2010 January 24
91 / In the news today: Billions of aliens came to Earth

They were lured to Earth by the evil ruler of an intergalactic federation that was struck with overpopulation problems; he put them into volcanoes and then dropped hydrogen bombs on them …

2010 January 15
90 / Chess - big deal, how many moves can there be?

Well, quite a few, actually. In fact, the possible moves in a chess game outnumber the estimated number of atoms in the universe …



2010 January 12
89 / What to do when the temperature exceeds 35C? Go on the harbour

It was quite warm for the past few days, in fact temperatures broke a 100 year old record. Sydney only just went over 35 degrees C, but Melbourne was a different story: At 8:00pm it still was 37C (topping 45C during the day) and the temperature never went below 30C all night …

 

2010 January 11
88 / Angela Merkel's Moment, where she contemplates giving up power

Here's an interesting thought: The leader of Germany, Ms Angela Merkel, voiced an unusual opinion, where TIME states: Merkel, like Obama, believes that nations cannot tackle issues like economic turmoil, terrorism or climate change by themselves. Where she differs from most other leaders is in the direction this analysis takes her: That true leadership involves the surrender of power …

2010 January 8
87 / How's your holiday reading going?

Great, thanks. As usual I have four or five books on the boil. The one started earliest is Between the Monster and the Saint, by Richard Holloway (reflections on the human condition); Holloway is a cleric - yet, the book often is a lot of fun. Get this, "The fact is that nature is a vast food-chain and killing is as intrinsic to its purpose as sex. The fight is as fundamental as the fuck."  Oh really?! … former Bishop of Edinburgh, former Professor of Divinity …

2010 January 7
86 / How cool - there's an easy way to get more sex

The newspaper today reports a study about a fact that is probably not widely known: Guys, if you do more housework, you'll get more sex …

2010 January 6
85 / I now retire …

… from the discussion on climate change scepticism; this is my last post. I had been sent an email with a climate sceptic's message and I responded thus: On climate change we have to agree to disagree. I have a couple of blogs on that issue … but I have to say, I am sooo over climate change scepticism and I must ask you - with all due respect - please don't forward any more emails relating to that issue to me …

2010 January 5
84 / What's on telly?

It'll finish tonight, but I haven't missed an episode of The Circuit on SBS. The series has received many accolades about good acting and production values; but that's just the beginning …

2010 January 4
83 / In the news: Blasphemy is now illegal in Ireland

The newspaper reports today that in Ireland it is now illegal to blaspheme - the penalty is about $40,000. Careful now, Friedrich Nietzsche, your 'God is dead' could cost you dearly. As a reaction to the ridiculous law the Atheist Ireland published 25 notable blasphemous quotes (Link on the right). Here are my favourites from the collection …

2010 January 3
82 / The politics of Avatar

I watched Avatar a second time – that’s after I read Miranda Devine’s rant (SMH Dec 2) about how it has a left wing agenda. I suppose for someone as rightwing as Ms Devine anything appears leftish …

2010 January 2
81 / Blackwater boys got away with murder

Do you remember the Blackwater case? Where private security contractors massacred seventeen unarmed civilians in Iraq? Well, they were tried in America. But guess what, their case was dismissed last week - on a technicality. Looks like they got away with murder …

2010 January 2
80 / US aid tied to purchase of arms

Have you ever wondered how this aid thing and the financing of wars functions? Wonder no more, the confluence is explained in this article. It is not hard for a country to get aid from the US, as long as they buy with it American military hardware. Simple, really …

2010 January 2
79 / The worst movie of the year

Yesterday we saw the worst movie of the year. Wait, what am I saying, the worst movie of the decade, no - wait again, the worst movie of the century; aw, shucks, the worst movie ever …

2010 January 1
78 / How was your New Year's Eve?

… very nice, thank you very much. A quiet picnic dinner at Balmoral Beach (there were probably 1/2 doz parties on the island - we practically had it for ourselves), then a pleasant evening at home in good company …



