Slavery and saints

I saw on Oremus this morning that William Wilberforce is the saint for the day. I haven't had time to rent Amazing Grace from the DVD store, let alone watch it. But I have been remembering the movie, and the story behind it, in those moments of stillness throughout the day. Slavery remains such an issue in our world. Particularly in some parts of the Pacific and Asia.

Yesterday I bought an amazing product at ALDI. A4 sheets of canvas that you can print on. It was just what I needed to print out our young peoples' questions for their tree of growth - which I left in the Minister's office and didn't photograph :( Anyway the canvas was made in China. And I bought it without questioning how fairly it was made.

WWWD (What would Wilberforce do?) I wonder. And get caught up in the wonder inspired by this week's Oremus prayer. I just love it. I have printed it out on A4 and carry it around with me each day. A real blessing to me:

Blessed are you, O God,
you are our greatest treasure
and the source of our greatest joy:
Your Spirit continues to form us in the likeness of Christ,
that we may know the freedom of your children
and the assurance that nothing in creation
can separate us from your love,
most fully known in Jesus Christ our Lord.
For these and all your mercies, we praise you:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
Blessed be God for ever!


Blessed be God forever - AMEN

On rules and memes and other things ...

When I got tagged for a meme I did it. And enjoyed it. Up to the part where you have to tag other people.

• Do I have to do this?
  
• What if they don't want to do it?
  
• Will they feel obliged to do something they don't want to do just because I tagged them?
  
• Will they still speak to me after I tag them for a meme?

These among other questions filled my mind. But being a compliant person I obeyed the rules and 'tagged' seven others. Some responded with enthusiasm. Some stated they 'don't do memes' but did this one anyway. And maybe enjoyed it. Others maybe haven't got the tag yet (maybe I forgot to tell them). And several taught me that you can 'cheat' in memes and just say you're tagging anyone who reads your blog and not actually directly tag anyone at all.

Then I thought "What is a meme anyway?". According to Wikipedia it is the cultural equivalent of DNA - a cultural unit that spreads and throughout a culture like a virus "So with memes, some ideas will propagate less successfully and become extinct, while others will survive, spread, and, for better or for worse, mutate." I'm not at all sure how this relates to the phenomenon in the blogosphere but clearly change is inherent and allowable.

But all this got me thinking about my own compliance. I am certainly one of those people for whom discerning questions are a skill to be cultivated. My tendency is to accept and to follow directions. I like to think I would stop short of lethally harming someone in those famous Milgram experiments - but I just don't know. In my favour is my active participation in the class of 1978 - the medical students who refused to carry out gynae exams on women without informed consent. With a colleague we presented our case to the Professor - were threatened with failing the year - but stood firm and in the end had our ethical stance supported by the University. It is a shock to realise that the same issue continues to resurface around the world 30 years later.

In a job interview this week I was asked how I would keep to the time assigned to the position. I was candid enough to say I tend to say 'yes' too easily, and insightful enough to say that I seek the discernment to work out whether new tasks will contribute to achieving the goals of my position and if so, how I will negotiate additional hours or reprioritising of existing work to include them.

One year I gave up saying 'yes' for Lent (not at work, but at home and in voluntary activities). It was freeing. "MJD will you undertake ... ?" "Get back to me after Easter and I'll consider it." It's a discipline I keep there and bring out - often after I need to but at least before it is really too late.

So with memes. How do you know who 'does them' and who 'doesn't'? Do you have to do them when you're tagged? Do you have to tag?

You can't tell by just looking at a blog. Guessing isn't always accurate. No and no. But it can be fun if you do.

Can't do without ...

Singing Owl has posted a quick Friday Five as she sets off for a chaplains convention. She says:

We will be at a chaplain's convention when you all are answering the Friday Five Questions. I'll look forward to reading your answers next week when I get home. At the moment we are trying to get the car loaded so we can hit the road, so this will be a simple F.F. This running around madly in order to leave has me wondering: what are the five things you simply must have when you are away from home? And why? Any history or goofy things, or stories?

