Disco Knitter

Thanks to Kate V for the link.

1. Why didn’t Courtney get a welcome home party after her elimination? Everyone else is shown going home, and then there is a little recap about what they have been doing since they left the competition. Thanks Dad for pointing that out.

2. Yesterday I went with a friend for her 12 week scan, and apart from 10 minutes of violent purging as soon as I woke up, I was pretty much ok all day, just on one Zofran,and one Restavit. So I thought things were looking up.

3. Until this morning. And that is all I’ll say about that.

4. Today, dad gave Inigo a branch with four pine cones on it. Inigo is into counting things at the moment and he counted each pinecone, and came up with four as the total. It’s happened before, but he seems to be getting more consistent with his counting. Clever chicken.

5. Tomorrow is my 12 week scan. Not enormously stressed about it, but a little bit worried. I’m still bleeding, and have had some cramping. It’s a good thing I feel so sick, it keeps me feeling pregnant!

6. As some canny readers have noticed, I was on the tele on Tuesday night. Channel 10 have this clever idea about interviewing the residents of Abbot St, Sydney (a Labor seat) and Gillard St in Melbourne (a Liberal seat). So they knocked on my door last week, and I dragged myself away from the vomitarium for long enough to give them a few pithy comments about my socialist ideals. It’s an ongoing series they are doing, so you might catch me again. And I promise to make an effort to look less scraggy next time.

Full article from Time Magazine here.

Fe and I went to the protest yesterday, armed with our cameras. Fe was determined to stay impartial and professional, I thought I would try for as long as I could. But when one lone woman was surrounded with bile spewing rednecks, I had to take a stand and join her. Sarah, whoever you are, I thought you were very brave. Sarah said, “I wasn’t worried, the racists are most likely sexist too, and would never hit a woman”.

I was disgusted that the police had been close by when the refugee supporters found an APP supporter in their midst, but stayed away when the APP turned on Susan. I wondered if the police were truly as impartial as they are supposed to be, and I was still wondering when I snapped this picture.

Notice anything? The butt of his weapon?

The rest of my pictures are here.

Edited to add a link to Fe’s amazing pics.

And “John”, a Today Tonight poll is only going to reflect the ideas and aspirations of a not very educated group that get their opinions from “Today Tonight” and the Telegraph, etc. I won’t enter into an argument about the facts of immigration, but I would be happy to listen to your views once you have spent a month on a leaky boat, trying to save the lives of your children. Then we can talk about disadvantage, selfishness, and racism.

Sydney Morning Herald coverage here.

I got this in my inbox yesterday – and though I have serious reservations about taking Inigo to a protest that has the possibility of getting violent (not that I think this will, but I need to protect him), I really think it’s important to stand up for people who have no voice of their own.

Unfortunately Mark has to work tomorrow, so does anyone want to join me? Will be at Pearl Beach overnight with limited phone signal, so text me if you’re interested

—————————————————————————
Please forward this rally to ALL people who would be concerned about the
far-right taunting asylum seekers, many of whom have fled war and persecution,
while they are locked behind the razor wire

UNITE AGAINST RACISM
Refugees are welcome – racism is not!

The Australian Protectionist Party have called a rally attacking refugee rights for this Sunday, April 11, at 3pm outside Villawood Detention Centre.

The APP are anti-refugee, anti-immigrant & racist. They letterbox leaflets that scapegoat Africans, Muslims & immigrants for crime, unemployment & other social problems. However, the major parties are also to blame – they have given a green light to racism, by also demonising refugees & using migrants as scapegoats.

Racism kills. Refugees are still being deported to their deaths. Attacks on international students and immigrants are increasing.

We need a peaceful show of support for refugee rights, for equality and justice – and to let all racists know that their hatred is not welcome.
Rally Sun April 11, 2pm
At Villawood Detention Centre
15 Birmingham Ave, Villawood (nr Leightonfield Stn)

Please forward this message, organise your friends, bring placards and banners in support of refugees and against racism.

Supported by: Refugee Action Coalition, Latin American Social Forum, Sudanese Human Rights Assoc, Social Justice Group, Socialist Alliance, Solidarity, Socialist Alternative, Resistance.

For information, to add your support, or if you have ideas for the rally, please phone Paul 0410 629 088 or James 0438 718 348
———— —-
The racist APP’s rally call:

http://www.protectionist.net/ 2010/04/02/ join-the- protectionist- party-in- celebrating-rudds-first- century/

From Hoyden About Town. Which, incidentally, everyone should read.

It makes you smarter.

Or does that only work on me?

Labor Senator Cathering King had her toddler in the senate, but Greens toddlers are apparently not allowed.

