Guess somebody had to do this

Well I am not that keen on Condi either but she does appear to be doing something right in all this mayhem in the Lebanon. {Source} She gets up my nose at times with her attitude I have to admit especially when she came here not so long ago but that is over now. Maybe George is not that dumb or has realised he cannot leave the Presidency as it is at the moment. We can’t have the United States head Honcho looking stupid even if one likes or hates the bloke.

Big Problem George

Get real Cenk Uygur will you do you seriously think than IRAN will agree to give up nuclear testing weapon inspection and on top of all these no no’s curb Hezbollah! I have never read such garbage in my life. Yeah of course I would like see that as would a lot of other folk around the globe all this mark you on George Bush who doesn’t really know what he’s doing You then compound your error by saying I quote “of course I don’t think he will do it “unquote. {Source} Why the hell write it then I thought you were a responsible journalist it seems not. George will fiddle and fart around here nothing will be gained in fact the way I see it it could make matters far worse than they are at present. He is I read somewhere more or less encouraging Israel; I don’t really blame Israel for striking back being treated the way they are and I reckon always will be. At the same time Israel is causing horrific loss of life in the region Some will say ah the Arabs deserve it not so this mob Hezbollah is just a warlike mob and I guess if Israel had not struck back would have attempted to get rid of Israel altogether and this was publicly stated if you recall. Not many like old George me included but this is a dilemma for him. He has to change his advisors to salvage some self respect as he is fast losing his. Jokes aside he is the leader of a large nation and could maybe pull something out of the bag but I doubt it. If he can pull something out of the bag well it will be a plus for him when he finally goes in 2008 as it stands at the moment in my opinion he may well go down as the worst ever President the USA has had. Personally I don’t really give a damm but it is not a good thing to happen to a leader of a very powerful democracy; shameful in fact. As it is he is still in a very dicey position if the Democrats do favourably in their elections within the Congress of the United States and just maybe get a majority well who knows it all depends on the voters I guess You must stop this senseless mayhem George never mind Iran for goodness sake just try to stop this before it is too late. This could well be the beginning of the end for us on this planet we call home.

You have shamed us Gibbo

After reading this in various news reports from around the world I have to say I apologise for the way this mongrel has conducted himself and not just with his self confessed alcoholism either it was his conduct on being arrested that stuck in my craw to be honest. Not only his disgusting language but his RACISM; it makes it look bad for every other Australian who no doubt enjoy a few grogs of course they do and then as I read on here to my disbelief I found he was actually American born. {source} This actually makes this crime worse in my opinion. An American born person brought up in Australia and then going back to America and acting in this despicable manner makes this all the worse. You Gibbo are a disgrace to ALL of your fellow human beings. Shame on you.

About time this was dropped

Surely there must be far more urgent things to do than keep on with this whole sorry affair; stop the time wasting and MONEY and concentrate on larger problems this was not a problem it was an error that’s all plain and bloody simple. As far as I’m concerned I’m damm certain this poor bloke’s family don’t wish to keep being reminded of this sad episode any longer. The Buck stops with the present incumbent PM (will he or won’t he retire) so Honest John why not do that and stop wasting public monies on this sort of thing hell have you no conscience at all no feelings? Ah yes you have you need to show us your people why you need to be in charge I had forgotten that silly me. Personally although I have read this underlined {report} a lot in my view is just so much bullshit the man was a trained soldier for heavens Sake and in a war zone to boot he would have known all these safety rules regarding firearms. I still recall mine even now from what oh from 48 years ago now. Who do you think you are kidding with this rubbish just let it drop mate and leave this family alone Sounds as though these investigating officers are bullshit artists as well or is it a career they are more interested in; the latter I think. I do hope you read this Kim Beazley opposition leader bring it up in the house would you especially if you wish to get into power again after a very long absence putting up with the clowns we have at the moment.

World’s Biggest Aviation Event

It seems that flying fanatics (count me in I just need the airfare lol) are flocking to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA for an annual fly-in of the Experimental Aircraft this week. The world's biggest aviation event will draw a huge crowd hopefully to Whitman Field; they’ll see 10,000 aircraft from all over the United States, ranging from early biplanes to the latest military jets. Some guy called Paul Poberezny thought of this idea in 1952 so I read here [Aviation ]I recall going every year to the Farnborough Air display with my father each September in the UK which I thought was really beaut as I am mad about space, aircraft and also ships and yep even those old tall ships (I just love them) so I reckon this would be great to go and see. It sure will be a great site I reckon. We certainly have come up in the world in aviation when you consider that the first manned flight took to the air on December 17 at Kitty Hawk field North Carolina USA in1903 until a manned landing on the Moon on July 21 at 0617 Eastern Australian time in 1969. The mind boggles well mine did, still does at all of this and sadly I haven’t the time to put down a lot of other achievements in this field. I will make a mention though of those women who had the courage to take to the skies like Nancy Bird of Australia and Amy Mollison better known as Amy Johnson my Father recalls servicing her aircraft once he told me. Of course there are now many; also there were a lot of Soviet women pilots in WW11; but I digress. So this event will sure to be great to go to. All you lucky folk who will go I just wish I could accompany you ah well one never knows I guess I might catch next year’s. `````````````````````````````````````````

