#i lived in canberra for 14 years

[calandrinon]

I don't know enough about the US to know if this is accurate but "due to historic regional rivalries, build a brand new city to dump all of the federal politicians in" is 100% accurate for Canberra

Explaining Australia to Americans

by Mighty_Crow_Eater

[milascenta]

December 24th 10:49pm

I have been to many doctors at this point. Respiratory specialist, vascular surgeon, haematologist, cardiologist in April, many gp appointments, and many tests and exams run on me. They discovered I have something called Venous Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, ( if you didnt know, i found out that your thoracic outlet is the space between your collar bone and first rib and it runs your artery, main vein and nerve that runs down your arm from your heart). Normal people have enough space between them mine apparently is under a cm 0.88cm to be exact and when I move my arm to a 90° angle it decreases to 0.45cm and then if I move my arm above my head so about 180° it decreases to 0.17cm. Bit intense lol.

Back in September I noticed my arm started to turn purple/blue, thought it was weird. Couldn't see a doctor right away as we had a gig in Canberra, on the way there my arm felt so tight and painful, stretching helped but not for long. Playing my arm would cramp up and tire easily (still haven't dropped my pick before, knock on wood)

After we got back I went to a doctor, not my normal one as I don't live near them anymore, first thing, he thought it was interesting too, told me to get an ultrasound on it, but couldn't get an appointment for days afterwards. I ended up being able to see my normal gp and he thought it was interesting too lol and he got another doctor in for his option, you guessed it thought it was weird. They told me to get a bunch of tests done, and that going to the ER would be better to do them as they're all in one place. I go to the ER at 1pm, and the 17 hour waiting room/tests begin. I had an ecg, ultrasound, two ct scans and a failed mri. I didn't realise I was claustrophobic like that. I felt so angry that I couldn't continue with it. In my defence they kept me int here for like 20 minutes telling me to breathe weird like breathe in then out then hold, over and over. I had a pulmonary embolism and they were getting me to that so much. When I got out they said they didn't even get to the important stuff too that there was 10 minutes left, what were they doing for 20 minutes then? Jerking off to me breathing? The other tests were enough though. They found blood clots in my arm, one was 11cm under my arm pit and down my bicep, the other was under my collar bone, and one in my lung. What they didn't know at the time was why a 25(at the time I'm 26 now) year old would get blood clots and getting them in your arm is rare enough. I had a doctor come in and take pictures of my chest as the veins coming from my heart are so pronounced on my right side, but it should go down.

I was put on blood thinners and after 48 hours of being in hospital I was let out. 17 hours in a waiting room, I got there at 1pm got a bed at like 6am the next day and let out around 1pm the day after. I'm clot free now. Though there are still more tests to be done, I'm not at the end of this yet. I have to get the all clear from the respiratory specialist to go off the blood thinners and then once I'm off them I can get blood tests to see if I have a blood clotting problem and if I don't then I go back to the vascular surgeon and we consider surgery, removing the first rib. If I have a blood problem then I'll be on blood thinners indefinitely anyway so surgery can be a later thing.

I don't know how I feel about surgery, really I just want all this to be over so I can move on with my life.

I felt a massive change when I was in hospital though. I felt for the first time in my life I was kinda forced to look at my position and re-evaluate things. I want different things now. I want to study again, do something I've wanted to do since I was 14, study science like I was supposed to do. I going to go back to university for astrophysics. You how much I love space and hearing you talk about how much you keep up with all the news let's me know it  really is something I should pursue. I've been relearning maths and physics again and getting immersed in it. Also got addicted to cyberpunk 2077 and the whole genre in general but thats beside the point lol.

I'll finally be able to work again next year, find something less physically intense. I used to work hospitality, I was a mixologist in the end, which was a passion I developed while working in fine dining. I love making cocktails, hopefully I can make you one, one day. Though I won't be able to return to it, I'll be able to find something more officey maybe.

You look SO beautiful in that dress, I hope you had fun at the party too. I mso jealous of all that get to see you in person and I hope everyone at that party knows how good you looked. I'm sorry this post is late but I realised it's almost Christmas and maybe this can be a nice surprise for you on Christmas. Merry Christmas N, I hope its filled with love and joy and i hope you know I'm sending love and warmth your way.

I noticed one of your new tattoos..

Following the footsteps of a rag doll dance we are entranced..

[warningsine]

https://www.reuters.com/world/wikileaks-julian-assange-set-be-freed-after-pleading-guilty-us-espionage-charge-2024-06-25/

SYDNEY/WASHINGTON, June 25 (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is due to plead guilty on Wednesday to violating U.S. espionage law, in a deal that will set him free after a 14-year British legal odyssey and allow his return home to Australia.

Assange, 52, has agreed to plead guilty to a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified U.S. national defence documents, according to filings in the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.

The deal marks the end of a legal saga that has seen Assange spend more than five years in a British high-security jail and seven holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London as he fought accusations of sex crimes in Sweden and battled extradition to the U.S., where he faced 18 criminal charges.

The U.S. government viewed him as a reckless villain who had endangered the lives of agents through WikiLeaks' mass release of secret U.S. documents - the largest security breaches of their kind in U.S. military history.

But to free press advocates and his supporters, which includes world leaders, celebrities and some prominent journalists, he is a hero for exposing wrongdoing and alleged war crimes, and was persecuted for embarrassing U.S. authorities.

On Wednesday, Assange is due to be sentenced to 62 months of time already served at a hearing in Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, at 9 a.m. local time (2300 GMT Tuesday).

The U.S. territory in the Pacific was chosen due to Assange's opposition to travelling to the mainland U.S. and for its proximity to Australia, prosecutors said.

Australian-born Assange left Belmarsh maximum security jail in the early hours of Monday, before being bailed by the London High Court and later boarding a flight, his wife, Stella Assange said. He was currently on a stopover in Bangkok, she said.

"I feel elated," Stella, who flew to Australia from London on Sunday with the couple's two children, told Reuters.

"I also feel worried ... Until it's fully signed off, I worry, but it looks like we've got there."

A video posted on X by Wikileaks showed Assange dressed in a blue shirt and jeans signing a document before boarding a private jet. After the hearing in Saipan, Assange will fly to Canberra where he will arrive on Wednesday, his wife said.

He had recently won permission to appeal against the approval of his U.S. extradition and the case was due to be heard at London's High Court next month, a factor that Stella Assange said helped galvanise talks over a deal.

'TOO LONG'

The Australian government, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, has been pressing U.S. President Joe Biden for Assange's release but declined to comment on the legal proceedings as they were ongoing.

"There is nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration and we want him brought home to Australia," Albanese said in the country's parliament.

WikiLeaks came to prominence in 2010 after it released hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. military documents on Washington's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq along with swaths of diplomatic cables.

The trove of more than 700,000 documents included battlefield accounts such as a 2007 video of a U.S. Apache helicopter firing at suspected insurgents in Iraq, killing a dozen people including two Reuters news staff. That video was released in 2010.

"Julian Assange endangered the lives of our troops in a time of war and should have been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," said Mike Pence, who served as U.S. Vice President under Donald Trump when the charges were brought against Assange.

"The Biden administration’s plea deal with Assange is a miscarriage of justice and dishonors the service and sacrifice of the men and women of our Armed Forces and their families," he said on X.

The charges against Assange sparked outrage among his many global supporters who have long argued that as the publisher of Wikileaks he should not face charges typically used against federal government employees who steal or leak information.

Many press freedom advocates have argued that criminally charging Assange is a threat to free speech and journalism.

Alan Rusbridger, a former editor of Britain's Guardian newspaper, one of the global titles which worked with WikiLeaks to publish some of the leaked material, said it was "pretty disturbing" that espionage laws were being used to target those who revealed uncomfortable information for states.

Stella Assange said the U.S. government should have dropped the case against her husband altogether.

"We will be seeking a pardon, obviously, but the fact that there is a guilty plea, under the Espionage Act, in relation to obtaining and disclosing national defence information is obviously a very serious concern for journalists," she said.

SWEDISH ALLEGATIONS

Assange was first arrested in Britain in 2010 on a European arrest warrant after Swedish authorities said they wanted to question him over sex-crime allegations that were later dropped. He fled to Ecuador's embassy, where he remained for seven years, to avoid extradition to Sweden.

He and Stella, a lawyer who worked on his case, had two children during his time there. He was dragged out of the embassy in 2019 after Ecuador withdrew his asylum status.

He was jailed for skipping bail and has been in Belmarsh ever since, latterly fighting extradition to the United States.

"Millions of people who have been advocating for Julian, it is almost time for them to have a drink and a celebration," his brother Gabriel Shipton told Reuters from France.

[melancholybluu]

turning 20 in a few months and i have many thoughts about it because tbh i am really unhappy with what im doing and where i am in my life bc I should’ve been doing so much more but i genuinely just can’t afford to, and it’s so disheartening that I have all this talent and intellect and i can’t afford to be recognised for it because university costs money and i live on my own with no help from family or really anyone in an apartment 40 minutes away from town when it’s under 10 mins drive, and I can’t get a job anywhere in town because of my fuckass dad and mum because as soon as ppl see my last name or even me they know whose daughter I am and turn me away and irs soooo annoying it makes me wanna explode!!!!! last year was a string of situations hips and heartache and I really wanna open my heart and really be in love with someone again because for some reason it’s clicked in my head this year that I deserve more than I’ve been given romantically. I want to fall in love as hard as I did when I was 14 with someone who can actually reciprocate those feelings and not bounce around how they feel or be a terrible person overall. I just wish I was in Canberra going to uni and working and meeting new people and seeing new things and just being somewhere where I don’t have to be reminded of every single bad thing that’s ever happened to me because I’ve lived in the same town my whole life!! I just need a car or something and I will be set I think, but honestly I just wish I was able to do more.

[junker-town]

Josh Giddey is the NBA draft pick who almost slipped through the cracks

How Josh Giddey went from being cut by his Australian state team to a potential NBA draft lottery pick.

Josh Giddey knew he was down to his last chance. As he arrived at a multi-day basketball jamboree known as the East Coast Challenge, Giddey was one of 60 youth players competing from the Australian states of Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia hoping to be selected for the prestigious state team.

State basketball is the pathway to a brighter future in the game in Australia, but it had alluded Giddey to this point. Three times he had tried out for state-level basketball, and three times he had received an email at the end of the event telling him he’d been cut. Only 16 years old and already realizing he was at a crossroads in his career, Giddey was determined not to let it happen again.

He had the benefit of a recent growth spurt this time around that taken him up to 6’8 as a point guard. The added height only accentuated the gifts that always made him stand out: his passing and playmaking, and perhaps more importantly his ability to think one step ahead of the next defensive adjustment. After shining at the camp, the anxious hours waiting to hear if he was selected turned into a quiet confidence.

“I kept promising myself I wouldn’t get cut, I wouldn’t get cut, and the last opportunity I had to make the state team I didn’t get cut,” Giddey told SB Nation. “I finally got that one email I was waiting for.”

