Do blogs run the threat of replacing conventional media?
No. That was my opinion before reading "the epistemology of blogging" and after boring myself to tears trying to take in the intellectual words of a man with a love of rambling with crap my opinion remains no.
This radio interview brings up no real issue other then the depth of the unnecessary thoughts of Australia’s brains. How stupid do they think the world is? Sure, the people of today aren’t geniuses. But I think it is pretty well known that you don’t pay too much attention to what you read on the internet, and the amount of people that do are far too insignificant a number to affect the existence of conventional news.
Next point, these days so many people spend their day at a computer screen - even a check out chick spends the day staring into a computer screen of sorts. How many people really want to come home and read copious amounts of nonsense from bloggers? They watch the news whilst cooking dinner, and that’s something people have done for a long time.
These days the world is down to trying to simplify everything, they want it as to the point and quickly as possible, so a threat of blogs full of opinion pieces really doesn’t seem to be a likely threat to that of conventional news. If by some chance it does, who cares? If it becomes dominant enough to take over then obviously everyone is going to think it’s just great at the time, so putting depthy thought into the matter now is unnecessary.
I always knew there was a good reason as to why I don’t waste my time listening to things like that, now I’m reminded why. There are much better things to do.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
No beige hat ... by Nick Wade
This week we were given the opportunity of an interview with Park Ranger Steve Woodhall. Sorry to disappoint this blogs many avid readers but no Steve Woodhall didn’t have a beige broad brimmed hat, he didn’t have aviators, he didn’t have long socks and most shocking of all he didn’t have a gun. Steve Woodhall is quite frankly the last person you’d expect to be wearing the green jumper of a Park Ranger.After our friendly little chat with Steve I found all my preconceptions of Park Rangers and their adventures utterly shattered leaving me broken and empty. As it turns out Park Rangers are pacifists who care about nature (who knew).
Though I disapprove of the lack of gun and aviators Steve answered all our interview questions patiently and in detail which makes me eternally grateful as now my job of blogging about the interview has been made much easier.
While some in the class asked Steve important questions about economy and tourism impacts on nature, being a male teenager my mind was set on one thing and one thing only…conflict. So it wasn’t surprising to know my questions centred around what kinds of problems and dangers a Park Ranger faces in his job on the frontier of nature. As it turns out the leading problem facing Park Rangers in our area is the spreading of weeds, which can consume thousands of dollars each year as the Park Rangers valiantly battle against the spread of the scourge.
You see once upon a time in the area surrounding Mount Canabolas the farmers enjoyed fertile soil where their crops grew and flourished in the volcanic soil. Life was good and everyone was happy, completely oblivious of the horrors that lay ahead. One fateful day a fire (some speculate it was from hell) ravaged the land destroying the farmer’s precious crops and leaving them broken and helpless. It didn’t take long for the homicidal weeds of the land to seize the opportunity and infect the now bare and empty soil, crushing any hope the farmers had of regrowing. Thus it is that to this day the noble Park Rangers fight for the farmers very lives…stock.
I learned today that you don’t need aviators to be a hero (shocking I know) and I now plan to hang a poster of Steve on my wall at home.
Photo of blackberry flower (a noxious weed) by Tony Wills and published here under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License. Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blackberry_flower_01.jpg
Dog Baiting by Chelsie Webster
My extended family have all lived on the land at some point. My closest uncle is an active farmer, and I know all too well the issue of wild dogs. Wild dog or not, as soon as a dog walks onto a farmer's property, the farmer is allowed to destroy the animal. When I spoke to Steve Woodhall from the National Parks and Wildlife, we discussed the issue of dog baiting. I don’t see it an issue at all, however a lot of people see it as cruel and inhumane – the baited meat takes an agonising hour to kill the dog after it has consumed the bait. In control programs, up to 16 tonnes of meat laced with 1080 poison is placed in areas where it is most likely to be found by wild dogs and not other native animals.
I find this the easiest way to bring these dogs under control – wild dogs, domestic dogs roaming the land and hybrids (dingo x domestic dog) destroy countless head of sheep and calves, and while a farmer may only lose a few head from their stock, these numbers add up to thousands a year. Steve Woodhall said that with dog baiting comes an increase in pests such as kangaroos – however, it is the risk a farmer is most likely willing to take, culling the dogs in favour to save a few cattle, and opting for culling the kangaroos in their own time.
I don’t see it as an issue, and I think the majority of people that do, need to spend time with a battling farmer, and consider the fact that these animals are the sole income for most farmers and it is not fair to have these wild dogs destroying their stock.
But in the end, I have more important things to worry about. And considering I live in suburbia, wild dogs aren’t an issue. And if a wild dog does wander into my street, I am most likely to give it a home – as long as it is semi vicious and resembles a pit bull.
I find this the easiest way to bring these dogs under control – wild dogs, domestic dogs roaming the land and hybrids (dingo x domestic dog) destroy countless head of sheep and calves, and while a farmer may only lose a few head from their stock, these numbers add up to thousands a year. Steve Woodhall said that with dog baiting comes an increase in pests such as kangaroos – however, it is the risk a farmer is most likely willing to take, culling the dogs in favour to save a few cattle, and opting for culling the kangaroos in their own time.
I don’t see it as an issue, and I think the majority of people that do, need to spend time with a battling farmer, and consider the fact that these animals are the sole income for most farmers and it is not fair to have these wild dogs destroying their stock.
But in the end, I have more important things to worry about. And considering I live in suburbia, wild dogs aren’t an issue. And if a wild dog does wander into my street, I am most likely to give it a home – as long as it is semi vicious and resembles a pit bull.
Photo of restrained pit bull terrier by Tatiana Sapateiro used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 licence. Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pit_bull_restrained.jpg
New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife push on tourism by Casey Macpherson
During our short interview with Steve Woodhall of the Western River Region National Parks and Wildlife the topic of the recent push on tourism within New South Wales National Parks arose, giving a bit of an insight into Steve’s opinion on the possible increase in tourism and its effects on the National Parks.
