How 9/11 tipped the world on its axis

liligans Politics, So you think you're cultured?, Society

The past two days I heard two speakers commenting on how Australia has become less tolerant since the new millennium. The first speaker was an elderly retired doctor who reproached the Australian people for not welcoming asylum seekers who arrive by boat. The next part of his talk was about the overcrowding in Australia. Hmm…

The second speaker was novelist Christos Tsialkas who said that he does not like living in Australia any longer because we have become intolerant and remote from world affairs. He is now living temporarily in Scotland which he prefers to England, by the way. He will return to Australia when his writer-in-residence time is up, but he is not looking forward to it.

He says that we have changed since the 1990’s.

I agree with both speakers. We are more wary. We are more insular.

What the two speakers forgot to mention is why this is so. They forgot to mention September 11, the Twin Towers being attacked by Muslim terrorists. They forgot to mention that 3000 people were murdered in a most vicious attack by a group of Muslim fanatics who despise America and all it stands for.

They forgot to mention the subsequent attacks in Madrid. They forgot to mention the attack on the London underground. They forgot to mention the Bali bombings and so on and so on.

These terrorist attacks by Muslim fanatics tipped the world on its axis. They changed the way we regard Muslims. Who are these terrorists who want to destroy the West?

While it would be wrong to blame all Muslims for what happened and what is still happening almost daily in some part of the world, it is only natural that we in Australia as in the rest of the Western world should become wary of all Muslims.

After all, we don’t know who is being trained right now to carry out another attack.

So it is inevitable that we become suspicious of strangers who want to change our way of life or who may even want to commit an act of terrorism. It has happened to Australians in Bali and we would be stupid to believe that the threat is gone, especially when we are informed by the terrorists, as has been broadcast today from Pakistan that the U.S and Europe will be attacked again very soon.

So if Christos Tsialkas and the retired doctor want to know what happened to make us suspicious and less tolerant, they should remember 9/11 when we woke up to the horrifying shock that there are people out there who want to hurt us just because we aren’t like them.

Hamas shoots pregnant woman and boasts about it

liligans Politics

There is great jubilation in the streets of Gaza as I write. Hamas are celebrating their “brave” shooting of a pregnant Israeli woman who was travelling by car with another woman and two men. They were all shot dead by Hamas murderers.

I’m never surprised by anything that Hamas do. They thrive on killing and subjugating their own people. They thrive on the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis. In fact, that is the only reason that Hamas have lasted so long. Hamas feeds on hatred and uses fear to survive

So what is the reason behind this latest atrocity and the savage celebration in Gaza? Well, the Prime Minister of Israel has gone yet again to the U.S to discuss peace initiatives. The Palestinian leader of Fatah in the West Bank is also planning to join the talks. Now any peace initiative would be a threat to Hamas’ interests so they have committed these vile murders to upset the talks.

I hope the talks aren’t interrupted because Israel should avoid doing what Hamas is inciting.

I do believe that one day, far away into the future, there will be peace between the Arabs and the Israelis. But I also believe it won’t happen until Hamas is just a distant and unpleasant memory.

Deadlocked election in Australia

liligans Politics, So you think you're cultured?, totally absurd

As I suspected, and I wasn’t the only one, the election is deadlocked. There is no winner except for the protest voters. Some voters decided that neither party was worthwhile, so they either voted for one of the minor parties or they decided to sabotage their votes. They left it up to others to decide for them.

In my opinion, it is perfectly legitimate to vote for a minor party like the Greens, for example, even though they weren’t my choice. That’s what democracy is all about. But to go further and vote informal just because you want to sit on the fence seems like an insult to the democratic process. I guess these informal voters have the democratic right to not vote, but what a waste of a hard fought-for privilege!

Apparently, half a million non-voters, and that’s how I describe them, didn’t even have the brains to weigh up policies and choose the party which offended them the least. It was so much easier to pack up their toys, stick their thumbs in their mouths and leave the sandbox.

We are probably better off without those fence sitters. Democracy is wasted on them, anyhow.

So now we are stuck with having to persuade three or four independents to side with one of the parties so that parliament can resume. If we thought that electioneering was over last Saturday, well, we are about to see so much horse trading, grandstanding and back room dealing, that it will make the actual election look like a prelude to the three-ring circus.

Can’t help wondering what would have happened if those informal twits had taken the time to reflect on the importance of voting. Too late now.

Election Day in Australia. I luv it!

liligans So you think you're cultured?

Listening to the complaints from fellow Aussies that the election is boring, the media circus is ridiculous and the government is hopeless anyway, I wonder how many of us would give up the right to vote. Would they really want other people to choose for them?

