Sheriff Joe Arpaio

I have no ides whether this is current news or for that matter that it is true,
what I do know is that I love it, we are way beyond the point where someone...
needs to be the Sheriff Joe!!!!!!!!!!

You all remember Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona , who painted the jail cells pink and made the inmates wear pink prison garb. Well.........

SHERIFF JOE IS AT IT AGAIN!

Oh, there's MUCH more to know about Sheriff Joe !

Maricopa County was spending approx. $18 million dollars a year on stray animals, like cats and dogs. Sheriff Joe offered to take the department over, and the County Supervisors said okay.

The animal shelters are now all staffed and operated by prisoners. They feed and care for the strays. Every animal in his care is taken out and walked twice daily. He now has prisoners who are experts in animal nutrition and behavior. They give great classes for anyone who'd like to adopt an animal. He has literally taken stray dogs off the street, given them to the care of prisoners, and had them place in dog shows.

The best part? His budget for the entire department is now under $3 million. Teresa and I adopted a Weimaraner from a Maricopa County shelter two years ago. He was neutered, and current on all shots, in great health, and even had a microchip inserted the day we got him. Cost us $78.

The prisoners get the benefit of about $0.28 an hour for working, but most would work for free, just to be out of their cells for the day. Most of his budget is for utilities, building maintenance, etc. He pays the prisoners out of the fees collected for adopted animals.

I have long wondered when the rest of the country would take a look at the way he runs the jail system, and copy some of his ideas. He has a huge farm, donated to the county years ago, where inmates can work, and they grow most of their own fresh vegetables and food, doing all the work and harvesting by hand.

He has a pretty good sized hog farm, which provides meat, and fertilizer. It fertilizes the Christmas tree nursery, where prisoners work, and you can buy a living Christmas tree for $6 - $8 for the Holidays, and plant it later. We have six trees in our yard from the Prison.

Yup, he was re-elected last year with 83% of the vote.
Now he's in trouble with the ACLU again. He painted all his buses and vehicles with a mural, that has a special hotline phone number painted on it, where you can call and report suspected illegal aliens. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement wasn't doing enough in his eyes, so he had 40 deputies trained specifically for enforcing immigration laws, started up his hotline, and bought 4 new buses just for hauling folks back to the border He's kind of a 'Git-R Dun' kind of Sheriff.

TO THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO

HE IS THE MARICOPA ARIZONA COUNTY SHERIFF

AND HE KEEPS GETTING ELECTED OVER AND OVER
THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY:

Sheriff Joe Arpaio (In Arizona ) who created the ' Tent City Jail':
He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them.

He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails. Took away their weights Cut off all but 'G' movies.

He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects.

Then He Started Chain Gangs For Women So He Wouldn't Get Sued For Discrimination.

He took away cable TV Until he found out there was A Federal Court Order that Required Cable TV For Jails So He Hooked Up The Cable TV Again, Only Let In The Disney Channel And The Weather Channel.

When asked why the weather channel He Replied, “So They Will Know How Hot It's Gonna Be While They Are Working ON My Chain Gangs.”

He Cut Off Coffee Since It Has Zero Nutritional Value.

When the inmates complained, he told them, 'This Isn't The The Ritz/Carlton......If You Don't Like It, Don't Come Back.'

More On The Arizona Sheriff:

With Temperatures Being Even Hotter Than Usual In Phoenix (116 Degrees Just Set A New Record), the Associated Press Reports:
About 2,000 Inmates Living In A Barbed-Wire-Surrounded Tent Encampment At The Maricopa County Jail Have Been Given Permission To Strip Down To Their Government-Issued
Pink Boxer Shorts.

On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which reached 138 Degrees Inside The Week Before.

Many Were Also Swathed In Wet, Pink Towels As Sweat Collected On Their Chests And Dripped Down To Their PINK SOCKS.

'It Feels Like We Are In A Furnace,' Said James Zanzot, An Inmate Who Has Lived In The TENTS for 1 year. 'It's Inhumane.'