After being asked of the opinion of him and other rangers he responded that it is a mixed bag for them. Touching on both the detrimental effects of increased traffic throughout the parks and the positive effects of people getting out and getting an understanding for nature conservation. Although much more time was spent discussing the effects of having all of the extra traffic, and within that mentioning that the rangers had no say in the push on increased tourism. The way I read this statement and from bits and pieces I have seen on the internet, I gather this push is a not so well researched government idea, with Steve saying if extra funding was allowed then adequate prep for popular tourist area’s could be done prior, saving extensive damage to areas and making the job of conservation much easier and in the long run possibly cheaper.
In his argument of for tourism Steve mentioned things like its great if people are going to go get a feel for the nature and wildlife and if their doing some walking getting some exercise that’s also great, however I feel these things don’t relate to what the National Parks are about. Sure it’s great if people go and get a feel for the wildlife and nature, however the advertising for activities and holidays within national parks don’t appeal to those interests. Where will it lead once an income comes from new found tourism? Will our national parks still stay about preservation of nature, or like most things will profiteering take control.
After being asked of the opinion of him and other rangers he responded that it is a mixed bag for them. Touching on both the detrimental effects of increased traffic throughout the parks and the positive effects of people getting out and getting an understanding for nature conservation. Although much more time was spent discussing the effects of having all of the extra traffic, and within that mentioning that the rangers had no say in the push on increased tourism. The way I read this statement and from bits and pieces I have seen on the internet, I gather this push is a not so well researched government idea, with Steve saying if extra funding was allowed then adequate prep for popular tourist area’s could be done prior, saving extensive damage to areas and making the job of conservation much easier and in the long run possibly cheaper.
In his argument of for tourism Steve mentioned things like its great if people are going to go get a feel for the nature and wildlife and if their doing some walking getting some exercise that’s also great, however I feel these things don’t relate to what the National Parks are about. Sure it’s great if people go and get a feel for the wildlife and nature, however the advertising for activities and holidays within national parks don’t appeal to those interests. Where will it lead once an income comes from new found tourism? Will our national parks still stay about preservation of nature, or like most things will profiteering take control.
About Steve Woodhall by Kate Lucas
Steve Woodhall, the ranger for the National Parks in the Bathurst region was a guest speaker at TAFE today. He spoke about his role as the ranger of the national parks and the different things it involves.
Steve works in the general area around Bathurst where 23-25 major areas are situated. There are similar offices across New South Wales which basically do the same thing as the Bathurst National Parks offices which is controlling animal population and similar things.
Steve also volunteers as a fire fighter for the state, although if there is a major fire, he is able to go and help out.
Photo of Mount Canobolas, from the Pinnacles. Photo taken August 2005 by Takver and released under the GNU FDL Mont Canobolas, en Nouvelle Galles du Sud en Australie
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Mount_Canobolas.jpg
Shedding tears for the conventional media (not) ... Nick Wade
On the radio program the Philosophers Zone it was argued by Professor Alvin Goldman that blogging threatens the conventional news media and that this threat could potentially impoverish society. I tend to agree with Tasmanian Professor David Cody that while conventional media provides the public with the raw news it’s the blogosphere that gives us a deconstructed analysis of the day’s events.
I can’t see blogs posing any serious threat to conventional media and the fact that people worry about it proves that western society undoubtedly has its priorities in order. Gone are the days of starving African children on infomercials begging for food now we can shed a tear over the underprivileged media, infomercials packed full of men in suits mercilessly forced to take a limozine instead of a private helicopter. If anything the blogosphere is helping the average consumer by creating competition for the media and preventing them from having a monopoly which would be the real tragedy for society. The sheer power the media would have over what people were able to see without the competition of the internet and the blogosphere is terrifying. Just knowing that uncensored and unbiased reports of current events do exist out there in vastness of the internet is a comfort to the average consumer not a threat. Who among us hasn’t noticed the supposedly impartial news is a wee bit biased. Were being fed the stories we want to hear, rather than the stories that are true. Were being encouraged to feel strongly about the situation by being not so subtly encouraged to pick a side based on emotion, regardless of the facts.
So readers have no fear the blogs are here to help, we won’t bite, about the only thing the blogosphere could hurt is the medias precious ratings.
I can’t see blogs posing any serious threat to conventional media and the fact that people worry about it proves that western society undoubtedly has its priorities in order. Gone are the days of starving African children on infomercials begging for food now we can shed a tear over the underprivileged media, infomercials packed full of men in suits mercilessly forced to take a limozine instead of a private helicopter. If anything the blogosphere is helping the average consumer by creating competition for the media and preventing them from having a monopoly which would be the real tragedy for society. The sheer power the media would have over what people were able to see without the competition of the internet and the blogosphere is terrifying. Just knowing that uncensored and unbiased reports of current events do exist out there in vastness of the internet is a comfort to the average consumer not a threat. Who among us hasn’t noticed the supposedly impartial news is a wee bit biased. Were being fed the stories we want to hear, rather than the stories that are true. Were being encouraged to feel strongly about the situation by being not so subtly encouraged to pick a side based on emotion, regardless of the facts.
So readers have no fear the blogs are here to help, we won’t bite, about the only thing the blogosphere could hurt is the medias precious ratings.
The main danger of blogs is... Fran Vinall
The main danger of blogs is, of course, that they will replace conventional media as a source of entertainment or news. Critics fear that since blogs are more accessible and more widespread than the mainstream media, the public will stop relying on newspapers and magazines, and instead turn to blogs for their information. Truth be told, if this phenomena does occur, and there are many a problem in it doing so, would this really be a bad thing?
The key issue critics have with blogs is that they can be written by anyone, about anything. All well and good, when it comes to blogs like cake wrecks, showing funny pictures of professional cakes, or personal blogs about what you ate for lunch and what your favourite Beatles song is.
But this is not so good when it comes to things like politics. Blog writers are writing up their opinion on the fat cat world of politics, and their opinion is only ever one side of the story. Take, for instance, Etalkinghead’s directory of political blogs. The links are these: conservative, liberal, independent (of ideology,) religion, humour, etc. Basically, the reader can choose whichever side he or she agrees with and only peruse blogs on that topic, nodding and sipping tea over a blog instead of a newspaper. Journalists have a responsibility to be non-biased and present both sides of the story.
