WARNING!! This may offend some Hipsters and Try-Hards...

Another year bites the dust.....but New Year Resolutions come on New Years Day.
I will give my usual Resolution; "I will try to be a better person". Failed miserably every year so far, but I keep on trying.....
No, these are not Resolutions, they are a list of things that I would like to see society address in 2015.
They are not on the scale of World Poverty, or Kim Kardashians' backside.... but they are pretty big in MY world, and it's my Blog, and I'll blog if I want to...

Cars:
Any person requesting a personalised number-plate that says the NAME or MODEL of their car, should immediately be fined, then refused. If it is later found that they have secretly snuck it onto their car, they should be fined again. The plates should NOT be confiscated, they should just be fined every time they drive the car on public roads.
If you are wealthy enough to buy plates that say "BMW M5" (for example), after you have already paid a squillion bucks for a car that has SEVERAL badges saying "BMW M5", then you can not only afford to be fined, you are also too stupid to be allowed on the road without being fined.
If, for instance, you are the proud owner of a Ferrari F50, (still the meanest looking Ferrari, in my uneducated opinion), then you want to be admired by people who appreciate your taste, i.e. other Ferrari aficionados. Point is, they already KNOW you drive an F50, so why tell them again?
As for the rest of the public, they don't know and don't care about your number plate, all they see is an old man in a flash car.....sorry, did I say that out loud??
On the other hand, if you own a 1926 Oldsmobile, I can see no harm in having a plate that reads "26 OLDS", because they didn't put that information on cars back then.
One more thing, it's a bit embarrassing to spend a lot of money on your "RNGE RVR" number plates, only to have your investments go flat and having to put them on your 10 year old Honda Civic after you are bankrupt...

Also, any car sound system sold, must be independently valued to ensure that it does not cost more than the car it goes into. Too many 1992 Toyota Corollas are driving around with sub-woofers that are worth more than the car itself. Frankly I am sick of seeing some crappy bloody shit-box bouncing along under the motive power of a bass system that requires a coal-fired power station to run it, while the cars' engine is flat out running the headlights.

Tattoos;
All tattoos should pass a validity test....lost someone to cancer? survived it? Had a life-changing experience? Been to war? or Bali? Fair enough.
Putting double entwined rattlesnakes facing each other around your bicep, just because you think it looks cool....that's ok too, ....if you're The Rock. ...If you are a 19 year old scrawny pierced-in-too-many-places, unemployed, school drop-out....well....it just looks stupid.

By the way...."Such is Life" doesn't mean anything unless you've lived a life....

Politicians;
I know people from all six sides of politics, I even like some of them. Many of them vote (or pretend to), and some can even talk about politics in a rational manner....occasionally.
The common factor among them all is they all vote for people that they KNOW are lying to them.
So: all politicians promises must be binding. If a politician makes a promise during an election campaign, but can't deliver on it once elected, he should lose his job. If I told my employer that I could do a particular aspect of a job, but couldn't deliver, how long would I last?? If a politician can't deliver, sack him and give the bloke who came second a go.....reckon we'd see a reduction in ridiculous promises? Even the political parties would make sure the candidates didn't step out of line....after all, it could mean losing power if some idiot said he was going to do something that they knew was impossible.

T-Shirts;
No T-Shirt should be sold to any individual unless they can identify the image depicted on it and explain its significance. Example: Che Guevara was a Communist. He would have confiscated your iPad for the good of the Revolution. He would have been appalled to see his face used to sell merchandise that made a lot of money for a lot of capitalists. He would have hated your materialistic lifestyle and shallow values. He would also have probably hit on your girlfriend. Even if you are a lesbian, he probably would have still hit on your girlfriend. You probably wouldn't have liked him.

"Deus Ex Machina" makes a great T-shirt. It is the brand name of a custom motorbike company, which is pretty cool. It is also a Latin phrase meaning "God from the Machine", and it originates from theatrical productions where an impossible plot device is used to get the story out of a dead end. The wardrobe in C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" is an example of this. It does something impossible in order to get you from one world to another. So unless you actually OWN a Deus Ex Machina Bike,  you are probably just telling the world you believe in impossibly smart furniture.

Also, There should be a ban on people wearing T-Shirts from concerts that happened before they were born. I can understand someone wearing a Rolling Stones T-Shirt, although they should be required to prove they know who they are, but I object to a 19 year old college kid sporting a Rolling Stones "California Concert  June 1975" shirt. You weren't there!! You couldn't have even been conceived there!! You don't even know if the Stones actually played a show in California in 1975!! Your entire knowledge of the Stones probably ends with the fact that Jagger is in that cool song by Maroon 5, God Help Us.

Telephones;
Yes, that's right, telephones. Not phones, not devices, Telephones.
I'll make this quick. Telephones used to be stationary. They even had their own invention to sit on, called the telephone table. Every house had one. That's all it was used for, to hold the telephone and a Telephone Directory. They were simple, innocent things that only had one purpose...to make and receive telephone calls. Here is my problem. You could sit and wait for ages for some government department or big business to tell you that your request has been denied, and then you could pound the crap out of that hand-piece in frustration, (probably on the telephone table), and cause it no harm at all. Today, one slip of your wonderful, multi-purpose, EXPENSIVE, "Device".....instant death.......


FINALLY;
Facebook;
Facebook needs a "Dislike" button. Actually, I personally believe that Facebook needs a "Oh For Gods Sake, You Have Got To Be Bloody Joking" Button, but I think I have a better chance of getting a "Dislike" button.
You see, Facebook is conning us for the sake of the advertisers. If we don't like something, we can't say so unless we actually write a comment. So our criticisms are lost in the various sycophantic praises and religious solicitations that make up most comments. When the good folks at Facebook sell little ads on your home page, they can say "Look how many "LIKES" this post got" or "Look how many comments this guy gets", without having to let on how many people think you're a weasel with warped and twisted views. We need a "Dislike" button to ensure accuracy in statistics, if nothing else.


Well, these are a few things I would like to see cleared up next year. Won't happen, I know, and nobody really cares, but if I have made you think a bit, or smile a little, then I'm glad.

Love to you all, and may the next twelve months be kind.....

"Like" and "Share", if you care.....coz I don't...

Ahhh Facebook....
Instant gratification for those who don't need to work for it!
Anyone that wants to be "liked" (whether genuinely, or by reflex), or who wants to "share" the coolness of being part of the "in-crowd", can simply go to Facebook.
It is the instant panacea for our time...or at least till the next wave of social media overwhelms it.

Do not mistake me, I understand Facebook very well, and can see its' attraction. In a world of instant gratification and tiny attention spans, where it is essential to not only be a part of the game, but also AHEAD of the game, if not actually MAKING the game, (whatever the Hell "the game" is...), then Facebook can be an essential tool, especially when it comes to playing the social ladder game among your peer group. So, Yes, Facebook is the new essential in the world of our youth.

I do have a problem with some of the messages that it is disseminating amongst our gullible, and (let's face it), worldly naive youth. Oh, they may tell you they know more about the drug/sex/music/underground/gangsta/fashion/social scenes than we could ever know, because they are plugged in to a world- encompassing digital network that feeds a constant stream of information to their hand-held device/platform that is constantly updated and linked to more distasteful and possibly illegal sites than you as a parent could possibly understand, let alone control, but I question whether they could REALLY tell good guys from bad guys. The reasons I question are these;

Young people these days truly are smarter about many things than we could ever be. They know more about pirate web-sites, under-age drinking, parties and drugs than we did at their age. They are savvy when it comes to technology, how to hook-up, break-up, set-up and be smart. This generation sees technology as a part of themselves...those born prior to 1970 always regarded it as a tool. In much the same way, I regarded my car as an essential, a necessary part of life. To my parents it was a tool, an extension of their lives, and was treated accordingly.We lived to drive and explore, they drove because they had to, nothing more.

