Charming Spin Doctor

Sydney's beauty

2011-10-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

I managed a lovely little mini-holiday in Sydney with some of the family recently.

It never ceases to amaze me how beautiful our biggest city in Australia really is.

Yes - it is a BIG city, and everything that comes with that. But the location, around Sydney Harbour, is startlingly attractive.

In particular, the magnificent open public spaces in and around Darling Harbour are a real highlight for visitors.

Light fittings, Wildfire restaurant, Overseas Passenger Terminal Circular Quay

Evening, from Newtown rail station

Reflection off King's Wharf, Darling Harbour, Sydney

The Sydney Opera House at night from Wildfire restaurant, Overseas Passenger Terminal Circular Quay

All Blacks Win It: French just fail to close out an All Black #RWC2011 choke

2011-10-23T23:04:00.000-07:00

Roll on Rugby World Cup 2015 !!

I've had such a good time watching the Rugby World Cup finals - except the one the Wallabies lost to the All Blacks, of course...

Last night's decider really was one of the most exciting rugby finals I've watched in a while, despite the low scoring and the ball-handling errors (although nothing will beat Wilkinson vs Australia in RWC 2003 for a long time....)

It serves as a reminder why I get so excited in the lead-up to this compettion every four years. It is just sensational sports viewing: the greatest game in the world.

It has to be said: the All Blacks are deservedly Rugby World Cup Champions for 2011.

Just like TV's Survivor - they've outplayed all comers, outlasted huge scares like the one Les Bleus gave them last night, outwitted opponents (the Australians, devastatingly, in particular) by playing them at their own game and winning the battle of tactics, over and over - and out-muscled, out-bustled, and out-rugbyed every opponent they faced.

They've even out-choked their own traditional choke - and put that choke around the throats of their opponents through a consistently tough and altogether ultimately undefeated defence.

Once and for all, the All Blacks showed that making and holding tackles wins the big games.

As Wallaby scrum-half Will Genia said back in August after the Wallabies were smashed by the ABs at Eden Park:

"No matter how long you hold that pill for they’ve got a good enough defensive system to hold you out and they showed that. It was very, very hard."

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans agreed, saying: “They scrambled defensively very well and those sorts of qualities will be important come World Cup time.”

Quite prophetic, in fact, Robbie.

The last half of the 2011 RWC final was exactly like that. As the pressure built on the All Blacks to hold onto their slimmest of leads at 8-7, it was clearly becoming waaay too much for some NZ tweeters who were including references to holding their breath, various types of coronary care and nervous breakdown in their increasingly-feverish tweets (these, at least, provided some light relief on the side).

It was tense and it was exciting. Despite the fact that the French had most of the possession, the All Blacks held them out. Denied them.

Towards the end, the All Black defenders looked completely dead on their feet, battered and sorely tested after dozens of phases put together by heroic waves of Bleus led in the loose by their incredible captain Thierry Dusautoir and a dominant platform in the lineout via Imanol Harinordoquy (a lineout reliability factor the Wallabies desperately needed - nay must have had, and sadly couldn't consistently deliver - if they were ever to challenge for the title).

But the time evaporated and the New Zealanders kept finding something, managing to keep "scrambling" in defence, covering huge overlaps out wide being created by a magnificent final charge of wide-running, hugely-brave French backs. Led by the efforts of scrum half Dimitri Yachvili, tough tackle-breaking centre Aurélien Rougerie and fullback Maxime Mèdard they gave it everything they had from the first minute of the second half in a desperate attempt to break the All Black defensive line.

They just couldn't beat the choker-hold of the strongest-willed All Blacks defence we've seen for quite some time.

Former England and British Lions hooker and now UK Telegraph rugby writer Brian Moore said this morning that "The French refused to play their role as biggest underdogs ever" but that "the All Blacks' defensive wall ended brave France's hope of a breakthrough."

Moore went on to write that:
"In the end, it was pressure that told for the French; not that imposed by attacking pressure, rather an enormous rearguard defensive display from the All Blacks in the middle period of the second half."

It's quite a good commentary actually - and from an ex-front rower, which makes it all the more sensible and realistic. Worth a read.

Let's be very clear here. I don't like the All Blacks.

I do not have a strange attraction to their regularly-infringing (but rarely-penalised) forward pack, led by the all-time unpenalised infringer in Richie McCaw.

And I will not succumb to the sickening media fawning that is occurring across all channels right now.

In my heart I was going for the French (as much as I don't like them, either).

But after yesterday's grinding win against a tough, brave, committed Les Bleus who fell desperately short of their own glory, it is utterly impossible to not respect the best rugby team in the world right now: the 2011 All Blacks.

Congratulations to the All Blacks.

Visit to Bruny Island

2011-04-27T14:47:00.001-07:00

Went to Bruny Island on Tuesday - it really is one of our family's favourite spots.
Unfortunately, couldn't find a fish to catch, but it was nice to get away and spend some relaxation time.

The D'Entrecasteaux Channel

Tinderbox in the distance - looking up along Nebraska Beach, North Bruny Island

Nature's sculpture - the rocky outcrops at the end of Nebraska Beach, Denne's Pt North Bruny Island

Nebraska Beach

Nebraska Beach

Nebraska Beach

Looking across the Channel to North-West Bay/Margate from Nebraska Beach - North Bruny Island

Going home: approaching Kettering at sundown, from the Bruny Island ferry

The Essence of Hobart: Mt Wellington

2011-04-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

One of the great natural attractions of my home town, Hobart in Tasmania, is
Mount Wellington

I've recently discovered a bit of an attachment to the huge, volcanic backdrop to the port town of Hobart. We have a beautiful view from our place at Kingston and, as many people would experience in their mountain home towns, Mt Wellington seems to have a different mood, clad in different robes and painted by different artists every day.

Here are a couple of different snaps from my house, and from other observation points (including Hobart's Eastern Shore with Camera+ at night, and the cracker from the "organ pipes" on the side of the mountain itself, courtesy of my work colleagues who climbed it the other day).

Paul Keating: Does Anyone Cast A Longer Shadow over National Public Affairs?

2011-03-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

Does anyone cast as long a shadow over national public affairs as Paul Keating?

I think the answer is: No. Certainly no former politician, at the very least.

Nobody has greater political and commentariat star-power; nobody has the ability to make such a wide range of people stop what they're doing, look up and take notice; nobody gets the chattering classes chattering at such speeds and volume; and nobody, it appears, commands such adulation from some journalists for his colourfully descriptive turn of phrase as the former Prime Minister, Treasurer and Member for Blaxland, Paul Keating.

