Hey everyone, welcome back to another Flashback Friday. It’s been a big week of news this week, so let’s get right into it.

First, let’s address the big news of the week, the division in the Liberal National Government. During the week, there has been a lot of talk about the National Energy Guarantee (NEG) and it has caused high levels of tension and dissent in the parliament, but not just between parties, it’s also caused issues between members of the Liberal National Government, and the cracks are starting to grow. With 9 MPs in the government now threatening to cross the floor over the NEG, including former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Eric Abetz, Kevin Andrews, George Christensen, Andrew Hastie, Craig Kelly, Andrew Gee, Tony Pasin and Barry O’Sullivan, as well as one of the Liberal frontbenchers Keith Pitt considering resigning over the legislation, it was a wonder this thing hadn’t absolutely destroyed the government and ripped the party apart. But then it went further. This piece of legislation has now taken a severe turn, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership coming under threat, after it was revealed that a leadership spill could be on the cards, and that threat has now been confirmed to be legitimate, with Liberal cabinet minister Peter Dutton being the one who is teed up to be the one who will challenge the Prime Minister’s leadership if certain events do not occur with the NEG. If Turnbull does manage to lose the Prime Ministership in the coming weeks, it would be the second time he’s lost the leadership of the Liberal Party. Make sure you watch this space for more to come on the political landscape very soon.

In some other news this week, and the Powerball stood at $100 million this week going into Thursday night. And after the draw took place, it was revealed that the jackpot had indeed gone off, and that there were in fact two lucky winners who had each won $50 million each, something everyone dreams of. The winning tickets were purchased in Melbourne and southwest Sydney. The Melbourne winner has come forward to claim his prize, however the Sydney winner has not yet come forward, which means that someone could be yet to discover that they have become a multi millionaire, and is walking around with a lottery ticket worth $50 million. It’s great news for the winners, and better luck next time for everyone else who purchased a ticket.

In sports news, today current Football Federation Australia (FFA) chairman Steven Lowy formally announced he will not be re-contesting for the chairmanship when his term concludes in November. Whilst in office, Lowy has, alongside CEO David Gallop, caused high levels of controversy and made some highly questionable moves and decisions which have in many ways impacted the game of football in Australia. His announcement comes only weeks after a FIFA backed working group put forward a 100 page plan for the A-League to become independent from the FFA, which could allow for the league to grow and become much better than it currently is. The document, which would have to gain 75% of a vote at an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) next month, was criticised by Lowy and the FFA over the last couple of weeks, however FIFA have threatened to step in and bar the Socceroos from playing in international tournaments, including the Asian Cup next year in which they are defending champions, if the document is not passed next month. Lowy could still be sacked by FIFA if they do eventually step in over the next couple of months, however it is more likely he will see out the remainder of his term, and will step down from the position of FFA Chairman in November.

To entertainment news, and this week, more specifically last night, the world lost a music legend in the queen of soul, Aretha Franklin. The legendary songstress became gravely ill earlier this week, and sadly passed away in the company of family and friends last night after a lengthy battle with cancer at the age of 76. Franklin will be remembered by many as an inspirational woman, and one of the greatest singers to ever grace this world with her voice. Tributes have flowed out for Franklin since her passing, and her songs, including Natural Woman, Respect, and I Say A Little Prayer, will most certainly never be forgotten and will be played on in the years to come. Our hearts and thoughts are with her family and friends at this time.

And that’s it for another rFlashback Friday. We’ll be back next week with more news. And make sure to stay tuned for more to come very soon. I’ll be posting any updates on the potential leadership spill if it does end up taking place in the coming week. Have a good one!

JJ

Hey everyone, because I couldn’t think of anything else for Mystery Monday this week, here’s another short story of sorts to keep you all going. Enjoy.

The Holiday

I’d always wanted to go on a nice, relaxing holiday. It had been a dream of mine for a long long time to just be able to lay on a deck chair at a beautiful island resort. Some place where work wasn’t an issue, where no one could ring me with a problem that inevitably I would have to solve. Some place where not even my parents could contact me with any problems. I just wanted to be able to sit down, put my feet up, & relax, with not a care nor worry in the world. So I went online & booked a trip to the Bahamas, just for a nice getaway. I knew that it wasn’t going to be for long, I mean I was only going for two weeks, but it would have to be the best two weeks of my life.

