Movember: Day 21 - The Progress of the Mo

It has been very itchy and quite uncomfortable, but ironically it is also starting to become quite familiar.

Belinda has been excellent, but she doesn't want me to keep it after 30 November!

This is no surprise.

Evolution - The Experience

A microbiologist friend of mine recently received an invitation to an Event to be held in Melbourne in 2009 called "Evolution - The Experience". The conference is endorsed by The Australian Society for Microbiology -- no doubt to the disappointment of my friend.

It looks like the Darwin propaganda machine continues to roll on -- sadly I expect that the event may well be at least partially funded by our State and Federal Governments.

Ironically the organisers haven't actually overstated the impact:

"The Origin of Species, sparked an intellectual, social and spiritual revolution.
 It radically transformed our understanding of life on this planet – the origins of life, our relationship to other species and the way life can adapt or fail to do so in the face of environmental change."

The problem is that 'radical transformation' not based on truth will ultimately take you in a direction that you will eventually live (or die) to regret!

Movember

Hi All,

During Movember (the month formerly known as November) I'm growing a Mo. That's right I'm bringing the Mo back because I'm passionate about tackling men's health issues and being proactive in the fight against men's depression and prostate cancer.

To donate to my Mo you can either:

1. Click this link https://www.movember.com/au/donate/donate-details.php?action=sponsorlink&rego=1915721&country=au and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account, or
2. Write a cheque payable to 'Movember Foundation', referencing my Registration Number 1915721 and mailing it to:

Movember Foundation
PO Box 292
Prahran VIC 3181

Remember, all donations over $2 are tax deductible.

The money raised by Movember is used to raise awareness of men's health issues and donated to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and beyondblue - the national depression initiative. The PCFA and beyondblue will use the funds to fund research and increase support networks for those men who suffer from prostate cancer and depression.

Did you know:

• Depression affects 1 in 6 men....most don't seek help. Untreated depression is a leading risk factor for suicide.
• Last year in Australia 18,700 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 2,900 died of prostate cancer - equivalent to the number of women who will die from breast cancer annually.

For those that have supported Movember in previous years you can be very proud of the impact it has had and can check out the details at: [ Fundraising Outcomes ].

Movember culminates at the end of month Gala Partés. If you would like to be part of this great night you'll need to purchase a [ Gala Parté Ticket ].

Thanks for your support Wesley.

More information is available at http://www.movember.com/.

Movember is proudly grown by Holden and Schick.

Movember is proud partners with the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and beyondblue - the national depression initiative.

Essential Canberra facts

It seems my last entry has stirred up a bit of controversy! But not for the reasons I expected, for those who don't know much about Canberra, here are some essential facts taken from the Visit Canberra website.

Essential Canberra facts at a glance.

Population
About 325,000 people live in Canberra.

Location
Canberra is located in the Australian Capital Territory, which is surrounded by New South Wales. The city is 150 kilometres inland and 571 metres above the Pacific Ocean, 281 kilometres from Sydney and 660 kilometres from Melbourne.

History
Located on the ancient lands of the Indigenous Ngunnawal people, Canberra’s name is thought to mean ‘meeting place’, derived from the Aboriginal word Kamberra. European settlers first came in the 1830s, and the area was chosen for the federal capital in 1908. Canberra’s special contrast of nature and urban living was planned in 1912 by master designer, Walter Burley Griffin, a Chicago architect who won an international design competition. The provisional Parliament House was opened in 1927 in what was then a treeless paddock.

My learned friend Scott likes to describe Canberra as a 'great big deserted sheep paddock', but that is a somewhat short sighted view (not even shared by his wife I might add!). We often fail to realise the value and potential of some places immediately. Take the Dutch for example -- in 1667 they swapped Manhattan Island for an obscure spice island in South East Asia held by the English. I guess the lesson here is that we often can't see the true value of the things we currently hold in our possession -- even an obscure 'sheep paddock'.

I was fascinated today to learn of the aboriginal heritage of the location as a 'meeting place' -- even the word Canberra is a derivation of the indigenous name for the land.

Canberra -- call me 'crazy' but I love it

Some of my closest friends and many other think I'm mad for loving our national capital -- the magnificent Canberra -- or 'Cambra' as it's often pronounced locally.

There is so much to see in Canberra. It is a modern thriving metropolis less than four hours drive from Sydney. It has all the amenities that Sydney has to offer, but without the traffic chaos, expense and overcrowding.

Belinda and I just spent a delightful weekend there, enjoying meals at various restaurants, going to the Caravan and Camping show (we managed to park across the road within spittin' distance of the entrance!), and also seeing a movie in the city centre where we managed to park our car on the street right outside the cinema.

I love planning and setting aside opportunities like this for the sake of our marriage. I have learned over the years that no-one else will make your marriage a priority, so it is best to make sure you put the effort in yourself.

Outfit Selection Constipation

My friend Scott wrote this for Belinda. It relates to her search for a 'frock' she can wear to a wedding this coming weekend. I thought it was brilliant and laughed out loud when I read it at work -- hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Do you find that no matter how hard you try, that you simply can not select an outfit?

Do you feel disappointed and lethargic about your outfit selection efforts?

Does the thought of trying to find another outfit make you feel queasy?

If so, then you suffer from outfit selection constipation.


Outfit selection constipation is a problem that effects people as they get older.

It is caused by the unhealthy combination of too many bills and not enough money.

It is accentuated when combined with putting others before yourself

Do not despair, there is a cure.


When taken according to instructions, Spousal Intervention is 90% guaranteed of giving you the chance to relieve your outfit selection constipation.

Spousal Intervention involves relieving you of the selection decision, thereby relieving you of the guilt and burden so often associated with outfit selection constipation.

Simply take Spousal Intervention aurally and relax as your outfit selection constipation dissipates naturally.

Take Spousal Intervention and be free from outfit selection constipation.

(Spousal Intervention can be found for a limited time this afternoon at Chatswood)

Spousal Intervention is a registered Trade Mark of Wes Dart Industries. Contact Belinda Dart Pty Ltd for further information on outfit selection constipation.

Helping Hands Not Pointing Fingers

Belinda passed this on to me today -- I think it's absolutely excellent...

Read Acts 18:24-28

None of us comes to the Christian faith completely formed. We are works in progress. How we progress depends much on how other Christians deal with us. This passage shows us how one man, Apollos, was able to overcome his deficiencies and become a fine Christian leader. And how Priscilla and Aquila were instrumental in that. Apollos was already eloquent and passionate and educated when they met him. Yet somehow he had some gaps in understanding. So they took him aside and privately filled in the gaps.

How easy it is to do something different. To take such a person down a peg or two in public, showing up their ignorance and allowing the critic to claim some sort of superiority. To mount a whispering campaign to undermine that person which would be a more discreet assassination. Or to take no action at all. To hide behind niceness, "don't want to make a fuss do we?" "Don't want to hurt anyone's feelings do we?" Such "niceness" is often timidity in disguise and does no good because it doesn't address a real issue.

Priscilla and Aquila took another option. They confronted Apollos with the problem but did so privately. No gossip, no public put down, no cowardly avoidance. They put him right in a way that did no damage but much good. Which is what we long for. Someone to move us on in the faith but without shaming us or demeaning us. Someone who cares enough to confront, but who confronts with discretion.

Apollos went on to be an effective church leader. Priscilla and Aquila didn't just see who Apollos was. They saw who he could become. Each of us needs others who will speak the truth in love to us that we might become who were made by God to be. We are not, after all, to be defined by our deficiencies, but by our potential in God.

Blessings
David Reay