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ART FOR ART'S SAKE

I’m in New York City, for no reason at all other than to expand my carbon footprint. It’s a performance art piece, really; similar in a way to this:

A Chorus of Women will use drama, poetry and music to create an emotional response to climate change ...

My own “emotional response” will shortly take me to the trailer park home of Iowahawk, and thereafter to the carbon killing fields of Bonneville, Utah. Speed Week pictures promised.

Posted by Tim B. on 08/03/2007 at 03:23 PM
  1. I like how this “performance” is offered under “National Science Week”.  Yeah, sure, science is all about emotional responses, you betcha. 

    This “Chorus Of Women” sounds like “Code Pink for Envirotards”.  Will they bare their boobs for Mother Gaia™?

    Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2007 08 03 at 03:49 PM • permalink

  2. Nice to hear you’re still alive!

    Posted by Retread on 2007 08 03 at 03:55 PM • permalink

  3. Tim, Tim, Tim, increasing your global warming foot print, as an emotional response is not Art for Art’s sake. It’s Art for Science’s sake. Get it right G, get it right. We need to do all we can to change people’s somewhat dim(wit) view to Science and whether a consensus is required to illustrate whether a Scientist is right or not. so when we do something right, we need to ensure it is correctly attributed!!

    aguycalledbrad

    Posted by aguycalledbrad on 2007 08 03 at 04:02 PM • permalink

  4. Welcome to the hot and steamy east coast of the USA, Tim!

    Posted by missred on 2007 08 03 at 04:06 PM • permalink

  5. By the way, Tim, enjoy the global warming around the Salt Flats.  Be sure to stay well hydrated. 

    Speaking of hydration....if you are unsure about the drinking laws in Utah, here is a useful FAQ thoughtfully provided by the State of Utah.

    Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2007 08 03 at 04:06 PM • permalink

  6. Humph! I notice you’ve left a certain peninsula out of your calculations. I don’t know why—we’re one of the Gaia-killingest places on earth. Why, not a week passes that we don’t have alarmist columns warning that Florida will soon run out of water. Considering that we are a state comprised mostly of swamps and surrounded on three sides by ocean, I’d say that gives us the biggest carbon footprint of all.

    Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 2007 08 03 at 04:11 PM • permalink

  7. Thanks goodness you’re back Tim.  Some of the others were showing signs of restlessness in your absence.

    Enjoy!

    Posted by PeterTB on 2007 08 03 at 04:13 PM • permalink

  8. PeterTB is right, Tim. Don’t think your house will be the same unless Paco got his crew over there to finish off the mead clean up the place.

    Posted by Retread on 2007 08 03 at 04:18 PM • permalink

  9. Hmph!  I hardly think we should give up a 2700+ page thread for this piddling note…

    Posted by richard mcenroe on 2007 08 03 at 04:39 PM • permalink

  10. Ah.  Alive, and presumably well.  And off to put ruts in our pristine salt flats.  Just another day on earth, then.

    Posted by RebeccaH on 2007 08 03 at 04:51 PM • permalink

  11. A Chorus of Women will use drama, poetry and music to create an emotional response to climate change that explores how science and the arts twine together to speak deep truths.

    Do that crap down in Richmond, and the “emotional response” is likely to feature fruit and vegetables hurled at high speed in the direction of the stage, to the noisy accompaniment of that marriage of art and science known as the “air horn”.

    Posted by paco on 2007 08 03 at 05:03 PM • permalink

  12. 5 TRJ

    Gosh, no wonder so many people live there.

    Good to hear from you Tim and do be safe.

    A Chorus of Women…

    Tim...As a New Yorker, we refer to them as a bunch of broads.

    Posted by El Cid on 2007 08 03 at 05:16 PM • permalink

  13. Iowahak’s trailer? It’s good to be Tim.

    Posted by moptop on 2007 08 03 at 05:17 PM • permalink

  14. Tim comes to America so much because that Aussie accent gets him laid so easy. He’ll have some corn-fed Iowa notches on his didgeridoo when he gets back.

    Posted by Dave S. on 2007 08 03 at 05:23 PM • permalink

  15. "No bookings needed” - no I wouldn’t think so.

    Posted by johnt4103 on 2007 08 03 at 05:29 PM • permalink

  16. Dave S.

    He’ll have some corn-fed Iowa notches on his didgeridoo when he gets back.

    Well Christ, I hope the man bought some rubbers.

    Posted by El Cid on 2007 08 03 at 05:32 PM • permalink

  17. Myself and several of my family members (inbred of course)drove from the deep south to Nebraska for a spot of turkey hunting last spring. I remember fondly our time spent in Iowa on the way there and back. As Iowahawk wrote in his brilliant travel essay. It’s the heart of redness. We absolutely loved it, especially the truck stop breakfasts. Iowahawk and Tim Blair , isn’t that some kind critical mass of weirdness? I for one , am very afraid.

    Posted by greene on 2007 08 03 at 05:33 PM • permalink

  18. Entry: free.
    So at least everyone gets their money’s worth.
    -----------------------------------------

    From the Utah Alcohol FAQ:

    Is there such a thing as “Happy Hour” in Utah?

    As far as liquor licensees and liquor sales are concerned, no. Happy hours or any other promotion which discounts beer or liquor prices is prohibited, as is anything else which promotes over consumption.

    That’s one less state to visit, then.

    --------------------------------------

    Andrea, please delete comment #14 before 1.618 wakes up.

    Posted by Dminor on 2007 08 03 at 05:35 PM • permalink

  19. It seems that Utah has no Happy Hours, nor wet T-shirt contests.

    They’re not Muzzies, are they ?

    Posted by Harry Bergeron on 2007 08 03 at 05:39 PM • permalink

  20. While it may seem that the liquor laws in the state of Utah are very strict, the fact is the liquor laws in Utah are very similar to the liquor laws in several other states.

    In fact, Utah is one of 18 states in the country that are part of “A Control State System”.

    A Control State System. Well, that’s alright then.

    Posted by Dminor on 2007 08 03 at 05:43 PM • permalink

  21. Damn, missed me by a week.

    I did my part by flying (commercial, unfortunately) to NYC, then driving a Porsche out to the Hamptons.  I and my hedgefund, lawyer, and fashion acquaintances enjoyed some fine dining on tenderloin and shuttled ourselves around in a 10 year old suburban, porsche, various coups, and took a ferry out to Shelter Island for drinks while enjoying the view of various 120+ft yachts.  I then spent over $200 on gas driving a U-haul back to Michigan.

    In the interest of further expanding our Carbon footprints, here’s one for Ash_.

    Posted by aaron_ on 2007 08 03 at 05:59 PM • permalink

  22. Tim who?

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 03 at 06:18 PM • permalink

  23. D, laws are for loopholes.  The easy way around that is to have cheap booze all the time.

    Posted by aaron_ on 2007 08 03 at 06:37 PM • permalink

  24. Today’s column.

    Posted by Pogria on 2007 08 03 at 06:48 PM • permalink

  25. From the column:

    87 Minister for Mornings David Koch gets a Methodist prayer evening off to an awkward start with a series of moves he’d learned from successful touring show Puppetry of the Penis

    And he doesn’t even have to take his pants off.

    Posted by Dminor on 2007 08 03 at 06:58 PM • permalink

  26. From Tim’s column:

    9 (paraphrase) Rudd immediately withdraws troops from Iraq.
    10 Honouring other pre-election pledges, Rudd deploys Australian troops throughout supermarkets and petrol stations where they serve as the planet’s most heavily armed price monitors.

    #25
    Good one, D. I’m surprised Kochie doesn’t wear turtle necks more often.
    To hide the scars.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 03 at 07:08 PM • permalink

  27. Make sure to kill some carbon for me Tim! I haven’t killed nearly enough of my own lately… though I do get to fly to Brisbane next weekend (doctor permitting), so that should help.

    #21 I knew there was a reason I’m having this baby Aaron! To support the nation! I suppose this is the one for the country.

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 03 at 07:29 PM • permalink

  28. And remember, Ash, you’re killing for two now.

    Posted by Dminor on 2007 08 03 at 07:32 PM • permalink

  29. That’s exactly why I need help Dminor. I have almost every appliance in the house on though, that has to help.

    And the heating’s on, even though I have the doors and windows and curtains open.

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 03 at 07:38 PM • permalink

  30. My own “emotional response” will shortly take me to the trailer park home of Iowahawk

    Hawk is still there? I figured the older set, would have had their own “emotional response” because of his drag racing in the trailer park and booted him.

    Posted by El Cid on 2007 08 03 at 07:42 PM • permalink

  31. Found a page that links to the Chorus of hags, they are as envirotard as youd like, and bet you cant guess thir position on Iraq??

