August 02, 2010
July 29, 2010
So you’re not going to vote Labor because of #nocleanfeed…
I’ve seen lots of people talk about Net Censorship and how it is the only thing that people are going to use to define who they vote for in the election.
Firstly, anyone that votes only on one policy is nuts… there are a lot of things that makes Australia what it is… voting on one tiny aspect of a whole of government approach is just weird IMHO.
Now I am on the record as saying that I think the whole Net Filter is a big joke… (a bad one), but a joke. It won’t do one thing to stop what the government claims it is for. How often do you see when places are raided, collections of DVD burners. These DVD’s are distributed by hand or by post, not by the internet. But I digress…
Ludlam, who has long opposed mandatory filtering, said the Liberals were likely to support Labor’s filtering proposal under Tony Abbott’s leadership.
“I think the Liberals are ducking and weaving; I think internally, they’re split … but the fact is, the party is led by Tony Abbott who is deeply conservative,” he said.
Never have truer words been said. If you don’t think that a government lead by someone on the record by such a Conservative as Tony Abbott would not leap at an opportunity such as this (even if only partially technically feasible) you are in the words from The Castle ‘Dreaming Mate’.
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Tags: Annoyances // 3 Comments »
I've been curious that the Net Filter issue has been a bigger problem for many techies than the Liberals stated policy of killing the NBN, here's an interesting take on the Liberals and the Filter courtesy of Wolf Cocklin
June 08, 2010
Robert Fisk on Journalism and 'the words of power'
...the flotilla - the convoy of boats setting off for Gaza. I don't think they are a bunch of anti-Israelis. I think the international convoy is on its way because people aboard these ships - from all over the world - are trying to do what our supposedly humanitarian leaders have failed to do. They are bringing food and fuel and hospital equipment to those who suffer. In any other context, the Obamas and the Sarkozys and the Camerons would be competing to land US Marines and the Royal Navy and French forces with humanitarian aid - as Clinton did in Somalia. Didn't the God-like Blair believe in humanitarian 'intervention' in Kosovo and Sierra Leone?
In normal circumstances, Blair might even have put a foot over the border.
But no. We dare not offend the Israelis. And so ordinary people are trying to do what their leaders have culpably failed to do. Their leaders have failed them.
Have the media? Are we showing documentary footage of the Berlin airlift today? Or of Clinton's attempt to rescue the starving people of Somalia, of Blair's humanitarian 'intervention' in the Balkans, just to remind our viewers and readers - and the people on those boats - that this is about hypocrisy on a massive scale?
The hell we are! We prefer 'competing narratives'. Few politicians want the Gaza voyage to reach its destination - be its end successful, farcical or tragic. We believe in the 'peace process', the 'road map'. Keep the 'fence' around the Palestinians. Let the 'key players' sort it out.
"Competing Narratives" Yeah, weasel words FTL!
April 28, 2010
Say What #1
Popularity Contest
(being where I was retweeted)
Remind me ... why exactly did people elect Kevin Rudd? What was it he was going to do? /via @GreenJ not be Little Johnny nose hair
Is Jon Stewart the TV equivalent of a Cyberbully? 24 mentions of Fox News so far this year!http://nyti.ms/cOpFB2
libs should cut the crap on a lot of things really. Especially electing anachronisms as leaders #alot
I hope little Kev enjoys his discount purchase of a second term. #smallbrainssmallideas
Raiding Gizmodo
Today I had an interesting back and forth with one or two others over the all too often used 'fanboi' term or "Applevangelists" in this case when it was alleged we would be 'defending Apple' because the Police in San Mateo county, California raided a Journalist house as part of a felony investigation.
I wrote;
Gizmodo should have checked the California law on receipt of stolen goods. Journalism, FTW!
For me, experience tells me - in any country, Police tend to raid first and ask questions later. So we shouldn't be surprised. The suggestion that Apple were prompting the raid was just ridiculous. So I wrote;
AFAIK, if the Police are asked to investigate a crime, the complainant doesn't really dictate the terms of the investigation
The rest of the conversation was mainly asking questions. I don't know enough about California law to judge. In any case, plenty of others have a more informed opinion on this one;
reading @hblodget on the Gizmodo, iPhone thing. It appears the Police have overstepped the mark.Leaving Facebook
I'm still toying with the idea of committing Facebook suicide due to their ridiculous tell everyone everything non-privacy;
deleting Facebook Applications in prep for possible FB-suicide due to this FB everywhere crap
Twitter love
I need a tiler for a small job for my house. The Joy of twitter includes getting numbers!
