lifeasdaddy

lifeasdaddy - why Doctors don't wash their hands, and how to change their behaviour

A great New York Times article about a campaign to get Doctors to wash their hands in a major US hospital.

[pointer from Rebecca Blood]

lifeasdaddy - Father Dave Smith: Christians and Moslems can be friends.

Father Dave Smith of the Holy Trinity Church in Dulwich Hill is a wonderful priest.  And an unusual one.  He's an experienced boxer, and here's a video about his fight club. 

Father Dave also Christened Edward a couple of years ago.

I receive the good Father's email newsletters, and today got one promoting his latest "fight".   He wants to heal rifts between Christians and Moslems here in Australia.  He wants us to pass on the word about his new website "Christians and Moslems can be friends".

Go and have a look there. 

Dave says, in regard to promoting this website:

Over the coming weeks I'm planning on really pushing the
envelope on this one - doing online and offline advertising,
and trying to get the word 'out there' as much as possible.

I could do with your help.

If you're willing to use the 'Tell a Friend' link that's on
the page, I'd be grateful if you'd help me spread the word.

I should warn you of course that this is not likely to make
you more popular. On the contrary, you are highly likely to
be misunderstood and draw criticism.

So why do it ...?  Because love demands it!
And therefore it's what the Lord Jesus requires of us!
So say a prayer, and ... jump in! :-)

Well, Father Dave, I can't refuse a challenge like that one.

lifeasdaddy - Two views on the 5th anniversary of 9/11

Yesterday on ABC NewsRadio I heard a broadcast of President Bush's address to the Nation on the occasion of 9/11/2006.  I thought his speech was very well written and well delivered. It appropriately commemorates that tragic day 5 years ago, and sets out his simple justifications for his current course in the War On Terror.  I disagree with plenty of the politics of that, but thought the speech excellent.

Bruce Schneier also made a blog post to mark the anniversary.  Here's what he wrote a few days after 9/11/2001 and a couple of  weeks after that.  He's got plenty to say about real security versus apparent security.

lifeasdaddy - Linda Burney's Vincent Lingiari Memorial Lecture

On Saturday night I was listening to ABC Radio National's Awaye! programme and heard a recording of Linda Burney delivering the 7th Vincent Lingiari Memorial Lecture.

She spoke about the state of Indigenous Australians.  There's lots of bad news, and one of the facts she mentioned which made me sit up and take notice, and which saddenned and disturbed me was that the life expectancy of an Aboriginal male in Wilcannia, NSW is a meagre 33 years.

Here's a link to the text of her speech. 

Want to know more about the grim outlook for an Indigenous male in Wilcannia?  Here's a google search result. 

[Here's some further biographical notes about Linda Burney and Vincent Lingiari.  Lingiari led the Wave Hill Station "walk-off".  Here's a link to the National Archives of Australia's holdings on the Wave Hill Walk Off.]

A note for my foreign readers:  Indigenous Australians gained the right to vote in Australian Commonwealth and State elections only between 1962 and 1965.  Ref here.

Disparity between the living conditions of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is a sore undercurrent in our society, which can and should be a source of shame to many of us.  For example the distressing life expectancy I mention above.  And this is in a developed country.

Australia is the 12th largest economy in the world, and has the 11th largest GDP per capita in the world.  {OECD figures}

It is our shame.