Listening to a segment on morning radio titled 'how do you deal with Mormons' driving to work today, I was reminded of a visit from the Mormons that I had over 5 years ago, at a previous residence. The results from the callers to the station ranged from suitably polite, through mildly impolite, to spectacularly bad-taste.
The Mormons that came to my door offered me a copy of their Book of Mormon, which I took. They did return a week or so later asking "Are you going to join us?"
"No fellas, I haven't read all of your book yet..." They seemed a little dismayed. Which I thought they'd have been used to after fifteen months of their mission. I wonder what their success rate is? Long story short, we moved a few weeks later and I never saw them again. I've still got their Book of Mormon, though. Still mostly unread.
The Mormons haven't come to the new place in 5 years, but the Seventh Day Adventists have been a couple of times. One pair landed on Easter Sunday, so I wished them a happy Easter, partly realising they don't necessarily partake of Easter as Catholics do. The other family called by a couple of times, until they were told Catholicism Lives Here, and will do so for a long time to come.
To an extent, its the Catholic Missionary taken to grass roots in a community with an already-established religious bent. Can Mormon missions be compared to Catholic missionaries of the 1800's, preaching and converting Africa, Amazonian tribes, etc?
Insert tagline here...
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Michael Corleone says "hello"....
When making a donkey's head for The Boy's nativity play at school, isn't it natural to be side-tracked into the Godfather? Though Khartoum was a little less comical in his effect.
Insert tagline here...
*Actual size = 70mm nose to ear
Insert tagline here...
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Let's Mess with Texas
I read this article on the Sydney Morning Herald website this morning, and had to marvel at what a system the US education board setups are. To learn a little more, read the Wiki articles on US Education, School Board and School District. In the District article, it notes that Texas has a unique setup. This is also noted here.
"Texas — Here, "Independent" denotes that the district is separate from any county- or municipal-level entity. All of the state's school districts, with only one exception (Stafford Municipal School District), are independent of any municipal or county control. Moreover, school district boundaries rarely coincide with municipal limits or county lines. Most districts use the term "Independent School District" in their name; in the few cases where the term "Common School District" is used the district is still an independent governmental entity."
Texan School Districts are actively independent, answering to none but themselves it appears. And the power they wield seems very strong, as the reference to textbooks and other states following suit would attest. As for the curriculum, one new board member refers to changes being made as 'corrections'.
"Those corrections prompted a blizzard of accusations of rewriting history and indoctrinating children by promoting right-wing views on religion, economics and guns while diminishing the science of evolution, the civil rights movement and the horrors of slavery."
It continues: "Several changes include sidelining Thomas Jefferson, who favoured separation of church and state, while introducing a new focus on the ''significant contributions'' of pro-slavery Confederate leaders during the civil war. Study of Sir Isaac Newton is dropped in favour of examining scientific advances through military technology.
The education board has dropped references to the slave trade in favour of calling it the ''Atlantic triangular trade'', and recasts the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as driven by Islamic fundamentalism."
They're very savage 'corrections'. Dilution and rewriting of history, selective quoting and paraphrasing of historical events, non-separation of church and state, and a belief in the US as the worlds moral flagship are all on the cards. There are glaringly obvious things there that are seemingly at odds with a christian viewpoint of morals and ethics, even as I have been taught and shown to understand them. Can someone explain how slavery was a positive act of history?
And of course, underlying all this is the Intelligent Design or Creationism argument that is ever so popular among the US christian movements. While many are happy to tout the line "teach ID and evolutionary science side by side", the reality seems to be "teach ID, mention evolution as an alternative...in that order".
I often wonder whether fundamentalists would get voted in if everyone was obliged to vote on matters such as this. It possibly reflects a lack of care, or more likely an over-zealousness on the part of the religious elements, that this is even happening in the first place.
Insert tagline here...
"Texas — Here, "Independent" denotes that the district is separate from any county- or municipal-level entity. All of the state's school districts, with only one exception (Stafford Municipal School District), are independent of any municipal or county control. Moreover, school district boundaries rarely coincide with municipal limits or county lines. Most districts use the term "Independent School District" in their name; in the few cases where the term "Common School District" is used the district is still an independent governmental entity."
Texan School Districts are actively independent, answering to none but themselves it appears. And the power they wield seems very strong, as the reference to textbooks and other states following suit would attest. As for the curriculum, one new board member refers to changes being made as 'corrections'.
"Those corrections prompted a blizzard of accusations of rewriting history and indoctrinating children by promoting right-wing views on religion, economics and guns while diminishing the science of evolution, the civil rights movement and the horrors of slavery."
