Please Please Please Give It To Me

Finally the F***ing Frog is starting her life memoires.

Now that I am in my late 30s I should really start recording some of the important events in my life.  Hopefully my Doogah and my Nanoo will be able to read these one day and have a laugh or, even better, understand why Maman is who she is.

Well here I am, 3 hours away from one of the most important work meetings I've had in the past 6 years.  Yes, my change in role is finally coming through after a 3 months wait!  I'm about to ask for a mega payrise and enter an even bigger tax bracket (Thank You Monkey Man!) - do you think I can pull it through?

Keep posted.

Update on Friday, May 25, 2007 at 18:37 by The Naughty Munyah

Yeah!!!!!  I got a bit less than what I wanted, but hey more than I what get now is better.  I'm a happy Munyah and it's time to celebrate - Bombay Saphire is taking care of me now.  Nanoo thinks it's very special lemonade - only one sip for her.

'From Little Things Big Things Grow"

Update on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 at 19:00 by The Naughty Munyah

4 Months later and I'm still averaging a 60 hour week.

• Was it all too much?  Definitely.
• Has it affected my family life?  Definitely.
• Have I been stressed?  Definitely.
• Were there lots of 'Lessons Learnt'?  Definitely.
• Has it been worth it?  Definitely.
• Was the money worth it?  Definitely.
• Am I worth more than that?  Definitely.
• Do you love it?  Definitely.
• Can I see the light?  Definitely.
• Was today the day?  Definitely.
• Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!
• PS:  Have I worn out this question / answer format?  DEFINITELY.

About Time!

Well, it's been over a month and I'm finally finding some time to say hello to all of you - mind you this is work time!

You will probably find that my entries won't be as political as The Dilettante's, not that I don't agree with his point of view, but more that I would rather not overload our readers with such serious issues.

So watch out for The Naughty Munyah - she's finally entered the world of blogging.

A Science Fictionary!

Very few of you will know this, mainly because it is not a fact I generally advertise (though I am by no means ashamed of it):  I love dictionaries.  Yes, I must confess I often open my Concise Oxford of English at random, or dip into my delightful little Langenscheidt's Pocket of Latin, not because I am bored (boring perhaps, bombastic certainly, but never bored), but for the pure joy of discovery!  And so it was with a thrill of anticipation that I discovered this recent addition to the lexicographical library:

Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction.
by Jeff Prucher.
(Oxford University Press, 2007; hardcover)

This is right up my alley!  I can think of no more perverse pleasure than to explicate the most licentious literature by means of that most didactic of documents.  I cannot wait to read it from Arthur Dent to Zebulonium.

Now you know what to get me for Christmas!...

Money for Nothing...

Once again the elitist, all-white Federal Government has demonstrated its contempt for aboriginal people and its inability to comprehend their needs by holding out an offer of $60 million to "upgrade" the town camps of the Alice Springs area on the condition that the resident's leases be handed over to the NT government. This is like paying someone to paint their house on the condition that they give it to the painter when he's finished!

Click to read more ...

One Charming Motherf***ing Dog!

After a long and pampered life Graunty Linda's dog has finally shuffled off his mortal coil.  His ears were made of the softest material known to science and were reknowned for their selective sensitivity (especially when there were macropods to be chased).

He could hear a kangaroo a mile away, but not Linda yelling at him to "Get back here you!"

RIP Harley you old sod, we will miss you sneaking onto the guest's bed when our backs were turned.

No pictures of his arse unfortunately...

Harley

Occasionally Frequent but Never Regular

Well... as you may have noticed, I have been having a ball with this blogging gig! As Graunty Linda has said to me "you seem to have found your forte" and it's certainly true! But I think I shall have to start getting off my arse and out in the real world again soon or else I am at risk of just commenting on the news which only ever has the effect of pissing me off whenever I read/watch it.

Click to read more ...

The Nuclear Family

According to ABC News Online, veterans involved in the British nuclear tests in the 50's will seek compensation for their exposure during these tests.  It's about bloody time don't you think?

In the words of Ric Johnstone, the National President of the Australian Nuclear Veterans Association:

"These Servicemen became guinea pigs for the British Government for the express purpose of testing nuclear explosions and radiation effects on the ability of servicemen to function as war machinery.

The exposure to radiation was never an “innocent mistake or miscalculation” nor was it due to lack of knowledge regarding the dangers of radiation exposure."

Is this news to anyone?  Hands up who thinks "this would never happen in our time".  I have two words for you:  Talisman Sabre (if you don't know what I am talking about see the related article listed in the references for this post)

Update on Monday, May 21, 2007 at 12:24 by The Dilettante

In response to my learned colleague's comment on this post - yes there were Indigenous people using the surrounding country at the time of the British nuclear tests at Emu Junction and Maralinga.  Check out the link Dr Saunders has kindly included in his comment (a transcript from a 2004 ABC current affairs program) or google the keywords maralinga, nuclear and indigenous.

I will look at the indigenous people's experiences of the tests in an upcoming post, since I believe that this aspect of the story is so large and important that it demands treatment independently of the related issue of veteran compensation.  In fact the treatment of the local Aborigines represents an even greater injustice than that of the military personnel involved in the trial, both because of their traditional lands and livelihoods that were poisoned, and because they were neither informed of, nor paid for their participation in these tests.

Image courtesy of National Archives of Australia (image no. A6455, RC597 part 3)This chapter of Australian history is one of the most abhorrent examples of disregard for land, justice and people I can think of.  What is worse is that the disregard is entrenched and ongoing (who can guess in which part of Australia the waste from the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor has been proposed to be "disposed of"?).  As my learned colleague has pointed out in his comment - though many of us have heard of these tests since the Royal Commission in the eighties, most still know very little about the actual extent of the ill effects suffered by both black and white Australians due to the tests.  If you are brave enough to learn a little more, stay tuned...

Drugs Are Bad... M'kay?

Well I suppose it makes perfect sense in a way - the Motion Picture Association of America intends to include tobacco smoking as a consideration when rating films. I personally suffer when I see people smoking on TV and in the movies because it makes me want a ciggie! But isn't tobacco a drug like any other? Why bother creating new ratings categories for things that should fit quite neatly into existing ones?

Click to read more ...

Downer Syndrome

I just couldn't resist this - thanks to The Chaser's War on Everything I now have my very own tame foreign minister to sign any and all posts of questionable ethics and unquestionably poor taste which I might wish to make.  For example:

"All you bloody boat people should go back to Britain where you came from, this is my country and I'll defend it with the last breath in my flabby white body."

signed:

(Australian Foreign Minister and Liberal Party cabin boy)

Yes you too can have your very own corrupt right-wing nancy boy to ratify any treaty you please...  Kyoto protocol?  No problems!  Gay marriage certificate needs witnessing?  Downer's your man (um, er gimp?).  Just copy the above picture or follow the link above to The Chaser's site, which suggests many other constructive uses for this idiot's autograph!