Hello Ramblers,
After a discussion on the weekend with my good friend Mong, I kind of got to thinking about something I've been meaning to do for quite a while - start getting positive. Let's face it, it is eminently easy to see the glass as half empty and to blame the man for shortchanging you. Whilst I do get a certain amount of cathartic release from venting my spleen, I am sure that it's not great reading for the 1.5 people that visit my site every week (on average).
With that in mind, I hold my hand on my heart, feeling the gentle palpitations, and promise that from now on, there will be at least a 50-50 balance of positive and negative, erring on the positive side. Don't ask me to totally give up my ranting, because there's always gonna be some poison to get rid of...
Speaking of positive - one of my favourite jokes follows:
The pessimist sees the glass as half empty. The optimist sees the glass as half full. The engineer sees the glass as being twice as big as it needs to be.
I don't know about you, but I am filled with mirth at that one. The warm glow of genuine humour suffuses my body.
Anyhoo, on to a lovely warm and fuzzy happy post, without any hint of irony or negative vibe. Recently on the teev, I caught a program that left me breathless and inspired me hugely. It's called "What About Me?" - 1 Giant Leap. Let me try in my inept rambling way to describe what is a true wonder...
Firstly, you can check it out on the official website, for they say it better than I ever could. The URL is:
http://www.whataboutme.tv/#about
This is a multimedia extravaganza par excellence, as two dudes with music in their veins and questing souls travel across the globe in search of the diversity that makes the human race a true wonder. It is this diversity that fills me with hope, pride and joy. Showcased wonderfully in the television show, forthcoming DVD and soundtrack CD(s), these guys lay down a basic beat track, and get all manner of indigenous populations to add their own particular slant on a truly universal musical project. Along the way, they seek out great thinkers, philosophers and people who have truly lived, and each episode of the television series tackles a new and interesting verity of human existence.
I am tickled pink that this show exists, and look forward to purchasing all of the creative output that results from this wonderful project. I would humbly urge you all (all 1.5 of you) to check out the website and perhaps see for yourselves if this is the kind of thing that rocks your boat. One of the most amazing things about the human race is diversity, and this project showcases it to great effect.
As the great Molly Meldrum says - do yourselves a favour.
Catch you on the flip side, ramblers.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
A Maths Lesson (And The Human Cost)
Hello Ramblers,
Long time no post. This is my first rant for the year, and a rather topical one. Australia is currently reeling at the terrible tragedy in Victoria, with bushfires killing hundreds and turning townships to ash. While I do not wish to trespass on the misery of the people affected, I would like to make a crucial point. Bear with me as I set the scene for this one...
Having recently changed political direction with a new government in power, our esteemed political leaders have once again proved the old adage "same shit different shovel" very much true. We continue to drag our feet in our attempts to recreate our society into an environmentally sustainable entity.
Maths seems to be the constant defence for our unwillingness to make some hard decisions and usher in a new era wherein we can pass the future to our children with pride. It would be too expensive to invest in alternative energy. Too many jobs will be lost if we scale down the coal and timber logging industries. After 11 years of sunshine in which the previous government did nothing but waste opportunities and piss on the hay, the world has tumbled into an inevitable financial meltdown. Now the purse strings have been tightened (except for the occasional misguided attempt to pump prime our wasteful comsumption, as if that is going to save us). The chances of some genuine investment in the future are looking pretty low.
Climate change, a much discussed issue that has been greatly misrepresented over the years by the fluffy irrelevant mass media that purports to disseminate knowledge and information to the masses, is finally starting to flex its muscle in ways that can neither be denied nor ignored.
So, if simple mathematics of financial cost are applied by our leaders to deny the change to sustainable practices in our continued rape and pillage of the world, why doesn't the cost of disasters like the bushfires in Victoria and the floods in Queensland get factored in? This would more than even the equation, tipping the need for sustainable practices and fundamental change in the way that we live on this planet well into the lead. The cost in human suffering puts the issue well beyond doubt.
But no, there's a simpler answer. Just go out and spend your $950 on Chinese consumer products that you don't need. Go about your lives. Move along. Nothing to see. Everything is fine. Ruddy marvelous!
Long time no post. This is my first rant for the year, and a rather topical one. Australia is currently reeling at the terrible tragedy in Victoria, with bushfires killing hundreds and turning townships to ash. While I do not wish to trespass on the misery of the people affected, I would like to make a crucial point. Bear with me as I set the scene for this one...
Having recently changed political direction with a new government in power, our esteemed political leaders have once again proved the old adage "same shit different shovel" very much true. We continue to drag our feet in our attempts to recreate our society into an environmentally sustainable entity.
Maths seems to be the constant defence for our unwillingness to make some hard decisions and usher in a new era wherein we can pass the future to our children with pride. It would be too expensive to invest in alternative energy. Too many jobs will be lost if we scale down the coal and timber logging industries. After 11 years of sunshine in which the previous government did nothing but waste opportunities and piss on the hay, the world has tumbled into an inevitable financial meltdown. Now the purse strings have been tightened (except for the occasional misguided attempt to pump prime our wasteful comsumption, as if that is going to save us). The chances of some genuine investment in the future are looking pretty low.
Climate change, a much discussed issue that has been greatly misrepresented over the years by the fluffy irrelevant mass media that purports to disseminate knowledge and information to the masses, is finally starting to flex its muscle in ways that can neither be denied nor ignored.
So, if simple mathematics of financial cost are applied by our leaders to deny the change to sustainable practices in our continued rape and pillage of the world, why doesn't the cost of disasters like the bushfires in Victoria and the floods in Queensland get factored in? This would more than even the equation, tipping the need for sustainable practices and fundamental change in the way that we live on this planet well into the lead. The cost in human suffering puts the issue well beyond doubt.
