Titans – Book Review

“Titans” by Michael Stephens

This is a children’s book that I won in 1993 for an essay I wrote on vandalism and it has taken me this long to read it. If it weren’t a prize then I probably would have sent it to the local church fete.

As a child I was never a big reader of books and preferred Roald Dahl or Paul Jennings anyway. That is if I wasn’t reading the latest footy magazine.

It’s a shame I didn’t read it earlier as it actually is a pretty good story. It’s hard to appreciate it fully now as an adult as I haven’t thought like a child for a long time.

It had suspense and adventure, two great features in a book for a young boy. Dahl and Jennings were masters at it.

The good thing with reading a children’s book is that it takes next to no time to read it. Despite being 150 pages it had large writing with generous spacing as well as the odd illustration. I still prefer Dahl or Jennings, mainly because I had grown up with them. But this book is definitely a keeper and will take it’s rightful place alongside the Dahl and Jennings collection for future Haynes generations to read.

An Arrogant Bunch

If it’s Craig Foster’s aim to convince me to support Australia’s bid for the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022 then he is going the wrong way about it. In a recent article in the Sun Herald and in a conversation with Les Murray on SBS he came off as arrogant and conceited. Even suggesting that other sports don’t matter and that football [soccer] would inevitably take over Australia.

It’s true that soccer (I refuse to call it football) is the only truly international sport, but Foster should not be so arrogant when the local A League is on the decline despite the addition of new teams. Soccer does have the highest participation rates in juniors, yet our top competition can only be compared to the 3^rd or 4^th division in England.

Les Murray even got in the act on SBS recently, referring to the behaviour of rival codes as belligerent, inconvenient and unaustralian. He even suggested that we try and attain the bid before sorting out what he considers to be minor details. Getting three other codes that garner more support in Australia to shut up shop for three months is not minor!!

These two want other codes to just lie down and let them have their way. They use the examples of other countries and how they would laugh at the situation we have here. We have a unique situation. I can’t think of another country that has four football codes running professionally.

How about stadiums? We just don’t have them. I’ve blogged about it already. Our best are designed for cricket and Aussie Rules. FIFA want at least 12 stadiums of 40,000 minimum capacities, we have maybe 8. We just don’t have the population to make those kinds of stadiums viable. If Foster’s prediction is true, that soccer will take over Australia, then the sport needs to get cracking on some new soccer only stadiums.

For now, all soccer commentators should pull their collective heads in and show the other codes a tad of respect.

The Disease System

What concerns me most about my job is that my destiny is in the hands of the general public. It concerns me because they seem to be stupid when it comes to health matters. A lot turn minor things into a crisis, and I’m not just referring to ‘manflu’.

We really have a disease system rather than a health system. As not enough of the general public could be bothered employing healthy lifestyle practices e.g. not smoking, drinking in moderation and healthy diet. It’s all too hard apparently.

A lot say we have a problem with our hospitals. This is true but I still like to flip it and suggest we have a problem with the general public. There is a lack of appreciation for the services available. They are taken for granted. It’s as if they have a right to the best of medical care no matter how trivial the illness might be. Expecting the health services to be at their beck and call. Flogging the guts out of the system and expect it to be there when they most need it.

The govt is trying to pick up the slack. But it doesn’t necessarily require more money. What it needs is less bureaucracy (effectively freeing more funds) and more health promotion. The whole nation needs re-educating, as right now there is frequent abuse of the system.

Front line workers are top notch but the bureaucracy running the show needs the axe. This is unlikely to happen as Rudd loves big govt and big govt means more bureaucracy.

The cry is for more ambos, more nurses, and more beds. How about less anxiety, less hysterics, and less irrational judgements from the general public. People need to take a deep breath and gain some perspective. Start respecting what we do have. It could always get better but at the moment it is still world class.

Buzz Word Bingo

Here’s a fun game to play, one for the whole family. Brother Danny introduced it to me. When listening to a politician talk choose one of their particularly favourite buzzwords and see how many times they can say it in an interview or even in a sentence.

Kevin Rudd is a master at it, he has coined some great ones. Examples include, “shovel ready”, “fresh ideas” and “decisive action” to name just a few. Also admire how Rudd not only asks but answers his own questions. No wonder he is always right.

Now Rudd has thrown his support behind besieged NSW Premier, Nathan Rees, like that is supposed to help him. It has become obvious that Rudd’s mastery at buzzwords and self-interviewing has rubbed off on his colleague.

Rees is now spewing forth a collection of his own buzzwords, not that dissimilar to Rudd. Seen recently on Channel 10 news with Bill Woods and Debra Knight his main offering was “fresh approach” after apparently “listening to the people of NSW”. Also imploring that he is instilling the values of “respect, discipline and integrity” into his new cabinet.

Rees is a clever politician, just like his federal colleague. This method has worked in the past and unfortunately I can see it working again as the NSW public don’t seem that discerning. Everyone was apparently sick and tired of Bob Carr so he left the sinking ship and handed it over to a “fresh” leader in Morris Iemma. He was so fresh that no one had even heard of him. Iemma did the best he could, winning one election, but ultimately had to jump as well for another unheard of “fresh” leader in Nathan Rees. So even the idea of a fresh approach isn’t that fresh anymore. It’s been going on for a long time.

A different leader and a different cabinet doesn’t result in a different government.

Now with Rees sacking senior ministers he has virtually painted a target on his back that will further destabilise the NSW government. Hopefully people will start paying attention before the next election comes around.

More Than A Carpenter

“More Than A Carpenter” by Josh McDowell

This is a popular book, the cover says so, “more than 10,000,000 in print worldwide”. It is easy to see why. Firstly it is small and thin and therefore not intimidating to the targeted audience, non-Christians and sceptics. It is also good for Christians to read, as it will provide some good answers to common questions they may face.

It is an easy read. Some other books I have read go more in-depth on similar topics. ‘The Christ Files’ by John Dickson covers the historical Jesus specifically and ‘The Case For Christ’ by Lee Strobel is the same sort of book as McDowell’s but would be harder to read for new Christians.

McDowell prior to writing this book found himself at a point where he couldn’t fault Christianity’s legitimacy and truth, but yet could accept it intellectually.

