Ridiuclous use of Similies and Minister moves to stamp out Customs corruption

28 March 2012 saw this interview on ABC Breakfast - Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare was there because of a major arrest of  drug runners in co-operation between AFP and SE Asia Police.
He then went on to talk about the Asylum boats and wanted to push "send them back to Malaysia if only Tony Abbott would allow it"
He compared current effort in trying to stop the boats as like trying to stop water out of a garden hose by putting your finger over the hole. He said "we should do is send the boats to Malaysia to turn the tap off". This is utterly confused logic. It is like pouring the hose into a bucket and taking the bucket back to the water tank so it all pours through again.
The reporter was obviously enjoying the discussion as he then said "what is being done to turn this tap off?
and hence the story
Minister moves to stamp out Customs corruption - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

I am very sad to hear  of this corruption as in UK I was an Officer of C&E

Historian uncovers Australia's censored books and my time in HM Customs

I was only discussing when I was a UK Officer of Customs and Excise yesterday and censorship and then today
Historian uncovers Australia's censored books - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Note article mentions Children's comics. Well I remember seizing comics under the 1953 Children's Harmful publications Act. These were Horror Comics. Even nowadays Horror Films are X rated some are banned and these comics of ghastly content were in a format that appeared to a kid's comic. No question they should be banned..... What I had was a shipment of samples and when I seized them the importer said he was only bringing them in to see if he would publish. I said that was the point and why I was seizing them...

I did disagree with a fellow officer who had to inspect a suitcase coming in as freight and wanted to seize a man's photo album as he had some very personal photos of himself. I didn't think this was covered by the intent of any law...

Then some other officers at London Airport wanted to seize some Harold Robbins book "Carpet Baggers?". We were at the newspaper stand at lunch time and there was same book on sale....

PS I wonder if the ban on books from certain Paris publishing houses is still in force

Farewell?: Dame Edna

Dame Edna Everage, announced her impending retirement from live - or what she calls ''flesh and blood'' - theatre.
Not your average Edna

Amazingly Edna has been "''To be the most loved woman - I won't say in the world" since 1955....
Ah the trick was not to be arrive late at his/her show as you'd be up the front and have words and gladdies thrown at you....
Fortunately Sir Les seems to have retired BUT I do miss Sandy Stone....

The LAST show may appear somewhere near you anytime in this decade

Blogger: The 'pencil' icon for editing is missing

Google high-handed ness again.
Last year I was using Google Reader but then they changed the interface and it became unusable so I switched to Feed Demon
Now they have added a country specific address to blogger so that access my blog and you get redirected to http://ronlankshearreviews.blogspot.com.au/ - they have added .au - if a Blogger was in UK then it .uk etc
I suppose they will keep the Re-direct in place so I hope all the places on which I put my blog address will not fail to find it.

In meantime there at [IMPORT] The 'pencil' icon for editing is missing and so is gadget quick editing tools - Google Groups folk are discussing what to do and a Google person did acknowledge but as yet they have fixed the edit tool problem...


Anyhow I've just bookmarked the Edit page so its the long way round when I want to fix a page....

Next blog probably Wordpress

Today on the Message forum a guy in Canada posted his URL and I clicked it came up with AU at the end - he is in CA not AU
 It seems it is deliberate
Why does my blog redirect to a country-specific URL? (ccTLD) - Blogger Help
which now means when you see AU at end of URL it might not mean site is by someone in Australia just that google thinks it OK for Australia....

Gillard agrees Carbon Tax will cause a Tax direct on families

The day started off with

Carbon tax may be unconstitutional: Abbott : World News Australia on SBS

Then I watched question time
Member for Ryan: Can PM advise why school children on buses will pay carbon tax and children in their parents cars will not

PM: No No The tax is not direct - we have computed that into the income tax cuts so parents will be reimbursed

Alas PM you made the point yourself - the parents with cars will get the tax cut so will the parents whose kids travel on the buses but they will have to use the cut to pay the fare increase ie the Carbon Tax whereas the car drivers will be able to use the cuts to buy whatever they want...... a holiday

And of course even that is based on the computation work that increases will be offset by the income tax cuts.. How long before the carbon price means everyone pays....

of course to me the only point of a carbon tax is to force people out of the bad energy BUT INTO WHAT?

