OK!!! Maybe It Is Getting To Me

I have received a lot of rejection letters for teaching jobs for which I have applied. They have all been kept so that when I finally get a job I can see how far I’ve come.

But it is all getting a bit much as I consider whether I was meant to do teaching in the first place. There are moments when I think I am on track with God’s plan but right now I have my doubts that I am anywhere near.

Consider these moments:

• Being accepted by all three Uni’s when I thought I was surely off to Bathurst for my grad dip ed
• Being one of very few in my dip ed class to go straight into a teaching job

Then contrast with:

• Being sent to the edge during my first year of teaching, so far that I almost gave the profession away completely
• Being so close for some jobs yet being so far away

So how do you know what is God’s plan for you?

This Blogging Fad

I joined the blogging craze with a bunch of people from a former church a few years ago. But now it seems that the blog craze, in this particular group at least, is on the decline. Not many still regularly update or add to their blog. While this is disappointing it is not overly surprising.

Blogging was a new thing and like most new things people want to try it out. I guess it just didn’t fit with many people’s lives, fair enough. It was exciting in the beginning with everything to blog about and so many features to play with. But then the reality hits and the excitement disappears.

The reality is that blogs need maintenance. No one likes to visit a blog that hasn’t been updated in months. Otherwise people become disinterested very quickly. We all have busy lives and because the blog was the last addition it usually becomes the first extraction.

Maybe people misinterpreted the purpose of a blog. Finding a purpose can provide the driving force behind keeping the blog fresh. If there was no purpose or a very weak one then perhaps it was doomed to fail anyway.

Families Come First

We have our first ever female Prime Minster, be it for only a few days while the elected PM is overseas on official climate change business. Ms Gillard is using this as an opportunity to inspire young women to consider a career in politics and perhaps to dream of being elected PM one day.

I find it interesting that she is doing this and in the process elevating herself to female role model. I can’t help but think of the relevance of Bill Heffernan’s bluntly truthful yet tactless comment in describing Ms Gillard as “deliberately baron.”

In a climate where many MP’s have resigned from parliament for family reasons, Gillard just hasn’t had to deal with the same problems as she has chosen to not have children.

She’s selling a false reality to the young women of Australia. She is selling that women can do it all when she hasn’t done it all. Reality is that she had to make a HUGE sacrifice to get where she is today. Fellow MP’s Jackie Kelly and Carmel Tebbutt (NSW) have recently resigned from parliament because they felt they were missing out in their family life and it wasn’t worth that sacrifice.

Doesn’t just apply to females. Men also have to make a huge sacrifice in regards to family. Peter Costello in his speech following the election loss emphasised the fact that his family had a lot to deal with while missing his presence.

Twenty20 Cricket #2

I made some comments about the tactics of Twenty20 cricket in January of 2007. Some of my comments have been verified by Cricket Australia, such as:

• Michael Clarke as captain
• Fringe players being given a chance
• The need for free hitters not settlers

Although the tactics seemed to have changed. The slow spinners for New Zealand last night worked well but for Australia it was the blistering pace and accuracy of Brett Lee and Shaun Tait that ripped the NZ batsmen apart. Follow that with the not so fast but highly accurate Nathan Bracken, Ashley Noffke and Mitchell Johnson. They never had a chance to hit them. The only bowler that copped some stick was Andrew Symonds when he came on to throw down his gentle off spinners. Jacob Oram sent him to and over the fence on numerous occassions.

Still a very entertaining and enjoyable form of cricket. I think I still like the 50 over format though.

Three Month Report Card

At the beginning of this year I reported on how well I survived a stint house-sitting for some friends. I felt I did pretty well, but it was only house-sitting and now I have had the real thing for about three months. Time to look back and see if I’m still doing as well as I thought I was. Looking at the same areas:

Mum’s cooking
Still go home for dinner a few times a week, depending on my roster. However I am doing big cook up and freezing meals for my lunches at work. Or if I cook for dinner I deliberately cook too much so that they can be frozen for lunches.

Cable Television
It’s not so bad anymore. I’m surprised that I actually watch less television now than before. It’s possible that facebook and MSN has taken over though.

Air Conditioning
Hasn’t gotten too hot yet. I’m in between levels so it shouldn’t get way too hot in here, but it does get stuffy so a few open windows and fans tend to do the trick.

Clothes Washing and Ironing
People are surprised and sometimes disgusted when I say I still send some washing home to mum. Think about it, I haven’t had to do much washing for myself in 26 years. It’s going to take time to get into the swing. Plus it is hard to hang up bulky items on my balcony. At the moment I only send my nice shirts and work shirts back home, I do everything else.

The Internet
I got lucky, my flat mate had a modem that worked. Will need to find a more long term solution soon though.

Everone Needs A Drummer

Out of all the members in a band, it’s the drummer who seems to cop the rough end of the stick when it comes to their musical intelligence. Look at the layout of most bands, the lead singer showing off at the front, they are the focal point after all. Next to him are the guitarists and the bass guitarists. Guitarists get their moment to shine when they have their solos. The bass guitarist just always looks cool creating that fat sound. Then way in the back somewhere is the drummer who is unable to show of as much due to the fact that he has to sit and he usually has all four limbs in motion at any one time. All the drummer can do, apart from play wicked grooves and hold the sound together is twirl his sticks in his fingers in an effort to get some attention.

Drummers cop all the jokes as well. Here’s just one:
Q How do you know a band is about to break up?
A The drummer says, “hey guys I’ve written a song”

I was also once laughed at when I mentioned that there was drum music with every drum and cymbal using a different space or line on the staff just like how every other instrument arranges it’s notes.

So why is it then that musos from every church I’ve played at are begging for a drummer? Like there must be one otherwise the music will fall apart. It is possible that the music will fall apart. Although I have seen shocking worship music because of poor drumming and I have seen fantastic worship music without a drummer at all.

I had always thought that drums weren’t required in church, despite being a drummer myself. But apparently other musos can’t do without them.

The Fine Line

Situation:
A couple is to be married, one is a Christian and a regular church attendee, and the other is not. What should the church’s response be? Taking into account an important biblical passage:

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? (2 Cor 6:14)

Options

Banishment
Completely disassociating them from the church in disgust of their ‘ungodly’ acts. This involves relinquishing all positions where they are responsible for spreading the word. As it appears you are now unable to speak the word anymore.

Counselling
Not agreeing with the decision but talking with (not talking at) the couple as to whether this is the best thing for them to do.

