Boadicea's Chariot

I read this story in yesterday’s Australian.

The Family Court of Australia, which deals with things like divorce and custody, determined that an Arranged Marriage made under threats of violence was not valid. The Judge said:

the parents adopted a position based on a cultural practice – but the law to be applied “is that of Australia”.

I’d like this to go further, and and make all arranged marriages illegal.

I’ve not seen Janus on here for a while, anyone know a reason?

I am content. The professor I chose for my historiography class has approved my choice of a research topic with no reservations or criticism: the formation of the Australian sense of self in the period 1890-1915.

While Yasi was wreaking havoc in Queensland, records were falling at the SCG.

Yes, England set a record total, for them, achieving 6/333, but Australia beat their own record for a run chase, scrabbling to 8/334 with four balls to spare.

There were remarkable happenings, though.   Not just the sight of Michael Clarke coming into form and scoring a 6 (Clarke, a six? Yes, really!) in his better than a run-a-ball innings, but for once every member of the team contributed a worthwhile score (except poor old Steve Smith, who had to have Brad Haddin as a runner).

There were some very questionable feats of ‘sportsmanship’ from the Pommie team.   Trott was apparently so badly injured that he had to have a runner while he was batting, but that somehow didn’t stop him bowling as effectively as anyone a short while later.   Kevin Pietersen did much the same, limping off with an ankle injury, only to return to bowl minutes later.

But the crown for shonky behaviour has to go to wicketkeeper Prior, who gloved a bail from the stumps before appealing to the umpire for a ‘bowled’ decision.   As the commentators said, if Sir Ian Botham catches wind of this, he’ll have Prior sacked from the team and banned from first class cricket.  Oh, Prior was joking, was he?   Tell that to the Pakistanis!   Poor show.

One of the hundreds of scenes of devastation emerging from North Queensland, but as of now there have been no indications that lives have been lost.   Let’s hope it stays that way.

The theme was Contrasts.

Thank you to all who entered the competition for their wondrous and very varied interpretations of the theme.  Whilst I very much enjoyed seeing all your photographs, including those which you chose not to put forward for consideration, it made choosing the winner extremely difficult.

Continue reading “Results of Third Photographic Competition”