Do something about global warming and stop playing around with this silly tax

Domesticated foxes in Siberia:

A while ago saw a docoon why dog behaviour and it included a coverage of this work with Silver Foxes. One fox bred appropriately was as friendly as any dog. Another bred the old way was still a Wild animal - tried to get the zoologist through the cage bars....



Domesticated foxes in Siberia: An experiment in peril. - Slate Magazine

African Despots - Campaign To Make African Despot Famous..or Infamous

My prayer for Africa is that Goodness and Mercy will triumph
 
March 2012 was first time  I had heard of Kony
Kony 2012 | Campaign To Make African Despot Famous... | Stuff.co.nz
To me Joseph Kony should be infamous

Then my cousin invited me to a Facebook group Kony 2012 New Zealand
and now a resource page  Kony 2012 - Urban Opine » Urban Opine

And same day this was on SMH
Child in Kony 2012 defends film


12 March 2012 Some of the conflicting opinions Good warlords, bad warlords and the #kony2012 campaign - The Drum Opinion (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

 Next Day Ugandans say Kony film is 'misleading', 'too late' | News.com.au 
 They says that was Uganda 6 years ago and it is different now and people should help them with their businesses. The Point as I understand it is that Kony is still out there somewhere and people need to see justice happen.and followed by
Kony 2012 director answers critics of video - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)


12 March 2012 Some of the conflicting opinions Good warlords, bad warlords and the #kony2012 campaign - The Drum Opinion (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Comments about nobody had heard of Kony last week and now all this fuss. Well that is the point
Like 12 March 2012 some good justice announced Lubanga guilty of using child soldiers
Who knew of Lubanga - these bad guys are creeping under the radar - they need to be denounced and arrested and tried


 George Clooney ‘Surprised’ By Success of Kony 2012 Video - ABC News
and next day George Clooney arrested at Sudan protest -   Note also the people arrested with him - the World has to do something about these African Warlords

 'Tasteless': backlash over Kony campaigner's meltdown - looks after he had trauma with all the backlash


 Zimbabweans face jail for Mubarak overthrow talk - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Just check that talking about Egypt means overthrowing their own beloved leader.....

Farewell: Cheetah dead at 80 -

Amazing I just did not realise he was still around
Tarzan's chimp Cheetah dead at 80 - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

I liked "He could tell if I was having a good day or a bad day. He was always trying to get me to laugh if he thought I was having a bad day. He was very in tune to human feelings," Ms Cobb said.

I would say Cheetah was the best actor in those movies - a great comedian - ok Maureen O'Sullivan tolerated all the hokum well.

I actually saw Johnny Weissmuller at Earls Court Hall London in 1948. Dived into a small pool from a very high board and also filled the place with the famous Tarzan call.....

Ah they were fun movies.

Computers: News/RSS Readers - reommnded FeedDemon

I like to read news etc via RSS Feeds. RSS was rumoured to be on way out BUT still seems to be healthy.....

I used to use Bloglines then they dropped off.... So I switched to Google Reader but alas this month they changed the layout to something they implied was simple - BUT its ghastly absolutely useless for quick eyeball scan of Headlines etc.

So I went looking - Wanted features - able to read import the google reader subscription list - clearly highlights the Unread sites (I don't want to see all my subs listed) and work through them - and finally a quick for each sub as I scan "Mark All Read " ---- PLUS LOOKS GOOD

sites recommended various tools
and I tried these four
BlogExpress
SharpReader
Awasu
OmeaReader
All handled the Import of sub list and mostly looked ok
But they usually failed on the Mark All Read button and the Only the Unread.....

The Winner was
FeedDemon - Free Windows RSS Reader

handled everything I wanted and looks good - even handles Facebook notifiers
but alas not Twitter - looks like it used but Twitter changed and stopped it working

Ron and Christine Lankshear's Christmas News

Merry Christmas
please see
Ron and Christine Lankshear's Christmas News

Farwell Svetlana Stalin

Stalin's daughter dies aged 85 - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)


Well I just have to acknowledge such a momentous historical moment. I must say I was surprised Svetlana was still alive - so much suffering in her past and the pressures on her as HIS daughter. I always felt sad for her.... The last few years seem to have been reasonably peaceful

Farewell: Director Ken Russell

Director Ken Russell dies in his sleep - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

They mention his major commercial films

Ken Russell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

But to me Ken is the man who wonderful films at the BBC during the 1960s about classical composers

As Wiki says

"job at the BBC, where he worked regularly from 1959 to 1970 making arts documentaries for Monitor and Omnibus. Among his better-known works were: Elgar (1962), The Debussy Film (1965), Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World (1967), Song of Summer (about Frederick Delius and Eric Fenby) (1968) and Dance of the Seven Veils (1970), a film about Richard Strauss. He once said that the best film he ever made was Song of Summer, and that he wouldn't edit a single shot."

