Punch on: Open thread 02/11/2011

fairsfair says:

11:15am | 02/11/11

A workmate of mine sunk a $1k on Red Cadeaux, Americain and Lucas Cranach on the trifecta.

He managed to show up for work today… I’m surprised. I’d still be “just imagine if”-ing it at home and spending it in my head.

klinger says:

12:35pm | 02/11/11

fairsfair
Your friend is telling you porkies.

fairsfair says:

01:45pm | 02/11/11

Do you just buy the trifecta then? Sorry I know nothing about racing (clearly). He lost a grand anyway and had 1st 3rd and 4th picked. Perhaps he meant total bets. Did I get the horses wrong or something?

If you haven’t already guessed, I’m not following why

Ben C says:

02:03pm | 02/11/11

@ klinger

Do explain why you say that please, I’d be turning up for work still if I had that trifecta, seeing as it didn’t pay.

Tim says:

02:09pm | 02/11/11

FF,
if the guy put $1K on a straight out trifecta with three horses then he’s either really rich or a peanut.
Crazy stuff.
If it was boxed it would have been $167 units on.
The trifecta paid $4500~ on S-Tab so he would have been looking at an $700-800k payout.

Me,
I got the first four. $22 000….......@ 3% for a $600 collect thank you very much.

klinger says:

02:16pm | 02/11/11

fairs
Your friend may indeed have blown 1000 dollars on trifectas, but it wasn’t a trifecta on those three horses.
I was probably many horses in different combinations except the one that actually mattered.
A trifecta is picking three horses to finish in exact order.
If your friend had actually had a trifecta on the right three horses in order for 1000 dollars, he would have won 4.5 million on the Victorian tab.
What he’s saying is that he was close to picking the winning three horses in exact order in amongst a swag of tickets, but missed. You know, close but no cigar stuff.

This is common amongst punters. - I was so close, but yet so far away. It’s what keeps the punters coming back.

fairsfair says:

03:14pm | 02/11/11

Ok I get it now. Sorry - that is my fault. My first comment meant that he was depressed at how close he got - not that he won anything (I just heard him still garping on about it so he is clearly not over it). He sunk a grand on the day with no return (he is rich), but following that explanation - clearly he would not have put the full grand on the three horses he picked being (the ones that actually came 2nd, 3rd and 4th) though he is making out he has missed making a tidy sum because of Dunaden….

I need to brush up on my trackside lingo.

Tim says:

03:33pm | 02/11/11

FF,
well he should be annoyed at himself.
No one who knows anything about horse racing was leaving Dunaden out of their trifectas.

TimB says:

07:22am | 02/11/11

...Nothing perhaps?

I see Acotrel’s taking the ALP’s ball of desperation and running with it. Hilarious.

marley says:

07:50am | 02/11/11

@TimB - he’s blaming Abbott for the latest boat tragedy as well.  Maybe he can hit the trifecta and find a link between Tony and the break up of Kim Kardashian’s marriage as well.

Dash says:

08:10am | 02/11/11

OMG! This is classic ALP bullshit! Now the fact the government failed to act because it’s compromised by it’s association with the unions is Tony Abbotts fault. WTF?

Albanese yesterday has been in damage control and has been in denial despite being clear of the threat for over two weeks! The ALP sat on it’s hands. Qantas didn’t trust them because they knew whatever was said would be fed straight back to the unions. The TWU head is up for ALP president. Albanese yesterday even tried to suggest the Sydney Daily Telegraph had something to do with it! The squirming little worm! Typical of members of the ALPs left faction which continues to destroy the party from within.

Gillard wrote the legislation and it has failed us all! And if stepping in to resolve this crisis was not in the national interest, the government will never invoke that clause!

The ALP are in damage control. The fact they are trying to say this is somehow Abbott’s fault is so bloody stupid it’s not funny. We have an unrepresentative government, governing for the minority, running scared of the unions and now not prepared to take responsibility for it’s job. Unbelievable!

Well done to Joyce and the Qantas board for being able to avoid the unions damaging the airline further and holding the Australian public to ransom over the Christmas New Year period.

Why would shareholders and the board want staff linked to the TWU!

Meanwhile, ALP ministers and Paul Howes are enjoying the free beer, wine, coffee and bickies in the Quantas lounge. Hypocrites!

