poison food

Lots of everyday foods have poisons apart from the humble kidney bean,rhubarb leaves are poisonous and should never be eaten.
Tomatoes, They contain an alkaloid that interferes with
cholinergic nerves and cause some serious gastrointestinal distress.
Fruit seeds (Cyanide)
What are they found in? Apple seeds, cherry stones, and the kernels inside the pits of apricots, nectarines, peaches, and plums.
Mushrooms & fungi (Mycotoxins)
What are they found in? Poisonous mushrooms, as well as mold on corn, peanuts, barley, wheat, oats, and beans.
We live in a toxic world, but we live.

Is spelling really vital

 

movie review

Body of lies
Synopsis” Body of Lies" is based on "Washington Post" columnist David Ignatius' 2007 novel about a CIA operative, Roger Ferris, who uncovers a lead on a major terrorist leader suspected to be operating out of Jordan. When Ferris devises a plan to infiltrate his network, he must first win the backing of cunning CIA veteran Ed Hoffman and the collegial, but perhaps suspect, head of Jordanian intelligence. Although ostensibly his allies, Ferris questions how far he can really trust these men without putting his entire operation--and his life--on the line.

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Vince Colosimo, Clara Khoury, Jameel Khoury, Oscar Isaac, Mark Strong, Golshifte Farahani, Simon McBurney, Ali Suliman director: Ridley Scott

This movie started off well and I had high hopes of watching Crowe and DiCaprio on the big screen doing what they do best. Unfortunatly this was not to be. An over weight (they say he put the extra kilos on for the movie) Crowe was not at his best. DiCaprio was fairly good but not brillant. One surprise was another Aussie actor Vince Colosimo (from Underbelly,Alphonse Gangitano ) in what I think was his first Hollywood movie.
My rating out of five stars is two and a half. Wait for it on DVD

cork art

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Largest ever cork mosaic
Source: Arben Celi, Reuters
Published: Friday, September 5, 2008 7:37 AEST

People inspect the largest ever mosaic made of corks created by Albanian artist Saimir Strati in Tirana, Albania, on September 4, 2008. Working 14 hours a day for 28 days, Strati glued 229,764 corks of various shapes and colours over a plastic banner measuring 12.94 metres by 7.1 metres to make the artpiece 'Romeo with a crown of grapes playing the guitar while dancing with the sea and the sun'.

Sad days

Jenny my first highschool girlfriend,Sadly passed away this month.There will always be a place in my heart for you J.J .If there is a heaven thats where you will be.
R.I.P

Movies I can watch more than once

These are movies that I can and do watch over and over, most are not blockbuster movies and special effects but they all have either good actors or a good story.I my opinion these few have both, yes most are old movies and maybe I just like a story.

There To kill a mockingbird
Atticus Finch (Peck), a lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his kids against prejudice.
.........................................
Arsenic and old lace 1944
Mortimer Bruster is a newspaperman and author known for his diatribes against marriage. We watch him being married at city hall in the opening scene. Now all that is required is a quick trip home to tell Mortimer's two maiden aunts. While trying to break the news, he finds out his aunts' hobby; killing lonely old men and burying them in the cellar

..............................
12 Angry Men" focuses on a jury's deliberations in a capital murder case. A 12-man jury is sent to begin deliberations in the first-degree murder trial of an 18-year-old Latino accused in the stabbing death of his father, where a guilty verdict means an automatic death sentence. The case appears to be open-and-shut: The defendant has a weak alibi; a knife he claimed to have lost is found at the murder scene; and several witnesses either heard screaming, saw the killing or the boy fleeing the scene. Eleven of the jurors immediately vote guilty; only Juror No. 8 (Mr. Davis) casts a not guilty vote.
............................................
Tucker.The man and his dream.1988
When they tried to buy him, he refused. When they tried to bully him, he resisted. When they tried to break him, he became an American legend. The true story of Preston Tucker.