Giddey’s life has been in overdrive ever since. After shining at a subsequent national event, he was offered a scholarship by the NBA Global Academy at the Australian Institute of Sport. Giddey moved across the country to Canberra, where he would spend the next 18 months developing his game and his body while competing against peer-aged competition around the world. The accolades he earned at the academy eventually led Giddey to become the first Australian player to be tabbed for the Next Stars program in the country’s domestic professional league, the NBL.

After one season with the Adelaide 36ers, Giddey is now on his way to the 2021 NBA Draft. The same player who couldn’t separate himself from his peers in Victoria only two years ago is now projected as a likely lottery pick.

Giddey is at once on a meteoric rise and still just scratching the surface. He’s one of the youngest players in the draft and has a case as one of the most accomplished given his production in a pro league against seasoned adults. He is still growing into his body and refining his jump shot while already possessing the type of mental processing gifts that can’t be taught. It has been a wild ride to bring him to the precipice of his NBA dreams, but Giddey isn’t the type to get overwhelmed by the moment.

“It’s just good to see the work paying off,” he said.

Photo by Kelly Barnes/Getty Images

Marty Clarke remembers the first time he identified Giddey as a future prospect to watch during his days as a college assistant coach at WCC power Saint Mary’s. A fellow Australian, Clarke was a former teammate of Josh’s dad, Warrick, who enjoyed a long professional career with the NBL’s Melbourne Tigers and had his No. 6 retired by the club. He saw the traits that could eventually make the young guard the type of player Saint Mary’s would one day want to target, but he knew it was going to be a while before they could do so. Giddey was only 12 years old.

“When I first went to St. Mary’s in 2013, I said coach (Randy) Bennett, there’s a kid I want to put on the board but it will be like seven years before we can get him,” Clarke recalls. “He can really pass with his weak hand. He can pass full court, off the dribble, or from penetration. He was kind of doing a lot of that stuff as a 12-14 year old. Now he’s a 6’8 person who can do that.”

Clarke would eventually get his chance to help develop Giddey in a way neither could have anticipated. When the NBA partnered with the Australian Institute of Sport and Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence in 2017 to launch the NBA Global Academy, Clarke left Saint Mary’s to take a job as its technical director. Clarke was the perfect candidate as someone who previously had experience as a coach at the Australian Institute of Sport, and now had familiarity with American college basketball.

The same place that had produced almost every Australian player to reach the NBA — Andrew Bogut, Matthew Dellavedova, Dante Exum, Joe Ingles, Luc Longley, Aron Baynes, and Patty Mills among them — was now further investing in its connection to the league. Clarke would oversee all aspects of player development and coaching for the 12 high school-aged players who were offered a scholarship to the academy.

“We have a really good blue print,” Clarke said. “The Australian academy has been here for 40 years. This is what this place has always been doing, producing Olympians and future NBA players.”

The NBA launched academies in India, Senegal, Mexico, China over the last 10 years as a year-round development initiative for elite youth prospects. Australia’s Global Academy takes teenagers from around the world. In its partnership with the AIS, players with the Global Academy live in dorms and attend classes while preparing them for life as a professional athlete. Instead of trying to win as many games as possible and compete for championships like a college team, the main goal of the academy is individual development.

The players at the Global Academy go to school and training six days per week with only Sundays off. In a typical week, players will be put through regular full team practices, as well as smaller group sessions that focus on things like connecting the bigs to the smalls by drilling pick-and-rolls and post entries. There’s shooting and skill training every morning before school, as well as weight lifting three times per week, and mindfulness training. Spliced in with all of that is education on nutrition, physiology, and personal learning like financial literacy and social media courses.

“Our goal here is when they leave here, they have lots of options,” Clarke said. “We make sure they’re eligible for universities. We want to make sure every door is open when they leave.”

The Global Academy also plays games against peer-aged teams, and that’s where Giddey continued to raise his profile. Giddey would lead the academy to the championship at the prestigious Torneo Junior Ciutat de L’Hospitalet tournament in Spain and was named MVP of the event. He followed it up with a strong showing at Basketball Without Borders during All-Star Weekend last year in Chicago.

“His development since he got here has been off the charts,” Clarke said. “Because he missed that state-level development, he skipped up to another level and had a lot to learn. He jumped a stage, really.”

Giddey’s time at the academy had given him multiple avenues to explore on what he should do next. That’s when he faced the next flashpoint decision in his burgeoning young career: Was he better off going to college in America or staying home to play in Australia?

Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images

Giddey had a long list of American college basketball programs who wanted him. He had standing scholarship offers from Arizona, Colorado, Rutgers, St. John’s, and more. After one college visit in particular, Giddey felt like he was ready to commit.

“I was 99 percent set on college,” Giddey said. “I took a visit to Colorado sometime in 2020, when I left there after my two-day visit, I was ready to commit there. I was about to commit there but my parents said just wait to we get home and we’ll talk about it.

“So I went home and we started talking to some people and they started talking about the NBL Next Star pathway. I met with Jeremy Loeliger, who is the CEO of the NBL, and they really sold it to me. The way they take care of their kids, the opportunity you’ll get to play against grown men at such a young age, I thought that was better for me personally than going to college to play against other kids.”

On April 16, 2020, at just 17 years old, Giddey signed with the Adelaide 36ers of the NBL. He had become the first Australian to take advantage of the league’s ‘Next Stars’ program, which was originally intended to lure top American prospects who didn’t want to play college basketball. Former McDonald’s All-Americans Terrance Ferguson and Brian Bowen were two of the first signees of the program, but it was a decision by LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton to sign in Australia that helped convince Giddey it was the best path for him.

“They surprised everyone with how good they were, especially LaMelo,” said Giddey. “It was good to see because it was something I wanted to do. I wanted to be an NBL player and eventually an NBA player. To see those guys come through gave me the confidence to think I could hopefully do something similar.”

Going from youth tournaments against peer-aged competition to playing against grown men was an enormous adjustment. Giddey struggled with it at first. The ambitious passes that defined his time at the youth level were often becoming turnovers in more meaningful games. He was ice cold as a shooter to start the year, hitting just 2-of-20 shots from three-point range over his first seven games. The biggest issue was playing through contact on both ends of the floor.

“I was struggling with the physicality of the league,” Giddey said of the start to his time in the NBL. “You don’t realize how physical the league is until you actually play against guys that are 35 years old and strong, athletic, and quick. It was just a completely different level to junior basketball. I was playing at a fast pace the whole time. I was rushed, I was nervous.”

He points to his second game as his initial breakthrough, when he finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists against South East Melbourne, and was trusted to take the final shot in regulation. Even though he missed, the 36ers would win in overtime, and Giddey started every game the rest of the season.

Giddey was masterful at times as a facilitator, firing passes to open shooters in the corner with either hand and finding unique angles to get the ball to the big man near the basket. Starting center Daniel Johnson had one of the best seasons of his career at age-33 with Giddey at the controls, and fellow teammate (and former Kentucky big man) Isaac Humphries turned into a dependable scorer, as well. Giddey’s three-point shot also started to come around eventually, hitting 36.7 percent of his shots from deep those first 20 attempts.

“The big thing for me early in the year was I was so down on confidence,” Giddey said. “I was so worried if I missed what people were going to say, what scouts were going to think. There was a point where I spoke to one of my teammates and he told me all of this doesn’t matter. Just shoot every shot like you think you’re going to make it. That was when it switched for me.”

Before season’s end, Giddey had run off three triple-doubles over a four-game stretch and had firmly established himself as a first round NBA draft pick. Given his age and the level of competition, Giddey was remarkably productive: he averaged 10.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and a league-leading 7.5 assists per game on 51 percent true shooting.

Those numbers stack up reasonably well to what Ball did in the same league a year earlier as 6’8 playmaking guard at 18 years old. Ball scored more, but slightly less efficiently (47.9 true shooting) while their rebound, assist, and steal numbers were similar. It is worth noting that while Ball was often deemed reckless as a lead decision-maker, Giddey’s turnover rate was significantly highly at 23.7 vs. Ball’s 12.4.

Giddey isn’t as flexible and shifty as a ball handler as LaMelo, but the baseline similarities and statistical profiles in the same league, at the same age will be tempting for teams, especially following Ball’s run to Rookie of the Year after being the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

“To see how (Ball’s) game translated to the NBA, it’s made me feel even better about my decision,” Giddey said.

The appeal of Giddey for NBA teams starts with his intersection of size and passing. Giddey is an impressive facilitator off a live dribble who will fire passes with either hand while on the move. Against a set defense, Giddey is able to make quick decisions with the ball, and loves to zip a two-handed, overhead pass to his big man in the paint. His interior passing is particularly impressive thanks in part to his ability to leverage his length to find creative angles in tight spaces. The big question for his offensive game will be if he can make opposing defenses respect him enough as a scoring threat to fully unlock his playmaking gifts.

There will be serious questions about Giddey’s athleticism and strength, particularly if he has enough standstill burst to beat his man and force the opposing defense into rotation. Even if Giddey can’t put enough pressure on the rim to be a primary creator, he should be custom-made as a ‘connecting’ piece who can be a secondary facilitator and floor spacer as his jump shot comes around. In Clarke’s eyes, it’s Giddey’s overarching feel for the game that will help him overcome the challenges he sees at the next level.

“He’ll often have quiet first quarters or first halves, and then he’ll have monster second halves,” Clarke said. “He can figure things out on the run, and that’s a skill a lot of players don’t have. He can fix things in game.

“It’s not just feel for the game, it’s feel for the opposition and what they’re trying to do to you. A lot of people have feel for the game when the game is mundane and vanilla. He has feel for the game when it’s chaos going on. He can figure things really quickly.”

As the NBA moves into the pre-draft process, Giddey is widely projected to be taken in the lottery. We had Giddey going No. 14 overall to the Golden State Warriors in our mock draft, while ESPN has him going No. 10 overall to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Giddey’s entrance into the league is also an achievement for the academies the NBA invested in around the world. He’ll be the first male athlete to be drafted into the league after being a full-time academy student. Clarke sees Giddey as the type of player the Australian Institute always dreamed about developing.

“He’s kind of the guy we thought of 30 years ago when we started the program,” said Clarke. “Imagine if we had a whole team of 6’8 guys who are multi-dimensional and can pass, dribble, and shoot, defend multiple positions. We’ll stick one big guy in the middle with four guys like that. Josh is kind of exactly that.

“Coaches always ponder what the future is going to be. I think Josh is what we thought about when I first came here 25 years ago.”

If Giddey embodies the dream of what the AIS always hoped to produce, he also came dangerously close to slipping through the cracks. In the course of just over two years, he has gone from a player who couldn’t make it out of his home state to a possible top-10 NBA draft pick. For a player on such a rapid rise, the next question is the most exciting: how much room to Giddey have to grow from here?

[newstfionline]

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Trudeau’s Liberals win Canada election, but miss majority (AP) Canadians gave Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party a victory in Monday’s parliamentary elections, but his gamble to win a majority of seats failed and nearly mirrored the result of two years ago. Trudeau’s Liberals were leading or elected in 156 seats—one less than they won 2019, and 14 short of the 170 needed for a majority in the House of Commons. The Conservatives were leading or elected in 121 seats, the same number they won in 2019. The leftist New Democrats were leading or elected in 27, a gain of three seats, while the Quebec-based Bloc Québécois remained unchanged with 32 seats and the Greens were down to two. “Trudeau lost his gamble to get a majority so I would say this is a bittersweet victory for him,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal. “Basically we are back to square one, as the new minority parliament will look like the previous one. Trudeau and the Liberals saved their skin and will stay in power, but many Canadians who didn’t want this late summer, pandemic election are probably not amused about the whole situation,” he said.

