Best Birthday Ever

 

The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954) Saturday 27 September 1952 p 16 Family Notices ... , 1952, at Queen Alexandra Hospital, to June and Trevor: a son (Stephen James). Both well. POWELL ...

Here is the entry from the local newspaper for my birth, simply amazing this digital age we live in.

Just think stuff that is over 60 years old in a backwater at the end of the earth is available online, wow.

I spent my birthday with my grandbabies (all three) and hade a wonderful time, we all should live long enough to see our babies have babies.

Useful Technology

Today there is a multitude of offerings for ‘assisting’ you with everyday living.  Of those that have recently come to the forefront has been an offering from Amazon the Echo.  Ginger and I ordered one and were on a wait list for a couple of moths prior to it finally arriving.

 The machine itself is an unimposing tube around the size of a can of tennis balls, however, once it arrived and after a pain free setup process. We have been and continue to be impressed with its versatility and usefulness.

I use the device daily for all sorts of functions including listening to my morning news, keeping track of my to do list my shopping list read my audible books answer general questions all via voice control.  I was and am that the device understands me at al, for those that know me I have, still, a very strong accent that I have never been able to shake.

It works and I love it.

Welcome Wesley Neil

Welcome to the world!! My newest grand baby what else can I say.

The broken system

It is easy in this time to become really negative about the system in the west, with the electoral system becoming  nothing more than an extended entertainment program, bought and presented by the wealthy donors to provide a façade of choice.  There is every now and then however, a glimmer of sanity in the midst  of this non stop parade of idiots posing as potential leaders.  I have been watching the beginning of the process of electing a new President for the United States and there among the crazy people is an old man still on fire with the ideals he had a a young hippy in the sixties.  I think we need to pay attention to Bernie Sanders as he is the only voice making some sense in this whole process.  Not just business as usual with the same old suspects shouting hateful and divisive slogans.  That is what I think for what it is worth.

Wars and Rumors of war

There seems to me that there is an acceleration of conflicts around the world right now, more than a few are religion based seems to me the Muslim world is fighting between themselves and against every one else all over the place,  The number of conflicts seem to conflict with the projected religion of “peace”.

Not that any other religion is free from conflict both armed and cultural with the Christians in the US under the delusion that they are under attack (they are 80% of the population) the Hindus shouting the same in India seems like we might have a much more peaceful world without any religion at all.  The following is not an exhaustive list but a sample of what I am aware of only.

1. Afghanistan Extreme radical Fundamentalist Muslim terrorist groups & Osama bin Laden headed a terrorist group called Al Quada (The Source) whose headquarters were in Afghanistan.
2. Bosnia Serbian Orthodox Christians, Roman Catholic, Muslims
3. Cote d'Ivoire Muslims, Indigenous, Christians
4. Cyprus Christians & Muslims
5. East Timor Christians & Muslims
6. Indonesia, province of Ambon Christians & Muslims
7. Kashmir Hindus and Muslims
8. Kosovo Serbian Orthodox Christians, Muslims
9. Kurdistan Christians, Muslims Assaults on Christians (Protestant, Chaldean Catholic & Assyrian Orthodox). Bombing campaign underway.
10. Macedonia Macedonian Orthodox Christians & Muslims
11. Middle East Jews, Muslims
12. Nigeria Christians, Animists, & Muslims
13. Pakistan Suni & Shi'ite Muslims
14. Philippines Christians & Muslims
15. Russia, Chechnya Russian Orthodox Christians, Muslims. The Russian army attacked the breakaway region. Muslims had allegedly blown up buildings in Moscow. Many atrocities have been alleged.
16. Serbia, province of Vojvodina Serbian Orthodox & Roman Catholics, Muslims
17. Sri Lanka Buddhists & Hindus Tamils, Muslims
Additional conflicts
19. Thailand: Pattani province: Buddists and Muslims
20. Bangladesh: Muslim-Hindu (Bengalis) and Buddists (Chakmas)
21. Tajikistan: intra-Islamic conflict

Another day another medal

I got a surprise the other day, received in the mail, this

 It was quite a surprise I have been away from Australia for a long time and did not realize I was awarded this medal kind of cool.

Getting Older is not for wimps

   Hi, I am talking to you, mostly because no one can hear anyone these days in the world of self created noise.  It seems the more of the “sharing” that goes on in this modern era the less we hear and communicate.  We “like” a post on Facebook but fail to give these that are on our page a call and actually talk to them.

 

Oh well, enough of that I am starting to sound like an old man here, but then again I am now getting up there and am I guess for right or wrong could be now considered “old”

 I am even starting to look old, things are drooping getting wrinkles and generally just falling apart.  Gosh I even regularly go the the doctor these days.  I am not going to get into all the health issues that have become a focus of my life (golden years my ass).

So this is how it is, getting old feeling like I am still 18, except my body is betraying me. Soldier on.