Here I Stand - Holding on to the Truth

I am here at Vox.

I rarely come here now, there are many reasons why I don't.

I just came across a person's blog and there were some old familiar names; not the names of people I would call "nice." 

Then it hit me, a rush of anxiety and a sinking feeling of dread and my skin is still crawling.  I cannot tolerate these people any more and I don't want to run across them in my travels.  We are taught to be tolerant, but I am sorry i cannot be tolerant of people who want to harm others and think it is their duty to do so.

Life is tough and why do people feel the need to make it even tougher for other people.  Why can't people just leave people alone if they are not hurting them.

Oh and by the way, I do not need to be saved or converted to your way of thinking.  I am fed up with people who tell me they respect me and then they try and change me to their religious views.  Either you do respect me and accept me for who I am or you don't and if you don't then leave me the hell alone.

To the few friends I have left here at Vox, I apologise for not visiting but I just have not been able to face Vox and I know some of you will find that strange.  Sometimes it seems no matter how hard I try and just keep to myself someone will come along and be a total killjoy and I end up wondering what is the point!  The fact is my life is bloody tough and I rarely complain and I don't need people bringing me down.  Everyday for me is a struggle and some days it is actually a struggle to keep going. 

These days because I know just how tough life can be I just have no patience for people who want to make life even harder for people, no time for people who want to interfere in people's lives who have no business doing so, no time for people who want to prevent people from expressing their real and devoted love for each other, I think anyone reading this will get where I am coming from.

Just so I am perfectly clear on a few matters which people seem to have issues with:

I do believe in gay rights and same sex marriage.

I believe that unfortunately sometimes abortion is necessary, but at the same time we should try to do the best to reduce the number of abortions.

I do not believe in the traditional Christian, Muslim, Jewish or Hindu god.  I do believe we are all connected by some force but it is not what people traditionally call god.  That does not make me a evil person.  I am still very spiritual, but I repeat I do not believe in god.  But if you do believe in god well that is just fine, so long as you don't oppress people with your beliefs.

I am centre left in my politics and I am not about to change.

I do think love is the answer to a lot of the world's problems.  The problem is most of us are too selfish to really love enough to allow others a foot up in this world; because to allow others a foot up will most likely mean that we have to take a step down.

Oh and then there is the environment.  Yes people I do believe we humans are destroying our planet and we do need to do something about it for our future generations.  No I do not think that climate change is some divine plan from a loving god and we should just continue on as normal.

----

Thank you to Vox for showing me just how loving and wonderful people can be and at the same time opening my eyes to just how absolutely horrible other people can behave.

Well I should go now.

"Oh, life is bigger
It's bigger than you
And you are not me

That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight, I'm
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no, I've said too much
I haven't said enough

Every whisper
Of every waking hour I'm
Choosing my confessions
Trying to keep an eye on you
Like a hurt lost and blinded fool, fool

 Oh no I have said too much, I haven't said enough, I set it up.

Try, cry, why try?"

Peace.

P.S. This is not goodbye.

Sometimes I'm right and I can be wrong
My own beliefs are in my song
The butcher, the banker, the drummer and then
Makes no difference what group I'm in
I am everyday people, yeah yeah

I am no better and neither are you
We are the same whatever we do
You love me, you hate me, you know me and then
You can't figure out the bag l'm in
I am everyday people, yeah yeah

There is a yellow one that won't accept the black one
That won't accept the red one that won't accept the white one

And so on and so on and scooby dooby doo-bee

Yes starting on the first Saturday of each June it is International Clothesline Week

It seems the world needs a week devoted to hanging washing on clotheslines.

Why some of you may ask?

Well because it seems most people don't use clotheslines, they use clothes dryers instead.  Not just on those rainy days, but they also use clothes dryers on beautiful sunny days.

Is this true?

Surely this practice isn't a common trend here in sunny Australia where virtually every backyard has an iconic
Hills hoist? 

Is it?

In some parts of certain countries the use of clotheslines are banned or tenants are punished if they use a clothesline.

Many homeowners associations and apartment complexes ban or severely restrict the use of clotheslines. Check the current laws in your area. For example, after the California electricity crisis of summers of 1999 and 2000, the state legislature passed a law preventing homeowners associations from punishing clothesline users. (Source)

It seems that the tradition of hanging out clothes on a clothesline is no longer handed down from generation to generation.  The situation is so bad that there are now generations of adults who no longer know how to hang washing out on a clothesline.  There are now websites devoted to teaching people how to use a clothesline!

