It seems not to be on the web, but Robyn Williams, the long time host of the ABC's Science Show, has a diary piece in this weekend's Sydney Morning Herald. Apparently, travel expenses are so tight at the ABC that he has to travel economy class, even on international trips. Oh dear. I guess the fact that the interviews can all be done by phone might be the reason the ABC doesn't want to spring for business class.
He also seemed to admit to catching an international flight in sandals. (I don't have the paper with me right now, I am going by memory.) This struck me as odd. Not only do sandals sometimes become quite smelly, I would have thought that from a flight safety point of view that they are not to be recommended if you are avoiding red hot metal during an emergency evacuation.
What's worse, he says that he always forgets something on international flights. This time (on his recent trip to the United States for the annual Association for the Advancement of Science conference) he travelled in Australian summer clothes -including sandals - even though he was destined for New York in winter! This does not strike me as something someone who runs a science show should readily admit to. How can anyone forget to take into account the season that will be there on the other side of the world when leaving on international travel?
Also, he talks about the pathetic accomodation he had in New York (booked by the ABC because of its low cost) described as being little more than a bag lady's doss house.
What I want to know is this: how much salary do you earn Robyn? Is it beyond you to spring for extra money to get a decent room in New York city. I know it is expensive, but really, you would have to know that low cost digs anywhere in that city would be of dubious quality.
I have not liked Robyn Williams for some time. He is adequate as a broadcaster, but only just. Thrity years running a show like that has inevitably mad it stale.
Fresh blood please, ABC.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Another example of misreporting at Bush's expense
Power Line: The AP clarifies what the AP muddied
I half noticed on the late news earlier this week some video being run of President Bush being given warnings on the levees in New Orleans. I did not see the whole story, just a little bit of the video, but I was left with the impression that this was indeed harmful to the President's earlier denial of warnings.
Well, the good folk of Powerline have this covered, and they note that Associate Press have belatedly corrected their initial reporting. The story remains the same as it was before: Bush was warned of water "overtopping" the levies, not that the levies themselves would break.
Of course, subtleties are lost on the main stream press and much of the public, and of course corrections never get the same converage as the original story.
And the main stream media wonder why they are not held in high regard.a
I half noticed on the late news earlier this week some video being run of President Bush being given warnings on the levees in New Orleans. I did not see the whole story, just a little bit of the video, but I was left with the impression that this was indeed harmful to the President's earlier denial of warnings.
Well, the good folk of Powerline have this covered, and they note that Associate Press have belatedly corrected their initial reporting. The story remains the same as it was before: Bush was warned of water "overtopping" the levies, not that the levies themselves would break.
Of course, subtleties are lost on the main stream press and much of the public, and of course corrections never get the same converage as the original story.
And the main stream media wonder why they are not held in high regard.a
Would you eat one of these during Lent?
According to the Wall Street Journal, yes indeed the Vatican did allow for the eating of this large South American rodents during Lent. I wonder if they really understood what a capybara was? See OpinionJournal - Taste for the story.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Never thought I would mention HR Pufnstuf here
Guardian Unlimited Film | News | Oliver! actor Jack Wild dies aged 53
I saw the movie "Oliver" as a child. Kind of depressed me.
Later, HR Pufnstuf always struck as incredibly awful and bizarre, even for under 10 year old tastes. I think it was the sitcom laugh track that made it especially creepy..as if adults would laugh at that. Looking back, one wonders if the drug addled era in which it was made had an effect on the show.
I saw the movie "Oliver" as a child. Kind of depressed me.
Later, HR Pufnstuf always struck as incredibly awful and bizarre, even for under 10 year old tastes. I think it was the sitcom laugh track that made it especially creepy..as if adults would laugh at that. Looking back, one wonders if the drug addled era in which it was made had an effect on the show.
Laptops on planes
Gadgets threaten air safety: report - Breaking - Technology - theage.com.au
This story indicates that there is still controversy about whether use of laptops and other "game playing devices" on aircraft is a safety issue.
Why is this still unclear after all of this time? Seems it should have been capable of being settled years ago.
This story indicates that there is still controversy about whether use of laptops and other "game playing devices" on aircraft is a safety issue.
