A Brief Photo Essay

And so, you loyal reader type people came through with some ideas. I've considered them all ( thanks for the whole Israel v Gaza thing Dash, i might have to jump on Wikipedia before i tackle that one.... ), but i thought this might be the easiest, and most fun, for a Sunday afternoon. A few of you said " hey, stories from your childhood " and of course you wanted accompanying pictures - plus, this is my official entry into Andy's photo challenge. And so, please enjoy a few photos of yours truely, accompanied by a short commentary on each shot:

Firstly, yes thats me as a cute, chubby little baby. And, yes, you're eyes are not deceiving you - i am wearing a baby bikini. ( Also, this is as close to naked as you will ever get to see me, so enjoy it while you can. Or, actually, dont enjoy it - enjoying it would be wrong... ). I believe i'm almost a year old in this photo, playing in a blow up pool in my Nan's backyard. Dont ask me what those green things floating around me are - i dont exactly remember - but i'm pretty sure they must have been fun to play with.

On to Picture #2 - thats me on my first day of school, 5 years old. All together now - awwwww. Its sometime in late January of 1989 ( yes, Northern hemisphereans, we start school at the start of the calendar year, not in the middle ). Please take note of my awesome, late 80's fashioned, school uniform - a sad green pinafore, white cotton blouse and little knee socks ( that dont quite come up to my knees ). Also, please notice that I am completely rocking a mullet. Yes, a MULLET. Business in the front, party at the back. To this day, i cannot believe that my mother willfully did that to my head. The missing teeth at the front though are all my fault - they came out while i was eating an apple.

Check me out - that is me, and my new bike, circa around 7 years of age. My dad and my pa made me that bike - yes, you read that right, they MADE it out of second hand bike parts, instead of buying me and my brother a new bike each (we werent dirt poor, but neither could we afford two brand new bikes ). My bike rocked - i chose what colour i wanted, i put cool stickers on it, and you better believed my brother and ruled the neighbourhood on them. We had a group of around 6 or 7 kids in our street and we'd ride around on weekends playing " bike-tag " or we'd ride down to the Death Track. Oooh - sounds dangerous, doesnt it ? Kind-of, sort-of, but not really. It was basically this huge hill of dirt ( maybe 2 storeys high ) on some land owned by the NSW Railway. Some older kids had made a walking track to the top and then a long, bumpy, dipping track to ride down. Woo hoo! I'm proud to say i never suffered a single injury there. My brother, however, did take one memorable spill which saw him fall into a patch of weeds and end up with a whole patch of thistles in his butt....

Picture #4 - this one is especially for you Andy. Anybody who reads Andy's page will recognise that he and I may have in fact owned the same pair of glasses as youngsters. Those things are freakin' huge! Again, I have my mother to blame for my complete lack of style ( an affliction I am to do this day trying to overcome ). In case you wondered what the hell is going on this picture let me explain - i am in my PJ's and I am apparently trying to kill my younger brother ( the little kid in the blue PJ's with the pained expression on his face ). And i'm smiling because jumping on your younger brother and trying to squash the guts out of him is fun. Right ? Right ?

And lasty but not leastly, Picture #5 - me before my Year 12 Formal ( read: Senior Prom ). This one isnt exactly in the humiliating category, but i thought i'd share it anyways. Please bear in mind when looking at this picture that i have lost aprroximately 17ish kgs between then and now ( i've changed from a size 16/ US size 12 down to a size 10/ US size 6 ). I think if i had my time again i wouldnt have picked that dress. It was a velvet dress with spaghetti cross over straps and, looking back, it didnt really fit all that well. I could have found something so much more flattering. As it stands though it wasnt all that bad - definately a more timelessly chic choice than some of my friends....

Yadda, Yadda, Yadda...

So.... ( and yes, for anyone who noticed, that is a reference to " Seinfeld " ). I find myself today lacking inspiration for a blog post. I feel like i want to make one, but I dont have anything particular weighing on my mind, nor any funny/scary/weirdo stories to tell. Lets call it " bloggers block " - i'm officially capable of writing, i just dont know what to write about.

And so i turn my blog over to you. Thats right - YOU - the handful of people who actually regularly read my garbage. I want you to tell me what i should write about. It could be something you want to know about me, a childhood story you'd like me to tell, or something you'd like to hear my opinion on ( if there is one thing i have, its opinions ). Or, if you so desire it, just tell me how happy you are that i've stumbled onto bloggers block, which means i'll stay quite for a while.

