Der Raum

On Friday night, Pia's last night in town, we finally checked out Der Raum (known locally as The Room)- an award winning cocktail bar just down the street from us. Der Raum has varied influences (including, allegedly, the classic American cocktail lounge circa mid-20th century Hollywood and post-modern Germany). The music is technopop (except on Thursdays when they host a German hip-hop night) and the impressive collection of liquor is suspended from the ceiling via bungee cords. Cocktails run $12-20 and the bartenders take their craft very seriously (they were spending a good five minutes preparing some orders).

Liberal Faces Axe after Big Night Out

From The Age:

Liberal faces axe after big night outBy Jonathon Pearlman
August 29, 2005

THE future of NSW Opposition Leader John Brogden is under a cloud after he was forced to apologise for an alcohol-fuelled night during which he pinched a journalist's bottom, propositioned another and referred to Bob Carr's wife as a "mail-order bride".

Mr Brogden last night said his behaviour had been "unacceptable" and he would call the journalists and Helena Carr to apologise.

"It was the week Bob Carr resigned. I had a few drinks and let off some steam and, in doing so, acted foolishly," he said.

Asked about his reference to Mr Carr's Malaysian-born wife, Mr Brogden said: "I did tell a joke along those lines. It was completely inappropriate."

A senior Liberal MP last night said Mr Brogden should resign. "It is a full-blown crisis. I think it is terrible. I think it is that serious and he knows it."

Mr Carr said Mr Brogden's comments were a "cruel insult against all Asian women" and that he should resign this week.

"Mr Brogden is totally unfit to lead any political party," he said.

"Helena did something Mr Brogden has never done. She made a serious career in business where she was appointed to the board of Leigh Mardon, a public company. My wife Helena has higher qualifications and a more substantial career than this featherweight of mediocrity will ever have."

Mr Carr said he and Helena did not plan to accept Mr Brogden's apology.
"This is an attack on my wife. Helena is furious - and with justification." Labor's NSW general secretary Mark Arbib said the comments about the former premier's wife were "racist and disgusting".

Mr Brogden's indiscretions occurred on July 29 at the Sydney Hilton's Marble Bar. He and two male staff members had attended the Australian Hotels Association's winter drinks.

Mr Brogden admitted he had pinched the bottom of a newspaper journalist. However, he said he and the journalist were old friends.

A second journalist said yesterday that Mr Brogden had put his arm around her and propositioned her.

Mr Brogden also apologised to the party: "They have put their faith in me as leader and I have let them down," he said.

The Hotels Association's acting chief executive, David Elliott, yesterday said Mr Brogden had smoked three cigars while in the Marble Bar and had about three beers in two hours.

NSW Liberal MPs last night weighed the impact of the scandal, with talks on Mr Brogden's future as leader expected to begin in earnest today.

Update (31/8/05): John Brogden resigned his post on Monday, and was taken to the hospital Tuesday night after an apparent suicide attempt.

House of the Rising Sun

There is a house in New Orleans, they call the Rising Sun, but it's about to be destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Katrina is set to be only the 4th category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the United States in the past 150 years, and its chosen target is the posterchild for a vulnerable community. Much of New Orleans and its 500,000 inhabitants lie well below sea-level,and flood defenses were designed to withstand a fast-moving category 3 hurricane. For years, a major hurricane strike has been presented as one of the worst case scenarios for U.S. natural disasters. We're about to find out if all the fuss has been warranted. Hopefully the city proves far more resilient than advertised.

Life after Death, Indeed

Tupac entered the Austrlian music charts at #1 this week with his latest single, Ghetto Gospel. Not bad for someone who's been dead for nine years.

Pat, Pat, He's an Evangelical Maniac

I don't have much to say regarding Pat Robertson's recent suggestion that the U.S. assassinate Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, other than to ask if Pat pays any attention to the stuff he advocates via his Christian Broadcasting Network. For example, on his website, you will find the following spiritual advice from Luke 6:31-36:

"Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don't be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate."

I know Bill Clinton struggled with the meaning of seemingly simple words such as "sex" and "is". However, I'm fairly certain that assassination falls outside of any reasonable definition of "love".

Globilization Woes & French Fries

Senator Steve Fielding launched his anti-McDonald's fries campaign today at a McDonald's in Ballarat in regional Victoria, in protest of McDonald's use of imported food products.

A McDonald's spokeswoman said contrary to Senator Fielding's comments, most McDonald's fries are made from Australian-grown potatoes. "We spend $500 million on Australian products for our restaurants, so it's about 93 per cent that we spend on Australian products," she said. "I think it's a very interesting comment (for Senator Fielding) to make, particularly when we employ 56,000 Australians and we are a major contributor to the local communities."