Joe Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the tent city and long ago started making his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic. He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates: 'It's 120 Degrees In Iraq And Our Soldiers Are Living In Tents Too, And They Have To Wear Full Battle Gear,
But They Didn't Commit Any Crimes, So Shut Your Mouths!'

Way To Go, Sheriff!

Maybe if all prisons were like this one there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders. Criminals should be punished for their crimes - not live in luxury until it's time for their parole, only to go out and commit another crime so they can get back in to live on taxpayers money and enjoy things taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves.

9/11 Eight years on.

Project 2996 for this year, 2009 has come around, who can believe that it is now 8 years since that fateful day 9/11/2001.

This year when I gladly volunteered to again do a tribute to some of the heroes of that day I was given the names;

Rudolph N. Riccio.

Lt John R. Fischer.

James R. Paul.

Now of course I didn’t know any of these men personally but I had no trouble locating their names on countless lists of victims and honor roles.

When I went in search of more personal details though I ran into trouble, all I could find was that Rudolph was 50 years old, had a wife named Joanne and 2 sisters named Meg, and Fran, he was an IT employee of the firm Cantor Fitzgerald, they had offices on floors 101 to 105 in the North tower of the World Trade Center.

American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767, struck the North Tower at 8.46am, impacting on floors 94 to 98, we now know that anyone on floors above 98 were trapped, this included over 600 Cantor Fitzgerald staff.

Those are some of the cold hard facts of that day and the man Rudolph N Riccio, we can only guess at the sheer terror that gripped the people involved, but we have heard of the countless acts of heroism performed and I have no trouble in seeing Rudolph in the role of hero.

John R. Fischer

John Fischer was a little easier for me (an outsider) to trace, as an officer at the Manhattan Fire Station where he served for 7 years John was the epitome of a hero on a daily basis.

John was promoted to the rank of Captain posthumously on September 17.

John who was 46 years of age, is survived by his wife of 16 years Jean, their 3 children who were aged 14, 12, and 9 at the time, also 3 brothers and 1 sister, our thoughts and prayers go out to you all.

The men, women, and children that his life touched as a Fireman, and in his personal life have been privileged to know him.

James R. Paul.

James was 58 back in 2001, he was married to Pat and they had 2 daughters.

He was born in Kentucky, after graduation he spent 20 years in Chicago working for Dean Witter, he then transferred to New York where he spent the last 8 years of his life; he worked on the 92nd floor of the WTC.

James spent some time in the Army, he was the author of a book described by many as "necessary reading".

I am pleased to add my tribute to the many that have been paid to this wonderful man

May the souls of all those who were taken from their loved ones rest in peace safe now in the knowledge that the world will cherish them and never forget them.

I am reposting a poem by an anonymous writer which I posted back in 2006 because I believe this simple poem says so much about resilience and the depth of feeling world wide for the act of terrorism of 9/11

A Dad’s Poem.

Her hair was in a pony tail,
her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy’s day at school,
and she couldn’t wait to go.

But her Mommy tried to tell her,
that she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand,
if she went to school alone.

But she was not afraid;
she knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates
of why he wasn’t there today.

But still her Mother worried,
for her to face this day alone.
And that is why once more,
she tried to keep her daughter home.

The little girl went of to school
eager to tell them all.
About a Dad she never sees
a Dad who never calls.

There were daddies along the back wall,
for everyone to meet.
Children squirmed impatiently,
anxious in their seats.

One by one the teacher called
a student from the class.
To introduce their Daddy
as seconds slowly passed.

At last the teacher called her name,
every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching,
for a man who wasn’t there.

“Where’s her Daddy at?”
she heard a boy call out
“She probably doesn’t have one”
another student dared to shout.

And from somewhere up the back,
she heard a Daddy say,
“Looks like another dead beat Dad,
too busy to waste his day.”

The words did not offend her,
as she smiled up at her Mom.
And looked back at her teacher,
who told her to go on.

With hands behind her back,
slowly she began to speak.
And from the mouth of this child,
came words incredibly unique.

