Bathroom Is Nearly Done

It's been two and a half weeks and we almost have our bathroom back. Almost, but not quite. The tiler finished on Sunday and it left me with some sealing of the grout to do and install the new taps for the shower and bath. I had some shower plug and the tiler, Jason, thought that it would be enough to do the job. Managed to do the shower twice and the basin once but I'll have to get some more to do the basin again and the floor twice. Otherwise the grout will go mouldy and blech. Cleaning the tiles prior to putting the sealant on kicked up so much dust my hair turned white. It all means that the finished product, sans shower screen, has been postponed by another 24 hours. Bugger. Miky had had about enough of bathing out of a bowl. Funny. A Korean bath suited her for years before coming to this country.

My Wife The Weather Girl

My wife should really get a job as a weather girl. When I mentioned this morning that it was going to rain and that I should take my umbrella she said that it wouldn't rain today but would tomorrow. So, I didn't take my brolly. Lo and behold it starting raining before I arrived at the bus stop. Alighting from the bus I had to make a quick dash to work. At least I didn't get drenched like a few other people.

Just for the record we've had 26.8mm of rain so far today, just over the inch mark, and it rained nearly all the working day. Apparently we are in front of the average rainfall for the year. Mandurah, about 60km south, had 60mm. Miky appears perfectly suited to inform us of the coming weather.

Footy Tipping - Being Shown Up By A Seven Year Old

For as long as I can remember I've asked the boy who will win the Friday night football matches. More often than not we disagree on the winner and the boy usually chooses correctly. It's bugged me for a while so I've decided to enter him in an online footy tipping competition that I'm also a member of. Let's see over the course of a year who is the better tipper.

Round one - the boy picks six out of eight which is pretty good going. At the last moment I changed two of my tips, from winners to losers, and only picked four winners for the weekend. So, I'm already two behind him. I tell myself that it's a long season and there's plenty of time but who am I trying to kid? I'm being shown up by my seven year old. He's also in a tipping competition with myself and my mate Bill where we play for $2/week. So he's picked up $4 for his first week of tipping and thinks that this is so easy. I have introduced another bighead to the world.

Someone Stole My Number Plate

Someone has stolen my number plate! Look!

Frugal Bastard's stolen number plate

I Blame Daylight Savings

It's dark and it's cold when I go to work. I honestly feel that daylight savings should have finished at the end of February and not be dragging on until the end of March.

I know my house fairly well and can walk around in the dark without bumping into too many things. This morning I wanted to leave slightly, only just mind you, than usual as I had a dental appointment following work and would have to leave early. After finishing all of my duties and other compulsive obsessive motions it was time to put my shoes on and go outside. The shoe cupboard is in the dark. I moved towards where I thought the key was and picked it immediately. Then I leant down to the bottom left hand corner where my two pairs of shoes are kept, the rest are almost entirely Miky's shoes, and removed a pair. Put them on and headed out the door.

I'd been at work for an hour before one of my colleagues asked me, "What's wrong with your shoes?" This puzzled me as my feet weren't informing me that anything was wrong. As soon as I looked down I realised the problem. See picture below for a better explanation.

Different Shoes - I blame daylight savings.

I spent the whole day at work like this. Buggered if I was going to go home just to change my shoes! There were a few people that noticed but several that didn't. On a stupidity level it would have to rate slightly higher than going to the football in team colours a day after the match was played.

I could start a new trend here.

Shooter - Excellent Movie

We watched Shooter the other night. It stars Mark Wahlberg in an almost entirely convincing role. He was born for the part. The action was full-on and the blood started to flow in the second half. Excellent movie and one of the best actioners I've ever seen. The second half, as good as it is, isn't suitable for youngsters.

I even watched the extra material on the DVD, only about the second time I've ever done that, and learnt some stuff that you may not want to know about shooting. Except that Mark Wahlberg is an excellent shot.

Visit To Heirisson Island

Today we visited Heirisson Island with some friends with a view to seeing the Western Grey kangaroos on the island and conducting an Easter egg hunt for the children.

