RaeAllen.net

Convergence: changes to the way journalists think about stories

Convergence presentation

This is a presentation I delivered to 2nd year Journalism students at the University of Queensland.

The students were studying “Convergence”

Beef and mushroom hotpot with parmesan dumplings

Beef, bacon and mushroom hotpot with parmesand dumplings

Summary: Terrific slow cooked meal, best in winter

Ingredients

1kg gravy beef

Ron Mueck sculpture

Mask II - Ron Mueck's self portrait

Currently at the gallery of Modern Art is an exhibition of sculptures by Ron Mueck.

While the sculptures are fantastic, in taking these photos I was as interested in the audiences relationship with the pieces.

SSI conditional based on Document URI

Snippett of code based on the uri in the document

<!–#if expr=”($DOCUMENT_URI = /brisbane/) || ($DOCUMENT_URI = /sydney/) || ($DOCUMENT_URI = /melbourne/) || ($DOCUMENT_URI = /adelaide/) || ($DOCUMENT_URI = /perth/)” –>

CONTENT GOES HERE

<!–#else –>

<!–#endif –>

Watch the moss thicken

William Jolly Bridge

Sitting before the silent, burning incense
I watch the moss thicken on the stone bridge.
Don’t ask me why.
I’ve been out of step with the world since my youth.

The edge of the pond

Seeking the origin,
I went to the edge of the pond
And forgot to return,

~ Choeui Eusoon

Lamb and chickpea tagine

Summary: This only takes about 15 minutes preparation but is designed for slow cooking. Recipe designed from various sources.

Ingredients

- 500g diced lamb
- 400g tin of chickpeas

Read more on Lamb and chickpea tagine…

It’s like riding a cow to return home

buffalo rider (Cebu, 1981)

Finding a teacher to learn the truth
Is nothing special
It’s like riding a cow to return home.
If you can stride freely atop
A hundred foot pole
Countless buddhas will only be
Sparks in your eyes.

Kate Ray’s semantic web

Kate Ray, a journalism major at NYU, interviewed a range of people for her documentary, Web 3.0.

Her talent includes Tim Berners-Lee and many other semantic web experts.

This documentary is a discussion of semantic technologies and how that’s going to affect how we deal with information on the Internet.

Read more on Kate Ray’s semantic web…

Treaty by Yothu Yindi

The 1991 song Treaty by Yothu Yindi came out while I was working in the Territory. It is one of my favourite songs, and the video clip and dancing is a bonus.

The Story of Stuff

The Story of Stuff Project’s mission is to build a strong, diverse, decentralized, cross-sector movement to transform systems of production and consumption to serve ecological sustainability and social wellbeing.

Their goals are to amplify public discourse on a diverse set of sustainability issues and to facilitate the growing Story of Stuff community’s involvement in strategic efforts to build a more sustainable and just world.

Writing blog posts

Maryrose Lyons discusses tactics used in writing for online audiences and how to tailor your writing style to capture the best attention possible.

Know there is nothing to know

Sunflower head in seed

Use the wisdom of a diamond to control and rule it,
since just like a plant, there is nothing to know.
To know there is nothing to know
is the wisdom to know everything.

Is there anything else to remember?

I only open my eyes for the spring wind
And the autumn moon.

~ Hamhur Kiwha (1376-1433)

Don’t covet

Not knowing its strength,
The mosquito sucked too much blood to fly.
Don’t covet what others value.
You’ll pay for it someday.

~ Naong Haegun (1320-1376)

New version of ABC Local

In February 2010 we launched the most recent iteration of ABC Local, by my calculation the fifth I've been involved in. This time the project took 14 months but when you consider there are 54 sites and hundred of thousands of pages, along with significant photo, audio and video media files this is not as long as you might think.

Tools for Journalism

Tools for modern journalism was a presentation prepared for primarily post-graduate students and staff of the University of Queenslands Journalism faculty. The talk was part of the JACtalk series.

The talk covered:

The essential technique of zazen

If random thoughts should occur to you unexpectedly, let them go straight away. Do not follow them. This is the essential technique of zazen.

The valley stream

Rain, hail, snow, and ice:
All are different,
But when they fall
They become the same water
As the valley stream.

- Ikkyu (1394-1481)

Dust in the eye

One grain of dust in the eye
Will render the Three Worlds
Too small to see
~ Muso Soseki (1275-1351)

Red flag

The people’s flag is deepest red,
It shrouded oft our martyred dead,
And ere their limbs grew stiff and cold,
Their hearts’ blood dyed its ev’ry fold.

Then raise the scarlet standard high.
Within its shade we’ll live and die,
Though cowards flinch and traitors sneer,
We’ll keep the red flag flying here.

Wandering

My treasure is the cloud on the peak
The moon over the valley
Travelling east or west
Light and free on the one road
I don’t know whether I’m on the way
Or at home.

A life lived later

The word
That defines my life:
Later. Mine has been
A life that will be lived later.

~ Anurag Mathur

Lifetimes seldom fill a hundred years

I live far off in the wild
Where moss and woods
Are thick and plants perfumed
I can see mountains rain or shine
And never hear market noise
I light a few leaves in my stove to heat tea
To patch my robe I cut off a cloud
Lifetimes seldom fill a hundred years
Why suffer for profit and fame?

The Man Watching

I can tell by the way the trees beat, after
so many dull days, on my worried windowpanes
that a storm is coming,
and I hear the far-off fields say things
I can’t bear without a friend,
I can’t love without a sister

leave the world behind

I’ve left the world far behind,
My robe is covered with moss;
A small bundle of firewood burns,
Brightening the night.

~ Ryokan (1758-1831)

Moon rises slowly

The moon rises slowly over the highest peak;
I stand there quietly for a long time and
My robe becomes moist with dew.
~ Ryokan (1758-1831)

see truth face to face

Do not accept anything simply
Because it has been said
By your teacher,
Or because it has been written
In your sacred book,
Or because it has been
Believed by many,
Or because it has been
Handed down by your
Ancestors.
Accept and live only
According to what will enable
You to see truth face to face.
~ Buddha

boundless mind

You do not need to contemplate
your action and to purify your mind.
Let your mind be boundless
and without any obstruction.
~ Fa-yung (593-657)

The Pretender

Keep you in the dark
You know they all pretend
Keep you in the dark
And so it all began

Send in your skeletons
Sing as their bones come marching in…again
They need you buried deep
The secrets that you keep are at the ready
Are you ready?
I’m finished making sense
Done pleading ignorance
That whole…defense

Lily was here

What was that song with Dave Stewart and the saxophone

God will know his own

Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius.

“Slay them all. God will know his own.”

~ attributed to Abbot Arnold Amaury before the massacre of Béziers during the Albigensian Crusade,

Coffee – Long Black

Black as the devil,
hot as hell,
pure as an angel,
sweet as love.
~ Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

Microformats

This presentation was made to web developers and editors as part of a knowledge sharing exercise.

Audio Online

This is a presentation made to first year Journalism students at the University of Queensland. it was used as part of the Radio subject.

It Ain’t What You Do, It’s What It Does To You

I have not bummed across America
with only a dollar to spare, one pair
of busted Levi’s and a bowie knife.
I have lived with thieves in Manchester.

I have not padded through the Taj Mahal,
barefoot, listening to the space between
each footfall picking up and putting down
its print against the marble floor. But I

the mind does not decrease

All of you should penetrate your own minds;
do not record my words.
Even if principles as numerous as the sands of the Ganges are spoken of,
the mind does not increase.
And if nothing is said,
the mind does not decrease.
- Ma-tsu (709-788)

lives of quiet desperation

Most men lead lives of quiet desperation
and go to the grave with the song still in them.
- Henry David Thoreau

there is nothing I dislike

“The true practitioner of the Way completely transcends all things. Even if heaven and earth were to tumble down, I would have no misgivings. Even if all the buddhas in the ten directions were to appear before me, I would not rejoice. Even if the three hells were to appear before me, I would have no fear. Why is this so? Because there is nothing I dislike.”

An autumn night

An autumn night.
Don’t think your life,
didn’t matter.
- Basho

Little minds

Little minds are interested in the extraordinary;
Great minds in the commonplace.

- Elbert Hubbard

Red vs Blue eps 01

This is the original Red vs Blue episode, marking a new way of interacting with computer games.

Live close to the ground

In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don’t try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.

Read more on Live close to the ground…

Study only death

A recluse came and asked: “What is the primary concern in religious practice?”

