T'aekwondo is a martial art form and is a Korean tradition with followers found everywhere.

Korean Masks of Hahoe Bycolsin Exorcism (in minature form).
It is believed these masks are used in a folk drama from the Fourteenth century and have been transmitted from generation to generation and because of their aesethic value and artistic quality have been declared a National Cultural Asset.
Religious and court dances have been among the Korean traditions. In other instances, behind the masks, the ordinary people poke fun at the ruling class or gesture in mock imitation of the Buddhist monks and of the aristocratic gentlement and others. A shaman kut (exorcism) is performed before a mask play begins.
I suppose these days the main exponents would be from select groups of performers as traditions give way to modern life.

Traditional Korean clothing, called hanbok, worn here for a special occasion.

Welcome to President Lee Myung-Bak of the Land of Morning Calm (South Korea) who is visiting this country accompanied by other Korean VIPs.
He has paid tribute to Australians who fought is the Korean War of 1950 to 1953.

Korean art in the traditional style.

This Canadian tourist said she loves Newcastle. With a friend, she is travelling from Cairns to Adelaide, about 2800 kilometres.











Another Wicked Camper message: "Love might be blind but marriage is a real eye opener"











At Nobbys Beach: Aquarius stuff plus "I'm not a babe or a chick, I'm a breasted person"

Newcastle East.
In some climes, today is National Grammar Day and vital information is given here.
The Australian newspaper has been good for a stir lately about the English curriculum and has provoked some narrow one-eyed views or so they seem to my commonsense approach.

This is where The Jets (Newcastle United Jets Football Club) are training and preparing for a rumble.
Soon they will compete in the Asian football championships. Good luck!

Three jet-fighter planes are on their logo. What about the other Jets from West Side Story? Bernstein's music is wild and musicals are never the same again.
The Ray Watt Pavilion (see The Forum) is verdant after the recent rains. Overnight the lawns change from brown to green and the mosquitoes arrive in droves.

"Nowhere to turn" a specific street sign!

Surveying expedition, Semester 1, 2009.

Meet at Scott Street East or at Nobbys.

Another extract, in Arabic, about Sly the fox.
Extract reproduced to review the wide range of content.

Still and deserted by day but Newcastle International Paceway is all energy at night. I read Newcastle trots is a great venue for Harness Racing action and other extravagances.
Another winning photo!!

A trio of old houses on the waterfront at Lake Macquarie is/are for sale. Going Going Gone!
From Mark's Point they have wide views of the lake.

more from yesterday in the Vietnamese language.
reproduced to review

The location, Pelican, on Lake Macquarie where a rainstorm was approaching me.
One only pelican drifted by at Pelican. No swans were seen at nearby Swansea or Swan Bay. Instead, they had adopted Village Bay at Mark's Point.

Actor Penelope Cruz has been honoured.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona is the film. I read these names are concatenated!
Also this is believed to be Spanish!

Heath Ledger Oscar Winner. Low budget Australian movies are often my favourites. Heath Ledger was in one of these: Two Hands with Rose Byrne. And there were others.
And hasn't Hollywood ever seen a Bollywood-type movie before the latest hoo-ha? Great movies.

Blackrock (1997) was a movie that starred Heath and it has a harsh Newcastle connection with Stockton beach and our surf culture. The 'inspiration for the story was the rape and murder of a Newcastle teenager, Leigh, after a surf party in 1991. One party, one witness, no one's talking. Screen and stage play by Nick Enright. (The real life case was long and controversial.)

Is the Joker a metaphor for the bizarre aspects of the high-flying movie world?
Vale Heath Ledger.

Before the start of the day at Newcastle University

From the artist David Wright and the Chapel of the Holy Spirit in Sydney.
Creation is glowing.

Unknown type of boat marked Ursa, possibly a dredge, in the Port of Newcastle.
No, it probably 'chews up' the sea floor and removes rocks and deepens the port.

Ursa Major is the third largest constellation and occupies a vast region of far northern skies. The constellation is not so significant in our Southern Hemisphere and is possibly visible somewhere in the northern autumn skies.
Tourists can take up star gazing and discover totally new night skies above distant lands.

Cabbage Tree Palms are found in a remnant of thick coastal 'jungle' that borders the suburb of Pelican close to the shores of Lake Macquarie.

How many men does it take to install a drain?

