this is what i call a "clint" syndrome and occurs everytime you watch a clint eastwood movie. be it million dollar baby or the latest "gran torino". i cry during the movie at least once and think a lot after it, especially about running back and spending more time with family.
Chapter 1: IELTS
anyways, the day started with us waking up to giving IELTS exam. went to macquarie university and funnily, sitting for the exam in the very room I usually deliver undergraduate lectures. the immigration requires EVERYONE except citizens of US, UK, Canada and a few other countries they think can communicate in English. I don't want exemption because I know I can communicate satisfactorily in English. I don't want an exemption because my medium of education during my school, undergrad, postgrad and phd has been English. I don't want an exemption because I have finished PhD from an Australian university. Although, I DO want an exemption on the basis that I already scored 8/9 in IELTS four years back right before coming to Australia.
So does the immigration department really think that four years in Australia may have deteriorated by English-speaking/writing/listening/reading capabilities? There is no flaw or loophole in the legislation, mind you. It's an outright business with the geovernment, British Council, IDP and Cambridge Universities being the beneficiaries. Would it really be so unimaginable to expect the government to waive the English test requirements for anyone who has scored above a certain level?
For example, if the IELTS requirements for a particular kind of visa is 6/9, waive IELTS for anyone who scored 8 or more. Basically, your current score is the same as your previous score given that you have taken the IELTS within the last 3 years AND is one less than your previous score if the last test was taken more than three years back. Of course, the government can charge you for each time you request the scores. This will atleast save a lot of time of a lot of people throughout Australia and rest of the world. Of course, it would put a couple of people out of work, which is, probably, the universal reason for any business one can say (providing jobs to people).
I hope the government stops, what I think, is exploitation of people who want to make Australia home. Let's give everyone a fair go - isn't that what Australia claims to be for?!?
----------------------
Chapter 2: Gran Torino
There's just something about a Clint Eastwood-directed movie that makes me cry :( He is such an emotional-blackmailing, sentiment-exploiting son-of-a-bitch! Anyways, I will just say that the movie was good - watch it to know more about it.
----------------------
Chapter 3: The Gaza "war"
Of course, it's a damn war - 1188 people dead out of which 410 are children - and this is just the Australian media. Isn't that 410 children too many? Isn't that the lives of 410 innocent souls whose crime was to be born to Palestinian or Israeli parents? Israel wants to justify it's war by saying that it is trying to minimize civilians casualities and that Hamas is hiding amongst civilians. Well, if they are - too bad! You can't ethically strike civilian locations even if you know it has a few targets. It's a 50-50 split between real targets and innocent civilians; that's not discrete! that's not carefully selected strikes. Those are the actions of a fed-up team of incapable politicians and army-men who are tired and want to take the easy way out.
I honestly, don't know the accurate history of the middle-eastern conflict and I don't care to know it. What I know, and what every single person in the world should be ashamed of is the innocent people and especially the kids who died in this war. Shame on each one of us who turns a blind eye towards it and shame on Israel for taking this cowardly easy route and shame on Hamas for exposing civilians to their enemies and shame on the US and UK politicians for turning their backs on this strike stating that "Israel has a moral right to defend itself".
It's been a sad couple of decades for the global society with unipolar earth after the long-term manipulation and eventual demise of U.S.S.R. and total world domination - economically and politically by the United States of America. But I see a more balanced world in the next 10 years with China willing to speak up and not fearing the downward effects on it'e economic output and India becoming more visible to the world as well. France, Germany, Brazil and all the other "neutral" countries not letting the USA get away with what it sees as it's moral right.
I just want to say that I miss all the 410 children like my own children. The heart bleeds to know that they won't be playing in the street tomorrow morning, that they won't be banging the doors to announce to their mums that they are hungry, that they won't be sneaking up in the bedroom because they are scared, that they won't be stealing your hearts and defeating you with their smiles. Each kid should grow up to choose a path in life and no parent should have to live with the grief of losing a part of their own. I am sure these children have been taken by God in it's stride and I KNOW that they are in place which HAS TO BE better than this one.
Miss you all...
Gaurav