2009 December 31
77 / Animal rights, ethics & vegetarianism

A newspaper article and some letters discussed animal rights and the ethics of eating meat. But the RSPCA and animal rights view on killing animals, i.e. on the one hand the ethics of cruelty to animals and - on the other hand - the ethics of eating meat are not the only two issues of importance as regards vegetarianism. There is another issue and it is far more important than those two …

2009 December 27
76 / Who dunnit?

Copenhagen was a disaster. Who is responsible? Many blame Obama. But the truth is that China wrecked the talks, intentionally humiliated Barack Obama, and insisted on an awful ''deal'' so Western leaders would walk away carrying the blame. Read this article, it is as compelling as any crime novel …


2009 December 25
75 / What is Christmas to you? A time to spend …

… with family, or a day when you are on your own?
Spend a thought on those who are alone on Christmas Day …

2009 December 23
74 / It was a good year

2009 was a good year for work.
Many thanks to all my clients …
 
   

2009 December 19
73 / Boxing in Redfern

My son Yani does boxing. He trains in Redfern, at the South Central PCYC. His trainer is Tony O'Loughlin. On Friday he had his first fight. It was an exhibition fight, against his mate Tom - nevertheless, he is quite bruised today …


2009 December 18
72 / Today was Avatar day

Movies will never be the same, Avatar sees to that. What a show! A good movie to me is a movie that transports me to another world and Avatar has set a new benchmark - it is nothing short of breathtaking. The 3D effect is so well integrated; the colours are out of this world; the avatar and native characters not only are believable, but very endearing; the story is one to ponder and to take to heart …

2009 December 17
71 / NO WAR activists lost the war - but won one last battle

I have quite an affinity with the NO WAR protest on the Opera House in 2003. Me thinks it was the bestest ever protest! In a new book, the anti-war activist Dave Burgess reflects on his 2003 brush with infamy on the sails of the Opera House …


2009 December 16
70 / Could I ever again live in Germany?

This was the question my daughter asked me the other day over coffee in the Strand Arcade. Hmmm, I had been asked this very question a while ago by my friend Günter, when I was visiting him in Wienhausen. This is what happened shortly after …


2009 December 12
69 / President Obama's Nobel speech

"I receive this honor with deep gratitude and great humility. It is an award that speaks to our highest aspirations - that for all the cruelty and hardship of our world, we are not mere prisoners of fate. Our actions matter, and can bend history in the direction of justice … "


2009 December 10
68 / El Dorado

El Dorado is the name of a gaming room (i.e. a room full of poker machines) at a Sydney hotel - it is the most lucrative gaming room in NSW. The turn-over for 30 pokies is $94m. That's apparently $491 per machine, per hour (SMH today)! Wow …
I say it again, WOW! …

2009 December 7
67 / University tackles (climate change) sceptics' arguments

As I had suspected, you can't knock sense into climate change deniers. Today the Herald collated and debunked some of the misconceptions about climate change. And remember, this debate is about climate change science, not what to do about climate change (that's another discussion.) I thought the debate whether climate change exists was over …

2009 December 6
66 / Alien surprise

Well, who would've thought! I learned a fact about one of my favourite movies of all time - Ridley Scott's Alien, 30 years old this week - that surprised me. That seminal scene of that embryonic alien bursting out of John Hurt's chest - that unforgettable scene - was actually shot in one single take. With four cameras running …

2009 December 3
65 / Not happy, Obama

Barak Obama is going to send another 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. Yeah, that'll bring peace! To his credit he also promises to start troop withdrawals from Afghanistan within 18 months. I am very, very wary of these tactics …

2009 December 3
64 / Playing for Change - bless you, Bob Marley

This will warm your heart. Playing for Change is a multimedia project that brings together musicians from all over the globe. The producers travelled around the world with a mobile recording studio and had locals perform a Bob Marley song, 'No more Trouble'. The project's goal is to 'inspire, connect and bring peace to the world' …

2009 November 30
63 / Smoking gun memo suggests Blair lied

In my books this is the biggest news of the day: A ‘smoking gun’ memo warning Tony Blair of the illegality of a military invasion of Iraq was written eight months before the war - we have known it all along: The Iraq war was illegal. Now, where does that leave Bush and Howard? …