I want to see on the computer the Australian protocol for the written date, ie: day, month, year every time. Is there any group in existence that tries to save the day-month-year method?
I want to see a good selection of web sites without Google defaulting to American sites so much. Imagine all the other countries subjected to this as well. (notwithstanding the Google option for Australian content)
I want to see Australian spelling in the web content. I want to see Australianisms.
If I sign up and give my address I don't want a request for a zip code either.
Some degree of choice exists and one can change the details on programs and search engines. Protcols from other places could be seen as part of life's rich pagent but other times they are just something I could do without.
Thanks

These storage tanks are getting a big facelift. Petroleum products are held there as is usual.
It's not art unfortunately. They are wrapped, of course, to contain any pollution created by the work.

A context or good composition or somesuch is part of a good photo. One can 'do battle' with the traffic and one way streets and 'no parking zones' so as to reach some unlikely subject for a photo and just go for it and a scene becomes digitalized just in a matter of fact way at first sight and history (or herstory) is recorded. I'm afraid that's it.

at the end of the day

Waiting

Seen riding in my suburb yesterday were two young men. Is it possible these two are present day missionaries making an admirable effort and representing a religion with origins in North America?

Black Swans are visiting Lake Macquarie these days.
All is not black and white for the Christian calendar has certain idiosyncracies and February 14th has links with Valentine as well as Cyril and Methodius.

Saints Cyril and Methodius were brothers who became missionaries of Christianity among the Slavic peoples a long time ago in the 9th century. Cyril was into the humanities and by and large is credited with devising an alphabet which became the basis for the Cyrillic alphabet used now in Russia and elsewhere. During his ventures he translated the sacred texts to use in the local churches.
The story of Cyril and Methodius involved both the Eastern and the Roman churches and as a result the saints are recognized far and wide.

Grief and loss is very painful. What will those in grief feel about certain images left on the internet? In many instances, social networking sites and blogs allow another glimpse into the life of those that are missed. Could these memories be sought out when the time is appropriate? It could be just as well to hesistate about removal of sites from the web.
In response to victims of the bushfires in Victoria.

The City Council Workers are not on strike and the hot weather has eased!

This photo was taken last month at Sydney Cricket Ground. Some devotees like the style of the original score boards best.

Cricket fans in Adelaide just donated a hugh amount of money to support the Bushfire appeal for funds to cover the destruction that occured in Victoria. The Red Cross is receiving donations from all over.

Our countryside. Friend and Foe.

Sutra:
Sunken garden hidden in full view
formal.... still.... brazen
showing off going off
exotics coup
Garside lives-on.... Samsara....
all his gardeners dig Moksha.

Near The Junction shopping centre today were seen colourful seemingly heat-resistant blooms.
Some photo! Another masterpiece!
Masterpeace? Is masterpeace Police Constable? Is their any subhirsute udderance?

Some gardens are responding well to the hot summer weather. These flowers are near City Hall.
A bushfire was burning south of Newcastle probably near Catherine Hill bay. Apart from this the district has been relatively free of fires this season.

Hamilton Park..
The veteran film, Exodus, is about the founding of the state of Israel and stars Paul Newman in an heroic account of those days although the book by Leon Uris is a highly favoured work.
A grand musical theme from the soundtrack has been popular and before long Pat "White Bucks" Boone wrote lyrics.
This brave and ancient land (Israel)...
the morning sun reveals her hills and plains
Then I see a land where children can run free.
....I'll.....make this land our own...
Until I die this land is mine.

Crazed by the heat-wave had I stumbled on the Alhambra or was it only a mirage?
No. An oasis, cool and palm-fringed stood in the park in Hamilton. The air was heavy with the scent of the fruit of the fig trees and the earth was thickly covered with the 'berries' from off these large old shade trees. .

A group of city council gardeners was/were busy working there. Many other council workers were on strike today over an issue. Council workers don't strike very often at all.

Something nothing.......
Babooshka would know this is not the Isle of Man.

Otherwise, Firefox appears to be a useful, maybe safer browser even if I have discovered only half of what it does.

The heat wave is unrelenting. Is Darley still cool and green? Irrigation of the fields would be necessary.

Newcastle is going Solar!
A lot of people have signed-up so that a large purchase of solar panels together with their installation can be done for minium costs.
A Government rebate is another impetus.
As a move to help 'boost the economy' through job creation, the government also plans to subsidise ceiling insulation so as to cut back on household heating and cooling and save energy as a consequence.