anne's data

Mum's Christmas dip

2006-07-06T23:57:00.000+10:00

This really is an amazing dip - worth the time it takes to prepare and cook. Yes, cook. Christmas in July? Sure, it's winter in Australia, and that's a good excuse. But no, my friend asked for the recipe and I need to keep this blog from complete death. I'm sorry - life is getting in the way.

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons malt vinegar
250g cream cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped capsicum (green and red for an xmas theme)

DIRECTIONS

Let cream cheese soften a little. Beat eggs with sugar and malt vinegar. Put in a double boiler (or a saucepan in a saucepan of water) and cook, stirring until thick. Remove from heat and put in a mixing bowl with remaining ingredients. Mix well and chill.

SERVES MANY!

Happy birthday Quaint!

2006-05-03T19:31:00.000+10:00

I'm over a week late, but I've been busy with new jobs!

25 April was the first anniversary of the fabulous photo blog Quaint. They're celebrating the milestone with a cool new site design. Here is a tiny version of the amazing montage Jocke made of the past year. It actually feels nostalgic:

Minestrone Soup

2006-03-21T21:43:00.000+11:00

Don't be discouraged by the amount of time this soup needs to simmer. It doesn't take long to prepare; you just need to start a little earlier and find something else to do while it's simmering. Oh, and it's very yummy.

INGREDIENTS

250g dried (or 1-2 400g tins) haricot/navy/borlotti/white beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped
4 tomatoes peeled & chopped (or 1 400g tin)
3 tablespoons chopped parsley and some sprigs to garnish
¼ cup red wine
8-9 cups vegetable stock
1 turnip, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 zucchini, chopped
½ cup (60 g) chopped green beans
1 cup (80 g) macaroni elbows
salt and pepper
shaved Parmesan cheese, for serving

DIRECTIONS

If using dried beans, prepare according to the directions on the packet . If using tinned beans, rinse and drain. Leave beans aside.

Heat oil in a saucepan, add onion, celery and carrot. Cover and cook over a very low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, adding the garlic in the last few minutes.

Add the tomatoes, parsley, wine and stock, then cover and simmer for 1-2 hours. Add the turnip, potatoes, beans and tomato paste; simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes.

Add the zucchini, green beans and macaroni. Simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes, or until vegetables and pasta are tender.

Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with shavings of Parmesan cheese and parsley to garnish.

SERVES 6-8

Don't shoot the puppy!

2006-03-20T11:14:00.000+11:00

Don't shoot the puppy; that's just awful.

Happy birthday Frank!

2006-03-08T18:11:00.000+11:00

May your face never need masking, and your bowl always be filled with corn.

To the rest of you - yep, this is at least ten years old. We're all grown up and responsible now. Honest...

The price of nice

2006-03-04T22:23:00.000+11:00

Over the past few weeks, I have grown ten strange appendages. After biting my nails for my whole life, for some reason I just stopped. And people have always told me to stop, so I figured it might be worth a try.

My hands look, well, nice, but I'm just not sure it's worth it. I am accidentally scratching myself and others. I am accidentally scratching squeaky surfaces, making my blood run cold. I am constantly getting dirt under my fingernails and am obsessed with cleaning them. And now I'm worried about breaking them. If I paint them, I'm going to be afraid of chipping the polish. And typing, something I do for hours a day, feels weird. Why do women do this?

I'm starting to understand that long fingernails are a minor feminist issue. Fingernails are restrictive, much like heels or skirts or makeup. When constrained by these items, women can't be as active as men for fear of hurting themselves or making a mess.

Of course women aren't less feminist if they have long nails (or wear heels or skirts or makeup for that matter - something I did for years in a corporate workplace). But a society that expects women to have long nails is perhaps not completely supportive of the idea that women should have as much freedom as men.

So to all you who told me to grow my fingernails, poo. But I might keep trying it a bit longer anyway.

Tiny update

2006-02-27T23:41:00.000+11:00

Millie, Joey and Mickey are now getting along fine, and we think three cats is just the right number.

I have added a lot more links (lower right-hand column) to stuff I read regularly - mostly other Australian blogs. I'll edit it from time to time as my subscriptions change, but these are highly recommended.

On the list is Pink Mountains - something I worked on after leaving my day job at the end of last year. It's a comprehensive resource for all people living in or visiting the mountains who don't identify as heterosexual. The editor's story about the Blue Mountains Folk Festival made me want to go! Yes, her name is also Anne. Yes, it's sometimes confusing.

My friends in Finland, the Quaint pair, are still producing some amazing photographs, with a new image every day for more than ten months now. Wowie!

I promise real content soon.

Millie!

2006-02-21T22:37:00.000+11:00

I apologise for my long absence. Don't you hate it when people are going to be late and they don't call?

But on to more important things. This is Millie:

We picked her up from the RSPCA on Saturday. She's four and a half months old and a beautiful jungle kitten.

At first Mickey and Joey were a bit cranky and frightened of Millie, large threatening creature that she is, but they're a lot more relaxed now.

Millie and Joey are playing a lot.

Mickey is still at the sniffing stage.

Isn't she lovely?

Relaxed and comfortable

2005-09-23T21:13:00.000+10:00

I recently visited Abbey’s Bookshop in Sydney. Having previously barred myself from all bookshops, as I already have so much to read, I went a little nuts. I bought some wonderful books – the 2006 edition of the Good Food Guide (many fabulous Blue Mountains restaurants are listed – and it’s a great companion to the broader Sydney Eats website), Bain Attwood’s Telling the Truth About Aboriginal History (I’m interested in historiography, something probably equivalent to “philosophy of history”, not to mention the political content of the debate about Aboriginal history), Marion Maddox’s God Under Howard (despite this review) and the latest Quarterly Essay by Judith Brett – Relaxed and Comfortable: The Liberal Party’s Australia (the Quarterly Essay is published by the same mob as The Monthly magazine and “relaxed and comfortable” refers to an oft quoted statement by John Howard from 1996, promising all Australians that under his government, they would be).

I’ve just started reading the Quarterly Essay, and I hope it will improve my political perspective. As Brett says in her introduction:

"To my mind much that has been written about Howard and his governments has been wrong, or at least overheated, particularly the claims about what his election victories show about the Australian people – that they are racist, uncaring, reactionary, and so on. Also overheated are many of the claims made about Howard himself. Hating a straw man may be emotionally satisfying, but it is not good politics. Making Howard out to be more radical or more cunning or more powerful than he is might explain to his opponents their own sense of futility, but it does nothing to connect with his arguments or his supporters …

For me, a central task of political history is to inhabit political positions and explain them from the inside. This means taking seriously what people say about what they believe, and thinking hard about how and why they see the world as they do. This requires knowing the historical context: what is going on in the world people are forming their beliefs about. Political beliefs are partial representations of reality, and historians need to understand as much as they can about that reality if they are to perceive the patterns of partiality with which it is apprehended. But they also have to listen carefully to what people say they believe and not be too quick to dismiss them as opportunists, hypocrites or liars.”

I’m guilty of the errors Brett points out. As is always the case when one has held a particular strong belief for some time (and I have been opposed to the Liberal party for about six years now – but I’m no fan of the ALP either), we tend to isolate and alienate our opponents as simply wrong; we tend to make issues more black and white than they really are. A person who vehemently supports the Liberal party is to me like an old friend with whom I had a bad falling out and haven’t seen for years – I think of them in simple terms; I am merely disgusted with them. I forget that they are actually complex characters with good and bad points like everyone else.

I think that political activism, as well as political history, should strive for a more complete understanding of seemingly irrational, immoral or inconsistent views. Certainly the recent minor success of refugee detention reforms has shown that there is some value in lobbying the more socially progressive members of the Liberal party. And with the Coalition government now holding a majority in both houses of parliament, this is becoming a more necessary tack.

However, I am furious, and I feel justifiably so, at the pain and suffering caused, or at the very least not helped, by the Howard government. The pain and suffering of refugees in detention is obvious, as is the disconnection and poverty felt by Indigenous Australians, single mothers, people with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups. And yet there are more votes in making us fearful of refugees, making us complacent about Indigenous Australians, making us morally outraged at single mothers and making us see people with disabilities as lazy than there is in actually helping those who need it most.

I am furious about the proposed industrial relations reforms, putting people who are already on the lowest possible wage, many of whom are already struggling, into further jeopardy.

I don’t understand why people who have enough of everything, people who are already ‘relaxed and comfortable’, don’t think about those who aren’t when placing their vote. When who is in government is unlikely to change our circumstances, isn’t it time we thought about those for whom small changes can really rock their world?

I look forward to finishing the essay, when I might just see more to politics than anger, fear and greed. Might.

Just quickly

2005-08-13T10:27:00.000+10:00

I like writing in-depth pieces, but I seem incapable of ever finishing and publishing one, so here are some quick bits to keep things going.

I recently got a proper job in a office, with people and everything. I didn't realise how much I missed it. I'm doing (not cooking) the books for a local community organisation. They're great and so is the job. I hope this isn't just the honeymoon period making me happy.

I've read a fair chunk of the August edition of The Monthly. It's intelligent without being lofty. It's uniquely Australian. It's just wonderful, and you can subscribe before the end of the month for $40 a year (after that it goes up to $60). I have. My only criticism is the free tote bag that came with it. It's really crappy and has their name on the side of it. It's much like the bags you can buy at the supermarket for a dollar, but possibly crappier. Why bother? I probably won't be able to bring myself to throw out such a semi-useful object, so it's going to add to my endless clutter. Argh! Anyway, it's a wonderful publication, and $40 is cheap as chips.

Manne and Suvi are arriving today from Finland for their first visit to Australia. I'm so excited! I'm wearing my favourite t-shirt and everything.

I also wore said t-shirt to see Margaret Cho perform on 25 July. Three friends and I laughed so much we were in pain. Check out some of her stuff here.

Also worth checking out is GetUp.org.au. It's a non-party-political (former Liberal leader John Hewson is on the advisory board, along with trade union and green people) stand against the majority the government has just gained in the Senate, giving them more power than many people would like. I for one would love to see the scary industrial relations reforms held back.

An online form makes it easy to write to all the Senators representing your state at once. Amusingly, Liberal backbencher Andrew Robb said:

"There are hundreds of emails arriving in Senator's officers. They're beside themselves, just to clear the screen. They get back to their office from meetings looking for important communications from whoever, and they're confronted with screen after screen of these emails, in some cases over 200 emails. This is highly irresponsible, this is spam, this is spam."

Sure, individuals writing to their elected representatives is spam. Whatever.

It snowed on Wednesday. I get stupidly excited when it snows. This is only the second and probably final snow this year. The Finns will most likely be unimpressed if it happens again while they are staying.