Well, that’d be nice anyway, wouldn’t it. The facts are though, that as the media becomes less of the voice of the people and more of the voice of Rupert Murdoch and a few other kingpins, it is becoming increasingly biased. I saw a news report a few months ago about the government cutting money spent on wildlife, or a shelter closing down, or something like that. The report was given with the news reader holding a baby wallaby, shoving it into the camera and pleading “what about poor Joey here??” This is hardly non-biased reporting. Newspapers have the same one-sided bent. A recent article about Qantas, published on Ninemsn reports “The spokesman told ninemsn the plan centred on growth and retaining jobs. However, he admitted that "no company can rule out job cuts",” implying the spokesmen had let this information slip and was ashamed to say it. It seems like minor wording, “admitted” as opposed to “said” or a number of other words, but the implications are there when perhaps they shouldn’t be. Blogs are in no way delving into new territory by having a biased slant
The other, more annoying, thing about blogs is that many of them are amateur written. This can be easily avoided however, by digging out the blogs that interest you and avoiding the rest. Blogs provide the public with a chance to both get their opinion out into the world, but also to read a wide variety of opinions and insight they wouldn’t have access to in the world of mainstream media. Blogs allow the knowledge of every user of the internet to be accessed – they are most definitely a good thing.
The key issue critics have with blogs is that they can be written by anyone, about anything. All well and good, when it comes to blogs like cake wrecks, showing funny pictures of professional cakes, or personal blogs about what you ate for lunch and what your favourite Beatles song is.
But this is not so good when it comes to things like politics. Blog writers are writing up their opinion on the fat cat world of politics, and their opinion is only ever one side of the story. Take, for instance, Etalkinghead’s directory of political blogs. The links are these: conservative, liberal, independent (of ideology,) religion, humour, etc. Basically, the reader can choose whichever side he or she agrees with and only peruse blogs on that topic, nodding and sipping tea over a blog instead of a newspaper. Journalists have a responsibility to be non-biased and present both sides of the story.
Well, that’d be nice anyway, wouldn’t it. The facts are though, that as the media becomes less of the voice of the people and more of the voice of Rupert Murdoch and a few other kingpins, it is becoming increasingly biased. I saw a news report a few months ago about the government cutting money spent on wildlife, or a shelter closing down, or something like that. The report was given with the news reader holding a baby wallaby, shoving it into the camera and pleading “what about poor Joey here??” This is hardly non-biased reporting. Newspapers have the same one-sided bent. A recent article about Qantas, published on Ninemsn reports “The spokesman told ninemsn the plan centred on growth and retaining jobs. However, he admitted that "no company can rule out job cuts",” implying the spokesmen had let this information slip and was ashamed to say it. It seems like minor wording, “admitted” as opposed to “said” or a number of other words, but the implications are there when perhaps they shouldn’t be. Blogs are in no way delving into new territory by having a biased slant
The other, more annoying, thing about blogs is that many of them are amateur written. This can be easily avoided however, by digging out the blogs that interest you and avoiding the rest. Blogs provide the public with a chance to both get their opinion out into the world, but also to read a wide variety of opinions and insight they wouldn’t have access to in the world of mainstream media. Blogs allow the knowledge of every user of the internet to be accessed – they are most definitely a good thing.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Do We need a Media Filter? - Siobhonn Shannon
When I sit down and read the paper, watch the six o’clock news, check the Sydney Morning Herald website, or choose to utilise one of the many other ways in which the news is available, I like to know that what I’m reading is the truth. Don’t get me wrong, I love a bit of fiction every now and again, but it doesn’t belong on the front page of the newspaper. I’m not the only one who feels like this, and for exactly this reason, your average journalist uses multiple sources, which they check and cross check against all the other information they’ve gathered. Essentially, a news story is filtered down to its essence, all the false information carefully teased away by journalists who have the time, contacts and resources to do so.
For decades, we’ve been fed news by a media who is able to verify every last detail, so it’s not surprising to see that many people are against the constantly increasing popularity of blogs. Anyone can publish a blog, and they can put anything in it. The blog is limited only by its author’s imagination, and because of this incredible freedom, blogs are difficult to consider as a legitimate news source. While many bloggers cite their resources at the bottom of the page, most don’t, meaning that a lot of the time, the filtration process so highly valued by the conventional media does not occur. This makes a lot of people uncomfortable, even more so with the endless speculation that blogosphere will eventually take over the media world, leaving the news-craving public at the mercy of anyone with a computer.
Personally, I think the media can breathe easy. Blogs are, above all else, opinion pieces, written from the point of view of the person sitting at the keyboard. It is simply not in their design to be mind-bogglingly accurate. To filter the blogosphere would be a desecration of the very concept of blogging, which is to give the everyday citizen a safe and judgement-free outlet for their opinions and thoughts. The filtration of information has its place, and that place is only to make sure that the truth is told, not to censor the opinions of the masses.
For decades, we’ve been fed news by a media who is able to verify every last detail, so it’s not surprising to see that many people are against the constantly increasing popularity of blogs. Anyone can publish a blog, and they can put anything in it. The blog is limited only by its author’s imagination, and because of this incredible freedom, blogs are difficult to consider as a legitimate news source. While many bloggers cite their resources at the bottom of the page, most don’t, meaning that a lot of the time, the filtration process so highly valued by the conventional media does not occur. This makes a lot of people uncomfortable, even more so with the endless speculation that blogosphere will eventually take over the media world, leaving the news-craving public at the mercy of anyone with a computer.
Personally, I think the media can breathe easy. Blogs are, above all else, opinion pieces, written from the point of view of the person sitting at the keyboard. It is simply not in their design to be mind-bogglingly accurate. To filter the blogosphere would be a desecration of the very concept of blogging, which is to give the everyday citizen a safe and judgement-free outlet for their opinions and thoughts. The filtration of information has its place, and that place is only to make sure that the truth is told, not to censor the opinions of the masses.
Robertson is the Real Criminal - Frances Vinall
Nathan Rees, premier of New South Wales, is a man who looks constantly on the verge of tears. He runs his party more like the current coalition than the labor federal govt – with more bitching and bickering than any real policy making. Perhaps the constant state of mutiny in your backbenchers is telling you something, Nathan? The plots and constant treachery underfoot amongst the NSW labor kingpins is somewhat reminiscent of Tudor England. One real piece of action Rees has instigated, however, is his plans to relinquish government control over the state’s jails (specifically Parklea and Cessnock, to begin with) and place them into the hands of the highest-bidding-corporation – who are in general a greedy, soulless and hard minded bunch of money-suckers. The sale would be a big one, working towards minimizing the all-absorbing black hole the state treasury has become.
