Before a group of men took control of 4 US domestic bound planes, in September of 2001 we still had Muslims immigrating to western countries like the USA, Canada, Britain and Australia. The number of such immigrants was still on the rise and I assume, the same things that offend them now, offended them then. The difference? No one cared! The idea of banning the burqa wasn't a taboo subject to us, their religion was hardly even considered in our dealings with them, let alone having governments and business through-out western countries notice that anything they did could possible offended them. And finally they were (and may I remind you still are) a MINORITY immigrant group & WERE thus, treated as such.

Flash forward to today however & despite the minority status of Muslims, how things in OUR countries and OUR cultures might offend them seem to be constantly on the minds of government and business; if not the general populous as well. Fast food outlets have changed their cooking methods so as not to upset the Muslim minority, UK toy stores have begun removing toy pigs from farmyard play sets, the burqa suddenly has to be protected by law with any mention otherwise is socially wrong, in Australia; the land of the bikini; it's now against the law to swim at some victorian public pools without being totally covered so the Muslim minority won't be offended by the sight of feminine skin and we continue to change OUR culture to better fit THEIR culture. I'm sure you can think of a few examples yourself. So what in the last decade changed?

In the USA during 2001 4 civilian, domestic, commercial aircraft were hijacked by force and flown into important economic and military buildings. In the UK during 2005 4 suicide bombers targeted British metro and buses during the busy morning peak hour. And in Australia during 2009 an attempt was made by 5 men to take over Holsworthy Military base. After each of these events & with each subsequent THREAT of more attacks the level at which we attempt not to offend this minority group of immigrants increases. Ha, and they say terrorism doesn't pay off; or that our governments won't give in to terrorist demands, yet here we are.

Suicide bombings in the middle east have been going on for decades, yet they only started being reported in the news since our troops have been there. These bombings never used to bother us, and I suggest, if our troops weren't there I doubt they would bother us now. So the question is, how is a war in these countries a war on terrorism? The terrorists we want to stop aren't over there, they're in OUR countries, quietly going about their lives, paying taxes & blending in. The real terrorists aren't in some far off land, they're in OUR own backyard waiting for the right time to strike; and we all know it.

And yet what really are we doing to fight that war? This isn't a war on terror, the terrorists have already won as we sit in our homes to fearful that our cultures and ways might offend Muslim IMMIGRANTS to OUR countries.

That of course is not to say violence against Muslims should be undertaken, because it shouldn't & achieves nothing; so please don't do it. It's also not to say that all Muslims are terrorists or plotting against us. What I am saying though is that OUR culture should no be changed, warped & distorted in order to not offend a minority group of IMMIGRANTS. If someone for sale offends a Muslim, they should do what the rest of us do in such a situation and simply not buy it. And if they don't like our way of life could they please remember, no one asked them to move to our countries, THEY asked us if they could move here; there is nothing keeping them here so they can always just go back to where they came from if they think we're so offensive.

When we take up our pre-9/11 attitudes towards minority immigrant groups once more then we win against terrorism. Sure we might be subject to further attacks, but at least we'd still have our national dignity and integrity which is much more then we can say for ourselves now.

Australia; The greatest country on the planet. Not great simply because I was born here and am a patriot, Not great because of it's alliance with powerful nations like the U.S.A and Britain. Not even great because of it's political accomplishments. And whilst it is an absolutely stunningly beautiful country, that fact only adds to it's greatness, not encompasses its greatness. The true key reason Australia is the greatest country on the planet is the people. The humour, character, ingenuity and strong will of the Australian people defines this amazing nation. Our helpful, friendly and laid back nature lay at the very soul of our awesome land.

But for all the greatness we possess, it could be; and arguably should be; even better. For all the friendliness there lacks a significant unity which detracts from our quality of life. I would like to see that change. I would love to see an Australia where regardless of your gender, skin colour or religious beliefs you are paid the same wage as everyone else in your employing organisation performing the same job. I would like to see an Australia where minority groups stop drawing attention to the fact they're different and a minority; Where every citizen was meaningfully united under the same banner as Australians.

Where the soul of our country truly comes alive and is embodied in all of its citizens to meaningfully work together to better their communities and the nation as a whole. I do not see any valid reason why every Australian, regardless of whether they live in a city, a small town or in the regional outback should not both expect and receive the same quality and abundance of services. I see no valid reason why 2 people regardless of gender should not be able to come together in love.

As we move into an era where our climate is change dramatically, where the threat of nuclear, chemical and biological arms is ever growing & where terrorism from all sides is a persistent problem, our petty differences of gender, race, sexuality and nationality begin to seem insignificant and trivial. Ultimately any country can only be as great as it's people, it can only be what it's people make it. So here and now we, as Australians must decide how great we want our country to be and where we want to take it in the future for our children and grandchildren. Together, there is no problem the world is facing that we can not over-come.

Toward the end of 2009 and at the very beginning of 2010 I blogged about a growing trend of internet based advertising companies to invade out privacy in increasingly disturbing ways. I spoke about how Microsoft has teamed up with Facebook and Twitter to deliver automatic up-dates to the social web about what games, music and movies you were playing/watching, all of which information, used for profit by advertising companies like Facebook. It was at that time I predicted the next step in the line would be television, reporting back on the shows we watch, when and for how long, which would give invaluable information about our personalities, the make up and running of our households, our schedules, how much free time we have and so forth.

Guess what, I was right. Introducing the worlds first Android based television (Google TV) by Swedish firm "People of Lava". The television dubbed the "Scandinavia" is available in 42" 47" and 50" models, with both Ethernet and USB ports for connecting the TV to the internet and ships with a wireless keyboard and mouse. It plays TV like a normal TV, but it also has support for the millions of paid & free Android apps available, including an exclusive set of paid & free apps available only via the "People of Lava" web store. It ships standard with apps for YouTube, Google Maps, Email, the google browser (Chrome) and FACEBOOK AND TWITTER!

Now you can automatically stream directly into your Facebook or Twitter feed what you're doing on your TV, be it internet based, or TV watching. I told you it would happen, and it has. Just another action in your daily life that the big names in ads can take a peak at, giving a better more well rounded view of who you individually are. Some of you might remember I made several other predictions about the steps after Television in this invasion of privacy, perhaps now would be a good time to look back at those posts, don't you think?

Links;

People of Lava website
Scandinavia Google TV

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has issued an alert for Australians to be on the look out for the following scams during the easter period.

(1) As there is often a lot of charitable work done during the easter period, scammers dress up and pretend to be accepting donations on behalf of charity groups or schools. The scammer(s) my work singularly or in groups and may approach you in the street, at your door or by telephone. Please be aware of this scam before you give to charity.

If you wish to give to charity it may be a good idea to call the charity directly and pledge your donation that way.

(2) Holiday & Accommodation scams happen most often during periods like easter. If you receive an unsolicited phone call or email offering you a discount holiday or accommodation this could be a scam. Do not give payment upfront to such persons and demand a contact phone number and address for the agent offering the holiday special. Hang up, search online to make sure they really are legit and if so call them back to confirm the holiday offer.