Appreciating Politicians
The ruling party in Australia is outdoing itself this week
I hope little Kev enjoys his discount purchase of a second term. #smallbrainssmallideas
Mind you the other crew are trailing in their wake
Libs should cut the crap on a lot of things really. Especially electing anachronisms as leaders #alot
and finally...
It's 2010, there should be Hoverboards!
allegedly this ipad thingymajig is a cleverly disguised hoverboard #2010
March 04, 2010
Peter Dutton MP are you for or against the filter? | Darryl King’s blog ireckon
So I propose a simple two part question for you. This is the crux of the matter for me, and it may also be for a number of other voters.
My Questions:
Peter, do you support the introduction of any form of mandatory internet filter in Australia?
And if the answer to that question is no, will you push to have it removed if and when you next get into government?
I hope you get around to reading this Peter; I will make footnotes to keep my tiny speckle of readers informed on what you feel. Two quite simple questions, which in fact I believe could be answered with Yes or No responses.
I don’t need spin. I just want to know which team you are on.
I want a personal answer to a personal issue for me a resident in your electorate.
Excellent Work as Usual Sir!
How NSW Went Septic | newmatilda.com
Of course the prospect of a Liberal/National Party government in NSW isn’t much to get excited about, but comparatively, it’s a benign tumour.
The best way to prevent golden staph is to wash your hands. Let’s hope NSW voters do just that as soon as they are given the opportunity.
The idea of NSW Labour as Golden Staph! Wonderful Metaphor!
February 23, 2010
Is the Celtic Tiger finally about to lay down to die?
Two statements from Bank of Ireland on Friday underscored the crisis that continues to engulf Ireland's banking system. The first came in court, where the bank was trying to pursue unpaid loans from a developer.
First, though, I should note, I'm NOT an economist, nor am I a financial expert. What I do know is that the accelerated rate of Property Value I noticed in the 3 or 4 years before I left Ireland took off even more in the 5 or 6 years following. Each time I went back the prices of basic housing seemed to have increased by a factor of whatever.
Perhaps it was the ready availability of cheap credit as we have already seen hammer previous sufferers such as the US and the UK. Perhaps it was with Irish peoples obsession with owning their own house. Either way as resources shortened (despite the influx of Economic Immigrants from Eastern Europe - the irony!) and the people got 'richer', so the prices went up.
I know of many people who lost large deposits on houses off the plan when developers started to go belly up three or four years ago. They weren't alone in then
February 10, 2010
Being where Janet Albrechtsen cannot do simple maths
Wilders's Freedom Party is presently the most popular political party in The Netherlands. In last year's elections for the European Parliament, it won 17 per cent of the vote, second only to the ruling Christian Democrats on 19.9 per cent.
January 25, 2010
Advance Australia CENSORED
Here's an outtake and the links to the post.
I’ve tried a few times now to write this post. It’s about Stephen Conroy’s Mandatory Internet Filter, and I’ll be damned if it hasn’t been difficult not to have it descend into a sledgefest.
Here’s the thing. Conroy is not being honest with you. At all. About anything he’s said regarding the filter. And here’s the latest example.
and click the link to read on!
January 15, 2010
How Bush-Cheney Policy Screwed Haiti | Mother Jones
The Times
It is hard to imagine what a magnitude 7 earthquake might do to a city that on any ordinary day already resembles a disaster area. Today, compassionate Americans will wince at the photos, then pick their way among the foundations which offer alms to the Haitian poor. Here is one unlikely proposal to help Haiti, taken from Juan Cole's email listserv this morning:
Memo to Obama on Haiti: "It's reported that Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase combined have set aside $47 billion for bonuses," says an NPR account, according to Cole. "Haiti's annual gross domestic product in nominal terms is about $7 bn. a year. Seize the bonuses. Send them to Haiti."
It'll never happen, of course. But if there were any justice in the world, it would.
I know little about Haiti, but I am unsurprised by the general tenet of the article