Jon English Hollywood 7 Youtube Song Video
Ive always loved this song, even though it doesnt get very much radio airplay - even on gold classic hits. Its quite surprising that when released in 1976 as the title track to English's third solo album, Hollywood Seven only hit number 13 in the charts. Hard to figure - its a classic.
But from this song its clear that Jon English is just such a great Australian talent. Big thanks to some good soul for uploading this to Youtube. I have this song on an old LP of great Aussie songs. It got kind of worn out, so i'm going to head out to get myself a copy of English's greatest hits.
Failure by Australian Customs at Sydney Airport - Julian Matthias Buchwald Allowed to Flee Australia on Fake Indian Passport
I have written previously about the failure of Australian authorities to prevent Julian Matthias Buchwald from fleeing the country. Yes, a convicted kidnapper was actually bailed before sentence. But the story of the incompetence by our Customs officials is hard to fathom.
Buchwald fled to India on a fake passport. That we knew. But he managed to get past the airline passport check as well as Customs officials, merely by dying his hair and applying some fake tan. He then pasted his photo onto a genuine Indian passport.
Now I'm not one for racial profiling as it were, but I'll be darned if this guy looks anything like someone of Indian origin. No surprise i guess, given his German roots.
I guess our customs officials are way too busy learning how not to smile. Apart from the UK and USA, Ive not come across immigration or customs officials who are this serious. Nice way to welcome people to the country.
Perhaps they are also too concerned with preening themselves for an appearance on Border Security. You know, the TV show which shows Customs officials single handedly putting a stop to a growing band of Chinese criminals - grandmothers bringing in "prohibited" food products. Damn those old ladies.
Whatever it is, their incompetence in this matter is staggering. Thankfully, the overly officious immigration chekpoint at an Indian airport stopped him from entering the country. Then again, it would have only taken a cursory glance at the passport to see that he wasnt the real deal.
But, as big an effort as Buchwald made to breach his bail, he was only given another 6 months jail sentence for it. Maximum penalty for this type of crime is apparently 12 months. Makes you wonder what you would need to do to get the maximum.
Outrage Coming - John Safran's Race Relations
John Safran's latest show Race Relations is set to be the most controversial tv program aired this year. If you thought that the Chaser's War on Everything Make A Wish skit attracted some serious media attention, you ain't seen nothing yet.
Race Relations has already attracted heavy criticism from the Christian lobby and the Australian Families Association. And they haven't even seen the show yet. They've just been told about it from their Christian Messenger brigade at News Limited press.
The outrage regarding Race Relations is set to be massive - and i for one cant wait for the screaming headlines from the Herald Sun and the Daily Telegraph. And i might even tune in to Neil Mitchell to hear his predictable rant. But what will Andrew Bolt say? I thought i heard somewhere that he actually liked John Safran....
The series is in 8 parts. I wonder if the outrage will restrict the length. And what will K Rudd say about it? 10 points if he uses the words vile and disgusting.
This is the video of the preview to the show.
Sub $500 TV - Breakthrough Price of 499 dollars for 32inch LCD TV at Aldi
Its a sign of things to come. Aldi have been offering a 32inch LCD TV under 500 dollars. That is quite an amazing price.
Unfortunately, it appears that there were only about 30 TVs at every ALDI store. Many sold out within a few minutes. Was this TV a loss leader, a well advertised product just to get people into stores, but with little or negative profit per unit? Possibly. I'm sure people are still heading to Aldi stores, unaware that the product is no longer available.
But with the Australian dollar heading towards parity with the US Dollar, you can expect a whole lot more TVs to come on the market not so far away from this price. In the same week, Dick Smith were offering a similar LCD HD TV for $588.
Basically, the TVs that are on the shelves at stores today were purchased when the Australian dollar was much lower in comparison to the greenback. That means in a couple of months, TVs are bound to be a whole lot cheaper. As are many other imported products. Its a good sign for retailers come Christmas time.
So if you wanted a cheap Aldi TV but missed out, dont fret. You will get your chance.
Personally i just love the frenzy that these low prices create. These are just a couple of the choice comments from the Whirlpool Forum on this product. Yes, ive stuck to the observations about bogans.
Wow, that's pretty extreme. All over a cheap TV. I'll go on a limb here and guess that it was probably bogans fighting over who gets to spend their baby bonus at ALDI. :P
How else would they pay for the TV? It's a know fact: The more kids you plop out, the more money you get to buy TVs. Anyone with 5 or more kids should be ashamed of sticking to a 32" model. What kind of self respecting bogan are they?!
The bogans are massing for their Aldi assault! One hero has already blocked the doors with his trolley lol. I got here about ten minutes ago and there was only two people, now there's about twenty bogans with their tribe of kids.
Those damn bogan kids with there dad encouraging them on, climbed the side of the trolley bays, got trolley's and tried to push in!!
And my personal favorite...
By the time the doors were open about a dozen kids were surging through and leading the dash to be the first to put their hands on a TV box and "claim" it for their parents. They might be bogans, but they're crafty bogans.
Melbourne Australia - Ashburton Train Station - Baby in Pram Stroller Falls on Tracks Survives Uninjured
This has to be one of the most miraculous stories of survival this year. A baby in a pram rolls over the edge at a railway station in Melbourne and is hit by the approaching train. The boy survives with just minor bruising.
The mother lets go of the pram for just a second. But thats all it takes.