Not the Piano Man

So the mystery ends. The now famous "Piano Man", discovered weeks ago on the English shore, was originally rumored to be a mute, and potentially autistic, piano virtuoso. Now it seems clear, that all of these original observations were quite wrong, and the 20-year old is not mute, autistic, or even a piano player, just a German (or Bavarian, for those of you who make the distinction) who'd gone a bit soft in the head.

No Satisfaction

Germany's opposition Christian Democrats insist they have the right to use the Rolling Stones song "Angie" as party leader Angela Merkel's (pictured here in a glamorous pose)campaign theme song.

Agents for the Rolling Stones say no one had sought their permission and "we probably would have said no if they had".

Assimilation

Education Minister Brendan Nelson had the following to say yesterday regarding education in Australia's Islamic schools:

"We want them to understand our history and our culture, the extent to which we believe in mateship and giving another person a hand up and a fair go. And basically, if people don't want to be Australians and they don't want to live by Australian values and understand them, well basically they can clear off."

Nelson plans to meet the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils to discuss programs to ensure those in Islamic schools and all other children fully understood Australian history and values. Nelson does not appear to be discussing similar programs to ensure those in Australian schools understand the history and values of Australia's sizeable immigrant population.

Perhaps it's worth mentioning that government rhetoric toward the Islamic community has become a tad bit more aggressive in the wake of the London bombings.

You're the One that I Want

The longtime boyfriend of Australian singer Olivia Newton-John has gone missing after a fishing expedition. Patrick McDermott has not been seen since the boat returned to Los Angeles on July 1. Or rather, no one on the boat remembers seeing him, but the marina manager has told Coast Guard officials that McDermott did indeed leave the vessel upon its return, although the boat was still at sea at the time during which this sighting was supposed to have occurred. In any case, no one noticed his disappearance until July 6th when he failed to show at a family gathering.

One More Time

I've said it before, but I guess it bears repeating: taking drugs to Bali is not a good idea. Australian model Michelle Leslie (pictured here) was recently busted at Bali nightclub with a couple of hits of ecstacy - she's facing a maximum of 15 years, although due to the small quantity, a sentence of a few months is more likely. Still, that's a "few" months in an Indonesian jail.

Update (30/8/05): Reports indicate that Leslie has declared herself to be a Muslim, placing herself in the hands of God. She now appears in public completely covered from head to toe, which one can only assume has more to do with fears over the implications of tabloid photos for her career rather than any new found adoption of Islamic beliefs.

Barbie

Barbie
Originally uploaded by BLP.

On Saturday, we purchased a barbie (the kind that makes fire, not the kind that comes with a dreamhouse) and some shrimp, and we intend to put the latter on the former in the very near future.

Return to Geelong

Tomorrow I venture off to Geelong for my last orientation session at CSIRO's Division of Textiles and something or other. Geelong lies about an hour southwest of Melbourne, and Uta and I visited briefly last year on our way to Victoria's Great Ocean Road. Now that I've learned how to pronounce Geelong (the pronunciation of which is not what I would call intuitive), I'm looking forward to the trip, and another opportunity to polish up my driving skills in a company car.

No Mating

The Department of Parliamentary Services in Canberra recently issued a memo to parliament security and support personnel, requesting that they cease the use of the word "mate" when carrying out their official duties. The new regulation was subsequently described as "absurd", "unworkable", "offensive", and "criminal" by members of parliament and Howard, himself.

The Ashes

Australia is one of a handful of countries that participates in the grand sport of cricket. The Ashes Series between England and Australia is currently being played in England, and from what I'm told, is pretty much the ultimate with respect to cricket competition. The series kicked off in late July and will continue into September, providing weeks of entertainment to those who enjoy staying up all night to watch men in white sweaters play an incomprehensible sport (actually, there are clear similarities with baseball, which seems to have evolved as a version of cricket for those with a short attention span). I must admit, I'm a bit dubious of a sport where the players break for lunch. . .

For more on the history of The Ashes, check: http://www.334notout.com/ashes/ashbegin.htm

Here One Day, Gone the Next

Last week, Victoria was beside itself with excitment over the rare snowfall. Today, I ate lunch outside, basking in the sunshine and 16C temps. It's a strange land.

Record Cold

Victoria experienced a sudden cold snap yesterday, as temperatures plunged to their lowest levels in 35 years. Snow fell in numerous areas of Victoria - the first time snow has fallen at sea level in 50 years. Many children and even some adults were delighted by their first ever sight of snow. Temperatures in Melbourne fell to a frigid 10C (50F).

