smooth criminal

I've got a choice between reading a paper on international standards in pressure-pipe welding, and what we need to do to get welding contractors up to speed, or write about...

Hmm, pressure pipe welding sounds pretty spiffy, eh? Maybe Ha%%y, as he still reads here to find out what I'm up to (don't laugh mate, so does Mrs VVB...) can give me a few pointers. Where are the reputable international suppliers of world-class welders, mate? Do our erstwhile friendly Indon people-smugglers do bulk deals?

Evidently it's a slow night, which gives me time to reflect on my newest ailment, namely indigestion. I've never had it before in my life, now I can't wait until bedtime to whoof down the Gaviscon for some relief. Boy, does that stuff ever work (unsolicited testimonials, the very best kind).

Anyway, what brought this malady on? Mrs VVB, who knows about these things, reckons it's induced by stress. Well I have a little going on at the moment, but not enough for this kind of a response, I would have thought.

The blogosphere has been alight with indignation these past few days as the reality of the NSW government's slide into (even more) authoritarianism becomes apparent.

These young Catholics must either be extremely precious and need to be protected, or somehow dangerous and...need to be protected.

Some discussion predicts that the outrageously extreme - and stupidly drafted - regulations put in place will now draw even more protest than people who just either don't like Catholics, or don't like their taxes being hoovered up by an already rich institution, or don't like their racecourse being closed, or don't like their public (and this being the NSW ALP, also private) roads being closed, or don't...well, you get the point.

If you can keep your gorge from rising, you can read the government's spokesvomiter give the official view of the event. "Happy police". I ask you. Times like this remind us that George Orwell actually demonstrated extremely limited imagination in 1984. This isn't doublespeak, it's just totally delusional.

The next NSW election promises to be a ripper as, by any standards, Iemma and his coterie of distasteful spivs should be right out on their collective ears. But - as many people repeatedly point out - you look at the opposition and think, "hmm, maybe we can live in kleptocracy administered by petty crims, in fact, hmmm, doesn't look too bad."

Marginal note - Blogger spelling autocorrection gave me "Cleopatra's" for kleptocracy. There must be a message in that.

Another marginal note - I nearly typed "autocorrect" and then remembered what I think about the term "roadside assist."

OK, that's a couple of minutes of your lives that could have been used for the benefit of mankind, and all other kinds of kind, but at least you now know that I have heartburn.

But Alan Jones has prostate cancer, he should have eaten more broccoli.

Back to the welding.

Afterthought - actually, didn't get back to the welding, watched Family Guy and American Dad instead. Just fabulous, this also proves I'm not reflexively anti-American.

It does, doesn't it?