But no, there's a simpler answer. Just go out and spend your $950 on Chinese consumer products that you don't need. Go about your lives. Move along. Nothing to see. Everything is fine. Ruddy marvelous!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Ho Cubed
Greetings Oh Ramblers,
Let me just take this moment in time to wish you all a Merry Christmas. Don't get me wrong - I am not particularly taken with the whole Jeebus thing, nor am I taken with the whole Santa/Satan capitalist thing, but this is indeed a special time of year to be cherished and raised on a pedestal.
Christmas is the one thing that I have never gotten used to in Australia. I am originally from Denmark, so my idea of Christmas is freezing cold, fireplaces, roast duck and pork, mulled wine, real pine trees, communal bowls of nuts with the cracker always nearby, clementines (a type of mandarine) and snow all around.
35 degrees, prawns on the BBQ, cold salads and beers in the sun just don't seem to capture the spirit of my childhood Christmases.
Having said all that, I must admit to a certain fondness for this time of year. It is a time to get together with family, to eat fine food, to quaff fine wine, and it provides an important bookend to our lives, since we love to compartmentalise and label everything. Christmas and New Year for me, as it is for a lot of people, is a time to reflect on the year that has been and the year that is yet to come. It is a time of delight and of promise.
One of the most important things in life is to gauge where you are, for without personal progress we are just meat robots and oxygen thieves. By relfecting on where you were and where you are, you can exercise the amazing gifts of free will and intellect, and work on the most important job that you will ever have in life - that of personal improvement.
None of us are perfect. I am a particularly flawed individual who needs to do a lot of work to head towards the ideal that I have in my mind's eye. The only way that I can improve myself is to evaluate where I am, and to continue along the path that I have set for myself. Christmas and New Year provides me with the ideal controlled environment to (dare I say it?) scientifically evaluate how I have progressed (or regressed).
As the one or two idle readers of my blog, you may think that I have spent the last year at the edge of despair, ready to jump off the precipice, screaming as I embrace oblivion. However, this is very far from the truth. I am indeed eminently happy. Some of you may have guessed that this blog is just a pressure valve for me to vent my nasty thoughts, in order to stop them from taking over my life. By writing them down, I exorcise them and am free. Very cathartic.
So, take my word for it (as I listen to Mr. T selling his Flavour Wave (and his soul) on late night commercial television in the background) I am trying very hard to ignore the capitalism side of Christmas and see instead the real beauty of a time of togetherness with family and friends.
And, guess what? I am succeeding...
Happy happy joy joy, oh ramblers...
Let me just take this moment in time to wish you all a Merry Christmas. Don't get me wrong - I am not particularly taken with the whole Jeebus thing, nor am I taken with the whole Santa/Satan capitalist thing, but this is indeed a special time of year to be cherished and raised on a pedestal.
Christmas is the one thing that I have never gotten used to in Australia. I am originally from Denmark, so my idea of Christmas is freezing cold, fireplaces, roast duck and pork, mulled wine, real pine trees, communal bowls of nuts with the cracker always nearby, clementines (a type of mandarine) and snow all around.
35 degrees, prawns on the BBQ, cold salads and beers in the sun just don't seem to capture the spirit of my childhood Christmases.
Having said all that, I must admit to a certain fondness for this time of year. It is a time to get together with family, to eat fine food, to quaff fine wine, and it provides an important bookend to our lives, since we love to compartmentalise and label everything. Christmas and New Year for me, as it is for a lot of people, is a time to reflect on the year that has been and the year that is yet to come. It is a time of delight and of promise.
One of the most important things in life is to gauge where you are, for without personal progress we are just meat robots and oxygen thieves. By relfecting on where you were and where you are, you can exercise the amazing gifts of free will and intellect, and work on the most important job that you will ever have in life - that of personal improvement.
None of us are perfect. I am a particularly flawed individual who needs to do a lot of work to head towards the ideal that I have in my mind's eye. The only way that I can improve myself is to evaluate where I am, and to continue along the path that I have set for myself. Christmas and New Year provides me with the ideal controlled environment to (dare I say it?) scientifically evaluate how I have progressed (or regressed).
As the one or two idle readers of my blog, you may think that I have spent the last year at the edge of despair, ready to jump off the precipice, screaming as I embrace oblivion. However, this is very far from the truth. I am indeed eminently happy. Some of you may have guessed that this blog is just a pressure valve for me to vent my nasty thoughts, in order to stop them from taking over my life. By writing them down, I exorcise them and am free. Very cathartic.
So, take my word for it (as I listen to Mr. T selling his Flavour Wave (and his soul) on late night commercial television in the background) I am trying very hard to ignore the capitalism side of Christmas and see instead the real beauty of a time of togetherness with family and friends.
And, guess what? I am succeeding...
Happy happy joy joy, oh ramblers...
Friday, October 31, 2008
Letter Wars, Or How I Will Be Beaten To Death By A Veteran's Walking Stick
Greets to you oh Rambling Masses,
It is with a bitter but defiant smirk that I write this post. A number of weeks ago, I took the plunge and wrote in to the letters column of our local community newspaper, The Bush Telegraph. The week before I wrote in, a letter had gotten under my skin, and I just couldn't resist the urge to respond, and to stir the pot a little.
The letter in question was a typical old man rant about the youth of today not treating the Australian flag with the respect that it MUST be treated with. I suggested that the flag and the nationalistic tendencies that go with it are an irrelevance, and we should move past this to a spirit of worldwide cooperation.
Well, the pot most definitely got stirred, and a veritable avalanche of bitter old man letters threatened to bury your favourite Rambling Ranter. In fact, I now fear that if I mention my name in public, a group of old men will come up to me and beat me to death with their walking sticks.
Such a touchy subject, nationalistic pride. I don't have much time for it myself, because I believe, as I wrote in my letters, that we are one people on one planet under one sun, but that high ideal doesn't amount to a hill of beans when a veteran's blood is up. They keep dragging it back to the whole "we fought in the war for people like you to have the freedom to write rubbish like that" instead of opening their minds to the fact that we need to move on.
What I am trying to get through to these people is a wonderful concept. You may have heard of it. It's called Evolution. It doesn't just happen on the Galapagos Islands and in the textbooks of Charles Darwin, and is more than just the process of change on the genetic level in response to survival pressures.
