My 2.2 cents (GST Inc.)

Uranium Mining

2007-04-14T15:46:00.000+10:00

If we do open up Australia to more Uranium mining, where are all the workers going to come from given that we have full employment? Are we really expecting the remain small dole line to provide the skilled workers that are going to be needed to operate these mines? Or are the mining companies going to start a bidding war for mining employees resulting in wage rises and higher interest rates?

Cricket World Cup

2007-04-14T15:36:00.000+10:00

What is the ICC thinking? This has been going too long. Too many mismatches. Too many matches all together. Too many coaches have been murdered. Too little effort on the human touch.
Losing both Pakistan and India in round one was always going to be a blow but there have been many more mistakes than that.
It doesn't help that it is being played in the most difficult place in the cricketing world in terms of TV coverage. It probably would be okay times in the UK and South Africa but the major markets of Australasia and Asia it is a terrible time to watch cricket.
And why on earth is there only one match a day for the entire tourament. The first round could have had two games a day and the super eights should have had one game a day for four days a week and two games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
This world cup is going to kill the one day game off and open the door for the Twenty 20 Cricket which is going to sky rocket in the wake of this flop.

So what I have been up to?

2007-04-14T15:29:00.000+10:00

Lets see, what have I done, I have:

Purchased a new car (well a 97 VT to replace the 80 VC)
Quit another Job (and made a disgrace of myself at the previous job's Christmas party)
Moved to Canberra and had to pay 50% more rent than Melbourne
Entered the Public Service and basically been put in a cupboard for a few months.
Become slightly bored with Canberra after a few weeks
I have also entered my late twenties which makes me feel extremely old and a little disappointed that I have not had sex with enough females.
I have been erxcerising a little more, in the hope that if I do manage to bed another female I will not collapse after two minutes of light activity.

I'm Back

2007-04-14T15:27:00.000+10:00

After a break of four and a half months I feel it is time I began posting again. This mainly because I have got more to say and nowhere really to say.

End of a career that I never really wanted

2006-12-01T21:25:00.000+11:00

I end my career as a CPA today. CPA being a Car Park Attendent. Having found employment for next year, I decided to finish up today. I tried to yesterday but they went and fired my boss for misconduct so I had nobody to resign to, which was a problem. Having worked in the industry for the 3 years, I am not going to say that I was treated well and my talents were exploited more than discovered. However, often my tasks were not too hard and I was often allowed to read books, sometimes surf the internet or as for the last six months watch a hotels TV supply. In fact, I think I will look back on these times with a mix of reget that I was not doing something more important and sadness that I am in the future going to be required to use my brain.

My Cheap Opinion on the state election outcome

2006-11-26T12:02:00.000+11:00

Bracks and co. have won a third term after losing a handful of seats. They were always going to lose some as they were on a record high and were holding seats that are true Liberal party heartland. I think Ted and his mob would be extremely disappointed with what looks like a mere five seat or so gain. Earlier on, I had said that anything more than ten seats would be seen as a victory and anything less would be extremely worrying for the Liberal party. Ted might have a profile now but there is little else to build off for the 2010 election.
In retrospect, this would have been the type of election where it would have been smarter to say at the very start "we can not win, but if don't punish the government for A, B and C they will do it again" and thus advocate a protest vote. This can work as was seen in '99.
The Greens would be fairly disappointed as they look like they have only won one or two upper house seats. There was was talk of them winning one in each of the metro areas and possibly one in a country area. It didn't happen mainly because the Liberal Vote was often so low, the final fifth spot was a contest between the ALP and the Greens. So all the talk about the ALP preferences in the Upper house really didn't make that of a difference in too many seats.
The Greens also fail in the lower house to win any seats. This is because the Liberal party vote didn't preference them directly and there was a bit of leaking to the ALP.
Of the other parties, Family First did quiet well and actually got above 4% in a lot of seats, so they would have got their money back on those seats. People Power lost all of their deposits but look for a little while to have pulled a rabbit out of the hat thanks to preferences in the upper house in Eastern Vic, almost like FF did in the Senate last federal election.

One final thing that is interesting is that the Victorian State Election is always going to line up with the start of the Ashes Tour given that we now have fixed terms.

All of this, I am set to the leave the state in just over a month.

Time to get back on the horse

2006-11-19T14:04:00.000+11:00

Enough I say.
Enough.
Two years is long enough.
Plus I need to say farwell to this fine city of Melbourne with fond memories.
Into the fray I go.... (well in a couple of days anyway, I need to build a bit of self-confidence.)

2 years of Blogging

2006-11-19T13:52:00.000+11:00

I just realised that this blog has just turned two years old. It is now in the terrible two's. It is interesting looking at my early comments on this blog as I seem to have been more interested and then the interest just waned. Now I only post on the weekends and then only if I can be bothered. I seemed to have cared more in the past. Now I really don't give a shit much anymore.

Plus it is funny how people get to my site via search engines. I will not repeat the most common questions as that will just cause more people to be redirected here.

International Rules

2006-11-12T10:54:00.000+11:00

Australia played Ireland last weekend. Like the past few years the game turned into a punch on and a few of the non-professional Irish players ended up being injuried badly. The game of International Rules itself is a good game. It is fast and fairly interesting. However, everyone dismisses the series as a joke except the AFL who insist that it helping to grow the game. The Irish aren't happy as they tend to get belted by professional AFL players.
What needs to be done is the rules need to be clearer and the violence has to be toned down. The easiest way to that is to make punishment really count. That means missing AFL games for acts of thuggery.
If the Irish do walk away from the sport, the blame should be leveled on the AFL leadership as it is their inaction that has resulted in the GAA being really upset about the state of the game.

State Election Update

2006-11-11T18:59:00.000+11:00

A few points:
1. The ALP ads attacking Baillieu for backing the closure of schools in the 90's and making the point about his real estate agency selling the sites I think might have bittern a little. I heard people discussing it on a tram, so it has engaged people a little I guess.
2. The Liberals don't appear to have as much money as they are not running as many ads. Perhaps they holding back for the last two weeks. Also the ads feature Baillieu heavily and if the ALP's ads have indeed hurt then this might be part of the reason.
3. Bracks has not featured too heavily in the ALP's ads. This is a change from four years ago and the 1999 elections. He is not the trump card he used to be.
4. Family First decided to turn up in front of the media with baseball bats wearing t-shirts with their party's logo. It might have seemed like a good idea at the time but those photos might very easily come back to bite them in the arse at some stage. For example, If there is ever a case of violence committed by a party member, that footage is going turn up in the news reports. Neither major party would have allowed their members to be so reckless.
5. The Liberals seem to be intent on killing off the Vic Nats. Not sure if that is such a good thing as they will be needed one for the Liberals to win power again. Rural independents are not going to be any more friendly to the Libs than the Nats and that is what they will get if the Vic Nats are killed off.

Doubts

2006-11-11T18:35:00.000+11:00

There are big changes coming in my life. For the second time in my life I am about to relocate to a different city. I have spent 8 years in Melbourne and despite not always making the most of it, I have found it to be pleasent enough. But the time has come for me to move. The problem is I am not sure if I am ready. I haven't done most of my dreams and it is a little like I am going to settle down. Dammit, I guess this is growing up.

Not much much has been happening

2006-11-05T12:59:00.000+11:00

I have been drinking a lot recently, almost as much as back in my Uni days. I might have to lay over the juice for a while after this week. There are just a lot people to catch up with before I disappear in a few weeks.
In other news, the Victorian State Election is so exciting I think people are just dying to pull out the razor blades and get over with. Normally an election gets me going but as there is so little chance of much changing I am just avoiding it.
The US midterms are looking somewhat more interesting. But again it ain't going to change much even if the Democrates win both houses. The timing of Saddam's guilty verdict as I already pointed out was so clearly timed to happen just before these elections, I think about half the world is able to see that. Pity not very many of them are Americans.
There was a strange liquid that feel for the sky the other day. It turns out it was rain. I was getting a bit worried that it would never rain again. I am still worried. The Murray has only eight months of water left and then we are really in the shit. What do we do if it never rains again?

