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[Thursday, 2010-10-07, 17:16] The Loved Ones I was lucky enough to have a sneak peak at a gruesome new Aussie horror movie, The Loved Ones. I've always been a big horror movie fan and I also love Australian movies, so The Loved Ones was a dream come true. If you thought that Wolf Creek was scary then wait until you see this one. Although it wasn't so much scary as it was down right gruesome. I found myself squirming in my seat and peaking through my hands throughout most of the movie. Lets just say that I never want to see another powerdrill again. The plot is very simple. A high school senior Brent Mitchell is involived in a car accident which kills his father. He then turns to drugs and self mutilation as a way of coping. When he turns down a prom date with the high school weirdo, he soon finds himself in a world of trouble as he becomes the play thing of the weirdo and her family. Unfortunately the movie does loose the plot in the last five minutes and becomes downright laughable. A disappointing end to an otherwise blood thirsty movie, but one that I would definately recommend you see. [Thursday, 2010-09-09, 16:20] Coles Puts a Ban on Beef Hormones Half the steaks, burgers and other cuts sold to red meat lovers around the country are produced from animals implanted with a hormone growth pill to speed muscle development. Coles will become the first major national food retailer to refuse beef from farmers that use the pills by early next year. It claims quality is compromised by the stimulant. Coles meat general manager Allister Watson said about half the beef consumed nationwide came from cattle jabbed in the ear with an oestrogen booster. Mr Watson said studies had found hormones could make meat less tender. The treatment is approved only for cattle - not pigs, sheep or poultry. "The Meat Standards Australia grading system shows that meat quality is significantly better without the use of HGPs," Mr Watson said. Cattle Council of Australia executive director David Inall accused Coles of simplifying complex meat-quality science. "There are many variables that may affect eating quality ... the way cattle is slaughtered, the breed, how far it has travelled," Mr Inall said. Meat and Livestock Australia managing director David Palmer said although HGPs could have a "small" effect on tenderness, this could be overcome by ageing and hanging slaughtered beef slightly longer. Mr Palmer also stressed that HGPs were perfectly safe and approved by regulators for decades. Coles said it would absorb any higher costs from removing HGPs, and not build a premium into beef prices. Rival Woolworths supplies HGP-free beef through its Macro Wholefoods range but does not plan to extend that policy. "Woolworths trusts the production expertise of the Australian beef industry and does not want to dictate how it looks after cattle," spokesman Luke Schepen said. HGPs for cattle have been approved here since 1979. The European Union banned them in the 1980s. Source: The Herald Sun Webmaster note - WELL DONE COLES! Hormones are implanted in cattle to unnaturally speed up muscle growth and weight gain. 50% of the beef on Australian supermarket shelves comes from cattle implanted with these hormones despite it being banned in the European Union since the 1980s. This is because the meat industry sees profits as being far more important than animal welfare. And do you meat eaters really want to be eating these hormones? [Wednesday, 2010-07-21, 21:28] Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Everyone knows that I'm a bit of a nerd and there is nothing that I like more than sitting down for a few hours of gaming fun. I picked up the new game Call of Duty, Modern Warefare 2 and my hard earnt dollars weren't wasted on this little beauty! I must sadly admit that I'd never played the first Modern Warfare so I was scared that I wouldn't understand the storyline, but it was easy to follow even if you don't know what happened in the first game. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 carries on directly after the events of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare with a new dictator heading up the group of radical Ultranationalists. You play the role of several different soldiers from a task force that has been formed to stop them. Modern Warfare 2 features a cooperative mode called Special Ops, which consists of independent missions. The missions take place in a variety of locations from the campaign mode, but are not related to the campaign storyline. Most of the Special Ops missions can be played alone, but all of them can be played with two players who can play together locally or online. Scenarios included are a snowmobile race between the two players, one player providing air support from an AC-130 with the other player conducting operations on the ground, capturing an enemy compound, and searching areas for and eliminating 40 or more enemies at a time. Special Ops is divided into five separate groups of missions: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Echo. Each mission may be played at three difficulty levels: regular, hardened, or veteran. Successfully completing a mission earns the players stars; there are up to three stars available for each mission: one star for completing the mission on regular difficulty, two for hardened, and three for veteran. Once enough stars are earned, more missions are unlocked. There are a total of 23 missions with their respective 69 stars available for unlock. At the end of each mission, a statistics screen displays how long the player took to complete the level and how many kills were scored by each player, amongst other data. The Special Ops mode is a lot of fun and adds something extra to the game. If that isn't enough to keep you occupied for hours at a time then you can also play online in a multiplayer game. There is