Why is this still unclear after all of this time? Seems it should have been capable of being settled years ago.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
China ’s rise not so certain
Foreign Policy: The Dark Side of China’s Rise
This is an interesting, lengthy, sceptical article on the rise of China.
This is an interesting, lengthy, sceptical article on the rise of China.
Apropos of nothing...
I find Danny Katz to be the funniest humourist writing in Australia. His fortnightly advice column in the SMH magazine is good too.
On sex in the afterlife
The Seattle Times: Health: Can you have a sex life in the afterlife?
Well, with all the talk of 72 virgins being the cause of much mayhem in the world here, it is a peculiar but relevant thing to talk about. The above article is pretty good.
It notes that one famous early Christian allowed for the genitalia to get to heaven, but not to be of any use:
On pondering resurrection of the flesh, St. Augustine decided we'd keep our sex organs for aesthetic reasons, but we wouldn't use them.
Back on the 72 virgins:
And while the motivations behind suicide bombings often hinge on a desire to help a family, die for a cause or to make a difference, the 72 virgins are used as an inducement, said Payind. "It is one of the more important enticements for the desperate, the dispossessed, the disenfranchised living in miserable conditions."
Segal points out that the virgins are used to appeal mostly to teenage boys. If you're a grown man faced with the prospect of 72 heavenly wives, he said, "you'd want some of them to be experienced."
This is one case where the harm from religious fundamentalism can be the subject of legitimate criticism of atheists. It's ironic that too much certainty about metaphysical matters (such as the afterlife and God's plan for it) can be harmful to the exercise of moral judgment on earth. But it is important to remember that this cuts both ways. Presumably, Hitler, Stalin and Mao had little doubt that there was not an afterlife in which they could be accountable, so their atheistic certainty was just as harmful as religious fundamentalism.
Life is tricky, hey.
Well, with all the talk of 72 virgins being the cause of much mayhem in the world here, it is a peculiar but relevant thing to talk about. The above article is pretty good.
It notes that one famous early Christian allowed for the genitalia to get to heaven, but not to be of any use:
On pondering resurrection of the flesh, St. Augustine decided we'd keep our sex organs for aesthetic reasons, but we wouldn't use them.
Back on the 72 virgins:
And while the motivations behind suicide bombings often hinge on a desire to help a family, die for a cause or to make a difference, the 72 virgins are used as an inducement, said Payind. "It is one of the more important enticements for the desperate, the dispossessed, the disenfranchised living in miserable conditions."
Segal points out that the virgins are used to appeal mostly to teenage boys. If you're a grown man faced with the prospect of 72 heavenly wives, he said, "you'd want some of them to be experienced."
This is one case where the harm from religious fundamentalism can be the subject of legitimate criticism of atheists. It's ironic that too much certainty about metaphysical matters (such as the afterlife and God's plan for it) can be harmful to the exercise of moral judgment on earth. But it is important to remember that this cuts both ways. Presumably, Hitler, Stalin and Mao had little doubt that there was not an afterlife in which they could be accountable, so their atheistic certainty was just as harmful as religious fundamentalism.
Life is tricky, hey.
Happy Anniversary, John Howard
Of all the commentary going on about John Howard's 10 year anniversary as Prime Minister, I think the following are noteworthy:
Mike Steketee, while no Howard fan, writes an interesting column about how the electorate in Australia sees itself on the Left/Right scale. (Answer: right smack in the middle for 40%. Add another 30% who see themselves on the right, and things look good for another ten years.) Mike notes that those who identify on the Left has actually increased to about 27%, but as a certain number of those are always going to vote for the Greens, maybe it is not as important as it seems.
Phillip Adams gets another opportunity to moan about John Howard, which is not remarkable at all except for the fact that it seems to be keeping him (Adams) alive. As I recall, a few years ago, he wrote a column in which he noted that his hatred for Howard gives him an energy for living. (Apparently, his mother was the same, but with respect to another politician.) Ironic, isn't it, but if someone Adams actually likes (and there is no one he seems to be endeared with on the Labor side either) won the next election, he may finally die. (I have heard Adams comment on several occasions that he is on many medications to keep him going. I assume his health has not been good for some time.)
