Australia, Australia, Australia, we love you, amen
The first thing I did when I woke up this morning was race to my laptop. As I do every morning. But this morning, I specifically raced to check the Australian election results and YOU LITTLE RIPPER!!
John Howard, the racist, short-sighted bastard whom I clearly recall speaking out against Asian immigrants in the 1980's, has lost. The slightly-right Liberal Party has been replaced with the slightly-left Labor Party (which, in American terms, translates to the liberal party being replaced by the hippy communist unions welfare state liberal party). More than this, John Howard lost his seat, the first PM to do this since 1929.
Kevin Rudd, the new PM speaks fluent Mandarin. In fact he was a diplomat in Stockholm and Beijing for seven years. Diplomat ... you know, as in diplomacy. What is this strange and foreign concept, di-plo-ma-cy?
Rudd also promises to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, leaving the USA as the only major country that refuses to sign on. And, hey, maybe it is too late, but at least Australians aren't sticking their head in the sand like so many Americans and refusing to believe in global warming (or evolution, for that matter).
The Labor Party also has a female deputy leader, which may not mean we're quite as progressive as New Zealand or India or Ol' Blighty, but at least we'renot as bad as America getting there.
In bizarro (old) news that tells of how removed from Australian politics I have become, I only just found out that the representative for my old seat, Kingsford-Smith, has been Peter Garrett, lead singer of Midnight Oil, for the last three years.
I am completely delighted by all this news.
More so because, having filed for US citizenship in September, I was not allowed to vote in the Australian election (voting in a foreign election would void my citizenship application). This puts me in the surprisingly uncomfortable position of being unable to vote in any election for the first time since I turned 18. Since there is a massive backlog of citizenship applications, I won't be able to vote in the US election next year either (hell, the BCIS haven't even cashed the $675 check I sent them, a sure sign they're in trouble). I sort of feel as though my human rights have been infringed.
In personal news, Mum got out of the psych ward last week. She still sounds a bit high to me, but ... what can I do?
Since I haven't blogged in forever, here are a bunch of links and random trivia.
John Howard, the racist, short-sighted bastard whom I clearly recall speaking out against Asian immigrants in the 1980's, has lost. The slightly-right Liberal Party has been replaced with the slightly-left Labor Party (which, in American terms, translates to the liberal party being replaced by the hippy communist unions welfare state liberal party). More than this, John Howard lost his seat, the first PM to do this since 1929.
Kevin Rudd, the new PM speaks fluent Mandarin. In fact he was a diplomat in Stockholm and Beijing for seven years. Diplomat ... you know, as in diplomacy. What is this strange and foreign concept, di-plo-ma-cy?
Rudd also promises to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, leaving the USA as the only major country that refuses to sign on. And, hey, maybe it is too late, but at least Australians aren't sticking their head in the sand like so many Americans and refusing to believe in global warming (or evolution, for that matter).
The Labor Party also has a female deputy leader, which may not mean we're quite as progressive as New Zealand or India or Ol' Blighty, but at least we're
In bizarro (old) news that tells of how removed from Australian politics I have become, I only just found out that the representative for my old seat, Kingsford-Smith, has been Peter Garrett, lead singer of Midnight Oil, for the last three years.
I am completely delighted by all this news.
More so because, having filed for US citizenship in September, I was not allowed to vote in the Australian election (voting in a foreign election would void my citizenship application). This puts me in the surprisingly uncomfortable position of being unable to vote in any election for the first time since I turned 18. Since there is a massive backlog of citizenship applications, I won't be able to vote in the US election next year either (hell, the BCIS haven't even cashed the $675 check I sent them, a sure sign they're in trouble). I sort of feel as though my human rights have been infringed.
In personal news, Mum got out of the psych ward last week. She still sounds a bit high to me, but ... what can I do?
Since I haven't blogged in forever, here are a bunch of links and random trivia.
