Briefly, A Weeks News

Monday

My Monday morning started with the delightful tale of modern day Maori gouging out the eyeballs of a 14 year old because they believed she was cursed and they saw the devil in her eyes. Surely in the first years of the twenty first century people don’t think they can get away with this type of sh*t?

And how about this … Julia Gillard, our new Deputy Prime Minister says she supports saying sorry for the actions of those in the past, but can’t say when it will happen under the new Labour government. Big bloody surprise there then!

In sport was the news (if you can really call it news) the Aaron Baddeley (who I hear you cry) nearly gave up golf because he was home sick, ohh yeah and he won something.

Tuesday

Tuesday morning saw the passing of asbestos campaigner Bernie Banton, he was 61. He is responsible for James Hardie admitting that asbestos is bad for you when they set up a $4billion compensation fund for those suffer from asbestos related-diseases.

Also it appears that the image Ian Fleming projected about a secret agent being a suave international playboy has continued into the twenty-first century. MI5 are having issues with recruitment. ‘The names Bond…,’ All together now!

Wednesday

In Music News, the Police are embarking on a reunion tour and 15th June 2008 they will be playing to a small crowd in Newport on the Isle of Wight.

This one made me late for work. Crown Street was shut. Shame Indian Chilli is going, they did a really yummy butter chicken and sag aloo.

At the 2007 Literary Review prize night Norman Mailer was awarded (posthumously) the Bad Sex in Fiction Award for his references to ‘her sap’ and ‘his old battering ram’.

Thursday

Why can’t the girl be named, but the boy in this rape case, can be. Incidentally, she was one of the rapists.

The duck need to be protected in Tasmania according to Chris Simcox as, ‘the numbers are dire’

Kevin Rudd our new prime minister elect has selected his cabinet today. He picked a nice feminine Victorian piece for the families and housing room and an ex-pop-star for the environmental and arts studio.

Friday

Why does a man who spent a night in a boat with his friend make the news? Now if he’d been eaten by a shark I could understand it.

The Hollywood Writers Guild has taken a four day recess to consider a deal that includes payment for works shown on the internet. Who are they kidding, they don’t really expect to get payments from all those bootlegs version too do they?

A man confessed to a murder that he could have got away with in Korea overnight. I not quite sure considering he had broken bones from an exploding mobile phone injury.

RIP Indian Chilli

It was all over the news yesterday. The Indian Chilli had to be demolished. Overnight the building had started to shift causing a huge crack to appear between it and the building next door. The whole row of shops was evacated.

The owner of the building is blaming the city council for undermining his property during works to the community centre next door, but this may be because he doesn’t have building insurance. D’oh!

Being a local and a regular diner I had to see what was going on. I took some pictures with my mobile during the day, then went back later with my other camera to take some after shots.

As I sat on the wall taking 'after' pictures, a couple of builder types sat down next to me and asked why I was so interested in a heap of rubble. I explained that they did a really good Butter Chicken and Sag Aloo, and that I had purchased poppadums only the night before.

‘I won’t tell you what it was like out the back then.’ He said.


- Just an itsy bitsy crack between the white building doing an impression of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

- Not feeling so much like a famous landmark now!

Newsround

Ohh… please get over yourself! You have had a dubious taste of fame due to your son being jailed for training with terrorists in Afghanistan and now you just want to keep you face in the lime light.
Do you really think we care about your opinion on national politics?

Having moved to the city…I read this story with interest. This murderous caravan park is just down the road from what used to be my local shopping centre.

And finally for today some news from the world of music, Van Halen are back and touring with front man David Lee Roth.

God I'm bored today!

In The News Today

Boy George made the news today (if you can call the Yahoo Mail headlines news). Apparently he chained a male prostitute to a wall in his apartment. The pro report him for false imprisonment and BG was arrested. Naughty Boy didn’t think Safe Sane Consensual before that encounter.

In somewhat related news. An Indian man married his dog in a full on traditional ceremony to put an end to a curse. Unfortunately his was quoted after as saying he wasn’t really in love with the dog and hoped to one day find a real woman.

Everyone say EWWW!

Ahh... :-(

Poor Cow!

The Pharmacist

Some of you will be aware that despite only being 35 I have a problem with my blood pressure. When it’s not under control (which it currently is) it likes to sit nice and high at about 170/120. Not good and it’s all caused by a hereditary condition, not that I’m a stress bunny! Anyway, I had to get my prescription filled again today (I take two tablets daily until further notice).

I went into the chemist I’ve been going to for a year and there was a new pharmacist on duty. She took my script and set about filling it. Then she said, ‘I only have one pack of Zanidip, but I can get the other one tomorrow.’

I told her not to worry, I’d just come back next month.

Then she put the packet on the counter for the till girl to bag up and I noticed the packet looked different. It had pink on it. I reached out and picked up the pack and saw that it was 30mg. I only take 10mg!

The error was corrected, but what should I do. Some in the office have suggested I report it … suggestions please.

On a related note, this is why I don’t drink Redbull and it took research to confirm this?

My Primitive Brain

Again with the news!

This story I can relate to though and I believe I should shove it up the noses of the tradeys doing the work on the house next door.

I don’t know if I actually written down the sequence of events over the last few weeks, but here goes. I’m sorry to my nearest and dearest who have heard this story told through gritted teeth over gulped wine.

To set this up you need to know I live in house 139.

Four weeks ago on Sunday 30th September I was looking forward to the public holiday the next day and the sleep I would get. I had no plans except a sleep in.