We met at our friends' house first as they had a visitor and not enough seats in their vehicle. After arriving at the island, situated between the south part of Perth and the city itself, and which we travel over every day but never stop, we wandered off to the side of the island where the kangaroos are housed. There is a statue of Yagan, a local Aboriginal who involved in several disputes and murders (or retaliation killings as retribution per tribal law) with early white settlers, stands on the island. The Wikipedia article on Yagan is quite informative.

Perth from Heirisson Island

Statue of Yagan on Heirison Island

Shells on Heirisson Island shoreline

Jellyfish washed up on Heirisson Island shoreline

Shells and grass on Heirisson Island shoreline

Finally we found the kangaroos, although they only numbered five. Very tame, they were. Everyone could go right up to them and pat them. Quite an experience for the children. One in particular was very friendly.

Tame kangaroo on Heirisson Island

Kangaroos on Heirisson Island

Kangaroos on Heirisson Island2

Kangaroos on Heirisson Island3

Kangaroos on Heirisson Island4

Kangaroo eating a tree on Heirisson Island

Kangaroo paw

Back to the other side of the island and then I found a reasonable spot to conduct the Easter egg hunt. The children were playing in the playground and so I dispersed the eggs. They enjoyed finding them although it took a while for the last one to be discovered. Then we sat down and had kimbap (sushi) and dumplings for tea. Not a bad way to finish the day. Even better when we started to eat the chocolate eggs.

Evil Jellyfish

Meal Time - Self Service

When I was growing up and you wanted more food at meal time it was self service. You had to go and get the food yourself. Fair enough. It appears that our rabbit is of the same mindset. The other day he helped himself to a pear. Yesterday he tried to help himself to some chinese cabbage that was being prepared for kim chee. Then he grabbed a stick of celery. He's only interested in the celery leaves and not the stem.

At least he isn't treating us like servants and believes in "help yourself".

At Last The Torture Is Over

We've waited six long months since that last Saturday in September but at last the torture is over. AFL is back tonight. Ok, so it's only Carlton and Richmond but it's a start. There are some new additions to Carlton taking the field - Chris Judd (bought from West Coast), some new kid from the Under-18s competition and there should be a portaloo with Brendan Fevola's name on it close to the boundary. The man has a drinking, and weeing, problem in public. Maybe they should call it the PortaFev.

Carlton's latest addition to the squad - The PortaFev

Small Gripe About "So You Think You Can Dance Australia"

Our family enjoys "So you think you can dance Australia" and it is great family viewing. I couldn't tell you who the judges are, not being big into dance myself, but I suspect that Bonnie Lythgoe is the wife of Nigel Lythgoe from "So you think you can dance" fame in America. A quick check of Wikipedia reveals that they were married until early 2007.

Jason Coleman tells it how it is and, even though he is the last judge to pass comment, he is always the first to thank the choreographers involved. My gripe involves anything he has to say about Jason Gilkison turns into a "How much I love this guy", "I want to have his children" or "The Bradman of the Ballroom" suck-up gush-fest. It looks like he's trying to get a job or something from his idol. Fair enough to say that the choreography is great but comment more on the dancers instead of pushing your adoration of Mr Gilkison.

Ant Mine Earthquake

You all know that we have an ant mine. And sudden movement or a knock near the ants and they panic. Just a little. We also have a battery-powered massager. Put the massager together with the hard surface that the ant mine is mounted on and what do you get? An ant mine earthquake of course.

Ant Mine

Ant Mine Earthquake

Thank You Mum

Big thanks to my mum. Her ancient piano arrived safely today, after being about two weeks in transit, and has pride of place in the computer room. It is very much appreciated and will be put to excellent use. The travel doesn't seem to have bothered the tune too much.

Thank you Mum. I know how much the goanna means to you.

"Have A Proper Shower Tonight."

Last night my missus said to me, "Have a proper shower tonight." I chastised her slightly for treating me childishly. I mean, does she think that I don't have a proper shower usually and that tonight she be different for some reason.

