Reflections from an ordinary mind

Tiny flaw, big fail

2009-01-01T21:36:00.000+09:00

see more pwn and owned pictures

Our little ones

2008-11-26T16:26:00.000+09:00

How cute are our kids?!

Abracadabra - love it

2008-11-21T14:58:00.000+09:00

Social media marketing

2008-11-19T17:50:00.000+09:00

Here are the slides from my presentation to a group of real estate agents today.

Solving the financial crisis and global warming

2008-11-13T10:57:00.007+09:00

I rode this morning. It was the usual Thursday morning ride complete with a crash and the attendant postmortem. But it was a chat over coffee that got me thinking.

My mate runs a bike shop. It's successful, as is he, but I could hear the fear in his voice knowing that the full force of the economic crisis is yet to bite. There are going to be lots of job cuts. My brother may well be one of them.

In government there's plenty of hand-wringing and furrowed brows. Unemployment is politically unsavory. So are bank foreclosures. Leaders know that now is the time for serious economic support, hence the $10.4 billion stimulus package recently announced to help families and first home buyers. All good stuff, at least politically.

But I'm wondering why the government isn't doing more to sort out climate change as a major part of kick-starting the economy. Rather than sinking money into unprofitable child care centres and similarly unprofitable auto manufacturers, let's sink money into developing clean energy and infrastructure that reduces the demand for fossil fuels over the long term.

Just stimulating the economy is a short-term fix; politically palatable and achievable inside a single term of government. However, thoughtful, well-crafted economic strategies could provide an instant boost to the economy and go on paying dividends for generations to come. The Rudd government appear intent on doing just that; or at least in part.

Their support of the auto industry includes a $1.3 billion injection into the Green Car Innovation Fund. It's clever strategy and linked to a long view of the future.

Barack Obama's accptance speech - full version

2008-11-06T18:59:00.001+09:00

Barack Obama's victory speech

2008-11-06T15:11:00.000+09:00

How sad we didn't get Sarah Palin as Vice President of the world

2008-11-05T14:48:00.000+09:00

Sarah Palin outlining her foreign policies. Just think, she could have been the next Vice President of the most powerful nation on earth, the person charged with oversight of the US war machine if something happened to the President.

All I'll say is thank God it didn't happen.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Barack Obama's grandmother passes away

2008-11-04T07:55:00.003+09:00

It must be incredibly heart-breaking for Barack Obama, on the eve of the most important day of his life, to lose his grandmother to cancer. My thoughts are with him.

Barack Obama advertisement brought me to tears

2008-10-30T15:08:00.001+09:00

The latest Barack Obama commercial, a beautifully crafted 30 minute infomercial, brought me to tears. The way Obama appeals to the potential of the human spirit really gets to me. He talks without preaching, without attempting to manipulate, and what he says speaks to my values. I'll be disappointed beyond belief if he doesn't win next Tuesday. If he wins it will be a win for world peace.

I've embedded the video below from Obama's Youtube channel.

When the chips are down

2008-10-25T14:54:00.000+08:00

When the chips are down why not take advantage: at least that seems to be the attitude of OPEC. Give it to the West while they're hurting. I say good on them. The more damage they do, the quicker the world will start investing in alternative energy supplies. Noone has a monopoly on wind, wave, and solar power generation.

Probably not a Rhodes Scholar

2008-10-23T15:37:00.001+08:00

These guys vote. How did that happen?

Forest activists attacked in the Upper Florentine Valley, Tassie

Pink Floyd (Bob Geldof) - Nobody Home

2008-10-14T20:40:00.001+08:00

I just love this song. The Wall is one of my favourite albums ever.

Commonwealth Bank feeling the pinch?

2008-10-09T09:38:00.002+08:00

This in from Commsec:

The financial sector is lower by 3.6pct being weighed down by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA). Its shares are down 8.6pct or $3.88 to $41.27 after resuming trade this morning following capital raising to fund the $2.1bln acquisition of BankWest and wealth management group St Andrew’s.

We're told that the banks, who've just been given a 1% (which is really around 14%) cut in the cash rate by the RBA, are feeling the pinch. So what's the Commonwealth's response? Raise $2.1bln to buy out Bankwest. Excuse me if I sound populist, but that smacks of double standards. They took 3 days to raise $2.1bln but complain that funds are tight. I'll bet if I walked in to a branch and asked for a small business loan I'd be told all manner of bullshit about how tight liquidity is at the moment. I'd be asked for my house, my car, and my wife as security.

Seriously. How about giving the battlers a break, then look at building your empire. No wonder the punters are pissed.

My fellow prisonoers: McCain gaffe

2008-10-09T08:41:00.001+08:00

Maybe John McCain still thinks he's back in Nam. Maybe he sees no way out of the mess the country is in. Who knows. But would you want this guy running the country?

Sad Guys on Trading Floors

2008-10-09T08:36:00.000+08:00

A fascinating series of photos capturing the fear and turmoil in the stock market.

Sad Guys on Trading Floors

Qantas jet falls ahead of stock market plunge

2008-10-08T16:21:00.002+08:00

I couldn't help but notice the irony of the front page of today's West Australian. It seems that Qantas jets may be the precursors to rapid falls in interest rates and the stock market. Let's hope they don't crash one properly.

Gates No Longer World's Richest Man - Forbes.com

2008-10-06T09:25:00.000+08:00

How is it that we still measure wealth and riches by what we own?

Gates No Longer World's Richest Man - Forbes.com

Something my dear Aunty Marj wrote

2008-09-18T13:22:00.000+08:00

Here's something my dear Aunty Marj wrote last year.

Well now, here it is 3:30 a.m September22nd 2007.

I have my cup of Lazarus brew along side me and my computer. I suppose I should explain why I call my coffee “Lazarus Brew”. I have a theory about that. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He opened Lazarus’s tomb and went inside and said “Lazarus come forth” and stuck a cup of Starbucks coffee under Lazarus’s nose. And behold Lazarus came forth.

As yet, the birds haven’t started taking roll call, and daylight will be a little bit longer arriving here. We are heading into shorter days and longer nights. I wish it wasn’t so, for I love the long days and short nights. Our bodies start to go into another cycle for autumn that gets us ready for the cold winter days and nights. I ‘specially love my flower garden. It’s too early in the a.m for me to see how they’ve managed through the night. Sometimes we can get some rather nasty surprises this time of the year when Mother Nature decides to give us a taste of the yet to come...and the lovely flowers bow their sweet little heads...upset, for they will have to leave soon. And they have enjoyed my talking to them and telling them how lovely they are.

It’s quiet times like this my mind goes back to memories of the dearest kind. And how fortunate I was to be at a certain point at a certain time to have been there...

In 1973, I made the long and tiring trip back to Australia, to bring my Mother to the U.S. for a prolonged visit, and decided to go west first and visit one of my sisters and her Hubby and 4 wonderful sons, Rod, the oldest, then John, Peter, and Tim who lived in a huge shed, on 968 hectares, 43 miles from the nearest town, 16 miles from the nearest school in a district called Jerdacuttup. I think they were about 4 miles from the nearest neighbour, and had hundreds and hundreds of sheep, several horses, one of which was a pony by name of “Flicka” (and I was to find out in a couple of days had more herding sense than I), a couple of milk cows, chooks, a white turkey (that a fox relieved them of and departed to his very delighted wife and little foxes the next night), and a terrible drought in progress.

The grass was nonexistent. The sheep looked as if someone had played a terrible joke and just put dirty wool over bones. The dams were mud holes. I had never seen such devastation, and my heart ached for the family. The land was an ongoing brown/black/grey with no demarcation of horizon. It was all so depressing and I couldn’t help but wonder how the family could possibly survive this awful catastrophe. In all the years I had lived in Australia I had never seen a drought; and that too was going to change after I left West Australia and flew north to Queensland, for they, also, in Central Queensland, were in the grip of the same situation - no rain for 3 years.

However, let me get back to Jerdacuttup and the real reason I started this remembrance of the dearest kind.

To live and survive under the most abject conditions takes and makes a child into the man or woman he/she will become. And my Sister Betty and her Husband Ron, and their children, and the many who tamed West Australia, leave a legacy of endurance of what surely must have been what looked like a hopeless cause and turned it into what they had left behind . A vital Culture…Civilization.

One of my nephews, a 9 year old, by the name of Peter ,was already showing that the world was waiting for him. There was something about him in his eyes...almost spiritually at times. On one hand he seemed as old as the hills, as if he’d been here, or there, before. At the same time, he could have charmed the socks off an Eskimo. He had one fervent wish at that time, to have a Harmonica. That wasn’t hard to take care of.

In order to save as many sheep as they could, his Dad and whoever was available, (the day before, it happened to be me) would herd the sheep down about 2 miles to what was called a Brigelow scrub where they could at least get some foraging . The sheep were so weak if they fell down the rider would have to get off his/her horse and pick them up and set them on their poor bony legs again. However, the poor things would be back the next a.m in the upper pasture again weakly and pitifully calling for forage of substance and water. My heart sank. The wind had come up and the sand was blowing and stinging and penetrating everything. There was no top soil left, only stinging sand. Sand everywhere with almost gale force wind driving the sand into every nook and cranny.

