Wired?

Do you remember that mysterious bulge on George's back during the 2004 debates? Well, I've now stumbled across a very interesting video clip from a press conference in 2005. Is the man wired? You be the judge. Take a look...

http://www.prisonplanet.com/video/bush_wired.mpg

P.A.'s latest

Polls fail to detect apathy
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18623343%255E12272,00.html

Yep, thank you Michael

The Commonwealth Games has developed its own traditions over the years. One of those traditions has been for someone to tell us how insignificant they are: "They're not the Olympics, people".

Michael Johnson has now had his turn at reminding us that the Commonwealth Games are not the Olympic Games. And a very important reminder it was, too. Now, I do understand that Johnson was not having a go at the Games. He was not referring to them in a negative way in his online column for BBC Sport. But really, why does it happen every time?

The Commonwealth Games are a sporting event involving the nations of the Commonwealth. I personally would have to disagree with Johnson's description for them:

The Games serve their own purpose and that is to give athletes who would not have a chance to qualify for the World Championships or the Olympics the experience of competing in a major event.

When a British - or Australian for that matter - athlete does well, people want to make it fit like an Olympic or World medal but it is just not the same level.

Does it matter? Does every sporting event need to be massive in order to achieve significance and relevance and importance? And that is certainly not to say that the Commonwealth Games are small. I would have thought any event involving India, Canada, the UK and ourselves would carry some sort of significance.

Here's the column. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/commonwealth_games/4844870.stm

"News"

I just went to www.ninemsn.com.au, as I do from time to time to see what their headlines are and what their latest online survey is. The fourth of the five headlines displayed as I type this is: No more sex scenes, Angelina tells Brad. The article reads

Angelina Jolie has disappointed millions of Brad Pitt fans by putting a stop to him doing any more sex scenes, according to reports.
A US tabloid says the actress has become insecure over her body since becoming pregnant with their child.
And now she has laid down the law to Pitt, 42, to ensure he will not be getting hot and heavy with another woman.
"Now that Angelina is pregnant … she has become increasingly jealous of Brad's opportunities to star alongside many of Hollywood's leading ladies," Celebrity Living reported a source as saying.

If I wanted to read this invented shit, I would buy a New Idea or the new sensationalist magazine Famous. I do not want to find it among the news headlines on an Australian network website.

I find much of the same kind of gossip crap frequently at www.news.com.au. Let me have a look right now and see what's up............Yep, right beneath the main headlines, there's

Former X-Files star Gillian Anderson is set to go topless on the big screen

and, though it isn't gossip, there's also, in the photo section,

Ice skating may be boring, but it's funny when they fall over.

I'm in shock that Jessica Simpson isn't up there at the moment. The last few months have almost guaranteed a photo of her on the main page of that site.

Will real news exist in twenty years?

(My apologies for an angry post...but it really, really gets to me.)

Finally

Though it was probably not as good as it could have been, George W. Bush was finally asked a real question by a member of the White House Press Corps yesterday. Journalist Helen Thomas has been covering the White House since Kennedy. She describes Bush as "the worst president ever". She was moved to the back rows in the Whie House press room, and George has avoided her for years. Oddly, he invited a question from her yesterday. Here is the result of that decision.

Video: http://tony.buzznet.com/user/video/play/6189/

Transcript:

HELEN THOMAS: You're going to be sorry. (Laughter.)

GEORGE BUSH: Well, then, let me take it back. (Laughter.)

HT: I'd like to ask you, Mr. President, your decision to invade Iraq has caused the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis, wounds of Americans and Iraqis for a lifetime. Every reason given, publicly at least, has turned out not to be true. My question is, why did you really want to go to war? From the moment you stepped into the White House, from your Cabinet -- your Cabinet officers, intelligence people, and so forth -- what was your real reason? You have said it wasn't oil -- quest for oil, it hasn't been Israel, or anything else. What was it?

GB: I think your premise -- in all due respect to your question and to you as a lifelong journalist -- is that -- I didn't want war. To assume I wanted war is just flat wrong, Helen, in all due respect --

HT: Everything --

GB: Hold on for a second, please.