The Evolution I'm talking about is one of the human spirit, intellect and ethics. Being a somewhat keen though pedestrian student of history, I can't see that we have evolved terribly much as a species on these fronts in the past 4000 years or so. I feel that we have an obligation to ourselves and our progeny to develop beyond the petty, warmongering resource wasters that we are, to step up to the plate and take on the role of protectors and nurturers of this great planet.
Through mundane physical evolution, we have become the dominant species. We have it within us to be so much more than we currently are, if only we would step beyond such irrelevant concepts as nationalism and vested interests. I don't, however, hold out much hope if the letters that I have reproduced below are anything to go by.
Having said that, I received a phone call from Commander Whitmore after I sent him a hand-written copy of my response to him (my second letter to The Bush Tele), and we talked for over an hour and a half, finding that we have much in common, and see the world in a very similar light. I take that as the warning it should be - we cannot always read a book by its cover, and I am humbled by it.
I am still keeping a watchful eye out for a swinging walking stick, though.
The letters are reproduced below, starting with the one that set the whole ball rolling:
Dear Bush Tele
It is disgusting to observe the gross disrespect for the dignity of the Australian National Flag, which is indulged by so many supposedly patriotic people.
A flagrant example of this abuse was depicted on the front cover of the Bush Tele, 11 September 2008, showing people who should know better using the flag as a table cover. Flag protocol, expressly forbids the use of our flag as a table cover.
Flag protocol does not include wrapping it around the shoulders of some sweaty, smelly athlete who may or may not have been successful. Nor should it form a wrap for some ignorant participant in a patriotic ceremony or venue. It does not improve the image of the subject and indeed, insults the dignity with which the flag must be treated.
Roy Mellier
Dear Bush Tele,
To Roy Mellier:
This is regarding your recent letter published in TBTW, wherein you expressed your extreme disgust at gross disrespect of the Australian National Flag.
I understand your comments (but am unable to sympathise with them), and I would like to counter your feelings with a few of my own.
Firstly, I cannot help but to feel uncomfortable to the core of my being whenever rampant nationalism rears its head. I am no less Australian than the next citizen, but I don’t believe that this antiquated belief in the sanctity of a piece of cloth gets us anywhere.
For a start, I believe that we are one people on one planet under one sun, and all of this "patriotic" flag waving does nothing but exacerbate tensions that should never exist in the first place. We should be focusing on breaking down nationalistic barriers, not strengthening the walls that currently exist.
I don’t know if you are perhaps one of the many who risked their lives "fighting for the flag" in one of our many wars, and have resultant strong feelings about it, but it should make no difference whatsoever. It is and remains a piece of cloth and an ideal that, in my humble opinion, is outdated, irrelevant and antagonistic. Frankly, it is an anachronism and an irrelevance that we should not waste our time on.
How can you speak of dignity toward the flag when we are living in a society that still struggles valiantly with the very concept of universal dignity for such marginalised members of the community as the aged, the infirm, the mentally disabled, and any who are different from the norm? In my opinion, the flag is a piece of cloth, vastly inferior to the integrity and value of the human race in all of its manifestations across the globe, no matter what colour of cloth you wave in accordance with flag protocol.
Peter Walder, A proud flag un-waver
Dear Bush Tele,
Yes Walder (German for Wood), I am one of the aged, somewhat infirm, perhaps mentally disabled and certainly very different from the norm, if you represent the norm.
As well as being all the above, I am also one of those who in two wars and nearly 40 years in the Navy as you put it, "risked their lives fighting for the flag", that piece of cloth described by you as an anachronism, an irrelevance and a waste of time.
That piece of cloth was not the item for which we were fighting, but it was the uniting symbol of our purpose. What we were fighting for was the freedom for the likes of you to live a good life in this country and several others that were involved, and yet for you to still have the freedom to write the nonsense you penned in your letter to The Bush Tele Letters.
In one of the wars had our opponents had their way, you would not have had that freedom. Had you tried you would have ended up in the ovens, or dead from exhaustion and starvation furthering one of the victors’ causes, as did many of those who were also fighting for the likes of you.
Remember Walder the old saying, "It is far better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and dispel all doubt".
Edward Ronald Whitmore, Wahroonga
Dear Bush Tele,
I would like to comment on Peter Walder’s letter in TBTW in regards to his reply to Roy Mellier’s letter.
There is in fact an Act of Federal Parliament called the Australian Flag Act; look this up on the net if you are interested.
A piece of cloth you said.
Cop the tip mate; any man or woman who serves this country is a hero and when you are fighting for yours and your team’s life we do think of the Flag and how to best serve this OUR AUSTRALIA.
Have you had to kill the enemy or expect to give up your life?
Maybe you have.
There is no more dedicated Pacifist than an ex Service Woman or Man.
Your words Sir are an insult to those we have buried and the Australian Flag that is draped over their Coffin.
Roy is expressing his opinion as do you, the reason being that at least he fought for freedom to express your opinion.
The Flag shall NEVER touch the ground.
Go for it Roy.
Roger Okell, Berowra
Dear Bush Tele
Peter Walder, thank you for your long criticism of my reflections on abuse of our national symbol, the flag.
Your use of extravagant and occasionally malapropos phraseology does not disguise much of the waffle therein.
Whether or no, I served my King or Queen and country during time of war, does not influence my conviction that without dignity and respect, life would be untenable.
Maintaining one’s own dignity and striving to be worthy of the respect of others, along with recognising these attributes in other people and ideals, remains paramount to the continuance of an ordered and pleasant society.
The tenor of your letter provides me with little hope that a perusal of Sir Walter Scott’s famous work, "The Patriot" might create a less negative attitude in you. Perhaps though, its profundity may penetrate.
Roy Mellier, Cheero Point
My Dear Mr Whitmore,
I won't lower myself and start calling your personal quality of character into question as you did mine. I happen to believe that people can have differences of opinion without thinking their partners in open discussion are somehow deficient in wisdom or wit.
