Latest Posts

Boy Killed, 4WDs blamed

Posted on by
THE death of a 3-year-old boy, killed by a modified 4WD on an ordinary suburban street, has prompted calls from road safety experts for an immediate ban on the vehicles. The death is tragic and the News.com article stupid and misleading.
There is no suggestion the driver of the 4WD did anything wrong, police have laid no charges, and the boy ran in front of the traffic.
So the journalist leads with “Calls to ban ‘killer’ 4WDs”. This has no relevance until I read “Calls to ban Trucks” or “Calls to ban Holden utes” or “Calls to ban Camrys” after similar incidents. Doesn’t happen though. Road Safety Experts quoted turns out to be one Monash Uni Lecturer.
President of the Australasian College of Road Safety, Associate Professor Raphael Grzebieta, said driving a raised 4WD was akin to driving a small truck or piece of machinery.
The you should be calling for a ban on light trucks as well. Why don’t you, Raphael?
“You can’t see anyone underneath you when they are close to the vehicle and they have their blindspots like small trucks and machinery,” the Monash University civil engineering lecturer said.
So do some cars, mate. Raphael Grzebieta has a bee in his bonnet about 4WDs with jacked up suspension and the journalist, Lillian Saleh, has used this to get her article carried. Poor reporting in my book.
General Musings

The Hijab

Posted on by
I recently posted on the To wear or not to wear a hijab and received a comment from a woman who does wear one. Her comments are from the coal face and thus worth reposting on this coal face.
Hi Kev, Just a minor correction: the spelling is “Muslim? for a believing servant who follows the religion of Islam. Also, please note that the majority of terrorist attacks are performed by the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. Tamil Tigers are certainly not Muslim yet are generally Hindu. In relation to the wearing of the headscarf, people can perceive it as they like. When I leave the house wearing my ‘hijab’ (and yes I choose to wear it!), I am letting everyone know that “hey I am a Muslim?. Nothing more, nothing less. People can draw their own opinions on me, discuss how they feel sorry for me, discuss how “hot? I must get in summer, etc. The bottom line is Kev, it is a requirement in our religion, and despite all secondary reasons about modesty, we believe as Muslims, that God has requested this for all pious women. Don’t forget that Orthodox Jewish women cover their hair (often donning wigs instead), and also Christian nuns wear head coverings. Mary mother of Jesus also covered her hair (just look at any painting or statue!). I recently travelled to Europe and viewed first hand many old paintings by which women wear covering their hair. And sure, as you said, people often change and “assimilate? after generations. In Australia, with the rush of Muslim migrants, you can already note that many Muslims are losing their religion (hence many women are no longer are wearing the hijab that identifies them as Muslims). But they are still Muslim. We all want to live together in peace. It is just a small group of so-called Muslims that make it hard for the rest of us. And Kev, I do despise the actions of some of my extremist brethren. They are disgusting. They should never associate their actions with Islam or being a so-called Muslim. VN
I replied
VN Thanks for commenting. Muslem was a typo as I spelt it correctly eight times in the body of the post. Still, it’s bad editing and I apologize. You’re right about not all terrorism being instigated by muslims. The Tamil Tigers are still active but an unfortunate fact of life is that as they don’t attack us they slip below the radar. I do have a friend who is the last of her line courtesy the Tamils. Her parents and brother were slaughtered on the alter of extremism. On your wearing the hijab. It is your choice and I have no problem with that but while it becomes a public debate then some thought and comment from people outside the religion is reasonable. I’m not sure that the muslim woman who decide not to wear the hijab are neccessarily losing their religion. I’m of the opinion that religion needs to move with the times to reflect changing society and maybe they are simply adjusting their dress standards for this reason. It is common for people coming into a new society to change to the dominant norms. When in Rome…. You quote Nuns and Mary, mother of Jesus, as doing similar but the Nuns, in Australia at least, no longer wear habit, let alone a veil and I suggest if Mary were alive today her dress may be more in tune with todays society than one that prevailed two thousand years ago. I was closely involved with the arrival of Greek and Italian peoples coming to Australia after WW2 – my parents even sponsored some. Their matriarchs dressed as they had for centuries in the rural areas of Italy and Greece but view thier grand daughters today…little Miss Aussies all of them. You are obviously educated and confident so do as you believe and do so with my blessing (as if that matters) but watch your daughters and their daughters and tell me in years hence that it isn’t so. Having said all that I still believe there are woman who wear the hijab, not for the most noble of reasons, but for the most ignoble – subjugation. I note that you despise the actions of some of your extremist brethren and can only suggest you do more of what you have done here. Say it often in a public arena and tell your friends to do like wise. It is calming on a troubled day. God bless
General Musings