2009 November 29
62 / To hell or not, that is the question!

The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid-term paper. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well …


2009 November 19
61 / Go John Safran, you beast!

There is not much original television around … then again, look no further than John Safran’s Race Relations. The man gives a totally new meaning to the term, ‘having balls’ … goodness, does he have balls …

2009 November 13
60 / Climate change scepticism - one last time

Two newspaper articles today and yesterday are remarkable: Today Britain’s high commissioner to Australia, Baroness Valerie Amos, is reported to be surprised that Australians are still debating whether humans cause climate change and says that other nations have long since moved on …

2009 November 10
59 / Can you believe in God and not take Him literally?

Here is an article that surprised me, not for its content - I agree wholeheartedly - but for where it came from. Joe Hockey is a Democrat and a Christian. This is not how Christians are meant to talk …

2009 November 9
58 / This Is It?

I boycotted the Michael Jackson film for ten days; I thought it was a bad idea - a dance on a performer's grave, who tragically had been bullied into doing a demanding concert series he was not capable of doing at a time when his health was less than good, with the demands of the project indeed killing him. Well, was it? …

2009 November 8
57 / How do they cope?

One of the essays in my (as yet unpublished) book deals with the mental health of soldiers, and especially war veterans. An article in the news paper this weekend sheds more light on the issue - many do not cope well at all …

2009 November 8
56 / Where to now with the economy?

Here, from Peter Hartcher, is a sobering - if not lengthy - account of where we are, where we want to be and how to get there, as regards our economy …

2009 November 7
55 / Do we have a right not to get offended?

My father used to say, "I decide who offends me" and he rarely granted that right to anyone. Julian Morrow (of the Chaser's team) says, "there is no such thing as a general right to not be offended." It was reported this weekend that in his Andrew Olle Media Lecture, Morrow said he was not sorry for people offended by the 'make a realistic wish' sketch …

2009 November 6
54 / How about fish for dinner … half cooked … literally!

Half cooked fish for dinner? Big deal, you may say, we've had raw fish for lunch! Well, yes, but how about one half of the fish cooked, and the other half still alive? Ooops, don't throw up onto your keyboard now …

2009 November 5
53 / John Pilger's Peace Prize Lecture

John Pilger talks of the ‘silence of the guilty’. A very powerful metaphor, which was also invoked by a group of students and their philosophy teacher in Nazi Germany, in 1942/43 who called themselves ‘The White Rose’. Their credo was, “We will not be silent. We are your bad conscience; we will not leave you in peace!” …

2009 November 3
52 / Is this the most daft thing about human relationships ever?

A cursory glance across the back-page of my newspaper's 'Stay In Touch … With The Gossip Magazines' brought to my attention a few numbers … $2m, $3m, $5,5m, $11m. These figures are being thrown around by Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise as payment for - wait for it - her having his babies …


2009 October 30
51 / Where is this guy going? You won't believe it!

11,728,786 (… and counting) watched this video - can you resist?

2009 October 29
50 / Will the immigration issue define Rudd's tenure?

The issue of immigration is heating up. Rudd will need to move from his wishy-washy 'tough but humane' stance. His government's ambivalence on boat people is, from where I stand, sickening - and from where the Australian public stands? We'll see; but I would think Rudd's dream-run could be in trouble …

2009 October 28
49 / More on the Afghan war

Here's a case that rather much reflects my opinion - though I probably wouldn't use quite the same language (''I was never more happy than when our Iraq team whacked a bunch of guys'' ? Hmmm.) But the point I made in my Pacifist Manifesto is, don't fight a whole country - with all its civilians - but fight and eliminate the terrorists. Beyond that, what the hell are we doing in Afghanistan? …

2009 October 26
48 / Do you care for a dose of religion?

I picked this up on the Fairfax website, an article in the Age: Celebrity atheists expose their hypocrisy, by Dr. Dvir Abramovich, lecturer in Jewish studies. Oh boy, what a load of rubbish …

2009 October 25
47 / Great news: Galaxy found

Scientists have found the most distant galaxy cluster ever observed and believe the discovery might provide clues as to how the universe was formed …

