Published each Thursday
Outlook Online << Click here if you missed any copy of “Outlook”.
Why YOU should join Parents Without Partners (PWP)
· Over 1,500 affordable activities a year
· Something on every night of the week
· Subsidised children's activities every weekend
· A great new single lifestyle
· Meet people and make friends at PWP
· Membership is a passport to any PWP activities in Australia & overseas
Members always have discounts at open functions
Everything you want to know is at the PWP NSW Website
BILLBOARD
-Merry Christmas To All -
EDITORIAL
My apologies for no “Outlook” for several weeks. This was due to family commitments which suddenly called me away.
-STATE-
The office will be closed between the 24th to the 2nd of January and if you wish to renew, please get in before that date. See below about renewing by credit card.
PLEASE NOTE:
To renew your membership by credit card or to fax your renewal form, ring Kim on 9833 2633 between 10am and 5pm (if not available leave a message and she will call you back)
-BRANCH ANNOUNCEMENTS-
BRANCH COMMITTEES:
Email ANNOUNCEMENTS or PROGRAM CHANGES
to be published here…
-COMBINED BRANCHES-
Huskisson Camp
Begins: 26th December 2007 Finishes: 12th January 2008
Bookings close today !
-CITY-
-HILLS-
RIP
Neil Baulderstone who has passed away after a long illness.
-MACARTHUR-
-NORTHSIDE-
-THE COMING WEEK
-(in brief - see ‘Soleparent’ for details)
Thursday 20 December
CITY OF SYDNEY
BELVOIR STREET THEATRE
NORTHSIDE
BUSHWALK / SWIM
Friday 21 December
HILLS DISTRICT
ADULT INTRODUCE A FRIEND 'ITS NEARLY XMAS' HOUSE PARTY @ Jenny's, Glenwood
MACARTHUR
FAMILY CHRISTMAS LIGHTS WALK meet at Kathy's, Bradbury
Saturday 22 December
Final Bookings for: Hills: Fortune Palace Sat. Dec 29.
CITY OF SYDNEY
LAUGHING GROUP
MACARTHUR
ADULT PYJAMA PARTY @ Chris’s, Ingleburn
NORTHSIDE
ADULT CHRISTMAS PARTY @ Warren's Marsfield where 'THE INVINCIBLES' will play
Sunday 23 December
HILLS DISTRICT
FAMILY CHRISTMAS LUNCH The Carousel Inn, Rooty Hill
Also
ASQUITH DINNER
MACARTHUR
FAMILY HOUSE PARTY # Chris G's, Ingleburn
NORTHSIDE
BUSHWALK / SWIM Kuringai Chase National Park
Monday 24 December
CITY OF SYDNEY
WALK THE BAY
HILLS DISTRICT
BUDGET DINNER
Also
FAMILY CHRISTMAS EVE DRINKIES Blacktown Workers Sports Club
Tuesday 25 December
HILLS DISTRICT
FAMILY CHRISTMAS DAY DROP IN 11am to 2pm Rebecca's Seven Hills
Wednesday 26 December
HILLS DISTRICT
KINGSWOOD DANCE
Also
PWP KINDY KIDS
NORTHSIDE
BOXING DAY BUSHWALK/SWIM Rose Bay
Thursday 27 December
Rien du tout !
Friday 28 December
Final Bookings for: City: All India Restaurant Sat Dec 29.
HILLS DISTRICT
ADULT 'IN BETWEEN XMAS AND NEW YEAR' HOUSE PARTY @ Peter W's, Werrington County
.STATE PRESIDENT'S DESK.
PWP CREATIVE ARTS AWARDS (FITAP) PROGRAM
You may not realize that PWP NSW, PWP Australia and all PWP Branches in different parts of the world participate in a creative arts awards program called FITAP – Family Individual Talent Awards Program. It is for both the children and the adult PWP Members.
You can lodge a great diversity of works for judging in your age group and category of works. It could be graphic arts (drawing, painting, cartooning, etc.), literary (short stories, poetry, etc.), photography, crafts, musical and a number of other categories.
The program is a great self esteem boost for the kids – so many winning certificates and trophies at different levels. There are awards at the branch level, the state level, the national Australian level and even the international level.
