Due to the complicated nature of share house living I’ve currently got no internet at home with no immediate prospect of it. (The phone line is in the name of one dude no longer living there, the expired internet contract in the name of a girl who’s departed and no current housemates want their name on a contract)

This has got me looking at Three mobile broadband plans with a little USB dongle.

The prices look reasonable, but before committing to it I’d like to get some idea about whether the speeds in Canberra are actually anything approaching what’s promised.

Thoughts? Suggested alternatives?

So how do the cricket tragics rate our man’s performance as keeper taking over from the sainted Gilchrist?

A batting average of 39 suggests good batting from a keeper, but he’s there for the glovework.

How do you rate it?

Yesterday Canberra’s water use blasted up to 171ML, that’s against a target of 139ML.

So what are you going to do to keep cool?

In Late december, 2008, Phil Goodrick was taken from us. He was a great man, and I am sure that there would be several people that read RA who would have known him.

The family have asked that if you did know Phil, could you please visit his remembrance site:  http://www.rememberphilip.com/ and leave any anecdotes, photos etc of Phil to help us all get to know more about him?

Phil went to Dickson High, and played Rugby Union and League for the ACT, he graduated in 1971 from the ANU.

Phil was also a sales manager for a Ford dealership in Canberra.

If you know Phil, or know someone else who does, can you please direct them to his remembrance site?

RiotAct really needs to get some new material.
The same whining wowsers year after year complaining about a bit of noise and smoke for around a week of their year.
Boooooo Hoooooo
If any Canberrians took their family to Summernats on a Saturday night claiming NOT to know what it was all about, then they are IDIOTS. Everyone all over Australia knows what happens at Summernats and those that live in Canberra would be doubly aware.
I’ve been to Summernats 17, 18 and 20 and I did see some poor behaviour. Wow!! Poor behaviour at a sports event!! I’ve been to EVERY Clipsal 500 in Adelaide too. I’ve seen many many more fights at Clipsal and dramas in the pubs afterwards, then in your sleepy little town!! Isn’t Adelaide supposed to be the boring capital??
Some people think cars are a mode of transport to get from A to B. Some don’t. Some people think ball sports or fishing are a waste of a weekend. Some don’t.
Sensitive women should probably avoid summernats as the crowds in certain areas will encourage them to flash their breasts. I have summernats magazines going back to summernats 1 and the behaviours were similar and are part of the Summernats tradition. It works, so don’t change it. At least you have it mostly confined to one area now. i saw sooo many cars getting defected that it isn’t worth cruising into the centre of canberra anymore.
Summernats is a national icon and should be supported. To say Chic isn’t or shouldn’t profit from the event is stupid. I wouldn’t like to organise something that massive!! He deserves to take a slice of the profits. He has websites to run etc etc
I just wish people could accept that others have different interests, take their blinkers off and think of the bigger picture. Summernats is about all Canberra had going for it anyway…….. :-)

So dry your eyes princesses, you’ve been told.

She’s particularly pleased with 60 babies brought successfully into the world as well as a large number of chest pain sufferers:

Minister for Health Katy Gallagher MLA said that although the period was obviously a busy one for the staff who worked, they had done a great job in meeting the needs of the Canberra community and dealing with the range of differing health requirements that presented during that time.

“The emergency department received a total of 1438 presentations during the period between 24 December through to 2 January with 456 of those patients being admitted and 945 being discharged,” she said. “41 patients were referred to other TCH services, and 9 patients were transferred to other hospitals.”

…

The Minister said that the top five reasons for emergency department attendance over this holiday period were chest pain, abdominal pain, orthopaedics, plastics and gastro.

ACT Policing has arrested an 18-year-old man after an assault on a 25-year-old man in Kambah today (Wednesday, January 7).

About 12.18am police attended Conolly Place in response to a disturbance. On arrival they observed blood on the driveway. The alleged offender was in front of the house and was quickly apprehended by police.

The victim was sitting inside the house with a laceration to his head. It is alleged the victim was hit over the head with a brick during a confrontation with the alleged offender over damage to the victim’s vehicle.

ACT Ambulance officers treated the victim at the scene and then conveyed him to The Canberra Hospital where he stayed for observation.

AFP Forensic Services also attended the scene at Conolly Place.

The alleged offender was arrested and conveyed to the Regional Watch House where he was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and property damage.

The alleged offender will appear before the ACT Magistrates Court this morning (January 7).

