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La Tomatina

(photo by André Hänni Tortorelli 2009)

One of the world's largest food fight festivals was held today (11am local time) in Buñol, Spain. From La Tomatina (official)

It all started on the last Wednesday of August 1945, when some young people were getting fresh air in the town square. The evening did not promise much, so they decided to form part of a parade that was taking place with musicians and carnival figures of giants and enormous headed individuals. The impetus of their entry caused the fall of a participant who full of rage, began to hit everyone in his way. By a quirk of fate, there just happened to be a stand of vegetables beside them. The angry crowd started throwing tomatoes at each other until the public law put an end to the vegetable battle.

The following year, the young people repeated the tomato fight on a voluntary basis and brought tomatoes from home. Although the celebration was dissolved by the police during the following years, the boys, without knowing it, had made history. La Tomatina was banned in the early fifties, although this fact did not dissuade participants, eventhough some were arrested. But the will of the locals was heard and the celebration returned, more people took part in it and it became increasingly wild.

Again the event was canceled until 1955, when, in protest, the Burial of the Tomato was held: an event in which residents carried a coffin with a big tomato inside. The parade was accompanied by a music band playing funeral marches, and it obtained a complete success. Finally, in 1957 official permision was granted and La Tomatina festival was formaly established. After that it has been the City Councils of the municipality themselves that have organized and promoted this curious battle, that has made Buñol world famous.

The festival became popular in the rest of Spain thanks to Javier Basilio who, showed the event in a television program Informe Semanal “Week report” on Spanish TV. Since 1980, it has been the different City Councils that have supplied the tomatoes to the participants, which year after year, increase in number and enthusiasm. The success has led to have La Tomatina, of Buñol, be considered, as of August 2002, International Fiesta of Tourist Interest by the General Secretariat of Tourism of Spain.

It looks like a lot of fun. However, is it ethical to waste so much food that is perfectly edible? Even if the quantity of tomatoes (around 100,000 kilograms or 100 tonnes in 2010) was surplus to need, it required water and probably fertiliser on land that could have grown another crop.

Ramadan kareem

Thankfully, it is winter in the southern hemisphere, so those observing Ramadan are able to break their daily fast earlier in the evening. My Muslim colleagues at work always found it difficult, particularly when Ramadan fell during summer and long days, when the rest of us ate during the day.

France24 has a great report on Ramadan 2010.

As in previous years and other presidents, President Obama issued a statement

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release August 11, 2010

Statement by the President on the Occasion of Ramadan

On behalf of the American people, Michelle and I want to extend our best wishes to Muslims in America and around the world. Ramadan Kareem.

Ramadan is a time when Muslims around the world reflect upon the wisdom and guidance that comes with faith, and the responsibility that human beings have to one another, and to God. This is a time when families gather, friends host iftars, and meals are shared. But Ramadan is also a time of intense devotion and reflection – a time when Muslims fast during the day and pray during the night; when Muslims provide support to others to advance opportunity and prosperity for people everywhere. For all of us must remember that the world we want to build – and the changes that we want to make – must begin in our own hearts, and our own communities.

These rituals remind us of the principles that we hold in common, and Islam’s role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance, and the dignity of all human beings. Ramadan is a celebration of a faith known for great diversity and racial equality. And here in the United States, Ramadan is a reminder that Islam has always been part of America and that American Muslims have made extraordinary contributions to our country. And today, I want to extend my best wishes to the 1.5 billion Muslims around the world – and your families and friends – as you welcome the beginning of Ramadan.

I look forward to hosting an Iftar dinner celebrating Ramadan here at the White House later this week, and wish you a blessed month.

May God’s peace be upon you.

Ramadan kareem.

May Day

May Day has traditionally been the workers' holiday, celebrated as labour day.

Berlin appears to be the place with most significance, the day used in the past for political demonstrations. Now it's a showdown between liberal lefties and neo-Nazis.

See Revolutionary Berlin (walking tours) and Berliner Morgenpost

We're all Irish today

Reported in the Irish Times, there is a shortage of shamrock in Ireland this year in time for St Patrick's Day because of late frosts.



In Australia, the plant is merely called clover and considered a weed. Thankfully, wearing green is an acceptable way to show support.

Happy Fat Tuesday

Also known as Shrove Tuesday in English-speaking countries and even Pancake Day, it is traditionally a day of feasting before Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of the fasting season of Lent.

