An open thread, where at your weekend leisure, you can discuss anything you like.
41 Responses to “Saturday Salon”
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First! or should it be ‘frist!’ it’s so hard to be ‘in’.
‘Spooks’ is the best show on the ABC at the moment. Discuss.
2nd. Never watched spooks. Sorry.
3rd. ‘Spooks’ is an adequate 21st century soapy thriller and I give MI5 a big tick for allowing them to use the Thames House exteriors and some foyer establishing shots. No doubt, as with MI6 in their po-mo Aztec Palace across the river (with a delightful palazzo open to the public doing the South Bank stroll), MI5 have realised their real value to their Commonweal is as myth makers, not secret busters.
Let’s face it, the reality of UK spookdom is much closer to Yes Minister than James Bond or ‘Spooks” designer suit take on The Bill.
Well, it looks like THE LIGHT show is over & CHANGE will fade on the walls of the facade its been graffitied on. Now all the hoopla is over, the Corporate medias’ bills have been paid, the Beatles have decided to stop playing live…& it was fun while it lasted…but gulping HOPE on top of imaginary mountains can get dizzying & exhausting…and now we’ve come down to earth & scrutinised the source of THE LIGHT…well, at least the Obama 08 light…it seems we’re in for one mighty disappointment…but then, I wasn’t holding my breath. More than a cynic than some realize. Yep, Obama has shown his true colors.
Seems the Democratic Party is merely a machine & produces clones…out goes Hillary Rodham Clinton…in comes Barack Obama Clinton.
Sigh. Still, if you did the reading it wasn’t a surprise. But one can HOPE right? Still a glimmer? …not sure…think it went that away…towards the Nader camp…oh dear…NOT AGAIN!
Firedoglake has the lowdown…the blog I followed closely during the Connecticut race where the anti-war candidate lost to AIPAC heavy lifter Joseph Lieberman…the man w/ an obsession who knows how to drum to the McCain drone of “Bomb, bomb, bomb…bomb bomb Iran”…the same blog eh?…is this an omen…the shape of things to come?…goodness gracious, great balls of fire!!!:
http://firedoglake.com/2008/02/13/the-hamilton-project-same-corporatist-whine-in-new-dlc-vessels/
Fireworks fizzle…stiff ones droop…Obama girls go “ouch” as the YouTube generation drops out…Daley’s boys get ready w/ truncheons whilst a nation experiences deja-vu…and Jerusalem FEVER spreads like wildfire…thru Jerusalem…& Barack’s veins…& Iran goes “groan”…and if Jesus were alive and fighting the propaganda of the empire’s high priests, money lenders & generally adept at killing “the bright side of life” types…I reckon he’d say “I expected no less…it was in the cards”.
Anyone see Joan of Arc tonite speaking to the European afeared?…standing right in front of those Huckabee-like floating crosses…cheap special effects Mr. Bush…just like your response to Katrina.
Lights, camera…ACTION!
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) Blood Money/Damned
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC8fRRCCDWc&feature=related
JUDAS
Now if I help you, it matters that you see
These sordid kinda things are coming hard to me.
It’s taken me some time to work out what to do.
I weighed the whole thing out before I came to you.
I have no thought at all about my own reward.
I really didn’t come here of my own accord.
Just don’t say I’m … damned for all time.
I came because I had to; I’m the one who saw.
Jesus can’t control it like he did before.
And furthermore I know that Jesus thinks so too.
Jesus wouldn’t mind that I was here with you.
I have no thought at all about my own reward.
I really didn’t come here of my own accord.
Just don’t say I’m … damned for all time.
Annas, you’re a friend, a worldly man and wise.
Caiaphas, my friend, I know you sympathise.
Why are we the prophets? Why are we the ones
Who see the sad solution – know what must be done?
I must watch Spooks oneday. Seems fairly realistic. Riveting, miserable bast*rd stuff w/ deep frowns, destroyed families, twists & turns, traitors, sleepers…all very Brit these days…all very Human.
Good night and…well, enjoy…whilst you can.
N’
Darrell Lea choclates have been fined over its approach to AWA’s.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23860219-26103,00.html
How’s this for an, err… intepretation error? Yudhoyono said this:
But a few phone calls later an Australian official explained that he really said this:
Sack that damned interpreter!
Only 16 days until it’s Citizen Nettle.
I’m happy the people of NSW rejected her – like Lee Rhiannon (the old time marxist and daughter of former CPA’ers) she was far too left wing for me. I’m disappointed at reports that the Greens will allow her to keep hanging around parliament and remain closely involved with their activities and policies as it’s flouting the voters will of last November.
Whoever you are @ 8, not rising to the bait.
Re Spooks,
Yeah, its wonderful but the plots get a bit absurd at times. Or maybe I’m naive and that really is how power politics are played.
