When Israel was accused of forging passports you would have thought that the world was about to explode. So much indignation! How could Israel commit such an outrage? Ireland was annoyed, the UK was annoyed, France was annoyed. And ex Prime Minister Rudd was annoyed.

Well, well, well, now that the spy saga in the U.S and Russia has come to light and spies have been returned to their state of origin, we discover that these spies held forged passports.

Dear me, they used Irish, British and Canadian false passports. So what’s the reaction of the world? Apparently, the rest of the world is amused. Joe Biden makes jokes on the Jay Leno Show. Not a whisper of outrage at the use of forged passports and spying that’s been going between two so-called friends.

It seems that it’s okay to forge identities and passports, but not if you are Israeli.

Talk about hypocrites!!!

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With the cold snap we are having in Melbourne it was only fitting that we should head for a mall if we wanted a walk.

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I am proud to announce that recently I got rid of my electric toothbrush. Now that may not signify as one of the world’s greatest protests, but for me, it meant a lot.

I got sick of charging the blasted thing. I got sick of having another gadget to be plugged in. I got sick of the brush telling me how long I have to brush my teeth and allotting to me the requisite two minutes which the gadget manufacturer said I have to do.

It made me feel as if I wasn’t in charge at all. Let’s face it, if you’re at the mercy of an electric toothbrush how autonomous are you?

There are people out there who bid their gadgets goodnight and then charge them ready for the next day’s onslaught.

All this dependency on electric gadgets has been getting on my nerves.

Which brings me to why my web site was down over the weekend. I use a web host as do a few other people and apparently a very selfish or ignorant company which monopolised all the available space on the host’s internet. This company was told not to do this again and I have been assured that said company will not be so greedy in future.

I wish I could believe it, but all sorts of things get screwed up on the internet. If it’s not the internet provider then it’s the connection somewhere on the line. Or else it’s because the rotten schoolkids are on holiday and they sit at their computers all day shooting demons or whatever or taking photos of their private parts and putting them on Youtube to impress the world.

Then there’s the twits or the twats and Facebook. I’m uncomfortable with all that and do not take part.

Nowadays, even the politicians twitter away, just to be with it. Do we really need more soundbites from the politicians? Still, even Julia Gillard has somebody twittering away for her. Some junior member of her staff with the gelled ridge of hair is doing the deed so that she can appear trendy.

I seriously doubt that her busy schedule allows her the time to twit. Not should it.

I would rather she concentrate on policies and leave the silly bits to some nerd who is already afflicted with a sore and arthritic thumb at the venerable age of 20.

You may well argue that I too have joined the ranks of internet afficionado since I have a web site. That’s not quite true, though. It’s a love/hate relationship that I have with my computer. I like the word processing part and I enjoy surfing the net for information.

But I am well aware of the dangers of the World Wide Web as a disseminator of falsehoods, a tool for propaganda more invasive than any newspaper by its speed and unaccountability.

I must confess I fear it.

On the other hand, I can’t think of anything in this world that is totally good. And so I endure the frustration of technology when I have to, while feebly protesting against it when it doesn’t really matter, as in the case of the electric toothbrush. T’is but a rather lukewarm attempt at aligning myself with the Luddites.

So there! I showed them, all right. lol

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I am very familiar with the Chadstone Shopping Centre because it is the closest mall to my home. If I had my wish, however, it would be replaced by the Westfield one from Doncaster.

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I’ve just watched our Federal Treasurer, Wayne Swan, speaking from yet another G20 conference and once again I’ve learned nothing new from him.

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Imagine a Hamas prisoner in Israel. He has access to family visits, TV and newspapers and medical treatment for any ailments from the best doctors in the world. Compare this with the way that Hamas treats its prisoners, if any are left alive, that is.

Remember the Christian hostages who were captured by Arafat and his bunch of terrorists and who were kept in dark cells and threatened with death every day? Remember the dead bodies of two Israeli soldiers who were kidnapped by Hezbollah and who were returned in exchange for some of the worst convicted terrorists who ever sullied an Israeli jail?

