momentum06

Dear Mr President

2007-09-02T19:16:00.000+10:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DEh0eSpNvY

PINK LYRICS
"Dear Mr. President"
(feat. Indigo Girls)
Dear Mr. President,
Come take a walk with me.
Let's pretend we're just two people and
You're not better than me.
I'd like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly.

What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street?
Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep?
What do you feel when you look in the mirror?
Are you proud?

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry?
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye?
How do you walk with your head held high?
Can you even look me in the eye
And tell me why?

Dear Mr. President,
Were you a lonely boy?
Are you a lonely boy?
Are you a lonely boy?
How can you say
No child is left behind?
We're not dumb and we're not blind.
They're all sitting in your cells
While you pave the road to hell.

What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away?
And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay?
I can only imagine what the first lady has to say
You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine.

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry?
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye?
How do you walk with your head held high?
Can you even look me in the eye?

Let me tell you 'bout hard work
Minimum wage with a baby on the way
Let me tell you 'bout hard work
Rebuilding your house after the bombs took them away
Let me tell you 'bout hard work
Building a bed out of a cardboard box
Let me tell you 'bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
You don't know nothing 'bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
Oh

How do you sleep at night?
How do you walk with your head held high?
Dear Mr. President,
You'd never take a walk with me.
Would you?

[Thanks to swarner@bankexcel.com, Sweetsongstress14@comcast.net, Keir Lewis for correcting these lyrics]

More on plastic bags

2007-09-01T09:18:00.000+10:00

Watch these videos for more answers to your questions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkNGGl3E1T0&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpvQvgJmcjk&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_KOyyNOok4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxLtrZg7jt0

Italian Australians

2007-08-14T11:26:00.000+10:00

My husband and I attended the Italian Festival in Brisbane in July. Remembering that the class covered a unit on Multiculturalism in Term 2, I thought I'd share a quote from the programme.

On Italian Migration:
When they got to Australia, they learned three things:

that the streets were not paved with gold;
that the streets were not paved at all;
and that they were expected to pave them.

Obviously a sense of humour comes in handy where migration is involved.

Plastic Bags Web Research Task

2007-07-28T14:17:00.000+10:00

Plastic Bags a Web Research Task

THE UBIQUITOUS PLASTIC BAG

A Web Research Task prepared by Fay Bradford

Overview:

During the course of this Web Research Task students will practise multipleskills:

*Develop web search skills

*Critical analysis of texts

*Distinction between fact and opinion

*Discussion/Negotiation

*Writing skills

Critical analysis involves evaluating information sources – newspapers, books, opinions, television and the World Wide Web. How authentic is the information? Is the information biased? Whose ideas are represented? Readers must be able to investigate information from both sides of an argument.

For the purpose of this Web Research Task the World Wide Web will be used exclusively. Take care with the information found as anyone can publish a web page to promote their idea. It is important to realise not to believe everything you read. Decisions must be made about the value of the information you find.

Introduction:

Plastic bags have been used in supermarkets and other retail shops in Australia for more than 20 years. What would our trip to the supermarket be like without those handy plastic bags that our groceries are packed in?

Worldwide many people argue that plastic bags are more trouble than they are worth. Others argue that the push to remove plastic bags from our shopping experience is driven by commercial interests.

As a group you're going to explore the issues involved in this debate. Each member of your team will become an expert in one aspect of this important debate. Then you'll work together as a group to make a recommendation taking into account the expertise of all group members. Your final position must be agreed to by all group members.

The Big Question:

Should the community vote yes to banning plastic bags?

Before reading further, write down your point of view on the above question and explain why you think as you do.

The Task:

Your task is to gather facts and opinions on the topic of plastic bags to weigh up the information you find, discuss the information with other “experts” and finally make recommendations.

Roles:

Each team will consist of at least one of the following:

Person 1: Shopkeeper/Retailer

Person 2: Government representative

Person 3: A consumer

Person 4: Environmentalist

Process:

*The first step is to complete the Household Plastic Bag Survey.

*Then learn about plastic and plastic bags following the links below. Some questions are provided for your use. Think of more questions that you need the answer for.

*All students will complete the searches on the web. Be sure to keep a record of websites and the information gained from each. Also, where possible record who said what. If necessary complete a Google search to gather more information – ask your teacher for help with this.

