This second link is about Australian laws and legislation system.
http://australia.gov.au/topics/australian-facts-and-figures/law-and-legislation
Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Australian Government and Legislation Systems
Hi, this link is about the Australian government system. If you do not know the Australian government system click on the link and read information. https://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/sys_gov.html
This second link is about Australian laws and legislation system.
http://australia.gov.au/topics/australian-facts-and-figures/law-and-legislation
This second link is about Australian laws and legislation system.
http://australia.gov.au/topics/australian-facts-and-figures/law-and-legislation
Manuka Honey
Hi, this article is about Manuka honey. Most likely, many of us did not what Manuka honey is.
What is it?
Manuka honey is made by bees that feed on the flowers of the manuka bush, also known as the tea tree, in New Zealand. In Australia, the tree used to make manuka honey is called the jellybush. The honey is distinctively flavoured, darker and richer than other honey.In recent tests conducted at Sydney University's School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences, manuka honey killed every type of bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant "superbugs". The University of Waikato in New Zealand has formed the Waikato Honey Research Unit to study the composition of honey and its antimicrobial activity.
The curative properties of honey have been known to indigenous cultures for thousands of years, and dressing wounds with honey was common before the advent of antibiotics. New Zealand's Maori were the first to identify the healing properties of manuka and some of their remedies and tonics are still used today.
The finest-quality manuka honey, with the most potent antimicrobial properties, is produced from hives in wild, uncultivated areas. Since 2004, Britain's National Health Service has licensed the use of manuka honey wound dressings and sterilised medical-grade manuka honey creams.
The pros
Manuka honey has an antibacterial component that sets it apart from other honeys. This activity is stable and doesn't lose its potency when exposed to dilution, heat or light.
Manuka honey has been found to be effective against a range of bacteria including Helicobacter pylori (which causes most stomach ulcers); Escherichia coli (the most common cause of infected wounds) and Streptococcus pyogenes (which causes sore throats).
Manuka honey is antimicrobial and antiviral. It is also an antioxidant that can help to increase vitality and immunity.
Trials have indicated that manuka honey can heal wounds and skin ulcers that haven't responded to standard treatments.
The cons
Honey in general is not suitable for babies under 12 months of age because it is a known source of the bacteria spores that cause botulism.
Diabetics should also avoid or limit their intake of honey due to the high glucose content.
Not all manuka honeys were born equal, so it can be hard to know what you're getting. Active manuka honey has stronger properties than regular manuka honey. The team at the Waikato Honey Research Unit are refining testing methods to identify and rate the potency of different manuka honeys.
There are no known side effects of active manuka honey when used internally, unless you are allergic to honey. Occasionally, when active manuka honey is used on an external wound, it can sting because of its high activity level. In this case, use regular manuka honey instead.
How to use it
Manuka honey can be applied topically to the skin as a balm for skin infections, bites and cuts.
Take a spoonful orally to help soothe the throat and digestive tract.
Eat is as you would any other honey product to maintain general health.
Manuka Tree Photo
Information Communication Technology
What Is ICT Education and Why Is It Important?
Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) education is basically our society’s efforts to teach its current and emerging citizens valuable knowledge and skills around computing and communications devices, software that operates them, applications that run on them and systems that are built with them.
ICT is complex and quickly changing, and it is confusing for many people. It is so pervasive in the modern world that everyone has some understanding of it, but those understandings are often wildly divergent. There are many important dimensions to ICT education, including:
ICT/Digital Literacy
Today, everyone needs a basic understanding of ICT and how to make productive use of it, just to be good students, workers and citizens. Teaching people how to be competent basic users of ICT technologies is an important role of ICT education, so they will be successful in their academic and work careers, and so they can efficiently participate in modern technical society.
ICT Infrastructure and Support Applied Technologists
Beyond a basic user competency, our society also needs more knowledgeable and capable technical people to deploy, manage and maintain ICT equipment, software and systems, so they work well for users. In all industries, these people manage computer and communications hardware, software and applications; networked systems; online information sharing, communication and commerce systems; business processes making use of these systems; and user support
Specialized Business and Industry Uses of ICT
As enabling technologies, ICT is used strategically in almost all businesses and industries. Many have developed specialized systems and uses of ICT, and many have specialized legal and regulatory requirements; quality control systems; integrations with production and research equipment and systems; security requirements; and software applications.
