I'm aware that this isn't particularly ground-breaking, this video has been doing the rounds, but I want to post it here so I can remember it later.
If you haven't seen it, it's another one of those 're-cut' movie trailers, this time featuring Harry Potter and the Brokeback music - remarkably effective. And as Virginia says, "the power of a soundtrack". Listen to it through headphones, or on something with good sound and it will make you teary.
Very clever.
Sunday, 30 November 2008
Friday, 7 November 2008
A new day
Well, I can barely even believe it happened.
Looking back at the sparse posting over the last year on this blog, you can see how caught up I've been in Obama's push for the White House.
Way back at the start of 2006 I emailed Dr Mike and suggested that we try to find out more about the young Obama who was just starting his rise - there was something exciting about him. We agreed that though it was unlikely he'd get past Hilary in a selection battle, he was a talent to keep an eye on. And so he was.
After one of the most extraordinary campaigns in US history, America (and the world) has its first African-American president and what a man he appears to be.
For the first time in my life, the world has a politician who has shamelessly embraced the big picture, who sees value in inspiring hope and unity, who speaks of an enormous vision, who can give a speech that reduces people to tears and inspires them to try to make a difference.
The US is in a horrible dark hole and it will take a giant effort to pull it back into the light. The challenges are enormous, but to have a leader elected who can inspire and galvanise an entire nation is a truly wonderful thing.
Among the phenomenal catalogue of great speeches that Barack Obama has already delivered (can you even imagine what's to come!?), the clip below is among one of the best moments I've seen. That two friends (Joseph and Jo) were actually there to witness it makes me green with envy (Joseph writes about it here). Delivered in Manassas, Virginia, it was Obama's final campaign rally - the night before election day. Obama demonstrates his story-telling skills in a genuinely funny retelling of a story from the campaign trail that ends in a stirring call to arms.
As Helen wrote to me in an email having just watched the clip below: "won't somebody please make this man the President of the Unites States. Oh wait..."
And as a parting salute to the most brilliantly run campaign ever seen, here is a photo of a pumpkin pie made by Snaz, an expat in London watching the results roll in until 5am when she finally got to bed very tired, but very happy, a new dawn in America.
Looking back at the sparse posting over the last year on this blog, you can see how caught up I've been in Obama's push for the White House.
Way back at the start of 2006 I emailed Dr Mike and suggested that we try to find out more about the young Obama who was just starting his rise - there was something exciting about him. We agreed that though it was unlikely he'd get past Hilary in a selection battle, he was a talent to keep an eye on. And so he was.
After one of the most extraordinary campaigns in US history, America (and the world) has its first African-American president and what a man he appears to be.
For the first time in my life, the world has a politician who has shamelessly embraced the big picture, who sees value in inspiring hope and unity, who speaks of an enormous vision, who can give a speech that reduces people to tears and inspires them to try to make a difference.
The US is in a horrible dark hole and it will take a giant effort to pull it back into the light. The challenges are enormous, but to have a leader elected who can inspire and galvanise an entire nation is a truly wonderful thing.
Among the phenomenal catalogue of great speeches that Barack Obama has already delivered (can you even imagine what's to come!?), the clip below is among one of the best moments I've seen. That two friends (Joseph and Jo) were actually there to witness it makes me green with envy (Joseph writes about it here). Delivered in Manassas, Virginia, it was Obama's final campaign rally - the night before election day. Obama demonstrates his story-telling skills in a genuinely funny retelling of a story from the campaign trail that ends in a stirring call to arms.
As Helen wrote to me in an email having just watched the clip below: "won't somebody please make this man the President of the Unites States. Oh wait..."
And as a parting salute to the most brilliantly run campaign ever seen, here is a photo of a pumpkin pie made by Snaz, an expat in London watching the results roll in until 5am when she finally got to bed very tired, but very happy, a new dawn in America.
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
Friday, 24 October 2008
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
Thursday, 9 October 2008
FRIV!
OMG
Is it really almost a year since I ded the last Friday Random Interweb Video post?
Goodness, I've really let the team down haven't I.
Well, here you go (all two of you).
First of all, you may remember this post from some time ago about movie trailers recut to mean something entirely different. Well here is the latest one I've come across, courtesy of Defamer Australia.
Bat Toy Story 2
This next one is for people who have eleven minutes to spare to watch something that should be utterly tedious. I found myself watching this almost in tears. I don't really know how to explain why I find it so moving.
