New (old) look ... sort of

I decided I didn't like the new background colour, so I have reverted to the blog's original black. I am still fiddling around with the post title and links colours, but they shouldn't vary too much from what you see now.

Busy highway not the place to stop to view turbines

A wind farm is beginning to take shape not far from where this blog is domiciled.

Here is the first of the creatures, growing out of Mt Cullerin, 12 kilometres east of Gunning, in New South Wales.

Since this photo was taken, about five more structures have been erected with about 10 still to come.

I think they are magnificent - and I happen to like wind farms. But then again, I have been known to sit around at airports for a couple of hours taking photos of aircraft. So, 'whatever floats your boat', you might say. 'Whatever spins your propeller' might be more appropriate!

There is a problem, however.

The Cullerin range wind farm is located right next to the Hume Highway, which, for overseas readers, is the main dual carriageway highway linking Sydney and Melbourne.

The problem is that (especially) when travelling west, you come round a slight bend in the road at 110 kilometres per hour, and bam! - you are confronted with massive white wind turbines growing out of a large hill straight in front of you. The temptation is to pull over to the not-very-wide road shoulder and take a couple of happy snaps.

Other wind farms in Australia have dedicated viewing areas - like this one at Crookwell, some 50 kilometres to the north of Cullerin.

I really do hope that Origin Energy, the developers of the wind farm at Cullerin, do likewise, and provide a dedicated area for enthusiasts and the curious, to park their cars and take some photos should they wish. Pulling over to the side of the road - while preferable to stopping in the middle of it, like I saw one driver almost attempt to do - is just asking for trouble.

Daniel Hannan MEP tells it as it is.

Outstanding and eloquent speech here by Daniel Hannan, MEP for South East England. He is directly addressing British PM Gordon Brown with sentiments that I can only dream would come from the mouth of an Australian politician to our PM Kevin Rudd. And would an American politician have the balls to address Barack Obama in a similar fashion?


UPDATE

1. My apologies for the p***-weak headline to this post. It should read 'Hannan rips PM Brown to shreds' or similar.

2. The video of Hannan skewering Brown has gone mega viral - attracting over 660,000 1,014,000 hits!! - every one of them thoroughly deserved. Make no mistake, this speech will be remembered for decades to come.

3. One American blogger referred to Hannan as 'Sir Awesome'. I say 'Hear, hear' to that!

Plane crash at Narita Airport

There have been a couple of terrible plane crashes in the last 24 hours, including this one at Narita Airport in Japan.

Amazing footage here.

I would like to reiterate what I wrote in a previous blog about aircraft crashing. The broadcaster on the above link says it, as did the one I head on Sky News. Just about every broadcaster refers to aircraft "crash landing" - whether it be a mere nosewheel malfunction, or a firey blaze like this one at Narita.

Let me repeat - and I wish the media would get their collective heads around this very simple premise: Aircraft either crash OR they land. Joining the two terms just creates an oxymoron - and the English language contains enough of those already.

Libs and Nats should merge

Apparently there was a state election in Queensland yesterday.

I have intentionally refrained from blogging about it in the lead up to the vote yesterday, because I don't live in that state, I am not across all of the issues and, as notoriously difficult as state elections are to predict, this level of difficulty is magnified in Queensland. Predicting election outcomes in Queensland is like dropping a cork in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and predicting which beach it will wash up on.

For a Conservative like me, it is always disappointing when your side loses an election. But you just have to pick up your horse and move on. (I may have mucked that metaphor up), but you know what I mean.

The Liberal National Party in Queensland started from a low base and look like they have picked up about 7 seats - which is about 16 fewer than they needed to form government. They now have three years to prove they are a viable alternative to a Socialist regime.

I heard Federal National Party leader, Warren Truss, say that there were no plans for a merger of the Liberal and National Parties on a federal level. As long as Mr Truss has that attitude, the longer the two parties will continue to be a fractured rabble.

The result in Queensland shows that a combined Liberal National Party can work. It is now up to the other state and federal conservative parties to merge - for the unity of the Conservative cause in Australia. 'Unity' being the keyword.

Obama fails to win gold for humour

President Obama appeared on a late night talk show this week. As TV appearances go, it didn't exactly cover the President in glory.

Of course, that didn't stop many bloggers and on-line comments from people heaping praise on Obama. It was interesting, but not surprising, to read comments that lauded Obama, whilst at the same time implicitly or explicitly criticised George W Bush. I should get used to that, for it will be an abiding factor for the tenure of Obama's Presidency.

It is time, though, that Obama was evaluated on his own merits (or lack thereof).

Which brings me to two recent incidents (obviously there are more - but for another occasion):

Obama's gaffe (his teleprompter left town without him) on Leno about comparing his bowling to the Special Olympics; and his "gift" to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

If these instances are anything to go by, then I'd say we have a leader of the free world who has graduated summa cum laude from the school of cultural and social ignorance; where students don't drink from the fountain of knowledge - merely gargle.