I can relate to this as for many years in my late teens I was attending church but didn’t really now why. Going to church became a routine, merely something that was done on a Sunday. I am a late bloomer as a result. By reading this book and the others mentioned and now reading the bible cover to cover things are locking into place.

I found this book very handy recently as it fits in my side pocket in my uniform and have pulled it out occasionally when stuck in bed block, usually at Westmead. I find it hard to read anything too heavy when on the job so this is perfect. Who knows, someone might se it and engage in conversation.

Shopping For Blokes/Dummies

Shopping is not something that comes naturally to us blokes. This would especially be the case with shopping for clothes. If it were up to us we would get around in track pants and t-shirts everyday. While very comfortable these outfits don’t present you in your best light.

There are benefits of dressing well. It gives a good impression as it shows you want to look your best and that you take care of yourself. Looking more presentable to the opposite sex is not a bad by-product either.

But us blokes need some help. From someone who knows what looks good. Someone other than your mother as there comes a time when she shouldn’t be selecting your clothes. Although my options were scant until this year when I found Val.

Val is a friend I met a couple of years ago when I joined her bible study group. She used to work in advertising but is currently making cakes. As a stylist she is so good that she may have to start charging. She’s very stylish herself, I don’t understand how she chooses her outfits sometimes but this is due to male ignorance, as she always looks great.

Val read my very random blog posts on fashion (A Fashion That’s Growing On Me 19/7/07, Girls In Skirts 11/3/07, Fashion Beefs 13/11/06) and was impressed with what I had to say, despite the rebuttal from others. It came up again in conversation then, surprisingly, she agreed to be my fashionista stylist for a day of shopping.

Some tips for blokes in preparation for a day of shopping:

• Do a cull – offload stuff that you don’t wear or is worn out. Send good stuff to op shops, while old t-shirts make great rags.
• Know what you want/need – for me I had a lot of daggy polo shirts from when I was teaching and needed more smart casual pants, shirts and shoes.
• Know how much money you have to play with – you have to be willing to drop some dosh. Although it is possible to shop economically, you just need to pick the right shops. I took a liking to shops like Just Jeans, Jeans West and Cotton On.
• Go with an open mind – some suggestions might never have crossed your mind due to your shopping novice status. I was surprised with a few articles that Val chose, yet she was right about all of them.

Who knows, you may even enjoy it and learn something.

Shakespeare

“Shakespeare” by Bill Bryson

I like Bill Bryson’s writing so much that I would almost buy anything that he writes without actually knowing what it was about. Initially he grabbed my attention through his travel book called “Down Under” obviously it is about Australia.

So when I saw a book that he has written on Shakespeare I though that he would turn a potentially dry subject into something interesting. I was not disappointed.

From the beginning it was evident that Bryson had done so much research about Shakespeare and the era in which he lived. This allowed him to write in his trademark witty style that I enjoy. He is as informative as he can be here, as there is little that is actually known about the life of William Shakespeare. We learn more about the era and the popular legends about the man than about his actual life.

Turns out that his works is the main remnant from his short life. Even that can be described as a miracle. Even his works though have caused a lot of interesting discussion for the last 400 years. The works of Shakespeare have been attributed to many other people in the theories of researchers. Unfortunately none of their conclusions has more weight than the current popular opinion that William Shakespeare was the sole author of the finest plays from his era.

A very interesting read.

Not Bitten By The Travel Bug

I requested a book from travel company, Bunnik Tours, and received it in the mail yesterday. Despite the book being filled with great looking tours around various regions of the world nothing really excited me.

If I were to do one of their tours I would be traveling purely for the sake of it. There seems to be a perception that ‘society’ expects a young single bloke, like me, to get out and see the world (while he can). Yet the world doesn’t really interest me, at least not enough to travel for the sake of travel.

I have been overseas twice, both times to America. They were centred on a specific purpose. The first was an opportunity to work at a summer camp in Massachusetts. The second was an opportunity to play footy in America at their national championships against their national team. My inspiration and motivation to travel seems based around specific opportunities. If they work out then all well and good.

Maybe I’m boring or maybe it’s the simpler trips that excite me. For example:

• Ride on the Indian Pacific to Perth with brother Danny
• The PUFWE trips to Melbourne with friends in 2005, 2006 and 2007;
• The house sit for friends in Melbourne that coincided with the Swans premiership in 2005
• The ultimate football weekend in 2006
• Visiting friends in Canberra and seeing the sights in 2008
• The same day fly in / fly out trip to Melbourne to see Swans play the Hawks with a friend this year

Obviously going to Melbourne really excites me, and it’s more than just the thick presence of my favourite sport.

There is a common theme running throughout my trips. Even if overseas a main goal is to see a sporting event. In my trips to America I have seen minor league baseball in Bridgeport Connecticut and basketball in New York City.

Most tours are focused around scenery. I am usually after experiences, just check every post in my travel section. Although I did enjoy Niagara Falls, which is both scenery and an intense experience rolled into one. Although I could be converted if the ‘right’ person took me somewhere to appreciate scenery.

Kiddy Christenings

This weekend there was a baptism at a previous church I was visiting. I was reminded of all the baptisms I had witnessed when I was a regular member of the congregation. What interests me most is that the families had not been seen prior to baptism and rarely had they been seen afterwards.

I would understand if parents want a celebration of the birth of a new child, and children purely are a blessing. But it’s baffling that parents would bring their child to a church they have never been to. In the prepared script they state that they want to bring this child up with faith in God when it seems they have no intention of being part of the church community. The congregation responds by saying they will help to raise this child as their church family.

If you want a party then you can have a civil celebrant perform a ‘naming ceremony’. Everyone can gather, meet the baby and have a good time together.

It is great that church welcomes all and ultimately there is nothing wrong with letting parents baptise their baby at a church, regardless of their previous or future attendance. Any firm stance on who can bring children for baptism would do more harm than good.

I just don’t understand the parent’s motivation.

The Next Step

I can only hide behind being a ‘proby’ for so long. The first year has gone so quickly and reality set in quickly. It would soon be time to take the next step in my career. At this stage I also had to wrangle with the possibility of being sent rural. I got lucky though and was assigned to Parramatta. This information was dispensed on our first day back at the school. I was very grateful to stay in Sydney, to get a station 15 minutes from home was a bonus.

