Ένα φακελάκι για σας!

Posted by George Brown on 05/08/2012
Posted in: Crime, Politics, Views. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Here’s a little envelope for you!  Nudge-nudge, wink-wink!

Greece is a country facing bankruptcy, and Greek citizens find they can no longer afford the expensive and customary cash-filled “fakelaki” (φακελάκι) or “little envelope” (bribe) paid to public sector workers.

Greece, who is dependent on international aid to remain solvent, has always had rampant corruption that has hampered efforts to raise taxes and reform its poor economy.

The health sector and the tax authorities topped the country’s corruption rankings for 2011 public sector bribes.  While the crisis has not reduced corruption itself, it has reduced the price of corruption that Greeks can afford to pay.

Greeks have suffered steep cuts to pensions and wages as part of austerity measures now in place in Greece.

Greece will need to revamp its tax system and improve its public sector and a long list of other reforms to improve it’s solvency.

The struggle (against corruption) is not easy but a long, difficult and painful process which demands persistent political pressure to it, but as the Greeks are reluctant to comply with the EU imposed austerity measures, so too will they be reluctant to go without the fakelaki.

South Australia Police Chase

Posted by George Brown on 05/08/2012
Posted in: Crime, News. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

Check out this astounding police chase which occurred in South Australia on the 28 June 2012. The vision has been released by the SA Police to assist with their enquiries and to get members of the public who may have been involved to come forward.

This type of crime just does not happen in Australia – well until now!!

Pity there is no sound!!

Russia’s “Pussy Riot” Debacle

Posted by George Brown on 03/08/2012
Posted in: News, Politics, Religion, Uncategorized, Views. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

There once was a saying “Only in America”, but over recent times that thought is equally true about Russia!

AP reports that in February the Russian female punk band “Pussy Riot” – dressed in tight neon dresses and knitted balaclavas – performed a “punk prayer” in the Christ the Saviour Cathedral. The song included lyrics condemning the Church’s open support for the state and called on the Virgin Mary to “chase Putin out” of power. Three band members were arrested and could face up to seven years in prison if convicted of “hooliganism.”

Russian president Vladimir Putin has gone on record as stating he does not favour a tough punishment for the members of an all-girl punk band who performed a song against his rule in Moscow’s main cathedral, but he did add “There is nothing good in what they did.” He added “Nevertheless, I do not think that they should be judged too severely for this.”

Christ the Saviour Cathedral - Moscow

Christ the Saviour Cathedral – Moscow

Mr Putin has developed a history of issuing carefully phrased comments about high-profile trials that end up coinciding with the final verdict issued by the court. He once noted that “a thief should be in prison” and a Moscow court controversially extended the jail stay of Yukos oil company founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky in 2010. Yet Mr Putin has stressed that the court will have the final say in what happens to the three band members, who are already have been detained in prison for five months.

“It is the court that issues the final ruling,” Putin said.

This author suggests that the former KGB polkovnik still has too much of his old ways about him.

In Defence of Australia

Posted by George Brown on 03/08/2012
Posted in: Defence, News, Politics, Views. Tagged: , . 4 Comments

Australia has reached another low!  Australia has saved AU$4 billion on defence spending by delaying some programs, and cutting back on others.

These cutbacks are accross the board and effect Army, Navy and Air Force.  Senior defence officials believe that this situation will leave a gaping shortfall in Australia’s defence readiness.

Defence of this country with such a large and often unpopulated coastline needs regular and added funding to be able carry out this task.  Defence cutback are not new to this country.  It’s been happening for many years! This is a Navy without aircarft carriers or a Fleet Air Arm, an Army with second hand (Abrams) tanks – nearly 50 of these will be mothballed, and an Air Force with aircraft long past their use by date and in dire need of upgrades or replacement.  The current cuts are unsustainable.  Australia has not had a threat to its sovreignty since WW2 when the Japanese bombed Darwin. This complacency about not being threatened and having no local feasible threats is the impetus for these spending cuts.

No threat? Just look to our immediate north, and there you find Indonesia.  With military forces of more than 1 million personnel in uniform, they would form a formidable threat should their relationship with Australia sour. Then of course there is China.

Defence spending is now down to level lower than that spent in 1938 in terms of percentage of GDP. This situation has even had our allies, the United States, suggesting that defence spending is not something that can be turned on and off, when ecomonies are poor.  That is an interesting statement as Australia’s economy is in better shape then most countries especially the US and Europe.

