Hace mucho tiempo, en una isla apartada del mundo, vivía un pueblo feliz. La isla de Nauru, situada en el Pacífico Occidental tenía todo lo que sus habitantes necesitaban: cocoteros que daban alimento y bebida, árboles frondosos que les regalaban su sombra, aves a montones, y un mar lleno de peces.

Hace más de 200 años, el capitán de un barco ballenero inglés descubrió este edén y lo llamó “Pleasant“, que significa agradable.

La isla cuya superficie llega apenas a los 21 kilómetros cuadrados, es más pequeña que cualquier aeropuerto mediano de alguna de nuestras ciudades. Nauru está situada entre Hawai y Australia, a escasos 56 kilómetros al sur del ecuador y a cientos de kilómetros de cualquier otro lugar.

Tuvo que transcurrir un siglo para que un trozo de madera petrificada que alguien se llevó como recuerdo de Nauru a Australia, cayera en manos de un químico, el cual lo examinó y vio que era muy valioso. Al poco tiempo se organizó una expedición a la pequeña isla y se descubrió que, en efecto, sus moradores vivían sobre el yacimiento de roca fosfática más abundante de toda la parte continental de Oceanía. Un yacimiento originado en los excrementos de aves marinas.

Durante la mayor parte de este siglo se enviaron a Australia y a Nueva Zelanda millones de toneladas de fosfatos de un grado y pureza no conocidos hasta entonces.

Cuando la isla se independizó en 1968, las minas de fosfatos fueron nacionalizadas y los ciudadanos de la república más pequeña del mundo, pasaron a formar parte del selecto grupo de los pueblos más ricos del mundo.

Unos signos de prosperidad que resultaban casi escandalosos. Pese a que sólo hay una carretera en toda la isla, cualquier familia era poseedora de al menos dos vehículos. Una amplia gama de aparatos eléctricos como microondas, equipos estereofónicos y varios televisores por familia.

Los nauruanos recibían gratuitamente, o por una cuota simbólica, vivienda, electricidad, agua, teléfono y servicio médico. La educación también es gratuita y el gobierno solía costear las costosas escuelas particulares en el extranjero. Todo un paraíso fiscal en la década de los 90.

Incluso la Reina Isabel II junto con el Duque de Edimburgo y cinco ministros del gabinete visitaron la isla. Gran Bretaña ayudó con fondos para la minería y las tierras deterioradas….ayudó?

Pero,.. todo esto uso desproporcionado de los males de la riqueza les produjo una dolorosa lección. Los Nauruanos llegaron a ser autosuficientes, pero irremediablemente comenzaron a vivir los últimos capítulos de un cuento de hadas sin final feliz.

Los fosfatos comenzaron a agotarse, y como es lógico el dinero también. Y lo que alguna vez fue un paraíso tropical es hoy un desierto carcomido de lápidas de coral.

Después de devastar casi el 80% de la isla, el terreno se encuentra en un estado estéril de pináculos de caliza, algunos hasta de 15 metros de altitud, inservibles para el cultivo, la única zona posible son los bordes de la isla, donde últimamente es recolectado coco, mango y almendra.

Una apabullante actividad minera que durante más de 90 años ha servido para que los isleños llevaran una autentica vida de lujo a costa de un maltrato desenfrenado de la isla y cuyos resultados saltan a la vista.

El cambio de dieta está causando verdaderos estragos. La expectativa de vida es de sólo 55 años. Los isleños padecen muchas enfermedades de los ricos, entre ellas unos índices altísimos de hipertensión arterial y de afecciones cardiacas; además tienen la segunda tasa más alta de diabéticos en el mundo,y con unos índices de obesidad muy alarmantes. Todo ello gracias a la importación enlatada de su alimentación.

Con una población en el 2006 de 13.048 residentes, Nauru actualmente carece de dinero para realizar muchas de las funciones básicas de gobierno. Incluso el Banco Nacional es insolvente.

Una violación de la naturaleza que no sólo sirvió de provecho a los nauruanos, Australia, Nueva Zelanda y el Reino Unido tuvieron el control de la isla y gran parte de culpa, incluso los japoneses durante la segunda guerra mundial ocuparon la isla.

