Tag Archives: Newtown

National Rifle Association and a Petition.

19 Wednesday Dec 2012

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weapons This new petition is unique in that it allows  the constitution and the right to bear arms to remain by introducing a new-age technology which reverses the trajectory of the bullet   to the shooter. It is a kind of weapon that would deter foolish and reckless shooters and… if they chose to use it anyway they would be the only victim.

Please sign urgently. Only one hundred signatures needed and it will be delivered.

Thank you,

Gerard

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-19/nra-breaks-silence-on-newtown-shooting/4435634

Four days after the primary school massacre in Connecticut, the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA) has broken its silence, saying it is “prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again”.

In a statement, the NRA says it has stayed silent until now out of respect for the families and as a matter of common decency, but it will hold a major news conference later this week.

The gun rights organisation says it is made up of 4 million mums and dads, sons and daughters, and they were shocked and heartbroken by the murders in Newtown.

The statement comes as the White House confirms president Barack Obama is now actively supporting the re-introduction of a ban on assault weapons.

The NRA is one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the United States, partly because of its large and active membership.

Here is this unique petition with the reversible bullet technology option.  Please sign:

http://www.change.org/petitions/national-rifle-association-and-american-government-introduce-reversible-bullet-technology-in-all-weapons

Car Trip

10 Saturday Dec 2011

Posted by in Gerard Oosterman

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Car trip

December 9, 2011

Car trip.

Surely travelling over two hundred kilometers just to have a meal is somewhat eccentric, n’est ce pas? Yet, we did this last Thursday. It was to celebrate both our son’s and Helvi’s birthday with a dinner in Newtown’s King Street. Leaving in the afternoon and against the outgoing traffic it’s not all that bad and, apart from meeting up with daughter and partner, son and grandson Thomas, we just love the buzz of southern side of King Street, Newtown. It is, in our opinion, a stretch of road unique in Australia.

The architecture is a jumble and mix of nothing particularly outstanding. I mean it is not Avenue des Champs-Elysees, but is unique in the sense that it is totally alive. The amount of traffic is such that it is perpetually at a standstill giving ample opportunity for pedestrians to cross and even walk along the cars without much risk or any danger. The battle between the cars and pedestrians will surely finally have to resolve itself by simply banning all cars. At the moment there is still a balance and somehow symbiotic. Cars can still park after 6pm, unload those to go shopping or seek sustenance in a café or restaurant of which there seem to be plenty. We were certainly driven by hunger by the time we arrived.

It is a forever changing scene in Sydney. We turned off after having gone through the notorious smelly tunnel, into The Princess Highway. “Princess Highway” surely a misnomer? Where is the Princess? It brought back shades of my introduction in 1956 to the often rather optimistic naming of places that after inspection did not live up to their promise. “Palm Beach” but it did not have palms. “Blue Mountains”, yes, but where are the mountains? Tourist brochures still today names Goulburn “Lilac City”, where is the lilac?

Princess Highway has only ugly ones, probably hiding in the plethora of car yards that litter as nowhere else in the world. We drove past what we thought was a new airport, but, which turned out to be a huge IKEA shop. It is so big, that you need a fold-up bike with GPS to take you around and plenty of water.

It was with great relief we drove into King Street and found a parking within 50 metres of the restaurant that our son had booked for 6pm. It’s a hugely popular Thai restaurant with the added lure (we were told) of she-males as waitresses. We did not see any; it must be one of those rumours spread by clever marketers to make the restaurant popular. They were all slim and terrifically attractive girls, good and quick with forever scanning the customers for any possible requests or orders. The name of the place starts with a D, something Duang & Doh and is always chockers for lunch and dinner. It’s next door to a dress designer shop called Magdalena Duma. It is run by the daughter of a Polish-Jewish refugee and some time ago I wrote a piece about that shop as well. That’s what Newtown does to you. It is not dull. I suppose that stretch of old Sydney is what Balmain used to be like before the million dollar lawyers brigade took over.

If I ever became Lord Mayer I would till my dying days, banish all car yards away from our main roads to industrial specially designated areas. Can you imagine Rome’s, Paris or Amsterdam’s roads cluttered by car yards? Next, an obligatory course to be undertaken by all business owners in aesthetic looking and modest advertising signage. I just loathe the instantly world-wide recognizable typical Australia to be so terrifyingly ugly while hiding so much that is so mouthwateringly beautiful.

Our Thai meal was a glorious mixture of shared sea-food with lychees, vegetables with beef, chicken with vegetables, all with snappy and bright green snow peas, whole basil leaves, ginger and mint with chili and boiled rice. No wine, in fact, most of the patrons just seemed happy with bottled water. Afterwards we drove home in the rain with a stretch of very narrow lanes because of M5 highway work. Great big double bogey trucks muscling into my space. Geez, I hate that night driving with the rain shimmering on the road reflecting images that limit vision and at the same time those huge road trains thundering by within inches.
It was a great birthday dinner, well worth the 200 plus Kms.

 

Magdalena Duma

17 Saturday Jul 2010

Posted by in Gerard Oosterman

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Just yesterday we managed to take some time off to get our kitchen chairs re-rushed. The chairs were part of our farm  in Holland together with most of our other furniture, generously thrown in by the previous owner who was an antique dealer and father of 14 children. Those kitchen chairs were old then, and the rushed seating, through all the years with growing kids, together with a series of cats plucking at them from underneath had finally given way. We tried sitting on just the frame with the help of some string and cushions. This was hard going. Finally, as we could never find anyone who knew how to re-rush or re-thatch/cane them we gave up and stored them away. 

Last week we walked into a shop in Bowral with similar looking chairs. I asked about  the state of the rush and I got the address of someone who could do this. It was a phone call with a strong York-shire voiced answer with an address in Newtown, Sydney, that finally gave us hope of being able to sit in comfort around the dining table  again soon.

After arrival, we met this very old couple living near one of the quaintest and busiest car and pedestrian thoroughfare in Sydney, the extension of King Street towards the Princess Highway. The Yorkshire couple were almost as old as our chairs but a lot livelier. He immediately knew were our chairs came from, the type of rush used and the method. He already told us the rushing material is not allowed to be imported anymore and all those type of chairs including rocking, wicker chairs are now done in a paper product, very strong and similar in looks. The wife, Angela was the secretary and keeper of order, lifely as a finch, and  Chris her husband,  could hardly walk but was also very animated, full of knowledge about the different rushes and where they actually grow. Their small cottage was chockers with old chairs. She told us, their bed and the kitchen table were the only areas free from the clutter of cane, rush, chairs, tools and all sorts of other stuff.  

After dropping the chairs off and being entertained by this very hospitable couple we strolled around the corner and passed a Polish cafe/ restaurant. The people inside tucking into their food looked Polish and a little further was another shop with very fashionable looking clothing, it was called ‘Magdalena Duma.’. Inside the shop window was a sign by  Magdalena giving credit to her Polish born mother’s influence and inspiration, which we thought was a nice thing to do so  publicly.

Magdalena is some lady: Born in Poland with her family migrating to Australia. Looking in her shop she sure makes original items, seems gifted with a desire to cut the cloth and make fashion her world.

Anyway, if you ever are in need of re-rushing your old chairs, go and see Angela and Chris. But do have a look at Magdalena’s collection at 547 King Street, Newtown. They are works of art!