The Master responded: “Put everything aside and only study death. Always study death, free yourself from death, and when death really comes you will not be flustered. In order to save others, knowledge is necessary. For your own salvation, however, whatever knowledge you have grasped becomes your enemy. Just be mindless as earth; recite the nenbutsu (praise to Amida Buddha) and study death.”

alive and free

We are sailing on the seas for Jersey Clipper
In search of things we yet have come to know
We are sailing hard and looking for adventure
We are alive and free
Just being you and me
Out on the rolling sea
A thousand miles from home
~ from Jersey Clipper by Julian Shaw

Childe Roland to the Dark Tower came.

My first thought was, he lied in every word,
That hoary cripple, with malicious eye
Askance to watch the working of his lie
On mine, and mouth scarce able to afford
Suppression of the glee that pursed and scored
Its edge, at one more victim gained thereby.

Nominated for Mentor of the Year

in 2007, I mentored a couple of QUT final year journalism student.

One nominated me as Mentor of the Year.

The more is hidden, the more appears

Anthem For Doomed Youth

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.
No mockeries for them; no prayers nor bells,
Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,—
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

We are what we think

We are what we think.

All that we are arises with our thoughts.

With our thoughts we make the world.

- Bhudda

The Death-Bed

He drowsed and was aware of silence heaped
Round him, unshaken as the steadfast walls;
Aqueous like floating rays of amber light,
Soaring and quivering in the wings of sleep.
Silence and safety; and his mortal shore
Lipped by the inward, moonless waves of death.

Mountain Forest in the mist

Light rain, the mountain forest
Is wrapped in mist,
Slowly the fog changes
To clouds and haze.
Along the boundless river bank,
Many crows.
I walk to a hill overlooking the valley
To sit in zazen.
- Ryokan (1758-1831)

Growing slowly

Be not afraid of growing slowly, be only afraid of standing still.

- chinese proverb

Paths to the top

There are many paths to the top of the mountain – but the view is always the same.

- chinese proverb

Grant Mclellan video

Promo video for Grant McLennan’s Lighting Fires

Everything straight lieth

“Then happened that which made me lighter: for the dwarf sprang from my shoulder, the prying sprite! And it squatted on a stone in front of me. There was however a gateway just where we halted.

Read more on Everything straight lieth…

moments lost in time

I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe.
Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.
I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate.
All these moments will be lost in time.
Like tears in rain.
Time to die.”

sky and water merging

Like sky and water merging
During autumn,
Like snow and moon
Having the same color,
This field is without boundary,
Beyond direction,
Magnificently one entity
Without edge or seam.
- Hongzhi (1091-1157)

When I am dead, my dearest

When I am dead, my dearest,
Sing no sad songs for me;
Plant thou no roses at my head,
Nor shady cypress tree:
Be the green grass above me
With showers and dewdrops wet;
And if thou wilt, remember,
And if thou wilt, forget.

Time’s winged chariot

But at my back I always hear
Time’s winged chariot hurrying near;
And yonder all before us lie
Deserts of vast eternity.

- Andrew Marvell (To his Coy Mistress)

Hallelujah

Well I heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don’t really care for music, do ya?
Well it goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Old Age

“Old age is the most unexpected of all the things that happen to a man.”
- Leon Trotsky

The flee from me

They flee from me, that somtime did me seke

- Thomas Wyatt

Waiting properly

‘You must learn to wait properly’

‘And how does one learn that?’

‘By letting go of yourself, leaving yourself and everything yours behind you so decisively that nothing more is left of you but a purposeless tension’

Serenity is the final word

In this reflection all intentional efforts vanish.
Serenity is the final word of all the teachings;
Reflection is the response to all manifestations.

- Hung Chih

Taint nobody’s biz-nes if I do

If I should take a notion to jump into the ocean ‘taint nobody’s biz-ness if I do, do, do, do.

If I go to church on Sunday, then just shimmy down on Monday, ‘Taint nobody’s biz-nes if I do if I do.

Under Milkwood

We are not wholly bad or good
Who live our lives under Milk Wood,
And Thou, I know, wilt be the first
To see our best side, not our worst.

- Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) in Under Milkwood

Those who do not remember their past are condemned to repeat their mistakes.

Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

- George Santayana (1863 – 1952)

named fear

Named must your fear be before banish it you can.

- Yoda

Shelter from the storm

‘Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form.
“Come in,” she said,
“I’ll give you shelter from the storm.”

Nameless and formless

Nameless and formless,
I leave birth-and-death.
- Layman P’ang (740 – 808)

No man is an island

All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated.

only the heart can see rightly

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential
is invisible to the eye.
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944)

Jewels

If I should see your eyes again,
I know how far their look would go –
Back to a morning in the park
With sapphire shadows on the snow.

Or back to oak trees in the spring
When you unloosed my hair and kissed
The head that lay against your knees
In the leaf shadow’s amethyst.

always zen

Zen students are with their masters at least ten years before they presume to teach others. Nan-in was visited by Tenno, who, having passed his apprenticeship, had become a teacher. The day happened to be rainy, so Tenno wore wooden clogs and carried an umbrella. After greeting him Nan-in remarked: “I suppose you left your wodden clogs in the vestibule. I want to know if your umbrella is on the right or left side of the clogs.”

quickly life

The sound of a swollen
Mountain stream rapidly rushing
Makes one know
How very quickly life itself
Is pressed along its course.
- Saigyo (1118-1190)

Examine your mind

Examine your mind to see it as not being inside, not being outside, and not being in between.

Observe it calmly, carefully, and objectively; when you master this, you will clearly see that the mind’s consciousness moves in a flow, like a current of water, like heat waves rising endlessly.

- Hongren (602-675)

forceps of our minds

Water Under Water – The Thrill

“The forceps of our minds are clumsy forceps, and crush the truth a little in taking hold of it.”

- H. G. Wells

a master of stillness

To return to your original state of being,
You must become a master of stillness.

Turn the mind in upon itself
And contemplate the inner radiance.

one crowded hour

One hour of life, crowded to the full with glorious action and filled with noble risks, is worth whole years of those mean observances of paltry decorum, in which men steal through existence like sluggish waters through a marsh, without either honor or observation.

importance

“No human thing is of serious importance.”

- Plato

do what we must

“We do what we must, and call it by the best names.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

the individual stands at a crossroad

… the individual today stands at a crossroad, faced with the choice of whether to pursue the new technology and the endless multiplication of material goods, or to seek out a way that will lead to spiritual responsibility …

shake off the dust of human ambition

To shake off the dust of human ambition
I sit on moss in Zen robes of stillness,
While through the window,
In the setting sun of late autumn,
Falling leaves whirl and drop to the stone dais.

Mini Curry Pies

My daughter decided to make these mini curry pies for Christmas

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 apple, diced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
500g premium beef mince
1 and 1/4 cups water
2 teaspoons cornflower (for thickening)
1 tablespoon chopped sultanas
5 sheets shortcrust pastry
1 egg (beaten)
garam masala to taste

sleep with dogs

“Those who sleep with dogs must rise with fleas”

I thought this was a Bjelke-Petersen-ism from the 1970s however I found it in a book of Scottish sayings.

in an instance we are free

If the eye never falls asleep,
all dreams cease by themselves.
If the spirit retains its unity,
all things are of one essence.
When this essence is seen,
in an instant we are free.
We return to the origin
and remain that which we are.

The Dying Fisherman’s Song

‘Twas midnight on the ocean,
Not a streetcar was in sight,
The sun was shining brightly
For it had rained all that night.

‘Twas a summer’s day in winter
The rain was snowing fast,
As a barefoot girl with shoes on,
Stood sitting on the grass.

Facts vs Opinions

“Any clod can have the facts, but having opinions is an art.”

- Charles McCabe

immature

“You can only be young once. But you can always be immature.”

- Dave Barry

Behind the bowlers arm

DSC04559_glenn_mcgrath

Originally uploaded by RaeA.

“When the angels add my days and say my time is up
I’ll say to them now hold on please there’s one thing you forgot
I know each man must leave this world behind when he gets called
But we had a deal that you won’t count the days I watched the bat & ball

great injustice

In the part of this universe that we know there is great injustice, and often the good suffer, and often the wicked prosper, and one hardly knows which of those is the more annoying.”

Quick Egg Pie

This is a quick egg pie, good for breakfast or dinner.

Ingredients:

2 sheets of puff pastry

6 Eggs

2 slices of ham

half a capsicum

4 cherry tomatoes

mustard powder, salt and pepper for seasoning

enlightenment not brilliance

Think of those who gained enlightenment upon hearing the sound of bamboo when struck by a tile or seeing blossoms in bloom.

Does the bamboo distinguish the clever or dull, the deluded or enlightened; does the flower differentiate between shallow and deep, the wise and stupid?

