I'm not bored. Honest

Well it seems that my helpful contribution to the world in regards to publishing the discount cross-reference in the Entertainment Guide is unappreciated. *sob*

So I think an expanded rebuttal is in order to the questions posted by my sister:
1) You have waaaaay too much time on your hands and your hobby of collecting European leader bobbleheads isn't really paying off like you thought it would.

You know... I just thought they were gonna be the next Beanie Babies. Who knew?

2) You have difficulty sleeping and don't get porn pay channels on the cable box.

No. There is no porn here in Western Australia. The don't offer it cause it isn't legal. You can't even go buy porn mags that are more explicit than a Victoria's Secret catalog. The only thing you can do is mail order it from companies based in the capital of Australia, the ACT, where it is legal.

However, there are plenty of brothels in Perth, and Australia for that matter. They are not illegal here. They are not technically legal. They just are not illegal. They have been de-criminalized. They are rather large businesses and are well known and perfectly accepted as just another business in town.

So one has to wonder why a man can't buy a dirty mag, but can visit a brothel. I think it has to do with the labor unions, and the past labor oriented governments. The bottom line is, they don't want anyone doing anything that doesn't require at least one person getting employment from it.

Just like you can't buy a newspaper from a news rack. You have to find a news-shop and buy the paper there, from a human. You can't buy stamps from a vending machine. You have to stand in line and buy them from a clerk at the post office. It all means that every transaction involves two people. The customer and the vendor.

One thing that has me puzzled is why they let Aussies pump their own fuel. Why don't they have laws like in Oregon that requires a teenage pump monkey to do the job for you. Perhaps they just have not thought of it yet.

3) You have undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder and this sort of activity is "soothing" to you.

You ain't far from the truth there. :-) Actually, I'm just a cheap bastard. I don't like saving only 25% when I know I could have saved 50%.

4) You have lost your job, are too embarrassed to admit it to your family and friends, and just made this list to keep you busy and make sure your Excel skills stay sharp.

I wish. I would love a break.

Babies

Last week I hooked up with Louise for breakfast in Cottesloe. Since she is not working right now, it is pretty easy to talk her into going out, as long as she doesn't pay. It was nice to catch up with her.

On our way into the cafe, she ran into a friend of her's who just had a baby. The new mother had the baby in a pram (baby carriage) all wrapped up from the chill. Since I know nothing about kids and babies, I said nothing as Louise cooed and did all the "what a beautiful baby" stuff. Finally, I figured it would be impolite of me to not at least acknowledge the kid. So I asked the mom, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

The mom just looked at me in silence for a minute. She blinked her eyes in shock and said "Boy babies had penises and girl babies have vaginas. Can't you tell it is a boy? It That is why I put a blanket with blue dots on it. If it was a girl, I would have used a pink blanket."

Well excuse me for not undressing your kid to determine the gender. Yes, I know how girls and boys are different. True, I had not noticed the subtle color difference in the blanket. I try to not make assumptions based on stereotypes, so even if I had noticed, I would not have assumed anything more than it was simply a blue blanket. Perhaps next time you take the baby out, draw a beard and mustache on him so you won't be offended by questions like mine.

Louise aplologized for me later. She explained that her friend is a medical doctor and throws terms about like 'penis' and 'vagina' like nothing. Plus, she is a new mom, which I assume means they are hyper-sensitive about anything that might be interpreted as negative about their baby. Perhaps she interpreted my question as "Your baby boy sure is feminate!"

One more reason to avoid people with babies. Frankly, I don't care what their gender is. They are all the same for the first year any how. Nothing but screaming poop machines. And they look really old and weird too.

I guess there is some truth to the old joke: "Q: Why are babies so cute? A: So you won't kill them".

Gotta move house

I got a letter from the landlord today. The owner's daughter wants to live here, so they are not going to renew my lease. Noooooo!

I' ve been here for 3 years. I love it. I'm comfortable and happy here. This place is perfect for me.

I'm very sad. I've got a couple of months, I hope.

The Middle East's Conflict Of Interest.

I've decided to post something political here on my little blog. I have a deep interest in politics and I like to understand the forces behind the decisions actions of governments.

