Random thoughts and observations
One of the more bizarre news stories I’ve read in a long while surfaced today when it came out that tobacco smoking has been banned in Dutch cafes and restaurants, but marijuana is still okay. I’m half Dutch, but the country today is nothing like the one my mother and grandparents left in the 1950s. [...]
Beijing should never have been chosen to host the 2008 Olympics. China has a repressive society. It’s a one-party state which kills opponents to the government. Catholics are persecuted. There are many corrupt and despotic regimes in the world today, such as Zimbabwe and North Korea, but China is the biggest. I don’t envy the [...]
Prince Charles has set a new record as the longest heir in waiting for a world monarchy, notching up a record 59 years and 74 days in his wait to be King of Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Charles has surpassed the previous record set by Edward VII when he finally succeeded Queen Victoria [...]
I produced the “world news” page for the Kalgoorlie Miner recently and came across the “Hooters shooter” incident while browsing AAP. In brief, a disgruntled diner started firing at the building with a handgun and killed a person. I’ve been unhappy with restaurants before, but never to the point of violence. My biggest grips are [...]
The world lost a significant man today. I won’t call him a great man, even though I believe him to be one, because there is too much controversy surrounding him, and in terms of greatness, he failed his mission. Ian Smith was a war veteran who led his country of Rhodesia through what many thought [...]
