Yes, folks, this is the hundredth Saturday Salon thread.
(An open thread where, at your weekend leisure, you can discuss anything you like.)
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Cazart! Happy ton,all.
Townsville Rorts
You know I really feel sorry for those nieve loonies in the ALP Left when fat lazy bores like the AWU’s David “Piggy” Mather are able to squander ratepayers’ funds on their own promotion when he is also a candidate in the ballot for ALP State Conference delegates.
Is it conscionable for the Mooney PR machine and the over-paid Dolan Hayes, Tony Wode, Todd Barr etc., to permit these types of despicable self-promotion? What a rort!
Responsible use of ratepayers’ funds? Don’t bother it’s a rhetorical question!
No wonder the Townsville City Council gets a one star rating!
Glossy 4 page newsletter (?) distributed in Mundingburra during State Conference delegate ballot period on 16 May 2007.
Never mind about amalgamation, what about accountability?
Bruce Over at the Garage
Bruce, what are you yabbering about?
Hello. This following attempt to link is a test to see if I’m linking correctly:
link
Rodney Croome’s gay advocate blog brought a newspaper article to my
attention that was all about the history of gay characters on
Television. You can read the article here:
link
The article mentions an important time in the late 1990s for gay characters in which “The successful sitcom made gay characters more acceptable and accessible. No longer were they just the comic relief, the victim, or the bad guy; they were allowed to have light and shade.”
Yet it was in the early 1990s that I had my first experience of seeing a gay character on TV. This was a time when gay characters were far less acceptable and accessible, yet I happened to be watching this one episode of a sitcom called “Wings” I never even regularly watched.
Abraham Benrubi made a guest appearance as the gay son of Roy (David Schramm). This meant the gay character was a young bear (big guy), with Benrubi having also played a young Dan Connor in a Halloween flashback on “Roseanne” about the same time as the Wings appearance.
My experience of coming to terms with my own sexuality was a very lonely one, a contrast to the experience of Benrubi’s character, so this highly unusual episode of an unfamiliar comedy series I just happened to catch one day when I was 14 or 15 years old was effectively the first time a feeling of isolation was replaced by a feeling of hope.
I remember feeling a loss when I tuned in to Wings the next week to find the gay character wasn’t in it. Benrubi’s character presented enough light and shade in a way that he seemed real and believable to me in an instant, despite that my own experience until then had felt like all shade and no light.
The following is a newsgroup article I wrote in 2005, addressing related themes:
link
…From Justin
Looks like I may have try once more to give you that link about the history of gay characters on Television, in regards to the article above.
link“
Oh well, it looks like at least one Beluchistan columnist has decided on studying a curriculum different to that dished up by the rag’s Pundit Masterclass. Matt Price, after apparently having been given a severe belting by the reality bullies, mentions the unmentionable: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21755954-12854,00.html
Oh really? Pray, do continue:
Meanwhile Paul Kelly, this week writing under the pseudonym “George Megalogenis”, serves up another turgid analysis of flyblown chicken entrails http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21755953-7583,00.html . The evidence of superior intelligence is all there: “existential dread”, “matrix”, “structural adjustment”, “obvious contradictions.”
Musn’t forget Shazza’s Famous Tea-leaf Readings: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21756389-17301,00.html
Cossie PM? Well that’s certainly likely to put the punters minds at ease. As if he’s going to stick around for more than two seconds if they lose and the rest of the them won’t be going each other like a pack of starving dogs fighting over a dead wombat.
But really, the true quality of the paper’s analytical arsenal is only fully revealed via Christopher Pearson who declares that Labor will lose because Gillard and Combet are communist stooges and the ABC showed Bastard Boys last week. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21755274-7583,00.html
Go figure.
Cripes!
Seeing the Howard Government has now become the number two advertisement creator in Australia, how long would it take to raise money to counter one of their ads?
More correctly, the abuse of taxpayers funds to help the Liberal party has made the Howard Government the second biggest creator of ads in Australia but thankfully some of the propaganda is being opposed by generous people.
What happened to the last person who refused to lie for the Howard Government.
Difference of viewpoint.
“If you are in trouble anywhere in the world, an airplane can fly over and drop flowers, but a helicopter can land and save your life.” — Igor Sikorsky, 1947
“However, a helicopter having the inherent aerodynamic quality of an anvil, some of its incredibly busy vital parts will eventually fly off, and uncompromising gravity will take over from there. Then an airplane can fly over and drop flowers.” — W Zeckendorf, 2002
“Building Nuclear Power stations in Australia, the land of solar abundance, is like giving a healthy person triple heart bypass surgery simply because the operation is technically interesting and because a healthy person has excellent recovery prospects.” – WPB, 2007
Get off it BilB. Everybody knows that planes blow goats.
Yes, CK, I thought Pricey might be the first HFG to withdraw the straw.
LP (and some other blogs and bloggers) got a nice write-up in today’s Age.
Anthony, what does “planes blow goats” mean?
And Malcom Farr is upset at Mcleod’s Daughters for going Left
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,21753234-5005368,00.html
Bruce Over at the Garage, I get the impression that the Townsville City Council, or someone associated with it, did something to annoy you.