It continues: "Several changes include sidelining Thomas Jefferson, who favoured separation of church and state, while introducing a new focus on the ''significant contributions'' of pro-slavery Confederate leaders during the civil war. Study of Sir Isaac Newton is dropped in favour of examining scientific advances through military technology.
The education board has dropped references to the slave trade in favour of calling it the ''Atlantic triangular trade'', and recasts the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as driven by Islamic fundamentalism."
They're very savage 'corrections'. Dilution and rewriting of history, selective quoting and paraphrasing of historical events, non-separation of church and state, and a belief in the US as the worlds moral flagship are all on the cards. There are glaringly obvious things there that are seemingly at odds with a christian viewpoint of morals and ethics, even as I have been taught and shown to understand them. Can someone explain how slavery was a positive act of history?
And of course, underlying all this is the Intelligent Design or Creationism argument that is ever so popular among the US christian movements. While many are happy to tout the line "teach ID and evolutionary science side by side", the reality seems to be "teach ID, mention evolution as an alternative...in that order".
I often wonder whether fundamentalists would get voted in if everyone was obliged to vote on matters such as this. It possibly reflects a lack of care, or more likely an over-zealousness on the part of the religious elements, that this is even happening in the first place.
Insert tagline here...
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Doctor Henry Marsh
Tuesday nights on SBS at the moment are medical night, starting with "Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery", a very informative show. But last night I caught the better part of a documentary called "The English Surgeon" which was screened later in the night.
The central subject is Dr. Henry Marsh, a British neurosurgeon who has been making trips, in his own spare time, to the Ukraine to assist an out-of-the-box doctor named Igor Kurilets. I use the term more for his treatment setup than his personality. He works in a country historically dogged by the Communist regime and its manifold ways and structures that have left it with a health system, among other systems, that many western nations would consider barely functioning.
Unfortunately I missed the beginning of the show, unaware that it was on. I was hooked once I stumbled across it, even though it was a quarter done. In one of the first scenes I caught it showed Dr. Marsh, annoyed at the bureaucratic tangle of the UK health system, leaving his computer and stalking off to cool down. He explains to the camera once at home that he is taking medical equipment to the Ukraine on his next trip, displaying drill bits that the UK system disposes of after one use. They have a plastic insert, so cant be re-sterilised, and at £80 for each one, he estimates that they use, in his hospital alone, 10 of them each week. And then they throw them out. £800 a week, £4000 a year, more or less. He and Igor open one up after he arrives in the Ukraine, remove the plastic insert, sterilise it, and it is soon put to good use with a Ryobi cordless drill to remove a brain tumour from a young man suffering epileptic fits.
Dr. Marsh himself proved to be fascinating man of some depth. Throughout the documentary, a young girl named Tanya is mentioned. His face and speech seem to change whenever she is discussed. Dr. Marsh had bought her to the UK a few years before the documentary was shown to remove a tumour that had paralysed the side of her face, after Moscow and Kiev surgeons said it was inoperable. He looked and sounded genuinely haunted by the fact that Tanya had suffered as a result of what he had done. Her quality of life suffered after two operations he performed on her, her death seemingly inevitable by Ukrainian standards, but possibly not by UK standards. He visits her mother at her home at the end of the documentary, wholly welcomed by the family.
He sits in Dr. Kurilets office meeting with patients, honestly and rapidly assessing their chances, realistic that the majority of cases are inoperable or too far developed to render enough assistance because of the systems in place. While a brain scan may only cost $50 to $100, many Ukrainians cannot spare that amount. And when they do manage to, or are forced to through physical problems caused by the tumours, they often result in a dire prognosis. We see a young girl who is already blind from her tumour growth. The grandmother who is told her young granddaughter is inoperable and left with a year or so to live. The 23 year old woman with the spreading tumour that no surgery anywhere could repair. And Marian, the young man with the epileptic seizures who is operated on with the home handyman tools available.
I hope I can see all of this in the future. If you get a chance to watch it, it's well worth seeing.
Handy Henry Marsh at the Times Online
Henry Marsh interview at NPR.org (transcript and download at US National Public Radio)
Insert tagline here...
The central subject is Dr. Henry Marsh, a British neurosurgeon who has been making trips, in his own spare time, to the Ukraine to assist an out-of-the-box doctor named Igor Kurilets. I use the term more for his treatment setup than his personality. He works in a country historically dogged by the Communist regime and its manifold ways and structures that have left it with a health system, among other systems, that many western nations would consider barely functioning.
