Category Archives: bogans & dickheads

The climate change debate–for morons

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Clearly rational scientific debate is way beyond some people.  The Australian National University (ANU) here in Canberra has had to increase security, including relocating some people, following a number of death threats to its climate scientists.

The university has received a large number of emails with threatening and abusive language directed at some of its scientists.   Vice –Chancellor, Professor Ian Young said:

"Obviously, climate research is an emotive issue at the present time, but these are issues where we should have a logical public debate,"

"In fact it’s completely intolerable that people be subjected to this sort of abuse and to threats like this."

Too right!  Actually its really disappointing to think that this sort of thing is happening in Australia, as its the sort of thing that has mostly been limited to right wing American whackos, like the ones who blow up abortion clinics.

I mean who gets whipped up into a frenzy of hate over policy debates like this? Morons obviously.  Probably fired up by the more rabid climate science deniers in politics and the media (Alan Jones, for example, anyone?).

Hey, morons, you do realise it is possible to disagree and have an argument with someone and not work yourself up into a state where you feel the solution is to threaten violence, or actually carry out violence?  It’s really easy.  Most of us can manage it regularly.  No doubt the reason for resorting to threats is because these people lack the intellect to argue their points in a reasonable and rational way.  They probably get frustrated once they run out of the handful of slogans that make up their debating points (actually this sounds like a description of some members of the Opposition).

Here’s a tip

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If you don’t want to be mocked for being a bogan, don’t act like one.

SBS TV is making a series which is obviously a bit too close to home for some of the fine residents of Mt Druitt, in Sydney’s western suburbs.  Called “Housos”, it is about the lives of housing commission residents living the suburban nightmare.

This week residents from a Department of Housing block in western Sydney got thousands of signatures on a petition calling on SBS to abandon the series.  Local MP Richard Amery, who presented the petition in Parliament last week, said the series would ”deride decent people”.  They also had federal member of Parliament, Ed Husic, on the case:

”Everyone likes a laugh but Housos seems to be labelling a particular type of person in a particular type of way and making fun of a situation they are in,’

Well, they are bogans, and if we can’t deride them, who can we?  We have to have our little victories now, before the bogans take over.

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You know you’re a bogan if you let your 15-year-old daughter smoke at the dinner table – in front of her kids.

Not a gentleman nor should ever be an officer

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There’s some real charmers at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) here in Canberra.  This week’s scandal in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) concerns a female cadet who found out that the fellow cadet she had sex with last week thought it jolly good fun to film it on his webcam and Skype it to some of his mates in another room.  Not only that, they took some still photos and later passed them around more of their mates.

So, not satisfied with bragging to the boys about scoring a root, he decides they need to have a video of the happy event.  Why?  I’m guessing its so they can savour him in action later on while they’ve all whacking off around the campfire or something.

The girl says she found out about what happened when she was contacted by Defence investigators who were alerted by another cadet. She said.

"It was like my whole world came crashing down around me,"

"They had to read the statements that the boys had to make and I actually threw up. I had to be asked to be excused from the interview because it made me physically ill."

The handling of the aftermath of the incident by the ADFA and ADF authorities has attracted plenty of criticism, including from Defence Minister Stephen Smith.  He has said of it:

"I can’t think of a greater betrayal of trust of a colleague in the workplace than the suggestions that have been made,"

"Once that trust has been destroyed then it is very difficult, if not impossible, for the person who has broken that trust to remain as a Defence Force personnel member."

Then he really hooked into them, over revelations that the Academy held a separate hearing into other minor disciplinary matters involving the girl, the day after the other matters came to light.  No pulling punches here, he said:

"On her own admission she is in a deeply distressed state. It is either in the realm of inappropriate, insensitive or completely stupid to hold such a hearing on a day like today.

Then things got even better, or worse, depending on your perspective.  Apparently some of her fellow cadets have decided to “punish” her for speaking out, by coating her bedroom door with shaving cream, and reportedly she has been on the receiving end of whispers of “slut” among other things.  Lovely!  And these people are going to be given guns and trained to kill people.

