http://larvatusprodeo.net Blogging politics, culture, sociology and life from Brisvegas Tue, 07 Oct 2008 04:26:52 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The current mayor of the City of Melbourne, John So, has become a bit of a cult figure down here - almost a modern-day Emperor Norton of the United States. Frankly, much of his appeal probably derives from the fact that the mayor of Melbourne doesn't have much more ... http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/07/interactive-transport-plans/ There's a really fascinating post at scatterplot from sociologist Tina Fetner. She reports on research with Bob Andersen just published in the American Journal of Political Science. Their interest was sparked by a sudden shift in Canada and the United States towards more accepting attitudes towards same-sex relationships and lesbians ... http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/07/economic-inequality-and-attitudes-towards-same-sex-relationships/ I wonder if no Newspoll is bad news for the pollsters and those who own them. This must be the first Monday in living memory (well, since anyone started paying attention to this stuff before last year's campaign) when there hasn't been an early release of selected Newspoll numbers. It ... http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/07/no-early-newspoll-interest-rates-to-be-cut/ The McCain campaign has gone into full on negative smear mode, with Governor Sarah Palin playing the traditional attack role of the Vice-Presidential candidate. Apparently Obama has been consorting with terrorists, because he once knew a member of the Weathermen (long afterwards and when Bill Ayers had become an educator and ... http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/07/the-gloves-are-off/ As no doubt everyone has noticed, there has been a vigorous discussion in comments about the latest Bill Henson brouhouha. I don't want to comment explicitly on the issues raised by David Marr's "revelation" that Henson had visited a primary school in St Kilda to scout for subjects for his ... http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/06/bill-henson-visual-shock-and-the-democratisation-of-art/ Today's Crikey asks a rather rude question: An Australian citizen currently languishes in jail in a foreign country, having been seized from an aircraft on the basis of an arrest warrant issued in a third country. The crime alleged to have been committed by the man relates only to the fact ... http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/06/defending-the-odious/ Spring must be the season when people turn their minds to starting blogs, or at least spring 2005 was when some excellent people did. It's the three year blogiversary for both Pavlov's Cat and Hoyden About Town. Warm salutations and felicitations to both! Pavlov's Cat also has some interesting reflections on ... http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/06/happy-blogiversary-pavlovs-cat-and-hoyden-about-town/ Daylight saving has begun in some Southern states, but here in sunny Queensland, our political masters have decreed that we're having none of it, despite government commissioned research which shows 60% in favour and 69% in the South East Corner. When Anna Bligh became premier, she was quick to rule out ... http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/06/daylight-saving-in-queensland/ A bit of a shoutout to all the teachers out there on the intertubes - we love youse all! Today is World Teachers' Day. I'm sure there are very few of us who don't remember teachers who made significant differences in our lives. It might be a neat way to celebrate ... http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/05/happy-world-teachers-day/ As noted here and here in comments, there's an extremely interesting development in Queensland state politics today - Indooroopilly MP Ronan Lee has defected from the ALP to join The Greens. Lee has been something of a maverick during his time in Parliament, causing both Peter Beattie and Anna Bligh a ... http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/05/indooroopilly-labor-mp-ronan-lee-joins-greens/ Since we don’t live by politix alone (I sincerely hope), what did people get up to this weekend? Join in, share some tales, regulars and lurkers all! Although it's been uni break over the last week, I've been a busy boy. I now have a date with destiny for my doctorate ... http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/05/lazy-sunday-thesis-finishing-edition/ The New Zealand election is still in a phoney campaign, with the parties only just beginning to launch their campaigns. Which gives me more time to fill in the background. Deborah has already done an excellent beginner's guide to MMP, so I thought I'd follow up with what ... http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/04/a-beginner%e2%80%99s-guide-to-coalitions-nz-election/ There's been a lot of discussion sparked by the Productivity Commission report into Parental Leave about "middle class welfare". Because the PC also made recommendations about the baby bonus, and therefore there have been predictable calls to share the dosh equally with non-working mothers, paid parental leave is being conceptualised ... http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/04/of-welfare-policy-work-entitlements-and-parental-leave/ Earlier on tonight, the indications were that the US House of Representatives would be voting around 2am AEST on the revised version of the TARP bailout bill (with extra billions of dollars in pork to attract lawmakers' votes - added in the Senate amendment which John "Against Earmarks and Wasteful ... http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/04/liveblogging-the-house-debate-on-the-tarp-bailout-bill/ Jennifer Schuessler at the New York Times has been boosting the "turn the Veep debate into a poetry slam" movement. Two poems selected from her Paper Cuts blog post: Haiku’s not the form For Senator Joe Biden Because the last line may come out slightly longer than is absolutely necessary due to the ... http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/04/the-palin-biden-debate-haiku-thread-we-had-to-have/ An open thread, where at your weekend leisure, you can discuss anything you like. http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/04/saturday-salon-160/ http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/03/best-cat-evah/ Timothy Garton Ash, writing in The Guardian, has picked it: http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/03/house-republicans-quote-of-the-week-its-dostoevsky-stupid/ Those freethinkers and mavericks and contrarians at the Opposition Organ are at it again. In the wake of the serve Christopher Pearson gave Governor-General Quentin Bryce on Saturday, his colleage Frank Devine piles on today. But with even less sense! This is not an attempt to portray the accomplished and charming ... http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/03/more-governor-general-dissing-quentin-bryce-a-radical-feminist/ As everyone probably knows, the Veep debate will be televised live at 11am AEST on both ABC1 and SBS (which also has live streaming online if you're not near a tv). Any links to liveblogging of the debate appreciated. Context in this earlier post and Amanda's post on Biden at Hoyden ... http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/10/03/biden-palin-debate-open-thread/