It's now been two weeks and one day since I gave up smoking (yes, I'm counting). Beware of the cranky, but free-breathing Anne.

Zach has finally finished the Love in Action program, and seems to have been taken in by some of it. Sucks.

Thanks go to Daniel for the new banner photo and Nic for the idea.

Cats in a box

2005-07-15T11:33:00.000+10:00

Joey and Mickey squished together in a vegetable box.

Can you see the love?

London

2005-07-08T14:30:00.000+10:00

A personal account of yesterday's trauma.

Love in Action

2005-06-29T23:17:00.000+10:00

The euphemistically named Refuge is an intensive program by Love in Action to suppress teenage homosexuality. Zach, a gay 16 year old living in Tennessee, is currently participating (against his will) in this program. His few blog posts on the subject in the week before he started the program on 6 June have now received a lot of attention. His words on coming out explain why:

I wish I had never told them. I wish I just fought the urge two more years... I had done it for three before then, right? If I could take it all back.. I would, to where I never told my parents things and they always were mad at me-- It's better than them crying and depressed cause they will have no granchildren from me. It's better than them telling me that there's something wrong with me. It's better than them explaining to me that they "raised me wrong."

He expected that the program would end on 17 or 20 June, but his parents have extended his participation for a further six weeks. It is a day program, but the rules of the program are continued at home and enforced by the parents. Zach is not allowed any contact with the outside world, apart from being able to tell a friend about his extended stay, and in particular he is not allowed any internet access, so it's been difficult over this time for anyone to track his progress.

The rules Zach posted (he found them in an email Love in Action sent to his parents) clearly indicate the kind of psychological damage such a program could cause, especially if one were forced to participate for eight weeks or more.

The rules describe a boot camp / old-fashioned boarding school style of discipline. Zach is completely isolated from anything outside the message of Love in Action. They start with some strange clothing rules:

The clients may not wear Abercrombie and Fitch or Calvin Klein brand clothing, undergarments, or accessories.
Men: Shirts are to be worn at all times, even while sleeping. T-shirts without sleeves are not permitted at any time,
whether worn as an outer garment or an undergarment. This includes "muscle shirts" or other tank-tops. Bikini-style underwear is prohibited.
Women: Bras must be worn at all times, except while sleeping. Thong-style underwear is prohibited.

Followed by humiliation (as far as I can tell a Moral Inventory is a journal of sexual temptations):

All Refuge program members must complete four MI's (Moral Inventories) per week unless otherwise instructed. Detailed instruction on writing MI's will be provided within the first few days of beginning the program.

Absolutely no journaling or keeping a diary outside of the MI process unless directed or approved by staff.

Then there's control of gender roles:

LIA wants to encourage each client, male and female, by affirming his/her gender identity. LIA also wants each client to pursue integrity in all of his/her actions and appearances. Therefore, any belongings, appearances, clothing, actions, or humor that might connect a client to an inappropriate past are excluded from the program. These hindrances are called False Images (FI's). FI behavior may include hyper-masculinity, seductive clothing, mannish/boyish attire (on women), excessive jewelry (on men), mascoting, and "campy" or gay/lesbian behavior and talk.

As non-residential clients, Refuge participants must submit to an F.I. search every morning.

Control of socialisation:

While on the LIA campus, Refuge clients must be in phase at all times, whether indoors or out of doors. A client is "in phase" when he or she is with two or more other clients (whether Refuge or residential,) one of whom must have been in the program for at least eight weeks.

Preventing access to any information critical of the program:

Clients may have no contact with anyone who has left the program prior to graduating without the blessing of the staff to do so. Clients may address off-limit persons they inadvertently encounter with a polite "hello" only.

While in the program, clients may have no contact with anyone involved in unrepentant emotional dependencies, inappropriate sexual behaviors, or chemical dependencies. This includes any contact with friends struggling with dependency issues or inappropriate sexual behavior that was known about prior to entering the program. If such a person is encountered, the client must make his/her staff worker aware of this.

Now for the even scarier stuff - silence for days, even at home:

All new Refuge clients will be placed into Safekeeping for the initial two to three days of their program. A client on safekeeping may not communicate verbally, or by using hand gestures or eye contact, with any other clients, staff members, or his/her parents or guardians. In case of a practical need, Safekeeping clients may write down their question or request and show it to another client, staff member, or their parent or guardian. Writing may only be used when absolutely necessary. Parents and guardians must enforce their child's safekeeping status at home or in their temporary lodging.

Complete isolation from the outside world:

Clients must gain permission through C.O.C. to make or receive phone calls from friends and family members outside the program.

No cell phones, beepers, computers, or e-mail/internet access

No visitors from out of town without permission via C.O.C.

Refuge clients may only read materials approved by staff.

No television viewing, going to movies, or reading/watching/listening to secular media of any kind, anywhere within the client's and the parent's/guardian's control. This includes listening to classical or instrumental music that is not expressly Christian (Beethoven, Bach, etc. are not considered Christian). The only exception to the media policy is the weekly movie.

Refuge clients may watch one video/DVD per week that has been approved by staff via C.O.C. Movies submitted for approval must be rated G or PG. The parents/guardians are responsible for securing the video/DVD.

Refuge clients must be with at least one parent or guardian at all times when off-campus.

Refuge clients may not enter any restuarants with bars, even when accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Refuge clients must be accompanied by a parent during any trip to a public restroom.

No access to malls of any kind.

Clients are not allowed to visit any video, music or media stores that are not expressly Christian, even if accompanied by a parent or guardian. Clients may visit LifeWay Christian stores with a parent or guardian.

And even more control control control:

Total silence time at home begins at 9:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Refuge clients may use this time for resting, but are encouraged to make a habit of using it for a nightly quiet time with God.

Lights-out time will begin each night at 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.

Refuge clients are allowed a one-time 15-minute maximum closed bathroom door time for shower/grooming purposes. The only other closed-door alone time allowed is for using the restroom.

Refuge clients must keep their bedroom doors open at all times, day or night.

Proper bedclothes must be worn during nighttime sleeping hours. Appropriate bedclothes include full pajamas (tops and bottoms) or a pair of non-underwear-type shorts and a T-shirt. Nightgowns are not allowed.

And parents are told:

Your client is not allowed to talk to anyone outside of your home including friends or family. Do not tell client who has called for them or who is asking about them. Keep the thoughts of the client focused on his/her treatment.

It's brainwashing bootcamp for kids whose only error was to tell their parents the truth.

Love in Action were investigated by the Tennessee Department of Children's Services for child abuse and protesters have been outside every day, but to no avail.

Quaint

2005-05-15T11:20:00.000+10:00

Two of my Finnish friends, Manne and Jocke, have started a daily (or almost daily) photoblog. It's an interesting mix of subjects and (analogue) media. I love the pictures for themselves of course, but I also love this new connection to my old friends.

Visit Quaint.

Silly kitty

2005-05-04T23:35:00.000+10:00

Little Joey (who you'll remember from here and here) has been sick. He even had to stay at the vet for fluids and x-rays (and the always popular thermometer up the bum). For two nights we stayed up with him like he was a sick child and slept in shifts. I have a wide variety of interesting scratches from trying to hold him over the sink when he vomited. Also, needless to say, the shag rug has gone in for cleaning.

Anyway, he's all better now. At five o'clock this morning Daniel woke me up to show me just how much better Joey was. You see, the vet suspected that there might be a linear obstruction - the kind that doesn't show up on x-rays. And before dawn, I was awoken from a deep slumber to be presented with something resembling a turd on a plate, although Daniel assures me Joey threw it up out of his mouth. On looking closer I could see rubber bands, hair and a cushion tassel.

WHY did he eat that stuff? Well, we're convinced that he's actually a well-disguised puppy. Not only does he eat really dumb things (we have found little bits of scouring pad thrown up on the floor because he ate them, but we never thought it'd come to this), but he's also crazy about people and he fetches.

By the way, Daniel wanted me to show you a picture of the turd-thing. I swear to God, he took a picture of it alongside a ruler (pedantic product photographer I guess). Of course just talking about this is already in bad taste, but if you're desperate to see the picture, something can be arranged.

Religion is for atheists?

2005-05-04T12:27:00.000+10:00

In an unusual article in The Guardian (reprinted in SMH) Dylan Evans describes his brand of atheism as one that "values religion; treats science as simply a means to an end; and finds the meaning of life in art." This struck me as a bit odd, and probably incongruous with my view of the world.

The idea of valuing religion appeals to me. I was raised Catholic, and have many fond feelings for the way my family practised (and now practise) their religion, and its importance in their lives. I try to convince my atheist friends that religion isn't all bad (I want to show everyone the Father Bob Maguire bit in John Safran Vs God).

Science is a means to an end, but it also (probably) provides a truthful description of the world - or at least as accurate a representation as we can currently master.

Art is good, but does it really contain the meaning of life? Maybe. I guess if art reflects the mind of the artist, and if together all artwork reflects a large range of human emotions and perspectives, we could say that the meaning of life is in these emotions and perspectives (because we don't believe in God), and the best way we know about them is art. I don't really agree (because I usually get more of a buzz from words than pictures, and my "meaning" probably comes from my relationships with other people), but it's a consistent explanation.

Evans continues:

"When I say that I value religion, I don't mean that I see any truth in the stories about gods, devils, souls and saviours. But I do think there is one respect in which religion is more truthful than science - in its depiction of the longing for transcendent meaning that lies in man's heart. No scientific theory has ever done justice to this longing, and in this respect religions paint more faithful pictures of the human mind. My kind of atheism sees religions as presenting potent metaphors and images to represent human aspirations for transcendence. It is only when these metaphors are understood as such, and not mistaken for literal statements, that the true value of religion is revealed."

It seems rather strange to suggest that the true value of religion can only be experienced by those who don't believe in it. Science can certainly analyse religious belief - indeed, many psychological theories of belief are quite interesting - but perhaps religion is better at reflecting (though certainly not explaining) the minds of those who believe it. However, well, so what?

Evans again:

Religions are beautiful things, but their beauty can only be truly appreciated when they are seen as human creations - as works of art...Atheists who attack religions for painting a false picture of the world are as unsophisticated and immature as religious believers, who mistake the picture for reality. The only mature attitude to religion is to see it for what it is - a kind of art, which only a child could mistake for reality, and which only a child would reject for being false.

Well now he's insulting everyone, and that just isn't called for. Of course atheists attack religions for painting a false picture of reality - because religions claim to paint a true picture, and that simply isn't the case. They might paint pretty pictures of certain aspects of the minds of religious people, but they claim to do much more, and people are hurting from both the scientific and moral tenets of religion. Children living in bible-belt USA don't deserve to be taught that creationism is a valid alternative to Darwinian evolution. Think about the place of women, homosexuals and other minorities in some religions, contraception in the third world, circumcision, etc. Isn't that what we should be talking about?

