tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88581972012-01-27T22:01:19.830+11:00Reflections, thoughts off-the-beaten-path and (in)digestion of current events by a hospital chaplain from Indiana (where we're called Hoosiers) who moved to Australia in June 2008. Taking faith seriously, trying to make a real difference in the lives of people, and seeking to maintain a "balanced" perspective by clowning around on a unicycle and twisting animal balloons as my alter ego: "Clair de L'uni" are some of my favourite ways to journey through life. Grandfatherhood is also exhilarating!Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.comBlogger2931100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-84415966246655096162012-01-27T21:48:00.000+11:002012-01-27T21:49:51.194+11:00

President Obama's State of the Union address framed and endorsed hydraulic fracturing (fracking) of shale deposits as a clean energy strategy (it also endorsed opening up "more than 75 percent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources"): [...] Nowhere is the promise of innovation greater than in American-made energy. Over the last three years, we've opened millions of new acres for oil and

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-3463964986859642072012-01-19T15:45:00.000+11:002012-01-23T14:32:29.760+11:00

This message is for our local Canberra network of friends in particular:  It's time for us to get creative in developing a solution to a particularly vexing and urgent need of ours. So here goes - exploring whether a bit of creative "social networking" will help us.  (I've posted the following on Facebook.)  The couple for whom we had plans to house/pet sit all of February have informed us that

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-1966166396397991992012-01-19T10:44:00.000+11:002012-01-27T22:01:19.842+11:00

Here is an interview at the Sydney (Australia) Writers' Festival in May 2011.  It features one of the most extraordinary human stories you're likely to encounter. Izzeldin Abuelaish is a Palestinian doctor and infertility expert who was born and raised in the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. He trained in Egypt, London, Israel, Italy, Belgium and the US, and spent most of his working life

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-19152177227130248282012-01-19T07:28:00.003+11:002012-01-19T09:31:34.480+11:00

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-61043550830378597892012-01-13T16:51:00.001+11:002012-01-13T17:01:19.164+11:00

Today I sent the following as a letter to the editor of the main newspaper here in Canberra, asking that if they choose not to print it (due to it's length) that they seriously consider writing their own editorial to help bring the public's attention around on this issue.   I hope my friends who share these convictions will follow suit in their own contexts, as I fear that we have entered very

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-49993506933033898672012-01-09T09:31:00.005+11:002012-01-09T18:31:10.473+11:00

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-72066109493638651932011-12-27T17:54:00.003+11:002011-12-27T17:54:38.636+11:00

Benton, the water boy - Christmas 2011

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-89489779184597797912011-12-04T00:42:00.001+11:002011-12-04T00:45:59.932+11:00

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-77179501639906691742011-11-27T19:26:00.001+11:002011-11-28T09:16:30.968+11:00

5 Lessons of U.S. Plan for a Permanent Military Presence in Australia By Max Fisher Nov 10, 2011 What Obama's plan to build a marine base here means for China, Japan, Afghanistan, and global politics An Australian naval officer watches a frigate arrive in Darwin / Reuters The U.S. has arranged with Australia to install a permanent military presence near the northern Australian

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-21488906354935603962011-10-25T02:38:00.000+11:002011-10-25T07:28:48.905+11:00

Should we really be celebrating the President Obama's declaration of an end of the “war” in Iraq? So yes, a decision, long overdue, was finally made that all the troops are supposed to leave by the end of the year. BUT the troops remain in Afghanistan. And we are in essence simply contracting out an ongoing military presence to mercenaries - the continuation of our current policy to "ensure

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-84895500470277539962011-10-14T19:44:00.000+11:002011-10-14T19:44:41.079+11:00

It’s wonderful to feel some sort of connection with an alumnus from the same university where I graduated who received a Nobel Peace Prize this year!  If I were in America now, instead of back in Canberra already, I would be shaking Leymah Gbowee’s hand sometime this weekend at our annual “Homecoming” in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. 

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-16503121437068694032011-10-10T22:21:00.000+11:002011-10-10T22:23:36.891+11:00

Is the world too big to fail? -Chomsky

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-4125546049484683022011-10-10T19:05:00.001+11:002011-10-10T21:27:51.785+11:00

Paul Krugman has so hit the nail on the head with his latest op-ed in the New York Times, exposing hypocrisy of the highest order. And it's refreshing to read the text of this powerful speech Naomi Klein delivered at the OWS rally in NYC Thursday night - or at least what she was hoping to deliver had the authorities allowed amplification - which forced the speakers to be all-to-brief as 20,000

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-29193586258545610802011-10-07T06:14:00.003+11:002011-10-07T06:54:26.994+11:00

In some very touching remarks Steven Jobs made during his memorable commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005, he considered his own death and envisioned how his last years at Apple could become his finest (which they were!) "Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-79350937502062456002011-10-07T00:29:00.004+11:002011-10-07T08:49:18.868+11:00

