An open thread where, at your weekend leisure, you can discuss anything you like.
[Except federal election stuff which should go here.]
Life, Culture and Politics from BrisVegas
Larvatus Prodeo was an Australian group blog which discussed politics, sociology, culture, life, religion and science from a left of centre perspective. more»
Fristly.
Three hearty cheers for the doughty Pies. Poor ole boys.
I saw a magpie in my yard this morning, my son said wickedly, “maybe a cat will eat it”.
I am going to write a post about the Pies once I have stopped crying, and they’re not even my team. Carna Powah.
Meanwhile, did anyone hear Ratty on the radio today saying he was going to spend the weekend watching the footy (sh*t eh? Some of us are going to spend the weekend working, because we can’t afford not to) and then proceeding to reel off every footy code match on the planet except for the AFL games?
God preserve us from centralisation. What with the footy and the river, SA will be but a dim memory before you can say ‘Eastern states are where the votes are’.
Good Lord, Dr Cat, you’re such a chardonnay sipper.
Kim,
You have stuffed up the Election Speculation link again in the
body of this thread
Chardonnay, pah. Semillon / sauvignon blanc, if you don’t mind.
Preferably Fox Creek’s (Willunga, Southern Vales) from 2004, also known as ‘liquid lemon meringue pie’.
Thanks, Frank. It’s fixed now.
Can I just record here that the Pies were magnificent. I know it’s not kosher to celebrate defeat – but shit, sometimes you’ve got to give credit where it’s way due.
I loved ‘em tonight.
Go Cats. Now.
It’s perfectly kosher to celebrate a collingwood defeat. Especially if you are a Carlton supporter. Even more especially tonight, since this Carlton supporter’s late maternal grandfather used to support Geelong!!! You have got to love September. It brings on the collywobbles!!!
“Chardonnay, pah. Semillon / sauvignon blanc, if you don’t mind.”
What, no viognier? Australia makes some really good viogniers. And the best ones are from SA, I think, if memory serves. Also some really good organic kosher wines, of all varietals. Didn’t even know that was a genre before. I know a health food store that’s full of them, some of ‘em quite good.
But there’s these low-end Australian wines you keep exporting that are just awful, that are starting to give Australian wine a bad name. Perhaps they need a visit from Victor the Cleaner, to remind them to clean up their act.
No Japerz. We don’t export it. You import it.
Like most products, wine is demand-driven. US wholesale importers choose which wines, including Australian wines, US retailers will stock.
Australian wholesalers push Australian quality wines hard in the US market, but they run up against a brick wall of price resistance.
The problem is one of perception. US wholesalers believe, with some justice, that US consumers won’t be prepared to pay fancy prices for fancy Australian wines.
The US wine market is very segmented. And consumers are quite prone to drinking the label rather than the contents of the bottle.
So? How was everyones week? It’s been a great week for me personally, I’ve been likened to a neo-con and a communist, however I must be grateful for small mercies, I haven’t been called a Nazi.
Mine was pretty good. And today I finally got round to draw them flying monkeys I’ve been meaning to draw.
Pies? Pies, I hear you say? I always thought it was “Poies.”
And Phil, you’re a Nazi.
Didn’t notice any magpies on my trip up to the corner shop this morning. The type that dive-bomb you out of nowhere. Had custard tart and chocolate Montes for breakfast while reading my e-mails. Still munching on the biscuits as I blog.
Phil, I think you’re okay.
My week was great, but then again it was pension week and what with the bills and stuff I could only afford one book. Thanks for asking.
Thanks CK! I knew I win the trifecta before the day was out.
Elitist!
Phil, I can call you an elitist too if you like, but it hasn’t quite got the same clout as ‘Nazi’.
JPZ (aka ‘Wal’), yes, of course — we’re keeping all the good stuff for ourselves, for a change. Actually Katz’s explanation is very interesting; I didn’t know that, though it doesn’t surprise me.
How true. Yes, viognier is also good, and I am partial to a nice pinot grigio as well. I might have a glass this afternoon while I watch the Power in their struggle to the death with the Kangaroos, also known as Far North Melbourne.
So now the mushy ‘pies are gone do you think there is an ever so slight chance that next year’s AFL game draw might, just to be different, NOT be organized to give them so many advantages?
In the interests of the word ‘Australian’ in AFL and fairness to all, not just the favoured few?
As I watched last night’s game, cheering on the Cats (my second team) I enjoyed the quality and excitemet of the game I missed for most of the rest of the year when watching my first team, the Swans. I wished I hadn’t left Melbourne at 6.30 last night and had gone to the MCG instead. Ah well – hindsight.
My daughter rang up in the middle of a party to find out how they went (well, okay, her dad did live in Collingwood for the first fifteen months of his life. There is a connection of sorts.) Then expressed regret she had not been there to watch.
I could not bear to watch the first three quarters, being a distant rellie of Reg Hickey and having father and brothers gnawing their teeth to stumps in front of their respective terminals all evening. A fraught experience, but nonetheless I think we have already had our Grannie. That was a wonderful quarter, much better stuff than last week (which was simply netball/soccer.) And they’ll be back.
PC, I am going to hunt down that liquid meringue, thanks for the tip.
Take one bottle of cheap champagne and one litre of lemon sorbet. Mash together. Skol!
