Cadmium and Cadbury..... mmm chocolate.

I have enjoyed surfing at You Tube recentely. A bit of fun... it would be good to incorporate a bit into this site. One neat one I saw was Nobody's Watching, and ya gotta google Little Loca and or Lisa Nova. She hugs a street person..."Hi, I'm Lisa....Lisa Nova!" (Lisa gets flowers.) Good for a laugh or 5.

The World Cup rolls along without the Aussies. Too bad so sad, but it was a fun ride. A little bit of refereeing madness saw an Italian player fall down.... so they got a penalty shot. Twelve seconds left. Their best player got to shoot and he won the match.... So where are we? Beckham put England ahead and they will play Portugal. ( now the quarter finals. ) Germany will have their hands full with Argentina, which should be an awesome game. Italy fights Ukraine. Brazil/Ghana and Spain/France still have to duke it out in order to get out of the round of 16 and into the Quarters. I predict a Brasil and hmmmm. Spain? France? Who do you think?


And Finally.

I was just doing some checking in the Middle East. Yes it is still there. Did you know that the ruling party in Iraq was Sunni. Thirty percent of Iraq (approx) is Sunni and 65 percent Shi'a. Egypt, is mainly Sunni, as is Turkey. If you recall, the US had trouble in getting support with Saddam's trading partner Turkey so they could station a base of operations there. Syria was threatened at one point for harbouring terrorists... mainly a Sunni nation, by the US. Egypt was told to back off. Divide and rule.

Now the one nation that didn't really have any diplomacy with the US was Iran. They are nearly all Shi'a Muslims. Officially, there are no diplomatic ties between the countries. The Swiss have a small section reserved in their consulate for the Americans, in Iran, and the Pakistani's have a small section in theirs in Yankee land for Iran. So does that mean for the Iranians and the Americans to officially speak to each other, Pakistan and Switzerland have to be the emissaries?

I have also come across some other data regarding Iran. Because Hussein was so harsh, and any attempts at destabilizing him were met with swift killings, any organizing against him was done in secret. (duh) Who would supply weapons then? Who would supply funds to keep the anti Sunni factions (Shia's) abreast of potential purges by the dictator, Saddam. Who would exchange intelligence of what was really going on in the government of the now defunct Iraq. Who wanted more influence within Iraq? Let us connect the dots. IRAN. I am sure they kept their hot little hands still and their emotions in check as they welcomed thousands of suffering refugees over the border. Those caught in the middle between Saddam and the invading US forces. It would all work well. America would pack up and leave at the first sign of a couple of friendly body bags ( like they did last time ) and Iran had all the influence they needed to in fact be "guiding" their former rival, Iraq. I wonder if we would find Iranian "lobby groups" supporting proponents of getting the US out of Iraq. On the other side of the fence they could supply the bombs and the bombers in creating more deaths, which of course increases the cry for the foreigners to leave. It kind of brings a whole new light as to what is really happening when our "Happy Mood" is in talks with "Dubya" and the gang, talking about their so called nuke program. I am sure they are doing more than talking about heavy water, and Harjinder passing the Cadmium rods. Who knows. I don't. Do you?


Who's this fella?

Mourning loss of Bravo Echo Romeo Tango Uniform Zulu Zulu India! Cya dude.

Where do you take your garbage to in a third world country? To the burning pit of course. Just a little portrait of life in Timor. A picture you won't see in any of the mainstream press. Next one is a child looking at the sunset, in you guessed it Dili. The President has threatened to resign if the PM doesn't. He gave him one day to comply. Later he backed down after people asked that he did not resign. I don't know what to make of it myself. Hundreds of students surrounded the parliament building asking the PM not to resign. Interesting.
Third one is of a protest in Vienna by Amnesty International against Guantanimo Bay. The US is talking about releasing the prisoners back to the countries they came from. Would that make it difficult for the government of those home countries do ya reckon? Why?When you are surfing for your news you may like this site. It offers a slightly different viewpoint. http://news.bbc.co.uk/ Checker out.

And now the glorious World Cup.

After losing to Brasil, we needed a win or a tie to advance to the next round. It would be the top 16 teams in the world. Crotia needed a win... and they almost pulled it off. We fell behind 1-0 when our back up goaltender made a mistake with the ball, but pulled even later. The 1-1 score was short lived as Croatia scored again. It wasn't until Harry Kewell with the time ticking down capitalised that the celebrations started. We kept on pressing and scored again, but it was ruled no goal because the time had expired. We will play the mighty Italia in our next game. From now on if you lose, you go home. I fear that the ball will stop rolling for us because Italy is a huge soccer/football nation. We are but little guys in a big huge pond. Who knows. Go the Socceroos!

