Geoff's Blog

Aug 9, Should We Send Our Seniors to Jail?

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 01:39:26 GMT

Are we treating our Seniors properly?.... or would they be better in jail? (The following article appeared in the Townsville Daily Bulletin - About Town with Mary Vernon) Suggestion is to put our seniors in jail and the criminals in nursing homes. This way the seniors would have access to showers, hobbies, free prescriptions, dental and medical treatment and they'd receive money instead of paying it out. They would have constant video monitoring, so they could be helped instantly if they fell, or needed assistance. Bedding would be washed twice a week, and all clothing would be ironed and returned to them. A guard would check on them every 20 minutes and bring their meals and snacks to their cell. They would have family visits in a suite built for that purpose. They would have access to a library, weight room, spiritual counselling, pool, and education. Simple clothing, shoes, slippers, PJs and legal aid would be free, on request. Each senior could have a PC, a TV, radio, and daily phone calls. And the criminals?... Well, they'd get cold food, be left alone and unsupervised, lights off at 8pm and showers once a week. They'd live in a tiny room for which they would pay $5000 a month with no hope of ever getting out.

Jul 12, Opal Fossicking in Outback Queensland

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 02:04:27 GMT

Opal Fossicking where Australian Dinosaurs roamed near Winton in Outback Queensland

Jul 12, Dinosaur Bones Found

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 01:00:39 GMT

Dinosaur Bones of a Dinosaur that roamed Western Queensland 93 million years ago have been discovered near Winton

May 6, Living in the 1940s

Thu, 06 May 2010 01:33:28 GMT

Living in Australia in the 1940s

May 4, DubLi Auction ... Unique Bid Auction Success

Tue, 04 May 2010 09:29:11 GMT

DubLi Auction Success. A system that works at the Unique Bid Auction.

Apr 24, Our ANZAC Soldiers ... Lest We Forget!

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 01:30:36 GMT

As ANZAC day approaches we remember our ANZAC soldiers whose lives we celebrate each year on 25th April.

Apr 6, The Family Ghost

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 23:06:24 GMT

How the Family Ghost became part of one family's history with what some believe is a true ghost story

Mar 15, Recording Family History

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:44:35 GMT

Recording Family History should include your living family history for future generations

Mar 9, Help Wanted

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:10:33 GMT

Jodie, who lives in Australia, wants some help to find someone who would like to buy a pre 60s 'Frozen Food Packaging Kit'. Here is her message. "Hi, I was wondering if you could help me. I have just recently been through my grandmas cupboards and found a few things that I wanted to sell for her. Wow there were some treasures. Do you know where I could sell things other than ebay. I was wanting to find an appreciative audience to get a good price for Grandma. I have a boxed 'Frozen Food Packaging Kit' still with packaging boxes and instruction manuals etc. I am not sure what year it is from but it is at least the 60's I also had a first aid kit from the 40's but was told I wouldn't get much for that...so it went to the bin, much to my disgust. I would love your advice. Kind regards Jodie If you are interested in this item or know where she might be able to sell it, please let me know and I will pass your message on to Jodie. Geoff

Mar 8, Record Floods in Western Queensland, 2010

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:58:17 GMT

Massive damage from record floods in western Queensland in 2010 as some towns clean up others wait for the flood water to arrive

Mar 2, Our pool to pond conversion revisited

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:54:50 GMT

We revisit our pool to pond conversion to show you how it looks now

Mar 2, Pool Conversion - How to Replace a Pool with a Living Water Feature

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:51:27 GMT

Pool Conversion - How to Replace a Pool with a Water Lily Pond

Feb 2, Benhall, Suffolk

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:51:26 GMT

Benhall, Suffolk ... No! Not Ben Hall the notorious Australian bushranger. I am talking about Benhall the quiet Suffolk village with thatched cottages and old world charm, where even the school still has a thatched roof. Visit the 'Benhall, Suffolk' webpage at http://www.asletts.com . You will find a brief village life insight from the mid 1920s to the mid '30s and you may go to the accompanying Benhall Gallery to see photos of The Lodge, Benhall, and the village Church, School and cottages of Benhall Green. Tell me what you think?

