(Old) Aussie Fast Bowler

ICC Rankings Come Attack

2009-01-19T11:06:00.001+09:00

The ICC was forced to defend a list of rankings of the best batsmen and bowlers of all time based on ratings over an extended period of time. They were called into line by ex-Indian players and an ex-BCCI (Indian Cricket Board) secretary because Sachin Tendulkar was not in the Top 10.

I think the ICC should stop allowing the sub-continent to dictate what happens in world cricket especially in trivial matters as these. Why should they have to defend a list that compares a certain statistic over the period of the game and a players career and then ranks them? It is interesting to cricket followers to see how batsmen from different eras compare and we all know that Sachin is arguably the 2nd best batsman in history behind Sir Don. The subcontinent cricket nations wield too much power in the boardroom and this needs to be rectified for the betterment of the game.

Missing in Action IV?

2008-03-13T00:04:00.001+09:00

I just had to post this. Chuck Norris will sort them all out. Maybe it is "research" into his new film "Braddock: Missing in Action IV"?

Chuck Norris the only WMD in Iraq: US troops - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Some cool Chuck Norris Facts

http://www.chucknorrisfacts.com/

Sorry - Is The Hardest Word

2008-02-11T15:14:00.001+09:00

The Aboriginal Alliance says the Government should back up it's apology with adequate compensation. I didn't see that coming!

Why does the current government have to apologise for a previous government's policies or decisions however right or wrong? What happened to some of these kids is not right and if people today want to say sorry then I'm all for that but in my eyes I didn't do it so I have nothing to say sorry for and really neither does the government. Are the Jews still asking the government of today to say sorry for Hitler's actions?

John Howard didn't want to do this during his reign as Prime Minister and I understood that. KRudd needs to worry about getting the economy right and governing Australia for the next 4 years and this apology is going to take a lot of resources now and in the ensuing aftermath to get right.

I understand the symbolic nature of the "Sorry" but to then want monetary compensation when they get more concessions than every other non-aboriginal Australian is just rude.

Here's my idea - accept the apology, move on and create a culture that all Australians can be part and proud of.

AFL - Full of Double Standards

2007-11-14T14:32:00.001+09:00

The charges against Ben Cousins have been dropped in a Perth court today due to the police making an awful mess of the situation and not understanding the laws regarding the new drug testing procedures for drivers they suspect are under the influence of drugs. This means he has no legal case to answer and therefore in the eyes of the law has done nothing wrong even though we all know a bit different.

So what about Richard Pratt? Pratt is the Carlton President and has been convicted of price fixing and fined $36 million. He has a criminal conviction against his name. According to Carlton's CEO Greg Swann, they (the Club), are fully behind Pratt because the price fixing took place before Pratt became President of Carlton.

The AFL Commission meeting is on Monday 19 November and according to their spokesman the commission had not discussed Pratt's position at Carlton and suitability to be a club chairman. The main agenda item is Ben Cousins and him bringing the game into disrepute.

Double standards - I think so.

It's Time To Go.....Gretel!

2007-11-14T12:12:00.001+09:00

About bloody time!

Time to Start Again

2007-10-16T10:32:00.001+08:00

It has been quite some time since my last blog and the period off has been one of many changes. Of course the cricket season has started once again, I have bought a new car and the house has had a few more updates to it. I will get back into the habit of writing some posts every now and then so stay tuned for more.

An Open Letter to McDonalds

2007-07-22T22:57:00.001+08:00

Dear McDonalds,

I am never eating at one of your franchisees every again. To put it briefly the customer service and food is poor. It has been some 4 months since I last ate at one of your stores and the experience is not one I will want to be part of again. You employ young people who have no interest in what they are doing. They take the money, slap together the food and pass it out and I am supposed to feel part of a wonderful experience if your adverts are anything to go by.

I had a McChicken burger with chips and a diet coke and paid $6.45 for the experience. The chips were unsalted and full of oil, the burger was like cardboard with mayonnaise. We went through the drive through as it was the only option available at the time. It took 30 minutes for you to take our order, prepare the food, take our money and then give us our goodies. Not what I call "fast food". We received our bag of McDonalds and there were no paper towels in the bag. I would think it would be wise to include a few as most people will eat part of the meal in the car and going into the store to get some was not an option at the time of purchase.

You have lost me as a customer and hopefully I will be able to influence as many people as I can against eating at your stores. I wish you all the best in the future.

Regards,

Nick & Kay

Australian of the Year?

2007-07-19T12:33:00.001+08:00

Australian of the Year - what does it really mean? Is it recognition for contributions to the local/world community or is it recognition for how many times you get your face on the News?

Flannery suggests Pearson for Australian of the Year

The 2007 Australian of the Year, Tim Flannery, says he thinks next year's honours should go to prominent community members such as Noel Pearson or Terry Hicks.

Terry Hicks? Is he serious? What has he done for the Australian community to warrant this nomination? He has supported his terrorist son through his ordeal in Cuba and for that he should be recognised? He said later on in the article:

For some nominations such as Senior Australian of the Year I'd look at people like Terry Hicks, who's really been a great dad in the worst of times and people like that I think we should celebrate as well in our society

I think if you are going to award someone because they have been going through the "worst of times" then there are lots more worthy than Terry Hicks. What about the mum/dad that has to sit through hours of treatment with their terminally ill child only to watch them die at the end? That is the worst of times. If your son is a terrorist, yes it would be hard with him in prison on the other side of the world, but is it worthy of Australian of the Year?

Lets get some perspective here and apply common sense when handing out these "awards" or get rid of them totally. I wonder what Fiona Stanley thinks of it? She has spent her life's work in trying to help the world community and was recognised previously. Try comparing that achievement with what Terry Hicks has done and I know who I would rather give the accolades to.

Union Dues???

2007-06-20T22:07:00.001+08:00

The Supreme Court here in Perth allowed videos of Joe McDonald's behaviour at a workplace into the public arena and it is of no surprise to me to see the way he has carried on. In my view it is these sort of organisations that need to be wiped out. The Union is supposed to represent the workers and make sure they aren't getting the rough end of the stick - not abuse employers and bully the members to go across the road for a meeting. All I can see is a bully boy. He is like the big Year 7 bullying the Year 3's into going onto the oval and having a whinge about the teachers. That has done more damage to the ALP and if they want to win an election then they must move to distance themselves from people like Joe McDonald. Mr Rudd needs to remove him from the Labor Party. Have a look at the videos on the link.

Safari 3 Beta & ObjectDock

2007-06-14T22:50:00.001+08:00

I have been looking more and more at an Apple MacBook Pro as my next notebook purchase. I am liking what I see and the ability to run Windows in a virtual machine that seamlessly integrates with the Mac OS really is the icing on the cake as it still allows my to do my business development in Windows while taking advantage of the Mac OS goodness.

So I have downloaded and installed the Safari 3 Beta for Windows and ObjectDock so I can get a better look at their interfaces. Safari is the Mac browser and ObjectDock is very similar to the Mac OS dock for programs and shortcuts - a bit like the Start menu for Windows - but nicer. It takes a bit of getting used to but I like what I see. The Safari beta crashes a bit much for my liking but I am running Vista Business so I don't know if it is Vista or the beta.

Weird TV Ad?

2007-06-12T01:02:00.001+08:00

Have you seen this ad on the TV lately?

Nandos Fix Gum

A very interesting ad. It caught my attention but makes you wonder "What were they thinking?" when it ends.

MotoGP

2007-06-11T23:38:00.001+08:00

I have really got into the MotoGP in the last few weeks as Casey Stoner is leading the competition from Valentino Rossi. I watched 2 fantastic races last weekend and this weekend. Last weekend Valentino got over the line and Casey was 4th and last night Casey took 1st place with Valentino in 2nd. All I can say is that these guys are crazy. The way they can handle a bike at high speeds is amazing. Casey is leading the world championship from Rossi and I will be watching a bit more in the future.

The Bleeding Obvious?

2007-05-08T14:10:00.000+08:00

Is it just me or is this article stating the bleeding obvious?

Fat teens grow into obese adults: study
A study that has tracked a sample of Australian children since 1985 has found that the teenage years are critical in predicting obesity in adults.
The researchers followed up the weight ranges of people now aged 25-35 who were first surveyed when they were between seven and 15 years old. The results, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, found that children who were overweight or obese were up to nine times more likely to become overweight adults.

A Trio of Wins

2007-05-01T10:35:00.000+08:00

There won't be too many guys in the world who can say they have 3 World Cup wins under their belt but these three can. It will be something to reflect on once their careers are over because not even the modern greats like Lillee, Chappell, Richards, Botham, Miandad, Tendulkar, Waugh etc can boast that. Ricky still has enough left in him to go for a fourth title. How amazing would that be?

Where To From Here?

2007-04-29T16:45:00.000+08:00

The Australian Cricket team has completed a hat-trick of World Cup victories, Glenn McGrath has played his last game in Australian colours and John Buchanan has completed his stint as coach in one of the most successful eras in Australian cricket.

I am constantly surprised at how these blokes can keep motivating themselves to be the best. Once you have achieved all team objectives in every contest against all the nations in Test and ODI cricket, what keeps them going? I'm sure it is the desire to be the best and not just for a small period of time but for as long as they remain as a team. That is what great teams are all about. I think this team has to be rated the best of the best of all time - even better than the Windies of the 70's and 80's and better than the Invincibles in 1948. There is no side in world cricket that can beat the Aussies when they are on song in Tests and ODI's and it has been proved again over the World Cup.

I look forward to seeing what they produce when the next season starts at the end of this year as they have 18 months of continuous cricket all over the world.

Congrats on the World Cup boys!

World Cup 2007

2007-04-26T22:35:00.000+08:00

Australia have won their way into the World Cup final for the 4th successive World Cup tournament. I was in anticipation of a real cricket contest against South Africa and with all the history between the two nations in ODI's and World Cup games it promised to be a cracker. The Aussies were simply brilliant in defeating them. They bowled well and having them 5 for 27 there was no coming back from that.
This is what both Sri Lanka and Australia are playing for on the weekend and Sri Lanka was the last side to hold the World Cup when Australia was beaten in 1996. Since then it has been in Cricket Australia's trophy cabinet. I look forward to the contest on Saturday - my prediction is Australia to win but "The Chucker" could be a match winner.