Now this is where a 9 year old Lad named Peter, still fills a place in my heart. I saw him and his Dad come out all rugged up and young Peter had a bandanna tied around his face. He was the sidekick for the day. I expected any second for the wind to pick him up and toss him to one side. Somehow, they both got on their horses. Only Peter was riding “Flicka”. The know it all about herding sheep . The horses were having a time trying to maintain with the driving wind and sand. And I could see what looked like hundreds of sheep lying on the ground too weak to get up. I knew there’d be a lot of getting on and off the horses to pick them up and get them started again.

I turned to my sister Betty and I could see she, also, had some misgivings about this . The Lad was awfully young and it was a matter of real concern. So we, Bet and I , turned to start the wash. We’d have to hang it up in the shearing shed and hope we could shake the sand out after it all dried. The day seemed endless. Our minds were on the two riders. And finally, coming on dark we heard the riders come in. What a pitiful sight Father and Son were. They were both exhausted. Their faces were sand blasted red, but it was the eyes that shocked me. They looked like burning coals in a stove. Betty hurried to get some water for them to try and rinse the sand out of their eyes. I’ll always remember Peter’s remark as he tried to get some relief for his burning eyes: "Mum, doesn’t it say in the Bible, 'if thine eyes offendeth thee, pluck them out?'" Bless his cotton sox.

So now you know why a 9 year old lad left me with memories of the dearest kind.

Written with love.

Aunty Marjie Maureen

The stock market

2008-09-18T10:28:00.000+08:00

Jeez, how bad is the stock market at the moment. I bought some Macquarie shares at $53 a couple of months ago. Today they're less than $30. Youch. Hope it turns around soon. I suspect we've got some pain to come. Will one of our banks be a casualty?

Preparation for the Bankwest stair climb

2008-09-17T08:33:00.001+08:00

I nominated for the Bankwest stair climb yesterday. The event is on October 5 and I'm in the middle of my preparation in the hope of posting a reasonable time.

I've been doing drills on Jacob's Ladder. 3 laps, 2 steps, walking; 3 laps, 2 steps, 24 kilos dumbells; 3 laps, 3 steps, running; 3 laps, steps, running; 3 laps, 2 steps, walking. I've also been doing some 5 lap sprints. My best time is 12:08 for 5 laps. Yesterday I did 10 laps in 29:05. The weather was hot and I left a fair bit in the tank, particularly on the last lap when I avoided the temptation of running the last couple of flights. This morning I experimented with using the hand rails to help pull me up. It definitely provides a surge and brings another part of the body into play.

Speaking to Pippa on the ladder this morning reinforced the importance of taking it easy for the first 8-10 laps. What I might do is break the climb into 4 stages (12, 25, 40, 50) and cruise slowly through the first and look to build momentum over the last 25 laps. Good in theory but it'll be a matter of keeping my head on when everyone else wants to sprint to the first flight and then start running.

Jacob's Ladder

2008-09-10T09:54:00.000+08:00

A quick one. Last night. 8 laps, 20:09. Knocking on the door of sub-25 minutes for 10.

Why Channel Seven's Paddy Welsh is a dickhead

2008-08-18T10:43:00.001+08:00

Yesterday Tamsin Lewis got her arse kicked. Badly. In the heats of the 800 metres she came last. Maybe she made a mistake racing two heats in a day. We'll never know. None of that really matters now. The race is over, we move on. Not so Paddy Welsh.

After the race she was interviewed - or should I say, grilled - by Channel Seven's Paddy Welsh. And for those few short minutes she was subjected to not just a grilling but a humiliation at the hands of a reporter who's only interest was his own voice. Lewis was sobbing, trying to talk through her tears, clearly distraught at her performance, in obvious distress about what had just occurred. But could Welsh give a shit? Not at all. He ploughed on through her distress asking questions that added to her pain. His was a mission of humiliation and indignity, not of someone seeking perspective or answers. His interview was nothing short of self-serving and gratuitous. A male carelessly watching while a woman cried in humiliation.

Paddy Welsh, for your efforts during this interview I award you the gold medal for the 800 word dickhead handicap.

I planted vegetables

2008-08-18T10:34:00.000+08:00

I planted vegetables yesterday. Filled the soil with sheep shit and composted vegetables and fertiliser and soil conditioner. Worms wriggled amongst the rotting food scraps. Big and fat and well fed, their shit soon to become food for new plants.

I planted vegetables. Broccoli, beetroot, onions, and coriander. Mixed together to keep away those thick, fat, hairy caterpillars that know how to eat a seedling in an evening banquet. Evil, they are, evil. But later they turn into butterflies and look innocent.

I planted vegetables. But I'm yet to eat anything except a tiny leaf of baby spinach left behind by a hungry, hairy plant eating machine. So far I've fed snails and slugs and butterflies-in-waiting, but not myself. Water and sheep shit and time; then perhaps I'll feast.

I think the JW's are giving me nightmares

2008-07-22T10:03:00.000+08:00

I'm feeling unusually wound up at the moment. It may have something to do with the Jehovah's Witnesses being in town over the weekend. I went to the coffee shop at the Burswood and was told I couldn't park in my usual parking space. They were concerned I was just there to pick up some cheap parking while I went to a convention about god. News just in Mr Parking Attendant, I'm not a god botherer. Please, don't tell me where to park.

The JW's were parked all over the end of our street. How lovely. All these cosy little families with kids dressed up in suits and their Sunday best. They were off to learn about the end of the world and how evil us crack whores are. Good for them. I hope the kids get over the experience one day. Perhaps, after a couple of hundred years, they'll realise that sex before marriage isn't the end of the world, that two guys going at it isn't going to send you to eternal damnation, and that saying "fuck" isn't going to do, well, fuck all really. Best I say a few quick words to the god of Nihl tonight on their behalf. Oh for a dose of good old, life has fuck all meaning.

So there, got that off my chest. I'm supposed to be writing thesis words right now. Instead I'm sitting on the third floor of the Curtin library with a view out over a bunch of red brick buildings and people walking along straight red brick paths. Life is full of straight lines going nowhere. There's a cold wind blowing so people are rugged up. The sun makes little difference.

I had a scary dream last night. I had a double barrel shotgun. Someone pissed me off so I shot them but I don't remember killing them. Then some other people grabbed their shotguns and started shooting at me. I couldn't load mine quick enough so I only managed to fill one chamber with a cartridge and then fire. It bought me enough time to start running away. I jumped a fence and started to run through some bush. There was an army style jeep with a woman trying to shoot me. I woke up really frightened. Who needs the movies when you've got dreams like that?!

I still don't know what I'm going to do for my next job. Why can't we get paid to be students and do fuck all?

Batleb: the legend

2008-07-21T00:17:00.002+08:00

If you can't see this video below visit YouTube and search for Batleb. It's a classic that's worth watching a few times.

Synchronicity

2008-07-02T20:45:00.000+08:00

I'm watching White Heat as I write this. James Cagney is a mean little bastard.

I had a good day writing. Wrote another good paragraph. The funny thing is that I'm moving in a rather unexpected direction. One of the features about dooce is that she grew up as a Mormon and left the church in her early 20's. This fact is now becoming quite central to my analysis of the blog; and I can't help noticing the similarities between her life and mine. Religion played a big part in her formative years as it did mine. She walked away from the church, so did I. She struggled with issues with her family and finding her place in this world, and so did I. It's a fascinating parallel. I can't help but see the synchronicity of me writing a thesis about subjectivity and power and identifying a blog on which a struggle against religious power is documented.

Beautiful.

What happened today

2008-06-30T21:42:00.000+08:00

I've got a sore back. It's usually related to tight hamstrings. More stretching is on the agenda. I suspect it comes from riding.

Wrote a good paragraph today and read some interesting stuff about how the human subject is created. All in all a productive day. I spent some time working out of Farells restaurant. I seem to be a bit more productive away from home.

I haven't had a hot shower since about the 21st of May. I'll make it a challenge to go through winter without using hot water for my showers. Each shower gets less of a challenge than the previous.

I'm still not drinking alcohol at home unless we have guests. I'm feeling sharper as a result.

A bit of nothing

2008-06-26T21:57:00.004+08:00

Good day writing. Around 450 words and plenty of new understanding about my little French buddy Foucault. Power is a subtle non-existent non-force that seduces and induces.

Bit tired right now. Listening to Queen's Fat Bottomed Girls.

On the ladder 6am tomorrow with Sammi. Let's hope she can walk tomorrow.

Another day of writing

2008-06-25T21:44:00.004+08:00

Overslept by about half an hour this morning but I still made it to the ladder by 6:15. One of the regulars gave me a bit of shit about turning up late.

I went to Fremantle with Rita this morning. While Rita worked I went to Gino's for a coffee and wrote a good few hundred words. They have great coffee and free internet for customers. Cool. The energy of a coffee shop gave my writing a lift. I stalled during the afternoon as I started wading into the Foucauldian section of my thesis.

I had a shit night's sleep last night. Woke up just after 3am and didn't get back to sleep for ages. I'm starting to get tired as I write this.

The sound

2008-06-25T15:45:00.003+08:00

I looked for something heavy inside.
Instead I found a light.
It took me to a sound still hearing.
Nothing to see hear.

Am I soft?

2008-06-24T21:52:00.004+08:00

I slept in this morning. No ladder, no meditation. On a day like today I don't feel powerful or in control. It's as if life happens to me rather than me creating life. I did though have a shave and a cold shower the latter of which took some discipline. I take power out of knowing that I can be the master over fear and sluggishness.

