The Pencil Guy: Hourann's illogical blog

Strip clubs and sinners and stock markets, oh my!

I’m holed up in bed with a cold (which seems to have come from either Webjam or Jam for Sudan, both of which were immensely awesome!). Tis a mystery how I ever lived without WiFi.

  • I would care if Kevin Rudd had ever spoken to the military leadership of Burma, or had an audience with Robert Mugabe. But a strip club in New York City? Bah, next there’ll be reports that he visited a casino in Las Vegas. Problem is, I fear this will dent his popularity — but then maybe the coming week’s polls will agree with Peter Beattie, since no one trusts MPs to be upstanding citizens anyway. Also, isn’t it just a little suspicious that it was a News Corporation editor who led Rudd and Snowden into the club, followed by the News Limited papers plastering it over their front pages today?
  • Speaking of Robert Mugabe, am I the only one left with a bitter taste at the Foreign Minister’s decision to cancel the Australian student visas of his leadership’s children? Even aside from the “sins of their parents” question, exactly how will this help towards getting Zimbabwe out of its current situation?
  • Earlier this week, we had the Treasurer issuing warnings and saying there was no need to panic-sell shares, and today he’s expressing “concern” at the state of the mortgage market. Now I’m just as miffed as every other investor that the market has dropped, but I have trouble seeing what the Federal Treasurer’s action or inaction has to do with the poor decisions of American home lenders. Oh wait, my mistake: this is the responsible economic management we keep being told about.
  • Two things that caught my attention yesterday: a fluff-piece in the West Australian about the construction projects planned or underway around town, and a (rather expensive-looking) State Government brochure outlining the new infrastructure being paid for by taxpayers. But both of them miss what I think is the more important discussion — the subtler changes needed, if you will, to our city’s ‘software’. Things like giving priority to pedestrians in the city, engaging more closely with the arts (e.g. using white walls around town as canvases), and actually promoting the small bars that the liquor licensing changes were supposed to deliver …
  1. Rudd’s polling results may dip somewhat, but I doubt it’ll be for long if they do, unless they find something more dire than “omg a guy went to a strip club! And told his wife! Four years ago!” to the story. So far he’s playing it right – ie, contrite and apologetic and “yes it was wrong and I shouldn’t have done it but, ahem, I’m human too!” It’s kind of a non-story, really, and just makes tabloidish idiots out of the papers.

    The Mugabe regime student visas thing smacks of the government realising that they need to be seen to be doing something and this being the first thing they thought of that requires minimum effort (and, incidentally, minimal impact. We could give them the benefit of the doubt there, though. Could.) Really, if you think about it, at least if the kids are being educated here thy’re getting a decent education, without brainwashing etc, in a working democracy. I fail to see the bad in that.

  2. I think buildings and projects as single entities cannot change the landscape by themselves. They need support from other initiatives like you mentioned. Hence I’m very skeptical of people who claim projects will do otherwise, ie. the “old” Northbridge Link.

  3. Sad thing is, at least from a government point of view, it’s so much easier to throw money around to build something than it is to sit down and make subtle environmental changes …

  4. Strip joints eh? Fairly overrated in my personal opinion. Standing (or sitting) in a room with a bunch of other guys watching some bird who is clearly uninterested get her norks out. What is it with boobs? As a bloke, and I think most other males would agree, I think they are fantastic. They are so cute and have little squigy bits on the end. If I was a girl I would never leave my room. Well, back to politics. I think that although Kev may have damaged his reputation slightly with the older group, he has gained a new legion of supporters from the younger generation. Who wouldnt trust a pollie that went to the skimpys on taxpayers money? What a Champion. And finally taxpayers money has been put to good use. At least we would understand if he went over budget.
    Cant wait for this years election. Go Labour

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