C'mon Aussie, c'mon, c'mon!!

Monaro Mate!

2007-04-15T21:35:00.000+08:00

I had the opportunity to have a test drive of a 2002 Monaro today and I was in heaven!

It is the ideal wog car and I felt right at home in it. The only problem - it was yellow. Not my ideal colour but hey beggars cannot be choosers. In all my years on this planet, I have never driven a V8 car so to get behind the wheel of a 5.7 litre V8 was a blast. I was in Morley so I took it onto Tonkin Highway and let it have a bit. Wow! 120km in 3rd gear and it had more to go but the biggest surprise was how quiet it was. I couldn't let it right out because of the rain on the roads but it certainly had the grunt.

It was a lovely Sunday drive :)

PCC End of Season Review

2007-04-08T00:49:00.000+08:00

Finally the season has come to a close. The PCC end of season Rigg Medal and Award Presentation evening was on Thursday 5th April and was held at Royal Perth Golf Club. It was a great night with about 100 past and present players and partners turning up in all their finery to award the Rigg Medal and the Club Awards.

There were a few highlights for the season. 3rd Grade ended up in the GF and lost by only one wicket in a great game with Fremantle. 2nd Grade lost by one wicket in the semi-finals to Claremont-Nedlands and 4th Grade lost the elimination final. So we had 3 out of 4 grades in the finals - not a bad achievement. But we came away from the finals series with no flags which is disappointing.

Personally I had a good season. I took 42 wickets and made 230 runs - almost a genuine all rounder. I won the 4th Grade bowling award.

The best part of the night was being named the Rigg Medalist for our club. It is a huge honour for me and one that I will treasure for the rest of my time.

Police Statement on Bob Woolmer's Death

2007-03-23T13:40:00.000+09:00

You can find the article here but I have included it below.

The full statement from Lucius Thomas, the commissioner of police for the Jamaica Constabulary Force, regarding the investigation into Bob Woolmer's murder.

"Consistent with our approach from the time Pakistani cricket coach, Mr Robert Woolmer was found in his hotel room on Sunday, March 18, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has updated the media on all developments concerning our investigations of this case. The Jamaican police are in a position to inform that it is now in possession of the official post-mortem report from the government pathologist who conducted the autopsy on the late Mr Woolmer.

The pathologist report is now available and states that Mr Woolmer's death was due to asphyxia as a result of manual strangulation. In these circumstances, the matter of Mr Robert Woolmer's death is now being treated by the Jamaica Police as a case of murder. Steps are being taken to conclude these investigations, which include collecting statements from all persons who in the opinion of the police can be of assistance to these investigations.

In due course further announcements will be made as to the progress of our investigations of Mr Woolmer's murder. The JCF is making an appeal to anyone who may have information that would help us to identify Bob Woolmer's killer or killers to come forward in order that his wife, Gill, and his family can begin the process of healing.

It is our belief that those associated with or having access to Mr Woolmer may have vital information that would assist this inquiry. We appeal to these individuals to come forward now to assist us with our investigation. Our condolences go out to Gill, Bob's widow, and their sons, friends and members of the Pakistan team."

Bob Woolmer Strangled

2007-03-23T10:23:00.000+09:00

I knew there was going to be more to this story. In breaking news Bob Woolmer has been strangled.

PAKISTAN cricket coach Bob Woolmer was strangled to death, police said today.

The pathologist report states that Woolmer's died from "asphyxia as a result of manual strangulation", police said.

Deputy commissioner Mark Shields said: "Hopefully we will bring the killers to justice as soon as possible. We will use every energy we possibly have to track down the killers.''

The 58-year-old Briton died on Sunday after being found unconscious in his hotel room. The previous day, Pakistan were eliminated from the Cricket World Cup by debutants Ireland.

Here's a thought for you - Bob was a big man, therefore it would have required another big person or persons to strangle him. I reckon there might be an even-money bet on a big, slow-running Pakistani senior player being involved.

Woolmer Death 'Suspicious'

2007-03-21T14:56:00.000+09:00

The police have now said that there were marks around Bob Woolmer's neck that make his death seem a little suspicious. I thought this might happen.

I'll keep you informed on the story.

What a Strange Week in the World Cup

2007-03-19T21:39:00.000+09:00

The World Cup has already had enough "highlights" to keep it at the forefront of cricketers minds for the next few weeks and the final is still some time away. On the positive side, there has been the Irish team and the tie against Zimbabwe and the win against Pakistan, the Bangladesh side beating India, Herschelle Gibbs and his 36 off an over and Freddie Flintoff getting demoted from vice-captain because of his late nights and drinking.

But the most bizarre happening is the passing of Bob Woolmer the Pakistan coach only hours after the loss against Ireland and the subsequent retiring of Inzi. In the PCC change rooms after we heard that Ireland had beaten Pakistan we made passing comments on how Woolmer would be better off going back to England rather than Pakistan. The subcontinent is the most cricket-crazy place on Earth and if you lose the whole place hates you. We equate that sort of loss to the soccer-mad countries that execute players for losing matches and thought Bob Woolmer would be in danger. Then we heard that Woolmer had died and the first thing I thought of was he was drugged. I reckon there still might be a bit of something behind this and the next few weeks I'm sure we'll hear the full story.

Elimination Final vs Scarborough

2007-03-19T21:02:00.000+09:00

The 4ths season is over.

We hosted Scarborough at Fletcher Park on the weekend in an elimination final. We batted first, got rolled for 164 and then didn't bowl well enough to restrict the Gulls batsmen to less than us.

It was a disappointing way to finish the season but there were a lot more positives to come out of my 25th season with the club. To all my mates who I played with - thanks heaps - I had a ball and can't wait for July and preseason.

Round 15 vs South Perth

2007-03-13T15:17:00.000+09:00

This was it for us for the season. Win and we are guaranteed a spot in the finals, lose and we need other results to go our way to stay in the top 6. The game started with us winning the toss and deciding to bat first. Early on the wicket was a bit of hard work and it showed when South Perth had us 3 for 36 early on. I batted at No 3 and made a hard fought 8 and then got out just as the wicket was hardening up and not doing as much as early on.

We continued on for the rest of the day and ended up 9 for 268 and South Perth needed an outright victory to give themselves a sniff at the top 6 and we had snuffed that out for them.

Week 2 was a much better wicket to bat on. It gave us bowlers a bit of help early on but then turned into the flattest track I have bowled on all season. We took early wickets to have them about 5 for 72 in the first over after lunch. The guys at the crease then batted for the rest of the session until tea and we were tired. After tea, I broke the partnership then proceeded to skittle the tail and ended up bowling them out for 193 and I had 4 for 41 off 19 overs.

That was enough to secure our spot in the top 6 and a few results ended up going our way and we finished third overall and we now play Scarborough at home next Saturday and Sunday.

Round 14 vs Claremont-Nedlands

2007-02-25T21:52:00.000+09:00

This game was a crucial one for us to make sure we stay in the top six and ensuring ourselves a finals berth. Due to 2 of our players being called up for State duty at the Indigenous Cup in Alice Springs, I was promoted to 3rds for the first week of the match and then back to 4ths for the second week.

There was not much to report from the first week. Thirds batted and I was batting number 11 so I sat around all day and did nothing. Luckily for me 4ths batted first so I was going to have a bowl in the second week. I will continue with the 4ths match. We made only 130 odd on an interesting wicket and we had them 1 for 3 overnight. What happened on the 2nd day was nothing short of fantastic. We bowled really well early on and when my opening bowling partner finished his spell things got interesting. We had them 2 down for 28. JP has bowled well lately and it showed. He ended up taking 7 for 15 and we bowled them out for 48!

So we were happy with the win and we decided to make some quick runs and have a go at the outright win. So we made another 62 and set them a target of 150 in 24 overs - not impossible if they really wanted to win. We started slowly. They were 2 for 35 after 7 overs and in with a chance. But again another fantastic effort with the ball ensured us of our outright victory. My opening partner hit his straps and ended up with 8 for 16 and we bowled them out for 48 again!

I took another 4 wickets in the match but it was insignificant compared to the other two - it was a fantastic display and I was thrilled to be part of it. So the outright win will keep us in the top six no matter what in the last round versus South Perth.

I'm S(h)ick of This...

2007-02-22T13:01:00.000+09:00

David Hicks has been held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after he was captured in Afghanistan in 2002 apparently fighting for the Taliban against the US-led forces. So far the US Military have not set a trial date and as far as they are concerned he can be held indefinitely with no charges laid. I don't agree with this policy - the US Military should catch them, try them and either gaol them or let them go. Maybe they are to wait until the end of the 'war' before they are lawfully allowed to prosecute and since we will never know when the 'War on Terror' really ends they could feel justified holding him without trial.

Is it just me or is everyone sick of hearing this in the news everyday? I agree the government has not really pushed hard enough to have this matter resolved. British citizens have been return to Great Britain to face trial so why the hold up in returning him back to Oz? Now that Johnny Howard is on the election path it was a good idea of Kevin Rudd to attack this issue JH has in bringing Hicks back. But I think KRudd has gone a little tropo. Hicks has not been proven guilty or innocent and I see an article today that KRudd will 'take legal advice' on whether he can give Hicks a pardon if KRudd is Prime Minister. What the...????

Hicks hasn't even left Cuba yet and already KRudd is looking at a pardon. We have no idea why Hicks was in Afghanistan fighting against us. He could be a major player in what we are trying to get rid of so why go and say something like that on record? At least wait until the trial concludes and all the evidence is put in front of us before making that decision. If Hicks is guilty then KRudd has no 'street cred' anymore saying stupid stuff like that.

Round 13 vs Melville

2007-02-19T13:44:00.000+09:00

We had another win this time against Melville at their home ground last weekend. It was a very uninteresting match - no sledging, no idiot umpires and nothing that caused me to jump up and down.

