There it was yesterday. A plethora of Australian journos standing mic in hand in front of the Champs Élysées or the Eiffel Tower reporting on the French presidential election.
The trouble was what they were doing was not reporting. Or to be more precise, they started with a little reporting and then moved quickly on to speculation and opinion.
Welcome to Australian media’s version of the Kon Tiki tour. With elections looming in the UK and the French National Assembly in June and elections in Germany in September, it’s all aboard the bus. When you get there, don’t worry so much about factual reporting. Tell us what you reckon.
On last night’s ABC News at 7.00pm, the ABC’s European correspondent, Lisa Millar, spent the first five seconds repeating the result and then moved full steam into divination. To be honest, it wasn’t her fault. She faced questions posed from the desk in Sydney from newsreader, Juanita Phillips, all of it demanding a “What do you reckon?” response.
Ms Millar spent the bulk of her report waxing on what might happen by Christmas and beyond.
Full column here.
SOUTHS:-at last a win where for once we played the opposing team as well as the referee!
Space news, Mr Insider, and we see the first flight of NASA’s next-generation heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), is now scheduled for 2019 and will not include a human crew, agency officials said. A crewed flight would be “technically feasible,” but the agency will proceed with its initial plan to make the rocket’s first flight uncrewed. Exciting times at NASA and as David Niven once said “The Moons a Balloon” and Man soon on his way back to it, certainly in the next decade. There are a “few” tired old “waffly Dinosaurs” who claim that Neil Armstrong never walked on the Moon in ’69. Strewth how “backwoods”.
http://tinyurl.com/mugl7r4
Hahahahahah! nossy you goose. “Technically feasible?” We it would have to be wouldn’t it! They’ve already sent 5 missions to land men on the moon, without so much as a scratch, until …………. oh yeah until Nixon got the flick and the whole program was suddenly and mysteriously canned halfway through and all that brilliant infallible hardware was scrapped. And the tech, um, ahem, misplaced……….. um ,okay.
“We must solve this problem before we send men this far out…… ”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlXG0REiVzE
Geez bloke, just ring Buzz, he knows all this stuff already!
Bless you dear Mr Baptiste, I do love you my dear Mother of all Backwoodsmen. Peruse all these raw Apollo Program pics you old fossil you. Say what if Kimmie sent a rocket to the Moon that would be special wouldn’t it, as long as he went with it! Cheers good buddy love your work you are indeed a recidivist, bless you.
http://tinyurl.com/pp2ywso
If you took the time to actually investigate you might realise why it is impossible Nossy. But you cant handle the truth.
Old warhorses never die, Mr Insider, they just reappear with a new President, as did 94yo former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger this week when he had a meeting with POTUS Trump. Henry has seen Presidents come and go and most notably Richard Nixon, who I personally feel should have toughed it out. None tougher though than POTUS Trump, smart, savvy, tuned in, supremely confident, a winner in every way and well on his way to “making America great again”. Am sure he enjoyed mulling over the old days with dear Henry.
http://tinyurl.com/lv5menb
Kissinger is a vile war criminal Nossy.
Thought you might appreciate it this.
http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/trump-boasts-that-his-impeachment-will-get-higher-tv-ratings-than-all-other-impeachments
And whats happened to that big talking “new sheriff in town”. Rode into Dodge City and rode right out again. Out there on the range polishing her star?
Goodness me, Mr Baptiste, like your failed Climate Change tripe you peddle you are as always off beam dear chap. No war criminal would live a free life as Kissinger has and no war criminal would be welcomed with open arms to the White House. My dear chap let your posts contain some reasonable supported “meat” as it were and not just “sawdust”. I do like your continued spunk tho, feisty, even if your are way out in wacko land! Cheers.
You are a simpleton Nossy. In a reasonable world many of the US presidents themselves would be judged to be war criminals.
Have a chew on this
http://wariscrime.com/new/one-of-americas-worst-mass-murderers-henry-kissinger/
or lets go back a bit
https://geopolitics.co/2015/02/05/unacknowledged-american-atrocities-in-the-philippines/
Keep twitting away. You know what to expect. Umm, don’t you?
Bollocks you wally of wallies once again you fail to provide anything to substantiate you wild goosey claims. I love the way you are quickly on the side of anyone from the US who opposes POTUS Trump but you hate the USA! That’s being a hypocrite dear friend. But I still love you Mr Baptiste. Cheers old fossil.
I get the feeling you’re about to have one of your hissy fits, take a break and reappear as some other ridiculous obsequious forelock tugging personality Nossy.
Your claim that I failed to substantiate is just plain weird.
Don’t you know how to open a link?
So, Den Hague has a warrant out for Dr. Kissinger?