    “Planet We Share
    Mourn, mourn
    a planet in danger,
    Mourn, mourn a planet we love,
    Cry, cry our longing to save her,
    Cry, cry for strength now to move
    Love the earth, love its waters,
    Cherish its soil and its air
    Protect all its creatures
    on this planet we all share

    Listen, listen
    to wise words of counsel,
    Listen, listen to choices we face,
    Strengthen, strengthen our will to take action,
    Strengthen, strengthen our collective base,
    Love the earth, love its people,
    Help make the balance more fair,
    Let good soil, air and water
    be for all on this planet to share.

    Rise up, rise up
    all lovers of nature,
    Rise up, rise up, all lovers of life,
    Act now, act now to safeguard our future,
    Act now, act now to ward off more grief,
    We love Earth, she’s our mother,
    Her despoiling we cannot bear.
    We must act together
    to save this dear planet we share.
    Dare to care!”

    Sickeningly twee isnt it??
    Try this excerpt from another.

    “The coalition weapons used twelve years ago
    Made no distinction between friend and foe.
    Depleted uranium poisoned the earth,
    Bringing death to these innocent children.”

    The link to the lyrics is

    here.

    Blairs law strikes again.
    “Other participants –– all with similar messages about climate change to ours –– were poet –cartoonist Michael Leunig....”

    Just how buggered is thier moral compass??

    “4 and 19 August 2006 – Sharing Grief – Breaking Bread
    To express our grief and solidarity at the height of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Chorus led two symbolic acts of sharing and reconciliation. We gathered with others in the pedestrian mall, walked to the statue of Ethos in Civic Square and shared bread, singing our new song for the occasion, A Recipe for Peace.”

    Wonder who the “solidarity” was with?
    Bunch of cupid stunts.

    Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 08 03 at 07:44 PM • permalink

  32. Andrea, please delete comment #14 before 1.618 wakes up.

    N-uh uh, Dave S. will have to take his punishment like a man.

    Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 2007 08 03 at 07:47 PM • permalink

  33. #31 frollicking

    It causes the bile to rise, for sure.

    I thought beatniks sorta died off in the 60’s?

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 03 at 07:49 PM • permalink

  34. morning Andrew Bolt xxxxxxxxxxx

    Arrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

    Tim Tam, waves, bring some duty free back for me.

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 03 at 08:10 PM • permalink

  35. #24
    Re the column, doesn’t Kevni always take the option:

    (d) Do none of the above.

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 08 03 at 08:11 PM • permalink

  36. 14… ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrr

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 03 at 08:11 PM • permalink

  37. Faints.

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 03 at 08:12 PM • permalink

  38. #33
    The price to pay for Oz Uni’s uniting Science and Arts faculties, FFS ...

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 08 03 at 08:13 PM • permalink

  39. One day just one day I’ll post my picture here just you wait, and he’ll see I am the love of his life.

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 03 at 08:14 PM • permalink

  40. #31 The mole (re)surfaces :)

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 08 03 at 08:14 PM • permalink

  41. Here I am, 1.6, like you, far from home. I hope Blairy doesn’t hear about our unfaithfulness.

    But I am allowed an apostrophe!

    Margo’s Maid of SydneyFri 03 Aug 07 (04:08pm)

    Thank god margos. Happy Birthday Lovely!

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 03 at 08:15 PM • permalink

  42. Well, Dminor, you called it.

    Posted by El Cid on 2007 08 03 at 08:16 PM • permalink

  43. N-uh uh, Dave S. will have to take his punishment like a man.

    SMACK! “Thank you, 1.618, may I have another?”

    Sorry, darlin’, but the accent of the Aussie male has some sort of electromagnetic/gravitational properties that cause the knees of the American female to move in opposing directions instantly. Especially in flyover country, where such exotic fauna is rarely encountered.

    Posted by Dave S. on 2007 08 03 at 08:20 PM • permalink

  44. ARhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

    Faints again.

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 03 at 08:21 PM • permalink

  45. Dminor, I loved your cat comment as well..

    Faints again.  (dave S, shame on you!)

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 03 at 08:22 PM • permalink

  46. Thanks so much 1.6.

    Tim’s column is kind of quirky, but still impressive in its ever-wakeful kind of way.

    Posted by Margos Maid on 2007 08 03 at 08:22 PM • permalink

  47. I’ve just continued more cat comments posts at Bolts.

    What topic are you going to post there today?

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 03 at 08:23 PM • permalink

  48. Margos, You look very cute with your name at Bolts, check out my next pussy comment. LOL

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 03 at 08:24 PM • permalink

  49. okies, I’m doing my blog art at the art topic at bolts.

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 03 at 08:26 PM • permalink

  50. Day 101:
    Ministers Koch and Garrett go on a street walk, get mistaken for a condom promotion.

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 08 03 at 08:29 PM • permalink

  51. I do hope all is going well and smoothly for you Mr. Tim.

    While you’re in Utah, don’t forget to pick yourself up a few extra wives. Iirc, the rule of thumb is that it takes at least 3 women to properly manage a household. 1 for the laundry, 1 for the cooking and 1 for the general cleaning and yard maintenance.

    Posted by Grimmy on 2007 08 03 at 08:30 PM • permalink

  52. #51 A man should have a woman who cooks and cleans, who makes him feel happy and loved, who satisfies his needs, and who works to support him.

    If he’s really lucky, the four women will never meet.

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 03 at 08:36 PM • permalink

  53. Faints again.

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 03 at 08:41 PM • permalink

  54. #48 1.6 “check out my next pussy comment”

    Ay Carumba, Bolta’s site has changed.

    Posted by Nic on 2007 08 03 at 08:46 PM • permalink

  55. This book hasnt been a big hit in our household, yet its supposed to result in happiness and contentment.
    What could be missing?
    Id pretty well guarantee any red blooded Aussie woman would in no uncertain terms tell her Mr exactly what he could do with the book, although it may be painful.

    If any of the ladies havent heard of it heres an excerpt.
    “Trust their husbands in every aspect of marriage - from sexual to financial...and more.”

    In a nutshell it can be suummed up as “bring me a beer and a headjob wench, and be snappy about it”
    Fun to tease ladies about it with though.

    Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 08 03 at 08:48 PM • permalink

  56. 54/Okies, Nic.. brb

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 03 at 08:50 PM • permalink

  57. Nic Where? I love the Mrs Slocombe comments there… Has it been posted yet Nic?

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 03 at 08:53 PM • permalink

  58. The Chorus of Women Photo Album

    Why is it I’m not terribly surprised?

    By the way Tim, I hope your trip is spectacularly safe.

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 03 at 08:55 PM • permalink

  59. #55 Mole,

    Surprise surprise, what’s the bet this caterwauling claptrap has been funded by the good old ATP (Australian Tax Payer)?

    As to the ‘invited participants’ at their shows, what’s the bet they will look like males, sound like males, dress like males but possess a vagina?

    Somehow I think your book will be wasted on that lot.

    Posted by Nic on 2007 08 03 at 08:57 PM • permalink

  60. Tim Tam, here’s my list of things to bring back to the Junction in your suitcase please. Duty Free counter should have them.

    1/ Perfume Burberry’s London
    2/ Cab Sav. 2 Bottles
    3. More perfume- Christian Dior
    4/ Birthday present for me.

    Ta.

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 03 at 08:59 PM • permalink

  61. Yes, it has 1.6 (chuckles)

    Be careful guys though, it’s pretty obvious that there are Blair refugees having a running gag. Bolta reads here as well, you might get snipped. Kim? Kim? Are you there Kim?

    Posted by Nic on 2007 08 03 at 09:00 PM • permalink

  62. 1.618, I’ve been looking for more of your pussy everywhere but can’t find it. Is it still being moderated?

    Posted by Dminor on 2007 08 03 at 09:01 PM • permalink

  63. LOL. Hi Dminor.(waves to you) I loved your comment aww you are a naughty boy! spanks*

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 03 at 09:03 PM • permalink

  64. I’m still waiting for more comments on the pussy story. LOL

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 03 at 09:03 PM • permalink

  65. #58 Ash,

    check out the 3rd photo down, I swear it’s Lucius Malfoy

    Posted by Nic on 2007 08 03 at 09:05 PM • permalink

  66. Hi Andrew Bolt. He’s hot. Love you Andrew xx

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 03 at 09:06 PM • permalink

  67. #65 I fear you could be right Nic.

    What a terrifying thought though, climate change believers with magical abilities.

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 03 at 09:09 PM • permalink

  68. As you were saying, Dminor?

    Posted by El Cid on 2007 08 03 at 09:09 PM • permalink

  69. #58, The Chorus of Women Photo Album

    Looks as if they still have some work to do before they’re ready for Vegas.

