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Punch on: Open thread 12/01/2012

The Punch Team

by The Punch Team

12 Jan 05:44am

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Filed under: Open Thread

104 comments

Welcome to Thursday, Punchers! Today’s topic for discussion: “singing in public”. Or, in other words, getting your karaoke on. Like, this woman. Her name is Adelle Neary and she’s an Australian diplomat in Indonesia, who sang a traditional Indonesian song (in Indonesian) on the local talent show “Foreign Stars”.

Ms Neary told News.com.au that she “never would have done it if she knew how much attention it would get”.  Ah, yes. We’ve all been there before. If you care to share your worst karaoke experience, or even your favourite song to sing in public, feel free to do so below.

Thread through your day|More open thread fun here|http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/open-thread/

Most commented

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336Animal experiments won't cure me from cancer
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231South Australia. It's the middle bottom bit.
231Craig Thomson speaks. Meanwhile, in Australia...

104 comments

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    • acotrel says:

      05:10am | 12/01/12

      I heard on a news broadcast this morning that an 18 year old man has been killed by a train while putting graffiti on the walls of a tunnel.  You have to wonder about people w ho use this means of expressing their hatred of society.  They are the same sorts of people who destroy public lavatories, and send emails to destroy the client on our computers.
      Protest is legitimate activity for the individual, it is part of democracy.  However graffiti is a bloody blight on the landscape.  It is not art, and our counciils should maintain teams to remove it as soon as it appears.  When I lived in Melbourne, and travelled by train, the sight of it made me feel physically ill.  Along with the idiotic commercial radio, graffiti has the potential to create widespread depression amongst the relatively sane workers of our major cities. As a misdemeanor painting graffiti is treated under law as a trivial offence.  My feeling is there should be a concerted effort to stamp it out.  It is an extremely negative and antisocial activity. What concerns me is the mentality involved. The culprits must be sick !  And now at least one of them is out of his misery - dead, and good riddance !

      Reply

    • marley says:

      06:02am | 12/01/12

      A bit of vandalism hardly warrants a death sentence.  Yes, it’s a blight, but I doubt anyone spirals into depression from seeing graffitti.  It’s been around since the days of the Romans, and somehow societies have managed to endure it.  By all means go after the graffitists and “taggers” - by all means, force them to pay for the clean up - but lets not go overboard.  Mugging people, torturing animals, joyriding in stolen cars, are all a lot more antisocial and a lot more dangerous.

    • gordie says:

      06:16am | 12/01/12

      there was graffiti around 300-400 years ago and now these sites are national treasures and protected. While I dont personally like graffiti why do we treasure one and not the other

    • ShamWow says:

      08:07am | 12/01/12

      There is a big difference between graffiti-art and some moron tagging a wall. If you are in Sydney go check out the graffiti art work on the corner of Victoria Rd and Evans St in Rozelle, there are some extremely talented street artists out there. A sure fire way to stop the bad stuff is for councils to allow an artist come in and put up some real art work, no one will tag over the top of real art.

    • acotrel says:

      08:41am | 12/01/12

      In paris they have a team with a van equipped with a water blaster, and re move graffiti as it occurs. -It’s not rocket science.  The garbage says something about our society to every tourist that comes here.  It idicates a fvcked culture !

    • acotrel says:

      08:45am | 12/01/12

      @marley
      Graffiti is not OK !  Whatever happened to the concept of ‘civic pride’ ? The peer group of the young should be opposed to it, think what it says about them !

    • bennie says:

      09:33am | 12/01/12

      and yet some of us would rather see a colourful mural instead of another blank, grey wall..

    • Tchom says:

      10:03am | 12/01/12

      I remember seeing a report on Today Tonight (I didn’t sit down to watch it, it just happened to be on - ok?!) and it was a beat-up about an underground gang of graffiti youths who had been spray painting trains in Brisbane and what a burden to taxpayers it would be to clean it off. However, in the footage of the ‘vandalised’ trains they showed, the trains looked pretty good. They weren’t just tags - they were elaborate murals that didn’t cover any lights or windows that were completely innocuous in every way except the fact they hadn’t been commissioned. Sure, the artists had been trespassing, but cleaning the artwork off seemed like an arbitrary display of power since it was hurting absolutely no one.

      I do have a problem with straight tags however. They seem like hacks trying to ingratiate themselves into a subculture they don’t have the talent to belong to.

    • james says:

      10:43am | 12/01/12

      @ acotrel
      Graffiti in Melbourne has actually become one of its major tourist attractions, ditto for New York and London. No one is going to disagree that tagging is not lame and ugly, but to tar all forms of street art makes you sound like a bitter old man.

    • James1 says:

      10:58am | 12/01/12

      This discussion overlooks the proliferation of legal walls.  Many local governments and some landowners are declaring certain walls in public spaces and elsewhere to be “legal”, and actually invite graffiti artists to fill these spaces with their art.  These sorts of places are in fact a strong indication that civic pride is alive and well, even amongst graffiti artists.

    • marley says:

      11:21am | 12/01/12

      @acotrel - I didn’t say graffiti was okay. l do say your gloating over the death of a kid is pretty sick - in fact, it’s antisocial.

    • Ben C says:

      11:57am | 12/01/12

      @ acotrel

      It really depends on the type of graffiti you are talking about. If it is just tagging a wall, yes I agree with you, it’s stupid and pointless, I liken it to a dog that urinates on a telegraph pole just to mark its territory.

      However, you must take a look at the works of “Banksy”. His work is truly art, there is definite talent, and it actually turns a staid building wall into something bright and cheerful - people actually admire his work.

    • Coop says:

      12:17pm | 12/01/12

      Ah acotrel. The outrage!
      How dare they deface the inside of a tunnel! It’s a bloody outrage it is! Kill ‘em all, bury them in an unmarked pit and dance on their graves!

