The Homicidal Urges

Last week, another SoT, but the special guest didn't show as she had a last-minute emergency (or, she had an exam the next day. That's an emergency). So it was just the regular crew.

Download here

Topics covered:

End of an era - final launch of the Space Shuttle Program (youtube);
I brought up space elevators, because I'm contrary like that;
Australian eruptions overdue......but also why it's probably not all that likely to be much of a problem in the near future;
The Irish ancestry of polar bears;
NASA borrows from Dune - the first accessories for drinking your own waste in space!;
Setting the record straight is almost impossible - the effects of misinformaiton on memory;
and finally, one that later caused a bit of controversy from someone I know: Greenpeace protesters destroy a GM wheat trial.

On the final one, my views on GM food are complicated. I don't think they're the great evil as every greenie on the planet seems to think, but I think the technology is a bit too dangerous to be put into the hands of greedy multinationals. Moreover, I don't buy that "GM will feed the world" line. The problem, as it's always been, is distribution, not nutritional value of the food or ease of growth. And on that, more food will lead to exploding populations, which will cause more problems of food shortages. It's...fucking complicated, and an emotional issue.

That being said, I have no problem with using GM technology to fiddle with plants to make them more profitable, provided that potential harm to the environment around these crops can be shown to be minimal or non-existent. I certainly have no problem with eating GM-derived foodstuffs, as they've almost overwhelmingly been shown to be harmless. Just don't get me started on Monsanto...

Also on that, I hate Greenpeace. I hate their narrow-minded, black-and-white view of the world. I hate the fact that they can somehow get away with wholesale damage like this and not be held to account. People's research money, and students' research projects, were no doubt affected by this act of idiocy.

Anyway, /soapbox.

Also, Penny was in Western Australia last week, and got some cool pictures of thrombolites (which we may have referred to as "stromatolites" in the podcast, which are similar but not the same) from Lake Clifton, near Bunbury


This week, we're recording on Wednesday, and have another special guest. Who will turn up. Hopefully.

boh_thrashsody, saithkar and quoththecraven have all written some interesting and useful pieces on the clusterfuck known as this year's Australian federal election.

For my money, it's a bland, uninteresting and disappointing politician versus a complete and utter cunt. They're both playing the populist game and I want none of it.

Here's a Crikey piece which sums up my feelings on media coverage of this farce and pollsters and their stupidity. That's probably all I'm going to say about this election, apart from this: if Abbott gets in as PM, it will destroy any remaining respect I have for the electoral process. It will confirm that me and my kind (i.e. sane people) are far outnumbered by the cretinous unwashed bogan hordes who, for some reason, still have the right to breed and vote.

And I will seriously consider leaving the country. <===NOT A JOKE OR A HASTY PROCLAMATION.

My god, people are fucking stupid.

And the fact that there are so many stupid people depresses me too...

RANT TIME.

Old people - go and get fucked. Or get off my fucking roads.

Trucks - same applies.

On a much more important note:

The lowest common denominator - or the General Australian Public. Including but not limited to The Herald-Sun, Andrew Bolt and its readers:

How nice to see that you're displaying your political colours in such an astute, unbiased manner. Especially you, Bolt. No one died during Howard's Pacific Solution, hey? Ever heard of SIEV X? Your crocodile tears disgust me. You truly are a horrendous human being.

And you, Malcolm Turnbull. What a decent chap you are. You wouldn't do a complete turnaround on a previous policy change for cheap poltical points, would you? Of course you wouldn't.

And this is why I will never get into politics and/or debate them. My rage buttons get pushed too easily.

Bill Hicks died 15 years ago today of pancreatic cancer at the age of 32.

A montage of Hicks on politics at the time:

Remember, this was over fifteen years ago. Spooky.

And, just for shits and giggles, Hicks on UFOs in Fyfe, Alabama:

...and from the same show, on Christians:

.

R.I.P.

My father told me about this last night: yet another Sri Lankan journalist killed by (probably) the Sri Lankan government, for not toeing the official line about the ongoing crimes and corruption of said government. In this case, though, he very spookily predicted his own death in an editorial he wrote before he was shot by an unidentified gunman, published after his death.

