Songbird in the city

Tonight I heard a songbird sing.

Definitely not the tune of a jungle fowl, which he did sing about, and we hear in the suburbs here quite often; but the voice of a very talented young man with a most beautiful voice singing songs of his country and of his land. Songs with words of colour, images of sunsets and sounds of the wind which totally belie the fact that this young man has been blind from birth. Hauntingly, beautiful music, the spirit of which will stay with you long after the music has stopped. His name – Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, is from the Gumatj nation, his mother from the Galpu nation; and his new solo album is called Gurrumul, which presents songs of his people, culture and land sung in his angelic voice, with elegant backing of guitars and double bass. His solo performances are a rare treat and if you are given the opportunity, should not be missed. You don't need to close your eyes and listen to him sing; but if you do, you will be taken on a journey, far away from where you were.

A former member of Yothu Yindi, his own band, The Saltwater Band, hail from Galiwin’ku on Elcho Island, NE Arnhem Land, and are a much loved and most popularly noted Indigenous band, partly because of Gurrumul’s influence and guidance. But this is not Yothu Yindi!

Long-time friend and co-member of the Saltwater Band Michael Hohnen said that Geoffrey’s talent as a solo artist was recognized about 10 years ago. "We played together just with double bass and guitar one day and it sounded fantastic. Gurrumul got really excited about the sound and so we started testing the water doing a couple of live shows supporting other people and we just got an enormous reaction from his family and from people saying 'you’ve got to do more.'"

The album was recorded in Melbourne and was mixed and mastered in Darwin and showcases Gurrumul’s unique way of playing the guitar. "He plays the guitar upside down – so it’s a normal tuned guitar but he plays it backwards. This came about because there weren’t left-handed guitars on communities."

With the release of this, his first solo album, Geoffrey highlights the tremendous talent he has to offer Indigenous music in Australia, and indeed, the world. I think it is one of the most important and beautiful Indigenous albums ever recorded.

Go to the link below and listen to his sound.

http://www.myspace.com/gurrumul

Life on the north shore hasn't changed

IT began as a sordid tale of steamy and illicit underage sex in a leafy North Shore suburb of Sydney.

But yesterday it sounded like a typical encounter in the affluent but ageing suburb of Mosman - just another lustful romp among consenting adults with lots of wrinkled grey skin.

Thong Dee is the first elephant to fall pregnant in Australia.

But just how old the Taronga Zoo attraction really is remained mired in controversy yesterday amid claims she could be as young as six - or as old as 12. The elephant was registered in Thailand as having been born in 2001 but its original owners claimed she is actually 12 years old and that her age was "roughly estimated" at the time of registration.

Anti-zoo activists, including the NSW Greens, have denounced the zoo's breeding program, claiming Thong Dee is too young to fall pregnant and that elephants should not be bred until at least the recommended age of 11 or 12.

Rampant sex. Wrinkled skin. Manipulative women and would-be dominant males. Life goes on in Mosman as normal.

(From News.com.au)

A day at the Office

Learning the latest office lingo

If you're about to lob a few thought grenades across the office, be careful they don't blow up in your face. A session of blamestorming could follow. It might sound like gobbledegook, but these are the latest lines in workplace lingo.

A "thought grenade'' is an explosively good idea. This phrase became fashionable among office staff last year, as did the expression "let's sunset that'', which is used to refer to bad ideas that must never be mentioned again. Every worker knows the pain of recriminations the day after a project has gone wrong. Now it has a name - "blamestorming". It means debating why a deadline was missed and who was responsible.

Blamestorming is predicted to be one of the buzzwords of 2008, as is "boss-spasming'', which describes those moments of suddenly looking busy as the boss walks past. The phrases are included in a collection compiled by British recruitment firm Office Angels.

Some phrases are tricky. Daydreaming has been transformed into a far more complex activity: "workspacespecific perceptual abstraction". Lunch with a colleague sounds more important as an "inter-departmental liaison facilitation''.

But David Clubb, managing director of Office Angels, said phrases such as these may become globally popular but probably won't last. "While trendy jargon may be used as a short-cut, clear, simple communication will never go out of fashion,'' Mr Clubb said. Umm I wonder.

Then there is the “office etiquette” situation...

