Charming

In the USA on business, Mine Host is delighting in the constant reminders of the quaint cultural differences between his crass homeland and the delightfully charming United States of America.

Each day, and at almost every interaction with a local, one is thrilled at the delightful reminder of what a thoroughly polite person is the ordinary Joe or Josephine in the street.

Ozzis can be polite & charming, but there is a special something about the courteous manner of US citizens.

Enchanting

Everbody, at least once in their life, should see Disney's Electric Main Street Parade.

Fight called off

Any boxing fan's heart would have been gladdened at the recent prospect of the great nation of South Korea engaging in a spot of whaling.

Besides the joy of seeing the usual suspects have conniptions at the idea, Mine Host was somewhat looking forward to the vicarious thrill of watching the Sea Shepherd organisation take on some South Korean fishermen.

It'd be a brief contest. The first good whack in the gizzard & Sea Shepherd runs crying to teacher.

Koreans, for those who've never familiarised themselves with the breed, are a very tough bunch. Sea Shepherd on the other hand are a pretty gutless collection of hippies & other dickheads, with serious form when it comes to running from a fight (a fight they started).

Alas it is not to be. The government of South Korea has announced they'll not be whaling after all.

Hah! Fooled all you worldwide people didn't they...!!

So we won't be treated to the sight of oxygen theives whining at the outcome of them sailing up to some Korean workingmen on the high seas, and trying to destroy these men's livelihood & property.

Phooey!

Salvo for the Salvos

For those who really did have too much time on their hands recently, there was a brief bit in the news about some pop star braying on...

... about how people intending to donate money to them, should first consider the attitude of the Salvation Army toward homosexuals.

Fair enough. One would presume that this is already considered by those whose sympathies lean heavily toward homosexuality.

Mine Host is not keen to give to the Salvation Army, for similar reasons.

Specifically their attitude toward those who are not Christians. At one stage in a previous life of Mine Host, the Salvation Army called for an army of volunteers to assist with good works in a time of crisis....

.....the local community arrived by the horde. The Salvos refused them. Not for their ethicity, but because they were of a non-theistic religion. The packaging of relief parcels, & other desperately needed good works, remained forever incomplete.

Mine Host has never given to the Salvation Army since.

Grudgingly Mine Host allows them to shake the tin once a week in his bars (the only persons allowed to do so), but doesn't put money in himself.

On occasion, Mine Host has offered to evict and never readmit the Salvation Army, when some of their younger members have gone too far in badgering patrons for money.

While the angry & outraged pop star may bang on loudly about the attitude of the Salvation Army toward homosexuals (they aren't impressed by them & prefer to not have them as members) one can only imagine the spluttering incandesence this pop star must have toward Islam.

A religion in whose name homosexuals are strangled by hoisting them with a crane.

A google search for this pop star's proportionate condemnation of Islam brings up ... .... ... nothing.

.... If you're in down & out in Brisbane (& presumably other cities) the Salvos are often the only people who will give you a feed, and they'll always do it.....

....If you're on the front line defending this country, the nearest civilians will be the Salvos, right up there close, providing cups of hot tea, & a friendly non-military word for a digger, and they've always been there..

Girly Boys

The 2006 soccer world cup: Australia, not previously a noted soccer nation, made it through the group stage into the knockout rounds, rather an achievement.

When the Australian team was defeated in the first knockout round (which was only by the skin-of-their-teeth) they took it like men. The victors in that match, Italy, went on to win the contest.

Though they defeated the Australian team, the Italian team was unable to play better, winning only by resorting to crying like babies and pretending to be injured and sobbing in pain after clashing with Australian players.

In Mine Host's worldview, sport is underpinned by two basic tenets:

1/. Sportsmanship

2/. Courage

The Italian team has neither. This reveals an acute and chronic lack of masculinity in Italian culture.

Mine Host grew up knowing only two sports: Rodeo and Rugby League. These two sports are known for many things. However they are not known for producing crybabies.

