photocredit: Andreisky) bacause I couldn't find a shot of the couch itself.

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I have a number of significant assesments this week, including an essay and three exams, so it is unlikely that I will find time to express anythign else in the same detail as this. You'll have to make do.

Hope all is well, world.
m'

Delayed

This post has been waiting for some time to be posted, in order to get the promised photographs from vodafone. I still haven't got them, but cannot hold off on posting any further.

It’s Friday afternoon, I am sitting on a bus, and I think now is a perfect time to begin looking back on my week. A few interesting things have happened this week, including skydiving and performing at the opera house.

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Last week, Friday afternoon, I was en route to uni when I was approached by the vodaphone marketing team; they wanted me to ‘make the most of now’. This involved climbing a ladder and jumping onto a massive foam mat. I know, it sounds fun right? Well, it is.

Note that these photos remain unavailable due to an ongoing dispute with vodafone; I will post the images here once the issue is resolved.

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Quite a few weeks ago, I began learning an opera with an insane but brilliant conductor by the name of Karen. This consisted of two sessions maybe an hour each of trying to figure out what the words were, and having a brief look at the tune, and an even briefer look at the timing. That was about 15 weeks ago. Two weeks ago we had another rehearsal, involving the choir en masse, followed by a rehearsal with the orchestra. Days later, we were doing our final rehearsal at the opera house, ready for a major performance.

To cut an (extremely) long story short, the show went off without a hitch, although I was reading much of the words, tune and timing straight off the score.

For those of you who know about such things (I certainly don’t) the opera was Aida, by Verde; though I only did The Triumphal March. Also, for those interested, I was a bass two (The lower of the two bass parts).

My sister and I at the opera house after ther performance.

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In mildly annoying news, I secured a contract for work this past week and next. Unfortunately I had to take leave on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday for uni, and then when I found out about the opera house performance, Tuesday also. To add to this, next Monday is a public holiday. That makes a two week contract into a five day one. Today being the first day, I went in and got busy, only to find out halfway through the day that I had been hired by mistake; of course they let me work today, and thankfully also next Tuesday, but probably not the rest off the week. This is a shame for my bank account, but probably pretty good for my exams the week following. (Edit: I ended up working 12 hours on Tuesday, and working a full day also on Wednesday. I know this isn't very interesting to y'all, but I get so little work here that every bit makes a difference!)

In other, better news, I may have more work there later (with my own ‘office’, too).

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Out of date

As I write this, I am sitting on a train on my way to see Dylan Moran. I left only realised the time (I was yet to pack, clean the house, get changed, go to the station, buy a ticket etc.) about 10–15 minutes before the last train left. I managed it.



But now think I should write something about the incident currently occurring:

Firstly I’ll make reference to my previous post about north shore girls on trains (Oh. My. God. Like, so totally fall–out–boy). These people made me want to leave the north shore to avoid having to listen to them. I’m on the train now that goes to Newcastle, and experiencing some conversation from the local equivalent. Less American teeny bopper trash, more bogan trailer trash.

Anyhow; a few minutes ago a sulphurous smell began to permeate the carriage. The smell was not unusual for trains, but was stronger than the norm’, but nothing too unbearable. The smell hung for a few minutes before either of these girls noticed, but once they did: (Stops playing with belly button ring) “Oh fuck me, I’m gonna’ spew, and I ain’t kidding..” The conversation then began about the nature of the odour, and soon myself and the engineering student next to me began to discuss an even more concerning point: the carriage is slowly beginning to fill with smoke…

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It is Saturday, and today I have started my major essay for Education. It is due on Monday, and tonight I’m going to Newcastle, then tomorrow I have rehearsals for this opera house production. I think this time I may have procrastinated a little too much.

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Ok, quite some time has passed, and all of that is out of date. The story on the train finishes with no train explosion, but there is an interesting conclusion which would be drawn (if I could find the motivation to type it up) about a the return journey, and my spreading hatred of the north shore. Suffice to leave it with you reading aloud from the screen in the slowest and whiniest drawl you can possibly summon:

“Yaaa, so, like you Daaad. He would’ thort I was like a real intelligent girl and shit, like with lotsa oppurtunities and that hey. Then as soon as he found out we was like heroin addicts he just like didn’t want anything to do with me hay?”

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Coming soon:

Hopefully some photos of me skidiving on Friday, and some reflection on the interesting drama due to unfold at the opera house over the next few days.