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OF THOUGHTS AND IDEAS FOR TODAY'S PROBLEMS. (Please note : We cannot guarantee some internet links listed in older articles may still be relevant, or even work.) Best viewed in 1024 x 768 or better RACISM, INCITEMENT TO VIOLENCE, AND SEXISM WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED ON THIS SITE. |
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Boycotting of Israeli goods. |
20-02-2012 Un-united Nitwits (the UN) Scrap the right of veto, now. Save the Syrian citizens. The Russians are playing their game of delaying, to pick up the pieces later. Something they did disgracefully to Poland in the second half of World War 2, while they waited for the Nazis to wipe out the Polish Freedom Fighters. And since when did the USA listen to what the UN thought before launching an attack on a foreign country ? Maybe this time there is not enough money at stake for the US to worry about ? (ref : TFI0153T) ______________________________________________________________________________23-01-2012 Want to know what's happening with megaupload.com, then click here to view. (ref : TFI0152T) ______________________________________________________________________________17-11-2011 USA imperialism The front page picture and headline of the Adelaide Advertiser speaks of a "New Alliance". (17th November 2011) But I read another headline which stated "We are here to stay". Australians better beware. They mean it. They will stay irrespective of whether or not the Australian people want them to, and irrespective of whether the Australian government wants them to. The USA has a habit of doing what it wants, no matter what the international community wishes, and irrespective of international law, and irrespective of the wishes of the people whose land they occupy. There are two crucial matters that must be considered by our parliamentary representatives, and also by the citizens of this country. First, do a little bit of research about the historical facts about other USA bases and USA behaviour associated with them. Ask: How many do they have? ( The answer is over 700.) Why are they there? ( To protect US interests) What use have they been put to? ( well, we all know about Guantanamo, don't we?) Guantanamo is not the only US base on foreign soil where war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed. What happens when those with sovereignty over the land on which the base is sited want them to leave? Ask the people of Cuba. Ask Japanese Okinawans. Ask the original inhabitants of Diego Garcia. Just for starters. The neocons who came up with the "Project for the New American Century" in the twilight of the twentieth century envisaged a USA as hegemonic power over the whole world. The world's only empire. It has been suggested that the optimum number of "major citadels and fortresses" needed by any empire aspiring to dominate the world is between 35-40. (Chalmers Johnson). The USA is said to have about 38 large/medium sized facilities scattered all over the world, similar to Great Britain at the height of its empire in 1898 and similar to imperial Rome's 37 in 117 A.D. Yes, it is important to consider how these two empires, like the fabled Ozymandias' achievements, have disappeared from sight. The second question for Australians to consider is what does an alliance with the USA do to how Australia will be seen by the rest of the world, particularly by those nations who are our neighbours? Will it position us in a more favourable light? And associated with that could it put us at even greater risk? Will it look friendly? Will it look foolish because we are cosying up with a country whose power is so obviously on the wane? Right now world political structures are shifting. They are being re-positioned. Tomorrow the Middle East for example will not look like it did five years ago. Why are we tying ourselves to a fading empire, one with so much blood on its hands, and one that has continued to be able to evade being brought to account for its crimes. The perceived security which sometimes accrues by being under the umbrella of a powerful patron can rapidly turn into danger if that patron loses his power to control those who would oppose him. Why now, when every indication is that while they do not admit it, the USA itself is reacting to its own panic about its vulnerability in the new world order? Do we want to be on the wrong side again, tugging the forelock and serving another Johnson administration in another illegal and futile military endeavour? Do we really want to be closely associated with the arm of the USA which stands accused of egregious crimes against humanity and flagrant breaches of international law? Finally do we think that the USA will treat us better than it has treated former allies and parties to previous treaties? When these things have been carefully considered I am convinced that no Australian who loves justice and respect for law can possible see any benefit in this latest USA-Australia military mission. I ask every Australian, including our representatives in the two houses of federal parliament, and the state governments as well, especially the N.T Parliament to make a choice that we must put our country ahead of vested interests in the USA, but that also we need to act in a neighbourly way to our near neighbours and all other concerned people on our small and beautiful planet." Lavinia Moore
(ref :
TFI0151T)
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| 16-11-2011 Australian Uranium mining Where is Julia Gillard's moral compass ? To say, selling more Uranium is good for job growth and the economy is equivalent to pushing the tobacco industry because it is good for job growth and the economy. Foolish Julia, foolish. (ref : TFI0150T) |
| 02-11-2011 Palestine's right to exist UNESCO has rightly come up to the plate and given membership to Palestine. This is a sign of strength, hope, and understanding .. The USA has signalled it will veto the vote in the UN for Palestine to be a recognised independent state This is a sign of nastiness, thoughtlessness, and stupidity .. The majority of the world has had its say on this matter and the USA should not show this sign of immaturity in crying over the decision .. For far too long the USA has aggravated and damaged relations in the Middle East, it is now time to send a message of hope, and support the decision .. Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0149T) |
| 31-10-2011 This is important. Read it. A better way to kill cancer. (ref : TFI0148T) |
| 30-10-2011 Arrogance Quantas, Arrogance. Do the decent thing - resign, and don't take our money with you. (ref : TFI0147T) |
| 24-10-2011 Do not support the "Hydrogen economy" Hydrogen production is still a costly and inefficient way of storing energy .. It is only a way for large corporations (who are highly likely associated with the existing fuel companies) to continue making huge profits .. We should support the system where people can collect their own energy through solar panels and other accessible means ... Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0146T) |
| 18-10-2011
(ref : TFI0145T)
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| 17-09-2011
(ref : TFI0144T)
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| 02-09-2011
A UN report (headed by Geoffrey Palmer) is now sanctioning ghetto blockading.. I thought this attitude was supposed to have stopped with the demise of the Third Reich ... Bob Shepherd
(ref : TFI0143T)
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| 01-09-2011
NOW there is no excuse for mistreating refugees .. Get on with processing these people and stop torturing them with long delays and prisons .. Bob Shepherd
(ref : TFI0142T)
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| 21-08-2011 World Catholic Youth Day The massing of the thoughtless is never concerned about the arrests and mistreatment (beatings in Spain) of their fellow humans that object to the waste of money by the country that hosts this ridiculous ritual. This reaction could be expected from Nazi youth rallies many years ago, but should not be tolerated now. (ref : TFI0141T) |