Salad of Char Grilled Chicken & Thai herbs with a Chilli & Tamarind dressing

Ingredients
500 grams of chicken breast, char grilled, cooled & chopped.
8 red shallots, finely sliced
2 stalks of lemon grass, tender part only, micro planed
8 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
3 tablespoons of ginger, julienne
Half cup of coriander leaves*
quarter cup of mint leaves*
1/4 cup Viet mint leaves*
250 grams chopped cos for the base.
*Never cut herbs with a knife, if leaves are too big just tear with your fingers.

thinking

“As I grow older , I regret to say that a detestable habit of thinking seems to be getting a hold of me.” – H. Rider Haggard

Searching

Often the only way you will find something,
Is to stop searching for it

Fame Speaks

Stand forth,John Keats! On earth thou knew’st me not;
Steadfast through all the storms of passion,thou,
True to thy muse,and virgin to thy vow;
Resigned,if name with ashes were forgot,
So thou one arrow in the gold had’st shot!
I never placed my laurel on thy brow,
But on thy name I come to lay it now,
When thy bones wither in the earthly plot.
Fame is my name. I dwell among the clouds,
Being immortal,and the wreath I bring
Itself is Immortality. The sweets
Of earth I know not,more the pains,but wing
In mine own ether,with the crownéd crowds
Born of the centuries.-Stand forth,John Keats!

On Fame

“You cannot eat your cake and have it too.” -ProverbHow fevered is the man who cannot look
Upon his mortal days with temperate blood,
Who vexes all the leaves of his life’s book,
And robs his fair name of its maidenhood;
It is as if the rose should pluck herself,
Or the ripe plum finger its misty bloom,
As if a Naiad, like a meddling elf,
Should darken her pure grot with muddy gloom;
But the rose leaves herself upon the briar,
For winds to kiss and grateful bees to feed,
And the ripe plum still wears its dim attire;
The undisturbed lake has crystal space;
Why then should man, teasing the world for grace,
Spoil his salvation for a fierce miscreed?

Hippocrates soup

I got this recipe from a contact who got it from The Gerson Therapy book, which preaches no salt. Dr. Max Gerson was a German, who escaped Nazi Germany and practiced medicine on Park Avenue, NYC. He recommended the Hippocrates soup, yes, the man himself, and suggests that it cleanses the liver. As you would imagine, without salt and other seasonings, the soup tastes a bit bland.

poem no place for an idea

“A poem is no place for an idea.”

Edgar Watson Howe

Female Fruit Fly trap

A lot of fruit fly traps are designed to attract male fruit flies and dispose of them. This one is however designed to attract the female fruit fly which is the one that actually attacks the fruit. This was originally on Gardening Australia
You need:
2 plastic drink bottles

Growing Older but not up

For all those who dont feel as old as they are and never will
I rounded first never thought of the worst
As I studied the shortstops position
Crack went my leg like the shell of an egg
Someone call a decent physician
Im no pete rose, I cant pretend
Though my mind is quite flexible, these brittle bones dont bendChorus:
Im growing older but not up
My metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck
Let those winds of time blow over my head
Id rather die while Im living than live while Im dead

Read more on Growing Older but not up…

Paranoid

Paranoid? Probably. But just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean there isn’t an invisible demon about to eat your face.

- Storm Front by Jim Butcher

Back in the saddle again

I’m back
I’m back in the saddle again
I’m back
I’m back in the saddle again

Ridin’ into town alone
By the light of the moon
I’m looking for ole’ Sukie Jones
She crazy horse saloon
Barkeep gimme a drink
That’s when she caught my eye
She turned to give me a wink
That’d make a grown man cry

Read more on Back in the saddle again…

no illusions

When you see reality,
no illusions can confuse you;
when you develop stability,
things cannot shake it or take it away.

Resistance is futile

We are the Borg.

Lower your shields and surrender your ships.

We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own.

Your culture will adapt to service us.

Resistance is futile.

good companions

Association with good companions is a serious recommendation of the ancient sages.

Lift up the mountain

So it is said that the earth lifts
Up the mountain without
Knowing the mountain’s
Stark steepness.

A rock contains jade without
Knowing the jade’s flawlessness.

This is how truly to leave home.

Try not

Try not. Do… or do not. There is no try.

- Yoda

Youth wasted on the young

DSC03588-happy kids

Originally uploaded by RaeA.

“Youth is a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children.”

- George Bernard Shaw

How McDougal Topped The Score

IMGP0913 maher 200 love 100

Originally uploaded by RaeA.

A peaceful spot is Pipers Flat. The fold that live around
They keep themselves by keeping sheep and turning up the ground
But the climate is erratic and the consequences are
The struggle with the elements is everlasting war
We plough and sow and harrow, then sit and pray for rain
And then we all get flooded out and have to start again
But the folk are now rejoicing as they ne’er rejoiced before
For we’ve played Molongo at cricket and McDougal topped the score

The first principle

When one goes to Obaku temple in Kyoto he sees carved over the gate the words “The First Principle”. The letters are unusually large, and those who appreciate calligraphy always admire them as being a mastepiece. They were drawn by Kosen two hundred years ago.

a pinch of dirt

“Eat a pinch of dirt before you die”

- anon

My scottish grandmother used to say this but I’ve never worked it out. Do you need to eat a pinch of dirt before you die? Does eating a pinch of dirt cause you to die?

The Last Leap

All is over! fleet career,
Dash of greyhound slipping thongs,
Flight of falcon, bound of deer,
Mad hoof-thunder in our rear,
Cold air rushing up our lungs,
Din of many tongues.

Romeo and Juliet – ACT I – Prologue

Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;
Whole misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents’ strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love,
And the continuance of their parents’ rage,
Which, but their children’s end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

throw your voice

“Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn’t mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar.” – Edward R. Murrow

the mind roams in heaven

Sometimes the mind is still.
There is no anxiety, and the heart is clear throughout.
Then it is said that even though the body is in the human realm, the mind roams in heaven.

Read more on the mind roams in heaven…

Terrain

There are different kinds of terrain in nature. Some terrain is easily accessible, some is entrapping, some temporizing, some constricted, some precipitous and some distant.What terrain is accessible? Ground that is easy for both your troops and the enemy’s to move across is called accessible terrain. If you enter the accessible region, you should first take high and sunny positions and keep your supply routes unimpeded. This is convenient for you to fight with the enemy.

Winter beef stew

I always like to make a beef stew during winter. Its a great solid warmer and the left-overs are great for lunch.

Ingredients:

500g chuck or topside beef
tablespoon olive oil
1/2 brown onion
2 large carrots
1/2 litre good stock
3 large washed potatoes
handful diced pumpkin
400g Borlotti Beans
cupful of cauliflower chopped.
Recipe:

small hut

The white clouds
On the mountain tops
Poke halfway into this thatched hut
I had thought too cramped
Even for myself

- Koho Kennichi (1241-1316)

Firefly Episode Guide

1. Serenity
After a flashback to Zoe’s and Mal’s days in the wars six years previous, we cut to the modern day where the Serenity crew is running a salvage operation on a deserted ship and are forced to flee with the cargo when the Alliance show up. Their buddy Badger refuses to buy the cargo so they head off to the rim worlds after picking up three passengers: Book, Simon, and Dobson. En route someone sends a signal to the Alliance and it turns out to be Dobson, an undercover Federal agent, who arrests Simon but is glad to take the whole crew in. He shoots Kaylee before being captured, and Simon forces Mal to flee in return for his doctoring services. When Mal investigates Simon’s cargo he finds a naked woman.
The naked woman is Simon’s sister River, a government test subject he helped to escape. After ducking a dreaded reaver ship, Mal tries and cuts a deal with Patience, an old “friend” but suspects a trap. Patience tries an ambush but the team escapes just as the Reavers return and the Federal agent breaks loose. Mal shoots the agent dead and Wash manages to duck the Reavers. at the end Mal decides to take on all three of his remaining passengers full-time.

Julius Caesar – Act 3, Scene 2,

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him;
The evil that men do lives after them,
The good is oft interréd with their bones,
So let it be with Caesar…. The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answered it….
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest,
(For Brutus is an honourable man;
So are they all; all honourable men)
Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral….
He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man….
He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:
Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?
When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
You all did see that on the Lupercal
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And, sure, he is an honourable man.
I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without cause:
What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?
O judgement! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason…. Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,
And I must pause till it come back to me.

God and the artist

Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does the better. – Andre Gide

Macbeth Act IV, scene I (The witches)

First Witch: Thrice the brinded cat hath mew’d.

Second Witch: Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined.

Third Witch: Harpier cries ‘Tis time, ’tis time.

First Witch: Round about the cauldron go;
In the poison’d entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one
Swelter’d venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot.

Brown Penny

I WHISPERED, “I am too young,”
And then, “I am old enough”;
Wherefore I threw a penny
To find out if I might love.

“Go and love, go and love, young man,
If the lady be young and fair.”
Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,
I am looped in the loops of her hair.