I am fully aware of the symbolic nature of the flag, and it was the concept of the symbol that I called into question through my postulation of the irrelevance of the flag. I still happen to think that, despite the very rare aberration represented by history's truly terrible dictators, wars are generally fuelled by nationalistic concerns. I further posit that mankind is facing mighty obstacles on this planet, with dwindling resources and growing population, that will see these arbitrary nationalistic barriers usher in a new age of sabre rattling.
Mr Whitmore, you obviously feel very strongly about these matters, which goes some way towards excusing your attacks on my personal character and your uncivil tongue. I would humbly remind you that discussion and differences of opinion are healthy in a free and functional society, and thank you for your timely reminder that sometimes great evils must be met by force and sacrifice in order to protect our precious freedoms.
In my rather naive way, however, I like to think that universal cooperation is far preferential to strengthening of nationalistic spirit. Who can deny that few of the world's flags can list an unsullied record of noble acts without at least a few drops of blood soaking through the cloth? I stand by my original high ideal that we are one people on one planet under one sun, and that nationalism should be abandoned in favour of, for want of a better word, "universalism".
I regret that your emotion has closed your mind to a genuine and valid difference of opinion. It was not my intent to cast aspersions on the sacrifices of those who fought for our freedoms. I know full well what was lost and what was gained. If this is simply a case of misunderstanding, then rest assured that I am grateful for your comments, and they have served to enhance my understanding.
If not the result of a simple misunderstanding and you honestly consider me a fool, then I can only say that is your right, and it saddens me. However, it does not change the opinions that my own reason, defective or otherwise, has led me to hold dear. On my part, I respectfully agree to disagree.
Regards to all of my fellow society members, with all of our delightful and stimulating differences of opinion,
Peter Walder
Proud to be foolish at times
It is with a bitter but defiant smirk that I write this post. A number of weeks ago, I took the plunge and wrote in to the letters column of our local community newspaper, The Bush Telegraph. The week before I wrote in, a letter had gotten under my skin, and I just couldn't resist the urge to respond, and to stir the pot a little.
The letter in question was a typical old man rant about the youth of today not treating the Australian flag with the respect that it MUST be treated with. I suggested that the flag and the nationalistic tendencies that go with it are an irrelevance, and we should move past this to a spirit of worldwide cooperation.
Well, the pot most definitely got stirred, and a veritable avalanche of bitter old man letters threatened to bury your favourite Rambling Ranter. In fact, I now fear that if I mention my name in public, a group of old men will come up to me and beat me to death with their walking sticks.
Such a touchy subject, nationalistic pride. I don't have much time for it myself, because I believe, as I wrote in my letters, that we are one people on one planet under one sun, but that high ideal doesn't amount to a hill of beans when a veteran's blood is up. They keep dragging it back to the whole "we fought in the war for people like you to have the freedom to write rubbish like that" instead of opening their minds to the fact that we need to move on.
What I am trying to get through to these people is a wonderful concept. You may have heard of it. It's called Evolution. It doesn't just happen on the Galapagos Islands and in the textbooks of Charles Darwin, and is more than just the process of change on the genetic level in response to survival pressures.
The Evolution I'm talking about is one of the human spirit, intellect and ethics. Being a somewhat keen though pedestrian student of history, I can't see that we have evolved terribly much as a species on these fronts in the past 4000 years or so. I feel that we have an obligation to ourselves and our progeny to develop beyond the petty, warmongering resource wasters that we are, to step up to the plate and take on the role of protectors and nurturers of this great planet.
Through mundane physical evolution, we have become the dominant species. We have it within us to be so much more than we currently are, if only we would step beyond such irrelevant concepts as nationalism and vested interests. I don't, however, hold out much hope if the letters that I have reproduced below are anything to go by.
Having said that, I received a phone call from Commander Whitmore after I sent him a hand-written copy of my response to him (my second letter to The Bush Tele), and we talked for over an hour and a half, finding that we have much in common, and see the world in a very similar light. I take that as the warning it should be - we cannot always read a book by its cover, and I am humbled by it.
I am still keeping a watchful eye out for a swinging walking stick, though.
The letters are reproduced below, starting with the one that set the whole ball rolling:
Dear Bush Tele
It is disgusting to observe the gross disrespect for the dignity of the Australian National Flag, which is indulged by so many supposedly patriotic people.
A flagrant example of this abuse was depicted on the front cover of the Bush Tele, 11 September 2008, showing people who should know better using the flag as a table cover. Flag protocol, expressly forbids the use of our flag as a table cover.
Flag protocol does not include wrapping it around the shoulders of some sweaty, smelly athlete who may or may not have been successful. Nor should it form a wrap for some ignorant participant in a patriotic ceremony or venue. It does not improve the image of the subject and indeed, insults the dignity with which the flag must be treated.
Roy Mellier
Dear Bush Tele,
To Roy Mellier:
This is regarding your recent letter published in TBTW, wherein you expressed your extreme disgust at gross disrespect of the Australian National Flag.
I understand your comments (but am unable to sympathise with them), and I would like to counter your feelings with a few of my own.
Firstly, I cannot help but to feel uncomfortable to the core of my being whenever rampant nationalism rears its head. I am no less Australian than the next citizen, but I don’t believe that this antiquated belief in the sanctity of a piece of cloth gets us anywhere.
For a start, I believe that we are one people on one planet under one sun, and all of this "patriotic" flag waving does nothing but exacerbate tensions that should never exist in the first place. We should be focusing on breaking down nationalistic barriers, not strengthening the walls that currently exist.
I don’t know if you are perhaps one of the many who risked their lives "fighting for the flag" in one of our many wars, and have resultant strong feelings about it, but it should make no difference whatsoever. It is and remains a piece of cloth and an ideal that, in my humble opinion, is outdated, irrelevant and antagonistic. Frankly, it is an anachronism and an irrelevance that we should not waste our time on.