...............................................
Arlington road 1999
When Michael Faraday, single father, accidentally stumbles across a little lie from his new neigbour, he gets suspicious. As a university professor who gives classes on terrorism history and whose wife got killed in the line of FBI-duty, his fatherly protection instincts arise much faster than in normal people. Grant, his son, became the best friend of Brady Lang. Only that Brady's father did not always carry the name Lang. Digging deeper and deeper, Michael Faraday excavates a very interesting and frightening history. But what we didn't think of: From whose point of view is that history frightening? Written by Julian Reischl {julianreischl@mac.com

Heath Ledger

Would the raves about the late Heath Ledger be the same if he had not died?
You won't have any trouble believing that aphorism when you see Heath Ledger's mesmerizing performance as the Joker in "The Dark Knight," Christopher Nolan's hotly anticipated and often brilliantly executed follow-up to "Batman Begins."

His face caked in cracked white greasepaint, his smile a grotesque red lipstick scar, kohl rimming his eyes, the Joker is a cruel kind of clown, the kind that is only interested in the last laugh.

Slouched in his purple suit, Ledger gives him a lopsided shuffle, a permanently craning neck and an insinuating, deceptively neighborly voice. But there's something reptilian about the way his tongue flicks through his pursed lips like a pickpocket. He's hungry for trouble, a maniac for mayhem -- and in Gotham City, where crime is still running wild, he can make himself right at home.

Ledger dominates this movie as a living presence, a live wire, dangerous and unpredictable. It's an astonishing performance, as extravagant and free ("deranged" might be a better word) as his Ennis Del Mar in "Brokeback Mountain" was inhibited and tongue-tied.

Take the test

An exclusive insight into the likely content of a new 'Aussie values' test for potential Australian citizens which will come into effect later this year.

Sample questions devised by the Federal Government:

1. Which colours are represented on the Australian flag?

a. Green and yellow

b. Red, black and yellow

c. Blue, red and white

d. Orange and purple

2. Indigenous people have lived in Australia for ...

a. At least 40,000 years

b. About 8000 years

c. About 800 years

d. Less that 400 years

3. Australia's national flower is the ...

a. Rose

b. Wattle

c. Kangaroo paw

d. Banksia

4. Which is a popular sport in Australia?

a. Ice hockey

b. Water polo

c. Cricket

d. Table tennis

5. Australia's political system is a ...

a. Parliamentary democracy

b. Monarchy

c. Dictatorship

d. Socialist state

6. The Capital of Australia is...

a. Sydney

b. Melbourne

c. Hobart

d. Canberra

7. Which animals are on the Australian Coat of Arms?

a. Wombat and echidna

b. Kangaroo and emu

c. Kangaroo and dingo

d. Lion and unicorn

8. Where did the first European settlers to Australia come from?

a. Spain

b. France

c. England

d. Ireland

9. Who is Australia's head of state?

a. Prime Minister John Howard

b. Queen Elizabeth II

c. Governor General Michael Jeffery

d. Premier Steve Bracks

10. Who was the first Prime Minister of Australia?

a. Sir Edmund Barton

b. Sir Henry Parkes

c. John Curtin

d. Sir Robert Menzies

11. What song is Australia's national anthem?

a. God Save the Queen

b. Star Spangled Banner

c. Advance Australia Fair

d. Waltzing Matilda

12. What do you call the elected head of a state government?

a. Governor

b. Premier

c. Mayor

d. Prime Minister

13. Which federal political party or parties are in power?

a. Australian Labor Party

b. Australian Democrats and the Australian Greens

c. National Party

d. Liberal Party and National Party

14. Which of the following are Australian values?

a. Men and women are equal

b. `A fair go'

c. Mateship

d. All of the above

15. Australia's values are based on the ...

a. Teachings of the Koran

b. The Judaeo-Christian tradition

c. Catholicism

d. Secularism

16. What does Anzac Day commemorate?

a. The Gallipoli landing

b. Armistice Day

c. The Battle of the Somme

d. Victory in the Pacific

17. In what year did the first European settlers arrive?

a. 1801

b. 1770

c. 1788

d. 1505

18. How many states are there in Australia?

a. 5

b. 6

c. 7

d. 8

19. Australian soldiers fought in ...

a. World War I and World War II

b. Korean War

c. Vietnam War

d. All of the above

20. What is Australia's biggest river system?

a. The Murray Darling

b. The Murrumbidgee

c The Yarra

d. The Mississippi



Answers:

