« November 2005 | Main | January 2006 »
December 17, 2005
Ho Ho Ho etc
I'm heading down to Tassie (look out womenfolk, I have map of Tasmania jokes and I will use them), then to Moggs Creek.
More tirades to come in the New Year.
Have a very Glutbusters Christmas. I know I will.
Posted by Peter at 12:29 PM | Comments (70)
December 14, 2005
Special Guest Tirade
My brother is in China. In my time overseas, his bitter rants and flowery descriptions of football games kept me going. Good to see his patriotic rage is undimmed even though he lives abroad. I received this email the other day. It's pretty much verbatim (I added paragraphs and punctuation - capitals can bugger off, I don't have the time).
been reading about this student union thing jeez howard is a fuckin prick, some cockhead lib senator (scroll down) said if students need student unionism they will pay for it themselves voluntarily. well you're first year scraping every last penny for booze you're hardly gonna cough up 200 bucks for unionism. but someone needs to give the unions money and god knows lord fuckpants and his idiot follower costello (typical of howard to completely fuck over his longest loyal supporter, - sums the bloke up really) aint gonna.
aus universities are a disgrace. i learnt next to nothing in that 3 years except how to do as little as possible and still get reasonable marks. sure, we dont want unis to become 'job skills workshops' but if you are studying business perhaps some sort of practical knowledge/experience may be handy. then you can relate your degree to the world outside. and a challenge? not once was my brain challenged in that time, (sport and the law with sam cusumano the notable exception) except to rote learn a shitload of info the week before exams.
i suggest that all hs grads be strenuously encouraged to take at least one year (i suggest 3) to work/travel/booze/sleep before going to uni. the overworked bgs line that if u don't go straight away you may never go at all is a massive mistruth of WMD proportions. "the masses will believe a lie, if you make it big enough". then the work hating first years, more mature/less naive/more driven, can be challenged and educated by inspired teachers (steve james) and a demanding curriculum and everyone benefits.
Posted by Peter at 02:54 PM | Comments (12)
December 09, 2005
Tomorrow's Post Today
Apparently a union of regular readers of this blog (membership: one - thankyou Tom) have banded together and demanded more frequent posting. Damn it, I'd love to give it to you, but who has the time? I've gotta earn a crust you know (and hopefully the rest of the loaf - I'm working on it. Boom boom).
I'm going to Meredith this weekend, alongside much of Melbourne's blognoscenti, so I won't be posting. Or will I? Hoh, what mystery have up my sleeve? What would I be saying if those filthy dope-smoking hippies had got off their arses and installed wireless internet at the Meredith site?
"Where do we park?... do we know where so and so is?... does anyone have tent pegs?... is that man in implausibly tight jeans and oversized sunglasses Tim Rogers?... can me up!... fuck I wish my chair had arms and a stubby holder and a little pocket for my ciggies... rock on!... dude, I haven't seen you in years!... who is that stunning lady?... can!... totem tennis? why yes, I'd love to play... i just don't understand why anyone would ever wear shoes... can!... $35 each, mate. Sweet... can!... these guys are fucking ace!... are you feeling anything?... how good is this weekend?!... let's go on an adventure to get water... how good is water?... good god, you have the softest skin I've ever touched... i love you, so-and-so, you are seriously one of my best mates in the world... these guys are awesome!!!... dance? let's!... yeaaaaaahhhhh!!!!...let's go talk to that guy in the headband... man, that is the greatest headband I think I've ever seen... shall we roll another one?... solid night, team... where's our campsite?... i love our Kombi... do you smell petrol?... snore.................... do you smell petrol?... I love Sustagen... bacon and egg sandwiches are perhaps the greatest culinary invention of our age... tai chi? bring it on!... dude, tai chi's really hard, let's eat some barbecue shapes... what's that smell? ah, note to self, change underpants at least once in three days (this actually happened last year - I'm not proud of it)... can? what is it, 11? why the hell not?!... let's drop by Torquay for a swim on the way home... I love the ocean..."
Posted by Peter at 11:00 AM | Comments (6)
December 02, 2005
Get Your Hand Off It
I just heard Queensland Independent MP Chris Foley on the radio proclaiming his opposition to the death penalty, yet declaring that he felt a minute's silence to remember Nguyen Tuong Van in the Queensland Parliament would be offensive to Australia's war veterans.
It's this sort of ra-ra, Anzac-spirit political grandstanding that gives me the shits. As if a minute's silence is an honour that must be earned through some sort of noble toil, like there's a Luna Park-style, "you must have done at least this much for your country to get this silence" sign through which only those worthy may pass.
Mr Foley, Chris if I may, a minute's silence is not a reward for effort, it is not an honour bestowed only on those who have proven themselves, by whatever scale you choose to randomly apply, to deserve it. A minute's silence is about us as a group, or a state, or a nation, showing our respect, our appreciation, our grief.
So I'd say in Nguyen's case, it's perfectly appropriate. Yes, as you so incisively point out, he is a convicted drug dealer. But he is a man who has been put to death for what in our country is a minor offence. By any scale, mine at least, he has received a punishment grossly disproportionate to his crime. What your parliament was doing was demonstrating its respect and its sadness for the incredible price that Nguyen and his family have paid for one mistake.
So make a stand, you petty bastard. Walk out of Parliament (with the Opposition) if it makes you feel like you're a bigger man. I know you country independents have your work cut out for you getting column inches, so I hope your weekly self-googling turns up a few more hits. Perhaps though, in the future, you could dedicate your self-righteous indignation to something a little more worthwhile.
Posted by Peter at 06:36 PM | Comments (4)
Deal Breaker
If what went on this morning doesn't make you feel for Nguyen Tuong Van's mother, brother, friends, family; if it doesn't make you question the point of fantastic economic prosperity if the price is the state-sanctioned murder of other human beings; if it doesn't convince you that when we send people to the gallows, or the chair, or the chamber, or the injection, we take a backwards step as a society;
if it doesn't just make you sad to see a 25 year-old guy killed;
then I'm not sure we can be friends.
Posted by Peter at 09:17 AM | Comments (83)
December 01, 2005
No need for elaboration. No death penalty. Ever. Ever.Posted by Peter at 03:58 PM | Comments (2)
My newest Nintendo game: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Ace. UPDATE: It's crap.Posted by Peter at 03:12 PM | Comments (3)