In Germany, the celebration is known as Karneval, Fastnacht or Fasching, depending on the region.

In France, it is called Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). In Australia, Mardi Gras has a completely different meaning, devoid of the original Christian religious reason, but then so are celebrations in New Orleans.

Happy Fat Tuesday.

The same procedure as last year?

Every year, Australia's SBS screens a famous 18 minute sketch called Dinner For One. In it, the late actor Freddie Frinton plays butler James who serves an elderly upper-class English woman called Miss Sophie who is celebrating her 90th birthday.

As her dinner guests are not actually there, James impersonates each one, toasting on behalf of each when it is their turn and getting more drunk with each toast.

The sketch was written in the 1920s and recorded in 1963 by a German television station NDR and has since become embedded in the New Year rituals of Germany, other European countries and Australia.

The following dialogue has also become part of the German vernacular.

James: The same procedure as last year, Miss Sophie?

Miss Sophie: The same procedure as every year, James!

See
- BBC (where oddly, it is not shown any more)
- The Guardian
- NDR (also with transcript of full dialogue)
- Daily Telegraph

day month year or year month day, but not month day year... time for ISO 8601

Most countries on planet earth use the system, day month year (dd mm yyyy) to reference a calendar date.

A minority use month day, year (mm dd, yyy) - Belize, Canada (occasionally, but conforms to the majority), Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Philippines and the United States of America.

While most of the world understands the American system in context, there is still a lot of confusion, particularly for travellers. From the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

How can one avoid confusion when a date like 08/04/02 has at least six different interpretations around the world? A notation like 01/02/03 could mean 1 February 2003 or 2 January 2003 or 2 March 2001. Usually by deduction one can sort it out. Usually - but sometimes, huge and costly confusions can arise. The problem is that all-numeric dates are not unambiguous and depend very much on local custom. That's usually OK within a country or region even if there are local inconsistencies between firms and administrations; but outside…?

A simple nicety, you might say. Does this all matter? Well, it certainly does if you "misinterpreted" what was on that ticket. And if you multiply this type of unfortunate occurrence by millions,in business contexts as well as at the individual level, you can see that the compounded problem is something quite frightening - well after the "Y2K bug" scare has receded. Perhaps not in a daily life, when you write to Cousin Bill in Atlanta, or Auntie Jenny in Australia where the systems of writing dates may be different. But think of the number of times that dates and times crop up in business dealings of all sorts, from insurance forms to travel agencies, from banks to tax forms. And there, huge stakes hang on dates, that can make the difference between winning a fortune… or losing it. Goods being traded internationally are relying on the right dates at each and every step - and wrong dates often mean wrong deliveries or no deliveries at all! And dates have caused many problems to computer programmers.

On the Internet, all kinds of notations are used, some language-dependent, and are they all correctly understood on the other side of the globe? Not so sure. Firms and administrations make use of dates in most of their daily operations in one form or another and in most documents used in international trade… and to have a universally compatible form of representation for them makes pure good sense.

So then: wouldn't it be wonderful if there were an internationally agreed standard?

Of course there is. ISO came up with one. ISO 8601, Data elements and interchange formats – Information interchange – Representation of dates and times. It is 33 pages long and will cost you CHF 130. In summary

ISO 8601 advises numeric representation of dates and times on an internationally agreed basis. It represents elements from the largest to the smallest element: year-month-day:

• Calendar date is the most common date representation. It is:

YYYY-MM-DD

where YYYY is the year in the Gregorian calendar, MM is the month of the year between 01 (January) and 12 (December), and DD is the day of the month between 01 and 31.

Example: 2003-04-01 represents the first day of April in 2003.

• Week date is an alternative date representation used in many commercial and industrial applications. It is:

YYYY-Www-D

where YYYY is the Year in the Gregorian calendar, ww is the week of the year between 01 (the first week) and 52 or 53 (the last week), and D is the day in the week between 1 (Monday) and 7 (Sunday).

Example: 2003-W14-2 represents the second day of the fourteenth week of 2003.

• Time of the day is the time representation, using the 24-hour timekeeping system. It is:

hh:mm:ss

where hh is the number of complete hours that have passed since midnight, mm is the number of complete minutes since the start of the hour, and ss is the number of complete seconds since the start of the minute.

Example: 23:59:59 represents the time one second before midnight.