Unfortunately I missed the beginning of the show, unaware that it was on. I was hooked once I stumbled across it, even though it was a quarter done. In one of the first scenes I caught it showed Dr. Marsh, annoyed at the bureaucratic tangle of the UK health system, leaving his computer and stalking off to cool down. He explains to the camera once at home that he is taking medical equipment to the Ukraine on his next trip, displaying drill bits that the UK system disposes of after one use. They have a plastic insert, so cant be re-sterilised, and at £80 for each one, he estimates that they use, in his hospital alone, 10 of them each week. And then they throw them out. £800 a week, £4000 a year, more or less. He and Igor open one up after he arrives in the Ukraine, remove the plastic insert, sterilise it, and it is soon put to good use with a Ryobi cordless drill to remove a brain tumour from a young man suffering epileptic fits.
Dr. Marsh himself proved to be fascinating man of some depth. Throughout the documentary, a young girl named Tanya is mentioned. His face and speech seem to change whenever she is discussed. Dr. Marsh had bought her to the UK a few years before the documentary was shown to remove a tumour that had paralysed the side of her face, after Moscow and Kiev surgeons said it was inoperable. He looked and sounded genuinely haunted by the fact that Tanya had suffered as a result of what he had done. Her quality of life suffered after two operations he performed on her, her death seemingly inevitable by Ukrainian standards, but possibly not by UK standards. He visits her mother at her home at the end of the documentary, wholly welcomed by the family.
He sits in Dr. Kurilets office meeting with patients, honestly and rapidly assessing their chances, realistic that the majority of cases are inoperable or too far developed to render enough assistance because of the systems in place. While a brain scan may only cost $50 to $100, many Ukrainians cannot spare that amount. And when they do manage to, or are forced to through physical problems caused by the tumours, they often result in a dire prognosis. We see a young girl who is already blind from her tumour growth. The grandmother who is told her young granddaughter is inoperable and left with a year or so to live. The 23 year old woman with the spreading tumour that no surgery anywhere could repair. And Marian, the young man with the epileptic seizures who is operated on with the home handyman tools available.
I hope I can see all of this in the future. If you get a chance to watch it, it's well worth seeing.
Handy Henry Marsh at the Times Online
Henry Marsh interview at NPR.org (transcript and download at US National Public Radio)
Insert tagline here...
Monday, April 19, 2010
A Sunday Ride
Seeing as not much and too much is happening at the same time, and I'm not getting anything written down at all, its time I did something. So I'll tell you about my Sunday ride.
Every Sunday (mostly) I meet up with three other guys and go for a ride. Sometimes nobody turns up, sometimes I don't, sometimes we get less than four. Actually, it's unusual we get four. It's not a testosterone-fuelled blitzfest, nor is it necessarily a sedate amble. Nothing dictates your speed, there's not a 'no drop' policy in force, and you're not obliged to keep up or slow down for anyone else. There's a turnaround point where we join up, chat for five or ten minutes, then ride back to the start point in much the same fashion.
Yesterday was myself and one other. I'll call him John, cause that's his name. John is a strong rider, and is generally stronger on the flat than I am. Up short hills he just powers on at the same rate while I drop back a gear or two and spin faster to try to keep up. He's also a better descender than me. He rides motorbikes for enjoyment, and is pretty seriously into it, so he has better skills than I do at speed. We swapped the front going out to the turn-around and had a light tailwind, which of course means headwind going back. This middling weather brings people out a lot, and there were a lot of riders out on the regular route we ride. In a few weeks it will get colder in the mornings and I reckon numbers will drop off. It'll get darker too, so the lights will make an appearance soon.
We also have a pair of Gary's to complete the four. To be honest, I don't know if they're Gary, Garry, Garey or otherwise, I've never asked. One is a strong flat rider, who usually tows us outbound at a fair pace. The other is happy to pull his 25km/h from start to end and meet up. It's a good bunch to be involved in.
There's the obligatory post-ride coffee, supplied by whoever reckons its their turn, combined with more talk regarding whatever. Motorsport, football, politics, etc. Typical stuff. Then we part ways till next weekend, or whenever someone thinks they'll be back.
I won't bore you with the in-depth stats, but 37km @ 29.7km/h is what we ended up with. Last sunday we ticked the 30km/h average box on the to-do list for the first time, probably thanks to a tow out and a good pickup for a little way coming back.
Insert tagline here...
Every Sunday (mostly) I meet up with three other guys and go for a ride. Sometimes nobody turns up, sometimes I don't, sometimes we get less than four. Actually, it's unusual we get four. It's not a testosterone-fuelled blitzfest, nor is it necessarily a sedate amble. Nothing dictates your speed, there's not a 'no drop' policy in force, and you're not obliged to keep up or slow down for anyone else. There's a turnaround point where we join up, chat for five or ten minutes, then ride back to the start point in much the same fashion.