And so - hop to it people!! Get thinking and then get commenting. Or i'm afraid this blog may die a slow, horrible death ( okay, not really.... this will only last a few days... )

Wagon-Pullers Getting Tired

Got an over-the-table job? Paying taxes? Paying for your own health insurance? Well, you’re pulling the wagon. If you’ve been pulling it very long, you’ve noticed that it’s getting heavier. That’s because there are more people riding and fewer pulling. How long can this go on? Not forever, that’s for sure and the load is about to get even heavier - much heavier. How long before the wagon runs into the ditch and everybody falls off?

Do you know people who work, but make make most of their money under the table? Who don’t pay taxes? Don’t pay medical insurance? If you’re like most of us you don’t just know them, you’re related to them. They’re everywhere. They ride the wagon when they get sick or injured, but they don’t take their turn pulling it. They walk alongside and snicker at the rest of us in the harness.

But you get your medical insurance free because your employer pays it, you say? There’s no such thing as free. For those with, say, an Anthem family policy, it costs more than $50 a day and it’s part of your compensation whether you know it or not. Your employer knows it because he figures it into the cost of employing you. He could give you the $50 and let you send the check to the insurance company, but then the government would take some of it too and you’d pay even more. Nothing is free. Somebody pays. The wagon-pullers pay.

How many people do you know who have gone on disability? How many of them are actually disabled and unable to work? How many have grossly exaggerated their ailments to “qualify” with the help of lawyers from Binder and Binder? I bet you’re related to some of them too. Most of us are.

“The trouble with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money,” said former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The wagon-pullers either quit or collapse in harness and that’s happening already in the UK. It’s nearly bankrupt. With it’s enormous social programs and surging illegal immigrant population, so is California. The whole USA headed down the same road - and with “bailouts” of a trillion here and a trillion there, we’re picking up speed.

The $825 billion “economic stimulus” package is being shaped by the Democrats in control of Congress and the White House as I write. Obama’s chief economic advisor, Robert Reich, testified before Congress, saying: “I am concerned, as I’m sure many of you are, that these jobs not simply go to high-skilled people who are already professionals, or to white male construction workers.”

Hmm.

Not only will we have increasingly socialist tax policies, money raised will be spent according to race. I thought the Obama Administration was going to be the first “post-racial” presidency. Did I miss something? Reich went on to say: “Criteria can be set so that the money does go to others - the long-term, unemployed minorities, women - people who are not necessarily construction workers or high-skilled professionals.”

Hmm.

Obama says he wants to build roads and bridges and other infrastructure with all that money. He assures us that there are plenty of these projects “shovel-ready” all around the country, just waiting for the funds to go ahead. I can see myself now - being stopped by a chubby wagon-rider with an orange vest, a walkie-talkie, and a STOP sign on a pole in front of a government work crew standing around, leaning on those shovels and smoking cigarettes.

Later, when I drive over one of those “new-infrastructure” bridges, I’ll remember that there weren’t any “highly-skilled, white professionals” involved in building it and I’ll thank God if I make it to the other side.

President Obama told Joe the Plumber he would “spread the wealth around” by raising taxes on the “rich.” Trouble is, the “rich” are paying most of the taxes already and, if you’ve worked all your life and you’re still alive, you’re one of them. As a teacher with a wife and three kids thirty years ago, I was “poor” - officially under the federal poverty line. I’m still a teacher, but with two additional part-time jobs, a working wife and four grown-and-gone children - but now I’m “rich.” Rich and poor are not static categories and my story is not unusual. The top half of American earners pay 96% of federal income taxes. The bottom half pay less than 4%. If you factor in the “earned income tax credit,” most of that bottom half pay less than nothing; they get paid instead. Yet Obama and Pelosi want to give them a rebate! On what? You have to pay first to get money “back.” Let’s just call it what it is - a massive redistribution of income from wagon pullers to wagon riders.

" I come from a land Down Under .... "

Happy Australia Day everybody! Today is a national holiday commemorating the day James Cook landed at Botany Bay, essentially " discovering " Australia. Basically, its a day where we get to take the day off, have a bbq with family and friends and watch the cricket ( or, in my case today, a marathon of Project Runway Australia ). How more Aussie could you get than that ? Its all about family, friends and food. And, speaking of food - I know you non-Australian type people think we Aussies eat some weird things. You've probably heard us use terms like " sausage roll " or " lamingtons " and wondered " What in the boojesus are they talking about ? What the hell is a lamington ? It sounds like some kind of uppity posh suburb of London .... " And so, in the Australia spirit of mateship and sharing, i've come up with my glossary of the Top 5 " weird " foods we Aussies indulge in :

*NOTE* ( They arent actually weird - theyre just different. Judge food by its packaging or its label ok ? )

VEGEMITE ( vej -e -myte ):

Come on now, you've all heard of it Vegemite, we're reknowned for it! I also know that you all probably think its downright disgusting - but, of course, i'm willing to bet 9 out of 10 of you havent ever tried it. To be truthful, all the foreigners i've ever seen taste Vegemite have almost choked on their own bile, so i guess its an acquired taste. Its pretty much a fermented yeast paste - its a little bitter, a little salty, a little something you cant describe. Its all also a little perfect on white toast!

