PandaCam

I just lost days of my life.

Farm of fools

Just when I was starting to doubt John Howard’s environmental credentials, it’s reassuring to see him come out and say that we won’t be paying farmers to close down farms that have been rendered unsustainable by a drought that has nothing to do with global warming. Why? Because farming is “part of the national psyche”.

Yes, just like Gallipoli, it’s part of the Australian mentality to keep stubbornly backing lost causes despite overwhelming evidence that they are indeed lost causes. I couldn’t have put it better myself, and I’d say much of the nation’s head-in-the-sand approach to agricultural policy has about as much chance of success as the Gallipoli landing.

What I don’t understand is why we’re always going to “lose massively from an economic perspective” if we do something about climate change. Let me see if I’ve got this right. It would actually be a better idea not to pay farmers to close down environmentally unsustainable farms, than to pay them to keep trying to get blood out of a stone. Surely it makes more sense to just go and buy water intensive crops like rice from countries where it actually fucking rains once or twice a year?

I know anti-intellectualism is also part of the Australian psyche but really, this is getting a bit much. And I’m really not sure I believe Howard’s argument that “We would lose something of our identification as Australians if we ever allowed the number of farms in our nation to fall below a critical mass.” How does this hold up in a country where 85% of the population lives within 50km of the coast?

And what the hell is a critical mass of farms?

All the animals needed to sing Old MacDonald?

Enough salt-of-the-earth types for the cover of the Terrorgraph for the next 6 months?

Enough small children who have never seen rain (although this has nothing to do with climate change)?

Enough drover types to recite “The Man from Snowy River” in every National Party electorate?

Spare me.

Conspiracy cuisine

 

I found this in the annals and realised I’d forgotten to upload it. Just pretend it’s still August.

Another helpful bit of international geopolitical dialogue from Old W:

US President George W Bush has tightened airline security and said a plot foiled by Britain to blow up US-bound flights was a “stark reminder” the United States is “at war with Islamic fascists”. The suspected plotters were “a couple days from a test, and a few days from doing it,” according to a US intelligence official. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the plan would have involved coordinated multiple suicide bombings.

“A couple of days”…  “A few days”…  “Doing it” … Please. They’re totally pulling this out of their collective backside. It’s so “I trusted my government and now I glow in the dark” I can barely breathe.

Perhaps I just read too much Russian literature but why does the general population not find these sudden “discoveries of plots” and vague talk of arrests with no names given that take place under the cover of darkness just a little WORTH LOOKING IN TO?

I love this game, but it’s getting fucking old.

Never one to be outdown, Little Johnny Me Too has to weigh in with this:

Commonsense tells you that if people take explosive liquids on board an aircraft and they’re going to become suicide bombers and they’re going to blow a hole in a pressurised cabin, you can imagine what a horrific loss of life there would be.

Methinks Howard is not one to be relying on “commonsense” with comments like that. Surely they become suicide bombers before they get on the aircraft? I mean it’s not like it’s just the meal choice:

“Would you like the chicken or the beef or the jihad?”

“I’ll have the chicken.”

“Oh I’m sorry sir we’re out of chicken.”

“Really? Oh, well, in that case just give me the jihad.”

Get fuzzy

Canine cuisine

 I think Kim Beazley needs to spend more time working on his metaphors/enrol in the UTS creative writing program:

Opposition Leader Kim Beazley says the Nationals should vote with Labor.

“Tossing a few more cans of Pal into the dog’s breakfast will not in fact make decent law,” he said.

Possibly the most depressing thing about our one two party state is watching our two leaders try to out-anti-intellectualise each other in their race to the bottom.

Come back Paul Keating, your country needs you.

Geopolitical cuisine

rheiner: Am having a schnitzel, avocado, and camembert sandwich on italian bread. I can’t believe it’s not the EU.

claudia: I think it sounds like WWII.

rheiner: It’s like there’s an Anschluß in my mouth and everyone’s invited.

claudia: Bad image. Please go back to Sleaze.

Campus cuisine

rheiner: You will love this:

Hi there,
The social club of the University is holding its next lunch on the 17th October at 12.30 in the social club rooms (aka the old Bistro) and would like to invite you to partcipate…

The Theme this month is French; mainly  because I like French food.

The Menu is :

Hot Dishes
1. Quiche Lorraine
2. Estouffade de boeuf bourguignonne (Beef Bourguignon)
3. Poulet St. Tropez (Medallions of chicken sauteed with camembert cheese and red garlic)

POULET ST. TROPEZ?

Frankly I’d expect it to have big hair, big sunglasses, be slightly overcooked and come with at least four martinis. Red garlic? Psssh.

claudia: Isn’t that the lesser known Agneau Donatella Versace?

Office cuisine

Why must people with whom I am forced to share office space insist on eating tuna out of a can IT SMELLS LIKE CAT FOOD PEOPLE.

Way outside Andromeda

Love Outside Andromeda | Annandale Hotel Sydney | 6 Oct 2006

Enora
Sparrow
Tongue like a Tether
Boxcutter, Baby
Bound By Hurt Dissolved
Keep Looking at the Sky
Measuring Tape
Love is a Battlefield
Gonna Try to be a Girl
Past Tense
Made of Broken Glass
—————
Juno
Something White & Sigmund