A Grateful Nation Salutes Problem Gamblers #auspol

I've been following the current hoopla surrounding Andrew Wilkie's proposed law regarding mandatory pre-commitment technology on poker machines.

As time passes I'm becoming more sickened by the arguments being pushed by the clubs, pubs and casinos.

If you listen to these worthy institutions, you'd be under the impression that the world as we know it will come crashing down. Grants to community organisations will cease, facilities in clubs will suffer, some clubs may well close.

Taking this argument to its logical conclusion, it's obvious that problem gamblers are all that lays between club viability and disaster.

Thank you problem gamblers! What a selfless bunch you are. Thanks to your wages, home, savings and/or family the rest of us can enjoy a nice cheap Surf'n'Turf in the club bistro and knock back icy cold cheap beer. We can kick back and watch a Neil Diamond look-alike perform in the club auditorium and our kids can play footy in the strip so kindly provided as a gesture toward community spirit.

I don't drink alcohol but I shall raise a nice dewy schooner of coke in your general direction!

What kind of madness has overcome us, petals? To actively promote the evils of gambling as some kind of indispensible benefit to the community is plain wrong on so many fronts. If our coummunity is so dependant on the money sourced from those poor souls with this dreadful affliction then it is a sick society.

I can't even guess the outcome of this particular issue, as we all know it could bring about the fall of the Gillard government. On second thoughts, that's probably not such a bad idea!

As always, my thoughts.

Let's bring the Running of the Bulls to Canberra!

I noticed on the Twitter feeds that a bronzed Son of Anzac had managed to get himself skewered by El Toro during the Running of the Bulls in Spain.

My first thought was ... "What a frigging idiot! You get what you deserve!"

My second thought was to question how Australians have managed to become such a molly-coddled, politically correct nation of nancy-boys and girls and how nothing like this could occur here, not in a million years!

Let's imagine for one second that some entrepreneur wanted to stage our very own Running of the Bulls in the national capital. On a lazy Sunday in summer it was envisaged that several bulls would be let loose down Bunda Street preceded by any number of idiots that were left over from the previous night's drunken brawls in and around the shit-holes that pass for night clubs in Canberra. The entrepreneur was hoping to replicate the real deal by having no real safety precautions, the crazy, gabbling crowd could mill around anywhere they felt like it. In essence, it would be a right royal circus and a shit fight!

Sounds crazy, sounds dangerous, sounds like an awesome tourist draw card.

Then the Fun Police descend. It would be howled down by animal welfare groups. Feminists would object because it precluded female participation. ACT Government OH&S inspectors would be all over it. The ACT Government, infested with lefties and greenies, would go ballistic. Insurance companies would refuse to cover it. Police would be upset at the traffic disruption and behaviour of the crowds. Church groups would be aghast. Arty-farty citizens of inner north and south would be whining because they couldn't attend their usual city street coffee shops, The National Capital Authority would be belly-aching because it bought colour and vibrancy to the city centre.

I've only just scratched the surface ... it just wouldn't happen.

Once upon a time there were two events held in Canberra which bought life and colour to the place. These were Summernats and the Canberra 400 V8 Supercars. Only Summernats survives. The Canberra 400 was driven from town by the PC wankers of the local ALP supported by the NIMBYs of inner south Canberra. I'm not a fan of motor sport but these two events DID bring people to Canberra. True, they weren't the types you'd see breathlessly wandering the National Gallery or hanging out at the National Library. They were your ordinary, average, everyday bogan Aussie from real towns and communities.

What do we currently have as a tourist draw card in the national capital? A bloody flower show! Nanas and Pops come from all over to marvel at the lovely blooms. Arty types fawn over the various works of art. The food and wine lovers gasp at the various offerings. It's as boring as bat-shit. The only other blips on the radar are various exhibitions at the National Gallery when a collection of paintings by some long dead foreign bloke with an unpronounceable name are slung up on the walls. Oh the excitement!

Let's bring the bulls to Canberra.

I'm going to invest in a new pair of runners though.

Peace!

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/breaking-news/pamplona-bull-gores-reckless-australian/story-e6freuyi-1226091106467

Gizmo - computer repairs, computer support - excellent service and a great business!

This mob are great.

I had used them once before in Canberra where they came out and fixed a laptop in no time at all, a machine that a local Ulladulla computer "guru" had told us to junk because the motherboard was stuffed! There was nothing wrong with it!

In today's experience they fixed Leslie's laptop, which is only a few months old, by remote access as they don't service the Ulladulla area physically.

This Toshiba laptop, bought from a local Ulladulla computer dealer, apparently had old display drivers installed. We took it back to the dealer who after keeping it for a couple of days claimed there was nothing physically wrong with the machine that warranty applied to and charged us $100 for looking. They pontificated that the only solution was to do a total reinstall of Windows, which as anyone knows is not something to undertake lightly as the machine goes back to factory standard.