Nasking: yes, I enjoy reading John Dos Passos too.
Andrew E, gets me thinking of Stand on Zanzibar which I read in the 70s…round the same time as Stranger in a Strange Land (I’ve tried to be a Fair Witness, even wrote a song called ‘The Observer’…but need more training, mebbe i should change my name to Smith – a different author of course from Zanzibar, I Will Fear No Evil was a more evolved state…morally)…always good to diversify your reading:
Philosophy in Stand on Zanzibar…possibly:
The central question asked at the end of the book was posed by one of the characters, Chad C. Mulligan, when he said, “What good is it to be human if it takes a machine to save us?” The question here refers to the machine Shalmaneser, a super-computer owned by General Technics. As the two major plot lines intertwine we find that mankind’s hope of breeding out violence in subsequent generations has been lost. While it might be possible for man to achieve and implement a limited solution, Norman House suggests that the problem be handed over to Shalmaneser and solved. The reader will however have great reservations about House’s proposal, as there are several “Utterances of Shalmaneser” separating sections of the novel, and even within context, it is quite clear that the Supercomputer, while certainly sentient, is also equally psychotic in personality. Entrusting the fate of humanity to it is an endeavour fraught with peril. John Brunner, however, has often espoused the view that entrusting the fate of humanity to a single system inevitably results in such disaster, and therefore the argument is consistent within his work.
Do you grok that? Seen any schmoos lately?
It’s the characters you choose to surround yourself with that can lead you down the wrong path…& subsequently your followers. Based on the idea of a collective unconscious & synchronicity, I feel that Obama is surrounding himself w/ those who contributed to many of the problems we see today (perhaps I’m mistaken) & in turn betrays Jesus – defined as the blog-related collective that has supported him on the basis of his POSITIVE views in the search for THE LIGHT…the AWAKENING…knocking down the barriers to uncover the secrets.
It feels like he has joined up w/ those who keep the keys…& lock the doors & windows. In a sense, it feels like he has immediately, for pragmatic triangulation purposes, sold out/abandoned his supporters on the road to ultimate power. Or is even playing the role of Judas.
I’d like to see him take a more POSITIVE role. But then, maybe it’s up to us to stop FOLLOWING…& make our own journey. Footprints left in the desert as we make our way. In some ways I think a part of me already has.
That’s why I’m trying to comprehend “duality”…& Littlewood’s law…& the teachings of Carl Jung.
Anybody ever played Mage: The Awakening? Is it worth picking up?
Paul Burns – yeah, the plots in Spooks are absurd – try explaining it to your partner who has fallen asleep mid way through (it just can’t be done!) But I love the fast paced absurdity of it all and the leftish leanings of the plot – all that defending our liberties against assault from the dark forces of MI6 and big business. Sounds a bit like some of the blog threads on this site of late! Nabakov – harsh! Sadly, you’re probably right about the divergence from the reality if our own AFP are any guide.
It’s a cool fantasy – defenders of civil liberties and niceness at the heart of the security state – and fast paced and good characterisation = eminently watchable.
rf, I didn’t notice you lurking in the shadows of our lounge-room last night! Speak up next time and I’ll offer you a snort of port.
That makes it sound like Get Smart.
Personally, I’d say that the best thing on TV at the moment is whatever’s on the disk inside the DVD player (and here in Darragh’s Paddock last night it was a S. Korean film noir).
Why is the thread on Iguana-gate closed?
For those of you not in NSW, or who didn’t see NSW Stateline last night, it doesn’t look like he’ll get a majority of votes to get electricity privatisation through. The Coalition looks like they’ll vote against it because they want to gut Iemma, and the Greens, Gordon Moyes and 3 rebel Labor MPs will vote against it. If that all holds, Iemma and Costa are done.
Kim said that she wanted discussion to continue on the existing thread, Paul.
Just a bit on the trivial side for a post on LP being the most influencial political blog, but maybe alright for a Saturday Salon. So today I present a bit of perspective on blogging in general …
The Seven Basic Blog Posts
Not saying anything in particular about this blog, its contributors or its relative value compared to other blogs or media sources. Instead, a little humor to lighten up the topic and insure against the poppies growing too tall (not that it looked the case in the entry, but you can never be too sure).
PinkyOz
PinkyOz, that is classic. Mind you, he left out ‘What is the matter with you people???!!!11!’
Actually no, scrap that — that’s one of the Seven Basic Blog Comments, viz
1) What is the matter with you people???!!!11!
2) I’ve got one like that.
3) You are a f*ckwit and so is your family and all your friends f*ckwits. F*ckwit.
4) Yes, but I want to talk about this.
5) You’re wrong!
6) You rock!
7) I have completely misread/misunderstood your post and now I will berate/applaud you for what I think you said.
I’ve got one like that, PC.
