Pell Vs Jones

Not many could argue about Alan Jones’ ability to get things done. He has the power to get politicians off their backsides and address certain issues that his listeners have raised concerns about. Sometimes, however, I believe he becomes a stirrer just for the sake of dividing opinion.

One such incident occurred recently. Cardinal George Pell has drawn out some outlines for Catholic funeral services, such as: one eulogy no more than 5 minutes, no pre recorded music and no slide show presentations. To this Alan Jones stated that a funeral service should be done to the family’s wishes and that if these restrictions are in place no one will want to have funeral services in catholic churches.

I think Jones has missed the mark. Cardinal Pell is attempting to provide some structure to funeral services. Without structure these services can appear like parties with all the music, movies and slideshows. They can easily drag on if anyone and everyone wishes to speak about the deceased. Everyone can tell their stories, play music and show movies/slideshows elsewhere, possibly at the wake where the atmosphere is more relaxed and where people have the choice to participate.

Also, shouldn’t a Catholic family want to have a funeral service done in the Catholic way, whatever that might be at the time. I would expect that whenever we want anything done in a church (i.e. wedding, christening, funeral) that the minister is first approached and he (or she) will tell how it is done at this church. Some may show a bit of flexibility from that point and accommodate certain requests some may be stricter on the details, but there is still a basic structure to work from.

Without a basic structure to work from these services would be a free for all and could turn out a shambles, which is definitely not what the family would want.

Country Music

For some reason many people have a negative view of country music. Most, I believe, have never listened to country music or even listened to it with an open mind. These people have shut themselves off from this beautiful genre of music all due to a pre conceived notion of what country music is all about.

Recently I was very excited to hear the tales of someone who had just discovered country music for the first time. As a result my interest in the genre has been re ignited.

It is a very ‘real’ musical genre as opposed to all the facadities and falsehoods of today’s hip-hop / pop world. I recommend that everyone listen to the music, but possibly more importantly, listen to the lyrics. You may just find that you are moved by some of them. Not a swear word in sight for the most part, just beautiful inspirational lyrics.

For a gentle introduction try some of these:

• The ANZAC – Adam Brand
• What My Heart Does – The McClymonts
• Forget About It – Alison Krauss
• Landslide – The Dixie Chicks
• True Blue – John Williamson
• Forever & Always – Shania Twain

If you want to rock it out a bit then try these:

• I’m Outta Here – Shania Twain
• Something Like That – Tim McGraw
• How Do You Like Me Now – Toby Keith
• Lubbock Or Leave It – The Dixie Chicks
• Boys From The Bush – Lee Kernaghan

All should be available on iTunes Music Store, and all feature on my iPod

Religion Vs Cult

I was listening to ABC radio in a moment of insomnia on one balmy Sunday night. The announcers whose names have left me were discussing what makes a religion a cult. From what I gather it comes down to three main points

1. Transparency
2. Legalistic tendencies
3. Interpretation authority

Transparency
This refers to how open you are to outsiders knowing what you are doing. Christian churches tend to be very open with signs and leaflets advertising coming events. Cults tend to be shut off from general society and are largely unknown.

Legalistic Tendencies
This refers to the making of rules and abiding by them. Christian churches tend to have a constitution stating beliefs, structure (eg wardens, deacons, etc) and how certain things shall be done (eg baptism, confirmation). These constitutions aren’t really restrictive, they are more like simple guidelines. Cults tend to have strict rules. For example the “Exclusive Brethren” restricts the use of anything created by this world (eg Television, Internet, etc). Not playing by these rules result in punishment.

Interpretation Authority
This refers to who is allowed to talk about the religion and their related documents. Christian churches tend to have one person talking about the bible and everyone else listening. There is still open discussion and most ministers enjoy a good theological debate. Also, Christians are expected to discuss the bible in smaller groups. Cults tend to have one person or a small group of people who are the authority and have the final say on all matters. Questioning of these decisions and statements are considered disloyal and punishment of some sort is likely to follow.

On Two Wheels

Preamble

The procrastination is over, at least in one small aspect of my life. For a while I have wanted to get my motorcycle licence but never got around to not putting it off. There are various reasons why it hasn’t happened up until now. The main reason being that mum didn’t like the idea of me riding a bike. What mum does?