Un paraíso perdido del Pacífico donde se derrochó sin pensar en el mañana, para ellos, en efecto, quizá no lo haya.

Más información en Every Culture, en Nauru ,  Wikipedia y en El Mundo

Más fotos en flickr aquí, aquí, aquí y en la galería de Galenfry Singer

Otro derroche de imaginación para acabar con la naturaleza: El desastroso proyecto de Fort Lauderdale

Vídeo de Nauru, Un paraíso en venta:

In case you are thinking of purchasing the new global version of Amazon’s Kindle for Christmas, be aware that there are still quite a few places that the global version will NOT work.  I was disappointed to find that the new version still will not work in my country.

Apparently the new global version will only work in SOME countries.   I thought it would be helpful to most expats to have a complete list of which countries it will, or will not work in (below).

It’s also interesting to note the PATTERN of groups of countries where the Kindle doesn’t work–some countries probably lack satellite coverage or delivery systems, while others probably don’t WANT readers to be able to download whatever they want by satellite.

STARRED (*) countries marked below indicate that Kindle needs to be ordered from a SPECIAL PAGE on the Amazon site.

The Global Kindle version DOES work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Aland Islands, Albania, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia*, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Boznia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Liberia, Leichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Moldovia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozembique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Réunion, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,  Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands – British, Virgin Islands – U.S.,  Wallis and Futuna, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The Global Kindle version does NOT work in (as of Dec. 2009) the following countries:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Antarctica, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, Chad, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, French Southern Territories, Gambia, Guinea, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea – Democratic People’s Republic of, Korea – Republic of, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco (including the Western Sahara), New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Pitcairn, Qatar, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, Sudan, Svalbard and Jan Mayan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tokelau, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uzbekistan,  Yemen.

Amazon's Global Kindle Reader

I heard that Amazon now has a global version of Kindle. I was disappointed to find this morning that the new version still will not work in my country.

Since I’ve wanted one for some time, but have been waiting until they got a version that would work in my country, I checked out their website this morning, only to be disappointed again. Apparently the new global version will only work in SOME countries.

In case you are thinking of purchasing the new Global Kindle for a Christmas gift this year, since the new version will only work in SOME countries, I thought it would be helpful to most expats to have a complete list of which countries it will, or will not work in.

STARRED (*) countries marked below indicate that Kindle needs to be ordered from a SPECIAL PAGE on the Amazon site.

The Global Kindle version DOES work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Aland Islands, Albania, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia*, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Boznia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Liberia, Leichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Moldovia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozembique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Réunion, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands – British, Virgin Islands – U.S., Wallis and Futuna, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The Global Kindle version does NOT work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Afghanistan, Algeria, Antarctica, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, Chad, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, French Southern Territories, Gambia, Guinea, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea – Democratic People’s Republic of, Korea – Republic of, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco (including the Western Sahara), New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Pitcairn, Qatar, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, Sudan, Svalbard and Jan Mayan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tokelau, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uzbekistan, Yemen.

A roundup of Australian Jewish news … by Garry Fabian in Melbourne

**

Building Connections of Communal Harmony

SYDNEY – Seventeen-year-old Enzo Somosi may not always broadcast his Jewish
identity. But when a special envoy from the NSW  Jewish Board of Deputies (JBD) visited his Coffs Harbour school to give a presentation on the  Holocaust last week, he felt compelled to wear his kippah during the proceedings.

“If anybody asks me, I’ll be honest. It’s not something I hide,” Somosi, the grandson of
Holocaust survivors, he said.  “But I found it  necessary on this occasion to show respect.”

The presentation was part of a whirlwind five-day  tour of NSW’s mid-north coast taken by JBD CEO  Vic Alhadeff and education manager Lynda Ben-Menashe.

The trip was a bridge-building exercise that saw  the pair meet more than 1000 people, including  leaders of the Uniting, Anglican and Assembly of  God churches, MPs, city councillors, Rotary club  members, media personnel and students.

“It’s all about relationships,” Alhadeff said.  “The objective of generating understanding of the  Jewish people ­ who we are, what Judaism is  about, the Holocaust, racism, anti-Semitism and Israel.”

Jewish connections emerged unexpectedly  throughout the tour, he added. Among them was the  admission by a Pentecostal church head that his  great-uncle was former Jewish governor-general Sir Isaac Isaacs.

