POMS?

Is it just me or does everyone feel just the slightest bit of sympathy for the British People Against Racial Discrimination.

They have are the kooks who have launched an action against a Toohey’s beer commercial with the Advertising Standards Board on the basis that the word ‘Pom’ is racist.

These guys are described in news stories as thin skinned, and they probably are, but maybe we have to be a little bit careful too.

If you spend any time in England at all, the derogatory comments about the colonies can get pretty boring. There is a view in England that all Australians are racist, sexist, and dumb and maybe we don’t do a whole lot to stop that view…but it can get boring. And maybe we do that to the poms too, stereotype them unfairly. Truth be known most pommy's I know have browner skin than me and I have never seen one in a pair of socks and sandals.


Having said that, I just can’t cop that the word pom is a racist taunt. The British People against Racist Discrimation have likened the word pom to the word 'nigger' or 'coon'. I say NO WAY! The term ‘nigger’ comes from slavery and in Australia the word 'coon' is purely about oppression and as far as I know, the poms haven’t suffered too much of either of those things at the hands of the Australians (if you don’t count getting pounded in the cricket…obviously..)!

Anyway...I hope English people aren't really offended. I think Australia has a great affinity with England and the the word Pom is a term of endearment.

Tracey Spicer

Is it just me or does everyone sometimes think it sucks to be a girl?

Channel Ten newsreader and TV journalist Tracey Spicer has committed a sackable offence apparently. She dared to turn 40. As shocking as that is, she didn’t leave it there either. Ms Spicer thoughtlessly went out and got pregnant… and not just once either (Channel Ten could have forgiven one accident…but two?)

After 14 years with the network, Tracey Spicer was told by email that her contract - to expire at the end of the year - would not be renegotiated.

So come December 31, she's out of a job.

When Tracey’s first child was born, I think he nearly died. I only know this because I read it in the glossies, so Channel Ten milked it for all it was worth at the time.

Her second pregnancy was uneventful I think but anyway, she never missed a shift apparently…despite the crazy weekend hours you do as a second string newsreader…

Saturday and Sunday midday to midnight is her shift…and her ratings have remained high.
But that's not enough, apparently. It's all about "youth and looks'', according to network insiders.
Tracey Spicer believes she's been discriminated against, and is taking legal action. She says it's not about money, it's about the many TV women who find themselves thrown out when they're judged too old or they start a family.

I think thousands of women will be with you all the way Tracey...good luck!

Nothing sweet about sorrow...

Is it just me or does everyone feel terribly sad about the young kids who will be laid to rest on the Sunshine Coast today?

Hundreds of people are expected to turn out for the funerals of 19 year old JD Doyle at Buderim and 15 year old Nakitta Deacon at Nambour.

The two teenagers died in a terrible car accident at Mountain Creek last Saturday morning.

18 year old Travis Guerin also died in the crash…15 year old Brooke Pratt remains in a critical condition in a Brisbane hospital.

I can only imagine how heartbreaking the two ceremonies will be. Everywhere I’ve been this week I’ve seen cars plastered with declarations of love for the teens, a fitting tribute to teens who loved their cars to the end.

It must be the season for car crashes.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the death of my beautiful friend Vynka. She was a young lawyer in Perth six years ago, working too late at night on the 22nd of November to give herself the day off for her birthday the next day.

As her Mum Cate wrote a birthday card for Vynks around ten o’clock that night, she heard sirens a couple of blocks away.

It turned out the sirens were for her baby.

No one really knows what happened, she just lost control on a suburban street corner and slammed head long into a wall. Was she going too fast? Did she fall asleep? Was she changing a tape? Answering her mobile phone?

We’ll never really know why Vynks died. I can tell you this though. Her mothers’ heart broke that night. Her dad’s too. Just like Nakitta’s parents and JD’s family and every one of their friends who will turn out in Buderim and Nambour today.

So drive safe, it might not hurt to die. But never forget about who gets hurt when they’re left behind.

Wake me when it's over...