Embracing this new technology (Facebook/ Instagram/ Snapchat etc) , should therefore be a natural, if somewhat uncomfortable, and rapid progression along the road of generational change, but something concerns me about this wonderful means of spreading ideas. It's about caring. How much do we care? We say we care for the hungry, the homeless, the lost, the abused, yet when push comes to shove, how much do we care? How much do our youth, cushioned behind a keyboard, a screen, a wall of data, and a feeling of self-gratification, really care about each other?? Why do we need to bolster our youth's self-confidence, by telling them how good they are?

Which brings me to the reason I am writing this....

I have noticed that one of the recurring themes posted by various supposedly "genuine" sites on Facebook, is that of the "It doesn't matter what society thinks of you, as long as you are true to yourself, that's all that matters", or to put it another way "I don't care what you think of me, if I am happy with who I am, your opinion means nothing"

Now I realise that these are intended to build self-esteem and help people feel confident about who they are, because many among our youth are unsure and need help in this area. Rightly so, we should always help our children believe in themselves. Unfortunately, there is a downside.

Recently I employed a young man who was in need of work, and who had basically painted himself into a corner to the point where he had to get a job, or else. I needed someone to help me urgently because of my health, and I saw it as a great opportunity to give someone a break, a chance to give someone the opportunity to make a fresh start, just as one individual had given me the chance I needed many years ago. Here was my chance to "pay it forward", if you like.

He worked out pretty well, despite a few hiccups, and I thought it was going well, until about two and a half weeks in, when he said he was leaving. I was disappointed, but philosophical, you can't win every time, but on the last day, he dropped everything and left me half way through the day...basically, he bailed on me.

The next day, he rang looking for his pay, and I, feeling miffed, told him to wait till pay day.
The end result was harassing phone calls, abusive text messages and finally him confronting me at my home, kicking in my front gate, entering my yard, bashing on my front door, repeatedly head-butting my glass sliding doors, coming into my lounge room, threatening me, and leaving with threats to return for his money.

When the police arrested and interviewed him, he was quite insistent that his actions were completely justified, because he felt that he should be able to do whatever was necessary to get the money he was owed, despite the fact that the NEXT DAY was pay day. He wanted his money TODAY.
He was sure that if he felt like behaving in that way, then he was entirely justified, and it did not matter what I thought, or felt.

If we continue to foster a mind-set where instant gratification is the paramount goal of our society, and where violent and anti-social behaviour can be justified by the mantra of "This is who I am, and it doesn't matter what you think", then we can expect a generational trend toward not only shorter attention spans and greater need for self-fulfillment, but also a shorter fuse on the temper of those who do not want to wait for rewards, and a greater propensity for violence on the part of those who do not care about the well-being of those around them.

As with all things, a balance is required, but unfortunately the easy option is not self- control, nor patience.....

Charity...

How quickly did the Ice-Bucket Challenge disappear from our consciousness? A worthy cause, with an interesting gimmick, that also ensured excellent publicity, and yet is gone in a flash.

Questions over the validity of these kinds of campaigns can spell the death of the most noble cause, with a rumour or two about where the funds are going, (or if they are going anywhere at all), enough to destroy public support in an instant. Often these rumours are justified, sometimes they are baseless, but the damage is always done, and the cause is crippled, for better or worse.

Of course there are many organisations whose fund-raising campaigns are so long-standing that they are by-words in our vocabulary. The Red Shield Appeal,  Red Cross Week. Legacy.
All of these charity groups have excellent reputations and do amazing work with the funds they collect.
It is not so well known that each of these organisations has certain problems with their charities, and they must overcome these in order to maintain their reputation in society.

I have no intention of trying to discredit these charities, nor do I mean to imply that they are alone in not always doing what is best. They are merely examples of what occurs in any organisation that we, the public, entrust with our money to do good on our behalf.

The Red Shield Appeal raises funds for people in need and to support orphanages and shelters...and it has also paid the wages of corrupt, immoral people who have abused children, or covered up the actions of others who have abused.

The Red Cross is a venerable and massive organisation, recognised world-wide, with a reputation for appearing in the world's most troubled spots and administering aid rapidly and impartially. They also have a massive administrative infrastructure and salaried bureaucracy which eats up millions of dollars every year.

Legacy is the charity arm of the Australian RSL, devoted to helping the widows and families of soldiers killed or affected by conflict. They do great work. The RSL Clubs that generate millions through poker machine revenue and membership fees do not contribute ONE CENT to Legacy. All of Legacy's funds are raised by the sale of badges and pins to the public, and by donations from the public. All revenue from RSL Cubs goes back to the clubs.

As I said, I do not wish to crucify these few examples, but I want to use them to illustrate that there is no perfect system of charity, they are all flawed in some way, and we as contributors to them, should be aware of their flaws and decide if we can accept them before we donate.

Speaking as one who has recently required a certain amount of charity from those around me, I think the closest we may come to proper, uncorrupted charity, is what I saw happen to me.
Somebody saw that I needed some help, they looked at what was in their power to do, reached out, gave it to me, and would only accept my thanks.
I can think of several who have done this for me, each in their own way, and did it without prompting. No tax deductibility, no publicity, no recognition. True Charity.

Thanks.

Society Is Trying To Stand On One Leg

I have an image in my mind of an Indian yogi, standing on one leg, his other foot propped against his knee, with his hands held palms-together in front of him, with his head bowed and his eyes almost closed...concentrating. These guys are very skilled and can stand like this for hours, on one leg....concentrating.

Then I see our society, trying so hard to stand on one leg, refusing to use two, simply because we are too proud to admit we are wrong.
We established Australia as an egalitarian society, with votes for women a reality soon after we were made our own nation.Ok, we screwed up along the way, but we accepted many things as normal in society, before they were made law, and we pride ourselves on the idea of judging someone by who they are, not pre-conceived notions. We have always accepted  other points of view, other peoples, other ways of life. It has always been a hallmark of our national character. No more.

Make no mistake, we have not always been comfortable with new-comers, and we take time to accept new ideas, but we never reject ideas out of hand. Until now.

Australian politics and Australian media has become so polarised that they can no longer admit that any point of view except their own is correct. We have witnessed very negative election campaigns in recent years, and now the media is either "Murdoch" or "Packer", with the former being staunchly conservative, and the latter interested in ratings and little else. This does not make for an informed public, or an intelligent society.

The result of this is a society that is becoming polarised as never before in our history. No balanced society can have everyone in either the Left or Right camp, with no-one in the middle. If you stand balanced on two feet, you will still sway slightly, left and right...this is your body maintaining balance...that's what "balance" means, evenly distributing weight between two points (of view).
No society can stand on one political idea alone, like that Yogi, unless that is the only thing they are concentrating on. The U.S.S.R. focussed so strongly on remaining communist at all costs, concentrating only on ideology, that they sacrificed progress, and liberty, and eventually fell so far behind the West that they ultimately collapsed.
The Revisionist Islamic countries that are fighting so hard to only be Muslim, will eventually suffer the same fate, but the cost in lives will be terrible. Ironically, these Islamic idealists are actually trying to recapture the Ottoman Empire, a Golden Age of Islam. The irony that they do not see is that the Ottomans were part of the most enlightened and progressive era that has ever existed in Islam. Learning, Music, Art and Trade were treasured as signs of civilisation by the Ottomans. They will never recapture that time as long as they focus only on religion.

