Sydney Tall Ships, My Heart Breaks for Orlando, and Paper-Mache Hot Air Balloons

Sydney Tall Ships, My Heart Breaks for Orlando, and Paper-Mache Hot Air Balloons


Last Sunday evening Mitch and I took a "2 Hour Dinner Cruise" on a Sydney Tall Ship around the Sydney Harbor to see the "Vivid" lights from the water.  It was so enjoyable!  After getting a bit lost finding the wharf, we made it just in time and were not disappointed!
Here is a bit of information on the Sydney Tall Ships:


Here are some photos of the evening cruise:





My Heart is Breaking for Orlando

As so many, I am heartbroken over yet another senseless bloodshed in Orlando.  When I hear news of this nature and being so far away, it just makes me so sad.  My prayers have been with the families and friends of those taken so abruptly, and also for our country as we watch the politicizing, the blaming, the pointing of the fingers, etc.

I have a hard time understanding why this is such a divisive issue.  I wish we could become united for something, for a change!  I do not believe that gun control laws, in and of themselves, will solve the problem, but at least it would be a start.  Why someone needs to be able to purchase a weapon like that one is beyond me.  It has one purpose - to kill numerous people in the shortest amount of time possible.  I also believe strongly in the power of prevention, and I believe that our schools are in a unique position to identify our young people who may be at risk for this type of behavior.  

Since we have been in Australia we have been asked so many times about our lax gun laws in the states.  People here are not being critical, they are seeking to understand.  I must admit that it is difficult to defend, so I do not defend it.  I simply say that I hope that, as Americans, we can become united soon on this issue and many others in order to have a positive future for our country.  

Here is an ABC news article that I found interesting:

In April, 2016 Australia marked the 20th anniversary of a mass shooting which led to strict gun controls that have in turn led to a huge decline in gun murders, undermining claims in the United States that such curbs are not the answer.

The chances of being murdered by a gun in Australia plunged to 0.15 per 100,000 people in 2014 from 0.54 per 100,000 people in 1996, a decline of 72 percent, a Reuters analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed (compare that with a 3.4 per 100,000 ratio in the USA).

In 1996, Australia had 311 murders, of which 98 were with guns. In 2014, with the population up from about 18 million to 23 million, Australia had 238 murders, of which 35 were with guns.

It was the April 28, 1996, shooting deaths by a lone gunman of 35 people in and around a cafe at a historic former prison colony in Tasmania that prompted the government to buy back or confiscate a million firearms and make it harder to buy new ones.

The country has had no mass shootings since.

The figures directly contradict assertions of most leading U.S. presidential candidates who have either questioned the need to toughen gun laws or directly denounced Australia's laws as dangerous.

In a January 2015 tweet, Republican front runner Donald Trump wrote "Fact – the tighter the gun laws, the more violence. The criminals will always have guns". A year later, Republican hopeful Ted Cruz blamed Australia's gun laws on a rise in sexual assault.

Democrat front runner Hillary Clinton has meanwhile ruled out an Australian-style gun buyback, while Democrat hopeful Bernie Sanders has rejected the need for tougher gun controls despite a gun murder rate of 3.4 per 100,000.

The U.S. National Rifle Association has attacked the Australian laws as "not the definition of common-sense".

Philip Alpers, an associate professor of University of Sydney's School of Public Health, who studies gun ownership and violence, said Australia's laws had had "demonstrable success".

"We have the most comprehensive suite of gun laws (in the world) and it would be a great shame to start whittling those down," he said.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull marked the anniversary by saying U.S. gun violence showed why Australia would keep its laws intact.


The rate of U.S. gun deaths shows "what happens when you have very little if any restrictions on the purchase of weapons like that", he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
So, as the funerals are held, I pray that the families of the victims will be enveloped with God's love and healing. Please join me in this prayer over the next while.  I also pray that the two deeply divided sides in the U.S. can stop (just for a while) being the "Hatfields and McCoys!" Could we pause long enough to see issues from each others' perspectives and then, perhaps work toward a common goal?  That goal could well be the future of our country and the way of life that we hold so dear!

 Paper-Mache Hot Air Balloons

I think that I have told you in previous blogs that my Year Two students are studying the broad concept of "Transport" during Term Two.  We have learned so much about so many types of transport and how to get people, animals, and goods from one place to another! Next term the focus is on "Shelter," so it will be good to stay home for a while!

Sometimes I bite off "more than I can chew" on projects.  Will anyone else admit that they do the same?  Well, the making of 22 paper-mache hot air balloons has been and is quite the challenge.  Just imagine 22 children with newsprint strips, thin glue, blown up balloons, paint, etc - all within the walls of a classroom!  The term is nearly over, and we have yet to hang up the balloons.  Here are some photos of where we are at this point with the project:


I am determined that we will get these balloons finished and hung before the end of the term, and then enjoy them in our classroom for Term Three!

Here is the model that I made for the students:  This is what we are working towards, students!  Come on - we can do it!


Our dear friends, Reverend Andy and Robyn Smith are coming to see us next week.  I am so excited!  We have several things planned that I will share next week.  We are really looking forward to travelling with Robyn and Andy to Byron Bay for the weekend (24-26).  So, keep in touch, dear friends!  Talk soon!

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