      You did however foget to mention Tony Abbottt

    • nihonin says:

      12:37pm | 12/01/12

      ‘Along with the idiotic commercial radio, graffiti has the potential to create widespread depression amongst the relatively sane workers of our major cities’.

      Agree totally acotrel, bring back state radio, nothing but the hits from DJ Propaganda.  Yeah yeah.

    • Danny B says:

      05:38am | 12/01/12

      I was reading an article about bad drivers last night, and it got me thinking.  Most cars these days have power-assisted steering, which is designed to make the car feel ‘light’ for the driver.  It’s at the point where a go-kart’s steering feels heavier than that of my 1990 Honda Accord.

      I’ve also driven a more modern car which has some form of electronic accelerator, where there’s absolutely no feedback when you push down on the accelerator pedal at all, aside from the actual acceleration of the car.

      Both of the above, to me, seem to ‘disconnect’ the driver from the reality of what they’re doing - piloting a 1-ton+ mass of solid metal at speed.  I suspect that if drivers were more aware of this, then we may see some more careful driving on the road.  I’m not saying we need to get rid of power-assisted steering or electronic accelerators - just dial them back, so that drivers know there’s something heavy at the other end.

      What do you think?

      Reply

    • KH says:

      06:36am | 12/01/12

      I like it.  Also, all P platers have to drive manual cars only, and a drivers licence that only allows you to drive manual cars as punishment for repeat text-offending….................ha - lets see you text and drive with reduced power steering and gear changes…...............he he he he

    • Macca says:

      07:16am | 12/01/12

      I think it’s a driver education / training thing. Cars and roads are considerably different to what they were even 15 years ago. Despite this, the sum of driver education amounts to government ads on television and basic experience.

      I don’t know what the direct answer is* but I think your point regarding the disconnect between a cars movement and the physics involved is valid.

      *one idea off the top of my head would be insurance discounts for drivers who have undergone practical education programs. I think they offer this to P-players but not sure the general population.

    • acotrel says:

      07:23am | 12/01/12

      A while a go I had a Mazda 626 with cruise control.  The cast iron exhaust manifold was warped, and when machined immediately warped again.  The air leak caused it to heat up to white hot condition while driving on the highway.  The result was that the nylon lining of the cruise control cables melted as soon as the car was stopped, and when you drove off again, the cables froze.  The result was that the car accelerated out of control.  If you turned off the ignition, you had no steering or brakes, and you got a massive explosion out of the exhaust.  I got into difficulties on the Hume Highway, and almost put it through the back of the service station in Euroa.

    • Confused Fuddy Duddy says:

      08:21am | 12/01/12

      Hey acotrel you post is full of BS, or you are a complete doob who will find any outrageous mechanical theory to describe your inability to actually drive a motor vehicle with any semblance of competency.
      I had a desire to point out to you the number of contradictions in the mechanical analysis of your unfortunate situation but then thought why waste my time, it’ll make no difference.

    • Ben C says:

      08:47am | 12/01/12

      @ Danny B

      Re the drive-by-electronics car - how light was the accelerator pedal in that car compared to your car?

      The fact that these drive-by-electronics accelerators literally disconnect the driver from the car - lose the wire - I think makes these cars more dangerous. How do the manufacturers calibrate the electronic accelerator to the engine? What sort of response do you get from the car when you put your foot down?

    • Danny B says:

      12:00pm | 12/01/12

      @ Ben C
      It was like there was nothing there.  Most unnerving driving experience I’d ever had.

    • Wynston Cruso says:

      05:22pm | 12/01/12

      I’m of the opinion that driving any kind of automatic transmission vehicle is disconnecting the driver. It’s not driving, you’re just pushing the ‘go’ button and pointing where you want to go. If you can’t drive a manual, I dont think you should be driving. Licenses are way too easy to get, and people forget that it’s not a right but a privelage.

    • Tracie says:

      05:51am | 12/01/12

      I think it’s great! Singing and karaoke makes us feel good. Bringing out happiness and pleasure when we are so focussed on our stressful lives is a lovely distraction even if only to laugh at someone’s inability.
      Favourite song that everyone should sing is from the Bran Nue Dae movie: ? There’s nothing that I’d rather be than an aborigine and watch you take my precious land away.. ?

      Reply

    • Fezzbo says:

      10:11am | 12/01/12

      I’ll bite.

      Explain to me how the LNP and “Dr NO” (I’ll assume you’re some twit labor suppporter and mean Tony Abbott) are hindering the process underway to help flood victims.

      Consider one Kevin Rudd hadn’t forked out around $1000 to each tax paying Australian citizen a few years back. Using my brain maths, that would be around $20,000,000,000 dollars that could have gone towards helping business get back on their feet, families rebuild homes, clean up efforts and would also have taken away the need for a flood levy… I sure know which cause I’d prefer that money went to. I donated mine back to flood releif, how’d you spend yours?

      BTW, Bligh’s still got her hands on 80% the public donations that went towards disaster releif. She’s using that and plenty of other ill gotten funds it to cover her ass. Considering Queensland now pays $600,000 dollars a day in interest on our debts, I’d say, Labor has a lot to answer for.

      Go back to your hole, educate yourself and please, take the fine and don’t vote.

    • nossy says:

      10:25am | 12/01/12

      @Fezzbo what closet did you get dragged out from girlie?  hahaahh what a dill - read the newspapers you pillock.

    • Fezzbo says:

      12:19pm | 12/01/12

      Great reply nossy. Name calling and no answer to my question…

      You really showed me…

    • Tom says:

      02:53pm | 12/01/12

      nossy, did Bligh organise the lottery win for that family? Cummon fella, give an honest answer that isn’t smart-arse rubbish.

    • Fezzbo says:

      03:43pm | 12/01/12

      I’m not surprised by the lack of reply Tom. Getting a straight answer from a Labor supporter is about as rare as a fish pissing out diamonds.

