enemies of The Doctor including the Daleks

Simon Rogers at The Guardian compiled a list of every Doctor Who villain. He writes

If you really want to wind people up, don't write about budget cuts or school buildings or the world economy. Ask readers to help you compile a list of every Doctor Who villain. Ever. I know because that's what the Guardian's Datablog and Datastore website did last week – with dramatic results.

Doctor Who is made for data. It's the longest-running sci-fi show in Britain, possibly the world. The good doctor has battled monsters and aliens in 769 episodes since William Hartnell's first appearance in 1963. Our project was inspired by a user on the "data visualisation website" Many Eyes. xxnapoleansolo had compiled a list of every Doctor Who villain since the programme was relaunched in 2005. But that wasn't completist enough for us. So we tried asking the BBC for a list. "Good God," a spokeswoman replied. Another press officer came back with the suggestion that, if you really want to get this done, you need to ask the fans. So we did.

I'm not sure the Guardian Datablog has ever had an article re-tweeted on Twitter more than 200 times in 10 minutes before.It spread around the Doctor Who web faster than a Cyber battle fleet; the comments on the article now read like the ultimate distillation of Doctor Who knowledge.

The list in spreadsheet form can be found here.

Needless to say, the Daleks featured in the most stories at 32, followed by the Cybermen and The Master at 22 each. Each story had multiple episodes.


from Genesis of the Daleks (1975) featuring Davros, their creator (BBC)

From BBC

The Daleks were created by the Kaled scientist, Davros as travel machines. He had deduced that the years of radiation and chemical poisoning from an ongoing war would lead his race to mutate into immobile organisms.

The Dalek travel machines would house these creatures and allow the Kaleds to survive. However, in the course of his experiments, Davros deliberately removed what he considered to be debilitating emotions from the mutants and a force of evil was spawned!

The Daleks were born without any ability to feel compassion or pity and were motivated only by hate, fear and an implacable belief that they were the superior creatures in the Universe.

They have battled the Doctor many times throughout the centuries, with confrontations on Earth, Skaro and planets right across the universe from Exxilon to Spiridon. Powerful, pitiless and with a genius for warfare they have proven fearsome opponents for the Doctor but he has always managed to protect humanity from their attacks. They return in the new series... let's hope the Doctor can maintain his record against his most enduring enemies.

Definitely the scariest.

Christos' papou and yiayia

Christos Tsiolkas is an Australian author, whose book Dead Europe I am yet to finish so that I can begin reading The Slap. He wrote an interesting piece about his family in The Guardian on 10 July 2010, which was reprinted in the Sydney Morning Herald (Spectrum) on 17 July 2010. Excerpt

I never met either of my grandfathers. My maternal papou had died when I was a toddler. It still remains a wounding regret of my mother's that she never had a chance to go back home to see him on his deathbed. But with a small child and my newly born baby brother, there was neither means nor opportunity for her to return. We have become so jaded with the ubiquity of air travel that we are apt to forget just how difficult, how expensive, how magical it once seemed. Dad did return to Greece to bury his father. He has returned once more, to bury his mother. After that visit, he said to me: "That's it, no more. It has finished. Greece doesn't exist for me any more."

I am grateful that I did have an opportunity to meet my grandmothers; once when I visited as a boy in 1975, and then again as a young adult in 1990. But even those encounters were made difficult by the limitations of my Greek and the overwhelming chasm of experience that separated myself, a privileged child of the developed world, and those two women, each born on the eve of the 20th century, in a peasant eastern Mediterranean world that was to be torn apart by two Balkan wars, two world wars, an occupation, two dictatorships, and a civil war. I remember sitting in a kitchen in Athens with my maternal grandmother, who was crying, wanting to know why her daughter had only visited her once in all the time she had been a migrant in Australia. I tried to explain the distances involved, the expense. Uncle Mitso, who was sitting with us, took me aside and explained that once in the early 70s he was driving his mother from the village to Athens when they came to a fork in the road. My giagia asked, "Mitso, if we turn left instead of right, can we go and visit Georgia in Australia?"

"You have to remember, Christo," my uncle said to me, "this is a woman born in a time when women were doomed to illiteracy and the shadows. Your giagia can't even read a map. And look at you, you are now a university student, you want to be a writer. You don't know how proud that makes us. But if you ever forget where you come from, fa se sfaxo [I will slaughter you]."

Read more. Australia was built on immigration and many Australians born in Australia, while retaining language and culture, upon visiting the homelands of their forefathers, find that some of this have been preserved in time.