And this incredible resonance in the public discourse, decades after leaving the national stage, was there for all to see in the social media world yesterday.

The build-up of expectations on Twitter, prior to Keating's appearance on ABC's 730 show last night, was something to behold.

Regular correspondents tweeted breathlessly about the upcoming interview, Keathing's continued love of fashion, blithe references to clocks and Mahler, some with hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute countdowns, some even using a postscript hashtag of #squeeeee (!) to underline their excitement. It was an extraordinary cacophony of utterances from a bazaar of sycophants and acolytes; followed blow-for-blow by some equally colourful Keating-dislikers and tweeters with a keen sense of history and an unmuddled rear-vison mirror.

In fact, it pretty much cut short and part-buried another big story around at the time: Ricky Ponting's resignation as Australia's Test and one-day cricket captain.

And then there was the flurry of faithfully-transcribed tweets of the interview itself.

When the much-attended-on Devastating Keating One-Liners finally arrived - "those dead men and women hanging around your neck" the "sicko populism" "jumping on and off buses and trains as transport minister doesn't give you the authority to lead the party" "it'll be like lead weight in the saddle bag, that's all" etc etc - these were recycled all through the night and dominated today's headlines.

Usually there is something of an arm's length relationship with these sorts of figures. In terms of ex-Prime Ministers: it's all a bit still too raw for the public with Howard; Fraser has an odd public persona these days; Hawke is almost a caricature of his former self.

But not PJK.

The love affair with the Australian political class endures, even after all these years. And channels like Twitter continue to give it a monster run.

Autumn in Hobart

2011-03-22T23:38:00.000-07:00

We've had a little bit of windy, rainy weather over the last couple of days in Hobart and it's forecsat to get uglier over the rest of the week.

I managed to snap some autumn colours at my Mum and Dad's place the other day. The fiery reds and oranges in the leaves on the lawn took my breath away.

7 Levels of social media engagement (Laurel Papworth)

2011-03-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Marcus Evans Social Media conference #MESM11 in Sydney.
One of the presenters at #MESM11 was Laurel Papworth, regular tweeters would know her as #SilkCharm - Laurel has been teaching social media for the last five years and was a very engaging presenter.

One of her recent blog posts about corporate social media engagement looks at the various approaches from corporates to the use of social media in the business - all the way from ignoring it completely to deep collaborative models.

The blog post has a fascinating series of comments and analysis (more than 170 posts when I looked - lots of retweets but some great comments as well) from a broad range of people involved in this space. Talk about user-generated content!

It's a great discussion; a good place to start if you're looking for some "traditional theory" about social media from a corporate perspective, as well as a highly engaged conversation about Laurel's approach from bloggers, other commentators and practitioners.

(via @kristinalford and her retweet as well)

St Patrick's Day 2011: remembering Ireland

2011-03-17T05:11:00.000-07:00

In the middle of 2008, we took the trip of our lifetimes (so far) and went to the UK, Paris; and Singapore on the way home.

After ten days in England, driving the most magnificent car I had driven to that point (a hire/drive Audi A4 turbo diesel), we flew from Teeside to Shannon, in the Republic of Ireland (Eire).

We spent the next five days driving around Ireland (in a diesel Mondeo this time, also nice). It was hard not to feel like we were in Tassie at times; there were many similarities in the surroundings.

Ireland is renowned for its rainy-ness; everywhere we went, when in conversation about our Irish leg, people would invariably say things like: "ohhh, I bet the weather wasn't that good." etc.
And it wasn't, for at least a couple of the days when we had left Dublin's fair city and were out in the country, touring the legendary beauty of those fair hills and vales.
It rained a lot on one or two of those days. It was quite fine and mild on others. Very Tasmanian, in fact.

Notwithstanding the precipitation, I managed to capture some of that beauty and, on St Patrick's Day this year, am posting a few shots bringing back some lovely memories of a wonderful countryside.

Dublin: Georgian terrace doors

Dublin: River Liffey and Ha'penny Bridge

Dublin: Molly Malone "Singin' cockles and mussels - alive, alive-oh!"

Dublin: Georgian terraces

Wrought-iron gates, rain clearing: County Enniss

Black-faced sheep everywhere: roadside, Kerry mountains

Seaside cottage: Ring of Kerry

Coastline: Ring of Kerry

Reflections in a tarn: Ring of Kerry

The view from the steps of Muckross House, Killarney National Park

Muckross House, Killarney National Park

Mossy oak tree, Killarney

Maze Gardens at Muckross House

Stone bridge over a fine fly-fishing river, County Clare (couldn't help but see the bridge at Richmond or Ross, Tasmania...)

Loch Leane - Ring of Kerry

Cows grazing by the side of the road in the Kerry mountains

The awesome natural beauty of the Cliffs of Moher

Castle ruins by the cliffs' edge at Moher

Telegraph pole, King Street Newtown

2011-03-09T02:50:00.000-08:00

I was over in Sydney for the Marcus Evans Social Media conference #mesm11 and had a lovely meal out in Newtown at Thai Pothong with some colleagues.
King Street is such a busy little arterial through-way, with fascinating old and new world artefacts.

Marcus Evans Social media marketing conference, Sydney

2011-02-28T20:15:00.000-08:00

I've had a really informative and engaging couple of days at the Marcus Evans Social media marketing conference at the Sydney Harbour Marriot.

Follow it on Twitter #mesm11

Looking forward to having a crack at getting inside iGoogle and the "social media dashboard" and "social media press release" concepts, as outlined by one of the key presenters Laurel Papworth laurelpapworth.com @SilkCharm

The presentation by the Canon team on World of EOS and PhotoChains was vibrant.

Some of the really interesting questions from the conference:

Do you know who the top ten bloggers are in your area of interest or industry etc?
What do we understand as product-centric, consumer-oriented, and values-driven web activity?
What digital places or proerties do you own and have control over ?
Can we measure the value of a "fan" or a "brand advocate" or a "customer life cycle"?

Some great stuff - always good to think well outside the square and peer, bravely, into the future.

Thanks to Gavin Heaton @servantofchaos who did a really good job as MC for the conference

PS
This is a fabulous short macchiato I had at Thai Pothong, Newtown, Sydney

Official Opening of RACT House

2010-11-10T00:49:00.000-08:00

Well, I survived: that is the main thing!

The last forty-eight hours has been a fairly hectic period of time getting every little piece of the jigsaw ready for today's official opening of the RACT's new headquarters in Hobart (where I work).