Moreover, Evans seems to be ignoring two important issues - the value of scientific investigation and respect for the beliefs of others. Freedom of religion is just as important to atheists as it is to religious people. I expect other people to respect my atheism, even if they don't understand it or agree with it. Evans forgets this when he calls me, and a bunch of others with different beliefs, unsophisticated, immature and childish.

Finally, from the comments to the original article:

Many are embarrassed by the vehement nature of some attacks on religion but religion as art form is a bit hard to take. What art causes crusades, pogroms or intifadas? I'll choose the anti-religious, pro-science Dawkins any time. And microwave ovens, computers, antibiotics, anaesthetics and vaccines, rather than liturgy, circumcision, infibulation and fantasies of heaven and hell.
Michael Rennie
Derby
Religion may be "art, which only a child would mistake for reality", but I fear there are billions who still make that childish mistake, and thousands ready to kill to uphold their literal interpretation.
Peter Forbes
London

Ecological footprint

2005-05-02T15:10:00.000+10:00

This is not new, but in case you haven't seen it - test your ecological footprint.

Here's my stuff:

Global hectares by category
Food 1.6
Mobility 0.2
Shelter 1.3
Goods/services 1.5
Total footprint 4.6

In comparison, the average ecological footprint in your country is 7.6 global hectares per person.

Worldwide, there exist 1.8 biologically productive global hectares per person.

If everyone lived like you, we would need 2.6 planets.

Goodness me.

Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen: 13/1/11 - 23/4/05

2005-04-25T13:16:00.000+10:00

He was the Premier of Queensland with a strange name from 1968 to 1987. About a year ago I wondered what the fuss was about Joh. This Wikipedia entry helped me out:

The government was despised in left-wing and civil libertarian circles for its intolerant approach to political protest. ... In 1977 the government went so far as to ban street demonstrations altogether, leading to further violent protest.
Extensive Special Branch monitoring (including telephone tapping) of suspected subversives was routine, including not only Labor Party parliamentarians, but also National Party figures who had incurred Bjelke-Petersen's displeasure. Bjelke-Petersen regularly accused political opponents of being covert communists bent on anarchy, and his forceful rhetoric won him particularly high approval among conservative and rural voters.

Just my kind of guy...

He's going to receive a state funeral and I think that's probably not a great thing. But because all I know about him came from Wikipedia (no disrespect to the wonderful Wikipedia), I'm not in a good position to comment. However, some other people had interesting things to say.

Quentin Dempster (who looks like my high school maths teacher, but don't hold that against him because I'm sure my teacher had a lot to do with my choice to study maths at university...or maybe that's why you'd hold it against him) provides the details of Joh's corruption. Just one serious example:

Bjelke-Petersen became Premier on 8 August 1968 and three weeks later companies in which he had shares (Exoil NL and Transoil NL) were given oil prospecting leases on the Great Barrier Reef.

Thank you Paul Kidd:

Joh turned the sunshine state into a corrupt cesspool, encouraged or at least allowed the police force to become utterly debased and corrupt even beyond Australian standards, he spied on his enemies, trampled on civil rights and, not surprisingly, spewed venom and hatred towards gay men and lesbians. "Insulting, evil animals," he called us.

Safety net my arse! (pardon me)

2005-04-15T22:23:00.000+10:00

From johnhoward.blogspot.com (previously mentioned here):

Friday, April 15, 2005
So before the last election, we told poor people that if they spent heaps on medical bills, we'd pay heaps of it back, and I swear that we actually had every intention of doing that until we found out that it costs money to pay back someone's bills! Tony and I were totally shocked when Pete came in and told us that poor people were actually using this "safety net" thingo and that WE were paying for THEIR medical bills. As if.

Fake smile

2005-04-13T11:06:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I stumbled upon the BBC Science website and did a test to determine if I could tell the difference between fake and genuine smiles (I could - 80% of the time). Today similar tests are in the news because, surprisingly, men were better than women at picking fake smiles. The papers say this makes a "myth of female intuition". Maybe. Or maybe (the devil's advocate says) men have more insincere relationships than women, so they have more experience detecting fake smiles. Or maybe not. Whatever. Doing the test was fun.

There's information on Baron-Cohen's male-female brain theory and how it might relate to autism here.

The smile in my blog photo, by the way, is genuine.

Credit card update

2005-04-12T18:38:00.000+10:00

I know this is kinda boring, but it's so darn informative that I must share it with you.

This post updates a previous post recommending the Virgin Credit Card.

I now recommend the HSBC Low Rate VISA to people with a credit card debt that is currently accruing interest. It does have a $39 annual fee after the first year (so it's best to transfer to a different card once you're out of debt), but here's the good stuff: this card offers a 0% balance transfer rate for six months, and then 10.49% per annum after that. 10.49% is probably the lowest interest rate on any card currently offered by NSW banks (some credit unions are lower). It's almost certainly lower than the interest you're paying now.

I don't work for HSBC or any other credit provider or bank. I take no responsibility for the applicability of this information to your personal situation. Thinking for yourself is a cool thing to do.

Camera phone pics

2005-04-12T13:10:00.000+10:00

My phone camera has a tiny resolution of 128 x 128 pixels. Most pictures are truly awful, but occasionally one turns out okay. Here are the ones I've saved, in their original size. Click on the images for magnification.

Zuckerbaby poses in a traditional Katoomba living room.

Being a kitten, Joey snoozes wherever he is
- and often just misses the comfy blanket.

Little Joey isn't exactly scared of Mickey

...because Mickey's such a pillow

...literally.

I'm sorry...

2005-03-24T16:55:00.000+11:00

...that I've been away so long. I was looking after my health.

I think Rofa (who deserves this link to his 1997 self for not having an up-to-date homepage) would like these t-shirts (this one in particular).

Posts that make more sense coming soon.

Kitten!!!

2005-02-05T01:07:00.000+11:00

This is our new kitten. He arrived last week, aged eight weeks. We haven't named him yet.

We have discovered that he isn't shy

in front of cameras,

that he likes to hide,

stare,

sniff,

chase,

play

and enjoy the shagpile carpet.

He also looks like Mickey, but he isn't Mickey.

Disturbing Search Requests

2005-01-24T10:04:00.000+11:00

Every so often I discover that people have found my blog through slightly bizarre search requests. This one, however, takes the cake! So amusing was it that I was forced to post it to Disturbing Search Requests.

I am this nerdy

2005-01-23T22:01:00.000+11:00

And I think I'm okay with that.

Inauguration sickness

2005-01-23T18:54:00.000+11:00

Early last Friday morning I couldn't sleep. Little did I know it was the start of a terrible tummy bug - but that's a story you don't want to hear. I turned on the telly. At that time of day the only thing on is US morning talk programs from the previous day.

It was the day of the inauguration of Dubya, and I've never seen more sycophantic political coverage in my life. Sure, some US networks are not well-known for being critical of the President, but I didn't realise everyone lost their edge on inauguration day.

So imagine how fiercely I nodded my head when Bob Herbert expressed in The New York Times just how distasteful this inauguration partying really is. A frivolous, expensive, over the top inauguration in war time is completely disrespectful to fighting soldiers and their families. The fact that the President didn't once mention the work Iraq in his address is unforgivable. Read it.

PS Don't have a login for The New York Times or other sites people link to? Try this.

Little Johnny's blog

2005-01-23T13:37:00.000+11:00

This is so much the outside scoop (I think I read about it in a newspaper), but I'm linking to it anyway, as I know enough of you will not have seen it.

To quote some of the 9 November 2004 post (on a theme I have explored previously):

Speaking about lives being over, abortion is nasty and wrong. 'Cause like, killing is bad and stuff. People are saying we shouldn't be telling chicks what to do, but that's news to me, 'cause I thought the idea of being in Government was that we tell people what they can and can't do. And I reckon they shouldn't be killing. It's un-Australian. In totally unrelated news, the troops in Iraq have now gone full-on hardcore sick on this one city. They're just totally shooting and bombing the crap out of it. I like watching all the explosions and things blowing up on TV. It's like a movie, but real. I love seeing good triumph over evil.

Right on Johnny. There's a lot more good stuff where that came from. Check it out.

Katoomba

2005-01-16T10:58:00.000+11:00

After the usual stress and bother, we are finally moved into our Katoomba house.

We're still on dial-up internet access (how on earth did we ever cope with it before?) so I'll make this brief.

On our back lawn, I have seen rosellas and sulphur-crested cockatoos, as well as the usual magpies, pigeons and mynah birds. I think I'm gonna like it here.

Stupid bloody Oprah

2005-01-03T01:36:00.000+11:00

On television last week was a program I thankfully missed: "Oprah's Hollywood Exclusive: He's Just Not That Into You". The show promoted the book of the same title.

A recent Sydney Morning Herald article said,

When you hear that Oprah Winfrey has declared it a book that "should be on every single woman's nightstand", you know it's something worth reading.

What?!! In what woman's twisted universe is that true? Oprah promotes bloody everything. Have you ever seen her critically interview someone and ask a hard question (and I don't mean a question about a celebrity's love life)?

The gist of the book, which is currently number four on the Amazon bestseller list, is that if he's not calling you or paying enough attention to you, you should move on and stop making excuses for him, because he's just not that into you. This sounds like it might be somewhat empowering, but it's not.

The above article contains an edited extract of the book:

The 'maybe he doesn't want to ruin the friendship' excuse

Dear Greg,

I have this friend that I've known platonically for about 10 years. Recently he was in town for work, so we met for dinner. All of a sudden it felt like we were on a date. He was completely flirting with me. He even said to me, as he was checking me out, "So, what, you're working the whole 'model thing' now?" (That's flirting, right?) We both agreed that we should get together again soon. I'm disappointed because it's been two weeks and he hasn't called me. Can I call him? He might be nervous about turning the friendship into romance.

Jodi

Dear Friendly Girl,

Two weeks is two weeks, except when it's 10 years and two weeks. That's how long ago he decided whether or not he could date a model or a girl who looks like one. If your dinner/date did feel different to him, it's been two weeks and he's had time to think about it and decide he's just not that into you. Here's the truth guys don't mind messing up a friendship if it could lead to sex.

That whole "I don't want to ruin the friendship" excuse is a racket. If we're really excited about someone, we can't stop ourselves we want more. If we're friends with someone and attracted to them, we're going to want to take it further.