So please if you are one of these people who cannot use or refuses to use a clothesline please consider the environment and start using a clothesline instead of a clothes dryer.

For instructions on how to hang out clothes on a clothesline simply go to this website:

For more information on this annual event dedicated to encouraging people to use a clothesline go to:

Bishop Gene Robinson: "Religion in general still presents the greatest obstacles we face in full equality," he said. "Ninety-five percent of the oppression that we know in our lives comes from the religious community."

"A lot of New Hampshire families have come to know people in their families who are gay, co-workers, former classmates and that's what really made this difference.

We are no longer talking about an issue," he said. "We are talking about people."

Gay bishop rejoices in NH's gay marriage vote

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/a...

ONCORD, N.H. (AP) — It was tough enough to get New Hampshire's lawmakers and governor to approve gay marriage, but Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson says there's an even tougher job ahead: getting churches to fully embrace gay marriage and gay people. "What we have to work against is countless centuries of tradition which has judged homosexual people to be an abomination before God," said Robinson, the Episcopal church's only openly gay bishop. Robinson sat in the front row of the gallery in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, hands clasped at times, praying for lawmakers to push a little green button that indicates a "yes" vote. In the end, there were 198 green lights to legalize gay marriage, and 176 red ones. The gallery erupted and Robinson was caught up in a sea of hugs, which continued as he walked through the Statehouse to a rally outside. "There are a lot of people standing here who, when we grew up, could not have imagined this," Robinson said. "You can't imagine something that is simply impossible. It's happened, in our lifetimes." But Robinson, who was elected bishop six years ago this month, said more must happen to change attitudes in churches. "The law says that every church gets to choose what it will do," he said, meaning they can refuse to perform gay marriages. Robinson approves, saying the law protects religious freedom. "But now we need to be working in our religious institutions to come to this new place about what is God's will about this," Robinson said. "I think a close look at that will reveal God loves all of God's children, not just certain ones, and that's the harder work." The law spells out that churches, their employees and religious groups cannot be forced to officiate at gay marriages or provide other services. They were key elements pushed by Gov. John Lynch to win his approval. But gay marriage opponents said the constitution already provides those protections to religious institutions. Th...

1 comment

ONCORD, N.H. (AP) — It was tough enough to get New Hampshire's lawmakers and governor to approve gay marriage, but Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson says there's an even tougher job ahead: getting churches to fully embrace gay marriage and gay people.

"What we have to work against is countless centuries of tradition which has judged homosexual people to be an abomination before God," said Robinson, the Episcopal church's only openly gay bishop.

Robinson sat in the front row of the gallery in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, hands clasped at times, praying for lawmakers to push a little green button that indicates a "yes" vote.

In the end, there were 198 green lights to legalize gay marriage, and 176 red ones.

The gallery erupted and Robinson was caught up in a sea of hugs, which continued as he walked through the Statehouse to a rally outside.

"There are a lot of people standing here who, when we grew up, could not have imagined this," Robinson said. "You can't imagine something that is simply impossible. It's happened, in our lifetimes."

But Robinson, who was elected bishop six years ago this month, said more must happen to change attitudes in churches.

"The law says that every church gets to choose what it will do," he said, meaning they can refuse to perform gay marriages. Robinson approves, saying the law protects religious freedom.

"But now we need to be working in our religious institutions to come to this new place about what is God's will about this," Robinson said. "I think a close look at that will reveal God loves all of God's children, not just certain ones, and that's the harder work."

The law spells out that churches, their employees and religious groups cannot be forced to officiate at gay marriages or provide other services.

They were key elements pushed by Gov. John Lynch to win his approval.

But gay marriage opponents said the constitution already provides those protections to religious institutions. They argued the protections should be expanded to cover commercial vendors, such as photographers and caterers. That drew fire from gay marriage supporters who said the state's anti-discrimination laws would be unraveled by allowing people to discriminate at will.

The law goes into effect in January.

In a speech in Washington last month, Robinson said despite recent momentum, the struggle continues for gay rights supporters in churches.

"Religion in general still presents the greatest obstacles we face in full equality," he said. "Ninety-five percent of the oppression that we know in our lives comes from the religious community."

