tha bastard son

Goodbye and Hello

2010-01-28T21:54:00.002+11:00

It is with great regret that I close this blog, but a loss of interest in politics and the eventual death of this sites terrible commenting system has led me to change blogs and start anew.

Lost in a Forest will probably be a very different sort of blog, a bit more personal or as I call it "emo rambling" and a bit less giggling at whoever is leading the Liberal Party to failure this week.

Thanks for the giggles, arguments and good times on the blogosphere over the last two years and I hope to see some of you at my new blog.

Till next time.

Objectivity for Dummies

2010-01-11T23:46:00.003+11:00

Faith, religion and all that stuff is a subject that the media treats with a great deal of care (except if they want to rile up some anti-Muzzie hatred of course). So I was quite surprised at how the the Daily Terror's standards have dropped with this piece.

A WOMAN cured of inoperable lung and brain cancer through prayers to Mary MacKillop has broken her silence, 16 years after being cured of the disease.
Kathleen Evans, 66, a self-confessed "ordinary woman" from Lake Macquarie beat an aggressive cancer which riddled her body, with the help of Mother MacKillop.

A woman was saved where medicine had failed by the spirit of a woman who died over a hundred years ago, so declares journalist Clementine Cuneo. Oh but global warming, now that's CRAZY! Angels and a magical invisible man in the sky control the climate.

Ummm, OK.

It's obviously a fantastic thing that the woman, who thought all hope was lost won her battle against cancer. I cant say that Mary Mackillop didn't save her life, but the Terror for a mainstream news organisation to declare a miracle as fact in a news story is just a bit rich if they want to be taken seriously.

In contrast, here is how the ABC handled the story.

The woman said to have been miraculously cured of inoperable cancer after praying to Mary MacKillop has been identified for the first time and has spoken of her experience.

Better, respectful to the woman's beliefs and leaves the judgement to others.

And given opinion editor Tim Blair's recent jihad against scientists one cant help but wonder how the Terror can harm their credibility further. Perhaps a return to angel, UFO and Elvis sightings.

Because all black people are the same

2010-01-06T13:38:00.003+11:00

Oh for fucks sake, yes we do have racism in this country much like any country. No, this advertisement is not racist.

AN ad by KFC Australia showing a man giving fried chicken to West Indies fans has been labelled racist in the US.
In the "cricket survival guide" ad, an Australian fan named Mick asks viewers "Need a tip when you're stuck in an awkward situation?" after being surrounded by cheering West Indies fans.
He then shares a bucket of KFC chicken with fans around him to calm the situation.
Is this ad racist? Tell us below.
The video has caused a huge stir in the US after it was posted on YouTube. The ad has been seen by some in the US as a reference to racial stereotype that African Americans eat fried chicken.

Here is the shocking travesty here.

The funny thing about black people is, much like white people they don't come from one single country. The stereotype of the lazy black man eating fried chicken comes from the American South, and has little to no relevance in the rest of the world. The people in the ad are meant to be from the West Indies which is about as far removed from the American South as Moldova is to Norway.

Yet dumb (and possibly racist) Americans see a group of black people and instantly assume they are African Americans. We aren't the ignorant ones here, you guys are.

Here is the otherwise amusing Young Turks putting their racial stereotypes on the black crowd.

Skip to 2:48 and listen to nitwit Ana make a rather ignorant judgement.

"People see it and they think Oh Yeah Yeah, those African Americans, they're so rowdy those rowdy bunch"

Ana you half-wit, just because someone is black doesn't instantly make them an African American you insular, ignorant nitwit. Just like because I am white it doesn't instantly mean I am Swedish. They are supporters of the West Indies cricket team, the Carra-fucking-bean (You know, like that Pirate movie), yes black people exist in other countries!!! Shocking isn't it.

Yes but somehow we are racist once again, because Americans fail to realise the world doesn't revolve around them.

Fighting Intolerance with Intolerance

2010-01-03T01:46:00.003+11:00

Having one of those lazy days I've been reading a lot of crap I should otherwise ignore.

As a few may know, I don't have a high opinion of modern feminism. I don't deny the achievements made in the past by the feminist movement, but I think anything vaguely sensible supported by feminists is also supported by the left side of politics anyway.

Hey I could be wrong, but when feminists jump en masse to do really important things like call the film Avatar sexist and racist, its hardly on par with the fight for voting and property rights is it?

Anyway I started reading the writings of deranged dingbat Julie Bindel today. To be fair her nonsense would probably be dismissed by most feminists with a functioning brain but anyway she still deserves to be ridiculed for the hate filled dingbat that she is.

First of all she is one of those try hard rebels that fights teh patriarchy through pointless bits of symbolism like refusing to wear make-up, you know until a lucrative promo offer comes along and tempts her to change her mind. Oh you rebel you! So subversive.

Anyway, she follows the teachings of radical feminist Sheilla Jeffreys who advocates that women cannot be free unless they refrain from all sexual activity with men.

"We think serious feminists have no choice but to abandon heterosexuality," it reads. "Only in the system of oppression that is male supremacy does the oppressor actually invade and colonise the interior of the body of the oppressed." It also asserted that penetration "is more than a symbol, its function and effect is the punishment and control of women".

Who else can spot that rather large flaw in that plan? What would happen to women (and humanity) in the long run if we stopped heterosexual sexy time? Something important, vital for the future of humanity..... Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Julie Bindel's main shtick seems to be fighting intolerance with her own intolerance, ie men are evil and are not individuals and every man is responsible for every bit of evil committed by other men. We are born guilty.

To me, political lesbianism continues to make intrinsic sense because it reinforces the idea that sexuality is a choice, and we are not destined to a particular fate because of our chromosomes. I also suspect that it is very difficult to spend your daily life fighting against male violence, only to share a bed with a man come the evening.

There are people who can see individuals and judge them as such. There are others who if they see a person of a certain race committing a crime, will judge all members of that race negatively. Julie does the exact same thing that racists do but applies it to sex, she is less interested in ending violence against women than she is at throwing a presumed guilt at all men.

Women are told we must love our oppressors, while, as feminists, we fight to end the power afforded them as a birthright. Come on sisters, you know it makes sense. Stop pretending you think lesbianism is an exclusive members' club, and join the ranks. I promise that you will not regret it.

Fight sexism by sexism, be discriminatory towards all men because of the crimes of a few.

As much as I think all her hateful nonsense is a heartfelt fuck you there is a a glaring hole is what for lack of a better word I'll call her logic.

The debate over the differing role in biology and environment over humanity is pretty complex. It is impossible to know how much of us is because of our genes and because of the surrounding environment.

One of the biggest debates is if sexuality is pre-determined by our genes or if is a result of environmental factors. Julie has determined with her superior non-scientist mind that everyones sexuality is a choice, because umm she says so.

Thirty years since homosexuality was removed from the list of recognised mental disorders, scientists persist in searching for a "cause", refusing to accept that sexuality and sexual desire are social constructs, not biological or genetically determined.

She presents no evidence of this rather large discovery, apart from some story about how she decided to turn gay because all men are evil. But therein lies the contradiction, how can she on one hand say that biology doesn't matter and that sexuality is purely a social construct which can be chosen, yet also say that men are all evil women hating rapists not because of choice but because of biology and their gender in particular? Eh?

Oh and Julie Bindell, fuck you you stupid cunt for being such a sexist intolerant hateful bitch.

You just Can't Please a Conservative

2009-12-24T13:46:00.003+11:00

I went and saw Avatar last night in 3D (Good, not great movie yet an amazing technical achievement) and as usual the typical clowns have come out of the woodwork decrying it as leftist indoctrination.

The story is pretty basic, ex-marine hired to infiltrate alien tribe by evil corporation. Good guy ex-marine decides to side with the alien tribe against the evil corporation, cue love story, cliched army general and some pretty awesome 3D battle scenes. All in all, not a bad way to spend 11 bucks. But of course, the cartoon conservatives see an evil leftist plot in this standard Hollywood fare.

especially in the third act — is ardently left. It is pro-indigenous native, anti-corporate, anti-imperialist, anti-U.S. Iraq War effort, anti-U.S.-in-Afghanistan (and anti-troop-surge-in-that-country, or strongly against the thinking of President Barack Obama and Gen. Stanley McChrystal), anti-rightie, anti-Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld, etc.

Eh? and Wha?

The most surprising thing about that verbatim lunacy is they think something is leftist if it is pro-indigenous. Does that make them proudly anti-indigenous? Do they think conservatism is in itself racist? Because that is what they seem to be saying.

For those that have seen it, the film is stock standard cardboard cutout cliches. Heroic good guys, evil bad guys. It is so standard that it could be a metaphor for a dozen armed conflicts in the last 70 years, and James Cameron had the story in his head long before Iraq Mark II happened.

But these clowns can see leftist indoctrination wherever they look. Did you know Titanic, the highest grossing film of all time is actually an ideological Trojan horse that is preaching radical Marxism? Apparently so.

After Titanic I lost all interest in Cameron. Pure lefty crap.

Eh, you know because the good guy is poor and the evil guy is rich the storyline is leftist. Or something, fucked if I know. Lets hope if these morons ever read a book that they avoid the leftist texts of Dickens. Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol with its anti-materialistic message would put them into a fit.

One can really see what they want in these movies, I could argue that it has a conservative message because it is basically about the protection of property rights. But because the white people are bad the film is inherently evil.

Proving that the leftist indoctrination meme is a Rorschach test that shows each persons insanity. Local nitwit Andrew Bolt also sees Avatar as leftist indoctrination. But no, it isn't a metaphor for Iraq or Afghanistan, its about global warming, or something...

Avatar, in fact, is the warmist dream filmed in 3D. Staring through your glasses at James Cameron’s spectacular $400 million creation, you can finally see where this global warming cult was going.

If Tim Flannery, Al Gore and all the other Copenhagen delegates could at least agree to design a new kind of people, they’d wind up with something much like these 3m-tall gracelings.

The Na’vi live in trees, at one with nature. They worship Mother Earth and, like Gaians today, talk meaningfully of “a network of energy that flows through all living things”. They drink water that’s pooled in giant leaves, and chant around a tree that whispers of their ancestors.

Liking trees and water is leftist?

These people are insane.

But I'll leave the final word to conservative Ace.

If Sarah Palin sees Avatar and then sits down and actually thinks about what it’s saying (which is always a dicey proposition, I admit), she’ll hate this movie.

Yes, the prospect of Sarah Palin actually thinking is quite an unlikely scenario isn't it?

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and jah bless Gaia everyone.

500 Posts! and a Song for Sunday

2009-12-13T21:17:00.002+11:00

Blogger tells me this is my 500th post. It would mean more if I had something to blog about.

As happens occasionally, life has thrown me snakes and I haven't the passion for the semi daily bloggings of irrelevance that I was. I'm not throwing in the towel, but as is often the case by the time I can be bothered blogging about something that is on my mind the subject is already old news that has already been dissected on twitter and other blogs that are better than mine.

But anyway, I heard this song today whilst driving in a friends car. It was a song I really loved when it came out, all the way back in 2003. Usually when I hear a song that reminds me of a particular time in my past, I am hit with an almost painful nostalgia as I reminisce of times gone by and ponder about choices made and where I would be if I had done things differently.

Today however, I felt content. For the first time in a long time.

Anyway the song is David Bowie - Bring Me the Disco King.

From the film Underworld. Average film, great soundtrack.

Men's Rights

2009-12-07T21:24:00.002+11:00

The eternal argument between men and women is probably the toilet seat. Women have for years cracked the shits with men for "leaving the seat up". Sure, it would be more practical for anyone who wastes time whinging about the angle of the toilet seat to simply move the seat themselves, but if women were practical Lousis Vuitton wouldn't be selling glorified purse's on handles for $1000 a pop.

Over the years however I have noticed a rising trend of toilet seats that do not stay upright by themselves. You know what I mean, it sticks in the back of your mind. You go to use a public toilet to do a number one, you put the seat up and notice that it doesn't stay up by itself, almost like it was never meant to be used by men in the first place.

You are stuck with a dilemma. Touching a toilet seat is not a desirable experience in the best of circumstances, so the prospect of using one hand to hold up the seat in a usually disgusting public toilet for the extended routine just isn't going to happen. You could sit down to piss, but the average public toilet seat gives off germs just by looking at it, so you wouldn't want to sit down unless it is completely necessary.

A middle ground is getting a square of toilet paper to hold up the seat without touching it, but odds are the seat is already in a disgusting state anyway so why bother. And it is much better to use two hands when doing your business, its a complicated and delicate process after all.

But I am sure I am not the only one that has noticed a significant rise in these defective toilet seats over the years. They used to be a rarity but now I am estimating they make up at least 20% of public toilets.

The only logical explanation is that they increase in female engineers/designers in the last decade or two has med the sisterhood to end the toilet seat up/down debate by stealth, by designing defective toilet seats that do not stay up by themselves.