Though Dad was from a family of a dozen children and my mother from a family of eight, only one other of my father's siblings migrated to Australia. But my parents' friends all became part of my extended family – every adult was addressed as theo and thea, uncle and aunt. Even now as an adult travelling in Greece I will still use this form of address when speaking to an elder, and my Greek friends and cousins will laugh at me. "That is something only rural people do," they say. "Only the real hicks. Do you still use those terms in Australia? You guys are still stuck in the 50s."

Italian Australians whose grandparents (nonna and nonno) had migrated, when visiting their grandparents' original village, have been told they speak old-fashioned Italian of the earlier generation.

Christos is a great writer of fiction but the personal stories are always the most interesting.

#tweetseats

Marcus Newbury has written an interesting article in The Age about the debate over the use of Twitter (a social media platform) during live performances. Excerpt

WHAT is the etiquette for tweeting at the theatre, a concert or any other live performance? Should you do it at all? Or never? Should it be encouraged - even rewarded - or frowned upon? It may not have been the biggest arts story going around in the general community last week but, as you might expect, the concept of tweeting from the "tweetseats" has certainly been big on Twitter.

Twitter, the 140-character messaging system, is being embraced by many of Australia's major arts companies, from Opera Australia to the Sydney Opera House to most major arts festivals.

Some have begun to encourage "tweeting" before, at interval and in some rare cases even during some of their shows. Some theatres are experimenting with reserved zones or sections where punters are encouraged to tweet live during the performances.

Depending on who you ask, it's radical democratisation unleashing raw enthusiasm, genuine criticism and passion or the barbarians at the gate.

For many traditionalists, the concept is outrageous. The idea that such behaviour could pollute the hallowed halls of our cultural institutions is poisonously problematic. The notion of having less than 100 per cent of your audience's attention is rude, offensive and disrespectful. The experience of a show is under threat from the glare of iPhone screens and tapping fingers.

Read more.

Most venues ask patrons to switch off their mobile (cell) phones. Surely, this would prevent any use of applications from telephone devices.

While some patrons would find it annoying, it is probably in the interests of performance companies to allow tweeting as a means of obtaining immediate feedback. Positive reviews would be like word of mouth recommendations.

In any case, it would be fun to tweet during Wagner, "the fat lady sings".

Nelson Mandela International Day

Two years ago, I wrote about Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday. His 92nd birthday today is also Nelson Mandela International Day as declared by the United Nations General Assembly.

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly
[without reference to a Main Committee (A/64/L.13 and Add.1)]

64/13. Nelson Mandela International Day

The General Assembly,

Recognizing the long history of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela’s leading role in and support for Africa’s struggle for liberation and Africa’s unity, and his outstanding contribution to the creation of a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic South Africa,

Recognizing also Nelson Mandela’s values and his dedication to the service of humanity, as a humanitarian, in the fields of conflict resolution, race relations, promotion and protection of human rights, reconciliation, gender equality and the rights of children and other vulnerable groups, as well as the upliftment of poor and underdeveloped communities,

Acknowledging Nelson Mandela’s contribution to the struggle for democracy internationally and the promotion of a culture of peace throughout the world,

Welcoming the international campaign initiated by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and related organizations to each year observe 18 July, his birthday, as Mandela Day,

Welcoming also the statements of support by the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly at its sixty-third session, on the occasion of the celebration of Mandela Day on 18 July 2009,

Recalling the worldwide participation and celebration of the inaugural Mandela Day on 18 July 2009,

Recalling also the endorsement by the Heads of State and Government of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries of the observance of 18 July as Nelson Mandela International Day and the request that a resolution to this effect be adopted by the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session,

1. Decides to designate 18 July as Nelson Mandela International Day, to be observed each year beginning in 2010;

2. Invites all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system and other international organizations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations and individuals, to observe Nelson Mandela International Day in an appropriate manner;

3. Requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures, within existing resources, for the observance by the United Nations of Nelson Mandela International Day;

4. Also requests the Secretary-General to keep the General Assembly informed at its sixty-fifth session of the implementation of the present resolution within the United Nations system, and thereafter to keep the Assembly informed on an annual basis concerning the observance of Nelson Mandela International Day;

5. Further requests the Secretary-General to bring the present resolution to the attention of all Member States and United Nations organizations.

42nd plenary meeting
10 November 2009

Of course, not many people will even know. In Australia, the media is focused on the federal election announced yesterday.

However, this blog will honour the day by mentioning it.

football - round 16

Hawthorn 7.3 9.6 16.12 17.16 (118)
Brisbane Lions 1.0 4.0 6.0 7.1 (43)

GOALS
Hawthorn: Roughead 4, Lewis 4, Osborne, Ellis, Young 3, Brown, Rioli, Skipper, Peterson
Brisbane Lions: Brown 3, Power, Buchanan, Staker, Fevola

BEST
Hawthorn: Burgoyne, Hodge, Lewis, Mitchell, Young, Sewell
Brisbane Lions: Leuenberger, Power, Brennan, Brown, Staker

Umpires: Hayden Kennedy, Heath Ryan, Luke Farmer
Official attendance: 16,690 at Aurora Stadium

Thoroughly thrashed.