The reason I didn't get too upset is because we are having the bathroom retiled and a bath installed. Yep, time to blow all our money on a bathroom renovation. I've taken the "before" shots and the "after" shots will have to wait a week. Therefore, we won't be able to have a "proper" shower for the next week. Isn't it funny that the weather has cooled dramatically, by around 10 degrees off the daily maxima, when we will lose use of the nice, hot shower? Murphy must have something to do with that.

"He Died Doing What He Loved."

"He died doing what he loved." That's rather an odd saying, isn't it? This line is usually reserved for someone who dies whilst undertaking a dangerous sport and/or occupation such as; racing car driver, mountaineer, hot air balloonist, etc.

Strangely enough you never hear the phrase used in for following professions:

Commercial airline pilot
School bus drivers
Taxi drivers
Teachers

Bulgogi Recipe - Sunday Night Is Bulgogi Night

Pretty much every Sunday night we have bulgogi. It's a Korean beef dish and, surprisingly enough, it isn't too difficult to make. So I'm going to give you a step by step recipe tutorial. Aren't I such a nice bloke? This recipe was provided by Miky, my wife. I am but a humble servant [who has taken three days to put this post together].

Bulgogi Ingredients for Three People
½ kilo of meat
1 Onion
3-4 Tb spoons soy sauce
2½ Tb spoons sugar
1 Carrot
Dang myeon noodles (당 면)
1 Spring onion
4-5 Mushrooms
Salt
Pepper
2 Tb spoons Sesame oil
3-4 Cloves of garlic
1½ Cups of rice

Salad Ingredients
Salad mix
2 Tomatoes
½ Cucumber
Dollop Salad dressing

Don't forget the onion!!

Bulgogi meat.

Grab your thinly sliced beef from your local friendly Korean butcher. Usually comes frozen in a one kilogram pack. Allow to thaw for a short time. Don't buy the meat with sauce.

Wash rice.

Wash your rice thoroughly to remove all the gluggy excess. It will take about three or four washes until it is clean enough to cook.

Soak the rice.

Soak the rice in one and a half cups of water for an hour or two. Usually your rice cooker will provide you with a water level measurement but, if not, add one cup of water per cup of rice.

Slice your carrots and mushrooms.

If you slice then thinly they will cook much more quickly.

Crush the garlic.

Make it nice and fine as this is part of the marinate for the meat.

Add soy sauce.

Five tablespoons of soy sauce should be just about enough for the marinate.

Add sugar.

Two and a half tablespoons of sugar for the marinate is oodles.

Add pepper.

About half a teaspoon of pepper will be plenty.

Add sesame oil and spring onion.

About a tablespoon of sesame oil and one finely chopped spring onion is all that's required for the marinate.

Mix marinate.

Mix the marinate well or won't work effectively with the meat. Ensure that it is liquid enough to soak into the meat.

Add marinate to meat.

You'll need to mix the meat with the marinate well making sure that the meat isn't frozen anymore. Every 10-15 minutes you need to stir the meat mixture to allow the marinate to do its job well.

Grab some dang myeon noodles (당 면).

You can pick up dang myeon noodles (당 면) from your local, friendly Korean shop. Or you can go to Korea to buy them. Either way it's not too difficult.

Soak the dang myeon noodles (당 면).

The 당 면 need to be soaked for about an hour, if you have the time. The more water they soak up the more flexible they become.

Soak the salad mix.

Soaking the salad cleans the greeblies that you'll get from food stored in the open air in the market. You don't know whose hands have touched it or whether it dropped on the ground. Remember to cook hygienically people.

Slice tomatoes.

Whilst salad is soaking you can slice your tomatoes for the salad.>BR>

Spin the salad mix.

Spin your salad mix to remove excess water.

Spinning the salad mix.

And here we have the act of spinning the salad mix.

Spun salad mix.

Voila! Spun salad mix. Much less expensive than using the washing machine on the spin cycle. Easily powered by one small child.

Slice the cucumber.

Don't forget to slice the cucumber for the salad.

Mix the salad.

Mix the salad but don't add the dressing until the meal is ready to serve. Nothing worse than a flat dressing with a limp salad.

Heat the fry pan.

Heat the fry pan and use a little bit of olive oil.