| 09-08-2011 London burning .. This is what happens when people are abandoned with their problems, are abused by the police, and ignored by politicians and the majority of the population .. The problem just grows bigger until it eventually blows up in your face .. And everybody seems so surprised and disgusted it has happened .. Nobody ever learns .. Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0140T) |
| 08-08-2011 Economic greed The world economies cannot be expected to grow indefinitely .. There will be a time when they will eventually plateau and everybody must plan for stability in this situation and stop trying to always create massive profits through growth .. So many suffer .. Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0139T) |
| 05-08-2011 MONDOWEISS - The war of ideas in the Middle East 44 weeks of pro-Palestinian protest in Adelaide, South Australia and not a word in the print media.Margaret Cassar (ref : TFI0138T) |
| 03-08-2011 Pathetic prosecutors It is totally unjustified and illegal to use an unlawful court decision to try to use a legal attack on someone .. David Hicks was not treated to a legal prosecution in his trials at Guantanamo Prison .. The DPP in Australia has no moral or legal grounds to do anything against David's sale of his book .. Could the reason the DPP is persisting with this attack on David be because of pressure from the United States and the Australian Department of Prosecution who do not want to be seen with egg on their faces from the balls-up they perpetrated in the beginning ? We have had enough of stupid decisions .. Grow up and get back to real work .. (ref : TFI0137T) |
| 31-07-2011 Poor USA The conservatives are trying to drag the USA back two steps where they should be trying to help it go forward one step. (ref : TFI0136T |
| 27-07-2011 USA sorrow The plantation owner and slave mentality lives on in corporate America. George W Bush, corrupt and thoughtless politicians, and corrupt and selfish CEO's have destroyed the U.S. Our sympathies go out to President Obama and the other intelligent citizens of the U.S.A. (ref : TFI0135T) |
| 14-07-2011 We never learn So Japan is to go ahead with its whaling again. What a kick in the teeth. It seems they don't deserve the sympathy they got over their tsunami problems. (ref : TFI0134T) |
| 07-04-2011 Hell hole We wouldn't let the Nazis get away with ghettos, displacement, genocide, and torture .. So why should we let Israel get away with it ?? Long live the BDS against Israel .. (ref : TFI0133T) |
| 21-03-2011 Why the hell is this happening ? I cannot believe so many people are being so bloody stupid about Nuclear Power. It is obviously the most dangerous and thoughtless way to produce electricity. The existing nuclear power stations were built to supply electricity AND at the same time produce Plutonium for the masses of nuclear weapons that were "needed" for the "cold war". It didn't and seemingly still doesn't matter what the cost is to this planet. NOBODY can justify the use of refined radioactive Uranium. Radioactive elements buried in their natural environment are usually very dilute and not of great concern. It is only after humans mine and concentrate these elements that we have to be worried. The problems start at the beginning of the process and escalate from there. The dangers for miners and the surrounding mine area are very real and anybody who says otherwise is lying. Most mines are usually a long way from built-up areas where they can "bury" the waste problem without many people being aware of the dangerous situation, and governments who benefit from the cash cow like it that way. The refining process produces even more radioactive waste that has to be handled and stored somehow and somewhere. These concentrated radioactive elements then have to be transported in ecologically expensive containers where they are to be further concentrated into an even more dangerous substance. Nuclear power stations have to be built to withstand earthquakes, military style attacks, coolant failures, and human operator errors, the last two of which have not and maybe cannot ever be fully addressed. When failures do occur and are catastrophic, for some stupid and unexplained reason most people can be conned into believing all will be repaired and all will be okay. Most of the catastrophes end up in unrepairable power plants, power plants needing decommissioning, and radioactive pollution that damages plants and animals (humans included of course) for many decades if not centuries to come. This pollution does not respect political boundaries and is usually not confined to the power plant site because the particles can be carried to where ever water runs and the prevailing winds blow. Those that have to try to stop the runaway effect usually end up dead or very sick for the rest of their lives. Another pollution from these power plants which is largely conveniently ignored is the large quantities of heat which enters our waterways, oceans and atmosphere while heatsinking the thermonuclear reactions. Possibly the biggest problem comes when a nuclear power plant has to be decommisioned. No plant has yet been fully and safely decommissioned. The radioactive metals have to be recycled away from the mainstream recycling so cross contamination does not occur. This requires a very expensive procedure which ends up with radioactive materials that can only be used in further reactor building, or materials that have to be safely stored somehow (something that has yet to be achieved). The original building structures and land have to be left "idle" (a process called safstor) for up to 50 years or more before removal work can be carried out. A problem left for the next generations, so who cares. God knows what they will have to do with this ticking timebomb. A debatable situation : As has always been suspected, some radioactivity is showing up in our metals, even those for domestic use. Is this normal radiation expected to be found in materials from the earth, or is this cross contamination from man-made radioactive sources ? Why are cheap semiconductor Geiger counters not easily obtainable ? Is there a fear the general populous may see the problem of radioactivity is bigger than they are being lead to believe ? We can always get peoples' minds away from this problem by starting another war somewhere, preferably in the Middle East, or am I just being cynical .. Bob Shepherd (ref :
TFI0132T)
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| 13-12-2010 All education should be free and freely available to ALL .. We ALL benefit from the gain in knowledge .. Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0131T) |
| 10-12-2010 To control corruption, give full support to Wikileaks, Julian Assange, and all other whistle-blowers. These people are very important to the health of our planet's morality. (ref :
TFI0130T) (editors' note) We can only agree. |
| 24-09-2010 Misguided thoughts Just because a lot of time, money, effort or belief may be put into prosecuting somebody, it doesn't mean they are guilty .. They may just be somebody they want to punish or quieten for their outspoken remarks .. Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0129T) |
| 21-09-2010 Re cigarette prohibition As much as everybody who has a brain would like to see cigarettes disappear from this planet, Dr Craig Jurisevic has taken the idea to a ridiculous level .. He sees the nasty side of the health problems everyday and is getting extremely frustrated with smokers .. Totally understandable. It is one of the most destructive habits around but ,, a blanket ban on cigarette sales is not going to solve the problem. It will only put the problem underground where there will be no controls whatsoever on quality (for want of a better name), quantity and pricing .. Crime syndicates will take over the distribution and the problem will be even worse than it is now .. You think the health problems are bad now, think what it would be like after prohibition .. We must all use our common sense .. Make the use of all so called recreational drugs an anti-social behaviour by education, support all people (this includes children) who need social help, and ban all advertising of the said drugs .. This will achieve a lot more than a prohibition .. Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0128T) |
| 21-09-2010 Be wary Has BPay gone rogue ?
