Cole enquiry again

This continues to be in the mainstream media in Oz.

If the AWB execs are charged under the new anti-terror laws, will their defense not argue there is no evidence of a connection between terrorist activities and the Saddam Hussein regime? If so, does that mean the Australian courts will have to decide and rule on this matter? What implications does that have to the current Oz government and our involvement in Iraq?

Ok, you may say I'm obsessed with this, but it makes me angry that an Australian company (or any company for that matter) can get away with this...

AWB in the news again

The AWB is in the news again, this time the court case has been resolved about which documents can be used in the Cole enquiry. Interestingly, the judge made comment the AWB deceived the United Nations.

Of course, our politicians knew nothing of this...


What I can't understand is why GWB isn't pissed at Johnnie-boy for undermining his invasion of Iraq by supplying them cash before it all went down.

What has been accomplished in the five-year war?

I just found an interesting article on terrorism and what actually is being accomplished in the current climate. It's something I may have iterated previously, and I feel reassured that others have come to the same conclusions as I have.

It's now five years after 9/11 and since that event our respective governments have participated in (to varying degrees) a fear campaign to help keep this subject in the forefront, perpetuated in many cases by the media. In our case in Oz, our government sent us all a fridge magnet. (The link is a joke, the fridge magnet was not!)

The newsletter I mentioned earlier, for those of you who may not have read it, suggests the goal of terrorism is to create terror in the wider society it is targeting, and the deaths of the victims are just collateral damage. If this is correct, why should we be giving the terrorists what they desire? Why should *we* change what we do in our daily lives? Why should I feel like I am doing the wrong thing if I want to take a photograph outdoors?

Surely our political leaders and their advisers can see this? Is there not a better way to handle this threat?

Politics and crocodiles

This week showed some dramatic turns of events.

Steve Irwin, known as the crocodile hunter, was killed by a Stingray whilst shooting a documentary on the Ocean's deadliest creatures. Whilst not a fan of Steve myself, you could not fault him for his enthusiasm for his chosen path in life. Of course, this has been a huge media story in Australia, with the local media camouring for position outside the Irwin family's reptile park.

Our politicians, lead by their illustrious leader, PM John Howard, are backflipping on a deal whereby politicians superannuation contributions were reduced from 69% to a more reasonable level of 9%. It seems that newbie pollies are crying poor and "woe is me", so Johnnie has increased their contributions to 15.4%. Of course, this has bipartisan support. Not only that, it has now been reported that if pollies get "voted out" or fail to fulfill their duties and are dismissed, they get a payout of approx $30k.

About the only thing politicians can agree on is they are underpaid...

yah, me too.

The Iron Chef reigns supreme! (or I now have my plumbing sorted)

The light is at the end of the tunnel. We now have functioning kitchen appliances. We have a new gas cooktop, electric oven, sink, and most importantly, a dishwasher!

I know this must not seem so exciting to most, but for a number of weeks we have been sustaining ourselves with only a vague semblance of a kitchen (for a portion of that we did not even have benchtops), comprising of an el-cheapo electric hotplate and a spattering of several other appliances such as Sam's family heirloom of an electric frypan that is celebrating it's 100th birthday this year. Needless to say, having a kitchen in this state did not inspire either of us to cook, nor when we did cook did it motivate us to cook well -- more so just to sustain ourselves -- not necessarily the most healthiest of dishes.

It's even exciting being able to wash the dishes in the kitchen sink rather than do the weekly load in the laundry tub. However now the dirty dishes can be hidden away in the dishwasher rather than create a mount everest on the laundry floor, much to the annoyance of the kittens who must have felt it had become their own private café with an oh-too-tiresome menu.

I'm even looking forward to doing some work on it this weekend, as no longer does it seem so overwhelming (of sorts). Because the end is in sight, everything is attainable... The battle is almost ovah!