Dec 30, Top cars of the 1950s

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:31:43 GMT

Top cars and dream cars of the 1950s

Dec 30, Life in the 1950s

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:27:29 GMT

Activities and daily living in the 1950s

Dec 9, Simple Living 1940s Style

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:23:55 GMT

Simple Living 1940's Style

Nov 8, North Queensland Glimpse

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:21:07 GMT

We're home again after spending 6 weeks in North Queensland, visiting our daughter Katelyn and her family, as well as my sister Marion and Jane's brother John in Townsville, and my brother George at Magnetic Island. We also went further north to Mission Beach where we spent a few days at a Hawaiian style bungalow in a very attractive beachside setting overlooking Dunk Island. We caught up with several of our relations, some of whom we hadn't seen for years. We even went up to Charters Towers, Jane's old home town, west of Townsville. The Towers was a booming gold mining town of well over 30,000 people at the end of the 19th century, but now numbers about 7,000. In it's hey-day it was known as "The World", and it boasted of having the only Stock Exchange outside a Capital City, as well as a Pub on every corner. It's an interesting town with lots of unusual buildings, mostly wood and corrugated iron. Oddly enough, Kate's house in Townsville was once a miner's cottage at the Towers. It, along with many others, was moved to Townsville (and other NQ towns) when the gold ran out at the Towers. However there is still gold to be found around Charters Towers and mines have been opened in the district in the last couple of decades. One noticeable feature of the Towers is the huge flying fox population that has taken over the once beautiful Lissner Park in the centre of the town. Flying Foxes are large fruit bats that are regarded as cute and precious creatures by some, and disease carrying vermin by others. Some believe that the Horse Flu, or Hendra Virus, that is often fatal to humans, should more properly be called Flying Fox Flu, as it is spread by Flying Foxes to horses in the first place. Now back in Brisbane, we are catching up on all the things, like repotting my waterlilies, that were neglected while we were away. It did not take the lorrikeets and king parrots long to realise that we were back, and they soon started turning up for a snack of sunflower seeds when they were feeling a bit peckish. It's nice to get back to normal after a few weeks away from home.

Nov 2, Fundraising for School, Charity and Clubs

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:04:48 GMT

Fundraising for School, Charity, Clubs and a variety of other organisations just became a lot easier with the introduction of the DubLi Partner Program.

Aug 2, What Swine

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 21:19:17 GMT

Aus News, at the weekend, reported that Pigs at a piggery at a place called Dunnedoo, in New South Wales, have caught Swine Flu from Humans. If only pigs could talk, I bet they would be giving more than a grunt of disapproval about careless humans passing on their infectious diseases. I wonder if the poor pigs will be given flu shots and have to wear face masks on their snouts. More likely they will be condemned to death for no fault of their own.

Jul 28, Battle City Brisbane 2009

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:44:00 GMT

Brisbane became Battle City when Breakdancers invaded the 2009 Queensland Music Festival. Music lovers were shocked and amazed, but there was No Haydn when the Breakdance crews Battled for Festival s

Jul 27, Workplace Health & Safety Huh?

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:35:29 GMT

I was sitting at my computer this morning when I heard Jane burst out laughing in the next room. She was listening to the wireless, where a chap in Brisbane was telling how he offered to take part in an experiment being run by an electricity supplier to help reduce the excessive use of electricity by household airconditioners. Seems the electricity supplier was offering incentives, as a trial, to people who agreed to allow the installation of a device in home airconditioners which would enable the supplier to monitor the aircons during times of peak usage and remotely prevent overload. The Brisbane chap agreed to take part, but when the workmen arrived to install the device they said they could not install it as his aircon was too high up the wall, about 10 feet, as they only had a short step ladder. He offered to let them use his taller stepladder, but they refused, saying that were not allowed to do that. When he asked why they had not brought a taller ladder they replied that Workplace Health and Safety would not permit them to use a taller ladder. Oh! dearie dearie me, have we reached the stage when tradesmen are not permitted to climb ladders over three feet? I would love to hear what you think, or if you have a better story about bureaucracy going bonkers.

