[Disclaimer: This message was simply sent to me. I do not own it nor does it necessarily reflect my beliefs or sentiments - I'm merely blogging it. Furthermore I did not take the picture displayed, it was sent to me as well... Oh and I am NOT an Australian.] Australian PM Julia Gillard Prime Minister Julia Gillard- Australia: Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.. Separately, Gillard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying she supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques. Quote: 'IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT.. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians. ' 'This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom' 'We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society .... Learn the language!' 'Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.' 'We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.' 'This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom, 'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'.' 'If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.' Maybe if we circulate this amongst ourselves in UK , SA, Canada & USA, WE will find the courage to start speaking and voicing the same truths.
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Awakening - [*provisional title*] -- (by Steven Benjamin, 2012 )
… Linda’s mouth hung open. “Jeremy” he said it again, as if tasting the words for the first time. “Oh. Yes. I remember.” His head tilted back as he looked skywards. “What?” Linda heard herself say. “What does that mean?” His attentions found her again, but not for long. He glanced around as if in mild panic, slowly rubbing his fingers together. “You were sleeping.” “Y-yes…” “I was away.” “No. You were driving the car. There, look!” “I was away for a while… saw this, this bridge. There was something I had to get. Something hidden.” “Jeremy you’re scaring me. Let’s just go to the car. Do you want me to drive?” “Shh.” Linda took a step back trying to recover. She was blinking profusely, her hands clutched to her chest as she attempted to formulate some kind of response. “I came here. I came back here… there’s something I need to do. I just need to,” He glanced toward the car again and then back to Linda. “Can you get something for me?” “Hm? You mean…” “Here.” He pulled the keys from his pocket. “Go home. I need something from my lock-box.” “Wh-what? Are you kidding? NO! We’re going home together, stop this, and get in the car.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him closer but he didn’t move. Linda staggered. He was looking at her in a way he’d never before. “You said my name is Jeremy.” She opened her mouth to speak, noticing then that she hadn’t seen him blink. “It isn’t.” His voice was a whisper. “Not remotely.” Her breathing was quicker now, “… Jay. You’re scaring me.” “I know. I was too at first… years ago. Course, I was unaccustomed to it then.” My twitter account: It took me a while but I finally succumbed to industry standard, and perhaps some peer pressure. I'll admit I hated the idea of twitter, saw no need for it until now... as per Murphy's law, I'll probably end up enjoying it... Steven Benjamin(steven_author) -- *click the image below* --
A road of many directions... -- by Steven Benjamin (2012) Linda awoke because of the silence. They weren’t moving and something had caught her eye. Jeremy seemed to be standing outside, a few dozen feet away, looking over the railing. She turned to look at the vacant driver seat as if to confirm that it was him. The light at the bottom of the door was on; Jeremy must have left the door slightly ajar so as not to wake her when he got out. Linda’s fingers pulled on her own door handle. She tried to step out but the seat belt restrained her. Fumbling for the clip, she was finally free, stepping into the cool night air. She glanced back inside to make sure the kids were still asleep in the back, catching a quick reflection of her face in the rear window. For a moment she felt a little deja vu – it felt like all the holiday trips when they stopped over at fill up stations at night; only this time the overhead lights came from the amber glow of a street lamp in the middle of nowhere. Her skin tingled as she walked toward Jeremy. It was a rarefied feeling, walking on the side of a somewhat deserted highway. When her feet hit the curb of the bridge the sounds around her changed. Roads always had an interesting tone – in the dead of night, they were usually the sound of desolation, or at least that’s what she thought desolation sounded like. She wiped he face and pushed her hair behind her ears and then tucked her hands beneath her arms as she walked toward her husband. She could hear faint sounds of running water now, or perhaps that was just the breeze playing tricks. She slowed as she neared him. He hadn’t moved at all. He wasn’t looking down but rather straight ahead, presumably at the dark water down river – or was it up river, she couldn’t tell. “Jay.” Her voice was soft but firm. She wanted to tap him on the shoulder but thought it too startling. “Jay. What are you doing?” Linda glanced around as if to make sure they were alone. He must not have heard. Her mouth opened again, but then his head turned, slowly. He was looking at their car now, and then his eyes wondered again. Her eyebrows furrowed. She took a step closer and reached toward him. “JAY!” He swiveled on his heels immediately, his head whipped round, his eyes wide open… he stared at her for a moment, “Can. Can, I help you?” Linda was lost between confusion and