theotherhat

My Chemical Romance at the Sydney Entertainment Centre 30h November

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 08:40:54 GMT

It's been a while since I've posted, I have been terribly busy. Due to certain circumstances I went to see My Chemical Romance at the Entertainment Centre on Friday Night. I'm not a big fan. They were good, but not great. In my humble opinion, the mix was not very good. However, the fans had a great time and the fire and lighting effects were fun..A couple of pictures below.

Thanks to Fiona for taking the pix

a picture's worth a thousand words

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 12:05:08 GMT

More on adventures in the restricted zone, lunch with the spooks, looking at the snipers, watching the chasers get arrested and yelling at the delegates tomorrow...

Thanks to Charlotte for taking the pics..

Thanks for the fencery George

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 03:00:10 GMT

How do you like the view Mr President?

Sydney's own Guantanamo.

Picture from todays Sydney Morning Herald, www.smh.com.au

Fences

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 09:50:17 GMT

The key to a thriving democracy is good fencing.

Sydney- beautiful one day,fenced the next!

Bridge Street

Circular Quay- this is where White Australia was founded...Pretty isn't it?

apec in sydney

APEC Sydney's Fence

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 23:01:58 GMT

I went down to the Opera House bar for a drink with friends last night, and on the way I ran into a fence. Pictures Below.

There were a couple of bored police around, but we had no trouble taking these photos. (Thanks to Charlotte for taking the first two.)

apec in sydney

Newspaper reports and APEC gossip

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 01:14:07 GMT

Police have been visiting workplaces in Macquarie Street Sydney hoping to use their balconys for surveillance purposes. On Friday, police visited several businesses in Sydney's Macquarie Street asking if they could use their windows and balconys to take pictures of protesters. At one workplace the workers refused to allow it.

Alan Ramsay in todays ( Saturday) Sydney Morning Herald.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/two-dead-men-walking-come-to-town/2007/08/31/1188067365982.html

Things that make me smile !

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 12:32:18 GMT

You gotta love him!

Captain Jack Sparrow is exactly the sort of person that John Howard doesn't want in this country. He doesn't have a steady job, he has that mincing walk, he speaks with a funny accent, he flouts authority, he has a beard- hence a terrorist, he doesn't have a mortgage or kids, he didn't go to a private school, he doesn't live on the North Shore of Sydney, and he has a sense of humour...I don't think he'd pass the new citizenship test either..Oh and he has funny hair!
John Howard would happily take the Black Pearl from Captain Jack!

We need more people like Captain Jack in our country...Wake up Australia, vote for more Jack Sparrows!

! S A V V Y!?!

More on APEC and politics generally

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 08:47:55 GMT

It amazes me but since John Howard became Prime Minister of this country, it seems that everybody is obsessed with economics and money at the expense of social justice.

A couple of days ago, for the first time in forever, I heard two people defending John Howard. The basis for their defence was economic management. There was no mention of children being put in detention centres, lies about children overboard, the theft of Aboriginal land, breaching the anti discrimination act, the corruption of the Westminster system, lying to people, parliament and the media, secret meetings with extremist religious sects, the censorship of books, the denial of legal rights to prisoners, bankrupting the universities, stifling of media dissent, demonistation of refugees and people from other cultures, defence of racist attitudes in the army, invasion of a sovereign nation, destruction of the rights of workers…none of this rated a mention, Good Ol’ Johnny was great because they were rich and white and nobody else mattered.

Remember the old saying that if somebody takes your picture you lose your soul? Well John Howard has taken a large picture of the Australian people and we have lost our souls, our hearts and our ever loving minds…

Perhaps the saddest part is, that the alternative Prime Minister and his party aren’t any better!

HAT Update

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 07:23:25 GMT

For those interested:

I have completely revamped the site and changed the layout, background, and everything else. It looks OK but not perfect. I think its getting close to how I want it.
I added about 300 entries to the database, an article about pantomime, and some pictures.

The good news is that for the rest of the year updates should be more frequent.

Enjoy

APEC

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 07:20:17 GMT

"
Want this badge?

Don't Fence me in

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 09:48:19 GMT

In the grand tradition of the Berlin Wall and the Irish peace walls, Sydney will have its very own wall from September. Yes, Sydney now joins the great cities of the world, including Jerusalem and Belfast as a walled city.

And why are we getting this accessory, the one that all the modern cities have in this age of the war on terror? It is in honour of George W Bush’s visit to our fair town for APEC.
The purpose of the wall is to divide the Sydney populace from the delegates to APEC. The organizers are naturally afraid of demonstrators, completely ignoring the fact that the right to protest is one of the central tenets of a democratic society.

