Benjamin Solah's Writing Corner and Benjamin Solah's blog have moved to www.benjaminsolah.com and www.benjaminsolah.com/blog
while some pages and the design are still being worked on, the blog is ready to go except for the header picture. I wont be posting here anymore so head over to the new place.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Friday, July 01, 2005
Coming Soon - BenjaminSolah.com
I bought BenjaminSolah.com and some hosting last night and I now I have my own real website, yes a real one. If you go to it, it's only a construction page I put up today. I'm a fair way through the re-design, but I have to wait to get new photos too.
Also, this blog is moving *sniff sniff* to WordPress, but I'm having a tought time getting it to work.
Peace,
Also, this blog is moving *sniff sniff* to WordPress, but I'm having a tought time getting it to work.
Peace,
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Just a quote
I'm busy writing an essay that is due tomorrow, because I've spent that last week pottering around it without getting into the meat. So I thought I'd leave you with a quote, from yes I'm afraid so, Stephen King, 'the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and Fries.' It has some sort of truth with myself.
"People want to know why I do this, why I write such gross stuff. I like to tell them I have the heart of a small boy... and I keep it in a jar on my desk." - Stephen King
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
A boost back to blogging
chilout : children out of detention
I told you all about my article a few weeks ago that was published in 'The Rights of Man' Quarterly. Well it was mentioned at the above link on ChilOut.org. For those who do not who ChilOut are, they are a major advocacy group for refugee rights and to be added to their articles archive is a very big deal. After Brad's post I wasn't feeling too good, but after this and a call from my aunty about how much she loved my website I'm feeling much better.
Tonight I registered my domain name and have begun to think about the redesign for the new site.
I told you all about my article a few weeks ago that was published in 'The Rights of Man' Quarterly. Well it was mentioned at the above link on ChilOut.org. For those who do not who ChilOut are, they are a major advocacy group for refugee rights and to be added to their articles archive is a very big deal. After Brad's post I wasn't feeling too good, but after this and a call from my aunty about how much she loved my website I'm feeling much better.
Tonight I registered my domain name and have begun to think about the redesign for the new site.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Blogger in Limbo
In light of last weeks post at Blog'd, I've been taking a break from Blogging. In response to claims that I cannot handle criticism, let me say this. Brad's post was not criticism but nothing more than cheap slander that hides his own insecurities as a person. Honestly, I've been hurt by this.
I may or may not return to blogging, but for now I'd rather not.
I may or may not return to blogging, but for now I'd rather not.
Friday, June 24, 2005
Hawthorne Manor
Hawthorne Manor
Warning: This topic may be limited to the realm of the nerds
I found this site last night after reading an article for university about text-based role play games and the relation to the idea of the self. I was curious, as a writer, to find out how I might come across such a game and found this place. You create a 'character' and describe your interactions with other characters through words and it is an extremely good exercise for creative minds. This role-play is based in a haunted house. If you're not too ashamed at entering the realm of the nerds than go check it out.
Warning: This topic may be limited to the realm of the nerds
I found this site last night after reading an article for university about text-based role play games and the relation to the idea of the self. I was curious, as a writer, to find out how I might come across such a game and found this place. You create a 'character' and describe your interactions with other characters through words and it is an extremely good exercise for creative minds. This role-play is based in a haunted house. If you're not too ashamed at entering the realm of the nerds than go check it out.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Vote for my new domain
Thank you to The Scribe for recommending @smartartist as an Australian web server that can be paid monthly by cheque and accomodates for wordpress.
Now for the domain name. I have put a poll to the right with the choices I have, please make other suggestions if need be.
Now for the domain name. I have put a poll to the right with the choices I have, please make other suggestions if need be.
A .net/.com without the f***ing credit card
Again I have brought my mind back to the subject of buying .com and some paid web space with no ads and no pop-up and it will be all mine. I occasionally browse the web and have found some great prices for domain names and hosting. The domain names I am after are available and quite accessible. But there is a fucking problem. I cannot get a domain or hosting package because I don’t have a ‘debt collector’ i.e. a fucking credit card. I have the money to pay for this because of the great prices going around at the moment, but cannot pay for it without some stupid bit of plastic that I can’t get and I don’t want.
If someone could find me, or knows of a hosting/domain company that…
- Is preferably Australian
- Has a hosting package that can be used with wordpress
- Doesn’t have to pay via credit card
- Can be paid monthly, preferably
Is it that hard?
VSU to be crushed by defectors.
