Barry Manilow as a Repellant

Time for a little catching up after Blogger was down for the best part of two days.

Australia's Sunday Times reported Monday that the Rockdale Council in Sydney is trying a new approach to deal with a problem in their community. Here's how they describe it:

FED up with hoons gathering in local car parks, a council has resolved to drown out the "doof doof" and revving by piping daggy music over a loudspeaker.

This is another case of two countries being separated by a common language. "Hoons" would be... ruffians, I suppose. And Barry Manilow is the epitome of "daggy" music. OK.

Councillor Bill Saravinovski said that from about 10pm every Saturday and Sunday, up to 100 "hoons" gathered in the carpark to rev their engines and compare their hotted-up cars.

"There are restaurants nearby and people can't park in the car park because they're intimidated by these hoons," Mr Saravinovski said.

The hoons can expect to hear Manilow classics such as Copacabana, Mandy, I Write The Songs, Can't Smile Without You and Looks Like We Made It.

"We're hoping it works. These people don't show any respect for the law."

The council also planned to lay speed humps and wheel stops in the carpark to deter hoons from doing burnouts.

I love foreign languages!

But I have to say that even I, in my non-hoonness, would make a quick getaway from Barry Manilow music. Here's hoping it works out for them.