      (Nossy, no fish has ever pissed out diamonds. See what I did there?)

      smile

    • thatmosis says:

      07:27am | 12/01/12

      The idea of the new cars is to make them idiot proof which means as you said Danny B that people are just there to push this or turn that and are in reality just another gizmo to make the cars go. We all know that when one item on a modern car goes wrong that can cause other parts to go out in symphathy. Add to this every type of gadget to distract the driver like DVD’s, Beeps, Burps, Gps’s , sound systems that blast your ears,mobile phones and texting and a miraide of knobs to twiddle and fuss about and its not so much a driving experience but an experience in survival. The older cars without all these things had to be driven and all your concentration was required to just keep the damn things on the road but the amount of people being killed because of distractions was far less.  The most dangerous thing these days in a car is the nut holding the steering wheel who’s mind is somewhere else and not connected to what they are actually doing.

      Reply

    • Confused Fuddy Duddy says:

      08:32am | 12/01/12

      thatmosis, and I suppose that you would argue that a 1947 Ford Pilot with cable drun brakes and ball and pinion steering was a far safer car than a 2012 Ford Falcon, because it had a separate metal chassis and thick crumple resistant body panels. but the driver certainly felt connect.
      Please explain then how it is that road tolls, fatal and non fatal continue to fall, even more so when measured against kilometers travelled.
      I’ll give you a few hints Better roads-Yes, Better cars-Yes, Road law-probably.

    • acotrel says:

      08:53am | 12/01/12

      ’ The older cars without all these things had to be driven and all your concentration was required to just keep the damn things on the road’

      I now drive a Mazda 6 which has six speed manual box, it is better than any old car ever was, and much safer.  On a windey road it is a lmost as good as a motorcycle.
      I believe that many Ferrari drivers have to be specially trained to drive their cars properly - it’s not the car’s fault, just the general incompetence of most drivers who’ve never raced on a bitumen circuit.

    • stephen says:

      07:50am | 12/01/12

      Drivers will get used to electronic steering and other gizmos in cars.
      The current exception is in sports vehicles where the acceleration pushes the car’s weight to the back wheels and the steering end is even lighter.
      Still, drivers will get used to that too, but the complaint is as you pointed out, that drivers feel disconnected to the driving experience, thus, get into a false sense of security, or that the aesthetic experience is lessened because the road surface feels unreal.

      Just cover your steering wheel with pink lambswool.
      Driving shouldn’t be that much of an ‘experience’.

      Reply

    • jay-ded says:

      10:01am | 12/01/12

      What’s your problem More morons in mackay?  TimB was only raising the point that poor Bob Brown has now been lied to by our PM - just like the rest of Australia.  Surprise Bob. Hahahahahaha

    • Elphaba says:

      10:13am | 12/01/12

      @TimB, I tried to sympathise with Bob… but all I wanted to do was call him a waaaaambulance…

    • Erick says:

      10:21am | 12/01/12

      @jay-ded - More morons in mackay were simply stating their collective opinion, as morons in mackay.

      That’s just the sort of thing that morons say.

    • nossy says:

      10:31am | 12/01/12

      @TimB *comment brought to you by TimB Liberal Party Memeber - ignore*

    • Elphaba says:

      10:43am | 12/01/12

      Come on nossy, be nice - if he supported Labor you wouldn’t be so churlish. smile

    • nossy says:

      11:13am | 12/01/12

      @Elphaba poor old Timmy is a nice bloke Elphaba but being a Liberal Party Member his comments are to be disregarded. Same goes for any Labor Party Member on the blog Elphaba - every Party Memeber should have the guts/balls to at least declare themselves before commenting - so we all can scroll past their stupid comments!

    • Yuri says:

      11:48am | 12/01/12

      @Nossy

      TimB has stated on numerous occasions that he is not a member of the Liberal party. So you are either calling him a liar, or you need to extend your list of people to ignore to “all people who make partisan comments” which would include you and all the other people with man-crushes on Tony Abbott.

    • jay-ded says:

      11:53am | 12/01/12

      @nossy.  Did you get out of the wrong side of bed this morning nossy?  Did you miss your run on the beach with Gavin?

      BTW, just in case you didn’t know, I’m stating it here for all to see so that you can gloss over my comments.

      I’m an LNP supporter.  So there.

      Doesn’t mean I don’t respect others opinions.  That’s just the way I vote.

      If you have any problems with this, go suck a lollipop.  wink

    • TimB says:

      12:03pm | 12/01/12

      Nossy I’m tired of this. I’ve told you repeatedly I’m not an LNP member. Do I support them currently? Yes. Am I a member? No.

      I know you’re having a joke and all, but I’m just over it. If you keep repeating your baseless lie, I’m just going to ignore you from now on.

      Meanwhile…

      ‘Softcocks’ ?‘Chicken shit’? Charming. The Punch’s A+moderating team on fire again.

      “Nothing worse than an angry, lied to middle aged male.”

      Oh goody. I’m clear then. Unless 27 is middle aged. Then we’re all in trouble.

    • Moron's wife says:

      01:39pm | 12/01/12

      “you just got there sooner than most”

      That’s what I keep telling you love.

    • Chris L says:

      04:47pm | 12/01/12

      No Tim, middle age is a decade more than whatever my age is at the time. You’re pretty safe.

    • Zeta says:

      08:27am | 12/01/12

      What kills me is people who sing in public with their head phones on. I get it, you love life, you’re filled with joy, you have a song in your heart and you need to share it but for f***s sake do not share it with me on the bus at 7:30am.

      Some days, I get on the bus, and it’s like dueling banjos between the wannabe Christian rock god squaking out Creed songs and the two girls sharing half an iPod each warbling some K-Pop anthem.

      They always sit next to me too. They think it’s because I’m wearing headphones they’re free to sing right f***ing next to me like its no big deal well it is a big deal arsehole, it’s a big deal because unlike you I’m listening to 2GB’s Alan Jones in the morning to fill my soul with the black rage I need to sustain myself through the day, I can hear you because AM radio doesn’t broadcast in sufficent stereo to block out the ambient noise.

