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Ask me in a week or so when we know the fate of the country. Til then….

Week 395

1. Leads :: Leeds United (Clip)
2. Concierge :: Desk
3. Thousand :: Hundreds and Thousands
4. Engines :: ready
5. Argument :: argumentative
6. 2006 :: 2007
7. Knot :: bound
8. Fuck :: you (Clip)
9. Handsome :: dashing
10. Ridge :: line

31 Photos in 31 Days (Day 19) Back at Work

Back at work today. Fortunately I have 2 days of PD – feeding. Which means I don’t have to see clients. It does mean I have all my workmates who I haven’t seen in awhile for various reasons just checking that I’m well and telling me I look terrible. Thanks :p

I went for a much needed gym session today. More for my sanity, than my body. Needed. Still didn’t stop me staring at the meat at Woolies for 10 mins in a blank world of choice… meh.

Got a couple of cool parcels today:

A couple of Muesli4Me samples, including the yet to be released Gluten Free base with some of my fave fruits and a sample of the go crunchy base. I’ll let you know how they go!

And my parcel for hitting Queanbeyan school this Saturday to hand out how to votes for the Australian Sex Party. Say hi if you see me there… or later in the day back on my home turf supporting GetUp! at Chapman School!

Vote Below the Line

The only photo in my flickr stream tagged “Election”. Disappointment all around that there haven’t been any megamagnets this election from Labor’s #2 Senate candidate, David Matthews! ;)

I know, I know, it might seem insane to Vote Below the Line with the bajillion candidates on the NSW and other Senate ballot papers, but do you really know where your preferences are going if you just put that ’1′ above the line?

Take some time, put some thought into your vote, and use all your numbers below the line.

BelowtheLine.org.au gives info and links to candidates, parties and how their preferences flow. Don’t let your vote be an accidental one for Family First!

(ps If you’re like me and had no idea who the independent candidate for the ACT senate was, here’s John Glynn’s webpage)

31 Photos in 31 Days (Day 16) Doctor, Doctor

While the doctor ran about an hour late, I gathered some pamphlets on milk, anxiety, contraception, ovarian cancer and more, oh and kept up with Twitter. There is a foot for 31 photos with knee high socks under some jeans.

I have three days off work with a medical certificate, two “for if you get worse” scripts, one for if I actually get worse, the other for if the nose dries but the cough keeps going. I’m going to have to watch the time I spend on the computer the next few days so I don’t get too angry with politics. As if that could happen :p

Keep Politicians out of your Bedroom

While my vote in the ACT will probably be going to the Greens on Saturday, I will be crossing the border to Queanbeyan to hand out how to vote cards for the Australian Sex Party.

There shouldn’t be discrimination based on a person’s gender or who they love. Why should it be accepted that I should have the right to marry Rish (whether I want to or not!) but if we were to part for some reason and my next partner was a woman we’d not be allowed to marry, and some organisations that are church-run, but still receive public funding could choose to discriminate by not employing or allowing adoption. Not that I’d want one, but a job with Catholic Education would be pretty much out of the question. I’ve had friends in straight defacto relationships having to lie (or not tell the truth) about their living arrangements so that their position wasn’t threatened… Just because their idea of a family does not extend to anything other than a man and a woman (who are born biologically as such) married in a church and 2.3 kids (born through ‘natural’ means, only within wedlock, of course). *glares*

Separate religion from our laws, and allow love to be love.

Vote for the Secular Party, or the Greens, or the Sex Party, or anyone else who will come out and stand up for what is right, and not hide behind caucus decisions or party lines.

And in case you haven’t seen it yet:

Mythbusting – Vote based on FACTS not FEAR

If you think… think about your vote.

The Greens aren’t allowed to buy this ad to show on TV,but it doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t share it! (the beauty of youtube!)

31 Photos in 31 Days (Day 11) Should have worn Gumboots!

meep! What a miserable day! Might wear gum boots tomorrow!

A couple of GetUp! posters I have to put up in my local area over the weekend. Look out Weston Creek! (anyone going to the ACT Senate Candidates Forum on Sunday afternoon?)

God’s Good News is Bad-News for Students

(Please excuse the use of the media release. I agree with it, but am too tired to think of the words right now)

Atheist Foundation of Australia president David Nicholls today expressed deep concern over Prime Minister Gillard’s announcement over the weekend to increase funding to school chaplains by $222 million.

In a submission to the public consultation process about the National School Chaplaincy Program, the Australian Psychological Society (APS) raised concerns about the credentials of many Chaplains providing counselling services as part of the Chaplaincy program in Australian schools.

In their submission they state that the ‘government is supporting a scheme which allows unregistered and unqualified school chaplains to work outside their boundaries as spiritual and religious personnel’[1] and point out that there is clear evidence that school chaplains are engaging in duties for which they are not qualified.

Although the government guidelines state that ‘school chaplains cannot provide services for which they are not qualified, for example counselling services or psychological assessment’[2] it also states that school chaplains are employed to support students for issues such as ‘grief, family breakdown and other crisis situations’[3].

‘Evidence shows that Chaplains with as little as 36 hours training[4] are counselling students and providing funding to support these chaplains is irresponsible and dangerous,’ said David Nicholls.

“There is a reason that Psychologists have a minimum of 6 years training before being able to provide psychological support services and to think that a two day course and belief in an imaginary being will help these children is ridiculous,’ he said.

One of the major providers of school chaplains the Scripture Union of Australia has as one of its aims to “make God’s Good News known to children, young people and families.”[5]

‘Providing funding to a scheme that supports this religious indoctrination in schools is a clear breach of the separation of church and state and atheists, freethinkers and secularists across Australia will be extremely disappointed in Prime Minister Gillard’s conservative and risky stance,’ said David Nicholls.

[1] Australian Psychological Society’s ‘Submission to the Consultation Process for the National School Chaplaincy Program’ July 2010.
[2] Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations NSCP ‘FAQ’ page outlining the school chaplain’s roles.
[3] Ibid page 2.
[4] ACCESS Ministry course brochure 2010.
[5] SUA website

See further: http://www.atheistfoundation.org.au/.

Funds should go towards appropriately trained teachers, psychologists, social workers or youth workers to provide services such as those outlined above.

31 Photos in 31 Days (Day 7) Uggboot Politics

Saturday mornings are a slow start, spent doing washing, pottering around the house, music helping me through. Switched to real shoes to wander down to the local shopping centre for supplies for lunch, gathered the fliers from the parties running in my electorate (I only have tow number 1-3 for the lower house, and 1-9 I believe for the Senate. No excuses for a 1 above the line, Canberra!)… I’ll decide my numberings on the day.

Also picked up some roti to have with the leftovers of the “Curry” I made the other day in the crockpot. 2 reduced to clear soup packs from Coles ($1.01 each), the remainder of the lentils I had in the cupboard (a mix of red and brown), tin of tomatoes, a vege stock cube, water, curry powder and garam masala. Warm and easy! ;)

For now it’s back to kicking the washing machine so it finishes the cycle and dancing around to Garbage’s Bleed Like Me. So Emo :p