COVID has killed about as many Americans as the 1918-19 flu (AP) COVID-19 has now killed about as many Americans as the 1918-19 Spanish flu pandemic did—approximately 675,000. And like the worldwide scourge of a century ago, the coronavirus may never entirely disappear from our midst. Instead, scientists hope the virus that causes COVID-19 becomes a mild seasonal bug as human immunity strengthens through vaccination and repeated infection. That would take time. “We hope it will be like getting a cold, but there’s no guarantee,” said Emory University biologist Rustom Antia, who suggests an optimistic scenario in which this could happen over a few years. For now, the pandemic still has the United States and other parts of the world firmly in its jaws.

Why Louisiana’s Electric Grid Failed in Hurricane Ida (NYT) Just weeks before Hurricane Ida knocked out power to much of Louisiana, leaving its residents exposed to extreme heat and humidity, the chief executive of Entergy, the state’s biggest utility company, told Wall Street that it had been upgrading power lines and equipment to withstand big storms. That statement would soon be tested. On the last Sunday in August, Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana and dealt a catastrophic blow to Entergy’s power lines, towers and poles, many of which were built decades ago to withstand much weaker hurricanes. The storm damaged eight high-voltage transmission lines that supply power to New Orleans along with scores of the company’s towers throughout the state. Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses were without power for days. Ida damaged or destroyed 31,000 poles that carry lower-voltage distribution lines in neighborhoods, nearly twice as many as Hurricane Katrina, according to Entergy. Lawmakers and regulators require utilities to ensure safe, reliable service at an affordable cost. The grid failure after Ida is the latest display of how power companies are struggling to fulfill those obligations as climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather. In California, electricity providers have been forced to shut off power to tens of thousands of customers in recent years to prevent their equipment from setting off wildfires and to reduce energy demand during heat waves. In February, the grid in most of Texas failed during a winter storm, leaving millions of people without power and heat for days.

White House faces bipartisan backlash on Haitian migrants (AP) The White House is facing sharp condemnation from Democrats for its handling of the influx of Haitian migrants at the U.S. southern border, after images of U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback using aggressive tactics went viral this week. Striking video of agents maneuvering their horses to forcibly block and move migrants attempting to cross the border has sparked resounding criticism from Democrats on Capitol Hill, who are calling on the Biden administration to end its use of a pandemic-era authority to deport migrants without giving them an opportunity to seek asylum in the United States. At the same time, the administration continues to face attacks from Republicans, who say Biden isn’t doing enough to deal with what they call a “crisis” at the border. Immigration is a complex issue, one no administration has been able to fix in decades. And Biden is trapped between conflicting interests of broadcasting compassion while dealing with throngs of migrants coming to the country—illegally—seeking a better life.

Haitian journey to Texas border starts in South America (AP) Robins Exile downed a traditional meal of plantains and chicken at a restaurant run by Haitian immigrants, just a short walk from the walled border with the United States. He arrived the night before and went there seeking advice: Should he try to get to the U.S., or was it better to settle in Mexico? Discussion Monday at the Tijuana restaurant offered a snapshot of Haitians’ diaspora in the Western Hemisphere that picked up steam in 2016 and has shown little sign of easing, demonstrated most recently by the more than 14,000 mostly Haitian migrants assembled around a bridge in Del Rio, a town of only 35,000 people. Of the roughly 1.8 million Haitians living outside their homeland, the United States is home to the largest Haitian immigrant population in the world, numbering 705,000 people from the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country. Significant numbers also live in Latin American countries like Chile, which is home to an estimated 69,000 Haitians. Nearly all Haitians reach the U.S. border on a well-worn route: Fly to Brazil, Chile or elsewhere in South America. If jobs dry up, slowly move through Central America and Mexico by bus and on foot to wait—perhaps years—in northern border cities like Tijuana for the right time to enter the United States and claim asylum.

‘We were them:’ Vietnamese Americans help Afghan refugees (AP) In the faces of Afghans desperate to leave their country after U.S. forces withdrew, Thuy Do sees her own family, decades earlier and thousands of miles away. A 39-year-old doctor in Seattle, Washington, Do remembers hearing how her parents sought to leave Saigon after Vietnam fell to communist rule in 1975 and the American military airlifted out allies in the final hours. It took years for her family to finally get out of the country, after several failed attempts, and make their way to the United States, carrying two sets of clothes a piece and a combined $300. When they finally arrived, she was 9 years old. These stories and early memories drove Do and her husband Jesse Robbins to reach out to assist Afghans fleeing their country now. The couple has a vacant rental home and decided to offer it up to refugee resettlement groups, which furnished it for newly arriving Afghans in need of a place to stay. “We were them 40 years ago,” Do said. “With the fall of Saigon in 1975, this was us.” The crisis in Afghanistan has spurred many Vietnamese Americans to donate money to refugee resettlement groups and raise their hands to help by providing housing, furniture and legal assistance to newly arriving Afghans.

‘Crisis of trust’: France bristles at US submarine deal (AP) France’s top diplomat declared Monday that there is a “crisis of trust” in the United States after a Pacific defense deal stung France and left Europe wondering about its longtime ally across the Atlantic. France canceled meetings with British and Australian officials and worked to rally EU allies behind its push for more European sovereignty after being humiliated by a major Pacific defense pact orchestrated by the U.S. Speaking to reporters in New York, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said European countries won’t let Washington leave them behind when shaping its foreign policy. Le Drian reiterated complaints that his country was sandbagged by the submarine deal between the U.S., Britain and Australia, which led to France losing a contract to sell subs to Australia. Washington, London and Canberra say the deal bolsters their commitment to the Indo-Pacific region, and it has widely been seen as an effort to counter an increasingly assertive China. But Le Drian, who is in New York to represent France at the U.N. General Assembly, said it was a “brutal, unexpected and unexplained breach” of a contract—and a relationship.

Pedestrians take to the streets of Paris to celebrate the city’s seventh annual ‘day without cars’ (Business Insider) On Sunday, Paris turned over its streets to pedestrians so that citizens and visitors could enjoy its seventh annual “day without cars.” Announced by socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo in 2015, the city received enthusiastic support from both ordinary Parisians and unlikely parties including the head of a French drivers’ association, USA Today reported. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., cars, motorcycles, and scooters are banned throughout Paris, and any offenders face a fine of 135 euros, according to the Paris Without A Car website. Certain vehicles like buses, emergency vehicles, taxis, and private drivers are allowed to circulate, although their speed is limited to 20-30 kilometers per hour (12-19 miles per hour) in certain areas. Events at this year’s “day without cars” included a techno parade, picnic, bicycle fair, rollerblading marathon, and street art exhibitions, according to the event website.

More evacuations as lava gushes from Canaries volcano (Reuters) Lava gushing from the Canary Islands’ first volcanic eruption on land in 50 years has forced authorities to evacuate another part of El Paso municipality on the island of La Palma and to urge sightseers attracted by the phenomenon to stay away. About 6,000 of the 80,000 people living on the island have been forced to leave their homes to escape the eruption so far, TVE said. The volcano started erupting on Sunday after La Palma, the most northwestern island in the Canaries archipelago, had been rocked by thousands of quakes in the prior days. It has shot lava hundreds of metres into the air, engulfed forests and sent molten rock towards the ocean over a sparsely populated area of La Palma. Experts say that if and when the lava reaches the sea, it could trigger more explosions and clouds of toxic gases.

Magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes near Melbourne (Reuters) An earthquake with a 6.0 magnitude struck near Melbourne in Australia on Wednesday, Geoscience Australia said, causing damage to buildings in the country’s second largest city and sending tremors throughout neighbouring states. The quake’s epicentre was near the rural town of Mansfield in the state of Victoria, about 200 km (124 miles) northeast of Melbourne, and was at a depth of 10 km (six miles). The quake was felt as far away as city of Adelaide, 800 km (500 miles) to the west in the state of South Australia, and Sydney, 900 km (600 miles) to the north in New South Wales state, although there were no reports of damage outside Melbourne and no reports of injuries.

‘An iron curtain’: Australia’s covid rules are stranding people at state borders (Washington Post) The four figures huddled in the shade on the side of the highway, eight miles from a border they had hardly noticed until it slammed shut behind them. As flies buzzed and crows circled and their supplies ran low, they waited for emails that would allow them to leave New South Wales and return to their home state of South Australia. Teresa Young and her husband had been stuck at the rest stop—little more than a toilet in the middle of the Outback—for 10 days. “All of a sudden, Australia has been cut up like pieces of a cake,” the 75-year-old said on a recent day. Welcome to covid-era Australia, where state border closures designed to keep the coronavirus from spreading have turned retired office workers into roadside nomads. When the pandemic began, many Australians found that the leaders of the country’s six states and two territories, rather than the federal government, suddenly controlled the most vital things in people’s lives, including who could go to work and where they could travel. The closures have upended domestic travel and stranded scores of Australians internally, even as a vaccination ramp-up means some states—and international airports—will soon open up. People in Sydney could find it easier to fly to Singapore or Los Angeles than to Adelaide.

Sudan’s coup attempt (Foreign Policy) Sudanese state media reported a “failed coup attempt” early Tuesday morning. The coup reportedly involved an attempt to take control of the state radio services. If confirmed, the attempted power grab would be the fourth putsch attempt the African continent has seen this year, following military takeovers in Guinea and Chad and an unsuccessful coup in Niger.

[underthewingsofthblackeagle]

“Berliner Fernsehturm” * Foto: BernardoUPloud

After her marriage with Frank Randall has failed and Claire Beauchamp flees from her violent husband, she finds refuge in the house of the Fraser/Murray family in Berlin-Wilhelmshorst. But then tensions arise between Britain (which has since left the EU) and some EU member states. All holders of an English passport are required to leave EU territory within six weeks … and suddenly Claire’s fate looks more uncertain than ever.

This story was written for the #14DaysofOutlander event, hosted by @scotsmanandsassenach​

Chapter 5: 14 Seconds (3)

         They had stayed like that for a while - Jamie kneeling in front of Claire, one arm around her and Claire, crying while clutching that arm. When they had separated, Jamie had stood up. He had stepped up to the minibar hidden behind a small cupboard door. There he had emptied four small whisky bottles into two glasses and handed one of these glasses to Claire.          At the end of that evening they did not speak much to each other. Claire asked at some point if he could lend her a T-shirt. Since all his T-shirts were sweaty from sports, he gave her one of the shirts that the room service had brought back from the cleaners that morning. She disappeared into the bathroom with it.          Meanwhile, Jamie sat down at the small desk next to the sofa that had been folded out to form a bed and opened his laptop. Then Etienne Marcel de Provac Alexandre began writing an email to the management of "In Vino Veritas" ordering a bottle of champagne for a friend's wedding and asking that the Magnum bottle be delivered as soon as he returned. Jamie knew that there would be someone sitting in the basement of the In Vino Veritas office building who would understand this "order" perfectly.          The "special office" (as they called it), which was hidden behind an easily movable wall of shelves full of exquisite wine bottles, was manned 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Between four and ten "employees" of the wine shop took care of the very special "orders" that arrived there from time to time from all over the world.          Jamie also knew that people in the cellar of "In Vino Veritas" would not be happy about this "order". But there was no question that they would do anything to fulfill his "wish".

