Thursday - Monday, July 11 - 15 2013 (diary)

I like this peaceful sculpture, perhaps because it reflects my present status in more ways than one.
I do spend much time sleeping, with regular siestas most day, and yes, I feel perhaps more peaceful in (and with my) life than at any one time before that I can remember.
The enormous benefit of growing old while remaining (so far) in relatively good health. I do my regular morning walks, drink far less than I used to, eat reasonably healthy food and keep my fingers crossed.

Politics
It is far less peaceful in the Australian world of politics at present. Kevin Rudd, the treacherous Pied Piper is at it again. After having been thrown out as Prime Minister in 2010 because of his incompetence in the job, and having destabalised his party ruthlessly for the past 3 years, he is back as Prime Minister.
Is the Australian Public really so naive and superficial to let him win the next election ? Kevin is now running around the country, visiting shopping malls, public places and occasions, indiscriminately hugging every unsuspecting soul that comes within his arms reach. Fellow Queenslanders especially (not regarded to be the brightest in this country) love him for it.
Back in 2007 (at the Global Warming forum in Copenhagen) it took Western leaders only a week to figure out Rudd was a phony, and last month a score of former Labour cabinet ministers, refusing to serve under him as Prime Minister, have resigned and left.
The last thing this country needs is doing another France which voted in another socialist government recently and now has become an absolute economic basket case.
Australia needs a steady, reliable and experienced hand on the tiller to steer the country back to prosperity through the adjustment of its economic environment, freeing up businesses from anti competitive regulations and taxes, encouraging research and development, and keeping a responsible tight reign on the money purse.
Most reasonably intelligent common sense people in Australia realise this. But how many naive young people, ignorant dummies and pseudo-intellectual lefties are there in this country who do not understand this ?
We will find out in September.

Tuesday - Saturday, July 16 - 20 2013 (diary)

Manchester United (a team of 125 players and support staff !) visited Australia this week and gave a huge boost to the popularity of the sport of soccer in Australia.
Star players made appearances at a number of schools and various deserving organisations.
Their visit culminated Saturday night with a friendly match against a selection of Australian players (loosely labeled the "Australia All Stars) in the Sydney Olympic stadium, packed to the rafters with 83,127 spectators.
It was a delightful match which Man United won 5-1, with several of their super stars scoring great goals. Australia even managed a goal of their own.

The Liverpool football club too will be visiting us within the next few weeks.   This coming season matches of the A-League (Australian soccer competition) will be shown live on SBS free to air television, and I am looking very much forward to that.   Australia has also qualified for the World Cup in Brazil next year.
So Soccer in Australia is on the up and up, challenging in particular the AFL (Australian Football League) which is getting nothing but bad publicity about doping, violence, sex offences, drunkenness etc. The AFL is also very much an iconic Australian sport not replicated in the rest of the world.