We must fight this abomination.

Global Warming Debunked

2009-11-28T15:29:00.004+11:00

Liberals (Former) Senate Leader Nick Minchin.

For the extreme left it provides the opportunity to do what they've always wanted to do, to sort of de-industrialise the western world. You know the collapse of communism was a disaster for the left, and the, and really they embraced environmentalism as their new religion.

It's all a secret communist plot. Somehow leftists infiltrated hundreds of different and unaffiliated scientific institutions in an elaborate scheme to doctor data to convince the world to return to the dark ages. Seriously.

Nationals Senator Ron Boswell, debunking AGW with sound scientific reasoning.

I observe the weather because I have been sailing all my life. Every morning I get up, look at the tide and where it has been, and I cannot see any noticeable change. If the tide was going to go up or the sea was going to rise I would have observed it.

I can't argue with that, if darn ocean was flooding gosh damn it then Cletus the Slack Jawed Senator would have known, ya hear.

Climate scientists pwned.

An exercise in pointlessness

2009-11-26T09:11:00.004+11:00

It's hard to keep up with all the annual pledges, poppies, wreaths for a variety of causes. Symbolism in itself isn't a bad thing, but global warming isn't going to be solved by turning off the kitchen light for one hour each year, and domestic violence isn't going to be stopped by taking a pledge.

White Ribbon Day has been going on for over a decade, and has the noble goal of eliminating violence against women in our society. This year however, they have an oath that they urge all Australian men to take.

I swear:
never to commit violence against women,
never to excuse violence against women, and
never to remain silent about violence against women.
This is my oath.

Eh?

Am I guilty of something just because I am male? Or presumed likely to be guilty that I should take a public oath to redeem myself?

That ins't the point of the oath, but it looks like spreading guilt by association to all males. And this is what I don't like. How would Muslims react to being asked to take a public oath to renounce terrorism? Or Catholics a public oath to renounce pedophilia? I imagine the reaction to such a demand would be quite hostile.

Furthermore the pledges treats only female victims of domestic violence as important. Newsflash, males are victims of domestic violence as well, sure in much lower numbers, but why should a campaign only try and single out male perpetrators and females victims? If an abusive father beats both his son and daughter, is one crime worse than the other? Both are equally disgusting.

But more than that, the oath seems to be more of an excuse for politicians and celebrities to get positive press than anything else. Kevin Rudd, Shannon Noll and Will Anderson all taking a public oath to never hit a woman isn't in itself a bad thing, its just that actions are harder than empty words. If oaths meant anything to people, then 50% of marriages wouldn't end in divorce.

The clearest example of the hypocrisy of people taking this oath has to be the NRL. On the frontpage of the NRL site the director makes a big deal about the oath and how the NRL is changing the culture of how the players treat women.

At the bottom of the page, a link shows just how pointless and empty this promise is.

North Queensland have emerged as early favourites to secure controversial star Greg Bird with chief executive Peter Parr declaring few rival NRL clubs could match a Cowboys offer.

Sure take an oath, make a pledge. But what better way to mark a day that aims to end violence against women by racing to hire a thug who smashed glass into his girlfriends face. The NRL's public pledge is just a PR campaign designed to look like they are doing something. If they cared about violence against women then clubs wouldn't be rushing to hire this thug. Words are easy, actions that result in real change, not so much.

So What?

2009-11-25T17:39:00.003+11:00

If Mike Rann is lying and he did screw some annoying, attention seeking barmaid tramp, who really cares? If we demand such high standards of our elected officials private lives, why stop there? Should a teacher be sacked for cheating on his/her wife? Should the chairman of 7 (who aired the Rann story) be sacked because of his drunk driving conviction?

Anyway, I think most Australians are pretty decent and when some holier than thou types try and tar politicians over trivial incidents it is usually the journos who come off looking a bit silly when Australians doesnt fall for the smear.

Anyway two annoying thing about the Rann story. First the claim that if they did have sex, Rann as the male is for some reason the one taking advantage of the woman.

"It is my opinion that Mr Rann took advantage of my wife's youthful
naivety during a very difficult time in our lives and our marriage," he
said.

Youthful naivety? She would have been around 35 at the time of the alleged affair. Should a man wait until women hit 60 before making a move? And if you are angry about your wife cheating on you, well she is the one who is kind of responsible. If I went around cheating I doubt I could get away with blaming the other woman "sorry baby, I'm youthful and naive, those women tricked me".

And this story really takes the cake. Mike Rann has been accused of........ get this...... it's terrible.....

Flirting!

SOUTH Australian Premier Mike Rann flirted openly with his friend Michelle
Chantelois in the presence of her sister as he gave the two women a personal
guided tour of Parliament House in 2001.

Fuck me dead. Since when was that illegal, or even immoral?

Mad World

2009-11-24T17:02:00.004+11:00

Ever get the feeling you are stuck in a Twilight Zone episode? You wake up and feel the same, but the rest of the world has gone crazy?

I thought surely it was just a bit of Internet silliness that the Liberals own Senator Palpatine, Kevin Andrews was being touted as a possible leader.

Seriously.

At least the other joke candidate, Wilson Tuckey has a dash of crazy uncle charisma and an inventive fighting style.

How can they possibly even consider a man who is most well known for the disastrous case against Mohammad Haneef, where the government intervened in a police case for attempted electoral gain. A guy who was caught lying on his CV, who said we should start basing our immigration intake on religion (more Christians, less Muzzies) and who introduced a very ugly dog-whistle in the final days of the Howard government. Oh and he also had something to do with something called "WorkChoices".

Combined with the people skills and an uncanny physical resemblance to Mr Bean, you just have to wonder what sort of election reaming the coalition would have next year if they let this goon lead the team.

Not that this matters, as we already have our own slightly unhinged, homophobic, Christian conservative called Kevin to worry about, only this guy is the PM.

The government has indicated that they will override the ACT's recent legislation allowing official ceremonies for civil partnerships. Despite gay marriage being supported by the rank and file of that Party that Kevin Rudd happens to lead, by the majority of Australians and that the ACT government has taken their legislation to elections the Ruddster doesn't want gay people to have silly ceremonies in public.

How the sight of two men or two women dressing up and kissing in a public ceremony harms the fabric of society is beyond me. But Kevin seems to have happily taken his orders from unelected leaders of some sort of cult that base their values on the belief that a resurrected Jewish zombie is his own father and that we can receive eternal salvation by metaphorically eating his flesh and drinking his blood every now and then. Makes sense.

I preferred it when they took their orders from unelected union thugs.

Meanwhile a whole bunch of conservatives have supposedly proven global warming is one great conspiracy because of some ethical dubiousness in some ten year old emails. That's a bit like denying the holocaust because of a spelling error in the diary of Anne Frank. But given their previous best argument against AGW was Al Gore's weight, this may be a step up for them.

Friday afternoon FAIL

2009-11-20T19:43:00.003+11:00

I really haven't had the drive to do any blog posts of substance lately, but Andrew Bolt's near constant failures always bring a guilty giggle.

Today, the "professional idiot" as Darryl Mason calls him falls for a sixth month old email that originated from the wingnut-o-sphere.

The poor will always be with us - if we now acept (sic) as poor a beggar who can still afford to snap Michelle Obama on his BlackBerry as she spoons out his free food:

Snopes has debunked this months ago, so either Bolt is being intentionally dishonest or he believes any old nonsense that falls in his inbox.

1. Is it a Blackberry on a $100 plan? Looks like a more standard phone to me.

2. As snopes pointed out, the kitchen was not Government run or funded, another FAIL for Mr Bolt.

3. Does Bolt know the man is homeless or if he is helping out at the kitchen? The photo doesn't make it obvious. But hey, he's black, he's gotta be guilty of something hey Bolt?

But most importantly, so what if it was a homeless man with a phone. This isn't 1987, mobile phones aren't expensive anymore. And think about it Mr Bolt, if you were homeless, didn't have a permanent address and needed a cheap way for people to stay in contact with you, look for jobs and so forth what would you use? A cheap pre-paid phone seems quite sensible doesn't it?

But on planet wingnut, presumably compassionate Mr Bolt would send homeless people away if their clothes are too clean or if they have the latest communication device from the mid 1980's.

And Bolt, if you really believe any old rubbish that is emailed to you, then I have a certain Nigerian prince who would love to get in contact with you.

All Quiet on the Wingnut Front

2009-11-16T13:11:00.006+11:00

Last night I had one of those quick twitterthoughts that probably deserves a bigger post.

Isn't it funny how little conservative resistance there is to apologies when the
victims are not aboriginal?

And today the silence from the usual wingnuts has become deafening. Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull's apology to victims of abuse in state care is the lead story on all of the major news sites, yet the usual conservative commentators are oddly silent on the story of the day.

By contrast, last year Andrew Bolt worked himself into a fit about the stolen generation apology.

Tim Blair also covered the day on his blog.

But today both men seem silent on this important apology.

If they oppose or support it why wont they tell us?

Is it because they know their conservative and occasionally racist audience would be more sympathetic to the plight of white children taken from their families for unjust reasons?

Is it because if they supported this apology, they would look like hypocrites for opposing a similar apology?

The arguments for opposing the stolen generation apology could also be used for this apology.

Conservatives argued that one generation cannot apologise for decisions made by previous generations.

Conservatives argued that a national apology would inflict guilt and shame on Australians who were not responsible for the injustice.

Conservatives argued that a national apology would be an admission of guilt that would open the floodgates for expensive legal claims.

These arguments are still relevant for this apology, yet no-one seems to be making them.

How come Wilson Tuckey, Sophie Mirebella, Peter Dutton and other cartoon conservatives didn't feel the need to vocalise their opposition and snub this apology?

It could be that we have grown and matured as a nation, and we now realise that accepting past wrongs does not harm the nation, and that it is a good and decent thing to do to acknowledge and apologise for past mistake.

But the cynic in me suspects that the colour of the victims skin has something to do with different reactions from conservatives.

Gimme Cheaper Books

2009-11-15T17:28:00.003+11:00

A few days behind the times, but what a disappointment this decision was.

Cabinet has rejected both the Productivity Commission recommendations for cheaper book imports and Competition Minister Craig Emerson's "compromise" plan. Dr Emerson had proposed that Australian publishers be required to publish works for which they hold copyright within a week of their international release, rather than the current time limit of 30 days, or face competition from overseas imports.

In short, Australians will continue paying more for books because for some reason successive governments have decided that the printing and publishing industry should be protected from foreign competition.

How can Kevin Rudd claim to support an education revolution when he leads a government that rejected a decision to make books cheaper?

The arguments coming from the independent booksellers who were against the proposed changes are quite confusing.

And independent booksellers -- although they opposed the abolition of import restrictions -- also struck out at the government for failing to reform the industry to allow local bookshops to compete with large online sellers such as Amazon, which pays no GST.

Fiona Stager, who owns the Avid Reader bookstore in the inner Brisbane suburb of West End, said the government had squandered an opportunity to reform the book industry in the face of ongoing digitisation and online retailing.

"It breaks my heart when I say to people that we don't have a book in stock yet, and they say 'I'll just get it on Amazon'," Ms Stager said.

"Amazon pays no GST, they don't remember their customers' children's names, they don't support local schools and charities, which is something that all bookshops in Australia do every day.

"We are fighting this kind of shifting consciousness where people think, 'Oh, I'll just get it on Amazon', as if Amazon is this kind of benevolent charity," she said.

It's hard to feel sorry about independent book-sellers losing market share if they opposed the reform that would have made them more competitive. And there solution, instead of listening to customers complaints about delayed supply and excessive costs they propose a tariff on foreign competition. Sorry guys, but we live in a global marketplace, and if a new book is 15 bucks cheaper from bookdepository.co.uk that is where I am buying it.

The sad thing is, although this decision is relatively small compared to the big tariff decisions of the past, it does show the Rudd and the current Labor government are a far cry from the pro-market reformists of Hawke and Keating.

Conspiracy Alleged

2009-11-11T12:34:00.002+11:00

Left wing bias can be found anywhere you look. If you can't find anything wrong with what the media actually says, then accuse them of bias for what they don't say.

Andrew Bolt has a go at MSNBC for not mentioning Ronald Reagan in a short clip about the 20th anniversary of the wall coming down.

America’s NBC shows how - if you really try - you can report the aniversary (sic) of the fall of the Berlin Wall without mentioning nasty Ronald Reagan once. Extra points for mentioning Hillary Clinton twice:

A few things.

1. The clip only goes for 4 minutes and 12 seconds, as a short clip it spends the majority of the story about the impact of the wall coming down on Germans, not Americans. Not all news is US-centric Mr Bolt.

2. Ronald Reagan was no longer President at the time of the wall coming down.

3. The then American president, George Bush and the British Prime Minister was also not mentioned.

4. Hillary Clinton was mentioned because she is the current Secretary of State, that she is a democrat and not a republican is not the fault of MSNBC.