Is it just me or is everyone an absolutely shocking hypocrite?

I love Australian heritage. I’m passionate about preserving it.

I have had terrible thoughts over the years about basketball overtaking cricket as our national sport.

I love the politics of cricket, I love stories of Don Bradman and Keith Miller…

I love watching who is selected, I’ve enjoyed Ricky Pontings captaincy and loved watching him mature and become a fine leader in front of the Australia public.

I’ve cheered and been sad for local boy Ashley Noffke as he made his way into the Australian team and then was dogged by injury.

I think the Boxing Day test is a fantastic Australian tradition and I love the story of the Ashes too, it's got romance, rivalry and Australian triumph..what's not to love?

There is only one problem with cricket for me. I just can’t stand the game. Truely cannot stand it.

I don’t mind the last ten overs of a really exciting one day match and I probably wouldn’t mind a Twenty20 match…if I got free tickets.

But a test? Not in a million years, it’s like watching grass grow!

I wouldn’t even let my son play cricket. My sister asked me years ago if Gabe was going to play cricket in the summer. Mechanically I said, "yeah, I guess so" Immediately she shot back "Four hours on a Saturday you know!" And that was it. No cricket for Gabe.

I drive past cricket grounds on a hot Saturdays and look at those poor babies in silly mid off, waiting patiently for their turn at the bat or ball and think, their poor poor mothers.

So if you're off to the cricket, or even if you're just catching it on tv, enjoy it without me.

Orgasm for Osama!

Is it just me or does everyone get a little bit sick of 'days'? We've 'days' for cancer and 'days' for sids and 'days' for just about everything. Frankly, I was getting a little 'day' weary....that was until I heard about the latest day for peace.

Apparently on December 22, we're all being asked to take part in a Global Orgasm for World Peace!

Peace demonstrations weren't working, those expensive UN treaties aren't doing much good either, so a couple of veteran anti-war demonstrators Donna Sheehan and Paul Reffell decided to try to bring an end to conflict in the Middle East with a little oofty mcgoofty!

The idea for the ultimate Make Love Not War action is for people around the globe to have an orgasm on December 22 and to focus their moments of pleasure on world peace.
"The orgasm gives out an incredible feeling of peace during it and after it," said Reffell, 55. "Your mind is like a blank. It's like a meditative state. And mass meditations have been shown to make a change."

The group's website, globalorgasm.org, is already attracting more than 26,000 hits and explains that the goal is to "effect positive change in the energy field of the Earth through input of the largest possible surge of human energy, a Synchronised Global Orgasm".

For those who doubt the effectiveness of such tactics, Donna Sheehan (who is 76 years old by the way) explains that "the combination of high-energy orgasmic energy combined with mindful intention may have a much greater effect than previous mass meditations and prayers." (Yeah Yeah...whatever Donna...what time exactly are we supposed to do the deed????)

The idea may sound crazy (you think?), but c'mon, what have you got to lose? And even if you only horizontal tango Christmas and birthdays...quick boof on the 22nd...job's right!

Swim Thorpie!

Is it just me or does everyone hope that Ian Thorpe will survive the test of fire?

No one is saying winning gold medals at the Olympics is easy but I get the feeling Ian Thorpe has never been tested the way he is at the moment.

Today at Olympic Park, Ian Thorpe will front the media to make an announcement about his future. He is likely to officially withdraw from the Australian championships in Brisbane in December, and therefore rule himself out of the world championships in March.

The big question is, will he take it a step further and retire from the sport altogether.

I read yesterday that Ian Thorpe is focused and training hard but seems unable to achieve the speed he has enjoyed in the past.

I read this morning that Ian Thorpe is focused and trains hard for three or four days and then can’t get out of bed for three days.

He has suffered glandular fever and a hand injury this year, he is also fighting the demons in his head.

Shane Gould knows better than anyone the lifelong agony of retiring too early, she has cautioned Ian Thorpe to fight on.

Grant Hackett says he doesn’t believe Ian Thorpe is ready to retire, that if he announces retirement today, he doesn’t believe it will last.