“My Daddy couldn’t be here,
because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be,
since this is such a special day.”

“And although you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know,
all about my Daddy,
and how he loves me so.”

“He loved to tell me stories,
he taught me to ride my bike.
He surprised me with pink roses,
and taught me to fly a kite.”

“We used to share fudge sundaes,
and ice-cream in a cone.
and though you cannot see him,
I’m not standing here alone.”

“Cause my Daddy’s always with me,
even though we are apart.
I know because he told me,
he is forever in my heart.”

With that her little hand reached up,
and lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat,
beneath her favorite dress.

From up there in the crowd of Dads,
her Mother stood in tears.
As she proudly watched her daughter,
who was wise beyond her years.

For she stood up for the love,
of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her,
doing what was right.

When she dropped her hands back down,
staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft,
but a message clear and loud.

“I love my Daddy very much,
he is my shining star.
And if he could he’d be here,
but Heaven’s just too far.”

“You see he was a policeman,
he died just last year.
When those airplanes hit the towers,
and taught Americans to fear.”

“But sometimes when I close my eyes,
it’s like he never went away.”
And then she closed her eyes,
and saw him there that day.

And to her Moms amazement,
she witnessed with surprise.
A room full of Dad’s and children,
all starting to close their eyes.

Who knows what they saw before them,
who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps just for a second,
they saw him by her side.

“I know you’re with me Daddy.”
To the silence she called out.
What happened next made believers,
of those once filled with doubt.

None in that room could explain it,
for each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her,
was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.

A child was blessed in that moment,
by the love of her shining star.
And given the gift of believing,
that Heaven is never too far.

Author unknown.

If you would like to read my 2006 tribute, click on "Classic holtieshouse" at the top of my sidebar and select "911 Five years on"

In Memory Of Steve Irwin

On September 4, 2006 a shocked world learned of the tragic death of Steve Irwin "The Crocodile Man"
as a tribute to the man and the legend he has become I am reposting what I have written about him in the past.


This is a re-post of one I did in May 2006, there was no way of knowing that Steve would be dead just 4 months later.

Steve in full flight, you have to admire the mans exuberance and joy for life.

Friend Heather and her son Liam.
We had a great day at Australia Zoo.



“Crikey,” I used to feel quite embarrassed by Steve’s over
exuberant behavior, people from the rest of the world will
think we are all like him.






Little did I know then, that the world would probably be a better place if, in fact, we were all a bit like Steve, sure, minus some of the Crikey factor might help.

Before I had ever visited Australia Zoo, which is only 50 miles from where I live and just off the Bruce Highway that I travel quite regularly, I saw a program on TV that started me thinking that Steve was a dedicated and successful man. worthy of some research.

Now having visited Australia Zoo a couple of times, and found out a bit of what makes Steve tick, I must admit I have become something of a fan of the man, he certainly has an infectious nature.

The Australia Zoo just oozes Steves personality, pictured here with his wife Terri and daughter Bindi.

Both his parents were dedicated to wildlife conservation, so it is understandable that he grew up with a passion for, and no fear of, all the creatures he now embraces so enthusiastically.

Terri also has a background in animal care, she helped her parents establish Cougar Country in her home State of Oregon.

With the pool of caring for animals that these two families have, there is little doubt that Bindi and Bob, Steve and Terri’s two children, will follow in the same footprints.

There is a far wider reaching goal in the Irwin’s sights however than simply running a very successful wildlife park, they are actively engaged in the acquisition of large tracts of land that can be converted back to the wilderness state that is suitable habitat for endangered species of wildlife.

Steve is seldom seen dressed in anything other than his shorts and shirt,” work clothes,” when asked about his wardrobe in a TV interview he said that he did own some “Dress Kakis” but seldom wore them.

As I said at the start, I now consider Steve Irwin to be an Australian that we can all be proud of, and he has certainly proven that he has the business skills to run a very successful multi-million dollar enterprise.

They employ a large staff, each and every one of whom is obviously hand picked, they come accross with the same enthusiasim that is so obvious in Steve.