There were the expected anxieties amongst the class about the day one exam. I was confident as I had a full week of solid study prior to the exam. If I didn’t know it by then I would never know it. Others weren’t as confident. These people had to be avoided as they insisted on expressing their lack of confidence. I wasn’t going to let them wreck my confidence. Most of them ended up passing well anyway.

Everybody seemed more relaxed when practicing new assessable skills. Most of these skills would have been performed on road under the supervision of training officers. It was also reassuring to learn that the ‘as per skill’ element was relaxed and the main goal of the skill became the focus. Being able to practice cardiac arrest drills and splinting unsupervised was a great plus.

New theory had to be taken on board very quickly as it would become examinable within days. A familiarity with the lecturers helped with becoming sponges to new knowledge.

We had finally made it, no longer ‘probys’, but now there is nowhere to hide. It will be an interesting couple of years.

Cover to Cover

It has taken a while but finally I have started the important task of reading the bible cover to cover. Previously I had only read bits and pieces from various bible studies over the years.

It was put to me last year why I wasn’t reading the bible. At the time I was reading Dawkins’ “The God Delusion” after a suggestion from the Men Meeting the Challenge conference. It was a good point and was very blunt, as this person has a habit of doing. But I wanted to finish reading the Dawkins book since I was well into it.

Reasons for my delay sound pretty silly now. The length was an issue at over 2000 pages. It is usually a turn off when it comes to purchasing and reading other books. Until it dawned on me that everything I like in my books is in the bible, except for the lack of picture inserts (depending on the version). It has small chunks (hello, chapters and verses), so I can easily read a little at a time and form a good regular reading habit.

So many of my books have bookmarks in them, permanently stuck midway. This marks the point where another book distracted me. I didn’t want that to happen with the Bible. Unfortunately I couldn’t read multiple books when I was younger as reading wasn’t a big priority. I never gave reading a decent crack until the last few years. Sport always seemed more exciting. I only read my Yr 11 text two years ago and still haven’t read my Yr 12 text, but I’m working on it. In an effort to maintain reading momentum I am reading a book concurrently with the bible. Therefore I won’t get disappointed at all the other books on my shelves that I haven’t read yet because the bible could well be a two year project. A recent reorganisation and cull will also improve things.

I decided on reading “The Message”. Both of my parents have read it and found it easy to read, but perhaps not the best for studying purposes.

All is going well so far, still a long way to go.

Fever Pitch – Book Review

Fever Pitch – by Nick Hornby

I had originally heard about this book from a movie by the same name (renamed A Perfect Catch in Australia for some reason).

The movie features a Boston Red Sox fan in America’s Major League Baseball. The book is autobiographical, written about the author’s lifelong obsession with UK football club Arsenal. The movie, though, takes liberties with the amount of romance involved.

I related to the author as a fan of a football code. Even though Hornby focuses on the round ball game.

He uses particular Arsenal matches to highlight important stages in his life. It was amazing that he could even remember enough matches over a lifetime of club support. That was until I thought of my own life and immediately wrote down at least twenty Swans matches worthy of mention, and a new writing project was born.

It doesn’t matter what the sport is, the same emotions are transferable to any child discovering the roller coaster ride that only a sporting club can give.

Hornby found that his obsessive fanaticism affected his relationships quite acutely even into his adulthood. This is why I’m glad that I have mellowed in my post teen years. Not that I was ever as full on as he was in my pre teen years. Although the amount of merchandise I have does still surprise people.

Any bloke who has been affected by fanaticism of a sport would enjoy this book.

And isn’t it great that it is also a cheap read due to the Penguin ‘Popular Classics’ range.

Out of the Woodwork

It is obvious to me that a lot of Parramatta Eels fans have come out of the woodwork since their recent success in the second half of season 2009. I admit it, I am one.

Their grand final appearance exceeded the expectations of even the biggest diehard fan.

With the influx of many new or returning fans sometimes the diehards can feel threatened and upset as they have been their through the bad times only for thousands of blow ins to jump on board and place extra demand on coveted finals tickets.

I understand this reaction. I felt it in 1996 when the Sydney Swans had a similar near fairytale season. In the long run though, who cares??

Most important is surely the club, the game and the community.

Anyone walking around Parramatta in September would have thought they were in a different place that that of months earlier. The general vibe was so positive. Shop windows decorated in blue and gold, streamers crisscrossing Church Street, banners adorning the town hall. It united everyone in the Parramatta area, especially the CBD. On top of all that, Peter Wynn’s Score has never done better business.

Hopefully most of these new or returning supporters stick around and perhaps join the Blue and Gold Army, as I have done.

Whinging Victorians

A few years ago there were moans and groans of grievance from supporters and administrators alike regarding the domination interstate teams were having in the AFL. Non-Victorian teams had won premierships from 2001 to 2006 as well as three years of complete non-Victorian grand finals from 2004 to 2006.

But now after three years of Victorian domination I don’t see the same adolescent behaviour directed at them. We all must be above all that and won’t stoop to that level.

Personally I have enjoyed every Grand Final I have watched, regardless of who was playing. We have a very even competition in the AFL, which lends well to fantastic viewing. St Kilda and Geelong definitely provided excitement.

It’s as if the Victorians want to be able to control the success of interstate clubs. They conveniently forget that the competition would have died if it weren’t for the national push starting with the Sydney Swans in 1981.

They struggle to see the betterment of the game as the number one priority. Victorian teams are dominating now but like most things, success is cyclical. The jury is still out about whether a team has to “bottom out” before having a tilt at a premiership. Are they going to whinge all over again when the next non-Victorian teams takes their precious grand final?

Irresponsible Handouts

Verity Firth (NSW Education Minister) is preaching:

“We're committed to ensuring that our processes are followed right down to the school level so that everything's being done correctly and no money is wasted.”

Anthony Albanese (Federal Infrastructure & Transport Minister) is not apologising:

“We make no apology for acting early and decisively to insulate, to project Australians from the impact of the global financial crisis”

Only problem is that some schools don’t want the handout if it means having infrastructure thrust upon them, especially if it is not needed.

