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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Aug 25, 2012 11:08:03 GMT 10
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Aug 25, 2012 13:35:35 GMT 10
This site's a good chuckle mrparallel.wordpress.com/about/From the about: My current research has me looking through microfilmed tabloid newspapers of the 1930s. My progress is greatly impeded by my inability to scroll past unrelated “human interest” stories, most of them tiny nightmares like something out of Nathanael West’s Miss Lonelyhearts (which you should read immediately if you haven’t already). Anyway, I’ve started this blog as a place to warehouse these spectral and transient tragedies.I found it when following-up a "stuff you missed in history class", and it's awesome. He scans and categorises horrible newspaper clippings from old tabloids. And he goes a lot further back than the 80's30's - the story I was after was from the 1880's. A snippet of how folks used to see the world. Wow. I came across a whole category of racial prejudice that I didn't even know _existed_. |
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Aug 25, 2012 16:16:36 GMT 10
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Post by angra on Aug 25, 2012 17:21:08 GMT 10
Did you notice Abbott's explanation when challenged by Sales about calling asylum seekers "illegal"? His reply was that as most of them are only after permanent residency, they are not asylum seekers at all, but economic migrants arriving by irregular means therefore trying to 'jump the queue'. So is quite OK to call them illegal, conveniently sidestepping our obligations under UN treaties. In actual fact the percentage of boat-arrivals processed and granted protection visas ranges from between 70% to 91%, depending on where they were picked up and their country of origin. A good paper which cuts through some of the nonsense peddled by the right can be found here - www.aph.gov.au/binaries/library/pubs/bn/sp/asylumfacts.pdfAbbott really was caught unprepared and fell back on the old prejudices, irrespective of the actual facts. And this is the man that 'would do anything to become PM, apart from selling his arse.' (Windsor) I think he already has. |
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Aug 25, 2012 18:24:34 GMT 10
I don't think anyone ever actually "sells" their arse. The most common sort of transaction, or so I have heard, involves a sort of informal, short-term rental.
Now ... does ANYONE understand what the heck is going on with lance armstrong?
I think I can see why he wouldn't bother fighting the charges if he doesn't think he's in with a good chance. He's got the money. It's not going to change what anyone thinks (at least, not for the better - whereas losing the dispute resoundingly might do some damage). Bottom line - he still won the races, and not just once. Why bother? Guilty or innocent - just take the cash and the accolades and move on with life. If anyone wants to have a go, just challenge them to a bike race.
On the other hand ... do sport-followers think the USADA is actually onto something? I, for one, have no idea. I mostly don't even care - I'm just surprised that they'd try it on with so little physical evidence, when there's been so much testing and evidence collected.
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Post by angra on Aug 25, 2012 19:08:56 GMT 10
MoC - I don't think we'll ever get to to the truth of the Armstrong saga. There seems to be something of a blood feud going on for some time between the USADA and Armstrong. He says' he's passed every test' - but that's the thing about such tests - the cheaters always seem to one step ahead of the testers. So the USADA has fallen back on colleagues' testimony. But what are their motives, and could this be tested in court, or is it hearsay?
Like you I don't really care. But it's sad that this has come to dominate the career of a man who has faced so many challenges and has great achievements. But it seems to be a pattern in international top-level sports.
Maybe de Coubertin was on to something when he decreed that high-level sport should be a fair and equal competition between amateurs.
BTW, Coubertin won the gold medal for literature at the 1912 Summer Olympics for his poem Ode to Sport. Those were the days. Olympic Poetry!
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Aug 25, 2012 20:24:12 GMT 10
"Maybe de Coubertin was on to something when he decreed that high-level sport should be a fair and equal competition between amateurs"
Either that, or just take the bars off and let everyone have access to the same drugs. Behold an era of super-sportspeople who all keel over at 50 from heart complications or get roid rage and bite each other's ears off.
"by the time the next election comes round, there will be a positive attitude to the NBN"
I think there already is a positive attitude. It actually is a popular policy, despite the shrieking about the cost - which is (from memory), even at its most unbelievably ridiculous outer estimates, less than 2 years' defence budget (the difference being that the NBN will actually _earn_ money). And when it rolls past their houses, bolta's droogs will all be switching over just as fast as they can.