Indisputably, Italy is made of softer stuff.

Result: Mine Host, & doubtless every other Australian with red blood in their veins, views the Italian soccer team with justifiable contempt.

Those with too much time on their hands the past couple of weeks will have noticed the occassional news item about the Italian soccer team. (Yawn)

Apparently there was some sort of soccer contest in Europe, or something. (Yawn)

Anyway, the news items were about how various suburbs & ethnic groups in our otherwise great nation, were supporting the Italian team.

It defies belief that any Australian would be seen dead supporting this bunch of effeminate, lacy panty wearing eunuchs.

If this once great nation has entire suburbs & ethnic groups who have no shame about being publicly seen supporting a disgraced team of pansies, then the multicultural experiment has gone way too far!

This nation was built by hand. One feels for the ghosts of the men who cut cane by hand along the Queensland coast, for they must be mortified to think that such effeminate conduct was done in the name of their "old country".

For those who live the easy 21st century life in the inner city suburbs of the big smoke, a lifestyle that owes its thanks to generations before them who toiled in the sun by hand: Showing support for the feminine cissies of the Italian soccer team clearly demonstrates you are not people worthy of inheriting the land that my ancestors built by hand.

Working for their Members.... 2

Qld trade unions, mostly the public service unions, have of late engaged in much renting of garments.

They have protested outside parliament house, made hot & furious comments into TV cameras, and stated how terrible things are now in Qld... blah blah blah...

This the the squealing of the spoilt child who is told they can't have an extra dessert.

Under the previous government the public service, particuarly the clerical functions, enjoyed the status of "most favoured child".

Where were these unions (supposedly so concerned about their members) when under the erstwhile state government nurses were going weeks (& months) without pay?

That was the time to go on strike, to stand in "solidarity" with their sisters who toiled in hospitals, to really kick up a fuss, etc.

Instead there was nary a peep.

So why the sudden (& hypocritical) whingeing now, over lesser issues?

Working for their Members......

The groovy new government in the mighty state of Queensland, is coming up with lots & lots of much needed changes.

Things which due to the inertia of modern politics, we never dared imagine we'd ever see happen!

A proposed law will be that trade unions will not be able to make donations to political parties without this first being put to a vote of the members of that union.

This concept of members having input into what is done with their money is new for trade union leaders.

They can barely grasp this principle.

A horrifed trade union leader was on TV the very night this proposed law was suggested.....

..... without any sense of irony, he said that having members vote on political donations would be undemocratic.

Day 1 - So far it Works!!

Lovely spring day today! Birds chirping, warm sunlight. Mine Host strolled barefoot in the garden, basking in the warmest & most pleasant day in weeks!

Obviously Mother Gaia is pleased about the carbon tax, and is smiling upon the world!

In other carbon tax news, this site has been blessed by the economic insight of James, who in yesterday's comments provides the valuable suggestion that Mine Host may wish to consider some equipment maintenance.

Gee, why didn't I ever think of that! Maintenance! Who'da ever thunk it?

Guru James suggests also that having the living daylights slugged out of you financially (the carbon tax) will "incentivise" (now there's a word for you) one into an "upgrade" of equipment. James, clearly more a believer in the "stick" than the carrot, makes no mention of where the money will come from for said upgrade.

Nor does James provide any insight into a source for the money for his next bright idea: "New Equipment which uses less electricity".

James hasn't thought this one through.

Mine Host knows where this money comes from:

Yep! Price Rises.

Price rises are how businesses (including the Wayside Tavern) will fund the extra costs caused by the carbon tax. Price rises are how the supplier discussed in yesterday's post, and his suppliers, will fund these things.

Somebody has to pay. It will be the final consumer (and can only ever be).

Australia is about to start sending hundreds of millions, perhaps billions of dollars overseas, to purchase fresh air.

This concept, called by the govt "buying carbon credits" is known elsewhere as a "gift to an overseas country".