Zorse

This is a zorse.  A zebra stallion, domesticated mare crossbreed.

I had always wondered.  Apparently these have been bred in Africa since about 1895.

Genetics has fascinated me for a few years, not that I know anything about it.  What fascinates me is what they do with it.

Crossbreeding especially.  Things like beefalo (beautiful, delicious meat by the way), or zorses, or my pick, savannah cats...

That's ridiculously tall for a cat.  But they are, apparently social, and very loyal.  When I get another cat, I'm going to look for one of these, I think.  That's just too cool.  These are domestic cats cross bred with the African Serval.  I wonder if they can do the same thing with Lynxes.

Ligers are the biggest cats in the world.  Hercules is the largest known Liger, and he weighs in at 410 kgs.  That's nearly 1000lbs.

I don't think I'd want to mess with that.

Youth Vs. Age

I am old and fat, especially when compared to the young charges at the boarding school where I work.  I maybe 42, but my hair has, since I was 21, been turning white, and now it virtually is. 

So I am slower.  I know there is no point in chasing the boys around.  They can out run me, easy.  That will get me no where except out of breath.  So I adopt a more, well, sinister approach.

I know where they sleep.

In fact, I have to wake them up in morning to go to school.  If behavior is good, I wake them gently.  If its not, I'm not so gentle.

I did get in trouble for using loud noise to wake them- they complained to my boss.  Poor little darlings.  I had to wake up to a loud noise every morning- my alarm clock, especially when I was their age.  But my boss put the kybosh on that.

But there is more than one way to kick the can.

I now use water.  Cold water, straight from the fridge.  I just dribble some on the little precious' head.  They hate it.  So much in fact, that problems in the morning have almost completely disappeared.

Score one for me.  Management knows about it, and they haven't told me officially to stop.  Not even unofficially..

So The kids may get one over on the other supervisors.  I don't know how some of the kids get away with it.  But they are wary of me.  And around here, that's a good thing.

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.

Words From a Ghost

Interestingly, it’s a conversation between some lone traveler and a spectre of some former ferocity.  Of course, at the end the ghost laments that he is no longer a power in the material sense.  When he, himself, recognizes Satan’s call the ghost fears it not.

I fought for glory,

The glory of the Empire,

I was born a soldier

And I fought for the Empire.

I fought on horseback,

I fought on foot.

Over half a thousand battles

And as many corpses I’ve stood.

I’ve killed peasants,

I’ve killed kings.

I’ve spilt much blood,

Entrails and things.

I carried scars on my chest,

And scars on my back,

I have been very rich,

I have been on the rack.

But to you the traveler,

At these crossroads,

I should not have spoken,

Nor unburdened my woes.

For now I am called,

To Satan’s fiery Gate…

You see he is angry,

No longer will he wait.

A final message,

To you, O man,

Could I kill,

I would again.

VS Commodore Wagon: A Driving History pt 12

She was big.  She was comfortable.  And, she was my "converted coupe".  To get the car roadworthy, I had to remove the backseat because I couldn't find a specific part for her.

Lowered, she was powered by 5L V8 with cold air induction and 3.5inch exhaust.  The car rumbled down the road.  To buy her, I had to go to Bundaberg.  Not that I minded.  Bundaberg.  Home of the famous distillery, and where I had my first taste of that nectar of the Gods, Bundy Royale liquor, a chocolate/coffee masterpiece.

The story with this occurred shortly after the purchase.  She did only cost $5000.  But she was also high mileage.  That didn't bother me.  She looked good.  Heavy tinted windows.  Fancy mags.  It was okay.  But the owner was trying to fit a rear differential to the car when I got there.  And given that it delayed my return journey, I probably should have walked away from the car, right there.  But, I didn't.  The car did get fitted, and the paperowrk was filed, and I drove home.

The Wife and I were not long out of of Bundy, when I picked up a tail.

"Uh-oh," I said, and as she turned to look at me,"Coppers."

"Are you speeding?"  I wonder what she was trying to say about my driving.

"No.  just under the limit."  Actually, I was surprised too.

The followed for a time.  And then, because of the loudness of the car, the tinted windows, and it being lowered, the coppers proably thought, "Hotrod.  Its not legal."

Their blue and reds started flashing in my rearview mirror.  Sure as a bear shits in the woods, (maybe I should now say a roo shits in the outback) they wanted me to stop.

I pulled off the road and into a parking lot of some kind, for a park I think.  I was careful not to rev the engine.  I wasn't sure it would pass a noise test, and didn't want to give them any more fuel for the fire they trying to light.  I wasn't far from Yellow Glen- these were small town coppers.  You know how they are. 

They walked over to the car.  I rolled down my window.  The face of the one on my side did a double take- I'm grey haired and older, not a young hoon.

"Can I help you, officer?"

Well, I'll say this, having made the decision, they were determined to find something wrong with the car.  Out came a light meter.  They put that to the tint.  It passed.  They ran hands over the tyre tread.  It passed.  They checked the interior, it passed.  Ran a noise test, the car passed (I was a little surprised at that, but I certainly wasn't going to argue).

About a half hour went by, of these tests, in the hot January sun.  They couldn't find anything wrong.  They let me go.

It was a hot drive home.  The air-con didn't work.  But the car made it.

For the short time I had the car, I enjoyed driving it.  I brought it up from Charters Towers when we first bought this place.  It was useful during the move, even if my driveway tore the crap out of my bodykit.  But I had a job that required me to drive 1100km per week.  The wagon cost me, at the time (it would be more now) $35/day.  I switched over to the Audi 80 (next installment) which I had for even less time.  But the car was still useful until the fire.

I was lucky.  where it was parked, it actually didn't take too much damage.  But the key for it was destroyed, and the body kit melted.  I sold it to a bloke for $1000 cash not long after the fire.  I needed the money and I couldn't prove that it ran.