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"Overwhelmingly, the buoyant uplifting spirit so obvious amongst the international competitors and all the proud Chinese citizens is a tonic, and a veritable island of positiveness and hope, in what is for many an increasingly hostile and often pessimistic modern world."
 
Yeah, but equally eye opening were:  ticket scalpers, athletes' families without tickets, empty stands, the only free event [cycling] people not allowed into the area to watch, Chinese protesters with the courage to appear on the streets demanding compensation for their humble homes bulldozed to build the stadiums and hotels, unpaid workers living in squalor, and the hate and rage on the Chinese faces when Free Tibet demonstrators were arrested in Tianamin Square.
 
Thanks to the games there have been some interesting documentaries:  the beautiful BBC series Wild China, a Spanish one on SBS where the Mandarin and English speaking Spanish commentator travelled all over the country showing living conditions that would be hard to find in Australia, and a vivid account of preparing and eating cats in summer and dogs in winter!
 
I don't think China should have got the games because of their human rights record and  colonial aspirations, in a world where former colonials have retreated to their own territories.
 
Fergie

Bottomline

Do you infer that Kevin 07 is a control freak or just cautious?  He's still new at the job, you know.   Besides, accountants are like that!

The loss of the Liberals in the last election was as much voters fearing Peter Costello might end up as PM, than anything the ALP might have done.

Fergie

Topline

I couldn't agree more!  It's like putting Dracula on the board of the Blood Bank.

Fergie

So much for Global Warming.

Name with held

IT'S NOT WORTH IT
12 August 2008

In regards to the selling of Anita’s Theatre, Mercury online.

When Council was originally approached in the early 1990s, to buy the Garden of Peace in Stanwell Tops, they made the mistake of getting a valuation from a real estate agent who said it was worth $400,000. Council said it was too expensive. In actual fact they could have bought it for $100,000.

With the dire financial straights that Council is in, I don't think the community would be too happy about $4 million being spent, even with the University involved, to buy this Thirroul Theatre.

If they didn’t look at $400,000 they certainly should not look at $4 million.

As a cinema, it will not be a viable concern since it does not belong to one of the cinema chains. Today’s home cinema setups have moved the big screen into people’s homes.

Let's not drain the ratepayers further. It's not worth it.

I have run a movie theatre so I speak from experience. I also tried to urge through the media at the time it was first proposed, that it wasn’t a viable venture, despite the good intentions.

GUNS AND THE INNOCENT
11 August 2008

I stand by my comments in the Mercury re the gun shop proposal, as having played two gunshot victims. One was a real life one in a recent CSI Australia about Edgar Cooke, a person who just snapped at one time and went on a killing spree in Western Australia in the early 1960s. He shot people while they either slept or innocently opened a door to a knock in the night. He killed about 7 people in one night. He was caught and was the last man to hang in that state.

I also find it interesting that people in Tasmania support this DA. This is nonsense that they should be listened to, but the same thing happened in Stanwell Tops when a controversial development was passed by Council when supported by people who not only didn't live in that suburb, but not even in the Illawarra! This is the loop hole called the public interest. Community interest is the only one that counts. We don't want to see repeats of what has happened in America at schools and work places. It's shocking enough to see domestic violence situations end in death but let's not make it so that somebody can easily pick up a gun in the house. Don't say it can't happened, because even an aeroplane into the Twin Towers was unbelievable by everyone except those who found the innocent weapons at hand.

SERIAL MOUTH
10 August 2008

I have been on the end of a tirade of accusations by Paul Matters at the last meeting where the councillors were giving their last speeches. I can assure readers that there was no satirical tone in Mr Matters self attention glory seeking as he has so dismissively indicated in explaining his actions against Noreen Hay, (Mercury 9) regardless of whether you agree with her or not on the meetings within her office. I don’t.

After putting up with his childish interjections throughout the council meeting, I told him to let the people speak as was their entitlement.

I was then accused of being a developer and other things. This did actually bring a laugh from those who knew me, including the innocent Councillors. It also offered proof to me that he was prepared to say anything about anyone without even knowing who they were or what they stood for.

It would seem Mr Matters is keen to dish it out, but not take responsibility, except to dismiss things as comments not really meant, as any child who gets caught out does. Particularly his I don’t care attitude.

Like those serial sporting pests, Mr Matters seems to have a serial mouth.

Someone told me that Mr Matters has done some good things in the past. You could’ve fooled me.

GUNS R US
12 August 2008

Looks like I’ve become targeted by people who don’t seem to have last names when they fire justifications of having guns on Mercury online. They do their cause no good by also mocking the fact I played a real life victim. They also seem to think that actors aren't human beings making a living. One writer even seems to think that people who are vocal about following planning regulations, take a different point of view of following the rules when it involves guns. Gee, I wonder why?

Once again they give the old argument of the cars, accident victims and strictest rules on guns. All this is realised, and while we can't remove cars, or trains, or planes, or ships, we can remove guns because they can get into the hands of the youngest child. Unless anyone wants to go on record to guarantee it won't happen.

If we are to have the strictest rules, then tell the public why this proposed gun shop is already listed in the Wollongong Yellow Pages? Guns & Gear, now there's an original title. Why not Gun's R Us? They have certainly jumped the gun here. If the shooters are bound by the strictest rules, then it appears the people who sell guns are governed by something else. They wanted publicity, now they have it. Besides who can also guarantee the shop wouldn't be robbed.

In actual fact, the Mercury story is wrong when it says the real life victim I played knocked on a door and was accidentally shot. It should have read, I answered a knock at the door and when I opened it, was deliberately shot. It was certainly not by a car, and why don't someone try and explain that away to the victims and families, of people who have been shot in the Illawarra and elsewhere, particularly the part about the strictest rules.

While the big question seems to be avoided. What is the justification of having guns?

Alan (Richard) Bond