Inigo

Although I am not much given to blogging about the saints, today is the feast day of one of my heroes, Ignatius of Loyola is one of my favourites, and it is his feast day today.
I came across his Spiritual Exercises in my twenties I suppose, and I had no idea of their force or meaning. I have come back to them from time to time and found something more each time.
At the moment (and for the last few years) I have not put them aside and they do indeed seem to me a way of understanding what it means to be Christian, and probably what it means to be human.
They are not a 'secret wisdom' (gnosis) but rather a process of making sure that we take notice of what goes on in our lives.
Ignatius noticed that some things console us and other things desolate us. We may make the mistake of thinking that some things perk us up when in relaity they depress us...alcohol for example.
Ignatius reflected a lot about this process, stopping daily to take notice about what was happening in the course of the day. And living out of that reflection.
This, I think, starts to build up a pattern, of understanding and behaviour change and growth which contributes to the intentional life well-lived.
Perhaps today, you might like to stop for 10 minutes and think "What has brought me life?" and/or "What has brought me death?"and to give some thought abouyt how that might affect the next few hours.Then do it again.
I think this works, it is good for Christians. It also works for others!

The Hilton defence

Shortly after the Hilton Hotel  opened in Adelaide someone  said to me "What you pay for is not the top of the range, but knowing that whenever you go into a Hilton Hotel you are getting the same standard."

I think this has a ring of truth about it and it is probably a good thing when it comes to hotel accommodation, but I was bit surprised to hear this being trotted out about Starbucks yesterday.i.e. what you pay for is not necessarily the best coffee but the same coffee anywhere in the world!

This too has a ring of truth about it, but as a coffee aficionado (all right that word is to tame to describe my relationship with coffee!)...obsessive, devotee perhaps. You don't want the same coffee. You want great coffee!

So it is hardly surprising to discover that Starbucks appears to eb on the way out.

My advice to them? If you make a better mouse trap  the world will beat a path to your door.

Other observations have included poor placement of outlets...I noticed in Singapore recently  two different outlets within metres of each other.

By and large their product is over priced, indifferent and their service often leaves much to be desired.

If you get in touch with daughter K, (yes! she who is gallivanting in North America) she will give you the doctoral thesis on how you run a coffee shop....but if you find her and manage to speak to her you are doing better than me.

Starbucks make way for someone who loves coffee, rather than just the money it might bring!

 

Women's voice- on being in touch with the feminine

It's interesting to note the vitality that is brought to the American election campaign. We can barely tolerate more than 6 weeks of campaigning, and here they are going at it (now) for well over eighteen months.

In the latest  entry in the Washington Post's  campaign diary Michelle Obama says of and to women:

"We're going to decide the outcome of this race. Whether the bad guys or the good guys win, it's going to be up to us."

Fifty-four percent of voters in 2004 were women, said Obama, who predicted the figure will be higher this year.

Obama has emerged as the most prominent voice on women's issues in Sen. Barack Obama's campaign. She told stories about women she had met while campaigning and described a series of policies that she said would help working women and families.

This is an interesting idea: when we look at the politicking it seems to be all about men. But if Mrs Obama is right then the voting is all about women. Politicking and Voting are not the same thing.

And if she is right, and I suspect in my gut that she is...then Obama seems a shoe in.

Not (only) because he is stunningly handsome, or because McCain is a hobbit of a man...but because women have a different understanding about the need to move and change, they are also decidedly more peace loving and war hating. On the whole I like their thinking more than men's

Lambeth blow out---in more ways than one

Ruth Gledhill notes in the times

After marching against poverty, about 650 Anglican bishops and their wives enjoyed tea at Buckingham Palace. Read our news report and watch video of the march here. Afterwards, they had lunch in a large marquee at Lambeth Palace. There menu was cold lemon and thyme scented breast of chicken with fresh asparagus and porcini mushroom relish,
summer bean and coriander, tomato, basil and mozzarella served with hot minted new potatoes. Pudding was dark chocolate and raspberry tart with raspberry ripple ice cream, topped off with coffee and white chocolate raspberries. To wash it down they drank Pino Grigio or Chiraz or cranberry and elderflower fruit punch. The cream marquee was decorated with a dozen chandeliers down the middle. Bishops were apparently amazed and thyy know their hospitality. There were orange roses and fans at the side but it was still steaming. Bishops fanned themelves with menus. There were long queues for the plush portable loos with solid wooden flooring, designer handwash and handcream.

Petroleum

I did it today, viz I actually pumped over $100 into the tank. Ironically petrol was the cheapest it has been for weeks!

Becoming one's father.

Sarah made dinner on Wednesday (an event in itself) she made Goulash...having just been to Hungary it is now only ever pr0nounced Gooiyash!
It was good, though ther noodle/dumplings were rather like casino betting chips.
My dad used to like to cook and when he discovered Mexican food we had chile con carne every other day. Tonight I have peeled onions, crushed garlic, sung Brahms (those awful Hungarian folk-songs, I once sat through a concert of 35 of them) chopped meat and crushed tomatoes.
Yes! We are having Gooiyash. I will use shell noodles rather than Casino chips!
Then maybe Sunday night too!....Then on Monday I'll change my name to Harry!

