Yes I am still about.

I really feel guilty that I have not posted in quite a while. I was going to give Tasmanian politicians another blast but decided they were not worth all that pent-up hot air.

I like millions across the World have been appalled at the carnage in Mumbai. I have transited through Bombay Airport as it was known in 1979 twice on the way to and from Europe.My enduring memory was how hot it was and the very unusual odours there. Also I recollect seeing the old telephones there one used to see at the turn of the 20th century. We were only on the ground for a few hours and we didn't see anything really except the transit lounge.

I have decided to contribute more often to this blog. It is only because I have been too lazy to write and yet I have plenty to comment about.

Robin L. Harwood

I hate being ripped off

I really hate being ripped off. A few weeks ago I was prescribed a hayfever relief spray that costs $55 AUD and tonight I found the same product was only $13.50 from an online pharmacy on the Gold Coast. Postage was under $6. It is currently on special apparently but is for 120 doses, compared to the 240 doses I have been prescribed. Even so what a discrepancy in price.Anyway I have enough for 4 months
so no need to get it now but will remember next season

Be careful investigating print and online ads especially relating to so-called Mens' health products.A friend of mine was recently interested a full page spread advertising treatment for an age- related personal problem. I warned him that I was extremely skeptical over their published claims as they sounded too good to be true. I did some investigations on the web and found out the treatments cost under $450 AUD. From the product description it sounds similar to another questionable outfit which fell foul of the the ACCC over deceptive advertising. I recommended he stick to his GP and his advice and not be taken in newspaper and online adverts.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre

I was absolutely appalled to witness the unholy sight of two branches of Christendom, brawling at the site of Christ's tomb and where he was resurrected. To see Israeli police wade in and arrest priests who were really going hammer and tongs at each other, just feet away from the holiest shrine. There are over 6 different branches of the Christian church who cannot agree on administrating the site and they have been unable to reach any consensus ever.
No wonder this has brought ridicule on Christianity. They really should be ashamed of themselves.

(1)http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7718587.stm

(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Holy_Sepulchre

The Election of Barack Obama.

It was truly amazing watching history unfold before my eyes yesterday afternoon. It was exciting watching the election of Barack Obama as the President-designate of the USA. It became an extremely emotional experience , seeing Obama win so conclusively and on his own merits. We kept thinking back exactly 40 years to the assassination of Martin Luther King, the African-American civil rights leader. Just a few hours before he was killed, he prophetically saw the day when a black man would be elected to be President.

There were tears streaming down the face of Jesse Jackson, who was standing next to Dr. King when he was shot in 1968. Oprah Winfrey was crying and laughing and millions of ordinary Americans of African heritage wept unashamedly and joyously celebrated. It was a truly historic moment, not only for America but the entire World.

I remember seeing the funeral for Dr. Martin Luther King in Atlanta and three months later , the assasination of Robert Kennedy and his moving funeral. I remember seeing Man land on the Moon and watched live on TV as Neil Armstrong stepped out of the capsule on the Moon's surface and took that one small step for Man. I saw the the news that Princess Diana had died in Paris so tragically in a car accident while being relentlessly chased by the papparazzi.

I was woken up one Wednesday morning to the news that over 10,000 people were believed to be killed from a terrorist act in New York and was transfixed as all of us were by the horrific images on our TV screens. Although the number of those killed was almost three thousand, this horrible episode has forever changed our lives and made us all feel extremely vulnerable. 9-11 will never be forgotten, nor should it.

The election of Barack Obama has also changed the world's perception of America,. giving hope and a new direction for tomorrow. It is historic because millions of ordinary Americans saw in him the vehicle for change and a way out of the current economic malaise, which has gripped America and the World. I only hope he gets the right personell around him to support him and very wise counsel to guide him and the Administration he leads.

On writing the Blog!

It was over forty years ago that I went for an interview at the Launceston 'Examiner" for a cadet journalist position and naturally was knocked back because of both my immaturity and obvious physical disability. I realised from the start that I had absolutely no hope of getting it. I have always wanted to write down my thoughts and observations but I would have had to toe the line to the  current editorial position of the day. 28 years ago, I commenced compiling a column on radio monitoring in "Amateur Radio" magazine, which I still do now. Yet I still was unable to write my thoughts on other matters for a wider audience. Now I have started this blog and am at last able to let off steam. Thanks also to the creation of Information technology, it has been made easier. My handwriting is slow and can be painful if I write by hand.

I forget who sent me to a community poetry writing class, probably Stephanie Thorne, wife of Tim. To be truthful I found poetry a huge bore when I was at Scotch College in the early sixties but that can be directly attributed to the poor quality and eccentricity of the English teachers we were given. Well I reluctantly attended this workshop under Eric Beach, I think his name was and he got us writing blank verse. I found the anthology the other day and at the time I was surprised to find one of the only two I have ever written in my life was adopted as the local  theme for the  International Year of Literacy.

The class was an absolute disaster and we weren't poetically  gifted. On reflection, I think this guy was on one of those artists in residence sponsored by some community arts group. He taught poetry at venues such as psychiatric facilities, youth detention centres, a poetry classs for the unemployed or Adult Ed. classes. Some  of those fellow classmates are now dead. I recollect one girl who had a suicide fixation and was forever mutilating herself to gain attention. One guy was a paranoid schizophrenic and there was a prim and proper Chinese lady who only did the class to improve her English comprehension. Poor lady as there were plenty of expletives going around in speech and writing.  I felt uncomfortable and out of place. Despite the temporary recognition  I know that I am no poet.

That is why I writing this blog. because I want to freely express myself honestly and openly despite the probablility of being misunderstood. It is not my intention to become controversial or a shock jock.All I wish to do is communicate in print.  

Robin L. Harwood

First blog for November.

A new month has started and it looks as if it is going to busy for me. So much for sleeping in today, my former sister-in-law rang to announce she was arriving in 30 minutes, which galvanised me into immediate action. I knew she was due in town for a wedding but thought it would be much later.

No matter how hard one tries to push one's past into the background, it is impossible to get away from it. I have moved on and developed new relationships but you cannot suppress past memories and events. One has to cope with the past, live in the present and look to the future without becoming a prisoner of all three.A real balancing act.