(3) If you get emails wish subject lines like "Your friend has sent you an easter card" this is probably a virus/trojan. If you open the email your computer will become infected. It's best to ask your friends to tell you before hand if they're going to send you an electronic greeting card over easter. If you get a card which no one has told you about, DO NOT OPEN IT, simply delete it. And of course as always make sure you computer has up-to-date anti-virus definitions and firewall protection.

At TJandSarah.com we want to give you the services you want and use. We have planned changes happening through-out 2010, but would like to get some user feedback on what you want. Please comment this post and tell us what sorts of services you would like to see appearing on TJandSarah.com in the near future. There will be a prize for one lucky (randomly chosen) commenter so please get your suggestions in ASAP because drawing will occur on the 2nd of April.

For the purposes of contacting you should you win, please be sure to include your real email address. If you do not provide your real email address and you win we will not be able to contact you and thus will not be able to supply you with your prize. TJandSarah.com does NOT pass your email address on to any third parties.

It was "revealed" in todays Sunday mail (and I assume at least all other APP publications) that murdered multimillionaire businessman Herman Rockefeller met his killers through an internet sex site. The article continued he had "at least five (5) secret pre-paid mobile phones" and had "at least one mystery girlfriend".

The article also noted that Mr Rockefeller is a married man with 2 children before it continued to drag his name through the proverbial mud. I find it utterly appalling, that a journalist would stoop so low as to write such an article. A man has been killed, and I honestly don't see how his past transgressions are any of our business. Indeed, by making such public statements about the man when he has only recently been murdered must be causing untolled heart-ache and distress to his family.

And the worst part of the whole thing morally is that Herman Rockefeller isn't here to defend himself. At any rate I fail to see how the interworkings of anyones personal life, including their transgressions, where they don't directly effect public life, should become public knowledge. I'm sick of hearing about this or that persons sexual transgressions, it's none of my business nor is it any of yours. It only adds mountain to an already painful situation. It also cheapens the publication, reducing it to little more than a trashy tabloid magazine. I feel journalists should be legislated in such a way as to prevent them reporting on such things.

If it doesn't effect more people than a persons private family, then it honestly shouldn't be reported on.

Once again the media has attempted to state a debate about changing the Australian flag. There was once a time, when I was a teenager that I supported the idea of changing the flag. The argument that we aren't apart of England any more, so we shouldn't have the union jack on our flag, somehow used to make sense to my teenage brain. Thankfully however, age has set me straight, I no longer feel it's a good idea at all. Indeed now days I can't think of a worse idea and there is a great deal of logic to me thinking this way.

Most often the argument for keeping the flag realise entirely on our history, but while that argument is a very good one; I mean most of our grandfathers fought for the rights and freedoms that flag represented; it isn't the only argument for it not to change. I think the best reason for us not to remove the union jack is simply that contrary to what proponents of changing the flag might say, we are actually still technically part of England and the commonwealth. Now if we want to have a serious conversation about becoming a republic that is something completely different, and does not require us to change the flag at any rate. But certainly while we are still officially and technically a part of England and the Commonwealth then the union jack should remain in place without question.

Another quite major point is that Australia is only recently starting to make a name for itself and gain some respect on the international stage. Where previously we were thought of as some tiny backward country in the middle of the pacific, suddenly world powers are starting to sit up and take notice of us. We suddenly have the weight to have our say actually count for something and be included in some pretty important global discussions which we previously would have been excluded from. By changing our flag we seriously risk losing the respect of the international community.

Flags are the symbol of a nation, by changing it you risk sending a message of instability and/or the loss of national identity. If the international community were to think of us in such a way, we would lose serious political respectability and clout. It is extremely important for our nation and our region that Australia continue to have a voice on the international stage. If we lost it, then it would spell doom for our nation in a number of ways.

We would no longer have a say in the direction our country moves, instead going back to the days were we simply followed. Australia is a country of innovation and leaders, I don't think any one wants to go back to being sheep. But more than that our economy would crumble. If was became somewhat of a joke to the international community then we risk losing private, corporate investment in this country. Both from foreign companies already here and from those whom might otherwise have come in the future. Say what you will about foreign investors; but when it comes to the crunch they provide hundreds of thousands, if not millions of AUSTRALIAN jobs. Chances are that if you work for a large company then foreign investment has played a part somewhere in there. Changing the flag could threaten your job!

Another point of order is simply that there are no viable replacement designs. I find the suggestion we place the aboriginal "flag" where the union jack currently is offensive. Aboriginals had no concept of flags prior to European settlement, after which time they became incorporated under the Australian flag. The idea that aboriginals have their own flag is ludicrous and goes well to show their unwillingness to become a true part of this nation. There is no alternative to the current flag design that is viable! Without a viable alternative why is anyone even bringing up this debate in the first place? Seriously...

But mostly, the flag as we know it inspires pride by all Australians. It's a flag that celebrates our history; good and bad. It's a flag that our fathers and grandfathers have fought for; and some of them died for. It's a flag that helps define our national identity both locally and in the international community. You only need look around tomorrow (Australia day) to see the absolute pride that it helps to develop. Our flag is perfect the way it is and should NOT change. What should change however is this debate periodically being brought about by the media. I understand that they want news that will make you watch their show or read their paper, but honestly if this is the best they can come up with then it's no wonder their entire industry is in danger to bloggers, podcasters, vodcasters and amateur news distribution.

On the 15th of December it was announced that a Mandatory Internet Filtering system would indeed be installed in ISPs around Australia and should be switched on within 12 months time. Supporters of the filtering cite that it will stop child pornography so it's a good thing. How wrong can you be?

"Fact, online child pornography is most often distributed by private email attachments to avoid detection. The internet filter will ONLY block out websites"

Child pornography which is distributed online, is most often by private email between pedophiles as apposed to putting it on a website which would open the creator of the website, and it's members up to all sorts of criminal prosecutions. Simply put, if the main distribution network for child pornography was websites, then there would be a lot more pedophiles in jail. If your sole reason for supporting the filter is stopping child porn, then you need to rethink your position.

So what are the facts about the list? Well, the filter has it's roots all the way back in 1999 when the then liberal government introduced laws which gave the Australian Communications and Media Authority; authority over internet content displayed in Australia. Under that law Content hosted in Australia and classified Classification restricted, or 18+ without an age verification system would be issued a take down notice. Such content hosted internationally would be added to a black list for use in voluntarily installed software on home PCs.

In August 2007 the Australian government through it's NetAlert department offered free, voluntary downloads of internet filtering software to be installed on home PCs. Late 2008 the scheme was shut down, with ACMA Senator Stephen Conroy citing it had not been successful with very few Australian's downloading the software. Clearly that should have woken him up to how Australians feel about filtering the internet, but instead it only inspired him into ISP level filtering instead.

"This very much seems to be a situation where Stephen Conroy feels he knows what's better for Australian's then they do for themselves. If you look up fascism in the dictionary, it will define it very much in that way."