I'm ready for bed and will be packing for a trip to Canberra tomorrow morning so this will be a quick and practical list. I hope the why is self-evident:

1. Toothbrush and toothpaste
   
2. Plenty of clean undies
   
3. Walking shoes and socks
4. Map book
5. Mobile phone
   

And what do I inevitably leave behind: hairbrush and nail scissors. I can usually manage with a comb for a few days, but have so many pairs of tiny scissors bought in various places over the years - yet I seldom remember .... Maybe this time I will :-)

Principalities and Powers

At the NSW Public Health Association meeting last night I supported a motion calling for a formal complaint to be made to the Australian national airline, QANTAS, regarding the decision to sell cigarettes in-flight and to instruct staff to display them prominently on the trolley. I could have shouted crikey when I found this post saying that the new QANTAS non-executive director recently retired as finance director of British American Tobacco. QUANTAS of course denies any link between these two news items. Yet offers no real explanation for this giant step backwards from a commitment TO public health when they removed cigarettes from in-flight sales in 1999.

Vigilence and tenacity are clearly attributes I must continue to develop as I participate in public health practice in this country, and internationally. I understand that Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic all sell duty-free cigarettes in-flight. I am asking airlines to accept a sense of social responsibility over profitability and voluntarily remove such products from sale. For airlines with government funding, such a step would be consistent with national commitments to the World Health Organisation Convention on Tobacco Control.

On a personal level I will be writing to QANTAS myself, and intentionally booking with airlines that take a lead in population health protection. I hope that public service organisations and agencies will follow. And churches????

Be watchful and wary ...

Several people have been blogging about organisational integrity after the issues to do with Dave Walker and a chain of Christian bookstores in the UK. Sam Norton at Elizaphanian has links to the relevant sites and information.

The latest British Medical Journal page includes a video describing very clearly how drug companies recruit doctors to boost market share in pharmaceuticals. It makes me question the independence of recent American Pediatric and Cardiology recommendations that children as young as two should be tested for high cholesterol and treated with statins.

I'm hoping to get some more information and to determine the extent of the evidence base underpinning such recommendations. I take this information as a pointer though, to be ever watchful and discerning about the 'principalities and powers' that influence apparently independent and individual choices.

MeMe

Jan has tagged me for a me me meme

Here are the rules:

1. List these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.

1. I am the eldest daughter of the eldest daughter (I think of the eldest daughter but not entirely sure if my grandmother or her sister was the eldest)
2. Like Jan, I am the shortest in my nuclear family with partner and children all exceeding my 160cm
3. I have read the Westminster Confession of Faith (a long time ago now though)
4. I have short stubby toes (as do my sisters and our kids. Some strong gene there)
5. I don't eat chocolate or drink coffee
6. I eat porridge for breakfast and make tea in a pot (with leaf tea not tea bags)
   
7. I cannot sing in tune, on key or in time and get irritated by people who say there is nobody who can't sing.
   

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

Sally
RevHRod
Singing Owl
Auntie Knickers
Val
Hudson
Black Pete

As Jan said - It is a silly meme, but I am very interested in the new facts I'll learn about each one of you. If someone else wants to do it, comment here and go ahead!

Cultural complexities

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples make up a high proportion of the Northern Territory population and are very visible in the community. On my morning walk along the esplanade on Sunday I met the artist above, who invited me to see her work at the Mindil Beach Sunset market that evening. Later in the week we met artists selling their work directly to the public at Wangi Falls. They spoke with significant feeling about the way they are treated by galleries, who pay the artist $100 for a work then marketed to tourists for several thousand dollars. Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists are allegedly signed up to a gallery and are unable to sell their work independently. At the Sunset market the music was playing and some members of the audience dancing in a display of culture of a different kind.

Our outing on Tuesday of last week started with a drive almost to the edge of Litchfield National Park, and a visit to the tin mine. Fully operational for only a few years, and wreaking serious health damage to those who spent their days breathing in silicon in while mining the underground seams of tin, this mine also seemed to operate as a multi-cultural workplace with both colonists and traditional owners of the land working in collegial, and in several cases conjugal, partnerships. The mine site was well laid out, with a short walking track and well-written interpretive signs giving a good impression of the lifestyle of those early miners and their families.

Our luxurious historic retreat in Batchelor was just along the road from the Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education . The hospitable library staff allowed me to use their internet connection to liaise with colleagues back in Sydney regarding public health education matters. Graduates from the Institute are working in many places in Australia, including many in their communities of origin. Exciting to see such a worthwhile enterprise doing well. In a further twist of history and culture, the guest house was the home of the manager for the uranium mine in the 1950s. The material mainly sold to the US of course.

On Wednesday we visited Adelaide River and learnt more about the relentless bombing experienced in the whole top end of Australia during World War 2. The War Commission Cemetery was sobering, as such sites always are. We walked to dinner that evening at the Butterfly Farm - literally capturing something of the beautiful fauna of the region and run by an Englishman.