How can you speak of dignity toward the flag when we are living in a society that still struggles valiantly with the very concept of universal dignity for such marginalised members of the community as the aged, the infirm, the mentally disabled, and any who are different from the norm? In my opinion, the flag is a piece of cloth, vastly inferior to the integrity and value of the human race in all of its manifestations across the globe, no matter what colour of cloth you wave in accordance with flag protocol.
Peter Walder, A proud flag un-waver
Dear Bush Tele,
Yes Walder (German for Wood), I am one of the aged, somewhat infirm, perhaps mentally disabled and certainly very different from the norm, if you represent the norm.
As well as being all the above, I am also one of those who in two wars and nearly 40 years in the Navy as you put it, "risked their lives fighting for the flag", that piece of cloth described by you as an anachronism, an irrelevance and a waste of time.
That piece of cloth was not the item for which we were fighting, but it was the uniting symbol of our purpose. What we were fighting for was the freedom for the likes of you to live a good life in this country and several others that were involved, and yet for you to still have the freedom to write the nonsense you penned in your letter to The Bush Tele Letters.
In one of the wars had our opponents had their way, you would not have had that freedom. Had you tried you would have ended up in the ovens, or dead from exhaustion and starvation furthering one of the victors’ causes, as did many of those who were also fighting for the likes of you.
Remember Walder the old saying, "It is far better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and dispel all doubt".
Edward Ronald Whitmore, Wahroonga
Dear Bush Tele,
I would like to comment on Peter Walder’s letter in TBTW in regards to his reply to Roy Mellier’s letter.
There is in fact an Act of Federal Parliament called the Australian Flag Act; look this up on the net if you are interested.
A piece of cloth you said.
Cop the tip mate; any man or woman who serves this country is a hero and when you are fighting for yours and your team’s life we do think of the Flag and how to best serve this OUR AUSTRALIA.
Have you had to kill the enemy or expect to give up your life?
Maybe you have.
There is no more dedicated Pacifist than an ex Service Woman or Man.
Your words Sir are an insult to those we have buried and the Australian Flag that is draped over their Coffin.
Roy is expressing his opinion as do you, the reason being that at least he fought for freedom to express your opinion.
The Flag shall NEVER touch the ground.
Go for it Roy.
Roger Okell, Berowra
Dear Bush Tele
Peter Walder, thank you for your long criticism of my reflections on abuse of our national symbol, the flag.
Your use of extravagant and occasionally malapropos phraseology does not disguise much of the waffle therein.
Whether or no, I served my King or Queen and country during time of war, does not influence my conviction that without dignity and respect, life would be untenable.
Maintaining one’s own dignity and striving to be worthy of the respect of others, along with recognising these attributes in other people and ideals, remains paramount to the continuance of an ordered and pleasant society.
The tenor of your letter provides me with little hope that a perusal of Sir Walter Scott’s famous work, "The Patriot" might create a less negative attitude in you. Perhaps though, its profundity may penetrate.
Roy Mellier, Cheero Point
My Dear Mr Whitmore,
I won't lower myself and start calling your personal quality of character into question as you did mine. I happen to believe that people can have differences of opinion without thinking their partners in open discussion are somehow deficient in wisdom or wit.
I am fully aware of the symbolic nature of the flag, and it was the concept of the symbol that I called into question through my postulation of the irrelevance of the flag. I still happen to think that, despite the very rare aberration represented by history's truly terrible dictators, wars are generally fuelled by nationalistic concerns. I further posit that mankind is facing mighty obstacles on this planet, with dwindling resources and growing population, that will see these arbitrary nationalistic barriers usher in a new age of sabre rattling.
Mr Whitmore, you obviously feel very strongly about these matters, which goes some way towards excusing your attacks on my personal character and your uncivil tongue. I would humbly remind you that discussion and differences of opinion are healthy in a free and functional society, and thank you for your timely reminder that sometimes great evils must be met by force and sacrifice in order to protect our precious freedoms.
In my rather naive way, however, I like to think that universal cooperation is far preferential to strengthening of nationalistic spirit. Who can deny that few of the world's flags can list an unsullied record of noble acts without at least a few drops of blood soaking through the cloth? I stand by my original high ideal that we are one people on one planet under one sun, and that nationalism should be abandoned in favour of, for want of a better word, "universalism".
I regret that your emotion has closed your mind to a genuine and valid difference of opinion. It was not my intent to cast aspersions on the sacrifices of those who fought for our freedoms. I know full well what was lost and what was gained. If this is simply a case of misunderstanding, then rest assured that I am grateful for your comments, and they have served to enhance my understanding.
If not the result of a simple misunderstanding and you honestly consider me a fool, then I can only say that is your right, and it saddens me. However, it does not change the opinions that my own reason, defective or otherwise, has led me to hold dear. On my part, I respectfully agree to disagree.
Regards to all of my fellow society members, with all of our delightful and stimulating differences of opinion,
Peter Walder
Proud to be foolish at times
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Capitalism And A Simple Petri Dish
Hello Oh Ramblers,
Here's hoping that the current worldwide financial crisis will be ever so much worse than everyone fears. I have a dream - I hope to see all of the fat pig executives, those uber-greedy tools of the monied powers, open up the windows of their top-floor offices and take a great big dive into thin air, raining down on the streets below.
Hopefully this rain will wash away an evil that has hypnotised three generations of people who have been living way beyond their means without regard for their fellow humans or the planet on which we all live.
I can't believe that people are surprised at the current state of affairs. It is merely the natural conclusion of capitalism left to grow and abuse resources unchecked. The grand, sweeping towers and monuments of capitalism are built on foundations of greed and an unwavering aim to become the biggest, the strongest, the greatest, irrespective of the physical and ethical boundaries in its way.
It always amazes me that people complain about monopolistic behaviour in capitalism. Isn't that the natural end game? Eventually, one big corporation will swallow up everything else, in a grand parody of Darwinian evolution. The most efficient and ruthless player will best all of their competitors on the economic field of battle, and will then be free to unleash their insatiable thirst for greater profits on the ragdoll bodies left strewn on the battlefield.