It was a bit stress-filled here and there; but in the end, everything seemed to go pretty well and around two hundred guests had a good time.

I've attached a couple of photos of the new building for your viewing pleasure.

His Excellency the Governor of Tasmania the Honourable Peter Underwood made a lively and engaging official opening speech

The terrifc open spaces of the interior stairs were filled with the gorgeous sounds of a delightful string trio from the Conservatorium of Music.

The team from our cafe - Hybrid Rooftop - did a fabulous food and beverage service too. It really was a spectacular event.

I spent the two hours or so of the official reception afterwards doing a vox pop video record of the event - interviewed about forty or so attendees. Can't wait to see the raw footage of that (the bloopers in particular).

As I blog I'm just chilling out to some grooving beat from NZ acid dance meisters Shapeshifter, their "Live" sets recorded in Christchurch. absolutely brilliant. The opening number is a standout - "Good Looking" - and I also really like "Bring Change".

Decadent relaxation.

John Temple photograph: outside RACT Board Room

The fabulous internal stairs: beautiful design - space, and natural light.

John Temple photograph - Bay of Fires - in the Group Support offices

John Temple photograph - in the Group Support offices

RACT Board Room table - designed by Simon Ancher, UTAS School of Furniture Design at Inveresk - Tasmanian blackwood; two trees only, selected by Mark Bishop of Stanley, Tasmania

The ground floor attraction - Tom Samek's master mural "RACT since 1923" - the biggest mural Samek has painted anywhere in Tasmania took around three months's work.

The original Harley-Davidson road service motorcycle, from 1927: on display in RACT House foyer.

The new retail centre, RACT House ground floor. The building was designed by local architects Heffernan Button Voss.

my new Canon Ixus does wonderful scene shots...

2010-11-09T00:28:00.000-08:00

this is the Derwent River at Granton, north of Hobart, home region of the delicious Stefano Lubiana wines. Taken from the causeway that houses the Bridgewater Bridge and that traverses the river, and I am facing back down the river towards Austins Ferry and further down to Berriedale (where the amazing Museum of Old and New Art - MONA - is being finished off).

Lovely little camera the Canon IXUS 210 - and it was a beautiful day today, too

District 9 ....wow

2010-05-30T20:06:00.001-07:00

if you haven't seen it yet, get hold of a copy of District 9 and prepare for one of the more interesting movies you will see in a while.

Have a look at the movie's extraordinary original promo website here, too (it's been around for a while, the movie: released in 2009)

Great little game here too

I watched it on the plane on my iPhone recently - so the big-screen effects were completely lost - and yet even so, I found it compulsive viewing.

Perhaps it was those South African accents. I don't know, it just kept me hooked. A good reworking of aliens-come-to-earth and aliens vs humans; so many different intertexts all through the movie, made it all very interesting. Towards the end it became a bit laboured, but that was after two hours at least of being under its spell.

Thanks Iain!

Nic Naitanui up close

2010-05-18T17:41:00.000-07:00

We were at the West Coast v Melbourne game at the G on the weekend. My friend (an MCC member) suggested that we sit right down the near the fence next to the players' interchange bench as it was a good view.
he was spot on - what a fantastic vantage point. We sat right next to the West Coast bench; "Doc" Larkins was in a media seat in front of us, with a microphone in his pocket and headphones on, and was doing live commentary on injuries etc (I'm guessing for MMM radio or similar). His comments were interesting.
I could see and hear much of what was going on around the rotations, some bench coaching and the like. As well as some up close views of players.
Much of the pre-game hype in The Age and the Herald-Sun surrounded Nic Naitanui for the Eagles (pictured) and Jack Watts for the Demons.
As a contest, the game really never left first or second gear.
With respect to these two players (#1 picks in the '08 draft respectively) spectators only caught glimpses of their talents.
Watts took a couple of strong contested marks, and was a lot safer on his chest than some of his older colleagues - but that was about it. He really didn't have much influence on the game at all, and seemed a little bit "at sea" at times.
Naitanui took one blinding mark and a couple of other near-misses - and got really high up over J-Ma and Johnson in the rucks to win some good taps - but really didn't do much else either. He was off the ground a lot (and on teh bench next to us) and seemed to be stretching his legs a fair bit throughout. Also, when he did get the ball, he seemed like he really didn't want to kick it at all, handballing it off virtually every time.
The sting went out of the game after Melbourne lost some competitiveness through injuries to Matthew Bate and Aaron Davey. Despite coming back on these two lost their previous impact.
One observation: Eagles ruckman Dean Cox is absolutely massive, and looks in pretty good nick. he gets around the ground in an amazing fashion, and really is a true "follower". It's bad news for other clubs if Cox is getting back to his best form - he really is the complete tall ruckman/follower at his best.
For the Eagles, Mark LeCras has an uncanny ability to put himself in the best position to take marks and kick goals (although he was wayward this day). Priddis wins some really tough ball and Kennedy will just get better and better as a forward-line focal point, although he was pretty sore after some fierec competition in this game. The Eagles seemed to be favoured a little by umpiring decisions, some of them vital turnovers that punished Melbourne.
For Melbourne, it would have been much worse if Jared Rivers hadn't turned back many attacks. he was brilliant and he reminded me of Dustin Fletcher in that regard, winning so many vital 50-50s against Eagles forwards. The Dees lacked a strong marking option inside the forward 50 and simply struggled desperately to get it inside 50 - fullstop. Jones was tough in contests and tried hard but sprayed a few. melbourne's indigenous players showed considerable leg speed and talent here and there as well - very exciting patches once or twice. Davey was brilliant early but faded after getting smacked in the face. I was disappointed that Colin Silvia didn't do more. Green was OK as well.

All in all, it was great fun to go to the footy at the MCG (despite the game petering out a bit!). Most of all, it was fabulous news the next day to hear the Bombers (on the radio back home) get up to beat the Saints in a tough encounter. Go theBombers!

Is this a chequerboard shark?

2010-04-28T03:00:00.000-07:00

This is a mean little beastie that my mate's daughter caught off Middleton out in the middle of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel...
wonder what species it is.

Not the most attractive little critter.
We got some lovely flatties as well.

Anzac Day footy and Kilmainham Gaol

2010-04-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

I had to write some lines for our corporate website about this weekend's AFL/TSL footy tipping - so I thought I'd post it here as well:

This photo is one Collingwood fans would probably feel at home with (all those vertical stripes...!) …nahhh, actually it is me, in the forecourt of the old Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin, Ireland.