Wish Granted. . .

100_0374.JPG
Originally uploaded by BLP.

Our worldly possessions arrived (finally) Monday morning, transforming our orderly, vacant, and hollow apartment into a disaster area. We worked a solid 12 hours on Monday trying to get things sorted, and thanks to Uta's continued work throughout the week, we've finally constructed a living environment that is pretty nice.

We appear to have lost nothing in the move, and only 1 item arrived broken, so all in all, we fared pretty well, despite the long wait.

No Mas

Saturday night, I was priviliged to join Uta's Spanish group for dinner at Seoul Garden ("Korean BBQ" - a popular genre in Melbourne) in the CBD. Unlike my talented wife, I have essentially no knowledge of Spanish whatsoever, but a number of people took pity on me and spoke English, and thus I had a delightful time. We followed dinner with drinks around the corner at Troika, a tiny but popular bar.

The Village

100_0367.JPG
Originally uploaded by BLP.

We found this model tudor village in the middle of Fitzroy Gardens on Saturday - a rather odd gift to Victoria from the citizens of Lambeth, England in thanks for food assistance provided during WWII.

Snow!?

MtMacedon
Originally uploaded by BLP.

Victoria experienced snow this morning. Though ski season is in full swing over in the Australian Alps, snowfall at lower altitudes is a rare occurrence. But Mt Macedon, which is about 50 km north of Melbourne received a dusting, which is odd given it's about 16C in Melbourne right now.

"Lange pulls doctor's leg"

From the NZPA/AAP:

Former New Zealand prime minister David Lange stunned the surgeon amputating his leg under a local anaesthetic this week by asking mid-operation if he was removing the correct limb.

Lange, who turns 63 today, underwent the high-risk operation without a general aesthetic in an Auckland hospital on Tuesday because of his poor health.

Just as the limb had nearly been taken off, a drowsy Lange asked: "Have you got the right leg".

"My heart stopped for a moment and then I just smiled to myself," surgeon Peter Vann said.

The other members of the operating team laughed.

A former lawyer, Lange was known for his rapier wit and debating skills during his turbulent term as Labour prime minister from 1984 to 1989.

Star Wars: Good vs. Bad Fans

Good Fan
Star Wars Gangst Rap: Special Edition: This cute two minute animation is a hysterical spoof on the Star Wars legacy.


Bad Fan
Star Wars: Revelations: This 47 minute home movie (produced over "three years") is a frightening public display of obsession, pretentiousness, and bad acting, and, along with Jar Jar Binks, part of the reason why Star Wars just isn't as much fun as it used to be.

Interpol

Here's a write up on last week's Interpol show (from Beat magazine). Quite a flattering piece, and generally I second the emotion, although it's a bit heavy on the rock&roll metaphors:

". . .Enter the coolest New York band to come to our fair shores since, well, since the last time they were here. Interpol are a band very much in control of what they are doing at a time when both the quality of their creative output and their global popularity seem destined to rise to the giddiest of heights. Not that the boys themselves looked too excited about things. Impeccably dressed as usual and typically stoic, they eased into proceedings with their second album opener, ‘Next Exit’, and were predictably met with screams of enthusiasm that barely waned for the rest of the night. Paul Banks’ vocals were confident yet vulnerable, his strength of melody and resonant lyrics proving once again that operatic range isn’t everything. Daniel Kessler was awesome, working his guitar until the melodies dripped and glistened like the sweat on the sardine necks packed around me. The notorious Carlos D managed to hold his permanent sneer almost as well as he managed to hold faultless time with exquisitely talented drummer Samuel Fogarino. Complemented by part-time global cop Frederic Blasco on keyboards, Interpol again showed themselves to be impressively tight live performers.

Both the Interpol albums are full of such strong material that they could have pretty much chosen to play anything and it would be closer to a highlight than not. Best for my mind on the night were Public Pervert, Evil and Stella was a diver and she was always down, the latter sending most of the crowd into the bends of joy. The boys rounded off their initial set with the hyper-anthemic PDA (complete with a trademark-extended-pause) before returning for an immensely satisfying three song encore.

The only slight disappointment was the omission of The New, an absolute jaw-dropping highlight of their visit last time around. Still I managed to drunkenly sing part of it with a stranger on the tram on the way home so I still went to bed feeling like I definitely got my money’s worth, which is more than I can say for my fellow tram passengers."

FARNO LASZCZUK