THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

Before I say anything else let me say that I have nothing against adherents of the Catholic Church or for that matter any believers in Christianity. My chief problem is how the church presents itself in this day and age.
Firstly the celibacy of priests. This flies in the face of all natural human instincts and our inbuilt need to love and be loved by another human being.
Secondly the ban on women becoming priests. Does the church really believe that women are incapable of performing all the functions of the priesthood or do they think that women do not have the necessary spirituality.
Thirdly the church services themselves. Why is the church stuck in medieval times. The appearance of aged men parading in red dresses with silly hats on their heads certainly does not resonate with the younger generation here in 2013. I believe that some of the Protestant Churches have got the right idea; normal dress, less ritual, more personal congregation involving services.
Lastly. Let us hope that the church this time elects a forward looking pope that can bring the church into the 21st century.

GYMPIE FLOODS

Here in Australia a town in Queensland has been flooded for the fourth time in about as many months. Surely we must get a message from this.
When Australia was first explored and developed towns and cities were established beside rivers as they both provided a water supply and a means of transport. Houses and businesses were built on the flat areas beside these rivers. As a consequence every time we have heavy rain over a period or in the north a cyclone the houses and business centres of these towns flood with a resulting loss of trade and huge demands on government funds and insurance companies.
Surely it would make sense for the government over a period of time to buy out and relocate these houses and businesses. In the long run this would save both money and heartache.

GAMBLING ON SPORTING EVENTS

In recent times gambling on sporting events has blossomed into a multi billion dollar business. These days you can gamble on who will score first, who will get the first penalty, how long before the first score, who will win and by what margin. These are just a very few of the multitudes of options available. With so much money available and so many ways that these results can be manipulated is it any wonder that corruption and organised crime has infiltrated nearly every sporting code.
It is no longer "sport" but just another business enterprise.

FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN AUSTRALIA

It seems to be every day now I am hearing of another large investment by a foreign country in Australian companies or agricultural enterprises. The predominant country involved is China.
While I am not against foreign companies investing in Australia I firmly believe that there should be a limit placed on the percentage of any industry or enterprise that can be controlled or owned by a foreign country.
To me the areas of biggest concern are water rights and agricultural enterprises. We MUST protect the future of our food production and the water needed to produce it.
It is said that properly managed Australia could become the food bowl of Asia. This however Must be developed by us, owned by us, and distributed by us.
We as Australians must act now before it is too late. All purchases of water rights or agricultural land should be registered no matter how small the price paid. As it stands now the Government can not give a definitive answer as to how much of our country is in foreign hands as the limit for notification is I believe around 10 million dollars. Many small properties can be bought for below this figure.

BOXING

Us humans are such a strange crowd.
If our son went out into the street with the deliberate intent to bash someone senseless we would be horrified. Yet many of us sit and watch two people getting paid to do exactly the same thing.
Why is it that if this bashing of someone senseless occurs outside of a ring someone is usually charged by the police and either fined heavily or locked up. If it is called "boxing" then two people are encouraged to do it and the so called winner is a "hero" and in some cases paid millions of dollars.
Most of us try to avoid situations that are proven to result in brain damage, loss of eyesight and disfigurement but then encourage others to do it in the name of boxing.
There are many programmes to stop bullying in our schools and yet we encourage young people to step into a boxing ring and try to exert their superiority over another by hitting them.
As I said we are a strange lot.

SUPPORT FOR YOUR COUNTRY DURING SPORT'S MATCHES

I was watching the Sri Lanka versus Australia match the other night. This series is being played here in Australia. I was completely surprised at the large number of Sri Lankan supporters in attendance. They were mostly dressed in their national colours and waving the flag of Sri Lanka.
Whilst I think that this is a good thing I was also disappointed to note that there seemed to be very few if any Sri Lankans supporting Australia. Over the past years we have welcomed many Sri Lankan refugees into our country and many of them have done the right thing by becoming Australian citizens. So! My question is if they left Sri Lanka to find a better life here in Australia why are they not supporting the country that has taken them in and to which many of them have now pledged allegiance.

THE AUSTRALIAN FLAG

Every year at this time...Australia Day celebrations....we get a flood of ideas for a new Australian Flag. So far I have never seen one that I like better than our current flag.
To me our current flag embodies many essential concepts. Our heritage which is shown in the Union Jack. Our peaceful union from separate colonies into one country. Not very many countries can state that they came into existence due to a vote by the people. The southern cross which highlights our position on the globe.
Until someone can convince me that there is a major problem with our current flag I am very happy to stick with it.