How odd. Being bugged or having bugs?

Got a card from Margaret's aunt and her husband giving condolences over Dad's death.

It had been opened by Quarantine.

And passed, for what it was worth. Inside there was a Quarantine flyer saying that they had opened the card and that they had not taken anything out.

But how odd for them to open it at all. A card is kind of flat and any inclusions would be obvious but they say that there was nothing in it. So flat it is.

Perhaps it smelt of drugs.

Or Tweed perfume.
...

For when a 4WD/SUV is not enough...

In order to try and get a bit of a cross-section of what is happening in the world, I look in on a number of news websites. One of them is the Washington Post. Recently that website has been carrying ads for the Boeing HH-47 helicopter.

Are things so tough in the US now that Boeing wants to sell its weaponry to the average suburban reader? Is this the new way of getting the kids to school? Is it one-upmanship, where the Jones out-do their neighbours who only have an armour clad Hummer? Or has street violence reached a point where lift-and-carry is the only safe way to get to the mall?
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Still dead wrong

Trevor asked for further insights on the death penalty; I don’t know that I have insights as that would require some sort of knowledge or experience of the process that I am not privy to. All I can offer are my thoughts on the matter. They are a bit scattered but you will get the idea.

In its simplest form my answer is that, if the death penalty is applied as punishment then it is a waste of time as I do not believe in heaven and hell. Death is a nothing, no heavenly choirs, no fire and brimstone. Nothing. Certainly not punishment. Dying can be painful and unpleasant but the means of execution are supposed to be humane nowadays. So what is the point?

If it is used as a deterrent, then does it work? The US has 36 states with the death penalty; do they have a lower crime rate than the remaining states? I don’t know. Certainly Australia, without a death penalty, has a lower crime rate than the US but we also have sensible gun laws.

In the last 16 years, fifteen people in the US have been taken off death row because DNA testing subsequently found that they could not have done the crime that they were convicted of. How is it that innocent people can be convicted of major crimes that they didn’t commit? Sometimes it is the bizarre case of people admitting to crimes they didn’t do in a strange bid for attention and celebrity. Sometimes it is the enforcement agencies, with the best will in the world, being ‘sure’ that someone committed a crime and adapting the evidence to meet their own certainty. There are also the issues of race, education and poverty that affect convictions or, more correctly, the ability to mount a defence. Juries in the past have shown more willingness to find someone guilty of a capital offence if that person was an outsider, a person of a difference race, religion or colour to the panel.

All these things relate to the justice system not being perfect. It probably can’t be perfect. But if a system is not perfect it should not have irreversible actions.

A related and very subjective issue is one of when the death penalty should be applied.

In its purest form, an eye for an eye, if someone kills someone else, should that warrant a reciprocal death penalty?

If a couple having an affair conspire to kill the woman’s husband; should that warrant the death penalty? For one or both? If one, which one? If both, an eye for an eye, should they be allowed to kill someone else to even the score?

If the husband comes home unexpectedly and finds the couple in bed and kills one or both in a fit of rage, should that warrant the death penalty? If he kills both, should one of his friends be executed as well, to even the score?

If someone is breaking into your house and, fearing for your safety, you shoot them; should that warrant the death penalty?

If you see someone breaking into your neighbour’s empty house and you shoot them (in the back); should that warrant the death penalty?

If you cause a road accident that results in someone’s death, should that warrant the death penalty?

The War Crimes Tribunal sentences leaders and officers who wage war to jail and, in some cases, death. Would you accept the same standards be applied to the people who invaded Iraq resulting in the senseless deaths of tens of thousands of people?

Should a soldier who kills another soldier be sentenced to death? Why not? Following orders? Then can a hired killer use the same defence?

OK, some of these are a little frivolous but they make a point: how and where do you draw the line as to what warrants an execution? It would appear that just killing someone is not enough, even if you are negligent, such as in a car accident.

One common argument often given is that 'why should this person be allowed to live and possibly get out of jail sometime when my mum/dad/son/daughter is dead forever?' It is understandable reaction. But that is one of the hard questions. How do you deal with someone who, through negligent or culpable driving, leaves the other driver a paraplegic for life? There is an imbalance there. There always is an imbalance in crime and punishment.

But is there always no hope of remorse and rehabilitation?

