Greetings one and all.

I have been struggling to find the time to blog at the moment because I am in the process of moving house.

It is said that moving is one of the most stressful things one does in life and I can whole heartedly confirm that - It bloody sucks!!!

Anyway I’ll be offline for a few days but will be returning for sure, hopefully with a little more energy.

Cheers for now.

I have had an almost total disinterest in the current US presidential campaign. I agree with Rachy and Joe, that it has come down to a choice between a punch in the guts or a kick in the nuts.

I guess I want the republicans to win, but remain unconvinced about McCain. Obama makes my skin crawl, and the fawning adulation heaped on him by the media and celebrities just creeps me out.

Anyway, the most interesting thing that has happened so far in the campaign is McCains chosen running mate/potential Vice President. I first read about this early this morning and my immediate thought was, yeah he is a total moron. However, having had time to sleep on it and read a little more about Sarah Palin, I have began to see it as a damn good maneuver.

First, it will gain some (not all of course, but some) women who were going to vote for Hillary for no reason other than she is a woman. Second, she is young, vibrant and very conservative. Everything McCain is not. They could be a perfect compliment to each other, a yin and yang. Third, the decision seems to have caught the extremely polished Obama campaign off guard. Lets face it, despite massive and I mean M.A.S.S.I.V.E media adulation, Obama is only slightly ahead in the polls. McCains choice of Sarah Palin as running mate could just create the small ripple needed to wash Obama out.

I don’t remember if I have written this before, but I have in conversation many times decreed that voter turnout at this election will be low. If Sarah can inject a sense of excitement into the proceedings, then I believe that will increase the turnout substantially, if that happens Obama is history.

Could we be looking at the embryonic version of the U.S.A.’s first woman President?

Not that he needs defending, but it seems his post on the new AC/DC album got some knickers in a twist. So I’ll throw my two cents in here.  As somebody who has played guitar for 30 years and been in several bands playing rock, jazz, and blues and minored in music theory at the university level, I feel at least minimally qualified to weigh in on this (or at least throw in some objectivity and sanity).  Hopefully, everybody will walk away happy - but I ain’t holdin’ my breath.

Music, like any art-form, is subject to both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Qualitatively, it comes down to whether you like something, or you don’t; a visceral reaction. It’s that simple. I cringe any time somebody mentions or refers to this or that band or musician as the “best”. When somebody asks me who I think is the best, I always phrase my answer in the form of who is my “favorite,” and I can explain to that person why that is so.

Quantitatively, one can analyse the complexity of the music or the intricacy of arrangements, riffs, solos, phrasing, etc. But that is only half the picture. For example, based on those criteria, it could be argued that Joe Satriani and Ingwe Malmsteen are “better” guitarists than Angus Young. Does that mean that somebody likes the music more or that the music is “better”? No. Technically proficient though they may be, much of their music feels sterile and flat and does nothing - for me, personally. Much of it seems technical and complex for its own sake - the “wow, that’s amazing” factor - but lacks “soul” and does not move me. For me, one well timed and thought-out note from Carlos Santana’s - or Angus Young’s - guitar or Miles Davis’ horn says much more than a million notes from either of those two examples.  I can appreciate the talent, skill, and dexterity, but that’s about it.  Of course, there are musicians who combine both great technical proficiency and soul - and write great songs.  Those are the ones I like best (errr…are my favorites ).

Bottom line: We all look for different things in music, and that determines what we like.

Now, the crap my kids are into - rap (the last 3 letters, you’ll notice, in the word “crap”), hip-hop, and this caterwauling that passes for R&B these days - I don’t know. I personally think this new generation has been brainwashed and manipulated with marketing ploys based on visual imagery and has little to do with music. Blame that on MTV and the video culture. Sure, image has always been a part of pop music, but in my day, one’s exposure to image was pretty much limited to photos on album covers (for those too young to know what albums were, they’re those things we used to clean our pot on…when pot had seeds) or actually seeing bands at concerts. These days the music industry caters and panders to the lowest common denominator, being more concerned about image than music. Hence, white, middle-class, suburban, DJ Jazzy Trevor white boys walk around the mall with their pants hanging down below their butt cracks, emulating American prison culture where that look originated; and the girls walk around looking like little tramps.  Most rap “music” is sampled and computer generated, looping stolen riffs from everybody from Queen to Van Halen; of course the kids have no idea (nor do they care) when I point these things out to them.  It’s cheap to produce for talentless performers and easy to market to a tasteless audience.   It’s all part of the “Karaoke Generation”, more concerned with 15 minutes of fame and making a quick dollar than actually making music or aspiring to raise their art-form and abilities to a higher level.  But, hey, the kids like it, and I can’t tell them they don’t.