Darren Hanlon's Latest

2006-10-28T13:10:00.000+10:00

The other day the mainframe at worked died and thus we had nothing to do for an hour or so. Therefore I headed off to a nearby CD store. There I purchased former local boy Darren Hanlon’s last effort Fingertops and Mountaintops. Having both the Hello Stranger Album and the Early Days EP, I was expecting a bit. However, I have been a little disappointed. The first four tracks are good but then the rest is a bit of push.

The tracks are

Hold On – This track gets off to a good start, however the violins at the end are a bit of a worry. Typical Hanlon.
People who wave at trains – Another reasonable effort. Does change tempo maybe once too often.
Happiness is only a chemical – Clearly the single that is going to get the most airplay and has a fairly good rhythm. Classic indy pop.
Elbows – A fairly assuming track about accidental contact between people.
Manilla NSW – This is the track where the album starts to go down hill. Sounds like a music hall standard and doesn’t really work I don’t think.
Romance is deafening – Another track I don’t really get.
The ostracism of Vinny Lalor – A bit better than the last.
Fire Engine – Female guest singer’s track. Doesn’t match the quality of Cast of Thousands off Hello Stranger.
Fingertips and Mountaintops – Title track. Perhaps should have stayed as just the title.
Couch Surfing – Another enjoyable track about being a couch nomad. We have all done it at some stage or another.
Don’t Bogart my heart – Great title for a song and is worth listening to.
Old dream – Slow final track that is perhaps a little too slow.

Overall, I would not say it is of the same standard as Hello Stranger (which is one of favourite albums) but it is enjoyable in parts. However, it would have made a great EP using the first four tracks and perhaps a couple of the others. I don't reget spending the $22.

Update: (5/11) This album has now grown on me and I really dig it.

Freak events

2006-10-24T16:10:00.000+10:00

According to the media, there was a "freak frost" in the Yarra Valley over night. There has also been "freak" frosts in the Goulburn Valley that has damaged the fruit crop there. Also they love to report "freak" hailstorms and "freak" waves.
As there tends to be a lot of freak events happening, is it possible that they are not so "freak" after all? If something happens about once every so often than it is hardly "freak".

Warner out of race to White House

2006-10-13T21:37:00.000+10:00

Mark Warner has said he is not going to run for US president in 2008. Most of the pundits are suggesting it is just that Hillary Clinton is in too strong a position for any other democrates to have a chance. This is bad news. Clinton sucks as a candidate as I can't see her win the overall election. If I can see her winning there is very little chance because the base is going to come out in big numbers to support her. As someone suggested "Ralph Nadar looks like a choice if it means voting for Hillary Clinton".

A moment in time passes us by

2006-10-08T20:12:00.000+10:00

The attacks of September the 11th 2001, claimed the lives of some 2738 Americans out of total of some 2997 victims. The Iraq war as of today has claimed 2739 American lives and some 237 troops from other nations. Plus a lot of Iraqis have been killed fighting for both the government and the insurgency.
It remains to be seen which of the two events will be seen as the greater tragedy in when the history is written. Of course, for the individual every death is a tragedy and sadly I expect there will be more to come.

Another Hero passes away

2006-10-03T17:45:00.000+10:00

I just heard the sad news of the passing of Peter Norman. He was a hero not so much for being one of Australia's best sprinters ever (he still holds the Australian record for the 200m that he had held for 38 years) but for being apart of one of the most famous photos of any Olympics, the famous black power salute picture. He had won the silver and had been told by the two black Americans that they were going to do. Not only did he not object, but actively supported them by wearing a civil rights badge.

Update on the state election

2006-09-24T16:09:00.000+10:00

Actually I don't have too much really to say at this stage. I reckon the Liberals are likely to win a handful of seats off the Labor party in the lower house but there is next to no chance that they will be a change of government.

The upper house is a bit more interesting. There is a new system that has not been used before in Victoria and the third parties are excitied as they seem to think they have a chance. Given that there is eight division that each elect 5 candidates, means that a quota is going to be 16.6%. Thus I can't see there being to much chance of the Greens getting up in too many areas and even less chance of Family First. As for the others including Stephen Mayne's People Power there is zero probablity of winning. I think there might be one or two Greens elected only.

In the Lower House, the odds for Greens are lowered if there is some sort of rebuilding of the Liberal vote. Given the Greens need to get in front of the Liberals in seats like Melbourne, Northcote and Brunswick, the Liberal vote might increase in these areas where it is shockingly low and likely to increase mildly.

Canberra and saying goodbye to Melbourne

2006-09-23T16:30:00.000+10:00

I am moving to Canberra in three months time. This is the first time I have moved city since I moved to Melbourne in 1999. Except that was not actually a change of city so much as a change to a city.
Although I am somewhat nervous, I remember that some of the best times I have had in Melbourne were when I just after I moved here. Mind you, I had was just turned 18 so things did have a haze of alcohol at that time.
Anyway, I have few things to get done. The first is finding somewhere to live. The thing that suprises me is the high price of rents in Canberra. They seem to be about what I am currently paying in Mebourne, so it is not like I won't be able to cope. But I guess there is a fairly high demand there. I am not too sure if I should return to share living given that I have been living by myself for three years and I am not used to it.
Another thing I will need to do is get rid of some of the crap I have gathered over the past three or so years.

A new take on an old idea

2006-09-23T15:50:00.000+10:00

It seems to be there is a move to try and reintroduce something not unlike the White Australia policy. The old dictation test that could be given in any European language was a way of pretending not to discriminate against the Asians, Indians, Blacks and basically anyone the government didn't want in the country. There was even a classic high court case as to whether Welsh was a European language (oddly rule it was not).
Anyway, given the sudden rush to find a way of keeping those who don't value Australian values out, there is a fairly simple test that should be undertaken at citizenship cermonies. That is the need to drink a beer or a glass of wine (for women only). Clearly, the beer would have to not be Tooheys as we don't want nobody to come to the country. That way it would keep out those of the muslim faith. Or to go the whole hog, there could be a complusory ham sandwich. That would keep the Muslims, Jews and veggos out of the country. That would keep all the racists and bigots happy.

Or we could behave like a rational nation and just vet out the few radicals who give the vast majority of migrants a bad name. That is probably the most sensible thing to do.

It never rains, it pours

2006-09-13T21:21:00.000+10:00

After two and a half years without a professional job, I confirmed that I will join the public service as of next year. A national holiday should be declared to celebrate the fact.
This comes four days after I started a new job, whilst keeping the old one. As a result, I am currently doing 50 hours a week in two jobs. That might not sound like a lot but I have to come home to into my change uniform for the afternoon job between the two and means I am not really home for about 13.5 hours a day. No wonder there is a pile of dishes in the sink. I like the new job however.
So in conclusion, it never rains it pours. Plus there is still a job which I went for the interview last week hanging in the wind at moment. If I get an offer for take one, I think we have a flood.

Another Random Idea or two

2006-09-09T14:49:00.000+10:00

I was thinking about the outcome of the last five major wars that USA have been involved in. The Korean War was basically a draw. Vietnam was a loss. First Gulf War was a win. Afghanistan and Iraq are still ongoing but they don't seem to going to too well. That makes only one seriously major victory in 60 odd years.
One thing that makes Gulf War One stand out is that a clear goal was set and obtained (Get the Iraqis out of Kuwait). They then went home.
Afghanistan at first looked like a victory because it seemed to have a clear goal of getting the Taliban out of power so as to not allow Al Queda a base. But then the mission goal got mixed up and they now appear to be in more trouble.
The Iraq War had such an open end goal, create a democratic nation that is a beacon to the region, that it was never going to be a success.
America can win almost all the battles but it struggles to win wars.

Time to replace the coinage

2006-09-05T13:33:00.000+10:00

The lowest value Australian Coins are now currently worth as much in metal as their face value. It now cost the government more to make and distribute than they are worth.
It is time that the five cent coin is withdrawn and the 10 cent, 20 cent and 50 cent coins redesigned to be smaller and made of cheaper metals. That is of course if the government wants to cut costs.

Interesting article

2006-09-03T14:04:00.000+10:00

Wasting a little time I cam across this article from a few weeks back. It speaks a lot about the mindset of those wanting to commit terrorist acts. They don't seem to go for soft targets like hitting a night club with a car bomb like in Bali. Instead they go for the big targets that are better protected and less likely to be succesful.

