my reading list... seriously neglected

Books that I have been intending to finish reading...

Harsh Cry of the Heron by Lian Hearn

(US cover)

Final Impact World War 2.3 by John Birmingham

(US cover)

Dead Europe by Christos Tsiolkos

(Australian cover)

Adult Themes by Kate Crawford

(Australian cover)

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins


Londonstani by Gautam Malkani


The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery


***************************************
Emily came over tonight for dinner of thick cut T-bone steak medium rare, with green beans and butternut pumpkin. She then caught up on the rest of Prison Break, except for tonight's episode.

water water everywhere

There was an interesting article in The Age (Epicure supplement) about bottled water.

"There is a difference in both taste and texture between the waters," insists Magnus Cormack McManamey, sommelier at Bourke Street's Bottega restaurant. McManamey recently introduced a water list at Bottega, which contains 11 different waters. It includes spring and mineral waters sourced underground and a rain water from Cape Grim in Tasmania - 750ml of the latter will set you back $12.

"Rain water has always been my favourite," says McManamey. "But I do enjoy informing people about the subtle differences between the different waters on our list."

So subtle that for most of us, the choice between bottled waters comes down to a far more insidious influence - marketing. Since most of us can turn on the tap and get good quality water that is safe to drink very cheaply, getting people to fork out those $12 means convincing them they're buying something more.

And

It's kind of funny, really. But there's a serious side. Apart from the fact that high-priced boutique waters provide a classic example of the privatisation of a natural resource by stealth, the boom in bottled water comes at an environmental cost. It's heavy for a start, so moving big quantities long distances just pumps out those greenhouse gases. There's also the issue of all those plastic bottles: California's Container Recycling Institute recently found that about 90 per cent of PET bottles end up as landfill.

Maybe some of us should consider filling up used bottles at the tap. And when you drink this fine tipple, swill it around your mouth, savour the delicate flavour and you'll find it tastes like water.

Water is water. In Australia, there is no advantage in drinking fancy bottled water. Many people fall for the marketing hype. Australian tap water is perfectly fine to drink.

Better to re-use a bottle and fill it with water from the tap.

Now there are millions of empty plastic bottles that end up in landfill (but hopefully consumers are wise enough to recycle them).

If I did have to buy water, it would be Fiji Water or Valvert. Just something about the taste...





(not to scale)

*******************

Work was busy today.

I want one

I want one




In urban life, there seems to be a common understanding that people tend to consciously or subconsciously become wary of strangers surrounding them. They are always balancing a certain level of privacy with others. A bookcase CAVE provides a private reading space within its form. As a seat hight is just above the floor, CAVE gives a feeling of hiding from others standing around it. Books can be stored on both sides. Therefore, CAVE can also functions as a partition of a room.

Size: W2430xH1470xD600 (CAVE)

Cost € 8 000,00

We don't always get what we want...

***************************

Emily came around after work today bearing dinner which was very yummy indeed. As I had caught up on the backlog of Prison Break episodes, I gave her the tapes to catch up before Wednesday.

Something little known about me #1

I once auditioned for host of a cooking show (this was about two years before Jamie Oliver came on the scene). It was a series that the producers were hoping to sell to cable.

I was really good too.

In the end, the producers decided that someone older was more usual, and that I was too young for the audience, even though I had flair.

Hmmm... an almost career in television.

*********************

Spent most of the day out from 9am to 9pm, most of that time on the highway. Went with Bob to the football game in Sydney between the Sydney Swans and Brisbane Lions. It was a good but disappointing game.

football - round 3

SYDNEY 5.3 7.6 8.10 13.18 (96)
BRISBANE 4.3 7.4 10.8 10.9 (69)
Goals: Sydney: B Hall 4 M O'Loughlin 3 T Schmidt 2 A Schneider B Mathews R O'Keefe L Barry. Brisbane: J Brown 3 A McGrath 3 J Patfull C Begley B Fixter S Harding.
Best: Sydney: B Hall A Schneider A Buchanan N Fosdike D Jolly. Brisbane: A McGrath J Brown L Power S Black B Fixter.

Umpires: B Allen C Kamolins S Meredith.
Official crowd: 24,854 at the SCG.

