Samuel's Blog

ACTION Poem

Hi Mike,

An ACTION poem for your amusement.

There once was a thing called ACTION
A bunch of big buses with traction
Then along came a Turnip
He saw the timetable and said "burn it"
Now the service is only a fraction

Regards,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart

10 comments July 25th, 2007 at 07:55am

They all steal your stuff!

Hello Clive,

I think you need to have a word to Richard, if you get a chance have a listen to the log from the first few minutes of his show this morning. His daily piece of useless information for today was something you have been talking about for days…namely the percentage of people who look in the medical cabinets of others.

I suppose you are right when you say (in reference to your daily news summary) that you'll hear things on other shows during the day and be able to say "I already know that".

You're probably asleep right now, so I hope that by the time Abe reads this to you, you are refreshed following a good sleep.

Regards,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra

Blog Note: “Who is Richard?” asks Matt by email…why it’s Richard John Sinclair Laws, better known as John Laws of course. End Note

July 24th, 2007 at 10:25am

What drives me nuts

Good afternoon John,

One thing that drove me nuts on Tuesday night was that, according to my television guide, Channel Nine were going to run a decent movie at 9:30, so I tuned in, only to discover it had been replaced by some nonsense about Victoria Beckham.

I was rather annoyed as I haven't seen the movie before and was looking forward to it…and to make matters worse, the Beckham special rated well.

I suppose the point is, random late changes to the television schedule drive me nuts.

Regards,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra

5 comments July 19th, 2007 at 01:26pm

Harry Potter Leak

Hello again Clive and Abe,

I was most amused by the story in the news about the latest instalment of the Harry Potter series of books being "leaked" on the Internet, especially the bit about the publisher refusing to confirm whether or not the leaked book is a copy of the real book, after having said that they are taking the issue seriously.

The reason I find this amusing is because the publisher is insinuating that the 700 page book on the Internet might not be a copy of the real Harry Potter…why would anybody go to the trouble of writing a 700 page novel just to release online as the next Harry Potter book a few days before the real one is released? Do the publishers really expect people to believe that somebody would do this?

These books are already being distributed to book shops under an embargo…I think it is far more likely that somebody just decided to break the embargo.

Regards,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra

3 comments July 19th, 2007 at 04:26am

Stan Zemanek’s Funeral

Dear Mr. Laws,

I am writing to you today in an effort to pay my last respects to Stan Zemanek. It is not possible for me to attend the funeral or view the television coverage, so I intend on listening to your coverage of the funeral with John Stanley.

I hope that today's funeral will help Stan's family in their grieving process. This has clearly been a difficult time for them, and I think it is safe to say that the support they have received is nothing short of exceptional.

Also, I am sorry to hear that your golden microphone is missing, I hope that it will be returned quickly.

Sincerely,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra

3 comments July 17th, 2007 at 09:26am

Help from Dr. Robertson

Dear Dr. Robertson,

I hope that you can help me. I know that you have a rule preventing people who ring your program from ringing other programs, and I appreciate that you have been lenient with me in regards to this rule, however I have come to the conclusion that I am mildly addicted to ringing various programs.

Dr. Robertson, I hope you can help me with this addiction. Do you think this is a healthy addiction? Any advice you may have is most welcome.

Regards,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra

4 comments July 17th, 2007 at 01:57am

Cold Canberra

Good afternoon John,

Well you already know that it's cold down here in Canberra, but I have to tell you that I was shocked this morning when I had to visit a courier's depot…it was zero degrees outside, and this place just left the front door wide open with no heating. I don't know how those people survive, it was absolutely freezing in there.

Regards,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra

3 comments July 16th, 2007 at 12:57pm

Macarthur Park

Good morning again John,

I have to agree with you about Macarthur Park, it is just dreadful. I could name a heap of other songs that I can't stand, but the one that really stands out is Madonna's "Like A Virgin", which is, in my view, without a doubt the most annoying song ever made.

I have to admit that I was surprised to learn that Donna Summers ever recorded a version of "Macarthur Park", how anyone could make the transition from great songs like "She works hard for the money" to "Macarthur Park" is beyond me.