Looky looky the cyber cops are coming what a hoot

This has got to be a hoot surely an ally of America thinks it is spying on them no doubt it is but then they spy on other allied nations as well as the ones that need to be looked at,[Courtesy ] I reckon we all spy on one another myself Rather a bit of the pot calling the kettle black I would have thought. The sub continent needs a close eye on it in my opinion so who can blame Mr Bush from doing this no doubt our AISO is keeping a watchful eye there even if we do play cricket against them. This is of course internet or cyber spying as it seems to be called these unruly days. It seems that the Americans were as astonished as their Indian counter parts. Could this be an act do you think? Possible I reckon yeah you have to think long and hard about that one. Personally I think the alleged spying was too keep an eye on them and not the web. Maybe it is because there are so many Indians in the USA? Well just a thought. In 2004, the alleged defection of Indian agent Rabindra Singh may have concerned the United States who really knows? But whatever besides this cyber spying there are larger issues here let’s face it; India and their foe across the Border Pakistan are both nuclear power countries and need to be watched closely very closely indeed. Both are volatile people. It is a shame that the UK split the sub continent up after WW11 but that was ordained I Believe before the war; it has wreaked havoc there but then the Brits were not too crash hot at governing them either; the good old British Raj; good my eye. No internet then just plain greed by the Brit’s and it is coming back to haunt them as there are many Indians and Pakistanis there now born there as well, And all or most are into the net I bet; this is not to say spying is done though. Think of all the porn peddlers who browse this web they need to be stopped right this second in all countries. Funds have been stolen as can be seen here on [ZD] net. Not just by Indians either it is done by a lot of greedy people so you can't just blame India for that. But folks they also have dare I say it weapons of mass destruction. In my book that means keeping a strict Fatherly eye on them and hell look at Israel in the Lebanon what will happen if some clown uses a nuclear warhead; I have said my piece about those two countries prior to this.

Yeah well.

Its true that I think none of us coalition forces should have gone to Iraq but you know what they say Quote “TO THE VICTOR COMES THE SPOILS” unquote. Who really knows whether the American forces force fed him or not; most of us the great unwashed just have to rely on reports such as these from the media. The man was a tyrant and mass murderer it is to be hoped it will be proved in a courtroom and an IRAQI COURTROOM by the way. Deep down all we wish to see is this bloke brought to justice, this type of thing happens in all wars whether one thinks that we the coalition forces went there and finally found this bloke cowering in a hole or not. He is now being held accountable by the new government of Iraq and it is just too bad for him. Yes I know the United States sold him arms as did the Brits, us Aussies had a deal going with him for the sale of wheat. Whatever; it is just about now done with well almost; folk are still being murdered there everyday. Horrific and so is the cost. I do hope the new Iraqi government is coughing up the cash for this fiasco; a foregone conclusion I reckon. Report courtesy {SMH}

A follow up to my open letter to the Israeli PM

I happened to read this on the John Copeland diary it kind of reinforces what I said on my last post doncha think? E-mail: johncopeland@clara.net - comments welcomed I had an e-mail from an American Jew who was very upset about my critical comments last week on the brutal behaviour of Israel in the current conflict. He wrote: "Consider: As always, you denounce Israel's actions to protect its sovereignty, in this case the kidnapping of one of its soldiers by Hamas. So here's a question for you: Since hostage-taking is universally regarded as an act of war, what "proportionate" action do you propose for Israel?" When I hear about Israel "protecting its sovereignty", I think of similar remarks made by Hitler, attacking neighbouring countries because they supposedly represented a threat to Germany. Stalin was very much in the same mode. Perhaps in any answer we could ask what the sovereignty of Israel actually represents, when it has illegally extended its defined boundaries, occupying Palestinian territory with a brutality that would not have come amiss amongst the Nazis. We could also ask what we are to make of a nation that ignores the resolutions of the United Nations and disregards the judgment of the World Court in building that hideous and cruel wall that has brought so much hardship and distress to the Palestinians. Furthermore, there is the consideration that, according to press reports, Israel is holding hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, all of whom have been given no trial and are being held indefinitely. And finally, is the bombing of civilian targets, banned by international law and the Geneva Convention, as mentioned earlier, a suitable response for the capture of one soldier? Surely not!

An open letter to the Israeli Prime minister.

FOR STARTERS IT’S NO GOOD MAKING COMMENTS LIKE THIS. All here on this report from the {Sydney Morning Herald} I quote” The mandate for this force "will have to include control of the border crossings between Syria and Lebanon, deployment in south Lebanon and support for the Lebanese army," you did get one thing right of course and ask for European troops rather than the United Nations. However it’s not control over border crossings so much as enforcing those crossings and with gunfire if necessary otherwise you may as well have the weak mandate the UN employs. Another factor here is your bold talk about you will allow it; if those countries including the United States decided to just do it what could you in all honesty do? Make press reports? I don’t think so. It is TIME this was stopped by all warring factions including your own so the sooner you think a little and for the safety of the whole world Cease this bloodshed the better. Wake up to yourself your own citizens are in fear of THEIR lives and you have only just now decided a course of action; GET REAL MAN WILL YOU.

