Diversity and Relaxation, "less comfortable for some"

[tcpip]

The past week was quite diverse in its activities. I completed some Tetum translations for Accents Ireland, did some work on the T3 program website, completed a lengthy article on the development of storage technologies for the French peer-reviewed arts journal Organdi, wrote a review for RPG.net for the Rogue Mistress campaign book. Still on my agenda for today is an application as a sysadmin for VPAC. On a related topic I've decided to decline nominations for President, Vice-President and Ordinary Committee Member for Linux Users Victoria.

I have taken some R&R as a pleasant surprise; mainly playing the classic Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, but also with some tabletop gaming in the form of our retroAD&D game (now in Iceland for the "Hall of the Fire Giant King"). This was the final game of the current DM who has to leave our group, which is a shame as a player but certainly no loss as a DM. Last Saturday entertained ser_pounce and hathhalla with a feast and played Munchkin and Hacker. Rather rudely I won both games :-) Tonight I'm off to a new D&D group who have their game based in a (European) fantasy version of Australia.

Last Sunday the Melbourne Unitarian Church had another forum on climate change, this time with politicians from the major parties in attendence. The leader of the Democrats, Lyn Allison gave her spiel, for the Greens there was Adam Bandt, the Federal candidate for Melbourne and for the Australian Labor Party, there was Kelvin Thomson, member for Wills. The Liberal Party declined to attend, although Adam did remind those present of the utter ignorance of the current Prime Minister. To quote:

TONY JONES: Prime Minister, what do you think living in Australia would be like by the end of this century for your own grandchildren and for the grandchildren and great grandchildren of others, if the temperatures, the average mean temperatures, around the world do rise by somewhere between four and possibly even more than six degrees celsius?

JOHN HOWARD: Well, it would be less comfortable for some than it is now, but, Tony, I think it's very, very hard for us, in 2007, to try, with that kind of mathematical accuracy, with great respect to the scientists, to sort of extrapolate what things might be....

Comments

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

They vote for them as long as the direct benefits to them are perceived to be greater than the direct loses. Thus they didn't care less if Howard lied through his teeth on various refugee issues, because it didn't affect them. Global warming is something that, because the serious effects aren't on the immediate agenda in terms of financial loses for the average person, he thinks he can play the same game. Which is why Tony Jones' question about grandchildren was quite clever. Most people do care about the future of their grandchildren...

[ruth-lawrence.livejournal.com]

Well, you see, I have this understanding that one is supposed to vote for the best for one's country/state/municipality, not the best for oneself.

:::but they don't:::

I don't know about the grandchildren thing as a long term strategy, as fewer of us are going to be granparents.

[belegdel.livejournal.com]

I've alwayse understood democracy as allowing the individual the have "their say" in the running of the country. Which is an inherently self-centered idea.

In fact I find often that thinking "for the better of the state/group" is more often associated with socialism, hence communism, hence "evil".

Ofn the other hand, given the resurgence of jingoism, one is expected to allow oneself to be influenced BY the country, not the other way around.

[ruth-lawrence.livejournal.com]

"Their say" is running the country means...having a say in *running the country*, seems to me.

I will admit I am some shade of democratic socialist: I support public eduction, a public health system and cover and a welfare safety net.