I suspect not. The same people who claim the government is useless would be outraged if they were not allowed to have a say in who represents them. They would claim that it is their democratic right to vote.

Everyday, people in other countries die for that privilege. Women and minority groups have fought for that right and we should cherish it.

This is indeed a lucky country because we live in a real democracy. We don’t have the sham elections that Iraq had in the past where 100% of the “voters” chose Saddam Hussein. We don’t suffer the military juntas of South America or the tyranny of some African states.

We can select our political reps without fear of repercussions. They actually have to court us for our vote. How great is that!

Whatever we think of politicians, in this country we can vote them in and we can vote them out. And that is a privilege we should respect.

So bring on the election today. I look forward to casting my vote and I look forward to watching the election results on TV tonight … which will probably be deadlocked, anyway.

Wind Farms are a noisance

liligans So you think you're cultured?

When we travelled throughout Belgium and parts of Holland a few years ago we were confronted by a terrible noise. It sounded like hundreds of engines reving up and piercing the otherwise pristine countryside. The beauty of the landscape was drowned out by the constant drone of some prehistoric monsters. “What in the world is that?” we asked the bus driver.

“Look over there!” he shouted and pointed to his right. It was a row of wind turbines in the distance. There they stood, several kilometres away on a row of hills. They were gargantuan and they were loud.

Not only were they ugly to look at but we could not imagine that anybody would want to live near them. Talk about noise pollution!

So why am I writing about them now? Well, it appears that AGL has been given the go-ahead to build wind turbines on farms in Victoria. Farmers are being paid for the use of their land and money talks loudly, but not as loudly as the wind turbines, in my opinion.

Can’t wait for election day in Australia

liligans Politics, So you think you're cultured?

I haven’t written for the past ten days because the will to live has been crushed out of me. I am bored silly by the electioneering. Enough baby kissing, digging up bits of Australia, riding on tractors, sailing with the Coast Guard and squatting down in front of toddlers for a photo shoot.

It’s a circus out there and it’s extremely annoying. I would vote for a politician who declares he is not going to kiss and hug other people’s children. Think of the germs that he is spreading as he moves from one babe to another!

How absolutely ridiculous is the sight of a grown woman clambering up into a tractor in all her glam clothes, and jewels with that construction hat on her head and posing for a pix. Are we supposed to be impressed by that?

There is little dignity in the hustings. The media are hungry and want something to whinge about. The politician is catering to the lowest possible denominator of human intellect. And by that I mean the political machine and the journalists who have to fill the news reports with the most trivial and often inaccurate waste of newsprint.

Every action is assessed and analysed. Whom did the politician offend today with a slip of the tongue? Great! We have a headline. Abbott hates women! Julia Gillard is a heretic and so no Christian should vote for her!

None of this is true and yet it is written.

In other countries one has to pretend to be religious to even have a chance of being voted in. This is sadly the case in the U.S. And yet Church and State are supposed to be separate. This confuses me totally.

How refreshing it is to be able to say that one is not religious without having to face The Inquisition.

This circus of running around the country and performing like a seal is very degrading, in my opinion. I just want to hear what the parties and the leaders are intending to do. Forget the silly hats, the safety vests, the shovels, and the farce of being bowled over by the cuteness of Baby Raylene.

And please forget about appearing on some stupid panel and trying to be one of the fellas. Or filleting fish with a rather menacing machete. Reserve that delight for a fishmonger. What has any of this got to do with being a suitable Prime Minister, anyway?

I wouldn’t be surprised to see both candidates scrubbing up and performing surgery in a dinkum operating theatre just to announce more funds for Health. Blood and guts everywhere. Julia and Tony brandishing scalpels. What a photo opportunity that would be!

Why Kevin Rudd is Julia Gillard’s nemesis

liligans Politics, So you think you're cultured?

Picture this. Your wife comes up to you and tells you that she no longer wants you. She explains to you that you are no longer the kind of husband she needs. Therefore, you should leave.

Pretty devastating news…but wait there’s more. She’s found somebody else more suited to her needs whom she’s going to marry. Painfully devastating news… but wait there’s even more.

She wants you to arrange the wedding for old time’s sake How about organising the flower arrangements, or even the catering? There’s so much to do, so how about lending a hand? In other words, help her “move forward.”

In essence, this is what Julia Gillard is demanding from Kevin Rudd. Never mind that he’s no longer wanted by the Labor Party and the unions as Prime Minister, but hey, how about helping out with the elections so that the party which stabbed him in the back can remain in government?

It’s a bit much to expect heartfelt loyalty from the ousted Prime Minister, isn’t it? Why, it’s only natural that Rudd should feel resentful towards the Labor Party.

