Naughty Friday funny – Speed kills
SALT – movie review
Salt
Angelina Jolie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, August Diehl, Hunt Block, Olek Krupa, Corey Stoll,
It has been a while since I have used the local cinema but when I saw the promo for Angelina Jolie’s new action flick, SALT, I thought it was time to break the drought.
Damn glad I did.
As an unashamed Jason Bourne fan, I was very pleased I caught this on the big screen. It’s fast paced, confusing, has plenty of twists, plenty of action, and the Evil Empire all thrown together in a well crafted story.
I thought the demise of the Soviet Union was bad news for the movie industry but of course it’s not the case. Even movies based in this current time can have remnants of a system that are still holding on. It’s also nice to not have the Middle East as the focus so the current politics doesn’t get in the way.
As with most flicks there are a couple of technical issues that catch the eye but nothing as serious as Die Hard 2. I did have to laugh though when Angelina slipped off the G string and threw it over a security camera to block the vision. It was a great shot but seriously. Sensible undies would have been an easier shot and far more believable.
If you can catch this in your local cinema go for it. The stunts look fantastic on the big screen.
Keeping Charlton’s dream alive
Occasionally GOF has trouble with pesky critters who invade his vegetable garden, or neighbours who impinge upon his solitude.
In Australia you need to have an acceptable reason to own a firearm, have no criminal
record, and pass a written safety examination to be granted a licence to use one.
Unfortunately an annoying neighbour does not apparently fall within the parameters of "acceptable reason". However, being confronted with angry and hungry feral pigs on a regular basis does. They are not easily negotiated with, and "shoo" does not immediately send them into rapid retreat.
A 410 solid projectile, on the other hand, does. I do not ever feel the need to take my firearm to town for a couple of good reasons. Firstly, no-one else carries a gun around town so there is no imminent threat to my wellbeing, and, secondly I prefer my own warm bed to that of the police lockup.
There seems to be an increasing awareness in the US that Charlton Heston (1924-2008) and the gun lobby’s dream of guns for the masses is turning into a nightmare. How many innocent children need to be gunned down in American schools before the issue of gun ownership is addressed. I have considerable difficulty understanding the logic behind the right of every citizen to bear arms and its benefit to society.
Is it similar to vaccination? If I carry a little pistol, will it give me immunity against somebody else’s bigger weapon?
Being a caring citizen of the world I would like to offer a contribution to the debate;
There are two possible reasons for the apparent increase in gun related killings;
1. Charlton and the gun lobby are wrong.
2. Perhaps in the 21st century, guns no longer provide an adequate protection factor, and upgrading and expanding an individuals arsenal is long overdue.
Thus, civic duty has driven me to manufacture a very small personal nuclear device, with just sufficient power to eliminate impediments to the happiness of the individual.
It resembles a matchbox and can easily be carried in the pocket or handbag, avoids
detection by electronic systems, and is a perfect accessory for the harassed individual, gang member, nutter, or corporate executive wishing to deter a hostile takeover bid.
It can be remotely triggered by a modified electronic car locking button, although it will be wise to clearly identify which one you use for your car. Triggering the device whilst it is still in your pocket has adverse repercussions on your health.
It is kind to the environment and leaves no metallic residue or evidence of your involvement. Everything within a 2 metre cubic volume will be vaporised. Think of it as progressively cleaning up the littered world we live in.
Order now! Phone within the next 20 minutes and receive a free mini cluster bomb attachment for even greater personal protection and safety.
How does one go about applying to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?
The Good. The Bad and the Ugly on Ukulele
Check this out and a big thankyou to sister Debra for sending this one.
I would never have imagined that a group of ukuleles could sound so good but with just a little assistance for the bass, this is the result.
Perhaps Mad Tanta can fill me in on more details but for starters there appears to be an acoustic base supporting here as well as something that looks like a cross between a ukulele and a resonator guitar.
Add the excellent voices of the Ukulele orchestra of Great Britain and this is the result.
Some ideas seem better after a couple
Ever had a brilliant idea that didn’t look quite so good when you sobered up?
Free range Science in Halls Gap
Looking for a couple of nights free entertainment and like a bit of science? Check out one or both evenings of the 2 day event coming to Halls Gap this weekend. This program consists of 6 films, some short, some feature length, which are bound to have a science flavour to them.
I went to the last event in Halls Gap which had a movie about living in Antarctica and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Missus came along too and although she is not really science focussed she too was captivated.
Were it not for the fact that she is currently in hospital getting her knee replaced, we would be nipping over to check it out and would probably have stayed overnight to make a great weekend of it.
Here are the details and if anyone feels motivated to put pen to paper we will publish your review if you send it in.
SCINEMA screenings
Friday August 27 and Saturday August 28, 7pm
Halls Gap Town Hall, Halls Gap
SCINEMA is a national festival of science film held as part of National Science Week. To help celebrate the International Year of Biodiversity, this year’s festival focuses on the way we interact with the environment and the critters we share it with. Free Range Science will be bringing the best of this year’s SCINEMA festival to Halls Gap, playing six of the best short and feature length films over two nights. In association with the Grampians Film Society
Where the Independents really stand – GetUp source
The exciting position the Federal Election stands in is very interesting indeed and I’m sad to say a further indictment of the poor media analysis we have been subjected to 
so far. On Saddy night I watched the ABC coverage and was surprised to see Kerry OB seem to be of the opinion that Tony Abbott had got up. As we see today this is far from the case and even money has Julia Gillard having the numbers to get first crack at forming a minority Government.