1) C, 2) A, 3) B, 4) C, 5) A, 6) D, 7) B, 8) C, 9) B, 10) A, 11) C, 12) B, 13) D, 14) D, 15) B, 16) A, 17) C, 18) B, 19) D, 20) A

So long, farewell and goodbye

Tomorrow (Friday 27th June) will be a bit of a sad day; one that I knew was near. It’s the last day any of us can call this old house the family home. That familiar feeling that can only come from a home you have lived in for a long time will be gone. You get to know every creaking board every scratch and who made it. You know what needs fixing but never seem to get it done. As I enter the lounge room (I rarely go in there now) and look at the bare mantle and photo free walls I feel a little bit alone as though I am leaving a friend behind. I can remember the cold and wet Saturday morning we first moved into 1215 main road kalorama way back in 1967 and seeing this house of many doors, its seemed so big and I guess it was when compared to our other home. The yard was overgrown with walnut, lemon and apple trees, hydrangeas and rhododendrons where scattered everywhere. Now the new owners will make it their home and they want to renovate rather that rebuild that makes it ok. Now we move on, lets see what tomorrow brings.

A nation of fatties

Australia is the world's most overweight nation, ahead of the supersized Americans. "As we send our athletes off to the Olympics let's reflect on the fact that we would win the gold medal problem now in the world fat Olympics if there was such a thing.

A topic that’s always I the news is obesity and today they say Australians have the highest percentage of obese people in the world. My question is why is this so? Is it the foods we eat or the amount we put on our plates? Blaming it on to much time on the computer is wrong; kids do in fact play more organized sport now than we ever did.
I have my own ideas on why we are so overweight; these are not facts but beliefs. We now have these huge dinner plates, a few weeks ago I found some plates that have not been used in years and was surprised at how small these where yet we seemed to get by on the smaller portions .We also snacked far less on things like potato chips, it was more like a piece of fruit or if we had a sandwich it was not over filled and the bread in our house was usually a rye bread.
That’s not to say we ate a low fat diet, foods like sausages or fried eggs where part of our weekend diet, it was just done in moderation and to a large degree we ate in seasonal foods. This is where I maybe completely wrong. I think a major cause to our allergies comes from the preservatives we put in our foods. It gives the food a longer self life but I believe its one of the reasons so many kids have things like asthma, when I was a child very few kids had things like asthma, diabetes or where obese, yes we walked everywhere and we ate less. We also had roast dinners and dipping bread into the roast juices was a treat, I even had dripping on toast with salt. We did not however have a pantry full of snack foods like chips party shapes biscuits (cookies) or huge bottles of soft drink in the refrigerator
The bottom line was we ate what was in season we ate less of it and did not snack an hour before dinner an after school snack was something small not a meal, I see kids eating hamburgers on their way home from school at 4pm its little wonder we are in so much trouble.

My movie review

I saw this movie today and did not have expectations. All I knew before seeing the movie was it is not meant to be an accurate depiction of Mongolian history or the history of Genghis khan. The story does however give us a different look other than that of Hollywood. I did find that parts of the story were glossed over ‘not considered important I guess’ like how he got his followers, I think we are meant to use our imagination there. The actors did a good job and for those who worry about literal translations in the sub titles, stop thinking about it so much, its very hard to translate from one language to another accurately. I am told there is not much written in history about Genghis khan,
The movie was worth the price of admittance and is the first installment of the trilogy so go see it and be your own judge after all you might spend two hours watching a good movie.

There's a change in the air

Barack Obama,
Here is something I never thought I would see in my lifetime, a Democratic black man defeating a white Democratic woman then him running against a conservative republican runner, the mind boggles at the money that has been spent just to decide the runners, its a pity they have that kind of money to put into telling the people how great it will be under them.
What all of us have to put up until November is these two leaders telling us why the he is not the right person and I am the one to lead America .we have to listen to more diatribes from both Barack Obama http://www.myspace.com/barackobama and John McCain. Its not just the American people who will have this on the nightly news in the paper etc but all of us will get our share, true the lions share will be directed to voter.
One of the things I do not understand is why a president can not run for more than two terms in the US If he/she is good enough why not let them be re-elected, that seems to be more democratic way of doing things. After all a president is in effect a lame duck in his/her final two years the way things are now, still it’s a system America seems to enjoy, now if only they put a higher value on their voting. Maybe they will get more out to vote this time around.
I guess only having two terms it stops dictators, then again many free countries do ok with a choice. Just think you may rob yourselves of a great leader and replace him/her with a not so great one and that has been done before

The other thing that’s always bothered me about the US system is you can be mayor governor or leader of the largest company but if you where not born in the USA you are not concidered good enough to be president which is odd when you think about some of the past leaders. This is NOT anti-american ,its just my opinion.

