Spitting Into the Wind

I was disgusted today to read that a musical comedy is opening in Melbourne tomorrow night entitled Beaconsfield: A Musical in A-Flat Minor. In April 2006, miner Larry Knight was killed in a rockfall at the mine on Anzac Day 2006, while Brant Webb and Todd Russell were trapped for 14 days. Another victim of the tragedy was Richard Carleton, 60 Minutes reporter, who died of a heart attack outside the mine while covering the cave-in.

The play is advertised on the fringe festival internet site as being about "two men, one cave and the Foo Fighters".

Following outrage from the family and friends of the man killed in the disaster, the playwright later today changed the name of the play to Beaconsfield: The Musical.

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We had a weekend with temperatures in the 30s, and for Spring, that's hot. A couple of weeks ago it was feared that if farmers didn't get rain soon, their crops would fail. That became a reality after record temperatures and hot winds caused most of the wheat crops in Northern Victoria to fail.

I often drive to Wagga thinking how I love Spring. The fields are green and the Canola crops are thriving. Around here, not many farmers plant wheat. It's easy to forget how dry the ground is when it's lovely and green. The dams are only partially filled and every hot day draws more water from the ground. My heart goes out to these farmers who've had one bad year after another.

Water allocations getting cut last year has made the problem worse for many farmers, destroying not just crops but farmers' hopes .

Temperatures as high as 34 celsius at Swan Hill, in the state's north, and strong winds destroyed cropping areas across the Mallee, Wimmera and north-east, ending hopes that farmers could recover from the drought this year. A combination of high temperatures and close to no rainfall has meant that hundreds of farmers have now reached the point of no return.

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The world's oldest man celebrated his 113th birthday on Thursday, telling reporters at his home in southern Japan about his joyful life and healthy appetite.

"I'm happy," he said, as the local mayor presented him with flowers and a giant tea cup glazed with his name and date of birth. "I'm well. I eat a lot," he added.

Tomoji Tanabe, who was born Sept. 18, 1895, has nearly 100 direct descendants and walked unassisted in a kimono chosen for his birthday. He attributes his longevity to eating mostly vegetables and never drinks alcohol.

I guess that puts me out of the running. I turn 50 next weekend and I plan on having lots to drink. I didn't want to know about turning 40, but the family have insisted on a big party this year and I'm starting to look forward to it. Just to catch up with friends and family for a celebration will be a nice change.

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It's sad to think that there are countries in the world that do not allow something that many of us take for granted, and that is freedom of speech. There's been a few news stories recently of bloggers who have got themselves into trouble for something they've written. China was very strict in the lead-up to the Olympics about what its citizens wrote.

In today's news a Moroccan blogger was jailed for 2 years for showing disrespect to the monarchy.

Mohammed Erraji, 29, was convicted after writing an article claiming King Mohammed VI's charitable habits were encouraging a culture of dependency. "This has made the Moroccans a people without dignity, who live by donations and gifts," he wrote.

I'm sure I've written worse, and I've seen much worse written about other people. A Facebook group and an internet site have been set up in support of Erraji, where you can sign a petition and leave a comment. If enough people sign it might create enough pressure to make a difference.

Human rights groups have criticised the verdict and demanded that Erraji be released. His family claim he did not receive a fair trial, and it was all over in less than 10 minutes.

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It never ceases to amaze me how people can be so cruel to animals. One news item last week reported than an Asian elephant had become addicted to heroin after being fed bananas spiked with the drug and underwent a detox program. He was among six elephants lured by animal smugglers along the Sino-Myanmar border in China.

Four-year-old male elephant Xiguang and his companions having their meals in a wild animal protection centre in China's southernmost Hainan Province.

Xiguang received methadone injections for a year at five times the human dosage. He was illegally captured by traders in 2005 in south-west China. When police arrested the traders and freed the elephant, it was found to be suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

The elephant's eyes kept streaming and he made continuous trumpeting noises, the Beijing News newspaper's website reported.

It is thought that the traders fed the elephant bananas laced with heroin to capture and control it. Xiguang was sent to a wild animal protection centre on Hainan island in south-west China for rehab.

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How bizarre, a child molester's ploy to try and make a jury feel sorry for him backfired when the court had trouble believing his story.

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Repeat offender ... 10-year-old cartwheeler Cali Buschgens
with her mum Kylie. Picture: Townsville Bulletin

Forget smoking or bullying - at Belgian Gardens State School, doing a cartwheel on the playground can get you suspended. The school has banned all forms of gymnastics during breaks, including handstands and somersaults - even the humble forward roll has been given the flick.

Mother Kylie Buschgens told The Townsville Bulletin she was dumbfounded when her daughter Cali, 10, was told she could no longer do cartwheels, even on the grass.

Later the same day, the Principal was asked to do a back-flip, and overturn the cartwheel ban.

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