What do they want?  (click on that for a good response) ----------------------------------------------------- "I Am That Voice" - a Poem from Spain by Amado I am the voice that gathers the shouts of the distressed, the voice that rise your yearning and takes it to the place where the insatiable liar concealed in his walls watches you from his fear and ever bleed your dove. Behind their

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-4360341498081051662011-07-14T02:35:00.001+10:002011-10-06T19:30:17.724+11:00

A few recent excerpts from "Talking Points" by Phyllis Bennis at the Institute for Policy Studies in the U.S. (Source: http://www.ips-dc.org/ )... The dog days of summer have socked in, with Washington’s heat and humidity made far worse by the hot air coming out of corporate board rooms and hearing rooms and White House and Capitol conference rooms, as DC’s powerful debate the budget crisis. One

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-61438474719241509312011-07-10T13:54:00.008+10:002011-07-10T15:20:48.730+10:00

Introduction by Sonja Karkar, Editor, Australians for Palestine: While the title of the following article addresses the US  and Europe, Australia is no less guilty of responding to the Zionist lobby’s  corrupting influences.  While most of the citizenry remains oblivious to the political machinations of our government, there is a growing awareness that “something is rotten in the state of Denmark

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-68191280017852932542011-07-06T23:54:00.003+10:002011-07-07T00:10:07.516+10:00

The statement below was released today and unequivocally sends a clear message to the Zionist lobby, that complaints of “discrimination”,  “false propaganda” and “hate speech” whenever criticism of Israel is launched, is contrary to freedom of expression and political speech and that the evidence clearly shows Israel to be an apartheid state.  That this decision was reached in South Africa is

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-53494405281118546202011-07-06T09:43:00.003+10:002011-07-06T23:48:52.295+10:00

Highlighting the action of some committed friends of mine, several of which are affilated with the Anabaptist Association of Australia and New Zealand and with CPT AustralAsia:  They pled guilty as charged in court yesterday and the sympathetic judge simply released them immediately. Would that happen in America today?  This is the lead story today in a Geelong newspaper today.  Below is a video

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-25079224949672204742011-05-23T19:06:00.000+10:002011-05-23T19:06:50.599+10:00

If you only read one article about recent developments in the Coalition forces' war on Afghanistan, then read this one even though by now it's two months old.  It's meticulously researched by "Afghans for Peace" (warning: it's heartbreaking) but you won't likely read much about THIS in the newspapers. So, we are there to improve security, and win over hearts and minds.  Can anyone say this

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-25156572548007267472011-04-14T08:22:00.005+10:002011-04-15T23:53:48.844+10:00

Sung by "Spare Parts" from the Lancaster PA area -- a modified version of words (and tune) originally written by Andy Shelly of Kansas. He wrote it while a student at Bethel College and his original version was laced with General Conference-related names and places. Of course now it's been "transformed" by Spare Parts.  Regardless, listening to this - especially the exquisite harmony - sort of

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-46755735508301481032011-03-25T14:58:00.010+11:002011-03-27T19:02:12.481+11:00

America is obscenely wasting billions of dollars every week in Afghanistan, and the Obama administration is actually hard pressed to explain why.  A few weeks ago journalist Chris Hellman, writing for Tomdispatch, calculated that the real annual US military budget is $1.2 trillion -- an astounding and virtually unfathomable number. This is an amount that would solve virtually every fiscal

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-67243592980326213582011-03-01T21:50:00.002+11:002011-03-01T21:57:40.354+11:00

Friends, In case you haven't stumbled across this powerful story yet, I thought it was worth passing along.   Gene Sharp, now 83 years old and living in East Boston MA, is a very shy and quiet man. Ever hear of him before? I hadn't - to my chagrin.  I certainly should have been paying better attention.   Gene is considered the world's foremost contemporary expert on non-violent revolution and

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-85733951217098653802011-02-19T14:30:00.001+11:002011-02-19T14:30:44.128+11:00

About eight years ago a wild Australian Sulphur Crested Cockatoo flew into a car and broke its wing. The motorist took it to the Vet in Nerang, Queensland, who had to amputate the wing.  We adopted her - for which we needed a National Parks and Wildlife permit - and kept her in a cage outside where she was often visited by wild Cockatoos.  One of the things that impressed us was how she would

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-8789884269181655362011-02-19T12:45:00.004+11:002011-02-19T12:49:16.568+11:00

I identify strongly with the sentiments of this Indiana writer. Read the whole article here... and don't miss some very thoughtful comments below the article!  -Clair"I love Indiana. I love driving through cornfields, playing Euchre, and getting swept up in basketball-mania. I come from a proud line of Hoosiers who faithfully watch the Indianapolis 500 and can sing all the verses to “Back Home