Yesterday was myself and one other. I'll call him John, cause that's his name. John is a strong rider, and is generally stronger on the flat than I am. Up short hills he just powers on at the same rate while I drop back a gear or two and spin faster to try to keep up. He's also a better descender than me. He rides motorbikes for enjoyment, and is pretty seriously into it, so he has better skills than I do at speed. We swapped the front going out to the turn-around and had a light tailwind, which of course means headwind going back. This middling weather brings people out a lot, and there were a lot of riders out on the regular route we ride. In a few weeks it will get colder in the mornings and I reckon numbers will drop off. It'll get darker too, so the lights will make an appearance soon.
We also have a pair of Gary's to complete the four. To be honest, I don't know if they're Gary, Garry, Garey or otherwise, I've never asked. One is a strong flat rider, who usually tows us outbound at a fair pace. The other is happy to pull his 25km/h from start to end and meet up. It's a good bunch to be involved in.
There's the obligatory post-ride coffee, supplied by whoever reckons its their turn, combined with more talk regarding whatever. Motorsport, football, politics, etc. Typical stuff. Then we part ways till next weekend, or whenever someone thinks they'll be back.
I won't bore you with the in-depth stats, but 37km @ 29.7km/h is what we ended up with. Last sunday we ticked the 30km/h average box on the to-do list for the first time, probably thanks to a tow out and a good pickup for a little way coming back.
Insert tagline here...
Monday, March 22, 2010
STUFF! (that looks like other stuff*): Part 5
Why not recommence this with part 5 of...
STUFF!
(that looks like other stuff)*
A peek into the future, when Tasmania becomes a distant cousin of the mainland:
A collueague submitted image following a morning spent sanding weatherboard for repainting.
Insert tagline here...
* A shamelessly stolen idea, thanks Ben.
STUFF!
(that looks like other stuff)*
A peek into the future, when Tasmania becomes a distant cousin of the mainland:
A collueague submitted image following a morning spent sanding weatherboard for repainting.
Insert tagline here...
* A shamelessly stolen idea, thanks Ben.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
"blah...offset costs...blah...blah..."
I was filling the tank this morning at the local servo, when I heard a noise. Talking. Close by. Something I'd never heard before, but pretty much dismissed as there is a workshop just over the fence from the pump I was at.
Then I realised it was words I'd heard before. An ad? It was coming from nearby. Very near by.
Then I glanced up, and I saw IT. Look carefully.
Turn a service station BACK into a servo. On a side note, look for little televisions at supermarket checkouts and aisles real soon.
Insert tagline here...
Then I realised it was words I'd heard before. An ad? It was coming from nearby. Very near by.
Then I glanced up, and I saw IT. Look carefully.
A television. Or at least a screen, displaying television. Doubtless some tie in with Shell and Coles and Channel 7, who's morning news was on after the ads.
Seriously? Shell suddenly find enough money to install these moronic devices on every pump? And they reckon they're not taking everyone to town on pricing (and not just in the servo)? I'm sure Shell/Coles will have a press release or statement ready to roll for complaints or queries, something like "advertising allows us to offset and absorb costs that would otherwise be passed on to the consumer". Hmmmm.
I want a mobile phone to make calls. I want a digital camera to take photos. And I want a servo to be a servo. A service station is not an opportunity to multi-task. I pay you money for petrol. And maybe an iced coffee now and then. But expect people to pay an extra few cents per litre plus forty cents on every item so you can advertise, and you can be sure people will flock away. Here's a discussion you won't hear:
She: "Darling, lets get fuel at the Shell, they have those nice little televisions"
He: "But Pookie, we've already blown the petrol budget in 3 months...once we get two skim latte's, a bag of soy chips and the sneaky Mars bar with it, it all adds up you know, and daycare isn't free..."
He: "But Pookie, we've already blown the petrol budget in 3 months...once we get two skim latte's, a bag of soy chips and the sneaky Mars bar with it, it all adds up you know, and daycare isn't free..."
She: "Darling, they have those nice little televisions..." (cue patronising arm rub)
Turn a service station BACK into a servo. On a side note, look for little televisions at supermarket checkouts and aisles real soon.
Mind you, these are probably great for people like the couple in front of myself and GLW who spent the first fifteen minutes of last nights Pearl Jam concert updating Facebook and Twitter from their iphones.
Insert tagline here...
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Thierry Henry, BFO
Thierry Henry is today hereby bestowed a BFO.
For his part in the World Cup qualification win over the Republic of Ireland, Henry is now a Bastard of the First Order.
Henry joins Diego Maradonna as the only BFO's to impact World Cup Football with their hands.
Insert tagline here...
For his part in the World Cup qualification win over the Republic of Ireland, Henry is now a Bastard of the First Order.
