The Frustrations of Golf

Golf must be one of the most annoying, frustrating, and yet best sports in the world. Although 9/10 of my shots either slice, hook, or hit a tree, the occasional awesome shot makes it all worth while.

It almost must be one of the most expensive, with anywhere from $5 to $100 for a single game. Then you have to include club hire or purchase, drink refreshments and buggy hire (a must!).

But Golf is one of the great social sports. You can chat and joke while playing, as well as meet new people. I'm sure that many business deals have been closed on a golf course.

And you don't even have to get the best score to win. Thanks to the cleverly designed handicap system, a poor golfer can easily compete with a pro. Although there are some who try to manipulate this to their own advantage.

I don't pretend to be an expert on this subject, merely a willing applicant, but I do feel that when it comes to the annoyance of water hazards, I am the person to see. No matter where water is on the entire course, I can guarantee at least 4, maybe more, balls into the dead centre.

Categories: Sport, Golf, Rants

Blog Party $250 Contest

Blog Party are having a contest where the prize is $250, and all you have to do is write a post about it, and include a link. Well, my link is there, so a post is needed. I'm sorry if this is not what you had in mind, but it is in my 'normal style.'

They have claimed to be 'A Blog for Bloggers.' There are hundreds of these, so what should make Blog Party any better. For one thing they are taking the credit of others fame: The band 'Bloc Party'. Is it just a coincidence that there is only one letter different in both the names... I think not!

Another thing is that they only started this month. How can a 'Blog for Bloggers' have only just come into existence, and have not very many posts for bloggers at all. This is not to say that they may not become some kind of world wide mass media business conglomerate, merely that making such a claim is entirely outrageous for their position in the social status of blogging (although they are probably already higher up the ladder than I am).

Although I am happy with the $250 contest, more blogs should be giving away money, especially to me. Here is another link to Blog Party, even though I have been insulting them the whole post, I feel that another link may give me twice the chance of winning (please...)

There is also another site returning links for rewards: Bloggerpreneur

Categories: Contests, Rants

Austrian Denies Holocaust and gets 3 years

Sixteen years ago an Austrian man denied that the Holocaust ever happened, and this week he received 3 years jail. How would you feel??!!

Apparently (obviously) Austria has extremely strict laws about the Holocaust and this is one more example of ludicrous laws. David Irving was a historian who said that there were no gas chambers in Auschwitz. Since then he has said that he has changed his mind.

Why would he even suggest it in the first place? There is unmistakable evidence that millions of Jews were murdered, and if he was a historian he would have access to all of that evidence. There is only one word to describe people like this: Bogan!

Categories: Events, Rants

Winter Olympics is more about Spectacular Crahses than the actual events

Over the past few days I have eagerly been watching the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Italy, but it is not the sport that I have been looking forward to... it is the monstorous crashes. Even though they are fairly common, they still are very interesting to watch. Missed landings, losses of balance, over attempting, and even interference by competitors have all resulted in bruises, scrapes, and even more serious injuries.

While not a very nice way of looking at things, I feel that this is a refreshing change from the repetitivness of the normal, summer Olympics. Although there is a memorable javelin competition that sticks in my mind - an official didn't move quick enough and received a spear to the shoulder. Not a crash involving big air and spins, but very... interesting, none the less.

But back to the Winter Olympics, where it seems to me that the competition is more serious than the 'real' games. In two of the mens Speed Ice Skating (I don't recall its official name) two people were disqualified for pushing their adversaries out of the road. This seems fairly extreme considering that barely anyone is kicked out in the opposite Olympics.

Even though so many people are launched into the air to come crashing down again, there is still an enourmous amount of respect for the athletes. I have been skiing myself (only once, but that is pretty good for an Australian), and I know how difficult it is to even remain standing, let alone jumping, turning and spinning. The crashes merely bring the contests back to Earth (literally!). It makes the athletes seem more 'human.' They too can make mistakes.

Yet when all is said and done the crahses are simply entertaining. Pure fun to see someone else, someone you don't know, and opponent, go spinning through the airm knowing that you yourself will never be in that position.

Categories: Winter, Olympics, Sport, Crashes