Built as a “new gaol” in 1796, Kilmainham was decommissioned in the 1920s and is a now a museum of Irish nationalism, which my wife and I visited whilst on our first ever overseas trip to UK/Ireland in mid-2008. Over its 128 years as a prison, Kilmainham's cells held many of the most famous people involved in the campaign for Irish independence. The British imprisoned and executed the leaders of the infamous 1916 Easter Rising there.

As nationalist political ideology was one of my major studies in my political science degree at the University of Tasmania, I found the visit to Kilmainham particularly captivating. This eerie building also reminded me at times of the ruins at Port Arthur. It's more than likely a number of Kilmainham's tenants ended up doing time on the Peninsula, too: two scenes of incarceration, separated by thousands of miles of oceans but tragically linked by their inhumanity.

But - back to the FOOTY!

I’m a proud and passionate Essendon Bombers fan, and I'm going to tell you a bit about that.

I have been ever since I saw Paul van der Haar (a talented centre-half-forward renowned for getting up high to take big pack marks) who visited my high school when I was in Grade 7, in 1980. Prior to that I had 'kind of' supported North Melbourne, but without much of a reason other than they had the same colours as my favourite local team, Sandy Bay, and my Grandma’s team from Perth, East Fremantle.
.
Not long after the Flying Dutchman's fateful visit, my teacher in Grade 7 - also a tragic Essendon fan - gave me a big fold-out football magazine poster of one of the most influential ruckmen/forwards of the modern era, All-Australian Bomber champion Simon Madden. That was the kicker. My fate was sealed. The red and black passion has been with me ever since.

I have been blessed (along with other Bomber fans who joined in the 80s) to see some pretty good footy, along with some very ordinary seasons thrown in. For the vast bulk of that time, the Essendon Football Club was synonymous with the tough, uncompromising, flawed at times yet constantly innovative and always entertaining genius of the Supercoach himself (with the very Irish name), Kevin Sheedy.

Unlike some clubs that I won't name (and if I did I reckon my colleague would kilda me, or would throw pies at me) Bombers fans were spoilt with some great teams, a few amazing individuals, and a reasonable measure of success throughout Sheedy's Golden Age - but it has thinned out in the last ten years.

Under Sheeds, the Bombers achieved a number of night premierships, a couple of Brownlow Medallists and of course four Premierships in 1984, 1985, 1993 and 2000.

In amongst these winning years, we have witnessed one of the game's greatest ever: the sublimely-skilled James Hird, a dead-set AFL legend. A Brownlow Medallist in 1996, Hird's sensational matchwinning career was curtailed by numerous serious injuries leading to him missing whole slabs of seasons.

In addition, a number of Bomber champions emerged: Madden the calm leader, the heroic dashing Tim Watson, goal-kicking machine Matthew Lloyd, tough-as-nails Terry Daniher, hard-nut Mark "Bomber" Thompson and the sheer brilliance of Michael Long and Gavin Wanganeen.

The bleakness of recent years has been punctuated by some questionable draft picks and downright hopeless trades leading to longer-than-expected 'rebuilding' phase. Tragically, these have unfortunately overlapped with strings of serious injuries to some senior players and retirements of irreplaceable champions.

However, there is some serious young talent at the Club in 2010, with the likes of Tayte Pears, Michael Hurley, Kyle Reimers, Jake Melksham, David Zaharakis, Travis Colyer, Jake Carlisle and the wonderfully-named Taite Silverlock. The quality of these sort of youngsters bodes well for the finals future of the Club.

The traditional Anzac Day clash between Collingwood and Essendon has producd some fabulous contests over the years. Possibly the best of recent times was last year's match, which I attended with my wife together with our Collingwood-supporting friends.The tragedy of Essendon ruck David Hille rupturing his ACL in the opening minutes was overtaken by the outstanding efforts of the brilliant Paddy Ryder (a Sheedy protege) rucking in Hille's place, and the heartstopping finish with Zaharakis's matchwinning goal in the last seconds of the game. Worth every cent that we paid for the tickets.

I'm hopping for a similarly entertaining contest for Sunday's big clash; only I will be shouting loudly at my in-laws' TV screen I suspect. Go you MIGHTY BOMBERS !

Round Previews

AFL Round 5 - ANZAC Day fixtures:

My tips are below

In this Anzac Day round, the first match could be a bit of a blow-out. Adelaide are in poor form, and have to travel to Etihad Stadium to meet a Western Bulldogs team that are starting to put it together. Great to see Barry Hall in blistering, don't-argue form, I love watching him give it to weak, part-committed defenders. Not sure which Crow's going to stop Big Baz.

Sydney should stop West Coast's celebrations from last week's win over my Bombers with a home ground win at the SCG. The promise shown by Lewis Jetta is exciting, and with some good service Bradshaw could kick a big bag.

I think Brisbane's multiple avenues to goal will test Melbourne's back six resilience, with Tassie lad Justin Sherman in good form and the absolute X-factor of an in-form Jared Brennan a real worry for Melbourne. I am backing the Lions to get over the improving Demons.

The loss of Chad Cornes with an awful broken nose will curtail Port's rebound ability from half-back, which St Kilda's stoppage experts like Hayes and Dal Santo will exploit. The ripping form of underrated 2002 #1 draft pick Brendon Goddard (I don't care about his antics - I have always liked his skills and hard-at-it style) together with Milne finding his radar will be hard for Port to deal with. The loss of Riewoldt is a big psychological blow, but it appears the Saints have got the cattle to cover it.

In the main game between Collingwood and Essendon, I am tipping the Bombers for no other reason than the fact that they will have more speed around the ground than the Pies who have looked a bit slow at times in recent weeks. Booth teams are suffering from the lack of a consistent goal-kicking forward line. The Bombers will be hoping that Angus Monfries, Brent Stanton and Mark McVeigh make it back into a fairly inexperienced Essendon line-up.I expect the Collingwood defence to perform well, but they may have a problem matching up on ex-Hawk Mark Williams, who will need to kick some goals if the Bombers are to win. I would like to see Knights mix it up a bit again, as he did (too late) against the West Coast when he moved Cale Hooker into the forward line and Gumbleton took some ruck contests: both looked reasonable moves.

The Tassie Hawks have a got a strong record at Aurora Stadium, and I feel have something to prove to their loyal Tasmanian fans after some fairly pedestrian efforts in recent weeks. The form of Jarrod Roughead, in particular, should be a real worry for the Hawks. It may be worth running him a bit more in the ruck, to help him get his hands on the ball early. The brave and highly-talented Brad Sewell (one of my favourite hard-at-it footballers) is set to return after rehab from an injury sustained in that infamous clash with the then Bombers' spearhead (and now commentator) Matthew Lloyd. I think Hawthorn - just.