If Ian Thorpe can’t swim fast anymore – then I guess that’s it. Without doubt, with five Olympic gold medals, he has nothing more to prove. He’s more than earned the right to move on.
But if it means anything to you Thorpie, Australia loves an underdog. Personally, I’d love to see you tested again.

I’d love to see Ian Thorpe swim in Brisbane next month. He hasn’t raced at all since 2004, not one race! Surely that’s what competitive swimming is actually about, the thrill of the kill….maybe the competitive atmosphere of a high pressure meet would find those couple of extra seconds Thorpie is looking for?

Ian, I agree the five gold medals you’ve got are sweet, you’re probably the greatest swimmer Australia has ever had. But triumph through adversity? That’s sweeter still…

Slow Down!

Is it just me or is everyone still reeling from the tragic accident on Karawatha Drive Mountain Creek in the early hours of Saturday morning?

Three young people are dead another is fighting for her life in hospital.

18 year old Travis Guerin was driving the V8 statesman, his friend, who owned the car Joel Doyle was in the passenger seat. 15 year old Nakita Deacon, a student at Nambour High was the third person to die.

Brooke Pratt, a year 11 student at Mountain Creek High remains in an induced coma at Royal Brisbane Hospital.

What a tragic waste, a split second decision to drive too fast.

There’s been a spate of teen deaths on the roads in recent months, all of them in the early hours of the morning.

I know it’s what these kids do – they drive around all night. They stop at Mooloolaba for a while, and then organise to meet in some new location with nothing better to do in between than drive around.

But there is no co-incidence in the statistics. A teenager is a lot safer in a vehicle before midnight than they are afterwards.

The state government is planning to fast track new laws to protect teen drivers but we’ve said it a million times before, there’s nothing the government can do to protect you from yourself.

Nothing can bring these kids back. We can only pray that their deaths will slow their mates down. A report in the Sunshine Coast Daily this morning says mourners at the site yesterday were doing burn outs as they drove away.

Pay attention kids! Speed kills, it’s as simple as that. Peter Brock died driving too fast and I hate to point it out, but he was a hell of a lot better driver than you are.
And if you’re too young to even have a licence, you’d better think twice, three times, please God maybe four times, before you get in a car after midnight.

Marcus Trescothick

Is it just me or does everyone wonder about the scrutiny we place on our young athletes?

The tabloid press is salivating this morning, over an apparent nervous break down by a talented cricketer.

MARCUS Trescothick is a good-natured young man and a very good cricketer. It’s been announced this morning that he will return home to England and take no further part in the ashes series. He apparently has a stress related illness.

According to an article in today’s Sydney Morning Herald, Peter Roebuck wrote that Marcus Trescothick is a cricket mastermind, who just wants to play the game and hates every trapping international cricket has to offer. He hates the public exposure, the travel, the fame, the headlines. He just wants to be left alone with his family.

Peter Roebuck reports that when Marcus arrived at Somerset cricket club in the early 1990s, he brought along with him a cricket coffin that contained not bats and gloves but several hundred chocolate bars. Officials at the club were perplexed, wondering what they should do about the chocolate overload…

It turned out, Marcus’s parents had never made him eat fruit or vegetables, he’d basically grown up on chocolate and he knew in his heart that if that wasn’t allowed to continue, if he was expected to not only live away from home, but change his diet in line with what the trainers wanted, there was no way he could cope and his cricket career could not continue. So the chocolate bars remained.

15 years later that story takes on more significance. Here is a man who wants to surround himself with the familiar.

Trescothick has the full support of the English cricket team. The full support of his family and he deserves our respect too.

A fragile mental state is difficult to understand to the outsider and sometimes very frustrating to watch – I can hear the English press now! “..what’s wrong with him? England needs him for the ashes! Tell him to snap out of it…”

But life is not that simple. And it’s people like Marcus Trescothick that remind us to take care with others. To play nicely. Because some things are more important than cricket…

Captain Planet...he's our hero.....