The union movement represents less than 14% of Australian workers. Why do the ALP continually drop the nations pants for them? What about the rest of us? What about the ALP start governing for the other 86%?

Super D says:

09:15am | 02/11/11

@aco - what power did Tony Abbott have to resolve the Qantas dispute - even if he was in it up to his eyeballs?

Absolutely none.

This is just an ALP fantasy to shift the attention to Tony Abbott.  It’s not worked on any issue so far and won’t work this time either, 

This is Gillards mess. She will wallow in it until the backbenchers show mercy and vote her out.

iansand says:

09:27am | 02/11/11

If having Qantas flying is in the national interest and if Abbott/Hockey had advance notice of a potential problem shouldn’t they have acted in the national interest and said something about it?

The problem with Abbott is that he regards his political interests as more important than the national interest.

Dash says:

09:59am | 02/11/11

@iansand - they didn’t have prior notice. But Albanese and Gillard did. The Qantas dispute was costing the company $15m a week.

The Premiers of Victoria and NSW wrote to Gillard and asked her to intervene a week before this happened. News limited raised the issue of the government not acting weeks out from the grounding!

The government knew, they had heaps of time however their conflict of interest with the unions stopped them from doing the right thing! The ALP is controlled and compromised by the unions who account for less than 14% of workers. And Gillard and the socialist left of the ALP re-wrote IR rules to favour the unions. Disgraceful!

Ian, two LNP premiers specifically wrote to the PM about the crisis. She called it a stunt! She’s a Muppet!

TimB says:

10:22am | 02/11/11

The problem with iansand is that he thinks that the Opposition can act.

Last time I checked that was the role of the Government, but whatever.

Adam, please add iansands latest comment to the nominations.

acotrel says:

10:45am | 02/11/11

@SuperD
‘@aco - what power did Tony Abbott have to resolve the Qantas dispute - even if he was in it up to his eyeballs?

Absolutely none’

But what if he and Peter Reith encouraged the lock out ? There are two precedents - Dollar Sweets, and Patrick’s !

acotrel says:

10:49am | 02/11/11

@Dash
‘@iansand - they didn’t have prior notice. But Albanese and Gillard did. The Qantas dispute was costing the company $15m a week.’

He says - she says !  Somebody is telling porkies and I suspect the guy with the pathological condition !

acotrel says:

10:52am | 02/11/11

@TimB
‘The problem with iansand is that he thinks that the Opposition can act.’

So you are saying they are incapable of any actions, including the nefarious underhand back door plots, involving recruiting corporations to help Abbott get into the lodge ? Another lie ?

iansand says:

11:13am | 02/11/11

Hockey said he had prior notice.

TimB says:

11:14am | 02/11/11

Acotrel, I sugget breaking out the tinfoil.

And share it with iansand will you? Now there’s a good chap.

iansand says:

11:21am | 02/11/11

LEIGH SALES: When did you first hear from Qantas that it was considering the option of grounding its fleet or locking out staff? That it was considering that option?

JOE HOCKEY: Well it’s been saying it around Parliament House for the last few weeks. Everyone in Parliament House knew. I specifically heard they were going to undertake a lock-out and grounding on 4:45 on Saturday.

LEIGH SALES: When did you hear they were considering that option, that that was the sort of stuff that was on the table?

JOE HOCKEY: Oh, weeks ago. They’ve been saying it. Weeks ago. Publicly and privately, they have been saying for weeks.

LEIGH SALES: Did you hear this in a meeting with Qantas representatives?

JOE HOCKEY: They had been saying it privately and publicly around Parliament House for weeks.

LEIGH SALES: I’d like to know specifically when you heard that. Don’t want you to say generally.

JOE HOCKEY: I can’t recall.

LEIGH SALES: You would have heard it personally in a meeting from a Qantas representative at some time in the past few weeks?

JOE HOCKEY: Yeah, sure. As did others. Qantas have been in this building for weeks.

LEIGH SALES: Joe Hockey, thanks very much.

JOE HOCKEY: Thanks, Leigh.
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2011/s3353658.htm

TimB says:

11:32am | 02/11/11

So what you’re saying iansand, is that the Government also knew for weeks that such an action was on the table and did nothing. Excellent.

