Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Can't Count

Our television industry has got its knickers in a knot about who *wins* the audience each night. But it's a meaningless debate that only interests the moguls. And the vested interests.

Last night the early evening television audience looked like this - according to the stats in Crikey today.

Seven News (6pm) - 1.244 million
Nine News (6pm) - 1.170 million
Today Tonight (Seven) (6.30pm) - 1.131 million
ABC News (7pm) - 1.013 million

I mean really who cares who wins in this game? Does it matter that the *winner* has 231k more viewers than the *loser* - especially when the *winner* accounts for about 5% of the Australian population?

Five percent of the Australian population is barely enough people to cause a Sydney CBD traffic jam, Virginia.

Wonder what the other 18.5 million people were doing at the time?

Most of us were doing something else - probably much more interesting than listening to some artificially made up bogan talk sweetly about some event that their boss' boss thinks is of interest.

This is an industry that is way overdue for a makeover. They need to find a way to intrude upon the evening of the bulk of our population. Then they would be taken a bit more seriously.

Monday, January 17, 2011

The Government

Of course with all the chaos that is happening around the nation - we need to find someone or something to blame.

Bushfires here, floods there and probably even a roaming iceberg creating mayhem somewhere off Queensland ;-)

Let’s blame the Government.

Hell yes governments and politicians deserve blame - I mean we elect them to the big seats so they can take the blame when things go wrong.

But in the case of floods and bushfires they probably deserve it. Well they usually aren't responsible for the *actual event* - which as any god fearing conservative will tell you is an "act of god". But they did allow the bogans to build there - right in the path of the flood or bushfire - and took large fees for the privilege of issuing the stamp of approval.

And in many cases they even gave them real money to buy there - with the "First Home Vendors Grant".

So no wonder the insurance companies are holding back - all they took was a measly annual premium. Peanuts really.

The State Governments took fees, charges, stamp duty, payroll taxes, GST and a raft of other taxes. And then they paid some of the people to go live there. And so did the Federal Government.

So it is probably only right and proper that they cop the blame and pay the bill.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Decline of the Empire

I think 2011 is going to be the year that the USA implodes.

In the way that the Berlin Wall came down in late 1989, the US will likely implode due to people power sometime later this year. I predict this because I have been looking at and listening to their citizens express an opinion - like those on Fox News and in the Tea Party. Apparently these folks think that they represent the *nation*. This is a huge embarrassment - even if it isn't true.

If they actually were stupid enough to start another war then they would probably be decimated - but the dingbats think that a new war would rejuvenate their economy. They have convinced themselves that wars are good for them.

Wars used to be good for them back around 1942 when they created jobs and employed millions of tradespersons but these days the hardware already exists and all it needs is a button push to launch. Besides haven't they run out of cannon fodder yet? Perhaps they will let a few more Mexicans in to help ;-)

The main problem is that the people of the US and their obtuse opinions are *very* divorced from reality. Mostly they have no clue about what goes on outside their borders. They have become so insular and inward looking that they think the *war* option is feasible.

Who will they invade next? Iran or North Korea? Canada? Mexico? DC?

The real problem is that the previous President - the junior Bush so mismanaged their economy during his dim-witted 8 years that it will probably take another 25 years to recover. And the incumbent President Obama wants to be seen as a *nice guy* - he hasn't yet worked out what the game is. He needs to grow a pair and start talking tough. And kick a few Republican heads - hard.

And delivering with some jobs. He needs to generate lots of jobs because with 10% unemployment - the US bogan class will have plenty of time to sit at home watching Fox News, drinking Bud and working out how to start another war. And buying more guns to protect themselves - from each other ;-)

So build some infrastructure, upgrade your roads, build some schools and libraries, and invest in your health system.

Oops I just realised that your debt is so out of control and you can't afford to do that - courtesy of Junior Bush's profligate ways - so you will need to find another path.

Or just let it implode.

Ukranian Activists

I wonder if Fox News and the rest of the Murdoch echo chamber - echo chamber has the guts to publish this image and associated story and tell their audience why?

Thursday, January 13, 2011

The Political Lag

I reckon the political lag is about 5 years.

That is the time between when the *thinkers* decide that a particular politician is past his or her use by date and when the *punters* decide to evict them.

It happened with the lying little rodent and it is now happening with Mike Rann.

The depth of anti Rann feeling that I have come across in South Australia over the past couple of weeks is rather frightening. The man is widely despised. And unusually, the majority of South Australian's are quite happy to say so.

The best reason I can discover is that the people have moved on - but he hasn't. They are completely over his feeble attempts at spin and embellishment and have finally woken up to the fact that he has done nothing of substance and never will. They think he is a plasticine man and they want him gone. How unreasonable of them ;-)

Whereas he thinks that he can keep up the BS and spin and everything will be OK. After all that is what has got him through his entire career to date.

This would make a very interesting case study in perceptions. I hope someone in one of the Universities is studying it.

It's a big dilemma - I wonder how it will be resolved?

Monday, January 10, 2011

And The Answer Is

Because something is seriously broken in the USA.

* Their political rhetoric is way out of control. Particularly that of the extreme right.

* Their media fan the flames of ignorance - none more than Fox News and friends.

* Their people are mostly uninformed, uneducated and ignorant.

* They take their guns to bed with them and on holiday - because they are scared - of something.

* They still don't understand 9/11. And that is very scary.

* Their Government has been caught lying to them - as documented by Wikileaks.

* And still they want to close it down - because they are both dumb and patriotic.

* They go to war on a whim and demonise anyone who is different.

* They use their poor boys and girls as cannon fodder.

* They consume resources at a fearsome rate and have no concept of conservation.

* They are racist and bogan and hateful - to the extreme.

* Few of them travel - fewer internationally.

* Because they have become the Roman Empire of the 21st century.

And we all know what happened to that.

Rhetorical Question

Michael Moore said "If a Detroit Muslim put a map on the web w/crosshairs on 20 pols, then 1 of them got shot, where would he b sitting right now? Just asking."

Exactly.

The *numbnut* right including Sarah Palin and all the others who are rampaging across the US with the support of the Republicans and Fox News - should consider their next steps very carefully. Perhaps Mr Murdoch might like to take some personal responsibility - for a change.

And I have a rhetorical question or two?

Why is it that the *numbnuts* try to assassinate the folks who do good - usually Democrats and people concerned for the welfare of others - John Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and now Gabrielle Giffords? Apparently Ms Giffords supported the Obama Health Care Bill - so I suppose she *deserved* it.

And they usually end up killing bystanders as well - 6 yesterday.

Why doesn't anyone try to assassinate the Sarah Palin's or the George Bush's or the Dick Cheney's of this world? Just asking.