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"Pets ditched for games" says the headline on the Hearld-Sun website , complete with a picture of a sad puppy. The amusingly named Dr Seksel *snigger*, President of the Australian Veterinary Association, reports that changing lifestyles have seen a reduction in the number of pets in the last 15 years. "Our style of living is different. We do tend to live in apartments and high rises more than we did 15 years ago," Dr Seksel said. Fair enough. "Modern suburban dwellings are much less likely to have a big backyard, which tends to restrict choices about pet ownership. Reasonable point. "Australian children these days are much more likely to be sitting inside playing video games than running around the backyard, which I think is a shame." WTF!? It's those lazy fat children that are to blame! They're bringing down society from within with their perfidious "computer games" and their "U-Tubes" and their "My-Spaces"! ...

For the first time in many years it's actually kind of fun to be a Lefty. Many of the appalling decisions that have been made on the wave of neoconservativism are starting to bite the hands that delivered them. When John Kerry was defeated by George W in the 2004 US Federal elections, there was a level of despair among those who thought that we were seeing the end of the Bush White House. It was heartbreaking not just because "our side" had lost, but the way the loss came about. Readers may remember a particularly charming group that formed during the campaign called the " Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ". A selling point for the Democrats was that John Kerry was a legitimate Vietnam War hero, having been decorated for his service in the swift boats - and an obvious counter to George W's own dubious miltary service. SBVT took it upon themselves to viciously smear Kerry, accusing him of fabricating and exaggerating stories of his service in Vietnam to bol...

Courtesy of Virginia That is all.

Congratulations to Tim Stitz on his well-earned Green Room Award nomination for Best Male Performer in the Independent Theatre category. Well earned my friend. My fingers and toes are crossed...

In a bold response to Barack Obama's challenge to send another 20,000 Australian troops to fight in Iraq, John Howard and Brendan Nelson yesterday announced a move that will surely strike fear into the hearts of the previously emboldened terrorists in Iraq. As Howard himself said in 2004 , "It [Iraq] is a test of values - whether the powerful call for freedom can overcome the destructive force of terror". In keeping with these grand statements on the clash of civilisations and his well-earned monika of the "Man of Steel", John Howard will commit UP TO 70 MORE NON-COMBAT PERSONNEL TO THE WAR ON TERROR!! [Photo from here] Osama Bin Laden must be LITERALLY quaking in his boots. What a decisive and devastating move from a master tactician! This will fool people into thinking he's doing something about solve the problems in Iraq. I'm particularly fond of the wording: up to 70 more personnel. They're not even committing to 70, just any number between...

Dear Fuckstick, Last night, you chose to wake up the neighbourhood by racially abusing the taxi driver who brought you home, pissed out of your brain, at 3 o'clock in the morning. As enjoyable as you seem to find the exercise, I don't appreciate (nor does the rest of the street) being woken up by redneck cockheads like you. Though you certainly have a way with words and a persuasive turn of phrase: "why don't you learn fucken English!? Have some fucken respect for this country mate! I don't wanna go to your fucken country! Have some fucken respect" etc, I would be more impressed if this wasn't the second time in a month that exactly the same thing has happened. Last time, you took the particularly charming tack of calling the taxi driver a "curry muncher" and by thoughtfully informing him that it was people like him who gave "his people" a "bad name". I congratulate you for your bravery - picking on taxi drivers unable to f...

I'm going over the Seas soon. OH THE EXCITEMENT!! One of the places I'll be traipsing though is Paris. That's right. Paris. In doing the obligatory pre-trip planning, I discovered that one the airports in Paris is called...Orly. Ha!

I'm not all that in to fast cars and the like, but this is ace. The looming Arc de Triomphe is amazing.

David Attenborough is finally retiring at 83 . What a wonderful man and and a wonderful life he has led. Nature documentaries will not be the same without his distinctive narration. I guess it had to happen one day. PS - What's happened to Ausculture ?