But while her ostracism by fellow cadets is bad enough, there have also been reports that she was ordered to apologise publicly to her fellow cadets for going public and humiliating them – although there have been subsequent denials of this by ADF officials.

And then the Minister has been criticised for making statements critical of the ADF and its handling of the incident.  Such comments, from the Defence lobby, largely retired military officers, say plenty about the ignorance of the ADF in understanding they have a serious problem.

I think its all fairly simple really.  The girl screwed up, and should be dealt with for fraternisation which is against ADF and ADFA rules.  Minor offence in the scheme of things, punishment a few days in the naughty corner.  The male cadets, however, have committed an unconscionable breach of trust, and in doing so demonstrated beyond doubt their unsuitability to ever be officers in the ADF.  The only punishment for them is to be expelled from ADFA and discharged from the service.  No ifs, no buts, what they did is so far across whatever line anyone cares to draw about acceptable behaviour there is no way they can be excused.

I’ll wait and see what happens.  My suspicion is that the incident basically destroys the woman’s career.  There is enough corporate memory in the Defence organisation that a significant number of its members will always bear against her that she was the Skype video girl and couldn’t take it, then dobbed on her mates and caused them to lose their careers.  I expect her position in the services is pretty much untenable.

I’m also interested to see whether the ADF comes to a realisation that incidents like this are not one-offs and isolated cases, but systemic ones.  I’ll believe they are serious about reform and tackling the issues when  I see a bunch of middle to senior ranking officers being sacked over things that people under their command do.  A large dose of personal accountability might drive home to these guys that the treatment of women is something they need to take seriously, not pay lip service to.

I’m betting this was a short marriage

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Adnan Rusanovski, 30, from Melbourne, got off to a great start on his wedding day, by beating his wife up in the back of the bridal car.  A Melbourne court yesterday heard he unleashed an ”impulsive burst of extraordinary and horrible aggression” at his totally blameless wife who was left ”black and blue and covered in blood”.  He also assaulted his best man.

 

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Apparently this came about because Rusanovski had a bad case of nerves, which he decided to calm with alcohol – lots of it.  The court was told he was nervous and visibly upset and told best man Murat Abazi that ”I can’t do this straight”.  So the pair of them knocked off a bottle of whisky.  After the bridal party – which included five cousins, a niece and nephew – boarded their stretch limousine, Rusanovski drank a bottle of champagne on the way to getting their photographs taken.  This was not a success, as he was aggressive and unable to stand properly.  Then it was off for more photographs, where he was abusive to the groomsman who tried to calm him down.  Then off to the reception, on the way to which he began spilling drinks. 

He then grabbed his wife, Ferdie, struck her in the face – the first of about 30 punches she received – and put her in a headlock as Mr Abazi tried to stop him. After the car stopped, Rusanovski scuffled with Mr Abazi on the side of the road before he returned to the car and resumed assaulting his wife, biting her on the cheek and choking her. 

This all happened in front of the bridal party.  Rusanovski was arrested at the reception centre while his wife was taken to hospital with numerous injuries to her head, face, neck and an arm.  I take it the reception was not the celebration it was intended to be.

He has pleaded guilty to assaulting his wife, and will be sentenced later.   The reasons for the attack, advanced in court by his barrister were that anxiety ”pushed him into an elevated mood” while drinking alcohol, which ”predisposed him” to be aggressive and act in a ”weird and impulsive way”.  Weird is an understatement, for sure.

Now in some news I’m sure will surprise no-one, the couple are now separated, pending a divorce.

Eyes watering

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This certainly had that effect on me.

Do not mess with Maria Topp, who lives in Newcastle in England.  Ask her boyfriend (I assume now former boyfriend) Martin Douglas.

Must have been some argument they had.

She bit his testicles off.

She is due to appear in court next month charged with assault causing grievous bodily harm.  He has had surgery to reattach his nuts.

As a service to readers, here is a photo of the lovely Maria.  Be warned.

