Yes, it was all Pat's fault. She was the one who told me to lighten up and I almost did until I opened the paper this morning...that is!
The headline caught my eye...JORDAN ON ALERT FOR SHOP ATTACKS...in the capitol city AMMAN.
I knew it! As soon as I read previously about the Jordan pilot being burnt alive by the neighbours (ISIS, Iraq, Iran or was it Syria) and the Jordanese deciding to retaliate I could see our Archaeological tour of Jordan disappear before our eyes. No, only in my eyes! My partner is a perpetual believer of the positive and has never heard of anything negative. But me? I'm very concerned.
We always joke when we tell people of our tour destination: 'oh we don't mind if we don't come back...we had a good life!' Oh yeah? All of a sudden I do mind.
I remember London in 1982...an around the world trip for my 12yrd-old...why not pop in to one of the restaurants...we'll be alright...and we were. But the next morning when we opened the paper we found that the door from which we had left the restaurant blown to pieces along with a number of tourists who had enjoyed their meal there that evening. Yes the Irish were bombing London not caring about who or what... and we had been very lucky. My 12yr-old has grown up to lead a charmed life with her family in America...But!
Yes, the world has not changed for the positive and the word 'terrorism' has progressed to be felt in all corners of the world. This time the threat is in the shopping centers of Amman.( I hope the idea won't include the wonderful hotels we are planning to use.) The al-Qaida-linked Alshabab group has also threatened Canada's massive West Edmonton Mall, London's famous Oxford Street and two malls in France: Le Forum des Halles and Les Quatre Temps.
But what else is news? Jordan occupies a pivotal position at the crossroads of the Near East, set between Asia and the Mediterranean, and Egypt and Africa, embracing a mighty continent in each arm. Throughout history, Jordan has borne witness to some of Mankind's greatest innovations and felt the might of its empires. So?
Over a century of Archaeological excavations all over Palestine, most famously at ancient Jericho in the northern highlands, have yielded contenders for the oldest complex cities on earth. And so the field notes issued by Andante Travels...of Jordan, Petra and the Desert Fortresses succeed in whetting our appetites. But what if?....Watch this space! I intend to fill it with amazing photographs. Only 4 weeks to wait...but what if?
I do hope these threatening individuals aren't planning to destroy the ancient mementos...these can't be replaced in Jordan but shopping malls? That's another thing.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Another beauty! Thanks Graeme Henchel
A simple explanation!!
THE LAST STRAW!
The straw that broke Abbott's back
Is really quite ironic
A knighthood to a pommie prince
That turned out to be chronic
This right royal stuff up
From the mad mendacious monk
has dug a hole into which
The LNP have sunk
But this just the latest blue
In a great long list of failure
The captain's call has helped his fall
And the end of "Team Australia"
A regime built on telling lies
Was never going to last
The public saw he had no clothes
And now the die is cast.
Apologies: The latest blue is doing a deal with Japan and S.A. for the building of submarines. It is called selling the Australian workers down the tube!!
THE LAST STRAW!
The straw that broke Abbott's back
Is really quite ironic
A knighthood to a pommie prince
That turned out to be chronic
This right royal stuff up
From the mad mendacious monk
has dug a hole into which
The LNP have sunk
But this just the latest blue
In a great long list of failure
The captain's call has helped his fall
And the end of "Team Australia"
A regime built on telling lies
Was never going to last
The public saw he had no clothes
And now the die is cast.
Apologies: The latest blue is doing a deal with Japan and S.A. for the building of submarines. It is called selling the Australian workers down the tube!!
Monday, February 9, 2015
Poems for the voter!
If you have read yesterday's entry perhaps you have realised that I had to shorten the poem. Anyhow I hope that today's poetry will motivate you in your electoral choice in a years time. The poems again were written by Graeme Henchel at http:tumblr.graemehenchel.com
Money, Power and Ego
It's money,power and ego
That drives this political class
A corrupt kakistocracy
Plays out a futile farce
Truth, values and vision
Are sadly all devoid
Distraction, distortion, derision
The theoretical tools employed
While the public yearns for leaders
Who'll put the public first
All we get are feeders
Upon the public purse
WE'RE TEAM AUSTRALIA
We're team Australia
We'll never fail ya
Nothing we say is true
We're team Australia
We'll never fail ya
excepting when we do
We're team Australia
We'll never fail ya
We sucked you in real bad
We're team Australia
We'll never fail ya
We're all stark raving mad
TEAM AUSTRALIA
Team Australia is doomed to failure
With Abbott's loony bench
The meta outcome of their work
Is one enormous stench
These coalition con men simply have no clue
As they move from farce to pantomime
And deeper in the poo
The latest patriotic ploy is cast in desperation
They need a huge distraction from their sinking situation
Too bad they don't understand that internetty thingy
They're quickly heading up shit creek in a barb wire dinghy
Malcom, the neglected one, might try to save their arse
But he can't change the plot of this coalition farce.