David Marr on Insiders last Sunday (no transcript available) said that Howard's success had all been based on fear..fear of this, fear of that. Typical Marr stuff, and doesn't his mannered way of speaking make you want to slap him around the face?
The BBC story about the anniversary seems nicely balanced and accurate. It highlights what I have always considered Howard's most endearing feature - his modesty.
Mike Steketee, while no Howard fan, writes an interesting column about how the electorate in Australia sees itself on the Left/Right scale. (Answer: right smack in the middle for 40%. Add another 30% who see themselves on the right, and things look good for another ten years.) Mike notes that those who identify on the Left has actually increased to about 27%, but as a certain number of those are always going to vote for the Greens, maybe it is not as important as it seems.
Phillip Adams gets another opportunity to moan about John Howard, which is not remarkable at all except for the fact that it seems to be keeping him (Adams) alive. As I recall, a few years ago, he wrote a column in which he noted that his hatred for Howard gives him an energy for living. (Apparently, his mother was the same, but with respect to another politician.) Ironic, isn't it, but if someone Adams actually likes (and there is no one he seems to be endeared with on the Labor side either) won the next election, he may finally die. (I have heard Adams comment on several occasions that he is on many medications to keep him going. I assume his health has not been good for some time.)
David Marr on Insiders last Sunday (no transcript available) said that Howard's success had all been based on fear..fear of this, fear of that. Typical Marr stuff, and doesn't his mannered way of speaking make you want to slap him around the face?
The BBC story about the anniversary seems nicely balanced and accurate. It highlights what I have always considered Howard's most endearing feature - his modesty.
Miranda Devine has another go
A debate begging for more light - Miranda Devine - Opinion - smh.com.au
Miranda Devine has an article today on global warming. Seems not overly detailed, and I can hear Tim Lambert typing furiously right now.
Miranda Devine has an article today on global warming. Seems not overly detailed, and I can hear Tim Lambert typing furiously right now.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
The trial starts to look like a trial
Iraq the Model reports on a good day for the trial of Saddam.
Of course, getting this trial over and done with is important for the current instability in Iraq. While he remains alive and appearing on TV screens, he must be giving some Sunni insurgents hope.
The other thing they have to get on with is forming a government of national unity.
UPDATE: since this was posted last night, Saddam admits what happened, but tries to put a different light on it. The Christian Science Monitor story ends with Saddam's complaint:
Of course, getting this trial over and done with is important for the current instability in Iraq. While he remains alive and appearing on TV screens, he must be giving some Sunni insurgents hope.
The other thing they have to get on with is forming a government of national unity.
UPDATE: since this was posted last night, Saddam admits what happened, but tries to put a different light on it. The Christian Science Monitor story ends with Saddam's complaint:
Hussein also used his court time to complain that a toilet he used during a break in the session didn't have a door to prevent prying eyes, and he was disturbed when a court attendant came to get him.
"Is this humanity?'' he asked.
Oh, diddums..Climate change and risk
I don't know what's gone wrong in the last couple of months, but the Guardian has started seeming more balanced to me than ever before, at least if you ignore its columnists. The Australian, on the other hand, seems to have decided to play up the Wheat Board Scandal in its headlines as much as possible, and even had an editorial go at John Howard for comments on the old "children overboard" affair. (Incidentally, I share Slattsnews take on this.) Odd times indeed.
Anyway, the main point of this post is to note a Guardian article on global warning which notes the recent dispute over some scientists warning that global warming could be worse than previously expected:
The three previous reports assumed that a doubling of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would increase average global temperature by between 1.5 and 4.5C. Since then, computer models have foreseen increases as high as 11C, and some scientists wanted the naturally conservative IPCC to raise the upper end of the range. Others said such a move would be increase would be misleading and alarmist.
According to sources who have seen it, the draft now assumes a doubling of carbon dioxide would cause a likely temperature rise of between 2 and 4.5C, but says higher increases are possible.
Look on the bright side: with an 11 degree increase, Australians are particularly well placed to take advantage of the new beach side estates to be sold in Antartica.
