Ten things that piss me off at the moment

Apart from Australia's destructive federal government (of course)

1. Facebook dependency and self-indulgent photos of their kids.
2. People who buy bottled water in Australia, particularly in the eastern states. Melbourne's tap water is of a high standard. It's disheartening to see empty plastic bottles dropped everywhere - ending up in stormwater drains and ultimately our waterways/oceans.
3. Wankers walking around with their coffees in disposable containers that end up in the street, bus stops, waterways. Here's an idea, you love walking around with your cups of java, well... WALK to the f*cking bin with it.
4. Parents in the supermarket who hold up a cereal, biscuit packet, etc and ask their young ones sitting or hanging off the trolley, "Would you like this?" "How about this one?" Don't pander to the kid, don't give 'em a choice for God's sake, just buy the generic/cheapest brand or the healthiest one. Too many choices, kids want/need structure in their life not more decision making.
5. Idiot parents who don't get their kids vaccinated.
6. "Maccas" ...let's face it, it's a global monolith, nothing Australian about it, call it McDonalds, don't patronise me.
7. People drop junk takeaway wrappers from their cars (see No.6).
8. People using their smartphones, who are not smart enough to walk around me when in a busy street.
9. Smokers who think their butts aren't classified as rubbish so they stub them out/drop them anywhere. Smokers in general.
10. Dog shit... the latest thing to do in my park is for owners to bag up their dog's poo, then later turf the plastic bag in the bushes. Plastic is probably more harmful to the waterways than dog crap. Go figure.

"Murder in Mississippi" by John Safran, true crime, 2013

I have followed John Safran's ballsy and brave documentaries since the mid 90's. His wry humour, as well as the ability to get himself into (and out of) explosive situations, make his films compulsive viewing.
In his series "Race Relations", Safran spends time with Richard Barrett, a white supremacist in the Deep South. In 2010 Barrett is brutally murdered by troubled black youth, Vincent McGee. Safran turns from filmmaker to investigator/author.
True crime books are not my bag, however I could not put this one down. Carefully constructed, witty and insightful. The characters Safran tracks down, the twists and turns, the secrets, the politics and culture of Mississippi, the honesty of the interviews are astounding. It's amazing how people just open up and tell Safran so much. It highlights the huge differences between Australians and Americans. John Safran (raised in a comfortable part of Melbourne, Australia) has an amazing knack of fitting into any situation, letting people tell their stories while he stands back, without making judgements.
There is a lovely little bit about one third of the way through where the author reflects about the impact parents can have, referencing his own experiences in his late teens.
Part history lesson, part crime story, part personal journey.

When you finish the book .... go on Vincent McGee's (use lowercase "g") Facebook page ...chilling.

"Murder in Mississippi : The true story of how I met a white supremacist, befriended his black killer and wrote this book" John Safran, author.
Highly recommended. Published by Penguin Books, 2013, 368 pages
U.S. edition title "God's Gonna Cut You Down"

PS A nice companion piece is HBO's moody and dark "True Detective" - Southern Gothic set in Louisiana.

What I have learnt from Twitter

After having a Twitter account for a week, here are my findings:

• You CAN get enough of Stephen Fry.
• "Eat a bag of dicks" is a valid reply to someone you disagree with.
• It's not just me who should get a life.
• The secret pleasure in Unfollowing a celebrity.
• There is often more twats than tweets.
• You can be just as mundane on Facebook, but with less characters.
• It's addictive if you stalk follow the right people.
• Being a sycophant fan can be fun.
• Second screening spoils a good mini-series on the box #crapattentionspan.
• Being favorited to me means someone you admire has bothered to read your tweet.
• Be quick to reply, snappy one-liners/ pop culture references mandatory.

My crap formula:

T = (SP)+(rt)+v

where T=Twitter, SP=self-promotion, r=rant, t=trivia, v=voyeurism

I am a hypocrite ....using the F word.

I vowed never to use the dreaded F word (Facebook) but yesterday I did. Only to get an audience for this blog. But I did contact a few old work colleagues from Brandon Park Primary School. I must admit it was fun doing your profile - favourite movies, music, etc. I found some boxes were very inflexible, somebody can't "LIKE" something, it's not a valid answer to insert, so you can't mess around and write flippant responses to "Language spoken" or "Married to".
I friended my daughter, then realised you can read her posts....very creepy. I suppose some parents use this to track their kids. It is a quick way of communicating with her, Facebook chat beats using your mobile phone.
Yesterday a friend I hadn't seen for 30 years contacted me through Facebook. So Facebook has its uses. You just don't let it rule your life. I have less than a dozen Facebook "friends", this is enough. Call me anti-social (media). Less notifications, less status updates. I don't "like" products or services - less crap advertisements.