—

2. Mark Colbran remains unable to distinguish between some motorists, and all motorists:

The Australian Capital Territory has the second highest number of drink-driving apprehensions on its record, with 190 drivers found to have an excessive blood-alcohol reading during December 2008.

The December tally is just 2 less than for the territory’s worst drink-drive month on record – March 2008.

In the six months from July 1 to December 31 2008, police apprehended 932 drink drivers, compared with 711 for the same six-month period in 2007.

ACT Policing’s Traffic Operations Superintendent Mark Colbran said he was astounded motorists continued to drink-drive despite the numerous warnings and targeted police operations.

“Our statistics on fatal accidents show that every drink driver we take off the road potentially saves a life in Canberra,” Supt Colbran said.

“We are doing our part but drink driving will not stop until the community, as a whole, decides that this is a completely unacceptable practice in the 21st Century. All Canberra motorists should make it clear to family and friends that there is no excuse for drinking and driving.”

The 2007-08 financial reporting year resulted in the ACT’s highest number of drink-drive apprehensions at 1584. This was 231 more than for the previous reporting year (2006-07).

Supt Colbran added that police again will dedicate significant resources to conducting a targeted operation against drink-driving this weekend (January 10 & 11) but would not give Canberra motorists the luxury of a prior warning of the intended location.

The Seattle Times is covering Lauren Jackson (until this morning considered a Canberra Capitals player when in Australia) and her decision to turn to the dark side in Sydney.

It seems she’s no longer a Canberran but an Albury girl who lives in Sydney and plays for the big dollars in the lucrative Russian women’s basketball league (no salary caps).

On the bright side she’s not planning to join the Sydney Flames until 2012.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

My last bike cost me a few hundred dollars from a sports shop. It had a big heavy frame and was quite good at getting me to and from pubs in the Inner North without mishap.

But after a year at the coast the spokes had all rusted through and the chain had welded itself onto the gears. The consensus was that repair would be more expensive than getting a new bike.

But what sort of new bike to get?

Hundreds of dollars on a mountain bike seemed like overkill for trundling gently to bars or the shops. Zippy racing bikes are even less suited to my needs. There’s a bloke on Davidson Street in Ainslie who sells vintage bikes from his front lawn, but being over 90kg I find weaker bikes end up buckling on me.

And then seeing Rat Patrol freak bikes parked at Ainslie shops I was inspired.

I wanted a rat bike.

Fortunately I knew that RiotACT’s Loose Brown is a mover and shaker amongst the rats so I got in touch with him and asked if he could help.

(More and a slideshow below)

(more…)

It is alleged that last August Carl had a novel approach to seeking an apology from his (now former) friend Owen Sutinen for a perceived slight.

Having been on the booze together in Kaleen’s Wests Tavern for five hours the court heard Leu followed Sutinen into the carpark with a schooner glass and allegedly whacked him with it twice before punching him leaving facial scarring.

It must have been an interesting five hours.

I saw Jessica Good apologise for transmission issues but can’t say I caught them myself.

Any of our expert readership with more to add?

Well, they came from my backyard actually…but they do look large enough to star in an ‘Attack of the Killer Courgette’ remake (yes yes, I know it was rampaging tomatoes for all you geeks. This is a ‘reimagined’ version, frak you).

But I digress.

I came home to Canberra the other day from summer holiday fun to find these giants in our veggie patch. There is also a wheelbarrow full of littler ones.

There was no watering involved either, just a judicious handful of water crystal applied to the soil prior to departure.

Now, who has any good zucchini recipes for me?

“Prison officers were punched in the head and face during a riot at the Belconnen Remand Centre.
Six of the officers were treated at the Canberra Hospital for injuries suffered during the wild brawl in the centre’s F Yard accommodation block on Monday.

Nine inmates were involved in the incident, two of whom were injured.

Corrections Minister John Hargreaves declined to comment on the incident.”

This would be the same remand centre where we’ve been hearing about over-crowding for months now?

The one where they’re stacking up the inmates because of a massively delayed prison opening?

And is this the same Corrections Minister so very keen on Westminster traditions that he publicy rebuked a magistrate for daring to air opinions about other areas of incompetence in his administration?

Surely he would have something to say? Perhaps a resignation to offer?

Well, he did put out a media release on the fluffy puppies he’ll use in the prison if it ever opens.

If, for some strange and freakish reason, the cricket is not completely engrossing you, then there is another sporting entertainment option.

The 30th FFA National Futsal Championships are kicking off today here in Canberra!

They’re expecting 3,000 competitors flooding into accommodation vacated by Summernatters.