So, is he going to jump out of his post-op bed to do his bit for Labor?

Of course he will, because there’s no better way to get back at Gillard and Co. than by being completely visible during the election. His omnipresence will act as a reminder of what they have done to him.

As Rudd himself has told us, he has a long memory…

Why waste your money on expensive cookware?

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

We have thousands of cookware shops in Australia. They sell every gadget and the most ridiculously overpriced cookware.

I say it’s ridiculous because it doesn’t cook any better, nor does it last longer. Some of the cookware has a lifetime guarantee and I’m always puzzled by that claim. What does that mean?

And there are caveats to the guarantee. You have to use the cookware for the purposes for which it was intended.

I guess that means cooking rather than digging for iron ore. And I do suspect that in about ten years’ time you would have difficulty finding the manufacturer of said cookware to return it. They also want it to be posted and the cost of that postage would be prohibitive. That’s if you can unearth the receipt.

In other words, the cookware lasts for as long as it lasts and not any longer. Can’t argue with that existential concept.

If you read the fine print, you should expect the saucepan to show scratches. This will look bad but will not affect your cooking results. You can machine wash the cookware but it’s better not to because it may spoil its appearance.

Although the cookware has been tested in laboratories by a million jackhammers drilling the amazing bullet-proof surface of the pan, it is suggested that you stir your cooking with a plastic or wooden utensil.

All this in spite of a rather pretentious and misleading name like Swiss Diamond which gives the impression of a very resilient and indestructible surface. Not true. I know because I invested in the brand. I use the term “invested” since it cost a fortune.

I was informed at the time that Swiss Diamond never go on sale, but they were 40% discounted at some stores last week. So “Never” must mean the same as “Lifetime Guarantee.”

I’m also the gullible owner of some Circulon cookware. This one scratches, sticks and has grooves which are hard to clean. Ironically, there is a big ad campaign on TV at the moment praising this brand’s ease of use. I scoff somewhat bitterly at its claims.

Anolon was no better but I managed to return it because it warped. I was in one of those “I’m fed up and I’m not taking it any more” moods.

As for cast iron cookware, it’s good for casseroles, but who can lift the ruddy things? If you really want a physical workout try to pick up some Staub cookware. Now if you dropped that on the floor it would result in a crater and the Staub cookware would emerge in China.

The astute reader of this blog might have worked out that I’m fed up with falling for the hype. Cookware is cookware and you are better off buying a brand new pan every year at $29.95 as I have done recently and in ten years you will still be ahead financially. The pan will be lighter. You can machine wash it or not. If it scratches you don’t mourn the damage to its perfect surface.

And believe me, life’s too short to be fooled by promises of everlasting service or surface (as the case may be).

I wonder how long my new penny-wise attitude will last? Probably for as long those guarantees, I guess.

Solution for our Australian growing population problem

liligans So you think you're cultured?

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said that she understands the concerns of folks living in South West Sydney. She understands that they are overcrowded there.

So what is it all about? Well, it’s not about immigration, says Julia. It’s not about birth rates, says Julia. And it’s definitely not about refugees and boat people. It’s about sustainability which at the moment is unsustainable, according to the majority of the electorate.

So if you can’t curb population growth by cutting immigration and reproduction, the solution has to come from the other end of the life cycle, the senior citizens. Isn’t that all that’s left?

Some form of compulsory elimination, perhaps, once Julia Gillard’s “working Australians” are no longer able to work. We already have an effective process in place for that policy. It’s called “Forget about nursing home provisions and improvements in health services for the elderly.” Surely we can move forward on that and get serious.

We could perhaps adopt a new slogan for the Labor Party based on “Moving Forward. ” How about “Moving On Permanently” or “Moving out of the Way” or “Moving Aside? ” Or how about “Stop Moving Altogether?” Now that would curb our population growth by about 25% by 2050.

So how can that brilliant policy be formalised? Well, when you hand in your driver’s licence you are handed your orders to move over for Australia. How you do that is up to you. After all, we live in a free country. Simple.

Being kind to Hamas will not work

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

Imagine you are the leader of a Hamas terrorist cell and your daughter has a tumour in her eye. An Israeli aid organisation funds her successful operation in Jerusalem. The tumour is removed.

You then go back to your village in the West Bank and two weeks later you arrange an attack on Israelis. Three Israelis are ambushed. One who was about to be married is killed while the other two are wounded.

No doubt you think that you are a hero, but in reality you are the lowest of the low.

There is no honour in your actions. You, who are prepared to accept help from Israeli doctors and at the same time stab them in the back.

FOR SHAME!

Source for this article.