dwheaton.org

So this was read out at a staff meeting we had this morning. Ive got no idea where its from, so sorry to whoever wrote it, but i think its great!

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, “How heavy is this glass of water?” Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g. The lecturer replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.”

“If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

He continued, “And that’s the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on.”

“As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.”

“So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don’t carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you’re carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.”

“Relax; pick them up later after you’ve rested. Life is short Enjoy it!”

And then he shared some ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

1. Accept that some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you’re the statue.
2. Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
3. Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
4. Drive carefully. It’s not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.
5. If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
6. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
7. It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
8. Never buy a car you can’t push.
9. Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won’t have a leg to stand on.
10. Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance.
11. Since it’s the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
12. The second mouse gets the cheese.
13. When everything’s coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.
14. Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
15. You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
16. Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
17. We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
18. A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Those of you who know me reasonably well, will know that I have changed dramatically over the last 2 years. I tried to somewhat re-invent myself, and I mostly suceeded in doing so. I have lost 37kgs (83lbs), quit smoking, and started eating proper balanced meals. I know people never believe this, but I put a lot of it down to eating a proper breakfast.

It gives you more energy, and its just so much easier to get through the day. If I skip breakfast, for whatever reason, by the time I get home from work, exhaustion has hit and nothing gets done in the evening. For me personally though, I cant have breakfast too early. I find I feel the best if I wait until already at work, and eat at around 9, rather than 7-730am at home beforehand. Thats just me, others probably find the opposite.

Now, time to get back on track. 4 to 5 months ago, i was running 10kms 3 to 4 times, playing squash twice, and up to 4 boot camp sessions, EVERY WEEK. Then I went away on holidays, had a brief stint of unemployment, which was followed by another lengthy holiday (the joys of education.) I lost all my mojo, and I still really havent got it back. I now struggle to play a couple of games of squash in a row, and cant even run 5kms. I’ve also had a few minor injuries, which have not helped much.

So I am going to state, here and now, that I am going to get back to where I was. It wasnt that long ago, surely it cannot be that hard, right? I am over the injuries, and starting to get my motivation back. If I am serious about looking into a career in the Fitness Industry, I need to be able to put my money where my mouth is! Its time to dust off the weights bench, and warm up the running shoes!

 Hollywood movie studios knew they could never take on the big corporates in the US, so they tried to take on some smaller fry down here. It would have certainly set a precendent, and opened the door for them to follow suit worldwide. It really would have been “like suing the electricity company for things people do with their electricity.”

From smh.com.au

“The giants of the film industry have lost their case against ISP iiNet in a landmark judgment handed down in the Federal Court today.

The decision had the potential to impact internet users and the internet industry profoundly as it sets a legal precedent surrounding how much ISPs are required to do to prevent customers from downloading movies and other content illegally.

But after an on-and-off eight-week trial that examined whether iiNet authorised customers to download pirated movies, Justice Dennis Cowdroy found that the ISP was not liable for the downloading habits of its customers.

In a summary of his 200-page judgment read out in court this morning, Justice Cowdroy said the evidence established that iiNet had done no more than to provide an internet service to its users.

He found that, while iiNet had knowledge of infringements occurring and did not act to stop them, such findings did not necessitate a finding of authorisation.

He said an ISP such as iiNet provided a legitimate communication facility, which was neither intended nor designed to infringe copyright.

He said it was only by means of the application of the BitTorrent system that copyright infringements were enabled, but iiNet had no control over this system.

“iiNet is not responsible if an iiNet user uses that system to bring about copyright infringement … the law recognises no positive obligation on any person to protect the copyright of another,” Justice Cowdroy said.

Justice Cowdroy remarked that the case had attracted widespread interest both in Australia and abroad. It was the first Australian trial to be covered on Twitter and the first trial of its kind in the world to proceed to hearing and judgment.

Neil Gane, executive director of the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft, which brought the case on behalf of the studios, said the decision was a set back for the 50,000 Australians employed in the film industry.

“But we believe this decision was based on a technical  finding centred on the court’s interpretation of how infringements occur and the ISP’s ability to control them.”

He said AFACT would review the decision before deciding whether to appeal.

iiNet welcomed the decision and reiterated that it has never supported nor encouraged illegal file sharing.

The suit against iiNet was filed in November 2008 by a group of the biggest Hollywood studios including Village Roadshow, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, 20th Century Fox and Disney, as well as the Seven Network.

They claimed iiNet was liable for ‘‘authorising’’ copyright infringement on its network because it did not warn or disconnect offending customers when repeatedly notified of the infringements by the movie studios.

The studios had hired an online investigator firm to intercept BitTorrent traffic over 59 weeks and record instances of iiNet users downloading pirated movies.

iiNet argued that it was not required by law to act on ‘‘mere allegations’’ of copyright infringement, that customers were innocent until proven guilty in court, and that the case was like suing the electricity company for things people do with their electricity.

But during the trial iiNet’s managing director Michael Malone conceded that the notices provided by the movie studios presented “compelling evidence” of copyright infringement by iiNet customers.

However, iiNet’s legal counsel, Richard Cobden, said privacy provisions in the Telecommunications Act prevented it from forwarding the studios’ infringement notices to customers.

He said iiNet was also protected under Safe Harbour provisions of the Copyright Act, which limit an ISP’s liability if it takes ‘‘reasonable steps’’ to deal with repeat copyright infringers.

The barrister for the studios, Tony Bannon, said that iiNet failed to take any ‘‘reasonable steps’’ to combat copyright infringement.

He said iiNet’s practice of forwarding infringement notices to police and stating in its terms and conditions that illegal downloading was not permitted – while not enforcing this rule - did not constitute reasonable steps.