The wall will encircle the Sydney Opera House, a monument that was bought and paid for by the tax payers of this city, part of the botanical gardens, a public facility, and a part of the harbour foreshore. Citizens who work in these areas and those visiting these or surrounding areas will be subject to spot ID checks and body searches…just like they are in any peaceful democracy..I mean that doesn’t sound like fascism at all..does it?

Now if I sound resentful of this idiocy, I am…I hope APEC is a peaceful meeting, I hope the delegates have a good time and perhaps they will do something about this war on terror business..and maybe bring the war in Iraq to an end…( I’m not very hopeful) all these would be good things.

I hope that the ghost of Bennelong, the Aborigine who lived where the Opera House is located, will push John Howard and George Bush into Sydney Harbour.

Anyway, I hope to visit the city on the Thursday before APEC starts. I will try and get a photo of the wall to memorialize the day that Sydney became a victim of the War on Terror. Because folks, that is what is happening, our democratic rights are being trampled on and the terrorists have already won!

Visit all the details of Sydney’s very own wall at http://www.apec2007.org/.
News article about Sydney’s wall

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/fivekilometre-fence-to-lock-up-cbd/2007/08/16/1186857639127.html

Great walls of the world

Jerusalem’s separation wall http://www.americantaskforce.org/the_wall.htm
Belfast’s peace wall http://www.citynoise.org/article/48
The Berlin wall http://www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall/

P.S. Deathly Hallows

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 12:55:40 GMT

I succumbed to the temptation to read Deathly Hallows on line three days before it was released. I felt very naughty and special...LOL.. anyway, I might try to do a review of the book soon.

Short update

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 12:52:18 GMT

Before I go to bed tonight, I just want to update a few things.

* work on HAT has been slow as I have had many computer problems this year. These are now resolved and HAT will be updated shortly.

* I have quit my job, and am now working for the Department of Education teaching literacy.I don't get paid until the end of the contract in three months, so I will be income poor for that period of time...but hey...I quit my job!

* I am working on a new book..A biography of actress Carrie Moore...

* On Friday night, I was on ABC( Australia)National Television.. Talking about Houdini. I looked so terrible and haggard that I couldn't really watch it. They used an extreme closeup the creeps! The segment seemed much longer than I expected and my voice was even used as a voice over...wow! But overall I was very shocked at my appearance and really couldn't grasp anything else about the segment.

* It's been an exciting few weeks and I will try to update my journal more regularly once my working hours have been sorted.

* thanks for reading

Deathly Hallows 3

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 12:16:38 GMT

A message for all Potter fans who do not want to be spoiled. Be very careful, the first 500 odd pages of the book have been uploaded onto the internet. Most people believe this is the real thing.

It's been an interesting few days looking for spoilers and I am very happy that the book is freely available on line.

Leaking the book won't effect sales, and many people who can't afford to buy the book will be able to read it. Those who want to wait till the 21st can still wait...

Personally, I will not download the book, I will wait till Saturday.

Happy Harry Potter Week !

Deathly Hallows spoilers

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 04:39:37 GMT

Arrggghh..I just cannot wait until this frigging book is released. I have once again spent a great deal of time looking for spoilers.

The so called epilogue that has been posted is just...yuk..badly written, trite and far too neat. It's like everything is wrapped in a little Mills and Boon bow. I really hope it is not legit.

Anyway, back to more searching.

BTW..In a non HP related note. The Swans won on Sunday and Nick Davis kicked three goals and there is a lovely photo of him in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Deathly Hallow Spoilers

Sat, 14 Jul 2007 08:05:24 GMT

I'm one of those people who have to look at the last pages of a book before reading it. As far as Harry Potter goes, I can't wait until I have the book. So I have been looking for spoilers and Eureka! I found some.

The following links have spoilers which I have found elsewhere and seem to be the most reliable.

This link lists who dies and chapter headings...You've been warned!

http://www.anksconsulting.com/news/20070713/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-spoilers/ (Note: this link has been deleted)

This link is supposed to be scans of the chapter headings.

http://zolabeverly.livejournal.com/162424.html

Of course I can't say for sure that these are real...I'm just passing on information...

Enjoy

EDITED: Scans of the epilogue are now available. They can be found through searching technorati for "Deathly Hallows Epilogue". Don't worry you'll find them. I have to say I think the epilogue is rather disappointing if it is real.

Edited 2: Both these links are unavailable . mmmmm I wonder what that means? If you need chapter headings, try technorati again. Everything is there...

The winds

Sat, 09 Jun 2007 09:24:37 GMT

It never rains but it pours..

For the last few years Sydney has been in drought. This week, the rains came, and came and came...and with them the wind...