Jul 24, Your Words Create Your World

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:05:23 GMT

Maria Andros, described as one of the world's leading social media experts, gave this quotation in an interview with Gideon Shalwick ... "Your Words Create Your World." That little quote caught my attention and it made me think of the words of the old Simon and Garfunkel song, that my kids used to listen to, "People talking without speaking ... People hearing without listening." Thirty years on the lyric would have to be, "People tweeting without speaking." and "People talking without listening." Seems like everyone is tweeting, but is anyone paying attention. Is it possible for someone with hundreds of followers to be able to follow what their followers are tweeting about? If not, are the followers aware that their tweets are being totally ignored? Could it be that the World Wide Web is suffering from verbal diarrhoea? There is such a deluge of verbosity on the net. Content is king, they say, but what if the content is rubbish, re-hashed and repeated over and over again. Why use one word when 47 will do, and 97 will do even better, seems to be the way of the Internet. Is it really acceptable to take some content and cut and paste it over and over again so that it is re-hashed 20 or 30 or 50 times and published on the Net under slightly different headings? Is this technique really the best way to catch the attention of search engines? Surely one article with unique content should attract more credit? The front page list of one publisher's latest publications might show Author A. credited with 6 articles on the general subject of 'Lose Belly Fat', followed by Author B with 4 articles on the same subject. Following that, you might find 4 articles by the same Author A on the subject of 'Get Your Ex Back', again followed by Author B with 6 articles on the same general subject. Even blind Freddy would see that Author A and Author B would likely be the same person, so how does the acceptance of such tactics reflect on the standards and reputation of the publisher of such articles. Remember, Maria Andros said, "Your words create your world." What sort of a world is that author and that publisher creating for themselves on the Internet? One can only congratulate Squidoo.com who recently set about cutting out poor quality and undesirable articles.

Jul 6, How Old is GrandPa?

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 06:15:53 GMT

How-Old-is-GrandPa? Consider the changes in just one lifetime.

Jul 3, Can you Make Money Blogging

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:30:41 GMT

Can you make money blogging - That's a question that a lot of people would like to have answered.

Jul 1, Musso the Magnificent Galah

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:01:53 GMT

A tale about Musso the Magnificent, a Galah in Western Queemsland

Jun 30, Outback Picnic Races

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:19:19 GMT

Outback Picnic Races are great fun for all the family. It is easy to meet new friends among the friendly and relaxed people at the Picnic Races

Jun 23, The Global Recession is Upon Us

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:01:05 GMT

How to Beat the Global Recession

Jun 10, Did I Hear Right? Incorrect Intelligence

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:56:43 GMT

Did I hear right? Did I actually hear George W. Bush admit that the intelligence that led to the invasion of Iraq was incorrect?

Jun 10, Be My Valentine - Origin

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:51:14 GMT

Mid-February has long been an important date for the lovesick young

Jun 10, High Diddle Diddle Was There A Fiddle

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:46:14 GMT

Swine Flu Pandemic has fizzled out for the moment

Jun 10, Retirement Income ... Four Questions that Retirees Ask

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:30:51 GMT

Retirement Income is a subject that worries most retirees. Can retirees make extra income

Jun 10, Lake Eyre Comes to Life

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:18:30 GMT

Water is flowing into Lake Eyre. An amazing transformation is starting to take place in Central Australia, as water flows in to Lake Eyre from flooding rain in North Queensland.

