Something to think about...

We Are People

 

We are people.

 

We are not gay, straight, or bi.  We are all these things, and so much more.

 

We are people.  We are not black, white, Asian, or aboriginal.  We are all of these things, and so much more.

 

We are people.  We are not Jews, christian, Muslim, Shinto, Buddhist, atheist, or any other religion.  We are all of these things, and so much more.

 

We are not rich or poor.  We are not pretty or ugly.  We are not old or young.  We are not male nor female.  We are all of these things, and much, much more.

 

Why we insist on narrow viewpoints, limiting perspectives, and closing our minds to new ideas is beyond me.

 

We are people.  We need to be equal in standing, in rights, and in potential.  Should we ever achieve this, humanity will leap forward.

 

We are weaker when any of us is thought of as just gay.  Or just Muslim.  Or just black.  We all fail in our potential.  That is our weakness.  That is our critical flaw.  It is why we fight, why we weaken ourselves, and why we deny recognition of others, and therefore, through that precedent, ourselves.

 

Our strength as homo sapiens lies in our diversity.  Our willingness to adapt to new ideas, share new philosophies, and use them to change our perspective.  We grow, we develop, and we improve as we change, progressing ever forward and these ideas and philosophies are applied.

 

We are all people, as different as we are from one another.  But because we are people, we are also the same.

 

Copyright 2013 this blog.

Christmas Music Overkill

It's that time of year again, by now your ears will be overwhelmed by the continual assault of this "music" all month long.

And must we start slipping Christmas music into the shops and malls as early as November?  Is the 31 days of December not enough? I mean hell, that's 744 hours with which they can numb the mind, make us forget the meaning of Christmas, and turn us into shopping automatons.

Look, I'm not trying to be a complete scrooge, but honestly people, there's 31 days and there are not that many Christmas Carols.   How many times must one endure the tired strains of Deck the Halls, Jingle Bells, or Silent Night?  This last in particular sung by anyone who reckons they can sing, including TV stars.

Thus far this year, I have been fortunate to avoid much of this mind numbing, desensitising assault by virtue of my job.  Working outdoors hath its benefits, though not many, for my face looks like someone mistook it for lobster, but perhaps its a small price to pay.

I can point out, happily that all is not lost.  There are a handful of people that have produced excellent Christmas albums, and or songs.

Chris de Burgh wrote a song postulating that perhaps the star of Bethlehem was actually a UFO and it was an alien that marked his birth.  I reckon that's believable.

Mr. Hanky's Christmas Album is worth a listen.  There are a couple songs that do make me laugh.  Laughing is good at Christmas.  Take "Christmas Time in Hell", or the message from "Dead, Dead, Dead" or the slightly goofy "Carol of the Bells"... There are other songs on that album that make me laugh, but somehow they are not quite as Christmassy....

Twisted Sister made a Christmas album I genuinely like.  Heavy metal music and Christmas go together surprisingly well.

And, last but not least, I must mention Sarah McLachan's Wintersong.  A beautiful collection of songs, some favourites, some written specifically for the album.  Including a song about death.

Music and Science Fiction

I am a lover of music.  But I love no specific type.  I basically listen to everything- pop, blues, metal, classical, country, but the song does have t be about something.  I especially appreciate music with unusual themes.  Some of the music I like has science fiction themes, and certainly the reason I'm first attracted to the song is because of this simple fact.  For today's brief discussion, I'll have to get my SF geek to guest post... excuse me...

"OI!" Bang. Bang. Bang.

"Whatcha want now?  I'm watching Babylon 5."

"Again?  You've seen that, what, about a thousand times.."

"Go away."

"But you said you'd do the guest post for music and SF."

"Is that now?"

"Yes, its now."

"Shit!  Okay.. I'll be out..."  Sounds of shuffling, muttering, and a really loud belch, and then the door opens...

Okay, I'd like to introduce my inner scifi geek...

Hey,  just a sec while I get used to the light.  He doesn't let me out often...