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| 05-09-2010 What a bloody mess The so called coalition forces are leaving Iraq to its fate. After they destroyed the country's infrastructure and killed more than 150 thousand of its citizens, they think their job is completed. They caused a war that nobody wanted, especially the Iraqis, and created a breeding ground for Al Qaeda, and boy, did they breed. Al Qaeda may never have grown so strong if it wasn't for that war. The problem the coalition forces have created is so great that everybody is wiping their hands clean of it, and then they have the cheek to congratulate themselves ... FOR WHAT ? GET BACK THERE AND WORK HARDER AND MORE THOUGHTFULLY TO CLEAN UP YOUR MESS. (ref : TFI0127T) |
| 09-08-2010 Morally bankrupt Mark Domitrak : Once adviser to former Australian Prime Minister John Howard. Now head of corporate affairs at British American Tobacco. Chris Argent : Once advisor to former Australian Prime Minister John Howard. Now corporate affairs director at Philip Morris. Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0126T) |
| 23-07-2010 The selfish gene at work Our Australian federal opposition leader, Tony Abbott, wants to close the door to most immigrants and refugees now that HIS family has settled into Australia. Maybe Australia should have closed the door before HE managed to get in .. Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0125T) |
| 05-07-2010 Australian racism Re: Death of "Mr. Ward". If ever there was justification for the death penalty .. this is surely it. The Western Australian DPP should also be investigated for perverting the course of justice. (Thank you Lainie Anderson for such a compassionate article in the Adelaide Sunday Mail dated July 4th 2010.) Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0124T) |
| 05-07-2010 Same sex marriages All politicians have their dark side .. Julia Gillard has shown part of hers .. She does not believe all people have the right to marry whom they wish. She has shown a nasty homophobic streak which she should be seeking psychiatric help in overcoming. Unlike most homosexuals, she has a choice to change. Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0123T) |
| 06-05-2010 Ambulance disgrace When is ambulance call-out costing in Australia going to be covered by Medicare ?? The prices are enough to destroy some families. This is a ridiculous situation for a country that is supposed to have national healthcare cover. Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0122T) |
| 04-05-2010 Hybrid horrors What a waste hybrid cars are. They require more materials than standard combustion engine vehicles. They waste resources, technology, effort and money, and they still use just as much fossil fuel as normal efficient combustion engine powered cars and probably create a greater carbon footprint in their manufacture. Stop being controlled by the petroleum industries. Get off your bums and start designing and building more electric vehicles. Holden in Australia should be very concerned about its slow uptake on the electric vehicle market. It is going to be left so far behind as the other overseas manufacturers move into the 21st century that it is going to lose workers' jobs. Mitsubishi Adelaide ignored the signs. It disappeared. Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0121T) |
| 06-04-2010 Peter Jensen, Sydney Anglican archbishop When your religion and religious beliefs let you down, and you cannot just bully people as easily as you did before, it is so satisfying to take your frustration out on somebody else. Atheists seem such an easy target. Beware though, they may seem inert but there is a lot of dormant power just keeping itself in check. If you keep poking at a hornets nest, be ready to get stung. Do you really want to take on a group with an understanding of the universe far greater than yours? Not everybody is taken in by the idea of gods and ghosts. Check out your own beliefs before you attack others. (ref : TFI0120T) |
| 23-03-2010 Australia. Earn your voting rights Let it be known, I am neither a Labor nor Liberal supporter, but I have observed the following disturbing facts. When Labor politicians pinch the skin of the voters, the voters almost always throw those politicians out, and then vote Liberal. When Liberal politicians keep kicking the voters in the balls, the voters may eventually throw those politicians out but will soon forgive them (or forget about the damage), say they deserve another chance, and vote them back to do it all over again. This is appalling. Australians are not showing they deserve a democracy by these actions. Think clearly before you vote. (ref : TFI0119T) |
| 21-03-2010 Australian voters I just can't believe Australian voters can be so stupid .. You have just had the "Liberals" in power who brought Australia down to its knees .. We were finally getting out of a dark hole and you start pushing us back to the brink .. Don't you see the damage they have done, and the damage you are about to let them inflict onto us again ..? If you had to protest vote, you could have at least had the decency to vote for other parties who are willing to work for this country, not against it .. Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0118T) |
| 19-03-2010 Oh Peter Garrett What were you thinking ...?? It makes sense to insulate homes as the Federal Australian government intended, BUT ... You first have to decide on the best and safest form of insulation to be used .. You have to use approved businesses with qualified workers operating under the guidelines of occupational health and safety standards .. Government inspectors HAVE to check the houses to be insulated BEFORE and AFTER installation .. By not following these obvious steps, you have blown it for us all Peter Garrett .. I am not impressed .. Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0117T) |
| 11-03-2010 News services ? What has happened to the Australian tv news services of channel 7 & channel 9 ?? They have become nothing more than gossip reports, celebrity entertainment reports, and sport reports, with a spattering of real news .. Get back to the real world news reports .. Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0116T) |
| 11-03-2010 Hypocrisy Mr Atkinson Are we to believe that computer gamers are just as dangerous, if not more so, than bikie gangs ? Do they kill, maim, make people disappear, and intimidate witnesses ? Get real ... How does such a violent so called sport such as UFC get into Australia, but not "R" rated computer games ? (ref : TFI0115T) |
