tonygoodson

You Are Innocent

On Monday, I had a terrible gut feeling.  The guy they arrested on Monday for the Ipswich murders.  I felt they'd got the wrong man.  I wanted to tell someone.  I wanted them to keep looking.  Why did I think they'd got the wrong person?  Well reading all that crap written about him, all the guilt piled on him, gave me a picture of someone who despite the way he's been painted, actually likes women.
I could of course be wrong, which is why I didn't write anything on Monday, to be proven right by Friday.  And now they've charged the second guy they arrested.

Let this be a warning to all of you on the Internet with your blogs and profiles.  They're coming for you!!  Just watch how the Old Media will make something out of nothing, based on your humourous profile, and any pictures you happen to put there.  You may think it's funny now, but just you wait!!

What happened to Presumption of Innocence?  When did the UK allow the naming, ageing, and addressing of people arrested or helping with enquiries.  And just because the first guy allowed himself to be interviewed by the BBC and Sunday Mirror, doesn't make him fair game.  It makes him, well I was going to say naive, but even that's not fair.  If he is innocent, then he's a frightened guy who didn't know what to do, given that he's seen people he knows murdered around him.  What would you do?

How many of you have profiles and weblogs and MySpace pages, that the media would have a field day with?  Do not be seduced by all these newspapers and media types pretending to support blogging with their 10-20 frontpage bloggers, who may support you in court!  What you need to worry about the 100s of other media people in each organisation who only pretend to get it, but will cut and paste your stuff at a whim.

I think this whole case so far, has left some of us thinking, is it just me, or does something feel totally wrong about the reporting of the first arrest.  What's encouraged me to now write, is this article, which thought the same two words I did when I read about the first guy arrested, Remember Colin Stagg.

Imagine that either of the men arrested in Suffolk is eventually released without charge. He would become another Stagg, already convicted in the court of public no-appeal of being an oddball, an imperfect partner, somebody whose lifestyle throws up so much smoke that there really must be some fire there somewhere, mustn't there? - although officially he would be, of course, utterly innocent.

Peak Oil - You Have Been Warned

I read an article last Sunday in the Sydney Sun-Herald (which I can't find online) about Peak Oil.
Scary.  Peak Oil is when the world hits maximum oil production before the oil reserves start to dwindle.
That point has either passed or is due to pass over the next 5 years.
Some predict this will lead us into 40 years of recession.
We can't bury our heads in the sand on this one.  It will happen, it's just a case of when.

Funny, but a few weeks ago, before I read the article, I was thinking "What if....."
What if I gave up the cars, the mobile phones, the second phone, the cable tv, the school fees, the location (to get lower rent), and led a more frugal life, shopping on foot round the corner, kids at school round the corner.  Not a back to the land life, but a big big cut down.  Low paid job, time with the kids.  And then I read the article which suggest that's where we're all heading that way anyway, a la Cuba, who had to  move to  a non-oil economy after the Soviet Union's collapse in '91.  It became a small scale local community economy.

I don't know enough about energy economics, but the first thing that occurred to me, is that as oil prices go up, doesn't it make it viable to drill other reserves of energy, including oil?  And of course the big one is where does that leave nuclear energy, especially as Australia sits on 40% of the world's known uranium supplies.  Ha!  I knew I moved here for a reason!  We'll become the new Middle East within a decade!!  Unless nuclear fusion (and not nuclear fission) saves the day.

The one thing I just can't give up is broadband!!  That would be my one luxury.
My car has been off the road for over two months, and but for one crisis last week when Annie's car broke down, I've not missed my car at all.  As long as we had cover for our one car breaking down, I'd happily move to having just one car.  I'm starting to detest the cost of keeping a second car on the road, and I like public transport and cycling, and yes, I really am beginning to think about the economy  and environment.

Vera, Chuck, and Dave

One of those strange anniversaries today.
Paul McCartney is 64!
I wonder how he's feeling.  Separation, divorce, and no doubt widowhood, are shitty things.
On the other hand he does have his life, his memories, his achievements, his kids, and of course his grandkids!

Free Public Transport in Melbourne

This is a great idea.  The free transport being provided for Commonwealth Games ticket holders has revived the idea of free public transport for everyone in Melbourne.
I love it.  The trouble is, many people don't use public transport, they think it's for "poor" people and/or don't know where a tram goes to, or how to pay!!
But once you overcome the fear, and use it, the tram system is brilliant and unique to Melbourne.
We have a treasure we don't use enough.  You can get almost anywhere in Melbourne on 2 trams.

Ok, ok the train system needs improving, but it's on the whole very good, with annoying glitches. 
The new trains are great, let's get them all that way.
I love the car.  l love my bike.  And yes I love travelling on public transport whenever I can. 
Once you have that mindset it's easy. 

All we have to do is convince the "rich" people!!

What's the first thing I'd do?  On a big infrastructure scale, I'd build a rail link (or at least a tram link) to the airport.  I can't understand why Melbourne doesn't have a public transport (other than bus) link to it's main airport, it sends the wrong message, and given how close trains and trams run near the airport, me thinks there is a political agenda which has stopped this happening.