    Posted by Bruce Lagasse on 2007 08 03 at 09:13 PM • permalink

  70. Mission statement

    We stand in the ancient sacred lineage of the chorus.
    As women citizens we sing out in the theatre of life
    Commenting and telling what must happen…

    We affirm the citizens’ place in the public life of our country.
    We give voice to matters at the heart of our communities,
    Weaving integrity, compassion and respect for the Earth into Australian democracy.

    Honesty, clarity and wisdom are our aims,
    Artistic expression a means to these ends.

    Apparently, they like it Greek style, maybe that’s why they’re squealin’ ...

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 08 03 at 09:15 PM • permalink

  71. #69, I don’t know. If Lord of the Rings the musical, decides to hit the strip, I’ve got a hunch that these gals might just get a guernsey.

    Posted by Nic on 2007 08 03 at 09:15 PM • permalink

  72. Maybe they could team up with Ms X-treame? for a real hatful of assholes experience?
    She even has a Myspace page.

    Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 08 03 at 09:16 PM • permalink

  73. #71 Or they could just get some sequins.

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 03 at 09:16 PM • permalink

  74. Our gals’ Greek chorus?

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 08 03 at 09:27 PM • permalink

  75. Tim,if you have time check this place:- Carnegie Deli 854 Seventh Avenue. Their cheesecake is to die for & you will need to let your belt out 1 notch.

    Posted by Spag_oz on 2007 08 03 at 09:32 PM • permalink

  76. Nah Egg, our one has more goats than the you tube one does.

    Posted by Nic on 2007 08 03 at 09:34 PM • permalink

  77. #72
    She’s a fag hag?
    Hip-Hop fag hag?
    yeah sis, respek.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 03 at 09:41 PM • permalink

  78. Chorus of Women in Sofia, Bulgaria, June 2004, tryiing to get a good photo for publicity purposes!

    Sorry, ladies - you failed miserably.  The clashing colors, the terrible composition, the subject matter - it BURNS US!

    *runs off to cringe in a corner*

    Posted by Blue State Sil on 2007 08 03 at 09:44 PM • permalink

  79. Tim.

    I’d like some peanut butter lollypops from the Candy store that’s black and white.

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 03 at 09:50 PM • permalink

  80. This Cluster of Wombats site is pretty entertaining.  What a pack of self-important idiots.  Were they in the US, PBS (our own taxpayer-funded haven for pretentious leftist creeps) would be all over them.

    like the ancient Greek Chorus on which we model ourselves

    Seems more like a bunch of harpies to me.

    Posted by Blue State Sil on 2007 08 03 at 09:56 PM • permalink

  81. #58: The Chorus of Women Photo Album

    Oh lord! A ton of caterwauling climatistas on the hoof. Now, what does that picture remind me of ?

    Posted by paco on 2007 08 03 at 09:58 PM • permalink

  82. paco

    Now, what does that picture remind me of ?

    Nothing, the Musk are much better looking.

    Posted by El Cid on 2007 08 03 at 10:11 PM • permalink

  83. Bouzouki!

    Posted by aaron_ on 2007 08 03 at 10:12 PM • permalink

  84. Hey, the old muppets out on dvd?

    Posted by aaron_ on 2007 08 03 at 10:13 PM • permalink

  85. Near enough to post 100 ...
    Tim’s title reference

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 08 03 at 10:18 PM • permalink

  86. #81 paco

    A case could also be made for these lovely ladies.

    Note to any lurking leftist idiots who are inclined to go yowl to their buddies about our mockery of women who aren’t model-perfect - I’m a fully paid-up, card-carrying fat broad, and I’m not talking a couple of extra pounds.  Absolute Moral Authority, baby.  I have Fat Broad Credits to burn.

    Posted by Blue State Sil on 2007 08 03 at 10:24 PM • permalink

  87. #84 aaron -

    They are indeed.

    Muppet Show DVD box set of my dreams

    Posted by Blue State Sil on 2007 08 03 at 10:26 PM • permalink

  88. Sweet.

    Posted by aaron_ on 2007 08 03 at 10:26 PM • permalink

  89. That sweet was for egg.  Muppet box set, Swweeeett!

    Posted by aaron_ on 2007 08 03 at 10:27 PM • permalink

  90. #89 aaron, a pleasure :)

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 08 03 at 10:32 PM • permalink

  91. Wonder if our gals are into Carbon-14 dating?

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 08 03 at 10:35 PM • permalink

  92. Ummm… yeah.  Maybe. May be past C-14 datability.

    Posted by aaron_ on 2007 08 03 at 10:41 PM • permalink

  93. #92
    Also, it’s destructive testing :)

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 08 03 at 10:55 PM • permalink

  94. #86: Yowsa! You go, girl! Give me a full-figured, Rubenesque, sparkle-eyed ,right-wing gal any day!

    How much you wanna bet that this outfit’s typical gig is “entertainment night” at the old folks’ home, where they perform their terpsichorean magic in the midst of ragged, but continual, volleys of rice pudding and prune pits? I’m thinking that their ideal audience is one that can’t outrun them.

    Posted by paco on 2007 08 03 at 11:06 PM • permalink

  95. I’m thinking that their ideal audience is one that can’t outrun them.

    I’m thinking that that’s their only audience Paco.

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 03 at 11:11 PM • permalink

  96. #86

    I have Fat Broad Credits to burn.

    Me too.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 03 at 11:12 PM • permalink

  97. The gals’ Vegas tour?

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 08 03 at 11:18 PM • permalink

  98. Hot enough for you, Tim. (At least judging by Toronto’s temperature.)

    Posted by andycanuck on 2007 08 03 at 11:35 PM • permalink

  99. Oops. Missed making that a question. Insert “?” above.

    Posted by andycanuck on 2007 08 03 at 11:35 PM • permalink

  100. memo: Tim Tam

    Can you pick me up this little handbag as well. Any colour thanks .

    null

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 04 at 12:40 AM • permalink

  101. Anyone have the misfortune to clock the catrwauling coven of carping commie cretins? Bloody hell, what a bevy of bow-wows; in their case, I doubt if they would have even been something prior to electricity.

    I was going to say that only Canberra could produce something so asine during “science week”, but the rest of the states aren’t far behind in blithering idiocy and pandering to primitives.

    Posted by Habib on 2007 08 04 at 02:10 AM • permalink

  102. They must be dreaming of an Amish Paradise?

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 08 04 at 02:28 AM • permalink

  103. This, from the SMH shows why Australia is rooted:

    In 1978 Dyers met Jan Hamilton. The woman who would become his third wife had just returned from London on an Australia Council grant where she had studied the art of being a clown.

    Posted by Nic on 2007 08 04 at 03:18 AM • permalink

  104. Dminor, liked your communist post. 1.618

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 04 at 03:28 AM • permalink

  105. #5 JeffS,

    That state of Utah FAQ says:

    In a nut-shell, minors, intoxicated persons, and criminals may not purchase or possess alcoholic beverages.

    So kids, drunks, and assholes can’t purchase or possess alcohol.  Sounds good to me.

    Posted by David Crawford on 2007 08 04 at 03:37 AM • permalink

  106. #72- ol’ Black Jaq has to go to some lengths to establish her Aboriginality, doesn’t she? I’m surprised she’s not on some lands council, given she appears to be about as indiginous as the cane toad.

    Anyone listen to her def rhymin’? Makes the tin-eared, mitre-challenged car rebirthers that featured on SBS on Wednesday night sound positively bangin’.

    Rap in this country appears to be a haven for the completely talent-free; I can’t say I think much of any of it as a medium (slightly above the rank of techno, as at least some ability to wax poetical is required to find rhymes for bitch, ‘ho and tec 9, wheras all techno requires is the ability to switch on a drum machine and sequencer) but even by the low standard of US hip hop, the local product is truly dreadful, especially with the dominace in the genre of pasty, pimply whitebread private school types who are about as menacing as Kevin Rudd on helium.

    Posted by Habib on 2007 08 04 at 03:56 AM • permalink

  107. Habib

    I wouldnt mind it if they actually used music&lyrics.
    They seem to be under the impression the 2 cant be combined in any real way. The music commits what is, to my mind the biggest sin of all. Its boring. Really really boring. Repetitive, boring and largely uninspired.

    Our Ms X must be a bit whiffy downwind as well, she had her “look Im Aboriginal” t-shirt on in about 90% of the different clips and protests as well.

    Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 08 04 at 04:53 AM • permalink

  108. #106
    Kevin Rudd on helium

    Those moon-face ads he does for the Labor party are a groan.

    On helium they’d at least be giggle-worthy.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 05:03 AM • permalink

  109. #106 If Black Jaq had some talent, was any good and wasn’t a complete idiot I’d almost consider thinking about buying one of her CDs.

    She strikes out on all three though.

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 04 at 05:20 AM • permalink

  110. ...how science and the arts twine together to speak deep truths.
    Somebody was seriously interfering with themselves when they wrote this.