As long as Australia has an "Us and Them" attitude towards politics, societies, religion, and people in general, we will continue to fall down as a society....balance is required.

BUT....it is necessary, as with all things balanced, for this to be a two-way street. They must also accept us a nation and a society. Australians must not accept radical and intolerant views amongst our OWN people, and migrants need to do the same...after all ,isn't that a form of balance?

How Long Can A Fanatical Fire Burn?

Let's get a couple of things settled before I start.

Firstly, I want to make it clear that I do not agree with the term "Islamic State", as a description of the entity currently running rampant through Syria and Iraq. 

I'm reasonably sure that the practices employed by these people only vaguely resemble the most extreme form of the most archaic type of Islam, and the term "State" is generally applied to an internationally recognised, self-governing entity which has been validated and has political and cultural ties with other recognised entities. This entity has none of these attributes. By calling it a "State", we are bestowing a legitimacy which is unwarranted and unearned.

Secondly, I need to make sure that you realise how complex this situation really is, and that there is no simple solution, whether short or long-term. The movements and cultures that have been formed in the regions affected by this political situation have their roots back in the Sixteenth Century, if not earlier, and have been moulded by the ensuing events, including the Ottoman, British and American (Economic) Empires. Something formed over such a long period will not disappear overnight. Ask the Croats and Serbs...

So,

The Terrorist Army (as I shall refer to it), has gained a substantial footing in the middle of Iraq and parts of Syria at this time. It is trying very hard to gain access to oil wells and cities for cash and commodities, and has actually succeeded in places. Where to from here?

Most current affairs buffs will talk knowledgeably about the Kurds holding the North of Iraq, and the push for the terrorists to take the South, with it's many oilfields in order to strengthen their position, and they are right. 

What they will not talk about is that if they gain control of these areas...it's going to be a long day for Western Civilization. Here's why.

Any terrorist or insurgency inspired State has by it's very nature, a limited life-span. If such a state is founded upon the forceful personality of a single individual, then upon that persons' demise, things crumble rapidly. Particularly if no stability and line of succession is established beforehand. Witness any one of a hundred such regimes in Africa in the last 60 years. You can only slaughter your way to power for so long, eventually the slaughter comes back at you.

Killing is a very effective form of control, but eventually it loses it's effectiveness. Pol Pot discovered that killing everyone left you with no workers, and finally those that were left realised that it was necessary to get rid of their leader before he killed them all.

If this were the situation in the Middle east, then all we would have to do is wait, because, let's face it, these monsters are killing many thousands. eventually it will have to stop and then it would fall down.  BUT...

If, when the killing stops, the leaders of the Terrorist Army can substitute slaughter with another, more subtle form of intimidation, then they are half-way to settling in for the long-haul. They could use religion, such as Iran has used very successfully for the last 35 or so years, keeping the population tightly controlled through fear of Damnation and prison, or they could take a leaf out of the West's  handbook.

Saddam Hussein, Ali Basheer, Moamar Gaddaffi, and a half dozen other leaders successfully kept power to themselves through sheer force of arms....and the support of a handful of Western nations that wanted their oil. Should the Terrorist Army gain enough oil wells, they will have large sums of ready cash at their disposal. There will always be a market for oil. When Iraq had an oil embargo placed upon it by the U.S. and its allies, they still managed to sell oil to small, desperate nations at discount prices. If they can hold onto this area long enough, they will start moving toward a form of recognition by simply being important as a supplier of oil. With a government comprising religious leaders, such as the Ayatollahs in Iran, stable lines of succession to power are established, which minimises disruption when power is handed from one leader to another. it works for the Catholic Church too, remember.

Of course, the cash from the oil will allow them to buy arms, if not from the U.S., then Russia, or China, or some third-party nation with a need for oil and little cash reserves.

Should this situation arise, then the fanatical fire that calls itself the Islamic State will not burn until it destroys the foundations that built it, like so many before. Instead it will feed on the oil that it has captured and use it to try and create a conflagration that will engulf the Middle East. Should this occur, it may burn right through to North Africa, including Egypt, and down into failed States like Liberia and Somalia, where there is fuel aplenty for such a fire as this.

Our Place In The Universe

Tonight, while indulging in my usual routine of walking the dog before bed, I also indulged in a favourite pastime...Moon-watching. As all two of my readers may realise, this is a particularly favourite hobby of mine.
The Moon represents, to me at least, mankind's first big step away from the safety of the skirts of Mother Earth. This is how Man gained his independence from the Earth...how he proved that it was possible for a person to live away from home.
Of course it is not finalised....as I stood in the street tonight and saw a Moon, just one day past it's fullness, and thought...."a man stood there, and looked at this", I became solemnly aware of how insignificant my life, my home, and my presence were, in the shadow of this great achievement.
And yet, I felt like I owned a piece of Outer Space....

We are so insignificant, we are so tiny. Yet we are so powerful.
To the universe we are less than a heartbeat, less than a blink of an eye. If we disappeared tomorrow, our existence will have never mattered to the universe, because in the events that take place in the cosmos; the formation of galaxies, supernovas, black holes eating solar systems....to all of this, our entire history means less than the lifetime of a single atom. That is how tiny we are.
Yet....

We are the most dominant species our planet has ever seen.
Our species is the only sentient species we have found in the entire solar system.
We have left our planet and visited our nearest neighbour, with plans to visit our next nearest neighbour within a century of our first visit outside home.
We have split the atom and investigated the beginnings of our universe.
We have brought our species to the edge of self-destruction and have pulled back from that brink.

For all that we are not, there is so much that we are and still could be.
This is not about science, or religion, or money, or politics.
It is about humans, good and bad, great and small.
It is about Perspective....we are all great...if we choose to contribute to making all of us great....

Santa and the Bunny, A Modern History- PART THREE

This is Part Three of a series. Please read Parts 1 & 2 for the full story...
Having made the decision to leave the Americas for economic reasons, Claus Enterprises decided to base itself in Mongolia. As with the previous two locations, this decision had been carefully thought out. China was undergoing political change after the death of Mao Tse Tung, and despite the uncertainty and unrest in the country, Santa realised that it was a sleeping economic powerhouse. The success of Japan and Taiwan would spur the leadership to modernise and invigorate China, and despite events such as the Tianeman Square protest and subsequent armed retaliation, it was obvious that the country had a massive future, and so it has proven.
Secondly, Mongolia gives Claus Enterprises the two main requirements for locating a base: proximity to supply sources, and privacy. The huge plains of Central Mongolia are sparsely inhabited, yet not too far away from China's immense manufacturing capabilities. The location of the majority of China's factories in the South did cause some initial concern, but with most of Santa Claus' merchandise being shipped direct to the country of delivery these days, this is no longer a problem.

With both Claus and Easter Bunny well established in their roles and sitting on an extremely profitable marketing model, it appears as though both entities have settled down somewhat, and have decided to make use of their respective fortunes. As extremely wealthy, but also very recognisable entities, it is understandable that both of them have decided to buy not only their personal comfort, but also their personal privacy.
The very rich can afford the very best, and also the biggest, a mere acreage estate would not be sufficient for either privacy, or ego. So naturally, they have both bought personal islands.