*Students with similar roles will work together to compare ideas based on the information they collect.

*Finally groups must agree on a final viewpoint.

*All students in the group will then choose from two writing tasks (See later in Written Response)

Resources and Questions:

How is plastic made?

Where is plastic made?

How many Plastic bags are used in Australia?

Has this number changed over time?

What are the problems with plastic bags?

How can they be replaced?

Are there any alternatives to replacement?

Who are the interested parties?

What are the problems that could arise with the alternatives?

What is the government doing about the issue? – which government?
What else could they do? – any ideas?

How can consumer use be reduced?

Can you find any “interesting” ways of recycling plastic?

How can business make an impact?

Here are some websites for you to begin your research.

http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/ (click on Information Resources then Research Papers and then scroll down until you see Plastic Bags)

http://www.cleanup.com.au/

http://www.science.org.au/nova/061/061key.htm

http://www.deh.gov.au/settlements/waste/plastic-bags/index.html

http://www.pacia.org.au/index.cfm?

http://marvic.com.au/

Group Task Guide:

Congratulations! Your group is now full of expertise but each member has looked at the issue from a particular viewpoint. Now the challenge is to demonstrate your learning and thinking by combining your research with the research of other group members and presenting the information in a new and challenging way.

You all need to share and combine what you learned on the Internet. With the notes you took and the knowledge you gained, inform your group about your area of investigation. It is very important that each team member pay close attention to the findings of the others and take notes. Remember no-one is an expert on everything so be sure to ask questions.

Use the Six Hats Strategy (Handout 2) to aid with the discussion.

Remember all group member’s expertise must be integrated.

As a group make a list of answers that you all agree on. If anyone does not agree for ANY reason, go back and discuss again.
When you are confident that all group members agree with the argument, it is time to prepare the recommendation. The views of all group members/roles should be represented and your group should be able to justify your recommendations.

Written Response:

Choose from one of the following:

1 Letter to be written to your Local Council or other concerned body eg retailers

2 Written Report to be published in the local newspaper.

Conclusion:

During your role research, you:

· Became an expert in the knowledge of the issues involved for your role

· Used the web to find evidence to support a point of view

· Applied objective thinking to deal with bias in evidence/views

Congratulations! You have used higher order thinking skills.

In relation to the plastic bags:

1 What was your opinion before you started this Web Research Task?

2 Did your research cause you to change your opinion?

3 Did other “experts” make you change your views?

4 Did everyone agree immediately with the recommendations? If not, how did your team come to an agreement that all could live with?As a result of this Web Research Task you have developed research skills and have hopefully become a more informed user of the internet.

Happiness

2007-02-03T14:07:00.000+10:00

What do we mean by "happiness"?

Click on the link and complete the questionnaire to judge how happy you are.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/happiness_formula/4785402.stm

How did you score? How happy are you?

What factors create happiness? Can we measure how happy we are? Who should be responsible for happiness?

Do you think Ghandi's definition of happiness (see below) is still relevant today?
(Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. Mohandas Gandhi)

A comment on today's society

2007-01-29T18:28:00.000+10:00

I saw this advertisement in a Harvey Norman window. These two people are together in the same space but not communicating with each other - instead, they are communicating with others who are outside the picture.

The Chaser's War on Everything

2006-10-21T14:55:00.000+10:00

I think this is my favourite skit from The Chaser - Australian satirical comedy TV show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_8a4fLdaNY

Canberra in spring

2006-10-13T20:38:00.000+10:00

Have just returned from Canberra. September/October is a good time to go there as the Floriade flower festival is on and there is always a spectacular show of poppies, tulips, rununculas, etc. New Parliament House is one of my favourite buildings if not the favourite. All materials in the building come from Australia. You can see from this photo that the roof is a lawn. Visitors walk all over the building and there is a terrific view from the roof, towards the War Memorial.

Mutiny on the Bounty

2006-09-23T11:15:00.000+10:00

My film review and some comparisons between it and two other Bounty films I have seen in the past.

This movie starring Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins, Daniel Day Lewis, Sir Laurence Olivier and Liam Neesom among others, was released in 1984. There have been several movies made based on the true story of the mutiny during which Lieutenant Bligh was removed from command of his ship by a group of sailors led by Fletcher Christian.