action and suspense galore in this game, but it can also turn a little dark as the game shows the grim reality of terrorism. If you love first person shooters then this game won't disappoint. There are weapons galore and more enemies than you can poke your weapon at! The fire fights that you get yourself involved in are outstanding. This game is scores a 10/10 for me. It looks awesome and plays like a dream. I defintately recommend you check out this fantastic game. [Tuesday, 2010-07-20, 19:28] Coles act on pig welfare concerns Animals Australia has applauded Coles for becoming the first Australian supermarket to commit to making its own-brand 'Coles Butcher' pork products 'sow stall free' by the end of 2014. For the past five years Animals Australia's public awareness campaigns have been highlighting the cruelty of sow stalls which individually confine breeding pigs in metal and concrete crates barely bigger than their bodies during their pregnancy. Executive Director of Animals Australia Glenys Oogjes said: "It is terrific to see Coles responding to community concerns and proactively working with their suppliers to improve animal welfare standards." "Through this announcement Coles has set an animal welfare benchmark which we hope other retailers will follow. Coles, Woolworths and the other major retailers through their buying power have the ability to significantly improve the standards of care for animals raised for food in Australia," said Ms Oogjes. "Cruel production methods, such as the use of sow stalls have continued in Australia only because consumers have been unaware of the conditions and practices that animals endure. We applaud Coles for showing ethical leadership and being the first Australian retailer to act to end one of the cruellest practices ever inflicted on animals in Australia," concluded Ms Oogjes. [Sunday, 2010-07-04, 21:34] Bertolli Pasta Sauces - YUM! I love to cook and try new products, so when I found out that Bertolli have released a new premium range of pasta sauces, I just had to try them. They've sucessfully created a authentic Mediterranean taste with these sauces. They're so versitle that you could use the sauce to create so many different meals. There are six new flavours to choose from, Pecorino, Parmigiana, Arrabbiata, Primavera, Siciliana and Basilico. If you're not creative in the kitchen and you are stuck for ideas then Bertolli have helped out with some great recipe ideas - http://www.bertolli.com.au/Recipes/Default.aspx . Tonight I made a home made pizza using Bertolli Pecorino Pasta Sauce as the base and it rocked! I also made a yummo spaghetti with fresh vegetables and a jar of Bertolli Basilico. I'd recommend that you go out and try these pasta sauces. They're great! [Thursday, 2010-05-13, 16:37] Animal Kingdom Last night I was lucky enough to attend a special preview session of the brilliant new Australian movie "Animal Kingdom". I'm a huge fan of Australian movies and will head along to the cinemas to support them as often as I can. When I first saw the trailer for this movie I knew immediately that I had to see it as it looked fantastic. The star studded cast drew me in straight away, Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce and Jacki Weaver. What a line up! The movie is set in Melbourne in the 1980's where at that time there were several deaths in Melbourne in which criminals were killed by the police under suspicious circumstances (true fact). The story focusus on a crime family and the police involvement in their lives. I can't go into it much further without giving too much away. Ben Mendelsohn gives a fantastic and realistic performance. He is truly the star of this movie and I'm now a huge fan of his. The movie is realased on the 3rd of June. Do yourself a favour and go along and see this great new movie....you won't be disappointed! [Sunday, 2009-12-19, 26:20] Live Animal Export Ship Sinks A former Australian-owned live export ship sank near Lebanon on Thursday - drowning almost 18,000 cattle and over 10,000 sheep. More than half the 83 crew members are still missing. The MV Danny F II was on its way from Uruguay to Syria. The Danny F II, formerly owned by Elders, transported Australian sheep from Australia to the Middle East until several years ago. Animals Australia Executive Director Glenys Oogjes reacted with horror to the news - "The live export trade has a history littered with disasters. One can only imagine the terror for both the crew and the animals as the Danny F II went down. Attempts to rescue the crew were hampered by floating animal carcases, providing a stark image of the scale of the suffering and death caused. "This disaster should provide a further wake up call to the Rudd Government that there are inherent and unacceptable risks every time these huge livestock vessels take to sea. When something goes wrong - such as fire, ventilation breakdown, or extremes of weather such as the storms that hit the Danny F II, thousands of lives are lost. "Whilst such disasters occur sporadically, the routine loss of life resulting from live animal export is equally appalling. Almost four times the sheep death toll on the Danny F died on Australia's live shipping fleet in 2008. Each year some 40,000 sheep die on 'our' ships due to their failure to eat the pellet food provided, from salmonella infections, and from injuries or heat stress. "The sinking of the Danny F II is a tragedy, but our unethical trade in live animals is a daily disaster for the animals involved," concluded Ms Oogjes. Background: For a listing of major disaster in the Australian live export trade over the past 3 decades - http://www.liveexport-indefensible.com/facts/litany.php [Thursday, 2009-12-17, 21:06] 9 - Fantastic New Animated Movie I recently checked out Tim Burtons latest animated movie and I must say that is one is his best animation yet. It's set in the near future where the world's machines have turned against mankind and destroyed them. All that has survived is a group of small creations that were given the spark of life by a scientist in the final days of humanity, and they continue to exist post-apocalypse. They come together on a mission to destroy the last remaining machines and start anew. Voices include Elijah Wood, Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau and Jennifer Connelly. The animations in the movie are first class, simply outstanding. The storyline will hold you interest and there may also be a bit of a tear. Oh, and if you like playing "Little Big Planet" on the playstation then check out the similarities with this movie. 