Santa has invested in a tropical island well away from normal shipping lanes or flight paths, and Bunny has bought a truly remote piece of real estate that is uniquely suited to his preferences. They are, naturally enough, respectively known as Christmas Island and Easter Island.
Christmas Island is located to the South of Indonesia, and North-West of Australia. Look for it on a map and you will see that it is not too far from the tropical paradise of Bali. Naturally, some would question why Santa would purchase a place which has a Detention Centre for illegal migrants on it, but this is actually a positive for Claus. Looking at a map of the island reveals that the centre of the island is dominated by a massive National Park. This of course is Santa's private estate. The Detention facilities are on the islands extreme West coast, with the only airstrip on the North-Eastern corner, along with the island's town. The presence of a permanent security team at the Detention Centre gives Claus the means of ensuring his privacy, while the proximity of the air-strip to the town means that few people need to travel anywhere near his private sanctuary. As time goes on, and the immigration problem settles down, Santa will ensure that his island quietly slips out of the news and back into obscurity.

Easter Bunny, on the other hand, has little need for security, with Easter Island being placed very conveniently in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, West of South America, remote and small enough to discourage major development. It is situated slightly further South of the equator than Santa Claus' private retreat, but still close enough to be warm all year round. The major attraction on the island for Bunny, was what it DOESN'T have. Trees. Rabbits have no need for trees, and the absence of them allows for more grass, which suits Bunny very well.
Bunny uses his island as a holiday resort for the many rabbits who work for his corporation, as well as making it his private retreat.

Although this History is essentially about Santa Claus and Easter Bunny, it is worthwhile taking a slight detour to illustrate just how remarkable the success of these two has been. Why has no other entity or deity made a successful entry into the world of business? Surely there must be others that wish to have the fame and wealth that these two have garnered? Well, there are. Several mythical beings have attempted to crack the market at different points in history, but only one has made a reasonable success of it, and even then he required the assistance of one of the Big Two.

In the late 1970's, the being known as Echo, felt that the time was right to make a move in the area of his own speciality; Sound. Echo approached Bunny for help in making a move into the music industry, and bunny loaned him several staffers who specialised in the field. In 1978, Echo and the Bunnymen released their first album.
Although never approaching the success of the other two entities on the world stage, Echo has, with the help of the Bunny's men, managed to forge a public presence of some note. He will never threaten their supremacy, and in fact it looks as though Echo may be fading from the music scene, with fewer record releases, and a shrinking chart presence. It may be that Echo may soon disappear entirely. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that this is the only other example of an entity from folklore entering the real world with any success.

Meanwhile, Santa and Bunny seem to have settled into a form of semi-retirement, allowing their respective businesses to run themselves to a large degree. Bunny, in particular has not produced any major innovations for some years now. Santa has Christmas down to a fine art, that requires little interference, apart of course, from his regular investment in the motion picture industry. Every year a new crop of Santa movies is released, maintaining Santa's high profile, and maintaining his revenue stream through DVD sales and appearance royalties.

So it stands in the present day, with two Giants of industry standing astride the world, each a product of hard work, planning, canny investment, and the public's willingness to believe. What does the future hold for these two successful businessman? There can be little doubt that for Santa's future, it looks like it will be Christmas every day, while Bunny seems perfectly happy with his decision to put all his eggs in one basket.

Santa and The Bunny, A Modern History- PART TWO

This is Part Two of the Story, please Read Part one to gain a full perspective.

After deciding that the European markets had been destroyed by World War One, Santa decided to move operations to the American continent, and so, sometime in 1919, the now sizeable corporation based itself in Canada. This location was for two reasons.
Firstly, as a Commonwealth country, it was easy to transfer direct from Scotland to Canada, thereby avoiding difficult U.S. immigration procedures.
Secondly, the large wilderness areas of the Canadian back-country, gave ample privacy, while the close proximity of the border allowed easy access to the massive American market and manufacturing facilities, which were, by now, an absolute necessity to the continuation of the success of Claus Enterprises.

Almost immediately after settling in the new location, a great windfall occurred, with the United States declaring Prohibition in 1920. The immediate ban on the sale of alcohol meant that anyone who wanted to drink booze had to obtain it illegally from overseas or make it themselves. In the Southern States this gave rise to the "moonshiners", with their home distilled alcohol, while in the North, there was a massive demand for liquor smuggled from, you guessed it, Canada.

Naturally, U.S. authorities immediately set up stringent controls on the borders to stop the illegal trade, but organised crime syndicates utilised the Great Lakes and high powered speed boats to run the gauntlet of United States Coast Guard patrol boats, and thereby continue supply to their markets in the United States.
How did this benefit Santa Claus? Well, at a time when the war on alcohol was being fought on land and water, Santa owned a flying sleigh which could carry large quantities of almost anything.

So in the "off-season", when he was not importing from the factories South of the Canadian border, Santa raised extra revenue by exporting to the U.S. on a regular basis. This additional income stood him in good stead when the Great Depression struck in 1929, and the Christmas market suddenly crashed through the floor. The sales of expensive toys dropped dramatically, and had it not been for the extensive cash reserves held by Clause Enterprises, the whole operation may well have gone under. As it was, the company survived, but even so, Santa had to resort to appearing in advertisements for other companies in order to maintain cash-flow.

In the 1930's, successful soft-drink manufacturer Coca-Cola, approached Santa Claus, with the offer to appear in a number of print advertisements promoting their product. The money was too good to pass up, so Santa agreed, and even accepted the condition that he must wear a suit that showed Coca-colas corporate colour scheme.The advertisements were so successful, that he become identified with the red and white uniform and has retained it ever since.
It is also interesting that this is the first time we see the effects of "good living" in the appearance of S. Claus, with significant weight gain, and evidence of his fondness for Scotch whiskey showing in his red nose and flushed cheeks.

From this point, for at least 50 years, Santa's image was to remain unaltered, for the most part.
When World War Two, broke out in 1939, Claus Enterprises, safely insulated away from the conflict, suffered little economic setback. The rationing and conflict on the European Continent meant a reduction of his overall market, but the growth of the U.S. economy, through the manufacture of military equipment, compensated somewhat for this. Overall, Santa was little affected by the war, especially when comparing with World War 1.

It was just after the Second World War that Santa's only real rival began to make his presence felt.
Easter Bunny had, like Santa Claus, been around for centuries. Unlike Claus, Bunny had not had the opportunities which Claus had been able to exploit. Easter is not traditionally a gift-giving season. It tends to be more serious, and the presence of Bunny as an icon was almost purely as a symbol of fertility, rather than as an entity or personality in his own right. As a result, Easter remained almost completely a religious holiday, with the exception of a rabbit distributing painted eggs for children to discover on Easter morning.The turning point came for Easter Bunny with the end of war-time rationing and the beginning of mass production of....chocolate.

The secret of all smart business people is the ability to recognise a trend before it actually happens, and Bunny had been looking for such a trend for a long time. He had studied Santa Claus' operation closely, and when he saw the potential in mass production of an inexpensive, easily transportable commodity that everybody, adults and children, liked, he moved quickly to make sure it was associated with his operation.
Wrapping thousands of chocolate eggs (his traditional symbol at Easter), in brightly coloured foil, (emulating the hand-painted, traditional eggs), he instantaneously changed the focus of Easter Morning from an Easter Egg hunt, to eating chocolate. Suddenly, the Easter Bunny was very important to everyone's idea of Easter.

