The book of Eli

We purchased this DVD and watched it the other night. Fascinating movie, tho' lots of violence, but with a real "twist" in the ending.

It left us asking "Will there be a sequel to this movie, perhaps one involving Solara and her new beginnings?"

Storyline


"In a violent post-apocalyptic society, the drifter Eli has been wandering to west across North America for the last thirty years reading a unique book that he brings with him. He survives hunting small animals and seeking goods in destroyed houses and vehicles to trade in villages for water and supplies. When he reaches the village ruled by the powerful mobster Carnegie, the man offers a job to Eli to join his gang. Carnegie presses his blind lover Claudia to send her daughter Solara to convince Eli spending the night with him. The girl sees the book of Eli, and when Carnegie beats up on Claudia, she reveals that Eli has the sought book. Carnegie sends his gang to take the book from Eli, but the man is up for protecting the book with his life."

Bureaucracy as "risk managment"

For several years I have brought my caravan into town for its regular RTA registration check and certification for road fitness. Each year, by arrangement with the local Watch House Keeper I've parked it for a few nights in the police paddock adjacent to his residence. This year was no different, made the arrangements, even slashed the long and uncut undergrowth in the paddock, parked the caravan and gave it a good wash and scrub.

So, about 3.15 pm. just as the parents are picking up their children from the adjacent high school I get a knock on the door. Big ex-patriate Afrikaner acting police sergeant. He informs me that I'm not allowed to park on police property and must remove it immediately. Even chastised me for having slashed the grass as "... we have it under contract to be cut every 2 weeks ...".

Ummm! It hasn't been cut for 4 weeks.

Besides the point, public liability and risk exposure makes the caravan's presence and my slashing the grass makes the police liable for any damage or injury! Remove it.

So I went over and dutifully and lawfully drove it out of the paddock and parallel parked in a street reserved for 45 degree angle parking at a peak time for parents driving into town to collect their "rug rats" from the college.  Didn't I cop an earful from them for taking up four parking slots. All I could do was give them the acting sergeant's name and request that they take their complaints to him. Some listened to me and found it unbelievable that the police would order me out of the paddock and onto the street.

The caravan and truck parked in the street.

One of the school crossing poles is just visible

showing how close I had to park to the crossing.

So, this morning, after all the parents had again arrived to deposit their young, I drove it up town to the motor garage where the certifying mechanic is located. This afternoon it will be back, parked on the street, 'cos i want some modifications done at the local steel workers shop.

Oh, btw! legally, long vehicles that extend outside the length of the 45 degree parking spots are permitted to park parallel, as one officious gentleman who called the council ranger down to book me for illegal parking discovered!  One small win! LOL!

Kite Surfing Extreme

You would need to be young, fit and have a full load of testosterone on board!

Talking about the weather ....

Here I was, yesterday, lauding over how lovely the spring weather was down here.

Then .......... A bloody great, big, low pressure trougth moves in over us!

" ....Southern Tablelands District Forecast
Issued at 5:42 am EDT on Monday 15 November 2010
for the period until midnight EDT Thursday 18 November 2010.

Warning Summary at issue time
Flood Watch for the Murray River Downstream of Hume Dam and Castlereagh River.

Weather Situation
A high near New Zealand extends a ridge to southeastern Queensland and a low pressure trough lies across western and southern New South Wales. The trough will move to the northeast during Monday as another slow-moving high moves southwest of Australia extending a ridge across the southwest of the state.

Forecast for the rest of Monday
Cloudy. Scattered showers. Winds northeast to northwesterly averaging 10 to 20 km/h becoming light later in the evening. Temperatures in the low 20s during the day.
Goulburn: Few showers.Max22 Yass: Shower or two.Max23 Canberra: Few showers.Max22



Fire Danger Southern Ranges: Low to Moderate [0-11] Australian Capital Territory: Low to Moderate [0-11]. ..."

We've collected 25mm of rain from 8am yesterday to 8am today!

For John Gray

Cheer up mate!

Understanding finance - Aussie humour

Bryan Dawe and John Clarke discuss how the financial system works.

This is sublime Aussie humour!



And, On Asylum seekers and refugees:



And on the 'Voting punters':

Lest we forget!

In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

The Australian War Memorial will conduct the national Remembrance Day ceremony later this morning. This year's ceremony will include a tribute to Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

Governor-General Quentin Bryce will deliver the commemorative address at the War Memorial, the symbolic focus of Australia's Remembrance Day ceremonies. The formalities will include the traditional minute's silence at 11:00am, to remember the moment the guns of the Western Front fell silent in 1918.

Since 2004 the names of those who have died in war are added each Remembrance Day to the Roll of Honour at the Memorial. It contains the names of more than 102,000 Australian war dead.

This year the names of 10 soldiers killed in Afghanistan will be added to the roll.

Similar Remembrance Day ceremonies will be held around the country.