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Easter Island: once again on the door step of destruction

These week has seen the eruption of violence on Rap Nui (Easter Island) with Chilean riot police swarming the island to evict local islanders who have retaken parts of the island they say were stolen by the Chilean Government from their grandparents. I visited Rap Nui a few years ago, it is the worlds most isolated inhabited island, famous for its Moai, the large landward facing stone statues and its terrible population decline following its total deforestation.

Prior to my visit there, all the books and documentaries had read and seen warped the island in mystery of unexplained events, however upon visiting the island all became clear. The local islanders, despite being almost wiped out by South American Slave Traders and disease, are well aware of their history and very proud of their place in the world. There has been a resurgence in national pride in the past 10 years culminating in a rebirth of many of their Polynesian festivities which went underground due to the subjugation of the islanders from the Roman Catholic Church and Chilean Government. This has come at a time when there has been unchecked immigration from mainland Chile resulting in the current situation.

When Nina came to Christmas

The term 'El Nino' has almost become one of those terms that just means 'weather' it has been around so long. If you haven't heard the term you are either reading this in Iceland (hope things are getting better for you guys) or you are a recent successful recipient of a cochlear implant and are new to hearing altogether. Whilst the 'boy' meant a buggered anchovy harvest in Peru is meant drought for Eastern Australia, it meant the deaths of tens of thousands of our cattle, sheep, goats, the decimation of our wildlife, the deaths of hundreds of country people from bushfires and the sad slow onset of deppresion and its resulting suicides.

So you think there would be a welcoming respite in the form of the converse weather event 'La Nina'? well initially she heralded a new era in Eastern Australia's fortunes with farmers undeterred with years of failed crops planted vast acreages with winter crops of Oats, Barley, Chickpeas and Wheat on the hope that this year was the year that would wash away the failures.

From a wet start .....TBC

Skirts, Genes and Burnt Bras

Playing the sad game of politics http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/langbroek-draws-ire-of-first-female-pm-20101203-18jd3.html

The role of women has changed in Main stream Australia vastly since the time of my Birth. Whilst our Nation was born under a female Sovereign, as I was, it was almost unthinkable 30 years ago that we would have our current female leadership of Governor-General, Prime Minister, Governor and Premier. However what it does show is there are no barriers to success outside the traditional roles left for women in our society.

Queensland's Opposition Leader John -Paul Langbroek recently highlighted the success of his Radio and TV personality sister Kate. He was pointing out his pride in the fact that she had used her intelligence rather than her looks as was the case in previous generations.

What he said is simple fact women involved in the media in the past moved forward often due to their appearance now this is relevant to both sexes just as is the ability to move forward through ability and intelligence.