The main impetus for getting the license now was because of my work with the Ambulance Service NSW. It became clearly evident early on that it will be difficult to park next to the station, or anywhere near the station on some days. I have been bitten twice from the parking sharks for $77 each time. With a bike / scooter I can park inside the station where all the emergency vehicles are parked, in what we call the ‘plant room’. I will still have the problem of where to put it at home though. The drum kit might have to stay in its cases for an extended period.

Pre Provisional Training

I completed the pre provisional motorcycle training course with Stay Upright. They are situated underneath the motorway at the James Ruse Drive exit. Entrance is via Wentworth Street off Parramatta Road.

I was really nervous and tense at the beginning and it showed. The good thing is that the course is designed to take you through the steps slowly and gradually add extra skills. There was a lot to learn before we even started the engine.

Eventually I got moving and was able to lift both feet off the ground and onto the foot pegs – it’s harder to get them up than you might think. Meanwhile a girl in one of the other groups had an ‘off’, but to her credit she jumped straight back on the bike and kept going.

Cornering proved difficult to begin with. Something as simple as looking into the corner by turning your head helped with this and eventually it was coming naturally. Then he threw in changing gears before you get to the corner. I was terrified of the clutch when I learnt to drive a manual car. I thought the same would occur with the bike. It started to click and I was doing circuit after circuit of the track.

I was probably the slowest in my group, and I may have been holding up others but there was no way I was going to speed up for their sake, maybe they should have been going slower as well.

There was more riding on the second day. I was feeling more confident which was good and bad. Good, in the way that I was staying upright and feeling comfortable on the bike. Bad, in the way that I was forgetting some of the simple things, such as holding up the gear leaver when switching in between 1st and 2nd gears which resulted in me stalling and holding up the other fellas for a short period.

My group seemed to be progressing better than other groups on the track. We were also told of some horror stories from the afternoon session of riders struggling with some of the basic elements such as gear changing and braking. Our teacher was at a loss of what to do with them once we had gone.

The course climaxed with a simulated road situation involving everything we had learnt. I thought I had stuffed it when I made a few mistakes but he must have seen enough in me to give me the Certificate of Competence.

Knowledge Test

After about 10 practice tests on the RTA website it should have been a forgone conclusion that I would pass, and I did. Most of the questions are common sense but I still managed to make one mistake.

Buying the Scooter

Last November I reluctantly divulged the information of my desire to buy a scooter to my Auntie. Unknown to me she had a scooter that she was trying to sell. She was very willing to sell it to me, but there was the problem of retrieving the goods from my Auntie’s residence as she lives in Wagga Wagga. To make the trip worthwhile I took mum along. She was able to spend some time with my Auntie while I was able to test ride the scooter. Once we were done we could load the goods in the Ute and drive home eagerly awaiting our next trip down to Wagga Wagga.


Riding off into the sunset

It might only be 100cc but it has plenty of go off the mark. I am able to be more relaxed as I don’t have to worry about changing gears. I opened the throttle on my test ride and it can get up to 80 km/hr but not much more. There is space for a passenger when I get fully licensed, although finding a willing participant may prove difficult.

Bunny Girls Booted

The season hasn’t even started yet but there is already controversy in the NRL. South Sydney part owner, Russell Crowe has sacked their cheerleaders in favour of a drumming group of mixed gender. Here are some of my thoughts on the matter:

The Man Rusty
I wouldn’t have expected Russell to be the first one to get rid of cheerleaders. His gruff exterior is deceiving, this brute definitely has a sensitive side. This might be reflected in the fact that apparently he took some advice from his wife, Danielle, before making a final decision. He may have just started a trend as the word is that Parramatta will be next to give cheerleaders the boot.

Talentless
Cheerleaders are no more than strippers who just keep a little bit of gear on themselves. It seems like the only prerequisite to become a cheerleader is to have cleavage, self-conscious flat chested girls need not apply. I have attended a few games with a certain dancing friend who is always left unimpressed with their dancing ability and choreography.

Sending the Wrong Message
Cheerleaders consider themselves role models, yet what they are modelling is not a healthy image. They are advertising themselves as for sale, and if you look closely, they may even have a company’s logo across their backside just to prove further that they are selling themselves. Older blokes are drooling and lusting after these beautiful women. Kids might be looking on accepting this behaviour as normal. Meanwhile, all involved are gaining a false ideal of human sexuality.

Uncomfortable Feeling
Cheerleaders make certain groups uncomfortable. Fathers with their children feel uncomfortable due to the sexually suggestive dancing. Women usually just generally don’t like them. Men with girlfriends are probably made to feel uncomfortable because giving undivided attention to the cheerleaders may make the girlfriend feel substandard.