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-3223290835927707092011-02-05T14:15:00.000+11:002011-02-05T14:15:55.439+11:00

This is a very BIG problem in Australia.  How is that, you ask.... Read this report from ICAN.  However, there is a practical, workable solution to the problem of proliferating nuclear weaponry around the world.  Read this. Please get on board, friends, and support this strategy.  Our lives - and the lives of our descendants - depend on it! Clair

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-8682572630826048222011-02-03T00:46:00.018+11:002011-02-06T01:42:15.790+11:00

People hearing about the massive cyclone Yasi hitting Australia have been wondering if we are OK.  Well, Carole Anne and I are quite safe here in the largest inland city - in fact the only major inland city in this whole country. [Note: I added that descriptor in italics after a local friend corrected me when I somewhat carelessly noted in the first version of this column that we live in "the

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-72402613621684665492011-01-31T21:51:00.011+11:002011-02-02T18:23:05.780+11:00

Here is the vision outlined in brief by my friend, the persistent peacemaker, master lantern maker, and experienced event organizer, Graeme Dunstan. This vision first emerged during a gathering of peacemakers at Silver Wattle on the edge of Lake George last year over Anzac Weekend. (See the background report on all that right here.) For those interested in joining the action in Canberra,

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-56124842097282763792011-01-28T21:19:00.001+11:002011-01-28T21:21:54.573+11:00

Living afar and not hearing it live, I was quite intrigued by reading these two analyses of the State of the Union address by the POTUS earlier this week. Sin, Sacrifice and the State of the Union Religion in Politics: "The State of the Future" And...to highlight all the weirdness and "drift" in the ever-changing landscape of American politics (more easily perceived from a vantage point outside

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-48308131812694765792011-01-26T04:32:00.001+11:002011-01-26T04:40:11.271+11:00

The Create Space team realizes that a book about Gene’s writings on peacemaking is niche. As such, we have taken 3 concrete steps to help you easily introduce this book and the topic of peacemaking to your friends and family:  1. A video clip promoting Create Space for Peace at www.createspaceforpeace.info. This 2-min clip has received rave reviews. It distills peacemaking succinctly and

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-47877283117593368232011-01-26T03:29:00.000+11:002011-01-26T03:29:20.587+11:00

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-38670435020719331302011-01-11T10:01:00.000+11:002011-01-11T10:01:31.737+11:00

It is a frequent complaint among opinion makers in the United States that the global Muslim community does not condemn and prevent terrorism. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has even said that Islam needs a civil war similar to the one the United States fought in order to deal with its extremists. But the truth is that moderate and progressive Muslims all over the world are battling

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-54936256747480045752011-01-10T10:33:00.000+11:002011-01-10T10:33:58.323+11:00

In view of the terrible violence in Arizona on the weekend, I want to quote parts of what Mark Karlin, editor of BuzzFlash at Truthout wrote yesterday: Where does one start in the wake of the political killing spree that occurred in Arizona on Saturday?With John Wilkes Booth putting a bullet into the head of Abraham Lincoln? With the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy? With the

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-75360823014880847722011-01-03T22:55:00.004+11:002011-01-03T23:15:02.611+11:00

If you know someone traveling for a while, kindly copy and pass along this link to our basic advert offering house/pet caring services in the Canberra-ACT Region! http://tinyurl.com/275jtqn

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-16402754314505116892010-12-25T09:03:00.007+11:002011-01-01T13:56:25.911+11:00

Just click on the photo itself to advance the slides...

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-45142810597913168232010-12-25T08:07:00.000+11:002011-01-01T13:53:54.725+11:00

I wish Barack Obama would take a page from MLK, Jr. in regards to Afghanistan and some of the other wars America still keeps propping up.  Here's but one excerpt: "It's one of the strangest things that all the great military geniuses of the world have talked about peace. The conquerors of old who came killing in pursuit of peace, Alexander, Julius Caesar, Charlemagne, and Napoleon, were akin in

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-25608693115371939352010-12-23T21:24:00.002+11:002010-12-24T08:42:07.503+11:00

I hope sharing this story far and wide will help the people understand that most Palestinians are not "terrorists," that a substantial portion of the Arab population there are Christians, and that in any case there are many good examples locally where - in spite of all the oppression the population has to sustain - mutual respect and inter-faith relationships are valued and flourish!  Witness the

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-11143210122908082172010-12-23T20:46:00.001+11:002010-12-23T20:54:06.739+11:00

Carol our Christmas, an upside down Christmas; snow is not falling and trees are not bare. Carol the summer, and welcome the Christ Child, warm in our sunshine and sweetness of air. Sing of the gold and the green and the sparkle, water and river and lure of the beach. Sing in the happiness of open spaces, sing a nativity summer can reach! Shepherds and musterers move over hillsides,