I met with both my new and previous honours supervisors today. I'm glad I started writing today and didn't go on holidays. On a good day I can write 1000 words but when I'm breaking new ground, as I am with Foucault's theories, I'm down to a few hundred words a day. I wrote 56 today.

I hope it's pissing down in the morning. It feels great to be out in the wet and cold when everyone else is in bed sleeping. Is this all just a way of trying to convince myself that I'm not soft?

Tree's getting a budget hair cut

2008-06-23T20:21:00.003+08:00

Our big Jacaranda tree received a hair cut today. It was hanging over the neighbour's fence and shading the vegie patch so it's nice to let a bit more sun through. The old bloke from over the side fence made sure the tree got the prune he wanted. I hope he's happy with the efforts.

I showed Rita a bit about budgeting for Zodiax today. I get concerned about a business that doesn't have budgets and where accountability isn't built into processes. It sounds as though she's going to do something about better financial controls, which will help me feel a whole lot easier.

I did the ladder this morning. Rita came with me. It was cold but as I reflected later it's rare that I regret getting out and getting amongst it, which I can't say about the opposite.

Jussy's staying with us tonight. He's off to Karratha in the morning to work on the railways for Rio Tinto. He's pretty excited and the money is great.

I'm keen to get a job once I've finished my thesis. It's been a long slog without a decent salary. I'm thinking of trying for a government management position, but I'm open to other possibilities.

Catching up with relatives

2008-06-22T20:26:00.005+08:00

I spent most of today at my mother-in-laws catching up with relatives from Kalgoorlie. It was nice to chat about farming and shearing and share trading. People from the country are attractively uncomplicated.

This morning I decided that I won't drink alcohol at home until I've finished my honours thesis. It's a way to keep focussed during the months ahead and it will also allow me to go out and have a good time with friends.

I didn't do Jacob's Ladder today as a result of the catch up with the relatives. I miss doing something physical during the day. I'll be back there in the morning.

Tomorrow our big Jacaranda tree gets trimmed. I hope it will allow a bit more sun onto the vegie patch. The tomatoes are growing far too slowly for my liking.

Finally it was great to see the Bombers beat Carlton. Great game. The Eagles flogging by Geelong will be long forgotten within two years. As Worsfold said he played in a game (I think against the Roos) where they only kicked one goal. Two years later they played in a grand final and the year afterwards won a premiership. The West Coast are rebuilding and they'll be all the better for this weekend's experience.

About today

2008-06-21T21:46:00.003+08:00

I rode this morning. Shit it was cold. But it was nice to be out on the bike having a bit of fun. I'll probably do the ladder in the morning. My legs will probably feel a bit tired.

I'm feeling a bit feral at the moment. Drank half a bottle of wine and devoured a packet of potato chips this afternoon. What a fine diet. Hmmm, and helped myself to some chocolate after dinner.

I watched a movie about Burma this afternoon. Jeez that country is in bad shape. They really don't care too much for democracy. I wonder what it's going to take to open that country up? Sure glad I live in Australia. I admire the reporters and film makers that bring these stories to the rest of the world. They're very courageous.

Why I feel better about the future

2008-06-21T20:59:00.003+08:00

I've been feeling skeptical about the future lately. Terrorism, global warming, rising food prices, and tensions in the middle east all add to a recipe that pose plenty of questions over our future. It seems that no matter what I read or watch the future doesn't look great. But last night I was given justification to hope for the future. And my hopes lie in a group of young people who, in the not too distant future will, I hope, become our next leaders.

These new leaders will come from those who are still in school, people such as the uni friends I enjoyed drinks with last night. They're articulate, respectful, environmentally aware, and open-minded; a far cry from some of the narrow-minded, self-interested people running the country at the moment. They're not full of their own importance but are concerned for those around them. They know how to enjoy themselves, how to have an intelligent conversation, and how to be compassionate human beings.

Quite simply they're an inspiration. Let the future begin.

New post

2008-06-08T16:06:00.000+08:00

On my research journal

I'm gutted

2008-06-07T20:46:00.003+08:00

West Coast blew a 36 half time lead tonight to lose by a kick. I'm just devastated. Here's my take on a few players.

Goodes: too fit, too fast, too smart. A match winner despite a slow start.
Selwood: not as fit as is his mouth is fast. Had his legs run from under him by Goodes.
Hunter: far from his confident best. Couple of very costly mistakes.
Kirk: did he get knocked out? Still, got up and performed well.
Houlihan: rising star, needs to put on some weight.
Butler: learn to kick goals from the 5o son.
Kerr: Mister Courageous.
Everett: A slow, lumbering, but very clever Spider.
Cox: rucks like a rover.
Lynch: top performance from The Unit. Marked and tackled well. Set up forward momentum.
Seeby: too soft around the stoppages.
Jones: tough, but tried to get too fancy and caused a crucial turnover.
Embley: an ember of his burning best. Went missing when the game needed to be won.
Staker: needs to sharpen up under pressure in front of goals.
Wirrapanda: clever, clever, clever.

The season is now over for West Coast. They'll now want to blood as many new players as they can, so don't read too much into any of their performances from here to the end of the season. Will be nuisance value for some clubs vying for a spot in the eight; which is where they'll be next season.

What's the payoff in losing?

2008-05-27T21:55:00.003+08:00

I've blogged a bit about the Dockers lately. Their losing streak continues. The question I pose here is "What payoff do the Dockers enjoy by losing winnable games?".

Over the past few weeks the Dockers have made a habit of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. They've been in front in the final quarter - and lost - in each of the past four weeks (happy to be corrected here). At times the margin has been substantial. Still they manage to lose.

As an example they had a significant (nearly 40 points?) lead over Geelong at home. They choked. They were going to hand out a hiding in Melbourne leading by nearly 60 points. Again they choked. To do this once is forgivable, but to do it time and again raises questions. What is the payoff in being perpetual losers? Do they perceive themselves as being unworthy of winning? Perhaps. Do their working class roots dictate they have to struggle for the rest of their existence against more affluent, successful clubs? Maybe. Are they afraid of success? Possibly. I'm not sure what the payoff is for them losing. But I believe there is one.

It's about time they figured out the reasons why they give up winnable leads. At the moment they're an embarrassment to the state.

Roger Hayden out for 3-5 weeks

2008-05-20T07:12:00.003+08:00

Too bad for Roger Hayden. He's going to be out of the Dockers' line up for 3-5 weeks after receiving a punctured lung in the game against the Dogs last weekend. It's a loss the Dockers don't need. Hayden is a reliable defender who sets about his work in a polished, disciplined manner, unlike some of his team mates who are uncommitted wannabes.

Here's wishing Hayden a speedy recovery.

Time for Rick Hart to go

2008-05-19T09:38:00.003+08:00

What's wrong with the Dockers? Admittedly the Dogs are second on the ladder and are a tough ask to beat, but I'm saying that's where the Dockers should be - second on the ladder. Have a look at their list. They've got some of the best mid-fielders in the league, their forwards are the dream team - they don't come much better than Tarrant and Pav for some fire power in front of goal - and yet still they can't deliver and choke on win-able leads.

The Eagles on the other hand are in rebuilding mode. I can't remember a club that's done well despite a big injury list. Have a look at some of the players they had out of the team on the weekend. Lecras, Hunter, Kerr, Hanson, Hurn, and Waters are all champions capable of turning a game around. All are having a rough trot with injuries. Worsfold is doing the right thing and building the club for next year.

Given an injury-free run, the Eagles are going to be hard to beat next year. The Dockers on the other hand will continue to be perpetual under-performers. Perhaps it's time there was a change at the top. I'm talking here Rick Hart and some of the directors. Obviously they take comfort from snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Mac spelling preferences

2008-05-04T21:16:00.002+08:00

I own a Macbook Pro and use Pages for word processing. I keep getting prompted to use the American spelling but I live in Australia. Quite frankly it's giving me the shits. If you know how to change it I'd appreciate your help.

Dockers go down to Geelong

2008-04-25T21:52:00.002+08:00

Reports that the Dockers were desperately unlucky to lose to the Cats are off target and miss the point. Put simply the Dockers weren't good enough and deserved to lose.

They lack the fitness to go a full game at full tilt. It's notable that the Cats overran them at the end of both the second and fourth quarters. I don't know why anyone would want to be a Dockers supporter. They have the talent. Let's face it, you don't get up by 38 points over Geelong through not playing a good brand of footy. But they don't seem to be able to deliver when it all counts - and that's frustrating for their supporters.

They've got some young guns that have huge potential but need another season or two under their belts to harden up. By then some of their better players will be past their prime so I can't see things changing in a hurry. I sure hope they don't take any encouragement from tonights efforts.

The only thing they showed tonight is they know how to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Como property damaged by vandals

2008-04-25T21:03:00.000+08:00

Wow wouldn't you be shit off if you were the property manager (and owner) of the property in Como that's just been vandalised. Wonder if it'll be covered by insurance?

ANZAC day dawn service

2008-04-25T12:23:00.002+08:00

Is our society going soft or am I becoming a grumpy old man?

It was great to see such a large turn out at the dawn service this morning. Men, women, old, young, all sorts of nationalities, all shapes and sizes. Each made their way along Fraser Avenue, across the grass, by bike or by foot, each with the goal of commemorating the spirit of the ANZAC. War is an ugly, ugly beast and no right-minded person wants its experience. But to yearn for peace is not enough. We, each of us, must be willing to fight for it, defend our right to it, to do what we can to keep it. Peace requires effort - and courage, sacrifice, determination.