During the elections which seen Labor form the federal government, they claimed the ISP level filtering would be an opt-out scheme. Of course an opt-in scheme would have been more desirable but at least in an opt-out scheme you of course have a way to not be filtered online and gain unrestricted access to information on the internet. But since forming government the policy has changed to one of mandatory filtering at the ISP level. This means every household, school, business, organisation or other entity connected to the internet will be under the power of the internet filter without any way to remove it. If you have an internet connection, the internet filter affects you.

So what is the big deal right? I mean surely they're only going to block out websites that are illegal... right? Wrong! All Restricted Classification content, X18+ content and R18+ content will be blocked. Speficially the AMCA criteria states;

• * Any online content that is classified RC or X 18+ by the Classification Board. This includes real depictions of actual sexual activity, child pornography, depictions of bestiality, material containing excessive violence or sexual violence, detailed instruction in crime, violence or drug use, and/or material that advocates the doing of a terrorist act.
• * Content which is classified R 18+* and not subject to a restricted access system that prevents access by children. This includes depictions of simulated sexual activity, material containing strong, realistic violence and other material dealing with intense adult themes.

In other words, ALL pornography will be subject to the filter not just child pornography. As well anything which is of an adult nature, that being something you wouldn't want someone under the age of 16 to see. All added to the filter and blocked from view for EVERY Australian, regardless of their age. But this isn't subject just to porn, there is so much more on the list than porn but before I get into that, consider this.

On the 18th of March 2009, wikileaks leaked a copy of the black list onto the internet. A user of the popular internet consumer forum whirlpool posted a link to the black list on the site. The AMCA then issued a notice to Whirlpools hosting company Bulletproof Media that fines of 11,000AUD would apply per day, for every day the link remained on the site. The AMCA furthermore when to extraordinary lengths to forcibly have the black list removed from the wikileaks website. So, consider this, the black list comprises simply the URLs (or domains names) of websites which can not be viewed through the filter. If the filter is such a great thing, then why is it that they are so guarded against the general public viewing the list?

The answer? Because of what the list actually blocks out. From the leaked list it was found that a Brisbane dentist's website was blocked, as was a tuckshop vendors website and the website of a dog kennel. These websites clearly have nothing to do with anything even remotely illegal or 18+ in nature, but yet somehow they're on the list?

But it goes further. In may of 2009 the Australian press, citing wikileaks as it's source broke the news that Dr Philip Nitschke's online Peaceful Pill Handbook, which is a website dealing with euthanasia has been added to the list, as have a range of other websites dealing with the same topic. Apparently the right to a peaceful death for the terminally ill remains out of the scope of reasoning for the federal government even though it isn't illegal in several Australian states.

But still, EVEN MORE FILTERING! In June 2009 the AMCA and the Australian government confirmed that the internet filter will block downloadable games, flash-based web games and websites which sell physical copies of games (like ebay and amazon) that do not meet the MA15+ standard. If the AMCA don't think someone under 16 should see it, then neither should anyone over 18 apparently.

"This isn't about stopping cyber crime; it's about controlling information the public see"

Already many anti-censorship websites campaigning for the filter to not go through have been forcibly taken down by the government. Other sites containing content which is anti-government, or does not support the government has been either forcibly taken down, or added to the black list.

In short the filter classification system stops anyone from not only committing an illegal act online, but from discussing anything that is illegal online, be they for or against the action. It further stops any member of the Australian public, regardless of age viewing any content not suitable for children. It blocks out anything that is deemed to be racist, or that submits a view other than that shared by the censor. Under this classification system, websites like wikipedia (which is a free, user contributed online encyclopedia)have already been announced to be added to the black list; and social networking websites like facebook (due to their user groups, fan pages and applications) have only a limited amount of time before they too are added.

It seem the ONLY way this filter is going to be revoked is if the majority of the Australian public, publicly announce this distaste for the filter and their desire to axe the scheme. If even that didn't work, well then it would be clear that we indeed no longer live in a democracy society. As it stands the labor party are moving very steeply toward a fascist dictatorship not only on filtering but on many issues. It time Australia, that we cut the government back down to size, before we end up in a situation where we suffer from tunnel vision due to lack of information and millions of Australian jobs are lost.

Links;

Wikipedia Article
Electronic Frontiers Australia
No Clean Feed
Labors plan for cyber safety (pdf)
USA Today article
Sydney Morning Herald article (March 19)
Sydney Morning Herald Article (December 15)
ABC News Article

A few days ago I told you of Facebooks acquisition of like minded service FriendFeed. At that time I speculated that, as the four founders of FriendFeed where not only "ex" google employee's but played crucial roles in some of Googles core brand products, that perhaps they were using FriendFeed as a way to get inside Facebook. That perhaps, just maybe, Google plans to take on Facebook and Myspace in the Social Networking stakes.

This wasn't mere rederic, but instead a pattern that Google seem to follow. First they decide on an existing service &/or product they wish to go after, that they think they can improve on. Development starts secretly, then at some point along development they get inside at least one competitor's company, stealing their secrets and improving upon them. Then sometime, soon after we have a google rival product. The rival product continues to develop and mutate until they achieve something which people want to use. By which time, google holds the majority share of the market.

True to form, google have now beefed up "iGoogle" to give it a social networking feel. We will also no doubt see iGoogle morph into a full social networking medium in no time, packed full of improved Facebook technologies just to give Google the slight edge needed to cast it into controlling market share. As google unviel more products such as wave, android and voice, along with acquisitions such as YouTube, it is clear Google has a discernible objective. That being to hold the dominant market share across all media and communications technologies on the planet. We may well find ourselves shortly in a future where Google decide what news we do and don't hear.

But for now, they mask themselves as a company who are interested in making our lives better. In genuinely improving things so we can use them easier. This is brilliant spin, indeed it's at the heart of every companies marketing campaign, but google do it best. They have made it a core part of their company identity and thus people will follow google where ever it may go. Meanwhile, google remains a public company, responsible for it's shareholders and thus it's bottom line. You simply don't get as powerful as a company like google without slitting some throats along the way.

In 1992 the comet Swift-Tuttle crossed earths trajectory in space leaving behind a cloud of debris, and every year since when the earth moves through this debris we are left with a meteor shower. The Meteor shower named The Perseids will be coming to it's peak tonight. This should make for some spectacular astronomy and certainly something to show the kids. I'll be outside with my family checking it out, I'm sure bro will love it.

Links;

NASA
Wikipedia
National Post
EarthSky

A while ago I asked the question, is master chef rigged. I think now we have an answer and it's a resounding yes. An under talented IT consultant named "Julie" has taken out the title, despite constantly being up for elimination through-out the show. While she clearly has some cooking abilities, they are limited to those required for the home and not commercial cooking.

There where a few others whom where obviously far more deserving of the top prize, and yet someone whom should have been eliminated in the first few weeks won the competition. And one can only speculate that it is all for ratings and the advertising profits which follow them, as Master Chef was channel tens most watched show, EVER.

But none of the contestants ever showed anything like the abilities of a Master chef. Some like Chris where superb cooks, but not chefs by any means. It takes several years to become a qualified chef, so perhaps the show should have been named Master Cook Australia instead?