Showing that he had studied his competitor well, Bunny emulated the professionalism of Santa Claus, and grew a business into a wealthy enterprise. Unlike his more established counterpart, Bunny has not diversified his product very much at all, preferring to keep chocolate as the central theme, and only allowing small variations, such as the addition of chocolate rabbits to the range in addition to the eggs, and even then, all manufacturers pay a royalty for the use of Bunny's image on the product. Toys and books, while gaining popularity, are still strictly a sideline. Despite this narrow marketing, Bunny has proven that minimal diversity equals reduced production costs and a more streamlined transportation/delivery network.For instance, every Christmas, Claus Enterprises hires tens of thousands of Santas, each of whom has to be outfitted and trained in mannerisms, speech patterns and protocol. Easter Bunny pays rabbits to deliver, end of story.

Santa and Bunny each grew their businesses through the 50's, 60's and 70's, watching each other but not worrying too much, as they were parallel businesses, each not affecting the others' market. In fact Santa was not too concerned at all by the Easter Bunny, as the timing of Easter, a scant 3-4 months after Christmas, meant that Santa still scored the lion's share of the market. The massive production costs of Santa's operations, with it's huge diversity of gifts and bulky nature of presents, was beginning to tell on Santa's profits, however. Especially with American manufacturing becoming more expensive and being undercut by first Japanese, then Taiwanese and Chinese factories. In early 1980, seeing the writing on the wall, Santa decided to move operations once again, and headed for Asia.

END OF PART TWO 

Santa and The Bunny, A Modern History....PART ONE

Everyone knows the history of Santa Claus. Thousands of words have been written about his rise from a collection of ancient myths, into an amalgamation that became the character that we now know as Santa Claus. There are even a few thumb-nail sketches of his progress through to the modern day.

This is not the full story. Why is there a sudden and abrupt cessation of information about Santa, from the early 18th century until today? Why is there so little detail about his activities and operations?
After considerable research, and the unearthing of a large number of hidden files, I am now able to give the history of Santa Claus, from the 1800's to the present day. It is lengthy, it is detailed and comprehensive, and yet I have still found it necessary to edit extensively, and present this story in several parts. Included in the latter parts will be a brief history of Santas' nearest and greatest rival, a being whose success also demands recognition.

Please Read On;

Indulge me for a while, and let's just pretend that in the mid-19th century, somewhere in London, the ancient and immortal Santa Claus sits alone in a small room in a boarding house. An amalgamation of several ancient myths from around the globe, over the centuries enough belief has been placed in the idea of Saint Nicholas, that he has been able to become a real entity. But it is not enough. Santa wants more than just existence...he wants power...and recognition...and wealth. So he has travelled to London, capital city of the largest, most powerful empire ever seen, in order to make his fortune.

It is not an unusual story, people have always flocked to the centre of power to try and make their fortunes, but S. Claus has happened upon a unique set of circumstances which will change the way the Western world will experience Christmas forever. You see, this is not just London, capital of an empire; it is the financial hub of the world at this time, it is very wealthy. It is also the largest city in a country which is leading the world in the Industrial Revolution, and very intelligent people are everywhere.

We have been unable to determine exactly how the idea came about, but presumably Mr Claus engaged the services of some kind of advertising agency, or even a personal advisor of some sort, who came up with the brilliant tool which launched the career of an aging, fading demi-god into outer-space. Claus himself did not come up with the idea, because if had been able to think of something so brilliant, he would have surely tried it before now.

Consider this: You are in the business of providing gifts for children. Trouble is; not many children, and even fewer adults believe in you, so you have a very small audience. What you need is for children and their parents to suddenly think you are real. You are in London. You need children. You need to be validated. You need respectability.

The cost is unknown, but it must have been substantial, possibly using up almost all of the reserve savings Santa Claus had put aside for next Christmas, but it was the investment of a lifetime. How much did it cost to get the editor of the largest, most respected newspaper in the largest, most powerful city, in the largest most far-flung empire in the world, to sit down and write, in response to a letter SUPPOSEDLY from a small girl; "Yes, Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus..."?
The career of S. Claus has never looked back.

Allow me, for one moment, to digress. This essay is not going to address the religious significance of either of the holidays which these two businessman exploit so adroitly. I acknowledge that each holiday has a pre-existing religious significance, perhaps dating back to truly ancient times. This is not in question. I intend to focus purely on the economic activities of two opportunists and the successful exploitation of millions of people.

Moving on;
Throughout the late 19th century, Santa grew his brand name on the reputation established by the letter to the Times, and various follow-up campaigns, such as the commissioning of post-cards to be sent at Christmas time, and various sponsorships, in which Santa pushed the image of the jovial, kindly gift-bringer, distancing himself from his earlier, sterner image, (particularly in Scandinavian and Eastern European countries), where he would reward "good" children, while punishing "bad" children. Naturally, Santa ensured that royalty payments were enforced for the use of his image on all advertisements and post-cards.

Early Santa, punishing bad children

Early image of S. Claus as a less "jovial " figure.

Postcard of Santa , early 20th Cent.

It was around this time that Claus relocated his operations from the North Pole, (his traditional home), to the highlands of Scotland, a move triggered by several factors. Firstly, with a keen eye on the massive industrialisation of the North of England, he realised that manufacturing could be done faster and cheaper, with reduced transportation costs, if he had his operations nearby. It also freed up his elf work-force, no longer required to hand-make limited numbers of toys, so they could now handle logistics, publicity, debt-collection, and all the other requirements of running a growing corporation.

 Secondly, the Age of Exploration was intruding on his privacy, with more and more expeditions to the North Pole making secrecy very difficult. As we shall see, secrecy is a major priority for the Claus empire. Thirdly, it appears that the continued growth of Santas' career and personal wealth had enabled him to begin to enjoy the finer things in life, and a taste for fine Scotch whiskey was one of those things. Moving to the Highlands seemed logical in this instance. Incidentally, Santa's success was also adding to his waistline and his blood pressure, a factor which would later force an image change for the quite literally growing corporate giant.

The advent of the Twentieth Century, and continued growth in prosperity in Britain, ensured further growth for the Claus Corporation, which enabled it to look at diversifying into other brand images.
Mrs Claus began to make more appearances, although always in a secondary role to her husband, and the reindeer and sleigh, (first mentioned almost a century before in the poem "The Night Before Christmas"), were gradually pushed into the picture to complete the image of a modern Santa.

Mr & Mrs Claus

Naturally, licencing of images and appropriate royalty deals were set up to generate income for the company.

In 1914, a major setback occurred with the outbreak of World War 1. The massive loss of life and general trauma inflicted upon Europe was too great for even Santa Claus to overcome, although, to his credit, he did great work among the poor and families of soldiers, and even visited the Front Line, particularly early in the war, to try and bring cheer to both sides. By the end of 1917, however, it was clear that Europe, including Britain, had spent all its' reserves on the war, and if he were to continue to prosper, a move must be made.
So Santa Claus set his sights on the growing economic juggernaut that was the United States.

END OF PART ONE

Australia, teetering....