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-1727036821145269382010-12-17T07:44:00.010+11:002010-12-18T19:25:06.879+11:00

Click on THIS for our 2010 Christmas Greeting for family and friends scattered around the world  It includes a Silent Night theme (animation by Jacquie Lawson) and a poignant piece by Australian poet/writer Noel Davis which I embedded at the end.  And don't forget to click on the interesting part explaining "more about the music!"  Enjoy! And now for a nice world-wide Christmas "collage" from

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-84725551293419219002010-11-25T11:26:00.030+11:002010-11-26T09:06:36.570+11:00

Friends around the world: I'm sharing this in response to receiving a deep heartfelt plea (see below) for prayer and support from a good friend - Titus Oyeyemi.  He is Nigerian with a Pentecostal background and a Master of Arts in Peace Studies from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary - and now completing his doctorate degree while working constantly to build the peace with one foot in

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-28527167316366116682010-11-23T14:19:00.000+11:002010-11-23T14:19:20.532+11:00

Yep - it's virtually summer here in the land of Oz now, school holidays are just around the corner, and no one even thinks about Thanksgiving - unless you are Americans like us!  But we do have a LOT to be thankful for this year - in spite of the fact that yesterday Carole Anne went to her favorite grocery store to check out turkey prices and - would you believe - a turkey BREAST (no, not the

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-61406793090077599162010-11-22T14:21:00.004+11:002010-11-22T14:45:19.843+11:00

Posted today, at Crikey: When Prime Minister Julia Gillard met President Barack Obama for the first time last week, Gillard reminded the world that the US and Australia were "great mates" and Obama in turn affirmed: "The United States does not have a closer or better ally than Australia." US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went one step further during her recent visit, whispering in our ear

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-41007564006901742452010-11-19T16:54:00.004+11:002010-11-20T09:37:08.542+11:00

And it sounds like we'll be hearing more from her in the future! The very last minute or so of the interview is quite interesting.

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-54372276273383726302010-11-19T14:32:00.008+11:002010-11-23T18:57:07.495+11:00

Dear Friends,  The concept of BDS is something in which everyone can engage at a personal level - even if not involved at the corporate or investments levels - but it gets controversial when you call for it publicly.  You have to be prepared for passionate people from the other side of the fence who might  wave the false flag of antisemitism in your face!  What follows might help. Today I

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-59517828176303499632010-11-19T11:11:00.000+11:002010-11-19T11:11:44.921+11:00

A TSA "firestorm" has ignited in America due to proliferating stories about extremely aggressive and invasive "pat-downs" of airport passengers with safety concerns who refuse to go through the "Blue Boxes" which involve backscatter technology and full-body scans. And now....the airline pilots and flight crews are raising very serious and justifiable concerns, as well.  But could the real

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-16917687850356032892010-11-17T03:18:00.011+11:002010-11-17T06:15:27.954+11:00

Question 1: There were three beams of light shining in New York City this year on 9/11 instead of two.  Did you hear about that?    Question 2: Did you know that over 1300 verified architectural and engineering professionals have concluded that WTC Building 7 did a free-fall due to controlled demolition (was NOT hit by a plane) and have signed a petition calling for a new truly independent

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-86836159788301743372010-11-13T06:47:00.002+11:002010-11-13T06:56:00.124+11:00

The poet Grace Noll Crowell (1877 -1969) was once very well known, but now somehow a lot of of her work shows up as "author unknown."  I'm sharing her "Prayer for Courage" below as inspiration for those of us who often find ourselves in the cross-hairs of controversy and anger people often instinctively fling our way -- especially, for example, when taking unpopular but morally-principled stands

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-66342504634411354712010-10-31T17:11:00.020+11:002010-11-01T20:24:47.680+11:00

ANZAC Peacemakers Lantern Vigil at the Australian War Memorial - 24 April 2011 In order to fully grasp what this is all about, I encourage you to first click on the "Australian Quaker Centre" link contained further below in my friend Graeme Dunstan's letter - or here - for background on what you are about to read.  Graeme originally trained as a cadet at Duntroon, but then, instead of becoming a

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-56928691206290326592010-10-24T15:07:00.003+11:002010-10-25T16:21:11.327+11:00

Even though 10.10.10 has come and gone, click on the various categories at the bottom to get a good idea of what's involved.  Especially check out the "video" and "music" sections: The global prayer for Micah 2010 echoes the themes of Nehemiah who fasted and prayed day and night before he embarked on the mighty task of restoring the walls of Jerusalem.  The following prayer was utilized in

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-31421094057178122572010-10-08T01:24:00.015+11:002010-10-09T03:53:52.460+11:00