      I turn to this one girl one time, and say, ‘Hey, who sings that song?’ and she says, ‘Katey Perry’, and you know what, I’m going to spell that name the way its said, because I am not retarded, unlike that particular songstress’s parents, and I say, ‘you should keep it that way’, and man I was the worst person in the world. This girls Dad is all up in my face about it, about how I could be so mean to a 12 year old.

      I don’t know who lets a 12 year old girl onto a Sydney bus by the way, those things are basically driving around with ‘RAPE WAGON’ emblazoned on the side. And whose Dad sits on the opposite side of the bus so when a large, angry man tells you to stop singing they have to march all the way to the back of the bus to give me a piece of their mind?

      If I want to see losers singing, I’ll drink a bucket of paint and watch Glee. I don’t want suprise performances of pop songs on the damn bus.

      Reply

    • Elphaba says:

      10:15am | 12/01/12

      Slightly less worse are the people who leave their headphones at home (I assume), and play their digital music out of the tinny speaker on their phone.

      The urge put said phone under the heel of my shoe is strong…

    • TheRealDave says:

      10:22am | 12/01/12

      So you catch the bus, listen to Allan Jones and upset 12 year olds…..a picture is beggining to form…..you’re that homeless ranting dude that begs for spare change aren’t you?

    • John Smythe says:

      11:14am | 12/01/12

      hahaha Zeta….fabulous mate, just fabulous!

    • stephen says:

      08:30am | 12/01/12

      Newsflash.
      ‘Global warming may make reptiles smarter’.

      The Greens should be happy.
      Very happy.

      Reply

    • marley says:

      11:24am | 12/01/12

      Maybe not happier, but they’ll be smarter.

    • AdamC says:

      08:52am | 12/01/12

      Economic irrationalists unite!

      http://www.theage.com.au/national/coalition-rethink-on-car-industry-20120111-1pvk4.html

      The Coalition needs to be careful it doesn’t become simply a populist party. We already have at least one of those. Not to mention, Australia has already flushed billions of dollars down the cistern of the Australian car industry, with extremely limited success. What is it about unloved, V6 family sedans that makes politicians’ brains malfunction? Do all the highly-unionised automotive factory hands all live in a couple of marginal electorates or something?

      Reply

    • James1 says:

      10:12am | 12/01/12

      “What is it about unloved, V6 family sedans that makes politicians’ brains malfunction? Do all the highly-unionised automotive factory hands all live in a couple of marginal electorates or something?”

      Yes.  Two marginal electorates in particular.  Furthermore, they tend to swing to whichever party offers the biggest bribe.  Sorry, I mean subsidy.

    • Gratuitous Adviser says:

      10:20am | 12/01/12

      It’s about mitigating the loss of manufacturing jobs and skills leaving the country at a greater rate than those replacement skills like, waiters, tour bus drivers, real estate salespersons, lawyers, politicians, bloggers and greenies, in that order of usefullness.

      Comparative Advantage only benefits the globalised multinationals, not the great unwashed, and is past it’s use by date.  The GFC sorted that one out.

    • James1 says:

      11:02am | 12/01/12

      It benefits the great unwashed when they can pay far less for vehicles, and when less of their tax money goes towards supporting unviable industries and more towards health care and vital infrastructure.  The other justifications politicians use is just window dressing for the electoral considerations.

    • AdamC says:

      11:33am | 12/01/12

      @Gratuitous Adviser, that just sounds like more central planning. We don’t need central planning and economic irrationalism. They don’t work. Why not just let everyone sort these things out for themselves?They might surprise you.

      As James1 points out, free markets benefit everyone by lowering prices and raising output by better allocating capital in the economy. This isn’t theoretical, it is the lived Australian experience. This weird Australian nostalgia for ‘industry policy’, high tariffs and central wage fixing reminds me of those East Germany-themed pubs in Berlin. Economic irrationalism may seem cuddly in the rose-tinted past, but it wasn’t so great at the time!

    • Gratuitous Adviser says:

      12:16pm | 12/01/12

      Hi James
      An extremely important and relevant discussion topic.  What is obviously happening, for all sorts of reasons, is we can not compete because labour costs are high.  Why? - Because we have a high standard of living.  Why? - Because my generation and the previous two were paid well for their services and skills which gave us that high standard of living (large middle class).  The current generation are losing out because globalisation and comparative advantage are driving jobs from developed countries to developing countries and reducing the middle class (the ones that buy the new cars).  This was OK for a while (Japan, SEAsian development, Korea, Eastern Bloc), but the Chinese domination of manufacturing is unprecedented and into areas of the unknown with possible disaster for the developed world, if they do not maintain their manufacturing skills and knowledge (maintain, not necessarily increase, their living standard).

      Australia, after the mining boom, must have industries for people to work in or we will end up like the UK (continue immigration, no jobs and definitely can not afford cars).  I would rather look at the Scandahooligans and Germans for guidance on how to do things (maintain large middle class) rather than the UK and the Americans (your path, I think).

    • Confused Fuddy Duddy says:

      01:37pm | 12/01/12

      AdamC and James1, I know I am a confused old Fuddy Duddy but if you wish to refer to V6 Family cars, please advise the name of the V6 Family car made by Ford Australia.
      Careful it may a trick question, but the way it is answered will give most people with a passing interest in the auto industry an indication of your knowledge on the subject.

    • Anubis says:

      02:19pm | 12/01/12

      Maybe, just maybe the car industry would not be struggling if they had bothered to comprehend the shifts in the market over the past few decades. if they were to start building cars that people actually want, rather than consentrating on trying to reinvent the Falcodore every couple of years, then maybe their sales figures might not be in the toilet.

      Just a thought.

    • Ben C says:

      03:08pm | 12/01/12

      @ Anubis

      But without the Falcodore, what are all those V8 Supercar fans going to follow?

