Sun-Times columnist Richard Roper really got stuck into the mainstream media (no pun intended) recently for their inane obsession with the reproductive habits of ‘the stars’. Bemoaning the dreaded airport newsstand trek through rubbish headlines whilst hunting for some suitable in-flight reading, Roper says he “couldn't possibly care less about the Celebrity Pregnancy, the Possible Celebrity Pregnancy, or of course, the jackpot: the Celebrity Baby”. And I for one happen to agree with him...
In Cairo, Egypt, Islamic militants have released a brief tape showing two French journalists kidnapped recently in Iraq and said they were holding the men to protest a French law banning headscarves in schools. According to footage aired Saturday by (TV station) Al-Jazeera, the group gave the French government 48 hours to overturn the law but mentioned no ultimatum. Five days ago, Al-Jazeera broadcast a videotape purportedly released by the same group showing abducted freelance jou...
Can psychology tell us what motivates terrorists and how they differ from you and me?. How do we get inside the mind of a killer ?. Most of us find terrorism acts alien to our thinking. We simply cannot ever hope to understand. Yet maybe for our own sakes we should understand something of what fuels the violent reality of todays' world. Scientifically, it's a tough task, since terrorists generally don't volunteer for psychological studies. At any rate, terrorism experts tend to differ grea...
I don't watch a lot of television, but when I do watch some, it is with remote control clenched firmly in my little paw, poised to hit the 'mute' button every time the program breaks for a commercial. I thought that nothing could be worse than 'big city' advertising with it's vacant, soulless, impossibly cool and slogan-free slant. I was so wrong. The local channels in rural areas are, without question, filled with the most inane and mind-numbingly stupid 'advertising' (I use the term...
In a further instance of 'the world gone mad', insurance giant Prudential has been forced to issue a release stating that it will 'review it's safeguards' after a consumer received a letter from them addressed to "Mr. Shagslikeadonkey". The unamused recipient, a Mr. Nick Mann, of Bedfordshire, England, told the (British) Sun newspaper that the letter was delivered to his home via regular post. It was printed on official Prudential letterhead, and had been signed by the company's marketin...
In a further instance of 'the world gone mad', insurance giant Prudential has been forced to issue a release stating that it will 'review it's safeguards' after a consumer received a letter from them addressed to "Mr. Shagslikeadonkey". The unamused recipient, a Mr. Nick Mann, of Bedfordshire, England, told the (British) Sun newspaper that the letter was delivered to his home via regular post. It was printed on official Prudential letterhead, and had been signed by the company's marketin...
I'm the first person to agree that political correctness for the most part forms a good base for decent, or at the very least, tolerable behaviour. Yes, some of the 'rules' annoy me, (ok to be frank, some of the 'rules' make me want to throw things for their unwitting encouragement of segregation and/or their very triviality), but I for the most part at least see the benefits of these 'rules'. Yet even I am beginning to become a little worried about the extremes that this 'PC' stuff see...
Art imitating life ?. Uh, make that death . Although I can't say I have much interest at all in art auctions, I found a recent example of art imitating life that I loved in spite of myself. British auctioneers 'House and Son' recently auctioned a figurine of Anne Boleyn, 2nd wife of Henry VIII, who was beheaded in the Tower of London in 1536. After the successful bid was made, a member of the auction house staff, whilst attempting to remove the figurine from display, accidentally k...
This week, we are about to be stranded on a deserted tropical island !. Oh no !. ( Thanks Sabrina for another great idea ). For the purposes of the exercise, (ie: to get at what we each really 'can't live without'), we will assume that the island has ' the basics' by way of plant life (including fruit trees), animal life, and adequate water. What 5 items/things would you take with you, and why ?.
In a recent blog of ( the fabulous ) Sabrina, ( Link ), a comment was made by BlueDev ( Link ) that contained an extremely funky little smiley with a flamethrower. BlueDev was kind enough to 'share the wealth' by providing a link and instructions on how to use the 'alternative' smiley collection. This is how I feel about the alternative smiley collection: Yes, I like it that much. I would even go so far as to say that, when I found the alternative smiley collection, I felt like d...
Yes, we women make no sense. So, luckily for us, a German publisher has announced it’s plans to produce a guide designed to help men ‘decipher’ various (ahem) ‘ baffling female banter'. The Langenscheidt publishing group, best known for it’s comprehensive (and very well-respected) foreign language dictionaries, apparently sees no irony in publishing a dictionary in ‘female’. According to the guide, when a woman says to a man “let’s just cuddle”, what she really means is “no sex t...
Great. Virus writers have developed a "Peeping Tom" worm uses your own webcam to spy on you. Oh, super news, that !. The Rbot-GR worm spreads via network shares, exploiting Microsoft security vulnerabilities and installing a backdoor Trojan as it travels. Once infected, remote access can be gained to the PC's hard drive, as well as remote activation of any connected webcam or microphone. Apparently hackers are becoming more interested in spying on the people they manage to infect wi...
The world is round. I know this because it is 4pm on Thursday afternoon. Yes, I know it's not really. But it is. For me, anyway. Me. Adrift in a cultural wasteland in which a small problem called 'distance' renders my 'real time' participation on JU near impossible. Many's the morning I have woken to find a fabulous party going on in my comments that I wasn't invited to !. I post. I sit. I wait. I fall asleep (sometimes even in that order). I wake to find that a stimulating and relev...
Internet Resources For Rural Australians The internet is a rapidly growing presence in rural Australia, and apart from it's obvious applications for entertainment, education and communication, it also has many tools available to support rural Australians. Far from being a 'global' resource with no real local applications, the internet is now a virtual goldmine of up to date agricultural developments, land and farming issues, property advice, and support for rural families and their assoc...
Despite a more than respectable showing in terms of tourism websites and beautiful natural attractions, until not long ago, most of the world just didn't know where Coffs Harbour was. Rather than basking in our rightful glory as one of the most liveable cities for it's size in the world, we were invariably asked by overseas visitors "Coffs Harbour ? ... where in the World is Coffs Harbour ?". Now, as our rapidly growing and beautiful area slowly gets the attention it deserves from those ...