The 3^rd Annual “Battle of the Bands” is a music festival of ethnic youth and young people within Victoria. The night will include ethnic action dancing, sway of the pacific, the glitter of Asia, Bands from the church groups will range from heavy rock to gospel country.

Many of the stars of the music festival will be “Second Generation” Australian born children of immigrants and refugees as performers.

Everyone is welcome to come and join in the fun and audience members are encouraged to come in costume of your ethnic heritage which include Anglo, European background.(Dutch, German, Scottish, English, Wales, etc)

It is proudly supported by the Uniting Church in Australia.

Date 22 November 2008.

Location Box Hill Wesley Uniting Church in 2-6 Oxford Street, Box Hill, Melbourne.

Times 3pm to 9.30pm

parking details Street parking

Tickets secretary. Tee Makoni - talaheumakoni@hotmail.com

Adults $5.00

Young people 12 to 25 Goldcoin donation

Children under 12 free.

Food stalls will be available

New Performers wishing to join in should contact:

Don Ikitoelagi (03) 9251- 5287 email Don.Ikitoelagi@victas.uca.org.au

One of the wonderful things about Open Source software is that there is a continuum of upgrades where users and developers find things that are broken and fix them.

Unfortunately, some of the fixes cause more breaks than existed in the system.

Gallery 2.1 upgrade to 2.3svn failings

Posted by: Samiuela LV Taufa on January 11, 2008 2:56:59 PM (821 Reads)

The regular problems taking for ever and a day to resolve happened again when I tried upgrading (due to security warnings) to a more current version of Gallery2.

Unfortunately, the upgrade coincided with Tonfon deciding to give me a hard time with Internet connections.

Clear problems from the upgrade.

it’s a good thing I’ve wandered this space often enough that my own records are augmenting poor memory, such that I can fix the new problem with the old fix.

Upgraded my Gallery to the current release as there were a number of documented security reasons to upgrade. Unfortunately, the update broke my Gallery and I haven’t been able to dedicate the time to fixing it, until I decided to google nomoa.com!!! Way to go nomoa.com.

The Free Press failed democracy in Australia when it kept silent and did not dig into the Howard Government exploitation of asylum seekers for political (let alone all the other nasties of that situation to maintain the facade), and it again looks to be failing Democracy. This time the failing is in the US Presidential elections where for some reason the ‘free press’ is conveniently forgetting the atrocities of this financial melt down brought forth by one candidate’s party politics.

Orson Scott Card, a noted author et. al. pulls the details in his treatise …

I  remember reading All the President's Men and thinking: That's journalism.  You do what it takes to get the truth and you lay it before the public, because the public has a right to know.

This housing crisis didn't come out of nowhere.  It was not a vague emanation of the evil Bush administration.

It was a direct result of the political decision, back in the late 1990s, to loosen the rules of lending so that home loans would be more accessible to poor people.  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were authorized to approve risky loans.

What is a risky loan?  It's a loan that the recipient is likely not to be able to repay.

Seems similar to the existing two party system in Australia. One side has great economic nuance and atrocious concept of humanity, while the other side is all hugs and kisses and kiss economic stability goodbye.

There’s little worst in life than to live a lie and to be ignorant of it. It seems the ‘Free Press’ really isn’t that ‘free.’

From: Orson Scott Card, I love you.

If you want to really screw up things … you really have to be part of the largest institutes, and in most cases they happen to be national or multinational, including straight national states.

From the UK Telegraph.

The Department for Work and Pensions last year admitted that seven in 10 government IT projects fail.

So it is hardly surprising that progress on the NHS’s “Connecting for Health” computerisation scheme, already running at least four years late, has almost ground to a halt.

What is particularly concerning about this case, however, is its sheer cost - £12 billion.

All well to glorify the doom scenarios, but what can we do to find a solution? There’s a short ‘prescription’ in the above article. But, as it also ascribes things on paper don’t always become effective implementations.

As the most dangerous part of a car is the nut loose behind the wheel so is IT deployment. Fix the ‘nut’ and you’re more than half-way to your solution.

We all ‘know’ that a lot of what is purported out there as ‘for your safety’ but it is ugly when government spends billions of dollars on securing airports to be circumvented by just using your printer at home.