Rees knows he won’t get too much opposition. Criminals aren’t people, after all, or at least in the eyes of good, law-abiding citizens. The move has solidified Rees’s image as the same type of middle class mummy’s boy as the majority of voters. No one who thinks for themselves can honestly think that everyone who has been to jail is Evil and out to get your children. Because the law is flawed. Necessary, but flawed. There are a lot of laws out there that are either outdated, only benefit certain demographics, or don’t take personal circumstance into consideration. The Chaser proved that when they waltzed into a hotel with a pony and informed the shocked receptionist that according to Australian law, the hotel had to stable and feed their four-legged friend for free. And the fact is, middle class white collar workers like politicians (it’s called white collar for a reason,) cannot possibly understand the kind of life that leads to breaking the law (and were not just talking about murder and rape here, which are obviously much greater crimes than say insurance fraud and burglary.) being necessary.
A man more directly responsible for the move than Rees is Minister for Corrective Services NSW, John Robertson, who protesters have labelled as “Judas,” and for good reason. He used to be the head of Unions NSW, and is now at the head of a move which is likely to put many prison officers out of work. He was an avid fighter of the government’s plans to privatise electricity services in 2001, stating at the time that it was “only the beginning.” Apparently so. Robertson was personally responsible for the overturning of a government ban forbidding the privatisation of jails. He has also already shifted 110 prisoners from Parklea and Cessnock, as well as a number of prison officers, to prisons that are not planning to be privatised. In a secretive, almost criminal-esque manoeuvre, the transferees were transported in the dead of night, without the knowledge of other workers at the prison.
But let’s look at privatisation, of anything. Basically, this is taking a business out of the control of the government, who answer to the people, and putting it into the control of a corporation, who answer to shareholders. The government has a responsibility to not screw things up too badly, or they won’t be re-elected. In this case, the government has a responsibility to ensure prisoners, and prison employees like guards, are being treated fairly. A corporation answers to no such responsibility. They are out to Make Money. That is the creed of any business. It has to be. That is the point of a business. And that’s fine, when we’re talking about a retail outlet or a fast food joint, or something in which making money depends on treating the customers, the people who are in your care, with good service. But prisoners aren’t paying to be in jails. A corporation would gain nothing from treating them with fairness. They can treat them however they dam well please.
But, there are laws in place! You may say. They can’t get away with anything! Maybe, in theory, they can’t. But by giving control of a jail to a corporation, the government is also signing away its right to closely examine the inner workings of the jails – the paperwork which details exactly what is going on inside. And besides, do you really think they’d bother keeping an eye in? By attempting to sell the jails, the government has provided us with a pretty clear sign they are well and truly washing their hands of any responsibility – do you think they’re going to continue to keep a close watch on the jails once they don’t have to? They have bigger things to worry about. “Commercialisation compromises accountability and justifies restricted access to critical information about prison operations and agreements with government.” Said Jnana Gumbert, president of the Australian Lawyers Alliance NSW, to the Lithgow Mercury.
The privatisation has met vehement opposition from the Union, as well as the prison workers affected. They have managed to stop the Government’s plans to privatise Cessnock jail, at least for the moment, and are working to halt the plans still in motion to privatise Parklea. 500 people walked in protest from Hyde Park to Macquarie Street in April, in front of State Parliament. Hopefully they will succeed in their efforts, and the government will stop all plans to privatise NSW jails.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
I Love Poetry, Just Not What You Write - Jay Marshall
I think I may have now earned myself a reputation for being a cynical, pessimistic and egocentric Journalism student considering that the majority (if not all) of the things I have written have been highly critical with very little praising. So since I’ve created a nice little clique for my writing I may as well keep up with that attitude and complain about society even further, this time about poetry. Oh yes, I’m going there, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me. It may just be my fault for having far too many emotionally unstable “friends” on MySpace, Facebook and various other networking sites. But then again, maybe it’s their fault for being too damn melodramatic and attention-seeking. I think I’ll choose the latter, only because that makes me feel better about myself.
But in all seriousness, what is going on with my generation? Do they honestly think everyone cares about their problems? I’m sure that none of the hundreds upon hundreds of “friends” they have never met on their networking sites don’t care; I certainly don’t. I mean, sure I’d be worried and concerned if something was actually wrong with their life, but when they decide to write long poems about how the world hates them oh-so-much through extremely grotesque, blood-and-guts metaphors and similes, I’m just going to assume you’re a whiny little brat who should get the hell off the internet.
Sure, I enjoy the occasional venting session, but if I’m going to do it it’ll be direct. If someone made my day a living hell, I’ll let them know and won’t hold back, but these people run home and hide behind their computers and start writing unoriginal poems with no real meaning or emotion in it. Shakespeare isn’t happy, and nor am I. Seriously, I’m absolutely cool with sharing your problems and getting a little sympathy, so why not tell us all what’s wrong? Am I really expected to translate “An eternal struggle in the blackness, as black as a decomposing body” to “My Mum grounded me for being in the bathroom too long”?
Don’t view this as a vendetta against people expressing themselves, because I know that poetry is a great place for people to share their innermost feeling and thoughts on things. My vendetta is against people who abuse the hell out of poetry for no other reason than to gain sympathy from as many people they can in the form of comments. I’m appalled that this phase has arisen from my generation, let alone the fact they’re desecrating an ancient art. Come on kiddies, get over the angst and start doing your schoolwork rather than make every poet’s work to bring poetry to the mainstream go to waste.
But in all seriousness, what is going on with my generation? Do they honestly think everyone cares about their problems? I’m sure that none of the hundreds upon hundreds of “friends” they have never met on their networking sites don’t care; I certainly don’t. I mean, sure I’d be worried and concerned if something was actually wrong with their life, but when they decide to write long poems about how the world hates them oh-so-much through extremely grotesque, blood-and-guts metaphors and similes, I’m just going to assume you’re a whiny little brat who should get the hell off the internet.