Latenight Scams

2006-09-03T13:16:00.000+10:00

I have complained before about the Late Night Quiz shows that encourage people to phone in answer the most moronic questions. There now seems to be one on each of commerical networks.
As these shows are basically gambling via mobile phones, the states should attempt to tax the revenue that is being taken.
Clearly, the population of Australia has too much lead or the shows are just a scam to suck in the most moronic members of society.

Pluto, oh no, Pluto

2006-08-25T21:38:00.000+10:00

Pluto got the arse. A bit sad but sometimes these things happen. The problem is really with grouping the planets altogether. The planets as they are stand now without Pluto are really just two groups, Earth-like or Terra planets and Jupiter-like gas giants or Jovian planets. Pluto and its new friend are just Pluto-like drawf planets. It was because the IAU feared that there would be flood of these objects that they dropped Pluto after a half-a-dozen or so was found.
Add the asteriod belt and the Oort disc objects and there are really many different parts to our solar system. Really, the term "Planet" should be the term dropped; after all it is Greek for "wanderers" which planets don't really do, being in fixed orbits.

Bloody Hell, that doesn't work

2006-08-25T10:02:00.000+10:00

After all the cheering and backslapping, Australia's new tourisms Ads don't seemed to have work. Couldn't see that one coming? A blind camel could have*. I know it is hard to measure the success of advertising but really why does the government waste money on such things when clearly it is not going to work.

*It might have been washed.

Copper Price

2006-08-24T12:21:00.000+10:00

The price of Copper is above $A10000/tonne. This makes copper coins like our old 2 cent piece worth quite a bit. The 2 cent coin weighs about 5.18 grams and is 97% copper. This makes the coin in metal value worth around 5 cents. The "Silver" Coins are 75% copper but they are not heavy enough to start melting down just yet (the 20 cent coin is only worth about 8 cents in metal).

UPDATE: (5/9) Of course I forgot the other 25% of the Silver coins is Nickel that is worth four times as much as copper. These coins are indeed worth slightly more in terms of metal than their face value. More later.

Sititng Ducks should fly soon

2006-08-22T22:51:00.000+10:00

Okay, I know I have change position on the Aussie Troops in Iraq on the grounds that they are saving Iraqi lives by stopping the American Troops from shooting them. But I think the time has come for them to get the fuck out quickly. Iran is not going to back down on the Nuclear programs and things are going to get ugly. The Australians should leave before this occurs.
The Americans also need to get out or else they will be sitting ducks for the Iranians. Iran could stir the south of Iraq up so much that the supply lines to the Americans in the middle could very well be caught in a situation that makes the Iranian Hostage look like a church picnic and the battle of Khe Shan look like an average day in the office. There is no point in carrying a big stick if that stick is shown to be a lot weaker than believed.
Just leave Iraq to fight its own civil war.

Long time no blog

2006-08-20T21:35:00.000+10:00

It has been a while. Just wasting time. Trying to decided if Put Warrants in Coles Myer is a good buy tomorrow. Or maybe just Call Warrants after the stock drops in early trade, but slowly rebuilds in the afternoon? I am myself cashed up and therefore I am looking for buying chances. Plus I haven't even got my tax return yet. Cha-chink. Big lot of money coming via that as I have big deductants as a result of having driven my car a lot for work. My car is basically worthless* so getting anything back is a victory.

*So much so I left the window down at Knifepoint** a week or so, that it wasn't stolen.
** HighPoint Shopping centre in Melbourne Slang.

What was Ten thinking?

2006-08-06T19:42:00.000+10:00

Channel Ten has been forced to can "Yasmin's getting married". The show was ill panned and frankly it was boring. I tried to watch and I could get about half a minute into it before I was sick off it. It was pityful television and it high time TV channels in Australia start making real TV and not this crap "reality" that is so forced. And I could not see how a program like that was every going to be succesful as it just did not appeal at all to half the potential viewers: males.

I also think Australia Idol is looking old and worn out. The first four shows are the same crap they are every year. Half decent singers about 20% of the time and really bad singers the rest who are clearly expecting to get bagged by the judges. It might have been funny the first time but the eighty time it most certainly not. We have seen it before and I can't see it gaining viewers until they get into the real contest.

And what is the point of the Steph Show being on on Fridays as it just results in the regular Simpson watching crowd turning over to the news services? It again is boring TV.

When it doesn't really matter

2006-08-03T13:58:00.000+10:00

During the Democratic primarys over in the "land of the free" in 2004, I remember being told that John Kerry great advantage was that he was not so liberal than some of the other candidates. Once he became the candidate for the party he was portrayed by the Right as being the extreme Left. So I say stuff it, if you are going to run on the Left be left as they are going to fire you for it anyway.

Things you wish hadn't said

2006-08-03T11:15:00.000+10:00

"The funny thing about the 3 R's is that Arithmetic doesn't even start with an R."
"How about writing?"
"Ahh, that starts with *&@%#*."

Luckily it was me who was the one who made the second statement.

Worried

2006-07-30T22:38:00.000+10:00

When do you think the roosters are going to come home to roost again? One of my favourite novels is "Coming up for air" by George Orwell just before the Second World War. I feel that I am very much like the lead character at the moment as the world appears to be sliding into shit once more.
I want to go to South America. That seems like the place to be at the moment. Nothing bad ever happens there.

Job chances

2006-07-30T22:33:00.000+10:00

I have two interviews this week. Going by past performances I am bound to fuck both up. Then I will have to keep to my shit current job where I have a month with no work and then ten days straight. I should get the one that is part time as I am somewhat over qualified for it. The only problem is it pays shit. Oh well.
I think I might emmigrate soon. There has to be more in this world then this..... At least go somewhere warm for a while.

The new War and the on going saga

2006-07-20T13:35:00.000+10:00

The Australians caught in the current Israel-Lebanon conflict should understand that given that the government could not even get the right corpse home from Iraq what hope do they have? To be fair, the people there on the ground are working their butts off but it shows that DFAT really doesn't think too hard. Sending a single ship able to carry 500 to rescue 7000 people is not too smart. It will take weeks to get them all out.
Around a 100 got taken on buses. Given that there is 7000 currently wanting out, it would take 70 days at that rate to get them all out. And there is still about 20000 more there who might very well want out as well.

Howard's handbag turns on him

2006-07-11T13:21:00.000+10:00

Costello has finally had the balls to say something about the leadership of the Liberal party after a decade of being Howard's handbag. Every since they came to power in 1996, Costello has wanted to be leader but has never shown enough gumption to do anything about it.
So there turns out to have been a deal for Howard to quit some time in 1999 or 2000 after one and a half terms that was made in 1994. Howard wanted to be leader during the Olympics in Sydney and by calling an early election in 1998, he made the one and half terms an impossiblity. Then they looked like they going to lose in 2001 so Costello was just waiting to take over after the lose. But were saved by the MV Tampa and the Terrorist Attacks in America that created a perfect storm, that created the belief that Howard is bullet proof.
So now it seems that Costello is simply feed up and has finally cracked the sads. He can't win a party room vote, but that might not matter. Costello presents has given Howard some of his strength with the voters. Howard talks about Costello taking over if he goes under a bus and as Howard is 67 years old having a stroke or illness striking is a real possiblity. If Costello is no longer going to be part of the team, the Liberals will need a new 2IC and the candidates in the party are all certainly lacking appeal to with the voters. So in order to keep Costello hanging around he will have to give him some timeline of when Costello might have a chance of getting a shot.

Reflecting on Life

2006-07-11T13:02:00.000+10:00

I had a friend die in a car crash a fortnight ago. However, I only found out last Monday and went on to the funeral later in the week.
As a result, I have been feeling strange. I guess I am going through the various stages of grief. I have been feeling guilty at times because I did not catch up with him more often as I hadn't seen him in a year. At one stage we were extremely close but we had drifted apart for years. In past year, he had actually changed quiet a bit and become extremely religious. This didn't really bother me but it was certainly a change from the boy I knew a few years ago.
Also think I might have picked on him a bit too but I don't think I was anywhere near as bad as others were. At stage, I blamed myself for his death as I told him I didn't want to live with him 3 years ago when we both looking for somewhere to live. In a stretch of the butterfly effect, I figure perhaps if I had of said okay, he would not have been on the trip he took when he had died.
At other stages, I have taken pleasure in the fact that his death has allowed me to catch with a lot of former mates that I have not seen in a long while. This joy then causes me guilt as well.
I have racked my brains for the last times I saw him and had some quality time with him. One of these was Steve Waugh's last innings that we watched at my then house back in 2005. This is significant as the first time we talked about anything it was cricket back in 1999.
Overall, I have just been feeling sad that I will never see him again and never be able to just spend a quiet few minutes talking to him about something. Despite not seeing him in a long time, I will miss him.

