Tag Archive for ‘Sydney’ at Larvatus Prodeo

Tag Archive for 'Sydney'

I went to a circus and a science debate broke out

Published

1 month ago

. 104 Comments

Today I attended the debate between UNSW computer scientist Dr Tim Lambert (author of Deltoid blog) and Lord Viscount Christopher Monckton of Brenchley.

The venue was the Hilton Hotel Grand Ballroom, and attendance was about 60% of capacity, that is roughly half the number of people who attended last time I was there, when it was packed to 120% of capacity for the launch of MySpace (remember MySpace? Neither do I…)

At any rate, I am pleased to report that the debate was indeed just that, a real debate, conducted civilly, in front of an attentive and polite crowd, and well moderated by Alan Jones.

It was neither the rabble-rousing denialist circus some feared it would be, nor an embarrassing excursion into Monckton’s many personal foibles. It was instead, a robust, articulate presentation and dissection of the factual content behind Monckton’s denialist propositions. Both speakers were modest, neither hyperbolic, and both approached the question in an open and non-dogmatic fashion. Continue reading ‘I went to a circus and a science debate broke out’

Prince William comes to town

Published

Mark

1 month, 4 weeks ago

in Australiana, Culture, Media, NSW Government and Politics

. 104 Comments

A number of the commenters on the earliest political memories thread recalled having been taken as schoolkids to see Her Maj, and a number of us also recalled weird little pledges and scratchy recordings of ‘God Save the Queen’ being a feature of the beginning of our primary school days (in my case, in Joh’s 70s Queensland). In that context, I was interested to read Idiot/Savant’s account of Prince William’s underwhelming reception in Auckland, despite all attempts by the media to talk the visit up. You can read it here. The punchline?

That’s so beautifully kiwi. The Brits may be obsessed with hierarchy and deference and publicly displaying their loyalty to the unelected scion of an undemocratic institution – but we have better things to do. Like enjoying ourselves in the sun. The British royal-watchers call this “a distinct pro-republican feeling”, but its more that we just don’t give a damn – the monarchy is simply utterly irrelevant to our lives. Though from a republican view, that irrelevance is a two-edged sword; not giving a damn also tends to mean not giving a damn about getting rid of them. Hence the slow drift to republicanism; no-one cares about them, but no-one cares enough to finally sign the paperwork to get them out of our lives either…

I think that holds true in this Antipodean Colony too.

Our pollies only seem to revive the spectre of Republicanism when there’s a bit of political advantage to be gained.

Kevin Rudd, though, does want to have a beer with Prince William.

The Daily Terror comments:

The hype surrounding his arrival is similar to that of his parents’ visit to Australia in 1983 when hordes of royal fans lined the streets to see Prince Charles and Diana.

Not so far as I can see. It seems, rather, that it’s just a photo op for Kristina Keneally. And maybe KRudd, if he can get himself, uninivited, onto the Prince’s dance card.

Win a free pass to the Media140 conference

Published

Mark

6 months ago

in Blogging, Media, Notices, Sydney and The Web

. 5 Comments

There’s a big confab on in Sydney on the 5th and 6th of November on all things social media and future of journalism – Media140. Rachel Hills is running a competition to win a free pass to the conference. For details, please see her post!

Lazy Sunday long weekend! (Lunar new year edition)

Published

Mark

1 year, 1 month ago

in Miscellaneous

. 17 Comments

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!

Chinese New Year in Sydney.

Image courtesy of yewenyi at flickr licenced under Creative Commons.

Jørn Utzon passes

Published

Robert Merkel

1 year, 3 months ago

in Art, NSW Government and Sydney

. 11 Comments

ABC News reports that the architect of the Sydney Opera House died of a heart attack in his sleep at age 90.

Whatever else he did in his long career – as usual, the Wikipedia has more – it’s almost impossible to imagine Sydney without that building. Indeed, it’s almost impossible to imagine an Australia without it. It’s driven Melburnians mad for decades trying to find a similarly iconic building (a quest that has been thankfully abandoned).

Hopefully, the process of renovating the Opera House, which was proceeding with the cooperation of Utzon and his son, will result in a building whose interior – and acoustics – match its astonishing exterior. As a further memorial, perhaps state governments (and this seems to apply particularly to the NSW state government) can find a way to encourage better architecture, not just for icon buildings but across the board. Utzon, whose career also included work on low-cost housing in Denmark, would surely approve.

World Youth Day: The dark side of the force?

Published

Kim

1 year, 8 months ago

in Australiana, Culture, Film, TV, Video etc, Levity, Masculinity, NSW Government, Photography and Sydney

. 33 Comments

Elliott Bledsoe reminds us not to take men wearing robes all that seriously. Make sure you look at this photo very carefully indeed.

Note: If you don’t like what you see – tough – it’s now legal to be annoyed.

Continue reading ‘World Youth Day: The dark side of the force?’

Garnaut to Opposition: Climate leadership spots already taken

Published

dk.au

1 year, 8 months ago

in Climate change, Foreign policy and Politics

. 9 Comments

Today, Garnaut on Tour hit Sydney. The highlight of an otherwise rambling 40 minute set of riffs was the good professor’s intervention into the talking point of the moment:

“We’ve suggested Australia should play its full part in a global mitigation effort… I note there’s been a lot of discussion since the report came out that Australia should not be a leader well I can assure people who don’t want Australia to be leader. There are 25 countries in Europe that have gone well beyond us, there are some states in the US that [are more populous] and have taken action, so for those who don’t want Australia to be a leader, you’ve got your wish.”

In the meantime, Turnbull propagates a rather out of date world where unilateralism is ~~noble~~ ~~good~~ bad and border tax adjustments are Teh Great Taboo. Or something.

BTW, a few points from the address and Q&A at Paddington Town Hall this morning: Continue reading ‘Garnaut to Opposition: Climate leadership spots already taken’

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