WE concluded our trip to the top end with further exploration in Darwin on the Thursday. We concluded our trip with a visit to the excellent Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory where we saw not only the current exhibition, but the outstanding collections of Aboriginal Art with excellent explanatory captions. Such art was originally very sacred and could only be viewed by specific people or groups of people. Much thought and effort has gone into adapting styles of work to make them available to a wider audience. For this I am glad, as the art is awe-inspiring.

All in all an eclectic interwoven set of experiences of history and culture within a relatively limited geographical area. And now I see there is a job advertised in Katherine - further south and allegedly with the lowest petrol prices in the Territory (according to my bus driver cousin who should know!) I am tempted by the climate and the opportunity to make a real difference in addressing the health disparities of the traditional owners and occupiers of this country. But a 5 hour plane commute from Sydney is not really very friendly to the planet. I do have some other opportunities closer to home that I will explore first.

And to conclude: a random trivial fact. Left-handed people are over-represented among USA Presidents, and both the current contenders are left handed. Trivial? YES. Useful? NO. Interesting? MAYBE

Top End Flora

More about the Northern Territory sojourn last week. Flights into Darwin seem to be most frequent in the middle of the night and mine was no exception. After a delayed departure from Sydney I finally arrived in Darwin about 12.45 a.m. Driving the rental car into the city about 1.30 a.m. I was struck by the abundantly flowering frangipani trees repetitively and rhythmically caught in the headlights along the roadway. Remember of course that for me this is winter - and our frangipani tree is a bare branched thing with just a few surviving leaves. I just did not expect to see flowers blooming - especially not at 1.30 a.m. Then again the temperature in the middle of the night was hotter than in the noontime sun in Sydney! Of course I didn't stop and take a snap of the blooms at that time, but did find this tree in Batchelor later in the week.









Then over the following few days I was delighted by the range of vegetation we observed, including these pretty wildflowers and the brownish fruit (I have no idea what it is!).

Banksia is one of my favourite Australian natives and the orange flowers were also abundant on our walks each day. There was something quite energising about experiencing such different weather and such different plant life. It reminded me of an April in London (autumn in NZ of course and spring in the UK) and my delight in daffodils which were such a surprise at that time of year. It is amazing to be living in this vast and multifaceted country and to have the opportunity to explore its riches.

Litchfield National Park

A week ago we arrived in the town of Batchelor and settled into our luxurious accommodation at the Historic Retreat. Our host Rob was wonderful. We shared the common areas with a couple from Melbourne, helping out with a new grandchild in the town and enjoying their own space from time to time, and four intrepid US sailors on a three-day vacation from their catamarans.

We drove down from Darwin, stopping on the way for a Spectacular Jumping Crocodile cruise. I got to hold a python and see some pretty big crocs up close and personal. They did jump but sadly I didn't capture any on the camera (lots of shots of bits of croc out of frame. Check out their website for more. On the return trip delighted to see the sky filled with kites, relatives of course of the American bald eagle.

Once unpacked we headed into the park and visited the giant termite mounds. These are described as the equivalent of cows? In an environment where there are no natural herbivores, the termites carry out the processes needed to dispose of grass etc and return it to the soil. These are magnetic termite mounds. Very apt in a region named for the biologist Charles Darwin. It seems the termites are genetically programmed to build the mounds on specific axes. Those for whom this is thermally advantageous survive - those who freeze or bake don't survive. Leading to a whole community who build in the same direction. Or something like that!
And then further along the road to the very popular Buley Waterhole and a one hour trek to the ever-so-beautiful Florence falls. We swam in that pool at the foot of the falls and could get right in underneath the waterfalls. It was so lovely. Then up the 160 steps to the carpark and back to the open air restaurant at the motor camp for a delicious dinner of local Barramundi and fresh steamed veges.

Was this an idyllic day? YES. Did I engage in any deep biological, public health or spiritual reflection? NO not really. Did I live the moments as fully as possible? YES. Did I share them with someone I love? YES. And I didn't really set out to blog like this - reviewing the past week day-by-day. However it is an interesting process that I might just keep on with.