But, how likely such massive increases may occur is more to the point, and there is some scepticism about this:
James Annan, a British climate scientist who works on the Japanese Earth simulator supercomputer in Yokohama, says the risks of extreme climate sensitivity and catastrophic consequences have been overstated. He is about to publish a study showing that the chance of climate sensitivity exceeding 4.5C is less than 5%. He said: "It seems to me that some people seem to be talking up the possibility of disaster in order to scare people into doing something."
But, for large possible disasters, there is this to consider:
Dave Stainforth, a climate modeller at Oxford University, said: "This is something of a hot topic but it comes down to what you think is a small chance - even if there's just a half per cent chance of destruction of society, I would class that as a very big risk."
Well, this is exactly the point that James Bodgett makes in his criticisms of the risk assessment CERN has done about how they may soon be creating mini black holes that could, if Hawking Radiation does not work, sink into the core of the earth. No one (meaning no physicist) seems to have done any detailed work on this a risk assessment issue. Yet, why can't Blodgett convince anyone to take this issue seriously? For those who may be new to this site due to Tim Blair's mention of it - please have a look at my long post on the CERN issue here.
Anyway, the main point of this post is to note a Guardian article on global warning which notes the recent dispute over some scientists warning that global warming could be worse than previously expected:
The three previous reports assumed that a doubling of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would increase average global temperature by between 1.5 and 4.5C. Since then, computer models have foreseen increases as high as 11C, and some scientists wanted the naturally conservative IPCC to raise the upper end of the range. Others said such a move would be increase would be misleading and alarmist.
According to sources who have seen it, the draft now assumes a doubling of carbon dioxide would cause a likely temperature rise of between 2 and 4.5C, but says higher increases are possible.
Look on the bright side: with an 11 degree increase, Australians are particularly well placed to take advantage of the new beach side estates to be sold in Antartica.
But, how likely such massive increases may occur is more to the point, and there is some scepticism about this:
James Annan, a British climate scientist who works on the Japanese Earth simulator supercomputer in Yokohama, says the risks of extreme climate sensitivity and catastrophic consequences have been overstated. He is about to publish a study showing that the chance of climate sensitivity exceeding 4.5C is less than 5%. He said: "It seems to me that some people seem to be talking up the possibility of disaster in order to scare people into doing something."
But, for large possible disasters, there is this to consider:
Dave Stainforth, a climate modeller at Oxford University, said: "This is something of a hot topic but it comes down to what you think is a small chance - even if there's just a half per cent chance of destruction of society, I would class that as a very big risk."
Well, this is exactly the point that James Bodgett makes in his criticisms of the risk assessment CERN has done about how they may soon be creating mini black holes that could, if Hawking Radiation does not work, sink into the core of the earth. No one (meaning no physicist) seems to have done any detailed work on this a risk assessment issue. Yet, why can't Blodgett convince anyone to take this issue seriously? For those who may be new to this site due to Tim Blair's mention of it - please have a look at my long post on the CERN issue here.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Will the salad bar return?
So, two Sizzler restaurants in Brisbane have had rat poison found in the salad bar food. This may be an evil plan to rid the city of uni students and pensioners. The story raises some questions:
* from the article in yesterday's Courier Mail:
Police would like help from the woman who alerted CBD staff to the presence of green pellets in the soup about 5pm on Saturday.
She left before police arrived and staff did not have her name. She is not a suspect.
There's even a photo of her on the website. While it is all very well to say she is not a suspect, isn't use of the phrase "police are looking for a man/woman who may be able to help with their enquires" always the coded way of saying the person is indeed a suspect? Like saying "there were no suspicious circumstances" about a death of a youngish person found alone usually means "suicide". What's the betting that she really is the suspect?
* From the article in the Courier Mail today:
SIZZLER claims it took 37 days to become aware that the green pellets found in a tub of pasta sauce at its Toowong store were rat poison.
The company's chief, Bo Ryan, who has been at the helm for 17 years, said he did not know of the poisoning finding until yesterday – a day after two of his staff fell ill after tasting contaminated soup at the smorgasbord chain's CBD restaurant.
