the same fight, a different name...

the first melbourne  SlutWalk hit the streets this weekend - heartening that an estimated 2500 took part...  the SlutWalk demonstrations began in canada after a toronto police official said that "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised"…

there are varying views on the controversial name, but the SlutWalk is nothing new - its themes far too familiar... we used to call them reclaim the night rallies - i went to many over the years - we demonstrated in support of womyn's fundamental right to freedom from violence, rape or fear – i remember the feeling of empowerment and the camaraderie of the sisters and supporters as they chanted ‘yes means yes, no means no, however we dress, wherever we go’…

which makes it even more frustrating, angering and unbelievable that we are still fighting the perception that womyn are to blame for their own rape - that we get raped because of what we wear - that we ask to be raped because of where we go and what we do... the facts certainly don't bear this out - but unfortunately the myriad rape myths overshadow the fact that rape is about power...

sadly, as Hilary Beaumont so rightly states... 

"Society teaches 'Don’t get raped' rather than 'Don’t rape'"

who was that masked man?

the lone ranger was a popular television show when i was growing up in the late 50s-early 60s - let's not forget, television itself was still new, only having been introduced here in australia in 1956 - consequently viewing was limited so really, anything and everything on telly was popular! at this stage in our technological development we were served up mostly american and british shows, with a sprinkling of local content hitting our screens...

getting sidetracked here, so back to the point... the show would end with the lone ranger 'riding off into the sunset' on his trusty stead silver, accompanied by his native american friend and sidekick tonto, with someone always posing the question "who was that masked man?"

why am i writing about the lone ranger? well, i'm not - but i did have a 'who was that masked man' moment yesterday when i went with my mother as moral support while she had a growth removed from her face...

it was a fascinating process to watch - i'm sure i wouldn't be saying that if the needle was massive, or if the incision was any larger and fleshy growth removed any bigger though!! - there was cutting and cauterizing and puffs of smoke - she actually had to be 'earthed' so as not to suffer an electric shock from the equipment! - but that's not what i'm writing about either!! what amazed me the most was the silence everything was performed in - the surgeon perhaps uttered a dozen or so words behind his mask in the whole time the procedure took (about 20 mins) - the most worrying utterance, well, a question for me mum, was "are you on any blood thinning drugs?" - now, i thought perhaps it was a question that may have been best asked before the procedure started - but it was asked halfway through - what the fuck!!! her answer was in the positive - 'yes, aspirin' - hmmm... i guess he at least knew then why she was bleeding so much!!!

once he'd finished and stitches were in place (he did seem extremely adept surgically), he put the removed material into a container to be sent off for testing and left the room (with mask still in place) - he never returned but left the poor young (20 year old, new to the job) nurse to try and answer our questions (guess he's not so adept with verbal communication)... i couldn't help but wonder "who was that masked man?"

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for regular readers, you will have seen my pleas to help free tony the tiger from his steel and concrete prison - the perseverence of all of those who have championed tony's cause over the years has paid off finally... the animal legal defense fund action has resulted in the louisianna department of wildlife and fisheries being prevented from renewing the truck stop owner's permit to keep tony as a roadside exhibit...

there is a downside though - the current permit stays in place until december (read more about the ruling here) - it's not ideal, but there is some 'light at the end of the tunnel' for the boy - now the search is on for a suitable sanctuary for this beautiful creature... hopefully boy you will soon experience some wonders of this world, rather than abuse, torment and sheer boredom...

this has been a long, hard battle - it's a long, slow process trying to change attitudes - but people can make a difference, we can change lives... we have voices that can speak up for the voiceless - but we need to continue to speak out, to 'persevere in the face of adversity'... as margaret mead said  "never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world... indeed, it is the only thing that ever has"...