UPDATE

According to Associated Press:

On his way back to Washington on Air Force One, Obama called the chairman of the Special Olympics, Tim Shriver, to say he was sorry -- even before the taped program aired late Thursday night.

Good. Hopefully Obama himself had the thought of calling, and wasn't prompted by a minder.

A promising maiden speech

A maiden speech occurred in Federal Parliament yesterday that deserves mention.

The speech was given by Senator Chris Back from Western Australia. Senator Back takes his place in parliament following the resignation of Senator Chris Ellison.

It is encouraging (and rare) to read such an intelligent speech from a member of Australia's house of review. It augurs well that legislation will receive the scrutiny they deserve.

Dr Back's speech also referred to a matter of which I was not aware:

We in the west were alarmed last November when, leading up to a COAG meeting, the treasurers of the eastern states and territories took it upon themselves to meet and plan their strategy but explicitly chose to exclude the Western Australian Treasurer.

Juvenile and foolish. But why am I not surprised.

Condoms make AIDS worse, says Pope

Pope Benedict XVI, who is visiting Africa for the first time as pontiff, had this to say on the spread of AIDS on the continent (my emphasis):

AIDS "is a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems'', the 81-year-old Pontiff said on the flight from Rome.

and:

The solution lies in a "spiritual and human awakening'' and "friendship for those who suffer''

Of course it does, Your Holiness. How ignorant of me not to realise. I'm sure you would agree also, that the "solution" to the Middle East crisis is to join hands and dance around in a circle singing kum ba yah.

I find it increasingly difficult to defend my religion when ecclesiastical dinosaurs spout forth such doctrinaire nonsense as this.

I hope it was simply a case of a bad translation. But I doubt it.

Spitting image?

I am loathe to comment on this, but I will add my two cents' worth, seeing as just about everyone else has.

Pauline Hanson, inveterate political wannabe - her latest incarnation as the Independent candidate for Beaudesert - has caused a sensation in the media yet again, this time because of a series of nude and semi-nude photographs published in the Sunday Telegraph this weekend, purporting to be of her - a fact Ms Hanson denies. Although, for someone known for being a bit fratchy, she didn't deny it with the vehemence, flailing of arms, and the occasional "bloody" I would have expected from her.

I am not going to post one of the photos in question, nor am I going to add a link to the pictures, as I don't want to be served with papers. You will have to Google them for yourselves.

Having looked very closely at the photographs (far too closely for my liking), I will just say that I am very glad I am not the editor of the Sunday Telegraph.

The photographs, while resembling Ms Hanson, are seriously dodgy. Even more dodgy is the story surrounding their existence.

I have no axe to grind with Pauline Hanson. Although I disagree with a lot of what she says and would never vote for her, I think she is given a very rough ride by the media in general. But she is a very opinionated woman and does polarise people like no Australian politician or public figure in recent memory.

Nevertheless, I do not expect any of this to affect Ms Hanson's vote in the election this weekend in Queensland. Sure, she will get the odd vote from people who feel sorry for her (she would have anyway), but she will still be resoundingly defeated.

Earth Hour Madness

The silly season is nearly upon us. No, I don't mean Christmas. I'm referring to this hair-brained idea called 'Earth Hour'.Get a load of this drivel from the Earth Hour website:

In 2009, Earth Hour is being taken to the next level, with the goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote. Unlike any election in history, it is not about what country you’re from, but instead, what planet you’re from. VOTE EARTH is a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community. A call tostand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday. We all have a vote, and every single vote counts. Together we can take
control of the future of our planet, for future generations.

How switching off your lights for one hour is 'taking control of the future of our planet' is beyond me; as is the whole notion of 'Earth Hour'.

'Earth Hour' is a classic example of people believing anything that makes them feel good. The concept doesn't challenge their intellect, but I guess it is difficult for a vacuum to be challenged.

I happen to like lights. They give me a warm, vibrant feeling. They make me think the world is still running, functioning, living, breathing, thriving. I don't want to be transported back to the 40s, and the days when people turned out their lights and snuffed out their candles for fear a bomb might land in their living room.

Dis-illumination for one hour, or any length of time, is inane and meaningless symbolism. Think about it. What are you going to achieve by turning off your lights? Nothing, save for giving credence to the dills that thought up this concept, and proselytising their cause.

The 'Earth Hour' propagandists want us to "VOTE EARTH". I suggest we all abstain, and get on with life.My own symbolic act will be for me to make sure I have a light burning brightly at 8.30pm on the 28th March.

A glass of red to end the week

Yes, it was just one glass. Seriously, I am a very moderate drinker. Most 16-year-olds could drink me under the table!

There was a tiny bit of that rare stuff called 'rain' in Hutchville today. Was nothing really to speak of. I dare say what precipitation we received over the last 24 hours would have barely filled a petrie dish. Still, the grey skies and pretty blue moving pixels on the Bureau's website give one cause for hope of more wet stuff to come.