| 04-03-2010 We may not survive We are just settling the problem with combustion engines in our personal transport vehicles (mainly cars and buses) and are understanding that electric engines are the only way true way to go to control our poisoning of the atmosphere, when .. along come two major problems that nobody seems to recognise .. Cheap cars for India which use petrol, and so called flying jet packs which use combustion engines with one of the lowest fuel efficiencies per person ever seen .. England, which has never had such bad weather, has come along to the party as well .. It is believing less and less that humans are responsible for the planet's weather mess .. Maybe they think the Martians came down to Earth and did it (after they finished building the pyramids maybe ?) .. Humans are showing they are just too stupid to survive .. Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0113T) |
| 05-03-2010 Measurement madness What is wrong with this planet ? How can we go forward if we can't even get our standards right ? The metric system has been around long enough for most of the population to know how it works and how to use it .. There is no excuse not to use it .. Look here for the USA's policy on the metric system. We still have aircraft flying in knots and at altitude in feet .. This is ridiculous .. Aircraft fuel can be measured in gallons, US gallons and kilograms, a disaster waiting to happen, (It may already have happened), what a mess .. The Western navies still work in Nautical Miles and knots .. NASA still gives out most of its data in miles and imperial tons, without metric equivalents .. NASA refuses to give up the imperial system on its space equipment, to the ludicrous point where it won't even change its spanners to the metric units the rest of the world is using on the International Space Station .. (No wonder it crashed its probe onto Mars) The computer industry is one of the worst for mixing units .. We have 2.5 inch & 3.5 inch drives, 5.25 inch case bays, monitor sizes measured in inches, copper weights on motherboards measured in ounces, and just about everything else measured in metric units .. We can do better .. Some nature programs from the UK are still quoting imperial measurements (very thoughtful for the youngsters who are taught in metric units) .. Even some US nature programs use metric .. You can still use imperial units or metric units for weights of goods in the UK .. huh ? Some programs even use a useless measurement system of comparison e.g. so many double decker buses, so many blue whales, so many elephants, etc. Very helpful .. In Australia (I can't talk for other nations) : Recreational boat users and local water traffic authorities can't understand, or refuse to use, Kilometres per hour, and still use knots for wind speed and boat speed .. Most weather reports still give wind speed in knots, very stupid as the very same broadcasts sometimes give it in Kilometres per hour and the abbreviations look very similar, and the rest of the forecast is given in metric units (even sea and wave levels) .. News reports will sometimes use nautical miles when reporting an ocean event .. WHY ? The majority of Australians use Kilometres for distance measurement .. Land measurement can be in either acres, hectares, square Kilometres or square miles (make up your minds) .. Combustion engines can still be classified by how many cubic inches they displace where most modern engines (and many older ones) are measured in litres of displacement .. Combustion engines are still talked about by how many horsepower they deliver, not by how many Kilowatts they deliver (which is a much more meaningful and useful measurement) .. What a laughable mess .. Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0114T) |
| 01-03-2010 Overbooking rubbish It should be totally illegal to overbook (oversell) and then refuse people who have paid in advance and who in all good faith have expected a guaranteed position. Any company who has a policy of overbooking should be heavily reprimanded and heavily fined. Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0112T) |
| 22-01-2010 The hopeless cause President Obama has made a big mistake in thinking that the people of the U.S. would care enough to support their fellow man. They are not about to support a "universal" health care plan which may cost them 1 cent more in their taxes, no matter the benefits to their society. And they are not about to upset the drug companies and medical monopolies who may have to lower their outrageous profits. You were too naive and too caring Mr. Obama. The U.S. has lost yet another rung on its climb to humanity. Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0111T) |
| 06-01-2010 The endless war A war or fight can never be won, if : one side believes its god or gods, and their ideas and way of living are the only correct ways, and the other side believes in a malevolent god or gods, and who think they have been promised an "afterlife" that is more attractive than the real life they have been lumbered with. This situation is doomed to eternal failure. The only chance of a winning situation is if both sides are supplied with a good secular education and the poorer side is provided with a better real life. (ref : TFI0110T) |
| 07-12-2009 Children in Palestine Shakespeare’s famous school-boy crept “like a snail” towards school. However, even Shakespeare’ protean imagination would have struggled to invent the conditions under which Palestinian children attempt to access a good education. Students on their way to school or university can be held for hours at Israeli Defence Force checkpoints, some are denied passage altogether. One young student who lives in Nablus and studies at the university in Bir Zeit gave the following description of his attempt to attend an exam: “Once, a year ago, I faced 24 checkpoints in one day while travelling to university. Of course it was not 24 different checkpoints it was just one military jeep driving in front of us. He would drive for 10 minutes then stop. I left Hawarn checkpoint at 9 in the morning and I reached Bir Zeit at 6pm in the evening”. One can only marvel at his patience and tenacity in continuing the journey! Universities themselves are not immune from this apparently arbitrary obstruction. For example, Bethlehem University has been closed down 12 times since its foundation in 1973, including a closure of 3 years length from 1987 to 1990. During this time teachers kept the University open by holding classes in their own homes and church halls. Their difficulty in accessing education is only one of the many hurdles faced by Palestinian children as they try to lead a normal life under Israeli blockade. Indeed conditions are so damaging that organizations such as SOS Village provide Post Traumatic Stress Disorder counselling for the children of Palestine. Techniques developed to heal combat soldiers and victims of catastrophic natural disasters are required to help the innocent victims of this cruel siege. The developed world should bow its head in collective shame while it allows the appalling conditions in Palestine to continue. Jane Shepherd (ref : TFI0109T) |