Australia will bring troops home from Timor in December, and the mission in the Solomons will end in June 2013. Australians fighting in Oruzgan in Afghanistan’s south are also expected to finish their mission by the middle of next year. This will save further funds.

See Retired Major-General Molan comments on this situation here.

Olympic Commentary?

Posted by George Brown on 02/08/2012
Posted in: Sport, Views. Tagged: , , . 2 Comments

I was going to reblog Andrew’s fine commentary on the Olympic Games, but instead see his blog Olympic Spirit here.

I echo his view in in its entirety.

Now I’m not into the Olympics one little bit for the very reasons that Andrew has described. I didn’t even watch the opening ceremony.   If the commentary teams somehow think that certain athletes have been disappointing to their country, or have in some way failed, then maybe they should get their own asses out there and see if they can do better. The spirit of the Olympics Games is not to win the Games. It is to get out there and do your absolute personal best in the company of the best athletes in the world.  If you do get a medal, so much the better, but if you’ve given it your all, then one can ask for nothing else. The “commentariat” (as Andrew puts it) do not speak for me and the words disappointing, failure, poor performance are certainly unacceptable.  On news bulletins, I have seen athletes distraught and in tears after failing to win that “expected” medal after hype from commentary teams.  This cannot be helpful. I wonder if the other nations commentary teams describe ther athletes performance in a similar fashion.

In my opinion, the Olympics has changed, and for the worst, when the IOC removed the pre-requisite of competitors having amateur status.

I will not be watching (Olympic) TV for the next 10 days.

Quad Bikes – A Dangerous Ride

Posted by George Brown on 31/07/2012
Posted in: News, Safety, Views. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

In a professional capacity, I have been indirectly involved with a number of fatal quad bike accidents in recent months. This author remains distressed at the number of young lives lost on Australian rural properties associated with the use of these machines.

This is often associated with the lack of safety gear, including helmets, when operating these bikes. They have become the most deadliest machine on Australian farms, being involved double the amount of tractor incidents. All too often it is children under the age of 16 that are killed or injured whilst riding them, often without the use of helmets. Quad bikes are essentially unstable and are easily involved in rollover accidents with dire consequences for the rider. Manufacturers remain reluctant to install rollbars to help protect riders.

See the SMH report here for more information.

Posted by George Brown on 31/07/2012
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

I noticed with amusement this post from fellow blogger Andrew Doohan, And It’s Pronounced…? when he touches on the strange way that parents of children choose to spell (or mis-spell) their names. I certainly agree with his sentiment, but then again I never did like George! Please call me Angus!

The 3 Best Things in Life

Posted by George Brown on 29/07/2012
Posted in: Aviation, Humour, Technology. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

An experienced former RN helicopter pilot once told me this. 

He stated that in his opinion, the three best things in life are a good landing, a good orgasm, and a good bowel movement. He added, with a smile on his face, that a night landing on an aircraft carrier is one of the few opportunities in life where you get to experience all three, at the same time.

RAF Skywriting!

Posted by George Brown on 29/07/2012
Posted in: Aviation, Humour, Politics. Tagged: , . 4 Comments

Look at this brilliant example of British Humour!

The British government has scrapped the Harrier fleet so on their Squadron farewell formation flypast over London and the Houses of Parliament, they gave the government a message.

You may have sit back away from your computer to read the message

Too well done to be done by chance!!

I hope the Squadron Leader didn’t get too much grief! Then again, MP’s would be too dumb to notice!

Dancing With the Devil

Posted by George Brown on 28/07/2012
Posted in: News, Religion. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

As I am want to do, I was sitting in a coffee shop recently indulging in my favourite pastime, the consumption of good coffee, when I noticed an older gentleman sitting next to me reading a book called “Dancing With the Devil” written by Christopher Geraghty.  The book looked interesting, so I boldly asked him what it was about. Thus we started talking.

He stated in part, that at the age of nearly forty, Christopher Geraghty who had been a Catholic priest for nearly fifteen years, and had endured bullying and persecution during that time. Events eventually caused Geraghty to turn his back on the priesthood, but not the Church,  and to take a different path in life.  Geraghty had then studied the law part-time and, for the last 16 years of his professional life, worked as a district court judge in Sydney.

The old gent said that he had known Geraghty well, and could relate to the highs and lows, the ups and downs that he must have endured. He asked me had I known him too? I said that I had not, other than I had known the name as being in legal circles.  I did wonder whether the old gent was, or had been a priest. but unfamiliarity forbade me to ask.

Needless to say, I was intrigued by the story, so much so that today I have ordered a copy of the book for myself. Watch this space for instalments!