He has also made a wonderful choice for a wife in Terri,
"we dips our lids to them."

My next post about Steve was sadly this one, announcing his death on Sept 4, 2006.

The Crocodile Hunter

Steve Irwin; The Crocodile Hunter. 1962 - 2006

Steve Irwin was killed today, Monday Sept 4^th, while filming an underwater documentary of the coast of North Queensland near Port Douglas.

The cause of his death was a strike to the chest by the barb of a giant sting ray which brought on a heart attack, Steve would have taken some heart from the fact he was doing what he most loved, enjoying nature.

He is survived by his American born wife Terri, she was from Oregon, and their two children, daughter Bindi aged 8 and son Bob almost 3.

It is tragically ironic that his death occured the day after Fathers Day here in Australia, as Steve was also a dedicated Father.

Steve who’s catch-cry “Crikey”, was known world wide, he was also a world famous environmentalist and a staunch supporter of the much feared saltwater crocodile that lives throughout coastal Northern Australia.

Australia Zoo, located just North of Brisbane was the jewel in the crown of the Irwin empire, it offers a unique glimpse of the animals that Steve was so dedicated to in spacious and spotless conditions.

The Irwin’s have gathered around them a team of people who show the same dedication and enthusiasm that Steve and Terri had, it will continue to attract big crowds just as it always has and will serve as a very fitting memorial to Steve.

I must admit when he first burst onto the public scene I was a little embarrassed by his exuberance and thought, “I hope
people overseas don’t think all Australians are like that.”

As I learnt more of his dedication and the good work he was doing however I started to think more, “it’s a pity there aren’t more people like Steve around, the world would be a better place if there were.”

Heartfelt sympathy goes to Steve’s family, he will be greatly missed as a “true blue Aussie”

On September 20 I posted this.

Steve Irwin Memorial Service.

I really had no intention of writing anything further about “The Crocodile Hunter” but having just seen the very moving public memorial service on TV, I felt another post was in order.

The service was, like Steve, unashamedly theatrical, and I say that without malice or
apology, Steve promoted himself and his cause with such energy and enthusiasm that anything less would have seemed false.

Having said that it was theatrical doesn’t for one moment mean that it wasn’t moving, far from it I saw much of it through tear filled eyes and felt quite drained by the time the 65 minute service was over.

We heard tributes from all of the expected sources as well as a few from unexpected people, but the thread that was there through them all was a love and respect for a passionate man.

I believe there is to be a full replay of the service on American television shortly, do try to watch it if you can, it's good television, and that's a fairly rare commodity these days.

As the sad fact that Steve Irwin is no longer with us dawns we learn new aspects of the passion that he had and shared with so many, not only for his beloved reptiles and animals, but for his friends and especially for his family.

It has always been known that Steve surrounded himself with people of a like mind when it came to his zoo at Beerwah, their enthusiasm matched his own and the devotion they felt for him was a tangible thing over the last couple of weeks since his death.

A less known fact is that the Irwin family have for several years been purchasing large tracts of land suitable for reclamation as wildlife sanctuary's,
they have invested heavily in these projects and Steve said with justifiable pride, this is conservation in action.

Australia Zoo played proud host to the world for this memorial, the empire that Steve built here was the perfect setting for his send off, he was there larger than life everywhere you looked.

Probably the highlight of the service was the tribute to her Dad that Bindi Irwin gave, this 8 year old is going to do her Dads memory proud right throughout her life, there was nothing precocious about her presentation it was a shining tribute from a daughter who is so obviously proud of her beloved Dad.

Along with many thousands of others who would have loved to attend this celebration I was unable to get a ticket, the crocoseum has a seating capacity for 5,500 and these free tickets were snatched up within 30 minutes of going on issue even though they were limited to 4 per applicant, so sadly this is not a first hand account, but it did make enough impression to tempt me to do this follow up post.

I’ll finish up with a poem which was written by a very talented young Queensland poet named Rupert McCall this was read today by a fine local actor named David Wenham.

Please click to enbiggen the pic.

THE CROCODILES ARE CRYING.