If you would describe what happened and why you disapprove, in a logical sequence of grammatically correct sentences, we might be able to understand your point.
This or this could assist you.
Justin, thanks for the link. For those of us who are much older than you, it’s funny to hear that in the early 90s you thought there weren’t many gay characters around. Gay Liberation was already 20 years old by then!
It’s hilarious isn’t it Frank? I imagine Jokin’ Joe’s been on the blower to the poohbahs at PBL fulminating that he should be given equal time to dress up in a The Law Formerly Known As Work Choices outfit, and bust into the workshop declaring “Mr Employer, you can’t do that! Ours system is all about fairness!”
To which Mr E replies “Listen mate, I don’t know who you are but my lawyers have been through this with a fine-tooth comb and they say it’s watertight. Why don’t you just piss off?”
Yep, It is rather ironic that the Packer Propagandists have taken this line of attack – especially after toadying with Howard over the GST.
I believe one of the main writers on Mcleod’s Daughters is former Suburban Boy Dave Warner – a well known leftie
Oh and speaking of Stoushes Christine, have you been following the Stoush between McGinty & The West – about time someone got stuck into that pile of crap which makes the Beluchistan Bugle seem objective
I’ve been following it very closely Frank. How did Teh Waste report it?
Teh Waste have gone on the attack and bringing in Paul Murray to do a hatchet job on Carpenter by accusing him of being a Clandestine AKP Member when Carps was at the ABC.
Also the letters pages published more pro West than anti letters, of which one supporting The West was frm Piers Akkerman of all people. Plus they’ve got Mark “Harry Potter” Olsen accusing Neale Fong of being a “Part-Time Health Chief”.
I have this theory that The West’s attacks go up a geor or three whenever they run one of their “Win X cars in X Weeks competitions.
And of course they’re cheering Howard no end, and one of their dodgy “Westpolls” is also Howard Frindly, considering they only interviewed 409 people – most likely the West’s Staff and selected people from the LIberal Party Membership list
That should read ALP – not AKP – damn K & L keys being next to each other.
Hey comrades,
I’m gearing up for the lib/big business media blitz. Will Labour weather the storm? I hope they can do it without further compromise to the lib/business agenda.
And now for the,
‘Burban Report.
A new third world is brewing and bubbling here in the outer suburbs, this area has missed the boom like farmers have missed the rain. Rising rental costs, drought induced food costs, crazy feul costs. Us have nots are restive and things will get yukky come another liberal federal term.
My god, will someone please make Mark Davis a nice hot cup of stfu?
Honestly. LAME. I blame the Age for encouraging him.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/general/its-time-to-shut-up/2007/05/17/1178995321422.html
My thoughts exactly Laura. I thought it was load of lightweight twaddle ten years ago. My opinion hasn’t improved with time. ‘Me! Pick me! It’s my turn to be the gatekeeper!’ FFS.
Yairs, could have done with a snip and a tuck. I reckon a 300 word caption piece with a nice pic of Bananas in Pyjamas. On page 114. Skeptic is just too tender-hearted.
Christine reminds me of Talmudic scholars the way she reads The Wendistanian from start to finish. Paul Kelly, believes his own bullshit, and is a pompous twit who, unlike his musical namesake, is irrelevant. He’s given, wrongly, prominence on Insiders. (But then so are Bolt and Akkers.) Denis… joke. And then there is Christopher Pearson. Why do you do it to yourself CK?
Careful folks – he might be reading us (after all we did get a menshun at the end).
Let’s not blow our chances of getting Larvatus Prodeo – the Anthology published if he does get to be the Gatekeeper. I mean jeebers, are you people crazy?
Don’t think the White Spiral is going to go over in print though.
Laura, you have beaten me to it. Amen. One hopes he will have slightly more to say when he addresses the EWF. Not much of a warm up though.
I would have thought a prof of editing and writing could set up his own mag if he wanted to give teh younger ‘generations’ more of a run. Being a cusp boomer and all, as he is.
I saw and heard Morag Fraser, one of Davis’s prime targets from the outset, say all that stuff at the end (about the need for getting past the generational generalisation and uniting against the real adversaries and so on) directly to him on a platform they were both on at some forum or other … ten years ago. I wonder what she’ll think when she reads that.
Re the white spiral – you have it on the inside of the back cover, as a cut-out with a brass pin securing it in the middle, but allowing it to spin. & one of those truly annoying press the button sound boxes to bleat the hypnotic trance. Easy. I look forward to the The LP Anthology Vol 1 – try BlackInc. reckon Morrie would be up for it.
Catallaxy’s take is here (v. brief, mainly in the comments). FTR I like Davis, although he is economically illiterate.
Ring Master Paul McDermott hit his straps in The Sideshow tonight. The Kransky Sisters, Flacco, and the Umbilical Brothers all delivered top schtick. Best act was The Strong Woman with Miss Ogeny and their “Bikini” performance. Bloody sensational.
