Mad Max Redux?

Beware of the cassowary.

Latest from the Daily Telegraph:

"Australians trying to rebuild in the wake of Cyclone Yasi have been warned to stay away from cassowaries – huge flightless birds with claws that can disembowel a human – on the hunt for food after their habitat was destroyed by the storm."

These creatures weigh as much as a medium-sized goalie but may disembowel a human with one kick (unlike most goalies except German ones). Has Oz post-cyclone become such a dangerous wasteland? Read all about it here.

The Second Test

Apologies for those of you expecting a religious treatise or an ancient myth. This is cricket. Unless you are English or Australian, you'd better go browse in the blogroll because this is serious business. After a humiliating whitewash last time the Ashes were contested down under, England have made a fine start this time round. The photo above is the schadenfreude-of-the-week moment, as the Aussie captain Ricky Ponting is out first ball at the beginning of the Second Test.

great news from oz!

m from melbourne just posted this press release on the dayenu list.

while the 2000 ccar resolution at the convention in greensboro ended up terribly watered down from the original version presented by the women's rabbinic network, it was still the first, and ground-breaking, step. having been present at the sydney mardi gras celebration also in 2000, which marked the first time g/l/b/t jews had come out in the parade as jews, i am thrilled to see this step taking place in oz. i was invited to the parade because at that time there was no other rabbi in the country able or willing to march. things are so different now. hip hip hurrah!

being interviewed for israeli tv before the parade. front & left is the back of the amazing woman who brought me over with her air miles and put me up at her house for a week.