Endless visions fill my head - this man - as large as life
And instantly my heart mourns for his angels and his wife
Because the way I see Steve Irwin - just put everything aside
It comes back to his family - it comes back to his pride

His animals inclusive - Crikey - light the place with love!
Shine his star with everything he fought to rise above
The crazy-man of Khaki from the day he left the pouch
Living out his dream and in that classic 'Stevo' crouch

Exploding forth with character and redefining cheek
It's one thing to be honoured as a champion unique
It's one thing to have microphones and spotlight cameras shoved
It's another to be taken in and genuinely loved

But that was where he had it right - I guess he always knew
From his fathers' modest reptile park and then Australia Zoo
We cringed at times and shook our heads - but true to natures call
There was something very "Irwin" in the make up of us all

Yes the more I care to think of it - the more he had it right
If you're going to make a difference - make it big and make it bright!
Yes - he was a lunatic! Yes - he went head first!
But he made the world feel happy with his energetic burst

A world so large and loyal that it's hard to comprehend
I doubt we truly count the warmth until life meets an end
To count it now I say a prayer with words of inspiration
May the spotlight shine forever on his dream for conservation.

My daughter broke the news to me - my six year old in tears
It was like she'd just turned old enough to show her honest fears
I tried to make some sense of it but whilst her Dad was trying
His little girl explained it best, she said, "The crocodiles are crying"

Their best mate's up in heaven now - the crocs up there are smiling!
And as sure as flowers, poems and cards and memories are piling
As sure as we'll continue with the trademarks of his spiel
Of all the tributes worthy - he was rough. but he was real

As sure as 'Crikey!' fills the sky
I think we'll miss ya Steve. goodbye.

RUPERT McCALL 2006

On October- 6- 2006 I posted this.

Dedicated to Terri Irwin



Bindi, Terri, and Bob at the public memorial to Steve.

The phenomenon that is the Irwin legend rolls on, as I had already posted twice on Steve’s untimely death I didn’t post again on Terri Irwin’s interview.

This caused another huge ripple in the pond that is the public's perception of this family, the interview was just as emotionally moving as the news of Steve’s death, his memorial, and Bindi’s amazing tribute to her Dad.

As I said I really had no idea of a follow up post until yet another fact about the Irwin family began to emerge, this latest trend is that, following Terri’s candid description of Steve’s love of his family and especially his children, there has been a very noticeable trend for busy Dads to find time to spend with their kids.

The central theme of Terri’s interview was that Steve placed his children before anything else in his busy life, and his schedule would make most others look like a ride in the park.

Rivaling his famous "Crikey" there is another facet of Steve that has surfaced, this was his absolute willingness to stop what he was doing when he detected it was time for a "Bob Moment" nothing was allowed to stand in the way of these times.

Now we have Dads being interviewed on TV and admitting that they had felt to busy with their work commitments to give their job as a parent sufficient attention, and, importantly making some changes to help accommodate that task.

We have all seen the public image that the Irwin family put forward, but to have a grieving widow paint the picture of Steve’s adoration for his family so glowingly seems to have driven the idea home.

Again there has been coverage of the Irwin dream for Australia Zoo, the Animal Refuge and Hospital, the creation of wildlife habitat refuges in land purchased by them for that purpose, so that we know they were very sincere.

It is only now that the media attention has been focused on their enterprises that we are starting to see the enormity of the loss that Australia and the World has suffered.

To hear that an eight year old child will take over her fathers dreams and make them come true would in most cases be quite ludicrous, but given that her parents were Steve and Terri Irwin and learning of the wonderful family life they had, suddenly the idea is no longer ludicrous.

I for one wondered whether Terri might pack her family up and head for the comfort of her family back in the States, but having heard her say, while fighting back tears, that Australia Zoo would not only remain open as a memorial to Steve, but would one day rival Disneyland as a tourist destination, I think it’s a safe bet that she is staying.

The only blemish over the past four weeks has been the unscrupulous activities of a few who have tried to make a profit from Steve’s death by setting up phony charities purporting to be for Wildlife Warriors, and others who registered the internet names of Terri Irwin and Bindi Irwin and have been spreading very undesirable information to the many people who have arrived at their sites innocently.