Baulkham Hills North Public School was one example in the news this week. They have been told they are getting a new hall costing $2.45million that will only house 50 extra people, leaving about 400 student with nowhere to sit. Due to strict deadlines if work doesn’t start by December 1st they risk losing the money all together.

Decisive or irresponsible?

It is fair enough having a strict deadline for such projects because otherwise nothing would ever get done. But if the spending is irresponsible to begin with then what does it matter about a deadline. For a real stimulus to work the infrastructure has to be needed and be of benefit to the public. In the above example it is obviously neither.

The buzzword came out via Kevin Rudd about having shovel ready projects. “Shovel ready” gives me the impression that all the problems we are now experiencing had long been ironed out, not so. So were they “shovel ready” to begin with, I think not.

What is the real motivation behind the program anyway? Well I think the massive signage erected alongside new building projects might give you a clue. But what schools are showing is that common sense does sometimes prevail and that political allegiances cannot be bought by throwing away huge amounts of cash.

Ignore Their Figures

There are so many figures from different agencies used to describe the state of the nation’s economy. Some give a positive outlook, others a negative outlook. It appears that you can grab figures to suit whatever your argument might be at any given time. Sometimes the same statistics can be used to tell different stories. The actual state of the economy is anyone’s guess.

It’s time to ignore the lot from now on, and forget those you may have already heard. I agree with the Barefoot Investor when he featured on channel 10’s ‘7pm Project’. He suggested focusing on your own household budget.

So how is the household budget going? Do you have one for starters? Spending within your means? Able to save and invest?

Work on this and it won’t matter what any politician might say. Your household budget should be able to withstand any crisis.

Stupid Man + Stupid Woman

Here is my simple mathematical equation for the week.

Stupid Man + Stupid Woman = Extra Marital affair

He’s stupid

• Thinking he can get away with it – these things always catch up to bite
• Parading around in public with his mistress – trophy girlfriend
• Bragging about his exploits to his colleagues
• Promising to leave his wife for her – was never going to do that
• Boasting his political aspirations to her
• Risking those aspirations for a fling

She’s stupid

• Jumping into bed virtually straight away – doesn’t everybody these days?
• Appealing to his giant ego
• Acknowledging the existence of a wife yet continued anyway – for six months
• Believing that he will leave his wife for here – not thinking that if he leaves his wife what will he do when he’s tired of you?
• Describing him as a “spunk” “hot” and “sexy” – she must be delusional

Nothing New

I was interested this week in Monday’s Daily Telegraph (31/8/09) to read one of their feature articles in the ‘Your Money’ section about how to get on top of debt. I felt I was already on top of my debt and didn’t feel like I was drowning under the mortgage and car loan. I thought there might be something new being said that could be applied to my situation. Instead it was the same advice people have been giving for years, it’s just that no one has been listening. Now they are forced to listen as they deal with financial hardship.

The advice was:

1. Get rid of bad debt. Well I don’t have any so I have no worries. They consider bad debt to be personal loans that incur high interest.
2. Get rid of other debt. Believe me I’m all over that. Lump sums come off the mortgage quite regularly.
3. Don’t get into bad debt. Sounds pretty basic doesn’t it? Yet to many people are sucked into interest free periods by the big retailers. Then if they can’t pay the amount in the prescribed time then they are given a rude shock when the have to pay a ridiculous amount of interest.
4. Use debits cards instead of credit cards. Have seen more ads for these cards now. Perhaps banks are getting slightly more responsible. Debit means you’re spending your own money and therefore have to show a bit more restraint when it comes time for purchases

Simple advice. Get a budget and spend within your means and financial hardship will be given the boot.

Privilege, Not A Right

There are plenty of things in this great country that we take for granted. May it be the clean air we breathe, water we drink or our access to quality food.

There are also many institutions that we take for granted. They are being abused (I’d consider the use of a stronger word like molested), and kicked whilst down. In particular there is our health system, schools, emergency services and welfare. Granted these institutions are rampant with inefficient bureaucratic administrations but perhaps if they were paid a tad more respect they might be able to provide a better service.

The community at large should feel privileged to live in a country that provides these services and there presence is not a ‘right’ at all.

Out health care is very advanced in comparison to most countries in the world. We have some of the best doctors working right here. They work hard to diagnose sick people and rescue them from potentially life threatening situations. Yet unreasonable demands are placed on them. People want to be seen by one as soon as they step foot into a hospital. Not going to happen. Imagine if they only had to deal with genuinely sick people.

Our schools are affordable and accessible. Last time I checked the only cost that a parent must pay for a child in a state school was slightly over $100 a year, and that is voluntary. This is a joke, as people want value in their child’s education yet is unwilling to pay anything for it. One news story in Queensland had a parent stating that her son had a right to a ‘free’ education. Rubbish!! Your son is PRIVILEGED to have access to such affordable education. Somehow there are people who can’t pay the voluntary contribution. Can’t or won’t? For a few dollars a week per child I would be thanking God that it is only that much.

There are multiple emergency services ready to respond at a moment’s notice. Yet services are being clogged up by non-emergency cases. Ambulances are being sent to minor ailments where people would be better served to visit their local doctor. Police are sent to small fracas because people are just too angry and frustrated over the latest media induced panic. Fire Fighters are sent to motor vehicle accidents to mop up leaking fuels, but if people were more patient on the roads then most accidents would be avoidable.

Our welfare system is very generous. Some would say too generous. Working folk are left to wonder why we bother when it seems so easy to get some form of government benefit. Unfortunately there’s not a government ‘courageous’ enough to change the system and make it harder to obtain. This could possibly result in a loss at the next election. But since when did people know what was best for the country.

So people, look after these otherwise they might not be there when you need them the most.

Education En Masse

Where there’s a will there’s a way. People need to learn how to correctly utilise health services. If only this blog had mass appeal.

Generally speaking we all have a “want it now” attitude. As in I’m sick now and want it fixed now. Anyone who has had the flu, for example, will know you can be sick for a full week, perhaps more. There is rarely such a thing as an immediate fix.