“Weinkeller” by designermikele

         After he had pressed "Send", Jamie stretched his arms and legs. Then he considered whether he should let Claire in on his plans that very night, but decided to let her sleep for now.

          Shortly afterwards, Claire came out of the bathroom. Out of the corner of his right eye, Jamie saw that she was wearing the big white hotel robe. She disappeared immediately behind the bamboo screen.

         "The bathroom is free now," she shouted.

         "Thank you, I'll be going now," he returned. Then he took his pyjamas out of his suitcase and went to the bathroom.

         When Jamie came back a quarter of an hour later, also wrapped in a hotel bathrobe, there was still a light burning behind the bamboo screen. He lowered himself onto the sofa bed and thought for a moment. Then he turned out the light.

         "Good night, Claire."

         "Good night, Etienne."

         Now the light behind the screen went out.

         Jamie wondered if Claire would be able to sleep that night. He hoped so. Whether he would sleep at all was doubtful to him. Again and again he played out in his mind the plan he had already made during dinner. He was not sure if Claire would accept his suggestion. But he had to try, at least.

         At 5.20 am, Jamie was awakened by the pressure of his bladder. He turned off his smartphone alarm clock, which would ring ten minutes later. Then he went quietly into the bathroom. When he returned, he had put on his sports clothes. He quickly wrote a short message for Claire on a Post-It sticker he put on the bathroom door. Then he  quietly left the room. 

         At 6.40 am Jamie returned from the gym. Carefully he opened the door of the hotel room. But everything inside was still dark. He stopped for a moment and listened. From the area behind the bamboo paravent a slight snoring could be heard. Jamie had to smile. He took his clothes, removed the Post-It sticker from the bathroom door and went inside.

         When he came back into the room just after 7:00 am., Claire was sitting in one of the chairs. She had both legs hanging over the armrest and was drinking in bulk from a water bottle that Jamie had taken from the mini-bar the night before and put on the table. When she had put the bottle down, she yawned heartily and stretched her arms away from her. Only now did she notice Jamie. She flinched briefly and pulled her legs from the armrest.

         "Oh! Excuse me!"

         Jamie smiled. 

         "There's no need to apologize. Good morning, Claire. Did you get … some  … sleep?"

         She looked at him and for the first time since he'd met her, a radiant smile went over her face. 

         "I didn't actually think I could sleep," she said, "but I must have fallen asleep at some point, When I woke up, I heard the shower and I was extremely thirsty."

         "I'm glad you did. Are you, uh ... hungry too?"

         "Not at the moment, but after a shower I could certainly use a strong coffee and something to eat."

         "Good. I'll call the room service.”

         "Thank you.”

         “You're welcome.”

         She got up and went past him into the bathroom. Jamie had to force himself not to look at her. Why should such a beautiful woman apologize for her stunning legs, he thought, grinning like a honey cake man. Then he felt the blush shoot into his face. He picked up the receiver of the room telephone and ordered breakfast.

“Frühstück” by contatoartpix 

         It took Claire almost forty minutes in the bathroom and that could only be right for Jamie. When she came back, he had cleaned up a bit and packed his suitcase. Then the room service rang and brought breakfast. After Claire spread the food out on the small table and Jamie poured coffee into their cups, they started eating in silence. Jamie waited until Claire had had her first cup of coffee. As she finished her first croissant and turned to the scrambled eggs, he thought the time had come to let her in on his plan.

         "Have you thought about," he asked cautiously, "what are you going to do now?"

         Claire didn't answer, but Jamie saw her face darken slightly. He knew that this question had thrown her back into the very reality she so eagerly wanted to escape from. But he could not spare her that now. She took a deep breath, then she said:

         "No, I haven't done that yet."

         "Do you have any obligations?"

         "What do you mean?"

         "Well, professional, maybe? A job where they are waiting for you?"

         "No, I don't."

         Again she was silent and Jamie decided not to pursue this topic further because Claire seemed uncomfortable with it.

         "Are there any friends that you could stay with for a while?"

         Jamie knew that question was dangerous. Claire could say ‘yes’ and then turning down the offer he wanted to make. Still, he chose to ask about it. He wanted to avoid any appearance that he was pushing her on anything. 

         But his concern was unfounded. Claire looked down.

         "No, my best friend ... married an Australian doctor six months ago who's gone back to his home country. She ... now lives in Canberra. And ... another friend of mine ... flew to the Congo last week - with his wife. They're doctors, and ..."

         "The Democratic Republic of Congo? The recent Ebola outbreak?"

         "Yes, they're helping the local doctors ..."

         "I see. And there's no one else?"

         "Well, there are people I know, but I wouldn't confide in.”

         Jamie nodded. 

         "Claire, if you have no work commitments here and no friends to stay with, I have a suggestion ..."

         "What kind of suggestion?"

         "Well, how about a vacation?"

         Claire had to laugh out loud.

         "A vacation?" she asked incredulously.

         "Yes. What would you say if I invited you on a holiday to Germany? I know this is going to sound crazy to you. but it really wouldn't be a problem. My family has a big house, you'd have your own big room with a bathroom. My sister would take care of everything. There are forests and lakes nearby ... very close. You could see Berlin, Potsdam, Dresden ... if you like. Maybe together with my sister and the children. Whatever you like ... In any case, you could keep your distance from the ... situation here and ... you could decide what you want to do in the future on your own time."

“Schloss Rheinsberg” by 70650

         He was silent. Even Claire could not utter a word out of astonishment.

         "But how can this ...?"

         "Don't worry about that. I'll take care of it. I just need to know if you want me to. And I assure you, if you don't like it in Berlin, I will get you a ticket back here. You don't have to worry about that or the cost.”

         "But ...”

         "No buts. Yes or no?"

         Claire couldn't believe it. Was this a dream or reality? Last night she had asked him how far Berlin was from here. 6,000 kilometres he said. What a distance. 6,000 kilometers between her and the monster who still called himself her "husband" ...

         "Do you ... honestly mean that?"

         "Yes, Claire. And I have no ulterior motives. If it makes you feel any better, I have to work during the week and so I'm usually not home. So during the day, you'll be dealing mostly with my sister, the kids and staff. And that's only if you want it. You are completely free to do whatever you want."

         Again her mind was spinning. Could she really trust this man. He had not approached her that night. But would he maintain this restraint if she flew with him to another, a foreign country? But maybe he really only wanted to help her? 

         "You ... said you were flying back to Berlin tonight ... “

         "Yes, that's true, but if we hurry, I can still fix all this. Will you come with me?"

         Did she have a choice? Did she have an alternative? Traveling, discovering another country, meeting new people. All that had determined her childhood and youth, the time she had spent at the side of her beloved uncle Lamberth. And how much she had missed it all. While she thought of uncle Lamb, a verse from a children's opera she had attended with him more than two decades ago suddenly flashed through her mind. It was the well-known last verse from Humperdinck's 'Hansel and Gretel' - 'When adversity rises to its highest, the Lord God puts out His hand to us!’ Without noticing it, Claire hummed the melody softly to herself.

         Jamie, still waiting for an answer, looked at her in wonder.

         "Claire? Yes or no?"

         "Yes," she replied, and her voice had regained a firmness that had been one of her defining characteristics long after she had finished medical school.

         "Yes," she said again, adding, "I'm coming with you to Berlin."

         Jamie's heart was beating faster. Until now he had hardly dared to hope that she would accept his suggestion. And yet it had happened. 

         "All right, I'll make the arrangements. Do you have your passport with you?" 

         "Sure, in my handbag. But don't I need a visa?"

         "Yes. I'll arrange it. You don't have to worry about that.”

         Jamie had got up and went to his laptop, which was still on his desk. The night before, he'd prepared an email for this case. Now he sent it. In this new mail, Etienne Marcel de Provac Alexandre asked that the bottle of champagne he had ordered be accompanied by a greeting card.

         After that was done, Jamie sat down at the table with Claire again.

“British Passport” by Gustave.iii - via WikimediaCommons 

         "Claire, is it far to ... your apartment and will ... your ... husband ... be home?"

         "No, it's not far, maybe 25, 30 minutes by car. I suppose that ... Frank will be at the university by this afternoon ..."

         "Okay, then please write your address on this piece of paper and give me your passport."

         She did what he asked. 

         "Thank you. Eat some more. We'll have to leave soon to get your things. I don't know if we'll have time to have lunch."

         She nodded. 

         About half an hour later there was a knock at the door and a voice called out:

         "Room service."

         Claire looked at Jamie in amazement, but he just nodded. He put her passport and the note with her address on a plate and spread a napkin over it. Then he went to the door. Claire looked after him and watched as he handed the plate to a waiter. When Jamie returned to the room, he saw her amazed look.

         "Please don't worry. Trust me. I'll explain everything to you ater."

         Claire gave a slight sigh.

         "I guess that's the price I have to pay for this adventure," she said, and put cheese on another croissant before wrapping it in a paper napkin and putting it in her handbag.

         An hour later, after Jamie had checked out and paid her bills, they were back in the hotel limousine and had Carl drive them to Claire's address.

“Boston” by thefastandthefanagle          Once there, Claire carefully opened the front door with her key. To her great relief, Frank was nowhere to be seen. Jamie heard Claire exhale freely. He looked around and a chill ran through him. Everything he saw was old, but not in any antique sense. Jamie had a thing for tasteful, antique furniture. But the decor did not have the taste or warmth of an old place. It almost seemed as if it had been furnished in a pragmatic way in the 50's and then forgotten until now. Everything here seemed purely functional, impersonal and cold. It was a furnished apartment, but definitely not a home.

         "Claire, we have to hurry. Where are your things?"

         She pointed up and he followed her up the stairs. When she reached the first floor, she stopped in front of a door for a moment. Then she pushed it open and went inside. Jamie, who followed her, saw that it must be the Randalls' bedroom. But there was no marriage bed. There were two single beds on the right and left side of the room. To his surprise, the sheets were scattered all over the beds. And … there were bloodstains on one sheet. He did not dare to imagine at that moment what had happened here. Now it was time to keep a clear mind, use the time and then get Claire safely out of this danger zone. Afterwards there was still enough time to let his anger about these things run free. When he was back home in Wilhelmshorst, he could maltreat the sandbag in his fitness room with his fists for as long as he wanted. But now ... Then he noticed how Claire had put some suitcases on one of the beds and was now busy packing clothes into them.

         "Claire, when you've packed all your clothes, please pack everything else that you care about. Documents, books, whatever belongs to you."

         She just nodded and put more things in the suitcases. When she had filled three large suitcases, the wardrobe was empty. Jamie carried the suitcases down the stairs and put them down near the front door. When he returned to Claire, she had another smaller suitcase and a backpack filled with documents and other things.

         "Is that all?"