"Obviously there are some lessons learnt in terms of the evaluation of the product from Toowong," he said.
Mr Ryan said it was normal protocol to send foreign objects found in food to a New Zealand laboratory for testing. But he admitted the company, which has been operating in Australia for 20 years, had no contingency plan in place to deal with food poisoning.
Five weeks to find out what that strange thing in the food is? That sure indicates Sizzlers puts high priority on checking the quality of its food, doesn't it?. If only terrorists had known this. They could have poisoned thousands this way and still had time to take a Gold Coast holiday before leaving the country.
I wonder if there may be some class action law firm advertising for anyone wanting to bring a action over this?
UPDATE: a 57 year old woman has been arrested over this. I don't know if it is supposed to be the same woman in the photos published yesterday, but it seems a fair bet. From the article in the Courier Mail:
[Queensland Health Minister] Mr Robertson said Sizzler's handling of the situation had not been ideal....
Understatement of the year, considering this:
* from the article in yesterday's Courier Mail:
Police would like help from the woman who alerted CBD staff to the presence of green pellets in the soup about 5pm on Saturday.
She left before police arrived and staff did not have her name. She is not a suspect.
There's even a photo of her on the website. While it is all very well to say she is not a suspect, isn't use of the phrase "police are looking for a man/woman who may be able to help with their enquires" always the coded way of saying the person is indeed a suspect? Like saying "there were no suspicious circumstances" about a death of a youngish person found alone usually means "suicide". What's the betting that she really is the suspect?
* From the article in the Courier Mail today:
SIZZLER claims it took 37 days to become aware that the green pellets found in a tub of pasta sauce at its Toowong store were rat poison.
The company's chief, Bo Ryan, who has been at the helm for 17 years, said he did not know of the poisoning finding until yesterday – a day after two of his staff fell ill after tasting contaminated soup at the smorgasbord chain's CBD restaurant.
"Obviously there are some lessons learnt in terms of the evaluation of the product from Toowong," he said.
Mr Ryan said it was normal protocol to send foreign objects found in food to a New Zealand laboratory for testing. But he admitted the company, which has been operating in Australia for 20 years, had no contingency plan in place to deal with food poisoning.
Five weeks to find out what that strange thing in the food is? That sure indicates Sizzlers puts high priority on checking the quality of its food, doesn't it?. If only terrorists had known this. They could have poisoned thousands this way and still had time to take a Gold Coast holiday before leaving the country.
I wonder if there may be some class action law firm advertising for anyone wanting to bring a action over this?
UPDATE: a 57 year old woman has been arrested over this. I don't know if it is supposed to be the same woman in the photos published yesterday, but it seems a fair bet. From the article in the Courier Mail:
[Queensland Health Minister] Mr Robertson said Sizzler's handling of the situation had not been ideal....
Understatement of the year, considering this:
One of the affected consumers, Sarah Kenny, knew something wasn't right when she tasted the "foul" spaghetti bolognaise at Sizzler in January.
But it was not until she heard news reports yesterday that she discovered she and her friends may have eaten rat poison.
I wonder what shares in the company are worth today...Hard to believe..
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Europe's chill linked to disease
The above story is about how it has been suggested that the Little Ice Age of a few hundred years ago may have been caused by too many new trees springing up on unused farms after a third of Europe died of bubonic plague. Those trees cause more trouble than they are worth.
Anyway, the theory sounds too much of a stretch.
But I would say that a climate model that cannot account for the Little Ice Age does not inspire confidence about its predictions for the future.
The above story is about how it has been suggested that the Little Ice Age of a few hundred years ago may have been caused by too many new trees springing up on unused farms after a third of Europe died of bubonic plague. Those trees cause more trouble than they are worth.
Anyway, the theory sounds too much of a stretch.
But I would say that a climate model that cannot account for the Little Ice Age does not inspire confidence about its predictions for the future.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Easy on the eyes for news junkies
No, I am not referring to any particularly good looking newsreader. (But while I am on that topic, I have always been especially fond of the current Brisbane ABC TV weekend newsreader, but I can never remember her name, and I can't find her on the ABC website.)