Some learn the hard way by having to wait in a boring, drafty, uncomfortable hospital waiting room for 5 hours or more before getting a bed, or told to go home and rest.

People want to see a doctor straight away and think that coming in by ambulance will achieve that. Truth is that a cardiac chest pain by own transport will always beat the vomiting on an ambulance stretcher.

One man recently thought that he would get immediate treatment and attention from a doctor when he arrived via ambulance. When ushered to the waiting room, with his minor bout of vomiting, he complained to the clerk then the nursing manager. He got his marching orders by security for being abusive to staff.

Unless you are in a really bad way (i.e. life threatening) then you will have to wait for a doctor. The doctor/patient ratio is nowhere near 1:1.

Most of the time for those with minor ailments it would be quicker and better for them to take some rest and see their GP in the morning. But for some reason people are too quick to get worked up over these minor ailments and then the act of getting worked up becomes the ailment.

If people just took a reality check and considered their condition against all the other people in hospital then perhaps our health system would work a bit better. Or perhaps our health is set up perfectly for the results it is getting.

Letters to Jim Main #7

Perplexing Programming (22/7/09)

Dear Jim
A lot of people have written to you with valid gripes about the standard of AFL telecasting in NSW and Quensland and I cannot understand how putting on a dodgy movie works better for the network. Does a network really earn more in advertising that way? Or does it cost too much to relay the "live" feed to Sydney and Brisbane? I am not in the Tv business, so I have no idea of their motivation for such decisions. However I figure that if they spend so much to get the broadcasting rights they might as well show their product, especially as the price is expected to rise with the introduction of two new teams.

Jim Main says:
There is so much disquiet, even anger, over this that something must be done.

A Real Stimulus

I received my group certificate and immediately reflected on the post by Dr H titled “Government Stimulus Impossible”. Referring of course to the stimulus packages that aim to reverse the effects of the global financial crisis (GFC) in Australia.

Dr H uses economically sound logic to explain why these stimulus packages won’t work and why their effect on the GFC will be negligible at best.

I have felt that the stimulus packages are more of a vote grab. Our selfish materialistic culture falls for the bait and sees only dollar signs while failing to see the bigger picture or the long-term outlook.

Inspect your own group certificate. Mine said that I was paid $55,000 gross and was taxed $11,000. Yet Rudd gives me $900 and expects me to be happy and go on a spending spree. How about cutting the taxes altogether, stop stealing my hard earned for useless spending sprees. It might win votes but will most likely have no effect on the GFC whatsoever.

Make some tough decisions instead of popular ones: cut taxes, cut spending, cut regulation.

Subsidies Decline

I read with interest a story in the Daily Telegraph about government subsidies being reduced for call outs and transports from Ambulance services (‘Cheaper to catch a taxi to hospital’ – 7/7/09).

A supposed “price hike” even though patients will only pay just above 50% of the fees, up approximately $200 for transport. Most of our patients are the elderly who have pension cards that cover the costs anyway.

The state Liberal Party are getting caught in the trap of objecting for the sake of it, even though it would match their ideology of small government.

We should be grateful that the ambulance service has been that affordable. Perhaps a price hike, as the media calls it, would make people think twice before calling an ambulance for trivial reasons.

The public expect so much from the government and they take as much as they can. The ambulance service is being taken for granted like every other health service. Perhaps a bill sent in the mail will open people’s eyes to the “real” costs of good health and find out that it doesn’t come freely.

Tom Wills – Book Review

"Tom Wills: The Spectacular Rise and Tragic Fall" by Greg de Moore

Admittedly this book is very niche. It’s the story of the sporting hero in Melbourne during the 1800’s. Tom Wills was the superstar cricket player of the colony. Also a great story of early colonial living.

My interest in this story stemmed from the fact that Tom Wills, along with three others, formed a committee to write the first rules for the game now known as Australian Rules Football over 150 years ago.

Educated at the famous Rugby School in England, Wills returned home with high expectations from his father to join the law profession. However, all Wills wanted to do was play cricket. He was the best by far in cricket mad Melbourne. His services were in demand as he made a name for himself as a batter, bowler and a leader.

Greg de Moore has done a brilliant job in gathering the historical remains to put the pieces of Tom Will’s life together

Letters to Jim Main #6

I was so impressed with my blog post on Barry Hall that i sent it to Jim Main and it was published last week.

Hallmarks of Persecution (17/6/09)

Dear Jim
The Sydney Swans' Barry Hall is in a tough situation. He has a reputation for being a bad boy and it seems impossible for umpires to view him neutrally. This is unfair and opposition players take full advantage by coaxing him into random acts of frustration. He is the most picked player in the AFL. He is able to be wrestled like WWE Smackdown and gets very few free kicks. Yet the glamour forwards like Lance Franklin and Matthew Lloyd only need a finger nail to grace their shoulder to get a free kick. Hall now is giving away free kicks and 50m penalties on the suspicion that he has done somthing wrong. In the Jarryd Roughead incident when it appeared Roughead ran into Hall's outstretched arm, no less than six Hawthorn players got into Hall's face. Of course he is going to push and shove. I know Hall does himself no favours with his remonstrations, but I feel sorry for him even though he created his own problems and now has to live with them.

Jim Main says:
It sometimes reminds me of bear-baiting in Russia, with people poking sticks into the beast to get a reaction. Yes he is his own worst enemy, but I always thought umpires had to treat all players equally.

And then there was this one written on the same topic in the same edition of Inside Football

In a League of His Own (17/6/09)

Dear Jim,
After watching the Swans lose to Hawthorn, I firmly believe as I have for years that there is a different set of rules for Barry Hall. Yes, he plays close to the edge, but he still should be treated according to the rules. I cringe at the way he gets manhandled every week and the umpires seems to sweat on him. He gets a free kick every now and then but most of the time defenders can just grab him, hold him and nothing is done about it. I get confused when I see the way Nick Riewoldt is adjudicated. Is it Hall's lack of hair and tattoo? He is good enough and fit enough to play on next year but it seems the AFL and the umpires are pushing him into a boxing career. Has the AFL become that soft?

Tim Brett
Concord West, NSW

Jim Main says:
The umpires will deny it but Hall is treated differently. However I do not believe in conspiracy theories.