The story began on 23 December 1787, in the year before the first European settlement at Sydney Cove, in New Holland (now Australia). Bligh was charged with the responsibility of sailing The Bounty to Tahiti, and obtaining breadfruit plants and then taking them to Jamaica as food for the slaves working on plantations.

Past movies have shown Bligh as more of a tyrant whereas in this 1984 version Bligh is shown as a traditional British naval captain and a man of the time. Discipline was harsh but he is seen as no worse than his crew and is, in fact, portrayed as a hero when he guides the overcrowded boat of his supporters to safety with very little in the way of navigational equipment.

The crew is shown as a group of typical 18th century sailors - very rough, uneducated, and often violent. Previous movies showed the reason for the mutiny as being the sailors wishing to gain freedom from Bligh's tyrannical discipline. In this version a desire to return to a life of ease and sexual excess is shown to be the primary motivation behind the mutiny. In addition, the film gives Bligh's decision to attempt circumnavigation as another reason for the mutiny. The sailors could see no reason to round The Horn and were fearful of doing so.

Bligh and Christian began as friends but turn against each other during the voyage. This becomes much worse when the ship leaves Tahiti and Fletcher is forced to leave his wife behind. However, after the uprising, Fletcher shows regret over what has happened, and tells another mutineer that he wished to God he had supplied Bligh with muskets.

Against all odds, Bligh and his crew of 18 reach Kupang in Timor, which was then a Dutch Colony, after 47 days at sea and after navigating 6 710 km with no maps and only a sextant and a pocket watch. He tells the Governor that he is a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and that he has to report an act of piracy.

Fletcher Christian does not have an easy time of it either. Those that remained on board the Bounty are frustrated and ready to rebel against Christian and hope to turn the ship back towards Tahiti. Bligh's prediction that Christian was a "dead man" looked like coming true.
The mutineers had to avoid being captured by the Royal Navy as they knew they would be hanged so returning to Tahiti would not have been wise. They rediscover Pitcairn Island, an island that had not been accurately charted on British Navy maps. They burned the ship in January 1790.

Bligh is found to have not been responsible for the loss of the Bounty, and is commended for the voyage of the open launch.

In this movie, the events of the voyage up to and after the mutiny are shown as a series of flashbacks - the story is told through Bligh's memories of events. For the purposes of the movie, a replica of The Bounty was built. There was one piece of light relief when the King of Tahiti Nui gave Bligh a gift of one of his Queens.

Bligh: My dear God. I had hoped to avoid this.
Christian: Avoid what, sir?
Bligh: Damn it all, man. I'm expected to sleep with her. She's one of King Tynah's wives. A gift from one chief to another, as it were. Now look, five minutes after I go below you must call me up on some important business, all right?
Christian: Yes, sir. What business?
Bligh: Business, damn it; any bloody business.
________________________________________
Bligh: [Bligh is nervously waiting for Christian to get him so he won't have to sleep with one of King Tynah's wives] Enter.
Christian: Uh, excuse me, sir.
Bligh: Mr. Christian.
Christian: Sir.
Bligh: What demands my immediate attention?
Christian: Well it could wait until tomorrow, sir.
Bligh: [quietly] What is it, damn you?
Christian: The ship is sinking, sir.
Bligh: Good.

But then there were the times when Bligh lost his dignity during his dealings with Fletcher Christian after the ship set sail from Tahiti.

Bligh: [shouting] Filth, sir! Filthy, Mr. Christian! Still filthy! Look!
Christian: I see nothing, sir, but your finger.
Bligh: [shouting] I'll not have your vile ways brought aboard my ship, sir! Do you understand? Now you'll call up the swabbing party yet again! And this time you will make bloody sure that the decks are clean, or by God you will answer for it, sir! I'll not have any of your foul, filthy, gutter ways on board my ship! Do you understand? Good God, pigs in a sty have more comprehension of cleanliness than you buggers have! Now you'll get these decks clean, or by God I'll make you lick them clean with your tongue if you don't mend your ways!

Now for some history - the makings of a sequel. After the mutiny, Bligh rose to the rank of Vice Admiral. In 1791 Bligh successfully led a voyage to Tahiti where he collected 2 126 breadfruit plants and delivered them to the West Indies. He had another unfortunate career experience when he was Governor of New South Wales. In 1808, the troops of NSW arrested him in an incident known as the Rum Rebellion.