The 'maybe he wants to take it slow' excuse

Dear Greg,

There's this guy who calls me all the time. He's recently divorced, and in Alcoholics Anonymous. We got back in touch recently, had lots of phone calls, and then hung out twice in one week and it was really cool. No flirting or making out or anything, but fun. He calls me all the time but doesn't ever suggest we see each other in person again. I would understand if, because of the divorce/alcoholic/starting-a-whole-new-life stuff, he wanted to take things slow. But he still calls me all the time to have long heart-to-heart talks. What the hell should I do with this guy?

Jen

Dear Pillow Talk,

Sadly, not wanting to see you in person is massive as far as dating obstacles go. And as far as the recently divorced/newly sober/starting-a-new life parts, blah blah blah, I'm getting sleepy, I'm going for a nap. When I wake up I'll probably thrill to the news that your friend is taking control of his life. You, however, will still not be going on a date, because despite all your excuses for him, he's still not asking you out. If you're a person who enjoys a phone relationship, talk on! But at this point it seems like he's just not that into you.

If a guy truly likes you, but for personal reasons he needs to take things slow, he will let you know that immediately, because he'll want to make sure you don't get frustrated and go away.

The 'maybe I don't want to play games' excuse

Dear Greg,

This is dumb. I know you're not supposed to call guys, but I call guys all the time because I don't care! I don't want to play games. I do whatever I want! I've called guys tonnes of times. You're such a square, Greg. Why do you think we can't call guys and ask them out?

Nikki

Dear Nikki,

Because we don't like it. Some guys might like it, but they're just lazy. And who wants to go out with Lazy Guy? I didn't make the rules and I might not even agree with them. I just think you might want to be realistic of how capable you are of changing the primordial impulses that drive all of human nature. Or maybe you're the chosen one.

I'm sorry, what?

In the first two cases, the women should of course just ask the men involved what's going on. The response to the third letter says that this is the last thing women should be doing because men "don't like it".

Is it not crystal clear that women should do their utmost to completely avoid men who want them to be submissive and inexpressive? I'm not suggesting that women need to be noisy, assertive and dominating (I'm not suggesting they shouldn't be either); I'm suggesting that women need to be themselves, and need to be supported by men who will embrace them as people, not as passive followers or trinkets. Any man who actively doesn't want women to be up front is certainly not a man one wants to have a relationship with.

Moreover, men who don't call or don't ask you out might just be the best men in the world. Yes, I'm referring to nerdy boys.

Honestly, why can't men and women just talk to each other as people? And what about homosexuality? If all women stuck to the advice in this book, there'd be no lesbian couples, and most heterosexual couples would have dysfunctional unequal relationships.

Thankfully, a brief feminist response can be found in Bitch Magazine. The comments are also, for the most part, articulate and positive.

Mackenzie Crook

2004-12-24T22:12:00.000+11:00

Any fans of The Office, take note (any non-fans are either crazy or they haven't seen it yet - hurry up):

Do you recognise this guy?

this one?

or this one?

Not everyone's cup of tea, certainly, but he's not unattractive. However, he plays the least attractive person in the whole world - Gareth Keenan. Ewwww... This is causing me great turmoil.

And then there's this article, which paints him as such a sweety.

"I'm very ... surprised by my ... my, you know, my success," he says, running a hand through his blond hair repeatedly and studying the stripes on his pinstriped leg. "I have to pinch myself sometimes, because I really have had an extraordinary stroke of luck. Everything I've done since can be traced back to The Office in some way." He nods his head, almost smiles and then chooses not to. "I've been ... well, I've been fortunate."

It's so conflicting! I guess that's what character acting is all about - being able to convincingly play a character whose nature is completely different to yours. My hat, if I ever wore one, would go off to you Mackenzie Crook. You're better than a hundred Tom Cruises or Mel Gibsons or Brad Pitts.

StumbleUpon

2004-12-22T22:38:00.000+11:00

I have found a wonderful new way to waste my life on the internet. StumbleUpon is a community of web surfers. Just pick from a list of topics what you're interested in and randomly "stumble" on sites other users have rated highly. The more sites you rate, the more you stumble on the favourite sites of like-minded people.

For example, I found the most excellent kitty sites.

Of course, if you really don't have time to waste, please ignore this post. I will not be held responsible for the loss of jobs or relationships.

Hot hot hot

2004-12-14T04:03:00.000+11:00

Channel Ten has started describing EVERY DARN THING as "hot". It's "hotting up" or it's a "hot new series" or "you thought that was hot".

Fitting with this theme, but perhaps not everyone's version of normality, they recently described Detective Goren from Law and Order: Criminal Intent (incidently one of my favourite programs) as the "hottest cop on TV".

Detective Goren is really really cool. He conveniently knows the answer to just about everything, but this annoyance is far outweighed by how interesting the show is. He's also the nerdiest cop on TV.

The most recently aired episode in Australia contained a character who, we later discover, is an unknowing sufferer of Asperger's Syndrome (I say sufferer because he does suffer - I'm certainly aware that in other cases it's often regarded as a feature, not a bug. I've also discovered that this particular portrayal of Asperger's Syndrome was not appreciated by some. It's the usual TV mistake of explaining a person's murderous personality by their disease/disorder/affliction/syndrome. I'm sure it makes a lot of people angry). Goren's partner, the overshadowed side-kick Detective Eames, remarked, "you didn't tell me you had an older, even geekier brother".

So what does it say for nerds when the supposed "hottest cop on TV" is not only the nerdiest, but also someone who doesn't fit the attractive male stereotype? Hopefully lots! My guide to snagging a nice nerdy boy will be in hot demand.

We're moving!

2004-12-06T18:13:00.000+11:00

We've finally bought a house in Katoomba and we're moving in mid January. Katoomba is a great place to live - a reasonable distance to the city, but with a whole lot going on itself. While still a bit afraid to leave Sydney, I'm reassured by the fact that Katoomba has good coffee and restaurants, political groups, a food co-op, a branch of PLWHA, a refugee support group and an Amnesty group. So my culinary and activist needs will be fulfilled. Now as for a job...

New Internationalist

2004-12-02T02:13:00.000+11:00

It's a great alternative mag. A tiny bit propagandaish, but it's a reasonable presentation of a side you rarely hear from in the mainstream media. For this reason alone, it's really important.

It's also a collective and not-for-profit. That gives me faith in the standard of journalism. Or at least faith in the intentions of the journalists. And for Australians (perhaps also for others) they have a trial subscription offer. You get the next four months' issues, plus a Peters Projection world map for $6.60.

They have a cool shop too, with lots of alternative literature.

You'd be crazy (or right-wing, but some may argue that right-wing people are crazy) to miss it.

Virgin credit card

2004-12-02T01:40:00.000+11:00

I start this rant by declaring that I absolutely positively have no affiliation to Virgin or any of its associated entities. I just think this is a damned good product and I want to help other people with my knowledge of it. Honest. I know it won't seem so, but please believe me...

The Virgin credit card has a 4.9% introductory interest rate, a low 12.9% ongoing interest rate and no annual fee. If you have a credit card debt, you'd be crazy not to transfer your balance now. Even if you can do something cool like redraw on a home loan to borrow money, 4.9% is way lower than any home loan rate. Maybe transfer the debt to the home loan after six months.

Not that I am in any way encouraging anyone to increase or even maintain their credit card debt. I have too many friends who went through great pain when they were in the extremely-bad-credit cycle as students.

Seriously, they should teach a class in school about debt and how crippling it is and how to manage cash. It's a basic life skill that so many clever people are extremely bad at. One of my friends was on the front page of the paper because of the crazy debt she got into just because she chose the wrong mobile phone plan.

Still, if you're the sort of person who isn't able to pay off your entire balance every month, you need a low-interest credit card. Virgin isn't the lowest (ANZ, for instance, has a 10.99% card), but it's the lowest (widely available Australian card) that doesn't have an annual fee. Also, it has a 55 day interest free period that generously starts from the statement date, not the date of the purchase. All this is according to Infochoice, whose website you should check out to compare credit cards, home loans and a bunch of other stuff.

Virgin also doesn't have a stupid reward points system where you have to pay for membership to the rewards club, and spend a zillion dollars to earn enough points to get a dust buster, and then find that you have to pay shipping and handling anyway. No. Instead of reward points they have discount partners. Use your card to get a discount at certain places. That's it. And some of the discounts are really good. Like up to 40% off rack rates at Choice Hotels (previously known as Flag); two free weekly rentals with any new release at Video Ezy; decent discounts at shops like Table Eight, Lush and Kathmandu; cinema discounts; and lots of other stuff. They've even got a dining club where you get a 20% discount at 1,500 restaurants in the country. It appears to be free too.

Disclaimer: I am not a financial adviser and I take absolutely no responsibility for the information above. Don't be a dickhead - check it out for yourself.

Oxfam online shop

2004-12-02T00:53:00.000+11:00

Oxfam sell a lot of excellent stuff online. I've just purchased a stack of Christmas presents. It's like the cool Nifty Gifty. The merchandise is often practical, interesting and attractive. And everything has a story behind it about the community that made it, the (sometimes ancient) techniques they used, and how they're benefiting from the fact that you're buying their stuff. I like to copy that in a nice font and print out a little sheet to go with the present.

Everything is also reasonably priced. So there's totally no excuse not to shop there.

They sell fair trade tea and coffee. If you don't know about how important it is to buy fair trade, read this. I buy East Timorese organic fair trade coffee, which apart from being the most ethical coffee I can imagine also tastes great.

But wait, there's more ... they also sell Australian wine by the dozen. The wine is good, it comes with tasting notes, and the proceeds go to providing clean water to people around the world. I'm currently drinking a glass of Flinders Bay Merlot 2002 while blogging. Delightful.

Anne's free plugs

2004-12-02T00:07:00.000+11:00

I get excited about good products. Really excited. So much so that my friends think I must be a paid marketer.

Of course marketing is the root of all evil, but my enthusiasm for stuff is genuine. So my next few posts will be dedicated to products I'm really into. Some of them are part of a profit-making commercial enterprise, but they're so damn cool that I can't help but to promote them.

Hippopotaduck II

2004-11-27T21:49:00.000+11:00

I am now the only Google result for hippopotaduck. I am also the number one result for posankka.

The hippopotaduck has been used amusingly as revenge on an ebay seller. Check it out - it's hilarious.

From abstinence to abortion

2004-11-19T00:28:00.000+11:00

A Ms Magazine reporter recently attended a US conference on how to teach abstinence in schools in the place of sex education. A speaker suggested using the following metaphor to teach students to abstain from sex, with a real lollipop as a prop:

Your body is a wrapped lollipop.
When you have sex with a man, he unwraps your lollipop and sucks on it.

It may feel great at the time, but, unfortunately, when he's done with you, all you have left for your next partner is a poorly wrapped, saliva-fouled sucker.

