The Waiting Man

So, tooling around the usual news sites today, because I'm feeling somewhat-slightly-less-than spectacular, I've been reading about the future of our planet... & how a few people believe it won't be a long one... astronomically speaking.

Well okay, the planet itself may survive, but we probably won't ~ in about 16 million years or so.

Reading about that, I wondered why I'd never heard of this 'Nemesis' the article assumed I'd be au fait with. Turns out I had, just not the name... nor the alternate name 'Nibiru' either. I'd certainly come across the theory that a large solar body orbited the sun out beyond Pluto, but had never seen any real articles or documentaries about it. So I Googled it & found a couple of videos...

And really wish I hadn't.

One is from a Youtube account holder whose collection of other videos suggests he thinks The X Files was a Science Documentary Series. The other is from a Science show obviously aimed either at children under 12, or the seriously developmentally disabled ~ to use the PC term. The former is done with such cheesy po-faced seriousness that makes it impossible to take seriously, so it's no wonder that the latter video does exactly that.

Kind of puts me off spending any more time looking at articles/theories/SF-based rantings about this hypothesised celestial body, but I remain open-minded & curious... if a little dubious ~ both about the theory & the quality of 'research' I'll uncover.

And the fact that I came across the original story while looking at an article about MasterChef in no way lessens my serious, intellectual, highbrow credentials... okay!!?

Vale Edward... from Callan to Hot Fuzz, we'll miss you.

Vale Les Paul

I delivered a 10 minute biography of his life a couple of months ago to a room full of evening dress & bow ties, some of whom had never heard of him. I never intended it to be a eulogy...

Have you heard the one about the British submarine & the French submarine in the middle of the Atlantic??

Make your own jokes about left-side/right-side driving... Continental driving habits... belated revenge for Trafalgar...

My favourite quote ~ "Clearly it's not something they would be keen to repeat."

Well, that's alright then... No worries

Okay... up 'til now, the global recessiondepressionagonisingdeathofcapitalismitself 'crisis' hasn't really made much difference to my daily life ~ imminent unemployment due to Debtor's Prison 'consolidating assets' notwithstanding.

But when it threatens my life's blood, then things are getting serious.

This is not the kind of news I like to start my working weak with.

However ~ this... is!!

Not to look like I hold a grudge against spoilt little rich kids who were complete & utter ignorant & arrogant f@#kwits at my high-school or anything...

... is not encouraging.

Parents panned as kids not toilet trained in time for school And it's not just in QLD. My sister works in childcare here in NSW & bemoans the same (lack of) practice.

Racist violence mars Australia Day celebrations In my own backyard... I knew there was a reason I didn't like Manly.

Revealed: Secret Whale Deal Kevin? Peter?? What???!!

You want me to wear WHAT?! Whatever you do, don't look at the photo gallery...

Okay enough. Back to posting pretty pictures for you all to look at... or not.

Vale Patrick McGoohan.

Whether you knew him as DangerMan, The Prisoner, or Edward Longshanks, we've lost another of the good ones.

Oh... & bye bye Ricardo Montalban as well. Who will be Number Three?

This is a story for all you rampant shoppers out there.

Things like this only reinforce my belief that the basic human is a herd animal... or flock. Not much individual intelligence & even less when in numbers.

Don't think it could only happen in the US. Ever seen the city department stores the day after Boxing Day?

Some light reading for a rainy day ~

The Up-side Of Becoming President?


Favourite bit: "Little children would be briefly spared the swearing that precedes every mention of Optus by their parents, children who had long assumed the company's name was double-barrelled and started with F."

I can relate...

So, now that the dust has settled on the US election, the fascistas fashionistas have identified the really important issue & the KKK is already threatening race riots (!?!?!?), it seems everyone is looking to distance themselves from Sarah Palin.

Is Africa a country?

Is 'knowledgeability' a word??

New South Wales is the most racist state in Australia

The numbers are small, so the headline's a bit of a beat-up, but from little things...

Today's food for thought ~ courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald

Noisy ships drown out ocean serenity
Andrew Darby in Hobart
September 8, 2008

NOISE pollution is posing an increasing threat in oceans by deafening marine animals, forcing global shipping regulators to find ways to solve the problem. Seismic surveys for oil and gas exploration and military sonar are already restricted because of the dangers of the high intensity sound bursts damaging the senses used by whales and other sea life to navigate the deep.

But the noise from tens of thousands of ships at sea is so common that it could interfere with critical life functions of marine animals, according to a US Government submission calling for action by the International Maritime Organisation.

Australian coastal waters are among those becoming increasingly busy. According to ports corporations' figures, 9000 individual ships called at five eastern seaboard ports in 2006-07, including 3500 in Melbourne and 2596 in Sydney.

The US wants the International Maritime Organisation to develop ways of making ships quieter and introduce changes to the way they operate to minimise noise. The International Fund for Animal Welfare, which says proliferating noise is invisible but potentially deadly, said Australia needed to support these moves.

"Humanity is literally drowning out marine mammals," said Jorge Luis Basave, a fund campaigner in Sydney.

In a report released today, Ocean Noise: Turn It Down, the fund said gross tonnage of commercial vessels had quadrupled in less than 40 years to 605 million tonnes in 2003, with a similar increase in propulsion power.

Marine life such as whales and dolphins use sound in the ocean depths to find prey, communicate with mates and competitors, or judge water depth. But studies are finding that shipping noise is increasingly interfering with their ability to hear.

A US Marine Mammal Commission report last year said shipping noise occurred in the frequency band baleen whales used to communicate.

Glamour Lesbians vs The Pope

At least they're honest about their 'religion'... "I'm not Catholic, I'm Raelian and I'd like to see police escorts for our beautiful profit when he comes to Australia."

Be vewwy, vewwy quiet...

Now, I'm off to play WoW Solitaire...