Henry joins Diego Maradonna as the only BFO's to impact World Cup Football with their hands.
Insert tagline here...
Thursday, November 05, 2009
The Knifethrower
I really like this picture.
Image: tumblr.com
You could never get a photo like this now. Not without the howls of child abuse, exploitation and such.
But think about it. The guy obviously trusts his skills, his training, his connection with his child that much, that he can throw knives by a child.
Now that's a bond.
Insert tagline here...
Monday, October 26, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Nuffy-ism: Air Travel
What is it about airports and plane travel that brings out the inner idiot in a lot of people?
You always get the nuffy who forgot, or just didn't want to, remove the coins out of their pockets or take off their watch for the metal detector. And then get huffy when they've got to go back through. Let's call this person The Huffy Nuffy. Sure, I've had to go back and take off my belt, but only ever in Melbourne. No other scanner has been set off by my belt. Voyueristic Melbourne security staff, perhaps? Men in suits are never The Huffy Nuffy. They've done this too often to be that stupid. Watch them closely. Watch, phone, wallet, business card holder and bag on the conveyor, walk through, smile at the security staff, pick everything up and leave. Unlike the nouveau riche entrepreneur in his designer tee shirt and jeans. I'm surprised he remembered to put his bag down.
Then you get the nuffy who suddenly thinks queueing in an orderly fashion to board a plane is too much for them. They decide to break the line and skirt to the outside, angling in close to the head of a long bunch. Let's call this person The Tuffy Nuffy. Newsflash, hotshot: everyone is getting on the same plane. These people also unbuckle their seatbelt and leap to their feet the instant the plane stops at the gate, grabbing their bag from the overhead and standing around looking frustrated. Another newsflash, hotshot: everyone is getting off the same plane. Sure, you can get out before the skybridge is in place, but watch the first step. I wouldn't want you to do that, then you wont make me laugh next time I fly.
Most of them are probably smokers, keen to get outside and shorten their lives ASAP. Let's call this person The Puffy Nuffy. Many of them divert past the baggage collection to grab their first rapid half-cigarette, before returning inside to get their bags.
Once you get to the baggage collection, you always find some nuffy who stands right at the little door the conveyor emerges from, so they can have bag in hand and be off within seconds. Let's call this person The Stuffy Nuffy. These people do not want to stand around for even the extra thirty seconds their baggage might take to get to the far end. They do not want to imagine the technology within. They do not want to admire the conservative architecture of the airport. The Stuffy Nuffy wants to get out, get home, and complain about the quality of cheap flight they just left. Or get back out for a smoke.
You also see The Tuffy Nuffy waiting for the transfer bus, hanging back at the head of a line of fifty people. The bus pulls up and the Tuffy Nuffy makes a direct line for the door, ahead of 46 other patient, non-self-absorbed people. I'd rather wait for the next bus, knowing the Tuffy Nuffy on board will have to battle through the crowded bus, angering those non-nuffy's as they try to extract their one carry-on sized case from the bottom of a pile of enormously heavy family holiday suitcases. Incidentally, you rarely see The Tuffy Nuffy at the taxi queue, as these are now supervised, which voids their game plan quick-smart.
I'm sure there's more, but Huffy, Tuffy, Puffy and Stuffy were in abundance on the weekend.
I guess much of this is due to the fact that a lot of air travel is now seen as commuting, or short haul flying for quick trips. Its not a romantic ideal any more. Which is a shame.
Insert tagline here...
You always get the nuffy who forgot, or just didn't want to, remove the coins out of their pockets or take off their watch for the metal detector. And then get huffy when they've got to go back through. Let's call this person The Huffy Nuffy. Sure, I've had to go back and take off my belt, but only ever in Melbourne. No other scanner has been set off by my belt. Voyueristic Melbourne security staff, perhaps? Men in suits are never The Huffy Nuffy. They've done this too often to be that stupid. Watch them closely. Watch, phone, wallet, business card holder and bag on the conveyor, walk through, smile at the security staff, pick everything up and leave. Unlike the nouveau riche entrepreneur in his designer tee shirt and jeans. I'm surprised he remembered to put his bag down.
Then you get the nuffy who suddenly thinks queueing in an orderly fashion to board a plane is too much for them. They decide to break the line and skirt to the outside, angling in close to the head of a long bunch. Let's call this person The Tuffy Nuffy. Newsflash, hotshot: everyone is getting on the same plane. These people also unbuckle their seatbelt and leap to their feet the instant the plane stops at the gate, grabbing their bag from the overhead and standing around looking frustrated. Another newsflash, hotshot: everyone is getting off the same plane. Sure, you can get out before the skybridge is in place, but watch the first step. I wouldn't want you to do that, then you wont make me laugh next time I fly.