Robinson's election in 2003 caused a rift in the global Anglican Communion, intensifying a long-running debate over what Anglicans should believe about salvation, sexuality and other issues. The Episcopal Church, the Anglican body in the U.S., is more liberal than growing Anglican churches in Africa and elsewhere.

Meeting in Egypt in February, Anglican leaders requested their churches continue a temporary ban — enacted after Robinson's election — on consecrating openly gay bishops and writing prayers for gay unions.

New Hampshire legalized civil unions for gay couples last year, but in a pastoral letter, Robinson told Episcopal clergy he would prefer they not preside at civil unions, instead, presiding over a blessing, afterward.

"It is my hope that we will be able to provide for the private, pastoral needs of the faithful people entrusted to our care, while causing a minimum of further furor in the Church," he wrote in February, 2008, a month after civil unions became legal in the state.

But he said he would be "personally and institutionally supportive" of clergy who did not want to bless a civil union.

Robinson and his partner of 20 years were united in a civil union a year ago this month.

He said legislators recognized that gay marriage is more than a policy question and hopes churches will do the same.

"A lot of New Hampshire families have come to know people in their families who are gay, co-workers, former classmates and that's what really made this difference. We are no longer talking about an issue," he said. "We are talking about people."

If you're getting paid to do something, you should do it, and do it well. But is it always that simple? What if you have a vague job description, a haphazard workload, and a very bad boss who is only content when you look busy, but not if you're super efficient? Sad to say, but sometimes working at your maximum potential is punished. This happens a lot in larger organizations and retail.

Let's say you and a co-worker must each enter the data from 100 files, or shelve 100 books. You hustle and finish an hour earlier than your co-worker, and there's not much else to do. Your boss or manager walks by, expresses displeasure at the fact that you're not doing anything, and assigns you to an unpleasant, and really unnecessary task because they don't like seeing you relax (even though you earned it by finishing your assignment faster, right?). What do you do? Quit? File a complaint? Or slow down? These instructions are here for if you decide to reward your own efficiency by using that extra time you earned for R&R--without your boss noticing.

(Note that if you follow these steps without actually being more efficient than your co-workers, you'll fall behind on your work and give your employer a reason to fire you.)

http://www.wikihow.com/Look-Busy-at-Work-Without-Really-Working

Wanted to buy: We urgently require to purchase a money tree with an excellent harvest record. Teenage son already thinks we own one.

What a great Aussie gentleman Bud was.

I think I first saw him on TV when I was 10 years of age, when he was in "Bellbird"

Bud you will be missed.

Bud Tingwell dead at 86 - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/20...

Veteran Australian actor Charles 'Bud' Tingwell has died aged 86. His agent Joanne Baker confirmed he died this morning in a Melbourne hospital. "He had been suffering from prostate cancer," Ms Baker said. It is understood Tingwell had been battling the disease for the last couple of years. The Sydney-born star first appeared on the silver screen in 1946 and is best known for his roles in classic Australian films Breaker Morant, The Castle and TV cop show Homicide. He became a radio actor while still at school, before joining the Royal Australian Air Force in 1941 and serving as a reconnaissance pilot flying Spitfires and Mosquitoes over Nazi-occupied north Africa and southern Europe. After leaving the service, he entered the film industry and landed his first speaking role in 1945 in the film Smithy, which was about aviator Charles Kingsford Smith. In 1952, he was invited to Hollywood to work alongside Richard Burton on The Desert Rats. He went on to have roles in a number of Australian films and TV shows, including All The Rivers Run, Puberty Blues, The Flying Doctors, All Saints and Neighbours. Most recently, Tingwell had small roles in The Craic, The Dish and the ABC series Changi and Bed Of Roses. He was awarded the AM (Member of the Order of Australia) in 1999 for his services to the performing arts as an actor, director, producer, and to the community. He is survived by his son Christopher and daughter Virginia - who is an actress. Tingwell's wife Audrey died in 1996. 'Australian legend' Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has paid tribute to Tingwell as an "Australian legend". "Bud Tingwell is in every sense an Australian legend," Mr Rudd said. "From old generations knowing him through Homicide and newer generations knowing him as the battlers' friend from The Castle. He is so much a part of the Australian character as it's been shaped and as it will evolve in the future. "A great Australian and all Australians are...

Veteran Australian actor Charles 'Bud' Tingwell has died aged 86.

His agent Joanne Baker confirmed he died this morning in a Melbourne hospital.