What two common words in the english language are the only one’s to have double u’s.

Vacuum and continuum

On the Night Train

Have you seen the bush by moonlight, from the train, go running by?
Blackened log and stump and sapling, ghostly trees all dead and dry;
Here a patch of glassy water; there a glimpse of mystic sky?
Have you heard the still voice calling – yet so warm, and yet so cold:
“I’m the Mother-Bush that bore you! Come to me when you are old?”

no one is deluded

No one is absent and no one is ignorant.
Originally, no one is deluded.
- Bankei (1622-1693)

Newton’s inquiry

“I keep the subject of my inquiry constantly before me, and wait till the first dawning opens gradually, by little and little, into a full and clear light.”

- Isaac Newton

Anarchy

“Anarchism is founded on the observation that since few men are wise enough to rule themselves, even fewer are wise enough to rule others.”

- Edward Abbey

Act without mind

They act without mind,
They respond with certainty.

- Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091-1157)

not a word

After enlightenment one understands
That the Six Classics
Contain not even a word.
- Wang Yang-ming (1472-1529)

Devote yourself to sitting

DSC00556 – Cliff Edge

Originally uploaded by RaeA.

When you just sit,
you are free from the five sense desires
and the five hindrances.

- Dogen (1200-1253)

Fret about enlightenment

Does one really have to fret
About enlightenment?
No matter what road I travel,
I’m going home.

- Shinsho

The God Works in Circle

(on the occassion of Australia advancing in the World cup)

a ball lover
is our god
a soccer player
he is
the whole universe
his field
the planets,
the stars,
our earth
all shuttling
through space
like balls
shove from
one corner
to the other

Faces In The Street

They lie, the men who tell us in a loud decisive tone
That want is here a stranger, and that misery’s unknown;
For where the nearest suburb and the city proper meet
My window-sill is level with the faces in the street
Drifting past, drifting past,
To the beat of weary feet
While I sorrow for the owners of those faces in the street.

Strange fits of passion have I known

Strange fits of passion have I known:
And I will dare to tell,
But in the Lover’s ear alone,
What once to me befell.

When she I loved looked every day
Fresh as a rose in June,
I to her cottage bent my way,
Beneath an evening-moon.

Wise listeners

Wise listeners, the wisdom of enlightenment
Is inherent in each of us.

We fail to recognize it because
Of delusion of mind;

To know the essence of Mind
Seek the teachings of the enlightened.

control the mind

If the mind exists,
It can be controlled,
But it does not.
Understand this truth by inquiry;
Seek the real, the Self

- Ramana Maharshi

Andy’s Gone With Cattle

Our Andy’s gone to battle now
‘Gainst Drought, the red marauder;
Our Andy’s gone with cattle now
Across the Queensland border.

He’s left us in dejection now;
Our hearts with him are roving.
It’s dull on this selection now,
Since Andy went a-droving.

Read more on Andy’s Gone With Cattle…

Step in the river

No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.

Heraclitus – (c.535 – 475 BC)

you in reality

Give up all questions except one: “Who am I?”

After all, the only fact you are sure of is that you are.

The “I am” is certain. The “I am this” is not.

Five Bells

Time that is moved by little fidget wheels
Is not my time, the flood that does not flow.
Between the double and the single bell
Of a ship’s hour, between a round of bells
From the dark warship riding there below,
I have lived many lives, and this one life
Of Joe, long dead, who lives between five bells.

My Country by Dorothea Mackellar

The love of field and coppice
Of green and shaded lanes
Of ordered woods and gardens
Is running through your veins
Strong love of grey-blue distance
Brown streams and soft dim skies
I know, but cannot share it
My love is otherwise

The Ballad of East and West

Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, tho’ they come from the ends of the earth!

A Bush Christening – A.B. Paterson

On the outer Barcoo where the churches are few,
And men of religion are scanty,
On a road never cross’d ‘cept by folk that are lost,
One Michael Magee had a shanty.

the great path

Bushwalking in Lamington National Park

The great path is clearly before your eyes,
But the ignorant who are deluded
And confused cannot recognize it.
It is in one thought of the mind.
So why search for it elsewhere?

- Pao-chih

Grant McLennan of the go-betweens dies

cane_fire_gordonvale
Originally uploaded by RaeA.

Grant McLennan was one of the great Aussie songwriters. I went off to university in 1974, a 1600 km train trip down the Queensland coast, and made the same trip up and back each year. As a result his song Cattle and Cane rang particular bells.

Riding the Great Circle line

Spent a large part of yesterday riding the Great Circle line anti-clockwise .. that is , on the 598

Meeting at the Pavilion

Caught up with some other photographers at the Pavillion in West End on Sunday

Declaration of Innocence Before the Gods of the Tribunal

I went to the Egyption exhibition at the Queensland Museum this week and this took my fancy.

Hail Far-strider who came forth from Heliopolis, I have done no falsehood.

Hail Fire-embracer who came forth from Kheraha, I have not robbed.

ten days of rice

There are ten days of rice in my bag
And, by the hearth, a bundle of firewood.
Who prattles of illusion or nirvana?
- Ryokan (1757-1831)

Morning at the Farmers markets

Spent yesterday morning with the Brisbane Flickr group at the Farmers Markets at the Powerhouse in New Farm.

Deep Space Nine – Season 7

DEEP SPACE NINE
Season 7:October 3, 1998 – May 31, 1999

151. Images in the Sand
Three months after a possessed Gul Dukat killed Jadzia Dax and sealed the wormhole, life on Deep Space Nine has changed. Kira, the acting commander, is upset when Admiral Ross informs her that the Romulans will set up a station office, while Sisko has retreated to Earth to contemplate a way of contacting the Bajoran Prophets
the aliens who reside within the wormhole. When the vision of a woman’s face, buried in the sand, appears to Sisko, he sketches her, and Jake recognizes her from one of his grandfather’s photos.

The great path

The great path is clearly before your eyes,
But the ignorant who are deluded
And confused cannot recognize it.
It is in one thought of the mind.
So why search for it elsewhere?

Apple and Walnut Muffins

Ingredients:

2 apples, peeled (I prefer Granny Smiths)
1 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 egg
125g. canola spread (soft)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Read more on Apple and Walnut Muffins…

Coconut kisses

DSC03461 – coconut kisses
Originally uploaded by RaeA.

Ingredients:

2 cups of dessicated coconut
200ml sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 teaspoon almond essence

Method:

Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl

Corinne Maier’s manifesto

No. 1
You are a modern day slave. There is no scope for personal fulfilment. You work for your pay-check at the end of the month, full stop.

No. 2
It’s pointless to try to change the system. Opposing it simply makes it stronger.

Read more on Corinne Maier’s manifesto…

History of “The Backyard”

History of the Backyard

Poster from launch of Backyard in 1999

The Backyard story is one of people, place and communication.

It began in the mid to late 90s when Local Radio staff started dabbling with emerging technology. At that time it was a cottage industry and most of the dabblers learnt web production in their own time and in their own way.

Recipes to burn

Read more on History of “The Backyard”…

The shearer

DSC03331 – shearer
Originally uploaded by RaeA.

Traditional Aussie song

Click Go The Shears

Out on the board
The old shearer stands,
Grasping his shears
In his thin bony hands;
Fixed is his gaze on
A bare-bellied yoe,
Glory if he gets her,
Won’t he make the ringer go.

Savoury muffins

These muffins are great for breakfast or a light dinner. The kids can also take them for lunch. You don’t need all the ingredients and can change the mix using things like sweet corn, sun-dried tomates, bacon etc.

Tunnel of Love

DSC03180 – tunnel
Originally uploaded by RaeA.

Getting crazy on the waltzers but it’s the life that i choose
Sing about the sixblade sing about the switchback and a torture tattoo
And I been riding on a ghost train where the cars they scream and slam
And I don’t know where I’ll be tonight but I’d always tell you where I am

Cherry Bomb

Well I lived on the outskirts of town
In an eight room farmhouse, baby
When my brothers and friends were around
There was always somethin´ doin´
had me a couple of real nice girlfriends
Stopped by to see me every once in a while
When I think back about those days
All I can do is sit and smile

Blue Skies

Whirlygig
Originally uploaded by RaeA.

I was blue, just as blue as I could be
Ev’ry day was a cloudy day for me
Then good luck came a-knocking at my door
Skies were gray but they’re not gray anymore

Downtown Train

Outside another yellow moon
Has punched a hole in the nighttime, yes
I climb through the window and down to the street
And I’m shining like a new dime
The downtown trains are full with all of those Brooklyn girls
They try so hard to break out of their little worlds

Dead Man Walking blues

There’s a dead man walking
And he’s wearing my shoes
Dead man walking
And he’s playing the blues.

