...

Yes, I have.

http://darkman.is-a-geek.net

bye..

Happy Birthday, to you,
Happy Birthday, to you.
Happy Birthday, dear Osaba Bin Laden,
Happy Birthday to youuuuuu.

I know he is the most reviled man in the God Fearing Western world, but he has turned a milestone today. Today, everyones favourate Jihadist, turns 50!

It isn't everyday you turn 50, so, just for today, I'm going to wish him all the best, good health and hope he has a great day.

..When I came upon this paragraph:

A decline in the numbers of Apis melllifera, the world’s most widely distributed semi-domesticated insect, doesn’t just mean a shortage of honey for toast and tea. In fact, the economic value of honey, wax and other bee products is trivial in comparison with the honeybee’s services as a pollinator. More than 90 crops in North America rely on honeybees to transport pollen from flower to flower, effecting fertilization and allowing production of fruit and seed. The amazing versatility of the species is worth an estimated $14 billion a year to the United States economy.

Approximately one-third of the typical American’s diet (primarily the healthiest part) is directly or indirectly the result of honey bee pollination. Production of almonds in California, a $2 billion enterprise, is almost entirely dependent on honey bees. Every year beekeepers transport millions of bees around the country to meet the ever-growing need for pollination services for almonds, apples, blueberries, peaches and other crops. This year it is possible that there won’t be enough bees to meet the demand for pollinators.

Apparently it is a true story and I found it here. It's a story from the New York Times on the sudden and un-explained, dissapearances, of 20 millio Honey Bees from North America. It is quite an interesting read.

The feeling that I couldn't shake was, you know when you watch a dissaster movie, and it always starts off with a series of perplexing and somewhat unconnected events, but they are a precursor to the main event, be it earth quake or tsunami, it feels like one of those bizaar stories you see in the movie opening scenes, that usually ends up in the slaying of the token black person.

We definately do live in interesting times.

I have had a few different Linux Distro's installed now and I have to say, there certainly is a difference in them. I have finally settled for Kubuntu. It is fast, stable and had the least amount of problems getting it running.

What's more, I'm enjoying my self. I feel like an adventurer of sorts. Windows feels too sterile and everything just works the way it is supposed to. That to me is boring - I'm more of a tinkerer.

I still think I have done the right thing...please, convince me I have..

I have finally moved to Linux as my primary OS. I feel so free! I don't feel the wrath of Bill Gates - because I happened to have had a pirated version of windows - bear down on me and constantly inform me that I have a dodgey version of Windows.

Vista, seems to me to be the biggest pile of poo, that I have ever had the misfortune of using and supporting. I have watched Vista and have seen Linux - with some nifty window managers, like Beryl and Looking Glass - and I have to say, Linux beats windows hands down in the performance stakes and isn't as buggy. Also, I haven't yet come across a program that I use in Windows, that hasn't had available, an open source alternative, .

Wish me luck!

The storm seems to have passed.

It was 39c today although I had no Idea. I sit from 11:30am to 8:00pm in a sterile 24c - it feels more like 18c and more than likely is when people start to leave and the aircon cranks out to the maximum. That means, as soon as I get out of work, the heat hits me like a sledgehammer.

I used to love the heat, but not as much anymore as I'm more used to the arctic airconditioning at work and the sudden heat hitting me is uncomfortable.

But not now, I'm sitting here after just having been outside and soaking up the warm breezes that are squalling around. I fairly impressive storm is moving south, from north east to north west. We aren't getting it in anyway, escept for the wind. Watching the cloud sail by with lightening flashing was just an added bonus.

The problem is now is that the winds are picking up. I havn't heard them this wild for quite some time and in this era of climate change and all, I'll keep you posted.

I'm off to have a scout around for things to tie down - chairs, tables, kids, dogs and other sruff.

  Bye, Bye Perth!  We're on our way to Mandurah.  Let the first great road trip of 2007 start!

. Kings Park

  I love watching Sunday Cricket - at 110KPH!

  Kwinana Freeway

  You should have seen the bemused look in the guys face when our Lancer zoomed past his Subaru WRX STi.

  Nice Ute!

  It was, well, I noticed it!

  Kids are great, I wonder what they were playing?

  Key kids, Let's look down here!  (Do we have to daaad?)

  Look kids, Secret American base!  (They didn't get it!)

  The Licksy Licksy Bancer has done, eleven thousand. one hundred and eleven kilometers.

  I love driving through the bush.  It will be all housing soon.  The urban sprawl is slowly catching up.

  Dad - I just have to have a go on this!

  Hmmm, what is up here?  Hey!  I can see the pub!

  Aparently, they were Sharkboy and Lava Girl, saving the world.  They had fun!