After Tuesday night's presidential debate, most major television channels cut to expert panels or to other programming. But C-SPAN stayed with a live feed and the cameras were kept running as the candidates stayed in the studio to talk casually with the audience. The footage, shot without commentary, is fascinating (if you're into that sort of thing).
For the first few minutes, the McCains and the Obamas share the space. What is immediately evident is John (and Cindy) McCain's awkwardness. After a couple of minutes (during which McCain appears to snub Barack Obama's offered handshake), the McCain's disappear backstage.
What follows is an extraordinary ten minutes of Barack and Michelle Obama individually greeting EVERY SINGLE MEMBER of the audience, taking time to talk, shake hands, sign autographs, hug people and have their photos taken. It demonstrates better than any campaign ad or stump speech ever could, how Barack Obama appears to genuinely be a "Man of the People". The ease with which he works the crowd, the smiles on the faces of those around him, the palpable excitement of those he speaks to (ie everyone) is amazing to watch.
Is it really almost a year since I ded the last Friday Random Interweb Video post?
Goodness, I've really let the team down haven't I.
Well, here you go (all two of you).
First of all, you may remember this post from some time ago about movie trailers recut to mean something entirely different. Well here is the latest one I've come across, courtesy of Defamer Australia.
This next one is for people who have eleven minutes to spare to watch something that should be utterly tedious. I found myself watching this almost in tears. I don't really know how to explain why I find it so moving.
After Tuesday night's presidential debate, most major television channels cut to expert panels or to other programming. But C-SPAN stayed with a live feed and the cameras were kept running as the candidates stayed in the studio to talk casually with the audience. The footage, shot without commentary, is fascinating (if you're into that sort of thing).
For the first few minutes, the McCains and the Obamas share the space. What is immediately evident is John (and Cindy) McCain's awkwardness. After a couple of minutes (during which McCain appears to snub Barack Obama's offered handshake), the McCain's disappear backstage.
What follows is an extraordinary ten minutes of Barack and Michelle Obama individually greeting EVERY SINGLE MEMBER of the audience, taking time to talk, shake hands, sign autographs, hug people and have their photos taken. It demonstrates better than any campaign ad or stump speech ever could, how Barack Obama appears to genuinely be a "Man of the People". The ease with which he works the crowd, the smiles on the faces of those around him, the palpable excitement of those he speaks to (ie everyone) is amazing to watch.
Friday, 3 October 2008
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
Lost in America as metaphor for Wall St meltdown
This is brilliant, but I won't post it here because it will be lifting the entire post from Boing Boing.
Go and watch and read.
Go and watch and read.
Sunday, 14 September 2008
I got this!
As Dr Mike has just alerted me, Possum's latest post (on the NEW BLOG) suggests that the post-GOP Convention polls were just that - the standard post-convention bounce. The polls seem to be settling back down.
I have a feeling the outrageous Republican attack ads of the last two weeks might just come back to bite them. They've been too ludicrous, too sleazy, too unbelievable to actually help the Republicans. And if Sarah Palin's first interview is anything to go by, she'll continue to show herself to be the political novice she is.
But ultimately, it's this image from Punditkitchen.com that's making me feel better and has reminded me of the actual situation. As Possum has said, it's still Obama's to lose.
I have a feeling the outrageous Republican attack ads of the last two weeks might just come back to bite them. They've been too ludicrous, too sleazy, too unbelievable to actually help the Republicans. And if Sarah Palin's first interview is anything to go by, she'll continue to show herself to be the political novice she is.
But ultimately, it's this image from Punditkitchen.com that's making me feel better and has reminded me of the actual situation. As Possum has said, it's still Obama's to lose.
Friday, 12 September 2008
Two reasons why America needs to not let us down
Jon Stewart on the differences between McCain and Bush.
And Think Progress notes the nasty tone taken towards 'Community Organisers' at the Republican Convention. Clever editing sure, but disturbing nonetheless.
McCain Palin. Do Not Want!
And Think Progress notes the nasty tone taken towards 'Community Organisers' at the Republican Convention. Clever editing sure, but disturbing nonetheless.
McCain Palin. Do Not Want!
Sunday, 24 August 2008
Possum gets serious
Possumcommitatus was THE indispensable Australian (statistical) politics blog last year. Looks like things are stepping up a notch. Hoorays!
