Shamefacedly, and on today of all Adelaide days, the pond must admit it only just caught up with the idea of footballification, as perpetrated by James O'Brien ...
The pond immediately thought of Dame Slap and the voice, out yet again today, and with "emotion" the new reptile buzz word ...
Is that a suggestion that Dame Slap is the voice of reason?
Dear sweet long absent lord, moving right along, that got the pond to recalling Kurt Vonnegut and Bokonism and granfalloons and false karasses ...
For those who haven't read Cat's Cradle - shame on you - there's a granfalloon wiki, as there should be ...
The opening line is succinct enough: A granfalloon, in the fictional religion of Bokononism (created by Kurt Vonnegut in his 1963 novel Cat's Cradle), is defined as a "false karass". That is, it is a group of people who affect a shared identity or purpose, but whose mutual association is meaningless.
The wiki provided a fine example from the aforementioned Cat's Cradle ...
"His gaze lit on Newt again. "You go to college?"
"Cornell," said Newt.
"Cornell!" cried Crosby gladly. "My God, I went to Cornell."
"So did he." Newt nodded at me.
"Three Cornellians – all in the same plane!" said Crosby, and we had another granfalloon festival on our hands.
"Cornell," said Newt.
"Cornell!" cried Crosby gladly. "My God, I went to Cornell."
"So did he." Newt nodded at me.
"Three Cornellians – all in the same plane!" said Crosby, and we had another granfalloon festival on our hands.
The pond is now going to extend the notion of the "false karass" by noting that PwC and the ABC and their current situations have absolutely nothing in common, but we might be dealing with that concept of footballification ...
Why is this a false karass? Well the mention of PwC is just a feint, a ploy, guilt by association ... the real purpose and aim is to pander to the reptiles and dump all over the ABC ...
Naturally this false karass was accompanied by copious photos, naturally downsized by the pond ...
"My God, I once worked for the ABC".
Two former ABC workers on the same blog ... and with the same ability to link associations into a meaningless morass and miasma of blather ...
Take a bow, John Simpson AM ... for furthering the reptile cause of ritual ABC bashing ...
And here's an immortal Rowe to celebrate the outing ...
As for the rest, it was slim pickings this day, because the pond will never pander to the reptile taste for tranny bashing and the lizard Oz editorialist was at it again today ...
As for talking up the UK trade deal, already dead in the water, or a Cyber corp, juxtaposed with AI transforming teaching, is it any wonder that the pond settled for "Ned" as the bonus?
What about Joh? What about Albert Field? What about the subsequent election campaign? During the tumultuous election campaign precipitated by Whitlam's dismissal by the governor-general John Kerr, Bjelke-Petersen alleged that Queensland police investigations had uncovered damaging documentation in relation to the Loans Affair. This documentation was never made public and these allegations remained unsubstantiated. (wiki)
Come to think of it, what about the hanging premier, Henry Bolte? He managed to hang around - if you'll forgive the dire notion - for some 17 years, a pain in the but to everyone, and possibly the reason that Victoria still tends to elect Labor governments ...
And what about Sir Thomas Playford? He hung around before the war and after it, and according to the wiki, stayed premier from 1938 to 1965.
When the pond lived among the maiden aunts and the wisteria, there was still wistful talk of the Playmander, and the town still showed signs of its Playfordisation, being a dull backwater anxious to don pink pants, safari suits and hurl back the tide ...
Never mind, at that point the reptiles flung in a snap designed to send Killer Creighton into a frenzy ...
Unless you happen to be into footballification and false karasses, and then the west becomes foreign and 'other' and deeply weird ...
"That is surely an unprecedented result for any ALP premier in our history"?
So much for Joh, and yet, back in 1975, the Labor party was left with just one certain seat in Queensland and also in WA, as recorded in this archival visit ... and Fraser romped home with a huge - neigh, record - majority (wiki here).
Unfortunately there's no way to get from "Ned" to the infallible Pope of the day, so the pond won't try to do a false karass ...
Finally to a complaint. The reptiles keep tucking away Killer Creighton's report from America ...
Never mind, Killer is in the Rand Paul camp, and never mind that Miss Lindsey is now so famous Vlad the Impaler has demanded his arrest ...