France. Down and out. This would have been the second World Cup in which they didn't advance to the next round. They had to beat Togo by 2 goals in order to advance. They hadn't been looking very good, and legendary player Zidane, was due to miss this game because of a suspension. He will retire at the end of this World Cup bid. They pulled it off, winning 2-0.

And what would the World Cup be without some hooliganism between German and English fans. I don't know how things could have got out of control when thousands of English and thousands of Germans were drinking all day, in close proximity to each other. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/06/24/english-german-soccer-fa_n_23722.html The comments are quite funny to this little ditty. One educated fella comments that they shouldn't have been rebuilt. heh heh.

Four to go until 50. Lets hope we make it. Thanks AV and Targo and all. You will notice that the horse race it quite close now. hmm Trivia time?

5 to go

Ladies and Gentlemen.
The Socceroos have made history, in beating Japan in an amazing come from behind 3-1 win. Japan scored amid controversy to go up one to nil, as our goaltender, Mark Schwarzer was impeded. The goal stood despite a vigorous appeal from the Aussie side. After the match the referee conceded he had made a mistake.
http://au.sports.yahoo.com/060611/2/r21p.html
Germany has won their first match, as has England. The Poles have run into problems and have lost twice. USA has been defeated also. The US seems to dominate so many sports but they certainly lag behind in soccer.

I need an opinion from ya.

Our office staff, four of us, had a heated exchange with each other. Things were said and opinions stated that I think some would like to take back. Does the office space function better when people have altercations like this? Or is it better that it never happens. What about within marriage. I have heard it said that if a marriage is without any fights ever, that it is an unhealthy one. Is this true?

And finally,

In Rio, a project involving street kids aimed at encouraging them to document their lives has taken place. The children were given cameras and encouraged to take pictures, which have been posted at BBC dot com. I have posted a few above. The boy pictured has since passed away due to the continued violence they face every day. Brasil seems to be infinitely more tolerant of poor people than Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, who sent in the bulldozers and destroyed their attempts to give themselves a home, and a sense of community. Again, we are so fortunate.

Em..
M..
ahem is for Mugabe

I am off for the weekend, so this piddly excuse will have to do ya....not that it matters what is written you guys will write whatever you want in the comment page. Do NOT mention our horse. Do not. I am NOT playing the opposite. Do not not. And don't mention the cave... the cave (newbies last comment) is taboo. Right. We have to break all taboos. I don't even know what I am taking about now either.

So, Zarqawi bit the bullet. One of the most high profile members which is one of the biggest antagonists in the eyes of America and Britain and the Iraqi people. I didn't know it before but he isn't Iraqi, he is a Jordanian. For me anyways, that takes away any sympathy I may have had for him. Instead of a man, troubled by a foreign power within his city, and fighting back it makes him instead a bitter man who has an axe to grind against the US and who is willing to sacrifice innocents to achieve his goals. Notice also that his "safehouse" was not in Bagdhad where all the attacks seemed to be. He instead, lived just out of the capital, close enough so he could co ordinate yet another suicide attack in crowded markets full of everyday people, but far enough to be out of the line of fire. Despite his taunting videos in which he tried to display he is a noble leader, annointed by the larger than life, Osama bin Laden, in death he is, just another casualty. Furthermore he was allegedly betrayed by one of his own. Of course the 20 million dollar plus reward is quite the motivating factor. Details now, are still sketchy but one thing is true. He has passed through this life living by the sword..... I don't know if I would agree with any leader who praises the fact that he is dead. This may galvanize border line sympathizers to passionately take up where he has left off.... not that this will not happen anyways. I guess what I am trying to say is that when video clips were shown of normal Middle Eastern people cheering as the World Trade towers collapsed I was sickened. I wouldn't want at this time to show the same courtesy.

The World Cup of soccer is upon us. Germany has already started off with a victory. Wayne Rooney of England looks set to return. Ronaldo, of Brasil is being criticized for being overweight. Italy's wonder boy will not be playing. France has had a major injury blow and is apparently devastated. Japan is poised like never before to slash far into the tournament, starting within 48 hours against the ready Australia.

Hope your weekend has turned out as good as mine has so far...

Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs Invasion... Lawrence of Arabia, British Beetlemania!

Shakira recorded the track "Timor", on her latest album, in a protest against the lack of media coverage on the problems there. We know she can shake her hips and sing like an angel, but that isn't the motivation for this entry. We (Australia) have deployed troops once again to stop the massive carnage in which many many innocent people are subject to all kinds of abuses. In short, the war torn country has erupted into chaos due to the perceived lack of proper distribution of power throughout the country, and the sacking of 600 troops, in which some, were on strike. (Note to the PM, Mari Alkatiri. It is a seriously bad idea to fire 40% of the military. Give your head a shake.) Hundreds of well organized protesters arrived in a convoy of over 40 buses and trucks to negotiate with the defence minister and to demand the PM be fired within 48 hours or more violence would ensue.