I decamped with the computer, vowing (to myself I must add) never to darken their doorstep again, and we won't!

So in essence, Gizmo have for the total cost of $170 and $99 which totals $269, saved us scrapping one lap top that would cost $1,500 to replace and a hell of a lot of hassle preparing another machine for being unnecessarily dicked around with.

Credit to Gizmo, no credit at all to certain local experts, who in my opinion suck!

Keep Gizmo in mind if you need help. Find them here.

The Bad Arsed Rainbow Lorikeets Of Mollymook

Earlier this month the Lovely Leslie and I broke our fast at The Beach Hut Cafe, down on Mollymook Beach. It's a lovely spot, especially out of tourist season and during the working week. The only company you are likely to stumble across are pensioners or stay-at-home mums and their little ones.

There we were enjoying our bacon and eggs when we interrupted by the squawking of some very cheeky Trichoglossus haematodus, aka the Rainbow Lorikeet. They made their presence known by settling on the head of a young child who promptly squealed with laughter and fear. After terrorising her for a bit they thought we were a bit more interesting, considering we were eating after all!

To cut a long and fairly boring story short, they performed their tame little tricks like sitting on your hand and so forth, then just to prove they had some spirit one decided he wanted to walk in our breakfast.

We managed a couple of pics and vids on the trusty iPhone before beating a retreat.

One thing that has troubled me for some time now ... is it okay for birds to eat egg? Is there a moral issue here?

Pretty pictures follow.

Ciao for now!

Pedro

Be At Peace With The World My Son!

I decided to drive Kermit up to Canberra this week. For those who aren't aware, Kermit is our new, zippy little Mazda 2 Genki that we purchased a couple of months ago.

Anyway, this morning I was heading out to Calwell to get some change from Bendigo Bank. There I was, sitting at the lights on Canberra Avenue & Hindmarsh Drive intersection, minding my own business, casually scratching my balls and feeling quite at peace with the world. In the next lane was a very nice looking new Holden SS Commodore sedan, young bloke at the wheel.

I kind of looked admiringly at his car, he looked at me somewhat disdainfully. The lights changed, he disappears in roar of twin exhaust and a fine spray of dust and minute particles of gravel.

As I motored off I reflected on this bizarre behaviour. What possessed him to do this? The fact he could beat the arse off me in a drag was really a no brainer. He was in a 6 litre Aussie muscle car, I was driving a bright green 1.5 litre Japanese frog. He was young and stupid, I was old and hopefully just a bit wiser. At no stage did I poke fun or laugh at about his cock size! For all I know he was hung like a horse. I wasn't rude or aggressive.

All I can say is ... take it easy my son. There's enough bad ju-ju in the world without having to get yourself so stressed that you have to drag off a grandfather driving a little green rice burner!

Actually, I should thank him for reminding me that my $672 speeding fine is due this week!

PS: Obscure Fact - Genki is a Japanese word that that reflects health, vitality, energy. A bouncy cheerful female character is often refered to as genki.

#Bunnings Fyshwick. A Tale Of Bad Ju-Ju

It goes like this.

Ulladulla Pedro: G'day mate, was wondering if you knew anything about curtain tracks.

Bunnings Bloke: No

Ulladulla Pedro: Do you know of anyone who does?

Bunnings Bloke:  Yes, but he's on holidays.

Ulladulla Pedro: That'd be f***ing about right wouldn't it! God you lot give me the shits!

Bunnings Bloke: What kind of track were you after?

Ulladulla Pedro: (Goes and grabs the only kind they have).

Bunnings Bloke: (Opens it up with his knife. It's totally the wrong kind and it's all they have).

Ulladulla Pedro: That's no good mate, totally the wrong kind.

Bunnings Bloke: Okay, sorry bout that mate.

Ulladulla Pedro: (Stomps off)

Has anyone ever noticed that Bunnings is nothing but a repository for cheap crap made in China that is either the wrong model, wrong size, wrong colour or the type of thing you are after went out of production last week and you have to totally re-buy everything so what ever it is goes together?

It seems Bunnings Fyshwick is the worst of the lot.

Bugger 'em!

The Shape Of Things To Come #nswvotes #auspol

I was driving into Canberra this morning travelling along Canberra Avenue heading towards Fyshwick, just near the traffic lights at HMAS Harman.

On the side of the road was a trailer with big signs for Steve Whan, the ALP member for Monaro. Next to it was a sour old bloke reading the paper, he didn't seem particularly interested, nor did he look like he really gave a stuff.

Fifty metres down the road was a bigger trailer for the Nationals candidate,  John Barilaro.  In front of this colourful edifice was an excitable young woman jumping up and down holding a sign saying "Toot for change". Needless to say I tooted.

Makes you think doesn't it.  The Nationals aren't an organisation I normally associate with razzamataz. There really must be a sense of change in the air.

Looking forward to seeing how bad things will go for Labor.