You make the joke yes? An American?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trial_of_Henry_Kissinger
As we, except Mr Baptiste all know Dwight they have not. Simply Kissinger is NOT a war criminal despite the anti USA bleating’s of dear deluded Mr Baptiste. He knowest not what he does sadly but we love him.
You’re getting a bit hysterical Nossy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trial_of_Henry_Kissinger
What a shame he is no longer with us. That would surely be the debate of the century. Christopher Hitchens vs Henry Blofeld!
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/kissingers-indochina-obsession-will-he-bomb-again-19750227
Keep it up Nossy. I don’t tire easily.
That’s the problem. Leftists throw around the term “war crime” but conveniently overlook the fact that this is defined in the ICC charter.
Because you, as a pacifist and refugee of the Vietnam protests, believe something is wrong doesn’t make it a war crime.
Hysterical, Jean Baptiste and your citing C Hitchens and Tom Hayden? Hitchens couldn’t quite figure out whether he was a top or a bottom, or left or right, sexually or politically. His was an immoral, ambitious, self centred /promoting compass. Vidal was correct to disown his erstwhile dauphin. As a writer he was at best a polemicist. And for us who endured the adolescent, fumbling, foreplay interviews that Tony Jones provided (and did the same for Keating), Hitchens come across as a boorish, condescending, self righteous pom. He wouldn’t have looked out of place dressed in religious garb.
As for Tom Hayden, you’re showing the flowers in your hair.
History (if it went past the next 10 yrs – and yes, I know that is the future) will reflect on Nixon favourably, more so than Kennedy. And i’d bet in sober, dispassionate analysis, Kissinger will also stand out as a benign influence. Context, JB, context. Remember, history is fluid and our past informs our future, and our future is informed by our past. now who did I steal that from? Sid Vicious?
Dwight. Perhaps you’d better read the ICCC charter yourself. Would you prefer the term “mass murderer” to describe Kissinger? I’m flexible.
Milton. OK I concede, you are a better man in every way including intelligence and worldly knowledge than was Christopher Hitchens. The man wasn’t fit to kiss your mighty boots. Now Your Brilliance would you please do demonstrate your superior knowledge to this character.
Well, I don’t mean demonstrate exactly, just explain…….. no not explain, lets keep it real, just state your opinion on his lifestyle and habits which disqualify his views.
Sorry about the mast head, but it’s the content that counts eh?
http://www.globalresearch.ca/crimes-against-humanity-why-is-henry-kissinger-walking-around-free/5358322
Oh! And check out Hunter S Thompson’s obit on Nixon. I think I saw it around here somewhere earlier today?
Jean Baptiste – some articles on your hero, Christopher Hitchens:
http://www.salon.com/2011/12/17/christohper_hitchens_and_the_protocol_for_public_figure_deaths/
http://gawker.com/5868761/christopher-hitchens-unforgivable-mistake
And in support of Kissinger:
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/05/the-statesman/309283/
Milton? Where did I say Hitchens was my hero? Theres a lot I disagree with from Hitchens but he is spot on the money with the mass murderer and war criminal and fraud that is Henry Kissinger.
So Kissinger has a bestie who approves of him. Kaplan? No surprises there.
If Kaplan had his arm around Pope Francis or George Dubya it would only be a matter of which way the wind was blowing.
http://www.vqronline.org/euphorias-perrier-case-against-robert-d-kaplan
Funny old world.
If you are too successful you pay the penalty.
Years ago when we had a profitable manufacturing industry it was taxed to oblivion.
Then the miners started to make too much money – tax them or try.
Now it is the bank’s turn.
Earn too much – tax them.
Successful football team – can’t have that – put on a salary cap.
But it is OK to turn up to CenterLink high as a kite and use that as an excuse – some think it is un-Australian to stop it,
Eat and drink your way to a BMI of 30+ and cost a fortune in government largesse is fine also – some think it is the Government’s problem.
Don’t feel like working – that’s ok too. We have 457 visas to bring in people from the Pacific to pick fruit but will tolerate long term unemployed – can’t make them go and when they do they usually last about 5 minutes. Then we whinge about youth unemployment!.
Small wonder that the horse race that stops the nation is a handicap – if you are too good we will add extra weight so that the also rans have a chance – the attitude seems to have permeated the whole of society and the Liberal Party Budget and for that matter Europe and Canada.
Just keep borrowing money – creative economics will take care of it.
Or, as Ronald Reagan put it, “Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”
For all that Ron’s detractors liked to deride his intelligence and work ethic, he was still light years ahead of them.
Oh for God’s sake! Stop whinging and start living JS. Take the advice of Guy McPherson in the link.
A few notes.
We will never have to pay back the debt.
You have, against stunning odds been conceived and lived in the easiest and wealthiest environment afforded the billions who exist now and came before you.
If all the unemployed were employed it would barely make a sparrow farts difference. Other than giving you one less thing to moan about. If you’d been born to their parents and experienced what they did you would be no different. You were just lucky.
