My view and thoughts on everything!

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...

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 ...

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 thos...

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 waterlo...

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 man...

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 Mi...

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 F...