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and why am i blogging during the day on a wednesday? i've got a cold thanks to a friend who came around at the weekend for dinner which was lovely, but unfortunately they were already feeling unwell (and obviously highly contagious) when they arrived - guess sharing the bong was an added guarantee of coming down with it! - the 'aftermath' sucks though (echinacea and ibuprofen are my best friends at the moment) - so i decided to stay home while feeling like crap and not spread anything to my colleagues... oooh, hopefully i wasn't contagious yesterday when i saw me mom (definitely no bong shared there!) - colds and flu are dangerous for her...

one pissed off mother...

floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis… you have to admit, the mother (nature that is) has one helluva way of expressing her outrage – we (humans that is) continue to rape, pillage and plunder her while mutilating, torturing and murdering her other children, the ones we consider less than equal to human animals, (that’s every other animal in the world!) – so many atrocities committed against her, and yet still she only gives warnings when she could so easily wipe humans off the face of the earth (like we’ve done to so many others)… a forgiving mother trying to teach us to respect our family and our home…







mother nature by saya kodachi


'mothers day' – what does it actually mean? marla of vegan feminist agitator has written a wonderful post – universal mother – i love this sister’s posts, always poignant and articulate… it’s well worth the read, her views expressed eloquently as she states in her final paragraph “... one also doesn’t need to be a mother to be deeply driven to protect another … for mother’s day, i propose that we honor this natural drive within all of us to protect the ones we love, the ones who depend on our consideration, by not consuming the products of exploitation and cruelty. this common thread of wanting our babies to thrive is natural and noble, a key part of our essential being. whether we are men or women, children or adults, human or hen, that universal mother is in all of us. let’s celebrate without exploiting another innocent mother who had not only the autonomy of her body but also her babies stolen from her for our appetites. let’s connect to that profound mothering spirit that links us together. she wants her babies to be well and protected from harm. i think we can understand." (thank you marla, so beautifully stated - such a way you weave words!!)

it's been a 'frenzy of death' for horses unfortunate enough to be forced to participate in jumps racing here in victoria, with 5 magnificent creatures dying in 6 weeks - victoria and south australia are the only 2 states that persist in allowing jumps racing in australia - with 90% of victorians against jumps racing perhaps dennis napthine has a vested interest in it continuing - according to him "the victorian government will continue to support jumps racing." so please take a moment to check out animals australia unleashed and the coalition for the protection of racehorses...

perhaps something will change now that there have been 'human casualties'... although that doesn't seem likely after an abc interview where napthine stated "the incident has nothing to do with the controversy over the sport of jumps racing." - surely he's not that naive - it was a jumps meeting for fuck's sake, it wouldn't have happened otherwise (although other forms of horse racing kills as well!!) nah, more likely he's heavily invested in the jumps racing industry and has 'too much' to lose...

no animal should die in the human 'pursuit of entertainment' - let alone any other 'pursuit'!! - so at the very least we should all shed tears for casa boy, hammerblow, squire rex, java star and shine the armour...

from the rspca website

on that note, i'm going to do some reading - it's just a 'lazy' day for me after working yesterday - well, the back is a tad sore, has been on and off for a few days - problem with getting older and having a physically demanding job at times - i feel every day of 56 sometimes!!! so i'll be relaxing and recuperating rather than lazing!! i have favourite authors and long awaited books to catch up on... i've recently finished lisa gardner's latest psychological thriller "love you more" - brilliant, as usual lisa! as with this one, i seem to have a spate of highly reserved books coming through at the moment - which of course means a 2-week borrowing period... and my next read is no exception...

many people, like me, have been waiting a long time to read the final book in jean auel's epic earth's children series - a story that has been 6 books in the writing and three decades in the telling  - the first book, clan of the cave bear - was published back in 1980, when i first read it!!! needless to say i'm hanging out to get stuck into the land of painted caves!

time goes by and life goes on...

