Longing for the day ...

What's all the fuss

You gotta laugh - well, at least, the promoters of Big Brother's current series must be laughing.

They started this season with a previously-avoided emphasis on sex in the house - deliberately choosing singles and advertising their sex appeal at every opportunity, even before the public had seen them. Now that they've lived up to the hype and broadcast housemates "getting it on" they are just living off the controversy. Worse, they are thriving on headlines about the inappropriate behaviour of 'Hotdogs' and others in behaving in a was they, if a complaint is made, could see them on a sexual assault charge.

Why does the media give this crap air? Probably because they've invested heavily in the product too, via their advertising revenue and their judgement about what's newsworthy. They don't want to appear to be backing the wrong horse. (Not that the newspapers care at the end of the day, they just wipe their hands and ask 'what's next?'.)

Still, sex sells but it's interesting to note that these episodes have not drawn ratings from the key demographic. Ratings are failing badly, apprently.

I just hope this nonsense dies the slow and painful death it deserves. Such cynical manipulation of the public is beneath contempt.

Well, that was fun but ...

We lost the over-35s touch series against NSW but it was a great experience. Overall, Qld won 8 of the 16 divisions and so did the Blues, so it was declared a draw and the Blues kept the trophy they won last year.

I have a sneaking suspicion that if they'd done any kind of count-back (total games won or points aggregate) Qld would have won but ... well ... the competition dministrators are based in NSW ... :-)

Our girls kicked butt and won their divisions 3-0 (under 20s) and 2-0 (Open girls had one draw). The youngsters also went well, U17 mens and U20 mens won 3-0 with some BIIIGG scores. The Open men had 2 draws and the Blues won the middle game.

We lost our first game 3-5 amid a little chaos (three of our players withdrew the day before the tournament). I scored the first one and set up the other two but it wasn't enough. We trailed 1-0 at halftime and just couldn't get it together in the second half.

We came back in game two (3-2). I scored the first one again and we led 2-1 at half time and held on despite blowing plenty of chances to put the Blues away. We felt suitably encouraged for the final game.

But we couldn't do it. I didn't manage to score at all and it went right down to the wire. We trailed 1-2 at half time and fought back to be in front 3-2 with about 5 to go. Again, we had plenty of chances. I was denied by the ref's call 3 times - at least two calls I know were wrong - but that's football. We also bombed at least three, with fatigue meaning that Laurie and I just couldn't put each other cleanly into open space. The last pass went just in front or just behind ... The Blues scored the winner in controversial circumstances when we all thought the ref called our defender onside on the tryline, he made the touch and we all stopped, when the ref called "play on" and the Blues scored while we were stunned.

That hurt. A lot. He was a Qld ref, too. :-)

Still, I managed to get selected in the Australian team to play New Zealand in March 2006. The series will be in Brisbane so it should be fun. Trans-Tasman games are always great. Can't wait.

I also filled in for the mixed seniors (over-35) in their final game as they had a few injuries. The Blues had already clinched their division but I scored two and we lost the game 3-8. Never mind. It was nice to play in different company and a lot of the Blues team were backing up from playing in the mens ...

NTRA State of Origin touch at Coffs Harbour 2005. We had a lot of laughs with the Blues at the presentation dinner at the RSL Club. They were a great bunch of guys and I look forward to playing with them against New Zealand. They games were all played in the right spririt and although they got tense and close there was no nonsense or dirty play.

Love it.

I'm a bit sore now but should be able to stretch out and be ready for tonight's biggie back at Chelmer. Bring it on.

Well done, Joey.

How good is he? Mind you, the Qld defence didn't put much pressure no him. They stodd still and watched him cut them up most of the time. A deservd win for the Blues. Seeya at Lang Park in a coupla weeks!

Speaking of which, I'm off tomorrow morning to Coffs Harbour for the NTRA interstate series. It's officially billed as State of Origin but I think that's disrespectful of the League players.

Can't help but feel a bit nervous.

An update ...

Well, the ABC, at least, has run with the Downing Street memo story. There's still no update from the SMH or News.com.au, though.

Not that I'm holding my breath for News Limited to give the story any air ...

But I'll be watching with great interest over the next few days.

Well, that's no surprise.

Just found this article, which concerns the revelation that the UK government knew the Yanks were not ready to invade Iraq but decided they had to justify the invasion anyway. It's one of a long series of articles about the Downing Street Meno that are sweeping the media. Some people have apparently made moves to impeach GW Bush for abuse of power.

I can only say that this makes sense of what made no sense to me at the time: the Coalition's determination to proceed despite what I could only see was inconclusive evidence to back them up. It also supports my personal view that, although the US would win the fight quickly, and there were good arguments for invading and for not invading, they were not culturally equipped to leave Iraq a better place than the hell-hole it already was. In fact, it demonstrates that they had not even considered the issue. This is despicable behaviour.

Interesting that I can't recall any mention of this in the Australian media (not that I've been paying much attention). The SMH World page online makes no mention of it, focusing instead on the World debt deal and Bush's pleas to heal the rift between Shi'ite and Sunni leaders in Iraq's new government. News.com.au doesn't mention it, either, only noting that a prominent Republican supporter of the war, Walter Jones, now wants a firm timetable for withdrawal of US forces (but that seems to be more because he's seen the horrible reality of the consequences up close). Even the ABC mentions only that the Iraqis have accused the Yank Air Force of firing "indiscriminately" in Western Iraq.

Yet the Times of London and Washington Post, among others, have given it plenty of air. The Times, notes, however, that there's an air of over-caution in the US media following revelations of made-up stories (eg Jayson Blair). Since the Post's Ombudsman has criticised the paper for its failure to ask tough questions of Bush, however, it will be interesting to see how they, and th rest of the US media, respond. The Times is promising more for this weekend ...

Of course, this debunks John Howard's only defence for getting involved: that we were acting on the best intelligence we had. We weren't. And he's damned whether he knew we weren't, in which case he lied too, or whether he didn't, in which case he's taken us in on blind faith in G W Bush. Not good policy!

Big events indeed, but all too little too late for the dead. Pity there wasn't more scrutiny earlier on. One day our species will accept the futility of armed conflict.

Finished part 1

I've finally finished marking my first-year assignments! At last.

Now all I have to do is mark the second-year assignments and set up their exam - then I'll be clear to do lots of music stuff for a while!..

Yayyy!!

Shame, Australia, Shame

There is no excuse for the attack on the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra. None!

We have no right to retaliate against any perceived injustice in the legal systems of another country. Especially not based on the impossibly limited information about the Schapele Corby case that has been documented in the Australian media. Unless you have sat through every day of the trial, you cannot possibly know enough about it to pass judgement - yet I am amazed at the number of people I know who do just that. She's either guilty or (more frequently) innocent just because they can't believe that she could be the other.

That's absurd and it's the reason why judicial processes have rules to follow.

However, from what I have seen and read, something about the verdict stinks - and there's an appeals process to follow that will hopefully shed some light on what's transpired. Anyone who's followed social justice issues knows about the miscarriages of justice that have occurred in this country and others. The Indonesians don't have a monopoly on getting verdicts wrong.

Only this year a West Australian man was released after a lifetime in jail for a murder he did not commit. It was only because of the determined efforts of his family and a journalist that the truth was eventually uncovered - nearly 30 years later. There are, unfortunately, other such cases in Western legal history.

So, while I don't agree with John Howard about many things, he's spot on about this one. I hope a certain Sydney Shock Jock, who referred to Indonesian Judges and bananas, is hanging his head in shame.

Australia is not the sort of country that commits acts like this outrage.