We are in debt because of the minion vassal state stupidity of allowing the resources of the nation to handed on a plate to foreign carpetbaggers. For the “successful” for whom you lament, they didn’t get that way because it was difficult. This is possibly the easiest place on Earth to make a quid.
If you feel you have been personally unfairly penalised for your personal successes you will always have a shoulder to cry on and some robust counselling from “Baptistes Bespoke Counselling Services for Quality Folk.” “You know you deserve only the best”. Rates start at a modest $650 per hour.
We’ve stuffed the planet, we’ve killed our grandchildren by self absorbed negligence (at best) . Start living.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqIt93dDG1M
BANG!
“We will never have to pay back the debt.”
debt that can’t be paid won’t be paid……starts to unravel then, what??
Greece.
Iceland
We’ve got ten years left smoke. If we’re lucky. What don’t you understand about “exponential.” Borrow as much as you can and live it up, unless you think the bailiff can breathe methane.
why couldn’t he breath methane? Toxic is it?
JB, we know you’re just joshin’ when you dredge up Guy for a prop me old mate.
No Carl. You want to believe I’m just joshing. You want to believe “Guy” doesn’t know what he is talking about. That’s called denial.
I can see an actual intelligent life form visiting Earth some time in the future. Surveying and deducing what happened.
“Holy Kryptonite Zog, how did this extinct weird life form not see this coming?”
https://www.skepticalscience.com/argument.php
The active graph in the right hand side bar. What do you not understand about it?
“If you’d been born to their parents and experienced what they did you would be no different. You were just lucky.”
Don’t think so JB. Won’t go into it but I bet I can out humble the beginnings of most people on this blog.
Assuming Guy McPherson is wrong, we will only pay about $200+ billion in interest over the next10 years – with absolutely nothing to show for it.
By the way, as a mitigation to Climate Change, the EU funded the planting of zillions of trees. The peat bogs of Scotland were ravaged. Guess what, the trees are now being removed to allow the bogs to bounce back because they are sooo much better at carbon capture.
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/magazine/170411-ngm-scottish-moors-forsinard-climate-change-peat-bog-scotland
Wont go into that? Why not?
As for debt, see my reply to smoke.
don’t bother …not worth it
The World is a mess JackSprat and way too much political correctness has invaded our lives imho. How we got to this point is beyond me but surely there is a way back to simple common sense? Cheers.
You say “Funny old world. If you are too successful you pay the penalty”. Reminds me of my mum bless her. Worked 2 jobs all my life, studied right through the nite for 12years sometimes worked a 23hr day (leave day job, drive 800km return to a gig to get back in time for next nite’s gig) mum leaves most of her assets to the poor people in the family overseas ‘because they need it more than you’.
Some I have never met or don’t even know their names that never worked. You work your arse off…you get left out. Those that bludged and wasted their life, never studied, took the free ride get rewarded. Now I never made an issue of it an d never complained to the family. People can do what they like with their own hard-earned and I would not have had it any other way. I am just endorsing what U said Milt.
If I had been on the dole with the arse out of my pants, nowhere to live, I would have been left an $800k house overlooking the ocean plus a bankful of readies”. That said, I am happy with my lot. On the pension but at least own my 2 bedroom unit, new kid. Rest peacefully mum!
Happy Mothers Day Bassy?
Wise words from Lao Tzu
Well, well. I’ve heard of ‘daddy issues’ but never ‘mummy issues’……..
all aboard
http://www.jetfoiler.com/gallery-1/
Good heavens, smoke, Surfing made easy for we oldies!
Happy 50th Birthday today to Bill Shorten, Mr Insider, the Working Class Man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdC9WtbEpWE
No secret, Mr Insider, that I am a huge fan of Tesla’s Elon Musk, the young Billionaire “genius of our time” imho, as we today read and I quote: “Tesla has begun taking orders for its transformative new solar roof. The pricing is competitive, and it marks the final piece in Elon Musk’s vision for a grand unification of his clean-energy ambitions – combining solar power, home batteries, and electric cars.”These are really the three legs of the stool for a sustainable energy future,” Musk said. “Solar power going to a stationary battery pack so you have power at night, and then charging an electric vehicle – you can scale that to all the world’s demand.” Meanwhile works continues on Elon’s Driverless Car he wishes to market in the not too distant future. Could be a boon to we over 65’s. it would have saved me clipping the Tradies Ute in the Woollies car park just the other day!
http://tinyurl.com/m3evezp
Can that car take me out for a night on the amber fluid. HB? And seriously, Elon Musk sounds like a cologne favoured by porn stars. Thank God I retired from that caper when I was still on top!
It certainly will dear Milton, a boon for we revellers who may be just a wee bit over the limit. Elon had a “minor” setback when the last test vehicle failed to “see” a White Bus but rest assured when you purchase the final product no such oversight shall occur. Salad days ahead Milton, cheers.