Tony Kevin loses it at Margo’s

Posted on by
Blackhawk I’ve been reading comments at Margo’s Webdiary and am besides myself with amazement. Tony Kevin posts an article where he finds sinister conspiracies involved with the overflight of two choppers in Canberra. He ponders;
.…..was it designed to create public climates of fear and to frame innocent people in such a climate of fear? ……was it was a terror threat display, government-mounted to impress the visiting premiers? ……or…… if the loaded missiles were armed and what would happen if one of these helicopters were accidentally to crash over populated central Canberra.
He then imagines he is being photographed by the evil ADF
As I wandered thoughtfully down a Red Hill walking track, the helicopters kept circling overhead. I looked up at them – I guess my face could have been photographed then. If I had been carrying my camera, I could have taken photos of the helicopters and their missiles launchers too. But it’s probably a good thing I didn’t. Taking photos of legitimate counter-terrorist government activity might soon be illegal.
One commenter, the irrepressible Bryan Law, thanks one writer for discussing the corporate influences in Australia’s growing militarisation and suggests;
the common task is to transform the Australian military into a first-class non-violent rescue and counter-disaster force, using this fabulous communications capacity, and all the wonderful training, to save lives around the nation and the planet.
Others, with a similar lack of understanding of anything, actually agree and symapthise with Tony as he gets more and more excited about the choppers. Phil Uebergang from Townsville complains about the presence of the military as they train in public view.
I don’t know anyone in the army in Townsville, and most of the people I do know think the noise is annoying and unnecessary. I can’t understand why the armed forces allow these breaches in discipline.
I bet he doesn’t know anyone in the Army in Townsville – they wouldn’t cop him for a moment. Maybe the guys should push the Blackhawkes up the hills to High Range before starting up to save Phil’s senstive feelings. And can’t you just see most of the people he knows sitting around complaining and believing in some strange way that they are better people than the soldiers.
…..we weren’t disputing their need to train, but showing a complete lack of respect for the privacy of a city of 150,000 civilians has nothing to do with training.
Sometimes, the most difficult thing about being a servicemen is knowing these ingrates exist and still get up next morning and train to protect them. I’m sure the pilots in Canberra, back from a standard training mission with ADFA or RMC, would be highly amused to know what fear their overflight had struck in the minds of fools. I recall in the SASR a woman phoned complaining about the noise of the choppers we were deploying on exercise over the sea at Swanbourne The Duty Officer listened politely and just as politely replied “What you are hearing, Madam, is the sound of freedom.” He then hung up and got on with his job of training in the very dangerous environment of Blackhawke night-flights. Tony Kevin should hang up as well.
Defence

Andy climax as Prince refuses security check

Posted on by
PRINCE ANDREW was stopped from boarding a Qantas jet to New Zealand after refusing to be screened by security guards at Melbourne Airport. After a tense stand-off, the Duke of York reluctantly agreed to be searched with a hand-held detector.
Airport and security officials were surprised at Prince Andrew’s actions last Wednesday, believing he would have understood the importance of security in the wake of the London bombings.
I am never surprised by the arrogance of those “born to rule” by an accident of birth.
General Musings

Bali hit again

Posted on by
Terrorists strike again in Bali with Australian dead. Reuters Alert net say at least 12 dead from various countries and 41 injured ABC News reports;
Indonesian authorities have begun investigating three bomb blasts that ripped through crowded restaurants on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, which killed 25 people including at least one Australian.
A DFAT Travel notice has been issued at 03:12:52 AEST Sunday, 02 October 2005. I include that information for the fools who are currently working out how to blame Howard and Downer for the blast. More from DFAT
* One Australian is confirmed dead and nine Australians have been injured, some seriously * Consulate-General staff are at the scene and the Ambassador and other staff from the Embassy in Jakarta are travelling to Bali. * Emergency medical evacuations are being arranged for the most seriously injured * Embassy and Consulate officials are working with Indonesian authorities to establish what other assistance is required.
For an Indonesian perspective go read the Jakarta Post
General Musings

