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Yes, Joe, I reckon he’s on the nose too! Yet another desperate ploy by this aged PM to counter a somewhat flawed, but eminently more acceptable-to-the-voters opposition approach to the most sensitive political subject to have arisen in these past eleven years.
By the time this post makes it to the internet, several days will have passed after these events actually happened, but I just can’t help convert them to text in the ether. For posterity, naturally. No names mentioned in order to protect the innocent. Me!
Greetings once again, dear reader. Part two of the business trip from.....not quite hell..... but by yesterday arvo, pretty close.
Went to see what all the fuss with the final instalment of the Marvel comics Spiderman franchise is all about. Actually, went to see the flick because David Stratton loved it and Margaret Pomerance hated it. Personally, I can’t see all that David saw, and as for hating the extreme excesses of CGI, which was Margaret’s beef, all I can say is if you’re going to make a successful film about a Marvel super hero, then CGI is obligatory. Suck it up, Margaret!
As for the movie itself, yes, it’s about forty minutes too long, the story does tend to lose it’s way and - seriously - do we really need to have three nasties, a romance triangle AND the fight between good and evil all in the one flick?
Look, don’t get me wrong. This is a fun movie just brimming with terrific special effects, but two hours thirty minutes of CGI and seemingly randomised plot lines tends to leave one a little tired, confused and just a tad jaundiced. It could have been done better, cleaner and far more succinctly, for my money. Tobey Maguire still isn’t the Spiderman from my youth and Kirsten Dunst is missing more than a reasonable cleavage as Mary Jane Watson.
I think the bell tolled for Spidey in my mind when during a particularly dramatic entry by the web-head, he just happened to land in that posed Spiderman crouch smack-bang in front of a gracefully waving Old Glory. Up to that point, I could have forgiven the movie it’s length and it’s irrelevance in storylines, but when what’s meant to be an (almost)anonymously fun experience suddenly becomes a political statement - however tongue in cheek it may have been intended - I tend to switch off completely.
My rating for the third, last and sadly worst of the franchise is a flat five out of ten points, and that only for the essence of escapism it still retained and the magic of Computer Generated Imagery.
As part of the climate change measures, the solar rebate scheme will be doubled to up to $8,000 per household. ABC News
In years past, especially in election years, the Howard government hasn't been too keen on 'leaking' budget details to the media before post time.
I'm launching today something I've been wanting to do for a long time now. A combination wine review site and personal tasting diary. Yes, I'm a wine buff, but only insofar as I know what I like and what I don't. I'm no Len Evans, that much is certain.
In a word....unimpressed. That's my impression of Peter Costello's 12th budget delivery.
Tony Blair will today return to Durham's Trimdon Labour Club, and the room where he launched his Labour leadership campaign on June 11 1994, to announce that he is standing down as party leader, before finally endorsing Gordon Brown as his successor tomorrow. - Guardian
A Canberra microbiologist has warned that the use of recycled water poses the risk of a major disease outbreak and it should only be used for drinking as a last resort.
So, pump the recycled water back into water supply holding reservoirs and dams. This argument that recycled water is dangerous has whiskers so long it’s proponents are constantly tripping over them. Professor Collignon seriously needs to pull his head out of his test tubes and take a serious look at the realities of recycled waste water. He’s doubtless already imbibing it to some degree if he’s a resident of the ACT. I wonder if he eats grapes or drinks wine? Perhaps he ought to visit the platapus at the Lower Molonglo River outlets.
As for the Professor’s protestations regarding the inaccuracy of references to Singapore’s usage of recycled water, ’almost entirely used in industry’ doesn’t quite bear out his case. Recycled water in Singapore is either drunk by the population, Professor, or it isn’t. Word is, that it is. QED.
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Reminiscent of a scene from the sequel to ’2001-a Space Odyssey’, ’2010-the Odyssey Continues’, is this shot taken by the NASA probe, New-Horizons as it exited the Jovian system in March of this year. The shot depicts a tantalisingly blue Europa rising above the limb of Jupiter with an amazingly dense star field as a backdrop. Click on the thumbnail to appreciate the full-sized pic.
New-Horizons is now undergoing preparation for hibernation until re-awaking around this time of year in 2015. The fastest spacecraft to have ever left this planet is now well over 6AU from Earth. Just another 2,892 days until the next time we’ll hear or see anything from New-Horizons.
"I want you to know that the American people do not support a policy of retreat. We want to complete the mission, get it done right, and return with honour." - Dick Cheney doing another Mission (yet-to-be)Accomplished - ABC News Online
At least this ageing compulsive teller of non-truths had the luck of the Gods with him (couldn’t possible have been good planning) in that he delivered yet another of his ’we’ll fight ’em on the beaches’ tirades from the deck of an aircraft carrier other than the USS Abraham Lincoln. I doubt the crew of that vessel ever wants their ship to be the backdrop for another failed political pork-pie contest.
Seriously, does Cheney really believe anyone gives an intercontinental ballistic flying fuck whether Iran becomes a member of the nuclear club? Maybe this is Let’s-Slap-Iran-In-Public week? Or perhaps it’s Tell-Your-Biggest-Lie day? Last I heard, Iran didn’t have any nuclear weapons, nor the capacity to produce same. Last I heard, Iran was pursuing a nuclear power generation capacity. Why then does Cheney feel the need to make a complete and utter arse of himself (again!) by making a statement which has no basis in probability? Maybe he hasn’t rattled his sword lately, and felt the compulsion to show that he still has what it takes. In the shake, rattle & roll stakes, anyway. Maybe he knows his ride on the Power Pony is just about over. Another 18 months and it’s fade away into obscurity for Richard Bruce Cheney. His fifteen minutes of fame still await him. He’s exhausted his, yours and my own quantum of infamy and perhaps that’s how he deserves to be remembered. As a liar, cheat and thief of the truth whenever it was in danger of showing itself.