Right,  music and SF.  There are some artists and bands that have been rather prolific in this area.  Some of the artists that are well known for it include Peter Schilling and Rush.  There are also others with which you may not be so familiar, like Kate Bush or Mister Mister.  And no I'm not going to lower myself to the standards of Timbaland's The Morning After, a song made popular by the Eclipse franchise, a video at least that popularises vampires- totally making them uncool.  Being a vampire was cool 20 years ago- with shows like Forever Night.  Its been done to death.  The blood has been sucked out of it now.  A stake has been driven through the heart of the genre.  Its body parts have been cut off, scattered, burned in separate locations and the ashes buried. Nuff said...

Peter Schilling.  A German artist and one hit wonder with his Major Tom Coming Home- about an astronaut who suffers an accident in space and decides to return to earth knowing that reentry will kill him.  This song is unofficially related to David Bowie's song "Space Oddity" (I don't mention Bowie's music because while it may be indeed that he is from space, more importantly because his music predates me, and I am not familiar with it enough to comment).  The song is on his Error in the System album, which also features a song called "The Noah Plan"- mankind leaving Earth before it is destroyed on massive starships.

Kate Bush.  She wrote a SF song?  Well....  Cloudbusting.  It's based on the memoir of one Peter Reich, whose father built a Cloudbuster, a machine that could make it rain.  The father's name was Wilhelm, and he was arrested and imprisoned as he was "a threat to the men in power."  I don't know the truth to the story, but, if the memoir is not true, then the song qualifies.  Plus its rare that a pop song's dominant beat is actually a march.  I love the song.  I love the beat, and Kate Bush's voice is haunting.

Mister Mister.  A pop band, true, but they did a really cool song, Silent Running, about an invasion and the "High Command" retreating, and people being forced to live under occupation.   It is well written, with dangerous advice "Teach the children quietly, for someday sons and daughters will rise up and fight while we stood still."  The song is SFish, and a warning.  Remember this was written before the end of the cold war.

Rush. As a band they have gone to great lengths to include SF lyrical themes in their music. A triumph of music is their 2112 album. The whole album tells the story of a dictatorship in the future that has banned music, but a lone man discovers a guitar, and this discovery, naturally, has a great effect. It is a classic, and is even honoured in Guitar Hero has being tracks you can unlock. The music is complex, and it is a masterwork.

On the album Moving Pictures, they did a track called Red Barchetta- a song about a guy who, after the implementation of "Motor Law" sneaks off to his uncle's farm to reveal a car, a red Barchetta, that he takes, quite illegally, for a drive every week. It even describes a chase through the countryside by futuristic hover cars, ad is based on a short story written by Richard Foster written in 1973 called "A Nice Morning Drive."

On their album Grace Under Pressure, there are two songs of note. "The Body Electric" describes the urgency of an android gaining self awareness, and ends with it praying to "the mother of all machines." And my personal favourite, Red Sector A- a song with imagery so potent I actually had nightmares. Based upon actual experiences in Nazi Death camps- particularly Bergen-Belsen. and the verse,

I hear sound the gunfire at the prison gate,
Are the liberators here, do I hope or do I fear..

Is frightening in depth and psychology of the camps. Instead of referring to the Nazi camps, the song is set in some kind of post-apocalyptic future. The song is disturbing.

While I'm sure there are far more, these are the ones that caught my attention and stuck in my head.  I'm going back to Babylon 5 now.  Cheers.

Well, I'm glad he's gone.  He has a problem with lecturing.  Aww hell.  I could watch some B5.  When I next talk music, I mght deal with unusual themes...

The F Word At the Football

Yes, it was time to watch the cowboys in action once again.  Last home game of the season, and sitting 5th on the ladder, I gathered The Wife and jumped in the car, to see the boys play at home.

And what a game.  The home side took the game by 8 points in a grinding battle.

I had a great time, and kept Cadbury Corner alive as when I arrived, the cheering section was sorely depleted.  The 2 guys I usually cheer myself to a sore throat with weren't there.  So, it a was up to me.  And you know, I believe my cheering made a difference.  When I started, the entire bay picked up the call.  And it was on.  What a blast.

But I am left to wonder.  