Fry carrots and meat.

This is the point where you fry the onion first, unless you, like me, have forgotten to include it, until it is lightly brown. Then add the carrots (harder, takes more time to cook) and meat. Stir regularly.

Fry mushrooms.

Add the mushrooms to the pan. They will add lots of flavour [Gee, I'm even starting to think I know what I'm talking about now - getting dangerous].

Fry 당 면.

당 면 can be added to the fry pan early in the peace. It is possible that some extra soy sauce is added to them prior to popping them in the pan - up to your taste.

Serve bulgogi and salad.

Serve your bulgogi, after 10-15 minutes of cooking, and salad (no cooking time required) nicely on the plate. Presentation is everything people, remember that. Then start chomping away.

Clean your plate.

Eat everything on your plate and leave it clean. It is, after all, rather rude to leave food on your plate. And you don't wish to upset the cook.

How To Embrass Yourself In Public And Get Away With It

I received an email newsletter from Essendon Football Club late Friday night. Of course, I didn't notice the date as it was in my inbox early on Saturday morning. The newsletter article stated that "Tonight's practice match against West Coast at Subiaco is a crucial test for the Bombers in the lead up to Round 1". The email came to my inbox at 10:35pm on Friday. So, with good reason I expected that the match would be on Saturday evening.

We had tea and then I had to chase around after the boy who is like an old woman when you want to go somewhere. You have to tell him to go to the toilet, brush his teeth, put some warm clothes on, bring a hat, etc, although not simultaneously. Finally we got out the door and drove to the train station. As we climbed the stairs to the platform I noticed the train coming. My ticket was taken care of but I had to purchase a ticket for the boy. I heard the notification, "Doors closing" just before I grabbed the ticket out of the machine but we managed to get on before they closed on us. Lucky.

It turned out that we were even luckier as we had caught an express train and there were only four stops until we arrived in the city and had to change trains. Some guy even asked me, "Are you going to the footy?" which seemed rather stupid as we had our Essendon gear on. He also wanted to know who was playing.

Didn't have to wait too long and managed to get to the ground a couple of minutes before bouncedown. I was more than a little surprised by the lack of supporters at the ground. Normally for a game between the West Coast Eagles and Essendon there are thousands of crazy people in attendance. And there are usually lots of Essendon supporters also.

Nobody. The ground was deserted. The doors to the stadium at Subiaco Oval were open - not much to stop any would-be terrorists. We walked in to see what was happening. The sprinklers were on and the ground was set up for an upcoming rugby match. And here was the boy and myself kitted up in our club colours all by ourselves. What a prize dill I felt like.

At least we managed to get home on the same train ticket and didn't have to pay twice.

Rabbit - How He Became An It

Well, I must say that Stew was pretty aggressive towards me this morning. It's not a good thing when he stays in the laundry and you have to go by at 2:30 to visit the little boy's room and he feels that you are invading his territory. He charged me and I was taken aback by his aggressiveness.

Later on, whilst I was at work, Miky called to say that the rabbit specialist was unhappy that she hadn't brought him in for his operation - to go from a "he" to an "it". She'd booked it a week ago so don't blame me.

The vet said that he was about six months old and that we would have to pay extra to remove his balls as they were huge. Stew came home a very sorry little rabbit, let me give you the tip. No more "balls 'n all" rugby-style tackles for him, no siree. No more viewing the Nutcracker ballet. He doesn't feel like such a man today. A rabbit with a high-pitched squeak is a bit unusual.

We're only $192.50 out of pocket for the experience!!! "Not expensive", the girl at Pet City said about the desexing.

Miky is so cruel. All the girls at work who've owned rabbits told her to desex him. They are all the same. Women are all the same. Cruel with intent. And she had meatballs for tea. See, nothing fazes her. I'd better watch myself.

Boxhead: The Zombie Wars

Boxhead has been a favourite of Yu-Jin and I for quite some time. Well, it appears that the latest version, Boxhead: The Zombie Wars, is the best yet from Sean T Cooper.