The studios also presented email evidence which showed that, despite iiNet’s claims that it could not act on the notices, Westnet, which was acquired by iiNet in May 2008, was in fact passing them on to customers until Malone told a Westnet senior staff member to drop the policy.

Other ISPs, including TPG, have also been passing copyright infringement notices on to customers.

Cobden said the studios were trying to place an ‘‘unreasonable burden’’ on ISPs and that ‘‘we will not take on the rights holders’ outsourcing of their rights enforcement’’.

Justice Cowdory agreed and said that, while iiNet was entitled to protection under the Safe Harbour provisions, there was no need for iiNet to take advantage of this as he did not find it authorised its users’ copyright infringement.

He found that a scheme for notification, suspension and termination of customer accounts was not in this instance a relevant power to prevent copyright infringement.”

Miffys leave got revoked. She is still coming, but not so soon any more.

I am so very sad.

Back at work now, had a great holiday in Kangaroo Island, but will put stuff up about that soon!

I am so freaking excited. Miffy (a good friend from the US) is coming to visit for 10 or so days. She sent an email around this morning saying her leave has been approved. I felt the need to tell everyone, as its very exciting.

Did i mention im excited ??

The movie is amazing. Go see it. Thats really all there is to it. Its got a bit in it for everyone really. Drama, Action, Romance, Spirituality. Not going to say any more, if you have seen it, you already agree with me, and if you haven’t, you will soon.

However, i was shocked to hear in a news bulletin today (cant remember what network it was on), “Avatar. Better than Titanic?”

What The FUCK! Titanic is possibly the most overrated movie of all time. Its 3 hours of my life i want back and $15 i could have spent on beers at the pub.

So my friend Jess and I were driving around tonight, when we started talking about Tiger. Man whore, sex addict etc etc. Im sure everyone knows the story by now, and has heard that over the last few days, his sponsors have begun to drop him over it all. No more Gatorade, or close shaves for you!

But its OK, we have come up with a new sponsorship idea for you Tiger. I think its time to promote condoms! I can hear all the marketing slogans now.

Perfect for the front 9 or the back 9.
Dimpled like a golf ball, ribbed for YOUR pleasure.
A hole in one.
Make you go like a Tiger.

It appears that golfing terms are just full of sexual innuendo.

Its a very noisy time of year. Boozy office parties, everyone catching up for drinks with people they havent seen all year and only spoken to on Facebook, and the local Westfield full of crazed lunatics looking for the latest iPod. I try and avoid shopping centres like the plague this time of year, but it just seems to be unavoidable. I swear the big guy up in the sky is just sitting there laughing his head off. Watching everyone run around like madmen, created purely for his enjoyment. And no, im not being sexist, i just dont want to type he/she. That statement is gender neutral.

Forced conversations with “friends” (acquantances really), and distant family is what sums up Christmas. The same questions come out every year. “Got any time off?” “What are you doing for New Years?”Do you actually care what the answer is ? Probably not, but you feel compelled to ask anyway. To save everyone the hassle, i decided im going to answer all those generic christmassy questions online, right now.

“Going away for Christmas?”
Yep. Leaving the big smoke for a while to visit the fam.
“Got any time off?”
Yes, i do. Nearly 6 weeks in fact. Suck it. I love working in an educational institution
“Got any plans for NYE?”
No, i dont at this stage. I will either end up at a house party, or in the city. Either way, i will be at the beach on New Years Day.
“What is Santa getting you?”
Not really sure. I know what i have asked for, but i havent been a very good boy this year.
“How hot is it?”
Very. Its Summer. In Australia. Its meant to be.
“Do you think next year could be any worse?”
Of course it could be worse. I hope to fuck its not, but no guarantees.

There we go. A summation of Christmas.

 I was reading an article on violentacres.com, (part of which is quoted below) and having heard some students at school recently, it got me thinking.

An “ideal” that has ruined American culture is the one that states, “‘I don’t give respect freely. You have to earn my respect.’ This one is most often uttered by stupid kids with bad attitudes and black fingernail polish.” You know the ones i am talking about.

Its now starting to spread to those weird looking ones with the jet black hair and jeans 3 sizes too small.  And it now seems to be more prevalent in our culture too! Its not only our politicians who do whatever America does.

“I mean, how egotistical does one have to be to automatically assume that their respect is so fucking important that one must jump through multiples hoops in order to earn it? How about we give people respect because they are humans with lives and feelings just as important as our own?”

Im sorry, but you are no more important than me or anyone else. Respect just does not seem to exist any more. It truly is a sad day.

Now working in a school, ive heard a few times students ask “why should I respect somebody just because they are older than i am?” I remember asking myself the same question when i was of school age. The difference was, I did it anyway because I was tought it was the right thing to do. In short, you should respect everybody. But you should especially respect your elders because they are ahead of you. In age, in wisdom and maturity, in experience and education. Our elders have done a lot for us, directly or indirectly, and each and every person owes them a lot, whether they are family and friends, teachers etc.

Dont get me wrong, to some extent i believe that “additional” respect can be earnt, but there needs to be some there to start with.

Need rehydrating after a big night out? Reach for the fruit bowl!

A new study from the University of Aberdeen Medical School has discovered that certain water rich fruits and vegies can hydrate the body twice as effectively as a glass of water, thanks to their hydrating salts, minerals and sugars. Watermelon and cucumber are top hydration boosters, according to a seperate study by the University of Naples.

As well as helping prevent breast and bladder cancer, new research has found that compounds extracted from broccoli and cabbage could be used to fight melanoma. These on mice at the Penn State College of Medicine have shown that these compounds, combined with the selenium, target the proteins that trigger melanoma. Drugs created from the compounds inhibited tumour growth by 50 to 60 percent in the mice.