Tag: Paris

Conrad Murray’s Mahathir Defence


“It was self-inflicted”. Conrad Murray‘s defense came down to a Mahathir-styled joke. Both mad doctors. If the jury fails to convict the doctor for killing Michael Jackson, it’s much more of a la-la land than you’d ever know.

That was the story I caught on the little monitor on the cross-training machine in the gym this morning. It’s good to be back in the gym, after over a week’s break. The niggling purine driven inflammation (yes, gout) was at it all week and it made for a miserable one.

So yesterday arvo I dragged out the juice machine and did some vege stuff, hoping to do something good to this deteriorating body. Partly driven by guilt as a result of feasting on a masala dosa in a new Indian restaurant just a couple of minutes from home, the juice was actually very good. Celery, granny smith and carrots. The juicer will remain on the benchtop for a few weeks yet, I think.

Sort of what’s needed to keep the doctors away. If you know what I mean.

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Occupy Everywhere


Occupy Wall Street. Occupy London. Occupy Melbourne. This “Occupy Wherever” movement has come to our doorstep. No one has quite worked out what these groups are occupying wherever for, but it seems to be gathering momentum.

The general common denominator for all those who have turned up, seems to be that the rich gets richer whereas the rest of the population (99%, so they say) are either poorer or not getting richer, at least.

So what else is new? The fat cats – in Wall Street, Collins Street (non-Paris end) or Spring Street – have always been in the minority. That’s just the way it is. It is a combination of hard work, intelligence, connections and circumstances and either divine providence or pure luck, depending on your metaphysical beliefs.

I don’t know if it is a social justice and equality issue. It may well be. Wall Street and Collins Street riches however, are symptoms of whatever societal imbalances and injustices we may have, not the cause. Theoretically at least, all Australians have equal access to education, employment and career progression. No one is systematically or institutionally excluded from any of these channels – it is a question of who is the best.

There may be issues of the factors which arm one to be the best and equality of access to these but the State has always provided assistance to try and equalise any inequitable access or opportunities. It is hardly the fault of the likes of Wall Street or Collins Street.

Maybe there is something to these “Occupy Wall Street”, “Occupy London” or “Occupy Melbourne” protests but it would take a bit of thinking and hard work to get there. What would it take for this to be realised? Statistically, perhaps only 1% of the hundreds or thousand of protestors will have the intelligence, industry and wherewithal to produce and articulate a cause upon which this movement may be based. They may even pay this 1% something to produce this. So maybe 99% of these protestors would not produce the goods and so would not be paid. Would there be protest against THAT? 🙂

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