That will do for the moment, this is getting longer than I normally post.
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Dead wrong

Today is International Day Against the Death Penalty.

But I find it appalling; there shouldn't be such a day.

It shouldn't be needed. There shouldn't be a death penalty.

It beggars belief that anyone thinks that killing another human being solves anything. When a person is put to death by government sanction it diminishes all of us.

And don't give me that Old Testament crap about an eye for an eye. If you want to hold that as 'law' then I will demand that all other statements in the OT be also enforced. (For example: working on the Sabbath on its own commands a mandatory death sentence - Exodus 35:2).

And what would the fine Christian folk think of Islam's death penalty for apostasy? It certainly toughens the market for the evangelists.

The Australian Government, the whishiest of the whishy washy, opposes the death penalty for Australian but not for other nationalities. So what message is that sending? Not that the death penalty is wrong but that Australians should be treated deferentially to other nationals.

I received hate mail (real mail, we-know-where-you-live real mail) for my opposition to the execution of the Bali Bombers. What value is there in executing people who believe that death will deliver them their heavenly reward? Keep them alive, I say. The longer the better.

That's it.
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ABC News: Breaking Wind Stories

News by the bucketful.

Jujee asked why I hadn't commented on the financial turmoil.

In truth I have nothing much to add.

Certainly I wonder on the merits of the world governments nationalising all the debt when they didn't feel the need to nationalise the profits.

Certainly the term 'self-regulation' should join 'military intelligence' as one of the great oxymorons of our age.

Certainly greed and stupidity have played a large part. Not to mention the gambler's fallacy. But these are all part of the human condition.

Certainly, from the point of view of a self-funded retiree (on paper, if not in fact) I wish it hadn't happened. But there are worse calamities that can befall you.

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Language difficulties

In our travels in Peru we stopped at one restaurant that offered "Donkey with cheese".

Turned out to be a technically correct, but gastronomically loose, translation of Burrito.

But in a country that eats Guinea Pigs, you never know.
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Six words

It is said that, in response to a bet that he could not write a novel (= a complex story) in six words, Ernest Hemmingway wrote:

For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.

Hard to beat that for brevity and pathos. He won the bet.

Others have run with this idea and asked people to write their life story in six words.

For me it would be:

I have been pretty lucky really.
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Been out in the sun too long, perhaps.

.

Australia, well most of it, went on to daylight saving last weekend. I have no drama with that at all, we could stay on daylight saving all year as far as I am concerned.

But I had to shake my head in disbelief when callers to a radio station started blaming our drought (Ten years and counting. When does a drought become a permanent climate change?) blaming our drought on the "extra hour of sunlight".

No doubt these were the same people who complained that their curtains would fade quicker and cats would be copulating on their front lawns in broad daylight if we adopted daylight saving.

Perhaps it's time to chlorinate the gene pool again.
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Black gold!

To people who are not Australian, or do not know Australians, Vegemite can be something of a mystery. But probably more Australians can sing the "Happy Little Vegemites" song than can sing the first two verses of our national anthem.

Thick, black and salty, made from brewery waste, it is very much an acquired taste. Don't let anyone tell you that it is 'just like Marmite', because it isn't. (mind you, there was a period in its life when Vegemite was called "Parwill", a parody of "Marmite".)

It is an Australian icon, something that we pine for when travelling. I remember it being on sale at travel agents in London.

Anyway, the reason for this post: the billionth jar rolled off the production line yesterday.
...

It might be dry, but...

.








It may be dry, but the garden is looking lovely at the moment.
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Brain to mouth malfunction...

CNN moved up the ladder of dumb news services (although still not in a position to challenge news.com.au) today when, in response to the finding of Steve Fossett's plane, they asked the following question:

"How is it that 2,000 searchers failed to find the plane and yet a single hiker did?"

Oh, give me strength! The folk are not bright enough to be dumb.

◊◊◊

Idle thought: What the remains at the crash site do not belong to Fossett at all? What if the plane crashed onto another hiker?
...

Mmmm...not looking good.

The following is one of those email attachments that you find around the place on the joys of being a man. Some things I definitely agree with but overall, I am in bad shape.

52 REASONS IT'S GREAT TO BE A MALE:

Phone conversations last 30 seconds
Well, lots do but not all.

