There was a very strange quote yesterday from Alexander Downer (foreign minister), saying that the immigration department and the federal police were right not to apologize to Dr Haneef:
"What do you expect them to do, fall on the ground and grovel - eat dirt - I mean, get real. This is a quite common situation,"
Where to start? It's a common situation? You mean this sort of thing happens all the time? People getting locked up for 15 days for no reason? Also.. "get real"?
The thing that does give me some joy is that my daughters can sing along with the song about Alexander Downer from the musical "Keating". It goes, in part:
"I'm too freaky... I'm a greasy-cheeked freak"
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Now only half the size..!
86.8 - which is 1.2kg less than 2 weeks ago, or, if you prefer 2.6lbs. At this rate I'll be dangerously studly by September.
On the news, they were talking about how US armed forces recruiters are getting a bit more relaxed about recruits with criminal records. So if you've been a burglar you can still enlist and go to Iraq. They, however, draw the line at "violent crime". Now, I know that I'm waaaay too keen to see irony and humor everywhere, but does this strike you as being a bit much?
On the news, they were talking about how US armed forces recruiters are getting a bit more relaxed about recruits with criminal records. So if you've been a burglar you can still enlist and go to Iraq. They, however, draw the line at "violent crime". Now, I know that I'm waaaay too keen to see irony and humor everywhere, but does this strike you as being a bit much?
4 back-to-back?
I was reading a review of the new Simpsons movie, and it said that watching the movie was like watching 4 episodes of the TV show back -to-back. They meant this as a bad thing, but to me it sounds pretty good. D'oh! I just hope we get to see (and especially, hear) Snake, my favorite minor character. My number 2 son (who kicked 2 goals playing football on the weekend - AFL that is) can do an excellent impression of Snake. Who, by the way, went to Bennington. As did Donna Tartt, Brett Easton Ellis and the wife of a friend of mine. Not that you asked...
Monday, July 30, 2007
Not quite a greek god
A weekend in Melbourne and I fell off the wagon a bit - I react to stress and anxiety by eating, and my kids make me very stressed and anxious. It wasn't as bad as the March school holidays (I was reduced to eating butter out of the fridge - imagine, a man standing by an open fridge, reaching in, grabbing something, anything, and shoving it in his mouth. That's me!) but it still wasn't great.
I had a session with Quentin today and so I feel quite studly. No, he's my personal trainer. Don't get too excited. My other news is that my back/butt/hip is pretty much sorted out, so I'll be able to go back to yoga soon. That's naked yoga.
I had a session with Quentin today and so I feel quite studly. No, he's my personal trainer. Don't get too excited. My other news is that my back/butt/hip is pretty much sorted out, so I'll be able to go back to yoga soon. That's naked yoga.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Yet another sign
Chadstone Road, just near Chadstone shopping center (yes, I know) there was a sign that said:
BREAST HEALTH
PODIATRY
I didn't have my camera, unfortunately. But the mind boggles. A podiatrist who decided to run a 'breast health' thing on the side? It all sounds a bit implausible - which is it: feet or jubblies? Or can you get both done at once in a special chair or something? That's a pretty compelling image (for me, anyway).
It's like when you see restaurants that do Mediterranean and Thai food (there's one in Woodend. have a look if you don't believe me. It's called Flavours.) The guy who cuts my hair, an old-fashioned greek barber in the MLC center, has on his card 'specialising in individual styles' which sets my mind spinning for about an hour each time I see it. I still can't work out what it means.
BREAST HEALTH
PODIATRY
I didn't have my camera, unfortunately. But the mind boggles. A podiatrist who decided to run a 'breast health' thing on the side? It all sounds a bit implausible - which is it: feet or jubblies? Or can you get both done at once in a special chair or something? That's a pretty compelling image (for me, anyway).
It's like when you see restaurants that do Mediterranean and Thai food (there's one in Woodend. have a look if you don't believe me. It's called Flavours.) The guy who cuts my hair, an old-fashioned greek barber in the MLC center, has on his card 'specialising in individual styles' which sets my mind spinning for about an hour each time I see it. I still can't work out what it means.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Haneef case. There's always a funny bit...
News just out that they've dropped the charges, apparently it was all a mistake. This isn't really a surprise. But in the New York Times writeup there's a lovely detail: the prosecutor in Brisbane is called Alan MacSporran. No, I'm not making it up. He really is called MacSporran. Not only does it sound comically scottish, it literally means 'son of sporran', which itself is an image to conjure with.
Also, in today's Financial Review, there's an article about foetal alcohol syndrome in indigenous children. They quote an expert who says, among other things, that these kids start off 'ten yards behind the eight-ball', which is an unfortunate sporting mixed metaphor, what with a billiard table not being ten yards long and all. Mind you, I doubt anyone else noticed or cared. It's just me, isn't it? (By the way, ads for the AFR magazine describe it as being the love child of the AFR and Vanity Fair. I reach for the bucket.....)