But Bolt suggests that it should instead have been a celebration of Reagan. Funny, I thought the fall of the wall was about more than one man.

But let’s help these revisionists out with some footage of one of the most symbolic moments in the fight against Soviet tyranny:

Well exactly, its symbolic and an important footnote in history. But the real reasons behind the wall coming down are much more complex than Reagan issuing a challenge. The small amount of free movement that was allowed in the Eastern bloc led to a domino effect. Gorbachev did not simply decide to tear down a wall, thousands of East and West Germans did.

Of if Bolt really wanted to test if there was a MSNBC imposed Reagan ban on Berlin Wall reporting, he could have just used their search function and found this story that clearly mentions Reagan and his "tear down this wall" speech.

Bush had initially been criticized in some U.S. circles in 1989 for not rushing to Berlin to celebrate the opening of the Wall. By contrast, Reagan had delivered a hard-hitting speech just west of the Berlin Wall two years earlier in 1987.
"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this Wall," Reagan had said.

Another FAIL for Mr Bolt.

Repeat After Me

2009-10-26T10:35:00.004+11:00

This morning Andrew Bolt has a go at the PM for his habit of repeating the same lines again and again and again.

Not that Bolta would ever spin the same silly lines ad nauseam...

Save the planet! Ban warming summits!

Save the planet! Stop eating

Save the planet! Poison Chinese workers

Save the planet! Hurt people!

Save the planet! Crash into people

Save the planet! Charge customers extra

Save the planet, but ditch the child

What is it with the right and hypocrisy?

The Brisbane CBD is usually dead on a Sunday

2009-10-25T22:35:00.014+11:00

But not like this.

Today was the Brisbane Zombie Walk, what is becoming an annual fixture. What is a Zombie Walk you ask, well it is exactly what it sounds like, a big group gets together dressing as the undead and walk like zombies through a public place.

Today's was good fun, apart from the Brisbane heat melting off every ones white foundation make-up. The looks from the generally confused locals was most amusing.

Anyway, here are some of the photos I took.

And the winner of the bad-taste award goes to...

Zombie Miscarriage.

Join the Dots

2009-10-21T16:10:00.005+11:00

Last week Andrew Bolt was deeply embarrassed that both the ABC and David Marr dared point out the homophobia and racism that runs freely at his blog of shame.

As usual Bolt played victim, blaming everyone but himself for what happens at his own blog. It may be easy to call Bolt a racist, I don't know if he is but I do believe he willingly plays up to an audience that he knows is racist. If that is better or worse, I don't really know.

Today was a perfect example of his usual tricks. He wants to criticise Obama for anything and everything and also point out the colour of his skin at every opportunity as a dig against him, but it has to be subtle so no-one can yell "Racism".

It was just a tiny post about African governance and the corruption and mismanagement that is all too common in the continent.

Africa’s tragedy:
A foundation set up to award a $US5 million ($5.4 million) prize for good governance in Africa has said there will be no winner this year because it could not find anyone to award it to.

Fair enough you say, but what is the point of this headline?

Not even Obama

As the kids say, What. The. Fuck?

It's intentionally subtle and nonsensical so that Bolt can blame everyone else for how it would be interpreted. But what point other than racism could this be? Africa is poorly governed, Africans are black, Obama is black therefore he must be hopeless because of his race. It's the sort of bullshit he peddles to his gang of chromosomingly challenged nitwits every day.

His racist jibe even bought a birther to the forum.

Chris M replied to indigo
Wed 21 Oct 09 (09:30am)

I think because the Kenyan-born Obama is outperforming all the other black presidents in the world.

And general race fearing nuttery.

I’ve just come back from holidays. Did America become part of Africa while I was gone?

Admiral Motti (Reply)
Wed 21 Oct 09 (09:28am)

Ron of Brighton replied to Admiral Motti
Wed 21 Oct 09 (10:45am)

Well, sort of. I assume you’ve been on holidays since just before the US elections?

ZOMG, the Africans have taken over America!!!! Oh noes.

Don't play ignorant Bolt, it's pretty obvious that you willingly encourage this shit.

Well this blows

2009-10-21T15:23:00.002+11:00

Yet another moral panic warning parents that their teenage daughter could be pulling tricks on the side.

They don't give their names, but viewers can see their faces plainly and what these teens are saying is shocking parents.

"I ended up having sex with more than one person that night and then in the morning I was trying to get morning-after pills," one of the girls said. "I was, like, 14 at the time."

And the name of the documentary?

Oral Sex Is The New Goodnight Kiss

Well that could make saying goodbye to my mother after dinner even more awkward.

Sing for Songday

2009-10-18T19:52:00.002+11:00

Evidence - Faith No More

What's wrong with a bit of rape between co-workers?

2009-10-17T14:12:00.002+11:00

This has to be seen to be believed. Republican senators vote against an amendment that would outlaw hiring contractors that put clauses in contracts to prevent rape victims suing for damages.

Can't get the embedding to work, so click on this link.

You would think if anything would reach across the partisan device and unite politicians it would be rights for rape victims.

Un-be-Fucking-Lievable

Originality, yer doin it wrong

2009-10-15T05:19:00.006+11:00

Following on from this highly original piece of modern art (a blank white canvas) those crafty poles have really taken modern art to exciting new levels.

How It Is, by Polish artist Miroslaw Balka, opened to the public yesterday in the huge Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern gallery.

The installation is a steel box, resembling a giant shipping container. Accessed by a ramp, it measures 30 metres long, 13m high and 10m wide.
The work is lined with light-absorbing material, meaning visitors can see nothing but blackness when inside.

You've seen white, now see black!

Wow, darkness. How ummm arty.

I may not have such an understanding of modern art as to appreciate all the complex messages and emotion the artist was trying to convey by their darkened room. Perhaps if I ever cant pay the electric bill I should lease the apartment to the Gallery of Modern Art instead eh?

But you would think one of the smart chaps at Tate modern would have known that the thing about darkness is, well it's kind of hard to see things.

A PITCH-BLACK art installation in London claimed its first victim on the opening day as a man walked straight into a wall.

Ehh, well apparently that is one thing they don't teach at art school.

She's not the Messiah, she's just a silly girl

2009-10-13T08:46:00.002+11:00

This line about Alaska's favourite neomilf, Sarah Palin gave me a bit of a giggle.

Obama's political enemies, such as Sarah Palin, are using the dollar's distress against him.
But serious people are troubled.

Hehe, Palin = Pwned.

Feminism Will Eat Itself

2009-10-09T00:29:00.007+11:00

I generally don't have a high opinion of feminists. That's generalising I know, but my first instinct when I hear "feminist" is *groan*.

A bit of history, when I was young my dad's girlfriend was a hardcore feminist. And the one thing that sticks in my mind more than anything was being chastised for not calling my Sony Walkman a "Walkperson". I kid you not, it was pointless feminism to the extreme and I think most feminists would laugh at such trivial wankery but for some reason it is the first thing I think about whenever I am reading about feminism.

This doesn't mean I disagree with their views, their achievements and what they are still trying to achieve, but at least in my lifetime feminists have not been fighting many important battles. Take Hoyden's brave battle to defend pregnant women the right to drink or Twisty's jihad against oral sex (hint: only fellatio is evil, not cunnilingus). Selected examples sure, maybe its just a case of the most vocal being the most stupid.

As Sarah pointed out with her brilliant take dow n of a feminist article on marriage, I think modern feminism is too obsessed with symbolism and semantics. Perhaps worry a bit more about female genital mutilation, domestic violence and unequal pay, and less about the colour of a wedding dress.

But still, full points to classic old school dingbat Germaine Greer on this brainfart. When asked about the Hey Hey non-outrage she came up with this.

Yes, you hear that. Of all the issues facing women this is what's important.

Well, uh at least we would be spared Big Momma's House 3.

Play Minstrel For Me

2009-10-08T12:11:00.005+11:00

First of all I kind of feel dirty defending Hey! Hey! it's Saturday. I don't dislike the show as much as some, but it is a tad on the corny and dated side.

But it seems that most of the people who are saying it is horribly racist are those that disliked Hey Hey anyway and dont want it renewed. Ruth Brown at Crikey gave the game away at the end of her column.

On the upside, the international scorn virtually guarantees this is the last time we’ll ever see Hey Hey rear its tired, shoe-polished face on our screens again.

Lets put it in perspective. The problem was a clash of cultures. The history of blackface and minstrel shows was a Northern American fad that spoofed African Americans as lazy, wacky racist caricatures. As such the appearance of black make-up in America these days is a no-go area, even if it is not a minstrel show it brings back bad memories of the countries racist history.

But it is quite arrogant of Americans to expect the rest of the world to adopt their shame.

I think it's similar to this incident some years ago.

Bert Newton was not racist, just slightly ignorant of how the word "boy" was used in America. American history is not our own, and we shouldn't be expected to adopt every taboo to skirt over their racist history.

But still, why is Australian doctors putting on black shoe polish is considered racist, yet Fred Armisen putting on lighter black make-up to play Barack Obama on Saturday Night Live is not?

And yes, we do have actual problems with racism currently and in our history. How about we worry about that instead of shoe polish? Just saying.

In defence of Hey Hey!

2009-10-08T02:25:00.007+11:00

Whoever the producer is at Nine that didn't see the potential issues a blackface sketch would cause isn't too bright. But can we be spared a week long News Ltd led "blackface-gate" a la "chaser-gate" and "netballrape-gate"?

It certainly isn't PC, and the history of blackface was definitely racist, but the act was not intentionally racist. It could be interpreted as racist or insensitive, but that is a far cry from being racist. If anything it looked like an attempt to be in as much bad taste as possible, with the terrible wigs and the whiteface makeup on the Michael Jackson impersonator.

Whilst it will always be controversial, blackface is used in comedy to parody racism like in this Little Britain sketch.

By contrast, this is intentional racism.

Sam Newman: What sort of monkey would be marrying that woman? Ah that monkey right there.

Brendan Fevola: You can't call him a monkey.

Sam Newman: This doesn't go to Malaysia this program, does it?... That man is not long out of the forest.

— Channel Nine, AFL Footy Show, 17th September, 2009

PANTS JIZZED

2009-10-07T11:50:00.004+11:00

Don't dare accuse Daily Terror's Laissez Faire editor tim blair of having an irrational hatred of our PM.

Reader Cuckoo emails:
I’m currently in London, and was watching the TV quiz show University Challenge, which you probably know – two teams of four university whiz kids answer general knowledge questions, under the baleful eye of Jeremy Paxman.

One round involved identifying pictures of various world leaders who’d attended the recent G20. First slide was a picture of Kevin Rudd with his wife. Dead silence. NOT ONE of the eight contestants had the faintest idea who this man was.
Sadly, BBC online video is not viewable in Australia. If anyone in the UK is able to locate and forward the abovementioned clip, I will burn a wicker man in their honour.

LIEK OMG!!!!! SOME UNI STUDENTS DIDNT KNWS WHO KRUDDY IS!!!! HOW PATHETICCCC!!!!

Of course there are two options here. Either pre-Rudd Australian PM's were household names in the UK, posters of John Howard were regularly on teenage bedroom walls and somehow Rudd through his patheticness managed to unite the whole country in ignorance as soon as he became PM.

Or.

The average Brit probably couldn't recognise Howard, Keating (well maybe him as he touched the Queen) Hawke or any other PM because Australian politics doesn't register high on their radar.

Which could it be?

One could use this clip (at 1:09) where the Chaser's Julian Morrow introduces himself to Americans as the Prime Minister of Australia as some sort of proof of Howard's patheticness. Or it could just be that Australian PM's aren't recognised by the average punter internationally. What could it be Timmeh?

Your Tax Dollars at Work

2009-10-05T13:04:00.002+11:00

Modern Art.

You're doing it wrong.

What Outrage?

2009-10-02T10:39:00.002+10:00

After Chaserismakingfunofkidswithcancerbutnotreally-gate and KyleSandilandsisadouche-Gate News Ltd have been quick to declare an "outrage" at any opportunity. Today there was apparantly an outrage over some yet to be aired skit on a new ABC comedy program.

Outrage at ABC TV Hungry Beast Liz Ellis group sex skit

NETBALL Australia has condemned an ABC Television skit featuring a fake interview with a man claiming to have been sexually assaulted by the national team.

The skit, a clear reference to May's Four Corners interview with the woman at the centre of the Cronulla group sex scandal, is due to air on ABC's new current affairs/comedy crossover show, Hungry Beast next Wednesday.

So where has the outrage come from? Complaints to the ABC? Protests in the street? Letters to the editor?

Netball Australia chief executive Kate Palmer said she did not appreciate its intended humour.

One person = an outrage now?

Smart State?

2009-09-28T10:33:00.003+10:00

A Queenslander dislikes commuting time so much, he moves from Brisbane to Marysborough to get away from traffic.