Pictures by Getty Images (Mark Dadswell) via PicApp

James Polkinghorne


James Polkinghorne


Daniel Merrett


Josh Gibson spoils Jonathan Brown


Amon Buchanan

R is for rupee 2

Early last year, I wrote about plans for a new symbol for Indian currency, the rupee. From Government of India Ministry of Finance press release (15 July 2010)

The Union Cabinet today approved the symbol for the Indian Rupee. This symbol will be used by all individuals/entities within and outside India after its incorporation in `Unicode Standard’, ‘ISO/IEC 10646’ and ‘IS 13194’.

A public competition was held amongst resident Indian citizens inviting entries for the symbol, which reflects and captures the Indian ethos and culture. Over 3000 entries were received, which were evaluated by a Jury headed by the Deputy Governor, RBI, which also included experts from three reputed art and design Institutes. The entries were presented to the Jury in such a manner that identity of the competitors was not revealed to the Jury members. The Jury selected five final entries and also gave its evaluation of these five entries to the Government to take a final decision.

The symbol will standardize the expression for Indian Rupee in different languages, both within and outside the country. It would better distinguish the Indian currency from those countries whose currencies are also designated as Rupee or Rupiah, such as Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

The symbol will be included in the “Unicode Standard” for representation and processing of text, written in major scripts of the world to ensure that the Rupee symbol is easily displayed/printed in the electronic and print media as all the software companies provide support for this Standard. Encoding in the Unicode Standard will also ensure encoding in the International standard ISO/IEC 10646 as both the organizations work closely with each other.

The symbol will also be included in the Indian Standards, viz. 13194:1991 – Indian Script Code for Information Interchange (ISCII) through an amendment to the existing list by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The ISCII specifies various codes for Indian languages for processing on computers along with the key-board lay outs.

After encoding of the symbol in the Unicode Standard and National Standard, NASSCOM will approach software development companies for incorporating the Rupee symbol in their operative software, as a new programme or as an update, to enable the computer users worldwide to use the symbol even if it is not embedded on the keyboards (in a similar manner, we use the Euro symbol, which is not embedded in the keyboards in use in India).

For incorporating the symbol in the keyboards to be manufactured in India, the Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology (MAIT) will enjoin its membership to make requisite changes in the production processes once the symbol is notified as a keyboard standard by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

The State Governments would be impressed upon to encourage the use of the new Rupee symbol and proactively promote its use.

The encoding of the rupee symbol in the Indian Standards is estimated to take about six months while encoding in the Unicode and ISO/IEC 10646 will take about 18 months to two years. It will be incorporated in software packages and keyboards in use in India.

The symbol for the Rupee would lend a distinctive character and identity to the currency and further highlight the strength and robustness of the Indian economy as also a favored destination for global investments.

BACKGROUND

In view of the fact that the Indian economy has been expanding at a sustained high rate of growth, is steadily integrating with the global economy and India has emerged as a prime investment destination worldwide, it was decided to undertake an exercise for selecting a distinct and identifiable symbol for India Rupee (INR) like other major currencies such as US Dollar (USD), British Pound Sterling (GBP), the Japanese Yen (JPY) and the European Union (EU) Euro.

The new symbol,a blend of the Devanagri 'Ra' and Roman 'R', was designed by Bombay IIT post-graduate D Udaya Kumar.



$ £ ¥ € are the most well known currency symbols. Contrary to reports in the Indian media that the new rupee symbol joins an elite club of the widely used $ £ ¥ and €, there are actually other currency symbols in use in the world.

These include the Korean won ₩, Lao kip ₭, Thai baht ฿, Paraguayan guaraní ₲, Israeli shekel ₪ and so forth.



So will the new rupee symbol be grouped with the big four or with the lesser known symbols?

music blog

My much neglected music blog was finally updated with a new entry. http://danielfavemusic.blogspot.com/, introducing a new band from Manchester who are going to be massive.

beef, lamb, kangaroo, venison... horse

Australians consume an average of 46.5kg of red meat each year, made up of 33.7kg beef, 10.8kg lamb and 2kg mutton (2008-09 Meat and Livestock Australia). Add to that the growing domestic consumption of kangaroo meat (though no figures are available) and smaller amounts of venison.

Soon, adding to the range of red meat will be horse. According to Daile Pepper, writing in WAToday (Sydney Morning Herald and The Age)

[Vince Garreffa of Mondo Di Carne gourmet butchers] would be the first Australian butcher to offer the product for humans, and claimed that people from ethnic groups who enjoyed the meat often resorted to buying it from pet stores.

