An open thread, where at your weekend leisure, you can discuss anything you like.
36 Responses to “Saturday Salon”
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FRIST?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Man, I was sitting here, watching TdF (sans commentary for some time) thinking my time had come, only to get snaked by a yellow jersey wearing tigtog.
Oh well.
Go Cadel! Can’t wait for some serious action in the Alps, only I’m not sure how much longer I can survive on 4 hours sleep a night.
[Go Cadel! Can’t wait for some serious action in the Alps, only I’m not sure how much longer I can survive on 4 hours sleep a night.]
Move to WA, even though it starts at 10pm WST, it is shown live from that point, ie we don’t see the start, and it finishes around midnight local time
Oooh look vintage technology on the telly (re-run of The Net on TV1.
Speaking of vintage movies, I’ve just been watching a Winona Ryder movie hitherto unknown to me - Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100911/
I’m just about to start watching the Phoenix Suns vs. New York Knicks NBA Summer League game.
While we’re talkin’ sport, who you got the Crows or the Power in Showdown 25?
Has anyone seen The Dark Knight yet? I’m reasonably keen after how dark Batman Begins was and wouldn’t mind catching that new Genghis Khan movie, Mongol too.
Hello — shameless advertising I know. But you might be interested in an upcoming novel by Graham Perrett (Labor MHR for Moreton) that we’re publishing in October. I think it’s always pretty interesting when a parliamentarian publishes a work of literature/fiction, especially when it’s about the fairly recent past.
http://www.vulgar.com.au/12thfish.html
Always good to see there’s a new publisher of radical and working class fiction.
As for the author being in Parliament: well, that place is full of fiction.
Didn’t Peter Beattie write a novel at one stage? I mean apart from his autobiography.
I can’t work out a way of googling that separates it out from the rest of the garbage when you don’t know the title.
Umm Yasmin, don’t you love all that paleo-computer stuff on movies from the 90s and thereabouts!
Helen @10
Hahahah yeah, and the mobile phones that look like bricks. My favourite “paleo-computer” (great term) movies include “Electric Dreams“, “War Games“, and “Tron“. Can you tell I grew up in the Eighties?
Helen @10
My comment got eaten - but yeah, same with mobile-phones that look like bricks.
My fave “paleo-computer” (great term) files are Tron, Electric Dreams and War Games.
files = films. I’ve been playing with Dropbox all morning.
That’s not true it happens all the time and the books are always so boring and…
.
Oh sorry. You meant a novel. When you mentioned politicans and fiction writing I thought you were referring to their memoirs. My mistake. Carry one.
My favourite American Revolution blog seems to have disappeared. Oh me. Oh my. Hope its only temporary.
I’ve got a post up on the ERA (the replacement for the RQF), at least the journal-ranking aspect of it. It’s history-specific but the issues may be of interest to other humanities types here.
David Rubie @ #2:
I belatedly responded in the proper spirit. Check it out.
Brian, i think he wrote two.
In the Arena and The Year of the Dangerous Ones.
Good politician. Average writer.
In the Arena being the autobiography.
Geez tigtog, rub it in why dontcha!
Here’s our wee contribution to the pro-PEACE cause, a song based on one of my poems…the images might evoke some memories and such…there’s further info at the site:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpILgx_YcF0
Dear Jesse (Ascending/Descending) by greenobservesblue
I went to put this comment on Helen’s ‘Blog on a Cast Iron Balcony’ blog & WordPress tells me it has trouble connecting w/ the server or such. Typical.
Helen said: “So she makes a couple of acerbic comments, as the media so loves her to do, and is then portrayed as a rampant! Termagant! Madwoman! who “foams”, and has no sense of humour”
I expect no less from a Murdoch paper…they love creating conflict. Stirring sh*t. Bashing anyone from the Left or Progressive camp who was influential in the 60s & 70s that helped bring about CHANGE & moves towards egalitarianism.
Rupert & his lot must’ve steamed at having to pay those extra tax dollars for affordable health & education, for mature age women to enter University…& raged at the idea that some women, like Germaine Greer, had the guts to speak louder than them…get the attention they craved…and articulated arguments that helped their wives and daughters realise they didn’t have to stay in the CAGE & be bullied by these somewhat ocker elites, putting on airs, sleeping around…and taking their partners for granted. They’re now trying to get their revenge.