Fremantle will beat the bitterly disappointing Richmond; leaving Carlton playing Geelong at the MCG, a match-up that will prove to be difficult for the reigning Premiers to overcome - but they should do so. The very underrated James Kelly and Corey Enright have given the Cats some additional drive across the centre and halfback lines in recent games, doing a lot of the heavy lifting so that the glamour finishers like G Ablett, and the downright receivers like Steve Johnson, can cream off the results.

All in all, a great Anzac Day round of football.

Western Bulldogs
Sydney Swans
Brisbane Lions
St Kilda
Essendon
Hawthorn
Fremantle
Geelong

TSL

A number of good contests shaping up in the TSL this weekend – in fact, I think it’s fair to say the competition is still pretty even across most of the clubs, perhaps more so than in the AFL where some teams have clearly dropped off the pace quite early, and last year’s finalists are already again at the top of the ladder. It was pleasing to see the Lauderdale Bombers put a good win on the board over the weekend, so I’m tipping they will take that winning form into a tough home game against Hobart. Quite incredible to see local shops on South Arm Highway on Sunday with “WE WON!” signs in the window. There’s a firm wad of community support around the shores of Ralph’s Bay for the Lauderdale boys – that can sometimes be the X-factor.

In a local derby at Youngtown, I expect another tough encounter, with maybe North Launceston just over South – but could go either way. I’m tipping my mate Richard Colbeck’s old team Devonport to bounce back from their loss to the Demons and get over a well-performing Launceston at Windsor Park. Burnie at West Park can be a bit like Geelong at Kardinia Park: I reckon they’ll upset Glenorchy’s Anzac weekend. Clarence are up against an undefeated North Hobart in the game of the round. The Roos have full-forward Brett Geappen in some rare goalkicking form, and tough operators in defence like Gregg Sharman. I’m tipping Clarence in a physical clash.

Lauderdale
North Launceston
Devonport
Burnie
Clarence

Tasmanian State election 2010: the fight for Denison

2010-03-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

That “pokie losses counter” on top of Andrew Wilkie’s campaign vehicle should have somehow been linked to Bruce Taylor’s computer room tonight – that way, it might have ensured that Wilkie’s total vote kept ticking over, when he needed it most.

Wilkie nearly pulled off the heist of the century – coin by coin. Footballers talk about doing “the one percenters”. This described Wilkie’s tilt at the fifth seat in Denison, literally. With nobody else in his column to get slabs of votes from, he just kept finding a little bit from everyone else. Almost the same principle that the pokies run with…just keep some from every player, and you’re bound to win at the end of the day.

His vote total resembled an ant-hill, a little something added to the pile with each scrutiny.

Of the early exclusions, Wilkie kicked off with a blast, picking up 33% (99 votes) of the Socialist Alliance total, but then only little crumbs followed from the early Labor, Liberal and Green casualties:

Percentage to Wilkie of
excluded candidate’s total
3% of Ogilvie
1.5% of Sturges (whose cut-up elected Bartlett 2)
2% of Branch
2.5% of Stevenson (whose cut-up elected Groom 3)
2% of Franks
2.5% of Cover (whose cut-up elected O’Connor 1)
2.2% of Ann

In addition Wilkie received only 2% of Groom’s quota surplus, only 1% of O’Connor’ surplus (3 votes) and one solitary vote from Bartlett’s surplus distribution.

To this point, the leakage (to parties other than their own) from each candidate excluded was nothing unexpected (except for the Socialists) with the excluded Libs leaking around 10-11%, the Greens the same and the ALP slightly higher at around 12%.

As the votes became more concentrated in a lesser number of candidates, the cut-ups started to spray and the exhausting votes began building up.

So too, did Wilkie’s slice of the distributions – and he was coming home with a wet sail…

Lowrie leaked 17.5%: 3.5% to the Greens, 5.5% to Wilkie, 7.5% to Labor and 1% to exhaust
Singh leaked a massive 28%: 6% to Archer, 8% to Wilkie, 10% to Burnett and 4% (157 important votes) exhausting – with 3400 votes still going to Bacon, electing him 4 in the process.

Bacon’s surplus – whose big personal vote had saved Labor’s own “bacon” in Denison – would now part-decide the last seat.

Crucially, almost exactly 50% of this surplus (489 votes) exhausted, demonstrating the strong prevalence of the “1-5 only” voting pattern amongst Labor voters in Denison.

Of the rest of the Bacon surplus, Archer snagged 18% with a significant 16.5% to Wilkie and 15.5% to Burnet. This left Burnet 390 votes in arrears of Wilkie (with Archer leading Wilkie by around 1650 votes). And so the last Green candidate’s 6032 votes were cut up.

So there Andrew Wilkie was – challenging the last woman Liberal standing in Elise Archer for the fifth seat in Denison - and an unprecedented win.

Burnet’s votes fell: Wilkie 44% (2619) Archer 21% (1293) and 35% (2119 votes) going to exhaust; suggesting a moderate rate of 1-5 voting amongst Green voters, as well.

Archer was declared elected in front of Wilkie, leading by 315 votes.

It was not to be for the anti-pokies crusader. At least not here, in Denison, in the Assembly.

There’s always Elwick…and potentially another long list of candidates to work over – some of them more than likely sharing the ballot paper for the second time in a year with the persistent – and undeniably popular - Andrew Wilkie.

travel bugging me

2009-10-26T20:05:00.001-07:00

nearly eighteen months since we travelled overseas for the most amazing trip of my lifetime....geez. I can't help but think we won't be travelling again for a while, so it gets quite difficult seeing some of the good deals that are around at the moment.

Seeing a couple of my friends' blogs (and their recent travels) has inspired me to post a few more images from our European trip last year. I really loved Killarney, and Ireland, in general. I regret a little (a lot) that we didn't get to Scotland: NEXT TIME !!

This sensational river in County Clare had me desperately wishing I had a fishing rod in the back of the hire car. The lovely old mossy bridge shape immediately took my thoughts home to the town of Richmond and its famous convict-designed and built heritage bridge over the Coal River...

The mossy old tree trunk in the Killarney National Park gardens

This is the River Liffey flowing through the centre of old Dublin town, with the "Ha'Penny Bridge" in the foreground The greenish coloured penthouse to the left is owned by members of U2. They hang out there when home . .