Gosh there's been a lot of video posts here lately...
Gosh there's been a lot of video posts here lately...
Tuesday, 19 August 2008
And the Tony Award for "Best Girl as a Guy" goes to...
This piece of Genius from The Onion was brought to my attention by Peter of the now defunct Glutbusters.
I'm proud to say that on our recent trip to the States we shared a lunch table with the Onion's appropriately hip, young, spunky marketing manager. So, you know, I am essentially responsible for this (leave credit card details in the comments kthx).
I'm proud to say that on our recent trip to the States we shared a lunch table with the Onion's appropriately hip, young, spunky marketing manager. So, you know, I am essentially responsible for this (leave credit card details in the comments kthx).
Sunday, 10 August 2008
Wednesday, 6 August 2008
Monday, 4 August 2008
An post
I'm working from home today, which is both good and bad. Good because, well because I'm at home, but bad because when you work at home, there's no escape from work. That may sound like an obvious thing to say, but think about it for a minute.
If you have somewhere to go to work, an office, a separate building, you are physically placing yourself in a different environment. You are surrounded by workly possessions and accoutrements, you have other people around you doing work-type things, you dress in work clothes, you talk work talk, you 'meet', you organise, arrange and produce.
When you're at home, even if you have a special room, you're still at home which means that when you finish your work, there's no transition. You're already at home. There's no commute, no time to wind down, to remove worky thoughts from your mind.
Consequently, working from home, for all its glamorous connotations kinda sucks. It either leads to horrendous procrastinationlike blogging, or a soul-crushing slog that stretches well into the post-work time as your mind struggles to disconnect. I've long harboured a fantasy of getting a job on 'teh internets' so that I can be "somewhere else": down the coast, in the country. But to be honest I'm not sure how well that would go.
I know your no-shoe-wearingXavier Rudd's hippies love to pour scorn on people who work in offices. "I'll never have an office job man, I'd rather be dead" etc. But I suspect it's because they've never tried working at home. Still.
In other news, I have succumbed to the evils of Facebook. As I mentioned in my previous post, there's been a lot of physical movement among friends of late and even those who are still in town seem to have been maintaining a steely radio silence. It's become a little eerie. Not to mention lonely.
And sure enough, like lifting a rock and discovering a nest of scuttling cockroaches, joining Facebook has uncovered all those missing people. They still exist! It's just that they only seem to socialise via the interwebs in this very specific place.
It reminds me of the Pete Seeger classic, "Where have all the flowers gone?". They've all gone to freakin' Facebook that's where.
So yes, I've joined the throng because I felt left out.
I still resent it though...
If you have somewhere to go to work, an office, a separate building, you are physically placing yourself in a different environment. You are surrounded by workly possessions and accoutrements, you have other people around you doing work-type things, you dress in work clothes, you talk work talk, you 'meet', you organise, arrange and produce.
When you're at home, even if you have a special room, you're still at home which means that when you finish your work, there's no transition. You're already at home. There's no commute, no time to wind down, to remove worky thoughts from your mind.
Consequently, working from home, for all its glamorous connotations kinda sucks. It either leads to horrendous procrastination
I know your no-shoe-wearing
In other news, I have succumbed to the evils of Facebook. As I mentioned in my previous post, there's been a lot of physical movement among friends of late and even those who are still in town seem to have been maintaining a steely radio silence. It's become a little eerie. Not to mention lonely.
And sure enough, like lifting a rock and discovering a nest of scuttling cockroaches, joining Facebook has uncovered all those missing people. They still exist! It's just that they only seem to socialise via the interwebs in this very specific place.
It reminds me of the Pete Seeger classic, "Where have all the flowers gone?". They've all gone to freakin' Facebook that's where.
So yes, I've joined the throng because I felt left out.
I still resent it though...
Sunday, 27 July 2008
Back!
I have just returned from three glorious weeks of holidays in the good ole US of A. Weeks of sunny, dry 30+ degree days, sun tans, drinking, eating, driving, walking, marvelling. All the things a holiday should be.
Who knew (well it was predictable really) that I would fall in love with Colorado and it's spectacular mountains, crystal-clear rivers, cute and cuddly animals (like whistle pigs!) and wholesome wholesome outdoorsey hipsters? This was my second visit to the States (the first in 2002) and I continue to be astounded by the sheer size and variety of the place. It's also fun to be treated as a novelty - not the case in Britain where Australians are to be found under every rock - though we were confused with all sorts of random nationalities.
