Living in Melbourne After One Month: Overview Melbourne is in Australia, at the South Eastern end of the mainland. It is a city of 4 million people. The climate is temperate and noted as having very changeable weather. Summer days are usually hot, but can be cold. Nights can be warm in the summer months, but also sometimes coolish down to about 12 degreesC...so it has great weather 'flexibility'. Ethnicity The main/obvious ethnic groups seem to be white Anglo-Saxons, Celts, Greeks, Chinese, and some Arabs. Religions are the usual conservative matrix of Anglican/Catholic/Islam and Chinese Christian, which is a bit different. Housing Housing is expensive whether renting or buying. Food Is relatively cheap and fresh and plentiful. Transport Public Transport is very good based upon frequent trains, trams and buses. Where we live We live in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne and are renting. The rent is basically double the rent of anything similar in Cairns, where we come from. In terms of buying a house, well, here, where we are, a simple house of brick, 3 bedrooms, one bathroom, will cost about a million Australian dollars. it will have either a big front or backyard...or at least a goodly amount of out side space. Parks: Big, well looked after parks. Hospitals There is a shit load of hospitals, both public and private Work There is work here in quite a number of industries, and especially in health and service industries Infrastructure In summary: It is a modern medium sized international city with a temperate climate and with all the necessary gear. Access to services is very good. As noted it is the World's Most Liveable City for many good reasons. I am happy we came here.

The Australian Government has painted itself into a corner regarding refugees. They want to send 2500 Iraqi/Syrian and Iranian men women and children to the USA rather than have them settle in Australia. These poor bastards have been on lonely prison islands in New Guinea for years now, and at massive, massive expense to Australia. we can't actually afford to keep them there. As part of the deal with Obama's administration, Australia vetted and made sure and absolutely guaranteed that these folk were really genuine refugees, seeking refuge, and there is no doubt about that at all. that is not in question at all. The question arises: well, as they are real and genuine proven refugees, under international law, then you must accept them. But rather than doing so, Australian Govt wants the USA to take them, fearing a backlash from the Australian electorate...and fearing a hike in new arrival refugees should the present ones get to Australia. The problem with this Fear is that it can't be made into actual Policy or Law...because it is just a Fear, and not based upon any other concern except fear of voter response. The job of governance involves both making clear laws and decisions, and also, very importantly, persuading people. Australia doesn't have anyone in political office with these skills. If the government of Australia has made an absolute failure of persuading Australians as to what is a good thing for all....I don't think they will have much success with persuading Mr Trump. Not fucking likely I would expect.

Noting the expected response from Trump regarding the smart Australian deal to send up to 2500 refugees from prison-islands here to the USA...good folk from Iraq, Iran and Syria... The response was, after meeting with the Australian PM, Malcolm Turnbull, Trump noted 'what a dumb deal! No no no, we're going to take a good look at that.' Thus this is actually the only time in 50-60 years Australia has had a disagreement with the USA as we always do exactly what they want. Even now, we won't say anything negative about Mr Trump...because we are not in any way shape or form an independent nation capable of making independent policy or decisions, or even statements. We are an American Dependency and all of Asia knows this, absolutely and intimately, as does the USA, and the world in general knows this. It is only Australians who don't actually know this. The USA will not solve Australia's refugee dilemma because it is not the USA's dilemma. As Mr Trump noted, the USA has a lot of problems in itself, but it doesn't have other people's problems to solve. We have to solve our own issues properly, ethically and permanently. This is why we employ governments...this is their job. Neither the Government or the Opposition has a clue about how to actually solve this issue that both have blown out of proportion for many years for their own political advantages against each other. Mr Trump was correct: "What a dumb deal!" Click.

the worker poem

The Worker Poem

darkness in the sky
and darkness in the eye
the orbs define themselves
and make of this the lies
but you and i
we make our own content
in mosque or mansion or our tent
driven not by what is said
but made of comfort in our bed
of right and wrong
who gives a fuck
of life's rewards
we have our truck
and so we rest from day to day
the jokers think we need the pay
but we will ruin them
day by day by day

Darkness

darkness in the sky

and darkness in the eye

the orbs define themselves

and make of this the lies

but you and i

we make our own content

in mosque or mansion or our tent

driven not by what is said

but made of comfort in our bed

of right and wrong

who gives a fuck

of life's rewards

we have our truck

and so we rest from day to day

the jokers think we enjoy the pay

but we will ruin them

day by day by day

The Nothing Poem

nothing on the tv

and nothing on the mind

nothing much to fear

and nothing much to find

I keep a monthly diary/calendar thing to remind me of things I need and want to do. It's basically, each year, a bought thing...it puts out the month on a double A4 page with the days and dates etc. It is usually full of tasks and jobs and dates etc... I noticed today that the days between the 14th and 30th of January this year were totally blank of my usual scrawling writing because of this recent depression. I expect that if I looked back through enough journals then I would see blanks for maybe 25% of my living life, but that doesn't mean anything really negative...that's just those periods of incorporation and transition necessary for me to grow, as me...and to be, as me. we are all different, and that's a good thing. Often people will presume that if there is something wrong with you, that there is something with you, but this really isn't the case if you need to be you and find your satisfactions and equally your dissatisfactions, in being you. No one else can be you. You own yourself. As for my diary/journal...did I miss the period between the 14th and the 30th of January? No. I just had much more important business elsewhere.