It’s just a matter of opinion, and isn’t that what this site is all about?

Am I the only one who finds Paul McCartney to be one of the most insufferable people on the planet? Now I am not much of a meat eater myself and I haven’t eaten pork in nearly a year, but come on, do self-righteousness and comprehension of satire have to be mutually exclusive? I guess when your halo and your fortune depend on it they must be.

Sir Paul McCartney has criticised Gordon Ramsay - calling the TV chef ’stupid’. Ramsay, 41, has angered the ex-Beatle, 66, with his outspoken comments against vegetarians.

The foul-mouthed chef has annoyed the music legend by saying he could not tolerate it if one of his three daughters came home with a vegetarian boyfriend.

Kitchen Nightmares star Ramsay said recently: ‘If one of my daughters’ boyfriends turns out to be vegetarian I swear to God I’d never forgive them.’

In another tirade, he said: ‘My biggest nightmare would be if the kids ever came up to me and said “Dad, I’m a vegetarian”. Then I would sit them on the fence and electrocute them.’

Sir Paul, who has not eaten meat for 30 years, told Sainsbury’s Magazine: ‘I think it’s a case of live and let live.

‘I will talk to people about the advantages of vegetarianism, and it will upset me if we’ve had a good conversation and they turn around and say something stupid.

‘I just read a quote from Gordon Ramsay… “If my daughter ever grew up and married a vegetarian, I’d never forgive her.”

‘But even that I would forgive because it’s not my affair, it’s not up to me if he talks stupid or not.’

Source: Daily Mail

Anyway, if God didn’t want people to eat animals why did he make them out of food?

No country gets everything right, least of all Iran. But once again we see that they are not all bad over there…

If we got it right over here, we wouldn’t need to send heinous bastards like Ronald Djana to THE VAULT. There again we might do it regardless, just for pleasure.

So we got this book in the mail the other day. It’s like a mini yellow pages type of thing, that lists local businesses and some coupons for discounts off and what not.

As I was browsing though it I came across this gem

Hmmm. So someone will actually charge you to come around and collect (possibly confidential) documents and shred them for you. This reeks of “con” to me. I have a 20 buck shredder too, maybe I can go around to offices and ask them for money to shred their documents?

Kudos to the people for trying, but one would have to be a total daft twit to actually pay someone to do it for you. I mean after all, you can always just rip them up…….ya know?

Cross posted on Patrick Hawke

This is one of the most despicable cases of women abuse I have ever heard. This filth belongs in the Vault…..being that we as a so called “civilized society” lack the guts to shoot the bastard.

***Warning, extreme and distressing descriptions follow***

Read the rest of this entry »

To tell you the truth, I am a little over this story of the young lady Clare Oliver who died from cancer apparently caused by her fondness for tanning in a solarium. Yes it’s tragic, a devastating loss to her family and friends, BUT people have known for years of the dangers of these things. Much like smokers crying foul because they got lung cancer.

At least smokers have the addictive properties of tobacco to use as an excuse. Solarium users have….ummm vanity.

Her sad death did bring about much needed changes to the industry, and thats a positive thing her loved ones can associate with her needless death.

For me though, standing on the outside looking in, her death will always have been caused by vanity. She died to look brown. I can think of no more pointless a death no matter how hard I try or how I try to spin it.

Other than this idiot perhaps…..

A PYTHON has killed a student zookeper at the weekend and was caught trying to swallow the man’s body when horrified coworkers arrived, Venezuela’s El Universal newspaper reports.

The university biology student had broken the park’s rules by entering the cage holding the snake, which had been donated two months ago and was not on public display, according to the zoo’s management.

Now, thats one thing no one in the universe will ever have to tell me. “Hey Paddy, don’t go in the enclosure with the 3 meter long snake in it”.

No shit.

