Hurricanes, Homosexuality and Hocus Pocus.

The British Museum has an exquisite woodcut in their current ‘Shakespeare Exhibition’ which depicts four witches concocting a spell to create a huge storm at sea –

british museum shakespeare exhibition hurricane sandy

James I believed the witches were trying to conjure up the storm to kill him by sinking his ships!  Such evil forces in the world back then.  And obviously there’s evil forces at work today too…

For Hurricane Sandy is no normal hurricane or cyclone or post-tropical cyclone or just plain old storm.  Labelled the ‘Mother of All Storms’, ‘A Monster Storm’ and the ominous sounding, ‘Frankenstorm’ – it can’t be the result of something mundane, rational and scientific like global warming or climate change.  Can it?  No, far more likely that there’s medieval witchcraft at play here.

Or, we could take the word of John McTeman, a well known wack job fundamentalist Christian preacher, who claims the storm is more proof that “God is systematically destroying America” as punishment for the “homosexual agenda”!!!

It’s up to you people… Is this ‘once in a generation’ monstrous storm the result of – Climate Change?  Medieval Witchcraft? Or… the Democratic Homosexual Agenda?

 

Courier Mail – Deleted Article

The Courier-Mail    Brisbane 17°C – 24°C. Cloudy, mostly fine, light shower.

Premier Campbell Newman says cabinet minister asked Bates to take leave ahead of parliamentary sittings

Ros Bates Michael Caltabiano

Arts Minister Ros Bates Source: The Courier-Mail

PREMIER Campbell Newman has now claimed another cabinet minister suggested to Arts and Science Minister Ros Bates that she take leave ahead of this week’s parliamentary sittings.

The Courier-Mail revealed on Saturday Ms Bates had suddenly taken two weeks off on the same day as Transport and Main Roads’ boss Michael Caltabiano stood aside over allegations he misinformed parliament about his work history.

Ms Bates and Mr Caltabiano worked together at lobbying firm Entree Vous which was part owned by the Minister and her son Ben Gommers – who is now employed as a senior departmental liaison officer at TMR.

Although her office said Ms Bates was on annual leave, on Saturday Treasurer Tim Nicholls declared the Minister was taking time off on the advice of her surgeon.

Ms Bates underwent shoulder surgery on September 13 and has been wearing an antibiotic drip since.

Today Mr Newman faced questions about Minister Bates – who was videoed driving and shopping on the Gold Coast on the weekend.

He said he and the Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Attorney-General, were all concerned for Ms Bates’ health and one of them asked her to take leave – but it wasn’t him.

“I did not, I just said the Deputy Premier, the Treasurer and the Attorney-General and myself were concerned about her health so we asked her to take some leave but I did not,” said Mr Newman.

Michael Caltabiano

Transport and Main Roads Director-General Micahel Caltabiano appears at the Estimates Committee Hearing. Picture: Philip Norrish

“I know (Deputy Premier) Jeff Seeney has for some time wanted her to take some leave.”

The Premier said it was not appropriate that he ask Ms Bates about her previous working relationship with Mr Caltabiano – who has denied having any professional experience of Mr Gommers, or even working for Entree Vous.

Mr Gommers’ appointment to TMR after the March 24 election, is the subject of a Crime and Misconduct Commission investigation.

“It is not appropriate that I investigate ourselves,” Mr Newman said.

“The people of Queensland would qutie rightfully say that me investigating the conduct of Mr Caltabiano or Minister Bates was not correct. That’s why I’ve referred it to the Ethics Committee.”

He said he had not spoken to Mr Caltabiano since he stood aside while the Ethics Committee investigates statements he made to the budget estimates hearing.

Mr Newman said if he was found to have committed an offence, he would be expected to repay legal costs currently being funded by taxpayers.

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Then it looks like someone at the Courier Mail must have gotten a rap across the knuckles and the link to the original story went to this:
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Hmmm… Curious.  So I went looking for Robyn Ironside’s article about the situation with Minister Bates and found a toned down and softened version posted about two hours later: 
The Courier-Mail    Brisbane 17°C – 24°C. Cloudy, mostly fine, light shower.

Premier Campbell Newman says cabinet minister asked Bates to take leave ahead of parliamentary sittings

Ros Bates Michael Caltabiano

Arts Minister Ros Bates Source: The Courier-Mail

ARTS Minister Ros Bates has issued a statement to explain her absence from parliament this week, saying she is recovering from shoulder surgery and caring for her son Ben Gommers who has been diagnosed with depression.