         "That's all I can take with me in suitcases."

         "Is there anything else that belongs to you and that we should keep safe?"

“Box” by bluebudgie

         "There are several boxes in the cellar with things my uncle Lamberth left me, but we'll hardly be able to take them on the plane."

         "Don't worry. We'll get them on another way to Berlin. I'll take care of that."

         Slowly they went down the stairs. But before they got to the last step, they heard someone unlock the front door and enter the house. Jamie saw him first. An obviously drunk Frank Randall staggered towards him and, seeing the strange man, began to scream:

         "What are you doing in my house?"

         A tremendous rush of adrenaline shot through Jamie's body, followed by a rush of rage. He could barely contain himself. He knew it couldn't be. The man he now faced could not be the demon he had fought with years ago in a prison cellar in Edinburgh and to whom he owed scars that would remind him all his life of the time he spent in that dark vault. Jamie's mind told him that Jack Randall, better known as  'Black Jack', was dead. But Frank Randall looked so much like him and it cost James Fraser all the strength he could muster at that moment or he would have forgotten himself.

         But then Frank Randall noticed Claire next to Jamie.

         "You slut, you whore! I knew it! I kneeew it! You're whooooring around with a muscleman, but you're not gonna let meeee have a little funnn with women who are nicer than you everrrrrrrr were. You frigid, cold bitch, you ..."

         He had raised his right arm and was now trying to punch Claire. But before she could duck, Jamie had grabbed Frank's arm and turned it onto his back. The drunk cried out in pain. Jamie let go of him and gave him a gentle nudge. Frank landed, face down, lengthwise on a yellowish sofa. A light cloud of dust rose above him. Claire looked at Jamie in shock.

         "Is he...?"

         "No," he assured her, "he's not dead. He's just dead drunk and will sleep it off in the next few hours. Before we leave, I'll turn him over."

         Suddenly the front doorbell rang.

         Claire looked at him again.

         "Open the front door, Claire. The men will get your bags."

         "The men?"

         "I'll explain later. Go and open. Now, Claire! I'll keep ... an eye on Frank."

         She had a million questions, but Claire decided to just go for it. When she opened the front door, there were five men in overalls that looked like they'd come from a moving company.

         "Mrs Randall's suitcases?" asked a tall man who reminded her of an actor from and who was obviously the boss of this group. 

         "Here you go."

         Claire pointed to the suitcases and two other muscular men stepped in, took the suitcases and carried them to a black van with "New Castle Movers" written on it. 

         "Is there anything else that needs transporting?" asked the boss of the troupe.

         "Yes, down in the basement. I'll show you."

         The man waved at the remaining two men and together they followed Claire into the basement.

“Bellhops loading a truck“ by Bellhopsmarketing - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75018108

         Thirty minutes later, the men had loaded Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp Randall's entire belongings into the black van belonging to the “New Castle Movers” company. The boss of the troupe had briefly exchanged a few words with Etienne Marcel de Provac Alexandre, then they drove off. Claire would have loved to know who these men were and what they would do with her belongings. But then Frank started to stir again. Jamie turned the drunk man, who was mumbling incomprehensible things, onto his back. He tried to stand up and talked to Jamie. But he just looked at him and Frank sank back into the cushions of the sofa. Shortly afterwards he started snoring loudly. Claire could only shake her head. This nightmare had to end. She wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.

         "Who were those men, Etienne? And what happens to my things?"

         "They are friends of a friend. Your things will be on their way to Berlin in a few hours ... on a cargo plane. They'll probably arrive a day or two after we do. Don't worry, my company will take care of it. Have you got everything now?"

         Claire nodded.

         "Good, then we'll go to the airport now."

         He took her small case and the backpack and went to the door. Claire followed him. She was tempted to look back. But she did not. It had to end. It would end right here, right now. She pulled the front door behind her into lock. Then she pulled the front door key from her key ring and pushed it under the pot with the little buxus that stood on the top step of the stairs to the entrance. Jamie, who had stowed the hand luggage in the trunk, held the door of the car open for her. She got in and he took a seat next to her.

         "To the airport, Mr. Alexandre?" asked the uniformed driver.

         "Yes, Carl, straight to the airport."

[thefeministherald]

Scott Morrison has declared Parliament "must get this house in order" after a month of disturbing reports of alleged rapes and sexual misconduct which have rocked Canberra.

It's uncomfortable to watch the leader of your country break down in tears as he discusses allegations of sexual assault and violence sweeping the nation.

Not because it invokes sympathy as he acknowledges the mistakes of the past, present and possible future, but because his face mirrored the many men and people who have failed to eradicate the culture of misogyny that still exists in Australia.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison made a speech today calling out the "environment we have allowed to be created" – one where many women feel terror as a natural response to the threat of acts of harassment and violence, in places stretching from the highest rungs of parliament to the most remote, dimly-lit streets.

An emotional Prime Minister Scott Morrison during his press conference today.

An emotional Prime Minister Scott Morrison during his press conference today. (Getty)

He acknowledged we've been holding our keys between our knuckles; feeling too afraid of calling out abysmal behaviour; being diminished, being objectified, feeling invaluable.

While responding to the stories of sexual assault emerging across the country, Morrison repeated the words: "That is not ok".

He attributed the culture that's been brewing in "our country as great as Australia" for decades to "unconscious deafness and blindness" or worse, "willful malevolence."

Yet today's speech misses the mark and, more importantly, the action we've demanded.

RELATED: Women's March 4 Justice sweeps Australia: 'Our freedom should not be included in the cost of living'

Today's speech misses the mark and, more importantly, the action we've demanded. (Getty)

In the weeks since discussions of sexual assault reignited in the public arena, I have spoken to survivors of various ages. Their stories have been harrowing and unique, but all unified by the uncomfortable reality that nothing seems to change.

The interviews I've done with influential voices in the field – from Australian of the Year Grace Tame to Chanel Contos, who is spearheading a movement for improving consent education, to conversations with participants in the March 4 Justice — all have touched on constructive plans of action and moves that could inspire a better society.

When our Prime Minister spoke, there was no mention of action.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra

"Criticise me if you like for speaking about my daughters, but they are the centre of my life." (Nine)

There was no mention of an inquiry occurring in parliament, no tangible measures taken to stamp out the culture; just a curated speech in front of the deafening shutters of cameras.

Tears have been shed by women in the emotional days leading up to this speech, and they've been shed over the decades that preceded it.

Our Prime Minister's tears over the "vested interest" he has in the women in his life do little to quell the pain that continues to fester in Australia.

"Criticise me if you like for speaking about my daughters, but they are the centre of my life," he said.

"My wife is the centre of my life. My mother, my widowed mother is the centre of my life. They motivate me every day on this issue. They have motivated me my entire life."

We can understand how our Prime Minister conducts himself as a father, and the love he extends to his family. But it's an emotion I hoped would've fueled action much earlier than a speech delivered months after Brittany Higgins first came forward with her allegation.

We've wasted enough breath criticising our nation's leader on the way he chooses to empathise with the plight endured by more than half of the population.

What warrants criticism is how much it took for our leaders to listen and respond in the first place – and that while we may have seen the first element of retribution and acknowledgement in a long time, we still see no action.

Changing the culture of sexual assault, violence, harassment and misogyny, Morrison said, "is all our job."

"It is my job, it is my ministers' jobs, it is my members' and senators' jobs, it is your job."

Australian of the Year for 2021, Grace Tame, says the definition of consent must be established federally in order to provide more effective education around the subject to students.

It should not have taken several former parliamentary staffers to share one of the most traumatic experiences they have allegedly been subjected to in order to get our leaders to do their job.

It should not have taken thousands of former high school students to courageously detail their experiences of abuse at the hands of their peers to get our leaders to do their job.

It should not have taken hundreds of thousands of people to march nationwide to get our leaders to do their job.

A country fails when we place the burden of change on those who have been subject to extreme injustice, and an insidious culture remains when we do not match publicised empathy with measurable action.

There has been a chorus of sexual assault stories shared in the past month, all of which displaying the bravery, strength and horrifying familiarity of existing as a woman in Australia.

It's been the conversations with strangers on the street and activists on the phone that have made me come to terms with the reality of my own experiences.

The shame and fear once associated with striving towards equal treatment, regardless of our gender, has been drowned out by demands for being given the bare minimum of the respect we're entitled to.

Today's speech marks not a hope that our leader will follow through on the words he delivered, but an expectation.

Contact bfarmakis@nine.com.au

If you, or anyone you know is struggling, please contact: Lifeline 13 11 14; beyondblue 1300 224 636; Domestic Violence Line 1800 65 64 63; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732

[aaronr99]

Digital Citizenship 2: Activism & Protest

     On this week’s blog, I will be writing about activism and protest on social media. Activism, by one common definition, involves participating in vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change (Warhurst, 2019) . Activism is demonstrated in multiple ways, such as, petitions, boycotts, rallies and demonstrations. Individual activism, or activists, can use literature such as books to propagate their messages and justify their cause to their audience. On the other hand, a protest is an expression of bearing witness to words or acts with respect to specific events, policies or circumstances on behalf of an express cause (Winter, 2007). From individual statements to mass demonstrations, protests can take several different forms. However, the most effective protest would be a collective action by means of mass demonstrations, where individuals coordinate with each other, in order to organize a protest. These types of protest leaves a much bigger impact and if organized and purposeful, can become a social movement. 

      Activism and protest had been demonstrated in multiple events occurred around the globe, from anti-racism movements such as the anti-apartheid movement in Africa, to pro-democracy against China’s ruling Communist Party in Hong Kong. These movements may fight for a different cause, however, they share a common goal, which is demanding change from their current political, economical, social, or environmental status. Activism and protest is an importance and necessity in a society as it resembles the dissatisfaction of the treatment or living conditions of a group of people, who are most likely to be in the minorities. 

Social Media, Activism & Protests

     Digital activism is where digital tools, are used for bringing about political or social change. Today, our lives are much linked with the internet and social media. Social media has allowed people to connect with each other a lot more easier, and this is a catalyst that makes it a lot more ideal for activism. Social media has an amount of blogging and microblogging websites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr, which makes it easier for individuals to express their thoughts and ideas to a larger audience. On websites such as Twitter, daily tweets and retweets fly around about social movements like BlackLivesMatter, Hong Kong protest and Climate Strike. It is way easier to spread a message for change in social media as it gives a global audience. For example, online videos and articles started coming up in 2019 about the protest in Hong Kong, which might not be receiving the spotlight it deserved internationally, if it weren’t for social media sites and Hong Kong activists such as Joshua Wong, who sends out daily tweets about the protest on Twitter for outsiders to see. Facebook and Instagram have also served as a platform for the protesters to share campaign posters, slogans as well as image and video evidence of police violence. These social media sites have also allowed an easy organization and coordination for the protesters, as they can share action information and a variety of upcoming activities. 