The Game - Boxhead: The Zombie Wars

It's probably not suitable for kids. But it is fun. Top that for a high score, Nick.



Watch the trailer!!

Boxhead: The Zombie Wars - Frugal Bastard's High Score on The Road To Hell level.
Me in the final act of dying on Boxhead: The Zombie Wars.

Football Season Must Be Back

Andrew Symonds is one of those rare breeds of sportsmen that excel at more than one professional sport. He's a pretty decent international cricketer but I didn't know that he was also a footballer. Just take a look at the hip and shoulder he delivered to a spectator who invaded the pitch during the second final against India in the one day series. Classic.

What makes me laugh even more is in the couple of days that it has taken me to get around to writing this that the Telegraph has edited the first photo. There was an extra bit visible on the spectator at first.

I see that "Symonds could face a serious punishment if the International Cricket Council decides that he breached section 4.2 of the player's code of conduct relating to a physical assault of a rival player, an official or a spectator." What a load of garbage! He assisted in making a citizen's arrest, if you wish to look at it from a legal point of view. I find it hard to believe that anyone would sanction his actions in helping to remove a naked pitch invader which is an illegal act on more than one count.

Fremantle Football Club coach Mark Harvey even made mention that he was editing the footage and showing it to his players, so impressive was the bump.

Revenge Of The Rabbit

Not quite sure if you could classify it as revenge but the rabbit had a go at Miky yesterday. She caught him on the sofa where he peed and poohed. I guess that, as a male, he is just marking out his territory. Still, not on my sofa, fella. She gave him a couple of smacks to get him off the sofa. Then he started chasing her. She tried to shoo him away with her hands and then with a towel. Still he kept coming.

And then the revenge came. He peed on her leg. Worse was to come. Yu-Jin had news at school that day and guess what he told the class about? Yes, of course he revealed the story of the rabbit's revenge on his mother to his classmates. And now I'm telling the world this story. And all three people who read my blog.

His nuts are gonna get chopped soon if this behaviour doesn't stop. Now the pet shop assistant said that desexing a male rabbit wasn't very expensive. Which part of $110 isn't expensive, I'd like to know.

Revenge is sweet. But not necessarily so if you are a rabbit.

Quotes From Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler (Translated by Ralph Mannheim)

Don't think that I've become a Nazi or an idoliser of Hitler or anything. A couple of months ago I dropped a friend off at his house and noticed Mein Kampf on his bookshelf. It was a book that I was interested in reading and I asked to borrow it. Well, he provides quite an insight into the rambling, tunnel-visioned megalomaniac that he was. With 20-20 hindsight you could see that he wanted to wipe the Jew from the face of the earth and he had no time for France with its supposed negrification. It is very clearly written what he had plans for.

I wouldn't look at this book as a teaching aide but he did make quite a few interesting points and observations along the way. The man was very determined in what he wanted to achieve. There are many truths that are relevant to this day and considering that the first volume was written in 1925 and the second in 1926 the relevance is remarkable.

I've created a list of quotations that struck me. It's not a mantra though. Some of them are true, some fall short of the mark and others were incorrect. My remarks are in brackets.



A man does not die for something which he himself does not believe in.

Isn’t every deed of genius in this world a visible protest of genius against the inertia of the mass?

Sooner will a camel pass through a needle’s eye than a great me be “discovered” by an election. [Hitler had little time for politicians.]

The world is not for cowardly peoples. [He thought that you must fight for your existence.]

If the struggle for a philosophy is not led by heroes prepared to make sacrifices, there will, in a short time, cease to be any warriors willing to die. [This can be administered to any faith in the world.]

The man who is fighting for his own existence cannot have much left for the community.

The greatest revolutions in this world have never been directed by a goose-quill! [Hitler's belief was that people listened to great speakers and were motivated by them and never by great writers.]

To change a thing means to recognise it first. [Poignant.]

The aim of studying history is not to forget its lessons when the occasion arises for its practical application, or to decide that the present situation is different after all, and that therefore its old eternal truths are no longer applicable; no, the purpose of studying history is precisely its lesson for the present.

Peoples who can sneak their way into the rest of mankind like drones, to make other men work for them under all sorts of pretexts, can form states even without any definitely delimited living space of their own.

… The preservation of the existence of the species presupposes a spirit of sacrifice in the individual. [You could relate this to trade unions, community groups, etc.]

The urge to preserve the species is the first cause for the formation of human communities; thus the state is a national organism and not an economic organisation.

A man does not die for business, but only for ideals.

Enthusiasm once scotched cannot be reawakened at will. [How true. If you take away someone's enthusiasm don't expect it to return when you want it to.]

Any philosophy, whether of a religious or political nature – and sometimes the dividing line is hard to determine – fights less for the negative destruction of the opposing ideology than for the positive promotion of its own.

Care should be taken not to regard the masses as stupider than they are.

Any attempt to combat a philosophy with methods of violence will fail in the end, unless the fight takes the form of attack for a new spiritual value.

Good care should be taken not to deny things that just happen to be true. [Truthful, for sure.]

Generations of rabble without honour deserve no freedom.

Where the destiny and existence of a people are at stake, all obligation towards beauty ceases.

Even propaganda is no more than a weapon, though a frightful one in the hand of an expert.

The function of propaganda is, for example, not to weigh and ponder the rights of different people, but exclusively to emphasise the one right which it has set out to argue for.

The broad mass of a nation does not consist of diplomats, or even professors of political law, or even individuals capable of forming a rational opinion; it consists of plain morals, wavering and inclined to doubt and uncertainty.

All advertising, whether in the field of business or politics, achieves success through the continuity and sustained uniformity of its application. [Look at advertising today in the media and realise how true this is.]

Though human though can apprehend truths and set up crystal-clear aims, complete fulfilment will fail due to the general imperfection and inadequacy of man.

From a certain vanity, which is always a cause of stupidity, the great mass of politicians will keep far removed from all weighty plans for the future, in order not to lose the momentary sympathy of the great mob. [I can agree with this observation as politicians, on the whole, seem only interested in popularity and not doing what is necessary.]

(On forward-thinking politicians) Great men are only the marathon runners of history; the laurel wreath of the present only touches the brow of the dying hero.

A man who is prepared to stand up for a cause will never and can never be a sneak or a spineless lickspittle. Anyone who is really serious about the preservation and furtherance of an institution will cling to it with the last fibre of his heard and will not be able to abandon it if evils of some sort appear in the institution.

Cringers and lickspittles do not let themselves be knocked dead for their master.

Today, when the ballot of the masses decides, the chief weight lies with the most numerous group, and this is the fist: the mob of the simple or credulous.

In the uniformity and constant repetition of instruction lies tremendous power. [Brainwashing still holds its relevance.]

For an institution which is no longer resolved to defend itself with all weapon has practical purposes abdicated. [If you can't fight for something it's not worth fighting for.]

The vices of the parents are revealed in the sickness of the children. [True.]

In all cases where the fulfilment of apparently impossible demands or tasks is involved, the whole attention of a people must be focussed and concentrated on this one question, or though life and death actually depended on its solution.

The great mass of the people cannot see the whole road ahead of them without growing weary and despairing of the task.

The right of personal freedom recedes before the duty to preserve the race. [Can't agree with this quotation but you can see where he was headed with regards to the Aryan race.]

Prostitution is a disgrace to humanity, but it cannot be eliminated by moral lectures, pious intentions, etc; its limitation and final abolition presuppose the elimination of innumerable preconditions. The first is and remains the creation of an opportunity with human nature – particularly for the man, as the woman in any case is only the passive part. [Try telling a woman today that she's only plays a passive role in life - she'll probably hit you.]

There is no freedom to sin at the cost of posterity and hence of the race. [Another quote aimed at racial purity which is not so agreeable.]

If the power to fight for one’s own health is no longer present, the right to live in this world of struggle ends.

It is the business of the state, in other words, of its leaders, to prevent a people from being driven into the arms of spiritual madness. [True, to some extent.]

The meaning and purpose of revolutions is not to tear down the whole building, but to remove what is bad or unsuitable and to continue building on the sound spot that has been laid base.