After leading for three of the quarters, the Swans were just too good. I also counted only 14 Lions supporters in the crowd, meaning that we were also outnumbered by 24,840 in the sea of red and white.


Moods


Jed


Browny


Joel P


Red

Now for my photos


Ben with the ball


Browny


Woody


Ben


a hostile crowd (Sydney Swans home game)

Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely

There is an article in the latest issue (April 2007) of The Monthly (an Australian independent journal of ideas) about how our prime minister has made a mockery of due process to build up his concentration of power.

“In some ways, John Howard is one of the least conservative prime ministers to occupy the Lodge. He is not a stickler for due process. Unlike his political hero, Sir Robert Menzies, he is not steeped in the great traditions of individual liberty inherited from the English legal system. Although he honoured the ‘progressive spirit of the Enlightenment’ in his 2006 Australia Day address, he is quick to ditch its key precepts when it suits.”

In “The Lone Ranger”, Walkley-winning journalist Brian Toohey looks at the ways in which the prime minister has acted outside the boundaries of the Westminster principle while in office, sidelining the public service and abandoning due process. He examines the cases of water policy, the Iraq war and David Hicks; and, in particular, Australia’s extravagant and extraordinary defence spending under Howard, including the controversial $16-billion acquisition of Joint Strike Fighter planes.

“Is there something sinister about Howard’s expansion of governmental power? Not in the sense that a would-be dictator lurks behind his reassuringly dull facade. Yet to flagrantly disregard long-established safeguards against abuses of power is no way for the leader of a government, whether conservative or liberal, to behave.”

A very interesting read indeed.


throw him out at the next election...

**********************

Today was a pretty lazy day (something I learnt from Keiser to value). Sue D came over to watch the Essendon vs Carlton game on TV. I even made sausage rolls using puff pastry and organic sausages.

It was a real roller coaster ride of a game. Carlton was behind by a huge margin and came back to win the game by the smallest of margins.

the end of history is history

More from Francis Fukuyama. He has published another article in relation to his 1992 book, The End of History and the Last Man (which followed his article in The National Interest).

In his latest article, he writes

To be sure, the desire to live in a modern society and to be free of tyranny is universal, or nearly so. This is demonstrated by the efforts of millions of people each year to move from the developing to the developed world, where they hope to find the political stability, job opportunities, health care, and education that they lack at home.

But this is different from saying that there is a universal desire to live in a liberal society – that is, a political order characterized by a sphere of individual rights and the rule of law. The desire to live in a liberal democracy is, indeed, something acquired over time, often as a byproduct of successful modernization.

Moreover, the desire to live in a modern liberal democracy does not translate necessarily into an ability to actually do so. The Bush administration seems to have assumed in its approach to post-Saddam Iraq that both democracy and a market economy were default conditions to which societies would revert once oppressive tyranny was removed, rather than a series of complex, interdependent institutions that had to be painstakingly built over time.

Long before you have a liberal democracy, you have to have a functioning state (something that never disappeared in Germany or Japan after they were defeated in World War II). This is something that cannot be taken for granted in countries like Iraq.

The End of History was never linked to a specifically American model of social or political organization. Following Alexandre Kojève, the Russian-French philosopher who inspired my original argument, I believe that the European Union more accurately reflects what the world will look like at the end of history than the contemporary United States. The EU’s attempt to transcend sovereignty and traditional power politics by establishing a transnational rule of law is much more in line with a “post-historical” world than the Americans’ continuing belief in God, national sovereignty, and their military.

Finally, I never linked the global emergence of democracy to American agency, and particularly not to the exercise of American military power. Democratic transitions need to be driven by societies that want democracy, and since the latter requires institutions, it is usually a fairly long and drawn out process.

Outside powers like the US can often help in this process by the example they set as politically and economically successful societies. They can also provide funding, advice, technical assistance, and yes, occasionally military force to help the process along. But coercive regime change was never the key to democratic transition.

Fukuyama's critique of Bush's Iraq policy is well, incredible.

He seems to have acknowledged that the American model of 'liberal democracy' is not necessarily ideal.