We need to develop a competent workforce that understands not only relevant technologies, but also specialized business and industry environments and operations, to meet these specialized needs.
ICT Research and Development Scientists
ICT fields themselves are under constant pressure to evolve and improve. We need people who deeply understand the science and technologies underlying ICT and who can work to advance the fields.
In virtually all modern businesses and industries, and in modern society in general, ICT has key strategic roles. It is strategically important to develop citizens and workers
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Australian World Heritage Buildings
Hi, this link show the full list of Australian places on the World Heritage List.
http://www.environment.gov.au/node/19779
http://www.environment.gov.au/node/19779
Platypus
The Platypus
The platypus is found in eastern Australia. They live aside freshwater rivers or lakes, and create burrows for shelter and protection. They are active mainly at nighttime hours, and use their webbed feet for swimming. When swimming the platypus has its eyes shut. They swim underwater for 2 minutes, before returning to the surface for oxygen. They can however stay underwater for up to 10 minutes, and due to their natural buoyancy, they need to be underneath another object to do this.
The Platypus has a wooly furred coat and range from 30cm to 45cms in length and the tail about 10 to 15 cms. The wooly furred coat actually has three different layers. The first layer keeps the animal warm, by trapping air, the second layer which provides an insulating coat for the animal, and lastly the third layer of long flat hairs to detect objects close by. These creatures weight on average between 1 to 2.4 kilograms. They have an average lifespan of 12 years.
This lifespan may be shortly diminished, as the platypuses biggest threats are snakes, goannas, rats and foxes. Another big threat to the platypus is man, via waterway pollution or land clearing.
Platypuses feed on insect larvae, worms or other freshwater insects. They do so mainly at night, by the use of their bill. They turn up mud on the bottom of the lake or river, and with the help of their electroreceptors located on the bill, find many insects and freshwater insects. They store their findings in special pouches behind their bill, and are consumed upon returning to the surface.
Amazing Facts
Platypuses can consume their own body weight in food in a 24 hour period!
Male platypus are larger than the female. They reproduct by mating which occurs once a year, between June - October. The female lays between 2 - 4 eggs and incubates these for a two week period. When a young platypus is born, they feed from milk from the mother. The mother secretes this milk from large glands under the skin, the young platypus feed from this milk which ends up on the mothers fur.
If you thought this was a cute and cuddly Australian animal, well, you are only half correct. The male platypi have a hollow spur about 15 milimetres in length on the inside of both hind legs. This in turn is connected to a venom gland, and the platypus uses this spur to defend itself against predators.
The male platypus has venom strong enough to can kill a small dog, or cause excruciating pain among humans.
Since only the male platypus has this venomous spur, and the gland peaks during mating season, many suggest it is normally used in aggressive encounters between other male platypus.
A baby platypus is not called a puggle, which seems to be a common misconception. There is no official name for a baby platypus, but a common suggested name is "platypup".
Koala
Though often called the koala "bear," this cuddly animal is not a bear at all; it is a marsupial, or pouched mammal. After giving birth, a female koala carries her baby in her pouch for about six months. When the infant emerges, it rides on its mother's back or clings to her belly, accompanying her everywhere until it is about a year old.
Koalas live in eastern Australia, where the eucalyptus trees they love are most plentiful. In fact, they rarely leave these trees, and their sharp claws and opposable digits easily keep them aloft. During the day they doze, tucked into forks or nooks in the trees, sleeping for up to 18 hours.
When not asleep a koala feeds on eucalyptus leaves, especially at night. Koalas do not drink much water and they get most of their moisture from these leaves. Each animal eats a tremendous amount for its size about two and a half pounds (one kilogram) of leaves a day. Koalas even store snacks of leaves in pouches in their cheeks.
A special digestive system,a long gut allows koalas to break down the tough eucalyptus leaves and remain unharmed by their poison. Koalas eat so many of these leaves that they take on a distinctive odour from their oil, reminiscent of cough drops.
These plump, fuzzy mammals were widely hunted during the 1920s and 1930s, and their populations plunged. Helped by reintroduction, they have reappeared over much of their former range, but their populations are smaller and scattered. Koalas need a lot of space about a hundred trees per animal a pressing problem as Australia's woodlands continue to shrink.
Koala Range
Koalas live in eastern Australia, where the eucalyptus trees they love are most plentiful. In fact, they rarely leave these trees, and their sharp claws and opposable digits easily keep them aloft. During the day they doze, tucked into forks or nooks in the trees, sleeping for up to 18 hours.