Anyway, what I am talking about is this quite cool looking site. I am not sure how often the news stories are updated, but it at least brings to attention some stories from obscure parts of the world.
I found it via Red Ferrett Journal, which has the wittiest comments on new gadgets.
UPDATE: OK, my apologies. As the author of the application explains here, this is not yet a real time news feed page. He hopes to make it so, and to soon make it available for people to use the script with (I think) their news feed of choice. Lovely design work, all the same.
Anyway, what I am talking about is this quite cool looking site. I am not sure how often the news stories are updated, but it at least brings to attention some stories from obscure parts of the world.
I found it via Red Ferrett Journal, which has the wittiest comments on new gadgets.
UPDATE: OK, my apologies. As the author of the application explains here, this is not yet a real time news feed page. He hopes to make it so, and to soon make it available for people to use the script with (I think) their news feed of choice. Lovely design work, all the same.
Who blew up the mosque?
See a good post on the competing theories about who blew up the Golden Mosque at Mudville Gazette
(Found via Pajamas Media, which has become pretty damn good. Did TB bail too early?)
(Found via Pajamas Media, which has become pretty damn good. Did TB bail too early?)
On the other problems of Palestine
What aid cutoff to Hamas would mean | csmonitor.com
The above article summaries neatly the economic problems of Palestine/Gaza. These parts are of particular interest:
Unemployment is at 23 percent.
Another issue is that the Palestinian population grows more than 3 percent a year. Each Palestinian woman in Gaza has close to six children on average; in the West Bank, 4.4 children is the average.
Some Israelis see this as a demographic threat. Abunimah holds that large families arise from the parents' need to ensure help in their old age in a society without Social Security or a system of government medical care.
For economists, rapid population growth makes a rise in economic prosperity difficult, especially in an area with limited land and resources. What's needed, the World Bank report suggests, is peace, the lifting of restrictions on Palestinian travel and commerce, Palestinian governance reform, and more foreign aid.
That's some birth rate for an area that is not exactly just emerging into the modern world.
While I understand that in old style agricultural communities, there is an incentive for the parents to have children to maintain their farm as a source of food and income, I find it more puzzling that modern Gaza families, when they have no economy to speak of in the first place, think that having extra children is going to help that problem.
Are there other reasons for the high birth rate? Why do Muslims in most places have a higher birth rate? I am not aware of what the Islamic teachings in regard to birth control are, but I must go looking...
The above article summaries neatly the economic problems of Palestine/Gaza. These parts are of particular interest:
Unemployment is at 23 percent.
Another issue is that the Palestinian population grows more than 3 percent a year. Each Palestinian woman in Gaza has close to six children on average; in the West Bank, 4.4 children is the average.
Some Israelis see this as a demographic threat. Abunimah holds that large families arise from the parents' need to ensure help in their old age in a society without Social Security or a system of government medical care.
For economists, rapid population growth makes a rise in economic prosperity difficult, especially in an area with limited land and resources. What's needed, the World Bank report suggests, is peace, the lifting of restrictions on Palestinian travel and commerce, Palestinian governance reform, and more foreign aid.
That's some birth rate for an area that is not exactly just emerging into the modern world.
While I understand that in old style agricultural communities, there is an incentive for the parents to have children to maintain their farm as a source of food and income, I find it more puzzling that modern Gaza families, when they have no economy to speak of in the first place, think that having extra children is going to help that problem.
Are there other reasons for the high birth rate? Why do Muslims in most places have a higher birth rate? I am not aware of what the Islamic teachings in regard to birth control are, but I must go looking...
Hamas - its terms for a truce
Incoming Hamas Chief Wants Political Truce - Yahoo! News
From the article above (emphasis mine):
Ismail Haniyeh — the incoming Palestinian prime minister — on Sunday denied saying Hamas would consider peace with Israel under certain conditions.
Haniyeh was quoted by The Washington Post in its Sunday edition as saying Hamas would establish "peace in stages" if Israel would withdraw to its 1967 boundaries — before it captured the
West Bank,
Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem.
But Haniyeh told reporters that his comments had been misunderstood. He said he was not referring to a peace agreement, only a "political truce." Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told The Associated Press that Haniyeh's comments must have been mistranslated.