As I said at the start of this post the phenomenon of Steve Irwin is still gathering pace and strength, who knows just where it will finish, the one thing that has been proven beyond dispute is that the world lost an inspirational man when Steve died and perhaps more surprisingly the world recognized that loss immediately and mourned as one.

The family in much happier times.

On the 1st anniversary of Steve's death I posted this.

Vale Steve Irwin 1962 - 2006

September 4 marks the anniversary of the death of
Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Man)

It would be sad indeed if this anniversary was not remembered by all the people spread throughout the world who mourned Steve’s passing just 12 months ago.

For such an active member of the worlds animal conservationists to be killed by the accidental piercing of his heart by a stingray's barb was to say the least an incongruous way for this folk hero to die.

Steve’s dreams are alive and well in the safekeeping of his family and friends, all of whom have sworn to keep the Australia Zoo, Animal Hospital and his many other conservation interests alive.

It is with a mix of pride and sadness that we remember the exuberance and dedication of “The Crocodile Man” on this and every other day.



My apologies for the length of this post but as I still feel so very proud of Steve I felt anything less would just not do.

The Week That Was

It has been an eventful week here in Australia I intend
to touch very briefly on three of these events.

This is the smiling face of one of Australia's favourite sons, "Smoky Dawson"
Smoky was a sprightly 95 year old when he died on Feb.14 2008 after a short
illness, He had a session in a recording studio only 2 weeks ago earning him
the title of the worlds oldest recording artist.
Smoky is survived by his wife of 64 years, Dot who is 6 years older than he
was, 101 year old Dot claims that Smoky was her toy-boy.
After a career in Radio, Television, Wild West Shows, and the Music Industry
Smoky has earned his place in our hearts.


Australia says sorry.

We have a dark page in our history that spanned almost 100 years, during this
time successive Australian Governments endorsed the brutal act of
removing children, particularly of mixed blood, from their homes and placing
them in foster homes or orphanages, all for their own good!!!!
Our previous Prime Minister, John Howard, resisted the public plea to
apologise throughout his 11 year tenure, but on Feb. 13 2008 Prime
Minister Rudd put this right with an apology on behalf of all Australians.

The text of Prime Minister Rudd’s “Sorry” speech

I move:

That today we honour the indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.

We reflect on their past mistreatment.

We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were stolen generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history.

The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.

We apologise for the laws and policies of successive parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.

We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.

For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.

To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.

And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.

We the parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation.

For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written.

We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.

A future where this parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.


A small section of the crowd who greeted Rudd's speech with wild cheering and
applause.

Flooding on Queensland Coast.

The third event this week is the tropical downpour tha dumped 625 mm of rain
in 12 hours ( that's a smidge over 2 feet of rain!!!!!) on the rural Queensland
City of Mackay causing some extreme flash flooding.

Mackay is a coastal City based on the Pioneer Valley through which runs the
Pioneer River, This River flats valley is Australia's premier sugar cane
growing areas with the "Great Dividing Range some 50 miles inland from the
coast when there is heavy rain, and this was recorded at up to 5 inches per
hour, there is nowhere but the coast for it to escape to.
This major rain has come shortly after many parts of Central Queensland
(the part that's on the other, Western, side of the Great Dividing Range)
have had their own devastating floods, but now hear this.... at least 50% of
Queensland is still in the grip of a 10 year drought.... Its a big, hard, land.

I think I'll finish up there before anything else happens.

The Statue

The Irwin family statue unveiled at Australia Zoo.

Terri Irwin unveiled the statue on Steve Irwin Day Nov 15.

Steve Irwin Day.

You may not recognize them, not in khaki, but it really is the Irwin family.




November 15^th has been declared Steve Irwin Day.



