Sydney NSW, Australia – 9935 miles (15,989 km) away from New York City and yet it could have been next door for the heartbreak we felt, even this far away.
I thought I was the last to know, arriving at the front door of the college I’d been studing at for almost 2 years. The world was at our feet as we began to plan for the following year… the big one. Kirky, best friend and accomplice, met me at the front door with a peculiar look on her face… “Have you heard?” the question on her lips.
“Heard What?” my reply.
Terrorists have attacked the World Trade Centre, hijacked planes, thousands dead, the towers fallen, etc. etc. etc.
Disbelief the immediate response, silent respect, prayer for the lost, for the rescuers and for the remaining. That and an addiction to CNN alone for the following weeks.
For our parents it was the assasination of JFK, the man on the moon. For us? The death of Princess Di, the World Trade Centers falling…
These are the days the world stopped for us.
There are other days, the day a hurricane destroyed a city, the day a tsunami flattened a nation. There are other tragedies… civil wars that are starving their people, men and women held captive lest religious freedom destabilises governments. There are men and women whose children will not live past tomorrow, or worse still, past the time it takes you to read this post.
Yes, it is important to remember the tragedies of the past but let us not lose sight of the tragedies that happen every day in our present, and let us do what we can to make a difference to somebody’s future.
http://www.redcross.org/
http://www.worldvision.com.au/

Q. Why do the networks interrupt the flow of new episodes of series such as Friends and Becker by showing repeats?
A. Most US shows are made in series of about 22 episodes. The Australian ratings calendar runs for 40 weeks a year. Networks pad out their successful imports with occasional repeats to extend their high ratings over a longer period. Repeats also are used during the two-week Easter break in the official ratings to keep viewers in the habit of switching on at particular times. Why do programmers do what they do? By Ross Warneke June 6 2002 The Age
This writer asked the same question I ask myself everytime I sit down to watch House on a Wednesday night and find myself face to face with an episode I’ve seen.
And I’ve seen them all so far… I own the boxed set.
Where I grew up, a season of shows was played from its beginning to its end and and while the year was a lot longer than the season of new shows you wore it as a part of life… to everything there is a season, and all that… Basically? It was expected you’d have to spend most of the year without your favourites… but you cherished their presence all the more for the short time they were on the box… You watched ER (and the like) for 20 weeks or so and then got on with your life.
But here? (or now… I’m not sure if NZ participates in this despicable practice these days) Here, as the ratings season extends for 40 weeks, show seasons are padded out for as long as possible to get as much juice as possible for the bloody networks.. and it rips my undies that we are held hostage to them (or more precisely to their advertisers…)
So, tonight, on NCIS Kate was back from the dead for the evening, and House was no longer harassing his ex (but realistically little else has changed).
Bloody Network 1 Little guy/girl 0
Happily, Channel 9 refrained from dumping old ER on us and the episode I saw was a newbie and a goodie… You’d think in view of that I’d have ended up in bed earlier… But no, I’m on a roll now… and while I’m on the subject of corporate nasties…

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Bodies found inside Sydney unit – National – smh.com.au (May require free registration)
5 dead bodies THIS MONTH… 3 of them sitting in their apartments for MONTHS without anyone realising…
I’m apalled that NO ONE noticed… don’t let your neighbours be next… Start TAKING NOTICE please people. Especially if your neighbours are elderly.
Thank you.
[updated report]
[end rant]