Blogging politics, culture, sociology and life from Brisvegas
An open thread where, at your weekend leisure, you can discuss anything you like.
NB: Due to the magic of WP, I can post this to appear on Saturday even though I’m off bush and nowhere near the intertubes! So from my holiday redoubt, all the best of relaxing weekend wishes from me!
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Larvatus Prodeo is an Australian group blog which discusses politics, sociology, culture, life, religion and science from a left of centre perspective. more»
Ein!
Zwei!
I’m torn between the outrageous metal mashing action of monster trucks and the high speed explosive action of funny cars.
Fiere
Fünf
Cinq
Spiceman: I have a Monster Truck video that I’ll swap you for some crazy food.
Andrew Reynolds, how did you sneak in there??
Spiceman, perhaps a whole thread needs to be devoted to things one is torn between. Over at the Anal Sex thread they are currently torn between sex (of any kind) and a nice cup of tea, a choice that could easily be resolved by a friend of mine who refers to sex as ‘a cup of tea in the wider sense’.
It’s probably at least zwölf by now.
Serves me right for trying to change languages … my first comment goes all arse-up order-wise, and then the second one gets eaten entirely.
Maybe it was spaminated by the umlaut.
I’ve got some dried squid and a box of pocky.
Zehn.
Sigh, I’m not in London anymore. Now I’ve finally made my move to Bristol.
anthony — always choose funnycars. Ideally, of course, one should not have to choose; and to really cover all your bases, if you can get hold of one of those crazy old “Survival Research Laboratories” videos that are the grandfather of the latter-day Robot Wars craze, then you’ve got yourself a decent backup plan.
If anybody likes to listen to webcast classical music online, check out allclassical.org, a delightful and well-curated classical music station, with a good bit of variety. Not too heavy on the warhorses and chestnuts, and not too much unlistenable hyper-modern stuff either. A good balance, especially for hearing excellent composers who aren’t part of the grand Himalayas of classical. Hi-speed connection required, though.
Kim, if you’re able to listen to Saint-Saens and Sibelius via the inter-tubes whilst far away from the metropoles, I’ll be very impressed. Respighi or The Bush!
Any good Oz radio stations (classical or otherwise) that do webcasting?
John Howard is gonna looooooooooooose.
Just a thought.
So it’s not the TEEVE after all. The GG has finally worked it all out.
hewson on the ABC the other morning, he said costello has had it easy on the economic front. with benign global conditions, he’s never had to manage a negative indicator or navigate an economic squall
according to hewson its been plain sailing, easy coasting for howard and costello
Exactly right Rogs
I have been woken early by a friend of Girlchild banging on the door and screaming “Deathly Hallows!”
They were off to the local bookshop for pre-ordered copy of Harry Potter and a costume breakfast (for which, being 15, they declined to wear any costume. Spoilsports.)
She’s back already clutching the tome.
I haven’t read the series beyond the first two volumes myself - not a fantasy reader generally.
Wow, who’d have guessed that Voldemort was really Harry’s father and Hermoine his sister, spirited away by Obi Wan to Tatooine.
And that the house-elf was built by Voldemort when he was a boy.
Hmmm monster funny cars with performance art flamethrowers.
I like.
And much better than my plan of munster fonzie cars with sharks.
My wife recently developed severe back pain. Following a CT scan, it was revealed that the disc between L5 and S1 vertebrae had calcified, and the ’shards’ of what was left of the disc were infiltrating the nerve channels. She was told that the most likely treatment would be surgery to remove the calcified disc, followed by a process to fuse the two vertebrae together.
An urgent referral was made to a spinal surgeon which will expedite a consultation. Unfortunately the Queensland health system’s definition of an expedited consultation is between 2 and 4 months. Once she’s had the consultation, there will be another delay before surgery. Meanwhile the severe pain has become unbearable, and my wife, who is the coordinator of an important child and family referral service, lays on the couch all day bombed out on powerful drugs. She can’t walk, and is confined to a wheelchair.