This very thing has been happening with China for years now. Seen as a poster child for economic success, everyone points to China and says what a great success they are. I've been there. It's smelly, polluted and disaffected, with a billion people ready to spend up big as soon as they realise the capitalist dream that we've all been chasing for the past hundred years or so. Just what the planet needs - at a rate of about one coal-fired power plant per week.
As China has become the dominant production force that feeds the insatiable hunger of the consuming nations, they have paid a heavy toll indeed. Pollution is only one small part of it. The rest of the world has been only too happy to abrogate responsibility - let's face it, we get all this neat stuff from China, and don't get to see how much damage it's doing to our planet, because their backyard is suitably far away, locked behind the Great Wall and too many rabbits.
Before this fine economic meltdown came along, my greatest fear was that, once China had strangled every country's manufacturing industries by out-competing them, they would be able to control the world markets and name their price. After all, it is the end game of capitalism - best your competition to control the market.
My fear now is that we will not learn our lessons. Capitalism will continue to be the ruling power on our planet, and the really tough issues, like pollution, resource depletion, species extinction, chronic overpopulation and declining quality of life, will continue to remain unaddressed.
The current response by the ruling governments of the world is to encourage their fine people to spend their way out of the looming recessions. The undeniable equation is this - we have too many people on this planet, and many of them are living way beyond any reasonable or sustainable means. Continual growth is what has kept the fallacy of capitalism going way past its use by date. Continual growth will not solve the problem. Continual growth is the problem.
Just look at a simple petri dish in a laboratory. The dish has a finite food source and a bacterial culture. Simplicity itself, and a wonderful scientific construct that acts as more than just a simple metaphor for our planet and our current situation. The bacteria will thrive, experiencing exponential growth. Times are great, and the bacteria are throwing expensive parties left, right and center. Wow! This growth is great! We will keep growing forever. Go bacteria!
Then the bacteria run out of food and all of them die. Duh! Go figure. Now that's hardly rocket science.
So, go out and spend, oh rambling masses, like good capitalist puppets. Everything will be fine. Mankind will find a way to satisfy insatiable greed with finite resources. It can't be that hard to transcend immutable laws of nature, right?
Here's hoping that the current worldwide financial crisis will be ever so much worse than everyone fears. I have a dream - I hope to see all of the fat pig executives, those uber-greedy tools of the monied powers, open up the windows of their top-floor offices and take a great big dive into thin air, raining down on the streets below.
Hopefully this rain will wash away an evil that has hypnotised three generations of people who have been living way beyond their means without regard for their fellow humans or the planet on which we all live.
I can't believe that people are surprised at the current state of affairs. It is merely the natural conclusion of capitalism left to grow and abuse resources unchecked. The grand, sweeping towers and monuments of capitalism are built on foundations of greed and an unwavering aim to become the biggest, the strongest, the greatest, irrespective of the physical and ethical boundaries in its way.
It always amazes me that people complain about monopolistic behaviour in capitalism. Isn't that the natural end game? Eventually, one big corporation will swallow up everything else, in a grand parody of Darwinian evolution. The most efficient and ruthless player will best all of their competitors on the economic field of battle, and will then be free to unleash their insatiable thirst for greater profits on the ragdoll bodies left strewn on the battlefield.
This very thing has been happening with China for years now. Seen as a poster child for economic success, everyone points to China and says what a great success they are. I've been there. It's smelly, polluted and disaffected, with a billion people ready to spend up big as soon as they realise the capitalist dream that we've all been chasing for the past hundred years or so. Just what the planet needs - at a rate of about one coal-fired power plant per week.
As China has become the dominant production force that feeds the insatiable hunger of the consuming nations, they have paid a heavy toll indeed. Pollution is only one small part of it. The rest of the world has been only too happy to abrogate responsibility - let's face it, we get all this neat stuff from China, and don't get to see how much damage it's doing to our planet, because their backyard is suitably far away, locked behind the Great Wall and too many rabbits.
Before this fine economic meltdown came along, my greatest fear was that, once China had strangled every country's manufacturing industries by out-competing them, they would be able to control the world markets and name their price. After all, it is the end game of capitalism - best your competition to control the market.
My fear now is that we will not learn our lessons. Capitalism will continue to be the ruling power on our planet, and the really tough issues, like pollution, resource depletion, species extinction, chronic overpopulation and declining quality of life, will continue to remain unaddressed.
The current response by the ruling governments of the world is to encourage their fine people to spend their way out of the looming recessions. The undeniable equation is this - we have too many people on this planet, and many of them are living way beyond any reasonable or sustainable means. Continual growth is what has kept the fallacy of capitalism going way past its use by date. Continual growth will not solve the problem. Continual growth is the problem.
Just look at a simple petri dish in a laboratory. The dish has a finite food source and a bacterial culture. Simplicity itself, and a wonderful scientific construct that acts as more than just a simple metaphor for our planet and our current situation. The bacteria will thrive, experiencing exponential growth. Times are great, and the bacteria are throwing expensive parties left, right and center. Wow! This growth is great! We will keep growing forever. Go bacteria!
Then the bacteria run out of food and all of them die. Duh! Go figure. Now that's hardly rocket science.
So, go out and spend, oh rambling masses, like good capitalist puppets. Everything will be fine. Mankind will find a way to satisfy insatiable greed with finite resources. It can't be that hard to transcend immutable laws of nature, right?
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Give Me Strength
Hello Ramblers,
As the title suggest, this is a desperate attempt to gain strength from any quarter possible.
Give me strength to fight the ever-present pervasive forces of capitalism as they continually sap my energy with their soul-destroying in-your-face injections of poison. Every time I see an advert, whether on the idiot tube, in the ongoing bombardment of what used to be good trees but is now glossy mass media advertising in my mailbox, or the annoyance of advertising on the internet or radio, a little piece of my soul is transformed to pure rage instead of the peace and joy that it should be experiencing.
