Football (Soccer) is better than AFL

Well if you cant get your head around this just by the reading the title, you should just give up now and learn to flip burgers on the 'barby', grab a VB and stand there with your famous 'cork' hat and mutter useless slang like "bloody oath" or "g'day" of which you are accustomed to. However i will shed some light to you on the subject. You can make a start by calling it football, its proper name. Football, based on the fact that you use your feet 90% of the time. It is the world's team sport, a passion in virtually every respectable nation on every continent. Known as the beautiful game it is skillful, fast paced, full of action and pasison. It can be played with just a round object by 2 or more people. Dont get me wrong, Aussie rules is a enertaining game to an extent and i have seen a few games (The Eagles at Subiaco Oval) but it just doesnt posess the skill and grace compared to Football. There is a reason it has never caught on anywhere else in the world. As for the atmosphere at the game? Does it have one? That is something you can prove just by going to an AFL game and then going to a local derby Football match virtually anywhere else in the world. No competition. Lets consider the skill level of AFL, there is none. Anyone can punt a egg shape ball as hard as they can down a huge field and then hope that someone will produce a spectacular catch at the end of it. Its hardly something that you must practice time and time again to perfect. However, what the Afl players do practice everyday is scoring goals which is done by also punting the ball, a little straighter this time, into huge oversized goals consisting of 4 goalposts about 30 metres high. and about 40 meters wide in total. This brings me to how points are allocated. If by some miracle that the player does succeed in kicking the ball straight through the middle posts then he has won his team 6 points. If he misses the middle and puts it wide on either side, his team still gets a point! So from this, if you can imagine a AFl game with both teams on level points and a player has a chance to clinch victory in the dying moments, he can still miss the goal and still yet win the game. Well from my perspective this is just ridiculous. Football on the other hand, combines a variety of skills to score a goal with quick passes and movements or maybe just the 50 yard pass to a teammates feet and then at the end of the build up, the attacker has to score past a goalkeeper into a much smaller sized goal. Football is the world game, and will always be the favourite in all countries. Its even catching on in Australia now, with more and more kids in school opting to enroll in football teams of their national sport. AFl is on the slippery slope out of here, and this will be replaced with 'the beautiful game' Football.

Football versus Sectarianism

Scotland is a relatively small country, it is renowned over the world for its magnificent coastline, its dramatic landscapes and a bloody history of battles lost and battles won to differing invaders. Bagpipes and kilts, haggis and whisky, the thistle and the home of golf. Scotland is a proud nation, proud of our heritage and our culture, proud of our land, proud of our history that has made us who we are today. On the whole the population of Scotland are a friendly sociable bunch of people, always a kind word, always willing to help, always there when needed. But....there is a problem in Scotland and untill that problem is resolved, Scotland will never be the proud race that theyonce were. Religion has divided Scotland into two nations, on the one side are the Protestants and on the other are the catholics and that is where football, or as you call soccer, comes into frame. Glasgow Rangers Football Club have Protestant support and Glasgow Celtic Football Club have catholic support. When they both lay against each other it is called an 'old firm' match. When the teams play agianst one another you can almost physically see the hatred in the air, sectarian chants from both sides fill the air, religious bigotry at its worst, it is like walking into a cauldron of fire and it doesnt stop after the game is over. Each set of supporters verbally abuse each other with teasing, taunting, goading and more often than not many violent conflicts between the rival fans. There has been many deaths over the years before, during and after the old firm matches when rival supporters have attacked each other. This has been a major problem and has brought shame to Scottish football for many years. However... things are changing, football and Scotland as a whole are fighting to combat sectariansim and religious bigotry, we are getting tough on offenders and slowly minimizing the problem over years to come. It starts in schools where children are being taight to respect the religion of tothers in various ways, relgious and sectarian chants are banned from football grounds and anyone caught using or participating in the chants can be banned from visiting a football game in Scotland for life. Although the hatred is still there at any 'old firm game' there is now much less violence and most games are played without fatal incidents and the only battle that takes place is where it should have been all along... on the football park.

Prostitution has long been considered as illegal. But is it necessary to do so?

It is said that prostitution causes inconveinece and troubles to general public. However, the act that considers prostitution as illegal causes inconveinece and troubles to prostitution either. Does general public has the right t0 live without prostitution nearby which will prevent prostitutes from making money with their 'resources', or do prostitutes have the right to make money with their 'resources', which will prevent general public from living in 'and more enjoyable' environment? This is obviously a conflict of interest. The right should be grabted to the side with more social benefits. For example, if legal prostitution brings the society $100 and at the same time causes $50 harms to general public, the right should be granted to prostitutes. You may argue that it is very difficult to determine which side brings larger social benefits. But under some situations we can easily determine it. If prostitutions are located in some low-population-density areas, the harms or inconveinece caused by prostitutions will be smaller. But some may argue that although the inconveince is smaller, people will suffer. If satisfactory compensations for people who suffer are avaliable, people are willing to suffer. The right to prostitute, or the right to stop prostitution should be granted to the genral public (or people who are affected by prostitution) or prostitutes by the time the compensation system operates. However, it is very difficult to deliminate such right. What should be considered as prostitutions? If a female who provides a male with sex services for returns is said to be a prostitute, then is a wife who provides sex services for her husband for his love said to be a prostitute? Is having sex before marriage called as prostitution? We can see that is very 'costly' to deliminate such right.

Whilst browsing news.com.au an unusual article caught my eye*, a freshly restored electric car was valued at $1.6 million. What was so unusual about this was that the car was over 50 years old, had a top speed of 40 kilometres per hour and was hardly an impressive sight. The reason for this excessive price was simple; it was one of Thomas Edison’s first 3 electric cars and it was from this that its value came.