2009 October 24
46 / The Nine Dot Puzzle

Here are nine dots to test you. Your task is to connect all nine dots with four straight, uninterrupted lines, i.e. you are not allowed to lift your (imaginary) pen from the paper …



2009 October 23
45 / Obama's Nobel backlash

If you know me, you know I like Barack Obama - I often quote him: 

"I don't just want to end the war, I want to end the mindset that got us into war in the first place." Brilliant! …


2009 October 22
44 / Call to lift minimum drinking age

To lift minimum drinking age is probably a good idea (SMH today), as may be increasing the cost of alcohol with additional taxes and limiting hotel opening hours. But here's a reality to ponder: My boys used to have a party at home with cheap bottle-shop booze before they went to the pub/disco - so they didn't have to spend big on their drink …


2009 October 20
43 / The stick-man puzzle

A man is holding a piece of wood. What will happen to the piece of wood if he lets go of it?
             

2009 October 19
42 / Here's an idea: Turn prime farmland into housing - yeah, right!

It has been reported in the paper (SMH - Warning on danger of building on farmland) that the Government has given the green light to building 400,000 new homes. Where are they to be built? It is incomprehensible - but they are to be built on prime agricultural land in the Sydney basin …

2009 October 18
41 / What about this stuff with illegal immigrants?

Today I was asked, "so what do you think about this stuff with illegal immigrants?" A loaded question, what with our government passing the buck to Indonesia, "you deal with it!" Presumably it's much easier for Indonesia to get a handle on the issue, after all they are Asian, the 'illegal' immigrants are Asian, and we are superior, descendants from Europeans - everybody knows that puts us in a class of our own …

2009 October 16
40 / How much does the war on drugs cost?

The cost of the war on drugs has been detailed - and commented on - from an unexpected quarter: by the Herald's Michael Duffy, who in my book is somewhat right of center; unexpected since righties normally rant and rave about getting tough on drugs, throwing everything they have against drug dealers and users etc. …

2009 October 15
39 / Israel and the United Nations

It is interesting that the United Nations is often referred to as having founded Israel legally, rather than Israel having been brought into existence by 'force of arms', as was alleged in a letter to the newspaper …

2009 October 14
38 / Turnbull vs O'Brien

Did you see Malcolm 'he-will-never-lead-the-Liberals-to-an-election' Turnbull on The 7:30 Report the other day, trying to defend the indefensible? He was in full swing against Kevin 07, illegal immigrants etc. and indeed in full swing against Kerry O'Brien - who had the temerity to ask a lengthy, detailed question …

2009 October 13
37 / The car-crash victim's family-relationship puzzle

A horrific car crash. The driver dead, his son injured terribly. The dead man's son is taken to hospital and needs to be operated on. 

The surgeon exclaims, "Oh my god - my son, my poor son!" …

What's going on here?


2009 October 12
36 / The Rolling Stones

I just watched Shine A Light again - on video this time - the Martin Scorsese concert movie with The Rolling Stones. I have a bit of a history with the Stones (not that I have ever met them, or anything), but a while ago I wrote an essay on the matter for my book …

2009 October 11
35 / Do you like to go to the movies?

Well, you better stop reading the paper! Or, more to the point, the inane, idiotic write-ups by movie critics, namely those (but they nearly all do it) who give away details - and in today's case, the main thrust - of the story. Once again it's happened in the Sun Herald, this time with 'Moon'. I was lucky, I saw the movie first (brilliant movie, too) …

2009 October 10
34 / Brian Jones too was murdered?

Not just Jimi - after more than 40 years, the mysterious circumstances surrounding the July 2, 1969 home swimming pool death of Brian Jones (founder of the Rolling Stones) is now officially under review by the Sussex police. The original case was ruled as a death by misadventure …

2009 October 8
33 / One shot - one life ended, one destroyed

A year ago, in Sydney, a fourteen year old boy accidentally shot to death his friend, and is now charged with manslaughter (SMH today) …

2009 October 3
32 / The genius of Roman Polanski

Something extraordinary happened in Europe - those leftie artistic types have lost their marbles. How on earth can anybody seriously argue that it is unjust to arrest Roman Polanski and bring him to justice …

