August 17, 2004

• Steady on, Rodgerd. Leave off attacks on God's Own Earth, now, wouldja? hehe. Crack the tubes, etc. I don't think many in Australia take these conservative views very seriously. Aussie politicians are increasingly out of touch with mainstream Strines, in any case. Plus at the moment, politicians here are throwing up various attention-drawing claims to distract the grumbling crowds from the issues that really do catch our attention - no prizes for guessing those - and staking claims on various sections of the electorate they can grab hold of for the looming elections. Quite honestly, the only ones they can guarantee are the dead-set conservative thinkers and raving Xtians, cos everyone else is too cynical to listen to them anymore, thus they pitch woo in this manner. Australia has always had an extremely laid-back liberal society with a rather inhibited and behind-the-times political sector. Previous attempts at making ISPs filter content sounded extreme, passed muster on the hill, but had no discernable effect in RL. And this article is mostly positive! The big talk from the Labour study is loud and scary, but completely unworkable. Labour usually does nothing to weaken commerce if it can help it. Plus of course, the biggest users of pornography in Australia are all in the civil service. HA!
• Nos is right, it's an election gambit. Who loves the family more? We do! No, we do! In more unsurprising news, John Howard is a big fat liar.
• Never forget that the Labor party has a strong streak of social conservatism in it. Despite the split that the formed the Democratic (ha!) Labor (ha!) Party, there are still quite a few socially conservative Catholic members. Both the Liberals and Labor have splits on these kinds of issues. Clive Hamilton regularly shows himself to have no idea what the rest of us are doing when it comes to non-green issues. Nos, I think you are spot on when you say that a lot of the 'solutions' are unworkable. I'm sure there are still people that think you can't access porn on the 'net since it was banned by Richard '$4 million dollar website' Alston.
• Nostrildamus, that sounds...familiar somehow, but I just can't quite place where I've heard it before...
• Richard '$4 million dollar website' Alston. This was the fellow repeatedly named in theregister.co.uk as the "World's Greatest Luddite". Not a bad qualification for the (then) Minister for Communications. And get off his back, he only paid 10 or so times over the odds of your money to set up that lovely website! Also, he is handsome!
• PS rodg, I have quite a decent amount of respect for your cricket team, although you could use a Gilchrist or two.
• *resists the urge to go off on the usual Chris-Cairns rant*
• Well, the news that porn is good for me is, of course, gratifying. It does weird me out how *different* Aussia politics is to New Zealand, though. I mean, this looks like a US election. Where, you know, last time they had the pro-censorship Presidential candidate with his head-of-a-large-censorship organisation wife running with his VP candidate, a fruitloop more-Orthodox-than-thou, pro-censorship, anti-choice religious nut. On the liberal ticket. And we have to thank Aussie for loaning us Steve Rixon to get New Zealand cricket back on track after The Decade That Shall Not Be Named. But it's not Gilchrist we need - it's to have more than one of our fast bowlers to be uninjured for more than a month at a time. I knew I could feel a bit better about our team when Aussie fans were complaining that Fleming is too much of a bastard after knocking the Ockers out of that VB series.
• one of our fast bowlers to be uninjured for more than a month at a time. It is in the nature of big skinny whippy streaks of pelican shit to get injured. See "Bruce Reid", or "Jason Gillespie".
• One of the best, and I mean best, things about living overseas is you can look at the local political process with cynicism and contempt without feeling responsible. I mean, if I were still living in Australia and having to look at that bunch of sentient excrement which is the average Australian conservative politician and feel like I should be doing something about it - hell! As it is, I can revel smugly, insulated from the whole thing by several thousand miles of rock and many many timezones.
• Dudes, seriously "Austrailia" isn't real - it's like a metaphor - like Oz, only there's no movie with Judy Garland about it. You guys need to quit taking it so seriously - "cricket" is just a plot device used by Douglas Adams, it's not real.
• One day, people will stop swallowing the "we're protecting the family" bullshit campaign rhetoric like so many buckets of cocks. And on that day, I will be naked in the street, drunk, Knob Creek bourbon in hand, offering moustache rides to total strangers. It'll be on that day, or Tuesday, whichever comes first.
• Tuesday never actually existed.
• Woo woo MCT, you don't have to put out the red light...
• It's Tuesday yesterday and Tuesday tomorrow, but never Tuesday today.
• they misspelled moustache. not anal about the cock bucket
• You misspelled cocque bucquette.
• coq au bucquette?
• quack bouquet

• It is in the nature of big skinny whippy streaks of pelican shit to get injured. See "Bruce Reid", or "Jason Gillespie".

  All I want is an Alan Donald, a Carl Rackerman, or a Richard Hadlee. Is that too much to ask? (And something's seriously, seriously wrong with how New Zealand trains/works bowlers when a *spin bowler* can end up with stress fractures). *Listens to 200 km/h winds, contemplates porn*
• Sport and Porn. Sport and Porn. Sport and Porn. How could Latham have allowed himself to get so out of touch with suburban Australia?
• Just as long as it doesn't lead to head shots of a smiling, lightly sweating, and gently rocking John Howard explaining that, after watching the cricket, he likes to go home and spend a little time in the warm glow of his monitor.
• John Howard does a spot of cricket commentary on ABC radio every Sydney Test. I am usually overcome by a sudden desire to nip down the pub, post a letter, walk the neighbours' dog, or buy a pastie at these times.
• A thread with cricket AND porn? - nicely done MoFites! There is some more discussion on the "porn is good for you" study here. From that article: CLIVE HAMILTON: Well, I think this is dodgy research. It goes without saying that his discussion papers are based on research of the non-dodgy variety that conclusively demonstrates that "porn is bad for you". All I want is an Alan Donald, a Carl Rackerman, or a Richard Hadlee. Is that too much to ask? Carl Rackemann?! Jeez rodgerd, you can aim a little higher than that surely? Maybe another Ewen Chatfield?
• Oh, c'mon. The way he put his zinc on must have given lots of batsmen nightmares about facing a homicidal clown. The John Wayne Gacy of Australian cricket, as it were.
• Also, as a bemused Englishman, I must say that England are currently enjoying their best run since the 50's (a whole six consecutive victories). Therefore, I'm currently looking forward to the Ashes with really misplaced confidence. That is all. Also, porn is good, too, I'm sure.
• Therefore, I'm currently looking forward to the Ashes Bwahahaha!
• I am drunk at the moment. Tomorrow, I'll be suitably embarrassed, Wolof.
• So, suitably embarassed yet dng?
• Yes Yes I am
• hehehe - they're talkin' funny talk . . .
• China has intensified its battle against Internet and mobile phone pornography by threatening distributors with life in prison, Xinhua news agency said.
• Read an interview with Richie Benaud who said your lot would do OK this time. If you could find a bowler.