So, one wonders what tidbits of trivial titillation the weekend papers hold? I will sift through them and deliver very soon via this humble blog, my thoughts.

Stay tuned, also, for a regular feature I am developing, that I plan to blog about at the end of each week. It will have nothing to do with politics, but will be about a specific interest of mine; one I know I share with thousands of others the world over!

If you can't read, get off the road!

Dear all idiot drivers,

This is a STOP sign.

When you are driving and approach an intersection with one of these signs, it means you must STOP DRIVING when you reach the intersection, wait three seconds to make sure no other vehicles are crossing left or right, THEN you move off.

This sign does NOT mean you merrily drive through or turn at the intersection without so much as a decrease in speed; nor does it mean you just have to slow down. It means STOP!! 'STOP', for those of you like the moron in a red Landcruiser in front of me this morning who don't know, means to CEASE MOVING!

The abovementioned idiot might like to note that the penalty in NSW for disobeying a Stop sign is a $243 fine and 3 demerit points. (Road Rules 2008Rule 68 (1)).

I have absolutely no patience for drivers who continually flout this most elementary of traffic laws. They should not be on the road.

Job ads go through the floor

The latest ANZ job ads survey has found total job advertisements slipped more than 10 per cent in February, the largest recorded monthly fall since 1999.

When I was handing out Liberal how-to-vote cards at the federal election the November before last, a bloke approached me and I offered him a leaflet, to which he replied, "no, mate - Kevin 07."

"Kevin 07, no job 08", I heckled back.

Little did I realise what a self-fulfilling prophesy that comment was.

Next time, I'll just be sticking with the party slogan!

Costello leads Turnbull

According to a Newspoll survey conducted for The Australian, Peter Costello is the preferred Liberal Party leader, over incumbent Malcolm Turnbull.

I won't post quotes from the statistically overladen article, as you would all fall asleep. But, for those of you who enjoy percentages, here is the link.

Costello has always been my choice for Leader of the Liberal Party. He was my choice about four years ago, but I digress.

Malcolm Turnbull is immensely capable, but I think the thing he lacks most is experience. This is beginning to show in that by now he should have put on the table what he and the Liberals would do to steer Australia out of this economic crisis.

After 11 years as Treasurer and four (I think) as shadow treasurer, Peter Costello has the runs on the board.

I have no inside information, but I think there will be a change in Liberal Party leadership before the end of the year, with phone calls beginning in earnest around the time of the May Budget...although, with the result of this poll today, I wouldn't be surprised if they have started already.

A nice tune to end the day

This great song is called Rock & Roll by Eric Hutchinson. Very cool tune. Writing catchy pop songs is sadly a dying art. Nice to see it being kept alive here by this talented guy from NYC.

Julia is spitting chips

There must be something in the watercoolers in the Ministerial Wing at Parliament House.

It's deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard's turn now, to launch a diatribe against Malcolm Turnbull and the Liberal Party, in regards to the Opposition's position on the new IR Laws currently before parliament.

Gillard:

The political party in the Australian Parliament that is
spitting in the face of the Australian people and refusing to recognise that mandate is the Liberal Party with Mr Turnbull dithering on one side, looking over his shoulder to see what Mr Costello is going to say to him next.

Take a chill-pill, Julia.

Using such vitriolic language, rather than endearing people to your cause, only makes swinging voters see you as angry and divisive.

When attack is really praise

There is much frothing at the mouth amongst the ALP and a few media hacks at the moment.

Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull wrote a very intelligent article in the Weekend Australian, in which he, inter alia, congratulated Kevin Rudd and his wife, Therese Rein, on their success.

In the article, Turnbull, quite reasonably, criticised Kevin Rudd on his hypocrisy in mocking Turnbull for being wealthy, and to attack the "neo-liberalism" by which Rudd's own family has obviously benefited.

Malcolm Turnbull did not attack Therese Rein, as has been breathlessly, and oh so predictably reported.

This is what Turnbull said:

I congratulate the Rudds, especially Therese Rein, on their success.

Some 'attack'.

The ALP, Kevin Rudd, Craig Emerson, Glenn Milne and any other moron who thinks a congratulatory remark by the leader of the opposition to the wife of the prime minister constitutes an 'attack' on her, should get over themselves. I'm sick of them.

Potty-mouth Kevin

Last night on national TV, Kevin Rudd said "shit", then quickly corrected himself.

Cynics are saying that the cussing was premeditated to show that Rudd is one of the boys.

Prime Ministers should have the presence of mind to use temperate - i.e. 'clean' langauge when the mircophone is on.

Rudd is as contrived as they come, and I don't believe his scatalogical vocabulary was as accidental as Rudd and his hangers-on would have us believe.

New Look

I thought I would give The Hutch a new look. Along with the new livery, I hope to post more reguarly than I have been.