Saturday, February 02, 2008
INDIAN UNACCEPTABLE
As observed last month, Indian cricketers waved flags (in the manner of rabid nationalists!) following their victory over Australia in Perth. It’s taken until today for noted nationalism opponent Peter Roebuck to record his feelings about this:
The sight of Harbhajan Singh running on the field in Perth brandishing an Indian flag was unacceptable.
Careful, pal. He is the head of a family and responsible for raising nine people, after all.
SUPER DUKE
Michael Stahl - the guy who should host Australia’s version of Top Gear - dropped by the other day, all smiley and happy because lately he’s been riding a Ducati Desmosedici RR:
These deals, essentially street-legal versions of Ducati’s MotoGP bike, run to about 200 miles per hour and $100,000 locally.
Ducati expected to sell 20 in Australia. So far they’ve taken orders for 100.
Friday, February 01, 2008
JOURNALIST NEEDS NEW MATERIAL
Yet another cancer column ... made slightly unusual in the history of such pieces by the phrase “burning pig fat”.
PARRAMATTA GENTEEL
Cricket’s politeness crisis - here’s an interesting Indian view - now spreads to the genteel world of rugby league:
Parramatta great Ray Price has finally been given the “ultimate kick in the guts” - with his beloved club refusing to fund a statue in his honour ...
“Oh, this really is the ultimate kick in the guts, it just doesn’t get any lower,” Price fumed.
The kicker is Parramatta boss Denis Fitzgerald, about whom Price isn’t nice:
“I’ve always known Denis was jealous but this really proves the bloke is an absolute f…wit.
“I mean, this is the bloke who’s been at Parramatta two decades and achieved diddly squat.
“He doesn’t give a s… about the club or its fans. The bloke has only ever cared about himself.
“So he doesn’t have to let the club put in for the statue, that’s fine. He can take his petty jealousies and shove them right up his a…”
Put this man on a cricket field! In other sporting developments, Indian bowler Shantha Sreesanth will always remain Sreesanth:
“I love the spotlight. The Aussies should be worried I am coming,” Sreesanth said.
“Sreesanth’s way is to be aggressive. Sreesanth will always remain Sreesanth.”
Sreesanth remained wicketless while conceding 25 runs in just three overs during last night’s loss against Australia. Batting, he was caught off the first ball he faced.
(Via Murph)
ECONOMIC SLOWTH
Remind Bill Clinton of the tech-driven economic boom during his Presidency, and these days he’ll likely bite his lip with remorse:
In a long, and interesting speech, [Bill Clinton] characterized what the U.S. and other industrialized nations need to do to combat global warming this way: “We just have to slow down our economy and cut back our greenhouse gas emissions ‘cause we have to save the planet for our grandchildren.”
It’ll be interesting listening to Hillary and Obama’s competing plans to reduce wages and cut jobs; a global warming election will play to their strengths. Meanwhile, Peggy Noonan reviews whiplash-like recent events:
In the most exciting and confounding election cycle of my lifetime, Rudy Giuliani, the Prince of the City, is out because he was about to lose New York, John Edwards is out, the Clintons are fighting for their historical reputations, and the stalwart conservative New York Post has come out strong and stinging for Barack Obama. If you had asked me in December if I would write that sentence in February, I would have said: Um, no.
(Via cider insider Rich Stadnik)
UPDATE. The US ABC network’s Jake Tapper, source of the Clinton quote, has badly misrepresented him - as have I by repeating it. Here’s Tapper’s update:
The original headline of this post was too definitive, while the larger blog post tried to express that I wasn’t sure just what Clinton meant by his statement. So I changed the headline to reflect that. I understand after many, many emails that many folks think I misunderstood what the President was saying.
And here is Clinton’s actual unTappered quote:
“And maybe America, and Europe, and Japan, and Canada — the rich counties — would say, ‘OK, we just have to slow down our economy and cut back our greenhouse gas emissions ’cause we have to save the planet for our grandchildren.’ We could do that.
“But if we did that, you know as well as I do, China and India and Indonesia and Vietnam and Mexico and Brazil and the Ukraine, and all the other countries will never agree to stay poor to save the planet for our grandchildren. The only way we can do this is if we get back in the world’s fight against global warming and prove it is good economics that we will create more jobs to build a sustainable economy that saves the planet for our children and grandchildren. It is the only way it will work.”
Now it’s perfectly Clintonian - promising everything (more jobs AND reduced emissions) to everyone - but there’s no way he could fairly be accused of urging an economic slowdown.
(Via lil varmint)
DIESEL DANCERS
“Welcome back!” writes Ken H. “While you were gone this happened. I question the timing.”
Actually, the timing is superb. So is the calling.
WINTER COLD, SUMMER HOT
Column, July:
Last month Australians endured our coldest June since 1950. Imagine that; all those trillions of tonnes of evil carbon we’ve horked up into the atmosphere over six decades of rampant industrialisation, and we’re still getting the same icy weather we got during the Cold War.
Not that June should be presented as evidence that global warming isn’t happening, or that we’re causing it. Relying on such a tiny sample would be unscientific and wrong ...
The SMH’s Marian Wilkinson, February:
Australia had its hottest January on record, in line with a pattern that has seen the country’s average temperature rise over the past five decades under the impact of global warming.