HT: -- everything I've heard --

GB: Excuse me, excuse me. No President wants war. Everything you may have heard is that, but it's just simply not true. My attitude about the defense of this country changed on September the 11th. We -- when we got attacked, I vowed then and there to use every asset at my disposal to protect the American people. Our foreign policy changed on that day, Helen. You know, we used to think we were secure because of oceans and previous diplomacy. But we realized on September the 11th, 2001, that killers could destroy innocent life. And I'm never going to forget it. And I'm never going to forget the vow I made to the American people that we will do everything in our power to protect our people.Part of that meant to make sure that we didn't allow people to provide safe haven to an enemy. And that's why I went into Iraq -- hold on for a second --

HT: They didn't do anything to you, or to our country.

GB: Look -- excuse me for a second, please. Excuse me for a second. They did. The Taliban provided safe haven for al Qaeda. That's where al Qaeda trained --

HT: I'm talking about Iraq --

GB: Helen, excuse me. That's where -- Afghanistan provided safe haven for al Qaeda. That's where they trained. That's where they plotted. That's where they planned the attacks that killed thousands of innocent Americans.I also saw a threat in Iraq. I was hoping to solve this problem diplomatically. That's why I went to the Security Council; that's why it was important to pass 1441, which was unanimously passed. And the world said, disarm, disclose, or face serious consequences --

HT: -- go to war --

GB: -- and therefore, we worked with the world, we worked to make sure that Saddam Hussein heard the message of the world. And when he chose to deny inspectors, when he chose not to disclose, then I had the difficult decision to make to remove him. And we did, and the world is safer for it.

HT: Thank you.

GB: You're welcome. (Laughter.) I didn't really regret it. I kind of semi-regretted it.
____________________________________________________

Unfortunately, Bush was again able to get away with another bullshit answer. For starters, Saddam Hussein did not choose "to deny inspectors". He called America's bluff and invited the UN in. Itching to get on with business, Bush withdrew the inspectors before they'd finished their inspection.

And what is it with this "world" thing? "We worked with the world", "The world said", "the message of the world"...?? Actually, George, most of the world told you to fuck off. Have you seriously forgotten?

Phillip's latest...

Here's Phillip Adams' latest column (published today). The subject is torture. I recommend everyone to keep up-to-date with his articles. Always spot-on.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18538972%255E601,00.html

Condoleeza Christ

I think columnist Greg Sheridan's obsession with Condoleeza Rice has surpassed my own obsession with Meryl Streep. Yes, it is possible.

A friend of mine, working at the Commonwealth Games, came within metres of the US Secretary of State. Having met The Queen, I can understand that seeing a famous person up close often leads to an inability to say anything negative about them. It certainly seems to have had that effect on Greg Sheridan. So, to my friend, I have absolutely no intention to offend here.

Sheridan's article in The Weekend Australian was nauseating, and, in parts, comical in its praise for this politician. According to Sheridan, Rice "brought her own persona [to Australia], her undeniable grace and charm and substance. You would have to be a very curmudgeonly individual indeed not to warm to Condi Rice."

Sorry, Greg? If I don't swoon to the US Secretary of State's apparently irresistable charm, I'm - to use the definition of curmudgeon - an ill-tempered person full of resentment and stubborness? Oh, let's just forget who she is and what she's done and who she works for. Let's just forget what we ourselves actually think. After all, style is more important than substance, of course.

Sheridan reported on Rice's Q & A session at Sydney's Conservatorium of Music, writing "a few dozen violent protestors and a few screaming hecklers seemed almost part of the script, to allow Rice to display a characteristic graciousness. Greeting the hecklers with the observation that she was glad democracy was alive and well in Sydney was one thing. But Rice went on to say: 'I'm also especially glad to note that democracy will now also be alive and well at the University of Kabul and the University of Baghdad'."

Clever, Condi, clever. That masterful quip carried about as much wit and intelligence as George W. Bush's "I love free speech", in response to the bad-mannered Bob Brown and Kerry Nettle in Parliament House.