PAVLOVA ( pav - low - vuh ):

Take a look at it - doesnt it look scrum-diddlie-umptious ? Yes, yes it does. It also tastes that way, which is probably why its one of Australia's favourite dessert recipes. Its a ( depending on your tastes, of course ) either a crisp and crunchy or crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, meringue base. The meringue base is then covered in sweet whipped cream and your choice of toppings. The traditional pavlova, as seen above, is whipped cream and a variety of tropical fruits, although some fancy people have made pavlovas covered in chocolate, nuts and marshmallow; chewy candies; or white chocolate and berries. But just remember - when in doubt, always go traditional!

MEAT PIE ( mee -t pye ):

Meat pies are as Aussie as hotdogs are American. That is, to say, meat pies are the " everyman " food of Australia. Its pretty much as it sounds - a pastry shell, much like any dessert pie, but filled with a mix of minced meat ( usually beef ) and a gravy like sauce. Meat pies are the favourite snack/casual dinner for Australian men everywhere, but are particularly well loved at any type of sporting event ( meat pie at the football ? Doesnt get more Australian then that! ). Also, please note - you can eat as many meat pies as you like, but if you dont eat them with tomato sauce ( no, not ketchup - TOMATO SAUCE ) you will never pass as a real Aussie.

WEET BIX ( wee-t bi -cks ):

A quintessentially Australian breakfast cereal. If you read the fine print on the box, it reads " The Breakfast of Champions ". Damn right it is! This is the breakfast cereal that always has some kind of Australian athlete ( currently cricket players ) as its spokeperson. Weet Bix, just like the meat pie, are pretty much the way they sound - that is, they are are small, rectangular biscuits of shredded wheat. Nice and healthy, if not a little bland. They're best eaten warm, so you can " cook " them by pouring on some boiling water or milk ( or nuking them in the microwave, for the time poor people out there ), and if you add a litte sugar or a touch of honey and banana - you wont find an easier, yummier, healthier breakfast anywhere! ( except maybe an organic retreat.... )

LAMINGTONS ( lah - ming - ton-s ):

Ah, the forementioned lamington. I am telling you, my craving for one of these whilst i lived overseas was enough to rival a pregnant womans desire for pickles in chocolate icecream. However, lamingtons are about a million times more delicious than that heinous concoction. Lamingtons are, in a word, awesome - they're little squares of white sponge cake, covered in milk chocolate and then rolled in coconut. So simple, yet so, so sweet! They can also be made with some whipped cream in the middle, but being the purist I am ( oh, and i'm not so big on cream... ) i prefer the good old traditional version best. Mmm.... lamingtons.

And there you be ladies and gents. Should you have any lingering queries in regards to an Australian delicacy you may have heard of, feel free to leave a comment and i'll endevour to clear that one up for you too. Viva el Australia!

( oh, wait, my bad, thats Spanish.... )

An Anniversary

" Happy Birthday to me, I'm one hundred and three.... "

Well, no, not exactly. It IS my birthday, but didnt turn 103. I'm only one quarter of the way there - today is my 25th birthday. Yay for me! Its been a good day ( yes, despite the fact that i had to go to work ... ), although now that its winding down the weather has decided to turn all hot and sticky, which wont make for a good nights sleep.

But hey, I had a couple of belly laughs today ( at J's expense... ), two- count 'em, two! - birthday cakes ( one at work and one at home with my family ) and got approximately 5 birthday hugs ( the best one from my neice H, she's my favourite hugger ). I didnt get a whole swag of presents, but at 25 its not really the point - but what i did get was nice ( especially the " Happy " by Clinique that I had hinted about to my sister. Good listening sis! ).

And that is all. I didnt do anything spectacularly interesting so i'll make this a short post. Hope everyone else had a good day too!

When Will We Wake Up?