Letterman Takes on O'Reilly

WoW!  I've never been a big fan of David Letterman, but watching him take on Bill O'Reilly, is really something. (via Cameron)

Parrot Fesses Up

It's been a while.  So let's get back with something important.
Parrot squawks on woman's affair.

Mr Taylor apparently became suspicious after Ziggy croaked "Hiya Gary" when Ms Collins answered her mobile phone.The parrot also made smooching sounds whenever the name Gary was said on TV.......

World Map based on Population

I love this kind of stuff.  A map of the world based on population (via Boing Boing).
Delving around the site, this map seems better.
What's it telling us? Population Map Explanation.
China and India are going to kick ass!
Smaller population countries need to find niche markets to be in.
Asia is the place for growth.

Singapore - Murder capital of the world

You think I exaggerate?
Singapore 'tops execution league'

Singapore has the world's highest per capita execution rate, according to a report by Amnesty International. The report said the Asian city-state, which has a population of four million, had hanged more than 400 prisoners in the last 13 years. The rate is three times that of Saudi Arabia, the next country on the list.

So it's hardly surprising they executed an Australian drug courier for 400g of heroin.
Now given that Singapore's Prime Minister is so tough on drugs;

We take a very serious view of drug trafficking - the penalty is death,

I'd like to help him solve the crime for which he killed Nguyen Tuong Van.
I think I might know who supplied the drugs Nguyen was carrying.
Burma.
But then again, I think the Prime Minister (not democratically elected but related to his father) of Singapore might have an inkling it was Burma Who Dunnit.

SINGAPORE'S economic linkage with Burma is one of the most vital factors for the survival of Burma’s military regime," says Professor Mya Maung, a Burmese economist based in Boston. This link, he continues, is also central to "the expansion of the heroin trade." Singapore has achieved the distinction of being the Burmese junta’s number one business partner - both largest trading partner and largest foreign investor. More than half these investments, totalling upwards of $1.3 billion, are in partnership with Burma’s infamous heroin kingpin Lo Hsing Han who now controls a substantial portion of the world’s opium trade. The close political, economic and military relationship between the two countries facilitates the weaving of millions of narco-dollars into the legitimate world economy.

So given that "drug trafficking is taken seriously and the penalty is death", I'd like to know when Singapore is declaring war on Burma?
In the meantime, I'd like to know why my favourite benevolent dictatorship has the highest execution (Murder) rate in the world.  Nice Airline. Nice place for a Singapore Stopover.

I don't mind so much the trading with Burma, or the strong stance on drug couriers.
It's the combined hypocrisy of executing people as an indirect cause of the very country supplying 60% of the worlds heroin with which you do business with. That's just like executing a man carrying heroin which will indirectly cause suffering to others, isn't it?  But that's benevolent dictatorships for you.

On the other hand, looking at the economic prosperity of Singapore, USA, Saudi Arabia, and China, maybe an economic boost to any economy would be to execute more people! 

Shame on Singapore and America

So Singapore has executed its Australian, and America has executed its 1000th prisoner since capital punishment came back in '76.  God bless them, both countries must be really proud.
I mean clearly executing murderers in America has reduced the murder and crime rate?
Executing innocent people amongst the 1000 executed is worth it?
Executing so many Texan prisoners has clearly made some of the USA Presidents clearly the men they are.  Texas is executing 4 times the number of the next highest State.

America must be really proud to align itself with the countries in this map.

If you're planning your next holiday, here's a map of civilised countries to visit.
I'd give the Red and Orange a countries a miss, they're going backwards.
Shame on you America.
(And I'll bet India or China abolishes the death penalty before the USA does!)

Boycott Singapore?

I'm sickened by the potential execution of Nguyen Tuong Van tomorrow.
He's condemned for 400g of heroin.
I'm against Capital Punishment for any crime.
I'm certainly against it for this level of crime, executing a low level courier.
I'm intrigued about the Singaporean Government's blind eye to countries like Burma, one of the key sources of heroin.

Some will say Nguyen knew the risks.  Well Capital Punishment doesn't seem to be much of a deterrent in any of its guises in any country that has Capital Punishment.
What can I do?  Not go to Singapore?  Individually boycott Singapore?  I like the place (as a visitor).  It's my favourite benevolent dictatorship country.  Nice airline.
But just as Singapore has a choice in what it does.
So I choose (maybe) to not go there.

Yes, I've been manipulated by the media.  Reading about Nguyen's mother this morning, cut me up.
So my current boycott country list is:
Turkey (Football fans)
USA (The 50% who voted for Bush, again!)
Indonesia (Bali)
Singapore (They executed an Australian)

Oh, and let's be clear.  This is not about the people in those countries, just some of them!

These countries currently leave me with a bitter taste.  It's not an absolute boycott, but given the choice of any country in the world to visit, these are not countries of choice.
And it's subjective.  I'm sure there is much much worse in other countries.
Is it just me or is does Canada seem the coolest (not the weather) country in the world.

How the hell am I going to get out of Australia, if I travel!!