Magistrate Stella Stuthridge Grants Bail to Puneet Puneet's Indian Passport Mate Sukhcharanjit Singh
And for a moment there i thought fairyland was a make believe place. But it seems to be the home to yet another Victorian Magistrate. This one is known as Ms Stella Stuthridge who has just granted bail to Sukhcharanjit Singh who has been accused of giving his passport to his filthy dog friend Puneet Puneet so he could flee Australia.
In case you missed it, Puneet Puneet was charged with killing Dean Hofstee and seriously injuring Clancy Coker in Southbank last October. He was behind the wheel of his car at the time and claimed he swerved to miss a cat. Damn those inner city cats, they must be at plague proportions.
Never mind that Puneet was drunk and travelling at 150kmh in a 60 zone. He had a blood alcohol reading of .165. That's more than 3 times the legal limit.
Surprisingly, Puneet was bailed. I am reliably informed that the same genius Magistrate that granted Puneet bail also dished out a disgracefully lenient sentence for convicted killer Ryan Leigh Johns just last month. The Magistrate's name is Duncan Reynolds. Seems Magistrate Stella Stuthridge has good company on the bench.
It was recently revealed that Puneet Puneet partied with friends at a going away event the day before fleeing Australia on Sukhcharanjit Singh's passport. Singh of course filed a missing passport report, but it has since been revealed that he is alleged to have sold the passport to his friend Puneet for about $3000.
Prosecutors in Victoria believe they have a very strong case against Singh. I don't doubt it. But that wasn't enough to convince Magistrate Stuthridge to remand Singh in custody. Apparently he is not a flight risk, despite being allegedly complicit in the departure of his killer friend. Go figure.
Stuthridge released Singh into the hands of a relative in Adelaide and made him pay a $15,000 surety. He must also report to police every day. Tough conditions hey? Not so different from Puneet. He also had to strict orders to report to police - look how well that turned out.
I'm not sure what kind of bleeding heart school Stuthridge went to. But she could do with a quick refresher course in common sense. Or is that just too much to ask in fairyland?
Complaint Email Exchange Between Fleur Clapham and Neil Perry from Rockpool Restaurant
If i had a bad experience at a restaurant, id probably put in a complaint too. But I'm not sure i would waste as much time on it as Fleur Clapham when she detailed her poor experience at Rockpool Bar and Grill. I mean seriously, there are more important things out there in life aren't there? For one, I'm sure the Rockpool Restaurants in say, central Africa don't even have air conditioning.
Here is the email exchange in full. Its long but well worth the read. And thank God it went viral.
From: Clapham, Fleur
Sent: Monday, 28 September 2009 3:47 PM
To Whom It May Concern:
It was with sincere excitement that I and my Husband went to dinner, at Rockpool Bar & Grill on Saturday evening; September 26th, 2009. My friend booked the table, it was booked under the name
The evening started out wonderfully with the Maitre De seating us and a flurry of activity and wait staff settling us in. We were seated in the far corner of the room however where there appears to be some air conditioning issues. Both tables on either side of ours made repeated requests that something be done about turning the air conditioning down slightly as all six of us ate while wearing jackets and scarfs. The tables on both sides of ours vacated and refilled whilst I and my Husband, Tim ate and the same complaints/requests were made to wait staff to try and create a less chilly atmosphere. Unfortunately, for the duration of the meal, we all wore scarfs and jackets.
When placing our food orders, I asked if there was something the kitchen could do about filleting the Whiting should I order it. I advised I prefer not to eat fish if I have to navigate bones and would order a different meal if she foresaw any issues, the waitress assured me that aside from the Whiting not looking as pretty as it otherwise may, this would be no problem at all. Confident all would be well, I ordered the Whiting.
Our entr�e's arrived and they were delicious, as such we both looked forward to our mains. In due course they arrived however after all of our dishes were placed on the table, minus my own, I saw that my Whiting had not been de-boned in the kitchen by someone with some experience in doing so but was in fact being administered to beside the wait staff table in the dining area in relative darkness. I expressed my concerns to Tim that this seemed rather unusual practice to me however we thought we would wait for the result before passing judgement. I ate only a meagre serving of the fish, which although was delicious, was riddled with bones. I was extremely disappointed given that I could have, as I advised, ordered a different dish if this was going to be a problem. Feeling rather hungry I went to have some wine and discovered my glass empty. As I looked around for someone to re-fill it, the fire alarm in the kitchen was activated. The wait staff appeared to ignore the alarm, certainly there was no announcement on a wider level or delivery of an explanation on a table level as to if we should evacuate or not. The diners around us were as confused as to what to do as we were, eventually one of the tables was given an explanation that they should not worry, that it was a small accident in the kitchen, Tim and I found it strange that the waitress did not think to turn around and give the remaining tables the explanation also, rather, our update came from the table to our left.
As the back part of the room became rather heavily cloaked in smoke, I began to become somewhat annoyed that not only had no-one advised me that I should not worry, but that while I sat there hungry from the upset of what was my fish meal, I also sat there thirsty.
My glass was eventually refilled when our table was cleared and because I was so hungry, we decided to stay and have desert rather than leave the smoky room and go next doors to Spice Temple where we imagined would have to wait longer. Whilst ordering desert we asked our waitress why the alarm had activated and were told that the fire alarm door had been opened which prompted the extractor fans to stop working. An unusual if somewhat unbelievable explanation especially considering, as we were advised, that this has happened twice previously. I see on-line today that there have been issues with heat sensor versus smoke detectors being fitted in the kitchen; I am extremely surprised that this has not been rectified in the six months plus since another fire alarm and evacuation occurring in February 2009.