The great invite.

I was invited out this Saturday for dinner or supper whatever by my daughter and I have to say it was simply great; I thanked her of course. It was a baked or roast meal of pork, baked potatoes, baked butternup pumpkin (it tasted like it) green garden peas and green garden beans (yes of course the greens were frozen lol) there was also an apple crumble I bought for us both the week before which we forgot to eat then so that was on the menu as well with custard. I was also invited to a BBQ today (Sunday) but it was mysteriously called off; ok well such is life so I may get an early night. Picture below of my nonexistent BBQ. ````````````````````````````````````

Some odd looking Ships/Boats ENJOY

Somebody who shall be nameless sent me these pics via e-mail so I guess I should show them to the world. In actual fact I noticed they originated from a [Yahoo group] called Mumbai Hangout so I must credit them. This is their site I may join well ok look into it at least as I am in rather too many groups and thingies at the moment, although I did find a good one courtesy of a friend and joined it called FreeCycle; I recommend it as well; it has all different categories as some are buy and sell I noticed; a darned good idea in my opinion in all categories. Odd and different yes which makes a change from my usual rants on politics and needless wars going on at the moment. This last one looks like a Submarine good old Photo Shop at work there I reckon. All pictures are bigger if clicked upon. ````````````````````````````````

Slave labour in Good old Oz never

Yep according to this news [item ] a bloke is in the jug for doing it greedy bastard. Owns four restaurants; I don’t wonder at it if he has slave labour doing his work. This kind of thing does happen here I discovered once but now it is getting hard for greedy blokes like Yogalingham Rasalingam I’m wondering here if he has permanent residency himself or is even an Australian citizen still I guess that will come out at his trial. If he is a naturalised citizen and is found guilty methinks he should be stripped of it and deported back from whence he came namely the sub continent and let them have him why should the taxpayer pay to keep him in gaol is my thinking. Of course on the other hand he may well be found innocent but after reading this from the SMH I don’t think so. Who knows? His alleged Slave had to work 11 hours a day with no pay and no hope of getting out of his predicament; this joker held his passport I gathered.

My mind is not with it today

Well it was with great interest that I read this in Nostradamus online gosh did we have the net then lol. It is true that a lot of these so called predictions have come true but then again you have to know how to interpret them or so I was told; written in riddles and called Quatrain’s he was worried about things like the inquisition grabbing him; how do we really know this? I don’t know but this passage from [Nostradamas] caught my eye in a big way. (Century VII, Quatrain 41) The presidents of the United States, a supposedly free country, have been abusing their power to an increasingly greater extent. During a time of social unrest even more so than the period of Vietnam and Watergate, the Electoral College will be evenly split over the election of the new president. The process will stalemate, with many people clamoring for whichever candidate they voted for, causing enormous tension in the country. There was no United States when these verses were written and this bloke Nostro while it seems from the way things are going on in the world to be almost stating facts died in 1566 so he must have had incredible FORSIGHT simply incredible I wish I had it as I would be fairly comfortable in my twilight years as its termed today instead of relying on a pension from the State. Matter of fact the United States came into being on 1776 {seven years before Britain recognised the fact in 1783} when the 13 colonies declared independence from Great Britain just look at [Wiki] for the details. I know that a lot of us are naïve at times but this surely is going a tad far! Personally I think it’s a load of old crud thrown upon us by somebody writing a book well money talks as they say. I tell you what how the hell I got onto this subject I don’t know as I was searching for something else to write about. Oh well another day for that I guess.

This day in history

A day I shall never forget ever. On the twentieth of July 1969 (the twenty first here in Australia and the UK I guess)I I was just working at my usual boring job setting up automatic lathes to make screws stuff like that but 384,400 km [approximately 239.000 miles] away a much more interesting thing was happening. So interesting that in fact I walked off the job at midday and went home to watch the historic event on TV of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon. Now kindly thanks to the BBC UK news I can watch it again on [here]. In fact there are three videos of this on this report if you wish to watch them; it brought back a few memories to me I can tell you. There is also a lot of info regarding all the moon landings on here and makes for very [interesting] reading especially if you are a space fanatic like me. I just wish my father had been able to watch it with me as he actually came into contact with some later astronauts whilst working at the Folland Aircraft Company in the UK the original makers of the Hawker Harrier (later taken over by the Hawker Aircraft Company). His very words to me one time was “those guys can fly anything” and he of course was correct I mean look what they flew. The words Tranquility Base the Eagle has landed will always be remembered by me as are Neil Armstrong’s famous words that’s one small step for Man one giant leap for Mankind and how very true. Kindly sourced from the BBC UK and the West Australian government.