I just love this story!
Not at all certain I would dare to try it myself. Reading how Schneier uses fake boarding passes, and brings 24oz of not identified liquid through the airport security is like reading a Ken Follet novel!
And you all know what I think of airport security!

Schneier demonstrates poor airport security to The Atlantic
Kai
Sat, 18 Oct 2008 05:35:54 GMT

Apparently the smoke and mirrors have been determined to fool most of the people, most of the time. And the rest of you just keep quiet, shhhhhh

I was given this new book to read “Human Rights Overboard” it is a strange book to go through as it is part depressing, part encouraging, but wholly puts you into a zone of disbelief.

Unfortunately, for a title that could be ground-breaking expose (researched none-the-less) I walked into Dymocks (one of the major booksellers here) and the only way the Australian public are going to know about this work is if they already knew. (i.e. you have to special order.)

Human Rights Overboard BRISKMAN & GODDARD
Draws together, for the first time, the oral testimony and written submissions from the inquiry in a powerful and vital book that stands as an indelible record of one of Australia's bleakest legacies.

• ISBN

  9781921372407

• Format

  Paperback

• Category

• Publisher

• Imprint

• Pages

Online Price: $32.95

Add To Basket

Usually Ships in:
24 Hours

Fortunately, it seems that if you really do know about the book, then you can order it online (and get it faster than the guy walking into the shop.)

Should be required reading for all Tongans (in Tonga) dealing directly with Australian Government representatives. Should be required reading for senior church staff in Australia (of all denominations.)

The Pasifika Australia Community Forum is scheduled for October 30th, 5:30-8:00pm at the Haydon Allen Tank, Australia National University in ACT. (It is just steps from the Student Union building)

The website reference is: http://asianstudies.anu.edu.au/Pasifika_Australia#Our_2008_events
The evening community forum will focus on achievement in the Pacific Islander community. Community members who have excelled in a range of areas will discuss identity issues, and problems and opportunities they encountered. Speakers will include Pacific Islander Australians  who have achieved in the fields of:

    * Community and Church organisation
    * Government
    * Business
    * Sports
    * The Arts
    * Academia

This free event is open to all who are interested, particularly school students and members of the ACT and greater NSW Pacific Islander community.

For more information please contact Liz at Elizabeth.Comrie-Thomson@anu.edu.au .

Refreshments provided.

Confirmed to be on the panel is Cr Mollie Tepane Thomas (Maori), former deputy Mayor of Campbelltown City (NSW) and Samataua Sitagata Hanamenn Hunt (Samoan), President of Pan Pacific Oceania Inc. (QLD). The forum Will be chaired by Dr. Katerina Teaiwa (Banaban/Fiji Islander),
Pacific Studies Convener at the ANU.

_______________________________
Dr. Katerina Martina Teaiwa
Pacific Studies Convener
E4.29 Baldessin Precinct
Faculty of Asian Studies
College of Asia and the Pacific
Australian National University
Canberra ACT 0200
Australia
Ph:   +61 (0) 2 61254323
Fax:  +61 (0) 2 61258326
Cell: +61 (0) 405150334

We all knew nz’s?

THE Federal Opposition's new immigration spokeswoman has raised strong concerns about the Government's new seasonal worker program.

Sharman Stone, from regional Victoria, where many of the new visa-holders would work, said the program was confusing and lacked detail.

Regulations to allow 2500 Pacific Islanders into Australia as guest workers were introduced into Parliament on Tuesday.

Unease over seasonal jobs - National News - National - General - Central Western Daily

Talanoa Oceania is getting closer and here’s an early reminder from organisers, to get ready and book the days away so you can be there to listen and contribute.

If you haven’t been there before, click on the map below and see if you can’t get seriously lost trying to get there.

More information over at: Talanoa Online Home where you can also get your pretty print registration form.

Key Dates: Monday September 29th ~ Wednesday October 1st

There should be some interesting characters, so maybe you should do a theme thing where you come in as eskimoes or something interesting.

Minister of Finance asked to walk, and you have to wonder how long the Minister had been waiting for the 'cut-off' date to be rung?

Unfortunately for the former Minister of Finance, who seems to have been within the few generally respected both in and out of government, he was just too willing to let the opposition thinking be aired, and especially on the ever popular Tonga-Now (morphed) Tonga Review.

Good luck to Mssrs 'Utoikamanu and his family.