Her sick leave is about to run out leaving us with my ‘pitiful’ income. We have 2 kids and a mortgage. I’m basically a single dad caring for an 8,10 and 38 year old whilst trying to work full-time.
Is this really happening?
Alex, I would be looking into overseas options like going privately in Thailand. THere are risks involved, for sure, but it may be worth looking into.
Alex, you might want to consider just paying as private patient to see a top ortho surgeon for the consult ASAP in their rooms… and just pay the bill. And claim the medicare rebate…your out of pocket exp. might be $80-150…. But, they can book her in, as a public patient on ‘his/her list’ and you also get to see who you want & much quicker. Some specialists will also bulk-bill if you ask them in the consult (but dont ask the secretary prior!).
He/she may not do the actual operation, as per the public system. (if an op. is required), but they will be there overseeing the process and your wife will remain ‘his/her patient’ even in the public system.
If your GP doesn’t know the top specialist in yr town (and this is a basic criteria for a good GP - ie. the quality of their referral network) - find out yourself/friends/families/networks, and ask the GP for a referral to that specialist.
This can expedite the process…..you might get a consult in the next few weeks rather than 2/4 months….. unfortuantely, top specialists are heavily booked in their private rooms as well, but cancellations happen and so be v. nice to the secretary.
hope this makes sense.
Good Luck!
Alex, as SC said. Check out Bumrungrad hosptal in Bangkok. http://www.bumrungrad.com/Overseas-Medical-Care/Bumrungrad-International.aspx
I found them extremely efficient and the cost was amazingly low, from memory more or less what you’d have to pay in the patient make-up component for medical services in Australia. If you were to follow up then I could recommend a cheap but entirely adequate hotel within walking distance of the hospital.
My daughter smashed her front tooth in Ubon Ratchitani diving into a pool a few months back.
We had it rebuilt it Bangkok in an International Hospital that looked more like a five star hotel, complete with doormen etc etc. Total cost: $60 australian - below the threshold of my travel insurance claim amount.
I need a crown done sometime and will have no hesitation in returning sometime in the future. The entire trip including a ‘recovery’ jaunt to the tropical beaches costs less than my dentist here has quoted me.
Here’s a link re the hospital
There is now more than a back problem for the 38 year old.There is a drug problem.I dont know why people are reluctant to just try the alternative treatments,or even contact a Association of such first,so the treatment meets what the alternative could do.There was a Teev newsreader ,that,had the same treatment as Bob Hawke re deep needle acupunture.It would be best,if,hubby,contacted a alternative health association,and ask if they have a medical doctor on board for advice and translate the medical description into what the alternatives can do. As sad as and painful for wifey it can be,she must keep using her legs,otherwise a great loss of immunity for all the other maladies that affect the walking wounded.Even Nexus Magazine staff may know a insight into this problem,instead of relying on the medicoes in absence.Crisis up ahead if wifey starts spinning out and down by the burden of the non-mobile..non phone call from the spine.Fly in spirit,knowing if wifey has toughed it out this long..she is tough,dont flounder under drugs,and simple things like hot and cold compresses or even microwaved wheat ,I think beads,sold through chemists or physiotherapeutic places needs constant use and affirmation.Dont be blown around like a tree in high wind by options or what seems non-working results apply whatever can be applied.
The Libs have found the slogan to launch their election campaign: Shit happens!
Labor should counteract with: Flush out the shit!
The local Target had a table full of the things at 10 this morning - child or adult cover, take your pick - with nary a buyer in sight. Can the hype have made Harry suddenly not-cool?
Anyway I didn’t buy one cos I haven’t read the second one yet and I want to read them all in the right order … one day … maybe when I retire and I can read fiction without feeling guilty.
Ken, the Potter punters were all at Borders. Queues going back for miles — including people who had pre-ordered.
Ask me how I know.
I dropped my daughter at the local kids bookshop at 8am… Quizzes, games, hogwart’s castle building comp. and then ‘cutting open the box at 9.01am’ (brekkie included)….there was a small stream of older kids and some solo adults buying, when i picked her & her mates up.