Money, Power and Ego
It's money,power and ego
That drives this political class
A corrupt kakistocracy
Plays out a futile farce
Truth, values and vision
Are sadly all devoid
Distraction, distortion, derision
The theoretical tools employed
While the public yearns for leaders
Who'll put the public first
All we get are feeders
Upon the public purse
WE'RE TEAM AUSTRALIA
We're team Australia
We'll never fail ya
Nothing we say is true
We're team Australia
We'll never fail ya
excepting when we do
We're team Australia
We'll never fail ya
We sucked you in real bad
We're team Australia
We'll never fail ya
We're all stark raving mad
TEAM AUSTRALIA
Team Australia is doomed to failure
With Abbott's loony bench
The meta outcome of their work
Is one enormous stench
These coalition con men simply have no clue
As they move from farce to pantomime
And deeper in the poo
The latest patriotic ploy is cast in desperation
They need a huge distraction from their sinking situation
Too bad they don't understand that internetty thingy
They're quickly heading up shit creek in a barb wire dinghy
Malcom, the neglected one, might try to save their arse
But he can't change the plot of this coalition farce.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
A most uninspiring morning but the writing is on the wall!
Do you like poetry? Naw? Maybe yes after you read what I have discovered. You may feel better after you have read some of this brilliant creativity... the sole skills of Graeme Henchel. I am a fan of his poetry and feel it should be out there for everyone to read and to put a smile on everyones' face at every opportunity.
I wish I had some photos to add but do we really need to see more of the 'budgie smugglers'? Whatever...the ship is sure to sink!! try http://tumblr.graemehenchel.com for more.
The Good Ship Tony (UPDATED)
Twas on the Good ship Tony
Where all the crew was phoney
They had no clue of what to do
But make up more baloney
Rupert Murdoch paves the way
Course set by the IPA
Rich get more and screw the poor
That's the coalition way
Captain Tony kept on lying
Distracting and denying
Into your eye, he'd tell a lie
Then lie that he was lying
Chorus:
Blame'n and lie'n
Distract'n and deny'n
These lying pricks played dirty tricks
Twas all that they could do
The first mates name was Peta
You wouldn't want to meet her
She kept tight reign on Tony's brain
And no one could unseat her
Old Bronwyn had the Speaker's chair
School ma'am looks and beehive hair
She'd get her lines from Perfidious Pyne
treated labor most unfair
The 21C was Warren Truss
What he did was hard to suss
This waste of space took his place
Right on board the bullshit bus
Games are played
And knives are out
Who will get
The number one snout
The die is cast
The ship is sunk
Whether it be Turnbull
Or the mendacious monk
I wish I had some photos to add but do we really need to see more of the 'budgie smugglers'? Whatever...the ship is sure to sink!! try http://tumblr.graemehenchel.com for more.
The Good Ship Tony (UPDATED)
Twas on the Good ship Tony
Where all the crew was phoney
They had no clue of what to do
But make up more baloney
Rupert Murdoch paves the way
Course set by the IPA
Rich get more and screw the poor
That's the coalition way
Captain Tony kept on lying
Distracting and denying
Into your eye, he'd tell a lie
Then lie that he was lying
Chorus:
Blame'n and lie'n
Distract'n and deny'n
These lying pricks played dirty tricks
Twas all that they could do
The first mates name was Peta
You wouldn't want to meet her
She kept tight reign on Tony's brain
And no one could unseat her
Old Bronwyn had the Speaker's chair
School ma'am looks and beehive hair
She'd get her lines from Perfidious Pyne
treated labor most unfair
The 21C was Warren Truss
What he did was hard to suss
This waste of space took his place
Right on board the bullshit bus
Games are played
And knives are out
Who will get
The number one snout
The die is cast
The ship is sunk
Whether it be Turnbull
Or the mendacious monk
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Some reviews of .....
