An open thread, where at your weekend leisure, you can discuss anything you like.
(Sorry for the lateness!)
Life, Culture and Politics from BrisVegas
Larvatus Prodeo is an Australian group blog which discusses politics, sociology, culture, life, religion and science from a left of centre perspective. more»
» SUBSCRIBE to LP updates.
refreshinf firsty goodness
just picked the first red tomato of the year
This weekend, reports indicate that the new Premier of NSW, Kristina Keneally, is planning to promote all the sleaziest and most on-the-nose Labor politicians back into the cabinet. If this is correct, she will likely experience the shortest honeymoon period on record. I was trying to come up with a suitable catchphrase for her cabinet if this comes to pass. Some images flashed thru my mind, along the lines of bordellos, sewage works and even “Animal Farm” for the literary minded (tho “Lord of the Flies” might fit too). But I came up with the Mafia as the best analogy – which might make Kristina “the Godmother”. Any other suggestions?
This weekend – tomorrow to be specific – the new Dr Who, The Waters Of Mars, screens on ABC1 at 7.30. Then on SBS at 9.30 is the first episode of the Emmy award winning adaptation of David McCullough’s bio of the American revolutionary and president, John Adams. I’ve seen the series and except for some the episode dealling with Adams’s ambassadorship to Amsterdam (the camera work is annoyingly tricky) its very good, at times verging on the brilliant. Laura Linney is utterly magnificent as Abigail Adams. Anyway, I strongly recommend it to everyone. (C’mon, its got to be better than Mills & Boon and Geraldine Doogue.)
I’ll put $5 on Tripodi getting Planning and Obeid getting Treasury…
There are a few incidents in Tony Abbott’s biography that I know of that have recieved no mention in the last week that I could see. This is no doubt due to the sanitized history the MSM is intent on but I’ve not seen any mention in the blogosphere so I thought I might post them. If anyone out there has any links / refs. it would be appreciated as I’m going strictly from memory.
The first incident is from a newspaper article I read about a sureptitious ‘Pell-like’ visit Abbott made to a catholic priest in jail for embezelling money from little old ladies and who was subsequently charged with a paedophile crime. Any links / refs appreciated.
The second incident is from an article I remember reading in the Bulletin several years ago and relates to a time many years ago when Bob Carr used to work on it as a journo. Once a week journos from the mag would gather in a room above a friends office for a good old fashioned ‘piss-up’. One night a member (former?) of the Young Libs. came along who would eventually end up working on the mag ie. Tony Abbott. As the night wore on, and the drinks flowed, at some point Bob Carr expressed the view that he believed in a womens right to choose an abortion. According to the article at this point young TA exploded and threatened to take ‘muscles’ Carr outside and bash his head in and had to be restrained by fellow drinkers. Again if anyone has links / refs. much appreciated otherwise I might be forced to troll through several years of Bulletins in my state library.
I thought some of yuse might also be amused by this ditty/report in the On Dit (Adel. Uni. students mag) about the 1978 A.U.S. Council meeting…
“Perhaps the long hours were to blame for the abysmally low standard of debate. Tony Abbott is particularly worth mentioning in this respect. As principle spokesman of the extreme right , he could manage little more than words to the effect “You’re all a mob of commie poofters”. He would certainly take the prize for offensiveness……”
Speaking of Eggcorns, as we were on another thread.
This morning I shopped at Preston Market.
At the nut shop, cowering amidst fanatical “Iranian dates” and shady “Turkish figs”, were some “Unpitied Prunes”.
Why not the Klan – her initials are KKK.
I predict Keneally will win in 2011.
Cavitation, how about some paraphrased Orwell:
“If you want a vision of the future of New South Wales, imagine Joe Tripodi, sitting on a human face, forever.”
Apologies if anyone’s had lunch.
Pollywaffles have disappeared all together.
Yay!
Kenneally has put me off voting forever.Being vulnerable and mentally disordered like I am!?And alighting from the plane at the age of 25 then ending up somewhere near her underpants now,I almost cannot restrain my contempt for the ten year rule of working ,if you wanted to go to university,under the Hawke Keating Government.Keating worked as a musician’s Roadie so all the bloody drunks could have songs yelled in their ears and coppers waiting for them outside.Viva the Re the pup lick!What else are Australians getting for Christmas!? New Zealand Santa’s!?
I used to really like Polly Waffles. S’pose they got palm oil in them too. Are there any chocolate biscuits that don’t have palm oil in them? If the answer to that is no, I will have to abandon my principles.
What the hell. I already drink Coca-Cola by the large bottle in summer anyway.