| 18-11-2009 Nuclear poisoning What is the matter with the nuclear power industry and its lapdogs ?? They behave just like a very spoilt, pesky child. Jumping up in your face all the time and asking "Can I have one ... huh ? ... Please, Please" It seems this type of brat has never had anyone explain how ridiculous their idea is, that nobody can afford it, and that they don't need it in any case .. Why don't we bring these pests to heel and get on with much more worthwhile projects such as reducing our wasteful power "needs", and backing more ecologically sound energy sources, such as solar energy .. Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0108T) |
| 17-11-2009 Hospital feeding ... Our hospitals spend millions of dollars providing patients with nutritious food to aid their healing. However... All these dollars are wasted if the patients are unable to access their meals. The delivery of meals in at least one of South Australia's major public hospitals leaves much to be desired. No attempt is made to determine whether patients can reach their meals or are competent to feed themselves. Nursing staff are too busy to assist. Consequently, some patients do not receive adequate nourishment. This problem is compounded for dementia patients who are unable to complete their menus. It is possible that hospital stays would be shorter and patient outcomes improved if this issue was addressed. Jane Shepherd (ref : TFI0107T) |
| 13-11-2009 Everybody to blame, but ourselves. Damaged children For decades we took our anger out on homosexuals. We accused all homosexuals as threats to our children and used it as an excuse to become overly emotional and attack and sometimes kill (yes.. kill). Embarrassment of our actions calmed some of us down but our nastier side had to rise again to find and attack a new foe. Paedophiles became our new target. We have again accused all paedophiles as threats to our children and have become overly emotional so we can justify our hateful actions. It is very dangerous to blanket attack paedophiles, as most loving parents could also be classified, (by those obsessed) as paedophiles, just for loving their children. We always seem to lose the plot too easily. It is important to understand there is always a percentage of ALL groups of people (heterosexuals included) who will harm and traumatise children in so many ways. We should focus on rooting out the causes of aggression in those who will hurt children, not just act as witch hunters. A second note : Wars are the major destroyer of children. Millions die each year and millions more are left with permanent emotional and physical damage. If only we would put as much energy and emotion into stopping wars and fighting, we could save and help many more children than we damage with our hatred. (ref : TFI0106T) |
| 27-10-2009 Australian Politicians ... Stop being arseholes. We have a moral and humane obligation to take in asylum seekers. Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0105T) |
| 14-09-2009 How did it ever come to this Telstra, our biggest Australian Telco, has put a surcharge of $ 2.20 on every bill you pay, whether it's before it's due, or whether it's on time. This is even if you pay at their own shops or at the Australian Post Offices. The only way you can get out of paying this ridiculous surcharge is by giving Telstra all your bank account details so they can take money out of your account, by whatever amount they deem fit (this can be greater than the amount due), and whenever they want. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS .. WHEN WILL THE REGULATORS STEP IN AND STOP THIS DISGUSTINGLY BLATANT CRIMINAL ACT .. (ref : TFI0104T) |
| 11-08-2009 Palestinian democracy Malcolm Fraser's article, "The isolation of Hamas is impeding peace" (11/8) highlights the absurdity of Israel's claim to be the only democracy in the Middle East when it has brutally punished the Palestinians for democratically electing their own government. They apparently believe that the cobbled together coalition Israeli governments are more democratic and equal than a Palestinian government with a clear mandate to rule. Public relations experts employed by the Israeli government must have the most difficult task in the world as they try and justify the dissonance between Israeli rhetoric and actions. Margaret Cassar (ref : TFI0103T) |
| 18-06-2009 Israel continues to hurt the Palestinians Benjamin Netanyahu's cautious acceptance in principle of the two-state solution is a fine sounding sentiment aimed at appeasing the current US President, Barak Obama. A closer look at the speech shows that it is riddled with so many conditions that the Palestinians would be left with no room to negotiate and their living conditions would actually deteriorate under his proposals. For example, Mr Netanyahu's insistence on increasing the settlements would mean more Palestinian land stolen, more homes demolished and an increase in the number of refugees. However, this speech does show that the Israeli PM is a master political tactician playing to both the US Administration and his own right wing party while placing the Palestinians in a position where they have no room to move. As Jimmy Carter observed yesterday, Mr Netanyahu has "raised many new obstacles to peace that had not existed under previous (Israeli) Prime Ministers." Margaret Cassar (ref : TFI0102T) |
| 04-05-2009 "Issues" with Mr Downer's ideas (Adelaide Advertiser 04-05-2009) Mr Downer clearly outlines the dilemma of societies faced with the choice between possible self-protection and the deliberate torture of another human being. What methods would he regard as legitimate if one of his family members was detained as an alleged terrorist and subjected to "rigorous interrogation" ? Jane Shepherd (ref : TFI0101T) |
| 29-04-2009 Australian Compulsory Government Internet Filtering ... How can anybody be serious about this .. YOU CAN NOT PUT CENSORSHIP ON THE INTERNET .. Look what happens in China .. If the government doesn't like what is being said about an issue they don't want discussed or even read about,, it is disconnected from the system .. THERE IS NO RECOURSE .. It is EXTREMELY naive and dangerous to think this government will be any safer .. ALL GOVERNMENTS WILL HAVE PERIODS WHERE THEY CAN NOT BE TRUSTED .. The last Howard government is a good example (they could not be trusted for their whole term in office) .. Unrestricted data, information, discussion and feedback are one of our major indicators that we are grown-ups .. If this is taken away then we have let
EVERYBODY down ... Why is there always some stupid idea
brought up by unthinking idiots .. Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0100T) |
| 06-04-2009 Home grown terrorists Australia cannot worry so much about Al-Qaeda as we have our own terrorists to worry about.
