My view and thoughts on everything!

As a prequel to the topic of this blog I would like to make reference to the Pink Floyd song 'Welcome To The Machine' from their classic 'Wish You Were Here' album.  The main premise of the song is that we are all part of a well oiled machine, a factory processing unit where we are but a cog in that process.  Our life revolving around the repetition of life/work and so on, whilst the company we are working for makes huge profits.  So with this view in mind read on as I look at if we are robots or not...  Over the past thirty years there has been something of an underground revolution going on.  It is a revolution that has not required guns, bombs or even covert operations by elite militia.  It has not required UN Peace Keeping forces and it is not religion based.  By and large this revolution has been under the radar of the media.  In fact, the only time that you would have heard about it would have been through industry related forums and workshops.   Even though

Nearly half a century ago an African-American recorded a song that was to define not only his career, but also Music in general.  The song itself had already been rejected by Tony Bennett, one of the top singers of the time.  In hindsight, it probably turned out to have been a very bad decision by Bennett.  Anyway, the song was referred to an ageing 66 year old jazz musician who eagerly agreed to record the song.  The musician was Louis Armstrong and the song was entitled “What a Wonderful World”. Over the decades since it was released it has become a beacon of hope for the future, as well as being a staple song at weddings during the father and bride dance.  With lyrics such as: “I see trees of green, red roses too.  I see them bloom for me and you.  And I think to myself what a Wonderful World”. It is easy to see the positiveness in the song.  A song of hope, of a bright future and of the things in life that we take for granted but ultimately we should be thankful for.  In

Recently a fellow tweep @little_freedia and I decided to go a week without access to any social media.  We decided to see how we would cope without it.  Would we have withdrawal symptoms? Would we give in prior to the end of 7 days?  Or would we discover things that we didn't know existed? To make it easier (or harder) we had to deactivate all social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.  For myself, Facebook wasn't an issue as I had permanently deleted my account more than a year ago.  Twitter and Instragram are my main social media nowadays.  We decided that emails were allowed as it really is a communication platform and not a social media outlet. So on Sunday night 7th July, I deactivated my Twitter and signed out of my Instragram account.  Having done this I actually felt like a naughty schoolboy who has done something mischievous in the classroom.  Well I couldn't worry too much about this as I had made a commitment to my fellow Tweep and was determined to se

I am a migrant.  I have been in Australia for many, many years and call Australia home.  Likewise, as I didn't come to Australia as a youngster I still have a soft spot for my country of origin - England.  Naturally, I am not a refugee, unless you can call the English weather grounds for applying for refugee status! For the benefit of all migrant phobic readers, yes I did steal one of your Aussie jobs.  I have been able to create a life here through sheer hard work, and the fact that Australia offers opportunities to those that grab them.  I went out and grabbed mine with both hands.  Although I haven't reached what I set out to do, I cannot complain as to where I am today.   As a migrant I feel a kinship towards all other migrants whether they are from Zimbabwe,  Bosnia, Iran or Venezuela.  To settle into a new country, even if you can speak the language fluently - which naturally I can, takes a lot of getting used to.  This can range from the different climate, unusual fo

Imagine this - you are watching a heavyweight boxing match between the two best boxers in the country.  One boxer has been on the attack for the first nine rounds whilst the other boxer has been grimly hanging on, hoping for that one chance to launch a rare counter attack.  Then, round ten starts and, all of a sudden, the boxer who has been on the back foot for most of the fight launches a couple of upper cuts.  The other boxer is stunned, not only by the force of the hits, but also by this unexpected aggression from his opponent.  The attacks keep coming and the roles are reversed.  The aggressor is now defending, and the defender is launching blow after blow. This analogy really sums up what the current political situation is here in Australia.  Since the last election back in 2010, Tony Abbott and the Liberal-National Party have been on the front foot attacking the Government and, in particular, Julia Gillard.  In scenes reminiscent of Groundhog Day, Abbott has been espousing phr

Australia is a country, similar to the US, that has been built on migrants. Since the 'White Man' arrived in 1788, and the numerous convict ships that followed, Australia has been home to many migrants from different regions, religions, cultures and traditions.   In the early days Australia definitely had an Anglo Saxon feel as virtually all migrants were from the British Isles. Most were petty thieves who were put on boats heading to Sydney, for stealing things like a loaf of bread.  This migrant flow changed in the nineteenth century when gold was discovered 'in them thar hills' and before long a large number of Chinese prospectors arrived with dreams of 'making it rich' through what to some is the most precious of metals. Fast forward to the twentieth century and Australia said g'day to a number of Greeks, Italians and other Europeans as the country expanded, and the domestic workforce was unable to cope accordingly.  The 1970's onward saw an infl

Just over a week ago, something happened that had a profound affect on me.  In hindsight it probably wasn't a big deal.  However, at the time it certainly seemed like it was! So what was this 'thing' that happened that affected me so much?  Well the short answer is 'my iPhone'.  Read on and I will elaborate... There I was getting ready for bed after a hard day's yakka when I checked my iPhone. It wanted me to update some Apps that I have on the phone, as occasionally happens from time to time.  So I clicked on the updates and let the phone do its thing.  However, this time something different happened.  All of a sudden my iPhone became frozen.  The screen was stuck and the home key, or indeed any key, was not working.  There was only one thing to do, and that was to reboot the phone. Nothing special about that either.  Occasionally an iPhone can get 'frozen' and a reboot will generally fix this.  This time something different happened.  My phone bo