We won the toss and had a bat in extreme heat. I opened the innings again and made 19 but for the first time in my senior career, I was glad when I was out. The heat was stifling. I am not the fittest of blokes running around but when you have a 20'ish bloke at the other end wanting to run threes in forty degree heat it sort of took it out of me. So we batted for the remainder of the day and only ended up with 183. Knowing they only had a couple of batters worthy of our attention we thought we were in with a good chance of winning it.

The next week was absolutely perfect for bowling - about 29 degrees and overcast. We went to lunch with Melville at 2 for 50 odd and staring down the barrel a bit but after lunch we bowled much better and took crucial wickets and had them all out for 133. I ended up with 3 wickets for 49 from 20 overs. We batted again but I only made 9 this time.

That win keeps us in 5th place and only needing to win 1 of the last 2 games to make sure we stay in the top 6.

Round 12 vs Willetton

2007-01-30T23:20:00.000+09:00

Well what can I write about this match? Not much I think. We were outplayed from ball 1 and it shows in the scoreline. A brief summary of the match is we won the toss and elected to bat first, we were rolled for 69 and then they made 304. We batted first because of the heat but it was hotter when we bowled as the cloud cover cleared up. I suppose we got close when they were 6 wickets down when they made 70 and I had 4 of those wickets but my nine overs were up. My personal figures for the match were 10 runs and 4 for 48. They then made another 230 runs in the last 27 overs - it was a hard afternoon in the field.

Next game is at one of my personal bogey grounds - Tompkins Park. I don't think we have played and won against Melville at their home ground in the past decade. Hopefully we can get up and have a win.

Shed Completed

2007-01-24T02:02:00.000+09:00

The shed has been completed within 2 days. Not bad. Some photos for you.

Now I need to get some quotes on the concrete floor....I need to stop spending all this money...!

Shed Construction Day 1

2007-01-22T23:12:00.000+09:00

The shed construction got underway today and it was an early start for the boys who came in to do it. The first thing they told me was the extra 2.5m x 2.5m shed was not delivered. Good one Highline. So another call into the sales rep and hopefully it will be delivered shortly.

They are back again tomorrow to continue on with the construction. I will post some more photos after the completion of Day 2.

Can The Aussies Do It?

2007-01-22T00:06:00.000+09:00

Is the Aussie cricket team that good or is the opposition just bad? Two ODI games over the weekend would suggest the former but I am not sure. The CB Series is boring. When Australia wins even when they shouldn't it makes for a boring series. What I crave is a competition - that is why the Ashes in England in 2005 was so compelling. It brought lots of people back to the cricket and the attendance at this summer's matches is evidence of that.

The only thing that is interesting now is can the Aussies go through the whole summer without a loss - only time will tell.

Round 11 vs Wanneroo

2007-01-21T23:07:00.000+09:00

The game against Wanneroo was crucial for us to maintain our position in the top 6 and playing away from Fletcher Park is always a bit of a disadvantage to us. We won the toss and decided to bat on a pretty good looking strip. We got away to a steady start and when the first wicket fell we had put on 85. I went in at No 3 and then it all started to go wrong. I was given out LBW after smashing the ball into my pads and we were 2 for 97. Four more LBW's in the next 8 wickets put us on the back foot and we were dismissed for 162 with about 20 minutes to go until stumps on Day 1. We had a bowl at them late and I had a chance dropped at slip and another chance which just slipped over the keepers hands. Wanneroo were 0 for 22 at the close of play.

The following week saw us a bit more determined to put pressure on the batsmen and on the umpires as they seemed to be easily rattled by vigourous appeals and we were proven right later in the day. We struggled a bit early and had them 3 for 83 around lunch. After the break everything sort of fell into place and we took a wicket with the second ball after lunch and we never looked back. At tea we had them 9 down with another 35 to win. We wrapped it up soon after tea and grabbed maximum points by 23 runs. We went in for another hit and with nothing to play for we were nearly rolled but ended up 9 for 85.

Personally I took 3 for 50 off 20 overs and was out for 6 in the 1st innings and 4 not out in the 2nd dig. Not a bad return bowling but was disappointed with the runs scored even though I was given out when I was clearly not. Mike Hussey wrote in his column for the Sunday Times that the men in white (umpires) are right - I just think some of them are tossers and wouldn't have a clue whether they are watching cricket or water polo.

Don't Lose Your Head....

2007-01-16T00:30:00.000+09:00

There has been a bit of coverage in the Press about the execution of Saddam's half-brother Barzan al-Tikriti and the manner in which it was carried out. The lawyer for Barzan wanted to have himself or another defence attorney present at the hangings to make sure there was no improper behaviour or taunting as at Saddam's hanging and this was denied by Iraqi officials. It has been reported that Barzan's head was severed during the execution and the lawyers are crying foul.

Let me get this straight...this guy who was in command when killing many of his own people is supposed to die with dignity. Bullshit. Every person he killed or allowed to be killed was probably not thought about again. They were killed, rolled into mass graves and buried deep in the earth so that his or her family would never know what really happened. Where has society gone to that allows Barzan and Saddam to be allowed to die with dignity? Why was there such a huge outcry about Saddam's hanging and the sectarian taunts that happened before he was hanged? I am sure if Hitler was hanged for his crimes would this outcry have happened if he was taunted? I reckon if your head doesn't come off when being hanged then they should string you up and try again. These people are animals hiding behind their religious or whatever other beliefs they have to kill innocent people and that doesn't allow them the right to die with dignity.

Our whole society is now hellbent on victimising the victim and protecting the guilty. It gets the defence lawyers names in the paper....and that has to be good for your practice.

Shed Pad Complete

2007-01-16T00:01:00.000+09:00

The shed pad has been completed. It looks great and you wouldn't even know about all the rock that was removed first.
You can see the rest of the photos at Flickr.

The Shed

2007-01-15T12:23:00.000+09:00

The shed sand pad was started late last week so hopefully we will have the shed up within the next week or two. I am surprised by the amount of rock we have hiding under the sand and I am sure the contractor we hired to do the sand pad was as well.

When the shed is assembled I will be able to clear out all of my crap from the garage and then all I have to do is get the new driveway approved through council.

You can see more of the photos on my Flickr site.

Hang On - I Have to Wii

2007-01-15T10:13:00.000+09:00

My Google Reader brought me a story this morning that I could simply not pass up. It belongs in the "only in the USA" category. The story revolves around a radio competition for a free Nintendo Wii and the tag was "Hold your wee for a Wii". One of the competitors died of water intoxication after participating. You can read more here.

Round 10 vs Gosnells

2007-01-08T16:11:00.000+09:00

We are back on the winners list once again and I am so glad because I hate losing. Wayne Carey once said "Losing has taught me one thing - losing sucks" and I agree with him wholeheartedly.

We played Gosnells at home in a one day match. We batted first and again I opened the batting but this time a bit more successfully than in the past. I ended up making 56 which was the second top score, my opening partner made top score with 85. The team made 234 in the allotted 45 overs. We went out and bowled them out for 170 and I took 5 for 25. So all in all a good day and a win to boot.

We ended up having all 4 senior grade sides beat Gosnells. A much better way to start 2007 than the way we ended 2006.

Retirement

2007-01-08T15:44:00.000+09:00

These four blokes have been in the forefront of Australian cricket for the past 15 years and they are going to be missed in future sides. When you look at the stats for them there is certainly some experience.

Marto played 67 Tests with 4406 runs and 208 ODI's with 5346 runs. JL has played 105 Tests and made 7696 runs. Pidgeon played 124 Tests with 563 wickets and 230 ODI's with 342 wickets. Warney played 145 Tests with 708 wickets and 3154 runs and 194 ODI's with 293 wickets and 1018 runs. That is a combined 441 Test matches for 15,256 runs and 1271 wickets and 632 ODI's for 6,364 runs and 635 wickets. That is awesome!

I remember watching Dennis Lillee, Rod Marsh and Greg Chappell in their last Tests and thought way back then that they can never be replaced. And they can't. But what you get is a different champion - but no less a champion.

Thanks for the many enjoyable hours I have spent watching you guys. I look forward to what new champions evolve from this current era and beyond.

Aussies 5 Poms 0 - Whitewash!

2007-01-08T15:15:00.000+09:00

It has been a few days since the last day (4th day) of the 5th Test in Sydney and I have had some time to reflect on what has happened since the 1st Test back in November. To win all five Tests in a series is a huge achievement and to do it while regaining the Ashes is even bigger. Not since 1921 has a side won all five Tests - that is 86 years ago! When you consider some of the sides that have played on both sides it is amazing that this is only the second time in Ashes history. Not even Don Bradman's Invincibles of 1948 could clean sweep the Test series which Australia won 4-0 with 1 drawn Test.

When a side wins by such a considerable margin there will always be mutterings of not how good is the team but rather how bad was the team they were playing. Why was there such a turnaround from 2005 when Australia lost 2-1? In each series crucial injuries to key players was a factor. Glenn McGrath rolling his ankle in 2005 and not playing in two Tests cost Australia. Simon Jones, Marcus Trescothick and Michael Vaughan not playing in this series hurt the Englishmen. A lack of form and preparation cost both sides in each series. Jason Gillespie was out of form in 2005 and he wasn't alone. Most players with the exception of Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting needed to have a hard look at what they were doing and they were beaten by a team of highly focused players intent on beating the number 1 side in world cricket. This time around, the Aussie side looked physically and mentally tougher.

The Englishmen were competitive until the last day in Adelaide. Being beaten on the last day from a position that they were the only side that should have won that game was the king hit. In Perth they were so so and Gilly blasting a century took all of what fight was left. It showed in the 4th and 5th Tests as they didn't really have any fight left at all. Even when they had the Aussies 5 for 85 in in the 4th Test they couldn't maintain the pressure and eventually folded inside three days.

Well done Australia.

Under the Southern Cross I stand....

Aussies 4 Poms 0

2006-12-28T23:51:00.000+09:00

Warney's last Test at the MCG will have to be one that he remembers for some time. To take 5 wickets on the first day on a wicket that was seaming all over the place is a fair effort. But we have come to expect that from S.K.Warne over the years - he has the uncanny knack of turning a game on its head.

It was fitting that he was awarded the Man of the Match but I reckon Andy Symonds would have been pretty close to taking it off him.