Is it just me or does everyone think that saving the planet is the single most important job of this generation?

My friend said the other day he doesn’t even think he wants to be around in 50 years time when our grand children look at us with contempt because we were the ones that wrecked the planet.

Like I said before, I live with Captain Planet. John is passionate about reducing, reusing and recycling. He’s most crazy about power consumption, its pretty basic, if we want to cool down the planet we are going to have to slow down our energy consumption.

But water is a huge one too, we live on the world’s driest inhabited continent and we’re currently in drought.

At present an average Australian household uses 240,000 litres or 5 domestic swimming pools of fresh water each year.

By...
Only running the dishwasher with full loads
Over a year you could save....
Approximately 3,000 litres of water
By...
Fix dripping taps (replace worn washers etc)
Over a year you could save...
10,000 - 73,000 litres of water
By...
Taking a shorter shower (4 minutes)
Over a year you could save...
85,000 litres of water in your household
By....
Putting a brick in old toilet cisterns
Over a year you could save...
Over 3,000 litres of water in your household
By...
Turning off the tap when brushing your teeth
Over a year you could save...
4,000 litres of water per person

THINGS TO DO TOMORROW
These are some great, inexpensive measures for saving water around the home.

These include:
Installing flow restrictors/Mixer taps. These limit water pressure so that water flows at a lower rate, ensuring that less water is wasted. These simple devices can save a family 24,000 litres of water a year.

Fix a leaking toilet - this can save you 50,000 litres of water a year.

Install a water efficient shower head. AAA rated showerheads deliver less than 9L/minute compared to 15-20L/minute for traditional showerheads without compromising on pressure.

Buy a new front-loading washing machine that uses less water and less energy

Drain water from your washing machine onto your garden using a water-saver

Install rainwater tanks, dual-flush toilets and grey-water tanks and receive rebates from your local council!

Put less water into your swimming pool and cover it when not in use. This can save up to 25,000 litres of water a year.

Belinda Emmett

Is it just me or does everyone think Belinda Emmett was as inspirational as she was beautiful?

Belinda died around dawn on Saturday morning, five years after being told her cancer was terminal. A hel of a fight.

There is a very important message in Belinda Emmett’s death.
She was just 21 when she first found a lump in her breast and did nothing about it.
It was two years before she sought medical advice, and she was told two days before her 24th birthday that she had a malignant tumour.
At first she had just surgery and radiation therapy and got on with her life.
Two years after that, about six years ago, she was filming the Nugget in New South Wales and got terrible pains in her back.

The cancer had returned, this time it was in her bones.

Anyone paying attention over the years could see that she was becoming more frail. But she never stopped fighting.

On Monday last week, Belinda’s husband Rove was in Brisbane filming an interview with U2 when he got the news that Belinda had been taken to hospital in Sydney.

He left Brisbane immediately. At that stage Belinda was just undergoing tests.

He stayed with her for Tuesday unsure of whether to go ahead with Rove Live on Tuesday night. Ultimately, he did and made it to the Melbourne studios with twenty minutes to spare before he went on air.

A family friend has told the Sydney Morning Herald that even as late as last Wednesday, no-one knew how close Belinda was to losing the battle.

He said yesterday Rove McManus was drained with exhaustion and sadness, because the entire family “hadn’t had time to sleep” in the past few days.

Belinda met Rove about a year after she was first diagnosed with cancer. They married at the beginning of last year. Earlier this year Belinda spoke about her husband. “Rove’s fantastic.” She said, “He doesn’t flinch.”

She was a brave and beautiful girl…there’s no doubt about that. Rove is going to need all his courage and hers in the next little while.

World's leading expert...apparently!

----- Original Message -----
From: Caroline Hutchinson
To: 'Paul Tonkin'
Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2006 5:25 AM
Subject: RE:
Hey you....I am a world's leading expert...obviously...

I think the key is to find something you can't get out of...or something you love to do so much that you won't talk yourself out of going...

