Thry’s comments about the etymology of Gallipoli got me thinking about Cyprus. I’ve never been there but it’s a place I’d love to visit.
My late brother served with the United Nations Civilian Police on Cyprus in the late 1960s. His stories of grenade attacks, Roman and Greek ruins, and the cultural links that joined the Greek and Turkish communities were fascinating and played no small part in my career choices.
My brother had a gift for languages and was fluent in Turkish and Cypriot Greek (he also learnt Swedish and was able to give a keynote speech in Swedish after 10 days in the country). When we attended ANZAC Day marches together, his encouragement of the Greek and Turkish contingents was always reciprocated … and his dark complexion had both contingents claiming him as one of their own.
In more recent times, several of my mates/colleagues have Cypriot heritage and they are very interested in hearing about my brother’s experiences. One close friend’s husband recently published a wonderful book called Tales of Cyprus. It details the close relationship between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, a relationship that has been torn apart by 20th century geopolitical machinations.
My friend’s husband’s latest effort is an exploration of Greek Cypriot language. Many Greek Cypriot words/phrases have Turkish or Arabic origins, as you would expect given Cyprus’s location and the expansion and contraction of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. I suspect that the Norman colonisation of the Mediterranean was also a factor.
So, what does this all mean? Nothing apart from trying to understand the local geopolitical situation. Attempting to explain events in other parts of the globe at other times through the Cypriot lens doesn’t work. It is a fascinating example of cultural processes at work.
It is apparent that posts made yesterday have disappeared and members are experiencing errors.
After many years keeping our site going, Spanner advised that he no longer had the time to continue and we've been operating on a wing and a prayer since then. Fortunately, no glitches have occurred ... until now. I am concerned that, if nothing is done, the site could become inoperable.
Does anyone have the IT skills and time to (a) investigate the current problems and (b) look after the site's ongoing maintenance?
Luke Sayers has announced that Daniel Harford has been re-appointed coach of our AFLW team for another two years:
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It is imperative that the women’s program has continued stability and this will be achieved with a Senior Coach who drives a close connection within the group. Daniel believes in the values of the Club and he drives those values throughout our AFLW program, we know he is the right person to lead this team in our pursuit of success.
It's a no-brainer really, but good to see the club take a longer term view of our AFLW development.
The Defence Department's acknowledgement that the AUKUS submarine deal is going to cost us $5B in payments to France before we even put a down payment on our new submarines got me thinking about how much of our defence budget is wasted on poor contract management and inappropriate purchases.
The Defence Minister recently announced that the MRH-90 Taipan multi-role helicopters were to be replaced by Sikorsky Black Hawks and Sea Hawks after the Taipans were found to be unable to perform the roles they were purchased for. In fact, the Taipans were purchased to replace our Black Hawks and Sea Hawks. In other words, we are replacing the Taipans with the helicopters they were intended to replace!
It was previously announced that our Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopters were not fit for purpose and will be replaced with Boeing Apache Guardians, a helicopter that was in service before we chose the Tiger.
A significant part of our defence budget is going to the acquisition of F-35 Lightning multi-role, supersonic, stealth fighters. They may well be the real deal but we forked out a lot of money to help with development. On top of that, the F-35B version has vertical take off and landing ability and would be be a significant force advantage if deployed on our Landing Helicopter Dock ships.
Back on land, the Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicle has been purchased even if it can only meet one of the Army's requirements for offensive firepower and anti-missile capability. Then there's the Hawkei tactical vehicle that's currently withdrawn from service because the brakes don't work.
Of course, there have been some excellent military equipment purchases in the recent past but shouldn't we expect that all of our defence expenditure produces material that's fit for purpose and is state of the art?
The AFL has announced that the next AFLW season will run from August until November-December this year!
I guess it’s another small step towards aligning the men’s and women’s seasons but it does mean that we’re still a chance for an AFLW premiership in 2022.
I have really enjoyed watching Mimi's comeback from her ACL injury. She plays the game with a bit of flair but, at the same time, is so dependable.
Her stats for the season (from the club website) are:
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Among those 18 [nominated for the Rising Star], Hill ranks No.1 for disposals, kicks, handballs, metres gained and uncontested possessions. Additionally, she ranks second for contested possessions, intercept possessions, inside 50s and rebound 50s, while placing third for clearances and marks.
That's pretty impressive and really reflects the way she goes about her footy.
I reckon that she would be a more than worthy 2022 Rising Star but missing games at the start of the season may hurt her chances. Another good game against quality opposition this week will help.
There is an interesting discussion of Round 1 team selection in the Melbourne game thread so let's see who can come closest to the 23 for Round 1. I'm going with:
I haven't had much time for Tim Smith but he went up in my estimation when he stood up to Bernie Finn, a relic of the religious right.
I suppose that the fact that Smith was the shadow Attorney-General despite not having a legal background is symptomatic of the poor numbers and lack of talent in the Victorian opposition. However, his blustering, poorly constructed criticisms of the Government's legislative program were embarrassing and confirmed that the media is the real opposition to the Andrews's Government.
Getting p1ssed and smashing his car, fortunately with no injuries other than a severely bruised ego, was more than an error of judgement, as Smith described it. It was the irresponsible act of a person who shouldn't hold public office. He didn't even apologise to the owner of the car and house that he smashed into and implied that he hadn't caused any damage other than to his own car.
A police officer found to have the same blood alcohol reading as Smith would be sacked immediately. Why shouldn't the same principles apply to those folk elected to make laws on our behalf?
Parliaments, State and Federal, are known for their drinking culture. It's time for political leaders to say enough is enough and drop the mealy-mouthed platitudes that the Lobster uttered today
If you're a little overweight, have a family history of Type 2 diabetes, or have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, Michael Mosley's new series, Australia's Health Revolution on SBS, is well worth watching.
The first episode gave me a wake up call and I'll be doing my best to eat healthier food and do a little more exercise.
The Boomers have started pretty well with two wins from two games.
It was hard to take much from the game against Nigeria. My Nigerian former colleague, now an Aussie, said, "We had a good win over the Butterfingers" and that pretty well summed it up; lots of turnovers and very average shooting from the field and the foul line.
The win over the Italians was much better and our dominance on the boards was a telling factor. The brilliance of young Nico Mannion kept the Italians in the contest and I think that he is going to be around for some time to come.
Is this the Olympics where we finally break through for a medal? Promising signs so far with good performances from most of our very even squad. Patty Mills is a key player for us but others seem to be able to step up when necessary.
Andrew Bogut's insights from the commentary box have been good and a little more critical than Andrew Gaze's.
Here's your chance to talk about classic motor vehicles, your favourite cars or cars that played a part in your formative years. In fact, anything to do with cars is fair game.
I'll start with my late brother's HT Holden Premier. It had a 253 cu in V8 with a three-speed column shift, apparently a very rare combination.
I went for my licence in this car and I remember doing 100mph on the Eastern Freeway when I was on Ls - those were the days!
It was known as Kevin Henry Charles even though the number plate changed to LLL 666 and Kevin Henry Charles stayed in our family for many years as the loan car. I had it for a while in the late 1980s when my Landcruiser was incapacitated. My niece was the last one to borrow it and, with my brother's blessing, sold it to someone who was keen to restore it to its former glory.
It was great to drive and went like sh1t out of a shanghai when you floored it.
Check it out for original, rare and re-issues of the best Aussie Rock and Jazz music (and some foreign stuff) that you regret not buying at the time. I recently bought CDs by Kush, Carson and Wendy Saddington