Another student at a Catholic college revealed  that four of his Jewish grandmother’s eight siblings perished at Auschwitz.

“It was particularly gratifying to note how much  interest there is in the Holocaust and the
lessons that emerge from it,” Alhadeff said.

So far, the response has been positive. “We got  more than we were expecting. The boys were blown  out of the water,” said Mark Harrison, a history  teacher at The Armidale School, an Anglican  boarding school for boys, which was one of the tour stops.

“It was the perfect lead-up to our study of  Germany up to the beginning of World War II. The  presentation had an emotional charge, and the  boys picked up on it. They were really appreciative of them coming to our class.”

*
Jewish School receives $1.5 million government grant

MELBOURNE – Adass Israel School has been awarded a $1.5 million Government grant for
the construction of a hospitality and training centre to be located at the school’s main campus in King Street, Elsternwick a Melbourne southern suburb.

The grant is part of the federal Government’s  multi-billion dollar Trade Training Centres in Schools program.

While all secondary schools were eligible for  grants worth between $500,000 and $1.5 million,  funding approval was based on the needs and application of each school.

Education Minister Julia Gillard said the funding will be used to construct and equip a training  facility at the school, with the new building to  include a kosher hospitality kitchen complete  with cooking, preparation, storage and multi-purpose areas for a training restaurant and general hospitality learning.

With grants worth $387 million available in the second round of the Trade Training Centres in Schools program, applications of almost double this were received.

*
Australian Government denies shift on Mideast Policy

CANBERRA – The federal Government has  denied a shift in Middle East policy, despite
changing Australia’s vote in the United Nations  on a motion on Palestinian self-determination.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign  Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said Australia’s UN  voting pattern is strongly based on the country’s  “long-standing support for the Middle East peace process”, including a two-state solution.

Representatives of the Executive Council of  Australian Jewry (ECAJ), the Zionist Federation  of Australia (ZFA) and the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC)  wrote to the  Prime Minister and Foreign Minister asking for an  explanation about the vote change.

The vote in question was in a committee of the  General Assembly earlier this month. The motion  reaffirms the right of Palestinian people to  self-determination and urges all states to help  the Palestinian people realise this.

While the motion itself is not considered  controversial, preceding statements refer to the
International Court of Justice’s controversial  ruling on Israel’s security barrier; to East
Jerusalem as part of a future Palestinian state;  and to Palestinian relief agencies, which some argue have been found to do more to exacerbate  Palestinian problems than solve them.

In previous years, Australia has abstained on the  vote, but this year the country voted in favour.

The DFAT spokesperson said even thought the motion referenced the International Court of Justice’s ruling, that ruling was only an advisory opinion.

“We will not oppose a resolution in the General  Assembly on the Middle East simply because it  refers to that advisory opinion,” she said,  indicating somewhat of a shift in tack.

The spokesperson added: “As we clearly  demonstrated in our opposition to the Goldstone
resolution, we continue to support Israel’s right  to live in peace within secure and internationally recognised borders.

“Similarly, the Government is committed to the  Palestinians’ right to a state of their own.”

The federal Opposition was swift to criticise the vote shift.

Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull said: “It is  deeply regrettable that the Rudd Government is  overturning Australia’s policy of refusing to  support one-sided resolutions against Israel in the UN General Assembly.

“Resolutions at the UN General Assembly that speak only of Palestinian rights to a homeland, yet make no reference to the right of the state  of Israel to exist, are inflammatory and counter-productive.”

The only countries to vote against the motion  were Israel, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia,  Nauru, Palau and the United States. Only  Botswana,  Cameroon, Canada, Tonga and Vanuatu abstained.

According to the letter to Foreign Minister  Stephen Smith from the ECAJ and ZFA, “the
explanation given by Australia for its abstention  in previous years was that while Australia  recognises the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, the text of the motion  gratuitously ‘tacks on’ other matters, which are far more contentious”.

AIJAC’s letter also expressed disappointment  because the resolutions, while appearing to be  “ostensibly reasonable”, “omit any reference to  Palestinian obligations, and, in so doing,  perpetuate the counter-productive narrative that Israel’s policies are the sole obstacles to peace”.