- I uploaded a few photos from my high school days to Facebook
- Footime™ Page/Score Turner. Want.
- Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device. Also want.
- Yogi Berra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "He picked up his more famous nickname from a friend who said he resembled a Hindu holy man (yogi) they had seen in a movie, whenever Berra sat around with arms and legs crossed waiting to bat, or while looking sad after a losing game. Years later, the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Yogi Bear was named after Berra, something Berra did not appreciate after he started being periodically addressed as 'Yogi Bear.'"
- Arlen Specter: My Favorite Republican. I can't remember if I've mentioned this on here, but Arlen Specter is without a doubt my favorite Republican. In my imagination, he once dealt with the Devil, but in a strange twist of fate, the details of which I am still trying to fathom, he was able to win his soul back after a bout with cancer. Now brimming with sense, morality, and conscience, he is devoted to restoring hope and dignity to conservatives everywhere. Respect. And he's funny, too. In a funny old man kinda way.
- The Life and Death of Jesse James - Josh Olson. This is one of the best things I've read on the internet all year. Extra-good if you're a fan of Harlan Ellison.
- Many Eyes: word tree visualization of Gonzales' testimony
- This article makes a big deal abut the number of American cities on the "most unaffordable" list. I think the number of Australian cities is more remarkable. Having lived in Sydney, I could almost take on San Francisco (except for the earthquakes).
- Apparently the guy who played Omar, the baddest superhero motherfucker on The Wire, is Saul Williams' brother.
- No Sanctuary - Tanner (Melissa Dunphy) dispels the shadows near the church ruins.
- Interactive map of Philadelphia shootings
- Sean C. Adams has a website
- The other day, I saw my cello teacher conduct Helen Keller: the Ballet. The music was great.
- Jackson Pollock. Wonderful diversion. Really, it's not what you think; go there.
- Toychestra: crazy music.
Labels: politics
posted by Mormolyke at
10:17
6 Comments:
In other hilarity related to the election; Owen and Caroline made a suicide pact back when Maxine McKew put her hat in the running for the seat of Bennelong. The terms were that they would kill themselves if John Howard lost his seat! It will come down to postal votes, but I'm starting to give them hints and tips on how to do the job right.
Yeah he gone. Mad Max has all but claimed it. Next election I'm backing Kerry O'Brien and his green pen against any sitting member you got, right-wing yeehaa-cletuses.
It'd have to be a bit weird having Peter Garrett as your local member (as he would have been for all of us back in the Randwick/Coogee days - I imagine Jase has Albanese or Tanya Plibersek or someone yeah?) Granted he does look a bit like a member with the bald head and all. Better still he's pretty short odds to end up as Minister for the Environment. Presumably there's no portfolio entitled Minister for Dancing Around Maniacally Like Someone's Plugged Your Dodger Into The Mains, which was always one of his personal strengths.
Embarrassing personal revelation: I have never been more proud to be an Australian than I am today - and that includes the day we finally qualified for the World Cup (the real one, with all the other countries in and stuff).
Now for your lot to get rid of your lot of right-wing yeehaa-cletuses (and my new lot to avoid voting in our lot of same - the NZ Nationals are hard-out trying to bribe their way back into power using tax cuts, like right-wing arseclowns always do.)
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?menuID=2&subID=1395
:(
-rt
Kyoto was a bad deal.
Of course! Now I see, after reading the Wiki article on the Kyoto protocol, that it would be far better to do absolutely nothing about carbon emissions. In fact, the Australian government should probably be doing more to actively foster ignorance and hubris amongst its population, half of which already get skin cancer thanks to the environmental effects of humans.
Oh wait, what I meant to say was "huh?"
I'm not advocating ignoring pollution. It doesn't seem like Kyoto is doing anything to actually reduce Global greenhouse gases.
Sure industry makes up it's fair share of greenhouse gas emissions and the government needs to regulate and enforce.
However, the solutions is partly ours, the residential energy consumer; We have power.
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