  They were all hanging out for a go.  Uncle Geff had to have a play, first!

 CHARGE!!!

  Catch, Choppa!

  And this was the nice man that we hired to break into my car after I sucessfuly left the keys in the boot.  Lucky I had a spare set in a bag - that was in the boot.

I love road trips.

Anyone remember me mentioning that we had a puppy? Well, here she was..



It's been around 3 or 4 months now, but sahe has grown and become an important member of the family. I just love getting home fomr work at 9pm and taking her for a walk. I need my exercise, after all.

*****Update! This is real, here is his picture


Read all about him on Wikipedia Here.

******

I just received this in an email this morning.

O THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO, HE IS THE MARICOPA COUNTY SHERIFF (ARIZONA) AND HE KEEPS GETTING ELECTED OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

These are some of the reasons why:

Sheriff Joe Arpaio created the "tent city jail" to save Arizona from spending tens of million of dollars on another expensive prison complex.

He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them.

He banned smoking and porno magazines in the jails, and took away their weightlifting equipment and cut off all but "G" movies. He says:

"they're in jail to pay a debt to society not to build muscles so they can assault innocent people when they leave."

He started chain gangs to use the inmates to do free work on county and city projects and save taxpayer's money.

Then he started chain gangs for women so he wouldn't get sued for discrimination.

He took away cable TV until he found out there was a federal court order that required cable TV for jails. So he hooked up the cable TV again but only allows the Disney channel and the weather channel.

When asked why the weather channel he replied: "so these morons will know how hot it's gonna be while they are working on my chain gangs."

He cut off coffee because it has zero nutritional value and is therefore a waste of taxpayer money. When the inmates complained, he told them, "This isn't the Ritz/Carlton. If you don't like it, don't come back."

He also bought the Newt Gingrich lecture series on US history that he pipes into the jails. When asked by a reporter if he had any lecture series by a Democrat, he replied that a democratic lecture series that >actually tells the truth for a change would be welcome and that it might even explain why 95% of the inmates were in his jails in the first place.

With temperatures being even hotter than usual in Phoenix (116 degrees just set a new record for June 2nd), the Associated Press reports:

About 2,000 inmates living in a barbed- wire-surrounded tent encampment at the Maricopa County Jail have been given permission to strip down to their government-issued pink boxer shorts.

On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing pink boxer shorts were chatting in the tents, where temperatures reached 128 degrees. "This is hell. It feels like we live in a furnace," said Ernesto Gonzales, an inmate for 2 years with 10 more to go. "It's inhumane."

Joe Arpaio, who makes his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic. "Criminals should be punished for their crimes not live in luxury until it's time for parole, only to go out and commit more crimes so they can come back in to live on taxpayers money and enjoy things many taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves."

Wednesday he told all the inmates who were complaining of the heat in the tents: "It's between 120 to 130 degrees in Iraq and our soldiers are living in tents too, and they have to walk all day in the sun, wearing full battle gear and get shot at, and they have not committed any crimes, so shut your damned mouths!"

Way to go, Sheriff! If all prisons were like yours there would be a lot less crime and we would not be in the current position of running out of prison spaces.

I have no idea how true this is, but I will be researching it later. If this is true, Joe Arpaio, has just become my hero. This should be done in Australia. Who is sick of prisoners living in holiday camps? I want to start a campaign to bring Joe to Australia to oversee our federal and state prisons.

Onya Joe!

Price fall not linked to threat: Caltex

11:47 AM January 19
Caltex says a nationwide fall in the price of petrol has nothing to do with a threat issued to oil companies earlier this week by the consumer watchdog.

The ACCC threatened to take action against fuel companies if they did not cut the price of petrol in line with falling crude oil prices.

Petrol prices have fallen on average this week by around 10 cents a litre and the Federal Government and motoring groups have attributed the drop to the warnings given by the ACCC.

But Richard Beattie from Caltex says the company is using the same formula it always does to calculate fuel prices.
"We always very carefully listen to what the ACCC has to say, we're always pleased to provide the ACCC with whatever information that they seek about prices - we'll continue to do that," he said.

"However ... the methodology that we use for pricing in the market has not changed this week."
Source: ABC

Original can be found here.
Now, call me a cynical old fool, but when the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission), a highly powerful government watchdog, makes a threat to the petrol companies that basically said, Why have you not lowered the bowsers prices? Because the oil price has plunged and the Aussie dollar is now higher than it was against the US dollar, then they had better lower their prices within a week or face the wrath of the ACCC.

Caltex have just came out and said, we didn't lower it because of the threats. Who here believes Caltex? I mean, they may be telling the truth....

