New and old dominate prestigious wine competition"Tyrrell's Wines took out the perpetual trophy for Best Wine of the Show for its Vat 1 Semillon 1993. Semillon is internationally renowned as one of Australia's signature wines and the Tyrrell's creation was considered a classic example of the style. Tatachilla Winery collected the perpetual trophy for Best Show Wine exhibited at major state wine shows over the past 12 months, for its 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon."

Write down these names, and if you see them in a bottle shop near you, scoop them up. Australian wines are some of the best in the world, and I'm not just saying that because I'm one eyed about the country, I'm saying that because I've had a chance to compare and contrast, and they just are. Anything from South Australia will do you nicely, Coonawarra, McLaren Vale, Barrossa Valley, Clare Valley, all great SA wine country.

More gun deaths under One Nation policy: activist

What with this and then this poor bloke, I'm counting down to the time I see Pauline Hanson and Australia make an appearance in another of those hideous NRA commercials they put on over here.

Pauline Hanson considered fashion career

Could you see this article being written if the main person were, say, a loony right wing guy by the name of Paul Hanson?

Woman bitten by funnel web spider

I have some of the scrunchies that look like that, black and crunchy and furry looking.

Travelling tip for you. If you're in Australia, and you go camping, don't just put your shoes on without looking. Shake them out, and even poke around with a stick if you have to. Spiders and scorpions like dark places, like the insides of a shoe.

Southern Cross Magazine - Your Link to the Southern Hemisphere" PERTH - One Nation would take out John Howard's government and Kim Beazley's opposition in the upcoming federal election unless the party was given a fair go, Pauline Hanson said on Sunday."

Ugh ugh ugh, she's back! I heard about this on NPR's daily BBC news, and was flabberghasted and gobsmacked. She's dumped her "handlers" (my pet nickname for her was Glove Puppet), and supposedly dumped her anti immigrant, anti Asian rants too (which were the source of one of my favourite Pauline Hanson jokes; Why does Pauline Hanson only have 3 children? Cause she heard that one out of every 4 kids in Australia is Asian...). Her latest barrow is to protect the small business against the Globalisation Demon.

One thing that truly pissed me off about the radio piece was that they commented on her clothes.

In this article, is a similar idea. A National Party Senator, Ron Boswell, who is running against her in Queensland says "I don't think for one minute it will be easy, but I'll go as hard as I can, and sell what I've got to sell and she'll run another line, but I hope the press scrutinises what she does," he told AAP. "Don't get beguiled by the low back dress and the high heels."

Now, I don't trust Pauline Hanson as far as I could throw her, and she's one where the mere idea of getting the chance to see exactly how far I could throw her has me twinkling with delight. But. But. What the hell has her outfit got to do with it? Female politicians get judged on a completely different standard to the male pollies, and this really gets my back up. To the point where I have to defend Pauline Hanson in something, which offends me even further.

Reading the paper the other day, and saw another thing. A male reporter saying that politicians are expected not to be single, politicians are expected to take wives. Oh, right, so politician is a male gender specific term then, is it? If I wanted to be a successful politican, I'd be required to take a wife? I wonder how keen Jeff would be on being referred to as my wife.

I'm often told I'm picking at hairs, but I'd bet my last dollar that if (more hopefully when) the USA (or Australia) has it's first female head of State, that her partner is not going to be referred to as the First Lady, or as the Prime Ministers Wife.

Guinness World Records. - Record Home Page

Dammit, won't some Australian release another huge film, so we can be released from this cliche?? Makes me wish Gladiator could be technically qualified as Australian, even though Our Russ is technically a Kiwi.

Course, the latest goss is that the Kiwi is technically an Australian... (Just practice saying Hivens to Bitsy!)

Guinness World Records. - Record Home Page

Makes me wipe away a Proud to be an Aussie tear really....