• Date and time represents a specified time of a specified day. When use is made of the calendar date the representation is:

YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss

where the capital letter T is used to separate the date and time components. Thus, for a very precise date and time, look at this:

Example: 2003-04-01T13:01:02 represents one minute and two seconds after one o'clock in the afternoon of 2003-04-01

After the Y2K mess, the world should have adopted a uniform standard, in much the same way that the prime meridian (latitude/longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time were adopted 125 years ago.

In any case, where possible to avoid confusion, spell out the month.

29/12/2009
29 Dec 2009
2009/12/29
2009 Dec 29

shiver me timbers

Shiver me timbers, today was Talk Like a Pirate Day.



Of course, real pirates today operating in the South China Sea and off the coast of Somalia are no laughing matter.

Left Handers Day

Today was International Left Handers Day, recognising the 7 to 10 per cent of humanity who are left-handed.

I only managed to wish one person in the office happy left handed day. Even writing with her left hand, her handwriting is still very messy.

A very famous left-handed person is US President Barack Obama.

The only person whose left-handedness I've really noticed is footballer of the Brisbane Lions (my team) Simon Black as he's signed a few things for me. He is also a left-footer.

2012

Disaster and doomsday scenarios make for great movies - the disaster film, its own genre.

The soon to be released (on 13 November 2009), film 2012 is a little unsettling.



According to experts, the Mayan long count calendar stops at 21 December 2012.

Scary. Boo!

talk like a pirate day

I totally forgot.

Today was international talk like a pirate day.

We even have a Ye Auld Australian Association Rum Riddled Rapscallions, or YAAARRR.

Shiver me timbers.

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I wasn't in the office today. There was a cultural seminar in the city. We even attended Muslim Friday prayers. It really wasn't that much different to a Christian service.

Saint Patrick's Day

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

Pionta Guinness, le do thoil.

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I had training (on staff supervision) all day today and it continues for the rest of this week.

Saturday, February 30, 2008

When I was in Melbourne last weekend, Michelle asked me for the date of my birthday. I told her February 30 and she believed me. It was quite funny when she found out - I made her look up a calendar.

In any case, I don't see why February should not have 30 days (and 31 days in leap years).

February has been unfairly shortchanged by at least TWO days.

There are four months with 30 days (April, June, September and November).

The rest have 31 days (seven months).

It would be equitable to redistribute a day each from August and January towards February, so that there are seven months of 30 days, and five months of 31 days.

In leap years, there would be six months of 30 days and six months of 31 days.

I mean really, why February? It has been a long time since the old Julian calendar when emperors decided to lengthen the days of the months named after them (Julius Caesar and Augustus).

We must rectify this historical megalomanic anachronism.

I propose an international campaign called 30 Days for February.

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Today was a do nothing day, aside from a few walks with Kane.

Keiser would have turned 18 today. I'm still sad that she didn't make it to her 17th birthday. If she did not have the tumour near her liver, she would still be around today.

Sorry... apologising to the Stolen Generations

Following on from yesterday's historic opening of the Australian Parliament, another equally momentous and historic event happened today.

The Australian Prime Minister apologised to the stolen generation on behalf of the Australian Parliament and the Australian Government.

Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.

We reflect on their past mistreatment.

We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations—this blemished chapter in our nation’s history.

The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia’s history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.

We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.

We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.

For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.

To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.

And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.

We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation.

For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written.

We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.

A future where this Parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.

A future where we harness the determination of all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.

A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed.

A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.

A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia.

You can read Prime Minister Rudd's additional statement here, in which he explains the reason for the official apology.

The apology follows on from the 1997 Bringing Them Home: Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families. It has taken a long time for the apology, as Prime Minister Rudd mentioned

from the nation’s parliament there has been a stony and stubborn and deafening silence for more than a decade; a view that somehow we, the parliament, should suspend our most basic instincts of what is right and what is wrong; a view that, instead, we should look for any pretext to push this great wrong to one side, to leave it languishing with the historians, the academics and the cultural warriors, as if the stolen generations are little more than an interesting sociological phenomenon. But the stolen generations are not intellectual curiosities. They are human beings; human beings who have been damaged deeply by the decisions of parliaments and governments. But, as of today, the time for denial, the time for delay, has at last come to an end.