Some kids near me, in their enthusiasm to see an away team's line break come to a quick end, yell things like "Kill him," or "put him down," so be it.  That's part of the fun, part of supporting the home team.  There's nothing wrong with that.  And if you happen to barrack for the other side, well, you're in hostile territory, get used to it.  But make a complaint?  Why go to the game.  You have that same right to cheer your team, and in the same manner.  I'll respect it.  I won't like it, but I'll respect it.  If you're that easily offended by it, don't go hostile home ground.  Sit in your stadium, surrounded by the people who cheer for your team.

There's also a big thing about the use of the word fuck at the game.  Not just in cheering, but in conversation, they don't want it because "football is a family event."  This fucking word comes up all the time, not just at the footy, but in shops, movies, restaurants, music and even TV.  What the fuck is the fucking problem with saying the word fuck?

You can't protect your kids from it.  They'll hear it when you're not around and will be using it themselves before the fucking age of seven.  You can't protect em.  They'll fucking hear it whether you want them to or not.

So why even try to fucking regulate it?

Is speech in this country no longer free?  I should be able to fucking the say the word whenever the fuck I want.  If you don't want to sit near 15,000 people, all saying whatever it is they're saying as is their right, then stay the fuck at home.  Put on Foxtel, and watch it on TV.  But you'll soon work out that the players say it on the field and the coaches say it in their boxes.  You can read it on their lips.  I highly doubt they are bothering to moderate their language by saying "freak."

The fucking word is part of the game.  Its part of the emotions, the thrill, and especially the disappointments. 

If you don't like the fucking word, maybe it's time you followed a different fucking sport.  Harden the fuck up, and get over it.

They should be fucking grateful it's only that word they hear.  They could instead could be listening to the tuba section of the Sydney Orchestra and smelling the local sewage treatment plant if I decide to eat 2 bowls of chilli before coming to the game.

That'll fuck em.

An open letter to Automobile manufacturers in the Australian market:

Dear stockholders, directors, owners, and designers (you know who you are),

What did you do?  What happened?

Australian cars used to be cool.  Used to be.  the monaro, the valiant, the XB coupe.

Today's list is all about front wheel drive hatches, with the odd front wheel drive sedan thrown in.  Or about big fuel drinking four door sixes that are too heavy, too thirsty, and too expensive to appeal to the average fun seeking driver.

Hatches.  Hate em.  The bubble back to me is ugly, and four doors?  Why the Hell would I want four doors?  I do not encourage passengers.  They only distract me from driving.  Or complain.  I don't want to hear it.  If I had four doors, I'd have to have a 1000w stereo system so I couldn't hear em go on and on about shit I don't to hear.  And certainly there is no new car being made with a stereo that will do this for a reasonable price.

So basic design is going down the toilet.

What about the necessary?  Car pundits are claiming the manual transmission is on its way out.  What?  Sports autos are autos.  It took me years before I learnt the stick.  I can only say now that I wish I had done it years ago.  The control.  The thrill.  The working of gears.  Twenty years of driving autos was 20 years denying myself the true driving experience.  I will admit I was idiot.  I wasted 20 years of my life driving automatics when I could have been having fun.  Ignorance breeds stupidity.  I hope you all know how to drive manuals.  If you don't, learn.  And flappy paddles on the wheel don't precisely replace the stick.  Even the Top Gear guys have said that.

The rear wheel drives are dying off.  What?  You want to make cheap cars, but you kill the rear wheel drive.  Chrysler went back to the rear wheel drive for one simple fact.  Its cheaper to make.  Additionally, much of Australia doesn't suffer from ice and snow, conditions which can, admittedly, challenge a rear drive wheel train.

Where are the coupes?  All over Japan, North America, you can get a coupe.  In Australia?  They are there, but they're rare.  And the bulk of them are crap.  Also, "coupe styled hatches" (Barina Spark, Civic, Veloster)  are NOT coupes.  They are hatches.  Stop wasting money on advertising that claims otherwise.  That money could be better spent bringing real coupes into the market.  I might be calling a spade a spade, but how stupid do you really think we are?  A coupe has a proper boot.  A coupe is impractical, but that's sort of the point.  Impractical sells.  Look at the Mazda MX5.

Okay, so maybe I'm insane.  Maybe the Australian market doesn't like coupes.  Or maybe you've biased the marketing.  Maybe its just been cheaper for you not bother with the coupes in the Australian market.

Kudos to Subaru and Toyota for developing the BRZ/86.  But the price, over 30k?

