"I had inherited what my father called the art of the advocate, or the irritating habit of looking for the flaw in any argument."

Spoiler Alert:   Just as the movie now contains a warning at the beginning for Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders that there is depict...

"Life is 10 percent of what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes....

(First emailed 17.01.2009) “Do you know a song about houses made of ticky tacky?” my 15 year old Honourable Number Two son asked. “Little b...

In 1965 Sonia Rachel Hopkins, 32, married William "Billy" McMahon, 57, a politician in the government of Sir Robert Menzies.  Bi...

“One day men will look back and say I gave birth to the twentieth century.” - Jack the Ripper (murders committed 1888).

Official announcement: Word of the Year: "Shovel-ready": a building or infrastructure project capable of being initiated immedia...

In 1985 National Geographic featured a cover photo by Steve McCurry of a 12 year old girl with striking eyes who came to be known simply as ...

"Politics is a valid concept but what we have to do is not really politics...it's a popularity contest. It has nothing to do with ...

In 1961 Robert Heinlein's book A Stranger In A Strange Land was published,.  It is the sci-fi story of Valentine Smith, a human raised ...

"You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone."

"For most of life, nothing wonderful happens. If you don't enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to...

“I have tried to make it clear how those people, eating their potatoes under the lamplight, have dug the earth with those very hands they pu...

John Free your body and soul Unfold your powerful wings Climb up the highest mountains Kick your feet up in the air You may now live for...

“I asked the girl if she could bring a sister for me. She did. Sister Maria Teresa. It was a very slow evening. We discussed the New Testame...

The following has been ascribed to an exchange between Viv Richards and various other players, including Merv Hughes, Geoff Lawson and Greg ...

Image from Wordle.net Language is a dynamic system.  Words can lose favour and become extinct or remain in some archaic form, eg The adage “...

Leo sent me an email after I posted the previous item, asking some questions about The Godfather: 1. I don't think Brando played in all ...

I watched You’ve Got Mail again over the holiday break, but that is not the topic of today’s post. Sitting here and typing away (is typing ...

Are You Lonesome Tonight? was written in 1926 and has been covered by various artists since that date. Even Al Jolson recorded it in 1950. ...

Deus ex Machina: On a Parramatta Road intersection near where I live is a motorcycle shop with a painting of a big motor bike on the side of...

If you see only one movie before departing this world, make it Runaway Train . I guarantee that by the end of the flick, you will feel drain...

I have a spelling checker It came with my PC; It plainly marks four my revue Mistakes I cannot sea. I’ve run this poem threw it, I’m su...

“The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail, its roof may shake, the wind may blow thro...

“Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it and eventually they will believe it.”

My friend sent me an email in response to something I had posted  that his mother's favourite poem was Footprints in the Sand.   In his ...

I like Phil Collins, I like In The Air Tonight , but I love the video clip used in the Cadbury advertisement that utilises the song. The vid...

A conversation with a long established client today: Client: " Could I get you to send me some certified copies of Mum's Power of...

Leo suggested a classic such as Ben-Hur , The Magnificent Seven or The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, for a Movie Moments, hence this select...