One area which deeply facinates me is the Middle East. The problems there seem never ending. It facinates me how the nations in the Middle East has such terrible records on human rights, freedoms, economics, and on and on. I boggles my mind that in this day and age there can be so many people who seem to be willing to tolerate this.

I've developed my own theories about this area. I try to look at the big picture. I try to ignore the normal arguments about Israeli occupation and oppression of the Palistinians. I ignore the arguments about the US sponsored dictatorships.

I am convinced there is far more to this situation than meets the eye. Below is a perfect illistration of my theory.

Last week, the head the Arab League claimed that there will be no democracy in the Middle East until the Palestinian situation is resolved. I would like to point out the gross conflict of interest in this claim.

This conflict has been going on my whole life (I'm 41 – born in 1963). I find it impossible to understand how this can continue to grind on and on, year after year. The aggressor and victim nations of WWII, Korea, Vietnam wars have moved on despite horrific warfare, including the use of atomic weapons on Japan. What is it about this conflict that goes on for generation after generation?

I've concluded that the reasons are not the answers that are constantly bantered about. This conflict is not the problem. Instead, it is a symptom of a larger problem that is not being addressed. In order to see and understand this, one only has to step back and look at the big picture.

The most basic question any detective asks when solving a crime is "Who Benefits?". Experience has proven that is where most often the responsible party can be found. All that is needed is to step back and look at who benefits from the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

The ruling parties and families of the Middle East nations are who benefits. This conflict serves their interests for the accumulation and retention of power and wealth. In fact, a resolution to this conflict is their worst nightmare. They exploit the suffering for power and profit.

Consider the perspective from of the rulers of today's ME nations: The Saudi royal family, the Jordan royal family, the Baathist in Syria & Iraq, the clerics in Iran, the smaller monarchies of the Gulf States, Mubarak of Egypt, and Qadhafi of Libya. Their objective is to retain absolute power and control. The strategies they use are:

(1) Repress all real political opposition.

(2) Create secret police to find and control dissidents.

(3) Control all media and source of public information.

(4) Control religious institutions through sponsorship and suppression.

(5) Manufacture an enemy as a threat to the nation, faith, or creed.

(6) Blame internal problems on external enemy.

(7) Claim credit and responsibility for protecting the nation from this enemy.

The Israel/Palestinian conflict is a made to order solution to employ these strategies. And best of all, it is cheap. Real cheap! There are no Israeli forces outside of Israel and the occupied areas. No Arab cities have Israeli tanks in their streets or Israeli aircraft overhead. Nor is there a credible threat of an unprovoked Israeli invasion or aggression. They can sit safely in their homes, sipping tea, and watching it all on television. Their own soldiers are not dying in combat. Their military equipment and officers are not being tested or destroyed on the battlefield

By coordinating their control of the media, faith, military, and secret police, they assure that this conflict serves as a mass distraction for their own population. It allows them to avoid responsibility for problems as home by hiding behind the shield of Arab brotherhood. It gives them the excuse to suppress freedoms of expression and opposition in the name of national security.

They exploit victim hood in the name of unity. For example, when someone from a bad neighbourhood attempts to better themselves with the goal of getting out. That person is often ridiculed for thinking they are "too good for the 'hood". For not being "down" for their oppressed brothers. For selling out to the man. For being a traitor to their roots. You see this happening in generation after generation of East LA gangbangers and millions of other small examples. In the Mid East, this is simply done on an international scale.

Conflict, like fires, will rage until they run out of fuel. Normally in a conflict, over time, the extremists on both sides are worn down by attrition and exhaustion. Eventually one side collapses, or both sides compromise on a middle ground, settle their differences, and move on. In order to keep a conflict from burning itself out, it needs a large source of weapons, fighters, and inspiration from outside the theatre of conflict.

The ruling parties provide the fuel for this fire. But they have to provide just enough to keep things in their control. Ironically, the destruction of Israel is not what they really want. It would deny them a villain for their problems. They simply have to provide just the right amount of fuel to assure the fire does not consume all, or burn it self out.

