Protests that are coming up!

On the 30th of November (this friday) there is a protest in support of the West Papuan Refugees. The details as they were sent out are:

Your support is needed this Friday for the 30 West Papuan boat people who are presenting a petition to the new Australian Government this Friday and also celebrating the declaration of independence on December 1 1961.

The event on Friday also celebrates Vanuatu’s decision to support West Papua’s listing on the UN decolinisation list.

Please come and show your support:

Friday 30 November
8:00am Rally Garema Place
Walk to Indonesian Embassy across main bridge
9:15am Peaceful protest outside Indonesian Embassy
12:30 West Papuan dancing, singing and speeches on Parliament House lawns.

On the 1st of December it is International AIDS Awareness Day, but I haven’t got any info about events planned for that, locally. Ditto for the International Day of Action scheduled for the 10th, concerning the Intervention in the Northern Territory. Anyone know if something is happening in Canberra?

On the 11th the Torch for Human Rights is arriving in Canberra. This is organised by CIPFG I think, but it appears to be taking a much broader view than simply looking into the persecution of the Falun Gong. It is calling for the Olympics to never be held in any country that has a current record of extreme human rights violations. There is a meeting at 11am in Garema Place, Civic. Other than that, I don’t have the details with me. (I may or may not be blogging from work *looks around shiftily*)

Tattoo Designs

A friend commented to me that other day, that just like brands show the ownership of cattle, getting a tattoo can show that a person feels they own themselves. This idea made a lot of sense to me. It also made me realise that is probably why so many people have issues with women getting tattoo’s beyond any distaste they may have for tattoo’s on men. Society hasn’t quite come to grips with women owning themselves yet.

I have been thinking of getting a tattoo for quite some time now. The day when I actually get it done is moving closer and closer.I have finished the design for my first tatt. It’s below the fold.

Some Guys are Never Going to Get Laid

9:41:55 PM RhianWren: I plan on partitioning Vaishnavi to have an Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon install

9:43:11 PM rustywusty: noooooooooooooo if your gunna go linux go in style

9:43:18 PM rustywusty: Gentoo Linux 2007.2

9:43:25 PM rustywusty: Intel Edition

9:43:30 PM rustywusty: or if your cheap

9:43:32 PM rustywusty: PPC edition

9:43:36 PM RhianWren: Nah, nah

9:43:40 PM RhianWren: I like Ubuntu

9:43:48 PM rustywusty: Ubuntu is for girls

You know what? I like Ubuntu, cos its user friendly. I still use a Mac in spite of my ideological attachment to the open source movement because they are easy to use. I am not a technical ditz… My new job is as a tech after all. Just cos I *can* use painful software doesn’t mean I WANT to.

Good cheese, great chocolate, and LGBT rights!

Yay for the Netherlands supporting LGBT rights!

Reading list!

There are a few things I have come across in the last few days that I don’t have time to comment on, but think are well worth looking at.
Just imagine me imparting some pearls of wisdom in regards to the following:

Finally, a scientific study that shows why feminists are ‘humourless’. We have right to be, when the humour is sexist.

According to the news, being a lesbian is bad for our health. Maybe being the part of any persecuted minority is bad for our health? After all, non-gender conforming youth have a suicide rate approaching 50%.

US-centric, but am I the only one that finds the recent spate of homophobic ’straight’ American politicians arrested for public homo-sex amusing? Especially when their supporters say shit like this.

This last one, I don’t think needs and commentary from me. Go read it, beloved minions. Just go read it.

Plotting for World Domination Continues

Hello my devoted minions. it is 11.25am on a Saturday morning, and I have finally crawled out of the pile of blankets that passes as a bed for the moment. I released Sheba into the wild, and have retreated indoors to nurse my hayfever. Sheba is a rather large huntsman that I initially felt some antipathy toward for her selecting my favourite t-shirt as the site of her nest. Then I realised that she and I have amazingly similar taste in clothes, and that she is really rather cute, and not nearly as frightening as I first imagined. So I named her, and released her with a fond farewell.

There is a point to this post other than waxing lyrical about my emotional connection to anything furry, even if it has eight legs and spinerettes. (I really really need a cat)

So after a mere 2 weeks at the newsagency, I have secured a contract with the University of Canberra. I begin there on the 26th. I am rather excited. The computers at the newsagency are 10 years old, and crash when I type too fast. *blinks* My new job will contain plenty of broken computers, but it will be my job to fix them, so that beats the pants off boring retail.

The next couple of weeks are likely to be quite busy. I have 2 more weeks in the Newsagency, I have to work up the courage to tell my boss that I am leaving him. I feel rather mean, cos he is so nice. Very grandfatherly. On the other hand, he keeps Diva and LOTL in the porn section. *weighs up*
I think I will cope.

Today is for cleaning, and laundry. The Cottage is barely liveable at the moment. (Although, admittedly, my ‘barely liveable’ is anothers ‘pretty clean and tidy’ given the reactions I have had from visitors as I apologise for the mess).

A News Update

I spent a fabulous weekend writing for NaNoWriMo (up to 2240 words!), and hanging out with my fabulous best friend, who was visiting from Melbourne. We went to the National Art Gallery today, and oh, how beautiful it was. It made me crave being artistic. It really did.

I am quite busy at the moment. For the next few weeks I am helping out the organisers of the Youth Contingent of National Walk Against Warming, I am helping paint a banner for the Free Burma Protest, working full time at the Newsagency, trying to spend time with new friends and old, its Spring Out (Canberra’s Queer Festival), I have my novel for NaNoWriMo, and I need to get in touch with the wonderful women at Canberra Rape Crisis Centre about their website.

ITS GREAT!

Unfortunately this means that until the end of November, I am unlikely to be updating this blog with more than infrequent, and light posts.
However, so I don’t forget, I really wanted to write a list of specific posts that I would like to cover, so that you can all start salivating over them. (This blog is starting to get a reasonable amount of traffic given its only three weeks old).

1. Foster Care Availability in Australia. (I read the other day that in 2001 there were 17 000 children in need of homes, and only 9 000 foster carers!)

2. 2007 Election is on the 24th! There is a WORLD of stuff to write about here!

3. Book Reviews
- Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office
- Greylands
- Girl Genius
- White Tiger 1-6

4. Critique of the ‘Child Protection’ Situation in the Northern Territory

At the moment I feel excited to simply be alive. The world seems particularly full of possibility. Full of art to be created, and stories to be written, and ideas and events, and so many things to investigate, and participate in.
I hope everyone is having a fabulous November!

NaNoWriMo Update

So its the first day of November for only a few more minutes. I have written 854 words of my novel. Only 49,146 words to go.
You can check out an excerpt, and track my progress here over on my user profile at NaNoWriMo.

So yeah, I ditched my old story and came up with something completely new. It kinda pounced on me and demanded to be written, so I guess that is what I will do.

This blog probably ain’t going to be updated much over the next month though. I have some hardcore writing to do.