A shocking tale for sure

This guy wrongly convicted and what’s more incarcerated for 23 years what a terrible thing to happen, how you ask the DNA used to convict him all those years ago was the wrong DNA it was not his at all. This is not the first time this has happened either as I read once of a similar occurrence in the UK the police were adamant the accused was the criminal and he did time for it; it took an American team to find out the truth. But this guy well the mind [boggles] 23 years and it wasn’t him at all. Seems he is eligible for up to $48.000 for each year he was wrongly locked up only up to you notice and then conditions apply to get this he must agree not to file suit. He surely will need advice on that one. Racial overtones stick out here I reckon it allegedly occurred in a southern state and yep you got it in one the poor guy was a darker shade of pale. Obviously there has to be more to this story than what is in this report but a wrongful conviction stinks in my book. Me I would say the hell with you I am filing suit he may just get the $48.000 for each year then and I would want it tax free as well.

A normal thing in today's society sadly

STUDENTS will be banned from buses and trains if they don't give up their seats for elderly passengers under new rules which come into effect in [New South Wales] today. The last time I took a train ride in suburban Sydney many years ago most kids had their feet on other seats as well; usually with their shoes still on. Warnings will be issued over loud speakers at stations advising students they face losing their concession passes for disrespectful behaviour. Under the rules, students will be forced to vacate seats for the elderly and frail and for pregnant women. This was unnecessary when I was a child I did it anyway; I was brought up that way and possibly some children today are. As soon as they get to school that is thrown out the window; now we have days like help the elderly or help a young Mother with her baby stroller down steps etc but the next day all is forgotten and life goes on in the twenty first century like it is doing and will in my opinion only get worse It will get worse well it is in a lot of places students with firearms stuff like that so sadly we are getting out of control. One can comment on this site directly to the [source] also as well as on my Blog.

Battlefield Academy

I must admit I found this interesting to read and play why don’t you try it? I am now off to try it [see] how I go lol. Good luck

Welcome home you guys

Glad you made it back to good old Earth safely. It seems from this [report] courtesy of the UK BBC news some very complicated manoeuvres they are pictured on this report are performed to ensure it can descend and land safely and makes a worthwhile read for folk interested in Space and the Space programme You are down now so that is the main thing and your families need worry no more. I did read somewhere that the Russian Space Agency is going to charge a fee for future visits to the ISS, seems as bit crook to me somehow. There is a video of it landing on this report as well with views from the shuttle as well as from outside it. Guess they are or will be celebrating after their debriefing! I know I would.

Good news we all hope

Good news all round for the crew of the Discovery when it was found to be free of defects thus allowing it to return to the Earth no doubt to the relief of the Astronaut’s loved ones. Bon voyage from the ISS and a safe touch down. My thoughts will be with you and I’m sure many other folk feel the same way. An intriguing article to read from the Brisbane Courier Mail.[On the way home]

Where is King Solomon

The Interests Behind Hezbollah I received this in my E-mail box and decided to post it as I don't agree with these statements made by Hezbollah. We have to try and do something about this situation in my opinion so are you reading this Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair And also my own PM whom I have little regard for Mr.Howard. Who has what interests in the escalation of violence in the Middle East following a phase of relative quiet? An analysis by Deutsche Welle's Mideast expert Peter Philipp (dc). Hezbollah was founded in 1982 by Iran and Syria in order to fight the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. Members and followers recruited the new organization from the Amal movement -- the traditional but economically bankrupt political party representing the Shia community, Lebanon's largest religious bloc. The Iranian dream It's significant that Hezbollah was founded during a meeting at the Iranian embassy in Beirut. Iran has always tried to gain influence in Lebanon, and had even dreamed of being able to proclaim a second Islamic Republic there with the help of the Lebanese Shiites. That didn't happen, but 1982 did nonetheless offer an opportunity, with help of the Shiite militia, to hit back at the hated enemy, Israel. Iran and Syria -- bound since the days of the Iran-Iraq war -- began to systematically build up Hezbollah. The "Party of God" received weapons, training and money from Iran, and Syria participated. For both countries, Hezbollah became a welcome instrument to do things they weren't ordinarily prepared to do for reasons of diplomacy or domestic security. Attacks by Syrian troops on the Israeli military, or the appearance of Iranian troops in Lebanon would have been perceived as acts of war -- and not just by Israel -- and would have drawn tough military consequences. But if Hezbollah were to carry out such attacks, then it would fall into the category of a legitimate and uncontrollable act of resistance by an armed militia. Goal: Israel's destruction In that respect, nothing changed when Hezbollah began to portray itself as a political party. Today, it's represented in the Lebanese parliament and in the governing coalition. Even Israel's retreat from Lebanon six years ago did nothing to change the situation: Hezbollah sees itself -- thanks mainly to Tehran -- as an ally of Islamist groups under the Palestinians. It has already trained Hamas militants, with whom it shares a single goal: The liberation of Jerusalem, or in other words, the destruction of Israel. This goal is identical to that of Hezbollah's patrons, Syria and Iran. In the Syrian capital, the exiled leader of Hamas, Khaled Mashal, has taken up residence. From there, he still actively works to prevent the elected Hamas government from changing course toward more conciliatory politics. And even though Syria had to retreat from Lebanon a year ago, it still remains present there via a strong ally: Hezbollah. A chance to interfere Iran is only too thankful for this opportunity: Hamas, but more so Hezbollah, has given Tehran the ability to directly get involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, without getting its own fingers burned. And it is surely no coincidence that the Syrian-Iranian engagement got bigger right at the moment when -- before the kidnapping of the soldier Gilad Shalit -- signs were pointing to a rapprochement between Fatah and Hamas. The kidnapping of soldiers in the Gaza Strip and on the Lebanese border is a tried and tested means of preventing any peace in the region. Damascus and Tehran don't want Israel -- something that can be heard from President Ahmadinejad on an almost daily basis. Nothing would upset them more than a gradual calm and normalization. Violent exchanges, on the other hand, keep the conflict simmering. They claim new victims, fortify the fronts, and strengthen the resolve on both sides. Syria and Iran have used Hezbollah to set a trap for Israel -- and without great foresight, Israel has fallen into it. Those who demand violent solutions cannot truly have an interest in peace. No olive branch here has been offered I notice so what’s new! What happened to discussion and then action on that discussion as all people in this world of ours are slowly but surely slipping into the path of destruction. [***PEACE IS WHAT WE DESIRE NOT WARLIKE ACTION***] Only a fool could not recognise this and I for one am glad I don’t live in that part of the world but sorry for those that do with maniacs like this and these statements of warlike intent. I myself am not a Jew but what a terrible thing for these folk to read that the goal of Hezbollah is the destruction of Israel. Is it any wonder that the Jews are fighting back and may I remind you Hezbollah they may have killed innocents to protect their so small a country but so [***HAVE YOU***].