Our Apple Galette desert arrived, I was disappointed once more as it was somewhat burnt on two corners so rather than share it with Tim I told him to go ahead and eat it himself. Again I turned to my wine glass as something to fill my stomach, after a few sips it was again empty and again, remained empty for some time.
By this stage I was very disappointed. I was cold, I was hungry, I was thirsty and my eyes were stinging from the smoke in the room; I asked Tim to get the bill as I wanted to leave. When the bill arrived, I was again disappointed. There was a $198 charge for a bottle of wine that we had not ordered. I alerted the waitress who quickly remedied the situation and supplied us with a new bill however by this stage it was almost laughable that things were still going awry.
I have wanted to eat at Rockpool Bar & Grill for a very long time but due to medical and work reasons, we were only able to make it last Saturday. I understand that perhaps given my long-time building keen excitement to attend the restaurant I may have had elevated expectations however I feel that after reading my description of the evenings events, you might agree that we were badly let down. The experience not only sullied our Saturday evening but our Sunday also as both Tim and I were very congested and experiencing bloody noses. We are both still slightly congested today, be it from the smoke that took 40 minutes to clear or the very cold air conditioning we were sitting under, we do not know.
I hope that our experience is an anomaly as I would dearly love to visit Spice Temple next doors however given our Rockpool experience; I believe it may be some time before we feel brave enough to do so.
Yours sincerely,
Fleur Clapham
From: Neil Perry
Sent: Monday, 28 September 2009 5:10 PM
To: Clapham, Fleur
Subject:
Dear Fleur
I could write a very long email in reply to yours but I simply don't have the time.
No one including myself had any idea on Saturday night what happened. We have not been operating with any problems except for the time the power shut off. That time no extraction, fire and plenty of smoke we had to close for the night, but all this happened before service and we know what was wrong, no power.
We had been experiencing trouble getting the room to the right temperature no matter what we did with the aircon on Saturday once people started to arrive, then the exhaust leaked enough smoke to set the alarm off ( again a first for non power failure) the extraction shuts down strait away. The room filled with smoke.
The staff were really confused and we had not trained for it as it had not happened before. The room filled with smoke as you experienced, I ran up from Rockpool and spent time with the fireman to keep switching the exhaust back on ( it shuts down automatically when the alarm goes off) So sorry I should have just throw everyone out of the restaurant, I will do it in future as I now know how people think...thank you for that.
We found out today that the makeup air had tripped out, that caused the aircon problem, that was what really triggered the smoke alarm issue. It is now all fixed. I wonder how you or any of your staff would react under similar circumstances, I guess we will never know. So it wasn't the fact we have by law and must have smoke detectors, it is the fact the balance of in this case the air movement wasn't right due to the makeup air causing extraction issues.
The bill was human error that could have been caused by the smoke situation or perhaps just human error, and I apologise for that. I have taken Whiting off forever and replaced it with a fish that is easier to bone at the table, as fillets that thin can't go through the charcoal oven. So thank you for alerting me to that problem.
My wife and I love the apple tart at Foccasse in Paris. She makes me pay 20 euro each way for a 2 euro tart, it is so caramelised in the corner it looks burnt, but it taste so blissful, one man's delight another man's poison I guess. If you would like a photo of this I will send you one, it really makes my mouth water.
I just thought it was important for you to understand there are two sides to every story, had you had a little bit of compassion for the hell and confusion all my staff had gone through on Saturday night I would have been mortified that all those things went wrong on your table, but as you couldn't see we all suffered I think it's best we just have differing views.
Regards
Neil
Neil Perry
Director
ROCKPOOL SPICE TEMPLE ROCKPOOL BAR & GRILL
From: Clapham, Fleur
Sent: Tuesday, 29 September 2009 10:50 AM
To: Neil Perry
Subject: RE:
Hi Neil
I've just asked a few of my colleagues to read your e mail as at first I thought it was a bad joke, I now see it is simply unnecessarily sarcastic and incredibly rude. Throw everyone out of the restaurant? Remove Whiting from the menu?
I work as an Account Executive in the Media industry and am intimately aware of how you need to protect your business whilst at the same time recognise when things go wrong and take ownership and responsibility for that in front of your clients. I am customer facing every day therefore I have extreme empathy for those who are also, however, I also have a level of expectation when I dine in an establishment such as yours as to how I will be treated. You have a duty of care at the very least which was not met.
Had your data services provider experienced a fire in one of their Data Centres that meant your credit card payment system was unavailable, I am quite sure you would care less about the fire and more about someone keeping you in the loop and telling you when the situation would be resolved. I am also quite certain that your client representative would apologise for any confusion and disruption even though they did not start the fire themselves.
You briefly apologise once in your e-mail however you quickly upend this with more sarcasm, by anyone's standards, your response is simply not good enough. Might I suggest that if you cannot find the time to respond courteously or engage in some training to enlighten you how, that you employ a customer service representative to respond on your behalf, that way your hostile and offensive attitude won't further upset any of your other long-time customers.
What “hell' did the staff go through? My waitress told me this was the third time the fire alarms had activated during dining, that certainly explained the seemingly nonchalant attitude of everyone, therefore I imagine they are all rather well versed by now in how to deal with this, might I suggest simply advising diners not to be alarmed is a good place to start. Even better, you say you were on the premises personally on Saturday night; you missed a golden opportunity to elevate diners' experiences, flatter your ego, and eradicate confusion by simply walking around the room advising that the situation was under control. Your fire alarm has an RVA that states that evacuation procedures will commence, do you even have any? I certainly was not made aware of any. Aren't you required by law to have such procedures in place? Does that really excuse the array of issues we experienced though? I think not.