9 is in cinemas now, do yourself a favour and check it out! [Thursday, 2009-11-19, 21:06] Watch 60 Minutes Factory Farming Expose - Sunday 22nd November 2010 An Animals Australia investigation will be featured in an unprecedented factory farming expose on 60 Minutes this Sunday! [Wednesday, 2009-11-11, 13:34] Animals Australias First TV Advertisment Few Australians are aware that most of the pork, bacon, ham and egg products bought in supermarkets come from cruel factory farms. Animals Australia's new national TV ad campaign is about to change all that. Help End Factory-Farming at AnimalsAustralia.org [Saturday, 2009-10-20, 11:23] RSPCA Cruise For Critters The RSPCA are holding their annual motorcycle Cruise For Critters on Sunday 8th November 2009. This year it's meeting at the Victoria Hotel, Main South Road O'Halloran Hill and finishing at the Frank Smith Dam, Coromandel Valley (about 100km). The ride is fully marshalled and a lot of fun. It ends with a BBQ (vegetarian options are available) at the oval. It starts at 10.30am with hot drinks and registrations from 9.30am. Register now for earlybird prices or register on the day. Get along to help support a wonderful cause. [Tuesday, 2009-10-20, 21:53] Murder at Belair Golf Course The Belair Golf Club are claiming that their greens are "plagued" by ducks and the golfers are not happy about having to step over duck poo. So what have they done to solve this problem? They've hired a professional duck shooter to rid the club of those pesky birds! 37 ducks have already been killed, with more to follow. One of the golf clubs directors has apparently said that the playing environment of the golfers was the priority and "The golfers don't want to be putting over duck poo". National Parks and Wildlife gave the club a permit to cull the ducks. The club has supposedly use a non-lethal chemical in the past that kept the birds off the green, but they have said that they can't aford to use it any more. There are many non costly alternatives to help scare off the birds from the area, it did not have to become murder. The golf course is situated next to Belair National Park, so of course wildlife is going to wander onto the greens. It is disgusting that wildlife are being killed just so some golfer doesn't get his or her boots dirty. This cull is barbaric human selfishness If you would like to contact the club and view your displeasure. Please email - golf@belairparkgolfcourse.com.au and info@belairparkcountryclub.com.au You can also email Allan Holmes, CEO of SA Dept. of Environment and Heritage - holmes.allan@saugov.sa.gov.au Jay Weatherill, the Animal Welfare minister - minister.weatherill@saugov.sa.gov.au [Wednesday, 2009-10-14, 13:31] We're Solar Powered! After months of waiting for the government to decide on the new rebate scheme, our solar panels are finally on the roof. 33 Kaneka, thin film panels with the abilty to produce 1980 watts. We just have to wait another two weeks for ETSA to install the input/output meter and we'll be producing power. So we've spent the big bucks to help power all the houses in this street who run their reverse cycle units 24/7! We're the only ones with solar power or hot water in the street, if only they weren't all such selfish drainers. Big thanks to The Solar Shop Australia for their brilliant work. [Tuesday, 2009-10-06, 21:51] Uncharted 2: Among Theives On Saturday, Briony was pestering me to download the multiplayer demo of a new Playstation 3 game called Uncharted 2: Among Theives - it's in the Playstation Store. This game is tipped to be the next big release on the PS3 and after playing the demo with Briony I kind of agree it's pretty cool. There are already thousands of people playing the demo online, so we found a game to join without too much hassle. I let Briony play of course, as I'm a bit useless with the Playstation control (someone hogs it so I get no practice). There seem to be many different multiplayer games to choose from, we just played the team deathmatch where you compete in teams of 5 and the first team to have 50 kills wins. There are multiple scenes to play in (the Icecave is great) and there are several characters to choose from. The controls are easily learnt and you'll soon be running, jumping or climbing (awesome) to find your first kill. The gameplay is sublime and the graphics are to die for. I'll definately be buying the full game when it comes out in a few days - http://www.unchartedthegame.com. Last modified: Wednesday, 01-Aug-2018 13:56:34 ACST Site created by Eco Eek! 2009 Some content protected. Other content free for your use. Contact the Webmaster

Random Photo: [About This Site] I'm a recycling nut who will hound you to death if you don't do it! I save my water and reduce my energy consumption. If you don't follow the water restrictions, then watch out. I have solar power, hot water and six water tanks. I hate people that constantly run their reverse cycle units.....open a fricking window! Four Wheel Drives send me around the twist. I'm vegetarian and I abhore animal cruelty and explotation. I believe that the selfishness and greed of human beings is bringing this planet undone. This blog is where I vent my frustration against this crazy world.