Rest of article - here

*********************

It was only a four day work week, but it has seemed like a long week at work.

geriatric fish must be allowed to live

From National Geographic

Century-Old Fish Caught in Alaska

Photograph by Karna McKinney, NOAA Fisheries/AP

April 6, 2007—A handful of Christians preparing rockfish as part of their traditional fish dinner this Good Friday might be feasting on one of the oldest creatures ever to live in Alaskan waters.

Commercial fishers in the Bering Sea recently hauled in the female shortraker rockfish seen above, which scientists say was between 90 and 115 years old. Researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) used growth rings in the fish's ear bone, or otolith, to make their age estimate.

NOAA scientists also found that the fish's advanced years had yet to take a toll on its reproductive abilities.

"The belly was large," NOAA researcher Paul Spencer told the Associated Press. "The ovaries were full of developing embryos."

A Seattle, Washington-based ship caught the 44-inch-long (112-centimeter-long), 60-pound (27-kilogram) fish while trawling for pollock at about 2,100 feet (640 meters) below the surface. The massive mama was among ten shortrakers pulled from the depths along with roughly 75 tons of the smaller commercially fished species.

The fish's age and size both approach the maximum known limits for shortrakers. The largest on record measured 47 inches (119 centimeters) long, and the oldest ever caught was 157 years.

—Victoria Jaggard

What a shame to kill and eat a fish that has lived for so long.

************************

Nothing much happening. Tonight I'm watching the new Casino Royale which Neil has lent me. A bloody good film.

a bus riding cat

From the UK

Mystery cat takes regular bus to the shops
Last updated at 17:08pm on 9th April 2007

Bus drivers have nicknamed a white cat Macavity after it has started using the No 331 several mornings a week.

The feline, which has a purple collar, gets onto the busy Walsall to Wolverhampton bus at the same stop most mornings - he then jumps off at the next stop 400m down the road, near a fish and chip shop.


The cat, nicknamed Macavity, has one blue eye and one green eye

The cat was nicknamed Macavity after the mystery cat in T.S Elliot's poem. He gets on the bus in front of a row of 1950s semi-detached houses and jumps off at a row of shops down the road which include a fish and chip shop.

Driver Bill Khunkhun, 49, who first saw the cat jumping from the bus in January, said: "It is really odd, the first time I saw the cat jumping off the bus with a group of passengers. I hadn't seen it get on which was a bit confusing.

"The next day I pulled up on Churchill Road to let a couple of passengers on. As soon as I opened the doors the cat ran towards the bus, jumped on and ran under one of the seats, I don't think any of the passengers noticed.

"Because I had seen it jump off the day before I carried on driving and sure enough when I stopped just down the road he jumped off - I don't know why he would catch the bus but he seems to like it. I told some of the other drivers on this route and they have seen him too."

Since January, when the cat first caught the bus he has done it two or three times a week and always gets on and off at the same stops.

Passenger, Paul Brennan, 19, who catches the 331 to work, said: "I first noticed the cat a few weeks ago. At first I thought it had been accompanied by its owner but after the first stop it became quite clear he was on his own.

"He sat at the front of the bus, waited patiently for the next stop and then got off. It was was quite strange at first but now it just seems normal. I suppose he is the perfect passenger really - he sits quietly, minds his own business and then gets off."

Keiser would have loved this story.

**********************

Wasn't feeling too well at work, but stayed there all day as there were a few things to complete and meetings to attend.

Tonight, Emily came over and I made a roast pork belly for dinner. We also caught up on some more of Prison Break.

posers

Joshua Bell is one of the finest virtuoso violinists in the world.

He busked at the L'Enfant Plaza station/stop of Washington DC's Metro at 7.51am on Friday, 12 January 2007 for 43 minutes.

He performed six classical pieces while 1097 people passed by him. Hardly anybody noticed the music or that the violinist was Joshua Bell.

See - Washington Post of 8 April 2008

Now, if there had been a big sign to indicate that he was Joshua Bell, many would have stopped for the free concert.

This suggests that Washingtonians may actually be posers who don't recognise fine music if they heard it, unless it was pointed out to them who the musician was.

***********************

Back to work today. Ho hum. I still wish Keiser is here when I return home from work. She really made me look forward to going home at the end of a work day. Sigh.

Easter

Pope Benedict XVI looks on for the "Urbi et Orbi" ("To The City and to The World") Easter address from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
Photo: AP

I'm not Catholic, but this picture is a very powerful image. Likewise, the Pope exerts considerable power and influence over the lives of many people in the world.