A few weeks later, I said goodbye to everyone at work for the last time for two weeks, & took off home to pack up my stuff to take with me when I jetted off the next morning. I woke up the next morning & caught the train into the airport. Once I’d arrived, I quickly hurried over to check in both myself & my luggage, & then took a nice walk over to the departure lounge. I decided I may as well pick up a coffee on my way over, so that I did. I sat at the departure lounge for about twenty minutes before they called us over to board the plane. I couldn’t believe I was actually doing this. I was actually putting the gears into order for my dream to come true. And so I quickly boarded the plane & took my seat. And lo & behold, I end up sitting next to a mother, who appears to have two kids, one a young girl probably around the age of five or six, & a baby, another girl by the looks of it, who looks ready to take off in tears at any given moment. Perfect. Just perfect. This was going to be a great flight. How long was the flight again? Oh yeah that’s right… nineteen & a half hours. Brilliant.

I was extremely grateful when we finally arrived in the Bahamas. I had really wanted to begin holidaying straight away from the moment the plane touched down in my beautiful holiday destination, but I was afraid that would have to go on the backburner for at least another few hours. It was still daytime when we arrived, but I really needed to take a nap after that flight. Now yes, I know it would have been logical to just take a nap on the plane whilst we were in the air for all those long hours, but unfortunately & not at all to my surprise, that baby did not stop crying for practically the entire flight. Every time I shut my eyes just to get a little bit of sleep, even if it was just for an hour or two, that little crying machine would just start crying again. It was like it was taunting me, like it knew I wanted sleep & wanted to do anything it could to keep me from getting what I wanted. But now the flight was over, & I could finally get some rest & enjoy the two weeks of comfort & luxury that I had thoroughly deserved.

After I arrived & checked in at the resort, I decided to just take it easy for the rest of the day, & so I lay back in the bed in my room at the resort, & proceeded to fall asleep. It had been about five in the afternoon when I fell asleep, only waking up to discover it was nine in the morning the next day. I jumped up out of bed, got changed & went to grab some breakfast from the little buffet they had going on in the main part of the resort. After breakfast, I went out to explore my new home for the next two weeks. It was beautiful. There was a magnificent beach framed on one side by the vast blue expanse of the sparkling ocean, & lush palm trees on the other. I decided to enjoy myself to the fullest, so I walked over to a vendor who was selling those coconuts that you drink from. I bought one, then proceeded over to a deck chair that was positioned underneath the shade of a beautiful, tall palm tree. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I was literally about to make my dream come true. All those nights laying there, just imagining this moment, & now it was finally happening. And so I sat on that plush deck chair, put my feet up, coconut in one hand, & looked out at the spectacular deep blue expanse was spread out in front of me. And it was at this moment that I realized, dreams really could come true. Then I felt the thud of the coconut on my head.

Hope you enjoyed that one. Keep a look out for more coming soon. Have a good one.

JJ

Hey everyone, welcome back to another Flashback Friday, with yet another week of news. Let’s get right into it.

We’ll start with some political news this week, and it was revealed today that the government man National Energy Guarantee (NEG) looks set to go through, however without the unconditional support of the state and territory governments. The draft legislation for the NEG will be released for the consultation of the public if it makes it through a coalition party room meeting next week, although there have been a number of concerns based around the emissions reduction target. Environment groups have been welcoming of the news that state and territory governments are holding back their approval for the NEG. The Victorian state government has been particularly hard to crack, taking a hard stance and making it clear that they won’t support the NEG unless certain conditions that they have set out are met. There are also a number of backbenchers who have expressed their own concerns, inclusive of Tony Pasin, Craig Kelly, and former Prime Minister Tony Abbott. The aim of the NEG is to reduce carbon emissions whilst delivering cheaper and more reliable power. Retailers such as solar, gas and wind farm owners would be required to sign a contract under the policy agreeing to supply a minimum energy amount that would be available at any and all times. In all reality, this is obviously a push to combat the effects of climate change, and move towards creating a country that runs on renewable energy. However, realistically, we have enough coal to keep the country powered, and climate change is an unrealistic excuse used by politicians all over the globe.

