[OT] Sydney Race Riots: Purr request

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message
...


Yowie wrote:

Can people please purr pray or send good thoughts to Sydney, Australia.

We're in the middle of race riots.

I am appalled and disgusted, I am saddened and dissapointed. Mosly I just
feel sick.

Australia, the Australia I knew, the Australia I emigrated to when i was
4, the Australia I grew up with, wasn't like this. We were all mates, we
celebrated our divirse backgrounds, enjoyed the differences, welcomed the
cutural cross pollenation. My best friend at school was Slovenian, the
boy I had a mad crush on Turkish. Joel's best mate (and Cary's godfather)
is Italian, my best friend Chinese. And of course, we're all Australian
too.

There's a mob waiting outside a Mosque, looking for trouble at the
moment, its coming across live, on the news.

Can the cats, who are far more sensible than hoomins when it comes to
these sorts of things, purr for some peace, tolerance and understanding?

Among all the animals, only Man can be goaded into violence over ideas!
The others may fight (but seldom to the death) for food or territory or
mates, but never over something so unknowable (and IMO insignificant) as
the "true" nature of God or the "right" way of worshipping him/her/it!
(And despite far more visible differences than among human "races", other
species don't seem to discriminate among their own - you may not have many
dachshund/Great Dane crosses, but that's a matter of logistics, not
prejudice.)

I've met a cross between a bichon frise and a border bollie. A very handsome
and freindly dog, but not one you could easily identify the its parents from
if you didn't actually know the parents in question.

Yes, the border collie was the mother (and we have no idea how the father
did it, but he did somehow, hence the puppies!), a bichon frise mother
probably wouldn't have stood for the border collie, and would propbaly die
from the pregnancy in such a case anyway. And no, it wasn't an expected
pregnancy, becaue the hoomins thought that the logistics were so impossible
as to be "safe" for the dogs to play together.

Yowie

Yowie wrote:

After 9/11 racial and/or religious tension between those of Muslim Arab
extract and "Anglo" Australians (those with primarily British & Irish
ancestry) increased.

Wow, it's interesting how much 9/11 affected people in places outside
the US. I know that there were many people working in the World Trade
Center who were citizens of lots of different countries, so people in
other parts of the world suffered from it, too but the attack itself
was against the US. Not that people from other countries shouldn't feel
something about it, since it was a horrific event - the worst act of
terrorism in history. Nonetheless I am surprised that it's had such a
profound effect on the relations between different groups in parts of
Sydney. I'm very sorry to hear it.

Thanks for such a detailed explanation. It sounds very complex, one
that doesn't have clear perpetrators or victims. Of course, most human
interactions are like that, but in many cases, you can look at a
situation and see that, even if both sides are behaving badly, one
side has most of the power, and to me that adds a layer of analysis
that deals with how power is used in society. But from how you've
described the situation in Sydney, it doesn't seem that clear-cut.
Everyone seems to feel disempowered in some way, and each is trying to
assert its dominance, or at least, to grab some illusion of dignity,
through the use of violence.

I wish that people of all colours, races, religions, orientations
etc etc would figure out that every single drop of bood that is
spilled, no matter who the person, is always the same colour.

Beautifully put.

I hope things calm down soon!

Hugs and purrs,

Joyce

Yowie wrote:

I've met a cross between a bichon frise and a border bollie... [snip]

And no, it wasn't an expected pregnancy, becaue the hoomins thought
that the logistics were so impossible as to be "safe" for the dogs
to play together.

Whoops!

Joyce

On 13 Dec 2005 10:50:24 GMT, wrote:

Yowie wrote:

I wish that people of all colours, races, religions, orientations
etc etc would figure out that every single drop of bood that is
spilled, no matter who the person, is always the same colour.

Beautifully put.


Very much so.

Has anyone seen this year's Coca-cola Christmas TV commercial? In a
very simplified way it's saying the same thing. Here's a poor summary
for those who haven't seen it:

The penguins are having a party on the ice - music, dancing, etc. Atop
a nearby snow covered hill, the polar bear family that have been in
previous year's commercials appear, sticking their heads up and
watching the party.