Would it be so expensive to send some Altima or Accord Coupes down here?  They are as common as blades of grass in other markets.  But they aren't sold here.

You guys can save us. Please.  It can be done.  Lest Australia be cursed forevermore with the eyesore that is the hatchback.  It doesn't have to be difficult, unless you make it so.

I know that my next car will likely be used, because a good coupe I can afford isn't available in Australia new, and the truth is, I don't  expect it to change.  By the way, I'm 42, and my perferred body style remains the coupe, it's been that since I was 14.  It'll be that way until I'm dead.

Yours,

Torggil





 

Of Mohawk Haircuts and Other Weirdness

Okay, first the other weirdness.  As a bespectacled person I have determined that the problem with looking for my glasses is that while I can't see them, they can quite clearly see me.

On with the headline proper.

Mohawk haircuts.  I had hoped the hairstyle had ended it's heyday with the demise of the A-Team from the airwaves.  Sadly, the reports of it's death were greatly exaggerated.

The fad has once again gotten out of hand..  The evidence I offer here is undeniable proof that this has, indeed, happened, with out doubt or question.


I saw something that damn near made me heave up my half eaten Subway sandwich.

A guy, who appeared to be about fifty, grey hair and all, sported one in the local mall's concourse.  He didn't even have the sense to shave the sides.  It looked completely ridiculous.  This spiky hairstyle didn't make him look cool. It didn't make him look like an old punk rocker.

It only served to make him look like a never was.

It only served to make him look uncool.

My unshaken sense of conservative styling hopes that the hairstyle came from some stupid wager the person- I wanted to say gentleman, but the haircut renders that word impossible to use- lost.  The more likely truth that it was something his misguided mid life crisis hormones encouraged him to take on notwithstanding.

Even if its some kind of world's greatest shave thing, can we just stop it?  I'm all for finding a cure for cancer but not at the expense of seeing something like that.  Especially over lunch

I will unequivocally say that Mr. T. remains the only living person who can pull off that hairstyle, everyone else is just a fool and a sucka.

All of which serves to remind me, its time for a haircut...

Finally! A Use for Reality TV

Reality TV has been with us for about 50 years.  Early shows include "kids say the darnedest things" and "Funniest Home Videos."  It has spawned into a pathetic slew of crap including  "...Got Talent", "Dog the Bounty Hunter," and "Cake Boss."

Don't even get me started on "One Born Every Minute" (A favourite of The Wife).  And she makes me watch it during dinner.  I don't wanna know about comes out of there.  I'm a man.  I'm about what goes in.

The "drama" that develops between the various game players I'm sure is as contrived as professional wrestling.

And save me, please from real estate shows. Someone, please... don't make me beg.

I don't want to watch this shit, storage wars aside- that Dave Hester is right Bastard, but that's why he makes the bucks, and makes me laugh- I prefer shows with story.  "Game of Thrones" or "Babylon 5" or even an old episode of "Green Acres"- anything but the crap being passed on as TV these days.

Until last night.

I was listening to ABC News Radio last night, and a Dutch entrepreneur has developed an idea for a practical, constructive use for Reality TV.

He has a plan.  A rather creative plan to use reality TV to finance in part.. Are you ready?

Martian Settlement.

He is proceeding with recruitment very soon, and although he has not yet actively canvassed for applicants, he already has over 400.

Using his personal fortune, and building a reality TV show around the colonisation effort, he believes he could have colonists living and working on Mars by 2024.  That is real science fiction on my TV.  It will be Big Brother in Space.  What a concept.  He believes he will be able to sponsor multiple trips with this concept.  Creativity like this needs to be celebrated.  The man is a genius.

Would I watch it?  Hell yeah.  I'd sign up myself, but I'd take up three berths and the cost of sending me into space wouldn't be an efficient use of money.  Or maybe I will go on that diet.

Cost of Living

I have been wondering about this for quite some time.  So I decided today to do a little checking.

Turns out the average annual inflation rate in Australia is round about 3%.  This means that since 2004, the price of everything has gone up by 26%.  More or less.  This is the official figure.  The start date I am using coincides with my arrival in this country.

Lets look at some practical truths.