Health Abuse

In Australia we have a public health system that has an endless demand yet limited resources. People generally ignore this fact and have unlimited expectations on what the health system can achieve for them. Fact is that good health costs money. We feel that it is free just because there are no direct costs to the consumer. We do pay a levy in our taxes. However this covers little if you are actually hospitalised. Perhaps an overnight stay not including any actual treatment. I feel as if Medicare was designed to take care of our basic health by looking after our visits to our local GP.

Our expectations are high, yet what is the individual doing to improve their own health? There are lots of stories of people expecting help from the health system when it is their own lifestyle choices that are leading them into a cycle of ill health. Here’s just three:

• Morbidly obese people consuming fatty foods in the hospital cafeteria
• Smokers outside of hospital having a cigarette while still in the gown and connected to IV fluids
• Smokers having a cigarette while on home oxygen resulting in explosion and burns to face, yes a true story

Are we really a healthier nation or a nation that takes its health for granted? There are a lot of abuses of the health system, a lack of personal responsibility and an expectation that the public health system to pick up the slack for poor choices. In fact it is a brazen disregard for the good lifestyle choices. Everyone should know better by now.

People seem unwilling to change lifestyle habits yet demand the health system to cure their ailments. Once cured go back to their same habits.

A Free Kick Against You, For Being Barry Hall

Sydney Swans player, Barry Hall, is in a tough situation. He has a reputation of being the bad boy that precedes him into games. It seems impossible for umpires to view him in even a neutral way. This is unfair, and opposition players take full advantage by coxing him into random acts of frustration.

Hall is the most picked on player in the AFL. He is able to be wrestled like WWE Smackdown and receive no free kicks yet the glamour full forwards like Lance Franklin and Matthew Lloyd only need a finger nail to grace their shoulder for a free kick to be awarded.

He is now giving away free kicks and 50 metre penalties on the suspicion that he has done something wrong. Such as the momentum shifting incident with Jarryd Roughead, when it appeared Roughead ran into Hall’s outstretched arms for a second 50-metre penalty to be awarded and a certain goal the result. Also, once giving away the first 50-metre penalty no less than six Hawks players got into his face egging him on. Of course he is going to push and shove.

Barry is hard done by, although he does himself no favours in his remonstrations no matter how justified he may be. Umpires tend to not change their minds and go on to adjudicate more harshly on the remonstrators.

I feel for Barry. But to a large degree he created this and now he has to live with it.

Letters to Jim Main #5

I still have a 'bee in my bonnet' about alternate jumpers after a Carlton Vs Collingwood match.

Another Logic Blackout (18/4/07)

Dear Jim
We recently had a match in which one team (Collingwood) wore a basically black jumper and another (Carlton) a dark blue one. why would it be so difficult for the AFL to tell Collingwood to wear a predominantly white jumper? Most clubs are dong the right thing and have come up with god alternative designs, but Collingwood is reluctant to change. The Magpies should wear one of their training outfits. is this so difficult?

Jim Main Says:

I have just about given up on the issue as Collingwood refuses to listen to logic and keeps screaming about tradition.

Fair Weather Fans

I recently went to a game in Melbourne between Essendon and North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium. I was blown away by the passion of these fans. They knew when to cheer and did so with immense gusto. It left me a bit disappointed to come home and go to a game in Sydney. If there is ever a reason why a Western Sydney team won’t get off the ground it will be because of the temperament of footy fans in Sydney.

Sydney fans across all codes aren’t 'diehard' enough, they won’t show if the weather is poor. If the finances are tight it will be the footy club membership that will be the first to go.

AFL fans in Sydney still have a lot to learn when it comes to supporting their team. We are too polite. We seem too afraid to make noise, or we just don’t know when is the appropriate time. We are still learning the game, as most are first generation AFL fans. Melbourne residents have had the sport ingrained into them for 100 years.

I’m Offended

If you haven’t heard by now bibles, crosses and other Christian symbols have been removed from the chapel at Royal North Shore Hospital. What a ridiculous thing to do. If I was offended would it actually get me anywhere to express that sentiment? Probably not, because as a nation we seem preoccupied with pandering* to ethnic and religious minorities, for fear that they might, on the off chance, be offended. So busy pandering are we that we end up offending and discriminating against the majorities.

Strangest thing is though, that such offense was not even brought up by religious minority groups. It was merely the perception of potential offense by mindless bureaucratic drones.

So if there was no original offense, then why take the action that has since caused so much offense. I can see the powers that be reversing their decision and apologising for any offense they may have caused.

For a positive spin on such events, these actions have gotten people talking about Jesus this Easter. Of all the days to annoy Christians they choose the day before Good Friday, bad move. Also interesting to notice how non-Christians going into bat for the cause.

*Pander
indulge, gratify, satisfy, cater to, give in to, accommodate, comply with.

The God Delusion – Book Review

“The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins

Why Read It?

Might seem strange that I would read an overtly atheist piece of writing. However, as informed by Greg Clarke and John Dickson at Men Meeting the Challenge conference in 2008, there is a “New atheism” movement and it is making lots of noise. As Christians, they said, we should know what they are on about so that we can be prepared to respond when questions are asked.

Originally I was apprehensive to buy the book because in doing so I give Dawkins money (however little), thus assisting in making him justified in his opinions and possibly write another book. Although I did buy the paperback instead of the hard cover and payed a lot less. Ultimately it was more important to read it sooner rather than later. The plan was to pass on the book to avoid other people having to buy it.

Expectations before reading

• Ridiculous assumptions
• Conclusions based on flawed logic
• Vehement attack on Christianity in particular

First Impressions

From my first quick flick through I thought it would be an easy read. It is broken up into topical chapters with many subheadings. Usually short segments works for me as I can easily put the book down at the end of a segment if I need a break from reading

Dawkins’ Main Points

• Science has no room for God
• Natural Selection explains everything
• Jesus never said he was God
• Historical argument that Jesus never existed
• The 10 commandments only refers to the Jews therefore those acts can still be perpetrated on non Jews

Rebuttal

Dawkins must have never read the bible, or at least didn’t read it in its correct context. This seems strange for someone making such huge statements about Christianity and the historical Jesus.