Poor old Freddy Flintoff...he is so full of cliches in his defeat speeches that I reckon he must be getting sick of hearing them.

England's captain, Andrew Flintoff, is running out of ways to express his disappointment on this tour. Another day, another defeat, another round of hollow insistences that his team is still full of "character" and "pride". There's still a "great spirit" in the dressing-room, he said. The lads can still "rally round", he said. And, as for next week's whitewash decider at Sydney, Flintoff still insists his team can "put on a show" for the fans.

That is more than I could bear. In the first 3 Tests they showed that they are the 2nd best Test nation but in this Test they did not have a chance. Even when the Aussies were 5 for 84 they couldn't put the nail in the coffin. Sydney should be interesting....can the Poms win one Test - I doubt it.

Round 9 vs Midland-Guildford

2006-12-28T23:41:00.000+09:00

Round 9 has come and gone and this was a disastrous round for the PCC. All 4 senior grades lost and I played one week in 4ths, strained my groin, played week 2 in 3rds and was the last man out in 3rds to lose the game by 8 runs. The groin issue should be right by Round 10 on the 6th January. No more will be spoken on the loss.

Goodbye Warney - Thanks for the Ride

2006-12-21T12:58:00.001+09:00

Today is the day that the worlds greatest ever spinner has decided to call it quits. You can see the transcript of that statement here.

He will leave the game a better one than when he started. That delivery to Mike Gatting will be remembered throughout history as one of the greatest ever.

His hat-trick in the 1994 Boxing Day Test against the Poms was another highlight with Booney taking the catch that will go down as something special.

There are going to be many highlights from his cricketing career. His ability to turn a match totally into Australia's favour will be missed. I am sure that his ability on the cricketing field will not be matched for some time.

Thanks Warney - for the memories. I wasn't around to see our best ever cricketer in Don Bradman but I can say I saw most of the 2nd best in all his finery.

Back Where They Belong!

2006-12-20T12:28:00.001+09:00

The Ashes have been regained by "Dad's Army". How much of an idiot would you feel saying that the Aussies are old - how bad would you feel if you were beaten by a bunch of zimmer-framed cricketers? Yet there were past greats Dennis Lillee and Ian Botham saying here and here that the Aussie team was too old. Experience counts for lots when playing on home soil and Ricky knew that.

I remember the feeling of utter disappointment when we lost the Ashes back in September 2005. The feelings of winning back the little urn is such a contrast to that 2005 Ashes campaign and I am only a cricket spectator so I can only imagine what Ricky and his men are feeling at this moment.

So why did the Aussies win this series so easily compared to 2005? I reckon the preparation was intense and it has been in the making for the last 15 months. I would assume that every piece of video available on all the English players would have been studied over and over to pick out any little flaw that could be exposed. This time around the Aussies had more contributions from all senior players rather than just Warne and Ponting. Stuart Clark was an important contributor this time and I thought it was a mistake to include him - it goes to show how much I know. If you look at the stats from the series you can see why the Aussies are 3 zip up in the series.

Now on to Melbourne for the 4th Test and what should be remembered for Warney's 700th Test scalp and then to Sydney for the 5th Test and who cares....we have won the Ashes and if we lose the last 2 Tests I don't think anyone will really mind. It would be nice to see a 5-0 scoreline but that won't help Test cricket. A 3-2 scoreline would salvage some pride for the Poms and would keep it interesting for series to come. The thing that worries me the most is the next Ashes series. I think we could see the return of the Ashes to England for a period as the aging Aussies will probably not be around for the next Ashes series in June 2009 and the Poms should be in the middle of the best parts of their careers. It will be interesting to see how the face of Australian Test cricket changes over the next couple of years.

Matty Hayden summed it up perfectly, "Australia, you bloody beauty!"

Bowling to the Aussies

2006-12-14T14:40:00.001+09:00

I was lucky enough this week to be a net bowler at the WACA to the Aussie cricket side. It is always good to see how you measure up to the best in the world and I was pleased with my efforts. I didn't bowl anyone but I got a few edges off the bat and got some Andy Symonds flesh with a nice in-swinging off-cutter. That got a good laugh from Michael Clarke and Mike Hussey.

One thing you realise is just how good these guys are. Even when I bowled to Glenn McGrath he was pulling and cutting like a top order batsman. He could probably open up in any A Grade side in Perth quite easily.

It was a bit nerve-racking coming in to bowl the first ball - there is a limited warm up and those of you who know me understand that I need a bit of time to get going - and the fact that Adam Gilchrist is the batsman makes it even worse. You have a zillion cameras watching the batsmen and the only thing I could think of was not bowling a full toss or falling over. Thank god I landed it on a good length and line and Gilly went back and blocked it out. After those initial few balls you forgot about everything else and I settled into a good line.

One thing I learnt was that I bowl too full - especially to good batsmen. So the second stint I pulled the ball back a bit and started to see some reward. I will take that with me into the game this week and see what happens. It has also given me something to work on in the nets and has reignited my passion for the game at the moment.

It was a great experience and one that may never come my way again but I can say that I have bowled to the best batsmen in the best team in the world.

Round 8 vs Joondalup

2006-12-12T12:20:00.000+09:00

We played a one day game versus Joondalup and we were thrashed to put it mildly. That puts our position in the top 6 in jeopardy if we don't beat Midland in Round 9.

Personally the game was not a memorable one for me. I made 6 with the bat and was wicketless from my 9 overs but only went for 21. The less said the better and hopefully the Midland game we will bounce back with a win.

Aussies 2 Poms 0

2006-12-05T21:12:00.001+09:00

Well well well. How good are the Aussies? To take a match that took 4 days for both sides to have one innings each to victory just 2 overs from the end of day 5 is just amazing. Shane Warne took what looked like a docile pitch and turned it into a minefield for the English batsmen. The ball he bowled Pietersen with was brilliant.

The after match celebrations were amazing. Considering they haven't won the Ashes yet, it was a bit premature to go over the top.

It now comes down to the 3rd Test here in Perth. The Aussies are in the box seat and only need to win one more Test to secure back the Little Urn. It would be great to win the Ashes back on WACA soil.

Round 7 vs Scarborough

2006-12-04T08:55:00.000+09:00

This round was not our best and we have suffered our first defeat of the season. We had to trek to Abbett Park in Scarborough to take on the Gulls. We lost the toss and were put in on a belter of a batting track. Unfortunately we didn't take advantage of it and we were 3 for 32 early on. I batted at 3 and only made 2. Our total of 226 was always going to be difficult to defend but we thought we were in with a chance.

Week 2 saw an even better batting track than week 1. We were always going to struggle to defend our total and that was what happened on the day with the Gulls making 7 for 299. I took 2 for 56 in 22 overs and had a hand in a run out.

That takes my season total of runs to 81 and my wickets tally to 19. Round 8 is a one day game versus Joondalup at Fletcher.

Wake Up Greg!

2006-11-30T13:11:00.001+08:00

Wiggles saddened by colleague's departure. 30/11/2006. ABC News Online

The Wiggles have changed forever....arrhhhh!!

Aussies 1 Poms 0

2006-11-27T10:55:00.001+08:00

Ashes Test 1 is over and defeat to England by 277 runs is the fitting result. From the toss, the Aussies were on the front foot and when Harmison bowled that shocker of a first ball it all came crashing down around England. They were outplayed in all 5 days except for 2 sessions on Sunday when Collingwood and Pietersen looked the goods against the Aussie bowlers.

There were a couple of things I didn't like about this Test. The Aussies batting again after removing England for 157 and the inclusion of Stuart Clark. History will say that Clark took 7 wickets and made a solid 39 and the win came in the first session on day 5 so both of those decisions were justified. IMHO Shaun Tait should have played and when you get a side out for 157 and they still trail by 445 runs, don't give them or the weather a chance to affect the outcome of the match.

Did the decision to bat a second time come from Ricky himself or was there some influence from Cricket Australia to send the game into the 5th day? I think the players have a share in the gate takings and since this Test series will be the most attended ever, did that influence the decision to bat again? Money and sport - we'll never know on that one.

So it is off to Adelaide for the 2nd Test starting on Friday - can the Englishmen turn it around? Will Australia play 2 spinners? Will they keep the same pace attack and move Gilly to 6 and bring in McGill? What about Shane Watson? Is Tait in line to play this game on his home turf? Can England pick Panesar and keep Giles in the same team? Some say that England did this in the last series - lost heavily in the first Test and then thumped the Aussies so can they do it in Australia? Will the Barmy Army go home? Will Tony Greig retire? All these and many more questions shall be answered come the first ball on Friday.

The Barmy Army Threatens Boycott

2006-11-24T13:34:00.001+08:00

Barmy Army Threatens Boycott - Cricnfo

Ooohhhh....I have some sympathy in my pocket for the Barmy Army...oohhhh! And no, they didn't threaten Geoff Boycott just like Geoff did his ex-wife!

Burnham, who came up with the idea of the Barmy Army during the 1994-95 Ashes tour, said Cricket Australia were ruining the spirit of the game. "They believe the Barmy Army will help England win so it just seems everything is geared to try and make sure there is no fun in the game," he said. "We just want to come over and have a good time ... not to be treated like schoolchildren.

Would it be a bad thing if they disappeared? Not really. I go to the cricket to watch the cricket, not listen to a group of drunks sing a few songs and have a bit of banter with the Aussie crowd. A days cricket can be 7 hours or longer and a little bit of singing etc can be good to break up the day but when it continues all day long it becomes noise. The statement that the Barmy Army will help England win is a load of rubbish - the 11 blokes on the field do that and at the moment not a very good job of it.

Burnham said it was also disappointing that seat allocations meant thousands of England supporters were scattered all around the Gabba, which made them feel "not very welcome at all". He said "an awful lot" of Barmy Army members had not bothered to attend the second day, instead watching the match from their hotel.

Why should they be treated any differently for seating allocations? Talk to some Aussies who tried to get tickets and not for a large group but only mum, dad and the kids.

Here's my advice - go to the cricket, do what you do but maybe think about the others around you - not everyone enjoys the crap you spew.

