"Repeatedly threatening children with brutal torture in the form of eternal damnation is psychological child abuse, and has extremely negative, long-term effects on their mental health. It's bullying, it's disgusting, and we need to put a stop to it." Stop the Nightmares: petition to stop religious bullying in the UK.
What would it take to get this for Australia? Please?
It's very simple, really: There are laws governing public order and child abuse, and religious groups and individuals are frequently allowed to bypass or side-step these laws purely because they claim special status for being religious. The logic in this crumbles like a communion wafer when the government involved has a consitutional separation of church and state, and allows multiple religions, each of which conflict with the others, to do the same thing.
Behave decently, and demonstrate your evidence, or shut up. A heritage and a repeatedly translated and edited book, or even one which can still be read by millions of believers in its original language, do not exempt you from abuse laws and do not allow you to tell little kids that they'll experience torments for all eternity if they don't parrot the party line.
Thursday, 12 June 2008
I thought journalists were supposed to PROVIDE information
For all those out there who write reviews, or news items, or commentary:
If you don't provide a clear and easily accessible and obvious link to source information, or the product you're reviewing, or the organisations you're quoting, you fail.
You may even deserve a big L for loser. Engadget falls into this category: It took me ages to realise that you had to click on the image for external links, and that all links which looked like fucking links were internal. ABC News Online, despite having better journalism than the Courier Mail and other news.com entities, is woefully inferior in understanding the Internet. And it seems that CNet.com fail as well. While looking at one recent story, I had to go to another external review of the product in order to get a link to the actual product which, being an online office suite, really should have been linked from the original fucking story.
If you don't provide a clear and easily accessible and obvious link to source information, or the product you're reviewing, or the organisations you're quoting, you fail.
You may even deserve a big L for loser. Engadget falls into this category: It took me ages to realise that you had to click on the image for external links, and that all links which looked like fucking links were internal. ABC News Online, despite having better journalism than the Courier Mail and other news.com entities, is woefully inferior in understanding the Internet. And it seems that CNet.com fail as well. While looking at one recent story, I had to go to another external review of the product in order to get a link to the actual product which, being an online office suite, really should have been linked from the original fucking story.
Wednesday, 11 June 2008
Dear deity, but this is pathetic.
Apparently there is an annual "Quality of living global index" which ranks cities on how good they are to live in. Not drawn up by the UN, or the World Bank, or anyone you might think would have an interest in this, no: Drawn up by an international investment and consultancy firm.
It seems that Brisbane has slipped a bit in the latest rankings (Courier Mail). Big whoop.
However, what gets me about this story is the response from people to this. I'm not surprised that people are bitching instead of a.) moving to somewhere higher in the rankings, b.) laughing derisively at the idea that you can rank cities like this and expect everybody to agree with you or c.) thinking "Hmm... What do we need to improve?"
What gets me is just how personally people are taking this, and how petty they are about it. Commerce Queensland president got us off to a roaring start with this piece of pointless and "So what?" commentary:
"I am extremely offended," she said.
Your point being?
Employment support enterpreneur Sarina Russo did no better:
"I fail to understand why we have dropped." Well that, right there, may help to explain it, don't you think?
The chief executive of Brisbane Marketing was even more useless, challenging the assessors to "clean their glasses and come again."
Oooh, getting personal! That'll show them! That'll convince them to raise our rating!
And, incidentally, when the article says that Brisbane is the "Worst rated capital in the whole of Australia," I don't see ratings for Darin, Canberra or Hobart. Do you? I think they meant "Worst rated of the Australian capitals assessed." Shoddy workmanship, Melanie Christiansen, shoddy workmanship.
It seems that Brisbane has slipped a bit in the latest rankings (Courier Mail). Big whoop.
However, what gets me about this story is the response from people to this. I'm not surprised that people are bitching instead of a.) moving to somewhere higher in the rankings, b.) laughing derisively at the idea that you can rank cities like this and expect everybody to agree with you or c.) thinking "Hmm... What do we need to improve?"
What gets me is just how personally people are taking this, and how petty they are about it. Commerce Queensland president got us off to a roaring start with this piece of pointless and "So what?" commentary:
"I am extremely offended," she said.
Your point being?
Employment support enterpreneur Sarina Russo did no better:
"I fail to understand why we have dropped." Well that, right there, may help to explain it, don't you think?
The chief executive of Brisbane Marketing was even more useless, challenging the assessors to "clean their glasses and come again."
Oooh, getting personal! That'll show them! That'll convince them to raise our rating!
And, incidentally, when the article says that Brisbane is the "Worst rated capital in the whole of Australia," I don't see ratings for Darin, Canberra or Hobart. Do you? I think they meant "Worst rated of the Australian capitals assessed." Shoddy workmanship, Melanie Christiansen, shoddy workmanship.
It is not wise to criticise your boss
Which makes it really hard for me, right now, while proof-reading our next newsletter and finding that it's my boss' entry which needs the most editing.
Oh, yes, please!
Now this is a fantastic idea. I myself have in the past attached dead CDs to the front of a hay bail and shot arrows at them (they go all to pieces so spectacularly!).
Passive-Aggressive anger release machine (Gizmodo Australia).
Passive-Aggressive anger release machine (Gizmodo Australia).
Now this is just disgusting
This (Cairns Post) is sweet on one level, and completely gross and disgusting on another.
Man, bitten on penis by a brown snake (that's a bad thing to happen) thought he was going to die so he used a cold can of rum as an ice pack to reduce the pain while he rang his mother to say goodbye.
I'll repeat that: He rang his mother while holding a cold can of rum against his cock.
Full marks for initiative, but ewwwwww.
Oh, and: In future, look where you're about to squat. Just a suggestion.
Man, bitten on penis by a brown snake (that's a bad thing to happen) thought he was going to die so he used a cold can of rum as an ice pack to reduce the pain while he rang his mother to say goodbye.
I'll repeat that: He rang his mother while holding a cold can of rum against his cock.
Full marks for initiative, but ewwwwww.
Oh, and: In future, look where you're about to squat. Just a suggestion.
Tuesday, 10 June 2008
You know you need a break when....
I Can Has Cheezburger makes you suddenly have to grab your nose and squeeze in a desprate attempt to avoid laughing hysterically.
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