Sure, I enjoy the occasional venting session, but if I’m going to do it it’ll be direct. If someone made my day a living hell, I’ll let them know and won’t hold back, but these people run home and hide behind their computers and start writing unoriginal poems with no real meaning or emotion in it. Shakespeare isn’t happy, and nor am I. Seriously, I’m absolutely cool with sharing your problems and getting a little sympathy, so why not tell us all what’s wrong? Am I really expected to translate “An eternal struggle in the blackness, as black as a decomposing body” to “My Mum grounded me for being in the bathroom too long”?
Don’t view this as a vendetta against people expressing themselves, because I know that poetry is a great place for people to share their innermost feeling and thoughts on things. My vendetta is against people who abuse the hell out of poetry for no other reason than to gain sympathy from as many people they can in the form of comments. I’m appalled that this phase has arisen from my generation, let alone the fact they’re desecrating an ancient art. Come on kiddies, get over the angst and start doing your schoolwork rather than make every poet’s work to bring poetry to the mainstream go to waste.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Scattered Human Remains Found - Kate Lucas
I found an article in the Western Advocate with the headline “Third Grisly Discovery: Police unsure if remains from one person”. The article tells of how a pet dog found a human leg and took it home to its owner. It was said in the article how police believe the murdered person's body was dismembered and scattered between the southern end of the Hume Highway and bushlands nearby. The remains were later identified as a 33 year old Sydney woman and a man was charged with the murder.
How come it took police this long to find the victim? She was after all, missing since late July.
The thing that’s on my mind after reading a few related articles was what sort of person would kill someone, mutilate them then scatter the pieces everywhere?
And did the man who was arrested for the murder actually commit the crime? It seems pretty strange to me that someone was arrested so soon after the body parts were found.
How come it took police this long to find the victim? She was after all, missing since late July.
The thing that’s on my mind after reading a few related articles was what sort of person would kill someone, mutilate them then scatter the pieces everywhere?
And did the man who was arrested for the murder actually commit the crime? It seems pretty strange to me that someone was arrested so soon after the body parts were found.
Another monumental stuff-up - Nick Wade
Ok I’m going to start this week’s blog by asking a very simple question. Who among us actually expects NSW public transport to get us from point A to point B without dramas? Nobody, none at all? I didn’t think so, and so it doesn’t come as a shock that this week, you guessed it, RailCorp made yet another monumental stuff up at the expense of its unfortunate patrons. Just another classic case of a poor defenceless elderly couple and an underprivileged youth being mercilessly kidnapped and driven half way around the country against they’re will by the villainous corporate machine. Well…not exactly but as a young writer it’s sometimes hard not to embellish things a bit.
The truth is that because of some ingenious RailCorp regulation thought up somewhere by a man who made up for his lack of brain with an expensive suit, buses are not allowed to let passengers off anywhere but at a bus stop. How many bus stops were available for the bus in question between Newcastle and Brisbane? Not many is the regrettable answer to that question and so our unwilling travellers found themselves in quite the predicament. 10 hours of infuriating boredom later the weary travellers were released from their perpetual prison (excuse the dramatic embellishment once again) and allowed to taste the sweet air of freedom.
However the taste soon wore off as they again remembered they were in Brisbane and thanks to the generosity of RailCorp they now had to pay their own way home. Lucky for them its common knowledge that the media loves to harass Australian public transport and so after a story published in The Sydney Morning Herald a now humbled RailCorp offered compensation to the poor souls who were forced to endure the uncomfortable tediousness of public transport for a full day.
I for one believe that if we as a nation can glorify a man like Ned Kelly who challenged the corrupt system, these brave Aussie battlers deserve no less. In an age devoid of heroes who can sling guns and wear tins on their heads we need people like this who sacrifice (almost) as much as Ned Kelly in the fight against corporate villainy.
The truth is that because of some ingenious RailCorp regulation thought up somewhere by a man who made up for his lack of brain with an expensive suit, buses are not allowed to let passengers off anywhere but at a bus stop. How many bus stops were available for the bus in question between Newcastle and Brisbane? Not many is the regrettable answer to that question and so our unwilling travellers found themselves in quite the predicament. 10 hours of infuriating boredom later the weary travellers were released from their perpetual prison (excuse the dramatic embellishment once again) and allowed to taste the sweet air of freedom.
However the taste soon wore off as they again remembered they were in Brisbane and thanks to the generosity of RailCorp they now had to pay their own way home. Lucky for them its common knowledge that the media loves to harass Australian public transport and so after a story published in The Sydney Morning Herald a now humbled RailCorp offered compensation to the poor souls who were forced to endure the uncomfortable tediousness of public transport for a full day.
I for one believe that if we as a nation can glorify a man like Ned Kelly who challenged the corrupt system, these brave Aussie battlers deserve no less. In an age devoid of heroes who can sling guns and wear tins on their heads we need people like this who sacrifice (almost) as much as Ned Kelly in the fight against corporate villainy.
Internet Sensations - Jay Marshall
Feeling down or just need a bit of cheering up? Well, ever since the glorious world of the internet was created, many websites have been created specifically for making us laugh and giving us all a bit of a pick-me-up. These internet sensations, whether you’ve heard of them or not, are probably the most amazing and unique websites you’ll ever see. What’s even better is that I guarantee that they will make you laugh. You can’t get a better deal than that from a guy who has a lot of expectations when it comes to comedy. I’ll provide the links below and a description of what you can expect, just make sure you visit them some time in the very near future, or you’ll be missing out.
I Can Has Cheezburger
http://www.icanhascheezburger.com/
An amazing website where users place captions on pictures of cats. However, these aren’t just ordinary cats. They’re Lolcats, a comedic breed of cats that combines the internet colloquialism “LOL” (Which stands for Laugh Out Loud) with the already natural comedic genius of the domestic cat. Hell, these Lolcats even have their own language, Lolspeak, complete with many grammatical errors capturing the stupidity and complexity of the English language in a tasteful way. The captions are funny, the pictures are funny, and it’s not just slapstick or silly humour. The majority of the time you’ll be wondering what genius came up with such a witty caption all while laughing your head off. I highly recommend this website as it is absolutely fantastic, just make sure you have tissues handy when you laugh so hard you cry.
Fail Blog
http://www.failblog.org/
Yet another great website that is similar in design to I Can Has Cheezburger with the picture and caption layout, but it introduces a brand-new and unique concept: Fails. Every picture has the caption “Fail” and depicts extremely funny events taking place in which the people, animals, funny signs and more are failing at what they do. It’s very hard to explain, but really worth checking out. This website certainly shall have a long life due to its hilarious concept and the never-ending amount of Fails that we go through every day.