What is it going to take for Europe and America to realize the threat? Radical Muslim terrorist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, al Qaida and others won’t stop until the world is under Sharia law. Don’t know what that means? It means stoning to death adulterers, homosexuals and apostates (anyone who leaves Islam), killing sisters, wives, daughters who “dishonor” the family by wearing bikinis or otherwise dressing like most women in the west do, and beating women if they disobey their husbands. Sounds farfetched, you say? Well, according the BBC, no less a person than the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, claims “Sharia law in UK ‘unavoidable’.”

On New Years night a few weeks ago, young Muslims in France rioted. They burned 1147 cars in several French cities. It’s not the first time this has happened and French police were out in force. Still, there were 30% more cars burned this year than last. French media won’t call the rioters Muslims however. Their politically-correct, multicultural denial doesn’t allow them to. Instead, domestic terrorists are simply called “youths.” Car burnings are getting routine for the French. “Even during tranquil periods, an average of 80 vehicles per day are set alight somewhere in the country,” claims the San Francisco Chronicle. “‘Burning cars is rather typically French, said Michel Wieviorka, a French sociologist who has studied the phenomenon.” Uh-huh. Just the usual mischief by those pesky French “youths.” Nothing to do with Radical Islam. Move along folks. Nothing to see here.

In Sweden, rapes by Muslim immigrants and their offspring are skyrocketing, quadrupling in twenty years. Sweden’s liberal immigration policies have allowed huge numbers of unassimilated Muslims to upset their multicultural bliss. It’s getting harder to tolerate intolerant Muslim immigrants when they disdain Swedish women. According to Islam-watch.org, one named Hamid said, “‘It is not as wrong raping a Swedish girl as raping an Arab girl. The Swedish girl gets a lot of help afterwards, and she had probably f***** before, anyway. . . . It is far too easy to get a Swedish whore…… girl, I mean,’ says Hamid, and laughs over his own choice of words.”

Such attitudes are common in Europe lately. According to the Copenhagen Post: “An Islamic mufti in Copenhagen, Shahid Mehdi, has sparked political outcry from the left-wing Unity List and right-wing Danish People's Party, after stating in a televised interview that women who do not wear headscarves are ‘asking for rape.’”

“Public outcry,” huh? Not enough of an outcry to call Muslim terrorists what they are though. Just those pesky “youths” again. Is it an unwillingness to admit their embrace of multiculturalism - the idea that all cultures are equal - has been wrong all along? Or is it just plain fear of radical Muslim terror? Both, I suspect, but more the latter. They spend a lot of time patting themselves on the back, claiming to “speak truth to power,” but at bottom, western media simply lack courage.

And the nice schools Europeans built for immigrants to attend? Those mischievous “youths” are burning them. “[W]e are close to the point where a majority of pupils have a foreign background, which is to say that either they or their parents come from a country outside Sweden,” says Alan Widman, member of Sweden’s parliament about the situation in the city of Malmo. Where outside Sweden Mr. Widman? He won’t identify foreigners as Arab Muslims, even when they’re torching schools at the rate of one every other day and shouting “Allahu Akbar.”

The canary in the coal mine for western civilization is Israel. It’s under constant assault from Radical Islam. Yet when they retaliate against rocket attacks from Hezbollah or Hamas, the western media condemn them instead of the radical Muslim terrorists who attack them. Indeed, a worldwide intifada has erupted all over Europe, Canada and the USA - http://www.zombietime.com/zomblog/?p=230 (a very scary link). Muslim marchers in Fort Lauderdale called for Jews to go back to the ovens.

If you think our “relations” with radical Islam are going to change with the election of Barack Obama, think again. They’re already burning his posters while shouting “Death to Obama” in Iran.

My fear is that it’s going to take something far more drastic than September 11th to wake up Europe and America - like the loss of a whole city to a smuggled nuclear device. A majority of Europeans and far too many Americans cling to their belief that we must continue to tolerate the intolerable, continue to celebrate multiculturalism and diversity - even if it kills us.

Inauguration Day

Happy Obama Day everyone! It is around 8am in the morning here right now and I have been watching Inauguration coverage for the last hour. I just want to say:

I am so proud.

No, i'm not American. Barack Obama is not my new President. But i am proud that Americans have effected such a positive change during my generation. As much as some of us hate to admit it, the rest of the world looks to America as an example of guidance, an example of the way things should be done.

What a way to do it.

My congratulations go out to the new President and First Lady Obama, and my thanks to the American public for the courage and wisdom to put such a charismatic ( and surely to prove great ) man into Office. Here's hoping that he can lead your country to new glories, whilst at the same time providing positive change for the rest of the world.