Sadness :(

I haven't posted in a long while because I've been busy with family stuff, work, politics, and traveling. Went to Melbourne for two conferences in December. It was good and I managed to catch up with friends, whilst also attending my work Xmas party. Had a nice Christmas with relatives and a quite New Year's with friends.

But on a more sombre note, lately I've been involved in the campaign to stop the massacres in Gaza. Israel launched a major military offensive on Dec 27 ('Operation Cast Lead'): at last count over 600 Palestinian women & children have been murdered, with thousands more injured. I don't know what the US sold to Israel, but horrible shrapnel-type explosives are requiring numerous amputations of children's arms and legs, etc.

I also don't know when the horror will stop, which means it is more important than ever that people come to the protests being held not only in Sydney, but everywhere in the world. This is one of the few ways to successfully pressure our respective governments to make Israel stop this latest bloodshed. Many western countries are pro-Israel because of their diplomatic relations with the US or support of other imperialist powers. Only masses of people can turn the tide against this kind of slaughter.

-Candlelight vigil for Gaza: this Thursday, 7pm @ Town Hall.
-Mass rally to support the Palestinians: Sunday 18th Jan, 2pm.

I met a strange girl at uni yesterday.
Now let me preface this by saying that I can sympathise with almost anyone on the planet, and feel genuine compassion for the suffering of other human beings. However there is one thing I cannot abide by: sympathising with a dictator like Pinochet.

I have my reasons for this stance, which most people would admit are quite reasonable. He was responsible for imprisoning, torturing and murdering thousands of innocent civilians in Chile. One of those people was my mother. So Pinochet is THE reason my family is fucked up. Due to the amazing nature of human resilience my mother survived, and my family lives on past the trauma. But, my mother will never forget what happened to her and her friends till the day she dies.

Yesterday I spoke to someone who sympathised with Pinochet's death. I understand feeling empathy towards the family of someone who has passed away, in theory. But to say the people who celebrated Pinochet's death were wrong? No. Never. He was the reason so many people suffered, and was never brought to justice by the courts or other means. He played God with their lives. His death being worth more than the combined suffering/deaths of thousands? I simply cannot accept this viewpoint.

The person I spoke with said their religion allowed them to separate the dictator from the man he was. I find this a morally indefensible position. By sympathising with the death of a dictator you are by extension supporting all the atrocities he committed. Pinochet got to live to a ripe old age, and passed away surrounded by his family and friends. This is something he denied many others, and for that I cannot forgive him. You want to feel sorry for his family? Go right ahead. Just don't expect me to agree with you and your crap morals. I have witnessed a close relative die too, but that doesn't mean I sympathise with Pinochet's.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/ipod-speaker-sparks-rage-of-aquarists/2007/12/15/1197740085390.html
Just because they're fish doesn't mean those speakers don't constitute animal cruelty!
:( Poor little fishies.

Consumers who buy such products are ignorant and bad pet owners.

It'd be nice if they actually told you the following when you join Franklin's "Loyalty Club":

4.2 In addition to clause 4.1, by becoming a Member in the Program, unless otherwise advised, each Member also agrees that the Promoter may use this information for an indefinite period, in any media for future promotional, marketing and publicity purposes without any further reference, payment or other compensation to the entrant, including sending commercial electronic messages and telephoning the Member. The Promoter may also use information gained about Members during the Program, including but not limited to, information regarding a Member's purchase of products and services for research to develop future customer products, services and offers. All information accumulated by the Promoter is for the use of the Promoter. The Promoter undertakes not to sell Member information to any other person, organization or corporation that is unrelated to the Promoter. [From http://www.franklins.com.au/home/inner.asp?pageid=62&main=3&sub=23]

You give them all your personal details for free and they get to monitor your shopping habits AND sell that information to other 'related' companies. I doubt many know what they've really signed up for here, which is loss of privacy. It's naive to think they wouldn't use your info, so people should read the fine print on all of these types of things.

Also, why does it rain only on the days that I try to get the washing dry? =/

Wow...just wow. There are no words adequate enough to describe how terrible such social destruction is. I just don't understand how these atrocities can continue.
This is why I despise humans.

And the icing on the cake:
"In the genocide museum in Kigali, the former UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan, is quoted as feeling remorseful towards the atrocities committed in 1994, when 1 million Rwandans died on the UN's watch. The world could have and should have done more, he infers. Yet 17,000 UN troops are stationed in DRC, and within a stone's throw of their bases the most vulnerable in that society are being routinely destroyed."

History repeats itself again, and again...

I think some people need some goddamn perspective.

Remember folks: arguing on the internet is like competing in the "Special Olympics" - even if you win, you're still retarded.



http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1020

HP Spoiler for a character's sexual orientation under the cut.

( WHICH HP CHARACTER IS GAY? )

Seriously, I don't think JKR can write romance AT ALL.

I love ThePirateBay.org because they are hilarious. Swedish people are AWESOME. American lawyers continually underestimate them and don't know what they're talking about...
Check out some of the responses to the legal threats made to The Pirate Bay here.

If you're going to sue somebody, do it right! Make sure your country has a treaty clause that allows people who have never set foot in the US to be extradited there for prosecution and to be jailed (as evidenced by a recent Australian case).

Insert Monty Python-esque Pseudo-medieval joke using Lego people here.

XD

Life In Plastic Pants is utterly hilarious!