Yes it is a change from reviewing books but I feel I have to write what I think about the latest films. We have discovered that our Seniors card means nothing if you use it a the Reading Theatres. There the cost of a ticket is already reduced to 10.00 dollars so what's the point of showing your card. a choice of ten theatres awaits the customer not to mention four or five restaurants plus the GOLD LOUNGE if you so desire. And that's where the bargain goes on...it is only 27.00 dollars where elsewhere the cost is much more. And to top it all off the car parking is right in front of the door...who needs or wants to go to the up-market western suburbs to be seen? I don't that's for sure.
Anyway about the films: saw Just Alice simply because the outside air temp was so high that sitting in a theatre with the coldest air conditioning was the only sensible option. Anyway I forgot why we went...we did go didn't we? Yes of course it was all about Alzheimers...sad but too real for me who loses words by the minute, hides Easter eggs who knows where and makes new friends every few seconds. No, seriously, not Golden Globe worthy but very real story for some. I wanted to make a doctor's appointment straight away except that I'm past the fifties so everything I forget is expected at my age.
What about 'The Theory of Everything'? Great story, loveable soft landing at the end but historically probably accurate. An astounding feat of nature and intelligent thinking to see Steven Hawkins still alive and capable of falling in love at a great age. Good on you Professor Hawkins!!
'The Imitation Game' was my partner's choice seeing his colleagues had recommended it...my seeing it the week before did not have any impact on his interest. However he has now discovered the pleasure of an air-conditioned theatre in this heat and we are finding ourselves there twice a week sometimes. Great show even if we did know the story before. History can be repeated as many times as the movie-makers like but we still love seeing it on the big screen.
Then of course there was the 'American Sniper' a film I didn't want to see. BUT seeing the morning paper had an article printed about the court case about to begin in America...the shooting murder of the sniper and friend during peace-time and of all things by a fellow American ex-army person...one whom the sniper was trying to help get over/through his Post Traumatic Stress well the interest was sprung! And it was the biggest pro-American pro-army-in-action movie one could imaging. If this is what these poor recruits have to survive in Iraq and Afghanistan then they deserve all the respect we can give them. And unfortunately we don't!! So many commit suicide on their return and we still are amazed that this should happen. There is no mystery in WAR...in fact where is the benefit one might ask? But I leave it up to you the movie-goer to decide. I'm glad I saw the film but.....
You might wonder what I thought of 'The Unbroken'...I didn't see it! Why not? Well I read the book! And to me it was the most Amercican over-write and repetitive story and all pro-America and its ways. One almost believed that it was only Japanese cruelty that existed in WW2...cruelty to Americans only! Enough was enough! In fact my grandson who attends high school in America (14yrs of age) was told that every student had to read this book in their school holidays or else! Sickening? Brain washing? Perhaps! But I can't stop giving thanks to the Americans for marching into Bavaria after world war 2 and sharing their chewing gum with me but also for rescuing us from the Japanese at Pearl Harbor. So there are two sides to every story.
Anyway about the films: saw Just Alice simply because the outside air temp was so high that sitting in a theatre with the coldest air conditioning was the only sensible option. Anyway I forgot why we went...we did go didn't we? Yes of course it was all about Alzheimers...sad but too real for me who loses words by the minute, hides Easter eggs who knows where and makes new friends every few seconds. No, seriously, not Golden Globe worthy but very real story for some. I wanted to make a doctor's appointment straight away except that I'm past the fifties so everything I forget is expected at my age.
What about 'The Theory of Everything'? Great story, loveable soft landing at the end but historically probably accurate. An astounding feat of nature and intelligent thinking to see Steven Hawkins still alive and capable of falling in love at a great age. Good on you Professor Hawkins!!
'The Imitation Game' was my partner's choice seeing his colleagues had recommended it...my seeing it the week before did not have any impact on his interest. However he has now discovered the pleasure of an air-conditioned theatre in this heat and we are finding ourselves there twice a week sometimes. Great show even if we did know the story before. History can be repeated as many times as the movie-makers like but we still love seeing it on the big screen.