Venues include:

– Australian Institute of Sport Main Arena, Leverrier Crescent Bruce
– Australian National University - Acton
– ACT Netball Centre, Northbourne Ave Lyneham
– MPOWER Dome, Coyne St Chisholm
– Southern Cross Stadium, 7 Pitman St Tuggeranong.

But not the futsal slab on Commonwealth Avenue? Surely that’s some mistake?

If you’re keen you can check out the draw.

“The trees will be removed over a three week period from Monday 5 January. The work will be conducted during the day from 7:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday.

Traffic will be diverted and slowed to 40km/h for short periods while those trees overhanging the road are removed.”

The whys of this get cute.

They want to get started on the long awaited Kings Avenue overpass which would eliminate one of the worst traffic black spots.

Unfortunately there’s a 350mm gas main in the way which needs to be moved first and the trees have to go before they can move the gas main.

It’s never this hard in Sim City.

Due to the complicated nature of share house living I’ve currently got no internet at home with no immediate prospect of it. (The phone line is in the name of one dude no longer living there, the expired internet contract in the name of a girl who’s departed and no current housemates want their name on a contract)

This has got me looking at Three mobile broadband plans with a little USB dongle.

The prices look reasonable, but before committing to it I’d like to get some idea about whether the speeds in Canberra are actually anything approaching what’s promised.

Thoughts? Suggested alternatives?

So how do the cricket tragics rate our man’s performance as keeper taking over from the sainted Gilchrist?

A batting average of 39 suggests good batting from a keeper, but he’s there for the glovework.

How do you rate it?

Yesterday Canberra’s water use blasted up to 171ML, that’s against a target of 139ML.

So what are you going to do to keep cool?

In Late december, 2008, Phil Goodrick was taken from us. He was a great man, and I am sure that there would be several people that read RA who would have known him.

The family have asked that if you did know Phil, could you please visit his remembrance site:  http://www.rememberphilip.com/ and leave any anecdotes, photos etc of Phil to help us all get to know more about him?

Phil went to Dickson High, and played Rugby Union and League for the ACT, he graduated in 1971 from the ANU.

Phil was also a sales manager for a Ford dealership in Canberra.

If you know Phil, or know someone else who does, can you please direct them to his remembrance site?

RiotAct really needs to get some new material.
The same whining wowsers year after year complaining about a bit of noise and smoke for around a week of their year.
Boooooo Hoooooo
If any Canberrians took their family to Summernats on a Saturday night claiming NOT to know what it was all about, then they are IDIOTS. Everyone all over Australia knows what happens at Summernats and those that live in Canberra would be doubly aware.
I’ve been to Summernats 17, 18 and 20 and I did see some poor behaviour. Wow!! Poor behaviour at a sports event!! I’ve been to EVERY Clipsal 500 in Adelaide too. I’ve seen many many more fights at Clipsal and dramas in the pubs afterwards, then in your sleepy little town!! Isn’t Adelaide supposed to be the boring capital??
Some people think cars are a mode of transport to get from A to B. Some don’t. Some people think ball sports or fishing are a waste of a weekend. Some don’t.
Sensitive women should probably avoid summernats as the crowds in certain areas will encourage them to flash their breasts. I have summernats magazines going back to summernats 1 and the behaviours were similar and are part of the Summernats tradition. It works, so don’t change it. At least you have it mostly confined to one area now. i saw sooo many cars getting defected that it isn’t worth cruising into the centre of canberra anymore.
Summernats is a national icon and should be supported. To say Chic isn’t or shouldn’t profit from the event is stupid. I wouldn’t like to organise something that massive!! He deserves to take a slice of the profits. He has websites to run etc etc
I just wish people could accept that others have different interests, take their blinkers off and think of the bigger picture. Summernats is about all Canberra had going for it anyway…….. :-)

So dry your eyes princesses, you’ve been told.

She’s particularly pleased with 60 babies brought successfully into the world as well as a large number of chest pain sufferers:

Minister for Health Katy Gallagher MLA said that although the period was obviously a busy one for the staff who worked, they had done a great job in meeting the needs of the Canberra community and dealing with the range of differing health requirements that presented during that time.

“The emergency department received a total of 1438 presentations during the period between 24 December through to 2 January with 456 of those patients being admitted and 945 being discharged,” she said. “41 patients were referred to other TCH services, and 9 patients were transferred to other hospitals.”

…

The Minister said that the top five reasons for emergency department attendance over this holiday period were chest pain, abdominal pain, orthopaedics, plastics and gastro.

