My Barbies

The new movie, 'Barbie,' sounds fun, even if there are PC lectures inserted, as some people are saying. I was remembering my own Barbies. They were so special then. They cost 17/6 if I remember correctly, which was a lot of money then. And each outfit also cost 17/6.  (17 shillings and sixpence.)  

The dolls didn't smile then, the smile came later. It wasn't much later, however, that there were imitation dolls, a lot cheaper.

For a while, I made a hobby of making clothes for the dolls. There was a pattern book for sewing, and also a knitting book especially for Barbies. 

Once, after Mum had a chat with a neighbour, I rode my pony to her place, around a kilometre away,  (or  3/4 mile we would have said then)  and I was allowed to look through a wonderful collection of special fabrics,  silks, satins, lace. 

I rode home carrying the fabrics that would make all sorts of tiny clothes for my dolls.

Delicate hand sewing, tiny press studs, carefully fitted jackets, (and such a curvaceous doll was not easy to fit.)  I spent many hours designing and sewing that clothing. 

Children these days have hundreds of Barbies, and hundreds of other toys, new ones far more frequently than only at birthdays and Christmases.  They tend to be held cheap.  

Back in the 50s, toys were fewer but  a lot more special.

I remember my Barbies with a great deal of fondness. Millions of other women must do likewise.  It is no wonder that the movie is making millions.

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A Small Treasure

 

Recently, a book came into my possession. It is not exactly in mint condition, but it is nearly 100 years old, and can hardly be expected to be in mint condition.

On the first page, there is a certificate stuck on.  

It says  'Presbyterian Church of Victoria and Tasmania,'  

            Gre Gre North School,  

            Awarded to Mervyn McRae

            as the prize of the Junior Bible Class. 

And there's a signature and a date, 19/10/28.  That is 1928, nearly 100 years ago.

The book is still perfectly readable.  'The Turn of the Tide,'  by Eleanor H. Porter.

But this is not why it is precious to me.  That was my father who was awarded this prize so many years ago.

It is strange to think of him as a little boy.  I remember him as a great father,  'Pa' to my children, as a genial middle-aged man, and for a time,  a 'Grey Nomad.'   He started a farm, raised his children, played tennis and bowls, and wrote a couple of books with the help of his wife.  

But also, I remember him as a shadow of his former self, one of the sad residents of a Nursing Home. 

It had me thinking - we see an old person, and tend to forget that this person had a rich history. They worked and had a family, most were fathers and mothers, they knew heartbreak (everyone knows heartbreak at some stage)  and once upon a time, they were little boys and little girls.

This little old book is a treasure.

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Who are the racists? The accuser or the accused?

 

There is a supposed racism scandal.  A member of the staff of the royal family asked a woman,  black skin and exotic dress, where she came from.  Since the answer was that she was British born, and the one making conversation was still making conversation,  or maybe was curious, she asked where her family was from.  Fair enough, she was quite obviously not of Anglo stock.   

Horror. Scandal, "Racist," was the cry.

But who are the racists?  

The one who asked, or those who think that asking is somehow insulting.  Black skin is not something to be ashamed of,  and an interesting background is something to take pride in, if anything.  

Below is the picture of the woman who was asked an innocent question, and chose to make an enormous fuss about it.

Ngozi Fulani.

Another instance:  The infamous Oprah interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.  Apparently, someone said something about the baby they were expecting, how dark it would be.   But there is nothing wrong with having dark skin.  The one making the comment  (if it ever happened)  obviously didn't think there was anything wrong with darker skin,  so the racists must be the ones who do - the ones carrying on about the supposed racism in the question.  

Are black women like Oprah Winfrey or slightly darker-skinned people like Meghan Markle so ashamed of their complexion?   Because it is just a difference, not a defect.  If these twits would realise that, maybe they would not see racism everywhere.  

Meghan and one of her babies

A co-worker (Aboriginal) was expecting a baby with her husband, also Aboriginal.  I was imagining a gorgeous brown-skinned baby in contrast to my own blonde babies, and said something like that.  How was she insulted?  There is not a thing wrong with having a gorgeous brown-skinned baby.   It was not a racist comment.

People have to rethink what they call racist.  I have heard that even Maths has been labelled 'racist,'  goodness knows why.

But it seems to me that the ones who see 'racism' everywhere are frequently the one who see a darker skin as inferior. They are the racists, not those making innocent conversation. 

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Aboriginal Crime

The subject of Aboriginal crime.