Also, in today's Financial Review, there's an article about foetal alcohol syndrome in indigenous children. They quote an expert who says, among other things, that these kids start off 'ten yards behind the eight-ball', which is an unfortunate sporting mixed metaphor, what with a billiard table not being ten yards long and all. Mind you, I doubt anyone else noticed or cared. It's just me, isn't it? (By the way, ads for the AFR magazine describe it as being the love child of the AFR and Vanity Fair. I reach for the bucket.....)
I'm so parochial. Or Sydney/Melbourne
(For those readers from Bulgaria, the Dominican republic and whereever else: Melbourne and Sydney are two Australian cities, each of about 4 million people. Indistinguishable in most respects to the visitor except that Sydney has a natural harbour that puts Stockholm and San Fransisco to shame.)
I was on my usual QF409 this morning, SYD -> MEL. During the inflight video (by the way, I heard something about Deborah Hutton today that's ruined my life) they run these annoying ads from Australia Post. There's seven of them , one for each day of the week. They're quite nicely shot, and the voiceover is some platitudes about each day. Song is "everyday people". This would be annoying enough - because after the first two the intelligent listener realises there's a pattern and there's going to be five more - but there's two other things. For a start, the post office isn't actually open seven days a week. Also, they say that Thursday is late-night shopping night. (A bonus third: they mispronounce "Beijing", it's got a a hard J. But I've given up on that. I dread the olympics.)
Well, it's always been Thursday nights in Sydney. But in Melbourne it's Friday night. Yes, it does leak a bit into Thursday, but that's not the norm. The ads were written by someone in Sydney (probably not far from where I live, I imagine). This doesn't seem like a big deal, but Melbourne people are very touchy about this. A few years ago The Australian had a big headline "How I lured Crosswell to Norths", over an article by Ron Barassi. Of course in Melbourne it's North, not Norths. The newspaper's sub-edited in Sydney.
I could go on about the differences between the two cities, but the stereotypes were captured very nicely in a thing in Crikey by Guy Rundle. Sydney's mayor had urged all citizens to put together a "Go Bag" of stuff that would be handy if there were some sort of disaster in Sydney (two boats in the harbour at the same time, that sort of thing).
Here's Crikey's take:
-------------------------
Every city should have one. But if it's going to be stuff that is essential to survival, things people can't live without, contents may vary:
Go Bag (Sydney)
* Yoga mat
* KY
* 2 dodgy eckies
* SMH Saturday property liftout ("The terrorists have destroyed Punchbowl". "How can they tell?" "It looks better")
Go Bag (Melbourne)
* Foldable espresso machine
* First issue of Dromos, thrilling new journal of postmodern architectural theory
* Film festival program, so that survivors can act out Summer of the Naked Monkey a story of culture clash from the Burmese New Wave and other now lost classics
* Winter wear (black skivvy)
* Summer wear (black skivvy)
---------------------------
(translation: skivvy = turtleneck, SMH = sydney broadsheet newspaper)
I was on my usual QF409 this morning, SYD -> MEL. During the inflight video (by the way, I heard something about Deborah Hutton today that's ruined my life) they run these annoying ads from Australia Post. There's seven of them , one for each day of the week. They're quite nicely shot, and the voiceover is some platitudes about each day. Song is "everyday people". This would be annoying enough - because after the first two the intelligent listener realises there's a pattern and there's going to be five more - but there's two other things. For a start, the post office isn't actually open seven days a week. Also, they say that Thursday is late-night shopping night. (A bonus third: they mispronounce "Beijing", it's got a a hard J. But I've given up on that. I dread the olympics.)
Well, it's always been Thursday nights in Sydney. But in Melbourne it's Friday night. Yes, it does leak a bit into Thursday, but that's not the norm. The ads were written by someone in Sydney (probably not far from where I live, I imagine). This doesn't seem like a big deal, but Melbourne people are very touchy about this. A few years ago The Australian had a big headline "How I lured Crosswell to Norths", over an article by Ron Barassi. Of course in Melbourne it's North, not Norths. The newspaper's sub-edited in Sydney.
I could go on about the differences between the two cities, but the stereotypes were captured very nicely in a thing in Crikey by Guy Rundle. Sydney's mayor had urged all citizens to put together a "Go Bag" of stuff that would be handy if there were some sort of disaster in Sydney (two boats in the harbour at the same time, that sort of thing).
Here's Crikey's take:
-------------------------
Every city should have one. But if it's going to be stuff that is essential to survival, things people can't live without, contents may vary:
Go Bag (Sydney)
* Yoga mat
* KY
* 2 dodgy eckies
* SMH Saturday property liftout ("The terrorists have destroyed Punchbowl". "How can they tell?" "It looks better")
Go Bag (Melbourne)
* Foldable espresso machine
* First issue of Dromos, thrilling new journal of postmodern architectural theory
* Film festival program, so that survivors can act out Summer of the Naked Monkey a story of culture clash from the Burmese New Wave and other now lost classics
* Winter wear (black skivvy)
* Summer wear (black skivvy)
---------------------------
(translation: skivvy = turtleneck, SMH = sydney broadsheet newspaper)
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