The birth of a baby is a joyous time and the new parents can't help making plans for the future. Some mums and dads lay down a good bottle of wine to be drunk at the child's 21st birthday. Others set up an education fund, putting money aside regularly to fund schooling or university in the future. Or maybe parents think about the need for a house deposit at some future time and start saving for that.
A Mum in England has a different idea. She has a 4-month old baby girl and has started a fund which will be used to pay for the little girl's first boob job when she needs it. Mum was a glamour model and got her first big break after she had a boob job. Clearly she expects bub to follow in her footsteps and expects she will benefit from a little cosmetic surgery when the time comes. Mum's not rigid in how the money will be spent. If baby would prefer a bottom lift or a tummy tuck, then that would be OK too.
Of course, baby might grow up to look like her father and no amount of cosmetic surgery would help. She might also turn out to have a brain and will prefer to become a doctor or lawyer. How disappointed she will be to find out that no provision has been made for University and she will have to take the boob job or lump it.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Monday, September 30th ....
It's not often that we come across a genuine local hero - in this case, someone who has never played in a Grand Final or won Australia's Got Talent or found a cure for cancer. He's simply a man who's taking a stand on what he sees as injustice and unfairness in our society. He is Fr Rod Bower of Gosford Anglican Church. His message speaks up for the boat people who have been demonised and used as a political football by both sides of politics.
His pulpit is the large sign outside his church and he makes his statements in big letters which are now being picked up and shown more widely in social media. One day, his sign read Tony, please don't call asylum seekers illegal. I don't like it. Signed God'
Today, Facebook has an animation of a series of signs on the theme, 'do you see what I see?, instead of a sovereign border issue, Fr Rod sees men, women and children, nationless, desperate, afraid, with nothing more to lose but their lives. His final screen says, 'please try to see what I see'.
Part of his criticism is aimed at News Limited which he sees as supporting the manipulation of a human tragedy for political gain. So, he has displayed such classics as 'Rupert's News is very, very limited' and 'think before you accept Rupert's propaganda.'
He also has broader messages such 'Jesus had two dads and he turned out all right' and 'it's not just up to DOCS, it's up to us as well'. One I particularly liked says, 'some people are gay. Get over it. Love, God'
On the church's website, there's a welcome message: We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, gay, filthy rich or dirt poor. We extend a special welcome to those who are crying new-borns, skinny as a rail or could afford to lose a few pounds.
We welcome you if you can sing like Andrea Bocelli or can’t carry a note in a bucket. You’re welcome here if you’re “just browsing,” just woke up or just got out of jail.
Local hero, indeed!
His pulpit is the large sign outside his church and he makes his statements in big letters which are now being picked up and shown more widely in social media. One day, his sign read Tony, please don't call asylum seekers illegal. I don't like it. Signed God'
Today, Facebook has an animation of a series of signs on the theme, 'do you see what I see?, instead of a sovereign border issue, Fr Rod sees men, women and children, nationless, desperate, afraid, with nothing more to lose but their lives. His final screen says, 'please try to see what I see'.
Part of his criticism is aimed at News Limited which he sees as supporting the manipulation of a human tragedy for political gain. So, he has displayed such classics as 'Rupert's News is very, very limited' and 'think before you accept Rupert's propaganda.'
He also has broader messages such 'Jesus had two dads and he turned out all right' and 'it's not just up to DOCS, it's up to us as well'. One I particularly liked says, 'some people are gay. Get over it. Love, God'
On the church's website, there's a welcome message: We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, gay, filthy rich or dirt poor. We extend a special welcome to those who are crying new-borns, skinny as a rail or could afford to lose a few pounds.
We welcome you if you can sing like Andrea Bocelli or can’t carry a note in a bucket. You’re welcome here if you’re “just browsing,” just woke up or just got out of jail.
Local hero, indeed!
Monday, September 30th ....
I wrote yesterday's blog, not realising that 50 years ago, on that day, the Everly Brothers were beginning a tour of Britain with two shows in London. The other headliner was Bo Diddley and the support act was The Rolling Stones.
I'll be painting today, making the Rotary Pavilion look at its best for the Craft Fair. There are also about 60 bottles left to be labelled so I'll get that done too. Pamela pointed out to me the other day that I hadn't been putting some of the labels on the front of the bottle. Bottles are round so how can you tell where the front is?