So why is it that so many make the effort to attend the dawn service, then spend the time whispering and fidgeting, as if they can't bear the silence and the stillness. Why is it they can't stand to attention (well at least standing still would be a start) in silence while wreaths are laid? Why do they need to kiss and cuddle while old diggers shed silent tears for fallen mates? Why can't they make that tiny sacrifice for just a few short minutes.

Maybe I'm hard, or harsh, or overly critical. Maybe I should just be more grateful that so many made the effort to turn up at all. Maybe I was looking through eyes that could see my own softness reflected in those moments of inattention. Maybe war is just so sad.

Whatever the case I hope to never experience war. I hope for a world where wars are won through words and smiles. I hope for a day when peace is dominates the news. I hope for a place where all can enjoy abundance not a privileged few.

So thanks to all those who turned up to the dawn service. You make Australia what it is.

Adam Spangher dropped

2008-04-24T20:04:00.004+08:00

Adam Spangher has been dropped from the West Coast squad set to play the Bulldogs this weekend. He deserved to be dropped...but.

Spangher is still finding his feet and getting up to speed with AFL at the elite level. I noticed him miss some important tackles and he made a number of mistakes in defense which simply aren't good enough. During the third quarter last week he caused a costly turnover that would have warranted him being dragged. Instead he was left on the field and he showed in the final term why he is worthy of the teams patience. He has genuine speed and, when he's on song, some real talent with the ball.

No doubt he'll go back to the WAFL (assuming he's not injured) and put last week's experience to good use. If he can build up some real toughness around the ball and keep his head whilst under pressure he'll go on to make a very serviceable player.

I'm against bio-fuels

2008-04-24T16:47:00.003+08:00

I'm against bio-fuels.

The demand for bio-fuels turns good farming land into the factory for the production of fuel for motor vehicles - mainly driven in affluent societies - and drives up food prices. Why feed cars when we could be feeding our fellow human beings? The world's rich are doing little to help. As demand for bio-fuel increases we'll see pressure on struggling farmers to cut production of crops that could feed their families and grow corn for fuel. As the cycle escalates we'll see the wealthy buying out small farmers to get their hands on the means of producing lucrative bio-fuel crops. Little will be done to care for the land, and even less for the communities affected.

The real answer to global warming is less consumption, constrained population growth, and genuinely renewable energy supplies. Get rid of bio-fuels before we create anarchy.

It's never too late

2008-04-24T14:58:00.002+08:00

I'm a bit excited for Mum and Dad. At the ripe old age of 80-odd they've just bought a flash new 101 centimetre Sony LCD TV. Being as how they didn't get a TV until they were in their 70's this is just a buzz. Mum will love watching the tennis even more now.

I hope they get to watch it for many years to come.

Reflections from an ordinary mind: Thesis statement and outline

2008-04-14T09:40:00.000+08:00

Reflections from an ordinary mind: Thesis statement and outline

Cincinnati Functional Fitness Session with Dustin Carter

2008-03-25T06:24:00.001+09:00

Dustin Carter, I hope you go a long way. You're already an inspiration.

Does a surfing lesson make me a surfie?

2008-02-07T22:30:00.000+09:00

Today brought a new experience - surfing. A few days ago I found a surfing teacher on the beach of Legian. He was spot on. Jeffery showed myself and two ladies we met by the pool how to stand up and we had a ball for a couple of hours. I can now say that I’ve surfed and I’m keen to go again before we leave.

Tonight we kicked back with a cheap-n-cheerful meal at a small cafe near our hotel.

We’re off to ride an elephant tomorrow, which will be another new experience.

Ten things I've noticed in Bali

2008-02-05T20:07:00.000+09:00

Still water
Litter on beaches
People are more inclined to make eye contact and stare
People are more inclined to smile and say g’day
Yes mister, you want trans-spot?
The moodiness of a tropical thunder storm
The luscious taste of tropical fruit for breakfast
The hardness of Bali beach sand
The beauty of the touch of a masseuse
Unbelievable sunsets touching still water

One World

2008-01-31T21:46:00.001+09:00

Just saw this video on YouTube. It's apparently the most responded to video of all time

A shed that taught me a lesson

2008-01-30T21:10:00.001+09:00

DSC02150
Originally uploaded by peterfletcher38

The shed in the background is a monster, but it taught me much.

It taught me how important it is to feel good about myself. By feeling OK and comfortable and relaxed there's a lot that can be absorbed and let go.

After building that shed I now feel like a shiny stone at the bottom of the river, with the water rushing frantically by while I am just a stone. A beautiful, shiny, stone.

Why I'm fed up with the yanks

2008-01-17T09:05:00.000+09:00

Amazon is undoubtedly a clever company. Their e-commerce platform sets a standard to which others will only ever aspire. I tip my hat to their technical skills and business acumen. But sometimes this acumen doesn't extend to being culturally sensitive.

I recently received an email from Amazon, and this is what they had to say:

As someone who has purchased books related to supporting a business enterprise, we thought you might be interested in an exciting new product from Amazon Services: WebStore by Amazon.

WebStore by Amazon gives you a branded e-commerce site backed by the support, selection and expertise of Amazon. You can be confident that your WebStore is going to be up when your customers come clicking. Better yet, WebStore is easy to set up and comes with a number of great marketing features so you can start selling in minutes!

Need help migrating? WebStore is offering promotional packages to help you quickly design and migrate your store. Sign up for WebStore today and check out our promotional offers.

What an exciting offer. My wife owns a retail business that could benefit from this exciting piece of technology so I decided to sign up.

Now keep in mind here that Amazon know where I live. They've shipped books to me previously as they noted in their email. So it came as something of a surprise when, during the sign-up process that the telephone verification of my account didn't work. Unlike my experience with Google, after clicking "call me now" the telephone didn't ring. I waited, and pressed the button several more times, waited a bit more, then decided to send an email. I simply asked them if there was something that needed to be done at my end so they could dial an international phone number.

To their credit they did respond to the email. But this is what they said:

In order to complete your registration on our web site, you would need
to provide a U.S. phone number where you could be immediately reached.
We require this as part of our account verification system; you would
need to enter a PIN over the phone in order to complete registration.

If you are unable to provide a U.S. phone number where you can be
immediately reached for PIN verification, you will not be able to
register on our web site at this time.

At this time, only sellers with a U.S. checking account, a U.S.
billing address, and a U.S. phone number are eligible to apply for
Amazon Payments.  Unfortunately, the lack of an international standard
for identity verification has made it impossible thus far for us to
offer this service to our international sellers.

Since Amazon Payments is required in order to sell on our third-party
selling platforms, we realize that this may hinder your ability to
sell on our site.  I would encourage you to explore the
options available to you in order to establish these requirements.  We
do have international sellers who have established U.S. checking
accounts and U.S. billing addresses, enabling them to receive payment
via Amazon Payments, and who are currently enjoying the benefits of
this service.

For a starter, if they have no intention of allowing me to set up an online store because I live in Australia, why send me the email in the first place? Secondly, don't be so arrogant to tell me where I should start a bank account. I want my bank accounts to remain in Australia thanks very much.

It's these, and lots of other, clumsy efforts at globalism that, in my view, disenfranchise the non-US world. Whilst no-one can excuse terrorism, we can understand the anger, frusrtation, and resentment that the American hubris tends to create.

I'm all for technology and global opportunity, but I'm also all for cultural diversity and respect for other traditions.

Come on Amazon, you can do better than that!

My favourite song of all time

2007-12-27T21:32:00.001+09:00

This song is just brilliant.

On showing gratitude

2007-12-27T20:16:00.000+09:00

I wrote yesterday about how lucky I am to have the life I have. After all I have in abundance what many only dream about. Fresh food, clean water, a comfortable home are all parts of my life that I often take for granted.

I found this post, written by David Pollay, about gratitude and how important it is as a way of improving our lives and making our world a better place. He suggests investing time identifying the people and things we value and then take the time to learn more about them. What do these people do, how, and why?

Once we commit these important people to memory we can begin to express our appreciation to them in whatever way we choose.

Finally, we can link our gratitude chains together. This is a perfect way of helping us see how that which we enjoy in life is connected in more ways than we can possibly imagine.

I wonder what the garbage guy's story is?

How lucky am I?

2007-12-26T22:06:00.000+09:00

Today was a hot day, the hottest December day in Perth since records began. I'm writing this post in the comfort of airconditioning. Comfortable against the blazing heat thanks to the modern comfort of an energy guzzling machine. It costs money to run, just like the car.

If I lived in many other countries I wouldn't need to worry about the expense of running an airconditioner. It simply wouldn't be an option. If I lived in Indonesia or Sri Lanka there's a good chance I'd have much more fundamental things to worry about. Feeding my family, clean drinking water and a roof over my head that didn't leak would be high on the priority list.

There are so many people in this world who live through unbearable poverty and unimaginable misery. If I could just help one of them live a more comfortable life and be happier then my life would be complete.

Marty Robbins - El Paso

2007-12-25T17:13:00.001+09:00

When I was in my teens my favourite singer was Marty Robbins. I just love this song. It's such a great tale of love and tragedy.