Emotionally, it feels to me like we're near the "apex" of this trip around the world which began the 10th of September and included a day in Singapore, three days in Paris, and some time around Northern Italy - like a week at Lake Como (including a day-trip by Bernina Express train to St. Moritz Switzerland), several days around Verona and Lago de Guarda, then half a week in Venice.  It just kept

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-37906373666747112252010-09-21T21:56:00.012+10:002010-09-22T02:45:26.225+10:00

At the moment I writing from the Il Griso Hotel, near Lecco, on the shores of Lake Como (in northern Italy) where Carole Anne and I have been staying since last Friday. Click here for a "taste" of the glorious view I shot from our hotel room using our little camera with movie-maker capability. The first two days were rainy, but it's been great for us since. Yesterday we took the famed "Bernina

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-17528963012561752192010-09-06T02:05:00.003+10:002010-09-06T02:07:51.301+10:00

To read my interview by Lucy Baker published in the 28 Aug 2010 Canberra Times click here. Photo provided/copyrighted by The Canberra Times & posted here with specific permission.  In other words, you can't copy and save this photo or publish it anywhere else without contacting them first:  library_acct@canberratimes.com.au  (Anyone can download the article though, with the low-res photo)

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-63749374806724831962010-09-01T20:22:00.001+10:002010-09-01T20:34:57.099+10:00

I think this should be required reading. And for those hiding under a rock the last month, this would also provide good background! -Clair

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-28392534518118170052010-09-01T18:32:00.002+10:002010-09-01T18:36:37.129+10:00

I was struck by George Clooney‘s speech at Sunday’s Emmys awards which I watched online because - let's face it - for people living here in AUS it was broadcast live during the middle of our Monday morning! There is a lot wrong with TV these days, but Clooney has definitely done something right, and in a sustained manner.  He has used the power of television to raise money where it is needed

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-76082652145688135682010-08-31T17:58:00.006+10:002010-09-01T20:19:57.909+10:00

This article - "Eastering in the Rubble" - will provide some insight. Are any readers here involved (or in touch with others involved) in providing pastoral care and other supports there?  I would like to hear more.    And then when they say that the death and devastation anticipated in Pakistan NOW is worse than the COMBINED EFFECTS of that earthquake in Haiti plus the loss of life and

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-32371530089190893872010-08-11T20:03:00.007+10:002010-08-12T19:50:46.401+10:00

The following examples, most of which come from a well-researched story on "Christian Crusaders" in Harper's Magazine, May 2009 issue, may help explain why I personally... 1) find this to be theologically problematic: whenever offensive (in every sense of that term) military endeavours get construed as enforcing "God's will" and 2) feel that chaplains in the military can quite easily have

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-85608073460180270842010-08-09T10:40:00.001+10:002010-08-09T10:41:02.868+10:00

It's about you!

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-23571952770676689012010-07-31T12:24:00.005+10:002010-07-31T12:46:32.858+10:00

I think this essay is very important reading. Professor Bacevich - a retired colonel in the US Army - synthesizes the macro, the big picture of where the American empire has now arrived (or descended, depending upon one's point of view!) He concludes with a very crucial question our leaders in Washington DC, and other collaborators in London, Canberra and Jerusalem, etc, seemingly refuse to ask

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-15100512893564504662010-07-25T09:22:00.002+10:002010-07-25T10:24:44.742+10:00

I've had my "vocabulary" significantly expanded - living here awash in truncated Aussie lingo!

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-55806873353057366332010-07-12T21:46:00.002+10:002010-07-12T21:49:49.819+10:00

Congrats to Spain for sure, but this is commentator pretty much sums up how I felt about the overall tournament: Jesse Fink (SBS TV) Evaluates The World Cup in South Africa-Clair

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-22301214883898678172010-07-12T20:00:00.002+10:002010-07-12T20:08:48.103+10:00

My friend Doug Hynd has posted an excellent piece over at his blog called Subversive Voices which I think all Aussie readers would do well to absorb and discuss:The poor will suffer - again-Clair

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-50966903517673390062010-07-11T17:27:00.021+10:002010-08-03T10:09:00.621+10:00

Presenting my first grand child - Benton James Boley - arrived just after noon on Saturday the 10th of July, Chicago time! (3:28 am Sunday, Canberra time.) Justin, the proud daddy, reported shortly thereafter that my daughter Megan and their new little guy whom I had been referring to as the "rolly poly baby Boley" (due to the SIZE Megan got during the later stages of pregnancy - witness this

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-32667642966240900632010-07-07T18:46:00.003+10:002010-07-07T18:57:26.583+10:00

Below are the first two paragraphs of an excerpt from an important new book: The American Way of War: How Bush's Wars Became Obama's by Tom Engelhardt (Haymarket, 2010) It illustrates American "Full Spectrum Dominance" - the U.S.'s jaw-dropping transformation into a global military empire. Not really news to anyone who has been paying any attention at all for the last ten years, but still....