There’s a dead man walking
And he’s wearing my shirt
Dead man walking
And he’s feeling my hurt.

Train songs

I’ve always enjoyed train songs, probably because I’ve always enjoyed trains and the best train songs have that rolling train travelling feel to them.

My favourite train songs are in no particular order:

Folsom Prison Blues

Well I hear that train a comin’
It’s rollin’ around the bend
I ain’t seen the sunshine
Since I don’t know when
Well I’m stuck in Folsom Prison
And time keeps draggin’ on
That train keeps rollin’
On down to San Antone

Scones

DSC03137- scones
Originally uploaded by RaeA.

Ingredients:

3 cups self-raising flour
45 grams butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup full-cream milk

Method:

Put the self-raising flour and the salt in a bowl.

Fairytale of New York

It was Christmas Eve babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me, won’t see another one
And then he sang a song
The Rare Old Mountain Dew
I turned my face away
And dreamed about you

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

Love Me Tender

Love me tender love me sweet
Never let me go
You have made my life complete
And I love you so

Love me tender love me true
All my dreams fulfilled
For my darlin’ I love you
And I always will

The Road Less Travelled

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Daffodils

I wander’d lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Animal Song

When superstars and cannonballs are running through your head
A television freak show cops and robbers everywhere
Subway makes me nervous people pushing me too far
I’ve got to break away
So take my hand now

One more Cup of Coffee for the Road

Your breath is sweet
Your eyes are like two jewels in the sky.
Your back is straight, your hair is smooth
On the pillow where you lie.
But I don’t sense affection
No gratitude or love
Your loyalty is not to me
But to the stars above.

People Get Ready

People get ready
There’s a train a commin’
You don’t need no baggage
You just get on board
All You need is faith
To hear the diesels hummin’
You don’t need no ticket
You just thank the lord

Kubla Khan

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.

So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round:
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.

Rae’s Anzac biscuits

I like to make my biscuits chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside. Unlike many recipes I hate the bother of bicarb so use self-raising flour.

Ingredients:

1 cup self-raising flour

Spanish Is The Loving Tongue

Spanish is the loving tongue
Soft as music, light as spring
T’was a girl I learned it from
Living down Sonora way
Well, I don’t look much like a lover
Still I say her love words over
Mostly when I’m all alone
“Mi amor, mi corazon”.

What the weather lights mean

The building currently known as the Hitachi Building in central Brisbane has a tower on top of it that has two sets of lights which describe the weather

What the lights mean

Lochinvar

Oh! young Lochinvar is come out of the west,
Through all the wide Border his steed was the best;
And save his good broadsword he weapons had none.
He rode all unarmed and he rode all alone.
So faithful in love and so dauntless in war.
There never was knight like the young Lochinvar.

A Bush Christening

On the outer Barcoo where the churches are few,
And men of religion are scanty,
On a road never cross’d ‘cept by folk that are lost,
One Michael Magee had a shanty.

Clancy of the Overflow

I had written him a letter which I had, for want of better
Knowledge, sent to where I met him down the Lachlan, years ago,
He was shearing when I knew him, so I sent the letter to him,
Just “on spec”, addressed as follows: “Clancy, of The Overflow”.

Ozymandias

CCXLVI. Ozymandias of Egypt

I Met a traveller from an antique land
Who said:
Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter’d visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp’d on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock’d them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

IN SEVEN PARTS
ARGUMENT
How a Ship having passed the Line was driven by storms to the cold Country towards the South Pole ; and how from thence she made her course to the tropical Latitude of the Great Pacific Ocean ; and of the strange things that befell ; and in what manner the Ancyent Marinere came back to his own Country.
PART I
An ancient Mariner meeteth three Gallants bidden to a wedding-feast, and detaineth one.
It is an ancient Mariner,
And he stoppeth one of three.
`By thy long beard and glittering eye,
Now wherefore stopp’st thou me ?

Home Is the Sailor

Home is the sailor, home from sea:
Her far-borne canvas furled
The ship pours shining on the quay
The plunder of the world.

Home is the hunter from the hill:
Fast in the boundless snare
All flesh lies taken at his will
And every fowl of air.

Elegy Written in a Country Church-yard

The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,
The lowing herd winds slowly o’er the lea,
The ploughman homeward plods his weary way,
And leaves the world to darkness and to me.

Beach Burial

Softly and humbly to the Gulf of Arabs
The convoys of dead sailors come;
At night they sway and wander in the waters far under,
But morning rolls them in the foam.

verbal excercise

It is a great misfortune for those
Engaged in learning to take the
Sayings of the sages as mere
Verbal exercises.

- Xue Xuan (1389-1464)

subtle sound

Awakened to this subtle sound.
The nature of body and mind
Is wonderful;
Their functions
Need not be altered.

- Master Fu (497-569)

see your nature

And this nature is the mind.
And the mind is the buddha.
And the buddha is the path.
And the path is zen.
But the word zen is one that remains a puzzle to both mortals an sages.
Seeing your nature is zen.
Unless you see your nature, it’s not zen.

Snowy Morning

In field nor mountain,
Nothing stirs
On this snowy morning.

- Chiyo-Ni (1701-1775)

cold clouds

Cold clouds bringing rain
Into the crannies of the mountains:
Everyone was born with the same sort of eyes –
Why do mine keep seeing things as Zen koans?

- Dogen

Speak not your every thought

With one who does not
Speak his every thought
I spend a pleasant evening.

- Hyakuchi (1748-1836)

falling leaves

Oh leaves,
Ask the wind which of you
Will be the first to fall.

- Soseki (1867-1916)

Muddy girl

Tanzan and Ekido were once traveling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was still falling.

Coming around a bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection.

No-one passes by

No one passes by
The only ones who visit
Are the drifting clouds.

- Han-shan Te-ch’ing (1546-1623)

Release the mind

If you cling to emptiness and linger
In quiescence, you will bob and sink

Therefore the wise release the mind
To be independent and free.

– Fu Shan-hui (487-659)

Light as a Feather

Death is light as a feather
Duty as heavy as a mountain
- Robert Jordan (The Wheel of Time)

Know your real self

When you look for it,
You become further from it;
When you seek it
You turn away from it all the more.

- Linji (d. 867)

Gaze at the moon

Many paths lead from
The foot of the mountain,
But at the peak
We all gaze at the
Single bright moon.

- Ikkyu (1394-1481)

Mysterious Power

Producing without possessing,
Doing without presuming,
Growing without domineering:
This is called mysterious power.

- Tao-te Ching

Recluse

People will learn of this spot;
We’ll see you moving
Higher on the mountain.

- Chia Tao (779-843)

The Way of the Sword

For the Way of the sword is
folded two;
Like the rose we have thorns,
and like the rose, we unfold.

- Ji Aoi Isshi

New Year

The sun rises; the sun sets.
Watch it and see.
River and moon
Pine trees and wind,
All old poems to me.
Who needs words for the New Year!

- Tao Kai

Year end

I have no idea where the
Months have gone
Every time I turn around
Another year on earth is over.

- Han-shan Te-ch’ing (1546-1623)

deliberation

Right at the moment of dropping off,
Deliberation and discussion
Are one thousand or
Ten thousand miles away.

- Hongzhi (1091-1157)

lotus floating

Not much to offer you,
Just a lotus flower floating
In a small jar of water.

- Ryokan (1758-1831)

Sounds of Snow

If only I could share it:
The soft sound of snow
Falling late at night
From the trees

- Hakuin (1686-1768)

No one on the mountain

There seems to be no one on the empty mountain,
And yet I think I hear a voice,

– Wang Wei

Illumined within

The moment we are illumined within
We bypass all barriers.

- Seng-ts-an (d.606)

surprise

Don’t be surprised,
Don’t be startled;
All things will arrange themselves.

- Huai-nan-tzu

Grasp the void

The first thing is not to grasp
The void.
If you sit in meditation
With an empty mind,
You will grasp the
Unrecordable voidness.

- Altar Sutra

Grow Old

It’s good to grow old content.
Cold and heat change my appearance;
The pearl of my mind stays safe

- Han-shan

Sit serenely

The practice of true reality
Is simply to sit serenely
In silent introspection.

– Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091–1157)

Forget the words

Inside each sunset.
Trying to talk about it,
I have forgotten the words.

- Tao Yuan Ming (365–427)

a new year looms

“Another year about to end
In my empty mountain abode;
Rivers and clouds,
Their trails indistinct;
Pines and cedars,
Their natures the same.
I arise from my nap
To find the taro roots done;
As the incense fades out,
I finish a scripture.
Who knows that real pleasure
Lies within stillness and silence? ”
- Wen-siang (1210-1280)

meditation and wisdom

Never under any
Circumstances say that
Meditation and wisdom
Are different;
They are one unity,
Not two things.