Get enough people connected between now and the election and the only question most people will be asking is "how soon do I get it?". If NBN co wanted to be REALLY devious, they'd start conspicuously driving their survey vans around in key marginal seats. If anyone asks (particularly journalists) just say "look, we're really not allowed to say anything specific, but today we're just inspecting the conduits to see how soon we can get started". Let a suburb know they're about to get connected and they're not going to be smiling fondly on somebody who's threatening to pull the plug just as it looks like they're going to benefit. I think that alone could swing a vote. Probably lots of votes.
In any case, if the libs tried to roll back the separation agreements and push for FTTN, the outcry from the ISP industry would be something to behold. Only one company would benefit from that, and not even their customers actually will be better off.
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Aug 25, 2012 20:58:56 GMT 10
I'm about to settle in with the first season of Magnum PI. I hope it's as good as I remember ...
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Aug 26, 2012 11:01:32 GMT 10
Um... vampires? From the front page item for this: www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-26/first-man-on-moon-neil-armstrong-dead-at-82/4223190The first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong, has died at the age of 82 after undergoing heart-bypass surgery earlier this month.
As commander of the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969.
As he stepped on the moon's dusty surface, he said: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."
Follow our live blog for the latest as the world reacts to Armstrong's death.I don't think I'll do that. I know how I feel about it, and that's all that matters to me. It's not a political subject - it's just about a crazy-brave pilot who was mad enough to wrap himself in an airtight suit, bolt a gold-fish bowl over his head and go stand on another world. Hats off to the guy. He genuinely will be remembered, even if the mr gorski story was too good to be true. This isn't a tragedy - he lived a good life, and we all go sometime. But surely his death isn't a developing story? No disrespect to the ABC, they're just the example I happen to be pointing at. But does anyone else find this sort of "reality tv" coverage of a solemn event slightly ... odd? I'm also starting to have the wrong response to these "famous person that boomers remember died today" stories. I'm starting to chuckle at them. I just don't understand why one of the beegees popping his clogs is front-page news. I'm not sure why I'm supposed to care. Will we hear about it when the drummer from transvision vamp keels over? |
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Aug 26, 2012 11:12:42 GMT 10
This ecce homo restoration thing ... www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19349921Yes, it's a pity, but the owners apparently didn't care when it was rotting in its frame - it wasn't even newsworthy when it was merely being destroyed by moisture. My first thought when I saw it was "it looks more spanish now". I mean ... have people SEEN spanish art? Here's a random sampling: www.google.com.au/search?q=spanish+art&tbm=ischMaybe it's just fine the way it is. |
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Aug 26, 2012 15:21:13 GMT 10
Just watching last night's "how to build" on SBS. Wow. It's very cool. It's basically a puff piece for mcclaren and their MP4-12C, but it's great to watch a car being built. I can't help feeling a bit chuffed for the girl who shows them around a bit - she's 19, I think she's a mechanic, and she's just started an apprenticeship at mcclaren. That's a pretty good start to a career :-) It'll be on demand for a couple of weeks. I think it's also on youtube. www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/2271309226/How-To-Build-A-Super-CarIt seems that the rumors about ron dennis might be true. One of the guys on Gareth Jones once repeated a rumor that the soap dispensers in the loos are electric-powered with little hand-sensors. After they've dispense the regulation quantity of soap, the motors reverse by one revolution so that the soap doesn't ever drip. After seeing that building ... I think that's plausible. |
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Post by jack on Aug 26, 2012 18:06:41 GMT 10
Well, Andy's saying Atkins should on precedent be dumped from Insiders, not actually sacked from his day job.
I suppose it would depend on whether Atkins a) admitted the error, b) exhibited some compunction, and c) wasn't deemed to be intractable in wanting to propagate contentious material as fact.
It's amusing that Andy now concedes Milne's gross error, but was at the time outraged that Milne had been shafted for pursuing the trooooth.
Of course the point of his post obviously is to exploit the "love media" meme, always a hit with his fans.
And I see his scoop regarding The Cheque has come to nought. A pity, because it seemed something he might have scooped himself, as opposed to his usual cheering from the sidelines. I'd have been interested to hear his explanation about the provenance of the document and his apparent knowledge about its purpose.
Still, his last three "questions for Gillard" on that matter still merit attention (though they're more appropriately questions for S&G).
- If Gillard did not see this cheque, who in Slater & Gordon did?
- Did they note the source of the funds?
- What steps did they then take to alert the AWU, police or regulatory authorities?