ACT Policing has arrested an 18-year-old man after an assault on a 25-year-old man in Kambah today (Wednesday, January 7).

About 12.18am police attended Conolly Place in response to a disturbance. On arrival they observed blood on the driveway. The alleged offender was in front of the house and was quickly apprehended by police.

The victim was sitting inside the house with a laceration to his head. It is alleged the victim was hit over the head with a brick during a confrontation with the alleged offender over damage to the victim’s vehicle.

ACT Ambulance officers treated the victim at the scene and then conveyed him to The Canberra Hospital where he stayed for observation.

AFP Forensic Services also attended the scene at Conolly Place.

The alleged offender was arrested and conveyed to the Regional Watch House where he was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and property damage.

The alleged offender will appear before the ACT Magistrates Court this morning (January 7).

—

2. Mark Colbran remains unable to distinguish between some motorists, and all motorists:

The Australian Capital Territory has the second highest number of drink-driving apprehensions on its record, with 190 drivers found to have an excessive blood-alcohol reading during December 2008.

The December tally is just 2 less than for the territory’s worst drink-drive month on record – March 2008.

In the six months from July 1 to December 31 2008, police apprehended 932 drink drivers, compared with 711 for the same six-month period in 2007.

ACT Policing’s Traffic Operations Superintendent Mark Colbran said he was astounded motorists continued to drink-drive despite the numerous warnings and targeted police operations.

“Our statistics on fatal accidents show that every drink driver we take off the road potentially saves a life in Canberra,” Supt Colbran said.

“We are doing our part but drink driving will not stop until the community, as a whole, decides that this is a completely unacceptable practice in the 21st Century. All Canberra motorists should make it clear to family and friends that there is no excuse for drinking and driving.”

The 2007-08 financial reporting year resulted in the ACT’s highest number of drink-drive apprehensions at 1584. This was 231 more than for the previous reporting year (2006-07).

Supt Colbran added that police again will dedicate significant resources to conducting a targeted operation against drink-driving this weekend (January 10 & 11) but would not give Canberra motorists the luxury of a prior warning of the intended location.

The Seattle Times is covering Lauren Jackson (until this morning considered a Canberra Capitals player when in Australia) and her decision to turn to the dark side in Sydney.

It seems she’s no longer a Canberran but an Albury girl who lives in Sydney and plays for the big dollars in the lucrative Russian women’s basketball league (no salary caps).

On the bright side she’s not planning to join the Sydney Flames until 2012.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

My last bike cost me a few hundred dollars from a sports shop. It had a big heavy frame and was quite good at getting me to and from pubs in the Inner North without mishap.

But after a year at the coast the spokes had all rusted through and the chain had welded itself onto the gears. The consensus was that repair would be more expensive than getting a new bike.

But what sort of new bike to get?

Hundreds of dollars on a mountain bike seemed like overkill for trundling gently to bars or the shops. Zippy racing bikes are even less suited to my needs. There’s a bloke on Davidson Street in Ainslie who sells vintage bikes from his front lawn, but being over 90kg I find weaker bikes end up buckling on me.

And then seeing Rat Patrol freak bikes parked at Ainslie shops I was inspired.

I wanted a rat bike.

Fortunately I knew that RiotACT’s Loose Brown is a mover and shaker amongst the rats so I got in touch with him and asked if he could help.

(More and a slideshow below)

LB very kindly agreed to volunteer some time, effort, and materials. In turn I provided a case of beer over the course of the process.

Before we could kick off a trailer had to be procured. Finally the day came when LB had gained access to a trailer and we were off to Aussie Junk at Mitchell.

There we spent some time kicking the flat tires in the bicycle graveyard and looking for broken welds. Eventually we decided we liked the look of a red Huffy Cortez. Wheeling it to the front counter I was pleased to discover this solid bike would cost me a whole $15.

On later inspection it turned out that the only repairs the bike needed was getting the tires pumped up. So it was with some sadness that on a following Tuesday night I rode a rather excellent and fully functional bicycle to the secret Rat Pad at an undisclosable location in the Inner North. I had some idea what we were about to do to it.

There followed an education in such things as how to remove the head set and forks from a mountain bike. I then learned how to change the cutting disk on an electric grinder, followed by cutting up the forks of my new bike.

A lesson then followed in how to use a wire brush on an electric drill to remove paint prior to welding, and I learned a great deal about the importance of wearing safety goggles from rat patrollers who had spent evenings in emergency getting bits of metal taken out of their eyes.

At this point a word on the Rat Pad and build nights.