    Posted by lotocoti on 2007 08 04 at 05:31 AM • permalink

  111. #94, paco,

    “terpsichorean” Excellent! 

    Almost as good as “bloohicky”!  (Thank you missred - from somewhere in the multi-millenial thread.)

    Posted by Janice on 2007 08 04 at 06:01 AM • permalink

  112. #110, locoti,

    I agree.  Read “deep truths” and didn’t know whether to laugh or vomit.

    Posted by Janice on 2007 08 04 at 06:06 AM • permalink

  113. Hmmm.  Looks like I’m on my own here AND not being regularly logged out.  Good.

    #55, frollicking

    I’m not happy doing anything slightly major unless I’ve got my husband’s approval.  This is nothing to do with being surrendered.  It’s all about sharing the blame if the major thing goes wrong.  One must, at all costs, avoid opportunities to provoke resentment.

    On the other hand, I once asked my husband to tell me who died and made me the domestic navvy?  He had no answer!  Not very long afterwards he took it upon himself to do the washing.  This, I presume, made him feel better about spending hours and hours away, playing golf, rather than finishing the painting of the house or doing the digging in the garden.  Now, when I (very occasionally) do the washing, he critiques my methods, even to the way I hang up clothes!  How I love him and his furry chest, broad back and neat little bum!

    Silver anniversary next January 8th.

    Posted by Janice on 2007 08 04 at 06:40 AM • permalink

  114. #113 Silver anniversary? Hmmm… that makes me feel so, so young Janice!

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 04 at 06:42 AM • permalink

  115. #113, Ash_

    I will tell you this from the depths of my soul; I wouldn’t be your age again even if it was possible - not unless I could keep hold of everything I’ve learned as I’ve got older.

    I was your age when I had my first child.  I left his father (also a liar) not long after the birth, rather than before it, but I can’t see that the timing would have made any difference.  Being a single mother is hard and not just because of the economics.  The worst part of it is that children want to know, and be loved by, both their parents and if, for whatever reason, they can’t have an affectionate relationship with the parent who doesn’t live with them they are likely to have problems.  Well, I only know about boys, but girls need their fathers too.  It wasn’t until my eldest was in his mid-teens that his feelings of abandonment gelled into anger and resentment and acting out against symbolic father figures.  What a mess!

    My advice to you, whether you want it or not, is to do everything you can to keep the father/daughter relationship going, and going well.  Either that or find some other bloke, and quickly, who can take over the fatherhood role and do a good job of it.  And good luck with that!  My boy was 11 before I found the jewel-in-the-rough I’ve now been married to for nearly 25 years and have, in that time, polished up nicely.  Which means I’m even older than you might have thought.

    Posted by Janice on 2007 08 04 at 07:10 AM • permalink

  116. #113
    Janice
    He sounds like a keeper and I love your physical description of him.

    Congratulations on your silver anniversary.

    I’m still looking for my jewel.

    I wholeheartedly agree with you that children need both parents. Unfortunately, there are some circumstances where that’s not possible.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 07:16 AM • permalink

  117. #115 I agree, she does need a father figure in her life. But it will never, ever be Jesse (Hi Jesse, you *%#k! I’m sure you’re reading this), and it’ll take a long time before I’m ever going to trust a guy again.

    Not to mention there’s other stuff that went on with him that I won’t talk about here, but I can drop you an email if you like.

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 04 at 07:27 AM • permalink

  118. OT The Australian has yet another article about blogs where the website crikey is extensively quoted. Crikey is not, nor has it ever, claimed to be a blog.

    Brad Norington follows the well worn path of criticising blogs for not breaking stories. This is a) not entirely true and b) not very relevant anyway.

    Blogs are not newspapers. You might as well criticise blogs for being no good at lining bird cages. 

    The reason that blogs have flourished is because journalists, like Brad Norington, are not very good at their jobs. Members of the public, like us, are tired of being force-fed rubbish by authors who plainly do not understand their subject or who have vested interests. Norington illustrates this beautifully with his ill-informed article.

    On the subject of missing breaking stories, as industrial reporter of the Australian, Norington has missed a whole bunch of stories (the unions lying about and covering up crowd numbers at protests, large numbers of ALP staffers who are on AWAs, union corruption, etc) because he is left of centre.

    In short, blogs are flourishing because people like him are bad at their jobs.

    Posted by Margos Maid on 2007 08 04 at 07:36 AM • permalink

  119. I don’t think Tim is allowed to encourage us to click his blogads, but the one he’s got up now has some pretty interesting articles. Check it out.

    Posted by Dave S. on 2007 08 04 at 08:34 AM • permalink

  120. MM, (#118) If that fool really believes that blogs do not break news, then maybe he should get out on the ‘net a little more.

    Reminder to him: Powerline, Little Green Footballs, and CBS/Dan Rather’s fake National Guard memos, written in MS Word in 1972.

    “Real” journalists like Norington detest blogs, because they know that every word published under their byline has an army of unpaid sub editors ready to pick him up on bias and bullshit. He might actually have to *gasp* do some research before going to print.
    That would never do, interferes with the morning latte.

    Posted by Pedro the Ignorant on 2007 08 04 at 08:44 AM • permalink

  121. Iowahawk RENTS that trailer, my friend.

    Posted by blogagog on 2007 08 04 at 09:12 AM • permalink

  122. I hope tim remembers to bring Iowahawk PBRs like a proper guest, or his visit will be painfully short.

    Posted by Mr. Bingley on 2007 08 04 at 09:30 AM • permalink

  123. It’s a gentleman’s dare, as we all know, and may the best man win…

    But out on the salt lakes of Utah, Tim Blair from Australia will be wearing fine kangaroo skin gloves, and with a glint in his eye will light it up with hands on throttle and stick. Iowahawk on the other hand, fresh from some redneck trailer park in Buttsville Nowhere, will be wearing a cheap pair of bush boots hastily pulled onto two smelly, leaden feet.

    Posted by splice on 2007 08 04 at 10:28 AM • permalink

  124. Back to #118 MM’s link:

    The most disturbing aspect for Keen is that a “pyjama army” of mostly anonymous, amateur, self-referential writers, in spreading gossip and sensationalising political scandal, has become an influential force that is not accountable for its work in the way professional journalists in the mainstream media are.

    Thanks Andrew Keen, it’s nice to know that sharp-eyed media watchdogs like the ABC’s Media Watch won’t be bothering with an amateurish rabble like timblair.net. Not least because they’re flat out like a lizard drinking, looking well beyond rampant and institutionalised leftist bias in the mainstream media, to a higher plane of scrutiny.

    They’re gonna root out the real hidden agendas that threaten the free world… like the Great Carbon Dioxide Pollution Cover-up, the Strategic Worldwide Neo-con Oil Theft Scandal, and of course, the insidious Mind Control Space Rays of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.

    Posted by splice on 2007 08 04 at 10:33 AM • permalink

  125. From #118’s link:

    Yet as a typical example of overall shoddiness, he cites the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 when traditional news media later debunked initial reports by “citizen journalist” bloggers of inflated body counts and erroneous reports of rapes and gang violence in the Superdome.

    The jaw drops and the mind boggles, at this bold-faced reverse description of what was actually reported and by whom.

    Posted by RebeccaH on 2007 08 04 at 11:17 AM • permalink

  126. And if it weren’t for bloggers, is it likely we would ever have heard of the German with the delightful name of Ragnar Beer?

    Posted by paco on 2007 08 04 at 11:39 AM • permalink

  127. For that matter, how would we all have discovered that we’re jealous of France?

    Posted by paco on 2007 08 04 at 11:43 AM • permalink

  128. #125: How right you are, Rebecca! Who can forget Shep Smith on Fox News and his hyperventilating after Katrina? (BTW, heard the following line in a movie I was watching this morning: “In another ten years, he might acquire enough common sense to qualify as a moron”; apply as appropriate).

    Posted by paco on 2007 08 04 at 11:49 AM • permalink

  129. #128 - I never could decide who was the bigger drama queen during that fiasco, Shep or Gerrrrallllldo Rivera.  Wolf Blitzer of the Communist News Network tried to get in on it with, “they’re so poor - they’re so black,” but his performance paled compared with those of Shep and Gerry.

    Posted by Blue State Sil on 2007 08 04 at 12:05 PM • permalink

  130. #126 & 127 Mr Paco!

    With respect, sir, I know you own most of the Horn of Africa and several small states in the Eastern European Bloc, but please, not so fast with the funnies. At Paco Heavy Earthworks Division we’re working very hard to break into the lucrative Montreal water reticulation, hydrology and drought mitigation market.

    Please bear in mind, Jack lives here!