Test 1 - Mistake 1

2006-11-23T07:50:00.001+08:00

The Australians have made the first mistake in the Ashes series of 2006/07. What are the selectors thinking putting in Stuart Clark in place of Mitchell Johnson or Shaun Tait? Shaun Tait was my man and this selection will come back and haunt them.

It has nearly started - only 15 minutes to go.

UPDATE: Australia are batting first, Warne to be bowling last on the Gabba pitch...could be interesting if the Poms are chasing a sizeable total. What a shocker first ball.

Out Of The Darker Ages

2006-11-22T09:37:00.001+08:00

WA is finally going to have its daylight saving trial. So on December 3 don't forget to wind your clocks forward an hour.

I really hope Eric Ripper was only joking in this article. Surely an MP from the Liberals would not say anything so stupid?

UPDATE: The patch for the Windows operating system can be found here. The timezone website URL is http://www.microsoft.com.au/timezone and it should be available by the end of Friday.

Peter Garrett for PM

2006-11-20T12:29:00.001+08:00

The Labour party will never win an election with Kim Beazley as leader. If you are going to send condolences to a public media figure who has just lost his wife to cancer, make sure you know his name.

Federal Opposition Leader Kim Beazley has apologised for the gaffe that prompted a new round of leadership speculation.

Late last week Mr Beazley tried to pay tribute to Rove McManus, who was grieving for his wife Belinda Emmett, but confused the Australian entertainer with White House adviser Karl Rove.
The mistake prompted reports that supporters of Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard were pushing for a leadership challenge.
Mr Beazley has dismissed the reports as speculation and says he is sorry for his mistake.
"I made a slip-up on Friday as you're all very well aware," he said.
"I'm very sorry for that, and I'll be writing to Rove to indicate the fact that I am very sorry about it."

I hope he sends his correspondence to the right house, not the White House.

Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard are leadership contenders but what about Peter Garrett? Why has PG joined the Labour party? Surely, he must be a better option than those two. He hasn't been around a long time politically speaking but I would vote for him tomorrow over any other candidate. I see the only way forward for the ALP is to get rid of Beazley and put someone in charge who has a strong voice for the people and the communities we live in.

A Message To The Youth Of Today

2006-11-20T11:53:00.001+08:00

Sometimes you get an amusing email in your inbox. I received these words of wisdom and I agree wholeheartedly with them.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.
Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.
Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.
Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Wonderful.

Round 6 vs University

2006-11-19T22:36:00.001+08:00

Round 6 has come and gone and the 4ths have had another win to keep the unbeaten run intact for season 2006/07.

We had to play at Scotch College due to the Frisbee Throwers and finding the place was my first challenge. The 2nd was bowling on a deck that was not responsive to bowlers. We lost the toss and had to bowl on a bowler friendly day. Uni got away to an impressive start and were 0 for 50 after 10 overs. I didn't open the bowling but came on first change and then proceeded to apply the brakes. It was a frustrating day personally as I bowled probably as well as I have for some time but could not get a wicket. I ended up with 0 for 34 after 18 overs but we had them 9 for 224.

This week we had to bowl them out early and then get the runs. It was the perfect start to the day for me as I bowled the first over of the day and with my first ball knocked off stump to finish their innings at 224. I was promoted to number 3 in the batting order and we got away to a great start with a 71 run opening partnership. I came in just prior to lunch and with the remaining opener we put on 99 for the 2nd wicket. So we were 2 for 170 and I was wanting a ton badly. I copped an absolute shocker of a ball that pitched just nicely for me to step back and crack through mid-wicket but the ball pitched and grubbed and hit my stumps about an inch off the ground. I was out 10 minutes prior to tea for 66 and we were 3 for 186. We passed their total at 6 down and made 8 for 299 in the day.

Another good win and we play Scarborough at their home ground next round.

Now This is Cool!

2006-11-19T22:25:00.001+08:00

Why can't our police be allowed to do this to trouble-makers here in Perth? Life would be so sweet....

Movies, Movies

2006-11-13T21:58:00.001+08:00

I don't get much of a chance to see too many movies but there seems to be a couple that I will need to have a look at.

I am a big fan of The Simpsons so here is the trailer for the movie coming out in July next year.

The other movie that has grabbed my attention is Borat (aka Ali G) and I think this character is funnier than Ali G.

And from an interview done on his Australian Tour on Bondi Beach.

Resignation

2006-11-13T21:27:00.001+08:00

Over the last few months my motivation to continue software development has been on the downward trend and closing in on zero. So after a week or so of thinking about it, I have handed in my resignation at Maxwell GeoServices. I suppose the defining moment was for me last Friday while attending a Microsoft summit on the next version of Windows, Office and Exchange. In my current position, I have gotten so far behind on the technology available because we have been working on products in support mode using old, outdated technology. For me to get up to speed on the new stuff would take many hours of after work activity. I have done that for so many years so I decided it was time to move on into other pastures.

Where am I going I hear you ask? I am going to work for the President of our cricket club at Johns Building Supplies. The IT side of things will be reduced and I am looking forward to it. I will start the new job in 2007 and I have no idea what I have let myself in for but I am sure I can handle it.

My own business will continue to operate and I will continue with support of my various local government clients.

Here We Go Again!

2006-11-09T13:27:00.001+08:00

Once again the Aussie cricket team is being branded as arrogant and rude this time by the BCCI president Sharad Pawar. The reason behind this was:

Having won their first Champions Trophy title, Ponting, eager to get their hands on the cup, asked Pawar, the chief guest, to leave the podium. When Pawar remained static, Martyn placed his hand on Pawar's back and motioned him to move away. No doubt this move infuriated the Indians and the national media vehemently criticised the rough Australian attittude.

What a load of crap. This has been blown way out of proportion by the Indian media. The ICC Champions trophy is regarded as the "mini World Cup" as it is the only other ODI tournament outside of the World Cup that involves all the cricketing nations so I can safely say the Aussies would have been happy with the win for the first time.

Why is it that officials feel they need to be part of the action? He should have handed the trophy to Ricky and got off the stage - not hang around for a photo opportunity. It was the winning teams moment and rightly so. I bet if India had made it to the final and Dravid moved him, I wonder if the Indian media would have said anything?

Make up your own mind.

Australia Are ICC Champions

2006-11-06T22:30:00.001+08:00

I bagged the Aussies on an earlier post when they lost to the West Indies in the opening round of the ICC Champions Trophy tournament. I like it when I'm wrong - especially in this situation. They were being flogged early and the bowlers fought back and dismissed the Windies for a score that was never going to be enough and even being in early trouble with the dismissals of Gilly and Punter and a thunderstorm, the total was revised and we passed it 2 wickets down.

Congrats to the boys on gaining a piece of silverware that has eluded them for 8 years.

Round 4 vs Subiaco-Floreat Wrap Up

2006-11-06T22:24:00.001+08:00

We had a good win on the weekend beating Subi comprehensively in the end. We bowled them out for 186 in reply to our total of 223. We bowled well as a team and if it wasn't for one of their batsmen who made 113 in their total it would have been over earlier.

Personally I took 5 for 29 off 25 overs. It was pleasing to be able to take another "Michelle" and now I have 16 wickets in the first 3 games of the season.

Next game is versus University and it has been moved from McGillivray Oval to Scotch College because of the World Ultimate Championships being held at McGillivray - damn frisbee freaks!

Happy Birthday to Kay!

2006-11-02T15:43:00.001+08:00

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday dear Kaylene.
Happy birthday to you.

My partner K turns 38 today. Many happy returns to a very special woman in my life.

Online Shopping - maconline.com.au

2006-11-02T15:42:00.001+08:00

I usually purchase quite a bit of equipment online from various places and I have never run into any online store that have given me any problems. Recently I purchased an item for my Sony Ericsson from Great Britain and it arrived within 5 working days. So I am a bit surprised at maconline.com.au which is based in Australia.

I purchased an item for K's birthday from this website (apparently an Authorised Apple Reseller - scoff!!) on the 12th October 2006. They said they didn't have the colour I wanted in stock for another few days. I told them that would be fine as I had 3 weeks until the item was required. As of today I am still to see the item. The PayPal transaction happened immediately and after numerous emails and phone calls I have yet to get any replies.

I don't care if I get the item now or not but if you do read this and want to purchase any items online for Apples then do not use this site. The service is appalling.

Australia Break Jinx

2006-11-02T09:57:00.001+08:00

Australia have made it into the ICC Champions Trophy final with a 34 run victory over New Zealand yesterday. This is the first time the Aussies have gone past the semi-final in the 8 years the competition has been running.

It was a game of highs and lows for both sides with the Aussies slumping to 2 for 4 early on to recover and make 240 and then New Zealand were 6 for 35 early on and made 206 mainly thanks to Daniel Vetori and Jacob Oram who put on 103 runs for the 7th wicket.

The Aussies are just starting to hit their straps with Ponting and Symonds making 58 each, Hussey and Martyn contributed 35 and 26 respectively. The form of Glenn McGrath is promising with him taking 3 for 22 off his allotted overs.

It will be an interesting final on Sunday with Australia set to take on the winner of today's match between South Africa and the West Indies. The trophy is just one win away and both South Africa and the West Indies have beaten Australia in one day contests in the last few months.

Round 4 vs Subiaco-Floreat

2006-10-30T11:59:00.001+08:00

We won the toss and decided to have a bat on Saturday. I was promoted up the order to bat at number 3. I was in on the 4th ball of the day when one of our openers was bowled for a duck. I didn't last long and only made 12 runs. A bit disappointing really. At one stage we were 3 for 16 but a great rear guard action got us to about 220.

We had a bowl at the opposition late in the day and have them 3 down for about 20 runs. I clean bowled one of their openers so I have 1 of the 3 wickets. It really opens up the match and puts us in the box seat as we have the runs on the board. We just have to bowl well next week and the match should be ours.

I might have to have a talk to the curator....

Parental Control

2006-10-29T11:10:00.000+08:00

There is a fair bit of anger in the community over a "home-made DVD" made by some teenagers in Werribee, Victoria. It shows them sexually assaulting a girl aged 17, setting her hair alight and other degrading things. The reports say that she has "a developmental delay" which I think means she might be a bit slow but obviously you can't say that anymore.