In some more tragic news now, and a major earthquake occurred on the island of Lombok in Indonesia this week. And it got even worse after a further two strong earthquakes continue to shake the island, the third coming on Thursday. Tragically, the death toll has now topped 300, with 319 lives lost after the original magnitude 7.0 earthquake. The most recent quake was a magnitude 5.9, causing more damage to buildings, landslides, panic and injuries. It is also suspected the death toll will continue to rise, as victims of the first quake are still being found by rescue workers in the rubble and ruins of buildings that have collapsed. Approximately 68000 homes have been destroyed, and around 270000 people are now homeless or otherwise displaced. It has been a tragic week for Lombok, and our thoughts and prayers are with the people on the island and the friends and family of those who have lost loved ones in the tragedy at this time.

In some other news this week, it came to light during the week that all Australian citizens are legally entitled, under the ‘constituents’ request program’, to request and receive ‘nationhood material’, which is inclusive of Australian flags recordings of the National Anthem, and a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. You can also request a portrait of Prince Phillip. This is only for Australians, and if you wish to receive your own portrait, you can request it by emailing your request to your local MP. Since this news came to light, it has been revealed that MPs have been inundated with requests for portraits of the Queen from many Australians. The program itself is a government funded one that was introduced in the Parliamentary Entitles Act 1990. It’s quite something.

And in entertainment news this week, the Ten Network has begun the promotion of Pilot Week, a week where a new show will be debuted every night, Sunday through Saturday. The fate of each show will be decided by the general public of Australia, a somewhat exciting prospect. Some of the shows star some well known Australian entertainers. The shows on trial this year are: Trial By Kyle (starring Kyle Sandilands), Disgrace! (a show starring former Labor Party Senator Sam Dastyari), Dave (a comedy show featuring Dave O’Neil), Drunk History (featuring Rhys Darby and Stephen Curry), Taboo (featuring Harley Breen), Kinne Tonight (featuring Troy Kinne), Skit Happens (a show featuring a range of Australian comedians), and Bring Back Saturday Night (starring Rove McManus). It will be really interesting to see how each of the seven shows performs, and how Australians receive them. Pilot Week begins on Sunday August 19. Also, the long awaited third season of Russell Coight’s All Aussie Adventures began on Sunday, and it was well received by Australians, with a similar but renewed humour interlaced in the show making viewers laugh, and entertaining many. The show continues at 7:30pm Sunday on Ten. Be sure to be watching.

And that’s it for another Flashback Friday. Thanks for tuning in once again, and as always, be sure to keep an eye out for more to come soon. Have a good one.

JJ

Hey everyone, sorry about the delay in Short Story Sunday, but been busy, so it’s a little later than usual I guess. Anyways, it’s still Sunday. Here’s one I wrote early last year. Hope you like it.

The Man Who Never Was

At one point in the not so distant past, there was a man who went by the name of Micah. Micah was not a normal human being. He had his defects. Well, in saying that, I guess you could say every human being has their defects. In simple terms, Micah was deaf, but also had an asthma problem. He was from Eastern Europe, although nobody really knew exactly which country he had come from. He had moved to Sydney, Australia in 2012 for a new start to life. He had bought himself a motorcycle, & had enrolled in an educational course in Western Sydney in order to gain knew knowledge & in an attempt to meet new people & maybe, just maybe, make a few friends.

At the time around which Micah had enrolled in a university in Western Sydney, there was a woman by the name of Jane, who had recently begun working in the same university as a learning & support officer, who was an expert in sign language. Jane had started out doing a spot of acting for a short period of time, a few months at least, & had gone to an improvisation night in the western suburbs of Sydney, before deciding ultimately that she wanted to begin studying sign language. So she studied the mechanism of talking for the deaf, & found she had quite the natural talent for it. She did a spot of interpreting for the deaf at different conventions & gatherings every now & then, before deciding to take up a full time job as a student learning & support officer at Western Sydney University, helping the deaf to learn & get though the educational courses they had chosen to study.