What’s the Focus?
If it’s titillation people want then let them go to a strip joint and get their kicks there. The point is not to get people to attend dodgy clubs but to focus on why they go to the football. Believe it or not it is actually to see two teams play football!

Superbowl XLI

Once every year a sports event comes around that creates more hype in the USA than the Sydney Olympics ever did here in Australia. The Superbowl is the equivalent of the biggest Grand Final you can ever imagine taking place here. It is the pinnacle of the sport known as American Football or “Gridiron” played in the competition called the National Football League (NFL).

It is a strange sport with a lot of stops and starts, but don’t be so fast to dismiss it based on that alone. I say if we dismissed everything we didn’t understand we would be very unintelligent. Not that knowing about this sport will make you more intelligent, just wait until you know a bit about how it’s played.

I’ll break it down for you:

• The attacking team has four chances (called downs) to successfully advance 10 metres (or yards). Once 10 metres have been attained the attacking team gets another 4 chances.
• The Quarterback is the playmaker in the attacking team. He calls the plays so that all the other players know what to do, where to run and who will ultimately get the ball.
• Players without the ball are allowed to protect their team-mate with the ball by pushing opposition players out of the way. However they are not allowed to grab and pull players to the ground. Grabbing at the facemask is a definite no no and will bring a penalty.
• A “Touchdown” is scored when the ball is carried or caught in the “end zone.” A Touchdown is worth 6 points. The kicker can score an extra point from a field goal attempt. Extra two points can be scored if another touchdown can be completed in one play. Most teams go for the relatively easy option of a field goal.

That’s about all you need to know when watching the game. Everything else will come with time. I was willing to put in the time. Superbowls have been watched many times and with the advent of cable television the access is even more prevalent.

Now that we have two former AFL stars punting in the NFL I have two teams to follow. Ben Graham came from Geelong and is playing for the NY Jets while Sav Rocca from North Melbourne has just signed a contract for the Philadelphia Eagles. Unfortunately though, punters only make a brief appearance in a game. If they make 5 or more punts then the team is usually going poorly.

I have jumped on the Jets bandwagon and am keen to at least watch some of their games when the next season starts around august this year.

For the record, in Superbowl XLI The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears 29 – 17 at a rain soaked Dolphins Stadium in Miami. Colts Quarterback, Peyton Manning, was declared most valuable player.

Lacking Wisdom

Last week I became just that extra little bit dumber. No I didn’t drink myself into a stupor. I had my remaining wisdom teeth taken out, three of them to be exact. It was quite an ordeal but something that was necessary, as I’m sure all those sans wisdom teeth people will attest to.

I just started going to a new dentist in Wentworthville on the recommendation of Mum. He’s as good as I’ve ever had, mind you I have only been to two dentists that I remember.

It’s a very uncomfortable position that you are put in. All you want to do is swallow but you can’t because the anaesthetic makes your whole mouth numb. To make swallowing harder they place an apparatus in your mouth to keep your jaw ajar, but at least you don’t have to physically hold your jaw open as the procedure could take a while.

The dentist occasionally asks if you’re ok which is nice, but I’m unsure whether he is getting the positive inflection on my “uh huh.” He kept on going so I can only assume that he also holds a Masters in Linguistics along with his qualifications in Dentistry.

So if anyone has to get their wisdom teeth out, I recommend that you do not put it off any longer. As my last dentist once said to me, “Get it done while you’re still on your parents health insurance.”

Auskick'n Along

This year I am embarking on a new adventure and a new challenge. Late last year I was approached to become the Auskick coordinator for my junior club. This involves taking kids (boys and girls) 7 and younger through all the skills involved in the wonderful game of Australian Rules Football. All this is done in a fun and non-competitive environment.

There has been a bit of hype about my appointment. Firstly there was the big sell to get me to accept. I was sold easily. I said I’d do it for a polo shirt and a trip to the SCG for the kids to play at half time. I’ve already been given the polo shirt. Then there was the spiel about me at the Presentation day to try and convince parents to sign up their kids. To top it off I check out their website recently and find this. Not to mention the ad in the local paper (Parramatta Sun 31/1/07).


I had coached the U/9’s many years ago and I was enthused to see most of that team still playing and winning awards at their annual presentation last year. Considering this is something I’m keen to make a career it’s probably a good opportunity to create a network with the AFL NSW/ACT.