Impersonal emails, bitching about workmates, poor phone manners and dressing inappropriately are some of the sins we commit every day in the office. And Gen Y workers are the worst offenders according to two of Australia’s leading business etiquette experts, June Dally-Watkins, who runs the Business Finishing College in Sydney, and Tracey Hodgkins of the Australian Experiential Learning Centre in Perth. “A lot of people have no idea about good manners and correct behaviour in the workplace because no one has taught them,” Ms Dally-Watkins, 80, said.

“They’re brought up watching bad things on television every night, or on the internet and on music videos. I think this is why the behaviour of people is degenerating.” Ms Hodgkins said most of the students in her office etiquette course were Gen-Yers just starting out in the workplace, and many were enrolled by their new employers. "In universities they’re not taught about basic, everyday stuff. And it seems to be a big issue in a lot of workplaces. Not knowing correct workplace etiquette has always been an issue with young workers", she said, but Gen-Y are more vocal about it. "Gen-Y tend to speak their mind, whereas the baby boomers were happy to put up and shut up."

Send me an email ...

One of the worst office habits today was sending impersonal emails containing a cold request or comment, Ms Dally-Watkins said. She believes pleasantries such as “hello” and “thank you” should not be forgotten in messages. “On email be kind and considerate to the other person. Remember they’re a human being. That’s what we’re losing with technology these days. Everyone’s treated like a robot.” Ms Hodgkins said Gen-Y tended to abbreviate words in emails, "which doesn’t really go down well with people from any other generation". And email jokes are not appropriate in any shape or form, she said. "It sets you up as the person who is the joker rather than the person who is the expert. It’s not good for your career." She also advised workers to be careful what they say in emails because they can be kept on record for a long time. "And avoid using office email for personal use, because your employer can access them."

Face to face...

In today's workplace many people (particularly Gen-Y, according to Ms Hodgkins) are more likely to communicate with someone two desks away by email rather than get up from their desk and give the message in person. It's a trend Ms Hodgkins doesn’t like. "There’s no replacement for face-to-face interaction," she said. "Plus I think sitting at a desk all day is bad for you. Why not get up, have a stretch, walk a few metres to speak to someone rather than do it all by email." And when chatting to someone in person, don't lean in too close. Ms Hodgkins said personal space was an issue of concern regularly raised in her workplace etiquette seminars. "Some people are just not comfortable speaking too closely to someone," she said.

Meet and greet...

One of Ms Dally-Watkins' pet hates around the office was the overuse of “how are you?” as a greeting. “I don’t like the ‘how are you’. I think it’s false and a waste of time. People don't mean it, it’s so empty. I’m going to try to stop it if I can,” she said. It’s much nicer to say, "so nice to see you" or "welcome", Ms Dally-Watkins said. When shaking someone's hand look them in the eye and make sure your grip is firm. And when introducing people always mention the older person's name first, she said.

The walk-by...

When workers walk around the office to go to the bathroom or kitchen, should they always greet the people they pass? Ms Hodgkins says it's polite to do so, adding that office hallways are a great way to socialise and also have informal meetings. "They’re designing workplaces now so people have to bump into each other," she said.

Dress for the occassion...

It’s vital to dress appropriately in the workplace, Ms Dally-Watkins said, and women should be careful not to be too revealing. “I think plunging necklines for a woman is a terrible way to attract attention at work," she said. "I believe it’s our face, our eyes, our expression and our personality that counts more. If we can only get attention by wearing tacky clothes, how sad.” She tells students to forget about just getting a diploma, because they have to look employable as well. “Who wants to pay good money to someone who looks yucky and doesn’t present a good image for their company? You want them to be clever, have the appropriate education and look all that your company stands for," she said.

On the phone...

The correct way to answer an office phone is, "Hello, (insert name here) speaking." If you happen to work near a loud phone talker and find them disruptive, be direct and politely tell them it is preventing you from doing your work, Ms Hodgkins said. Speaking on the mobile phone in the office was fine, so long as it doesn’t disturb your neighbours. And how many times have some of those "interesting" ringtones, that are funny the first time they ring loudly, had you ready to comit phonacide by the end of the day? But never SMS anyone over a work-related matter, Ms Hodgkins said, as it's unprofessional.

Online @ work...

Policies on personal internet use differ from office to office. The general rule, thowever, is to do it in moderation. Bosses shouldn't be too worried about Gen-Y spending a lot of time online because they are very good at multi-tasking with the net, Ms Hodgkins said. "They could have a chat-site open to talk to their friends while they’re doing their work – quite effectively, I might add. That’s the way they’ve been training their brain to work for the last 10 years," she said.