It is always interesting to see how different nations handle certain situations that occur, whether it be inside their borders or externally.
Some nations are so level headed that it is quite disturbing. Scandinavian nations like Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and so on, just seem to have this supernatural form of calmness which is applied to each and every problem which arises. They are the ultimate Good Neighbour States. They are up to date with their membership payments to the United Nations (Yes, children, you have to pay if you are a member, although the United States has been as much as $1.18 BILLION in arrears as recently as November 2010, but Mr Obama says it will be up to date by the time he leaves office). I digress.
These nations are the ones that handle any storm; a mass shooting, the worst since World War 2? Have a trial, put him away. There doesn't seem to be the same hysteria you would find in, let's say,...Egypt, where this sort of thing could topple a government.

Personally speaking, I tend to attribute this sort of behaviour to a kind of National Personality. This is the kind of thing which gives certain countries a particular mind-set in dealing with the world.

Obviously I am going to make sweeping generalisations here, with no data to back it up, but I hope you will try and follow my argument....

Scandinavians tend to be patient, moral, tolerant (on the whole), and self-controlled.
Latin Americans are passionate, impulsive, demonstrative, and emotional.
Mediterranean nations can be similar to Latin Americans, but are more conservative and also very protective of their personal freedoms.

These are just a few examples, but I hope I have made my point. Most nations have a particular kind of personality, by and large.

Which brings me to the lunatics.

Certain nations are so NUTS that their actions are a little hard to explain. They are not necessarily evil (although some can be), nor are they necessarily out of control (again, some can be).
What they are can only be explained by one word, and when you look at which nations have this condition, you may be surprised.
They are PARANOID.
Let me explain...

The Oxford English dictionary defines paranoia (in part), as;
"a mental condition characterised by delusions of persecution, unwarranted jealousy, or exaggerated self-importance, typically worked into an organised system..."

I believe the United States of America is paranoid.
Here's why I think they are....
"..delusions of persecution, ...jealousy...self-importance...in an organised system.."

The U.S. fights regularly in far-away countries to protect "American interests".
But guys...they are FAR AWAY.
They might be owned by U.S. companies, but doesn't that make them interests of the company, not the nation? And how sensitive do you have to be to feel jealous about someone doing something on the other side of the world that you don't like? A bit too sensitive, maybe? Perhaps to the point of being  delusionally persecuted, perhaps??

If you are the most powerful nation on the planet, (and militarily, the U.S. has a combined armed forces budget larger than the next three largest COMBINED), then what the Hell are you afraid of??
I have no problem with humanitarian missions of force, but it does seem a bit coincidental that all those missions only happen in oil-rich nations, while Africa and Asia can see Genocide time and again, without a single U.S. soldier being seen anywhere near the place.

Now to the "organised system".
The political system in Washington is geared to keeping the United States "strong", at the "forefront of World Peace", and upholding American values. What this really means is that it is desperately trying to hold on to it's position as world leader, at a time when other nations, like China and India, are over-taking it. So, rather than admit defeat, it is claiming that everyone is picking on them.Terrorists are out to get them, so more force is required overseas. American interests in the Global Economy are being undermined, so trade treaties favouring the U.S. over it's trading partners must be put in place.Pacific Regional Security is under threat from China, so more troops are needed in the Philippines and Australia, Domestic Security is under threat from "home-grown" terrorists, so all phone records, text messages, e-mails and internet traffic is to be recorded and kept, so that if there is an attack, they can go back and track it down to a particular person way back when.

Sorry guys....that's a bit paranoid, to me at least....

I can understand why they could have been paranoid in the early days...just broke free of one of the greatest powers on earth at the time. Huge country and no real armed forces. Other great powers, like Spain and France sniffing around, ready to try and take over.
Yes I can understand paranoia then...but why now?

Paranoid people, and nations are obsessed with persecution. A paranoid nation will do its best to have as big a buffer between itself and any potential enemy as possible.
Israel is a paranoid State. Rightly so, too...it has many enemies on 3 sides, and an ocean on the other. It acts like any paranoid...it attacks at the slightest provocation, it seeks to push the enemy away from its borders to create a buffer.
Russia is paranoid, and its leader especially so. Yes it wants Crimea for it's wealth and historical Russian ownership, but it would really like the whole Ukraine as a buffer between itself and NATO. Remember, Ukraine was asking for NATO membership....right on Russia's border.
Australia has traditionally had a very low paranoia level. We didn't have to fight a war to be recognised. We were reasonably egalitarian to begin with, and we were large enough and wealthy enough to not feel threatened by migration. That is now changing.
Australians are beginning to resent the influx of foreigners in a way not seen since the Vietnam War caused a wave of refugees to suddenly seek us out as a future home. This is because we are now not so sure of our own future. Our jobs are dwindling, industry is dying, our politicians are not giving us positive visions of the future, only pictures of doom if we vote for their opponents.
It is up to US, the people of Australia, to build a future for ourselves. We are now in the same position as we were in the early 1950's. We have a growing population, fuelled by immigrants, just like after WW2. We are smart, wealthy as a nation, and we can make things better. We have proven it time and time again.
What we lack is politicians with guts, right across the spectrum, who are willing to go beyond what is safe, and push Australia away from the paranoia of holding on to our position in the past, and take us into a scary, but maybe exciting future.

I would rather do that than sit behind barbed wire in our little fortress, and continue to tell ourselves how safe we are and how great we used to be....

New Technology To Fight International Crime

A Press Release from an Australian company prompted me to do a little research into new developments  in the field of suspect identification.
The Release is in the form of a statement from the company that is responsible for the development and deployment of the new digital system. The statement is actually the transcript of a talk given by company representative Mr Nassal Bridge, at the conference on International Development of Independent Observational Technologies (IDIOT).
The press release/ talk is as follows:

" Good morning, Fellow Attendees, my name is Nassal Bridge, and I represent an Australian company at the forefront of research and implementation of technology in the field of Facial Recognition.
The use of electronic and digital technology to scan and process facial features of individuals has been growing in recent years, with much publicity and excitement associated with its introduction. It was touted as the answer to preventing the movement of known criminals through our various domestic and international transport systems.
Unfortunately these technologies; The Facial Recognition System (FRS), the Human Recognition System (HRS), and various other developments, have failed to live up to expectations. Weaknesses in data-bases, lack of programming flexibility and poor image quality, have all contributed to making this idea seem like an unfulfilled dream. There is however, a light at the end of the tunnel.
My company, an independent, privately financed entity, with no government affiliations, has been secretly working on an innovative method which will not only aid in the identification of criminals and suspects, but make it possible for each nation around the world to have its own unique data-base of those it regards as undesirable in its community. Furthermore, this database will be administered by an independent entity, ensuring complete impartiality and anonymity. This independent entity is my company, and the system we have developed will change the world.."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to present to the system of the future!!
Facial Area Recognition Traits, or FART, is how we will detect the criminal of tomorrow!!
Let's face it, folks, everybody's  FART is unique!! I'll say it again! Everybody's Facial Area Recognition Trait is unique!
No two FARTs are the same, but what we need is a system to make those FARTs detectable, and that's where my company comes in. We are the National Observational Security Entity, or NOSE.
Every persons face is defined by the measurements between certain points on the face: such as between the eyes, or jawbone to jawbone. We have decided to focus on the area above the top lip, but below and between the eyes. This is where NOSE comes in. This area on the face is unique in each individual, and this Facial Area and it's unique Recognition Trait gave rise to FART.