I ate/eat at your restaurants regularly, those that are now closed included, both on a personal level and corporate level with clients which is why I contacted you looking for an apology and assurances this would not happen again if I ventured to a Rockpool establishment once more, not a regalement of your Paris tarts. Perhaps you should leave the apple deserts to McDonalds who I understand are a great deal more consistent in their product delivery and customer service.
You wrote that you would have been mortified that all those things went wrong on your table, why not then simply apologise for that as you would expect to be apologised to.
Learn some manners Mr Perry, you are no Gordon Ramsey.
Fleur
From: Neil Perry
Sent: Tuesday, 29 September 2009 11:09 AM
To: Clapham, Fleur
Subject: RE:
Isn't amazing how there are two sides to every story. I feel exactly the same about you.
I had to run up from one restaurant where I was cooking as part of the team to get the fire brigade to stay and keep the extraction running once they got there, I then had to run back to resume my position next to my team members at Rockpool who were struggling without me there.
As I said this hasn't happened before, we will train for it.
As for the staff I had a very long meeting about our beef with the waiters on Tuesday, told them we don't sell yearling but older beef, one of them told the customers on Friday that the Rangers was yearling beef. People will say anything and unfortunately I can try but can't control everything especially what comes out of waiters mouths no matter how I try.
Fleur I unlike Mr Ramsay work in this business 6 days and nights a week and give it my all, I guess I just got emotional I found lots of your comments unreasonable given the circumstances and it totally clouded my judgement on the genuine side of your problems.
I guess I shall have to go to sleep at night knowing I give 340 young Australians jobs, raise money for Charity, support the city and country in tourism and look after most of my 6000 customers really well.
Neil Perry
Director
ROCKPOOL SPICE TEMPLE ROCKPOOL BAR & GRILL
Outrage - Woman Sent to Police for Hitting Her 9 Year Old Child with a Wooden Spoon
Today's beat up by the Herald Sun is, well, literally a beat up. A woman from Yea was referred to police for hitting her child with a wooden spoon. Smacking is now apparently on trial in Victoria.
The true test of the beat up comes when we see opinion quotes from various organisations, including...you guessed it, The Australian Family Association.
The Australian Families Association said parents were entitled to use moderate physical punishment to discipline their children and the case was "nonsense". "Paddling or spanking to reinforce the idea something is wrong or bad and dangerous is not assault and that is ridiculous," spokesman John Morrissey said. "I don't know what the police think they are doing.It is an invasion on the rights of parents."
Damn it, i swear I'm going to set up a community organisation just to offer pointless quotes to newspapers. Ive got an opinion to voice too you know.
Safire - I Never Heard Video - This is It Michael Jackson New Song Release
Seems Sony are about to cash in on Michael Jackson even after his death. I suppose we shouldn't be too surprised. New releases from long since departed musical artists are all too common. Of course, they are never the best work from the artist. If it was, it would have been released while they were alive.
Anyway, the latest release from Jackson is called This Is It - which was written in the early 1980's by Jackson and Paul Anka.
But it was also recorded by a little known Puerto Rican female artist in the early 1990's. Her name is Safire. This is her version of the song I Never Heard. Having listened to Jackson's latest version, the two aren't all that different.
Australian Bubble Property Prices - Well Past Boom time
Most people i talk to about my prediction of a downward trend in property prices think I'm crazy. I haven't been assessed for mental deficiencies, but in this era of the internet and self diagnosis I'm inclined to agree. I am quite strange at times.
But despite my current mental state, i still think I'm qualified to say that the Australian property market is set for a fall. Why? Its not that what goes up must come down - some things do keep rising in price. But you cant have such spectacular rises in the price of property without shock wave at some point. Australia is one of the most expensive places in the world for housing stock.
I have written about my prediction for a tipping point for property previously. In fact i write so much about this issue that i bore myself sometimes.
I consider that a weakening in property prices is set to occur due to market sentiment and a movement away from property by investors. It will come in conjunction with higher interest rates and high inflation - much higher for both than we have experienced in the past 12 months.
So with interest rates already rising, i think that we should have a quick look at borrowing habits over the past five years. Some of the figures are staggering.
Housing Finance for Owner Occupation (ABS) (per month borrowing)
August 2004 - $10.143 Billion
August 2005 - $11.744 Billion
August 2006 - $14.143 Billion
August 2007 - $15.570 Billion
August 2008 - $12.028 Billion
August 2009 - $16.965 Billion
What can we glean from these statistics is that the upward trend in borrowing for home ownership over that five year period is significant. Apart from a dip in 2008 at the onset of the GFC and very high interest rates, Australians are borrowing $6 billion more every month to buy their home than they were just 5 years ago.
Are people getting bigger and better homes for their money? Not at all. They are getting exactly the same. The only thing bigger is the loan size. If we take those monthly borrowing figures, we can assume that the average loan size has risen by more than 50% in five years. And not surprisingly the price of housing has gone up about the same.
While wages have also gone up over this time, at least a proportion of those rises are swallowed up by the CPI. So a higher amount of home buyer's disposable income is going towards servicing these massive loans.