Most of them are probably smokers, keen to get outside and shorten their lives ASAP. Let's call this person The Puffy Nuffy. Many of them divert past the baggage collection to grab their first rapid half-cigarette, before returning inside to get their bags.
Once you get to the baggage collection, you always find some nuffy who stands right at the little door the conveyor emerges from, so they can have bag in hand and be off within seconds. Let's call this person The Stuffy Nuffy. These people do not want to stand around for even the extra thirty seconds their baggage might take to get to the far end. They do not want to imagine the technology within. They do not want to admire the conservative architecture of the airport. The Stuffy Nuffy wants to get out, get home, and complain about the quality of cheap flight they just left. Or get back out for a smoke.
You also see The Tuffy Nuffy waiting for the transfer bus, hanging back at the head of a line of fifty people. The bus pulls up and the Tuffy Nuffy makes a direct line for the door, ahead of 46 other patient, non-self-absorbed people. I'd rather wait for the next bus, knowing the Tuffy Nuffy on board will have to battle through the crowded bus, angering those non-nuffy's as they try to extract their one carry-on sized case from the bottom of a pile of enormously heavy family holiday suitcases. Incidentally, you rarely see The Tuffy Nuffy at the taxi queue, as these are now supervised, which voids their game plan quick-smart.
I'm sure there's more, but Huffy, Tuffy, Puffy and Stuffy were in abundance on the weekend.
I guess much of this is due to the fact that a lot of air travel is now seen as commuting, or short haul flying for quick trips. Its not a romantic ideal any more. Which is a shame.
Insert tagline here...
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Ben more than 10...
Anyone with sons of a certain age would probably know about Ben 10. Ben Tennyson, a young boy who finds an alien watch-like artefact that lets him turn into any one of ten different creatures. Eleven if you count them all, perhaps more by now.
Ben's ten years old. His cousin, Gwen, is also 10.
So explain to me whats going on in the sticker that was in the (quite obviously a knockoff) sticker pack???
I cant.
Insert tagline here...
Ben's ten years old. His cousin, Gwen, is also 10.
So explain to me whats going on in the sticker that was in the (quite obviously a knockoff) sticker pack???
I cant.
Insert tagline here...
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Samuel Johnson is nearly everywhere again
I was flicking channels last night, listening to Samuel Johnson narrate a documentary series called 'Beyond the Darklands'. It's a crime show, based around serial killers murderers. I flicked across to watch some of the MotoGP for a few minutes. I came back, to hear Samuel Johnson's voice again, pausing to see where Darklands was up to.
Something had changed, but the voice remained. Dogs rolling about playfully? Smiling owners?
I think we're going back to the days of the early 00's where Samuel Johnson was everywhere.
Rush. Darklands. PAL ads. I think there's even re-runs of 'Secret Life Of Us' on Foxtel someplace as well.
Insert tagline here...
Something had changed, but the voice remained. Dogs rolling about playfully? Smiling owners?
I think we're going back to the days of the early 00's where Samuel Johnson was everywhere.
Rush. Darklands. PAL ads. I think there's even re-runs of 'Secret Life Of Us' on Foxtel someplace as well.
Insert tagline here...
Friday, August 28, 2009
A few of problems I have with governance and money
A few things have happened lately that have irked me a lot. Not just a bit, a whole lot. So much so that I question certain systems. Everyone does this now and then. But these ones just really got me annoyed.
The first is the Superannuation system, and the government mandated 9% contributions.
A lot has been made of superannuation funds losing money, causing some people nearing retirement age to think again. Their super fund is suddenly worth 20% less than it was twelve months ago, and they simply cant afford to retire.
As was pointed out, and I completely agree with, why should something we are legally obliged to contribute to, and have little control over, be able to lose money hand over fist?
Why should I pay 9% of my wage into a pool that may well disappear before I have a chance to use it? Can I not contribute that money where I control it? Then again, who wants the trouble of doing that? If I am being forced to pay this, then it should be protected, in the same way that banking deposits are treated. I dont give the bank my wage and then go to withdraw it only to be told "sorry sir, its all gone". Superannuation should not be any different.
Of course there is the demand that superannuation grow and prosper, leading to risk and exposure. So make it 15%, protect it, and retire later. The days of retiring at 55 and then taking a world trip are long gone. Jet travel has seen to that. People see the value in spending now, leaving the super as a necessary evil until they absolutely need it.
The second thing is Medicare, bulk billing, and child immunisations.
Again, this is another case of one of those things you have to do, at your own peril. Some people dont agree with immunisation for various reasons, and rightly so. They can be risky. We all know someone who has been impacted by immunisation side-effects, in mild or severe forms.