Thomas Edison was the original creator of the light bulb, despite what people say. Because of the enormity his inventions have had on the present, certain people aspire towards him and use him as a role model. Since the number of aspiring inventors outnumbers Thomas Edison in his singular there becomes a conflict of interest over who can be more like Thomas Edison in his achievements which can ultimately include possession of his personal artefacts. This, in turn, leads to a supply and demand situation in which a limited supply item gains a value way in excess of its actual value. With Thomas Edison’s electric car there are many people who would pay large amounts of money in an attempt to acquire his vehicle solely due to greed, worship or an intense personal value on history. Either way the past’s milestones no matter how small when compared to the modern equivalent will always influence the present, even if it’s only by pushing the price of an extremely mediocre car to higher then a Ferrari.

* http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/world/last-known-electric-car-ready-to-run/story-e6frfkui-1225929669415

Views on Shining India by John Pilger

One of the many threats within our world is poverty. Poverty is subtle, hidden from view and caused by forces from within a nation. Most, if not all, of the people living in Australia when asked what poverty is could easily define it along the lines of intense famine and bad hygiene but apart from the definition they would not know the finer points of its impact on countries such as India. John Pilger’s Expository Text Freedom Next Time acts to educate its readers on such topics and allows them to form their own views on the topic (with a little nudging here and there)

The Chapter Shining India addresses Poverty in all its glory, both good aspects and bad. Through the recollection of events and statistics partaking in modern day India John Pilger makes in quite clear what poverty is. Straight into the article we are detailed a horrific scene, crows circling an abandoned dump with a small girl frantically searching through it for unknown reasons. This is in every way the more stereotypical view people have towards poverty as a state of unrest and disarray. Although John Pilger also continues to expand on this definition, it is not the only one he has to offer. John Pilger prides himself on writing expository articles that are unbiased to a high degree. In order to do this John Pilger takes a closer look at the Indian communities more strongly affected by poverty. Within his recollection of his encounter John Pilger details the Indian population to contain a “hidden dignity” as they frolic in bright colours and despite the conditions of their living still manage to have an innate sense of order and control within the community. By doing this John Pilger has managed to show a side of India that most people never thought existed while still retaining the common mindset that poverty is negatively affecting India’s present and future.

“Shining India” is only a small extract from Freedom Next Time but in itself is a strong argument. John Pilger aptly shows that to every story there are 2 sides and that just because India struggles with poverty it does not mean that they are in any way lesser valued the ourselves. John Pilger shows us that despite the conditions Indian community show the same clasp on life as the typical Australian citizen and it is this that the article hopes to achieve.

Your feelings about what you read in freedom next time.

Bec McKemmish
Freedom next time by John Pilger has a great deal of impact on its readers. The use of facts and statistics and anecdotes, expert opinion and the use of descriptive and emotive language leaves the reader feeling sad for the effected people and angry that the government didn’t do anything extra to help and protect them, I am no exception.
The anecdotes in the chapter “Liberating Afghanistan” are written in detail and how they occurred that they bring pain and sadness to the reader, for example the anecdote about a woman getting raped and cowering in a corner. “what will happen to her?’ ‘we watch her, but she may kill herself.” Anecdotes like these throughout the text make me feel sad and angry that the government isn’t doing much to help the citizens in these countries. Through the text there is descriptive and emotive language used to have an emotional effect on the reader. These can include, “a teenage boy with stumps and part of his face missing” “flesh of two people blown up by a bomb” “those who survived had oil poured on them and set alight” the use of emotive and descriptive language make me feel empathy for these people and saddened. Another technique used in the text that has an emotive impact on the reader of the text is the use of facts and statistics, these show the reader how bad the situation is, for example “25000 people killed in Kabul” “only 3% of all international aid is spent in Afghanistan has been for reconstruction” this makes me sad about how many people are getting killed and angry that the money sent to the country for aid isn’t being spent on what the county needs.
Overall the use of techniques in Freedom Next Time by John Pilger shows the readers how bad the county really is and how the government is doing little to change things. This has the emotional impact on readers to feel sad for the people living in the country and angry at the government for doing little to help.

Effectiveness of the techniques used in Capitalism: A Love Story

Bec McKemmish
Michael Moore’s use of techniques in Capitalism: A Love Story has a great effect on the readers. His use of humour, montages and music draw the viewers in to watch the documentary and his use of selection of detail and interviews help viewers to understand the purpose of the documentary.
Throughout the documentary Michael Moore uses various sections of humour to draw the viewers in, he uses basic humour like a clip of the internet of a cat flushing the toilet and a song and video clip mocking Cleveland. He also does various stunts which amuse his audience, like the citizens arrest at a big bank. The use of humour in Capitalism: A Love Story is used to draws viewers in so they don’t loose focus among all the facts and statistics. Music and the use of video montages like the montage of hold ups and robberies also help to keep viewers interest in the documentary while presenting the idea that Americans are so despite they will do almost anything to get some money. These techniques are very effective in keeping the viewers interested in the movie so they can obtain the overall message of the documentary.
Michael Moore’s selection of detail, and interviews help to get the message of the film across to the audience. When Moore is trying to make his point about the workers of the bank not knowing what a derivative is he only shows the people stumbling around words or admitting they don’t no, he doesn’t show anyone telling him what the meaning of the word is. This shows how Moore can manipulate his interviews to maintain his point of view to ensure his viewers get the message that he is putting across.
Over all in Michael Moore’s documentary Capitalism: A Love Story, he is able to effectively get his intended message across to his viewers by the use of the techniques, interviews, humour, music, montages and selection a detail.