"He had been suffering from prostate cancer," Ms Baker said.

It is understood Tingwell had been battling the disease for the last couple of years.

The Sydney-born star first appeared on the silver screen in 1946 and is best known for his roles in classic Australian films Breaker Morant, The Castle and TV cop show Homicide.

He became a radio actor while still at school, before joining the Royal Australian Air Force in 1941 and serving as a reconnaissance pilot flying Spitfires and Mosquitoes over Nazi-occupied north Africa and southern Europe.

After leaving the service, he entered the film industry and landed his first speaking role in 1945 in the film Smithy, which was about aviator Charles Kingsford Smith.

In 1952, he was invited to Hollywood to work alongside Richard Burton on The Desert Rats.

He went on to have roles in a number of Australian films and TV shows, including All The Rivers Run, Puberty Blues, The Flying Doctors, All Saints and Neighbours.

Most recently, Tingwell had small roles in The Craic, The Dish and the ABC series Changi and Bed Of Roses.

He was awarded the AM (Member of the Order of Australia) in 1999 for his services to the performing arts as an actor, director, producer, and to the community.

He is survived by his son Christopher and daughter Virginia - who is an actress.

Tingwell's wife Audrey died in 1996.

'Australian legend'

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has paid tribute to Tingwell as an "Australian legend".

"Bud Tingwell is in every sense an Australian legend," Mr Rudd said.

"From old generations knowing him through Homicide and newer generations knowing him as the battlers' friend from The Castle. He is so much a part of the Australian character as it's been shaped and as it will evolve in the future.

"A great Australian and all Australians are sad to see his passing."

'A delight'

Tom Gleisner from Working Dog Productions, who collaborated with Tingwell on a number of projects, says the actor was a "delight" to work with.

"He would willingly throw himself into anything - from Neighbours to a small and often uncredited role in a film," Gleisner told Jon Faine on ABC Radio 774.

Gleisner said Tingwell was a master of learning his lines and was happy to "jump into" projects, which helped give him his longevity in the industry.

"He had an interesting philosophy. Some actors are very selective about what they do or are cautious about their image, but Bud had the other end of the spectrum. He virtually never said no to anything," he said.

Rob Sitch, who directed Tingwell in films The Castle and The Dish, says the actor's life was defined by a willingness to try new things.

"He said that one of the secrets to life was saying 'yes', because you end up meeting people, you have new experiences - you know, luck seems to follow you," Sitch said.

"I don't know that anyone's kind of lived a life in entertainment that's proved that point better."

Margaret Pomeranz from ABC 1's At The Movies says Tingwell was an exceptional talent.

"To maintain your craft for that length of time and to put yourself out there and be brave in the films that you take on, I mean it's a pretty wonderful life actually," she said.

"He's given us a lot."

Triple J film critic Marc Fennell says Tingwell's contributions to the local entertainment industry ran deep.

"The thing with Bud Tingwell is that everyone knows the big roles that he's done in The Dish and The Castle, but what a lot of people don't know is that he would do tons of Australian short films and student films," Fennell said.

'He foxed me'

Sitch says Tingwell's death has surprised him.

"Because I visited him last week in hospital and he completely foxed me. We were talking about work and what he was going to do - he was in the middle of a production at the time and he said, 'It's such a bother, I just can't wait to get all these tubes off me'," Sitch recalled.

"I walked away thinking, 'Oh we've got Bud back'.

"It's incredible to think that someone that was so ill was being so positive and welcoming."

Fellow actor Jack Thompson, whose parents were friends with Tingwell, says he will be greatly missed.

"It's like a great tree has been felled in the landscape of our culture and, in particular, in the landscape of our film world," he told Sky News.

Damn I 'love' these people. 

Now they are after the Jews. 

Westboro Baptist Church are a funny bunch. LOL!

Militant anti-gay church turns its sights on Jews

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/05/1...

