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I still think Malachi 2:3 sums up Judeo-Christianity better than John 3:16.

(Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.)

It also made David Brooks spazz out and write this awful, stroke-inducing argument in illogicity:

What sort of individuals and behaviors do our governments want to encourage? I'd say that in healthy societies government wants to subtly tip the scale to favor temperate, prudent, self-governing citizenship. In those societies, government subtly encourages the highest pleasures, like enjoying the arts or being in nature, and discourages lesser pleasures, like being stoned.

But Brooksy, have you ever tried art or nature...ON WEED!!!

Assange hiself ended up with 1.18% of primary votes (you need nearly 14% for a seat, after preferences). Before his preference deals were made public, he had polled at 4%.

The Greens, whom he preferenced against, were the only party in parliament here that lobbied the government to provide Assange with the same diplomatic and legal resources availabale to, say, accused murderers and drug dealers arrested overseas. His preference deals shouldn't stop this, but he does seem to alienate his sources of support.

Preferencing against the Greens was likely seen by him as a Machiavellian thing, as it's most likely he'd be competing against the Greens for Senate seats in all states. He failed in this though, as his preferences could have helped a wacky array of minor parties control the balance of power in the Senate. These include -

The Motoring Entusiasts Party - they advocate cheap oil, and have little other policies. Why didn't some else think of that?
The Australian Sports Party - They literally have no policies. They made a philosophical Statement that there should be more sport
Palmer United Party - A political party designed wholly to advance the mining interests of it's magnate founder, Clive Palmer. The same chap is rebuilding the Titanic, and opening a Jurassic Park in Australia
Australian Sex Party - Actually, this party should be in government.
Liberal Democrats - Libertarian from the right

The consolation is that the wacky parties have won seats from the major parties, it seems (Labor and Liberal), while the Greens seemed to have increased their seats. Vote counting isn't completed as yet, but it's close.

I don't know if the concept of "preferencing", very important in Australian "democracy", is understood by all. If anyone's interested, I'll try and think of a brief way of explaining it. But, basically, it gives smaller parties a chance of Senate representation, but involves a lot of backstage hoodoo.

Hypocrites! Momtastic has absolutely nothing to say about....MURDER IN THE DARK!!!

Behold! Yahweh enjoys a spot of primate territorial poop-flinging!

Malachi 2:3-4

Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung upon your faces, the dung of your offerings, and I will put you out of my presence.[a] 4 So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may hold, says the Lord of hosts.


Also, his prophets resort to childish insults, insinuating their enemies eat poop and drink pee, while engaging in linguistic colonialism -

Then Eli′akim the son of Hilki′ah, and Shebnah, and Jo′ah, said to the Rab′shakeh, "Pray, speak to your servants in the Aramaic language, for we understand it; do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall." 27 But the Rab′shakeh said to them, "Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and to drink their own urine?"

28 Then the Rab′shakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: "Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria!



Ye. Speak Engrish, or die.

Just been reading that the French strongly suggest the Islamist militants are being supplied by Qatar. This article seems to suggest Qatar is becoming a player in some sort of Islamic cold war. Jopefully, this Charles McPhreda doesn't make Cain want to strangle a puppy. I don't know anything other than the short bio at the end of the article.

http://newmatilda.com/2013/02/05/qatari-finger-every-pie

In a series of interviews accorded to French investigative weekly Le Canard Enchaîné last year, French intelligence blamed one country, in particular, for financing a "terrorist haven" in northern Mali: Qatar.

"According to intelligence gathered by DRM (the Directorate of Military Intelligence), Tuareg insurgents from the MNLA (secular and pro-independence), and the [Islamists] from Ansar al Dine, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa have received Qatari aid in dollars," an Algerian paper quoted the weekly — which doesn't publish online — as having reported.

Qatar denies those claims. The emirate's government blames "brother nations" for spreading "maliciously intentioned" rumours about its involvement in Mali. The emirate says it wants to lead peace negotiations to secure a peace agreement there.

All the same, French experts claim that Qatar harbours energy interests in Mali. Geographer Mehdi Lazar thinks the emirate wants to exploit Malian gas reserves.