ARGH! That's just so terrible on so many levels! It's incredibly sexist - putting the guilt, the tarnish and the responsibility all on women. It's gross. And it makes sex seem gross. How terrible are the girls who've already had sex going to feel when they hear that? And those that haven't are going to want to vomit. When they do finally have sex, it won't be without unique issues.

And it's worse when you realise the further ramifications of this kind of education. When kids receive no instruction at school on contraception and STD prevention, you can bet that there are more kids getting pregnant and diseased.

Even at my Catholic school we had some information about condoms and the pill. In year nine we were told that the most effective form of contraception is abstinence ... but failing that there are other things you can do. We even had the condom-on-the-banana demonstration.

A friend of mine had an everything-but-intercourse relationship with her (quite religious) boyfriend. After they broke up she predicted that his next girlfriend would get pregnant, because they wouldn't be prepared for sex if it happened. Sure enough, that's what happened. These were intelligent, reasonable people.

I sure hope abstinence education doesn't take over here - although the Christian Democrats would like it to. It seems that for every stupid conservative thing the Bush government does, the Howard government isn't far behind. Gay marriage, abortion...

Australian politicians are making a lot of noise about abortion these days. At the moment, it's just noise, but some fear that when the government has control of both houses - from July next year - it could become more than that. A recent Sydney Morning Herald editorial suggests how there could be fewer abortions - to reduce trauma to women and to placate conservatives:

The obvious way to reduce abortions is to cut the number of unwanted pregnancies through better education and more freely available contraceptives. But the issue goes beyond contraception. For example, better welfare support may be what is needed to persuade the married mother of two to keep the third child she cannot otherwise afford.

It's painfully obvious, but this government won't be able to see it.

As the slogan goes: Against Abortion? Don't Have One.

How dare you John?

2004-11-14T18:29:00.000+11:00

John Laws, one of Australia's most popular talkback radio hosts, has delivered a hate-filled rant directed at Queer Eye's Carson Kressley, and at the queer community in general, on his 2UE show.

Carson was recently in Australia to judge fashion on the field at the Melbourne Cup. The Sydney Morning Herald reported:

"This is a really serious thing," Laws warned his listeners. "It's not often that I get really worried about this country, but I tell you what, I had a sleepless night last night after watching the television that I saw in relation to the Melbourne Cup. Who is this pompous little pansy prig who's strutting around everywhere yesterday, telling Australian blokes how to wear their pocket square? As he called it. That's poof speak for handkerchief ... Who is he? He might be famous in certain circles, circles being the operative word, we know where they are."

The talking Brillo Pad wasn't letting up, and continued with: "He was judging girls, now what the hell does a pillow biter know about judging girls? They should have had a few truckies down there, or me, or the co-driver even. Fair-dinkum Aussie blokes judging fair-dinkum Aussie girls. Not this pompous little pansy.

"I remember when Australia was a land of proud, dedicated women and hard-drinking and hard-talking men. M- E- N, men. Why this sudden proliferation of pansies I don't know. It's a major issue. It's all very good and well that Australia tolerates people with varied sexual leanings but I don't know why we should be celebrating it. The sooner this fairy flies out and lets us judge our own women on our own criteria the better."

Finally he drew to a close, speaking on behalf of "truck drivers, wharf labourers, free thinking red-blooded Australian men and me". He then went on to play a recorded track saying "Piss Off Pansy". Not quite finished yet, Laws went on to say: "I know what you would like to have said [plays track] 'Piss Off Poof', but you can't say that because that's a derogatory word, so we won't say that. We wouldn't stoop to that, well I really wouldn't want to s-s-s-stoop to anything, would I?"

I'm really angry, and not just because I enjoy Carson's fashion sense. As the Sydney Star Observer said last week, these words are not just offensive, they encourage discrimination and, in some cases, violence. I didn't realise until recently how prevalent violence is against lesbians and gay men - particularly in the inner-city. The AVP reports:

The NSW Police Service Out of the Blue (1995) study found that lesbians were six times more likely to be assaulted than other Sydney women and gay men were four times more likely to be assaulted than other Sydney men.

That's not funny John.

Chicken mince

2004-11-12T15:35:00.000+11:00

Thanks to Teemu for sending me this link to a disturbing 1980s Estonian television ad. Kanahakkliha translates as chicken mince. The ad would be scary even if I wasn't a pescetarian. Turn up your speakers.

Hippopotaduck posankka

2004-11-11T17:59:00.000+11:00

I recently purchased this purple hippo from the post office. (I also got a cute book of kitty stamps while I was there.) It doesn't look much like a hippo, but I couldn't figure out what else it looked like until Kelly worked out that it is also a duck. Hence hippopotaduck.

This reminded me of a crazy thing in Turku, Finland called the posankka. The word posankka is a combination of the Finnish words for pig and duck. It has been seen in various locations around Turku, including on the river Aura.

My friend Dag has a page about the posankka giving a vague explanation for its existence.

See also xmas posankka.

Just say no...

2004-11-08T02:00:00.000+11:00

...is our Federal Health Minister's response to Australia's Hepatitis C epidemic (more than one percent of Australians now have this disease). I have blogged about my love for Mr Abbott before, but for some reason I was surprised by this meanness.

There's a great article here about the government's drug policy and its effects on the infection and incarceration rates of addicts.

Wonderful words and "proper" pronunciation

2004-11-02T21:03:00.000+11:00

Today I followed a link to Word IQ and got stuck. Having lived in Finland where so many people speak English so well, I am now really interested in our language. My Finnish friends, for the most part, speak English better than most English speakers do, and it is their second or even third language. So I am under some pressure to get things right. Like most people my age, I know little of the rules of grammar, so correct language is just what sounds right. I'm still learning new things.

For instance, it wasn't very long ago that I learned the difference between less and fewer. Around the same time I finally learned when it was appropriate to use whom instead of who and that sometimes I needed to use me instead of I. And there are still so many bits I'm not sure of (or of which I'm not sure!).

Anyway, the Finns used to tease me about a quirk in my pronunciation that I never realised existed. I would say "droring" instead of "drawing" and I would insert a mysterious "r" between some words: "alpha rover beta", "law rand order". Of course, most Australians do this, but I'd never heard myself saying it.

Well WordIQ have finally provided me with an explanation and a name for this quirk: the intrusive "r". They also have a cool piece on Australian English.

I graduated from university on Friday

2004-10-24T09:58:00.000+10:00

I am a graduate, therefore I can no longer show you my face on the internet.

Blokey bloke bloke

2004-10-24T09:55:00.000+10:00

When scanning the television guide for stuff to watch on Friday night, I chose not to view this. Thinking it might be something like this; I found that it is actually more like this. Of course, my reasons for not watching this program are obvious: such blatant disregard for the proper use of apostrophes should not be rewarded. And why do they have to take the lovely word 'bloke' and turn it into something so undesirable? Bill Bailey made it sound so nice in Bewilderness (2001).

Are there any men in? [No response.] Any women? [YES - the women respond.] Ah, you see, there's this crisis in masculine identity at the moment. Women are totally at home with their sexuality. I am woman, wo-man. I woman, wo-man. Men: ehh ahh er. Someone else will shout out. Alright, is there any blokes in? [YEAH - the blokes respond.] You see, there's a term that men feel more comfortable with. Bloke, blokey bloke bloke bloke. It's a kind of friendly term. Ah, he's a lovely bloke, he's a nice bloke, blokey bloke bloke. I'm a bloke, you're a bloke, blokey bloke. It doesn't impose any unnecessary demands on us as men. Bloke; that's basically - carry stuff, don't get in the way. Blokey bloke bloke. Man; that's all kinds of other things isn't it? That's nobility, gallantry, wisdom. That conjures up some image of a bloke in a cardigan and a pipe saying, "cover up those table legs mother, they're inflaming my sexual ardour. For I am a man! Ha ha ha!" You can't live up to that . . . When a woman says no, she means no. When a man says yes, it means he probably hasn't understood the question.

How to snag a nice nerdy boy

2004-10-20T06:22:00.000+10:00

Rationale: Sick of bad boys? Sports addicts? Yobbos? Figured out that Mr Darcy is actually not your ideal partner? Ready to settle down with someone who will be your best friend? Get yourself a nice nerdy boy!

Step 1: First you'll need to meet a nerdy boy, which might prove a little difficult, since many spend a lot of their time in front of a computer. However, if you have a nerdy pastime, perhaps you'll meet one through it. Or maybe a friend or sibling has nerdy friends. But if you still find yourself without a nerdy boy, never fear - many nerdy boys are trying to meet nice girls on the internet.

Step 2: Check out nerdy boy. Dress-sense and grooming may be somewhat questionable, but that's a small price to pay for an understanding, intelligent, kind and honest person.

Step 3: Talk to the nerdy boy like you would an old friend. Don't play games or send signals, because the nerdy boy probably won't recognise these strange customs. Find common points of interest.

Step 4: Make the first move. No matter how many knowing looks and accidental touches you give the nerdy boy, it's entirely possible that he has no idea that you're romantically interested in him (see step 3).

Step 5: Live happily ever after...

Insider ideological information

2004-10-18T03:35:00.000+10:00

I really want to understand what goes on inside the right-wing mind. This story is just fantastic - because it's funny and interesting and well-written and it says a little bit about why people are politically conservative.

This doesn't mean I'm not going to be devastated if Bush returns to office. I'm glad there's such a time gap between the Australian and US elections - so we all have time to recover between decisions, lest they both be dreadful.

Richard Dawkins...

2004-10-17T13:12:00.000+10:00

...has a new book. Despite its apparent failings if, unlike me, you need something with which to decorate your coffee table (I have trouble keeping mine tidy), you couldn't go wrong with this one.

A friend came over on Friday night and commented on the reading material in our bathroom. There was an issue of New Internationalist; Advocate, the journal of the National Tertiary Education Union; Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science; and The Emerging Mind. Daniel reckons this selection says that we are very clever and have absolutely no sense of humour, so we'll have to put The Onion's Our Dumb Century back in there.

It wasn't me

2004-10-13T16:49:00.000+10:00

I received this today by email. Click to enlarge.

Feedback

2004-10-12T12:18:00.000+10:00

Several friends have responded to my previous post. One said, "unfortunately, as far as I can tell, most people ARE stupid AND selfish." Another, "I think people are afraid and cowards, not stupid or malicious." Of course I'd prefer to accept the latter, but only if it's the truth. I know that a lot of people have probably had a lot of intelligent things to say about the election and I should probably do some reading when I'm in the right state of mind.

It looks like either the government will win a majority in the Senate, or the balance of power will be held by Family First. So we're either fucked or double-fucked.