     Last year in the U.S, the BlackLivesMatter movement gained the internet’s attention, and spread like wildfire around the globe. It started after a video circled online of an African-American man named George Floyd, who was killed in police custody. Millions of Americans started to protest in the streets to bring justice for the man, and many more African-American who were killed unjustly by the police force. Protesters went online and started sharing links in social media websites to ask others to sign online petitions, and some even started a fundraiser for the family of the lost loved ones. Even large companies and brands got involved with the movement where some had donated thousands of dollars for the social movement. The movement had even spread outside the U.S to various countries such as the U.K, multiple countries in Europe, and even East Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea. This proves that through social media, the social movement was a big success, and that it had effectively spread awareness to communities who were completely oblivious about the issue. More than that, it had helped the younger and older generation, who might’ve come across the BlackLivesMatter message in social media, to finally come to conclusion that there are injustice done towards the Black community. 

     In my opinion, social media is a very effective tool for activism, and had started to become a norm where people who feel like there’s justice or changes needed to be done, can use to advocate their ideas and principals. Social media had many disadvantages in terms of the amount of fake news that can go around, however it is the most effective way to spread a message and when it comes to activism because it is ideal to find a way to easily connect with more people to justify your cause. The new way of digital activism hasn’t change the traditional way of activism, but had greatly improved it for easy organization, and coordination of protest, and also could spread to a more larger audience. Since the most of the countries are going for a lockdown during this global pandemic, social media had also helped to keep the social movements running without requiring any outside activities.

References

Morning Consult. 2020. Brands Are Getting Involved In The Black Lives Matter Movement. Here’s How Black Consumers Want To See Them Participate - Morning Consult. [online] Available at: <https://morningconsult.com/2020/07/16/brands-are-getting-involved-in-the-black-lives-matter-movement-heres-how-black-consumers-want-to-see-them-participate/> [Accessed 13 October 2020].

Warhurst, J. (2019). The power of protest and activism. [online] The Canberra Times. Available at: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6418372/the-power-of-protest-and-activism/ [Accessed 13 Oct. 2020].

Shao, G. (2019). Social media has become a battleground in Hong Kong’s protests. [online] CNBC. Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/16/social-media-has-become-a-battleground-in-hong-kongs-protests.html. [Accessed 14 Oct. 2020].

Buchanan, L., Bui, Q. and Patel, J.K. (2020). Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S. History. The New York Times. [online] 3 Jul. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/03/us/george-floyd-protests-crowd-size.html. [Accessed 14 Oct. 2020].

[lapeaudelamemoire]

So, I made a mistake and neglected to talk about the Singaporean general election on here/all the platforms available to me.

My government called an election in the middle of the pandemic, at a time when new cases were in the three digits every day. The election could have been called as late as April 2021, but the ruling party, the People’s Action Party (PAP), called it in July, with very short notice. At the end of June, there hadn’t been a date officially announced yet.

In my country, voting is compulsory. The voting age is 21. But while everything else is counted by year, eligibility for voting doesn’t follow this rule. Instead, you have to have turned 21 by the time the writ of registers close, which is usually in March; so people turning 21 after March aren’t eligible to vote that year. And although voting is compulsory and failure to vote can result in your name being stricken from the registers for voting permanently, there are reasons considered legitimate for not voting, including working or studying overseas.

Turns out that because of the decision to call the election in the midst of a pandemic, people with COVID-19 and those under quarantine couldn’t vote, “for the better good of the country”. But they aren’t the only ones who couldn’t vote, because a large number of overseas voters were left unable to do so, including myself.

Why? Because there are only 10 polling stations in 7 countries globally outside of Singapore. The whole of Europe has only 1 polling station in London; the US has 3 polling stations located in New York, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.; China has 2, in Shanghai and Beijing; Japan has 1, in Tokyo; there is only 1 in the whole of the Middle East, in Dubai; there is 1 in Hong Kong; and 1 in Australia, in Canberra. And there is no postal or online voting. Overseas Singaporeans that don’t live in any of those cities with a polling station are required to travel, at their own expense, in order to vote; whether to the nearest polling station or even back home to Singapore.

Because the election was called at this time, when many countries’ borders are closed, travel is extremely limited, and travelling would require a 14-day quarantine, possibly even both ways. So overseas Singaporeans would have had to bear the financial burden of accommodation as well in serving their 14-day quarantine in the country they had to travel to to vote in. Furthermore, many of the cities that polling stations are located in have the highest infection rates of that country.

Registration as an overseas voter itself consists of many steps, and these also include things like needing an address in Singapore, as well as a Singaporean mobile phone number. But beyond that is the fact that political education is sparse and political transparency in general is hugely obscured. Many of us only found out about the deadline for registration two days before it closed.

The campaigning period in Singapore is the shortest in the world - 9 days, at least for this election. One of the opposition parties (Singapore has had one party in power since its independence 55 years ago) only put out their manifesto some three or four days before Polling Day itself.

Polling Day was on 10 July. Voting time had been set from 8am to 8pm, but was extended by two hours to 10pm at the last minute, at around 7pm or a little past that. The results of the election were announced and concluded at 4am on 11 July, with the PAP taking 83/93 seats in Parliament and a popular vote score of 61.24%, only the second-lowest in Singaporean history. This supermajority means that the ruling party is able to change the Constitution at will, which it has done over 50 times in the last 55 years (the ruling party has had a supermajority in Parliament since it first came into power when Singapore became an independent republic).

During the campaign period, a new minority Malay opposition team member in one of the constituencies, Raeesah Khan, was issued a POFMA (Protection against Online Falsehoods and Misleading Acts) notice by the police for a Facebook post she had written in 2018, under the charge of “promoting enmity between races”, for questioning the equity of treatment of wealthy Chinese-Singaporeans and (poorer) minorities. A POFMA order can only be issued by an appointed minister, or, when Parliament has been dissolved, by an appointed official. At about the same time, the Deputy Prime Minister, Heng Swee Keat, who is slated to be next-in-line for the Prime Minister, in response to a question put to him about whether or not “Singapore is ready for a non-Chinese Prime Minister”, said that he did not believe so. He was not charged with anything.

[jordaneberle]

AWIHL/Melbourne Ice Women Primer

*this is mostly going to about the Melbourne Ice Women bc they’re my team oops. If you have any questions/want any info on where to find teams or good league info please hmu! I love this league I will talk about it for hours.

If you aren’t watching women’s hockey, do it, it’s literally so good. I’m a recent convert and it was the best hockey decision I’ve ever made. 

Also Australian leagues are really good for learning hockey rules and getting better at looking at the game with a little more depth!

The Australian Women’s Ice Hockey League (AWIHL) is Australia’s top women’s hockey league. Its season runs from October to February and there are five teams. Each team plays 12 regular season games and four teams qualify for finals. The finals consist of two semi final games and then a bronze medal and a gold medal match where they play for the Joan McKowen trophy. They play IIHF rules and play full 60 minute games (unlike the men RIP AIHL)

Imports! Teams are allowed to have a total of three imports and are not allowed to have an import goalie (unlike the men’s league. Imagine being dedicated to goalie development in Australia, couldn’t be the AIHL). Imports are players from overseas (usually Canada) who come and play for Australian teams. There are Canadians in the league who aren’t imports because they have Australian citizenship.

Streaming: All games are streamed on Youtube! They’re also at super varying times on Saturdays and Sundays so some games are European/North American friendly!

All the games are played on weekends because the players have regular jobs! It’s a semi professional league so they aren’t paid and typically have sponsors who cover some of the cost of the season. These women are MULTI FACETED!

The league is really fun because everyone supports each other a lot and its way less disastrous than the men’s league. Also the age range on teams is huge because you can start playing for the league when you’re 14 and there are some 30+ year olds on teams.

Teams:

Adelaide Rush: PERFECT for the suffering Adelaide Adrenaline fan. Currently undefeated in regulation after finishing in last place last season. An amazing comeback narrative that is perfect for the hockey fan who loves an underdog and is being disrespected by their own awful teams. Adelaide friends please get around this team, who knows when you’ll see a winning hockey team again! They also have a really good social media presence (as do their men’s team).

Perth Inferno: The newest team in the league. Haven’t done that well this season but their imports are very good and their results aren’t indicative of their overall performance imo. Another underdog team who is totally worth seeing live if you’re from Perth! Honestly I’m a full believe in their ability to turn it around and be awesome. Unfortunately they suffer from being located in Perth and therefore can’t afford to fly a full lineup to their away games. This makes them even cooler imo because they’re still competitive despite having way less players.

Brisbane Goannas: The most neglected of hockey markets in Australia, the land of nonexistent hockey markets. They don’t have a men’s team anymore so QLD fans should totally get around them! Their jerseys are super sexy and imo this is the best team name in the league. They aren’t great but deserve more attention because they’ve managed to keep a team this long! I have a feeling one of the players runs some of their social media, its very fun (especially their Instagram stories)

Sydney Sirens: This is the big scary team of the season. Also undefeated in regulation, they’re kind of like the Canberra Brave or Tampa Bay Lightning of 18/19. Their imports are sisters, one of whom played for the CWHL, and a girl who played for them. I HATE this team they’re really hard to play against and are super skilled. Melbourne v Sydney games are GREAT because the rivalry is real and it’s a rematch of last year’s gold medal game (They play again this weekend 14 and 15 of December.) Their social media presence is also really good!

Melbourne Ice Women: This is my team brace yourself. The Melbourne Ice (MIW) are affiliated with the men’s team of the same name. They’ve won the most championships in the league. I’m telling you if you live in Melbourne and haven’t come to one of these games you’re missing out. The crowd is LOUD and ENTHUSIASTIC because there is a brigade of HABS (husbands and boyfriends) who come and go HARD for the team. They’re really skilled but have probably been underperforming this season. They also have a KILLER back half of the season because they’re playing Sydney and Adelaide. Now for some player info:

Christina Julien #91 F: One of the Ice imports and also the captain. She used to play soccer for team Canada and was nominated to their Olympic squad. A badass athlete who is basically a cheat code on the ice.

Megan Eady #44 D: The other Ice import. Literally such a beast. Said once that she had no idea what she was doing on the Ice which CAN’T be true she’s so good. The HABS sing a song when she scores to the tune of Evie by Steve Wright (Eady, Eady let your hair hang down)

Georgia Moore #12 F: Was the first Australian ever drafted into the CWHL (Nathan Walker eat your heart out). Has played for the team since it joined the league.

Shona Green #10 F: THE trailblazer for women’s hockey in Victoria. She was the first woman to play in a lot of the boys’ leagues growing up and has captained the Ice and Team Australia basically a hundred times.

Jenelle Carson #1 G: Absolutely bails out the team a heap. An amazing goalie whose sister (I think) plays on the team as well. Sings a lot during warmups. Literally just watch her games against Sydney this season she’s amazing.

Marnie Pullin #18 F: She’s 16 and had four points playing against grown women on Sunday. She’s already a beast and is only getting better. It’s just a coincidence her name sounds like Marie Philip Poulin but is it really? Go and watch her goals from the weekend (on the Melbourne Ice Women’s Twitter).

The Poutine Line: A fan favourite line made up of three Canadians: #7 Sarah Dash, #77 Nicole Jones and #19 Steph Conlon. Conlon and Dash are more or less in their first seasons on the team. This line is SO GOOD and FUN. Also Meika Yeo #86 D and Eady are totally honourary members of this line because they’re also Canadian and play at the same time as Poutine a lot.

