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Howard’s Elite Tracksuit

I didn’t get time to read the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday, so my thanks to QueerPenguin for spotting this superb quote from Tanya Plibersek, the federal member for Sydney (ALP):

Howard routinely dismisses arguments because of who makes them: environmentalists; teachers; students; church leaders; unionists — they’re all part of a cultural elite, he says. The constant use of “elite” as a pejorative has become comical from a man who loves the reflected glory of hanging around elite sporting heroes and who governs for big business and rich people while living one of the most privileged existences in the country with his fine mansion on Sydney Harbour, his unprecedented wine bill, his comfy VIP jet and his $170,000, four-day Rome hotel bill. You can’t hide privilege under a tracksuit.

It’s worth reading the entire piece.

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A flawed 3G Wonderland

OK folks, an update on my continuing saga to join the wonderful Digital 3G Wonderland… now that I’ve overcome my indecision about network choice, my fears about the Nokia N80’s battery life, my frustration with poorly-chosen web addresses and the annoyance at Vodafone’s crappy telephone etiquette.

I have finally bought a Nokia N80 outright, and plugged it into Vodafone‘s network. Here’s my thoughts so far — after a couple bottles of sauvignon blanc over dinner and a random play with the technology.

  • I am very happy with the friendly service of Computer World, where I bought the phone.
  • I am thoroughly pissed off that — despite being bought from an independent vendor — the N80 is pre-loaded with Telstra BigPond settings. Now I’m spending two hours removing the BigPond configuration and connecting it back to Vodafone. Not pleased. Even the “Music” button takes me to BigPond Music!
  • The case feels a little flimsy — will this phone cope with day-to-day wear and tear?
  • The high-resolution screen is very nice.
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More OTT political rhetoric

With the ABC’s new editorial guidelines announced yesterday, it’s given the right-wingers an excuse to engage in some over-the-top rhetoric — proving that hyperbole isn’t the preserve of the left calling everyone a fascist.

Best effort so far has to be this one from Murdoch-land:

With its poor performance, entrenched ideological bias and ‘Vietcong-style’ industrial strife, surely it’s time we sold the public broadcaster, maintains Rudi Michelson.

Yes, apparently ABC staff members have been creeping through the jungle at night, slaughtering villagers and setting fire to ammunition dumps…