Matt Mercer and his wife, Mel, shifted three hours north to Maryborough – driven to distraction by traffic woes on Brisbane's southside.

Mr Mercer, a real estate agent, said: "

Now it takes me one minute and 30 seconds from getting in the car and closing the garage door to getting out at the office. I can pop home for lunch and go back to work and still have time to burn."

A one minute and 30 second commute? Try walking you lazy fuck.

Song for Sunday

2009-09-27T22:57:00.003+10:00

Before Tom Cruise turned War of the Worlds into a poor rip off of Independence Day (which is ironic considering Independence Day is a rip-off of the 60's movie version of War of the Worlds) War of the Worlds was a really cool concept album (and before that a book by HG something or other). Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds was kind of a cross between a radio play, 70's prog rock and a cast recording for a musical. Richard Burton's awesome narration and the albums cool artwork made for a really cool and original album.

Anyway, this is my favourite song from the album. Forever Autumn featuring Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues.

I think we really need more sci-fi musical prog-rock concept albums.

Define "Broke"

2009-09-27T16:27:00.004+10:00

At first I have the utmost respect for members of our armed forces and the families which are put through a lot, but the selective grief the press shows for one war-widow whilst ignoring the culture of abuse within the forces and the mental health of former soldiers is sickening.

From today's Daily Terror.

SIX months after her husband was killed fighting in Afghanistan, Breeanna Till is broke

The $905 weekly pay her husband brought home lasted just a fortnight after he died in a roadside bomb explosion. In its place, the military gave Mrs Till a compensation payment of just $305 a week.

Fair enough, hardly a huge amount especially when supporting children (and with another one on the way). As usual however, the Terror is being loose with the facts.

The Terror didn't feel like mentioning this, because it didn't fit with the broke and penniless theme.

His pregnant wife Breeanna is receiving a $350 pension each week, on top of a payment of more than $100,000.

More details over at the Oz.

War widows review a lump sum payment of about $122,000. They can then either choose to be paid a further one-off payment of about $507,000 or receive an indexed pension of about $335 a week. The pension is uncapped and not taxed.

Dependants receive approximately $73,000 as a lump sum, an $81-a-week payment while they are dependants, and education support. Widows and dependants also receive a gold card, which entitles the holder to departmental funding for all healthcare services.

So over half a million dollars, not exactly broke and penniless is it?

Should the scheme be more generous, I would argue not. These schemes were designed back when the male was the exclusive breadwinner and a war widow was likely to survive on just the pension. This woman will likely return to work and will still receive the full benefit of either the pension or the lump sum payment. Others disagree, but even the opposition is playing selective outrage over this.

Mr Hockey said it was commendable if Mr Griffin exercised his discretionary powers to prioritise the matter, instead of worrying about what kind of precedent it might set.

So why are the payments only an outrage for her? There are other war widows, why should we only give increased payments to those that make the front page of the Terror?

But I could just be cynical, but it sounds like the Terror is exploiting the death of a digger just to have a cheap go at the (completely unrelated) stimulus package.

The Government's penny-pinching treatment of the families of dead or injured servicemen is in stark contrast to its $42 billion stimulus spending package, which has splashed money throughout the community.
This orgy of spending has included $950 handouts for millions of taxpayers, new halls for every school - even those with a single pupil - $1600 subsidies for insulation batts in every home, money for solar hot-water systems and thousands of grants for infrastructure.

Brett Till, he died so that News Ltd may whinge.

Update : For the details, here and here.

We Love a Moral Panic

2009-09-27T13:47:00.004+10:00

We certainly do, PEDOPHILES (under that watch of police at all times) SEX(ual innuendo on a non-childrens TV program) and a Prime Minister SWEARING (In private like most grown adults).

news.com.au looking for a fresh moral panic to stir up some ignorant outrage has uncovered a sinister plot to turn the nations youth into 24/7 slut machines through the use of cheap jewelry.

THEY look like a symbol of childhood innocence. But these colourful bracelets are behind an "insidious" craze of primary school kids performing sex acts that it is feared will soon sweep through Queensland.

Rather than a mere fashion statement, the so-called "shag bands" are linked to gradations of sexual behaviour.

The game involves a boy or girl trying to break the rubber band off the wearer's wrist. If it snaps, the wearer has to perform the favour corresponding to the colour.

Snap an orange band and get a kiss, snap a yellow and get a hug. But snap a black, light blue or light green band, and the "prize" is something far more sinister.

A gold-coloured bracelet opens the way to all the favours.

Two Questions.

1. Why wasn't getting sex that easy when I was in school?

2. What are your sources? Such a disturbing development needs to be backed up with some solid evidence, right?

A Facebook page about the innocuous-looking bands has already been inundated with more than 12,000 fans.

...

UrbanDictionary.com defines the rubber wrist bands as "jelly bracelets" and lists the entire repertoire of sexual favours.

Facebook and UrbanDictionary? How long till NewsLtd starts using Encyclopedia Dramatica and 4Chan as a source? I can find a FB group calling Obama the new Hitler and a UD definition of something called a Cleveland Steamer, I look forward to News Ltd's upcoming exposes.

If "journalist" had bothered to google these evil sex bracelets, they would have found out that they are nothing new and they are mainly a moral panic, urban legend designed to scare dim witted journalists and parents.

Snopes.com reveals that this panic goes back till at least 2003 and is a slightly updated urban legend from the 1990's. The article doesnt allow copy and paste, but do check it out.

As for the "serious journalist" that goes by the name of Carly Hennessy, what other gripping exposes has she uncovered?

Brisbane phone directory reveals Asian

migration trend

A real journalist could you know, go to the Department of Immigration or the Census bureau to follow the migration trends, a lazy hack would have a looksee in the phonebook.

Beer Me Up Scotty

2009-09-26T12:05:00.002+10:00

I started fiddling with a sci-fi and pop-culture themed blog at the start of the year with the more superior wordpress platform, and then me being me couldn't be arsed writing another blog.

Well today boredom set in and I finally wrote a post, about Star Trek no less. Do check it out, or not. Deep down you know you would rather read my geek blog than see the Saints drown the Cats at the MCG...

GO NOW, YOU KNOW YOU CANT RESIST!

Editor Needed

2009-09-22T08:13:00.004+10:00

tim blair tackles the big issues! Kevin Rudd and his wife both claim that their family use the same odd term. Is one of them lying? Are both families equally dorky? Or more realistically it's such a trivial matter that the origin of the term may get mixed up over the year?

THE WORLD MUST KNOW!

tim blair's final theory is that maybe as both Rudd and Therese's families are from Queensland that maybe it is a Queensland specific term.

Must be a Queensland thing.

You know, except that Therese Rein's family didn't come from Queensland.

Objectivity Objectified

2009-09-21T10:42:00.003+10:00

The Oz's humorously deranged neomilf Janet Albrechtsen doesn't make large and ridiculous generalisations does she? Just read this comparison between the average conservative and leftie student.

And yet when she looked around the room at other members of the Liberal club, they were all from similar working-class backgrounds with part-time jobs, unlike the unemployed leftie students driving around in their daddies' Saabs.

Hey dad, where the fuck is my Saab?

Yes, this is the sort of objectivity that the former Howard government thought was vital for the upper management of the ABC.

Curiously I wonder what type of car Ms Albrechtsen gets from her cushy job as a member of the ABC board? Does it bother her as a conservative getting taking a job on a government entity that she openly despised before her appointment to the board?

Manners, you haz none!

2009-09-20T22:47:00.001+10:00

Living in a share house has some good times and some annoying times. At least the annoying times eventually lead to amusing stories in hindsight.

Start from the start, an ex-housemate from Toowomba sms's asking if a friend of his (who we have never met) can crash at our place for four nights over Gen-Con (some gaming/nerd festival thingy).

I'm not particularly keen on this place being a half-way house and free backpackers for anyone with a vague connection to the house, so I said "Well it's a bit weird, how about you bring a carton of beer to the house as payment?". Pretty reasonable price for 4 nights accommodation I think. Well apparently the price was too high for him and he says, "nah, I'll see if I can find somewhere else to stay".

Me and the housemates have a giggle at the guy dissing a fairly reasonable offer, and think that is the last we will hear from whatshisname, expecting never to hear from him again.

Then out of the blue the guy shows up at our door on Thursday night at 11pm waking up most of the house. And there at the door is the guy, asking to be let in, like he hadn't turned our kind offer down a few weeks before hand.

As we told the guy to get lost and learn some manners, the poor kids looked like he was about to cry. Perhaps it was slightly cruel to send a socially retarded Toowomba nerd onto the streets of Brisbane at close to midnight, but hey kids these days gotta learn some manners and respect.

Song for a Sunday

2009-09-13T13:57:00.005+10:00

The Beatles are getting played to death this week with the remastering of their records and the release of the apparantly awesome Beatles : Rock Band. But lets not forget some of the awesome solo-material the members released after their break-up, most of which gets overlooked when compared to the amazing Beatles back catalogue.

George Harrisons hit from the 1980's "Got My Mind Set on You"

Great farkin song, farkin.

OK, well it is a cover of an older song, but what a great track and video.

Modern music, it's time to lift your game.

Miranda's Final Solution

2009-09-10T00:41:00.003+10:00

Loveable lunatic Miranda Devine on health care reform.

And only 6 odd months after she was advocating the murder of greenies. Is there anyone she doesn't want to kill?

Curiously Miranda "round up the oldies" Devine is more compassionate towards conservative Christians who don't believe in global warming.

In a passionate defence of the one man comedy show that is Steve "Fiskal" Fielding she gets a little bit creative.

Steve Fielding woke up yesterday morning and thought: ''What do I do today?'' Forced to out himself as dyslexic, the Family First senator is worried people will label him. ''I don't want people to look at me differently.''

Only problem is Steve Fielding only ever said he suffered from a learning disability, it could be assumed that it is dyslexia (I think that is what he was hinting at at least) but he never said he suffers from dyslexia specifically, at least not in any of the articles I have been able to find.

And no, Steve's learning disability (if he has one) doesn't disqualify him from being a senator, but it doesn't exempt him from criticism and ridicule either.

It is precisely because Fielding holds fast to values unfashionable in the Canberra establishment that he is being pilloried, even after he revealed his learning disability.

Ummmm, no. It's because gaffes are funny. Just google "bushisms" or try and think about Dan Quayle without thinking of "potatoe". Or more recently Barack Obama getting wrong the number of US states, or Kim Beazley mistaking Karl Rove for Rove McManus. Most politicians get caught out, and they have no choice but to wear it. Sorry Miranda, no conspiracy here, it's just Steve Fielding is good for a giggle.

Do you want to know a secret?

2009-09-09T16:25:00.004+10:00

Do you promise not to tell?

Liberal backbencher Stuart Robert used to be in the Army!

Not that he's boasting or anything...

See, look how he sensibly discredits Greg Combet's argument that we need more women in front line combat positions.

[Mr Combet] has never parachuted at night in the rain, he's never carried a mortar baseplate for 50 kilometres in a route march.
"For him to stand there and give his opinion and push the Government into something is simply outrageous.

Ummm, yeah. Good on you mate. Although I should ask you not to comment on the capabilities of women as you have never walked 50 kilometres, bare foot to the local hospital and then delivered your own baby before walking back home to cook a meal for an unappreciative husband whilst simultaneously cleaning the entire house.

This may be a cliche, but I hate Microsoft

2009-09-02T17:30:00.003+10:00

Scott Bridges had an interesting post today on how much we depend on Google for a whole range of everyday activities. I am guilty of being a googlephile, I'm currently typing this in the fast (but flawed) Google chrome, have google talk and google reader on whenever I'm online and use Google Maps as my virtual Melways.

Things just work with Google, they really get that reading an operating manual isn't that much fun and bloody hard for people without Computer Science degrees. I've been spoilt by Google and whenever I am forced to use a Microsoft product I am reminded of just how annoying software is at times.

I don't use Microsoft by choice, but when businesses of uni sets you into a set program you don't have much choice. Just now I was trying to figure out how to do a bell curve for standard deviation in Microsoft Excel 2003 (pirated, not paying for the new one). The help section within the program wasn't any help (why would it be?) but I checked the Microsoft site and was greeted with these simple instructions.

(Don't read the whole thing, I didn't. I'm posting the whole thing just to show how fucking frustrating Microsoft products are)

In the following example you can create a bell curve of data generated by Excel using the Random Number Generation tool in the Analysis ToolPak. After Microsoft Excel generates a set of random numbers, you can create a histogram using those random numbers and the Histogram tool from the Analysis ToolPak. From the histogram, you can create a chart to represent a bell curve.

