The Great #Massdebate of 2010

The Leaders Debate 2010

Gillard won for the following reasons

• She gave a polished professional performance
• Backed up her answers with credible qualifications including a broad knowledge base on specific topic
• Kept to script in so much as the narrative she is telling

Abbott lost for the following reasons

• He invoked Howard not an original idea in his head
• He looked confused at times and out of his dept
• He continuously read from his notes
• Spin Spin Spin

Sky News gave it to Abbot, not clear on how they came to that conclusion, other than some sort of editorial commentary.  In the main it was called a line ball, with neither side truly advancing their case but simply playing it safe.

My wife and I

During the ‘Great Dull Leader’s Debate’, only one thing stands out Abbott introducing his wife Margaret (I have a spouse & you do not). Then today she appears side-by-side with him for the first time on the campaign trail, at a Brisbane childcare centre. Gillard is a single woman, but does have a partner Tim Mathieson and obviously, this situation does not fit the vanilla 1950’s narrative. It seems no matter how sophisticated the world becomes the dominant narrative breaks through, where the wife of the candidate is no more than a political accessory. Gillard does not fit this stereotype, she then becomes an obvious target for the venomous barbs of the media, a bit like comments about hairstyles and fashion in minimising the contribution women make.

My wife & I

Kev 07 – Thérèse Rein

Lil Johnny –  Janette Howard

Vote for the Green – Senator Bob Brown

It is Monday

World Cup 2010

Enhorabuena a España en su triunfo en la taza 2010 de mundo

To Kill a Mocking Bird

It is the 50^th Anniversary of my favourite novel of all time, since Harper Lee shared with the world her sense of justice. This work inspired me to pursue a career in working with people faced by barriers to achieving equitable outcomes. This complex work challenges the reader at many levels to see the world a new through the eyes of a child. On a personal note my favourite character being Atticus, a wise man with a sober disposition who exemplifies a sense of social justice imbued with base human values and beliefs of doing the right thing.

Thank you Miss Lee

The chooks are clucking and scratching

Joh Bjelke-Petersen, former conservative Premier of Queensland used the term chooks to describe journalists, it seems an apt descriptive for that profession’s hysterical antics. Journalists charge themselves as a profession with the ethical role of reporting on issues of importance and interest to the citizenry.  However, it seems in padding out the 24hr News cycle with its rambling and sometimes senseless observations these commentators seek to create News underpinned in some cases by an obvious political agenda. Sadly, due to this situation the media take a populist position in overlooking hard stories in appealing to the masses and boosting their ratings.

The latest (possible) News story here being the timing for the next federal election, seeing journalists and political commentators alike  trolling over every spoken word and poll for any hint. My gut feeling being that Gillard will call this ballot sometime towards the end of this month for sometime in September admittedly this is only a hunch.

Now I sound like them?

Kev 07 Has Moved to the Backbench

Two weeks seems a lifetime in politics on the 24 June 2010, Kevin Rudd fell on his political sword for the sake of the party. Some may argue a man of honour who saw the writing on the wall, the Caucus elected Julia Gillard to the position of federal leader of the Australian Labor Party and therefore the 27^th Prime Minister of Australia. Ms Gillard also became our first women to hold the second highest office in the land as head of government.  This was not without a dash of shock and awe besides the goings of the faction bosses, a party dumped a first term PM. The reasoning for this action a laundry list of both policy and program failures:

• Building the Education Revolution
• Illegal Refugee Boats arrivals – oxymoron
  
• 40% super profits tax on minerals
• Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme
• Pink bats

Where did Rudd Fail?

• Consulting widely then ignoring the advice
• .in pursuing the news cycle rather than managing it
• Policy on the run without consideration of reasonable checks and balances
• Keeping your friends close and ignoring everybody else

You could nominate all of the above plus others.

Rudd’s failure is symptomatic of how Labor traded its core values and beliefs for political convenience in becoming another insipid conservative party.

Gillard seemingly is not fairing much better than her predecessor did with little gains in the polls and more knee jerk policies

Ms Gilard righ wing puppet?

Queer in the media

This post is another of my link collections highlighting LGBT representation on television and in the movies. It is an open project just make your contribution by adding a comment

GLAAD releases index of LGBT representation on television – Feministing

TV Gayed
GLAAD’s Weekly Guide to What’s LGBT on TV

Television shows

Dramatic television series

Made for television films

About Gay Movies

List of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender-related films

11 Memorable TV Guestbians

Australia

Number 96 (TV series)

Joe Hasham – Don Finlayson -Lawyer

The Box (TV series)

Paul Karo – Lee Whiteman -television producer

Before ‘Bruno’: A brief history of gay characters in movies and TV

Before ‘Bruno’: A brief history of gay characters in movies and TV

representation of gay characters in the media  The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Anti-gay bias still rampant in the media: When will broadcasters grow up?

“In early May 09, National Public Radio, found itself in the cross hairs of the Community over  review of “Outrage,” a documentary chronicling the hypocrisy of prominent, purportedly closeted politicians with staunchly anti-gay voting records”

The controversial point being how the review was the questionably editing of the article before it was published. This journalists would type of censorship in not naming names occurred because of the article’s topic. It goes on to highlight the long history of media censorship experienced by our Community on social, cultural and identity issues. There is some comment on the lunacy of our detractor’s points of argument, which do not deserve further free air here.

While this article reflects the tide of frustration, our Community has and does experience because of wide spread social exclusion experienced by Alphabet Soup People. It also speaks to hope, it speaks to the gains we have achieved over time in particular recognition of Same Sex relationships in some jurisdiction in the US. However, the rant on the media, while sounding appropriately miffed it serves little purpose other than to give relief to the author and reinforce our own beliefs. In this commentary, the author fails to clarify one point the role of media is to reinforce the beliefs of the community it seeks to serve.

I am a queer and I know the Hater’s views about me and mine, and that they use the media to reinforce their own belief system, as I do.

I always like a god pink or rainbow rant about queer bashing haters! But what purpose does it serve, anger is good only if it motivates you to do something positive.

Anti-gay bias still rampant in the media: When will broadcasters grow up?
please not this article was printed in the New York Daily Times News

By Karl Frisch Monday, June 29th 2009, 4:00 AM