Period of Change 2012 - 2013

Period of Change 2012 - 2013

Goodness what a year 2012 was and to me 2013 is heading for events and human thought never experienced in living memory, well not mine anyway. Write on Malcolm,  write on --------------

Australia over the old and new year period, has and is experiencing, devastating Fires and now floods.
Climate change due to human activities of burning fossil fuels of Oil; Coal; Plastics etc appears to be the main culprit by far with cyclic weather patterns thrown in. My blog Critical Decisions published Sept 28 2012 covers my take on the decisions we must make at these terrible times. Whoops I made a technical error with the SAT-NAV detail , here is the correct location 150-12-02E by 35-31-00S. Because I took the word of an expert I mixed the detail with the local grid used by forrestry in this area, I think, or should I say I did not think or question. Anyway the local Helicopter resque pilot and local flying club straightend it all out for me.

Now, the big wet I can understand, but it was the extreme of those days in January that got me puzzled and more than a little angry,you see it was like this ----When I watched the event on television and the heat patterns it was like looking at a massive Blow Torch directed at the centre of Australia, which ensuing winds blew over the continent. One wonders if it was an opening of the OZONE layer at one particular spot.
No mention of any such thing in the official media or scientific columns. I wonder!!!!!. Any ideas.

My recent twitters, require expansion, or is it explanation. Here goes.
11January 2013. My opinion. Radio Broadcasting Champions. Andrew Ogilvie,General,Gold; Margaret Throsby Music/Interviews,Silver;John Hall, Newsreader, Bronz.   Andrew was and now fills in occasionaly at week ends, on a local abc radio station. He with deliberation and integrety run the early edition 6.00 to 9.00 am. Very clear voice with a distinct hint of enjoyment, he took us for many years through the local weather, community events present and future. In the early years as I remember he performed short theatrical sketches, what a delight they were. Are they still on record somewhere in an archive. The powers that be in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, should recognise this fello and award him accordingly. Local broadcasting at its best.
Margaret Throsby has been around classical music and interviewing people in the music field and others for many years. A very kind sounding lady with of course a clear voice, who even when one of her interviewees does not warrant a pleasnt reception, she always manages to get the best out of them. I remember one of her most memorable events she broadcast was a music feastival of voice, years agoe. On it was a Canadian chior who made the sound of the artic wind and it went on for some little while,. how they changed from vocal group to vocal group, with the audience never detecting the change overs I will never know. Again broadcasting at its best.
John Hall is a news reader again on the abc, who has that clarity of voice and diction, we dream of  acheiving . I personally have never heard him hessitate or miss a beat, when reading any news bulettin no matter how difficult some names of people and  places can be. I think it can only be a dedication to the job in hand . A truely long and much appreciated performance.
All three you see are long time veterens of my era , who enjoy what they do and do it well.

26 January 2013. Concerning children Sexually abused by Church or Youth Group leaders.What WHIMPS the parents and or guardians must be, not to act directly.
We have all seen images of children who have been abused as children and now grown up. For the life of me I fail to understand why the parents did not sort out the Priests or whoever at the time they knew or suspected incidents and more so that when they grew up the abused appear not to do it themselves.
One chap, a big lad was still traumatised in adulthood and had his own family. Surely he could have found out where the offender lived, even if retired. If no more than a loud verbal in public, it would be something for the victim to be partally satisfied. Not clergy abuse--- I sorted out three people over the years, they did not like it and knew what it ment to be traumatised  by someone who will not go away.

A few words on the perpertrators of these abuses. They all appear to part of what I call institutional organisations. May I take two in different worlds as it were. The Roman Catholic church and the Military both are succesful in recruiting members at a young age. As ,my mun used to say if you get them young you get them for ever and so a young Catholic grows up ,is educated to be loyal and dedicated in the faith. some go on to be members of the clergy and on and up through the ranks of the church, finally through being a Bishop to Arch- Bishop up up to a Cardinal and maybe to the top job, which is vacant at the moment.
Ok, somewhere in their  career there  could come the day when in charge, with a capital C of young boys, the  urges and feelings  become overbearing and boys are interfered with. Parents who have something about them, complain to the the fellows senior. All they see is the priest moved to somewhere else and he does it again and again growing in confidence.

The moral of the story is that at all levels there is hempathy by the senior clergy, because they have been there and there is no one higher who has come in from the Outside World , to correct matters. Finally the world is seeing the scenario being played out , right now, around the Globe.
A very similar story is seen in the Military, when personnel either abuse civilian women or acts of brutality by firepower and  torture. Both these are and have been seen around the world and corrently in Afghanistan, all too often, its the same story career soldiers going up through the ranks to the top Generals. offening officers or whoever are simply moved to a different war zone or in the case of the top men, simply retired. They always say, 'We these matters seriously' the rest is standard self interest and denial.

Let us hope that we all wise up and take action- thats enough from me on that subject.

Now for a little fun and the lastet additions to my library. Presents at christmas and new year.
A History of the World in Twelve Maps by Jerry Brotton 2012 Penguin.
A very academicaly written book, almost too difficult to follow at times. The maps were the old Bristish ;American plus of course the classics of Spain and Portugal. It was rather disapointing in that it had many maps, around twenty nine I as I recall, BUT the fello never defined the TWELVE maps in the title, plus for the high  price it would have been terrific if the major could have been pull outs and enlarged.

The Quest by Daniel Yergin 2011 Penguin
The  multi award winnig auther cover most of his story from The Prize and went on to discuss alternative sources of energy most of us know about and their possible future. I conclude that Mr Yergin is indeed a brilliant historian on energy, which I always enjoy reading. However he completley ommitted my favourite. that of FUSION. Oh dear what a disappointment.

Houseof Fun - 20 glorious years in Parliament  by Simon HoggartGuardian Books 2012
The British parliament of course and sent to me by my dear big sister in the UK this January, she thought I might like the fun and indeed I did. This is reading for all politions around the globe plus citizens awake enough to to interested in the daftness of many of our leaders. Great fun Mr Hoggart.

Thats it for now. March with see my thoughts on Guns and violence plus Animal slaughter/animal rights there to.

Malcolm E Mason  February 2013