***Update

Looks as though the Feds are onto this tosser now. I wonder what would happen if I decided to make all these outlandish claims about Islam?

Federal police investigate Sheikh's DVD

6:00 PM January 18

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) are making inquiries about a DVD in which a Sydney cleric refers to Jewish people as "pigs" and says children should be taught a love of martyrdom.

A spokeswoman for the AFP says police are aware of the video showing the head of the Global Islam Youth Centre, Sheikh Feiz Mohammed.

Acting federal Attorney-General Kevin Andrews says the comments are reprehensible and offensive.

"We are particularly concerned about literature that can find its way into the hands of young people and children in this country," he said.

"It is not something which is acceptable and it's something which obviously the authorities are looking at as part of their investigation."

New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma has also condemned the Sheikh's comments.

Mr Iemma says he has already spoken to the Federal Government about having the DVDs banned.

"This is just more disgusting commentary from a Sheikh who has no understanding of the values that we live by," he said.

"I've called on the Commonwealth Attorney-General to take whatever necessary steps are available to try and have this DVD withdrawn."

Source: ABC

Now we have another Sheikh preaching utter crap towards westerners in Australia. This is becoming a joke! What I don't get it, we, as Australians, do not go on TV and condemn Muslims. We are probably more tolerant to their religion than they are to us. Why can't we all just get along, is it too much to ask for?

Sheikh's martyr, pig comments condemned

2:05 PM January 18
The Muslim community has moved to distance itself from comments made by a Sydney cleric calling for children to be encouraged to die as Muslim martyrs.

The head of the Global Islam Youth Centre, Sheikh Feiz Mohammed, has also referred to Jewish people as "pigs", in a video of one of his lectures.

The DVDs were reportedly found being sold by children outside a mosque in Britain.
Islamic Friendship Association spokesman Kaysar Trad says the comments do not reflect the sentiments of the wider Muslim community.

"As a community, it is quite disconcerting for us that these comments are found from time to time and they're broadcast all over the news," he said.

"They certainly give the public an erroneous impression about Islam and Muslims."
Acting Attorney-General Kevin Andrews has condemned Sheikh Mohammed's comments.
"The importation of hatred in Australia is unacceptable," he said.
"It's offensive to the Australian people, it's reprehensible.
"It's particularly outrageous that certain groups in Australia, such as the Jewish community, have been highlighted in these comments, and we condemn the comments."

Source: ABC

I have just seen the McNaught Comet from my chair, right here. This is the first time I can really, really say, that I have seen a comet. I thought I saw it last night, but it must have been a star. This had the most spectacular tail. Here is a photo, taken from Red Hill in Perth. This wasn't taken by me.



Enjoy!

Wow, this took me by surprise. I would never have ever thought that anything like this would happen, ever. Let alone talking about it.

You see, it seems that back in 1956, France wasn't doing too good economiclly and the Prime Minister, Guy Mollet, had a bit of a pow-wow with his British counterpart, Sir Anthony Eden about Britain and France, MERGING!

I couldn't believe it either, but when I read this on www.theregister.co.uk and they cite newspaper reports from The Tomes and 50 year old documents that have been revealed due to the Freedom of Information Act, I'm still stunned.

I don't think the British people would have been too chuffed. Mind you, the French have a history of rolling over and getting their collective bellies rubbed by a stronger country.

Here is the original story:

France and UK discussed 'merger'Secret documents reveal 1950s talks

By Lester Haines → More by this author
Published Monday 15th January 2007 13:41 GMT

Be prepared to choke your beef and oyster pie of Olde England: previously-secret documents at the National Archive reveal how in 1956 the French Prime Minister travelled to London to propose a possible merger between the two countries.

On 10 September, Anglophile Guy Mollet made the suggestion to his Brit counterpart Sir Anthony Eden, the Telegraph reports. At the time "France was in economic difficulties and faced the escalating Suez crisis", the paper notes.

A Cabinet paper reveals: "When the French Prime Minister, Monsieur Mollet, was recently in London he raised with the Prime Minister the possibility of a union between the United Kingdom and France."

The British quickly kicked this idea into touch. Mollet then came back to the table with a back-up plan: that France should join the Commonwealth. Eden apparently liked this scheme, and a document dated 28 September 1956 records a conversation between him and his cabinet secretary, Sir Norman Brook:

"Sir Norman Brook asked to see me this morning and told me he had come up from the country consequent on a telephone conversation from the Prime Minister, who is in Wiltshire.

"The PM told him on the telephone that he thought in the light of his talks with the French: That we should give immediate consideration to France joining the Commonwealth; That Monsieur Mollet had not thought there need be difficulty over France accepting the headship of her Majesty; That the French would welcome a common citizenship arrangement on the Irish basis."