The very name "Family First" gives some explanation for why the government was re-elected. People with children often care more about their families than anything else. They're also so involved with their families that it's difficult to see outside them. Caring about your family when you don't care about refugees (say) is considered selfless. There's something screwed up with this. I don't have children, so for a long time I've felt that I shouldn't make a judgment about other people who do. However, I know some people who love their partner and children, and think that other people in the world matter as well. So my patience with people who can't seem to do this is beginning to wane.

In other news, it's 34 degrees right now. Yikes.

Black Sunday

2004-10-10T19:57:00.000+10:00

Australia has re-elected the incumbent government with an increased majority. I can't bear to read a newspaper or watch television commentary. No doubt I'll eventually be able to face it, but the shock is too great right now.

We were appalled by the public's response to Tampa in 2001. We should be used to the idea that most people in this country make terrible political decisions.

What this says about the moral fortitude of the majority of the population I'm afraid to speculate on today. It's easy to think that most people are mean, selfish and stupid, because then we can just give up and ignore politics forever. I could take up basket weaving instead. It's more difficult to come to an empathetic understanding of why people voted the way they did, because it creates hope that something might change some day, and we should continue the fight to make that change happen.

But I'm still probably going to make the difficult choice - to try to figure out what was going on in people's minds when they voted Liberal - later, when I'm less emotionally connected to the whole thing, because I just can't bear living in a society where I have no faith that the next person is probably mostly good.

My parents taught me that most people are basically good. This is because God created them and God is in them. I don't believe in God anymore, so I don't have any reason to believe that people are good apart from the evidence of their actions. And I really want to find this evidence so I can be happy and not isolated.

Maybe the answer is that the advertising campaign was clever and most people are actually quite stupid - not being able to see through the campaign and not paying attention to sophisticated media. I could probably live with that. Stupid. Not selfish or mean. Just dumb. Thick. Can't help it.

Of course, then there's the question of why people didn't care about our involvement in the Iraq war, why people didn't care about detention of asylum seekers and why people didn't care that Howard lied about children overboard. I can't stop my brain from taking the next logical step and concluding that most Australians think white people good, brown people bad.

Shit.

I had a large evening of commiserating last night that concluded at about 7am. But at some stage I've got to sober up and face the world. Perhaps my outlook will be a bit more colourful tomorrow.

Ratatouille

2004-10-08T02:05:00.000+10:00

A classic. I used to spend lots of time and make a mess salting the eggplant and zucchini, but I've now rebelled and discovered that it's fine not to go to the trouble. Excellent on pasta, in lasagne, on cous cous, with your favourite bread and (I'm told) as an accompaniment to red meat. Don't worry if the eggplant, zucchini and capsicum isn't exactly in the proportions below. Also, I've suggested you use three different capsicum because the variety of colours and flavours is nice, but don't worry if you've only got two. This recipe is adapted from Charmain Solomon's.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions
2-3 cloves garlic
1 medium eggplant
1 small red capsicum
1 small green capsicum
1 small yellow capsicum
2 medium zucchinis
440g tin of chopped tomatoes (or four large red tomatoes peeled and chopped)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried basil or oregano (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Cook finely chopped onion and oil in a large saucepan on a low heat for 10 minutes or until soft. Add crushed or chopped garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Cut eggplant, capsicum and zucchini into chunks. Add to saucepan and cook over a low heat, covered, for 30 minutes. Add tomatoes, coriander, herbs and salt and pepper to taste and cook for another 30-40 minutes.

If you're just having ratatouille with cous cous or bread, you might consider the taste sensation that is baking an egg in it. Put ratatouille in an oven-proof dish and make wells with a spoon. Crack eggs into the wells and cook in a 180 degree oven until the eggs are cooked as desired.

SERVES: 4-6

God before green

2004-10-03T11:35:00.000+10:00

Support for the Greens has grown in Australia over the last four years, and they are losing their reputation as a single issue party. You'd be forgiven for thinking that the ideology of the Greens is somewhat similar to the Democrats. After all, they seem to have similar positions on policy issues such as health, education, defence, refugees, the environment and even economics.

So imagine my surprise to find that the Democrats' NSW Senate preferences are (to select a few prominent parties):

4. Family First (anti-abortion, anti-gay, "conservative family values" party backed by the wealthy Assemblies of God churches, which contain lots of voters, and moreover, lots of bodies to hand out how-to-vote cards on polling day)
12. Christian Democratic Party (the awful awful Fred Nile - possibly more conservative than Family First)
13. No GST (a creation of David Oldfield and David Ettridge - formerly of One Nation)
17. The Greens
21. 50% Liberal/National, 50% Labor

Ah well, you might say, that's politics, and I'm sure the Greens
have made similarly ideologically bankrupt preferences. No:

7. Democrats
10. Labor
13. Liberal
19. No GST
21. Family First
25. Christian Democratic
Party

Note - Family First have made some amazing preference deals this election with major and minor parties alike. So take an extra minute and vote below the line!

Am sick again

2004-10-02T19:20:00.000+10:00

Sorry for not posting. Tummy bug. Have had to skip interesting long-weekend activities. Daniel is missing a rare social activity tonight to make me soup and watch lemonade go flat and generally be nice.

In other news, Mickey is now even more famous than he was before.

End the lies rally

2004-09-30T07:55:00.000+10:00

I was suspicious of this rally because while it implicitly claims to be anti-Howard and anti-Liberal/National Coalition, it uses Australian Labor Party rhetoric. However, an enormous list of organisations, including smaller political parties, are supporting it. It's on this Sunday in every capital city and several regional centres.

Bush and Christianity

2004-09-29T13:54:00.000+10:00

Although I'm an atheist myself, I spend a considerable amount of time trying to convince my atheist friends, who were not brought up as Christians, that Christianity does many excellent things. I point to the amazing social work of the Sisters of Charity and many other Christian organisations. The Sisters of Charity in particular do not proselytise while they work. Neither does the fantastic Lifeline telephone counselling service, despite being run by Wesley Mission (superintendent Gordon Moyes is a NSW Senator in horrible Fred Nile's Christian Democratic Party). Unfortunately we live in a country where the government does not properly care for the needy. Thankfully some charities do incredible work for the poor, such as Bill Crews' Exodus Foundation. If you've got some dollars to spare and want to give them away, you can be sure he'll do good stuff with them.

My own experience of the Catholic church, and in particular the youth organisation Antioch, has often been fantastic. Antioch was all about unconditional love and respecting and listening to other people. Good stuff, right? There are plenty of good bits about Christianity that I've tacked onto my atheism without any inconsistencies.

The bits of Christianity that scare me, however, are the fundamentalist bits - where you're so stuck in a particular thought pattern that no amount of reasoning will allow you to escape. At uni there is a VERY strong fundamentalist Christian movement called Campus Bible Study. This movement grabs people when they have just started university; when they are lonely and confused. The first two people I ever met on campus were from CBS. Then I lived in a residential college for six months that was overrun by CBS people.

My concern is not the fact that these people are Christians. My concern is that their belief structure results in willful ignorance. Follow the chain:

if you don't believe that Christ is your saviour, you will go to hell;
you believe that Christ is your saviour;
you change your life such that everything you do, every thought and action, revolves around Christ;
friends/logic/whatever influences you to the point that you are not sure that what you believe is true;
you CAN'T escape/take time off/lapse in agnosticism in order to assess your beliefs because if you die in the meantime, you'll go to hell

You MUST try to force yourself to believe, to ignore your doubts, to pray yourself into believing. And prayer works because prayer, in my opinion, is meditation. And like hypnosis, meditation is very powerful to those who can do it.

Moreover, if the first people you meet at university are from CBS, chances are all your friends are from CBS. So thinking too much about your faith might result in losing all your friends. You'll go from having an enormous social and support network to having no one.

This is bad enough. But Peter Sellick (Deacon associate at an Anglican church in WA) has shown me that it's not just Christians who are affected by their fundamentalism. It's all of us.

The anti-intellectualism that fundamentalism promotes; the black and white morality and the confidence and self-assuredness (which comes from all that doubt-denying above) has produced an American president who is impervious to reason. There is little hope. Please let there not be four more years of stupidity.

Kath and Kim

2004-09-28T20:44:00.000+10:00

The wonderful Australian comedy Kath and Kim is being exported. My friend Cameron wrote to me "Something you may not have known about your beloved Finns...they don't know what a 'hornbag' is." I reckon if my Finnish friends don't understand Kath and Kim, it's a compliment to me. Think about it.

There's a more plain English explanation of the concept here.

Neighbours

2004-09-27T15:30:00.000+10:00

Yes, I know that writing a post about a half hour Australian dinnertime serial is lame. Admitting that I watch it every day is perhaps going to lose me some respect. And don't misunderstand me - I don't watch it despite thinking that it's complete garbage (that's The Bold and the Beautiful, which I can only watch if I'm doing something else concurrently); I actually think it's a good show.

Anyway, the post isn't about Neighbours; it's about the impressive fact that the coming out story of a teenage lesbian is being shown at 6:30pm. Neighbours fans are really happy about the storyline. The gay media is moderately impressed. Unsurprisingly, however, conservatives are making an unhappy noise.

I think it's bloody brilliant. The portrayal is as realistic as one can hope for in a soap in that time slot and it's sympathetic to the lesbian character.

I was so naive about sexuality as a teenager. At school, often someone was "accused" of homosexuality. And instead of standing up for someone's right to be anything they want, those who were most supportive of the accused denied the accusation. I remember denying a few on friends' behalf.

I remember a mysterious rift between my group of girlfriends and another girl. No one would tell me what was going on. I discovered years later that the other girl is a lesbian. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what the rift was about. It makes me really sad to think about how she must have felt. What makes me sadder is if I had known, I probably wouldn't have supported her. Supporting her would have most likely made me an outcast as well - something I wouldn't have been prepared to deal with in high school.

Maybe, with changing social attitudes, I would have responded better if I went to school in this decade. Maybe not. Legally, the situation is still the same. The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby is fighting to change the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act because private schools (like the Catholic school I went to) are exempt from it. Private schools can still discriminate against gay and lesbian students by refusing admission, expelling them or treating them unfairly on the basis of their sexuality. Shame.

Fancy food

2004-09-22T11:35:00.000+10:00

The fancypants dinner I had for work on Monday was incredible. We went to Marque Restaurant in Surry Hills. I knew that a French restaurant that caters properly to vegetarians must be good. I was on a group tour of Europe in 1998 and in Paris the vegetarians were fed a few cheese and tomato slices. This was better. Oh boy.

We started with a chaud-froid egg - served in an eggshell with breadsticks. My internet research tells me that's a hot poached egg with cold maple syrup, sherry vinegar, chives and maybe cream. It's meant to combine the flavours of hot, cold, sweet and sour. It was truly awesome.

