Old Misery Guts

I Want To Be Free

2012-01-26T15:08:00.000+11:00

Further from the post below. The fun prevention / safety Nazis intrude into our lives in so many ways. The clip below was made in 1975 it shows a skateboard contest. The boards are primitive by today's standards, yet everyone is having fun. If this contest was conducted now the kids would be wearing helmets, elbow protectors, knee protectors and gloves at the minimum. The road would be fenced off with some sort of safety rail and there would be officials to ensure that all rules were adhered to. There would probably be a number of first aid officials. The organisers would have to obtain insurance, the police would be in attendance and the entire day organised right down to the last detail including assistants with water bottles to ensure that the boarders would not get dehydrated.

I'd rather have it the way it was. Probably not very well organised, free to wear what you felt comfortable in. Look after yourself and keep an eye out for your friends. I'll bet that there were no major injuries on the day, probably a few bits of skin missing and bruises but that would be about it. Best of all no one to sue, just take care.

We have lost so much.

Homer Simpson was Right

2012-01-25T13:21:00.001+11:00

Remember when Homer said " Everybody knows rock was perfected in the 70's". Well maybe it wasn't perfect but it came pretty close. Led Zepplin was the best by far. The thing I miss from those days is the freedom. There were no bicycle helmet rules, no rules about nearly anything. We had a lot more freedom. The 70's were probably the end of freedom and the beginning of the 'People who know better than you' telling us how to live our lives.

Here's a couple of good one hit wonders from 1974.

The Moir Sisters, cute. I love the shots of Wellington, reminds me of Melbourne at the same time.

George McCrae 'Rock your Baby'

'War is Hell' via James Delingpole

2012-01-18T07:21:00.004+11:00

I couldn't understand the reaction of the media to the US soldiers who urinated on the bodies of the enemy. I don't know that I would have done it but I wasn't there and don't know the circumstances. James Delingpole has a post on the incident and quotes a US congressman, Alan West. I just wish our politicians had the intellectual honesty of this man. Post reproduced in full below. The original is here.

The longer the sordid battle for the GOP nomination goes on, the sorrier I am that Congressman Allen West isn't on the candidates list. His nuanced, informed, honest, morally courageous response to the story of the US marines caught on camera urinating on the bodies of Taliban fighters is another reason why.

Here is an email he wrote to the Weekly Standard:

“I have sat back and assessed the incident with the video of our Marines urinating on Taliban corpses. I do not recall any self-righteous indignation when our Delta snipers Shugart and Gordon had their bodies dragged through Mogadishu. Neither do I recall media outrage and condemnation of our Blackwater security contractors being killed, their bodies burned, and hung from a bridge in Fallujah.

“All these over-emotional pundits and armchair quarterbacks need to chill. Does anyone remember the two Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division who were beheaded and gutted in Iraq?

“The Marines were wrong. Give them a maximum punishment under field grade level Article 15 (non-judicial punishment), place a General Officer level letter of reprimand in their personnel file, and have them in full dress uniform stand before their Battalion, each personally apologize to God, Country, and Corps videotaped and conclude by singing the full US Marine Corps Hymn without a teleprompter.

“As for everyone else, unless you have been shot at by the Taliban, shut your mouth, war is hell.”

What Else Can I Say?

2012-01-08T19:27:00.002+11:00

Eight Week Old Damaras

2012-01-05T22:51:00.000+11:00

2011 and 2012 Predictions

2012-01-01T07:59:00.000+11:00

I made a few predictions at the start of 2011, they were as follows. I have noted how accurate I was under each one.

1 - Julia GILLARD will continue to be out of her depth, she will lurch from announcing one grand plan to another. None of these plans will ever be implemented.
I will take this as a win. GILLARD and her government are a disaster, Unfortunately she has come close to implementing some of her lunatic bribes to the greens.

2 - The Canberra press gallery will continue to ignore GILLARDS failings, and concentrate on Tony ABBOTT and the Coalition.
True.

3 - Jesus will not return this year.
True.