Case in point: #3 went for her 12 month immunisation this past week. $62 for three needles.
$62 for something that any school in the country will ask for proof of. $62 for something that if she didnt have them, she would not be allowed in daycare. $62 for something that the government medical offices have sent us letters asking "why is this overdue?". $62 for something that nobody obviously sees as 'optional'.
How much did Medicare reimburse us for the privilege of doing what is required? About half. What is going so wrong behind the scenes that the doctors feel obliged to charge double the going rate for sticking required needles into kids for three minutes? You can bet if we were in a lower socio-economic suburb we'd be bulk-billed without question.
I'm not demanding free national healthcare, but its things like this that really irritate me.
Which brings me to my third item. What compounds the doctor issue for me is the private healthcare for over 30's issue. If you're over 30 and dont have private health insurance, the government will increase your tax for the rest of your life. You have no way to remedy this. You are marked for life.
This has the seeminlgy nett effect that private hospitals are turning into money factories, and the funds are coming from private health funds. As people opt for surgery in private institutions due the 'ailing nature of public facilities', they see the cost as their basic excess. Surely $250 for fixing that dodgy knee is a small price to pay now rather than wait 2 years to get it done free by so-viewed 'second rate' doctors forced to work in the public system? It may seem a good option, but the doctor at the private institution charges the fund five times that, and the premiums inexorably go up to cover every man and his dog getting it done.
Dont sit back and say the thought hasnt crossed your mind that private hospital doctors are a better class of doctor just because of where they work. You know it has.
Its a cycle of money feeding on money, and its just one thing that stinks.
Insert tagline here...
The first is the Superannuation system, and the government mandated 9% contributions.
A lot has been made of superannuation funds losing money, causing some people nearing retirement age to think again. Their super fund is suddenly worth 20% less than it was twelve months ago, and they simply cant afford to retire.
As was pointed out, and I completely agree with, why should something we are legally obliged to contribute to, and have little control over, be able to lose money hand over fist?
Why should I pay 9% of my wage into a pool that may well disappear before I have a chance to use it? Can I not contribute that money where I control it? Then again, who wants the trouble of doing that? If I am being forced to pay this, then it should be protected, in the same way that banking deposits are treated. I dont give the bank my wage and then go to withdraw it only to be told "sorry sir, its all gone". Superannuation should not be any different.
Of course there is the demand that superannuation grow and prosper, leading to risk and exposure. So make it 15%, protect it, and retire later. The days of retiring at 55 and then taking a world trip are long gone. Jet travel has seen to that. People see the value in spending now, leaving the super as a necessary evil until they absolutely need it.
The second thing is Medicare, bulk billing, and child immunisations.
Again, this is another case of one of those things you have to do, at your own peril. Some people dont agree with immunisation for various reasons, and rightly so. They can be risky. We all know someone who has been impacted by immunisation side-effects, in mild or severe forms.
Case in point: #3 went for her 12 month immunisation this past week. $62 for three needles.
$62 for something that any school in the country will ask for proof of. $62 for something that if she didnt have them, she would not be allowed in daycare. $62 for something that the government medical offices have sent us letters asking "why is this overdue?". $62 for something that nobody obviously sees as 'optional'.
How much did Medicare reimburse us for the privilege of doing what is required? About half. What is going so wrong behind the scenes that the doctors feel obliged to charge double the going rate for sticking required needles into kids for three minutes? You can bet if we were in a lower socio-economic suburb we'd be bulk-billed without question.
I'm not demanding free national healthcare, but its things like this that really irritate me.
Which brings me to my third item. What compounds the doctor issue for me is the private healthcare for over 30's issue. If you're over 30 and dont have private health insurance, the government will increase your tax for the rest of your life. You have no way to remedy this. You are marked for life.
This has the seeminlgy nett effect that private hospitals are turning into money factories, and the funds are coming from private health funds. As people opt for surgery in private institutions due the 'ailing nature of public facilities', they see the cost as their basic excess. Surely $250 for fixing that dodgy knee is a small price to pay now rather than wait 2 years to get it done free by so-viewed 'second rate' doctors forced to work in the public system? It may seem a good option, but the doctor at the private institution charges the fund five times that, and the premiums inexorably go up to cover every man and his dog getting it done.
Dont sit back and say the thought hasnt crossed your mind that private hospital doctors are a better class of doctor just because of where they work. You know it has.
Its a cycle of money feeding on money, and its just one thing that stinks.
Insert tagline here...
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
One of those calls
I had a great phone call in the office the other afternoon. Ostensibly it was "large format inkjet printer market research". Not a problem. Except for the lady on the other end of the line, who obviously wasnt in Australia.