Please let me know if you came across any newspaper article or any television report during her visit that did not sound as though the Second Coming had occurred.
____________________________________________

Gulf War II has begun its fourth year.

ALP needs fresh start

The Australian Labor Party is not in good shape. In fact, it's become a joke. They've been in opposition for a decade. It's as though the ALP has firmly established itself as an organisation that sits on the Speaker's left in parliament. The Speaker's right has never seemed further away than now.


Beazley needs to go. And in a way, it saddens me to say it. He came oh-so-close to victory in 1998, and was doing well the second time around until Tampa reared its head in '01. This third time around, he looks pretty pathetic. I try to imagine Kim giving his victory speech in 2007. I keep trying... I try harder... I keep seeing a concession speech. Kim Beazley will not win the next election. At least not at this rate.

I won't harp on about Julia Gillard. I've mentioned her in previous posts. I'm hoping that she will be the next leader of the Labor Party. And I hope that will be very soon, and not as a result of Beazley being burned at the stake after another election loss. Here are two really good recent articles about Gillard:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/julias-not-got-what-it-takes-balls/2006/03/13/1142098401951.html
&
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18415654%255E7583,00.html

Phillip Adams, of whom I am a great fan and avid reader, is backing Kevin Rudd. I agree that he's probably the brightest that Labor's got, and I wouldn't be disappointed if he did indeed rise to the leadership. Here is Adams' most recent pro-Rudd column:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18368637%255E12272,00.html

Australia needs an alternative.

Bored?

During my on-and-off periods of boredom over the last few days, I have come across some really good video clips. Some made me laugh out loud. Naturally, a lot revolve around GWB. I highly recommend all of the following:

How did the Republicans run their 2004 convention with their record of failure?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS-9mbopMlk&search=al%20gore

George W. Bush asked if he has seen Brokeback Mountain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JdaMKxpjM0&search=bush%20mountain

Bill Clinton Voodoo Doll.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9x_bOanFck&search=bill%20clinton

Hillary Clinton making an interesting speech... She looks ill and tired.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su3JIS9VbtY&search=hillary%20clinton

The Hillary Clinton "look", analysed by Jon Stewart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vulzVFoYiv0&search=hillary%20clinton

CNN runs out of news.
http://www.yikers.com/video_cnn_runs_out_of_news.html

The Daily Show: Bush vs Bush debate. (This is very very interesting)
Quicktime: http://www.stillmooing.com/Video/bushvbush.mov\
Windows Media: http://www.planetvids.com/html/Governor-Bush-vs-President-Bush.html

Jon Stewart's take on the 2004 State of the Union speech.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqnstwsZGZI&search=bush%20state%20union

George Bush drunk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15DSJX4jVBo&search=bush

People in the street asked "Why is President Bush so awesome?". Some good answers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dt7r2nZ8JE&search=bush

A big fat lie from Bush during a presidential debate against John Kerry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sheyqAjPp-k&search=bush

Heaps of funny Bush video clips.
http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/bushvideos/

Unnecessary censorship.
http://www.yikers.com/video_another_unnecessary_censorship.html
http://www.yikers.com/video_unnecessary_censorship_five.html
http://www.yikers.com/video_unnecessary_censorship_2.html

Comedian Pablo Francisco does a great impression of the typical Hollywood trailer.
http://www.pablofrancisco.com/videos_easy.shtml Click on (Stand Up) link.

Scary Movie 4

I have never watched any of the Scary Movies, and nor would I probably want to, but I saw the trailer for Scary Movie 4 tonight, and it contained some pretty damn funny parts.

There is a spoof of the George-Bush-sits-in-classroom-listening-to-children's-story-whilst-nation-is-under-attack situation. Leslie Nielsen, who plays the US President, is told by an aide that "the planet is under attack by aliens", to which he replies "I'll deal with that in a minute. Right now I want to see what happens with the duck."

The Tom-Cruise-goes-wild-on-Oprah-professing-his-love-for-Katie-Holmes situation is also satirised. Hehe...

The rest of the trailer, well, didn't appeal.

It can be seen at http://www.scarymovie.com/. Go to "Entrailers".