Toad stikes back

Posted on by
Toad Queensland’s gift to Australia, the toad, just keeps on giving. A woman in the Territory comes to grief and is temporarily blinded when killing one of the beasties.
“I hold them just above the knees, I take them to my execution block with my big steel mallet, I flip them onto their back and bash them once and it’s all over, you know, it’s quick and clean,” she said. But this time the slippery pest turned itself over and the weapon came down on the toad’s poison glands, spraying the liquid into Ms Sobeck’s eyes, leaving her virtually blind for 10 hours.
Bad move Ms Sobeck. Never, never pick them up. Get yourself a long range weapon. When I first moved to Brisbane the toads would gather under the street lights in their dozens waiting for flying food packages attracted to the light. Many a lightpole was taken out by drivers trying to run over the gathering and misjudging the swerve factor. My neighbour and I, being patriotic servicemen, took it upon ourselves to help the country and kill as many as we could. It worked as today there are very few around here. Maybe they have all gone to the Territory and NSW but there is hardly a toad to be seen in Brisbane suburbia these days. After a belly full of rum and prime steak consumed at the Saturday night BBQ we would stalk the toads with an air pistol (no your Honour I didn’t say that) and neck shoot them. Worked a treat. I was posted to Townsville and then Swanbourne, WA and on return my neighbour had had discussions with his Honours representatives and was no longer armed with an air pistol. In fact his entire armoury had been purloined, including the .30 cal that he used to try and kill a fruit bat on the wing and unexpectedly misssed and hit the brick along side my upstairs bedroom window. What were you thinking, John? What’s that you say…Bundaberg rum? Anyway we had to de-escalate and took to nine irons or spades. Spades are good…never seen a quadraped hop well with only two legs per body portion. I used to have a cigarette upstairs on the balcony and flick the butt over near any toad I could see on the lawn. The toad would hop over and greedily consume the hot tip and then conduct a try-out for Circus OZ gyrating and double flipping while trying to rid himself of the burning sensation in his stomach . Smoking was definitely bad for the local toads and, like us humans, they never learned. There was always one ready to try the old nicotine. I am an animal lover but draw the line at species that can damage me or my family or who think they are higher up the evolutionary tree than me. I also thinks it’s unpatriotic not take every opportunity to kill feral animals. Pigs are just as bad as toads but don’t have the same PR agent. Feral cats in the bush do terrible damage and so do domestic varieties and rabbits…well I used to make good pocket money killing them on the farm with my Dad’s .22 with the local council’s 5/- (.50c) bounty payable on receipt of two ears and a tail. Now if we can just convince the pigs to move South of the Tweed and west of the Barclay Tableland all will be well again in Paradise. We are such a giving people up here in Queensland.
Uncategorized

Unions have to pay up

Posted on by
The union movement’s challenge to the legality of the Federal Government’s $20 million industrial relations advertising campaign has failed, and the High Court yesterday awarded costs to the Government. Teeheehee.
Mr Combet said he did not believe that the costs, yet to be decided by the court, would be as high as $200,000. Either way the sum is likely to only slightly dent the funds gathered by the unions for a campaign against the Government’s planned changes. It is understood unions have raised $8 million and plan to raise $30 million over three years.
That’s a lot of money to be washed out with the tide as the ALP and the union movement try and do a King Canute. Look up the numbers in the Senate, guys. It’s happening…Australia’s IR laws are moving forward- not marking time or regressing as you would want.
Politics

Grace with a difference

Posted on by
Recently the 8th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment had a reunion and at the reunion dinner the Battalion Padre from Vietnam days was called upon to say grace. By memory a conservative Padre, all were a little shocked and much amused by the following.
Bless the ‘taters, bless the chooks Bless the waiters, bless the cooks Jesus Christ, most devine He who turned water into wine Please bless these simple men Who are about to turn it back again
Uncategorized