I cannot countenance advertising in any form other than the purely informational. If I had my way, every single media mogul, advertising executive, marketing guru and demographic surveyor would feel my Viking anger, slowly slipping down the edge of my blade as their bodies came to rest on the hilt of my tightly held sword of righteous vengeance.
I know their tricks too well, and can spot their fake posturings a mile off. Their little psychological games and NLP tricks cannot sway me - in fact I have a severe knee-jerk reaction every time I am targeted by their vapid mass-media fumblings. I am very much a channel surfer. Every time an advert spoils my viewing or listening pleasure on the TV or radio, I am instantly transformed from a passive participant to a militant hater of all things capitalist.
I work hard to try and maintain my sanity in a world gone mad. Whenever advertising or any of the multiple manifestations of the capitalist machine invades my consciousness, I am left feeling embittered, personally violated, and full of rage and hate for the vapid masses of human detritus that waste the resources of this great planet.
Fuck off and leave me alone. The futuristic views of Minority Report, where public stations everywhere scan your iris, identify you, and target advertising to their stored profiles of your spending habits are not so far away. I would put it to you that they are already here, except for the high-tech delivery of their poisonous messages.
And what are the rulers of our world doing in this current "economic crisis"? Encouraging all of us to spend, spend, spend; wanting us to continue to feed the rabid, rampant capitalist monster that has destroyed our planet and prostituted our souls. Great solution, assholes.
Where is my sword? Where is my sanity?
As the title suggest, this is a desperate attempt to gain strength from any quarter possible.
Give me strength to fight the ever-present pervasive forces of capitalism as they continually sap my energy with their soul-destroying in-your-face injections of poison. Every time I see an advert, whether on the idiot tube, in the ongoing bombardment of what used to be good trees but is now glossy mass media advertising in my mailbox, or the annoyance of advertising on the internet or radio, a little piece of my soul is transformed to pure rage instead of the peace and joy that it should be experiencing.
I cannot countenance advertising in any form other than the purely informational. If I had my way, every single media mogul, advertising executive, marketing guru and demographic surveyor would feel my Viking anger, slowly slipping down the edge of my blade as their bodies came to rest on the hilt of my tightly held sword of righteous vengeance.
I know their tricks too well, and can spot their fake posturings a mile off. Their little psychological games and NLP tricks cannot sway me - in fact I have a severe knee-jerk reaction every time I am targeted by their vapid mass-media fumblings. I am very much a channel surfer. Every time an advert spoils my viewing or listening pleasure on the TV or radio, I am instantly transformed from a passive participant to a militant hater of all things capitalist.
I work hard to try and maintain my sanity in a world gone mad. Whenever advertising or any of the multiple manifestations of the capitalist machine invades my consciousness, I am left feeling embittered, personally violated, and full of rage and hate for the vapid masses of human detritus that waste the resources of this great planet.
Fuck off and leave me alone. The futuristic views of Minority Report, where public stations everywhere scan your iris, identify you, and target advertising to their stored profiles of your spending habits are not so far away. I would put it to you that they are already here, except for the high-tech delivery of their poisonous messages.
And what are the rulers of our world doing in this current "economic crisis"? Encouraging all of us to spend, spend, spend; wanting us to continue to feed the rabid, rampant capitalist monster that has destroyed our planet and prostituted our souls. Great solution, assholes.
Where is my sword? Where is my sanity?
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
A Capital Idea
Greetings Ramblers,
Let me firstly say sorry to any pensioners I may offend in the following post, for they are the only real undeserving victims of our current economic woes. Everyone else deserves all that they have coming to them.
So, let's launch straight into it - I cannot keep the smile from my dial. In fact, my cheeks (both sets) are sore from smiling. It is almost impossible for me to contain my mirth resulting from the long-deserved stumble into the wilderness for the worldwide fraternity of eternally greedy fat capitalist pigs.
I personally hope that no whiff of a rescue package ever makes it to Wall Street. It's worth the financial pain of a few million people just to see the greedy bastards get their come-uppance.
My wife put the whole world financial crisis into fabulous context with some very simple words to me yesterday. She said:
Let's face it - it's all crap anyway, this whole stock market thing. To think that a company that floats on the stock exchange goes from being an ordinary business to being a megalomaniacal financial construct that puts the mythical "shareholders" on a golden pedestal and forsakes all of those quaint, antiquated concepts like customers, employees, community obligations, morality, sustainability and modest/achievable growth. All decisions become a cynical exercise of determining the resultant effect on the share price. Not only that, but a genuinely solid company can hit the skids just because a bunch of rich assholes get spooked and decide to sell their shares. I've never understood it, and I never want to, because it would dirty my soul and crush my spirit irrevocably.
I cannot believe the amount of time and energy wasted worldwide in speculation, hedging and all of the other crap that is involved with the capitalist movement of money. The way I see it, until mankind realises that there are waaaay more important issues currently facing us (such as our continued existence on this planet), we are screwed. What we need to do is to make some very hard decisions on a multitude of issues (pollution, deforestation, energy depletion, resource depletion, mass extinctions, etc). Unfortunately, nobody has the political will or the desire to change anything if it affects our precious economies. For craps sake people - if we don't do something within the next few years (not decades) then all of the money in the world will count for nothing. Money won't make all of the pollution magically disappear, nor will it make us suddenly understand the nearly infinite complexity of the creation around us that we are trying to play God with.
Now I know that millions of people worldwide are going to suffer the consequences of this so-called financial meltdown. Tough. I have little or no sympathy for them (except for the aforementioned undeserving victims such as pensioners). My wife and I won't have any problems at all, and do you know why? Because we've worked our butts off to minimise our debts. We've made concessions and compromises throughout our lives to ensure that we live within our means. We have not relied on all of that easy credit that's been sloshing around for a decade or so, because we are realists. And lastly, we are not nearly as materialistic as the vast majority of spoiled brats that populate the modern developed world.
So, to everyone who has overextended themselves, has lived beyond their means, has reaped fruits that they have not yet sown - well duuuuuuuuuh! It's not like you didn't have it coming to you. Serves you right.
