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fiona hou

Multiculturalism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 0 views

  • The term multiculturalism generally refers to the acceptance of various cultural divisions for the sake of diversity that applies to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the scale of an organization such as a school, business, neighborhood, city or nation.
  • Australia The response to multiculturalism in Australia has been extremely varied, with a recent wave of criticism against it in the past decade. An anti-immigration party, the One Nation Party, was formed by Pauline Hanson in the late 1990s. The party enjoyed significant electoral success for a while, most notably in its home state of Queensland, but is now electorally marginalized. One Nation called for the abolition of multiculturalism on the grounds that it represented "a threat to the very basis of the Australian culture, identity and shared values", arguing that there was "no reason why migrant cultures should be maintained at the expense of our shared, national culture."[83] A Federal Government proposal in 2006 to introduce a compulsory citizenship test, which would assess English skills and knowledge of Australian values, sparked renewed debate over the future of multiculturalism in Australia. Andrew Robb, then Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, told a conference in November 2006 that some Australians worried the term "multicultural" had been transformed by interest groups into a philosophy that put "allegiances to original culture ahead of national loyalty, a philosophy which fosters separate development, a federation of ethnic cultures, not one community". He added: "A community of separate cultures fosters a rights mentality, rather than a responsibilities mentality. It is divisive. It works against quick and effective integration."[84] The Australian citizenship test commenced in October 2007 for all new citizens between the ages of 18 and 60.[85] In January 2007 the Howard Government removed the word "multicultural" from the name of t
  • The response to multiculturalism in Australia has been extremely varied, with a recent wave of criticism against it in the past decade. An anti-immigration party, the One Nation Party , was formed by Pauline Hanson in the late 1990s. The party enjoyed significant electoral success for a while, most notably in its home state of Queensland , but is now electorally marginalized. One Nation called for the abolition of multiculturalism on the grounds that it represented "a threat to the very basis of the Australian culture, identity and shared values", arguing that there was "no reason why migrant cultures should be maintained at the expense of our shared, national culture." [83] A Federal Government proposal in 2006 to introduce a compulsory citizenship test, which would assess English skills and knowledge of Australian values, sparked renewed debate over the future of multiculturalism in Australia. Andrew Robb , then Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, told a conference in November 2006 that some Australians worried the term "multicultural" had been transformed by interest groups into a philosophy that put "allegiances to original culture ahead of national loyalty, a philosophy which fosters separate development, a federation of ethnic cultures, not one community". He added: "A community of separate cultures fosters a rights mentality, rather than a responsibilities mentality. It is divisive. It works against quick and effective integration." [84] The Australian citizenship test commenced in October 2007 for all new citizens between the ages of 18 and 60. [85] In January 2007 the Howard Government removed the word "multicultural" from the name of t he Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, changing its name to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
Christoph Zed

BBC NEWS | Technology | Call to use more government data - 0 views

  • One of President Obama's campaign promises was to make the US government more open and transparent.
  • "It's a great opportunity to redefine how government works," said Mr O'Reilly
  • "We've got to recognise that we can't treat the American people as subjects but as co-creators of ideas. We need to tap into the vast amounts of knowledge... in communities across the country.
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  • "We have gotten into this model of thinking the government is like a vending machine. We pay taxes and get roads and schools, police and armies and whatever else.
  • "The new model is about participation. It's about the government saying we will provide you with these services that you can build upon.
  • One of the most cited examples of how government-as-a-platform works best can be seen at a site called Apps for Democracy.
  • Apps for Democracy which aimed to "engage citizen technologists to build the perfect technology solution to meet their needs".
  • "With the help of these home-grown innovators, we're engaging the community in government and building a digital democracy model for governments everywhere,"
  • Mr O'Reilly warned that "going back to politics as usual" was not an option and that in the midst of the government's willingness to open up its data, there were some pitfalls to look out for.
glen donnar