Just a few Pic's

Flame TREE

I had this on my first blog

Another definitive guide to being an Aussie
1. The bigger the hat , the smaller the farm.
2. The shorter the nickname, the more they like you.
3. Whether it's the opening of Parliament, or the launch of a new art gallery, there is no Australian event that cannot be improved by a sausage sizzle.
4. If the guy next to you is swearing like a wharfie he's probably a media billionaire. Or on the other hand, he may be a wharfie.
5. There is no food that cannot be improved by the application of tomato sauce.
6. On the beach, all Australians hide their keys and wallets by placing them inside their sandshoes. No thief has ever worked this out.
7. Industrial design knows of no article more useful than the plastic milk crate.
8. All our best heroes are losers.
9. The alpha male in any group is he who takes the barbecue tongs from the handsof the host and blithely begins turning the snags.
10. It's not summer until the steering wheel is too hot to hold.
11. It is proper to refer to your best friend as "a total bastard". By contrast, your worst enemy is "a bit of a bastard".
12. If it can't be fixed with pantyhose and fencing wire, it's not worth fixing.
13. The most popular and widely praised family in any street is the one that has the swimming pool.
14. It's considered better to be down on your luck than up yourself.
15. The phrase "we've got a great lifestyle" means everyone in the family drinks too much.
16. If invited to a party, you should take cheap red wine and then spend all nightdrinking the host's beer. (Don't worry, he'll have catered for it).
17. The phrase "a simple picnic" is not known. You should take everything you own. If you don't need to make three trips back to the car, you're not trying.
18. On picnics, the Esky is always too small, creating a food versus grog battle that can only ever be resolved by leaving the salad at home.
19. Unless ethnic or a Pom, you are not permitted to sit down in your front yard,or on your front porch. Pottering about, gardening or leaning on the fence is acceptable. Just don't sit. That's what backyards are for.
20. When on a country holiday, the neon sign advertising the Motel's pool will always be slightly larger than the pool itself.
21. There comes a time in every Australian's life when he/she realises that the Aerogard is worse than the mozzies.
22. And, finally, the true test for immigration to Australia. Potential new Aussies must pass the following test:
a) Mowing a sloping lawn (at least 20 degree angle) in a pair of thongs holding a VB (Beer) while watching the cricket.
b) If you can't pass that, chances are you will never be able to pass yourself off.

My opinion

Closed circuit T.V, how effective is it in preventing crime or at catching those committing crimes? I have read a few web sites on this subject lately and while most agree its of some help many think'' CCTV cameras are clearly being used as a substitute for police on the beat. They are intrusive, counterproductive and offend civil liberties. If CCTV is so effective we should expect a decline in crime figures whereas we are actually seeing a steady increase'' (QUOTE from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/talking_point/2071824.stm ) There are as many for them as there are against.
On the news this week one story reported that in Briton they have now added a voice to the CTV,This is very big brother.The person from the company said 'If you are not doing anything wrong then, what's the problem?' and he is right.Having said that I am not sure I want every move I make watched ,and what of the over zealous watcher can not behave? They say it will all be on tape and the watchers will have watchers.I don't get much comfort from that. I wonder how productive it all is, What happens in peak hour when people are rushing around will they stop when a voice from above yells out 'would the person wearing blue jeans pick up the cigarette butt' unlikely.

I think a uniformed police man/woman would be enough to stop most crimes happening in the first place. It worked in New York City along with a tough stance from the courts.Their crime rate dropped dramatically.
If we must have big brother in our lives keep it ob TV where we can always switch off.
Please feel free to comment.

Going going.....gone

 
Our family home has been sold after 41 years...........so sad but it was time

I was a Mouse

You quietly examine life's lessons and see multiple meanings in things. You are also good at discovering details and remaining in the background.

What Animal Were You In a Past Life?