Male Tupperware Parties

2006-07-11T12:36:00.000+10:00

I was trying to figure out why I struggle to get the right type of air tight containters to store my left overs in, and then it came to me: Men have no access to tupperware parties. This is an untapped market that I am sure could be explored.

CVNT

2006-07-07T21:33:00.000+10:00

I was think about launching a fashion line called "Clothing Victoria Northern Terrority" as a piss take on the French Connection UK stores. I think it would look good on a T-shirt.
As a sideline, it could have a line of scents. One of these would have to be "footy road trip" and would smell like stale VB, cigerette smoke and a hint of vomit.

What I have been up to

2006-06-29T23:11:00.000+10:00

Not a lot really.... Still struggling with what to say on this blog. But here are some dot points:

Working at a job where I do so little that when I do have to do something I grizzle no matter how unimportant it is.
March in the IR rally on Wednesday. Hit the giant beach ball into Beazley as he gave a press doorstop at Russell St. (Almost felt like a Hungry Jacks at the time.)
Went and saw some old friends last week. I am a little like the Syd Barrett with my groups of friends as I have disappeared from view for a while.
Worked a bit on the novelisation of my screenplay (at work mostly).
Discovered Sudoku Puzzles at work (I am really bored).
Watched a shit load of midday telly (at work again) and have began to understand the basic fundementals behind sitcoms.

You should have taken our wheat

2006-06-22T11:20:00.000+10:00

Just a week or so, after I praise the Aussie troops, they go and blow it. I bet the trade minister wishes he had of taken our wheat now. It seems this is only the second person killed
the Australians have killed in Iraq since the start of 2004. The fact that the it was Australian Trade Reps being protect on the way to meeting the Iraqis is the most embrassing part.
Friend and foe systems are used on aircraft. I don't see why such a system could not be used for offical cars in Iraq.
And since the Aussie Troops are being moved, I think they should start thinking about leaving now.

Mid-winter, dark days

2006-06-21T22:02:00.001+10:00

Today is the shortest day of the year here in cold old Melbourne, and for matter all of the southern half of the world. Lately the weather has been freezing cold in the mornings and I have been sleeping in until almost 10 each day. Luckly I am only starting work at noon so I don't have to worry too much. Not that I like my work that much. I don't have to do much at work, although sometimes there are problems I can't fix. The problem is I don't get to interact with anyone. I have been thinking about getting another job somewhere, maybe doing some bar work or something, where I actually get to talk to people.
Anyway, I am a bit gloomy at the moment. Mainly weather related, but some of it is just frustrations about not getting a real job yet and the fact the federal government gives me the shits. The thing I can be glad about is the knob jockey the Victorian Libs have elected as leader makes Bracksy seem not too bad*.

* The guy is worth a bucket load and has rightfully declared his shareholdings. Yet, the Liberals carrying on about ALP members looking to see that nothing is hidden in his kids name as if they are holier than thou.

I still got little to say

2006-06-19T15:44:00.000+10:00

I have not got much to say lately. Therefore, I have not blogged in a while. Maybe after the shortest day of the year I will start to feel better and post something of substance.

Just a quick idea

2006-06-12T01:11:00.000+10:00

Iran and nuclear enrichment: Does this mean the Iranians might be able to develop Depleted Uranium ammo that could knock out the Abhrams tanks?

Selling Civil Unions

2006-06-11T20:22:00.000+10:00

The last time I looked, not that it has ever really interested me, homosexual acts were legal in Australia*. However, one of the common arguements that sometimes used to opposed civil unions is that if poofs are allowed to be joined together, it will open the flood gates to others like horse rooters to demand to be married. This total over looks the fact that animal rooting is illegal, where as homosexuality is not.

Basically, homosexuals should be suggesting that civil unions are not marriage like and more like a business partnership but in a domestic setting. It should not matter if there is a sexual intercourse or not for such a partnership to exist. This would allow asexual relationships** to be acknowledged as well.

* It has been like this since Tassie made it legal some time in the 90's.
** One example of such a relationship was two widows who lived together but were unable to get benefits for couples because they were not sexually involved with each other.

Iraq - Australian troops should stay

2006-06-03T17:12:00.000+10:00

I have changed my tune on Iraq. I no longer believe that the Australian troops should get out. No, I have not changed my opinion that the war was wrong and fairly stupid. No, Why I think the Australians should stay for the time been is that they have only shot four people since mid-2003*. In the South of Iraq where the majority of the troops are they have not shot at anyone at all.
In comparsion, the Americans are dealing with reports of murder civillians and have caused the deaths of several hundred of Iraqis in accidents. Even given that the Americans have 20 times more troops in the country, the Australians are showing how much better they are at fighting this type of warfare.
Thus, the reason I don't want the Australians withdrawn in the short term is that they will only be replaced by more Americans who are likely to make a mess of all the good work done by the Australians.

*3 of which are known to have lived.

Been busy doing nothing really

2006-05-30T22:28:00.000+10:00

I am not sure why I have not blogged lately. Maybe it is that I have been able to get a bit more work and I have been hooked on Forex trading (90% return in a month). But perhaps I have run out of things to say. Not that I have not been commenting around the traps.
I have been considering joining one of the communal blogs so I would not have to post so often.
I am thinking about taking off overseas for a while. It is either that or make the film I have been talking about for years on a shoestring budget.

You can tell the human race is going to shit when...

2006-05-24T12:11:00.000+10:00

You leave a person to die just so you can get to the top. I don't know what drives people to climb Everest but in such a hostile enviroment, if you see someone in trouble surely you would offer some help. Mind you, most of people climbing the world's highest peak are doing so because of ego and you don't want to get in the way of that.

Nuclear Power

2006-05-20T19:26:00.000+10:00

It looks as if we are going to have the debate we had to have. The Nuclear power debate is going to go into full swing. Nuclear energy is one of most misunderstood forms of energy.

The world is facing a energy crisis.
Australia sits on top of a shit load of Uranium.
There is also a shitload of Coal as well.
The world needs more energy and their are going to want to buy this uranium.
They also want to buy our coal.
We use are coal to generate power at the moment.
Moving Coal is going require more energy than moving a smaller amount of Uranium.
Ergo, we should burn coal to produce energy for ourselves and sell Uranium to others.
The waste problem is easily solved if we bury it in very deep holes in Western Australia where hardly anyone lives and the rocks have not moved in billions of years.

It is easy to talk about Chernobyl as what can go wrong, but Chernobyl was power plant that was built without any of the safe guards that are now in place. The Soviets loved to cut corners and at Chernobyl it cost lives. Yet, it is not a very good example of a nuclear power plant and therefore should not be used an example of what could go wrong.

The Greens are going to play the silly old arguments and will probably win over a large chunk of society. Yet, the Liberals will be able to start new mines and once in place they really can't be stopped. So the best policy is to play dead.

Car crash

2006-05-17T22:16:00.000+10:00

I crashed my car. Not hurt. Just pissed off. Car is still drivable but may not be fixable to a standard that will prevent it being given a non-roadworth penalty. Probably not worth fixing either. If it will cost me a couple of hundred bucks, it might be better to say good bye to the car. The problem is I love the car. It used to be the family car until I turned 18. Then I shared it with my siblings and then it has been basically my car for the last two years.

Just when the ordeal looked like it had ended

2006-05-12T10:42:00.000+10:00

After being stuck down the Beaconsfield mine for two weeks, Brant Webb and Todd Russell would probably have expected all the pain and suffering to have ended. But Channel Nine thought it would continue the suffering by forcing them to listen to a Shannon Noll*. I can't help but think the miners wished they were back down the mine at the moment.

