Australia Day 2015

Up a gumtree

In 1980 , Australia had a population of about 15 million, Today that figure is a little over 25 million. We'll obviously have a job catching up with China and India's numbers but frankly who cares? In 1980 , one of the topics of conversation was Australia's population sustainability but the dark mutterings of doom and gloom seem to have abated.
Australia has sun, sand sea and endless beaches but is also populated by venomous insects, arachnids, sharks and monstrous  salties . They thrive in the temperate climate. Then there are the big red kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, possums , brumbies and bilbies.  Too numerous to mention are other unique fauna like the cross between a duck and a mole, the platypus , or the egg-laying anteater, the echidna. Lastly , as far as the weather goes there's feast or famine with either too much or too little rain.  
So there we are. Many reasons and more to celebrate . 
What do you reckon?

"Barbecued gum leaves doesn't do it for me, I'm sorry"

Money,money,money

It's a rich man's/woman's world

They have an armed bicycle unit, knives, milk chocolate, cow bells, mountains, cheese fondu and cuckoo clocks. They are also very wealthy. It's one of the few places where I have seen a used Rolls Royce Silver Cloud for sale in a used car lot. 

Both admired and criticized for their long held position of neutrality in world affairs , the Swiss however, have been unable to avoid being dragged into the wild and whacky world of international finance.

This week, the Board of the Swiss Central Bank effectively muttered a collective "Bugger it!" and unpegged the Euro from it's Swiss Franc 1.20 counter value where it had been since 2011.

Briefly, investors have been looking for security and have been buying U.S.Government Bonds and Swiss Francs. The incoming tidal surge  of Euros put the country in an intolerable position according to economists, Switzerland's currency reserves accumulating to 70% of its GDP.

Panic set in and as well as banks being unable to handle the demand for Euro as the Swiss went on a buying spree (the value dropped to parity eg 1 on 1 a twenty percent appreciation against the Euro ) a number of hedge funds went belly up. In Freiburg , just across the border from Basle, locals vented their spleen on talkback radio at the hundreds of Swiss citizens whose cars filled all available parking spaces while they frolicked through department stores buying, buying, buying.

Long criticised by many, amongst them the Pope himself, for its inertia and sluggish approach to their economies, the Eurozone is beginning to see the light and talk of stimuli is rife in thousands of classy Michelin star restaurants ( over bottle of red  ) not just any old plonk but Chateau stuff .

With the Greek elections and much marking time as the reforms are considered, it would seem the Euro is in for another rough trot.

No Show

No Way!

..and he was sent The Bill

It was reported in the press that the parents of a five year old boy who missed a birthday party , given by a school friend, received a bill for $25.00 from the birthday boy's parents.The bill was to cover costs incurred.

Not nice stuff, Bickering parents, unhappy school friends and an unpleasant after taste.

A number of years ago in the U.S. someone tried to commit suicide by jumping in front of a train, The driver was able to stop and death avoided. A number of weeks later, the relative transport authority was sued by the unhappy survivor , citing that his right to commit suicide had been denied. 

Perhaps he should have sent the city transport a bill instead. As a race we have risen from the mud through millions of years to become the dominant intelligent species. Suppose that is the grist for the mill for writers,artists and philosophers and talking of bills ......lawyers. 

A beautiful noise?

Sorry, I can't hear you

The good old days, by all accounts, were not that crash hot. Life was a bit less hectic and slow but if you survived birth, still possessed teeth at the age of thirty and did not reek like an ambulating septic tank, you were lucky.

Winter was enough to freeze the nuts off good King Wenceslas, while food was scarce and appalling and drinking water hard to come by. If you didn't mind doffing your hats to your betters and superiors, life was a breeze. Fortunate enough to be born into the upper echelons of society, bored dowagers held big balls while the menfolk dressed up in dandy clothes and sallied forth to war.

We are more democratic today and tend to live longer and better than our ancestors but eventually our eardrums will wear out. The groundwork for a generation of geriatric deafies has been laid. Life today is noisy.

Now, take a deep breath…….

Life wasn't meant to be easy....

It has not been a good start to the year. Each year we say to ourselves “Next year’s got to be better!” At the end we look back and you know what? Lousy!


Unfortunately for us in our quest for freedom and as the Americans put it, the pursuit for happiness , we believed that we all wanted improvement and change, regardless of nationality or creed. “Improve education, help them to help themselves” was the catch cry of the seventies and eighties. The quest has partially succeeded but with the good comes the uncomfortable.Change.

The Russians, no matter how miserable  their existence under Stalin and the yolk of communism now hanker for the good old days when they were a force to be reckoned with. Today we have a clash between old Islam and the new modern Islam.

In the 70’s and 80’s we saw the emergence of the Red Brigade, responsible for numerous killings of political leaders, the rise of The Black Panther movement in the U.S., followed closely by numerous terrorist hijackings and kidnapping by the PLO. The war in Lebanon should not be forgotten where kidnapping and assassinations were on the daily menu.

New communities, new countries freed from the colonials, new generations, new set of rules are to the fore as we enter another year. The trouble will be to maintain our equilibrium.

"Here you are, my lovelies! This might help!"
(Guest appearance of the witch by courtesy of Disney and Snow White)