Protected: 35 Lies and Counting

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35 Lies and Counting

Makes interesting reading this selection from the ALP website,Truth Overboard, 35 lies told by John Howard and counting –

Truth Overboard, 35 Lies told by John Howard and Counting

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Protected: Paul Bettany Interview

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Paul Bettany Interview

For the Paul Bettany admirers there is a brief interview done with him on The Movie Show on SBS that was screened tonight but you can see the interview at –

Movie Show Interviews

Not sure there is much more than he’s said in other interviews, but if it is just to watch the beautiful blonde Brit well, why not? I think it is about twenty minutes, they only had some highlights in the show itself.

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A Blue Person, Am I?

You’re the color blue. You have the three c’s in
life–you’re cool, caring and confident.
Trustworthy and honest, people are naturally
attracted to you. You’re unusually optimistic,
but that makes life all the better. You’re an
imaginative person who loves sleeping and
dreaming. Hard-working and determined, you
excell in school. You’re everybody’s favorite,
and this is because you have this undefined
richness in your personality and attitude.
Mild-tempered and stable. Not to mention very
intelligent. Along with the fact that you’re
conservative, you’re worried about the
environment. So basically, you’re a generous,
dependable and devoted–just the kind of person
everybody needs. Wouldn’t it be great if
everybody in the world were like you?

What color are you? (Amazingly detailed & accurate–with pics!)
brought to you by Quizilla

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A Blue Person, Am I?

You’re the color blue. You have the three c’s in
life–you’re cool, caring and confident.
Trustworthy and honest, people are naturally
attracted to you. You’re unusually optimistic,
but that makes life all the better. You’re an
imaginative person who loves sleeping and
dreaming. Hard-working and determined, you
excell in school. You’re everybody’s favorite,
and this is because you have this undefined
richness in your personality and attitude.
Mild-tempered and stable. Not to mention very
intelligent. Along with the fact that you’re
conservative, you’re worried about the
environment. So basically, you’re a generous,
dependable and devoted–just the kind of person
everybody needs. Wouldn’t it be great if
everybody in the world were like you?

What color are you? (Amazingly detailed & accurate–with pics!)
brought to you by Quizilla

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Protected: Arabphobia

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Arabphobia

This is depressing if it is becoming widespread –

Any Tom, Dick or Harry can beat prejudice
September 27, 2004

Anglicising a name is a necessary denial of identity for many Middle Easterners, writes Joseph Wakim.

“When you call me at my new job, please do not ask for Mohamed. They must only know me as Michael.”

This plea from an acquaintance to collude with his Anglicised pseudonym and not blow his cover brought home to me one of the most insidious tragedies of this war on terrorism: the need to disguise identity to avoid being branded. The Nazis were less subtle about their targets, branding Jewish homes with the Star of David.

If the first casualty of war is the truth and the second is innocence, then the name-change ties the two together: protecting your innocence by disguising your true identity. So Ali becomes Alex, Hussein becomes Harry, etc. Any name that is readily identifiable as Islamic or Arabic is Anglicised.

This is not to be dismissed as a hangover from the assimilation era when Anglo neighbours affectionately took the “new Australians” under their wing and christened them with more pronounceable names. That was a mutual adoption ritual, where the country adopted the immigrant, who in turn adopted an Anglo-friendly name, a small concession for the convenience of the host society. The Anglicising of names of first-generation immigrants applied to people from all corners of the globe and was not specific to Middle Easterners. However, this new phenomenon has less to do with mateship and more to do with Arabphobia.

It has been identified in the recent report by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Isma, the national consultations on eliminating prejudice against Arabs and Muslim Australians. It refers to “employer aversion to people with Arabic or Islamic names”.

Examples are given, such as a person who put in two identical applications for the same position, one with his Arabic name and one with an Anglicised pseudonym, where only the latter was short-listed for an interview. There were reports about people who were told a position was taken, who then phoned back minutes later using an Anglicised pseudonym, and were invited for an interview. In my business and social networks, I am aware of a growing number of individuals – even companies – who have resorted to these name changes.

Many are fed up with having to constantly fend off knee-jerk reactions, prejudices, phobias and pregnant pauses from some who immediately associate recognisable Arabic and Islamic names with the terrorism that dominates our news. The pre-emptive defence becomes a mantra. No, I am not a terrorist. No, I was not born overseas. No, I do not support al-Qaeda.

Imagine how tiring it must be when every time you say your name, you feel like you have triggered a security alert in the stranger’s mind, and you need to key in the tedious code to deactivate that siren so the stranger can hear you. Would it not be easier if you could remove the bar-coded tag which sets off the alarm? I experienced this during the (un)civil war in Lebanon in the 1980s. If my Lebanese surname was identified, I was bombarded with the same questions: why are you people always fighting? Why can’t you live in peace?

When names are changed, there is the allure of hassle-free social transactions. Closed doors open and equal opportunity is experienced without prejudice. But at what cost? The question of “Christian name” on standard application forms smacks of irony when Mohamed becomes Michael through a deed poll. And there is the severing of the meaning behind the given name, as many Muslims are named after revered religious figures like Mohamed, Ali and Hussein. In the same vein, when the renowned Lebanese Christian saint’s name – Charbel – is neutralised to Charlie, this amounts to more than a name change. The spiritual significance is diluted. So, too, is the connection to a special place, era and lineage.

Obviously, most maintain their given names, especially if they work in Arabic circles, or if their business name is established. It would be tragic if all the successful Mohameds became Michaels, inadvertently reinforcing the name’s association with criminality. What we may need is an equivalent to a Seinfeld sitcom where Arabic names and culture are attractive: Everybody Loves Hussein.

As each terrorist attack and hostage beheading adds another layer to the entrenched Arabic and Islamic stereotype, those bearing the names and thus bearing the brunt feel more entrenched in their fear that they will never have a fair go.

Joseph Wakim is founder of the Australian Arabic Council and a former multicultural affairs commissioner.

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Protected: Pre-emptive Strike Howard

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Pre-emptive Strike Howard

And what’s truly sad is that some of the people out there truly believe this, as our PM follows the rabid Right wingers of Dubya’s administration down this lunatic path.

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