A huge crowd gathered today at Australia Zoo to celebrate the life of the late Steve Irwin, “The Crocodile Hunter”

On September 4^th 2006 the world mourned the passing of Steve, killed when the barb of a stingray he was filming pierced his heart on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

The celebrations today include; the unveiling of a life size statue of the family, Steve, Terri, Bindi, and Bob,

Robert (Bob) and Bindi embracing the Bindi portion of the bronze statue.

the launch of Terri’s new book “My Steve” (this may be released in the USA as “Me and Steve”)

performances by family friends Olivia Newton-John, and Jimmy Barnes,

Jimmy and Olivia were more suitably clothed in Khaki for their performances.

and the release of two new songs by Bindi Irwin.

In the words of Terri Irwin, Steve would have been proud but he would have said…. “It’s not about me, it’s about my Crocs.”

To round the day out it has been announced that Steve has been posthumously awarded an adjunct professorship by the University of Queensland, this had been on the verge of happening when his untimely death occurred in 2006.

Crikey! It's Prof Croc Hunter

Article from: AAP

By Jessica Marszalek

November 14, 2007 08:49pm

CROCODILE Hunter Steve Irwin has been posthumously awarded an adjunct professorship by the University of Queensland, a day before he's remembered on Steve Irwin Day.

Irwin's wife Terri was presented with the award from the university's School of Integrative Biology tonight while father Bob Irwin and staff from Australia Zoo watched on.

"I think that this would be such a tremendous honour to Steve," she said.

"This will be something the Irwin family will treasure forever."

She said that while she was proud of what her husband had achieved, she was excited about the future of the research project he had helped start.

The presentation followed a public lecture by Irwin's friend and colleague Professor Craig Franklin focusing on Irwin's contribution to crocodile research, including a project which tracked crocodiles' underwater movements from space.

He said the groundbreaking project had discovered wide travelling patterns – up to 900km – and that crocodiles had highly developed instincts which allowed them to find their way home after being relocated hundreds of kilometres away.

Prof Franklin said many of Irwin's fans underestimated just how much he had really contributed to conservation.

He said Irwin had "a long history" of publishing research papers and journals, and had even discovered a new breed of turtle – named Elseya Irwinii – in Queensland's Burdekin River 10 years ago.

Irwin had also achieved the extraordinary feat of being awarded an Australia Research Council linkage grant, he said.

"They're highly prestigious ... and that's quite something for someone who's outside of academia to be named investigator on such a grant," he said.

Vale Steve Irwin 1962 - 2006

September 4 marks the anniversary of the death of
Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Man)

It would be sad indeed if this anniversary was not remembered by all the people
spread throughout the world who mourned Steve’s passing just 12 months ago.

For such an active member of the worlds animal conservationists to be killed by
the accidental piercing of his heart by a stingray's barb was to say the least an
incongruous way for this folk hero to die.

Steve’s dreams are alive and well in the safekeeping of his family and friends,
all of whom have sworn to keep the Australia Zoo, Animal Hospital and his many
other conservation interests alive.

It is with a mix of pride and sadness that we remember the exuberance and
dedication of “The Crocodile Man” on this and every other day.



Love isn't an emotion or an instinct - it's an art.
Mae West

The Life of Riley

This is Olive, who at 107 is probably the worlds oldest blogger.


G'day all, I'm feeling all Australian at the moment having just
come across a wonderful new blog site (Olive calls it her blob)
which she writes in conjunction with her carer Mike.

This blob has fascinating insights into life in Australia in the early
1920 and beyond, it will do your hearts good to go and visit

http://www.allaboutolive.com.au/


And for the best April 1st prank in years check this link.

http://www.google.com/tisp/

Henry Ford

UPDATE ON HENRY FORD

Some of the lesser known facts
about Henry Ford don't exactly
endear him to us.

It is virtual certainty that Henry
funded Hitler, while Hitler in turn
fed Henry’s ego. Hitler had a
portrait of Henry on his wall and
copied much of his Jew baiting
straight from Ford’s own writings.
Each man, a narrow uneducated ‘success’, admired the other in mutual
support. Ford had automated factory production and Adolph set in motion the
automating of society, these two are soul mates under the skin. It is sobering to
realize that Ford was within a very short distance of becoming a senator, and
that he was suggested by silly people as a possible president; fortunately he lost
interest in political office as he moved onto his next enthusiasm.