* These are Vanessa Amarosi jokes being recycled.

Primary vote

2006-05-08T19:58:00.000+10:00

Watching the 7.30 Report tonight, I heard Paul Keating going on about how the primary vote for the ALP is 38% and it needs to rise in order for the party to win an election. One of the reason the primary vote is so low however is the mass of voters who have moved from the left of the party to the Greens. The Greens are polling over 10% which is a record amount. Several percent of this would return if the ALP moved towards the left on things like refugees and tall trees. This would get the primary vote up to the levels that people talk about being that which is required to win an election. Of course, it would mean the ALP might not get as many preferences from the "others" that are also polling quite high and therefore mean the ALP would not win if they don't above 50% of the TPP. But the primary vote would be higher and that would make people like Keating and Shaun Carney*.

* Carney does seem to understand the idea of preferences very well.

Time for new shoes

2006-05-06T12:12:00.000+10:00

I am going to have to go shopping for some new sneakers as the last thing I want to do is be mistaken for a terrorist. I can just see it now, they get a photo of me walking down my street, see the brand of my footware, mistake me for a bad guy and blast me away. Maybe not but can I afford to take the chance?

Tonnes of Drugs

2006-05-03T10:18:00.000+10:00

The drug "Ice" or "Crystal Meth" is the latest drug to be causing major problems here in Australia. The estimated number of users in Australia was 100,000. So this got me thinking about how many tonnes of this drug are used each year. If each user used an average of 10 grams* a week which means there is tonne used each week or 52 tonnes a year. That is about two semi-trailers full a year**. The more suprising thing is Customs found 15 tonnes last year, so they are not doing too badly if these crap calculations are correct.

* I have no idea if this an average amount.
** So applying the same logic that got the Americans into Iraq, all we have to do is find these two trailers.

Stone falls from the sky (or at least a tree)

2006-05-03T10:09:00.000+10:00

Keith Richards fell out of a tree in Fiji. What on earth was he doing up the tree? Does he not realise that he is in his sixties (and its not the 60's)? Not to wish ill on anyone, but if he had of died as a result it would have gone down as one of the many odd rock and rock deaths.

SmartCard done the dumb way

2006-04-30T13:20:00.000+10:00

I am not a real big fan of the Smartcard as I have doubts about what they want to hold information for. They claim it is to stop welfare fraud but the way they are going about introducing it suggests that is not only thing they want the smartcard for.

If they only wanted it for the stated aims this the way to do it with no major bodies objecting is this. Firstly, what they should have claimed was that you need a Medicare Card to get any welfare payment. Easy, as the only people whp would object are those cheating the welfare system. Then they should have sometime later introduced the need for a photograph on the medicare card. It would take all of two years and there would not be much of a barney.

Instead they are picking a fight with the civil liberations basically because they think they are onto a winner with hinting that it could assist with national security and police actions with certain sections of the community, yet covering themselves against other sections* by using the welfare fraud issues as the main issue.

* The section that is easily misled.

Backing the wrong horse in the Solomons?

2006-04-26T12:07:00.000+10:00

The PM of the Solomon Islands resigned today after a week in the job. Trying to understand what is going in on in these islands is a task best lefted to those of us with too much time on our hands. Some have suggested that it appears to be a proxy "war" between China and Taiwan in part who appear to be using ethnic tension to gain control of the control. That might be an over estimated of outside involvement. Certainly it is not like Australia doesn't have business interests there eithe

The islands don't seem to be able to police themselves but I wonder how long it will be before the RAMSI force is look upon as occupying force by the locals and they become targeted. Considering that the MPs the RAMSI force arrested are possibly going to now play a roll in government, it appears that they may have backed the wrong horse.

How long before the commerical media flys home? I'm betting Tuesday of next week.

Old Friends

2006-04-23T13:55:00.000+10:00

I went to a 30th birthday party last night and there was a lot of people there who I had not seen in years. It was strange how someone was not in focus until somebody else said their name and all of a sudden they came into focus.
There was also great irony in the fact I was at 30th and my parents had gone to a 21st. They are getting invited to younger parties than me.

How people get here

2006-04-21T23:07:00.000+10:00

Someone got to this site by searching google for "What do you look for in a graduate program?" I find this funny as it was a question asked last year on the application for Victoria Public Service Graduate program. And it was there this year too.... So someone was looking for a quick today before the applications closed this afternoon. Instead of an answer they got this post. The line about showing leadership by being the first to declare three quater length pants looking silly made me laugh 12 months on.

When a door closes...

2006-04-21T18:36:00.000+10:00

Another opens?
My work for the past few years is likely to wrap up this weekend. Sure I might get a few shifts here and there but I think it is time to move on. However, there might be a chance for work elsewhere at soon. Time will tell.

No matter what the sun will come up in the morning and that alone makes it worthwhile.

Forex Trading?

2006-04-17T16:50:00.000+10:00

I was thinking about doing some Forex Trading because I spend enough time in front of the computer that I might as well give it a shot. If anyone has had an experience with Forex Trading, feel free to tell me I am crazy.

Defence Blow out

2006-04-17T16:17:00.000+10:00

Australia's F-111's are getting old* and need replacing some time in the near future**. The current plan is to purchase the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter sometime around 2010. This plane has only just entered testing with the USAF and will not operational until 2010 or so, so I can't see us being the first in line to get them before the USA and the UK, both of who have so far put more money into the plane than Australia.
Anyway, I have a problem with the JSF. It has a range of 800 kilometers which is too short for Australia's defence policy. To cover a greater distance is going to require mid-air refueling. I don't mind mid-air refueling but it limits the ability to strike without preparing for a longtime.
We would be better off buying the latest F-22 Raptor which is at least operational and has a range of 3,200 kms which is about what is need to bomb "New Zealand"***. The cost of doing this is a $300 million per plane that is slighty higher than the projected cost of the JSF. But as the F-35 has not fully been developed the cost is really unknown.

* They are not however "rusting" as the media loves to say as they are not made of Iron. Rust requires Iron.
** Like my VC Commodore, which is indeed rusting and needs a new muffler.
*** Indonesia is the most likely target which is about as far away as New Zealand. Hopefully, the purchasing of the JSF is not just another part of sucking up to Indonesia that Australia has been doing lately.

Nutcases

2006-04-13T17:29:00.000+10:00

Those Muslims might have something with the ban on pictures of the prophets. Otherwise, you end with Christian nutcases seeing Jesus in stuff when really there is nothing there. It is like that f@#%ing toast cheese sandwich. If the lord was to speak to you personally, do you really think he would do it in food stuff or an oil mark or skid mark in your underwear? No, he would take over your TV and broadcast in HDTV. Or at least he comment on your blog.

The growth of cricket

2006-04-12T20:20:00.000+10:00

The editor of Wisden has attacked the ICC for basically being money grubbing and talk of expansion when in reality there is very little chance that supposed growth markets like the USA and China are ever going to take up the game in huge numbers. The only people who generally play there are the expats from cricket playing nations. It would make more sense to make the game stronger in existing areas and make sure it doesn't lose ground like it has in the West Indies.
This is also the problem the AFL has, when it comes to talk about expanding worldwide interest, it tries for the USA before anywhere else. And locally it is talking about a team on the Gold Coast, where as it would make more sense to get a team in Tassie and Canberra before it tries elsewhere.

UPDATE: (13/4/06) Aussies beat Bangladesh. Nice to see that it was actually a real match, but it perhaps says something about the amount of cricket being played as well. At the moment, there is simply too much cricket being played by the same players. It is going to burn out players. Afridi quit test cricket yesterday. There needs to be fewer series that mean nothing. Less ODI's matches. In particular, Australia's summer tri-series should be cut to nine games and one final.

When the Underdog roars

2006-04-10T22:53:00.000+10:00

Australia's cricket team has been used to winning. They have got so use to it that when they lost the Ashes last year it was a mamouth suprise. And most people wrote it off as a blimp on the radar. But now things are looking different.
Bangladesh is a nation that many people have said should not be even be playing test cricket. They have only ever won one test. But now they punching above their weight. After scoring 427 against the Aussie, they at one stage had the Aussie at 6/93.
It is unlikely they will win the match, but they will be able to hold their heads high tonight. For when you are the underdog, it is really the small victories that taste the sweetest. One day in the future when they have had more practice, they might win a series against some test playing nations but it probably will not feel as good as performing well against the Aussie at the moment.

