The TMI Files. The Beast of Bogan.
Okay, nothing really to say here - just exposing my status as a technoramus (sp?).
I got to dress up last week, head into town and met
Darlene and
TimT at a bit of a love-fest for the Posse (a group of filmmaking fanatics I've done some work with this year). A few short films were shown, convivial company was available and a good time was had by most.
Poor Tim went out to grab a bite to eat with his brother (Lachlan) and the bouncer took an extreme dislike to him. He couldn't get back into Revolver, so Lachlan had to come say goodbye to Darlene and myself.
Good to see the door bitches are the same whatever gender. And this in a place with no cover charge!
But I digress.
As per a request, I got a picture snapped of me dressed to go out. Unfortunately, the flannies are in the drikes, and the moccies are being used as beds for Magilla's "weeny babies."
So, I dragged something out of the closet, draped myself over the Death Beast, and came up with....
(Actually I just wanted to put the photo of Emma Bargo to rest. I've not been able to find a lot of her on the net, so will have to save that up for later. She deserves much better treatment. Just not tonight. I've got a drink to finish. Also, since I'm not real flash at posting photos in the profile thingy, I've got to put it up here then link. Tragic, but true.)
The TMI Files. Attack of the Bog Monster.
Two of the scariest words in a new parent's vocabulary.....
Toilet Training.At 3 1/2 years old, Magilla is pretty good with the process of elimination. She might not be able to say 'alimentary canal' or 'peristalsis', but she knows that food goes down into her tummy. And it comes out of her bottom.
She knows what the toilet is for, and that she has to clean her bottom after doing poo.
Luckily for her, I've got a bit of a toilet paper thing happening. If my stock of bog rolls gets below, say 20, then I get a bit twitchy. I don't know why, but I can't abide the idea of not having any loo paper. At least if there are a couple of dozen, I'll have a week or so before I
have to buy more.
Of course, what this also means is an almost endless supply of paper rolls to.. flush, wipe with, decorate the house with, bandage the cat, stretch across the yard.
The latest is using the paper to clean the bowl with after she's finished. Actually, she's using the paper to clean the whole little room with.
She's not at the level of The Bloke Who Came to Say G'day and Never Left. (Mate of a former housemate). When he arrived, we started going through a roll every two days. I don't know if he ate it, but he was certainly doing something in there.
We've also (Magilla and I) been having discussions on the correct usage of bog paper. Which way to wipe and when. After a heated discourse along the lines of:
Me:We wipe front to back, please.
Magilla: No, this way. (back to front)
Me:Wipe from the front to the back.
Magilla: Nooo,
thisway.
Me: If you wipe that way, then you might get poo in your fanny and get sick. Is that what you want?*
Magilla: (whining) Noooo. But I want to do it this way....
ad infinitumShe's gotten the hang of it now, so luckily we didn't have to go through that pantomime too many times.
One thing, though, is that she likes to go to the loo without telling me. She's happy to call if she needs assistance, but most of the time she's determined to do it her way or else. She has great aim, so there's rarely any mess apart from paper all over the floor.
It took a long time to get to this stage, but we're getting there.
*This is one of the TMI Files, after all! I've not gone into all the gory details about diseases or hospitalisation, of course. I'll save that for when she's a bit older. Like 5.
Aussie has a nice collection of articles about this, and also some scathing commentary on how it all panned out now that the details of what went on are coming out.
The best light that can be thrown on the "protesters" at Cronulla is that they were all tired and emotional after a few too many beers however If I were a Muslim I would be sending you all free Lotto tickets for providing me with enough propaganda to lobby the pals in the state ALP for even more concessions and freedoms to rape, pillage and plunder "Aussie skips" even more than they already do.
I hate to say it but today the Muslims WON hands down, start THINKING instead on imitating our self declared enemies only then will Australians interest's be represented by our Governments instead of theirs.