Gasoline:  Was $1.10/L now $1.55  increase:  41%
Cat Food  Was $0.89/ tin  now $1.53  increase: 71%
Pepsi Max:  Was $8.99/ 24 cans  now: $14.99  increase: 66%
Bread  Was $1.10/loaf  Now: $1.49  increase: 34.5%
Cheese: was $8.99/kg block  Now $11.99  increase:  33%

I don't want to even talk about meat.  This country is crawling with cows, exporting tens of thousands overseas yet a t-bone costs about $24/kg.

Were I to discuss power costs, some of the older people out there may well have a heart attack.

Recently, I had to fill my car up.  I stopped putting fuel in the tank when the pump read $100.  I hadn't finished filling it.  Fifteen years ago I worried about how much change I would get from a fifty.  

My council rates, in 3 years have increased from $489 to about $600 per 6 months.  A shocking and undefendable increase in excess of 20%.

I know in the last three years, the wages where I work have gone up about 5%.

Thats all.  5%

No wonder there's more month left at the end of the money.

I can't see the official figure as being accurate.  I would actually suggest that the effective inflation rate over that time period was closer to 7% than 3. 

Cut back, I'm told and forced to do, regardless.  But now, If I cut back any more I'd need a guillotine.  A sentiment the crowd of creditors must certainly share.

I'm beginning to think I know what its like to be Greece.

The Wealth of Provinces

I am originally from the Province of Alberta, in Canada.  And while I live in Australia now, I still keep an eye on what happening there.

There was a recent election campaign that saw the upstart Wildrose party pit themselves against the entrenched PC party.

While the Boobie bus incident made me laugh- and still does- the election did have one very important calling card.  Resource royalties.

Alberta is the land of Oil.  Especially tar sands oil.  More expensive to take out of the ground, but one of the largest land bound reserves on the planet.  Top three I think.

I believe that the royalty- and feel free to correct if I am mistaken- the current royalty the province demands is about 17.5%.  Oil companies, naturally, are whinging about paying that much.  The Wildrose party, apparently wanted to REDUCE this royalty to promote investment, saying that companies might not do business in the province because it was expensive.

Expensive?  Got news for them.  So's oil.

The oil is in the province.  If the corporations want it, they'll do business, and at $90+ per barrel, they will still be fighting for the rights to set up shop.

A dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow.  The future wealth of the province depends upon the management of those dollars.  The fact is, those rates should be increased.  Failure to increase them means you are throwing the future of your children away.  Oil is a finite resource.  What are you gonna do when its gone?

Thankfully. the Wildrose party lost.  But the current government needs to do something about it.  The Wealth that belongs to the people of Alberta is bleeding out.  This should be stopped.

Public Liability vs Personal Responsibility

Australia is getting bad.  Just the other day when my car broke down, I had to call RACQ (AAA equivalent); the guy who comes tells me that I had to stay on the sidewalk while he hooked everything up, because the government has made him responsible for my actions.  He was publicly liable for my safety.

Huh?

Since when did someone else become responsible for something I do?  I thought I became responsible for the things I do when I hit the age of 16.

Society here needs to re-examine the notion of personal responsibility.

Lets take the above situation.  If, for some reason, I stepped out into traffic and got clobbered by a passing semi, he becomes responsible?  He didn't step out.  I did.  What a way to commit suicide.  He shows up.  I step in front of a bus- get cleaned up and my family still gets to sue.  Its ridiculous.

Let's take another example.  I own a bar.  Guy comes to bar, gets smashed, walks home.  On the way home, he trips over a crack in the sidewalk and breaks his ankle.  Whose fault is this?

Apparently its mine.  I served him the drinks.  Alcohol impairs judgement, so he is not.  Yet, the guy was sober when he came in.  Sober enough to understand the possible consequences of drinking.  Not arranging for a safe way home, and choosing to engage in it anyway is a decision he made.  The responsibility should be his.

Example Three.  I own a bar (a romantic notion, but not one I think I'd want).  Like I do every night, I lock the place up and make it as secure as possible.  Next day, I come to work, and in the ceiling of the cold beer room there is a great big hole and on the floor, a guy with a broken leg.  Guess what?

He gets to sue.  He breaks into my business, destroys property, but I'm at fault because he hurt himself.