F My Life
http://www.fmylife.com/
Oh, boy. Human misery is certainly a pick-me-up for those who are down. This website is a place where anybody can whinge about the events that made their life hell that day. All in all, it’s a great concept with great, humorous results. Not only do you crack up at almost every post you see, but sometimes you’ll even be able to relate to what these people have gone through which makes it so much more real. It’s the perfect blend of humour and sympathy that makes this website a must-see for almost everyone. Just a warning though: as the name of the site suggests, it can contain profanity.
Church Of The Flying Spaghetti Monster
http://www.venganza.org/
Originally created as a joke to parody Christianity and other religious groups that demanded Creationism to be taught in schools, this website has now gained a cult following and will blow your mind. Not only is it absolutely hilarious, but if you think about it, the possibility of a Flying Spaghetti Monster deity is completely plausible based on the evidence on the website. It even has quotes from REAL top scientists and professors that support the Church of the FSM. What tops it off, however, are the photos from believers all around the world with evidence that the Flying Spaghetti Monster truly exists. He turns up in cloud formations, dinner plates, flower vases and much more. Check out this site, but keep an open mind if you’re highly religious.
Albino Black Sheep
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/
Welcome to the wondrous world of flash animation. Albino Black Sheep is the place to be if you’re looking for some animated goodness, complete with hilarious home-made music videos to series of full-length cartoons. Hilarity is sure to be experienced while on this website that has hundreds of amazingly funny and creative flash movies. And if that’s not enough for you, it even provides you with tools to create your own sources of fun, such as Soundboards (Which are great for prank calls. I recommend the Arnold Schwarzenegger one), interactive games and even prank movies for your friends to watch that will scare their pants off when a scary face and loud scream pops up out of nowhere. Albino Black Sheep, as the name suggests, is just plain weird but completely awesome.
I Can Has Cheezburger
http://www.icanhascheezburger.com/
An amazing website where users place captions on pictures of cats. However, these aren’t just ordinary cats. They’re Lolcats, a comedic breed of cats that combines the internet colloquialism “LOL” (Which stands for Laugh Out Loud) with the already natural comedic genius of the domestic cat. Hell, these Lolcats even have their own language, Lolspeak, complete with many grammatical errors capturing the stupidity and complexity of the English language in a tasteful way. The captions are funny, the pictures are funny, and it’s not just slapstick or silly humour. The majority of the time you’ll be wondering what genius came up with such a witty caption all while laughing your head off. I highly recommend this website as it is absolutely fantastic, just make sure you have tissues handy when you laugh so hard you cry.
Fail Blog
http://www.failblog.org/
Yet another great website that is similar in design to I Can Has Cheezburger with the picture and caption layout, but it introduces a brand-new and unique concept: Fails. Every picture has the caption “Fail” and depicts extremely funny events taking place in which the people, animals, funny signs and more are failing at what they do. It’s very hard to explain, but really worth checking out. This website certainly shall have a long life due to its hilarious concept and the never-ending amount of Fails that we go through every day.
F My Life
http://www.fmylife.com/
Oh, boy. Human misery is certainly a pick-me-up for those who are down. This website is a place where anybody can whinge about the events that made their life hell that day. All in all, it’s a great concept with great, humorous results. Not only do you crack up at almost every post you see, but sometimes you’ll even be able to relate to what these people have gone through which makes it so much more real. It’s the perfect blend of humour and sympathy that makes this website a must-see for almost everyone. Just a warning though: as the name of the site suggests, it can contain profanity.
Church Of The Flying Spaghetti Monster
http://www.venganza.org/
Originally created as a joke to parody Christianity and other religious groups that demanded Creationism to be taught in schools, this website has now gained a cult following and will blow your mind. Not only is it absolutely hilarious, but if you think about it, the possibility of a Flying Spaghetti Monster deity is completely plausible based on the evidence on the website. It even has quotes from REAL top scientists and professors that support the Church of the FSM. What tops it off, however, are the photos from believers all around the world with evidence that the Flying Spaghetti Monster truly exists. He turns up in cloud formations, dinner plates, flower vases and much more. Check out this site, but keep an open mind if you’re highly religious.
Albino Black Sheep
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/
Welcome to the wondrous world of flash animation. Albino Black Sheep is the place to be if you’re looking for some animated goodness, complete with hilarious home-made music videos to series of full-length cartoons. Hilarity is sure to be experienced while on this website that has hundreds of amazingly funny and creative flash movies. And if that’s not enough for you, it even provides you with tools to create your own sources of fun, such as Soundboards (Which are great for prank calls. I recommend the Arnold Schwarzenegger one), interactive games and even prank movies for your friends to watch that will scare their pants off when a scary face and loud scream pops up out of nowhere. Albino Black Sheep, as the name suggests, is just plain weird but completely awesome.
Intelligent life? - Nick Wade
So, whose excited about writing text messages to send to the “possible” intelligent life out there in the vastness of space? I know I am, no doubt they will receive our text messages on their little mobile phones and read with avid excitement (for some unknown reason aliens can now understand English) and when they are through reading they will jump right on their space shuttles and rush out here to meet us embracing us like long lost brothers… My god when did the world all of a sudden become retarded. Yes its NASA who’s in charge of this, all the brightest minds earth has to offer and what’s their latest project? Oh that’s right, its sending text messages 29 light years away to a planet that could “theoretically” house life. Why don’t we stop wasting time texting the dam planet and start figuring out a way to get there. As fun as text messaging can be am I the only one to notice that earth is on a downward slope? We finally find a potential saviour for our race, a new planet for us to colonise but what do we do? We freaking text it. Parents on Oprah always complaining always worrying, do my kids text too much? Is texting bad? Will they develop necessary social skills? Stop worrying about teenagers, start worrying about NASA. I think perhaps the second we as a species adopted the idea to send texts to a planet we proved to the universe that we don’t deserve to colonise it and spread the noxious waste that is the human race.