As we implement this system throughout the world, we envisage that each FART system will be accompanied by a NOSE. Each NOSE will be structured to make it unique to each country's requirements. Yet each NOSE will still be a part of the parent company. Therefore, we can see a time when each nation will have its'own individual NOSE, sensitive to its' own FARTs, and able to pick the difference between its own FARTs and its neighbours' FARTs.

Naturally, this means that each country will have it's own unique NOSE. Some NOSEs will be big, some will be small and some countries will be  more sensitive about their NOSE than other countries, and some countries will not like to talk about their NOSE at all. This is all incidental, as in the long run, each NOSE will be focussing on detecting as many FARTs as possible.

Of course, it goes without saying that individuals who do not wish to be detected will attempt to hide their FARTs in any way they can, In fact, we at NOSE have already witnessed attempts by individuals to hide FARTs by coughing, (hand over mouth), sneezing, or even by singing loudly. Needless to say, you can't hide your FART from our NOSE! In fact, a good NOSE, no matter what nationality, can detect a FART from across a crowded room, so if you have a FART, we will know about it!!

Certain situations are of course better for the detection of FARTs than others, for instance, it is difficult to hide a FART in an elevator, or a taxi, because both are enclosed spaces with a limited number of occupants, and they are all facing the one direction with no room to move. No FART can go undetected. Also, as we all know, all FARTs are individual, so after a time, when NOSEs from around the world have collected enough FARTs, we will be able to track an individual's movements by his FARTs alone.

As you can see, the future of criminal investigation will very likely comprise a bunch of expert NOSEs looking at old FARTs to determine if they are relevant to a particular situation.

Finally, I am often asked, as an expert NOSE, if there are any particular FARTs that are memorable in any way. Naturally, I don't like to talk about individual FARTs, but I can honestly say that there are one or two FARTs that always bring a smile to my face, especially late at night when I am relaxing after a good meal. This is one of the pleasures of my work.

Thank you for your time today, and the next time you are sitting in an airliner late at night, just remember; your FART is being detected by a NOSE somewhere."

Trust

There is a moment in any activity involving more than one entity, that defies all human logic. A moment when it is necessary to trust without question, to believe when you have every reason to doubt.
I have not ridden a horse in many years, and I was never an accomplished horseman at the best of times.In fact, my first boss still loves to ridicule me whenever we meet, reminding me how bad I was as a Jackaroo.

There is, however, one moment involved in riding horses that will never escape me. It will forever be burned into my memory. It did not happen often for me, because I was tall, and for some it happened so often that perhaps it became common-place and not memorable at all. For me, it remains a pivotal point in horsemanship.

You stand, ready to mount, reins in left hand and grasping the pommel. Your right hand grips the saddles' rear, and you are ready to lift yourself into the saddle. Normally, at this point, your left foot goes into the stirrup and with a little double jump, you push and pull yourself into the saddle.
Sometimes, however, it is a world of difference. Sometimes, as you stand there, left hand grasping reins, right hand on the saddle facing into the horses' side, you are approached from behind. You bend your left leg at the knee, backwards. Your bent leg is grasped at the ankle and you are BOOSTED into the saddle...swinging your right leg effortlessly over the horse and saddle and settled easily into your seat.

Now your trust has been transferred from Mother Earth, to horse, through the action of trust in another's grasp and strength, their power transferred to you by an act of generosity on their part.

Any team sport,  any business transaction, any relationship with a loved one, even buying a cup of coffee, all involve an act of trust, but the exhilaration happens when the trust involves you being "lifted" beyond your circumstances.

I have never forgotten the feeling of power from their grip, the lightness of being lifted, and the security of knowing that someone was below me, lifting me up, while my horse stood ready to take me and be a strength beneath me.

I never rode well, but I loved to ride.

Who'd Want To Be A Billionaire?

I noted with interest the recent news that Elon Musk has released the design patents for the Tesla electric car into the public domain. This is Big News for electric car makers everywhere.
Mainstream media seems to have given this little attention, but it is the equivalent of Bill Gates releasing Windows 98, way back in (you guessed it) 1998, and saying to the whole computer world; "Ok, now we've done this, we are going to let you use all our programmes and designs for Windows 98 for free"

Car makers are now able to take Tesla's designs and use and develop them however they like...for free!!
Why would someone do that? Well, There's a few possibilities. How about these?

1. Elon Musk is a billionaire. He developed PayPal and sold it for many, many Pesos, so now he can afford to just give away stuff.
OR
2.He is rich enough, so now he can afford to be a philanthropist and help others.
OR
3.The patents are old and about to run out, so why not look good and give them away...good publicity!

WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!
But I can see why you're mistaken....let me explain.
1. Elon Musk is a billionaire...you don't get there by giving stuff away...unless you are going to get back a lot more than you gave away, in return.
2.Giving away patents is not an act of philanthropy. Giving away millions of bucks is philanthropy; Warren Buffett, at one point richer than Bill Gates, has given away HALF of his Billion dollars. That is philanthropy.
3. Even if the patents are old, they can be renewed, or sold. Musk does not need good publicity, he has half a dozen projects on the boil, not least of which is supplying the International Space Station with his own rocket.

No, there is a good reason (in MY mind and please remember, this is only MY opinion), that a smart man like Elon Musk does a seemingly foolish thing like this, and I am going to have to talk about Richard Branson to explain it.

Branson has been around since the early 1970s. When he launched Virgin Records, with Mike Oldfields' Tubular Bells as his labels' first album, Richard Branson already had half a dozen smaller entrepreneurial ventures under his belt. When you look back, though, it seems like everything up to and including Virgin Records, was aimless meandering on his part. This is because soon after, the Virgin brand became inextricably linked with transport. Outside the United kingdom, we have only heard of Virgin Airlines, but before that were Virgin Mini-cabs and Virgin Rail.
Richard Branson decided that people would tolerate fewer frills on their transport if it got them there cheaper.
Richard Branson is a great believer in finding existing systems that people use a lot, and finding ways to do it cheaper. As a result, he has gradually built an empire that is based around transport, until it reached a level where it is so big, and so stable, that he can now step up a level and take on a high-risk, high-cost venture like Virgin Galactic, and build a budget space travel system. The big thing in this equation is reaching the "big enough to afford it" level. It's what I call "critical mass".

If Richard Bransons'  Virgin Galactic, never makes ONE cent of profit, he will still be ok, because his businesses around the world are SO BIG, that they can carry that kind of loss. They are above "critical mass". They are big enough to survive being hit by a financial loss in Virgin Galactic. It has taken Branson a long time to get there, but he is now able to do original things in business, instead of just refining existing systems.

Elon Musk has reached that point a lot quicker than the founder and CEO of Virgin. This is in part because Musk has had the advantage of a computer industry that is expanding like a supernova, while he is himself a clever computer guy, and also because he is an original thinker instead of a "refiner", like Branson. When Musk made his billion, he immediately stepped sideways and took on a totally different project. He bought Tesla, a struggling electric car company, but he also got into the space race, and won the contract to supply the International Space Station with his cleverly thought out Space X Dragon capsule, and this is where the similarities to Richard Branson come in.