Either way the ultimate winner of the show should never have been Julie. As recent as the second finale she was completely stuffing up her dish, being that she was ultimately unable to even complete the task! At THAT level of competition being unable to complete the task on it's own should be grounds for removal from the competition. Not to mention her pastry was to thick and under cooked. This is the person who is now "Australia's Master Chef" ? Someone whom still can't get a basic pastry right?

Not to mention the amount of sweat that drops off the woman (and into the food) when she cooks, it's disgusting. Seriously isn't that a health hazard? You certainly wouldn't catch me eating her food. All of this points to a show which was rigged, playing to the audiences commonalities. I guess the average working woman must been the major proportion of the 2.8 Million viewers watching the show, and they must have related to Julie the most in focus groups. Go Figure.

It started out with an antenatal appointment which was meant to figure if Sarah's Mild pre-eclampsia would require her to be induced sometime next week. She was meant to come home, yet somehow that idea went up in smoke when I got a phone call urging me to come to the hospital because it was going down right away. Dr. Mohammad (says it all really) decided she needed to be induced today, another doctor disagreed but things were in progress already so... to late. It could have been chalked up to just another incompetent Indian "doctor"; If not for what happened next.

But before we get to that a little info on the less than ideal timing of a baby at 34 weeks. There are many potential complications for the baby if born at 34 weeks... not least of which respiratory failure due to immature lungs.

I got to the hospital at the start of Sarahs second consult which was over before you could spin around 3 times. In that time period the second doctor gave the opinion that she didn't agree with Dr Mohammad but it was to late to stop it now, given Dr Mohammad had already put progesterone gel in Sarah. She advised us Sarah would just be sleeping there for the night and the real events would happen the next day. She even told me I was probably better off going home and getting some sleep. Good thing I didn't listen, because no sooner had that doctor's shift ended did her replacement start the ball running.

Her replacements name was "Dr Mel" and she was the worst thing to happen to Sarah and Hades thus far. Even more incompetent than the Indian "doctor" she acted as if she was high on stimulants trying to keep herself awake, constantly talking loudly even in situations which required quiet and bouncing off the walls with uncontainable excitement about nothing. Subsequently at her request Sarah was stabbed and prodded than more needles than I managed to count, had no less than 5 IV lines going into her! Not to mention the CTG all of which placed Sarah firmly on her back.

Sure, IV lines and being on your back comes with the territory of being induced, but "Dr Mel" seemed to get some sort of sick pleasure out of Sarah crying out in pain. And than I said enough. "Dr Mel" lost the plot at me, but I lost it right back at her. I out trumpt her because Sarah was in there because she had high blood pressure and all "Dr Mel's" "treatment" was doing was pushing it higher. After that we didn't see "Dr Mel" again. Morning came and so did a new doctor and finally it was a white man. He did an internal and found that bub was coming out of all things, HAND first... lol.

So off to theater we went, emergency Caesar time! And so it was that at 11:20 am we welcomed our son into the world. He's tiny, weighing only 3 pound 6 ounces but he can suck, which means he feeds. And boy does he feed, gulps it down like no one's business. Then he goes to sleep, which means he'll put on weight quickly. Everything seems to be going fine now, and the midwife we had today "gabby" is the best! Beats the one from last night who was doing 5 minute BP Obs instead of her intended half hourly BP Obs... all night! Meaning Sarah got minimal sleep, I managed about 45 minutes in total so wasn't the best.

The anesthetists where awesome too, I take my hat off to them all and thank them, especially the one who put in Sarah's epidural because he was the first one to be able to do bloods from her without digging or hurting her. So it was a drama, but today we have a new son. Mother and baby are doing ok, Sarah is going to try and get some sleep although she seems to still have high blood pressure.

Keep an eye out, pictures and video coming soon!

It's come to light that Michael Jackson died from a lethal cocktail of medications that he was addicted to. I know this because it's the only thing the media are reporting about which makes me highly annoyed. Michael Jackson contributed nothing constructive, long lasting or beneficial to society, he was an entertainer, period. The out pouring of emotion from people who didn't know him, didn't interact with him and didn't benefit from his millions of dollars isn't only illogical but plain stupid.

I have never been able to wrap my head around why people hold "celebrities" up in such high regard, when they do nothing constructive. Heck they don't impact your life at all, and their death certainly doesn't change your life or situation in any way.

Just a quick quiz for you on things that actually did change your life. Who invented the Microwave Oven? How about the Car? Last one, who invented the Television? You use these things every day, they have revolutionised the way we live our lives and yet I'm guessing you can't answer any of these questions; at least without google. The answers of course are Percy Spencer invented the Microwave oven in 1945, Karl Benz invented the first petrol/combustion engine and John Logie Baird invented the Television first demonstrating it in 1926.

Our scientists, inventors, doctors, politicians, friends, family, teachers, emergency service personnel and other like people are those who truly matter, they are the ones who shape, change and direct our lives. Entertainers like singers, actors and general "celebrities" give us nothing, they only prey on our willingness to follow their lives in order to make millions, even billions of dollars from US.

Yet where is the recognition for those who really play a part in our lives? How many of you will show up at the funeral of your family doctor even though s/he has probably saved your life countless times? At the end of the day, when a celebrity dies, we as a society do not lose anything. Yes, sure it's sad for those who knew that celebrity PERSONALLY, but for everyone else it should be business as usual.

The amount of attention being paid to Michael Jackson's death is ridiculous! His death has even over shadowed the death of his fellow celebrity Farra Facet-Major, even though she has done more in way of charity work and the like. THIS JUST MAKES NO SENSE!!!

So Michael Jackson has died at the age of 50. I know this because it's all I hear about when I turn on the radio, look on YouTube, Turn on the TV or wander aimlessly around the web. Here we have a man who started off Black and turned himself white, no sorry that's right it was a "skin condition". A man who has been accused on numerous occasions of being a pedophile (but was proven innocent) and who hasn't released a new song in how long?

I'm sorry but Michael Jackson was lost in the sea of time long ago, his death is just merely coincidental. How many people died on the same day as him who got no media exposure at all? Did you know Michael Jackson personally? Cause I sure as hell didn't. Why the hell would I care about someone being dead who I didn't know? Tell me Sarah or one of the kids is dead and sure it'd rock my world and would be all I thought about for a long time to come. But I have no clue about Michael Jackson, his passing changes absolutely NOTHING in my life, does it honestly, seriously change a damn thing in yours? I'm guessing not.

So can the media PLEASE stop playing Michael Jackson crap, his music sucked when he was alive and surprisingly enough it still sucks now he's dead. Go in peace Michael Jackson, but please do so quietly...

Since the introduction of tasers for Queensland Police 6 months ago there have been a flurry of reports of misuse. The latest; and perhaps scariest yet; is of a man who was reportedly shocked 28 times! The man has subsequently died from a heart attack within a week of the incident.

As a result I thought it might be a good idea if we explore what a taser actually is, how it works and what training Queensland Police are receiving in relation to there use. A taser is a weapon which uses electricity to incapacitate it's victim. It works by shooting out 2 small electrodes which embed in the victims skin and deliver an average of 1,500 volts into the victim with every subsequent trigger pull. The excess volts then overload the nervous system causing it to temporarily shut down. By comparison the average power socket in Australia delivers 240 volts.

