GLOBAL WARMING - BAH HUMBUG

Don't Panic!!! There is still time to feed a rabid greenie to a Polar Bear.

Despite what you read and hear to the contrary, of 20 worldwide populations of Polar Bear only 2 have suffered any significant decline in the last 20 years. The other populations are stable and in some cases (shock, horror)
growing.

This is a bit a of a bugger. I just got finished selling all my coats and jackets and now they are telling me that Global Warming
may not be happening after all. This is bizarre, I mean rabid greens have made entire careers out of this "Global Warming thingy". Of course, those rabid greens they are robust lot.

In the seventies and eighties the RG catching sloganed t'shirt was the one that that screamed to all and sundry that a Global Winter was going to kill us all in a matter of weeks (this by the way was all America's Fault). Trouble is the screaming unwashed tshirt and hair band market was soon saturated.

After casting around for a few years with various new products such as No Nuclear Power, Free Rhodesia (that has kinda gone off a bit of late), Pro abortion, Anti Abortion, etc etc, it was obvious that a new global scare product was required ..Enter Global Warming.....

The best part is Global Warming (guess what..This is America's fault too)is hard to prove or disprove therefore this was a real winner! As with any crappy sales campain, its best to keep your remarks and scares vague and general. Unfortunately, it is hard to control your sales zealots when their blood is up.

So when the RG's starting making comments like Polar bears are disappearing (they aint!) or the ice is thinning and all the islands are sinking (actually always had problem with that one, how come only some islands are sinking..hmmm). The product is starting to smell a bit.

Anyway, they have had a good run, but looks like the jig is nearly up and someone may have to admit, "Ok you got us..No one knows what is happening yet, sorry about the dodgy data"..(Don't hold your breath)

I can hardly wait for the next one..Maybe.. "No World Wide Disasters Coming - Rabid Greens Starve"

Oh and still on the environment.. Australia is debating to rename an extinct (or not) parrot. New names touted include the
Messiah Bird (due to its constant resurrection from the dead) or the Tuckshop Parrot (due its habit of turning up where ever there is a new development planned).

Now I should point out their are no pictures of this bird as it is extinct!!! This is an interesting fact. Because the "extinct" little bugger apparently has a QANTAS frequent flyers card having stalled proposed $200 million developments in Queensland and Tasmania (about 5000km apart).

Proof of its non extinction (besides the QANTAS Frequent Flyer Registration)is Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services officer Ian Gynther that he has documented more than 30 of what he describes as "reliable" records.

"There are just too many sightings of the parrot by too many people for them not to be seeing the right thing," Gynther says. "The evidence is irrefutable"

Irrefutable??? Really Ian.. Well that's a weight off my mind.. Also helps on the flying saucer and Roswell thing as well!! Lots more than 30 sightings and they have BLOODY pictures. At least we aren't stretching the boundaries of facts here...

And this is the problem..RB's are becoming so discredited with the general populace that they have lost all credibility. Take note, most of us can recognise a SCAM when they see one. The only loser here is the environment.

Maybe time soon to do a post on those other environmental crocks, The Alternative Energy Scams...In particular Indonesia's flavour of the month bio-fuel and that western crock ..Wind power.

Something in the water

Must be something in the water!! Treespotter is having a
rant(amongst other things) about the Israel, the US and the Palistine problem/issue/crisis. That alone makes him braver than me as I don't think anyone can sort that mess out. I am certainly not one of brigade that thinks its all the JOOWS fault. Not that they help their cause with massive force in return for rocket attacks. I have never understood how Palistine can be so poor when the Middle East is awash with PetroDollars, perhaps they are of more use to some as a "cause"...I dunno..

All I can think of is uproot the UN HQ from New York with all its fat cats and money wasters. Dump the whole shebang in the middle of the disputed terrorities and let them maintain the peace on behalf of the world.

Indcoup has drawn a massive 22 comments (at last count) on being awoken at 4:30am.

Jakartass as usual has the people at heart and is appealing for help in the latest disaster to hit Indonesia.

Now a disclaimer...I have no idea, where the picture is from. It has arrived on my computer several times over the last few days. Variously titled as orginating from Indonesia, Nigera, Malaysia, China.

Does anyone know???

BUGGER

I'm bored bored bored!! Indcoup and Jakartass are just back from Holidays and now I am seriously jealous. Not that I can see any Holidays on the horizon for awhile .. bugger!

