Rockefeller.

I've been following the case of Herman Rockefeller fairly closely. It's so odd that you couldn't not. That and his wife's grief is so raw. It's scary to think that everything could be going along nicely, then your husband could just vanish. The first thing that came to mind for me was dissociative fugue. Although that's probably the best case scenario.

News reports tell that Rockefeller was recorded leaving the Melbourne airport after an interstate flight and since then there has been no sign. They found his car yesterday or the day before. Like 75km away from the airport. And his phone hadn't been used and his bank accounts hadn't been accessed. I remember hearing an interview with his brother (?) who was saying that they weren't at all concerned about suicide because lately, Rockefeller had been happier than he had been in ten years. Hearing that kind of made my heart sink. All I can remember is all the reports that people have become happier in the days before their suicide. And I hope that feeling was wrong.

But then it makes me happier that there are unconfirmed reports that he bought some things from a general store in Gordon on Monday.

I was just going to leave this topic alone because it is really the family's business. But then I saw this article and it just confused me. Sure, you'd be checking everywhere, but the comment 'Police say they do not believe Rockefeller has accessed the account' just strikes me as interesting. And the first thing that popped into my mind was a status 'has ditched car and is hiding out in Gordon. LOLZ'. I would think money would come before Facebook. But, in all seriousness, NineMSN reports (in the above article) that he added twenty-one friends the day before he disappeared, but only one was left on the day he went missing. That in itself is interesting (albeit none of my business), but I'd like to believe nothing has happened to him.

iDisappointed

It's no secret how much I want a Kindle. Even though people say to be careful with them because they can break. I want one because it's small and convenient and I wouldn't have to lug books around with me, so I'd get a lot more reading done...which is something that I'd love to do. And, of course, the fact that it's not LED-lit. Basically, what I want is a simple ebook reader that looks good and doesn't cost a bomb. The rumours of Apple's new baby sounded promising. Competition for the Kindle and Sony Reader. Awesome. I'm no Apple fangirl, but I do love my iPod Touch. And I do think that their designs are fantastic.

Apple,, why must you overshoot everything? I'm sure there are people that are thrilled with it. But, I already have an iPod Touch and I already have a netbook. Would it really be that difficult to release a base model? Like, without music and internet and applications. But I don't know why I expected Apple to go simple. When they opened a store in my local area, I was cringing from four suburbs away. On YouTube, it was just painful. I'm not sure how well I'd deal with someome applauding me for entering a store or being in a queue that had employees running up and down high-fiving everyone. And you can guarantee that the Australian price will not be representative of the exchange rate.

So hopefully the iPad suits others. I think I like the idea (well, I like the design), but it's sure not as conveniently sized as I'd hoped. I'll stick to my iPod Touch and my little Dell and maybe buy a Kindle in the next couple of months (but I'd love a colour-screened Kindle).

Abbott's Adventures on Controversy

So, I'll be yet another blogger to weigh in with an opinion on Tony Abbott's no sex before marriage comments.

Straight up, I'm not a Liberal voter. I'm not particularly keen on Mr Abbott (in fact, he kind of reminds me of my extremely nervy doctor who dropped me from his patient list because I didn't get sick in a calendar year, but that's a discussion for another time).

And as much as I like to keep politics and religion separate (and as much as Mr Abbott probably should know to do this), he's a father. And, quite surprisingly, the Australian media has been a dick and taken his comments out of context. He has three daughters and this was what he would tell them. Carrie Bickmore (on the super newsy 'The 7pm Project') said it best and most succinctly with something along the lines of would the Australian public prefer him to encourage them to slag it up. And when the 6pm news crew goes out and asks people what they thought, you kind of lose hope in humanity. As I sat there blankly staring at the TV, a little voice in my mind is telling me that they must have hunted around for the people most likely to support their little crusade.

For those who have been hidden under a rock, Mr Abbott was asked the advice he'd give to his daughters. In a more eloquent way, he said not to have sex until they're married. Little bit of a public forum for that and the only thing that Mr Abbott is guilty of is giving fatherly advice (in said public forum). You know, time and place, Tony.

I can't really believe that this comment is such an offence to Australian sensibilities. It certainly wasn't a command. And I think that everyone needs to remember that it was said as a father, not as a politician. If it was said as a politician, then it's open for slamming.

The next thing that bugs me is that, beyond Tony not being able to be a 'family man' when being interviewed as a person (and I still have real issues with people being role models outside their jobs) is that people then went on to attack Julia Gillard (no, it's not a political issue, but come on, Australian media had already jumped up and down and labelled it as such). I read that Ruddy didn't want to weigh in on the argument (but, let's be honest, it'd be a safe bet that he'd agree). According to several media outlets, Julia is apparently not able to comment on this issue because she doesn't have kids. Talk about beating a dead horse on that issue, but its relevance is very weak.

Australia's Little Ray of Sunshine

I do have a soft spot for Ray Martin. Maybe it's that he's been around forever and looks a little like Mr Sheen. I got excited when I heard he was fronting up at my local shopping centre for book signings. This guy is, for all intents and purposes, a fixture in the Australian society.

That may be why I couldn't simply dismiss this little campaign with a 'Well, that's stupid'. Someone like Ray is fronting this. According to this NineMSN article, Ray's having some issues with our flag. He doesn't like having the Union Jack in the corner. I haven't seen too much coverage of this, what with the purported breakup of Brangelina, but it seems that this is directly linked to the Republic issue.

Ray is quoted as saying that 'I think we have to grow up'. Using the excuse that Australia needs to grow up is a sham. Plenty of other countries have managed to 'grow up' without giving the ups to their history. I remain confused as to why Australia seems consumed by the need to change for change's sake. There's no real logic behind the relatively constant pushes for a new anthem, a new flag, conversion to a Republic. I can deal with a progressive attitude. After all, I was in school when they started to rewrite parts of history. I'm fine with the apology to any people taken from their family...in the end, the intentions behind the action don't really help the end result.

It almost seems like Australia's ashamed of its history. I think we have a fascinating history and that we really should embrace it. I would really have liked to have learnt more about it in primary school, let alone high school. In high school, a major portion of modern history involved Asian development. I think there was one subject on offer for Australian modern history and it was very dry for what could have been an involving topic.

Not being greatly knowledgeable in the area, I wonder, if we were to become a Republic, what would be the difference in the day-to-day running of the country? Sure, there'd be no Quentin Bryce (however well she dresses). And, if it did, how long would it take for people to start complaining that the decision was a bad idea. As it is, a Galaxy Poll shows that 44% of surveyed people are okay with Australia becoming a Republic. 27% are against. I assume that the whopping 29% of people surveyed either have no idea what a Republic is or has no opinion either way.

The NineMSN article also quotes John Brumby mentioning the symbolic nature of the flag and its historical value. Yes, people fought under this flag. It means something to a lot of people. I heard it mentioned that a new flag would be a better way of becoming inclusive. No. This phrase ages me, but it's a slippery slope.

At least our current flag has meaning, even if it is draped around a bogan's shoulders. Another less meaningful flag would just be a piece of material draped around the bogan's shoulders.