To create a sample bell curve, follow these steps:
Start Excel.
Enter the following column headings in a new worksheet:
   A1:Original  B1:Average  C1:Bin  D1:Random  E1:Histogram  G1:Histogram      
Enter the following data in the same worksheet:
   A2: 23      B2:    A3: 25      B3: STDEV    A4: 12      B4:    A5: 24    A6: 27    A7: 57    A8: 45    A9: 19      
Enter the following formulas in the same worksheet:
   B2:  =AVERAGE(A2:A9)    B3:    B4:  =STDEV(A2:A9)       
These formulas will generate the average (mean) and standard deviation of the original data, respectively.
Enter the following formulas to generate the bin range for the histogram:
   C2: =$B$2-3*$B4       
This generates the lower limit of the bin range. This number represents three standard deviations less than the average.
   C3: =C2+$B$4       
This formula adds one standard deviation to the number calculated in the cell above.
Select Cell C3, grab the fill handle, and then fill the formula down from cell C3 to cell C8.
To generate the random data that will form the basis for the bell curve, follow these steps:
On the Tools menu, click Data Analysis.
In the Analysis Tools box, click Random Number Generation, and then click OK.
In the Number of Variables box, type 1.
In the Number of Random Numbers box, type 2000.

NOTE: Varying this number will increase or decrease the accuracy of the bell curve.
In the Distribution box, select Normal.
In the Parameters pane, enter the number calculated in cell B2 (29 in the example) in the Mean box.
In the Standard Deviation box enter the number calculated in cell B4 (14.68722).
Leave the Random Seed box blank.
In the Output Options pane, click Output Range.
Type D2 in the Output Range box.

This will generate 2,000 random numbers that fit in a normal distribution.
Click OK.
To create a histogram for the random data, follow these steps:
On the Tools menu, click Data Analysis.
In the Analysis Tools box, select Histogram, and then click OK.
In the Input Range box, type D2:D2001.
In the Bin Range box, type C2:C8.
In the Output Options pane, click Output Range.
Type E2 in the Output Range box.
Click OK.
To create a histogram for the original data, follow these steps:
On the Tools menu, click Data Analysis.
Click Histogram, and then click OK.
In the Input Range box, type A2:A9.
In the Bin Range box, type C2:C8.
In the Output Options pane, click Output Range.
Type G2 in the Output Range box.
Click OK.
Create labels for the legend in the chart by entering the following:
   E14: =G1&"-"&G2    E15: =E1&"-"&F2    E16: =G1&"-"&H2      
Select the range of cells, E2:H10, on the worksheet.
On the Insert menu, click Chart.
Under Chart type, click XY (Scatter).
Under Chart sub-type, in the middle row, click the chart on the right.

NOTE: Just below these 5 sub-types, the description will say "Scatter with data points connected by smoothed lines without markers."
Click Next.
Click the Series tab.
In the Name box, delete the cell reference, and then select cell E15.
In the X Values box, delete the range reference, and then select the range E3:E10.
In the Y Values box, delete the range reference, and then select the range F3:F10.
Click Add to add another series.
Click the Name box, and then select cell E14.
Click the X Values box, and then select the range E3:E10.
In the Y Values box, delete the value that's there, and then select the range G3:G10.
Click Add to add another series.
Click the Name box, and then select cell E16.
Click the X Values box, and then select the range E3:E10.
Click the Y Values box, delete the value that's there, and then select the range H3:H10.
Click Finish.

The chart will have two curved series and a flat series along the x-axis.
Double-click the second series; it should be labeled "- Bin" in the legend.
In the Format Data Series dialog box, click the Axis tab.
Click Secondary Axis, and then click OK.
You now have a chart that compares a given data set to a bell curve.

LOLWUT?

How the hell did Microsoft become to dominate the software market? It boggles the mind.

So when is Google Office coming out?

Tinfoil Needed

2009-08-31T09:32:00.004+10:00

Last night I was watching some recent Daily Show clips that I had missed. One of the clips was about the Obama administrations "Cash for Clunkers" program where the government pays a cash bonus to encourage people to get rid of their run down, inefficient cars and buys a new one.

At about 1.58 into the clip Jon Stewart makes a joke about the government paying money to get rid of their grandma in order to reduce health spending. It was a funny gag and got a good laugh, I didn'trealise there would be people who would take such an idea seriously.

This morning tim blair opened up his comment threads to the winged monkeys, always an interesting experiment from the chaps who think "Muslims have sex with goats/dogs" is the zenith of sophisticated humour and commentary. Anyway, one of his astute commenter's said this.

Was the whole Cash for Clunkers program just to get us used to the idea of letting go of something serviceable for purely economic reasons, as a prelude to death panels? You’re damned right I’m serious.
Thomas Moore of Port Orchard, WA, USA (Reply)
Mon 31 Aug 09 (06:00am)

That's right OBAMA IS GOING TO PAY YOU TO KILL YOUR GRANDMA!!! But dont worry, I'm sure this is just a lone crank and the rest of tim's sane commenters will slap him down for such hysteria.

Anthony replied to Thomas Moore
Mon 31 Aug 09 (07:25am)
You’re gonna get $4500 for grandma??? Well, it might make the death panels a little less unattractive for some… Who else do we know that recently sold out their grandma, say during an election campaign?

Hmmm guess not. Do these people watch the Colbert Report and Daily Show and not realise it's satire?

Unrelated, but the first comment on the second page has someone called Habib making jokes about a Victorian Labor minister who has gone missing whilst hiking.

Maybe he’s looking for Melbourne’s missing water reserves.
No wonder state governments never give a rescue bill to these missing mongs- they’re likely to need to be dug out of a snowbank by a Saint Bernard themselves; a wonderful example of the calibre of person attracted to politics in this benighted age.
Habib of Wilston (Reply)
Mon 31 Aug 09 (08:47am)

Hehe, it's funny because he could be dead and he's a lefty :) What a lovely bunch. (Quick tim, blame the comment on a rogue left-winger).

Song for Sunday

2009-08-30T19:37:00.002+10:00

"Call Me, Call Me" by The Seatbelts and from the soundtrack to the brilliant anime Cowboy Bebop. According to wiki the lead vocals are done by the guitarist of the New York Dolls, learn something new everyday.

Thursday Thunnies

2009-08-27T12:28:00.006+10:00

From that treasure trough of randomness, Yahoo answers.

I felt up my first cousin in her sleep?
i was over at my aunts house one night and i slept in the same room with my older cousin. my cousin has a sexy body and i have always been attracted to her but i never intended on doing anything about it. but she was wearing short shorts and it was really turning me on. so anyway me and my cousin were in the same room and about an hour after she fell asleep i started feeling on her thighs and butt through the covers. i got really horny and i put my hands under the covers and felt up her bare legs and thighs. it was so hot and i even masturbated while doing it.

But wait, don't jump to conclusions.

P.S. dont tell me anything about places where its legal to marry your cousin because i AM NOT trying to marry my cousin or have sex with her

Yeh, what do you think he is? Some sort of freak?

now i have 3 options. should i...
A - do it again every chance i get (minus the masturbation)
B - tell her what i did and hope for some good results
C - f*ck A&B and forget that it ever happened

Now I will admit I know nothing about womens, but I'm guessing the reaction to "Hey cuz, just letting you know I felt you up and jerked off whilst you slept the other night. So, how you doin'?"

and some funny things from facebook that are doing the rounds.

If it sounds silly then it must be false

2009-08-27T10:24:00.002+10:00

Barnyard Joyce uses an interesting global warming analogy.

On hearing dinosaurs had been killed off by meteorite-induced climate change, Joyce saw the future. "(Kevin) Rudd would have to save the planet with a massive meteorite tax ... he would work out who was going to be affected; that is, people living above ground. He could create a tradeable permit system to live above ground ... and reduce the number of permits each year. This would deliver a market approach to moving Australia underground. If you argued against the scheme Rudd could say that you were denying the existence of massive meteorites and putting all of humanity at risk." Joyce's meteorite reduction scheme will have to wait another day.

Curious. So if NASA scientists were to discover a meteorite collision was imminent, and a tax was proposed to fund a solution for the sake of mankind you can imagine the clucking from the usual suspects. The portly tim blair would take every opportunity to point out that the NASA scientist who discovered the meteorite is obese and thus cannot be trusted. Andrew Bolt would parade around a spiffy graph showing the decline of meteorite collisions since 1998 and Barnyard Joyce would theorise that it is all an elitist conspiracy to drive farmers off of their land.

Prejudices Confirmed

2009-08-24T20:40:00.000+10:00

I haven't been following the health care reform debate that is going on at the moment in the United States. Like most of us geeks and political tragics, my interest in American politics kind of waned off with the inauguration, and reading about the nitty gritty in federal legislation is well, about as much fun as celibacy.

But still, this line falls into the "so stupid you cant possibly make it up" category and stroked my attention.

At a recent town-hall meeting in suburban Simpsonville, a man stood up and told Rep. Robert Inglis (R-S.C.) to "keep your government hands off my Medicare."
"I had to politely explain that, 'Actually, sir, your health care is being provided by the government,' " Inglis recalled. "But he wasn't having any of it."

Yeh too right, if that evil oppressive guvmint takes over the government run medicare program, whats to stop them from taking over the highways or the federal reserve? IT'S SOCIALISM Y'ALL.

It's a hilarious quote and it would be easy to use it try and paint every opponent of health care reform as a borderline retard and anti-government nut-case. But in all seriousness what does this achieve? Sure it's funny, but it it really representative of everyone who is in opposition to Obama's health care reforms, which is a hell of a lot more complicated than anything in our health system?

It reminded me of tim blair's pathetic little attempts at the start of the year to try and link any critics of Israel's foreign policy and military incursions with Nazi's based on one photograph. Sure it's ridiculous and needs a gap in logic bigger than the gap between tim blair's ears to believe that every single critic of Israel is also a supporter of the Third Reich, but people don't read tim blair or any of those wingnut sites for intellectual debate, they read it to have their prejudices confirmed no matter how big the

Although we have a wealth of information on the internets, how many of us still mainly visit sites that don't challenge us but confirm our own firmly held prejudices? As the Internet can cater to any taste, most of us stay happily confined to our own narrow niche of tastes and opinions.

Then again, this wingnut trying to link healthcare with the Nazi's is pretty bloody funny.

Yesterday in Melbourne

2009-08-18T11:35:00.003+10:00

Exciting scenes at yesterdays Costco opening.

I may have woken up early to get Metallica tickets a few years back, and I certainly was at every Star Wars midnight screening, but how can anyone get excited about a supermarket? Especially one that charges you 60 bucks just for the privilege of walking into the store?

For Ms Copeland and her cousin, Billy Reizner, an American expatriate, the opening of Costco was a bit like stepping back into the same lolly shop they frequented as children.

''We've been waiting five long years for this,'' said Mr Reizner, who wore a T-shirt made by the Kirkland brand (the Costco house brand) especially for the opening.

How romantic. It's a story they can tell their children.

I loathe this fanboi adoration of a fucking glorified supermarket. I'm not anti-capitalist or some socialist buy nothing looney toon, but who the fuck gets excited about grocery shopping like it is the highlight of their lives. If you are seriously considering lining up at 4am so you can buy a flatscreen tv and 200 hamburger buns, perhaps they should revoke your daypass.

That said, who doesn't love Ikea. Where you can buy a 'puter desk for 50 bucks, get some Swedish meatballs and drink a Swedish beer all in the one shopping experience? Oh Ikea, it's you that I love.

More on the false idol of Costcollogy at You Coont and Spatula City.

Anecdote Spotted

2009-08-09T22:21:00.006+10:00

Gay Marriage, I try and care but I am fairly indifferent to the whole movement and issue. As I explained my opinion on the issue last year.

note : i am aware of the hypocrisy of personally being indifferent to marriage yet supporting gay marriage. Whilst i view marriage as an unnecessary burden, i still support the rights of gays and lesbians to make the same stupid decisions and follow the same odd superstitions as regular folk. And i also wouldn't mind marrying the welsh gf for the purpose of gaining British citizenship, so there you go

(I think the "as regular folk" line was either miss placed or an attempt at snark, but one year I can see that it's a shocking term to use)

A few months after that me and Welshy went our separate ways after 7 and a half years together. It was hard, but one thing I was glad about was not having to go through the legal mess of a separation and divorce one year later. Why anyone, gay or straight would want to add to their complications with a marriage is beyond me, but it isn't my place or the governments to stop them from making their own decisions.

So although I rocked up and was genuinely supportive of last weeks same-sex equality rallies, I don't see gay marriage as important as issue as civil rights or enfranchisement. Gay marriage is something that will be legalised eventually and we will look back in bemusement at how a bunch of homophobes and nitwits thought it would bring about the end times.

West Australia's leading expert in all things Jeremy Sear, tackles the gay marriage debate by (surprise surprise) criticising Jeremy Sear's views on the issue. I obviously lack the same enthusiasm as Jeremy on the issue, but still Beck's attempted takedown is pretty weak even by his pathetically low standards.