You can normally tell when you need a holiday. The motor bike thrill seekers aren't funny any more, the traffic jams lose their sense of being Indonesia's way of telling you to slow down and enjoy the view, that cheap tshirt that you bought that falls apart after the first wash becomes a major issue instead of you thinking it serves me right I knew what I was buying.

I think the vice prez has taken holidays too, as there have been no interesting little "homlies" issuing forth for the past view days....bugger!

So unless something really bizarre takes place in the next few hours, I am off to hunt Anony-mouses and try and work out the connection with the below and anything I have posted over the last week..bugger!


"what about deafeningly loud motorbikes? are u saying u do not or do tolerate religion?? "... huh?



But I will be back tomorrow...BUGGER

Strange Sad World

Tolerance: :

a. Sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own

b : the act of allowing something.


Indcoup is back from holidays in BEAUTIFUL Bali. He certainly hit the ground running. A quick post on the fun of living in a nation that has a majority Muslim population, in particular on the very early (say 4:30am) call to prayer has fired up the intolerant that sulk amongst us.

So far he has had a death threat (?) suggested he move to a Christian province, told he is intolerant and one comment refered to the sounds that come from a Hindu Temple as Troll Music... WELCOME BACCCCCCCCCCCKK.

Still on tolerance, Members of the Salamullah religious sect lead by Lia Aminuddin who I have spoken about before
here have reported another death threat. Sheesh..Lia believes she is both the Angel Gabriel and the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary, which is worth a chuckle but a death threat..get real! Puts Indcoup in strange company to say the least.

People like her are what gives the city its character, nothing like a good natured nutter to make you smile.

Meanwhile, Cowards are blowing up trains in India, Rockets are being fired into Israel, Israel is using tanks and planes in return.

Religion...for the final word today I shall leave it to Henry Mencken

"Religion is fundamentally opposed to everything I hold in veneration - courage, clear thinking, honesty, fairness, and, above all, love of the truth."

SOCCER FREAKS

I still think that any sport that requires the amputation of half your limbs and then play an entirely different game to decide the world champion (penalty shootout ..What is that sh#t???)is just bizarre.

However, to show that there are no hard feelings against the SOCCER freaks. I thought this photo involved a tad of humour. Still best wishes to the Italians and I reckon the other Olypmic diving teams are worried as well now.

And now back to real sports, where if you knock a man down he stays down!

Viagra and Trolls

I think I have been violated!!!!! I was out troll hunting last night and what should I come across not one but two links to www.greenstumpff.com and www.greenstumps.com... Hmpf!! Cannot access the sites yet, so not sure who or what they are! Never-the-less Rex the cyber-ferret is on the job, he has also done a good job tracking a couple of annoying spam trolls.

I feel so used..grin... These are probably the same mongrels who let the cat out of the bag that I have "may" (personally I dispute that, but then I would wouldn't I) have small penis. This piece of evil gossip prompts all and sundry to send me email telling me how I can add 4 inches in just 4 days (now thats gotta hurt, what do you do tie a brick to it) or better yet a flood of emails like this...

"Even if you have no erectin problems SOFT CIAzLIS would help you to make BETTER SE X MORE OFTEN! and to bring unimagnable plesure to her.
Just disolve half a pil under your tongue and get ready for action in 15 minutes."

Now why would I buy Cialis (?) via the internet anyway. Even if I did want/need/desire the said drug, it is available along with Viagra over the counter at all Apotiks in Indonesia (Pharmacy/Chemist)anyway.

Now before all you cynics launch and say "how do you know that?"

I am innocent (in most things anyway). Last time I had the flu, I popped into the said Apotik bought some cough syrup. Sure enough, along will the usual hard sell of the various vitamins, the beautiful young thing asked "Would you like some Viagra with that?"

HUH?? Viagra with a purchase of cough syrup???..hmmm still puzzling the connection and its not a nice mental picture.

Still it is nice to get away from the Doctor Mafia who get a cut on every scrip they write.

Thus ends todays post, a mixed grill of penises (or is it penii) trolls, viagra and spam..

BTW I can do you a good deal on the jacket pictured, I am thinking on teaming up with Indcoup's special Tiara tshirt on this (now there is a connection!!!)