Haniyeh has demanded that Israel make a full withdrawal from lands captured in the 1967 Mideast war, release Palestinian prisoners and the return of several million Palestinian refugees and their descendants to Israel.
"Then Hamas can grant a long-term truce," Haniyeh said.
Those are his terms just for a truce??
What the hell, why stop there? How about a million US dollars for each returning refugee to compensate for hurt feelings?
And: just how many people can you fit within tiny Israel before running out of water, anyway? There's about 6.5 million there already.
From the article above (emphasis mine):
Ismail Haniyeh — the incoming Palestinian prime minister — on Sunday denied saying Hamas would consider peace with Israel under certain conditions.
Haniyeh was quoted by The Washington Post in its Sunday edition as saying Hamas would establish "peace in stages" if Israel would withdraw to its 1967 boundaries — before it captured the
West Bank,
Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem.
But Haniyeh told reporters that his comments had been misunderstood. He said he was not referring to a peace agreement, only a "political truce." Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told The Associated Press that Haniyeh's comments must have been mistranslated.
Haniyeh has demanded that Israel make a full withdrawal from lands captured in the 1967 Mideast war, release Palestinian prisoners and the return of several million Palestinian refugees and their descendants to Israel.
"Then Hamas can grant a long-term truce," Haniyeh said.
Those are his terms just for a truce??
What the hell, why stop there? How about a million US dollars for each returning refugee to compensate for hurt feelings?
And: just how many people can you fit within tiny Israel before running out of water, anyway? There's about 6.5 million there already.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
How not to improve Australian films
Where are our brave filmmakers? - Opinion - theage.com.au
Tracee Hutchison, writing in The Age above, likes the current crop of "liberal" cinema from the USA, and suggests that maybe Australian cinema needs to follow this lead.
Idiotically, she says:
...this is precisely the time we need our filmmakers to be telling rigorous and fearless stories about the Australian condition. It can't all be the fault of the newly enshrined sedition laws that we're not seeing them.
Um, yes Tracey, that is correct, but not in the way you are thinking. It is because if you actually read the legislation yourself instead of relying on the legislative ignorance of a bunch of comedians, it is inconcieveable that the revised sedition laws could be used this way. (Well, assuming the movie does not have the lead character suddenly addressing the audience directly and telling them it is their duty to take up arms and engage in violent attack on the evil Federal government.)
What's more, Tracey, it is not as if the subtext of most Australian films of the last decade could be construed as having pro-conservative values. It is precisely the dour political underpinning of most Aussie movies lately that prevents them reaching a decent sized audience.
Tracee Hutchison, writing in The Age above, likes the current crop of "liberal" cinema from the USA, and suggests that maybe Australian cinema needs to follow this lead.
Idiotically, she says:
...this is precisely the time we need our filmmakers to be telling rigorous and fearless stories about the Australian condition. It can't all be the fault of the newly enshrined sedition laws that we're not seeing them.
Um, yes Tracey, that is correct, but not in the way you are thinking. It is because if you actually read the legislation yourself instead of relying on the legislative ignorance of a bunch of comedians, it is inconcieveable that the revised sedition laws could be used this way. (Well, assuming the movie does not have the lead character suddenly addressing the audience directly and telling them it is their duty to take up arms and engage in violent attack on the evil Federal government.)
What's more, Tracey, it is not as if the subtext of most Australian films of the last decade could be construed as having pro-conservative values. It is precisely the dour political underpinning of most Aussie movies lately that prevents them reaching a decent sized audience.
Maybe he can make a movie about it
Director sentenced over drag arrest - World - theage.com.au
So, Kiwi director Lee Tamahori pleads guilty, in effect admitting to having perhaps the most unusual sexual interests (at least for a well known Hollywood figure) ever.
I bet the Bond producers are glad they did not give him the job of directing the current 007 film.
So, Kiwi director Lee Tamahori pleads guilty, in effect admitting to having perhaps the most unusual sexual interests (at least for a well known Hollywood figure) ever.
I bet the Bond producers are glad they did not give him the job of directing the current 007 film.
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