When the kids later start applying for jobs, course entry or scholarships they can sight the awards they have won through PWP – it could give them a competitive advantage over other candidates.
Our local branches need FITAP Branch Coordinators. So if you are interested in promoting this at a local level – then let your Branch President know. You only need to organize one craft workshop each two month program. It could be a water colour painting day & BBQ, it could be a plaster cast painting day, a cartooning workshop, a candle making day, or other creative workshops only limited by your imagination. You liaise with your Branch Family Program Coordinator to set a date that will fit in with their program and not conflict with other events planned. It is always a good idea to have a sausage sizzle BBQ with the afternoon workshop. It would be included in the Sole Parent Program and open for members from other branches. At the end of the day – digital photos could be taken of the work and attached to a FITAP form and the participant now has an entry.
Ross F State President
.PWP DOES IT AGAIN.
A JEWEL OF A PARTY HOSTED BY JULES
Well Julie actually, our State Vice President Programs. It was a great night of good company, chatting, finger food, a social drink (in moderation) and some excellent music again – and dancing. Nice to see a number of new members there and the PWP crowd making them all welcome and including them in conversations. Julie we greatly appreciate all the trouble you go to in hosting these parties and the state functions and week-end trips you organize for us. Don't miss the special state dance she is organizing for February – more details soon.
-YOU CAN HELP YOUR PWP-
If you are interested in any of the positions listed below, please email our President, Ross, at rossemail@gmail.com
WANTED - PWP STATE SECRETARY/ MINUTE SECRETARY
A great way to give something back to PWP is to help with committee work. The State Management Committee desperately need a Secretary/Minute Secretary to help with our monthly meetings. The main task is taking the minutes, typing them up using our Word template/format of a previous sample set, and emailing them to the committee as soon as possible and then putting into the Minute Book once they are approved. So you need a computer with MS Word and email to do this job. But it is a great way to help keep PWP going. All your fellow committee members are committed volunteers.
WANTED - PWP STATE MARKETING DIRECTOR
If you have an interest for flair for marketing then we need your help. Work with the President and fellow committee volunteers to promote PWP to potential new members, the media and other organisations. Attend a monthly committee meeting. It could be a good role for someone interested in getting into the marketing field. WANTED - PWP STATE COMMUNITY RELATIONS - SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY DIRECTOR
If you have an interest in social policy issues of concern to single parents and their children - you could help us on the state committee. Some of the options could be to research and report on social policy issues, help organise some Free Public Seminars for single parents (using guest speakers), liaise with other social welfare groups. Attend a monthly committee meeting.
WANTED - PWP STATE PRESS RELATIONS COORDINATOR
We need help to fax to local newspapers information for community calendars, send out some press releases and help raise the profile of PWP in the local media. If you have access to a fax machine &/or email this would be great. If you are interested in journalism here is your chance but not necessary.
-EDUCATION & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT-
-ABC HEALTH NEWS-
Another ABC Cancer Case Confirmed
A year ago, a cancer cluster forced the ABC to shut down its Brisbane headquarters, when experts deemed the building was unsafe. Now, a mother of two young boys has become the latest former employee to be diagnosed with breast cancer, taking the number of reported cases in the cluster to 16. The news has sent more shockwaves and despair through the national broadcaster. More
Alcohol Overtakes Illicit Drugs As Key Concern Of Rehab Centre
It's a sobering reminder this festive season that alcohol has overtaken illicit drugs as the main reason for rehabilitation at one of Australia's largest treatment centres. The CEO of Odyssey House in Sydney says it's the first time in 30 years that heroin or another addictive substance has not been their primary concern. A national alcohol and drug researcher says it should be no surprise given the level of alcohol abuse in the general community. More
Anti-Smoking Pill Linked To Depression
A pill designed to help smokers quit is causing concern after reports that it led to suicides and depression among some patients in the United States. The prescription drug sold as Champix was launched in Sydney today and will be available on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme from January. More
-ABC SCIENCE NEWS-
CHIMPS OUTSMART UNI STUDENTS
Young chimpanzees are better than university students at playing a computer game that tests numerical memory, a new study shows. Details
SUNLIGHT MAY SAVE KIDS' SIGHT
Exposure to sunlight could be a critical factor in stopping children from becoming short-sighted, Australian researchers have found. Details
SATURN'S MOON HOME TO LIFE'S BUILDING BLOCKS
Scientists don't know how it happened, but the oxygen-starved atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan contains chemicals that on Earth can serve as building blocks for complex organic molecules. Details
==== IN THE SKY THIS WEEK ====
The New Moon is Monday December 10. With the Moon no longer interfering Comet 17/P Holmes is still visible again in northern Australia. It is just visible to the unaided eye as a fuzzy star-like object. It will appear very low above the northern horizon between 11pm to midnight am (daylight saving) and the best places for viewing this comet are QLD, NT, northern NSW and northern WA. Jupiter is very low in evening twilight. On the evening of Monday December 10 the keen eyed can see the thin crescent Moon near Jupiter very near the horizon half an hour after Sunset. At midnight red Mars can now be seen as the brightest object above the north-eastern horizon. Saturn and brilliant white Venus can be easily seen above the eastern horizon in the early twilight. More
-ON THE WEB-
NSW Office of Industrial Relations
Do you need to look up a state industrial award for conditions of employment then check out this site.