I'll do the jacket and he can supply the Indcoup special
Tiara Lestari T-shirt. ...(ok, ok I can't find the exact post but you get the idea)

LOUSY DAYS, ROTTEN NIGHTS

NOT HAPPY

"Some people are like Slinkies . . . Not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs."

What a sh@tty day!!..Ever have one of those days where you just want to explain to someone that their only reason for existence on the planet is as a sound argument for use of condoms...

But Nooooo..For the sake of peace and a sound business relationship, I shall swallow my pride yet again and it tastes like crap! I shall then make apologies for our obvious failings and move on...aaaghh!

Just another day to lose more faith in human nature (my own included I guess).

On the subject on human nature, I was surprised at the number of comments on the traffic fine issue here but none on masked men(?) beating women, I wonder why? People are scared? Don't care? Don't believe? or perhaps thinking if we ignore the issue, it will just go away? Another sh#ty little mystery for the human condition.

Anyway as you can gather I have a bad case of the grumps today..So this is all I am posting..

Gone a'droving

Sometimes working saturdays, I think I would like to change my job..perhaps go 'a-droving'

Clancy of the Overflow.

"I am sitting in my dingy little office, where a stingy
Ray of sunlight struggles feebly down between the houses tall,
And the foetid air and gritty of the dusty, dirty city
Through the open window floating, spreads its foulness over all.

And in place of lowing cattle, I can hear the fiendish rattle
Of the tramways and the buses making hurry down the street,
And the language uninviting of the gutter children fighting,
Comes fitfully and faintly through the ceaseless tramp of feet.

In my wild erratic fancy visions come to me of Clancy
Gone a-droving “down the Cooper” where the Western drovers go;
As the stock are slowly stringing, Clancy rides behind them singing,
For the drover’s life has pleasures that the townsfolk never know."


Of course, if I wanted a really interesting job, I could apply to be Vice President Kalla's Public Relations Representative. As we know the Vice President does have a way with words. Most recently, The Vice President was
quoted today defending a recent Indonesian business organisations trip to Israel as saying

" "Arabs, Egypt and Jordan also engage in trade relations with Israel. Many Palestinians are working in Israel. Maybe the goods that we buy from Israel are made by the Palestinians. So I do not see any problem in it,"

Of course, if you happen to be an athelete who had trained your whole life to be the best at your chosen sport then apparently you can expect a different level of support from the government.

"JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Indonesia pulled out of a planned Fed Cup
tennis match in Israel to protest that country's actions in the Gaza Strip, a foreign ministry spokesman said Tuesday."

For some bad news Vice President Kalla is going to have to improve if he wants to win the big "He didn't really say that did he" Masters Trophy. A late challenger is
Russian President Vladimir Putin who when ask we he was photographed kissing a
young boys stomach said "I wanted stroke him like a kitten".

Well thats alright then..for second I thought you were behaving a little weird...

SHAME ON US ALL

Some days I feel ashamed to be part of the human race!

Friskodude has posted this picture of a Caning in Aceh along with some words on the issue. Which makes him a far better man than I..words with fail me.

TAX KULIT

It would appear some people have enjoyed my slide down the slippery slope of
high principles. With a theme emerging in the comments section, that I should have gone to court and paid the fine.

Ok I have to confess some ignorance here, during my time in-country I have managed to avoid the legal process (more due to good luck than good management some would say). Seriously, what is the official process for a fine for not wearing a seatbelt? Surely not court as 'Anon' says in comments to the post? If court the only way, then previous experience with any kind of Indonesian Officialdom scares me. It is bound to be a long, drawn out, expensive experience. Anyway I will leave that to others to advise me on what the official process is?

Then Indonesia Anon was concerned that my use of the term "TAX KULIT" (skin tax) inferred that Indonesians are racists.

In fact, that was not the intention (by the use of this term) at all. It is fairly common term amongst expatriates to explain a common Indonesian free market principle to charge what the market will bear (As does the rest of the free market world). Naturally a "bule" with his supposedly (?) higher income can afford to pay more than the day to day national customer. The Tax Kulit Principle is also applied to Indonesian Chinese as well, who again are viewed rightly or wrongly with having a higher disposable income.

On the flip side, those of us with KITAS (Work, Long term stays permits etc) can get fansastic discounts are virtually all hotel and motels across Indonesia.

