VBC Nod
How nice. Raymond Tomlin, a journalist in Vancouver, British Columbia, started a weblog in February and I’m already on his list of fellow travellers. This is gratifying especially in that Raymond’s ‘blog is very nicely done. I aspire to such a professional look. Content’s better than most, too.
05 April 2004
Sea Camp
We watched Pirates of the Caribbean this weekend, at the sufferance of M., who was too under the weather to form even the will to object to the selection. Keith Richards, I mean Johnny Depp, played all his scenes as if a lifetime of drinking had left him with alcohol instead of hemoglobin, nicely offsetting Orlando Bloom’s earnest sincerity. Geoffrey Rush, on the other hand, is the one I’d guess got the most personal and professional satisfaction in the flick, his character having a nice balance of comedy and existential angst – the monsters are always the most interesting, even when they’re supporting characters. Master and Commander may have had the better sea battles, but it didn’t have any zombies.
We watched Pirates of the Caribbean this weekend, at the sufferance of M., who was too under the weather to form even the will to object to the selection. Keith Richards, I mean Johnny Depp, played all his scenes as if a lifetime of drinking had left him with alcohol instead of hemoglobin, nicely offsetting Orlando Bloom’s earnest sincerity. Geoffrey Rush, on the other hand, is the one I’d guess got the most personal and professional satisfaction in the flick, his character having a nice balance of comedy and existential angst – the monsters are always the most interesting, even when they’re supporting characters. Master and Commander may have had the better sea battles, but it didn’t have any zombies.
02 April 2004
2 April
I know the URL for the SMH story about Learner’s plates for yum cha carts has 31 March in it, but the dateline of the article is actually 1st April; so why is everyone reporting this straight? Are the perpetuating the gag, or have enough of them been cut off on their way to the laksa they think it’s worthwhile?
I know the URL for the SMH story about Learner’s plates for yum cha carts has 31 March in it, but the dateline of the article is actually 1st April; so why is everyone reporting this straight? Are the perpetuating the gag, or have enough of them been cut off on their way to the laksa they think it’s worthwhile?
Exile
One man, alone on an island, and virtually ignored by those who put him there. The refugee crisis in Australia continues to be a problem of embarrassing proportions.
One man, alone on an island, and virtually ignored by those who put him there. The refugee crisis in Australia continues to be a problem of embarrassing proportions.
Barbarism
I am deeply saddened by the events in Falluja. Beyond the horrific violence and medival behavior, beyond even my disgust and amazement that no one from the police or the armed services went in during or after the events there to address the immediate situation, what galls me is that we are in Iraq at all because Bush lied, Rumsfield lied, Rice lied, even Powell – who was supposed to be a balance to the rabidity of the Wolfowitzs et al. – lied. Kurt Brobeck, over at the Coffee Sutras, put it nicely: “Bush said he would not engage in nation building. So far he has kept that promise.” It can only get better, but I expect it will get worse first. 8 April, when Rice testifies, ought to be a storm.
I am deeply saddened by the events in Falluja. Beyond the horrific violence and medival behavior, beyond even my disgust and amazement that no one from the police or the armed services went in during or after the events there to address the immediate situation, what galls me is that we are in Iraq at all because Bush lied, Rumsfield lied, Rice lied, even Powell – who was supposed to be a balance to the rabidity of the Wolfowitzs et al. – lied. Kurt Brobeck, over at the Coffee Sutras, put it nicely: “Bush said he would not engage in nation building. So far he has kept that promise.” It can only get better, but I expect it will get worse first. 8 April, when Rice testifies, ought to be a storm.
30 March 2004
Subscription
Every now and then I run across a nice surprise: Boswell includes me as a regular read. Thanks. Now stop reading my ‘blog (for now) and get back to work. Shameless time wasters, these ‘bloggers.
Every now and then I run across a nice surprise: Boswell includes me as a regular read. Thanks. Now stop reading my ‘blog (for now) and get back to work. Shameless time wasters, these ‘bloggers.