Thanks for highlighting the point I’ve been trying to drum into your head over the past few days.

John Smythe says:

11:36am | 02/11/11

ian what’s your point? Are you trying to suggest none of our current government, the ones supposedly in charge of our nation, are not in parliament house, and as such could not have possibly heard the same information?

iansand says:

12:10pm | 02/11/11

No, John Smythe.  I am trying to highlight the idiocy of the who knew what when stuff that is floating around.

And little TimmyB appears to think that the government should have acted on the basis of rumour and gossip.

Dash says:

12:20pm | 02/11/11

@acotrel, are you seriously stupid enough to want to debate who tells lies?? Unbelievable!

“There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead”.

Lies??? Bloody hell acotrel, you only open your mouth to change feet!

TimB says:

12:47pm | 02/11/11

“And little TimmyB appears to think that the government should have acted on the basis of rumour and gossip.”

Ahuh.

We’ll just ignore the fact that the Unions *had* been taking action (as covered for the past few weeks by the media)
We’ll also ignore the obvious conclusion that Qantas would be obviously wanting to put a stop to this somehow.
We’ll also ignore the fact that these ‘rumours’ about a possible shutdown were coming from Qantas themseleves.
And finally we’ll ignore the fact that Albanese recieved *specific* advice *personally* from Joyce back on Oct 21st , highlighting that the plan was on the table.

Seriously iansand. All this crap floating around Parliament House. You don’t think that it would have been such a big ask for *someone* in the government to think to themselves ‘Hang on a tic. These rumours sound kind of serious. What if there’s something to it? Better not take the risk’.  Maybe spend five minutes on the phone to Qantas to either confirm or put the ‘rumours and gossip’ to rest? Is it really that hard?

And now despite all the rumours, you have the Government claiming it was ‘blindsided’. What a joke.

Yet again you try to make the case that the Government should have waited for this to happen or waited for that to happen. To react, rather than act.

Leadership. Proactiveness. These are the things I expect from a competent government. This government is capable of neither. And you, Perse and Acotrel are right here in the trenches defending them to the death.

What a joke.

iansand says:

01:44pm | 02/11/11

It’s lucky he is not old enough to vote.

TimB says:

04:45pm | 02/11/11

Tsk

More childish insults. It’s both ironic and sad.

iansand says:

06:10pm | 02/11/11

As you appear to believe that it is appropriate for a government to use draconian executive powers on the basis of rumour and scuttlebut, childish insults are the only sensible response.  I have to come down to your level.  Robert Mugabe would be impressed.

TimB says:

07:06pm | 02/11/11

Oh no iansand. You’ve attained a level far below any I could ever stoop to. It’s ironic in that the fact that when you feel the need to make such unimaginitive cracks about my age, you prove yourself to be more immature than any other poster here.

And every time you do it in lieu of responding to actual points, it tells me that deep down you know I’ve bested you yet again. It hurts doesn’t it? Go ahead. Insult me again. Mask the pain and embarrasment.

As for your lame strawman argument, I didn’t say the government should have made the decisions based on rumor. I said they should have weighed up the abudantly available evidence along with the ‘rumour’. Then they should have investigated its veracity. At which point they would have learnt of its truth (perhaps even earlier than the 3-hour head start they were given), and thus been able to act appropriately, *with the laws they themselves wrote*.  It’s telling that even when they did find out, they still did not act.

Leadership. Proactiveness. Competence. Qualities of a good government, and qualities that the goverment you insist on defending does not posess.

BTW I confess I have no idea what your reference to Robert Mugabe is supposed to mean. You seem to be indicating that he would be impressed with you for stooping to a paticular level. I can’t say that that craving a dictator’s approval is an ideal state to aspire to, but whatever floats your boat.

Adam Diver says:

07:46pm | 02/11/11

Thanks for the nomination TimB and thanks Iansand for trying your best to make a point.

JimD says:

08:13pm | 02/11/11

timmie
go back to your video games and bucket of chicken and leave the adults in peace.

TimB says:

09:03pm | 02/11/11

It’s always amusing when Badger feels the need to ride to the rescue.

davidoff says:

03:02pm | 03/11/11

I always find it amusing when timmie imagines himself right and barges through the thread with his ill informed conservative spittle.

acotrel says:

06:50am | 02/11/11

Circumstantial evidence - Peter Reith commented on the QANTAS dispute, but we hadn’t seen him since he tried to make his comeback recently, and Abbott shafted him, then suddenly- there he is, looking his old cynical self !

