What Pisses me off

Home insurance should be compulsory

liligans So you think you're cultured?, What Pisses me off

Yesterday was a day of commemoration for the victims of the recent bushfire tragedy in Australia. Thousands have been left homeless and the death toll is now over 200 and rising. As a result of this tragedy there will be a Royal Commission to investigate the events and also to see how we can mitigate future losses in this country which is always prone to either floods or bushfires.

This occasion is doubly tragic because while one large part of Australai is experiencing serious floods, the southern part has had the worst bushfires in our history. And sadly, there are more to come.

While bushfires and extreme weather are inevitable in Australia, I was dismayed by the number of destroyed houses which were not insured. One often hears in the news that a family’s home was uninsured and they have to start from scratch. What is really annoying is that during the TV interview the victims are seen puffing on a cigarette. With the price of cigarettes, I’m amazed they are still smoking instead of having protected their assets.

I simply can’t understand how someone would buy a home and then decide not to insure it. The home is usually the most expensive asset they own and yet they don’t place insurance at the top of their list of priorities. This is irresponsible.

My argument is that home insurance should be compulsory. It should be part of the deal and if you can’t afford to buy it, you had better not buy a home. In my opinion, one can’t afford NOT to be protected.

I don’t think that it is the role of government to supply a new home for people who have not insured their homes, nor should our heartstrings be tugged by sad stories about losing everything while not being insured. When we buy a car we have to pay for third party insurance and it should be the same for homes. Surely one’s home is more precious than one’s car.

It’s once again that unfortunate attitude of “She’ll be right, mate,” which permeates parts of our culture. Well, the truth is, even though you hope that she’ll be right mate, she often isn’t, and then you’re up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

Give Obama a “BRAKE!”

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I’m most amazed that President elect Obama is making his historic journey by train. Not a Connex train that’s for sure or his trip would have been cancelled on account of the weather. (For those of you fortunate enough not to depend on Melbourne’s public transport, Connex is a company in Victoria which is copping much criticism lately because of its unreliable train service.)

Anyhow, back to Obama. I would have thought that he would arrive on water, walking on it, in fact, and then he would turn that water into wine. My point is that too much pressure is being placed on the poor man. He is expected to be the panacea for every ill in the world, apparently, and it’s so unrealistic.

The new President will have so much to take care of. The economy, the troubles in the Middle East, the war in Afghanistan, the health system, the tax system, the education system, the illegals, global warming and carbon whatsits all demand immediate attention.

For crying out loud, give the man a break! He is not Mighty Mouse nor is he the Messiah. He seems to be an affable and talented man who wants to do his best for America. And it’s pleasing to see a man of colour become President. But if one builds him up to be any more than human, not only will the honeymoon be brief but the marriage will be annulled. And that would be a shame.

Tale of the Ancient Lobster or Free Lili

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While watching the BBC news on TV this morning, we held the following conversation.

“I didn’t know that lobsters could live for 140 years.”

“Course they can’t. Where did you hear that?”

“On the BBC right now. The ticker tape thingy at the bottom said that one hundred and forty year old lobster was released from a restaurant in New York.”

“Can’t be true,” says husband. “What they mean is that 140 lobsters who were one year old were released.”

“How could 140 lobsters fit into a tank in a New York restaurant? Must have been some big tank, don’t you think? Besides, why would that make it into the news amidst Gaza conflict, earthquake in Costa Rica and quarrels over halted Gas supplies from Russia through the Ukraine?”

Further discussions along the lines of what I thought I had read and husband being adamant that I had got it wrong.

“OK then, let’s wait until the ticker tape comes around again and we’ll read it together this time.”

But you know how things are in life. Just as it was the turn of the lobster story again, some commercial break interrupted the news. So my husband got out of bed and looked up the BBC news site on the internet.

“Well?”

“Yep,” the husband confirmed. “Apparently, a restaurant in New York had this 140 year old lobster in its tank for two weeks and some animal rights activists petitioned to liberate it.”

“Good for them,” I beamed.

I never did like any animals to be in cages. I even hate the idea of circuses and zoos and don’t get me started on pet canaries in cages and dogs and cats in the confines of apartment buildings.

“So how did they know it was 140 years old?”

“They can tell by its weight.”

Husband tried to get back to reading his newspaper. Not for long though…

” Hmmm. Must be a guesstimation. Cause it can’t be like telling how old a tree is on account of the number of rings. Couldn’t this particular lobster be obese rather than old? I wonder why human beings shrink as they get very old then? And another thing, why do ticker tape announcements disappear just when you want to read them again?”