Jobs and Writing About Jobs
The new Shell-Economist essay contest opened today, with the topic: Export Jobs or Import Workers?, a timely topic here and abroad, with Telstra (the national phone system, partially privatized) sending call center jobs to India, much as other companies have done in the States (a practice immediately in disrepute and continuing to cause trouble). Because it’s sponsored by The Economist, a little America-bashing is in order, but since last year’s winner was “Interview with a Fungus,” I figure a little disingenuous idiocy may also be called for.
The new Shell-Economist essay contest opened today, with the topic: Export Jobs or Import Workers?, a timely topic here and abroad, with Telstra (the national phone system, partially privatized) sending call center jobs to India, much as other companies have done in the States (a practice immediately in disrepute and continuing to cause trouble). Because it’s sponsored by The Economist, a little America-bashing is in order, but since last year’s winner was “Interview with a Fungus,” I figure a little disingenuous idiocy may also be called for.
29 March 2004
Adjusting for Inflation
Boing Boing had a post about Disneyland’s ticket price hike that included a neat little toy: an inflation calculator, so you can compare what things cost now to what they did back in the days when even then a dollar wasn’t a dollar – it sure isn’t now. Based on my best guess, in order for me to be earning comparably to what my parents pulled in back when they were putting us kids through college, I’d have to be making nearly three times what I am now. I’m very entertained, in a bleak, hopeless kind of way.
Boing Boing had a post about Disneyland’s ticket price hike that included a neat little toy: an inflation calculator, so you can compare what things cost now to what they did back in the days when even then a dollar wasn’t a dollar – it sure isn’t now. Based on my best guess, in order for me to be earning comparably to what my parents pulled in back when they were putting us kids through college, I’d have to be making nearly three times what I am now. I’m very entertained, in a bleak, hopeless kind of way.
Orienteering
I’m a little surprised it’s taken me this long to hear about geocaching, especially since there are many people here who enjoy bushwalking. Essentially, you head off into the (semi-)wilderness and leave stuff behind for others to search for, sometimes including a tracking device meant to be reused in another cache elsewhere. There are also “event” caches, but if there’s no party when you get there, I suppose it’s because you were late. Or early. Because you need a GPS device, this is probably a long way from taking off. (It also reminds me of all those people in the 1990’s searching the continental U.S. for druidic runes.)
I’m a little surprised it’s taken me this long to hear about geocaching, especially since there are many people here who enjoy bushwalking. Essentially, you head off into the (semi-)wilderness and leave stuff behind for others to search for, sometimes including a tracking device meant to be reused in another cache elsewhere. There are also “event” caches, but if there’s no party when you get there, I suppose it’s because you were late. Or early. Because you need a GPS device, this is probably a long way from taking off. (It also reminds me of all those people in the 1990’s searching the continental U.S. for druidic runes.)
Newtown
Saturday, M. & I travelled across to Newtown, down King Street towards where we had first bid on an apartment, over a year ago, and which we lost out on because the developer was just using us to prod a higher bid elsewhere. Just as well, as M. remarked on our visit, since the King Street Krawl of traffic would have turned the balcony there into wasted space, provided a soot problem to rival NYC living, and made listening to music or television or just normal dinner conversation impossible. Newtown has a boundless energy, due perhaps to cheap(ish) rents and proximity to Sydney University, a few nice cafes, used book stores, funky clothes shops, etc., but it just makes me tired in the end. Go in, get what you want, get out. Erskinville and Camperdown offer more livable alternatives, but you are still restricted by how the streets are laid out, leaving all the living along Enmore Road, Parramatta Road, Cleveland Street, and King Street. It’s tough living without a grid, sometimes. Now that sleepy little Reservoir Street in Surry Hills is seeing some development activity, we have the promise of a bit more liveliness than the Royal Albert Hotel provides. We will have to endure the excavations, the crane work, etc., but the Silkwood development looks pretty posh, which is sure to bring up the neighborhood tone a bit more than the endless backpacker hotels do.