Well I’ll be blowed

This is one thing that had not really occurred to me at all. It seems the President of the USA George. W. Bush has a blog supposedly of his own and has in fact been asked by the CIA to close it down in the interests of national security. This was in 2004 so he may have done so now. Well it was still active on December 17 2005 here is the {address} signs it Dubya as well lol. Maybe a lot of you good folk out there knew this but I sure didn’t. I suppose the CIA asked him to get rid of it in 2004 for security reasons. Yes I guess he is known for the odd inopportune remark well that’s an understatement of course but as with all of us surely he has a private life and if he wants to blog it that’s entirely his business. I can however understand that to a very large extent he could disclose vital info as was suggested by John E. McLaughlin who at the time was the acting CIA director. All up I don’t think he is as stupid as he is portrayed; I myself am guilty of calling him stupid but in a democratic country I guess its allowed as I sound off at my Head Honcho a fair bit. I have now been wondering {and searching} to see if Queen Elizabeth the second has a blog but no luck so far although she does have an ipod and an {official} [website]. Back to George yes he has an {official}[website] but I knew this as I guess a lot of you out there in cyber space did. Nice to know you are a blogger mate I do hope you read other blogs especially the ones who are very disgruntled with you. I guess you have an ipod as well Huh! ah well most of us have these days. You have been blogging a lot longer than me soooo any tips mate? Ah good on ya George you have to have a little hobby. source from the Onion

Another war profiteer surely not.

This bloke lives it up throwing a ten million party last year and according to a retired USMC Colonel said the Pentagon hired him instead of spreading the contract around between quite a few companies; his pay skyrocketed to 70 Million Dollars a year meanwhile for the first nine months of the war American forces were in the main without state of the art body armour[Alternet] for nine months; hell I just can’t imagine a sum that vast. So does this means lives could have been saved I think so. Too much of this goes on and not just in the USA either; personally it makes me sick to the stomach. Most folk are either earning a decent wage or battling it out on social security and this bloke rakes in so much its unreal and has the hide to throw huge bashes in NYC. Still investigations are now underway; no doubt he will slither out of all this. Most of them cut some deal or other. And does POTUS care I think not. ````````````````````````````````````````````````

"Mosquito Wing' flies high for Air Force team"

And to think when I was a boy of 15 I myself was stationed there at RAF Cosford in Wiltshire UK for a few months. Times have changed there I bet I managed some gliding there on Sundays. The championships were held at Cosford it seems. Well done Duchala as it seems you put the effort in and won and by a fair margin as well it seems from this report by 36 and a half metres. The 1500 metres race is a difficult one as I know to my cost being an athlete at that age well I started out younger than that and you did as well it seems. But you still pulled off a win for the USAF so I thought I would post this plucky effort on my Blog even though it made news in your own country. WELL DONE MOSQUITO. Report courtesy of the USAF [MILITARY] news. ``````````````````````````````````````

And now Wingboat a revamped technology

All sounds a bit farfetched I know but after hover crafts it is not, this system was actually used in Moscow during the cold war; costs ran into millions I believe. The wing stands for wing-in-ground-effect known as a wingboat American, Australian and Russian experience will be used on this new venture. At speeds of up to five times more than conventional craft and with large savings in fuel costs it is expected to be operational within three years. Course we already have one lol what’s new there? Seriously we do. I wonder what the return fare will be as the last I heard it was around £80 just to use the Channel tunnel you will have to work out yourself how much that is in American or Australian dollars. suggested reading [Epoch Times] [Time Magazine ]

Told Youse I just knew it.