These terrorists
intimidate witnesses, police, and the judicial system so strongly that
they can even get away with murder, even under camera surveillance. Their members are very rarely prosecuted and are even more rarely found imprisoned. They are being found to have
infiltrated many of our law enforcing agencies and government
departments. (ref : TFI0099T)
As requested - the writer's details and original letter have not been entered into our data system. |
| 20-03-2009 Senate Senility What a disgrace the Australian senate has become. It has sent the message
that the health of our children comes second to profits made from
alcohol sales. (see : 'alcopop tax rejection')
Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0098T) |
| 16-03-2009 Arrogant Israel Recently, British MP George Galloway, led a convoy of donated trucks and ambulances carrying medicines and food to the besieged people of Gaza. Borders which had been
closed for years, opened to allow them free passage, and the volunteers
driving the trucks were greeted as heroes until they reached the
Egypt-Gaza border where they were forced to camp in the dark and were
terrorized by masked men. The Egyptian security
forces eventually allowed the aid into Gaza. It is easy for Bin Laden to
criticize the Arab nations, particularly Egypt, for not doing more to
help the Palestinians, HOWEVER.. Egypt shares a border with
the fourth largest military power in the world which has shown it has
no qualms about bombing civilian populations if they even vote
for a party the Israeli government dislikes. A bullying country like
Israel is no different to the schoolyard bully where by-standers are
too scared to intervene because they have seen the violence perpetuated
against the victim. Margaret Cassar (ref : TFI0097T) (editor's note) Israel also has a bigger bully - the USA - backing it up. |
| 03-03-2009 At great cost The US is donating $900 million to help reconstruct the war torn Gaza Strip. I am sure most of us think this is laudable humanitarian aid to a bombed out territory. Still... It would have been much more sensible if the US had used its considerable political and financial clout in Israel and pressured them not to bomb Gaza in the first place using weapons that include phosphorus bombs and tungsten DIME bombs. 1,400 Palestinians would still be alive with their cities functioning and US taxpayers would be able to retain much needed funds to help them through this current economic crisis. Margaret
Cassar (ref : TFI0096T)
|
| 16-02-2009 Stop Israel To discourage Israel's continued aggression on its neighbours, the U.S. should stop its financial and armaments support. The only reason Israel does not sit down and consider meaningful negotiatons with its neighbours is because it does not have to. If the U.S. pressured Israel to, 'negotiate or be cut off', nearly all Middle East aggression would cease. Bob Shepherd
(ref : TFI0095T)
|
| 16-02-2009 Taking the slow road Here in Australia, much more importance should be placed on our rail systems to be our main goods carriers. Rail transport is much more efficient than road transport. The national carriers should be government owned and controlled. They should not be organised to make a profit. The loading yards should be more accessible and friendly. They should guarantee faster deliveries. There should be many more trains scheduled. Much more care and importance has to be assigned to all goods. There should be no more excuses for delays, and no more excuses for delaying the inevitable. Bob Shepherd
(ref : TFI0094T)
|
| 16-02-2009 Capital punishment Why not re-introduce the death penalty for those who kill, and are proven (BEYOND A DOUBT) to be sociopaths, who will kill again ? These "people" should NEVER be allowed back into society. They are basically useless and very dangerous citizens, so why not remove them altogether. There is nothing to be gained by keeping them alive in prisons, in fact, society loses its humanity by becoming human zoo keepers for prisoners who should never see freedom again. BE VERY CAUTIOUS THOUGH .. DON'T JUST BECOME LYNCH MOBS .. You must be VERY sure the people in question are truly killers, and you MUST give them every opportunity to prove their innocence before condemning them. Something that is sorely forgotten in many countries that have an active death penalty policy. (ref :
TFI0093T)
|
| 12-02-2009 Israel takes another spin on reality During the recent Israeli war against Gaza we suffered the telegenic Mark Regev attempting to justify the indefensible on our television screens, and now we have seen Shimon Perez on Dateline attempting to appear the elder statesman and man of peace, while whitewashing Israeli atrocities in Gaza. Their dissembling and attempts to paint the Israelis as victims takes spin to new heights of fantasy. During George Negus’ interview he reassured Perez he had never doubted that Shimon was a man of peace. After watching this interview, it is difficult not to see Perez as a hard hearted warmonger. He should return his Nobel Peace prize. Margaret
Cassar (ref : TFI0092T)
|
| 09-02-2009
These lakes are very shallow and any fresh water that is allowed to drain into them would produce a very large surface area to volume ratio, which would only encourage increased evaporation of a precious resource. Isn't this one of the major problems we are trying to avoid? As these lakes were originally much smaller before European interference and it was the white settlers who had changed the sizes by weirs, dams, etc., surely we should first redress this problem and rebuild the lower lakes back to their original sizes to help restore the original ecological balance. |
| 07-02-2009
We are constantly told the universe we can observe, is 'our' universe and its 'centre' is close (cosmologically speaking) to our solar system. This is reminiscent of millennia ago when we saw our own planet as the centre of the then known universe. It was because we could not see very far into the cosmos with the unaided eye that we thought there could not be anything much further out. This restrictive way of thinking has continued into our thoughts of today's universe. We still think the universe ends where our assisted senses can no longer reach. To explain the 'edge of our universe' we have created a daft idea that it must have all begun with a spontaneous point creation that then expanded to fill the 'void'. What was the 'void' then? A non-existent existence? This is supposed to have occurred approximately 13.7 billion years ago. The proponents of the "big bang theory' still have to devise all sorts of crazy and conflicting ideas to explain how the existing known universe had to change to accommodate the final result. As if this doesn't get screwy enough, when they found they could 'see' further into the cosmos than their arbitrary figure of approximately 14 billion years into the past, they started to say 'space is expanding' and have came up with more obscure reasons as to why this occurs. Why not take a step back from all this and look at it anew. Treat the universe as infinite and as something that has always existed. Just because we haven't the equipment to see much further doesn't mean there is an end to the universe. It just means we cannot see the rest of it, for now. Unfortunately, if some pundits are correct in their idea of the decay of electromagnetic radiation, it may be near impossible to see very far in any case, because of the incredibly increased wavelengths of the spectrum that does manage to reach us from the very distant objects. Maybe the detected 3 Kelvin 'background radiation' is the best we will ever 'see' of the further and infinite objects.. |
| 06-02-2009
It is a drug of questionable safety and should therefore never be readily available for consumption by children. It is only added to soft drinks to ensure addiction and hence ongoing profits.
|
|
31-01-2009 Power
profiteering
For years now, since privatisation, our
electricity suppliers have been dragging their feet on maintenance and
long term planning, so as to maximise profits.
|
|
28-01-2009 War crimes
Ex-president Bush, and ex-PMs Blair and
Howard illegally invaded a sovereign country displacing millions of
Iraqis and causing deaths of approximately a million people (including
over 4000 US military). |
| 26-01-2009 Israeli
imperialism
Israel still doesn't get it. |
| 26-01-2009 Donations to
terrorism
If you don't
support the terrorist actions of Israel then maybe it's time to check
the businesses you're
supporting, to ensure they
are not helping to prop up Israel .. (ref : TFI0085T) |
|
25-01-2009 re : Internet Joke
Bush has an IQ
of 125 ??
GET REAL !!!