Fancy wanting to be creditworthy ... what the country needs is real men, not that spineless loser ...First Republican publicly supports ousting McCarthy as Speaker
Manly men are standing by and ready for the fight ...
The Killer continues to insert dubious claims as fact into his screeds. Today we have a backhanded compliment to Biden as “maybe… cannier than some give him credit for”, Maintaining the assumption that normally Joe is, at best, an amiable though senile doddering incompetent. Whereas regardless of your view of the man and of this particular outcome, after a 50 year career in politics the bloke has a reputation as a canny deal-maker and his administration has been characterised by this kind of understated achievement. He didn’t even need to hire a ghostwriter to pen a book claiming he was some sort of deal wizard….
ReplyDeleteLater, Killer refers to the “influential” Senator Rand Paul. Yep, he’s so influential that he holds no sort of leadership role within hisParty and resorts to sniping from the sidelines at the actions of his own colleagues. Of course Killer may dub Paul “influential” because of his unswerving devotion to crackpot libertarianism, and particular for his dedicated opposition to and ignoring of anti-COVID measures, particularly mask mandates. Most people, however, wouldn’t really consider that a type of influence of which one should boast.
As for Dame Slap today - does that intro signal that she’s finally realised the truth about NewCorp, and is about to renounce her past allegiances? Somehow I fear not.
:)³ Only the determinedly eccentric Killer could deem Paul "influential" on the basis that eccentric birds of a feather must flock together.
DeleteAs for Biden, the pond did enjoy this in Charlie Sykes' update:
Exit take: Punchbowl’s Max Cohen asked McCarthy how he would describe his interactions with Biden during the negotiations. “Very professional, very smart. Very tough at the same time,” McCarthy replied. (But, wait, haven’t we been reliably assured that the guy is completely senile?)
https://morningshots.thebulwark.com/p/who-won-the-debt-fight
Heh. Somebody can be 'influential' by either attracting people to follow them or by driving hordes of people away from them. Guess which Rand Paul is.
DeleteAnd thanks for the Cat's Cradle reminder, DP: I first read that back in about 1965 which was some years after Sirens of Titan before going back a little later to Player Piano. All of them great works.
Anyway, yes, Bokonon - and isn't that a kind of 'genuine' religion now ? - and Karasses, duprasses and granfalloons. Who else but Vonnegut could have invented them ?
So 'John Simpson AM' is a member of the Centre for Strategy and Governance and somebody who "worked for the ABC" back 37 years ago. What an accomplishment - well worth a "Member of the Order of Australia" award, isn't it. He'd know all there is to know about PwC and ABC, wouldn't he. And being in charge of his own consultancy firm, he'd need all the free publicity he can get, wouldn't he.
ReplyDeleteThe 'Centre for Strategy and Governance' by the way is: "a virtual association of independent consultants who between them have nine AOs, one AC and a bunch of public service medals." Wau again, what a true granfalloon that is.
https://www.themandarin.com.au/107509-the-centre-for-strategy-and-governance-shares-its-views-on-the-aps-review/
Lost trust in anything John Simpson has to say after that article. Is he going to refer the ABC to the police?
ReplyDeleteNo doubt that the vendetta/war against the ABC continues unabated. Perhaps Louise Milligan doing another Four Corners program has sent them all into hyper rage or perhaps the Coalition policy platform is such an empty paddock, there's nothing of a conservative nature to write about and so any article will do.
Some tips for John Simpson - perhaps he should look at the strategic decisions that the Coalition have made over the years in appointing leaders (hacks) who do not believe in public broadcasting to the ABC; a bit like appointing a life member of Collingwood Football Club to run Carlton Football Club [I am definitely going to use footballification going forward; much better than Godwin's law; I hope everyone understands that in Aussie Rules, Collingwood/Carlton are, well, Manchester United/Manchester City, etc]. Not to mention various other strategic Coalition decisions - dare I mention Lorraine Findlay to head the HRC as a minimal example. John's strategic insight is looking at the wrong people. Perhaps also he should reflect that it is the private sector PWC that has betrayed the trust of its clients - hardly the fault of the clients. I am making a strategic decision - I will not be using John anytime soon. More to the point, the reptiles have made a strategic decision to provide a platform for John S - perhaps John might reflect on that, and the increasing irrelevance of News Corp, and by extension, of John. AG.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous AG - if you have not acquired the habit, do treat yourself to some James O'Brien. He is readily available on 'YouTube', within a few hours of his broadcasts to the UK, and I have found him as entertaining as John Crace, while helping maintain healthy perspective on what is happening in what pretends to be 'Government' in the UK.
