Beyond The Fringe

So we’ve been busy. Working. Building. Dealing with immense toothache - why is it the pain stops after one makes the dreaded appointment? Blogging out at Blogshares (which is partially work-related as we survey the machinations and constructions of the blogiverse in all its manifestations). We must have checked out a couple of thousand or more twaddly, whining, dorky blogs now to help clean the rather useful Blogshares index of rotting blog corpses. At this point we’ve collected a truckload of literary and stockmarket blogs.

As the Aussie stock market enters its usual tax loss doldrums, we desultorily survey the real market for some superduper bargains. APG, with BHP now holding an interest, has fallen as the profit-taking traders maul the share price. We are waiting to feast with the other remoras near what we suspect may be the bottom. Our banquet on EVZ a couple of days ago was most satisfactory as was our BPO gulp at 4.6c. EVZ actually breached our projected bottom at 55c yet we are happy with our haul. We now have our beady eyes fixed on BLR and SNU, our little U beauties, for some more accumulation opportunities.

We’re cashed up for the TRF Ironclad float, though with the drop in TRF’s sp, we might do better picking up some more TRF rather than waiting for the Ironclad floaties. Another attractive possibilities is LRL - trading below 60c at the moment.

For some idle fun and relaxation, here’s an amazing site, Flickrvision where one can watch the depressingly plebby drones of the internet upload their mostly ghastly photos to Flickr in real time.

Amazingly, the vigilant Chinese authorities have not blocked Beyond The Fringe, according to the three location test at Website Pulse. Not so at the Great Firewall of China test, where every site I tried on several servers besides this one was blocked. Perhaps the test server they use is blocked.

Beyond The Fringe is also listed on Google China - four pages of references isn’t too bad considering the site hasn’t been up for too long in its present form and location.

It must be time to write something pointedly critical about human rights abuses and censorship in China, besides one’s usual diatribes about Chinese purchases at bargain basement prices of Whorestralian resources.

Here’s the code which works in both Firefox and IE. Switch off the auto XHTML correction facility in Options/Writing and the Visual Editor in Users/Profile before attempting this.

<div style="text-align:center"><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/ID_CodeHere"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ID_CodeHere" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /></object></div>

Kevvie strikes back at Johnny with a near knockout blow, and although we wish he would bring the focus back to the government’s palpably weak point - climate change - while the issue is still hot and before Johnny shepherds the electorate into unctuous worship of his economic record, he is maintaining an impressive, logical front. Johnny’s actions, along with his quivering whiskers when interviewed by Kerry O’Brien on the 7.30 Report last night, betray the fact that he is losing the Iraq debate even without and perhaps in spite of a head to head confrontation with Kevvie.

Johnny’s mob stifled debate on Iraq in Parliament this morning - run away, run away - and this morning Johnny fails to up the ante on 2GB with Alan Jones, bleating that a national televised debate with Kevvie would be just a smokescreen.

Talk about projection. We also think that Johnny’s conviction, oft repeated on the 7.30 Report interview that Australia cannot afford American defeat and humiliation in Iraq may also be projection - it is Howard who needs ongoing conflagration to maintain with his comfortable war leader, best buddy of Doodoo image into the run up to our next election. Interestingly, Paul Kelly picks up on this too in a particularly scathing column.

Kevvie smartly rejoinders to Johnny on ABC: “What is his alternative strategy, if he’s a man of courage, to tell the Australian people about how he intends to win the war in Iraq.” Reasonably, Kev indicates his flexibility to consult with the US on early withdrawal and his approval of the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group Report.

At this point, we have to wonder whether the Australian media is at last turning on Johnny?

Headline from The Australian: Rudd attacks ‘gutless’ Howard

Headline from The Age: ‘Gutless’ Howard gags debate

Leunig’s hilarious cartoon for today is also worth a squiz. And so is Patrick Leahy’s Valentine card from John to Doodoo.

Untraceable ethical leaking of documents to enforce transparency of government? or the beginnings of the final showdown between Big Bro and idealistic anarchists wishing for unimpeded freedom of information on the net?

I notice the WL proponents in their mailing list exchange omit the United Stupids from their list of countries that could benefit from WL. Why is this, considering the information on fake Niger documents, which if it had been made public would have prevented the Coalition of the Gobbling’s illegal invasion of Iraq? let alone the FBI info on trainee pilots under suspicion which was ignored and whistleblowers silenced prior to 911? Are they hoping to evade FEMA by appearing patriotic?