V-Chip Insanity

An article in PC Mag reveals a new and improved way to ensure censorship:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1930598,00.asp

Hallelujiah the new V-Chip (v.gis) has arrived! Finally we can get rid of another responsibility. Tuck that cotton wool in mummy-government, I'm getting more comfortable.

This is the new version of the V-Chip that allows a broadcast to be filtered based on it's rating. This new chip is programmable and can be changed to incorporate future rating changes. This begs the questions: who will control future rating changes; how many will be implemented; what say will we have? Those of you who think will know the answers to these three questions:

1) The government

2) As many is necessary to ensure that someone else's will is forced upon us (eg an anti-government rating?)

3) As much say as we have now. ;(

From the article:
"The FCC rules require that if you are selling a digital television receiver product you must include this [open V-chip] capability,"

"must". MUST? - who on earth do these people think they are? What right do they have to tell us what we "must" watch. Unfortunately the response by a lazy majority of people will be "baaaah".

While it is a cliche now, it is also the undeniable and practical truth - "If you don't want to watch it, turn it off!"

When will we start paying taxes for government officials to come round and wipe our bums? (the answer obviously is after a government sub-committee on Adult Hygeine has spent 3 years doing a feasability study with our money followed by trial runs in a small town receiving a grant to shut up about the skewed statistics that will be released to support what the do-gooders want done in the first place).

What can we do?

• Talk to people about this issue
• Contact manufacturers and ask for them to make it easily disabled.
  
• Write to your local and federal politicians and ask for it to be optional.
  
• Write into local and national newspapers and express your disgust.
  
• Call in to radio and tv stations
  
• Think for ourselves

The Messiah Complex

I wonder if each of us has a desire or a subconscious need within ourselves to be a Messiah? What I think of as "The Messiah Complex" seems to manifest itself as a desire to help people.

When this help is rejected it sets up an almost negative reaction and is treated as a bit of a slap in the face, even though we may realise that we were trying to help without being asked.

Correspondingly, when our help is accepted there can be satisfaction and sometimes even a feeling of joy within.

The desire to help may be the same start that has sparked figures throughout history to exceed and excel and become accepted as a Messiah.

Lying Politicians

Here's a link to another story about a politician lying (in this case US pollie Cheney):

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1567014.htm

US Vice-President Dick Cheney directed his aide Lewis 'Scooter' Libby to use classified material to discredit a critic of the Bush administration's Iraq war effort, the National Journal has reported...

...Libby, Mr Cheney's former chief of staff, faces perjury and other charges in the leak of the identity of Wilson's wife Valerie Plame, a move that effectively ended her career at the CIA.

There is no way that I can say that I have not lied, I have. Knowing that I am flawed means I must temper my disgust with politicians lying. What I find hard to accept is that their lies kill people and take my freedom. It is also an "accepted" part of the political "game" and the sheeple do nothing about it.

How often do you have conversations with people about politicions lying and getting a snort and a shrug?

What can we do?

• Talk to people about this issue
• Write to your local and federal politicians
• Write into local and national newspapers
• Call in to radio and tv stations
  
• Think for ourselves

Delicious Coat of Arms recipe

The roo and emu turned out to be a delicious way to celebrate Australia Day.
I seared the roo fillet in some ghee in a pan and then rubbed in a premixed selection of Australian and Thai spices. I deglazed the pan with a Barossa shiraz and strained it as a sauce.

For the emu I put it in a casserole dish and rubbed it with some honey, wattle seed, lemon myrtle and bush pepperberries. The juice after the baking was then also strained and used as a sauce.

I served it with a selection of cubed and roasted pumpkin, potato, sweet potato and carrot. I also warmed some slices of mango with finely cut shallots.

What did I learn?

• The coat of arms is a tastly dish
• Cook the roo and the emu only to medium rare (medium makes them tougher)
• Use a very small amount of pepperberries (1/10th of regular pepper)