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orethule's gathering went well last Thursday. Main concerns raised was the loss of community in the outer suburbs meaning that individual households are highly suspectible to the influences of mass propaganda and mass media. I raised the somewhat leftfield suggestion that land taxes (primarily a state government responsibility) would significantly help reduce this. Simply put, I suggest that urban geography has a great deal to do with mass political consciousness and that outer suburbia is intrinsically orientated towards the self-interested lower-middle class. Just the people I loathe the most. Sunday was an very impressive turnout at the Unitarians for Elizabeth Young, a highly compassionate and idealistic youngster who has formed the international organization We Are One Day (yes, I have offered to fix the website). Elizabeth emphasized the need for unity among all peoples (even those we dislike) and the use of reason to stop people engaging in pathological acts. She's on a collision course with power and money, methinks. But still, the idealism of youth was a pleasure to behold. The presentation was joined with work from the Pheonix Choir who had a Macedonian Xmas Carol, a Congolese capella homily about Johnah, a Georgian style hymn of the Beatles' "Yesterday", an Arabic hymn of peace and a some US Gospel-style performance.
I have started a new roleplaying play by email roleplaying campaign, entitled Ten Thousand Islands. It was inspired from my experiences in East Timor and travels through the Malay archipelago. As a fairly open campaign, people are free to join up pretty much at any time now that I have the requisite number of initial players. I have drafted a fairly complete overview of the "world". It is also intended that this provide the foundation for a new roleplaying system. About time I actually wrote my own, methinks. I've been talking about it for years.
It must have been a week for starting things. I also started distribution of a little e-zine entitled "Red Friday" (in response to the more maudlin Blue Monday") with news and opinion in the information and communication technology. It has been generally well received and I do have this utopian idea of turning into a serious webmagazine. After all, I can write (if little else). All I need to do is find more ICT writers.
Congratulations are due to
strangedave to his election to the board of Electronic Frontiers Australia. Dave did so in response to the election of Family First and their plans to levy Internet users to pay for a ring of firewalls (like Saudia Arabia) to keep pictures of naked people out of God-fearing Australia. Onya Dave. And I joined EFA simply because of his planned nomination (apart from the fact I probably agree with everything they say).This week also saw the visitation of a certain little black dog. He drops by every several months and I usually dispense of him quite easily. This time he was rather tenancious, probably caused by reciting state-by-state election figures to me and mocking my average performance at the Excom interview. It's can a difficult thing when the country which you voluntarily adopted citizenship turns out to have little civic consciousness. It is personally disappointing when you make mistakes on matters that you know about.
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no subject
Date: 2004-10-26 05:44 am (UTC)You are very lucky to be able to mostly dispense of the "black dog" with ease, its a lot harder for a hell of a lot of people.
I definitely feel with you regarding the election - I think that is when my latest bout started. I guess this is when you have to remember that there are a lot of people who did NOT vote for the coalition, even if it doesn't seem that way, and they are all feeling like shit too..... Then there is always the other option - we can all leave Australia if we want to.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-26 06:25 am (UTC)Most of the time it's relatively easy to dispense with the black dog because it's barking about personal issues and I can usually simply scold it for not looking at the bigger picture.
At least in part, this recent visit is about a bigger picture :/
no subject
Date: 2004-10-26 06:32 am (UTC)And for the moment there isn't that much that we can do about it - I think that's what makes it worse.
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Date: 2004-10-26 08:51 am (UTC)Well that's not quite true. We must remember that the government went against its own interests with regards to intervention in Timor. And also we do have coast-to-coast state Labor governments. If only they had the courage to implement land taxes we could kill souless and environmentally damaging cancer that is the outer suburbs.
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Date: 2004-10-26 10:57 pm (UTC)True - I hadn't really thought of that. Here is hoping that the state governments actually pull together for a change and stop the coalition from totally destroying the country.
One thing that might stop them - and correct me if I am wrong here (you know my knowledge isn't that great in things political) - is the fact that they lost a lot of the state revenue raisers with the introduction of the GST and have thus become more reliant on the handouts of the federal government, who in turn has been giving out less and less, in part (my opinion) because the state governments are Labor governments. But I guess this is where the land taxes could help if they had the guts to introduce them
no subject
Date: 2004-10-26 11:18 pm (UTC)I'm not exactly sure of the net figures of revenues previously raised by state governments versus receipts achieved through the GST. In fact, I was completely oblivious that they had lost any revenue sources.