Joan says:

07:17am | 02/11/11

Yep - Gillard seen on evening tele in parliament in her best form using fishmonger wife screech , got stuck in her favourite old groove screeching its `All Abbott`s fault` Someone should tell her she should stop playing that old record - it`s worn out and past its use by date. If she is unable to lead the Nation and its all Abbott`s fault then lets take it to an election and sort it out.

TimB says:

07:34am | 02/11/11

Not true Perse.

Albanese was told specifically at 2 PM.

Ferguson and Evans were told soon after.

I have no idea what this whole ‘staffer at Albo’s office’ business is.

One would expect that at least *one* of the three would have gotten a message to Gillard. In fact reports would seem to indicate that was the case:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/qantas-ceo-alan-joyce-made-phone-call-to-pm-julia-gillard-but-was-ignored/story-e6freuy9-1226180960683

“Ms Gillard was in an executive session of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and was not available by phone. She was however informed of Qantas’s decision.”

Now if we pretend that this report was false, then we have to ask ourselves why were the ministers so inocmpetent that they failed to inform Gillard of what had happened?

It really doesn’t matter what excuses you offer up Perse. There’s an example of government incomptence at every turn.

jf says:

07:39am | 02/11/11

“She was in CHOGM, though.”

“Oh yeah. We really should have people who can look after specific areas of government. We could call them ministers”.

marley says:

07:56am | 02/11/11

Oh, indeed.  Until the weekend, there had never been an issue between Qantas and the unions, there had never been any strikes or disruptions, no flights had been cancelled and no damage had been done to tourism.  The government was therefore completely unaware that there were any simmering issues between Qantas and the unions which might have an impact on the broader tourist industry.

The only reason the government was blindsided (if it was), is because it was sleepwalking through the whole dispute.

Mark G says:

08:03am | 02/11/11

This argument has stupidly come down to the exact moment people knew about the lockout. That’s not the point here. This lockout occurred because of lack of government action even before they were aware that a lock out was going to occur. A lock out should not have been the trigger for government action in the first place. The unions threatening to continue industrial action on and off for the next 12 months should have been enough. But Julia being an ex-union lawyer would never act against a union demand lest she loss any remaining support that she is clinging too. That’s the point here. She could have taken action or at least demanded that Fair Work Australia take action weeks ago. She did nothing until QANTAS forced her hand. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to realise that a lockout was going to occur. It was a matter of when, not if.

Dash says:

08:29am | 02/11/11

Isn’t it funny that we don’t hear from the paid up ALP member Persephone unless the ALP trot her out when they are in damage control!

The ALP is running this place for the union movement. An organisation that represents less than 14% of Australian workers. An organisation whos workers contribute less than 2% of the personal tax revenue collected by the government.

Yet the unrepresentative ALP are stacked full of ex union hacks and run by the loony left faction like Combet, Gillard and Albanese who are now running scared of their Union masters. The ALP and Gillard have sent IR backwards. If Hawke or Howard were PM, this would not have been allowed to happen!

Gillard has Paul Howes to thank for her job. The TWU head is running for ALP president. The ALP are so out of touch with the other 86% of the working population it’s not funny. They are compromised so much by the union movement, they wont even do what’s in the nation interest. It’s a bloody disgrace!

This government is by the minority for the minority! They are incompetent muppets! Albanese even tried to blame the Sydney Daily Telegraph yesterday for his inability to take any action. He knew for over two weeks!

Perse, why would Joyce spell anything out to a government who is in the unions pockets? The ALP can not be trusted. Anything the Qantas executive said to them would be fed straight back to the unions.

Two premiers asked the PM to act two weeks ago. News limited was asking the PM to act two weeks ago. Joyce was in contact with Albanese throught the entire crisis. The company was bleeding $15m a week due to union action and yet the PM and the ALP are claiming ignorance. What a pack of hopeless morons! And there are people on here lining up to be branded the same by association.