Literally every player on this team is really fun and amazing and I could probably write heaps about all of them but I’m trying to keep it as short as possible.

Most of the teams have Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so give them and the league a follow to keep up with them! Also Women’s Sports Highlights (@ Wsporthilights) on Twitter clips all the best moments of the games so give them a follow too!

[terror-of-the-seas]

A little bit about Australia’s capital city, by me, a citizen and know-it-all who doesn’t actually know that much (some of this information may be technically inaccurate but it’s my view of things)

Canberra is 577m above sea level and surrounded by mountains

Politicians don’t live here, but everyone is a public servant or their parents are public servants

Most of the city consists of suburbs, most filled with plant life and green belts. You are never more than 15 minutes from the bush, even in the city centres.

There are 3 city centres: Civic, which hasn’t been called Civic officially in years and is located in the lower-income suburb of Braddon; Belconnen; and Woden. These city centres are smaller than the average and have a mall, many office buildings, and lots of restaurants. (Gungahlin and Tuggeranong are similar but not really visited unless you live near them, so I don’t count them but others might).

Braddon and Dickson were the ‘artsy’ areas but are in the process of gentrification

Out biggest attraction is Floriade, a flower show that happens every spring and goes for a few weeks. Most people attend several times as entry is free unless you’re going to Nightfest, and honestly the flowers are planted in really cool designs. There’s been controversy around Floriade though because of the flower planters killing tree roots. As a result the shows have shrunk over the years.

Our other attractions include: the Canberra Show, another yearly event. However there is a cost to get in and people don’t usually go unless they’re under 14 or have kids; The Balloon spectacular, super fun, there are hot air balloons and you can buy poffertjes. Downside is you have to get up super early; Enlighten; the multicultural festival, also has poffertjes. Because of my dietary requirements I can’t eat a lot of the food there but I hear it’s good.

Wifi was invented here at CSIRO

We were named third best city to visit in 2018

Never visit Canberra during early January because you don’t wanna deal with Summernats

There’s a big spout in the middle of our man-made lake

It never rains here

[lindoig7]

Friday-Sunday, 14-16 August

Friday

A lay-day to recuperate and restore some energy for our next excursion.  The weather forecast for the entire next week is rain right across our area every day, except for a possible cloudy break on the south coast on Sunday and Monday. It rained here overnight – enough to wash some of the mud off the back of the car – and has predicted rain all day again, but it was fine with a spot of wet sun until early afternoon.

After lunch, the storm-clouds started to gather and the sky blackened.  Away to the west, a bit of thunder rolled and gradually got closer and louder and a few spatters of rain sounded on the roof.  And soon it was over us and the thunder was so violent that the whole caravan was shivering in the wake of each flash of lightning.  The rain increased and the thunder roared and with us safe and snug inside, it was really quite exciting.  Soon the rain was drumming and thundering on the roof as the storm passed over and headed further east.  Two hours later, all was calm again, but our site was surrounded by puddles and there was no way we could do our hoped-for walk around the water-logged path across the raging creek behind us.

It was another great opportunity to lay on the bed and read, do a puzzle or two and post to our blogs and FB.  And almost before we knew it, it was time for some bubbles!

Saturday

We hung out in the caravan most of the day again. It was quite a nice day after a wild afternoon and evening yesterday.

We got a call from the office about 8am this morning to advise us that our parcel had been delivered by the postie.  (Note that the postie had already been and gone before 8am on a Saturday!)  We had arranged for Arji, the Chair of the Owners’ Corporation Committee, to send all our mail and other deliveries on to us and it was a reasonable-sized package – about 5 Kg.  After breakfast, we opened everything and I spent the entire morning dealing with the last 7 weeks’ mail.  A big job, but we feel much more organised after wondering what time-bombs we may have missed.  The main item was probably about the Council elections, so I emailed them and told them that we would probably be unable to vote unless they could find a convenient way of getting all the voting crap to us. They are all such a bunch of no-hopers that I would probably end up voting informal anyway – I just didn’t want us to have to argue why we shouldn’t pay the resultant fines.  They subsequently replied and advised that because we are both over 70, they don’t care whether we vote or not – clearly, older people’s opinions are not that important to the Council.

Heather spent the day working on her FB and blog posts and I went out for a short walk in the afternoon.  I had hoped to photograph some of the little bush-birds we usually see when we walk around the area across the creek but it is the weekend and I think the birds have gone away for a break – I never saw so much as a feather.

We also did a supermarket and booze run late in the arvo - a bit bigger shop than usual so that occupied over an hour.  I also had to post a few letters arising from the mail-run so that finalised all the issues arising from the mail.

Sunday

A small cause for celebration today.  It is 35 years today since I moved from Canberra to live with Heather.  That marked the start of a wonderful new life together featuring exotic adventure after adventure over the years.

It rained a lot during the night – for hours and sometimes quite heavily.  It reminded me of our old house in East Victoria Park where I grew up.  It had a tin roof and when it rained, it was simply delightful to lay snuggled up safe and warm in bed and drift off to sleep with the rain drumming on the roof.  It was much like that last night – cosy and warm, completely relaxed and comfortable, with just a tingle of excitement as I recalled the feelings from my early childhood.

The morning was very mixed with fine cloudy periods, then just enough rain to get wet if you were out in it for more than a minute, and occasional heavier downpours.  We have dodged the showers so far and even got some things done.  We did a bit of cleaning and reorganising inside and Heather did a big load of laundry (with a modicum of help from me). While she did that, I ‘washed’ the car. Basically, between showers, I hosed it down – great water pressure here – and used our soft car-washing broom to encourage several kilos of mud to leave the car in favour of the stormwater system.  The rain had already removed a few kilos of accumulated mud, but I loosened a few more and sent it on its way to the flooded creek behind the van.  The flow in the creek must be at least twice what it was yesterday and that was twice the torrent from the day before.  I sincerely hope that all the drought-stricken areas in Australia are getting some of the moisture too.  There are big puddles everywhere in Gippsland with many flooded paddocks and walking on any grassed surface risks sinking to your ankles in sloppy mud or water.

There was very little rain in the afternoon, but it was still threatening.  It didn’t bother us though because we never went out in it other than to walk to and from the ablution block for our showers.  I had a go at a couple of cryptic crosswords. I never got them completely solved, but I almost did, and that is probably not too bad given that I have had a complete rest from them for at least 18 months.  I used to do most of them from The Age (except for David Astle’s absurd Friday monsters) but have been more into other challenges for the past year or two.  Of course, a couple of hours laying on the bed reading in the afternoon left me with a little less time for puzzling too.

We cooked a wonderful meal in the late afternoon.  It was a fabulous paella - one of our favourites.  We had purchased a container of mixed seafood and some choritzo at the supermarket and added a few extras from the fridge and concocted a feast fit for a king (and queen).  The seafood was short-dated and heavily discounted so it was a very cheap meal - especially given that we were only able to eat half ofit and had the second half a couple of days later for an extraordinarily delicious lunch.  Yum, yum.  Did I say superbly tasty?

Stirring the pot - the Paella Pot that is!  Note the essential culinary accoutrement in the left hand - and for once, I managed to point the correct (business) end of the spoon at the pan.  Heather (to whom I owe the photo credit) would probably regard that as something of an achievement for me.

[trisfraypotter]

15 questions, 15 mutuals

Tagged by the wondrous @potterheadscribbles

1. Are you named after anyone?

Nope, my parents just liked my name :)

2. When was the last time you cried?

I haven’t really cried much since I was 15, so the last time I cried was about a week ago when I had an argument with my mum.  But we sorted through it and we’re closer than ever

3. Do you have/want kids?

Maybe?  Depends on how my career goes and if I find someone who wants kids.  If I do, I’ll probably adopt though because (for various reasons) I’m too nervous to go through pregnancy.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

I would never use such a low form of humor.  Jokes, I use it all the time.  It drives my family mad.

5. What’s the first thing you notice about others?

It’s different in different situations.  Sometimes, it’ll be their face, other times it’ll be their hair, or even the shoes they’re wearing that day.

6. What’s your eye color?

Grayish-blue.  Sometimes, it can be an aquamarine colour.

7. Scary movie or happy ending?

Both?  I probably lean more towards happy ending though.  Horror movies can be boring sometimes though, because half the time, the whole movie is someone running around with a chainsaw or whatever.  But so can bad ‘happy ending’ movies.

8. Any special talents?

I can play flute.  I also have an uncanny spelling ability.  My talent for procrastination is out-of-this-world as well.

9. Where were you born?

Sydney, Australia

10. What are your hobbies?

Flute, reading books, learning about shit.  I’m trying to figure out watercolour painting and drawing.  I spend most of my time on Tumblr or reading fanfiction.  it’s not healthy, but I’m trying to work on it.

11. Do you have any pets?

Not anymore.  I used to have fish in the pond outside, but Kookaburras ate them. I also had two guinea pigs that I loved so much, but they died at 7 years old and 8 1/2 years old respectively.  I’ve been trying to let my parents let me buy more, but to no avail.  It’s probably just as well since I’ll probably be travelling and/or moving out in two or three years anyway and I won’t be able to bring my piggies with me.

12. What sports do you play/have you played?

I played softball in grades 8, 9, and 12.  I also played netball in grade 6, but I didn’t make the team in grade 7.  Once I get my health sorted out though, I want to take up kayaking or sailing.  I live about 100m away from the ocean and I would spend all day there if it wasn’t mangrove infested or too hot.

13. How tall are you?

170cm. 5′6.  I’m sure I’m taller than that.  I’m pretty tall for a girl (but then, most of my female friends are short, like 5′2-5′4).

14. Favorite subject in school?

Physics and English.  Hence why I’m doing Environmental Science in uni :)

15. Dream job?

My dream job is to be an astrophysicist in Antarctica or Canberra or somewhere else with radio telescopes, but I’m not great at maths, and I can’t pass the physicals to go to Antarctica (yay.  not.).  I absolutely love the stars and the night sky.  I got 100% in the astrophysics exam in grade 10.  Everyone else barely passed at 48%.  I also barely passed physics as well.

Right now though, I want to be an environmental consultant and that’s what I’m studying towards.  I want to play my part in reducing the effects of global warming and climate change.  I fully believe though that the Earth was on it’s way into another iceage or something (I’m not fully aware how that type of thing works), and industrialism has only helped speed up the process.

Once I have a better idea of what I’m talking about, I’m going to start a YouTube channel to educate people on climate change.

I’m going to be an amateur astronomer though, and become involved with citizen science and all that.

@ogpositivity5u  @canada-doesnt-care  @briahlia  @mannersmakethme  @your-naked-magic-oh-dear-lord  @queen-quibbler  @i-am-not-herbert  @fanpersoningfox  @mean-and-gay  @gahd-its-ron  @lifeofaxir  @onyrix  @sleepdeprivedanddeadinside  @veronicasummersfelton  @rfinnegan

[jaythenerdkid-official]

15 questions 15 mutuals

I was tagged by @bethanyactually ❤️

1. are you named after anyone

both my first name and middle name come from my grandmothers. I'm named for my maternal and paternal grandmothers in that order. my maternal grandmother is turkish, though, so her first name is actually emine, not aaminah, and she calls me emine when she sees me.