That back-pedalling no good smooth talking Howard just got himself out of it again. I don’t know what goes on between them two but it’s not like Costello[Sydney Morning Herald] to back off although he has before. There is a video on The [TELEGRAPH] Probably because the Election is looming; I can’t wait to cast my vote that’s for sure and it won’t be for the Liberal/National coalition parties. Both parties are conservative that means good people if you are out of work, on a low wage or a pensioner you will feel the pinch. Your savings are at risk if you have any left now that is! Just read here on the [ABC] they are trying like hell to merge again in Qld to my utter disgust. Just looking at them makes me want to puke.

Aussie war games Costello style

I myself recall John Howard saying this on TV why all the fuss and ado. I am not in love with him or his policies but I assure you good people of our country Costello would be far worse much worse. Cast your minds back when Bob Hawk was the PM once Keating took over from him nothing was the same; Paul Keating was a fine treasurer and in the end a fine PM. Not so with this smirking schoolboy Costello all he is interested in is how to get rich and to make conservatives richer at the behest of the Aussie battler and pensioners. Better the devil we have now than the one we could get. Mind you it may not pan out that way as Costello is despised whereas Howard is tolerated. He was once belittled I agree but he was not so bad a treasurer not the best of course but as PM a lot of the world respect him I don’t like any conservative government myself never have but that is my opinion; all the same Howard is doing a pretty competent job and I hate admitting that. Costello yeah well to me he’s a jumped up smirking crud and woe betide Australia if he ever becomes PM which is on the cards as the truth will out as Howard did say that about retiring on the 7.30 report with Kerry O’Brien. Still it could be the liberal party’s death knell for yet another term as Costello is not a popular man.

Walking in space.

Seems the cost of walking in space is exorbitant one suit alone costs $12 million can they be used by other astronauts at a later date? According to this report yes and this was years ago and a Russian suit so things have improved by now as shown. This suit has all mod cons built in of course including water to drink cooling system etc etc. If you wish to see the video footage of the space walk from Discovery look no further than here. For the complete lot of clips this is a good one to click I reckon I only wish it was me and I kid you not. Surely if the U S Government can afford that they could spend more making life easier for its citizens starting with the ones that are not that well off financially. Still it’s in our nature to be inquisitive so I guess if we want to walk around in a near vacuum the price has to be paid. This one is a prototype of a suit to be worn on the surface of Mars this was taken two years ago in yep South Australia doncha just love the patches on the arms I do look out NASA lol. sources BBC

The Stalker

Just imagine yourselves on a houseboat holiday/vacation and thinking you were being stalked by a huge Saltwater Crocodile well Peter Horn and his wife Jane and their two young children got the fright of their lives seeing this huge and not so Timorous Beastie. Seems they were anchored only a few meters away from it and had been for a few days. Reckoned to be over 6.5 metres (21.32 feet) long and a metre (3.28 feet) wide it sure must have been a worrying sight for them; these Salties as they are known colloquially are also man-eaters, very worrying but. His Daughter said it would make a fierce pet and I agree. I don’t really wish to be a killjoy but I reckon it was the Saltie’s territory where they anchored personally still life is full of surprises in Australia’s top end as its known. `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

WHALE WATCHING IN HERVEY BAY, AUSTRALIA

Just three and a half hours driving North from Brisbane is the city of Hervey Bay, gateway to Fraser Island and now famous as the Whale Watch Capital of the World, on a par with Churchill I guess as the Polar bear capital of the world. A trip amongst the Humpback whales is a fantastic experience. Just Imagine the fifth largest of the families of whales on this planet , 15 metres long , 45 tonnes in weight ( an equivalent of 11 elephants or 600 persons) with pectoral fins of 10 metres , leaping almost clear of the water in an awesome display of power. They may approach a vessel with incredible gentleness, just to check us humans out, sometimes staying up to an hour. Humpback whales migrate between their feeding grounds of Antarctica and the Great Barrier Reef, where they mate and breed. On their return journey they enter Hervey Bay and spend between 3 and 5 days resting or feeding their new born calves, safe from pack-shark attack and Killer Whales, before commencing the 5000 km trek down south. If the Japanese finally get their way this could be pretty hazardous for these huge creatures. At least in Australian waters they are protected but in Antarctica well even though the Japanese lost their bid to resume whaling next year with its round of talks could well change that. The reason for this migration is simple: while their food supply (krill) is in Antarctica, Humpback whales must give birth in warm waters, as the calves are born without blubber, the layer of fat that protects them from the icy waters. When feeding, a female whale can produce up to 600 litres of milk a day and the calf gains weight at a rate of 45 to 60 kg per day. A lot of milk for sure. Whale watching in Hervey Bay is unique. The waters are protected by Fraser Island, the largest sand Island in the world and with clear sunny days with an average temperature of 22 degrees Celsius make it an entertaining yet educational day, as all vessels offer commentary from experienced crews. They will tell you that Humpback whales do not feed whilst on migration (5 months), but when they do they eat up to 1,500 kg of krill each day, they can also sing without vocal cords and a recording of their song is on board Voyager II, now on a billion year journey to outer space. Simply amazing huh?. The Dolphin is also a very frequent visitor to our coasts as well and you can see many of them at Tin Can Bay on the way to Hervey Bay.