(This recipe provided as a community service announcement for anyone temporarily short of funds, or like me, at some distance from a decent bottle shop.)
Su, I am saving it for a very spesh occasion. I’m a generously proportioned person like Oprah, and can only drink about once a fortnight.
Hey Phil, there’s something fishy going on around here…I too was called a neo-con and was told my physical faculties were not functional. Ok, so I didnt get the nazi one, nor was I a communist, but I got the big kahuna – I was middle class. Man if I had a dollar…Sigh, then because I couldnt help myself and following on from the dreaded imaginings of some posters on this site, I dressed Mark B. in some royal purple and turned Kim into a petal thrower. It went downhill from there of course, though Ive seen Mark’s pic and I reckon he’d look good in purple. Kim – well lets face it, she would look good in anything. And I mean it, alla Chris Crocker style.
oh yes, and white hats look TOTALLY ridiculous on Liam, of course. Some people have no fashion sense at all.
If Geelong wins the Grand Final and Labor wins the election I think I would forgive my dad if he told me he was happier than he was on the day I was born.
Public service announcement much appreciated, su. I hadn’t thought about doing that, but it makes perfect sense for next weekend, or perhaps the one after. I’ll post on results.
A really dud week, but the last 24 hours have been a lot of fun.
The NSW government is signalling that it will change the state’s liquor licencing laws.
The pubs will be able to get more poker machines and stay open longer.
The Minister for Drug Sales and Getting Our Share , Mr West was just trying to get along with Gen Y apparently.
“”We know a lot of generation Y people are going out later than their previous generation so we need to make sure we are responding to the community.” Pubs will be able to open at 5 am on Sunday mornings.
Mr West repeated the Government’s denial that the changes were a reward for the hotel industry donating millions of dollars to Labor. He said he regularly spoke to the hoteliers and clubs “without fear or favour”.
“It’s not true. I don’t how much these organisations donate to the Labor Party,” Mr West said.
Yes that’s right , why would a Minister know anything?
The SMH
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/pokies-overhaul/2007/09/21/1189881777210.html
Re the Murdoch papers this morning – do we know who the ‘Gay Minister’ is ?
Another el cheapo drink.
Half Stringbow cider, half Guiness Stout. Goes down well.
I’ve just read a brief about the so-called gay minister. This report identifies Labor as the source of this rumour.
However, a report from The Sunday Herald Sun in Melbourne reads differently. To quote:
“according to veteran political journalist Laurie Oakes, it’s the Liberal Party who are actually the source of the “fact sheet”.”
Whoever is the source of the “dirt”, one thing is for sure: We’re getting more attention on political dirt than policy debate. Personally, I’m sick of hearing about who visited some strippers or who visisted a gay venue.
The closer I get to trying to “mature” my political perspective, the more I understand how much attention to deal that requires against the time and space I have to develop it…..and…..just how much free space and time our so-called professional politicans and media must have to be able to “indulge” in so much “immature” dirt.
After hearing a week of the deeply divided American radio talkback while on holiday recently, I can quickly identify pertinent points that are made in the following article from The Age about The Future of The Australian Democrats
Consider this quote from The Age article:
“Fielding owes his Senate seat to chance.
To stay there, he has to do whatever it takes to get his name into the media and build up his profile.
The alternative is to do what the people who voted for him hoped he would do and spend more time scrutinising legislation before the Senate than trying to get his name in the papers.”
However, the Senator Fielding is not alone in taking this approach. Everyone it seems, except the Democrats, are following the same formula.
Right now, it would seem the only things that matter are issues that make headlines. I returned to Australia last week to find a “desperate political situation” that’s just as out of control as the one you find in the United States.
Already, The Democrats have got my Senate vote, even if just to protest against the current conduct of the other parties.
…From Justin (go the Mighty Melbourne Storm!)
Mime artist Marceau dies
I am not going to say anything….
…
Paul Burns [12:10pm]:
Cider & Stout? Might even give it a try next weekend.
Bernice:
Very sad news indeed, He made us laugh …. and wonder and and think.
I can remember a long time ago when I was a drama student in Sydney in the early 60s I think it was, going to see Marceau at I think the Royal. He was a great artisr and will be missed.
The Climate Change group in PMC has today issued a discussion paper: â??Early Action – Abatement incentives prior to the commencement of the Australian Emissions Trading Schemeâ?? and are seeking public comment.
http://www.pmc.gov.au/climate_change/emissions/early_action/
There are two things that the discussion paper discusses. One (in my words) is how to deal with the risk that free allocation of permits to big polluters (coal fired generators and â??trade exposed energy intensive industriesâ??) will provide a perverse incentive to not decrease emissions before trading starts to take place. In the words of the discussion paper â??there is a risk that further abatement may be delayed if firms are uncertain about permit allocation rules, particularly how their own emissions may impact on future decisions as to whether, and to what extent, they are eligible to receive a free allocation of permits.â??
The discussion paper also discusses possible ways to encourage abatement prior to the scheme taking place through activities such as offsets etc.
Has anyone else seen the footage of the woman in the US who was tasered seven times, including twice after she had been handcuffed? In addition to this, the cop involved kicks her while she is crouched over and, in an attempt to stumble away from the tasering, she hits her head on a car. Talk about excessive use of force.
The Iranians blame Canada.