Student union bill in peril as Nats defy PM - National - smh.com.au
The watertight destruction of the working class in the bloody hands of John Howard has seemed to spring some leaks. First there were reports that a Queensland Nation senator may cross the floor on Howard’s attempt to destroy unions, and destroy the rights of workers.
Now, another two more senators from the National party, with many more to follow, may block another one of Howard’s attacks, the removal of Student unionism. Student Unionism which is the basis of extra curricular funding, student’s rights and the political voice of students would be removed under the new legislation and replaced by a controversial voluntary system which would see the decline of the student voice. This sign that VSU (Voluntary Student Unionism) and the destruction of unions will not go ahead due to defecting senators is very promising, and we can, in part, thank to people who have lobbied for these causes, just like the refugee activists have.
The watertight destruction of the working class in the bloody hands of John Howard has seemed to spring some leaks. First there were reports that a Queensland Nation senator may cross the floor on Howard’s attempt to destroy unions, and destroy the rights of workers.
Now, another two more senators from the National party, with many more to follow, may block another one of Howard’s attacks, the removal of Student unionism. Student Unionism which is the basis of extra curricular funding, student’s rights and the political voice of students would be removed under the new legislation and replaced by a controversial voluntary system which would see the decline of the student voice. This sign that VSU (Voluntary Student Unionism) and the destruction of unions will not go ahead due to defecting senators is very promising, and we can, in part, thank to people who have lobbied for these causes, just like the refugee activists have.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Why I hate McDonalds
I’ve done a complete boycott of McDonalds and have adamantly opposed their stores because of various issues. I just watched the documentary on the McLibel case and thought it the appropriate time to state my case.
McDonalds exploits workers, the environment and burrows into people’s minds, especially children with their dishonest forms of advertising. For some people these points are blatantly obvious for others you either don’t care or refuse to see it.
The majority of McDonalds workers are kids. As kids are the targets of much of this giant’s advertising it’s quite logical that their workforce consists of children sucked in by their propaganda. Their pay is abhorrent, they have no conditions and they are basically disposable workers because they have no access to unions and, as casual workers, have no protection against unfair dismissal.
The environment is a major casualty because of the ethics, or lack of therefore, from McDonalds. The amount of packaging that they produce is disturbing. For every customer that ‘eats in,’ the cashier places a piece of paper that covers the tray, this piece of paper is not used except for advertising and is thrown out after consumption. This is to avoid washing up, which means less workload, less employees, more profit. Even more so disturbing is the clearing of rainforests from contractors to McDonalds. This company is the biggest producer of beef products in the world, and in order to accommodate they clear rainforests in poor South American countries to produce more beef for a cheap price and more profit and at a huge cost to our environment.
It is now certain that through hit documentaries such as ‘Super size me’ that McDonalds is bad for you, but McDonalds advertising does not reflect this. The subliminal message of McDonalds sponsoring children’s sporting events and having big name sports stars in their advertising campaign misleads the consumer into believing it’s ok and healthy to eat McDonalds.
Now after stating my argument against McDonalds I would like to make it clear that it’s not just McDonalds who are responsible for bad practices in the interest of profits. Most, if not all, major fast food companies employ these abhorrent tactics. It is because McDonalds heads this assault and it’s major influence that it is targeted and not unfairly in the least.
McDonalds exploits workers, the environment and burrows into people’s minds, especially children with their dishonest forms of advertising. For some people these points are blatantly obvious for others you either don’t care or refuse to see it.
The majority of McDonalds workers are kids. As kids are the targets of much of this giant’s advertising it’s quite logical that their workforce consists of children sucked in by their propaganda. Their pay is abhorrent, they have no conditions and they are basically disposable workers because they have no access to unions and, as casual workers, have no protection against unfair dismissal.
The environment is a major casualty because of the ethics, or lack of therefore, from McDonalds. The amount of packaging that they produce is disturbing. For every customer that ‘eats in,’ the cashier places a piece of paper that covers the tray, this piece of paper is not used except for advertising and is thrown out after consumption. This is to avoid washing up, which means less workload, less employees, more profit. Even more so disturbing is the clearing of rainforests from contractors to McDonalds. This company is the biggest producer of beef products in the world, and in order to accommodate they clear rainforests in poor South American countries to produce more beef for a cheap price and more profit and at a huge cost to our environment.
It is now certain that through hit documentaries such as ‘Super size me’ that McDonalds is bad for you, but McDonalds advertising does not reflect this. The subliminal message of McDonalds sponsoring children’s sporting events and having big name sports stars in their advertising campaign misleads the consumer into believing it’s ok and healthy to eat McDonalds.