Then of course there was the 'American Sniper' a film I didn't want to see. BUT seeing the morning paper had an article printed about the court case about to begin in America...the shooting murder of the sniper and friend during peace-time and of all things by a fellow American ex-army person...one whom the sniper was trying to help get over/through his Post Traumatic Stress well the interest was sprung! And it was the biggest pro-American pro-army-in-action movie one could imaging. If this is what these poor recruits have to survive in Iraq and Afghanistan then they deserve all the respect we can give them. And unfortunately we don't!! So many commit suicide on their return and we still are amazed that this should happen. There is no mystery in WAR...in fact where is the benefit one might ask? But I leave it up to you the movie-goer to decide. I'm glad I saw the film but.....
You might wonder what I thought of 'The Unbroken'...I didn't see it! Why not? Well I read the book! And to me it was the most Amercican over-write and repetitive story and all pro-America and its ways. One almost believed that it was only Japanese cruelty that existed in WW2...cruelty to Americans only! Enough was enough! In fact my grandson who attends high school in America (14yrs of age) was told that every student had to read this book in their school holidays or else! Sickening? Brain washing? Perhaps! But I can't stop giving thanks to the Americans for marching into Bavaria after world war 2 and sharing their chewing gum with me but also for rescuing us from the Japanese at Pearl Harbor. So there are two sides to every story.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
My first BRAG for 2015!
Yes it is time to write a new post on my Blog site...of course it is. And I do feel guilty not having written before this. But as you know I have been busy. Busy? How? Oh watching grass grow! That, and a bit more. Yes wasting precious money, before and after Christmas on the people who know! What? Just because they have a university degree doesn't mean they know. Do your own research is my advice. And so I have been involved in the NoWri Nov Mo or some such thing. Yes I have been writing a Novella...50000 words...and I wrote it in time to enter the 'free' print competition promoted by BLURB and free instruction to self-publish by Amazon. Only one problem surfaced...I couldn't be bothered submitting my writing. BUT having left it to smoulder and doing a number of book reviews for other authors I picked it up again, printed it and re-read it. And WOW! I am blown away and even if I do say so myself I am impressed. Here is a short overview:
An Investigative Memoir ----Truth in Fiction---- "The Pity of it All!!"
Charlotte's life is examined in terms of years of Hashimoto symptoms, both unknown and known, untreated and treated. Her experience discloses how little is known or acknowledged by those in the medical world and in the world in general. Two antagonists, one her estranged daughter and the other, her partner, challenge Charlotte in her understanding of the genetic and familial issues involved. How could an inactive gland or partially functioning gland be held to be influencing the individual's thinking and self-expression?
A time bomb existing in any family and particularly in Western Society is ready to explode the issue of obesity. Symptoms of personality change and of excessive weight carried can no longer be explained through over-eating, choice of diet, ageing, gender, pre-climacteric or post-menopausal experience or be simplified by the lack of exercise. The hormonal riot is about to be acknowledged by the medical profession. The blame will no longer oppress the innocent individual: the guilt is shifting, at last, through the recognition and application of medical knowledge.
So that is what I have been doing...besides watching my hair re-grow and understanding what Auto- Immune conditions are all about. Join me! Be an ASKAHOLIC! Ignorance is BORING! Agreed? This Novella is so far not yet published but I am working on it and that is why I think it is time to brag!
An Investigative Memoir ----Truth in Fiction---- "The Pity of it All!!"
Charlotte's life is examined in terms of years of Hashimoto symptoms, both unknown and known, untreated and treated. Her experience discloses how little is known or acknowledged by those in the medical world and in the world in general. Two antagonists, one her estranged daughter and the other, her partner, challenge Charlotte in her understanding of the genetic and familial issues involved. How could an inactive gland or partially functioning gland be held to be influencing the individual's thinking and self-expression?
A time bomb existing in any family and particularly in Western Society is ready to explode the issue of obesity. Symptoms of personality change and of excessive weight carried can no longer be explained through over-eating, choice of diet, ageing, gender, pre-climacteric or post-menopausal experience or be simplified by the lack of exercise. The hormonal riot is about to be acknowledged by the medical profession. The blame will no longer oppress the innocent individual: the guilt is shifting, at last, through the recognition and application of medical knowledge.
So that is what I have been doing...besides watching my hair re-grow and understanding what Auto- Immune conditions are all about. Join me! Be an ASKAHOLIC! Ignorance is BORING! Agreed? This Novella is so far not yet published but I am working on it and that is why I think it is time to brag!
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