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-56832058561065426622010-06-05T16:04:00.001+10:002010-06-05T16:05:46.278+10:00

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-88508358349717442892010-06-05T15:46:00.002+10:002010-06-05T15:50:32.087+10:00

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-88341294284602400222010-05-27T00:17:00.005+10:002010-05-27T00:27:18.573+10:00

Have you heard yet? I'm going to be an authentic grandpa for the first time soon - somewhere around the end of July. I've been a step-grandfather for 12 years but this is MY daughter Megan we're talkin' bout now, living in Chicago with husband Justin, who has just finished law school. Carole Anne and I are developing plans to stop in there to see the little feller and family in October on the

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-27553481367469764772010-05-26T20:23:00.012+10:002010-05-26T21:49:30.450+10:00

I'm sure that many of us have been following the eruption of Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull (no, I can't pronounce it correctly either!) But have you seen this incredible High Def video yet, which contains footage taken quite close in to the vent? It's some of the best visual material of explosive eruptive activity that I've ever seen! About 8 minutes long, the camera work is remarkable

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-48079342449473438142010-05-10T15:20:00.003+10:002010-05-10T16:41:07.067+10:00

That quip was made by John Fugelsang, one of America's well-known stand-up comics, who grew up as the son of a former nun and a Franciscan brother!I think it's brilliant - a good example of the sort of faith-based humour Jesus himself loved to spring on people, which often deployed the concept of surprise. This reference to Jesus in our contemporary political context - where discriminatory

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-20077791031958151202010-04-27T20:54:00.019+10:002010-07-20T02:33:20.673+10:00

The Cost of War reveals how the cost of the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, since 2001, are already fast approaching $1 trillion for taxpayers in the United States alone! Did you know that the current military budget of the US including the interest on borrowing to fund past military endeavors now consumes 48% of your Federal income taxes? (It's currently only 10% in Australia and but

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-61082578917264020962010-04-03T03:21:00.069+11:002011-07-10T14:04:17.591+10:00

In personal conversations or emails with friends I've received a number of good questions following a significant recent break-in on the 28th of March when a Nigerian cyber scammer siphoned out my entire Gmail address book! While through a combination of persistence and luck I was able to recover control of my Gmail account (though not my address book) and get a step ahead of that criminal

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-86472703305888475542010-04-02T18:06:00.002+11:002010-04-02T18:18:13.955+11:00

One Solitary Life was written by James A. Francis in 1926. Dr. Francis originally shared the story at the First Baptist Church of Los Angeles in a sermon, "Arise, Sir Knight." It was delivered on July 11, 1926 to the National Baptist Young Peoples Union. Later, Francis included it as the last sermon in his book, The Real Jesus And Other Sermons published by Judson Press in 1926. Rev. Francis

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-56581740521692874052010-03-31T09:03:00.037+11:002010-04-09T20:38:46.001+10:00

Friends, What do children look forward to when it comes around to Easter? That's right...so Carole Anne and I are sharing an artistic card we think will be enjoyed by "children of all ages" - whether at home or at school:Click here to see it -- or paste the link into your browser. (And don't miss the three extra pages at the end of it all with some very interesting history and tradition around

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-80657418696485809512010-03-29T21:16:00.005+11:002010-03-29T22:16:08.724+11:00

(A story I'm excerpting from an inspirational email I've received recently from Simple Truths)In her wonderful book, The Wealthy Spirit, Chellie Campbell describes how, when she was a girl, her mother taught her to play "The Glad Game." On days when Chellie came home from school complaining about something - a bully on the playground, a harsh teacher, a skinned knee, or difficult homework,

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-76956938372774885092010-03-29T10:59:00.002+11:002010-03-29T11:02:36.032+11:00

Dr. Bernard Sabella, Jerusalem In Jerusalem and the Holy Land, Easter takes on special significance. For Palestinian Christians and for thousands of pilgrims who commemorate the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, these events are reawakened in association with the same places Gethsemane, the Via Dolorosa, Golgotha and the Sepulcher of two thousand years ago. The story of Lazarus is the

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-55663287471550460262010-03-28T16:29:00.022+11:002010-03-29T15:49:37.615+11:00

Hello my friends, this is Clair back again in control of my own blog - for real this time - having recovered my email account by utilizing a secure computer (other than my own laptop.) Some "blankety-blank" cyber criminal from Nigeria hacked my password to my Gmail account and took over my personal email address book - with about 1900 distinct email addresses in it - plus impersonated me on my

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-71562182256704446312010-03-25T19:08:00.002+11:002010-03-26T00:35:04.076+11:00

Click here for a nice reflection about integrity and other keys for "success" in life.