Now let us step back a bit. This is not the first time violence has flared in this region. East Timor, on the 28th of November, 1975 declared independence from Portugal. Nine days later, Indonesia invaded and occupied it. Eight months later, it became a province of Indonesia. A short time of resistance was expected, but it actually lasted nearly 2 decades. Allegedly, the vast majority of the 100-250 thousand people who lost their lives, were slaughtered by Indonesian troops in an effort to stem the rebellion. Finally, in 1999 the UN intervened. Why would it take 20 years? Well....

What was news in the late seventies? I can tell you the Cold War was in full swing. The space shuttle had a few successful missions and one short one. Charles and Diana married then divorced. The Berlin Wall fell. Diana died. There were many sexier events going on than worrying about some small impoverished area which was experiencing war. But but wait there is more....

Everyone likes to hear about backroom deals.

It seems there was one in this case. Suharto, the Indonesian PM did seek council from the US. Lets be serious here. Some tin pot nobody wants to have a meeting with the President of the United States of America. "Yeah, okay, send him in. What is his name again?" Yeah right. President Gerald Ford and Henry Kissinger met with him the day before the invasion. Why? Because Indonesia "helped" against the big bad Ruskies during the Cold War. A so called "policy of silence" was advised. "It is important that whatever you do succeeds quickly," Kissinger said to Suharto. The green light was given. A slight footnote.... the weapons in the conflict were Made in America. One Billion dollars is the estimated revenue spent on the endeavor by Indonesia to acquire weapons and training, provided by Uncle Psam... whoops I mean Sam.

Now let us go about a quarter step further back. It has been alleged, by some, that Australia helped train the East Timor troops to withstand the pressure against the Indo's. Lets be serious now, how could a war go on for 20 years if the other side wasn't getting weapons too.

Another couple of notes. It seems there is a boundary dispute between East Timor and Australia about some sea beds which contain oil. Amazingly enough it has been agreed to equally share the revenues for the next 5o years.
Australia donated 1 Billion dollars to Indonesia after they bore the brunt of the Tsunami.
Talk about diplomacy.

Now to finish up...
Did Billy Joel's song ( we didnt' start the fire ) feature Timor? And ending up back where we started.... what country does the seemingly, short, small siren, Shakira come from?



Sea... see...is for Calculus. Chanks. end. full stop.

Butter Lamp?

I had a slightly embarrassing problem happen to me today. Now when I see a pregnant woman, I cannot help but feel a bit of admiration. I did look twice though when I saw her light up a ciggy. So what do you reckon? Do you say something? It is terrible for the health of a baby. Babies are more susceptible to many ailments due to a smoking mother. How do you approach her? Do you just think, "its none of my business?" Well most people would, I think say nothing. And really that is what I should have done. But. I didn't. I mean normally I wouldn't but this time I did. I got angry and really gave it to her. Turns out she wasn't pregnant. gulp.

The World Cup is near. Have you had any thoughts as to who you are going to support, or will you listen to me and jump on the Aussie bandwagon? We drew 1-1 with the Netherlands which is a good sign.


Another good thing happened the other day. One in which a hero of mine was elevated by being a recipient of an award by the respected Dalai Lama. Tintin received the Tibetan butter lamp and was mentioned in the same breath as the Rev. Desmond Tutu. Now what the heck is a butter lamp? Yeah I didn't know either. (pictured) The light within it symbolizes the wisdom of the awakened mind. Do you really think that Calculus is the smartest? Do you reckon Psam has an enlightened mind? That "shooting" comment from the utopian socialist was a bit rare.

Did you know that in 1981, Israel bombed and disabled the nuclear facility being built by American ally, Saddam Hussein. Ten years later that plant was completely destroyed by the US during the first Gulf War. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4774733.stm It would be a logistical nightmare for the Jews to bomb any reactor within Iran, which means my earlier assertion that it would take place is not such an easy task. I took a quick look at the country. Elat, in the south which is on the Gulf of Aqaba, which joins the Red Sea and then the Indian Ocean. I never knew they had territory so far south. Elat is a sister city to......? and also to ....?

Oh and by the way, I didn't really see a prego lady with a ciggy.
go oilers

Neotame and the Massive Hoof.

Neotame. To tell the truth, I had never even heard the word before. Thanks for that. This week I will drink imitation perrier. Our horse hoofy, did pass the horse called wind, and overtook the other horsie too. What is this place coming to? It makes me laugh, so it must be GREAT!

Today, is an excellent day. It is a day I remember an excellent man. Happy Birthday Bench! Your first comment, on the first entry is the stuff legends are made of. A round of applause for Bench puh-leeze.(and i will probably forget everyone elses birthday this year so apologies in advance--- i am very bad with important dates)

Speaking of dates. Can you remember where you were the day you found out that Diana had died? For those of you a bit older, what happened the day John F Kennedy died? What about John Lennon? I can remember vividly, being seated, at an excellent restaurant, in fact a place I would not be able to afford to go to today, when I heard about Diana. The young waitress, sobbing, broke the news in a touching display of dignified emotion before we could even ask her why she was upset. Diana.