- Hui-neng (638-713)

bamboo

I like bamboo as the symbol
of constancy and simplicity.
I built my house deep within a grove.
Strike the bamboo
with a piece of brick.
Perhaps the sound could
awaken a passing Zen monk

wandering mystic

White clouds flying
Mists melt black mountains
And this wandering mystic’s
Wandered astray.

- Yun-K’an Tzu

Rest youself in oneness

Do not pursue the outer conditions
nor dwell in the inner void.

Rest yourself in oneness with things
and all barriers will disappear

– Seng Ts’an

concentration

cultivate the path of concentration

Dragons

Keep your karma in good working order;
many dragons lie in wait.

Wang Wei (701-761)

Liberation

the truth in untruth,
the light in darkness,
the life in death.
This is real liberation.

- Nityananda

lightning flash

In the space of a lightning flash,
the world is built and established.

- Su Shih (1073)

unborn

All
things are perfectly resolved in the
Unborn.

- Bankei (1622-1693)

dead trees

“Enlightenment” and “Nirvana”?
They are dead trees
to fasten a donkey to.

What can these things
have to do with you
becoming free?

- Te-shan (780-865)

cleansing stream

Do you know how to let the
mountain stream cleanse your mind?

Every thought is pulled out along the smooth,
polished stones, disappearing
downstream in the frothy current.

The mind keeps on making more thoughts
until it sees that they are
all being carried away downstream;
until it realizes that they
are all vanishing,
dissolving into an unseen point.

Morning Sun

How elegant is the morning sun
Shining on the rafters and eaves.

- Ni Tsan (1301-1374)

Clear Mind

Green waters and verdant mountains
are the places to walk in meditation;
by the streams or under the trees
are places to clear the mind.

- Keizan Jokin

Think Not

Though I think not
To think about it,
I do think about it
And shed tears
Thinking about it.

- Ryokan (1758-1831)

weak as water

There is nothing in the world
So weak as water,
Nor anything strong enough
To overcome it.
The person of great wisdom
Is like water which,
Though benefiting all things,
Never strives.

Sit up

I lie at peace in moonlight.
Or, hearing water plashing on the rock,
Sit up.

- Ryushu Shutaku (1308–1388)

Empty truth

The substance of a sage
Is nameless and cannot be spoken of;
The empty door of truth as it really is
Cannot be tarried in.

– Pai-chang (720–814)

white clouds

Who can break from the snares of the world
And sit with me among the white clouds?

- Han-shan

Solitary Crane

shall climb up the magnificent mountain peak,
To await the arrival of a solitary crane.

- Shide (8th century)

My mind is motionless

With the moon emerged,
My mind is motionless.
Sitting on this frosty seat,
No further dream of fame.
The forest, the mountain
Follow their ancient ways,
And through the long spring day,
Not even a shadow of a bird.

Doubt

If your ears see,
And eyes hear,
Not a doubt you’ll cherish

- Daito Kokushi

Gray Hair, Red Flowers

Someday our hair will turn gray,
Yet the flowers will be this red each year;

- Fa Yen (885–958)

Breeze

One and the same breeze passes
Over the pines on the mountain
And the oak trees in the valley;
Why do they give different notes?

- Shinkage-ryu

Garments of dew

My robe has become a garment of dew.
Unable to sleep I
Walk out into the woods
Suddenly, above the highest peak,
The full moon appears.

- Ryokan (1758-1831)

Certificate IV in Workplace Assessment and Training

In 2002 I studied for my Certificate IV in workplace assessment and training, gaining the certificate in April that year.

Certificate IV

Results card for cert IV

Tiger claws

Into a person,
Absolutely free
From thoughts and emotions,
Even the tiger finds no room
To insert its fierce claws.

- Shinkage

Birth and death

The buddha way is, basically, leaping clear of the many and the one; thus there are birth and death, delusion and realization, sentient beings and buddhas.

Yet in attachment blossoms fall, and in aversion weeds spread.

Fear

If fear is banished,
Where does it go?

Still Place

In this still place
I follow my nature,
Be what it may.

-Reizan

Clear thoughts

With thoughts clear,
Sitting silently,
Wander into the center
Of the circle of wonder.

- Hongzhi Zhengjue

Sleep

What does it matter,
The new year, the old year?
I stretch out my legs
And all alone have a
Quiet sleep.

- Bankei

Now

Now
it’s all you have

Difficult Tasks

Undertake difficult tasks
by approaching what is easy in them;
Do great deeds
by focusing on their minute aspects.
All difficulties under heaven arise from what is easy,
All great things under heaven arise from what is
minute.

The Essential Mind

Day and night,
Everything is wonderful.
Nothing you encounter confuses you.
These are the essentials of mind.

New Year

Flowers in the sky

Going Back

“How does an enligthtened one return to the ordinary world?”
“A broken mirror never reflects again; fallen flowers never go back to the old branches.”

I often wonder if this is the zen equivalent of “you can never go back”

The Moon in Heaven

The water flows,
but back into the ocean;
The moon sinks,
but is even in Heaven.

Attachment and aversion

In attachment blossoms fall,
and in aversion weeds spread.

- Genjo Koan

Old Year

Closed out the old year
And held a dream of spring behind
My shut eyes…til now
This morning I opened them to see
It’s really come into the world.

- Saigyo (1118 – 1190)

Myriad things

To carry yourself forward and experience myriad things is delusion.
That myriad things come forth and experience themselves is awakening.

close your eyes

It is only when you are able to fully close your eyes,
that you will see the world as it is

Tea

Student:`In phenomena, what is true?’
Master: `The very phenomena are themselves truth.’
Student: `Then how should it be revealed?’
The master lifted the tea tray.

Tears

Though I think not
To think about it,
I do think about it
And shed tears
Thinking about it.

- Ryokan (1758-1831)

Live in work

Live in love
And do your work;
Make amends of your sorrows;
For just as the jasmine
Releases and lets fall
Its withered flowers,
Let fall willfulness and hatred.

- The Dharmapada

The Journey

Do not feel overwhelmed by the length of this journey.
All you ever need do is focus on one thing,
what you are doing.

Stay on the path,
put one foot in front of the other
- that is all.

The Moon Emerging

River

You never step in the same river twice.

Beginner Mind

so the most difficult thing
is always to keep
your beginner’s mind….

If you start to practice zazen,
you will begin to appreciate
your beginner’s mind.

It is the secret

Where can dust fall?

Neither is there Bodhi-tree,
Nor yet a mirror bright;
Since in reality all is void,
Whereon can the dust fall?

- Hui Neng (638-713)

The Search for the Bull

In the pasture of the world,
I endlessly push aside the tall
Grasses in search of the bull.
Following unnamed rivers,
Lost upon the interpenetrating
Paths of distant mountains,
My strength failing
And my vitality exhausted,
I cannot find the bull.
I only hear locusts chirring
Through the forest at night.

Staff and Sandals

Now cold, now warm;
Staff and sandals
Sometimes home,
Sometimes out.

- Chugan Engetsu

Gibbon

A lone gibbon howls on the ridge.
What else do I cherish?

- Cold Mountain

Rivers at last.

Travel

Sometimes it’s a little better to travel than to arrive.

– Robert M. Pirsig – Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Wandering Mind

Let your mind wander in simplicity,
blend your spirit with the vastness,
follow along with things the way they are,
and make no room for personal views,
then the world will be governed.

Garden Gate

Moon in the pond

I contemplate:
Moon in the pond.
Of my old friends,
How many know the Way?
- Zengetsu

Close your eyes

“It is only when you are able to fully close your eyes,
that you will see the world as it is.”

Death poetry

Coming and going, life and death;
A thousand hamlets, a million houses.
Dont you get the point?
Moon is the water, blossom in the sky.

- Gizan

Moon in heaven

The water flows,
but back into the ocean;
The moon sinks,
but is even in Heaven.

Dancing maple leaves

Inside the zendo
also dancing evening maple leaves

- Soen Nakagawa.

The Ocean of your essence

Apple tree

“highest branch of the apple tree, was my favourite place to be, I could see them breaking free”
(Neil Finn)

Trees

Just think of the trees:
they let the birds perch and fly,
with no intention to call them when they come
and no longing for their return when they fly away.
If people’s hearts can be like the trees,
they will not be off the Way.

Ulcers

When you’re deluded,
every statement is an ulcer;
when you’re enlightened,
every word is wisdom.

- Zhiqu

Method as a silvery stream

Be soft in your practice.
Think of the method as a fine silvery stream, not a raging waterfall.
Follow the stream, have faith in its course.
It will go its own way, meandering here, trickling there.
It will find the grooves, the cracks, the crevices.
Just follow it.
Never let it out of your sight.
It will take you.

