Woman and Child First

Tagged for Music Fav's

Hey, totally my kinda tag here folks! Yippee! HealthPsych has listed her own music loves and has tagged me to do the same. I love this!

So here are the rules:

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your Live Journal/blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to.

1. Pink. Don't know the name of the song, but it goes:

If someone said, Three years from now, you'll be long gone/I'd stand there and punch them out etc etc

2. David Bridie. The most underestimated musician in Australia. Had a yap to him in a hotel lobby in Brisbane two weeks ago. Still low key, still political, and still unique. (Also still very gorgeous). The song, Kerosene is from his first solo album, Act Of Free Choice. It's just a beautiful song.  Here he is:

 

Now that is a face. Completely unpretentious and approachable, David's just flipping fabulous.

3. AC/DC  I grew up because of those guys, leave me alone. The song is Baby Please Don't Go, I remember seeing this on Countdown in the 70's and I found it again on YouTube. It is even funnier now. Bless their rock'n'roll hearts.

4. White Stripes  Seven Nation Army. What can I say, these people are the essense of freaking cool and this song rocks.(And I'm talking to myself at night because I can't forget/Back and forth through my mind behind a cigarette)

5. James Blunt  Wisemen (Edited)

Really sorry, they weren't to know, they got caught up in your travelling show...Those 3 wise men they've got a semi by the sea... Gotta ask yourself the question, Where Are You Now?

James Blunt himself being an intriguing mix of English arrogance, talent, profanity and beautiful, almost corny lyrics. Love this song, trying really hard not to play it to the death.

6. John Butler Trio  BetterMan. Classic heartbreakingly good song. US born, out of fate and circumstance ended up in Western Australia, from California, as a child. Then his father gave him a guitar. Rest is history. Best live band I've ever seen. (photo from Jan 8 2005 article in The Age newspaper).

7. Hmmm. Dunno.

Will link to more relevant sites when I get over the fact that the 3rd Term of the 2006 school year has just ended and now we are on holidays.

Tomorrow, I will pack the car, load the kids in and drive south to camp for a week at Woody Head, a camping ground in the Bunjalung Nation. (Aboriginal tribe whose nest spreads from Grafton north to where we live - Tweed Heads - a few hundred kilometres all up).

From there, I plan to lie on a towel on a beach for 7 days straight, looking at a sky that still looks way too big, even though I've been under it since birth.

Only to return to annoy you all once again...

Cheers, see you then.

I tag Lael! I tag Lael! I tag Lael!

Bindi Irwin's Self Esteem

Steve Irwin's daughter spoke at her father's memorial service last week.

Health Psych and I have been discussing whether to post on this or not. I said at first, I don't want to get involved. HP said similar. And now we are both writing on it. HP has written a very intelligent  post.

For those of you who don't know, there has been an Oz psychologist Alison Garton, who has voiced concerns about the pressure this young girl may be under in regards to expectations following her father's death.

Bindi is 8 years old and got up at her father's memorial service and spoke clearly, assertively and with great confidence.

My feeling, as a child psychologist, is this:

Yes it's a concern when a family, a town, a culture or a world starts to look toward a child to fulfilling a gap left by the death of that child's parent.

But let's face it folks, this is a human problem and is not an Irwin family problem. I would stand strongly against this family being scapegoated for a tendency that is universal and is going on in many of our homes right now.

In a 2003 interview on Andrew Denton's Enough Rope, Steve talked about his daughter, Bindi. He said she was just like him as a kid when it came to animals but "smarter". She likes wild animals.

I say, let's all leave her alone. I trust that her very level-headed mother has got it all under control and it's a bit rude to imply otherwise.

Wouldn't it be better to have an honest look at what we could do better with our own kids?

Games for the Quaint Hearted

   I've just found a kid's game site that's really very quaint, with cheerful music and colours to match. I find some kids' sites are very dark/edgy with noise effects that do not settle easily on the ears.

Orisinal Morning Sunshine Copyright Ferry Halim is a little different.

Fashion = Skinny? Not in Spain.

You know, sometimes it just swings your way. Why it was only yesterday that I was biting my nails with a mixture of sadness and rage to hear that according to BRW,  the Young Rich list in Australia shows that the number of women making this rich list is decreasing. That's right. Read it again.  The amount of rich women DECREASING.

So you can imagine my delight when the gorgeous Maree of Motherhood Mysteries sent me this article. This link will have you read some of the most delightful news the world has ever seen:

The world's first ban on overly thin models at a top-level fashion show in Madrid has caused outrage among modelling agencies and raised the prospect of restrictions at other venues.

Madrid's fashion week has turned away underweight models after protests that girls and young women were trying to copy their rail-thin looks and developing eating disorders.

Organisers say they want to project an image of beauty and health, rather than a waif-like, or heroin chic look.

But wait, it gets better. The mayor of Milan (you know Milan - fashion and beauty capital - with like... um ...lots of fashion clout) yes, the Mayor of Milan wants to follow suit.

There's even talk of legislation if people don't behave themselves over this. See? There is a Goddess after all. Read the article here.

Thanks to Marla Campbell (yes again) for her outstandingly apt artwork entitled Shehulk. Love it!

How to Annoy People in a Friendly Way

There you all were thinking, "Wow, you know, she's just way too serious". Well you forgot about my favourite Canadian guy. The Mr. Fabulous, of whom I speak, is Untalkative Bunny. I tell ya - he's the Marcel Marceau of Wabbits! He's the best! And here he is for you, your children and all your animals at YouTube.

Self Esteem Matters

There's a big difference between confidence and self-esteem.

A person can appear quite confident and yet quietly and behind the scenes actually feel terribly insecure. I love that this difference is highlighted in this article:

Indeed, individuals can be stunningly attractive and world-famous, and seem poised and perfect - yet still, deep down, find it hard to value themselves. Think of the late Princess of Wales and Marilyn Monroe and you'll accept, I think, that public adulation is no guarantee of self-belief.

-Christine Webber

It's a great article on a very good website: Net Doctor. Lots of tips for improving your self-esteem too.

We all need to be reminded of this stuff, regularly.

Marla Campbell has provided the image.

Germaine Greer Manages to Offend 50% of the Population Again

"The animal world has finally taken its revenge on Irwin, but probably not before a whole generation of kids in shorts seven sizes too small has learned to shout in the ears of animals with hearing 10 times more acute than theirs, determined to become millionaire animal-loving zoo-owners in their turn".

Balanced argument to the international outpour of emotion?

Or unkind bitterness from an Aussie feminist, IQ of around 150, who's finally lost not only her marbles but all compassion?

You decide!

Excerpt from The Guardian, above, via Sydney Morning Herald.

Goddesses of Stuff

The world is an old, old place.

Once there were goddesses worshipped alongside gods and in some parts, still.

My favourite Hindu Goddess is Kali Ma. She's the kind of goddess that eats people who cross her. My kinda girl.  I was in Singapore last year, happily sniffing around Little India and Hindu temples there. I asked two gentlemen about Kali Ma.

"Ohh ho!" They laughed,looking slyly at each other, "Oh ho ho! Kali Ma! She is the seeker of truth and justice."

"I thought she was just...you know, like a vampire when it comes to revenge, " I replied.

"Ah yes," they agreed. "Very vicious, but oh. Kali Ma, very fair... You are done wrong? You ask for her, she avenges your wrong-doer's".

Pretty, she ain't.

I came across her via Awaken Your Goddess by Liz Simpson.