Perhaps he could get off his arse and make some inquiries. But then, since Target Gillard is off the hook on this count, why bother, eh? It's only union members' hard-earned, after all.
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Aug 26, 2012 18:33:57 GMT 10
At the risk of polluting the "new subject" thread with brucer talk ... - If Gillard did not see this cheque, who in Slater & Gordon did?
- Did they note the source of the funds?
- What steps did they then take to alert the AWU, police or regulatory authorities? All good questions, and questions that (probably) nobody will ever know the answer to, because it's all covered by legal privilege. So in the absence of a police investigation, it's just hypothetical. It should just be pointed out, though, that as owners of the said association, the money in that account did actually belong to the people involved in the transaction ... so what would S&G actually _tell_ the police? Buying a house with one's own money is not generally considered a reportable offense. I've been pondering doing a timeline of this conspiracy theory, and the way certain pundits changed their angle as their various bits of "evidence" was debunked. But that would mean going on about it. Now ... back to changing the subject: NPR Congressional Correspondent Andrea Seabrook left NPR recently, citing frustration with the daily grind of covering politicians who "lie" to her face, all day, every day. Seabrook is starting a new project called DecodeDC, where she hopes she can blog and podcast her way to some deeper truths about Washington. Bob does an exit interview with Seabrook to discuss why political reporting is broken, and what might be done to fix it www.onthemedia.org/2012/aug/24/and-im-not-going-take-it-anymore/?utm_source=local&utm_media=treatment&utm_campaign=daMost&utm_content=damostviewedLast week, Bob spoke with former Onion headline writer Joe Garden about the phenomenon of real headlines that sound like Onion headlines. In the interview, Bob asked you all to send us some you find in the media wild. We've gotten some great entries. Entries like these ... www.onthemedia.org/blogs/on-the-media/2012/aug/09/lets-make/ |
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Post by jack on Aug 26, 2012 20:11:17 GMT 10
Oops... My apologies with my previous, I thought I was replying on the GBS thread. (Memo self: Priority eye test.) Anyway, it was interesting to see Pihillip Adams has fallen foul of APC for omitting to mention a particular fact or facts. I mean, as opposed to actually making them up. www.theaustralian.com.au/media/traitor-article-failed-to-include-key-fact/story-e6frg996-1226457718186PA might have been forgiven for ventilating about the totalitarian nanny state. But in the event he merely tweeted something about an "asinine judgement". Only a Lefty would be so sanguine about Teh Thought Police. |
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Aug 28, 2012 9:00:05 GMT 10
Ah, cory .... www.corybernardi.com/2012/08/family-vs-state.htmlI actually agree with his basic point - that a public reaction to horror stories of kids being left in cars to go play the pokies (or drink, or do some other sort of less-wholesome activity) might have led to some simplistic laws that leave the police without a lot of options. But I don't think the subject is served well by half-stories: Consider this week the case of the public servant who was arrested for leaving his nine-year-old at home alone playing video games for half an hour. He faces a possible three year jail term. Three years is the maximum. It's not an automatic sentence. But let's look at the claim which, as far as I can tell, is only being reported in the australian ... www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/man-charged-over-home-alone-son/story-e6frg6nf-1226451288094The man was photographed, fingerprinted and charged with the criminal offence after leaving his son alone at home, playing electronic games, for half an hour at 8.30pm on May 12.
The high-ranking public servant is fighting the charge and, in a complaint sent to Queensland's Police Commissioner, has accused the police of "inappropriate conduct".
It is alleged police officers picked up his son as he walked from home to meet his dad at a restaurant 150m away. So what REALLY happened is that the police found a 9 year old walking along the street some time after 8:30 PM. Now, I don't know exactly where in queensland this was, but in Cairns in May the sun sets just before 6PM. So actually the police are responding to a 9 year old they picked up on the street, alone, well after dark. Should this lead to a criminal charge? Well ... I'd have to speculate on other possible aspects of the case which I have no way of knowing. I see that cory doesn't propose any compromises or solutions. The problem I think the police face is that they're worried about potential harm, which is always contestable. But if they're restricted to considering only _actual_ harm then it is, by definition, a bit late. And thus, judgement (and selective reporting after the fact .... half an hour, really?) will always be an issue. The trouble with this line of attack is that it creates political pressure for law enforcement to look the other way. And then it's just a matter of time before they get attacked from the other direction for an outcome they "should have seen coming" |
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