This latest vote change comes a year after the  Rudd Government instructed Australia’s UN  representative to, for the first time, vote in  favour of resolutions calling for a halt to
settlement activities in the Palestinian  territories and for the Geneva Convention to be
applied in the Palestinian territories.

At the time, Smith said Australia adopts its  approach on a “case-by-case” basis and saw these  votes to correlate with Australia’s support for a two-state solution.

*
Chabad House by the beach
MELBOURNE – It has long been said  that where there is Coca Cola there is Chabad and
now the Mornington Peninsula, a seaside area just  30 minures from Melbourne is no exception.

Chabad of Frankston and Mornington Peninsula will officially open its doors later this month,  providing services to Jews in the area.

“There are a lot of elderly people, quite a few  Russians, Israelis and Aussies, there are young adults, young families and uni students,” Chabad  of Frankston and Mornington Penninsula’s Rebbetzin Rivkah Bondar said..

“Some people have thought they were the only Jews  in the area when there are actually two other families in their street.”

Together with her husband, Rabbi Levi Bondar and their four young children, the family moved  permanently to Frankston, an outer suburb of  Melbourne some 40kms from the CBD,  in July.

In the lead-up to the opening of the Chabad  House, the Bondars ran services during the High  Holy Days. Rabbi Bondar also runs weekly shiurs  and the couple delivers challahs each Friday.

“People are so appreciative and happy to have us  there. They are always offering their help or their houses. It’s nice to be so appreciated,” Rebbetzin Bondar said.

Having established a minyan in Carnegie, which  began in their home with two people and grew to its own premises with more than 200 people, Rabbi  and Rebbetzin Bondar decided they wanted a new challenge.

“We wanted to build a community [somewhere] where  we, as a young, growing family, can live and afford to buy.”

Rebbetzin Bondar said since they made the move, they have received many phone calls from other young families who are keen for a sea change.

Despite the distance to Jewish Melbourne, the Bondar children still attend Yesodei HaTorah in  Elwood for school during the week.

*
Toben Free  but web site to be monitored

ADELAIDE – Fredrick Toben has been  released from jail after serving a three-month
sentence for contempt of court charges stemming  from his denial of the Holocaust.

Toben walked free from South Australia’s Yatala prison early on November 12.

The Adelaide-based Holocaust denier, who spoke at  a 2005 Holocaust denial conference in Iran, can now add Australia to the list of countries including Germany, Austria and the UK, where he has served prison time.

His Adelaide Institute reported on its website that Toben was “unbroken and unrepentant, and appears very refreshed and relaxed after his little holiday”.

The website also stated he was “welcomed home by his friends and supporters who held a celebratory dinner for him on November 12. During his speech on the night, he vowed to continue his work in demolishing the Holocaust lies.”

Toben was taken into custody on August 13 after losing an appeal before the Federal Court, which earlier had ruled that he was in contempt of orders to desist from publishing false and offensive material about the Holocaust and Jews.

At the time of his arrest, Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) president Robert Goot described Toben’s activities as “outrageous denial that the Holocaust occurred and that six million Jews had been murdered by the Nazis”.

Goot said ECAJ would “be ­monitoring the website” and would “take such action as we consider appropriate”.

*

The Australian – Polish Connection restoring an icon

MELBOURNE – In a town called Dzierzoniow in Poland, there once was a thriving
Jewish population. In what was once the centre of town, the Reichenbach Synagogue still stands — one of only a handful of shuls that survived both Kristallnacht and the ensuing years.

Once an imposing structure with a glorious past, the Reichenbach Synagogue until recently stood  windowless, its support beams visible and its  facade showing the very signs of its age and struggle to survive.

Fred Moses, an Australian who has taken an  interest in the restoration of the shul after
visiting it, said that “one look at the still  imposing stature of the Reichenbach Synagogue
suffices to imagine its glorious past”.

“But at a closer look, one feels as if there were  a ghostly and sad atmosphere hanging over the whole structure,” he added.

Inspired by its history, Mr Moses is assisting a  foundation committed to restoring the Reichenbach  Synagogue to its glorious past, which before 1937, and again after 1945, was a religious hub.

The Beitenu Chaj — 2004 Foundation, or in English “Our House Lives on 2004″, is led by
Rafael Blau, who lived in Dzierzoniow (then Reichenbach) with his father for five years as a
child, before making aliyah in 1965.