Here is his editorial in the paper he cofounded 15 years ago, The Sunday Leader. ( And under the cut here, for the link-phobics and in case the government manages to take it down from the Leader site. They probably won't, but just in case. )

And here is a TIME article about Wickrematunga and his death.

I haven't been keeping abreast of the news in Sri Lanka. I now find this unspeakably sad, and for the first time in a while, I am unspeakably angry about what's going on there. The fact that if my parents had chosen to stay there that I would be in the middle of it makes me extremely grateful that they chose to leave.

Rest in peace, Lasantha Wickrematunge. You were a truly brave man, and I hope to god that what you fought so hard for will one day come to fruition, and that the criminals you spoke out against, and who were responsible for your death, are brought to justice.

PWNAGE.

Thank Christ for that.

Now off to the pub.

The top "news" stories from my friend, Yahoo!

OH NOES! THE LIL' GREEN MEN IN THEIR BIG BAD UFOS ARE COMING FOR ALL HUMANKIND!
I swear, there have to be alien lolcats out there (lolaliens?)

Apparently, when a famous bogan takes a drug in her teens, it's news. Uh huh.
Mercedes Corby, do us all a favour, and overdose. (Oh noes, did I say that out loud???)

Brendan Nelson forgets the past, when his government also handed down budgets that targeted "people they (didn't) like".
Geez, a budget where the rich are made to shell out a bit more is bad according to the Liberals? Well, fuck me dead! In my opinion, it doesn't really go far enough. As far as I have followed it, I think it's a fairly conservative and piss-weak budget, really. Certainly not "typical Labor", as that dumbarse Nelson puts it.

...

Ok, that had the opposite effect of cheering me up. Now I feel like going out and bashing a Young Liberal.

Instead, I'll go make up a toxic, corrosive lab reagent while I download some Kyuss and Motörhead.

EDIT Grr. Motörhead download timed out. Bloody Mediafire.

I take time out now from Thesis Editing of No, Really, GAAAAAH!!!!^TM to comment on the front page of The Age this Thursday.

The moronic Hell's Angel who shot three people on a busy street gives himself up.
After three hours of negotiating with police with his lawyer as an intermediary, he walked into the cop shop. Negotiating, hey? Hmm. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation. "Hey pal, I wanna give myself up." "OK, then, you bikie scum. We can't guarantee you won't suffer some sort of unfortunate incident, but yeah, go for your life." Not implying anything here, no...

I'm also quite amused that one of the reasons he gave himself up was that he "faced savage retribution" from the Hell's Angels. Who knew that bikie gangs had a moral code? Hmm...


The cop who thought it was fun to beat up a drunk Aboriginal, causing his death in the process, walks free.
Yes, I know. The jury could not say beyond reasonable doubt that Hurley's beating up of the guy caused his death. Never mind the fact that he had suffered massive internal injuries as a result. As usual, an indigenous death in custody is not treated with the seriousness it deserves. Well done, Queensland. You've just managed to entrench every stereotype that I hold about you just that little bit deeper.


The Business Council of Australia feels the need to shell out $11 million for propaganda for the Howard Government.
I'm so glad Eva and I are going to be out of the country during this election campaign. I hate federal election campaigns at the best of times. You see politicians acting even more like vindictive children than they do between terms, and the mud-slinging reaches ridiculous levels. I'm not really that curious as to how they're going to argue for the WorkCover legislation. I have a feeling it'll make me want to throw things at the TV. All the ads they commissioned before they were even implemented were sickening enough.

Everyone knows I hate the Howard Government. Not because they're the Liberal party, but because they're the Howard Government. I know all political parties engage in disgusting partisan politics and bullshit, but it seems to me that under this government it's become even more prevalent. I don't see how anyone can look at politics these days and think it's a noble calling. Not with the clowns we have in Parliament now, anyway.

Here ends the day's armchair opinionating.

My god, cause for celebrations!

A new planet found...

and:

A woman so big she may as well be a planet leaves politics!!

YEAH!

Yes, I'm in a silly mood.