    • James1 says:

      03:21pm | 12/01/12

      Gratuitous Advisor, as much as I would love a debate, I am unable to today.  Perhaps we could take up this conversation another day, in a future Open Thread?  Suffice to say, for now, I do not think that maintaining a strong middle class is synonymous with protecting industrial production without regard to viability or ability to compete in a global market.

      Fuddy Duddy, I know nothing about cars.  But I do know a lot about economics, and the benefits gained from liberalisation carry regardless of the sector when it comes to consumption items. In the case of cars, the gains that consumers across society would see would far outweigh the pain in the two electorates where the auto industry is active.

    • Confused Fuddy Duddy says:

      04:45pm | 12/01/12

      James1 I’m sure that the residents of Geelong Vic, Broadmeadows Vic, Port Melbourne Vic, Dandenong Vic, Elizabeth SA, Lang Lang Vic and Altona Vic would be surprised to know that they all live in but Two electroates. These are some of the locations where the Australian Auto Manufacturers operate in.
      The Auto industry is active in a whole lot more. A person that knows a lot about economics would probably check before passinf a judgement.

    • dancan says:

      08:55am | 12/01/12

      My worst karaoke experience was my first.  On a cruise ship with some mates they signed me up to sing without telling me, when they did about 15 minutes before hand I downed a lot of double scotches to give myself some dutch courage, by the time I got up on stage I was starting to feel pretty drunk and then by the end of the song I was making up my own lyrics.  Red, red wine never sounded so bad, and no one clapped when I left the stage. Classy

      Reply

    • fairsfair says:

      09:18am | 12/01/12

      http://www.news.com.au/national/pair-arrested-over-grisly-death-of-man-found-bound-and-burnt-in-corio/story-e6frfkvr-1226242077953

      This is terrible. I am really annoyed that the media broadcast only until yesterday that he “may have died in a sex game gone wrong”. What gave them that idea? And even if it was/is the case, did it need to be told to the general public? Did they only think that that scenario was likely because Mr Hammond was a homosexual?

      Why does the media have to humiliate the victim (even in death). We will know nothing about those people charged with his murder, but the victim’s inner most secrets and lifestyle will be broadcast for all to see.

      I find this really frustrating. Just like that collar bomb family. Enough is enough. When will civil liberties extend to the victims of crime and not just those who perpetrate it?

      Reply

    • SimonFromLakemba says:

      12:42pm | 12/01/12

      It goes across everything FairsFair. I know with the telegraph they’ll say if a minority commits a crime but if its a Caucasian you wont hear anything, helps sell papers.

      The collar bomb think was awful, camped outside her house, jumping on her and her family as soon as they saw them, it was disgusting, I remember pointing that out at the time.

    • fairsfair says:

      02:17pm | 12/01/12

      True Simon. I think the media often use race and physical characteristics as a descriptor - but at the same time I would agree that they also use it in the context that you reference.

      Like those runners that got caught in the bushfire a few months ago. Two women were badly burned, but all the media could concentrate on was the former model’s injuries. No reference to the fact she was a fully qualified Engineer or something along those lines - all they could bang on about was how beautiful she once was as if to really drive home that point that the worst thing to ever happen to anyone in life is to lose their looks.

      This line of reporting just seems so invasive to this poor man. It is unclear how he met his demise, but for the media to be given free rein to broadcast very personal things (that have been speculated) about a victim just doesn’t seem right. I would support the media inquiry if this is they type of thing that they were addressing, but as it is politically motivated it will just be bogus.

      Its just very sad to know that if something happened to any one of us tomorrow our lives and families and private details can just be freely splashed across the papers and internet without any legal protection.

    • SimonFromLakemba says:

      02:24pm | 12/01/12

      Yep spot on!

      You ever noticed when someone dies they lift a picture of their Facebook which will justify the tone of their story?

      I think its the 24/7 media these days, they have to get story’s, no matter how small it may be.

    • Wynston Cruso says:

      05:48pm | 12/01/12

      That’s a pretty shitty thing to do by the media, see it all the time though now. The vicitm is humiliated, not even factually, while the culprits aren’t mentioned, supposedly because they have ‘rights’. This is why I destroy my copies of ‘Japanese girls spewing in each others mouths fetish weekly’ after I’ve read them.

    • Godiva says:

      09:57am | 12/01/12

      Poor woman she must have been struggling to fit in and was attention seeking! Trying to imitate the locals in their country is a favourite pastime for “try hard educated foreigners.”

      I wish the media would leave alone the comments made by the Liberal MP on good hygiene and good manners. Sorry I can’t say the same about Labor MPs because they need every thing they can grab their hands on to fool the public into raising their primary votes. ( Everything but good leadership and good governance )

      This is my take about the subject on another thread.

      Any appreciative migrant from countries with a total different background to ours would welcome the statement made by the Liberal MP Teresa Gambaro. Left as is and not taken out of context by the media and the Gillard Labor government for their own gains it would be a helpful hint for those who do not know any better because of their background and up bringing. Good hygiene would not only help the migrants but some of our indigenous people. It would also avoid having to tolerate standing next to someone trying to push their way in with body odour because they didn’t know any better. I hate generalizing but we have become too precious which means that something like good hygiene and good manners is used too often as offensive for political and media gains.

      I am certain the only people making a big thing about these comments are the media, Labor politicians and the well educated migrants who have had the opportunity to know that good hygiene and good manners is very important for all our well being.

      Traveling through the Northern Territory I was shocked, disappointed and mainly sad when I realized that the fowl smell was emitted from the four indigenous women that had just walked passed me. It wasn’t the natural body odour that was disturbing but the smell of stale alcohol and perfume, two things that was introduced by the white man. Right there is a problem that we can’t seem to fix because as soon as it is mentioned it is taken out of context by the media etc.

      Reply

    • TheRealDave says:

      10:28am | 12/01/12

      You need to fix the time sync on your Astroturfing software. This should have been posted hours ago.