Flow-on

It will be relatively straight forward to check whether or not the drop in oil prices is passed on at the petrol pump.

But will the ACCC and other authorities also be checking to see that there are corresponding reductions at the supermarket. It would seem everything from matches to meat has increased in price, the principal justification being increased fuel costs. I will be surprised, pleasantly I must admit, but I have my doubts about the likelihood of such a flow-on

Medals

A friend told me yesterday that travelling through Australian customs with his military medals (quite a valuable collection both sentimentally and emotionally) his bags were rudely prodded and poked because the X Ray machine had picked something up.
"What's this?" said the rude little man; and when T went to get the medals out to show himhe was ordered to not touch the bag as that was his (the officious little inspector's) job.
This rather contrasts with some other experiences. We ourselves on a couple of occasions in our recent travels had to explain the contents of our bags, on all occasions only we and not the the official, were allowed to touch our belongings.
This is as it should be (at least in the first instance) since we are the ones responsible for them.
This did not stop proper investigation and actually allowed an higher level of accountability. What ever else you might say about the two Asian countries we recently visited, their regimens were always thorough and always polite. Australian official should take a leaf from their book.
And T followed up the story by remarking how different his experience when the same thing happened enetering the US, admittedly a little wiser he had the medals out his bag and ready to explain. The woman customs officer asked him to explain what they were and on finding out expressed the heartiest welcome to their land, and her sense of privilege at being shown the medals.
Like many Australian travellers we remark when we return that we could and indeed should do this stuff better if we are to be taken seriously

getting out of the war

One headline today reads "Obama: Discussing the war he never agreed to!"
It is, necessarily, part of the dilemma that he faces. In order to be seen as credible by the wider electorate he now has to get up to speed on how you deal competently with a war....even though he didn't think America should have been in that war in the first place.
The President, of course, is also the Commander-in-Chief, [a scary thought when you think of George Bush] but Obama does appear to be taking it seriously. And is being taken seriously by those who will have to cooperate with him. (See the steep learning curve here)
It will always be an issue for incoming politicians. The electorate will have to decide whether the fresh approach outweighs lack of experience. McCain seems to me tired and not up to the task. Obama at least has the capacity to grow and learn.

Couldn't give a fig!

Many of you, dear blog-readers, couldn't give a fig that the Lambeth Conference is happening at this time. It has had a lot more build up than usual, and some of the commentary is bizarre to say the least.
One of my faithful sent me (via her faithful minion) a quite bizarre commentary from the International Express. The writer said (broadly paraphrasing):

I, like many English people, consider myself to be C of E. I do not go to church very often, if at all. I don't believe anything. And I don't support it in any way. But I think it should be there when I want it.

Those of us who minister in this Church know this attitude well. It is the price you pay for establishment. It is the cost of social respectability. It is the fickle bystander saying I want the joy but none of the pain.
This same commentator then went on on to say that the present Archbishop of Canterbury is a waste of space, and has been totally useless since his appointment. No evidence was cited other than hearsay and the wild rantings of the press. There was no subtlety to the analysis...indeed you could not call it analysis...it said he likes gays, he likes Muslims. He's too smart for his own good. Why doesn't he just kick out the poofters, send all Muslims back to...where ever.
God save us from this sort of b**lsh*t.
If anything will save the Anglican Communion at this time, it is Rowan Williams insistence that he will not allow one side to bully the other. That he will not jettison the fundamental inclusivity of Anglicanism as if is were of no account.
That this is difficult and a cause of some pain is clear. But we are the sisters and brothers of a man they crucified because he wouldn't take the easy way out!
Bishop Duleep de Chickera of Colombo preached on Sunday a wonderful sermon on the nature of Communion in Canterbury Cathedral and it is good to hear the more measured voice of our Church being heard (see here)

"There is space equally for anyone and everyone, regardless of colour, ability, gender or sexual orientation," he said, in a passionate sermon which received prolonged applause from the bishops at Canterbury Cathedral. "It is an inclusive communion where there is space equally for everyone and anyone regardless,"

That's where I stand any way!

Where are we?

The news of Tsunami after earthquake off the coast of Japan today did at least cause S to flutter her ears.
Of course it is miles away from where we are for a few more hours, I figure it is north and at least on the other side of the island. Probably though 2-3000 kms away.
This did not stop us reflecting the other day, when watching the sunset over the Indian Ocean just exactly where we would be if Tsunami like the big one did hit us. We were on the high ground, our beach cottage would at least have been 10 metres underwater!
But, the sun just set and behaved itself nicely nicely!

The downward slide

Weather here has been remarkably cool (26-28) but considerably warmer than in Adelaide (6-12). At times we have almost had to put a (light) jumper on...but didn't.
Tomorrow, I guess the shock will be full upon us.

Too many pina coladas, gins and tonics etc.

Panic! Panic!