What kind of twisted reality is this?

This guy would have known the possible risks of ceiling entry, and chose to do it.  But it happened on my property so I'm at fault.

I know this isn't just Australia.  In Alberta, if I owned an acreage, and some moron was snowmobiling on my property and hit a buried tree, he would get to plan the lawsuit while flying through the air before hitting the nearest tree.  This could happen whether or not the guy had permission to be there.  But its not like I begged the guy to ride on property, or even gave him permission.  All I did was buy the acreage.

I didn't buy the skidoo.  I didn't ask him to be on my property.  I didn't put a gun to his head and force him to ride on unfamiliar land.  The guy did all of this by himself. Is not the fault for the accident also his?

In the USA, Phil Hartman's family sues the doctor because the prescription drugs Phil's wife was taking reacted poorly with cocaine.  Yet Brynn was, without consulting the physician, self medicating with illegal substances- substances she chose to take, and similarly chose to keep quiet about it.  Yet Zoloft manufacturer Pfizer was successfully sued.

Why has personal responsibility fallen by the wayside?  Why are we content to legislate away responsibility?  How does the guilty become a victim?

The whole concept of shifting blame is sickening.  It needs to be stopped.

If we have the right to live free then we also must be responsible for our actions, and I wish to be free, therefore, for my actions, I am responsible.

Xenophobia: Backward Thinking

This day and age, we can't afford this.

Throughout history, there have been periods of of cultural xenophobia.  This has almost always led to stagnation or being conquered.

Nazi Germany is a prime example example of the latter, as is early 19th century Japan.

In Germany's case, virtually everything non Aryan was seen as inferior.  So much so that campaigns of extermination were begun.  The war they started to "prove that truth" backfired horribly and resulted in the complete conquest of Germany by foreign powers.  Powers that proved that mixed race societies have the moral high ground and will to prove it.

Japan in 19th century- before Matthew Perry sent the mission to open the country- the island nation had more or less sealed itself from the world, trading only to select traders in restricted ports.  This came at cost.  By 1854, when Matthew Perry's flotilla sailed into Edo Bay (Tokyo Bay now), belching smoke and stacked with cannon- of a type never before seen- the Japanese were forced to consider an awful truth..  The world had left them behind.  They were no longer in a position to even defend themselves as their technology simply was obsolete.  The rush to modernize Japan began, and by 1905, their fleet and technology was comparable to any European power.  50 years to catch up, but somehow, they did it.

On the flipside, countries that have opened their borders to trade, either through conquering or aggressive trading have enjoyed enormous success.

Holland in the 17th century was the richest country in Europe.  They had an unrestricted trade policy that saw their influence spread across the globe, India, America, Indonesia, Africa, South America, even Australia was once called New Holland.  This tiny nation went on to fight three separate wars with Britain, including raiding London, before the population difference finally showed itself.

For about 200 years, Britain, largely through trade with her colonies, became the ascendent nation.

Trade brings wealth.  The USA grew that way, despite two world wars, into a very successful economy- but it has taken China 60 years to modernize, and now they, with an economy based on trade, are number one.

With instant communication, free flow of information, and access to it essential for a nation to remain sovereign in today's world, there is no place for Xenophobia.  Globalization on this basis is inevitable, and likely necessary in the evolution of human politics.  Especially if we are to expand our horizon and look to the stars.

I just hope they don't stamp out individual rights in the process.  There is a very real danger of this happening.

Knives, Swords and Other Sharp Bits of Metal

I have a fascination with Steel, particularly sharp steel.  I think this is because I am a fan of Fantasy.  Things like Conan, The Grey Mouser, Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire, to name a few.

I remember a scene from the movie Conan the Barbarian, (yes the movie based upon the book by Robert Jordan, not the Master Robert E Howard but the soundtrack is excellent and it is the one worth watching).  Conan is taken prisoner by Thulsa Doom and brought before his captor.  They meet for the first time.  Conan accuses Thulsa of killing his family and people.  Thulsa (played by the great James Earl Jones, voice of Vader) says:

That was in my younger days, when I chased the secret of steel, but what is steel compared to the hand that wields it?

Steel.  Metal of beauty, and metal of history.