Top End sunset market

Back in wintery Sydney it is hard to believe that just a week ago I was in Darwin at the top end of Australia, where there are only two seasons - 'the wet' starting about October and 'the dry' - now. Temperatures were about 30 Celsius dropping to the 20s at night. Sunday evening I wandered down to the Mindil beach market where I got myself some 'dinkum Aussie tucker' and ate it on the beach. Darwin is renowned for its sunsets (which occur in different directions at different times of year - I'm sure the astronomers will understand) and last Sunday was no exception. About this time I headed to the airport to meet my beloved coming back from a President's (of the UCA) conference in Bali. But time for bed for me now. Will post more tomorrow.

Blogging testimonial

RevHRod posted a Friday Five that perfectly fits with a post I have been composing in my head for a few weeks now. Thinking about how I joined the blogosphere and about telling my story. So thank you so much for the prompt and the interesting questions below:

So how did you come up with your blogging name? And/or the name of your blog?

My blogging name is a phonetic version of my initials and the name of my blog - well that involves criticism of my denomination but I have voiced it to the State Moderator and anyone who knows me reasonably well knows about my set the bird free mantra. The Uniting Church in Australia was born out of a sincere and real commitment to an ecumenical vision in 1977, bringing together the Congregational Union, the Methodist Church and the Presbyterian Church. Similar to the UCC in the USA and the URC in the UK. The Basis of Union is an excellent document that has had its own evangelistic effect, bringing people into this new denomination. All this I admire and respect. My difficulty when I first came to Australia was with the logo. Despite an impeccable statement of meaning, the flame/bird seems imprisoned within the heavy black outlines. Over time of course I have found pockets of creativity and freedom and inclusiveness. I have even found some places like Wesley Mission that have modified the logo. My passion persists in the name of this blog and I do long to see the fullness of Godde reflected in the week-by-week worship and the day-by-day living of this denomination born in such hope and enriched with such potential.

Are there any code names or secret identities in your blog? Any stories there?

No. I cannot bring myself to give my family members code names or even to talk about them much in my blog. I feel irritated by the standard ones (DD, DS, DH etc). I do like reading other people's ones (like Songbird's Princess who is searching for a new on-line identity) and Sally's joyful sharing of her family stories, but I'm somehow more reluctant!

What are some blog titles that you just love? For their cleverness, drama, or sheer, crazy fun?

Red Wine and Garlic, Don't eat alone, Anchors and Masts, Pacific Highlander, Yearning for God (I just love Jan's washing line signature pic),

What three blogs are you devoted to? Other than the RevGalBlogPals of course!

Eternal Echoes. Abbey of the Arts, and the poetry dialogue between Black Pete and the Midwesterner

Who introduced you to the world of blogging and why?

This is the picture that started it all! Short answer - Sally at Eternal Echoes. Long answer: Blogging - I'd heard the word and knew some people did it but really didn't know what it was all about and had never read one. Except - now I think about it - Saartje who I discovered when looking for cute knitting patterns one time. But back to the main story! I was leader of a Lent Event study group and looking for a illustration of the 'woman at the well' A google image search found this brilliant picture by He Qi @ Eternal Echoes . Read Sally's blog accompanying it and loved it. Bookmarked the page. Went back to visit fairly regularly. Visited some of her 'fellow travellers.' Began to respond in comments. Found some of my comments were almost as long as the blogs. So thought - maybe I could give this a go. Sally was SOOOOOO encouraging with my first tentative posts. Then I was hooked really and have met new cyber friends through a not-completely-but-fairly random snowballing method. I still have concerns that I am living in a virtual reality and avoiding relationships I should be nurturing in person. The time I spend on-line has increased and there are questions about my priorities. But all-in-all blogging is a positive experience and has provided some of the creative opportunity that I so craved when I coined the title.

Bonus question: Have you ever met any of your blogging friends? Where are some of the places you've met these fun folks?

No I haven't. although I have made snail mail contact with a handful. Bavelry has a card exchange group which is fun to add a personal contact dimension. Today I was both sad and glad to read in the headlines of the death of Olive Riley - purportedly the world's oldest blogger. Maybe you've already heard the news. This wonderful woman lived just up the coast from me yet tonight is the first time I've heard of her. This strengthens my resolve to develop my 'Australian' blogging network as well as continuing the journey with my 'up over' friends.

Pink bootees finished!

Son is taking them to his friends' baby daughter tomorrow. She is a precious wee babe, three years ago her Mum and Dad lost a baby at term. Just over a year ago they had a little boy, and now this wee girl is added to their family.

This was a vintage pattern and knitted using some of the needles I inherited from my mother. Modern machine washable wool though!

Camp Out

Mother Laura posted this weeks Friday Five.