Dumbarse Doyle

2006-04-09T18:13:00.000+10:00

Robert Doyle showed what a twat he really is today when he launch the state Liberals policy on speed cameras. This proved such a winning formula last time they tried it, what with the lost of 20 odd seats. The majority of drivers don't regularly get speeding tickets and those which do get them on a regular basis are a minority. It is a classic example of the 20-80 rule where 20% of the population accounts for 80% of the tickets. Plus a large percentage of the electorate doesn't drive or drives not very often.
As a result, their policy is easily counted by the state ALP. All they have to do is drag out a few victims of road accidents and the Liberals policy is crushed. Doyle is a moron if he thinks this a winning strategy. The No tolls policy is only going to affected those that drives in the Eastern Suburbs and will win them a half a dozen seats (all of which they normally would hold) but there is little chance of win many others. As a result Doyle is screwed and should really hand over to a leader.
Not that I really give a crap as the only reason I care about having an effective opposition is that it might ensure Bracks and co. are forced to be somewhat cleaner.

Footy Season

2006-04-09T13:32:00.000+10:00

I am not really able to get into the footy so far. I am not sure if it just blow back from the Commonwealth Games or the fact I missed the first round working at the Grand Prix or that Richmond is playing like shit*, but I can't get excitied. Maybe it is just that I have to put up with AFL on Nine for one final year. I caught a bit of Nine's attempt of a program "Any Given Sunday" and frankly I think Mick Molloy might consider giving the game away.

* Come on boys, play like shit in June and July and then come ninth.

Great Purchase

2006-04-07T20:24:00.000+10:00

I was in JB Hi-fi today to get some new headphones as someone who will remain nameless steped on my last set*. Whilst there I picked up both Led Zepplin VI and House of the Holy for $10 each**. I had forgotten how awesome Zepplin was. I feel like a teenager again discovering how good they are. It is really funny the first time you discover Led Zepplin as a kid because you normally can't shut up about them and everyone else is like "well, dah".

* I live by myself, so the guilty party is easily found.
** I still buy CD's on the basis that I might lose digitial data. Anyway they were a bargin.

The West Papua feud

2006-04-06T12:32:00.000+10:00

Indonesia is not happy with Australia admitting West Papuan who claim to be refugees. Indonesia is supposed to be a democracy today, yet for someone reason advocating independence for West Papua is a big no-no (or should I say "tidak tidak"). Basically Indonesia can have all the democracy they want around Jarkarta but once you get out to the outer regions (mineral rich) the army still has control. Next time SYB why wants refugees returned Howard should say "Maaf, Saya tidak mua".
Australia and Indonesia are neighbours and sometimes you need a little understanding. We will never be real close basically because we are too different. Australia has generally Euporean values and Indonesia has Asian values who controlled by a European power. We are have a lot of land with a small population, Indonesia has a big population. So there will always be some fears amongst sections of both countries of the other. But in the end, we are still going to be neighbours, no matter what happens.

Has Howard had botox?

2006-04-06T12:29:00.000+10:00

I was watching TV last night and there was something odd about John Howards face (No it was just that I wanted throw stuff at the telly). His left side of face was not moving as much as normal. I think he might very well have had botox treatment in the past few days. Anyone else think there is anything in this?

Selling Telstra and Medibank Private

2006-04-06T12:12:00.000+10:00

Peter Costello has declared that the government will not sell Telstra unless the price is right. I have one simply message for him and the rest of cabinet: "The price is right now". Things are not going to get better for the big telco unless it is split in different sections. The biggest asset Telstra holds is the copper wire network, yet there is no scope for growth in this sector and it is going to cost a lot to maintain. It would be perhaps better if the government retained this side of the business as it is almost a lead weight on Telstra. The listed company could have the mobile, internet, media etc sides of the business which can grow and bring in the real profits.

And they are now looking to sell off Medibank Private. Considering that they are only going to get about $A1 billion for the health fund , it would be perhaps a smart move political for the Government to demutualise as the people most likely to benefit would be the government's support base of upper middle class families. And with surplus as big as it is, another billion is not going to add much to the coffers.

Been away

2006-04-03T21:01:00.000+10:00

I have been working long shifts at a major international event so I have not been able to blog lately. I am still fairly rooted as I am not used to waking up at 4 am to go to work for fifteen hours. The funnest thing that happened was I had a bunch of my staff rocket up on Sunday early because they forgot about daylight savings. One even turned up two hours early after going forward an hour (not back).

Coverage of Larry

2006-03-26T13:25:00.000+11:00

If I was living in North Queensland*, I would be a bit suprised at the lack of coverage that Cyclone Larry is getting in Victoria**. The Commonwealth Games is just everywhere and there is very little coverage of what is one of the biggest natural diasters in Australia in recent years. Normally the papers would be running pages and pages of photos of wreck houses and broken banana trees. When there are bush fires, where a few dozen of homes are lost, the media carries on as if it is the end of world. Yet, it is all about timing. So if you plan on losing your house, next time do it on a slow news day.

* I would also have a better tan.
** I don't know how the other states are going with this one as I am in Melbourne and haven't jetted up to Sydney to watch the six o'clock news in NSW this week.

Tamsyn Lewis bowls underarm

2006-03-26T10:50:00.000+11:00

In what was the worst case of bad sportsmanship by an Australian team since 1981 and the underarm ball, Tamsyn Lewis succeed it winning a gold medal on a techinical mistake by the English relay team in 4 X 400 metres. There was no arguement that the Australian women were beaten by a massive margin by the English. There was no arguement that the position taken by the English third leg-runner interferred with the Australians either. So they won basically by cheating which I feel is a total disgrace and Lewis will have to live with the shame for the rest her career.

In the whole Jana Pittman verus Tamsyn Lewis fued, I blamed Jana without thinking. Perhaps I was wrong.

Straits of Hormuz

2006-03-21T12:42:00.000+11:00

There is often talk that if Iran and US start to get hot and heavy, that Iran will close the Straits of Hormuz and force oil to sky rocket. Seriously this will not happen for several reasons. Firstly, the US navy has not be weakened like the US Army has by the war in Iraq. The Iranian Air forces and naval forces are not as strong as their army. Secondly, although Saudi Arabia was not too crash hot on the War in Iraq, I think they might give a shit about having their only source of income blocked off. That goes for a lot of the world too, if means being able to drive to the shops for less then the cost of the shopping. Thirdly, it is a small area and should be easily taken over if needed.

How long can China keep going?

2006-03-20T17:59:00.000+11:00

China is going to keep on growing and we will be able to dig shit up and sell it to them forever. That is the basic view of the Howard plan for our ecconomy. But with over three hundred protests a day by the poor in China, I wonder how long it can keep going before the Chinese Communist Party is forced to be somewhat more communistic?

Elections in SA and Tassie

2006-03-20T16:04:00.000+11:00

The ALP won both by quiet a margin. South Australia was basically a repeat of the situation that occurred in Victoria in the 2002 state election. A minority Labor government was re-elected in a land slide after proving that they could govern. The Tassie victory was not as big as the Hare-Clarke System doesn't allow landslides to occur. Needless to say, they are still a long way in front of the Liberals and a very long way in front of the greens.

So what does it mean? Well, basically it means the ALP might appear to be stuffed Federally but are working well at state level. Then again the Liberals are clearly stuffed in all the states. Anyone in the Liberal Party with an talent wants to get into the Federal parliament as it is really not very much fun in opposition.

Also, it means that the two Tasmanian Seats lost by ALP in 2004 are likely to return to the fold in 2007, after the loggers work out that the federal government's workplace deforms are going to stuff them as well.

Commonwealth Games

2006-03-19T14:07:00.000+11:00

Firstly, I want to say Channel Nine is doing a really crap job. If you are not interested in blindly cheering for the Australians and want to actually see how other nations are going then you have to go to the internet. For example today, during the marathon they were busy showing heats of the swimming and only showing very rare updates on the marathon. It is not like Australia's best swimmers are not going to make the semi-finals, so there is no real point in showing these heats.