Talanoa Oceania - Be There or be rocked!

Talanoa Oceania are gatherings for people from the South Seas (or Pacific Islanders, abbreviated as PIs), who currently live in Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand. Several reasons make these gatherings necessary, including the following:

1. PIs are torn between where we live and our home islands, partly because we have not been welcomed (to our new locations) and released (from our island homes)

2. PIs continue to look for direction from our home islands partly because a sea of talanoa[1] has not been gathered to root us in our current locations

3. PIs are searching for creative and meaningful ways of continuing to be connected to our island cultures, churches and homes

4. PIs often misunderstand other cultures partly because we are confused about who we are, in our current locations, and we are consequently easily misunderstood

5. PIs are not homogenous, and we need to name and come to terms with our differences

Talanoa Oceania 2008: Mana, Vanua, Talanoa

Under the shadows of those needs, the Talanoa Oceania 2008 gathering will provide opportunities for presentations on three significant PI concepts: Mana, Vanua, Talanoa. These concepts have multiple meanings in the various language and island groups:

· Mana can mean sacred, magic, courage, power, transformation, creativity, healing, imagination, and so forth

· Vanua (fonua, fenua, whenua, etc) can mean land, womb, home, identity, roots, tradition, and so forth

· Talanoa can mean story, storytelling, conversation, orality, empty-talk, and so forth

Call for presentations:

Persons who are related (by birth and/or migration) to the South Seas are invited to propose presentations for the 2008 gathering. The presentations should address at least one of the five needs and at least one of the three concepts outlined above, and they may be offered from and/or address any of the areas of interest to PIs, such as:

§ art, handicraft & body-art

§ poetry, lyrics & rhythms

§ performance, dance & storytelling

§ Pacific, oceanic & indigenous studies

§ academic, theological & island disciplines

§ ministerial, cultural & ethnic praxis

§ and so forth

Presentations by Women and Second Gens are especially encouraged; all presenters are also urged to help PI communities respond to:

§ the challenges of global warming and our drifting generations

§ the realities of dispersion, diaspora and cultural confusions

To propose a presentation for the Talanoa Oceania 2008: Mana, Vanua, Talanoa gathering, please send the following information to Jione Havea {email: jhavea@csu.edu.au; Postal address: United Theological College, 16 Masons Drive, North Parramatta, NSW 2151, Australia; Fax: (+612) 9683-6617}:

1. Your full name, and the island group(s) to which you relate

2. Current email and mailing addresses (tin-can-mail is possible!)

3. Descriptive title of presentation (no more than 20 words)

4. Short description of presentation (no more than 300 words)

Deadline for proposals:

Jan 31, 2008 (pālangi time!)

Unsure of what to do:

If you are interested in participating in the 2008 gathering but are unsure with how you might make a contribution, please contact one of the persons listed below and we will talk with you about how you might present and participate at this event.

Date & venue:

September 29 – October 01, 2008

Centre for Ministry, 16 Masons Drive, North Parramatta, NSW 2151, Australia

Next Talanoa Oceania: Aotearoa/New Zealand (date to be determined)

Contacts in the Southern Sea of Islands:

Fe‘iloakitau Tevi (fkt@wcc-coe.org)

Koila Olsson (arietakoilaolsson@yahoo.com)

Tevita K. Havea (tkhavea@ptc.ac.fj)

Samiuela L.V. Taufa (samtaufa@gmail.com)

Contacts in Aotearoa/New Zealand

Tevita Finau (tfinau@gmail.com)

Aso Saleupolu (asos@methodist.org.nz)

Fei Taule‘ale‘ausumai (fei_taulealea@xtra.co.nz)

Nasili Vaka‘uta (nvakauta@gmail.com)

Contacts in Australia

Seforosa Carroll (sefc@bigpond.com)

Vinnie Ravetali (vravetali62@yahoo.com)

Salesi Faupula (salesif@nsw.uca.org.au)

Filimone Oliveti (filimone7@optisnet.com.au)

Jione Havea (jhavea@csu.edu.au)

Katalina Tahaafe-Williams (katalinatw@nsw.uca.org.au)

Liva Tukutama (livasoffice@netspeed.com.au)

[1] When someone from the South Seas shares a talanoa (story), it is not just about sharing information and entertaining listeners. A talanoa also has to do with locating identity (in space and in relationships), with offering instructions (to listeners), with explaining struggles and journeys, with customs and rituals, with hope and more. Sharing of talanoa can also make storytellers and their people vulnerable, as if they have become telenoa (Samoan: naked), so it is a sharing that needs to be offered and received responsibly.