Obama’s win

liligans So you think you're cultured?, What Pisses me off

Thank goodness that Obama won the election convincingly. I hope that now the U.S can begin a new phase and feel better about itself as a nation. I have always said that it’s about perception and Obama represents a new and refreshed America. As a nation, Americans want to be liked. They care what the rest of the world thinks of them and they want to be able to declare that they live in the best country in the world. If America is happy then Australia is happy and that’s what counts for me.

When you analyse what Obama has promised, there is nothing new. Most of the time he just asked questions. There were questions about tax, school fees, health costs, the aged and main street and Wall St. As his campaign continued his tone became more and more evangelical and this appeals to Americans.

As I write, he is currently talking about the long and difficult road ahead, but of course, nobody is hearing this part of the victory speech.

I hope the mood in the U.S improves because I want the financial climate to recover. If he can heal the economy then that will cheer me up since we are so bound to the American financial situation.

Congratulations to Obama! Here’s hoping he doesn’t disappoint…too soon.

If it’s not for sale don’t put it in the window

liligans So you think you're cultured?, What Pisses me off

I have just watched a Parkinson interview with Sir Michael Caine who is not only a fine actor but also an admirable man. He was telling Parkinson that his mother asked him what mini-skirts were, so he took her into trendy London to show her some women wearing them. This happened in the Sixties.

When he asked her what she thought about them she commented “If it’s not for sale, don’t put it in the window.”

It’s seldom that I would agree with the likes of Sheik Hillaly who described the clothes on some young “ladies” as being like uncovered meat. But in my opinion, if you send out an invitation don’t be surprised if some people accept it.

On seeing the occasional music videos with women spreadeagled in the pap smear position and so-called celebrities who flaunt it all makes one feel very ashamed for them. They are the first to scream rape and sexual harassment when they go out of their way to prop up, inflate and Lord knows what else to their body parts just to get some attention. When they do get attention, they complain. How hypocritical is that? I could be wrong, of course. Perhaps they do want that sort of attention.

Feminists would screech at me for saying that women should have some decorum. Feminists expect women to be theoretically able to wear whatever they like and behave in any manner they choose and then be respected no matter what message they send. Well, it doesn’t work like that. People have to earn respect. If you don’t want people to think you’re an idiot or a slut, then don’t behave like one.

Sir Michael Caine’s mother might have been a poor charlady but by George she was smarter than those Generation X-cess, Y-nots and Z for zero brains, who are parading half naked all over the place. That’s if they are not passed out drunk on the pavement. And she certainly had more dignity in her little finger….you know the rest.

Problems with toaster again

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What is it with me and purchases? I always have to keep the docket because I’ll have to go back to the store to exchange the ruddy thing. Whether it’s an electrical appliance or an item of clothing, my shopping will always involve at least two trips.

Last time I had a moan about this problem it involved a toaster whose thermostat had died and a thermal spencer which grew and grew until it became a thermal dress.

The replacement toaster seemed okay for a while and then yesterday it decided that it would have only one setting which was ‘Burn the bread to a crisp”. So now we have packed the toaster once again (we now keep the packaging) and will have to make our pilgrimage to the mall next week.

I could philosophise about the disposable society and all that stuff, but I don’t feel like doing that because I’m convinced that my purchases are jinxed. Even my Miele vacuum cleaner of two weeks had to have some electrical adjustment because “some of the cleaners have been found to have a minor electrical problem,” which led to its conking out, I was told by an apologetic salesman. Not that I’m paranoid, but I reckon that if I bought a Rolls Royce car (as if) it would stall in the middle of traffic.

I had a Rolex watch, not the phony one that I fell for on a whim a few years ago, but a genuine Rolex Datejust which slowed down every month to the point that I complained to the Rolex agent. He said that it is normal for Rolexes to slow down and that one minute a month was usual. Have you ever tried to reset a Rolex? It’s hard work!

The least the Rolex company can do is make a watch that keeps the correct time. Makes one wonder how accurate the timing was at the Beijing Olympics lol. What’s one minute between friendly competitors?

I got rid of the Rolex and bought a watch that tells the time.

My plea is as follows. It’s great that now we have a 12 months replacement warranty on small appliances, but I wish that it wouldn’t be so necessary. I would like to buy an appliance that will do what it’s supposed to do for a legitimate period of time. I find it annoying that I should have to file all my receipts for the inevitable trek back to the store. We are filling up the world with useless appliances when we should be discarding much less.

I know that electrical appliances are much cheaper now than they used to be, but the waste bothers me extremely. If expensive products like the Miele vacuum cleaner and the Rolex watch can let you down then that argument of “it costs too much to have quality control” doesn’t gel, does it?