The picture of Senator Hanson Young on the second link is absolutely heartbreaking.

What’s Inside Palmolive Ultra, and why you might like to wear gloves.

Through a friend at playgroup, we found out about the local bush regen project. Mark went along last month with Inigo, this month he talked me into dropping in at the half way mark.

I’m really glad I went. I popped Inigo into the new carrier, and he slept for a while, and I wandered around plucking weeds and photographing stuff…

Tea break

Peter demonstrates the “Peter Tool”, a mattock for enclosed spaces

Weeds must die!

The gall!

Cicada shell

Wish the focus was better on this shot!

Small weed, HUGE root system. Kill with extreme prejudice

Inigo had a close encounter with another cicada shell, I unearthed about half a dozen in a patch of weeds

Not sure what this weed is called, but as well as a tuberous root system, it has these little bulbs which fall off if the plant is handled too roughly. Each one can make a new plant if they break off.

Not only was the killing of weeds extremely satisfying, it was lovely to spend some time in the great outdoors, fabulous to meet some caring volunteers, and all so close to home!

Last night, I was almost cooking in the dark, but I got dinner ready just in the nick of time. And this morning, Mark fixed the lights in the kitchen

A campaign for marriage equality has started in the U.S. White Knot is asking people to wear a knotted white ribbon symbolising that everyone should have the right to tie the knot.

Wear a White Knot on Thursday

wherever you are. whatever you are doing.

The California Supreme Court will be hearing the arguments to invalidate Prop 8 which banned same-sex marriage. The result of this case will impact the fight for equal rightsthroughout the country. On Thursday, show the world how much support Marriage Equality has by wearing your White Knot and telling people why.

So this may be all about what is happening in America, but I believe that acceptance in America will help bring acceptance here. And everywhere.

When I see someone throw rubbish out of a car window, I get very cross.

If it’s a cigarette butt, I get extremely cross.

If it’s anywhere near the bush, on a hot day, I go thermonuclear. It’s really not very pretty, and I have had to be talked down from following these people home and putting prawn heads in their curtain rails.

But now I have a better solution.

Call the Environmental Protection Authority!

131 555 (pollution reporting, environment information and publication requests) for the cost of a local call within New South Wales (mobiles excluded) or (02) 9995 5555.

They sent the offender a warning, and if a second incident is reported, they will be fined. Of course, I’d prefer there was some form of physical torture involved, but a fine is a perfectly acceptable starting point.

Climate change answers in our own back yards



Inigo Nettle declared today that we must look for climate change solutions in our own back yards.  “We must employ appropriate technologies,” he said,  “that is technologies that are sustainable and mirror the processes of nature”.  He was examining the use of solar powered lighting that can be used in backyards and in industry.

Ted looked after Inigo for a few hours yesterday – thanks Ted for the babysitting, and the laughs

SMH article about Kerry today.

For a while, I was craving fish and chips. Not just any fish, but deep fried shark. The cravings were so bad I could barely concentrate on a book, or driving the car. So for a few weeks, I had fish & chips once a week. The first time, it made me gag, but the craving went away. I’m over it now, and very glad to be – the fish made my skin smell in a really nasty way. I’m sure meat eaters wouldn’t notice it, but Mark did.

But now it’s all about cheese, and eggs. Apparently at the moment, I’m growing teeth and bones, so I need a lot of calcium. When we babysat Alex last, I ate almost an entire block of cheese that Sarah had in the fridge, and wasn’t sick the next day (usually lactose makes me snotty and vile the next day). So since then we’ve been going through about a kilo of (animal rennet free) cheese in a week.

I’ve also been eating more eggs than the girls can lay (about 3 every 2 days), so I’ve been buying Eco Eggs, on the assumption that since they are the most expensive, so hopefully I am paying for a better quality of life for the hens. Trouble is, without actually inspecting the living conditions, it’s bloody hard to know what you are buying, and what living conditions you are supporting with your grocery money.

Examination of the site tells me that each hen gets 0.1 m2 of space to sleep. Doesn’t sound like much to me, especially since these chooks are much larger than our girls.

I won’t go into the horrors of the dairy industry, it is my intention that one day I will stop eating all dairy, but in the meantime, I am living a bit of a double standard.

For a while now, I’ve been reading a blog called “Path to Freedom“, the journal of a family that lives almost 100% sustainably on a normal suburban block in the US. Today I read a post that made me cry (because let’s face it, everything makes me cry at the moment), and it might just enlighten one or two people that think that humans are superior to animals because animals “don’t feel emotions”.

Read the story of Leda and Lola here.