saoutchik

Evening everyone, long day today but perversely it went quite quickly.

I heard that in some parts of the Northern Territories Aboriginal men are not served alcohol - as if the problem can be solved by discriminating against them even more. 2015 hasn't arrived there apparently

Made seafood paella tonight PDG. Made enough for tomorrow to save cooking (always a bit concerned reheating seafood but I have done it before)

Tooshabby

That's weird. I wrote out a post today on this thread but it's gone - or never got posted I guess.

That's unreal, Sao - ummm.....isn't that illegal?

I haven't tried making paella. You sound pretty creative in the kitchen, Sao :-) I seemed to have lost my joie di vivre in that regard - a good two years ago or so. It's funny because I used to love it.

I do, however, have these blisters below, of which I am proud, from working so hard painting and staining outside all weekend :-) You will also see there is a dish scrub in the background that I accidentally left it out after doing all of the dishes. Just sayin', again :-) This is what happens when you don't drink - you get blisters! Either that or I'm bipolar and in a manic phase :-)

saoutchik

Ow! TooShabby it looks worse than my hand when I spilt acid on it

I think it is illegal at a Federal level but if States don't enforce it... I will see if I can Google the story, I think it is about a year old - heard it on the World Service

We have just been told where the firm's Christmas party is going to be - I will be OK but I can't say I am looking forward to it

saoutchik

1953 Delahaye (French)

saoutchik

1954 Pegaso (Spanish)

Coachwork for both vehicles by someone called Jacques Saoutchik (shame they are both in black)

advbike

Ouch! That finger looks painful TooShabby.. but good for you on getting the maintenance done.. I tend to be lazy on some of those tasks.. the guys that do my wood decks are so fast and have all the proper tools that I just pay them to do it. I do enjoy yardwork and other types of repairs though (plumbing, etc).

Saoutchik I just love that French Delahaye.. that car is gorgeous! Reminds me of a Jag with the long bonnet, and the rear fenders.. My neighbor had a 1962 Mark II 3.8 when I was growing up and I just loved the lines of that car (still do).. and driving it when I was old enough.. hehe..

Venecia

Ouch, Shabby! Well, on the bright side, it sounds like you checked off a biggie on the "to do" list. I, too, lost my love for the kitchen. Not that I was ever that deeply into it, but the triggers it created -- add ingredient, take a sip ... put concoction in oven, pour another one -- were nasty and I've never really bounced back. Sao, your paella sounds delicious. I'm also not seeing any posts that read something like "laid low with dreadful food poisoning" so am guessing that leftovers were safe. Tricky, though, with seafood.

Working in the nonprofit sector, then the university, the dreaded booze-drenched holiday parties haven't been part of my world. Which is fine with me.

Off to tai chi in a bit. I have Advbike to thank, partly, for that. He suggested meditation a long time ago. Took me a while to give it a try, but love it now.

saoutchik

Lol! They were fine Venecia. Living on my own I often cook enough for two nights

Agreed advbike KII 3.8 Jags are worth a lot money now. No wonder as they look great

Dee74

I never like to talk politics here especially when I have no personal experience to share but no it's not illegal.

Restrictions have been enacted, with bipartisan support, by acts of parliament by successive governments in my state in 19 remote communities. Its the same in several other states and territories.

Some communities have a no alcohol restriction while others are more lenient.

The leaders of many communities also support these measures so it's not as clear cut and simple as it might appear.

It was challenged in the High Court but the restrictions remain, although they've been reviewed since 2012. People can now nominate their homes as 'dry' and, in some cases, welfare cards have been introduced to try and ensure welfare money goes on foods and looking after kids etc

Is it racist to ban alcohol from some Aboriginal communities? - The Drum (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)


whether it's a success or not really depends on who you listen to

Cookies must be enabled. | The Australian

Alcohol bans in dry communities haven?t stopped alcohol-related abuse | Cairns Post

I'm uncomfortable with aspects of the current situation for sure, but I don't know what the answer is....I'm glad Governments are at least trying to do something, cos they did literally nothing at all for indigenous communities until a few years ago.

D

saoutchik

Thank you Dee

The links were really interesting

As an alcoholic I think I can say that banning the stuff would not have made me stop, just work that much harder to get it. I stopped because I (finally) realised I had no business drinking anymore

Banning the stuff to persons of a particular racial origin is racist IMAO no question

saoutchik

As you say Dee it is a good thing if they are investing some money into the communities

Tooshabby

Dee, thanks so much for posting those links. Really fascinating. Technically speaking, yes, it's racist, but motivation is everything. It's quite different to 'whites only bars' or banning gay marriage. They are trying to help, whether ham-fisted or not.

I wonder how those assessments were conducted. One would hope they spoke with social workers, psychologists, and police - people at the coal face. I think this is probably the most impt point:

That said, investigations conducted by Notre Dame University in the Western Australian towns of Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek suggest there have been significant improvements since the bans were introduced, creating what they describe as a "window of opportunity" for personal and social development, that now needs to be seized by support services.

At the end of the day, the govt desperately needs to increase their funding of support services. Banning alcohol alone will have limited (if any) success. Perhaps they have done that. I hope so. This problem is really bad in NZ too - Ozzie are not alone.