Jun 10, The tale of a dog

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:09:11 GMT

The tale of a dog - Lost and Found

Jun 10, Baby's Surprise Birth

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:32:12 GMT

Baby's surprise early entry

Jun 10, Australia Day 2009

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:09:43 GMT

Australia Day 2009, how we celebrate and how the pioneers laid the foundation to our nation

May 26, Dare to Remember When - a Nostalga Trip

Tue, 26 May 2009 01:12:00 GMT

Take yourself on a little nostalgia trip, dare to remember when ...

May 17, Llangollen Canal Holiday Cruise Squidoo Lens

Sun, 17 May 2009 04:08:40 GMT

Our cruise on the Llangollen Canal last year is the subject of a new Squidoo Lens, complete with photographs taken on that trip. You can see our holiday lens here You might have followed our Llangollen Canal holiday last year, when we were with Will and Pamela Aslett on the narrowboat "Charlton". We featured it on our British holiday website. If so, I am sure you will enjoy revisiting the canal in that lovely part of Britain. If this is your first visit to my blog, please let me have your comments.

Apr 30, Make Own Wine?

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:42:04 GMT

How to make own wine is a question that lots of wine lovers are asking. There is a growing interest in learning how to make wine at home and it seems that apart from the economic reason that you can make own wine for less than $1.00 a bottle, many new enquirers like to do things for themselves and want to see how it works. Let's face it, people have been making their own wine for centuries, and like home made beer, the quality of home made wine has improved tremendously in the last couple of decades. Improved recipes and methods, and a greater scientific understanding of how it all works, accounts for the difference. Unlike the home brewed beers of the 60's, you will hardly ever find a poor home brew these days. The quality is consistently good and equal to or better than the bought varieties, and so it is with wines. Still, there's a fine line between making outstanding wine that everyone will love and making five gallons of vinegar. You have to get the right recipe and the right instructions to help you to make a home-made wine that will win praise from your guests. Cleanliness and sterilisation of bottles and brewing equipment is extremely important. If you make a mistake, and it doesn't turn out right, you might have to drink it all yourself, and that would be a pity, wouldn't it? It is most unlikely that you will have a disaster like that if you learn about how to make your own wine. Get good advice from someone who knows from experience how to do it and follow their advice. Plan what you are going to do, how you are going to do it and where you are going to do it. Be prepared and have everything ready in advance. You will be pleased that you did. Most importantly, have fun. My 9 year old grand daughter gets in the kitchen with her grandmother, making cakes, and she has fun. (They both do.) She mixes the ingredients, pours the mixture into the cake tins, shapes the biscuits (cookies) and helps in every way she can. She has fun every step of the way, and all the time looking forward to the delicious cakes that will come out of the oven. (We all do) And, you know what, they have never had a flop yet. Making wine at home is pretty much the same. Read the recipe, follow expert advice, have all the ingredients ready and have fun. You can't go wrong! You can read more about making your own wine here at my Squidoo Lens

Apr 27, Just Past the Black Stump

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:36:56 GMT

Two of our neighbours, Trevor and Diane, arrived home last week after spending a few weeks visiting friends on properties in Western Queensland. They took their big hats and riding boots, left their home at Brisbane at the crack of dawn, and drove all day to reach their destination which was out in South West Queensland, just past the black stump. I asked Trevor about 'Trinidad', the sheep station they visited about 200 miles north of Quilpie, and I thought you might be interested in his description. 'Trinidad' is about 57 kilometres from one boundary to the other, that's just under 30 miles. It carries sheep on 263,500 acres (106,712ha). It's a two hour drive if you want to go to the nearest town, Quilpie, to do a bit of shopping - each way! Over the years most of the big properties have been cut up into smaller blocks. 'Trinidad', the property Trevor and Diane were visiting, is one of the blocks cut off a once much larger property called 'Milo Station', which, at the turn of the nineteenth century, stretched north from Quilpie to Blackall. The historic 'Milo Station', now much reduced in size, was passed in at auction last year and sold, following negotiations, at an undisclosed price. The 115,830ha property, 130km North of Quilpie, and an adjoining property, 'Budgerygar', were both offered for sale at the time. Selling agent David Connell of Landmark Longreach said both 'Budgerygar' and 'Milo' enjoyed tick free status, were well watered and had good reserves of soft edible mulga as well as highly productive natural and improved grassland. It is understood that the two properties, have a total area of 223,700ha, and a combined carrying capacity equivalent of 8000 dry cattle. They have a saying out West - the bigger the hat, the smaller the station. I wonder what sized hats those graziers wear? Just one more bit of trivia about Australian Cowboys. The men who worked the cattle in Australia were called stockmen. Cowboys were old men, usually stockmen who were past working, but still living on the property, who were given the job of milking the cows.