    • Godiva says:

      11:27am | 12/01/12

      TheRealDave

      Pathetic if that is all you could come up with. Who gives a shit about what times comments are posted but those that take lightly of issues that are way important than their egos.

    • Kung_Fu Kimba says:

      09:58am | 12/01/12

      I’ve been preeeetttyy drunk in my time, but I am 100% confident that there is no amount of alcohol that I could drink that would make me sing karaoke.

      Reply

    • jay-ded says:

      12:03pm | 12/01/12

      Drunks aren’t pretty.

      Went to a bar a few months ago with a girlfriend.  The karaoke was playing “I shot the Sheriff”.  The lyrics displayed must have been written by an English speaking Japanese person.

      I shot the Sheriff
      But I did not shoot the Dirty G.

      It was hilarious.

    • SimonFromLakemba says:

      12:44pm | 12/01/12

      Nothing worse then a bunch of Aussies when Cold Chisel comes on at the pub =.=

    • Wynston Cruso says:

      05:51pm | 12/01/12

      Simon - seconded, and experienced this in Bali. F me it was so painful I pretended I was German.

    • stephen says:

      09:11pm | 12/01/12

      Ha.
      I sang ‘Kimba the White Lion’ at a K. Bar in sussex st. Sydney in about 1997.
      And I was completey sober.

      ps never been sober since.

    • Gratuitous Adviser says:

      10:00am | 12/01/12

      Reading the “The Road So Far – the Age Discrimination Act 2004”, http://www.hreoc.gov.au/age/publications/ADA_road_2011.html , I fail to see why we have this Age Discrimination Commission, public waste of money, at all.  I’ve searched and I’ve searched and I can not find one attempted, much less successful, prosecution meaning that there must not be a problem (sic).  Of course there is a problem but there are no results so why have Susan Ryan and the like, bleeding more of the taxpayer dollar when the only benefit of the exercise is a beautiful website full of spin and smiling older professional models (it reminds me of a retirement village advertisement).  In the report they give 6 to 8 pathetic results which ranges from an apology to some sort of compensation to an applicant (the compensation is peanuts), but never a job.  Susan Ryan became commissioner with much fanfare during June of last year but to date, not one result, but plenty of spin. 

      By the by:  I would love to have my opinion of this Government spin machine debased by facts, if possible, because I hope I am wrong and just having a bad day.

      Reply

    • Jay says:

      10:13am | 12/01/12

      Interesting how the politically correct media have all but ignored the following story from the UK. Are we to afraid to address the issue? Let’s see how the court decides. Interesting that the Iranian woman that has gone missing believed to have been kidnapped by extremists for converting Muslims to Christianity.

      By Nick Britten
      1:49PM GMT 10 Jan 2012
      The men posted leaflets, with titles including “Turn or Burn”, “God abhors you” and “The Death Penalty?”, through doors and handed them out at a mosque, calling for the death penalty to be introduced for homosexuality.

      Another leaflet that police found, entitled “Dead Derby”, described homosexuality as a “vile, ugly, cancerous disease” and asked the question “Gay Today, Paedophile Tomorrow?”

      One witness, a gay man who was given one of the leaflets, and who cannot be named to protect his identity, told the court he “felt like I was going to get burned”, adding: “I’ve never seen anything so disgraceful. It made me feel physically sick.”

      In the first prosecution of its kind after legislation covering hate crimes were amended in 2010 to take into account homophobia, the men are accused of stirring up hatred due to sexual orientation.

      The court heard there were four different leaflets produced ahead of a Gay Pride parade in Derby, three of which were distributed. All were professionally produced and in colour.

      One entitled “Turn or Burn” featured a blazing lake as an image of hell. The leaflet referred to the 13th and 14th centuries when, it claimed, homosexuals were buried or burned alive.

      Another, entitled “God Abhors You – Gay”, warned of “severe punishment” for homosexuals and those who “remain silent about the evil.”

      The leaflet which formed the basis of the charges, entitled “The Death Penalty?”, featured a hanged mannequin and claimed that “Allah permits the destruction” of those who allow homosexuality and those who practise it.

      The leaflet added that “the death sentence” had “already been passed on every homosexual” and that “the only question is how it should be carried out”. Methods suggested included execution, burning, hanging or stoning.

      The “Dead Derby” leaflet was not distributed, the court heard.

      Bobbie Cheema, prosecuting, said: “Just consider also for a moment how anyone who is homosexual would feel to see that such material is being distributed in their street, to their neighbours who may or may not be tolerant of differences in lifestyles?”

      She said the leaflets went “well beyond” any expression of religious beliefs or “temperate discussion” and added: “One of the ways in which we organise our society can be summed up in the common phrase, ‘live and let live’.

      “This case is all about the antithesis of that approach to life.”

      Derby Crown Court heard the men allegedly handed them out outside the Jamia Hanfia mosque in Derby after Friday prayers and posted them through the letterboxes of nearby homes a week before the parade was due to be held in the city in July 2010.

      The men were arrested after police received a number of complaints from members of the public.

      Miss Cheema said: “The leaflets you will see are not educational or simply informative; they are threatening, offensive, frightening and nasty.”

      Razwan Javed, 28, Kabir Ahmed, 28, Ihjaz Ali, 42, Umer Javed, 38, and Mehboob Hussain, 44, all from Derby, deny four counts of distributing threatening written

      material intending to stir up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation contrary to Section 29c (1) of the Public Order Act 1986.

      If found guilty they face a maximum sentence of seven years’ jail.

      Miss Cheema said that Ali, a taxi driver and the man who organised the leaflets, had informed police he wanted to advertise a Muslim protest against the parade by distributing flyers, and was urged to take legal advice to ensure the contents of the flyers would not cause offence. Ali assured police he and his group would abide by the law.