The statement ends days of conflicting stories from the government about her leave – which began abruptly last Thursday coinciding with the decision by Transport and Main Roads’ Director-General Michael Caltabiano to stand aside over allegations he misinformed parliament about his work history.

Ms Bates and Mr Caltabiano worked together at lobbying firm Entree Vous which was part owned by the Minister and her son Ben Gommers – who is now employed as a senior departmental liaison officer at TMR.

Her office told The Courier-Mail on Friday she was on annual leave, then on Saturday Treasurer Tim Nicholls said Ms Bates had been advised by her surgeon to take two weeks off.

Today Premier Campbell Newman said Ms Bates had been asked by senior Cabinet Ministers to take leave, out of concern for her health and how she was coping with the “extra stress” of recent weeks.

Ms Bates said she had accepted medical advice that she required “further rest” adding that her “attempts to return to work (since surgery on September 13) had been premature”.

“During this period, I’ll be spending time with my son Ben who has been under enormous stress and continued scrutiny from often incorrect and sensational reporting of his chosen career,” said Ms Bates.

“On Monday, October 22 Ben was admitted to hospital to be treated for depression.

Michael Caltabiano

Transport and Main Roads Director-General Micahel Caltabiano appears at the Estimates Committee Hearing. Picture: Philip Norrish

“He remains under the care of a specialist.”

She went on to say she would always be “a mother first and an MP and Minister second”.

“His recovery, and my own, will be my current priority,” read the statement.

“I would ask for privacy during this period.”

The admission follows Premier Campbell Newman’s revelation this morning that senior Cabinet Ministers had asked Ms Bates to take leave, out of concern for her health.

He said himself, the Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Attorney-General were very concerned and wanted her to take time off.

“I know (Deputy Premier) Jeff Seeney has for some time wanted her to take some leave,” Mr Newman said.

The Premier said it was not appropriate that he ask Ms Bates about her previous working relationship with Mr Caltabiano – who has denied having any professional experience of Mr Gommers, or even working for Entree Vous, but who was listed on the lobbyists register in 2008 as being employed by Entree Vous – jointly owned by Ms Bates and her son Mr Gommers.

“It is not appropriate that I investigate ourselves,” Mr Newman said.

“The people of Queensland would qutie rightfully say that me investigating the conduct of Mr Caltabiano or Minister Bates was not correct. That’s why I’ve referred it to the Ethics Committee.”

He said he had not spoken to Mr Caltabiano since he stood aside while the Ethics Committee investigates statements he made to the budget estimates hearing.

Mr Newman said if he was found to have committed an offence, he would be expected to repay legal costs currently being funded by taxpayers.

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So… now I’m kinda curious why was the article removed, and who had Robyn Ironside’s article ‘softened around the edges’ today to make the LNP look more sympathetic and less like criminals hiding from a firing squad???
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Working without a wire.

Don’t you just love those itty bitty wireless mice with the teeny weeny innocuous dongle thingy that fits in your laptop bag and you can pull it out and plug it in whenever you get the shits with using the track pad?  Well, I have one of those sweet little Logitech babies and I love it… especially when I was using my old Toshiba laptop which had a track record for less than superlative track pad performance (yeah, yeah, totally intended).

They’re compact and convenient and you can take them anywhere with you and lend it to a friend if needs be and they just… work.  They have an on/off switch so the battery lasts forever and a little pop up cover to keep the dongle inside it – very clever design all round.  I have a schexy red one (of course) and it looks a bit like this:

lost dongle useless shit obsolete equipment

And I love it.  They’re awesome.  So easy to use.  So easy to carry.  So handy everyday really… until you misplace the little dongle thingy.  At which point it becomes a completely useless piece of plastic that doesn’t even cut it as a paperweight.  🙁

So I guess it’s pretty evident that this is exactly what occurred to me some months ago.  I lost my dongle.  I’m sure no one is surprised to hear that – it’s probably hiding somewhere with my sanity and my internal monologue censor.  The mouse itself floated around the living room for a while as I checked all the likely places a dongle might hide… in other people’s computers, in pencil cases, in drawers full of computery bits, frisked down my laptop bag numerous times but alas… the location of the elusive little dongle remained a mystery and eventually I felt the need to put the mouse ‘somewhere safe’ in case the dongle reappeared under equally mysterious circumstances down the track.