Further groaning and smiling and pausing of conversations followed through a beetroot tart, potato risotto and the strongest chocolate and espresso mousses in the world. The wine kept flowing and even the petits fours were unique. It was the most amazing food experience I've ever had. I paid for it when I got home, because I guess too much rich food is not good for the tummy, but it was worth it.

The speeches and presents and all that were really nice too. I realised how important it is to feel a kind of happy closure to a job. I was able to thank people and be thanked. The bill was gigantic, so I won't be going back with my own money until I've got another job!

Observations

2004-09-22T02:00:00.000+10:00

I just watched the Turkish version of The Nanny, Dadi, on SBS. The sets are similar, the characters are the same - just renamed - and the storylines are identical. It's worth watching if only to experience how completely bizarre it is.

John Kerry was just on Letterman. He's so unimpressive. Hopefully he'll win anyway. I guess it's much the same with Mark Latham. "Anyone but Bush/Howard."

I want a pile of kittens.

A government investigation has just found that patients at a psychiatric unit in Tamworth were abused and bullied by staff. It's widely accepted that psychiatric care in public hospitals in Australia is of a low standard. A recent episode of Four Corners noted how difficult it is to get any real treatment for depression when you're poor. Perhaps this media exposure of the issue will result in some change, but I'm not optimistic.

Synesthesia

2004-09-20T12:56:00.000+10:00

I've got a big meeting and dinner for work today. I'm still having lots of trouble sleeping, so hopefully I don't stuff any of it up due to tiredness!

In the meantime, I read this great (not new) Scientific American article about synesthesia - the condition in which senses are blended. I knew about synesthesia already; what interested me was that cool experiments have been conducted to prove that this is a real condition.

Real nerds will know all about this already. For everyone else, it's here.

Yawn

2004-09-17T23:59:00.000+10:00

I ended up going with non-engravable gifts so that we could all get extremely useful stuff. It's wonderful to wander through shops trying to spend money that isn't yours ... until you're really tired and the shops are all about to close. We didn't find the right things in Peter's or Myer, so we went to David Jones for a completely new shopping experience. Everything was so beautifully laid out and amazingly well lit that it was more like a gallery than a department store. It didn't seem to be more expensive than elsewhere and the staff were wonderful so I'm definitely going there first next time. My mother would be proud.

Since then I've been struggling to sleep. I'll sleep for three hours and then wake up. My body is so tired that I can't do anything useful when I wake up except watch tv. I've been getting lots of Six Feet Under (season three) under my belt. I watched the first two seasons on DVD and downloaded this one. Season four is showing on tv, so I'm taping it as I catch up with what went before.

Six Feet Under is awesome.

Last night I managed to get a bit more sleep, so hopefully this strange superawakeness thing is wearing off.

Gifts?

2004-09-15T00:34:00.000+10:00

I'm still working a bit at the moment - to tidy everything up as the company winds down. One of my jobs is to organise a fancy farewell dinner for me and some other staff. I don't mind this at all of course, because it means we'll eat somewhere nice.

Still, this isn't enough. The person throwing the dinner (my "pseudo-boss" I guess, due to a complicated series of resignations and role assumptions) wants to present us all with gifts. Different gifts if necessary. Nice, huh? The thing is though, he wants me to organise that too.

I was a bit put out by this at first. But maybe it's actually really cool - being able to spend $100 of company money on something I want. So I'm going shopping at Peter's on Thursday. Peter's has this enormous selection that seems wonderful ... until you realise that it's so big you'll never be able to choose anything. I'm hoping to have more luck by actually visiting the store.

It probably needs to be engravable, so glassware is a good bet. Any ideas?

Dancing Howard

2004-09-14T17:46:00.000+10:00

You may have seen this already, but just in case you haven't, I couldn't resist linking to it. Dancing Howard is a wonderful public service. Even conservatives might get a kick out of it.

Also, it seems ALP policy is actually meaner to the poorest Australians than Coalition policy. As if I wasn't disillusioned enough. Read more here.

Am sick...

2004-09-12T01:04:00.000+10:00

...so no blog. Bad cold. I'm a bit miserable.

In the meantime, have some pictures of cats that look something like Mickey, courtesy of Daniel who sent them to me to cheer me up.

Divine she ain't

2004-09-10T00:43:00.000+10:00

I try not to buy the paper on Thursdays so I don't accidentally read Miranda Devine's column. I know someone who does the opposite. Whether it's because he's a masochist or he just thinks it's important to know what idiots think, I don't know, but I thought of him when I chose to read silly Miranda today.

Ms Devine's entire column is devoted to enumerating many examples of terrorism and war crimes that have been perpetrated by women.

What's your point Miranda? Of course women can be just as awful as men. Given the worst circumstances, both can be hideous. This isn't news. Didn't you go to high school?

Certainly terrorism is awful. What happened in Beslan made me sick. But simply pointing out that women can no longer be considered the "gentler sex" is a sexist distraction.

Even if it can be successfully argued that men are more treacherous than women in general (and I'm not taking a bet either way), guess what? News flash! Terrorists aren't normal people. Leslie Cannold (a fellow at the University of Melbourne's Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, so it's not exactly an equal battle of wits between her and silly Miranda) wrote something very very good about this in the same publication, here.

I've learned my lesson. I will turn the page next time.

Pet peeve

2004-09-08T00:27:00.000+10:00

I really ought to get over it, but it drives me NUTS.

People keep saying "what the...?" instead of "what the heck?" or something less polite.

It works for Rove.

It doesn't work for anyone else.

There were three kids behind me on the plane on Sunday night. They must have been around twelve years old. I could tell from their conversation that they'd been in some kind of competition that day. Based on how incredibly annoying they were, I'm pretty sure it was a debating competition. I debated when I was twelve. I can only hope that I was better company. One of them kept saying "what the...?" and I resisted the urge to get cranky. No doubt their retort to my crankiness would have been just as irritating, so perhaps I did myself a favour.

There was something in the air ... that didn't want to stay there

2004-09-07T23:56:00.000+10:00

I've got a fabulous excuse for missing the blog for a few days...

I made a last minute decision to fly up to Brisbane on Saturday night for Mark's party. I had an excellent time. And despite only three hours' sleep and a hangover everything was going well until Sunday night.

My plane back to Sydney was delayed for an hour and a half and then when we got to Sydney the plane was in a holding pattern for forty minutes because of the storm. THEN we were diverted to Canberra.

This just doesn't happen in Australia, so nobody knew what to do. The airline tried to make plans to turn back and were negotiating with Sydney to be allowed to land after the 11pm curfew. But apparently the ice on the runway was too hazardous.

Two hours after landing in Canberra and several snacks later we were let off the plane. Still nobody knew what to do, and Virgin could only secure forty beds for three hundred people because Qantas was competing for accommodation for its similarly stranded passengers. For some reason only one bus could be found that would drive to Sydney, so then cabs were brought in to drive everyone back. A few of us just couldn't cope with the idea of being in a cab for three or more hours and chose to stay the night.

By 2am I was finally in a hotel bed. It might be because I was so damned tired and incredibly glad to be in a bed, but I'm now in love with the Crowne Plaza Canberra.

Three hours after getting to sleep I received a wake up call to get on the return flight. Virgin were too lousy to pay for breakfast, so I compensated by grabbing all the shampoos and bickies. I even stole a muffin from the restaurant buffet. Not very noble behaviour, but sleep deprivation is my excuse. And it was worth it for the look on Daniel's face when I got it all out of my bag.

Anyway, you wouldn't read about it (well, I guess you are reading about it), but not only were we at the airport ridiculously early for the scheduled flight, but the flight was then delayed by nearly an hour.

I've been recovering ever since with piles and piles of sleep. Daniel reckons this will cure me of doing crazy things like flying to Brisbane at two hours' notice, but for some reason it hasn't.

Smile!

2004-09-03T14:30:00.000+10:00

I went to the dentist yesterday and am still in more pain than I think is really justified. Still, there's codeine, sleep and the fact that I don't have to work at the moment so I'm not complaining. Not to mention nearly two hours of nitrous oxide yesterday. Fortunately (or not) I don't have an out-of-body experience on nitrous. In fact I accused the dentist of turning it off towards the end of the appointment, when it was actually on the highest setting allowed.

And it's my own fault for turning my back on the dentist five years ago. Thankfully, however, I was sensible enough to go back. Unlike some complete freaks.

Passion of Tinseltown

2004-09-03T13:19:00.000+10:00

At the risk of offending some, I'm posting a link to Dave Palmer's clever pieces satirising The Passion of the Christ. I think it's clever. I'm pretty sure I would have thought it clever when I was a Christian (I certainly thought my shit happens coffee mug was excellent). So that's my justification, and don't say I didn't give you fair warning.

Sydney talks

2004-09-03T12:56:00.000+10:00

If you're in Sydney and you enjoy public lectures/talks/forums, then this site is for you. Other cities in Australia coming soon!

Happy birthday Mark!

2004-09-03T12:32:00.000+10:00

Mark Cocquio turns 30 today! Sorry I can't be in Brisbane to share it with you. I know I'm missing a great party...

Soundtrack to war

2004-09-01T16:43:00.000+10:00

I'm really excited that George Gittoes' documentary, Soundtrack To War, is finally going to air tonight. I heard the radio version on the wonderful ABC Radio National two months ago and it was just incredible. Music is so very powerful. In Iraq music is used to rev up the troops, blasting from the tanks as they drive into battle, it's used to cope with the horrors they face, it's used to pray, it's used to commemorate the dead and it's used to grieve. And the variety of music is astonishing - from gospel to soft rock to rap to metal. Even, surprisingly, the Bee Gees. Much of the music has been composed there in Baghdad; in particular lots of rap.

Listening to this doco allowed me to connect with the soldiers, with music as the common denominator. I could see the people involved in the war before the politics. Powerful stuff.

I understand that this has already aired in the US on VH1, which makes sense because although the documentary is Australian, most of the soldiers are American and most of the music is American. It's also not explicitly anti-war, so broadcasters may feel more comfortable showing it.

The 7.30 Report did a piece on this doco, and the "new generation" of soldiers here. It's hard to imagine that so many of them must be younger than me.

Silly Mister Abbott...

2004-08-31T13:11:00.000+10:00

...always sticking his nose in where it's not wanted.

It started in March when Tony Abbott addressed a group of students at the University of Adelaide about the evils of abortion. Then, a few weeks ago, the ABC showed the amazing documentary My Foetus. In the lead up to that, Abbott suggested that feminists had changed their minds on abortion. Catharine Lumby explains here how little Mr Abbott understands about feminism. "Pro choice" is not actually a euphemistic label. Women who call themselves pro choice are not necessarily pro abortion. Many could not face having an abortion themselves.