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-1040612485520324092010-03-25T09:29:00.011+11:002010-03-26T02:44:46.664+11:00

Though I currently live within two blocks of the National War Memorial and the "ANZAC Parade" below it, where tens of thousands will soon gather again for the annual Dawn Service, here is where I hope to be on ANZAC Day this year:"Putting An End To War" - a 3-day workshop on personal resistance to war and military action. This conference will be held from 23-26 April, starting with Friday dinner

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-40933769361498949992010-03-17T21:09:00.003+11:002010-03-18T10:56:57.867+11:00

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-33258997358626167082010-03-17T19:03:00.005+11:002010-03-17T19:47:18.789+11:00

A few months back I read a Eureka Street article titled "The perverse skills of climate change deniers" - I noticed that a friend of mine (with whom I had never discussed this subject heretofore) had posted these comments: "I think a contrary view needs to be put. I believe climate change is always with us, but I am increasingly of the view that CO2 is not to blame. Recent empirical evidence (as

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-21694799516001280562010-03-11T01:47:00.004+11:002010-03-11T02:18:23.436+11:00

Michael and Ginny Hostetler, mentioned below, are long-time friends of mine. We three first met as teenagers and fellow collegians at Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia, where Mike and I graduated together, 35 years ago - Ginny a year later. See below a report on the 10th anniversary celebration of a very significant work they helped initiate in Nazareth, Israel. As noted in that article

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-87598623860437815772010-03-08T00:12:00.002+11:002010-03-08T00:36:10.893+11:00

What a hoot!Actually, I did find the original authentic footage on YouTube, off of which the above was based. So do enjoy:

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-12507321792883086872010-03-07T15:35:00.007+11:002010-03-07T17:01:40.891+11:00

In the video below, British chef Jamie Oliver delivers an impassioned plea for America (and the world) to embrace a healthier food movement. He was recently given the $100,000 TED prize for his work - so take some time to listen to his speech. If it's worth 100 grand to the TED committee, it's certainly worth something to the rest of us, as well. New Campaign to Fight the Deadly

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-77096401449971313142010-03-07T14:16:00.004+11:002010-03-07T15:21:12.207+11:00

"There's no medicine for someone like you."Quoting from the information accompanying the trailer (see below) this is "a dramatic tale of microbes, medicine & money, this eye-opening film investigates the untold story of Lyme disease, an emerging epidemic larger than AIDS. Each year thousands go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, told that their symptoms are 'all in their head.'Following the stories

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-86091245402020076022010-03-02T20:54:00.004+11:002010-03-02T21:12:23.657+11:00

Ok, my friends, below are four (4) questions plus a bonus question. You have to answer them instantly. You can't take your time...just answer all of them immediately. OK?Let's find out just how clever you really are....Ready? GO!!! (scroll down)First Question:You are participating in a race! You overtake the second person. What position are you in?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-2273379806867204912010-03-02T17:27:00.001+11:002010-03-02T17:27:34.043+11:00

Bethel College's unveiling on Jan. 18 of the recently recoveredrecording of Martin Luther King's Jan. 21, 1960, speech in MemorialHall, North Newton, Kan., generated quite a buzz.The coverage on local TV stations and particularly by National PublicRadio in the Jan. 18 national broadcast of "Morning Edition," alongwith the playing of the recording to a packed house in KrehbielAuditorium, brought

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-85150330479515281972010-02-25T14:18:00.003+11:002010-02-25T14:51:37.182+11:00

Read the following for insightful succinct commentary on a 6-point analysis of President Obama's "application" of the Just War theory - by Daniel C. Maguire, a Professor of Moral Theological Ethics at Marquette University.And is Australia, led by the Rudd government, blindly following-on with this Bush/Obama strategy??!!............The Institute for Public Accuracy posted, on 17 Dec. 2009, these

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-59794090259024846992010-02-11T19:03:00.006+11:002010-02-11T19:47:56.291+11:00

It might interest you to know that I'm a 9th generation direct descendant of Jacob Hochstetler, who came to America by ship in 1738 at the age of 26 (my daughter's current age) settling near Reading, PA. He became one of the leaders of one of the earliest (if not THE earliest) Amish Mennonite settlements in "the new world." However, in 1757 a family tragedy unfolded as a result of sticking to

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-22373687623922475222010-02-01T22:17:00.004+11:002010-02-01T22:23:39.180+11:00

Huge glass art set to dazzle "the world" - and later on to be installed in a new part of our hospital! Read this for more.

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-35021681267797800702010-01-29T16:15:00.002+11:002010-01-29T16:18:50.684+11:00

In honor of Howard Zinn, who passed away January 27, 2010:"We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.""Any humane and reasonable person must conclude that if the ends, however desirable, are uncertain and the means are horrible and certain, these means must not be employed.