Now after stating my argument against McDonalds I would like to make it clear that it’s not just McDonalds who are responsible for bad practices in the interest of profits. Most, if not all, major fast food companies employ these abhorrent tactics. It is because McDonalds heads this assault and it’s major influence that it is targeted and not unfairly in the least.
Weird
Coming home from Tafe on the train I was reading ‘IT,’ by Stephen King. At the current chapter, Ben Hanscom was in the library and Pennywise the clown has confronted him. Pennywise was standing at the top of some iron steps with blood dripping in pools down to the bottom. I came home and opened the fridge to be greeted by a pool of blood. Freaky? Some meat in a plastic bag had leaked and left it everywhere much to my amusement, but weird all the same.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Joker woman needs to get a life
Woman sues Stephen King over Misery character - Books - Entertainment
A woman claims she is Stephen King's inspiration for the sadistic nurse from 'Misery.' The suit is a hoax as she has not stated how he allegedly pilfered her personal diaries to create the character. Its a bit of a laugh because in 1991 the same woman claimed King stole manuscripts from her and her brother.
A woman claims she is Stephen King's inspiration for the sadistic nurse from 'Misery.' The suit is a hoax as she has not stated how he allegedly pilfered her personal diaries to create the character. Its a bit of a laugh because in 1991 the same woman claimed King stole manuscripts from her and her brother.
The problem with elitist reviews
I just bought ‘Foo Fighters – In your honor’ and ‘Element Eighty’ yesterday before the protest for World Refugee Day. I thought I’d review them here but first I decided I’d check out how some of the pros review albums and I was once again hit with disappointment. Why are reviewers so damn picky?
This does not limit itself to music, but to movies as well. I enjoyed ‘In your honor,’ and the guy at HMV agreed, saying ‘It’s really really good!’ But ‘Rolling Stone’ mocked it, making childish comments about being too cliché with ‘The Foo fighters’ grungy style. It really pisses me off when you can like something and then the reviewers rip it to shit. They rarely give good reviews and seem to live in this elitist culture that never seems to reflect the masses.
This does not limit itself to music, but to movies as well. I enjoyed ‘In your honor,’ and the guy at HMV agreed, saying ‘It’s really really good!’ But ‘Rolling Stone’ mocked it, making childish comments about being too cliché with ‘The Foo fighters’ grungy style. It really pisses me off when you can like something and then the reviewers rip it to shit. They rarely give good reviews and seem to live in this elitist culture that never seems to reflect the masses.
Saturday, June 18, 2005
PM caves in, but the policy still remains
Rebel lib admits defeat on core demand - National - smh.com.au
Refugee advocates have welcomed the Prime Minister's changes to the policy of mandatory detention, but we are not happy with the way things have turned out as this may have an effect to quiet the issue down. Rebel backbencher, Petro Georgiou admitted defeat, abeit the changes, because the system of mandatory detention still remained. Senator Bob Brown called the changes 'crumbs,' and he said it did not lessen the need for the bills to be passed - despite Georgiou backing down.
As activists we cannot spit on the changes but also the policy is still there. People are still being locked up and the changes are just a means to shut us up, and unfortunatly for Mr. Howard this will not happen.
The idea that children are being released into the community is a falacy. They will be placed into a hostel environment and these children and their families will still be in a detention environment, with constant monitoring from immigration guards.
The problem with the changes is the effect it will have on public opinion. People may now gain the impression that the problem is over, but it is far from it. On Sunday, there will be a protest to mark world refugee day at Hyde park - stay tuned for a report on this.
Refugee advocates have welcomed the Prime Minister's changes to the policy of mandatory detention, but we are not happy with the way things have turned out as this may have an effect to quiet the issue down. Rebel backbencher, Petro Georgiou admitted defeat, abeit the changes, because the system of mandatory detention still remained. Senator Bob Brown called the changes 'crumbs,' and he said it did not lessen the need for the bills to be passed - despite Georgiou backing down.
As activists we cannot spit on the changes but also the policy is still there. People are still being locked up and the changes are just a means to shut us up, and unfortunatly for Mr. Howard this will not happen.
The idea that children are being released into the community is a falacy. They will be placed into a hostel environment and these children and their families will still be in a detention environment, with constant monitoring from immigration guards.