I heard the Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, say that these kids do these sort of things because of "a lack of parental control". I don't fully agree with his statement. When a teenager reaches 17 years of age, he/she knows the difference between right and wrong - or they should. In fact, most kids should know what is right from a much earlier age. Do you blame the parents if they don't? Yes you probably can but there are many more influences in a kids upbringing that also deserve to be mentioned.

Lets start with the schools they attend. How many strong role models do they have at school? I would suggest none. Why? Too many female teachers in the system and not enough male role models. Do they get punished at school? Not these days. It is considered a no-no to smack a child let alone give them the "cuts". That was a huge deterrent in my days at school and I am proud to say that I never had that pain inflicted on me as a child at school.

So lets have a look at who makes these policies at schools. That would be the politicians and do-gooders and most of these would be parents. You have to say that the whole school system is in disarray. They want every kid to get through no matter what. If the schools quotas of passing students is low I bet their funding gets cut so the poor schools get poorer. I wonder if students get kept down a grade anymore because they are stupid or just can't get it? The do-gooders want "time-out" rooms for students who have a hard time not being good. School is very much like the community at large and it is a smaller representation for 6 to 17 year olds. If they get the idea that they can get away with bullying or stealing or just being a pain in their school community, that will probably continue in adult life.

What about the welfare system? If a child goes to one of these government agencies as says they can't "live" with their parents anymore then they are given a handout and a place to stay. I bet the main reason most teenagers leave home is not because of abuse but because they don't want to live by rules. So the government will help them out of a "difficult" situation. Then the government has the audacity to call the parents "bad parents" because we cannot control our kids. I know there a bona-fide situations of extreme abuse that these agencies are set up for but I reckon there would be some fringe dwellers on the abuse stories.

So what about control when they aren't at school? This is where parents come into play. As a parent you have an obligation to teach your children how to be part of society and that usually comes from your own teachings as a child and the role models you had. I was very lucky as a child. I played cricket from a very early age so I spent a lot of time with male role models and they teach you how to behave or you got a dressing down if you didn't. They taught you to respect authority, and your elders. Nowadays there is no respect for people or property - that is a pretty big generalisation I know but it seems to be the norm amongst the kids that are growing up today.

There is also the media and the justice system to take into account. What I see most days on the news is how people are let off for assaulting/killing other people or breaking into property/cars. The whole system is screwed. You can go to gaol for longer if you take money from a company or group of investors than you do for killing someone. We are a society that values money more than human life.

So how can John Howard sit there in his ivory tower and only blame parents for the activities of their children when they are bombarded from everywhere that it is ok to do what you want because there will be no repercussions? Why doesn't he and the government he runs, take some responsibility and make the community the first priority rather than the selling off of government assets? Give the police more power to deal with offenders and make the justice system work for the victims rather than the guilty. Lets make the schools teach - not only vital skills for working in our society but also making our society work - rather than being a babysitting service and give them the power to discipline our children that is a deterrent rather than an inconvenience. Why can't the media focus on more positive things in our community rather than all the bad? I know good things aren't "newsworthy" but then you might get families turning off the TV and sitting together and discussing things that have happened in their daily lives.

That is my two cents worth....

Broadband has Arrived

2006-10-25T00:35:00.001+08:00

I have moved into the 21st century and finally got ADSL connected. It is an improvement on the dial-up but not as quick as I wanted. The plan I signed up for was 1500K/256K but after some tests it shows that I am getting way less than the 1500K.

Test run on 25/10/2006 @ 2:26 AM
Mirror: Internode
Test type: ADSL
Your connection speed:
kbps: 319.56
KB/s: 39.95
Mbps: 0.32

The speed is still so much better than before and I can now use my phone at the same time as being online. Isn't technology amazing!

Round 2 vs Rockingham-Mandurah

2006-10-22T14:30:00.001+08:00

A great round for the Demons. We had all 4 senior grades win with 2nds and 4ths winning outright.

Personally, I had a great game. We made the 30 runs required quite quickly on day 2 and declared at lunch on 5 for 168. That gave us a lead of 69. We had a bowl at them and got them out for 77 in their 2nd innings leaving us only 9 runs to win outright. I ended up taking 5 for 35 off 18 overs for match figures of 9 for 66. I really wanted the 10 wickets in a match but just missed out.

Round 3 is a one day fixture for A's and 2nds against Fremantle. We play again next weekend in Round 4.

ICC Champions Trophy - Australia v West Indies

2006-10-19T01:25:00.001+08:00

The Aussies have just clinched defeat from the jaws of victory in their first match of the ICC Champions Trophy. They were cruising with Adam Gilchrist and Michael Clarke in total control of chasing down the Windies 6 for 234 with a 100 run partnership for the fifth wicket. Even when Gilly was out for 92 and the score on 182, the Aussies were in control with Clarke and Hussey at the wicket.

Then in what can only be described as a monumental f!*k up, 4 wickets fell in the space of 4 overs for 13 runs! Jerome Taylor was the destroyer taking 4 wickets for the match but it included a hat-trick that consisted of Hussey, Lee and Hogg. Huss was bowled and Lee went LBW with Taylor's 5th and 6th ball of his 9th over and then he bowled Hogg with the 1st ball of his 10th over. In the end the Aussies ended their 50 overs at 9 for 224 - 10 runs shy of the Windies total.

Well that is another ICC Champions Trophy tournament that will be a lost opportunity for this all conquering team.

Round 2 Week 1 vs Rockingham-Mandurah

2006-10-16T23:39:00.001+08:00

After the week we had with all the rain I was impressed by our curator's ability to get the wicket up. On Friday morning both the East and West wickets were under water. We got on our wicket only 30 minutes after the scheduled starting time whereas A Grade got on closer to tea.

Anyway, we won the toss and decided to have a bowl (surprise, surprise!). Rockingham aren't the strongest of clubs and we are glad we get to play them this season in a 2 day fixture. We ended up bowling them out for 99. I took 4 for 31 off 19 overs with 3 of the wickets being bowled - the other was caught at gully. In reply we are 1 for 70 so with 30 needed next Saturday I think we will be pushing for an outright victory.

I have to make comment on the umpire standing at my end. I usually get on well with most umpires (scoff!) but when they want to be part of the game rather than just officiating it gets on my nerves and occasionally you want to ram a stump through their head. I saw two LBW's get given not out without the batsmen stepping back closer to the stumps and the ball hitting them in line. Now sometimes I understand that my point of view as a bowler might be a bit biased but when the whole team questions a decision maybe, just maybe, I might have been right. Then he went and gave out our opening batsman LBW playing well forward and hitting outside the line of off stump - go figure? This guy is a tosser and is definitely not worthy of umpiring 10th grade backyard cricket let alone 4th grade WACA fixtures.

It Has Started - Round 1 vs Bayswater-Morley

2006-10-09T20:55:00.000+08:00

The cricket season has finally got underway and our first round was versus Bayswater-Morley. The club had 3 out of 4 senior wins with the A Grade letting us down but they were probably facing the best bowling attack in the WACA competition on the most bowler friendly wicket in the competition.

Personally, my own performance was average. I got to bat out the last ball of the innings and got a single so red ink for my first innings; 1 not out off 1 ball and that gave us a total of 185 off 45 overs. When we had a bowl I opened the innings and took 2 for 25 off 9 overs. I bowled a bit wide at times and in one-dayers anything a tad wide is called. So I gave up 4 wides and 1 no ball.

We were staring down the barrel of a loss with BM only needing 4 per over for the last 10 with 7 wickets in hand. But I took a crucial wicket to break a 73 run partnership and then we got another couple including their captain who was top scorer and we won by 9 runs restricting them to 7 for 176 in their 45 overs. A good first up win and it was good to gain a little revenge for losing to them in the elimination final last season. They went on after beating us to win the GF so it was good to beat the reigning premiers.

The Countdown is On

2006-10-03T09:41:00.000+08:00

The start of the cricket season is just about on us. On Saturday 7th October the mighty Demons suit up for another crack at a flag. I will be pulling on the boots again and I want to have a good season this year. I want to take 40+ wickets and make 200+ runs and it isn't out of my reach. I will also play Masters this season so I should be playing around 20 matches this season....I can hear my bones creaking already.

Showtime!

2006-10-02T21:29:00.000+08:00

On Saturday night K and I went to see The Boy From Oz starring Hugh Jackman. I must admit it was a really good show to see. Hugh Jackman is a real entertainer. If you don't know anything about the show, Hugh plays Peter Allen, an Australian entertainer who made it bigger in the US than he did here. Most people would know his songs "I Still Call Australia Home" and "When I Go to Rio". He wrote many other songs that other performers sung and he won 2 Oscars for a couple of those songs. Hugh sung all the songs himself and he had quite a good voice.

The support cast included Chrissie Amphlett of the Divinyls and Colleen Hewitt. Very good singers and it really showed. The Burswood Dome was packed with about 15000 people and Burswood must have been rubbing their hands together as all the eateries were packed out and then the casino would have been hopping afterwards.

It was a good night out and worth the price of the ticket.

We're the Eagles!

2006-09-30T22:31:00.000+08:00

Finally...after 12 years of waiting, the Eagles have won their 3rd AFL premiership. It was an absolute cracker of a match. At times I couldn't watch and most of the last quarter I spent getting up and down off my seat and moving around. By the time the final siren went it felt like I had played!

We're the Eagles...West Coast Eagles....and we're here.....

Whoop dee do!

2006-09-29T10:38:00.000+08:00

The result from the hearing into the Pakistan forfeit in the 4th Test against England has come in. Inzamam was found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute and not guilty of ball tampering. His penalty - suspension for 4 ODI's. If Ricky Ponting gets fined 100% of a match fee for talking to an umpire that makes a crap decision how does this compare? Inzamam should consider himself lucky.

Pakistan v ICC

2006-09-27T22:40:00.000+08:00

The hearing over the alleged ball tampering incident and resulting forfeiture by Pakistan in the 4th Test between England and Pakistan at The Oval some five weeks ago has got underway today. The Pakistani captain has two charges to defend; one of ball tampering and the other of bringing the game into disrepute.

