our idiot prime minister

Today was Australia Day. I've previously written about our national day.

Anyway, the Australian of the Year is usually announced the day before. At a reception at the prime minister's official residence (The Lodge) held yesterday for the state and territory finalists, our idiot prime minister asked one of them "When did you come to Australia?" and then "What part of the world were you born?".

The person he asked the stupid questions to, was Professor Terence Tao, who was awarded the Fields Medal (the "Nobel Prize of Mathematics") last year.

Our idiot prime minister obviously did not read his briefing which would have informed him that Professor Tao was born in Adelaide, in South Australia.

What a gaffe. How embarrassing.


Professor Terence Tao

As Professor Tao is Asian, the idiot prime minister presumed that he was born outside of Australia.

If Professor Tao was white, the idiot prime minister would not have asked such a stupid question.

It isn't the first time. Not that long ago, the idiot prime minister asked a woman, who had Middle eastern complexion, and who wore a head scarf the same question. She told him that she was born in Sydney.

Obviously, our idiot prime minister still hasn't learnt and this just demonstrates his mentality and attitude. It borders on being racist.


No caption needed

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

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After all the excitement of last night, today was very quiet. My human stayed home with me all day instead of going out for some of those Australia Day activities which are too crowded, especially on a hot day.

Burns' Night and a Burns' supper

Today was Burns' Night in honour Robert Burns' birthday (25 January 1759, died 21 July 1796).

Robert Burns is regarded as the national poet of Scotland.

A Burns' supper is traditionally held in Scotland and elsewhere in the world by Scots and those who appreciate Burns' poetry.

A Burns' supper comprises haggis, tatties (mashed potato) and neeps (mashed turnip), lubricated with plenty of single malt Scotch whiskey.

As the haggis is cut open, the following is said:
Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the pudding-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o' a grace
As lang's my arm.
(which is a poem by Robert Burns)

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

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We had a Burns' supper at my place tonight. Emily and Neil came over, then Bobby, and then the back neighbours Sofie's humans Martin and Lil.

I think I had a turn lying or sitting on everybody's lap.

Thankfully, my human had the sense not to serve up any haggis to me. Ew!

National Hugging Day

Today was National Hugging Day which has been celebrated since 1986.

What a wonderful idea for a day. My human gives me hugs all the time, but they are actually more like cuddles.

As I am such a small kitty, I can't return the hug. Sometimes when I am lying on my person's lap and facing him, and I don't want him to get up, I do wrap my front paws around his belly. That's like a cat hug don't you think?

In Australia, we even have a Free Hugs Campaign by Juan Mann, and millions of people have seen him in action in Sydney on YouTube (below).



e-Hugs from me to you all

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

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Today was a cooler day, particularly in the afternoon when the sky clouded over. My human gave me a really nice long brush of my fur, all over, even my belly fur using the gloves. Then he proceeded to clean the house which hadn't been done for a few weeks on account of the heat.

Tonight we're watching a BBC Shakespeare Retold version of The Taming of the Shrew. It's quite funny. My human told me that it is one of his favourites of the Shakespeare plays, though the original was rather misogynistic.


Kate and Petruchio (modernised)

St Andrew's Day

Today was St Andrew's Day which is the national day of Scotland (much like St Patrick's Day is the national day of Ireland).

St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland.

According to the City of Edinburgh Council
St Andrew's Day is celebrated on the 30th November.

It tends to be more popular with Scots who live abroad and there are many St. Andrew's Societies in places where Scots emigrated to. The St. Andrew's Society in Boston, in the USA, was set up in 1657.

St. Andrew's Day used to be a very popular feast day in Scotland as well. It was a common custom for farm workers and labourers to go "St. Andra'ing". They would catch rabbits and hares and later on in the day would feast and drink. There have been debates on and off for some time now about making St. Andrew's Day a public holiday in Scotland.

Many people wonder what they should eat on St. Andrew's day. Because Andrew was a fisherman, it seems appropriate to eat fish. Otherwise you could eat any traditional Scottish food. It used to be that a singed sheep's head was traditional!

We didn't have rabbit or fish for dinner. Nor haggis or singed sheep's head.

*for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog, check out Shamus (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

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I had a good day today. This morning I wanted my human to chase me and play, but he went to work instead.

After I had some of my dinner, I discovered the catnip plant, but my human stopped me from getting too stoned. Hmpphhh...


Anyway, Emily visited tonight, so I spent a lot of time cuddling up to her while she and my human watched the pilot of Prison Break from the box set.