I'm angry, very angry.
The Latham diaries were published today after much hoopla and media frenzy.
And I'm not in them!
Every other man and his dog seems to have got a serve from Mark in his outpouring of venom and bile. Except me.
Damn you, Mark Latham. Am I so unimportant that I don't even rate a mention? Not even a footnote?
Every one who has ever breathed air in the same vicinity as you has copped a dose of your wrath and invective. Couldn't you have spared a bit of energy to attack me in print? Not even a hint of irony? A touch of hyberbole or an iota of litotes? Not even so much as a snide comment or sarcastic reference?
OK, so I'm a fairly small fish in a reasonably big pond, but to be totally overlooked when people much less deserving of criticism have been comprehensively bagged ....
It's not good enough. I demand to be insulted by Mark Latham.
Monday, September 19, 2005
Saturday, September 17, 2005
How much is too many?
A Report today said that there were cases of self-harm by 700 detainees in our detention camps for "illegal" immigrants.
"Not so," says the responsible Minister, Amanda Vanstone. "Some of these reported cases were repeat attempts by the same persons. There are only about 500 people who have attempted self-harm in our detention centres."
Oh, so that's all right then, Amanda.
"Not so," says the responsible Minister, Amanda Vanstone. "Some of these reported cases were repeat attempts by the same persons. There are only about 500 people who have attempted self-harm in our detention centres."
Oh, so that's all right then, Amanda.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Happy Birthday to Me
It's my Birthday!
How old? Well, here's a clue: I can remember a time before Rock n' Roll.
What did I get for presents? From my partner in life, Lady Ann, a new electric shaver. From my younger daughter, Tracy, a nice bottle of red, and from my older daughter currently in Amsterdam, a surprise "Happy Birthday Dad" message on the internet.
BTW. Sharon's tummy troubles are fixed and she's off to the UK for a couple of days to visit the rellies before flying back to Madrid for a flight to Cuba. Oh, these young people, gadding about all over. Tracy has been flat out since her return from Europe stating up her own graphic design business.
Anyway, back to me! From my beloved mother-in-law, bless her, Gazman socks. From my good friends, Father Greg and Sister Rae, a rather nice bottle of mysterious grape-liqueur marinade cum dessert sauce and a Swiss Victorinox miniature tool kit packed into a credit-card sized case - very cute.
And from me to me? Another layby payment for my new guitar. It's a beauty, a Fender Squier Telecaster. Custom, with twin humbuckers. Black. Functional. Like a tommy gun.
Happy Birthday to Me.
How old? Well, here's a clue: I can remember a time before Rock n' Roll.
What did I get for presents? From my partner in life, Lady Ann, a new electric shaver. From my younger daughter, Tracy, a nice bottle of red, and from my older daughter currently in Amsterdam, a surprise "Happy Birthday Dad" message on the internet.
BTW. Sharon's tummy troubles are fixed and she's off to the UK for a couple of days to visit the rellies before flying back to Madrid for a flight to Cuba. Oh, these young people, gadding about all over. Tracy has been flat out since her return from Europe stating up her own graphic design business.
Anyway, back to me! From my beloved mother-in-law, bless her, Gazman socks. From my good friends, Father Greg and Sister Rae, a rather nice bottle of mysterious grape-liqueur marinade cum dessert sauce and a Swiss Victorinox miniature tool kit packed into a credit-card sized case - very cute.
And from me to me? Another layby payment for my new guitar. It's a beauty, a Fender Squier Telecaster. Custom, with twin humbuckers. Black. Functional. Like a tommy gun.
Happy Birthday to Me.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Vale Lorraine
Another week, another funeral.
That makes the trifecta. In the past three weeks I've been to a Catholic funeral, an Anglican wedding, and today a secular funeral.
Lorraine was one of the good ones who died before her time age 57 after a gruelling battle with cancer.
She was a well-known and respected nurse, nurse educator and administrator. With no children of her own, she was a second mum to her nephew and nieces. The service was at the funeral director's private chapel and was conducted by family members making valedictory speeches. The younger folk, the nephew and one of the nieces, made particularly thoughtful and affectionate speeches.
Lorraine's coffin was that lovely shade of purple and made a dignified and elegant feminist statement. A Bach cantata gave us time to remember Lorraine, and for some of us to reflect on our own mortality.
