Ketchup or Tomato Sauce?

This is how most ketchup in Australian fast food outlets is packaged - and the restaurants charge you 80 cents for it !!! Master Foods packaging

Garbage anyone?

Someone dumped a television in the "council" strip of land on the quiet side of our fence. Since we have several televisions to discard (old CRT technology and also incapable of receiving digital signals without converter boxes), I thought, "hmm... if they're picking that up, maybe I should call for a 'major trash pick-up' (two allowed per year), and get rid of the other four televisions.

Garbage in Sydney is handled at the council level. A council is similar to a city council, except the council area usually covers several "towns," so it would be more like a county in the US (but similar administrative functions to a city council).

Anyway, I call the garbage number (which rings the COUNCIL office), and explain the situation. Sorry - a two week notice is required for the "large items pick-up."

"Would you like to report an illegal dumping?" Should I just bring in the television and hold it until we get rid of ours? No - I'm not going to accumulate other people's dumped trash.

"OK, I'll report it as an illegal dumping." Since that's what it is. I'm reporting this via cell phone, as I'm walking on the bridge across the river. When the guy finally comes on, I am across the bridge, where someone has dumped an old computer and about six bags of garbage - much worse than our single television.

Yes, I'll report the television, and while I'm at it, they should also stop by this bridge and pick up all this crap.

Less than 24 hours later, I hear a garbage truck and a crunching sound. They have picked up the television, and crushed it into the back of the truck. Wow. Service. Although the political news in Australia is filled with party accusations and scandalous rubbish, in general, Australians believe they get good service from their government - that they get their money's worth for their taxes. I am prone to agreement (though I haven't paid those notorious taxes yet). The funny thing is I hear the most complaints from George - who is likely in the lowest tax bracket. Those in the 45% bracket are more likely looking at what they can do to keep under that bracket, and not complaining about the service they get for their money.

Memorial or Commemoration

There seems to be a tradition here of getting a lock engraved with the name of a couple or someone deceased, and locking it to something in a scenic area. This video is taken from the Sea Cliff Bridge.