Rudeness...

When it comes to those annoying or rude co-workers who get on your nerves, be polite, Ms Dally-Watkins said. “I don’t think anyone has the right to tell someone they’re behaving badly to their face. It would be bad manners to point out their bad manners," she said. Ms Hodgkins agreed. "There’s an awful lot of bitching that takes place in the workplace and I don’t think there’s any excuse for it. "I’d advise anyone who doesn’t like someone else to just be polite. You don’t have to like everyone you work with; if you do then that's an absolute bonus. You’re there to do a job and you’re obligated to work as effectively with them as you can."

And the key to workplace etiquette?

The key to office etiquette is to communicate to staff what the local etiquette is. If people don’t know the culture and the rules everyone will go about things differently, all doing their own thing and annoying each other in the process. Result? Not a very effective workplace. So manners maketh the office worker too? Hopefully!

Cyclone warning issued for Queensland as the Northern Territory mops up

Cyclone warning issued for north QLD
January 06, 2008 01:19pm Article from: AAP

COASTAL and island communities in Queensland's far north were battening down for a possible cyclone today.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said an intense tropical low, the remains of ex-tropical Cyclone Helen, was late this morning about 300km west of Weipa, on the western side of Cape York Peninsula. A cyclone warning has been issued for coastal and island communities from the Northern Territory-Queensland border to Thursday Island in the Torres Strait. The system was moving east at 43km/h and was expected to reintensify into a tropical cyclone by 9pm AEST (2200 AEDT). The bureau said Helen posed an immediate threat to coastal and island communities from Thursday Island in the north to Kowanyama in the south. It was packing wind gusts of up to 90km/h and was expected to cross the coast between Weipa and Kowanyama. Residents of the area were advised to take precautions and listen to their radios for the next advice at 2pm.

Northern Territory mops up after wild weather
January 06, 2008 01:52pm Article from: AAP

RESIDENTS on the outskirts of the Northern Territory town of Katherine are being warned of likely flooding as the territory mops up after a weekend of wild weather.
Ex-tropical cyclone Helen caused widespread damage, flooding and blackouts south of Darwin on Friday, with flooding still threatening low-lying areas on the outskirts of Katherine. The Nitmiluk rain gauging station on the Katherine River had reached 4.5 metres indicating likely road closures due to flooding in semi-rural areas, the Northern Territory police, fire and emergency services said today. They advised flooding was probable on the Gorge Road at Maud Creek crossing and Bullock Creek crossing near Morris Road within the next 12 hours. "People who are in a threatened area are advised to take action now, and make necessary arrangements to ensure their personal safety and protection of property," Katherine Counter Disaster Committee control commander Greg Dowd said in a statement. He said if residents chose to evacuate, they should take an emergency kit containing essential medicines, infant or baby necessities, changes of clothing, blankets, a torch and valuable personal papers. A spokeswoman for the emergency services said the situation around Katherine was being constantly monitored, but there was no immediate threat of flooding within the town of Katherine. "The committee will keep monitoring the situation and advise as the situation changes," she said.

Has Helen really moved on?

From the NT News:
"06Jan08
EX-TROPICAL Cyclone Helen is likely to re-form as a cyclone by noon today.
Weather bureau senior duty forecaster Greg Browning said the tropical low would have moved into the Gulf of Carpentaria by this morning where it was tipped to again become a tropical cyclone by midday.
It is not expected to threaten the Northern Territory again, but head east to the Queensland side of the border, making landfall in the Burketown region.
Cyclone Helen was downgraded to a category one when it was 40km east of Adelaide River and hit the town about 2am, causing some damage.
It was further downgraded to a tropical low at 6.30am and was last night hovering 290km east of Jabiru, moving east at 40km/h.
Mr Browning said the cyclone had dumped varying amounts of rainfall around the Top End with Pine Creek scoring the most at 213mm.
Adelaide River received 195mm, while the Douglas River soaked up 193mm, Port Keats had 145mm fall, Jabiru 117mm, Channel Point received 80mm, Humpty Doo 54mm, Katherine 46mm and Middle Point 53mm.
Mr Browning said the monsoonal trough was expected to continue bringing showers and storms over the Top End and gulf country for the next week.
But no further cyclones were expected.