Today when we checked our bookings to leave Bali on Friday, we actually realised we are not leaving until Saturday.
Fortunately this is not the disaster it might seem and we will not ve sharing accomodation with Ms Corby, but rather good that I am not actually saying the Holy Mysteries on Sunday

Far off lands

Last Saturday, our family members were in three different countries. And none in the country of their birth.
It's not so now, and over the next few weeks we will get back together again.
While it's good to travel, sometimes we are too far away from each other for too long, and in the early morning hours I lie awake and feel a little sad that tomorrow I won't see or hear from or other of us.

An end to terror

In the last week or so the African National Congress, and in particular Nelson Mandela were removed from the US's Terror Watch List (see here).
No doubt Dr Mandela was pleased with this birthday present, but it raises the question of what such lists are all about. They are of course propaganda, and don't serve much useful purpose at all.
The US list has (apparently) nearly 1,000,000 people on it.
One only has to see some of the names on the list, (here)which includes US senators, serving military officers, and any number of people who have opposed President Bush on issues great and small. See the American Civil Liberties Union counter here
The Anglican Church's GAFCON conference (reaction to gay issues and women's ordination) which recenty met (against that Bishop's wishes) in the city of Jerusalem...also had a (much smaller) hit list.
Security were instructed to not allow certain people entry under any circumstances (see here), that list, too, is propagandist and political!

Homeward bound

We leave Singapore today, just as Sarah and Denes arrived there on their way back to Adelaide.
It was wonderful to see her, and I think she thought likewise.
We met between two airport terminals and had pizza and ice cream in a cafe before they charged off into Orchard Road. What a time they have had. Stunning views of Budapest from their apartment window...and they heard Santana...free for gratis...makes us old hippies jealous.
I am just (incidentally) waiting to board the plane for Bali...just about to go and buy a bottle of gin!

In the way of these things

In the way of these things, I am sitting in McDonald's Vivo Centre, Harbourfront... Singapore.... just telling you that's what I'm doing!!!

Pray Prey to advertisers

I wondered when the ABC's Gruen Transfer started just whether it would be successful. Taking as its premise the examination of the phenomenon of advertising, it seemed to me a long stretch to imagine that a discerning public might go for it.
However, under the flagship of Andrew Denton's company Zapruder's other films, one wouldl have to watch because he has an uncanny instinct for what works. And it is strangely seductive.
Particularly interesting is the segment in which two advertising firms are pitted against each other to promote the indefensible...whaling...ah Whale Meat, the Beef of the sea....and last week Child Labour (Tire them out and keep them out of trouble).
The disturbing thing is about how plausible advertising can seem. Which is, I guess, the point.
It's witty, intelligent and interesting; which is I suppose why Wil Anderson is hosting it rather than Dermot Brereton...who can stick to 20 funniest ads!

The GAFCON Con

I have been slow to comment on the so called "Global Anglican Future's Conference" (GAFCON), as Anglicans Online observed last week, one may just as well let the dust settle until we can really see what has happened.
Perhaps the most trenchant criticisms are those which suggest that a group met which (allegedly) represented an enormous number of the poorest Anglican Christians, and made no comment about poverty issues, and the health crisis on the African continent. Indeed a number of commentators have suggested that despite the continued insistence that it is the AfricanChurches whose noses are most put of joint by all this, the sort of realignment that GAFCON is promoting will actually serve the interests of rich disaffected Anglicans in North America, Australia and the UK.
Twas ever so
Some interesting reflections here
What is the Bishop of Rochester up to?
What is the Archbishop of Sydney up to?
What is the Archbishop of Canterbury up to?

Sholem Aleichem

If you haven't yet watched Salam Cafe on Wednesdays at 10 (SBS) then next week is your last chance for a while. (Though in the way of modern things you can always download it on your pod).
It answers some important questions like "Do Moslems have a sense of humour?" "Are Moslems mindless robots who only think one thing?" "Do Islamic women subserviently keep quiet in the presence of men?"....All these questions are preposterous of course to anyone who knows the slightest thing about the diversity of Islamic culture, and about how settled Islam is (to the third and fourth generation) in this country.
These are highly intelligent, perceptive, constructive propagandists for a society more tolerantof Moslem Australians. God pray that they may be succesful.
Note: Semitic language scholars amongst you may note that the heading for this post is in Hebrew not Arabic...Sholem Aleichem...peace be with you! Salam Cafe always ends with this greeting in Arabic...Salam Allaychem....not much difference eh? Yes! I know I'm too smart for my own good!

No great surprise

No one will have been greatly surprised that Alexander Downer is about to resign to take up some nebulous post for the UN in its work on Cyprus.
I suppose that Cyprus is still an issue, though one commentator has noted that they thought that Cyprus was all concluded 4 years ago.
I think that was pettiness, there is still work to do there. But lest we forget,(here) an ex tempore by-election (on current figures) will cost the taxpayer between 400 and 500 thousand dollars.
The same commentator noted that perhaps this should be deducted from the more thna generous superannuation that Alexander will collect, whilst also having the prestigious UN job and his won private consultancies. Kerching!