Thanks again for posting, Dee. You're right, it is complex, and it's unquestionably a good thing the govt is at least recognising the problem and trying to do something about it.

Ven, how cool advbike suggested meditation and you are loving it - and tai chi. I always thought that looked so beautiful.

Those cars are so gorgeous - yum. I rather like the black with the creamy white accents.

I'm aching all over from working too hard. I have a chronic pain condition that gets worse if I do physical work so I'm guzzling ibuprofen now. We have our Christmas do tomorrow, Sao. Know the feeling. I am determined not to drink. Will be nice not making a fool out of myself. I'm scrambling to tidy the place up because we have people coming to the house beforehand, but I seem to have run out of steam a day early. Mr TS is more into clothes, shopping, and coffee than doing things around the house. I love it, but I do pay for it physically. Tool shops make me drool.

P.S. I wouldn't have Mr TS any other way though. 'Acceptance'...right?!

Dee74

Well, we're a nation who turns back asylum seekers and who had a White Australia immigration policy until 1972.

Aboriginal people did not have full rights under the Constitution until 1967.

In a very real sense we're still dealing with the ramifications of those policies and around 150 years of paternalism and segregation.

Prohibition does not work...

but what does appear to be getting a little better is the other things alcohol brings in it's wake - domestic and sexual violence, crime...and the younger generation seems to be growing up with the idea that things can be different.

I hope it can be

D

Tooshabby

Boy, those facts don't read well. We only take a pathetic number of refugees too. It's appalling.

Did you see Samson and Delilah, Dee? What a shattering but brilliant movie that was. I have a lot of faith in the younger generation. I hope it can be too.

Dee74

Only the Victor Mature one so far TS


I've ordered the more recent one from the library now - thanks
D

Tooshabby

Ha ha!! I'm guessing that's some old, old testament movie.

You will *love* it, Dee, but it is terribly sad.

Venecia

Hi, all --

Sometimes, I think I came out OK in the genetic lottery. It is wrenching to see what others must endure.

Some thoughtful exchanges here.

Here in the U.S., solutions seem out of reach on so many fronts, including when Native Americans are involved. If the conditions prevalent among them suddenly afflicted affluent suburbs, though, I suspect it would turn into a national crisis just as suddenly.

My guess is that participants on this thread have gotten to know me well enough to have a good sense about where I fall on the spectrum. I also respect the reluctance to go too deeply into politics here and so I'll try to keep it to a general observation or two.

I have only watched some of the debates. We have exactly 51 weeks before the election so there shall be plenty of time for that. But it does strike me as interesting -- and sad -- that among the Republican field, three candidates have experienced drug/alcohol crises in their immediate families. Two have acknowledged losing an immediate family member to addiction, while another has endured addiction with a child.

Yet we don't talk about it as a policy crisis. Neither party. Neither on a state nor federal level.

We've reached a point now where our state legislature considers Sunday sales of alcohol pretty much every year. The bills always fail for reasons that have little if anything to do with the issue. (Long story.) The last time around, a grand total of ONE legislator had cajones to bring up alcohol as a public policy matter on the floor of the Legislature. One.

That strikes me as both indefensible and totally understandable at the same time. After all, addiction is treated with shame and secrecy. Very few people know I had a problem and I intend to keep it that way. I can say honestly that a lot of that has to do with my work and professional life.

But not all of it. I just really cannot bare the notion that people outside a very small circle would know that about me.

I think that's one of the reasons SR means so much to me. I can be the whole story here.

Venecia

Shabby, I have complete confidence in you re: the holiday party. Though it does seem early for it!

Have you downloaded the mobile version to your phone? Sometimes, it can be helpful to know that your support system is just a tap away.

Hang in there! You can do this.

advbike

I almost exclusively use the SR phone app, tedious as it is for typing.. the problem is the pictures are small so I occasionally log in on my laptop to view the pics full size. But I really like being able to check in when I have free time.

Me, I just can't watch sad or violent movies. Unless it's fun James Bond or Bourne type violence.. that's okay I still have really visceral emotions I guess.

Tooshabby

Thanks, Venecia :-) And yes, I might do that if I can figure it out. Remember? Techno-imbecile, like you! :-D I really wish people didn't know that I had a drinking problem. I find it quite painful, although it's getting a lot better the more sober time I accrue. Awful though. It is so great to be on here (SR) warts and all, isn't it?

God, I know. The cultural acceptance of alcohol despite the untold harm it does is astounding. Nobody wants to sacrifice their little tipple. But oh no......we couldn't make marijuana legal could we? Even though for the most part that tends to only harm the individual, rather than society at large. Blatant hypocrisy, ignorance, and selfishness. "As long as I have my drug of choice, too bad about anyone else. And I will still feel superior, thank you." I really hate it when people have opinions that are simply based on what society has deemed acceptable for a long time.

I'm with you on the violent movies, advbike - the ones that are sadistic and gratuitous. Sad I can handle. I like sad movies. I've got that 'Sad movies always make me cry' song in my head now. That was a 'classic'!