The charge of ball tampering might be hard for the ICC to prove. No player was accused of it and the ball shows no distinguishing signs. There is also no video evidence of any player tampering with the ball. It looks like a ball that had been used for 56 overs and had been hit to the boundary a few times too many. But just because there is no video evidence does not mean he can be found not guilty, the only evidence required by the hearing is the umpires' word and the ball. If he is found guilty he may lose some of his match fee (between 50% and 100%) and/or be suspended for 1 Test match/2 ODI's.

The second charge of bringing the game into disrepute is going to be the stinger. Inzamam kept his players off the field for some 50 minutes - that is fact. Whether he was protesting the ball tampering incident is irrelevant and he could face up to a 4 Test match/8 ODI ban and in my opinion he is guilty as charged.

The judge presiding over the hearing has to listen to 2 days of evidence and then he has 24 hours to hand down his decision. So by Saturday we should know the outcome. My belief is that whoever loses (the ICC or Pakistan) will appeal the decision and it will continue to drag on.

Is it time for Darrell Hair to call stumps?

Footy, Footy, Footy

2006-09-24T23:10:00.000+08:00

The weekend has just finished and it was a good one for AFL footy fans - well this footy fan anyway.

Friday night had the first preliminary final between the Sydney Swans and the Freo Dockers. I am a Swans supporter so I am glad to see them into the Grand Final next weekend but it is at the expense of a WA team and it would have been great to see them get into a GF.

Saturday saw the West Coast Eagles up against the Adelaide Crows at AAMI stadium. I watched this game and have no fingernails left. For three and a half quarters the Eagles trailed the Crows and they finally got over the line. I believe the two best teams in the competition are playing the GF next weekend although it makes for interesting barracking as I support both the teams involved. I started supporting the Swans because they have the same colours as South Fremantle so it was a natural progression but when the Eagles came on the scene then they are my main AFL team.

On Sunday I made the trek to Subi Oval to watch South Fremantle play Subiaco in the WAFL Grand Final. It was a pearler of a day but the result went the way of Subi. It was disappointing to get beaten by so much but Subi were the team of the season and deserved to win. It would be interesting to see the free kick count because I am sure the umps were wearing Subi jumpers.

Go the mighty Eagles!

Native Title - What The....?

2006-09-19T23:24:00.000+08:00

I have heard that today the Federal Court ruled in favour of the Noongar people's native title claim over an area in WA that covers the metro and surrounding areas. The claim covers 193,956 square kilometres - an area greater than 3 times that of Tasmania. What a can of worms that is going to open.

Good on the government having the balls to appeal the decision and not accept the ruling. In my opinion there is no value in awarding this claim - the traditional aboriginal values have somewhat been lost and all I can see this claim doing is giving the ones who will use this to their advantage to break the law and use "their" land as a hideout. Our forests and areas which fall under the claim will become alcohol havens....then again - it might move the alcoholics back to the bush instead of in Freo but there is not much spare change in the bush.

Time will tell what effect this will have on the community and as long as my land is my land, I couldn't care less what they do with it.

What is Going on?

2006-09-06T15:08:00.000+08:00

Canary yellow loses out to baggy green

The colour of the traditional baggy green cap will be used on Australia's one-day uniforms this summer, but another icon tone has been dumped to allow the change. Gold shirts and trousers have been sent to the opportunity shops after a sun-fading reign as the dominant hue in home series fashion.

Oh my god...about bloody time! I think green and gold is fine as long as it is more green than gold.

The Limestone is Here!

2006-09-05T11:47:00.000+08:00

Today the limestone was delivered for the retaining walls we are building.

I have a couple of jobs that need completion before they can start on the walls including the electricity and phone cables. I got the phone working again with some wire and electrical tape - not the best job in the world but it works.

Is this Wrong?

2006-09-05T00:19:00.000+08:00

What is happening in our world? I have read an article on a nursery rhyme that was sung on Play School. It was an old favourtite Baa Baa Black Sheep. But the words had been changed.

Baa baa woolly sheep have you any wool? Yes sir yes sir three bags full..one full for the jumpers and one for the socks and one for the little girl with holes in her socks.
- Play School, ABC TV, 23rd August, 2006

I know we live in an age where equality and multiculturalism is the norm but changing Baa Baa Black Sheep because of the black reference is silly. There are black sheep. Do they think the reference to Masters and Dames is sending the wrong message to our children - that blacks are ruled by the white aristocracy? What a load of crap.

The words to Eeny Meeny Miny Mo have been changed so that you "catch a tiger by the toe" - that is not what I was taught. My kids don't know what a "Black Boy" is as they call them "Grass Bushes". Adding a colour to a description seems to be a no-no. I am not racist but if you are black, white, red, yellow, green, purple and so on then you are - you can't change that. So calling a sheep a black sheep when it is should not be a problem. I reckon there would be 40,000 or so people who are in trouble with the pc experts each week at the footy when they call the umpires "white maggots". You now have to call them "maggots" and drop the colour.

I will add that the correct Baa Baa Black Sheep was sung at the end of the Play School episode but is there a need to make up the other version?

The Croc Hunter is Dead

2006-09-04T22:13:00.000+08:00

THE Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, is dead.
He was killed in a freak accident in Cairns, police sources said. It is understood he was killed by a sting-ray barb that went through his chest.

I'm sure most people will say he died the way he wanted to...I wonder if his last words were "Crikey, that hurt!"

RIP Steve.

Cable is Cut

2006-08-31T20:59:00.000+08:00

You realise how much of your life is online when you have your communications cut for a few days. I am having work done at the house and while the bobcat was ploughing through the dirt it happened to cut my power and phone line into the house. The power was reconnected quickly (although temporarily) and will be redone again properly. The phone cable is another matter. The company we used in connecting our phone line to the house was called to see if they could do it - Thursday they said. Well Thursday has been and gone and I still have no connected phone line and it is really hard to work and do what I need to without that communication channel. Wireless broadband will be available in the next few weeks and I have signed up already but it has been a long three days and I don't know if it will be completed before the weekend.

Siteworks have Started

2006-08-29T14:16:00.000+08:00

Today is the day for all our limestone work to start. All the earthworks and marking out will happen in the next couple of days. I will post pictures as things happen with the end due in about 3 weeks so they say.

Inzi, Whingey, Captain.....Gone!

2006-08-21T11:27:00.000+08:00

The farce of a 4th Test between England and Pakistan would have to be Inzi's last as a Test captain. No matter what the situation, if player safety is not a concern then you walk on and play cricket or you forfeit. His actions have given England a 3-0 victory in a 4 Test series and really the blame should land squarely on his shoulders. During this Test, the Paki's had a great chance at making the series 2-1 in Englands favour. Bob Woolmer and the PCB should call for his resignation. Lets see if the PCB have the balls (untampered!) to do it.

Happy Birthday Brit

2006-08-15T16:16:00.000+08:00

Kay's and my baby girl Brit was born on this day 11 years ago. Time has flown by so quickly and she is growing up way too quick for my liking, but hey, what can you do.

Happy birthday to you dear Brit!

The Global Corprate Challenge

2006-08-15T15:43:00.000+08:00

Sometime back the Maxwell Group entered two teams into the Global Corporate Challenge and what started as a contest between the two teams has dwindled into just another thing we do at work. So in an effort to get it moving again I am posting the current situation as we are about half way through the challenge.

As you can see we have quite a few slackers in entering their daily step counts with Murray and Chris leading the way. Our team stats are way down on what all the participants in the GCC are averaging and my own personal stats are disappointing. I suppose that's what you get when you sit on your butt all day, drink coffee, stare at a computer screen and don't exercise too much.

Come on, lets lift our game.

Shhhh! It's a Dishlex

2006-08-14T16:08:00.000+08:00

I completed one of my first handy-man projects around the house during the last weekend. Kay and I purchased a Dishlex dishwasher from Rick Hart late last week and I installed it. Considering I don't do many hands on projects this was a good one to try and start on. I got it in but we require a carpenter to do the plynth to lift it by 90mm to fit under the bench nicely.

The woodheater was installed last week and what a difference it makes to the house temperature. I didn't install it but it works just perfectly.

As Proud As A Dad Can Be!

2006-08-05T01:44:00.000+08:00

Sometimes your kids can do amazing things that just make you smile. My eldest daughter Brittany did just that on Thursday evening. Every year for the past 4 years Brit has been involved with Wakakirri through the school. It is like the Rock Eisteddfod but on a much smaller scale and the main theme is about telling a story through dance and each school is to incorporate recycling. Some acts are pretty good and others are woeful but as parents we sit through and listen to approximately 9 performances with one of the performances being our school.

This year they had another category that was story singing. There was only one performance for this year in our state and it came from Brit's school. It was a piece on how a girl was trying to find romance in her life. Five girls were on stage singing this song that I had never heard before. One of them was Brit. At the conclusion of the song, Brit was one of 3 girls to talk about the song, how they recycled and who they want to thank. Brit spoke very well and told us the story. The last girl said she wanted to thank some people and it included Brit - why I thought? It was revealed that Brit wrote the song, got one of her friends to do the music and they performed it to a packed Regal Theatre. Not bad for a 10 year old!

It goes to show that if you give the kids the right environment you just never know what they are capable of. Her music teacher gave her the opportunity and who knows where it will take her in the future. I'm sure there aren't too many of us that can say we wrote a song and performed it to a packed audience at the age of 10. It filled me with pride and I just love my little girl - she is an exceptional talent - but I am probably a little biased!

Training has Started

2006-07-28T23:30:00.000+08:00

The preseason is upon me once again a lot quicker than I would have liked. Today I went for a run with a mate from work through Kings Park. It is amazing how easy it is to get motivated when you have someone who is also going through the same with you. I have purchased a 2nd hand bike to vary training and to take some of the pressure off my old weary legs. I know at 36 it might be time to start winding it down and bowling off-spin but I can't stop being competitive. When I do then it might be time to quit or as my doctor says "Wait until the knee needs a reconstruction before you stop - you are retired a long time."