It is at this point in our story that our two characters first meet. Jane went into work one day, & had been told she had a new student to assist & support. This student went by the name of Micah. Micah, meanwhile, had filled out all the forms for the uni. He had been required to list an emergency contact number in case something sudden or unexpected happened to him at the university. He decided to list his brother as that contact. A few moments later, Micah had a woman coming up to greet him. She greeted him with the proper sign language for ‘Hello, how are you?’ & then told him her name was Jane. Micah greeted her in return, telling her he was well. Despite being deaf, Micah could still speak, & so was quite open & outspoken. Anyway, Micah was taken to his first class at university by Jane, who was interested to get to know this mystery man a little more. Jane helped him get through that first day at the university, & he enjoyed every minute of it. Jane walked him out to his car, well, at least she thought she was going to see a car, but she was mistaken, because instead she was walked over to a motorcycle, & a nice one at that. The two farewelled each other for the day & Micah headed home. Jane on the other hand was amazed at what she had witnessed today. She was intrigued by this man whom she had never met before today, someone who should have been just another student to her, but seemed to encompass so much more.

Over the next few weeks, Micah enjoyed each new day he had at Western Sydney University. Jane & Micah worked well as a pair. Jane was his ears, & he was a great learner. He gained much newfound knowledge, & just wanted to always keep learning. And Jane continued to be amazed, not only at his fast learning & skills, but at him & his personality. For a deaf man, he was so outspoken, so intellectual. She wanted to learn more about him, but she didn’t want to invade his own personal space. After many many weeks at the university, with Micah turning up every single day without fail, there was one day when he didn’t. Jane found he wasn’t there & so, just to be safe, decided to ring the contact number that Micah had given the uni. She rang the number & after about three rings, someone picked up on the other line. “Hello?” It was a man’s voice on the other side of the line. “Hello, this is Jane from Western Sydney University. I work with Micah as a learning & support officer. I noticed he hadn’t turned up today & just decided to ring to make sure he is ok.” The male voice on the other side of the line spoke back to Jane, “Oh yeah, Micah, he’s alright. He had a bad asthma attack this morning & decided not to go in today. He’s just having a lie down at the moment. Sorry, yeah, I should’ve called. I’m his twin brother by the way in case you were wondering.” Jane replied, “Oh, that’s alright, just checking to make sure everything’s ok. I didn’t know he had a twin brother. Anyway, I won’t take up any more of your time. Hope he is better soon. Have a great day.” “Thank you, you too,” said Micah’s twin brother. Jane hung up & got back to work. She thought about what she had just heard. Micah had a twin brother. Well, he was a man of mystery. Micah returned to uni the next day, & life went on as usual.

A few months went by, & then the unthinkable happened. The university got a phone call letting them know that Micah had been involved in a motorcycle accident, & had sadly passed away on the scene. When Jane heard the news, she was shocked. Many of the support staff members were to attend the funeral, however, Jane was unable to attend as she was required to stay at work as everyone else was going. The funeral was later described to Jane. There had been all the deaf people & the support officers on one side of the church, & then, on the other side, all normal people listening to a live rock band playing in front of them. There was a lot of confusion between the two groups as to why each other group was there. What was even stranger was that Micah’s twin brother never turned up to the funeral. Jane was shocked when she heard this. If your sibling had dies, particularly your twin, wouldn’t you be the first person through the church doors? But what was even stranger was the reason why he hadn’t turned up. Micah had never had a twin brother. This didn’t make sense, because Jane talked to him on the phone that day. But it was true. And what was even more astounding was this. Micah never had a twin brother, because he was his twin brother. He was both a deaf man with asthma who owned a motorcycle, & a normal human being who was a part of a rock band. The reason: split personality. Jane was absolutely astounded when she found out, even more so the others who heard the story. But that’s what it was. Micah had been the man she knew, but also the man who never was.

And there you go. Killer ending eh? Hope you enjoyed the read. Stay tuned for more things on the blog in the next couple weeks. And, as always, have a good one!

JJ

Hey everyone, so I’ve compiled a survey on the NSW Education System and I’d be very grateful if you could fill it out if you have a few minutes to spare at some point. The link is below.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSece3cFezjK7zW1h7QaAOVwxcn_upIsywTXoLoPydo5w3KD9Q/viewform?usp=sf_link

You may need to copy and paste the link to access the survey.

Thanks everyone.

JJ