There's a relief.
In troubled times, the pond finds less and less relief, and the thought that Dame Groan had flipped and gone to the dark side, aka the Speccie mob, was almost unendurable ...
Over there the gloating is at full steam ahead back to the days of the good old White Australia policy, but the Groaner is not for flipping, and there she was in her usual reptile perch this Tuesday ...
The pond was deeply pleased that the presence of the Groaning meant that the pond could recoil from the gleeful gloating of the bromancer, though someone should award the lizard Oz graphics department a sensa huma award for putting the bromancer right next to a snap of a tank.
The bromancer's views on tanks has been a staple of the pond diet for years and to see his unsightly visage juxtaposed with that bit of kit was right and seemly and perversely richly comic, a silver lining to a generally deeply black cloud ...
The pond understands that in usual circumstances the Groaner's groaning should be red carded, it also being a bit of unseemly gloating about the Voice, and the need for revenge, but what choice did the pond have?
It's either international collective guilt and punishment, or simply the local brand of collective punishment ...
So with a carefree air and a fiddlesticks and a fiddle-de-dee, it was on with the Groaning ...
Now that's an astonishing new form of dance: "include the inclusion", and if you like jazz, you can probably also dance to "exclude the exclusion".
But what a splendid idea. Company referendums. Everyone can get to vote all the time about everything ... with a guaranteed result ...
And so to a bonus, and the pond couldn't think of a better way to waste time than to read the lizard Oz editorialist faithfully regurgitating all the Groaner's talking points.
Clearly the love affair between the lizard Oz and Dame Groan is as solid as ever, and that appearance with the Speccie mob was just a flirtation ... what with Dame Groan being inclined to flitty, fluttering flirtiness ...
Naturally, as rep of a leet company the lizard Oz editorialist was railing about dangerous, difficult 'leets ... though the pond would like to pause here to celebrate the way politics is done in the United States, where Faux Noise has skin in the game ...
You could find that at the Bulwark, with Charlie Sykes opening with ...
“The fact that you and I are living in a world where it is at least notionally possible that Jim Jordan would become the speaker of the people’s house and in line to the presidency of the United States is so utterly fantastic, not because Jim Jordan is some, transdimensional warlock. But because he’s an idiot…. These Frankensteins were never supposed to get off the table.” — Tom Nichols, the Bulwark podcast.
Enough already, too much comedy already, on with the regurgitation ...
Did someone mention Trumpian misinformation? Can we have a Hannity survey on that please?
And while we're at it, will the lizard Oz editorialist celebrate the way a divisive politician talked of divisive politics while doing his level best to divide the country? It was pure Trump ... accuse the other side of doing it, and under that cover, do it yourself and do it in spades.
Better still was that moment when Captain Potato knowingly, wilfully and deliberately lied about what he would do, knowing that in due course, he would knowingly, wilfully and deliberately walk it back ...Peter Dutton walks back offer of second referendum after voice poll
The pond noted it at the time, noted that he was lying, noted that he'd be sure to change his tune, and sure enough, that's what a dedicated Trumpist will do ... because when you're a lying divider, the mango Mussolini has already shown that there are plenty of mug punters out there ready to get on board ...
Before proceeding to the last gobbet of the regurgitation, the pond should probably get the infallible Pope of the day out of the way ...
Say what? A spirit of bipartisanship? Oh right, irony is dead, along with more and more in what the English called the middle east.
Now on with the lizard Oz recycling the Groaning recycling her god ...
If there isn't plenty for Groan cultists in this day's reptile stew, then the pond will have to take up another job ...
And so to close with the immortal Rowe of the day, in the same turf as the infallible Pope, and thereby giving the pond an excuse not to go there ...
DP said: So with a carefree air and a fiddlesticks and a fiddle-de-dee, it was on with the Groaning ..."
ReplyDeleteand the...
"Shitposting, Shit-mining and Shit-farming
Three Stages of Platform Decay
HENRY FARRELL
OCT 10, 2023
"I’ve been moved to write this by Twitter’s turn to unblockable bottom-scraping clickbait ads (“You’re Going to Love This Tinnitus Breakthrough!”) and spreading disinformation about the horrible events in Israel and Gaza. The decay is starting to accelerate, but I’ve had a pet theory about it for months.
"The short version of my argument (which is grounded not in Real Social Science, but casual observation and handwaving) is that social media platforms are improved by a moderate tincture of shitposting. More than a few drops though, and the place begins to stink up, driving away advertisers and users. This then leads platform executives to explore the exciting opportunities of shit-mining. Social media generates a lot of content - it’s gotta be valuable somehow! Who needs content moderation if you can become a guano baron? But that only makes things worse, driving out more users and more advertisers, until eventually, you may find yourself left with a population dominated by two kinds of users (a) chumps, and (b) chump-vampirizing obligate predators. This can be a stable equilibrium - even quite a profitable one! But otherwise, it isn’t good news.
...
https://programmablemutter.substack.com/p/shitposting-shit-mining-and-shit
If only shit posting worked for tiddlers. The pond has been posting shyte reptile crap for years and you can't give the stuff away. Hits have waned, interest left the arena years ago. As a business model, it stinks. There hasn't been a single advertiser on this site since it started! Imagine if the pond had been able to flog ivermectin while simultaneously evacuating the bowels of News Corp (oh dear, an unfortunate metaphor, a terrible image to put in mind).
DeleteOn the other hand, point taken, fun post (and scientific) and a good link, so many amusing profs and so little time, and if there's a hell reserved for the creators of Chemist Warehouse ads on YouTube, the pond might just become a believer ...