shock. “Jeremy what’s going on? Are you okay?” “Jeremy?” He said it like an insult. ... -to be continued. Too much Chocolate Is there such a thing? Ever had an Italian hot chocolate? There’s a restaurant/Deli here in SA/Cape Town called Limno’s who serve this drink. Be aware though to specify, because if you don’t and just ask for “hot chocolate”, you’ll probably get an ordinary milk and chocolate powder concoction – not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it is some way short of the real thing… The Italian hot chocolate I speak of is simply a ‘bowl’ – a large cup (I had the “large” size) – with melted chocolate that will ooze down your throat in a warm sensual embrace. I’m not sure if this actually originated in Italy, but that’s of little import. Things tend to get out of hand if you decide to have a slice of chocolate mousse cake directly after lining your insides with the dark delight. You probably feel a little bit sick, bloated and maybe even dizzy, in desperate need of a timeout, much akin (I imagine) to an alcoholic hangover, only this time you’ll remember every sweet lick of it. Today I stared contemplatively at several slabs of chocolate, a chocolate energy bar (already devoured by the time I wrote this), a jar of Nutella chocolate spread and a fresh batch of chocolate cupcakes – leftovers from a friend’s birthday party… is this chocolate overload? Oh yeah, did I mention the vanilla, caramel and chocolate flavored Ice cream (a bowl of which I also devoured by the time this went to press) in the freezer? Why do I bring all this up; I hear you ask. Simple: INDULGENCE and above all, DISTRACTION. We all need a bit of it every now and then. As we enter spring, thawing from our wrapped up winter days (Southern Hemisphere of course), it is imperative that we indulge in some of life’s little pleasure’s. Timing though needs to be just right so that the guilt you will inevitably feel, will be outweighed because you’ve saved yourself, elevating yourself to a new level – you are now worthy! So in the current international climate (politics, crime, global warming, wars et al.), make sure you preserve yourself by nourishing your soul with some sweet dark chocolate love, and have a quiet smile to yourself… -- Okay so technically I wasn't referring specifically to Dark chocolate, but this part is still relevant! -->
Heart Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate: Dark chocolate is good for your heart. A small bar of it everyday can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well. Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate are:
Other Benefits of Dark Chocolate: Chocolate also holds benefits apart from protecting your heart:
The ideas that inspired The Hobbit, Animal Farm and 8 other famous books --- Blogging this article from Writers Digest: FOLLOW this link...
Fuzz Therapy What is it about fur and humanity, whether live or dead… not to get on anyone’s wrong side here, let’s just stick to the living. So fur then; to be more specific, let me lay the scene… There you are, sitting on your couch in the middle of the day when SUDDENLY, an urge emerges from within – an urge to rub some fur. And what do you know, most of us tend to have a four legged fury animal close by to satisfy said urge. There’s nothing kinky about it, just the pure pleasure of rubbing a shaggy coat, feeling the texture between your fingers… I believe it’s a primal urge, one that spawns from the cavemen era when most wore the fur of their kill, or loincloth on some parts, which may or may not have sported some fur at one time. Wearing the hides of dead animals has caused some controversy in last two decades, which only underlines man’s insatiable need to be close it – so strong that it’s lasted aeons. Perhaps it’s because we’re mammals and inherently have hair, or fur, some more than others; so it’s already part of us on more than just the surface. All in all though, we just tend every now and then to crave something furry, maybe women can identify to this more than most. For guys, well maybe it’s that secret will to be wild every so often, or at least feel wild, to let things go a bit (many guys who go to university tend to let their hair, on their head as well as their face, grow. Whether it’s because of the new found freedom of school yard rules and regulations or just that there’s been many late night’s burning the midnight oil, and there hasn’t been any time to shave… Either way, the fur will emerge. In any case, moving on from the origins of it all I find myself, on quite a regular basis, just wanting to give my dogs a good ‘ol rubbing… but I do believe that there’s something therapeutic to it, the simplicity in the act, the beauty of life, and even loyalty – this elementary and primal act that just so happens to demonstrate, illustrate and engage the all-encompassing phenomena that is the greatest thing and simultaneously the greatest mystery of our lives – Love. So, whether you’re cuddling up in your favorite furry blanket on the couch, rubbing the stubble on your chin (or legs – ladies), welcoming back your gruff man from his latest camping trip (or general household manly endeavor) or staring into the big doe eyes of your four legged friend; there is an undeniable attraction to it. Sometimes it’s just common neglect, other times extreme effort to grow some fuzz, but whatever the cause or significance, there’s no denying the variety of responses it elicits in so many differing forms in our daily lives. |
[Banner illustration by Joel Kanar]
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