They also ignore the minor sports. There has not been a single boxing match without an Australian shown and the weightlifters seemed to win medals without anyone else being in the event. Mind you, bowls and shooting can both be quiet slow. The other thing that must piss people off is the fact tickets are still on sale, despite the warnings that it would impossible to purchase any outside of the ballots. There also seems to be a lot of shuttle buses with nobody on them circling the city.

Claims that the eyes of the world are watching is crap. Canada is get two hours of coverage a day and it is not rating very highly. As the games opening drew an Australian audience of four million, that would suggest that only one in five actually watched. I don't reckon as much attention was paid in other nations of the commonwealth.

One final thing I have noticed is that a massive amount of people either are working from home for the two weeks or they taken the time off to get the fuck out of the city. During the day, you can drive around the city like it is a Sunday afternoon and many of the car parks are empty. I am not sure, but this period of non-productivity can not be good for the state in the final analysis.

UPDATE: (20/3/06) Boxing matches with non-Australians shown because the lawn bowls with Aussies is starting late.

A reason for testing

2006-03-16T19:14:00.000+11:00

It looks as if a drug test in the UK has gone very badly wrong and a couple of test subjects are at death's door. While it is very sad for the people involved but it does re-enforce the need for testing of drugs on Animals. Animal tests were carried with this drug, however there was probably not as many of these tests as once would have been done. Perhaps if a few more tests were done, this nasty accident would not have occurred.
One of the reason why people do these tests is because they are paid. However, if the news of this fuck travels far and wide (in particular if any of the subjects dies) the amount of money is going to need to be increased by a lot.

Nelson makes sense

2006-03-15T10:12:00.000+11:00

He reckons that they should not ask the question about illict drug use when interviewing people for jobs with the military. It makes sense in that you can either lie and get a job, or tell the truth and not get one. Considering that they want honest people in the military, it makes sense not to ask a question which is going to result in excluding a lot of people.
It almost makes a mockery of everyone who calls for conscription in order to straighten out the wayward youth as the wayward youth would be excluded on grounds that they have used drugs.

The meaning of Newspoll

2006-03-14T22:24:00.000+11:00

Last year, Beazley refused to do anything about the factions in the ALP dispite the fact that almost except the faction leaders can see that it is a problem with the party. Newspoll comes out today with Beazley having a very large dissapproval rating. So what happens is the media blame those who pointed out the problems and not Beazley for attempting to do anything about it. It is as if they think that public aren't smart enough to see the branch stacking occuring and think that people will be happy have anyone holding their seat.
Frankly, one of the reasons why Beazley is polling so badly is the true believers and those on the fringe of the party don't see him to be doing anything that would make it more inclusive. True renewal of party will only occur if and only if more people are able to be involved and that is not going to happen if factions can do deals in the back room about who is going to be the party's candidates.

Back in the game

2006-03-13T22:55:00.000+11:00

I burnt the motherboard out in my computer, therefore righting it off. I was too lazy to worry about trying to fix it, so I bought a $420 shit box which will keep me going for a few months until I get more money and I buy a laptop.

Anyway, how about that Cricket ODI in South Africa? My brother was there and I bet he would still be pissed off as the Aussies lost.

Out of Action for a while

2006-03-10T11:18:00.000+11:00

My PC's motherboard was fried on Monday. So what does this mean? It means I am too lazy to go and buy a new motherboard and stick it in the old PC. It also means that I will have more time to build up a clear thought pattern (or so I claim).

Aussies Cricketers up the creek

2006-03-05T17:38:00.000+11:00

What the hell is going on with our cricket team? They got the pants flogged off them by the South Africans who they just wiped out in the VB series. Not having the Punter in the team sure makes a big difference and the bowling attack is very weakened by Pigeon staying home to be with his wife (as I think he should by the way). It is time these second level players stand up to the plate and shows what they have got.

Also, the footage of Bush playing cricket is very funny. He seems to be better bowler than the Howard.

Australia's Divorce rate

2006-03-01T15:52:00.000+11:00

The most often quote stat which has very little backing is that 50% of marriages end in divorce. Journalists, commentators and people like them who don't really have a clue quote this statistic endlessly. The truth is far different. Taking a new-born population (therefore unmarried) the actual number of divorces would be around 32% of all their marriages. The reason why is the marriage rate is measured in terms of single people marrying and divorce rate is measured as the number of married people divorcing. Wikipedia's article on the subject is very enlightening.

And another thing, someone was suggesting the other day that most children are now growing up in single child households. Absolute crap. The majority of children are currently and will continue for sometime, to live a family with at least one sibling. In order for children with no siblings to over take those with siblings, the number of single child households would have to out number multiple child households by a ratio greater than two to one. So despite the fact that single child households are increasing, they need to reach a level above 70% for the majority of children to have no siblings. It is one of the reasons why it is reasonable easy to find people who grew up in large families.

What the Greens should do

2006-02-28T19:01:00.000+11:00

Normally I am not a big fan of the Greens in Australia and it is not likely they would listen to a good suggestion if it landed at their feet. So I am going to throw my suggestion out there and it will be ignored as predicted.
The reason the Greens failed to win a senate seat in Victoria was the ALP gave their preferences to the Family First party. This was probably not the way most ALP voters would have voted. What the Greens should do is other these ALP voters an alternative.
No, I am not suggesting the Greens showed try and get these voters to vote for them. What they need to get these voters to do is to give their preferences to the Greens after they vote for the ALP. Normally this would require getting people to fill all of the boxes below the line, yet with my scheme they could get a round it.
All they need to do is to organise a pair of people to run as an independent group who give their preferences to the ALP first, then the Greens, and then everyone else. The group of independents would only need to have a few thousand dollars and a half decent website explaining what they are doing. Using word of mouth amongst the politically aware members of the community it would be possible to a few percent of the vote which is all the greens need to remain in front of other groups contesting the final senate spot.
This would work and it is not being dishonest at all as the whole sale point would be explaining where the prefences would go. Yet, there would be no way in the world the Greens would follow this suggestion on the grounds that they want people to vote solely for them, not the ALP.

Iraq's descent into hell

2006-02-28T15:56:00.000+11:00

There has been sadly over 1300 killings in the past week in Iraq. If that is not a civil war I am not sure what is. It is not as if the warning signs weren't there. Most people were just waiting for the flash point to be reached. I think last weeks attack might been that point. Anyone who can afford to has fled or tried to flee; as a result Iraq is suffering a major brain drain. I can see no future for the country. Very sad.

Loyalty

2006-02-27T23:24:00.000+11:00

In the Sunday magazine of the Sunday Age, there was an article suggesting that in the near future, having more than one long-term significant other type relationship in one life will be seen as a positive. Further to that, it suggested that those who are lucky enough to have had a single permanent will be looked down upon and seen as somewhat of a loser.

Likewise, once it was considered normal to work in the same company or organisation for a large chunk of one’s life. Now, such a job history is frowned upon by recruiters and employers as it supposedly suggests that one lacks vision.

What this seems to suggest is that the quality of loyalty is no longer seen as a positive. And it generally seems if you are no ready to eat your own children to further your own personal gains, you are not going to get anywhere. Perhaps, if loyalty was a quality looked for by employers, they may not have as many problems with retaining staff.

Normally I am not one to rant on a about the lack of morality, yet I think one of the qualities that should highly valued in this world is loyalty. I found the suggestion that one could be judged on the number of personal relationships as offensive as judging one on the nature of such relationships. A lifelong relationship is a goal of many people and to suggest that achieving such goals equalities to a failure is really bizarre.

In reality, one of the inalienable rights of humanity is the right to pursue happiness. If that means have one major relationships or twenty-two in ones personal life (or having none), than a person should not be judge upon that. Nor if one has successfully managed to land themselves in a single career that they enjoy and in which they can earn enough to maintain them in a lifestyle that they are satisfied with, why should that be fawn upon?

P.S. This devaluing of loyalty also extends into the field of patriotism. Often those who claim to be the most patriotic will be the same people who drive luxury foreign made cars. They might love to cheer the Australian sportsmen and women to victory, yet will attempt to rip off the welfare system or cheat on their taxes. However, true loyalty to ones country however is looked down upon in preference for flag waving and lip service.