It was nice to get away from the cold of a Melbourne winter (although I must admit to being a little excited about the prospect of freezing temperatures and rain. Seriously. There's something about dragon's breath and doonas and heaters and coats that is very comforting. I mean I like the sun and all - but still...).
I don't actually have much to report. My blogly silence is a symptom of a new job that has kept me busy and prevented the sort of mind-wandering that leads to postings. A number of friends have left for the overseas for indefinite periods which feels a bit odd. Others are making Big Life Decisions about houses and permanent and official hitchings and hatchlings and the like. *sigh*
Still, I have a few minor blogging ideas that I might trot out if youse are lucky.
Till then...
Who knew (well it was predictable really) that I would fall in love with Colorado and it's spectacular mountains, crystal-clear rivers, cute and cuddly animals (like whistle pigs!) and wholesome wholesome outdoorsey hipsters? This was my second visit to the States (the first in 2002) and I continue to be astounded by the sheer size and variety of the place. It's also fun to be treated as a novelty - not the case in Britain where Australians are to be found under every rock - though we were confused with all sorts of random nationalities.
It was nice to get away from the cold of a Melbourne winter (although I must admit to being a little excited about the prospect of freezing temperatures and rain. Seriously. There's something about dragon's breath and doonas and heaters and coats that is very comforting. I mean I like the sun and all - but still...).
I don't actually have much to report. My blogly silence is a symptom of a new job that has kept me busy and prevented the sort of mind-wandering that leads to postings. A number of friends have left for the overseas for indefinite periods which feels a bit odd. Others are making Big Life Decisions about houses and permanent and official hitchings and hatchlings and the like. *sigh*
Still, I have a few minor blogging ideas that I might trot out if youse are lucky.
Till then...
Monday, 5 May 2008
Sunday, 4 May 2008
Elsewhere
Shrieking, Hysterical and Desperate. CC on Sam Newman and the most recent Footy Show outrage.
Saturday, 19 April 2008
The monster post that was
So I've written and re-written a mammoth post to try to describe the trip to the Pitjantjantjara lands but there's just too much to do it any justice.
It was an extraordinary experience. Confronting, beautiful, moving. It's difficult to believe we have places like these in this country. The lives people in these communities lead is so far removed from anything in my experience that it was quite humbling to see the problems first hand and to catch a glimpse of what European settlement has done to the Aboriginal people.
So rather than try to explain what it was like in words, here are a couple of photos that will at least give you a feel for the whole thing.
The most devastating thing were the kids. Such little people whose lives of almost certain destitution, ill-health and abuse seem to be mapped out already. The last weekend we were in Yalata someone estimated that there were probably 80 to 100 kids in town (most about this old) and maybe 30 adults. Their parents had left for the weekend to go to Ceduna to drink.
We had a brief side trip to the Head of the Bight. The cliffs start at this point and stretch unbroken for over 800km. In the other direction was low-lying beach and dunes.
It was an extraordinary experience. Confronting, beautiful, moving. It's difficult to believe we have places like these in this country. The lives people in these communities lead is so far removed from anything in my experience that it was quite humbling to see the problems first hand and to catch a glimpse of what European settlement has done to the Aboriginal people.
So rather than try to explain what it was like in words, here are a couple of photos that will at least give you a feel for the whole thing.
The rubbish was astonishing and confronting.
Oak Valley
It rained one night.
The most devastating thing were the kids. Such little people whose lives of almost certain destitution, ill-health and abuse seem to be mapped out already. The last weekend we were in Yalata someone estimated that there were probably 80 to 100 kids in town (most about this old) and maybe 30 adults. Their parents had left for the weekend to go to Ceduna to drink.
The lake was dry on the way out to Oak Valley, but the overnight rain made a difference.
We had a brief side trip to the Head of the Bight. The cliffs start at this point and stretch unbroken for over 800km. In the other direction was low-lying beach and dunes.
Monday, 14 April 2008
Tuesday, 8 April 2008
New Flickr addition
Well, we're back. And it was extraordinary as expected.
I'm currently working on a monster post to explain all about the trip, but in the meantime, Virginia has alerted me to the Powerhouse Museum's photo collection that has recently been loaded to Flickr. It's mesmerising.