1. TANGI MO'ONI HOTO FAKAPO
KO 'ENI E TAU KUO KAPA HE
'AKILOTOA SI'OKU LOTO FALE
KOHAI MO KITA SI'A NOFO 'AUHE

2. 'ISE'ISA E HE ME'A MAMAHI
KO E NOFO MO E 'AMANAKI
FAKA'AMU PE KEKE 'ILO'IA MAI
SI'EKU PAEA MO E 'OFA NI

3. KO 'EKU FEHU'I LAUNOA PE
KI HE FIHI'ANGA 'O E MAILE
'A E FAKAMA'U HE 'ALETALE
HE'IKAI TEU LAVA SI'ANO VETE

Tau
HALA TOULIKI E KUO LAVA
HEVA E MANATU SI'OTO KAKALA
'ISA HE LOTO NI KUO TAKAVAHA
HUNGALU 'O PEA 'I LOTO MOANA.

1. TATAKI E SINGA 'OI PEA KE MANATU
SI'OTO 'ONIPA NEU 'AI KE NGALO 'IA AU

2. HULU 'A E 'OFA NA IA SI'ENE HAVALA
LOTO KEU HE 'I HA POTU 'OKU LALA

3. KA KO PALOVEPI 'OKU NE KEI TALA
KO SI'O SINO NA KO SI'OTO VALE'ANGA

Tau.
VALE'ANGA

1. LISIONE KUO TE SI'I 'AKILOTOA
SI'EKU 'OFA NI 'OKU KEI PULONGA
KO E FE SI'A LAFI'ANGA KO SI'O FOFONGA
KO E MAUMAU E 'ELILI PEA MO E LOKA

2. ANGI E MATANGI KATE 'UNALOTO PE
HE KUO KE VETEKINA 'ETA TALITE
'E TAKAUNOVE TEU SI'I FEFE?
HE KO SI'ETE TOKI TOFA VAHA 'ATA E

3. 'ILO 'E HA TAUKEI 'I HE TESITEMENITI
BRIGHT SI'O FOFONGA KO HOKU PALATAISI
SLAVE HOKU MAFU FONU 'I HE ONGOSIA
KA MAFULI E KANIVA ME'A FAKAMALA'IA

Tau
'AMUSIA PE MU'A HAO TUKUNGA MEESI
KA HE'IKAI TEU TOE VETEKI 'ETA PALOMESI
KO HOTO TAPU-KELI-SIO'ATA HE 'UNIVEESI
NEONGO HO'O MA'OLUNGA HANGE KO 'EVALESI.

1. TEU SANI MOU VIKI,FU'U TOTO KO E KOMAKI
    FAI'ANGA IA E LINGI MAMAHI
   'ISA E TOKOTOKO 'O E MAFI
   TEU HIKITA KA LAU MATAKALI
   TUE TEU(2X including bass)
   TEU TAPUNI MALU E TAFE
   TAPU E KOLOSI MO E VAKE
   TALA KE MAHINO HO SIAKALE
   HOTO NO'O LOTO HE FAKATETE

2. TEU FAKATU'UTA,'OFA LOI KO E FU'U TOTO
KO HOTO KAKALA TAU'AKI LOTO
TALATALAIFALE KE MAHINO
'ILO HOTO IVI HE ANGA HOTO POTO
HA!HA!(including bass)
HOLA KE VAVE NA'A KE TAFIA
HE KO E KALIA 'ENI 'O E HA'A TIKA
TUKU 'A E TAMULEA MO E KAILA
MO E FOALEA HE FAIVA MUSIKA

Tau
PAINI-TU'U-UA 'ENI KUO HOPO KI TU'A
KE FAKAMAHINO ANGA 'A HONO 'ALUNGA
TUPOU EFU TONGA KO E 'OVAVA TUPU'A
TAPUHA KE ALEA MO HA TU'A(2X whole above)
FOTU 'A IKA TA'ANE 'API KO MATA'U TULIKI
FAI'ANGA IA 'O 'EMAU FAKAFEKIKI
'OKA OSO PEA TAVA, 'A E HALA PAINI
VAI TUIMATE, HE VAI KO POKOUA
TUPU'ANGA IA 'O 'EKU KAUFANA
KO E LE'O E KALIA, 'O E TAMAHA
KE TU'U I PANGAI, PIKI-PEA-VELA.