Richest people who don't exist

2006-02-24T15:18:00.000+11:00

Forbes has a list of the 15 richest fictional characters in the World. That old fellow Santa Claus is who they think is the richest. Despite his charity work, Forbes reports that he has a darker side as he has objected to the elves unionising. Monty Burns comes in as 4th richest and Bruce Wayne as 8th. It is interesting to see what the Forbes journalists do in their spare time...

2006-02-24T13:05:00.000+11:00

"Where the bloody hell are you?" Not holidaying in Australia clearly. And what was that the PM said about being too crude nowadays?

Costello tells those who don't believe in the Australian Way to fuck off. Fair enough, we are a democracy, but we no longer tolarate thought crime. Anyway I think he meant to say "Johnny fuck off".

Australian Government today said the Dubai Ports takeover of P&O is not a security risk. The American congress is just nuts. They don't understand that where commerce is involved, it doesn't matter who you are.

SBS is not showing a SouthPark episode as it might be offend Christians. I think most episodes of SouthPark offend someone, so why should this one be any different.

Not missed that much

2006-02-23T15:04:00.000+11:00

I was home for a few days and I don't think anyone missed me much. I went home to spend time with my siblings and parents. I like my parents a lot lot but my siblings are not what they used to be. They seem to be very self-centrered. It got me thinking however, that I don't really miss seeing them much but what I do miss is what we used to do together.
Likewise, when I catch up with people I was friends with when I first moved to Melbourne and I discover I have very little in common with them. The same with the kids I went to high school with. I read sometimes in the papers that this person has had a kid or got married but it really means nothing to me any more. Not that I dislike them or anything, Most are fine people
Then I thought about why I fail to keep in contact with most of these people. I guess I am not missed that much by them either. Nobody really notices when I am not there any more.
I am not really sure what it all means. Maybe one day I will.

The maths behind Dana Vale's suggestion

2006-02-15T09:57:00.000+11:00

According to the last two census held in 1996 and 2001, Australia's muslim population grew from 200,000 to 280,000 in that 5 year period (Data from the ABS website). Thus the growth rate for the Australian Muslim population was around about 7% pa when compounding is taken into account. A fairly large percentage of this was caused by immigration which has since been slowed by the federal government (from a reduction in family reunion visa and increase in skilled employment visas).
So I would suggest that the growth rate has slowed somewhat in past five years. But even if hasn't it means there are 397,000 muslims in Australia today. So I will use that as a base figure. If that growth rate was to be substained it would mean that in 50 years there would be approx. 11 million muslims within Australia. The overall Australian population will be at least 35 million (at its current growth rate of 1.5%). So Muslims will still be out number by non-muslims.
However, to maintain a growth rate of 7% would require large scale immigration or the need for muslim women to push out a lot of babies. A huge amount of babies.
Take that 397,000 muslims who are at the moment in Australia. Only half of them are going to be female and then some are going to beyond the age of having kids. So lets say there are 150,000 fertile muslim women in Australia (a figure that is far too high, but again I will use it). And there will about two generations between today and fifty years from now. That will require 11.4 on average per female in the muslim population for two generations if there was no immigration. I know some females manage to have that many kids but even for muslims that is a BIG family. To totally over-take the non-muslim population in 50 years would require 14.4 children per woman. This is assuming that no body dies within the muslims community either which is just a silly assumption.
As can simply be seen, we are not about to be overrun by muslims in 50 years time and Dana Vale's suggestion is way off the mark. Outside of Sydney and Melbourne, there are a lot less muslims then people think. The reason why they are noticed is because the women in particular tend to stand out from the crowd like a sore thumb.

With friends like these

2006-02-13T11:55:00.000+11:00

When the Vice-President of USA starts shooting major donors to his political party, what hope is there for the rest of us? If he can't handle a gun, how is he supposed to handle having his finger on the button? I think Dick Cheney is the first Vice-President to shot someone since Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamiliton in a duel in 1804.

When the Nuts go crazy

2006-02-06T18:37:00.000+11:00

"Stick and Stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me". Someone should tell this to the Muslims who are going nuts about a handful cartoons which they say are hurtful.
I see the whole case as a case of freedom of speech. Seriously if we are not allowed to suggest negative aspects of a religion, we might as well pack up and go home. I am please to say that many people from across the political spectrum have defend this right to free speech.
It reminds me of when the infamous photo "Piss christ" went on display here in Melbourne in 1998. Then many of the religious nuts (those of the christian faith) when nuts and demanded the photograph be removed. In the end some mugs decided to try and attack it with a hammer. It was a tragic set of events that should th0se want torelence of their beliefs cannot handle criticism of those same belief.

Between a rock and a HAMAS place

2006-01-31T16:07:00.000+11:00

HAMAS won the elections in Palestine. Who could have forseen that an extremist group could make electoral gains against a corrupt more moderate group?
Yeah, I know. It is not like it has happened anywhere else in the world. Except perhaps Cuba in 1959, Iran in 1979, South Vietnam in the 70's....
So you think it was Fatah's corruption was the main reason for HAMAS winning?
Put simply yes. Instead of attempting to establish a moderate rival to Fatah, the international community kept trying to prop up Fatah.
So what is wrong with HAMAS?
A lot. For one thing, everyone says they are a terrorist organisation. They also want to wipe out Israel which is not a nice thing to do.
What do you think it will mean for the peace process?
I think it will make it extremely hard to get a two state solution for the next ten years. Not that I think a two state solution is the way to go anyway. I can't see a nation that is divided by another working. It didn't work for Pakistan, that is for sure.
What other solutions are there?
Well, there is the status quo but that is clearly not working. The best solution I reckon is a one state solution where they all live together in peace.
But nobody talks about that?
I know. The problem lies in the fact that Israel wants to be a Jewish state and there will soon be more Palestinines than Israelis if current birth rates continue. Perhaps it just that it so hard for me to understand how one can be at war with people in the next suburb over.
A little off the track but is there any lesson that can be learnt from the Hamas victory?
Deal with the corruption in your ranks or else a group who you think is worst you will win.

The return of Normal TV

2006-01-30T13:09:00.000+11:00

About bloody time. It is almost here.

Update: I was wrong. Nine is showing swimming trials for the Commonwealth games. It is very hard feel much for these races as we know an Australian is going to win. Actually, we know that is going to happen at the Commonwealth games too as no other nation is so deadly serious about swimming.

Big Day Out in my Lounge Room

2006-01-30T12:59:00.000+11:00

If had of known I was going to be able to hear the Melbourne Big Day Out at home (about 3 kms away), I wouldn't have gone to work yesterday. Actually, I would've but that is only because I need the money. I can see why people would get upset if it was too happen every year in Princess Park but as a one off I think it could be lived with.

With friends like these

2006-01-25T11:28:00.000+11:00

The Nationals are a bit upset about their friends the Liberals doing them over. Not that they have been done over to badly. They have only lost one senator and one ministry. It is not like they hold the balance of power in the Senate and the house (just). And just because the Libs have cut their lunch and rubbed the Nats noses in it, does not mean they can't be friends. The Nats don't have the balls to go out on their own and therefore will be forced to be a lapdog to the Liberals for the rest of the time they exist (a few more elections).
Plus the more extreme Liberals really hate having the Nats on board with them. They can tell that they would win more than half of the Nats seats off them if they end the argeement. Plus it does not the Nats anywhere else to go.

Twenty 20 is the future

2006-01-23T12:13:00.000+11:00

On Saturday, the mighty Victorian Bushrangers defeated the New South Wales Blues in Australia's first domestic Twenty 20 final. And I have to say it sign of things to come. That is not to say that Tests and ODIs do not have a place in the world of cricket nor should we get rid of the domestic versions. However, I can see Twenty 20 have a very big place.
Firstly, the crowds seem to love it. Maybe part of this is novelty of playing a new style but a three hour game is more attractive to families and to the television market. It is just a pity that the domestic series was not shown on TV.
It is generally agreed that there is too many ODIs played now that mean nothing. They are just still five or seven game series between the same two nations. Perhaps that could be reduced to say three ODI's and three Twenty 20's.
There is also scope for an International Twenty 20 competition between the winning team in the domestic 20-20 competitions from around the world. This could be like the World Club Championships for Soccer.