Lynndie gets three years

Posted on by
Lynndie has been given a three year jail sentence and the Iraqis are furious.
IRAQIS have expressed fury over the three-year jail sentence for Lynndie England, the US soldier notorious for holding a naked inmate by a leash in Abu Ghraib prison, saying it exposed American hypocrisy.
They said the sentence would have been harsher had she been convicted of abusing Americans. At least according to the News.com report the Iraqi’s are furious but on closer perusal the report actually defines “ the Iraqis ‘ (which you are supposed to read as all Iraqi’s) as four locals. An opinion off the street in Baghdad makes a deceiving headline. All of the Iraqi nation has now been cut to four. Obviously the editor told the hack to get out on the streets and find four locals willing to say they are furious. That’ll do. The hack chose Akram Abdel Amir, a retired bus driver in Baghdad and labourer Muntasser Abdel Moneim for down to earth opinions with Munir Abdel Sahib, a university lecturer and Najaat al-Azawi, 55, a retired engineer for intellectual creditability.
“America should be ashamed of this sentence. This is the best evidence that Americans have double standards,” said Akram Abdel Amir, a retired bus driver in Baghdad.
It’s also the best evidence that the people writing the release have double standards.
“There are Iraqis in jail without any charge, just based on suspicion. But when it comes to Americans, the matter is totally different.”
True, there were, and maybe still are people in jail just based on suspicion but in some cases these suspicions become fact and there were some inmates implicated in blowing up woman and children. Which is obviously nowhere as serious as holding a naked inmate on a leash in Abu Ghraib prison. Fairly balanced reporting.
War on Terror

Crocodile Death: Time to cull

Posted on by
A POST mortem examination has confirmed a British snorkeller was killed by a crocodile off a remote Northern Territory island.
Russell Harris, 37, is thought to have been killed by a four-metre saltwater crocodile as he snorkelled at a popular swimming spot off Groote Eylandt, in the Gulf of Carpentaria, on Saturday.
I often travel to the Territory and my definition of popular swimming spots includes a quick crocodile risk assessment before I get anywhere near the water. Tourists need to know that some locals view these matters with a less than an intelligent outlook.
The death has sparked renewed debate about whether limited safari hunting of some of the NT’s 75,000 crocodiles should be allowed.
So with tens of thousands of the man-eaters swimming in popular swimming spots with locals and tourists, authorities in the Territory have decided to do something about it. Or have they?
The Federal Government is expected to make a decision soon on the NT government proposal, for the trophy hunting of 25 crocodiles a year.
25 a year! That wouldn’t keep one swiming spot safe. The article quotes a population of some 75,000 crocs but that could well be a bureaucratic SWAG (Scientific Wild-Arsed Guess). I would expect more after 30 plus years of ‘they can eat us but we can’t kill them’. The female Saltwater Croc (Crocodylus porosus) lays 40 to 60 eggs each year. Some of these will fall prey to other animals or human egg collectors, however, if even a tenth survive and only 20% of the female population are in breeding age, then the NT plan should make one, and maybe two popular swimming holes safe in ten years time. Bureaucrats and Greenie politicians; much more dangerous than crocs and they can’t even double as a tourist attraction. UPDATE: Another guy taken by a croc, this time at Coboug Peninsular.
The man and his companion were diving near Washon Head on Cobourg Peninsula when the saltie – measuring up to 5m – made its unprovoked attack. His friend surfaced and saw the crocodile before making a frantic phone call to police on a satellite phone about 11.30am.
The problem’s not going away. Maybe tourists need to be given a brochure and forced to read it before leaving the Darwin Airport about how swimming can be fatal in the Territory. Last July I was camped near Whason Head and when we woke in the morning saw crocodile tracks going from a pool past our camp to the beach. They were big and had an impact on our behaviour for the entire time we were in the Territory.
We rest one day and then go for a drive the next. Sand tracks on the beach of a huge crocodile underline the No Swimming rule but old habits die hard and I spend some time in the sea lifting oysters of rocks with my Ka-Bar. My wife panics and mutters something about no fear but I still keep a sharp look out. I understand her fear – I mean with me eaten how would she pack the tent each day. Brian joins me and I gather a dozen or so good size rock oysters from their home and we pig out. I’m here to tell you that if you think the oysters you get at the resturant at Double Bay, or wherever, are great then you haven’t taken them off a rock in a pristine bay and eaten them fresh. I mean 5 seconds fresh – that’s fresh!
Yes I did go in the water but I wasn’t swimming, I was vertical and kept a lookout for the time my feet were wet. I am aware, the tourists aren’t.
General Musings
1 … 160 161 162 163 164 … 228