The doors of Dublin - just sensational.

Extraordinary curved building designs in Bath, England.

David Gray & just how good are Radiohead - really?

2009-10-26T02:24:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is ten years since David Gray put out White Ladder - what a beautiful disc it is. Love listening in particular to "My Oh My" "Nightblindness" and "Silver Lining", along with the popular cut "Babylon". Tempered, subtle chords with gorgeous changes that sit somewhere between the evening light and your soul. I continue to be amazed at how his Dylanesque vocals get right inside me, each and every time I come back to the tracks. Love it - great stuff.

But on the subject of the post: Radiohead. Just how good are they? It's not hard to find writers saying they are the modern equivalent of The Beatles or The Who for sheer power of influence in the work of those that followed. I have to say I find In Rainbows compellingly weird and sooo turgid in parts - but very difficult to stop listening to. I reckon I must have discovered Radiohead about ten years later than all my colleagues.

Glad that I have...

RACT Insurance Portraiture Prize winner

2009-09-03T23:09:00.000-07:00

"Fin" by Nathan Grey of Lindisfarne, Tasmania has won this year's RACT Insurance Youth Portraiture art prize.

It's a cracker of a painting.

An exhibition of the 33 finalists - all Tasmanian and under 30 years of age - will commence at Devonport Regional Arts Gallery Sept 5-20 and move to the Academy Gallery at the Inveresk campus of UTas in Launceston Sept 25-Oct 12, then onto the Sidespace Gallery Oct 17-31 in Hobart.

check it out - it was a really good exhibition last year.

extraordinary Tasmanian East Coast

2009-07-06T20:55:00.000-07:00

This is the extraordinary East Coast of Tasmania (from Binalong Bay, near St Helens).

The orange-coloured lichen on the rocks on this part of the East Coast is a familiar regional visual locator for those who have visited the area.

Our family and friends love it.

wrought iron

2009-05-18T02:16:00.000-07:00

This is some wrought-iron gates on a driveway next to the Barefield Inn near Ennis in Ireland, with the light playing some tricks. It rained a lot in Ireland in June last year - the rain had just stopped before I took this snap...it was absolutely pouring on the day when we tried to vist the famed Dingle Peninsula and drove through "...the Cork and Kerry mountains" - however we didn't mee t with "Cap'n Farrell, an' the money he was countin'..." etc etc. Whisky in The Jar. As I understand it, Metallica covered the old number (?)

Ah, wonderful Irish stuff sung by Patsy Watchorn/Dubliners - and a ripper version by Thin Lizzy is around. Just brilliant.

terraces in Dublin

2009-05-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

The Georgian terraces in Dublin were, quite simply, extraordinary in their simple beauty.

It was a wonderful city, but a bit on the dirty side, and the people on the rude&arrogant side, as well.

But the Liffey, the wonderful river. Made me want to sing ballads - on the spot.

Paris tunnel

2009-05-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

I have been reading Federal Budget papers, portfolio budget statements and a variety of analyses all night, trying to get a good picture of the appropriation bills and what they mean for all of us...

Urgh. It's done my head in.

My brain feels a bit like this shot from last year's trip to Paris; slightly jumbled-up...perhaps an artistic recreation of the kind of frantic imagery rushing past Henri Paul's eyes as he drove that infamous black Merc way over the limit(s).

1970 in Tasmania

2009-05-10T23:03:00.000-07:00

I have just been doing some research into a "snapshot" of the RACT in 1970 - the year the Club moved into the former Dunlop Australia Ltd HQ building on the corner of Murray St and Patrick St (it was 27 February 1970, in fact).

This building has, of course, been recently demolished to make way for a new four storey building that will be completed towards the end of 2010 and will house the RACT's HQ and most of its Hobart operations.

Anyway, I just thought I would post some of this "snapshot of 1970" stuff as I found it relatively amusing here and there:

40 years ago ....

In 1970, RACT Full Club membership was $14.00 with Service Only membership $8.15 for new members.
RACT “Emergency Road Service” patrols were using “mobile radio” in the “Hobart and Launceston Metropolitan areas” only in 1970, with all other areas linked to the service base by telephone only.
The Southern Outlet road linking Hobart and Kingston was opened towards the end of 1969.
A decision to implement a “Demerit Points” system was made in 1970 - having been advocated by the RACT in 1967.
Reflective number plates were introduced with all registrations from April 1970 onwards.
Population of Australia: 12.26 million
Prime Minister of Australia: John Gorton
Premier of Tasmania: Angus Bethune
Pope Paul VI, and Queen Elizabeth together with other members of the Royal Family visited Australia in 1970
Buccaneer took out line honours in the Sydney-Hobart race
Baghdad Note won the Melbourne Cup
Australia was on top in the global tennis world – Margaret Court became only the second woman to win the Grand Slam of tennis and John Newcombe won both the singles and doubles Wimbledon titles.
A big year for airports in Australia – a new International terminal opened in Sydney and Melbourne (Tullamarine) Airport was officially opened.
Germaine Greer published her bestseller The Female Eunuch
Big year for comedians too, with popular contemporary funny guys Adam Hills and Dave Hughes born in 1970.
At North Hobart Oval when Tasmania took on Western Australia. West Australian captain and legend Graham 'Polly' Farmer said before the game: "if we can't beat Tasmania, we might as well give the game away". Before 20,000 fans, Tasmania, thanks to a goal with 30 seconds remaining from former St Kilda Premiership player and then-Clarence coach John Bingley, made Farmer eat his words by winning in a two-point thriller
University of Tasmania enrolments were 3,002 in 1970 (just over 20,000 in 2009)
In 1970, Parliament legislated for permanent daylight savings in Tasmania.
And ... the Taroona Marine research laboratories opened.

Vale Peter Wherrett

2009-03-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I was competely unaware that motoring identity Peter Wherrett favoured cross-dressing.

The beautifully-written obituary in the SMH had this eye-ctaching opening par:

PETER WHERRETT, one of Australia's foremost motoring journalists, lived his last few years as a woman in a small community of friends at Lake Macquarie. "This was my last great achievement," he said…

The world certainly is, as the fabulous Carole King put it, "...a wondrous woven magic in bits of blue and gold/a tapestry to feel and see, impossible to hold."

great headline writer at The Australian

2009-03-24T22:28:00.000-07:00

This has got to be one of the best headlines of 2009...