********************

Today was a mixed day, another public holiday for Easter Monday.

I took Kane for a walk in the morning to the local shops to buy the newspaper, and some exploring. We were out for about an hour, so he enjoyed that. There are lots of dogs living in the suburb so there was plenty of 'news' to smell.

In the afternoon, I walked him around the block. Ted came and took him home. I found out that Kane is 11 years old, so having him stay over and going on lots of long walks is a bit of excitement.

Whatev-ah

Whatev-ah (what ever) means "I don't care", but also "this is the end of the conversation" or "say what you want, I've got no position on this subject".

It is used to express indifference. According to linguist Tony Thorne and the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), it has been used since the seventies:

1973: Meaning "that's what I meant", US Secretary of Defense briefing paper for returning POWs
1982: Meaning "you decide", San Francisco Examiner
1980s: Used regularly by California "valley girls" (eg film Clueless)
1986: "Whatever man, whatever", in film Platoon
1990s: Used by the Jerry Springer crowd
Late 1990s: Reaches UK's rich female teenagers
Early 2000s: UK street language
2003: Little Britain's first TV series

Teachers in the UK are now fighting back by asking students to explain what they mean.

See - BBC News

Whatev-ah... or is that 'meh'?

**************************

Today was an eventful day. This morning Mary came over and I helped her to bring over some turf that she had dug out from her new place. Afterwards, I took Kane for a walk to visit Kettles, that white cat a few streets away. Her people are away, so I checked on and fed her.

Around midday, I took Kane for a walk to the markets and bought some sausage mince (from a regular butcher, the organic butcher was closed), and a beef bone for Kane.

Sue D came over before 2pm. The frozen puff pastry was unusable (dry) so I mixed the sausage mince with a red curry paste and chopped spring onions (scallions), put them on sliced sour dough bread and baked them.

Then we watched an incredibly good football game between Essendon and Fremantle while Kane had his bone.



After the game and Sue D departed, I took Kane to the school oval. Jake was there playing with a ball with his person's daughter. They didn't stay long. I kicked a football a few times to Kane, but he just wagged his tail.

There was a great program on TV tonight called My Family and Other Animals about Gerald Durrell's childhood on the Greek Island of Corfu. Thoroughly recommended.

Escaping the dreary wet weather of 1930s England, an eccentric family uproot and ship themselves to the sunnier climes of the Greek island of Corfu.


A totally eccentric and cool family

the story of Håkan Nordkvist, time traveller

A person in Sweden claims to have time travelled to the future. From his blog:

It all happened on the afternoon the 30th of August. It was a beautiful day and I was on my way home from a job in Färjestaden. When I got home, I found water on the kitchen floor. Somehow there was a leak. I got my tools and opened up the doors to the sink. And started to work.

When I reached in to examine the pipes, they seemed to be further in than I remembered. I had to crawl inside the cabinet, and as I did so, I discovered that it just continued. So I kept on crawling further and further into the cabinet. In the end of the tunnel I saw a light, and when I got there, I realized I was in the future. I meet myself as 72 years old, the year was 2042. I did a lot of tests on him to see if he was really me. And the strange thing is that he knew everything about me. Where I hid my secret stuff when I was in first grade, and what the score was in the soccer match against Växjö Norra in the summer of -88. He knew it all.

We even had the same tattoo, although he's was a little faded. He told me some of the stuff that will happen, but not so much. And I promised not to tell anyone. I made a film with my mobile phone. Unfortunately the quality is not the best. But it´s what I have got. Actually I don't´care if people thinks I am a liar. I know I'm not. I met myself in the future, and I was fine. That's all I know.

But if it happened to me it probably must have happened to someone else.

/Håkan Nordkvist

Here is a film clip based on the film from his mobile phone

Now, if you travelled to the future and wanted proof, wouldn't you bring back a newspaper of that future day?

There was also a time traveller from the future called John Titor whom some people believe.

My comment is that we need more convincing proof.

***********************

That German Shepherd Kane is staying over until Monday. I asked his people a few days ago if they had planned to go away for Easter, but they hadn't. Thankfully, they've agreed to let me borrow Kane. I enjoy going on walks with him, as he does too.