This method, while sounding quite violent (and it is I guess) reduces the need for lethal force to be used. But this is only the case IF the user is properly trained. The Queensland Police website demonstrates that Police aren't being trained effectively as it states they are trained for a whole 8 hours once a YEAR. That's it, 8 hours in a single day every YEAR. The site makes no mention of ongoing training through-out the year. This for a weapon which is only 6 months old, and a policy and training framework which is still under development. And yet the Queensland Police still reject any claim that their training is inadequate.

It is obvious from the voltage utilized by tasers that discharging the weapon 28 times into the same subject on a single occasion could prove fatal. This risk would only increase by discharging into the area immediately around the heart. While the taser poses obvious positives in aiding of law enforcement, in the wrong hands it quickly becomes a lethal weapon.Inadequate guidelines, policy and restriction, coupled with only basic training & overuse due to novelty make the taser in the wrong hands.

I am however not saying that tasers should not be used by Police; only that some firm rules must be set with adequate punishment for breaking of those rules. A taser should only be required for use in a situation which would otherwise require lethal force. A police officer has tools other than a taser which better suit situations which would not normally require lethal force. It is the simple fact that tasers are being used in situation which would have been better suited to the use of a different tool which is causing the biggest problems. Again for this, I point to the novelty of the device.

Here we have a Bligh government which introduces a potentially lethal device into the community, then sets the policy AFTER problems arise. A Bligh government incapable of successfully initiating even the simplest of tasks. And a police force which operates under the could of a buddy system, to cover up mistakes, injustices and general wrong doing from within their ranks. A police force which has very much allowed the "power" of their job go to their heads.

It is therefore the responsibility of every Queenslander, nay; of every Australian to demand better. Better from the Queensland Government and Better from Queensland Police. Together, we can do anything.

Links

QPS Taser Engagement Strategy
Wikipedia
CBC News
Taser (The company who make the weapon)

There is a children's show on ABC called "in the night garden" made by the same people who came up with "Tellie Tubbies". It's the typical weird voices and junk.

The show itself is rather weird and sorta funny. But the best humor comes from the fact that Sarah loves it. She's hooked and thinks it's the best.

Our plan to go to Tasmania has been blown up and discarded. All that planning was a waste of time. It came down to the simple fact that the Airlines are too greedy and over charge. I have to keep coming back to Queensland to let bro see his mom and to see Z and AJ.

So every few weeks we'd have to take a return flight back to Queensland for the weekend, which turns out would be costing around $800 to $1000 a pop. I can get to Fiji for that! So the plan is busted. It's just not viable.

We're still going to save up for a farm and junk, but it'll all have to be in Queensland. At least for now, until the kids get older. Time will bring what it will, all things happen for a reason and it's always for the best so no point getting upset about it all.

Microsoft might be losing when it comes to the internet, they might be slipping when it comes to their market share on operating systems but their Xbox division has definitely gotten it very very right. In a bid to secure some of the older gamer sector that Nintendo brought into the market with the Wii; Xbox announced project natal yesterday at E3, and it'll knock your socks off.

The major problem with the Nintendo Wii is that while you move around to control the game, you are still using a controller. This causes problems with sensitivity, costs money to purchase more of, can be lost, and well just doesn't deliver the true freedom it should. With the Wii you have a sense of still being shackled to the console, even though you're not using a traditional controller.

Xbox have cleverly solved this problem and gone one (1) up on Nintendo with Project Natal. Imagine for a moment you where the controller. No additional purchases required, no controls to learn, no hardware to put on, no wires! Just your body as is, as the controller. Can you imagine how awesome that would be? Welcome to the world of Project Natal. Control the game with your body and voice, without additional hardware.

It will be interesting to see how game designers respond to this new controller, what games they're able to turn out. As it was only announced at E3 yesterday however there aren't any launch dates as yet, but I'd be willing to speculate it'll be somewhere around Christmas in time for the shopper rush. This will certainly be something to keep an eye on over the coming months because it means big things. And not only for the gaming world.

Links

Project Natal
Project Natal YouTube Channel

For the last few days Sarah's ankles have been getting more and more swollen. It's been worrying me because Chelsea had pre-eclampsia when she was pregnant with bro. Today we had a mid-wife appointment and they tested her urine and gave her bloods. She came back with +++ protein urine which is a major indicator of pre-eclampsia. At this point she is meant to be in hospital so I can't understand why they just gave her a blood test and sent her home.

I've got her laying down, doing nothing with her feet elevated. I'm keeping her warm, and trying to remember what else you're meant to do in this situation. We have another appointment at the hospital next Tuesday to discuss the results of the urine and blood tests so lets see what happens then. For now she can just lay down, keep her legs in the air and hope for the best.

Links

Pre-eclampsia article on wikipedia

Bro and I love playing C&C Generals, especially now we've found out copy of the Zero Hour expansion pack and I've managed to get the network working. Sarah never understood our involvement in the game, but lately she's started to play a bit of it with us, and while she isn't by any means hooked or loving the game, I think in time she will.

It's certainly helped by the fact you can be a pink player She's still learning how to do things so in time she'll be pretty good at it I think. YeY to Sarah for trying something new and spending time as a family. It'll be great when D is older and can play with us too. If Z and AJ come over, we could all have a game against each other, that'd be awesome. Kids V Adults. lol.

I discovered a few days while we were packing up some of our stuff, that Sarah is scared of pine cones. She's not just scared that they'll fall out of the tree and bop her on the head, or anything quarter rational like that is. No for Sarah there is a whole new world when it comes to pine cones.

For the rest of us pine cones are simply inanimate seed pods which drop from pine trees hoping to spread the pine tree population. For Sarah they are much more lively. She told me she is of the opinion they fall out of the tree screaming, then rock back and forward on the ground squealing.

In Sarah's funny little world Pine cones are little animals which live in the pine tree, not it's seed. Why they would rock back n forth squealing is beyond my comprehension but to Sarah it makes perfect sense.

Tassie is back on track. There was a little hiccup with the sale of the house for a moment there, but all is fine now. YeY My friend Alana who lives in Tasmania said it's snowing in Hobart at the moment. How awesome is that? We're going to drive down to snow! Bro hasn't ever been in the snow before, this is going to be well sweet.

Last night Sarah had to get up out of bed and have a shower because the smell of pee coming off of her was so bad I was considering getting out of bed. Poor Sarah, it must truly such being pregnant sometimes. With your bladder going bad and all...

There's been a major disruption of water in our area, effecting businesses and houses through-out our suburb and those surrounding it. The disruption is due to a massive burst water main, which the council inform me will take approximately another 6 hours to fix. That means no flushing toilets, showers, washing hands, etc until around 8pm tonight. It's amazing how much we rely on indoor plumbing now days and to a larger extent water in general. Funny how we take things like that for granted until low and behold they're removed from our usage for a period of time.