4 - A prominent Labor politician will become embroiled in a sex scandal (probably with members of the same sex).
True - http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/mp-sex-charges-shatter-labor/story-e6frea83-1226043139656

5 - A member of the Rolling Stones will put his cue in the rack.
Wrong.

6 - The Great Climate Change con will continue losing credibility with the general population, the last believers will be mainly Labor and Green politicians and all the carpetbaggers on the gravy train.
True, Durban was just another party for the first class passengers on the Titanic.

7 - Australia will have a wet cold winter with bumper snowfalls at all resorts (even Baw Baw)
Wrong, sort of. It was a wet cold winter however the snowfalls were average, which was a good thing.

8 - This will be seen as a sign of "Global Warming" by the above mentioned crooks.
I can't find any evidence of this, so I'll say I'm wrong. But I think I'm right.

9 - Australian (particularly Victorian) house prices will remain excessively strong due to increasing population and artificially restricted land supply.
Even with all the economic woes, prices are still very high.

10 - Carlton will win the AFL Grand Final.
Nope.

11 - I will move to rural Victoria and run a motel.

True.

Here a a few predictions for the next twelve months.

1 - The euro will cease to exist as a common currency across the EU, and the European project will begin to disintegrate.

2 - Labor will continue being miles behind the coalition in the opinion polls and dither over replacing GILLARD. RUDD will continue to be a pain for Labor.

3 - As a result of the above GILLARD will lose the prime ministership in the middle of the year and another Labor dud (not RUDD) will take over.

4 - I still think a member of the Rolling Stones will die in the coming year.

5 - Obama will lose the next US presidential election to the republican candidate who will not be Mit Romney.

6 - No 5 above will be wrong if Romney gets the republican nomination.

7 - A Victorian Liberal state politician will be involved in a sex scandal.

8 - I will improve my fly fishing and skiing.

Sophia Vs Holly

2011-12-31T06:22:00.000+11:00

The stats for this blog clearly show that my posts of Sophia Loren photographs are the most popular by a mile. This one - http://justasuburbanboy.blogspot.com/2010/06/more-sophia-loren.html has had over 29,000 views.

I've always thought that Holly Valance is gorgeous. Holly has recreated a couple of classic photos of late, there is her version of Raquel Welch, it's a fair effort and she pulls it off pretty well. I think that the original outfit was better and that Welch has a better face for the style of the photo.

Her latest is Holly attempting Sophia Loren.

Here is the original

Although the outfits are similar, the pose isn't right, Sophia appears to be slightly thinner at the waist and a little curvier in the upper thighs but that could be the pose. I don't like the way that Holly is leaning to her right, it just makes her appear to be off balance and awkward. Sophia however is almost square onto the camera, she appears balanced and in control and confident, whereas Holly has her breasts a bit squashed, Sophias are firm and full. Holly has a small necklace that sits too high on her throat for the low cut of her outfit. Sophias necklace is large and provides a deliniation between her decolletage and her face. Now the face that is where it all falls apart for Holly. Sophia has her face high, looking slightly away to her left, she appears proud and confident, her natural beauty is framed by the hat that dominates the upper part of the photo and balances her thighs, it's just about a perfect composition. Holly on the other hand has a large hat that seems to be designed for a middle aged woman to wear to potter in the garden, it's stiff and casts a shadow on Hollys face.Holly is wearing a smile that while pleasant is without any sexual appeal, it's more the smile that women wear when they are at the races and have had too much to drink.

It's a pity that Hollys photographer didn't take more time, I'm sure that she could come close to matching Sophia but not this time.

Merry Christmas To Those Who Take Pleasure From It

2011-12-20T21:58:00.000+11:00

I'm starting to become accustomed to Christmas, I'd still rather go fishing on the day but that's not going to happen. Here is the sort of Christmas present I'd like Father Christmas to be bringing me.

Be good to see them under the tree on Christmas morning.

For your viewing pleasure, see you after Christmas.

League of Gentlemen, House Rules

2011-12-19T21:25:00.002+11:00

Have you ever watched "The League of Gentlemen"? I reckon it's the best comedy show since Monty Python. It's quite a few years old now but well worth watching. Based on the happenings around the English town of Royston Vasey. The clip below is when a nephew comes to stay with his relatives for a few days. His uncle and aunt lay out some of the house rules. The series went through three seasons and a Christmas Special. I wish there was something like it on TV today.

