Blind Flamingo Update

Ryan and Granny went to the Adelaide Zoo on Monday for his 8th Birthday. While they were there they saw the Flamingo that was bashed. He looks to be fine.

At home with some guys with red bums..

..and some of his bird buddies.

Nice to know that the ugly story had a happy ending.

Angry Male Lesbian

Sounds Greek to Me

Residents of the Aegean island of Lesbos were taking legal action in Athens in an attempt to stop homosexual women calling themselves lesbians. Islander Dimitris Lambrou and his neighbours claimed gay women had usurped a term they feel should have only geographic connotations. They lost their case but the battle apparently still rages, particularly around Eressos, a resort on the island thatis famed as the birthplace of the 7th-century BC poet Sappho. A guaranteed winner in the stoush, Maria Variyianni, a Lesbian lesbian who boasts: "I am two in one ... and I'm proud to say it publicly."

The wonders of the English language.

And Batman, Turkey officials are open to using legal avenues to grease their palms.

Two Reasons not to go into a Police Station

Image via WikipediaThe Dumb One who drove to the police station to check to see whether he was drunk and was arrested and the Really Dumb One who broke into a police station and was arrested.

You're Nicked Mate. Stupid people are a good way to get your crime statistics up.

Even Dixon of Dock Green wouldn't have to work hard with people like that.

Hannah's Tenth Birthday Scary Party

All our good works to pay down the credit cards went to hell as the party planner in our house put together a monster scary party for Hannah's tenth birthday. Not as scary as getting her ears pierced the next day, but pretty good. We did one for Ryan's birthday last year, at our old house, which was quite different with 10 eight year olds. This year we had 15 ten year olds, two Grannies (both came independently as black widows - go figure) and other assorted hanger ons including the parents servants.

Early preparation included buying up the entire Halloween inventory of at least twenty Cheap as Chips and the like, raiding costume shops and lots of full on decoration and the making of a ghost cake.

The kids had a great time and the parents were able to relax a little when all the games worked and everyone had a screaming good time.

The kids have alternating parties, so next year will be Ryan's ninth. Not sure what he will want to do. Hopefully the credit cards will have recovered from the shock.

Photo Hunt: Together

Our animals and our kids like to do things together.

photohunt

Skywatch Friday

Newest World Leader Young, Handsome

and even tanned?

Italy's famously impolitic Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has described US President-elect Barack Obama as "young, handsome and even tanned".

Perhaps the Obamanista Coronation Committee can get some ideas for January 20 from Thimpu.

Two Llamas and Three Bananas For Obama

Is Obama President Yet?

Thanks for the idea First Dog on the Moon

The Rate that Stopped a Nation

Will more people be interested in the 0.5 percent predicted cut in interest rates at 2.30pm or the Melbourne Cup at 3pm.

Which one will pay down your mortgage faster? I was surprised to hear that the pace of betting is consistent with two years ago and bets of hundreds of thousands of dollars are being placed. Tough times indeed.

Personally I like some of the horses names. Honolulu, Profound Beauty and Zipping.

It certainly is a fun day in the office.

Photo Hunt: Blue

 

Almost swimming time in our pool. Still pretty cool at night however. 

photohunt

Stephen Conroy is Nuts

The Minister for Internet Slowdown and Sham Save the Children Censorship, Phillip Ruddock? Kevin Andrews?Stephen Conroy is wrong on his nutty plan to weed out wacko internet sites and save the children.

We don't need the World Wide Wall of China here in Australia. Just invest in the infrastructure and leave it to adults and parents to make wise choices for themselves and for children about what to watch on the net.

It is impossible for the Government to block every website with illegal or inappropriate material. This just gives parents a false impression the internet is safe for their children and abrogates their responsibility to monitor their child's internet usage. Parental supervision is the only way to ensure that children do not access offensive or inappropriate material.

The Government's own testing has revealed that the technology is flawed: it blocks content that should not be blocked, it is unable to block peer-to-peer traffic that comprises of more than 60 per cent of Australia's internet traffic and it can be easily avoided through the use of an encrypted Virtual Private Network.

Government testing has also indicated that the filter might slow internet speeds by up to 70 per cent. It is somewhat ironic that the same Government that is committed to a National Broadband Network would also slow internet speeds by insisting on a technologically flawed model of government censorship.

Watching commercial television of late, I would say that there is a greater case for censorship of puerile and moronic content, leaving aside some of the adult themed programmes shown far to early in the evening. Focus on that.

Deviants and wierdos will find ways to access the type of materials that the censorship plan is set up to block. Peer to Peer and Virtual Private Networks and the like will not be regulated by this plan.

Have your say too. This is Australian Government Policy and they are moving forward fast to make your home internet more expensive, slower and more restricted. Great policy guys. A massive internet age furphy. Guess who were the masters of that style of politics. The Australian people just kicked them out of office.

Laurel Papworth is coordinating some resistance. You can too.

Skywatch Friday

Looking east towards the Adelaide Hills from our back garden.

How Low Can You Go?

What could possibly motivate this kind of evil behaviour?