I can't wait until we buy our farm and are totally self sufficient. We won't have to worry about inconveniences like this, because everything will be checked regularly and there will be backup systems in place just in case anything does go wrong.

The funniest thing happened. I ran Sarah a nice hot bubble bath, so she could relax. I was trying to be really nice to her and show her how much I love her. So she lays in the tub and relaxes for awhile, all is good. Then she wants to get out and all Bro & I can here through the bathroom door from the office is "TJ" "TJ" "I'm Stuck" "Arh, I stuck" "TJ".

ROFLMAO! I went in and had to help her role over in the tub so she could get out of the bath. That's one of the funniest things that's happened to her during this pregnancy. lol, it'll keep me smiling all night long.

Today the house came under contract, settlement is in 35 days. Which is when we move to Tasmania! How good is that? Still we don't have much time to organise everything, so much needs to be done, we haven't started getting ready at all! It's crazy. I'm hoping everything works out well for us. Bro is looking forward to it; even to the trip down. We'll be driving down and catching the ferry across. Our plan is to stop in Sydney and Melbourne on the way down, go to the zoo in Sydney and look about Melbourne, maybe go to their Aquarium.

This is exciting and scary at the same time. Man I hope this all works well. Still it can't be worse then life in Queensland can it? The laws down there are easier going and junk, surely it's going to be better down there. My fingers are crossed for us, are yours?

So Sarah got this letter last week from this weird guy Daniel, from the baptist church her ex husband used to make her attend. In the letter the freak said he and the church still "pray for her" and that she needs to listen to the CD he sent with the letter because "it will help". Help with what I don't quite understand, but Ok.

So it turns out the CD is just a copy of one of the preachers sermons which is basically just going on about sinners and how terrible they are and blah blah blah. A round about way of trying to convince Sarah she's a sinner. I don't know what apparently makes her a sinner either, or what right this guy thinks he has to sit and tell Sarah she's a sinner. Especially given Sarah hasn't spoken to anyone from the church since well before she left her ex husband.

What is probably the most concerning bit is how the heck did he get her address? None of the household bills are in Sarah's name, so it's not like he could look in the phone and find her. Even more concerning I suppose is he addressed it to Sarah with her maiden name which he never knew. So it is only to be assumed Sarah has her first stalker, and he's a baptist odd ball. I've written this Danial guy a letter back basically telling him that Sarah nor I have never believed in God and that Sarah was forced to attend the church and as such she has no interest in hearing from him. Lets hope that gives him the right message and he racks off.

I'll get a copy of the CD he sent her up as soon as I can figure out how he's encoded the disc. It's a weird CDA encoding which only lets my computer see the lead-in data and none of the actual audio file.

We went to the park yesterday, had a little snack then bro and I mucked about and played with his star wars figurines for a bit. Afterward, bro and I went to the little zoo they have at the park, it was great fun, we seen wombats and lizards and all sorts. There was this Monitor lizard (goanna) which came out of it's hole it had dug in the ground, slowly wandered over to a rock then just sorta collapsed. It was funny because it was as if he'd gone "oh I couldn't possibly take another step".

We saw this gigantically fat kid as well, wouldn't have been more then 3 foot tall but was like 3 times as wide as I am. I mean the kid could barely walk and had no neck. Talk about kid abuse. Bro seen him and whispered to me "daddy look at the fat kid". It was terribly sickening.

When we went back into the play area we mucked about in the play ground, bro climbed up WAY WAY high on a climbing gym thing. It was very cool, I'm so proud. Then we went to the shop bit and he brought a drink and a bubble-o-bill ice cream. All in all was a good outing which we'll have to do again sometime soon.

Evolutionary Minds is an Australian based Life & Business coaching firm which offer a multitude of services to aide you to become more successful, happier, healthier and enable you to have an all round better life.

A few weeks ago the Evolutionary Minds website went down due to a server fault. The backup was corrupted so it had to be rebuilt from scratch, but at Evolutionary Minds everything is a positive. It was seen as a chance to rebuilt the website in a newer, better way which is what has been done. Some sections of the site are still under construction but the new site is Live & Functional

With all the buzz going on in the media I thought I should go in search of the facts as apposed to the hype and panic the media like to portray to give all of my readers a good understanding as to what we're dealing with in the Swine Flu.

Firstly; it should be noted that Swine flu (SIV) has been around for a very long time and simply refers to any Influenza Virus which affects pigs. It is quite common in pigs found in the Midwestern United States (and occasionally in other states), Mexico, Canada, South America, Europe (including the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Italy), Kenya, Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan and other parts of eastern Asia. Similarly this isn't the first time there has been a case of Swine flu crossing into humans.

On the 5th of February 1976 Pvt. David Lewis, an army recruit at Fort Dix reported to his Drill instructor he felt tired and weak, but not so much as to skip training. Within 24 Hours he was dead and four (4) of his fellow soldiers were hospitalised. This then lead to a US Outbreak of the disease. Even before that there was an epidemic of the disease in 1918! We got through an outbreak then, and we can do it again this time. I think the main point to note is not to panic or act in a rash, illogical manner.

So if the flu is so common in pigs, why are people dying all of a sudden? Well it comes down to the strain of influenza. Just as there are many different types of animals, there are many different types of virus, and just as for example there are many different types of say frog, there are many different strains of each virus type. The one in question here which has grabbed headlines as "swine flu" is Swine Origin Influenza Virus (S-OIV ) A H1N1. But what does that mean?

It has been determined that the virus CAN be spread by human to human contact, BUT it has NOT been determined how easily such transmission is. The human to human transmission of S-OIV A H1N1 happens in the same manner as the normal seasonal flu we see each year; that is to say by coughing, sneezing or touching something with S-OIV A H1N1 on it then touching your mouth or nose.

While transmission can occur from a living pig infected with the virus, to human; it can NOT occur by eating pork or other product originating from pigs. Similarly as western water is treated, there is no risk of contracting the virus from drinking water. However the CDC recommend keeping your hands clean, staying away from people who are sick, getting plenty of sleep, manage your stress and drink plenty of fluids.

Sources;
Wikipedia
The US Center for Disease Control
Capital Century

If you're having trouble figuring out what to write to the PM perhaps my letter to him my help inspire you. Thus here a copy of the letter I sent him today.

To the honorable Kevin Rudd,

I am a 26 year old man, a father, a business owner, an entrepreneur and a Proud Australian. Mr Rudd, I am distressed at what Australian children are being exposed to on free to air television; and it only seems to be getting worse. With a plethora of near nudity, sexual references, violence, cussing and adult themes widely available before 8:30pm how can we honestly expect our children to grow up into healthy, well adjusted adults?

I remember a time Mr Rudd when children where protected from such things by government legislation. What happened to that legislation? How as a parent are we meant to shelter our children from such inappropriate themes and behaviors if they are shamelessly flaunted everywhere? Advertising, music videos, television programing, they have all taken a turn for the worse.

Take for example the ads run by Australian Medical Institute (AMI) which shouts "Want longer lasting sex?". Whilst the billboard advertising has now been censored for the most part these ads still appear on Television during the day when children not yet of school age have access to them. Another similar example is the RepHresh ads which are screened during the day and in afternoons when all children have access to them.