Dorothy - wonderful piece of archaeology of our Dame, including reminder of the assorted corporations and commissions she had been appointed to, but with no further indications of what she had contributed to those bodies.
ReplyDeleteCultists will also note how steadfastly the Dame has ignored what she claimed her grandmother ‘always told’ her. If she limited her writings to things that are ‘nice’ - there would be regular blank spaces across the Flagship.
Turning to Uncle Milton - at different times he wrote that companies should maximise value, but later that became the wording chosen by Mr Ed. The two are not interchangeable. Much of the value of corporations now resides in their name and related identifiers. The current state of Qantas is a good demonstration of what happens when immediate profits are sought over maintenance of long term value.
Of course, it would be unfair to invite Mr Ed to tell us how various arms of Limited News maximise profits for all shareholders. That might raise the suspicion that some arms exist to maintain political leverage to the advantage of the Chairman Emeritus, and (some of) his blood relations.
There is no need to comment on the Dame’s recommendation that company boards having written codes of conduct would eliminate company donations for political ‘purposes’. Given what large listed companies (and I do mean the ‘Big 4’ Banks) have got away with over the last decade, that is not even naive. As far as I know, no bank executive is ‘doing time’ in this country for financial practices that would be the envy of the Mafia, and, in cases of collusion in dubious funding sources to casinos - working to the direct advantage of ‘organised’ crime.
So - thank you Dorothy, there is ample material for Groan cultists in the stew for this day - you are doing a great job, and we would be pleased if you wish to continue.
And thank you for your scholarly analyses of the Groany, Chad. She really is "something else" isn't she.
DeleteOne must suppose that when speaking of the wealthiest and most powerful in society that the Oz editorialist is referring to Lachlan Murdoch living in luxury in Los Angeles, with his hacks at the Australian preaching to Australians about what the mainstream is, when the Murdochs have never been part of middle Australia let alone those aspiring to enter it. Or maybe the Ed means Gina Rinehart who has been in a war with her relos over who gets what of the riches. No, maybe the Ed means Anthony John Abbott, now getting a six-figure salary on top of his PM pension along with other lurks and perks. Still, Professor Judith Sloan on her six-figure salary and part of the academic intelligensia Gerard Henderson is always berating, might just be mainstream. But then I'm assuming Professor Joan doesn't live in a remote indigenous community, the Teal Goldstein seat where many Jewish people live or Maranoa where educational levels are low.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/12/tour-the-inside-of-lachlan-murdochs-new-150-million-la-mansion.html
So with all those bedrooms and bathrooms, does Lachy have an extensive colony of servants or are they 'guest' rooms, and who has extended says with the Murdochs.
Delete"extended stays"
DeleteHurrah! At last, a return to normalcy (a campaign promise, incidentally, that helped get Warren G Harding elected US President, despite being probably the least qualified candidate before Trump). Not only do we have a classic data-free groan from the Dame, the umpteenth editorial railing against the dreaded ‘leets, but Ancient Troy appears to be proclaiming not one, but two “tests” for Albo and co.; that’s a real mouldy oldie! All is well, and the Lizard Oz can continue recycling its tired old ideological campaigns for many more years - or at least until the last of the ageing readership drop off the perch.
ReplyDeleteGB - not sure which of John Quiggin's communications you access, but on his blog stack for this day he responds to a question about what he reads essentially for pleasure. He mentions his preference for 19th century novels (a preference I share with him) but moves on to Kim Stanley Robinson, and his quite recent 'Ministry for the Future'. I was unaware of that work, but will be contacting my supplier ('Readings', if I may be allowed a plug). Have you seen it?
ReplyDeleteJohn Q also speaks highly of how Thomas Piketty draws on 19th century novels to develop his argument in his 'Capital'.
Now - in checking details on Kim Stanley Robinson on the 'Wiki', I came to this quote from his doctoral supervisor, Fredric Jameson, to whom he dedicates 'Ministry for the Future'. Jameson has written 'it is easier to imagine the end of the world than to imagine the end of capitalism.'
If you were aware - no problem, If not - thought it was worth passing on.
Chad - I’ve read a reasonable amount of Robinson’s SF and while I’ve enjoyed some works more than others, I’m particularly fond of his “Mars” trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars) and “The Years of Rice and Salt” (I may have the title slightly wrong), an alternate history of a world where the Black Death wiped out the entire population of Europe. I hadn’t encountered that particular quote, but I doubt if it was meant as a compliment to capitalism.
DeleteI normally read the same Quiggin blog I've followed for all these years: https://johnquiggin.com/ He normally cross-posts his substack writings back to there and he has done so this time with 'The morning after' and also one he's just done: 'My semi-retirement'. Unfortunately that one is just a pointer to his actual substack entry which for some reason is pay-walled this time.
DeletePerhaps that's his post where he discusses various reading matters, such as Robinson. However, my interest in scifi had subsided to approximately zero some time ago, so I've never actually read any Kim Stanley Robinson. I think Harlan Ellison's 'I have no mouth and I must scream' (1967) might be the most recent I've read. Other than Ursula K LeGuin and 'The Left Hand of Darkness' (1969) anyway.
I wonder if Quiggin's "semi-retirement" will be anything like Gittins'. As to the life expectancy of 'capitalism', well maybe it will be co-existent with homo sapiens sapiens. Terra - as our stellar home is named - apparently has at least another 1 billion years of 'habitability' ahead of it, so will homo saps saps survive that long and will capitalism coexist with us for all that time ?
Kim Stanley Robinson seminar
ReplyDeletehttps://crookedtimber.org/category/Kim-Stanley-Robinson-seminar/