Sacre Bleu. Quite whether the French would have received the proposal with enthusiasm is open to debate. In any case, once Britain pulled out of Suez, "all talk of union faded away". A year later France "signed the Treaty of Rome with Germany and the other founding nations of the Common Market" and the happy bands of brothers we now call the EU was born. ®

The original can be found here.

I can not believe that there was a brawl between fans at the tennis. The Serbs and Croats were abusing each other and then decided to brawl. I know there is bad blood betwwen both fans, because this sort of thing has gone on for years - you see, great, great, great grandfather Mirosovic the Serb beat up great, great, great grandfather Smajlov the Croat and so it has gone on.

They even faught a war over it a few years back.

But do we need to same ethnic trouble in Australia?



Serbs and Croats getting friendly, Balkans sytle..

Off on a side note, I have just found out that David Becham has signed for US Soccer club LA Galaxy for AUD$300 million plus over a 5 year deal. Good luck to him and if the Yanks are willing to pay it, so be it. I heard though that his wife is trying to break into acting - because she can not sing!

This is what we get up to on a lazy Sunday afternoon in Perth, Australia, just when the thermometer hits 42.3c! The kids had the best time - ducking fiving and dodgeing the sprays.



I only hope my kids look back at all these times with good memories...

It is currently 42c in Ellenbrook...

Does anyone else see the parralels between this poster and WW2 NAZI/Soviet propaganda? This is a current poster from the London Underground - it looks to have been done by the same people responsible as this:



This translates to
Bizukov, O.
Six orders of Stalin to work for transportation., 1932
Size: 41.0" x 28.0"

Scarey huh?

Goodonya Amanda Vanstone. There is not much that I have to say about you most of the time, it's just that you really are a very unnatractive and boring person. But I feel you have hit ther nail on the head today when discussing Sheik Hilaly's comments that Muslims have more right to be in Australia than persons of convicted anglo-saxon heritage.

This Hilaly character has a great ability to say one thing and mean another - take his comments on woman who wear skimpy clothing and liking them to rotten meat that has been left out in the sun, or some other such nonesence. Only to then say that he has been mis-quoted. Here is what he said about women getting raped:

Sheik Hilaly said: "If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it . . . whose fault is it, the cats' or the uncovered meat?

"The uncovered meat is the problem."

The sheik then said: "If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred."

He said women were "weapons" used by "Satan" to control men.

"It is said in the state of zina (adultery), the responsibility falls 90 per cent of the time on the woman. Why? Because she possesses the weapon of enticement (igraa)."

How can anyone take someone like the Mufti seriously? Well, his little outburst on Egyptian TV last night claiming that Muslims have more right than me to be in Australia has kind of pissed me off.

I'm not the usualy racist/agist/sexist or any other 'ist' type person, as all I see is people - I suppsoe you could call me a peopleist - but this pillock is causing so much trouble over here for the Muslim community, most of which are decent, honest and hard working citizens of this fine country, as they are all being tarred by the same brush that Sheik Hilaly is currently doing a fantastic job of himself. He is causing dissent and stirring up emotions of our muslim youth, more than likely from the poorer part of the Bankstwon area and co-ercing them into believeing the racist crap that is pouring out of his mouth.

Still, Mrs Vanstones comments still strike me as common sence, but, I feel they are just not PC enough in todays world. But what she did say was simply coomon sence, basicly, Mr Hilaly, if Australia is that bad for you, then simply don't come back to our country. I have to say, I agree with you.

Here is the story in Question..

Sheik's comments spur calls to Immigration Dept
1:48 PM January 12

Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone says her office has received a large number of calls from people who are outraged by comments reportedly made by Sheik Taj el-Din Al Hilali.

The Sheik reportedly told Egyptian television people who paid to come to Australia have a greater right to be in the country than Anglo-Saxons who arrived in shackles.

He is also reported to have said the Australian law guarantees freedoms to the point of insanity.

Senator Vanstone says Sheik Al Hilali has used these same freedoms on countless occasions to attack Australia's heritage, society and values.

She has also reminded the Sheik that if he does not like Australia, he does not have to come back.

Source: ABC

original can be found here.

Now I have never ever seen this guy before, but I have a random user option on my LJ portal.  But I'm going to quote a random user called whoa_delley and what he said that caught my attention.

THE WORST PART ABOUT AUSTIN IS THAT ITS SURROUNDED BY TEXAS!

You may be from here, but you dont live here and when you call this place home it makes everyone here look bad.Id hate to imagine even sharing a city block with you.

Wow, you have to wonder just what happened in that persons life to warrant such an outburst!