    Posted by splice on 2007 08 04 at 12:13 PM • permalink

  131. Congrats on the Silver, Janice! My Bride and I are fast approaching our 18th, which I think is Melamine. 

    Lucky I’ve got a tube of Chinese toothpaste lying about…

    Posted by Mr. Bingley on 2007 08 04 at 12:15 PM • permalink

  132. How embarrassing… Montreal? Wrong Jack, I’m thinking of Kentucky. Sorry.

    Posted by splice on 2007 08 04 at 12:24 PM • permalink

  133. Or maybe Tennessee?

    Posted by splice on 2007 08 04 at 12:29 PM • permalink

  134. #132 ‘s okay, mate - we need help here, too

    Posted by Jack from Montreal on 2007 08 04 at 01:20 PM • permalink

  135. Howard to answer his public on web forum

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 08 04 at 01:21 PM • permalink

  136. It’s stuff like this that makes me worry about democracy becoming a political mechanism characterized more by its abuses than by its virtues. The story highlights the extent to which a widespread hysteria (global warming) dovetails with an idiotic government program (corn subsidies) to distort world prices in order to promote the production of a fuel (even more subsidies) that is not significantly cleaner than the fuel it is intended to supplant, the whole process leading to possible food shortages. Greed, panic, and political posturing all coming together to create a vortex of stupidity.

    Posted by paco on 2007 08 04 at 01:38 PM • permalink

  137. #136 Paco - I couldn’t agree more.  As a professional engineer in the energy industry, I have been railing against the ethanol(and other biofuel concepts) for years.

    Tragically, it has now become almost mainstream.  An honest energy balance will show that ethanol is a net consumer of energy.  Even if you swallow, hook, line and sinker, the whole global warming claptrap, using ethanol as a substitute for gasoline is one of the worst possible options.

    (Unless, of course, you’re trying to reduce the population by inducing mass starvation - then it makes sense).

    Posted by Jack from Montreal on 2007 08 04 at 02:07 PM • permalink

  138. Doubtless Polar Pears will make an appearance in teh performance.

    I notice they have decided not to deter people by charging admission.

    Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2007 08 04 at 02:09 PM • permalink

  139. #31 Mr. Mole, “Dare to care” made me think of this chap

    Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2007 08 04 at 02:17 PM • permalink

  140. #139: Great link, Wimpy; very good comic strip art.

    Posted by paco on 2007 08 04 at 03:57 PM • permalink

  141. Somewhere in the vastness of America... Tim Blair Drives!

    Posted by richard mcenroe on 2007 08 04 at 04:07 PM • permalink

  142. #141
    sweeeeet ride! 
    go tim, go!

    Posted by missred on 2007 08 04 at 04:15 PM • permalink

  143. #110...

    how science and the arts twine together to speak deep truths.
    Somebody was seriously interfering with themselves when they wrote this.

    I think they didn’t finish the sentence. It was supposed to be:...how science and the arts twine together to speak deep truths to power!

    Posted by rinardman on 2007 08 04 at 05:12 PM • permalink

  144. Waaaay OT and don’t know if it’s been mentioned. This morning on Sunday Sunrise (no Kochie, tf), discussion on youtube vid of Army blokes drinking kegs directly, dressing as the KKK, having a bit of a chunder, typical sekrit men’s business.

    Catherine Lumby brought in as the “expert” to tell us all that that behaviour is Not On, and when women are brought into the group then that behaviour doesn’t happen any more.

    News flash for you, Catherine, yes. It does still happen.

    Oh, and also the Army breaks down individuality and the group mentality takes over.

    CB? TBob? Jeffs? 185600? Care to comment guys? Or even some of the lasses who’ve been in the forces.

    Andrew O’Keefe did try to get a word in edgewise, but Ms Lumby wasn’t having any of that. She does, after all, know all about male behaviour.

    No wonder I hate feminists. They give women a bad name and make it so much harder for the rest of us sheilas.

    Oh, and Ms Lumby has a couple of sons.

    Poor lads.

    /rant.

    Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2007 08 04 at 06:26 PM • permalink

  145. ’Dickhead’ doesn’t seem quite the right name for Ms Lumby. I recall her theories on taming footballers were quite silly.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 06:35 PM • permalink

  146. Kae, she drives me wild. I had to tone down the rant!

    I’ve got church in a couple of hours and I prefer not to go there with my blood pressure through the roof, but that woman and her idiocies make me see red.

    How the hell are blokes supposed to be blokes without harpies like her doing their damndest to kill the kulcha?

    nb I personally think drinking until you throw it all up is a really dumb thing to do - experience does teach you things, likewise dressing up in sheets as the KKK is not tasteful, wise or inoffensive.

    BUT...... this is a symptom of the larger malaise that’s been inflicted upon us by the pc-artibters of what it is to be men and women.

    Vid here

    You Be The Judge!

    Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2007 08 04 at 06:46 PM • permalink

  147. I googled Ms Numpty Lumby and found this

    Margo Kingston is one of the few Australian editors of an online media site who has given serious and sustained thought to this issue. Webdiary abides by a detailed set of ethical house rules.

    A senior media professional with almost two decades of experience under her belt, Kingston works in an interactive way with her contributors to both re-examine conventional journalistic ethics and to educate them about why there is a need to think carefully about their ethics of engagement with others.

    nuff said lol

    Posted by missred on 2007 08 04 at 06:47 PM • permalink

  148. Hahaha! Missred, I reckon you got her name right the first time.

    Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2007 08 04 at 06:48 PM • permalink

  149. more numptyness

    Posted by missred on 2007 08 04 at 06:55 PM • permalink

  150. #146 Nilk
    (You are not alone in your infuriation by her!)
    She’s an expert in gender studies, the expertise she’s developed as/by....
    er…
    ah…
    Well, a journalist and has studied th yartz. An associate professor of Media and Communication*.

    Some of the things she says regarding persons of the male gender and bad behaviour just beggar belief. Does she KNOW any men?

    *I reckon I could do a pretty good job of that Associate Professorship!

    World Today interview with Lumber
    NRL admits to League’s attitude problem towards women

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 06:56 PM • permalink

  151. i think she is twisted
    but that is just my humble opinion

    Posted by missred on 2007 08 04 at 06:58 PM • permalink

  152. I do actually have a book she co-authored, Kae. Too lazy to go dig up the title, but it’s basically about why television is good for children.

    I happen to disagree with that, but the title infuriated me enough that I purchased it. Haven’t been able to bring myself to read it, though, and that was a couple of years ago.

    Considering there are plenty of other studies out there dealing with how tv can have a deleterious effect on things like attention span and critical thinking faculties, I wonder if she didn’t see too much of it as a kid herself.

    Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2007 08 04 at 06:59 PM • permalink

  153. #149
    Yeah, that French sheila drinks and smokes and fucks around with other blokes -
    and sheilas!
    And that’s OK, says gender studies expert Associate Professor Lumby.

    Quite frankly I don’t care about the French woman’s adventures, however, in a normal society it would imbuee one with a bad, very bad, reputation.
    That’s why there are RULES!

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 07:00 PM • permalink

  154. and gang rape is ok as long as the rapists respect the woman????????

    Posted by missred on 2007 08 04 at 07:02 PM • permalink

  155. Oh, Nilk. You mean this book?

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 07:04 PM • permalink

  156. That’s the one, Kae. Thanks.

    As for Numpty’s assertion that so long as consent is gained then group sex/gangrape is okay, I’m here to tell you, Catherine, that it’s very easy to gain consent of a woman in a group situation when she has had a few drinks, maybe dropped an e or two, and is outnumbered by a bunch of blokes twice the size of her.

    What’s she going to do, say no, I really don’t think that’s a good idea? Or just say yes and hope they’ll be more gentle and respectful than they might otherwise be.

    What planet do these people live on?

    Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2007 08 04 at 07:11 PM • permalink

  157. And with people like Catharine (sorry for the spelling) on our side, it’s no wonder women find themselves in such difficult situations.

    Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2007 08 04 at 07:13 PM • permalink

  158. Currently, missred, we have television advertisements sponsored by the Government, which push the catchphrase “Australia says no”. No to what? To violence against women. It’s about domestic violence.

    I wouldn’t object to the advertisement, but I always thought at any kind of violence against anyone in our society was and is unacceptable.

    No wonder society is failing. Or flailing?

    Oh, here it is,Violence Against Women - Australia Says No.

    You have no idea how many send-ups of this I had to look thru to find the real thing. That’s sad, too.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 07:15 PM • permalink

  159. #157
    Catharerine’s on our side?

    Oh shit!

    The gang rape thing, it appears that any woman who has an encounter with one bloke then becomes fair game for the rest. And it’s true, even if not inhibited by alcohol, you can find yourself in a situation where it’s better to give in than to try to fight, especially in the middle of nowhere.

    It returns to placing yourself in danger, if you are a woman. And sometimes you just don’t know when you are in danger.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 07:18 PM • permalink

  160. Nilk. When I see her, Numpty, I just want to slap her smug face.

    It probably won’t make any difference to her. But I’ll feel better having done something!