I've known Lorraine for years. My life partner, Lady Ann, has known Lorraine and her family since childhood, having lived and grown up in the same street where her parents lived and brought up their children.
I've known Lorraine's partner for just as long. He is devastated but bearing up with courage and dignity. Both are great examples of commitment to social justice and working to make things better for society.
Vale Lorraine.
That makes the trifecta. In the past three weeks I've been to a Catholic funeral, an Anglican wedding, and today a secular funeral.
Lorraine was one of the good ones who died before her time age 57 after a gruelling battle with cancer.
She was a well-known and respected nurse, nurse educator and administrator. With no children of her own, she was a second mum to her nephew and nieces. The service was at the funeral director's private chapel and was conducted by family members making valedictory speeches. The younger folk, the nephew and one of the nieces, made particularly thoughtful and affectionate speeches.
Lorraine's coffin was that lovely shade of purple and made a dignified and elegant feminist statement. A Bach cantata gave us time to remember Lorraine, and for some of us to reflect on our own mortality.
I've known Lorraine for years. My life partner, Lady Ann, has known Lorraine and her family since childhood, having lived and grown up in the same street where her parents lived and brought up their children.
I've known Lorraine's partner for just as long. He is devastated but bearing up with courage and dignity. Both are great examples of commitment to social justice and working to make things better for society.
Vale Lorraine.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Community Trash Swap
It's my favourite time of year in the municipal council calendar - hard rubbish collection.
One a year, you and your neighbours put your accumulated 'hard rubbish' out on the footpath for the council to collect. These are all the items that are too big to put out in the regular weekly trash collection.
You put it out on a weekend. Then the trucks come round during the following week to take it away. So from Sunday evening onwards, at least for the next two or three days, there is a treasure trove of trash out in the streets. That's when people go scavenging. And there is some great stuff. Last year I needed a couple of loudspeakers for the band's PA. In two hours I picked up eight.
This year, I put out our old TV set, the old gas wall furnace that we'd had replaced, three old canvas backed "director" chairs, an eight-inch square of steel plate that used to cover part of the storm water drain and the two front panels from a pair of loadspeakers I'd scrounged in last year's haul.
The TV went in the first hour. By Wednesday, eveything had gone except for the speaker panels, even the bit of metal. And I'd picked up a large hard-shell suit case, perfect for my busking drum set.
So you put out your surplus stuff for others to help themselves, and you go and liberate stuff that other people no longer want. This is socialism at work.
Re-use, re-pair and recycling at work, reducing landfill and council workload. A win-win situation all around. I love it.
One a year, you and your neighbours put your accumulated 'hard rubbish' out on the footpath for the council to collect. These are all the items that are too big to put out in the regular weekly trash collection.
You put it out on a weekend. Then the trucks come round during the following week to take it away. So from Sunday evening onwards, at least for the next two or three days, there is a treasure trove of trash out in the streets. That's when people go scavenging. And there is some great stuff. Last year I needed a couple of loudspeakers for the band's PA. In two hours I picked up eight.
This year, I put out our old TV set, the old gas wall furnace that we'd had replaced, three old canvas backed "director" chairs, an eight-inch square of steel plate that used to cover part of the storm water drain and the two front panels from a pair of loadspeakers I'd scrounged in last year's haul.
The TV went in the first hour. By Wednesday, eveything had gone except for the speaker panels, even the bit of metal. And I'd picked up a large hard-shell suit case, perfect for my busking drum set.
So you put out your surplus stuff for others to help themselves, and you go and liberate stuff that other people no longer want. This is socialism at work.
Re-use, re-pair and recycling at work, reducing landfill and council workload. A win-win situation all around. I love it.
Franco's revenge
Poor Sharon got sick in Barcelona - some ugly tummy bug that gave her the screaming poos for a week. Picked up the bug in the Gothic Quarter where she was staying.
The old quarter is slowly deteriorating under the onslaught of countless tourists on cheap tours, mostly from the UK. Their idea of a great time is to stay awake for days, party, hit the bars and drink themselves stupid. Each night, many piss, shit and vomit in the streets. In the small hours of the morning, water trucks come along and hose out the filth, ready for another day and the next party.
