... a sign of the times on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia — take care ...

aplaceof.info

My name is Dennis Argall
and this has been my web
address since 2002.

... That's the easy part to say—
late in 2008!

This has been a year of considerable changes and these continue.

Important family life has been recorded, here and here, since 2000.

I recorded some views against the Iraq war in 2003 and 2004, here. I think (as a former ambassador to China and with other past defence and foreign affairs roles) that we still have major foreign policy problems in Australia, but these are now for another generation to solve. We seem never to learn from history. Strategic policy remains lacking in understanding of our own region, preoccupied by force, unaware of the declining efficacy of state force. There is a persistence of an imperial mindset in favour of 'intervention' to solve matters domestically and internationally. Which is an instrument more likely to cause disorder than stability, where it is not closely associated with empowerment of local community. And yes, I am also referring to and concerned about interventionist perspectives on indigenous issues. See what I wrote after the Prime Minister's Sorry statement. A link from that page also to writing about the prospects (as seen in February) of an Obama vistory.

The hosting space has also been used for several community projects, notably for community empowerment projects in Africa, including currently

www.easterncongo.net

and locally in the Shoalhaven (southeastern Australia)
www.tomerong.org and
www.newbushtelegraph.net

I have maintained a management responsibility for the Australian internet brain tumour support group OzBrainTumour since establishing it in 2000. I hope by the end of 2008 to update resources for the group. There are some written earlier papers accessible within this site, here.

Four months of this year were entirely preoccupied by a campaign to change the local government in the Shoalhaven, in the course of which I built this web site.

The outcome of the elections was with a change of regime, as sought, and with myself not being elected to any office, which in many ways suits. I am free to be free... watch this space...

I am concerned still that we have, at no level of government in Australia a real sense of the difficulties ahead. Government is pervasively distrusted and many issues will not be solved at federal or state level, or by the machinery of local government. To get any resilient capacity to cope with future issues, especially climate change and fuel and energy costs, will require fundamental new attitudes in the community, shifting away from sitting and waiting for services to working collaboratively. No, I don't imagine we are going to find that easy for Australians, but we have to do it...

Enough ideas for now, summer beckons.

You can write to me at the email address on the right. Which you need to copy. I have not made a link to it as it then gets stolen and the spam mail increases.

I use skype but only as arranged by email.