Iemma was voted in, he can be voted out,he and his Multicultural worshiping party of "progressive free thinkers" made up of unemployed Union officials and school teachers should be the focus of our attention, not some poor bastard with a suntan walking along Cronulla Beach with his Woman on a Sunday morning. For Gods sake who was the fuc**ng genius who thought it was a good idea to attack them?
While there is a part of me that agrees with Aussie, we are also talking about mob dynamics, and we need to be aware that years of multicultural soft-soaping means a lot of steam is under pressure.
The "middle-eastern" gangs have been around for years, and because they've got their Get Out Of Jail Free card, they've pretty much done whatever they like.
Maybe we should put a different spin on the boorish behaviour of the skips.
The Anglo segment of the population is remarkably disadvantaged. Being born into a successful, democratic, multicultural paradise means that they are automatically discriminated against.
If they belong to Christian churches, then they can't claim discrimination if they are offended by slurs such as 'happy clapper' or Crusader. After all, they are in the majority.
If they are caucasian in appearance, then their very whiteness counts against them. If they raise a complaint about being called a 'white bastard' by someone of another ethnicity, they are dismissed as whiny and racist for recognising the insult intended.
The skip women and girls are encouraged to dress more like those of other cultures so as not to offend or incite assault. Me wearing skimpy dresses would not go down well in a lot of suburbs these days, and the anger I feel at children wearing hijab is considered 'racist' or 'religionist' or 'islamophobic' or whatever the current word is.
We live in a country of freedom and choice. Supposedly. Where is the choice when women have to cover their hair and faces and bodies or else be raped and slandered?
No, the police shouldn't have been on the receiving end.
I will confess, though, it would be great if they just and the ambos sat back and let the boys sort themselves out.
There is a lot of anger out there, and it is building. I think the silent majority are starting to find their voice. It's not pretty, but it's about time.
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Racial tensions erupted into violence on a Sydney beach on Sunday when some 5,000 people, some yelling racist chants, converged to defend their beach from what they believe are youth gangs of Middle East background.
Local surfers and beachgoers rallied at Cronulla Beach after two young surf lifesavers were attacked last Sunday by a group of young men from Sydney's western suburbs.
Well, we didn't see this coming, did we?
I never knew the extent of unrest up there (or even that there was any, in truth) when I was googling around for a bit of info on a mob calling themselves the
Noble Park Bosnians. Noble Park is a suburb about 10 minutes up the road with a large population of diverse religious and racial elements. (Is that diplomatic enough? I'd hate to go to jail under our
enlightened and tolerant legislation.)
Apparently, back in Cronulla, it's been going on for
quite a while, but as usual, it's all been kept quiet and local in the press, so not much appears to have been done by the Powers That Be.
What I find more appalling than this sort of 'unrest' breaking out at all, is that it was allowed to get to this stage.
Where have the police been?
What have the community leaders been up to (other than hiding their heads up their arses) when we hear of
this happening:
Another Cronulla local told how little girls taking part in swimming lessons at the beach were warned to keep their sun protection shirts on as they left the water after thugs called them "little tarts".
Others described the abuse of a pregnant woman because she was taking up room on a stair way to the beach as one of the most shocking recent incidents at the beach.
The father of a 16-year-old girl said she had been too afraid to return to the beach after she and two friends were asked if they were virgins by a group of men.
When she failed to respond the gang told her she would be carried off the beach and it was only when she spotted a friend nearby that the two girls were able to escape.
Locals said the behaviour of aggressive groups of youths of Middle Eastern descent had become progressively worse in recent years.
"I am not racist against their ethnicity, I am reacting to their behaviour," one surf life saving source said.
Again, no surprises.
Just
bleating from the usual suspects while our beaches become
war zones.
The TMI Files. More on feeding.
Unlike the
House Husband, I've not been able to expand Magilla's culinary circle using words alone. if she wants it, she wants it. If it looks the slightest bit questionable, then nothing,
nothing! will get that new morsel past her lips.