For instance....Karate is a good thing for blokes to get cut bodies....you can start at any age...and there is always the added bonus of turning yourself into a lethal weapon!

A personal trainer is great...because as long as you go...they make you work really hard and after a few weeks you see really good results...

The other thing you can do is get up really early on a saturday and come for a run, swim at the beach and coffee with me and my friends....

OR - even better - talk a few of your friends into meeting on a saturday morning for a run and a coffee....I never miss going, even if it's only because I want the coffee afterwards....and if you know your friends are waiting for you...you won't pike...

Or go dancing....every single night....wrapped in glad wrap.....and eat laxative chocolate...

Am I helping?

Love me xx



Hey everyone, how funny is this? Now that I am on 'Overhaul' - people are actually asking me for health advice...

This is from my friend Paul and he doesn't know I put it on my blog...so don't tell him!


From: Paul Tonkin
Sent: Monday, 6 November 2006 2:38 PMTo: Caroline HutchinsonSubject:

Caroline,

Given that you now have credentials as a personal trainer, what's a good exercise programme for a early 40's couch potatoe?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

All the best
Paul


And just in case you wanted to ask me the same thing (although, if you did, I'm sure you would spell 'potato' properly...anyway, I was sort of serious!

----- Original Message -----
From: Caroline Hutchinson
To: 'Paul Tonkin'
Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2006 5:25 AM
Subject: RE:

Hey you....

I think the key to long term exercise is to find something you can't get out of eg team sport, or something you love to do so much that you won't talk yourself out of going...

For instance! Karate is apparently a good thing for blokes to get cut bodies....you can start at any age, not to mention the added bonus of turning yourself into a lethal weapon!

A personal trainer is great, because providing you actually turn up, they make you work really hard and after a few weeks you see really good results...

The other thing you can do is get up really early on a Saturday and come for a run, swim at the beach and coffee with me and my friends....

OR - even better - talk a few of your friends into meeting on a Saturday morning for a run and a coffee! I never miss going, even if it's only because I want the coffee afterwards and if you know your friends are waiting for you...you won't pike (if you're a decent person...hmmm)

Or go dancing....every single night....wrapped in glad wrap.....eat only laxative chocolate...and immerse yourself in cow dung during the day.

Am I helping?

Love me xx





From: Paul Tonkin [mailto:paul@zorgmedia.com] Sent: Monday, 6 November 2006 2:38 PMTo: Caroline HutchinsonSubject:
Caroline,

Given that you now have credentials as a personal trainer, what's a good exercise programme for a early 40's couch potatoe?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

All the best
Paul

Worse than death...

Is it just me or does everyone struggle with the news that Saddam Hussein has been sentenced to death by hanging?

I know he’s a terrible man. During his 30 year reign he was responsible for the deaths of thousands of his own countrymen, Kurdish People were gassed to death, military deserters had their ears cut off, women accused of adultery or prostitution were publicly beheaded.

It’s very hard to feel any sympathy for a man like Saddam Hussein, but I don’t believe in an eye for an eye either. His death by hanging will bring me no comfort.

Saddam Hussein was born poor in a mud-hut village near Tikrit on April 28, 1937. He was orphaned at a young age and raised by an uncle who idolised Adolf Hitler.

Via the military and what people describe as his cult of personality, he overcame his humble beginnings and rose to Iraq's highest office. In Arabic, his name means "the stubborn one" or "he who strikes".

On his 60th birthday he commissioned a copy of the Koran to be inscribed in his own blood.
Saddam has said as a military man he wants to face a firing squad…not the hangman.

A death sentence generates an automatic appeal process of a least 30 days, delaying any execution by months at least.

Regardless of what happens, I can’t support the death penalty. Surely, if Saddam has taught us anything it’s that killing is wrong. No matter who is dangling from the rope.

In any case, I strongly believe Saddam Hussein fears irrelevance more than he fears death. 20 years is a cell with nobody to pay him attention is surely a punishment worse than death.

Tips!