Mr Garreffa said it was a little known fact that between 50,000 and 70,000 horses were slaughtered in Australia every year for human consumption in other parts of the world. It was time to end the hypocrisy, he said.

"It has never been sold before for domestic consumption in Australia," he said.

"We feel it's not going to be big business, it's not a money making venture, it's all about supplying the ethnic community with something they grew up with."

Not known to most people is that Australia has had a horse meat industry for some time, with most horse meat produced exported to Japan and Europe (DAFF).

Like other English-speaking countries, horse meat is generally considered to be a taboo food. Similarly, there were debates about kangaroo meat when it was first approved for human consumption. However, unlike kangaroo, there will be arguments about horses being service animals in Australia, like other companion animals such as dogs and cats, which are even more taboo as food.

Would I eat horse meat? I did. In Zurich, having 'forgotten' the German word for horse (Pferde) at the time. It was in the form of a medium rare cooked steak and very tasty.

Colton has his wings clipped

I wrote about 'Barefoot Bandit' Colton Harris-Moore in February 2010 and December 2009.

He may have eluded authorities over the past few years including FBI, US Customs and Border Patrol, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, US Coast Guard, and sheriff’s deputies from at least six counties. However, a silly move in stealing a plane and flying to the Bahamas was always going to attract attention. The 'Barefoot Bandit' told to 'fly' has had his wings finally clipped. By authorities in the Bahamas.

Associated Press video


See also
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer
- Everett Herald

Soon to come, the ballad of Colton Harris-Moore.

another useless invention 8

Candwich - sandwich in a can

Apparently a real product, though not yet available from Mark One Foods Corp. There is a genuine patent registered. Description

Food items, and principally sandwiches, are disclosed as being packaged for dispensing from vending machines conventionally structured for vending containerized, that is, canned or bottled, beverages, such as soft drinks and the like. The present invention further discloses means for combining different food items in one packaging arrangement for dispensing from a vending machine conventionally structured for vending containerized beverages.

However, it probably won't appear in a store or vending machine near you soon. The US Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a complaint against the financier associated with the company for fraud. According to CBS News and NPR (citing New York Times) money raised from investors for real estate was diverted to other ventures including Candwich.

Seriously, how long does it take to make a sandwich? As for being convenient to pack for camping, there are already lots of other pre-packaged foods already available.

football - round 15

Brisbane Lions: 3.1 6.1 7.3 10.5 (65)
St Kilda: 3.1 3.3 7.7 11.13 (79)

GOALS
Brisbane Lions: Fevola 4, Black, Brennan, Buchanan, Cornelius, Polkinghorne, Power
St Kilda: Milne 2, Schneider 2, Dal Santo, Gwilt, McEvoy, McQualter, Montagna, Peake, Riewoldt

BEST
Brisbane Lions: Rich, Redden, Rockliff, Black, Merrett, Fevola
St Kilda: Montagna, Hayes, Ray, Gwilt, Dal Santo, Gardiner

Umpires: Sully, Wenn, Findlay

Official crowd: 29,329 at the Gabba

I expected a thrashing, so despite the loss, it wasn't a bad game as the Lions were quite competitive at times including leading after half time.

Pictures by Getty Images (Bradley Kanaris) via PicApp

Matthew Leuenberger


Jared Brennan


Brendan Fevola


Joel Patfull


Simon Black


Justin Sherman


mêlée

Tell you where to go, Yoda can.

Automotive navigation systems using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology have been in use for around ten years, an adaptation of military technology for civilian use, to guide drivers.

Devices are typically attached to dashboards or the inside of windscreens of automobiles and display an electronic map along with audio from a voice narrator. The most well-known voice is that of Australian Karen Jacobsen. She tells people where to go!



Tomtom, a Dutch manufacturer of automative navigation devices, recently acquired different voices for use in its devices. From Yoda and Darth Vader.

It seemed both Yoda and Darth Vader had trouble keeping to the script during voice recordings.





Just as fun would be Mio's Knight Rider GPS.

The Phantom

Mr Walker. The Ghost Who Walks. The Man Who Cannot Die.

The Phantom commenced as a newspaper comic strip in 1936. A comic book version has been published in Australia since 1948.



The Phantom was the first comic I read as a young child as my grandfather was quite a fan. He died when I was very young, aged seven or eight, and I continued my interest in The Phantom comics as a way of remembering him.

There was a film adaptation in 1996 with Billy Zane, set in the 1930s. It was entertaining but dated. Rumours of a reboot of the film have not yet been realised.

Syfy commissioned a 'backdoor' pilot for a mini-series, which was broadcast in Canada on 20 December 2009 and United States on 20 June 2010. Though not yet broadcast in Australia (likely on Scifi channel), the DVD has been released. I enjoyed it.