And $50 bucks for the book - sheesh.
How do you know Ms. Cat?
Kmart’s the way to go. only $25 and not that many customers. You can make it home in half an hour.
My partner and I went down to gleebooks, it cost us $50, but it was worth it to give it to an independent that has an actual interest in, you know, books. Nobody much there, but I guess all the hardcore were out on the gleewarts express. We’re 150 pages through and counting: we’ve been taking turns reading it aloud to each other during the day’s activities. It’s purely a plot thing for me: I need to know what happens now, and it’s those damned movies that got me interested. Or rather, it’s that third movie, brilliantly directed by Alfonso Cuaron.
I have to nominate comment #8 at Crooked Timber as the finest piece of snark to ever have appeared in the internets. I am in awe.
Good to run into Nabs on this wintry evening, also catching 60s-styled all-girl garage band, the Shimmys.
My only other comment is: Brrrr!
Lefty E-sicle.
Yes, the Shimmys weren’t very good and yet utterly brillant at the same time. Especially the bass player’s sphinx-like smirk.
Lefty E, if you’d care to email me at:
wilberforcepike at hotmail.com
I can then send you the bumpf about the bumpf we discussed.
In the meantime, enjoy.
Oh, pop, whizz, bang!.
Thanks Nabs, done
And here’s the unforgettable Les Sucettes film clip. Keep an eye out for subtle entendres.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xZuZWGU3Sg
Ewwwwwwwwwwwww!!1!
George has decreed that torture mustn’t be cruel! So when ASIO or the CIA grabs you and begins the waterboarding sessions, keep telling yourself, “This ain’t cruel. The Decider said so!”
Why does Voldemort say “Rosebud” when he snuffs it?
Ugh! Thanks a bunch, Helen! That image will be burned on my retinas for quite some time…
Check out the location of this weather recording station in Tucson! Apparently Tucson had the greatest positive temperature trend for any USHCN station after TOBS adjustment.
http://www.climateaudit.org/
Name of his very first broom.
Helen, that was disgusting.
Hey, they don’t call him Dick for nothing, you know.
It’s happened at least the last half-dozen or more times I’ve posted, so I’m wondering whether there might be an explanation…
Every time I post a discursive comment — admittedly, sometimes quite long — the post goes into moderation. These posts rarely, if ever, feature any links, and so far as I know they don’t contain any “objectionable” words or phrases. I can’t see any reason why the spam-killer would be interested, and so I’m left wondering what it is I’m doing that warrants my continual moderation.
Is it something in my email address or name? Is it my IP address? Is it simply the length of the comment? I know it can’t be because I cited John Greenfield this last time, because I swear that was the first time I ever paid him any attention!
Whatever it is, would it be possible for someone to tell me what I can do to avoid being caught in moderation every time I say a word or 600 about an issue?
Or is the problem the fact that it’s coming from me?
I think it’s because you named JG by full name.
I’ve pulled your comment out of the spam bin.
Thanks suz. Does it do that for every name? Should I be used abbreviated forms of people’s names?
Just JG’s name!
Here’s an interesting quote from “An Onymous Lefty” Jeremy Sear about the performance of the Coalition, a theory which this week’s Newspoll (Labor 56%/Coalition 44% two-party) may only serve to support:
“It’s because the Coalition story about itself and reality are diverging ever more obviously. Because voters who are feeling pinched, who are seeing groceries, petrol and other goods’ prices increase ahead of their salaries, who are increasingly in debt, who can’t afford to buy a house - as soon as you start talking about how much better off they are than ever before, you lose all credibility. And the Coalition’s view of itself doesn’t allow it to concede that anyone might be doing it tough under its leadership.”
Whether or not this theory should be agreed with, what interests me about Mr. Sear’s comments is that it provides, in a few words, a brief statement in which to analyse theories of communication, persuasion, motivation and voting behaviour with.