Most people think of space capsules as transportation for men, or as ways of getting satellites or supplies into space. The Space Shuttle could do all three, but was hideously expensive. Musk looked at the concept, and instead of seeing a car, or a truck....he saw a dual-cab pick-up truck. Big enough for a bunch of people, or able to carry a ton of stuff.. And you can re-use it by putting it on a reusable rocket. He found a way to "refine an existing system"

So what does this have to do with the Tesla patents?
Well, when the Tesla patents were released to everyone, it also meant that Tesla itself could use them, and the improvements that other people made to them. So when another inventor improves on a Tesla design for free, I think that Tesla can also use that improvement, without having to spend a cent on research themselves. Of course Tesla will still do their own research, but if 100 others are working on the same idea, then Mr Musk suddenly has a research department that is much bigger than it used to be.

Elon Musk has found a way to refine the patent system to his own benefit, and I think that the next Tesla will be seriously amazing.

Let us see if I'm right.
Thanks for bearing with me....

Politcians and FEEAARR!!!

Has anyone noticed how just lately there has been a lessening in the amount of fear-mongering by politicians around the globe??
It is a well-known fact that politics thrives when people are afraid, and naturally, politicians are aware of this and act accordingly. In Queensland we have had the Anti-Bikie Association Laws, which, for better or worse, have increased the police presence and also reduced crime, while alienating whole sections of the community.
The United States has been pushing the Terrorist fears, as well as the Russian/Ukraine threat of war, and then of course there is the Iraq situation which is dragging the U.S. back into the Middle East far too soon.

The interesting thing, though, is that in the last 2 weeks, all this has faded away...but why?
World Cup.
The media love a good story, and the World Cup of Football gives them plenty, so they don't want some drama in a far-away country giving them grief. Far better to ignore that and focus on the soccer, and all the drama associated with that.
Let's just watch and see what happens now that the Big Show is over.The political players know that it is pointless trying to have a fear campaign when a major feel-good event is on; witness the relative calm news-wise during the Olympics. So they shut up shop until it's over.
It's not as though the events don't continue; Russia is still pressuring the Ukraine, Islamist militants are still murdering hundreds in Africa and the Middle East, but the politicians aren't yelling, and the media knows what sells. I can understand that, I even approve, on some level, because we all need a break from the horror occasionally, my problem is this;
Politicians obviously don't care about people as much as they say they do, otherwise they would be upset ALL the time....not just when they think they can get mileage out of the situation.
Back to normal with the fear factor now...let me know if I'm wrong...

The Glass Tree

GLASSIFOLIA TREMENS

Hi!

This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is a photograph I took recently, of an extremely rare Australian native tree, called "Glassifolia Tremens" or the Glass Tree. The remarkable thing about this tree is that its leaves are completely invisible!! 

Every Winter, the Glass Tree drops its summer foliage and sprouts a complete growth of fine, delicate, glass-like leaves that are completely invisible, and the story behind how this happens, how it was discovered by Europeans, and how it was forgotten by almost everyone, is quite amazing.

Strap yourselves in, because you may find some of this story hard to believe...

The Glass tree is only found in areas of sandy soil where a seed, lying dormant, is struck by lightning. As many people are aware, when lightning strikes sand, the area can be "glassified" and the silica in the sand turned to glass by the extreme heat generated by the strike.The seed, germinating in this environment, then grows into this remarkable tree.
In summer, the warmer soil dissipates the glass in the soil, and the tree develops large glossy green leaves that look remarkably like a frangipani. In winter, colder soil temperatures cause the glass to re-form, and the osmotic action of the trees' roots pull the glass into the system of the plant, and glass leaves are formed. A unique genetic factor reduces the glass molecules to a thinness so fine that they do not refract light, making them invisible.
Of course, we would know none of this, had the tree not been discovered by a rather remarkable, eccentric European explorer called Wilhelm Glassenhaf.

Glassenhaf was an Austrian engineer, with a passion for Botany. He arrived in Australia in the early to mid 1800's, and apart from his discovery of Glassifolia Tremens, and some of his later exploits, little is known of him.We do know that he was driven to Australia in a quest to fulfil the prediction of his close friend and mentor, a Dutch botanist named Pearce Lavver. Lavver, upon hearing of the unique nature of the flora in The Great South Land, predicted with great certainty that a tree would exist there which would have medicinal properties that would cure all sickness in mankind. Unfortunately, Lavver died soon after this announcement, and the young Glassenhaf, fired by his teachers' passion, vowed to prove him right.

No portraits or photographs of Wilhelm Glassenhaf have ever been discovered, but we can assume from his contemporary explorers that he had a beard and a tendency to wearing broad-brimmed hats. (see photograph). Having arrived in Sydney, Glassenhaf soon set off exploring the Blue Mountains in an effort to find the medicinal tree that Lavver had predicted would exist. This proved more difficult than he had anticipated and he soon returned to the settlement to muster support for his venture. While working at various projects in Sydney, it soon became apparent that Glassenhaf was both a brilliant engineer and a controversial one. It seems that Wilhelm often did his best work while under the influence of several alcoholic beverages. Naturally, this caused some argument among the people of the colony, with some saying that he should not be allowed to work, and others saying that it did not matter what condition he was in, if his work was good, then the settlement benefited. So intense was the debate over this subject, that it became quite common to hear people strike up conversations with strangers just so they could ask them; "So, are you a Glassenhaf full person, or a Glassenhaf empty person?". Often an argument would follow.

After several months, Glassenhaf had secured enough financial backing to resume his exploration of the bush, and it was on his first journey that his Aboriginal guide pointed out the tree that was to be his great discovery. Aborigines had always known of the tree, of course, but to them it was unimportant, as it was neither medicinal, nor poisonous. The wood was unsuitable for burning or making anything, and so it basically was of no interest and therefore not worth mentioning.Of course, to Europeans the tree was remarkable, but after a short time it became obvious that it was useless as a plant, and soon disappeared from memory. The one remaining memory that carried on from the tree, was that Glassenhaf, while examining the glass-like leaves, was almost bitten by a snake hiding in the foliage, because the invisible leaves naturally made anything hiding in them invisible. This close call caused Wilhelm to remark that one should always beware the "snake in the glass". The comment was later corrupted to the ridiculous "snake in the grass".

Ironically, the reason that Glassenhaf came to Australia in the first place, to discover the medicinal tree to honour his great mentor, always eluded Glassenhaf. It is said that in his later life, Wilhelm Glassenhaf often bemoaned the fact that in his entire time on the Australian continent, he never once found a Lavver Tree.
It is believed that this added to the perception that Australia was an uncivilised place.

After leaving Australia in the late 1800's, Glassenhaf returned to Europe and his original profession. As an engineer, he made a solid living for himself, and actually patented a unique mechanical process for treating milk, which was much used by confectionery manufacturers. In fact, one prominent chocolate maker advertised its' product as containing "Glassenhaf Full Cream Milk".

Wilhelm Glassenhaf died in 1903, leaving no living relatives. He was the last Glassenhaf.

Welcome

Hi Folks,
Welcome to My Place.
This is my response to those that have been encouraging me to write again, many of them for years....you know who you are.
Here you will find my mind wandering around, plucking at thoughts here and there. Occasionally it will settle down and have a serious discussion about a particular thought, but you are just as likely to come across a whimsical bit of nonsense, or simply my take on a topic which I feel is too involved for somewhere like Facebook. Don't start me on Twitter...90 characters is not even enough space to get warmed up. I tend to regard it as a kind of space for people who feel they have to share every single thought all the time and don't have the depth or patience to think about ways of expressing a thought. But that's just me...
Anyway, welcome to my Spot In Space, comments are welcome, and I will try to entertain.