And if it ever got as bad here in Australia as it is in the good ole U S of A, then I would fight tooth and nail to block any taxpayer-funded bailout. Why should the fruits of my hard labours be used to fund a bunch of people who have been hypnotised by the bouncing carrot that capitalism offers oh-so-tantalisingly out of reach?
I would much rather settle for the potato at my feet than the golden carrots all those idiots jump blindly for.
One of my greatest hopes is that this isn't just a temporary blip on the financial radar. I've always hated capitalism with a passion, and yearn to see the day when the greedy fall to their knees and realise that their soul-destroying ways have all been for nothing. I want to see the whole damn system ground into the poisonous ooze from which it was spawned, and the sooner the better.
Most likely, the fears on Wall Street will have been overplayed, in a typically cynical effort by the monied powers to obtain yet another get-out-of-jail-free card. This hated capitalism will continue unchecked, destroying all hope for rhyme or reason. The real issues will remain hidden behind reality TV, media conglomerates, fluffy news organisations that fail to disseminate the fundamental truths to the vapid masses, the latest celebrity scandal, soap operas, marketing blitzes that brainwash the stupid into buying more things they don't need, and a bunch of politicians driven by the economic backers that got them where they are.
I fear that there's life in the old whore yet, and she will rise from her deathbed and screw the world again.
Maybe it's for the best. If we truly fall for the same old tricks yet again, then we don't deserve to continue as a species on this planet. Time to let Darwin's evolution take us to the inevitable consequence, and the sooner the better. Let the chimps or dolphins have a go before we kill them off... they surely can't do any worse.
Let me firstly say sorry to any pensioners I may offend in the following post, for they are the only real undeserving victims of our current economic woes. Everyone else deserves all that they have coming to them.
So, let's launch straight into it - I cannot keep the smile from my dial. In fact, my cheeks (both sets) are sore from smiling. It is almost impossible for me to contain my mirth resulting from the long-deserved stumble into the wilderness for the worldwide fraternity of eternally greedy fat capitalist pigs.
I personally hope that no whiff of a rescue package ever makes it to Wall Street. It's worth the financial pain of a few million people just to see the greedy bastards get their come-uppance.
My wife put the whole world financial crisis into fabulous context with some very simple words to me yesterday. She said:
Yesterday, there was a lot of pretend money. Today, there isn't quite as much pretend money.
Let's face it - it's all crap anyway, this whole stock market thing. To think that a company that floats on the stock exchange goes from being an ordinary business to being a megalomaniacal financial construct that puts the mythical "shareholders" on a golden pedestal and forsakes all of those quaint, antiquated concepts like customers, employees, community obligations, morality, sustainability and modest/achievable growth. All decisions become a cynical exercise of determining the resultant effect on the share price. Not only that, but a genuinely solid company can hit the skids just because a bunch of rich assholes get spooked and decide to sell their shares. I've never understood it, and I never want to, because it would dirty my soul and crush my spirit irrevocably.
I cannot believe the amount of time and energy wasted worldwide in speculation, hedging and all of the other crap that is involved with the capitalist movement of money. The way I see it, until mankind realises that there are waaaay more important issues currently facing us (such as our continued existence on this planet), we are screwed. What we need to do is to make some very hard decisions on a multitude of issues (pollution, deforestation, energy depletion, resource depletion, mass extinctions, etc). Unfortunately, nobody has the political will or the desire to change anything if it affects our precious economies. For craps sake people - if we don't do something within the next few years (not decades) then all of the money in the world will count for nothing. Money won't make all of the pollution magically disappear, nor will it make us suddenly understand the nearly infinite complexity of the creation around us that we are trying to play God with.
Now I know that millions of people worldwide are going to suffer the consequences of this so-called financial meltdown. Tough. I have little or no sympathy for them (except for the aforementioned undeserving victims such as pensioners). My wife and I won't have any problems at all, and do you know why? Because we've worked our butts off to minimise our debts. We've made concessions and compromises throughout our lives to ensure that we live within our means. We have not relied on all of that easy credit that's been sloshing around for a decade or so, because we are realists. And lastly, we are not nearly as materialistic as the vast majority of spoiled brats that populate the modern developed world.
So, to everyone who has overextended themselves, has lived beyond their means, has reaped fruits that they have not yet sown - well duuuuuuuuuh! It's not like you didn't have it coming to you. Serves you right.
And if it ever got as bad here in Australia as it is in the good ole U S of A, then I would fight tooth and nail to block any taxpayer-funded bailout. Why should the fruits of my hard labours be used to fund a bunch of people who have been hypnotised by the bouncing carrot that capitalism offers oh-so-tantalisingly out of reach?
I would much rather settle for the potato at my feet than the golden carrots all those idiots jump blindly for.
One of my greatest hopes is that this isn't just a temporary blip on the financial radar. I've always hated capitalism with a passion, and yearn to see the day when the greedy fall to their knees and realise that their soul-destroying ways have all been for nothing. I want to see the whole damn system ground into the poisonous ooze from which it was spawned, and the sooner the better.
Most likely, the fears on Wall Street will have been overplayed, in a typically cynical effort by the monied powers to obtain yet another get-out-of-jail-free card. This hated capitalism will continue unchecked, destroying all hope for rhyme or reason. The real issues will remain hidden behind reality TV, media conglomerates, fluffy news organisations that fail to disseminate the fundamental truths to the vapid masses, the latest celebrity scandal, soap operas, marketing blitzes that brainwash the stupid into buying more things they don't need, and a bunch of politicians driven by the economic backers that got them where they are.
I fear that there's life in the old whore yet, and she will rise from her deathbed and screw the world again.
Maybe it's for the best. If we truly fall for the same old tricks yet again, then we don't deserve to continue as a species on this planet. Time to let Darwin's evolution take us to the inevitable consequence, and the sooner the better. Let the chimps or dolphins have a go before we kill them off... they surely can't do any worse.
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