She showed me a string of little bumps at the bottom - that's the front, and a string of letters and numbers which is on the back. Clearly it's got something to do with bottling machines so I don't know why we should bother.
I'll be painting today, making the Rotary Pavilion look at its best for the Craft Fair. There are also about 60 bottles left to be labelled so I'll get that done too. Pamela pointed out to me the other day that I hadn't been putting some of the labels on the front of the bottle. Bottles are round so how can you tell where the front is?
She showed me a string of little bumps at the bottom - that's the front, and a string of letters and numbers which is on the back. Clearly it's got something to do with bottling machines so I don't know why we should bother.
Sunday, 29th September ....
We've been watching Serangoon Road and, in a sad moment, we could hear the Everly Brothers singing 'Love Hurts' in the background. The first record I bought, I think in 1958, was 'All I Have to Do is Dream' and 50 years later, Marilyn and I scored 99 singing that same song in a Karaoke Fund-raiser in the Philippines.
'All I Have to do is Dream' and 'Love Hurts' are two of the songs written by the wonderfully-named Boudleaux Bryant. They're still karaoke favourites today.
'All I Have to do is Dream' and 'Love Hurts' are two of the songs written by the wonderfully-named Boudleaux Bryant. They're still karaoke favourites today.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Sunday, September 29th....
There was another bit of Tassie-bashing in the news this week. It seems that about 50% of Tasmanian adults are functionally illiterate. That is, 1in 2 Tasmanians can't read a newspaper or a recipe or even the instructions on a medicine bottle. This is an awful statistic but it's not just Tasmania - the national average is 47%! But instead of focusing on this national disgrace, it was more fun to pick on Tassie, the land of the in-bred, backward village idiot.
It's easy to smugly sneer at those who get their words wrong and who don't know the difference between 'affect' and 'effect' but, for those people, it's a tragedy. The ABC interviewed Don MacKenzie from Sorrel who has decided it's time he learnt to read and write so has joined Adult Literacy classes.
The 49-year-old has been illiterate for most of his life after he dropped out in Year 8.
"My reading and writing before I came to these classes was totally crap, I never used to be able to pronounce real long words," Mr McKenzie said.
"Maths, well, I still need a hell of a lot of work to do on that."
"I used to lock myself up a fair bit inside. When we used to go shopping I used to just sit in the car," he said.
"What I was afraid of was going into the shop and then I can't understand what the labels...I'd get the wrong thing."
"I'd think, 'well I'm not gonna do that just in case I'm getting the wrong thing and I could end up poisoning someone'."
Mr McKenzie has never been formally employed.
Mr McKenzie is working hard to break the cycle with his 12 children aged 13 to 30, some of whom also have low literacy skills.
"I've got one that's really high needs, she's a 13-year-old," he said.
"She never used to like reading books and stuff and I said 'look, I'm going back to school now and I'm learning how to read and write. How about you come back and sit down next to me and read a book with me and have a go with me?'
"She said 'yeah, that'll be good Dad' and now she loves it. I've noticed a real lot of improvement in her reading.
"She can actually write her name now, where she never used to."
Don McKenzie says he is trying to convince his 27-year-old son to come to adult literacy classes with him.
This problem is inter-generational and it's certainly not limited to Tasmania. It's a shame that Julia Gillard was not able to finish her educational reforms; I'm afraid that Christopher Pyne doesn't have the same passion or vision. His suggestion, for example, to cap university places to improve 'quality' is laughable. Artificial caps simply make it harder for students from poor socio-economic circumstances to get a place at Uni. The privileged Tobys and Camillas from the Eastern Suburbs or Toorak will still get there. And, of course, that's what Christopher means by quality.
It's easy to smugly sneer at those who get their words wrong and who don't know the difference between 'affect' and 'effect' but, for those people, it's a tragedy. The ABC interviewed Don MacKenzie from Sorrel who has decided it's time he learnt to read and write so has joined Adult Literacy classes.
The 49-year-old has been illiterate for most of his life after he dropped out in Year 8.
"My reading and writing before I came to these classes was totally crap, I never used to be able to pronounce real long words," Mr McKenzie said.
"Maths, well, I still need a hell of a lot of work to do on that."
"I used to lock myself up a fair bit inside. When we used to go shopping I used to just sit in the car," he said.