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 07:20 PM • permalink

  161. (NOTE: a send-up is a spoof)

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 07:22 PM • permalink

  162. Thanks Kae for the advert
    I agree - violence against any one in society is abhorable. 
    Nilk, I don’t think I can be on the same side as this numpty. 
    Fortunately I think I am strong enough in what I believe and who I am as a woman (as I am sure all the women who comment here are) to not be embarrased by her.  I can’t really even pity her.  People who think like that are not in my realm.

    Posted by missred on 2007 08 04 at 07:25 PM • permalink

  163. #161 gotcha ;)

    Posted by missred on 2007 08 04 at 07:28 PM • permalink

  164. #162
    I think the most infuriating, enraging thing about Numpty is that though she obviously resides on a different plane to the rest of we Australian women, she is trotted out as an expert on the problems experienced in our world.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 07:31 PM • permalink

  165. She is the Oracle.

    Why? She’s clueless.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 07:32 PM • permalink

  166. I’m with you, Kae. I’ll slap her after you have.

    Re the Australia say’s no ads, I agree. What about the stats that show that domestic violence is also initiated by women?

    As for women not putting themselves into dangerous situations, it’s because of moral relativism like Numpty’s that it’s more common for women to find themselves in potentially hazardous positions than not these days.

    At 18, 19, I would walk home from the pub on my own and three sheets to the wind. Never had a problem, and that was out at Melton.

    At 28,29, I was living inner city and didn’t have a car, and if I visited the oldies for the weekend, Mum would insist on giving me a lift home at 7pm on a sunday evening, because it was dangerous. She wouldn’t let me catch the train home.

    Now, at 39, I do my damndest to not go out alone after dark, and I don’t like catching public transport any more. For my safety or my daughter’s.

    Why? Higher possibility of coming to harm, no trust in the authorities, and the sure knowledge that if I were to come to harm, someone like Numpty would be there on the side of the perpetrators to play the victim card to my disadvantage.

    Poor dears were bored, or poor, or tired, or their dad had to work for a living and so wasn’t on hand to set an example.

    Grrrrr.

    Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2007 08 04 at 07:32 PM • permalink

  167. #164, Kae
    Just an attention seeking media whore, eh?
    full of grandiose notions of her own self importance?

    Posted by missred on 2007 08 04 at 07:34 PM • permalink

  168. #166 Nilk
    or their dad had to work for a living and so wasn’t on hand to set an example.
    Classic!

    Posted by missred on 2007 08 04 at 07:36 PM • permalink

  169. Good morning Andrew Bolt. Bolt news, he’s sexy and he’s good.

    Good morning comment 14.

    Happy Birthday Margos. x

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 04 at 07:40 PM • permalink

  170. #166

    You forgot they were ‘having a bad day’.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 07:41 PM • permalink

  171. #169

    Are you lost or something?

    So, what’s your opinion on Numpty?

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 07:43 PM • permalink

  172. Kae, we probably have the same sort of adverts here but I don’t watch enough television to know.
    I know I once saw an advert saying that if you even suspect child abuse to call it in anonymously.  I thought that was a bit dangerous -

    Posted by missred on 2007 08 04 at 07:59 PM • permalink

  173. We had a lady narrowly miss out on a gang rape at a local footy club I was a player in.
    Usual thing everyone full of piss and she decided to do a strip for the boys. in the changerooms after training.
    If it hadnt been for one of the “top blokes” in the room preventing it she would probably have ended up with 30+ blokes all over her. It was one of the training nights I missed but it was all over the small town the next day.
    I dont know why she thought that it was a good idea in the first place but I spoke to her a while later and it scared the crap out of her to realise how close she came.

    Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 08 04 at 08:10 PM • permalink

  174. Frollicking, it was certainly a stupid thing for her to do, however, she wasn’t “asking” to be gang raped.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 08:12 PM • permalink

  175. Anyone who gets so drunk as to be “out of control”, or forget what happened or what they did the night before shouldn’t be drinking at all.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 08:15 PM • permalink

  176. No she wasnt, but I dont think she reallised up until then just how quickly a load of blokes and grog could turn her life to crap.
    She knew every bloke in the room, and they knew her, and am sure she didnt think it was anything but some harmless fun with the lads, but she came damn close to a v bad experience.
    As I said I wasnt there at that training and would like to think I would have stepped in like the chap that did and “save” her.

    Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 08 04 at 08:18 PM • permalink

  177. #175
    I was referring to the blokes being out of control.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 08:19 PM • permalink

  178. Frollicking, I hope (and am assuming) she learnt her lesson.

    Kae, nobody asks or deserves to be gangraped. I didn’t read Frollicking’s comment as suggesting that. I could also be wrong in reading your comment that way, so feel free to smack me with a cluebat while I’m looking the other way.

    I admit that only once have I had so much to drink that I’ve got blank spots, and that once was enough. Waking up with the door to my apartment wide open, all I could do was thank God that nobody walked in.

    It helped that I lived on the 2nd floor and we had a security door downstairs, but there was still plenty of room for trouble.

    Okay, off to church for me.

    Later, all.

    Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2007 08 04 at 08:20 PM • permalink

  179. She obviously didn’t assess the danger of the situation and realise it wasn’t a good idea to strip. There’s still no excuse for the behaviour of the men.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 08:21 PM • permalink

  180. More proof the UK is screwed.

    No cell searches in prisons.

    Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 08 04 at 08:22 PM • permalink

  181. #137

    (Unless, of course, you’re trying to reduce the population by inducing mass starvation - then it makes sense).

    Jack, that’s exactly what they want.

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 04 at 08:25 PM • permalink

  182. Kae, Im not in any way calling it her fault that the bloke took it as an invite to assault.
    BUT I would state that with the benifit of hindsight, that sort of situation should be avoided by any young lady.

    Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 08 04 at 08:25 PM • permalink

  183. No Nilk. No cluebat.

    She did do something foolish. I didn’t read frollicking’s comment that she asked to be gangraped, but you can bet your bottom dollar that her behaviour would have been called into question and the fact that she was there and did a strip for the boys would be seen as encouraging them. No matter that the assertion was false.

    Did I mention I was reading Girls Like You by Paul Sheehan? A review by a colleague of Numby here.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 08:28 PM • permalink

  184. Nilk and Kae, this is an interesting topic. Kae, you are right when you ask ‘does she understand men’.

    This is the rub, she thinks the Canterbury footballers can be brought into line with ‘re education’. Likewise scolding the soldiers for doing what they have been conditioned to do. Her approach is dangerous as it is based on feminist political philosophy rather than commonsense about what is right and wrong in each situation.

    I remember one night I was on at an erm ‘gentleman’s club’ as part of a bucks night. One part of the night saw a an attractive young lady descend the stairs in a skimpy outfit whilst brandishing a whip. One of the guys grabbed her arse and she ran off crying. The madam came in and started on the scolding, ‘you should respect women’ blah blah. I hadn’t had too much to drink so I said to her “ What do you expect? You deliberately fill these guys with as much beer as they take and then the girl comes down dressed like that, rubs her tits in their faces and you are surprised when there is a reaction”? I told her she needed to wake up to herself.

    I am not condoning in any form at any time sexual assault against women. My point is that people like Lumby feel that by being able to control men they are also striking a blow for feminism, which in the case of the soldiers can have disastrous efects.

    Posted by Nic on 2007 08 04 at 08:34 PM • permalink

  185. Frollicking. Many questions spring to my mind to understand why she did what she did, obviously she misread the situation and underestimated the danger.

    It’s also quite possible that, had the worst happened, the men involved would not have realised that she wasn’t asking for it, simply because of her prior behaviour.

    Girls do not ask for things to happen by the way they dress, however, if a young woman wears something very skimpy and people stare at her she should accept that she is calling attention to herself.

    For example, in January 2003 I visited Sydney for a funeral and on the same flight as me was a young woman of about 16-20 years of age. She was absolutely beautiful. Her face was lovely and her body was gorgeous. She was wearing nothing but a pair of what looked like Bonds Boy Cut knickers and a sports bra. She may have worn a tank-top over the bra, or a cheesecloth-like top.
    You couldn’t help but stare at her, she was stunningly beautiful.
    She became aggravated when some people were staring at her and cursed them. I wish I had the courage to say to her “If you don’t want people to stare at you and talk about you, try wearing some clothes.”

    Did I say she was stunningly beautiful?

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 08:38 PM • permalink

  186. #184 It is an interesting subject.

    Feminists will never be able to control men. Originally, feminists wanted equal treatment, now they think that females are only in their proper place when they’re in better circumstances than males, which is preposterous.

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 04 at 08:41 PM • permalink

  187. The lady in question was v-pretty as well and also had a reputation as the town bike. Again this doesnt excuse the blokes, but it would have been widely seen in the town as “asking for it” if it had gone further.