Blau, who now lives in Be’er Sheva in Israel, spends his summer months in Dzierzoniow,
dedicating his full time to the foundation’s  activities in the restoration of the synagogue.

The foundation has begun works to restore the  synagogue, which upon completion will once again serve as a bustling shul and educational centre for the now growing Jewish population in Poland.

In addition to functioning as a religious centre, the Reichenbach Synagogue will also include a museum.

The foundation states as its objective to “make it possible for people from all over the world, Jews and non-Jews, especially young people, to get to know the story of the Jews in Poland, not just in relation to the horrors of the Holocaust,  but also to the ancient, rich heritage of Judaism, related to its contribution to the history, culture and the development of the Polish nation”.

The foundation has, to date, repaired holes in the synagogue roof, replaced windows, missing gutters and downspouts to stop rain and snow from coming in, and erected a fence around the synagogue.

“Much has been done, much is being done, but so much more has got to be done,” Mr Moses said. “It is most definitely an enterprise of great merits, which should be rewarded accordingly.”

Together with a group of others, including foundation vice-president Beata Sauermann, who  lives in the United Kingdom, and John and Maria  Koch from Canada, Blau is seeking further  assistance for the continued restoration project to “bring new life to the synagogue”.

Now in its fifth year, the foundation is obviously making progress, with the Reichenbach
Synagogue hosting its first service in more than 20 years on Rosh Hashanah.

*
Maccabi Tennis shines at top tennis venue

SYDNEY – If you feel like a game of tennis, White City,where international  tennis
tournaments are played,  should be your first port of call.

That’s the message from new Maccabi Tennis Club president Steven Goldberg, who has taken over the Maccabi presidency for the third time, after James Beecher’s three-year tenure ended at the club’s recent annual general meeting.

Maccabi has settled into its new home at the  traditional heartland of NSW tennis after moving from Bondi last year, and while membership  numbers have increased, Goldberg wants to continue to build the club’s profile in the community.

“It’s a fantastic site, it’s just superb. an oasis in the city. There is a tranquillity there,
despite the hustle and bustle of the city,” Goldberg said.

“People should come down and try the facility, whether they want to become members or not. They’re supporting the only Jewish tennis club in Sydney.”

The club’s facilities include six floodlit synthetic courts, as well as a grass court and an
artificial clay court; a clubhouse; on-site  parking; and a streamlined coaching and junior
program under the management of Steve Loeffler, which aligns the coaching with the club, rather than setting its own agenda as an independent business.

The club had to overcome some members’ initial reservations about moving away from Bondi, but membership has since peaked at 185 — although the objective is to tap further into the community to attract younger members, women and players from the North Shore.

“It’s a much better location, a lot more attractive to those on the north . we really look
forward to catering to the whole Jewish community,” Goldberg said.

The club is an interested spectator in the dispute between the White City Tennis Club and
John Alexander, which has made its way to the High Court after the NSW Court of Appeal ruled in favour of White City.

The appeal prevents Alexander from creating his  dream sporting complex, while restoring the White  City Tennis Club as the owner of the property pending Alexander’s appeal. Maccabi awaits the verdict, as it will influence what happens to its clubhouse.

“We don’t mind who our neighbours will be,”  Goldberg clarified. “The plan is to share
facilities when they knock [the clubhouse down  and rebuild it]. Otherwise, we’ll use the
embankment going up to Glenmore Road.”

*
Fabian is Australia bureau chief for San Diego Jewish World.  His email is fabiang@sandiegojewishworld.com

Hello Fellow Bloggers,

My proposal for the upcoming blog project will be news, information or issues concerning situations from Nauru.

QUICK FACTS

• Nauru is situated in the south pacific ocean underneath the equator
• Population: approximately 10- 12,000 people
• Land Area: 21 km squared
• Smallest island republic in the world
• Third smallest country in the world

Fun Facts

• Walk around the island under 6- 8 hours (DEPENDS)
• Drive around the island just around an hour or half an hour (DEPENDS)
• Second Island in the pacific to acquire INDEPENDENCE
• Used to be the richest island in the Pacific (1960’s- 1980’s)

By Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO, November 6, 2009–Besides the United States and Israel, there are 16 countries that I definitely think that I and my fellow Jews should find a way to thank for sticking by Israel in the recent United Nations General Assembly vote on the Goldstone report.