Painted by a friend of a friend

 

Painted by a friend of a friend

 

BILBY EASTER

The Bilby should replace the rabbit in Australia, here's why.Firstly the rabbit in Australia is vermon and has caused a lot of problems because they do not have enough preditors to keep the population down,even our winters are not cold enough to naturally cull the numbers.
Secondly and most important the Bilby has bigger ears so you get more chocolate.

The largest cuckoo clock in the world

 
Someone forgot to wind the clock

Staff at the Cuckoo restaurant

 
I hope we can do this again next year or sooner.

Donna Summers

Works hard for the money
music file

looking up trees at 45 degree's

 
 
 
 

Made with free image tools @ TXT2PIC.com

Is this the end?

 

Kooky but kind of funny

amazing

Joke

Italian Wedding Night

Maria had just gotten married, and being a traditional Italian she was
still a virgin. On her wedding night, staying at her mother's house,
she was very nervous. Her mother reassured her, "Don't worry,
Maria,Tony's a good man.
Go upstairs and he'll take care of you. Meanwhile, I'll be > making
pasta."

So, uppa she went. When she got upstairs, Tony took off his shirt and >
exposed his hairy chest. Maria ran downstairs to her mother and says,
"Mama, Mama, Tony's got a big hairy chest." "Don't worry, Maria," says
the mother, "all good men have hairy chests. Go upstairs. He'll take
good care of you." So, uppa she went again.

When she got up in the bedroom, Tony took off his pants exposing his
hairy legs. Again, Maria ran downstairs to her mother. "Mama, Mama,
Tony took off his pants and he's got hairy legs!" "Don't worry! All
good men have hairy legs. Tony's a good man. Go upstairs and he'll
take good care of you."

So, uppa she went again. When she got there, Tony took off his socks
and on his left foot he was missing three toes.
When Maria saw this, she ran downstairs. "Mama, Mama, Tony's got a foot
and a half!" Her mama said, "Stay here and stir the pasta..."

The fire season had to come.

Victoria will burn until April.
By Catherine Best | January 03, 2008

VICTORIAN fire authorities are warning of a long, perilous bushfire season and say massive swathes of grassland in western and central Victoria are ready to burn.

After a run of 40-degree-plus temperatures and with eight bushfires burning, state fire services today declared extreme fire conditions would prevail at least until April.

Fire chiefs urged people to be prepared, warning the conditions posed a risk to homes in coastal and provincial areas and on Melbourne's fringe.

Acting Premier Rob Hulls said the Otways, the Dandenongs and the Macedon ranges were at high risk.
"These areas are very dry, and in many cases, of course, they are densely populated," he said.

"The hot and dry conditions could lead to very intense and also fast-moving fires in densely populated areas."

Victorians could expect even more extreme fire days this season and with blazes moving fast they must be prepared early, Mr Hulls said.

"We all remember the devastating effect of last year's bushfires.

"Initially ignited by massive lightning strikes, last year's fires grew to a series of 83 fires that burnt over 1.48 million hectares of land, destroying more than 51 homes and resulting in significant loss of livestock."

Late today, five fires continued to burn out of control in East Gippsland and three had been contained. The three fires causing most concern were around Buchan and at Lightning Track, north of Orbost.

Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) chief officer Ewan Waller said fire crews did not expect to have the blazes under control by the weekend, when temperatures in the mid 30s are forecast.

Here is another opinion.

For arguments sake or for the sake of an argument .Today I heard on national radio.One Australian Government minister who is no longer in power give his views on the alleged reason for the 'coalition of the willing' ha ha.invading Iraq was for oil and plenty think that way.
I think what he said makes sense,If the US and its western partners where only after oil they could have dealt with Saddam Hussein, after all he wanted to sell the oil and although he did not like countries like America he had been selling to them for a long time at the going rate. It would have save hundreds of millions of dollars at least, not to mention around 4000 young men and women and god only knows how many Iraqi civilians.
No oil was not the main factor , however I am sure its becoming one now that oil has reached $100us a barrel.
What are/where the real reasons ?I don't really know .I guess Bush or one of his henchmen will write a book and maybe,just maybe the truth will come out, don't hold your breath though.

Tasmania

Perth

Adelaide

Sydney brings in 2008

Melbounes new years eve