 

 my old girl’s been gone for over a month now and still i yearn for the feel of her – sometimes it feels like my whole body is aching, craving to touch her, every nerve screaming out for that sensory pleasure - i so miss caressing her… i still see her out of the corner of my eye, i look for her and talk to her, i end conversations with 'hey gang' and then look around to see the boy but no girl, i miss sharing my food with her - she loved all food, sweet and savoury... i miss her... i still weep, but then i feel her in everything around me so i get on with life…

we shared last thursday, april 21st though – my 56th birthday and the anniversary of her death exactly 4 weeks before… after a lovely visit from larry and lottie who came bearing gifts, my girl and i shared a ceremony to celebrate the occasion – surrounded by flowers and scented candles (soy wax of course) i placed some of allie’s ashes into the beautiful keepsake i purchased from furry souls… the keepsake is lovely to hold – hand-made, heart-shaped in brass and pewter which just fits into the palm and has an incredibly sensual feel... furry souls also have a memorial page and this is my tribute to my sweet beauty...

i spoke to some lovely, caring womyn during the preceding weeks when allie’s time was getting nearer – womyn who had started their own businesses to help grieving people deal with the impending loss of their companion animals, their best friends, their family members…

allie’s passing was well honoured, beautiful and serene for the old girl and me… emma whiston from my best friend was such a compassionate and caring vet who came to our home with such a calming presence… she encourages those close to be there too so as brann had known and loved her for years i invited him, and my brother darrell came too – he just adored her and was in awe of her resilience… there was one very close friend who was absent, irene, but sadly with her changing life circumstances at the time it was unable to be... but allie knew she was a friend and was loved by her... the girl was in her element – she felt love all around her when her time came, all hands were caressing her… it was a beautiful passing…

caroline higgins from paws and reflect came and collected her body for cremation a few hours later – i appreciated those fews hours, having her body here without being whisked straight away was very calming and therapeutic in the letting go, the accepting… caroline came with a beautiful purple body bag in which she placed the old girl very respectfully – another honouring of my beautiful friend…

she returned in a black scatter tin and has been surrounded by orchids which have dropped from the plant over the last month... it was given by colleagues at work (although i suspect it was mainly thanks to kirsty, katherine and amanda) to mark allie's passing with something living – a beautiful gesture and a stunning plant – and a plant that can be divided to make more living memories of my girl, each containing some of her ashes…

if you share your life with a companion animal i can’t recommend the above people highly enough when your friend’s journey is coming to an end… they understand the bond and give the respect deserved...

here’s a slideshow of my beautiful friend over the years, from 1996 when she came into my life at 4 years of age, to 2011...

as they say, 'time heals'... it was allie's time and she lived to a grand old age - 19, but the tears still flow at times... my girl will always be in my heart and memories though... and i know that she would expect me to rescue someone else, to give another babe a chance, a home, but that will be in the future - i'll know when it's the right time, when i'm being called - but for now it's shadow's time to have me to himself for a while... 

i've had the last week off - it was an opportune time to take the minimum amount of my own leave while having the maximum amount of days off due to the public holidays, but it's back to work tomorrow - i needed that break though to reflect and reminisce, and it turned out to be a very pleasurable time with visits from kirsty, and michael and lottie, being taken out for dinner by steph and pete, lunch shouted by the mother and aunt (which meant food from veg out to go - neither felt well enough to get out so they paid and lunch and i came to them), and then i had a lovely dinner cooked for me on monday evening by brann... it's been nice to catch up with friends - a lovely birthday week...

looks like i'll be blogging again - it's time to come back to it but i don't know how regularly yet... so many topics to blog about, but this post is enough for today...

a journey's end...

my beautiful, gentle, loving and very much loved friend and companion allie's lifelong journey came to an end at 11.10am on thursday march 24...

my heart is broken,  my world bereft... 

farewell my sweet beauty...

"when someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure..."

you will be forever treasured my dearest friend...

there will be more about my beautiful old girl - she was well honoured in her passing but i can't write it now... i miss the girl - i miss her presence - and the sensory deprivation of the touch and feel of her is incredibly painful...