A blind flamingo believed to be one of the oldest in the world is in a critical condition after being bashed at Adelaide Zoo. Four teenagers have been charged after visitors reported an incident to zoo staff that has left the unnamed male greater flamingo, aged about 78, "extremely stressed".

Zoo birdkeeper Nicholas Bishop told The Advertiser that it was impossible to know their precise ages and sexes.

"But I think he is the oldest in the world," Mr Bishop said at the time.

The bird lives on a diet of hard-boiled eggs, whitebait, lettuce, duck pellets and bird seed.

Adelaide Zoo has many open exhibits and at an international zoo convention here last week, experts commented on the proximity and closeness that the flamingos get to zoo visitors at the zoo. After 70 years that proved to be a horrific premonition.

I used to love to watch the flamingos during my primary school trips to Edinburgh zoo. That and the penguins.

And an appropriate punishment? Perhaps a set of stocks beside the flamingo cage or a humiliation cage or a years animal poo clean up duty.

Scotland Try for Up and Under Down Under

As Scotland heads into another sporting oblivion at the Rugby League World Cup here in Australia, starting off the tournament with a gritty loss to France and with matches against the like of Papua New Guinea and the Dream Time team, it is appropriate to pay tribute to Eddie Waring, Yorkshireman and Honorary Scots Rugby League Ambassador.

We used to watch Rugby League when it was shown on Grandstand on Saturday afternoon in my grandparents living room in Kirkcaldy, with black and white muddy encounters from Hull and the Warrington with teams of guys running into each other enlivened by Eddies commentary. The theatre of the event appealed to my Granddad.

Here in Adelaide, Rugby League might as well be Curling in terms of the interest. It is amazing to me that Scotland has a national team and that Scottish people are interested in it.

Turns out Eddie was also a wrestling commentator. It must have been his sense of humour and sense of showmanship that appealled.

And where else can you get a Scotland Papua New Guinea sports clash. Should be a cracker as Eddie would say.

Shock Horror The Anchorage Daily News Endorses....

Wrong

What do they know that we don't?

High Wire Oops

Steady as She Goes

Lucky Escape

Travelling is one of the most dangerous things that we do according to researchers. This guy got lucky, but think of all those people who never made it to work in the middle ages because they were run over by a horse. Where was the horn and flashing light?

Nearly the same proportion of people died travelling in medieval times as today, with falling in ditches or being hit by a horse or cart the biggest dangers. Scientists examined coroner's records from Sussex between 1485 and 1688 when 30 per cent of people who died as a result of injury were involved in an accident while travelling on land.

Richard Havers debunks the research, but it still remains to be said, don't get out of bed and go to work if you want to be sure that you will make it through another day.

One of the cute things about Adelaide is that the radio stations still give warnings of dead kangaroos on the road, koalas crossing the road, ducks making their way through the town centre and other animals to look out for. They don't have roo bars on car for fun. A motorcyclist died last year after being hit by a large roo. If only they had radios giving out public service announcements and safety tips in the middle ages.

As for that guy in China. He got very lucky, managing to hang on to the wire until the highly organised climber dude made his way out to him and belayed him down. I have done some climbing and that is some skilfull stuff.

Next time take the train buddy.

Photo Hunt: Scary

Photos from our last scary party about a year ago for Ryan's 7th Birthday. In two weeks it is Hannah's 10th Birthday and she is having 15 friends for another scary party. Now that is scary! And the fact that she is ten already is very scary. 

photohunt

Australia Set to Host Alternative Reality Summit

The Australian Government is set to host an Alternative Reality Summit in a bid to boost tourism and to counter the widespread cynicism about the proposed Capitalist Summit international swansong for Dubya .

"All this depressing stuff on world economic collapse is just depressing people" a spokesmen said. We will be providing important ways for people to get away from it all rather than being depressed, they can escape their grim reality.

Current plans include aboriginal smoking ceremonies, try a reefer stalls and other hallucinogenic treats to allow people to adjust to the McCain Palin Administration coming deep recession.

A theme song has been approved, consistent with the current world mindset.

Jet the Jack Russell as Guide Dog

Our dog, Spotty is just like this. He has longer legs, but I am confident that he would easily kill a blind person if he was a guide dog.

That said, we should all have a dream.

Skywatch Friday

Earlier today, just as the sun came up from our back door.

Human Resources 101

Don't post your hangover sickie on Facebook. Duh!

Be Careful What You Say Motherfucker

Thanks Hugh Manatee (and Mr Fish)

Boris Backs Picaninnie for President

Dick Whittington

Smiling Native?

In a surprise move Boris has backed Obama.

In a 2002 article in The Daily Telegraph, Johnson referred to Africans as "piccaninnies," a derogatory term for black people, and he once likened his party's internal conflicts "to Papua New Guinea-style orgies of cannibalism and chief-killing."

Now his second observation is likely to be closer to the Elephant Party after they get dispatched back to the jungles in November. Now that will be a blood bath from Arizona to Alaska.

Hang on to your hunting rifle Sarah. And don't let them take the clothes back when you head back to patrol the frontier with the commies up north.

India See Through Emperors

Emperor Ponting, Minister for Controlled Aggression Hayden and the boys taken to the cleaners in Mohali.

I told you Amit, No Clothes!