When not asleep a koala feeds on eucalyptus leaves, especially at night. Koalas do not drink much water and they get most of their moisture from these leaves. Each animal eats a tremendous amount for its size about two and a half pounds (one kilogram) of leaves a day. Koalas even store snacks of leaves in pouches in their cheeks.
A special digestive system,a long gut allows koalas to break down the tough eucalyptus leaves and remain unharmed by their poison. Koalas eat so many of these leaves that they take on a distinctive odour from their oil, reminiscent of cough drops.
These plump, fuzzy mammals were widely hunted during the 1920s and 1930s, and their populations plunged. Helped by reintroduction, they have reappeared over much of their former range, but their populations are smaller and scattered. Koalas need a lot of space about a hundred trees per animal a pressing problem as Australia's woodlands continue to shrink.
Koala Range
Black Widow Spider
Hi, Black Widow Spider and Red Back Spider belong to the same spider family. Red Back has the red strip until Black Widow has the red spots on the back.
Black widows are notorious spiders identified by the coloured, hourglass-shaped mark on their abdomens. Several species answer to the name, and they are found in temperate regions around the world.
This spider's bite is much feared because its venom is reported to be 15 times stronger than a rattlesnake's. In humans, bites produce muscle aches, nausea, and a paralysis of the diaphragm that can make breathing difficult; however, contrary to popular belief, most people who are bitten suffer no serious damage-let alone death. But bites can be fatal-usually to small children, the elderly, or the infirm. Fortunately, fatalities are fairly rare; the spiders are nonaggressive and bite only in self-defense, such as when someone accidentally sits on them.
The animals most at risk from the black widow's bite are insects-and male black widow spiders. Females sometimes kill and eat their counterparts after mating in a macabre behavior that gave the insect its name. Black widows are solitary year-round except during this violent mating ritual.
These spiders spin large webs in which females suspend a cocoon with hundreds of eggs. Spiderlings disperse soon after they leave their eggs, but the web remains. Black widow spiders also use their webs to ensnare their prey, which consists of flies, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars. Black widows are comb-footed spiders, which means they have bristles on their hind legs that they use to cover their prey with silk once it has been trapped.
To feed, black widows puncture their insect prey with their fangs and administer digestive enzymes to the corpses. By using these enzymes, and their gnashing fangs, the spiders liquefy their prey's bodies and suck up the resulting fluid
This map show Black Widow Spider range, in other words, the areas in yellow colour show where Black Widow Spider lives.
Black widows are notorious spiders identified by the coloured, hourglass-shaped mark on their abdomens. Several species answer to the name, and they are found in temperate regions around the world.
This spider's bite is much feared because its venom is reported to be 15 times stronger than a rattlesnake's. In humans, bites produce muscle aches, nausea, and a paralysis of the diaphragm that can make breathing difficult; however, contrary to popular belief, most people who are bitten suffer no serious damage-let alone death. But bites can be fatal-usually to small children, the elderly, or the infirm. Fortunately, fatalities are fairly rare; the spiders are nonaggressive and bite only in self-defense, such as when someone accidentally sits on them.
The animals most at risk from the black widow's bite are insects-and male black widow spiders. Females sometimes kill and eat their counterparts after mating in a macabre behavior that gave the insect its name. Black widows are solitary year-round except during this violent mating ritual.
These spiders spin large webs in which females suspend a cocoon with hundreds of eggs. Spiderlings disperse soon after they leave their eggs, but the web remains. Black widow spiders also use their webs to ensnare their prey, which consists of flies, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars. Black widows are comb-footed spiders, which means they have bristles on their hind legs that they use to cover their prey with silk once it has been trapped.
To feed, black widows puncture their insect prey with their fangs and administer digestive enzymes to the corpses. By using these enzymes, and their gnashing fangs, the spiders liquefy their prey's bodies and suck up the resulting fluid
This map show Black Widow Spider range, in other words, the areas in yellow colour show where Black Widow Spider lives. 
Uluru
Aboriginal Uluru Dreamtime Story
For the Aboriginal people of Australia, Dreamtime represents the essence of their society, culture, traditions and spirituality. It is a time when ancestors, gods and living mortals come together to learn about the heritage and customs of the Aboriginal people. Dreamtime is the core of everything, and of the many sacred sites in Australia, few are as important as Uluru.
