Feverish Friday

Fiona Uncategorized

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Yes, the annual footie Grand Finals weekend has rolled around again.

In Victoria we have enjoyed a public holiday, and no doubt every cafe, bistro, etc has gone broke because of those naughty penalty rights.

I heard a poor deluded person on radio this morning who is flying from Sydney to watch the Swans (oops!) win tomorrow, and then flies back to Sydney to watch the Sharks thrash the Storm.

To be honest, I’m not a follower of either code – though I have to be somewhat aware of what is happening in the AFL because of a couple of friends whom it’s best to avoid when their team(s) lose.

However, this year I have some sentimental skin in the game: I really really want the Doggies to win. Sixty-two years is far too long.

Fairfax

222 thoughts on “Feverish Friday”

  1. Thought for the day:

    How true.

  5. Can I also say that I’m also looking forward to the next round of media hand-wringing over why voters are disillusioned with politics in this country. They’ll question whether voters just don’t care about how the country is run any more, and act baffled as to why our politicians don’t receive any trust.

    This time, we will have concrete examples of both political venality and media collusion to point to.

    • We have been told for years that Australians are fed up with politics, told that’s because both sides are the same, fed bulldust and rubbish. So it’s no wonder we get nasties like Hanson elected. The MSM encouraged the belief she is ‘different’ because she does not belong to either major party.

      The MSM created Hanson by paying her undue attention ever since the Liberals kicked her out in 1996, they were instrumental in getting her elected again and now they are still feeding us constant hype about every lousy, word that spews from her mouth.

      I put the blame for so much right on the MSM. The loss of Julia Gillard and so much Labor talent, the election of Abbott, the widely-held (still) belief that Fizza is a wonderfully intelligent centrist who appeals to all Australians, the election of Hanson, the rise of Christensen, the re-election of the Fizza government.

      The eagerness with which the ABC and Fairfax raced to report the lies about the SA blackouts is just more proof that we have a despicable bunch masquerading as journalists. A bunch whose only purpose is to keep this government in office by spreading lies.

  6. What really stunned me in all the political comments the other night was the complete lack of interest in those dealing with the loss of power in SA. Not one word of concern or sympathy from Fizza, Xenophon, Nutter Roberts and the rest of the Dark Side. They just charged straight into blaming and lies. Fizza did mutter a few words of thanks for workers trying to restore power, but that was it. They just couldn’t wait to start kicking Labor.

    I wondered if they all had their little speeches written ahead of time, done as soon as the weather forecasts revealed a huge storm on the way, prepared ready to sink the boot in, when or if something disastrous happened. I wouldn’t put it past any of them.

    I hope voters remember this when the next election comes around. That can’t happen soon enough.

    • Or from Adam Bandt, when it comes to it. He did exactly the same as Roberts, Turnbull and co, but from the other direction. He was grandstanding just as much as the rest of them. The point, as he well knew, was that renewables had nothing to do with the blackout. So arguing that it made the case for more renewables was also not useful. He can make that point in the aftermath if he wants, but not while the disaster is unfolding. His timing, as usual, was shoddy.

  12. Drove through Clarendon a little while ago. . .Mt Bold Resevoir is overflowing HEAPS. Yeah, couldn’t be the weather that caused the blackout, must be the windfarms [/sarcasm]

  15. Okay, half time. Trying to stop shaking. It is actually one of the closest Grand Final I’ve ever watched. Not enjoying it, too stressful.

  16. From Gadfly in The Saturday Paper

    Fin circling
    Mitchell is putting out the word that he can cobble together a deal to make a cash bid for The Australian Financial Review.

    He assures gobsmacked citizens who hear this plan that he has the money. God knows where he is sourcing the loot – in all likelihood from Lord Moloch’s sack of tax-avoided doubloons.

    Moloch & Co. have been smacking their chops for years over acquiring the Fin, particularly as the massive investment in The Australian Business Review has failed to have the desired effect on the Daily’s circulation.

  17. Billie,

    Stutchbury would be more than happy to serve Morloch.

    Would Rowe and Tingle be job-hunting?

    • Stutchbury was an editor at The Australian
      where could Rowe and Tingle go?
      The Guardian or NYT?
      Could The Age or SMH survive without AFR in the Fairfax stable?

  18. Billie,

    Fairfax would go down in flames.

    Rowe is way too brilliant (and way too young) to retire. I’m sure a sensible organisation would snap him up.

    Tingle? Who knows?

  19. The Saturday Paper book review of The Best of Adam Sharp.

    Graeme Simsion’s first two novels, —– The Rosie Project and its sequel The Rosie Effect, ,

    —- Simsion chooses, —–, to go in a different, more personal direction with his third book,

    Actually the Rosie Project was close to an autobiography

  22. Also from The Saturday Paper –

    A good piece on Pine Gap. Back in the early 1970s I campaigned against Pine Gap. Part of that campaign involved the opinion the base would make Australia an early target in any conflict involving the US. It would be an early strike, before an attack on the US itself. We were laughed at for having that opinion. So it’s good to see this today –

    What really happens at Pine Gap
    In Alice Springs itself, the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network is holding a conference this weekend to explore what is known about the role of Pine Gap and the implications for this country. Essentially, participants will argue the base would be an early target in any nuclear attack against the United States, and short of that, it implicates Australia in conflicts outside our sphere of interest, in nasty and illegal ways

    https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/opinion/topic/2016/10/01/what-really-happens-pine-gap/14752440003801

    • From L2s’ article –

      It’s very unlikely that any Australian government would support the US in military operations against China in almost any conceivable scenario. Possibly a full-scale invasion of a Japanese home island. But in the South China Sea – no. In the East China Sea – no. In Taiwan – no. I don’t think Australia would support the United States in any of those circumstances, but we are sending a message that we would. That’s a dumb thing to do.”