Now analysts and commentators will tell you that it is all about supply and demand - that people need a roof over their head and will be prepared to pay for it. They say that there is a massive shortage of housing stock. Both those points are true.
But they don't take account of the fact that with interest rates on the rise, there will be a weakening in demand. Higher interest rates always shut some people out of the market. We saw that in 2008. That means that more people will hold off on a purchase. They will instead choose to rent, share or stay living at home with the folks.
Investors usually don't buy property for the rental return, which at current prices would be lucky to come in at 4%. They generally invest purely for the expected capital gain. With market sentiment potentially taking a hit, capital gain isn't so assured and investors will turn their attention to other opportunities. Those already in the market will either sell or jack up rents.
Back in the early part of this decade, many commentators suggested that housing was overpriced in Australia. I agreed. And i will declare that Ive suggested numerous times over the past 5 years that the market was set for a correction. Ive been wrong thus far. But if we accept that housing was too expensive back then, what do we call this?
With housing prices jumping more than 50% in five years (and more than 100% in some areas) this is no longer a boom. This is a bubble. And despite analysts telling you that the only way is up, bubbles always burst. Or do they not remember the sub prime crisis in the United States?
New Club Planned for Sari Club Site in Bali - Outrage!
The story of a development for the old Sari Club in Bali runs every few months and gets most of the mainstream press trying to stir up outrage. How dare they redevelop this site goddamit?!!
The story is running again today, courtesy of AAP who i thought would have known better. Its starts with this:
AUSTRALIAN Lance Larcombe doesn't mince words when asked about plans to erect a new nightclub where the Sari Club once stood.
"It's absolutely sickening," he spits. "It would be totally sacrilegious."
Mr Larcombe, from Bowen, Queensland, says he lost "202 friends I never had" in the 2002 bomb attacks on Paddy's Bar and the Sari Club.
Mr Larcombe goes to Bali every October to mark the anniversary of the terrible event and he's not the only one angry over Bali businessman Kadek Wiranatha's plans to redevelop the site into a new club and restaurant.
So who is Lance Larcombe? A poor bomb victim? A relative of someone killed? Nah. Larcombe is just a serial tragedy buff. He just goes to Bali to commemorate the victims cos he is Owstrain. Maybe he is a member of the Fanatics too. Oi oi oi.
202 friends he never had. Well Lance, there are 21 odd million people here in Ozzie. Set up a facebook page. Start adding.
But is it sacrilegious to build on the old Sari nightclub site? Why should it be? Life has to move on, particularly in a country that has witnessed lots of tough times. They need something better than a disused piece of land.
There are plans by the Bali Peace Park Foundation to build a memorial to the people killed there in 2002. Unfortunately, they have been beset with infighting and haven't raised even close to the amount of money needed to get the project up and running. In case you didn't know, the bloke who set up the Foundation was turfed out of it by other members a few months ago.
In terms of memorials to the bomb victims of 2002, Australians (and many other nationalities) need look no further than across the road. There is a large space put aside for a memorial. Ive been there, its actually done really tastefully, albeit disconcertingly similar to an Australian War Memorial.
And Paddy's Bar, another of the clubs blown up where countless people lost their lives? That was redeveloped years ago. Maybe there was outrage back then but i don't remember it. If there was, it hasn't stopped Australians using it as a drinking hole since. Place is filled with them.
Anyway, life does have to move on. We cant force our views onto the Bali locals as to what they do with their piece of land. If we were to stop development on every site that had witnessed a tragedy over the years, then there wouldn't be much development.
These are just some of the comments from a story on this same issue run by the ABC in August. Nearly every one was pro moving on.
Can someone please tell me what right Australians think they have to try and dictate to people in other countries what they can and cannot do with their lives, land, laws etc. We have seen it with Gallipolli, the Kokoda Track, the war fields in France and Belgium. Now they are starting on Bali. Last time I looked Indonesia was a sovereign country and Bali was part of it. Despite what people think, we do not have any right to try and dictate to others in their own countries what they can or cannot do. These no doubt are the same people who think Corby and the Bali Nine etc should be sent back to Australia because their conditions in Indonesian gaols are not fair and not like they would have in Australia.
At the risk of sounding harsh, if this site is so important to survivors that they can't stand the thought of anything other than a memorial being built then perhaps they should have bought the site themselves.
The term "sacred site" is so thoroughly abused these days; and too often there seems to be money involved. I do not agree the Bali bombings will be forgotten, but likewise I do not agree the location to be sacred. Besides, as has already been stated, it's not up to us, it's up to the local people and the man who paid for the lease. Ask him to put up a plaque and move on.
How does people dying there make it a site sacred? Is every hospital and aged care facility in this country therefore a sacred site? Which should therefore be stopped from developing? It's belongs to the Balinese, they can do as they wish.
Dwarfs or Midgets? - Piggy Back Racing for Midgets Video - More Herald Sun Beat Ups
Looks like the Herald Sun have been at it again. Finding a story and pretending that people are actually angry. "Dozens" of people allegedly contacted the paper about a midget race at the Cranbourne Cup. Dozens? Seriously? What a bunch of fricken liars. Go on Herald Sun, name just five of them. I double dare you.
"Racing Little People Not Funny"
A MIDGETS' race at a major country cup meeting has angered racegoers and Racing Minister Rob Hulls. But champion jockey Damien Oliver and racing officials said people should "lighten up".
Angered racegoers? Who exactly? Was Rob Hulls angry as they claim?