Is it just me or does everyone just love Melbourne Cup?

I have never failed to have a bet since I was about five years old.

When I was little, Mum and Dad used to put our 50 cents each way on the cup, and the money you won you got to spend at the Margaret River show a week later.

But I wouldn’t follow my tips. For 24 hours I’ve been telling anyone who’ll listen that Efficient is the way to go…I had a very good feeling about that horse.

I just heard in the news that Efficient isn’t going to run, he’s got a sore knee poor baby! Does anyone want to know my other tips?

I didn’t think so…but how about these stats?

Horses bearing saddlecloth Number 4 (Tawqueet in this year’s Cup) and 12 (Pop Rock) have the most Melbourne Cup wins, followed by Number 1 (Yeats).

Jinx numbers are 20 (Glistening), which last won the Cup in 1897, and 21 (Mandela) with just one winner, in 1923. No horse has won from barrier 18 (That’s Dophin Jo today).

Glen Boss…our Gympie/Caboolture boy who rode Makybe Diva on each of the three Melbourne Cup wins will ride Zipping in the Cup. If Glenn wins today he will equal the record for most Cup wins as a jockey.

And we can’t forget Tony Patillo – the Caloundra Boy riding Art Success in the cup today

I know there are people who hate Melbourne Cup. In general I hate gambling too. I am scared for people I know who bet too much, it makes me very nervous. BUT, today I will plunge my forty bucks…and I don’t care who knows it.

A fate worse than death...

Is it just me or does everyone struggle with the news that Saddam Hussein has been sentenced to death by hanging?

I know he’s a terrible man. During his 30 year reign he was responsible for the deaths of thousands of his own countrymen, Kurdish People were gassed to death, military deserters had their ears cut off, women accused of adultery or prostitution were publicly beheaded.

It’s very hard to feel any sympathy for a man like Saddam Hussein, but I don’t believe in an eye for an eye either. His death by hanging will bring me no comfort.

Saddam Hussein was born poor in a mud-hut village near Tikrit on April 28, 1937. He was orphaned at a young age and raised by an uncle who idolised Adolf Hitler.

Via the military and what people describe as his cult of personality, he overcame his humble beginnings and rose to Iraq's highest office. In Arabic, his name means "the stubborn one" or "he who strikes".

On his 60th birthday he commissioned a copy of the Koran to be inscribed in his own blood.
Saddam has said as a military man he wants to face a firing squad…not the hangman.

A death sentence generates an automatic appeal process of a least 30 days, delaying any execution by months at least.

Regardless of what happens, I can’t support the death penalty.

Surely, if Saddam has taught us anything it’s that killing is wrong. No matter who is dangling from the rope.

In any case, I strongly believe Saddam Hussein fears irrelevance more than he fears death. 20 years is a cell with nobody to pay him attention is surely a punishment worse than death.

Sexism! Alive and Well....

Is it just me or does everyone love a little heated debate?

We’ve all been tutt tutting this week about Muslim Sheiks and their intolerable views on women. And I couldn't agree more.

But this morning, the debate got even more interesting today.

The ANGLICAN archbishop of Perth Roger Herft has warned all religions to get their own affairs in order, before they start throwing stones at Muslims.

Roger Herft, has compared Sydney diocese's refusal to ordain women priests with some Islam thinking that repressed women.

In fact he says MOST religions treat women as second-class citizens.

I’ve told you before I’m Catholic. And I’ve never wanted to be a priest, but over the years it has given me some pause for thought that the church won’t entertain the idea of women priests, because you can’t help but draw the conclusion that someone somewhere thinks women aren’t as good as men or couldn’t represent God as effectively as a man.

Hard for a modern girl to swallow.

Now I know the argument that Jesus chose 12 male disciples and therefore priests are men, no discussion to be entered into…

BUT! In other biblical stories when we're making them relevant for today, the point is often made that Jesus made decisions that were relevant for the time in which he lived. Due to societies expectations, 2000 years ago, there is no way that a woman could have followed a young single man in prayer (not without being stoned to death...obviously)

Therefore the claim that Jesus 'didn’t want' female priests is wrong…he just couldn’t do it …

But back to modern day sexism...I know some fundamentalist christian religions still preach that the man is still the head of the household and his wife must defer to his judgement.