Also known as Ayers Rock, Uluru is believed to have been created at the beginning of time by 10 ancestors, or spirit people, of the Aboriginal people. Tours of Ayers Rock emphasise this connection with the beginnings of the local Anangu Aboriginal people while also highlighting the natural power of the sandstone monolith.
Also known as Ayers Rock, Uluru is believed to have been created at the beginning of time by 10 ancestors, or spirit people, of the Aboriginal people. Tours of Ayers Rock emphasise this connection with the beginnings of the local Anangu Aboriginal people while also highlighting the natural power of the sandstone monolith.
Nose-Horned Viper
Vipera Ammodytes
This snake is the European viper.
Description:
Adults are usually between 60-80 cm, males larger than females and can reach 100 cm. The only eastern European snake with a distinct nose-horn. Body relatively stout. Males are greyish, females are brownish, greyish-brown, reddish-brown. Rarely yellow, pinkish or greenish. Melanism (entirely black individuals) is very rare. A dark (black, brown-black) line that forms a zig-zag on back (doesn't have to be continuously connected). Only in rare cases is the zig-zag pale or more as a line. Belly is pink, greyish, spotted (darkly). Underside of tail is red, orange, pink, green, yellowish... Back scales are keeled.
This snake is the European viper.
Description:
Adults are usually between 60-80 cm, males larger than females and can reach 100 cm. The only eastern European snake with a distinct nose-horn. Body relatively stout. Males are greyish, females are brownish, greyish-brown, reddish-brown. Rarely yellow, pinkish or greenish. Melanism (entirely black individuals) is very rare. A dark (black, brown-black) line that forms a zig-zag on back (doesn't have to be continuously connected). Only in rare cases is the zig-zag pale or more as a line. Belly is pink, greyish, spotted (darkly). Underside of tail is red, orange, pink, green, yellowish... Back scales are keeled.
Felix Romuliana
Hi, I have embedded link that you can have a look at a beautiful Serbian destinations. These ladies below are dressed in the Serbian traditional costumes.
Sunday, 25 May 2014
Vivid 2014
Sydney Light and Music Festival 2014
The below videos show scenes at Sydney Opera House Light Festival 2014 that I made on my own. You can see the art of light show.
The below videos show scenes at Sydney Opera House Light Festival 2014 that I made on my own. You can see the art of light show.
Friday, 23 May 2014
The Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world, and pulling away from it, and viewing it from a greater distance, you can understand why. It is larger than the Great Wall of China and the only living thing on earth visible from space.
The marine park stretches over 3000km (1800 miles) almost parallel to the Queensland coast, from near the coastal town of Bundaberg, up past the tip of Cape York. The reef, between 15 kilometres and 150 kilometres off shore and around 65 Km wide in some parts, is a gathering of brilliant, vivid coral providing divers with the most spectacular underwater experience imaginable.
A closer encounter with the Great Barrier Reef's impressive coral gardens reveals many astounding underwater attractions including the world's largest collection of corals (in fact, more than 400 different kinds of coral), coral sponges, molluscs, rays, dolphins, over 1500 species of tropical fish, more than 200 types of birds, around 20 types of reptiles including sea turtles and giant clams over 120 years old.
The marine park stretches over 3000km (1800 miles) almost parallel to the Queensland coast, from near the coastal town of Bundaberg, up past the tip of Cape York. The reef, between 15 kilometres and 150 kilometres off shore and around 65 Km wide in some parts, is a gathering of brilliant, vivid coral providing divers with the most spectacular underwater experience imaginable.
A closer encounter with the Great Barrier Reef's impressive coral gardens reveals many astounding underwater attractions including the world's largest collection of corals (in fact, more than 400 different kinds of coral), coral sponges, molluscs, rays, dolphins, over 1500 species of tropical fish, more than 200 types of birds, around 20 types of reptiles including sea turtles and giant clams over 120 years old.
The Danube River
The Danube is the European second longest river after the Volga river. Classified as an international water way, it originates in the town of Donauschingen which is in the Black Forest of Germany at the confluence of the rivers Brigach and Breg The Danube then flows south-east for 2,872 km (1,785 mi), passing through four capital cities before emptying into the Black Sea via the Danube Delta in Romania and Ukraine.
At one time I lived on the Danube terrace near by the capital city of Serbia, Belgrade. The photo below shows a part of the Kalemegdan Park in Belgrade where the another river called the Sava flows in the Danube river. Believe me, the Danube is one of the most beautiful rivers.
