6:18pm Friday 22/11/13
Just heard and seen on the news:
a new island has risen from the sea off the coast of Japan. The new volcano, still spewing smoke and ashes didn't look very large on the TV screen, but who can tell the size when all around is ocean, no other land mass for comparison? I'd say it will be many years before it is habitable. I wonder what they will name it?
Next story:
remaining members of the Monty Python crew are planning a new stage show, with new jokes, to tour several countries. Australia will NOT be included in the tour.
The reason? One of them said, on camera, "the problem with Australia is there are planets closer..."
Well, I don't know about you, but I feel a little insulted.
an earlier story:
workers at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital site have walked off en-masse over safety issues. Last week there was a problem with one of those giant cranes I've featured here on the blog at times, yesterday there was another issue when two of these cranes collided after a warning alarm didn't sound. Those three cranes have been "grounded" while the problems get sorted out, but the company owning them says there isn't a problem and workers should keep working. Easy for them to say, they're not the ones way up high on (potentially) shonky equipment.
a new island has risen from the sea off the coast of Japan. The new volcano, still spewing smoke and ashes didn't look very large on the TV screen, but who can tell the size when all around is ocean, no other land mass for comparison? I'd say it will be many years before it is habitable. I wonder what they will name it?
Next story:
remaining members of the Monty Python crew are planning a new stage show, with new jokes, to tour several countries. Australia will NOT be included in the tour.
The reason? One of them said, on camera, "the problem with Australia is there are planets closer..."
Well, I don't know about you, but I feel a little insulted.
an earlier story:
workers at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital site have walked off en-masse over safety issues. Last week there was a problem with one of those giant cranes I've featured here on the blog at times, yesterday there was another issue when two of these cranes collided after a warning alarm didn't sound. Those three cranes have been "grounded" while the problems get sorted out, but the company owning them says there isn't a problem and workers should keep working. Easy for them to say, they're not the ones way up high on (potentially) shonky equipment.
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I never really got the humour of Monty Python, so they won't be missed by me.
ReplyDeleteWorkers are entitled to a safe workplace and if there is doubt, then they have done the right thing.
I heard about the first two articles....
ReplyDeletePeople are entitled to a safe workplace....people are more important than work schedules and money.
Of course the company says that the work should continue - and I would have a whole lot more respect for them if they said it from the crane itself - or the scaffolding nearby. Safety is so much more important that shareholders profit (or any profit).
ReplyDeleteI did like Monty Python, but wonder whether their humour is dated now. Time will tell, because the shows will undoubtedly be televised...
There have been recent crane accidents and deaths in this country. Of bystanders, in one incident, crane operators in another. I hope some authority shuts them down until things are set right.
ReplyDeleteI've never even visited Australia & I've always enjoyed Monty Python, so.......
ReplyDeleteI had seen all 3 stories and was most interested in that 'new' island and I too wonder what it's name will be.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes wonder if everyone understands English humour the way we in Oz do. I've just ordered the DVD of Life of Brian as it was on special. Perhaps the Monty Python crew are now too old to travel this far. Just wondering. Sure to be televised one would think.
Those cranes always scare me and I thought EC's comment re the bosses making their statement from up on high a very good one.
Andrew; Monty Python is hilarious, nut if you don't get it, you don't get it. I'm more annoyed about the crane incidents here at the RAH worksite.
ReplyDeleteDelores; people certainly are more important than schedules or money.
Elephant's Child; I agree, let those bosses get up on the cranes for a day, then let them speak.
Joanne; there are similar incidents everywhere I suppose, but the people shouldn't be asked to keep working when equipment might be faulty.
fishducky; you might be lucky enough to see the New Monty Python stage show. And then you can tell us downunder persons all about it.
Mimsie; the world is getting smaller everyday, with superfast planes etc, there's really no excuse for them to not come here.
I love the cranes, but they really do need to be properly maintained for the safety of the workers.
I'm really curious about the name of the new island.
None of those stories featured in the papers here - I'm not surprised about the last two being non-starters, but I would have thought a new island being born would rate a mention in between the 6,000,000 pages bemoaning the fact that Portugal secured a spot in the World Cup at our expense :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised by the Python remark, especially since Michael Palin has made his mark post-Python as a world traveller. My guess is that it's simply a numbers crunching game and the audience is too small when compared with the cost of transporting the equipment etc there and then from capital city to capital city. I was a huge Monty Python fan at university and watched all of their shows, movies as well as bought their records. I still find them funny (their older stuff anyway - I'm not so fond of John Cleese's more recent movies)
Ahhh... work and safety vs profit. We've recently has two tragic workplace deaths at our local steelworks which highlighted just how driven the company was to cut corners, then shift the blame to some other firm they had subcontracted the work to. Good on the workers for standing up for safety and hitting the company in the hip pocket so they'll sit up and take notice. Although it's sad that it needed a walkout to instill some common sense.
Now I'm off to find out about this island.
Cool - I missed the volcano story!
ReplyDeleteMonty Python - hmm, maybe they should leave their legacy as is. And they just don't want to travel here because they're all old and can't be bothered putting themselves out too much!
I used to work for an OH&S company and the cranes would have not been able to operate until they were declared safe to use again.
ReplyDeleteWhere is worksafe on this site?
Many companies will always put profit margins first. They don't fear the fines if they're caught operating tagged equipment.
To them the fine is cheaper than loss of production.
I could tell you some OH&S horror stories!
Oh and, I have always loved Monty Python. I grew up with it, and other British comedies.
ReplyDeleteMany references to Monty Python are often quoted in our household.
And, The Holy Grail is my favourite of their movies.
Not sure if they'll be sticking to their old format though. As EC says, it might be quite dated for newer audiences.
TV will tell in time.