Oddities I noticed in the news.

Good Morning all
A Brit motorist thought this one up; a novel scheme to avoid payment when he was given a speeding fine - simply switch the road signs. Yeah good thinking but as usual he got found out lol. He had been snapped by a speed camera breaking the 30 miles per hour (50 km per hour) limit. So he went to a 40 mph (65 kph) area, removed a red "40" warning sign, drove back to the 30 mph area, attached it to a lamp post and took a photo as "proof" that his offence of driving at 48 mph (77 kph) had not been so bad. However, suspicion soon arose when other drivers started querying the sign. “A stupid act, bound to fail," said his Honour Judge Anthony Ensor at Manchester Crown Court. A stiff sentence as well still you can’t blame the guy from trying especially when some of these Radar traps we have in OZ are at times faulty. He was ordered to serve a weekend sentence of 28 weeks which requires him to spend his weekends behind bars and told to pay £2.763 ($6.880) in legal costs. About time the Brits stopped using Miles and used the Metric system properly and forget the old Imperial measures IMO but. `````````````````````````````````````````````` What have we here lol Portuguese police nab runaway roo. Portuguese police have captured a Kangaroo that had been on the loose in suburban Lisbon for three days after escaping from a farm where it was being held illegally as a pet. As usual Police believed it was a mistake, when first told that a kangaroo had been spotted near Lisbon, on Sunday morning. And wanted the info confirmed but the funniest thing I thought were the authorities checking to see if it was an endangered species. What a hoot we have thousands of them here wild even though they have decreased with drought conditions as so ably put by the Australian ABC. And a very interesting article to read. ``````````````````````````````````````````````` Man has 7 kids to 7 mums in 7 years This little gem of info was found courtesy of the London Daily Telegraph. Via this report. Dubbed Britain's worst father and having six children by six mothers and never paid a penny in child support. Now this joker has done it again -- making it seven children by seven girls in as many years. Unemployed, refuses to wear a condom and had his first child at 15, said: "It's easy. They never say no. Some do sport never fear; to me he is just a bludger on society and no Tony Blair he won’t get in here "Seems he’s got another one on the way due in August and looking forward to it" He won the dubious title of Britain's most loathed father last year after boasting he had never paid a penny in child support to any of the mothers of his children, who were swiftly dumped after they became pregnant. Most of the mothers are in their teens and he has not seen them or their children since ending their relationships. Three of the girls were expecting at the same time. I won't say what I think should happen to him but you can guess folks I am sure. Next month he is to become a father again -- this time with a teenager. A convicted criminal, he wastes away his days drinking and playing poker machines with his $600-a-month jobseekers' allowance. His trail of babies is thought to be costing taxpayers more than $150,000 a year. As well as picking up his jobseekers' allowance, each mother is entitled to income support, child tax credit and child benefits. “HE’S A MONGREL IS WHAT HE IS” Just goes to show that the social welfare has nasties as well as goodies; maybe our esteemed PM John Howard is right as it happens just the same in this country. ````````````````````````````````````

The Great Petroleum Hike in Prices

What the devil is wrong with this Loonie who runs the shebang in North Korea? Why is he doing all this rocket firing? Is it to prove a point if that is the case what is this point as it’s got me stumped? Seems to me he is acting like a Megalomaniac nah thinking a tad more about it he is a MEGALOMANIAC. What I don’t quite understand is why it is pushing up petrol prices in Australia. but I do now have an idea after this report I read And according to this report President Bush seems to think there is not much to worry about, but is concerned all the same; but that’s not what I read earlier. Something else has provoked this maniac to do this; maybe he just wishes to make his authority known who knows but as a simple citizen of a country very close to North Korea I feel worried about this very much and I hear our erstwhile PM has cancelled a trip there. It does appear that instability can push up the price of oil after all This matter can and must be resolved as it is bringing instability to the region well the whole world. ```````````````````````````````````````````