Winter

In winter,
the seven stars
walk upon a crystal forest

- Soen Nakagawa.

The penetrating sword

The penetrating brilliance
Of swords
Wielded by followers of the Way
Strikes at the enemy
Lurking deep within
Their own souls and bodies.

- Morihei Ueshiba

attaining happiness

I cannot tell if what the world considers ‘happiness’ is happiness or not.

All I know is that when I consider the way they go about attaining it, I see them carried away headlong, grim and obsessed, in the general onrush of the human herd, unable to stop themselves or to change their direction.

poison zen

Eyes blinded by three poisons,
Yet once all ties are cut,
How restful.
Wicker hat donned,
Cane held firm,
How vast the sky!

- Ungo (1583-1659)

Japanese Proverb

The reverse side also has a reverse side.

Seasons

Summer at its height
and snow on the rocks!
The death of winter
and the withered tree blossoms!

Various

Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.
- Helen Keller

To know that we know what we know, and that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.
- Henry David Thoreau

Just some funny sayings .. sort of zennish

Indecision is the key to flexibility.

If you find something you like, buy a lifetime supply, because they will stop making it.

All things being equal, fat people use more soap.

leave me alone

Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead.
Do not walk ahead of me,for I may not follow.
Do not walk beside me, either; just f**k off and leave me alone.

Project management

Completed my project management training in March 2001

Project management

Seasons

Spring has its hundred flowers,
Autumn has its many moons.
Summer has cool winds,
Winter its snow.
If useless thoughts do not
Cloud your mind,
Each day is the best of your life.

My mind remains wide

My hut settled among neighbors,
I ignore the noise of horses and carts.
You ask how I get along -
My mind remains wide,
So my place is naturally remote.

- Tao Yuan Ming (365-427)

Unruly life

If I were a tree among trees,
a cat among animals,
this life would have a meaning,
or rather this problem would not arise,
for I should belong to this world.

Observing life

we do not so much look at things as overlook them

A way of life

Ride your horse along the edge of a sword;
hide yourself in the middle of flames

Mist clears

Mist clears from ancient cedars and days last
forever… right and wrong don’t enter the
clouds.

- Stone House

Original Face

Original Face is the reality of realities:
Stretch your hand to the winging bird.
Vertical nose, horizontal eyes – and then?
What if your mind is empty?
- Tokugaku (15th Century)

true emptiness

If you have not
Linked yourself
To true emptiness,
You will never understand.
- Morihei Ueshiba

moonlight

The moonlight
High in the sky,
Shining through the eves,
Falls on a mind
Undisturbed by what
Might have been.

- Rikyu

Truth is perfect

Truth is perfect and complete in itself.
It is not something newly discovered;
It has always existed.
Truth is not far away.
It is nearer than near.
There is no need to attain it,
Since not one of your steps leads away from it.

a simple hut

Deep in the mountains,
on an isolated peak,
I live on my own in a stand of pines.

In a simple hut,
I sit meditating without concerns,
silent and alone, dwelling peacefully, lighthearted.

old mirror

Traceless, no more need to hide.
Now the old mirror reflects everything,
Autumn light moistened by faint mist.

- Suian (Southern Sung Dynasty)

before the first step

Before the first step is taken the goal is reached.
Before the tongue is moved the speech is finished.
More than brilliant intuition is needed,
to find the origin of the right road.

fragrance of virtue

The perfume of sandalwood,
rosebay or jasmine
cannot travel against the wind.
But the fragrance of virtue
travels even against the wind,
as far as the ends of the world.

- Buddha

deadly dragon

Meditating quietly I rout the deadly dragon.

- Wang Wei (699-761)

swimming carp

Two masters were walking by a pool in which carp were swimming.
One master said “Look at those carp. How happy they are swimming in the pool.”
The other master said “How can you presume to know whether the carp are happy or not?”
The first master replied “How can you presume to know I don’t know how the carp feel”

any season is a good season

In spring, hundreds of flowers;
In autumn, a harvest moon;
In summer, a refreshing breeze;
In winter, snow will accompany you.
If useless things do not hang in your mind,
any season is a good season for you.

morning glory

The morning glory blooms but an hour.
Yet it differs not in heart from a giant pine,
That lives for a thousand years.

- Matsunaga Teitiku

Do not deny not by denying

Do not deny not by denying.

- zen saying

“It has been told that Nature abhors a vacuum.
I disagree.
Nature doesn’t mind a vacuum.
It is man that continually insists on filling them.”

More sayings

The facts, although interesting, are generally irrelevant.

The world gets a little better every day, and worse in the evening.

Someone who thinks logically is a nice contrast to the real world.

Transcript: Launch of “The Backyard” in 1999

Launch of The Backyard: ABC Local Online

Tuesday 28 September 1999

Good evening and thank you all for attending this launch. We see here today a culmination of the ABC’s response to two prodigious challenges: budget cuts and the new media.

First corporate web site for 612 ABC Brisbane

In 1998 I built my first web site, a corporate brochure site for 612 ABC Brisbane, then called 4QR.

Looking back on the frames based navigation, the animated email gif, and the rather cumbersome graphics it seems somewhat naive.

Negotiation skills

In November of 1998 I took part in, and completed an intensive “Negotiation Skills” course.

Straw Bale House

In the late 1990′s I stopped off in Maleny, Queensland where I interviewed architect Ahtee Chia about the straw bale house he had built.

[See post to listen to audio]

4WD defensive driving

In 1996, I took part in and completed a defensive driving coursde for 4WD.

The course was arranged after several accidents involving ABC staff unused to the power of the 4WD, nor used to driving on roads that leave a bit to be desired.

Robert Jordan, author

In 1993 I interviewed, Robert Jordan, a fantasy author from the United states.

Probably best known for his mammoth series “The Wheel of Time“, he also wrote a number of the “Conan the Barbarian” books, and is less well know for a period romance trilogy “Fallon”

Charles Perkins, activist

Cover of the Charles Perkins biography

It would be difficult to work in the Northern Territory in the last half of the 20th century, and not have come across Charles Perkins.

Read more on Charles Perkins, activist…

Molly Ferguson, teacher, School of the Air

I’ve always enjoyed it when I get the chance to happen upon a bit of living history.

In 1991 the Alice Springs School of the Air celebrated its 40th anniversary, and one of the people who turned up to share her story was one of the original teachers, Molly Ferguson,\.

Winston Peters, MP

Winston Peters PR photo

I met Winston Peters in 1990 while he was traveling through the Northern Territory.

At the time he was a Maori member of the NZ National Party, and his star was such he was tipped to become New Zealand’s first Maori Prime Minister.

Larapinta trail

Taking a break on the Larapinta trail

While many think of Central Australia as a desert, there is real beauty in this arid environment.

In 1990 the Northern Territory government opened the Larapinta Trail, a 250km walking trail along the West MacDonnell Ranges.

AIM manager of the year

In 1990 while working as Manager Regional Stations for the Northern Territory, the Central Australian branch of the Australian institute of Management presented me with their inaugural “Manager of the Year” award.

First cell phones arrive in Darwin

Sometimes it appears that mobile phones have been with us always, yet in 1988 the arrival of a cellular phone network in Darwin was big news.

[See post to watch Flash video]

Talent: Ray Nugent, Mobiltronics

Journalist of the year 1987

Receiving the award from the Administrator Commodore Eric Johnstone, and President of the NT Branch of the Australian Journalists Association, Richard Creswick.

In 1987, primarily through a body of work surrounding the world heritage listing of Kakadu National Park, I was the joint winner of the Electronic Journalist of the Year award for the Northern Territory.

Pine Gap protests

Covering Pine Gap demonstration

In 1987, the lease on the satellite monitoring base, Pine Gap, near Alice Springs was up for re-signing by the Federal Government.

In the days leading up to the leases expiry, a range of demonstrations were organised by the peace movement.

Barra classic

It wouldn’t be the Top End without a bit of barramundi fishing.

While a keen fisherman myself, in 1987 I covered the annual Barra Classic, on its return to Corroboree Billabong.

INXS newser

One of the benefits of working in smaller TV newsrooms is that you do get to do a bit of everything.

In August 1987, I was heading for an early finish to my day when asked to cover a media conference with Australian band INXS, and songstress Jenny Morris.

[See post to watch Flash video]

Victoria River murder

In June 1987 I was asked to take a camera crew and helicopter to Victoria River to cover the search for two Western Australian fishermen who had gone missing.

The two men, father and son Marcus and Lance Bullen, had left their wives at the Victoria River Roadhouse to go fishing. They had spent the night at the roadhouse and were expected to be back in time to move on that day.