I've got friends that live in Doha, though, who think Qatar is more "westernised" than the rest of the Arab world. I suspect they live in an ex-pat bubble though. I don't know. They co-ordinate the Doha film festival, and in that framework, I'm sure Qatar would look all secular. They make far too much cash, and live in 5 star places.

It seems no-one's in doubt that Qatar won the hosting rights to the World Cup (football) through blatant corruption of what was probably the most corrupt orgainsation in the world, FIFA.

It is hard to imagine such a small nation with so much power. But there's the oil money...

Fitting perhaps, that Charlton Heston played him in Khartoum.

I haven't seen the one about Jason in space, but from what I have seen, "The Lift" (original name "De Lift") is the most ridiculous film ever. A Dutch fantasy/sci-fi/horror about a psychotic Dutch elevator that murders people.

Tag line: "Take the stairs, take the stairs. For God's sake, take the Stairs!!!"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087622/

I liked Machete. The murderous sentient tyre sounds ridiculous. Were they trying to be funny? If not, then 

What? Why would I want YOU? I was Emperor of the United States! And, Protector of Mexico!I've got NOTHING TO PROVE!
                             /

                     OH FFS! JUST LET ME ROLL IN MY GRAVE IN PEACE!!! YOU BASTARDS!
                                         /

Mostly things that will keep me in the kitchen, mostly with Jamie Oliver's name on them, including casserole dish, roast dish, a book and various DVD's. I think I'll get some books for myself.

He used the phrase "New World Order" without irony!

Actually, irony may have been something he didn't do at all.

Rinehart's politics...

After Lord Monkton, professional climate-change denier/skeptic, advised her to take control of Australian media, she quite publicly tried to take over Fairfax (runs the broaodsheets in Sydney and Mebourne, and other smaller papers) and a national TV network. She doesn't seem to have been successful, YET.

She's also also vanity-published (self-) a book of her very own, which I will not read. There's a titillating review here - http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/12/12/mad-beyond-the-dreams-of-tamburlaine-rinehart-book-reviewed/

which includes a poem she wrote in tribute to Joh Bjelke-Petersen, remembered as a hillbilly dictator by the rest of Australia who ruled a large state with an iron fist. The review makes her book sound like a long "let them eat cake" statement to everyone else. This would include her family, as her relationship with her parent/s was filtered through court time while she they suing each other for control of the family wealth. This is the same relationship she is presently having with all her children also.

Not trying to get off topic, but these are the kind of people keeping Australia's economic numbers afloat.

Edited to fix link.

Looks like the researchers forgot there were people connected to those brains. Shocker.

I think that people who are not trained in research, like medical doctors, sometimes forget that "innovative" treatments aren't automatically OK just because the patient has a fatal diagnosis.

I am 90% convinced that my friend was case #3, the one who had surgery and then lived for almost a year. She was diagnosed with a huge glioblastoma and had surgery, and underwent an "innovative" treatment that she was incredibly hopeful would lead to her immune system kicking in and eliminating the rest of the cancer. She was so hopeful. She was reading all these buddhist books... I sent her one. If that was her, I am so sad for her husband. He doesn't need this. But if it was I hope he is able to sue and get enough to live on for the rest of his life. There is a LOT MORE to this story, they were remarkable people and an amazing couple. She was a stunning woman, a model and very talented fashion designer, and she had escaped an abusive marriage (literal escape, threw her dog in a car and drove away) and was in college when she was hit by a freight truck and had her back insanely fucked up. During her recuperation she met a guy online, and they fell in love over the course of a million phone calls and emails. He was a quadraplegic, in law school. She used to worry so much that he would die before her.

I once drove 12 hours to her house and slept for 18 hours. Just because it was the one place I felt I could truly relax. When I woke up, we walked to the store for marshmallows and roasted them over the gas burners of her stove for s'mores.

For what it's worth, I salute your memory of her. Your words make her sound a tougher person than me.

I stood up for him once against someone who thought they'd take the piss. Only once. I hope that's enough, you know, to help me survive the coming days.