The problem with the changes is the effect it will have on public opinion. People may now gain the impression that the problem is over, but it is far from it. On Sunday, there will be a protest to mark world refugee day at Hyde park - stay tuned for a report on this.
Friday, June 17, 2005
10,000 visitors
source: screenshot courtesy of myself
10,000 visitors to my blog since August 28, 2004!!!
I would just like thank everyone who visited my site, including all the guys from BlogExplosion
Novel Update: First Draft - Chapter Ten
Word Count: 23,525
I managed to get in a few word tonight, about 300. It’s amazing how in some parts you can ramble for thousands of words and the story doesn’t turn (this is not necessarily a bad thing) and then one paragraph can you lead you in an unexpected direction. Well, I’m still working on the synopsis so I didn’t exactly know where I was heading – now I do – for the moment. Also I have worked an opportunity for a complex part of my character’s personality to become severely apparent, this is real exciting.
I managed to get in a few word tonight, about 300. It’s amazing how in some parts you can ramble for thousands of words and the story doesn’t turn (this is not necessarily a bad thing) and then one paragraph can you lead you in an unexpected direction. Well, I’m still working on the synopsis so I didn’t exactly know where I was heading – now I do – for the moment. Also I have worked an opportunity for a complex part of my character’s personality to become severely apparent, this is real exciting.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Who isn't willing to negotiate?
Australian hostage, Douglas Wood is free from his Iraqi captors and he is in good health, this may be due to the captors responding to negotiations with a Muslim cleric to medicate him.
Now at the beginning of this ordeal, Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr 'Dumb-ass' Downer said that these kinds of people do not respond to negotiations, but Prime Minister Howard, Downer's party leader won't allow his own party to have a free vote on the mandatory detention policy.
So, who's willing to negotiate?
Now at the beginning of this ordeal, Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr 'Dumb-ass' Downer said that these kinds of people do not respond to negotiations, but Prime Minister Howard, Downer's party leader won't allow his own party to have a free vote on the mandatory detention policy.
So, who's willing to negotiate?
Quote
from “To be that self which one truly is”: A therapist’s view of personal goals.
...Ernest Hemingway was surely aware that "good writers do not write like this," But fortunately he moved toward being Hemingway, being himself, rather than some one else's conception of a good writer.
...Ernest Hemingway was surely aware that "good writers do not write like this," But fortunately he moved toward being Hemingway, being himself, rather than some one else's conception of a good writer.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
New Forum topics
Well, the forum is fairly empty at the moment. So I've posted some new topics to get people going. Remember you do not need to be a member to post something, only to start threads and be heaps cooler than other people 
, so pop over to http://disturbedwriter.proboards24.com/ and say something.
New topics include:
, so pop over to http://disturbedwriter.proboards24.com/ and say something.New topics include:
- What are you writing?
- What blogging platform do you use
- A debate thread for the refugee issue and
- 'Too chessy' in the romance section
A human being or an economic relationship?
China interrogated detainees - National - smh.com.au
The corruption and lies from the immigration department continue to worsen. There are now strong reports that the department put many Chinese asylum seekers into isolation and allowed Chinese officials to interrogate them. The Chinese* are well known for their terrible human rights record and these people have fled that, and for the government to allow Chinese officials to interrogate them, gaining information such as family, is a gross neglect of our duty of care to Asylum seekers.
This once again proves that our regard for human beings is much lower than the regard for economic relationships, and it adds to the furore of the Chen Asylum case where the government have discouraged Chen from seeking his right to political Asylum in Australia. We cannot leave these people out in the dark, they want democracy and so they are coming here. We see politicians ramble on about so-called freedom and democracy in Iraq, and then they turn their back on people who really need our help.
*China is not Communist or Socialist, it is state-capitalist and a police state.
The corruption and lies from the immigration department continue to worsen. There are now strong reports that the department put many Chinese asylum seekers into isolation and allowed Chinese officials to interrogate them. The Chinese* are well known for their terrible human rights record and these people have fled that, and for the government to allow Chinese officials to interrogate them, gaining information such as family, is a gross neglect of our duty of care to Asylum seekers.
This once again proves that our regard for human beings is much lower than the regard for economic relationships, and it adds to the furore of the Chen Asylum case where the government have discouraged Chen from seeking his right to political Asylum in Australia. We cannot leave these people out in the dark, they want democracy and so they are coming here. We see politicians ramble on about so-called freedom and democracy in Iraq, and then they turn their back on people who really need our help.
*China is not Communist or Socialist, it is state-capitalist and a police state.
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