2009 September 26
31 / Scripture classes in school

There was a discussion in the newspaper about whether children who don’t want to participate in scripture class should twiddle their thumbs for an hour or rather have access to ethics classes. Some people would have it that ethics classes are dangerous and … "don't have the support of the religious community …"

2009 September 23
30 / The Sydney Dust Storm

The newspaper called it 'The day the country blew into town.' Where were you when our world turned red and we were biting dust? …


2009 September 22
29 / Investment Banks and their record profits

I am confused. Peter Hartcher writes in the SMH today, "the big investment banks … have feasted on public money …" and Goldman Sachs, restored to strength, are reporting record profits. Please, help me here. Those billions of dollars were loans, weren't they …

2009 September 11
28 / Defence planning is a long-term deal?

Defence planning is a long-term deal - it takes "decades to acquire weapons systems such as submarines." William Leben (letters SMH today) then makes the laudable point that "intelligent planning looks to tomorrow, not today." O.k, it takes a long time to plan for war. But the question is, how long does it take to plan for peace?

2009 September 1
27 / Annie Leibovitz needs you to buy her book

It's tough times and photographers everywhere are struggling, but no one more than Annie Leibovitz. She makes tens of thousands a day for advertising assignments and is on a seven figure salary with Vanity Fair - seven figures = more than a million dollars; that's on top of the $88 I spent on her book At Work a couple of months ago …

2009 August 9
26 / Terrorists in our midst?

A friend had a scary experience. She was confronted with an Islamist taxi driver. The man just wouldn't let up - forcefully extolling the virtues of Islam, assuring my friend that he could help her to see the light and the truth, if only she allowed him to …

2009 July 26
25 / Promote Peace - One School at a Time

The article about the flip side of the anti-Afghan-war coin alerted me to Greg Mortenson. He facilitates - through the Central Asia Institute - the building of secular schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as a means to keep children (especially girls, who are denied schooling by the Taliban) away from indoctrinating Islamic madrassas …

2009 July 25
24 / Jimi Hendrix was murdered?

Of all the trivia in the newspaper today, this is the most shocking: 
Jimi Hendrix was murdered! 

2009 July 23
23 / The Flip-Side of the Anti-Afghan-War Coin

Well, there is a flip-side to the Anti-Afghan-War coin. On the one hand I strongly object to the war (the pacifist's position is: War is never right), on the other hand …

2009 July 20
22 / The Afghan War is Unwinnable

Today a newspaper article declares the war in Afghanistan unwinnable (Soldier killed in 'unwinnable' war) … two years ago when I wrote my Pacifist Manifesto, it included a discussion about the Afghan war, where I made the point that the war is unwinnable … and what are we doing there in the first place?!

2009 July 19
21 / When you're travelling, you can't trust anybody

The following story just became relevant again, as my girlfriend's son set off on a trip around the world …

2009 June 30
20 / The Artist’s Role in our Quest for Understanding

I’ve been sent the transcript of a lecture on the question, "Why Art?" where the point was made that, “people are estranged from their self, they rather follow someone else's ideology than finding their own truth … but everybody is frightened … to depart from this world of fakes and substitutes …”

2009 June 28
19 / Michael Jackson still was dead this morning

Incredible, shocking, unnecessary

To think that apparently it is so easy to die

Adolation, striving for excellence, stress, insomnia, drugs, heart attack

Elvis Presley, Heath Ledger, Michael Jackson

Will we stop asking for so much?

 


2009 June 28
18 / The Merchant of Venice, Shylock & Malcolm Turnbull

I had spent quite some time on Sunday reading about Malcolm Turnbull and his efforts to self-destruct (quite possibly successfully too). Then I interrupted and went to see The Merchant of Venice, easily the best movie I’ve seen all year …

2009 June 21
17 / I'm done with Climate Change Scepticism

We can discuss what to do about climate change, but I am not interested in arguing its existence; for me that debate is over - I'm bored with it. Our world is changing for the worse, most likely caused by carbon emissions, exacerbated by human activity. But the discussion whether we do have climate change or not is a moot point …

2009 June 5
16 / The Chaser's War on sick Kids

After viewing the Chaser's segment on ABC and the aftermath in the media I made a donation to the Make a Wish Foundation. The segment was in awfully bad taste - but satire often is (Borat anyone?) The thing they did wrong was not to precede the item with a warning: Parents of terminally ill children, dead or alive: Don't watch! 


