The Beijing Paralympics 2008 is about to start, with the opening ceremony being shown on ABC1 from 9:50 pm this Saturday night.

Coverage will appear on ABC1, and a program guide for the first day is available on the ABC TV guide.

Read on for more information on our local paralympians…

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I know I’m not the only one who’s breathing a little sigh of relief when the Reserve Bank announced an interest rate cut at 3.00PM yesterday - the first time in seven years. I was sitting at my desk refreshing the business page every few minutes as most industry experts were predicting an interest rate cut and news would filter through by 2.30PM. So much for working!

I think young couples with recently bought homes stand to gain the most in the short term. I wince every fortnight when I’m copping almost $2K a month in mortgage repayments, but I shudder to think how other Melburnians are able to afford their palatial homes in their ‘desired’ suburbs. Even with a dual income, I’d be hard pressed to find a young couple forking out payments for a $450,000 house, which by Melburnian standards is pretty average. *gasp* How on earth do these people survive? Stuff the price of petrol, look at the price of milk! $6 for 3 liters. Ridiculous!

Here’s hoping our reprieve, however short, continues. It’s good to have that extra $44/month in your pocket.

Image from ABC News

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Carlton's Brendan Fevola and Bryce Gibbs "hanging out" Picture: Rob Baird/Herald Sun

No fights, no urinating on cop shops, no claims of sexual misconduct…yet.  A mild mad Monday for footy players but what’s up with my team crossdressing? Not man enough to kick 100 goals perhaps? Still better than the wooden spoon.

Links:

Herald Sun: Fevola Frock Shock

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according to the cherry blossom tree near my place.

cherry blossom

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So how did we do in that Nike Race?

Melbourne was placed ninth overall, with an average running time (for 10km) of 58″58′. London, topped out at number two with 57″47′. Alright, alright. So they win this round.

Well, at least we don’t have a goofy portly mayor who’s the butt of many jokes. Oh, wait.

For all the results and more, click here.

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Our favourite 5000m Victorian track-star Craig “Buster” Mottram was there too! Probably out of contractual obligation because he likes running!

But since he was so good, he gave all the fast runners a 10-minute head start. Not that it mattered at all, since he finished in the top ten anyway.

buster

Craig reckons he runs an average of 190km per week. Per Week! That’s like 4 and a half marathons! One every other day! Just thinking about it makes me so tired!

I wonder how much he eats daily to power all that running…

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Speaking of eating, to all our Muslim readers (all three of you), we wish you happy fasting in the holy month of Ramadan.*

For everyone else, here’s a cheat sheet of what Ramadan’s all about.

*- According to the Islamic Council of Victoria, the month of Ramadan coincided with the 1st of Sept.

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Today marks the end of one of the worst policies trialled on Melbourne.  No longer do patrons have to suffer confusion over which venues have lockouts. No longer will the streets be flooded with people “locked out” of venues. What have we learned from the lock out? Nothing it seems. Crime has increased, there’s still not enough police on the streets, and people are still fighting IN THE STREETS not in the venues.  Good old John investigated the situation over the weekend, something he perhaps could have done before the lockout.

At least footy players will have an easier time celebrating Mad Monday tonight.

Links:

Herald Sun: Violence soars in CBD fringes as revellers move out of inner city

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The USS John S McCain (naval destroyer) has arrived at Station Pier in Port Melbourne with around 300 naval crew. I read in the papers they will be staying in Melbourne for the coming week, enjoying the sights and leisure activities around town. Some of the crew will be staying in the hotels just so they can enjoy the comfort of a proper bed and a decent shower. Imagine the tight conditions that they live and work in, I suppose some would enjoy some privacy as well.

I read as well, that a hundred years ago, when the US Great White Fleet arrived in Port Melbourne, they had 14000 sailors. Around 300 of them enjoyed Melbourne so much that they ended up staying permanently. If around the same number decided to stay in Melbourne, there might not be enough crew member left to take the destroyer back home!

Links
USS John S McCain website.
Herald Sun’s “USS John S McCain …”
ABC Melbourne’s “USS John McCain in Melbourne”
The Age “…Great White Fleet comes calling “

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Another event to add to the list of activities that are occuring around the city this weekend is the Melbourne at Home exhibition at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. If you are looking to renovate or build a home, it might be a good idea to check out the latest trend and technology.

Check out on the latest green products, home security systems or the latest surround sound systems (which isn’t going to be carbon friendly).

The show will run til 31st August, between 10 am and 9 pm on Saturday and til 7 pm on Sunday. Buy your tickets to save a couple of dollars. Ticket at the door is $18 per adult.

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This Sunday is Nike’s 10k Human race event. The run pits Melbourne runners (serious and casual alike) against others the world over. Well, not really the world over, more like select cities the world over. 25 select cities to be exact, like Sao Paolo, Paris, Shanghai, Warsaw, Taipei, Munich and New York.

Sydney is somehow left out (pretend sad face. but they will be represented by Sydney based band faker, performing at the post-run event).
Click here to find out more!

If you’ve always wanted to run in a race, why not pick this one? Get off your bum and sign up. Prove to the world that we’re the ones who truly deserve the world sporting capital title ;)

You might even meet me there. (I’d be at the very back of the herd, the one that looks like he’s about to faint any minute now.)