I agree with Ken about the Delius film it was a joy. The music was so lyrical and the unselfish work that Eric Fenby did for Delius was wonderful.....
And then the fun Percy Grainger arrives to his bouncy English Country Garden music and charges up, throws a tennis ball over the house and runs through the corridor to catch ball the other side....

And poor Isidora Duncan who driving in an open car managed to get her long trailing scarf around the back wheels and ...........

Elgar cycling over the hills with all his wonderful music the thought of it just brings the English countryside to life for me.........

Thanks for all the enlightenment Ken

Computers: News/RSS Readers - recommend for FeedDemon

 I like to read news etc via RSS Feeds. RSS was rumoured to be on way out BUT still seems to be healthy.....

I used to use Bloglines then they dropped off.... So I switched to Google Reader but alas this month they changed the layout to something they implied was simple - BUT its ghastly absolutely useless for quick eyeball scan of Headlines etc.

So I went looking - Wanted features - able to read import the google reader subscription list - clearly highlights the Unread sites (I don't want to see all my subs listed) and work through them - and finally a quick for each sub as I scan "Mark All Read " ---- PLUS LOOKS GOOD

sites recommended various tools
and I tried these four
BlogExpress
SharpReader
Awasu
JetBrains OmeaReader
All handled the Import of sub list and mostly looked ok
But they usually failed on the Mark All Read button and the Only the Unread.....

The Winner was FeedDemon - Free Windows RSS Reader

handled everything I wanted and looks good - even handles Facebook notifiers
but alas not Twitter - looks like it used but Twitter changed and stopped it working

Farewell: Edmundo Ros

While I was on a whole of one day at sea on our cruise
Edmundo Ros - died 21 Oct

Also here on Whirligig site British 1950s TV and Radio

When I was very young Edmundo was a big star in England - I remember his very infectious and very rhythmic music and always so happy........ and happy he must have been to live to over 100

Who did write Shakespeare

When I was on cruise and touring Messina in Sicily, the guide told us William was actually Italian and from Messina.
First I had ever heard of that.........
Strangely I come back to Sydney and just appearing locally is Anonymous (film) -
The film is proposing that the plays were written by Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford.
The society that pushes him has some comments on the film Shakespeare-Oxford Society » Anonymous, The Movie
Quote "Of course Roland Emmerich and the screenwriter John Orloff took cinematic liberties with history in creating the film but that’s what storytellers do."
So even they say the film is not history!!!

This seems a sound discussion on Shakespeare authorship question - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Analysis says that Shakespear's works were all written by one person.
This discusses the claims for Francis Bacon, the 6th Earl of Derby, Christopher Marlowe, and the Earl of Oxford.
I understand that Oxford has replaced the other men as the main claimant.
Edward de Vere mentions some works that he wrote - I could not see any evidence that these have been analysed for similarities to Shakespear's works? De Vere died in 1604 and yet new Shakespear plays were being performed upto 1613. If Oxford had his actual own works published why would be shy about his Shakespear works? And he had his own group of players - why would he provide his Shakespear works to another group of players?
The claims for him seem to be based on his European tour and that he visited Italian places that Shakespear used in his plays. Nothing is known of Shakespear going outside England and so Oxford must have written these works. Hardly convincing - as he was around theatres perhaps Shakespear listened to his memories of these places or some other tourists.

I'll probably see Anonymous as it covers one of my favourite periods of English history and the graphics of London are said to be excellent but its ideas are nonsense.....
A review of the film - the writer supports Shakespeare
Shakespeare speculation and conspiracy tales - The Drum Opinion (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
and he makes the point that Emmerich makes very Inventive history movies - well basically real history drops of of sight - for the sake of the story

Messina: The Forgotten Home of Shakespeare « Shakespeare Politics and Italy Blog
Willy or Won't He?: Crollalanza = Shakespeare?
Etheric Warriors Forum :: discusses Michelangelo Florio Crollalanza Aka The Bard?
One comments states "It's a pity the videos are not subtitled because they are very accurate with a lot more insights and coincidences; for example, one of those scholars states that one of Michelangelo Florio Crollalanza's teachers at Padua appears in one of the plays. "
Now that is interesting........