Yet another example is the television program two and a half men (which I personally enjoy) which is screened at 7pm on channel nine every weeknight. This show not only has constant use of profanity, sexual references, near nudity and assorted other adult themes, but it seeks to find humor in the fact children shouldn't be exposed to such things by exposing a child to them. And one only needs turn on the television on a Saturday morning to see how toxic music videos and lyrics have become.

I am by no means about censoring anyone, I believe whole heartedly in free speech and wish our constitution reflected that belief. What I am saying though Mr Rudd is that such things have their time and place, and that time and place is not when young eyes, ears and minds can be exposed to them. The inappropriate nature of television programing can only have a negative influence on our children, and therefore on the future of our country.

I urge you Mr Rudd, re-instate the legislation which prevents such exposure to inappropriate content by our children, thus helping our country grow a better, stronger future.

It of course, would be nice to know if anyone had actually read this letter and if any action is to be taken on the matter. Therefore I am requesting a reply at your soonest possible convenience.

Regards,
Mr. TJ Marx

The link to contact the PM can be found: here

Off to school for bro tomorrow, we've been shopping for school supplies for him all day. Brought all his books,stationary, etc. Still need to go out again today and get his uniforms, some socks, a hat, a lunchbox and his math text book. Apparently the one on the book list isn't made anymore and he needs a different one, but low and behold no one seems to know which one. Less than helpful. But I'm sure we'll sort it all out before tomorrow. If worse comes to worse, we'll get his text book tomorrow while he's at school and he can just borrow a book from the teacher or something for the day.

The tuckshop seems pretty sweet, we got the menu for it and they have all these healthy options for him to eat, as well as the more traditional ones. We're going to let him have tuckshop for lunch tomorrow, we're in negotiations as to what he's going to have from there. lol. It's weird how when you're a kid something as simple as being able to buy your lunch from the school shop is the best, coolest thing in the world, and then we grow into adults and it's taken for granted. Weird. I think our kids and teach us a lot.

Create your own warning labels today at the: Warning Label Generator

Bro is here! How awesome is that? He lives with me again! So the besterest! We've got an interview to explore the local school on Tuesday, make sure it's the best school for him and that he'll like it there. Picked him up yesterday and he seems to be settling it already. How mega sweet awesome is that? YeY!

So I was right to question things and not get to excited about bro coming to live with me. She has decided she isn't going to sign anything yet, and instead has just given me some written "temporary agreement" thing which obviously can't be lodged with the court. The way it's written it seems to me that he's only going to be living with me while she's over seas, then she's going to take him back.

I asked her about it, and she said she doesn't want to lodge anything until "around December" when she decides if "Ambrose wants to still live with me" and "if he's settled and everything is going well". It seems relatively fair enough on the surface, except interim orders could allow her to do the same thing by placing a clause in about assessing the situation. It doesn't help that in December is when she'll be thinking of moving back to Oz permanently, so it leaves me wondering.

Even more so because she is refusing to give him any of his things to bring with him. Basically he's coming to me with the clothes on his back and that's it. I have to go out and furnish him with all new clothes, toys, everything and do it all over night. Given this agreement she's written up only gives her over night visits with him, I can't see it being anything other then a position where she plans to take him back when she gets back from over seas.

I do however hope after all those months living with me, that even if she did try to forcibly take him back, and he wanted to still live with me, that a court would see that he was settled and stable living with me, and that he had resided with me long enough to warrant new orders made to the effect of me getting residency.

But more over I hope and pray that Chelsea wouldn't put us in that position to begin with, that she truly is prepared to sign new orders saying he lives with me on a permanent basis. Do me a favour and cross your fingers for me and bro will you?

I have the best of news! Chelsea emailed me yesterday asking me to call her which I did and we discussed having new orders drawn up today in which Ambrose would live full time with me, and she would see him every 6 weeks. I'm shocked, stunned and excited. Yet strangely not sure whether I should believe it yet. You know the old saying "if it's sounds to good to be true?" well it's freaking the hell outta me. But as things stand I should be picking Ambrose up this week. I have a lot to sort out now, like a school, clothes, everything. And only a couple of days to do it all in, which I'm so not complaining about.

So here is to Chelsea, for finally allowing Ambrose to live with me as he has wanted to since the word go. I will do everything I can to work with you Chelsea to make sure Ambrose is a happy, well adjusted child and that you don't lose out. Thank-you so much.

Haha, I guess I have to stock up on the rest of the selby books for bedtime stories. lol.

Once more the bugle plays with sounding respect and celebration of those who fought and those who died in the defense of Australia and of New Zealand. ANZAC Day is a proud day for Australia, a day to raise a glass and salute those who have given us the ability to chose where our country goes. To all the ANZACs out there, I salute you and your bravery you are an inspiration to us all.

For more information about ANZAC Day visit the Australian War Memorial website: Click Here

OMG what? I'm still in shock. Chelsea is the most selfish, irresponsible, idiots on the face of the earth. How the hell could she do that? What kind of person does that? She's let bro spend the last 2 weeks with me, now because she apparently doesn't need me to sign for a passport (I assume her wank of a boyfriend lost his job) she tares him off of me at drop off today, refuses to sign new orders because she doesn't want to have to tell me when she takes him out of the country and tells me I have to go to court if I want to see him again. All in front of him! Then when I try and give him a hug goodbye, she rips him away. When I tell him I love him, she tells me to stop lying. Dude, is she on drugs? What kind of person does that sort of thing? And how the hell is it that there is no one, no legal body who can help me in any reasonable amount of time. Obviously I'm going to have to go to court, but damn that takes months if not years to sort out, been there done that with her and bro. Child Safety (formally family services AKA DOCS) is a god damn joke! They don't do anything.

I hope everything works out this time around and bro can finally have a happy, stable existence.

I've got some polls running on the TJandSarah.com home page, I want to know a little bit about our visitors. Things like if they eat meat, what religion they identify as, etc. You don't have to register for anything to answer the poll, and no information which identifies you will be recorded. So if you haven't already check it out and answer a few polls. Polls are random and appear different with each page load.

Sarahs belly is getting bigger. Much bigger, there are pictures of it in the photo gallery. At 23 weeks Hades kicks are becoming hard enough to make Sarah jump and sometimes are visible from the outside. I'm yet to be able to feel him kick though, which sucks. Hopefully soon though. Not long now! He'll be out in no time.

Over the coming weeks there will be a few additions to the website. This will include new pages on TJandSarah.com AND sub domain themed websites. For more information or to give feedback and make suggestions please read our forum thread "Website Additions"

You can visit the thread by clicking here

It's so awesome, Bro is staying with me again. I picked him up on Easter Sunday, and we have him until the 24th. How awesome cool is that? I'm enjoying spending time with him, getting to know him. He's a really amazing kid. Very smart & cool. I love him so much. I read him a story every night before bed, he likes that and I enjoy it too.

I want to take him to the Rail museum, Maritime Museum and to the movies to see "Monsters V Aliens" during these holidays. It's really good having him in the house, I feel like a piece of me that was missing has returned when he's around. I miss him like crazy when he's not with me.

