Crush your enemy, drive them before you, hear the lamentation of their women

Wow, Conan makes me feel like an underachiever

The death of the music press and gormless youth of today

New in from spiked
In an interview a few years back, indie legend Edwyn Collins and his wife/manager Grace were despairing at their then 20-year-old son, Will, and his mates. ‘They need a lot of propping up!’, said Grace. ‘D’you know what Edwyn had done by the age of 25? Started a label. Made a load of seminal singles. Recorded four albums. I tell Will, “You ain’t got plenty of time! Look at you all sitting there with your PlayStations. I can see it now: we’ll be 71, 72, you’ll be 40 sitting there with your great big pot bellies playing Fifa 30!”’

Got me thinking about what I'd done by the age of 25.  My list includes:
Getting a degree
Driving a taxi (great life experience at 19)
Being in 2 bands, writing songs playing 3 - 4 nights a week
Commencing work at the ABC on my way to dream career of working at Triple-J.
Travelling the hippie trail from Sydney to Europe
Pretty minor but not bad for a feckless youth

"Farmers' Almanac" predicts a "bitterly cold" winter - Government Scientists get it completely wong

Farmers’Almanac more accurate than government climate scientists read more

Last fall the Climate Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted that temperatures would be above normal from November through January across much of the Lower 48 states. This graphic shows just how wrong the official forecast of the U.S. government was...read more here

"Farmers' Almanac" predicts a "bitterly cold" winter - CBS News:
August 26, 2013

A short history of the Australian manufacturing industry - Jack the Insider Blog | The Australian

Love Jack's blog - and this is a particularly good one

A short history of the Australian manufacturing industry - Jack the Insider Blog | The Australian: 

"The good news is Australia is enjoying its longest burst of uninterrupted economic growth in history. And wouldn’t you know it’s all down to Asia. We buy their plasma screen TVs, underpants and educate their children. In return we sell them huge chunks of Australia. There’s a ton of it still left, so there’s nothing to worry about.
But when our Chinese masters ask you to carry their golf bags or fetch them a drink, put on your best Aussie smiles and do as you’re bloody well told. "

Sweden’s Swing toward a Free Market — The American Magazine

I've heard about this remarkable transformation and the fiscal rectitude of Sweden's pony-tailed Finance Minister.  One of the oldest social democracies on the planet embracing free market capitalism because of bad children's TV programming in the 70s & 80s.

Sweden’s Swing toward a Free Market — The American Magazine:

Here's an interview on this subject on ABC Radio's Counterpoint Program

My Confession

I just have to get this off my chest as it just kills me every time I go on FB.  You know me and my political history. You know that I have quite progressive values on a lot of issues, you know I love riding my bike, I would love to see live trade closed down, I think that everyone should be able to marry whoever they want, I love the tapestry of our multi-culti society and everyone should get down and get funky etc etc…

But my views on politics have changed over the last few years.  I’ve voted for Labor my whole adult life up to and including Kevin 07.  The glory days of Hawke/Keating were to me the pinnacle of politics in this country.  And we all lived through the years of the Howard Terror.

But about halfway through the 1^st Rudd Prime Ministership I began to feel that they had lost their way, for many reasons.  So much so that by the time of the 2010 election I voted for the Coalition for the first time in my life.  I voted for them again last year.  I spent the last 3 years of the Gillard/Rudd government with my fists and jaws clenched waiting for the end of the Labor government. 

Now I don’t want to argue every point of policy with every Green Lefty on FB I know which is nearly everyone.  Really it’s a waste of time without a beer and the ability to say things with a cheeky grin and twinkle in the eye face to face.

What distresses me is that coming from the milieu that I inhabit, I feel constrained in saying what I really think.  There seems to be an illiberal attitude towards those with differing political views.  I feel that if I say anything I will be howled down by those who can’t envisage that any right thinking person could possibly hold those views.  The implication is that one could not possibly vote for the Coalition without being a right-wing, teaparty, neo-con, bogan, Murdoch zombie.  And I’m also appalled by the level of bile, spite and vitriol on FB directed towards Tony Abbott.  For god’s sake he’s just a human being, not the devil incarnate.

Hence my distress and my tiny little hand grenades that I throw into posts now and then.  I just don’t feel that I can say what I really think without being held in contempt by people who I like and respect.  

Thanks for all the kebabs - Abdul's restaurant

Abdul Ghazel King of the Kebab

Kebabs & Politics

There was a time when university students were expected to support themselves while studying. Not many people of my generation can remember getting much family support, especially when undertaking the luxury of an arts degree.

The preferred workplace for many of my generation was the taxi industry.  It suited us lone wolves - keen to get out and make a buck without having to work for "the Man".  It was also the seventies and there was a romance to being on the streets.  And Tom Waits and Harry Chapin & Taxi Driver all added to the gritty lure of the paid wheel, living adventures with real people in real situations.  You could also make enough money driving on a Friday night to pay for your room in a shared household.

This was my introduction to Lebanese food which taught me the importance of vegetables and salads, the way to dine inexpensively, how to drive and eat a kebab aallowing for liquid leakage into your lap -although the seats were all vinyl in those days - easier for hosing out the vomit.

It was the Levantine world view which seemed to be wise, expansive, spiritually healing and open to all possibilities.  The near east (from a Euro perspective) had seen all the leaders, conquerors, lovers, wise men, prophets, writers and most importantly, bullshit artists in most of human history. All this was distilled and captured in the person of people like Abdul, Vartan the Armenian Love God and Ozzie the Turkish mechanic. You always learnt something from these people.

Anyways it good  to see people like Abdul getting recognition - this small business is an Aussie icon.