2009 May 26
15 / Let's get real about Drugs

In my newspaper - the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) - an editorial tries to deal with the issue of what we need to do about the drug related violence that Sydney experienced of late, and the world experienced for decades. The article takes the wishy/washy position that politicians the world over are so apt at …

2009 April 14
14 / Netanyahu's Answer - smart Man?

I was sent this email entitled, ‘Netanyahu's Answer - smart Man!’ Even those who aren't particularly sympathetic to Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu, could get a good measure of satisfaction from this interview with British Television this week …


2009 March 26
13 / Holocaust Museum

Oh boy, Mud (let's call him Mud, he does have a real name, but Mud would suit him) today you left your brain at home. We had one of our frequent brunch-time discussions, the subject this time was the news that the Holocaust Museum had an Open Day. Mud thought that was hilarious. I couldn't see the joke, so I took the bait …

2009 March 23
12 / Paradise Now

In the news lately we heard about allegations that Israelis, in their latest war in Gaza, had used civilians as human shields. The use of human shields was always one of the strongest argument by Israel against Hamas, decried as cowardly and despicable! On the subject of Israel/Palestine, I just remembered a Palestinian movie from a couple of years ago, Paradise Now …


 


2009 March 18
11 / Human Rights anyone?

Yesterday was National Human Rights Consultation day in Sydney. An excellent discussion by all and sundry on why, how and when Human Rights shall be defined, implemented and improved …

2009 February 13
10 / Sydney is blessed

Sydney is blessed with a wonderful facility for the bestest shopping experience: The Apple Store. It is joy to spend hands-on time with all the latest hardware, especially since the place is buzzing with a legion of cheerful, blue-T-shirted experts in all things Mac, be it hardware or software …


2009 February 4
9 / Everything is Art !?

I had this email exchange with a young photographer who put up a new website. She had a lot of arty out-of-focus/blurry pictures on her site, which I criticized her for; I advised her to be more commercial …

2009 January 21
8 / Excerpts from President Barack Obama's Inauguration Speech

I have to say, eversince the then Senator Obama uttered the words … "I don't just want to end the war, I want to change the mindset that got us into war in the first place" … I have been a fan. Every now and then I like to have a quick read of his inauguration speech. Inspirational …

2008 December 17
7 / Christianity

Here is a polemic I picked up from the net … in fact, when I looked up the subject, for a little while (a few minutes) the Wikipedia article on Christianity was preceded by this text: Christianity is a mental disease affecting billions of people …

2008 November 17
6 / Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo, 1939

He was the future he was a perfect picture of the future and they were afraid to let anyone see what the future was like. Already they were looking ahead they were figuring the future and somewhere in the future they saw war …

2008 September 20
5 / Russell & Palestine

In my discussions about the conflict in Palestine, the argument that comes up most often is that the problem is the terrorism and violence by Palestinians, and Muslims in general. My counter-argument always is that this is the secondary cause - the primary cause is the disenfranchisement of the Palestinians. Read on …

2008 June 18
4 / Open letter to Mac

I have a long-standing gripe with Apple - they don't make the computer I want. Here's an open letter to Mac …

2008 May 24
3 / Bill Henson controversy? Whatever.

Oh dear, was there an Earthquake last week? A Taifun and flood somewhere? Tens of thousands perished? You wouldn’t know from the Herald’s front page. We really know what’s important, don’t we …

2008 March 17
2 / Instructions for Life

This is one of those emails that made the rounds; for once I saved it: Instructions for Life in the new Millennium …


2007 September 23
1 / Titanic & Grandpa

My mother and I went to see James Cameron’s movie Titanic and she talked about how her father, a sailor, often mentioned the incident over the years. He worked on a ship on the 14th of April 1912 in the Atlantic waters close to where the Titanic tragedy took place …
 

LINKS
These are my favourite websites: