World Youth Day, the rip offs, the nut jobs and the rain.

So it begins!

The Ray Martin Ad for World Youth Day is awesome. Ray solemly stands, one hand in the trouser pocket the other in a loose fist looking very smug while in the Botanic Gardens with the Opera House in the background, just so we all know where is he and what State he’s talking about informing us all, we Sydney siders that more people will attend the World Youth Day than the Sydney Olympics. The Jinx Crew were left to wonder: 

A. How Ray can control himself from not screaming hysterically “RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!” with his eyes bulging and sweat rolling down his brow is unknowable. Maybe smug over rides fear?

B. Why wasn’t Ray holding a koala bear? 

C. Wearing a Mary MacKilop t-shirt with the words “Heaven Sent”

D. Wearing a Mary MacKilop t-shirt while holding a koala bear and turning a snag on the barbie? 

E. How do can you learn to stand like Ray with that smug look on your face?

Yet the real earth shaking news was the Catholic Church opening it’s cash cow merchandise centre across the road from St Mary’s in Hyde Park. It was so heart warming to hear Cardinal Pell tell the media at the opening that “there was nothing immoral about commercialism“. The Jinx Crew is fairly sure there is something in the Bible about Jesus pushing over a money changing table close to the Temple but that could have been because they were out of “I Love Jesus” pins, the Bible was a little vague on the details.

 

World Youth Day 08 Merchandise Centre

The array of items on offer emblazoned with WYD08 is mind boggling and the overwhelming theme is how bad some of the stuff is. The cost of pins is from $10 to $20. There are “I Love Jesus” pins, “I Witness”, “Journey of the Cross”. There are spoons with B16 on the end and the consumer is informed that the spoon is NOT A COOKING UTENSIL if your willing to part with $15 you can get that spoon.

T-shirts as far as the eye can see, Rugby Jersey’s, Baseball Caps, Stuffed Koala Bears, Boomerangs, Rosary Beads and Hoodies. All are grossly over valued and proudly made in China. The tent and colours used are very much like those used during the Olympics and the cost of merchandise is in the same range. The upside to all this is within a very small space the Jinx Crew met an American, German and Mexican. Finally, we are getting to met the world we just all wish the pilgrims were a little hotter and won’t all wearing huge crucifix’s. The dead staring eyes of Jesus is a passion killer.

One thing not getting allot of attention at this stage is the new statue of JP II outside of St Mary’s. An interesting aspect of the statue is JP II is he’s shoeless. Strange none of the Jinx Crew could remember JP II getting around without his little white leather shoes or for that matter carrying Palm Leaves around the Vatican or around the World. Nor do we remember JP II been that golden all over.

 

New Statue outside St Mary

Like all Sydney Events of recent history the State Government have rushed through new laws, giving the Police and Federal Police new powers. Bewared, if your considered annoying you’ll end up prison. No word of a lie. Wearing an offensive t-shirt. You’re GONE! Telling people in a public place you’re Gay and the Catholic Church is wrong to tuff you out. Your GONE! Dressed like Pope Alice. You’re GONE!

The State Labour Government tried to suggest that the new laws had nothing to do with World Youth Day it was just a coincidence the law would be active during the same period. Also the State Government doesn’t want anyone to know how much World Youth Day is going to cost the taxpayers of NSW. Why? Well, everyone in the Jinx Crew is waiting to see if it’s $20 Million or closer to $50 MIllion whatever the cost it will be too much and the NSW taxpayers should not be footing the bill.

To make everyone feel at ease the NSW Police have started calling groups who have signaled on websites or through other media they would be protesting or having their own events close to Hyde Park or Randwick. Most of these groups are Gay or/and Lesbians protesting over the homophobic attitudes of the Catholic Church. The Jinx Crew favorite is Pope Alice, who looks allot like a alien sex toy with an African headdress who will be tele-porting door in her bright white Pope stylin’ robes during the “Get Frocked” Party at Darlinghurst. We are all eagerly awaiting the “out there” groups to emerge. We’re all wondered if the “Jesus is an Alien” will return or is he still on the Mothership in the Milky Way. How we miss seeing him standing on the side of the road holding his poorly written signs wearing his foil hat. Good times, good times.   

The Police started to call these groups wanting to know what they were doing and when. Strangely these groups didn’t take too kindly to these calls. WOW, who would have thought?! Nice to see the NSW Police doing such an expert role of sleuthing. Maybe the US should get the NSW Police to call Osama’s on his last known mobile number just to find out what the hell he’s been up to recently.

The downside for the organizers of World Youth Day is the high likelyhood of rain. We within the Jinx Crew never understood why this event was going to be held in the middle of Winter. The other thing is the weather is also hampering efforts to complete the set ups at Randwick Race Course. Work is now going on around the clock. We’re all sure the local residents love hearing power drills going at 3 am in the morning.

The award for poor organizing has to go to the Angolan Catholic bishop and 50 African pilgrims. The Bishop Kanda and fifty pilgrims arranged to come to South Australia for celebrations leading up to World Youth Day, they did not realise Adelaide wasn’t a suburb of Sydney. They believed their onward journey to Adelaide would be a formality not a ten hour trip on a bus over a distance of 2500 kms.

Their plight sparked a nationwide call and thankfully several generous benefactors came forward to provide the funds for the trip to Adelaide.