What a contrast! But it’s not surprising when one is dealing with an uncivilised group like the Arab fanatics who have captured an Israeli soldier and who want to use him as a trade off for getting thousands of Hamas terrorists freed.

According to the ABC news website the government of Israel has finally lost all patience with Hamas and has decided to take away the privileges enjoyed by those prisoners because negotiations for the return of one single Israeli soldier have broken down.

So what are the Hamas prisoners threatening if they can’t get their MTV? A hunger strike, that’s what. I’m all for that. Bring it on!

Call me a sceptic, but I believe that Gideon Shalit, the Israeli soldier who was captured by Hamas three years ago, is dead. There is nothing left but his bones but even then the Israelis want him back to give him a proper burial.

Quite frankly, I would return the Hamas prisoners in the same condition as the two dead soldiers were returned.

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Once again Australian courts have let us down. Nick D’Arcy, who viciously aussalted a fellow swimmer and damaged his face for life has been let off jail. Why? Because he’s a sportsman and in Australia all is forgiven if you are a sportsman. So D’Arcy, who’s no example to young people, is going to be turned into some kind of hero if he wins a race. I suspect it wouldn’t matter if he murdered someone as long as he can swim for Australia.

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It looks as if the insured bushfire victims who lost their homes will have to pay rent on temporary shelters provided by the government. They will have to pay from $40 to $100 per week (provided by their insurance policies). This rent will only be charged after a period of three months of living rent free. But those homeowners who were not insured will be bailed out by the government. So what would Aesop and La Fontaine have made of this situation?

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More than a week ago I suggested that home insurance should be compulsory. Quite simply, if home owners can’t afford the insurance then they can’t afford to own a house. It’s gratifying to learn that the insurance industry has just come out with a similar statement. Australian insurers would like compulsory insurance for residents in bushfire prone areas. However, I would extend that to all home owners in all areas, not just the bushfire prone areas.

The following extract comes from Sky News March 1

Australian insurers are leading a call for compulsory insurance for residents in bushfire prone areas, in the wake of Victoria’s devastating fires.

The Insurance Council of Australia has also questioned, how much of the $200 million Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund, should be given to uninsured victims.

ICA boss Paul Giles says there’s no incentive for people to insure against bushfires, if their uninsured neighbours are going to be helped to rebuild anyway.

He also claims a compulsory home and contents insurance scheme would be no different to current Compulsory Third Party car insurance.

A Victorian government spokesman says the issue of compensation to uninsured victims, would be examined by the bushfire royal commission.

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Yesterday was a day of commemoration for the victims of the recent bushfire tragedy in Australia. Thousands have been left homeless and the death toll is now over 200 and rising. As a result of this tragedy there will be a Royal Commission to investigate the events and also to see how we can mitigate future losses in this country which is always prone to either floods or bushfires.

This occasion is doubly tragic because while one large part of Australai is experiencing serious floods, the southern part has had the worst bushfires in our history. And sadly, there are more to come.

While bushfires and extreme weather are inevitable in Australia, I was dismayed by the number of destroyed houses which were not insured. One often hears in the news that a family’s home was uninsured and they have to start from scratch. What is really annoying is that during the TV interview the victims are seen puffing on a cigarette. With the price of cigarettes, I’m amazed they are still smoking instead of having protected their assets.

I simply can’t understand how someone would buy a home and then decide not to insure it. The home is usually the most expensive asset they own and yet they don’t place insurance at the top of their list of priorities. This is irresponsible.

My argument is that home insurance should be compulsory. It should be part of the deal and if you can’t afford to buy it, you had better not buy a home. In my opinion, one can’t afford NOT to be protected.

I don’t think that it is the role of government to supply a new home for people who have not insured their homes, nor should our heartstrings be tugged by sad stories about losing everything while not being insured. When we buy a car we have to pay for third party insurance and it should be the same for homes. Surely one’s home is more precious than one’s car.

It’s once again that unfortunate attitude of “She’ll be right, mate,” which permeates parts of our culture. Well, the truth is, even though you hope that she’ll be right mate, she often isn’t, and then you’re up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

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