It took leadership from the NSW, Victorian and Queensland State governments to resolve this through their submissions to Fairwork. The federal government sat on and then washed it’s hands because it didn’t want to upset the unions. Give me a freakin’ break! Conflict of interest much?

persephone says:

09:24am | 02/11/11

TimB

Albo was told that Joyce would be ringing to speak to him. He was not given any indication what the call was about, or indeed whether it was important.

Having waited some for the phone call from Joyce, he made three separate attempts to contact Joyce himself.

Joyce hasn’t denied any of that.

Joyce - and QANTAS - made no effort to contact the PM.

That was the error of fact that the Opposition based their attack on yesterday.

jf

again, not the point.

The Opposition’s attack in QT yesterday was based on the false idea - based on a newspaper article, and denied by Joyce himself - that he had tried to contact the PM personally and she had not returned his call.

marley

until the weekend, there had been 6 hours of strike action, spread over months.

Albo had brokered an agreement that there was to be no industrial action in the immediate future.

Thus there was no reason for Qantas to press any panic buttons.

The government wasn’t sleep walking, as Albo’s frequent meetings with Joyce and the unions demonstrated.

MarkG

amusing how all those advocates of ‘non government interference in the affairs of business’ changed their spots almost overnight.

One minute Abbott is saying there’s no place for governments to intervene in disputes like this, the next he advocates government intervention.

And all you sheepy beeps abandon your free marketeering, small government mantras and jump right on board.

Dash

The Premiers didn’t take it to FWA, the Australian government did.

There was no reason for the Premiers to wait for the Federal government to act. It was in their power to take the issue to FWA themselves.

If they had been really concerned two weeks ago (and I think your timeframes are a bit generous) then why didn’t they act then?

Dash says:

10:09am | 02/11/11

Perse - they did act!!! They wrote to the PM asking her to do something about the crisis because it was damaging their economies. She called it a stunt and did nothing. Now she’s pleading ignorance. The ALP showed no leadership at all. Qantas had to ground the fleet before they woke up!

Why don’t you just admit that the ALP are so compromised by their association with the unrepresentative union movement, that they were too scared to act in the national interest. They have a serious conflict of interest which aligns them to the significant minority. It’s a disgrace!

persephone says:

10:29am | 02/11/11

Dash

buckpassing isn’t acting.

Nothing in the legislation stopping the Premiers themselves taking it directly to the FWA.

The fact they didn’t - but instead sent a letter to someone else asking them to - shows that there was no real sense of urgency about it for them.

And Qantas didn’t have to ground the fleet - there were several other avenues of action open to them, and no industrial action in the immediate pipeline (apart from pilots wearing red ties).

Abbott’s explanation works both ways. Why would he fly with Qantas at all, if he - and everyone else in Canberra, according to Joe Hockey - thought there was any real danger of flights being cancelled?

If he didn’t think there was any real danger of flights being cancelled, where was the emergency?

Aitch B says:

10:32am | 02/11/11

In today’s Age:

“The Senate transport legislation committee will on Friday quiz Qantas executives and the three unions involved.
The committee is examining a bill, co-sponsored by independent Nick Xenophon and the Greens, that would curb Qantas’s ability to take operations offshore. Two Labor senators on the committee are formerly from the Transport Workers Union, a key player in the dispute.

Gee….. that’ll be an objective examination, won’t it?

TimB says:

10:47am | 02/11/11

You are completely confused Perse:

According to you:

“Albo was told that Joyce would be ringing to speak to him. He was not given any indication what the call was about, or indeed whether it was important.

Having waited some for the phone call from Joyce, he made three separate attempts to contact Joyce himself.”

But according to this:

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Qantass-first-flight-takes-off-N68DZ?OpenDocument

“Mr Albanese said Qantas first made contact with his office at 1.26pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

He then made several attempts to call Mr Joyce, who eventually rang him back around 2pm (AEDT). “

And what did I say?

“Albanese was told specifically at 2 PM.”

Oh dear. One wonders why you insist on contradicting me.

And as for contacting Gillard herself:

“THE high-profile Qantas executive Olivia Wirth has confirmed she called Julia Gillard’s chief of staff Ben Hubbard hours before Alan Joyce grounded Qantas and said the CEO was available to speak to the Prime Minister.”

So Persephone, are you saying that Gillard’s chief of staff didn’t pass the message on? That her ministers didn’t pass the message on?