Johnny Cash the legend

2007-12-25T17:03:00.001+09:00

What a classic film clip from a master.

A Christmas Grinch post

2007-12-25T13:05:00.000+09:00

It's the first blast of summer today. Step outside and it feels as though you're stepping into a furnace. It doesn't help that I had afternoon nap. I always wake up grumpy! Now the heat feels so much more intense.

Weather like this is perfect Christmas Grinch weather. I don't like or want Christmas because...Soon, though, all this malevolence will wash through me like a crap through a sewer pipe. Then I'll feel so much better and wonder why I wrote such a grouchy blog post on Christmas day.

Good friends listen well

2007-12-19T22:53:00.000+09:00

I have a lot to learn about listening. I'm not sure if it's a bloke thing, but I tend to listen with an ear for a solution. It's so easy to fix someone else's problems rather than simply listen.

I have a couple of friends who listen really well. They listen in a way that gives me a sense that they have an unswerving commitment to whatever it is that will bring me happiness and contentment. No judgement, no assessment, no advice. Just pure respect. At the end of a conversation I always feel lighter and refreshed.

Great listeners are a gift to this world.

Feeling good without a job

2007-12-19T22:26:00.000+09:00

It's funny how life turns out some days. I was chatting to someone today about me not having a job. For some time now I've had a sense that perhaps I'm not as good as I thought I was and this was affecting how I felt about myself. The conversation was both timely and welcome.

One of the themes that came out of the conversation was the way society demands that we have a career. It's almost unwritten law that if we don't have a job we don't have social status. I've been feeling this a lot lately. It's even more subtle than the job-no job debate. I detect that some people place a person on a social hierarchy dependent on their job. For example, a doctor may rate highly whereas a garbage collector may rate fairly low. Why can't people simply accept one another on the basis of the human being that's before them, rather than on their appearance or job title?

Then there's the money thing. It seems to me that the more money you make, the more some people value your opinions and the higher up their pop-chart you get. Again, it's a shallow form of humanity.

From this societal expectation, it's easy to feel unwanted, unworthy, and unnoticed. At least that's the way I've been feeling. That is until my conversation. From it I took away that life is not about the work we do - although that can be an important way to generate some self esteem and provide structure for our lives. Life is all about the contribution we make.

Contribution comes in so many skins. I volunteer as a way to give back, and in the process I derive a sense of satisfaction and well being. Some people raise families and spend time with their children. Of all the work we could ever undertake, this one pays the least, but probably has the highest rewards.

From today's conversation I've formed a renewed sense of being comfortable with where my career is at and am feeling a sense of my own centre that doesn't rely on a job description or pay cheque.

The problem with relationships

2007-12-14T11:13:00.000+09:00

Marriage on a good day can be great. On a bad day it can be War of the Roses. I've been lucky to enjoy a marriage that's been a significant contributor to my happiness. That's certainly not the case with all relationships.

Marriage vows, of the traditional form found in most Christian services, contain more lies than a job interview. Take the "to death do us part" bit. Does anyone really mean that? I don't think so. In most cases the promise is full of implied conditions such as "so long as you don't sleep with someone else" or "so long as I feel happier being here than somewhere else". Only the most new age of Christian services would include honest vows.

This "to death do us part" creates a sense of failure on the part of a couple who decide to separate. It's simply not needed and, I argue, not healthy. Surely it would be better to stay together while ever two people are committed to one another. If staying together produces greater happiness for both partners then stay together. But when when life changes, move on and stay friends. A marriage committed to "to death to us part" is pointless. A marriage committed to one another's happiness and well-being makes sense and contributes to a better world.

This thinking works for all kinds of relationships. Intimate partnerships, friendships, work, you name it, a relationship founded on a promise to stay together for a life time is simply not realistic. Better to start off with a dose of reality and make sensible commitments than set oneself up for continual failure. Sure, commit to another person's life time happiness, just not to a life time in the same bed.

Did I make a difference?

2007-12-12T20:50:00.001+09:00

Today I had a conversation with a young man. He's a young man with a troubled history. One of those histories that you hope your unborn kids don't inherit.

The start of this story is the first time a needle touched his skin. The first buzz of the craziness of a line of speed. The slow, smooth wash of a cone laden with ganja. And from each of these firsts came a life slipping, sliding, scrambling, and slithering into a life of blurred senses and frightening criminal actions. A life, once full of promise, that today clambers for the tiniest of recognition beyond bars.

Life in these surrounds seems at first to be desperate and hopeless. Each day turns into the next with only the sun's slow arc across the sky to set them apart. Hope is what is read in a magazine and life is what is enjoyed by others.

But this young man is different. In his eyes is a steely resolve to start anew, to be something more - or just to be normal. Sometimes even the most mundane goals are those from seeds of the greatest tree of inspiration.

His are goals to be merely normal. To contribute in ways that the most ordinary of the free take for granted. And in this struggle to be normal and average is a struggle to learn the skills that many boring, pedestrian, mundane successful people take for granted.

Forget the grand, forget the eloquent. Just let's make it to tomorrow in a way that leaves this young man proud to be just ordinary.

In my heart of hearts I hope I'm there to cheer him on and to make that tiny bit of difference. In so doing I hope that his life becomes the most beautiful, ordinary life there is.

Ban plastic water containers?

2007-12-11T15:56:00.000+09:00

It's easy to complain about life, to be critical but do nothing to make a change. That's exactly what I was beginning to do several weeks ago. I climb Jacob's Ladder at least three times a week. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at 6am. Jacob's Ladder is an amazing place. At the top the views of the river and city are sensational and on a crisp, clear morning I love being part of the sun peeking over the Darling Scarp and bringing myself to life with the sound of birds and people doing good things for their health.

When I climb stairs I tend to look down. It's a smart thing to do. And that's when I began to notice the amount of litter under Jacob's Ladder. There were pieces of paper, glass bottles and plastic drink containers. Actually, make that lots, and lots, and lots of plastic drink containers. Under bushes and shrubs, under the stairs, in the grass. All over the place. And that's when I started to complain to myself.

Why isn't the council doing something about this? Someone should do something about this mess. Should, should, should. Then I got to thinking that, rather then simply wish for something different I could do something about it. I'll phone the council and ask them to get someone out there. But that could take ages so I thought why not just clean it up myself?

And that's exactly what I did. Over the next few visits to the ladder I took some big green garbage bags and cleaned the place up. Now, each time I climb the ladder I keep a look out for plastic drink bottles and collect them and throw them in the bin. It feels great to keep a little part of this beautiful place in the world looking clean and tidy.

Now the question is, how do we get rid of the water bottles in the first place? My challenge to anyone is to observe the litter on the side of a road or footpath. In most cases much of it will be plastic drink containers. If keeping our part of the world clean is not motivation enough how can we create an incentive for people to recycle/reuse/collect these containers. I'll bet if we had a clever solution there could be a great little business in people collecting drink containers to claim a reward. Outside of a small incentive for people to return them to a collection depot, as they do in South Australia, I'm not sure how else it could be done.

What a mango asks about carrots and water

2007-12-11T15:33:00.001+09:00

It's just started to rain. That light rain that slowly gets heavier and heavier and where the air is still and thick. A thunder storm is not far away.

The weather has little to do with eating a mango. Eating a mango in the tropical heat of an impending summer storm feels the right thing to do though. Almost as if I'm in the tropics far away - just me and my thoughts and mango juice dripping from my hands and down my arms. It's luxury to eat so decadently.

This mango came from Derby. It was plucked from a tree by a friend and boxed up with a dozen or so other South bound mangoes. Just as fresh and as ripe and as chemical free as can be. Perfect.

All this mango heaven got me thinking about carrots - and water. My nephew brought around a fresh garden carrot the other day. Plucked from their garden and brought right to our front door you'd think it would just be the tastiest, crunchiest carrot in existence. But it's not. Within no time at all it was soft and soggy and you'd barely contemplate eating it. I got to asking "why does this carrot, so fresh from the ground and so free of chemicals, get to be so soggy when the ones we buy in the shop stay crisp and strong for so long?" What's the difference?

Which brought me to water. The other night on the tube there was a feature on fluoridation of water. Here in Perth our water is fluoridated. We don't get to chose if we want it fluoridated or not - it just is. And this brings me back to carrots. I don't know what's in those shop-bought carrots that are so crisp and taste so fresh. Are they genetically modified? Do they contain chemicals that could be doing me harm? Why do they stay so crisp?

Of course I'll probably never know the answer. But one thing I do know is that mango was simply delicious. And being that it was plucked from a tree in a back yard, untouched and unpreserved by chemicals it was a real gift to enjoy.

Sometimes hope is hard to find

2007-12-05T23:37:00.000+09:00

I was driving to my IT guys office today and saw something that gave me reason to think maybe we shouldn't be hopeful about the future. I should probably firstly say that I'm usually a positive person. In most circumstances I can see how the human spirit can, and usually does, triumph over adversity. But today was a bit different.

My travels took me through Rivervale, a working class suburb of Perth, but one that isn't particularly rugged or rough, and one where you could expect to drive trough without too many problems. What I saw shocked me. In broad daylight and in full view of the public, I saw a young man shooting up on the sidewalk. It wasn't so much the drug taking - there's plenty of that happening. It wasn't even so much where it happened. After all, even wealthy suburbs are full of drugs. I guess what unsettled me was the apparent hopelessness of the scene. Here was a young man with his life in front of him and all he could see was the point of a needle plunging in to his arm in order to get high. I just thought that, if that's the future of our country and our planet, then we don't have much of a future.