Genetics
Genetics is the study of genes, heredity, and variation in living organism. It is generally considered a field of biology, but it intersects frequently with many of the life sciences and is strongly linked with the study of information systems.
The father of genetics is Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), an Austrian monk-scientist. Mendel studied 'trait inheritance,' patterns in the way traits were handed down from parents to offspring. He observed that organisms (pea plants) inherit traits by way of discrete "units of inheritance". This term, still used today, is a somewhat ambiguous definition of what is referred to today as a gene.
As of the 21st century, trait inheritance and molecular inheritance mechanisms of genes are still a primary principle of genetics, but modern genetics has expanded beyond inheritance to studying the function and behavior of genes. Gene structure & function, variation, and distribution is studied within the context of the cell, the organism (e.g. dominance) and within the context of a population. Genetics has given rise to a number of subfields including epigenetics and population genetics. Organisms studied within the field span the domain of life, including bacteria, plants, animals, and humans.
Genetic processes work in combination with an organism's environment and experiences to influence development and behavior. The intra- or extra-cellular environment of a cell or organism may switch gene transcription on or off. A classic example is 2 seeds of genetically identical corn, one placed in a temperate climate and one in an arid climate. While the average height of the 2 corn stalks may be genetically determined to be equal, the one in the arid climate only grows to half the height as the one in the temperate climate, do to lack of irrigation and nutrients in its environment.
Cloning means make an identical copy of.
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/cloning/whatiscloning/
The father of genetics is Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), an Austrian monk-scientist. Mendel studied 'trait inheritance,' patterns in the way traits were handed down from parents to offspring. He observed that organisms (pea plants) inherit traits by way of discrete "units of inheritance". This term, still used today, is a somewhat ambiguous definition of what is referred to today as a gene.
As of the 21st century, trait inheritance and molecular inheritance mechanisms of genes are still a primary principle of genetics, but modern genetics has expanded beyond inheritance to studying the function and behavior of genes. Gene structure & function, variation, and distribution is studied within the context of the cell, the organism (e.g. dominance) and within the context of a population. Genetics has given rise to a number of subfields including epigenetics and population genetics. Organisms studied within the field span the domain of life, including bacteria, plants, animals, and humans.
Genetic processes work in combination with an organism's environment and experiences to influence development and behavior. The intra- or extra-cellular environment of a cell or organism may switch gene transcription on or off. A classic example is 2 seeds of genetically identical corn, one placed in a temperate climate and one in an arid climate. While the average height of the 2 corn stalks may be genetically determined to be equal, the one in the arid climate only grows to half the height as the one in the temperate climate, do to lack of irrigation and nutrients in its environment.
Cloning means make an identical copy of.
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/cloning/whatiscloning/
Thursday, 15 May 2014
Made in Croatia
I would like to show souvenirs made in Croatia. http://www.pearlsofcroatia.com/en/croatia/made-in-croatia/
Hrvatska, Domovina prve kravate
The homeland of the First Tie
The homeland of the First TieDid you know that the neck-tie originates from the Croats?
THE STORY OF THE TIE – A STORY ABOUT LOVE
Welcome to Croatia, country of an exceptional coast, beautiful islands and fascinating stories that will leave immense impression on you. We offer you a unique story, the story of the tie.
Did you know that the tie, a universal symbol of sophistication and culture, originates from the Croats?
As a fashion accessory, the Croats spread it throughout Europe in the 17th century. At the beginning, the Croatian soldiers wore a scarf round the neck. The scarf was named after them - the cravat (the tie) - and it was their recognizable trait. Therefore, in the year of 1667 a separate regiment was formed. It was named the 'Royal Cravates', after the Croats.
When the thirty-year war (1618-1648) was raging in Europe, Croatian soldiers were also drawn into this tragedy. Under the leadership of their Vice-Roys (Croatian ban) they arrived as far as Paris.
The Croatian traditional military dress included picturesque scarves tied round the neck in a distinctive manner. This handsome 'Croatian style' captivated the fastidious French so that, during the reign of Louis XIV, they, too, adopted new fashion item worn 'a la Croate'. This expression soon become the root of the new French word 'cravate'. Thus the tie entered the bourgeois fashion of the time as a sign of cultivation and elegance and went on to conquer the whole Europe and, today, the entire civilized world.