I've tried playing airplane, train and trainwreck.
I've pulled faces, and snarled and yapped and grovelled.
I'd even allowed her to stir the pan occasionally. As a rule, that's not something I'd recommend with an overactive toddler, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Now, I've taken it a step further, and.....
SUCCESS!!!She helps cook. And I mean 'help' as in provide assistance.
While I'm grating carrot, she's operating the chopper with the tomatoes in it.
While I'm dicing onion, she's stirring the sauce. And the inevitable pasta, of course.
Since we're now cooking with gas, I've got to become hypervigilant. This is good, and it works, because I caught her just as she was checking out how hot the flame was on a wooden spoon. She won't be trying that again in a hurry.
She has been eating pasta with her homemade sauce all week. It helps when you can pick your own oregano from the garden - it adds an extra element to the whole exercise, I guess.
(For a bit of diversity, I've been duly advised that spiders are 'nummy' and the green fly was, too. Gack!)
At least we seem to be easing up on the insects. I know, plenty of protein and all that, but still....
I'm making chocolate mousse next week for a family get-together, so we'll see how she goes with that one. The fun part will be separating the eggs, I reckon.
And for all you chocoholics, my moose recipe ROCKS!
I was giving JihadWatch my usual once over before getting stuck into the gardening, when the post about Rupert Murdoch being told what to show on the news crawler at the bottom of the screen jumped out at me.
Basically, we have someone from the other side of the world telling Mr Murdoch how he should be presenting news.
So much for freedom of speech.
So much for unbiased reportage.
(Okay, I know that these days that's a major oxymoron, but can't these guys even pretend to be neutral?)As a result of the offense I've taken, I have written to FOXNews about Mr Al-Walid.
Why bother with the so-called news services if they have no room to actually report on what is happening? Not unless it is sanitised and inoffensive, of course. We can't upset the sensibilities of those people who get offended very easily. And I don't just refer to a certain religion. This is a general generalisation, and included in that description are those feminists, greenies, fascists, and some of the more foaming moonbats and deathbeasts.
A clear, concise, presentation of the facts is all that's needed. People presumably have the werewithal to assimilate the information without having an opinion thrust upon them.
In Paris and other parts of France, the rioters were muslim. Nobody can deny the fact (although many wanted to).
Those reporting alluded to the idea of members of a certain religion being rioters, but most described the perpetrators as 'disaffected youths', 'north-African immigrants', and 'disadvantaged members of society'.
But I digress - other forums have addressed those descriptors in much more detail, and a quick google on 'french riots' will net you plenty of good stuff.
Back on track now, I've emailed my letter of complaint to FOX, and have a copy of it here for posterity.
As ever, any response or lack thereof will be noted here.
Dear FOXNews,
Please forgive the general salutation, but I'm not aware of who in particular this message should be addressed to.
I read today of a comment by a Fox shareholder about influencing news reportage and coverage. This is a disconcerting situation, because Fox prides itself on being "Fair and Balanced."
The particular comment was reported at Middle East Online and states:
Al-Walid also criticised US media which he described as "in general ... pro-Israel." But he also accused Arabs of not being pro-active in fighting the allegedly slanted media.
He said that during last month's street protests in France, the US television network Fox -- owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation in which Al-Walid himself has shares -- ran a banner saying: "Muslim riots."
"I picked up the phone and called Murdoch... (and told him) these are not Muslim riots, these are riots out of poverty," he said.
"Within 30 minutes, the title was changed from Muslim riots to civil riots."
The implication that a foreign citizen can tell an American icon such as the Fox Corporation how it should be presenting news is offensive and damaging for your credibility.
With respect to the rioting in France, they were perpetrated by Muslim youths. Perhaps they started out as an expression of discontent, but three weeks of burning cars and destroying other property indicates that there is much more going on under the surface.
When did the opinion of a shareholder become more important than your reputation for providing up-to-date, unbiased news?