The reimagined pilot advances the Phantom to the 22nd generation (in the comic book, he has been stuck as the 21st Phantom), in the 21st century with modern technology to boot.





Trailer


Additional clips


I hope the series continues. The Phantom is the most noble of all the superheroes, though technically, he isn't super as he has no special powers, but then neither has Batman.

Germans want to grill the messenger

Watch in sequence. The third is a bonus.







Also see Der Spiegel (in English)

ABC News 24 is nearly here

In January this year, I wrote about the plan by our Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to establish a separate 24 hour news channel.

Well, it is nearly here. The channel is tuned, undergoing testing and will soon go live.



Of course News Corporation's 24 hour subscription news channel in Australia - Sky News will lose market share, given the ABC's reputation for high quality journalism.

I can't wait.

Stories of the Paris Métro

I've previously written about metros, and in particular, the Berlin U-Bahn. NPR recently broadcast a brilliant story about the Paris Métro. Extract of transcript

Few cities in the world are more identified with their subway systems than Paris. One of the busiest metro systems in the world, it carries more than 4 million riders a day on some 16 lines to 300 stations. To ride it is a visual carnival, a living history, an urban love story about the chemin de fer, or "path of iron."

Click on the NPR link above, then click on "Listen to the Story", it is worth the 14 minutes.

Jacki Lyden speaks to some interesting characters including an 11-year-old with a great passion, whose favourite Line is 14 (the dark purple one).

Personally, I like Line 1 (yellow). The neighbourhood between Bastille and St-Paul is wonderful.

not a boring shirt 2

I like shirts that are different such as the Moschino that I mentioned last year.

From Dries van Noten's 2011 Spring/Summer collection at this year's Paris Fashion Week.







(via The Fashionisto)



It would look good worn with a black suit as well.

UNEGEEW... UN Women

On 2 July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) established a 'entity' to progress women's empowerment. Press release

United Nations, New York, 2 July 2010 — In an historic move, the United Nations General Assembly voted unanimously today to create a new entity to accelerate progress in meeting the needs of women and girls worldwide.

The establishment of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women — to be known as UN Women — is a result of years of negotiations between UN Member States and advocacy by the global women’s movement. It is part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact.

“I am grateful to Member States for having taken this major step forward for the world’s women and girls,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a statement welcoming the decision. “UN Women will significantly boost UN efforts to promote gender equality, expand opportunity, and tackle discrimination around the globe.”

UN Women merges and will build on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system which focus exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment:

• Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW, established in 1946)
• International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW, established in 1976)
• Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI, established in 1997)
• United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM, established in 1976)

“I commend the leadership and staff of DAW, INSTRAW, OSAGI and UNIFEM for their commitment to the cause of gender equality; I will count on their support as we enter a new era in the UN’s work for women,” said Secretary-General Ban. “I have made gender equality and the empowerment of women one of my top priorities — from working to end the scourge of violence against women, to appointing more women to senior positions, to efforts to reduce maternal mortality rates,” he noted.

Over many decades, the UN has made significant progress in advancing gender equality, including through landmark agreements such as the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Gender equality is not only a basic human right, but its achievement has enormous socio-economic ramifications. Empowering women fuels thriving economies, spurring productivity and growth.

Yet gender inequalities remain deeply entrenched in every society. Women in all parts of the world suffer violence and discrimination, and are under-represented in decision-making processes. High rates of maternal mortality continue to be a cause for global shame. For many years, the UN has faced serious challenges in its efforts to promote gender equality globally, including inadequate funding and no single recognized driver to direct UN activities on gender equality issues.

UN Women — which will be operational by January 2011 — has been created by the General Assembly to address such challenges. It will be a dynamic and strong champion for women and girls, providing them with a powerful voice at the global, regional and local levels. It will enhance, not replace, efforts by other parts of the UN system (such as UNICEF, UNDP, and UNFPA) that continue to have responsibility to work for gender equality and women’s empowerment in their areas of expertise.

UN Women will have two key roles: It will support inter-governmental bodies such as the Commission on the Status of Women in their formulation of policies, global standards and norms, and it will help Member States to implement these standards, standing ready to provide suitable technical and financial support to those countries that request it, as well as forging effective partnerships with civil society. It will also help the UN system to be accountable for its own commitments on gender equality, including regular monitoring of system-wide progress.

Secretary-General Ban will appoint an Under-Secretary-General to head the new body and is inviting suggestions from Member States and civil society partners. The Under-Secretary-General will be a member of all senior UN decision-making bodies and will report to the Secretary-General.