Heh.
PC, aren’t they the seven basic USENET posts?
I, too, have a question about Kim’s post on Iguanagate (did someone leave it open and let ‘em out?) -
If Marn Ferguson can be called Marn, why can’t we call Christopher Parn Christopher Parn?
Mark:
Best of luck for whatever academic strivings/challenges/deadlines you are tackling this weekend.
Pavlov’s Cat [19]:
Thanks for clarifying PinkyOz’ comment on The Seven Basic Blog Posts [no video, YouTube, etc. on this old valve-powered computer so was a bit in the dark over what was meant].
Re the basic blog posts… this is paraphrased from “xkcd”…
VOICE (O.S.): Enough’s enough. Get off the computer and come to bed.
BLOGGER: I can’t, this is important! Someone on the internet is *wrong*!
… … …
nasking/Andrew E — I too have fond memories of reading the zany crackpot prose-poems on the back covers of old 60s Bob Dylan LPs. SECRET HINT: The key is Frank. (But seriously, don’t waste your time with Tarantula, unless you’re truly a connoisseur of chaos, I mean comedy.)
Hey, man. Bleecker Street and Saint Marks Place were, like, …like, hey, man… like… well, I guess, like, ya just had to be there, man. Like… hey.
Actually, I recommend the delightful work of Mark Alan Stamaty (esp. the hard to find MacDoodle Street, if you’re ever lucky enuf to come across it…)
Graham
Sorry about that, a bit lazy on my part, Here’s a link to a written version of the same thing on Wired …
Secrets of the 7 Basic Blog Posts
I’m glad everyone got a giggle out of that, I certainly did.
PinkyOz
Caution notice on an engine/pump I purchased:
The drunk and the dizzy and the pregnant to the gasoline engine forbid to accelerate abruptly.
All clear..
Just watching Stephen Smith on Insiders. While the Perth city backdrop, with moving cars on the roads, is lovely, it’s obviously a pre-record from a sunny late morning, rather than the 7am WST cloud and rain that Perthites have woken up to today. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised though…
PinkyOz [26]:
Thanks a lot! Brilliant!
There’s a Nobel Prize For literature in there somewhere …. naturally, none of the blogs I visit fall into those categories. L=O=L
This is worth reading…an awakening is happening all across the world…alternative voices w/ a spring in their step:
http://www.israelenews.com/view.asp?ID=2326
PEACE in
Looks like someone has hacked the carbon cops Website, Definitely not a good look for the ABC
Umm, we usually have a thread asking what we’ve been up to, but it’s not up yet (probably because Mark’s Phdding). I’ve just been to see a funny, touching, dramatic Italian film called My Brother is an Only Child:
http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s2259574.htm
Worth a look….
Darlene, I really recommend ‘The Edge of Heaven’. Best film I’ve seen for a while.
Thanks, Fine. Will give it a look.
Sorry folks, here is the repaired link to the carbon cops site. Link
Seconded re The Edge of Heaven.
On the other hand it’s quite safe to give Sex and the City a miss, even if you are desperate for a couple of hours of mindless trash. We should have gone to Indiana Jones and the Diamond Python or whatever it is.
Darlene at 32, Sunday post is up now, and I’m outta here for reasons explained therein!
http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/06/15/lazy-sunday-how-to-finish-a-phd-thesis-draft/
Yes, I must see The Edge of Heaven…found HEAD ON insightful.
And My Brother is an Only Child. Darlene, two of the screenwriters of the fascinating The Best of Youth. Check it out on DVD if you haven’t already. From 2003. Good to see some Italian storytelling chronicling lives like Bertolucci’s 1900 again.
Has anyone seen The Orphanage?
My respect for Guillermo del Toro goes back a long way. Cronos (1993), Mimic (1997), The Devil’s Backbone (2001), Blade II (2002)…& you know the rest…some high & mighty critics luv to pan Mimic & Blade 2 but I reckon they had some brilliant moments. Sure, a bit Hollywood…but it’s amazing what you can find if you look below the surface.
The Orphanage looks creepy & out there.
http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s2230466.htm
It’s been announced Guillermo del Toro might direct At the Mountains of Madness to be released in 2010…fingers crossed. I luvs me H.P. Lovecraft.
The Orphanage is pretty good. But be aware, del Toro isn’t the director, just the EP.
ahhh…thnx for that info Fine. I wondered how he was fitting it in w/ Hellboy II: The Golden Army. A search reveals the director to be Juan Antonio Bayona. Well spotted.
Just like to say it’s a shame that the immigration thread devolved as it did. There really wasn’t any reason to get hot under the collar. Dagget might find this interesting. The question of immigration, world-management of resources, water depletion etc is an interesting, difficult and vital one. It would be good if one of the LP crew indulged us in a post sometime in the future.