    That “girls like you” is a great, if frustrating read.
    I cant find a link to it at the moment but the lady in the book finally broke down and couldn’t endure yet another retrial for one of the rapist scum involved.
    And for a truly ignorant or surreal review of the book try this from the SMH.

    And in futher proof of Blairs law here they both are together.
    What a suprise

    Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 08 04 at 08:59 PM • permalink

  188. Ooops, bugger kae beat me to that link with numby and albury.

    Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 08 04 at 09:01 PM • permalink

  189. #187
    Ah, snap! Review linked also in #183.

    Reading the book, frollicking, I cannot comprehend the mindset of the rapists that they seemed to think that they were invincible and their lies would be believed. Their conduct in court was laughable, particularly the two defending themselves.
    And this is not seen as some sort of indoctrinated cancer in our society today? This attitude to women and our society?
    My mother had an argument with my aunt the other day about the situation with Haneef. My aunt was all for him. My mother was trying to get through to her better to be safe than sorry, particularly in the case of suspected terrorists, and his life hasn’t been ruined. My mother gave up in exasperation saying to me “They have no idea, they don’t live in areas like Bankstown*, they live in Palm Beach or Parramatta, and have no idea what it’s like to live in these areas.”

    * Bankstown is a predominantly Muslim area now, as far as the shopping area and CBD. They are everywhere. How DO I know? It’d be the sacks the women wear. Black sacks.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 09:06 PM • permalink

  190. Frollicking, great minds think alike… we’ll just forget the rest of that addage…

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 09:07 PM • permalink

  191. Frollicking, how are you coping after your recent loss? You did all you could, that’s all anyone could do.

    Don’t be hard on yourself.

    (It’s apparently common for rescue personnel to be affected by this type of thing.)

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 09:09 PM • permalink

  192. 191. Nah good, we did as much as we could and from whats came back he could have landed in an A&E room and had no chance.
    A bit unkind to say it but he had only been with us 3 weeks so it was less of a “loss” than any of the other 3 would have been.
    I took a few days off, slept for about 18 hours straight (I always sleep badly after serious emergencies) and got over it.
    2 days after it I suddenly found myself crying underground after an unrelated bit of fustration set me off. Thats when i got the break I needed. Work has been good about it (must be that eeevil contract Im on), so all fine now.

    Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 08 04 at 09:45 PM • permalink

  193. #192 You’re not on one of those terrible HoWARd contracts that give you some power as an employee are you?! Shocking! I don’t know why they’re allowed!

    After all, mine dares to give me two years full time maternity leave, or four years part time work with the first year off for maternity leave. Isn’t that just outrageous?!

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 04 at 11:28 PM • permalink

  194. #192
    Frollicking, thinking foremost that you didn’t know him as well as the others is probably the best way to not be shattered about his loss. It doesn’t sound crass or unfeeling. We must do what we must do to get over tragic things that happen in our lives. Distance helps. Distance from emotion.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 11:33 PM • permalink

  195. #180 More proof.Just what is in the water over there? And is it just me or is timblair.net being very slow to come up for everyone else?

    Posted by dean martin on 2007 08 04 at 11:51 PM • permalink

  196. Dean, I think the site is on the fritz.

    Now, looking back at the subject of his thread, I see

    A Chorus of Women will use drama, poetry and music to create an emotional response to climate change ...

    How many different ways can you run around in circles, waving your arms about your head, screaming “We’re all gonna die, we’re all gonna die”, and “The sky is falling, the sky IS falling!”?

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 04 at 11:56 PM • permalink

  197. More profound lyrics from our favorite new singing group:

    Dude, profound.  Pass the bong.

    Posted by Blue State Sil on 2007 08 05 at 12:21 AM • permalink

  198. And, yes, dammit, I happen to like the word “profound.”

    Posted by Blue State Sil on 2007 08 05 at 12:23 AM • permalink

  199. #196, Kae

    But they care,and it’s like a nuanced perspective and stuff.

    /for Miranda

    Posted by yojimbo on 2007 08 05 at 12:24 AM • permalink

  200. Profound. Hmm.

    I currently am quite taken with vortex. I used it last night and then saw that someone had used it here at Tim’s.

    Vortex.

    Hmmm.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 05 at 12:25 AM • permalink

  201. Ok, Yojimbo.

    How many different ways can you run around in circles, waving your arms about your head, screaming “We’re all gonna die, we’re all gonna die”, and “The sky is falling, the sky IS falling!”?

    with your head tilted in a nuanced manner.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 05 at 12:26 AM • permalink

  202. #198

    Waxing poetic ain’t bad either.

    Posted by yojimbo on 2007 08 05 at 12:28 AM • permalink

  203. I think Ace speaks for all of us when he says...

    Posted by richard mcenroe on 2007 08 05 at 12:30 AM • permalink

  204. I have to admit when I first saw a chorus of women reacting to global warming (or words to that effect) my first thought was “Allright! Strippers!”

    Posted by dean martin on 2007 08 05 at 12:30 AM • permalink

  205. I called someone a ‘stupid bint’ yesterday. I credit TimBlair.net.

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 05 at 12:31 AM • permalink

  206. #201, Kae

    Much better.  Allows you to take into consideration all of the contextual layers and the multiplicity of the state of permutation.

    Posted by yojimbo on 2007 08 05 at 12:35 AM • permalink

  207. Frollicking and Kae, I just read that review of Paul Sheehan’s book (Amongst the Barbarians is another good read of his) and my mind boggles.

    To turn a simple book review into an attempted smackdown of anglo-aussie culture is amazingly arrogant.

    I don’t consider people like Numby and Albury as women. They want to be womyn, they can be those.

    They are certainly not my sisters.

    Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2007 08 05 at 12:47 AM • permalink

  208. Have a good evening gorgeous Andrew Bolt night night..xxxsxx

    Night comment 14 night night: arhhhhhhhhhh

    bolt news, he’s gutsy and he’s sexy sometimes.

    Posted by 1.618 on 2007 08 05 at 12:48 AM • permalink

  209. I just saw an ad for Michael Moore’s “Sicko”. I feel sick now. Was it really necessary to show him in the ad?

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 05 at 12:52 AM • permalink

  210. #184 Nic, you were right to have words with the madam or whatever she chooses to call herself.

    The girl who ran off crying needed a tap with my cluebat, too.

    I just don’t get these nufnufs who think that human nature can be controlled by taking the guns and other toys away from the lads, and pushing women into the workforce when they would prefer to stay home and raise their children.

    And they wonder why our society is so rooted.

    Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2007 08 05 at 12:53 AM • permalink

  211. That’s “rooted” in the aussie sense, not the seppo sense.

    Posted by Nilknarf Arbed on 2007 08 05 at 12:54 AM • permalink

  212. #206

    Mind you, Yojimbo, it’s hard to tilt your head when it’s up your bum.

    Ahh, they’re contortionists, these women.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 05 at 01:00 AM • permalink

  213. Kae

    Point well taken.  But they are so much fun as long as they are on the outside looking in powerwise.

    Posted by yojimbo on 2007 08 05 at 01:05 AM • permalink

  214. We do send messages by what we wear, like it or not. Doing a strip in a mens change room is just stupid.
    Women do not have to bare so much as that beautiful one kae mentions (*) in order to attract attention. Even a bare midriff is using a large hammer to crack a nut. To be attractive to men is so easy, just being a woman is most of it.
    (*) Any skimpily dressed one who complains about stares should be told “You put it in the shop window”.

    Posted by blogstrop on 2007 08 05 at 02:53 AM • permalink

  215. #212 Kae, contortionism is a very difficult skill to acquire. We should praise these women.

    Or not.

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 05 at 03:03 AM • permalink

  216. Not.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 05 at 03:12 AM • permalink

  217. The Seventh Seal - Pawn Movie
    In other artistic news, the death of Ingmar Bergman has been marked by various luminaries.
    “The three big directors for me were Kurosawa, Fellini and Bergman,” Bille August said. “The two others had already passed and now Ingmar has also left us. He leaves a big vacuum behind.”
    Yeah, right. That’s what they’ll say when James Dyson goes. In the meantime there remains at least Bertolucci.
    I think Ken Russell was right about Bergman having so many ways of being miserable. Fanny & Alexander was good.
    Fellini’s output might have had some good earlier items, but later on he was interpreting a world of his own, not the one most of us live in. I have not been able to watch Satyricon. From what I’ve learned about the making of Dolce Vita it was so ad lib that I’d call him lucky to have it regarded as a masterpiece.

    Posted by blogstrop on 2007 08 05 at 03:29 AM • permalink

  218. 210,
    Nilk,
    I suppose what I am trying to say is that both men and women are human animals in the sense that there are base instincts that are part of either sex. Writers like Lumby do damage when they turn men like the soldiers mentioned into serial sex pests because they have a beer in the presence of women. Rather than saying some people do silly things, she tilts at male groups as Don Quijote did windmills. Not constructive at all given the silence about real issues such as the low prosecution rate in rape cases.

