A Rudd Republic??

So, the new Prime Minister, Keven 07 (or now 08), has already started to 'stir the pot' by igniting the 'Republic' Debate, while visiting Her Royal Highness, the Queen, in recent days. I mean, seriously, John Howard tried on many fronts to institute Australia as a republic and...failed.

It seems almost ruddiculous to bring such contested topics to light. Australia should be focusing on steading rising interest rates and the increases in inflation, we should be consolidating our new found reconciliation with the indigenous people of our country before we can think of flying solo into a new era of Australia no longer being under the reigns of the British Monarchy.

Rudd stated at a Press Conference that becoming a republic 'remains part of our platform as a political party...It isnt something that we can walk away from.' (http://news.smh.com.au/australian-republic-still-an-issue-rudd/20080403-23ak.html)

Although, as with every election, Labor's slogan in 2007 was 'New Leadership' and thats exactly what Australia needs. With new leadership comes new changes, yet only time will tell to see if these changes bring positive or negative effects to the Land Down Under.

Crumbled Cookie

Throughout this blog, I have slowly crumbled my cookie away at all of the issues and occurences that both interest and concern me. As a citizen living in a democratic society, you have to learn to be heard, to stand up for what you believe in both morally and ethically, and this blog has allowed me to do this.

Be interested in what is going on around you. Be an individual, be motivated, be involved.

That is the way my cookie crumbles.

When the Big overrides the Small

It has come to my attention recently just how much large, established companies give no chance to smaller, local businesses to make a dollar. There is a trend for commercial chains to take up residence in all of the prime locations of a suburb or city to outwit, outmask and outplay its smaller competitors. I came to this conclusion when I was driving past a local gym (pictured below) in my neighbourhood, that has been a well known business for a decade or so, who has now been taken over by 'Fresh Start' (http://www.freshstartaustralia.com/fit-centre.php), another fitness centre slowly taking up various residences around my area.

In November, 2003, The Sydney Morning Herald published an article criticisng the fitness industry, saying that the

" arrival of overseas chains such as Gold's and Fitness First in Sydney in the past few years is a sign of booming profits. The Australian gym industry forecasts its membership will grow by 7 per cent a year this decade. Women are told by nearly every magazine they must be thinner, while men must be stylish, David Beckham-shaped metrosexuals.' (http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/28/1069825992361.html)

With the more recognisable fitness chains, it seems to be more of a 'scene' thanan environment promoting fitness. They create themselves into a brand name and then promote this 'brand' endlessly, gaining more and more exposure and a growing clientele. Gym 'Brands' such as 'Fitness First'even have the 'must have' products such as the Fitness First Bag and the Fitness first water bottle and towel. Im wondering, do you get these items free with the membership, or do you have to pay for them on top of the $650/year membership fee?

It easy to see how the smaller fitness businesses find it hard to compete with the large gym business leaders. Small competitors vs larger, more powerful competitors is a common theme found in every industry, even services as simple as child care. For example, 'ABC Learning Centres' monopolise the Childcare industry, consisting of 1095 childcare centres around Australia (or taking up 30% of the childcare sector).

Smaller childcare centres have to compete with the globe-trotting phenomenon that is 'ABC Learning Centres,' who also have facilities in New Zealand and America.(ttp://news.smh.com.au/parents-await-abc-childcares-fate/20080227-1v8p.html)

We live in a society who craves profits, where for some, success accumulates to $$ and not much else. Business isnt about going hand in hand with the competitor, it is about always being one step ahead, maybe two.

Its the nature of business, yet it is easy to see how a slow battle of attrition occurs when the big verse the small, when the established come up against the unknown.

The Rise and Rise of the Lego City

In my local area, there have been a proliferation of townhouse developments being built on every spare patch of vacant land that developers can find. Sure, Sydney is fast becoming a densely populated city, but these display home replicates (also known as town houses) are taking over, and whats more, the houses all look the same, everything is so neat and manicured. It would be like living in a constant state of structured perfection.

My main issue with these town house complexes is how are the service industries going to cope with the influx of more and more people?

Its easy enough to for a block of land to go from this

To this

But can transport industries, emergency services and educational facilities still function properly, even when new developments are being built every 6 months, with more and more people taking residences in smaller and smaller living areas?

There is a new trend in living. Its almost like a 'Stepford Wives' existence. The lawns are green, the gardens are immaculate, the houses are 'designer' and advertised as:

'Spacious Garden Terraces'?! Town houses promote compact, practical living spaces where each development creates its own sub-community. In my area, town house complexes are being built on nearly every corner of every street. I thought it was apartment blocks that were developing a cult following, but it now seems as if it is the affordable lego houses, built side by side, that are gaining immense popularity and immense population growth as a result.

Owning a house is no longer about what the Americans always talk about with the white picket fence, a nice cottage and sprawling backyard for the children to play in. Its all about what is affordable, and with house prices rising by 7% in the last year, developers and developing new strategies to cope with the housing demands. And town houses have become the ubiquitous answer.

Olympic Run Torched

As much as China tries to mask the civil unrest and dissent in Tibet, news is still filtering out about the dire situation, and in turn, this has brought the Olympic Torch Relay run to an abrupt holt.

In violent scenes, protestors clashed with police while trying to interrupt the beginning of the torch relay in England, by tying to extinguish the flame outside Wembley Stadium.

One Parliamentarian, Norman Baker, who is the president of the Tibet Society, made a statement on the Free Tibet Campaign's Website, blaming the Chinese for damaging the atmossphere of the Olympic Games, saying '"It is deeply sad that the Chinese through their brutality in Tibet have contaminated the Olympic ideal, "It is deeply sad that the Chinese, through their brutality in Tibet, have contaminated the Olympic ideal" .

I mean, really, our world is turning upside down. As soon as 'minority' groups try to gain a voice, stamp their feet in protest and demand rights, (I know, human rights. Who would think they are universally garnted?) it seems that all that the 'superior' groups can do is just try and restrain their actions through violence and cruelty. Its an ephemeral pattern of human nature, but the Olympic Games, for a few short weeks every few years, the world can sort of be united through friendly competition (where Australia usually wins most of the swimming medals and America most of the Sprint Athletics medals), but still the competition is friendly! Yet, in recent months, Olympic friends are turning into foes, and if the Torch Relay can barely last a few metres without contestations, then how is the Olympics going to last a few weeks?