. Although initially an opponent of the USA becoming involved in the second world
war, after Pearl Harbor, Ford turned over his vast production resources to his
country. For example, the Ford plant at Willow Run produced over 8,000
Liberator bombers during the war.

Henry Ford; founder of the "Ford Motor Company"

1863 – 1947 died at age 84

While Henry Ford did not invent the motor car, he did more to make it
available to the public than anyone else.

Henry’s vision in creating the modern “assembly line” style of
manufacturing that exists in all industry today enabled him to produce
more “Model T Fords” than all his combined rivals of the day by 1918 more
than half the cars in America were Model Ts.

His sales literature stated you could have a Mode T in any color you liked,
as long as you liked black!

When Henry Fords financial backers wanted him to build a car for the rich
he went against them and designed the Model T for the masses, he eventually
bought them out so that he could do things his way.

Not only did Ford create the first moving lines for mass production, he also
invented the Dealer Franchise system to sell and service his cars, by 1912
there were 7000 Ford dealers across the country.

He pushed for gas stations everywhere to fuel his cars, he pushed for better
roads, which eventually led to an interstate highway system that is still the
envy of the world.

When Henry left the family farm in 1879 at 16, he walked 8 miles to his first job
in a Detroit machine shop, only 2 out of 8 Americans lived in the cities then,
Ford played a big part in changing that, his factories employed 100,000
workers who were earning more than twice the going rate at the time.

A lot of these workers were the buyers of his everyman’s Model T,
15 million would be built before production ceased in 1927, they were
completing a car in 53 minutes by then, the very popular Model A
came next, and in 1932 the Ford V8 was born.

Some of Ford’s less popular traits were by now apparent, he was opposed to
management, other than his own, he was outspoken in his anti semantic views
he was a supporter of Adolph Hitler, to name just a few.

By the time WW2 began it was Fords ability to diversify into aircraft
manufacture that saved the company from probable bankruptcy, Ford
were the first company to have a car roll of their production line after
the war though.

No matter his views on race or for that matter his autocratic ways,
Ford still did more to improve the lot of Americans than any individual
before or since.

Elle McPherson

Elle McPherson (born Elanor Gow)

Born 1965 Sydney

I must say I had more fun researching this
story than is probably decent, browsing the
reams of photos was indeed a pleasant task,
but there is much more to Elle McPherson
than just her ravishing good looks, there-in
lives a lovely person, and an intelligent lady.

Gorgeous Elle McPherson successfully negotiated her supermodel status into
a film career.

A millionaire's daughter and a native of Sydney, Australia, Elle was raised by
her mother after her parents divorced.

Standing six feet tall, the willowy but curvaceous blonde first gained fame
after she was selected to appear in one of Sports Illustrated famous swimsuit
editions.

One of the periodical's most popular models, she appeared on its cover four
times and, in 1986, she graced the cover of Time magazine.

She became the unofficial ambassador for the Australian tourist commission.

Her status as a supermodel secured, McPherson branched out into films,
appearing opposite Tara Fitzgerald, Hugh Grant, and Sam Neill in Sirens ,
an erotic portrait of a preacher's wife who comes to accept her sensuous
nature during a visit to the home of notorious Aussie artist
Norman Lindsay.

The role required McPherson to gain 30 pounds (and to show the world
exactly where they were located) to soften her model’s angularity,
(I must have missed that angular period, I always found her drop dead
gorgeous,) giving her a soft, but still pleasing appearance.

She lost the pounds and then appeared opposite William Hurt in Jane
Eyre, following that up with a role in Barbara Streisand The Mirror Has
Two Faces (both 1996).

In addition to her Film and modeling careers, McPherson has also
proven herself a shrewd businesswoman.

She owns a lucrative lingerie company in Australia. She is a single
mother and has homes in the U.S., London, and Australia.

Personal quote

On modeling: "I'm too old for that." (in 1999)