The photos are mainly of Sydney (like this one of Bondi beach at the turn of the 20th century)
But it's fascinating nonetheless.
Powerhouse should be congratulated for opening up their collection in this way.
I'm currently working on a monster post to explain all about the trip, but in the meantime, Virginia has alerted me to the Powerhouse Museum's photo collection that has recently been loaded to Flickr. It's mesmerising.
The photos are mainly of Sydney (like this one of Bondi beach at the turn of the 20th century)
But it's fascinating nonetheless.
Powerhouse should be congratulated for opening up their collection in this way.
Thursday, 27 March 2008
Into the unkown
Tomorrow morning at 7:30, Snooze and I will pile our stuff into a 4WD and start out on a 1,700km journey to a place called Yalata.
We will spend a couple of days in this remote aboriginal community and then head to Oak Valley, an even more remote aboriginal community 500kms or so North West of Yalata. Right in the guts of the country.
The reason for the trip is a book that Snooze is editing about the Anangu communities in these settlements. Yalata and Oak valley are the end result of the aboriginal displacement caused by the Maralinga nuclear test range. I expect it will be quite confronting but also quite extraordinary.
Despite living all my life in this country, I have never ventured into what can genuinely be called the Outback. I've spent plenty of time in the Bush, but never the deserts. I think it might be quite alien but I am very much looking forward to it.
If I feel it's appropriate I might blog about it when I get back home.
In the meantime, wish us luck...
We will spend a couple of days in this remote aboriginal community and then head to Oak Valley, an even more remote aboriginal community 500kms or so North West of Yalata. Right in the guts of the country.
The reason for the trip is a book that Snooze is editing about the Anangu communities in these settlements. Yalata and Oak valley are the end result of the aboriginal displacement caused by the Maralinga nuclear test range. I expect it will be quite confronting but also quite extraordinary.
Despite living all my life in this country, I have never ventured into what can genuinely be called the Outback. I've spent plenty of time in the Bush, but never the deserts. I think it might be quite alien but I am very much looking forward to it.
If I feel it's appropriate I might blog about it when I get back home.
In the meantime, wish us luck...
Wednesday, 5 March 2008
"Mmm...genius"
I know all that's gone on here in the last few months is purely blog filler, but meh.
I think I'm in love with Michael Bay.
"I demand things to be awesome"
In other news, this is my 200th post on Itemisation. Happy bicentenary to me!
I think I'm in love with Michael Bay.
"I demand things to be awesome"
In other news, this is my 200th post on Itemisation. Happy bicentenary to me!
Monday, 18 February 2008
Sunday, 17 February 2008
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Spotted near Sydney Rd
Apparently posted by an international student.
Don't know if it's for reals or not, but it's funny either way.
Don't know if it's for reals or not, but it's funny either way.
Thursday, 10 January 2008
Want!
This is truly ace. The things people can do with technology. This is gaming 3.0 for Playstation 3.
It's a longish video, but skip a few minutes in for the fun.
It's a longish video, but skip a few minutes in for the fun.
Hello (cool change), is it me you're looking for?
Courtesy of (and apologies to) Lionel Ritchie
Thankyou. Donations welcomed.
UPDATE: And right on cue, here it comes.
A brief lesson in the BOM's weather mappage.
This is the extremely cool new Doppler Wind indicator that was introduced late last year (click to embiggen). It shows the shift in air towards (blue) and away from (red) the central weather radar. The darker the colours, the faster the air speed. In essence, this is showing the prevailing winds at any given moment.
You can see from this screen grab (taken a short while ago with my pretty green arrows added) that the change is literally sweeping through from the South West.
The green arrow on the right (pointing down) shows the wind direction in Melbourne at present, moving from the blue patches to the North West to the red patches in the South East. A howling North Westerly wind (note the dark red patches in the bottom right corner), hence the ridiculous heat.
The green arrow on the left (point up) is the band of cold air being pushed through with the change, switching the wind direction from the North West to the South West, bringing all that Antarcticy goodness.
Whee!
I've been alone with you inside my mind
And in my dreams I've kissed your lips a thousand times
I sometimes see you pass outside my door
Hello (cool change), is it me you're looking for?
I can see it in your eyes
I can see it in your smile
You're all I've ever wanted, (and) my arms are open wide
'Cause you know just what to say
And you know just what to do
And I want to tell you so much, I love you ...