2. when was the last time you cried

I don't remember, actually. I think in my therapist's office a couple of weeks ago? I don't cry much outside of there these days.

3. do you have/ want kids

I don't have any and I don't want any, but I have a godson I love very much and five younger siblings I helped raise. I love kids, but I don't think being a parent would be compatible with my lifestyle. I'm happy to dote on other people's kids instead.

4. do you use sarcasm a lot?

me? use sarcasm? I would never do something like that.

5. what’s the first thing you notice about people?

depends. eyes, I think? also accents.

6. what’s your eye colour?

very dark brown, almost black. nearly everyone in my family has dark eyes, though I have an uncle whose eyes are hazel, and my mother has an aunt who's a redhead with blue eyes.

7. scary movie or happy ending?

definitely a happy ending. I don't like scary movies much, and I don't see the point of watching something that ends depressingly. I have the news for that.

8. any special talents?

I can read really fast, like really fast, and I have an excellent memory for things I've read. I can play music by ear and sing tenor. also, I can wiggle my ears, which greatly amuses children.

9. where were you born?

canberra, the australian capital. I haven't lived there in more than twenty years, but I still kind of think of it as home.

10. what are your hobbies?

reading, journalling, singing, playing the piano, writing, social media, videogames, theatre, beating my siblings at trivial pursuit.

11. do you have any pets?

I had cats when I was married. my fiancé has a dog. I like animals, but I'm allergic to dogs, so I prefer to appreciate them from a distance. I love cats, though.

12. what sports do you play/ have you played?

sports are very much not a special talent of mine, but I played basketball for a season at school and I guess I was less terrible at that than I am at most sports. I used to like cross-country running when I was at school, too. these days I get all my exercise on the bikes at the gym.

13. how tall are you?

5'9"/175cm. I'm taller than my mother and sisters, but my dad and all my brothers are taller than me.

14. favourite subject in school?

I was best at english, history, music and IT. of those, english and music were probably my favourites. I taught english after I left school, and I still play an instrument and sing.

15. dream job?

I don't know, actually! maybe travel writing or ad copywriting? but I'm in law school now and I'm looking forward to maybe practicing when I graduate. 

I guess I tag @heroofthreefaces, @stavvers, @gaslightgallows, @wordybee, @rosslynpaladin, @tommybecausereasons, @dinaleblanc, @jurijurijurious, @jusdefruit, @poke-bon, @fatbodypolitics, @amycvdh, @kbox-in-the-box, @dreamofbecoming and @motherfuckingampersands. but do what you want - I'm not shirley, and shirley's not your mom!

[nuclearblastuk]

KORPIKLAANI | RELEASE LYRIC VIDEO FOR 'BEER BEER' FEAT. ALESTORM'S CHRISTOPHER BOWES, ANNOUNCE MORE TOUR DATES

2018 will go down in the history as an important year for KORPIKLAANI. The band celebrated its 15th anniversary, released their 10th album 'Kulkija' and finally wrapped up the year with a successful North American tour in December. 

2019 will be just as busy. The Finnish Folk Metal Superstars will start the year with an 8-date Finnish tour and will be joined on stage with a brass section from Lahti Sinfonia. With KORPIKLAANI attracting a wide and varied audience, it is especially nice that the tour includes also two all-ages shows at Nosturi in Helsinki and Finlandia Klubi in Lahti. The show in Helsinki will be opened by WALTARI and the Norwegian TROLLFEST, while all Finnish shows will also be supported by PROFANE OMEN who recently released their latest album 'Ooka'. 

After the Finnish tour, KORPIKLAANI will continue their worldwide 'Kulkija' -tour with a month-long European run with TURISAS and TROLLFEST and in May, the band will once again head down to Australia and New Zealand. 

Just recently, Pyynikin Craft Brewery unveiled a tasty KORPIKLAANI lager and to celebrate this occasion, the band will release a special tour edition of their new album 'Kulkija' ("Wanderer"), which doesn't only include the regular songs, but also a bonus CD titled 'Beer Beer'. This disk, only available in the physical package, includes 14 versions of KORPIKLAANI's iconic song 'Beer Beer', graced by the likes of Christopher Bowes (ALESTORM), Steve 'Zetro' Souza (EXODUS), Andreas "Gerre" Geremia (TANKARD), Jesper Anastasiadis (TURISAS), TROLLFEST, HEIDEVOLK and many more of their friends' bands and musicians. 

The first taster is released today in the form of a lyric video to 'Beer Beer' and you can listen to the track with Christopher Bowes, here: https://youtu.be/pYP-QPPt_p0 Download or stream the single, here: http://nblast.de/KorpiklaaniBeerBeer 

The more ethereal band Jonne, led by the KORPIKLAANI lead vocalist Jonne Järvelä, will unveil a single trilogy started by the single 'Kaiho' that was released in November and also featured WALTARI vocalist Kärtsy Hatakka. The trilogy will be completed with the releases of 'Tuhka' in February and 'Autere' in March. Both of these songs will also feature vocalist Riikka Jaakkola, familiar from the series Voice Of Finland. All three songs deal with the emotions of death and longing and will be available for streaming and through other digital service channels.

Pre-order 'Kulkija [Tour Edition]' now: http://nblast.de/KorpiklaaniKulkijaTE 

'Kulkija [Tour Edition]' - Track Listing: 01. Neito 02. Korpikuusen kyynel 03. Aallon alla 04. Harmaja 05. Kotikonnut 06. Korppikalliota 07. Kallon malja 08. Sillanrakentaja 09. Henkselipoika 10. Pellervoinen 11. Riemu 12. Kuin korpi nukkuva 13. Juomamaa 14. Tuttu on tie 

'Beer Beer' CD 01. Kaljaa (feat. Vesku | KLAMYDIA) 02. Bier Bier (feat. Gerre | TANKARD) 03. Bíra Bíra (feat. FLERET) 04. Øl Øl (feat. TROLLFEST) 05. Shai Shai (feat. NYTT LAND) 06. Birra Birra (feat. Emilio | SKILTRON) 07. Пиво Пиво (feat. TROLL BENDS FIR) 08. Pivo Pivo (feat. Meri | IRIJ) 09. Μπύρα Μπύρα (feat. Jesper | TURISAS) 10. Pivo Pivo (feat. Milan from ASCHAR) 11. Beer Kill Kill (feat. Zetro | EXODUS) 12. Beer Beer (feat. Chris | ALESTORM) 13. Mellanöl (feat. Viking Danielson | SVARTA LJUSET) 14. Bier Bier (feat. HEIDEVOLK) 

With 14 tracks and a total running time of over 71 minutes, 'Kulkija' is the group's longest album to date. Working with producer Janne Saksa for the first time, the album was recorded at Petrax Studio (Hollola, FIN) and mixed at Sound Supreme Studios (Hämeenlinna, FIN). Mastering duties were handled by renowned engineer Svante Forsbäck (RAMMSTEIN etc.). The cover was designed by Jan Yrlund (BATTLE BEAST, MANOWAR etc.), who has already created several artworks for previous albums and singles for the band. 

Celebrate with KORPIKLAANI on these upcoming tour dates for 2019:

w/ PROFANE OMEN 25.01.              FIN      Helsinki - Nosturi (w/ TROLLFEST, WALTARI) 26.01.              FIN      Tampere - Klubi (w/ TROLLFEST) 31.01.              FIN      Jyväskylä - Lutakko 01.02.              FIN      Lahti - Finlandia-klubi 02.02.              FIN      Turku - Apollo 07.02.              FIN      Kuopio - Henry’s Pub 08.02.              FIN      Oulu - Hevimesta 09.02.              FIN      Seinäjoki - Rytmikorjaamo 

'Wayfarers & Warriors Tour 2019' w/ TURISAS, TROLLFEST 21.02.              LUX      Esch-sur-Alzette - Kulturfabrik 22.02.              D         Wacken - Wacken Winter Nights 23.02.              NL        Tilburg - 013 24.02.              B          Antwerp - Trix 25.02.              UK       London - Islington Assembly Hall 26.02.              F          Lille - Le Splendid 27.02.              F          Paris - La Cigale 28.02.              F          Mérignac - Krakatoa 01.03.              E          Bilbao - Santana 27 02.03.              P          Porto - Hard Club 03.03.              P          Lisbon - Lisboa ao Vivo 05.03.              E          Málaga - Paris 15 06.03.              E          Murcia -Garaje Beat Club 07.03.              E          Zaragoza - Centro Cívico Delicias 08.03.              F          Marseille - Espace Julien 09.03.              CH       Pratteln - Z7 10.03.              F          Bourg-en-Bresse - La Tannerie 11.03.              I           Trezzo sull’Adda (MI) - Live Club 12.03.              HR       Zagreb - Tvornica Kulture 13.03.              H         Budapest - Barba Negra Music Club 14.03.              SK        Bratislava - Majestic Music Club 15.03.              PL        Krakow - Klub Kwadrat 16.03.              PL        Warsaw - Progresja 17.03.              PL        Gdansk - B90 19.03.              D         Berlin - Huxleys Neue Welt 20.03.              PL        Wroclaw - A2 21.03.              D         Jena - F-Haus 22.03.              D         Munich -TonHalle 23.03.              D         Mannheim - MS Connexion Complex 24.03.              D         Cologne - Essigfabrik 

New Zealand & Australia *NEW* 18.05.              NZ       Wellington - Valhalla 19.05.              NZ       Auckland - Whammy Bar 21.05.              AUS     Brisbane - The Triffid * 22.05.              AUS     Sydney - The Manning Bar * 23.05.              AUS     Canberra - The Basement Hotel * 24.05.              AUS     Melbourne - Max Watts * 25.05.              AUS     Adelaide - The Enigma Bar * 26.05.              AUS     Perth - Amplifier Bar * * with Troldhaugen

31.05. - 02.06. CZ        Pilsen - Metalfest Open Air 21. -23.06.      LT        Varniai - Kilkim Žaibu 03. - 06.07.     D         Ballenstedt - Rockharz Open Air 21. - 27.07.     SLO      Tolmin - MetalDays 01. - 04.08.     RO       Rasnov - Rockstadt Extreme Fest 02./03.08.       FIN      Tampere - SaariHelvetti 

More on 'Kulkija': 'Kotikonnut' OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzsUWvKsgqQ 'Harmaja' OFFICIAL VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoTkmBB4yow 'Henkselipoika' OFFICIAL VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB7PyLYQyXg 'Aallon alla' OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uul1tiTZ07Y 'Kuin korpi nukkuva' OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1HnD86aWS8 Track-by-Track #1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94I4_No8IKE Track-by-Track #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8VWu8wkV0E Track-by-Track #3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlNKKaWwATk Trailer #1 - Musical Development: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzDeQBDiJpg Trailer #2 - Recordings & Production: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcugCiRzQl4 

Are you a traveller or a wanderer? Be part of KORPIKLAANI's journey around the world! Use the hashtag #KorpiklaaniWayfarers on Twitter and Instagram, and your photos will appear here: http://nblast.de/KorpiklaaniWayfarers 

www.korpiklaani.com | www.facebook.com/korpiklaani | www.nuclearblast.de/korpiklaani