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-46419369562055282482010-01-28T20:06:00.008+11:002010-01-28T21:28:54.627+11:00

Today I learned of Howard Zinn's heart attack and subsequent death on Wednesday, January 27 - in the United States, that is. I think time will prove him to be one of the greatest American historians - Howard was a real progressive hero of mine. I can't believe he was 87. I hope I have even half his energy and wits if I ever reach that age!Below find an initial tribute to Howard on the Democracy

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-32790955895014644432010-01-25T17:32:00.022+11:002010-03-07T17:40:21.697+11:00

This cartoon got published in some newspapers around Latin America nine days after the Haiti earthquake struck that country on the 12th of January, 2010Translation: "Cuba, Venezuela, Spain, and other countries send in the medical brigades; the Yankees send in the troops.""It must be so they won't go out of character."---(The cartoonist, Alfredo Martirena Hernández, was born in 1965 in Santa

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-61848524169284954712010-01-22T19:34:00.007+11:002010-01-22T20:09:41.996+11:00

Wireless Hazards Panel - Columbia University Law School from ElectromagneticHealth.Org on Vimeo.Witnesses before a Senate Committee testified about research into cell phone use and its potential impact on human health, as well as the potential side effects such as brain and salivary gland tumors.In 2008, cell phones were identified as a contributor to salivary gland tumors. Dr. Siegal Sadetzki,

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-76256336346773569102010-01-20T10:46:00.009+11:002010-01-20T11:39:29.756+11:00

Some people view the 1960s in America as a "do your own thing" era, whereas in reality it was an era of brutal political repression including the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Malcom X, and Martin Luther King, among many others.Few probably remember this, but a court that examined official evidence in the Martin Luther King assassination determined James Earl Ray was NOT

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-88054489508746078572010-01-19T07:48:00.018+11:002010-01-25T18:51:58.399+11:00

National Public Radio picked up a great story on MLK Day this year about how a recording of his 1960 speech at Bethel (Mennonite) College in Newton, Kansas was rediscovered from the personal collection of Randy Harmison, now a retired engineer. Randy had the foresight to make a reel-to-reel recording as a student there when it happened, but only recently had his memory jogged that he'd kept it

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-26194345784133032092010-01-18T18:18:00.002+11:002010-01-18T18:27:28.050+11:00

The State Department (USA) continues to say that the best way to help the people of Haiti is to give money. They are now requesting that we direct people to InterAction, a large coalition of US-based international nongovernmental organizations, to do so. Volunteer opportunities in Haiti continue to be limited to people with specific skills. If you have the expertise needed, you can register your

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-54928763332947581272010-01-10T20:22:00.012+11:002010-01-11T09:57:37.831+11:00

To give you some of its "flavor" what follows is a section I've excerpted from near the beginning of a rather longish introduction to the NCI which the journalists behind it "designed as a kind of fact-focus telescope, with correlated lenses to transform information fragments into comprehensive, high definition views" : "Though they reappear in numerous NCI profiles, at first they don’t seem

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-75289428728870367022010-01-10T16:53:00.004+11:002010-01-10T16:57:25.144+11:00

In the aftermath of the Copenhagen Climate Conference in December, one thing's for sure: "We're not done yet!" A number of young adults connected to the Australian Youth Climate Coalition made this brilliantly clear with this powerful video message they sent to world leaders. I thought it was worth reposting here, because they express how I feel:

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-79341310402797877352010-01-08T18:57:00.010+11:002010-01-08T19:25:35.414+11:00

Well, how do you like my "new look" for 2010? I've done a number of kids' birthday parties - and sometimes corporate parties - as a unicycling clown and animal balloon twister - with a bit of kids magic mixed in - plus some "other stuff" for Just Clowning Around. For this next year I'll be their jester! I do this "on the side" mostly on weekends and get bookings through JCS, getting all around

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-8173584681458120522009-12-31T19:03:00.031+11:002010-01-03T20:40:04.014+11:00

It's New Years Eve in Australia as I compose this, and it's finally, the start of a new decade. Thank God the last one is over!Let's all celebrate that fact - because it was during those "noughties" (a play on the meanings of two words, one connoting the sum total effect of zero, and the other being "naughty") that the whole world developed a very bad case of "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder!"

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858197.post-18339999229994192432009-12-28T18:18:00.014+11:002009-12-28T19:20:23.752+11:00

The 15th International Unicycle World Championships and Convention (UNICON XV) is now getting underway in Wellington, New Zealand. Wellington is the vibrant capital city of that country, located around a stunning harbour and surrounded by rolling hills. Most of the events are based in the heart of the city on the waterfront, although it will include an extensive Cross Country race and Marathon,

Clair Hochstetlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10611851143759058424noreply@blogger.com0