The following is my article I wrote for the home game against AFC Telford in April: Season 2012/13 has certainly been crazy as far as Ebbsfleet United are concerned.  Admittedly there have been more lows than highs which has meant that for next season the Mighty Fleet will be plying their trade, hopefully, in the Blue Square South.  The defeat at Hyde United effectively sealing our fate. Discussions about what went wrong this season will no doubt take place after the final whistle has blown.  However, for this article I thought it would be good to look at some of the highs of the season.  Believe it or not, there have been a few! A highlight was the first game of the season where the Fleet came out on top of a 9 goal thriller at Nuneaton.  Despite going 2-0 down early the lads fought back to take the lead and come out eventual winners by 5 goals to 4.  So after the first game we were equal top of the Blue Square Premier.  Oh how we miss those days… Another highlight actu

The following is the article I wrote for the home game against Forest Green Rovers at the end of March: The last couple of weeks have certainly been crazy to say the least.  The lads had a fantastic 4-1 victory over Southport and were 10 minutes away from a stunning away win at Cambridge United.  However, in the scheme of things a draw was a very creditable result. Then came the wasted journey to the North West of England to Barrow.  The heavy snow meant that the game was called off.  The players then had to face a long journey back to Kent with the prospect of a future Thursday night game against Barrow, to be followed less than 48 hours later with another game!  As our International goalkeeper, Preston Edwards, stated on Twitter that surely now the Football Authorities should consider extending the season by a week. This view took on further credence following the postponement of the mid-week away game at Luton Town.  This time due to a waterlogged and frozen pitch.  Hopef

The following is the article that I wrote for the home game v Southport in March: As we reach Mid-March we are certainly coming to the pointy end of the season.  The pre and post Easter period is certainly a make or break time for most football teams the length and breadth of the country. This is the time to stand up and be counted – regardless of whether you are a player or a fan.  We all have an important role to play from now until the end of the season.  With just over 10 games to go, there are three distinct groups of teams in the Blue Square Premier League.  There are those teams that are vying for promotion to the ‘Promised Land’ that is League 2, those that are comfortably sitting in mid-table and are tentatively thinking about next season, and then there are those battling to save themselves from the dreaded drop to a lower league.  Unfortunately for us, Ebbsfleet United fall squarely in the last group! The fixture list shows that we have many battles ahead with our

The following is my view on the US attitude to gun control, and the current mindset that is prevalent in the powerful pro-Gun Lobby:  It was a sunny Sunday afternoon in Sydney way back on 28th April 1996. I was making my way to the local gym when I heard on the radio that a gunman had been on a killing spree in Tasmania. Initially, only a small number of people had lost their lives and when I got to the gym, the number of deaths had risen to 23. I mentioned this to my gym instructor. His response was that it was the gunman’s form “of self-expression”. The instructor was reading the Celestine Prophecy at the time, which probably explained his comments. Personally, I preferred the term “madman”.  The gunman was named Martin Bryant and the final death toll was 35. How could anyone kill 35 innocent people? There was an outpouring of disbelief and anger in the community. The whole of Australia was in shock. How could we stop this from happening again?  The Prime Minister at the

The following is my programme article for the Ebbsfleet United v Stockport County game played on the 16th February.  The game ended in a draw. February is certainly turning out to be a month of home games for the Fleet.  In fact, the whole of this month revolves around Ebbsfleet not venturing away from the hallowed turf of Stonebridge Road.  That said, it is safe to say there are more than a few away games coming up between now and the end of the season.  This includes some very long road trips to Hyde, Barrow and Gateshead.  The players will certainly have plenty of time then to master their card skills.  Who will emerge as the Poker king? Time will tell. Fortunes can change very quickly in football.  Two games ago, and in front of the television cameras, the Fleet suffered a humiliating 0-4 defeat to Macclesfield Town.  Then a week ago, the team got back on track with a well-earned 3-1 victory over Gateshead.  This has now put the Fleet within 4 points of the safety zone. 

The following is my programme article for the Ebbsfleet United v Macclesfield Town game that was played on 1st February. It was a televised match - the first time the Fleet had been on television for many seasons.  Despite this, it was not a good game as Macclesfield ran out 4-0 winners!  January is certainly a crazy month in footballing terms.  The inclement weather has meant that a number of teams in the lower leagues have had an “extended break”.  Whilst snow can look nice, and create picturesque photos, it can also be a nightmare for football teams.  A manager may have his team on a run of undefeated games, and then find their progress halted.  On the flipside, a team could have been experiencing some bad results, but with the postponements a re-grouping happens and, all of a sudden, the results pick up. From our point of view, we hope that the Fleet can go on an undefeated run, and hence move away from the bottom of the league.  Liam Daish has been pro-active by bringing

The following is the article I wrote for the New Year's Day local derby between Ebbsfleet United and Dartford.  Ebbsfleet came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2.  Firstly, a very Happy New Year to all the supporters of Ebbsfleet United and Dartford.  Here’s hoping that 2013 is a fantastic year, not only for you personally, but also for both of our North Kent clubs.  I also hope that you didn’t all get too merry last night, especially when the clock struck twelve! The Festive Season is certainly one that involves an abundance of food, drink, family time and relaxation.  It is also fair to say that the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day football matches are part of that tradition too.  Nothing beats getting away from the house to go to the local football ground to support your team to a win. Before I go any further, please spare a thought for me.  I have had to spend Christmas and the New Year here in Australia.  As you can imagine it is a tough life that I lead, especially when