0650 on the 1st October there was drilling in 141
0710 on the 2nd October there was hammering in 141 and a sign appeared in the front gate of 137 saying that they had development approval.
0705 on the 3rd October there was drilling in 141 – After I had showered, dressed and stomped about for a bit I knocked on the door of 141 and asked how long he was planning on starting at stoopid o’clock? The tradey didn’t understand English so I told nicely and with lots of hand gestures. NOT BEFORE EIGHT!
0640 on 4th October there was more hammering from 141 – My birthday and day off! I not so politely called the guy as inconsiderate arsehole and went out for the day.
0710 on 5th October.

On Sunday 7th October there was a knock on my door at about 11am. It was the neighbour from 137 asking me to sign a government document saying that it was OK for her to fix her roof (previous owner removed fireplace/supporting wall with out replacing support) I spoke with her while and we agreed that 8am was a civilised time to start and I signed the form on the condition that 8am would be the start time.

0700 on the 10th October there was hammering from 137…

This has continued (varying between 0700 and 0720) since despite me asking nicely and upping the time constraint to 7.30 on two more occasions since the first conversation on my dorrstep. Maybe I’m being unreasonable, and I concede that I could be, but now even scientist are saying I need my sleep or I’m likely to do damage, because my primative brain in leaning toward FIGHT, way more than flight.

News Smooze

I’m not generally a big reader of the news. I find it fires my blood and makes me angry, so I avoid it. I don’t buy newspapers except to read book reviews and I’ve stopped that with a subscription to ABR. Unfortunately using Yahoo! for my mail means I get news in front of me everyday. I try to avoid clicking on the teasing little titbits but I’m not always successful.

I find news reporting seems to be about sensationalising what little is happening. OK, so there have been a few things happening in Australia recently; the policeman who found his own son at the scene of a car accident, the body in the suitcase, the election and the mother to be miscarrying her baby while waiting to be seen. All of these things suck, big time, but the reason I mention them is because everyone else seems to being blamed for these tragedies.

The father was blamed for his seventeen year old son driving with too many passengers and after curfew. DOCS (Dept of Community Services) were blamed for allowing a mother to kill her son before stuffing him in a suitcase and throwing it in a duck pond. Doctors and nurses have been blamed and well, we can blame democracy for the elections, I’m sure the press will.

Now, today I read about a guy in Russia who has just been convicted of killing more than fifty people by luring them to drink vodka with him, then getting them drunk before beating them to death. He has shown no remorse and has even said that his first kill was like falling love.

Who are the press going to blame for that one; the vodka company?

How to Stop Morons?

I was perusing news on the net this morning due to my extra ordinarily early start when I saw this brief story about a biker that had his licence suspended.

What makes anyone think that this jerk is going to stay off the road just because he’s had his license taken away?

He was going 144 in a 50 zone in the middle of the afternoon for crying out loud!

A little bit of Politics

In the new again today is a story about Prime Minister John Howard not saying sorry for the actions of people in the past.

The actions of white people in the past have been terrible, but neither he, nor I nor you were around in the seventeen and eighteen hundreds when these things started happening. Even things that happened in the twentieth century where not ordered by him.

My personal feeling is that if he was to apologies, it would mean nothing. If he was apologising for his actions I could understand the calls from indigenous leaders for an apology, but for him to apologies for the action of others, in the past, is like asking George Bush to say sorry to the American Indians for all the atrocious they suffered. It doesn’t make sense and it’s never going to happen.

It has been acknowledged that the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders were the original inhabitants of this wide brown land. It has also been acknowledged that they have been treated badly. Please accept those acknowledgements by way of an apology. Surely this is better than a meaningless apology?

I have conducted a small, informal survey around the office and 8 out of 11 people think a sorry would be meaningless.

On Religion

I was sent an article the other day by author, scientist and all round deep thinker, Richard Dawkins. You may think you know the name and you probably do. He wrote The God Delusion, The Selfish Gene and contributed to Everything you know about God is Wrong. He is known for his outspokenness about God and religion.

Needless to say, the article ‘Logical Path from Religious Beliefs to Evil Deeds’ sent a hum through my heart (anyone who know me, know my thoughts on this subject) and I thought I would share it with you all. I also read a couple other related articles and some of the comments (there are 700 odd).

I know people have their faiths and I respect that. I also respect people who choose to smoke. I also respect people who choose to drive fast. I have respect for most people who live and breathe on this planet. I just ask one thing;

Please don’t expect me to do and believe what you do, just because you think it’s the only way to live a ‘good’ life.

Gossip

You get better gossip from the cricket while Warne's around. You gotta love this guy just because he's so dumb!

The Important Question?

A subject close to my heart was in the news today. World Youth Day, should or shouldn't it be cancelled due to lack of work being done at the chosen venue due to the horse flu.

According to Yahoo readers today it's currently at 48%/52% in favour of keeping WYD. So I decided to poll my own reader, what do you think?

Cancel or don't cancel

(please consider the influx of up to 500,000 catholic youth to Sydney for the month of July 2008 when casting your vote)

UPDATE : 1313 2-10-07 - The polls results are in. 80% think we should cancel World youth day to protect Sydneysiders and 20% don't care 'cause they'll be on holiday.

It's Started!

In light of our trip to see the War of the Worlds last night, Todd had to alert me to this little story from Peru about a 'meteorite'.

The BBC
Living in Peru
The Guardian, UK

Plastic Giant

He must have been trying to escape from Lego Land.

Sex Sells

You have got to love business enterprise and the secret life of women.

News Item from today Sydney Morning Herald