Apr 21, Australian Natural Disasters

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 07:03:31 GMT

Commenting on my recent message about the flash flood at Kin Kin, and the Victorian Bushfires, one of my British friends said, " You guys are certainly copping it this past year, we've seen the gentle side of Australia in our limited travels we've been fortunate to find great friendship and gentle ( if hot) weather. I don't know if I am more shocked by the weather or reports of looting. have been able to keep up to date with events in places we have visited, just last night we saw on West TV the flooding in Belingen - we spent a few days there in 2004 and fell in love with it's laid back life style, particularly the market where we sat listening to an electric guitar accompanying a didgeridoo." " I understand that fires have been deliberately lit in Victoria and in W.A. at the height of the recent disasters but it is a sickener that the owner of the pub in Kin Kin has to defend his property against looters . The early history of Australia (and NZ) is littered with tales of one man's mateship to another that talk of looting seems heresy." Sad to say that some of the dreadful bush fires in Victoria were deliberately lit and that some cases of looting were reported in those areas as well as in some of the areas effected by floods in northern NSW and Queensland. It seems that there is always some miserable low life creature who is quick to take advantage of such disasters for some miserable personal gain. What is even more shocking is that one of the most devistating fires in Victoria is believed to have been deliberately lit by one of the volunteer fire fighters. The men and women who volunteer their services and risk their lives as members of the Bush Fire Brigades are the real heroes of these catastrophic events. They are fully trained and know the dangers they face. Not only do they risk their lives, but to do their duty as fire fighters, they often have to leave their own homes and families unprotected while they are fighting fires elsewhere. To think that one of the fire fighters could be responsible for lighting the fire that caused so much death and destruction seems inconseiveible, yet it is likely to be true. Such a person must be mentally deranged. As far as the looters are concerned, they are just scum. While we must hope that such people are caught and punished for their crimes, we should not forget that for every bad person there are many good souls who give generously and who do all they can to help those who have suffered in the disasters. For every rotten looter there are tens of true mates who rally around to help out in times of need.

Apr 19, Susan Boyle - An Unforgettable Performance

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 20:06:58 GMT

I guess it's a sign of our vintage that we find little to amuse us on TV these days. Apart from British programmes like 'Time Team' and the 'Antiques Road Show' I find little of interest. We have a copy-cat programme called 'Australia's Got Talent, but I have never seen it. I do enjoy a couple of Aussie shows, 'The New Inventors' and 'The Collectors', and I watch the News, but that's more out of habit than choice. In the days of radio, when I was a kid, we used to listen to a programme called 'The Australian Amateur Hour', where aspiring performers sang or played their best. It launched a number of promising careers, but that show died, along with popular music as we knew it, many years ago. Susan Boyle's performance on 'Britain's Got Talent', last week, has created quite an international stir and I hope her astonishing performance rewards her well, without doing her more harm than good. For me, it was the change in the attitude and the expressions on the faces of the judges and the audience, when she started to sing, that made her performance so memorable. The amazing quality of her voice really made the judges and the audience sit up and take notice. Their expressions changed from bored cynicism to astonishment and excitement as soon as she started to sing. If you would like to see this memorable performance again, click on Dream Video Rumours suggest that she has been invited to make a recording, that she has been invited to visit America and even that sales of tickets to see 'Les Miserables' skyrocketed after her performance. One thing is sure, news of her performance spread like wildfire around the world in a few days via the Internet. Good luck Susan! You really have got talent.

