lifeasdaddy

Nigger!

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The first time Yvonne Latty was called a nigger, she was 8-years-old.

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Is this the world's most expensive watering can?

Yep.  AUD364.10

That's about EUR221

or USD349

or GBP175.

And 4.5 litres is about 1 Imperial gallon, or 1.2 US gallons.

It's just a steal, get it from the Simon Johnson online store here.

But what's going on with the Australian retailers  price mark up?

On the Duchy Originals UK website, we see that the recommended retail price is just GBP 47.  Or in our currency, AUD 97.

Sure.  It has to come around to the other side of the world, but more than 3 and a half times the UK retail price?

C'mon.

Edward sees his first circus show under the Big Top.

You never forget your first circus.

Today we took Ed to the Big Top at St. Ives showgrounds to see Weber's Circus.

This is the real deal.  The arena is releatively small - which ensures that every seat has a great view of the action, although some may be slightly obscured by the solumns holding up the tent.

The local government doesn't permit the use of animals, but in every other respect there is a full range of top circus acts.  Solo trapeze, aerial steel ring, clowns (non-scary), contortionist, tightrope walk, juggling, dancers, aerial silk act, multiple hula hoops, and an honest to goodness wheel of death.

Edward's attention was captured for the nearly 2-hour show. 

Something he will never forget.

He told me the popcorn was good too.

The circus strikes the big top tomorrow, and then goes to give shows at St. Mary's and Liverpool.  See if you can get along there.  Tell them Bob sent you.

Sydney then and now: Bennelong Point from near Queen Elizabeth II gate

Bennelong Point from near Queen Elizebeth II gate, originally uploaded by lifeasdaddy.

I took this photograph yesterday nearby the Sydney Opera House.

Let's compare it with this photograph from State Records NSW "Building the wharf at Bennelong Point" credited as being taking circa 1950. (ref. State Records NSW Digital ID: 9856 a017 A017000055 )

The wharf doesn't appear to be there anymore, having been overbuilt by the north eastern side of the Sydney Opera House.

( My thanks to State Records NSW for permission to use their image on this blog.)

ADDED:

More historic images of Bennelong Point from a simliar perspective can be found here, here, here, here, and interestingly this image also at State Records NSW which is taken around the same time as that shown above, but is credited as being taken circa 1944.  We can see the same pyramidal gantry rig in both photographs.

I dips me lid to Matthew Harding

Matt went around the world and danced with lots of people in lots of places.  This video is a lot more interesting than you think.

"He realized his bad dancing wasn't actually all that interesting, and that other people were much better at being bad at it. He showed them his inbox, which, as a result of his semi-famousness, was overflowing with emails from all over the planet. He told them he wanted to travel around the world one more time and invite the people who'd written him to come out and dance too."

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I felt good after I watched it.  You will too.

http://www.vimeo.com/1211060

If your video is jerky, turn off the HD (button on the screen).

Do not let your kids see you doing this ...

and do not try this at home

and do not wear Crocs on escalators.

pics of the floods in Iowa

 You may know there has been some major flooding in Iowa.

Here's a simply stunning series of photographs.

[ tip from kottke ]