The operations of UN Women will be funded from voluntary contributions, while the regular UN budget will support its normative work. At least US$500 million — double the current combined budget of DAW, INSTRAW, OSAGI, and UNIFEM – has been recognised by Member States as the minimum investment needed for UN Women.

“UN Women will give women and girls the strong, unified voice they deserve on the world stage. I look forward to seeing this new entity up and running so that we — women and men — can move forward together in our endeavour to achieve the goals of equality, development and peace for all women and girls, everywhere,” said Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro.

The General Assembly resolution creating UN Women also covers broader issues related to UN system-wide coherence, laying out a new approach to the funding of UN development operations, streamlining the work of UN bodies, and improving methods of evaluating reform efforts.

It is not an organization, commission or office, unlike other UN bodies but an 'entity'. One would have thought that the term 'agency' would have been more useful.

The New York Times reported that "the problem with finding a good name, diplomats said, is that they ran out of time".

One comment... eew.

headline of the month

From Canberra Times

Snuffles snaffles $1000 truffle

There is even a cute photo of Snuffles in the article.

counting people

The United States held a ten-yearly census of its population on 1 April 2010. USA Today reported that while the form was meant to be returned by mail, the Census Bureau also employed 650,000 workers at a cost of US$1.5 billion to visit every dwelling that did not return the form.

If Santa Claus exists and is able to visit every home on the planet (with children), who believe in him, to deliver Christmas presents in a 24 hour period, then the Census Bureau could have hired him alone instead of 650,000 workers. They could have paid him in toys.

football - round 14

Carlton 2.4 8.9 12.9 18.12 (120)
Brisbane Lions 4.5 5.7 8.8 9.11 (65)

GOALS
Carlton: Betts 5, Garlett 2, Henderson 2, Yarran 2, Simpson 2, Scotland 2, Houlihan, Gibbs, O'hAilpin
Brisbane Lions: Cornelius 2, Banfield 2, Polkinghorne, Black, Rich, Redden, Buchanan

BEST
Carlton: Judd, Betts, Simpson, Gibbs, Scotland, Houlihan, Murphy, Carazzo
Brisbane Lions: Leuenberger, Rischitelli, Black, Rockliff, Johnstone, Redden

Umpires: Margetts, Meredith, McInerney

Official crowd: 35,623 at Etihad Stadium

Thursday night football. I'm not sure it is a good idea for television viewing. Still a good crowd attended.

I didn't expect Brisbane Lions to win this, though the first quarter was promising when they showed a bit of hunger. Unfortunately, their appetite didn't last long.

Pictures by Getty Images (Mark Dadswell) via PicApp

Shermo gets a kick away


Luke Power


Acorn (Aaron Cornelius)


Black


Tommy rocker

Happy end of financial year

In Australia, the financial (fiscal) year is from 1 July to 30 June.

From tomorrow, most Australian income tax payers receive a small tax cut.

Reykjavík's new mayor Jón Gnarr - was he joking?

In April, it was reported that Icelandic comedian Jón Gnarr had founded a mock political party called Besti flokkurinn (The Best Party) and planned to run in the election for Reykjavík City Council in May. The party's platform included a polar bear display for the zoo, free towels at public swimming pools and a new Disneyland near the airport.

In the elections held on 29 May, the party won the largest percentage of votes (34.7 per cent) for six of the 15 seats on the council. The Best Party and the Democratic Alliance formed a coalition agreement, thereby forming a majority.

On 15 June, it was reported that Jón Gnarr was sworn in as mayor.

Was this a mock or real political advertisement?


The voters/residents of Reykjavík sure have a great sense of humour.

See also New York Times.

Of course, power changes everything. In 1989, the Australian Capital Territory (similar to the District of Columbia) was forced to self-govern (it had until then been administered by the federal government). In its first election, three members of the No Self Government Party were elected (as a protest vote). Two years later, the three members left the party to become independents. One of them even became a government minister.

The 'look'

Classic black suit from the Dolce & Gabbana 2011 Spring/Summer collection, unveiled in Milan on 19 June 2010

The show actually featured Annie Lennox performing live.

A good quality suit looks classy. A cheap suit, well, just looks cheap. It is worth investing in at least one good quality suit.

Andrew Baines' surreal human sculptures

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 27: Suited volunteers in bowler hats stand in the surf holding umbrellas aloft at sunrise at Bondi Beach on June 27, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. The human installation is the latest in a series of 'surreal human sculptures' by artist Andrew Baines, which included businessmen reading newspapers in the surf of Manly Beach in Sydney, and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra playing in the surf at Cottesloe, Western Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
Content © 2010 Getty Images All rights reserved.

Mr Baines actually called for volunteers to attend the photography session dressed in their own clothes. From his website

Sunday 27th of June at 7 am, Artist Andrew Baines will create his latest Surreal Human Sculpture! To participate you will need to wear a dark suit, white collar shirt and tie and bring a dark umbrella, brief case optional! (no shoes or socks required)

Not really that much different to Spencer Tunick is it?