What Type of Woman are You?

In todays Herald Sun - each gold medal won by Australia so far has cost $17,000,000 that’s right seventeen million dollars. Why does our state and federal governments take our hard earned money and use it to send a bunch of primping sport people on holiday? That money comes out of all our pockets, from pensioners to big corporations. It’s not the governments money it’s ours, yet they force the money out of us and spend it on sporting holidays for a select few. If people and sporting organisations wish to compete at these competitions why don’t they raise the funds themselves and see what people will really spend their money on if given the choice. Another dimension of the absurdity of this whole taxpayer funded junketing is the size of the team. If every other country sent the same number of athletes per size of population there would be something in the vicinity of 850,000 competitors in Beijing. At least most other countries do not waste their citizens money on holidays for athletes and officials.

How about the state and federal governments stop giving out arts and sports grants and let those who have a love of or interest in a particular sport or pastime spend their own money supporting it? I fail to see why the money I work so hard for should be forcibly taken from me and given to some so called sportsperson or artist. Let them seek their own patrons and let me spend my money as I see fit.

What’s the big deal about this…

FOUR men who savagely bashed and racially abused a Sudanese teenager laughed and joked as they walked free from court today.

And so what about this…

Shane Psaila, 19, Chris Carlin, 21, Andrew Hoskins, 21, and James Butler, 19, escaped jail after Judge Phillip Coish said they all had good prospects of rehabilitation.

But at least the judge talked tough…

“This type of violent attack on a defenceless young man is deplorable and must be discouraged,”

Ho Hum…

No justice in our Justice System - WOW really?

I suppose that it doesn’t hurt to report incidents like this but most people don’t seem to be interested and nothing ever changes anyway.

Unfortunately Ajang Gor is just another victim that five minutes after reading the headline, most people will have forgotten.

This one is just too good not to post!

A pistol-packin’ 85-year-old woman turned the tables on a burgler and at gun point made him call the police and tell officers what he was doing.

Leda Smith said she returned from church to find the intruder inside her home in Springhill Township, about 45 miles south of Pittsburgh.

“I just walked right on past him to the bedroom and got my gun,” she said.

Smith grabbed the .22-calibre revolver she had been keeping by her bed since a neighbor’s home was burgled a few weeks ago.

“I said ‘What are you doing in my house?’ He just kept saying he didn’t do it,” Smith said.

She forced him to call while she kept him in her sights and after the thief called 911, Smith kept holding the gun on him until state police arrived at her home in Springhill Township, about 45 miles south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the US.

The boy will be charged with attempted burglary and related offences in juvenile court, police trooper Christian Lieberum said. He was not identified because of his age.

Smith was pleased for her capture.

“It was exciting,” she said. “I just hope I broke up the (burglary) ring because they have been hitting a lot of places around here.”

(Source: The Daily Telegraph)

I bet that little turd will think again before trying a trick like this again!

I have no motivation to blog at the moment. I do admit to having been rather busy lately but this is no excuse. I just find I’m not very enthused by much at all these days…Especially on the political front…

Read the rest of this entry »

The first studio album from AC/DC in years sees them flexing their musical muscles in spectacular fashion. The album features darkly themed songs with lengthy intricate guitar interludes, akin to something Pink Floyd in their heyday may have offered. It’s an immensely thoughtful conceptual piece focusing on one persons search for an answer to all of life’s deep questions but ending up addicted and dying….on a train.

Brian Johnsons vocals are suburb, reminding one of the smoky bluesy efforts of a young David Coverdale, but with the power and sentiment of Frank Sinatra.

The first single from the album titled Rock ‘n’ Roll Train, is a devastating song about losing ones outlook on life and sinking into a quagmire of drugs and prostitutes. This is in fact the train upon which the hero of the album dies.

Oops, sorry I slipped into an alternate universe there for a second.

This is another crappy AC/DC album with Brian Johnson squawking like a tortured cat and Angus Young retreading all the riffs that Chuck Berry created before him.

Actually it’s a remake of every album they have made since For Those About To Rock, only this time it took them 6 years to make it.

***UPDATE***

This post is a JOKE (I have to point that out to some num nuts), I have not heard the album, don’t have the album, don’t want the album and won’t buy the album. And yes yes, so it has been 8 years not 6.