The nation is demanding of its political leadership to take us forward. Decency, human decency, universal human decency, demands that the nation now step forward to right an historical wrong. That is what we are doing in this place today.

Every single television set was turned on at my workplace (and in many others) so that staff could watch the speech. Elsewhere, Australians gathered to watch on big screens.


Thousands gather at Melbourne's Federation Square to watch Prime Minister Kevin Rudd make an apology to indigenous Australians. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

Media reporting from
- ABC News
- Sydney Morning Herald
- The Australian

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I think I've done five days worth of work in three days this week. Two more days to go before the weekend.

I went to the markets after work to buy some vegetables. It felt a bit strange not shopping for beef bones and chicken wings for Kane2. As heavy as they were to carry home (some four to five kilos, in addition to other things), I really looked forward to the routine and to giving Kane2 his fresh food.

Emily came around this evening. I prepared ingredients and she cooked Hokkien noodles with Chinese roast duck, bok choy, baby corn and puff tofu. We also watched tonight's Food Safari, which was Brazilian cuisine, as well as the previous fortnight's - Hungarian (which I've already seen) and Sri Lankan.

(reminder to self - Emily has borrowed Battlestar Galactica season 2 and Line of Beauty DVDs)

welcome to country

Something momentous and historic happened in Australia today, ahead of another equally momentous and historic event tomorrow. From our ABC (12 February 2008)

MPs 'welcomed to country'

A traditional welcome to country by Indigenous elders has been held in federal Parliament for the first time, ahead of tomorrow's formal apology to the Stolen Generations.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has been handed a message stick to commemorate the occasion.

Ngambri elder Matilda House Williams says the 'Welcome to Country' acknowledges her people and their ancestors.

"It's a good, honest and decent and very human act to reach out to make sure everyone has a place and is welcome," she said.

Ms Williams says it is a significant time for her people.

"The best time in the history of the Australian Parliament," she said.

"A Prime Minister has honoured us, the first people of this land, the Ngambri people by seeking a welcome to country.

"In doing this, the Prime Minister shows what we call proper respect."

Mr Rudd says the welcome to country is a historic occasion.

"Despite the fact that parliaments have been meeting here for the better part of a century, today is the first time that as we open the Parliament of the nation that we are officially welcomed to country by the first Australians of this nation," he said.

Representatives of Indigenous communities from around the country have been involved in the ceremony in the Members Hall of Parliament.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson pose with Aboriginal performers after an Aboriginal welcoming ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra.


Indigenous Australians perform a welcome ceremony at Parliament House



An equally important gesture of respect and reconciliation (between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians) is 'acknowledgement of country'. This is when the chairperson of a meeting or the host of an event begins by acknowledging that the meeting or event is taking place in the country of the traditional owners.

I would like to show my respect and acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which this meeting takes place, or

I would like to respectfully acknowledge the ____________* people who are the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we stand.

* Ngambri, in the case of above. Larrakia people (in Darwin), Cadigal people (in Sydney), etc

Prime Minister Rudd's acknowledgment of country speech is worth quoting in full.

I begin by honouring the traditional owners of the land on which this parliament now sits.

I begin also by honouring the traditional owners of all the lands across this continent, Australia.

And I thank the traditional owners here for their welcome to country, the warmth of that welcome, the beautiful traditional message stick, with which I have been presented.

Exactly 100 years ago the land on which we stand was chosen as the site as the nation’s first capital. Eighty years ago, we build an old Parliament House and 20 years ago, we built this new great house of the Australian democracy.

Yet the human history of this land stretches back thousands of years through the dreamtime.

The histories of the Ngunnawal and Walgalu – and to the west, the Wiradjuri; to the east, on the coast, the Yuin; to the north, the Gundungurra; and to the south, the Ngarigo - a thousand generations or more.

And we who have come to this land more recently, perhaps for five, maybe six, even seven.

Despite this antiquity among us, and despite the fact that parliaments have been meeting here for the better part of a century, today is the first time in our history that as we open the parliament of the nation, that we are officially welcomed to country by the first Australians of this nation.

And Matilda, I thank you for the welcome.

For that welcome, we are all here, Senators and Members, truly honoured.

In 1927, when we opened the old parliament, no Aboriginal or Torres Straight Islander people were invited. There was no welcome to country, they were not welcome at all. No place at the national table as we began the national parliament in this place for the first time.

