The new Pope Francis is known for using public transport. Perhaps out of courtesy to the pontiff it’s time to update the signs? (Sources: pic, font)
Category: News and events
News and current affairs
I don’t read The Age in paper form everyday, but when I do, it’s either on the weekend where I can spread out as much as I like (so broadsheet is fine, though the smaller format of the supplements is fine too), or on weekdays on the train, where the broadsheet format is extremely awkward ... [More]
Over the past 24 hours, seeing the stories of the asteroid close-call and the meteor falling in Russia, it’s been a bit like those scenes in Doctor Who where they have a news bulletin about the latest alien invasion.
Happy Australia Day. While I cringe at the “bogan display” in the supermarket selling Australian flag caps, t-shirts, capes, stubby-holders and so on, I quite like the (in comparison understated) flags that have appeared on the trams during the week. My recollection growing up is of small flags in this position on the W-class trams, ... [More]
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NYE 2012
Having a night in. Just noticed my new year’s resolutions from two years ago — given I’m not really in the mood to write a new set, let’s review these old ones, shall we? Teach my kids chess — I did have one go at this, but didn’t push it. Should try again. Try to ... [More]
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Halloween approaches
Just after I moved to my current address, I noted that some of the local kids went Trick Or Treating for Halloween. It’s been the same in subsequent years, and I fully expect the same next week. I’ve decided that while I’m not into cultural imperialism and the adaption of American traditions to Australia, this ... [More]
I was passing Bentleigh RSL in early March when I noticed a new sculpture being installed out the front. (The bloke installing looks a tad grumpy…) Nearby on a truck were some more of the figures, ready for installation. The completed sculpture nicely captures representations of all the services. They went with songs to the ... [More]
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Funny mining spoof video
Very funny mining video spoof… …so cutting that when Mumbrella re-posted it, they got legal threats from coal company Xstrata. They demand that Mumbrella takes the video off Youtube, to which Mumbrella points out: Your note suggests you may misunderstand who has published the video to which you refer. Your demand that the video is ... [More]
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Who “owns” your surname?
Go to Google News (preferably in an anonymous browser window so it’s not skewed towards your usual searches — though it will detect your location/country). Search for your surname. Who comes up top? For me it’s Immigration Minister Chris Bowen. Related: Google’s top ten Daniels
Categories
Why today is a holiday
It’s Labour Day today in Victoria, marking the reduction in working hours during the 19th century to 8 hours, and the relaxation of working conditions, which in the 1840s were strict: Conditions of the time were governed by the Master and Servant Act. Employees in Australia in 1840 who left their employment without permission were ... [More]
A few years ago I noted that the Glen Eira News local council newsletter featured six photos of the mayor in twelve pages. The current mayor is Jamie Hyams, who I’ve met a couple of times, and I’m happy to say has an interest in improving public transport — I believe he was behind Glen ... [More]
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Australia Day thoughts
Happy Australia Day. Some thoughts: 1. Spotted this morning, some glorious Australia Day supermarket multiculturalism: 2. I was a Flag Monitor in grade 6. Along with my mate Mark, we put the flag up on the school flag pole. Apart from a minor hitch on the first day when it went up upside down for ... [More]
The words on the left are from I Am Australian, by Bruce Woodley: We are one, but we are many And from all the lands on earth we come We share a dream, and sing with one voice: I am, you are, we are Australian Wikipedia says the song was written in 1987. I’m pretty ... [More]
Happy new year. This was the view last night from Footscray, looking along the Maribyrnong towards the City. By the time they’d finished, there was something of a smoke haze. (From where we were, we couldn’t see the spire fire.) I was curious how many people turn out to watch fireworks for New Year’s Eve ... [More]
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Bye bye Movember
I’ve got through Movember. I shaved the mo’ off. Ultimately, it was always going to go after the month was up. By week three I thought I’d got used to it, but in the final week, the itching seemed to get worse. Maybe I was conscious that it was about to come off. It’s certainly ... [More]
Four days to go, and here’s this morning’s picture (in the rain). The whole moustache business reminds me of this Monty Python sketch… skip to 30 seconds in for the relevant line. At this point I’m looking forward to the end of Movember. From a maintenance point of view, it’s easier to just be clean-shaven, ... [More]