He probably wouldn't even know how to fill out the questionnaire ... (ref : TFI0084T) |
16-01-2009 (ill)logic
Israel
Israel has
portrayed its invasion of Gaza as a logical consequence of sporadic
Hamas rocket fire.
Based on this
logic, it is now time for the world to seal Israel’s borders, deny it
humanitarian aid and subject all Israelis (not just the Knesset
warmongers) to sustained bombardment from which there is no escape.
This cruel
scenario is inhumane, morally repugnant, unthinkable.
J. Shepherd (ref : TFI0083T)
|
| 15-01-2009 (re - TFI0076T) An open letter
to the Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd
Being
imprisoned for one year, or being branded for a crime you did not
commit is devastating. So why then does the
justice system only have a DNA review board for prisoners protesting
their innocence with
sentences of twenty years or more. Mr. Rudd .. How much longer will you let this deplorable situation continue ? There has to be justice for all.
(ref : TFI0082T)
|
| 06-01-2009 Sympathy
SO WHAT ?
|
| 06-01-2009 Hypocrisy
|
| 07-01-2009 Good riddance
YOU
can keep him ..
|
| 08-01-2009
Most of their ideas
and themselves should be relegated to the dustbins of history.
(ref : TFI0081T)
|
| 04-01-2009 Japanese
whaling
|
| 03-01-2009 An open letter
to the new president elect of the United States of America
The
Prosecution, and for some unfathomable reason, many judges, do not like
to admit they may have imprisoned the wrong people, even when
incontrovertible evidence has been presented at a later date that shows
the original suspect was not found guilty
beyond a reasonable doubt . They are still
persecuted to seemingly “save face” of the original prosecutors . Is this not
“un-American” and only helping to destroy the USA’s legitimacy as a
democratic country with a just legal system ? Yours very
concerned .. Bob Shepherd
|
| 31-12-2008
|
| 29-12-2008
|
| 23-12-2008
|
|
22-12-2008
The
farce continues
J. Shepherd (ref : TFI0072T)
|
| 18-11-2008
(ref : TFI0071T) |
| 29-08-2008
|
| 29-08-2008
How can anyone expect to keep their moral up working in such an eyesore, especially when the rest of the city is being revamped. Surely the public & politicians have seen the run down buildings, or have they been wearing blinkers all this time. Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0069T) |
|
04-08-2008
There seems to
be no understanding by the traffic ministry that
the continual stop/starting caused by badly unsynchronised lights
causes most of the traffic pollution and congestion. Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0068T)
|
| 14-07-2008
|
| 02-07-2008
If this ridiculous rot is
allowed to continue, and no sensible reaction is forthcoming from our
politicians, then it will definitely spread like a cancer. |
|
01-07-2008
|
|
27-05-2008
|
|
10-05-2008
Who cares what the military in Burma says .. It never stopped the super powers attacking other countries before. Bypass the Burmese military and make them irrelevant .. THIS
IS NOT A GAME. PEOPLE'S
LIVES ARE AT RISK. |
|
22-04-2008
|
|
18-04-2008
Years from now, when their story becomes common currency, we will be able to say :
|
|
11-03-2008
South
Australia’s recidivism rate is now one of the highest in Australia. Implementing
Mr. Wade’s policies could help us achieve Victoria’s much lower rate
and considerably cut the cost of crime to our state. |
|
10-03-2008
|
|
26-02-2008
They are like
a rowdy bunch of school fools, where the teacher has left the room .. The have no
idea how to behave, and they seem to need a leader to get them back
onto the track of representing the people who voted them into their
jobs in the first place .. Maybe Kevin
Rudd should take control of their party as well and bring them
back to reality .. Even a
cardboard cut-out of him seemed more intelligent than the so called
politicians prancing around his picture .. |
|
26-02-2008
you
would get away from that person as quickly as possible, but .. This
is precisely the answer and attitude of most oncologists when
suggesting chemo-therapy .. They
seem to have no second thoughts on the damage they are about to inflict
on your body. They
seem to think their way is the only way, as that is the way they have
always done it, and
nobody had better rock their boat. They
have even managed to stop responsible research into alternative
therapies by getting legislation that, chemo-therapy must be given
to trial patients at the same time … This
effectively damages the immune system so the alternative therapies
(most of which rely on the patient’s own immune system to kill off the
cancers) cannot work, and can therefore be rubbished by the oncology
profession .. Oncology
has become its own god, and has taken control of people’s choices in
treatment .. Many
oncologists are frightened that there are other treatments for cancers
that work, and at the same time, do not devastate the patient .. Many
in the oncology profession are afraid to lose control of their
respected and very profitable industry. This
ridiculous situation cannot be allowed to continue .. Chemo-therapy
has been responsible for so many deaths, yet, its legitimacy has never
been properly questioned .. Chemo-therapy
should be banned pending further investigation .. |
|
30/12/07 (30/12/10007PH)
Quite often they are the
family pet that attacks members of their own household, or neighbours. Why should ANYONE
be allowed to keep large vicious dogs in suburban areas. The average person who owns
such dogs is either too stupid or lazy to care for and train such
animals. These dogs are basically
nothing more than domesticated wolves! Apart from the threat
from attack the larger dogs present, the smaller breeds have a high
nuisance value as well. In my neighbourhood for
example, EVERY house except ours has a dog. Quite often 2 or more in
many instances. These animals are left to
their own devices in the backyards of every house. They bark incessantly all
times of the day and night, and are very rarely taken for walks or even
given basic obedience training. In my opinion, the ONLY dogs allowable in suburban areas should be well trained and cared for guide dogs! Tassie Terror (ref : TFI0056T) |
|
19-11-2007
|
|
20-09-2007
We
obviously don’t want our children to be questioning,
intelligent, bright or sane .. They
will,, eventually,, become happy
little morons .. |
|
31-08-2007
Unfortunately,,
when the Taliban did finally kick out the Russians, they
took control of the country and imposed their own form of intolerance
and brutality. So totally unexpected. (who are the idiots?) We
never seem to learn.. |
|
27-07-2007
It wastes the
time of prospective employers and demoralises job seekers at a time
when they sorely need every ounce of self-confidence they can muster. |
|
a / The
coach, manager and owner of the guilty team,
(ref : TFI0051T) |
|
09-07-2007
|
|
26-06-2007
He thinks (and
he may be right) that he has at last found an easy target in outback
Australian Aborigines.