Christopher Hitchens and Orwell Both Died Prematurely

2011-12-17T21:29:00.000+11:00

Hitchens is dead. There have been far better obituary's written about him than I could ever aspire to. I just would like to say that he has been a strong influence on me for many years now. The first time I came across his writing was back in the early 1990's. I was in a waiting room somewhere, possibly a dentists, I was flicking through the magazines as you do when I came across a copy of Vanity Fair. I had never read the magazine previously as it was very expensive and I thought that it was a fashion mag. Anyway there was a photo of an attractive woman on the front so I picked it up and browsed through it. For some reason an article caught my eye. I can't remember what it was about but I was impressed by the writing style and the way the author expressed his thoughts. His name of course was Christopher Hitchens. In the years that followed I read nearly everything that Hitchens produced. As an essayist he was superb. His books were cutting, brave and incisive.

Hitchens was very influenced by Orwell, I loved his book "Orwells Victory". I recall that somewhere in the book Hitchens lamented that Orwell died an early death at age 50, never went to America where he could have received anti biotics that may have cured his tuberculosis. Hitchens imagined Orwell surviving into late old age and becoming a curmudgeonly old man who would have continued to dissect the world and say what he thought needed to be said. Hitchens did not imagine at the time that he too would die relatively early at age 62.

Why Does ebay Attract Bad Spellers?

2011-12-17T10:38:00.000+11:00

My spelling and grammar leaves much to be desired, however I do try to get it right, ebay advertisements somehow attract people who are unable to spell at even a basic level. The ad below is particularly bad. It is probably the worst spelling I have ever seen. The title of the ad talks about a motorcycle 'Going Cheep', when I read that I though it may have been spelled that way on purpose to attract attention. Alas not.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280791945010&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en#ht_1727wt_932

Below is the text of the ad, it's abysmal.

today im listing my cb175 honda twin it runs ok but need carbs sorted out as i am running open filter and open pipes so its a non runner but have had it going a few times. now im going to list all the new parts i have replaces and the cons on whot need to be finishd. i will miss this bike alot but i have moved on and need to make room in my small garden sheed.

payed $600 for the bike wos a mess as a pic will show

striped bike to frame

sanded primed painted the frame

painted tank british racing green

pulled motor down cylinder honed the bors new rings and gaskets allen head screws are used all over the bike and frame

brand new tiers tubes over $200 their alone

new mufflers not stock ones $150

new clutch fitted in the motor

brand new seat $180

new battery but its been sitting 8munths so may be flat

new wire loom fitted $70 new key that i have not fitted!

heat proof painted the motor black and silver as you can see

new kits threw both carbs

new tap fitted on tank!

now the things you will need to do befor the bike is finished as im very picky and not happy with thew things i wont to list this bike best as i can!

http://www.youtube.com/user/badboynot1#p/u/4/DJ0O0yErr1w

whot she needs

head light fitted i have a light but missing globe

the carbys are out of tune so bike runs like poop

has a miss as it need new points has new plugs and lead caps fitted tho

piant has been eaten off the motor as i had to set carbs right

needs new chane and sprockets but still fine for now

one bog job on tank is not the best

needs the foot brake fitted i have that to go with bike

old kick stand hits on the muffler so i dont have it fitted but comes with the bike

seat i got wos for the rong yr so it sits way to hight! and looks silly so i took the mounting brakets off and the seat is just sitting on the bike that relly pisses me off but anyways

spear pars i have in the sheed will go with bike too a tank the old seat wich is stuffed but thear, blinkers the nug bar that bolts onto frunt of frame, old saddle bag frame, and whot ever els i fined. the bike is pick up only!!! from condobolin nsw 2877 so a ute or box trailer will be needed to pick up

im selling this bike as a non goer as i can not be stuffed to get it out and going for you but i can tell you it runs ok ish and will have vids of this!