As for the dark and potentially dynamite side of the question are Indonesians Racists? In my experience towards outsiders, the answer is generally no. However and I am not sure if the best term to use is racism ..internally towards each other..that is certainly debatable.

Traffic Fines

Bugger...!!!! As discussed before, its a long fall from the moral high ground.

I fell off the mountain yesterday and joined the Hypocrites. Calmly minding my own business, I was rounded up by the local constables for not wearing a seat belt (as the bemo bus rips past with 6 people hangine out the door..grin).

As always, you are offered two choices ..official or "Ok Pak Saya bisa bantu" (Ok Mr, I can help).

To cut a long story short, the help started at 200,000Rp which quickly came down once it was established that I could speak Indonesian. Eventually,it was decided that 50,000Rp which is about $5 was fair. The normal rate local rate is 15,000 to 30,000 but there is always the Tax Kulit (Skin Tax..you are westerner therefore costs more) to factor in.

Suffice to say, in a very short time on my way again.

BUGGER, BUGGER .. Time to climb that morale mountain again..oh well never said I was perfect just expect others to be. Meanwhile, Indonesia Anonymus has a "mommy" who fell off that same moral mountain

Indonesia Playboy (s) and Marriage

A couple of interesting links for a Sunday

Jan 28 2006.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla says the government disagrees with a plan to launch an Indonesian version of Playboy magazine. Kalla has eagerly jumped on the crowded anti-Playboy bandwagon. "From the government’s point of view, we disagree with Playboy's publication," he was quoted as saying Friday (27/1/06) by state news agency Antara.

30 June 2006.

INDONESIA'S vice-president has said he sees nothing wrong in Arab men paying local women to marry, then divorcing them days or hours later, and suggested the practice -dismissed by critics as legalised prostitution - could boost tourism.

Jusuf Kalla made the off-the-cuff remarks at a travel industry seminar on how to attract more Arab visitors to Indonesia.

No Comment from me...Nuff said I think

Guantanamo, Refugees and Indonesia

It’s a quiet Sunday first time in a long while, not a thousand things to do (yea I know I have been told a million times not to exaggerate). So today a slow lazy introspective post.

Firstly, I have been accused of (in one way or another) of being overly critical or one sided when talking about Indonesia. Well that would be and is true! It will indeed be a rare thing for me to comment places like America or Australia etc. There are thousands of bloggers already doing a far better job than me on those places. For instance you want a view of Australia for the left try here, or from the right try here, for America try…naggh bugger it, they are loud enough on their own without any encouragement from me.

But for today only, the stump offers up the following cartoon.



Be under no doubt the creation of special “zones of exclusion” to prevent refugees from accessing the legal process in Australia is perfidious and evil and Guantanamo is a long fall from the moral high ground. Then again the curent attempt by Australian Prime Minister Howard to change Australian Refugee laws to effectivly block Papuan Refugees is pathetic appeasement to the Indonesian ruling class of the most base level.

So I will continue to comment on what I see in Indonesia and the region and sorry all, I afraid the defence they do worse elsewhere just “doesn’t wash”

Have nice day and have a chuckle at this one

Hypocrisy 2 Tolerance & Decency 0

Such evil deeds could religion prompt.
Lucretius (96 BC - 55 BC),


Hypocrisy: A feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not; especially : the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion.


Well above the average, but I am going for two posts today. I wasn’t going to but after reading today’s Jakarta Post. (I really need to find another paper, it used to be funny now its just depressing) I had no choice.

The Indonesian constitution and reputation (?) for tolerance took another big hit yesterday. Religious sect leader Lia Aminuddin was sentenced to jail for two years on Thursday for blasphemy.

Now there is no doubt in my mind that Lia is a couple of tools short in the toolbox. Lia believes she is she both the Angel Gabriel and the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary, kooky but that’s her business not the states. Lets tell the truth here, half the nutters in the world are convinced they are speaking to or for the one true God. As long as I can read my paper in peace, they can claim to be the reincarnation of Vanilla Ice for all anyone should care. If you want to follow them fill ya boots and have fun on the way just leave the rest of us in peace.

Meanwhile Azyumardi Azra, rector of Syarif Hidayatullah commenting on Lia's verdict said according to the JP that “he believed the verdict was inevitable because Lia had mixed ideas from established religions”

Wow, if ever there was a comment that indicates you like leading with your chin. Which religion established or otherwise doesn’t do that. Shall we talk of the origins of Easter, or….