It wasn't until 1808 that the fate of the mutineers was discovered. An American sailing ship The Topaz reached Pitcairn Island and found only John Adams, nine women and some children left living. It was reported that five of the mutineers, including Fletcher Christian were murdered by Tahitians on Pitcairn Island; one died after a drunken fall; one was killed by the other two survivors after he attacked them; and one died of natural causes. All six of the Taihitian men were killed during the fighting. Of the eleven Taihitian women, two were killed in falls while gathering eggs from a cliff.

Fletcher Christian was survived by his wife, Maimiti, and their son Thursday October Christian. However, to make the mystery more interesting there are rumors that Fletcher left the island and made it back to England.

In 1825, John Adams was granted amnesty. He acted as father, teacher as well as spiritual leader to all those survivors left on Pitcairn. Pitcairn's capital, Adamstown, is named after him.

Today, Pitcairn Island is occupied by an English speaking tribe of 40 descendants who possess one of four family names. Life continues as it has for 190 years: fishing, gardening vegetables or fruit, making wood carvings and trading with the rare ship that stops. Not much has changed.

National Geographic

2006-09-22T22:42:00.000+10:00

Have a look at this link and see what you think about the history of mankind.
https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/atlas.html

Wandjina

2006-09-16T16:42:00.000+10:00

In Aboriginal mythology there is a god called a Wandjina. I really like the idea behind this god. It has eyes but no mouth so it can't pass judgement. Here are some links to websites of Aboriginal mythology.

http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/australian-mythology.php?deity=WANDJINA

http://www.aboriginalartshop.com/wandjina-rock-aboriginal-art.html

http://www.wandjina-art.com/

http://www.didgeridoos.net.au/dreamtime%20stories/Index%20dreamtime%20stories.html

The photograph of the Wandjina below was used in the Opening Ceremony for the Sydney Olympic Games in the year 2000.

These Wandjina are rock paintings from the Kimberley in Northern Australia. I have read that they date back to 3000 BC.

Critical Reading Skills

2006-09-16T14:43:00.000+10:00

I received an email which had an attachment that looked like a magazine article from the 1950's. If you go to the following link you will see the magazine article. This demonstrates the importance of not believing everything you read - possibly including this website also. What do you think?

http://www.snopes.com/language/document/goodwife.asp

If you don't see the correct page when you open this link, you will come to a Snopes page. Click Search Engine and then in the search box, type "good wife" then hit "go". You will see a link. Read it and see what you think.

Jumping for Joy

2006-09-16T13:13:00.000+10:00

I can relate to this little dog at the moment. Jumping for joy!! - long holiday coming up. I will miss you all, but know you will be in good hands.

By the way, the photo is from an advertisement in the Womens Weekly.

Stages of Settlement for Immigrants

2006-09-16T12:36:00.000+10:00

The settlement process is made up of four stages:

The honeymoon stage. At this time, people are fascinated by the new country they have entered and everything appears new and fantastic. Depending on the individual and the culture from which they came, this phase can last from approximately one month to one year.
The frustration phase. This is when individuals come face to face with the daily problems of living. They are interacting with other members of the society and working through institutions and systems. During this time an individual may have feelings of frustration, anger, depression, withdrawal and resistance. Depending on the individual, the duration of this phase is usually between two to five years.
The coping phase. At this point, the person can operate in the new society within its cultural and behavioural norms although they may not be comfortable with them. They are able to develop strategies such as using humour to cope with the tensions of daily life, dealing with stress and have strategies to deal with anger and resolve conflicts.
The adjustment phase. By this phase, the person is comfortable with their environment, and is able to deal with the society around them.

Generally all immigrants go through these stages of adaptation. Refugees generally have long periods in the frustration and coping stages This is dependant on their experiences and the extent of the trauma to which they have been subjected.

This is a summary of information found in a paper called "Cultural Diversity and Civic Participation in Queensland", written by Narayan Gopalkrishnan and posted on the University of the Sunshine Coast website.

Queensland State Election

2006-09-02T11:30:00.000+10:00

If you are an Australian citizen, mark the 9th September in your diary as Election Day. Voting is compulsory in Australia and voting day is always on a Saturday to make it more convenient for people to cast their vote. For the State election, the polling booths are found in State Schools and are open from 8 am to 6 pm.

As you are walking into the polling place, you will be offered how-to-vote cards by people representing the candidates and political parties. These cards are only a suggestion to voters of how they can allocate their preferences to best support a particular candidate. Of course, it is only the voter who decides how they will vote.