I'm really not sure what to make of this but I guess what I saw is a very small unrepresentative sample of today's youth. What I didn't see is all though young people working at creating a future for themselves by studying or working at a trade or generally contributing to society. I hope to continue to set an example to give the world a better future.

First year finished

2007-11-19T08:56:00.001+09:00

That's it, the first year of my Master's degree is now officially over and I'm now waiting on my final marks. The last essay I handed in was a disaster. I was just so over studies by the time I got around to writing that I couldn't get my thoughts straight. There were points mentioned twice and the flow was really awful, but hey, it's done. Now I'm looking for a job.

Last night I jumped onto Seek and found a few short term contract jobs that look interesting. Will make a few calls shortly to make some inquiries.

I stacked my bike this morning

2007-11-08T09:37:00.000+09:00

That's right, a crash. Riding along the same path I always ride on with a highly experienced rider next to me on my right, he decides he wants to turn left with no indication whatsoever. He bumps me hard and I end up climbing - then crashing - over an island in the middle of the road and take some bark off my knuckles and shin, he hits the deck hard on his left shoulder. He thought it may have been dislocated, but rode off anyway.

It's just one of those random things that happen in life.

Information, Policy, and Power in the Informational State

2007-10-25T22:14:00.000+08:00

Article has a small comment on the way society is moving from a Panopticon to a Panspectron.

028_Braman_Chapt9.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Reflections from an ordinary mind: Bloggers' Expectations of Privacy and Accountability: An Initial Survey

2007-10-25T17:44:00.000+08:00

Reflections from an ordinary mind: Bloggers' Expectations of Privacy and Accountability: An Initial Survey

Demons that grounded Eagles | The Australian

2007-10-06T17:16:00.000+08:00

With the backdrop of the untimely death of West Coast Eagles Club legend, Chris Mainwairing, this poignant article raises questions about how the club will respond in a meaningful way to the party culture that surrounds the franchise. There's probably more to this story than we will ever know, or want to know, but it does give plenty of weight to the idea of trading players that continually flout team rules - before it's too late.

Demons that grounded Eagles | The Australian

Eagles struggle to hold sponsors - realfooty.com.au

2007-10-04T16:31:00.000+08:00

This link was sent to me by my good mate Jay Wood. It's what everyone has suspected would happen. Of course the ANZ would say that their withdrawal had nothing to do with drugs but if they were getting value for money from their sponsorship - read well disciplined players that reflected their corporate values - the money wouldn't be an object. Sponsorship arrangements are a package and the Eagles are dudding sponsors at the moment. Until they get their act together and send a message to the corporate community that they're serious about their problems, they'll continue to experience corporations questioning their investment in the club.

Eagles struggle to hold sponsors - realfooty.com.au

Eagles disown Mainwaring problems - AFL - Fox Sports

2007-10-04T11:04:00.000+08:00

You've gotta love it. When things go pear-shaped why is it that so many leaders lay blame and justify when they could take responsibility for themselves and the problem and achieve something positive? And while the Eagles are ducking for cover, no-one's asking what roll Channel 7 has played in this terrible event? Many claim the Eagles have a drug culture problem, but what about the TV network? We'll probably never hear about that.

Eagles disown Mainwaring problems - AFL - Fox Sports

On Foucault - Discipline and Punsih

2007-10-04T09:29:00.000+08:00

To most this post will male little or no sense. These are my notes on reading parts of Discipline and Punish: The birth of the prison by Michael Foucault. Random House, Toronto 1977.

Torture

Punishment - public punishment that reflected the crime. Ritualised marks of vengeance applied to the body of the criminal. Reflected and reinforced the power of the monarch and was often above the laws which it proposed to uphold - torture. The punitive city.

The spectacle - Full of symbolism as a way of instructing the public and reinforcing the relationship between crime and punishment.

Prisons as a regimen to ensure compliant, obedient behaviour aimed at reforming a person through their giving themselves to the system. Coercion, training of the body as a way of changing the mind. Prisons represent the the institutionalisation of the will to punish p. 130

Discipline

Usually requires an enclosure, a heterogeneous space. Army barracks, workshops, factories, monasteries

Each person has a space and each space a person. Establishes presences and absences and sets up control.

Spaces are defined for things and processes. Each space a thing and each thing a space.

Timetables and the control of activity

Work takes on religious airs. Time-tables used to establish rhythm and control in schools, workplaces.

The body controls the gesture and the object of articulation and therefore must be disciplined to achieve the optimum outcome.

Discipline draws up tables, prescribes movement, imposes exercises, and arranges tactics p. 167

The exercise of discipline necessarily involves a mechanism of observation by a form of hierarchy that, in the process of observing gives power to the observer and the means of coercion makes the observed observable. Organisations are set up to maximise the surveillance by the hierarchy of the governed in a manner that is least intrusive but that maximises the surveillance. Embedding of surveillance. The whole apparatus is set up to maximise observation whilst giving the illusion of freedom. eg the creation of openings and spaces which permitted freedom and surveillance. p. 173. The pyramid organisation set up to maximise surveillance and minimise disruption to organisation.

A structure of normalisation creates a way to measure individual differences and allows for standardisation and the development of specialists through the achievement of this 'normal' behaviour p. 184

Where power is anonymous and functional, those on whom it is exercised become more individuated. Power is exercised through surveillance and observation rather than ritual and commemoration, by the measurement against a norm. Individuation arises from the degree that a person differs from the norm. p. 193

The Panopticon

"Visibility is a trap" p. 200

A way of inducing a permanent sensation of being watched that generates the power of the watcher. The feeling that surveillance is continuous even if it isn't. The power is therefore visible but unverifiable. The person need not know they are being watched, just believe that is the case. Therefore, the watching does not need to be continuous.

The panopticon is a machinery that ensures disequilibrium.

Because the prisoner believes they are being constantly watched they become their own prison guard and therefore the mechanism of power and control and prison administration can be smaller and lighter.

The panopticon becomes a place where society can keep itself continually surveilled - the Internet. Each person can keep the other under watch. It works best when surveillance is light and unseen.

Panopticon as a metaphor for self?

I'll let you go now

2007-10-03T15:36:00.000+08:00

While I'm in the mood, what is it with people who "politely" end a conversation by saying "I'll let you go now"? How condescending is that? How is it that they see another person as a possession that can be let go? Why do they imagine that they had the person captured in the first place? And why do they believe that they are the person who gets to say when a person stays or leaves? I say to these "polite" people - say it as it is. If you're bored with a conversation end the conversation by all means, but don't pretend that it's for someone else's benefit. If you're really busy, say so - then go. Ending a conversation with "I'll let you go" is simply a weak mind's attempt to be socially acceptable. Find something original to say.

I'm leaving now.

West Coast - trade Cousins while you can

2007-10-03T15:03:00.000+08:00

I'm tipping that Ben Cousins will be traded to the east by the end of trade week. He's too much of a risk for the West Coast to keep on the list. It seems that he's never too far away from trouble and you'd suspect that another slip from the star could see the club lose favour with a major sponsor. Rather than wait, the club would be better off getting a good trade deal for him and pick up a youngster an experienced small forward in his place. Cousins would provide the likes of the Tiges or the Saints with some mid-field power and the move could well be good for Cousins by getting him away from the circle of people in Perth that got him into trouble in the first place. It's a win all round.

Besides that, Worsfold must be fuming (not to mention sad) that one of his grand final brothers is no longer with us. By sending Cousins East, he sends a powerful message to other players that mis-behaviour will no longer be tolerated. One would wonder if the Cousins fiasco earlier this year was what tipped Judd to leave the club. It's no stretch of the imagination that it was, and the club is worse off for his departure.

2007-09-03T21:39:00.001+08:00

Just got onto Tumblr. Thought I'd give the feed a lash, see if it's working.

21st Century Citizen

2007-08-28T20:29:00.000+08:00

As a part time greenie, I was impressed by this site that I found while being on Twitter. I'm really impressed that these people are taking the time to write about practical steps we can all take to reduce our impact on the planet. I'm also impressed by the way this guy is getting the message out and creating a conversation about sustainability. It's the topic of some of my posts on my business blog.

2007-08-23T16:47:00.000+08:00

When elephants fight, the grass suffers.

When will our political leaders leave partisan politics aside on the important issues?

Kiva.org - Sergei Nartya

2007-08-23T11:00:00.000+08:00

What a fantastic idea. Check this out and we'll talk about it later.