      Hugh White telling it straight.

      I was appalled at the speech Obama made in Darwin when the increase in Marine presence there was announced (speech here: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/archive/national-affairs/barack-obamas-address-to-troops-in-darwin/story-fnb0o39u-1226198364769 ).

      It was just taken as granted that we’d do whatever the Americans were doing.

      The speech was cleared by our government. One K Rudd Minister for Foreign Affairs at the time.

  25. Onya doggies!

    Was pretty close for a while but they just rampaged home in that last quarter.

  29. Leone,

    CUB have had the rights to Stella Artois for at least a decade. What they produce is a travesty of the real deal.

    • And got it back a couple of months ago.

      Stella doesn’t feature in all the union ‘don’t drink these brands’ stuff. They need to update their information.

  34. The Shovel
    36 mins ·
    Sports News: Malcolm Turnbull has congratulated the Canterbury Bulldogs on their great win today

    • “Ms McIver says the nurse gave her no indication of how long she would wait.”

      And therein lies a big problem: that increases anxiety and the pathology that follows from that.

    • I have my suspicions about this.

      If you have been having heart symptoms for a few days then surely you would have seen your GP, instead of ringing a help line after days of odd symptoms. A GP would most likely have sent this straight off to hospital if there was a serious problem, but for some reason she waited days then rang the ‘ask a nurse’ thing.

      Then she rocks up at emergency and apparently doesn’t mention the word ‘heart’.

      In NSW if you turn up with chest pains you get immediate attention. I’ve been in emergency and seen just how quickly everyone springs to attention of the words ‘chest pains’ are mentioned.

      i very much suspect this is just a bit of Fairfax Andrews government bashing with an added promotion of private hospitals chucked in as a bonus.

    • Yep. Say you have some twinges of pain in your left shoulder and it will take you straight to the front of the line.

    • That’s what I did 13 months ago. I thought the symptom was what it turned out to be, but it was worth checking, being sometimes a symptom of heart problems.

      After a bit of stretching, bending, and pressing, my sports-savvy GP said he thought it might be a damaged ligament, so go and have a scan and if necessary a shot of cortisone.

      Sure enough, that’s what it was, and recovery was swift.

  43. Gravel and Leone,

    They certainly do – and we won’t go anywhere near the alternative proverb!

  47. Peter Dutton spends $8 million on spin doctor army

    Immigration Minister Peter Dutton’s army of spin doctors and communications staff is costing taxpayers more than $8 million a year, and his department is also spending up on external media consultants.

    New figures show the Department of Immigration and Border Protection is spending $1 million on media staff and another $7 million on public relations, media monitoring and internal communications staff

    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/peter-dutton-spends-8-million-on-spin-doctor-army-20160901-gr6oas.html

  48. Dyson Heydon knocks back senate inquiry

    Former trade unions royal commissioner Dyson Heydon has rejected a request to front a parliamentary committee into fair work legislation.

    He says it would be “undesirable, inappropriate and unsatisfactory” for the senate committee to ask him questions about matters dealt with in his report.

    In a letter obtained by Sky News, Mr Heydon reveals his attendance was requested by the committee five days after it was reported in the media.

    The former High Court justice was listed as a witness for a public hearing for the senate education and employment committee’s inquiry into legislation to crack down on union corruption on October 4.

    Media reported the listing on September 22.

    But Mr Heydon says he did not learn of the plan until September 27, when an email to his clerk “tentatively” enquired about his availability</blockquote.
    http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/breaking-news/dyson-heydon-knocks-back-senate-inquiry/news-story/d07678b171905db32789e9d0d02ed8f0

    Heydon only turns up if he's being paid a few million to appear.

    • One would think that a large percentage of the population are guilty of “contempt of parliament”. Especially during QT.

  50. Good morning Dawn Patrollers.

    Ross Fitzgerald says the destabilisation of Turnbull is starting. Well worth reading.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/the-destabilisation-of-malcolm-turnbull-is-starting-20160930-grsqe7.html
    Lenore Taylor nails it on the SA blackouts reactions.
    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/01/the-lights-go-out-in-sa-and-turnbull-flicks-the-switch-to-peak-stupid
    Mark Kenny with his thoughts on the US election.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/in-the-case-of-trump-v-clinton-whos-the-real-outsider-20160930-grsd30.html
    Jacqui Maley says that politics has become an arms race of outrageousness and the narcissists are winning. One to read and think about.
    http://www.theage.com.au/comment/donald-trump-has-turned-politics-into-an-arms-race-of-outrageousness–and-the-narcissists-are-winning-20160929-grrjck.html
    Trump himself has appeared in a soft-core porn video.
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/10/01/trump-supporters-really-dont-care-about-his-cameo-in-a-playboy/?utm_hp_ref=au-homepage
    The guy is a shocker!
    http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2016/10/01/donald-trump-sex-tape/
    Now he retreats from his statement about respecting the result of the November election.
    http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/10/1/1576709/-Trump-on-supporting-the-results-of-the-November-election-We-re-going-to-see-what-happens
    MUST WATCH! An hilarious parody of the debate.
    http://americablog.com/2016/09/brilliant-hilarious-parody-trump-1st-presidential-debate.html
    Veteran Bob Schieffer shows how it’s done with respect to interviewing a political player.
    http://americablog.com/2016/09/cbs-bob-schieffer-grills-trump-surrogate-like-journalist.html
    Stuart Robert – what a dill. His bad political times continue.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/turnbull-mp-stuart-roberts-close-ties-to-antigay-african-church-20160930-grsgi8.html

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