      Reply

    • AdamC says:

      10:29am | 12/01/12

      I am a little bit uncomfortable that people may be jailed for handing out leaflets, unless there was some expectation that the populace would actually start lynching gays. Mind you, the English-speaking countries (excluding the US) gave up on freedom of expression years ago, and it is nice to see Muslim cultural imperialists getting a nice big serving of their own medicine.

      Why the UK (and Australia) doesn’t simply stop importing the Muslim cultural imperialists is beyond me, though.

    • TheRealDave says:

      10:33am | 12/01/12

      As it occured in the UK I fail to see what we need to ‘address’ here in Oz…we already have a plethora of anti-hatred/violence laws already in-place

    • SimonFromLakemba says:

      12:50pm | 12/01/12

      UK has lost the plot with Immigration and PC crap. Australia is such a different country to the UK with different types of migrants, way of life and climate.

      What you said above, if found to be correct is pretty bad and I hope they get jailed for it as it has no place in Western society.

      But I guess you have similar outrage at the Nazi concert? when Liberals handed out fake Muslim hate pamphlets in Penrith? and also when the Baptist church pickets soldiers funerals in USA? fair is only fair.

    • Knemon says:

      10:26am | 12/01/12

      Good grief…singing sensation? You must be kidding?

      Give me the Sam Kekovich ‘Barbie’ advert any-time!

      Reply

    • Shane From Melbourne says:

      11:01am | 12/01/12

      Assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists? Naughty, naughty Mossad…...

      Reply

    • AdamC says:

      11:43am | 12/01/12

      Do you mean this?

      http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9010170807

      If these alleged assassinations don’t ‘fundamentally harm’ Iran’s nuclear programme, why is it taking them so long? They were supposed to have warheads ready to go right now, weren’t they? Are they just incompetent?

      Also, while I don’t claim to be an expert on how Ayatollahs think, surely the costs of this nuclear obsession are beginning to outweigh the benefits? What does Iran hope to accomplish by it anyway, martyr themselves by initiating a nuclear war with Israel in which the US would surely intervene? It just makes no sense to me.

    • jay-ded says:

      11:56am | 12/01/12

      They should be sent to their rooms without any dinner.

    • James1 says:

      12:51pm | 12/01/12

      The fact they have no warheads could indicate that the intelligence claiming they should by now was faulty to begin with.  Intelligence agencies have form when it comes to misreading these situations.  After all, Iran denies having the intention of weaponising their nuclear program.

      Assuming one exists, there is a way in which the Iran nuclear weapons program makes sense.  If we simply look at the geopolitics of its region, it makes absolute sense.  Saudi Arabia is deeply hostile towards Iran, as Iran poses a threat to Saudi (and Sunni) dominance and the network of interlocking US alliances that supports this dominance.  In this conception, the Israel thing is simply for domestic consumption - the real enemy are what Iran’s leaders consider the “US puppet regimes” that are the real impediment preventing Iran from effectively taking up its historical role and becoming once again the dominant power in the region.  Couple that with the fact that Iran is regularly threatened by outside powers, and the hostile and belligerent rhetoric coming out of the US on a regular basis, and Iran’s quest for a credible nuclear deterrent suddenly looks like it is entirely rational.

    • AdamC says:

      01:12pm | 12/01/12

      @James1, a nuclear capacity does not help a state project power outside its borders, and I cannot see how it would help the Iranians restore their ancient position as overlords of the Arabs. It may increase the country’s prestige in the eyes of the ‘Arab Street’, but that is about it. And, again, unless Iran is actually prepared to launch a nuclear strike on Saudi Arabia, atomic weapons will not assist Iran in its rivalry with everyone’s favourite oil-rich absolute Monarchy.

      Lastly, the self-defence benefits of nukes are questionable generally and do not really apply to Iran. Of course, the reason Iran is so often the subject of other states’ hostile rhetoric is precisely because it is so implacably hostile to so many other countries, notably the US. In that context, the Ayatollahs nuclear ambitions can best be seen as part of a quite deliberate pattern of provocations, like sponsoring terrorists, murdering Israeli prisoners and kidnapping westerners in contested waters.

      If Iran’s leaders were genuinely concerned about attracting the ire of other governments, the obvious thing to do would be to stop doing their level best to attract said ire. Iran would also be able to obtain significant advantage, in the form of concessions and inducements, from ceasing its nuclear programme, in particular.

      There is a reason they refuse to do this, I am sure, but it is not the ones you suggest. And I don’t think you can entirely put it down to islamic extremism or revanchist Persian nationalism, though they are definitely in the mix.

    • James1 says:

      03:32pm | 12/01/12

      Regarding your first paragraph, while this is true it goes deeper.  A credible nuclear deterrent would make a convention war against Saudi Arabia far more feasible (and less risky) for Iran, given that US extended deterrence would be vastly diminished by Iran obtaining a nuclear capability.  It is not the be all and end all of this rivalry, but it would constitute an important step towards regional dominance for Iran.

      Regarding the self defence benefits to Iran, they function in exactly the same way that they do in Israel.  That is, one could theoretically invade Iran, but the cost would vastly outweigh the benefits. 

      Regarding your third paragraph, perhaps that is all this is about?  Perhaps they are simply doing this, much like North Korea, for the concessions they can gain through constantly pulling back from the nuclear brink?

      I am too much of a neorealist to credit the idea that they actually want to destroy Israel out of some sense of ideological or religious fervour.  International politics just doesn’t work that way.  Further, that is the basis of my argument - the religious fervour and Persian revanche are definitely secondary - power is central, as it always is in international politics.  Every nation seeks to maximise its ability to influence outcomes, and Iran’s actions are perfectly rational and explainable when one considers them in that light.

    • Jay says:

      11:56am | 12/01/12

      Real Dave,
      It happened in the UK rest assured we will be next.Let’s see how the Greens deal with this issue. Oh I forget, Bob Brown is gay.Never mind I am sure they will forego the Quaran’s teachings just to keep Bob and the Greens happy. More Muslim immigration I say and let the Islamsization of Australia continue.