Author: Unknown

1. SI'I HUNI 'O 'ATUMATA
FIO'ANGA E LAINE KAKALA
'ALAHA NGANGATU KO E MO'ONIA
PEFIUME 'O E HALA KASIA

2. HUHULU NE 'IKAI 'AO'AOFIA
HO'O HA 'I HE 'ATIMOSIFIA
IFO LEVA 'ETE SIUTAKA
HONO 'EA NE ANGI FAKALATA

Tau

KO SI'OTO KAKALA TAULEVA
KO E KALONIAHI 'O 'ATUMATA
FOKOTU'U 'O MATALA
KO HONO TOLI HE'IKAI LAVA
MATANGIA E 'OFA PEA NEU HE
HE TAULA E NAPA'A LILO E
UKU 'A FAFINE 'O 'ILO MEI HE
E MOANA 'OKU 'IKAI HANO TAKELE

Author: Unknown

1. PUIPUIANGE MO HOU'EIKI
KAU LEA'AKI SI'ETE FIFILI
KI HE ANGA 'O 'ETE VIVILI
KE SANITUNGUA 'O E NOFO TAIMI

2. MO'UI NI KO E FISI'I 'AKAU
HOPO E LA'A PEA NE NGANGATU
EFIAFI PEA PULI ATU
KO E HA LEVA HA'O LAU 'AU

3. MAMANI KO E FO'I NOA PE
TAKANGA MO MATE PEA 'IKU KI FE
TAU HOLA KI HE FALE 'O VAVE
FAKANONGA PEA MAHINO ANGE

TAU
KEKE TATAKI ATU AU
HOKU NIMA HE HALA
KI HE MO'UI TA'ENGATA.

Author: Unknown

1. SI'OTO SEI FE'OFA'AKI, TOLI HE HALA KOULA
KO HO KAHOA KO E, LOU PAINI-TU'U-UA
KO E LANU 'OKU HA, IA 'I HE 'UMATA
KO E FAKA'ILONGA, 'ETA TUKUPA

2. 'ISE'ISA 'OKA, MALU'AKI MAI 'A E PO
PEA TEU FAKA'AMUA, KE FEOHI MAI HE LOTO
NEU FIU HE 'UKUMA, 'O IKAI KE NGALO
'A HO'O TO'ONGA, TA KO E FAKAPO

3. NEU LAU KO E KOLOA, 'EKU MATA HO FOFONGA
KAE LELU AI SI'EKU, NOFO HE POTU MA'ONGANOA
PEA NEONGO 'E 'IKAI, LAU KI HA'O 'OFA
KAE SI'I TUKU A, KEU MATE AI A

TAU
'AMUSIA E MATANGI TOKELAU
PE KO E LA'A HE PEA MO E MAHINA
'OKU FAI 'A SI'ONAU FATONGIA
KI HE SINO 'O SI'OKU 'OFA'ANGA

Author: Unknown

1. TULOU,TULOU,TULOU MOE KUKUVALU
PILAMITI TUPU'A 'O E FANGATAPU
'ISA HO LANGI NA FAFA 'IA AU
KAU FAKAME'ITE MO LAU MAAU
FATA NI KE TALA PEA LAUKAU
'ISA TOPUVA'E'ANGA 'O E HAU

2. MO'UNGA 'O TONGA HE NA'A NE TALA
'OMI 'A E MOTO HO TA-PA-'I-FA
TALU AI SI'I KAKAU 'I VAHA
'A E KAIVAI 'O HA LEI FATA
PULEPULE KAI 'O HA KAU SUKA
LATA AU 'I HE VAO NUKONUKA

3. PULOTU NE FANA-FANA KIA AU
'A SI'OTA HUA FUOLOA FAU
PEA KAMO 'EKU MAAMA HE AVA-HUNGALU
'A E KOLO KAKALA LANGA E MANATU
'ISE'ISA E TOA, TOA KO MA'AFU
KEFUKEFU 'O E FOKOLOLO 'O E HAU(2X)