At least 3 Labor ministers & Gillard’s own chief of staf knew of the situation shortly after 2PM on saturday. The lockout was officially announced at 5PM. Why didn’t the government act in that 3 hour window? It seems that Gillard’s senior ministers believe that they should have:

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Qantass-first-flight-takes-off-N68DZ?opendocument&src=rss

“Senior federal ministers disagreed on how the Qantas crisis should be handled, with Prime Minister Julia Gillard urged to act more quickly.

Senior cabinet sources said there was disagreement between Ms Gillard, Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten, Workplace Relations Minister Chris Evans and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese as the crisis unfolded on Saturday, News Limited reported on Tuesday.

Mr Albanese and Mr Shorten are believed to have argued for an immediate intervention to terminate the industrial dispute after the government was notified by Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce of the company’s intentions to ground its fleet.”

So why didn’t it happen Perse? Is there any reason beyond pure incomptence?

Dash says:

12:16pm | 02/11/11

@Perse - Buckpassing? Ha, the ALP has turned that into an artform! When will they take responsibility for their job? And for the crap they have delivered over the last 4 years. Everytime they fail they blame someone or something else even though they are the ones in power pulling the levers.

And then fools who clearly can’t think for themselves, get on here and sprout the ALP spin and bullshit.

You spend your life on this site passing the buck every time the ALP screws something up.

And I would argue the buck stops with the Federal government. This was a national strike, a national dispute and a national concern. If anyone had a buck to pass it was Gillard and her incompetent pack of muppets in the Federal ALP.

And by grounding the fleet, Qantas got closure and secured the airline during the Christmas New Year period when the unions planned to cause the most disruption. I’m not sure the “other options” you fail to articulate, would achieve the same outcome for the company and it’s shareholders.

fairsfair says:

09:22am | 02/11/11

Very true gobsmack - I went in February and loved it, even though it was quite similar to home (sans any hills and appropriate drainage) and loved the fact that it is so close to Kakadu and Litchfield. Its a whole other world just outside of the city. 

However - majorly expensive. I could not afford to go there and pay for accommodation, hire a car etc. I spent about a grand in a week and that was staying at a mate’s place with access to their 4wd and a company fuel card. It was rediculous.

Australia as a nation, needs to address the costs of domestic tourism. There is major tears going on here in Cairns at the moment about how the Qantas event will have knock on effects for the Tourism Industry. HELLO! if it wasn’t $200 per person to go to the reef, maybe more people would go more often. If it wasn’t $700 per night minimum two night stay, maybe people would make a weekend of it at the Daintree Eco Lodge. It is just insane. People are chained to their houses and when you can spend less on a packaged holiday of flights accommodation and breakfast for less than the costs of just the accommodation in Australia - I can kind of understand why people choose Bali.

jf says:

07:40am | 02/11/11

I predict you’ll be wrong. Again.

BobC says:

08:03am | 02/11/11

For Heaven’s sake! All this carry on about the Opposition knowing for days beforehand….they’re the Opposition!! If they know, why the heck didn’t the Government know! Do they have their finger on the pulse or do they just sit on their hands and react after the horse has bolted??

TimB says:

08:07am | 02/11/11

On the basis of what? Julia Gillard’s hysterical screeching?

NicoleG says:

08:12am | 02/11/11

I predict the people with the nice white jackets will be coming for you very soon acotrel. You have passed delusional. It’s sad.

Dash says:

08:36am | 02/11/11

Any sign of the ALP taking responsibility for being the government acotrel? I mean it has been 4 years!

Conflict of interest with the unions got in the way of the ALP acting like a government again did it mate?

Yes you are in serious damage control today. You are embarrassed by your ALP membership because you’ve paid your subs to a pack of muppets!

ausspud says:

12:27pm | 02/11/11

Predictable=acotrel

acotrel says:

07:34am | 02/11/11

Which horse was Tony Abbott riding ?  Was it called ‘negotiater ’ ?

Budz says:

08:18am | 02/11/11

We need to find you some new activities in retirement acotrel!
Possibly time to get back into your motorbikes!

gobsmack says:

12:38pm | 02/11/11

@acotrel
Tony’s horse is the one that’s always neighing.

Justin of Earlwood says:

09:31am | 02/11/11

And Sarah Jessica Parker.