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Date: 2004-10-26 11:39 pm (UTC)Unfortunately I can't recall the exact details, but they did loose some sources of revenue. I think it was something to do with stamp duties and some other state based taxes....
no subject
Date: 2004-10-26 06:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-26 06:20 am (UTC)Imagine if there were no zone files and people had to remember IP addresses instead ;-)
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Date: 2004-10-26 06:43 am (UTC)Now...onto check out your PBEM. If Hugh doesn't know about that yet he'll probably be leaping at the link just as soon as he gets home!
no subject
Date: 2004-10-26 08:48 am (UTC)Hugh is more than welcome to join the game. Just send an email to lev_lafayette@yahoo.com.au and we'll get started on character generation.
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Date: 2004-10-26 09:38 am (UTC)I'll remind you that I wrote 1/5 of a core White Wolf sorcebook. I am as likely to join a PBEM as much as Hugh is! :D
Actually, after looking at the intro page I must say it's a good balance between what tickle's Hugh's fancy and what tickles mine!
And, why don't you send the e-zine to amphigori at extra dot co dot nz? :D
no subject
Date: 2004-10-26 10:47 pm (UTC)Hey, you didn't mention that you wanted to join in the PBeM! OK, OK! You have the webpage for character generation, so email me a chaaracter concept....
And you're on the list for the ezine as well ...
no subject
Date: 2004-10-26 09:26 am (UTC)[j]
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Date: 2004-10-26 10:59 pm (UTC)I'm a little surprised that you weren't already aware of them. They've been doing Internet freedom lobbying for quite some time now. Not that it matters - you know of them now and you know that there is actually an organization in Australia that's trying to do something about Internet rights.
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Date: 2004-10-26 09:37 am (UTC)That damned dirty dog... Me, I'm waiting for the blowback. Only three more years...
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Date: 2004-10-26 10:51 pm (UTC)I doubt it will happen while the opposition has its power sharing arrangement between the boring duo of Swan/Smith and Latham/Gillard.
Seriously, Labor is rewarding failure.
I'm thinking of embarking on a campaign to get myself expelled ;-)
no subject
Date: 2004-10-26 09:53 am (UTC)So forgive me when I ask : Black dog? Wtf?
I was speaking to Bob Howard the other day. (brother of satan) You probably know Bob, Lev, being all political and stuff. I commiserated with him on the results of the election and asked him something I'd been curious about : Does Little John actually believe the crap he spouts? Bob advised that this is the biggest problem he has with John. The guy believes his own prattle. This is what it sounds like when doves cry.
Writers? You need writers? What's an ICF? Whatever, I'll do it.. Gimme something to write!!!
no subject
Date: 2004-10-26 10:45 pm (UTC)The Black Dog is depression.
www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2004/s1196142.htm
www.cbsnews.com/stories/ 2000/10/09/60II/main239704.shtml
and best of all...
www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/
I can't say it's a particularly vicious version of the breed in my case. Usually it's appearance causes a period of glumness and that's about it.
I should also mention the dog's visit in the past week was thankfully brief - three or four days.
Bob Howard? As in this one? Hmmm... He'd have some insight. Yes, Howard does believe his own material. There are people in this world who aren't just after enough money to be comfortable or political rights for themselves, but actually worship money and/or power. Their commitment to these things is similar to religious commitment. They will lie, cheat and engage in any deceptive maneuver to accumulate what they desire.
It's ICT, not ICF. Information and Communications Technology.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-27 04:56 am (UTC)Ah that black dog. I only get to see him on holidays and constantly for the last two weeks. Fantastic. Girls suck, I'm seriously considering homosexuality as a lifestyle choice. I just don't know about the sex.
I can totally write, like, about that. Well... I could write a weekly column "From the Desk of a Disgruntled Technical Support Representative". It would mostly be raging uselessly at customers and rude suggestions to Microsoft to either insert certain phrases into error messages or insert certain OSs in certain other places.
Take it easy.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-27 06:39 am (UTC)How about an article for people on how to describe matters effectively and efficiently to tech support?
Homosexuality is the best cover for a spy ;-)
no subject
Date: 2004-10-27 07:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-27 09:04 am (UTC)rofl
Date: 2004-10-26 02:11 pm (UTC)I think that would make a good book title.
Re: rofl
Date: 2004-10-26 10:03 pm (UTC)No doubt about it, it often leaves me stunned...
That's why the usenet group aus.politics is a good forum. I get the full range of dickhead opinions.
I recently read a person's "manifesto" on why those who commit acts of self-harm should be put into jail, rather than taking up hospital bed space for "genuine" cases.
There's some real headcases out there...
Re: rofl
Date: 2004-10-27 05:11 am (UTC)I misread "aus.politics" as "anus.politics"...
Insert random "pain in the ass" comment here.
I blame
Re: rofl
Date: 2004-10-27 06:37 am (UTC)You know, anus.politics is probably more appropriate as well...