We Are All Invaders Of Privacy - Jay Marshall
What is the deal with our obsession with celebrities? Everywhere I look a new celebrity scandal has popped up. Britney shaves her head, Lindsay Lohan went partying, even Paris Hilton being caught spread-eagled without underwear. We consume this utter refuse every day, whether it is on the news, a gossip show, a newspaper, a blog or even in ads that pop up on our computer screens. There is no escape from celebrity drama, but what’s worse is that fact that nobody really wants to escape. Are we so incredibly miserable with our own lives that we must follow the every move of someone we don’t know? I believe the answer is yes. I, for one, don’t give a damn about the new Hollywood couple, the new babies that have been adopted or someone’s sudden breakdown. We are ruining our lives and the lives of these celebrities.
How would you like to be chased down and had photos taken of you even in your most intimate moments? Do you have any idea how it would feel to have private photos leaked that should have stayed locked away in your photo album, or worse, your drawer? This is damaging to the people we basically stalk. These “breakdowns” we hear of celebrities going through are the result of us buying into this junk and promoting more abuse. But what about the public; we’re also damaging ourselves. Think of the young children who idolise these celebrities. They imitate their every move, and if all we see of them is sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, then we’re not setting a good example.
We obviously have nothing better to do than pay attention to the lives of others, and that to me is just sad. We are invaders of privacy and that makes us no better than the media that hound them. Maybe, for once in our lives, we should stop prying and focus on ourselves and our community. Maybe then we could pay more attention to the economy, parliament, family values and events that could potentially affect our lives to make the world a better place.
How would you like to be chased down and had photos taken of you even in your most intimate moments? Do you have any idea how it would feel to have private photos leaked that should have stayed locked away in your photo album, or worse, your drawer? This is damaging to the people we basically stalk. These “breakdowns” we hear of celebrities going through are the result of us buying into this junk and promoting more abuse. But what about the public; we’re also damaging ourselves. Think of the young children who idolise these celebrities. They imitate their every move, and if all we see of them is sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, then we’re not setting a good example.
We obviously have nothing better to do than pay attention to the lives of others, and that to me is just sad. We are invaders of privacy and that makes us no better than the media that hound them. Maybe, for once in our lives, we should stop prying and focus on ourselves and our community. Maybe then we could pay more attention to the economy, parliament, family values and events that could potentially affect our lives to make the world a better place.
Horse Owners of Australia BEWARE!! - Chelsie Webster
Farmers are calling for a cull of flying foxes after an outbreak of the Hendra virus which has infected 8 properties in NSW and Queensland. 3 horses from a central Queensland horse stud have already fallen victim to the Hendra virus.
The Hendra virus does not appear to be very contagious, humans and horses are susceptible to the disease. The Hendra virus in Australia is transmitted by the flying fox. It is not clear how horses become infected, but this may occur by them eating food contaminated by bat feces. The Hendra virus became well known in September 1994, after a prominent Queensland horse trainer Mr Vic Rail, his stable hand, and most of his horses fell ill to the Hendra virus. Within several days, the trainer and 14 horses were dead.
Three horses including the Hendra-infected filly that died on Saturday were destined for the prestigious Magic Millions sale on the Gold Coast this weekend, however fortunately the virus was detected before the horses were transported. If the horses had of arrived to the sale, they could of unknowingly infected 100’s of horses which would of then be transported across Australia and possibly overseas, causing an outbreak of infection similar to the EI (Equine Influenza) disaster in late 2007.
There is no vaccine against Hendra virus. The most important means of preventing Hendra virus infection is to avoid animals that are known to be infected. Symptoms in humans have included; an influenza-like illness, which can progress to pneumonia; or encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) type symptoms i.e. headache, high fever, and drowsiness, which can progress to convulsions or coma. Horses develop an acute respiratory or neurological syndrome quickly leading to death in most cases. There is no vaccine to the virus, treatment infected with Hendra virus may need to be admitted to hospital for supportive care such as intravenous therapy and mechanical ventilation.
Considering the potential for this virus to become out of control, the Queensland Government currently has a ban on the shooting of the protected species. Debbie Brown, managing director of the J4S nursery said she believed it the flying foxes that had infected the horses, however rejects calls to have the species culled, “should we wipe out a species because of six cases of the Hendra virus in humans?” she said.
John Brady, the owner of the infected horse stud, said he was “absolutely bloody disgusted” when health authorities refused to test himself and two other staff members for the virus, which not only killed Vic Rail in 2004 but also a Brisbane vet in May last year. He said it wasn’t until independent MP Peter Wellington had pushed the health department for action that he was tested. Queensland Premier Anna Bligh blamed a “breakdown in communications” for the poor treatment of Mr Brady and his staff, who were finally visited by Rockhampton hospital staff yesterday afternoon. The horse handles face an agonising few weeks wait to discover if they are infected with the virus or not.
The Hendra virus does not appear to be very contagious, humans and horses are susceptible to the disease. The Hendra virus in Australia is transmitted by the flying fox. It is not clear how horses become infected, but this may occur by them eating food contaminated by bat feces. The Hendra virus became well known in September 1994, after a prominent Queensland horse trainer Mr Vic Rail, his stable hand, and most of his horses fell ill to the Hendra virus. Within several days, the trainer and 14 horses were dead.
Three horses including the Hendra-infected filly that died on Saturday were destined for the prestigious Magic Millions sale on the Gold Coast this weekend, however fortunately the virus was detected before the horses were transported. If the horses had of arrived to the sale, they could of unknowingly infected 100’s of horses which would of then be transported across Australia and possibly overseas, causing an outbreak of infection similar to the EI (Equine Influenza) disaster in late 2007.
There is no vaccine against Hendra virus. The most important means of preventing Hendra virus infection is to avoid animals that are known to be infected. Symptoms in humans have included; an influenza-like illness, which can progress to pneumonia; or encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) type symptoms i.e. headache, high fever, and drowsiness, which can progress to convulsions or coma. Horses develop an acute respiratory or neurological syndrome quickly leading to death in most cases. There is no vaccine to the virus, treatment infected with Hendra virus may need to be admitted to hospital for supportive care such as intravenous therapy and mechanical ventilation.
Considering the potential for this virus to become out of control, the Queensland Government currently has a ban on the shooting of the protected species. Debbie Brown, managing director of the J4S nursery said she believed it the flying foxes that had infected the horses, however rejects calls to have the species culled, “should we wipe out a species because of six cases of the Hendra virus in humans?” she said.
