How amazingly fortunate I am, to be able to talk through the written word and transmitted via the World Wide Web, to you dear reader whereever you are.
This past August 22 2008, on my seventy third birthday, an extraordinary thing happened and it came from grandson Henry
aged ten, his younger brother Charlie and hls even younger sister Lily. It was a hand written note on their birthday card and here it is. "Happy birthday Grandad I hope you have a wonderful birthday. We all wish that the age of 73 was young, we all can not stay young forever. Have a great birthday. Heres $50 for a new book". Here it is in the form of my first blog entry, or will I now refer it to my first Journal entry.
Oh, yes Henry, earns his money, lawn mowing, pool cleaning and other jobs around his parents eightynine acre property, which
is partly a cattle feedlot and a group of wild deer, which catches the eye of our Great Dane when we visit. I'm sure Henries brother and sister help in their littly way. Not surprisingly in our family, in adition to getting ones hands dirty in manual work, they can easily turn their hands to things electronic. Henry at ten can also turn his talents to the graphics side of computors all clever stuff, I'm still in the cut and paste era, but a short step to doing the job electronicaly , they do say. Please dont hold your breath.
International- My allconsumming event for me this year was my writing and publication of my paper Think - A Proposal for a major change within the World's financial systen and matters relating. My last paper was Think - An Essay on Governance; publised 2004. Copies as with the first publication, are going out to people and organisations of international standing, the first of course to our Prime Minister, followed by President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is also president of the EU at the moment; Chairman of OPEC; UK's Prime Minister MR Gordon Brown and on including most of the G20 leaders.
Its all about changing the currency of international trade from the US$ to the Euro and matters relating like caps on production for a sustainable future.
Senator retiring and now President elect Barak Obama appears likely to be a negotiating President, rather than the confrontational one of President George W Bush. At last a man who 'Thinks' things over and hopefully knows the meanings of True; Perceive and Reconcile. Whilst we are freinds and allies of the United States, we must always remind ourselves that he is very much American, where 'America comes first' and always 'God Bless America' is the general theme. As with many around the World, I wish him, all the best in his endeavours for the no mean task ahead and makes his Vice President very transparent and accountable.
Australia's neighbours New Zealand have also had a regeme change, from a labour Prime Minister Helen Clark to a liberal a Mr John Key, will the next one be of Maori origin. Change, good word is it not, as in my verse 'Maybe one day, people will accept change, like change itself and be better for the experience'.
I am against the 'Death Penalty' and so I am concerned that Sunday ninth November heralded the execution by firing squad, on an island somewhere in Indonesia, of the so called Bali Bombers.
It is not closure for anyone and as one survivor, who was severely burn't said. It is over for them, but we have to live on. Surely life imprisonment would have been more appropiate, to remind them each day, of their involvementon that day, as physically they themselves killed no one.
Can I say to all living victims and their families, do as I did with Vietnam, in a word Reconciliation. My experience of being 'arrested' by the Vietcong or who ever and shall we say a kind of rendition, as a civilian in the early sixties. Once day when things have calmed down, go there and sit and contemplate on things for a while.
In my case, in 2002 a keeper of a temple in Saigon, on my request said a prayer for peace for the World, and with the striking of a large bell, I acheived just that. By the way this advice goes for Vietnam veterns also. I wish I could explain what a young and vibrant people they are and I went on to make two radio documentries. 'Saigon Revisited' and 'The Crossing!' played on community radio.
What is it about small islands, that so attracts people to associatepeople who have been the centre of events involving thousands if not millionsa of people. Places like Alcatraz (USA);
Robin Island (South Africa) and now Indonesia, plus of course St H Helena (British).
Mr Nelson Mandela is a case in point, a freedom advocate, of the people, who finally rejected violence, obtained his freedom and subsequently held the World in his hands and if you remember it took his first wife Winney a little longer to get the message of none violet protest. We shouldn't forget the practice of necklacing of persons deemed unworthly.
On the island theme, it saddens me, that a much loved person, who was so involved in the anti-land mines and cluster bomb madness and interested in all things of kindness to our fellow human beings should be buried an an island in the middle of a lake. Oh how lonely her spirit must be - The lady in question is the late Dianna Princess of Wales, forever loved by many Worldwide.
The War Memorial and graves in France, remind us all of the first World War and others, eleventh day of the eleventh month at the eleventh hour. They are not alone on an island, for they are all together, a long way from home granted, but together.
Islands, I'll miss out Nauru and Christmas Island for the moment.
Talking about islands, places for the bad and the almost Saint like figure of Dianna, may I just touch on the British Isles, as it occurs to me that HRH Prince Charles is now sixty years of age and heir to the throne. Please, please will all you Brits, collectively or by special representative have a quiet word with Her Gracious Majesty Queen Elisabeth II, saying it is time for change in this changing World. It is time to hand over the Reign to Charles, Prince of Wales.
In this regard I submit my vote for The Prince of Wales to become King Charles on The Queens birthday 2009. It would be
a marvelous uplift to the British Isles and the Commonwealth if the annoucement was made in the Queens Christmas address.
Talking of uplift, by golly it is a bright and sunny morning here in our forest, after the winds and rain of late. Binx our great Dane, is pushing me to go out, he is eye level as I type this. Coco our Burmese passed earlier, muttering 'I hate that dog'he's always in my face and yes outside Mr P our old Peacock is kicking up a racket. Poor chap misses his two wifes and many children, now gone to new homes and forces of nature.
I hope you have enjoyed my first journal entry, or at least found it interesting.
Next time some Australian domestic thoughts.
Malcolm E Mason 24-11-08.