 
I live in a small regional city. At pre-school, every day, the kids recite a 'thank you' to the local Aboriginal group for allowing them to use their land. Plus there are Reconciliation days, Naidoc week, yet another 'apology' for a wrong, real or imagined, plus constant talk of disadvantage, frequently twisting or inventing 'facts' to suit the agenda. We are falling over backwards to try and placate the Aboriginals of the town.

So what is the result? Well, if I get broken into tonight, my car stolen, myself threatened, the odds are almost 100% that it will be Aboriginals that are doing it. Because every time a little child recites a thank you, every time some fat Elder takes a couple of hundred dollars to do a 'Welcome to the Country,' the chip on the shoulder grows and far too many decide that whatever they do to whites is justified because Aboriginals are so wickedly persecuted.

We are following the wrong track, as evidenced by the fact that 40 years ago, Aboriginals were actually doing far better than they are now. We need to think again, stop all of the useless programmes that never do any good, and regard all of us as Australians.

Chip away at that chip on the shoulder of Aboriginal kids, and maybe I will not need to worry about my safety when I go to bed at night.

Be kind at Christmas

I just had a phone call from a cousin. He's had a rotten year - hip replacements, bowel cancer, eye surgery. Healthwise, things are looking up for him now, but he is still elderly, and far from fit. 

He told me his Christmas was to be 'nice and peaceful,' which I translate to mean 'lonely and miserable.' There is family close, but they have little to do with him now. I don't know whether there has been an argument or they just don't want to be bothered with him. 

What I am saying to you is, if you know someone like that, forgive the transgression if there has been one, tolerate his faults (you also have faults) and be kind enough to offer to share your Christmas. Sometimes, a phone call is all you can do. But make that phone call. We should be kind at Christmas. Other times, too, but especially at Christmas. 

This Christmas, there is an added complication, the paranoia fed by the media. They are actually encouraging people to exclude anyone who has not been vaccinated against Covid. Know that the vaccinations are not actually very effective. We can all catch and spread the virus, so it makes no difference who joins you at Christmas dinner. Do not discriminate on this basis. Family and kindness is more important than listening to the never-ending propaganda. 

I remember one of my first Christmases alone. I was a long way from home, and working. A work friend made a special effort to come in and give me a small gift. It was so sweet of her, and never forgotten. So be kind at Christmas. It is more needed than usual as so many of us had a rotten year.

This web page belongs to M. A. McRae.

'The Unvaccinated." Making them "The Other.'

There is a sinister thing happening in Australia, but not just in Australia. Most of the Western world seems to be affected. A portion of the population has been set aside for exclusion and even vilification. Now, one would think that anyone has a perfect right to do with their body as they choose. ‘My body, my choice,’ right?

I would have thought it so obvious a right that it would not need defending.  

And yet those who have chosen not to be vaccinated against Covid 19 are being sacked from their jobs - 'No jab, no job.'  

And then there is the 'vaccine passport,' now common throughout the Western World, although it goes by different names, such as the 'Green Pass' in Israel.  Without a vaccine passport, in many countries, you will be denied access to venues such as pubs, restaurants, cinemas and clubs. 

Dan Andrews, dictatorial premier of Victoria, says that they are moving from a ‘lockdown’ economy to a ‘lockout’ economy’– those who have not been vaccinated against Covid are to be locked out of society.

In the Northern Territory, the premier is planning to fine a person $5,000 if they decline the vaccine. 

While none of the Covid vaccines are proving nearly as effective as we were led to believe,  those fully vaccinated can still contract and spread the virus,  at least they do seem to provide protection against serious illness. So ‘The Unvaccinated’ are not a big threat to those who are vaccinated. It appears their crime is more in the perceived disobedience, and now their exclusion from society is their punishment.

Australia has achieved extremely high levels of vaccination for this disease. That is what happens when people are threatened with loss of livelihood plus condemnation from all around. Nurses, policemen, soldiers, workers in supermarkets – all are being sacked if they refuse the vaccine.

 Unbelievably, several Victorian MPs will be excluded from attending parliament this week, because they are either not vaccinated, oppose mandatory vaccination or simply think that their medical information is supposed to be private! 

 ‘The Unvaccinated.’ ‘The Other.’  Some think that exclusion from venues such as pubs and restaurants is not enough punishment. They are to be shunned. Gladys Berejiklian, former premier of NSW, said that she would not want to be in the same room as an unvaccinated person. Jacinta Ardern, NZ PM, said the same, ‘people who are vaccinated will want to know they are around other vaccinated people,’ and acknowledged, quite unashamed, that she is creating a country with two classes of people based on vaccination status.