The Croatian traditional military dress included picturesque scarves tied round the neck in a distinctive manner. This handsome 'Croatian style' captivated the fastidious French so that, during the reign of Louis XIV, they, too, adopted new fashion item worn 'a la Croate'. This expression soon become the root of the new French word 'cravate'. Thus the tie entered the bourgeois fashion of the time as a sign of cultivation and elegance and went on to conquer the whole Europe and, today, the entire civilized world.
As all the great stories, this is a story about love. Croatian folk tradition can be our source to find out the reason why they put scarves. Fiancées gave their fiancés scarves as token of mutual fidelity, especially in crucial moments of their lives.
We hope this story will become a constant reminder of our beautiful country and one of her most recognizable symbols - the cravat.
BIOGRAD NA MORU - AERIAL FOOTAGE
This is a short video of a beautiful Croatian Cost. Actually, It is a small town Biograd n/m in which area I was born and lived before coming to Australia.
Computational Biology
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Computational biology involves the development and
application of data-analytical and theoretical methods, mathematical modelling
and computational simulation techniques to the study of biological,
behavioural, and social systems. The field is broadly defined and includes
foundations in computer science, applied mathematics, animation, statistics,
biochemistry, chemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, genetics, genomics,
ecology, evolution, anatomy, neuroscience, and visualization.
Computational biology is different from biological
computation, which is a sub-field of computer science and computer engineering
using bioengineering and biology to build computers, but is similar to
bioinformatics, which is an interdisciplinary science using computers to store
and process biological data.
COMPUTER
SCIENCE
Computer Science is the scientific and practical approach
to computation and its applications. It is the systematic study of the
feasibility, structure, expression, and mechanization of the methodical
processes (or algorithms) that underlie the acquisition, representation,
processing, storage, communication of, and access to information, whether such
information is encoded as bits in a computer memory or transcribed in genes and
protein structures in a human cell. A computer scientist specializes in the
theory of computation and the design of computational systems.
Its subfields can be divided into a
variety of theoretical and practical disciplines. Some fields, such as
computational complexity theory (which explores the fundamental properties of
Computational and intractable problems), are highly abstract, while fields such
as computer graphics emphasize real-world visual applications. Still other
fields focus on the challenges in implementing computation. For example,
programming language theory considers various approaches to the description of
computation, whilst the study of computer programming itself investigates
various aspects of the use of programming language and complex systems.
Human-computer interaction considers the challenges in making computers and
computations useful, usable, and universally accessible to humans.
Wednesday, 14 May 2014
Biodiversity
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is the term given to the variety of life on Earth. It is variety within or between all species of plants, animals and micro-organisms and ecosystems within which they live or interact.
Biodiversity is the term given to the variety of life on Earth. It is variety within or between all species of plants, animals and micro-organisms and ecosystems within which they live or interact.
Big Question
Earth
Scientists predict that the Earth's system is going to be changed most likely by 2100 if the great ice sheets of Greenland and West Antarctica continue melting.
http://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/big-questions/how-well-can-we-predict-future-changes-in-the-earth-system/
Scientists predict that the Earth's system is going to be changed most likely by 2100 if the great ice sheets of Greenland and West Antarctica continue melting.
http://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/big-questions/how-well-can-we-predict-future-changes-in-the-earth-system/
Tuesday, 13 May 2014
Federal Budget 2014
Winners and Losers
Government announced budget changes for 2014. There is a list of those who are advantaged and those who are disadvantaged.
Federal Budget 2014
http://www.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/federal-budget-2014-winners-and-losers-20140513-38802.html
Government announced budget changes for 2014. There is a list of those who are advantaged and those who are disadvantaged.
Federal Budget 2014
http://www.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/federal-budget-2014-winners-and-losers-20140513-38802.html
Kotodama
Kotodama:
the multi-faced Japanese myth of the spirit of language
In Japan, there is a common myth of the spirit of
language called kotodama (言霊, ことだま); a belief that some divine power resides in the
Japanese language. This belief originates in ancient times as part of Shintoist
ritual but the idea has survived through Japanese history and the term kotodama
is still frequently mentioned in public discourse. The notion of kotodama is
closely linked with Japanese linguistic identity, and the narrative of kotodama
has been repeatedly reinterpreted according to non-linguistic factors
surrounding Japan, as well as the changing idea of ‘purity’ of language in
Japan.