England's unofficial 'national anthem'

BBC News has reported that the hymn 'Jerusalem' music written by Sir Hubert Parry in 1916 to a William Blake poem is set to be the national anthem for the English team at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. Previously, 'God Save the Queen' was played, as it currently is during the World Cup in Johannesburg. Excerpt

For the first time, Jerusalem will be played to celebrate English winners at this year's Commonwealth Games.

The anthem was chosen for medal ceremonies at the event in Delhi - ahead of the God Save The Queen and Land of Hope and Glory - after a public vote backed by Commonwealth Games England.

The words are very religious in nature:

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green
And was the holy lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen

And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark Satanic mills

Bring me my bow of burning gold
Bring me my arrows of desire
Bring me my spears o'clouds unfold
Bring me my chariot of fire

I will not cease from mental fight
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
'Til we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land
'Til we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land

The unofficial anthem/song of Scotland is 'Flower of Scotland'


The official anthem of Wales is 'Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau' (Land of My Fathers)


Of course, officially the national anthem of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is 'God Save the Queen'


Explaining how England, Scotland and Wales are considered to be 'countries' despite being part of sovereign state United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) is another matter.

Hamburg house boats

From Deutsche Welle, a fascinating report on a new style of housing in Hamburg

Space for ten floating homes was reserved on the Eilbekkanal in Hamburg back in 2006. Now, five of these homes are already finished, the sixth is being moved into its place, and the others will be completed by the end of the year. The homes feature unusual architecture thanks to Hamburg's unqiue laws: everything that floats must comply with maritime law and not according to normal building law as is the case elsewhere. Architects can let their imaginations run riot.

English narration


More information (auf Deutsch)

Innovative.

aurora australis

aurora australis taken by Expedition 23 crew at the International Space Station. Caption

Among the views of Earth afforded astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), surely one of the most spectacular is of the aurora. These ever-shifting displays of colored ribbons, curtains, rays, and spots are most visible near the North (aurora borealis) and South (aurora australis) Poles as charged particles streaming from the Sun (the solar wind) interact with Earth’s magnetic field, resulting in collisions with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in the upper atmosphere. The atoms are excited by these collisions, and typically emit photons as a means of returning to their original energy state. The photons form the aurora that we see. The most commonly observed color of aurora is green, caused by photons (light) emitted by excited oxygen atoms at wavelengths centered at 0.558 micrometers, or millionths of a meter. Visible light is reflected from healthy (green) plant leaves at approximately the same wavelength. Red aurora are generated by light emitted at a longer wavelength (0.630 micrometers), and other colors such as blue and purple are also sometimes observed.

While aurora are generally only visible close to the poles, severe magnetic storms impacting the Earth’s magnetic field can shift them towards the equator. This striking aurora image was taken during a geomagnetic storm that was most likely caused by a coronal mass ejection from the Sun on May 24, 2010. The ISS was located over the Southern Indian Ocean at an altitude of 350 km, with the astronaut observer most likely looking towards Antarctica (not visible) and the South Pole. The aurora has a sinuous ribbon shape that separates into discrete spots near the lower right corner of the image. While the dominant coloration of the aurora is green, there are faint suggestions of red photon emission as well (light fuscia tones at image center left). Dense cloud cover is dimly visible below the aurora. The curvature of the Earth’s horizon, or limb, is clearly visible as is the faint blue line of the upper atmosphere directly above at image top center. Several stars appear as bright pinpoints against the blackness of space at image top right.

See also NASA Earth Observatory

football - round 13

Brisbane Lions 2.4 6.5 8.10 12.14 (86)
Richmond 5.2 9.7 10.12 15.15 (105)

GOALS
Brisbane Lions: Cornelius 3, Staker 3, Banfield 2, Rockliff, Redden, Sherman, Fevola
Richmond: Riewoldt 3, Collins 3, White 2, Edwards 2, Cousins, Martin, Farmer, Vickery, Griffiths

BEST
Brisbane Lions: Banfield, Cornelius, Johnstone, Rockliff, Staker
Richmond: Deledio, Martin, Cousins, Riewoldt, White, Tuck

INJURIES
Brisbane Lions: Black (virus, replaced in starting side by Cornelius); Buchanan
Richmond: McGuane

Umpires: Vozzo, Farmer, Jennings
Official crowd: 28,415 at the Gabba

Last round, Jack Riewoldt kicked ten goals for Richmond, against West Coast, so they were on their way up despite being on the bottom of the ladder with two wins and ten losses until now.

