Oh I Give Up

Someone has just sent me the Sydney Morning Herald's suggestion for something to do on Australia Day. Why am I surprised?

This May Be the Last Time

Possibly this will be the last time

Irresistible

Given my steadily increasing interest in the subject, how could I possibly have resisted adding a link to this?

As I Was Saying

I think I may have mentioned tattoos recently - and here I am, moth-like, drawn to the subject again. This

The Scars of Youth

Following my recent preoccupation with tattoos, it was inevitable that this paragraph in

Skin Deep

I rarely like new fashions when they first appear. Only

Books and Covers

There seems to be an unwritten rule that eccentricity

My Taxes at Work

Canberra and the Australian Capital Territory had a local government foisted upon it, despite, when asked to vote to decide whether it wanted one, responding with a resounding 'No'*

Since receiving the gift of our own local government, we have had plenty of opportunities to recognise how right we were to say, 'No', but Saturday's Canberra Times unveiled possibly the most vivid demonstration of our good sense yet:

The only silver lining to this nuttiness is the effect the news may have on the attractive, non-criminal classes. Possibly, on learning that tattoos are so eagerly sought among the inmates of penal institutions, they may reconsider their own aspirations to have their bodies covered in indelible daubings. Instead of defacing themselves, they will seek other avenues of pleasure, such as helping their elderly parents to do the washing up.

Actually, now I think about it further, perhaps I should support Ms Gallagher's initiative, for, if it does result in non-criminals eschewing tattoos, tattoos may soon become exclusive to the occupants - or former occupants - of jails. This could, in fact, turn out to be an extremely good thing: in the future, thanks to the ACT Labor Government,  it will become extremely easy to work out exactly who is who.

*   Here's the history, from Wikipedia: "In 1978, the Australia Capital Territory voted at a referendum on whether the ACT should be granted self-government. Voters were given the choice of becoming a self-governing territory, a local government or continuing with the Legislative Assembly being an advisory body to the Department of the Capital Territory. 63.75% voted to continue with the then current arrangement.[3] Despite the outcome of the referendum, the Parliament of Australia passed the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act in 1988 and the ACT became a self-governing territory in 1989."