I long to see the sunlight in your (h)air
And tell you time and time again how much I care
Sometimes I feel my heart will overflow
Hello (cool change), I've just got to let you know
'Cause I wonder where you are
And I wonder what you do
Are you somewhere feeling lonely, or is someone loving you?
Tell me how to win your heart
For I haven't got a clue
But let me start by saying, I love you ...
Hello (cool change), is it me you're looking for?
'Cause I wonder where you are
And I wonder what you do
Are you somewhere feeling lonely or is someone loving you?
Tell me how to win your heart
For I haven't got a clue
But let me start by saying ... I love you
Thankyou. Donations welcomed.
UPDATE: And right on cue, here it comes.
A brief lesson in the BOM's weather mappage.
This is the extremely cool new Doppler Wind indicator that was introduced late last year (click to embiggen). It shows the shift in air towards (blue) and away from (red) the central weather radar. The darker the colours, the faster the air speed. In essence, this is showing the prevailing winds at any given moment.
You can see from this screen grab (taken a short while ago with my pretty green arrows added) that the change is literally sweeping through from the South West.
The green arrow on the right (pointing down) shows the wind direction in Melbourne at present, moving from the blue patches to the North West to the red patches in the South East. A howling North Westerly wind (note the dark red patches in the bottom right corner), hence the ridiculous heat.
The green arrow on the left (point up) is the band of cold air being pushed through with the change, switching the wind direction from the North West to the South West, bringing all that Antarcticy goodness.
Whee!
Wednesday, 9 January 2008
Monday, 7 January 2008
The spirit of the game
Australia's extraordinary last minute victory in the second test was one of those great moments that only test cricket can deliver. After five days of high quality cricket it all came down to the last few overs. With long shadows cast by the fielding team grouped impossibly tightly around the batsman, the rambling, drunken chants of the fans too boozed to notice the tension, and every ball carrying the threat or promise of defeat, it was an hour or two of test cricket at its best.
Except.
Fucken Ricky Ponting.
With all the grace of a petulant 12 year old, the captain of the Australian cricket team, intimidated, complained and bitched and moaned his way through the entire final day. With Michael Clarke's third wicket in one over delivering the seemingly impossible, Ricky Ponting led the celebrations, thrusting his pelvis towards the Indian dressing room before leaping around with his team mates, oblivious to the shattered Anil Kumble whose stoic innings had come to nothing as he watched from the bowler's end as his hapless team disintegrated in front of him.
Poor little Ishant Sharma, the 19 year-old in only his third test, who had come to the wicket not two balls before with two right-hand gloves (he had to call back to the dressing room for a left-hand and was abused by Ponting for his efforts for presumably wasting time) stood disbelieving as the Australians cavorted around him. It was Sharma who had been robbed (by Symonds own admission) of the early wicket of Andrew Symonds in the first innings and it was Sharma who congratulated him some 130 runs later when he finally left the field. Despite his sporting gesture earlier in the game he was ignored by the Aussies as they indulged in an orgy of self-congratulation.
Some commentators have compared the Australian celebrations to the now famous moment when England won the second test of the 2005 Ashes series (in very similar circumstances) and Andrew Flintoff knelt to console the devastated Brett Lee.
None of that for the Aussies against India.
Some (most notably in today's Age, Peter Roebuck) have started to call for Ponting's removal as captain. I tend to agree, not simply because of his performance in Sydney, but because I don't think he's ever been worthy of the post. There's no doubt he is one of the greatest batsmen in the world, but the captain of the Australian cricket team needs to be more than just a good cricketer. Ponting has never been a diplomat, he's never been humble, or sensitive to how his actions (and those of his team) may be interpreted by others. If he was just another player that would be fine. But he's not. He's the captain and therefore the spokesman for the Australian team.
It's almost exclusively his lack of diplomacy that has brought on the whole crisis with the current tour. With jaw-dropping hypocrisy, Ponting insisted that the issue with Harbhajan be dealt with through official channels. Harbhajan's apparent verbal abuse of Symonds should not be encouraged, but I shudder to think of the barrage of comments from the Australians that goaded him into it.
The Australian preciousness over 'racial slurs' is ludicrous given their infamy for saying anything and everything to opposition batsmen to (as some may say) get under their goat. Apparently it's all very well to swear like a sailor, but call someone a monkey!? One could suggest some perspective is in order.