As journalism is understood to include the activity of presenting news for broadcast, and “news” is simply information not previously known to someone, and such “information” is represented by a sequence of things/events that may (or may not) include “facts”, I was wondering how one would determine the difference between so called “fake news” and the true article?
Should one simply rely upon one’s individual nouse, or take a more philosophical approach bordering on neo-neoplatonism?
SHORTEN BUDGET REPLY:-I am no fan of this guy and when he started he sounded like crap…so unconvincing. As he got into it though, he improved and by the end he had landed some huge shots on The Looters.
Of note:-tax cuts to millionaires and big business start on the same day penalty rate cuts start (!) whilst new taxes for those on $30k upward would also be implemented/ Shorten’s limiting the new Medicare tax to the top 2 income brackets will be good to watch in the Senate/ The Looter tax on banks is 10 times bigger than the one the Liberals screamed about when they were in Opposition. Mind boggling hypocrisy when one thinks that part of the $64billion tax break is going back to the banks! They get their tax hit back!/ None of Morrison’s infrastructure projects were dollar funded but listed as ‘potential’/Nothing on training- When Labor was last in there were 420,000 apprentices. Under the Looters there are presently 280,000/ Morrison’s not letting the deficit ceiling expire will cost the budget $19.4billion.
Shorten listed some real savings. Even if he got a fraction of them it would be better than Morrison’s effort- negative gearing and capital gains – that’s $37 billion saved/ Letting multinationals and tax minimisers off the hook – that’s $6.7 billion saved/ Stopping the top 2 per cent of Australians getting a tax cut – that’s $19.4 billion saved/ The handout to big business when many have shown record profits of $65.4billion would be stopped. There are savings here of $128billion plus the ones too savage to even name. Also these savings-stopping the $162million being wasted chasing the TPP/ $170million on a useless Plebiscite/ $40million advertising the new tax policy/ $300million payments to states for ‘self-regulatory reform’.
Shorten was foolish not to dig into Defence spending going from $32 billion a year to $58billion a year. Madness.
I’m guessing you were the only unpaid person listening, B’man. I find his vocals annoying and condescending. The blokes a cheap populist, and Malcolm is only marginally better (presentation wise, I mean). But in the world of easy credit, and the rest, populism is on the up. In the meantime cover up the shit and turn off the fan.
Anywho, according to old mate Jean debt is the least of our problems and from his predictions paying off debt would not only be futile, but laughable. If we are rooted I recommend hitting the banks, or whatever, for as much as you can get and go wild! Perhaps, if you end up in a court, you could claim apocalyptic climate change as a mitigating factor.
For all Malcolm’s faults I find his delivery commanding and masterful. He has authority in his voice. Shorten sounds like a pipsqueak. His tone sounds terribly manufactured and artificial. I am sure he is on hormone therapy, is castrated or auditioning for a place in what is left of the Bee Gees to replace Robin Gibb.
I watched a TV grab – Shorten bobs his head around – very annoying.
Watched Lateline last night – first time in yonks. The compere could not get either one to give a definitive answer- Shadow Treasurer who just sounded like Dismayed and some Liberal guy who at least presented well but was well — kind of vacuous.
Shorten has had too many cold pies and he’s not going to take it anymore. He’s a manifest fraud. As for Chris Bowen, the man is proven serial failure. I doubt he could make toast. And to top it off, old mate Rudd saw Bowen as PM material.
Happy Mother’s day to all the mums on here. I hope your breakfast in bed is not served too early.
I think they are both guilty of sucking too hard on the teat, if you get my drift Bassy. Mothers Day indeed.
For a perspective, the big five banks they now decide can and must pay a social dividend to government incompetence have a market capitalisation of $456 billion. Within a jiffy the Federal debt will be twice that, add State and local government debt and ask where are they taking us. While the race to the bottom ensures deficits, in corporate terms annual losses, would you invest in this group of incompetents?
We are in deep shit, just arguing about the depth. Chucking more money at education for diminishing results is just one example. Poor white (ooh can you say that anymore) trash of Asia here we come.
Dunno. I hear Malcolm talking and I instinctively put my hand in my pocket and keep a firm grip on my wallet until he goes away.
It’s Friday again and that means it is time to get the footy tips in. Any chance of Trump sacking Nathan Buckley? Seems he doesn’t like showboats.
I can hear the Easybeats warming up: https://youtu.be/rBJLoYd8xak
love that,
and we got harry vanda and george young out of that,
and ac-dc, really.
one of the great moments in aus history
Have loved this clip for years. Best part is it is LIVE…a VERY difficult song to play at the best of times. Bruce Springsteen on his 1st visit to Oz demanded to meet Vanda and Young to find out how to play the opening riffs.