Jeremy Sear, a straight white middle-class boy who enjoys computer games, loves cats and is fussy about sweets, continues his brave campaign on behalf of gay people who want to get married and are "sick of being seen and treated as second-class citizens":

So according to Beck only Black, non-middle class females who hate video games, love dogs and hate sweets can support gay-marriage? Righteoo then. But it shows that as Beck thinks political and social views should be determined by ones race, sexuality and social status, he really is outing himself as the bigot that he is.

Then Beck plays the ole "one gay = all gays" game that homophobes and nitwits like to do. It goes like this, you find one gay person who is against or indifferent to gay marriage and generalise that all gays must have the exact same opinion.

With so much suffering and cruelty happening, you’d expect gays to be even more outraged about this than their self-appointed saviour. But no. Here’s Jane Black in last week’s Age:
I did the rounds of my gay friends to see who would come with me to the gay marriage march on Saturday. One was working, another hungover, another playing tennis, and my last resort was at the movies.
According to Jeremy, gay marriage is “the most important civil rights fight of our generation.” But actual gays would rather play tennis. Beats hanging out with boring straight guys.

Three known homosexuals did not attend the gay marriage rally, lets call this whole thing off then! Beck, are you honestly that big an idiot? Homosexuals like any other group do not conform to one political view, they do not all live in the same house and tell each other how to think. They are just as diverse as any other group.

You know, I bet I could find at least three black people who didn't vote in the last US election. By Beck logic that is a good excuse to take the vote off black people because three people represents the views of the majority.

(Note, although I am guilty of being white, male and West Australian I would like to point out that my views, political beliefs and ethics are totally different from JF Beck. It's like we are completely different people and everything!)

Don't blame it on good times, Blame it on the pussy

2009-08-09T17:30:00.003+10:00

A rock-spider thinks of a crafty excuse for downloading child pornography.

Investigators in Florida say a man accused of downloading child pornography is blaming his cat.
Keith Griffin is charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography after detectives found more than 1,000 images on his home computer.
According to a sheriff's report on Friday, Griffin told investigators that his cat jumped on the computer keyboard while he was downloading music. He said he had left the room and found "strange things" on his computer when he returned.

Naughty kitteh. Reminds me of another person who was oblivious as to who was posting on his own computer. Can no-one stop their pussies from running amok?

Song for Sunday

2009-08-09T13:30:00.002+10:00

Paul McCartney is probably my least favourite Beatle, but Helter Skelter was a work of pure genius. It's so ahead of it's time (the original is from the White Album, 1968) that I imagine Paul McCartney heard it from some time traveller at a school dance ala Back to the Future.

This is a more recent version, but is pretty friggen awesome.

So, did Paul McCartney invent metal?

I'm only angry I didnt think of it first

2009-08-04T14:24:00.002+10:00

Those who have read ClubWah know that he is an acquired taste and probably uses the word "cunt" more often than Leon Bertrand uses "pwned".

That's what is great about Wah's new blog which is essentially Wah at his purest, calling people cunts (or coonts).

Do check it out.

Shadow Minister for Whatevers

2009-08-02T14:12:00.005+10:00

Tony Abbott giving us Blue Steel

Here is Shadow Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Tony Abbott releasing a policy announcement dealing with his portfolio.

A COALITION Government would devolve the running of the nation's public hospitals to the private sector, community groups and charities, Opposition frontbencher Tony Abbott says.

Nope, I didn't see "Shadow Minister for Health" in his title either.

But here is is announcing another key coalition policy.

Opposition frontbencher Tony Abbott has called on the Federal Government to delay any emissions trading laws until after a UN conference on climate change in December.

Nope, I didn't see "Shadow Minister for Climate Change/Environment/Emissions Trading" In his portfolio either.

But still, he's an opinionated fellow. I am sure he has something to say about his actual area of responsibility.

LIBERAL Party frontbencher Tony Abbott wants laws toughened up to make divorce harder.

The opposition families and Aboriginal affairs spokesman has called for a return to the fault-based system of divorce discarded in 1975, which was replaced by a "no-fault'' system.

Ehhhh. Ah Liberals, walking forward whilst looking back.

A Goodbye to Grodscorp

2009-08-01T23:22:00.008+10:00

tim Blair can spend more time making fun of Al Gore's weight and bringing up that fake turkey thing more often.

JF Beck will have to look for new people to discuss the publication dates of teen romance novels.

The word "comprade" will eventually lose all meaning until it is just another spelling error.

I'll have to go somewhere else for my daily fleshlight joke.

Bounty scotch will continue to go undrunk.

And a few of us will still occasionally wonder "just who the fuck is Bridgit Gread really?"

That's right Grodscorp has closed.

Grods was like the glue that stuck all of us snarky lefties together, or to speak in nerd Grods was like the Hellmouth or Bajoron wormhole of the snark-o-sphere.

Grods was pretty consistent with its semi-daily dose of laughs and the terrific community that kept things going in comments and our own blogs. I hope that community survives in one way or the other, I've met some interesting people and made some good friends that have all been connected to Grods in one way or the other.

Scott has decided to see the world and I wish him all the best on his next big adventure. He isn't leaving the Internets completely though.

Leftists, they cant even quit the Internet properly.

More at Club Wah and Red Pill Survival Guide. And I'll bet once the news spreads through the blogosphere more people will have their say.

And Scott, sorry for the terrible grammar. I try and use capital letters at the start of each sentence now. well almost.

Update : More here, here, here here and here.

Six Degrees of Stupidity

2009-08-01T20:33:00.003+10:00

Perhaps the funniest thing about reading Andrew Bolt's blog of shame is the absurd lengths AB's dedicated window lickers will go to try and connect something negative to Kevin Rudd, the ALP or Barack Obama.

The links drift to Kevin Bacon types of irreverence. Take this one last week when Bolt ripped into Kyle Sandilands for his disgusting interrogation of a 14 year old rape victim.

FM radio - Kevin Rudd’s media of choice.

mh (Reply)
Wed 29 Jul 09 (03:16pm)

Badoom Tish! Rudd is somehow connected to this scandal not by some vague association with Sandilands or the entire radio station, but because of his association with an entire radio spectrum.

Whats next? Madman Kevin Rudd visits Tasmania, the same state as the horrific Port Arthur massacre! Aghast comrades.

But we only wanted to slightly humiliate her

2009-07-29T16:00:00.007+10:00

I've never listened to Kyle and Jackie O's show, so I may have a biased opinion of the twosome as I only hear about them each time they disgrace themselves on MediaWatch.

But today's interrogation of a 14 year old girls sexual history definitely takes the cake. For a more thorough wrap up read here and here, but basically a mother had her teenage daughter hooked up to a lie detector live on air so Kyle could ask questions like if she was a virgin. The daughter revealed that she had been raped at 12 years of age (which the mother was aware of yet still wanted her daughter grilled on air?). That fat moronic fuckwit Kyle then asks if "apart from that" had she had any other sexual experiences before the slightly less dim Jackie O put an end to the segment.

Although this segment didn't go to plan, what if it did? What kind of radio presenters think that grilling a 14 year old girl live on air about her sexual history is an appropriate form of entertainment? No matter what the girl answers, the entertainment is still the girls public humiliation.

Kyle will be forced into a half-arsed apology, MMM or whatever radio station their show is on will make a token donation to a rape counseling service and it will all be forgotten in a week. But still why is this considered acceptable?

More here and here.

Update : Kyle sinks lower and lower over at the punch.

We have had the lie detector thing on regularly for about six years. It’s a semi-regular segment on the show. We check with the mother before hand, and go through the questions they want asked.

And regardless of what happened you and your merry band of fuckwits thought asking a clearly distressed 14 year old girl about her sexual history was appropriate? Cunt.

.

The mum hadn’t said anything about the rape. She was concerned that her daughter was on drugs or was sexually active. Like a lot of mothers worried about their kid, she just wanted to find out what was going on.

Hey, we were just trying to help! What qualifications do you have to give appropriate advice Kyle? And as Jackie O was giggling like a schoolgirl during the segment I think the only goal was humour and humiliation, not helping anyone.

To tell you the truth I was floundering around, signalling to the producers and Jackie – down the camera – indicating that we had to get it off air.

I didn’t realise I had said “Have you had any other experiences?”

It just slipped out, oopseedoooo. But in my actual mind I'm really more considerate, really!

And here is the money shot.

I’m sorry for her that it turned out like that. I’ve certainly pissed off a lot of journos over the years but I’m sad that they’re using the rape of a 12-year-old girl to have a go at me.

No Kyle, you just used a 14 year old rape victim as a human shield to deflect any well deserved criticism. You are a disgraceful human being. For once Andrew Bolt is right.

Sandilandsisadouche is trending second from the top on twitter, sorry Kyle but the people have spoken.

Update Two : King Kyle responds ever so sensitively to his critics in the Punch's comment section.

"Kyle Sandilands says : Get over it"

Rape shmape, it was like 12 hours ago already.

Kyle, I didnt know it was possible for me to think you any worse of you than I already do, but well done. C-U-N-T.

Dirty Kraut steals world record from out Thorpie

2009-07-27T22:09:00.005+10:00

The nerve!

Supersuit revolution claims Ian Thorpe's record

Ah, so not only is it an outrage that after Thorpie has retired foreign types are allowed to challenge his world records but eventually Thorpie's records may actually be broken!

That's the crux of the article, which places pretty much all of the credit of Paul Biederman's world record breaking achievement to the suit on his back. I mean, someone in another country beating our Thorpie, outrageous!

IAN Thorpe's world record in the 400m freestyle has come crashing down as evolving swimsuit technology continues to radically transform the sport.

There were six world records during the session of the first day at the world swimming championships in Rome, and there will clearly be many more in the next seven days.

I cant help but feel that no-matter what suit the winner was wearing, the tone of the article would be slightly different if it was an Australian winning the record. Read on as they try and put words in the mouth of the winner.

To his credit, the new world 400m freestyle champion, Paul Biedermann of Germany, said plainly that he wouldn't have got within two seconds of Thorpe's world record without the assistance of his Arena X-Glide suit.

Really, did he? Seems on odd thing to say for the winner of the race to say they owe their victory to the suit they are wearing. What did he say exactly?

"The swimsuit helped me a lot," he said.

That is a little bit different from saying that he wouldn't have gotten close to winning without the suit is it not?

But maybe there is a point. I'll happily admit to knowing fuck all about swimsuit technology and what benefits or advantages it brings. But one thing I do remember about Thorpe is he was one of the first swimmers to wear this...

Wait, what is that he is wearing? Not the simple speedo's.

More info here.

adidas revolutionized the swimming world in 1998 as the first company to introduce a full bodysuit for swimming. Wearing the suit, Ian Thorpe set numerous World Records and won Olympic and World Championship titles.

Well then News Ltd, if Mister Adolf McCheater from Germany is undeserving of his world record due to the suit he was wearing then surely you should lead the charge to have Ian Thorpe stripped of his world records as he may have had a slight advantage from his suit that was considered advanced at the time?

No? Didn't think so. He's an AUSSIE HERO!!!!!!

Fuck I hate sport. Just pretend this post was about music, coffee or wine as to not sully my good reputation.

Slave to the Grind

2009-07-23T13:35:00.007+10:00

World of Warcraft is like the perfect storm of nerdiness. Based on the enormously popular Warcraft series, that includes the near perfect games Warcraft 2 and Warcraft 3 (Frozen Throne FTW!!!) and combining a classic fantasy setting with close to perfect accessibility and playability it is hard to find anyone who hasn't been under the WoW curse at one point.

Now Warcraft's publishers are attempting a world first, a non-Japanese video game movie that doesn't completely suck. Can they do it? Looks promising.

Spider-Man and Evil Dead director Sam Raimi has signed up to make a live-action film version of the fantasy-based computer game World of Warcraft, Variety reports.

"Warcraft is emblematic of the kind of branded, event films for which our studio is best known," said Jeff Robinov, president of Warner Bros Pictures Group. Raimi added simply: "At its core, Warcraft is a fantastic, action-packed story."
Raimi should prove a popular choice for fans of fantasy. He was executive producer of the long-running TV series Xena: Warrior Princess, and also indulged in swords and sorcery in the third instalment of the Evil Dead series, Army of Darkness.

Ohhhh yeh. Although I have been clean and sober from the WoWbug for a good two and a half years now a Sam Raimi Warcraft film excites that obsessive, socially awkward fanboy in me.

But will the film be too entertaining as to not properly represent the World of Warcraft experience?

Here are some suggestion for Raimi to help fully emulate the game to the big screen.

1. Epic backstory of our hero's rise to brilliance, by collecting 10 snake skins and 12 trolls mats again and again and again and again.

2. Epic final setpiece with our heroes storming the dark forces in Blackrock Spire, only to be frustrated by their healer suddenly shouting "Srry G2g" and disappearing just before facing the dark lord.

3. Walking, and more walking.

4. All movie showings on Tuesday night have to stop at exactly 10pm, and recommence screening at 6am.

5. An annoying comedic relief character, maybe played by one of the Wayne's brothers to repeat Chuck Norris jokes ad nauseum until you forget that such jokes were once funny.