You know useful stuff about tanks and aeroplanes
Well, no.

A 5 day vacation requires only one suitcase
Yes!

Toilet lines are 80% shorter
Absolutely a blessing.

You can open all your own jars
True.

Old friends don't give you crap if you've lost or gained weight
Also true.

Dry cleaners and haircutters don't rob you blind
Usually.

When clicking through the channels you don't have to stop on every shot
of someone crying
I don't click through channels. I know what I want to watch.

You don't have to lug a bag of "necessary" items with you everywhere
you go
I keep them all in the shed at home.

You can go to the lavatory alone
Is there any other way?

Your last name stays put
Sort of. Does that include non-de-plumes?

You can leave a motel room bed unmade
Oh yes! And I don't fold and stack the towels, either.

You can kill your own food
If I had to, yes. Not something I would do for fun.

The garage is all yours
No garage and the junk in the carport was put there by someone else.

You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness
Of course!

You see the humor in "Terms of Endearment"
Never seen it at all, humorously or otherwise.

You never have to clean the toilet
Wrong.

You can be showered and ready in 10 minutes
True.

Wedding plans take care of themselves
Thank heavens. If left to me it would be elopement every time.

If someone forgets to invite you to something, they can still be your
friend.
I often prefer it that way.

Your underwear cost $7.50 for a pack of 3
Plus inflation, this is an old email attachment.

None of your co-workers has the power to make you cry
Wrong.

You don't have to shave below your neck
I suppose not.

You don't have to curl up next to some big, hairy bloke every night
Now, that is a blessing.

If your 34 and single, no one notices
54 and married, no one cares..

Chocolate is just another snack
But dark chocolate is a good snack.

You can quietly enjoy a car ride from the passenger seat
I get a bit twitchy.

Flowers fix everything
No, but they are a good start.

You never have to worry about other's feelings
Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Three pair of shoes are more than enough
Three?

You can say anything and not worry about what people think
But it is figuring out what people think that is such fun!

Michael Bolton doesn't live in your universe
Who?

You can whip your shirt off on a hot day
Can. Don't.

Car mechanics tell you the truth
But how would I know?

You don't give a flip if someone doesn't notice your new haircut
True.

You can watch a game in silence for hours without your buddy thinking
"he must be mad at me."
Suppose so. Not many games I watch for long at the best of times.

One mood, all the time
Ha! No.

You can admire Clint Eastwood without having to starve yourself to
look like him
Why would I like to look like him?

Same work.......more pay
Same work, same pay. No exceptions.

Gray hair and wrinkles add character
Happy with that.

Wedding dress $2000, dinner suit rental 100 bucks
This is an old email attachment, isn't it?

You don't care if someone is talking behind your back
Of course I care. They should seek counselling.

You don't pass on the dessert and then mooch off someone else's
True. I can only pass on dessert if it hasn't been made yet. Once it is on the table, all bets are off.

The remote is yours and yours alone
If you are looking for the remote, I threw it over in the corner somewhere. I don't want the wretched thing. Mind you I cannot watch TV if someone else is flipping the channels.

You need not pretend you're "freshening up" when you go to the loo
But I probably will.

If you don't call your cobber when you said you would he won't tell
your friends you've changed
If I say I will do something, it happens. On time, too.

If another bloke shows up at the party in the same outfit, you might
become lifelong mates
Not causal.

The occasional well -rendered belch is practically expected
No, it's not.

You think the idea of drop kicking that small, ankle-biting dog is funny
Only if the f*cking thing barks all day when all I want is to sit peacefully in my front yard.

If something mechanical didn't work , you can bash it with a hammer
and throw it across the room
I've learnt from experience that this is a poor maintenance strategy.

New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet
Says who?.

You don't have to remember everyone's birthday and anniversary
But I do.

You're excited, I can tell.

Sometime during the week I passed the 1,000 posts for the four combined blogs.

...

Divide and...well...divide.

I am slowly getting my three off-shoot blogs up and running again.

Three off-shoot blogs? Well, as a decent young boy I was taught that one did not talk about sex, religion or politics in polite company. So, they have their own blogs so that those of you who differ in your views with me in these areas can just ignore then and still get your daily diet of lightly coddled curate's egg.

And those of you who want to explore these areas, the links are under the Dogma warning in the right hand side-bar.
...