Kiva.org - Sergei Nartya

Rudd does a Clinton

2007-08-20T22:18:00.000+08:00

Tonight on the 7.30 Report, Prime Ministerial wannabe, Kevin Rudd, created Australia's version of Bill Clinton's "I did not have sexual relations with that woman". Following allegations that he visited a New York strip club in a drunken state, his appearance in front of hard-hitting ABC front man, Kerry O'brien, was attempt to make sure the issue disappears quickly. Rudd claims to have had a "cordial" dinner with his two mates. Yeah right! If the truth be known they got smashed off their tit and trash talked their way to the strip joint. And here's where his story gets really clear and really fuzzy all at once. Firstly he says that he'd a fair bit to drink - too much in fact. So much so that, when asked by O'brien whether he could he remember seeing lap dancers, his response was that he couldn't remember seeing anything that you wouldn't see in most Aussie pubs in the past 20 years. Jeez Kev, not sure what pubs you've been going to, but sounds like they're interesting places indeed. Then suddenly his memory gets all vivid again when he reiterates (read: repeat over, and over, and over until the interviewer gets tired and moves on) that he can categorically say that he can recall that absolutely nothing inappropriate whatsoever happened. Nothing? Yes, nothing inappropriate. But if he can't remember the strippers - and let's face it, it was a strip club so they must have been there - how can he know or remember that nothing inappropriate happened? But more interestingly, if nothing inappropriate happened then why did he feel the need to call his wife the next day and confess to his mistake. Surely Kev, if all you'd done is go to the pub and have a few too many drinks, with nothing inappropriate happening then there's really no need for confessionals. Unless, of course, you're not telling us all there is to know.

The Dockers can play football

2007-08-10T20:36:00.000+08:00

Last weekend the Dockers showed what they can do by beating the Eagles by 27 points. But the real question is - why did they leave it until this late in the season to finally play with a bit of heart and passion. Despite Matthew Pavlich being well held for most of the game the Dockers played a brand of footy that wins matches.

Can they maintain the rage for the rest of the season. If I was a betting man I'd say no. They've got the Bombers this weekend who've got a chance of making the 8 whereas the Dockers have almost no chance.

If they had some heart they'd let Troy Cook play the last three games of the season to give him life membership.

Back at school

2007-08-03T21:16:00.000+08:00

Back at Uni and putting the time into reading and writing. Submitted my first assessment piece today and feeling more focussed on the end result rather than the process - a bit more strategic than usual. I want to keep my results up to match what I achieved last semester. Can I do a PhD? Not sure at this stage. It seems like such a long haul to go for another Masters degree then do a 3-4 year thesis on top of that. I'll be 48 by the time I finish school. Bloody hell!

Why I don't want daylight saving: Number 1

2007-08-02T10:02:00.000+08:00

This morning my alarm roused me from sleep at 5:20, as it does most mornings. I get out of bed this early to climb the 243 steps of Jacob's Ladder in Kings Park. It keeps me fit and probably healthier than if I'd stayed in bed to do nothing. But what's this got to do with daylight saving? It's simple really. While I was at the top of the ladder this morning, I made the observation to one of my fellow stair climbers that the sky appeared lighter. It's one of those things that I've come to expect; that I'll be exercising in the dark during winter. I leave home in the dark, workout in the dark, and arrive home before the sun has had a chance to rise in the East. And that's why I once looked forward to summer. It gave me a chance to exercise in the cool of a summer morning, to watch the early morning awakening of nature, and to enjoy that peaceful calm that only the early morning just on daybreak can bring. But with daylight saving I'm largely robbed of this precious time. Just when I start to enjoy the dawn again I'm forced back to exercising in the dark. So what I once looked forward to, longed for, and treasured, has been stolen from me.

I don't want daylight saving. It robs me of the bliss of exercising in the light during much of summer.

I'm tired

2007-07-31T22:18:00.000+08:00

Long day, first back at Uni.

I'm tired now so I'm going to bed.

Goodnight

Thank Evans for Cadel

2007-07-30T20:59:00.000+08:00

He's done it! Cadel Evans has taken second place in the Tour. What a legend. If you haven't seen the time trial there's some great video footage at SBS where you can see one of the grittiest, gutsiest rides to hold out Levi Leipheimer for second place. Evans is now part of Australian cycling folklore and is sure to inspire lots of young riders to get on their bikes and get fit.

Cadel, we salute you.

Le Tour de Farce

2007-07-26T11:51:00.000+08:00

Could the Tour de France get more fascinating - or more farcical? Firstly Alexandre Vinokourov has been expelled from the race for failing a doping test, and now the leader, Michael Rasmussen, has been sacked by his own team for breaking team rules and lying to them about his whereabouts during a time he was to have submitted to a drugs test. Rasmussen must be feeling shattered! Two years ago he had a time trial from hell in the penultimate stage of the Tour which cost him a place on the podium. And now, with the yellow fleece glued firmly to his back, he's been sacked, costing him an almost certain win in the most prestigious bike race in the world.

Now all that remains is to see if Cadel Evans can bridge a gap of just under 2 minutes in the final time trial of the Tour. If Evans stands on the podium in Paris, it will be the best result by an Aussie ever. C'mon Cadel, you can do it!

What are the Federal Police up to?

2007-07-23T20:58:00.000+08:00

Well, what a surprise, the Federal Police are now being asked how Doctor Haneef's diary got to read like a who's-who of global terrorism. As usual, the doctor is protesting his innocence, but his reputation is now in tatters. The weekend leak of a suggestion that he was involved in a plot to blow up buildings in Queensland was quickly, and conveniently, rebutted by the Fed's, but not before alarm bells were ringing for the good folk of the sunshine state. In the meantime Doctor Haneef will need a new bladder, after being used a political football for the past few weeks. Where's Labor I hear you ask? Obviously the polls are saying the matter hasn't gained sufficient traction for it to be worthwhile taking a punt (pardon the pun).

Is Haneef to become our next Hicks?

What a video - Battle at Kruger

2007-07-23T20:52:00.000+08:00

If you've got 10 minutes to spare this YouTube video is well worth watching. It starts out a little slowly, as many African safari videos do, but there's an amazing twist. Hang in there. Well worth while.

Le Tour de France

2007-07-22T15:40:00.000+08:00

How good is Cadel Evans?! Now only 1:14 seconds from having the leader's yellow jersey on his back after a magnificent time trial, where he finished second, Evans now has a real chance of winning the Tour. If he can do well in the Pyrenees over the next few days we may be seeing an Aussie on the podium in France.

And congratulations to SBS for a the terrific coverage of every stage live. It's great to see some of the worlds great athletes battle it out in one of the worlds most grueling sporting events.

Fremantle Dockers look for new coach

2007-07-19T21:14:00.000+08:00

Well here's some news that's about 12 months too late. Chris Connolly has resigned as the coach of the Fremantle Dockers - and not before time. I'm sure Chris is a great guy but his performance at the helm of what should be, one of the best football clubs in the AFL has been poor. With the list he's had at his disposal including Black, Pavlich, Hedland, and Tarrant, Connolly should have been crushing all before him. Instead, he's allowed the Dockers to slip out of contention of finals football this year. As much as it's a poor reflection on his skills as a coach, it's also a poor reflection on the executive of the club, who persistently tolerate honorable losses and excuse poor performance.

The Dockers are high on passion, but poor on performance. It's time they stopped their pretense at being an AFL club and gave their loyal supports a finals dividend.

Howard on the back foot over Haneef

2007-07-18T19:41:00.000+08:00

What a master stroke. As reported on the ABC's The 7-30 Report this evening, barrister for Doctor Haneef, Steven Kime, has released the transcript of his police interview - with the predictable hand-wringing and tut-tutting from the Prime Minister, Attorney General Phillip Ruddock, and the Federal Police Commissioner, Mick Keelty. All accuse Mr Kime of being variously unethical, working against the chances of Haneef getting a fair trial, and being disrespectful of the legal system. Well if that's not the pot calling the kettle black, it's hard to know what it is. Doctor Haneef has been granted bail by the courts and it was the Immigration Minister, Kevin Andrews who, on hearing this news, cancelled Doctor Haneef's passport. The effect of this is to make Doctor Haneef the highest profile suspect in Australia today, and that makes his chances of receiving a fair trial even more difficult.

It's actions such as these by the Federal government which are showing how far Howard and his colleagues are willing to go to get re-elected - even to the point of manipulating executive powers to prosecute their political ends.

Mohamed Haneef

2007-07-17T20:43:00.000+08:00

Walking the dog this morning, I met up with a lady who works with aboriginal communities in the North West of Western Australia. As our dogs played, we got talking about the way the Howard government is handling the problems faced by aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, and her view, quite understandably, was that Howard's solutions are short-sighted and politically motivated. And this lead to a chat about the plight of Doctor Mohamed Haneef. Doctor Haneef has been charged with '"recklessly" supporting a terrorist organisation, with the Australian Federal Police alleging he supported foiled plans to detonate truck bombs in Britain'. If he is proven to be guilty, then he deserves to be punished - terrorism is a despicable, weak, and cowardly crime that has no place in modern society. However, our justice system relies on the presumption of innocence and, at this stage, Doctor Haneef is innocent. Furthermore, the magistrate who heard Doctor Haneef's bail application obviously saw a very different person to the person seen by our immigration minister, Kevin Andrews. In what could quite easily be seen as a political stunt, Mr Andrews revoked Doctor Haneef's visa, resulting in Doctor Haneef's incarceration in an immigration detention centre. How convenient.

Let's not forget that this is an election year. In the 2001 election, Mr Howard sailed home to victory at the helm of the Tampa, and Doctor Haneef is being set up to be Mr Howard's Tampa II. The line will be that we now have a terrorist in custody, someone that could have killed innocent Australians. Just as he did last night on the 7:30 report, Mr Andrews and his Liberal colleagues will be very sketchy when pushed for details about why they've made the decision to revoke his visa. They will hint at his poor character, at the atrocities committed by his second cousin, and the dangers we face - all as a way of drumming up fear that they know full well wins elections.