The way my team has been playing lately, I didn't expect them to win. It was Brendan Fevola's 200th game but even he had trouble living up to expectations, fumbling badly a number of times. Still, there was some brightness, with Aaron Cornelius proving himself worthy of inclusion in the team.

Aaron Cornelius


Andrew Raines (against his former club)




Daniel Merrett spoiling Jack Riewoldt


Matthew Leuenberger

Aung San Suu Kyi's 65th birthday

photo by AFP via ABC

The last birthday I mentioned was Nelson Mandela's 90th in 2008. In keeping with the theme of mentioning the birthdays of significant people, today was Aung San Suu Kyi's 65th birthday, celebrated under continuing house arrest. She was leader of a political party that was democratically elected 20 years ago as the majority, chosen by the Burmese people to form government. They never did and Daw Aung was not allowed to be prime minister.

US President Obama issued the following statement yesterday

I wish to convey my best wishes to Aung San Suu Kyi, the world’s only imprisoned Nobel Peace Laureate, on the occasion of her 65th birthday on June 19. Her determination, courage, and personal sacrifice in working for human rights and democratic change in Burma inspire all of us who stand for freedom and justice. I once again call on the Burmese government to release Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally and to allow them to build a more stable, prosperous Burma that respects the rights of all its citizens. Towards this end, I encourage all stakeholders in Burma to engage in genuine dialogue towards national reconciliation, a vital step to set Burma on a more positive course for the future.

Of course President Obama's use of the name Burma is consistent with practice by the US State Department.

The Union of Burma is ruled by a military regime called the "State Peace and Development Council" (SPDC). The SPDC changed the name of the country to "Myanmar," but some members of the democratic opposition and other political activists do not recognize the name change and continue to use the name "Burma." Out of support for the democratic opposition, the U.S. Government likewise uses "Burma."

This is also the practice by other like-minded countries including the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.

The British Foreign Minister (and junior portfolio ministers) also made a statement



As international relations is the domain of governments, it is quite interesting that some media outlets continue to use the name "Myanmar" despite government practice - including Reuters, CNN, AFP and Associated Press.

Tetsuya's pursuit of excellence

From Australian channel SBS, a superb documentary screened tonight

Tetsuya’s Pursuit of Excellence is the story of world-renowned restaurateur Tetsuya Wakuda, who arrived in Australia in the early 1980s as a 22-year-old with little money, no professional skills and no English. Fate dictated that his first job would be as a kitchen hand.

From that accidental beginning, Tetsuya chartered a course that has taken him to the top of fine cuisine around the world. In this documentary we hear from those who were his first friends and mentors in Australia; including Danny White, Armando Percuoco and Tony Bilson.

We hear from some of his early suppliers and reviewers in Australia who helped him through a nervous beginning and some who he has helped into international markets. Also featured are a host of Tetsuya’s international colleagues including Ferran Adria from the famed El Bulli in Spain, Heston Blumenthal from Fat Duck in the UK and Richard Geoffroy, Chef du Cave at Dom Perignon.

It is available to watch in full online.

See also Tetsuya's restaurant.

Dining at Tetsuya's was one of the best meals I have ever eaten, some six years ago. I would go again.

Lena's Satellite auf Deutsch - 'Schland, oh, Schland'

Last month, I wrote about the Eurovision Song Contest. In mentioning the winning song, I had a gripe that though the entry was from Germany, the song 'Satellite' itself was sung in English.

Not all is lost. A German-language version has been covered, albeit a spoof for the World Cup Fußball.



From Der Spiegel

A prank video by university students in Germany has brought two of the country's recent obsessions together. But now, what started as a prank has ended in a recording contract with one of the world's largest entertainment companies and looks set to become a big hit in the next few weeks.

Inspired by Germany's victory in the Eurovision song contest in late May, the students, from the town of Münster, performed a parody of the winning song "Satellite," performed by Lena Meyer-Landrut. But the group changed the lyrics of the catchy pop song into an homage to the German national football team, now competing the the World Cup in South Africa. Instead of "Love, oh, Love," the refrain became "Schland, oh, Schland" -- football shorthand for Deutschland (Germany).

The idea of making the Eurovision hit song World Cup-friendly came from student Christian Landgraf. He changed the lyrics and recorded the new version with his brother Matthias and several friends.

Two days later, they made a video to accompany the music. One of the students dressed up as Lena, complete with a brunette wig and danced around in a Münster park, the extras bedecked in red, gold and black scarves and the national football team's shirts. The entire video was shot in under an hour. The group, which began calling itself Uwu Lena, created a web page and the video was posted on YouTube last Thursday.

Read more

Schön!

Council House 2 visited

In early 2008, I wrote about CH2, the administration building of the City of Melbourne.

During the weekend, I finally found the building (it was next to the hotel) and had a closer look.













Quite impressive really.