But one man, Jimmy Clements, came, and stood alone, referred to by the Canberra Times in 1927 as, and I quote, “a lone representative of a fast vanishing race”, unquote.

I celebrate the fact that indigenous Australia is alive, well, and with us for the future.

Today we begin with one small step, to set right the wrongs of the past. And in this ceremonial way, it is a significant and symbolic step.

And let us resolve here, as Members and Senators and Members of this great Parliament of the Commonwealth, that whoever forms future Governments of the nation, let this become a permanent part of our ceremonial celebration of the Australian democracy.

Incorporating the ceremonial of the dreaming from antiquity into the ceremonial of this great democracy.

It’s taken 41 parliaments to get here. We can be a bit slow sometimes. But we got here. And, when it comes to the parliaments of the future, this will become part and parcel of the fabric of our celebration of Australia in all of its unity and all of its diversity.

Our challenge this week, then is to write a new page in the country’s history, and this is one small step. But for that page to be truly written, it must be written between ourselves and indigenous Australia, and within this parliament between those who are Government and those who are Opposition. And it is in that spirit that I invite the Leader of the Opposition to support my remarks.

It will still take some time before Indigenous culture is a permanent feature of our national consciousness. After all, a generation ago racism was acceptable.

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What a day at work. Just as well I don't really use an 'in tray' as everything was coming at me from all directions.

Another new tv show tonight - Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles. I reserve my judgment before being hooked on another show.


Sarah and John Connor on the run (always) - in between T2 and T3

Year of the Rat

Happy (Chinese and Lunar) New Year for the Year of the Rat which commenced today.

The rat is the first sign of the Chinese Zodiac. There are a few legends about how the rat came to be first sign.

My theory is that the rat had wheels.

Pink Ribbon Day

Monday, 22 October 2007

Pink Ribbon Day is an annual event to encourage women to be breast aware and highlight the importance of breast cancer research.

The purchase of a simple twist of pink satin in the form of brooches, t-shirts and pins, plus donations, raises funds for breast cancer research, education programs and support services in your community.

In 2006, Pink Ribbon Day raised over $2 million, which will go a long way to helping the 1 in 8 women who will be diagnosed by the age of 85.

More information here
- Pink Ribbon Day (Australia)
- Making Strides Against Breast Cancer (USA)

Our work had a breakfast last Friday which raised $4,000.

The Sydney Morning Herald was printed on pink newsprint today.

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Monday night is Supernatural night. Scary.

Ramadan

Today, I was talking to a colleague on the phone, who works in our Sydney office about a project which I am coordinating. Anyway, he mentioned Ramadan and that it would be a difficult time at work. It must be difficult as the rest of us eat and drink (but not alcohol at work) while our Muslim colleagues fast during daylight hours.

Here is an interesting article from the BBC - The trials of Ramadan fasting.

Even President Bush issued a Presidential Message, which was very nice of him.

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 12, 2007

Presidential Message: Ramadan, 2007

September 7, 2007

I send greetings to Muslims observing Ramadan in America and around the world.

Ramadan, the holiest days of the Islamic faith, begins with the first light of dawn and commemorates the revelation of the Qur'an to the prophet Muhammad. During the days of fasting, prayer, and worship, Muslims reflect and remember their dependence on God. Ramadan is also an occasion for Muslims to strengthen family and community ties and share God's gifts with those in need.

America is a land of many faiths, and our society is enriched by our Muslim citizens. May the holy days of Ramadan remind us all to seek a culture of compassion and serve others in charity.

Laura and I send our best wishes. Ramadan Mubarak.

GEORGE W. BUSH

Not even having a drink of water must be very difficult and the challenge of staying focussed at work in the afternoon would be great.

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Tonight I managed to remember Ghost Whisperer on tv. I don't understand people who don't like Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

Pionta Guinness, le do thoil.

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I was out for most of the day (seven hours), meeting up with Declan and Nell at 4pm for a few pints of Guinness in celebration of St Patrick's Day. Then a quick and cheap dinner at Sammy's Kitchen (Chinese and Malaysian cuisine) in the city (their noodle dishes are very tasty).

The Labor Club in the city was not showing the football game on their subscription channels, so we ended up at the Southern Cross Club on the southside and watched the game on their big screen (the sound was down unfortunately as the other screens were showing a rugby league game).

What a disappointing game. Just as well it is only pre-season.