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Well, negative consequences are sort of the point

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Andrew Quay Wee Meng, 25, pleaded guilty in the Brisbane Magistrates Court today to one count of animal cruelty on March 1. 

He had been eating a sandwich in Brisbane’s South Bank Parklands when an ibis "snuck up from behind" and jumped onto his table. He threw his food down, wrestled the bird to the ground and stomped on it five times. The court was told the bird’s wing was shattered and a blow to its neck caused it such difficulty in breathing that it had to be put down.

His lawyer claimed in his defence that he lashed out because he was frightened of birds, having once been attacked by a large crow.  However, he did accept that his attack on the bird was excessive and was remorseful for what he did.

Magistrate John Costello said onlookers would have been "appalled" by the attack, but said Quay Wee Meng’s youth, guilty plea and lack of criminal history meant he would not receive a jail sentence.  Fair enough – I have no problems with that.  Mr Costello ordered Quay Wee Meng to perform of 120 hours community service, and that he do so with the RSPCA wherever possible. Again, fair enough, although I do wonder how the volunteers and staff at the RSPCA feel about having an animal murderer working with them.

This is the bit I don’t get. The magistrate also agreed not to record a conviction after being told it  would adversely affect Quay Wee Meng’s chances of employment.  Err, am I dumb in thinking that committing crimes is supposed to have negative consequences for you in life, part of the reason for which is to deter you from doing the crime?  Boo hoo, the guy might have had trouble getting a job as a lawyer … too bad so sad in my opinion, should have thought of that before beating the shit out of the bird.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch

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A number of people yesterday in Sydney forgot this lesson, when a bit of a frenzy erupted over the idea of free money being dispensed by Commonwealth Bank ATM’s. Apparently there was a glitch in the bank’s ATM system which meant that the machines dispensed cash without being able to check the balance of the customers’ accounts.

Hundreds of people at dozens of locations around Sydney queued up to 30-deep after social media sites went haywire with reports the bank’s ATMs were giving out “free” money.  Customers with a few dollars in their accounts were suddenly able to withdraw hundreds and, as they texted and tweeted their unexpected windfalls, the crowds quickly grew.

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“People were running past me screaming ‘Free money! Free money!’,”

Punchbowl pharmacy manager Feriale Zakhia said of the people using a nearby ATM.

“Everyone was so happy. They were running around with huge smiles.”

At Fairfield, a group of about 30 people outside the bank branch turned nasty when trying to cash in.

“People were yelling at the top of their lungs that all this money was spilling out of the machines,”

witness Peter Kastarian said.

“All these guys were jumping on top of each other to get to the front.

“It was insane.”

Rather unsurprisingly, to any moderately intelligent person, those who thought they hit the jackpot yesterday, don’t get to keep the money.  The bank wants it back.  And the police warned people caught withdrawing more than they had in their accounts would be traced and could face up to 10 years jail for fraud.  Well, duh!!!!

I really don’t have any sympathy for the people who took money out having to repay it.  I’m perfectly willing to hook into the banks over their excessive fees and charges and some of their other practices, but in this instance, if I were the bank, I’d be demanding immediate repayment, and on failure to receive it, would refer the customer straight to the police.

According to a spokesman for the Consumer Action Law Centre:

“Customers won’t necessarily be able to keep any money that they’ve got, but that doesn’t mean the bank’s got the right to just take that money back in a lump sum. They might have to work out some repayment arrangements.

No, I don’t think the customers in this case have any rights to expect anything other than give the bank the money back immediately.

According to Christopher Zinn from consumer organisation Choice:

“There’s no doubt plenty of legal precedent that if you are given funds by mistake or by some banking error, that that doesn’t somehow confer you the right to keep them and I think they want to communicate that issue,”

“But I think it will be very interesting to see if any criminal prosecutions come about as the result of this.”

arguing (correctly) that the bank would need to prove some intent on the part of those who withdrew the money.  I don’t think this will be too hard to prove in cases where for example someone who routinely has an account with $50 in it suddenly takes out $1,000.  Sure, people can make innocent mistakes and overdraw their account, like taking $500 out when you only had $450 in the bank.  Still doesn’t absolve them from repaying the money immediately, but its a matter between them and the bank not a criminal one.