Jesus rather emphatically and repeatedly said he was God. He was given chances to recant and refused. Ultimately he was crucified for saying he was God. It was treated as blasphemy.

As for Jesus never existing, Dawkins has ignored 99.9% of secular ancient historians that agree that Jesus existed. They might not agree on his divinity but they will say that he performed baffling deeds as stated by Josephus.

If he is willing to state such untruths then his credibility has to seriously be brought into question

Final Impressions

It wasn’t easy to read at all. Not just because he was trying to discount God. I found his writing was disjointed and had no natural flow. I found it confusing. I didn’t want to read this book more than once but had to read some parts over again to understand what he was on about. A lot of the time I couldn’t see the relationship between the text and the sub headings. His rambling was incessant, he could have made his point in half the space. I was trying to make notes as I read. In ten pages I could only usually find two or three main points. Other times I would skip huge chunks because I had learned his point already.

He is a Professor of Physics and therefore he talked a lot about scientific notions that mostly went over my head.

I was surprised to learn that newly converted atheists hold this book in such high regard. Perhaps they were searching for something as well and by their own prejudices bypassed the bible and found this book. Check out any religion section in a bookstore. There’s not a great deal of Christian material there.

The examples he uses to ridicule Christianity aren’t Christian at all instead they are ‘religious’. There is a difference. Christianity is all about Jesus, religiousness is all about following rules.

Dawkins does make some powerful points when referring the Old Testament. But one should not rely on his interpretation of the bible as his credibility has already been brought into question. Ultimately people still need to read the bible for themselves.

But thank God that is now over. Now for a book I might enjoy reading.

AFL in Western Sydney

The Australian Football League wants a new team in the west of Sydney. It will never work say many. The AFL is being bold in this new venture and will make it work.

Some Victorian teams are on the verge of bankruptcy and can possibly see the writing on the wall: relocate or die. It is an unpopular notion. It was hard in 1981 when South Melbourne moved to Sydney and it will be just as hard today. But that’s the reality. No team wants to relocate to Sydney or the Gold Coast to guarantee their survival so the AFL will form new teams.

The new team on the Gold Coast appears well on track to join the competition in 2011. There is more conjecture about the proposed second team in Sydney. Most of the detractors come from south of the border. In the Inside Football magazine, respected journalist and football historian, Russell Holmesby (St Kilda fan), states “the AFL has to see sense and abandon the West Sydney concept.” Premiership player with North Melbourne, Peter ‘Crackers’ Keenan, in the same publication suggests that having a team in western Sydney is “getting further away for the AFL.”

Wait ten years is what I’m hearing from too many. The AFL is cashed up and Rugby League is in crisis with their own problems. Strike while we can. Think it will go down the drain? Then buy a membership when the club is launched to help it get off the ground, even if you are a devout Swans fan like myself.

It is the same Victorian clubs bagging the idea that will benefit hugely when a new TV rights deal is agreed upon in the near future. Kudos to Andrew Demetriou.

Impatient Driving Irritates Me

Most of my working life is spent on the road. Hence I see a lot of good and bad driving. Unfortunately it is the bad driving that most sticks out. What I notice most is the impatient driving. The people that seem to be in such a hurry to get somewhere that the safety of all other drivers takes a lower priority.

Impatient driving takes many forms. Mainly darting in and out of traffic with reckless abandon. Speeding up the vacant left lane is another, when they could just wait briefly for the slower vehicles to move over.

Does impatient driving achieve anything, as usually impatient drivers are waiting at the next set of traffic lights with the rest of us.

Suggestions:

• Be content with the speed limit
• Choose a lane and stick to it
• Keep a gap around you to avoid crashes
• Think about the comfort of your passengers
• Never drive angry
  
• Don’t rush, as nothing is ever that important. Look at the big picture
• An obvious one – don’t answer your phone in the car. No call can be that important that you are willing to put your life in danger

I am irritated for a short moment, but quickly get over it. Can’t let stupid drivers affect my cruise to my destination.

But today (7/4), as if to confirm my point of angry and impatient driving having no place on the road, I got abused by a truck driver for going too slow (in his opinion) despite having a patient in the back with a possible fractured hip. Of course after passing me he didn't speed off into the sunset, he was stuck in the same line of traffic a few cars ahead of me. I ask, is it all really worth it?

A Spoonful of Suffering

The media are doing a fine job in scaring the general public. Rental crisis, Mortgage crisis, Housing crisis amongst others. Our economic situation is dire if you were to believe the media.

Truth is that we are still doing well, considering how poorly other countries are going. Yes, we all have had to tighten our belts in relation to our own budgets, and sacrifices need to be made. But people are carrying on as if they haven’t experienced any suffering at all. So much so that when things started to go slightly downhill they panicked, led by the media of course.

Things have been far worse in the past and we got through it. Perhaps the main whingers didn’t go through the recession of the early 90’s where interest rates reached 17-18%.

General Ambulance Rules

1. If you could be bothered to call an ambulance at 3am you should be bothered to be transported. I don’t care how trivial it might be, more than likely we got out of bed for this call out
2. If the patient can tell you that they are short of breath in one full sentence then they more than likely not short of breath
3. If the patient complains of neck pain they shouldn’t complain of discomfort when a hard collar is applied, it’s just something we have to do
4. If the patient does something they know makes them sick then they shouldn’t expect much sympathy from Ambulance and Triage
5. If you feign unconsciousness you give us free reign to inflict pain to wake you up
6. Don’t be surprised when Towies beat us to motor vehicle accidents
7. Don’t call for an Ambulance then dislike being asked so many questions about your condition. If we didn’t ask we would not be doing our job properly
8. Don’t call us and then apologise for calling us once on scene
9. Your general practitioner can actually do more for you when it comes to trivial matters
10. If you're in police custody don't tell us your "I'm innocent" sob story. We're not interested and we'll only side with the police anyway.
    

Petty Partisan Political Point Scoring

Or for the sake of brevity, the 4P’s. Mostly used to accuse a political party of having not so noble motives for their actions.