Is it a case now that when your banner states "We Report. You Decide." it's a shorthand for "We Report What Will Keep Our Stockholders Happy. You Decide if it's Fair and Balanced."? It is starting to appear that way.
What little faith I have in the major news services in this 21st century is dwindling rapidly, especially when there is so much of concern occurring around the world today.
I would appreciate it if someone could respond to my concerns - I may only be one person, but I am not the only one who is upset by comments such as Mr. Al-Walid's.
Please also note, that as a matter of general practice, I will be posting a copy of this letter and any subsequent reply from you on my small blog.
Thank you so much for your time,
Yours sincerely,
nilknarf
http://rightwingdeathbogan.blogspot.com
The TMI Files. Hell's (Wedding) Bells!
My best friend's daughter got married on Sunday. The weather was gloriously bright and breezy. Maybe a bit too breezy for the bride and her coterie of attendants, but it was hot, sunny, and we were all at a winery in the country.
The service was lovely, the couple happy and glowing. All of which you would expect.
But, as often happens, there is someone who didn't necessarily come with the couple's nuptials in mind.
In this case, the bride's father.
He would easily be classed as a 'deadbeat dad'.
He and my best friend (hereafter known as BF) separated and divorced when the bride was a little tacker - around the same age that Magilla is now, actually - and he's never made much of an effort since then. He paid almost no maintenance for the child (was in arrears of thousands of dollars until BF and he came to an agreement a few years back to write it off. Peace of mind is more important in the long run, and he was never going to pay up.
He missed birthdays, rarely made any effort to visit with his daughter. BF was the one who kept in touch with his side of the family tree to ensure that the girl knew
all of her family. You know the story. Needless to say, there's more to it, but the bare bones are enough here.
So Dad hasn't been a large part of her life, and she's getting married. Who gives away the bride in cases like this?
Her grandfather. The one who brought up her own mother, who supported her and loved her unconditionally, was there through all the tough times in the single-parent family.
You see where this is going, don't you? Yup. Dad had a hissy fit, took his wife and son (half-brother of the bride and page boy), and went home. After the ceremony and a few free drinks, but before the entree at the reception. And after the bride was reduced to tears.
I hope he's proud of himself - his daughter has now disowned him.
A man in his 40s throwing a tantrum at his daughter's wedding.
The saddest thing of all? Nobody was surprised. The general feeling was that if he hed stayed for the night he would have picked a fight with someone and it would have been on for young and old. Just as well he left.
Bloody Ballarat Bogan.
Saturday Cat Snap.
Because it's a blog, and every blog needs a cat photo sometimes.
The TMI Files. Gardening with Gorillas
Well, the vegie patch is coming along nicely. We've got in parsley, chives, oregano, thyme, strawberries, tomatoes and now corn. Yum.
Magilla's contribution tends to be removing her clothing and crawling around in the dirt looking for worms. The poor worms then get placed in the fridge for safekeeping. So far, I think only one creature has expired from her tender ministrations.
If it's time to rake up the prickly seed cases from the big tree out back, it's got to be done when she's asleep or out of the picture. The rake has been co-opted as a horse. Forget the hobby horse with the sound-effects and wheels. That's got nothing on the rake.
She's good though. She's been snipping the blackberries for me using the
clippy things.She also helps mow the lawn - she pushes the lawn mower with a bit of assistance for me.
I just hope she doesn't prune the tomatoes like she did the parsley. I hope it survives! :)
Religion and Politicks and Dialogue.
I've just finished reading
Mosques and Miracles by Stuart Robinson, a Melbourne evangelical pastor who preaches not far from me. I don't go to his church - never been invited, never felt like dropping in.
His book has provided the best bio of Mohammed I've read yet. It is purely a statement of facts. No opinion on his behaviour, no judgements either positive or negative. Bald facts.
He has supplied lots of up to date information on what is happening in the Ummah, as he is also known to visit the frontlines in Islamic areas to check out the scene.