Specifically, they keep the conflict going by sponsoring those on the extreme militant side of the conflict. By given them money, training, weapons, leadership, and protection, they assure that any voices of moderation are drown out by the rhetoric of those who can not live with compromise. Every time it appears that the conflict might be making progress towards a resolution, they re-open wounds that should be left to heal, by sponsoring an attack. The strategy is to simply keep talks derailed and to prevent progress on any issue.

It is cheap because they can buy this sponsorship with the petro-dollars they steal from their own national resources. They don't have to risk their own country, military, or lives.

These rulers, by claiming they will not make "progress" in their own nations until the Palestinian issue is resolved, are using deceit to justify their own abuse of power. By also using their money and power to prevent a resolution, they buy their own justification for their power.

That is the conflict of interest. They state a prerequisite condition for relinquishing power, but then use that same power to assure that the prerequisite is never satisfied. It is exactly like claiming a state of emergency, but also being the sponsor and forces behind the reason for the state of emergency.

The solution, if there is one, is to recognize the reality of the situation and to cut off the source of the fuel of the conflict. The Palestinians have to recognize that they are being exploited by their so-called friends. The costs of sponsorship of extremists has to be raised to make it unpalatable.

Israel has to also reel in and silence their own extremists who advocate the taking of more Palestinian land. They are just as dangerous as the Palestinians. However, I think they have the means and the will do this, if given a chance by the Palestinians. Between pressure from the US, their own exhaustion and desires for a normal life, and the knowledge that their security is assured, it will happen.

But as long as others claim to speak for the average Palestinian, and advocate war, then they feel they must defend themselves by whatever means necessary.

Perth Entertainment Book 2005/2006

I received my 2005/2006 Perth Entertainment Book today. One thing I find frustrating when using it is being able to identify restaurants by location and discount. The vast majority of the restaurant coupons in sections A, B, and C are either 25% off the total bill. or 2-for-1 main course.

To make the book easier to use, I go through each section's table of contents and highlight the restaurants that have the 2-for-1 coupons. This is a bit of pain to do since they are sorted by area and name. Then you have to look up the coupon itself to see the discount. I have a spreadsheet that does this work me and makes marking the 2-for-1 offers easy. I've posted the results here on the blog entry incase any one else wants to mark their book the same way.