DeleteI have mentioned here that I lived near the ABC building in Adelaide, and got to know many of the staff through working on projects at the local primary school. Starting in 2000, Maurice Newman was an ABC board member, with a clear brief from his close friend - John Winston Howard - to put the ABC in its place. Seems that was beyond his supposed business skills, so in 2005 one Janet Albrechtsen, and in 2006 Keith Windschuttle, were also appointed to the board. In 2007 Maurice ascended to the chair of the board. A couple of other nonentities, but with unimpeachable Liberal allegiance, were also added to the board.
The word that filtered back to me, through very unofficial channels, (usually while we were laying brick pavers in the school grounds - good time for a chat) was that, while Winston's special corps knew what he wanted, they had trouble (well, were found to be quite incapable of) getting any kind of agreement of, first their opinions on, then their tactics to, destroy the joint. After a few meetings, ABC staff were quite happy - they saw no threat to the organisation during the term of that corps, and the secretariat was happy to let them argue over big policy issues like what to order for lunch.
In spite of that, during Turnbull's daily disaster as Minister for Communications, Albrechtsen was subsequently appointed to the panel to recommend candidates for appointment to the board. That panel distinguished itself by promoting 'efficiency expert' Peter Lewis to the board, as he was fresh from consultancy on 'efficiency', which recommended closing down just about everything the ABC did.
So much for what was then a long-standing tenet of organisational management that you do NOT commission those kinds of studies, then insert the consultant into the organisation structure. Yep, that coalition really, but really, understands 'business'.
It's really quite entertaining just how the 'centre-right party' manages to appoint the most hopeless nongs to do its destructive works. I mean Newman, Albrechtsen and Windschuttle ? Could they do any worse ... apart from the likes of Angus Beef and Sussan Ley that is ? At least nobody has seriously tried to resurrect the Muncher yet and Peta is in her best place living her best life.
DeleteIf you're really keen Chadders you can download the LBC app, and listen in - his 10 am - 1 pm session currently starts at 7 pm Sydney time. Personally I think the preliminary YouTube rants are more digestible. Talk back's talk back wherever it happens or whoever does it, and doesn't inspire the pond. Right at this moment he's rabbiting on about railway unions before the 11 am news, but O'Brien's the meal and the talking from concerned citizens is the filler.
DeleteThank you Dorothy. I had not thought to try the LBC app, after other disappointments with e.g. other broadcast streaming that is identified as 'not available in your area'. Will pursue this one.
DeleteFurther thanks for reminding us of the valuable tenets of Bokonon - starting with the opening one, to 'Live by the Foma that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy'.
The LBC app the pond has isn't region limited, it's not like the BBC (though there are workarounds for them if you care to pay for a VPN). What with O'Brien and Morning Joe turning up on YouTube just as the pond is ready for a nap, it can be a busy schedule, though it has to be noted that the worst thing about Morning Joe is that Joe himself is a terminal bore, always blathering about his time in Congress ... such a price to pay to keep track of life in America ...
DeleteHow good is Ned? He's back - confused but defiant. Some classic lines.
ReplyDelete'In the end, the Premiers were rewarded by the public for their tough stands while Morrison was blamed for what went wrong. Australia finished with an impressive health and economic performance against Covid but Morrison lost the politics.'
[Conclusion - the premiers got it right.]
'A minority of people and business, deeply hurt by his [McGowan's] policies, were bitter. But they were outvoted and outmuscled.'
[Conclusion - the people got it right.]
Then his final para.
To use a footballification, I am left wondering whose side Ned is on - is he pro-Morrison or pro-McGowan, is he anti-Morrison or anti-McGowan? What colours is he wearing? AG.
Oh c'mon, AG, Neddles is just terminally confused as usual.