Any others? What eyepoppingly annoying things need to be in this movie?

It was the becks of days, it was the worst of days

2009-07-22T00:20:00.002+10:00

President and Janitor of the West Australian Tim Blair fan club "J.F. Beck" has taken time off licking Jeremy Sear's windows and discussing teen romance novels to change the spiffy tag-line of his blog.

Previously the tag-line was the audaciously dull "Nothing is fact till it's history, even then it's debatable" to this...

MEASURED WITH A MICROMETER; CUT WITH AN AXE.

Does this mean anything to anyone? Is it a saying I am unaware of due to my 11 year absence from wacky West Australians?

Well lets help Becky out. In comments answer in Jeopardy form just what the hell it means.

Dem Wacky A-Rabs

2009-07-20T09:22:00.004+10:00

If you want a more one sided view of the Israel/Palestinian conflict, then check out today's op-ed in the Hun by Alan Howe. This exciting teaser sets the tone for the bile.

THE people of Gaza are set to be the first to bomb themselves back to the Stone Age. Serves them right.

A few things.

Bombing themselves? The assumption being that the all residents of Gaza are responsible for any terrorist attack by any member of Hamas or another anti-Israel terrorist group that any actions done by the IDF in retaliation are ultimately deserved, even if it is innocent civilians instead of terrorists that catch the brunt of the blow back.

And the stone-age joke is a little racist meme that has been hovering around the rightard-o-sphere for a while. The joke is to call the Palestinians stone-age or primitive to both dehumanise them and so it is more comical and amusing. A running joke amongst tim blair's blog is to call Palestinians "Paleostinians" meaning the Palestinians are primitive neanderthals. Hi-lar-eeee-oussss!

Sympathetic news outlets last week ran reports on how "resourceful" Gazans were making simple homes out of mud and straw bricks using the rubble from destroyed buildings.

They had been forced to return to the rudimentary building techniques of previous millennia because of a shortage of materials due to the partial blockade imposed on Gaza by Israel.

Sympathetic news outlets? Well thank fucking Christ not every news outlet employs militant racists like yourself that find human suffering so amusing if the people come from the wrong tribe. What would you want the media to do? Point and laugh? Place pictures of Palestinians next to Fred Flintstone?

Unsurprisingly Alan Howe's opinions of Israelites who live in areas that have become a bombing target for terrorists is slightly more sympathetic.

The rockets from Gaza are mostly aimed at Sderot, a town of 20,000 in the western Negev desert.

I hadn't been there when I wrote about it more than a year ago, reporting on the odd life of the resilient people who choose to live in the world's most bombed city.

Resilient, of course it is. But so are the Palestinians who are forced to make primitive shelter from rubble, and who rebuild with much less resources than the people or Sderot. How odd that Alan Howe could not see how both the ordinary civilians of Gaza and Sderot both live in fear every day.

There is more to the article, but you get the point and I gots to head back to uni today anyway so I wont waste any more of my time. Odds are the Pure Poison boys will do a more thorough job.

Man, I Taste Like a Woman

2009-07-19T15:37:00.003+10:00

Random food found in the communal fridge in that place that I happen to live.

"All the flavour of being a girl."

Being female tastes like strawberry flavoured yogurt apparently. Cool.

Something Nerdy this Way Comes

2009-07-16T14:39:00.002+10:00

Albury hasn't seen this much excitement since the main street got electric street lights.

TWO mad Harry Potter fans camped out in Albury’s Regent Cinema foyer for two hours to make sure they had the best seats for the latest instalment, which opened nationally yesterday.

Jeez, I hope Dave and MrsDave were able to get a sitter on such short notice.

It's Hip to Be Fair

2009-07-13T19:11:00.007+10:00

Triple J did their once in a blue moon "Hottest 100 of all Time" over the weekend sparking almost universal surprise that a popular music poll picks populist songs over quality.

Seriously it is pretty much impossible to make a favourite songs list that would please a vast majority of people let alone everyone yet that hasn't stopped a few moronic potshots at the poll from the usual dingbats.

The main criticism has come from the fact that very few of the top 100 contained prominent female leads, but whose fault is this? JJJ can hardly be blamed for the results of a democratic music poll any more than we can blame the AEC for the results of the last election. As pointed out on Hack on JJJ today female musicians do make a large selection of the JJJ playlist and three of the most recent feature albums were by female artists. But just like they play a very large selection of Australian music, this doesn't guarantee popularity with its audience, with only 1 of the top 20 songs being taken by an Australian artist.

Over at the Punch they combine factual errors, ABC bashing and class warfare into their anti JJJ rant.

Soon after the list was finalised, the penny dropped over the Twitterverse that apart from a guest female vocal on Massive Attack’s trip-hop balladTeardrop and Jeff Buckley singing like a whiny bitch, not one artist in the list for the ages was forced to sit down to pee.

Incorrect as per usual. Unfinished Sympathy also by Massive Attack featured a female vocalist and songs by The Smashing Pumpkins, Dandy Warhol's and The White Stripes feature female band members, unless they only count the lead vocalist as the only artist within a band. And correct your mistakes Penbo, they do pay you to edit don't they?

And while taking pot shots at the uninspired and predictable musical tastes of the new bogan elite who have taken over the Triple J airwaves

Bogan really? Not one Cold Chisel track in that, and I guarantee if you crank up Jeff Buckley or Radiohead at a bogan party you will cop one in the face. But yes, JJJ mainly play alternative rock and alternative and classic rock made up the vast majority of the list, how is anyone surprised.

Kim over at LP places JJJ in the centre of some sort of anti-womens, pro-penis conspiracy.

There’s a third factor. As Mel Campbell argues at The Enthusiast, these sort of lists form part of a self-reinforcing cycle which diminishes the presence of female and women fronted bands on radio playlists.

Bah to JJJ.

Oh noes, the music station that gave us Helen Razor, Missy Higgins and boasts an all female management team is somehow part of some grand plot to keep the womens down by somehow tricking the half a million diverse voters to under-represent female artists. The bastards!

It really is this simple, JJJ calls itself a youth station but is more of an alternative rock station. It is mainly the indie top 40 and hip-hop, electronic and metal has been heavily under-represented for the youth audience it is supposed to serve.

The most popular rock and alternative songs and artists are overwhelmingly male, so unsurprisingly in a popular poll is dominated by males. Just think about it, what are the biggest and most influential bands in the last 50 years of rock?

Metallica, Beatles, U2, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Pink Floyd, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, Pearl Jam, The Cure, Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, Faith No More, AC/DC, The Ramones and I could go on and on.

If this was a party it would be a sausage-fest. Sure there are fantastic female rock groups and rock singers but it is fanciful to put Garbage, Nightwish, Hole, Joan Jett or Sioxsie and the Banshies, The Divinyls or The Pretenders as having the same sort of popularity or reach as the above bands. It is interesting that the big names in rock are all overwhelmingly male and I have no idea why it is, but it is hardly JJJ's fault.

Curiously for everyone bitching about what songs did and didn't make the hottest 100, have a look at what MMM voters picked in a similar poll.

Adelaide Triple M top 20 of all time

20. MEN AT WORK - BE GOOD JOHNNY
19. INXS - ORIGINAL SIN
18. KELLY CLARKSON - SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE
17. KISS - ROCK AND ROLL ALL NIGHT
16. POWDERFINGER - MY HAPPINESS
15. PHIL COLLINS - IN THE AIR TONIGHT
14. PINK - LEAVE ME ALONE
13. COLD CHISEL - KHE SAHN
12. BRYAN ADAMS - SUMMER OF '69
11. ROBBIE WILLIAMS - ROCK DJ
10. INXS - NEVER TEAR US APART
9. MATCHBOX 20 - HOW FAR WE'VE COME
8. J GEILS BAND - CENTREFOLD
7. U2 - BEAUTIFUL DAY
6. QUEEN - SOMEBODY TO LOVE
5. BODYROCKERS - I LIKE THE WAY YOU MOVE
4. JET - ARE YOU GONNA BE MY GIRL
3. COLD CHISEL - SATURDAY NIGHT
2. AC/DC - YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG
1. PINK - U & UR HAND

FAIL. Smells Like Teen Spirit isn't looking too bad for a number 1 anymore is it?

Update : Author of the Punch article Chris Deal and my response in comments.

Super Mario and Rap music, together at last

2009-07-09T00:28:00.002+10:00

Not enough MC's tackle the real issues in their lyrics, like spending hours trying to clock the original Super Mario Brothers on Nintendo, which didn't have a save function.

If you were born in the 1980's, you cant not like this song.

Super Punch-Out

2009-07-08T11:46:00.005+10:00

From a post in today's Punch.

Barely a week after things settled down with the utegate scandal we are now confronted by “Truckasaurus 09” or “The battle of competing political propaganda trucks” (I prefer the former).

This of course being a perfect example of the political maxim of letting the ute pull the debt truck.
This is a new model of what was an old Coalition campaign introduced to draw attention to the Keating Government’s foreign debt in 1996.
It was also the same year that the Coalition took control of Government from Labor after ten years in trucking wilderness.

13 years, not 10. Labor was in power from 1983 to 1996.

That's some awesome editing you're doing Penbo!

Were going to need a bigger truck

2009-07-07T17:54:00.003+10:00

Today Malcolm Turnbull dug up a 15 year old political stunt in the resurrection of the "debt truck"

Mr Turnbull unveiled what he called the "debt truck'' today during a visit to Western Australia - an idea the coalition first used when last in opposition in 1996 to highlight the level of foreign debt the then Keating government had racked up.

The "debt truck'' is a massive billboard towed by a ute, which Mr Turnbull says was "acquired on commercial terms''.

Because how can anything be taken seriously unless it is written on the side of a moving vehicle?

Given the perfect option to dismiss Malcy as stuck in the past and using recycled spin from John Howard, the government decided to.... do the exact same thing.

The Federal Government has countered the Opposition's decision to revive its "debt truck" by unveiling an advertising truck of its own.

The Financial Services Minister Chris Bowen unveiled the truck with a billboard proclaiming "Australia has the lowest debt level of any major economy".

Along with this smackdown from Chris Bowen.

"Mr Turnbull's entitled to his truck, but he should have facts on it, not erroneous claims."

My truck is truthier than yours!

So now I guess we get silly election year stunts all the time, lucky us.

Chavsters Millions

2009-07-06T22:23:00.004+10:00

Am I the only person who didn't buy a lotto ticket last week? The other housemates all had one and the mood of disappointment was felt throughout the house when the unlucky numbers quashed dreams of hookers, blow and lattes on tap.

Unfortunately, the winners seem to be too dull to figure out how to properly spend 50 million big ones.

"I really have no clue what to do with that kind of money - a financial adviser will definitely be my first stop," the man told Lotto agents.

"I might take a holiday to Melbourne or Sydney to give me time to think about what I could possibly do with $50 million," he said.

Melbourne, Sydney? You won 50 million dollars not the meat raffle down at the pub. Instead of Sydney you should be thinking Paris or New York, in a private jet, piloted by John Travolta with in flight entertainment by a reformed original Guns N Roses lineup and Kyle Sandilands to clean the toilet.

Similarly the other winners aren't getting into the swing of things.

But while he dreams of splashing out, a Queensland couple who snatched the other half of the jackpot returned to work.

Fun stuff, why not buy the entire business just so you can fire the boss? Get imaginative.

In the UK in 2002 a binman named Michael Carrol won almost 10 million quid and showed how living to excess is done.

After his win, the 19-year-old bin man, his then girlfriend Sandra and their baby, Brooke, moved into The Grange, a mansion in Swaffham, Norfolk. They were joined by several of Carroll's friends, who shared his appreciation for strong lager. Within six months, Sandra and Brooke had left, precipitating drug-fuelled parties and demolition derby races on his land.
"Almost every night and most afternoons we had the wildest parties. It was full of my mates, women, drink and drugs. We would act like Roman generals. We had sword fights with real swords and drank ourselves into a stupor. The girls would be bed-hopping round the house. We would treat them like servants and they loved it. They served us cocaine on silver platters."

He has reportedly blown most of his fortune, and says that, while he regrets the drugs, "I can't say I regret the women".

This man sounds like a real life cliched British sitcom, like Shameless meets Beverly Hillbillies.

So although we all say if we were to win the lotto we would spend it on something sensible, invest and give a lot to charity who wouldn't be tempted to go down the Michael Carrol route? So reader(s)? If you won the big one what type of excessive debauchery would you get up to?

Song for Thursday

2009-07-02T16:09:00.001+10:00

Off for a lil while so doing the weekend music video thingo early

The Libertines - Can't Stand me Now

Which side would Andrew Bolt take?

2009-06-30T15:38:00.003+10:00

Have I ever told you how much I love Scandinavia? Strongly secular, liberal, cold weather and a love of heavy metal. It is like my promised land. If only they had better local cuisine and didn't tax alcohol up the gazoo the place would be perfect.