Chinese hackers circulate email on how to sabotage film website - Film - 0 views

  • Instructions educating Chinese citizens on how to sabotage the Melbourne International Film Festival are being circulated around the world, organisers say.
  • Hackers replaced festival information with the Chinese flag and anti-Kadeer slogans soon after the launch of the 2009 festival.
  • Six Chinese-language movies have also been pulled out of the festival, leaving organisers with a logistical headache and the fear that Chinese film-makers will boycott the festival in future.
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  • "It's a very, very concerted and pointed attack," Mr Moore said. "Everyone's watching this - it's totally global." The email provides instructions for loading tickets into "shopping carts" from the festival's website, and Chinese are being urged to teach others how to "purchase" MIFF tickets online.
Nadeem Uddin

citizenship test - 0 views

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    one of my friend does not want to have a citizenship because of the test lol
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    These tests are bit funny. I passed these 4 practice test 20 of 20, and they are really not so much about Australia but about an understanding of how western democracies work (or do on paper) My real Australian citizen test took place in form of a poker-night with the footy running at the same time - not so much the Poker, but general comments about footy, poker, players, jokes, small talk .. etc - I failed dismally.
fiona hou

Fury over attacks to greet Brumby - 0 views

  • A TRIP to India next week to promote Melbourne as a safe city has turned into a monumental challenge for John Brumby after another racist attack that has attracted fresh headlines and anti-Australian fury across India.
  • Two Indian men and another two of Indian origin say they were racially taunted and told to ''go back to your country'' before being kicked and punched by attackers who were part of a large birthday celebration at Legends Entertainment Centre. The Indian Government increased pressure on Australia last night over the ''recurring attacks'' on its citizens. It called on authorities to ''take all necessary steps towards the safety and security of Indians''. Indian consular officials in Melbourne were also ordered to investigate.
  • One of the victims, Sukhdip Singh, 26, had been in Australia just one month. A relative said he had suffered head and facial injuries and wanted to return to India immediately. His uncle, Mukhtiar Singh, 45, also a victim, said Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard's recent assurance to India's Foreign Minister that Australia was safe for Indian students rang hollow. ''I used to say the same thing … now I would say Melbourne is worse than a Third-World country, violence-wise,'' Mr Singh told The Age. Recalling Saturday's incident, he said his nephew was taunted with verbal abuse and racial slurs in the bar before they were later set upon in the car park by about 20 people. ''I have lived here for 22 years,'' Mr Singh said. ''I've got my own business here, my own house, my kids have grown up here. Why should I go back? We all come from somewhere.''
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  • headline on the front page of the Asian Age said: ''Oz mob of 70 attacks 3 Indians'', while The Times of India ran a timeline of attacks under the heading ''No end to hate?''. Mr Brumby said such incidents would make his mission to India all the more difficult. ''Some of the events of the last few months have damaged our brand and the Australian brand in India,'' he said. He said the Government was committed to fixing the problem, and raised the possibility of giving police more resources to deal with it.
  • Education for foreign students is Australia's third-biggest export earner, bringing in more than $16 billion a year.
xinning ji

China Concubines Return Thanks To Increasing Capitalism - 0 views

  • Concubines are no longer kept hidden away behind closed doors. In modern China's far more open society, concubines can be seen in the shopping malls and cafes of the cities, especially in the south, where there are thousands of what are known as "er nai" or "second breast".
  • "China's future will be undermined in those corrupt officials' hands," wrote one outraged citizen. Another described the corrupt cadres who keep concubines as "absolutely superfluous, vampires, corrupt scum. They deserve to be killed".
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    I don't know if concubines should be moral issue or not. in traditional China, man had right to re-marry and lived with more than two wivies. today, even though the law doesn't allow re-marry, many men still can find lover outside without marital relationship.
Nora Ibrahim

channelnewsasia.com - Singapore cuisine showcased at Selfridges Foodhall in London - 0 views

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    I just thought of sharing this piece of news since half of the journals in our course readers involves food and how it does (or doesn't?) represent a culture or country. Singapore just like Malaysia is interesting and different because of its multiracial and multicultural citizens.
Maria D'Amato

Sony Walkman overtakes iPod in Japan - 0 views

  • Sony's Walkman digital music player outsold Apple's iPod in Japan last week for the first time in more than four years, according to electronics research firm BCN.
  • Sony, whose Walkman cassette players pioneered the portable-music industry in the late 1970s, gained market share after introducing models including the W series of cordless players that sell for under $US108.
  • Sony has gained customers seeking less expensive products and those seeking high quality by broadening its lineup,” Kazuharu Miura, an analyst with Daiwa Institute of Research, said by telephone. “But you can't really say Sony regained its competitiveness against Apple unless it improves its market share in the U.S. and Europe.”
    • Nora Ibrahim
       
      Correct me if I am wrong, but I have always found Japanese citizens very nationalistic and Sony is a Japanese company. Could that have an impact on the consumer's choice?
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