Of course, IRL polar bears and penguins are deadly enemies.

So baby polar bear slips and slides down the hill, ending up in the
middle of the penguin party, which comes to a dead halt (IIRC there's
even the sound of tone-arm needle being dragged across a record as the
music abruptly stops). Baby PB kind of lies there, then Mom & Dad PB
arrive. Penguins are kind of staring them down when Baby Penguin pops
out from behind one of the adults, dragging a bottle of Coke which he
gives to Baby PB. Baby PB drinks the Coke, everyone smiles, the party
starts again (with the PBs taking part too), and all's right with the
world.

The first time my dad saw it he said that it's too bad they don't let
little kids run the world.





Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha

============
http://www.jhedge.com

"Jeanne Hedge" wrote

Of course, IRL polar bears and penguins are deadly enemies.

I'm sure they would be, but they're not, as they occupy the extremes of
their different hemispheres so are literally poles apart.

PB's diet is Seal.

And for our next useless piece of information............

BTW Thanks for a great analysis Yowie.
I suspect the basic reason is, us usual, economic.

Purrs
Gordon & the FF

On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 08:41:43 +0000 (UTC), "wafflycat"
yodeled:


"Jo Firey" wrote in message
...



Probably not morons. Those that start them have an agenda. Those
involved are often bystanders who are swept away by what is happening.
Getting swept up in rioting behavior can happen to almost anyone who is
exposed to it.

Jo


Indeed they will undoubtedly have an agenda. Still makes them morons in my
book, though ;-)

Cheers, helen s

When my Australian ex-huband emailed me about it yesterday, "morons"
was the very word he used.


Theresa
Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh
My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com

Make Levees, Not War

On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 09:47:40 -0500, Jeanne Hedge
yodeled:

On 13 Dec 2005 10:50:24 GMT, wrote:

Yowie wrote:

I wish that people of all colours, races, religions, orientations
etc etc would figure out that every single drop of bood that is
spilled, no matter who the person, is always the same colour.

Beautifully put.


Very much so.

Has anyone seen this year's Coca-cola Christmas TV commercial? In a
very simplified way it's saying the same thing. Here's a poor summary
for those who haven't seen it:

The penguins are having a party on the ice - music, dancing, etc. Atop
a nearby snow covered hill, the polar bear family that have been in
previous year's commercials appear, sticking their heads up and
watching the party.

Of course, IRL polar bears and penguins are deadly enemies.



No, they can't possibly be deadly enemies. Perhaps they would be if
they lived in the same places, but they don't. Polar bears live in
and around the Arctic Circle. Penguins live in southern latitudes.

So the ad is still scientifically innaccurate, but still very
charming.





Theresa
Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh
My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com

Make Levees, Not War

On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 15:14:24 -0000, "Exocat"
wrote:


"Jeanne Hedge" wrote

Of course, IRL polar bears and penguins are deadly enemies.

I'm sure they would be, but they're not, as they occupy the extremes of
their different hemispheres so are literally poles apart.

PB's diet is Seal.

And of course, you're right. I don't know where my head was,
connecting PBs and Penguins...

And for our next useless piece of information............

Well, I've made more space in that brain-dead lump atop my shoulders
for that particular piece if info

Thanks for the correction!





Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha

============
http://www.jhedge.com

"Yowie" wrote in message
...
wrote in message
...
Yowie wrote:

Can people please purr pray or send good thoughts to Sydney,
Australia. We're in the middle of race riots.

Yowie - purrs to you and everyone around you. Please stay safe.
Riots take on a life of their own, kind of like a fire, and it's
extremely hard to predict or control them.

What are the issues involved, if I may ask? When people rioted in
LA after the Rodney King verdict, I actually sympathized with them.
But I don't know who is rioting in Sydney, nor why, so I have no
opinion about it other than that I hope nobody gets hurt - or that
no *more* people get hurt if some already have.