My father had a crossed pair scimitars hanging on the wall when I growing up.  They used fascinate me, so much so that one Halloween when I was in elementary school I convinced my mom to make an Arab style costume so I could take one to school.

I started a knife and sword collection when I hit my age of majority.  I looked for things that had historical importance. even if it was only a copy.  I had a copy Roman Dagger, a pugio, a broad bladed vicious stabbing weapon.  Three Japanese swords, one of forged steel.  A straight blade in the Katana style that looked more like stick than a sword when it was sheathed (the pride of my collection, it was a real beauty).  I had a sword stick that was confiscated when I had it shipped to Australia, given to me by a friend.

I also had a silver plated flame knife in the fantasy style. 

One of my favourites was a sword cane that I had.  It wasn't of good qulaity, but I did carry it one Halloween, as part of a costume.  It should be at my brother's house.  I didn't pack it because that one I knew wouldn't get by customs.

I had started thinking about actually buying genuine antiques, like a WW1 German officer's blade, or something from even earlier.

I know swords in particular were designed, like pistols, to do one thing, kill people. 

But it's the history of weapons over their function that fascinates me.  The Roman reliance on infantry, spears and swords.  The Crusades, where western blades encountered legendary Damascus Steel.  The fall of steel armour at the beginning of the renaissance, and with it the big blades like broadswords, claymores and others because guns made armour obsolete.  The appearance of finer blades, foils and rapiers became common, but this period also saw the rise of knives, particularly, in the 18th century bayonets.

But the truth is, I don't like going in the bush without a good knife.  It is a camping essential, and it should be worn, visibly when out like that, not concealed.  I consider it essential for fishing, hunting, and fire starting, as well as eating and cooking.

To paraphrase Homer Simpson:  Knives, is there nothing they can't do?

Apples to Apples

On the surface the political systems are very different when it comes to comparing the governments of Australia, Canada and the USA.

The USA is a republic, with a presidential head, while Canada and Australia share a decidedly more British model.  The president is a directly elected office, while the Prime Minister is determined by the party leadership, and it is possible to be prime minister without a seat.  Both Australia and America have elected senates.  In Canada, its appointed.  The American president faces primaries run state by state, and makes the actual election campaign run well over 12 months.  In Australia and Canada, party leadership is appointed by party faithful usually well before any election campaign.  In America, the Senate representation on a state by state basis is equal.  In Canada, Senate numbers are based on provincial population.  In Australia, votes can be cast on preferential basis- don't ask me how the system works, I mistrust it, while America and Canada use first past the post.  In Australia every citizen of age votes by law, in the other two, you can if want- or not.

So, it sounds different right?  Apples to Oranges?  Can't make a comparison?  Wrong.

Because of the nature of politics, consider:

The presidential race is down to 2 people in the US, the selection of either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party.  In Australia it's down to the Labour party or Liberal/National party coalition selection.  In Canada, Its usually between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party (Jack Layton's rise of the NDP to official opposition status I believe has as much to do with election weary Canadians and the Liberal party's responsibility in calling it at least as much as the Charisma of the late leader.  Mulcair, his replacement, I suspect was a poor leadership choice).

Each opposing side puts together a brief of policies during the election in which they believe will win the the majority of votes.  Everyone knows the brief is pointless, and few if any promises will be kept.  Because the information made public previously was inaccurate, or some crisis will arise which promptly sweeps everything else to the side (GFC for instance).

The election itself produces very like personalities in the candidates.  A classic example is the 1999 American race between Gore and Bush- so alike in form and policy one needed a split screen TV to tell the candidates apart.  This also seems likely in the upcoming Australian election, a conservative labour leader facing a labour leaning LNP coalition candidate. Who will it be?  Speedos (a reference to Tony Abbot pulling a "Stockwell Day") vs the Backstabber?  Is this even a choice?

Tony Abbot in Speedos

Stockwell Day in a Wetsuit

Southpark had it right.  Every election leaves a one a choice between a "turd sandwich" (complete with pickle) or a "giant douche".  The only winner is the candidate who actually wins.  The voters always lose.

Its always apples to apples.

Shire Elections, Coming Soon, but not Soon Enough for Me.