He also provides a guide for those Christians seeking to spread the Word amongst Muslims. It is, as the rest of the book, practical, logical, and remarkably devoid of major bible-thumping.
It's on my Christmas book list now, too.
I bring this up because one of the things I've noticed when discussing Islam in comparison to the 'Western' World, or pretty near any other world, the minute you bring up the Scripture, you get accused of being
religious.I find this incredibly tiresome.
Do I have Faith in God? Absolutely. I don't understand it, I can't express it in any logical form, but I
know that God is there somewhere. I got my wakeup call (aka the kick in the guts) back in my early 20s, and regardless of where I've been at in life - and there have been some trying times - I've always felt His presence within me.
Oh, and as a minor clarification, I don't think of God a gender-specific. He's beyond all of that, the He and Him stuff is pure convenience. God is God. That's it.
Getting back on track, is my being religious relevant to any discussion on Islam? I don't feel so. When we talk about what is happening with Islamist extremists, or fundamentalists, or however we choose to describe them, we have to take religion on board. How can we not?
Whatever else we think, there is no denying that Islam is a religion. As a wise man once told me, "Your religion is your relationship with your God." A Muslim has a relationship with Allah, through their belief in the Qu'ran, their desire to emulate Mohammed and live by sharia.
Their religion is out in the open, while mine is within, as with plenty of other people.
Just because we don't display our beliefs or our faith doesn't mean we lack any. Just that we carry it inside us.
Perhaps all this disgust with the West is because of this. (I am speaking more of the peaceful Muslims, not the fanatic). It's something I need to explore further.
How I see it, in a nutshell, is this:
My God loves
EVERYBODY!God loves us all so much, that He's given us free will to make our choice. Irrespective of whether He thinks that's a bright idea or not. (And I've made some spectacular mistakes in my time.)
If you're Catholic, He loves you.
If you're Protestant, He loves you.
If you're Hindu, He loves you too.
If you're and atheist, yup, He loves you.
If you're a witch, Baptist, Jewish, agnostic, pagan, Buddhist, or confused, you're there, too.
And if you are a Muslim, he especially loves you.
How can he not, with your Faith so strong?
I was recently talking with a Pastor (before I knew he was a Pastor) from one of the local Baptist churches, and we spoke of the nature of religion.
One thing he said was that all the major religions recognise our striving towards enlightenment, however we perceive it. They all acknowledge that on this plane, in this life, we have to continually work to gain a higher spiritual level. (sorry if that's clumsy - he put it so much more eloquently than I can on a saturday night.)
All the major religions also accept that it is unattainable in this life.
And this is where Christianity is different.
God loves us all so much that he has provided us with help. He sent Jesus Christ, his Son, or the Word of God, if you will, to show us the way.
The biggest difference, I guess, is that God doesn't demand you be Catholic, or Protestant, or Baptist, or Jewish, or Muslim, or anything else.
He asks that you be you, and you accept that He loves you.
He gave us Jesus, as his Son, or the Word made flesh. A manifestation of how much He accepts us as the flawed beings we are. Because when we allow Jesus and God (the same thing, really) into our hearts, then we can finally have the intimate relationship with God that we really want.
It's just that because we do have FREE WILL, and there are so many options out there, that God's voice sometimes gets lost.
We just have to listen.
(Mind you, sometimes if you're like me, it's not a small, still voice. It's bloody deafening and lifechanging and the most amazing thing you will ever experience.)
Not quite a grogblog.
As I've not been able to make the last grogblogging, or even grogging that's not blogging, I thought I'd let people know that I do actually get out and about.
Sometimes.
Anyway, thursday, 15th of December, 2005, there's a short film night at Revolver in Chapel Street, South Yarra. Not sure what time it starts, but I'll be there with bells on. (maybe not with bells, but some clothing at least).
There won't be any of my work screening that I'm aware of, but it will be a good night with convivial company.
Feel free to check it out.
I'll be the one in arty black.
