You have less than three hours to nominate someone or something for “Cnut of the Week”. Sorry ’bout the late notice, but I’ve only just decided that I’m well enough to do Stilgherrian Live tonight.
We’re looking for people, organisations or other entities who are futilely trying to hold back the tide of change. It has to be something in the news in the last week, and you have to explain yourself. Nominees have to be not merely doing bad things, but failing to notice or adapt to the change around them.
Everyone who nominates and leaves a valid email address goes into the draw for a free t-shirt of their choice from our friends at King Cnut Ethical Clothing.
Nominations for “Cnut of the Week” are open until 8.30pm Sydney time, and you must nominate at the website for it to count. And also, when we draw the t-shirt winner, you must be watching the program and email us the code word within 5 minutes of your name being announced, otherwise we’ll pick someone else.
(Of course, neither they nor us are as lame and unethical as to share your email address with anyone else. I for one have site policies about this sort of thing, and so do they.)
At 8.30pm you should be watching Nick Hodge‘s program @NickHodge with special guest Mark Pesce before Stilgherrian Live starts at 9.30pm.
Who do you nominate, and why?
The US senate on their decision on Gitmo.
Joe Hockey for confusing Les Murray with Les Murray. And also for being Joe Hockey.
The school in South Australia preventing it’s students from wiping their asses. FFS!
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/21/2576941.htm
Hi Stil,
I’d like to nominate Australia’s banks – for holding back the tide of progress by fee-ing us back into the fucking Paleolithic. A billion AUD in fees last year – record profits despite the GFC, and those fees mostly applied to low income earners. Fuckers.
Maybe they get the Angel award instead for well-dressed bloodsuckers.
Cheers, Andrew
It wasn’t a billion in fees, it was a billion MORE in 2008 than they made in 2007, which in turn was a billion more than they made in 2006.
“Income from fees rose 8 per cent in 2008 to $11.6 billion” http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/21/2577223.htm
i reckon even if they don’t get Cnut of the Week, (Cnuts?) that’s an honourable mention.
By no means a new situation, but new developments in Burma (Myanmar).
I call Cnut on the Burmese generals who have been holding back the tide of democratic change since 1990 (via house arrest) and more recently, this week’s trial of Aung San Suu Kyi. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8050262.stm Diplomats /International observers are barred from the trial: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8060715.stm
Hi Stilgherrian. I’d like to make my first ever nomination for CNUT and call out the Sony Pictures CEO for his extreme retardation when it comes to the internet.
I’d like to nominate the Catholic Church.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/21/2576569.htm
Just once I’d like to hear about allegations of child sexual abuse by clergy which, when investigated, are determined to be unfounded.
Instead, time and time again, in jurisdiction after jurisdiction, we get the same pattern: Pedophilic priests are protected by the organization, and quietly shifted off to foreign jurisdictions to avoid the law, all with the full knowledge of the upper echelons of the catholic church. Then, instead of prosecuting those involved for obstruction of justice, the civil authorities acquiesce to internal church investigations.
Imagine that! Internal investigations. In any other context that’d be absured: Can you imagine if you were accused of raping children and your parents said to prosecutors, “Don’t worry about that, don’t take any action, our family authorities are going to investigate it internally,” as they shipped you off to Brazil to avoid the law? What makes a church so special that it and its members can avoid criminal liability like that?
So it’s happened again. And next year, there’ll be some other inquiry somewhere else in the world where it’ll happen again. And a year after that. And again. And again.
And these are the people who are first to condemn others for their morals.
I can’t think of any organization more resistant to change than these guys. Cnuts incarnate.
– mark
Mark,
I think I’m with you on this. The Church should either be held accountable collectively – or at the very least, given the widespread nature of the abuse and the lip-service paid to correcting the issue, they should be paying FBT on all the clergy buggering children for free. For it is obviously an expected fringe benefit.
Best regards, Andrew
http://www.theage.com.au/national/priest-says-molestation-was-anatomy-lesson-20090521-bgz1.html
It never stops, does it?
I second the the Catholic Church, still moving the sick bastards around too. My high school principle was arrested by the Feds, did community service ans I believe was promptly sent to east timor.
I nominate Sol Trujillo for telling journalists that:
“I haven’t (commented on the proposal about NBN) and I won’t,” … “I’ll comment in four or five years. Let’s see if it ever happens. We’ll draw a conclusion if it happens”
he obviously has no idea that it CAN be done, and shows that if he had any power over it, he’d completely fuck it up and take the money for himself.
US Senate members who voted against Guantanamo closure funding. And, NOT the Catholic Church. People (and groups of people) commit crimes not inanimate objects and structures like guns, companies and religious organisations. It’s lazy armchair justice blaming the ‘entity’. (p.s. I’m not a Catholic FTR)
You’re debating the semantic difference between “a criminal organization” and “an organization of criminals.”
I’m not sure that the finer distinctions matter. People are being tortured, children are being raped. Fix the problem, argue about the nomenclature afterwards.
– mark
Thank you, everyone. Nominations are now closed. Stilgherrian Live starts in one hour.