Most recently we have had Kevin Rudd accuse Malcolm Turnbull of the 4P’s. This was due to Turnbull’s decision to oppose the bill in the Senate and therefore delay it’s implementation. Rudd, in a 5-minute press conference, managed to refer to Turnbull getting out of the road of this bill at least 7 times.

As a general rule, though, it seems that he who accuses another of the 4P’s is in fact perpetrating the 4P’s themselves. There aren’t even any points to be scored in opposing this Bill so Rudd’s accusation is unfounded. In ‘Yes, Minister’ parlance this would be a “courageous decision” by Turnbull. As in it is so courageous it might even be disastrous to ones political aspirations. So how can he be trying 4P’s when his decision is particularly unpopular? Therefore his motives must nobler than Rudd is trying to portray.

Meanwhile, Rudd is scoring his own political points by appealing to our greedy nature and dishing out cash to those apparently most in need of a one off cash bonus. Any long-term consequences the nation might face as a result of this bill are ignored. It is after all the job of the opposition to review what the government is doing. To pass a bill virtually sight unseen would be irresponsible of them.

This is a big deal and Rudd is trivialising the Bill by expecting the opposition to let it through. As if the decision to pass it would be inconsequential. Considering all the work the previous government did to get this country out of massive debt it shouldn’t surprise or annoy anyone that the now opposition wants to review this piece of legislature.

Side Effect of Success

Australia has been the world’s best cricket playing nation for over a decade. In all forms of the game we have been dominant. Now, a lot has been made of the ‘downfall’ of Australian cricket. Yet this was always going to happen sooner or later.

Success needs stability with a solid core of players. Having this will give the best chance for success. Unfortunately, it means that there are few changes made to the team lineup. The fewer the changes the less opportunities for younger players to gain experience. This leads to a lack of depth when the solid core decides to give the game away.

So what happened to Australian Cricket?

Retirements Post Ashes 2007

• #1 Fast bowler – Glen McGrath
• #1 spin bowler – Shane Warne
• Long time opening batsman – Justin Langer
• Middle order batsman – Damien Martyn

More recent retirements

• Revolutionary wicket keeper/batsman – Adam Gilchrist
• Other opening batsmen – Matthew Hayden

There are six of Australia’s finest retiring in the space of 2 years. No wonder our team is struggling at the moment, that’s over half the core players that have helped us be so successful over the past decade. Now we have too many young and/or inexperienced players trying to make it all at the same time.

It was good while it lasted. But supporters should not be downcast. Instead be happy that we experienced Australian cricket at it’s best. Now we get to see the next generation develop before our very eyes.

Although perhaps now Cricket Australia won’t rest on their laurels next time we have an extended period of success. Even a great team needs some rejuvenation.

Already Married

I am continually fascinated by stories of long term couples either breaking up awaiting a marriage or having the long awaited wedding. They usually go along the same lines as a recent story in the Daily Telegraph’s “Confidential” pages (21/1/09).

Rugby League player, Craig Wing, has split with his ‘partner’ of 10 years, Zoe Foster. It is reported that Ms Foster was tired of waiting for a marriage proposal. It all sounds fair enough so far, no bloke should take 10 years to propose to the girl he loves.

However in the next paragraph it is reported that Ms Foster is now moving out of their Bronte apartment. This changes things. These two were cohabitating, which means they were married under common law, they just didn’t have the wedding. By law they had the same rights as any married couple would have had. So why would she be hanging out for a wedding? Perhaps if she lived a bit further away he would have proposed to be closer to her.

Men being men, if we’re being given something without going to any extra effort then the girls shouldn’t expect any extra effort. As in, if you’re living with a fella, don’t expect him to propose any time soon. Why??? Because you are married already. One can only assume that the man is already getting what usually comes with a marriage as well, so why bother with the wedding?

Some men do end up proposing, perhaps reluctantly, and the girls get all excited about the big wedding even though they have been married for many years according to common law.

Some people consider cohabitation to be like a trial marriage. However this is a contradiction in terms. If you listen to Phillip Jenson’s sermon series “Love, Sex & Marriage” (he acknowledges that the order is wrong), he states that a marriage is for life, therefore by it’s very nature it cannot be temporary.

People will get it eventually.

Have We Hit A New Low?

A vocal portion of the population is making noise about some proposals from parliament.

Night Spot Lockout

In an effort to curb alcohol fueled violence the NSW govt proposed various rules for pubs and clubs. Such as a 2am lockout, a closed bar for 10 mins each hour, no cocktails past midnight and only plastic glasses. Police suggest that most of our street violence occurs when people exit nightspots filled with alcohol in the early hours of the morning.

Action groups are being formed and are petitioning the govt against these new laws. They are fighting for their right to get drunk basically. Although they would word it differently. Perhaps, fighting for their right to drink responsibility. This is a joke because if people were able to drink responsibly we wouldn't have so much violence late at night. There is obviously a problem with people's ability to drink responsibily.

It’s true that governments sometimes become overly legalistic and people should be allowed to make stupid decisions, but when did it get like this? Some say that due to RSA training the pubs and clubs are “controlled” environments. This is a delusional statement as people still drink too much regardless of how well trained the staff are. Plus the clubs are in it for the money, they charge a motza for drinks and make a lot of money the more people drink.

People will drink anyway is another interesting argument. It’s used in defiance of any laws introduced regarding alcohol, including the Alco pop tax. It shows people’s immaturity when they persist in harmful lifestyle choices regardless of the sanctions placed on them.

Topless Bathing

Proposed by Rev Fred Nile. He apparently represents all Christians but I’m not sure how many actually take him seriously. It was rather poor timing on his part when everyone is worried about a ‘global economic crisis,’ topless bathing issues are rather low on the agenda.

It is argued by topless bathers that “man boobs” are more offensive than a bare female chest. This may be the case but doesn’t make it right to go topless. There are specific nudist beaches all around Sydney, but that isn’t enough for some it appears. They want to be immoral around families with little kids at Sydney’s most populated beaches. Of course the examples given in the Daily Telegraph show two footloose and fancy-free British backpackers who are far away from their real life and far away from any repercussions of their actions.

Just another thought, with all the hype about breast cancer awareness it might be considered irresponsible of women to fight to go topless in Australia’s harsh sun.