As usual, a politician trying to over-simplify a complex issue to win votes.

Tonight on SBS that crazy Robert Winston and his moustache will be chatting to a group about how IVF is used to screen for genetic disorders and also to select the gender of the child. More detailed story here. In NSW it's legal to screen IVF embryos for gender. Abbott says, "I certainly think the New South Wales Government ought to reconsider its position. I don't believe the community standards of New South Wales, or Australia for that matter, would encourage this kind of practice." He doesn't think that abortion should be illegal, despite having strong views about it. So why should this much earlier screening, before the embryo is even implanted in the mother's womb, be outlawed in NSW? Am I missing something here?

Election time

2004-08-30T00:23:00.000+10:00

So John Howard has finally called the federal election. There are so many reasons why winning should be a struggle for him, not least the inquiry into the children overboard affair which will continue in the Senate.

But he's such a successful politician that I can't bear to speculate about the result. Somehow he'll find a way to defeat much legitimate opposition.

Why the old Palm IIIx is still the coolest thing ever

2004-08-28T15:04:00.000+10:00

I've been thinking about getting a PDA for ages but the cost of both the object and wireless Internet stalled me.

I mentioned this to Daniel and he said that he had an ancient Palm IIIx lying around that I might like to try. Old technology! Oh well, I might still use it as an address book and diary. Worth a try I guess. And I shouldn't be buying expensive things when I'm not working anyway.

Due to the slowness of the serial cable (apparently there once was a time before USB was popular - I know, I can hardly remember either) and only 4MB of memory, syncing my email to it is stupid. I made that mistake at first, and it was a bit painful to undo. There's no wireless Internet, no colour screen and most applications available for download won't run on old OS 3.3. No bluetooth, no built-in keyboard, no phone, no Microsoft applications, no camera, no radio and no mp3 player.

BUT AvantGo has changed my life. I no longer need to sit at my desk to read the newspaper (or other excellent publications). I can take the newspaper on the bus without all that tiresome broadsheet folding that makes it hardly worth it. I can take it on the balcony with a plunger of coffee, where a slight gust of wind isn't going to blow it off the table. I just put the Palm on the cradle in the morning, press the sync button and magically the new pages are there.

Not only that, but when watching a fine British production inspires me to read Jane Austen again, I can. Reading in bed on something smaller than a book is easier on the tired arms, with the advantage of a backlight if the person next to you is trying to sleep.

There are also plenty of games to download (although admittedly not as many as for more recent OS), including some of the tried and true favourites (I never thought I'd be so pleased to be able to play Solitaire in bed).

Daniel pointed me to a place where I could download and convert Infocom games for the Palm, and now I'm having a great time being driven completely crazy by Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Of course the diary and address book functions are also fine, and I'm starting to use the notepad more and more - to get my thoughts down during the ad breaks of Neighbours. Conveniently, Daniel also had two keyboards for me to plug in, so writing something while waiting for Karl to discover that Izzy's baby isn't really his (gasp) isn't the chore Graffiti alone would make it.

You can buy one on Ebay for around AU$50.

Chickpea & spinach pasta

2004-08-28T14:00:00.000+10:00

Sounds ordinary, tastes fantastic. Meat-eaters love it. Really, I promise. It's also the best meal I know that can be made without many fresh ingredients and will still impress your friends. This recipe is adapted from Sarah Freeman's.

INGREDIENTS

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion
3-4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Salt and pepper
250g frozen spinach
300g tin chick peas
500g dry spiral pasta
Grated cheese (something milder than Parmesan) to serve if desired.

DIRECTIONS

Finely chop the onion and fry in the oil on a low heat for 10 minutes or until soft (not brown). Add crushed garlic and fry another two minutes. Stir in cumin and coriander and fry a further 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, a little salt and a bit more pepper and simmer for 20 minutes or until sauce is thick, stirring occasionally. While the tomatoes are simmering, cook the spinach according to the directions on the packet, leave to cool slightly and then chop fairly finely. Drain and rinse chickpeas. Cook pasta according to directions on packet and drain. Add chickpeas to tomato sauce and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Add chopped spinach at the end. Stir pasta through sauce and serve.

SERVES 6

Sport stupidity

2004-08-27T01:43:00.000+10:00

A friend from Canada emailed me today. She congratulated me on Australia's success in the Olympics.

I've just finished watching Roy and HG's daily comedic rundown of events from Athens. It's certainly the only part of the games I'm deliberately watching - and that's probably only because there's nothing else on at 11pm.

I do appreciate the beauty and precision displayed in some events. I even have a slightly disturbing desire for Australia to do well. But what's more disturbing is that Australia IS doing so well. Relative to our tiny population it's downright ridiculous. So what's going on?

The answer, of course, is MASSIVE government spending on sport facilities and training. And anyone who thinks this is justified when our schools, hospitals and welfare system are so poorly funded is not my friend.

But no politician will ever deprive the masses of their opiate. And Australians don't look like abandoning this crazy obsession with sport anytime soon.

More evidence that we don't live in a real democracy. This does not mean that I have the ludicrous opinion that Australia is a fascist regime. No, Australia has free elections. We're probably more democratic than the US because our compulsory voting laws mean that both rich and poor vote in elections (although the rich have the opportunity to give massive donations to political parties). But Australia is by no means a participatory democracy. Call me idealistic, but I reckon that if people we taught to think critically, they would realise that the government should spend less money on sport and more on health. But they're not taught to think critically. I only learned how to do it properly at university. It's so essential to democracy that I should have learned it at school.

Australian music is not dead

2004-08-25T23:55:00.000+10:00

FBi Radio is doing really well at promoting unsigned Australian (particularly Sydney) talent in an effort to revamp Sydney's dead live music scene. (Gambling has replaced music. This has been documented with some help from The Whitlams and Pia Miranda.)

Australian Music Online have a great listening room with streaming Australian music. Even though this music is at the post-demo stage, AMO deserve credit for providing this try-before-you-buy opportunity to Australian artists.

Matt Damon is nice

2004-08-25T23:21:00.000+10:00

Matt Damon is in Australia and every time I turn on the TV he's being interviewed. I know it's stupid to be pleasantly surprised when a celebrity happens not to be an arsehole. It's like someone being impressed with me if I happen to do the dishes just because I never do them. But he is nice. And Andrew Denton interviewed him well here. I love the bit about his mother's response to the media -

"Proud of my son? What, to be on the cover of this rag, this thing? This is the exploitation of my son in order to sell people things they don't need!" ... She's very proud of both of her sons, but probably for different reasons than most people would think.

Gay marriage banned in Australia

2004-08-25T22:51:00.000+10:00

I'm a bit slow off the mark as this happened a few weeks ago. The fabulous Rob McGrory and Somali Cerise (she has a gorgeous chihuahua who once met our cat) worked tirelessly and suffered a great deal of stress trying to stop it. They give a good explanation here of what happened, why it happened and why we shouldn't give up. Hooray for the generosity of these people who work so hard for the rights of others. Boo for the SSO hecklers (see the end of the article); what are they doing to promote equality?

Hyvää hääpäivää

2004-08-24T20:10:00.000+10:00

My friends Manne and Suvi are getting married this weekend. They're such an excellent couple. Unfortunately I can't be in Finland for the wedding. Congratulations to two beautiful people.

The best pumpkin soup ever!

2004-08-24T18:06:00.000+10:00

BUTTERNUT PUMPKIN SOUP (adapted from Charmain Solomon's)

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon butter/marg/cooking spray
6 spring onions (pref) or 2 brown onions, finely chopped
1 kg butternut pumpkin
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups full-fat or half-fat milk
finely ground pepper
1/2 cup cream (if desired)
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
croûtons, to serve (if desired)

DIRECTIONS

Melt the butter and fry spring onions over low heat until soft and golden. Peel and cut pumpkin into pieces. Add to pan with spices, cover and cook on very low heat for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add stock and cook until pumpkin is tender.
Cool until lukewarm (or don't if you're brave enough to handle hot splashes), then puree in an electric blender or push through a fine sieve. Return to pan, add milk and season with salt and white pepper
Heat until almost boiling. Put a spoonful of cream (whipped if you like) on top of each serving of soup. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with small croûtons.

SERVES: 6 (as an entree)

Catlet

2004-08-24T14:08:00.000+10:00

my

mickey

loves

to

squiggle!

Heidi's back

2004-08-24T12:35:00.000+10:00

Heidi came back from Europe on Friday, marking a near-end to the Australia Centre. Yesterday we had mediocre overpriced food at East Circular Quay. Next time we'll choose substance (food) over style (view).

Welcome home Heidi!

She's gonna kill me for posting this!

Why?

2004-08-24T11:44:00.000+10:00

I'm also not working right now, and not doing anything else much either, so I do feel like a kept woman. Of course that's sexist bullshit, but sometimes it's hard to escape the demons in one's mind.

anne's data

Mum's Christmas dip

Happy birthday Quaint!

Minestrone Soup

Don't shoot the puppy!

Happy birthday Frank!

The price of nice

Tiny update

Millie!

Relaxed and comfortable

Just quickly

Cats in a box

London

Love in Action

Quaint

Silly kitty

Religion is for atheists?

Ecological footprint

Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen: 13/1/11 - 23/4/05

Safety net my arse! (pardon me)

Fake smile

Credit card update

Camera phone pics

I'm sorry...

Kitten!!!

Disturbing Search Requests

I am this nerdy

Inauguration sickness

Little Johnny's blog

Katoomba

Stupid bloody Oprah

Mackenzie Crook

StumbleUpon

Hot hot hot

We're moving!

New Internationalist

Virgin credit card

Oxfam online shop

Anne's free plugs

Hippopotaduck II

From abstinence to abortion

How dare you John?

Chicken mince

Hippopotaduck posankka

Just say no...

Wonderful words and "proper" pronunciation

I graduated from university on Friday

Blokey bloke bloke

How to snag a nice nerdy boy

Insider ideological information

Richard Dawkins...

It wasn't me

Feedback

Black Sunday

Ratatouille

God before green

Am sick again

End the lies rally

Bush and Christianity

Kath and Kim

Neighbours

Fancy food

Observations

Synesthesia

*Yawn*

Gifts?

Dancing Howard

Am sick...

Divine she ain't

Pet peeve

There was something in the air ... that didn't want to stay there

Smile!

Passion of Tinseltown

Sydney talks

Happy birthday Mark!

Soundtrack to war

Silly Mister Abbott...

Election time

Why the old Palm IIIx is still the coolest thing ever

Chickpea & spinach pasta

Yawn