These are Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Netherlands, Palau, Panama, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine.

More so than the 16 countries that did not vote and the 44 countries that abstained on the Goldstone Report accusing Israel of “war crimes” during Operation Cast Lead, those 18 countries deserve our gratitude for having voted against yet another gang attack on Israel.

I am a firm believer in the motto that one must divide the world into two categories – “friends” and “potential friends.”  So I do not call for any retribution—no declaration of boycotts—against those who misguidedly either abstained or voted in favor of this prejudiced, propagandistic, deeply-flawed Goldstone report. 

The leaders and people of these countries need to be educated, persuaded, and given our full intellectual attention so eventually they, too, can join the noble fraternity of 18 righteous nations.  Obviously some countries are far more “potential” than others, but let’s not give up on any of them.

Rather let us do what we can to show the countries who stood in the UN General Assembly with Israel against the Goldstone report that their friendship is dear to us, that we wish them well, and that we would like to find ways to deepen our relationships with them.

In that my wife Nancy is a travel agent, I am going to see if it’s possible to arrange a South Pacific tour that might take in some or all of the following countries: Australia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru and Palau.  Or perhaps  there’s the possibility of a European tour, during which we’d visit any or all of the following: the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine. 

If we remain in the Western Hemisphere, we might be able to schedule ourselves to visit Canada and Panama, and to spend some of our tourist dollars right here in other parts of these United States.

Nancy and I have been to Israel many times, and, of course, a wonderful way to show solidarity with the people of Israel is to take another vacation there, making certain to re-visit San Diego’s partnership region of Sha’ar Hanegev, which along with the neighboring city of Sderot, bore the brunt of Hamas rockets fired from Gaza before Operation Cast Lead.

Members of our community who are looking for outlets for their philanthropic dollars would be wise to invite presentations from representatives of charities within these noble 18 countries.

And, with Chanukah coming up, I hope others will join me in seeking out gifts that were manufactured in any of these Noble 18 countries – these Chai states. 

Again, for the record, the countries deserving our appreciation are:  Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Macedonia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Netherlands, Palau, Panama, Poland, Slovakia,  Ukraine, and our own blessed United States of America.

Nasunuhaa piilossa (jos sul tylsää on, niin kaikki tämä tee), originally uploaded by tumppu.

Nasunuhahysteria on tarttunut nappulan äitiin, ja olemme viettäneet
koko viikon enemmän tai vähemmän kotona sekä kotipihalla.

Ei siis kerhoja, puistoja, leikkitreffejä, kauppoja ja kahviloita…
Huoh. Ihan pikkuisen alkaa olla leikit vähissä – tai ainakin leikit
muuttuvat älyttömiksi.

Nappula saa toivottavasti possupiikin heti alkuviikosta, jospa tämä
sitten alkaa helpottamaan. Tai sitten käy niin, että me viehdymme
älyttömiin leikkeihin niin kovasti, ettemme osaa enää sivistyksen
pariin palatakaan.

United Nations trust territory of NAURU

stamp: 7 cents

year: 1966

reptile: lizard

as we were eating our chow mein and beef in the food court, i spotted this fellow by the same chinese food counter just a few meters away from us. i nudged ado and asked if he happens to know that pinoy dude. he looked over and said, “he doesn’t look pinoy to me. maybe from an outer island.”

so after the meal and after a small argument regarding whether or not we should approach the fellow, who should start talking to him etc., we both made our way to his table and i gently interrupted him as he took his lunch. when he noticed at the corner of his eye that a stranger was standing over his food, he looked up and took off his earphones.

i asked him if he is from the philippines. he said he is from nauru.

from wikipedia:
Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island nation in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbor is Banaba Island in Kiribati, 300 km to the east. Nauru is the world’s smallest island nation, covering just 21 square kilometres (8.1 square miles).

Settled by Micronesian and Polynesian people, Nauru was annexed and claimed as a colony by the German Empire in the late 19th century. After World War I, Nauru became a League of Nations mandate administered by Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. During World War II, Nauru was occupied by Japanese troops who were bypassed by the Allied advance across the Pacific, and after the war ended, it entered into trusteeship again. Nauru was declared independent in 1968.

i ask him where he got his jersey. he says he bought it in nauru.