Oh - I am also going to try and be ready for the 12km City-to-Surf on the last Sunday in August. That is going to be a test as I ony have 5 weeks to go.

England v Pakistan 2nd Test

2006-07-27T22:15:00.000+08:00

It looks like Pakistan want the 2nd Test over as quickly as possible. They were bowled out for 119 early in the second session on Day 1. Steve Harmison took 6 for 19. I hope they don't give the Poms too much confidence - but it is Pakistan I suppose. They can be red-hot one day and not the next. Looks like they are not this Test. Mind you, there is some talk about the inconsistent bounce in the wicket and that county sides would have called the game off. It could be all over inside 3 days this Test.

I wonder how much longer they will have Inzi as captain? I would imagine he doesn't run a lot at training and I can't believe he would be a great motivator of men like a Steve Waugh. There doesn't seem to be anyone standing up in the Pakistani lineup for the captains role.

Wood Heater Ordered

2006-07-27T20:52:00.000+08:00

I placed the order for our wood heater and it shall be installed within the next week. It is a beauty and we can't wait until the house is warm again. All these cold mornings make it extremely difficult to get out of bed and this should take the edge off. We purchased it from Hearth House in Guildford. The experience I had with the salesperson was great. He didn't try and push anything that we didn't need and talked us out of the more expensive unit as it was probably going to be too big for the area we have. I found that refreshing for a change.

I have included a picture so you can have a look. It is a Masport Verona.

Some Drivers Are Idiots!

2006-07-14T23:35:00.000+08:00

I live 80 kilometres from work so as you can imagine, I spend a lot of time each day in the car when I travel to and from work. Sometimes things go smoothly and today was just one of those shake your head days. There has been something like 10 or 11 deaths on WA roads in the last week and it really makes you wonder what people are thinking of when behind the wheel of a car.

Incident #1:
There was a multi-nova (speed camera) on West Swan Road. I don't understand the logic of flashing the oncoming traffic and have never done it. The camera was on the opposite side of the road to what I was driving. The car in front of me flashed every oncoming car to warn them of the camera. Speeding is an offence in WA and flashing the oncoming traffic warns the law breakers of impending authority so if you decide to notify oncoming traffic that they could be caught you are also breaking the law. Everytime you get behind the wheel of a car you are in control of a lethal weapon of a tonne or more travelling at speed and the potential for disaster is always prevalent.

Incident #2:
The inability of some drivers to use their mirrors and to check behind them before they change lanes is amazing. I saw at least two incidents on my way to Freo that nearly caused major bingles on a main carriageway.

Incident #3:
Some people just drive in their own little worlds without care for anyone else on the road. These are usually the old and just happening to be towing a caravan. I pass a lot of caravans each day and I am pretty sure that the drivers would not be on the young side of 70. I cannot understand the need for a caravan to be driven at 60km/h on a major highway (ie Great Northern Highway) where the speed zone is 110km/h? Especially when the car towing the caravan happens to be a F250 of a Toyota Prado. They cause much frustration of the drivers travelling at the limit and the truck drivers don't give a toss about them and overtake them whereever because the traffic on the other side of the road will get out of the way.

I think it is time to be more vigilant on the roads and take more care. There are a lot of people travelling to and from locations everyday. Be careful and be safe.

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Half a Million Dollars - Hahahaha

2006-07-12T01:25:00.000+08:00

How much has our house been estimated at; half a million dollars - in my best Dr. Evil accent.

House and land prices in Maryville Downs has sky rocketed in the past couple of years so we decided to get the house revalued by the Bank. We purchased our 5 acre lot in September 2002. By December 2004, the value of the land increased $75K and since then the value put on our property has increased a further $110K. I was pleasantly surprised to see the value determined at $530K as of last Friday.

Most people I have spoken to in the area have all said the same thing - "I wished I purchased more land 4 years ago". The latest release has had people camping out at the sales office so they can put a deposit on a block. They are paying in excess of $230K for a 5-acre lot that would require more land work than ours when they eventually build.

Watch this space to see how our place changes in the next few months. We are about to get some major works done on the outside including limestone walls and a new shed.

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A T-Shirt Just for Me

2006-07-09T13:45:00.000+08:00

I had this t-shirt pic sent to me from one of the guys at work. He knows my views on all the homeless in Fremantle.

I thought it would be funny to wear but probably politically incorrect. The site where this came from is well worth a look - they have some very funny shirts for sale. They may not suit everyone's tastes but they certainly made me chuckle.

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That's it...I've Had Enough!

2006-07-02T22:56:00.000+08:00

Big Brother needs to be wound up and removed forever from our TV screens.

With the latest "scandal" I think the show has run its course and in the interests of relations between the public and Channel 10, evict all the housemates, sack Gretel and never mention BB06 again. It was a bigger scandal to let an aging, man-hating bitch be shown on TV in a dress revealing way too much cleavage. How funny it would have been if the fake boobs Krystal had been evicted and Gretel had her saggy prunes on show. It is burning my retina.....

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Confidence is a Wonderful Thing

2006-07-02T11:48:00.000+08:00

I was a little bit surprised that the Aussie cricket team had no real match play from April this year until the Ashes series in November but maybe it is all part of a cunning plan. England are playing as much as they can and without too much success. The last game in the 5 ODI series against SL was a bat-fest. England made over 320 and SL chased it down with 12 overs to spare - pretty amazing!

I remember the Aussies getting beaten in England and the writing was on the wall. Confidence is an amazing concept in cricket and if you lose it, the game becomes so much harder and the run of play/decisions then start to go against you and all is wrong with the world. The Aussies last played South Africa and Bangladesh away from home and had comprehensive victories. Therefore confidence is high. England have been beaten in 2 test series and have injury concerns to major players. What will their confidence level be when they arrive on Australian soil in October/November? What excuses will they come up with when we regain "The Ashes" at the conclusion of the 2006/07 season? Will they criticise the ICC for too many games in a season - that seems to be a popular line when you lose a series? A lot of questions will be asked of both teams and I only hope the Aussies have all the answers and come out on top.

On a sad note - Fred Truman, the great English fast bowler, passed away on the weekend aged 75. Fast bowlers are a dying breed and he was one of the greatest characters to have played the game - RIP Fred.

FY07 - Welcome to the Jungle!

2006-07-01T11:12:00.000+08:00

July 1 marks the start of another financial year. Kay and I are going to use this date to make significant changes to our financial methods and models. Lets see what has happened in the last financial year.

Australia lost "The Ashes"
Moved into our new house
Setup this blog
Got out 3 updates to LeaseControl
Attended Tech.Ed 2005 on the Goldcoast
100 posts

Whats ahead for this coming financial year

House improvements
Cricket season 2006/07
More LeaseControl goodness
West Coast to win the AFL Premiership
Austalia to regain "The Ashes" back on home soil

Ok - maybe the last 2 I have absolutely no control over but it would be nice. I think there will be more but they are the major things I foresee.

All Things Microsoft

2006-06-30T23:23:00.000+08:00

Microsoft seems to be in my sites at the moment. I have just upgraded my IE 7 Beta 2 to Beta 3. Apparently it is more secure and fixes some of the Beta 2 issues with the user experience. I will give it a try and see how it pans out. I have tried a few browsers (IE, Firefox, Maxthon, Flock, Opera) and I always seem to come back to IE. I don't know why but I seem to like Microsoft software. There is nothing compelling in the other browsers that just stands out and says "Use me". Each has its own features that I like but IE is my tool of choice.

It has been reported throughout the day that TechEd 2006 in Sydney has already sold out. There is still 8 weeks to go until the event so there must be huge interest in the products that Microsoft is rolling out. I think they are still in the early bird registration period. Too bad if you were waiting on approval to go. I went last year and I thoroughly enjoyed the technical sessions and social events. Microsoft really go out of their way to make sure the people they are working for were well looked after.

It has been reported to MS employees that Microsoft may face a fine of $2.5 million a day from its European anti-trust fallout. This has come on top of news that sales employee numbers will be cut and there will be delays in Office 2007 and Vista.

A big week for Microsoft.

Another AGM, Another Season...

2006-06-29T23:27:00.000+08:00

The Perth Cricket Club held its annual AGM last night at Fletcher Park. It was a poor turnout by the members with more apologies than attendees. I nominated for Secretary once again and was elected to the position unopposed. This will be my 5th year as Secretary and 7th year overall on the committee. JL was elected back as President and that makes it his 14th year in succession and 15th year overall in the position.

I have one goal while on the PCC committee and that is to be there when the A Grade win a pennant flag for the first time as the Perth Cricket Club. The last time we won a flag was back in 1948/49 when we were known as the East Perth Cricket Club.

The Club has a very long history. We were formed in May 1862 as The Metropolitans. This wasn't the oldest club at the time - the original Perth club (The Gentlemen of Perth) was formed in 1839 but was disbanded in 1878 and its members joined our club. In 1885 the WACA was formed and our current captain at the time, George Parker was the inaugral chairman of the WACA.

Since the clubs formation we have changed names 4 times. The Metropolitans was changed to East Perth in the early 1900's. About 1904 it was changed to Corinthians and several years later it was changed back to East Perth again. In 1955 the name was changed to the Perth Cricket Club and we moved our headquarters from the WACA to Lathlain Park and then to our current base at Fletcher Park.

We have had several Australian and West Australian players come through our ranks. Probably the most celebrated would be Dennis Lillee who played juniors at Perth and during his injury period in the early 1970's captain/coached our club. He even took the batting aggregate award one year. Our only other Australian players have been Rod Marsh and Adam Gilchrist. There have been many WA players come through the club including Bert and Basil Rigg, Ian Brayshaw, Wayne Hill, Alan Mullally (played Test cricket for England), Earl Spalding and Luke Ronchi. There have been some great imports over the years as well including Ken McEwan, Graham Gooch, Paul Terry and Mustaq Ahmed.

To be part of a club that has such a rich history makes you proud to wear the red and black into battle on the weekends. We carry on a rich tradition that I will endevour to preach to everyone I know and in an age when history sometimes doesn't mean much, if our players and supporters took the time to realise what an important part we have played in the history of cricket in this state and the country, that flag will probably come sooner than we hope.