But Germaine will always remain unique & a courageous bridge crosser in my books…& no amount of SPIN & BS from the corporate media & its sycophantic enablers will change my view. I imagine the same goes for many others. She’s a GIANT.
Time will show this. She speaks to truth. She’s a FIGHTER.
N’
wpd at 18 & 19, there is a Wikipedia entry for P Beattie. It mentions Making a Difference in 2005 as his autobiography. There may have been an earlier one, of course.
There’s no mention of fiction.
Brian from your wiki link
“In May 2005 Beattie released his autobiography “Making A Difference”, in which he described his upbringing, political life and his views on key issues, including health, education and social reform.
The book is part memoir, part manifesto.[10] Beattie says that the reason he released the book while he is in office, rather than when he is retired, is because no-one would want to read about him if he was not in the public arena.
This is Beattie’s third book after his earlier autobiographical piece “In the Arena” (1990) and the thriller “The Year of the Dangerous Ones”.
Thanks, wpd. I wonder what the sales were like.
Last night, watched the new ABC (British import) police drama, Murder Prevention. Or, part of it, anyway. OMG, weird colour coding, hand held cameras, I think, actors made up so they looked like they came out of an Andy Warhol movie ( and I love Warhol, it was just inappropriate in this context) etc, etc. Will not be putting myself through it again. Getting to the point I might even think of hiring some DVDs next week.
OTOH, the consolation prize is Dr. Who AND Foyle’s War tonight. Foyle’s War is a particularly nice surprise as I thought the series had finished.
Paul, on Sunday night at 7.00 Garrison Keillor’s Radio Show is on Radio National.
It is a hoot. It can be heard online as it conflicts with Dr Who for the last half hour.
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/garrisonkeillor/default.htm
Sunday is our serious TV-watching night. I know one of the contestants on tonight’s Einstein Factor (which I don’t normally watch, because the Brains Trust is so painful), then there’s Dr Who and the new series of Foyle’s War. Wondering what will be the Significant Moment From WW2 tonight, and how Foyle is persuaded to keep working. And a bit of drooling over Anthony Howell.
Today’s sermon was about the basics of Islam, but the speaker didn’t know any more than I about the differences between Sunnis and Shiites (ie the historical basis). Anyone?
Originally it was a very basic split about who inherited the temporal and spiritual authority of Mohammed after his death - was it going to be a dynasty or an election from among all the eligible elite?
The Shi’ites are the descendants/converts of those who followed the dynastic succession of the first acclaimed Imam, Ali (cousin and son-in-law of Mohammed), and the Sunnis are the descendants/converts of those who followed the first elected Caliph, Abu Bakr (Mohammed’s friend).
Since then various other theological differences between the two groups have developed over the centuries. [link]
Joe2,
Thyanks for that.
Ain’t teh Internet wunnerful?
Paul, if you enjoyed joe2’s suggestion at at 27,(remember you commenting many moons ago about the time you spent as a thespian around East Sydney in the 70s) then you might find some magic in Robert Altman’s film finale, A Prarie Home Companion, based around Garrison Keillor’s radio program. G.K. says in the R.N. promo,
“I hope you can be part of the Show”;
but in the film, Altman leaves one no choice.
I’m giving this four and a half stars, Paul:)
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060608/REVIEWS/60606001/1023
American Revolution blog is back on line, apparently. Finally worked out how to post a comment on it, via my Google account. Might be getting involved in an historical stoush about whether history from below is socialism. We’ll see. The answer, btw, so far as I’m concerned, is, Not necessarily.
EC @ 31,
We cross-posted apparently.
Will keep an eye out for the DVD. Am a massive Altman fan.
“Ain’t teh Internet wunnerful?”
Tis Paul and E.C.
Now lookee here…
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/A-PRAIRIE-HOME-COMPANION-MERYL-STREEP-ROBERT-ALTMAN_W0QQitemZ310066743929QQihZ021QQcategoryZ2304QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
“Nashville” is still my fave, but.
Altman films I dig: The Player…& M.A.S.H….followed closely by Streamers…Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean…McCabe & Mrs. Miller…3 Women & Nashville. Plenty of others.
And to think I’ve just received my Visa Card.