The Rat’s moving lair fills a member’s backyard with a bicycle graveyard (see slideshow). A shed houses a tool board with needful things and a curtain rail full of ear protection and safety goggles.

There is a lot of beer, and loud music (LB describes Rat Patrol as “A drinking club with a bicycle problem”). At 10pm all grinding must cease so as not to antagonise neighbours and the music gets turned down too.

Whenever anyone says “Welding!” it’s a cue to close your eyes and turn away.

As and when parts were needed I was sent out to the graveyard to find an appropriate looking bike carcass to remove the part from. Sometimes on my return there would be some tooth-sucking and it would become clear that someone else had their eyes on that part or bike for another project.

By the end of the first night we had mostly completed the new super long tubular steel forks for my chopper.

On the second night we had it all together and various ratters assembled out the front of the rat pad to take turns on the new creation, which shall hereafter be known as Rodrigo.

After a number of big guys had tried out their bunny hops and gutter bouncing, Rodrigo was declared fit, sound, and unusually comfortable and sweet tempered chopper bike.

It’s a comfortable ride now, although I have plans to swap the handlebars out for apehangers, and maybe to move the pedals further forward.

All up the cost of it came out well under $50 (less beer).

Going on my first ride with the Rat Patrol and being inducted as a full member is a pleasure I hope to experience in the future.

In the meantime I’ve got exactly the bike I wanted.

And I had a lot of fun along the way too.

I’d never used a cutter, or a welder, or polished metal, before I started this. If you’re interested in giving it a go the guys and girls of the Rat Patrol are very friendly and helpful. You can contact them via the above link.

Here’s a slideshow of the process:

It is alleged that last August Carl had a novel approach to seeking an apology from his (now former) friend Owen Sutinen for a perceived slight.

Having been on the booze together in Kaleen’s Wests Tavern for five hours the court heard Leu followed Sutinen into the carpark with a schooner glass and allegedly whacked him with it twice before punching him leaving facial scarring.

It must have been an interesting five hours.

I saw Jessica Good apologise for transmission issues but can’t say I caught them myself.

Any of our expert readership with more to add?

Well, they came from my backyard actually…but they do look large enough to star in an ‘Attack of the Killer Courgette’ remake (yes yes, I know it was rampaging tomatoes for all you geeks. This is a ‘reimagined’ version, frak you).

But I digress.

I came home to Canberra the other day from summer holiday fun to find these giants in our veggie patch. There is also a wheelbarrow full of littler ones.

There was no watering involved either, just a judicious handful of water crystal applied to the soil prior to departure.

Now, who has any good zucchini recipes for me?

“Prison officers were punched in the head and face during a riot at the Belconnen Remand Centre.
Six of the officers were treated at the Canberra Hospital for injuries suffered during the wild brawl in the centre’s F Yard accommodation block on Monday.

Nine inmates were involved in the incident, two of whom were injured.

Corrections Minister John Hargreaves declined to comment on the incident.”

This would be the same remand centre where we’ve been hearing about over-crowding for months now?

The one where they’re stacking up the inmates because of a massively delayed prison opening?

And is this the same Corrections Minister so very keen on Westminster traditions that he publicy rebuked a magistrate for daring to air opinions about other areas of incompetence in his administration?

Surely he would have something to say? Perhaps a resignation to offer?

Well, he did put out a media release on the fluffy puppies he’ll use in the prison if it ever opens.

If, for some strange and freakish reason, the cricket is not completely engrossing you, then there is another sporting entertainment option.

The 30th FFA National Futsal Championships are kicking off today here in Canberra!

They’re expecting 3,000 competitors flooding into accommodation vacated by Summernatters.

Venues include:

– Australian Institute of Sport Main Arena, Leverrier Crescent Bruce
– Australian National University - Acton
– ACT Netball Centre, Northbourne Ave Lyneham
– MPOWER Dome, Coyne St Chisholm
– Southern Cross Stadium, 7 Pitman St Tuggeranong.

But not the futsal slab on Commonwealth Avenue? Surely that’s some mistake?

If you’re keen you can check out the draw.

“The trees will be removed over a three week period from Monday 5 January. The work will be conducted during the day from 7:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday.

Traffic will be diverted and slowed to 40km/h for short periods while those trees overhanging the road are removed.”

The whys of this get cute.

They want to get started on the long awaited Kings Avenue overpass which would eliminate one of the worst traffic black spots.

Unfortunately there’s a 350mm gas main in the way which needs to be moved first and the trees have to go before they can move the gas main.

It’s never this hard in Sim City.