Saturday, M. & I travelled across to Newtown, down King Street towards where we had first bid on an apartment, over a year ago, and which we lost out on because the developer was just using us to prod a higher bid elsewhere. Just as well, as M. remarked on our visit, since the King Street Krawl of traffic would have turned the balcony there into wasted space, provided a soot problem to rival NYC living, and made listening to music or television or just normal dinner conversation impossible. Newtown has a boundless energy, due perhaps to cheap(ish) rents and proximity to Sydney University, a few nice cafes, used book stores, funky clothes shops, etc., but it just makes me tired in the end. Go in, get what you want, get out. Erskinville and Camperdown offer more livable alternatives, but you are still restricted by how the streets are laid out, leaving all the living along Enmore Road, Parramatta Road, Cleveland Street, and King Street. It’s tough living without a grid, sometimes. Now that sleepy little Reservoir Street in Surry Hills is seeing some development activity, we have the promise of a bit more liveliness than the Royal Albert Hotel provides. We will have to endure the excavations, the crane work, etc., but the Silkwood development looks pretty posh, which is sure to bring up the neighborhood tone a bit more than the endless backpacker hotels do.
Serialization
The “Left Behind” series is drawing to a close: the Second Coming won’t be the final book, I’m sure, although once the New Jerusalem is established on earth, what will be left? I’ve had a similar desire to read these to the one I’ve entertained for reading the Scientology tome, Dianetics, but I really don’t want to encourage any of the groups involved, authors, readers, adherents, whomever.
The “Left Behind” series is drawing to a close: the Second Coming won’t be the final book, I’m sure, although once the New Jerusalem is established on earth, what will be left? I’ve had a similar desire to read these to the one I’ve entertained for reading the Scientology tome, Dianetics, but I really don’t want to encourage any of the groups involved, authors, readers, adherents, whomever.
Athens
With an 8-hour time difference, the upcoming Olympic Games will probably not be priority viewing chez Cross Words, and maybe with the Thorpedo out of the 400m, it’s just as well. Oh, he’ll still swim, and I’m sure he’ll do well. He’s a fine sportsman, Thorpey, and it’ll take some pretty big shoes to fit his feet, er, it’ll take, oh, never mind. Mainly, I find it a little disturbing that everyone keeps going on about Craig Stevens stepping down. Ian Thorpe had a false start there’s no room in the rules for, so Stevens goes to Athens in the 400. The Olympics are laughable enough over the amateur/professional divide without individual countries or competitors remixing the rules as they please. Advance, Australia, fairly.
With an 8-hour time difference, the upcoming Olympic Games will probably not be priority viewing chez Cross Words, and maybe with the Thorpedo out of the 400m, it’s just as well. Oh, he’ll still swim, and I’m sure he’ll do well. He’s a fine sportsman, Thorpey, and it’ll take some pretty big shoes to fit his feet, er, it’ll take, oh, never mind. Mainly, I find it a little disturbing that everyone keeps going on about Craig Stevens stepping down. Ian Thorpe had a false start there’s no room in the rules for, so Stevens goes to Athens in the 400. The Olympics are laughable enough over the amateur/professional divide without individual countries or competitors remixing the rules as they please. Advance, Australia, fairly.
Knee Bends
I read in the Wall Street Journal at least 10 years ago a column deriding the benefits of stretching, and it appears that opinion piece has been borne out. As a weekend runner at best, I’ve always found it difficult to get up and on the street for some miles (kilometres, here), and one of my strategies when I first took up the sport again was to eliminate the preliminaries: no stretching. I found initially that I was spending fifteen minutes or more going through a battery of exercises before I ever left the apartment, and while the extra time spend in physical exertion might have been beneficial, it wasn’t the kind I enjoyed; so I quit, and went straight out running. Now if I could haul my butt out of bed 30 minutes earlier of a morning, I could actually do some of the running.