Meanwhile, the intolerant ascending have decided that with everything that is going on in this country the most important thing is to
prosecute Kartika Oktavina Gunawan, who posed as the centerfold in the first Indonesian Playboy.

Her crime..she showed her breasts..well no …her groin..well no….she showed her …….Shock Horror..her mid riff. We can thank a group called ‘MAPPI’, Indonesian Anti-Piracy and Pornography (Does anyone really know who they are and who they represent) for filing the lawsuit against Kartika in the first place. On the other side of the coin is this the best thing the police have to do with their time?

You see, these days Tolerance in Indonesia is just a word in low demand and currency. Now if you want a really good strong word, try Hypocrisy!. Indonesia is currently well overstocked on the word these days and can offer great deals and specials. You might want to try the Hypocrisy and Intolerance Special comes with its own ranting, barely literate lunatics, great fun at any party.

Anyway I am off to buy some copies of Playboy and leave them around to see if any of the pious reads them, should be interesting.

CONDOM SATAN

Is there something in the water or is it a collective psychosis or has the world gone mad! I don't claim to be particularly religious, never the less I remember when I thought religion, I visulised people like Mother Teresa.

Perhaps things were simpler then, maybe because I didn’t know that Satan hides in condoms and soccer balls. Tricky little fellow that Satan! How do I know Satan hides in a condom? Well because a letter to the Jakarta Post told me so, along with the new scientific fact that the aids virus can penetrate condom material (where do they get this stuff?).

As for Soccer Ball hiding Satan: Read it for yourself
here and make sure you get to the bit about the earrings. Its important! Luckily “OVAL” balls never got a mention, so I can exploit that loophole.

Still it’s pleasing to know that both Christians and Muslims (and the rest, sorry if I have not offended you yet, give me time) are so concerned about the path we travel. I have to be honest, I think the road is getting a tad narrow for humans beings and it is costing way too many lives in the name of insantity.

BTW…I am still a bit stunned that in this day and age someone could seriously argue against the use of condoms…..We are an incredibly stupid species and why any God would want anything to do with us would be a better question to ask.

HOT JAVA ANYONE

Thought you would be smart and buy some land at Muria, Central Java. Well the government has literally dealt your plans a death blow Announcing yesterday plans to speed up the development of nuclear power plant in that location . The people of Muria must be beside themselves with joy!!

I have discussed the sheer insanity of this before and Jakartass tackles the topic even better here . He asks some very important questions such as who exactly is to benefit from this??? ..It won't be the people that's for sure.

If the "powers that be" insist on playing the insanity card to make some pollies and businessmen rich at the expense of the well being of the nation, then
Ngruki, comes to mind (ok I am just being nasty).

One can only hope people start to realise there are bigger things to worry about than playboy magazine.

As for nuclear waste.............

There go da Judge

Only the man who has enough good in him to feel the justice of the penalty can be punished. ~William Ernest Hocking

You have to love this.....

"The total amount allegedly received by my client was Rp 10 million, and that was the witness' money, not from the state. So, why should my client be fined Rp 200 million?"

"The judge mentioned something about the spirit to eradicate corruption by preventing losses to the state. The problem is, the state suffered nothing."

I was wondering what to write about today and along comes lawyer Firman Wijaya with this statement after the South Jakarta District Court jailed one of its judges for four years and six months for extorting money from a witness in a graft trial. You can read the actual article in the Jakarta Post here

There is so much bizarre about Wijaya's statement as reported it beggars belief..
"The graft was only worth 10 million why should my client have to pay 200 Million??"

I dunno How about abuse of trust and position just for starters?

"The problem is, the state suffered nothing." Mmm, I would have thought the state suffered a loss of public confidence, a loss of the rule of law, a loss of investor confidence, domestic and international embarrassment. I am sure there are a million more (200 million?).

Personally, I don't know what the procedure is in Indonesia but surely Wijay's comments alone are worthy of internal review in their own right.