Given all the money the Howard Government is spending on “advertising”, I question their understanding of the modern communication needs of “developing deep, ongoing relationships” with their publics.
Let this be a lesson to the next-term Government - whether that is lead by Mr. Howard or Mr. Rudd -
that this present, relatively unaccountable use of marketing budgets, expenditure most businesses could never dream of wasting, is going to provide Marketing & Communication students with a case study you could spend years unpacking and interpreting
…From Justin
Yes, Bearcave once people stop listening it is better to refurbish Kirribilli or jet away on an overseas junket or hold an APEC meeting. But Howard has a history of dogged determination to spend all before a change of Government. Look at the mess he left as Treasurer in the Fraser years.
Latest newspoll, virtually unchanged at 55-45 2PP.
LNP Primary up one to 40%, ALP down one to 47%.
But what of TEH ONLY SIGNIFICANT BIT, I hear you cry??
Well, Rodent down two on preferred PM, Rudd leads 43-40.
Its all too much for Dennis at the Gazeditorial bunker, and in a bizarre twist he experiments with straight factual reportage (excepting the de rigeur irrelevant swipe at Cap’n Smirk, of course):
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22123951-601,00.html
There are a large number of Federal Liberal Party backbenchers who are now contemplating seriously the end of their political careers.
The Liberal Party that will emerge from the forthcoming cataclysm will be a very different organisation than the party that has been engineered so assiduously by John Howard as the instrument of his personal ambition.
Surely, these Liberal backbenchers aren’t so fatalistic as to accept with resignation a premature end to public life. All those meals of rubber chicken, all those posed photos of familial perfection, for what? Nothing.
It is clear that only Peter Costello offers some chance for limiting electoral damage and building a bridge between the Party’s Howardesque present and the Party’s only viable future, a Party that has repudiated Howard’s corruption of liberalism.
Sorry readers, it may appear Poll Bludger has it wrong in their 11pm headline, which still reads 56-44, while the early edition of The Australian online has it as 55-45.
The quoted article from The Australian has Mr. Howard saying:
“Speaking in Kalgoorlie, Mr Howard said there was no reason the resources boom should not continue for years.
“I am an optimist about the future of this country. I’m an optimist about the future of the mining industry, and I’m an optimist about the maintenance of the surge or boom or whatever description you want to employ the mining industry around Australia is now enjoying,” he said.
“Mr Rudd talks of the end of the mining boom. He’s always saying we’ve got to prepare for the end of the mining boom.
“I argue that we should be working to maintain the mining boom for years into the future. That is not false complacency, but it is a recognition that the demand of countries like China and Japan and Korea and others for Australia’s mineral resources is reasonably expected to be maintained and grow for many years.”
It’s probably no surprise that Mr. Howard is campaigning in Western Australia right now, where the message about “maintaining prosperity” probably does have the most impact (the hope being that Labor loses seats in W.A. to the Coalition to offset a mass loss of Coalition held seats everywhere else in Australia).
The general poroblem for Mr. Howard is that different sectors of the economy are clearly in different phases of the business cycle: for example, the W.A. mining boom (prosperity), last year’s news of a dip in rural land prices (recession) and the announcement this week that “local manufacture of the Ford Focus small car comes just a few days after the company forecast the end of engine manufacture in Australia and it’s now known that only GM Holden and Toyota will be making engines by 2010, and only the GMH plant is a world-scale operation, exporting more engines than are installed locally, according to The Age newspaper (on balance, you’d call this phase “recovery” for the automotive sector)
This really challenges “a national concept” of economic prosperity. These examples raise the question: Is it easier to evaluate “economic management” on both local and global levels than it is at a national level?
What implications does this have for the Howard Government’s economic credentials?
…From Justin
Ratty must really be desperate. A Perth radio station set a task for former BB07 house-mate Michelle to track him down and harass him on the street, but I wouldn’t call yelling out “I love you Johnny” harassment. It sounds more like a set up by Ratty’s friends to exploit the moronic vote.
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=77&ContentID=35316
How convenient that the cameras were there to catch the action.