If there was ever evidence of the Devil’s hand in the affairs of men, it would be the little white beast which has perverted society to the point where people carry it around with them willingly, its tender white tendrils enwrapping the masses drawn in by the oh-so-innocent promise of joy, even as those around acknowledge how short lived that joy would be. Anything else that makes this many people this anti-social would have been legislated to the _n_th degree, as concerned parents and civil libertarians alike argued about the harm to society in the long term. ...

Forever young, forever young… I wanna be forever young Do you really wanna live forever? Forever… forever… Gah! I’ve had this song in my head for nearly 3 days straight now. Youth is like diamonds in the summer sun; diamonds are forever so many adventures couldn’t happen today so many songs we forgot to play so many dreams swinging out of the blue left to come true Not that it’s such a bad song, but it’s just stuck. ...

Greenpeace Founder Goes Nuclear: “Nuclear energy is the only large-scale, cost-effective energy source that can reduce CO2 emissions while continuing to satisfy a growing demand for power. And these days it can do so safely.” This is somewhat along the lines of what I wrote about this last year when the debate was on here.

It’s funny how, with some people, you can start again right in the middle of a conversation. Once you get the pleasantaries over, it’s back to being right there, where you were in when you left. The intervening time adds nothing but new experiences to discuss, or new perspectives on old prejudices. You nearly forget that there’s been time in between. And yet with others, it takes an effort. An effort to connect again on the level you’d strived to reach before. You know these are friends, and there’s a reason why you’re making that effort to connect again, but none the less an effort you have to make. ...

Things are a little political around the place these days, and I hope you’ll indulge me if I post this here. Long rant ahead. See no Evil This week has seen Mark Vaile, Deputy Prime Minister, Leader of the National Party, Minister for Trade, appear before the AWB enquiry into the Oil for Food program bribes. The AWB (Australian Wheat Board), monopoly holder for Australian wheat exports, was caught by the UN giving a 10% bribe on all wheat sales to Iraq from 1999 to 2003. The bribe equates to $300 million, so this involved serious money in anyone’s terms. Mark Vaile, as Minister for Trade, should have had his eye on something like this - a large domestic company operating in a risky environment dealing with large sums. Indeed, it appears his department, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), at the very least has keep tabs on this, with 21 diplomatic cables crossing the department’s desk. ...