And no, Frodo isn't running this year, as far as I know.

I know what you're thinking.  Hasn't he said enough about politics in the last week?  The answer is:  I am Canadian.  It is ingrained in me to keep talking about politics until someone tells me to shut up.  And even then, I can still choose to ignore em.

I'm bringing this up because there is another election in Queensland this year.  We go to the polls to pick our local Shire representatives.

I bring this up because a few years ago, and much against the wishes of everyone, the State Labour government, under Peter Beattie, forced many shires to merge into "regional councils".  The Shire in which I live was absorbed, along with 3 others to form the Tablelands Regional Council.  At the time, this move was opposed by everyone, except of course for the people who made the decision.

So, not so many weeks ago, 600 or so people in Mareeba, one of the shires forced to merge with us got together discuss issues affecting the town. (Cairns Post, Mar. 2, 2012).

They promptly blamed amalgamation and voted 600 to 1 in favour of devolution.  This, at least, means that I am actually in agreement with people in Mareeba.

You see, I don't want Mareeba in my Shire as it turns out.  There are number of reasons for this.  The biggest reason is the climate there is different from the climate here.  I live on the edge of rainforest, as does the residents of Herberton, Eacham, and Atherton.  The land is different, and the air is cooler.  Our interests, therefore, are different.

Further, there is a marked difference in attitude between Mareeba and Atherton when it comes to business.  One of the best examples was the decision by McDonald's to locate in Atherton.  As I understand it, they tried Mareeba first, but received a less than warm welcome.  Atherton, clearly, and certainly when I moved here, had a more diversified and vibrant business community than its competition to the North.  Atherton council seemed more business friendly.

Indeed, many locals talk about the Mareeba Mafia.  This loose knit group of people acting in concert in order to protect themselves from competing business and so on.

But business is the lifeblood of any community, and so, a willingness to remain open to new businesses critical to any community's future.  I want to be in a community that is pro business.  I want to live in a community that recognizes that role in the community.

So, if they don't want to be part of the regional council, fine.  Let's not fight to keep them.

I hope the door doesn't hit them on the ass on the way out.

Queensland Election 2012

Its my first vote in an Australian Election, and it is all over the news here.

LNP Defeats Labour!

Labour wasn't just defeated, it was destroyed.  Crushed.  Run through the electoral meat grinder.  They fell from a majority government to less than 10 seats, last time I checked.

The state parliament is 89 seats, and the LNP claims about 75 of them.  Quorum aside, only one third of the LNP MPs need show up at any given time to pass laws.

The media is shocked at this kind of loss.  After all labour seats that have been held for 100years by the party have been taken by the LNP.  But truly, no one should be shocked.  Labour has done some things that Labour should never do.  It privatised profitable assets.  It ran a poor campaign.  They even put a guy in my riding that looks like Adolph Hitler's great grandson...

 

See?  Who was in charge of the local Labour Party publicity?  This is a shocking image.  They would have been better off if they had stuck with Jason Briskey.  I had a better publicity officer when I ran for city council in Edmonton 11 years ago and she wasn't paid.  Its no wonder this riding went to Katter's Australian Party.

But the campaign run by everyone was shocking.  There was a horrible and disgusting anti-gay marriage ad run the KAP.  I'm sorry, but you know what?  The images were shameful in the way they were used.  Why was the ad run at all?

I DO NOT CARE WHAT GOES ON IN YOUR HOUSE.  If you have found someone to love, that is precious, and good on you, gay or straight.  I don't even care of you have children- 2 parents will always be better than one.  But the bottom line is, its not my business.  Therefore, I do not care.

Next time, Bob Katter, take a lesson from the Kim Campbell election team and shut the fuck up.  You'll get more votes.

The LNP's campaign was lackluster.  I hardly heard a peep out of them this whole election.  So quiet, in fact, you didn't hear of any mistakes either.

But they also weren't operating with such an unpopular track record as the Bligh government.  Yes, Bligh government.  Anna is a descendant of that most infamous of captains.

Thirteen years of selling profitable government assets and forced shire amalgamations, and the disgusting and expensive Carbon Tax passed by their Federal Brethren took its toll in Queensland.  Labour was rightly thrown out of government.

Should have happened years ago.