There are broken umbrellas everywhere. They litter the roads like leaves, their sad spokes sticking out at odd angles. There are colourful ones, black ones, inside out ones, all sadly strewn, thrown away like garbage...the wind destroyed them

It has been very windy. Yesterday, I was almost blown off my feet on the way to work. The wind was howling through the alleyways and streets of the city. The streets were full of frantic people, their clothes whipped in all directions, their hair flying, bent double against the wind. Today the streets were deserted, people peered from their balconies cautiously testing the weather. Lights blazed in the afternoon and the cars were absent from the roads

The ferries of Sydney Harbour were cancelled because the swell is so great. And there is a ship, a tanker stuck on the beach at Newcastle, just north of Sydney.

It was a strange week. The sports news was dominated by the Sydney Swans losing their match last weekend. The Sydney crowd booed the umpires very loudly as they left the ground and the match caused a great deal of controversy. The Sydney media cried 'ripped off', several fans cried 'raped' and almost every AFL fan in Sydney was very annoyed....until today, when the umpires were our friends and we won!

Then the rains came and the Swans news was blown away....

Below-The ship stuck on a Newcastle beach,courtesy of the ABC

Houdini, Publicity

Fri, 25 May 2007 12:19:14 GMT

This belongs in the category of shameless self promotion...I did a TV interview with ABC (Australia) today.

I had a lot of fun and the people who interviewed me were very gracious and patient. They managed to quiet my terror and ensure that I had a good time doing the interview.

It was about Houdini and will be aired on the 'How can we Help?" programme on a Friday in the next few weeks...unless it was a complete farce, in which case it will not be aired at all!

Anyway, the good news is that I had two hours off work filming it, I had a good time doing it, and it broke the boredom of the day for my fellow workers too..we filmed at work.. So overall, whatever happens, it was worth it.

Reconciliation week

Fri, 25 May 2007 12:09:20 GMT

Tomorrow is Sorry Day, a day when white Australians apologise to indigenous people for the horrible treatment they have received over the last 219 years. For the record, I am sorry, I am sorry about the misery, the stolen generations, the theft of land, the terrible state of indigenous health...it makes me ashamed to be an Australian.

This week is also indigenous week for the AFL, when the AFL celebrates the contribution of indigenous players to the game. Michael Long, an indigenous player is perhaps the best player I have ever seen. I saw the 1993 grand final and he was fabulous. He made me an Essendon fan,and they remain my second team.

The AFL has many great indigenous players, and two of them play for the Swans.Adam Goodes is one of the most highly regarded people in Sydney. He does a lot of work for the community and is very well respected by AFL fans and by the population of Sydney. He makes me proud to be a Swans fan. Michael O Loughlin is another man who does a lot of work in the community. Michael does not make a big deal out of his community work, but he is also highly regarded in the city. They have the reputation of being great guys and have proven over and over again to be great footballers.

To explain why I support reconciliation and the need to say sorry I quote the following statistics from todays Sydney Morning Herald. They are a disgraceful indictment of the Government and politicians of both sides. It is time for somebody to take a stand on this matter and fix it!

"Life expectancy 17 years less than the rest of Australia. Health status 20 per cent less likely to report excellent health, 50 per cent more likely to report poor health.

Diabetes 3.4 times higher.

Funding Spending should be $460m higher, AMA says.

Cost 65 per cent of hospital cases involve preventable chronic conditions"

Computer crashes, Nick Davis, Sydney Swans..

Fri, 18 May 2007 05:35:38 GMT

My home computer has crashed and it seems that I need a new one. Fortunately the website, database and associated information is backed up. But I wont be able to update for at least a week.

It's a pity because I had a lot to say, a lot of pictures to post and a lot of whinging to do..alas you will spared all that...

The Swans lost again!

Nick Davis pointed again!

Check out www.redandwhiteonline.com for the latest information on the Swans.

HAT Update, Sydney Swans, Nick Davis, Melbourne

Sun, 06 May 2007 01:48:09 GMT

HAT is back! So I am happier.

The Sydney Swans lost miserably last night. Nick did a lot of pointing but very little playing!

Melbourne isn't really as bad as I said last night...I was just cranky.

HAT update, Sydney Swans, making fun of Melbourne

Sat, 05 May 2007 10:40:02 GMT

Well, the problems with HAT are server related and have nothing to do with me! For once!

As I wait and watch the Sydney Swans play a shocking game of football, Nick's 150th game no less, I will take the time to upload some Melbourne pix and make fun of Melbourne. Making fun of Melbourne is a traditional Sydney sport. As a Sydneysider, I usually don't care much about Melbourne, but as the Swans are currently in Melbourne and losing to a Melbourne team, it seems appropriate to indulge in the tradition.

This is Flinders Street, notice the pretty tram. They have trams in Melbourne, and they are extremely slow. Just like the Melburnians themselves. In fact I spent a week dodging and weaving Melburnians who could not walk at Sydney pace!.. It is pretty though!

These are examples of some of Melbourne's pretty architecture. They don't have many sky scrapers in Melbourne so they rely on these old fashioned rickety things to house their few city office workers.