Gurig National Park

Port Essington ruins

Sometimes as a reporter you get to go to those beautiful, out-of-the-way places most only dream about.

One of these is Coburg Peninsula, the original European settlement in the Top End.

Manbulloo mangoes

Mangoes

One of the countries largest mango plantations was established on Manbullo station.

The plan: to take advantage of an earlier growing season to get mangoes on supermarket shelves before the Queensland crop arrives.

Wildlife on Woolner Station

Wild buffalo

While in the Top End I came across a number of cattle properties which were diversifying into tourism.

One of these was Woolner Station, where the pastoralists were using off-season mustering helicopters as observation platforms.

Pig-nosed turtles returned to wild

Growing up in the bush I’ve always enjoyed doing stories on wildlife.

In this case the story was about some unusual pig-nosed turtles, something I had never come across before.

The turtles have been hatched in captivity in a Conservation Commission hatchery, but were being released into the Daly River after they had been used in a study by local scientists.

Pope John Paul II vists Alice Springs

Pope John Paul II in Alice Springs

In 1986 Pope John Paul II visited Australia.

My colleague Phil Smith got the job of covering the Pope’s visit to Darwin while I was sent to Alice Springs to cover his visit to the Centre.

Kapalga research station, Kakadu

Kakadu Dunnart

Along the western border of Kakadu National Park lies Kapalga Station, in 1986, a research facility for the CSIRO.

In November of that year I went to Kapalga to shoot an extended story on the research being done at the centre, and how that fed back into our knowledge of the Kakadu ecosystem.

World heritage listing of Kakadu

Jumping crocodile - East Alligator

While the original section of Kakadu National Park had been granted World heritage listing, it didn’t stop the 1986/87 debate over the listing of stage 2 of the park.

Bushfire research

On 16 February 1983, more than 180 fires fanned by winds of up to 110km per hour (68 mph) caused widespread destruction across the states of Victoria and South Australia. According to Wikipedia, the fires were the deadliest in Australian history, until the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009.

Barramundi disease

While I like my fishing, and in particular barramundi fishing, this was under threat in 1986 with a disease running rampant through top end fish stocks.

The disease was call red-spot, or more accurately by the scientists, Epizootic ulcerative syndrome, and concern was raised that it may affect both commercial and amateur stocks, as well as the NT tourist industry itself.

Mining in Kakadu National Park

Jabiluka billabong

In 1986, the Senate Standing Committee on Natural Resources came to do a personal inspection of Kakadu National Park, with the view to making a recommendation on mining in the park.

Litchfield National Park

While I spent a lot of time in Kakadu National Park, and while Kakadu is the best known park in the Top End, I always had a soft spot for Litchfield National Park.

Read more on Litchfield National Park…

Feral horses

You sometimes forget how big the Northern Territory is until you find yourself engrossed in a story like this about feral horses.

It’s estimated the number of feral horses in the Territory is in the hundreds of thousands, and considering how much a horse eats, you can imagine the impact on the environment.

In June 1986 I went to Alice Springs to cover the debate over feral horse control in that region.

Mimosa pigra weed control

Magpie geese eggs

One of the perks of working in a place like the Northern Territory is the opportunity to cover stories in some of the most beautiful parts of Australia.

Read more on Mimosa pigra weed control…

Marshall Perron moves to the back bench

A constant through my time political reporting in the Northern territory was Marshall Perron.

I interviewed him in all guises, while he was a minister, the Treasurer, the Attorney General, and Chief Minister.

Mary River closed to commercial fishing

Barramundi fishing is not just a recreational sport, but big business in the Northern Territory.

The tension however has always existed between the recreational and tourism aspects to barramundi fishing, and the commercial imperatives of our restaurant tables.

In 1985, The NT government closed the Mary River system to commercial fishing, a move welcomed by the amateurs, but criticised by commercial fishermen as the thin edge of the wedge.

Big Bill Neidjie, custodian and elder of the Gagadju

Cover from Kakadu Man

When you are a reporter you sometimes come across people with a clean vision of what they want to do, and how they want to do it.

B52 arrives for training

View of B52 from refueling plane

While working in Darwin, TV reporters tend to do a number of stories relating to the military and Australia’s defence forces.

Read more on B52 arrives for training…

HMAS Darwin

Sunset from HMAS Darwin

In 1985 I covered the maiden voyage of the HMAS Darwin.

A guided missile frigate, the ship was built in the United States and on shake-down had undertaken its maiden voyage to Australia, its first landfall being the port of the same name, Darwin.

Warramungu land claim

Devils Marbles

An early experience of Aboriginal land rights came when I went to Tennant Creek to cover the Warramungu land claim.

What I found was no firebrand politics and protests, but a system where all parties seemed to want to make sure the right thing was done.

Dead crocodile

This was one of the first stories I covered on arriving in Darwin in 1985.

In March 1985 a large crocodile was worrying workers building a bridge over the the Elizabeth River, south of Darwin. Conservation Commission rangers set a trap for the crocodile however the animal was found dead in the trap.

Kakadu fishing

Saratoga on the Mary River

While the conflict between commercial and recreational fishing interests was significant in the Territory, so was the conflict between recreational fishing and conservation interests.

In this story from 1985, recreational anglers were complaining about the uncertainty conservation measures were having on their sport.

Nuclear submarine

Not long after I arrived in Darwin, the city received one of its more unusual military visitors, the USS Pogy, a nuclear submarine.

At the time it was standard policy from the US Navy to “neither confirm nor deny” they carried nuclear weapons when entering Australian ports.

Fishing in Kakadu

Blair with Saratoga, Corroboree Billabong

With the more stringent conservation methods being applied in many national parks, 1985 saw conflicts arise between those who wanted to see National parks conserved entirely, and those who saw recreational pursuits such as fishing remain a credible part of that conservation.

Draught horses in modern agriculture

Working draught horses

While working in Tasmania for the Rural Department, One of our commitments was a 15 minute radio documentary each Friday.

Normally interviews mixed with voice-overs and actuality, their production was sometimes the last thing anyone wanted to do on a Friday, but at a time of 2 to 5 minute interviews I found it a pleasure to have a time frame to get my teeth into.

Calling Antarctica

Up until the mid-1980s, Antarctica was more or less cut off from the world for 6 months of the year.

In 1984 telephone communication was established with Mawson base in Antarctica and I was one of the first half dozen people to call the research station.

Abalone farming

In March 1984 while working in Tasmania I interviewed the worlds first abalone farmer.

My dive buddy getting ready.

In Tasmania at the time, most abalone were wild abalone, and licenses to dive for abalone were expensive and highly sought after.

Buffalo damage to the Top End wetlands

My first stretch of work in the Territory was in 1982 when I was a Rural Reporter filling behind the incumbent on extended leave.

This interview is with Peter Fogarty a researcher with the Conservation Commission who had ben studying the damage caused by free roaming feral buffaloes in the fragile wetlands.

RaeAllen.net

Convergence: changes to the way journalists think about stories

Beef and mushroom hotpot with parmesan dumplings

Recipe: Beef, bacon and mushroom hotpot with parmesan dumplings

Ingredients

Ron Mueck sculpture

SSI conditional based on Document URI

Watch the moss thicken

The edge of the pond

Lamb and chickpea tagine

Recipe: Lamb and chickpea tagine

Ingredients

It’s like riding a cow to return home

Kate Ray’s semantic web

Treaty by Yothu Yindi

The Story of Stuff

Writing blog posts

Know there is nothing to know

Is there anything else to remember?

Don’t covet

New version of ABC Local

Tools for Journalism

The essential technique of zazen

The valley stream

Dust in the eye

Red flag

Wandering

A life lived later

Lifetimes seldom fill a hundred years

The Man Watching

leave the world behind

Moon rises slowly

see truth face to face

boundless mind

The Pretender

Lily was here

God will know his own

Coffee – Long Black

Microformats

Audio Online

It Ain’t What You Do, It’s What It Does To You

the mind does not decrease

lives of quiet desperation

there is nothing I dislike

An autumn night

Little minds

Red vs Blue eps 01

Live close to the ground

Study only death

alive and free

Childe Roland to the Dark Tower came.

Nominated for Mentor of the Year

The more is hidden, the more appears

Anthem For Doomed Youth

We are what we think

The Death-Bed

Mountain Forest in the mist

Growing slowly

Paths to the top

Grant Mclellan video

Everything straight lieth

moments lost in time

sky and water merging

When I am dead, my dearest

Time’s winged chariot

Hallelujah

Old Age

The flee from me

Waiting properly

Serenity is the final word

Taint nobody’s biz-nes if I do

Under Milkwood

Those who do not remember their past are condemned to repeat their mistakes.

named fear

Shelter from the storm

Nameless and formless

No man is an island

only the heart can see rightly

Jewels

always zen