Watching the ABC production 'Bastard Boys' last night, I couldn't help but wonder at the timing of the screening.
At last!! My very own piece of virtuality.
Yes indeedy, a pseudorandom 128 bit integer expressed as a hexadecimal and it’s MINE, ALL MINE!!! No matter how many times you try, you’ll never duplicate my piece of nothing.
Prime Minister John Howard says today’s Newspoll result is very negative for his Government.
Ben Haslem notes a Crikey article on the dark side of cyber-capitalism.
I’m never surprised at the stupidity of the so-called elite classes.
The bags under ’Dolly’s’ eyes speak volumes about the difficult times the Howardians find themselves in of late. Doubtless, he’ll be glad to have the Hicks issue off his plate. I dare say the plane might even be in-country by the weekend.
Here’s a quick one aimed at a particular member of the audience, and you’ll know who you are.
It seems that of all the bastards incorporated, the chief can’t handle being chatted by those he chats. Registration required indeed! Yesterday was so different, then the Banner-bogey-man dropped by.
Thank you, you’ve been a wonderful audience. It’s just a shame we can’t debate and relate, but I’d hate to feel responsible for your sleepless nights. 2375506 - I won’t hold my breath waiting.
Do you know where your towel is? Better get it together in time for next Friday. Celebrate the life and wit of Douglas Adams by ensuring you take your towel with you, Friday 25th May, 2007.
Filed under Bizarre, entitled Bizarre because this is Bizarre in my estimation.
Are you wondering, as I'm wondering, just why the price of petrol at the bowser keeps going up & up, while politicians continue to tell us how strong our economy is?
Saturday and qualifying at Winton Motor Raceway, north-eastern Victoria.
Continue reading "V8 Supercars - Round Four - Winton, Victoria" »
Winton, as I detailed previously, is situated in north-eastern Victoria. Just outside Benalla. Being located in Victoria, the weather is subject to radical and unprogrammable change and that’s certainly what happened between Qualifying and Race 1.
N-Number Inquiry Results  |
Couldn’t resist the opportunity to see just who owns this aircraft. Oh, by the way, it’s the one which flew David Hicks home from the Cuban hell-hole he’s been held in for the past 5 years.
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Okay, so let’s do a wind-up of Round Four of the V8 Supercar Championship for 2007.
The AustralianTerry Hicks has indicated that his son is stubborn and rebellious. Perhaps after his five-year stint in Guantanamo Bay, David Hicks will now be prepared to listen to counsel from wiser heads as he navigates the difficult road ahead.
Yesterday we heard reported that Senator John Faulkner extracted from the Commonwealth Public Service a figure for government sponsored, tax payer funded advertising so far this year.
Crikey - Politics Etc - Did The Company fly David Hicks home?
I get the email alert from Crikey each day which seems to be the penance one pays when one experiments with the freebie and decides against paying the exorbitant subscription. You can unsubscribe, but the mail keeps coming. And why won’t I pay the exorbitant subscription?
Because news isn’t news unless you’re the first one with it. If Christian Kerr had bothered to peruse this blog on Sunday evening, he’d have had his answer to "who owns the plane". Mind you, if Crikey wants me to write for them...........
ABC News Online"We firmly believe that the US is a force of good in the world." - 'Dolly' Downer
A bit after the facts, really.
From yesterday's PM program
In a written statement, WorkDirections, a subsidiary of Therese Rein's business, says when it acquired an employment firm mid last year the common law contracts offered to staff had an above award amount calculated to compensate employees for the entitlements traded away. But that in December WorkDirections discovered the duties of some staff hadn't been properly classified, so that 58 of the 220 staff had been paid less than they were entitled to. Most have since got backpay and the company's in the process of finding the rest who've left.
I strongly recommend the reading of the above blog post. I found myself quite impressed by it’s content and the parallels it draws. Put aside your prejudices regarding science fiction in movies, George Lucas, Star Wars or assumed political statements and simply read what the poster has to say. It’s powerful stuff.
"Appendage is a really bad way to put it, but women have a choice"
One only need peruse the Hun pages occasionally to ensure the modus operandi remains unaltered.
So, Kevin Rudd’s other half has acquiesced to the doubtless unspoken but none the less ardent demands of her husband. Or has she?
Listening to Question Time today - first time for quite some period - I noted sadly that nothing has changed with regard to David Hawkers clear bias from the Speaker's Chair.
There’s a dramatic difference between this political advertising, and this
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Both lots of mail are political claptrap, neither of which is going to sway me from my already chosen vote. The former was paid for by my taxes....and yours for that matter. The latter’s payment comes from the ALP coffers. Most likely contributed to the Party from various and many Union bodies, none of which I’m a member of, so I feel quite non-plussed about it’s receipt. It’s still junk though.
Perceptions, you see dear reader, matter.
Guantanamo inmate dead in suspected suicide. ABC News Online
and the longer the US illegally holds human beings incommunicardo in hell holes like Guantanamo Bay, the more likely this is to occur. The sad part being that there are those who will cheer this occurrence.
"We have joined together because we are deeply troubled by the state of free speech in Australia."The opening sentence of a joint statement from eight Australian media executives.
Continue reading "It's a free world, but don't ask how free" »