I read in the Wall Street Journal at least 10 years ago a column deriding the benefits of stretching, and it appears that opinion piece has been borne out. As a weekend runner at best, I’ve always found it difficult to get up and on the street for some miles (kilometres, here), and one of my strategies when I first took up the sport again was to eliminate the preliminaries: no stretching. I found initially that I was spending fifteen minutes or more going through a battery of exercises before I ever left the apartment, and while the extra time spend in physical exertion might have been beneficial, it wasn’t the kind I enjoyed; so I quit, and went straight out running. Now if I could haul my butt out of bed 30 minutes earlier of a morning, I could actually do some of the running.
Turn Again, Clover Moore, Lord Mayor of Sydney
Our preferred candidate took Town Hall with a significant margin over Labour’s candidate, Michael Lee, to a good deal of local satisfaction. It’s a fairly interesting turn of events, demonstrating what happens when a people’s party mismanages an effort at machine politics: the people get mad and turn against it. I’m very pleased that the majority of voters weren’t taken in by that full-time/part-time mayor nonsense. Now, when will Ms. Moore begin implementing those agenda items we liked so much?
Our preferred candidate took Town Hall with a significant margin over Labour’s candidate, Michael Lee, to a good deal of local satisfaction. It’s a fairly interesting turn of events, demonstrating what happens when a people’s party mismanages an effort at machine politics: the people get mad and turn against it. I’m very pleased that the majority of voters weren’t taken in by that full-time/part-time mayor nonsense. Now, when will Ms. Moore begin implementing those agenda items we liked so much?
Tick-Tock
The clocks wound back an hour Sunday a.m. (N.b., Mom & Dad: only 14+ hours from NC to NSW.) While there was more sun earlier this morning, there will be less later this afternoon, and there’s going to be more apparent darkness than before for a while. Nevermind. I like autumn, more even than spring. It rains less (not that that’s ever such an issue, unfortunately), and it’s a great relief to the body after all that summer.
The clocks wound back an hour Sunday a.m. (N.b., Mom & Dad: only 14+ hours from NC to NSW.) While there was more sun earlier this morning, there will be less later this afternoon, and there’s going to be more apparent darkness than before for a while. Nevermind. I like autumn, more even than spring. It rains less (not that that’s ever such an issue, unfortunately), and it’s a great relief to the body after all that summer.
Cable Programming
If you get BBC America, or if it turns up on your local PBS, watch State of Play, if only for Bill Nighe’s performance. It moves fast, some of the accents can be difficult, I could have dispensed with some of the side-plotting, but it’s an excellently cinematic piece of television.
If you get BBC America, or if it turns up on your local PBS, watch State of Play, if only for Bill Nighe’s performance. It moves fast, some of the accents can be difficult, I could have dispensed with some of the side-plotting, but it’s an excellently cinematic piece of television.
26 March 2004
Neville Chamberlin
The Howard government is painting Mark Latham’s intention to bring Australian troops home from Iraq by Christmas if he takes the Prime Ministership in the elections this Fall as a dangerous incentive to Al Qaeda, an act of political appeasement similar to what’s happened in Spain, if you’re listening to the Bush Administration that is. E. J. Dionne rebuts the Spanish election analysis on Working for Change (found clicking links provided by Outside Counsel, one of which pointed me to The Gotham City 13), and I think it’s worth reading in respect to Latham’s statement as well. The stated intention of the new Spanish government and Mark Latham, doesn’t represent appeasement, but reflects opposition to the sitting government’s behavior that put Australia in Iraq and a dissatisfaction with the relationship as its developed between this country and the U.S. We have to take the point seriously, however, that following Spain’s new direction could provide the answer to the question we’ve all been asking since the 1970’s: does terrorism work? Thomas Friedman’s column in the NY Times voices that fear effectively. Having gotten into Iraq, it would be wrong to get out without having accomplished the stated objective, or at least having stabilized the situation sufficiently for the Iraqis themselves to govern themselves (with or without democracy). But to do so in support of the Bush government’s policies only perpetuates the damage already done to the goal of eliminating terrorism. This is the moment for the U.N. to reassert its relevance, but I doubt its ability to do so. Australia has other, more immediately regional concerns, although there appears to be plenty joining Al Qaeda into the mix, and pulling its troops out of Iraq may be the right thing to do. I’d like to see the Americans able to come home, too, and I’m sorry that won’t happen for a long time to come.