Hoping Z & AJ can join us soon, that would just be perfect.

So Sarah believes in god, so much so she drew a picture for me of what she thinks he looks like. Above is the actual drawing she made. Afterward she said, this is god, he only has a top half, not a bottom half and he just stands around all day and Be's a head. She followed up with, it's either god, or Eric Clapton I'm not sure.

Lately I've seen what I would call a lot of women who are pregnant with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths. I've seen quite a lot pushing prams having a smoke as well. Do these women not understand the consequences of their actions? Smoking in a terrible habit even at the best of times, but smoking while pregnant, or around children should be a criminal act. It's plain horrid that someone could be like that, and shows what a disgusting person they are. To have a child is the most amazing thing in the world, you're meant to cherish them, to want nothing but the best for them. Not try and kill them by inhaling poisonous chemicals.

Babies have been known to be born with only half a head because the mother smoked in pregnancy. The chemicals contained in cigarette smoke are highly toxic. Obviously smoking in general should be illegal, but at the best least, lets protect our kids by making it illegal to smoke while pregnant or around a child.

So the cats where looking a bit raggedy, and where scratching which I guess means fleas (even though they have those collars on; which don't seem to do anything). So anyway, Sarah & I decided to bath them today. Wow, was that an experience. Needless to say I guess that my hands are all cut up. I found out that Bailey has extremely hardcore claws. Took out massive chunks!

We got a milk create and put it over top of them because they kept trying to get away, then turned on the shower. We did them one at a time, and each one went off. Bailey was more of a handful to get into the actual bathroom and get under the create, had a few swipes at me from under the create then just excepted his fate and was calm.

Misty was the opposite, she was easy as pie to put in the bathroom and into the create, no problem at all. But the second the shower was turned on, WHOLE SHIT! What is usually a very mild and timid cat suddenly became a hell beast. I put a towel over the edge of the create so I could hold it down so she couldn't escape without getting scratched, there she was, poking her paws through the create trying to slice and dice me. She got her head stuck in the create several times as well, each time sending Sarah into a panic. Weirdo.

After Misty got out of the shower and was soaking wet, she was the funniest sight ever. I wanted to take a photo but Sarah wrapped her in a towel before I got a chance. I honestly think she babies that cat far to much, she was holding it like a baby today, wrapped in the towel and went and sat on the couch with her still holding her like a baby. I was just waiting for her to pop her teat out and try and breast feed or something lol

What is wrong with my family? Why do they have to be so dysfunctional? When you really think of the environment from which I came, it really is quite surprising I'm in the position mentally that I am now. What does an adult get out of gossiping and spreading lies and rumors about someone else, let alone about someone who is meant to be family. Does that word mean nothing to them? I grow weary of these infantile games.

Today, this very blog has received 2 comments, both since deleted. One (1) from my mother raging at me again for not telling her I was going to see bro and for not asking her to accompany me. Apparently she can't understand the position I'm in, it has to be all about her. She then went on in this comment to rage at me about writing about her in this blog. At the end of her hate filled comment she ended with "love you lots mum". Does that sound like an emotionally stable person to you?

The second (2) comment was from some gutless idiot who is apparently part of my family because they know me. They used the email address judyoz2001@yahoo.com.au. They proceeded to string together an incoherent jumble of insults and misguided rants. At was almost humorous except for the fact they are meant to be my family, and I find myself increasingly sadden by the fact that I essentially have no family, as they're all so dysfunctional that I have to keep away from them entirely in order to mark out anything close to a normal existence.

I would think a family is meant to be happy for each others achievements and successes, yet I feel punished by them for even seeing my own son. I hate this, it's crazy. Where is the logic, the reason, the support? Where is the love? This isn't how you show each other you love them, this is neurotic & utterly childish behavior. This all makes me sad

I've blocked both their ip addresses from accessing my website, lets hope they don't respawn their ip anytime soon and thus the blocks hold long enough for them to stop trying to access this blog, therefore keeping them away from the things in my life which I fight so hard to keep away from them, else risk causing drama like is currently in progress.

My mom left a voice mail on my mobile last night, going on at me for not telling her I was going to see Ambrose and not inviting her. Fuck man, I haven't seen my son in 2 years, 2 fucking years. Do you really think for one second I want anyone else dragg'in along? Get a grip. Not to mention, that part of the deal for me to see him again, was for her not to. And like I'm going to break that deal and not see him. I love my kids, I do what I need to, in order to be able to see them and be apart of their lives.

All that's going to happen now is my mom is going to cause a big stupid drama. Which ultimately won't make anything better for anyone and has a real chance at ruining the whole thing for me.

My dad on the other hand, when presented by me with everything Tanase has been doing, instead of going OMG that's so ridiculous how dare she act like that, he starts defending her going "I don't know anything about that" like dude, you're not being interrogated by the police for a crime you don't need to just deny all knowledge. And starts suggesting to me that I need to look elsewhere for who has been doing those things. Another one who needs to get a grip. I've got emails to Sarah, from Tanase, sent from her facebook profile, written in her sentence structure. Unless he's going to claim that someone hacked into her facebook, pretended to be Tanase and wrote exactly how Tanase speaks with enough detail about things that happened when Tanase and I were together, to make her lies believable, then he's kidding himself.

i'm sorry but she's a mental idiot who needs to take her meds and he just needs to face that. Just like Colin needs to get a freak'in life and stop making snap decisions about me, based on what other people tell him. He doesn't know me, nor what is happening. Therefore needs to stay the fuck out of it, or at the very least call me and ask me what is going on. End of.

It hurts that people who are meant to be my family, especially my parents act the way they do. Why do they all have to perpetuate such drama? Can't people just act the way they're meant to and like be civil and if they hear something about someone, ask that person what's going on? Wouldn't that just make more sense? And like what is with all the anger? How can you have a good, close relationship with someone who is meant to be family, when stupid things, little things, piss them off so much? And they wonder why I never tell them anything? Try, you're all damned mental and once you start to become more balanced and less into drama, blame and anger then we'll have something proper to talk about, and not until then.

So I dropped bro off with Chelsea this afternoon at 4:30. OMG, seeing him... being in the same house as him. THE BEST FEELING! I can't even describe it, it's like omg this is fantastic. He is such an amazing kid. He makes me laugh so much. Man I love him sooooo much. I'm well excited to see him this sunday coming. It's going to be freak'in brilliant. I can't stop smiling!! Ambrose, I LOVE YOU!!!

Too excited, can't sleep, too excited! This is so awesome. I really can't wait, I won't sleep until tomorrow night. Man I've missed him. I really love my kids, all of them. I think they're the best people in the world, and I'll always be proud of them. I miss Z & AJ loads as well, but I know that the court will do what is just and tell Tanase what for. Bro, you're an awesome kid, never forget that! Oh yeah! I think I'm over tired, but too excited, can't sleep..

Also big shout out to my friend Jess who's 26 today! Yes with the mountains of sweet sweet chocolaty cake I hope this is the best birthday to date!