He said he was puzzled by what it hoped to achieve."At a time when racing should be fighting hard for that discretionary dollar and fighting hard to get young people back to the track, this type of event does nothing to promote the industry as vital, modern or innovative," Mr Hulls said.
Doesn't sound too angry to me. Sure, he doesn't agree with it. But I'm sure he has moved on by now. Its obviously not a big issue for him.
But i do love the commentary by Meredith Tripp, former president of Short Statured People of Australia. There is such a group? I wonder if there is a similar group for tall people.
Tripp said that "..events that made fun of short people made it harder for them to get through life without being subject to ridicule. We hope to it make easier for short-statured people to participate in society without being bullied or laughed at or stared at. But things like this set us back a little bit."
Damn it, would she put an end to midgets in the circus too? What fun would there be if these little guys didn't make us laugh?
Anyway, Ive never understood the difference between a midget and a dwarf. Its explained thouroughly here.
President Barack Obama Winner of 2009 Nobel Peace Prize
I'm a fan of Barack Obama. But I'm just a little bit surprised that he has won the Nobel Peace Prize just under nine months since he assumed the Presidency. Actually, I'm stunned. Sure, he offers a lot of hope, but an award such as this after nine months? How about waiting to see some concrete results of his vision? Maybe thats too much to ask.
This is the Official Announcement of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize:
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.
Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.
Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population.
For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges."
The Australian Family Association - Just a Bunch of Right Wing Conservative Freaks and Misfits
Sure, it sounds like a mainstream organisation. Sadly, the reality is very different. Because The Australian Family Association are nothing more than a Christian fringe group whose main aim is to protect the family unit as they envisage it.
In case you didn't know it, the AFA believe that the family unit consists of only a husband, wife and children. "It is essentially composed of father, mother and children." Any combination other than that is not considered a family according to the AFA. So if you happen to be a single parent, you don't come under their definition.
And if you have chosen not to get married, then sorry folks, even if you have kids you aren't a family. "Society may choose to give legal recognition to other forms of co-habitation, which in Roman Law were known as “concubinage”, purely temporary arrangements terminable on the demand of one party alone."
But further - hailing back to days long past, the Australian Family Association believes a woman's place is in the kitchen. Im not just making that up. The AFA truly are freaks from the 1950's. - no surprise i guess, their founder was the DLP head and hard right Catholic BA Santamaria.
"Society should recognise the different biological and psychological functions of the mother and father. It should require the latter normally to maintain the family by virtue of his work...The maintenance of the family should be the financial responsibility of the father...The law should not inhibit the legal or ethical right of the mother to engage in outside employment. Society, through its systems of taxation, family allowances and endowment, and similar provisions, should ensure, however, that no mother is forced to engage in outside employment through economic pressure."
So why does all this matter? Well normally it wouldn't. Fringe groups such as these have long existed. I have no problem with that.
Its only when they are given the mantle of a serious group that I start to get concerned. The Herald Sun are perhaps the greatest offenders of giving these guys air. But other media organisations also turn to them to get their dial a quote whenever an issue arises involving kids or families. If they were representative of families and not a right wing freak show i wouldnt mind their comments.
But they pop up on all sorts of issues. In recent times we have had the Chaser skits, John Saffron's latest TV show and kids clothing. But thats not all, here's just a short list of the things they have complained about:
Face stickers for Kids
Make me a Supermodel
Snoop Dog Visit to Australia
Grand Theft Auto Game
Gordon Ramsay
Gay Jesus Play
Television News Censorship
Steve Irwin
Underbelly
And anything to do with Gay Rights, Abortion and Euthanasia.
Of course they sound genuine enough - out there to protect Australian families. But only if they are Christian families, families with two parents, married and not gay. And only those families that require a woman's place to be in the home, while the father is the head who maintains the structure.
Thats not representative of Australian Families. Maybe i will set up my own organisation. The Association of Australian Families. Hell, i dont even have a family, but im always free for a dial a quote.
More on the AFA
Yet another Sentencing Fail - Christopher John Maddox Sentenced to Just 12 years for Brutal Murder of Disabled Man
While Attorney General Rob Hulls rabbits on about the personal conduct of Victorian Judges, he overlooks the disgusting failure of sentencing.
Christopher John Maddox was sentenced to just 16 years jail with a minimum of 12 after being convicted of killing an intellectually disabled man in 2007.
Maddox killed William Woods in December 2007, striking him numerous times with a samurai sword. Not content with that, he then shot Woods in the head.
But Maddox went further, throwing the body of woods in a channel. When it floated to the surface, he cut up the body, including the head and the feet and disposed of them separately.
Now does that sound like a guy who should be let back into the community in just 12 years? In some other countries this guy would be put to death or marked never for release.
We all obsess about some stupid skit on Hey Hey its Saturday. In the meantime, real crimes like that committed by Maddox are almost forgotten by the media.
Somebody needs to start pushing for real sentencing in Victoria. And while i think that Rob Hulls is a decent person, he has dropped the ball in allowing this sort of behaviour to continue.
And this is a sentence that Jeremy Rapke must appeal. If the OPP are serious about proper sentencing of violent offenders, this is a case they have to pursue.
Black Face Jackson Five Tribute on Hey Hey Its Saturday Red Faces Causes Outrage
Apparently this Red Faces segment featuring a bunch of guys with their faces painted black is causing outrage. Judge Harry Connick Jnr was disgusted and Daryl Somers issued an apology on air.