Regards,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra

5 comments July 16th, 2007 at 02:27am

Stan Zemanek

Dear Stuart,

I just heard the news about Stan Zemanek passing away earlier today. It is very sad to hear that the tumour finally claimed him after such a long battle which seemed to be going well for Stan for so long.

I was just saying to someone the other day how I regret having never spoken to Stan despite being a listener for many years, and today that regret is very strong.

I suppose we can take comfort from the fact that Stan is no longer in pain. I can't imagine what he must have gone through, it really is such a shame that someone as kind and caring as Stan had to go through all that he did.

May he rest in peace, I know we will never forget him.

My most sincere condolences go to Marcella and the rest of Stan's family. I will be sure to send them a letter in the morning.

I hope tonight isn't too hard on you Stuart, for what it's worth you have done a great job filling the shoes of a great man.

Sincerely,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra

12 comments July 12th, 2007 at 07:27pm

Schools and saying sorry for the stolen generation

Good evening Stuart,

I'm hardly surprised by this story about a "sorry song" being part of the New South wales curriculum. Unfortunately this biased politicising of the curriculum, especially around NAIDOC Week, has been going on for a very long time, and is not likely to stop any time soon.

I remember when I was in primary school, when NAIDOC Week came around (and oh how I dreaded that week for the simple reason that my primary school went nuts over it) in 1998 when I was 11 years old, the class I was in had to write our thoughts on saying sorry to the stolen generation. I remember writing "I don't think we should say sorry" and then explaining my reasons, and the teacher forcing me to cross that out and write "We should say sorry to the stolen generation".

Incidentally, yesterday there was a concert somewhere down here in Canberra to celebrate aboriginal culture…oddly enough the concert seemed to mostly contain R&B and rap music…hardly a celebration of aboriginal culture.

Best wishes,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra

July 11th, 2007 at 11:28pm

Morris Iemma

Good evening Stuart,

I was just thinking about Morris Iemma's continuous absences from his role as Premier of New South Wales, and I am starting to wonder what will happen when the next round of politician pay rises occur. I suspect that Mr. Iemma will get a pay rise along with everyone else, but I have to wonder if perhaps some of his pay rise should be given to John Watkins instead as he seems to be spending an awful lot of time as the acting premier.

Regards,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra

3 comments July 9th, 2007 at 10:28pm

A thing for Clive

Dear Clive, Abe, and the earlier emailer who thinks I have a thing for Clive,

Do I have a "thing" for Clive? No, but the suggestion did give me a good laugh.

I would like to find out why the earlier emailer thinks I have a thing for Clive…that could be a very interesting story.

Regards,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra

1 comment July 3rd, 2007 at 03:00am

Pasha Bulker

For one reason or another the following email didn’t show up here when I sent it at 10:04pm yesterday.

Good evening Stuart,

I’m astonished…I didn’t think they would ever manage to refloat the Pasha Bulker. I think I will need to swallow my words, along with John Kerr and Peter FitzSimons.

Now that the rescue budget has been well and truly exhausted, I wonder what the damage bill will be?

Regards,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra

2 comments July 3rd, 2007 at 02:44am

Cooking, Smoke Alarms and Cats

Good morning John,

I can honestly say that I have never set off the smoke alarm when using the toaster, although I did manage to set off the security alarm (on purpose I might add) during primary school…although that's a story for another day.

I distinctly remember that at my nanny's house the smoke alarm was just outside the kitchen door, and the oven was right next to the kitchen door. This particular smoke alarm was more of a steam alarm than anything else, and it had this rather annoying urge to deafen anyone nearby whenever the oven door was opened.

And I wouldn't know about cats being alarmed by smoke alarms…but I do know that when I was looking after a neighbour's cat which I was allergic to a few years ago, it did not like my singing one tiny little bit. The first time I started singing to it, it froze on the spot…ears up and eyes wide open. The next time I tried to sing to it, it bolted to the other end of the house.

Needless to say, I didn't sing to the cat again!

Regards,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra

6 comments July 2nd, 2007 at 03:52am

Joke

Good evening Stuart,

I have a quick question for you…was there any money on Noah's Ark?

Yes there was…the duck had a bill and the frog had a greenback!

Have a good night,

Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra

June 29th, 2007 at 08:23pm