http://www.blogger.com/www.industrialrelations.nsw.gov.au/action/legisln/index.html
BBC World Service News Bulletin
If you want to know what is going on in the world.
http://www.blogger.com/www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/newssummary.shtml
-PWP SOCIAL SERVICES & POLICY NEWS-
ABS Participation in sports and physical recreation 145 KB Free Download
Risk-assessment practices in the private rental sector: implications for low-income renters Positioning Paper
This Positioning Paper provides the context, sets out the theoretical framework and outlines the research strategy underpinning a study into the factors influencing risk-assessment and tenancy allocation practices used by property managers in the private rental market. The study builds on previous research demonstrating that a relatively large proportion of low-cost private rental accommodation is occupied by moderate- to high-income households. However, this is occurring in an environment where the private rental sector is now the de facto main provider of rental housing for lower-income households across Australia. Australian Housing & Urban Research Institute (AHURI), October 2007 Click here to download publication.
Products for 2007 Taxpayers with Print Disabilities
The Australian Taxation Office and Vision Australia offer free products for taxpayers with difficulty reading standard print, so they have access to the same information as others in the community. Phone the ATO on 13 28 61 about alternative format products; phone 1300 720 092 to obtain the products.
-December 20-
Birthdays
1868 Harvey S Firestone Industrialist, where the rubber meets the road
1894 Sir Robert Menzies Australian PM (1939-41, 1949-66)
1946 Patti Smith singer/songwriter
1948 Alan Parsons England, musician/producer/engineer (Alan Parsons Project, Pink Floyd, Beatles)
1948 "Little" Stevie Wright rocker (Easybeats)
1955 Ed Kuepper German/Australian, singer/songwriter (Saints)
1957 Billy Bragg Barking Essex England, singer/songwriter (It Says Here, Ideology)
1960 John Fitzgerald Australia, tennis star
On this day...
1879 Tom Edison privately demonstrated incandescent light at Menlo Park
1920 Bob Hope becomes an American citizen
1939 Radio Australia begins overseas short-wave service
1957 Elvis Presley given draft notice to join US Army for National Service
1967 "The Graduate", starring Dustin Hoffman & Anne Bancroft, premieres
1967 Ian Anderson & Glenn Cornick form rock group Jethro Tull
1980 USSR formally announces death of Alexei Kosygin
1991 Paul Keating installed as premier of Australia
:-) Definitions
ADULT:
A person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing in the middle.
BEAUTY PARLOUR:
A place where women curl up and dye.
CANNIBAL:
Someone who is fed up with people.
CHICKENS:
The only animals you eat before they are born and after they are dead.
COMMITTEE:
A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.
DUST:
Mud with the juice squeezed out.
EGOTIST:
Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation.
HANDKERCHIEF:
Cold Storage.
INFLATION:
Cutting money in half without damaging the notes.
MOSQUITO:
An insect that makes you like flies better.
RAISIN:
Grape with a sunburn.
SECRET:
Something you tell to one person at a time.
SKELETON:
A bunch of bones with the person scraped off.
TOOTHACHE:
The pain that drives you to extraction.