“do you know that the name on your jersey is a famous person’s in the philippines? and that team is a big deal there?”

his smile broadens, “really?”

“really. may i take your picture?” ado starts nudging me impatiently.

“sure.” he makes the motion of getting up from his seat to oblige us.

“it’s ok, you don’t have to get up…” then i photograph him and his jersey from the front and back.

as i thank him and walk away, i can see that rather than get peeved by the interruption, he is quite amused by the whole thing.

The Cabinet of Nauru had announced the following ten new candidates of the Republic Secondary Scholarship winners.

The scholarship is given to the top ten Nauruan students of the year 7 cohort. Every year the students with overall outstanding achievements are given the chance to study high school abroad sponsored by the Nauruan government.

The education and training department extends its congratulations to these successful candidates and to those who undertook the annual scholarship.

]]> http://willowbeehive.wordpress.com/2009/10/14/day-31-pleasant-island/ Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:26:00 +0000 Andrew Willoughby http://willowbeehive.wordpress.com/2009/10/14/day-31-pleasant-island/ http://islasdelpacifico.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/350-org-islas-del-pacifico/ Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:32:41 +0000 Javier R. Miró de Mesa http://islasdelpacifico.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/350-org-islas-del-pacifico/

24 DE OCTUBRE: UNETE AL DÍA DE ACCIÓN CLIMÁTICA

Heräsin. Nousin ylös, menin kylpyhuoneeseen ja katsoin
peiliin. En nähnyt ketään. Siitä päättelin, että olen jo lähtenyt
töihin, ja menin takaisin nukkumaan.

-Pirjo / Positiivarit-

]]> http://islasdelpacifico.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/un-terremoto-en-vanuatu-crea-una-nueva-alerta-de-tsunami-en-las-islas-del-pacifico/ Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:38:11 +0000 Javier R. Miró de Mesa http://islasdelpacifico.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/un-terremoto-en-vanuatu-crea-una-nueva-alerta-de-tsunami-en-las-islas-del-pacifico/

Un enorme seísmo de magnitud 7,8 en la escala de Ritcher tuvo lugar el jueves a las 9:30 hora local (22:03 miércoles – GMT) al norte  de Vanuatu y a 295 kilómetros al noroeste de la isla de  Espíritu Santo, enclavada en esta misma nación melanesia. El epicentro de este nuevo terremoto ha sido localizado a 35 kilómetros de profundidad en el océano según informó el Instituto Americano de Geofísica de Denver (Colorado).  Treinta minutos más tarde de que se produjese este nuevo temblor en el Océano Pacífico, el Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) en Pearl Harbour (Hawai’i) emitió una alerta de tsunami para Vanuatu, Islas Solomon, Nauru, Papúa Nueva Guinea, Tuvalu, Nueva Caledonia, Fiji, Kiribati, y Wallis & Futuna. Miéntras tanto permanecen vigilantes otros estados y territorios de las Islas del Pacífico como la República de las Islas Marshall, Tokelau, Pohnpei, Chuuk, Yap, Kosrae (Estados Federados de la Micronesia), Marianas del Norte, Palau, Samoa, Samoa Americana, Tonga, Niue, Islas Cook, Guam, Kermadec, Australia, Nueva Zelanda e Indonesia. El Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) declaró que el nuevo seísmo no había generado un tsunami y que la alerta estaba basada “únicamente sobre la evaluación del seísmo”, anunciando una hora estimada de llegada de eventuales olas generadas desde el epicentro. 