It was better to be a little old-fashioned, but honest and loyal, than enlightened and modern, but of inferior character and, as is often seen today, ignorant and incompetent. [Can agree with this one.]

There are some truths which are so obvious that for this very reason they are not seen or at least recognised by ordinary people.

Struggle is always a means for improving a species’ health and power of resistance, and therefore a cause of its higher development. [Think of our kids today. They have everything that they want and do not have to struggle for it. I don't think that they will be better people because of it. You must have struggle to appreciate that which you have.]

The fall of man in paradise has always been followed by his expulsion. [Hitler had some deep Christian views.]

In the monotony of everyday life even significant men often seem insignificant, hardly rising above the average of their environment; as soon, however, as they are approached by a situation in which other lose hope or go astray, the genius rises manifestly from the inconspicuous average child, not seldom to the amazement of all those who had hitherto seen him in the pettiness of bourgeois life – and that is why the prophet seldom has any honour in his own country.

The spark of genius exists in the brain of the truly creative man from the hour of his birth. True genius is always inborn and never cultivated, let alone learned.

A man can change his language without any trouble – that is, he can use another language; but in his new language he will express the old ideas; his inner nature is not changed.

After the death of his victim, the vampire sooner or later dies too.

Give a coward ten pistols and if attacked he will not be able to fire a single shot.

Faith is harder to shake than knowledge, love succumbs less to change than respect, hate is more enduring than aversion, and the impetus to the mightiest upheavals on this earth has at all times consisted less in a scientific knowledge dominating the masses than in a fanaticism which inspired them and sometimes in a hysteria which drove them forward. [True.]

If propaganda renounces primitiveness of expression, it does not find its way to the feeling of the broad masses.

Propaganda must be adjusted to the broad masses in content and in form, and its soundness is to be measure exclusively by its effective result.

In a mass meeting of all classes it is not that speaker who is mentally closest to the intellectuals present who speaks best, but the one who conquers the heart of the masses.

Germanic democracy: the leader is elected but then enjoys unconditional authority. [Don't think that there would be too many people that would agree with this statement.]

Any man who wants to be leader bears, along with the highest unlimited authority, not only within its own ranks, but for an entire state. Anyone who is not equal to this or is too cowardly to bear the consequences of his acts is not fit to be leader; only the hero is cut out for this. [And Hitler thought of himself in this regard?]

As worthless as an army in all its organisational forms is without officers, equally worthless is a political organisation without suitable leader.

The future of a movement is conditioned by the fanaticism, yes, the intolerance, with which its adherents uphold it as the sole correct movement, and push it past other formations of a similar sort. [You'll never get anywhere if you don't fight for what you believe in. The Jews have this trait and Hitler, although he loathed the Jew, seemed to admire them in their fight for their beliefs and ideals.]

The greatness of every might organisation embodying an idea in this world lies in the religious fanaticism and intolerance with which, fanatically convinced of its own right, it intolerantly imposes its will against all others. If an idea in itself is sound and, thus armed, takes up a struggle on this earth, it is unconquerable and every persecution will only add to its inner strength.

Terror is not broken by the mind, but by terror. [How prophetic. Methinks of USA vs Iraq today.]

Anyone in this world who does not succeed in being hated by his adversaries does not seem to me to be worth much as a friend. [Relate this to the political sphere - if you don't hate your opponent how can you have respect for them?]

A people of scholars, if they are physically degenerate, weak-willed and cowardly pacifists, will not storm the heavens, indeed they will not even be able to safeguard their existence on this earth.

A decayed body is not made the least more aesthetic by a brilliant mind.

Anyone who demands of Fate a guarantee of success automatically renounces all idea of a heroic deed. [Those that look for someone else to do the hard work and deliver their wants doesn't deserve to achieve anything.]

It is no longer a disgrace to be an honest manual worker, but it is a disgrace to be an incompetent official, stealing the daylight from his master and daily bread from honest people. Then it will be taken for granted that a man will not be allotted tasks to which he is not equal to begin with.

It is not the mass that invents and not the majority that organises or thinks, but in all things only and always the individual man, the person.