Anyway. I'm not sure it was intended in any racist way. Its just red faces after all. You decide. And how big is the outrage anyway? Yes, Connick Jnr was upset. But he understood that it was meant in good fun and was just a reprisal of something done 20 years ago. So, yet another media beat up?
Interest Rate Struggle Street - Are The Age Having a Laugh?
I must admit that after reading the following article by Miki Perkins in The Age i googled her name to see if she also doubled as a comedian. Sadly, i couldn't find any reference to Miki Perkins appearing at the Melbourne Comedy Festival. But she should - cos she is just so damn funny.
You do have to wonder where they find these people for profile pieces. This is the real face of pain of interest rate rises according to The Age. Firstly a couple employed as a doctor and a medical scientist. They live in Malvern in a three bedroom unit.
For those of you from outside of Melbourne, leafy Malvern borders Armadale and is just a hop skip and a jump from Toorak and South Yarra. A three bedroom unit is likely to set you back anywhere up to a million dollars.
The second profile is of a banker who owns a block of land in the Dandenong Hills. He plans to build a house soon. That's tough eh?
Yes, these guys are on struggle street. The doctor and medical scientist live in their unit which is "near the train station, close to cafes and supermarkets". They share their home with "their feisty Cavoodle - part cavalier, part miniature poodle." And apparently they live from week to week. I feel for them. I really do.
Note to Miki Perkins. You should take up comedy. At least then i could come and laugh at you in person. In the meantime, please try to produce something that is even mildly relevant.
Rise will make a difference to young couple
MIKI PERKINS (The Age)
October 7, 2009
YOUNG couple Jackie and Erik Haworth love everything about the suburb of Malvern East, where they live in a three-bedroom unit they bought two years ago.
Their home is near the train station, close to cafes and supermarkets and for Jackie, 26, a junior doctor, within driving distance of all the major hospitals.
She and Erik, 29, a medical scientist, often wander down to the park at the end of their street with Tess, their feisty Cavoodle - part cavalier, part miniature poodle.
But although the pair are employed in full-time professional jobs, they say this interest rate rise will make a marked difference in their daily finances.
The 25-basis-point rise pushes the central bank's cash rate to 3.25 per cent and will add $40 to the average monthly payment for a typical $300,000 mortgage if passed on by commercial banks.
When the Haworths bought their house in October 2007, their rate kept climbing until it hit a peak at 8.92 per cent in July of the following year.
But even after official interest rates started to slide, they decided not to reduce their repayments, wanting to pay off the mortgage as quickly as possible before starting a family.
It hasn't been easy. They live from pay cheque to pay cheque and don't eat out much - this week they have $35 in the bank until Jackie gets paid on Friday, she said.
''Forty dollars a month is significant for us even though we both have steady jobs and steady incomes. It means that either we're going to have to cut back again or … reduce the amount of extra repayments, go back to the minimum,'' she said.
If rates rose further, the pair might need to seek other sources of income. As the main breadwinner, Jackie would have to reconsider how long she could take off for maternity leave in the future, she said.
For banker Mark Hutton, 31, who recently bought a block of land in the Dandenong Hills, the rate rise is of less concern, for now. He plans to build a house on the block next year and will have to take out a larger mortgage then, but feels lucky that he's bought at a time when rates are low.
''My major concern is that the Government is trying to pump all this money into the economy and that in the end that might come back and bite us through higher inflation,'' he said. ''The impact is yet to be seen.''
October Rate Rise - More Interest Rate Rises Tipped for Australia
I said back in April that i reserved the right to say that i told you so. So here goes. I told you so. Well, i was mostly correct, which is about as good as you get in the economic forecasting stakes.
While most economists and commentators were falling over themselves to predict worse times for Australia, those of us with a level head could see that interest rates were on the way up. I thought that rates wouldn't rise until March of 2010 which was pretty damn optimistic at the time. The share market had tumbled significantly, and some commentators were predicting depression. But i was wrong on the interest rate rise - by 5 months.
Which is more than i can say for most forecasters who were predicting even greater cuts to the official rate by the RBA. It was all doom and gloom. They didn't see rate rises on the horizon until late 2010 and into 2011. And even then they were predicting a slow movement.
Do any forecasters actually step outside to see what is happening in the real economy? Or do they rely on countless studies and out of date measures to predict the future? Maybe its just a gut thing. Or perhaps its just all about the vibe. Whatever it is, remember that they usually get it wrong.
Step into any shopping centre and see them bursting at the seams. And where are all the shops going out of business? I lived through the last recession in 1990/91. It was truly a recession. Seems economists have short memories about what a real downturn actually looks like.
Watch how much money people have pumped into the economy in the last 6-9 months. Seriously, have Australians ever been better off?
Ive also mentioned just a few times that with interest rates at 50 year lows and with countless billions of dollars pumped into the economy, inflation would be the real worry going forward. In fact Ive rabbited on about the inflation genie so much I'm almost sick of saying it. Often i think I'm talking to myself - i probably am. Most economists dismissed inflation as a concern, preferring to concentrate on unemployment. Up to 10% i think i remember them saying...
So where to from here? Id tip at least one more interest rate rise before the end of the year. Probably in December, which would be the most effective way of curbing a potentially overheating economy. You can also expect some pretty big PR from the RBA. The threat of further interest rate rises can be very effective in helping to control inflation.
Ive also said previously that the cash rate is likely to return to around 5%, which would bring your standard variable rate to around the 7% mark. That is likely to happen progressively over the next 12 months.