TOMORROW:
One of the greatest Labour saving devices of today.
YAWN:
An honest opinion openly expressed.
-Afterthought:-
"In all my life I have treated the press with marked contempt and remarkable success." – R G Menzies
· “No, there's no way that a GST will ever be part of our policy.”
· “Truth is absolute, truth is supreme, truth is never disposable in national political life. “
· “If I am wrong and you are right then the democratic process of the Australian community will vindicate you and condemn me.” – J W Howard
“This is the sweetest victory of all. This is a victory for the true believers; the people who, in difficult times, have kept the faith.” – P J Keating
I do not know whether I will be in this place for a short or a long time. That is for others to decide. But what I do know is that I have no intention of being here for the sake of just being here. Together with my colleagues it is my intention to make a difference. – K M Rudd
-IT & CONSUMER ELECTRONICS-
Q: What's The Deal Between Windows XP & Vista?
Where do they stand in comparison to each other these days? Is one really better than the other?
A: To begin, some new tests were done on both XP and Vista and they revealed that XP, along with its new Service Pack 3 (beta version), has twice the performance ratings of Vista. And that's even with Vista's beta Service Pack 1 as well. That's pretty intense, isn't it?! Now, the full version of Vista's SP1 is supposed to be released early next year (2008), but the beta version was still tested and it didn't really do much to outshine its predecessor.
So, what exactly did the tests find? Well, for one, Vista, with and without its SP1, performed much slower than Windows XP. It took the Vista operating system 80 seconds to complete the test, while it only took XP 35. Like I said before, Vista was tested both with and without the Service Pack and that brought up some interesting results as well. With the SP1, Vista's performance increased less than two percent and that was rated next to XP's improvement of 10 percent with its SP3.
Unfortunately, if the Vista SP1 does not improve significantly, that could lead to another huge setback for the Vista operating system. Several businesses and individuals are waiting for the SP1 to be released before they make the switch over to Vista. As of right now, only 13 percent of businesses have already started using Vista and it doesn't look like that number will change much, unless the SP1 makes some big changes. According to Microsoft, the service packs are "still in development" though, so hopefully that will help Vista in the long run. "It has always been our goal to deliver service packs that meet the full spectrum of customer needs," a Microsoft spokesperson said. Let's hope they do!
The article also went over how Microsoft feels about the initial release of Vista, which occurred almost one year ago. According to Microsoft's corporate vice president Mike Sievert, the launch of Vista did not go as well as they thought it would. "Frankly, the world wasn't 100 percent ready for Windows Vista." And that may be true, but it doesn't seem like Microsoft really did enough to inform the users about the new features and benefits of Vista. Windows Vista comes with a lot of complex features and Microsoft didn't really educate the world about them. NPD analyst Chris Swenson said that Microsoft should have done some more advertising for Vista when it first came out through TV, radio and print ads. The amount of advertising done for Vista rated poorly against what was done for Windows XP.
Maybe we're all just used to XP, but the sales show it's much more popular than Vista as well. During the first six months of retail sales, Vista fell 59.7 percent below what XP sold when it was first released. That's a huge difference! PC manufacturers are also still selling XP computers, because the demand for them is so high. Microsoft set a deadline of January 31, 2008 for all XP sales to end, but they have been forced to extend that until June 2008, because they are still very popular among users. According to Microsoft, 88 million copies of Vista have been sold, but that still doesn't stack up to the numbers XP has brought in.
So, as you can see, Windows Vista is having a hard time getting past the craze of Windows XP, but hopefully with some additional updates and changes, it will be a top notch operating system one day as well. We can only hope!
Computer Problems?………..Hardware failure?
Computer running slowly?…Don’t understand your software?
Internet problems?…………..Don’t know what to do next?
· Help to buy, set up and use your computer
· New or refurbished systems to suit your budget
I have refurbished computers, each internet ready and available now. Fully protected with firewall, antivirus and antispyware installed. Keyboard, mouse and monitor supplied. Ideal first computer or child’s computer.
Please contact me for more details:
Ring John: 9626 9093 or 0408 416 466
Email: getugoing@hotpop.com
Approved by PWP SMC - I maintain (gratis) PWP NSW computers and software
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