Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Forum - winning and losing elections

We have been asked to pass on the below message from our Australian friends at the University of Western Sydney. All are welcome




We extend a warm invitation for you to attend the 2009 Open Forum "Winning and Losing Elections". The forum speakers will address the issue of electoral processes in Australia and how citizens and non-government organisations could influence the Government and the Opposition. The guest speakers are the well known political analyst Mr Malcolm Mackerras AO, and Dr Graeme Starr a former Liberal State Director and Federal Ministerial Adviser.

The Forum will be held on Wednesday 10 June at the UWS Parramatta campus, arriving at 5.30pm for a 6.00pm start. Full details of the venue are attached.
This forum is a continuation of the series which started in 2008 and will continue to deal with topical and contemporary social issues and aim to bring academia and the Greater Western Sydney Community together.
We would greatly appreciate it if you could distribute this invitation through your networks.
We look forward to seeing you there.

Dr Sev Ozdowski OAM FAICD
Director, Equity and Diversity
University of Western Sydney
Locked Bag 1797,
Penrith South DC, NSW 1797, Australia
Website: www.uws.edu.au

PA: Mrs Debbie Mey (RSVP's)
Phone: +61 2 9678 7374 Fax +61 2 9678 7373
d.mey@uws.edu.au

Monday, May 4, 2009

The unfounded fear of refugees and immigrants - Book Review - Liz Fekete's 'A Suitable Enemy : racism, migration and Islamophobia in Europe'

We have just taken delivery of 'A Suitable Enemy : racism, migration and Islamophobia in Europe' by Liz Fekete. It seems to be high on many a library and organizations acquisition list. I recommend it as others do that I speak with.



Fekete demonstrates in this book how right wing extremism has bred a hysteria amongst a vast majority of European citizens that immingrants and seekers of asylum pose enormous security risks to the population of many European countries.
This book resonates well with me and those that have read for example 'HUMAN RIGHTS OVERBOARD: SEEKING ASYLUM IN AUSTRALIA by Linda Briskman, Susie Latham and Chris Goddard, with a foreword by Julian Burnside, Scribe Press, 2008.' will recognise this theme and see that worlwide, the phenomnea of the breeding fear existed and still exists to this day of people and cultures that are unlike our own is not isolated geographically. It is used as a political and social manipulation tool to condtion the many, quite often falsely, for various reasons.
Fekete's 'A Suitable Enemy' finely analyses the past few years of the racist undertone attached to foreigners, applyinng her many years of experience and research on racial discrimination and Islamophobia. It becomes blatantly obvious that many perceive immigrants and asylum seekers as potential risks to security and human rights, yet the out of proportion hysteria of that unfounded fear exposes a far greater infringement of freedoms, democracy and human rights that we all hold so dear. As the years have progressed over the past deaced or two, Fekete shows us that the right wing policies of many governments and political movements have moved into the mainstream, often appearing more and more centroid, co-existing and partnering with policies of perceived tolerance, which often masks an enormous duplicitous contradiction. This work serves to demonstrate how exactly it detrimentally acts to shake the foundations of fundamental human rights and those that suffer from it's withering. Fekete concentrates mainly on how the Muslim communities have suffered as a consequence but important lessons can be drawn and extrapolated to all parts of multi-faceted, multicultural societies.
A must own for you collection.

See the publishers website for more information on this fabulous new release.

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Sunday, May 3, 2009

What the devil is Rett Syndrome?? - disability spotlight

Rett Syndrome is a disorder considered neurodevelopmental in nature and often characterised by a de-celeration of rate of head growth, loss of intentional use of hands, and smaller than normal hands and feet. Early onset symptoms can include difficlty in crawling and walking, poor verbal communication and scarce if any eye contact. The symptoms and their severity seem to vary on a case by case basis. There is no known cure and there has been no known way of being able to predict its severity or onset. It is not unusual for Rett Sydnrome to be confused with or diagnosed as autism.

Image: iStockphoto











An exciting recent research collaboration has just identified a genetic variation that influences the severity of symptoms in Rett syndrome. The joint Australian and Israli teams finsings will be published in an upcoming issue of the 'International Journal of Neurology.
The leading scientist involved in the Australian Rett Syndrome Study for Child Health Research at the Telethon Institute, Dr Helen Leonard, said the finding was exciting in that it may help identify and potentially predict the clinical progression of the debilitating neurological disorder. See the last article below for more information on this recent finding.

For more information on the syndrome we recommend you refer to the following recent books, articles and websites.

Rett Syndrome Books and Articles

Understanding Rett Syndrome: A Practical Guide for Parents, Teachers, And Therapists

Pathways to Learning in Rett Syndrome

Your Daughter Has Been Diagnosed With Rett Syndrome

Rett Syndrome Medical Guide

Deciphering the complexities of Rett syndrome.(Special Needs: Realizing Potential): An article from: Pediatric News

Genetic Test for Rett Syndrome Now Available.: An article from: Family Practice News

Recent Telethon Institute finding article - Science Alert

Rett Syndrome Interesting Websites

http://www.rettsyndrome.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rett_syndrome
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/rett/detail_rett.htm

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