i have missed alot on this bike! but please you email me if you are relly interested i can give you my number for a call as things like paint job on tank is not best and like i keep saying im picky! can have a look at bike befor bid as i dont wont bad feed back if you are not happy with bike after you have won the bike! 1st bid on bike and its yous!!!!!!!!!!!!! as i wont her gone.

not for test rides as it has no back brake pedle! and runs bad from the carby tune and the points so it is 90% finishd but need some work befor shes redy for rego!. look at the vids and threw the pics i have listed as good as i can thanks for looking

pick up only nsw 2877 condobolin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Double Think by Federal Race Discrimination Commissioner Helen Szoke

2011-12-12T13:54:00.001+11:00

In this mornings Herald Sun there is an article reporting that three employers have permission to advertise exclusively for aboriginal employees, The article quotes the Federal Race Discrimination Commissioner (I didn't even know there was such a job) Helen Szoke as saying the following.

"It's reducing the burden of process on business, which is a good thing; it's promoting equal opportunity, which is a good thing; and it's ensuring that services have culturally appropriate staff, which is also a good thing," Dr Szoke said.

Read that sentence again, almost every phrase in it is the opposite of the truth of the matter.

"It's reducing the burden of process on business". How? Under the current rules employers just advertise for people to do a job, I cannot see how this ruling will reduce the work involved in employing people. If anything it will increase employers difficulties due to having to take the race of the required employees into consideration etc.

" it's promoting equal opportunity". Read that again! How on earth is allowing employers select people on their race promoting equal opportunity? Surely any job can be performed by any person who has the required skills and experience, why should their race come into it?

"it's ensuring that services have culturally appropriate staff". Again I ask what does that garbage mean? Do aboriginal people have special genetic abilities that others do not? I did attend a compulsory training session once in which the aboriginal instructor claimed that aborigines have special psychic abilities. Following Commissar Szokes thoughts perhaps Australian Hospitals should have culturally appropriate staff to encourage and perform infibulations?

Commissar Szokes is engaging in Doublethink Orwell used the expression to describe the following.

The power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them....To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just as long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies - all this is indispensably necessary. Even in using the word doublethink it is necessary to exercise doublethink. For by using the word one admits that one is tampering with reality; by a fresh act of doublethink one erases this knowledge; and so on indefinitely, with the lie always one leap ahead of the truth.^[2]

The good Commissar believes that she ensures that people will not be discriminated on the grounds of race when applying for work. At the same time she believes that allowing employers to select applicants on the basis of race is a "Good Thing' in her words. She appears to comply with the above definition of Doublethink to the very letter. The sad thing is that she is not alone, the entire Equal opportunity and Human Rights edifice is staffed by similar people, busily discriminating against people and at the same time genuinely believing that they are the guardians of anti discriminatory practices.

Wings - Myer Music Bowl 1975

2011-12-10T07:59:00.001+11:00

This was one of the best shows I have been to. I didn't pay for a ticket and ended up sitting three rows from the stage with great view. I never really liked the Beatles or Wings but it was a great show.

Doobie Brothers 1975

2011-12-10T07:51:00.001+11:00

Another Festival Hall concert, this time I saw the Doobie Brothers, I think I was given the tickets. I didn't particularly like them but it was a pretty good show.

Creedence Clearwater Revival 1972

2011-12-10T07:48:00.001+11:00

I went to a CCR concert again at Festival Hall in 1972. The clip below was filmed on the same tour in Sydney. From what I remember it was a pretty good show even if Tom Fogarty wasn't there. The only thing I didn't like is that it was a stand up and dance style show. No seats, I don't know why but that's what it was.

Johnny Cash, June Carter and the Statler Brothers

2011-12-09T16:59:00.001+11:00

Just to annoy people, here is another concert I went to at Festival Hall in 1972 or 73. Johnny Cash, June Carter and the Statler Brothers. I can't really remember much about is except that I enjoyed it, especially the Statler Brothers. This clip of Cash was taken at about the same time.