Now if this Michelangelo could learn English so well to write Shakespear and invent so many words then I think he must be a greater genius than his namesake the artist of the Sistine Chapel.
But do read the forum above - it has a lot to say - has anyone confirmed the facts etc

In meantime I'll stick with good old William of Stratford

Katakolon

Ship docks almost in the town just a short walk and you are there. Tours to Olympia shown at 10 euros. But just another ruin. We just wanted a restful day. Plenty of lovely shops and a cute little museum for 2 euro of Greek inventions with working models which the lady demo'd - some very funny ....
Water front coffee shops saying free Wifi but I did not bring netbook with me. Ship left at 2pm

Corfu

Corfu - Noordam docks around 200m from port entrance - a free bus takes to entrance - then shuttle to Corfu town is $8usd - leaves you at entrance to old fort.. Just across the public park/square from town.
overcast and rain around but we missed actual downpour.
We went on the Achillon Palace tour. A lot of coaches and other ships also doing this.  Just a short drive down the coast. Roads around the palace very narrow and cars had to back off for our coach. Coach parking also overloaded.
Our guide Anastasia had a lot of detail about the life of Empress Elizabeth of Austria. Sissi had  a lot of personal tragedy. 2 girls died as infants. Her only son Rudolf committed suicide. Her palace is looking old and tired. It will be interesting to compare our 1965 photos. Sissi had the dying Achilles statue with arrow in his heel. The Kaiser took over the palace and replaced that statue with the Achilles with spear ....

After Palace to Kononi promontory for shots of Mouse island but overcast day..... I bought a panama hat for 10 euro s and Chris a pink hat for 6...

On to Corfu town and the sun came out. Anastasia left us at start of List Street .... in old days  you had to be on the list to be allowed in the street. Everyone comes here for coffee... Anastasia would return at 140pm for trip back
We had Greek coffees and frappes and plate of meze - which was really excellent. All in 17.50 euros for 2
We were next to pick up point but guide never appeared so at 2pm we caught shuttle to ship.
Next free time - ask re what happens if guide vanishes???
Still a lovely day

Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik - lovely but very busy.
Just too many people - most off of cruise ships.
Nice boutique shops - kuna seemed to be around 7 to a euro... some shop prices seemed expensive.
They took euros.
We had an excellent coffee at old harbour - they charged in euros and it was a reasonable price...
Getting up to the top of wall looked steep and we thought it would be too exhausting.
Many of side streets had long flights of steps.
Walking around the centre of the town was fun.............
The churches were interesting but discouraged photography.


Noordam provided a shuttle each way for $7USD it was too far to walk... 2+km

Noordam

Dear All (some first thoughts written on 2nmd day)
Well Roma was a bit messy but we enjoyed the time
there ... especially the food
Trip to Civitavecchia (Ci pronounced Chee) was
great - Merc van delivered us right to the wharf
Noordam very concerned about health - antiseptic
hand wash everywhere. for 2 days buffet is not
self serve...
So we had to answer a questions on paper re any
colds etc...........
On board fairly quickly
Noordam - luxurious
Food - wonderful - so varied and well cooked
Staff - excellent - friendly and helpful
Decor - very nice
Bed - very comfortable
Cabin - spacious
All that Irena said it would be ...........
Met folk that I had chatted with on internet at Crows
Nest bar with drinks provided by ship and an
officer spoke and said Santorini would be a
highlight and there would not be many ships in port... At the
time we were sailing through Messina Straits -
wonderful clear view of Italy and Sicily. Passed
by Stromboli volcano around 645am - plume of smoke
coming out
Drinks tonight with Captain Scott

Trade: TravelManagers - Irena Bryant

Shortly we are off on a Mediterranean Cruise. It started at a North Epping school fete. There was Irena with a table and cruise booklets.
Irena has kids in our grandkids classes. Irena operates from her home and comes to you......... Very helpful and has arranged our whole trip.
The flight with Emirates. Stopover and tours in Dubai. Then hotel and tours in Roma. And the train to Rome port. And of course the cruise itself.

Our friends agree about the help and recommended Irena to other folk and they were pleased also.......

So if you are around our part of Sydney and want to travel.............

Check out TravelManagers - Irena Bryant