When you enter the polling booth, look for the tables where officials mark off the names of electors on the electoral roll. Usually this is organised in alphabetical order. You will be asked your name and address. Once you have had your name marked off, you will be given your ballot paper. Finally, go to an enclosed booth and mark your ballot paper. Note that it is illegal for a person to help another person to cast their vote. Once you have finished, fold your vote and place it in the ballot box. Place the how-to-vote information sheets in a rubbish bin.

Queensland has an Optional Preferential voting system. Under this system, to lodge a valid vote, ie one that will be counted, a voter can choose between three methods:

mark 1 in the box beside one candidate only and leave all other boxes blank
mark some but not all boxes on the ballot paper (for example, vote 1, 2, 3 on a ballot with five candidates)
mark every square in order of preference (ie mark 1, 2, 3, 4, etc until all the boxes are marked).

For more information about voting in Queensland go to http://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/asp/index.asp?pgid=170

Commonsense Ghandi style

2006-08-17T22:02:00.000+10:00

An eye for an eye for an eye would make the whole world blind. Mahatma Ghandi

The Ekka

2006-08-08T20:14:00.000+10:00

It's Ekka time - the time when the country meets the city. The Ekka or Brisbane Exhibition is an Agricultural and Industrial show where farmers and industry meet to show off their products. The official title is now the Royal Queensland show and it is on from 10 to 19 August at the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds in Bowen Bridge Road near the Royal Brisbane Hospital. The first Ekka was held in August 1876 on the same site. There's heaps to see and do. My favourite things to see are the sheep and cow pavilions, the poultry and fruit and vegetables. There are art, photography, craft, cooking, honey, wine making, etc competitions and amazing animals. There is also horse eventing and fireworks, sky divers, trick car shows and too much more to mention. I'm guessing that anything that happens in life in Queensland is on show at the Ekka.

http://www.ekka.com.au/home/default.asp . Here are two photos of the fruit and vegetables from last year's Ekka.

A Feel Good Song

2006-07-19T20:56:00.000+10:00

I heard this song again today and I really like it although I'm not usually a fan of country.

Listen to Down The Avenue

Down The Avenue in Windows Media format

Sara Tindley with Down The Avenue
Artist/Band: Sara Tindley
Members of band: Sara Tindley (vocals/guitar), Dan Etheridge (guitar), Will Grahame (Piano/organ), Ian Hayes (upright bass)
Song Title: Down The Avenue
Region: Lennox Head
ABC Local Radio Station: ABC North Coast NSW
Biographical notes: Sara grew up in a small country town in Victoria. With football, souped up Holdens and church on Sundays predominant in the town, music was her connection to a bigger life. Influenced by Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Rickie Lee Jones Sara started to dream about writing her own songs.
For the past 12 years, Sara has worked as a singer/songwriter/performer, playing hotels, festivals, halls, café verandahs, campfires and loungerooms around Australia.
She now dreams of an ARIA, or a tour with Neil Young, Lucinda Williams or the Be Good Tanyas.

http://www.abc.net.au/freshair/stories/s1014816.htm

Into Africa - Bris Fest

2006-07-15T19:52:00.000+10:00

Great day today despite the threatening drizzle. I took a couple of tiny videos with my digital camera of a group of musicians from Chad called H'Sao. They now live in Canada so came out for the Fest. They sang in French, English and their first language and the girl in the group was made of Indian rubber. I liked them so much I bought a CD. I was surprised I didn't see anyone I knew apart from one cousin.

Video Hosting - Upload Video - Video Sharing

Video Hosting - Upload Video - Video Sharing

Yeronga High School was also featured with some blokes who have been doing drumming and dance workshops there.

Video Hosting - Upload Video - Video Sharing

Sorry the videos are so short but my arm got a bit tired holding the camera up in the air for so long.

The Green and Gold

2006-07-08T18:44:00.000+10:00

With the World Cup playing in most of our lounge rooms over the last month, some of you might wonder why Australian sports participants play in the colours of Green and Gold. The accepted answer to this is that it was chosen from the colours of the national emblem which is the golden wattle. Information about the national colours can be found on http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/symbols/colours.cfm .

