Here I was all set to knock out a Christmas column full of cheer and bonhomie but life, or more accurately, Daily Life has intervened.
I normally disapprove of intra-media byplays but Fairfax Media’s Daily Life section has become so full of cranky third wave feminism that someone needs to hold it up to the light. Among this waste of ink and kilobyte street corner psychobabble, comes a contribution from self described feminist Polly Dunning who tells her harrowing tale of giving birth to a shame boy. The good news is she’s slowly getting over it.
I’m not allowed to swear anymore, at least not at volume but this is sorely testing my already fragile grip on self-control.
At first blanch this was merely another addition from women who have recently given birth and have come to believe that having done so, they have unlocked the secrets of the universe. But on further reading this is a tale of a woman not just at war with men but also her own male child.
Full column here.
Before I do a quick mow I’d like to wish Jack the Insider and his family a wonderful Christmas and a healthy, safe and happy new year. Another great year blog wise and a new home for the punters. many thanks for that, Jack. My best wishes and seasons greetings go out to all that congregate here; be they leftards, rightards, innards or dullards (though it is never dull around here!). Go well and safe.
2017 promises to be interesting.
Thank you, Milton. Have a great Christmas, too.
G & T o’ clock, will soon be red wine o’ clock followed by something distinctly Islay in nature, I’m done for the day.
If I didn’t know you were a Liverpool supporter I would advise against mixing your drinks, Tracy. As such go hard and have a good xmas. The new year promises to be delightfully Blue!!!
Just have to make sure that you see red then Milt. Received a bottle of Teeling single malt from Santa and it’s not a bad drop, Irish whiskies rather underrated but good value compared to my preferred Islay/Japanese tipples.
My family’s staying with my sister in Melbourne this Christmas, and I was driving past Wheeler’s Hill Tavern five minutes ago when I noticed that Ed Kuepper (ex Saints and Laughing Clowns) will be playing there on 15 January 2017. I saw Kuepper with the Clowns way back when and they were a great band. Although I’ve seen the Saints perform, I liked a lot of their material, too.
It’s a pity that it’s such a long hike from Canberra, because I’d love to see hem perform again.
Correction – I meant to write “I’ve never seen the Saints perform”.
We used to go to the Saints’ house up near the Caxton at the end of Milton Road back in the late seventies where enormous after-the-pub-closed parties used to happen. The video for “Stranded” was made there. Very exciting times as there was a huge Police station almost opposite the house. Wasn’t really into punk myself but the parties were great.
some cheer for Adele Ferguson and Fairfax
http://www.smh.com.au/business/mining-and-resources/gina-rineharts-hancock-prospecting-loses-costs-case-against-journalist-20161223-gth75f.html
Oh, PS, Merry Christmas all and Happy New Year. Hope we hang on to a few more icons in the next one.
Merry Christmas, TV and a big thanks from me for your advice and help. Cheers.
Just drifting in here, on hols and not concentrating on home stuff. However, I will say that I’ve followed a link into Daily Life every now and then and have have found more than a fair slab of drivel, a waste of ones and zeroes to rival the Kardashian and Bieber madness, although not every single time. When it’s something along these lines, I often leave a post that just says ‘Kill all the boy babies’. They always kill the post instead of the babies. I would have done it in capitals with this nutbag – she proves that I have not been deluded by my divination of where it was all leading. And it also helps confirm my feelings since the early seventies that many (not all) feminists do not want equality, but rather domination. I recall at one point a triumphant piece in some other rag where some bitchy butchy types were celebrating the ability to store sperm in bulk and turkey baste, removing the need for further males altogether. I believe that this was the first time I used the ‘Kill the boys’ line. So maybe not domination but extermination?
Another doozy was when the editor of Daily Life wrote a piece in which she expressed her aghast-ness that people (not just men) still used the term ‘box’ to describe the vagina. Clearly not a student of colloquialisms in any way whatsoever, she wanted to mount a campaign to eradicate that. I mean, what circles does this woman move in? if there really is an inner-city chardy-and-latte-sipping elite set who don’t inhabit the real world, she’s in the stratosphere of it! In the same piece she expressed dismay at hearing of the common and vulgar uses of the ancient and noble word ‘c*nt’. I mean, how sheltered can you get? (even Bassy knows that one). She wished to ‘reclaim’ it too. Fruit cake.
When males describe themselves as feminists, it’s a case of agreeing with equality, or as close to it as can be reasonably attained. It’s not what this fruit loop is on about.
What will consign these nutters to the fringes is that most women desire male company, and vice versa. It’s the way the world works. They can hide in the corners but the world will never conform to their desires (as it indeed refuses to do for anyone) and the whole show will just move on regardless. Sweet dreams dearie.
A little history first:
The song was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 at St Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf, a village in the Austrian Empire on the Salzach river in present-day Austria. A young priest, Father Joseph Mohr, had come to Oberndorf the year before. He had already written the lyrics of the song “Stille Nacht” in 1816 at Mariapfarr, the hometown of his father in the Salzburg Lungau region, where Joseph had worked as a co-adjutor.
The melody was composed by Franz Xaver Gruber, schoolmaster and organist in the nearby village of Arnsdorf. Before Christmas Eve, Mohr brought the words to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for the church service. Both performed the carol during the mass on the night of December 24.
Now a link: https://youtu.be/R5c39Sv8yx4
Crosby’s original version is purported to be the 3rd best selling single of all time.
A very Merry Christmas to all who blog here.
The original version has an obbligato part for horn, which at that time was a valveless natural horn. Very effective.
Jack the Insider.
Merry Christmas to you and family hoping good health ahead from now on .
Bloggers , all the best , Merry Christmas to you all out there.
Cheers.
Likewise, Rodent. Less than two hours to go.
Merry Xmas to one and all of my listeners. Looking forward to a quiet day, just me and the missus the five cats, with the three chooks in a supporting role. Every year I give thanks that we don’t have to put up with a whole lot of relo’s with whom you have to be on your best behavior so as not to offend anyone.
My commiserations to you if you have to travel all over the place so as not to offend anyone. A day which should be a celebration should not have to be one of obligation.,
Best to you all
Onya, UQ. Merry Christmas.
Lots of gloom and doom about people in some of the comments. I have always been a glass half full person. Yes there are some evil people out there but I think they are a tiny minority. I believe, am certain really, most people are worried about their families and finding some love in the world and perhaps looking for something of beauty to elevate and inspire above the everyday battles of work and responsibilities.
This link some important context to any discussion about wealthy humans and rampaging selfish capitalism exploiting the poor and destroying the world:
https://ourworldindata.org/a-history-of-global-living-conditions-in-5-charts/
Climate change and the impact of globalisation on fairness are important issues but so is the context. Industrialisation saves and improves lives. Globalisation has raised billions out of extreme poverty.
The data set out here doesn’t provide a case to do nothing about climate change or to allow rampaging unmanaged capitalism and ignore those in wealthy countries who are being left behind by the technological revolution. It does show it is far, vey far, from being all bad though. Capitalism; globalisation; democratisation; reason and scientific method (particularly its impact on traditional medicine) are overwhelmingly forces for good in our world. By that I mean millions, hundreds of millions, of ordinary people of every race and culture have been able to live longer, healthier and better lives as a consequence.