Apr 4, Flash Flood Foils Drinkers

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 11:47:25 GMT

We're getting quite a bit of rain here in S.E. Queensland. It always seems to rain around Easter time, but this time some places have had flooding downpours in very short periods, which have caused unexpected flash floods. The area around Coffs Harbour, a pretty coastal town in Northern New South Wales, received torrential rain which caused severe flooding just a few days ago. Now the rain depression has moved into Queensland and parts of the South East are really copping it. At the same time the strong winds that accompany the rain have whipped up huge seas, to the delight of the surfers who are brave enough, or foolish enough, to face the monstrous waves. Kin Kin is a village behind the Sunshine Coast, just north of Brisbane, which received a flash flood yesterday. To give you an example of how sudden it was; some people were having a drink at the Pub in the main street, when a wall of water came rushing down. One minute they were quietly having a drink... the next, water came rushing through the ground floor windows, and doors were torn off their hinges by the force of the water. One Barmaid was caught by the rush of water and was nearly washed away. Luckily the publican was able to catch her arm and pull her to safety or she might have been drowned. They managed to get the patrons to safety up the stairs, including one old chap in his 80's. The water just about washed everything out of the ground floor of the Pub and made a great mess, then it seems to have run away nearly as quickly as it came. This is what the Sunshine Coast Daily has to say about it :- "The man who saved the lives of two women caught in rising floodwaters at Kin Kin yesterday managed to photograph some of the action. Locals said they were enjoying a drink at the Country Life Hotel about 3pm when water started to rush over a hill and into the rising creek, about 30m from the hotel. Within minutes, the water was metres up the wall and furniture was being washed away. The beer-garden was destroyed and furniture, plates, glasses, knives and forks have been left strewn on an oval opposite the pub. The wall of water hit with such force a shipping container was swept hundreds of metres and a car is resting on its nose, against a large tree. No one in Kin Kin was hurt but Kupa Ngaira is being hailed a hero after opening a window to allow two women to leap clear of the turbulent floodwaters. The owner of a pub spent the night guarding his stock as looters threatened to steal it. The Country Life Hotel owner told Sunshine Coast Daily journalist Alan Lander a short time ago people driving utes with spotlights were trying to take anything they could see during the night, including the pub's cigarette machine."

Mar 22, Another Crocodile Death

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 05:06:35 GMT

Australian news on March 15 reported another crocodile related death. A twelve year old girl was taken by a crocodile while swimming with friends at a popular local fresh water swimming place near Darwin. This is the third crocodile related death in Northern Australia in the last six months. A five year old boy was taken when he followed his dog into water near his home at the Daintree River, north of Cairns, and a 62 year old tourist was taken when he went to check his crab pots when camping at the Endeavour River near Cooktown. As well as this, a man was reported to have been bitten by a crocodile at Lizard Island Tourist Resort on the Great Barrier Reef. Two crocs were subsequently caught near the resort. Crocodiles have been reported to have spread as far South as the Central Queensland Coast. It seems clear that the crocodile population in Northern Australia has increased to dangerous levels since crocodile shooting was banned in the 1970's. The increase in numbers means that the creatures are spreading out to establish new territory. At the same time our residential population has increased considerably in remote areas, as has the number of tourists and travellers who are touring Northern Australia in caravans and motorhomes. Isn't it time for the authorities to take steps to remove or cull crocodiles from areas where they might endanger human life? Something has to give. Human lives are more precious than Crocodiles, and we can't afford to lose any more residents or tourists. See also The Crocodile's Tale on http://www.living-family-history.com