|
|
06-07-2007
Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0049T) |
|
26-06-2007
In the future,
as other continents struggle to safely de-commission
their nuclear facilities and agonise about waste disposal, we
could be enjoying the benefits of safe, renewable forms of power
generation. J. Shepherd (ref : TFI0047T) |
|
26-06-2007
J. Shepherd (ref : TFI0048T) |
|
15-06-2007
Maybe somebody doesn’t want the tourists to see how badly we treat our environment. |
|
31-05-2007
Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0044T) |
|
30-05-2007
Prostitution
is a necessary social service and instead of attacking its use,
we should be protecting its workers and supplying safe work
rooms. Remember : Sexual prostitution is also a social safety valve. (ref : TFI0043T)
(editor's note) I agree and sex workers are humans too. |
|
26-05-2007
In 2006 Mr.
Vance was working in He suspected
the firm he was working for was engaging in illegal weapons trading
and, on reporting his suspicions to the FBI, was asked to stay as
an FBI informant. The question must be asked - who is responsible for running US military prisons... and why are they being allowed to bring such discredit on their country?
Lumičre (ref : TFI0042T) |
|
23-05-2007
Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0041T) |
|
22-05-2007
Gadfly (ref : TFI0039T)
|
|
23-05-2007 The handling of David Hicks by the Australian Government has been nothing more than a pathetic melodrama. Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0040T) |
|
21-05-2007
Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0038T) |
|
15-05-2007 In You will
always lose whether you are in the right or not, and you may be made
bankrupt as a punishment. Even if you
win the first rounds (or trials), you will always lose on the
appeals. You must learn this lesson :
Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0037T) |
|
14-05-2007 Another vehicle using potentially Green (but non taxable if obtained from home solar cells) fuel has been outlawed from our roads. The Reva
Electric vehicle which is being embraced by Europe and India as a
cleaner and cheaper alternative to our heavily polluting gas guslers
for city driving, has been pushed aside in Australia as a bad idea
for our traffic conditions. Just another
cheap excuse by John Howard. He has got to
go. Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0036T) |
|
10-05-2007 Bankrupting Australia Once again our Australian Prime Minister has done financial damage to our country. He has irresponsibly committed 16 Billion of our hard earned and most needed dollars to a set of American fighter planes that we do not need. He is determined to do as much damage as possible to the Australian public before he loses office at the next election in November. He has neglected our almost bankrupt health system, our public schools and all our other social services to help his business friends in the U.S. I just hope
this money can be halted from leaving our shores once he is justifiably
dismissed from power. Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0034T) |
|
10-05-2007 Our not so treasured Treasurer Heading
found in Adelaide Advertiser (10 May 2007) Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0035T) |
|
04-05-2007
But let's not
forget the casualties in Yes, Israelis
should be calling for his resignation not just on military grounds but
for his apparent total absence of compassion and in his lack of moral
judgement. |
|
03-05-2007
So, switch those lights off, at least during sleeping hours. From a
budgetary point of view I can only deplore the inmates' outrageous
behaviour in slamming their heads into concrete floors. Guards should
not be looking smug at this point. Then, there is
the kind of company the detainees keep and their wasteful choice of
rendezvous in distant lands where torture is legal. A little more restraint is called for. Lumičre (ref: TFI0032T) |
|
30-04-2007
If he had put
up as much of a fight for alternative energy sources as he did for
Nuclear power, He has instead
squandered Millions (which will eventually be Billions) on pushing an
industry that will eventually poison us to death. |
|
26-04-2007 Let
Australians celebrate the biggest botch-ups in military history by
holding “ANZAC day”. Our Prime
Minister is trying to use this common racist trait against all clear
thinking Australians, to scare them into patriotism.
|
|
24-04-2007
It will measure 3.5 metres high and all movement will be strictly controlled through military checkpoints. If Iraqi
citizens want to see their future they need look no further than
Gadfly (ref : TFI0029T) |
|
20-04-2007 (20-04-2007PH) Tassie Terror (ref : TFI0028T) |
|
18-04-2007
This has put many of these
|
|
18-04-2007 This does not
apply to LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas), nor “Natural Gas”. Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0026T) |
|
14-04-2007
In 1950, two
years after The same law
was later applied to Palestinians in the Zircon (ref : TFI0025T) |
|
12-04-07 (12-04-10007PH) Tassie Terror (ref : TFI0024T) |
|
11-04-2007
Bob Shepherd (ref : TFI0023T) |
|
01-04-2007 Lumičre (ref : TFI0022T) |
|
29-03-2007 Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0021T) |
|
28-03-2007 Gadfly (ref : TFI0020T) |
|
11-03-2007 (11-03-10007) Tassie Terror (ref : TFI0019T) |
|
06-03-2007 Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0018T) |
|
26-02-2007 Power saving Instead of the Australian
government wasting billions of dollars on feasibility studies and
Nuclear power stations to keep up with our ever increasing electricity
demands…. Adelaide Rex
(ref : TFI0017T) |
|
26-02-2007 Adelaide Rex
(ref : TFI0016T) |
|
20-02-2007 Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0015T) |
|
13-02-2007
Adelaide Rex
(ref : TFI0014T) |
|
11-02-2007 Adelaide Rex
(ref : TFI0013T) |
|
11-02-2007 Gadfly (ref : TFI0012T) |
|
08-02-2007 Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0011T) |
|
08-02-2007 Gadfly (ref : TFI0010T) |
|
06-02-2007 (ref : TFI0009T) |
|
05-02-2007 (ref : TFI0008T) |
|
05-02-2007 Gadfly (ref : TFI0007T) |
|
01-02-2007 re : David Hicks Gadfly (ref : TFI0006T) |
|
05-02-2007 (ref : TFI0005T) |
|
31-01-2007 (ref : TFI0004T) |
|
29-01-2007 Adelaide Rex (ref : TFI0003T) |
|
29-01-2007 Adelaide Rex. (ref : TFI0002T) |
|
25-01-2007
Adelaide Rex. (ref : TFI0001T) |
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