Section	Region	2x1	25% Off
A	City		A77
A	City	A128
A	City	A138
A	City	A95
A	City		A5
A	City	A88
A	City		A33
A	City	A116
A	City	A153
A	City		A36
A	City		A20
A	City		A44
A	City	A9
A	City	A42
A	City	A80
A	City	A96
A	City	A86
A	City	A82
A	City	A121
A	City	A38
A	City	A150
A	City	A155
A	City	A127
A	City		A32
A	City		A59
A	East	A107
A	East		A43
A	East	A46
A	East	A132
A	East	A30
A	East	A151
A	East	A126
A	East	A79
A	East	A12
A	East		A24
A	East	A131
A	East	A50
A	East	A18
A	East		A54
A	East	A123
A	East	A119
A	East	A114
A	East		A78
A	East	A144
A	East	A145
A	East	A67
A	East	A134
A	East	A69
A	East	A10
A	East	A105
A	East	A110
A	East	A23
A	East	A35
A	East		A4
A	North	A112
A	North	A97
A	North	A93
A	North	A113
A	North		A71
A	North		A68
A	North	A156
A	North	A118
A	North	A117
A	North	A149
A	North		A62
A	North	A130
A	North	A147
A	North	A125
A	North	A133
A	North	A129
A	North	A136
A	North	A34
A	Northbridge	A90
A	Northbridge		A40
A	Northbridge	A154
A	Northbridge		A76
A	Northbridge	A84
A	Northbridge	A122
A	Northbridge	A89
A	Northbridge	A102
A	Northbridge	A148
A	Northbridge	A152
A	Northbridge		A73
A	South	A135
A	South		A61
A	South	A64
A	South		A28
A	South	A109
A	South	A111
A	South	A92
A	South	A101
A	South	A26
A	South	A104
A	South	A103
A	South		A70
A	South		A41
A	South	A21
A	South	A99
A	South	A66
A	South		A60
A	South	A120
A	South	A124
A	South	A81
A	South	A58
A	South	A14
A	South	A139
A	South	A141
A	South		A51
A	South	A22
A	South	A11
A	South	A83
A	South	A98
A	South	A2
A	South		A78
A	South	A100
A	South	A19
A	South		A49
A	South		A63
A	South	A106
A	SW		A55
A	SW		A53
A	SW	A16
A	SW	A108
A	SW		A31
A	SW	A8
A	SW	A87
A	West	A143
A	West	A115
A	West		A77
A	West		A65
A	West	A25
A	West		A39
A	West	A37
A	West		A72
A	West		A27
A	West	A146
A	West	A94
A	West		A56
A	West	A3
A	West	A13
A	West	A91
A	West	A142
A	West		A47
A	West		A57
A	West	A75
A	West	A7
A	West	A48
A	West		A45
A	West		A74
A	West	A17
A	West	A1
A	West		A78
A	West	A137
A	West	A52
A	West	A85
A	West	A140
A	West	A15
A	West		A6
A	West	A29
B	City	B77
B	City		B63
B	City		B60
B	City	B81
B	City		B27
B	City		B54
B	East		B66
B	East		B72
B	East		B61
B	East	B92
B	East	B82
B	East		B10
B	East		B55
B	East		B24
B	East	B35
B	East	B56
B	East		B64
B	East		B36
B	East		B18
B	East		B12
B	East		B70
B	East		B51
B	East	B39
B	East		B49
B	North		B40
B	North		B11
B	North		B83
B	North		B15
B	North		B90
B	North		B25
B	North		B23
B	North		B84
B	North		B45
B	North		B21
B	North		B41
B	North		B78
B	North		B2
B	North		B65
B	North		B52
B	North		B22
B	North		B91
B	North		B1
B	North		B62
B	North		B16
B	North		B47
B	North		B75
B	North		B17
B	North	B58
B	North		B88
B	Northbridge		B85
B	Northbridge	B3
B	Northbridge		B69
B	Northbridge	B43
B	Northbridge		B76
B	Northbridge	B42
B	Northbridge		B136
B	Northbridge		B26
B	South		B86
B	South	B74
B	South	B50
B	South		B89
B	South		B53
B	South		B80
B	South		B76
B	South		B48
B	South		B9
B	South	B57
B	South		B59
B	South		B5
B	South		B71
B	South	B93
B	South		B32
B	South		B37
B	South		B44
B	South		B87
B	South		B73
B	SW		B6
B	SW		B29
B	West		B79
B	West		B34
B	West		B61
B	West	B68
B	West		B67
B	West		B31
B	West		B19
B	West		B7
B	West		B28
B	West		B46
B	West	B33
B	West		B20
B	West		B14
B	West		B38
B	West		B8
B	West		B1
B	West	B30
B	West		B19
B	West	B4
C	City	C65
C	City		C3
C	City		C67
C	City		C7
C	City		C12
C	City		C16
C	East		C51
C	East	C40
C	East		C25
C	East		C3
C	East		C56
C	East		C39
C	East		C29
C	East		C37
C	East		C21
C	East		C14
C	East	C19
C	East		C60
C	East		C5
C	North		C24
C	North	C15
C	North	C66
C	North		C58
C	North		C3
C	North		C69
C	North		C31
C	North		C1
C	North		C8
C	North		C62
C	North		C18
C	North		C33
C	North		C53
C	North	C68
C	North		C32
C	North	C11
C	North		C20
C	Northbridge	C47
C	Northbridge		C50
C	South		C10
C	South		C27
C	South		C43
C	South		C36
C	South		C17
C	South		C61
C	South		C3
C	South		C69
C	South		C55
C	South		C1
C	South		C48
C	South		C57
C	South		C35
C	South		C28
C	South	C54
C	South		C14
C	South		C26
C	South		C41
C	South		C63
C	South	C34
C	South		C45
C	South		C46
C	South		C9
C	South		C49
C	South		C22
C	South		C42
C	South		C6
C	West		C59
C	West		C38
C	West		C30
C	West		C52
C	West		C4
C	West		C23
C	West		C44
C	West		C13
C	West		C61
C	West	C2