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April 02, 2004
Weekend is here!
Lo all,
It has been an interesting week. The primary reason for this is that I decided that I was going to ANZAC Day in Gallipoli and booked all my flights and tour. Then there was a big story in the Australian press about how the government is warning people not to travel to Turkey because of fear of terrorist attacks, but at the same time the government is still sending a representative.
my thoughts on this:
1. Of course the bloody government should be sending a representative. Firstly, they will get bloody good security around them from the time they step off the plane till they get back on it. Second, it was this government and John Howard's desire for his political legacy to Australia (ie a free trade agreement with the US) that moved us up the ladder of potential terrorist targets in the first place, so they (the government) should bloody well deal with it just as much as their citizens and ex-pats.
2. I remember everyone asking me if I was still going to the US after September 11. My thought at the time was "Why wouldn't I?" Just because terrorists have decided that it is time to be more proactive outside their own borders doesn't mean that I should put my life on hold. And this is the policy that I have lived by since. I am somewhat perturbed by people who think that it is safer to stay in Australia than it is to travel elsewhere. Um, people, lets total up how many people have died on Australian roads over the past 10 years, and then total up the number of people killed in terrorist attacks, and even with atrocities such as Sept. 11/Bali/Instalbul/Madrid, it is still statistically safer to get on a plane and head off overseas (even to the middle east) than it is to drive on the F1 freeway.
3. We are all going to die. Only a few of us will actually live. I would like to be in both categories.
On to happy themes, I have been told today that the National College (where I am working www.ncirl.ie) wants to keep me on for longer than the time that I am allowed by my visa (3 months per employer) so I am really happy about this. They are going to talk to the immigration people (which is really cool, cause I never want to have to set foot into an immigration office again - it was one of the few places that has truely depressed me). So I might have a steady income stream for a lot longer than I first thought! :)
Oh, and I went and saw John Butler Trio last Saturday - will provide a review of that soon.
Hope you are all well!
Hug a giraffe.
Geoffrey