SO, as ever, before we go judging Muslims for their treatment of women, maybe we should go back to Jesus and 'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone…"

From: Michael Griffiths Sent: Friday, 3 November 2006 8:48 AMTo: Caroline HutchinsonSubject: Religion v Society
Hi Caroline,

Is it just me or Am I on my own or, does everyone believe that the Mufti are hiding behind the Koran to push their antisocial behaviour?
As you said, the “white” clerics still advocate the omission of women in the clergy: However, I don’t believe there is anything in the Bible or the Koran that suggests women are inferior to men. In general, men revere their women in society, so I can’t understand why Muslims, (or is it Arabs?) aren’t required to control their primal urges? I must admit that I have absolutely no faith in organised religion as a result of their actions right throughout the ages. I have never had blind faith in anything and I certainly could not heed dictums from any religion that crossed the bounds of “normal” social behaviour.

Regards, Michael

Bugger!

elizabeth has left a new comment on your post "Fame? I spit on fame.....": Caroline,I just wanted to say I love Overhaul.I was wondering if you find Dr Ticknell diet good? Do you find that it has enough variety adn is it easy to stick with?.Keep up the good fight.Elizabeth

Dear Elizabeth,

Thank you so much for your email. I was loving Overhaul too. But guess what? No body else did!!!

It did well on the Sunshine Coast - but no where else and we have been moved to a new timeslot (yes, that's right....bumped to Sunday 5pm...)

On the subject of the diet. I found it great. I have been eating porridge for breakfast, a big salad for lunch and 200g of meat and salad for dinner. I usually have a skinny coffee some time too.

Now, if I stick to that (don't always...) I lose weight.

So far I have lost 14 kilos. John has lost 16. I lost about a kg a week. And it honestly wasn't that hard.

It's kind of a bastardisation of the Doc's diet. But the principal is the same. No human interference in food...no wheat....lots of fruit and veg variety.

Anyway...I'll give you more overhaul goss soon...gotta go right now and have a walk...(story of my life...)

Love Caroline

The indefensible...

Is it just me or does everyone think its an interesting time for Muslims in Australia?

In general, I am loathe to comment on religion of any sort. I spent a lot of time in Shepparton, Victoria, where there are thousands of Muslims and they are some of my favourite people in the whole wide world…

Not only that, but I’m Catholic and we’re a pretty solid target at times for religious bigots too. So people in glass houses and all that....

But I just want to say a couple of things about the goings on this week.

I can actually accept the uncovered meat claim from the Mufti. I don’t like it, but I understand those comments were meant for Muslim women only, not the wider community. And they operate under a different set of rules than the rest of us. They wear a hijab or burqa by choice…in fact they wear it with pride and a comment like that, as offensive as it might sound to us, it is just designed to make Mulsim women feel better about their decision to cover up.

If anything, I think the Mufti’s 'uncovered meat' outburst is more offensive to men. That the sight of a woman’s leg might cause them to rape her. If I was a man in the mufti’s congregation, I would be significantly more affronted than as a woman.

And there is something else I can’t accept. In the past couple of days there has been a couple of comments about convicted rapists. Claims that young Muslim rapists have been unfairly treated by the Australian courts…

I can live with people telling girls to cover up, to not walk the streets alone. I don’t like it but I can live with it.

What I can’t stand accept is the defence of rapists.

I know we have lots of red necks in Australia, people of all denominations who quietly believe exactly what Sheik Al Hilaly was saying. But I never hear them defend rapists.

If I was a Muslim woman the events of the past few days would have me questioning which Mufti's sermons I wanted to hear.

What is a mufti who rants that rapists have been unfairly treated really saying about men’s rights and entitlements? And Muslims, men and women everywhere, need to think about that.