Good/Bad/Ugly

2009-03-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

Not so much famous for Clint Eastwood's performance, as for the extraordinary soundtrack by Ennio Morricone, is the spaghetti Western thriller The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

One hundred and seventy-nine minutes of it (recent extended version). Man, it went on, and on...dragged a bit here and there, but fascinating nonetheless.

I found Lee Van Cleef as Angel Eyes an utterly compelling character.

Quentin Tarantino has apparently described it as "the best-directed film of all time" - that is interesting coming from him.

Retiring Richie Benaud...

2009-03-05T21:29:00.000-08:00

Kerry O'Keefe is an amusing bugger. I went to a breakfast at the Casino a while back where he was the guest speaker, and apart from mercilessly flogging whatever book he had out, he was pretty good. Odd head, up close.

He recently wrote a column about Richie Benaud with some revealing insights into the doyen of cricket commentary (and a couple of shots back from Benaud, as well ...).

I'm not sure the Richie was ever the same after brilliant Billy Birmingham's series of 12th Man impersonations...

O'Keefe writes:

"Over the years there have been some memorable Benaud quotes. One particular favourite during a break in innings was: "Frankly, I would have thought that using the light roller on that pitch would have the same effect as a koala doing a pas de deux.''
Or the commentary with Michael Slater, which went something like this:
Slater: "The bowler thought he was through him, but the batsman has got an inside edge on it and it has just snuck past leg stump.'' Benaud: "Michael, there are a few words ending in `uck' in the English language, but I am pretty sure the bowler wasn't thinking of one starting with `sn'.''

2009-02-19T00:15:00.000-08:00

It was a particularly beautiful morning earlier this week when I joined a bunch of people on the Cartela.

We chugged out of Brooke St Pier, on our way out to greet the huge Queen Victoria cruise liner on its way up the Derwent to rest alongside in Hobart port for the day.

I quickly snapped this overflowing golden sunrise, spilling out from behind the Howrah beaches ...goregous.

The Cunard Line ship was even more massive up close, than I had expected it to be. Incredible.

The wild Cornish coastline

2009-02-15T23:40:00.000-08:00

...and while I'm at it, here is the view out to the other side from half-way up the steep track that leads to ruins of the (very old) pre-Viking settlements, and the (later) Tintagel ruin that features in my previous shot.

It was a magical day, weather-wise...quite a climb up a very well-worn track.

The huge swell that wrecked itself on these rocks would have fairly successfully eliminated any threat from the sea to the Cornish earls who called Tintagel home.

As a major King Arthur fan in my youth, this particular visit had all sorts of bells ringing.

The Eye of Tintagel

2009-02-15T23:26:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it's almost a year since my wife and I went to the UK and Paris for the most amazing trip...the kind one could almost describe as the "trip of a lifetime". I was just looking through some shots from our days and nights around the south-west of England and came across this rather special shot of the Cornish coastline...taken through the window of the ruins of Tintagel Castle. It really was, for me, an extraordinary visit, and rated up there with walking around Stonehenge, the raw and wild beauty of the far-famed Ring of Kerry, the pulsating live show at the Moulin Rouge, the peaceful ruins of Fountains Abbey, and the sheer beauty of the English countryside in Dorset and beyond.

Ahhhh...perhaps we'll go back some day, perhaps...

Gran Torino: a grand film indeed

2009-02-09T23:11:00.000-08:00

I'm sure many people thought that Clint Eastwood wouldn't be able to top Unforgiven.

I, for one, think he has done so with Gran Torino. What a terrific movie.

It's been a while since I've had a chance to actually watch a film in the cinema; so I took the opportunity to go with my wife and another couple last night.

The young dickheads texting, rattling, chattering, giggling and just outright talking in full voice in the seats right across from me reminded me of some of the reasons why I didn't regularly go to the movies (along with the advertising at the beginning - which seemed to go on for ages!!)

Now, I admit I am a Clint Eastwood fan; but even bias aside, this is a complex piece of work which leaves viewers with a full mix of emotions at the end of the show - and for all the right reasons.

And what a sensational car.

Living End gong

2009-02-09T22:58:00.000-08:00

I've got a problem with the term "rockabilly punks" for The Living End - don't get me wrong, I love 'em - just think this sort of terminology unnecessarily pigeonholes the dudes...

Rock act humbled by ARIA

"DESPITE picking up countless awards and accolades in recent years, Melbourne rockabilly punks The Living End were extra thrilled to win the Best Rock Album ARIA Award for their latest record White Noise.
``I think it probably means more now, this many years down the track as a band, than it did when we first started,'' double-bassist Scott Owen said.
``Everyone knows who we are and has an idea what to expect from us now, so to still be able to excite people and for them to put us into a position to win an ARIA feels extremely flattering.
``It feels like we had to work harder now for it than we did when we were just starting out and were a new thing in people's eyes.''

Murderous Hamster...

2009-02-05T21:54:00.000-08:00

Fantastic.
Like something directly out of Monty Python...

A blunder in a television report has seen a hamster labelled as a murder suspect.

The TV news reported:

"...The possible suspect Rodney Stanger seen here ... well this is not Rodney Stanger obviously," the newsreader said.
"Well we're going to get his picture. He's currently in a Florida jail accused of murdering his girlfriend."
Mr Stanger is awaiting trial in the slaying of his longtime girlfriend Chrystal A. Morrison, 50, last year, the Worcester Telegram reports.

Engrish alive and well on the internets

2009-02-03T17:02:00.000-08:00

In these uncertain economic times, any export income opportunities would appear even more valuable. Perhaps an opportunity is going begging:

I'm not quite sure who runs LiveLeak news, but it would appear that they are in dire need of something more than a Google translator when putting English-language versions of Chinese news stories on their site.

The yarn Man In Pain After Humping Steel Park Bench gives the reader a rough outline of what is going on (perhaps that's what the video accompanying is all about) but it's hard (fnaar fnaar) not to laugh out loud at the tremedous syntactical constructions such as:

"The bench, features “numerous small holes”. In Xing went. But out he did not emerge."

Wonderful stuff.

And what is it with "park benches" ?? This site loves 'em.

Red tailed hawk resqued after its leg got stuck in a park bench

Waugh weighs in: surprise, surprise, NSW gets his nod

2009-02-03T15:54:00.000-08:00

Steve Waugh is probably right in his comments about Philip Hughes and Andrew Symonds - but it's clear Ye Olde New South Wales selection bias is alive and well.
Let's just hope Hilfenhaus gets a guernsey, so we can see what he can really do.