The Statler Brothers

One of my favourite Cash songs

Left V Right

2011-12-08T06:53:00.001+11:00

I don't consider myself a conservative more a libertarian, however I do agree with most of the sentiments listed below. I pinched them from a blog called "A Western heart"

If a conservative doesn't like guns, he doesn't buy one. If a liberal doesn't like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.
If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn't eat meat. If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.
If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation. A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.
If a conservative doesn't like a talk show host, he switches channels. Liberals demand that those they don't like be shut down.
If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church. A liberal non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced. (Unless it's a foreign religion, of course!)
If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it. A liberal demands that the rest of us pay for his.

Led Zepplin @ Kooyong

2011-12-07T21:39:00.001+11:00

Mark has left a comment at the post below (Gary Glitter), I'll respond to his comments later on (it would be better to do it over a beer). Anyway I do like many sorts of music. I went to see Led Zepplin at Kooyong. Great venue small and LOUD. I can't find any footage of that concert but this is close. Anyone else go to that afternoon concert???

It won't let me embed so go here - http://youtu.be/RlNhD0oS5pk

I found this, it was recorded on the same tour in Sydney

Gary Glitter was at Festival Hall

2011-12-06T16:45:00.001+11:00

Another concert I went to at Festival Hall. Gary Glitter, don't laugh I know he went off the rails in recent years. At least he paid the price, unlike Michael Jackson.

At the time of the concert Glitter Rock was huge and Gary Glitter was one of the biggest. It's still good music.

Bee Gees - Festival Hall 1971 or 1973?

2011-12-06T06:45:00.001+11:00

I saw this post at Boltas blog this morning and it got me thinking about some of the concerts I went to when I was younger. I found the clip below on youtube. It's the Bee Gees at Festival hall in Victoria. The blurb says it was filmed in 1971, I saw the Bee Gees at Festival Hall in 1973 and looking at the fashions the band are wearing I reckon that this was filmed at that time. From what I remember it looks like the same concert.

This may not be as good as the studio version but I reckon it's close to the Bee Gees best song. If you look around the stage there isn't a tattooed fuckwit in sight.

What I Look Like

2011-12-03T21:04:00.001+11:00

For those of you who may be interested in my appearance.

Scroll Down

Further

Is Tim Flannery a Liar, Lazy or Religious?

2011-12-02T07:15:00.001+11:00

Tim Flannery is our Chief Climate Commissioner, appointed by the Labor Government he pockets a hefty sum for the job. Flannery appears to be reasonably intelligent however when one looks at what he says and does a different picture emerges.

Even though he is a paleontologist Flannery has become some sort of superstar for the Climate Change mob. You would assume that someone with a science background even if it is in paleontology would be thorough and careful with their words. Unfortunately Flannery is the opposite. He makes wild predictions. in Launceston he claimed that sea levels would rise by 3mm per year, in The Australian of 05/03/2010 he was quoted as estimating a 60 metre sea level rise (no link). Where does he get his figures from? No one knows. I think he makes them up. If you wanted good information about sea level rise wouldn't you go to an expert in the field? Maybe not because this is what you would hear. 'The sea level rise today is at most 0.7mm a year — though, probably, much smaller' - Nils-Axel Mörner was head of paleogeophysics and geodynamics at Stockholm University (1991-2005), president of the INQUA Commission on Sea Level Changes and Coastal Evolution (1999-2003), leader of the Maldives sea level project (2000-11), chairman of the INTAS project on geomagnetism and climate (1997-2003).

So Flannery is either a liar or lazy or just so blind sided by his faith that he can't accept scientific truth. I think he's blind sided and infatuated with what has become his religion. Have a look at this bizarre rant.

He's getting a small fortune from us and the man appears borderline mad.

Australian Buildings Can Be Just As Ugly As Overseas Buildings

2011-11-27T07:01:00.001+11:00

I've always been interested in buildings, I don't see the beauty others see in many modern buildings. I think Federation Square is dreadful.

Here is a list of 10 of the worlds worst buildings, I knew Australia could compete at an international level and Fed Square should be on this list just for its ugliness, let alone how it functions.

Rod Stewart, Faces, "Maggie May"

2011-11-26T19:34:00.001+11:00

I've been busy tonight so last post for the evening. Rod Stewart was never better than this.

Kiki Dee "Amoureuse"

2011-11-26T19:26:00.001+11:00

More songs that I liked.