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- After years of focusing on gays and lesbians with its protests, the Westboro Baptist Church has a new target -- the Jewish community. The Topeka, Kan.-based church, which features the slogan “God Hates Fags,” protested at three Jewish sites here last Friday afternoon. The protests are part of a series of upcoming rallies that will bring members of the church to Jewish community institutions in Omaha, St. Louis, South Florida and Providence in the next few weeks, according to the church's Web site and fliers the group is distributing that list scheduled protests and proclaim “Jews Killed the Lord Jesus.” Led by Pastor Fred Phelps, the 71-member church, according to Anti-Defamation League research, first gained notoriety about a decade ago when it began picketing the funerals of gays or those they thought were gay -- including Matthew Shepard, who was the victim of an anti-gay attack. In recent years, church members frequently have protested outside the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, or at other events that are likely to bring news coverage and, in turn, publicity to the church. One such event was the funeral of three young girls killed in a traffic accident. While picketing outside the Washington office of the Anti-Defamation League last Friday, Phelps' daughter Margie told JTA that the group is now focusing on the Jewish community because church members have been “testifying” to gentiles for 19 years that “America is doomed” and they haven't gotten the message. “Now it's too late," she said. "We're done with them.” Margie Phelps added, “one of the loudest voices” in favor of homosexuality and abortion is “the Jews, especially the rabbis.” “They claim to be God's chosen people,” she said. “Do you think that God is going to wink at that forever?” Deborah Lauter, the ADL's director of civil rights, said the church has always been “anti-Semitic” but never targeted the Jewish community until recently. S...

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- After years of focusing on gays and lesbians with its protests, the Westboro Baptist Church has a new target -- the Jewish community.

The Topeka, Kan.-based church, which features the slogan “God Hates Fags,” protested at three Jewish sites here last Friday afternoon. The protests are part of a series of upcoming rallies that will bring members of the church to Jewish community institutions in Omaha, St. Louis, South Florida and Providence in the next few weeks, according to the church's Web site and fliers the group is distributing that list scheduled protests and proclaim “Jews Killed the Lord Jesus.”

Led by Pastor Fred Phelps, the 71-member church, according to Anti-Defamation League research, first gained notoriety about a decade ago when it began picketing the funerals of gays or those they thought were gay -- including Matthew Shepard, who was the victim of an anti-gay attack.

In recent years, church members frequently have protested outside the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, or at other events that are likely to bring news coverage and, in turn, publicity to the church. One such event was the funeral of three young girls killed in a traffic accident.

While picketing outside the Washington office of the Anti-Defamation League last Friday, Phelps' daughter Margie told JTA that the group is now focusing on the Jewish community because church members have been “testifying” to gentiles for 19 years that “America is doomed” and they haven't gotten the message.

“Now it's too late," she said. "We're done with them.”

Margie Phelps added, “one of the loudest voices” in favor of homosexuality and abortion is “the Jews, especially the rabbis.”

“They claim to be God's chosen people,” she said. “Do you think that God is going to wink at that forever?”

Deborah Lauter, the ADL's director of civil rights, said the church has always been “anti-Semitic” but never targeted the Jewish community until recently. She said the ADL isn't entirely sure what triggered the new focus on Jews, but speculated that the help the ADL provided to a school that the church picketed last month for performing the musical “Rent” could have something to do with it.

Mark Potok, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project tracking hate groups, said he didn't think there was any real significance to the church's new focus on Jews.

“With a group willing to picket the funerals of little girls killed in a school bus crash, it's hard to be surprised by anything they do,” Potok said.

“They're the farthest fringe,” he said, noting that even hard-line anti-gay groups are embarrassed by Phelps' church.

Lauter added that the protesters are not violent and don't try to recruit others to their cause. But they are provocative and are “baiting the Jewish community to respond.”

“We're advising Jewish institutions not to give them the publicity they crave,” she said, and not engage the protesters.

In Washington, the group first picketed the funeral of former congressman Jack Kemp, and then protested outside the ADL offices, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the city's largest synagogue, Washington Hebrew Congregation. (The group positioned itself across the street from the museum -- on the edge of the National Mall -- meaning that visitors to the museum that afternoon did not even necessarily see them when entering the facility.)

Margie Phelps and three fellow church members stood on the sidewalk and held signs stating that “God Hates Israel,” “Jews Killed Jesus,” “America Is Doomed,” “Israel Is Doomed,” and “ADL Jew Bullies.” One of the four women had an Israeli flag tied around her waist that dragged on the ground; she stepped on the flag as she walked.

Alluding to prophecy in the book of Revelation, Phelps said that all the nations of the world would soon be marching on Israel, led by President Obama, whom she called the “antichrist.” She said “Israel is doomed” and that only the 144,000 “righteous Jews out there” would survive the “persecution” that all other Jews will experience.

and therefore I have no free time and very little sleep. 

Plus I think I might be going even more insane than I already was.