After 9/11 racial and/or religious tension between those of Muslim Arab
extract and "Anglo" Australians (those with primarily British & Irish
ancestry) increased. Women wearing the hijab being obvious targets, as
they
are *obviously* Muslim. Its been seething along since 9/11, but we've had
our own bombings in Bali (twice) which were allegedly committed by Muslim
extremists which have not helped, and the whole Iraqi war thing just keeps
the whole Muslim Arab = terrorist in everyone's mind.

There are also enclaves of various nationalities in different suburbs in
Sydney. Lakemba, for example, is very much dominated by Muslim Lebanese
Australians. other areas are dominated by Vietnamese immigrants, or
Croation
immigrants for example. My old suburb of Fairy Meadow (although a suburb
of
Wollongong, not Sydney) had a high number of Italians and had lots of
Italian based shops, clubs, events etc

Gangs form in poor areas. Not coincidentally, this tends to be where
immigrants end up. When gangs form from various suburbs, they tend to
refelect the racial diversity of the area they came from. Thus, a gang
from
Lakemba is likely to be Lebanese, from Cabramatta Vietnamese and from
Cronulla (where the violence took place) "Anglo", and the identify
themselves with these ethnicities as well as from the suburbs they came
from.

Various clashes have occured before, but its been fairly minor until now.

From what I understand, two lifeguards on Cronulla beach were bashed by a
gang from Lakemba after alleged racial slurs (who started it is anyone's
guess). In retaliation, some Arab Muslim people were bashed by an Anglo
gang. Then the Lakemba gang went into Cronulla to seek further retribution
and clashed with the Cronulla Anglo gang, and then the riots happened.
Neither side is willing to back down as it would be an affront to their
nationality, their gang and their male pride, so they have to keep
escalating to teach the other side a "lesson". And since the
racial/relgious
tension has been seething since 2001, it just has sort of boiled over.

I am an immigrant. And English one, yes, but an immigrant. My freinds are
immigrants. Anyone who isn't Aboriginal in this land is either an
immigrant
or the descendant of one. Neither side of this clash is without blame, as
the gangs of 'Ethnic' Australians are just as racist as the gangs of
'Anglo'
Australians, but it saddens me deeply that this sort of thing has happened
in my country.

I wish that people of all colours, races, religions, orientations etc etc
would figure out that every single drop of bood that is spilled, no matter
who the person, is always the same colour.

Yowie

I do so agree, Yowie. I like the lines in one of your songs (The Land of
the Truly Free), "Remember the blood that all men bleed has no race, sex or
creed."

Joy

i LOOOOVE THAT AD !

--
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO LOVE CATS,FOR THEY SHALL NEVER BE LONELY
"Jeanne Hedge" wrote in message
...
On 13 Dec 2005 10:50:24 GMT, wrote:

Yowie wrote:

I wish that people of all colours, races, religions, orientations
etc etc would figure out that every single drop of bood that is
spilled, no matter who the person, is always the same colour.

Beautifully put.


Very much so.

Has anyone seen this year's Coca-cola Christmas TV commercial? In a
very simplified way it's saying the same thing. Here's a poor summary
for those who haven't seen it:

The penguins are having a party on the ice - music, dancing, etc. Atop
a nearby snow covered hill, the polar bear family that have been in
previous year's commercials appear, sticking their heads up and
watching the party.

Of course, IRL polar bears and penguins are deadly enemies.

So baby polar bear slips and slides down the hill, ending up in the
middle of the penguin party, which comes to a dead halt (IIRC there's
even the sound of tone-arm needle being dragged across a record as the
music abruptly stops). Baby PB kind of lies there, then Mom & Dad PB
arrive. Penguins are kind of staring them down when Baby Penguin pops
out from behind one of the adults, dragging a bottle of Coke which he
gives to Baby PB. Baby PB drinks the Coke, everyone smiles, the party
starts again (with the PBs taking part too), and all's right with the
world.

The first time my dad saw it he said that it's too bad they don't let
little kids run the world.





Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha

============
http://www.jhedge.com