Ignorance is Bliss
Ignoring it and hope that they work it out themselves.

Would be surprising to find out that a church has just used door number one for dealing with this situation.

Post Election 07

The Coverage

I wanted to watch the Channel 7 coverage because they said they will bring all the results without the boring bits. Unfortunately I was at a camp where they had only tuned Channel 9 and ABC into their TV. Boy was it boring, and I have found election coverage very interesting in the past but couldn’t take much this time even though it was one of the more interesting elections in my voting history. Channel 9 promoted their coverage as “Ray and Laurie’s Election Extravaganza” (Ray Martin & Laurie Oakes). It was anything but. ABC is always boring with ‘Death Warmed Up’ Kerry O’Brien. Although they have, in my opinion, the best stats man in the business.

Time To Prove

The Liberal Party doesn’t rate him and his team as competent economic managers. Well, he got the emphatic vote from the public so it really doesn’t matter what The Liberal’s think, for now. But it is time for Kevin Rudd to prove his credentials, otherwise his fresh leadership rhetoric will back to haunt him. If he fails then we could get the Liberals back in 3 years time. If he does well, then we live well and our nation continues to prosper. Win/Win

Scare Campaigns From All Sides

Liberal

• Economic L Plates
• Wall to Wall Labor
• The Unions are coming back

Labor

• A vote for Howard is a vote for Costello
• Don’t let him take workchoices futher

Unions

• Disappearing nurses
• Your rights at work

Hard to find the truth amongst all the scare tactics. The facts of past labor govt’s incompetancies just didn’t hit the mark the same way the exaggerations from the unions did.

This Makes Things Interesting

Peter Costello has chosen not to take the leadership of the opposition. Sky News reported that the Liberals are now in a shambles and that this is the perfect start for Kevin Rudd. They say this as they rated Costello as the best performer in parliament the opposition will have. On the contrary I say, as it is not Peter Costello who has to perform in parliament for the next 3 years, it is the aforementioned Mr Rudd. There is still plenty of enthusiastic MP’s ripe and ready to take it up to the new PM.

Where To Now For The Liberals

In footy parlance this will be a rebuilding phase. How quickly they can do it will determine how well they fare in future elections. I think they will be able to find their feet very quickly as they have been given a clean break from the Howard/Costello led Coalition courtesy of Mr Rudd. But who is next in line? Hopefully someone who has a bit of charisma, so that leaves out Alexander Downer. Abbott? Hockey? Nelson? Or even Turnbull? My smokey for a shadow portfolio is MP for Mitchell, Alex Hawke.

Need For a Change

This is one of the poorest reasonings for changing leadership I have ever heard. It is impossible to gauge how many people voted purely and simply on the premise that we need a change but people who know more than me about this are rating it as a big reason. Rudd wasn’t hugely different from Howard after suffering (or revelling) from a huge dose of MeTooitis. But the Australian public think that 11 years is too long despite the nation being as prosperous as it ever has. I think as a nation we shoot ourselves in the foot like this. By getting rid of leaders that are good but are carrying the public perception of being there too long.

A PM For All Australians

Kevin Rudd proclaimed he will be a “PM for all Australians.”

Put simply, that is impossible and reeks of idealism and fantasy.

Eg:

• Keep unions happy = Small business unhappy
• Keep environmentalists happy = primary industries unhappy

Kyoto Hang Ups

The issue of the Kyoto agreement and whether to ratify it or not is baffling.

What is Kyoto and why is it such a big deal?

Mmm, a piece of paper with some signatures on it. It is, however, without the signature of Australia and many of it’s economic competitors. Competitors who just happen to be the biggest polluters in the world.

What is the importance of it being signed?

Pure symbolism it appears to me. I haven't heard of any punishment for not meeting targets. It's a goal without any affirmative action

Can’t we move on without it?

Well, we can but some people choose not to.

People seem unable to move on with helping to form environmental policy unless it is signed. China didn’t sign it, and I learnt recently that if they had signed then John Howard would have signed. So how come there hasn’t been a big deal made of china and their non-signature?

My New Mac Book

I had been talking about buying a Mac Book for months, even putting it off till after my overseas tour claiming financial constraints would prohibit a purchase prior to then.

Before having a Mac Book I was using Danny’s iMac, which acted as the family computer. Unfortunately its hard drive was continually reaching capacity. I received the blame constantly due to my large iTunes collection, photos and all my short movies. Most of the time the blame was unwarranted however, Danny did sometimes take responsibility for his contribution to the hard drive filling.

The new Operating System (OS) had just been released so the timing seemed right. Might as well get a new computer when the OS is brand new and not when it’s getting old and another new OS is being bandied about.

I have only had my Mac Book for a few weeks and I love it. I feel comfortable with a Mac and feel I can rely on them more to deliver what I want, not that I am overly demanding on my computers outcomes.

Failure To Launch – Movie Review

My mum wanted to watch this movie, I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s because up until this year she had both her adult sons living at home despite them being in their mid to late 20’s. It was easy for her to relate to the parental characters played by Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw, as easy as it was for me to relate to the three male characters still living at home with their parents.

Matthew McConaughey plays the ‘child’, Tripp, a successful boat broker who at 35 breaks the mould of what you would expect from someone that age still living at home. On the contrary he is quite adept socially, being able to form new relationships with the opposite sex.

Dig a little deeper and you find insecurities in everyone. Tripp is no different as we discover his break up routine of bringing girls home to meet the parents when they are getting too close. The parents want to stop his turnstile relationship history and hire Paula, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, who has made it an occupation to launch unsettled bachelors out of the nest. Paula appears perfect and knows all about relationships yet has insecurities of her own, as she discovers a life that is empty and lacking substance.

As far as RomComs (Romantic Comedy) go, I quite enjoyed this as it has enough Com and genuine blokey banter to keep the fellas interested and laughing right to the inevitable end where guy gets girl.

Rates 'Hike' #2

I've been on about about it before but everyone keeps talking about an interest rates hikes with the realisation of another rise prior after immense speculation .

Firstly a definition from the Apple dictionary:

Noun
1. A long walk, esp. in the country or wilderness.
• Informal a long distance.
2. A sharp increase, esp. in price: fears of a hike in interest rates.

