Islam Open Day, Perth

Just thought I'd write something about the Islam open weekend in Perth. The first part was at the Daa Wah Cultural Centre in Cannington, where we ate ridiculous amounts of free food in between learning about why Muslim women wear the hijab (the covering surrounding the head so the face is visible), some of the more routine beliefs and practices (including watching them praying), and a heap of other things. The second day was at the Perth Mosque which was sort of a question-and-answer session about Islam - I wondered why some of the people bothered to turn up there, their only purpose seemed to be trying (badly) to convert people to Christianity or Baha'i.

I think overall this was a great move by the Islamic community to improve community awareness of their real beliefs and ideas, however the problem is that with this sort of move you're only going to attract more open- or broad-minded people, and the ones they're really trying to reach simply won't go.

Just luck or what?

On 6 December 2002 I arrived at the bottom of Arthur's Seat on the Mornington Peninsula south of Melbourne, after walking from one of the Dromana stops on Nepean Highway, to get the chairlift ... and was 2 minutes too late to go on it, it had closed for the day. Unperturbed, I followed the line underneath the chairlift across the road, stood up alongside a large pylon and took a photo. When I get home I'll scan this photo in and post it here.

And on today's news... I'll let it speak for itself actually. Note this appeared as one of the only two Australian stories on the BBC today.

The pylon that collapsed, if the info the news has contained so far is correct, was the one I was standing against, and the bit of road was the same one I crossed.

I think sometimes the universe just steps in to keep us safe. Who really knows? Feeling somewhat humbled at the moment...