It’s that time of year again. Late summer, early fall. Staying up late on a Friday night (Texas time) to watch the AFL grand final. This year is Geelong vs. Hawthorn. I’m planning to head over to Pluckers in South Austin for the grand occasion.
A photo featured in The Age today of some Australian football enthusiasts in Prague:
And the best thing about the end of footy season? Cricket season!
Catholic doctors and hospital staff in Victoria don’t seem to think that laws should apply to them. They’re making all kinds of hysterical threats such as closing down emergency departments and defying the law. There is some sympathy from The Age, but Liberty Victoria has outed their campaign of manipulation against abortion law reform:
Hospitals must comply with laws governing the provision of medical services, including medical or ethical codes of peak medical bodies such as the Australian Medical Association. To threaten hospitals based on a wilful misreading of the bill is to abrogate responsibilities to those in their medical care; it is playing politics with people’s lives.
Perhaps it is time to consider diverting public health dollars away from religous organisations that can’t resist using those taxpayer dollars to advance their religous agenda.
According to the Pastafarianism belief system there is an invisible and undetectable Flying Spaghetti Monster, who created the entire universe “after drinking heavily.” The Monster’s intoxication was supposedly the cause for a flawed earth. According to The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster global warming is due to a lack of pirates.
In the interest of “balanced” education, the Texas Board of Education should also incorporate Spaghetti Monster beliefs into science and social studies classes.
The pseudo-tabloid Herald Sun reports today about the relative danger of crime on public transport in Melbourne, Australia. I recall late night trams from Swanston Street to Dandenong Rd having drunk or unruly passengers from time to time. But it does sound as if things have gotten worse. I mostly blame Jeff Kennett for eliminating the conductors from trams and staff from stations. I don’t think the roving ticket inspectors add any sense of reassurance. Their job is merely revenue protection. There isn’t much of a service culture in Australia compared to Japan or the USA.
The lesson is simply not to take a child in a stroller through those snappy yellow gates. Or, take the car.
While I was in Melbourne in March 2008, we ventured out and about using public transport with an 18-month old in a stroller. We had a positive experience with passengers on a crowded peak-hour train being quite polite and helpful when we arrived at our stop and needed to get off the train before the doors slammed shut again. However, the automated ticket gate at Flinders St station snapped shut with our little one in the stroller. She was frightened, although fine. Daddy was angry and cursing Jeff Kennett!
Earlier that same day we encountered a ticket-vending machine that only accepted coins. US dollar notes, Aussie dollar notes – no. VISA, Mastercard, American Express, EftPos – no. No staff at the station. It’s pretty much as if the train companies don’t like being paid. Pathetic!
Overall we did enjoy taking the train, although I’m not sure I could deal with all that nonsense on a daily basis.
Hurricane Ike is tracking towards Texas across the Gulf of Mexico. Rain and wind forecast for Saturday with possible flooding, tornados and hurricane-force gusts. No need to water the lawn this week.
Another feature of our Austin Texas garden: Agave Salmiana var. Ferox, also called the Green Giant. We have a large one out the back (not pictured here) that is about 6 feet tall, and various offspring in the front yard too. I like these because they can easily tolerate summer heat without much watering. They do better with an occasional drink of water. They also cope well will the occasional freeze or ice storm here in central Texas.
Around Austin I have noticed a lot of Agave Americana too. The Blue Agave used for making Tequila as also an agave.
As the heat gradually eases off in Austin Texas, an ode to our summer companion Argiope Aurantia. Common to North America they are generally considered to be harmless. This female has had its large web in front of our lounge room window, uncomfortably close to the faucet for we use for watering the lawn.
More Argiope Aurantia photos available at Wikimedia Commons and Forestry Images.
Featured on the local news this evening, a new environmentally friendly construction material: Mason Greenstar CinderBlox. A weekend project, perhaps!
Young Australian Skeptics