Indian accent. Delays on each sentence. Difficulty grasping some Australian english terms. Asking whether I was on Melbourne time.
One of my favourite parts was the confusion created by the fact that our large format printer is (what I believed) neither inkjet or laserjet based technology.
"Is it inkjet, sir?"
"No...its a large format photocopier technology that also prints..."
"So its inkjet, sir?"
"I dont believe so, no 'ink' is involved, it uses toner."
"So its inkjet, sir?"
"Uh...no. It doesnt use ink."
"What model is it?"
"Ricoh..." yada, yada, yada.
"Give me a moment sir. I cannot find that model on Google. Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Give me a moment sir. I cannot find that model on Google. Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Is it a ..." at which point our Indian struggler rattles off twenty options on machine models, none of which are ours.
"Give me a moment sir. I cannot find that model on Google. Are you sure?"
"Try putting WP at the end of it."
"Give me a moment sir. Ricoh 3***WP?"
"Yes."
"OK. It says that it is inkjet technology."
"Well, it doesnt use ink, so if you reckon thats it, go for it."
"I dont understand sir?"
"Of course not...go ahead."
From there we rattled off two minutes of questions about importance of features, brand recognition, etc, etc. You know the type of thing.
What would've been four minutes worth of call ended up at ten minutes plus. All due to struggling with the model number that was of no importance at all. The obligitory questions came at the end:
"May we have your email address sir?"
"No."
Stunned silence.
"OK. Your number is 2, 94..." etc.
"Yes. They didnt teach you very well. You dont know our phone numbering system very well do you?"
"Pardon sir?"
"Never mind. Next question?"
"That completes the survey. Is there anything you'd like to ask me?"
How is Bangalore today? Can you make a butter chicken? Do you prefer garlic naan or plain naan? Will Tendulkar last much longer? What are you going to do with this call you've recorded for 'quality purposes'? Why were you rude to our secretary when I wasnt in last week? Can you juggle? Why have you made me late for dinner?
"No, goodbye."
I hung up before the reply.
Insert tagline here...
Indian accent. Delays on each sentence. Difficulty grasping some Australian english terms. Asking whether I was on Melbourne time.
One of my favourite parts was the confusion created by the fact that our large format printer is (what I believed) neither inkjet or laserjet based technology.
"Is it inkjet, sir?"
"No...its a large format photocopier technology that also prints..."
"So its inkjet, sir?"
"I dont believe so, no 'ink' is involved, it uses toner."
"So its inkjet, sir?"
"Uh...no. It doesnt use ink."
"What model is it?"
"Ricoh..." yada, yada, yada.
"Give me a moment sir. I cannot find that model on Google. Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Give me a moment sir. I cannot find that model on Google. Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Is it a ..." at which point our Indian struggler rattles off twenty options on machine models, none of which are ours.
"Give me a moment sir. I cannot find that model on Google. Are you sure?"
"Try putting WP at the end of it."
"Give me a moment sir. Ricoh 3***WP?"
"Yes."
"OK. It says that it is inkjet technology."
"Well, it doesnt use ink, so if you reckon thats it, go for it."
"I dont understand sir?"
"Of course not...go ahead."
From there we rattled off two minutes of questions about importance of features, brand recognition, etc, etc. You know the type of thing.
What would've been four minutes worth of call ended up at ten minutes plus. All due to struggling with the model number that was of no importance at all. The obligitory questions came at the end:
"May we have your email address sir?"
"No."
Stunned silence.
"OK. Your number is 2, 94..." etc.
"Yes. They didnt teach you very well. You dont know our phone numbering system very well do you?"
"Pardon sir?"
"Never mind. Next question?"
"That completes the survey. Is there anything you'd like to ask me?"
How is Bangalore today? Can you make a butter chicken? Do you prefer garlic naan or plain naan? Will Tendulkar last much longer? What are you going to do with this call you've recorded for 'quality purposes'? Why were you rude to our secretary when I wasnt in last week? Can you juggle? Why have you made me late for dinner?
"No, goodbye."
I hung up before the reply.
Insert tagline here...
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Mark Webber cracks it
Following on from Mark Webber's friendly warning of last month, those of you who have just crawled out from under a rock would be unaware that Mark Webber won the German Formula One Grand Prix last month. 132 starts for that 1st victory. I'd bet a fair few people would have given up long before that. The fact that he qualified a lot of inferior cars up the order obviously gave a bit of hope.
First Australian win since AJ in 1981. I'm surprised they had the Australian national anthem ready to go.
Insert tagline here...
First Australian win since AJ in 1981. I'm surprised they had the Australian national anthem ready to go.
Insert tagline here...
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