Funny how it actually uses interest rates in its example. But also notice how it mentions a sharp increase as the correct definition for a hike. Is 0.25% really a sharp increase? Even if you get 3 or 4 in the space of a few years as we have, I still don’t believe it equates to a sharp increase. Go back to a time in the not too distant past when interest rates rose by 1% in one hit. Now you can talk about sharp increases.

Who is really to blame for interest rates anyway? I feel this is another area that people choose to blame the govt instead of looking at their own behaviours and seeing how they are contributing to the current situation. I’m no economics genius (for that go here) but I did do Economics in Yr 12 and it taught me a lot about how he economy works. A very intelligent teacher broke it down for me and my class. When this is done it’s actually quite easy to understand. Interest rates are trying to make you stop borrowing so much money and instead save a bit more and hold onto your money. So perhaps your credit card habits need to be looked at. Borrowing to pay for the house, car, lounge suit and whatever else simultaneously is probably not a good idea.

For those of us already in a loan, yes of course it is going to sting a bit, but if people got in over their head then that was the individual’s fault not the govt’s.

People tend to look to the govt first instead of looking to themselves first. You’re looking at your own habits to help the environment, now look to how you can help the economy.

Cuckoos Nest – Book Review

“One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest” – Ken Kesey

Well it took me about 4 months of on again / off again reading to get it done but I finally finished it while on my recent trip waiting for a delayed plane in Las Vegas.

Cuckoos Nest was my Yr 11 text. I had never read it properly as I always struggled to read a book when I had a deadline. Instead I relied on the movie and York’s notes to explain the general story and hopefully give some insight into the literary content. The Board of Studies always tended to ask about the literary content and not the movie unfortunately.

While the Oscar winning movie, starring Jack Nicholson, was very good in it’s own right, the book (as most books) was much better than the movie. However, having seen the movie did help me visualise what was happening as I read book.

The story is set in a mental institution in the mid west state of Oregon, USA. It’s narrated by one of the committed patients, Chief Bromden. Nicknamed Chief Broom, as he is a native Indian who doesn’t speak at all, instead spending most of his time cleaning the floors with a broom given to him by the staffers on the ward.

We are introduced to Nurse Ratched. She runs a tight ship and enjoys having a strict, inflexible routine, which must be adhered to at all times by all patients on the ward. It’s therapeutic she would suggest.

To shake up her world and that of all the patients on the ward, in strolls Randall Patrick McMurphy. A career con artist who appears to be faking mental illness to get out of the prison work farm. He turns the routine upside down through his brashness and confidence in his ability to get “up Nurse Ratched’s skirt.” McMurphy continues to get up to mischief even after finding out he won’t be let out until the doctor’s and nurses agree that he is ready to be let out. He never lets up until the very end where you will have mixed emotions as to what happens to all the patients in the ward.

One Year On

I have now been working with the Ambulance Service NSW for just over a year as a Patient Transport Officer. It was my first major career change since starting out as a PE Teacher in secondary schools. It was not a career change that showed much foresight, as I was never sure whether I wanted to take the only chance for advancement and apply to become a Level 1 Ambulance Officer. That hesitation says to me that I shouldn’t take that step as it is one of those occupations that you need to be passionate about. No use trying it out just to see what it would be like, as lives are at stake.


Over the year I have learnt a lot. Mainly about hospital and nursing home locations and also how they work. I also get to know many nurses personally, especially at our regular stops such as Westmead discharge lounge.

I joke around with mum that I know the best nursing homes for her to be put in if that time should come. Of course I wouldn’t want it to come as even the best nursing homes can be very depressing places.

So where to now if I’m not going to AO's? Well I felt that I was being led back into teaching. However finding PE teaching jobs in Sydney is continually hard and the market is still very competitive. I may have to be satisfied with my lot as a PTO for an extended period. Unless another twist and turn comes along to take me on another journey.

My “Non-Obvious US Cities To Tour” Tour

When informing people of my various destinations on The Convicts tour one stood out as strange. Louisville, Kentucky was to be the venue for the US Footy National Championships yet when people hear it their response was usually, “Why are you going there?” This was a very reasonable thing to say, as I would have thought it myself.

What I found though was that there is a surprisingly large amount of stuff to do in Louisville. Problem is that there is no chance that an organised tour would ever travel through places like Louisville. For starters, you can only fly in via Chicago. Tours are more likely to pass through our other destinations, such as: New York, Washington DC, Las Vegas and Las Angeles.


Based on my experiences in Louisville I am proposing a tour with the working title written above. it may never happen because it would be somewhat of a logistical nightmare and would need a lot of preparation and research which might be why I’m starting early.

First step is to come up with a list of cities that don’t get all the kudos as cities tourists would go to. Louisville is definitely on the list. What else? Perhaps Pittsburgh, PN and Dallas, TX. Any suggestions?

How To Do A Convicts Tour On The Cheap

On the tour I was labeled “The Seagull” by the tour manager because I was able to spend a little amount of money compared to everyone else. Here’s the tricks, and I don’t think they will be all that surprising:

1. Don’t drink – just leads to expensive shouts
2. Avoid the nightlife – not that hard for me, as I don’t like the music they play or the dimmed lighting. Some cost an arm and a leg to get into plus we had to rely on cabs sometimes, whose fares add up rapidly.
3. Make the most of a free feed – breakfast wasn’t always included in our hotels but when it was I loaded up which meant I didn’t need to buy lunch.
4. Make the most of buffets – for similar reasons to No 3. These are especially prevalent in Las Vegas and are affordable so load up
5. Stick to a budget – don’t carry all your cash at one time
6. Souvenirs – cheap and small ones are fine. They are easy to pack and probably more useful in the long run eg magnets, postcards, ornaments, casino chips, badges. Some of the best souvenirs are sometimes free from the motel eg pens, notepads and the key cards.

And I was still able to enjoy myself, despite the opinion of the tour manager.

L.A. To Finish

Our final destination before heading home was going to be a whirlwind one. Our flight being delayed for 2 hours did not help things bu at least I got to finish the book I’ve been trying to read for the past few months.

Upon arrival we were taken on a hasty tour around LA and the surrounding districts. We stopped off at Venice Beach for a quick walk up and down. Lots of little art stalls and people trying to get your money. The rest of the time we had to be satisfied with looking out the window of our bus.

We had all arranged to go to Universal Studios the next day. Think WB Movieworld on a surprisingly smaller scale and with less rides. Also with a lot of money spinning merchandise stalls and food stands.

I would recommend it for people with children, however it might turn out to be one expensive day.

Vegas, eh?