Dedicated to the Shuttle and the USA

Risk of death, Physical torture, Psychological torture, Involving digestive products. Yes good peoples all the above apply to Astronaut's or Cosmonaut's. Many folk may have the impression that being an Astronaut is the best job in the solar system; well it does carry the ultimate risk as we know. But setting aside the mortal danger it's still a job of great frustration, self- sacrifice even debasement. Astronauts are subjected to the most arduous of tasks: sitting in high-G centrifuges so that doctors can study motion sickness, deliberately enduring hypothermia for hours on end, wearing rectal probes (not for me thank you) and central IV lines in all forms of stress training like so many guinea pigs. Shuttle and Mir veteran Norm Thagard once objected to a study designed to make him wretchedly sick; NASA's response? "They said I could be fired for good cause, bad cause or no cause," says Thagard, "but I was required to participate as a condition of employment." Thagard also had the distinction of being the first person ever to clean out animal cages in orbit, on the Spacelab 3 in 1985. Engineers promised him that the cages would be at negative pressure, so none of the weightless waste of 24 rats and 2 squirrel monkeys would escape. But when Thagard opened the cages, air rushed outward, leading to a desperate hunt for the floating feces. A day later, at the other end of the craft, Commander Bob Overmeyer was accosted by a wayward huge turd wafting through the station. Yeah well not my scene at all so it seems these Astronauts see both ends of the spectrum. And their families like parents, wives, children, and girlfriends/boyfriends whatever must go through some terrible stresses/traumas waiting for their loved ones to return to Terra Firma intact. How on earth they cope is beyond me; I vividly recall some years ago now when I went for a trip in a hot air balloon, my wife’s face got smaller and smaller until it became a blur; when I returned she rushed over and her first words were I never thought you would come back; of course I stupidly laughed; (I sincerely regretted saying that really and apologised) I got an ear bashing for that so if she worried about that what the hell would she have been like if I had zoomed into space? So I feel for all the families of any Astronaut deeply. I did read that fights could break out on a lengthy trip such as going to Mars and knowing human nature this is a distinct possibility. `````````````````````````` Getting away from stress for the moment it has been suggested many times that America did not land upon the moon; personally I don’t believe that for a moment. However I did read on this site and countless more I have looked at that more or less disputes that fact, you will have to read or scroll down to the last paragraph in which even Neil Armstrong admitted certain things were asked him re-the moon and agreed that was so but of course he never actually admitted much about the landing on the moon, as he supposedly said his job was on the line. I do wonder at the last 30 odd words though and have reproduced them here. Now of course it looks like the race to Mars has begun. But if you look at the facts you really have to wonder: Has man made it to the moon yet? `````````````````````````````````

The King is dead (hopefully) long live the King

Look out Mr. Howard you and your smirking offsider Costello may be due for a rude shock Your downfall hopefully; I and millions of other Australians certainly hope so. You could well have stuffed up; now I am not saying that you have been a bad Prime minister these are rare occasions of course;VERY RARE although you still have the usual politician’s nasty habit of lying through your teeth; oh boy do you ever, but maybe this will ease the fears of most workers and pensioners a tad ,I put that wrong as a hell of a lot of us want our fear's relieved maybe then that Costello character may finally vanish as a threat to us pensioners and workers (usually called battlers here) as even though us older people received a bonus you guys just about take the cake with your pay rises and publicly subsidised Booze and tucker in Canberra, a follow on from your UK counterparts no doubt. Did you really think you had us fooled because you didn’t what with publicly subsidised travel in the ACT which has been a rort for years. Both main political parties knew and condoned that naturally so I guess you should not take all the blame for that. Why should the rest of Australia pay for that; you compounded that error by uniting with the President of the United States and committed our troops to a war which we the public did not want. Still now there is a ray of hope for us now. I just hope that little ray multiplies so I think I may have a beer on it a premature celebration. ```````````````````````````````````

Poor Old Britain.

I see that the citizens of the UK are actually enjoying a little of our Aussie weather while it seems to be getting cooler here but then it is midwinter. I just looked at my thermometer and its registering 15degrees Celsius still it will soon warm up again in the morning. I feel for the babies and the elderly of course as high temperatures can be a killer, but it should be ok for the average person. Still I guess if you are not used to it; it can become bothersome. The floods seem crook over there as well so I have just sent this article I read to a friend from Melbourne as she is going there soon for a holiday; this month in fact so I hope it holds for her as it can get quite cold down in Melbourne I assure you. Have a Good holiday Jan and enjoy yourself over there especially your trip to the Emerald Isle. ``````````````````````````````````````````````

So what’s new

It appears that women were abused even in the Stone Age and killing was rife; nothing new in that then and here is silly old me thinking it was only in our day or age it happened, so this naturally came to my attention. So those cavemen stories about men dragging their women folk along by their hair while wielding a club seems to be true; nothing has changed much really just fists, iron bars, slabs of wood, firearms are now used now. on a survey of the Neolithic age in Great Britain. Why it was and still is called Great is a bit of a misnomer really when you think just how small the country was and still is. `````````````````````` It happened in Ancient Egypt so I read as well and there appears to be more evidence in the case of the Ancient Egyptians I guess Sherlock Holmes and his offsider Dr Watson would have had a field day. The pattern of injuries suggests that they were the result of injuries to a women yep we sure have changed a lot I don’t think. And yet at the same time oddly enough The ancient Egyptians respected the status of women and admitted their role on an equal footing with men they even had queens. If you are interested in Ancient Egyptian culture it might pay to read this; I myself found it quite interesting. And modern Egyptian women even have full political rights now and rightly so as it took long enough for western modern women to obtain those rights but at least they got them well before modern day Egypt; That is another story for another day