Delete"Is that a suggestion that Dame Slap is the voice of reason?". She is the voice of reason, but only for those who listen half, understand a quarter and then tell double.
ReplyDeleteI had to head off into the intertubes to find out what had all of us upset with the ABC in 2018. All I could come up with was Emma Alberici accidently saying the quiet bit out loud and one of Cory Bernardi's candidates being called a c*nt (* to keep blogger happy). Not much to see here, especially if you are from the side of politics that routinely recommends a spoonful of cement if your offended by the constant abuse.
ReplyDeleteHere's the thing, everyone is talking about PwC, no one outside the reactionary conservative bubble is talking about the ABC. Try another argument.
"you're" offended
DeletePhew, thanks BF, the thought police are everywhere, so you can imagine the horror when the pond read the Daily Beast's Trump Lawyers Consider Revenge for Former Colleague, and came across this incomprehensibly, utterly outrageous scribbling, and reached for the red pen ...
Delete...Parlatore’s comments about Epshteyn did more than offend the Trump adviser, who serves dual roles as a public affairs guru and something of a legal consigliere within Trump’s insular inner circle. According to two sources, Parlatore’s revelation was interpreted as an accusation that Epshteyn was using his position of influence to obstruct the DOJ special counsel’s investigation.
“He puts himself out there, goes on TV and mother****s people,” said one of these sources. “To say Boris is obstructing—who gets hurt there? Trump gets hurt there. That’s a serious, serious, true ethical violation. It’s a ****ed-up thing to do.”
Members of the Trump team began to wish that Parlatore had just remained quiet on his way out—and only come clean if pressured by the feds, who are increasingly turning the interrogation room spotlight onto Trump’s own defense lawyers.
“Just shut up, go on your way. And if you get asked under oath, then you testify,” this insider added.
Meanwhile, other Trumpworld insiders said Parlatore wasn’t exactly wrong about his assessment of Epshteyn—just that he should have simply kept it to himself.
“I agree that Boris is an ***hole,” said another person, a Trump lawyer who has had their own run-ins with Epshteyn. “But I’ve never seen anybody quit and go on TV and discuss attorney-client matters. That’s pretty crazy. Do I think it was completely inappropriate? Of course!”
One of Trump’s many defense lawyers, Alina Habba, hinted at the simmering animosity during a recent CNN interview where she derided Parlatore’s comments as a “ridiculous, inappropriate, kind of b***-hurt move,” using internet slang that refers to when someone overreacts to a situation with a childish tantrum.
Is it possible to take legal action against google for making this filthy, vile material available via its search function?
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-lawyers-consider-revenge-for-former-colleague?ref=home?ref=home
I never did get what the reptile fuss about Alberici was all about: "saying the quiet bit out loud" you reckon, Bef. I still don't get it.
Delete“Treasury modelling relies on theories that belie the reality that’s playing out around the world,” she wrote.
Delete“Since the peak of the commodities boom in 2011-12, profit margins have risen to levels not seen since the early 2000s but wages growth has been slower than at any time since the 1960s.
“It’s also disingenuous to talk about a 30% rate when so few companies pay anything like that thanks to tax legislation that allows them to avoid paying corporate tax. Exclusive analysis released by ABC today reveals one in five of Australia’s top companies has paid zero tax for the past three years.”
Someone pointing out how vacuous the orthodoxy was and how unlikely the changes were to provide a benefit to labour, although it was an obvious handout to capital.
Ok then, I think I understand a little better now, but I reckon that it was mainly that she said it: just her instead of a real economic genius like Killer Creighton or the Groany, even if she was the ABC 'Business' presenter at the time.
DeleteI almost forgot that Terry McCrann was once Emma's tutor-mentor back when she first worked for the Melbourne Herald-Sun. So is the reptiles' take on her now just getting at a 'deserter' as she became when she moved to the ABC ? They're not real affectionate about Karvelas either.
DeleteWhich reminds me that I'm still not sure whether the Bromancer's remark about 'economics genius' Killer Creighton was meant seriously or not as even to the likes of the Bro, Creighton must come over as the noodlenut nong that he always is. But was the Bro's little jest serious or not ?