I am not a fan of casinos and not keen on the nightlife either. So what am I to do in Las Vegas? The thought of going to Vegas didn’t excite me nearly as much as the others in my tour group. The line ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’ to them meant they could party a lot harder than they had been already.

A casino is a casino to me, but I did manage to see them all while tagging along with a teammate that wanted to collect $1 chips from every decent casino on the strip.


Las Vegas is good for shows. There are so many quality productions going on at any one time. From Cirque de Soleil to Elton John, it is all here. I was torn between seeing Stomp for the third time or The Producers featuring Tony Danza. I chose Stomp and was still excited to see them do their thing and the show was different enough to make it very interesting.

Ended up getting tired of Vegas very quickly and was bereft of inspiration. Was looking forward to leaving.

Footy Comes First

Louisville is in the state of Kentucky and always stood out as a strange place to go to when telling people of my trip. Fair enough I guess when it is lumped in with the big names of New York, Washington DC, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.


But you would be surprised at the amount of stuff there is to do in Louisville. This is the home of most of the world’s best bourbons if that’s what you’re into. It’s also the home of the Louisville Slugger baseball bat factory and museum as well as The Muhammad Ali Centre. A full cabinet of brochures will show you so much other stuff to do in Louisville and all over Kentucky.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to do any of it as this visit was purely business. The business being the US Footy National Championships. It is a two-day carnival involving about 30 teams from all over the country as well as 4 women’s teams.

I could have bypassed some of the footy to explore the local attractions but I knew I wouldn’t be able to do them properly and spend a decent amount of time.

The Big Apple

New York was very productive as far as doing and seeing things were concerned. However there is so much to do and so much left undone.

Highlights

• New York Knicks preseason game at Madison Square Garden
• Being part of the live studio audience for the Late Show with David Letterman
• Visiting Ground zero – The tribute display as well as the ’10 House’, the first fire station to respond to 9/11
• Statue of Liberty
• The biggest Apple Store you will ever see

Still to do

• Yankees game – almost got there except the Yankees got knocked out of their finals series before we got to New York
• Broadway show – would have gotten lynched if I suggested Mary Poppins as an option. As it turned out I had to choose between Knicks or show. I chose the sport.
• Central Park – never had the chance to just walk around and check it out properly, perhaps something to do with a ladyfriend.

The Monument Capital

Give the USA some credit, they sure know how to build a monument. Washington DC is testament to that. You need all of one or two days to see them all properly, not forgetting all the great museums. Good thing is that the city has a hop on/hop off trolley service that are very efficient and tour right around all the main sights. After a day of checking out monuments you feel as if you have done the city properly. I compare it to Canberra, mainly federal buildings and monuments/memorials/museums except here they are bigger and more elaborate. Check out the photos of the Lincoln Memorial (bottom) and the Washington Monument (top) and you will understand.

Canada In A Flash

Unfortunately we were unable to do Toronto properly let alone the whole country. All I was able to see was whatever we passed in transit. The only things worthy of excitement on those trips were their big stadiums:

• Air Canada Centre - (Toronto Maple Leafs - Ice Hockey)
• Rogers Centre - (Toronto Blue Jays - Baseball, Toronto Argonauts - Football)
• BMC Stadium - (Toronto FC - Soccer)

We were able to check out Niagara Falls and like any natural wonder the magnitude of the place blows your mind away.

Up the hill from the falls was a place called Clifton Hill which is the most ridiculous place on earth. It is a starnge place where nothing exists in relation to the falls. It's all a blatent marketing ploy to score off the population being there for the fall. You will find things such as:

• Arcade games
• Wax museums
• WWF Store
• Themed Restaurants
• Sky wheel
• Putt putt
• Souvenir stores

So go for the fall and ignore the rest, if you know what's good for you.

Pre Convicts USA/Canada Tour

I am going OS for the next 3 weeks to spread the word of Aussie Rules Internationally. World Footy News has alerted the locals to our arrival and our matches against the Canadian Northwind and the USA Revolution.

Our match is particularly exciting as we will feature on the same day as their national titles, that’s right kids, USA has a national competition for Aussie Rules. As well as that we have heard that legendary coach, Kevin Sheedy will be in attendance.

It is also an organised travel tour so apart from out football playing shenanigans we visit the cities of Toronto, New York, Washington DC, Las Vegas and Las Angeles. To stay up to date I will try and blog either on Hammertime or The Real Football or you can check out a general itinerary on The Convicts website.

Work Choices Blamed For Everything

Anyone else noticing how the work choices industrial relations reforms are getting blamed for everything relating to jobs? Even if it is irrelevant in their case. Talk about trying to score political points. Here are two case studies from this week alone:

1. Chilli’s Restaurants – staff have been underpaid for a significant amount of time, which amounts to a sizable chunk of cash. This didn’t surprise me, as I know someone who works there and I thought her wages sounded low for her age. State MP John Della Bosca proclaimed this incident as a sign that Australian Workplace Agreements (AWA’s) don’t work. But hang on a minute, all it shows is that one employer has been unscrupulous in it’s dealings with staff, and now that it has been brought to the attention of the workplace ombudsmen the matter is being dealt with.
2. McArthur Express – the trucking company in Seven Hills went into voluntary administration and employees are understandably furious, as they are still owed $1.5 million in unpaid superannuation. But for some reason they are expecting the Federal Govt to bail them out despite McArthur Express being a private company. A Transport Workers Union (TWU) official stated on radio that Industrial Relations Minister, Joe Hockey, should come out of his “North Sydney office” so that he can see how “workchoices is affecting the people.” But hang one for another minute, workchoices has nothing to do with companies going under. What holds more relevance are the dodgy business practices that have become apparent during the administrators investigations.

They will be blaming Work choices for climate change next.

Voting On Character Not Policies

It was put to me in my previous post that I should be judging my Prime Ministerial candidate on policies and not his personality, his record and not his indiscretions. Maybe we all should.

So then, have a look at Howard’s record and his policies. The biggest controversy seems to be about industrial relations. The Business Coalition, which includes organisations such as the Chamber of Commerce, is a supporter of the workplace reforms. The Unions however are dead against it. But without businesses big and small we wouldn’t have employment. It’s not about exploiting workers for all they have, rather it is about managing staff and keeping those who best suit your business without having to worry about the rigmarole that used to be involved in letting an employee go.