Sweden's no nonsense attitude to sex education in school is an example the rest of the world should follow. And the results speak for themselves. The United States, where sex education consists of a purity ring and an abstinence pledge the teenage pregnancy rate is number 1 in the OECD whilst Sweden is 24. So much for sex education turning girls into promiscuous sluts then.

Seeking to make sure that all children receive the benefit of a comprehensive sex-education program, the centre-right government is proposing abolishing an opt-out clause that allowed parents to remove their children from the class.

Although paternal protectiveness can be viewed as noble and admirable, Swedish medical experts think it's counterproductive and potentially harmful for young women.

The classes are designed to educate students about sex before they reach 15, the age of consent in Sweden.
The students are also taught that it is normal to have intercourse with people of the same sex and that it is unacceptable to tease or bully classmates who are gay.

Sweden has required sex education be taught in its schools since 1955 and has earned a reputation as a sexually liberal country. The 1967 landmark movie "I Am Curious (Yellow)," which American author Norman Mailer called "one of the most important movies I have seen in my entire life," helped solidify that reputation.

Some members of the left-wing opposition expressed concern that some Muslim families would be so upset by the proposed change that they would pull their children out of public schools, thus increasing segregation in Sweden. But for the most part, support for the law exists throughout the political spectrum.

The paragraph in question was designed decades ago to allow students to opt out of Christian education, which was erased in Swedish schools in 1969 and replaced by the broader subject of religious education.

All hail our Swedish overlords.

So I wonder how Andrew Bolt and the local social conservatives would react. Would they side with the evil left wing public school teachers trying to do evil things like hand out condoms and teach them that homosexuality is not anything to be ashamed of or would they side with Muslim groups that want the right to exclude their children due to religious and cultural concerns?

Side with the evil muzzie or evil public school teachers, I think his brain would explode.

Here is Bolt on the issue previously, he accused a sensible sex-education based website of endorsing pedophilia and at a proposal to teach sex-education to younger children as some sort of evil plot to get them to pose for nude photographs.

Obligatory MJ Obituary

2009-06-26T12:07:00.003+10:00

It would be insincere for me to express some sort of faux emotion over the passing of Michael Jackson given that I like many people felt that he was probably guilty of child molestation and regularly told MJ jokes in the last 15 years.

But like many people born in the 1980's, even when I was a child that had little interest in music I like everyone my age loved Michael Jackson. I watched and taped the channel 9 special about the dangerous album and played my dubbed copy of that album constantly. If ever there was anything remotely close to Beatlemania it was Michael Jackson at his peak.

I felt sort of a generation gap when I was talking to my 18 year old housemate about MJ. He had only ever grown up with Michael Jackson in his latter freaky years and didn't understand what a giant he was before his long drawn out downfall.

One of my fave clips.

Slash + Michael Jackson = Awesome

Whatever your feelings about the man, the music was flawless.

And my favourite MJ joke that has been floating around.

"Michael Jackson's upcoming London dates have been cancelled. They were James (aged 9) and Thomas (aged 11)."

Uni Holidays

2009-06-24T07:29:00.003+10:00

Been readin', playing video games, watchin' movies and drinking copious amounts of coffee and booze. I think I'm beginning to dislike Brisbane less and less each day, one day I may even describe the place as "mediocre".

In the mean-time, this picture is funny.

Apologists Ahoy!

2009-06-20T09:17:00.006+10:00

One of the most irritating things about the Howard years was the number of strident defenders and apologists in the media willing to forgive or make excuses for any scandal that embroiled the government. From AWB to Iraq you didn't have to look far for the Howard cheer squad on TV or your local Murdoch rag giving him a pass for just about anything.

Thankfully Rudd hasn't been given the same free pass, but Kim over at LP for some reason feels the need to put her apologists hat on for this weak effort.

I haven't been following the "ute-gate" saga very closely (can we stop adding gate to every minor scandal BTW?) but from what I have seen the allegation is that Rudd and Swan mislead parliament over denials that his office had helped a friend try to secure a government loan. Rudd is quite forceful in his denial and is saying the partisan accusations are the result of a clever email fraud.

It is quite possibly bullshit, but Kim tries her apologists best by ignoring the cover-up and instead ridiculing the opposition attack as...

Apparently, the end of the world is at hand. Kevin Rudd borrowed a ute off a bloke. Or something. It’s a scandal!

Yawn, it isn't the original crime but the cover-up that is the accusation, after all former judge Marcus Einfeld isn't a disgraced man sitting in jail because he was caught speeding but because of lies he told to try and get out of a small speeding fine.

New York Scores Club much?
The kiss of death though - “The Punch [has] more.”
Srsly?
Right, that’s it. Refuse supply! The GG should sack him! Hang on she’s some sort of vaguely liberal vaguely feminist upper class Queensland Barrister… Quick, appeal to Her Maj!
Don’t blame me for this nonsense. I’m just the piano player.

Bravo Kim, you managed not to mention the actual accusation at all and instead tried to ridicule the opposition as making a huff and puff over an old ute. Nice try but accusations of misleading parliament and giving preferential treatment for government finance and should be investigated seriously even if we prefer the current PM over the other guy.

Some of the LP crowd arent buying it.

But it’s not about the ute. The allegation, as I understand it, is that Kevin Rudd and/or Wayne Swan used their influence to help a friend get access to public moneys and that they then mislead Parliament about it.

And

Nobody cares about the ute - its the fact that he’s giving out favours to his mates with government money and then lying about it to parliament thats getting him in trouble.

I think the accusation is that Kevin Rudd misled parliament. Over what isn’t really the issue.

And

It isn’t “shameless pork-barreling” nor is it “govt money for mates” nor is it “storm in a teacup”.

It is “misleading parliament”. (Think Nixon/Watergate)

I honestly hope it isn't true, although I would prefer Gillard as PM she has much less chance of winning an election next year than Rudd, and a PM resigning in disgrace will destroy Labor's lead in the polls, but even though I generally support Labor these accusations should be taken seriously. There is no greater way for a politician to show contempt for the public than by misleading parliament.

But that's all hunky dory for Kim who dismisses these accusations because...

Right, Jacques. The said allegation has been denied. So please explain it in such a way that one can actually understand what it is. The way it’s been put by the opposition hardly makes it clear.

Rudd has denied it but the facts still remain to be seen. I wonder if Kim and the LP crew would have been so trusting of a denial from John Howard? Whats that? Howard denied he or Downer knew anything about AWB giving kickbacks to Saddam, shut down the inquiry, nothing to see here.

Partisan hacks.

Update : If the accusations turn out to be true, turns out it could be John Howard's fault thanks to one crafty LP drone.

Is Andrew Charlton the not quite thirty year old, who growed up under 11 years in a culture dominated by a lying rodent? There was a time under the rat when brazen lies were seen as perfectly acceptable for reasons of expedience (or personal gain.) Yes yes old folk lie to, witness aforementioned rodent.

If you are looking for a left wing version of the morons who inhabit the blogs of Bolt and Blair, look no further.

Song for Saturday

2009-06-20T00:54:00.002+10:00

I have been going on a Cure binge for the last few days and keep coming back to this great song from the awesome album "Disintegration"

The Cure "Lovesong". Robert Smith in his late 1980's peak. Enjoy.

The Cure-Lovesong

No NKTOB, you guys sucked way before the GFC

2009-06-18T21:04:00.003+10:00

In better times, "Hanging Tough" apparently.

Damn this Global Financial Crisis, now it's serious.

New Kids On The Block have pulled the plug on their Australian tour, blaming the global economic recession.
The re-formed boy band were set to play Brisbane, Sydney, Woolongong, Newcastle, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth in August.
In a blog posting on their website, Donnie Wahlberg said they had "tried very hard" to get the tour off the ground but it was proving to be "too complex".
"We are, in fact, in the middle of a worldwide recession and we just cannot make it work," he said.

The Global Recession eh? It couldn't be that people were not too keen to blow 125 bucks on watching some middle aged "kids" lip sync to a backing track for a cheap nostalgia show just so Donnie and Co. can pay for the coke dealers and private school fees without being forced to write advertising jingles could it?

Meanwhile, AC\DC sold out concerts in minutes, Pink managed to fill the Rod Laver arena 15 times in 14 weeks and Splendor in the Grass has once again sold out. It seems to be a bad boy-band exclusive downturn.

Sorry kids, some music stands the test of time and even improves with age, and some is so ungodly terrible that even former fans have got to cringe.

* shudder *

Need to restore my faith in the music of the 1980's

Ah all better now. Oh Robert Smith, you even make depression cool.

nostradoofus

2009-06-15T15:31:00.003+10:00

May 13th 2009

News flash: Peter Costello is staying on in Higgins. This confirms his intention
to become Liberal leader.

August 23rd 2008

Peter Costello tries out his election pitch, modified for now to reflect the
fact he isn’t yet leader:

How did that work out for ya?

lazy lazy lazy

2009-06-14T18:13:00.008+10:00

Here are some things that I find amusing. If you don't find these funny you are a bad person.

Shamelessly stolen from OCAU

Song for Sunday, because everyone else is doing it

2009-06-14T14:08:00.002+10:00

Killing Joke - Love Like Blood

A Lighter Shade of Fascism

2009-06-11T19:50:00.004+10:00

Over the weekend the British National Party won seats in the European elections, thank Christ the European Parliament doesn't do anything constructive then.

So what is the BNP? Britain's answer to One Nation would be a good way of describing it, and combined with a slick makeover and rising protectionism and anti-immigrant sentiment it has managed to pick up supporters disenchanted with the major parties.

Fortunately I don't think we have much to fear from the BNP. They have never managed to snag a seat in the Commons and combined with Britain's lack of preferential voting and the contempt the three major parties have for the BNP I doubt this will change. Also Britain's upper house is not democratically elected but appointed, so they cannot gain a seat with a relatively small percentage of the vote like our senators can.

But still they are a worry, and I think these protesters (although seeing the fugly fuckwit Nick Griffin run is most amusing) actually inadvertently help the BNP through their actions.

Ultimately if anything is going to bring Griffin down, I think it will be his own fat mouth and any attempt to stop him from speaking is counter-productive. Although the party now keeps the more extreme views within their party hush hush in order to appeal to a wider audience, the BNP is still in its core a viciously racist and anti-Semetic political party. The party's founder is quoted as saying "Mein Kampf is my bible"

And here is current leader Nick Griffin speaking his mind before he sold out to the political mainstream.

Just let the idiot speak and it will be only a matter of time until he tells voters what he really thinks.

JJJ top ten

2009-06-10T11:37:00.004+10:00

So apparently JJJ is having a hottest 100 of all time. I guess they want to sell another compilation CD and cant wait till next year. Anyway as a top ten in everything changes with the mood, here is what I currently think will be in my top ten. Suggestions and criticisms most welcome (except from John Surname who is a noted music snob)

Is the list meant to be ordered from favourite to least? I'm not sure but this is just a work in progress top ten in no particular order.

1. Jealous Guy - John Lennon

Beautiful, haunting and brilliant. What you want about Phil Spektor but his wall of sound worked on this. How this is not Lennon's most famous song I do not know.

2. High Hopes - Pink Floyd

Whats that, my favourite Floyd song is from the dreaded Gilmour latter years? Yeh, sure their best stuff was long behind them and Gilmour tried (sometimes pathetically) to mimic Water's lyric style, but I love this song and think although it is from one of the bands worst albums that this song is their best.

3. The Poet and the Pendulum - Nightwish

This song is awesome and epic. Metal as it should be, and I heart the new lead singer.

4. Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones

Just an awesome song.

5. A Day in the Life - The Beatles

stuck between this and "because" but this one out. Kinda reminds me of Radiohead and it really showcases the magic of Lennon and McCartney sharing songwriting duties. Brilliant.

6. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin

Yes Stairway. Almost thought of picking Kashmir or Achilles Last Stand as my Led Zep tune but meh, this song is timeless.

7. Aeroplane - Red Hot Chili Peppers

I'm not a huge Chilli's fan but I loved One Hot Minute even though most of their fans hated the heavier sound of Dave Navarro's riffs. I loved it and reckon Flea was in top form on this record, this song is just fun and better than most of their radio friendly Triple M crap the band has been doing recently.

8. No Leaf Clover - Metallica

From their decent but not their best S and M record. One of the few songs created especially for the album. Michael Kamen + Metallic = Epic Win

9. Unsent Letter - Machine Gun Fellatio

Such a good song from a great band and top live act. Come back MGF!

One of their few ballads, a bit out of place amongst their boppier sleaze pop but easily their best song.

10. Straight Outta Compton - NWA

Had to put a rap song in, and I never get sick of this one. Dr Dre, Eazy E and Ice Cube all in top form.

Shit, no guns n roses or rage against the machine. This is hard. Thoughts? Suggestions?