At home doing some drum practice – ugh. Love playing ‘em, but practice is shitty. Even though I’ve had / still have school and work related events and volunteering stuff out the wazoo – have one grade sixer and one VCE – I stupidly, STUPIDLY said yes when a dear friend rang up and asked me could I go on drums in a scratch cover band at her kids’ Skool breakup party. Not even my kids school! So last week was School Concert for Grade Sixer and rehearsal; This week Graduation ceremony (yes, they have one now for Grade Sixers) on Monday, rehearsal Tuesday and gig (early- have to find excuse to rush off from work early) on Thursday! And haven’t even done any Xmas shopping… and all this in context of work being fiercely busy!
What a nightmare. This is why I feel like a fraud posting to “Lazy Sunday” threads!
I just discovered these.
http://www.temeraire.org/index.cgi?pagetype=writing
Must check them out. Anybody know them?
For those of you who were following the adventures of Francis Grose as interpreted by PB, here is the first instalment in the adventures of 2nd. lieutenant Robert Ross.
http://beingahistoryheadandotherthings.blogspot.com/2009/12/robert-ross-and-david-collins-what-they.html#comments
“Unpitied Prunes”
I love it Katz but wonder if it is a malapropism rather than an “eggcorn”.
On the other hand, if it was an “unpitied prude” then it might be one.
So impressed with Stephan Lewandowsky’s concise and simple rebuttal of the dopey deniers “climategate” in the Saturday Age, beautifully understandable and undeniable. More of this type of language is needed.
Just a little snapshot of the biased work at the Opposition Organ, today. I will not provide a link because hits only encourage them. If anyone is interested the unadulterated results of the latest Newspoll they are available below. They show nothing much has changed.
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/2009/12/07/newspoll-56-44-12/
Behold! The 1913 Flying Merkel!
Courier Mail spins news of 79% opposition to fire sale to reveal its privatisation colours
Many Queenslanders, appalled at their state Government’s blatant disregard for their wishes not to sell AU$15billion of worth of publicly owned assets, actually look to Rupert Murdoch’s Courier-Mail newspaper to stand up to what has to be amongst the most inept and despotic of state governments in Australia’s history. However, the dishonest spin encompassed in the title of the story “Asset Sale Anger on the wane”, together with the sub-heading “Christmas boost for Bligh”, reveals that newspaper’s true colours on that issue.
I was in a record store on Sunset Boulevard the other day, and was quite nerdily thrilled to see that there’s been a nice re-issue on CD of those two erstwhile hard-to-find, twin pinnacles of nerd-rock — I mean of course “Crazy Rhythms” and “The Good Earth” by The Feelies. Man, those freakin’ guitars.
For those too young to remember, The Feelies in 1980 or so were the final word in guitar-and-percussion nerd perfectionism, they made David Byrne and Tom Verlaine look like the laid-back cool kids in class. Their sound was/is inimitable — it seems simple at first, until you realize that it’s been built up through millions and millions of tiny details. There aren’t many things quite like “Crazy Rhythms,” suburban-nerd-New Jersey’s answer to the hipster downtown-isms of “Marquee Moon.” I used to catch them live at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, and brother let me tell you, they totally smoked.
Pick up both records if you can, but if you’re only going for one get “Crazy Rhythms” which has much more focused songwriting, and that insane, eccentric percussion sound, and the kooky cover version of Lennon’s “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide”. The second stanza of “Moscow Nights” is worth the cover charge all by itself.
Give it to a nerd for Christmas. As a thought experiment, both of you should listen to it together: you’ll only hear the tight songwriting and amazing guitars, but your nerdy friend will hear *molecules*.
I saw The Feelies do a song at the REM tribure at Carnegie Hall earlier this year. They did Carnival of Sorts, highlight of the night for me, though Bob Mould was great doing Sitting Still too. I’m well pleased to hear about these reissues, as the next best thing for me has been some mp3s I knicked off the net. Thanks for mentioning it here.
Also thanks PB, I enjoyed the John Adams thingee on TV too.
The latest appears to be that because the government hasn’t completed their 5 year super clinic plan in 2 years that it’s “in tatters” and Rudd has “failed to deliver”.
The 1913 Flying Merkel is magnificent, Liam. But is it an ancestor of the Flying Road Cyclist R. Merkel, of this district?
I think we should be told.
Lot of smoke haze here in Armidale yesterday. There is (or was) a bushfire to the west of us yesterday, and there’s still haze in the air this morning.
Test Post as folk over at Pollbludger are getting a domain expired page – I can see the page fine in both firefox and IE8 Windows 7 Professional.
LP provided a similar page last night, Frank.
I was alarmed, and quite relieved when I got to work this morning and everything was OK again.
Maybe the site is getting hacked by CC deniers who resent the anti-e-mail posts and comments?
Was still out at about 11 am this morning. Okay now.
My insomnia is getting the better of me again.
Yesterday and today watched Series 1 of Upstairs Downstairs. Some of it is in b/w and there are two episodes so soapy they almost reach the standard of B&B, but mostly it was very good. Looking forward to buying the rest of the series.