Feb 25, More often than not, Less is More

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 02:31:19 GMT

Why is it that so many Internet Marketers and so called "script writers" will never use one word when forty-seven, or better still ninety-seven, will do? Has it something to do with the idea that we, their readers, are savouring every word they write, or that robotic search engines value content, content, content, irrespective of quality? Do they think that their prospective customers will escape if they are not mesmerised by an endless barrage of words that sell, sell, sell, over and over again. Surely we have all been frustrated by this overkill, but let me give you an example, just as it happened to me. A year or so ago I had an idea to start a forum about the good old days. I went to Google to find a program and in a few seconds, found a clear heading that appeared to be what I was looking for. I read the first couple of paragraphs and, yes, this was just what I wanted. I was ready to buy. there was just one question - HOW MUCH WILL IT COST ME? I read a couple more paragraphs, still convinced, but HOW MUCH? I started to scroll down looking for the price, down and down, down down down through paragraph after paragraph of more convincing content and buy now buttons. Frustrated and annoyed that I was being manipulated I left the site, and that marketer lost an almost certain sale. I never went back. Do you feel annoyed by the blatently obvious over-sell and excessive word padding of so many IM sites? My little Grandson put it in a nutshell. He came home from school with a gold sticker on his shirt. I asked him what it was for and he said, "Maths." (That's Math in USA) I said, "Are you good at maths?" He said, "Yes, ask me a question." So I posed a question about apples cut into quarters and shared with his Mummy and Daddy, Grandma and me, and I asked him how many apples he would have left. He immediately gave the right answer and quickly followed up with, "But don't tell me the story, just ask me the Question." Another might have said, "Cut the crap!"

Feb 19, Fascinating Facts

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:23:26 GMT

When you start to look too hard at coincidences, things can get pretty spooky. The assassinations of Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy for example: 1. Lincoln was elected in 1860, Kennedy in 1960. 2. Both were killed on a Friday. 3. Both died in front of their wife. 4. The successor of both presidents was named Johnson. 5. Andrew Johnson was born 1808, Lyndon Johnson 1908. 6. Both assassins were killed before standing trial. 7. Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy. 8. Kennedy's secretary was named Lincoln. 9. Both secretaries warned their President not to attend the fatal event. 10. Booth shot Lincoln in a theatre and ran to a warehouse. 11. Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse and ran to a theatre. 12. Both President's surnames have seven letters. 13. Both assassin's names have 15 letters. Extracted from Martin Avis' Newsletter :- http://www.kickstartdaily.com

Feb 19, Mind Defrag

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 01:44:00 GMT

Mind Defrag If you ever find yourself lying half awake at 2am with your mind turning over all sorts of odd thoughts, then you will know what I mean when I say my mind was in defrag mode this morning. My mind was trying to sort out all the odd fragments of information that it has accumulated in recent weeks, trying to make sense of them and put them into meaningful patterns. Not an easy task for a pre-pentium mind I'm sure you'll agree. I started mulling over the death and destruction caused by the dreadful bush fires in Victoria, feeling great sadness for all those who have lost their homes and loved ones, pets and possessions, property and livelihoods in the hugh fires that, at least in some cases, have been deliberately lit. How could anyone do such a dreadful thing? The TV images of the scenes of terrible destruction and the raw emotion of the destitute survivors switched to the scenes displayed a few days earlier of the dreadful destruction and heart rending images of the poor survivors of the latest Israli attack on the Palistinians at Ghaza. How could anyone do such a dreadful thing? Over 200 people, men, women and children have lost their lives because of the deliberate, man made bushfires in Victoria. Over 1000 people lost their lives because of the deliberate, man made attack on Ghaza. My pre-pentium mind reached the shocking conclusion that those people who deliberately decide to light bushfires and those people who deliberately decide to launch a military attack against a defenceless neighbour do so for the same reasons. They do it because it gives them the euphoria of having great power, the power of life and death, over their neighbours,and they do it because they can get away with it. Will they will ever pay for their inhuman crimes? I suspect it is just a matter of time.

Jan 24, The Snake's Tale

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:48:54 GMT

Terrified Woman threatened with Snake by Road Rager

Jan 23, The Crocodile's Tale

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 01:53:50 GMT

The strange tale of a crocodile from Crocs in Space