"What I was afraid of was going into the shop and then I can't understand what the labels...I'd get the wrong thing."
"I'd think, 'well I'm not gonna do that just in case I'm getting the wrong thing and I could end up poisoning someone'."
Mr McKenzie has never been formally employed.
Mr McKenzie is working hard to break the cycle with his 12 children aged 13 to 30, some of whom also have low literacy skills.
"I've got one that's really high needs, she's a 13-year-old," he said.
"She never used to like reading books and stuff and I said 'look, I'm going back to school now and I'm learning how to read and write. How about you come back and sit down next to me and read a book with me and have a go with me?'
"She said 'yeah, that'll be good Dad' and now she loves it. I've noticed a real lot of improvement in her reading.
"She can actually write her name now, where she never used to."
Don McKenzie says he is trying to convince his 27-year-old son to come to adult literacy classes with him.
This problem is inter-generational and it's certainly not limited to Tasmania. It's a shame that Julia Gillard was not able to finish her educational reforms; I'm afraid that Christopher Pyne doesn't have the same passion or vision. His suggestion, for example, to cap university places to improve 'quality' is laughable. Artificial caps simply make it harder for students from poor socio-economic circumstances to get a place at Uni. The privileged Tobys and Camillas from the Eastern Suburbs or Toorak will still get there. And, of course, that's what Christopher means by quality.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Saturday, September 28th ....
I'm reading a book at the moment called Weirdo and it's driving me mad. One of the characters talks in some kind of dialect, saying things like “she get it all from Alex, the boy what live next door to her. He go to the art college and whatever he do, she have to copy.” I know it's up-to-date to talk like uneducated black Americans but it's just as easy to talk properly.
In the past I've been accused of being too particular about grammar. Some people have accused me of being a Grammar Nazi, but that's just being petty. I know I sometimes shout at the TV screen when someone says 'less' when they mean 'fewer' but that shows my passion for the English language. I haven't reached the stage yet of correcting my friends' email or commenting on errors on their Facebook page, although I certainly notice them.
'Grammar Nazi' does sound a bit unkind but there are some other options: I prefer Grammar Nerd but, if I have to have some label, I choose 'Grammar Ninja'. Travelling the countryside, righting wrongs and preserving the essence of our mother-tongue.
By the way, I found a website called, 19 jokes that only Grammar Nerds would understand. Here's a sample:
How do you comfort an upset grammar nerd? Say, 'There, Their, They're'.
I've attached a number puzzle which appeared on my Facebook. Good luck!
In the past I've been accused of being too particular about grammar. Some people have accused me of being a Grammar Nazi, but that's just being petty. I know I sometimes shout at the TV screen when someone says 'less' when they mean 'fewer' but that shows my passion for the English language. I haven't reached the stage yet of correcting my friends' email or commenting on errors on their Facebook page, although I certainly notice them.
'Grammar Nazi' does sound a bit unkind but there are some other options: I prefer Grammar Nerd but, if I have to have some label, I choose 'Grammar Ninja'. Travelling the countryside, righting wrongs and preserving the essence of our mother-tongue.
By the way, I found a website called, 19 jokes that only Grammar Nerds would understand. Here's a sample:
How do you comfort an upset grammar nerd? Say, 'There, Their, They're'.
I've attached a number puzzle which appeared on my Facebook. Good luck!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Thursday, September 26th ....
What an extraordinary finish to the America's Cup! Team USA won the last eight races in a row to steal an amazing victory - with an Australian skipper, an Australian strategist and only 1 American in the team. So, there will be celebrations in a number of countries today, all accepting their share of the credit.
Once upon a time, nobody would have considered having a team which was not 100% of one nationality. Now, winning has become much more important and we are prepared to set aside true national pride for the sake of a hollow victory. In some ways, it's great that national boundaries are no longer as important but it's a bit rich to talk about Team USA when the only significant contribution to the team was the money. Maybe I'm getting old, or cynical.
Once upon a time, nobody would have considered having a team which was not 100% of one nationality. Now, winning has become much more important and we are prepared to set aside true national pride for the sake of a hollow victory. In some ways, it's great that national boundaries are no longer as important but it's a bit rich to talk about Team USA when the only significant contribution to the team was the money. Maybe I'm getting old, or cynical.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)