While on the subject of national symbols, a description of the Australian flag can be found on
http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/symbols/flag.cfm . However Australia does not only have one flag. There is a flag for every state and a flag to represent the Aboriginal nation and the Torres Strait Islander nation. There are also flags for the navy and army. http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/symbols/otherflag.cfm . One more historical flag must be mentioned when referring to Australian flags and that is the flag that represented the miners (diggers) at the Eureka rebellion in Victoria in 1854. http://www.ausflag.com.au/flags/eureka.html

The Australian national anthem is Advance Australia Fair which is a very recent addition. http://david.national-anthems.net/au.htm . Before Australians chose this anthem we used God Save the Queen (the British national anthem).
http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/symbols/anthem.cfm . However there are many Australians who feel that Waltzing Matilda is their anthem and agree that this tune is likely to bring a tear to the eye. You can sing along to it on the following website. Again this is a story of rebellion. http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/matilda.htm .

State Emergency Service

2006-07-05T09:14:00.000+10:00

Have taken the step and, with my husband, have joined the State Emergency Service http://www.emergency.qld.gov.au/ses/ so that we can contribute to the community. We have begun the basic training which involves two nights a month, for approximately six months. It was a pleasant surprise to attend the first night of training and find that a night of "games" had been organised to help assimilate the newbies into the existing group. We were divided into four teams of seven and were set two tasks. My team's first task was to take a large volume of items including tarps, sand bags, eskies, shovels and much more over a roof, and then load them into a ute and drive a lap of the neighbourhood. The second task was a Search and Rescue. We had to search a large paddock for evidence (blue and white tags) which we found occasionally interspersed with lollies in medium length grass. After some time spent sweeping the paddock our group leader was told to open his envelope and read the instructions. Lo and behold, we were told the youngest member of our team had been bitten by a snake so we had to perform first aid and carry him/her out on a stretcher. It was a lot of fun and definitely helped break the ice.

Brisbane Festival

2006-07-03T12:16:00.000+10:00

From 14 to 30 July, Brisbane comes alive with an Arts and Music Festival and there are stacks of freebies. As an example try this link for a Sunday event, 16 July, in a park at Holland Park.
http://www.brisbanefestival.com.au/p_energex_scheherazade.htm
Another event to check out is on Saturday, 15 July in Yeronga http://www.brisbanefestival.com.au/p_energex_intoafrica.htm
If you are interested in finding any more events, go to http://www.brisbanefestival.com.au/

and click on Program. The Courier Mail Spielgeltent is also worth checking for free events. There are events from many different cultures as well as events for children, so have a look and see how you can become involved.

Secret weapon

2006-07-03T11:02:00.000+10:00

Did you hear on the news about the Rockdale Council in Sydney using "daggy" music to chase away hoons? Check it out at: http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story/0,20281,19360147-5001022,00.html

Can you think of anywhere else this secret weapon could be used?

Cultural Harmony Event

2006-07-02T17:47:00.000+10:00

My English language class organised a cultural event which they called "Cultural Harmony". The event was held on 14 June 2006 and involved migrant students. The first item on the programme was a group of singers from Tonga and two dancers; one from Tonga and one a Tahitian. What amazing harmony!

Other items were a dance from a group of Dinka people from Sudan and another dance from Nuer people also from Sudan. There was a parade of costumes from many different countries and two Chinese songs by Sonny from Vietnam. Our exciting Youth class also performed a dance together. Last but not least was a demonstration of hair braiding by a student from Liberia.

This was an English language learning exercise which involved students participating in meetings, facilitating items from the agenda, paraphrasing what was said, taking notes and typing up the minutes. It was so wonderful to see so many smiling faces.

Things to do in Your Spare Time

2006-07-02T17:39:00.000+10:00

Logan City residents have the best of four worlds being situated between Brisbane and the Gold Coast and close to Ipswich. If you are looking for something to do in the Logan area then you can start by checking out the following link from the Logan City Council website http://www.logan.qld.gov.au/LCC/logan/thingstodo/default.htm . The Our Brisbane website http://www.ourbrisbane.com/ has links for Sport and Fitness, Recreation and Leisure, Events and Movies. http://www.ipswich-city.com/ lists Events and Attractions in the City of Ipswich while http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard.aspx?pid=3 has a link to Leisure and Lifestyle. If you happen to be interested in markets then here is one website that lists several: http://www.uq.net.au/~zzrawill/sunnybank/community/markets/index.htm .