    Posted by Nic on 2007 08 05 at 04:05 AM • permalink

  219. None of us here should get too academic about the interactions, for better or worse, between females and males. Even the UN, when considering probably the greatest disaster that is ever likely to descend upon us, cannot get it right.

    Posted by Whale Spinor on 2007 08 05 at 04:31 AM • permalink

  220. #12 El Cid “we refer to them as a bunch of broads. “

    Wouldn’t that be “ a buncha broads”?

    Posted by carpefraise on 2007 08 05 at 04:43 AM • permalink

  221. Dinner’s up.

    Arranged artistically, for art’s sake.

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 05 at 04:45 AM • permalink

  222. #43, how do the American MEN react to female Aussies with the Aussie accent?

    Should we Aussie women be practicing?

    Posted by carpefraise on 2007 08 05 at 04:50 AM • permalink

  223. #222 No need, and how do Aussie women react to American accents? Asked by a guy contemplating a vacation to the land down under.

    Posted by dean martin on 2007 08 05 at 04:58 AM • permalink

  224. #173
    A woman enters a men’s dressing room and openly disrobes for all to see ... what message, other than sexual, could be sent?*
    Hence juries ... neither side is a black or white in such a situation, but grey.

    *Biology: a gene pool of the fittest --> psychology: (some) female fantasies of such group sex scenarios.

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 08 05 at 05:15 AM • permalink

  225. #223 Dean, this particular Aussie woman loves an American accent.

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 05 at 05:19 AM • permalink

  226. #222, carpefraise,

    I’d tell you but one of my sons has found this site and might be reading.  Of course, though I doubt it, things may have changed. 

    #223, dean martin,

    Ditto.

    #224, egg_

    What I would like to see is this stupid Lumby woman offering to train football team groupies in how to respect men, given their biologically determined drives.  But that would probably require her to have a mind and morality transplant.

    Posted by Janice on 2007 08 05 at 05:27 AM • permalink

  227. #225 Especially yours Dean. I don’t suppose you want to sing for me?

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 05 at 05:29 AM • permalink

  228. Funny, I never thought of gang rape as a sexual act.

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 05 at 05:31 AM • permalink

  229. Ash, I’d love to, sweetheart.

    Posted by dean martin on 2007 08 05 at 05:45 AM • permalink

  230. #223, I am very partial to American accents, and have several American male acquaintances who have -ahem - found most excellent fortune among the ladies here.

    So, what do you think of the Oz accent as expressed by the ladies? I’m curious.

    Posted by carpefraise on 2007 08 05 at 05:50 AM • permalink

  231. #229 Damn, Dean, you sure know how to make a girl swoon! You’re just smokin’, aren’t you?

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 05 at 05:50 AM • permalink

  232. #230 Based on what I’ve heard (two different ladies here in the states, plus Mad Max movies,) I would say Aussie accents are very attractive, at times incomprehensible, but very nice. #231 Thanks (coughcough)!

    Posted by dean martin on 2007 08 05 at 06:03 AM • permalink

  233. #232 We do the incomprehensible thing so that males don’t always know what they’re agreeing to.

    Just ask any husband here.

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 05 at 06:12 AM • permalink

  234. This essay is fun to write!

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 05 at 06:34 AM • permalink

  235. #228, kae,

    I’m not sure that “gang rape” is the correct term for what the woman complained had happened at Coffs Harbour in 2004.  “Gang bang” is another term I’ve seen used.  Once upon a time you could safely assume that the terms were equivalent.  Not these days, sadly.

    I could agree with those who assume that big money and a corrupt police force caused the charges against the footballers to go away.  But over more than two decades I’ve heard too many people spouting too much crap about what motivates people in my own profession to swallow that accusation easily.  Yes, there are bad guys.  But most people are no worse than you or I and, I presume, that includes footballers.

    It’s all very strange because I remember that when I was a girl what we then called “gang bangs” were unpleasantly common in the Bankstown area, with the culprits usually coming from the Housing Commission districts of Chullora and Greenacre.  In those days I had no reason to doubt, right from the start, that the banging was not consensual.  These days self-satisfying wickedness seems to be ordinary everywhere so I don’t know who to believe, but when a woman is reported to have done and said what that woman is reported to have done and said I find it very hard to believe that she played no part in causing her own misery.

    Posted by Janice on 2007 08 05 at 06:47 AM • permalink

  236. test

    Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 2007 08 05 at 07:45 AM • permalink

  237. Just checking the site. Disregard.

    Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 2007 08 05 at 07:45 AM • permalink

  238. Where you bin, young lady? Hows things in Sunny Fla?
    Did you just fix us so we won’t shut down? Thanks!

    Posted by kae on 2007 08 05 at 07:47 AM • permalink

  239. If I was a dog, my tail would be wagging.

    Posted by Ash_ on 2007 08 05 at 08:10 AM • permalink

  240. Interesting goings on in South Carolina. No doubt, CAIR will be hollering about “backlash” pretty soon.

    Via Riehl World View .

    Posted by paco on 2007 08 05 at 10:15 AM • permalink

  241. I didn’t do a thing. It must have been a server problem.

    Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 2007 08 05 at 10:19 AM • permalink

  242. By the way—I wonder if the reason why there seems to be so much confusion as to whether rape is a sexual or a violent act is that it is actually both. That is, both impulses are operating during the act. Violence is triggered in men when they feel threatened, because threats cause fear, and fear causes loss of control, which can lead to defeat and humiliation. And therefore fear causes anger. But so does sexual arousal in the weak-minded male (most men are able to control their impulses to the extent that they can’t even imagine getting angry at a woman who turns them on, but some men—for a variety of reasons—are either unwilling or unable to do so). Because sex makes both men and women vulnerable. (When you’re busy doing it, you can’t see the lion creeping up on you.) To the rapist being sexually aroused causes an unacceptable feeling of humiliation. They take out their anger and fear on their victim. Therefore rape is both a sexual and a violent act.

    Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 2007 08 05 at 10:27 AM • permalink

  243. I had problems getting on multiple sites last night.  Everything kept timing out on me.  Either AOL was monkeying around, or the Internet had a headache.

    Posted by RebeccaH on 2007 08 05 at 10:27 AM • permalink

  244. #243 Rebecca
    I had the same problem, even after clearing my cache.  I also tried IE rather than AOL and it also gave me problems. 

    I finally gave up and went to bed.  I wont go into the problems I had in my dreams *laughing*

    Posted by missred on 2007 08 05 at 10:37 AM • permalink

  245. #204
    Thanks for my first laugh of the day

    Posted by missred on 2007 08 05 at 10:54 AM • permalink

  246. ok, my turn (since this particular question hasnt been asked)
    what do aussie men think of the american woman accent?

    Posted by missred on 2007 08 05 at 10:56 AM • permalink

  247. Which one? There isn’t just one accent here.

    Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 2007 08 05 at 11:03 AM • permalink

  248. #242
    Relaying a story from a friend from the wrong side of the tracks ...
    3 of his (former) railway colleagues, while on duty, pick up a strumpet at the local pub and take her back to the depot for the evening.
    They proceed to, what they believe to be, rape the woman, presumably by her protests.
    Following this they all fall asleep.
    During the night one of the men is surprised to awoken by the woman giving him a blow job, as she is apparently in a highly aroused state, and another session ensues.
    The point being that we are not ethereal beings divorced from our biology, our laws only making us ‘noble animals’.
    Similar is often depicted in movie plots.

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 08 05 at 11:25 AM • permalink

  249. Re #144:

    Catherine Lumby brought in as the “expert” to tell us all that that behaviour is Not On, and when women are brought into the group then that behaviour doesn’t happen any more.

    Nilk, the only real difference that I can see with women in the military is such behavior is conducted much more discretely.  Sometimes with mixed genders, sometimes not. 

    As an example, one relative of mine used to go off base some evenings with his Marine buddies, packing along a few cases of beer and a couple pairs of boxing gloves.  They’d find some remote spot, drink the beer, and pound on each other.  This is a recent example, I might add. 

    Come to think of it....they couldn’t do it on base now, but in a different era (say, 15 years ago), tbey could have, if certain protocols were followed.  For example, no one got seriously hurt, and the event was discrete.  Then the post commander might turn a blind eye in that direction.  Not always, mind you, but it was possible.  These days, drinking and partying are semi-officially discouraged. 

    And there’s no gender bias with this sort of behavior, I might add. 

    So Mrs. Numpty is indeed full of it.

    Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2007 08 05 at 11:37 AM • permalink

  250. Very true, Andrea.

    Posted by missred on 2007 08 05 at 11:37 AM • permalink

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