Even with the numbers being more rubbery on the evening of the count, it seems to me the only real value came from Antony Green who has a deeper understanding of how the numbers generally flow through with some of the riskier seats traditionally polling stronger for Labor from the later boxes.
Now perhaps they were taken by surprise by the closeness, as I certainly was, but the later assumption that the Independents would automatically side with the Libs is a shameful misunderstanding of those Independents and speaks volumes for the “Aussie Politics Lite” approach these would be journalists betray. They operate on the theory that only the major parties are worth watching and the rest
are just some sort of amusement.
Thankfully GetUp has done a bit more work than the “professionals” and has a comprehensive summary of their views here. As you can see, the reason these folk have fled the Nationals is because they have a more socialistic tendency. They want action on Climate Change, the NBN, and a “fair go” for the Bush. It doesn’t take much thinking to work out this is not what Tony stands for.
Tony Abbott has a number of problems to deal with here.
- He doesn’t believe in Climate Change or at least last week he didn’t.
- By his own admission he isn’t a “Tech head” and sadly doesn’t seem to have one in his party.
- He doesn’t understand the Tyranny of Distance that country Aussies have always suffered from. Tony’s a big city kind a guy and the only bits of the Bush he cares for is the bits the big Miners own.
- He doesn’t appear to be a “consultative” person either. His inept attempt at a water policy went tits up as soon as he released it because he thought it up all by himself.
Even if Tony could get a shot at setting up a team his problem is the Independents will realise they are facing instant dismissal at the next election if they don’t get the best for the Bush and already Andrew Robb (who I thought was smarter) has dismissed wide Broadband coverage as not an option.
Anyone thinking they can fudge this one with the Voters need look no further than the rapid demise of the Australian Democrats who thought they could tough it out by dropping the “Keep the Bastards Honest” motto. They all had to get other jobs when the piper had to be paid.
So after getting quite a shock on the night (I usually rely on the betting odds to gauge the mood) I’m sitting back and enjoying politics as I watch the bun fight between the pollies on one hand, and the Media trying to keep up after spending years of rephrasing political cheat sheets.
A musical surprise
I could grow to love Opera.
Check out this stunning effort in a food court from the Opera Company of Philly. This is the sort of thing Americans do so well.
Art and music in public spaces is a wonderful thing and I would love to stumble over something this beautiful when out shopping. Imagine standing right next to someone and having a Soprano voice suddenly right there.
Wow.
Why you should Vote
I have seen some disappointing FB stuff recently that highlights a growing problem with our Democracy and should be a warning to those who care about how we are
governed.
The comment is “I’m not going to Vote” and it’s not a new thing but FaceBook is one of the main stamping grounds for our kids and I’d hate to see it if newly eligible Voters turned off before they realise the stupidity of the comment.
First of all if you don’t vote you aren’t absolving yourself from responsibility for who gets elected. You have, by the simple act of not voting allowed the winning party to Govern. If they write up something like “Work Choices” or a new agreement about “Unfair dismissal” and you are on the negative side of the equation, you had a chance to do something about it but failed to act.
How to make your Vote count? Look at politics occasionally and get a feel for what the parties stand for. This shouldn’t include the run up to an election when the promises start flying. Any number of promises can be re-evaluated as “non-core” which means you ain’t going to see it.
Neither should you let the pollies tell you what they think the Voters should care about. What Tony thinks of Julia or Julia thinks of Tony is of no value and it is best left to you the Voter to work out what you care about.
To break the parties down to the really basic level there is a general rule of thumb that usually operates within Oz. If you vote Labor you will most likely get a more considerate Government if you are a worker although if you are unionised you probably do even better. If you vote for the Liberal Party you will get more consideration if you are a business owner although the bigger you are the more
consideration you will receive.
Now things get a little trickier. The Nationals are supposed to support Farmers and Rural areas but as their seat numbers have fallen away they have put more consideration into the large miners than they have the farmers. I think this comes down to simple math. Miners fund the party while farmers are reluctant to give too much to them.
Of the measurable parties, that leaves us The Greens who stand for consideration of the Environment first and foremost but with a social agenda that is further Left than Labor’s.
Got the parties sorted? Now comes the interesting bit. Contrary to what some folk would have you believe, the parties are not “All the same” if you live in this country. 
The Global Financial Crisis is a stark example of the differences. Labor borrowed money to keep jobs which will have to be repaid (and no doubt will be whoever wins) while the Libs would have preferred to lose jobs and save the money for a “rainy day” when we might really need it. Presumably this means bailing out big businesses because it would have been “pissing down” for folk on wages if jobs had been shed.
In summary, both sides have the financial skills to manage the economy but their focus is different and your choice on this point is clear. If the Environment is what concerns you then the loss of Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull has limited your choice. If you are pro the Environment then Green is as good as you get and if you are against environmental concerns then the Nationals are for you.
But whichever way you are thinking you MUST vote. Democracy requires just a little effort to work and bitching about a Government if you haven’t made any effort yourself really means you were responsible for the outcome.
Pollies are simple folk and they need your guidance. Voting gives them a starting point and sending them riding instructions occasionally via email, helps them know what counts with their employers. Just a little effort is all it takes.