And then, just to cap it all off, the Indian Cricket Board has reacted as hysterically as possible and canceled the tour 'pending the appeal' of Harbhajan's misdemeanor - essentially blackmailing the ICC into overturning the ruling.
If the Australian's, led by Ricky Ponting had behaved with a little more decorum, if they had dealt with Harbhajan on the ground at the time with Tendulkar as mediator, if they had refused to intimidate the umpires and had accepted their decisions and if they had congratulated their opponents for one of the few genuinely competitive games they've played in recent years, the second test in Sydney would be remembered as one of the great contests - an equal to the second test at Edgbaston. Instead, we now have a summer of cricket that will be, at best, overshadowed by the nastiness of the Australian team's attitude and at worst non-existent.
Ponting would do well to acknowledge that however much they claim it's just about winning, cricket is so much more than that.
Except.
Fucken Ricky Ponting.
With all the grace of a petulant 12 year old, the captain of the Australian cricket team, intimidated, complained and bitched and moaned his way through the entire final day. With Michael Clarke's third wicket in one over delivering the seemingly impossible, Ricky Ponting led the celebrations, thrusting his pelvis towards the Indian dressing room before leaping around with his team mates, oblivious to the shattered Anil Kumble whose stoic innings had come to nothing as he watched from the bowler's end as his hapless team disintegrated in front of him.
Poor little Ishant Sharma, the 19 year-old in only his third test, who had come to the wicket not two balls before with two right-hand gloves (he had to call back to the dressing room for a left-hand and was abused by Ponting for his efforts for presumably wasting time) stood disbelieving as the Australians cavorted around him. It was Sharma who had been robbed (by Symonds own admission) of the early wicket of Andrew Symonds in the first innings and it was Sharma who congratulated him some 130 runs later when he finally left the field. Despite his sporting gesture earlier in the game he was ignored by the Aussies as they indulged in an orgy of self-congratulation.
Some commentators have compared the Australian celebrations to the now famous moment when England won the second test of the 2005 Ashes series (in very similar circumstances) and Andrew Flintoff knelt to console the devastated Brett Lee.
None of that for the Aussies against India.
Some (most notably in today's Age, Peter Roebuck) have started to call for Ponting's removal as captain. I tend to agree, not simply because of his performance in Sydney, but because I don't think he's ever been worthy of the post. There's no doubt he is one of the greatest batsmen in the world, but the captain of the Australian cricket team needs to be more than just a good cricketer. Ponting has never been a diplomat, he's never been humble, or sensitive to how his actions (and those of his team) may be interpreted by others. If he was just another player that would be fine. But he's not. He's the captain and therefore the spokesman for the Australian team.
It's almost exclusively his lack of diplomacy that has brought on the whole crisis with the current tour. With jaw-dropping hypocrisy, Ponting insisted that the issue with Harbhajan be dealt with through official channels. Harbhajan's apparent verbal abuse of Symonds should not be encouraged, but I shudder to think of the barrage of comments from the Australians that goaded him into it.
The Australian preciousness over 'racial slurs' is ludicrous given their infamy for saying anything and everything to opposition batsmen to (as some may say) get under their goat. Apparently it's all very well to swear like a sailor, but call someone a monkey!? One could suggest some perspective is in order.
And then, just to cap it all off, the Indian Cricket Board has reacted as hysterically as possible and canceled the tour 'pending the appeal' of Harbhajan's misdemeanor - essentially blackmailing the ICC into overturning the ruling.
If the Australian's, led by Ricky Ponting had behaved with a little more decorum, if they had dealt with Harbhajan on the ground at the time with Tendulkar as mediator, if they had refused to intimidate the umpires and had accepted their decisions and if they had congratulated their opponents for one of the few genuinely competitive games they've played in recent years, the second test in Sydney would be remembered as one of the great contests - an equal to the second test at Edgbaston. Instead, we now have a summer of cricket that will be, at best, overshadowed by the nastiness of the Australian team's attitude and at worst non-existent.
Ponting would do well to acknowledge that however much they claim it's just about winning, cricket is so much more than that.
Thursday, 3 January 2008
Drinkemisation
The following post is brought to you by the letter Snooze.
Being back at work makes me feel like this:
The heat makes me feel like this:
and this:
The prospect of some kind of cooling beverage after work:
Indeed.
Being back at work makes me feel like this:
The heat makes me feel like this:
and this:
The prospect of some kind of cooling beverage after work:
Indeed.
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