Seems the police have been quick off the mark, with 2 men already arrested over the matter.   Ertem Adam Toklar, 18, yesterday used three separate ATMs a total of 10 times to withdraw $1500 for his cousin.  Documents tendered to the court revealed Toklar, of Northmead, was given $50 by his mates to withdraw the money.  He has pleaded guilty to dishonestly obtaining financial advantage.  His friend, Elias Khouzame, 20, was also arrested and charged with the same offence.

Really, how dumb are these people who thought “wow, free money” without it occurring to them that it wasn’t theirs and would have to be repaid.  Big fail on the honesty test for them, I guess.

Pussies in a bucket

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I think this is a lovely, cute photo.

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But it does come with a sad story.  The local RSPCA here in Canberra has taken in something like 700 animals in the lead up to Christmas.  According to the head of the RSPCA in Canberra,  people who plan poorly for the holidays are more likely to dump their pets because they have not organised a place for them to stay.

"There’s ample facilities available in Canberra there’s boarding facilities, there’s people who will come to your home and sit your pets for you while you away,"

he said.

"So we’re imploring the community to really look at the commercial options available to you before you make your travel plans."

In other words, to the dickheads that dump their pets on the RSPCA, use your brains and think ahead before you go on holidays – and if you can’t afford to pay to have your animals looked after properly, you can’t afford to go on holidays.  Maybe spend less on cigarettes and beer and stuff, you lowlives?   Treat your pets like a loved family member, not just a toy or a fashion accessory.

Why can’t we have intelligence tests for people before they’re allowed to have pets (and children, and drive cars)?

How to shut The Man up

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Let me first say that boxing is not a sport – it is barbaric and stupid.  I can’t see the appeal in seeing two brain damaged idiots inflicting more brain damage on each other for the benefit of a crowd of middle aged men trying to vicariously live out some sort of warrior fantasy.

However, I do confess to having a little chuckle on hearing the news this week that motor mouth Anthony Mundine (he of the self styled nickname “The Man”) was knocked out in a fight by Garth Wood, who had won the right to fight Mundine by winning a reality TV show called “The Contender”.

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Too many immigrants

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Does anyone else see a touch of irony in Pauline Hanson going to live in the UK then complaining about it being overrun by immigrants and refugees?

Earlier this year she decided to sell up her property in Australia and move to Britain, in part because she was disappointed at how Australia had changed (meaning, she yearns for the good old days of the White Australia policy).  Clearly she failed miserably at doing her homework about her future residence.

”I love England but so many people want to leave there because it’s overrun with immigrants and refugees,”

Well duh, Pauline, a bit of watching TV or reading just about anything would tell you that England is chockers with immigrants.

Then the rest of Europe didn’t escape her attention.

”France is becoming filled with Muslims and the French and English are losing their way of life because they’re controlled by foreigners in the European Union.”

So Australia is not so bad after all?

”Problems are worse over there than they are in Australia and Australia is still the best place in the world to live but the same sorts of awful things are happening here too. Residents of Commonwealth countries who want to live here are discriminated against in favour of others.”

But we are going down the drain, according to Pauline.

So, where might she find a new home that’s not overrun by those nasty immigrants:

  • Europe – nope, see above, she’s already looked there
  • America – nope. it’s full of them too

I can think of a few places that might have the racial purity she’s looking for, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, much of Africa – no-one really ever wants to migrate to these places.

Oh wait, just a small problem there, these places are full of dark skinned folks, and I’m guessing Pauline doesn’t want to hang out with them, even though they mostly are neither immigrants or refugees.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that by “immigrants and refugees”, Pauline and her supporters really mean Muslims and Africans, Indians and possibly Asians.

And it is to Australia’s shame that political leaders on both sides of politics here pander to these people and desperately seek to curry favour with them, so desperate are they for votes.

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