Worse. There have been some unhinged celebrities who speak of ‘re-education camps’ and indefinite isolation for those still recalcitrant. A certain independent reporter in America was able to get people to willingly sign a pretend petition that those who have not been vaccinated should be evicted from their rented accommodation. He said something like ‘They don’t deserve it when they are endangering us all.’

And many were happy to agree that those dreadful people should be denied even a roof over their heads.

That is extreme. It is also extreme when doctors say they will refuse to treat ‘The Unvaccinated.’ And yet, the Victorian branch of the AMA (Australian Medical Association) surprised and disgusted us when it suggested that unvaccinated people who get Covid should “not disturb the public health system, and let nature take its course”. The implication was that they should not be treated.

 The statement was later ‘clarified’ to say they didn’t mean any such thing. But it was said. And some doctors are refusing to see any person who has not been vaccinated, at least according to a facebook post I happened to see -  “local GP in my area will not see any unvaccinated patients. His negligence has led to delays in serious medical issues in people. I hope they sue him.”

So how are the majority of people feeling about a percentage of the population being denied their new ‘freedoms?’ There does not seem to be much concern.  

What the news likes to cover are cheerful people enjoying themselves now that lockdowns are mostly over.

 They would not cover an incident such as when protesters were peacefully filing past some outside diners, and were subject to foul insults.

Rebel News journalist, Avi Yemeni, covered that story. Calls such as ‘Get the jab and fuck off,’ and worse. https://www.facebook.com/joinRebelNews/videos/627360201770368









So how are the majority of people feeling about such a large proportion of them being turned into an underclass?

Because, remember, this underclass does not only include those who have chosen not to be vaccinated. Some have not had the opportunity to get the second jab in time, some had a poor reaction to the first, and decided it was best not to get a second, some are pregnant, and sensibly deciding not to risk their unborn baby with such a new vaccine, and some do not have a smartphone or are not capable of downloading the particular app to show vaccine status.

Not computer literate, not smart phone capable.

    

Those excluded might also include those who refuse to use ‘freedoms’ that all of us do not have access to. That would be the principled ones, so probably only a few.

 

In NSW, the percentage of the population fully vaccinated with the two doses is now around 86%.  So 14% not fully vaccinated. Add to that the other groups, and you have over 15%  of the population excluded from normal life.   “The Unvaccinated,’ they call them. Effectively ‘The Other.’

Many are likening the exclusion of this group as akin to the way that Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, Communists and other perceived undesirables were treated by the majority during and in the years prior to WW2. While some people were taken away to ‘work camps,’ the respectable citizens averted their eyes. They were ‘The Other,’ and didn’t count.

 So now ‘freedom days’ have come, and the media is happy to cover all of those people enjoying their returned freedoms, limited though they are.

Those not permitted to enjoy a meal at the pub or even go and have a much needed haircut are totally ignored by the mainstream media. The attitude of most is summed up by a comment made on facebook in answer to my post criticising the vaccine passport. “Chill out, nobody cares. The rest of us are getting on with our lives.”

This is sad. This is sinister. How easily the majority of the population can turn on a minority.

Warsaw, Poland, WW2

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Face Masks - mere superstition?

We know that facemasks have no use at all outside, and virtually none when used indoors.  It is an easy subject to research if you doubt that assertion.

Until a couple of days ago,  (regional NSW, Australia)  there was the irrational requirement to wear a face-mask even when outside, even when no-one was close.  Penalty - $500.  And since the police are engaging in 'high-visibility policing,'  ie deliberate intimidation of the populace, it is quite likely the maskless individual will be seen and fined.

But that requirement has been dropped, and masks are only required when indoors. 

And yet, when I went into town today, nearly every person was wearing a mask. I drove past a high school and even there, at least half of the kids (who were outside)  were also wearing masks. 

Why?   Do people believe it offers some protection against Covid even when outside in the sun and the wind?  Even when no other person is near?  

Or are they thinking it is a sign to other people that they are good little boys and girls who do what they are required to do, and then a bit more?  

I think that the wearing of face-masks has gone from being a perceived aid to the prevention of the spread of Covid 19 to mere superstition. It is surely not a conscious belief, but somewhere in their minds, many people think that if they wear the face-mask, no germ (or Virus) will dare to come close. 

During the days of the Black Death, people used to try and avert the threat with 'a pocket full of posy,'  various herbs or flowers.  These days, the face-mask is our equivalent.   It is superstition.  What a shame that the ones who make the rules, arbitrary, ever-changing rules, appear to share that superstition!  

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