I hate pies says:

08:54am | 02/11/11

Haha, I’ll never get tired of SJP horse gags. Although, my wife reckons she’s looking less horsified with age…I’m not so sure.

Wynston Cruso says:

04:22pm | 02/11/11

She’s the one in that show about the three transvestites and their mother right?

Tim says:

09:25am | 02/11/11

I think you mean it’s Gillards fault for not intervening in the horse race and preventing the French from winning. Tony Abbott agrees although he was later seen ripping up a betting ticket on Red Cardeaux.

Dash says:

10:15am | 02/11/11

Gillard and her union masters have no right telling the French how they should run their business. Nor do they have the right to deliberately sabotage that business Tim!

Knemon says:

10:16am | 02/11/11

...are you sure about who’s living in a Simpson’s episode TimB? You seem to be the one continually quoting from them…reality comes to mind!

TimB says:

10:53am | 02/11/11

I use the quotes to highlight amusing facets of real-life situations Knemon .

The Simpsons gets a good run because there’s so much material to work with. Futurama gets a look in every so often.

fairsfair says:

11:25am | 02/11/11

When we were kids mum would not let us watch the Simpsons because it was “stupid”. Now, she absolutely cacks herself at it. My dad loves the Stonecutter episode because he such a Mason hater and I expressed the other day that I felt like Diabetty and we were in hysterics. Every time we walk past a guard dog too I find myself laughing about that time Homer was going on about dogs that bark and fire bees from their mouth. Shame I don’t pay enough attention to remember exact quotes….

It really is a socially astute and mature show at times (sometimes it is just rediculous and I think CH10 has ruined it for life for a lot of people). Adults take something totally different from it to kids. Clearly it works - it in its what? 22nd year?

Tim says:

09:47am | 02/11/11

haha,
beat me to it.

stephen says:

08:50pm | 02/11/11

We are world-class.
They won cause there are more of them, and they wanted our money.

Flemington looked like a dump.
Not enough flowers, or flags, or colour around the winner’s circle.
Really amateurish, (which makes me feel not so bad losing with niwot.)

Engineer says:

11:56am | 02/11/11

But do you give a fig about where the maintenance was done?

ausspud says:

12:51pm | 02/11/11

Dont do it Shenanigans.That is exactly what they want you to do.
Remember what happened on the simpsons when everybody got rid of their weapons,the zombies attacked thats what happened.
So do the Human race a favour & save a nerf gun or two.

fairsfair says:

11:11am | 02/11/11

I say this without any intended offence or malice - it is just an observation…

Does anyone else think in Dan’s headshot for use on the Punch he looks a tincy bit like Fry?

I apologise if you take that the wrong way (Don’t worry Dan, my brother once told me I looked like Casey Donovan. He followed it up with a definative “in the face”, but it still hurt).

fairsfair says:

04:42pm | 02/11/11

So I’m going to go out on a limb here and say thats a no….

TimB says:

11:29am | 02/11/11

Wait until the Zelda: Skyward Sword campaign gets up and running.

Zelda Williams (and Robin Williams too I guess) will be all over our screens at least until after Christmas.

Personally I approve. Getting the Williamses involved in the 25th anniversary campaign was a masterstroke by Nintendo. It’s horribly cheesy. But it works.

fairsfair says:

11:39am | 02/11/11

Thanks Dad lol

redvixen says:

01:12pm | 02/11/11

When I was a child my parents had stables and owned and trained race horses and my brother was a jockey (until he simply couldn’t starve himself enough anymore - he was too tall).  The horses got more attention and more money spent on them than the rest of the family.  Some people go on about how what a cruel industry it is and how all the old horses go to the dogfood factory, but I don’t know anything about that.  Our horses had great lives, and equally great retirements.

John Smythe says:

11:49am | 02/11/11

Robert, as an ex-pat, I have given up on Australian media years ago. It’s lost its investigative nature and has become either too politically biased, or just plain brain numbingly gossipy.

Mark G says:

02:00pm | 02/11/11

two problems with that.

1. You still have to determine where six inches is. For example one horse might be on the line while the other is exactly six inches back or worse 6.1 inches. Its really about where you draw the line. You still have to have a steward make a judgement call.