This week John Howard said he would not complete his full term if elected. So what’s the big deal about that? A vote for Howard is a vote for Costello the Labor Party will bleat. So again, what’s the problem? look at his policies and look at his record. He brought this country out of amazing debt and turned it into a surplus. But I guess that doesn’t count for much these days. If you were to ask an average Joe on the street what they think about Peter Costello I bet they will say words to the effect of, “I don’t like him.” Ask why don’t they like him and what’s the chance that they actually have a legitimate reason. If they do have a response they are probably likely to spurt out, “I just don’t like him,” as if we were back in primary school and that passes as a response.

A lot of people think that with that announcement from John Howard that he has handed The Labor Party victory on a platter. How so if we are looking at policy?

Websites to check out:

• Kevin 07
• Federal Liberal Party
• Australian Government
• Same Old Labor
• Business Coalition for Workplace Reform

The Self Interviewer

Everyone will get a chance to see this in action. Next time Kevin Rudd is in an interview look out for him asking himself some questions. Of course he has all the answers to these questions, as he doesn’t tend to challenge himself with his questioning. Usually yes/no questions that are meant to clarify his position on issues put to him by the media.

He's so good at it that here is an 'interview' conducted on the 7.30 Report. Sure it's edited but you still see how he asks himself so many questions. Kerry O'Brien is in there somewhere.



Apparently he is avoiding being interviewed by broadcasters Alan Jones and Ray Hadley. Who needs them when you can ask your own questioning? However, if you can’t hack some hard questions from broadcasters then I how well does he expect he will cope in the top job. The polls might suggest that everyone likes him but situations can change very quickly.

Think of how much John Howard had copped over the last few years. The polls were once high for him as well.

Happy APEC Day

Like a lot of people I got the day off. So lets join in thanks to Presidents Bush and Putin amongst other national leaders for coming to our fair city. For without them this public holiday would not be possible.

The city has become like a deserted town so that all the chin wagging can be done with a minimum of fuss. If only the protesters could take the day off. I’m not sure they even know what they are protesting against sometimes.

Instead of being crammed onto morning trains heading to the city, residents are crammed onto the F3 to get out of the city and to make the most of the long weekend. Apparently business is up by 30% in some areas in comparison to the same time last year.

Regardless of the negative effects people are whinging about it was good to have another day off.

The Facebook Revolution

Where did this come from? Facebook has swept into my life, and the lives of many others, where other social network websites have failed (eg Bebo).

I don’t even remember how I got started now. I think it was through a friend who emailed me the suggestion that I join facebook. All of a sudden I’m finding friends and friends are finding me, I’m hooked.

Within weeks I’ve somehow gathered nearly 70 friends from a variety of backgrounds (eg school, church, footy).

For a little while I was addicted to searching for friends in other’s friend lists. It became a maze of friends of friends of friends of friends. I’ve largely forgotten who I’ve asked to be my friend and have a decision pending. I’ve weened off that practice though and have moved on to checking out some of the fun applications they have as part of your profile. There are so many applications, thousands in fact. Some seem ridiculous while other seem like they might be good. Unfortunately you can't really tell until you give it a go.

It's Been So Cold....

.......must be that global warming.

I'm sure that there would be a climate change argument to explain what feels like cooler than usual weather. But for now I'll revel in the irony.

“Desperado, Why Don’t You Come To Your Senses?”

There are a few phrases that I have heard federal opposition front benchers proclaiming very frequently. They are:

• This is just an election stunt
• This is a sign of a desperate government
• They are just trying to earn political points

I find it funny because in pointing these apparent faults in the government they themselves are trying to earn political points from an elections stunt, which shows how desperate they are to win power.

Let’s not forget that the Labor party has suffered years of embarrassment from not just election defeats but leadership coups and a lot of in fighting. This is as close as they have ever come to winning an election, and the polls declare that a lot of people actually like Kevin Rudd. But be sure that they are as desperate, possibly even more so than the government, to win this fight.

Rates Hike

I always have a chuckle at the media when they make an event sound like the end of the world is upon us. Earlier in the year it was “Rental Crisis” and now it is “Rates Hike.” One quarter of a percent is hardly a hike, if anyone has gone on a decent hike you will understand my disapproval in the use of the word. You could maybe call it a step, which is a tiny part of a hike.

Plus, why is everyone so down on interest rates? Does everyone need another lesson in basic economics? Dr H has already given one about inflation and the negative consequences that result from irresponsible financial management. Interest rates are used to curb this inflation so that our money won’t become worthless and so prices don’t spiral out of control. So perhaps people should start to think of interest rates more as a friend than an adversary. Try and imagine living here with the same situation Zimbabwe is in financially. It would be a heck of a lot worse than one little step up in interest rates.
What about the banks and financial institutions lending money with what seems a blatant disregard for what the customer can afford. We have credit card applications in the mail every week it seems, Motor Finance Wizard is saying yes when the banks say no, and Radio Rentals is encouraging us to join the “rental revolution” this month, as they have no credit history checks. All of this, meanwhile, is adding to an individual’s debt.

Not all blame can go to institutions though, as the public seems very willing to jump in the debt pool of their own accord. “Three years interest free” Gerry Harvey might shout enthusiastically. “Woohoo” says Gullible Joe Citizen, “Now we can get that big screen plasma that we wouldn’t be able to afford normally.” If you can’t afford it now then most likely you won’t be able to afford it in three years. Then you will be paying something like 25% interest on your TV, is it really worth it?

How about getting into a habitual savings regime and go without the big TV that isn’t really necessary. One thing people forget is that interest rates on savings accounts should go up with every rise as well, but that’s not newsworthy enough for 6 pm. One guarantee is that if we save more and spend less you’ll be watching the interest rates come down again.

Global Warming Debate

I have been sick for the last couple of days with nothing to do except watch TV and DVD’s. I hired Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” followed by a taping of ABC’s presentation of Martin Durkin’s “The Great Global Warming Swindle.”

Here are some thoughts:

Finding what you want to find
I think both sides of the debate are guilty of this. When searching to prove an hypothesis both sides of research could potentially use the same figures to explain why their hypothesis is correct.

Biased ABC interviewing by Tony Jones
He gave director Martin Durkin an absolute grilling. This is not suggesting Jones should have taken it easy on Durkin by any means. After all Durkin has said something controversial and needs to be questioned.

Jones, however, took it to the next level where he seemed to go in with a preconceived idea that he will discredit Durkin as best as he could instead of letting him answer the questions and try and defend his position. Jones frequently got bogged down in his own interrogation times that he had to say, “Let’s move on” numerous times.