The situation could not be more different in Central Australia.
Alice Springs is not going to have any respite from its run of days hotter than 40C, with the hot temperatures in the low 40s expected to continue for the next few days, Mr Browning said."

Hopefully, Helen will be put to sleep; but I am not yet fully convinced that she is asleep yet. We will continue to keep a watchful eye on the situation.
Sunny blue skies today with a nice breeze, so we shall get on with the clean up.

Cyclone Helen - the teenager cyclone?

Cyclone Helen was “born” on January 1, so I guess it was to be expected that she would want to have people take notice of her, for a while at least. She started south of Katherine in the Northern Territory and headed west looking for water to grow in. The Bonaparte Gulf served that purpose and she wandered around for little more than a day, growing and then, as cyclones tend to do, started looking for land on which to cause havoc. Sort of like a teenager, really! Luckily for those in her path she was moving impatiently and crossed the coast late on her third day, rather than staying at sea, brewing. She headed almost due east past Adelaide River and continued on. Darwin was lucky this time. Winds were strong overnight with strong gusty conditions interspersed with lighter winds.

We may not have seen the last of this little lady yet; a thought The Australian newspaper is considering:

“CYCLONE Helen could still pose a threat to the Northern Territory, despite it sparing Darwin and nearby communities from major damage, NT police said today.

Overnight gales felled trees, flooded roads and caused widespread blackouts after Cyclone Helen crossed onto land near Channel Point, south of Darwin, shortly after 10pm (CST) yesterday. As emergency services and residents began the clean-up, grateful the damage was not more widespread, the system - downgraded to a tropical low overnight - continued to move overland. Communities along Queensland's Gulf of Carpentaria coastline were on high alert as the tropical storm was expected to gather force and intensify in coming days. The system was today moving eastwards across the Northern Territory's Top End and is expected to regenerate into a cyclone when it crosses the gulf. Nhulunbuy and the Arnhem region are now under a cyclone watch and NT Police Commissioner Paul White today warned it was "too early to think the Territory had escaped''. "We need to ensure that people don't take their eyes off the ball,'' Commissioner White told reporters today. "There is still a chance the cyclone could redevelop in the western Gulf of Carpentaria tomorrow ... "I encourage people to maintain that preparedness, given the possible reformation of the cyclone, not to mention the heavy rain expected in areas that have the potential for flooding.'' Winds of up to 130km/h last night lashed the coast from Port Keats to Cape Hotham, including Darwin and the Tiwi Islands. More than 30 trees toppled in the capital during the night, with at least two striking houses and dozens blocking roads. Residents were urged to stay indoors today while emergency se

rvices worked to clean up a city littered with green.”

So we wait to see what the next few days bring.

Javan Pond Heron Flaps in

From the ABC website ...

Javan Pond Heron has Twitchers in a Flap
Last Update: Friday, March 16, 2007. 10:36am ACST
By Anna Daniels
A winged creature from Indonesia has bird-lovers in a flap! The Javan Pond-Heron blew in from Indonesia with Cyclone George and has now taken up residency in Darwin’s northern suburbs.
News of his arrival spread quickly with ‘twitchers’ from all corners of Australia flying in to catch a glimpse.
Sheryl Keates, from the Northern Territory Field Naturalists Club, was one of the first spotters on the scene.
“Many people have come to see this bird. People have been from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Broome-you name it they’ve been here and they’re still coming,” she said.
For non-twitchers, those who don’t share the passion for bird-watching, the fuss over the feathers may seem perplexing but the Javan Pond-Heron has inadvertently created a mini-tourism boom.
“People coming up here spend money on accommodation, hire cars and food.”
Sheryl’s phone has been ringing hot since news of the heron’s arrival took flight and her enthusiasm for sharing the find is still sky high.
“It’s wonderful to be able to show people a new bird. Just the delight they get from seeing it. But I am going away in a couple of days so I’ll have a bit of a break from all this and someone else will have to take over.”
From http://www.abc.net.au/darwin/stories/s1873431.htm

So, earlier this morning we grabbed a camera and headed out to the end of Trower Rd in an attempt to track down this weary little feathered beast. We found a fair bit of wet grass and a seriously washed out drain; and had just about given up when, on our way back to the car, out flew the damp little critter, looking considerably flylagged and a bit shabby, definitely the worst for wear after his long journey. Sitting up high in a wet euchalypt he was probably wondering why he had decided to do his big overseas trip.