Political parties are inclined to compromises; philosophies never. [True.]

The strength of a political party lies by no means in the greater possible independent intellect of the individual members, but rather in the disciplined obedience with which its members follow the intellectual leadership.

Really great historical changes are not induced by the written word, but at most accompanied by it.

I must not measure the speech of a statesman to his people by the impression which it leaves in a university professor but by the effect it exerts on the people. And this alone gives the standard for the speaker’s genius.

Just as a courageous man can more easily conquer women’s hearts than a coward, a heroic movement will sooner win the heart of a people than a cowardly one which is kept alive only by police protection.

The first foundation for the creation of authority is always provided by popularity. But an authority which rests solely on this foundation is still extremely weak, uncertain, and shaky. Every bearer of such an authority based purely on popularity must, therefore, endeavour to improve and secure the foundation of this authority by the creation of power. In power, therefore, in force, we see the second foundation of all authority. It is already considerably more stable and secure, but by no means always stronger than the first. If popularity and force are combined, and if in common they are able to survive for a certain time, an authority on an even firmer basis can arise, the authority of tradition. If finally, popularity, force, and tradition combine, an authority may be regarded as unshakeable.

Times when a nation is rising are distinguished in fact exist only, by the absolute leadership of the extreme best part.
Times of a normal, even development or of a stable state of affairs are distinguished and exist by the obvious domination of the elements of the middle (class), in which the two extremes mutually balance one another, or cancel one another.
Times when a nation is collapsing are determined by the dominant activity of the worst elements. [Relate this to Germany's downfall in 1945 and what do you see?]

If you want to hold weak, wavering or actually cowardly fellows to their duty, there has at all times been only one possibility: the deserter must know that his desertion brings with it the very thing that he wants to escape. At the front a man can die, as a deserter he must die. Only by such a Draconic threat against any attempt at desertion can a deterring effect be obtained, not only for the individual, but for the whole army.

The lack of a great, creative, renewing idea means at all times a limitation of fighting force. Firm belief in the right to apply even the most brutal weapons is always bound up with the existence of a fanatical faith in the necessity of the victory of a revolutionary new order on this earth.
A movement that is not fighting for such highest aims and ideals will, therefore, never seize upon the ultimate weapon.

In an hour when a national body is visibly collapsing and to all appearances is exposed to the gravest oppression, thanks to the activity of a few scoundrels, obedience and fulfilment of duty towards them amount to doctrinaire formalism, in fact pure insanity, if the refusal of obedience and “fulfilment” of duty would make possible the salvation of a people from its ruin.

State power can only guarantee law and order when the content of the state coincides with the philosophy dominant at that particular time, so that violent elements possess only the character of individual criminal natures, and are not regarded as proponents of an idea in extreme opposition to the state views.

The aim of secret organisations can only be illegal. [And this meant what exactly in relation to the SS, the Gestapo and the SA?]

Anyone who disregards consequences resulting from undeniable facts cannot help but remain behind the times.

It would be absolutely mistaken to regard a wealth of theoretical knowledge as characteristic proof for the qualities and abilities of a leader.

The function of propaganda is to attract supporters, the function of organisation to win members.

A supporter of a movement is one who declares himself to be in agreement with its aims, a member is one who fights for them. [True.]

Being a supporter is rooted only in understanding, membership is the courage personally to advocate and disseminate what has been understood.

Understanding in its passive form corresponds to the majority of mankind which is lazy and cowardly. Membership requires an activistic frame of mind and thus corresponds only to the minority of men. [This makes sense.]

If a man believes he can enter into profitable connections with parasites, he is like a tree trying to conclude for its own profit an agreement with mistletoe.

Considered from the purely military angle, the relations would be simply catastrophic in case of war between Germany and Russia and Western Europe, and probably against all the rest of the world. The struggle would take place, not on Russian, but on German soil, and Germany would not be able to obtain the least effective support from Russia. [Well, take a look at history and what did we learn?]

Peoples are not freed by doing nothing, but by sacrifices. [True.]

Hitler's Mein Kampf