Al Gore’s presentation
I can see why Al Gore has been successful in lobbying action from governments and individuals all over the world. His presentation is fantastic to a large degree it makes perfect sense. I can’t help but think though that he is trying to pull at our heartstrings in order to sway our opinion. Either way it’s probably well deserved of it’s Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

The big business of climate change
If you were to call me a climate change sceptic this would probably be the main reason why. People are making a lot of money out of this science, especially the scientists. Every area of research is competing for funding in the form of government grants. Climate change scientists are making a windfall from governments to study weather changes and I would be sceptical that they all have the best interests of the planet in their hearts. Money makes people do silly things and financially it is in their best interests to maintain their livelihood that their funding continues.

Last word
It was good and bad to watch them back-to-back. Good in the way that I have seen both sides of the debate. Bad in the way that I still find myself mainly sitting on the fence while trying to decrease my energy usage at home.

The DINKs

I was chatting to a few DINKs over the weekend, that is Double Income No Kids. The topic of conversation was real estate, the issues were:

• Rental prices going up when residing in the property
• The actual price being much higher than the advertised price
• Finding a suitable place

I suggested purchasing a property as their prices are coming down at the moment and with two incomes it should be easier to get finance and then easier to pay off the mortgage. That is depending on where you start in the market.

Yet purchasing has not even been considered by these DINKs. This surprised me, as I would have thought that if ever there were a time to have some stability in your living arrangements it would be when you are newly married and starting a family.

Didn’t Tell Us That One Did You?

Environmentalists have been pedalling the climate change line for a while. They have been telling us that we need to change the way we use energy in an effort to reduce carbon emissions and greenhouse gases. One of the main ways they prescribe to achieve change is to swap our 60-watt incandescent light globes with 15-watt fluorescent light globes. Sounds harmless, perhaps even a good idea, but they neglected to inform the public of one very important detail. Apart from being dull in light emittance, these fluoros contain mercury, a very potent and toxic chemical.

These globes do last a lot longer than regular globes but when they do blow they need to be disposed of properly otherwise we are looking at arguably greater environmental damage. The problem is that you can’t guarantee that everyone will dispose of the globes in the proper fashion or even be aware of the methods for disposal. In the same way no one could make all smokers dispose of their butts responsibly, no matter how hard people tried. However, I think mercury would be more damaging than cigarette butts. I would like to think that people after taking the step to obtain the new globes would become aware of the methods of disposal and to act on those methods when the time comes.

If disposed with the normal rubbish these globes end up in landfill. They would no doubt crack open under the weight of machinery and more rubbish. This allows the mercury to seep out into the soil and potentially into our water supply when it rains.

Companies handing out free light globes have an agenda, and it’s not always to help the environment and helping you in the process. The light globes might be free to you but they still get payed through a carbon-trading scheme. The federal opposition is pushing such schemes. Does anyone really know what carbon trading involves? Or are we all just going along for the ride because it sounds like a good idea?

A Fashion That’s Growing On Me

Just because it’s fashion doesn’t mean it looks good or is even in good taste. Check out any fashion show in Europe and you will understand what I mean. Weird and way out designs that are by no means practical, but are for some reason supposed to get people to buy the designers product.

Some shows display more practicality and comfort, but still not necessarily a good look. There is one look that I didn’t like at all but for some reason it doesn’t look that bad to me anymore. The look is wearing leggings under skirts or long tops.

My thinking used to be:

1. If it’s so cold that you require leggings then you should be wearing pants or a long skirt, or;
2. If it’s warm enough to wear a short skirt then the leggings shouldn’t be necessary

Neither of these situations stopped girls from wearing the leggings under their skirts. I have seen them worn in conjunction in all seasons.

It all depends on how they’re worn I guess. After all, they are the same as wearing stockings except they are cut off at the ankle. I can see the practicality also of their use in the colder months. I still don’t like leggings under shorts though, it still looks slightly ridiculous to me.

I’ve had a look around and there are forums discussing such an issue. Even women don’t get why they are back in fashion after it was assumed to have disappeared off the face of the earth.

Check out:

• Female First
• Yelp
• Fashion 18
• Brand Neusense

Church Websites

This year I have had the opportunity to visit quite a few church websites this year. The links are on the right are to those churches where I have friends in attendance. All are good examples of what church websites should look like, even though they are all quite different.

Some thoughts on church websites:

Not having one in the first place

Having a website is all about marketing and advertising, letting as many people as possible know about what you are doing. Hopefully this results in more people visiting the church and becoming members of the congregation.

Today if a church doesn’t have a website then it’s not reaching it’s full potential. Not having a website usually means that there is no one in the congregation either willing or able to produce a website, you won’t see any large congregations without a website. The layperson could be excused for questioning the existence of a church if they have no website.

Updating

You need a dedicated Webmaster who is very efficient. After all, what’s the use of trying to attract people to church through the website if the information is outdated. Old information gives a similar impression to not having a website. That is that nothing is going on here or that no one could be bothered telling us what is going on so I’m not going to waste my time. Or worse still, this church mustn’t really exist.

Appearances

Some websites can be overly elaborate with all sorts of things flashing onto the page. This can make it difficult to view if you don’t have a lightening fast connection. The best ones I have seen are very pleasant to look at yet are quite simple in their layout. Their simplicity lends well to easy navigation. If someone is able to navigate easily then they are more likely to explore the website further.

Added extras

• Podcasting
• Not many churches I have been to do this yet. As long as you have someone who knows how to record sermons in a digital format I believe it is quite an easy process. It’s also a good way of reaching the masses. It’s the way of the future as far as distributing audio is concerned. Even burning onto CD’s now is so old school. If your church already does podcasting then they are truly pioneers of their trade
• Sermon notes
• Sometimes in conjunction with podcasting, sometimes on their own, churches publish the notes of the sermon. I have found these very useful in the past.
• Other Downloads
• Eg rosters, advertising material. Useful but possibly not essential for a church just starting a website.

Who’s Responsible?

People continue to whinge about the lack of government action in certain areas of life. But where is the border between personal responsibility and government responsibility?

Housing

The media have pushed the term “rental crisis.” What crisis? People can’t afford to rent in the fancy places they want to live. Or people are being turned away because they don’t have a good record as tenants or don’t have a steady income. Do people really expect handouts all the time?