Ted dropped Kane over around 3pm and around 4.40pm I took him on a long walk around the suburb, dropping into Margaret's house for a quick visit and a beer, then past the oval at the local primary school. Jake the black labrador-kelpie was having a play with his people, so I let Kane off the leash. It was a lot of fun.

bursting into song

This clip on Youtube may only be a college prank by Prangstgrüp (from Columbia University) but it must have been quite liberating.

It would be so cool to just burst into song at anytime. It is a shame that society deems such an act as lunacy.



******************

The good thing about Good Friday is not having to go to work, so Good Friday is a good Friday, literally.

Didn't do much today. Emily came over this afternoon and we caught up on another four episodes of Heroes (now up to date) and two episodes of Prison Break (another four to go).

I made a simple dinner of roast free range corn fed chicken with roast potatoes, sweet potato, and beetroot.

BoKlok by Ikea

Ikea furnishes a lot of homes. Now they have decided to provide the homes too - BoKlok dwellings. BoKlok (pronounced "book look") is Swedish for "smart living".

No, buyers of these BoKlok homes don't have to collect flat pack boxes and assemble the homes themselves.

From BusinessWeek -

Taking a cue from Ikea's flair with flat-pack furnishings, the homes are constructed off-site at nearby factories. Using assembly-line production, beginning with carpenters who construct the walls and ending with decorators who paint them, approximately 85% of the apartment is built at the factory. The apartments, which are made of two shoebox-shaped modules, are loaded onto flatbed tractor trailers and delivered to the site.


Once at the development, the apartment takes around a day to complete. First, modules are lifted off the truck by crane. Each two-story building consists of five to six apartments. Construction is kept simple using Scandinavian timber, and each unit is fully insulated.


The detached units are then deposited directly into the foundation. Construction workers guide the boxes into place, stacking them one upon another. Once secured, workers complete the finishing touches. Wiring is connected, and plumbing for appliances such as dishwashers and washers and dryers (Ikea, through an arrangement with Whirlpool, sells appliances) is hooked up. The two-bedroom units can become three-bedrooms with the simple addition of a wall.


The finished site consists of several identical two-story buildings, usually with a maximum of 80 apartments. Although each development looks slightly different, all BoKlok developments stay true to minimalist Scandinavian architectural style. Upper-floor apartments have a private balcony and ground-floor apartments a screened patio. There's also external storage and a landscaped communal garden, as well as allocated parking.


The homes are designed with a flexible open-plan layout, high ceilings, and large windows, giving them a light and airy feel. Hardwood laminated strip flooring is laid throughout, with the exception of the bathroom, which gets reconstituted rubber linoleum. Kitchens are fitted with Ikea units (the model varies depending upon the development). Buyers receive Ikea coupons and the free services of an Ikea interior designer.


See also Guardian article 'Welcome to Ikeatown'.

Yes, you too can live in a home that looks like an Ikea catalogue!

********************************

Today was a busy day at work. This evening I went back to the club a few streets away and had a few beers and dinner before the game. The thing about inviting other people to something on the Thursday night before the Easter long weekend, is that nobody will show up!

Anyway, the game was not live on Foxtel, so I came home instead. An excellent game.

football - round 2

BRISBANE LIONS 2.4 7.7 11.11 15.12 (102)
ST KILDA 2.3 3.4 6.6 7.8 (50)
Goals: Brisbane: J Brown 5 J Sherman 3 S Black 2 J Patfull 2 A McGrath C Stiller C Johnson. St Kilda: A Fiora 2 J Koschitzke 2 S Milne L Montagna S Birss.
Best: Brisbane: M Rischitelli J Sherman C Stiller L Power S Black. St Kilda: A Fiora J Gram N Dal Santo S Fisher.
Umpires: M Vozzo, K Nicholls, S Jeffery.
Crowd: 28,266 at the Gabba.

What a great win tonight.


Shermo kicking a goal during the second quarter while being tackled


Shermo


After Blacky's goal


Bozo


Rischi always gets the ball


Moods


Jared

Browny

Stumpy

I wrote about Stumpy, the four legged duck on 19 February 2007.