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Two other fun things that are being run this Sunday :

1) Festival Indonesia at the Royal Exhibition Building.
2) Fiesta Malaysia at Federation Square.

They’re both cultural-ish events and since these neighbouring countries share a lot of similar culture, things could get a little awkward. I mean someone should’ve warned them about the clashing dates. It would be like running into an old friend in public who’s wearing the same dress!

Not that i would know very much about dresses. Or metaphors, for that matter. heh.

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John So Raises Some FlagsPhoto: ThatsMelbourne.com.au

This Saturday marks the 173rd anniversary of the city of Melbourne. Melbourne Day sets up opportunities for people to experience all that Melbourne has to offer on the cheap. There are various free events during the day including John So raising the flag of Melbourne, a rifle volley, and some live bands. The best thing about Melbourne Day though is the discounts on many attractions around Melbourne. If you haven’t seen the Eureka Tower, here is your chance to see it for half price (Buy 1 Get 1 Free).

Other deals:

FREE ENTRY - Enterprize, Melbourne’s Tallest Ship

2 FOR 1 ENTRY - City Museum at Old Treasury Melbourne

2 FOR 1 ENTRY - Champions - Australian Racing Museum

Links:

Melbourne Day Discounts

Melbourne Day

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You shouldn’t miss out on this infamous speech made by London Mayor Boris Johnson at the London 2012 Hand-Over party after the end of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It’s incredibly funny, and made me wonder why Melbourne doesn’t have a Mayor Johnson-equivalent. Our bro John So’s alright, but let’s face it he probably needs a translator for us to understand him haha!

Melburnians take note: London is the Sporting Capital of the World. Or so says Mayor Johnson. What do you think?

And for all those who don’t get the ‘XXX is coming home’ bit, it’s a take on England’s ‘Football’s Coming Home’ song. The English football team is crap, yet we hear it every time England plays.

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While perusing the Docklands website for a great place to eat, I chanced upon a great urban competition that will appeal to the adventurers-at-heart. Called the Rat Race, it’s the first time the race has left Britain and competitors wil, over two days, challenge themselves both physically and mentally. As a thrill-seeker and and outdoor junkie myself, I was thrilled. From the website:

Coming to Australia for the first time, the Rat Race sees competitors running, biking, climbing, kayaking, abseiling and navigating their way around the city in a course that is only revealed hours before they begin. Previous events have taken place in London, Manchester, Belfast and Edinburgh, and 2008 sees the inaugural Melbourne event.

Read more

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Even Mr Monopoly Man has problems figuring out where Melbourne is

Here’s one for Sydneysiders to cheer about. For once, Melbourne was beaten by our ‘auld enemy’ to the final 22 cities set to appear in Monopoly’s latest take on their famous board game. The harbour city appears on the game’s Red strip (The Strand, Trafalgar Square and Fleet Street) in good company, alongside international powerhouses New York and London. Sydney occupies the position occupied by The Strand. Not bad at all.

Yet it’s not surprising to find out that more Australians voted for Melbourne. The cultural, arts, fashion and coffee capital of Australia is a favourite with Australians who visit Melbourne for the vibrant city life, sports scene and wadya know, perhaps a trip on Melbourne’s infamous public transport system *cough* Lynne Kosky out! *cough*

I can only speculate, but I daresay Melbourne was beaten by our lesser cousin due to Sydney’s more international profile. In fact, when asked what the capital of Australia is many people around the world mention ‘Sydney’. Sydney is also the first city most non-Australians think of, and Sydney is also the only city most non-Australians know of. Of course, Aussies know that our capital Canberra is halfway between Sydney and Melbourne so the conflict and dispute would stop. Which also explains why the Australian Capital Territory (where Canberra resides) exists so it would not belong to either New South Wales or Victoria. Ha! That’s a bit of history there. Read more

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Located in Waterfront City, Docklands and measuring 11m long, the stunning mosaic mural is a tribute to the greatest Australian entertainers. Created by renowned mosaic artist David Jack and based on an original artwork by Jamie Cooper, the mural captures each of the 100 entertainers in their hey day in a unique tribute.

In fact, the mural is soooooo long, I had to take several steps back just to catch the entire mural in its entirety. Here’s how it looks in its full glory.

Since no one else attempted to answer it, full points to decryption for answering half the question. Good job!

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So, are you for or against the shopping bag levy? Started yesterday, major supermarkets in Warrnambool, Wangaratta, Fountain Gate and Narre Warren started charging 10 cents per shopping bag. It is a month long trial to investigate its feasibility and to test consumer support. Is it possible to have negative consumer support and yet have a successful trial? Oh yes, don’t shop there!

Personally, I refuse to pay 10 cents for a shopping bag. Its a rip-off and its environment impact is really just 2% of all plastics produced in Australia (according to an analysis conducted in 2002). Ireland is the only other country in the world that charges a significant (around 27 euro cents?) levy on plastic bags but supermarkets provide paper bags as an alternative as well as reusable bags. So, where are the paper bags in Australian supermarkets?

I use my green bags, because I am concern about the environment, just not fanatical about it, but more because I refuse to pay an additional tax just for living.

Another levy, another name for tax.

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