Ancient
face
The term kotodama literally means ‘the spirit of
language’ (koto = language, dama (tama) = spirit or soul). It is a belief based
on the idea of Shintoism, the indigenous religion of Japan which worships
divinity in all natural creation and phenomena. In ancient Japan, language was
believed to have a spirit, which gives positive power to positive words,
negative power to negative words, and impacts a person’s life when his or her
name is pronounced out loud. Wishes or curses were thus spelled out in a
particular manner in order to communicate with the divine powers. According to
this ancient belief, the spirit of language only resides in ‘pure’ Japanese
that is unique and free from foreign influence. Therefore, Sino-Japanese
loanwords, which were numerous by then and had a great impact on the Japanese
language, were eschewed in Shintoist rituals and Japanese native vocabulary,
yamatokotoba, was preferred. Under the name of kotodama, this connection
between spiritual power and pure language survived throughout Japanese history
as a looser concept and was reinvented multiple times.
War-time
face
One of the most significant historical moments in which
the myth of kotodama was reinvented was during the Second World War. In order
to strengthen national solidarity, the government reintroduced the idea of
kotodama, coupling it with the idea of kokutai (国体, こくたい, koku = country or nation, tai = body), the Japanese
national polity. The government promoted the idea that the use of ‘pure’ and
traditional Japanese language was at the core of the national unity and social
virtue that is unique to Japan, while failing to use the right language would
lead to violation of the national polity. Under the belief of kotodama,
proposals to abolish or reduce the use of kanji (Chinese characters), which had
been introduced since the modernization of the country in the second half of
the nineteenth century, were fiercely rejected. Instead, the use of kanji as
well as traditional non-vernacular orthographic style was encouraged.
Furthermore, based on the kotodama myth, the use of Western loanwords was
strictly banned as they belonged to the language of the enemy (tekiseigo) and
those words were replaced by Sino-Japanese words. For example, the word ragubî,
which is the loan from the English word ‘rugby’, was replaced by tôkyû, a
Sino-Japanese word meaning ‘fight ball’. The word anaunsâ, which is the loan
from the English word ‘announcer’, was replaced by hôsôin, a Sino-Japanese word
meaning ‘broadcasting person’.
It is interesting to note that the kotodama myth was
reinvented to encourage the use of Sino-Japanese elements, whereas in the
ancient belief the myth promoted the Japanese native elements and eschewed
Sino-Japanese elements. In other words, Sino-Japanese was redefined as the
essential element of the ‘pure’ and ‘traditional’ Japanese language. Even the movements
to simplify the Japanese orthographic system by abolishing the use of Chinese
characters and using only kana (phonetic syllabaries) to write Japanese were
considered to be violations of kotodama, despite the fact that kana was
invented in Japan. This complete reversal of the position of Sino-Japanese
elements can be explained by the belief that the increasing use of Western
loanwords was creating a new threat to the Japanese linguistic identity. The
idea of kokutai, along with other militarist propaganda, was stigmatized in
post-war Japanese society and faded away. However, the idea of kotodama
survived through the post-war democratisation period into contemporary Japan
with yet another face.
Contemporary
face
You still hear the word kotodama today. A song titled “Ai
no Kotodama [Kotodama of Love] – Spiritual Message” performed by a Japanese pop
rock band, Southern All Stars, is a well-known hit which has sold over a
million since it was recorded in 1996. Above all, one frequently sees the term
kotodama used in public debates on the subject of foreign loanwords (gairaigo,
which excludes Sino-Japanese loans). For example, an article from a nationwide
newspaper stated that “loanwords are threatening the country of kotodama”. Thus
the idea of kotodama is still linked to the purity of language in contrast to
Western loanwords but, unlike the link between kotodama and political identity
of the country made during World War Two, it seems that the myth is now linked
to its cultural and social identity while recent waves of globalization have
increased the diversity within the contemporary Japan.
The diversity of Japanese society goes hand in hand with
the diversity of its vocabulary, which we can see from the rapid increase of
loanwords in Japanese. However, at the same time, this increases a sense of
insecurity in relation to the linguistic and cultural identity of Japan. As a
result, the ancient myth of kotodama has been reinvented as a way to manifest
Japanese linguistic identity through the idea of a ‘pure’ language. Kotodama
has no fixed definition, and continues to transform as Japanese society
undergoes changes. It is questionable if the Japanese still really believe in
the spiritual power of language – however, the myth of linguistic purity
persists in the mind of the Japanese through the word kotodama.
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