This is a long distance picture of the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The place where the Sydney Swans won the grand final in 2005. Also the place where the Swans should have won the grand final last year, except for the cheating umpires and drug assisted opposition. Note the river Yarra in the foreground. They have this dirty, brown waterway,which also smells, whilst Sydney has a wonderful, world renowned Harbour.

That's all I have to say about Melbourne at present.

HAT Update

Fri, 04 May 2007 06:23:00 GMT

mmmm-looks like HAT has been unavailable all day. It is probably due to some problem with the server, and hopefully not due to my inadequacy.

I can't do much about it at present, but will attempt to sort it out tonight

Penguins-Miracle of the night.

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 09:39:32 GMT

The Victorian countryside is thirsty. The once green fields are parched. The animals are skeletal. They crowd lethargically around bales of hay standing in the brown grass. ‘Deep Creek’ is empty, the marshes are dry. 'For Sale' signs stand outside the farmhouses. Everywhere hangs the words, ‘water restrictions’, and the land breathes heavily as the thirst lingers and lingers, waiting to be broken.

From the bus, the flat, parched country flashes past. Smoke wafts menacingly from the rolling hills of the Dandenongs, but nothing stirs. And the flat, flat land goes on forever, brown and silent.

It is three hours until the smell of salt water starts to stain the air. Through the windows of the bus a faint scent of salt , carried on a damp waft of breeze, portends the arrival of the sea. Five minutes later and it looms ahead, a large blue shimmer. The shores are crowded with holiday homes and their windows gaze steadily onto the everlasting blue.

Over the bridge and onto Phillip Island, the bus speeds, as the sun pales behind it. A shining yellow glow reflects in the water’s mirror and the silent beauty of the scene causes a hush of awe in the hearts of the passengers.

Suddenly it stops. We have arrived. The uncleared scrub of the sanctuary surrounds us, but does not encroach. For this is a tourist destination, and the car park, the kiosk and the great god money, are here to entice us, lure us, comfort us, and remind us of the city we have left behind.

But the scrub is there, the bent squat trees, an olive drab backdrop, peering at the building made of man’s hands.

Inside the building it is warm. Dinner is served, chips, burgers, coffee, beer, lollies. A souvenir shop sells small penguin themed items. Soft toys, key rings, pens, shirts, anything that can be labelled penguin has been labelled so. Tourists take photos with penguin cut outs. The only sign of restriction is the one stating, “No photographs, cameras, or mobile phones permitted.” Asked why, the ranger replies, "The flashes make the Penguins vomit.”

As the sun sets, a shimmer of expectation runs through the crowded area. At a silent signal, the crowd begins to make its way towards the sea.

The smell of damp salt again assails the nostrils and on the long walk down, the building begins to be obscured by the scrub.

Stunted bushes and bent trees stand to each side of the walkway. As we approach the ocean, a black mass of water begins to dominate the horizon, Bass Strait.

Standing on the edge of the continent, I peer towards the sea with the crowd. A hum of expectation meets the washing of the waves in a symphony of natural and unnatural music. The ranger warns us to be quiet and still, and then a stark white flash emerges in the dark. It is joined by another, and another. A large group of white appears at the edge of the sea. And slowly, laboriously, it sways its way towards the spectators perched on the cement steps. The crowd points, whispers, hushes the children. The white flashes come closer, waddling towards the light around us. They coalesce into a group of black and white penguins, and as they reach the light they stop, preen their feathers and look curiously at the people staring at them in wonder, delight and pure joy.

These wild creatures decide to ignore the civilised humans and after some hesitation, make their respective ways to their burrows. Moving at a speed greater than their girth suggests, they walk, they pause and they preen. They nudge and kiss each other, they squeal and squawk and a cacophony of high pitched squeaking fills the air, drowning out the whispered conversations of the people around them.

The people look on in wonder. Some bend down and look the penguins in the eye, seeking meaning. Others look down, and still others walk alongside the creatures, escorting them along the beach. It is a simple, joyous occasion. An experience that is shared, yet individual. There are smiles and grins and a feeling of contentment sweeps the people. The penguins are totally oblivious to their effect, and are intent on reaching their lairs. Their nonchalance contrasts oddly with the intense interest and emotional investment of the people around them.

Suddenly it is time to go. The penguins are still marching home, but the people must leave. There is no discussion of the penguins on the bus. The trip home through the dry, dusty fields is silent. But there is a glow, a warmth of shared experience amongst us. The penguins have shown that there are some wonders in life that don’t involve technology. The penguins are the miracle in the night.

Nick Davis

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 09:19:23 GMT

Nick Davis shows off his pointing technique at Sydney Swans football training on Thursday. Nick returns to the side tonight, to point them in the right direction, after a shocking loss to Adelaide last weekend.