Several weeks pass and one day I had cause to restart the Media PC which is located some 7′ off the ground on top of a  6′ tall corner television cabinet and lo and behold, what do I see?  But my itty bitty little black and red mouse bluetooth dongle sticking politely out of a USB port in the front of the Media PC.  Yay!  Little happy dance occurs.  Which lasts for all of about 2 minutes and 18 seconds until I realize I have absolutely no idea where I put the mouse for ‘safe keeping’.  Damn and botheration.  Well, naturally a substantial mouse hunt ensues and I figure the little fucker is much bigger than the blue tooth dongle which was smaller than a 20c piece, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find right?  And it’s bright red for crying out loud… it should stick out like dogs’ bollocks… and yet it doesn’t.  So, now I have the teeny tiny bluetooth dongly bit and no mouse!  Urgh. Typical!!

Now I’m thinking, do I throw the stupid dongle out and forget the whole thing?  Or attempt to put the dongle ‘somewhere safe’ and hope the silly mouse comes out of hiding at some point?  Naturally being someone who can’t stand the idea of waste, I go for Option Two and put the bluetooth dongle ‘away’.  Oh, what on God’s green circuit board was I thinking!?!  :S

Because a couple of weeks later the mouse rears it’s elusive little head in amongst some camera battery chargers conveniently located in the Second ‘Don’t-Go-In-There’ Drawer, of my desk!  Initial reaction:  “I found the mouse!  Hahaha!  I am finally going to rejoin these two which chance and bad management had drawn asunder!”  Swiftly followed by “Oh FFS, have I really lost the itty bitty dongle… AGAIN!?!?

Why, yes.  Yes I have.  Seems my mouse and it’s dongle are destined to remain indefinitely parted due to acts of stupidity well and truly within my control, but somehow ephemerally beyond my grasp.  Urgh.  Technology – who needs it.

 

The Silence is Deafening… and it’s Awesome!!!

I’ve been away in Canberra-Babylon for the weekend and returned to find something off kilter.  Things feel quite strange…  Something has changed.

It’s peaceful.  Quiet.  Blessedly silent, even.  There’s no ‘fuckin fuckheads’, ‘daleyacunts’ or ‘cocksuckers’ coming from next door.  Not even a ‘stupid arsehole’ or ‘fuckin’ idiot’ here or there… what’s going on?!?  All I can hear is the hum of the highway in the distance, birds chirping in the trees, the creak of a gate hinge moving in the wind and a light breeze rustling through the leaves.  Where’s all the angst and hostility?  Where’s all the abusive and offensive language?  What’s happened to the daily dose of distasteful discourse we’ve come to detest?  Well, I’ll tell you what happened to it…

It packed up its shit, hossed its freight and moved the hell out!!!  

That’s right!  Victory is ours!  Victory is ours!  It is a great day to be alive people!  And we are drinking deep from the keg of glory!!!   Bring us the most disgustingly large Frozen Cokes and all the finest cheeses in the land!  For tonight, we celebrate the peace and quiet!

It would appear that Daleyacunt (aka Mr Dale Raymond Hamson) and Fuckin’ Fuckhead (aka Ms Janita Brown), previously of Belmont (w00t!) who told the wise and knowledgeable Magistrate, “That we got nowhere to fuckin’ go yorhonna, wheres we gonna go ta bafore Christmuss?” did actually have somewhere to fuckin’ go… because they have packed up their worldly belongings/trash and have buggered off!  And all without a peep.  Why they don’t even appear to have said goodbye, sent a parting gift or left a forwarding address… quelle dommage.

And I was SO looking forward to November 1st, which we had already come to think of as ‘Popcorn Day’ and were eagerly counting down until we could send out some invites, BYO lawn chairs and popcorn to watch the miscreants get forcibly removed by big burly law enforcement types.  Oh well, so not complaining if it means they’re gone for good!

Oh and PS:  Happy Birthday Daleyacunt!  I didn’t get you a gift, I didn’t get you a card, hell… I didn’t even get to give you a parting shot.  But… it is Dickhead Dale’s birthday today (DOB 22/10/1972) and we had planned to do ‘something’ to mark the occasion, but we seem to have been, fortuitously, deprived of the opportunity.  Daleyacunt… where ever you are ‘mate’, we hope you are enjoying being an unemployed and homeless deadshit on top of your usual state of being a violent, abusive, complete waste of oxygen on this, the milestone occasion of your 40th Birthday!  Our most sincere and best wishes for your future in Dalby… may someone one day have a 12ga shell with your name on it.  🙂

neighbours from hell silence please silence is golden shut the fuck up