I can also remeber the fireman standing on the street corner. He was sincere. He had his hat on his head and an empty boot in his hand. He was standing on the street corner. I didn't have much money, in fact I wish I had had more, but I threw my little bit of coin into the filling boot. He gave me a sticker, and a smile which magnified to me his kinship, his feeling for those who were racing up the stairs, searching for those who were suffering, hearing the cries but not having time to release their own anguish, and not knowing they had but seconds left before their own lives were extinguished. Do you remember the weeks after Septermber 11th?

Auschwitz. I have been told, but have not experienced, that there is a presence today, at this site. Agonies, sufferings and human claw marks upon the cement walls of the gas chambers. We are truly fortunate. Let us remember that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:May311944_auschwitz.jpg

It is alleged that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has dismissed these atrocities as nothing but a myth perpetuated by Israel. The US, among others is negotiating with Iran to deter them from continuing with their uranium enrichment programme. It doesn't matter though, whether the negotiations succeed or fail, because Iran will never have a nuclear bomb. I should correctly say, Iran will never have nuclear capabilities without a conflict with Israel. Iraq will look like a tame little school yard scuffle compared with the battles this new conflict.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5045604.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5045214.stm
Let us hope diplomacy works.

Immigrant lovers? Idiots? Laughable or sad? (see below)

AV, and Psam, and Targo....3rd and 2nd and #1.....and the others ....I like Coke Zero. Does that mean I will get brain tumours? What actually is the difference between Zero and Diet Coke? As I told you before, my no sugar diet made me lose a heap of mass. Well, I am back onto sugar as of about oh, 50 days ago or more and am as massive as ever, hyper and ADD-ish. Wonderful eh... did I just say eh? Eh. There has been one side effect though. I cannot enjoy my local stimulant/drug/performance enhancer/boooster of life/java/coffee/steroid with sugar anymore. I made this shocking discovery yesterday when I mistakenly sipped my co workers cup of joe, which was filled with previously acceptable levels of the wonderful white crystalline substance. It was awful. I just LOVE it now nearly naked. This mystifying liquid has to be subtly conjoined with a dash of milk. As for mary jane, previously mentioned by our misguided little friend Puh-sam... I would feel that in HIS case, especially he, would not be better off using the substance instead of coffee...As for mary jane, previously mentioned by our misguided little friend Puh-sam... I would feel that in HIS case; especially he, would not be better off using the substance instead of coffee...instead of coffee.

Welcome again to the newbie, the one man opinion man, is in fact a woman. ( i think- there is code ) Spaget, it took some courage to admit defeat. I am surely on your side because I love the little sweeteners which demand I consume 5 Zeros per shift. Dadost. Your horse is nothing but a WINNER.... or did the other one win by a nose? And Deb. Hello again, good to have you here, I hope you enjoy! Only you and a small group of others will truly appreciate the very first entry made on this site. Read it and weep. February some time. First one. Incidently, we, today are on number 40.

On to other pieces of business. Hugo Chavez. Ya gotta notice the guy because he has become quite the news item as of late. Take a step back from the middle east and look south. He has forged a petrolium deal with Ecuador. This has followed an oil alliance with Cuba and Bolivia, plus a growing group of nations which oppose US dominance in the sector. Venezuela, has become quite a popular nation due to his anti American stance. Some have likened him a "charming provocateur." He is now warning the Yankees to be careful of his actions with Iran. Who is this guy anyways? Eighteen months ago most people didn't even know who he was. I love a pot stirrer though. Lets watch.

And finally....
The World Cup. Our group, (yes, that is u too) gets to play against the tournament "fave," Brasil, and now looks to be even a bigger underdog because of Japan. In a 2-2 draw against the host nation, Germany, Japan, has proved they will be even harder to beat than first suspected. Germany, the perennial runner up in this contest has always been an excellent team. We edged past Greece 1-0 but they haven't qualified, so by rights we could be in deep doo doo. Should be fun. Just days now until the first match. Enjoy! Yes Go the Oil.


Now a little part for the paranoid. Things will get better. Just trust us, for we are the Government. Have you ever been on the phone and wondered if someone is listening? WELL THEY ARE. They then pump in some very quiet voices, which you can only hear while sleeping. If you listen to your little voice inside it will tell you..... aspartame is goooood. But yer gonna have to be quick, and saavy to defeat this kind of surveillance. It is in your hands. Time to watch the watchers. Strap your video cam to your head with duct tape and press record.... then go out to your closest police station and file a missing persons report. Watch and see what happens.
http://www.commencement.harvard.edu/2003/ferrell.html