The Howard government is painting Mark Latham’s intention to bring Australian troops home from Iraq by Christmas if he takes the Prime Ministership in the elections this Fall as a dangerous incentive to Al Qaeda, an act of political appeasement similar to what’s happened in Spain, if you’re listening to the Bush Administration that is. E. J. Dionne rebuts the Spanish election analysis on Working for Change (found clicking links provided by Outside Counsel, one of which pointed me to The Gotham City 13), and I think it’s worth reading in respect to Latham’s statement as well. The stated intention of the new Spanish government and Mark Latham, doesn’t represent appeasement, but reflects opposition to the sitting government’s behavior that put Australia in Iraq and a dissatisfaction with the relationship as its developed between this country and the U.S. We have to take the point seriously, however, that following Spain’s new direction could provide the answer to the question we’ve all been asking since the 1970’s: does terrorism work? Thomas Friedman’s column in the NY Times voices that fear effectively. Having gotten into Iraq, it would be wrong to get out without having accomplished the stated objective, or at least having stabilized the situation sufficiently for the Iraqis themselves to govern themselves (with or without democracy). But to do so in support of the Bush government’s policies only perpetuates the damage already done to the goal of eliminating terrorism. This is the moment for the U.N. to reassert its relevance, but I doubt its ability to do so. Australia has other, more immediately regional concerns, although there appears to be plenty joining Al Qaeda into the mix, and pulling its troops out of Iraq may be the right thing to do. I’d like to see the Americans able to come home, too, and I’m sorry that won’t happen for a long time to come.
Year of the Built Environment
Boing Boing has posted an item on an outfit called Loop.ph, who manufacture a variety of luminescent homeware: ”Digital Dawn” window blinds, ”Light Sleeper” bedding, ”Buried Light” wallpaper, and Temporal Light” wall tiles. Because black leather and chrome steel furniture isn’t enough. I see that they are not participating in any design shows here, despite the government’s declaration. I think there’s some terrific installation projects that could be done with this stuff, but living with it might be a little harder. Maybe just the tablecloth for now.
Boing Boing has posted an item on an outfit called Loop.ph, who manufacture a variety of luminescent homeware: ”Digital Dawn” window blinds, ”Light Sleeper” bedding, ”Buried Light” wallpaper, and Temporal Light” wall tiles. Because black leather and chrome steel furniture isn’t enough. I see that they are not participating in any design shows here, despite the government’s declaration. I think there’s some terrific installation projects that could be done with this stuff, but living with it might be a little harder. Maybe just the tablecloth for now.
24 March 2004
Because Choosing a President Should Be an Event Hosted by Ryan Seacrest
I want to be President, and I know America will SMS their vote for me, no matter what the judges say about my singing. Oh, yeah, wrong show. Anyway, with $200,000 and a chance to address the State of the Union (oops, wrong show again, that’s the real President), I know my tenure in the Oval Office is assured. I can beat all of these guys. Seriously, I’m just glad nobody I know is on the list.
I want to be President, and I know America will SMS their vote for me, no matter what the judges say about my singing. Oh, yeah, wrong show. Anyway, with $200,000 and a chance to address the State of the Union (oops, wrong show again, that’s the real President), I know my tenure in the Oval Office is assured. I can beat all of these guys. Seriously, I’m just glad nobody I know is on the list.
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