      Reply

    • Slothy says:

      12:06pm | 12/01/12

      I love singing and hate karaoke. It’s jealousy - despite my passion for it, I can’t sing, even a little bit. Every now and then somebody thinks I’m just saying that to be modest and fish for compliments and tells me to just give it a go. This is usually quickly followed by a soft ‘oh’ and a sudden inability to look me in the eye. If I sing along with the radio, my boyfriend tells me to stop ruining the songs.

      This is a problem, because if I could pick any career in the world, it would be to be a jazz or blues singer. Slinky dress, blood red lipstick, smoky club, I could have it all if only I had the voice. Karoke taunts me with its potential, but unfortunately I’m not tone deaf so I know EXACTLY how bad I sound.

      The only solution: I love driving alone. I can turn up my music and sing at the top of my lungs. It’s fine in winter, but sometimes I forget I have my window wound down in summer. So… uh, preemptive apologies to anybody who gets stuck at the lights listening to me murder Imelda May over the next few weeks.

      Reply

    • Sarahh says:

      02:39pm | 12/01/12

      Haha yeah I also get “you couldn’t possibly be that bad.”  Oh yeah, I am.

    • Robert says:

      01:54pm | 12/01/12

      I heard on the news this morning that someone has suggested that obese people should pay extra for a seat/s on a plane.
      Bring it On! Do it NOW!
      For example; Mr & Mrs Slim, he 85kgs, she 55kgs fly MEL-SYD. It is a peak holiday period so the airlines are strictly enforcing baggage weights. Air Fares $100 each. both have luggage, both are a couple of kilos over so the airline slugs them for Excess Baggage, the rate used to be based on the First Class One Way Fare, a huge penalty. Combined personal weight 140kgs plus baggage & excess
      Mr & Mrs Obese travel on the same plane. he 130kgs, she 100kgs. They pay the same $100 Fare each. They have luggage but no excess. Combined personal weight 230 kilograms..
      Why should Mr & Mrs Slim be heavily punished for having 2-4 kilos overweight in their baggage when their combined total weight is up to 100kgs less than Mr & Mrs Obese & their baggage?
      Once on board why should a normal sized person be forced to virtually give up half the seat they paid for to accommodate someone who is, like the vast majority of obese people, is obese by choice?
      It is even worse if that normal-sixed person is sandwiched between two obese people.
      This happened to me once where the two obese people’s blubber overflowed so that I was barely able to move my arms & certainly it was impossible for me to use the arm-rests. Try flying with your arms crushed into your sides for an hour or more & you will see what I mean!
      Make them pay for two seats & give them two seats each.
      Though we are now, officially, the most obese nation on Earth, our airlines have not, to date, done what a couple of US airlines have, reportedly, done & that is install wider seats for which the obese have to pay extra.

      Reply

    • Elphaba says:

      02:49pm | 12/01/12

      I completely agree.  My sister-in-law weighs about 45kgs and gets the same amount of baggage allowance as someone triple her weight.  I don’t get it.

      The problem is buying fares online. We don’t have to even speak face-to-face with a person until we’re at the check-in counter.  And someone who clearly needs two seats is not going to declare that they’re 200kgs on an airfare website.

    • neo says:

      02:32pm | 12/01/12

      Booya! Wassup Punchers. I’m back at work, and thus, I’m back at Punch.

      I am still with the psycho girlfriend, for those who wonder, although after she pretty much lived at my place over the break, she has become slightly less psychotic. I think she just needs a lot of attention, like a whole lot, and she is fine.

      Meh, what up party people!?

      Reply

    • Elphaba says:

      02:43pm | 12/01/12

      Welcome back.

      You dig the neediness.  Your key phrase is this:

      “I think she just needs a lot of attention, like a whole lot, and she is fine.”

      Anyone who needs a whole lot/constant attention is clearly not fine.  But whatever.  It’s your life.  Good luck. smile

    • Anubis says:

      03:08pm | 12/01/12

      Sounds a bit high maintenance there neo. BTYW - welcome back to the most twisted POV blog in Australia.

    • Ben C says:

      03:20pm | 12/01/12

      Welcome back neo. I’m hoping your Mrs doesn’t read the Punch…

    • neo says:

      03:48pm | 12/01/12

      Haha, love is blind Elph, or I am at least, when I’m in love :( I’m sure I’ll suffer from this relationship plenty in the days to come, but I’ll only worry about it if or when it brings me more pain than joy. I’m kinda like a mentally-battered wife, thinking if she mentally-hits me, then she loves me. In any case, I’m having more fun with this relationship than I did with my dull 4 year fiasco which I came out of a few months back. It’s good to have this emotional rollercoaster after the boring smooth sailing.

      And yeah jackal god, VERY high maintenance. She is oh so cute though, can’t say no to that psycho face with pretty eyes raspberry

    • nossy says:

      03:52pm | 12/01/12

      @neo   sorry neo I must have missed you last year - or the year before - did you have 2 years off fella?

    • Elphaba says:

      05:39pm | 12/01/12

      But that’s the thing neo, your love isn’t blind. You’ve just admitted that she’s good looking enough to excuse her from treating you like crap.

      Actually, it sounds like you’re made for each other. Grab on and don’t let go.

    • neo says:

      03:52pm | 12/01/12

      ^^^ LOL Ben, I really hope so too.

      Reply

    • holden says:

      05:05pm | 12/01/12

      I notice nobody has complained about those indigenous, (whatever that means now), people spoiling all of those beautiful caves with their damn graffiti. Apparently it’s been going on for ages without complaint, but now I suppose the self-appointed Anti-Graffs will slow them down. Good thing too. Bare walls are much more attractive, and I should know. I live in a glass-house.
      And Neo, have you run your situation past Erick? I suspect that he will not be amused. Good luck anyway.

      Reply
 
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