The old quarter is slowly deteriorating under the onslaught of countless tourists on cheap tours, mostly from the UK. Their idea of a great time is to stay awake for days, party, hit the bars and drink themselves stupid. Each night, many piss, shit and vomit in the streets. In the small hours of the morning, water trucks come along and hose out the filth, ready for another day and the next party.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Happy Anniversary
It's two years since I first set up this blog on this day in 2003. Then I left it untouched until recently.
It was basically a trial - what was all this stuff about these new-fangled blogs?
Back then, a work colleague had set one up to focus on news items relating to the area in which we worked - science and technology innovation. The idea was to use the technology to discuss the technology, that is to use the medium to deconstruct the medium, sort of.
Anyway, it seemed a good idea at the time. Each member of the team contributed to the blog and it didn't take more than a few seconds to realise how to set my own. So I did. Because I could.
But I only started to write regularly when inspired by my elder daughter Sharon's holiday blog and younger daughter Tracy's holiday photo album which they started almost at the same time. A nice example of the parent learning from the child.
It was basically a trial - what was all this stuff about these new-fangled blogs?
Back then, a work colleague had set one up to focus on news items relating to the area in which we worked - science and technology innovation. The idea was to use the technology to discuss the technology, that is to use the medium to deconstruct the medium, sort of.
Anyway, it seemed a good idea at the time. Each member of the team contributed to the blog and it didn't take more than a few seconds to realise how to set my own. So I did. Because I could.
But I only started to write regularly when inspired by my elder daughter Sharon's holiday blog and younger daughter Tracy's holiday photo album which they started almost at the same time. A nice example of the parent learning from the child.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Storm in a teacup
Adelaide was hit by severe storms two nights ago - the same time that New Orleans was being smashed by Hurricane Katrina.
Wind gusts up 125 km/hr knocked down numerous trees and branches which took out the power lines to around 50,000 homes.
ETSA (the electricity company) had most households back on line within 24 hours. They gave priority to life-endangering situations. Then they brought the system back up in stages. First they fixed faults to restore the network, then faults that restored whole areas, then whole suburbs, then individual streets. Lastly they did individual houses where the line from the street to the house was down.
All very sensible - starting with the faults that would bring the most houses back on line, then working down to specific dwellings. However, some people are never satisfied.
On talkback radio the next day, most calls were either anecdotal or praise for the authorities and emergency services.
But one woman rang in to complain bitterly. She said that a tree had fallen across her driveway so that in the morning she couldn't get her car out to go to work. When she phoned the State Emergency Services and described the problem, they told her that she'd have to go on the waiting list for help. She moaned to the radio talk-back show that it wasn't good enough, she paid her taxes .... etc., etc.
Pretty soon the station switchboard lit up with sensible people deriding her attitude. The best comment was that it was the State Emergency Service, not the Local Inconvenience Service.
I say to the women, do what lots of other people do to get to work - get a bus.
I can't believe that your job is so important it has to take precedence over real emergencies.
If it is that important, get a taxi.
Wind gusts up 125 km/hr knocked down numerous trees and branches which took out the power lines to around 50,000 homes.
ETSA (the electricity company) had most households back on line within 24 hours. They gave priority to life-endangering situations. Then they brought the system back up in stages. First they fixed faults to restore the network, then faults that restored whole areas, then whole suburbs, then individual streets. Lastly they did individual houses where the line from the street to the house was down.
All very sensible - starting with the faults that would bring the most houses back on line, then working down to specific dwellings. However, some people are never satisfied.
On talkback radio the next day, most calls were either anecdotal or praise for the authorities and emergency services.
But one woman rang in to complain bitterly. She said that a tree had fallen across her driveway so that in the morning she couldn't get her car out to go to work. When she phoned the State Emergency Services and described the problem, they told her that she'd have to go on the waiting list for help. She moaned to the radio talk-back show that it wasn't good enough, she paid her taxes .... etc., etc.
Pretty soon the station switchboard lit up with sensible people deriding her attitude. The best comment was that it was the State Emergency Service, not the Local Inconvenience Service.
I say to the women, do what lots of other people do to get to work - get a bus.
I can't believe that your job is so important it has to take precedence over real emergencies.
If it is that important, get a taxi.
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