1. Did you go to sleep away camp, or day camp, as a child? Wish you could? Or sometimes wish you hadn't?
Yes - camps at the Christian Youth Camp at Ngaruawahia were an integral part of my childhood. I loved it. Reflecting now I realise how important these were for my faith formation - both positive and negative.
2. How about camping out? Dream vacation, nightmare, or somewhere in between?
Definitely dream stuff. Nothing better than tent, beach a short walk away, sun and a good book.

3. Have you ever worked as a camp counselor, or been to a camp for your denomination for either work or pleasure?
Our congregation in Wellington NZ had an annual church camp which was always a great time. Photo of 2006 camp at El Rancho, Waikanae.
4. Most dramatic memory of camp, or camping out?
Lying in tent quietly reading when a sudden gust of wind blew the tent right down on top of me. The returning action snapped one of the fibreglass poles which ripped right through the roof of the tent. We did abandon camp for a motel that night!

5. What is your favorite camp song or songs? Bonus points if you link to a recording or video.
Ten guitars - can't find any authentic camp style video but here is an art installation!

Beyond nutrients

Population Health Congress was a stimulating event. Wednesday's plenary on advocacy for food security brought to mind my second response to the Poetry Party. Michael Marmot is always so inspiring - and certainly no less on this occasion. I missed the first day plenary but heard good reports of the renewed challenge to environmental sustainability and mitigation of the effects of climate change. The lack of overlap between my public health circle and my faith community struck me during the week. The potential overlap is enormous. I did cite Brian McLaren in the paper I presented. And thought how relevant the Young Ambassadors for Peace programme was when I listened to a paper about the homicide of journalists. Back to the Wednesday plenary. Among many good things I was struck by Jane Dixon and her analysis that over emphasis on nutrient content has robbed food of cultural meaning. And contributed to the obesity crisis in developed nations. To round off a busy week I had a couple of hours to spare on Wednesday afternoon and enjoyed a wander through the impressive Brisbane art gallery. I will enjoy exploring more of this my new country with a trip to Darwin and the Litchfield National Park - starting tomorrow. I will be taking a camera this time!

Fireworks!

Sally posted the Friday Five at RevGalBlogPals this week. I can't resist a quick play even as I have conference presentation to prepare for next week, bag to pack, and early morning flight to Brisbane in the morning. This is prob my last blog in a while - so thanks Sally. It's a good one!

Sally writes:
I have to admit that I am chuckling to myself a little; how strange it seems for me a Brit to be posting the Friday Five on 4th July! I realise that most of our revgals will be celebrating in some way today, but I hope that you can make a little room for Friday Five! From my short stay in Texas my memories of the celebrations are of fireworks and picnics, one year we went in to central Houston to watch the fireworks and hear the Symphony Orchestra play, we were welcomed and included, and that meant a lot!

So lets have a bit of fun: 1. Barbeque's or picnics ( or are they essentially the same thing?)
In 1962 our family (Mum, Dad, me and two sisters) was living in a rural area Maihiihi. In a birthday speech to our Mum in April 2006 we said, " Many of you will have visited us at the store in Maihiihi. For us those were the picnic years. I think our parents knew every creek in the ... districts and we frequently enjoyed lunchtime outings accompanied by a rather cold swim" So 'picnic' conjures up a very warm memory of family outings, often in the company of grandparents and friends. This one at the beach some summertime. AND I also love a 'barbie' at home or at the park with a crispy salad and lots of tomato sauce.

2. The park/ the lake/ the beach or staying at home simply being?
Yes to all of the above

3. Fireworks- love 'em or hate 'em?
Love
4. Parades- have you ever taken part- share a memory...
Now this is a USA 4th of July memory. 1996. We were in California for only six weeks and invited to join the Sleepy Hollow Church parade. It was a wonderful day and our children rode in style!

For those of us on this side of the world ANZAC parades are always moving as a participant or observer. I never go away without a tear. And while I said on this side of the world - it is amazing to know that there is a bagpipe composition to honour NZ (and others) who lost their lives 'upover' (if that is the opposite of downunder). This photo from NZ Society Scotland of the 2006 parade in Arbroath.

5. Time for a musical interlude- if you could sum up holidays in a piece of music what would it be?
Any Dave Dobbyn really. Here's 'Slice of Heaven' live from London

Limiting options

This is a further play on the Abbey of the Arts image. Guess who's been grocery shopping today!

Two aisles of cereal
Colourful boxes enticing
I choose oats
and make porridge