What will sadly go unchallenged is the manner in which our judicial system has been treated with contempt by those in power. In the context of threats to our society, Doctor Haneef is a tiny risk compared to prostate cancer, depression, youth suicide, and motor neurone disease. But because he represents something that generates so much uncertainty, so much mistrust, and so much fear, he is the unwitting pawn in a political power play that is set to destroy his career and any hope of financial independence for his family. Guilty or innocent, Doctor Haneef and the Australian public deserve more respect than what they're receiving from the Howard government.

A need for speed

2007-07-04T08:40:00.000+08:00

For most boys, the allure of a go-kart is speed. Build one, find the biggest, longest hill with a (preferably) paved road, then try to break the land speed record. It's a basic recipe, but one sure to add salt and pepper to an otherwise boring show and tell on Monday morning. But being raised on a farm created logistical problems for a budding speed freak. Firstly, there was the issue of the hill. Our farm was pretty much dead flat. Next, there was no real road. Sure there was the track that lead from the front gate to the house but it was sandy and, like the rest of the farm, flat. Not the perfect recipe for go-karting.

As in most rural communities, adults and kids alike rely on ingenuity. Take for example the cocky gate. It's a gate made almost entirely of wire with a piece of wood as a lever to stretch the gate across the opening, and a piece of timber at each end to give the wire in the middle a type of frame. It's not the flashest gate you'll ever see, but gates of this type of stopped more mongrel wethers than you and I could ever imagine.

Which brings us back to the matter of how to get a go-kart to go fast without the aid of gravity. My go-kart didn't have an engine. The ones at the Esperance Show did. They were noisy and went around in small circles before your twenty cent ride ran out. Sure they could be made to go a bit quick, but for a family who couldn't afford running hot and cold water, buying a kid a Briggs and Stratton engine for a go-kart was not an option.

My go-kart looked fast. It had pram wheels on the front and back. The back ones were a bit bigger than the front. John made it so it looked like a drag car with a seat that sat on top of a long piece of 4x2 that joined the front and back axles. It was a bit flash - it even had coil spring suspension under the seat. These springs were scavenged from the Ravensthorpe tip where we also found the pram wheels. The faster we went, the more wheels we went through, so we were at the tip as often as we could.

So here I was with a fast-looking go-kart - with suspension - ready for speed. It was almost a case of being all dressed up with no place to go. Then we found the engine. Not a four stroke engine, but a four legged engine. Our family had grown up with horses. Ever since I can remember Dad has had a horse, or two, or three, or four. I always figured that Dad's life was perfect so long as he had a dog, a gun, a horse, and a kangaroo to chase - oh, and Mum of course. So John got to thinking that instead of pushing the go-kart, why not pull it with a horse. Great idea I thought. So he drilled a hole through the 4x2, attached a rope, and away we went.

Most people are aware that horses can gallop pretty fast. Most hacks can do 40 kilometres per hour easily. Now this may not sound fast in the family sedan on a paved road, but when you're a matter of 1o feet behind four thundering hooves, just 4 inches off the ground, racing across a bumpy paddock, dodging bushes and mallet stumps it's fast. Add to the equation a horse that was an ex-galloper, no helmet, a crazy brother in total control of the 'accelerator', and a 10 year old kid that got blown away in a stiff breeze, you had the recipe for some high speeds, amazing spills, and great stories.

We had no need after that for hills, or roads, or engines. We had the most powerful 1 horse power go-kart in the world. Mine was a world of speed, exhilaration and daring. It was a world most city kids could only ever dream about.

Destiny

2007-07-03T21:16:00.000+08:00

Destiny. A word that has so much romantic connotation. A word that has a sense of our being out of control. A word that hints that we are merely pawns in the grand plan of the universe. A word that suggests so much, and yet so little, possibility.

What is our destiny? What is my destiny? To answer that question I draw on a moment of reflection, a moment when my mind was still and clear, where thoughts fade into a pure moment, where nothing exists but the sound of morning birds and buzzing traffic. A moment when the voice inside stills and gives way to the gentle, rhythmic patterns of my breath, to the sound of the tingle in my fingers. This moment was all there was - nothing more than just this.

Then the voice returned and the mind began labeling the sounds as traffic and birds and the purity left. Left but not forgotten. Replaced with a soft, gentle realisation that nothing comes about except through conversation. Through conversations had with friends and neighbours, with lovers and colleagues, and between our internal selves. It is these conversations that turn into the stories we make about our life and our history; our existence and our being.

How true they are is just another conversation. Just another story. Whether or not the story is real is entirely mine to chose. My response to these stories and circumstances create my destiny for tomorrow. It's mine to choose.

Life skills

2007-06-28T11:53:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I was talking to a young man who was a particularly articulate, passionate, and convincing orator. His passion was helping society break the relentless and seemingly endless cycle of violence. He was passionate about delivering courses designed to help people see there are other choices to resolve differences rather than resorting to violence. He wants to bring these courses to schools across the country so young people can gain useful life skills that would help them make better decisions in life. The effects of this strategy, he believes, will be to reduce the deep scar on society that is caused through violent crime, and to help people proactively choose to live a more peaceful and fulfilling life. This young man has no qualifications. He has no university degree and yet his insights into life and the possibility he sees for society are as exciting as they are profound. And what gives his message even greater weight is the fact that he has spent all of his adult life in jail for a terrible crime. His passion for making a positive contribution to society as a way of making amends is inspirational and I only hope that our law makers and legislators will listen to his message rather than seeing him as a criminal.

Guns aren't welcome on school buses

2007-06-26T21:52:00.000+08:00

That sure is a scary heading. In 2007, just after 30 odd people were shot by a crazy gunman in the US, it seems almost foolish to write a story that takes a light-hearted look at the day I tried to take a gun to school. But that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Back in the early 1970s, Jerdacuttup Primary School was a tiny two roomed transportable building with a flat tin roof and a rain water tank for drinking water that was the grave for the odd dead lizard. The rooms were square and each had jarrah floors that made the sound of slamming desk lids seem that much louder. During the winter we were cold and during summer we melted in the far from well-designed shelters. But that was life at Jerdy primary. Thirty odd kids - and yes some of us were odd - especially yours truly.

It was in grade four or five that we were given a project by our then headmaster Mr Jones. He was a thick-set, red-headed, short-strutting, tough-nut footballer who loved nothing better than to dish out shirt fronts on a footy field, and, whilst I didn't rate him highly as a teacher, I admired the way he went about his work in a game of football. One to be feared that Mr Jones! So when we were told we were to do a project about anything in social studies a few of us boys got together and began to nut out what to do. We all lived on farms so we were never going to read about Shakespeare. No, we wanted a boys project. And being that we'd all used guns on the farm, we thought they would make the perfect project. After all, there were plenty of what we considered pests at the time, eating our parents crops and pastures, or wreaking havoc on new born lambs. Guns it had to be!

At the time, our tiny library contained a single set of encyclopedia which we thought would be our best resource. We grabbed one of the thick, heavy books off the shelf and went to work trying to find out a little more about guns and rifles. Being that we didn't have a photocopier we thought it would look pretty impressive to trace an image of an old rifle to add a picture to our project. So that's what we did. Using a piece of tracing paper and a lead pencil, we fashioned an image of what for us was the ultimate farming tool. But when we looked at this puny facsimile of that which captured our imagination we were left flat. We were devastated to see that our art had so utterly failed to embody the essence of what our project was all about. What a let down! Then the brain wave hit me. If we're doing a project on guns, why not bring one to school!? That would be the ultimate way of showing the other kids what a firearm was and how it operated. What a great idea! I explained to the other boys that we owned an air-rifle with a sawn off barrel. It still worked, I enthused. I claimed that it would be perfectly OK to bring to school being that it was only an air rifle, and besides, we only ever used wheat or oats as ammunition. It was perfect. And without a voice of dissent - and thinking it probably best not to ask Mr Jones - the plan was in place. So the next morning, there I was at the bus stop on that lonely stretch of gravel road, school bag in one hand and air rifle in the other. I was going to do well in show and tell today.

When the bus finally arrived, I could hardly wait to get on. The bus driver though, didn't share my enthusiasm. Mr Dow calmly advised me that it would probably be best to leave the gun behind, and suggested that I hide it in the bush under the letter box - which I did. It didn't occur to me, when we finally arrived at school, why Mr Dow and Mr Jones were in such a long, concerted conversation after dropping us kids off. But then again, I've never been the quickest thinker.

I never did try to take a gun to school again. I took lassos and whips, but never a gun. And as I look back on those days I remember them being innocent, and full of fun and adventure. If someone tried to take a gun to school today it would probably be with anger and ill-intent. There'd be police and psychologists, court and a government inquiry, and someone would probably end up in jail. But back in 1973, at Jerdy primary, it was just shrugged off, and life went on as usual. It was a way of life that was practical and uncomplicated, where everyone looked out for each other and shared a genuine, earthy sense of humour. It was a way of life that today is only ever captured in fictional stories of the outback. A way of life I'm proud to say I lived.

Mum wants a story

2007-06-26T21:42:00.000+08:00

Mum called today. She wants me to write a story about my life as a young kid growing up on our farm at Jerdacuttup, which is a tiny farming community in the South East of Western Australia. Apparently one of the ladies down at Jerdy is putting a book together about life in a pioneer rural community and needs some help with some of the stories from people who lived in the area when it was just bush and old tractors. So why not? Over the next few days I'll share a few of these stories.