What if the government capped the price of rental properties that are privately owned? The landlord won’t have enough money for general maintenance, repairs, renovations or that one off tree fall through the living room. In the end the landlord will do nothing to the property because there is just no money. What’s the result? More ghettos and slum areas. So have we improved society by making housing more affordable?

Dare I give myself a bit of a rap by stating how I was able to buy a two-bedroom unit on my own? This is on a relatively low income as well.

House prices are on their way down now anyway. If you are looking properly you will find what you are looking for. However, if you are looking for the house on the street in the suburb then you are too picky and will find yourself on a long search.

Ambulance Fees

Certain groups are complaining about the rise in fees to get an ambulance to attend to your injuries. They say that access to this form of healthcare might be out of reach to those who need it most and in an act to avoid paying the fees they may try and get their own way to the emergency room and possibly doing themselves more damage.

That says a lot about how these people regard their health. If you are in a state that you require an ambulance, just pay the damn fee. Otherwise die quietly because it appears you don't hold your health in any high regard.

However most of the people who need ambulance attention are pensioners. These people are on a pension which means they don’t pay for transportation, their pension does. Those privately insured also are covered for the ambulance fee.

Bear in mind that the NSW Ambulance Service has been the most subsidised service in the country and the citizens should be thankful of that instead of dumping on it.

Education

A big beef with both me and Danny. Currently we have a voluntary contribution in the public system. This is because somehow the ‘lefties’ have had everyone believe that everyone deserves free education. What rubbish!! At the very most everyone deserves access to affordable education. If you don’t place value on it then you are not going to get any value out of it. I’m not so hardline right wing that I advocate privatisation of the education system but what is $500 a year? Nothing!!

Missing The Hunt

The hunt for a unit is over. The downside? I miss the hunt.

It was enjoyable to search multiple websites, local papers, home pictorials, real estate agent window displays, etc. Everywhere I saw a “For Sale” sign my eyes fixated like they were a radar detecting anything within 100 metres.

I was surprised by how many real estate search websites there are. I knew of one and then went on to find another six. Of course some cover the same properties while others are exclusive to certain agents. Check them out if you’re in the market:

1. Real Estate
2. Domain
3. Homes Guide
4. Just Listed
5. Home Hound
6. My Home
7. Open 2 View

Rumourmills

Rumour, noun

1. A story or statement in general circulation without confirmation or certainty about the facts
2. Gossip, hearsay

Hearing rumours is really discouraging. Especially to the person who has become the subject of the rumour(s). All it takes is for one person to misunderstand or take a facet of the information they hear too seriously for the situation to become inflamed and for the rumour mill to crank up. Fair enough being concerned for that person, but to show genuine concern for one another we talk to each other and ask how each other are going. Even asking more specific questions in an effort to get the person to open up and vent more about what is going on. Genuine concern isn’t shown in telling others you have concern for someone.

For the ultimate consequence of rumours think about one of Shakespeare greatest tragedies, Othello. Here, Othello’s supposed friend told one apparently insignificant lie relating to the fidelity of Othello’s lover, Desdemona. This lie became an obsession for Othello until he couldn’t live with the thought of Desdemona being with another man. So he smothered her and killed her before he could find the truth that she was indeed faithful.

In June’s Southern Cross Media publication Ainsley Poulos writes about how these destructive behaviours can take effect in our churches. It’s not very hard either. It can be as simple as passing on factual information that is no business of ours. Just because it is factual doesn’t mean the subject of that information wanted everyone to know.

Poulos does give methods of saving each other from gossip. The most effective would be to stop it before it starts. Which means don’t be a party to gossip. If it sounds like gossip it probably is and it should be suggested that they speak to the person concerned. We all should be able to give feedback in the right way and to accept it once given. A bit of tough love perhaps?

The Purge

It all starts with cleaning up one small area. Then all of a sudden you are ordering a mini skip.

For me this week I started by cleaning out a bunch of our ‘old school’ videotapes (that’s right not DVD’s, but videos). I was doing this because the cabinet and TV were coming to my place. A lot of these videos were rarely, if ever, watched and didn’t need to be kept. Thus igniting my culling mood.

Then came the magazines. Firstly in my cupboards, then in the toilet (‘Reading Room’) then my big stash hidden on the shelves above my wardrobe. I shook my head in disbelief looking over the amount I had thrown out. i had to ask myself, "Why did I still have all this stuff?"

Seeing as though I was pulling out magazine boxes I might as well pull out the others, containing High School and Uni notes, and continue the cull there. This was fairly easy, as I knew which subjects would be useful in the future. Plus I have all my assignments on CD so there was no use keeping a hard copy. A lot was chucked sight unseen.

In the end 6 boxes turned into three and I’m still in the culling mood. Anyone know when fete season starts?

Making A Name

Check this out. Spotted by my brother Danny, it is a directory of Blogs from churches and churchgoers. Hammertime is featured as one of the most active bloggers. Also 'Haynes' is on of the list of top searches. From there you find both my Blog and Danny's.

Good to see Toonie Anglican up there as the only church from Australia in the most active list.

Needing A Lift

You would think that able-bodied people would make way for actual patients in hospital lifts. Or better still take the stairs. Unfortunately this is not always the case.

An example happened yesterday at Concord Hospital. The lower ground level is very busy and there are three lifts available but all are very slow. When we arrived there were already about six people waiting. We had a patient on a wheelchair. Soon after us two Ambo’s came with a patient on their stretcher. I asked if they were going up the lifts, they answered in the affirmative. The lift finally arrived. My partner went to hold the doors for the Ambo’s only to see all the able bodied people pile in. He pointed to the fact that there were Ambo’s with a patient but they appeared to take no notice. The Ambo’s graciously said that they would get the next one. Part of me would have liked them to push the issue. We were still able to fit though.

One of the “able-bodies” went on to explain why she didn’t move out of the lift for the Ambo’s. “Usually I’d move but they said they would wait” was the main one. Other points she made were that silly that I don’t even remember them. She was still talking as she exited the lift, wait for it, the next floor up.

She along with her fellow “able-bodies” would have been better off to take the stairs:

1. Would get their quicker in most cases as the lifts there are very slow and the stairs are very accessible, directly opposite the lifts
2. Get some exercise as even people working in hospitals make poor health choices, you’d think they know better

All people need to get out of their dependence on lifts. Fair enough sometimes if you need to go up many floors but one floor like the able body in question is just ridiculous and a waste of space and time.