John Brady, the owner of the infected horse stud, said he was “absolutely bloody disgusted” when health authorities refused to test himself and two other staff members for the virus, which not only killed Vic Rail in 2004 but also a Brisbane vet in May last year. He said it wasn’t until independent MP Peter Wellington had pushed the health department for action that he was tested. Queensland Premier Anna Bligh blamed a “breakdown in communications” for the poor treatment of Mr Brady and his staff, who were finally visited by Rockhampton hospital staff yesterday afternoon. The horse handles face an agonising few weeks wait to discover if they are infected with the virus or not.
The body under the bridge - Casey McPherson
I was surprised to find that the police have already arrested somebody in relation to the body parts under the Pheasants Nest Bridge. Turns out the remains were those of a 33 year old Sydney woman, who was reported missing on August 3rd. As I read through a few news articles I couldn’t help but think this story was all too simple and open close, even for real life. When do we ever hear of someone getting murdered, dismembered and scattered throughout bushland by a possible acquaintance, just because. That was a story that had the potential to be able to horrify this desensitised society of ours.
However the Kara Lawrence from the Daily Telegraph’s more researched article revealed that the reason behind this murder will emerge very soon. As the arrested man is actually her 33 year old husband. Wonder if he did it, wonder why? Guess we’ll have to wait til those answers are all over the news, once they are done scouring through every detail of their marriage and personal lives, sharing their new found information with the rest of Australia, not because we need to know, but because people will watch. Maybe the story will provide some people with comfort knowing there are worse marriages out there then there’s. Maybe I’m in a slightly pessimistic mood today towards society, but is it really right that money from sold newspapers or TV ratings influence’s stories about death.
However the Kara Lawrence from the Daily Telegraph’s more researched article revealed that the reason behind this murder will emerge very soon. As the arrested man is actually her 33 year old husband. Wonder if he did it, wonder why? Guess we’ll have to wait til those answers are all over the news, once they are done scouring through every detail of their marriage and personal lives, sharing their new found information with the rest of Australia, not because we need to know, but because people will watch. Maybe the story will provide some people with comfort knowing there are worse marriages out there then there’s. Maybe I’m in a slightly pessimistic mood today towards society, but is it really right that money from sold newspapers or TV ratings influence’s stories about death.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Karmichael the traitor - Chelsie Webster
I’m sure you’ve heard the tragic news. Karmichael is leaving. He is betraying his club, and his fans by switching to AFL for the new Gold Coast team in May 2010, after a season of Rugby Union - a massive blow to not only myself, possibly his biggest fan, but to an already suffering side and if not already suffering football code.
Who cares you may say? Well you should care; AFL selectors are targeting your team’s star players right now. But the big question is, can an NRL player cut it in AFL? I am no expert on AFL; in fact I can’t stand the game. It’s a mess of players running for a ball with no evident structure at all. However, what I do know is an AFL midfielder can run up to 15 kilometres per game, and Karmichael Hunt certainly doesn’t have the fitness for that. Sure, he could probably do an alright job on the flanks, but will his mysterious constant cramping tolerate all that extra effort required per game?
So why would Karmichael want to leave his beloved Brisbane Broncos? In media releases he has stated "If I had to leave Brisbane then I preferred to change codes rather than change teams as I did not want to play against the Brisbane Broncos," and that he wants to continue playing sport at the highest level whilst remaining in Queensland. So a $3.3 million contract over 3 years had no affect on your decision, Karmichael?
Who cares you may say? Well you should care; AFL selectors are targeting your team’s star players right now. But the big question is, can an NRL player cut it in AFL? I am no expert on AFL; in fact I can’t stand the game. It’s a mess of players running for a ball with no evident structure at all. However, what I do know is an AFL midfielder can run up to 15 kilometres per game, and Karmichael Hunt certainly doesn’t have the fitness for that. Sure, he could probably do an alright job on the flanks, but will his mysterious constant cramping tolerate all that extra effort required per game?
So why would Karmichael want to leave his beloved Brisbane Broncos? In media releases he has stated "If I had to leave Brisbane then I preferred to change codes rather than change teams as I did not want to play against the Brisbane Broncos," and that he wants to continue playing sport at the highest level whilst remaining in Queensland. So a $3.3 million contract over 3 years had no affect on your decision, Karmichael?
The pecking order - Casey McPherson
In life, we’re all a part of hierarchy. However I must say pecking order in the world of high school seems to be the most daunting and complex. It’s what determines how someone will be treated, and how they’re going to treat everyone else. What is acceptable differs from school to school, or town to town. They say in life every action has a consequence, but why is it the consequence is based upon what you have and who you know.
We see examples of this everywhere, in the movies we watch, at school and out at parties, the cruelty people will apply to other for a various amount of reasons. But no one seems to be able to answer how much is too much, when have things gone too far? And even then once someone decides it has gone too far, can they intervene or do they become a victim as well? Why it’s up to their social status of course.
Recently I was at a party where a boy was tied down to his chair and tormented by a group of boys abusing him and pouring drinks over him. The story being that he was with someone who threw ice cream at one of their car, and he may have thrown some himself. After hearing the story it was left to people to decide whether they thought that was fair, and majority laughed in a “that’s what you get” kind of way.
Had this boy been more popular with ‘tougher’ more outgoing friends would he have been treated like that, and would everyone sat back and watched, most likely not. If he was someone else the whole situation would have been sorted in a completely different manner.
www.bellabathurst.com/journalism10.php
We see examples of this everywhere, in the movies we watch, at school and out at parties, the cruelty people will apply to other for a various amount of reasons. But no one seems to be able to answer how much is too much, when have things gone too far? And even then once someone decides it has gone too far, can they intervene or do they become a victim as well? Why it’s up to their social status of course.
Recently I was at a party where a boy was tied down to his chair and tormented by a group of boys abusing him and pouring drinks over him. The story being that he was with someone who threw ice cream at one of their car, and he may have thrown some himself. After hearing the story it was left to people to decide whether they thought that was fair, and majority laughed in a “that’s what you get” kind of way.
Had this boy been more popular with ‘tougher’ more outgoing friends would he have been treated like that, and would everyone sat back and watched, most likely not. If he was someone else the whole situation would have been sorted in a completely different manner.
www.bellabathurst.com/journalism10.php
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