Reminds me of an old joke "What do you call a 100 Lawyers on the bottom of the ocean" Answer: "A good start"

Most men's anger about religion is as if two men should quarrel for a lady that neither of them care for. ~George Savile, Marquess de Halifax

Still enjoying the Jakarta Post (always good for a laugh), there is a interesting reader's letter complaining about the creeping Christianization of Indonesia including the classic statement:

"There has been aggressive proselytizing by Christian missionaries in hospitals and schools, and there also have been objections to the teaching of other faiths in privately run missionary schools"

I confess, I have a problem with any faith that tries to ram its belief down someone throat (ok, Seventh Day Adventists are cool, because you can tease them so much when they come knocking uninvited to your front door and they dress so dorky). However to complain that privately run missionary schools don't exactly encourage the teaching of other faiths, is a interesting use of the logical thought processes.

Who was the last person who sent their child to "Pesantren" (Islamic boarding School)
for a Christian education.

Of course, our estwhile letter writer quotes some detailed statistics however I would more interested in how you compile any viable census type data in Indonesia. I cannot even find out what the population of Jakarta is, with anything resembling confidence.

What is it about religion that so often removes the ability to apply rational thought? In case you were wondering, "I believe in God; I just don't trust anyone who say they work for him".

Creation Proofs?

One of the joys of living in Indonesia that with a bit of effort you can find places that must represent what the original Eden was like. For those of you that care, have a look where I have spent the last few weeks.

Of course in the Ying and Yang of the world for every thing of beauty in creation there has to be the balance in creation gone wrong

Ya Pak

After returning from a recent trip, I took a speed read of the blogshpere. It was interesting to see the reaction to a post by Indcoup describing the lack of manners by some Indonesians when dealing others they believe below their station. A classic comment by one reader was “my colleagues in my office always say 'tolong' and 'terima kasih' to our office boys and girls, even to the janitors in our office”

What even to the Janitor?? How generous, sort of makes his point really.

Knowing my own tenous grip on life, and the somewhat irritating habit of whomever is the comic controller to throw spanner into my life when things are going well. I tend to stick to great grand pappies advice “be nice to people on the way up, you will probably pass them on the back down”

Personally, I have always found the other side of that particular coin far more perplexing. That is, the excessive Indonesian politeness when dealing with anyone perceived to be of higher(?) status. It does not seem matter how corrupt, evil or morally bankrupt that person may be. It never ceases to amaze me that when dealing with that all to common corrupt government official, even in the mist of an obvious shake down, the “shaked” will still be throwing out the “Yes Paks” with gay abandon (can you still say that??)and little concern for personal dignity.

I am not sure if this is a hang over from Javanese Culture or a hang over from the times of the “New Order” when getting on the wrong side of the ruling elite (no matter how low of the “elite” chain) could have some seriously bad consequences. Still, I can’t help but think how much more effective it would be if those corrupt parasites that are draining this country dry were greeted with a spit on the ground instead of the half bow and the simpering “Yes Pak.

Oh and I have to throw this in, even though it has nothing to do with the above post. Just listening to “The Simpsons” (Ah Fox TV!). Homer Simpson “Those Catholics, its like Simon Sez with no winner”

Catholics don’t to be offended, to be fair they went on to give everyone else a hard time as well.

World Cup Yawns

Well I have tried and failed!! I really cannot get into the world cup despite the world wide frenzy surrounding it. I even watched three games..sort of, although drifted off to sleep each time. It is beyond me how anyone can find a game that mucks around for 2 hours (or so) and then ends in a nil all draw can be called exciting.

Little wonder soccer crowds have a reputation for aggressive and violent behaviour (as opposed to the world cup players, who seem to fall over screaming the the moment anyone comes within 1/2 a metre of them). The crowds must suffer terminal frustration and boredom.

Thank God, with a bit of effort you can still find some rugby, AFL or even Gridiron with a bit of dedicated channel surfing (as my grand dad used to say, if it don't draw blood, it aint a sport..mind you he was a hard bastard).

Of course at the moment, soccer fever is running high in Australia. Amongst a lot of huberious and grandisose claims, the silliest claim is soccer will be the major code in Australia soon. The reality is, soccer will fall straight back to a dismal third (fourth?) as it is now.

Australia has had soccer fever before, the last time when they qaulified for the World Cup in the 70's (I forget who they beat, Outer Mongolia or someone). Sure enough within six months, the federation had split along predicatable enthnic lines and the code collapased once again into the abyss of boring sports.

So for you soccer nuts..have fun...I am off to the RUGBY.