Meanwhile we walked back down our eight levels carrying our fold out wheel chair after dropping off our patient so even the unfit can do it.

Wilburys Re-Released

The Traveling Wilburys, the super group of the late 80’s have finally had their albums re-released after years of what I understand to have been issue with royalties.

The Traveling Wilburys consisted of:

• George Harrison – the former Beatle, as if you needed to be told that
• Jeff Lynne – from the band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)
• Tom Petty – soloist, also performed with The Heartbreakers
• Roy Orbison – need I say more
• Bob Dylan – legendary lyricist and folk singer

Formed purely by chance the five friends got together and in 9 days had recorded their first album aptly titled ‘Volume 1.’ It was magical that five stars in their own right could collaborate on such a project and make it work. The finished product is exquisite.

The package also includes their second album named ‘Volume 3’, a documentary showing the making of ‘Volume 1’, as well as their five music videos, including those of their biggest hits ‘Handle With Care’ and ‘End of the Line’.

Great music, great story, and a fantastic affordable package. I first saw its availability on an iTunes Music Store email but I found it cheaper at JB’s. Do yourself a favour.

Where’s The Justice?

Introducing an organization called Catalyst.

• Catalyst is an advocacy program for Baptist churches in Australia. It enables churches to introduce advocacy as a focused area of local church ministry.
• The concept is simple - a church forms a Catalyst group and this group takes the lead in lobbying government, corporations and the wider community to effect justice for the world's poor and oppressed.

In these small groups they are taught the best methods of approaching governments and corporations in an effort to convince them to give money overseas. To Catalyst, social justice is getting other people to do something and then get credit for that something being done. How noble of them.

What about doing something yourself? At least overseas aid agencies such as World Vision are doing something. But even they miss an important aspect of the big picture.

The facts are that

• Our country does give aid
• Is it enough? It will never be deemed enough by aid organisations
• These countries have wealth
• Problem is that the wealth is distributed to 10% of the nation

Is that the fault of our country?

Why not teach people in the ways of lobbying the Mugabe’s of this world to stop their tyranny and let the nation have some food. Unfortunately it would take a military invasion to stop that, and I’m guessing Catalyst aren’t fans of that occurring. That is as hard as it will be for us to get rid of poverty.

The corrupt leaders of these poor countries have the power to get rid of poverty right now. Do you think they want to do that? Absolutely not. That would mean that they lose some of their wealth and power over others. They don’t want to lose their shiny new Merc that they bought with the last aid cheque.

Life Lessons From Football Coaches

At least do something!! Do!!
Don’t think…..Don’t hope. Do!!!
At least you can come off and say I did this, I shepherded, I played on.
At least I did something.

John Kennedy
Hawthorn Coach 1960-1963, 1967-1976
Premiers 1961, 1971, 1976
Runners Up 1963, 1975

A true innovator of his time. A most respected man by everyone within his football club and from the rest of the competition. An educated man who knew how to get the most out of his players from his words.

The quote above is one that I like to utilise whenever I feel a little down in the dumps and perhaps a little lost and directionless.

I tend to over think things and not act on anything. As a result some opportunities pass me by and I end up regretting my non-action.

At least do something. Don’t get stuck in a rut that will be increasingly difficult to crawl out of. Don’t get stuck too much in a routine that you become inflexible to change.

Any sign of procrastination and I have mum shouting at me, “Just DO something!” So just do something even if it's not quite what you want to be doing, at least it is something.

The Real Football

Introducing phase three of my blog fascination: The Real Football. It's where I plan to "keep it real" about what is happening across all football codes, not just what I consider to be the best code. No prizes for guessing which one it is.

To start it off I have copied some of the footy related content from Hammer Time just to get me started so I can continue to muck around with the layout. A definite red and white theme is trying to come out while being easy to read and having everything where it should is also an aim.

Basically just another reason for me to talk about footy.

Your Car Might Be Red…..

…… but it’s not an Ambulance

It’s always interesting when arriving at a hospital to see whether you can park anywhere, let alone in the ambulance and patient transport zones. Some people choose to claim selective blindness by the looks of it. Parking at hospitals is crazy at the best of times. When it’s raining and there’s only so much shelter it gets even more fun.

Westmead is probably the worst, at the University Clinic entrance. The clinic is a very busy place and the car park is usually full by 9am. This makes it difficult for us as we wait for a line of cars to drop off their passengers and then search for parking further a field.

The mentality is that their relative is the only person needing to be picked up/dropped off from the hospital at that point in time.

But whose fault is it for the all too frequent chaotic scenes? Is it anybody’s?

It’s hard to really knock the mentality of people picking up their relatives as we all care for our family. As a result it can be hard to show empathy to others in the same situation.

Is it the hospitals responsibility to provide excess parking? I’m not sure about this as you would be continuously building more parking at a time when the govts are trying to take cars off the road by building Tways around Sydney such as the one running alongside the hospital at Westmead. That being said, if they built more parking they wouldn’t have to wait long to get their money back.

I would like to see more parking ‘sharks’ around, moving people on and making sure the thoroughfare remains clear and that people park where they should. The downside to this is that the sharks are usually pretty heartless and would have no issue dishing out a fine to Ms overworked-single-mum-bringing-in-her-nanna-for-podiatry-appointment if she were to park illegally.

The powers that be could probably reorganise things so that the public can have their set down/pick up zone and the patient transport vans can still have their dedicated zones marked clearly so that the public know what they are. A bit more shelter wouldn’t go astray either.

New Aldi Opening Soon

As I am on the road every day I have been watching with great interest the development of the new Aldi store at South Wentworthville on the Great Western Highway. Only in the last couple of weeks has it become obvious that it will be an Aldi, although us locals have known since they started laying foundations.

Since it’s inception I have been an Aldi sceptic. That was before I had to buy my own groceries. Now I will probably be more accepting of their philosophy.

I never could get why a supermarket would advertise it’s cheap junk rather than it’s food. In catalogues you may see advertised their prices for fresh produce but then everything else is cheap electrical equipment, furniture, whitegoods, or in the latest catalogue it was snow clothing. I know of at least one person who loves Aldi particularly for these added extras, it’s as if the cheap food was the bonus instead of the other way around.

I visited one the other day at Quakers Hill. I couldn’t explore too much as I was on the job. It was obvious why their prices were so low, no name brands with no fixtures and in bulk.

Aldi at South Wentworthville officially opens Thursday 28th June, no doubting that I will be there.