 La alerta de tsunami para las Islas del Pacífico ha sido ya cancelada no sin antes provocar muestras de pánico entre los habitantes de esta región del planeta.  Las autoridades locales de  Nueva Caledonia evacuaron a los residentes en la costa oriental de la Grande Terre y las Islas Loyauté (Ouvéa, Lifou, Maré & Tiga) trasladandolas a  zonas más elevadas para prevenirlos de la llegada de grandes olas. En  la costa sur de Espíritu Santo trás el temblor de los edificios, la población  corrió  buscando refúgio en áreas elevadas de la isla. Los habitantes de Tuvalu fueron trasladados al interior   no aún así exentos de las posibles consecuencias catastróficas  que un tsunami podría ocasionar en estos frágiles y vulnerables anillos de coral que se elevan a escasos metros sobre el nivel del mar. En  Samoa el pánico se apoderó de la gente , cerrando todos los comercios, abandonando sus hogares  y dejando  desierta la capital, Apia. En Port Moresby (Papua Nueva Guinea) el temor a un tsunami dejo el centro capitalino paralizado. En Suva (Fiji) el tráfico se convirtió en un auténtico caos provocado por la huída de  los ciudadanos en busca de refugio. Toda la población de las áreas más próximas a la costa fueron evacuadas y las autoridades locales alertaron a los establecimientos hoteleros de trasladar  a sus clientes a zonas elevadas más seguras, especialmente a aquellos situados en el área oeste de Viti Levu y las islas del archipiélago de Mamanucas & Yasawa. Alerta por la posible erupción del Mt Gharat en la isla de Gaua (Vanuatu)

Air Kiribati, compañía aérea nacional de Kiribati y Our Airline de Nauru han llegado a un acuerdo para poner en marcha un vuelo charter entre Tarawa y Nadi (Islas Fiji) reanudando de esta manera los servicios aéreos entre Fiji y Nauru, suspendidos desde 2005. Our Ailine dispone en estos momentos de conexiones aéreas con Honiara, capital de las Islas Solomon & Australia. Air Kiribati opera tan solo vuelos domésticos entre a todos los atolones del país. Por otra parte Fiji & Papúa Nueva Guinea han firmado un acuerdo para operar rutas entre Nadi & Port Moresby sin tener que volar hasta Brisbane en Australia. Para más información se puede contactar con Air Niugini & Air Pacific

Un inmenso terremoto de 8,3 grados de magnitud en la escala de Richter sacudio las islas Samoa el míércoles a las 18:48 hora local ( martes 17:48 GMT). El epicentro fue localizado a 190 kilómetros al sur de Apia, capital de la Samoa independiente y a una profundidad de tan sólo 10 kms.

Trás el suceso el Pacific Tsunami Warning (PTWC) de Hawai’i levanto alerta de tsunami en la región, comprendiendo las islas Samoa, Nueva Zelanda, Wallis & Futuna, Niue, Tokelau, Cook, Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Fiji y Tahiti y sus islas. El mismo PTWC  ha  alertado permancer vigilantes a Papua Nueva Guinea, Hawai’i, Nauru, Islas Marshall, Solomon, Vanuatu, Kanaky Nueva Caledonia y los Estados Federados de la Micronesia. En Fiji los estudiantes fueron evacuados a áreas elevadas y alejadas de la costa aunque  ya, a estas horas, se ha cancelado la alerta de tsunami.

Hasta el momento han fallecido 5 personas en Samoa y  14 en Amerika Samoa entre estas tres niños, otras han desaparecido arrastrados por el mar y centenares de viviendas han sido arrasadas. La mayoría de las víctimas mortales se han producido en la aldea de Lalomanu situada al sur de ‘Upolu, la segunda isla mayor del archipiélago. La mayoria  de la población ha sido evacuada al Monte Vaea (476 metros)  a cuyos pies se extiende Apia y  que  en estos momentos permanece completamente desierta. El terremoto ha causado olas de hasta tres metros de altura en distintas naciones del Pacífico Sur. La diminuta isla de Manono (3 kilómetros cuadrados) no muy lejos del aeropuerto ha visto la mayor parte de su superfície terrestre anegada por las aguas, aunque sus habitantes pudieron alcanzar la cumbre más alta, 110 metros, para salvarse de las aguas.  El área  del sur  de ‘Upolu es donde se encuentran la mayoría de los establecimientos hoteleros y fale o cabañas tradicionales que acogen a los viajeros. Los turistas han sido inmediatamente evacuados sin apenas disponer de tiempo para llevar consigo  dinero, pasaporte y objetos personales. A pesar del urgente traslado, se cree que puedan existir victimas entre los visitantes extranjeros.  Existe un consulado de España en  Apia (Samoa) para aquellos que tengáis familiares o amigos viajando o residiendo en las islas  aquí teníes el telefono de contacto: 685 + 20.417