Waught says that Hughes should get the nod:

“Hughes is ready to go. You just get a sense when a player is right to play for Australia. He scored runs when he needed to under pressure last week at Newcastle. He’s a very focused individual.”

If Jaques misses out, he will do so after scoring a century in his last Test innings. Bit stiff I reckon.

wasn't it Brad Hodge who notched a huge score (200 I think?) - and against South Africa in Perth, ironically - but couldn't keep his Test spot.

Strange days indeed.

Budgie smuggler busted

2009-02-02T18:00:00.000-08:00

Man 'smuggled live pigeons in pants'.

Check out the photos!! hilarious.

Live birds down his pants, eggs, seeds, eggplant (any co-incidence you may ask?) ...what was this dude thinking ?

The Australian reports that: "A Customs spokeswoman said it was not known what the pigeons were intended to be used for, adding the man was expected to be charged on summons with wildlife smuggling offences. "

Fantastic.

'...an ugly old bastard like me'

2009-02-02T16:12:00.000-08:00

These are the words that Tom Keneally used to describe himself as he sat for Paul Ryan's entry in this year's Archibald Prize for portraiture.

"Named after J.F.Archibald, co-founder of The Bulletin magazine, it is Australia's oldest and best-known prize for portraiture.
The paintings are supposed to depict a person distinguished in the arts, science, letters or politics. "

Portrait of the artist as man-mountain Jared Owens, The Australian

"The NSW-based artist has depicted Keneally in the form of a mountain in his bid to win Australia's most famous art prize.
"He basically said: 'I don't know why you'd want to paint an ugly old bastard like me', and I said it's because you've got all that character that I want to paint," Ryan said.

Well...it is you have said it, Tom, as someone famous was reputed to have said once upon a time.

Phelps and THAT bong picture

2009-02-01T16:46:00.000-08:00

Michael Phelps admits to smoking cannabis after bong picture is published

This article from The TimesOnline is sub-titled "14-times Olympic gold medal winner caught with cannabis pipe."

The Brit tabloid that broke the biggest sports drug scandal in the world for the forseeable future - News of the World - has its main header screaming What a Dope.

Did he inhale? This ripper image from the News would suggest so - and Phelps later came out and admitted that he had demonstrated "regrettable behaviour" and "bad judgement."

Towards the end of the article, however, the TimesOnline suggests that:

"...The Phelps case has a parallel in Britain where Matt Stevens, the Bath and England rugby union prop forward, faces a two-year ban for taking cocaine..."

It struck me that, as Shakespeare wrote in Much Ado About Nothing, comparisons are odorous.

Government to offer HECS discounts for people who volunteer for community work

2009-01-29T16:44:00.000-08:00

a 2020 Summit idea, apparently ...

How on earth would it work ?

Government to offer HECS discounts for people who volunteer for community work

The Australian reports: THE federal Government is planning to offer discounts on HECS debts to university students who undertake volunteer community work.While the full details of the plan are still to be worked out with volunteer groups, a spokeswoman for senator Ursula Stephens, parliamentary secretary for social inclusion and voluntary sector, said the government would soon announce a broad framework for the plan."It is something that will involve a lot of consultation," the spokeswoman said. /...continues

Seven ill from eating blowfish testicles

2009-01-28T15:12:00.000-08:00

When I first saw this headline Seven ill from eating blowfish testicles , as I did my usual early-morning media scan yesterday, I couldn't resist laghing out loud at the sheer funny sound of the story; and yet another example of some of those crazy Japanese people and the nutty stuff (fnaar) that they eat...

A number of other things occurred to me almost immediately:

It's not often we see the word testicles in print; and even rarer in a headline! The sub-editor must have been amused. The article goes on to discuss the "testes" (another rare word in the press) of the blowfish and how the "...testes, known as shirako, are praised as creamy and rich in taste." Ohh eeew, as my daughter(s) would say.

What the hell is a blowfish? (I'm assuming they could be similar to the "toadies" or "puffer fish" that hang around piers and jetties in Australian coastal/estuary waters). Their Japanese name is "fugu" - well, fugu'd if I've ever heard of them.

A brief search reveals a similarly unusual tale about a thirteen-year-old Cambodian lad who had accidently trapped a "puffer fish" in his net whilst fishing last year. Enraged, the wacky little fishie had "attacked the boy's scrotum" when freed, the Sydney Morning Herald had breathlessly reported.
Angry Puffer Fish Goes Nuts

And just while we're on fish testicles in general - has anyone particularly noticed the crown jewels on your average flathead or cocky (or even that?) salmon, as you clean your catch? I'm not sure how many thousands of the poor little beggars I have put to the sword over the years - but can't say I've seen a nutbag on any one of them.

More than likely it's all internal, I 'm guessing...however, many inquisitive childhood post-mortem examinations, searching through the entrails, Oracle-like, of scad mackerel, mullet, flatties - even flounder with their weird setup! - lying naked on the white plastic cleaning board or a pile of newspaper sheets, revealed absolutely nothing that even vaguely resembled testicles!

Perhaps it's just fugu, then, that are more obviously endowed (to their detriment, it would appear). The story goes on to say that "...Fugu, cooked in a cauldron or eaten in raw slices, is appreciated in Japan as a culinary delight, especially in the cold winter months." and "...Blowfish is even called teppou (gun) in western Japan for its famous danger."

Dangerous, indeed - and weird.

Tasmania's Clown Doctors Need Help - Now

2009-01-27T21:02:00.000-08:00

The Clown Doctors support sick children at the Royal Hobart Hospital and other regional hospital in Tasmania, and rely solely on donations and funding through the registered charity The Humour Foundation (see below).

In Tasmania, the Clown Doctors are fortunate enough to have a "Clown Car" - a 1962 Hillman Minx which as been resprayed and decorated through the U Turn Tasmania program and maintained by volunteers - however they no longer have sufficient funding to cover the running costs of the vehicle and are seeking sponsorships to enable them to retain the use of the car.

They urgently need financial help - if you can help, post.

The Humour Foundation is a national charity established in 1997 to promote the health benefits of humour. Clown Doctors is the core project, and children are the focus. Clown Doctor programs are established in all major children’s hospitals around Australia and some general hospitals and hospices. Clowns have also visited east Timor and Afghanistan. LaughterWorks provides speakers and workshop presenters on humour and health to the health and welfare sector. International research has demonstrated the health benefits of humour.

Initial noodlings

2009-01-27T17:16:00.000-08:00

I've started a new blog, inspired by my friend Krispy and his rather fulsome postings at his blog

So, this is it. I'll post more soon.