Here's highlight footage of that Cruise-Oprah interview, which I still find pretty funny to watch. http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2005/cruise-oprah-p1.php

Oscars: The Aftermath

Well, the broadcast just finished, and I'm in a state of disappointment. Yet, I'm in a difficult position. I have not seen Crash, and therefore, I probably had no right to exclaim "shit!" when Jack Nicholson announced the winner of Best Picture.

It's quite something, the way Crash crept up on Brokeback Mountain (the outright favourite for ages). I suppose I'll just have to see it now...

I'm upset that Goodnight and Good Luck won none. I mean, I'm fully aware that the Academy Awards are not the be all and end all... But, you know... That was one of the most sophisticated films I've ever seen.

If I could, I would place audio in this post of a long, dejected sigh.

Sean Penn

After my period of complete devastation in November 2004, when America allowed Bush and his cronies to continue fucking up the world, I concluded that I would surely forget about what might have been had there been no such thing as a Florida Supreme Court. I was fairly confident that I would eventually learn to live with it all.

It is now March 2006, and not a day goes by that I don't splutter a hostile anti-Bush statement, packed with expletives, to my housemates or anyone else I happen to be in the presence of. I feel sick with every image I see of gwb, with every simple word I hear him say. Listening to celebrities bag the administration is utterly therapeutic.

This evening, I came across an open letter from Sean Penn to gwb, dated October 2002 (when the prospect of an invasion of Iraq was part of international conversation). It is articulate and full of truth. I want to highlight certain sections of it. For the complete letter, go to http://www.peace.ca/seanpenn.htm.

__________________________________________

"Like you, I am a father and an American. Like you, I consider myself a patriot. Like you, I was horrified by the events of this past year, concerned for my family and my country. However, I do not believe in a simplistic and inflammatory view of good and evil."

"Many of your actions to date and those proposed seem to violate every defining principle of this country over which you preside: intolerance of debate ("with us or against us"), marginalization of your critics,the promoting of fear through unsubstantiated rhetoric, manipulation of a quick comfort media, and the position ofyour administration's deconstruction of civil liberties all contradict the very core of the patriotism you claim. You lead, it seems, through a blood-lined sense of entitlement."

"How far have we come from understanding what it is to kill one man, one woman, or one child, much less the "collateral damage" of many hundreds of thousands? Your use of the words, "this is a new kind of war" is often accompanied by an odd smile."

"It concerns me that what you are asking of us is to abandon all previous lessons of history in favor of following you blindly into the future. It worries me because, withall your best intentions, an enormous economic surplus has been squandered. Your administration has virtually dismissed the most fundamental environmental concerns and therefore, by implication, one gets the message that, as you seem to be willing to sacrifice the children of the world, would you also be willing to sacrifice ours?"

78th Academy Awards

Here is my contribution to the Oscars buzz.

This post might seem to contradict my belief that the Oscars mean relatively little these days. I lost faith in them in 2003, by which time I had already concluded that the awards were influenced far too highly by politics. They are, however, difficult to avoid. And it's hard, at least for me, to not get caught up in them each time they come around.

2005/2006 saw the release of some excellent films and the display of some astonishingly good acting. Goodnight & Good Luck and Brokeback Mountain made it to my top five list of favourite films. They were, in my opinion, exquisite. They can take away as many awards as they like, and I shall be happy.

I saw Capote the other night. Whilst the film itself was far from breathtaking, I discovered why Philip Seymour Hoffman has already won so many awards for his portrayal of Truman Capote. He transformed himself for that role. Thus, if he does indeed, as is predicted, win Best Actor over Heath Ledger and the incredibly underrated David Strathairn, I won't have any reason to complain.

As far as Best Actress goes, I haven't actually seen any of the films in which the nominees feature. Apart from TransAmerica, none really appealed to me. I simply cannot say who should win, or even who I'd like to win...

Jon Stewart, from America's Daily Show (a very funny program), and of whom I am a fan, is this year's host.

Visit the official website for the complete list of nominees: http://www.oscar.com/nominees/list.html?ad=nominees&ad=nominees