2. With the amount of money on the line, a dead heat is not a desirable outcome for the majority of punters. If you can make a call, then you should make a call. You dont improve the situation by saying ‘close enough for me’.

Dash says:

12:44pm | 02/11/11

Congrats - your shout!

jay-ded says:

01:54pm | 02/11/11

Nice on ausspud.  I’ll have a bourbon. 

Cheers

Ben C says:

02:24pm | 02/11/11

Beautiful piece of work there, Dash! Got another project in mind after this one?

Dash says:

03:19pm | 02/11/11

Ben C I have loads I want to make. I’m learning all the time. This was easily the best of the three I have built so far.

I have a block of mahogany and some Queensland Blackwood. I want to make a proper Les Paul with a chambered body to take some of the weight out of it. Then glue and bind the Blackwood as a top. I want to have a go at an angled headstock with a set neck as well.  I have some ebony for a fretboard. So that’s my next build I guess.

My son who’s playing piano wants me to make him a guitar, so I’m going to build something he can get his hands around. I will include him in the build so he can get some ownership.

I want to build a bass as well. So many things. I have people who want me to build for them so it’s getting out of control a bit.

My misses wants me to pay her more attention too so I might need to cool things for a while.

I was thinking of putting a youtube up of this guitar but there doesn’t seem to be too much interest here.

Aitch B says:

04:07pm | 02/11/11

@Dash

Nice work!!

Is it a bolt-on neck (i.e. the plate) or is it a set neck or set-through?

H

Dash says:

04:27pm | 02/11/11

Aitch - It’s a bolt on neck. Its also the Fender scale of 25.5. I had made the neck planning to do a Telecaster build but when I mentioned it here everyone said Les Paul. So it morphed into this project.

The neck was carved by hand. It’s more like a fifties ‘U’ shape than the modern C shaped next. The tuners are modern styled Gotoh.

The neck is straight (like on Fenders) and that’s why you can see I have a Shaller Roller Bridge on the body and the low humbucker mounts. It’s one solid piece of Queensland Maple that I bound and french polished.

I still need to lower the nut a little bit because the action is a bit high at that end of the neck. The truss rod adjusts at the heel.

It plays really nicely and the pups are awesome.

Next build will be angled set neck, angled headstock and Gibson bridge and tail piece.

jay-ded says:

01:56pm | 02/11/11

WINNER!

jay-ded says:

01:58pm | 02/11/11

It’s only the media that’s making him out to be a hero.  All my boys think he’s a tosser!

palone says:

04:05pm | 02/11/11

He’s not a “Bali boy”, he’s an Australian.
I would love to be so perfect as you obviously are so as to be able to leave a young bloke in what is probably a “not safe” environment, just to satisfy your self-righteous attitude.
You’ve never done anything wrong, have you. You do realise that the reason for this kid’s arrest was to maintain the illusion that the drug dealing police in Indonesia are “doing something” about the problem, don’t you.
Do you really think that smoking marihuana is something that should cause someone to have their life ruined?  Why would you “lose your shit” if he is released. I don’t know what a “bogan” is, but if it is some self-centered, arrogant , ignorant , mean, miserable, person who thinks that the world revolves around them, then you qualify.
Of course he is foolish. I think he knows that about now. I hope you never have kids. And I bet you support Abbott. He’s a hypocrite too.

Wynston Cruso says:

04:37pm | 02/11/11

palone -  the boy knew what he was doing, and I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Mark G has most likely not made the conscious decision in the past to break the laws of other countries. I will also lose my shit if his retarded life choices are celebrated upon his return, they can keep him.

Mark G says:

06:01pm | 02/11/11

Palone,

I am not talking about wether or not he should be in the position that he is in or wether he should be punished. Thats another debate. What annoys me is that they promote him as some sort of hero. What has he done other than stupidly buy some pot on the streets in bali? even if you disagree with these laws (or the way they are applied) he is still and idiot for breaking them and certainly not a hero. We dont cheer and high five when teenagers get off charges in Australia, so why should we cheer this guy if he gets a light sentence and comes home.

oh and as wynston said, I have not consciously broken the law but I agree that that doesnt in any way make me perfect. All that is irrelevant to my point though.

Dash says:

03:55pm | 02/11/11

Gee Knemon, that’s not very impressive!