Anyways, this is just my gratuitous post of self congratulation. My apologies.
New Names Put Forward for Vegemite ISnack 2.0 - Cheesybite, Creamymate, Smooth, Snackmate, Vegemate
I'm sorry, but I'm getting a little bit jack of the herd mentality over the Isnack 2.0. Sure, its a pretty stupid name. But for Christ's sake people, cant you move to the next stage and talk about something else?
Bugger me! Whether the executives at Kraft engineered such a bad name as a publicity stunt or whether it was a genuine stuff up really doesn't matter. You have all been conned and have gone along for the ride to make this high fat product a major success for one of the world's biggest cigarette factories. Yes people, Kraft own Philip Morris.
I reckon half the people who don't like the new name ISnack 2.0 haven't even tried the product. And I'm sure there are a great deal of them who don't even like Vegemite. You are all just bloody sheep.
Anyway, for all its fancy labelling and name game competition, Isnack 2.0 is just Vegemite and cream cheese. Well woopdeedoo to that. That's fricken original.
Why not just call it Cheesymite or some variation and be done with it? Or how about Vegemite with cheese? At least it will get the bloggers, twitterers and "social media" experts talking about something else. Holy Christ they can be a simple lot sometimes.
Meanwhile, more earthquakes are striking Indonesia. I wonder if the poor people would reject Isnack 2.0 if we were to donate it?
Why Are there So Many Natural Disasters Occurring?
You do have to wonder why there are so many natural disasters occurring at the one time. Is there a higher power at work here? Or is it all just a coincidence?
Over the last week we have had an earthquake inspired tsunami hit Samoa and Tonga, a Typhoon in the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos and other countries in South East Asia, major earthquakes in Indonesia and mudslides in Italy.
And then to top it all off - in what the paper's are leading with today - Greg Norman has split with wife of 15 months, Chris Evert. Holy God No!
Can it get any worse?
Geelong Fan Bashed Unconscious at Richmond Train Station
Its yet another disturbing story of brutal violence in Melbourne. Two Cats fans were on their way home after celebrating Geelong's win over Collingwood on September 20. A couple of thugs began taunting them regarding their Cat's jumpers at Richmond train station.
One of the Cats fans told the two to "pull their head in". When the Cats fan approached the two thugs, with his hand in his pocket, one of the thugs took a few steps towards him and laid one of the biggest punches to the head you will ever see. Its disturbing footage. If you remember the David Hookes case you will know what can happen when someone is king hit.
The Cats fan was knocked unconscious, suffered a fractured skull and cant work for 12 weeks. He is a self employed tradesman with a family. And he is lucky that he wasn't killed.
Do You Know These Men? Contact Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000 if you do.
These guys will get caught. No doubt about that. And when they do, i will gladly publish their names for all to see. But will they be sentenced to a jail term? Certainly the guy who threw the punch should be locked up for at least a couple of years. Maybe more. The other guy didn't participate, but didn't exactly seem too concerned for the welfare of the guy on the ground. Id give him a couple of months and a pretty big fine.
The problem with this kind of violence is that it seems to be condoned by a growing number of people in the community. There were 111 comments on the Herald Sun site regarding this story. Obviously not always the brightest souls add comments to that site, but you would think this story was pretty clear cut. Alas no. Plenty of people have defended these thugs.
Here are some of their comments:
Watch the footage. The victim approaches the offender after the verbal nonsense and actually walks up to him before being met with a single punch. If somebody encroaches onto your personal space in a threatening manner you are entitled to defend yourself. One punch (albeit a good punch) is not a savage and disproportionate reaction in those circumstances.
Yeah right. The bloke came at the two men which is clear in the video. He defended himself. His Geelong mate was so concerned about his mates welfare that he stood there chatting to the other bloke! If I was being verbally abused by these two Geelong fans and one of them approached me I'd have no choice but to defend myself too.
He was walking up to have a go at the guy that belted him, i'd say he was belted in self defence, if the other guy had not taken a shot he would have been the victim ! thats the way it looks to me...
Didn't seem too vicious. Only one punch after the geelong fan started to approach him. Could have been self defense.
When you walk away, walk away. Don't go back if you can't handle yourself or this is what will happen. This was NOT an unprovoked attack. An argument has clearly occurred, and both involved walk away. THEN, the idiot returns and gets what he deserves.
All i can see is the victim trying to be a hero the two guys where walking away until that guy decided to get in their face. If i saw a guy walking towards me like that id drop him too. Deserves him right. What was his plan going out of his way to get in their faces again. Total Douche
Blackmail Attempt - David Letterman Admits that he had affair with Staff Members on Live on Air Late Show Video
South Australian Premier Mike Rann Attacked - Assassination Attempt?
Premier Mike Rann has suffered bruising and a cut face after being set upon by a man at a Labor function in Adelaide. It is believed that his attacker was attending a separate function at the National Wine Centre.
It is being reported that the attacker struck at Rann with a rolled up magazine, then went to a nearby table to grab a knife.
According to The Australian, a witness said "He went for a knife and one of the guys sitting at the table grabbed the knife and held the knife and held him back."
The attacker was arrested at the scene and is being held at the city watch house presumably awaiting charges. He is said to be a 55 year old man from the suburb of Burnside.
This is a highly disturbing incident, and should highlight the lack of protection given to our most senior public officials. Just because we are Australian does not make us immune from crazy people with an intent to do serious harm or kill politicians.
About Just Grumpy