He's now all grown up. From BBC News again -

Last Updated: Tuesday, 3 April 2007, 09:05 GMT 10:05 UK

Four-legged Stumpy 'doing well'

A duck who appeared on TV around the world when he was born with four legs has amazed his owners by surviving into adulthood, despite his deformity.

Stumpy was born in February at Warrawee Duck Farm, Copythorne, Hants, with two extra legs behind the two he moves on.

A duckling, called Jake, was born with a similar mutation in Australia in 2002, but died soon after birth.

But Stumpy's owner, Nicky Janaway, said he was thriving on the farm and had now almost reached full-size.

Due to his rare mutation, Mrs Janaway said she thought Stumpy would not survive in the wild but was making himself at home on the New Forest farm, and his spare legs had acted as stabilisers.

Global fame

Mrs Janaway said: "He's doing really well. He is still very tame and loves all the attention he's been getting.

"He won't be allowed to roam the farm because his back legs stick out and could get caught in brambles and I might never find him.

Mrs Janaway was "gobsmacked" when she saw four legs

"We're making a very big pen for him to make sure he is kept very safe and he has been paired up with Alice - he seems a very happy duck."

When Stumpy was born on 7 February, Mrs Janaway said she was "gobsmacked" to discover the extra legs.

She added: "It was absolutely bizarre, I was thinking 'he's got too many legs' and I kept counting 'one, two, three, four'.

Stumpy's condition has earned him fame - he made the headlines and made television appearances across the globe after his birth and an online blog has been ensuring fans can follow his every move.

[/end of BBC story]

And here is a bigger picture
Stumpy the four-legged duckling has amazed his owner, Nicky Janaway, by thriving

Also check out Stumpy's diary.

***************************

Nothing much to report for today. Emily isn't coming over tonight, so I'll have to tape Heroes and Prison Break again for her.

breaking news... a new world record

Associated Press has just reported that an experimental Train a Grande Vitesse (TGV), the V150 has just broken the world speed record for conventional trains reaching just more than 570 kph (354.1 mph).

The black-and-chrome train, the V150, had three double-decker cars.

The record was set on a 73km stretch of track between Paris and the eastern city of Strasbourg.

The previous record set 17 years ago for a traditional rail-based train of 515.3kph (320.2 mph) was set by an earlier version of the TGV.

The overall world train speed record is still 581kph (361 mph), reached in 2003 by a Japanese magnetic levitation, or Maglev, train.

The record took place just after 1100 GMT today (2100 local time, half an hour ago), about 200km from Paris.

France's TGV fast train is pictured on the new high-speed line built between Paris and Strasbourg on the eve of an attempt to break the world speed record.
Photo: AFP

**************************

Nothing much happened today. I really feel Keiser's absence. We were a great team Keiser and I.

Nobel Peace Prize nomination...

Shatha Hassoun who won pan-Arab television talent show, Star Academy helped Iraqis to unite and celebrate her win. No one knows for sure whether she is Sunni or Shiite, so both sides claimed her.

Hopefully she will realise just what good that she has done for Iraq. Perhaps a Nobel Peace Prize nomination will not be far behind.

See - Al Jazeera (English edition)

Popular choice … Shatha Hassoun wraps herself in the Iraqi flag after winning Star Academy in Adma, Lebanon.
Photo: AFP

***********************

Back to work today. Now that I have the house back again (without Keiser, sigh), I have resumed my former routine and habits, like listening to music before going to sleep. It was sad last night though, as I always used to consult with Keiser with "what shall we listen to?"

these people are crazy.... Brisbane zombie walk

There was a 'zombie walk' in Brisbane, Queensland today. Hundreds of people walked a route in the city scaring passersby. It was not an April Fool's joke. These people must be crazy.

See
- Brisbane Zombie Walk (link)
- Courier Mail news article (2 April)

And the crazies from last year's inaugural walk




************************

This afternoon I returned to the club to watch more football (not on free to air TV) - it was the game between Essendon Bombers (my other team) and Adelaide Crows. It was a good game as Bombers won and played well (see report).

When I returned, Margaret took me to her new house two streets away (about a 10 minute walk) where Mary was making a slow cooked goat dish for dinner. Margaret has moved out after nine weeks. It is good to get the house back again, but somewhat sad that Keiser is no longer here (she would have liked getting her other room and bed back again).