That’s Christa Hughes, EC. Formerly of Machine Gun Fellatio.
http://www.christahughes.net/bio.htm
Did anyone read Hitchens essay in SMH’s Spectrum? It’s getting so you can’t swing a proverbial without whacking an atheist. & after that noice little Page Three spread about warm fuzzy groovey christians too… I think its called editorial balance. Or advertorial arse covering. & Mr Hitchens, its not Dennett who invented the term Brights:
“The term “bright” is a recent coinage by two brights in Sacramento, Calif., who thought our social group — which has a history stretching back to the Enlightenment, if not before — could stand an image-buffing and that a fresh name might help. Don’t confuse the noun with the adjective: “I’m a bright” is not a boast but a proud avowal of an inquisitive world view.”
Go register – you know you want to.
LP hasn’t done a Sunday video for a while so watch listen to Feist and the very catchy tune 1234 co-written with Sally Seltmann (New Buffalo)
Can I has
cheezburgermy post back?Done, Zarquon.
Ta, Kim. Christa Hughes is now on my Must-See-Live radar.
No probs, EC.
Zarquon, it may not have been on a Sunday but you haven’t been paying attention!
http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/04/16/feisty/
Darn, well then check out the re-formed Honeys (from Perth, originally) at http://www.myspace.com/thehoneysband and their new album Star Baby
Oh noooooes! My favourite little-recognised not-truly-appreciated artist!
I once saw Christa perform a support for the Dresden Dolls in their most recent tour. She wore a sequined bathing suit, and managed to erotically grate carrots. Her finale consisted of singing full volume then downing a full glass of beer and gargling the same song backwards. What a lady…
Christa Hughes also has a gig with Circus Oz.
The amazing kim:
“I once saw Christa perform a support for the Dresden Dolls in their most recent tour…”
That wasn’t the Dolls’ most recent tour. They were back last September. More brilliant support acts (Red Paintings from Brisvegas, Jason Webley from Seattle). Hired Kurzweill keyboard in Melbourne screwed up again, but depressed Amanda less this time. My belief was reconfirmed that the Dolls do the best rendition of “War Pigs” by anyone, ever.
Anyway: yes. Christa as KK was absolutely awesome on stage. Will see her again.
Heh. This is a bit redolent of Paul Keating’s desk: http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,21762781-949,00.html
I wonder how many arseholes sitting down to dinner at Kirribilli could tell the difference between (firm) foam rubber and horsehair?
Real horsehair for the blokes perhaps, foam rubber for the sheilas, whose delicate bums can’t take genuine Victorian furniture?
I think the question is, Ken, would the arseholes know which end was up?
I think that you are grasping at straws to try to tear down Howard by looking at the upkeep of 2 of Australia’s premium historic properties. Properties that the government is duty bound to maintain any way. However despicable the person is, Australia’s leader requires premesis fitting the stature of the position. I do not begrudge Howard the cost of his accomodation. There are far to many other things to despise him for.
Don’t complain to me. The Sunday Times was the one wot published it.
Christine – did it say what the hell the chairs were? That’s a very very expensive set of chairs – could do you a set of 8 Hepplewhites for say $6500, including delivery ex the States….
I might as well say it: I do begrudge Howard the cost of his accommodation. It shits me to tears. If he, or Jeanette more likely, didn’t like chairs, what’s wrong with sending Jeeves down to Ikea? 60 big ones for table and chairs? And what about the half a mil for the Gulfstream to bring back the Hapless Hicksie? They’ll probably send Terry the bill. Mahmoud got a ride back on one as well. (I note Dave has come back in an orange jumpsuit flanked by four hulking seccos to be locked up with father and sister rapers. If he’s THAT dangerous what’s gonna happen when they release him into the commyoonity in December. But I digress.)
So what has happened to the Chesterfields since johny went so la de da?
Bet they went out to the ‘billi veranda, for the kids and are now spoilt by the rain.
We could have looked after a set here.
I don’t know whether it is my sensitivity to things like terrorism, or fox hunting, but I just have to complain about the MSM using the word ‘blood’ as a verb, as in ‘the young Jarrod Mullens will be blooded into origin league’.
Young Prince Harry was to be blooded into the Iraq conflict until someone thought it too risky. I just find it a particularly repulsive sporting term and I reckon it should be banned forthwith, period. There I feel better already.
I had friends who went to those shows (the RP and JW solo shows), and recomended them thoroughly. Must have been scarred by the lack of, I don’t know, air in the Ding Dong Lounge last time, because I didn’t realise the Dolls had returned.
Last I heard though, the Red Paintings were going downhill fast, and their last show was worse than disappointing, due to Trash’s more than average unsoberness and such. They have a tour coming up in late June, though, and it should be better now they have a new manager and Trash is in rehab. Since moving to Brisbane I suddenly seem to know quite a few people in the music scene. It’s odd.
Surprisingly, I would not begrudge Howard the expenditure. Horsehair chairs are fine, after all I imagine the only stuff they’ve overheard in 11 years, given the likely company, has been horseshit. Fitness for purpose is an admirable principle.
Actually I begrudge every f**king cent.
sorry Billb, you’ll have to ask a plane.
O
phil, you’re right. It’s just disgusting on any level.
Chimpeachment update.
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/7576